Sunday Favorites - The Line Jogs

It's Sunday and time for Sunday Favorites, where Chari, from Happy to Design allows participants to share an old blog post with readers, while still taking Sunday off, by reposting an old post.

You especially want to Visit Chari's blog this week, because it is her one year anniversary of Sunday Favorites, and she is having some great giveaways:




Years ago, as an over the road truck driver, I collected a few thoughts and stories from my journeys and travels. In my Sunday Favorites posts, I am sharing some of those stories.

This one, titled simply: The Line Jogs occurred in the summer of 2001. Diann was not with me on this trip. I had my son Ryan, who was 12 years old at the time, riding with me for the summer.

   

At the Arizona / New Mexico border on I40 is a rest area, and  a scattering of shops and stores.  These are Native American owned, as this spot is actually on the Navajo Nation, what we often call the Navajo Indian Reservation. 

One of the places called Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post is run by a little old man, with a perpetual smile.  For lack of a better name to call him, I mentally refer to him as Chief Yellowhorse.  That's what I will call him in this account.

The Trading post sits about 200 yards East of the state line.  You can see the state line from the highway, this is the spot where the blacktop changes colors.  Where the big signs says ARIZONA on one side of the road, and NEW MEXICO on the other.  Its is pretty easy to tell where the state line is.

I stopped one day to visit Chief Yellowhorse.  Signs along the highway Scream "See The Cave Buffalo", "Indian Blankets", "Jewelry, Crafts, Souvenirs".  With that much Hype, I just had to stop and see what the fuss was all about.

Chief Yellowhorse met me at the door to his trading post.  He smiled and welcomed me, inviting me into his shop.  As I walked in the door, the first thing I noticed was a line, painted straight down the middle of the floor.  A red line, painted with about a 2 inch paintbrush.  On one side of the line was painted "Arizona" and on the other side "New Mexico".  I glanced back at the road, where the big state welcome signs stood.  I looked over at the service drive, where the green and white sign declares "State Line".  I looked back at the floor.  Yep, it clearly indicated that the state line ran through the middle of his store.  I scratched my head.  I thought long and hard about it.  Could it be possible?

Finally, I asked Chief Yellowhorse about the line on the floor.  "What is this line?" I asked. ( I have such a way with words.) 

 He shrugged,  "State line".

"How can that be the state line? The signs say the line is over there." I asked in confusion, simply looking for clarification.

Chief Yellowhorse delivered the classic response when he looked at the sign, looked at the floor, and said "The line makes a little jog right here."

I am happy to report I kept a straight face, the whole time I was looking at the cave buffalo.

And yet, why not?  Why can't the state line make a jog there.  The land in question was part of the Navajo Nation long before it was Arizona or New Mexico, so if the property owner says the line jogs, who am I to argue.

It's all just a matter of perspective.

~{@ @}~ ~{@ @}~ ~{@ @}~ ~{@ @}~

Be sure and join me each Tuesday for Tuesday Trivia Tie-in, where readers are invited to share trivia and show off their treasures.


Read all about it here