The straight roads west of Deming are just that – Very straight,
and very flat, with the occasional bend or hill thrown in about every 40 or 50
miles or so, just to keep you going !!
The road is getting pretty close to the Mexican border in some places, and
you see quite a lot of “Border Security” trucks running along side the highway,
on dirt tracks. Not far into today’s
journey, we saw lots of flashing lights on both sides of the road, and had to
slow as we passed maybe 8 Border Security vehicles beside the road, with people
in flak jackets. Didn’t like to make my
photo taking too obvious as things are sensitive enough out here at the moment……..!!
On this road, there often seem to be mountains in the
distance, but they are usually almost lost in the heat haze. And although they
continually warn of dust storms, I think it was too hot and windless for that
today. But from the number of warnings,
and the fairly frequent advisory signs of what you should do if caught in a dust
storm when driving, it is obvious that they do occur quite frequently.
As we went up one of the occasional small hills through a
little pass, the Ghost Town of Steins was on our right. One sees so many abandoned buildings all
through America that I can understand how they ghost towns. People just up and walk away, leaving houses
(and often old trucks and farm implements) to rot as time passes. Sad, but that
aspect of American life is very apparent – You get it a little in Australia,
but not nearly as much as here where people often just walk away and (presumably)
go some where else to try again. I don’t
think it happens so much in the UK – Maybe because there isn’t so much room !!
We then went through a stunning little pass with some
interesting rock formations, framed by little puffy cloud formations in the
heat over head, and then over the State border into Arizona. I stopped at one rest area to stretch my
legs, and have to say that they do these stops quite well, although a little
more shade would be good on these hot days.
I love seeing all the warnings about scorpions and snakes over here –
Australia they just let you find them for yourself !!! Then about an hour later we came to a sizable
and very rocky pass – Texas Pass. There
was another rest area here so I pulled over again and this time made my
lunch. Not searing heat yet, but warming
up – It seems to keep getting hotter until about 6 pm here, and then doesn’t
really cool off much until midnight or later.
After the pass, we dropped into Tucson, and I went into
town to find a Starbucks so I could sit in the cool for a while and do my
blog. Very new, fresh looking city, with
some amazing fly overs and freeway ramps with mountains in the back
ground. I ended up spending several
hours there as it was just too hot to continue.
I also need to do quite a lot of research into the requirements for the
border crossing into Mexico – what paperwork is required, and where to get it
etc. So it was time well spent before I set off on the road again.
I was still driving at 8 pm, as it was just too hot to
stop and sit in the heat or try to cook a meal.
I finally got to Gila Bend, but not before seeing my first saguaro
cactus beside the road. I know I will
see many more, but it is always fun to see your first one on a trip.
Gila Bend is not the most stunning town, but I found the
only RV park, and they not only had decent showers etc, but the showers and
toilets were airconditioned !! Now
THERE was a good reason to read a book in the loo !
Anyway, did my laundry and a few jobs around the car
while I cooked my supper – a yummy little filet mignon, that came up a treat
even if I say so myself ! As the sun finally
went down, I turned in, but it was not cool – I needed my little fan blowing on
me all night to even have a hope of sleeping !!
(Note to Jamie who knows my fan – It may be quiet, but doesn’t blow enough
volume ! I had to go out and buy a new fan today !! Well, who was expecting 115 degrees F ?!) Also have ditched sleeping bags, even lying
on top of them, and bought a couple of sheets, because they are much easier to
wash than bags.
Monday 28th July. Woke up this morning after not too bad a
night’s sleep. I certainly woke up hot
on a number of occasions, but fortunately managed to get back to sleep again
each time. I was up by 6 am to try and
get everything packed up before the sun got too hot, and when it was all done,
I went and had a another shower before setting off so at least I started the
day clean and fresh !! First stop was
just the local gas station where I had spotted that they were an agent for
Sanborn’s Insurance, who do much of the car insurance for Mexico. Bit of a rip off price wise, but compulsory,
so I went ahead and did it here as it is much easier to get as many of this
items out of the way BEFORE you reach the border. So maybe an hour filling out forms and trying
to prove that my zip code in Australia really does only have 4 numbers, and that
my driving licence really was real !!
