This preserved Titan II missile site, officially known as complex 571-7, is the chance to see the last of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987, during the Cold War.
The guided tour gives you an insight of the technology used by the United States to deter nuclear war. It was manned 24 /7 with strict set of protocols to enter the site, monitor the missile and carry on various tests.
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MOVING INTO RENTED ACCOMMODATION!
For the last 3 nights we have camped in Virginia’s backyard. We responded to her ad for a room in a shared house and she agreed to let us camp there until the room was ready. We have felt very welcome from the start and spent the first evening playing Rummy Cube with Virginia and her friend Emily. That was a fun evening and we were sitting outside on the patio until 10pm!! Where else can you stay out that late in January ?
Tonight, we are moving in that house as we got the all clear. The house is near Saguaro National Park East. (the park is divided in West and East with the city of Tucson in between!) We will be sharing with two other women, Irene and Moira. The house is on 3.8 acre of land and it feels like you are in the middle of the desert.
Hiking
Being so close to the Saguaro NP, we had a few hikes there, one with Irene who pointed out some of the cacti ,bushes and trees. Thanks Irene for helping us to identify the local flora !
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We have come to appreciate the desert and learn about its amazing fauna and flora. We also have been lucky to see coyotes and Javalinas crossing the garden.
CoyoteJavalinas
Movie Night
We were invited to join in a movie night held at the house next door to Virginia’s which she rents out too. We had met with Tom, Adam and Kevin whilst camping in the backyard. We watched “Born Yesterday” a black &white movie from the 50’s and shared light snacks.
Left to right: Paul, Kevin, Tom, John, Virginia, Emily and Adam
Jazz Festival
This is held in Tucson every January and some of the events are free. We took the bus downtown and saw a few acts. Everything had to be indoors as we’ve had some heavy rain the last couple of days.
Neighbours get together and “Women who Wine” evening.
We were invited to these two evenings and had a good time, meeting neighbours and other acquaintances.
Pizza Night
We also had a Pizza night, thanks to Emily who knows Paul’s weakness for pizza ! Thanks Emily!!
We book another 5 nights at the campsite as the room we went to see was not suitable. You can only stay a maximum of 7 consecutive nights so we will have to find somewhere else.
Had an amazing sunset last night!
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Today we go and visit the Saguaro National Park which is only 4 miles up the road. The Visitor Centre has some interesting displays and we also watch a video highlighting the importance of the desert and its plants and creatures to the native indians :
The Tohono O’odham believe that Saguaro cacti are their deceased relatives, who give them spiritual comfort and sustenance.
We drive the loop and stop at Signal Hill to go on a short hike to see the petroglyphs and we venture a bit further on another trail. These petroglyphs were created from between about 550 to 1550 years ago. Petroglyphs, which fall under the common, all-inclusive term “rock art” are found globally from Europe,Australia, Asia and Africa.
There are two principle categories of rock art, petroglyphs, which are carved into the rock surface, and pictographs, which are painted onto the surface.
Signal Hill – PetroglyphsSignal Hill – Petroglyphs
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January 6 to January 9, 2023 – Highlights
Tucson – Downtown – Turquoise Trail: a 2 ½ mile loop through downtown Tucson that highlights structures and sites of historic interest and is marked by a turquoise stripe on the sidewalk. It begins at the Presidio Museum, located at the northeast corner of the original Presidio San Agustin del Tucson, founded in 1775.
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Patagonia Lake State Park – Fishing Day
Nice drive and lake popular for water sports. No luck with fishing though pleasant enough to sit by the lake. It was 21 C today !
We arrive in Tucson late morning and we are lucky to get the last dry( i.e not for RV) camp spot at the Gilbert Ray Campgrounds in the Tucson Mountain Park, on the West side of Tucson. It is $10 per night (there are no showers). The site is small and narrow but we are glad to have it!
We settle in and start looking on the net for a room to stay for a few weeks until the weather picks up. Paul places an ad on Craigslist( free online ads) and within the hour someone phones saying that they have a double room with en suite for rent in North Tucson. We agree to go and see it the next day.
January 4, 2023 – Gilbert Ray Campgrounds – Tucson Mountain Park
We were told yesterday to come at the registration desk first thing in the morning to see about booking a larger site. We do and get one closer to the bathrooms block with more space and a nice view.
The campgrounds is not far from some trail heads and we decide to do the Brown Mountain Trail ( 4 miles). We are now in the Sonoran desert and surrounded by the magnificent saguaros ! You find this cactus in southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico.
