Day 17 - Alamogordo, NM - Part One

"To travel is to take a journey into yourself" - Danny Kaye

Day 17 - Clovis, NM to Alamogordo, NM - Daily Distance - 227 miles - The Bucket Trip distance - 3333 miles

Years ago, we used to tease my Mom a lot due to her proximity to danger and death.

We would joke around calling her the Angel of Death.

It started with multiple car accidents that she was in that weren't her fault.

Then she was in Downtown LA when the riots broke out.

Then she was walking down the the street one day when someone jumped out a window and bounced off the sidewalk in front of her.

Then a plane crashed in basically her back yard.

And when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

One time, my mom was stopped at an intersection a major intersection

The was a pedestrian crossing the intersection.

There was a semi truck speeding towards the intersection.

And he didn't stop.

The pedestrian never had a chance.

My Mom saw him get run over and then shot through the wheel well like a batch of salt water taffy.

I bring this all up because my Mom brought up this incident this morning.

We were getting on the road but Jack needed to make a stop in Walgreens for supplies before we moved on to our next stop. Last night had been an emotional night and she was clearly still down about what is happening.

"I think about that guy that I saw get run over. He had no chance. He knew two seconds before it happened that he was going to die."

"I just keep thinking about what is going to happen to me," she said.

I'm sitting in the seat behind her. I can't see her.

That probably makes it easier for me to talk to her.

"Mom, you know who I think of? I think of my Aunt Roberta."

My Aunt Roberta was actually my great aunt. She was in her early 80's when she was killed in an auto accident. I had seen her two weeks before the accident.

"Aunt Roberta was in great shape for her age. She had no idea that she only had two weeks left the last time I saw her. This is terrible that this is happening but we can't focus on what is going to happen. We have now. So let's do whatever we can do to make you happy."

She says okay.

Jack gets in the car and we are on our way.

I haven't dropped you once, Mom.

Now, I'm going to do what I can to make you happy.