'It makes you appreciate life,' commuter says about the long drive to work

RIO GRANDE CITY - Every weekday, it's like clockwork for Miguel Lopez.

Up at 5 a.m. to get ready.

Out the door by half past 6 to hit the road.

The sun isn't even up yet.

A Rio Grande City resident for more than three decades, Lopez makes it by 8 a.m. for his job as a drug abuse counselor in Edinburg. Then he repeats it in reverse when he heads home, usually about 5 p.m., he said.

It's a daily grind that Lopez, 57, has grown accustomed to in the past 19 years - although he said he doesn't mind.
But Lopez has had to revise his commute, adapting as more people have come to call the Rio Grande Valley home - and as the economy has become more volatile in recent years.

‘IT MAKES YOU APPRECIATE LIFE'
Most workers in the Valley face a commute that is shorter than the national average.
Not Lopez.

For him, commuting to work has meant at least an hour-long trek each way, but it also has allowed him to raise a family in the laidback environment he and his wife, Lilia, wanted for their children. And it meant he could develop his career as a drug abuse counselor at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg.

The only compromise is the extra hours spent on the road - but even that has had its benefits, actually improving the quality of Lopez's work and family life.

"It makes you appreciate life a lot more," he said, "because I would spend more times with my kids doing different things."

The average work commute for workers in Cameron and Hidalgo counties was 20.5 minutes in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

That's almost five minutes shorter than the national average of 25.3 minutes. Statistics for Starr and Willacy counties are updated only every decade by the government - in 2000, the average commute times were 21.4 minutes and 22.1 minutes, respectively.

Lopez, however, drives more than three times longer than the average - each way, every day.

‘IT HELPS ME TO CLEAR MY MIND'
That longer drive has grown even farther as Lopez has figured out the best route to take.

Google Maps indicates the fastest way to get to UTPA from Rio Grande City is to follow U.S. 83 through the outskirts of Mission and McAllen, then take Expressway 281 north from Pharr to Edinburg.

But a seasoned commuter who takes the expressway in the morning knows that's not always the quickest way - or at least not the most stress-free route, Lopez said.
Instead, he follows the desolate farm-to-market roads that run from Starr County to the ranchland outpost McCook, then he tracks southward to Edinburg, he said.

He used to take Highway 107 through Mission, until a reckless, uninsured driver heading the wrong way slammed into his Chevro-let Cavalier head-on this past spring, Lopez said.

"It happened so fast that you couldn't really do anything," he said.

At that point, Lopez said he was spending upward of $200 per week on fuel for his 500-mile weekly commute. And Lopez's current commute pales in comparison to when he worked in Laredo and drove more than four hours every day for work.

"That got to be pretty crazy after a while," he said.
Lopez's insurance covered the wreck that destroyed his Cavalier.

He took the money and put it toward a Toyota Prius that has cut his weekly fuel bill down to $60 per week. Although he continues to make payments on the car, the lower gasoline consumption is worth it in the long run, he said.

With gas now below $2 per gallon for regular, that means Lopez only pays about $10 to fill up the hybrid's 6-gallon tank.

But the miles do add up. Lopez's Prius already has more than 11,000 miles since he bought it in July.

"Now, I am doing a lot better," he said of the new car's effect on his wallet. "Before, I was just breaking even."
And although he has a new car, it already shows some wear and tear.

A bolt flew off a tractor trailer and bounced off the Toyota's hood, leaving a dent and a scratch, Lopez said.
"You get tired of it," he said.

Lopez's new route affords him a chance to make a quick stop at a gas station on the northern outskirts of Rio Grande City, fueling himself up with a cup of coffee and a bacon-and-egg breakfast taco.

After that, Lopez steadily cuts through the foggy mist before daybreak on a recent morning, keeping his Toyota around the 60 mph mark as he makes his way.

Avoiding the stop-and-go traffic on the expressway helps his mileage, he said. He encountered fewer than 10 cars on his recent drive in the dark between his home and McCook.
"It's pretty in the mornings coming over," Lopez said. "In the evenings (the drive) helps to debrief, to let go of work."

"It's kind of therapeutic in a way."

‘IT'S A SLOWER PACE'
Lopez lives in a quaint, Southwestern-style home on Rio Grande City's south side. His sister-in-law lives next door, and his wife's uncle lives one house down from there.
Living in this area gave the Lopez family a chance to raise their son, an Iraq war veteran who now lives in San Antonio, and their daughter, a graduate student who still lives at home, in a close-knit environment.

The Rio Grande is less than a mile south and Lopez said his backyard is "basically fields."

"We all take care of each other and watch after each other," he said.

That kind of comfort offered in Starr County could not be matched if Lopez moved closer to his job, he said. And it would make his wife commute for her career as a pre-kindergarten teacher in Rio Grande City.

"I really like being in Rio Grande (City) because it's a slower pace - despite what people say about Starr County and people getting in trouble," he said with a chuckle, alluding to the area's reputation as a drug-trafficking corridor.

And because Lopez's 89-year-old widower father, Miguel Sr., still lives alone in Edinburg, the regular drive gives the younger Lopez the chance to visit almost every day.

So Lopez stuck with his gut, stayed in Rio Grande City, embraced the drive and let his family's roots take hold.
"It's worth it in the long run," he said.
____

Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.