Saturday, April 2…The Tipping Point (Tears for Fears)

    Up and out of the Alamogordo Wal-Mart parking lot by 8:30 a.m.  Of the 14 parked there last evening when we went inside about 6 were left when we woke up…and it looked like another van or two pulled in after us. We’ve stayed at rest areas surrounded by semis but haven’t ever considered staying at Wal-Mart.  And while it wouldn’t be my go-to camping option it worked for us last night.

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   We pulled into a gas station in Carrizozo, AZ, and were greeted by a sight beyond imagination.  A full size van had a wooden box on top which was stacked with probably 6 ft. of bicycles, box fans and possibly ice chests.  That’s 6 ft. higher than the van! And yet there was a semblance of order to the manner in which they were stacked. And adding to the logistical nightmare was the pile of bikes cascading down the back of the van…sort of like a bicycle ponytail. How did they get them up all there?  And what’s with the fans?

   The van was gone when I came out of the station.  Kim described it like this: “When that van took off the whole stack of bikes was swaying back and forth like it was trying to tip the van over.”     Then 2 miles down the road the van, which had headed north, was pulled in behind another vehicle going south.  My first thought: How in the world did that dude do a U-Turn without tipping over?  Kim wondered out loud if momentum finally won and the van tipped over in the ditch.  It was still upright on the side of the road but maybe it’s just a matter of time.   

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   Stopped at Cadillac Ranch again…by now Kim knows that when we’re driving through Texas on I-40

I’m going to ask to stop.  This time I was prepared…already had the spray paint from rock painting at the campground.  And this was the warmest it’s ever been when we’ve stopped despite the constant wind…temperature was in the mid-70’s.  We did our standard smiley face with KB² and this time there was enough room to add the date.  Took a selfie and headed back to the truck.

   In the past we’ve had to go a little store beyond the Cadillacs to buy spray paint.  However, there is now a vendor on site selling spray paint, along with Cadillac Ranch souvenirs and t-shirts.  There was also a food truck advertising Kettle Korn preparing to leave when we arrived.  Got a chance to talk with the lady for a minute and while she said she does a good business at this location she also mentioned other places that she frequents with her trailer. So this isn’t a permanent gig for her.  I would think the souvenir/spray paint truck would do a better business than a food truck.  People stop here to spray some paint not necessarily to snack but there is something about the power of suggestion with food.  

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   Entered into Central Time at the New Mexico/Texas state line…one hour behind Michigan now. 

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   We have a reservation at the Oklahoma City KOA where we’ve stayed a couple of times in the past 7 years.  By the time we get there it will have been a 600+ mile/12 hour run.  We stopped in Santa Rosa for lunch and then at Cadillac Ranch so it hasn’t been 12 hours straight but at this point my body doesn’t recognize that fact. 

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   The temperature was in the mid-60’s in the morning rising to as high as 77 in the afternoon.  Definitely still shirts and shorts weather.  That might be changing soon but enjoying it while I can.   

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    I’ve been seeing the graffiti tag line SKRYB in multiple places as we’ve traveled from Picacho and finally looked it up.  Apparently it was meaning as an acronym and in the tagging world but I also came across an Instagram page for That Solo Kid (@skryb_) who may be the person responsible for what I’ve been seeing. Or maybe it’s more than one person and they’re all using the same tagline.  Can’t imagine that would go over very well with someone who takes pride in his/her work but then again this is illegal and the artists are sort of underground.

   I searched online for the pronunciation of SKRYB and found that most people pronounce it ‘Scribe’ but one very confused kid posted a video about all the “Scary-B” tags he was seeing in Indiana.  This video got posted to @skryb and he doesn’t say yea or nay if it’s about his work just that he thinks it funny.  The name Scary B seems to have stuck to this one particular artist…or could it be artists?  Reading some of the comment I again wondered if there is more than one person using the tagline SKRYB especially since the pictures posted don’t all have the same quality of expertise about them.   

  I know the tagging world is shrouded in secrecy but where do graffiti artists get the money to flit all over the country spray painting their ‘names’ in hard to reach places? How do these people earn a living?  As much as I’d like an answer to these questions I won’t lose any sleep over it.  And it was an interesting way to pass the time on a very long cross country drive.  And I’m certainly gonna be on the lookout for more SKRYB graffiti.

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   Today’s 40 Days of Lent challenge was to write down three hopes for my future and tell them to a friend.  So this morning I jotted down three hopes and shared them with Kim, who is not only a friend but also the only person I’ve spent time with today.  Having just checked the challenge again, I see that I had misread the challenge as ‘hopes for the future’ not as ‘hopes for my future. The language nerd in me thinks there’s a difference in meaning so I re-did the exercise and shared again with Kim.