Out here, houses are one floor, flat style roofs, no cellar, no attic.  The roads are straight.  Every where is mostly flat.  When it isn't flat it's rare to be able to access water.

As a result Phoenix and surrounding cities are sprawl. With the limited acces highways it's easy to get to any where except during commuting hours.

It's cheaper for the county and cities to run a road over the dry river bed than to build a bridge over it.  When it rains, the road is impassible forcing all trafic over bridges. Even if it isn't raining on you the road might be flooded; a gentile trickle across the road does not mean that it will stay that way if you decide to drive through it--FLASH Floods!.

A sign telling you the road might be flooded ahead menas DANGER sand and gravel on the road.

Cold air sinks, goes down hill, flows into dry river beds.  That is why you see signs warnings that the bride might have ice on it even though the air you are in is not below 32F.

DANGER!!!!! Phoenix has suicide lanes!!  NEVER drive in one.  NO NEVER!!  During morning commutes the center turning lane is one way into town; commute time is over, it's a turning lane; commute evening time, one way out of town.  When the lane is one way you CANNOT make a left hand turn from it.

Make sure any intersection is totally clear before you enter it when the light turns Green. At every intersection look for broken glass on the road.  No one clenas it up after an accident.

If you get on a road with protruding ripples every 20-40 feet, count on the entire road to be that way--chip seal causes that.

Remember, this is Old Mexico and we have visitors from Mexico, and of course, people who broke into out country to work. Not everybody speaks English.

While here sample different tasting Tequilas.  I prefer Silver over the ones aged in oak.  Make sure it says 100% Blue Agave.  If it doesn't say that it has been cut with a vodka type of alcohol.  Sip Tequila from a short glass with very thin walls.  A shot followed by lime is for good for getting drunk before you realise you've had too much.

Tortilla Flats is a town without residents; a tourist attraction with interesting scenery to it,and different scenery if you drive past it to where the paved road turns to dirt.  Turna around at that point unless you like 24 miles very rough wash-board dusty drit road.  You'll find an eatery with dollar biils from floor to ceiling on all the walls.  One of a few places with caskets inside of it.

And, of course, you will find real "Mexican" food here, including great sea food, from all parts of Mexico.