Border Checkpoints and Tombstone, AZ

 At this point, my path crosses with my father again. This time, he is not suffering from heart issues/chest pain. He and his wife have returned to get his car from Tucumcari and he has driven himself to Los Cruces. So, we meet for breakfast before both going our separate ways, planning to meet up again later. A road trip is never complete without a trip to Cracker Barrel, so that’s where we met for breakfast. Another great stop before continuing into what could be the more dangerous part of the trip for this yankee northerner. 

I toured around Las Cruces before heading further west along the border. There are a lot of pretty cool places I didn’t know about in the Las Cruces area. I’m going to need to return and explore some more.

From the town center, I ventured out to find some curiosities and oddities, but found so much more. There was a whole area to explore related to dinosaur tracks. I walked a little along the path, but then decided I needed to get going, if I was going to make another spot I had planned, plus I was planning on the backroads across as much as possible. 

As I traversed the back roads of New Mexico, I saw many metal art stands and one junction even had a ton of metal statues that of course I needed to stop and take photos. From aliens to Ronald McDonald there were so many different statues. I loved it. 

After the metal statues, I continued to venture into the back country of southern New Mexico. I wandered upon a ghost town, where it was expensive and long to tour it. They had a campground and tons of “stuff” all over the place. I think it would be a very interesting tour, but did not have the time for it all. So, it will hopefully be revisited in the future. One ghost town I did get to visit along the Geronimo byway was pretty neat. 

With the back country exploration complete, I once again headed west. This time I figured I would head south to Tombstone. Cutting off all these other stops gave me extra time, thus allowing me to hit Tombstone. 

It was an interesting trip towards the southern border and tombstone. I guess I didn’t realize how close to the Mexico border Tombstone lies. As I headed south, there were signs warning of the border patrol checkpoint. That seemed weird to a northerner like me. We don’t have border patrol check points 40 miles south of the northern border. So, why would I have them that far away from the border in the south? Well, guess what…they do exist that far north of the southern border. I passed through my first checkpoint of the trip. I slow down, roll down my window, and am prepared with my passport, drivers license, and possibly anything else they might need. The border patrol person asks, “are you American?” I reply, “yes.” He waves me through. I’m flabbergasted. The northern border when I cross it asks way more questions than that. I know this is just a check point, but still…

Another 10 miles, and I’m in Tombstone. What an interesting little town. Definitely there for the tourism. I knew I had to go to a bar and have a whiskey. So, that was the first part, after parking. After 1 shot of whiskey, I wandered town finding myself in the Bird Cage learning about the history of the brothel. I toured the place hoping to find spirits. Unfortunately, I did not find any. After the bird cage, I hit another bar drinking spirits and hoping to maybe see some spirits. When nothing turned up, I headed back to my car and back north for the night. 

Crossing back through the check point, I was concerned I would be stopped for the smell of alcohol on my breath. Again, they simply waved me through. I didn’t even have to slow down, roll down my window, or answer any questions. Again, I was absolutely floored. Could I not be bringing illegals into the US in the back of my car? WOW! Such a weird experience. It made me feel a little cocky at the same time.

 

Parting ways with Jasper and closing in on the southern border

 This morning we found a place to charge the Ioniq5, which my husband had driven from Colorado to meet in San Antonio. While Jasper & I were charging the car, my husband found a park nearby to go run. We met up there after the Ioniq was charged, and got to take a very nice 3-4mile walk. Who knew such a beautiful place existed in the middle of nowhere Texas? 

After our walk/run, we found a dog friendly brewpub nearby for lunch. It was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy some burgers and beers. There was a large yard for dogs to interact, if they could do so in a friendly manner. We are never sure how interactive Jasper is feeling, so he hangs out with us for safety. The food was good, but it was time to part ways again. I needed to get further west to ensure I would be to San Diego in time for Legoland with my goddaughter.

  

 

I moved quickly through Texas getting views of the rugged mountains to the south while also seeing the steel wall that has been built along the border. It fascinated me and yet frightened me at the same time. Recent stories of kidnappings along the Texas/Mexico border had this solo female anxious about stopping anywhere but the end destination of Las Cruces, NM. Passing through El Paso, TX and seeing Ciudad Juarez just across the highway was interesting…they looked the same. I didn’t see a big wall dividing the 2 cities like I had seen along the highway prior to this point. It was dark, though, and I really just wanted to get to a city where I have visited previously. I took the decorations in the lobby of the hotel as a good sign that I would have luck on my side for the remainder of my trip.

