Camels in Texas?!

By Matt and Laurel
 
 
I had four days off for the Thanksgiving holiday and decided that it would be a good time to go and get what little stuff I had in Arkansas after my move to California eighteen months before. It was not my year to have the kids for Thanksgiving, Laurel’s family was 1500 miles away, and she hadn’t seen that part of our country and was always up for travel/road tripping, so I invited her along. We had traveled here and there a little before: a weekend in New York and San Francisco, camping in the mountains, snowboarding, et cetera… But never an extended time away from home, riding cooped up in the same vehicle for hours on end. It was to be an experiment… Laurel says: I was extremely excited about this trip for months in advance. I made a grand plan soon after meeting Matt that I would like to visit all 50 states. I had already been to ten before this trip started but I had never been to the South, so I was very much looking forward to our vacation together.

We flew into Little Rock and picked up a U-haul truck from a buddy that had been gracious enough to grab the thing at the rental center before they closed for the holiday. That night we went out for a few beers and laughs at a place in the River Market. There are few really good things about Orange County, CA, but the place has spoiled me in the fact that there is no smoking allowed in clubs and bars there. That was not the case in Little Rock! The bar was filled with college students, home for the four-day break, drinking and smoking like freight trains before family dinners got in the way of seeing old friends. Laurel and I sucked in second-hand fumes and nicotine for a couple of hours before we called it a night and headed for a warm comfy bed. The next morning, Laurel had to pack our clothes from the bar into a plastic bag and throw it in the back of the U-haul. Man, they were foul.
 

View of the U-Haul on our quickie trip up to the state line of Oklahoma (state #14)

 
We had nice drive through the changing colors of fall in Arkansas and breakfast with my little boy that morning before we had to do some work. Laurel and I backed up to my storeroom in Monticello, Arkansas and loaded the smallest U-haul truck available with the remnants of my possessions. After dealing with my boxes and quickly touring the University of Arkansas at Monticello, we drove to the state’s southern border, through the upper left corner of Louisiana and into East Texas. Most people think of Texas as a flat brown desert, but the eastern half of the state is green with pine and pin-oak trees, green fields, farms, livestock and rolling hills. The leaves hadn’t quite started falling yet and the temperature was still mild when we arrived at my mother’s house for a late Thanksgiving dinner and a little sleep. Dinner was wonderful and casual and we sat and ate as much desert as we had dinner. After a quick thank you and goodbye the next morning, we set off to explore the American West. Laurel says: As any person would be, I was a little nervous meeting Matt’s mother. Nel opened her door and gave me a huge hug, making me feel right at home. She fed us a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner, and gave me a tour of her extremely decorated house, and even the oil rig in her backyard. Nel said she was dismayed we wouldn’t be staying longer, as she wanted to teach me some things about the Texan way of life, and take me to an authentic steak house to see the cowboys and eat a real steak. In my exclusively-West-coast-with-an-occasional-trip-to-Michigan childhood, I never thought I would visit Texas. Like many West-coasters, I had some very silly stereotypical ideas about what the state was like and who the natives were. When I met my darling Matt I realized that not every Texan was a shotgun toting Republican dead-set on destroying our environment. I was pleased to discover that many of my ideas about the Great State of Texas were also misconceptions, and I look forward to our future trip to the South as well as another visit with Matt’s wonderful family.

Laurel at the first state line that we crossed (state # 11 & 12)

