Van Horn to Tucson

Van Horn to Tucson

We had a light breakfast after loading the can and were on the road by 8am. We decided to again stay on I-10 rather than looking for back roads, 400 miles could turn into a very long day otherwise.

I drove for the first two and a half hours to Los Cruces NM where we stopped for coffee at Starbucks. I think we're addicted, heh, heh! After giving the dogs a break Tina took over and put in two hours taking us to Lordsburg where we stopped for lunch at a great little cafe called Ramona's Cafe. The place probably had no more than eight tables and they were full the entire time we were there. I had a Patty Melt and Tina had Quesadillas, both were excellent!

Typical of Main Street Lordsburg, NM

Heading out of Lordsburg, it was obvious that some towns had lost their spark. The Main street through town was probably two miles long and I doubt there were twenty viable businesses on both sides. We noticed the same thing in Van Dorn. Yet, when we passed through El Paso, it was absolutely booming. The same with Los Cruces. Lordsburg felt like the "Town that Time Forgot". Very sad.

Part of the Texas Canyon Rock Formation

Back on I-10 we continued to cruise with me behind the wheel again. After passing the Arizona border we came to one of the more unique rock formations, part of the Texas Canyon Formation in the Little Dragoon Mountains. Texas Canyon is a massive granite formation that has weathered over the eons to create a jumble of rocks that catch the eye.

Banding of Strata in the Rounded Rocks

The entire area was formed about 50 million years ago when magma pooled below the surface of the earth and slowly cooled forming the rocks geologists call quarts monzonite. The strips of fine grain material is actually called Aplite and it is formed during the granite formation process. Unlike the Chiricahua Mountains, the area never became an explosive volcano since the magma never reached the surface of the earth. Over the years the earth’s surface eroded away and left the rocks. Weathering from wind and the freeze thaw cycle started breaking the rocks down and rounding the corners giving the rocks spheroid shapes. As the softer rock was worn away the denser rock would sometime be sitting on the small support underneath and you get the proverbial “Balanced Rock”.

We managed to make the drive in a little over six and a half hours pulling into our lodgings around  4:20pm. Tina took the kids for a walk while I registered and parked. Tina left the kids in the room and met me at the car to begin bringing our gear inside. We had a really nice big room with a king size bed and a small courtyard with table and chairs and a gate that led to the outdoor pool. Once we'd unpacked I glanced at the clock and it was showing 2:30pm. That was strange, so Tina called the desk to find out what the real time was and sure enough, we managed to gain two hours. How cool is that!!

Tina and the Giant Yucca

So we changed our clocks, then Tina drove over to the mall and bought a new swimsuit so we could go swimming. When she got back we went out to the pool with our books and drinks and went for a swim and some quality time in the sun!

After giving the girls their dinner and taking them out for a walk, Tina and I walked next door to the Old Pueblo Grill for dinner. Tina had fish tacos and I had Grilled Steak Fajitas. Both were very good and quite filling. So much so we had to go for a long walk to burn some of it off, heh, heh! Tina spotted a giant Yucca plant so I had to take her picture.

Back at the Inn we settled in for the night with our books and TV.

To see more photos, go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski