Road views enroute Phoenix

I had stopped at Deming in my previous post... now here is the continuation. From Deming we started off early in the morning (8.00 am) after a continental, not-so-filling, breakfast. From Deming our route took us through some secnic rocky, craggy and mountainous terrain. The population along the route is sparse and we hardly saw anybody on the road. Vehicular traffic is pretty ok... apart from machines (obviously driven by humans) we hardly saw any signs of life on this stretch.

Stunning blue skies and craggy mountains makes this drive scenic

Fantastic roads, slicing through the landscape like an arrow

Whenever I pass through such vast tracts of vacant uninhabited land I remember the Morey plains in the lap of Himalayas where the inhospitable climate has ensured that nobody starts a habitation. But here the climate is not so bad but the country is so large and population is so small that these kinds of empty stretches are possible. I wish India was a larger country, something like the "Akhanda Bharath" concept with a little less population. We too could have had vast open spaces like this country. Anyway right now we can't do much about population but to revel in the diversity and vibrancy of human intervention.

One very good feature of US highways is the several rest areas built alongside. These rest areas provide clean bathrooms, drinking water and sheltered gazebos to sit and eat. Each state has its own way making these spaces unique and different. In Arizona the rest areas have numerous symbols of native American culture.

And people respect and use these facilities with care and caution. Wish such an attitude of ownership and belongingness comes into the psyche of people in my home country

Tomorrow: Fort Bowie