After a restless first night, I rose to a rainy, humid Kansas morning. After grabbing a banana we headed back to the interstate for another long day of driving. We traveled all the way across Kansas, which consisted mostly of wide open plains, with herds of cattle and crops dotting the landscape. Although simple, it was nonetheless a pretty view. Until we began approaching the Oklahoma border.
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| A field of windmills, and sometimes the occasional oil pump. 'Merica! |
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| She was mad we wouldn't let her sit on my lap and drive. Also, clearly not amused with my selfies... |
This part of the United States is where a large portion of beef is raised and marketed. As we approached Oklahoma, where most of the beef processing plants are located, we began to see large corrals filled with cattle. A sign read "feeding station." Now, I am not opposed to eating meat, but what I saw here turned my stomach. There were miles of pens, stuffed with so many cows, they could barely move. There were no trees or shelter available for them to seek shade, and the temperature gauge in my car read nearly one hundred degrees. To me, this is nothing less than animal cruelty, and it really opened my eyes to the beef production industry in this country. Rather than focusing on animal comfort, the focus is on quantity, not quality of life. It broke my heart, and it was during this late afternoon I decided I definitely did NOT want to pursue food animal medicine.
I chose not to photograph what I saw along the Kansas countryside, but I will never forget the sight of miles of cattle, waiting to die. If you are curious as to what a feed lot is, you can view some photos here.
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| Almost missed the Oklahoma border sign! |
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| Simple, but still beautiful |
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| Wide open spaces...til we hit the feed lots |
Towards late afternoon, we crossed through the panhandle of Oklahoma and soon entered New Mexico. The change in landscape was drastic. Rather than miles of prairie grasslands, there were rocks and shrubs. The greens and yellows changed to reds and browns.
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| Entering New Mexico. Sorry for the poor quality! |
We stopped in a small town called Clayton, which was, to say the least, interesting. Upon entering the town, it was evident that there was some level of poverty, despite the several hotels spread through the downtown area. We chose a Super 8 on the very edge of town, away from the barred doors and windows.
Future advice for anyone moving: pre-select your hotels BEFORE you leave.
The only room with a single bed was a smoking room, despite the sticker on the door clearly stating no smoking. As I opened the door, I almost choked. I quickly opened the window and cranked the air conditioning in an attempt to air out the room as best as I could. At this point, however, I was exhausted and didn't give two hoots about where I slept. In comparison to the previous hotel, this one was a little cleaner, even with the toxic stench permeating every surface. I didn't have to shower with my shoes on, at least.
My dad brought me a Subway sandwich; we had decided that eating one meal a day was sufficient, considering we had a long way to drive. We had snacks, thanks to a few gift baskets my co-workers at the hospital gave me before I left. (Thanks guys). We ate dinner, walked the dogs, and retreated to my smoky cave. I was a little more comfortable knowing my dad was right across the hall, but I bolted the door anyway, and turned on the television.
The dogs were still restless, although slightly quieter here. I brought a pillow and blanket into the room so my scent would be a little more present, and perhaps that calmed them some. Sonja settled into the blanket, and Georgia snuggled up on my legs to watch some TV. We slept a few hours, before once again hitting the road for another day of driving- this time through the southwest.
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| Georgia was really keen on watching Alaskan Bush People... |
Day 3 coming soon...
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