Day 131

I awoke on Independence Day and rose with the sun. 

I was 8 miles from Alpine TX.

I started putting in the miles to make it to town before the heat of the day.

The night before, Lee had mentioned a truck that went off the road. That morning I came across it. I was thankful I wasnt around area when it had happened.

A group of travelers pulled over on the roadside and gave me a huge half-frozen water bottle! We talked a little bit about the adventure and parted ways. The ice cold water was so good!

I made it to Alpine around quarter to ten. 
I moseyed around and found a great bit of shade at Sul Ross State Univesity. It was quiet, and no one was around. I took a long siesta.

Time passed.

I headed down the town visitors center to upload journal entries and photographs. A woman came by and gave me a cold water! 

I ran some errands. I bought some shoes! They were a little pricy, but I figured they would be worth the investment.

Evening set in. I ate a Lonestar burger at McDonald’s and waited for sundown. I hit the streets. 

I wasnt sure where the town was hosting the fireworks, but it wasn’t anywhere around me. I was on the quiet side of town.

A honkey tonk in the distance sent rythyms out into the evening. I made my way to a football field and studied an American flag. A warm night breeze. I wandered. An empty city.

Suddenly, fireworks all around! Mostly just people having fun. One here, two there. It was loud! It changed my paced. 

I hurried and made my way back across town.

I arrived at Our Lady of Peace around 11 p.m. it to It was too late to knock on a door. Everything was well lit. Mass was at 7 a.m. I just needed rest. 

After thinking about it for a while, I hid my buggy in an alley and found a shadowed corner on the other side of the property. 

I hung my hammock and slept off and on. The fireworks exploded well into the night. They were LOUD!