Baileys Tours West Coast to East Coast USA ; Road Trip 3; Phoenix, Arizona, Via New Mexico and into Texas (Fort Stockton)

Having had a great road trip so far to Phoenix by car, an opportunity came our way through Cruise America RV company to take one of their Rv's through to Orlando, Florida. Never being one to look a gift horse in the mouth I decided as the designated driver on our 'Tour' to explain fully to Viv the co pilot, all the benefits!!! Basically it sold itself as all we have to do is put petrol in it and drive it to Orlando by th 25 th of April. So basically it was to coin a phrase a 'no brainer' as both of us have always wanted to drive across the States from East to West and here was another 'Once in a lifetime opportunity ' coming our way.





Map of the two states we have been through today (lost two hours in two days due to the time change)

We collected the 'standard ' RV ,(5.3 litre ,Ford V8!) late afternoon on Friday the 13 th of April, so already our fingers were crossed due to the date.

Our RV

Highway 10- Phoenix

Also we knew we would have to be very strict with ourselves knowing we have 12 days to cover the best part of 2500 miles as we have picked out one or two places off the normal route to visit. By the time it had reached 4.00pm the signs were not looking good as Cesar the person in charge of our vehicle was still trying to find out where it was and was working on 'Mexican' time. He then started telling me about his favourite English soccer team, Manchester United, so the afternoon was not going at all well. By the time we left it was like A Grand Prix, with me trying to negotiate a lane to get in to out of th six available going East! We stuck with the Interstate 10 and since Friday we have travelled East through;;

1,Southern Arizona (Desert)

2 New Mexico (High Desert )

3.Western Texas (Semi Desert)

and completed 740 miles, each day we've done a little bit more . However it has not helped us by travelling through two time lines, so now we are only six hours behind the Uk.

High Desert with a few trees (this was rare)

Desert

More desert

We have seen some magnificent desert landscapes with some superb examples of Mesas and Buttes, stayed in four completely different towns and Rv sites. (We were really spoilt in New Zealand and  Australia, what we have experienced so far in America RV parks have been dumps) We've gone through Apache Country, and also been stopped twice by the USA border patrol who randomly stop you and search your vehicle for illegal 'Mexican' imports. To say we have both had enough now of dry, arid, inhospitable dusty countryside would be a complete understatement. However as we have kept reminding ourselves  and quote once again  from our  Ausie friend Barry's when we were all down and out in China. 'Its not the destination,its the journey'!!!

But there has been one fantastic place we both were completely thrilled to have gone out of our way to see;  TOMBSTONE, Arizona....

Tombstone really physically surpised me as it was 4350 feet in altitude-; 346 feet higher than higher than Ben Nevis (and really cold, especially on the evening)

When we arrived on Saturday evening , the sun was setting and we sauntered down the one and only street and it was as if we had gone back in time to an 1870.s western town. We walked past where the famous gunfight took place at the OK Coral, went into the Birdcage (bar,casino,theatre and Bordello) This was brilliant as it has been left in its original state from the 1880's and has photographs, memorabelia and antiques all dating back from when Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Lilly Langtry and hosts of others all visited and used the facilities. We then ended up in Big Nose Kate's bar (She used to be the wife of Wyatt Earp) and saw where the caretaker dug his own silver out of the seam below the bar and claimed it as his- but was later caught and shot for it ! Boothill Cemetery , where all but six of the famous residents were buried is another place all within walking distance from our RV site too.

Everyone was dressed as cowboys/girls except for us

Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday original card table

So today 16th April 2012) we landed in Fort Stockton, the fourth biggest town out of the ten we have seen we have gone through over the last 700 miles . On paper it is a   busy town of 8000 people, with so many Motels, mostly empty too. (One had recently lost its whole roof to a Tornado-again unusual but always possible in this part of the world.) The devistation caused by it does not do itself justice in photographs, but you will get a feel of the surrounding area.

Roof blown off at the holiday Inn

FT Stockton- Texas USA (This picture makes it look quite good but this town has seen better days)

So tomorow we leave with still 1650 miles to go, on a bit of a detour to the greener climate of South Eastern Texas, probably with another famous western town on our hit list; Laredo,,but  right on the Mexican border.  So far it is one of those trips where you say 'Beam me out of here Scotty'- not our favourite trip so far to date , but things can only get better ! (We Hope !!)