Saturday, November 16, 2013

I left the San Angelo Lodge shortly after 7 am, with the sky streaked with pink. I called the 1910 Sterling Hotel in Sterling City, my day’s destination. It was the only viable place in town. I spoke to Wanda on the phone and arranged for the night’s stay. Peter would be playing roadie, so it would be a great day. I zipped to Walgreens and then a final convenience store/bathroom break before I left the city limits on hwy 87.

It was a very rural day, here in west Texas. I passed a spot on the road called Carlsbad, TX. The name and the surrounding countryside reminded me of home in Carlsbad, NM. But that was about it. This is an unincorporated village with a post office and it is located in Tom Green County---cool name for a county I think. Anyhow, the population of the zip code is less than 1500. That village population is about 100. Not even a bathroom. I kept going, after the required photograph of the sign. This was a day of finding bushes. But once, when Peter came by to provide coffee and snacks (boy, did I feel spoiled), I stopped at a lone milling business and begged to use the bathroom. The sympathetic lady at the desk welcomed me in. People can be so wonderful. And save lives!

I rolled into Sterling City in the late afternoon, with Peter and Wanda standing out in front of the 1910 State Hotel to welcome me “home” for the night. First, Wanda gave us the grand tour of this fantastic old building. This historic building was built in, you guessed it, 1910, and was one of the first building of this ranching and mining town. It started as a bank, then became an office for two doctors, then a drugstore,

confectionary, and a cafe. TrinaBeth Johnson purchased it and has been renovating the stately old building over the last year or two, making it into a welcoming home for travelers of all kinds. Now with the oil boom in west Texas, they are getting more travelers through this tiny town. 

Sterling City had a population of less than 1000 about 5 years ago. It is still called the “Windmill City” due to the prevalence of windmills in the surrounding area. The city records boast a population of about 1000, although the residents swear this is wrong and the population must be 10 times larger. Perhaps it feels that way, with the incoming workers. However, these workers are temporary, renting rooms at the Hotel. In the fall, they also have a large banquet and celebration for hunters, creating another draw of visitors. 

Wanda at the 1910 State Hotel gave Peter and I a great tour of the venerated old building. The renovations are going wonderfully and they have a dining room with the greatest coffee and cookies and pastries around. Peter and I kept running downstairs from our room to get their coffee. And, yes, the cookies too! Yummmm!

Wanda has a long history with the building. She worked here as a young woman and just started working here recently as the hotel clerk. Her passion is her 28 year-old son. He was in a terrible motor vehicle accident a few years ago and it was touch and go for awhile, with his survival hanging in the balance. Eventually he recovered, only to get such a severe case of pneumonia that he almost lost his life again. In fact, he was in ICU for several weeks and Wanda checked him out of the hospital in San Angelo and paid for an ambulance to get him to a hospital in Austin. There, he slowly recovered, but he did recover. Wanda actually saved his life. There are not many people that would have the guts to go against a hospital and doctor’s orders to take a loved one to a different hospital hundreds of miles away. 

While we were finishing our discussion with Wanda, the night clerk or manager arrived--Leslie. This little firecracker is a transplant from Houston. Sterling City has a population of about 1000 and Houston’s population is 2.16 million! She is still dealing with some culture shock, but appears to be dealing well with it. 

Here is her story.  

Leslie met her husband through one of her best friends many years ago. This friend fell in love with a man through an online dating service (I can relate). This man had a twin brother and Leslie’s friend set her up with a date with the twin. They fell in love, got married, and had six kids. Yes, six. Leslie is a pretty, slender young lady who looks just old enough to have borne maybe two by now. But six???  She is looking mighty fine, lemme tell ya!

Since adulthood, Leslie has always worked at a job and she lived a pretty fast-paced life in Houston.  Her husband was in the military and did recon in Iraq. He returned to the states and is technologically savy. Over the last year, he was hired in the oil fields to install, manage, and program the software that works the big rigs and pumps. It was a great job and it required a move to the tiny town of Sterling City. There might be a few more moves in the future for them, but for now, they are learning how to live the country life. Hubby has been building a chicken coop out of pallets and materials that they have found around the property that they are renting. 

Leslie’s passions are multiple. She is passionate about her faith in God and her love for her husband and children. She loves the planet and her animals. They have a 30 pound miniature “house pig” who sleeps with one of the kids. She had Peter and I laughing as she described the rascal pig who can open doors and latches and cabinets. He will steal a loaf of bread and run through the house with it, Leslie’s husband chasing him for all he’s worth. The pig usually wins. They have bantam and silkie chickens that were purchased to raise for meat and eggs. But Leslie has made pets out of them and carries her favorite silkie hen around in her arms. This bright foul pecks on the front door every morning and, when the door is opened, she walks in and greets everyone and checks out the house for any changes, just like a curious cat. The farm is turning into a petting zoo and the Houston transplant family are the quirky new residents. And everyone loves them.