Saguaro forest !
SAGUARO CACTUS FACT SHEET ( extract from Arizona- Sonora Desert Museum website)
The saguaro is the largest cactus in the United States.
1- Identifying Features
The saguaro cactus is one of the defining plants of the Sonoran Desert. These plants are large, tree-like columnar cacti that develop branches (or arms) as they age ( when over 75 years old ), although some never grow arms. These arms generally bend upward and can number over 25. Saguaros are covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
The most important factors for growth are water and temperature. If the elevation is too high, the cold weather and frost can kill the saguaro. Although the Sonoran Desert experiences both winter and summer rains, it is thought that the Saguaro obtains most of its moisture during the summer rainy season.(Monsoon Season)
2- Size
Saguaro are very slow growing cactus. A 10 year old plant might only be 1.5 inches tall. Saguaro can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall (12-18m). When rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds.
3-Life Span
With the right growing conditions, it is estimated that saguaros can live to be as much as 150-200 years old.
4- Other facts
Most of the saguaros roots are only 4-6 inches deep and radiate out as far from the plant as it is tall. There is one deep root, or tap root that extends down into the ground more than 2 feet.
After the saguaro dies its woody ribs can be used to build roofs, fences, and parts of furniture. The holes that birds nested in or “saguaro boots” can be found among the dead saguaros. Native Americans used these as water containers long before the canteen was available.
It was very windy last night with big gusts of wind shaking the car and the sides of the tent flapping like mad !
Left the camp and drove to Las Cruses where there is a Farmers’ Market today. It is held on North Main Street which is closed to traffic to allow stalls to set up on the road.It goes on for a couple of blocks with lots of different handy crafts, health food etc. One stall selling hot popcorn is very popular !
We managed to book a Motel room for tonight but it is still too early to check in so we drive on to La Mesilla, only 5mn away.
Mesilla is a small town by today’s standards but 150 years ago it was the major stop for those traveling between San Antonio and San Diego. Mesilla hasn’t changed much over the years, allowing visitors to see what an 1800’s border town looked like. Western Legend Billy the Kid once stood trial for murder in a Mesilla courtroom, and the Mesilla Plaza was once a major stop for the Butterfield Stagecoach. Originally, Mesilla was part of Mexico, but with the signing of the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, the village became part of the United States. Mesilla is anchored by the Basilica of San Albino. The church, originally built of adobe in 1855, still offers masses today, both in English and Spanish. The main Plaza where the Basilica stands is lined with boutiques, galleries and restaurants. A touristy destination but on a small scale.
Glad we have a room for tonight as it is still cold !
January 1st, 2023 – DEMING
Breakfast at Day’s Inn was included and surprisingly good with a wide selection and even fresh waffles!
We leave for Deming where there is a small lake (Trees Lake) near the town with supposedly good fishing. ( Paul bought a fishing rod and wants to try it…) We stay there for about an hour. We have a picnic but the wind is still cold.
We make our way towards City of Rocks. We pass a rest area with some sort of historic building with sheltered picnic area. It is being renovated and closed but we decide to stay there for the night.It is raining on and off and very windy.
January 2, 2023 – City of Rocks State Park – Silver City
Freezing cold this morning and we stay in the tent until 9 am to keep warm.
We make our way to City of Rocks State Park and cars coming in the opposite direction are covered in snow…
The name of the Park comes from incredible rock formations formed of volcanic ash 30 million years ago and sculpted by wind and water into rows of monolithic blocks. We wander round the large boulders but it is exposed to the wind and despite some timid apparition of the sun it is too cold to really stay too long.
Silver City
We continue on the road to Silver City, as we get closer snow appears by the side of the road,the city stands at 1,830 m and it is winter after all ! Founded in 1878 and boasting historical ties with Billy the Kid, the Gila Cliff Dwellings, and Geronimo the historic centre is pretty deserted today as it is a holiday and everything is closed apart from a pub/restaurant where we gratefully take shelter and have lunch.
We have to revise our initial plan to visit northern New Mexico as the weather is just not warm enough to camp and cook outside, so we are now aiming for Tucson , Arizona where the weather forecast is better.
We leave town and drive to a Dispersed Campground near Half Moon Ranch in the Cochise Stronghold area.(The Stronghold provided water, shade, and shelter for the Chiricahua native indians deep in its hidden valleys for more than six decades of armed conflict between Apache bands and the US Army).