 

 

San Antonio in a day (Jasper becomes a National Park bark ranger)

 Yesterday morning started off with a phone call from my stepmother telling me my father had been airlifted from Tucumcari, NM to Amarillo, TX due to chest pains. This threw me in to a small panic of what to do. My father is not new to chest pain and heart issues. He had his first 2 stints placed in 2005 while I was backpacking the Appalachian Trail. His first heart attack was right before my husband and I got married in 1998. So, this was not his first experience. He carries his nitro, and is very familiar with the signs and symptoms. This of course did not make me feel better not going up to Amarillo to check on him. The other part of that was that my husband was on his way down and planning on staying in Tucumcari for the night. 

So, after deciding to continue my trajectory to San Antonio, I headed back on the road west. I had booked a cheap hotel about a mile from the Alamo and the River walk after being rejected from the KOA due to Jasper being too big for their pet policy. The plan was to get in to San Antonio, check in, and wait for Jasper and my husband. I did just that, getting in early such that I quickly checked out one of the nearby missions to find out what the next day would be like. Around 9pm, my husband and Jasper arrived. We went to bed to try to be well rested for the next day. Jasper and my husband had slept in the car the previous night and were happy to have a bed for the next few nights.

                                                                                            Arbol de la Vidas

 

Between the hotel and downtown was so much construction, that we happily walked from the hotel to the riverwalk and then to the Alamo. Near the Alamo, we found a spot to eat where we could eat outside. The place even provided a small bit of chicken for Jasper, what a spoiled boy. Because we spent our day at the missions, we did not make it to the Alamo before they closed. So, only photos of the outside were obtained, and I did not get the chance to talk to Enid & Inez about maize or to ask the tour guide about the basement of the Alamo (that’s a PeeWee’s Big Adventure reference for those who don’t know). It was neat and crowded along the riverwalk, but the more enjoyable part was a cathedral that video displayed the history of San Antonio on its front side. We watched that beyond our being tired, and then returned to the hotel. Again, we were thankful to have a bed, despite the plastic sheet on the bed that made sleep sweaty at times.

Alligators to Texas

 Another quick day with my mom before heading to Texas to meet up with Jasper and my husband. Before heading out on this adventure, I had found a program at Davis Bayou Area Gulf Islands National Seashore that I wanted to attend. It was supposed to be about edible/medicinal plants of the bayou. Some how, that was not what it was, when we got there; however, we did enjoy the short walking tour of the area and told about the bayous being a mix of salt and freshwater thus allowing for different species to thrive in these areas. The park ranger tried to find us some alligators, but no luck. We did get to see turtles, which was cool. 

Before picking up my mom to go to the bayou, I got up early and made a trip to Pascagoula, MS to discover some curiosities and oddities. One of those is the Round Island lighthouse, which is right off the highway. It can be walked to from the park that is under the highway, near a fishing dock where an alien abduction occurred. 

On to Davis Bayou. Somewhere hiding in this pond is an alligator or 2…according to the Park Ranger. We never saw one. 

Upon return to Ocean Springs, we toured the golf course, where my mom and stepdad often golf during their 2 months in the south. I guess the bar at the golf course has hosted a few famous folks from Capone to Elvis.

We toured a cemetery mentioned by the local from yesterday as well as some of the oldest trees in the area. There is also an old hot spring area that was popular, but has now gone to being just a small park with the old structures still in place. It was some off the most beautiful sights I have seen. 

 

Eventually, it came time to head west, young woman, head west. Unfortunately, that time was slowed with rush hour traffic as I passed by New Orleans. At least the stop and go allowed me to take photos of the large raised cemetery as I passed by it. One of these days, I will tour one. 

Eventually, I made it through the traffic, and got on my way. Just before I crossed into Texas, I stopped for something to eat, and found this fun ice cream shop. Yup! I had ice cream for dinner. Isn’t adulting fun? 

The next day, I passed this fun curiosity as I headed towards San Antonio. That is on my list to which I need to return and see what it really is all about. Later, you will see where maybe it should be moved to Colorado and the Gator farm down by the Great Sand Dunes.