Musings on topics of small or large importance. Especially partial to subjects that include baby boomers, public figures, friends, Corporate America, the Denver Broncos, NASCAR, my previous home towns of New York City and Columbia (Maryland), stupidity (mine and others'), diets and health and who knows what else!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Breaking Records and Maybe Something Else

Yesterday was awesome! Well, up until the stressful ending....

I started out the day in Gallup, New Mexico. Ate my Dannon coffee yogurt and hit the road. My goal was to get to Amarillo, Texas, about 425 miles away. It would be the most miles I'd ever driven in one day. Could I stay awake that long?

New Mexico is a geologist's wet dream. The gigantic striated rock all along the north side of I-40 is spectacular. Good thing there wasn't much traffic because I was gawking like a tourist. Oh, I forgot: I am one!

I stopped for a foot-long Subway sandwich in Edgewood, New Mexico, a ways east of Albuquerque. On my way back to the highway, a parade of more than a dozen vintage Ford Thunderbirds and other Fords slowly pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. I don't know if they were on their way somewhere and stopped for lunch or what, but it was very cool and I just had to turn around and get pictures. One's posted here.

Crossing over the Texas state line was exciting. In a good way. The potholes -- too numerous to count -- were also exciting. Not in a good way. Please don't damage my car, I kept praying.

I saw cattle grazing in pastures on both sides of the road. They looked happy if body language is any clue. Then I saw a sign identifying a beef production company. There were pens and pens of cows standing or their version of sitting but not on grass. They were on dark dirt, with nothing to graze on. I felt bad for them. But not so bad that I'm giving up eating beef.

On to Amarillo. I'd met my goal! And I'd stayed awake and alert all day! My CDs helped -- I swayed and sang along with (here goes....) Pink, The Lettermen (my very first record album back in the day, WAY back in the day...), Garth Brooks, The Moody Blues, and the soundtrack from Mamma Mia.

Amarillo along I-40 is filled with all of my old friends: Olive Garden, Pizza Hut, Applebee's, Chili's, Burger King, ad infinitum. Wow, what city am I in? Could be any!

I wasn't tired when I got to Amarillo at about 6:30 p.m. so after a quick "rest stop" at McDonald's, I and my small vanilla shake (McDonald's has the best shakes!) got back on the road. Amarillo to Oklahoma City is another 250-ish miles. Could I make it? Well, at least I'd try. I still had the second half of my Subway sandwich, so when I got hungry about 100 miles later, I ate that as I drove. Still going....

I crossed over the Oklahoma state line about 9:15 p.m. Still going....

It was raining for much of the way to Oklahoma City, and it was dark so it was hard to see. I did fine until about 20 miles away from the city limits when construction signs appeared. Most of the numerous times I've run into construction signs on this trip, no activity was going on, and disruption was minimal, usually involving going from two lanes to one for less than a mile. This time, however, the lanes were all switched around and the pavement was uneven. It was so dark with the rain and no painted lines that I had no idea where the road was. An 18-wheeler came barreling along, elbowed his way ahead of me and tore off down the road. I figured following his tail lights was better than chancing veering off the road by myself, so I sped up and followed him. I was bouncing along like a drunk on an obstacle course. When I saw a billboard for a Hampton Inn on Garth Brooks Boulevard, I went for it.

My car was making some bad sounds after I got off the highway and it felt not right somehow. I have a hard time describing it but I know that car like I know my body and I know something was loose or low or missing or something. I couldn't see any damage and my tires seemed okay, and it was still raining, so I just checked in to the hotel and called it a night. I ended my day after driving 660 miles, breaking my own previous record of about 300 miles. But did I break something else? We'll see.