Day 34, Monday 10-12-15 Tucson, AZ to Los Lunas, NM.

Since we could not go to Old Tucson and we are running short of time because of an obligation at home we decided to also skip Tombstone.  It would have been nice to see Boot Hill, the OK Corral and the Birdcage Theater.  The old town hall is now a National Park.

Can't you just see Hopalong Cassidy chasing Black Bart
through the boulders.

About one third the way between Benson and Wilcox, AZ there is an area of boulders along I-10.  What is so strange is all the rock formations for the last hundred miles have been mostly stratified and suddenly here are big rounded boulders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we entered western New Mexico the term desert took on more of the mental image you would expect.  There were “lakes” in the distance that reflected the color of the sky.  It is easy to see how someone crossing the desert in the 1800s would have made a bee line for water only to find a desert mirage.

 

 

Then it was like we were in Egypt.  You could see the Great Pyramids in the distance.  There were several hills that stood all alone that had an almost perfect pyramid shape.

 

 

 

Chile patch in Hatch 

We took a turn north east on NM-26 which cuts the corner between I-10 and I-25.   It saves about 50 miles.  While much of the land appears dry and not productive there are places where irrigation makes all the difference.  Farms raising chilies and cotton are found in the valleys.   

Cotton field in Hatch, NM

 

Someone must have had a humorous streak.  The road mileage sings had town names like Nutt/ Hatch and Truth or Consequences and Derry/Arrey.



Linda liked the architecture at the NM road side rest

 

 

 

 

 

While driving along I-25 Linda said, “There is a VOR  station.” (VHF Omnidirectional Range)  There are 967 of these stations placed all over the US as  radio navigation aids for aircraft; creating highways in the sky.   The cone on the top houses a DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) transmitter antenna that gave the pilot a reading of distance from the station. This was the most reliable source of air navigation from the 1950s until GPS was made available to all air traffic in the late 1990s. VOR navigation is still in use and is very accurate.

 

Fertile fields amid a desert: 

 

 

We spent the night in Los Lunas about 20 miles south of Albuquerque at the Western Sky Inn and Suites.  I think Linda liked this hotel better than any we have been in so far. 

Tomorrow we will meet Steve and Charissa for breakfast.  We haven't seen Steve in nearly 30 years and have never met his bride of 25 years.  It should be a great reunion.