Windy Observations

Since moving back to Abilene, we've heard several people say things like "Lubbock is in town today" or "I can taste Lubbock outside today" or "Lubbock just blew in."  What they mean is "It's so windy that all the dirt from Lubbock (2.5 hours away) is in Abilene."  Well, yesterday I blew in with Lubbock, the rest of west TX and Eastern NM.  My drive back to Abilene from Albuquerque was crazy windy.  I don't think I've ever driven in so much wind before.  Luckily, most of it was behind me, but it made for a VERY brown drive. 
Here are some observations about wind:
1.  Given enough wind... you will see small ponds white cap like the ocean
2.  Given enough wind... power lines will snap in half and you will see electric crews fixing them
3.  Given enough wind... you will be attacked by an army of tumbleweeds as far as you can see- you may even get all the way home with them stuck on your headlights and muffler.
4.  Given enough wind... you can add 10+ miles per gallon to your trip!
5.  Given enough wind... you have brown outs- worse visibility than fog or blowing snow at times
6.  Given enough wind... you will literally have to hang on to the gas pump or risk falling over- that is, if you can force your way out of your car to begin with!
7.  Given enough wind... the water your dog is drinking will get half of your car wet (don't ask)
8.  Given enough wind... your dog will soak one rear leg while lifting the other and you'll have to wash that leg before letting him back in the car
9.  Given enough wind (and the right direction)... you CAN avoid smelling cows, oil, and skunks for 7.5 hours
10.  Given enough wind... you will get pictures like these (you would normally see a beautiful blue sky)

A couple of windy videos:
Car disappearing
Limited visability

Other than the drive home, my 4 day weekend in NM was great. 
Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!