On The Road

     I greet you from the Arby’s in Raton.  I think that’s Spanish (or should I write “Hispanic”) for “rat,” but I’m not at all concerned as I bite into my supposed roast beef sandwich.  I needed a rest after driving about 500 miles up I-25 from El Paso this morning.  I have actually felt a little lonely today.  Yes, I’m still two days away from reuniting with the woman of my youth, but that’s not the source of this solitary funk.  There just doesn’t seem to be very many people out on the highway with me.  I understood the lack of companionship when I eased onto the highway at 4:30 this Sunday morning, but it’s 1:30 now and this freeway is practically deserted.  I began feeling a kinship with the other four vehicles that were traveling at about the same speed as I was, and got a little sad when one of them would disappear down an exit.  I kept my spirits up by observing the many billboard messages for Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort.  There aren’t that many words on the signs, but if I am correctly interpreting the message being conveyed by the pictures, I can be certain there are several beautiful, sexy women waiting for me there.  They want to play golf with me, sing to me and help me beat the odds at the poker table.  Don’t ask me how they know it’s me driving north to be with them; some new technology, I suppose.  Anyway, it’s nice to know I’m loved while driving solo on a lonely interstate.

I have been keeping an eye on the well-defined line of clouds off to the west.  I had hoped to turn west once I reach Colorado Springs, but having just checked with weather.com and discovering that Buena Vista (pronounced buoo-na vista as officially declared by the city’s council members) is receiving snow and wind, I have decided to press on for another two to three hours and stay with relatives in Highlands Ranch tonight.  It may be possible to head out to B.V. (as the locals refer to it) tomorrow.

     I stopped for a rest in Socorro and came across what I thought was a misspelling of the famous seat of financial activity in New York City, Wall Street.  Then I looked to the right and realized that their spelling accurately reflected the financial center of Socorro.

     It’s back to northbound I-25.  I hope to make a few friends at 75 mph.  They are the best kind, by the way.  I’ll never feel obligated to help them move, pick them up at the airport or lend them money.  Besides, I always have my real friends at Buffalo Thunder.