Sunday, June 6, 2010 – Day 8

Ground Covered:
Socorro, NM -> AZ -> San Diego, California



Word of the Day:

Saguaro: amazing cactus found in New Mexico and Arizona that resembles a person!

Javelina: desert peccary. WE LOVE YOU!
Thank you, Barbara Kingsolver, for your short-story introduction.



Quotes of the Day:

"Oh my god."
-Julie, in response to pretty much everything, because she has witnessed neither desert nor the land o' California in her life.

"As long as you don't make me wear one."
Grandma Betty, in response to the tutus

"Remember girls, you travel away, but you will always converge again. And remember that you can always converge here!"
-Grandma Betty, on the tutu trifecta

"PUPPY!!!!!!"
-all, in response to Cassie, the newest addition to the Hawkes household

Listening to:
Smashley and Seth’s Mix of Awesome: Atmosphere, Flobots, Frightened Rabbit, José Gonzalez, Madeleine Peyroux, The Joy Formidable, The Kooks, The Temper Trap, Ugly Casanova


Eating:

Coffee from the shop in Socorro, NM

Leftovers from El Sombrero (omg, DO ME, delicious).

Dinner provided by Grandma Betty: Luscious salad (OH GOOD LORD THANK GOD FOR CALIFORNIAN PRODUCE.... GOODBYE, TEXAS), crackers and avocado hummus, roast chicken, and family-recipe bean salad. Dessert is the glory of Grandma Betty's lemon cake and brownies. Julie's baking skills are put to shame.

Signs of the Day:



Notable Events:

Sonoran Desert Museum. We allotted ourselves 45 minutes of pure glory booking it through an outside array of Saguaro and JAVELINAS!!! Rejoiced mightily.

The evolution of sites from NM->AZ->CA. Julie simply cannot believe the landscape transformation. Katie and Marissa nonplussed.







HOME SWEET HOME FOR KATIE! We pass the border into California.


We encounter a random patch of sand-dune desert on the border of California -> 1st WTF. Sand-dune desert is bordered by a cement-channelized river -> 2nd WTF.
The water-FESers sigh.

Arriving in San Diego! Enjoyed dinner at Grandma Betty’s house and some much-needed TLC and spoiling, in only the manner that Grandmas can.





Arriving at Katie’s house! Tour of the Hawkes ranch, celebratory glass of wine, and cuddling with the puppy!


Haiku of the Day:

Saturday, June 5, 2010 – Day 7

Ground Covered:
Socorro, NM





Words of the Day:

Tallas: slides of loose rock. (Courtesy of Seth’s trail knowledge.)

Oil Rig: (a mystery is solved, THOSE are what they call the things pump up and down in the desert as tumbleweeds roll blithely past!).



Desert Chic: Marissa wearing long sleeves on a hike in million degree weather


Quotes of the Day:

“Sooooomebody’s going to JAIL.”
–Seth, in reference to motion made by any police cruiser we saw during our journey

-----------
We interupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you Seth's tutorial on phrases used in Louisiana. Repeat after me:

“Didja bring that witchadija?”

"Shoooot! I tell you what!"

"That dog'll HUNT!"

"Yon tuh?"

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“Are you a Mexican? You look like a Mexican.”
(experiences encountered in inner Texas)

“Tutu. It might just save your life.”
–in reference to the multipurpose/dual use as a face mask in case of extreme dust storm in NM

“If we can put an ear on a mouse’s back, we can certainly make a peacock immortal.”
-Jack Donaghy


Listening to:
Seth’s truck music (that apparently expresses our souls… Kids came on after our hike… there were looks of disbelief exchanged among the tutus)


Eating:
Combo Plate! Southwestern deliciousness enjoyed at El Sombrero: taco, enchilada, tamale, chile relleno, and rice and beans with New Mexico GREEN AND RED CHILE SAUCE! Sopapillas (a wonder akin to fried dough) with honey for dessert!



Salad greens with our roadside Texas peaches

More Summer Berry Bluebell Ice Cream (it’s good thing this only exists in the Texas vicinity… we are addicted)


Signs of the Day:

Southwest Gifts and Curios


Notable Events:

1. Proof that academic conferences contribute to future success: after meeting for little more than 24 hours in Boston, MA and sharing Pizzeria Regina, Julie and Ashley engineer a couch-crashing reunion at Ashley’s abode in Socorro, NM, and receive the tour-de-Socorro. Pure amazingness all day. Thank you Ashley and Seth!



