Day 3-June 3 (Part II)

Leaving T or C, although sad, was very exciting; I am ready to be home and Par is ready to see southern California. I must say, we were both shaken up a bit in the car and listening for any noise out of order. I was particularly shaken as evidenced by my behavior at the Border Patrol. As we approached to the MALE police officer, he asked, "You girls citizens?" my response? "Yes Ma'am we are...." he waved us ahead. Par goes, "What was that! You just called the guy 'ma'am!" My only excuse was "I don't know what that was! I panicked!!!" hahaha-we both had a chuckle."

The road was pretty miserable, and at one point Par and I broke down and decided to slurp on a DQ milk shake; I don't think I've ever eaten at DQ, but this was the best milk shake ever! 

The Thing: 

The full-throttle emptiness of I-10 between Deming, New Mexico, and Mountain View, Arizona is impossibly and painfully boring. The best way to keep awake is to keep track of the billboards. That's when Par and I saw it, "THE THING...275 miles ahead." We both perked with excitement and patiently waited until the signs became bigger and more frequent and pointing us to the correct exit. We pulled into the mystery spot around 7:30pm, ran to the door, paid our $1 admission fee and sprinted to find out what "THE THING" was. Beyond that though....I cannot tell you. See, the point of "THE THING" is you have to actually GO there to discover for yourself the mystery. I will say this though, I wanted to ask the cashier to clarify what "THE THING" was, because the answer it not completely clear. One account online recalled the following: "We asked the cashier to explain the meaning of this  question. 'For a dollar,' he answered, 'you tell ME what is it. For five dollars, I'll tell you.'"

BK Hot Dogs: 
http://www.bktacos.com/
I'm not even sure I need a description. Par and I ate these.  These were bacon wrapped hot dogs (grilled), smothered in pinto beans, caramelized onions, yellow mustard, hot jalapeno sauce, and mayo (Par and I added cheese). Yum. OMG. Yum.

Sushi: 
We checked in to our hotel, then decided to go grab a quick drink and some additional snacks (because apparently bacon wrapped dogs aren't filling enough). We stumbled upon this delightful little sushi place, and sat at the bar (sushi bar!). We asked the chef to make us whatever he wanted, so he gave me and Par his special creation-spicy tuna, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and green onions. It was fabulous and so different.

We never made it out to grab drinks, we are way too exhausted. Special thanks to my dad for helping us out in a pinch and finding us a hotel room in Tuscon with his Marriott points. Par and I are happily nuzzled in our room and very appreciative!

Reflection:
So, Par and I have a few reflections from New Mexico. First, we both hate it. Save Truth or Consequences, we were pretty miserable. Second, we believe that T or C is actually a vortex city and  no one can find it unless a local takes them. As we drove away, both Par and I agreed that if we turned around, and tried to head back to the city, we'd never find it again.  Third, trucks drive ridiculously fast in the west. I've been passed by so many trucks (and I've gone the speed limit of 75-which I think is pretty fast!) It's very dangerous, and Par and I avoid the crazy ones. Forth, you know you've been in the car too long, and are incredibly bored, when the highlight of your day is driving on the left hand side of a truck when it blocks the sun. Lastly, we don't know how or where-but there is some mystery fluid in the passenger seat of the car. It's brown, wet, and smelly! The whole car wreaks. We will update on this as we know more...

Until then, we look forward to tomorrow-SAN DIEGO!!!!!! here we come!