Drivin’ Around in My Automobile
I like to explore. Big Spring, TX did not have many attractions. But, Carlsbad Cavern was nearby. So early one Saturday morning in April I think but might have been earlier. I began hitchhiking. Sadly, I decided to do this in civilian clothes. I also took a longer route thinking there would be more traffic. There probably was more traffic but cars seldom stopped on the expressway. What would have been a 3 hour trip by car took 9 hours to hitchhike.
I managed to arrive at the Caverns just as they were closing, about 5am if I remember correctly. I did go look at the entrance and saw the bats leaving. Since it was windy and a bit chilly, I started to hitchhike back to Big Spring. Now if I had been a bit smarter, I would have stayed at a motel. But when you are young and blissfully ignorant you don’t waste time thinking. I got a ride to White’s City which then was the gateway to Carlsbad. I walked through the nearly deserted town. The sun was going down and so was the temperature. I don’t really remember being cold but I was in good shape and walking at a brisk pace. Now there was no moon and the desert was darker than the inside of a cow with the tail down. As I walked I kept hearing sounds near the road, I couldn’t see anything, but my mind was fully imagining many scary things out there. After about an hour, suddenly the most outrageous noise I have ever heard bellowed at me from the opposite side of the road. If I could have flown, I would have been airborne. The sound seemed to come from everywhere at once. Eventually, I could see dimly a wild jackass who was not happy with me. I kept backing slowly away from him. Occasionally there would be a small house, probably a farm house; a few lights on but a pack of dogs that would come out and annoy me. Occasionally, the owner would look out at me but not call the dogs off.
After about 2 hours and no rides and almost no traffic, I ran out of houses but I did notice a faint light distantly in the east. Part of me thought of heading towards the distant city. Fortunately I was worried about other jackasses and snakes and worse and stayed on the road. The light continued to get brighter until finally a full moon arose. Now the road and desert were lit up. I figured out what the other noise was too—jackrabbits. Shortly after that a long haul trucker stopped for me. I have forgotten his name but he was quite interesting. Because it would have been illegal for him to transport passengers across state lines, he wanted me to get out of the truck at the New Mexico-Texas border and walk across. Now there was not another human being within 30 miles, but I did as he requested. When we got to Pecos, he let me out because he was continuing south and I need to go east I don’t recall the route number, now it is Interstate 20. Then it was a divided highway like it is now, but with a lot less traffic. Almost immediately I was picked up by two black men who were very, very drunk. The car would zoom across lanes and almost off the road. This was before seat belts and I was certain that I would be killed. Fortunately, the police pulled us over. The Pecos cops listened to my story and offered to give me a place to stay overnight in the jail; not arrested but in an unlocked cell. I thanked them but said I wanted to try to get home. It was about 3am now. This time someone stopped who was going through Big Spring. The drove me to the base entrance and I walked to the barracks. I got to bed about 6am on Sunday morning.
Two weeks later there was a bus from the Base to the Caverns. Several of us went on it. It took about 3.5 hours to get there. Later Winston Cook and I hitchhiked wearing our uniforms, we made it in 3 hours. Wearing the uniform is like having a stop sign and a bus ticket. The caverns are fantastic by the way.
Once I had my car, I managed to drive all around Big Spring and frequently to Midland, Texas to go roller skating. There was a roller rink in Big Spring but the owner had never made enough money to put an actual roof on it.