2. Hiking through the gorgeous desert hills of Socorro with Ashley and Seth as guides. Altitude: 10,000 feet. Distance: 5 miles. Seth describes hauling bike up and down mountain as Julie, Katie and Marissa struggle to haul selves up mountain. Tutus wish for greater VO2 max capacity, but persevere as they remind themselves that they are working off the fried alligator consumed in Texas. Highlights include incredible vistas, desert plant identification, adventures in linguistics/ sharing of vocabulary, and a horny toad and rattlesnake siting.











3. Eating lunch at El Sombrero! We thoroughly enjoyed our first taste of southwestern food and New Mexico green chile. Listened to the semi-creepy waiter with the ponytail sing Love-Shack.

4. The tutus enjoy a period of rest after the ridiculous day of driving that encompassed all of Texas. Involved mindlessly painting nails, and watching The Fall and re-runs of 30 Rock. Minor excursion to the “hippie-crunchy grocery store” where we procured food, postcards, and seed packets. Katie practices driving around the town square and tries to not to hit drug dealers or members of the Mexican mafia.

5. Music exchange and late-night chat with Seth and Ashley. Marissa, passed out on the futon, dreamed that this was all taking place on the beach.


Haiku of the Day:

Breathe deep as we find
friends and trails in the desert
New Mexico love

Friday, June 4, 2010 - Day 6

Ground Covered:
Orange, Texas --> Socorro, New Mexico (including 834 miles of just. Texas.)

Word of the Day:
Hilar-pants: adaptation of "hilarious," in the style of the Julie/827 lexicon. Adopted when "hilar-balls" was strongly vetoed by other members of the Tutu Crew, given its similarity to "hairballs" and the non-similarity of hairballs to awesomeness.


Quotes of the Day:
"Wow, this road is kind of crappy, huh?" - M
"Look Katie! It's the road you learned to drive on! The CR1184 shah-shah-shah-something…" - J
"SPACE! I learned to drive in SPACE!" - K

"Does anyone have a sugar packet for coffee?" - J
"We could just get a donut and smash it in there." - M, as we passed a donut place

"Creamed corn, man! Who knew?" - K

"60 feels so slow!" - J, on the Texas Speed-Limit-80 highways

"Hot Chip interlude!" - regular voiced need

"We're doin' it and doin' it and, however that song goes." - M

"Oh no, I do not want you in my pants!" - Julie to an ant on a TX picnic table (….that's what she said…)

"Do you want bread with your bbq?" - Woman at the BBQ place
"Um…I don't know, do we want bread?" - Us
"People usually eat bread with their bbq." - woman, superciliously (implied: you morons.)
"Oook, better give us some bread then." - Us

"Last week I was a VEGETARIAN. Now I'm GNAWING ON ANIMAL PARTS." - Julie, the "recovering vegetarian," chowing down on short ribs in Who-knows-where,Texas


Listening to:
Hot Chip - "Over and Over" (literally. Over and over and over.) Julie's Road Trip Mix 1, with songs specially selected for each member of the Tutu Crew, Paul Simon - Graceland, Vampire Weekend reprise, the Shins, and the Marissa Late-Night Driving CD Succession: Barenaked Ladies, Eve 6, Alanis Moirsette - Jagged Little Pill, Third Eye Blind

Eating:
BBQ in Texas! Baby back ribs; beef short ribs; chop mix of brisket, sausage, and turkey; creamed corn; potato salad; pickles; half a loaf of Wonder Bread. Copious quantities of their "Special Sause."

Texas peaches!
Trail mix, granola bars and other nibbles

Signs of the Day:
"Tall outdoors type seeks relationship. Call Lamar (#)."
"Snake farm in new business: MACAWS"
"We need to talk. - God"
"JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. (NOT A SWEAR WORD)." - side of a truck
"Home of the world's first rodeo! Pecos, Texas"


Notable Events:

1) Getting started at the BUTTCRACK of dawn, and driving through 834 (yes, eight hundred and thirty-four) miles of Texas. Absolutely the longest way through Texas that there is. Then another 150 miles of New Mexico. Long day, kids.


2) Katie needing to pee so urgently that we eventually just had to pull off the freeway and hope for an establishment with a restroom. Ended up at a gas-station-cum-BBQ-joint ("the Best-Worst-BBQ in Texas!" - ?). Decided it would be a travesty to leave Texas without eating BBQ. Deliciousness ensued.

