I got up at 6:30. The long trains on one side of us, the semi trucks on the other, the mourning doves cooing, and the helicopters overhead (border patrol plus a nearby army proving ground) kept me awake. But John slept nine hard hours and was ready to get going!
After a quick breakfast, we pulled into the gas station. One of the MUST rituals is cleaning off the windshield. Is it Murphy's Law or some law of physics that makes it so the one bug to hit your windshield is right in your line of vision?
The terrain is once again changing, with large saguaro cactus along the way.
There are many feed lots along here. Perhaps the image of smell is better than sight! The smell carries for a long way. It seems like farm country, because the men we see have on big hats, pot bellies, boots and beat up ol' pickup trucks. It is hazy! This is surprising given the wind and the long distance from any towns.
We travel once again through big rock country.
We stopped briefly in Casa Grande, halfway between Tucson and Phoenix. Named for the large Hohokum cliff dwellings, it was also home to the San Francisco Giants Spring Training. At the first exhibition game in 1961, Willie Mays hit a 375 foot home run! The Francisco Grande still has a baseball bat and ball shaped pool.
We have passed several areas with signs for Big Horn Sheep, Long Horn Cattle, and Blowing Dust Area. We've seen none of these things.
However, this sign was intriguing! With zero visibility, how do you see this sign?
We are now seeing creosote bushes, mesquite and sandy soil. We pass the road to Cochise Stronghold.
If I had my druthers, we would go there. But, we must press on....
Cochise was an Apache from the Chiricahua band. Mexican and American settlers were unhappy with the presence of these indians, even though it started out peacefully. Accused of stealing a young boy, the military met with Cochise and, thinking he was responsible, the Lt. in charge imprisoned him and his band. Cochise escaped by getting to a hidden knife and cutting his way out of a tent. The rest were hung including some of his relatives. Cochise joined forces with his father-in-law and through his raids became known as a brilliant military strategist. He lived in the Dragoon Mountains in an area impossible to penetrate for 15 years, attacking settlers and military outposts. After taking hundreds of lives, Cochise was offered peace once again. He died on a reservation after becoming ill and was buried in a secret location in the Dragoon Mountains. The boy he was accused of capturing resurfaced about a decade later, as an Apache- speaking scout for the US Army. He reported that it was another Apache group and not Cochise who had captured him.
While I am thinking about this, we are listening to Andre Bocelli sing "Home on the Range."
Walnut and pecan orchards and wineries began to appear! Also Chollas cactus, including the Teddy Bear Jumping Chollas. They die back after they bloom and look dead. Vast fields of them look like some terrible drought or disease has befallen them. In fact they are spreading seeds for the next generation.
At last, we cross into New Mexico, about 500 miles from San Diego. Along the way we see signs for a place called Road Forks, and John wants to know where Yogi Berra is when you need him! The road is straight and flat, as far as the eye can see. Lordsburg, NM. and a windmill with solar panels. Neither appear to be working. Then we pass over the Continental Divide, if I recall it is at 4,825 ft.
And finally into Las Cruces, New Mexico. This is a destination we have been waiting for. John's parents were married here on June 19, 1943 and we are going to try to find the church.
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