Day 15 - Back in Texas

 

It was almost 11 before I checked out of the motel this morning. I washed clothes, and worked on trying to make sense of the mess in the car. After 2 weeks on the road, there's not much order in the luggage area. I finally made it better, and headed east into Texas. West Texas along the Hwy180 route is pretty empty........several small towns spaced 20-30 or so miles apart, and not much in between. It's primarily farm country, including lots of cotton, peanuts, and cattle. There are a few oil wells here and there, but not like eastern New Mexico. I passed through Seminole without stopping, and spotted a car wash in Lamesa (that's LaMEsa, not LaMAsa, I was told several times), so stopped there and got the $5 "basic" job. Considering the price, it turned out pretty well.

 

 

Between Lamesa and Snyder, I passed through a small community named Gail. During the walk I stopped and rested here, and met an interesting guy named Ross Sharpe. He's lived here most of his life, and is the county judge. I asked a local if he knew Ross and where I might find him. "Try the courthouse", was the reply, so I walked across the street and went inside. Ross was out of the office on some errands, but I met his wife who also works there. Told her who I was, we talked a while, and I headed out for more driving.

 

Time changed when I got into Texas, so I stopped in Snyder for lunch. I remembered a place named Skeets that someone recommended, so I asked directions and headed there. The last time I was in Snyder I met a couple of nice people in Skeets, so after eating, showed some of the staff a picture of John and Shirley Fuller (day 64 of the walk). One woman recognized them, and told me about where they lived.....just down the street. I drove down there, and the first house I stopped at was theirs. They were certainly surprised to see me back, and we talked an hour or so about various things. It was getting late, so I left some Virginia apple butter with them, and started east looking for a place to stay for the night.

 

By the time I reached Anson it had been dark for a while. I stopped at the motel where I stayed during the walk. Before long was checked in and relaxing. I didn't cover a lot of miles today, but still had a pretty good day. There's not a lot to see in west Texas, but it's a nice place to walk. I've covered 4,000+ miles so far, and expect about 1500 or so more to go. There's still several hundred miles to Julie's, and I want to visit several people before I get there. Depending on how that goes I should be there either late tomorrow or early Sunday. I'll stay there until Wednesday, then start the trip east along the walking route.

 

 

Pictures:

Leaving Hobbs, NM

Typical west Texas countryside;

Modern windmills....they emit an eerie sound as they slowly turn in the wind;

Sign from the motel.....says it all.