As my wife and I were returning from Las Vegas last week, I told her I should make a special trip up the highway to photograph the many memorials and interesting / funny signs.
Today, I did it.
Interestingly, on the trip out, the north and east side of the highways had about 25-30 memorials, while on the trip back, the west and south side of the highways had maybe a fifth as many. If anything, you think it would be the opposite as drunks return from Vegas.
Was walking along an embankment, understandably paying more attention to traffic than what was underfoot when I brushed a cholla. (Not the jumping kind.) By the time I realized it had multiply stabbed me, I had already continued my stride, causing some good ripping action. Ouch. Oddly though, it stopped hurting right away. When I started back to my car, I figure I ought to look and see if any spikes were still stuck in me. Did not see any, though that may have been due to the blood. Got a picture. (Always have to get a picture. 
)
Driving was about 400 miles, including doubling back 1-5 miles on multiple occasions. (It’s hard to safely stop when you are going 55-65 MPH — and I did the speed limit the whole way, honest 
). I had my GPS on the whole way. Distance and AEG are the amount I walked from my car back/forward to the memorials after finding a safe place to pull over. (Not counting cacti.)
Probably did not get everything, but I was very thorough, so undoubtedly close.
The thought occurs: Why are 99% of the memorials crosses, a rare few non-denominational (like a ghost bike), but absolutely none — that I have ever seen — for Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, etc.?
First time I can recall driving not to go anywhere, but simply for the sake of seeing/finding stuff. I’ll have to do it again some time … 
Distance: 4.56 mi.
AEG: 126 ft.
Time: 1h 30m
Roadside Memorial Video
Roadside Memorials #2 from Preston McMurry on Vimeo.
