The drive from Fort Stockton to El Paso on I10 is generally an uneventful drive unless ... If one is a slow driver, say somewhere around 65 MPH or even 70 MPH with the cruise control set for a leisurely pace in order to enjoy the sights along the way one runs the risk of being run right over the top by following drivers, including 18 wheelers. The speed limit on large sections of I10 out in West Texas is 80 MPH meaning that cars and trucks breeze by at 85 to 90 or more MPH. One could almost hear the words that would peel paint off of battleships coming from some of the driver that came up quickly from behind us as we were tootling along at 65 MPH, conserving gasoline and getting great mileage for an all wheel drive vehicle.
We left Fort Stockton at 9:25 AM but had to stop at a Walmart to get a few things for the journey. One gets an immediate understanding of the distances in this part of Texas - at 10:07 AM we passed a sign that said El Paso 237 Miles. At noon we passed through Van Horn.
There were interesting sights along the way and we did stop a couple of times to take the obligatory photographs. The first stop was just outside of Van Horn at a scenic overlook, where a climb was mandated to the top of the overlook; look out for local fauna, particularly the slithering kind but it should also be noted that some of the flora has to be watched out for as it will let its presence be known. Obviously the understanding of scenic is subjective depending on what one likes or dislikes. Here are are a few photos from that stop.
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| On top of the Outlook looking North |
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| On the Outlook looking toward I10 as it winds it way West. |
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| Spikes everywhere. |
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| Color right in the middle of an otherwise desolate landscape. |
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| More color. |
At 12:30 PM we discovered that we were suddenly an hour younger as we passed a sign that said "Entering Mountain Time Zone" and the clocks and watches went from 12:30 PM to 11:30 AM. I didn't notice any difference in the way I looked or felt, but there was a distinct difference noted on my wife, she certainly looked at least that much younger.
At 11:50 AM (we are now on Mountain Time) Norma entered the following item in her notes: "Allan actually passed someone going slower than we are, this was an 18 wheeler." My observation is that we were probably going uphill and the driver lost a bit of speed doing so.
Another stop was necessitated by the landscape - we had to look at some boulders - not rocks - but large boulders that had at one time or another made their way down the "Mountainside" and remembering that this is the erosion process at work, the end result being little grains of sand or pebble.
A while later we had to make a uturn to go to a roadside stop - natural reasons - but in particular because the shades were teepee's so the "Indian" in me came out.
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| Hi Paleface - Let us share the peace pipe |
At a quarter to two we arrived at our destination hotel in El Paso. After checking in we began the tour of the El Paso Mission Trail but that will follow in other posts.
