Tucson to Las Cruces

So we did not come all the way down here just to eat (I wish!), we intended to find some good weather to get a few hikes in, too. We got awesome weather in Tucson with a cool morning warming into a lovely afternoon. We'd never spent much time hiking in this kind of terrain so we were excited to see what the area had to offer. 

The parking lot was gorgeous! 

Views!

Looking out at more mountains- LOVE!

Oh, that's...exciting?!

The area was just so lovely!

Inside the canyon

The trail was a little narrow, but well-worn

I finally found a perfect "IU" Saguaro

In his happy place: hiking

Always going just a little further

Resting at the finish!

We were supposed to get to waterfalls, but we suspected with how dry it was there we wouldn't see any flowing water and we were correct. It was still a gorgeous hike, though!

This could have water flowing

Looking back to the start of the hike

Suns out, guns out! ;)

Happy to be finished!

The hike ended up being kind of long because we kept adding parts on, but it was just so nice to be outside in the warmth that we did not mind. Eventually it was time to get one of our longer drives out of the way so we got on the road to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Shocker: JACKSON DROVE

I'm working on being a better passenger again (after my accident I'm a terrible side-seat driver) so we decided this flat drive would be the perfect time to let Jackson take the wheel. I'm pleased to say that I did an excellent job of manning the navigation, the radio and anything else needed of me.

We did run into some car trouble with our rental vehicle. We had gotten a 4-wheel drive since we knew we'd be cutting through Colorado and may run into weather. Enterprise gave us a massive SUV, a Chevy Terrain and unleashed us on the roads. We were annoyed because we thought we'd get a small Jeep and instead got a gas guzzler so they gave us a free tank of gas. Even enough, I guess. Well as we are one the desolate road between Tucson and Las Cruces, the car just starts to shake and act really weird. I insisted we pull off at an exit that looked to be the last of any civilization and, luckily, there was an AutoZone. I figured out on YouTube that the car just needed a new fuse. Jackson hopped inside to buy a set of them and I called Enterprise to ask them to arrange for a new car for us in New Mexico. The woman at Enterprise wanted to know if I was in a safe area. I said that I was. She wanted the address. I gave it to her. She then told me that I was REALLY close to the Mexican border and asked again if I was safe. This made me laugh. We were totally fine. Anyway, being a Saturday evening there were no Enterprise locations open until Monday unless we wanted to go back to Tucson. We decided to try out luck and keep on our original schedule.

Thankfully, we made it! The fuse seemed to be the fix so thank goodness for the internet and its wisdom!

Andele's Dog House

Jackson was determined to have a Sonoran hot dog while we were in this part of the country. The hot dog is wrapped in bacon and grilled until it’s crispy. It’s then stuffed into a split-top roll called a bolillo— often made in Mexican bakeries — and topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, grilled and raw onions, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeño salsa. A roasted chile güero (a pale pepper) is typically served on the side.

Sonoran hot dog

My sampler platter

I did not love the Mexican at this place. Again, the salsa they served was just too spicy to enjoy. Their chips were good, though. Jackson enjoyed his hot dog, though, so all was well. This was one of our longest days in the car and it did not even seem that bad. We did a quick drive through New Mexico State University's campus, certainly not our favorite campus ever, and called it a night.