Day 14 - 24th February 2022

That was not a good night. There was a dog in the room next door barking all night. Although I used earplugs, I felt sorry for the poor dog. I also knocked on the door but no one answered. So I tell Shelley about it this morning and she says I should have informed her and asked for a new room. But I didn't want to disturb her at night, I say. She replies that she was awake until 2 am. Next time, I say.

I leave without breakfast and drive down Route 186 under the bright sunshine. The night was bitterly cold, below 0 degrees Celsius, but now everything warms up quickly in the sun. The landscape is simply magnificent. Meadows and green rocks alternate, and when you drive over a hill, the land opens up widely from right to left. In addition, there are kilometers of straight stretches that emphasize the vastness. I only get this feeling in the USA.

After about an hour, I reach my destination, Chiricahua National Monument. Located in a small valley, rugged cliffs surrounded by untouched nature are revealed. A deer stands by the side of the road and shows no inclination to flee. The last part of the valley is closed to cars, so I park and walk along the empty road for about 2 km. I am rewarded with pictures that almost rival Zion National Park. My favorite place on this planet.

On the way back, I park and have breakfast outside under a clear blue sky. What a place and what to do there. Refreshed and defiant of fatigue, I look at the map for the route to my next destination, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

I drive a few kilometers back and then turn right onto a dirt road. I don't like unpaved roads. In Canada, I once turned around and drove back for 1 hour because it seemed too suspicious to me. But here, it is wide and built up, and I hope it stays that way. After 15 km, Apache Pass Road gets an asphalt surface and I like it better. From the pass, you can already see Interstate 10 in the distance, which will lead me 320 km further east to my destination.

Before I drive on it, I refuel and for the first time, my credit card works at the gas station. Chevron - I will visit that brand more often now. After a few kilometers, I reach the state border of New Mexico. The landscape is still sparsely vegetated and the hills are less frequent and not as high. As a result, you always drive through an incredibly vast land. You can see for miles into the horizon.

After 15 minutes, I find myself in a traffic jam, which is a bit bizarre in the middle of the desert. The road narrows to one lane and you can tell that Americans don't handle this well. They start merging onto the right lane 2 km before and cause a traffic jam even before the actual congestion. Apparently, the idea of driving until the end hasn't reached here. And because they don't do that, they just drive in the middle so that no one can overtake on the left. So I trudge a few kilometers behind a middle lane driver and eventually get through it.

Occasionally, I leave the interstate and take detours on small country roads. If you want to take pictures, it's really necessary. Because like with us, stopping on the interstate is prohibited. And if you have time like me, that's no problem either.

Las Cruces is located right in front of a rock massif and with a population of 111,000, it's not a small town either. The difference to the huge American metropolises is the absence of high-rise buildings. And so the area of the city is incredibly large. The Days Inn where I am staying has great reviews and you can tell when checking in that they are well-deserved. No comparison to the run-down part in El Cajon.

Since there is a Panda Express here, a Chinese chain where I have always enjoyed eating, I drive the 4 km from my accommodation there and get Orange Chicken and Beef Beijing. And then I realize soberly that I don't like it anymore. Well, that's how it is sometimes. You have something good in your memory and then you're disappointed. So no more Panda Express.

Actually, I want to go to a bar to have a drink. But my fatigue prevents me from doing so. The dog barking has had its effect, and so I enjoy my nice room and have an early night. And it looks like without any disturbances.