arizona/new mexico/texas - southern part

Drive along the coast, over mountains, and through desert landscapes where you can see many quad bikes zooming over dunes. It has been a long time since I saw the sunset behind me and not in front of me, but even away from the sea, it is beautiful. Next to countless solar panels, wind turbines, and cattle herds, my journey takes me to Tucson, Arizona, where I visit the Saguaro National Park. Saguaro is a tall-growing cactus and the tallest one standing is 13.8m! On a recommendation, I drive the spectacular mountain pass to Mount Lemmon - 2,792m. There, surprisingly, is actually a ski lift and it almost reminds me of a ski resort. This is probably my last snow this winter. I take a short hike so that I can put on my warmer clothes again and I am happy to walk around in flip-flops when I reach the top of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson. Luckily, I am optimistic and kind-hearted, so I let my running shoes air out under the car as I used to do after a hike. Even though it is a very peaceful park in Tucson, it is logical to leave them behind - I am in the city after all. The 130 dollars I have to invest (I only bought them in December and at that price, they should last for a good two weeks without petrol) naturally hurts, but I try to see it from a positive perspective: a homeless person now has a good pair of shoes, including smelly socks. In southern Arizona, I meet many retired people who spend their winters here.

My only regret in the last two weeks was that I had no time to drive to Las Cruces in New Mexico, where I wanted to end the day at a sports center and try water cycling. It's fun in the water, but without resistance, it's uncomfortable for my knees. It's too cold to sleep in the car at night, around 5 degrees, so I stay in bed in the morning and read. Due to strong winds, a road is closed, but that doesn't bother me too much since I can watch the Champions League in the afternoon at 2. The next day is almost perfect again, with a blue sky and no wind, ideal for a visit to the White Sands National Monument. Walking barefoot through the white sand and over the dunes is delightful, and with the funny company of spring breakers (March is a week of vacation in schools), it's even better. Not far away is the Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a depth of 230m. In this unique natural wonder, I first walk 2km down and then, at a constant 13 degrees, no matter the season, I walk another 2km in a loop and admire the various rock formations. When they mentioned that there was a lift, I laughed because, 3 hours later, nearly desperate, I took the lift up after all, because I can't go on without pacing myself. Greetings to all the hikers out there. In this state, New Mexico, near the border, you can easily get by with just Spanish.

Yay, the temperature is getting a bit warmer in Texas again. Before I head south, I make a pit stop in Alpine and catch a baseball game on the way. I enjoy a free workout and a shower at the local university (sometimes it's good to be a student). Another highlight of my trip is Big Bend National Park. With very few visitors, quite remote from everything and at the border with Mexico, it offers a lot for nature lovers. The drive through the park alone is phenomenal! The Rio Grande forms the border between Mexico and the USA in Texas and it is most spectacular to see it at the Santa Elena Canyon. The two highest peaks provide beautiful hikes and there I encountered some interesting people aged 25 to 56 who had never left Texas. The night sky is amazing! Fortunately, I can sleep unnoticed in my van in the motel parking lot, otherwise I would have to drive 2 hours out of the park because all the campgrounds are full. At the checkpoints (which are mainly in the south near the border), they are always a little skeptical about a Swiss person with a Canadian license plate going so far south, but they wave me through without asking too many questions. There is a long and uneventful 600km journey between Big Bend and San Antonio. I have had weapons everywhere I have been in the USA so far, but what surprised me is that in Texas it is explicitly stated at every public building that bringing weapons is against the rules - library, supermarket, school, etc. Oh dear!

It is getting greener and thus my anticipation for the classic three southern states with their cool accents is rising. Appropriately, from Forrest Gump: 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get'...