This morning we are up at 7:30 (the sun is just coming up) and I am preparing to leave. The temperature is 78 degrees. Since we are towing our car, I have to start it up and let it run for several minutes, put it in Drive, then put it in Neutral. After that I have to pull a 30 amp fuse from the fuse box under the hood. This morning when I tried to start the car for towing, the car will not start. At first I thought it might be the battery that is dead (oh no not another one) but it turns out that the 30 amp fuse I have to remove to tow the car is burnt out. So I use another 30 amp from the fuse box to start the car and after running the car for several minutes (since the car has to run for about 3 - 5 minutes then move the shifter from drive to neutral) put the fuse back in it's rightful place.
We stop at one of the truck stops to see if they carry the 30 amp fuse I need - no such luck. So, we look up an auto parts store on the GPS and select one not to far from I-10. When we get to the exit, of course the construction that is going on, just happens to have our exit and the next three exits closed. So much for easy. I select another store, this time looking up NAPA and find one in Benson, AZ elevation 3540 ft.
The exit is open, yeah. The town has a number of adobe buildings reminiscent of a late 1800's town, nice. Getting to the NAPA store is easy and we get another 30 amp fuse (I also get a second one just in case) and after testing the fuse, we are on our way.In the area known as Texas Canyon the elevation is 4975 ft. The area has very large boulders which are mountains but very different.
Around 10:15 we pass a town called Wilcox, 3,733 population, small cow town to major cattle shipping center. It harbored fugitive gunslingers and was homeland of Apache and Chiricahua Indians, Cochise and Geronimo led raids in the area.Town of Bowie is Ft. Bowie and Maverick Mt. elevation 6091 (Indian Country), we see lots of pecan groves.
In New Mexico, which we are in for only about 2 hours (120 miles or so) we are in a lot of construction and the roads are rough. We are on a flat plateau with grass land and mountains far away, it is real windy, we see Pyramid Mts. with elevation of 6000 ft. The temp. is 80 degrees. Lordsburg, NM elevation 4237. We pass over the Continental Divide (summit elevation 4,585 feet), through barren desert and irrigated farm lands with vast pecan groves.In Deming NM elevation 4325 ft. they grow cotton and Chilies in the valley. Off to our right we see Black Mt. elevation 5375 ft.
Around 3:15 pm we can see Akela, Mexico about 25 miles away over the Portrillo Mts. At 4:30 on the left side of Rt.10 we can see the Roseledo Mts. elevation 5890 ft.
We cross the Rio Grande and stop at the Texas information center for what else, maps and information and of course the all important bathroom leak. When we are heading back to the motor home, Carmen sees something hanging from the car. Wouldn't you know, it is the cable that makes the tail lights operational on the car. The cable has been dragging on the road, apparently for a number of miles, and the cable is almost all worn through in several areas and the plug, that should be connected to the motor home is completely gone! What else will happen? Now we can not drive at night!
Fortunately for us, from the Information Center Carmen sees a Camping World on the other side of the highway. We get there just in the nick of time, they are closing in 15 minutes. We find the right cable and test it before we buy, just in case, and it works. Yeah! So we are both legal again and can drive with the car at night. What else will happen?
We opt not to head up to Carlsbad, NM this trip and will have to do that another time. So we continue and all along this section of I-10 from El Paso for the next 55 miles we are driving along the Mexican border. We are riding along a high ridge and looking down the valley, you can see the lights of both the US and Mexican towns along the boarder. We also pass a US Customs Inspection Station. We do not get stopped this time, but a bus that just passed us does. Everyone on board is checked, probably for drivers licenses or passports.By the way the legal speed limit is 80 mph, that is right 80 mph. I just may move to Texas.
6:30 p.m. we decide to stop at the Golden Corral Restaurant for dinner it has been a trying day and we are in El Paso, leaving rest. it is dark and 77 degrees.
We cross time zones going from Mountain to Central time, losing an hour! Shortly there after, we stop for the night at a rest area in Van Horn. Phew, that time zone change really exhausts you. New time is 10:39 p.m.
Today we have seen horses, cattle, sheep, goats, llama, deer and buffalo. The scenery has been pretty fantastic, also.
Bob wrote most of this blog today but I wanted to add things like time, places, temperature and elevations.
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