Sunday ; Oklahoma I-40 Welcome Center to Amarillo, Texas to New Mexico I-40 Welcome Center
Sunny and mild.
This morning we did our early exercise walk before leaving the rest area around 11 AM. We drove just a few miles west on I-40 (AKA Historic Route 66) before stopping at a Love’s to refill our freshwater tank and buy half a tank of diesel fuel. Like Flying J, Love’s fuel prices are too high.
The Texas Visitor Information Center was a hundred miles into the state, at Amarillo. Rather odd to locate the Visitor Information Center that far into the state. We stopped at the Visitor Information Center and while Joanne heated up our catfish dinner leftovers for lunch I went into the Visitor Information Center and used their free Wi-Fi to check and send e-mail.
After lunch we found our way to Amigos, a Mexican supermarket. We LOOOOOVE Mexican supermarkets. We stocked up on some of our favourite Mexican groceries and meats from the butcher counter. AND … of course … some pan dulce, including a large piece of Tres Leches cake to share at bedtime tonight. After Amigos I refilled the truck with diesel at Valero and we set off to find the second location of Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ on the other/west side of Amarillo. We bought more spicy chopped beef brisket and potato salad for supper tonight, then decided it was too early to stop for the night, as initially planned. It was only 4:30 PM. We continued west on I-40 heading across the Texas Panhandle.
We arrived at the Texas border with New Mexico around 6 PM. It was still daylight. And as soon as we crossed into New Mexico and stopped for the night at the New Mexico I-40 Welcome Center, I began setting all of our clocks back an hour to Mountain Standard Time. Half an hour later it was dark, at 5:30 PM. Yup … that made sense.
We went for our late exercise walk around the large rest area grounds. There were “remnants” of a previous RV park on the rest area grounds. We had our Rudy’s BBQ for supper. MMMMM !
At Rudy’s condiments bar I had picked up a variety of pickled peppers to try. WHEW … <sweating and breathing fire> … nope … not for me !
Monday ; New Mexico I-40 Welcome Center to Santa Rosa Lake State Park
Sunny and warm, temperature in the high 70’s F. How very nice !
Before leaving the New Mexico Welcome Center this morning we went for our early exercise walk and then refilled the camper’s freshwater tank. I went inside the Welcome Center to attempt to use their Wi-Fi but … it wasn’t working. And … the two older women staffing the Welcome Center this morning seemed … well … dumb as rocks !
As we departed the Welcome Center around 10:30 AM Joanne hatched the idea of going to a New Mexico state park for a “day off”. A day off for me ! A day off from driving most of the day. What an excellent idea, my dear.
We continued west on I-40. At the town of Santa Rosa we left the freeway and drove a seven mile winding, climbing road up to Santa Rosa State Park, in high desert at an elevation of about 5000 feet. We expected that elevation to be quite cold, but it was not.
We drove around the campground, selected a site we liked, and had a late lunch. For the first time in more than a week I had an afternoon nap. AHHHHH ! We rested, Joanne did crosswords, I did some computer work including processing some photos from my camera to my laptop, we went for a long walk at sunset. No jackets required ! I set up our little barbecue under the campsite’s picnic ramada and barbecued some seasoned, marinated chicken thighs we bought yesterday at the Mexican supermarket.
Tuesday ; Santa Rosa Lake State Park to Albuquerque to Walking Sands Rest Area, I-25 MM 167, New Mexico
Sunny and warm, windy.
Well ! Close to 100% of people in restaurants, supermarkets, and other stores in New Mexico are masked ! THANK YOU !
This morning we refilled our freshwater tank, dumped our waste holding tanks, went for an exercise walk, then departed Santa Rosa Lake State Park around 11 AM. We drove seven miles downhill back to the town of Santa Rosa, then continued heading west on I-40 towards Albuquerque. We stopped at the town of Edgewood looking for a New Mexican green & red chili restaurant called Chili Hills. “Green chili and red chili”, and the blended version known as “Christmas chili” are the signature cuisine of New Mexico. The owner of the restaurant gave us small samples of both red chili and green chili to try before we ordered. We sampled both, and selected two green chili dishes “to go” for lunch in the camper. While I waited for our order to be prepared, Joanne went to the supermarket next door to buy some sour cream to “cool down” the dishes. They were very good !
