MEXICAN BORDER RT. 10---------Coming cross country, 1970's lots of Military taking that route were given instructions on how to stay safe. Seems there had been quite a few problems crossing country.
The Mexicans would take their kids, cover them with ketchup and have them lay on the side of the road at night. Family's heading for next duty station would stop to help and find themselves car jacked.
Problems was our cars and trucks had the military stickers on the bumpers so when far from a military instillation the people knew we were not local. We did not have cell phones so we had CB's and talked to the long haul drivers, never drove at night in the deep south, wasn't the residents but the small town corrupt cops that would rob you blind. It was the Coast to Coast 18 wheelers that gave us most of our safety tips, they saw us with 4 kids, a huge dog all riding in a Blazer and handed us off to other truckers headed our way when they had to head in another direction.
We against advice brought along our 200 pound ST. Barnard, This was not in August a good time to bring that breed of dog across the desert. Good thing we did, there were a time or two that having that dog kept people away from us. We were stopped just once by the State police that had just gotten a quick look at us and wanted to know if we had stolen a baby cow somewhere in Texas, a State that seems to never end.
Only under blizzard conditions will I pick up anyone in trouble, today, who knows these people are facing death, it is worth a chance.