December 28, 2022 – Oliver Lee State Park – Dog Canyon Trail
It is grey and overcast this morning but we decide to go for a hike as planned on the DOG CANYON TRAIL.
It is a 5 1/2 miles each way with 3000 feet elevation. We do not meet anyone for most of the way. Around 1 pm the sky is turning very dark and the wind is picking up announcing rain. By then we are at the 4 mile marker. We do not want to chance being caught out in the rain and or lightning so we turn back.
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While on the trail, we pass a relatively flat grassy area with lots of Cholla Cacti. There are different kind of Cholla. This one is called Chain fruit Cholla or jumping cholla. First because new fruits are added to those from previous seasons, creating a chain up to 2 feet long and second because the branches are very brittle and attach to whatever brushes against them as if jumping at you!! They can grow up to 4 m tall.
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December 29, 2022 – Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument
We drive back to Alamogordo to get some supplies and then take the road towards Las Cruces. Our destination is the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument. We drive to the Visitor Centre and do a short hike to Dripping Springs.(3 miles).The end of the trail leads to ruins of the 19th century sanatorium and Van Patten’s resort which in their heyday attracted crowds.
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We drive to a Dispersed Campground ( these are normally on BLM land ( Bureau of Land Management)). There are no facilities but you can camp on what is public land.
December 30, 2022 – Organ Mountains National Monument.
Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks NM
The Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks NM straddles the mountain chain and you have access from both sides. Yesterday we were on the West side, today we drive to the East side and find a spot at the Aguirre Spring Campground.
It is cold and clouds cover the peaks. We have lunch then go on a hike on the Baylor Pass trail. From the Campground it is 4 miles return but you can also carry on to get over the pass and back to the Baylor Pass West trailhead (another 7.2 miles return). It is very windy at the Pass and cold ( 1,730 m) and we have no intention to go any further so we get back to our camp. Some of the clouds have cleared up and we can see the peaks from our camp.
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Another cold night in store ! It snowed on the peaks last night…
We leave camp early to be at the park for 9 am to avoid the crowds.
Today we want to do the Alkali Flat Trail (8km). This trail is classified as strenuous as you have to climb steep sand dunes up and down. It has claimed lives before but this tend to be at the height of summer when the heat can quickly overcome you. There are numerous signs highlighting the danger of heat exhaustion and advising to carry extra water. There is no danger of that for us in December.
The trail is easy to follow thanks to red marker posts at regular intervals though you are advised to turn back if for any reason you cannot see the next post as it may be down or covered by sand.
The dune field covers a vast area: 275 square miles with 115 square miles (about 40%) located within White Sands National Park. The remainder is on military land that is not open to the public.
This dune field is very dynamic, with the most active dunes moving to the northeast at a rate of up to 30 feet per year, while the more stable areas of sand move very little. The pure gypsum that forms these unusual dunes originates in the western portion of the park from an ephemeral lake or playa with a very high mineral content. As the water evaporates (theoretically as much as 80″ per year!), the minerals are left behind to form gypsum deposits that eventually are wind-transported to form these white sand dunes. Many species of plants and animals have developed very specialized means of surviving in this area of cold winters, hot summers, with very little surface water and highly mineralized ground water.
The trail ends at the edge of the Flat.The Alkali Flat is the dry lake bed of Lake Otero, a lake that filled the bottom of the Tularosa Basin during the last ice age and covered 1,600 square miles. The Flat which mark the border with military grounds is a no-go area. There are regular missile launch and testing when the whole area including the public part of the Park is closed for safety reason.
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We then drove on to Oliver Lee State Park. This is one of the parks where you take an envelope at the entrance, drive around the campgrounds, find a place, fill your details and camp number on the envelope, put the fee in the envelope and then post it in a special box at the entrance. This is a nice campground with water and hot showers and only $10.
it is minus 3 C when we get up and we go and warm up at the Leisure Centre… We stay there for a while then decide to leave and make our way to Roswell, 73 miles away. We have to be there before 2 pm as the Airbnb owner is going away for a few days over Christmas.
We get there around lunchtime. The town is renowned as the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash and every shop around town has some display connected to that event. Even the street lights are following that theme!
Roswell
We make our way to our lodgings for the next few days. We are pleasantly surprised. This is more like a one bedroom house, well appointed with plenty of space…. and warm! It is connected to the main house via a shared laundry room. We settle in and enjoy the rest of the day in comfort.
