DATELINE: benson, az                                                    

Author: Andy

"Welcome to Arizona" Ilteris said from the driver's seat as I woke up from a nap. It was a moment that made me glad we didn't get him deported last night.

After our coasting-on-fumes experience last night we began what could best be described as a descent into El Paso. Mexican border towns in my experience are sketchy, and el paso didn't disappoint. On the outskirts of town are a series of grungy-looking strip clubs and truck stops. As you approach downtown you can see the white glow of the border and the twinkling lights of juarez in the distance. The mexican border cities have always fascinated me because they are the real world environment that best approximates a Hunter S. Thompson hallucination.

We parked by the border and walked over to the US customs office. On the way, we saw a whole lot of mexicans sleeping in trucks or on the street. Right by the border was a bank of two dozen pay phones. There's a special tension in the air at places like this. I went up to an immigration guy and explained what sort of documentation ilteris had. The explained that without his I-20 in hand, if he left the country he would create all sorts of problems for himself. As the guard put it "he would bebasically deporting himself."

But we at least got to see Juarez at a safe distance. Going there at night might not have been a fantastic idea to begin with. We got back on I-10 and headed up to Las Cruces, the next bastion of civilization along the route. Since it was nearing 11:00, our dinner options were becoming increasingly limited. In the end, we wound up at Denny's for the second time that day. When we woke up at the Super 8 this morning and looked out our window, we were surprised to learn that Las Cruces is bounded bya big set of mountains that we couldn't see at night.

We decided to get a quick jump on our driving today. We got on the road and made it only 2 exits before ilteris, who was driving, saw a Cracker Barrel. "You guys, I am exiting now." Food was good, I have to admit Cracker Barrel is a good time.

We just stopped at a tourist trap called "The Thing" for gas. In lieu of a cheesy souvenir, I bought a blizzard from Dairy Queen. Haven't had one of those in years.