Five Tribes Overland Trail
Part 1 of 2
by Chet Szymecki
Part 1 of 2
by Chet Szymecki
Some time ago, I began my travel along the 1,358 mile Five Tribes Overland Trail that stretches from the mountains of the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico to the gulf shores in Freeport Beach, Texas. A few months ago I met Todd Greenberg from Go Native Overland in Arizona and he suggested next time I was passing through Texas to consider following FTOT west to east. We talked for some time about the trail and since Todd was the creator, he was the best to answer all of my questions. I'll be honest, although it would be one of the longest overland trails I have traveled it sounded like one of the easier ones regarding technical difficulty. By the end of this story you will see how wrong I was and the valuable lesson I learned.
I woke up on top of a mountain in the Lincoln National Forest just north of the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. After a nice breakfast or eggs, bacon, orange juice and milk; and watching the sun rise and the mountains begin to wake up, my adventure began. Early on I drove through a road in Lincoln, New Mexico, that President Rutherford B. Hayes once called, "the most dangerous street in America." Fifty or so men were killed along this short stretch of road with another two hundred in the surrounding area. I stopped in the middle of town to ponder just what has happened to our once great nation. Recently, it has become common for guys to act, dress, and even claim they are women. Most of the remaining certainly promote their feminine side and fail to act like a man when called upon. It's always been about 3% of males who are actually men while the others are various types of guys.
After dropping down out of the mountains I began to see what a large part of my journey would look like - forever flat. My primary concern early on centered around the availability of fuel. In the past I had spent time roaming this part of New Mexico with a young skinny read headed filly and was very aware that although she never ran out of energy, my adventure vehicle would often be running on fumes as I searched for gasoline in the middle of nowhere. With that in mind I took time to pinpoint dozens of gasoline stations along my route that were within a few dozen miles of the trail. In this part of New Mexico and moving into western Texas, the few towns are often measured in hundreds of residents and gas stations and grocery stations are somewhat uncommon.
What was not uncommon were "private property" signs, barbed wire, and livestock gates. There are many times along this journey that you feel as if you are driving through property owned by another man, and most likely, you are. In New Mexico approximately 47% of land in public but in Texas only about 4% is. With that in mind, every single time I drive up to a livestock gate I read the signs, checked my map, opened the gate, drive through, closed it, and continued on. Many large sections of private land have county roads passing through and although some land owners post signs that would discourage some guys, there is no problem with a man following a county road through private land. Just remain on the road and leave the gate exactly as it was found. Simple.
Here is the most extreme example I have yet to encounter regarding a public road passing through private land - how about driving into a corral directly in front of a house? What was funny is that fact that this is literally out in the middle of nowhere and the home is built maybe thirty feet off of the road and the area around the home functions as a corral. This horse greeted me and stood firmly at the gate as I drive up and I was concerned that as soon as I opened the gate he would run. I passed through the gate, backed him up, and then drive into the corral and out the other end. Horses are funny animals - he was curious since this was the first time he had ever seen an AEV Prospector and Four Wheel Camper.
Just east of Roswell, New Mexico, is Mescalero Sands North Dune Off-Highway Vehicle Area. Of course, I spent time in Roswell to learn more about the 1947 UFO crash, and even considered visiting the International UFO Museum and Research Center downtown. I had other space related plans on my mind and time was critical so next time I am visiting the area I plan to spend more time. If it's any consolation, I did drive through the middle of White Sands Missile Range a few days prior.
Anyway, I stopped into the OHV area since there were sports to camp but it was too early to shut down for the day, strike one, and while exploring the area I discovered this unfortunate vehicle buried up to the frame rails, strike two. Truth be told - this vehicle is stuck in a designate OHV area that was specifically set aside for these types of activities so instead of screaming into the heavens and cursing the wild and reckless driver I smiled, recalled my youthful adventures of which some were very similar, wished them well, and continued on. Too many slaves in this world die by torture and pain...
An example of a common road in western Texas - at times it felt as if I was driving on another planet. Since I had many days and countless hours to think I spent must time contemplating what early settlers though of the area. My take away is that the modern male is at best a shell of what men once were. My hypothesis is that this downward decline in masculinity can be broken down as to how frequently two single syllable words are used. Yes, or no.
Modern guys says yes to absolutely everything without hesitation. Someone is offended so you must change who you are and how you behave, yes sir! Your wife or girlfriend wants to spend a girls night out without you - oh yes baby! Another man disrespects you or your family and instead of knocking him out cold you submit, lower your head, and walk away like a little girl.
If you want to become more masculine, learn to say no.
And there is no need for you to explain anything additional - just say no.
“Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway!” ~ John Wayne
I'm not letting you off the hook that easy man, stop being submissive and learn to say no. And after you say that beautiful word, don't say another thing - just look at the other person and let them mumble for a few seconds. After that, kick a door open and change the conversation to another topic. Here's an example...
Crossing the Salt Fork Brazos River just west of Peacock. Just over a century ago, this small town was destroyed by a tornado strong enough to blow the feathers off of chickens. Although it had over three hundred residents in the 1920s, there are maybe one hundred nowadays.
Sometimes I enjoy traveling during the night since everything appears different. This desolate road wound through small hills along the river which also included a few shallow water crossings. It was fun and a perfect way to close out a beautiful day wandering the back roads. After spending so much time living and exploring in my adventure vehicle it's difficult to remember what it was like living in a house, in one location, and repeating the same story day after day. I'm not sure I'll ever go back...
When I was young I can remember watching a post-apocalyptic show titled Logan's Run. I always cheered for Logan, the sandman turned runner, who broke the rules with Jessica. They escaped the sealed city where everyone was programmed to die when they turned thirty. Logan, Jessica, and many who have embraced this nomadic lifestyle, have successfully escaped, and realized they were living in a world controlled by thieves and liars. Logan returned to tell everyone to disregard all the lies and that true life existed outside the walls of the city. Logan discovered the truth and so have I.
To the game you stay a slave...