December 23, 2022 – Roswell
Did some grocery shopping and bought a nice piece of beef for Christmas dinner.
In the afternoon, visited the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art. This is a very interesting museum, founded in 1994 to showcase works of art produced by former fellows of the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program. Its unique collection of photographs, paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture provides a snapshot of the evolving issues in art over the last 45 years. The Museum is free and is also a favored community venue since its inception.
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December 24, 2022 – Roswell
We spend the morning in town and visit the International UFO Museum. The Museum exhibits include information on the Roswell Incident, crop circles, UFO sightings, Area 51, ancient astronauts and abductions. The exhibits are designed not to convince anyone to believe one way or another about their subjects. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions. It shows written and video records of witnesses, civil and military about the famous 1947 incident. It is credible but not sure it has convinced us!
It surely has put Roswell on the map and the town benefits from tourists attracted by all UFO related incidents or simply curious.
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December 25, 2022 – Roswell
We are on the edge of the cold front which is currently hitting the USA and it is cold here too. It went to minus 12 C yesterday and we are sure glad we have a warm place to stay!
Today is a bit warmer and we go for a walk to Bitter Lake Nature Reserve, just outside of town. The lake is completely frozen!
We have our Christmas dinner at home – our first roast dinner since we left England !!
December 26, 2022 – Alamagordo
We leave for Lincoln, a historic site which includes 17 structures and outbuildings dating back to the 1870’s and 1880’s. Lincoln is a town made famous by one of the most violent periods in New Mexico history: the Lincoln County War. In 1873, L.G. Murphy established a store in Lincoln known as “The House” because of it’s monopoly over commerce in the county. When an enterprising young Englishman named John Tunstall arrived in Lincoln and opened a rival store and a bank, the autocracy of The House was threatened.
On February 18, 1878, John Tunstall was shot dead whilst moving some cattle to his ranch by a posse of men led by Sheriff William J.Brady( who was supposedly under the control of a local business man and attorney with interest in eliminating Tunstall) . Numerous small ranchers and cowboys formed a group called “the Regulators” to fight back. William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid or Henry McCarty, would become the best known, mostly because news accounts attached his name to everything the Regulators did. Sheriff Brady is killed in a shootout on April 1, 1878. various incidents ensued with men shot on both sides. Ultimately, the Lincoln County War accomplished little other than to foment distrust and animosity in the area and to make fugitives out of the surviving Regulators, most notably Billy the Kid.
We carry on to Ruidoso on a scenic route and see snow on the peaks of the Sierra Blanca.
We get to Alomogordo. The present settlement was established in 1898 to support the construction of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad. The town is known for its connection with the 1945 Trinity test, which was the first ever explosion of an atomic bomb. During the 1950s–60s, Alamogordo was an unofficial center for research on pilot safety and the developing United States’ space program. Today there is still an important air base nearby (Holloman Air Base). Tourism became an important economic factor with the creation of White Sands National Monument in 1933 which is still one of the main attractions of the city today.
It is early afternoon so we decide to go to White Sands National Park (renamed from Monument to Park), 16 miles away. It is very busy there, as families come to enjoy the park during their Christmas break. ( one of the attractions is to use a plastic flat disk as a sled and dive down on it from the top of dunes). We have to queue to get in but we just have to show our America the Beautiful pass. This Pass is definitely a good investment, each National Park entrance fee is at least $20 or more per vehicle so we have already got our money back!
There is one loop road giving access to the Dunes and other points of interest. it is tarmac initially then on compacted sand which looks just like snow! Dunes Drive Map
We stop in a few places on the way. We do not have much time as it is getting dark. The snow is turning pink with some purple undertone. We stop briefly at a picnic area before it is completely dark. It is rather cold. The park closes at 5:30 pm and a Ranger comes around with a loudspeaker telling people to leave!
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We drive on to Dog Canyon Dispersed Campground about 40 mn away. There are no facilities ( i.e just a few places where you can camp for the night but no water or toilet) but it is free. We have a quiet night.
December 20, 2022 – Carlsbad Caverns National Park
We drive to the park goes through hills/ cliffs and very arid desert landscape. We get to the park for our 10:30 entrance tickets slot.
You have the option of going down in the Caverns using lifts or following the Natural Entrance Trail , a 1.25 mile (2 km) trail , extremely steep in places. Depending on if you decide to hike up or down, you gain or lose about 750 feet (229 m)—equivalent to walking up or down a 75-story building. The hike takes about one hour (on average) to complete !
