Leaving Tombstone and ride back to the i10 interstate to continue my journey eastwards to San Antonio. The next place I am aiming for is El Paso, on the border with Mexico. I would have liked to cross over into Mexico for a short time the same as I did in Canada, but of course I don’t have a passport so it’s out of the question… boo hoo.
There is a hurricane due to make itself felt in this area possibly today… hurricane herman made landfall from the Gulf of Mexico and is travelling northeast so we can expect some very stormy weather with flash flood warnings already in place for Phoenix and Tucson.
I will be travelling in 3 states today, Arizona, New Mexico and finally entering Texas at El Paso. I will also move forward an hour as I cross into the CDT central daylight time zone.
The interstate is pretty monotonous, even though the scenery is again quite dramatic.
As you can see, the sky is pretty grey and it isn’t as hot today, in fact I have my denim jacket on as its a little too crisp for me.
After just 40ish miles I am in need of fuel and up ahead at a place called Dragoon I see a petrol station. There is also several roadside signs leading up to the turn off advertising ‘The Thing’ mmm that might be worth a look.
I go into the shop, it is full to the rafters of what, some people in the UK refer to as tut… ie stuff you wouldn’t be caught buying. There are however some nice things that if I had the space and the money I would probably consider buying, but I don’t. A very nice pair of moccasins for instance…. I am a very good girl.
So what’s the deal on this thing? It’s a dollar to go in and see, that seems suspiciously cheap, I bet it’s a load of crap, but I’m curious enough so I give them a dollar, get myself a coffee and wander in for a look…
Ahhhh it’s a museum… ok…
Ok it’s a shed full of old stuff behind wire fencing… mmm
There are yellow feet painted on the floor and it says to follow them…
outside I notice the feet are on the wrong legs… the big toes are on the wrong way.
the feet take me to another shed…. oh there’s more
mmmmm…. onwards to shed 3
and finally, I hope, shed 4
and at last…… Ta Dah! The Thing…
I think it’s a mummy… don’t know if it’s real.. don’t care much either.
The only thing that really caught my attention was this…
It looks like the Apaches have been in at some point…. A’s lost his scalp!!!
So, after that little interlude, it’s back to the road. Every so often I pass through a shower, I don’t bother putting the romper on as its still quite warm so soon dry out. I do stop and put the covers on the bags incase there is a downpour, it will save time.
I stop for a rest at a rather beautiful spot…
some really lovely rock formations.
I am hoping to get past El Paso and stay somewhere the other side of it. I was supposed to be aiming for Van Horn but I think that is going to be too far as its over 400 miles from Tombstone.
Now, when I was on Route 66 I passed the Continental Divide, I don’t know what this is and did intend to look it up, but forgot.
Then today I passed it again..
So I looked it up… wikipedia says
The Continental Divide of the Americas (also known as the Continental Gulf of Division, the Great Divide, or merely the Continental Divide) is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas. The Continental Divide extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan, and separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from (1) those river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean (including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea), and (2) along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems that drain into the Arctic Ocean.
So there you are, one learns something new every day.
I then pass a town called Deming and guess what it has got…
As I enter El Paso, I spot yet another Harley dealer… ok in I go..
it is indeed a very large shop, so it takes a bit of time for a good look around.
When I come out it starts to throw it down. I get all my wet gear on and then stop at a Starbucks for coffee to see if it will stop, but it doesn’t and there is thunder and lightening so I am definitely not continuing in this. Again trusty booking.com finds me a hotel nearby and I arrive as the storm starts to travel overhead.
I look out of the window and the road outside is flooded, just rivers of water everywhere, am really glad I’m out of it.
I passed the 5000 mile mark today, so definitely over half way now.
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