Self Portrait: Girl on the Road, Somewhere in Texas
Genny was my travel companion and constant source of entertainment until Houston, where we said our teary goodbyes. She flew back to NY and I hung out with some old friends in Austin for a few days. Then I drove from Austin, TX, to Tucson, AZ. I took Route 10 West for the entire journey. It was a long, lonely drive, but I loved it. The first 6 hours or so were kinda fun… the scenery was new to me, and I was feeling the rush of being on the open road. Texas is a big state. There is nothing out there, except for a few vultures now and then, lots of rock and some scrubby desert brush… it’s how I imagine driving across the moon. The speed limit is 80, which is nice, but my car maxes out at 75. Gas stations were few and far between (you can drive nearly 100 miles without seeing any signs of civilization), and when you are so isolated for so long, they are a very welcome sight. I drove due West, into the setting sun, and late into the night, until I finally reached Tucson, where my friend Dustin was. My car was barely hanging in there at that point, my eyes were burned out, frazzled and exhausted, and hallucinating, I was later informed I was experiencing what is known as a massive “road high”. After a few days of rest for me, and some new spark plugs for my car, we were ready to hit the road again. The day’s drive from Tucson to San Diego was truly incredible. The Arizona desert, with all it’s giant Saguaro cacti and colorful wildflowers , was the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. Overall, the experience was every bit as dramatic & romantic as I had hoped.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