We opt for the trail and it is well worth it, as there is plenty to see even before you get to the main caves and the “Big Room”: a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the third-largest chamber in North America and the seventh-largest in the world.
The Caverns were found In 1898 by a teenager named Jim White. He explored the caverns with a homemade wire ladder and named many of the rooms, including the Big Room, New Mexico Room, Kings Palace, Queens Chamber, Papoose Room, and Green Lake Room.
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The visit lasted 2 1/2 hours altogether and was surprisingly interesting.
CARLSBAD
We then drove on to the town of Carlsbad, did some food shopping and bought a SIM card for Paul’s mobile!
We could not find reasonably priced accommodation so once again we rely on our trusted app I.overlander and head to the Pecos River Recreation Centre. There is a large car park and a sports/ leisure centre. It covers a wide area. We park there for the night.
December 21, 2022 – Carlsbad
It is cold this morning, 1 C and we head to the Leisure Centre which opens at 8 am. It is nice and warm inside and we can use the bathrooms! We decide to treat ourselves and get breakfast in town, not cheap though with a bill of $30 for pancakes, bacon, egg and coffee!!
We managed to book an AirBnb in Roswell but not until tomorrow night.
We come back to the Pecos Rec and have a walk up the river. There is a concrete path going quite a long way, following the river and we pass children playgrounds and large covered picnic areas. There is also an aquatic centre on the other side of the river. This place is really well set up for outdoor activities and well maintained. It is sunny and the temperature has improved somewhat so we make most of it and have a late lunch/ early dinner at one of the picnic tables.
By 4 pm it is getting cold as the sun is fading and we retreat to the Leisure Centre. It is quite busy inside with young families. We find a spot in a comfortable armchair and spend almost three hours there, reading, surfing the net ! The Centre is open until 8 pm and there are lots of activities for kids and adults. When we get back to the car, it is dark and cold so we have a light snack and get straight into the tent!
December 18, 2022 – Van Horn – Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Van Horn
It was cold last night and we had ice on the tent this morning! We are up early as Paul wants to see the Football World Cup Final ( Argentina vs France), scheduled for 9 am our time.
We drive to Van Horn. We go up and down the main drag in search of a place to watch the football. We try the main Hotel where we see TV screens in the breakfast room but are refused entry as we are not guests! We settle for a small cafe down the road. The staff there is very accommodating and try to find the channel showing the live broadcast, initially without success. One of the staff goes as far as searching on his phone and lending it to Paul once he has found the live coverage on it.
We end up staying long after we finish breakfast. The match goes to penalty shootouts!( by then they had found the correct channel on TV). The cafe is busy with Sunday morning customers (mainly Spanish speaking) and some join in the cheering for Argentina ( loyalty to the South American fraternity!) and Argentina wins …
It is now lunch time. We have given up on the plan to ship the car from Texas so we aim for New Mexico and hope to find some warmer weather in the South-Western part of the USA.
El Capitan peak, south of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Our first stop is at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
We tried to reserve a camping spot online but it is the week end and nothing is available until Wednesday. The ranger at the Visitor Center tells us of a “back-country site” on the way to Carlsbad. We do a short trail first then get back on the road.
We do not want to go too far as the plan is to come back to the park tomorrow and do some hiking. We see a big rest area with a covered large picnic area and a toilet block so we decide to stop there for the night. It is busy with both cars and trucks but we find a spot and settle for the night. It is rather cold and as we are now in Mountain Standard Time, it gets dark even earlier !!!
breakfast at the sheltered picnic area
A Mom and her teenage son stop by when they notice the car and the steering wheel on the wrong side ! They are Mexican, living in the States, but going back to Mexico for dental treatment as much cheaper there! The Mom is originally from a town not far from the border. She is very friendly and glad that we have visited her country.
December 19, 2022 – Guadalupe Mountains National Park
We leave after breakfast and go straight to the McKittrick trail head . The trail is initially at desert level then climbs into the mountains and forested slopes. We are too late to see the splendid autumn colours but nevertheless the scenery is great if somewhat desolate, with the bare trees and dominant greys.
We go as far as “the Notch”, around 7 miles (11km) round trip.
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We drive back to the Visitor Centre to have the use of the WIFI but a few kms down the road, I realise that the National Park Pass ” America the Beautiful” that was hanging from the rear mirror is missing. It was very windy when we came back to the car after the hike and it must have flown off when we had the car doors open! We make a U-turn and go back to the car park and luckily the pass was there, still lying on the grounds where we had parked, phew ! We had only just bought the pass yesterday ($80 annual pass, well worth it but still, we did not want to have to buy another one !)
