Can’t wait to get back on the bike bright and early. I depart Saguaro National Park and make a brief lap around Old Tucson Studios. Built in 1939, this place has been the set for a staggering number of movies… you guessed it, most of which set in the wild wild west! It’s not open for the day yet, but peering over the fence and reading the signage gives me a good sense of the place.

After a smooth and thankfully cool 80 degree morning in southeastern Arizona, I hit New Mexico!

My stay in NM is short, just clipping the southeastern corner on the 10 freeway. The weather is perfect for riding and the Organ Mountains provide a pretty stunning target on the horizon.

The Lone Star State! The ride through El Paso, TX is fascinating. Very much a border town with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on one side of the freeway and El Paso, TX on the other.

[Even the bugs are big in Texas]

I jump off the 10 freeway and head south towards Marfa. Things get remote fast. The Union Pacific was the only sign of life I see for about an hour. The silence is incredible and the place is desolate.

I roll into Marfa, TX. This is the only real established destination for me before the northeast. I have wanted to see Donald Judd’s work in the flesh since I was introduced to his art while I was in college. He has been a major influence on me and tomorrow will be a bit of pilgrimage. What a place to camp!