Our goal today was to get through Texas and into New Mexico. We figured if we got to El Paso Texas, New Mexico wasn’t far. El Paso is a major city on the border of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.
We left early after spending the night at a very loud RV Park barely off Interstate 20 just east of Abilene. The distance from Abilene to El Paso, traveling Interstate 20 to Interstate 10, is about 500 miles. That’s an ambitious day for us with only one driver.
This was our third serious travel day in a row. What made today extra challenging was the wind. I think it was at least 100 mph. I could be exaggerating, but that’s how it felt. Tom had to fight to keep our Big Rig upright and in its own lane.
Rigby prefers to look at the wind.
On several occasions the wind literally m-o-v-e-d us too close to our fellow travelers. I did my part to help by keeping a death grip on my armrest and occasionally letting out an unintentional shriek. Rigby did her part by cuddling up in my lap like the great little dog she is and then refusing to potty in the wind (when we stopped) like the pain in the butt dog she can be. Now that I think about it, peeing in the wind isn’t such a great idea. Guess she’s smarter than she looks.
When I wasn’t hanging on for dear life, or trying to convince my dog to pee, I was taking in the sights. Windmills, oil wells, cotton fields and cactus kept me entertained for hours. I was happy to see huge wind farms for miles on end. Everyone knows Texas has plenty of wind – may as well put it to good use.
I expected to see lots of oil wells on our drive and we did. What I didn’t expect were the cotton fields. I’m embarrassed to admit I had forgotten cotton was a crop. I knew it was the fabric of our lives, but somehow the crop part slipped my mind. Lucky for me, my husband has a lot of useless knowledge and gave me a cotton primer.
Cotton is big business in Texas. So are prisons. In the 500 miles we covered, we saw four prisons. That seems like a lot to me.
Tonight we are spending our second night sleeping at Walmart. What can I say, I’m developing a whole new appreciation for a well-lit parking lot.