Now that I've finished whining about the weather on the drive down, we can get into the good stuff.

I love the billboards, especially the ones for the Flying J Ranch, which apparently sells everything anyone could ever possibly need. I had meant to count them this trip, but was engrossed in a crossword puzzle and missed the first 20 or so. Then I lost count when I attempted to get a few pictures. Trust me, there have to be at least 100, and they are on both sides of the highway. The Flying J by the way is not much larger than your average truck stop, but really does sell everything! There really is no need to buy anything in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas or Mexico - just stop at the Flying J! Of course, it's all pretty tacky!



We also love the windmill farms – they are everywhere and the windmills just seem so elegant when viewed from the distance. We passed several trucks transporting the "arms" and they are huge. The arms, not the trucks! I understand that there are people who do not care for the windmills but I can't understand why – I find them soothing.



After driving for days under grey skies, the sun finally started to shine. We still had clouds, and some were spectacular. This was definitely a favourite. We were not too far from Rosswell, and just couldn't help but wonder what exactly made that big hole in the centre? Could it be aliens? Should we have donned our tin foil hats, or was it already too late?


Okay, it was a long drive. We were getting bored.

Abi, on the other hand, seemed to quite enjoy the 6 days spent getting to Maz. She sat in front with us for the first part of the morning, then was moved to the back seat, where she promptly fell asleep. She was so good we spoiled her a bit – she particularly enjoyed the hotel in Albequerque.



We met with 3 other carloads in Nogales, just before we crossed the border, as we had made arrangements with Billie, JoAnne and Renata to convoy down together, and Abi met Buster, the Great Dane, Maris the Whippet, and the Billie's two Chichauhaus. No barks – we were shocked. Mind you, I think Abi thought Buster was a horse!