departure

[nibot]

Here's Jeff, Gabe, and Bree just before I left Pasadena this evening. Looking appropriately miserable, of course—look at those forced grins. Fear not, though: I hope to be back for many visits during the next year, during which I will be based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

It's been raining all week, a rain like Los Angeles hasn't seen in years. The city desperately needs the water, but it gives a mood more conducive to sitting inside and drinking hot chocolate than setting out on a 2,000 mile road trip. Angelenos aren't particularly accustomed to driving in it either; I passed one car pointed the wrong direction on the 210 freeway.

Seen on a delivery truck for the 99 cent store: "Driver carries only 99¢!"

I'm taking I-10 most of the way, more or less, traveling through Tucson and Las Cruces and Alpine and Marfa and Austin and Houston. What should I see? Where should I eat? What are your recommendations? (Phil suggests the Titan Missile Museum.) Also, I still need your music. I made the bewildering discovery that my car lacks a radio antenna. (Either it's never had one, or I haven't found where it's supposed to be.)

Special thanks to Rana for lending me his digital camera.

I intend to be in Tucson tomorrow night.

I didn't return any of my keys. So far this feels more like a long trip than a relocation.

Comments

[rosiedee.livejournal.com]

I gotta say, once you leave Las Cruces, it's pretty awful until Austin. Pack food for that leg of the trip, just in case — the trucks mostly take I-40 across the southwest, not I-10, so food availability is pretty minimal compared to what I am usually used to on my road trips. (If you travel, as I do, under the impression that you will just take the next exit when you start to get hungry, you will be very unhappy in western Texas. It was not an easy place to be a vegetarian, either.) Driving I-10 across west Texas is something you ought to do exactly once, and then you can take I-40 every time from then on.

I camped at the gorgeous Aguierre Springs campground in the Organ Mountains outside of Las Cruces. I am pretty sure it would be much too cold to happily camp at that altitude this time of year, but we saw White Sands from our campsite instead of having to make the very out-of-the-way drive.

Things you might want to see off of I-10: Kartchner Caverns State Park is only about ten miles off the freeway, and it's a relatively new park (<10 years old) that has some beautifully kept caves, well worth the tour. I'd also recommend cutting down from I-10 on AZ Hwy. 85 and hooking up with I-8 before meeting back up with I-10, too. It cuts through the Sonoran Desert National Monument AND you miss Phoenix entirely! Win!

Actually, I have a ton more recommendations for stuff to see and do in southern Arizona, but it depends on how leisurely of a drive you're taking. But Kartchner Caverns is close to 10, and the Sonoran Desert is one of those things you can just drive on through without losing too much time. The road trip you are taking is one I've done about four times now. Hooray!

[evan.livejournal.com]

If you do end up going through Phoenix, you might be able to crash on Meena's couch one night. She's like a block off the 60 in Mesa (east of Phoenix).

[tomtomtomtomtom.livejournal.com]

The Titan Missile Museum is supposed to be awesome, as is the Desert Museum (http://www.desertmuseum.org/), though I'm busy during the days because of school and won't be able to check them out.

I can burn you a lot of CDs or load music onto your iPod.

What time do you think you'll arrive? My friend Emily and I are making dinner at my house at 8:30. Would you like to eat with us?

[nibot.livejournal.com]

I'm getting quite a late start... I might get there pretty late. I'll let you know when I know better.

[erinmack.livejournal.com]

Marfa and Alpine! JEALOUS!

[nibot.livejournal.com]

What's to do there?

[yami-mcmoots.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I don't know anything to recommend that's further east than the date shakes at Hadley's in Banning.

[stusik-i-sharik.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the offtop:
LJ screwed up big time and deleted all the Friends from stusik_i_sharik!
We tried to ask LJ for help, but they are saying they can't do anything.. :(
If you were reading it and want to keep this travel journal in your friends page, please add it to your friends (http://www.livejournal.com/friends/add.bml?user=stusik_i_sharik) once again. Pardon the inconvenience.

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

2 out of 3 of these characters really don't look that sad.
Hmmmmmm

[vortexshedding.livejournal.com]

oh wow, we are going to be nearly neighbors soon???