2000-10-02 - 01:37:46

FIrst thing in the morning we went to the famed Carlsbad Caverns, the largest caverns of this kind in the world. The magnificence of these caverns is indescribable -- we were transported to a magical underground fairy land.

~~~~poetic true story interlude~~~~

In Carlsbad Stella bought a neclace of a bullet on a chain. While inside the caverns, Stella and Moxie shared a closeness and a realization that thier time together was brief. Stella was going off to start a new life in California, where she would meet all new people. Out of the blue, Stella said:

"I will tell them the story of this scar," she pointed at the tear in her skin above her left breast where she had undergone lung surgery as a child," How we were driving through New Mexico and were set upon by snipers who shot at us and who shot this bullet--at my heart. And Moxie, who is magic, she recovered the bullet from my chest with her teeth and sucked the blood and poiseon out, and kissed the wound and healed me, and she gave me this bullet to ear around my neck as a reminded that my heart will never be wounded again. And see, look--" She reached into her neclline and held up the bullet on the chain "the bullet is special because it is unscratched, allthough it was fired from a gun at my heart it is now flawless."

Moxie was touched at this charming tale and she and Stella grasped hands. "I wish I had given you that bullet, Stella."

"Moxie, it's just like you did."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Returning to the surface, we found that New Mexico, upon closer inspetion, was still sleazy, and drove on. Amid whistles and cat calls at every pittstop, we made thier way to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Now, we had been completely sober since we left Abilene, and were now in great need of Margaritas, but found them difficult to obtain in "T or C" (as the locals call it. After stopping at several Mexican resteraunts, we ended up in a local cocktail bar called "Los Arcos." where Margaritas were appreciated. To wash them down we ordered Tequila Slammers and toasted to the name of the town and its greater meaning for our mythic lifestyles: "To Truth -- or Consequences." We then pressed on through the empty countryside and settled in Grants, NM by 1:00 AM.