It was cold this morning in Artesia when I loaded the car to head east. But, no wind, so that made it tolerable. I tried to straighten up the inside of the car a little.....it's a mess after almost 2 weeks on the road. It's also pretty nasty on the outside, so I decided to clean it up a little, and found a car wash right off the main street. The place was closed.....too cold to wash cars this morning, but the owner said it would be opening soon. I drove around town a while, looking around, and found the high school football stadium. The "Bulldog Bowl" was featured in an early 90's issue of National Geographic. It was one of the first really modern high school stadiums, containing many of the features only found in college or professional stadiums. At the time there was lots of controversy around spending so much for HS football, but Artesia is proud of its team. And based on all the oil wells surrounding the town, the town probably has lots of money.
I took a few pictures, and drove back to the car wash.....still closed. Finally decided the car could wait until later and headed out of town. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of oil wells east of Artesia. I asked a guy how far apart they have to be and he said 10 acres. My first stop today will be in Loco Hills, at Kelly's Cafe. During the walk I stopped in there for lunch and met Kressy Carlile, and her husband Jodie. Kressy works there and picked up the tab for my lunch, and Jodie and I sat around and talked for a while. The last thing he told me was, "I have 2 good horses, and if you'll come back out this way we'll go for a ride". You can imagine his surprise when I walked in and asked for him. But, he quickly recovered and said sure, after he finished breakfast.
We talked for a while catching up on the past 2 or so years, he finished breakfast, and we headed out to his place in Maljamar. One of the horses was not currently in riding condition, so we had to share "Snickers" a 20+ year old quarter horse that seemed to know what to do before the rider gave instructions. Jodie has used him for years herding cattle, and Snickers responds to the gentlest touch from the reins or pressure from the riders leg. He hadn't been ridden for a while, so Jodie warmed him up, then I got on and headed out to the field behind the house. Although I grew up on a small farm in NC, and was always around horses, ponies, and mules, my skills were rusty, and I'm sure Snickers was pretty frustrated with my confusing signals.....but he was patient with me. I rode a while, didn't fall off or hurt either one of us, and came back to the stable.
Jodie took off the saddle, turned him loose, and we spent some time looking over his house. He started with a small one, and is slowly turning it into a bigger, more modern one.....doing most all of the work himself. We headed back to the cafe, ate lunch, and sat around and talked a while. The next time I'll call ahead so both horses will be available. Then, we're going for a long ride......he mentioned from NM to Idaho. (Sounds easier than walking.) We said our goodbyes, and I headed out, leaving behind some apple butter and t-shirts. Next stop is Hobbs, about 40 or so miles away. I'll stay there tonight and work on a plan for the next few days.
On the ride to Hobbs I thought about Jodie and Kressy and lots of others who live out here. Many farm, or have cattle ranches, or work in the oil fields. All physically demanding, but honest and rewarding ways to earn a living. They have to battle nature, ever changing government regulations, and fluctuating prices for the crops or cattle they raise. Sometimes, during a bad crop year or low beef prices, they work additional jobs in order to keep their farm going. For many of them the only wealth they'll have is the rocky, sandy soil, which to an easterner, appears to not have much value. But they seem to love the life and the independence and freedom it gives them. In many ways I admire and am a little envious of what they have.
Before finding a place to stay, I stopped in at a local State Farm agency to visit a couple of people who helped me during the walk. Neither still worked there, both having left on maternity leaves. But, a couple of the people still there had knowledge of the walk, so we sat around and talked a while. It was dark, so I found a motel close by, and checked in. Tomorrow I'll be in Texas, inching closer to Christmas with the family. But, there's still some places and people to visit along the way.
Pictures:
Bulldog Stadium, Artesia, NM;
Jodie and Kressy Carlile;
Jodie and the walkingman;
Jodie warming up Snickers;
A real cowboy where he's most comfortable;
A cowboy wannabe.
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