July 24-25, 2005 Abilene

I hit the road at about 11:00am, heading due west, away from Austin. This drive was absolutely incredible for a variety of reasons, all of which I will get to eventually.
I passed my first Armadillo on the highway to Abilene. It was laying on its back with its guts spread out over the double yellow lines. I thought those things had shells like armor on their back, but apparently they can't withstand the force of a car or truck. In this photo, please note the insect guts spread across my windsheild.
Because I wasn't on a very strict schedule, I decided that whenever I saw a historic marker on the road, I would follow it. I wanted to stray from the beaten path and discover something incredible. At my first marker, I turned right and followed this road for maybe five miles.
The gravel road, which didn't seem to be going anywhere, gifted me sundry opportunities to photograph a perfect, desolate Texas morning/early afternoon.
Then the road narrowed a little more, so that the tires of my car were sort of falling off into the grass. I came to an area that I wouldn't hesitate to call "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" waiting to happen.
The road ended at this railroad crossing. It was then I realized that there was no historical marker here, and I should probably turn around before someone started chasing me with a 12-guage screaming, "get off mah land!" Turns out, when I got back to the highway, I saw that I should have turned LEFT instead of right to see the historical marker.
Sitting alone in a car day-after-day, alone...It makes a man contemplate things he probably wouldn't on a regular afternoon. Things like...how can I capture the most cliche still-image possible while being confined to this stupid car.
And when I say alone, I mean really alone.
I stopped to get gas and grab something to eat. In this area of Texas, the gas station is the big local hangout for high school students. And those schools will take every opportunity to show their support for their football team.
The idea of a one stop-light town is not a myth. Locals vacillated in their approach to greeting an out-of-state traveler. There were kind hello's, grins and short conversations. There were also evil stares, spit and head shakes.
Cities on this portion of the drive boasted populations that ranged from 50-2,500.
It's strange how, in the span of an hour, you go from quaint little towns to noisome cottages along the side of the road.
No joke, my favorite part of today's ride was the fact that I drove past TWELVE cemetaries along the highway. It was stunning.
Arrowwood...Voted for...Bob... (Simpsons reference)
Then a cop car rolled up and sort-of started crawling behind me, as if I wasn't supposed to be photographing random headstones.
This is the definition of Americana.
Not every photo makes sense, or is intelligible.
Leather.
Total miles driven update.
This place was right next to my motel in Abilene, and it made me think of my dear friend Molly. So I took a photo, for some stupid reason. That night in Abilene, I got really drunk and passed out early.