To explain further ; green chili and red chili and Christmas chili are salsas made from green chile peppers and red chile peppers grown in Hatch, New Mexico. Tomorrow’s journal entry will make more sense of it.
After lunch we refilled the truck with diesel before continuing west on I-40 to Albuquerque. Once in Albuquerque we found our way to a Wal-Mart. While Joanne went Wal-Martin’ I remained in the camper, connecting to a nearby car dealer’s free Wi-Fi signal to check e-mail, upload a journal entry to my blog and … I ordered a pair of shoes on a Black Friday “advance sale”. I hope that the shoes that I bought today don’t actually end up at a lower price on Black Friday. After Joanne finished at Wal-Mart we both went to Dollar Tree in the same mall and replenished a few supplies.
With GPS guidance we found our way to an out of the way, “hole in the wall”, New Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque that Joanne found online weeks ago while planning the “foodie”/culinary aspect of our southbound journey from Steinbach to Yuma. At Padilla’s Restaurant we bought a “combo plate” with a beef taco, pork tamale, cheese enchilada, rice & beans, green chili, and two dessert sopapillas, with honey to drizzle on them. The owner included some red chili as well, so that we could make “Christmas chili”, which I did. And she included some cinnamon and pistachio pudding to accompany the honey drizzled sopapillas, as a special treat / “freebie” since we were obviously New Mexican cuisine “rookies” from Canada.
We had it all for supper after settling in for the night at our boondocking site. Needless to say … it was all quite exquisite !
By the time we left Padilla’s Restaurant with our “to go” order it was dusk. We left Albequerque heading south on I-25, driving for about an hour in the dark to a rest area near La Joya.
Wednesday ; Walking Sands Rest Area to Deming, New Mexico
Sunny and warm again.
This morning we went for our early exercise walk around the rest area’s large grounds before leaving, continuing south on I-25. Just ten miles or so down the road we stopped at Socorro, New Mexico to buy some laundry detergent at Wal-Mart, in anticipation of doing laundry later in the day. A couple of hours later we stopped in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to have lunch while parked in another Wal-Mart parking lot.
When we reached the small farming town of Hatch, New Mexico it was time to leave I-25 and get onto New Mexico Hwy. 26 heading southwest to our destination for today, Deming, New Mexico. But first … we shopped for green and red chile (pepper) and green and red chili (salsa) products in Hatch, the epicentre of the New Mexico chile/chili industry. We shopped at two of the many chile/chili businesses in Hatch, buying bags of green chile powder, red chile powder, and a jar of green chili salsa.
We arrived at DreamCatchers SKP RV Park in Deming New Mexico around 4 PM. We checked in, refilled our freshwater tank, settled into their “dry camp” boondocking area, then Joanne went to do laundry while I exchanged books at the park’s library in the clubhouse. At sunset we went for our “late” exercise walk around the RV park.
We were not very impressed with the total absence of mask wearing in this park, including the front desk manager as she stood behind the front counter signage indicating “masks recommended”. Masks recommended ? ! ? Bull**** ! Wake up, lady ! New Mexico has a state government legislated mask “mandate”. It’s a public health order, not a suggestion ! ! ! ! !
Thursday ; Deming, New Mexico to Benson, Arizona
Sunny, chilly, and windy this morning in New Mexico. Sunny and warm in the afternoon in Arizona.
This morning before leaving DreamCatchers SKP RV Park in Deming we went for our early exercise walk (BRRRRR!), refilled the camper’s freshwater tank, and emptied the waste holding tanks. Before leaving Deming we refilled with diesel at Valero.
We continued westbound on I-10. We stopped at a rest area at the New Mexico/Arizona border to have lunch in the camper. When we reached Benson, Arizona we went grocery shopping at Safeway before checking into Saguaro Co-op SKP RV Park, one of the nicest RV parks in the Escapees system.
The front desk clerk checking us into the RV park was maskless, but behind a well designed plexiglass shield. Mask wearing in the park was poor overall. Mask wearing in Safeway was likewise poor. But not as bad as Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma! After checking in and getting settled into the park’s dry camp area we went for a long exercise walk around the park. Lots of up and down, the park is built on hilly terrain. We watched the beautiful sunset on the nearby Dragoon Mountains. As it became dark I walked to the clubhouuse to use Wi-Fi. That’s when I learned about the flooding in BC, in our previous “neighbourhood”. “The Coq (AKA Highway Thru Hell) (Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Kamloops) is closed” is a bit of a BC “inside joke”. Now … not only is the Coq closed … <sputter> … it’s been “split in two” by flooding due to recent heavy rains. It will take months to repair/rebuild!