After I went upstairs and did my exercises, Peter and I came back downstairs to get their Keurig coffee and fresh cookies. There, we snagged Leslie again for more conversation and we discussed local and world issues, from water and oil to war and survival. We definitely enjoyed her passionate animation.

Eventually, we returned to the lovely room and Peter showed me some of his computer programing for composing music. Then he played some of the music recorded on his laptop, including sonatas and even opera. They were so beautiful my heart constricted and my eyes stung. Every time I woke up in the night, the strains were replaying in my head. They were so very beautiful.

I am very grateful for this life.

____________________________

Sunday, November 17, 2013

When Peter and I hit the parking lot at the 1910 State Hotel at 7:15 am, the hotel housekeeper, Rosemarie, was walking across the alley toward the hotel. I believe she may live in one of the houses on the adjacent street. She called out and said that her daughter liked my bike. At about that time, Daisy, her pretty “tween” daughter came around the corner of the building, having just inspected Henry David. I asked her if she would like to take a ride on HD; I would show her. With a sudden look of apprehension, Daisy shook her head “no”. Still, Peter and I walked with Rosemarie and Daisy over to where HD had been locked down for the night. 

While we headed in that direction, Rosemarie pressed $10 into my hand, “from my husband”, she said. “We think that this trip of yours is really wonderful”.  I hugged her and thanked her gratefully. She told me that she was the one who put all the little snacks in our room. What an absolutely sweet lady. 

I showed Daisy and Rosemarie the trike and then demonstrated how to ride it. Daisy climbed on with some trepidation and took off slowly down the sidewalk. She rode it to the end of the sidewalk to the next parking lot, turned it around, and came back. Peter walked along beside her in case she had a problem. She didn’t. She did wonderfully. Daisy was very quiet and shy, holding up the sleeve of her jacket/sweatshirt up near her pretty face whenever we spoke to her.

By the time Daisy returned HD to the 1910 State Hotel parking lot, her dad and her uncle had joined us. They inspected HD, asking questions about hills, gearing, steering, etc. We talked a bit about their jobs--both retired but Daisy’s dad worked for the utility department for about 25 years. 

This is a family that appears to do a lot of things together. What a tight knit family. Rosemarie’s passion is fishing. She simply loves to be outside on the lakes and reservoirs in the area. Often, the water is fairly low, which has often been the case over the last few years. When the level is down, the water is murky and Rosemarie practices “catch and release”. But, when the water levels are higher, she enjoys keeping the fish and she cooks it for the family.

This led to a brief discussion of water issues; their opinion was that drought was the primary reason for water shortages in west Texas. Others have expressed the opinion that the booming oil industry has depleted the water supply as large amounts of water are needed for drilling. I imagine it is a combination of both. 

Daisy said her favorite passion is hunting. She goes deer hunting for 2-day weekends with her dad and uncle. They dress out the deer themselves and eat venison most of the year. Rosemarie jokingly added that, when she sees they have brought home another deer, she thinks “oh no, more deer meat”. Sometimes she longs for a good ole beef hamburger (or fresh fish!).

Daisy’s uncle said that this area is a popular spot for hunters. In fact, the annual hunter appreciation dinner would be held right here in Sterling City within the next week. Peter and I had noticed the banner strung across the main street welcoming the hunters. 

Before HD and I made our departure from the 1910 State Hotel parking lot, Daisy’s unlce pressed $10 into my hand, “for the trip” he said. I tried to give it back, explaining that his brother had already given me some money. But he refused, insisting I keep it.

I thanked them all and pulled out of the parking lot. I would eat well this week. Here is an interesting thing. Sometimes, the people who have the least to spare are the ones who share what they have the most. I pray that this wonderful family is blessed beyond measure. 

The route today was riding the 87 all the way to Big Spring, TX. There was a great shoulder the entire way and the sun was shining. The day would have been spelled 

P-E-R-F-E-C-T, except for the fact that there was a 20 mph headwind all day till about 2 or 2:30 pm.

Well, ok, the day was still PERFECT. Peter played “roadie” all day again. He stopped by with drinks and snacks every few hours throughout the day, and even a Subway salad around noon. Due to the absence of any town or gas station, I was grateful for the use of his car to get out of the wind for 10 minutes at a time, and once to use it as a visual barricade...

