Spent some time in Deming, which sean explains.

On the way out of town, I headed up a two-digit state road, hoping to find a few geocaches, but mostly not finding any at all. Low success rates had much to do with the fact that I bought a 12-pack of AA batteries instead of AAA batteries. Psych!

Nevertheless, with no GPS and with twilight falling, I found the Two Tanks cache by wandering around an area of scrub for about 20 minutes. And now I have a pet giant ant. He’s about 8 inches long and made of plastic.

At a rest area along I-25, some guy decided I was going to be his blow job for the evening. He kept following me around, saying things like, “Yeah, the restrooms for men *and* women are through there…” and “So… What are you up to tonight?” and finally, “Are you looking for a good time?” Thankfully the last question was asked while I was driving away. Dude: Can’t you take a hint the first two times?

Last night was spent in Socorro (which is where I still am, writing this and wasting time). I went to the Best Western, because it was nice, and I might as well stay someplace nice. The woman asked, “What kind of room do you want?” and I said, “The cheap kind.” She and her co-worker looked at me and laughed, out loud, as if I were a toddler who had just said ‘poo poo’ for the first time.

Setting my sights lower, I wandered down to a place with a sign outside that said ‘$2800.’ I went inside and asked for a room and the woman behind the counter said she had one. “How much?” “Forty-five dollars.” “You have a sign outside that says twenty-eight.” “Twenty-eight and up.” “Oh, so you have *one* room that’s twenty-eight and that one’s occupied?” She smiled a devious smile. “I can go to thirty-five.” “Yeah, but the sign says twenty-eight.” “But I can do thirty-five.”

Much like the would-be gay sex rest area guy, she couldn’t take a hint, and she was just as surely denied.

Motel 6: $29.99, $33.33 with tax.

I think Van Horn is Van Morrison’s Captain Beefheart nickname.

I’m thinking about Captain Beefheart because a geocacher called zoothornrollo got to a cache in Junction just before I did.

Van Horn is an array of motels. Or at least that’s what it looks like from here. I got settled at the Motel 6 before realizing I hadn’t asked about internet. None available. So I’m in my van stealing more wi-fi from Best Western.

Best Western has this really great thing they do when you connect to their wi-fi. Your web browser is redirected to a page which tells you that if you’re not a customer, they can still bill you for a night’s rate, and you have to click on ‘agree.’

Sean asks where I’m at.

I’m in a house on the Guadalupe River, between the almost-city of New Braunfels and the microscopic town of Sattler. The house is on River Road, which, predictably enough, follows the river.

The river is swollen, to the point that if it rains I’ll be stuck here. I haven’t been able to sleep, and I’ve been reading boring techical stuff (OK, not really boring), watching the smattering of videos that are here, planning out tomorrow’s geocaches, and saying things to myself like, “Maaaaan, I should be asleep right now…”

My parents own the place. I didn’t break in to someone’s house or anything.

I was going to try to make it farther across Texas tonight, but that whole covered-with-mud thing really taught me the value of a shower.

I’m in a parking lot at a Howard Johnson’s stealing their wi-fi. I’ve stayed at HoJos before, and it was expensive, and I didn’t even eat the ‘continental’ breakfast. So they owe me. I suppose.

On my way out of Houston, I stopped at a TB (travel bug) hotel cache, and picked up a few TBs that deserve the mileage. And it’s funny, because I tried so very hard to get to the cache without walking through the mud in my sandals… After the first squishy step, it’s all so much easer, though.

And that’s pretty ironic, because i was going to stop at another cache out by Brookshire (the town where you know you’ve finally, really, honestly left Houston when you’ve passed it), but I messed up. I was too busy looking at the GPS and got stuck in the mud. There have been rains recently, ya see, and this tiny gravel road that turns into just clear patches between grass didn’t want to support the weight of my van.

I spent about 15 minutes getting unstuck, but it seemed more like two hours. That first step in the mud before was nothing compared to this. I’d have pictures, but I can’t seem to find the USB card reader. Anyway: By that point I was sweating like the proverbial pig (which is a silly proverb, because pigs don’t sweat), and I’d have to walk through more mud to get to the cache, so I bailed.

Now I have dried, caked mud decorating the steering wheel.

The Navajo Nation has its own parks department.

This makes sense, and I’m always surprised how backwards my thinking is about this kind of stuff. But I love this vision statement:

Fifty years from now:

• Hozhóó, the harmonious balance between man and nature, will be maintained.
• Lands characterized by vast open spaces will preserve sacred areas, natural landscapes and abundant scenery.
• A symbiotic relationship between local communities and the natural environment will be achieved.
• All people will be educated to be willing and enthusiastic stewards of the land.

How did I come to be looking at the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department web site? The answer is obvious: A geocache.