Spent a lot of time on I-10 west today. Covered around 825KM. Everyone I met in east Texas said the drive from San Antonio to El Paso was going to be long and boring. It really isn't that bad, and actually rather scenic. I was expecting flat and straight roads, but there are plenty of gentle curves to the road. Driving in Florida is far worse/less interesting in comparison. I was fortunate that it was cloudy most of the day, making it a comfortable temperature on the highway. I also got the impression that Texas is a little like Quebec. I think that if they had to chose between being a Texan or an American, I think they would pick state over country. Not to say they are unpatriotic - quite the opposite, but their pride seems to be mostly directed towards a single star.
Everything is bigger in Texas, but it makes the trains look small. I whizzed by what was probably a really really long train, but set against a large landscape, where you can see the train end to end, and traveling at 80 miles one way with it going the other, makes a giant train go by in seconds.
Had some more delicious Mexican food in El Paso. With my only exposure to Spanish being limited to Canadian Taco Bells, ordering off an actual Mexican menu entirely in Spanish was an experience. Solution: I will have the special please. El Paso borders Juarez Mexico, which looks pretty rough and tumble. Drove along the border wall and it's a night and day difference between the two sides. Lots of border patrol trucks in the area and "random" inspection stations which I get waved through.
Into New Mexico and crossed another time zone. I keep wanting to get up early but the target keeps moving. Crossed the white sands missile range today. It's a test site for the military. You can't actually see white sand from the road, you need to get off the highway for that. Stop at the white sands monument park, entrance is $3. You drive out into these bleach white sand dunes that run for miles and miles with mountains off in the horizon. They must mistake it for snow out here, as everyone had toboggans. You can hike out into the dunes, but they all pretty much look the same so I didn't really see the point in going too far from the park road. There was also a warning sign saying not to touch anything metallic as it may be hazardous debris from the bordering missile range. Awesome.