More than those wonderful benefits, I was grateful to have his encouraging presence and beautiful smile reappear throughout the day.

I arrived shortly around 4:30 pm at the Motel 6 on the west edge of town. After I took a much needed shower, Peter and I drove around town in his Jetta, looking for a place to eat. The “pickins” were slim and we settled on Pizza Inn, where a harried but sweet lady took care of our needs, while juggling almost the entire restaurant full of service needs and spill cleanups. Peter got a cheese pizza and I had the salad bar (I did sneak a few pieces of his pizza, though) and we finished it off with a dessert cinnamon and sugar pastry. 

Tomorrow, I will definitely have to get back to eating less bread and more fruit. Although, come to think of it, I still have some of that dessert pastry left over. I couldn’t let it go to waste, you know...

Peter headed back to Lubbock around 9 pm. It was so wonderful to have him as my personal “roadie”. Life can’t get much better.

___________________________

Monday, November 18, 2013

I slept fitfully and got it together by 7 a.m. It wasn’t even light yet. I waited 10 more minutes and, when the sky started to streak pink and purple, I turned on HD’s lights and rode him next door to the travel station in Big Spring, TX. After coffee reinforcement and shooting the breeze with the truckers, I headed northwest on hwy 87, in the early morning light. 

It was a great day: good roads, mild tailwind, temperature a bit cool, and mild grade to Lamesa, Texas. There were no bathrooms for 30 miles, but I was able to keep my fluid intake to a comfortable level. I arrived at the Lamesa McDonalds around 2:30. The assistant manager chatted with me outside and then bought me a cup of coffee from his store. While sipping my coffee and examining my iphone for potential lodgings tonight, a gentleman at another table asked me about Henry David. 

This was Conrad. This gentleman wore a right eye patch and what appeared to be an electronic device in his ear, perhaps a hearing aid. It looked like a blue tooth ear piece. There was a cane by his side.  Conrad is a Desert Storm veteran and former police officer and trainer. He came down with Guillain Barre syndrome a few years ago. This is a neurological disease with an acute onset that basically results in paralysis. Usually it is temporary, but many have died without proper care.  He spent many months in the hospital followed by additional months of outpatient physical rehabilitation. By the time he had recovered enough from the Guillain Barre and was up and walking with a cane, he then suffered a stroke, affecting his right side. A double whammy, for sure. However, he has not given up, by no means. He continues to work on his exercises but longs to have his therapy advanced. Insurance coverage has discontinued for any more physical rehabilitation. So, he was very curious about the sleek, low Henry David, with his stable three wheels but high requirement for lower extremity strength. Conrad says he is a very determined person and refuses to accept failure. His passions are all related to his career: service as a peace officer, training other officers, and participating in search teams in the rugged Texas wild lands---on horseback.

After the delightful conversation with this brave and determined man, I headed out to search for lodging. The cheapest motel looked half abandoned, and the parts that didn’t appear abandoned were cluttered as if hoarders have been living there for a few years. Out of desperation, I stayed at the Best Western---too pricey for my budget, but I figured I was almost home and so I splurged on a room. It was really lovely. Clean, large, airy, and big enough for HD. The breakfast in the morning was fantastic. They had a jacuzzi and a pool but the jacuzzi water was too cold, so I took a hot shower instead and wandered down the street to Subway and brought a nice, big salad back to the room. 

Keep going, girl.

_____________________

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

It was a windy day to Seminole. The nights are becoming cooler, but the day time temp was still in the 70’s. A-ok! HD and I traveled pretty much due west to Seminole. It seemed almost flat, but there was a gradual increase of elevation. 

It was getting harder to find places to, well, you know, pee. The plains were giving way to sparse desert brush. I found that, if I turned into a rare ranch road with the gate opened, I could park HD and no one would bother me. Then I could walk a bit further and find a ditch and a bush. A nice outdoor bathroom combination. Every now and then I would also come across an oil or agricultural related business---not many out in the country---and I could beg use of the facilities. Most businesses are tucked into town or along the edge of town. So, if it is 45 miles between towns, about 38 of them are empty of roadside businesses. On HD, it takes several hours to go 35-40 miles---it could take 5-9 hours, depending on wind and road conditions.  Ah, such are the challenges to a female on a trike. We really need privacy. 

