Thursday, December 28, 2017

VAN HORN TEXAS TO COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO:: WE ARE AT LAST HAPPY ‘AND WARM’ CAMPERS:))

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RELAXING IN MY RECLINER SOAKING UP NEW MEXICO’S WONDERFUL WARM AIR AND SUNSHINE
Stepping out with Pheebs Wednesday night I instinctively looked skywards and found myself looking right at the constellation Orion.  It’s my Aunt Jean’s favorite one and I right away thought of her.  Despite the light pollution where we were and a bright half Moon I was able to make out a few other stars and sensed the night sky was free of clouds.  Same thing when Pheebs and I slipped outside about 6 this morning.  Yes indeed we were finally back to America’s  great Southwest with it’s big starry night skies and sun drenched days.
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SUNRISE IN VAN HORN TEXAS
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I think for the first time since leaving Ontario we had an overnight temperature above freezing at 33F.  Despite the 50+ trucks in this large dirt parking area behind McDonalds in Van Horn none of them were too close to us and we didn’t find them a bother. 
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With Thursday morning’s early sun peeping over the eastern horizon tickling Van Horn’s Texas roof tops we finally made our way out of the truck parking lot over to I-20 about a quarter mile away and resumed our Westward-Ho travels slightly on the east side of 8 o’clock.  Less than 10 minutes later we entered the Mountain Time Zone constituting another time change and we moved back another hour in time putting us 2 hours behind Bayfield Ontario.
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WE HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THE LONG SWEEPING VISTAS FOUND MOST EVERYWHERE IN THIS LAND
No idea how far or where we would go today but we were secure in the knowledge wherever it was it was only going to be warmer than where we had been.  Looking at the weather back home in our Bayfield Ontario area we see that we escaped the brutally cold  record breaking winter temperatures and loads of snow just in the tiniest nick of time.  We are so lucky we decided to leave when we did and both agreed we would never ever want to make another winter departure again!!  We already have some changing thoughts on next winter’s destination.
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What an absolutely beautiful morning we had going for us.  Clear blue skies with morning’s sunshine casting long fingery shadows into distant mountain canyons.  Sweeping valleys between mountain ranges stretch for about as far as one can see.  And as is typical with many southwest stretches of Interstates I-10’s traffic was moderate.  What an absolute joy to be in this kind of country again and with sunny skies and warm temperatures to boot.
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WE’LL SOON SKIRTING THROUGH THE LOWER SOUTHERN END OF OF THOSE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF EL PASO
The city of El Paso Texas begins about 20 miles east of the downtown core and luckily we only had about 5 miles of it’s sprawl before we reached our interchange leading onto the #375 bi-pass.  It’s quite a high flying wing-over ramp off I-10 onto 375 and you might get the feeling you are in an airplane as the single lane fly-over carries you over roads below.  We followed Howard's directions to a T and found his suggested additional alternate route to the 375 alternate route worked perfect.  We had no problems whatsoever and we couldn’t believe how fast and easy it was getting back on I-10 north of El Paso on our way to Las Cruces.  If someone asked me what I thought of Howard’s route I would say, WOW, WOW, and Triple WOW:))  Why anyone knowing about this shortcut around El Paso would still drive through El Paso I don’t know.  We have done El Paso several times years ago both ways and you don’t want to do that if you don’t have too. 
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SLIPPING AROUND ON THE 375 BI-PASS WE CRUISE PAST THE NORTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE U.S. ARMY’S FORT BLISS
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LOTS OF ARMY VEHICLES IN THERE
About half way through the alternate route we crossed into New Mexico and as soon as we came down out of the Anthony Pass and landed back on I-10 I turned and said to Kelly, ‘we’re home’.  Down came my side window as we welcomed New Mexico’s much warmer air.  We were finally on familiar turf and there was no need for any GPS or map stuff.  I-10 curves around the south end of Las Cruces New Mexico and heads west.  Las Cruces is probably one of the easiest cities to swing by on it’s bi-pass.
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NEW MEXICO SURE BUILDS THEIR ‘ROADRUNNERS’ BIG OUT HERE WEST OF LOS CRUCES
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OUR FIRST BORDER PATROL CHECK-POINT OF THE SEASON
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LOTS OF VARIED DETECTION EQUIPMENT
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Sunshine beaming in my driver’s side windshield made the Big EEE’s black steering wheel hot to the touch.  It was about half way between Las Cruces and Deming NM that we both experienced a great wave of relief in the realization that our fast 6 day trip from Ontario was over.  We had reached our destination and it was time to slow everything down and get ourselves off the Interstates.  They had once again served their purpose well.  We kicked around a few places to go and decided on Columbus New Mexico right down on the Mexican border south of Deming.  We had been there 3 times before and knew it to be a perfect place to relax and de-stress for a few days.  There’s definitely no hustle and bustle in tiny Columbus.
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I RECOGNIZED THE RAZOR BACKED FLORIDA MOUNTAIN RANGE SOUTHEAST OF DEMING NEW MEXICO
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NEAR LAS CRUCES THIS BIG 18 WHEELER DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO GET UP ONE OF THE LONG GRADES SO I HAD TO HOOK ONTO HIM AND TOW HIM UP…..YA RIGHT):)
