Shining Star

December 5, 2021

Howdy folks,

A few weeks I go I was recounting the last few weeks that we spent at our house back in Pennsylvania and all the preparation that went into the big move. That got me thinking about the drive itself that we took from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to San Jose, New Mexico. The computer will tell you that the shortest route is to get yourself to St Louis then angle down to OK City and then west on I-40 into New Mexico. Well, that was the shortest prognostication for length of time: 26 hours. That way was 1815 miles, but the shortest way was to make it to St Louis and then Kansas City before leaving I-70 to follow the old Santa Fe Trail on smaller highways, cutting across southwestern Kansas, the panhandle of Oklahoma and then on into New Mexico. That way clocked in at 1770 miles, but with an additional hour of time. In the end, we took a more comfortable route for us and stayed on I-70 all the way into Colorado, before cutting down to Colorado Springs and rejoining the interstate there to motor south on I-25 to our new home. This way was 1915 miles with a forecast of 28 hours. Having done many trips out West over the years, perhaps up to a dozen at this point, we were usually trucking back and forth on either I-80 or I-70. Normally, too, we were tag teaming and switching off, with me usually driving 3-5 hours at a clip and then Erin doing 2-3. This time, with two vehicles stuffed to the gills with all of our stuff and all of our animals along in tow, we opted for what we saw as the easiest option and took a leisurely 72 hours to complete the move.

But, along the way, Lake Erie threw a whole bunch of snow on us our first night when we were right below Cleveland. We were planning on stopping at rest areas as needed, but otherwise driving as long and as hard as we could each time. This midnight snow on the very first night of our drive(only about four or five hours after we left our old house) caused us to pull in right away and get some sleep. The next day saw better weather as we finally worked our way out of the snow belt and down to Columbus and then on west towards Indianapolis, even stopping to stretch our legs in the sun finally once we got into Indiana. We pushed on that night past St Louis and got maybe another half-hour to hour west before pulling off again at a rest area, much further along than we had been, but still nowhere near New Mexico. At that point we were happy to have gotten through the 12-lane madness of St Louis, with its swirl of interstates that converge there, and were back down to a sleepy rest area on a stretch of normal, four lane interstate. The animals were taking the trip well so far and seemed to understand that something momentous was happening and we were really, actually upping sticks and relocating. The dogs seemed excited for the adventure(and had just done the same trip about two months earlier). The cats, on the other hand, were cautiously optimistic that this was not a bad thing that was happening and were generally content as long as we kept the nationwide tour of finding them tasty morsels from truck stops and gas stations going! The night we left PA was Saturday, then Sunday night was spent in Missouri. Monday found us waking up to a great, local gas station chain with great, made-to-order food and friendly service. Once we stuffed ourselves(and grabbed a whole bunch of extra napkins), we started rolling and made it all the way through the rest of Missouri and Kansas that day. Kansas always fascinates me and makes me feel that I'm rolling across the bottom of the ocean, with a totally eroded landscape, but this time grass-covered instead of reef and water-covered. We went by Fort Riley and saw more helicopters in one place than I think that I've ever seen in my life and even then spent a well-needed hour at a rest area near there, letting all the animals out to bask in the sun and stretch their legs(even the cats in their crates were out on the picnic table with us!). We made it to the Kansas/Colorado line that night to sleep at another rest area as the Grand Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter occurred, forming the 'Christmas star,' making us feel a little like the ancient Magi that followed their own shining star to their own unknown destiny. Finally, Tuesday morning we fueled up and filled up at a Love's Travel Center and put the pedal to the metal, cutting across the Colorado plains until we could begin to see the outline of the Rockies rising in the west. We became more and more excited as more and more of our new home mountain chain was revealed to us and pretty soon we were back on the interstate, buzzing south at 75mph(the speed limit out here, generally speaking) and were finally at our new home right as dusk was beginning to settle on the Pecos River Valley. What a trip! What an adventure! And, looking back, we don't have an ounce of regret!

Now, for a new batch of pictures to keep you up to date with the latest on the ranch. First, a picture I took this morning that I manipulated of the mesa with my cool, New Mexican-made tea mug on display(from the Treasure Chest, Las Cruces, NM). Next, four shots of the kittens following us on our walk this morning: the first two are of Chaco peaking around a small juniper and then springing into the air; next, a shot of him taking hunting tips from Ela; then, finally, Zia perched at the top of an old pack rat nest tunnel. Then, three shots of yesterday's dog walk: first, Rui pondering the mesa; then, the girls joining the frame, one by one, as he waits on them at the bottom of the hill. Next, three shots of the latest from the jobsite: first, my friend, Valentin's, handiwork with flagstone on a new patio; then, a shot of my spot up on top of two levels of scaffolding so that I could put moisture barrier around all the windows that we just installed; lastly, a shot of me freezing my ass off, doing the same thing, at 45 degrees as the wind was blowing 35-45mph that day, with gusts up to 70mph! Then, a shot of two tumbleweeds lodged underneath the branches of a juniper...these are about beach ball size, to give an idea, and, yes, it's so windy that they just go blowing by, rolling and tumbling all along the way. Next, a shot of a sunrise this week when it was actually very overcast and humid, making for tons of clouds and a fireball that then burst through. Finally, three shots of the beautifully and sublimely pastel colors that the sky and clouds turn into as we approach sunset out in these parts...absolutely amazing!

Take care.