4360 Miles in 126 Hours
Troy Paiva
4) Day Three- A Circus of Flying Debris and Carnage
I wake up with the feeling that I've been spinning my wheels and driving in circles. The trip odometer reads “1722.” As I brush my teeth while sitting on the rear bumper, I vow to refocus my efforts and find the abandoned underbelly of Texas.
A hot wind blows north from Mexico, carrying with it a storm of tumbleweeds, paper cups and plastic bags. The relentless wind pins all this garbage against a temporary concrete wall that divides I-40's two eastbound lanes while the DOT resurfaces the westbound lanes. Animals usually able to sprint across the road find themselves suddenly trapped against the wall where they are mercilessly run down by the highballing semis. It's a circus of flying debris and carnage.