On To Arizona

From Fredericksburg I spent the next day and a half driving across the balance of Texas.  Back to "Road Warrior" Mode... 

On the way west on Interstate 10, the wind started to build.  Although it was still sunny out, the temperatures were in the 40s.  Not inviting weather for pausing.  

However, I did pull off for a brief pause at the exit to a notable destination, Balmorhea State Park.

I've taken this turn-off in years past and strongly recommend it for visitors passing thru Western Texas.  This is the turn for both the State Park as well as for anyone interested in the Alpine/Marfa area.  

Balmorhea is an old US. Cavalry location.  The 1st Calvary was here.  One of the main draws to this location is that it is a literal oasis in the middle of the desert. The artesian springs here put out between 20 and 25 million gallons of water a day!  A strange little ecosystem with it's own unique species of fish.    

Balmorhea: Snorkeling With Native Oasis Fish In Texas Desert!

In the 1930s the CCC dug out an amazing swimming pool that was then used by the Cavalry up thru World War II.  The pool is very large and has a unique shape. The bottom is not of concrete but rather of rock.  The native fish swim in the pool and the natural springs feet the pool, welling up from below!  Skin Diving Classes are conducted here!  When I first visited here nearly 20 years ago I was amazed.  

CCC Construction of the Balmorhea Swimming Pool in 1934

Postcard Aerial Shot of the Completed Pool Adjacent to the 
1st Cavalry Army Base. Note Horses to the Right...

Further south is Fort Davis which is a notable old cavalry fort run by the National Park Service.  I've visited there and also bike from there to the top of a small mountain (6800') where the University of Texas has the  McDonald Observatory. It's a good climb.

McDonald Observatory In Southwest Texas

South of Fort Davis are the Towns of Alpine and Marfa.  These are in the BIG BEND area of Texas (where the Rio Grande takes a bend and turns north for a ways.  I love Alpine.  It has a small 4 year college and a minor league baseball team. No Walmart within 100 miles because there are not enough people in the area to support it.  A little bit like Balmorhea, a bit of an oasis in the middle of vast dry empty countryside.  Several films were made in this area including No Country For Old Men (2007) as well as GIANT (1956) with Elizabeth Taylor & James Dean.  Marfa is a funny little town which has become a bit of an Art Colony .  Lots of hip people float in and out of this desert town.  A number of art galleries and little cafes.  The locals have been scratching their heads for years.  But they appreciate the business, I guess.

After pausing at the Balmorhea exit, I continued along the way west on I-10.  At some point I encountered high winds coming from the side at well over 50 miles an hour.  I'm glad for the lower profile of the pop-up camper.  The Big Rigs get tossed around!

Big Dust Storm Clouds reached high up into the Sky and the truck/camper was scoured with the dust, it laid a coat of brown dust down on the truck and camper.  When I got out to take a short rest stop I noted this coating.

Obviously, it was a good day to be driving because I certainly would not have been bicycling in these high winds!  At the end of this first day of driving I arrived after dark in El Paso. I quickly found the Walmart and set up shop for the night.  Good Night!

The next morning I crossed into New Mexico and continued grinding out the miles. As I drove I listened to a couple cd’s of the Ulysses Grant  audio version of his biography. These continue to help me eat up the time while doing long drives.  

In past trips I have visited a few sites in southern New Mexico. About a decade ago I visited the Carlsbad Caverns which were very impressive. But one of the problems with New Mexico in the winter time is that much of the state is at generally a higher elevation, and with that cooler temperatures.  So I have generally not lingered long.  Too darn cold!

Deming Museum Looked Interesting From the Outside

I did pause in Deming New Mexico to take a look. But for whatever reason Deming was, in middle February, still enforcing a very high level of mask wearing. This is much different than what I had seen in Texas or Alabama. Most of the midwestern states have been relaxing for the last 6+ months.  But not Deming.  A number of art galleries and restaurants looked to have permanently closed. The museum had an emphatic warning of masks required so I skipped it. I was surprised to see most people outdoors wearing masks. Or driving alone in their vehicles with masks on.  Mystifying to me...  Whatever the reason, I prefer to stay maskless whenever possible. I just don’t like my face covered. It’s uncomfortable and I feel slightly smothered. So, after a quick walk thru town, I decided to get back in the truck and continue on down the road. 

That late afternoon I rolled into Benson Arizona which is about an hour east of Tucson. Since rolling into a big city at night or at rush-hour is something I avoid, I decided to stop early and take in Benson. I liked it.  I'm guessing I'll visit this town again in future years.

I drove around the town of Benson, gassed up the truck, and then found the public library. I went in and chatted with the librarian and asked if they had a historical section that covered the history of both Deming and the in the surrounding areas. They did and she was very helpful in selecting three or four titles for me to look at. It was 5 o’clock and so I had an hour before closing to read and also take some photos of the contents of the books.  Often if I find a book that has a lot of information and I am pressed for time, I may use the camera to take a series of photos of the pages. I did that here and came away with probably 40 pages for reading later in the camper. 

The town has a relatively small Walmart which is sized to a smaller town like Benson (under 5,000 for a population). I found a small cluster of trees on the west edge of the parking lot and parked the truck there.  I went into the store and bought some groceries and then went back to the camper, had dinner, crawled into bed, and went back to reading the history of Benson.

In the morning it was 19° on my thermometer! Benson is over 3500 feet in elevation and so was surprisingly nippy! One of the advantages of this camper over the minivan is that I have a furnace. On a morning like this it's nice to turn up the heat and raise the interior temperature from the upper 30s to around 60°. I also have installed a bubble-wrap based insulation called Reflectix  This works surprisingly well at helping retain the heat. In the minivan I'd have to start the van and let the engine run for a while before I could turn on the heater. One the engine was back off the van would cool down fairly quickly.  Pretty wasteful.

  
After having breakfast, I got back in the truck and drove on to Tucson.  As I drove west I also lost well over 1000 feet of altitude. So I was optimistic that I would have a warmer day in the store than I had for the last several.