Monday, December 10, 2001

Hello from El Paso, Texas!

Start time: 0745

Start odometer: 29275

Weather: Sunny, temperature 47 degrees F.

A great weather day with beautiful blue skies and interesting views. Due to the strong winds, dust was getting kicked up and could be seen from many miles away. I also saw a dust devil off the side of the road! It was a day of seeing several small towns supporting the local agricultural industry, and watching the Border Patrol drive up and down the road. An interesting day...

Highlights:

Great motel room last night, good rest for a very reasonable rate.
Drove through Tombstone one more time to see the early morning view.
Headed south, then east through Bisbee, a pretty town that had a very lucrative copper mining operation until 1975. Now it is the county seat, and the county government is the largest employer. It also has a growing tourist business.
Stopped in Douglas Arizona to see the Grand Theatre, a beautiful building from the early twentieth century. An organization in town is restoring it. It would have been interesting to see inside, but no one was present.
I visited the town of Rodeo, New Mexico. A small but interesting town, it too supports the agriculture trade. Rodeo also serves as a destination for retirees, and artists are also moving into the area.
Next stop, Hachita, New Mexico. I met Jeff Callum, proprietor of the one week old Hachita Food Mart. He had run a business from the same building in the early nineties, and after it changed hands twice, he decided to have a go at it again. It cannot be easy to run a store in such a small community, but then, people drive two hours to get to a grocery store! Best of luck, Jeff!
I arrived in El Paso later in the afternoon, and after stopping at AAA for a map, found my lodging for the evening. Also got a haircut tonight, first one since Fairbanks! I feel much better!

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An interesting street name that befits Tombstone!

A tunnel in southern Arizona? This is located just outside Bisbee, Az.

Main Street, Bisbee.

Another view in Bisbee.

A pool of water in the base of the mine.

Tiered mining and an old road leading downward.

Information on Bisbee.

The Grand Theatre in Douglas.

The theatre box office.

It is nice that a group is restoring this building.

Entering New Mexico!

Beautiful mountain scenery along the road.

A view from the road.

An art gallery in Rodeo, New Mexico. At one time this building was a bordello!

Information on the railroad through Rodeo.

The town of Rodeo,

Tumbleweed blowing across the highway.

Another interesting mountain along the road.

This historical marker is in the town of Animas, New Mexico.

The road through Animas.

Crossing the Continental Divide, for the final time. I will have to figure out how many times I crossed it on this trip!

The Hachita Food Mart, with signage from the previous owner and business.

A church in Hachita.

I found the color of this cactus remarkable!

Hello, Texas!

Tomorrow I head towards Big Bend National Park. I plan to stop in Marfa, where "Giant" was filmed! I also hope to catch up on the reports for the past few days! Thanks for visiting!

Routes traveled today: Arizona 80 - New Mexico 80 - NM 9 - County Road A-003 - Texas 178 - US 10

Lodging: Motel 6 -

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