Brendan Gates

Oregon Trail
When: 3/12/2008 1430 Hrs CST
Where: +35° 11′ 49.73″, -100° 48′ 6.38″

Our first rest stop in Texas, just past the TX/OK border. It was a very nice stop, one of the nicest I’ve ever seen, though not nearly as photogenic as the OK rest stop we had hit previously. I asked one of the employees (I know! A state rest stop with a staff!) if I could climb the small mound that the lobby and bathrooms were buried in so as to get a better picture of the scenery. She told me that she couldn’t stop me, because this was America and it was a free country, but that she didn’t want me to because it messed up the loose soil packed around the mound. I considered starting an argument about how yes, we are a free country, but the State of Texas still has the authority to enforce public safety and other codes on State property as it sees fit – but she seemed like that might make her cry so I just said “ok” and went back to play with Dog instead.