25th April - 02 May 06 St Louis, Route 66, New Mexico, Tucos Arizona, Mexico

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On our last day in St Louis and we were treated to another Cardinals baseball game. Our 100% record of watching the Cardinals win continued - I think we should be pay rolled to ensure the team keep winning!

Leaving St Louis we head off early on our three day drive to Tucson and plan to hit as much of the mother road (route 66) as possible. Unfortunately a lot of the original road has now been replaced by highway, but there as sill some stretches where you can drive along single lane highways, passing the old gas stations and diners and picture what it must have been like to do the pilgrimage to California in the 60s. I’m sure it was incredible!

After an overnight stop in Amarillo, Texas is off again, still snaking around the old route 66. Just outside Amarillo is a on old eccentric has devoted a piece of his land as a shrine to old Cadillac’s. In the distance they look like strange obelisks pointing to the sky, but as you get closer you can pick out the detail the 60s gas guzzles. They are now vivid colours, a result of coat after coat of graffiti. There is even a union Jack painted on one - looks like we Brits get everywhere ;-).

We pass into New Mexico and head for Santa Fe - everyone drives fast in this state, I fell right at home! The town of Santa Fe is incredible, but very touristy. The old stone and mud built pueblos are really impressive. It is the first time I have ever seen anything like this.

I really felt at home in New Mexico - the people we met were really friendly and there are some incredible mountain ranges, natural rock arches and interesting desert. At one point we decide to head off the main roads and over a mountain pass - this soon turns into a dirt track, strewn with boulders and pot holes. It then starts snowing! At times we were wondering if we had made a seriously bad decision taking the route, but once we found our way back onto tarmac after a couple of hours, we realized that we had seen some incredible sights, so it was well worth it… And we only bottomed out the car a few time!

We arrive in Tucson on Friday 28th and stay with Mark and Mimi a couple of old friends of my dads. Tucson is surrounded by a desert that has the archetypal Saguaro Cactus in high numbers. The cactus is indigenous to Arizona, but here it thrives and make a spectacular sight.

We join Mark, Mimi in and there students on a camp out in the desert near the Mexican border. We eat chilli, crack open beers and chat until the early hour - its cold in the night and I’m freezing in the tent. Suppose I had better get used to this.

There is an incredible desert museum close to Tucson, which I would highly recommend. There is incredible wildlife, caves and any variety of cactus you could imagine spread out in complex, which is a good hike to get around. On the way back from the museum we stop to watch the sunset from a mountain top - the scene is magnificent. I have posted a few pics which I hope tell the tale better than I can.

As we are so close to the Mexican border, we decide to head across. Unfortunately we cannot take the hire car, so our limited to the border town of Nogales. We spend the day wondering around craft shops, eating great Mexican food and chatting to the locals. I had a very nice taster of Mexico and would love to go back for a extended visit…

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