Tucson, Part 1 -- November 6, 2020

This is wonderful. It looks like the blogger app either fixed a bug in their software or improved the app. Either way, great news. Makes it easier to post new notes. 

I had an uneventful drive from our hovel near DFW (north Texas) to Tucson. I needed to be at the Tucson International Airport to pick up extended family members who flew into Tucson; all of us to attend the wedding of one of our two Tucson nieces; we attended the wedding of the other niece here in Tucson a few years ago.

I abhor flying and will drive whenever I can. My next trip to Portland, OR, unfortunately, is going to require a bit of flying. Oh, well.

As usual, I always drive a rental on these cross-country trips. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has never let me down. I reserved a Nissan Altima, bigger than I needed, but a nice road car, and more importantly big enough for the passengers I will be picking up at the airport.

When I arrived at Enterprise -- five minutes from where we live -- the car was already to go but when the Enterprise associate learned I was driving to Tucson, she suggested a much nicer SUV, at the same price. I wasn't looking forward to a SUV with poorer gas mileage than the Altima, but the Chevy Equinox looked absolutely gorgeous. 

Sophia was with me and she agreed: the black, presidential-looking Chevy Equinox "SUV" was the nicest-looking car Sophia had ever seen me drive. It turned out to have great mileage; no complaints. Later: wow, great car. Loved it.

When I'm ready for my next car, which is any year now, I will certainly look at the Equinox, though I still prefer the Honda Civic, but there's a lot to be said for the Equinor vs the Civic. So, we'll see. Comparing apples to oranges, again.

Google maps said the drive from DFW to TUS was just under fourteen hours. I had to be there by 4:00 p.m. Friday. I kept my normal schedule with Sophia and departed Grapevine, TX, at 7:30 p.m. central time; I would gain one hour driving west. 

Having not had full nights of sleep all week (for reasons I won't go into now) I was quite tired by midnight; or maybe I am simply getting older and unable to drive well into the night as I was able to do in the past. I took four or five catnaps along I-10 throughout the night, arriving at the Texas - New Mexico state line around 8:30 a.m. Siri said the drive from there to Tucson was about four hours. I had plenty of time, so I took longer breaks but did not require any more catnaps. 

Observations:

Wow, what a great country. I drove through Midland/Odessa - the Permian around 10:00 p.m., I suppose, well after dark, Strong smell of natural gas burning and then I saw them: dozens of 10- to 15' flares. Beautiful sight to see during the night and .... don't you just love the smell of natural gas burning?

Lots of construction on the interstate. At least two huge new interchanges were being built well outside any urban area here in Texas. This speaks volumes about expectations of DOT and where growth will be over the next fifty years in Texas. Wow, there's a lot of land. I first noticed that (again), when I turned off I-820 which circles Ft Forth to head southwest on I-20. So much undeveloped land. 

Traffic flowed very, very well; lots of truck traffic. Traffic through the Permian was a lot less -- almost down to nothing -- compared to my last trip through the Permian a year or so ago. I forget when I last drove through the Permian.

I still enjoy driving among the 18-wheelers. There's a bit of a sporty NASCAR component.

One cannot believe how many new motels/hotels line the interstate through the Permian (Midland to Odessa) and generally their parking lots were empty; at most a dozen cars where one would expect five to six dozen (?). Finding a room would have been no trouble but, as noted, I took catnaps at rest areas.

In my own car, when traveling cross country, I maintain speeds below 65 mph due to age of the vehicles. With rental cars, I drive with the flow of traffic. Somewhere west of the Permian, perhaps in Texas, but more likely not until New Mexico, the speed limit went to 80 mph, where it stayed most of the trip.

Crossing into east Arizona -- where it is really, really, really remote, I noted that I was flowing with the traffic at 94 mph (no typo). The trucks were staying within the speed limit. I was completely unaware how fast I was going until I checked the speedometer. I slowed to 88 and that's about where everyone remained, except for the trucks, staying under the speed limit. 

I did not notice any highway patrolmen during the entire trip until about thirty miles east of Tucson, then five law enforcement SUVs were noted over the next ten miles or so. Only one truck was stopped but I think that was due to mechanical issue, and not a safety violation. 

I'll be here through Sunday. I don't know the wi-fi capabilities where I will be staying (a bed-and-breakfast / BNB) and I assume I will be quite busy but it's the weekend so my absence won't affect the blog much.

Sophia and I have Spanish lessons daily on the internet app, Duolingo. We have had a perfect 45-day run, not missing one day of instruction. We will continue the instruction remotely, on Facetime. Depending on whether I see a cousin in Phoenix on Sunday, I hope to be back home, north Texas, by Monday morning or Monday evening. I help Sophia with her distance learning, Monday-through-Friday, starting at noon. so I hope to be home by noon. 

Oh, masks? They are "required" everywhere but masks seem to be a non-issue. Everyone complies; if not, someone may remind them but that's about all it takes. We're at about 3% -- the number of Americans that have tested positive for Covid, so at the rate of another million each month, it will take about 40 months (previously discussed) for America to reach herd immunity. That will be "expedited" with a universally accepted, inexpensive, effective vaccine, something I don't expect to see in the next couple of years. The "universally accepted" part of the equation will be the most difficult.

Things will go better if the government includes a free toaster with every inoculation. Throw in a free Apple iPad and I will take the "shot" twice.

I'll come back later to look for typographical errors. On my way to the airport VIP lounge for a free drink. LOL. No wonder "they" called us palefaces.