Day 2

Ben Lutz:

To quote a Phish song (sadly) Ben and I had never seen the stars as bright as we did last night. After hitting the road at about 5 pm central time we made quick work of Oklahoma City and found ourselves in the panhandle of Texas. For the most part the panhandle was a bitter, boring pill to swallow but once we got past Amarillo and found ourselves completely surrounded by, well, absolutely nothing, the beauty of these United States engulfed us. I had never seen so many stars in my life. Ben and I were so drawn by them that we pulled off to the side of the road just to gaze, open mouthed, at God's creation. It was absolutely breathtaking and, in a way, humbling. Adding to our 'we're lucky to be doing this,' feeling was that we drove most of this leg alongside route 66. Something about seeing that road made Ben and I appreciate all those who had traveled it before us and we somehow felt connected to them. It was just an amazing night. All these feelings and experiences followed us into New Mexico where we found the suburban sprawl that is Albuquerque. A city down in a valley with millions of shimmering lights. The moon seemed to have been hung directly over the city. Who knew that a bunch of Applebee's and Bed Bath and Beyond's could be so gorgeous from far away. However, our night did have its down moments. The fact that we were both tired and there wasn't another rest area until Arizona proved to be frustrating for the both of us. Ben carved out a place in the back for himself, and me being stubborn, thought that I could easily fall asleep in the passenger seat. However this proved harder than I though so I had the amazing idea to move it outside with a blanket and a sleeping bag. Sure it was around 25 degrees out but I am a tough guy. Well, when I woke up a mere two hours later with a face full of snow I regretted my testosterone influenced decision. Now it is Day 3 and we are driving towards flagstaff and the snow and sleet is still coming down. If this is what this trip has in store for us in two days I cannot imagine what is going to happen in the next 19. We're still not dead!