As much as Boyd had loved the desert landscape, it was nice to see some trees again. He missed them when they disappeared again an hour later. Yet as the landscape gave way to clay, and scrub gave way to rock formations that could easily rival the beauty of the most sought-after, he shook off the doldrums, turned up the speakers, and gave the engine a good work out. He’d switched from eight-track to radio when Oliver started reading one of the magazines Boyd had brought along, and when the magazine slid to the floor on a more complicated bend Boyd realized Oliver had, once again, dozed off. The kid had either been deprived sleep for far too long or was in serious need of some vitamins.
It was probably not a good thing that Boyd made the seven-hour drive to Albuquerque in just over five an