3) Julie sees her first truck carrying dozens of hay bales. Expresses more excitement than Marissa and Katie could ever imagine arising from hay. Beginning of K+M's endless enjoyment of Julie's excitement over new experiences in the American West.

4) Julie sees the desert for the first time EVER!



5) Katie drives manual for the first time in real life!

6) Taking tutus pictures at a rest stop in the deserted middle of Texas with the desert-like tableaux, getting honked at by truckers zooming by on the highway. Honking frequency increases exponentially upon donning of tutus. Vague feeling of courting misfortune.


7) Marissa bringing us the last 150 miles into Socorro, New Mexico while her fellow tutus were completely. Passed. Out. ROCKSTAR!


8) Shoutout to the obliteration of the naked mole rat (or something) somewhere on I-25 in New Mexico. Moment of silence.


Haiku of the Day:

Entering desert
Trucks honk; we eat BBQ.
Texas: freaking huge.

Thursday, June 3, 2010 - Day 5

Ground covered:
Orange, Texas and surrounding areas (Deweyville, Pleasure Island, etc.)

Word of the Day:
Bald cypress: Taxodium distichum. Common and characteristic swamp tree in the southern United States.
Tupelo gum tree: g. Nyssa. Another common swamp tree in the southern US.


Quotes of the Day:
“What’s a ‘rebel’?” – Julie

“They’re taking pictures in tutus all through their road trip!” – Marissa’s cousin Jen, to the airboat captain
“That’s just wrong.” – The captain


“Haha, bet you’ve never had tutus in your boat before!” – Jen, also to the captain
“No. And I hope it doesn’t happen again.” – the captain

“What is the children’s poem that includes the line, ‘Have you any wool?’

1. Oink oink, black sheep
2. Quack quack, black sheep
3. Baa baa, black sheep
4. Whaddup, black sheep” - $200 question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and source of many days of ensuing hilarity

Listening to:

Snippets of country on the truck radio

Eating:

Blueberry pancakes, compliments of Becky!

Sonic burgers, onion rings, chicken poppers and tater tots (during Happy Hour! Half price limeades!)

More boiled crawfish (who knew these were SO DELICIOUS?!)

Crab pistolettes

BBQ bread

Fried pickles

Fried okra

Fried alligator

Crawfish etoufee (apparently sub-par, according to Jen, but still tasty)

Bluebell Ice Cream (best ice cream in Texas!)

Signs of the Day:

“Don’t mess with Texas. $400 for littering.”

“Rebel Gifts – Swimsuits Now Available”

Notable Events:

Airboat ride through cypress swamp! SOOO AWESOMMMME! Amaze-balls, if you will.

1. 
   

2. First Sonic visit! Where women on roller skates come out to your car and bring you burgers, and variously flavored limeades are half price between 4-6.
3. First visit to a lake where boats had been washed up in the storm, drove through chemical plants and other factories to get there. Left water lily flowers as sacrifice to Tutu Gods near the remnants of the pier at Pleasure Island.

4. Found and played on BEST PLAYGROUND EVER near Pleasure Island!

5. Nearly lost Julie to an onslaught of Fire Ants during tutu picture at the Pleasure Island sign. Fought our way out, barely pulled through.

6. Visit to the beach to walk in the Gulf! Saw bare bones of boardwalk, largely damaged by Hurricane Ike. Found various brittle shells of unknown species or origin, invertebrates, Sargassum seaweed, large box turtle by the side of the road. Attempted to imitate blue crab swimmerets and alligator movement.

7. Cajun Cowboys Restaurant, across the border in Louisiana! Ate various delicious fried things. Fried pickles a surprising crowd-pleaser. Who knew?

8. Officially reached our all-time limit of fried food consumption.
9. Shooting a pistol with a silencer (so as not to wake the neighbors) in the backyard at a Dr. Pepper can, just so Marissa could say she did.
10. Katie's first driving lesson on a manual transmission. In the dark, in the rain, on the back roads of rural Texas, with Little Car's rearview mirror blocked by the mountains of our stuff. At one point had to pull into a driveway to avoid an oncoming car - Marissa had to take over for the backing out, dogs started barking hysterically as drivers switched places, Tutu Crew feared we might all be shot for trespassing. Luckily, all returned alive and unscathed, even Little Car. Milagros.

Haiku of the Day:

Fried pickles, rebels

Cypress, gators and cousins

Texas adventures!