Left Querétaro, Querétaro at the ungodly hour of 10am then drove thru beautiful high valleys and semi-arid regions surrounded by spectacular mountains, past sellers of snakeskin powders and medicinal honey. I love the zones before, during and just after San Luis Potosi and Matehuala. So many lean-to structures advertising tuna (the fruit of the Nepal cactus), frescas (strawberries), strings of ajo (garlic), and dried rattlesnake skins. Millions of Joshua trees! Dozens and dozens of funky little tiendas (shops), restaurantes, bars and simple petrol "stations" with plastic jugs of gas featuring brightly painted numbers. Scored a couple of clay fetishes at one, both sporting twisted wire crosses, and one...a tiny felt dress. We made it to the border at Columbia around 9pm inspired by all we had seen. The crossing took about ten minutes. The guards peeked into our car with a flashlight and only asked if we were carrying fruit. I confessed to a few limes from our garden but they weren't impressed. The dogs didn't even bark, unlike last summer when they acted like a couple of ferocious beasts when the guard's dog sniffed our wheel wells. We drove a "short distance" beyond Laredo then returned to the proper exit. Crashed at a La Quinta Inn where we celebrated our return to the U.S. by brushing our teeth with tap water.
