Observations from the Ranger Motel

Texas drivers are the most polite of anywhere, usually immediately pulling aside when overtaken by a faster vehicle. This tanker driver in El Paso must have forgot that "aside" = right, not left. This does not apply to Texans outside Texas, who are in such a hurry to get back home that they drive like assholes with blinders on.

The New Mexico Chamber of Commerce should rename NM along I-10 as "The Mexican Buffer Zone" lest visitors think all of the state looks like that. Gas prices in NM were almost uniformly $3.999 except for Lordsburg (AZ border), which was a reasonable $3.599.

San Angelo TX is surrounded by an ancient magical barrier designed to lull travelers to sleep. It is called West Texas. Susceptible travelers should keep a quantity of loose change in their pockets to keep frustrated natives from searching further.

If you carry a cellphone in case of a roadside emergency, you should avoid yakking away on it during long trips, unless you've got a car charger. I keep the Bluetooth earpiece in the truck to ensure I don't look like an utter tool (or a Borg) walking around talking to myself.

I gotta learn how to rip MP3s from my CD collection.

To the lady at the Okla. gas station who used her stuffed-to-the-brim Miata as a exercise/ stretching implement... Thank You.

When I hit the WV border, Tenn. Ernie Ford's Sixteen Tons started on the MP3 player. Coolest thing since Doc Watson's Rocky Top started outside Knoxville TN!