First phase of trip!

Last weekend Dad and I went to New Mexico to go to the X Prize Cup! It is an event where private companies, as well as reps from NASA, put on a big event getting people interested in space and space travel. The idea is to start regular travel to space by private companies rather than just government funded programs.

We started off our trip late because I each a science class on Friday mornings. We left at 11:00am and headed west. After about an hour of driving the scenery changed drastically... and not for the better. Now I am not one to complain too much but Texas is not a state that is known for it's scenery. Actually, having grown up with atleast trees, I find this state quite ugly! West Texas is worse than just flat like where I live... it's flat and has no buildings or living organisms to break up the perfectly straight line of the horizon. Dad and I got in to a deep discussion about the implications of living there a hundred years ago. Yeah... not so much!

Despite the wretched atmosphere, Dad and I were both in great moods and enjoying ourselves immensely. When we had been on E for about 15 minutes and I was starting to experience a very small dose of Jimmy's intense paranoia about running out of gas we stopped for gas. It was the smallest town I think that I have ever seen. We could not figure out where anyone lived or where they ate or shopped or anything and mind you, there is not much landscaping to block you view of these things.

I went in to go to the bathroom and I had been driving so I tossed the keys on the front seat. Dad finished up pumping the gas and, figuring he would make a quick stop in the bathroom as well, promptly locked the car door and went inside. Yeah... we were in the middle of Texas, 4 hours from home and again... smallest town I have ever seen.

We looked up a locksmith in the phone book, maintaining our high spirits the whole time, and called him to come help us out. We were a little worried about the cost but it was only $35 for him to come out. We got the car open and were on our merry way only $35 dollars down when Dad realized that he had left his sunglasses on the roof of the car. So what had only been a $55 dollar stop, including gas, turned into a $155 dollar stop. "Oh well" Dad said... "I really want some of those new [insert high tech verbiage] sunglasses anyway!" Apparently they are made with NASA research data and are supposed to be really good. So, still in great moods, we continued on our trip!!!