We're In!!! We got safely to Presidio, Texas last night after a spectacular view of a desert thunderstorm in Apache country. Marfa was just a turn in the road with no famous Marfa lights to be seen anywhere. The trip to Presidio took just about nine and a half hours (it might have been 8 where it not for a side trip into Odessa looking for a Wal Mart to buy a few last supplies). Odessa is a large small town. Hot and dusty. That's about it.

The border crossing into Ojinaga was uneventful and fairly smooth. The ride to Chihuahua on the other hand was spectacular. I'll try to post some pics when I get to a PC with a USB connection. The 230km trip goes through mountains and desert. Its mostly two-lane highway with no shoulder that gives you some awesome views of the landscape.

Arriving into Chihuahua was a little like waking out of a somewhat surreal dream. The name means dry sandy place and believe me, it lives up to it. It mostly a bustling city of around one million with suburbs and all. From what we can tell, its a commercial center for this part of northern Mexico where people from surrounding small towns and villages come to shop for items. Judging from the concentration of their purveyors in the 10 block region that is our sphere of operation here, there seems to be an inordinately high demand for bridal dresses, colorful cowboy boots, and dentists in this part of the world.

Tomorrow takes us into Creel at the edge of Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon). We'll more than likely stay two nights there to have a full day to check out the area. From what we've seen of Chihuahua, we'll probably not stay the night here on our way south from Copper Canyon and head straight to Torreón.

I'll try to post more when I've had more time to gather my thoughts and observations. And when I don't have the lobby TV blaring local talk shows directly behind me. For now all I can say is that we're finally feeling like its on for real, that we're really doing it. There's a lovely expression they use in Honduras that says "No es lo mismo verla venir que platicar con ella". It translates loosely to something like its not the same to se her walking your way, than to approach her and talk to her. We're finally talking to her and what's more, Mexico is starting to talk back to us as well. I'll be sure to pas on whatever she tells us. Later...