Spring Training 2019 - Day 10

We left Las Cruces about 8:30 am, got gas and our morning mocha  (truck stop version that was not mocha but tasty).

Las Cruces is about 40 miles NW of El Paso and I-10 runs right through the middle of it.  They are apparently rebuilding the Interstate through town the best we can tell.  Every time we have come through El Paso in at least the last 4 years, the road has been under construction.  In their defense, the overpasses, flyovers, and supporting structures are all attractively designed and visually appealing, at least for highway structures.  Nevertheless, it was a "white knuckle" experience getting through town with all the trucks, weavers and associated local traffic getting off at the next off ramp that may or not be open during the construction.

We made it through just fine, staying out of everyone's way and trying to keep up.  The road after that was good, dry and not too windy, and again, just us and the trucks.

We turned south at Van Horn Texas where we stopped for a truck stop fast food lunch.  After that, we headed south on US 90 towards our stop for tonight, Alpine TX.  On the way we passed though Marfa, a quirky town in the middle of West Texas.  Here is some more information about Marfa - interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marfa,_Texas

On the way in to town we also saw a tethered Border Security balloon/airship about 2,000 ft in the air with a variety of sensors on board that is part of our border security program.  Here is a little info about that program:

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/08/23/us-testing-surveillance-balloons-on-mexico-border.html

We also passed Marfa Prada. This is part of the minimalist art program established in the area.  It is a concrete structure that looks like a bus stop with a glass front with real Prada products on display - go figure:

Marfa Prada

Also, outside of Marfa are the famous Marfa Lights.  There is even a viewing center just east of town where you can/might be able to see the lights on a summer night.  Some believe the lights are some sort of paranormal event.  Others have a more objective explanation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marfa_lights

Marfa Lights Viewing Center

We arrived at Alpine, a little further down the road where we are staying for the next two nights.  The plan for tomorrow is to visit the nearby McDonalds Observatory, a world class observatory on the top of Mount LLoyd in West Texas.  We have been here before and it is worth a return trip.

We had dinner in the RV tonight and went to bed early.  We still haven't seen 70 degrees yet but we are not complaining.