ANYhoo, it's been a couple of days of hard travel. Yesterday was probably the worst, with leaving Albuquerque early and heading to... Oklahoma City. And being too tired and late to even get a steak in steaktown. However, we did have a nice green-chili-laden breakfast in Old Town ABQ. And I add New Mexico to the list of places we didn't spend enough time, flash floods notwithstanding.
For the rest, I can summarize as follows:
Texas: shithole. As a bonus, passed a slaughterhouse/holding pen for cattle, and OH MY CHRIST please people buy organic grass fed beef or don't eat it at all. I love my steak, but seeing dozens of cows dead or dying along with others waiting for the conveyor belt was disgusting. And you know they're gonna shove them on the conveyor belt too. Clearly, I did not mess with Texas. However, one saving grace were the dozens (hundreds?) of windmills everywhere.
Oklahoma: why? land rush in 1840-something? I don't get it. The landscape was kinda pretty, but, jesus, either go west or stay east. Make a decision before another dust bowl hits.
Arkansas: not the shithole we expected; however, traffic really cranked up on I-40 around Little Rock and hasn't let up now that we're in Memphis. And I have a feeling it won't let up from here on out. Landscape was actually pretty. I didn't realize how much I missed green, as in, actual grass and trees. Arkansas, your hick reputation has been somewhat repudiated.
And POOF just across the border we're in Memphis, which is like a giant Norfolk but with barbecue and brass horns and streetcars. That is, an old Southern city that saw its heyday 80 years ago and is trying to come back. I think Memphis has a better chance, but they need to bring something to the hundreds of empty storefronts downtown. Art school? University? Large naval base? Something. Call me, I have ideas.
Of course we ate meat - ribs - at a local place called Rendezvous - first time having dry-rubbed ribs. I was skeptical, but they were pretty good. Kerri confirms that they were some of the best out there.
To step back a bit, the problem with taking 6 days to cross the country - as opposed to a more humane 10+ days - is that we just don't have time to see everything along the way that we want to. We have to keep moving so we actually make progress and get home. So in Memphis, we got a shot of Graceland from the outside, and we were too late for the Mud Island monorail by the time we got to the hotel. Of course tomorrow is a long haul across the entire state of Tennessee, possibly crossing the Smokies into NC (haven't figured that out yet), so we can't take the time to linger here. And given my affinity for Pigeon Forge (don't judge me, dammit), that will continue.
It's ok. I'm ready to go home. 2 1/2 days away.
BONUS: it really is too convenient that his name is "Weiner"... I mean COME ON.
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