Willin’ to be movin'

And I been from Tuscon to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me: weed, whites, and wine
and then you show me a sign
I'll be willin', to be movin'
Source: Lowell George “Willin’” http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/easyrider/data/FeatWilling.htm

I have completed the first leg of my 1600 mile road trip from Bakersfield, CA to Austin TX in three days without incident. That was what I expected. The expectation was based on information provided by a friend who had lived in Austin. He told me that driving would take three days: first day, Bakersfield to Phoenix(Tehacaphi to Tonapah) as the Little Feat song says; day two would be Phoenix to El Paso, and day three would be El Paso to Austin. What could be simpler thinks I. Piece of cake, no need at all for "weed, whites and wine." Just "show me a sign."


Day 1 Bakersfield to Phoenix

Got up early but left by 9 a.m. When I stopped in Mojave, there was snow and ice in the parking lot of the Jack-in-the Box. It had snowed in the desert and the morning was cold. Between Mojave and Boron, I passed a man on a bicycle. He was bundled up and had trash bags filled with all his meager possessions. I not the craziest person on the highway today I thought. Made it to Phoenix by dark and found a room to rest and gather my sanity.

Fist shock of the trip came when I actually started to look at the map of my proposed journey. The first part had been completed, but as I looked at the map the second and third leg looked daunting. Phoenix to El Paso seemed okay but when I looked that map of Texas, the true nature of my task became apparent. Texas is like really big and west Texas is like really empty. So after looking at the map, I suddenly discovered that I had a Texas-sized problem. I had to drive through miles and miles of Texas. I now knew I would have to drive past El Paso if I wanted to make to Austin in reasonable time. Ideally, I would have to make it to Van Horn or Ft. Stockton Texas which were 120 and 240 miles east of El Paso on my second day.

So I got up early on Saturday morning and left Phoenix for El Paso or hopefully Van Horn.

Day 2 Phoenix to Van Horn

The drive was monotonous and long. Traffic was heavy and slow around Tucson but once out of Tucson made good time. The landscape in southeastern California, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico and parts of southwest Texas is the same. Scrub desert like the southern San Joaquin Valley with low mountain ranges ancient granite which seemed to look like sleeping dragons, with clouds hovering over their recumbent forms like dreamy sighs.

There were lots of people on the highway and I particularly enjoyed seeing people in SUVs and pickup trucks towing either a car or a truck. Tied to the tips of their vehicles would be smaller automobiles. As if a Christmas visit to Uncle Tim’s house wouldn’t be Christmas unless everyone in the family got some type of vehicle. The beat up Toyota Tundra with no front bumper for Uncle Tim and Auntie May. A battery-powered, ride on Porsche for little Jimmy and a Fischer-Price Jeep for Jimmy’s sister Suzy so she wouldn’t feel left out.

Looking for funny signs was another form of amusement. My three favorites so far: Fresh Beef Jerky, which I saw in California outside of Victorville. I’m not sure that eating “Fresh Beef Jerky,” would be a wise thing. In Texas they have a highway sign that says “Observe Caution Signs—State Law.” Which might tempt the literal minded into all manner of mischief. A couple of hundred miles into the Lone Star state, obviously someone had decided to close that linguistic loophole, by posting signs that say, “Obey Caution Signs—State Law.”

Reached Van Horn, gateway to Marfa by dark and realized the last third of my outgoing trip was at hand.

Day 3 Van Horn to Austin

It’s hard to imagine early humans crossing this part of America without some form of transport such as horse or automobile. It is windy, vast and sparse from Van Horn almost until Sonora Texas. I did stop in Bakersfield Texas to get gas. I said “greetings from Bakersfield, California,” to the woman at the Bakersfield Chevron station. She wasn’t impressed. But I felt better. Now there are only three American cities named Bakersfield left to visit. There’s a Bakersfield Vermont, Bakersfield Maryland and Bakersfield Missouri. Spent the day doing three things, driving 79 miles and hour on I-10 to get to Austin as quickly as possible. Observing different types of road kill in Texas, deer, coyotes, raccoons, squirrel and an armadillo. When I saw the armadillo, I knew I was in Texas. Got off I-10 just south of a place called Junction.

The drive on U.S. Highway 290 from Junction to Austin was very pretty and goes through the Texas Hill Country. This part of Texas seems like the heartland of the state. The country is hilly with ranches, and vineyards and populated with patriotic and independent minded people. This where President Lyndon Johnson was born and lived after the end of his public service. It’s a good place to retire to which many form other parts of Texas, particularly San Antonio and Austin want to do. I stopped in the lovely town of Fredericksburg just so I could take a picture to say that I have stopped. But I didn’t walk the streets. The hill country and its town reminded me of the Paso Robles wine country. And if you seen one Paso Robles Wine country you’ve seen ‘em all.

I hit the outskirts of Austin by approximately 3:30 p.m. Celebrated my return to civilization by stopping at a Starbucks and having an iced coffee. While sipping the nectar of the gods I studied my Austin street map and prepared for my final ascent up the northwest face of Austin freeway system. I immediately got lost and nearly lost my composure, until I realized that the freeways in Austin were like the freeways in Silicon Valley and San Francisco but with cowboy boots. Once I realized that the freeways were cowboy cousins of the West Coast highway madness, I was fine. I mean if you’ve driven the 405 freeway from Redondo Beach to the junction of I-5 with no car insurance what terrors can one small ribbon of Texas concrete hold?

Finally made it to my uncle’s house by 4:30 and I was “with my family” a totally new and different feeling.

Capitano Tedeschi

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