It’s been almost a year since I’ve been more than a mile or two away from my car. This week I fixed that. Brendan, Chris and I parked at the Chisos Basin and hiked for 40 miles over hill and dale and through the desert and four days later we clambered up on to Regan’s front porch in Terlingua Ghost Town where his son handed us cold beers. Best Miller Lites ever. There were plants and birds and rocks and things. And the sky with no clouds. The heat was hot and the ground was dry. But the air was full of sound.
I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
Alas I was walking through the desert with a couple of musicians and there was whiskey involved.
On the long drive back to Austin, I spotted a sign outside a real estate development near Alpine. “We sell tranquility by the acre”. If you want it by the hundreds of square miles instead, head for Big Bend. It was a great trip and a lot of fun. And thank you to the Reeds for putting up with us and putting us up. And for the stuffed jalapenos and balls. And thank you to the virus for the negative rapid test on Monday morning.
My fellow hikers were discussing that it was a bit discombobulating to be away from their families after having spent the last 12 months within spitting distance of one another. As I dropped them off, their wives and kids ran out of their homes and there was much kissing and hugging and a general appreciation for having returned home alive. I dryly note that my family didn’t get off the couch when I got home. Literally. Ouiser was beside herself but that was it. I am definitely going to talk up the dangers of whatever I do next in the hopes of getting a warmer reception. Mountain lions. Bears. Starvation. Death by dehydration. Lost in the desert. I’ll report back how that works out for me.
Notes from Dad 