Vagabonding West, Part 2
By Chris
Day 4: Ozona, Texas to Deming, New Mexico, 446 miles
New Mexico! Exciting for three reasons. First, we are finally out of Texas! Second, we've never been to New Mexico before, so we get to add another state to our list, bringing up to 25. Third, we entered a new time zone and gained an hour.
One neat thing we wanted to share about Ozona was what they had done for their 2020 graduates. Each graduate had a light pole banner with their graduation picture and a congratulations. Very nice.
The morning drive was much better than yesterday. Since it was so rural, there were hardly any other cars, so when they came zooming up at 90-100 mph, it wasn't a bother as they passed. We stopped in a small town called Van Horn for a delicious Tex-Mex lunch, and then continued on to El Paso. Here's a little scenery from this portion of Texas:
We saw several dust devils on this portion of the drive, that was a first! Dust storms are a potential hazard along this route from Texas to Arizona.
Cheering jubilantly as we crossed into New Mexico, we made a quick stop at the welcome center and then on to Deming.
We had decided to stop a little earlier today after three long days of driving. We wanted to eat dinner earlier than 7 or 8 and we also had a video call with Emily. Day 4 really great, more than halfway there!
Day 5: Deming, New Mexico to Blythe, California, 503 miles
Today was fun, good and interesting because we:
Crossed another (the last) time zone and added another state to our list, Arizona.
Although we have flown through Phoenix several times, we didn't feel fair to count Arizona in our tally until today. We also crossed over the Rio Grande and the Colorado River.
Saw a roadrunner
Crossed the Continental Divide
Visited Saguaro National Park. It was nice to get to do an activity that would normally be included in this kind of road trip. Last opportunity was on Day 1, when we dipped our feet into, walked along, and sat by the ocean in Destin, Florida.
It was fun to see these 'prototype' cacti.
Flowering
V for Vanchella Vagabonds
We were fortunate to be here during reproduction season, when the cacti flower. The saguaros don't get their 'arms' until they are about 75 years old! The oldest ones can grow more than 4 stories tall and weigh more than 7 tons.
And ... Got to California!
Day 5 a success!
Day 6: Blythe, California to Isla Vista, California, 330 miles
The last day of the trip! We drove between Joshua Tree National Park (we didn't detour, as we've been there before) and the Salton Sea, passing through Coachella Valley. Very pretty!
Onward through Palm Springs and Los Angeles, passing by one of our favorite places:
Day 4: Ozona, Texas to Deming, New Mexico, 446 miles
New Mexico! Exciting for three reasons. First, we are finally out of Texas! Second, we've never been to New Mexico before, so we get to add another state to our list, bringing up to 25. Third, we entered a new time zone and gained an hour.
One neat thing we wanted to share about Ozona was what they had done for their 2020 graduates. Each graduate had a light pole banner with their graduation picture and a congratulations. Very nice.
The morning drive was much better than yesterday. Since it was so rural, there were hardly any other cars, so when they came zooming up at 90-100 mph, it wasn't a bother as they passed. We stopped in a small town called Van Horn for a delicious Tex-Mex lunch, and then continued on to El Paso. Here's a little scenery from this portion of Texas:
We saw several dust devils on this portion of the drive, that was a first! Dust storms are a potential hazard along this route from Texas to Arizona.
Cheering jubilantly as we crossed into New Mexico, we made a quick stop at the welcome center and then on to Deming.
Day 5: Deming, New Mexico to Blythe, California, 503 miles
Today was fun, good and interesting because we:
Crossed another (the last) time zone and added another state to our list, Arizona.
Although we have flown through Phoenix several times, we didn't feel fair to count Arizona in our tally until today. We also crossed over the Rio Grande and the Colorado River.
Saw a roadrunnerCrossed the Continental Divide Visited Saguaro National Park. It was nice to get to do an activity that would normally be included in this kind of road trip. Last opportunity was on Day 1, when we dipped our feet into, walked along, and sat by the ocean in Destin, Florida.
It was fun to see these 'prototype' cacti.
Flowering
V for Vanchella VagabondsWe were fortunate to be here during reproduction season, when the cacti flower. The saguaros don't get their 'arms' until they are about 75 years old! The oldest ones can grow more than 4 stories tall and weigh more than 7 tons.
And ... Got to California!Day 6: Blythe, California to Isla Vista, California, 330 miles
The last day of the trip! We drove between Joshua Tree National Park (we didn't detour, as we've been there before) and the Salton Sea, passing through Coachella Valley. Very pretty!
Onward through Palm Springs and Los Angeles, passing by one of our favorite places:
Finally, on to very familiar territory, the stretch of the 101 from Ventura to Santa Barbara:
We're here during the season called May Haze / June Gloom. You can see how hazy it is in the picture. The upside is this is the season with lots of fresh produce, as well as the blooming of the lavender fields. After some hot temps in Florida and driving through desert, we're happy to have the mild temperatures of this area!
Day 6, arrived, Marina did a great job, averaging 35 mpg, and Team Sierra is reunited!
White the adventure I must say, and very grateful that you got there safely with no major hassles
ReplyDeleteThank you. It went rather smoothly, given the conditions. Grateful!
DeleteIt is wonderful that you (finally) had a quasi-touristish experience! :-) So glad you made it safe and sound.
DeleteRoberta
Thank you friend!
DeleteWOW! So much in this post! Almost a lifetime of content to dive into and expand to related or deeper levels. Roadrunner... adorable. I have been in Tucson and visited those magnificent saguaros. Israel is much super dry, arid, and desert with sensational cacti. This season, the fruits are harvested (thorns removed), placed on ice, and sold as a cooling treat, not cloying sweet as ice cream and the like. My neighborhood some places have ancient cacti with blooms occasionally. A familiar sight, sadly... being replaced by glass and steel :(
ReplyDeleteTeam Sierra? Special meaning to the V's? Be Excellent to Each Other I had to link to satisfy my
curiosity. Very interesting. You know SO MANY THINGS and glad to learn from you!
A cool graduation I read about: The principal went to every grad's home (proper distance kept and masks) and delivered the diploma. I get teary-eyed typing this. Also, glad for your link to the Continental Divide, which I clicked and got lost in all that I don't know... and sadly, surely would not given laziness, age.
Appreciate your joy on being done w the heroic driving and reuniting with Emily. Read a lovely photoessay that while x being locked now not deprived of one's own (professional) photos of what was and will remain (though not to live) home, in rural Alabama. I experienced as did the essayist a satisfying travel experience as I do your posts!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/travel/coronavirus-alabama-overlooked-beauty.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Travel
Giant hugs to you!
The cactus treats sound good! We had cooked cactus when we visited Puerto Vallarta. It was yummy. A few days ago one of Emily's neighbors was grilling the same thing.
DeleteYour graduation story is lovely too. Although there are disappointments, this graduating class will always remember theirs, so hopefully that helps ease the frustration.
Team Sierra is a family joke from a time on a cruise. One night I woke up, turned on our stateroom lights, and had rolled out of bed in a crouched position, muttering something like "they called Team Sierra" (meaning us). LOL!
I didn't know what the Continental Divide was, although I was familiar with the term. Learning is one of the best parts of traveling! I will check out the essay from the link you provided. Thanks!