This morning, we discover why motels are so expensive: the breakfast room is full of oil workers in their orange coveralls. We are reminded this is Texas and Texas is big because the waffle machine makes waffles in the shape of Texas. Off we go, into the pre-dawn light. It is overcast today. The GPS shows 1000Km to New Mexico.

We do the obligatory drive-by of The Alamo (actually, a walk-by), then take a quick peek at the famous Riverwalk when we stop at the Marriott Starbucks for morning coffee.

The 500-mile city sprawled along I-10 ends in the hills west of San Antonio and the speed limit edges up to 130KPH. The live oak gives way to sagebrush, mesquite, and yucca as the highway climbs to the western desert. We stop for lunch in a land where restaurants are few and grocery stores are non-existent, a food desert all too common in the American West. It seems 80MPH speed limits are necessary to get shopping done in one day. The wind picks up, too, and the gas mileage drops by 5MPG, necessitating an extra fuel stop approaching El Paso, just after crossing into the Mountain Time Zone. We arrive earlier than we thought we would, but sunset comes early this time of year.

We have a couple of days to visit family here before moving on to family in California.