Area II- Part II

It starts with one…pair of clothes. It was the week we had all been looking forward to. The one we had dreamed about since the beginning of our year. The one that almost every state officer wanted to be a part of. It was the week we traveled to the very edge of Texas. It was our final week in Area II.

It all began with a trip to Austin for the Texas FFA Board meeting. At one o’ clock, we were set to head out for the trip of our lives. At the last minute, we had an open spot for the road. Who jumped up to opportunity? Our Area VI Vice-President, Layton Norwood. He is a man of many talents…and only one pair of clothes. The rest had been left at home, as he had no previous plans to travel. No worries, though! We would surely find a Walmart somewhere…

Five hours later, there was still no Walmart. It wasn’t until later that we learned that West Texas does NOT believe in Walmart. Or cell phone service. They do, however, have the GREATEST trash can burritos that you have ever tasted! “What is a trash can burrito?” you may ask. Well, we aren’t exactly sure. In the words of Mr. Fox (the Alpine FFA advisor), “It’s everything that they would otherwise put in the trash…So, don’t ask. Just eat.” We certainly did a lot of that! We made our way to Ft. Davis, Texas with a full belly. If you ever wonder what the 8th world wonder is, you can find it there. I’ve never been anywhere more beautiful than Ft. Davis. That drive will change your life. I promise. And the students there aren’t too far off from the magnificent scenery. We loved getting to sit back and chit chat with them.

Before long, Mr. Womack sent us on our way to Pecos. It was here that we saw where the 1st rodeo was held, the same arena where they filmed the movie “8 Seconds”. Talk about a Texas landmark! Soon enough, we began the long trek to Dell City. We drove. And drove. And drove. And drove. And drove. What did we see? Nothing. Not a gas station. Not a car. Not any sign of life for a good 179.12 miles. We did, however, find the tallest peak in Texas: the Guadalupe Mountains. Naturally, we stopped for a photo op and a hike up McKitrick Canyon. We were out of breath by the first mile, though. So, we turned around, hopped back in the truck, and kept on truckin’. Finally, we made it to the thriving metropolis of Dell City, Texas, where we visited with a majority of the high school. All 28 of them. In Dell City, it’s all about quality over quantity, and they certainly have mastered the quality part.

96 miles down the road, we spotted something we hadn’t seen in quite some time: a gas station. Poor old Mr. Truck was getting quite thirsty after all of his hard work! And we were starting to get hungry. Luckily, the Wittes had PLENTY of food for us. We ate hamburgers, chips, salsa, popsicles, you name it, and we worked it all off with an intense basketball game, an exciting pool tournament, and a relaxing visit to Olga the Massage Chair. To top it all off, we took our picture with the fence on the US/Mexico border the next morning before an awesome presentation at Clint High School. We love you guys!!

Our last stop was Coronado High School in El Paso. We tried out the famous queso at Avilas and watched the dust storm make the mountains disappear before our eyes. We ended our day with a campfire and some good conversations. What better way is there to end a perfect week? Well…almost end, that is.

We had been told that the fastest way to get from El Paso back to Lubbock was through New Mexico. After lunch with Dusty Anderson, New Mexico FFA officer, and his friends: Cooper and Seth, we continued our trek back to Lubbock. It was then, though, that we “accidently” missed a turn and drove to Ruidoso, New Mexico (only a few minutes out of the way) for a spontaneous ski trip. We spent 3 hours searching for a cheap hotel on the internet, dumped out all of Kaleb’s clothes to find the appropriate layers (for once, it’s a good thing he packs like a girl!), and hadn’t quite thought through how Layton would get home BUT we had the BEST TIME EVER! Despite the fact that Layton couldn’t get off the lift without falling, Kaleb couldn’t keep his skis on, and I landed with every article of equipment in a different direction, we all came out alive!

Layton still only has his one pair of clothes (official dress shoes, basketball shorts, and the shirts that FFA chapters gave him), but it was all worth it. It doesn’t get much better than a trash can burrito, a viewing of the 1st rodeo arena in the world, a hike through the canyon, a basketball game, a dust storm, a meal with our New Mexico buddies, and a ski trip…all in one. Ladies and gentleman, they were right. This was the week that we had been looking forward to. The one that every state officer wanted to be a part of. The one that we had all dreamed about. Only better.