July 26-27, 2005 Albuquerque

I hit the road again on this day at about 10:30am, to finish my drive through the panhandle, and down into the depths of New Mexico. I looked forward to greeting the desert. I looked forward to awesome scenery.
An inauspicious start.
At times, it felt like everything surrounding me was a ghost town.
That's...pretty awesome.
Again, me and my fascination with trains and freights and shipping and rolling through the countryside.
This is not the same Joe's Boot Shop where I stopped to buy my cowboy hat, but it's a few towns east of where I stopped, so I think they share the same owner.
This is New Mexico. I spent the next hour 100 yards away from this sign, exploring Ruby's Antique Shop. Ruby is a beautiful and nice lady with a big heart, who talked to me and made me feel welcome.
My sister has this thing about wanting to make a porno called Westward Ho about a prostitute who sleeps her way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean...
Grass becomes sparse.
Red clay and earth become exposed as the green of the countryside fades into the southwest.
I took a left and headed for the grave of Billy the Kid. These horses were along that little dirt road before the gravesite.
There it is. Not the original headstone, I don't think, but the resting place of Billy Bonney.
Sorry that's facing the wrong way.
Again. Sorry!
This was heading towards one of the worst storms I've ever driven through.
Two hours later, I came through the other side of the storm. Outside Santa Ana, I had trouble controlling the car, the wind was blowing so hard, sweeping sheets of rain across the highway. This is monsoon season.
Mountains begin to dominate the landscape as Albuquerque nears. No more green grass and vast expanses.
Good morning, nerd! Stop worrying about your hangover and get in the car and drive to Tucson, will ya?