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Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Another in a long line of oil pumping derricks. This one carries a patriotic theme, all decked out in red, white and blue.

Hey! Great news, I just saved money on my car insurance. Well, actually, I've just entered Mountain Time Zone. And that means I've gained an hour of time. A second ago it was 10:00 am and now it's 9:00 am. Wow, it's magical moments like this that make life worth living, eh?

I'm now leaving Texas and entering New Mexico. Wow, another magical moment! Geeze, I can't take this groundswell of back-to-back excitement. Perhaps the second coming of Christ is next? I'd better keep my eye open for a robed hitchhiker.

Exceeding the speed limit in New Mexico by 36 mph will result in a $216 fine. The fines are sliding scale up to 36 mph and after that, the sky is the limit. Seems to me you get the most bang for your speeding buck if you drive as fast as you can, like 100 mph over the speed limit. Too bad, I don't think the van will do much more than 36 mph over the limit. I guess I'll just be content to drive the speed limit.

Just 33 miles to go. Occassionally a gravel pile inspires a twinge of interest for an otherwise boring landscape.

As I make my way closer to Carlsbad Cavern National Park is starts to rain. In the distance I spy a hitchhiker going my way. In addition to his outstretched thumb, I notice his face is dressed with a sad, needful look. He's in the middle of nowhere and getting wet quick, and as I approach, I start to feel guilty about my mounting thoughts of passing him by. There's little traffic on the road at this hour of the day, so I suspect he may very well consider me as his only salvation. Guilt gets the best of me as I pull over to give him a lift. I normally don't take on riders, but for some reason I make an exception in this case.