Day 5: Phoenix to Ozona, TX

Got up real early in order to try to make it to Junction, TX by tonight. Didn't quite make it though, time and nightfall persuaded me to call it a night in Ozona, about 100 or so miles before Junction. My Lord, Texas is a big state. Here's me entering Texas via El Paso:



(Take careful note of the text at the bottom of the sign.)

And here is the view of Mexico as seen from Texas on I-10.



One disturbing thing was that I was stopped on I-10 by the border patrol people, along with all of the other cars traveling eastward. The guy was obviously looking for illegal aliens since when he got to my car and saw my overstuffed trunk, in which no other human being could possibly be hiding, he just waved me on through. This is contrary to the treatment that I received at Hoover Dam, as I recall, where my excessive amount of stuff warranted further inspection. I was a little bit perturbed by this; why was Border Patrol disturbing passengers who were already in this country? Is this a tacit admission that Border Patrol can't really stop people at the border and so they must hassle everyone on the interstate to compensate for their failures at the border?

And then I got to Fort Stockton, where I stopped for gas and was hoping to get dinner. There are surprisingly few restaurant options in Fort Stockton, other than fast food, which I didn't really want. There was an IHOP, but there was a 20 minute wait for a table and I really didn't feel like waiting for 20 minutes for a table at IHOP even if I wasn't in a hurry. So I proceeded onward, a little hungry, thinking that I could get food at the next town over.

Well the next town turned out to be Ozona, which is even smaller than Ft. Stockton and by time I got here all of the reputable restaurants had closed, including fast food joints. Which, of course, means that I had to settle for overfried greasy burritos that had been sitting under a truck stop heating lamp for God only knows how long. So, two burritos later and I am now at America's Best Value Inn (which really isn't that great of a value, BTW). I feel that I must consume an entire watermelon covered in tofu and vitamins to compensate for the two greasebombs that I just devoured.

I am quite fortunate, though, that I haven't had any major misfortunes along the way. No flat tires, no mechanical problems with the car, no speeding tickets, no leaving gas caps behind at gas stations, and no highway robbery (knock on wood). I pray that my luck continues for the entire trip.

Tomorrow I hope to see the Alamo in San Antonio and a surprise destination (stay tuned!) before meeting my sister in Houston.