Extraneous Sign Verbage and Extra-terrestrials

Joshua and I have a habit of pointing out weird road names and laughing at them. Yesterday it was Noodle Dome Rd. Today there was a town named Gary and Joshua said it was rather narcissistic. Also we saw signs that said “Use EXTREME caution” (not just the regular kind) and “Dust storms may exist” (you mean like the aliens?). We got a late start today after dealing with our bank on some of their new fees (I miss WaMu) so we got to the International UFO Museum and Research Center at about 10:30. Figuring it would not be much to look at, the late start did not faze us. Three hours later, we walked out and I was sorely disappointed that the t-shirts were all so lame because I really wanted one. The museum was thought-provoking because A) we are definitely weird like that and B) because we got to make jokes the whole way through about the characters from the television show Roswell. It did make us think, though, about how inconsistent the government’s “official position” was on the incident but that the personal accounts from many different kinds of people were relatively consistent. All the same, I don’t think either of us are willing to be converted to believing in extra-terrestrials quite so quickly. (When we passed what looked like a thick-web covered bush in Arizona it was still difficult not to think of the pods from aforementioned show). The spaceship themed McDonald’s is everything one might expect with a UFO shaped play area, complete with Ronald in a spacesuit. We left Roswell satisfied with our short but enjoyable stay in quirky Smalltown, USA.

Our time on the road totaled about eleven hours today, coming in at over 600?? miles. The route had us on the interstate again and I think it was delightful for both of us to be reunited with I-10, this time westbound. It was pretty much like yesterday’s drive, but a bit more scenic. The mountains were a nice change to Texas’ hills and windmills. Hours later, even mountains can seem redundant, especially when repeatedly paired with stretches of desert. When twilight hit, the scenery lit up in shades of purple, red, and orange and we were able to snap a few shots at 70 mph.

Yesterday’s incident has made us very aware of our gas levels and it is nice to know we can laugh about it already. KFC was our choice for dinner and a bathroom break (McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, Sonic, and Arby’s is all we have seen for two days… notice their menus are not unique). While we were waiting for our order, a group of beefy men walked in sporting matching black shirts labeled, “Geronimo Hot Spot.” Joshua made me really nervous when he observed in a loud, awkward whisper, “What is this, a biker gang?” It turns out they were a volunteer fire squad but all I could imagine was angering a group of scary guys who would demand the Uhaul as payment for our offense.

A couple hours and playlists later, we arrived at our other set of parents, talked for a little bit and headed to bed. Looking forward to a fun few days…

Momentum More Than Moxie

(Roadtrip Day 1)

The day began with plenty of tears after saying goodbye to my family this morning. Even pursuing the "right" destination is hard when you're leaving loved ones. Of course it is supposed to be a "see you soon", but the pain is deep and the void is wide where my favorite people reside in my heart and in my life. Both Joshua and I admitted to making up scenarios in our mind about how or why we should stay in DFW at least a little longer, simply needing and wanting more time, not wanting to say goodbye. It makes me misty eyed to think about it and really all I could do today was think and talk about other things in order to bring myself to the present and really enjoy this journey we are on. To some degree, the resolution to stay on the westbound road was more momentum than moxie. I had no great bravery, resolution, or revelation. I simply knew that our spirits and our circumstances were like headed like a wave to the shore: timely and inevitable. So we drove.


Windmills in west Texas


Our open road

We made an 8 hour, 461 mile dent in our roadtrip for Day 1. It was mostly quiet, relaxing, and uneventful until just outside of Roswell. Our gas gauge read empty when we were about thirty miles outside of Tatum and forty miles away from Roswell. We pulled over to a rest stop thinking that it would be easier for someone to find us but after several phone calls to police stations and wrecker services, we realized it would be hours or lots of money before we would be taken care of. Even AT&T required 72 hours to activate roadside assistance. I think we both got tired of trying at the same time and I told Joshua, "I kind of want to just start driving." So we did. Miraculously (for sure), we made it 35 miles on an "empty" tank and pulling a trailer! There is just no other way to call it anything but God's grace.



Once in Roswell, we filled up on gas and checked into our hotel. After a quick shower, we decided that we would do the UFO Mickey D's tomorrow and headed out to drive around a bit and eat at a Mexican restaurant recommended by a friend. Joshua and I are fans of the 90s [teen drama] tv show, Roswell, so we looked up the original Crashdown Cafe location (even though Roadside America said it's been closed since 2003). We found that it still had the famous spaceship wreck in its facade but is now a very cheesy alien paraphernalia store. A few photos and a short drive through the alien-lamppost-ed Main St. later, we opted to eat at Farley's, a diner/pub that stayed more alongside our alien themed visit.



Tomorrow's plans include the UFO Research Center and the oh-so-special spaceship-inspired McDonald's then an approximate eleven hour drive to Mesa, where Joshua's parents live. I am ready to do my own "crashing" in Roswell.