Didn't get much sleep last night with the A/C being a thermostatic one in the Best Western Sonora Inn. It kept switching on then switching off then switching on then switching off... then the fridge would start when the A/C went off, as the temperature in the room rose, then the A/C would start to cool it off... Oh man!
So I drove, somewhat tired (in fact, had a short kip along the way) the 378 miles to El Paso, which is right on Mexican border and another hour behind the U.K. (-7h for those not keeping up). Its a very interesting place, another vast city which looks small on the map, spanning countless square miles of land. There is a vibrant mix of American and Mexican cultures everywhere...
As I didn't have any lunch, apart from what seemed like a normal packet of crisps, (you know U.K. size packet, which after I had consumed them all, I read contained 320 calories! 320! I didn't know you could fit that many calories into a packet of crisps!) I am looking forward to dinner. Unfortunately I have to wait another hour because of the time difference. But whilst I'm here, it should be Mexican (again). Perhaps this time, they will use a different cheese (Monterrey Jack preferably)... But I do love the food. Did I mention that?
The road to El Paso, the I-10, apart from being littered with the remnants of car / truck tyres which have blown up, from Sonora to El Paso is basically very straight, very long, and very much of nothing in between. Literally nothing. Maybe a one horse town or two. By 'town' I mean, like, with a house and a gas station. ('Gas' for you English people who have never been out of England, comes from the American word, Gasoline, meaning 'Petrolium' but considering we shorten our word to 'Petrol' they decided to shorten theirs to 'Gas'. They call normal gas, 'Propane' here. Which it is).
Anyhow... So driving the I-10 is considered (to the locals) to be the most boring thing one can spend 6 hours of one's life doing. And they are not wrong. It is occasionally punctuated by something interesting which may happen. I was roughly an hour out of Sonora heading West this morning, when I noticed the Five-O pulled up on the opposite side of the road (the opposite side of the road - this is a two lane in each direction Intersate with a grassy median) - he moved off as I went by. Oh-oh I thought. Checked with Sat Nav Bird, she reckoned on 83mph, as I was going down hill. Still, I slowed up to 80 (the legal limit). I thought bloody hell they are keen round 'ere. Started practising my best British accent "Ah hellllooo officer. Yes I was just admiring the view when I noticed my speedometer had mooomentarily crept above the requirements. Therefore I adjusted my course, as you will have gathered. What what. Jolly good show, old fellow, I will be on my way, shall I. What what. From the Queeeeens country you know. What what". When I noticed a rather large Jeep shaped object flying down the hill and hurtling towards me at what seemed like a crazy speed. Must have been doing a ton. He passed me, and before I finished thinking the sentence "Jolly good show old chap, but a bit fast, what what", the Five-O came hurtling after him right up his behind, the roof lit up like a Christmas tree, and pulled him over.
That was fun!
The other thing that happened, well it didn't really happen per se, its just something I noticed. Well you couldn't actually avoid noticing it. A ridge appeared to the right hand side (North). It was about a mile away from the road, and probably no more than 100Ft high. It stretched from 12 o'clock to roughly 5 o'clock - which is a sodding long way. And along the top of that ridge, was the biggest wind farm I have ever seen.
So I checked the fuel economy to make sure the Tahoe was suitably guzzling fuel to offset the offset emissions from the wind farm, and confirmed that I was doing even less mpg - 18 to be exact at 80mph, on the flat.
I have covered roughly 700 miles last 2 days. Got 300 more tomorrow, 250 Saturday then should arrive in Flagstaff, Arizona on 4th July (same day Mum and Dad land in Las Vegas), which means I should be able to visit the Grand Canyon on the 5th with any luck. Just follow the tourists...
Right off for a shower and hopefully something to eat if I can wait long enough. Perhaps a Bud Light or two first...
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