About 15-20 miles from Lamesa, I was hailed to a stop by a ranch hand. This was Joe Rodriguez and his friend Manuel. Joe had many practical questions about traveling on the recumbent trike. We talked a bit about the agricultural practices in this area as well. The farmers grow cotton or milo or some other grains but usually rely on rain to water their fields. This is often not practical, as this area is entering the very outer edge of the Chihuahuan desert, although still technically considered Texas “plains”. Thus, the farmers take out insurance and then they are covered for their losses. Sometimes they don’t even plant, if the weather is just too dry. 

Texas is a huge oil producer and this is becoming a more profitable use of land than agriculture in this dry terrain. But farming gets into people’s blood, especially if passed down from generation to generation. There is something so bonding to the earth when you farm. So, even when they are paid to not even plant anything, these farmers hold onto their land, rather than sell it off. I have to admire that. 

Although it does seem odd to try to farm in a desert. Prickly pear does well and is quite edible, doesn’t require water, and grows just by winking at it. But I haven’t seen any cactus farms for serious agricultural use.

Anyway, Joe finished our conversation by asking what I eat on the road. I thought about what was in my cargo area at that very moment. “Ummm. Let’s see”, I responded, “I have some apples, peanuts, and some crackers I think!” I explained that I try to pick up food from grocery or convenient stores and often eat salads at night if I can get them, with occasional restaurant trips. 

He pressed 10 dollars into my hand and said, “Go get something to eat!”  

This was not only sweet and generous, but humorous, as there was not a store for another 30 miles. But, I knew that I would be hungry tonight, so there was definitely a use for it, especially now that I am living off my credit card. I thanked him and cycled off, thinking how touching it is that some of the folks I have met who have the least to spare are the ones who press $10 into my hands after just a 5 minute conversation. I pray they are blessed beyond measure.

I pulled into Seminole in the mid afternoon. Now the excitement was really building. This was a town through which I have driven numerous times, on my way to Lubbock. I took an iPhone photo of the town clock, which has been the landmark for where to turn to switch highways, and sent the photo to my oldest and youngest children, who also have driven through this town more times than they want to count. They were excited and responded with all the wows and oohs and ahhs that I needed to spur me on to the motel. 

I checked into the Seminole Inn on the west end of town, giving me just a little headstart for the morning. It was the most reasonable priced motel in town, so I was glad for that. The owner told me he had met his dream to own his own business and he and his wife were doing what they could to spruce it up. It was a decent place with clean rooms. I did my exercises, showered, and then took my laundry bag full of dirty clothes to the RV camping park next door, where they had a small laundromat. I did my laundry, ordered eggplant parmigiana take out from the Italian family restaurant next door (Thank you, thank you, Joe!!), and headed back to the room. I ate every bit of the heavy meal, as the ride next day was going to stretch the limits of daylight, as well as my endurance...

_________________________

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013

I slept fitfully due to the anxious anticipation of the long day ahead combined with the excitement of entering home territory. I was on the road by 6:20 a.m. with the sky still dark and Henry David’s meager lights turned on full blast. Grabbing a gas station coffee on the way out of town, I joined the work trucks and cars beginning their day in the dark.  The road was flat and swift, which I needed for this day. 

I pulled up to the New Mexico border around 10:30-11:00 a.m. and stopped to take a photo. Wow! My home state. At last! Wahoooooo!!! I sent it off to Facebook and also to a few family members on my iPHone, and then shed a choked up tear or two as I realized how close to home I had come. How far I had come. The past and the future, rolled up into one pristine sign: 

Welcome To New Mexico. The Land Of Enchantment.

Yes, indeed it is!

A short while later, HD and I hit the edge of Hobbs, NM, the last town before Carlsbad, my home. This hopping town is thriving from the oil and gas industry as well as nuclear facilities, ranching, and farming. The highway that forms an “L” as it turns through the edge of town is like any other west Texas highway: industrial and nothing to write home about. To see and experience the fun of these west Texas/east New Mexico towns, similar to small towns and cities throughout the country, is to veer into the old downtown areas or into the newer shopping districts. Hobbs also sports a casino and a horse race track, so there are plenty of places for the oil workers to spend their money!

I stopped at the west edge of Hobbs around noon for a final convenience store stop and drinks. Then it was an all out struggle to get to the Halfway Bar and Grill, which is the halfway point between Hobbs and Carlsbad. There is actually a little cafe, Monties, about 10-15 miles from Hobbs, and I stopped there for a quick break. The wind was in my face most of the afternoon and it was hard work indeed to get to the Halfway Bar and Grill by 5:15 pm, after sunset and just as the sky was getting dark. My daughter Shannon met me there and we shared excited (and very tired!) hugs, took photos, and went inside to meet our contacts.

