Many people have said, numerous times, that driving through Texas is very, very long. They were not lying. Driving over a full day, we accomplished that feat. The land was barren, dry. Seeing an oil derrick or cattle farm seemed to break up the drive a bit. Off of the highway, fast food chains and cheap motels littered the exits. Several times, we pulled into towns looking for “real” food, yet only finding the towns to be almost as barren as the highway.
The landscape immediately changed as we entered New Mexico. Rolling hills and red cliffs painted the landscape; it was hard to look away. It took a minute to realize that you’re still in the United States. Arizona’s landscape amazed us even more: higher cliffs, redder sand. It’s not just the landscape that astonished us either. The feel of the west is what sets it apart. Everything seems slower, easier. It feels good knowing we are going to spend the next 3 weeks in the Southwestern United States.