Driving into Phoenix

I am cooling my heals at my daughter's apartment in Tempe. My drive in yesterday was swift and uneventful; however there were a few observations on the ride in that might be worth a story or two:
1. As I drove an 18-wheeler for a few years, I noticed that Arizona has closed two rest areas on Interstate 10 between the New Mexico border and Phoenix. Are they victims of the recession?

2. I noticed a lot of interesting road construction around Tucson. I passed two new large overpasses in progress: one about five miles east of city limits, and the other at the north end of city limits on I-10. The one east of town seemed like the bridge to nowhere, but if you put them together maybe the state is building a loop around Tucson. As a truck driver I wonder if the east end of the loop will hook up to I-19, so eastbound trucks can avoid Tucson.

3. I saw one billboard related to this fall's US Senate race. I guess the hotly contested seat is also suffering in this recession, or the trend is away from that sort of political advertising.

Jerry H. Appel
Chaparral High School
Chaparral, New Mexico