Background Music: The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) by The Doors
     "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn"  -Jim Morrison

We drove into Lubbock on a windy day, and literally had to dodge tumbleweeds on the highway as we drove into town, and then slowed down when we hit a small dust storm blowing in from the prairies.  What could be more Texas?  It ended up getting really cold here- unusually cold for this area.  We came to Lubbock in the hope that we’d avoid cold weather, but it found us.  It’s been in the mid-teens overnight and not much above freezing during the day with a wind chill factor of eight degrees. 

 Because of the weather, we’ve been trying to stay indoors.  Lubbock isn’t exactly a big tourist destination, but we found some things to do.  Buddy Holly was born and raised here, so there are quite a few landmarks in his honor.  We visited the Buddy Holly museum, which holds some of his personal belongings from childhood, along with his guitars, gold records and even the glasses he was wearing when his plane crashed.  The lenses are gone and the plastic frames are all scratched up- kind of macabre.   

We actually visited a few museums here, and were impressed at how well done they all are.  Maybe we’ve just been seeing some really bad ones lately- the word “museum” is used pretty loosely, and we’ve seen some really interesting interpretations on our trip.  These were the real deal, though, and consequently, we now know a lot more about windmills and the WWII Glider Program.  In addition, we learned about the different structures used by the cattle ranchers in the 1800’s.  Next to Texas Tech University is the National Ranching Heritage Center where you can see over 40 different authentic structures that have been restored.  Each of the structures shows a picture before the restoration, and many have been filled with period furniture so that you can get an idea of how ranchers and cowhands lived.  The structures vary from those built literally out of dirt and twigs by someone just settling to the land, to a large two story Queen Anne style house built by a rich cattle rancher.  It’s a huge exhibit and amazingly, it’s free.

Our last big Lubbock experience is something we’ve been looking forward to since we left on our trip: authentic Texas BBQ.  We were lucky enough to spot a little BBQ place that looked like it was a local favorite, because people were just pouring in and out of it.  J&J BBQ.  It’s a tiny little place, hours: “11:00 to whenever we sell out”, and the line was almost out the door.  The menu was simple- meat on a plate or meat on a bun- dry or soaked in sauce.  Slow cooked perfection.  Don’t mess with Texas.

 
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