Day 8 Tuesday 26th August (Las Cruces to Tucson)

Today we are leaving Las Cruces and driving to Tuscon, Arizona.  Started the day driving towards Alamagordo for a few miles to a lookout on the top of the San Andreas Mountains which we had managed to miss on both previous trips, there are no warning for this lookout which is fantastic and well worth the stop.

The last couple of days have allowed us to practice with the panorama function of the new camera.  What a great idea and partcially appropriate for the vast wide scenery we are seeing at the moment.  I think it will just keep getting more grand as we move on.

View from San Augustine Pass into Tularosa Basin

Travelled back towards Las Cruces and took the I25 towards Truth or Consequences. The shortest way to Tuscon is via the I10 but this is almost dead straight road for about 280 miles and Dale and I have always sought out the more scenic routes (and how could we avoid the opportunity of going to "Truth and Consequences"....... The ever helpful Border Patrol Officer......this is the third time we have had to produce our passports to get out of Las Cruces.....asked where we were going and when told him Tuscon, asked how we would be getting there with a very concerned look on his face!  When assured we where taking the scenic route from near T&C, he relaxed a little but did ask a few more questions just to be sure we knew what we were doing!  Apparently its not unusual for tourists to take the wrong road and find themselves hundreds of miles from where they should be.....

Turning off just before T&C, we headed towards Hillsboro and Silver City. Very picturesque with twisty roads which is far more to our liking.  It is also minus the large variety of trucks shipping goods day and night.  This back road eventually lead us to Emory Pass in the Black Mountains.  At this point we were 8,200 feet above sea level.  It is amazing seeing the wide flat plains and assuming it is close to sea level and the altitude is not something we are used to as in Australia our highest levels are around half this height above sea level.   

Emery Pass, Black Mountains, at 8,200 feet above sea level (panorama shot again!)

View of the road up to Emery Pass

Conrinued to Silver City and Tyrone, came across the site of an enormous copper mine - this was and is a vast mining operation. Apprently the copper was shown to early explorers by the local Indians in 1799 and the mine has been worked since then.

The first copper was found on the surface, then dug up along the seams, followed by underground mining and finally by open cut operations. Since open cut operations began in 1910, 2 billion tons of material has been moved  (see we do read the signs!)  Older parts of the mining operations are now being extensively rehabilitated.  An interesting environmental outcome of the operations is that the now abandoned underground tunnelling operations have allowed bats to take up residence so the rehabilitation also involves installing doors allowing the bats in and out access but stop inquisitive humans from getting in.

Copper mine (Santa Rita) near Silver City

Massive open cut operations outside Silver City

Mining rehabilitation works near Tyrone

Texas Canyon, just over the New Mexico, Arizona Border.

At Silver City we re-joined the I 10 and finished our journey to Tuscon.  No real alternate options and the day was getting a little late.

Entered Tuscon and immediatelty you can see and even "feel" the difference.  It is clearly a city of more wealth - cleaner, brighter and we did see the level of abandoned building we has seen in New mexico. 
Staying at the Hilton Resort tonght and heading to northen Arizona tomorrow. 

A welcome visitor at the Tuscon Hilton Resort.  Woodpecker??

Pusch Ridge behind the Hilton Resort.