Part of I-10 near the New Mexico/Arizona border looks like it has some crazy driving conditions at times. There are several sets of signs that tell you what to do in a dust storm, how to pull aside and stay alive. We questioned turning off lights, but they might confuse drivers behind you into thinking they are following you right until they rear-end you. Yikes – it all sounds very scary and there are some bad pictures online of the aftermath of these storms, similar to what we see in blizzards and ice conditions at home.

And speaking of bad winter conditions, we feel like Arizona is a true escape from Iowa’s winter when we see that I-35 is closed from Ames to the Minnesota state line today. The winter storm there has delayed our friends, Paul and Rox, on their journey from Belmond to meet us in Tucson. They left home before it hit, but got caught with high winds in Cameron, MO. Winter travel can be tricky.

We continued to see pecan orchards into Arizona and stopped at a wayside with promises of pecan pie and fanciful flavors of jerky. Billboard space must be cheap along this portion of I-10 as there are numerous signs trying to draw in travelers to assure they go home with trinkets and treats. The most signs seem to be devoted to seeing The Thing, but we have thus far resisted seeing this desert mystery. We did stop at a place in Bowie that was advertising homemade pecan pie. We shared a piece and can attest that it was delicious.

We arrived at Kartchner Caverns State Park with enough time to enjoy a hike before sunset. The weather is sunny with welcome warmth in the sun, and shady sides feeling cool. We hiked the 3-mile Foothills Loop and took some pictures at the Bedrock Mortar site showing evidence of ancient people living here and making these grinding holes to process seeds into flour.

The hillsides in this park are more crowded with plants than the last two places we hiked at, though we are seeing many of the same plants like mesquite, ocotillo, creosote, prickly pear, and various grasses. The Saddlebush pictured above was a new one, and I love how the compact leaves grow vertically and mimic the cholla cactus shape. It is very much like sandpaper to the touch which does not make me think of the saddles in the name.