Photo album – Texas /  Photo album – New Mexico

I have a plea, or a challenge, whichever will most motivate you. Get out of your comfort zone. Go places you have never been. Do things you have never done.  Get a paper map open it, close your eyes, pick a spot and go there.  Want to reconnect with your faith? See the diverse majesty of this world of ours.  Want to really learn? Explore – see new places, things and people.  Get out of your neighborhood / city / state / same old places you go to vacation or shop.  Even a visit to the next town over that you just drive through will change your perspective on the world. Better yet, go a few hundred (or a few thousand!) miles!

What prompted this plea? As of this morning, not including the cruise, I have driven ~2700 miles. I am just over half of the way through this journey.  I have watched vegetation, landscapes, architecture and accents change. I met people from all walks of life. I’ve chatted with gas station employees, store clerks, waiters and other shoppers, diners, truckers  and travelers.  It has been exciting, relaxing and exhilarating.

So what have I learned? We are all pretty much the same and fantastically, wildly different. This country and world of ours is breathtakingly beautiful – whether it is tall trees and mountains, fields, or deserts, buttes and scrub brush.

If you will just take the time to see it, it will enrich your view and your life. It will change you in the most wonderful ways.

Yesterday, was spent driving from San Antonio, through the hills of central Texas into the desert of West Texas and southern New Mexico.  The only words for it are big and breathtaking.  It was quiet and peaceful, yet has a wild vibrancy that touches the soul.

There are pictures on my camera, but not as many as I had planned.  At once particularly scenic point, I pulled off the highway to capture the beauty. As I was taking pictures, I heard the tell-tale rattle of my worst nightmares (I HATE snakes!). Fortunately, I didn’t see him, but I jumped back in my car and took off so fast, I probably looked like a cartoon character. That was the end of roadside pictures for the day!

So enjoy these few for now and there will be more later.  Today, I am off to explore Santa Fe!

Yes, it gets a little warm in West Texas…