The Stratosphere Tower.
She and I held hands happily, walking quickly between the casino machines.
“Let’s go to the top floor! We’ll look at the night view from there. It’s really beautiful!” “Oh— we need to buy tickets at the elevator to the 2nd‑floor observation deck! Right, hotel guests get a discount…”
That’s where I woke up.
Here I am, 2,418 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada— far, far away from that sleepless desert city.
But the dream was so real that when I woke up, I didn’t know where I was for a moment.
Yeah… we went there around our third year together…
I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. Eventually, I slowly crawled out of bed and opened the curtains. The town was already alive.
Alright… time to get ready. I headed to the sink to wash my face and brush my teeth. Then I put on my jeans and boots… ate a motel donut while packing my things. After loading everything onto my partner’s back, I went to the front desk to check out.
Okay… time to leave Laredo. I headed toward San Antonio on Highway 35.
Today isn’t brutally hot, so riding feels great. The wind is refreshing. But the rumors were true— Texas is really huge. So huge that words can’t describe it.
There are straight roads that make you think they might go on forever.
I rode straight roads in Arizona and Utah too, but Texas is even more vast…
There are ranches everywhere, with cattle roaming freely. When you pass through those areas, the smell can be intense. No— even saying “intense” is being polite. It’s so strong you’d think something got stuck under your nose. If you experience it yourself, you’ll understand I’m not exaggerating. Seriously—it’s strong!
And after my last refuel, there were more than 270 km with no gas stations. That’s when I ran out of gas. I thought, “Oh, there’s a gas station up ahead… but I can go a little farther.” Then after passing it— the engine sputtered and died. Luckily, I switched to the reserve tank and made it back safely. That was close… Since then, I refuel whenever the tank hits half.
But still— no gas stations for over 270 km? Unbelievable. I was shocked.
And ever since entering Texas, I’ve been going to B‑B‑Q places or steak houses every day. Whenever I see a butcher shop sign, my partner somehow pulls into the parking lot… So what can I do? I have to eat, right? …If I blame my partner, he’ll get mad at me, haha.
Maybe it’s not my imagination— my body really is getting bigger. Definitely growing…
…This might be bad.
To be continued…
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