10. Tag: Brain Fog

A stupid advertising call from Germany jolts me awake. I really should put my phone on silent, but so far I haven't received any such calls here. I try to go back to sleep, but I can't. And I notice that I'm a little exhausted. Eight days full of impressions that you might not experience in half a year leave their mark. And so I decide to slow down a little.

For the first time, I'm offered a proper breakfast. I don't really care about going out for breakfast in the morning, but I'm happy to take advantage of this opportunity. There are scrambled eggs, potatoes, ham, waffles, a PBJ sandwich, and some fruit. I don't eat these shrink-wrapped breakfast substitutes anymore, although I thought they were pretty cool at the beginning.

After that, I take it easy and don't set off until 11:00 a.m. towards Albuquerque on Highway 500. It goes through flat desert terrain, then it gets a bit hillier, and rock formations appear on the right and left. The Ojito Wilderness lies in complete isolation on the 300 km long route.

I drive along a 25-kilometer dirt road and there are very few cars coming towards me. The temperature is well over 35° and there is no tree to provide any shade. I like these places very much. When you get out, you don't hear any noise, except maybe the wind or an animal. In this case, I hear the rattle of a rattlesnake again. But maybe I'm just imagining it, I don't see any this time.

I envy people who can photograph these shy animals as they recharge their batteries in the sun. Of course, I wouldn't approach them, but would take my picture from a safe distance. I stayed in this isolation for about an hour, but I wasn't allowed to do so.

After a detour of almost 2 hours, I'm back on the highway and the traffic towards Albuquerque is getting noticeably heavier. I'm given a really friendly welcome at the hotel and my room is, like the last one, very comfortable. Not quite as big, but much better than many motel rooms. And there's breakfast again tomorrow.

I have to carry my things up to the second floor and park my car in the parking lot in front of the hotel. I order something for dinner from Wendy's and pick it up right away. I wish the man at the drive-thru counter a happy Memorial Day and he is happy. "Keep the spirit alive" he says and asks where I come from. As he often does, he comments on my name with "cool name". I think I need to live here sometime. It really goes down like a treat.