Van Horn to Tucson

Van Horn has a population of about twenty five hundred.  That's hundred, not thousand.  And it sits by itself, along I-10, miles from anywhere.  I found this out from the woman who worked at the front desk in the motel where I was staying.  She agreed that there wasn't much to do there and it was the kind of town where the young people grew up and left for a while and later in life, they may return.  I think it takes courage, strength and guts to live there--so far from everywhere.  That's just my opinion, but then again, I grew up near a large city.  Maybe there is true peace here.  Certainly no distractions.  I topped off the gas tank and proceeded to drive toward El Paso and onward through Las Cruces, New Mexico until I reached my destination of Tucson, Arizona.  This trip was done entirely in daylight hours and I was able to see the terrain clearly.  The table top mountains of the previous day had given way to the jagged peaks of the mountains I saw today.  The mountains were always in the distance, never close up.  This looked like cattle drive country.  There was cactus and sagebrush and lots of sand.  The land was flat with the mountains in the distance breaking up the landscape.  All three (3!) of the cities I drove through today had public art attached to the highway supports.  I call it public art though some might say it is just decorative handiwork. It is there for the public to see and enjoy.  The theme is southwest desert with stylized lizards, swirl patterns (the wind?) and native designs in turquoise and earth tones.  Very nicely done.  I appreciate it.  I have been to Tucson before and I am looking forward to seeing it again.