 
Around noon during our drive through Texas on our second day we started looking for a place to sit down and have lunch. It took us two hours after deciding to stop to find a place that looked somewhat appetizing. Just off the highway, in a small town we found the China Star. Laurel was dubious – A Chinese food buffet in Texas?! Laurel’s father was a gourmet chef and she was a food snob partly because of it. There was no way she would have stopped and ate there of her own volition. I assured her it would be fine as she tepidly stepped through their front doors. What do you know, I was right… The place had a killer buffet of Szechwan, Cantonese, Mongolian, Sushi (California rolls), Dim Sum and some Americanized fair. The dessert buffet included fruit, deep-fried sugar coated biscuits, ice cream with a menagerie of toppings and my favorite, chocolate chip cookies. We ate until we were bursting at the seams. After spending an hour of quality eating time there we were given a bill for $16.43, which means that place so lost money when they let the two of us in that afternoon. I went back and filled my plate four times and Laurel, although tiny, had a real ability – no, an aptitude - for putting away large amounts of food. Laurel says: The food was in fact delicious. I am surprised Matt failed to mention his near run-in with one of the guests at the restaurant. Although he displayed a certain "interest" in Matt, he did not display the cultivated manners I have learned to expect from those in the South...

 
About six hours into our drive and about an hour west of Fort Worth, I glanced over at a truck parked on the opposite side of the road and thought I was hallucinating: There was a camel and the truck’s driver was standing about two feet from it. I had to see this for myself! We made a U-turn at the next exit and hauled ass back to the camel. As it turns out there was not one camel but twenty-five camels. They were grazing in a pasture by the side of the road. I know a little something about camels: they are cantankerous beasts of burden who bite and spit great foaming hockers at an offending party. I was very wary of them when walking to their fence. Fearless Laurel walked right up and reached her hand out to touch one. That camel took right to her and when Laurel offered some very green grass from the “other side of the fence,” she won friends forever and was swarmed. While half of them were looking for food the other half were trying to kiss her hair and face. Camels have a split upper lip they use like an index finger and an opposable thumb, sort of like the end of an elephant’s trunk. They were so gentle - using their lips, they lifted the grass out of our hands and lightly tickled Laurel while trying to kiss her. We stayed with them for thirty minutes or so and a number of cars pulled over. Everyone was amazed by how gentle the camels were. One of the cars that stopped contained a couple and their grandson that were from a nearby town. They said that the camels are somewhat of a local tourist attraction, and so many people have stopped over the years that the camels are used to people and actually look forward to the petting, rubbing and the fresh green grass that the visitors bring. All Laurel could talk about for the rest of that day’s drive was the camels and she gushed about how much she loved them. We had discussed having a little farm one day and she begged for the camel to be a part of the menagerie of animals included on that little piece of property. Laurel says: I love camels!!! It’s true I talked about them for hours on end, and for many days after the trip had ended. There is nothing quite like being kissed and snuggled by a huge animal you had expected to spit on you. They were extremely soft and their wiggly split lips reminded me of a little bunny rabbit. I almost couldn’t bear to leave them. I know Matt loved them too, because a camel is the first exotic animal he has agreed to let me keep as a pet. (To date I have asked for many, many darling creatures to be kept in one of our bathtubs, but sadly Matt has vetoed every last one of them.)

