The long way to Tucson - Southwest USA 2018 - 4
Sunday, 2018-04-29 - The long way to Tucson
I didn't sleep well last night, so I get up at 5 am and decide to go for some sunrise / early morning light shots.
Knowing the interesting sculptures that are facing in the right direction is now a benefit. Very soon I realize that getting out early will be most probably the best decision of the day. The light is beautiful, some clouds in the sky where the sun is rising and the best of all: No one is around! Well, except for some rabbits wondering why I'm disturbing them so early.
Continental Breakfast at the hotel is from 7 to 9. So, I pack my stuff and go for a quick breakfast. Nothing special, but at least they have some cereals and yogurt.
Next stop will be Salvation Mountain, roughly one hour away. In the beginning, the landscape is as dull as possible. There are some farms, but no animals are visible at all. The only thing you can do here is driving a quad (or ATV as they are called here). The nearer you come to the Salton Sea (a huge lake) the greener it gets and I'm driving now in the middle of huge fields.
Salvation Mountain is an art installation by Leonard Knight. The small mountain is covered with paintings, murals, and mosaics. Some cars and trucks have been treated in the same way. The only topic is God, Jesus, and the Bible. If this is really art you have to answer on your own. Worth a visit it is for sure.
Now the longest drive to come from A to B has to start. I'm going all the way to Tucson with just a short stop to see the Old Plank Road in the Imperial Sand Dunes. This is a historic "street" from the beginning of the last century. Nothing spectacular, but as I'm here anyhow ...
I reach Tucson by 3 pm. Two days ago, in Los Angeles the daily high was in the 60s (slightly above 20°C), now it's high in the 90s (34-35°C). I bring my belongings to the room and check what I'm going to do next.
After some "homework" I leave for shopping. My favorite brand for ties is Garcia. He's an old Rock Musician and the ties are pretty colorful. You can't find them in Germany, but here they are distributed i.e. by Kohls and I saw a shop on the way, so that's where I want to go. Luckily, they have quite some of them. I ended up with two, but I'm sure I'll find some more the other days 🌝.
