Sporadic Nomadic

John Dunn (did it) Bridge, over the Rio Grande

WELCOME HOME!

Day 10 - 9/1 and Day 11 - 9/2

I decided to head back to Indiana on Friday. I had to be back to work on the coming Tuesday, so I thought two days of driving and two days of re-acclamation to Indiana was a good idea. It was tough to not stay one more day because Friday night was Iowa Park H.S.’s opening night of the football season against long time rival Burkburnett. Begrudgingly, I made the “smart” decision to take off sooner than later.

That morning, Nanny, Dad and I visited my cousin’s coffee shop for breakfast. My cousin Jennifer and her husband Ricky opened up 8th Street Coffeehouse around five years ago, and it has blossomed into a staple of the downtown Wichita Falls area. The owner of the building had recently offered them the opportunity to expand within the building. We were able to see where they plan on adding a small bookstore and grocery. 

I had a bacon avocado grilled cheese for breakfast with a Mocha Frappe. The sandwich was delicious, and I enjoyed the coffee as the three of us soaked in the eclectic vibes of the coffeehouse. Extremely neat spot.

After breakfast, it was time to say goodbye to Nanny and Dad. 

It’s always been a tough goodbye, for Dad and I. This one was no easier than prior departures. It was my trip coming to an end, and another temporary sever of the tie.. of being within arm's reach of a Hamilton.We both made it through, and I was on the road, once again, due north. 

In Oklahoma City, I stopped to visit my life-long friend, Adrian, and his wife, Victoria. They recently had a little boy, Gabe, and I was able to meet the stud. He was a tough kid, but extremely cheerful and curious. I let him wear my ball cap, and he seemed to like that. After visiting with them for about an hour, I got back on the road. 

This drive was definitely objective, no adventure about it. I was on a mission to go as far as my energy would take me, and made it all the way to Illinois on the first day, driving around 11 hours. That’s a record for me. I stopped in the Abraham Lincoln rest area, about twenty minutes past St. Louis. 

Day 9 - 8/31 

I spent one full day in Iowa Park. This was the day. Simple, but sweet.

Dad went into the Leader office while I slept in a bit, that morning. 

We headed to Wichita Falls, once I woke, to drop off the two Wichita Falls P.O. newspapers, and to grab some burritos from the infamous, Sevy’s. These burritos are made with handmade tortillas, and are as big as a killer, Texas poodle. Let’s just say, “Bomb dot com.”

After initiating another food coma, I did a load of laundry because I had ran out of clean socks at this point. 

Once the laundry was done, Dad and I headed back to the Leader. My Nanny and my Aunt Kari were at the office, so I was able to catch a glimpse of all the Hamilton’s in their element, keeping the Leader alive and well. 

A story pulled into downtown, when a group of men volunteering brought their semi-truck trailer to fill up with donations and supplies to bring to the Houston area. Hurricane Harvey had made land-fall a few days before, causing a lot of destruction in South Eastern Texas, and locals throughout Iowa Park were coming together to lend a hand. It was pretty awesome to see such acts of kindness and sacrifice.

After the girls left, Dad and I enjoyed some beer and shared music on YouTube for a couple hours. Dad, Brady, and I have always shared a bond over music. But it’s always special for me to get some 1-on-1 time with pops. He’s a special breed; I admire the hell out of him, and I love him dearly. 

Day 8 - 8/30

After such a great time in Taos, it was tough to say good-bye to Uncle Steve and Aunt Kim. I left around 8 a.m. with a 8 and a half hour drive ahead of me. My destination was Iowa Park, TX.

Before leaving Taos, I had to re-visit the River Gorge bridge to take some photos. The evening before would have been more ideal from a photographer’s perspective, but I was glad to have some pictures in my phone to look at when I got back to Indiana. 

The first couple hours of driving was gorgeous, while I exited the Rockies and New Mexico. Most of the drive I was coming down and through mountains with views seen mostly in postcards. Once in Texas, the land began to flatten out drastically and I felt back at home. 

I won’t bore too much with the details of this drive through Western Texas, skimming underneath the panhandle and then the Oklahoma-Texas border. You can eat a 64 oz. steak in Amarillo for free, and there is about ten towns that all look eerily the same along US-28, on your way to Iowa Park. 

I arrived at the Iowa Park Leader around 6 p.m. CST, to find my dad beginning to start his “press night” duties. With all the printed newspapers in the office, Dad handles the labeling and sorting and then distributes them to post offices in Iowa Park and Wichita Falls. This wasn’t my first rodeo, as we’ve spent a number of press nights in my past visits. There’s always a six pack and some foul language.

I visited Dad last year in August to pick up the vehicle that I used for this road trip. It was important to me that I visited him when I decided to drive to Denver and Taos for this vacation, because, damn it, I miss the man and plus I would be too close to not.

Brady and Cass visited the office on their way home to Fort Worth, TX to say their last good-byes to me, before I headed back north. We gave each other a long, last hug, and told each other we’d see one another soon. 

After Dad and I dropped off the the Iowa Park P.O. papers, we headed home for some Rafter J’s barbecue, that Dad had leftover. You know how they say that sometimes the leftovers are better than it is fresh, well, I’d venture to say that this was one of those instances. Deep sleep and snores were initiated.