Laurel gets kisses from a Texan camel
 

Matt with our harem of camels
 
The U-haul that we piloted on our little trip was a dream: it was clean and had comfy captain’s-chair seats, low miles, good acceleration, power steering, the works… Aside from the fact it was as aerodynamic as a cereal box (big square + high winds = crappy gas mileage), we were pleased with the truck. It did have one annoying little feature that was somewhat concerning: The two side mirrors sort of spun in the wind. They started out fine, but by mile 300 or so the passenger side needed adjustment every now and then. By the time we arrived in Amarillo, around mile 600, both of them were spinning like weather vanes with each gust. Changing lanes was not an easy thing to do in “the box.” One of us would either have to roll down the window and hold a mirror or lean out the window and check the lane before moving over. It became comical toward the end of the trip when both mirrors were completely useless in the dark. It looked like a Marx Brothers skit in the cab when we had to merge onto a freeway.
Amarillo, Texas is home to The Big Texan Steak Ranch. For about two-hundred miles, before one arrives in Amarillo, going either east or west I-40 has signs advertising a free 72oz. steak. The only catch is that you have to eat the entire thing, plus side dishes, in one hour in front of everyone on a stage with a count-down clock ticking away. Do you have any idea how much food that is?! It is equal in volume to a large cantaloupe. It is 4 5/8 pounds of meat, fat and gristle. No, thank you. I had a really good and much more manageable ten-ounce rib-eye steak, some sweet-tea and a couple of rolls. Laurel, who doesn’t normally eat beef actually tried a SMALL bite and said that it was really tasty. The great state of Texas does have a few flaws, but their beef is not one of them! The steak house was full of replica firearms, western regalia, Indian art, stuffed bear, boar, deer, elk, moose, coyote, buffalo, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, horns, antlers and various other animals or their parts taxidermied and mounted on the wall. Laurel was both horrified and intrigued by it all. She was raised out West by parents who were bus-living alfalfa-eating hippies, and in communities where “hunting” was only used after the word “antique.” It would be like me getting dropped into an ashram full of new-age mystic converts just as the afternoon chanting had begun… Spooky. Laurel says: Not much could have prepared me for all those dead animals hung as proud decoration in the big main room of the restaurant. Or the slightly horrifying trip to Gander Mountain (an outdoor/hunting store) the following morning. We have similar stores at home, but they are more camping equipment with some guns and fishing equipment shoved in the back corner. I had never even seen a shooting target, much less knew they came in so many cute little shapes like coyotes, deer and the like. I think I was too busy trying not to look at them to really register what animals they were. Matt is right about me being thrown into a completely different culture right here in the same country were I grew up, I was both horrified and intrigued by how different Matt’s upbringing was to mine.

The Bull out in front of The Big Texan

Laurel at the "Ye Ole Texan Steak House"

Fun roadtrip groundscore
The next day we spent a couple of hours creeping along in an Interstate traffic jam. An eighteen-wheeler carrying baking flour turned over and blocked both west-bound lanes of I-40. During “stop, creep ten feet, stop” procedure that seemed to last forever Laurel noticed something odd on the side of the road. It looked like one of those rubber stamps with pictures or designs on them that teachers or kids use to decorate paper and scrapbooks. This one had a picture of a hand giving the middle finger on it instead of flowers or unicorns, but to each his own. She was driving and so I hopped out, ran around “the box” and picked up “the stamp.” I got a very unwelcomed surprise when I got back in the truck and had a closer look. It wasn’t a rubber stamp at all – it was a little box with a small pipe concealed in one side and about a dime-bag worth of pot on the other side. That explained the image on the front... In another time and place in my life I might have seen that box and its contents as a gift to be shared and celebrated. As an adult with a real job, children and the financial responsibility that goes with those things, I just couldn’t partake. That was all I needed: to get pulled over by the cops 1500 miles from home for some minor traffic violation, in a U-haul with drug paraphernalia, pot and a girl that looks sixteen when she looks up at you, smiles, shows her braces and bats her eye-lashes. That would have put me under the jail in some Texas Panhandle border town. I would have been super-screwed! Laurel rolled down her window and I flung the little cedar box back into the grass from whence it came. Laurel says: Oh, the ‘adven-chas’ Matt and I had on the road…
While some parts of New Mexico are incredibly beautiful the planners of I-40 seemed to have purposely bypassed these areas when laying out the roadbed. We plodded along through brown dust for almost an entire day before turning off of the Interstate and headed north on Highway 666 (I swear) to the Navajo Reservation. Our only real stop was Petroglyph National Monument, which was an interesting side trip, and the top of one short trail offered a great view of Albuquerque. Laurel says: From our spot at the top of the Petroglyphs we could see the entire town nestled at the foot of a beautiful mountain range. The Spanish style architecture is so different from my home in Oregon, the crowded apartments of Southern California and even the Spanish inspired houses of the Bay Area. I love seeing new places and new things distinctly different from that which I know well. The plan was to grab a motel room near The Four Corners and visit the area first thing the next morning. Plans are something we make while life happens around us… The closest town to the attraction was Shiprock. We stopped at a gas station there and I asked where the closest motel and was told, “Farmington is the closest.” Farmington was 25 miles away going the wrong way. The very pleasant and very round Navajo woman whose dentures didn’t quite fit all the way in her mouth informed me from behind the counter that there were a couple of boarding houses in town, but they were for Navajo only. I have never been denied service before because of my skin color. It was awkward and it took me a minute or two to digest what was really being said: you are white so you can’t stay here. I walked out of the place without a word or an argument and drove back towards Farmington. There was just no real point in making a scene.

