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Viva Max

11/17/04


Outside Max's house
El Paso Texas


The strangest thing happened this morning. When I left Deming, the clouds were low. When I got to Las Cruses, they were on the ground, and it was hard to see the exit signs, let alone where they led. This continued almost into El Paso. Sort of like traveling down towards the toe of a gray wool sock.

Then, just as I passed into Texas, the clouds broke open, and the blazing sun shone down.

I swear it was just like "Welcome Home, Prodigal Son!" Or else like that scene at the railroad track in Close Encounters when Richard Dreyfuss got the asymmetrical sunburn.

But nope, no UFOs. I checked.

Not even black helicopters, despite being right across the fence from Fort Bliss. Imagine being stationed there. "Not only are you in the Army, son, but you are in Bliss. So let's see that smile!"

I went to lunch with Max from the newsgroup and his lovely bride. And successfully delayed snatching the bill long enough that he ended up with it. My social skills are improving daily. Hell, if I knew it was this easy to eat for free, I'd have retired a decade earlier.

Max even squired me around town after lunch, and I got a bunch of stuff to fix up the trailer, which has been ailing lately. First we went to a foam shop, and I bought a piece of the high density stuff 5 inches thick and 74" by 60". NO MORE AIR BEDS bottoming out mysteriously in the night.

I noticed Max had his trailer parked up in the corner of a stone fence where NOBODY could have parked it. Then I noticed the rollers. Amazing. He welded up three ramps on rollers with ball bearings. Now he just backs onto the ramps, then pushes the trailer over out of the way by hand.


I tried it. It moves about as easy as a push mower in tall grass. Ingenious.


Then we went to an RV place and got some Dicor patching and a tube of the Dicor lap sealant. Ran about 40 bucks, but I had plenty left over. Max is a heck of a host. I'm parked beside his house, using up his electricity, his stepladder, his soylent green...er, that's Simple Green, his lacquer thinner, his rags, and probably most of his patience.

But I got the roof fixed. And only glued three of my fingers together.

Unfortunately there is no Camping World here, and the one guy with an Intellipower 9140 converter in stock is mighty proud of it. So I reckon I'll manage with the Sears charger till I get home.

Couple more days. No Big Bend, no Carlsbad Cavern, no Hueco Tanks, no hesitation, no side shows, no nuthin'. I'm acomin' down the home stretch, so don't nobody git in mah way.

I wanna park in my own driveway for a while, read two newspapers a day, maybe three, haunt the library and the Barnes and Noble, listen to some real live music, and have migas for breakfast every morning.

Did I mention BARBECUE?

In other words, I'm... (gasp)... tired of traveling. Going through a phase, I guess. Should last about a week. Maybe two. Just a break for repairs.

Hope your day has been as sunfilled and shiny new as mine.


Bob



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