green

After a bit of a thunderstorm and some road construction detours, we made it to Albuquerque after dark last night. Driving on the highway as it arced over a crest and into the city proper, we were treated to dozens of little fireworks shows all around us. Couldn’t capture a picture of it, but it was very cool, indeed (and it being Albuquerque, we did make several left turns).

I was behind the wheel for much of the trip from Albuquerque to Amarillo, so no pictures–sorry.

New Mexico was really glorious. The sky was clear, and the highway was lined by majestic pines, dramatic rocks, and much beautiful landscape. This was where I also saw my first dead deer at the side of the highway >shudder<

Once we hit Texas, however, it was cows, cows cows. Moooo cows. And because I am a crazy girl raised in Southern California, I must squeal “Cow!” every time I see them. They are probably more accurately described as “cattle” but that doesn’t quite have the same appeal as saying “Cow!” so they are all “Cow!” to me. Did I mention there are a lot of moo-cows in Texas? There are.

Ted is a very patient man.

I was marveling at how wonderful it was to see these cows roaming around in acres of open land, climbing over small rocks and drinking from creeks in little red rock gullies. I actually saw some of them frolicking (now there’s an adjective I don’t hear coupled with cows very often). It all seemed so beautiful and dreamy… until we hit the stockyards. And that’s when we saw the cows in small fenced-off areas, like they are in Coalinga on the drive up to San Francisco. And that’s when I saw a worker leading one of these gentle creatures up a ramp into a big crate-like truck to take him to slaughter. In that brief moment as we passed at 70mph, I could see the cow’s face so clearly before it was coaxed into the truck. So trusting, with no idea of what was to come. And that’s when I started to weep and could not stop.

I was really unprepared for this.

I switched to a vegetarian diet for a variety of reasons about 16 years ago. For me it is a personal decision, and I don’t proselytize or try to guilt others into adopting vegetarian eating habits (I don’t want anyone else trying to tell me what I should or should not eat, so I figure it’s only fair that I extend the same courtesy to those around me).

But I’ve read the articles. I’ve seen the videos. I’m aware of the connection between the living creatures in factory farms and the foods people eat. I know all this. And yet, seeing that one cow provoked such a visceral response in me. The shift between frolicking happy cows and this… betrayal made my heart heavy.

>sigh<

By the time we arrived in Amarillo, both we and the car were ready for a break. We stopped in at the Blue Sky Restaurant, which had this lovely mural gracing one side of their building:

and this lovely sign displayed in the entry:

Welcome to Texas.