Outline of the journey from Austin, TX to El Paso, TX to Tempe, AZ to Cabazon, CA to Los Angeles, CA
Day 1
Start: Austin 12pm
Road foods:
1) Church chicken: First time eating it, thought it was just ok. I would not have it again.
2) Wendy's : Can't go wrong with Wendy's chili. They were out of potatoes which baffled me.
Drive-by scenery:
1) Downtown El Paso : Arrived at night and there must be a curfew enforced because there was no one (not a single pedestrian or open store or sign of life) in sight at 9PM on a Monday.
2) Border view of Ciudad Juarez : Scared thinking about it on the way to El Paso, while in El Paso, and on the way out of El Paso. Ciudad Juarez is notoriously known as the most violent city in North America. The violence comes mainly from drug wars amongst the cartels. In the year before August 2009, Juárez's murder rate was the highest reported in the world, averaging seven homicides per day, or in other statistical words, 3075 homicides in 2010. Quite a thrill to have peeked at the city from afar!
Hotel : Camino Real El Paso : The "American" hotels are twice as much per night, and this hotel also had its historical appeal to offer. You can see into Mexico if you face South and are above the 10th floor.
Day 2:
Start: El Paso, Texas
Drove by:
1) UTEP
2) Heavy dust storms visible from the highway
3) 11 tumbleweeds (have never seen them before and loved it! They come out of nowhere and one had a 5ft radius!
4) Snow storm near Tucson
Fun stop:
1) Pima Air and Space museum in Tucson, AZ : one of the world's largest, non-government funded aerospace museums. Took the bus tour of "The Boneyard," the largest aircraft storage and preservation facilities in the world. It was a cool tour. I got to see models of the President's helicopter, the last remaining of some B52 before it is to be destroyed as per treaty, fighter jets that can be refueled while in air, and planes being gutted for parts.
Hotel: The Buttes, a Mariott Resort (if you laughed when you read this, welcome to the immature club. I called it the "butts" the whole trip.) Snagged an awesome $99 before tax rate through Hotwire. They had 4 jacuzzi and everything was resort-tastic. There are very few things more comfortable than a jacuzzi in a secluded section amongst the rocks followed by filet steak dinner followed by walking around the resort in a bathrobe holding a glass of wine. It did coincide with Valentine's Day, but this hotel was serendipitously booked the night before.
Day 3:
Start: Tempe, Arizona
Sights:
1) Drove through dust storm near Salton Lake
2) Drove by the "Do Not Pick-up Hitchhikers" sign located near the Blythe State Prison area
3) Admired the pastel-colored, flat landscape with mountains
Fun Stops:
1) Morongo Casino: You know it. Brian wanted to gamble and persuaded me with their buffet deal. Blackjack tables, giant slot machine, normal slot machine (biggest win was $30), and roulette. No matter how much money you lose, you can cheer yourself up with the fact that you can eat as much as you want after. Their buffet is not bad and this was a fun 5-hour stop.
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