A doctored photo of Laurel at the state line of New Mexico (state #15)

(Thanks, Brian)
 

Matt at Petroglyph National Monument

Beautiful Petroglyphs (hold cursor over photo for other image)
 
The Four Corners monument isn’t really all that much to look at: a marble, steel and granite platform surrounded by Navajo vender booths selling fry bread, beads, rocks, jewelry, art, et cetera. The property sits within the borders of the Navajo reservation and is controlled by the tribe. However it is the only place in the United States that one can stand, or lay, in four states at once. Laurel and I partook in this little ritual. It was bitterly cold, and the wind was howling, but I wouldn’t have traded those thirty-minutes of artic blast for anything in the world - Laurel was beaming and we were in a place that not everyone will get to see in this life. After getting a little fry bread, we made a couple of loops around the monument in the U-haul before heading down the road. Laurel says: The Four Corners monument was such a minor thing to see and perhaps a little out of the way, but I’m so glad we visited. It was different than I expected, but not everyone can say they have lain with a limb in each of four states all at once. Matt and I had fun playing like giddy little children at the monument, and had a nice snack. I got very, very excited to see Indian Tacos on the menu of one small fry bread stand. My friend Emily from Eugene is part Native American and makes amazing fry bread tacos that everyone begs for whenever we have a potluck. It’s always nice to find a little piece of home when we are far away. This woman’s tacos didn’t hold a tiny little birthday candle next to Emily’s, but the trip to the monument was wonderfully memorable.
 

Laurel and Matt spread eagle in Four States at Once (state #15, 16 & 17)

Hold Cursor over photo to see Matt
 
Our plan was to drive from Four Corners to The Grand Canyon and stop at the south rim briefly before driving on to Orange County. We had noticed on our drive from Farmington that morning that the road sides were heavily littered with bottles and cans. We were both recycling nuts and we have been known to carry a bottle or two all the way home from vacation just to recycle it. The road to the Grand Canyon was on a whole different level of the road-side-litter-realm. There were bottles, tires, paper and cans EVERYWHERE! More than once I saw a six or twelve-pack case repopulated with empty bottles before being thrown to the wind. I cannot truly convey a mental picture accurately portraying the amount of crap on the side of that road. It was dotted every foot or so of roadway for over a hundred miles and it horrified us. I did some quick mental calculations and I figured out that we could have spent two eight-hour days picking up bottles to cash in at our local recycling facility and it would have paid for our gas and the U-haul for the entire trip. Apparently, neither the state of Arizona nor the Navajo Nation recycles in exchange for cash, which gives the population on the reservation very little incentive to pick up a stray bottle or can. If that stretch of road were in California, Michigan or New York it would be picked clean daily.
 
