Day 45 – August 2, 2019

We started this day in Abilene, Texas – 1,163 miles from home. In those 1,163 miles, there are only two important landmarks that we must visit. And they are a mere one-tenth of a mile apart.

We continued west on Interstate 20 until we reached Odessa, Texas. It’s hard to imagine that the only two things we need to visit in over a thousand miles can be found in Odessa, right?

Our first stop was the last Fazoli’s we would be passing on Big Trip 4. For lunch, we dined on spaghetti, ravioli, pizza, and salad. And who can forget the amazing unlimited bread sticks?

Right around the corner from Fazoli’s, we discovered a full sized replica of Stonehenge.

The original Stonehenge took 2,000 years to build. This one took six weeks.

I always wanted to see Stonehenge. This saves me the trip to southwest England.

The rest of the day was consumed with driving.

Ashley spent part of the drive reading a book to us. It is her required summer reading and the book is Short.

But for most of the drive, she watched Yo Gi Oh videos while playing on her 3DS.

As we crossed another time zone and picked up another hour we lost weeks ago, I started reading the blog from day 1. We had already forgotten many of the finer details that make a trip like this special. And the terrible parts now made us laugh.

As I read, Ashley stopped me and remarked that she feels like she really grew up this summer. She probably meant that turning 11 is the start of her transition to the next phase of her life.

But I took it to mean that all the unique, one-of-a-kind experiences she encountered during the trip made her a different person. She’s more worldly. More knowledgeable. Able to tackle obstacles. Sleep anywhere there is an inflated air mattress. And certainly happy to ride any roller coaster in the world.

As we continued to drive for hour after hour, I considered my health. I feel great. My stamina is good. I’m getting no headaches. I can walk miles in the heat and humidity. I don’t have any of those funky back and neck and knee pains that can make it hard to sleep. I rode hundreds of roller coasters without suffering any discomfort. I’m sure I’m jinxing myself, but I have not felt this good in years. Except for one thing.

For years, I worked behind a desk. I could sit for six, seven, eight hours at a time and never stand up. Not any more.

After about 60 minutes in the driver’s seat, my backside starts throwing the white flag. The pain grows with the passage of time to the point it is almost unbearable. There is no position that helps. I even got a seat cushion. So I guess I am forced to admit I suck at sitting.

We finally reached the western border of Texas. According to Google Maps, our voyage through the lone star state covered an astounding 819 miles.

We entered New Mexico and drove to our final destination, Las Cruces. We managed to travel 500 miles today.

We are a mere 663 miles from pulling into our driveway. It looks like we may be going for it tomorrow.