Anyway, all done and dusted.
As soon as I went down the main street, I saw another
space ship !! This time they had taken
over a whole motel – So I slid on by and headed out of town……………. The road to Yuma is through a lot of desert,
and is also a USAF range, so all sorts of things flying around. First sight on the ground was an ENORMOUS
solar set up. I presume it is just an electricity
generating system, but is not using solar panels, but what look like a lot of
mirrors that can rotate and follow the sun.
Then, about half way to Yuma, we went through a small pass first, and
then the road snaked up into a much bigger pass, although it was single lane due
to resurfacing at the top. But this second pass was interesting because for the
first time the other 2 lanes of the freeway separated and actually criss
crossed underneath our lanes a couple of times, putting them over on the right,
like in Australia or the UK ! Very odd,
but fortunately by the time we came out of the pass, we were back on our
correct sides !!
As we dropped out of the pass into the valley below, a
triffid suddenly appeared on the left hand side, but I managed to avoid him. They seem to be getting sneekier………..and
closer !! Then as the scenery rapidly
turned to sand dunes, and very large ones, we went under a gantry advising us
that there was another inspection station ahead and we would have to stop. We have done this a couple of times –
Primarily they are looking at trucks, to make sure they are not carrying any
illegal immigrants in the back, but they also check any suspicious vehicles. They usually only ask me where I have come
from, and where I am going, but this time I was the one that got waved straight
on through ! They must be getting used
to me at last…….
The sand dunes are large and extensive, and seem to be
called the Imperial Dunes. I did see a sign about “Dune use permits”, so presumably
the locals come out here to play. But it
must be difficult because not only is there a big fence over to the left which
one just catches glimpses of occasionally, but there is also a very large
canal, called “The All American Canal” which presumably takes water out into the
parched desert so they can grow things (It is called “The Winter Vegetable
Capital” – Presumably far too hot in summer !), but also it is wide enough and
the concrete sides are steep enough that people would find it hard to get
across it ?
I then came into Yuma, and had some chores to do if I am
to cross into Baja tomorrow morning. As
I found a super market, I also spotted a Jiffy Lube place where they do oil
changes on the spot. What is more, right
next door to it was the car spare parts place that carries my oil and oil
filters – So perfect. So while he was
draining the oil out, I went next door and got the new oil and a filter, and
they also greased all the suspension and universal joints, so an hour later
Troopie was ready for another 10,000 kms.
That should get me to Panama. It
is only 4000 kms since I last had an oil change done in Houston, but by doing
this one now I can keep going for a while.
I also found a propane gas place and had my gas bottle for my stove
topped up, and also got a few other bits and pieces I needed, so all is now
ready for “The Crossing” tomorrow !!
I went on to El Centro as I am going to cross at Mexicali
tomorrow and this is just up the road.
But at 3 pm when I was ready to stop, it was just so hot that I have to
admit I chickened out, and when I saw a Motel 6 with wifi for $50, I am afraid
I didn’t hesitate, and booked in !! So I
am trying to tidy everything up, get my blog up to date, and will get a good
nights sleep so I can set off early to Mexicali. This really is Pert 2 of my journey starting
tomorrow, and I am certainly a little apprehensive about setting off into the
unknown. Until know it hasn’t been too
difficult, but now I have to dredge some Spanish up from somewhere, and start
exploring unknown territory. But I have
wanted to go to Baja for many years, so am really excited about what the coming
weeks will bring.
The internet in Motel 6 is SLOW !! So I have not detailed all the pics otherwise I will be here all day. Maybe later
The internet in Motel 6 is SLOW !! So I have not detailed all the pics otherwise I will be here all day. Maybe later
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