We were a little behind schedule when we arrived at the entrance to the park later that day. It was a combination of the extra time spent driving from Farmington that morning and the angry headwind that we fought with our aluminum box on wheels that had us running late. I swear that right as I paid our entrance fee a thick cloud slammed into us and it started snowing sideways. We were really bummed that we had driven all the way there to see one of the natural wonders of the world and it was swamped in clouds and snow. I thought, “Well, Isn’t this just great…” We talked about it a little and decided to make the best of it and at least make the drive along the rim. The roads were icy and I was in a top-heavy two-wheel drive box, so it was slow going to the first “scenic” parking area. We were still enveloped by snow when we made the turn. I figured that we would get out and take a snowy picture in front of a sign or something. Halfway to the parking area, the sky opened up in front of us as we drove through the side of the weather front. It was like going through a curtain between economy and super-secret-first class on an airplane. The Grand Canyon was AMAZING!! It was layer upon layer of various colors and textures that seemed to dip, swirl, rise and turn in a million different ways. Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time was like seeing the Yosemite Valley: breath-taking! Half of our view was framed in clear blue skies and the other half was a wall of white that continued to move east, dipping into the canyon, the whole time we were on the South Rim. We hit all the scenic turn-ins and stopped for a bit to warm up and buy souvenirs at the South Rim Information Center. The building is situated on the very edge of the canyon and as we perused for souvenirs and looked out of an amazing picture window, Laurel promised to come back with me some time the next summer for a hike into the canyon. We have done a little hiking together and her offer made me so happy. I bought a trail map and Canyon trails hiking guidebook right then and there. Laurel says: The Grand Canyon was truly, breathtakingly beautiful. By the time we reached Western Arizona we were more than a little tired, and if visiting the canyon wasn’t the part of the trip I had looked forward to most, we might have even skipped it this time around. I think Matt was even more disappointed than I was when the snowflakes started to hit our windshield. We were both so relieved to see that open blue sky above the seemingly painted walls of the canyon. Getting out of the car and walking to the edge to peer into its voluminous depths, we stood by the railing hand in hand, speechless at the awesome beauty all around us. Although the sun was shining, it was very, very cold outside. I generally hate the cold and whimper when it gets below 75, but being in that gorgeous place with the man I love was really nothing to complain about.
 

Matt and Laurel at the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon
 
The drive home was long and slow with bad weather and road obstructions, and what should have been a 12 hour push on the last day evolved into a 17 hour trek. Even with that, we had such a good time in all that we did and all that we saw during the entire trip. After being thrown into the cab of a truck together for four days, one would think that Laurel and I would hardly be on speaking terms and ready for some alone time. Nothing could have been further from the truth. We crawled into bed after getting home at 1:00 AM and happily drifted off to sleep cuddling in our own bed. I had this great professor in college who once said: ‘If you think that you really love a person, take a very long drive with them. If after four or five days in a car you are still somewhat on speaking terms, then you might just make it.’ Damn, if that old fellow wasn’t right on the money… I traveled better with Laurel better than I have with anyone I had ever known. Having her along was like a cookie and a glass of milk after a long day – it was comforting and a little sinful...
 

Sunset over I-40 in West Texas
 
Laurel says: I had so much fun! What a wonderful vacation... I got to see and do many new and exciting things, meet people who are very special to Matt, and spend five glorious days with my beloved boyfriend. I took a day off of school for the trip but felt like I was continuing my costume design education right there in the South. In my textiles class we had just finished learning about natural fibers, including plant-based fibers like cotton and animal fibers like camel hair. What a surprise to see cotton growing in the fields along the freeway and to meet a pack of very soft and wonderfully sweet camels in Texas! Although the Grand Canyon was the most beautiful and anticipated stop of the trip, I would have to say that our stay in Texas might have been my favorite. I have come to appreciate many wonderful things about Matt and I know some are influences of his Southern upbringing. There is so much he loves about his home and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a different aspect of his life. I think I now hold a similar affection for the state because of a certain green eyed Texas gentleman, his mother’s warm welcome and of course, the camels.

It is difficult traveling with and spending every waking moment with someone, but for Matt and I it proved to be easy and enjoyable. Even when some difficult things occurred along the way, I was impressed with our ability to communicate, resolve issues and not let anything ruin our mood or our vacation. Spending hours upon days with him on the open road gave us a chance to be silly, play driving games, indulge in vacation naughtiness like fried foods and other such fun, and I got to know him just a little better through the people he loves and the places he holds dear. One could not ask for a better traveling companion or tour guide, and I am definitely looking forward to our Christmas vacation extravaganza!