December 24, 2004

  • I've been traveling hard. There was sun through Oregon and Idaho, and in Colorado I saw a bald eagle and stayed in a motel where the ski bums were waiting for the slopes to open in Steamboat.

    Then, as I crossed the border between Colorado and Kansas, I realized this was the last I'd see of the sun. The dense overcast and foreshadowing of snow would be with me all the way to the gulf coast. South into Oklahoma and the snow started for real. At least they know how to deal with that kind of weather in Oklahoma... Driving over the thin layer of ice that covered Dallas was like riding the bumper cars with teenagers who think they're immortal. I had the experience of a tanker truck next to me in the left lane tailgating a car. It's spitting up the gravel placed on the ice in futile hopes of making traction happen. I glance over at it, and see the diamond marker on the tank, the one with an icon that looks like something burning. A typical moment from the Dallas interstate, and from life: People think the rules of physics don't apply to them, and that makes it OK to put everyone in danger.

    After that, a relatively easy drive down through the piney woods. No more ice. No traffic to speak of in Houston at 11pm. Park in front of my parents' house, wander in, and spend a bunch of time trying to hold a conversation and stay conscious at the same time.