Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas Y'All
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:33 am
Once upon a time, I was an Ugly American driving through El Paso and looking over the border to Juarez, Mexico with a mixture of pity and smugness. Shanties, I tell ya, couldn't even see evidence of electrical service, why Juarez looked like the aftermath of a tornado, compared to El Paso.
Then, in 2010? 2014? I drove through El Paso in the night, and Juarez opened up to me, a huge sprawling metropolis of 1.7 million souls with electric lights all right, for as far as you could see, and I counted out 91 miles of Interstate 10 before the lights fell from view. This year's visit was amazing too, but my camera didn't think so:
That spine of mountains is the lower edge of the Rockies, the edge of the continental plate, the edge of the border between Mexico and the Estados Unidos. Juarez kicks up a pretty big envelope of smog because we moved all of our manufacturing there to better exploit their workers and lax emissions laws:
Did not know I was driving into a serious weather "event". I just photographed clouds:
This was quite remarkable. It looked like a huge ice cream scoop melting through the bottom of a delicate crystal saucer:
I tried to stay ahead of the advancing clouds, but they were too quick. That puff on the right looked like a North Korean experiment:
Texas sure does manage to pin-prick Mother Earth:
Briefly visited the planet of two suns ... ... ... :
... ... ... but had to get to Austin:
My life is, after all is distilled, devoted solely to Beauty:
But Existence is devoted to getting my candyass fluffy idiocy better grounded. A raging wind and constant lightening enveloped me in Odessa. Even my lazy slow stupid EZ Share Kodak Z612 camera couldn't avoid the lightening:
Pulled off the road and smelled a pretty urgent aroma of fuel (wth?) as the hail clattered down. PM'd Kirk and told him that Dallas was now out of the question. Put a towel around my head to blot out the continual lightening flashes. Fell asleep tired from the past 400+ miles of beautiful driving. Was awakened by You Know Who, One Of Texas' Finest Officers at 2:45AM.
"What are you doing here?"
"Sleeping."
"Why here? There is a truck stop just down the road."
"I don't like the bustle or the electric lights."
"But there isn't anything here."
"Exactly."
After running my license plate (and missing the fact that I have a warrant for my arrest in the State of Texas for failing to pay a 2007 speeding ticket), we talked for a good hour. He told me that seeing my car was "eerie." Then he shared his horrific story of being a little seven year-old boy on his way to school with his older brother and dad in 1970. A Cadillac t-boned their 1966 Microbus on the left. He was jettisoned through the side doors, the bus tipped over and spilled fuel all over him which then caught on fire as it struck the curb. He was burned over 70% of his body.
At about 3:30AM, he shook my hand and told me he better get back to work. Sure, Officer, like I can sleep now?
Texas went flat the next morning as I looked for a place to find my fuel leak. I love Texas flat country as much as Texas hill country:
With my quiet new door seals in the 65 mph breeze, I discovered a new irritant, the creaking of the radio face plate. That demanded immediate attention:
Then I noted that there was dust! lint! in the dial area, and what looked like Michigan road salt on the left retainer:
Clean and ready for installation:
I deleted the larger dash opening plate and installed a rear metal bracket down to the ash tray to keep the stress off the face plastic. I don't know that this is "correct":
Today, I drop the engine, remove the fuel tank bulkhead, and look for a fuel leak, and drive 300 miles to Austin Veedub in search of a rear bumper bracket:
Colin
Then, in 2010? 2014? I drove through El Paso in the night, and Juarez opened up to me, a huge sprawling metropolis of 1.7 million souls with electric lights all right, for as far as you could see, and I counted out 91 miles of Interstate 10 before the lights fell from view. This year's visit was amazing too, but my camera didn't think so:
That spine of mountains is the lower edge of the Rockies, the edge of the continental plate, the edge of the border between Mexico and the Estados Unidos. Juarez kicks up a pretty big envelope of smog because we moved all of our manufacturing there to better exploit their workers and lax emissions laws:
Did not know I was driving into a serious weather "event". I just photographed clouds:
This was quite remarkable. It looked like a huge ice cream scoop melting through the bottom of a delicate crystal saucer:
I tried to stay ahead of the advancing clouds, but they were too quick. That puff on the right looked like a North Korean experiment:
Texas sure does manage to pin-prick Mother Earth:
Briefly visited the planet of two suns ... ... ... :
... ... ... but had to get to Austin:
My life is, after all is distilled, devoted solely to Beauty:
But Existence is devoted to getting my candyass fluffy idiocy better grounded. A raging wind and constant lightening enveloped me in Odessa. Even my lazy slow stupid EZ Share Kodak Z612 camera couldn't avoid the lightening:
Pulled off the road and smelled a pretty urgent aroma of fuel (wth?) as the hail clattered down. PM'd Kirk and told him that Dallas was now out of the question. Put a towel around my head to blot out the continual lightening flashes. Fell asleep tired from the past 400+ miles of beautiful driving. Was awakened by You Know Who, One Of Texas' Finest Officers at 2:45AM.
"What are you doing here?"
"Sleeping."
"Why here? There is a truck stop just down the road."
"I don't like the bustle or the electric lights."
"But there isn't anything here."
"Exactly."
After running my license plate (and missing the fact that I have a warrant for my arrest in the State of Texas for failing to pay a 2007 speeding ticket), we talked for a good hour. He told me that seeing my car was "eerie." Then he shared his horrific story of being a little seven year-old boy on his way to school with his older brother and dad in 1970. A Cadillac t-boned their 1966 Microbus on the left. He was jettisoned through the side doors, the bus tipped over and spilled fuel all over him which then caught on fire as it struck the curb. He was burned over 70% of his body.
At about 3:30AM, he shook my hand and told me he better get back to work. Sure, Officer, like I can sleep now?
Texas went flat the next morning as I looked for a place to find my fuel leak. I love Texas flat country as much as Texas hill country:
With my quiet new door seals in the 65 mph breeze, I discovered a new irritant, the creaking of the radio face plate. That demanded immediate attention:
Then I noted that there was dust! lint! in the dial area, and what looked like Michigan road salt on the left retainer:
Clean and ready for installation:
I deleted the larger dash opening plate and installed a rear metal bracket down to the ash tray to keep the stress off the face plastic. I don't know that this is "correct":
Today, I drop the engine, remove the fuel tank bulkhead, and look for a fuel leak, and drive 300 miles to Austin Veedub in search of a rear bumper bracket:
Colin