Shannon had contacted the owner, Mike Burton, the day before and obtained permission to park HD in their locked yard when we arrived today. While Mike was not there when we arrived, the two ladies working inside the restaurant were expecting us and showed us where to park my boy. Shannon and I unloaded what I needed for the night and then went inside to share a plate of french fries and a margarita.

This was about my worst nutrition day on this trip so far, due to lack of any grocery stores and paltry offerings in the convenience stores on my route. After the fries, I could feel the fatigue from excessive exercise (68 miles in a headwind on a fully loaded trike) and poor nutrition (you don’t even want to know!). 

We headed back to Hobbs in Shannon’s Hyundai Tucson and stayed the night at the EconoLodge. This was the only place we could find that would allow us to have a pet, as Shannon was accompanied on this last night by her loyal companion, Lou Dawg, a small Dalmation mix canine. Lou is always happiest when Shannon is in his line of sight. 

That evening, I was getting texts and messages from family and friends who wanted to know when I would arrive in Carlsbad, as they hoped to meet me there. I insisted I didn’t want a big deal but I gave my best guess on estimates, thinking I would arrive between 2 and 4 pm.

I went to bed, knowing that this journey would soon be over and home was just over the hill. Or down the hill, as the case would be.

___________________________

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Shannon and I packed up and arrived at the Halfway Bar and Grill around 9 am. We had the opportunity to meet Mike, the owner, who had so graciously housed HD for the night. Mike allowed us to take photos of him with us and he told us to come back and enjoy the music venues at the bar as well as the great food. What a great guy. 

I departed from the Halfway Bar and Grill about 9:30 a.m. It was 32 miles to Carlsbad and the wind that had been forecast for the day was decidedly absent. The temp reached the mid 70’s and the weather and road conditions could not have been better for this last day on the road. 

About 10 miles from the Halfway B&G, a policeman in a sheriff’s vehicle pulled up beside me, lights flashing. Well, I certainly wasn’t speeding, ha ha, and I was well over onto the ample shoulder. I stopped and he rolled down his window, asking if my name was Patricia Jo Kearney.

“Yes sir” I replied with some curiosity.

“Well, I have been looking forward to meeting you. My name is Officer Wyatt and I will be escorting you back to Carlsbad”. 

OMG. So much for a quiet entrance. Some one had put out the APB and I was getting a police escort.

Let me tell you. There is nothing like a police escort with lights flashing on a sunny day on a road with a mild downhill grade to get a cyclist pumping. So, I told myself it was time to actually push hard, so, I did. For the next 20 miles, I cycled hard and flew along at 10-12 mph, which is fast for ole HD. 

About 5 miles from town, another policeman pulled next to me and told me he also would be ensuring my safe arrival. He moved in front and I had an escort in front and behind. 

Yikes.

I was smiling and giggling and decided that someone would be getting a noodle lashing from me later today.

Then, about 1 mile from home, there were 2 more police cars and a firetruck. 

What the....??

One block before my street, I saw my son and my dear “little brother” Preacher Dave, among other friends on the street, taking photos and waving ecstatically. My son broke into a run, which is impressive due to sciatic nerve damage which has resulted in left foot paralysis. 

Thus, I was escorted down my street with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Neighbors came outside to see what the hubbub was about and HD and I rolled to the end of the block in front of my house to a small welcoming committee. Preacher Dave Rogers was behind the welcoming committee, bemoaning the fact that I was an hour early and the party was 1/4 of the planned size. Over the next few hours, friends arrived and I received many hugs and flowers and congratulations and welcome home sentiments. 

The police and newspaper reporter and photographer gathered around while Dave presented me with a framed statement from Mayor Dale Janway while the cameras flashed. The Mayor proclaimed it Patricia Jo Kearney day and called me a Hometown Hero. It was special and sweet and moving and unbelievable.

Within about 45 minutes, the mayor himself arrived and shook my hand. The police drove off in their 4 cars, congratulating me. I was humbled.

I was interviewed for the Carlsbad Current Argus, the local paper. Friends came and went for the rest of the day and evening. My house was warm and welcoming.

I am truly blessed.

And very, very happy to be home. 

________________________

Friday, November 22, 2013

This morning, safe in my warm home, I awakened to freezing temperatures and snow. Yes, snow. I had finished my journey in 75 degree weather, just in time.

Funny how things work out...

While the journey is over, the story is not. I still have one more chapter to write. Check in with me, on this blog, around Christmas. 

My love to you all.