As regards our recent relocation from that area to Manitoba … well … we always did have good timing, n’est-ce pas ? HA HA HA!
Friday ; Benson to Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80’s. WOO-HOO … switched to a short sleeved t-shirt today. HELLOOOOO, Arizona !
This morning we refilled our freshwater tank, dumped our waste holding tanks, went for a long exercise walk around the RV park, and left the Saguaro Co-op SKP RV park around 11 AM. We refilled with expensive diesel before leaving Benson, continuing west on Interstate 10. We stopped for lunch at a truck stop where Interstate 8 begins, branching off from Interstate 10. I-8 goes southwest to Yuma, and ends at San Diego. I-10 goes northwest to Phoenix and Palm Springs, and ends at Los Angeles. After lunch we headed west on I-8.
Our destination for today kept changing. First we were planning to spend the night at Rovers Roost SKP RV Park at Casa Grande, between Tucson and Phoenix. Then we decided to boondock overnight at Holt’s Shell at Gila Bend, a bit closer to Yuma. As we were driving between Tucson and Casa Grande there were many Saguaro Cacti visible in the desert. I wanted to stop and take a photo of Joanne beside a Saguaro, to use as our Christmas card photo this year. When I saw a gravel road leading into the Sonoran Desert I left Interstate 8 and drove into the desert looking for a photogenic Saguaro. By the time I saw one a few minutes later we had passed a couple of RV’s boondocking in the desert. On impulse we decided to do the same. Joanne was thrilled. “WOO-HOO … vagabonding!”
We found a suitable spot to boondock overnight, perhaps a mile off the Interstate into the desert, within sight of two other RV’s in the distance. There was a stone fire ring there, and it would have been nice to have a campfire, but we did not have any folding/lawn chairs with us. At 5 PM we went for a half hour hike in the desert for exercise and to study the desert flora ; Saguaro Cacti, Organ Pipe Cacti, Fishhook Barrel Cacti, Ocotillos, Teddy Bear Chollas, Palo Verde trees, Brittle Bush, Allthorn, etc. I carried a trash bag and picked up trash in the desert (mostly cigarette butts, soft drink bottles, booze bottles, “to go” coffee cups, and … a 1972 US 25¢ piece), albeit with a teensy chip on my shoulder. Why should I be a “good steward of the land” when I’m on foreign soil, picking up trash left behind by this country’s own people?!? Oh, well … at least I scored two bits!
We finished our desert hike at 5:30 PM then stood outside beside the camper for a few minutes watching the sun set behind the Sand Tank Mountains. We watched a helicopter fly overhead slowly, probably CBP searching for Mexicans sneaking into the US. Good luck with that, fellas <sarcasm>. If I see any, I’ll be sure to offer them a sandwich and cold water to help them make it the last mile to Interstate 8, where they will probably be “home free”!
Saturday ; Sonoran Desert to Yuma, Arizona
Sunny and very warm again. How nice!
This morning we went for our early exercise walk in the desert, then hit the road around 11 AM, continuing west on Interstate 8 to Yuma. We stopped at Dateland to buy some Honey Dates and have a date shake with our lunch. MMMMM!
We refilled the truck with diesel at Speedway Fuels upon arriving in Yuma. We arrived at home/Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park at 3:30 PM. Two hours until darkness should have been sufficient time to get the trailer ready for occupancy ; reconnect battery, connect electricity, reinstall water heater anode plug, connect water, connect sewer. I ran into some difficulty getting the water heater functional, and spent an unproductive hour and a half working on the problem. I finally got it solved with the help of a specialized tool I borrowed. Thank you, Larry.
While I worked on getting the trailer utilities connected and functional, Joanne worked on cleaning. Lots of spider webs in the trailer. Some rodent droppings. All the storage compartment door locks were jammed with desert sand/dust, and were difficult to unlock. The trailer has sat empty through twenty months, including two extremely hot Yuma summers. We went for our late exercise walk around 7 PM, in the dark. Not many Canadians have arrived here yet, only one other couple it seems. Tomorrow I’ll start dealing with our minivan which also has been sitting for twenty months, baking in the desert sun and heat because the car cover over it self destructed about a year and a half ago!
DSK
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