Ya know... it could be that it was a "produce inspector" that stopped traffic
back in the day when I was traveling I-10....  Still, I'd go back just to see
the stars in the sky out in the desert!

And, someone else suggested staying off the Interstates, good suggestion as
you'll definitely run across more interesting things!  But, then again it
might take you a month to get across :-)  I seem to recall that the trek to CA
in pre-Interstate days was not a quick or easy task....  At least that's what
I'm told, being born in '66 I would have no real idea (about this or much else
it seems :-)

------ Original Message ------
Received: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 02:08:02 PM EDT
From: jimt <camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Coast toCoast!

> On 4/12/05 10:20, "jbange" <hfinn@INGRATES.NET> wrote:
> 
> >> in
> >> Arizona, on I-10, border guards stop all traffic.  I suspect that they
think
> >> if you're illegal you just tell them.  Personally, I found it a bit
intrusive
> >> to be asked where I was going and where did I come from and things got a
> >> little bit worse when I started asking the "guard" why he needed this
> >> information.
> > 
> > You sure it was Arizona and not California? California has agricultural
> > inspection stations on all the major interstates. It may seem like 
they're
> > giving you the "papers please" number, but really they only care if
you're
> > bringing potentially pest-infested produce in from other states. Pretty
> > sure the Border Patrol has never put up check points on intra-US highways
> > like the 10.
> > 
> > 
> 
> I got a message from a traveling friend that he has been stopped in
southern
> AZ when he runs his camper truck or his van but never in his car.  He said
> that they are the standard pull everything over for paper check and quick
> safety look over and then waved through.  He said it was strange though
when
> he wasn�t asked for anything when he was in his car. He was just waved
> through.  He said he believes it is because at this time of the year is
when
> most of the major death incidents on the highway happen from illegal
travel.
> Here in colorado we have had two major accidents already this year with a
> child and two adults dead so far from a camper truck with something like 15
> in it and a van with 18 in it.  Last year a packed camper truck with 12
went
> off the road and I think half were killed in that one.  I have been safety
> checked twice already this year on those same back roads.  It wasn�t until
> the memo I got from him that I realized that every safety check I have been
> pulled over for has been on one of the back roads that is popular with the
> coyote.