I have spent the last three days driving through the Southwest… Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. This is a journey I have traveled many times, so I feel I must comment on the noticeable changes this time around.
Texas was, well.. still Texas. Special snowflakes, gotta love ’em. However, the divide between the haves and have-nots was glaringly wider, and with all the new bills in the Texas legislature, I suspect even Moses couldn’t part this Sea of Cultural Exclusion. Amarillo looked like it was hit by a bomb, the stores were empty, and the surrounding desert looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie.
Oklahoma broke my heart. If you remember from your history books, this is where we pushed the American Indians and gave them vast tracts of rich fertile land to grow and thrive. Texas might be our largest state (after Alaska, of course), but since all of its land is in the hands of rich white ranchers, nearby Oklahoma is home to numerous tribal lands that make up half of the state. Living in the desert is challenging, living through covid is remarkable, but living through recession, inflation, and now Trump.. well it’s not really living. Oklahoma seemed.. abandoned. And desperate.
New Mexico is beautiful and one of my favorite states. Coming west on I-40 up the Colorado Plateau through the Sandia Mountains, around the bend to the twinkling lights of Albuquerque in the valley.. takes my breath away every time. I was excited to be back in this city, home of one of my favorite museums, but after my last three nights in Texas and Oklahoma, I decided to play it safe and stay in a gated campground. Tough decision, but I’m still traveling alone at this time and didn’t feel like sleeping with my firearm under my pillow another night. Tomorrow I am headed to Flagstaff in the great state of Arizona where Native American culture is revered and Hispanic culture is a thread woven in the state’s tapestry with pride. Let’s see if how Arizona has fared in this world we find ourselves in today.