Almost There!
Trip Start
Dec 01, 2005
1
4
6
Trip End
Jan 05, 2007
El Centro, California
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
This all made for a late start and it was well after noon by the time we hit the road. Up to now we had been following I-15 all the way from the Canada-US border. Today we got off the Interstate and turned south on Highway 95. It was a nice relaxing drive, generally easy downhill and the wind was mostly at our backs (this can be very important when you're trying to make time in an over packed Vanagon!). The Highway was smaller than I-15 but the driving was more varied and enjoyable (less of a rushed feeling than on the Interstate). Unfortunately, due to our late start from Las Vegas, it was dark by the time we were driving through the Imperial Sand Dunes and we couldn't see any of the view. We'll have to time it better on the way back.
We have found that gas stations continue to provide a tiny source of adventure/amusement. At home, you simply drive up to the pump, fill your tank, and then go in and pay. There doesn't seem to be quite as much trust in the US though! There is no way you can just start filling without paying for the gas first. Half of the time you can pay at the pump with your credit card and this works fine. In some areas though the level of paranoia (or theft?) is higher and in order to use your credit card you also have to enter your ZIP code. What happens if you don't have a ZIP code? Well, sometime you get lucky and you can just punch in any old six numbers and then get your gas. When this doesn't work, you have to go inside and pay for the gas before you start pumping. Every gas station is different and you never know what to expect so it always take a while to get things flowing.
It was late and very dark by the time we got to El Centro and found a little RV park just a few miles from the US-Mexico border. Nothing fancy, but it was just off the highway and very convenient. A perfect staging area for tomorrow's border crossing.
