Well, the edge of Texas, anyway. That's where I gassed up before leaving my home state for points westward. Seriously. The gas station was a hundred yards from the TX/NM border.
The transition from Texas to New Mexico is quite distinct. Geographically and in terms of the state of mind. Now, in comparing and contrasting the two states, I'm sure to get in trouble with fans of both. That said, it seems to me that Texas is dirtier/dustier than New Mexico. I think it may have something to do with its political boundaries. Texas, of course shares 1254 miles of the 1954 miles of US-Mexico border. New Mexico. . . mmmm, not so much: 180 miles.
At least on IH-10 between the Texas border and the border with Arizona, and IH-25 from Las Cruces and Albuquerque, New Mexico seems to spend a bit more money per mile of highway than the Lone Star State. It shows. It's really a pleasure to drive on NM highways.
Somewhere between El Paso and Las Cruces
The geography changes distinctly, though not dramatically. NM becomes less dusty and more like the scrub brush of West Texas. And flat. FLAT. Except for the bigger mountains in the distance.
I haven't seen so many clouds in quite a while. Big, puffy, white cumulus clouds. The kind that you'd imagine were dragons and airplanes and dogs and horses when you'd lie on your back with your best friend, staring up into the summer sky when you were 10 years old.
There were so many clouds, I simply had to stop and photograph them for stock purposes. I frequently use shots of clouds to liven up a "bald" sky. (Have I mentioned that?) It's hard to find images that are usable when you spend most of your time in the city, bounded by telephone poles and wires strung here and there and big (and sometimes ugly) buildings getting in the way of a clean skyline. So, I did a lot of shooting on the way to Tucson today. People passing by probably thought I was a little off.
A few miles closer to Las Cruces
Arriving in Tucson about 8:30pm local time, I found my hotel (a Best Western near the airport) and was not terribly impressed. That'll happen when you stay at the Soluna Hotel in El Paso. I've become jaded.
Okay, I've got to get up at 4am because local sunrise is at 5:19am and I'm not sure where I need to be at the crack of dawn.
So. . . night-night.
