On the Road: Fort Stockton, Texas to Globe, Arizona

It was surprisingly cool this morning, in the mid 50s, and sunny. I got back on the Interstate and continued at 80 mph, and 100 miles later, pulled off at Van Horn to get gas and a possible oil change. First though, I got another "McDonald's bird" which is one that I see while parked near a McDonald's drinking coffee and eating a breakfast burrito. This was next to some kind of office with a covered awning walkway leading to the front door and I glimpsed a thrasher on the ground crubbing near some bushes. It flew before I could see it well, but I soon noticed there was bird activity under the awning roof tucked into openings, not totally visible. I could see comings and goings but had to be quick as the birds would disappear. I slowly got some field marks and looked at all the thrashers but none were as brightly marked. And then, as happens over and over and is a reward for persistence and patience, one of them hopped down on a curb very near the car, hopped off the curb and hopped in my direction, stopping for a few seconds so I could see it very well. You nonbirders (who probably will never even read this) cannot imagine how much fun this is: to get tantalizing glimpses of a bird for several minutes and then to have the same bird pop out into full view!

So, I now saw it clearly and it just wasn't a thrasher. I paged through the field guide and found it: a Cactus Wren (LB). The text actually mentioned how this large wren looked like a small thrasher.

I got two different directions to oil change places but couldn't find them so drove on. Van Horn has a wide main street which runs a mile and seemed to be a mix of ranching and Hispanic culture. I don't think of Hispanics as ranchers in west Texas but this may be ignorance on my part.

On the road again, headed for El Paso which was hell. I had in mind El Paso through the lens of a country-western song, a small, sleepy border town. It was 30 miles of traffic, malls and other commercial establishments built on gritty sand and small rocks with barely any greenery. It took an hour just to drive through. I saw a Honda dealership and got off the Interstate to get my oil changed and then had to drive around to an auto parts store to buy a new tail light which the oil changer man said was out.

The wind was gusting and there were wind advisories. I had to keep a good grip on the steering wheel. As I entered New Mexico, the sand began blowing to the point of very reduced visibility. I stopped at the Welcome Center to pick up a map, and the first things I saw was a sign warning of rattlesnakes.

At Las Cruces, I turned west. For all the rest of New Mexico and even part of Arizona, there were constant warnings of the possibility of dust storms and drivers were advised to listen to AM radio for more information which basically said the visibility could be zero and in that case one was strongly advised to pull off the road or at least proceed very cautiously sounding one's horn every few seconds. I never did have to do this, but it was a dismal drive.

The gas station attendant in Lordsburg, NM, said there were many bad accidents all the time on that stretch. He said the wind blows from spring to fall.

Maria had ordered some AAA maps and books for me and without an Arizona Welcome Center, I found an Arizona map in my passenger seat book bag (thanks, Maria) and found a route that bypassed Tucson and was off the interstates, PTL. I had had enough of homogenous, dulling, 80 mph driving and truck traffic had increased significantly. Not to deny their efficiency which I could appreciate at times.

It was 4 p.m. so I called ahead to Globe, Arizona, and made a motel reservation. The clerk thought I was about 4 hours away. It was a nice and pleasant drive north with one slow-down near the town of Peridot where there were also signs for Hallelujah Flat and Moonbase Road. The next day, Stephen told me Andree's mom had grown up in Globe (of which I was vaguely aware) and had recently been part of some settlement related to exposure from mining in this area. I will have to get the skinny on this in Eugene.

I drove through a Taco Bell and had three beef tacos which tasted good enough to me. The door to my motel room wouldn't close, so I moved next door. The proprietor/owner was an East Indian man, friendly, accommodating, efficient. The rooms were being renovated, and the new carpet was causing the doors to not close well. I made half a cup of coffee and worked four hours.