Roswell

I promised Shane I would blog when I could, so I'm taking advantage of the early hour here in Roswell. I think this may be the only place that has internet while we're on our trip, but we'll be back here on Thursday night for an extended stay in Roswell.

Yesterday's drive was a breeze. I had routed our trip on Rand McNally and it gave us absolutely perfect directions, but when it calculated the mileage and how long it would take to get here, the map said it was a 10 hour drive to Roswell. We got on the road and I realized that that didn't sound right, so I calculated it myself and got 7 hours. Apparently they were calculating mileage at a speed of 52.5 miles an hour (who drives 52.5? Especially in West Texas? We were pleasantly surprised! And we gained still another hour at the border when we got into the Mountain Time Zone, so instead of getting here at 11:30 like we thought, we got here at 8! That was so great!

We had X-Files-like weather just after Pecos, TX. It was totally flat for miles... we could literally see forever. It was beautifully rugged terrain with Joshua Trees and a bed of yellow flowers on the desert floor, and we could see a band of rain showers hanging like a curtain in the distance ahead. The sunset was just behind the rain, giving it an orange-and-gray-streaked cast, each fold of the rain-curtain painted a different shade. It was absolutely gorgeous. Occasionally lightning would streak through the gray part of the curtain. It was a classic desert storm.

We got into it suddenly, and for 5 minutes drops the size of golf balls pelted the car. Then, just as suddenly, we were through the curtain and the sun was setting and the sky was clearing. We looked behind us, and the back side of the storm displayed the most beautiful rainbow we have ever seen. It was a complete arc, from the desert floor on our side of the highway, reaching all the way to the opposite side of the highway and landing on the ground over there. We could literally see the rainbow's end melting into the ground. And the colors were so vivid that each was pronounced and we could even see the indigo and violet. Just above it, another more faint rainbow hung, its colors just opposite of its companion.

We stopped to snap some quick pictures, and weren't back on the road 2 minutes when the car began to slide on what looked like sand that had been spread all across the road. I thought that the rain had washed the sand from the desert across the road in that particular spot. Then we realized that it was ice! Two inches of ice had been dumped from the clouds, and we were going 75 mph! David slid a bit and then regained control, and then, suddenly, the ice was gone, the roads were dry, and we were on our way as if the storm had never happened.

I love random acts of nature. They remind me that our Creator has a sense of humor and creativity.

Last night we got to the hotel, which has an indoor pool, and I went to look at the facilities, only to find 8-9 German men swimming, all wearing Speedos and sitting in the hot tub together. No. That was not necessary. That's a random act of nature I really could do without.

I'm looking forward to seeing Roswell in the daylight. We'll leave here around 10 and head north to the mountains. I can't wait.