We get to the Visitor Centre and book tickets to go and see the Carlsbad Caverns National Park the next day. We look for accommodation but not much is available in Carlsbad town. We go back to the same Rest area where we spent last night, for a second night there !!
Slept at another Pemex station near Saltillo last night and it was too cold this morning to have breakfast outside so we drove on and stopped mid-morning. We also wanted to speak to our Clearing Agent in the States but he proves elusive and we get the feeling that he is avoiding us !! Our chances to be able to ship the car to Colombia are crumbling away…
Parras de la Fuente
Parras is known for its wine! The oldest winery in the Americas was founded by Lorenzo García on August 19, 1597. Casa Madero is home to the oldest winery and has won multiple awards for its wines and fine Cognac.
The revolutionary and President of Mexico, Francisco I. Madero was born In Parras in 1873. The town also has some fine buildings.
As we were walking around town, we saw a Posada ( hotel) with a big car park and we asked if we could park there for the night. the boss was not in until 7pm so we spent a couple of hours relaxing. When we returned, the boss said it was OK but it would be Mex$500. We tried to negotiate the price down but with no success so we declined.
By then it was getting late but just as we were leaving the historic centre we came across a Christmas parade. We quickly parked the car and stood by the side of the road with the locals. There were lots of floats with people dressed up in Christmas costumes throwing sweets and balloons to the kids in the crowds
It was now getting dark so we stopped…. at a Pemex Petrol station on the way out of town!
December 16, 2022 – Camargo
We are on the last stretch to the US border! We drive to Camargo. We are now in the Chihuahuan desert which covers a large part of Northern Mexico and extends into the US too! it is bordered by mountain ranges and consists mainly of gravely and sandy grounds where small bushes such as creosote and yucca plants grow or desert grasslands.
There is no suitable Pemex in town but we see a restaurant with an enclosed garden ( small pecan plantation) and parking area. We ask if we can stay the night and they agree so we park the car and go and explore the town. It is Friday and quite busy. We come across a Christmas funfair. We make our way back to the restaurant where we end up having a light meal and the use of the internet !
December 17, 2022 – OJINAGA and PRESIDIO – US border.
Too cold for breakfast outside so we start on our way to Ojinaga. We decide to take the most direct way( CHI 67) rather that the main road that goes through Chihuahua and we are glad we did as the road is good, there is little traffic and no trucks ! The only cars we see are coming from the border in the opposite direction. Most are heavily loaded and we assume they are Mexicans living in the US, coming home for the Christmas holiday to be with their families.
We pass a lot of huge complexes where cattle is raised in large covered open sheds. ( same concept of intensive farming used in chicken farms but for cattle!) We also see some cotton fields. The scenery is pretty desolate with very few houses.
We get to the border around 12pm. There is a long queue of people at Immigration and only two windows open so it takes a while. We get talking to the guy behind us and learn that we missed the Customs office at the entrance of the border control zone where they stamp your TIP( temporary Import permit) for the car. Paul goes back there while I stand in the queue. After about an hour, we get our passports stamped and joined the next queue to get our US 300 deposit back. (paid for the car as guarantee that we will not try and sell it in Mexico!)
Next is another queue, this time to cross the bridge over the Rio Grande which marks the physical border. Traffic goes on alternatively and there are more cars coming from the US! Eventually we get to the US post. We get pulled over for further inspection. Two guys check the car quite thoroughly, ask questions and we are on our way at last!
TEXAS
Ojinaga to Marfa
We are back in Texas and take the direction of Van Horn. We pass through Marfa, small desert town known as an arts hub. The Chinati Foundation, founded by artist Donald Judd, displays huge indoor and outdoor installations on an old army base. The other claim to fame are“Marfa Lights” a mysterious phenomenon (orbs of light appearing in the sky) which can be seen outside town occasionally.
We drive on and also pass what is known as “Marfa Prada”. The installation, in the form of a freestanding building—specifically a Prada storefront—was inaugurated on October 1, 2005. The artists (Elmgreen & Dragset) described the work as a “pop architectural land art project”. The permanent structure sits by the side of the road in the middle of the desert !
Prada Marfa
We stop on a lay-by for the night across from train tracks. Luckily only three trains go by at night and without blowing their whistle!
