I was rude And the locals called me on it. So- for the sake of honesty and a little humility, I quote my "fans". And if it were not for them- however they found my site- I'd still be smug and that's not a place I want to live. So thanks. I think.
6 comments:
So rather than just quietly removing the offensive post
- which seems cowardly,
my rewrite will be to amend my pictures and my comments.
I found this blog and loved this quote-
"Getting from here to there is one thing.
What happens in between is the great unknown....But road tripping is an art. It’s not unlike writing a novel: The writer (rider?) tells herself she knows where she’s going, but she doesn’t really know. There’s an imaginary destination, a sparkling mirage on the horizon, but all it provides is a general direction. As she writes, the story opens up to her the same way the world does when she turns left instead of right, stops here instead of there. The road she ends up taking is as much a surprise to her as it is to us. Barreling down the two-lane blacktop with the wind in her hair and time on her hands is a mystical splendor unmatched, unmatchable. She may never get where she thinks she’s going, but that’s okay. Soon—tomorrow, the next day, next week or next year—she can just turn around if she wants to. Because while there’s nothing better than leaving home, there’s nothing better than coming back." Art of the Road Trip
BY DANIEL WALLACE - JUNE/JULY 2012.
That's my story... ok, the wind doesn't really blow my hair around but I did open the sunroof. I just love the image Daniel Wallace gives. The.... "She may never get where she thinks she's going, but that's okay." Yep.
So the end of this road trip is Tucson. I'll be here for a few weeks- maybe a quick trip to California... but I'll try my hand at some Sonoran desert photography. I've been practicing. :)
Meanwhile, I'll finish up the road trip with the last few stories. And the first one ends up in a way I didn't anticipate. "She may never get where she thinks she's going...", or she may get there and wonder why.
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We left our intrepid but careless hiker with a smile on her face and her iPhone safe in her zippered pocket. She headed out of Big Bend Ranch State Park and it's fabulous roads
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| Thanks for the dirt, Big Bend.... |
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| Lots of this view on the way. It really is beautiful- austere, big, open sky. ahh |
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First I drove through the quiet town of Van Horn, Texas.
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Chuy's is a famous Texas chain with great Mexican food.
Jesus "Chuy" Uranga grew up in nearby Marfa.
And John Madden did visit here at the Van Horn, Texas Chuy's restaurant.
And loved it.
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It was a bank and has been remodeled back into a hotel.
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http://www.hotelinvanhorn.com/
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| Awesome lobby. Bored but funny desk clerk. |
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Look!
The first car my husband and I bought together-
1978 Volkswagen Rabbit
Love the desert air- this would be a pile of rust on the east coast.
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On to Marfa, Texas- famous for its art scene. I got there about 4:30 in the afternoon. Great light but the town was pretty quiet. Clearly, I missed the art scene. Next trip.
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All Texas towns seem to be county seats and have these incredible courthouses.
That would be an interesting road trip- go see them all.
More about Marfa-
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Check out the steer antlers on... yep, it's a custom painted hearse. That's the courthouse you see in the background. And you don't want to see the custom scenes on the hearse. Trust me. |
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So sometimes you don't "get" your destination once you get there. Clearly as the blog comments suggest, I missed the real Marfa.
"There’s an imaginary destination, a sparkling mirage on the horizon, but all it provides is a general direction. As she writes, the story opens up to her the same way the world does when she turns left instead of right, stops here instead of there. The road she ends up taking is as much a surprise to her as it is to us."
And my story this time? Being rude is just, well rude. Not witty or clever. I'm really not a East Coast snob, I hope. For heaven's sake, I grew up on a farm in rural Alaska and have moved back West to a cabin out in the boonies. But I really missed the story here in Marfa and ended up writing something I'm not proud of.
I also missed the art in Marfa and possibly missed seeing the mysterious Marfa Lights. http://www.marfacc.com/todo/marfalights.php
I did stop at the very nice visitor center set up to view the lights. Good job by high school students!
And I learned a valuable lesson and that's never a bad thing. Thanks for calling me on it, Anyonomus.
View this mysterious phenomenon any time after sunset at the Marfa Lights Viewing Area, nine miles east of Marfa on Highway 90. The Marfa Mystery Lights are viewable year round. The Marfa Lights Viewing Area was designed by the Marfa High School Gifted and Talented students with the help of Texas Department of Transportation.
I actually really liked West Texas. Ok- not the well... very empty towns. Clearly everyone was enjoying the Food Shark while I was in Marfa. WIsh the hotel staff had recommended it.