10 February

After I had set the alarm for 6 to be up bright and early, I didn’t end up getting up until after 6:30. Consequently I resolved to get a little sleep-in at some stage. I had not factored in an hour to process photos to upload them and an hour to write a blog, then half an hour to process emails which arrive from a few people.
I left by 7:20 and was quickly on the Interstate, I-8. The road changed from three lanes each way to two and the surface improved, but otherwise it was just a road. One thing I have found is that I am sitting on the speed limit and in the right lane, and am the only one. However, with the appearance of a few Arizona Highway Patrol cars, everyone’s speed dropped back (but then went up after; as Ogden Nash said: “Nothing improves my driving, to quite the same extent, as a police car that’s just coming, or a police car that’s just went.”). There was another border patrol check, but a quick sniff of the car by a K9 officer and I was on my way. The Mexican border is just south of the route I’m on. There were a few more irrigated fields as I travelled on.
I stopped at a rest area – what a surprise! Toilets, vending machines, information boards, covered tables and a caretaker. What we call a rest area here is a picnic spot. I stopped at one of those too. There is pictorial evidence (but I may have labelled the picnic spot as the last of the rest area, but I’ll fix that up after the photos shrink (while I’m writing this).
I tried listening to the local radio, but because of the terrain and the distances I’m doing, the stations fade in and out too quickly for me, so I put the iPod on. As I neared Tucson, two things happened. One, there is a gem festival on in town – that’s why I had trouble finding cheap accommodation. Two, the car told me he was low on fuel. Enough to get me to where I was going, but refuelling was a priority after.
The speed limits varied between 55 and 70 miles per hour, about 90 to 115 kilometres per hour. I can switch the car’s display to metric, but it makes setting the speeds difficult. Speeds by cars passing me varied up to about 90 miles per hour. I can’t afford to get a ticket so I will sit on the limit even if I do get funny looks.
I arrived at the air museum and parked. Once in, Murphy’s law came in and the tours of the “boneyard”, where aircraft are mothballed but can be recalled to active service relatively quickly, only occurs on weekdays. I got a two-day entry and booked the tour for me on Tuesday. I will need my passport then. (Monday is reserved for Peggy and Carl in Benson) Then off I went, first on the tram (open bus really) tour to orient myself and then on foot after. Just the first hangar took over an hour, so after some lunch I went around the rest (but only a fleeting look at everything, so a return visit is warranted). I met a few ex-USAF members and chatted with them, an also met a family of Texan mother, Australian-English father and two girls. We talked about planes, Australia (they want to take the girls there, but only once they can appreciate it) and American politics. An interesting place is the US.
I couldn’t resist getting a few souvenirs (the appeal to help pay for all this extra stuff will be launched soon – all donations gratefully received, but not tax deductible) and then was off to the motel. I had booked one night but changed it to three. Tonight, to sleep; tomorrow to rest after Peggy and Carl tire me out and Tuesday to refresh myself after the second day in the air museum and before I head off to Carlsbad Caverns (I still have to find where I can stay there, but I don’t think it will be a problem).
Now the priority is to post this, rotate the shrunk photos and post them and then to sleep. I have to ring to see what time to visit in the morning.