We exited I-10 into Deming and headed to McDonalds for a coffee.  Lots of memories in Deming from years ago.  Stepped out of the coach and revelled in the sun’s warmth.  Our second Deming stop was Walmart where Kelly slipped in for a few groceries while Pheebs and I had ourselves a walk around the parking lot.  Spotted a small Class A Thor Motorhome that really caught my fancy so took a few photos of it.  Didn’t know the people were inside watching but as soon as Pheebs and went back to our Motorhome the Thor driver saw that we were fellow RV’ers from Ontario and came on over.  Nice chap with an English accent and we had ourselves quite a chin wag.  His wife later walked over as well.  They were from St. Catherines Ontario and were on their way to the Baja in California.
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I LIKED THESE FOLKS COMPACT CLASS A MOTORHOME
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PHEEBS AND I TOOK A SHORT CRUISE AROUND THE WALMART PARKING LOT
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YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL YOU ARE IN THE SOUTHWEST BY THE NUMBER OF FEET YOU SEE STICKING OUT OF PICK-UP TRUCK WINDOWS
From Deming we headed south about 30 miles to Columbus and did you know that the only time the United States has ever been invaded by a foreign country was right here in Columbus.  The bullet holes are still in some of the buildings.  I have posts from our visits to Columbus New Mexico dating back to December of 2006 when we had Christmas dinner with many of the local folks in their community Center.  I have photos of both Kelly and I sitting on Santa’s knee.  Not at the same time of course.  First 2 times in Columbus we stayed at Pancho Villa State Park and the last time here was a Halloween night but we stayed in a different RV Park at the towns north end.  And that is where we are now.  It wouldn’t be an RV Park for most of the fellow RV’ers we know but for us Bayfield Bums we like it here.  But then again we like Slab City too.  We have water and sewer but no electric because we don’t need it.  Nine dollars a night.
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ON OUR WAY TO COLUMBUS WE PASSED BY THE ‘3 SISTERS’ MOUNTAINS….LOOKS MORE TO ME LIKE 3 SISTERS AND A YOUNGER COUSIN
Soon as we got parked I un-hooked the Jeep then with hose in hand proceeded to hose all that corrosive road salt off both the Jeep and the Motorhome.  I didn’t wash them both, just hosed them down.  They are both still dirty but look a darn sight better than they did.  Also went around and oiled all the bin door locks and mechanisms.  That road salt will corrode those bin door latches in no time.  Also filled our fresh water tank and cleaned all the gunk off our hitch assembly.  So to sum it all up, we are happy campers tonight and so glad to be where we finally are.  Once we get some laundry out of the way in the morning maybe we’ll just go bomb around town in the Jeep for awhile.  Maybe go look for a dusty old Jeep road to let Libby kick her heels up a bit.  D’ya think:))
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WE’LL PROBABLY HANG OUT HERE FOR A FEW DAYS
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TOOK OUR AMARYLLIS FOR A WALK IN THE SUN THIS AFTERNOON
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POOR PHEEBS, WE’RE BACK IN THE LAND OF GOAT HEAD STICKERS AND THESE DAMN THINGS ARE THE WORST THERE IS FOR BOTH ANIMALS AND PEOPLE
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INTERNET PHOTO OF GOAT HEAD STICKERS
And my doozer of a cold has pretty much dozed itself out so I’m hoping I will be good for another decade before I get another one.  Kelly has been doing well but we both have been ending our days on the very tired side this past week.  Glad those fast paced travel days are behind us now for awhile………
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A COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO SUNSET
GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man and his wife were driving their Recreational Vehicle across the country and were nearing a town spelled Kissimee. They noted the strange spelling and tried to figure how to pronounce it - KISS-a-me; kis-A-me; kis-a-ME. They grew more perplexed as they drove into the town.  Since they were hungry, they pulled into a place to get something to eat. At the counter, the man said to the waitress:
"My wife and I can't seem to be able to figure out how to pronounce this place. Will you tell me where we are and say it very slowly so that I can understand."  The waitress looked at him and said: "Buuurrrgerrr Kiiiinnnng."
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Mr. Anderson: I am very lucky. When I talk with my wife, she always bows her head.
Mr. Smith: Why?
Mr. Anderson: Because she is taller than me.
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26 comments:

  1. Congratulations young man. Columbus is a good choice. I still have a month before I get to head west and I am itching into bite size pieces to get rolling.

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  2. To quote somebody I know: YAHOOIE LOUIE!!!

    Had to google to find spelling. There it was!

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  3. Al, you're in Mountain time zone, not pacific. You enter Pacific time zone at the Cali border, as I recall.

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  4. Boy am I wishing we were there. It's a balmy 25°F here in Loveland, CO with some snow. The camper is pretty much ready, we need to clear the cobwebs from the holidays, get over the bugs passed around at family gatherings, and then look for a window to bolt south on I25. Fortunate for us, we can be well into NM the first night, but not south enough to be warm. 2nd night will be better, 3rd night in AZ. Hope we share a jeep road somewhere down south.

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  5. We picked up a bunch of goat heads in NM about 4 years ago and, unfortunately, several of them made it back to our place. Nancy has been out "Rounding" them up. They are evil and the bane of my childhood in Little League Baseball.

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  6. Yes, Goat heads suck! I've pulled many from my feet when living on a SW Kansas wheat farm.

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  7. So glad you made it safely to warmer weather! Enjoy :-)

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  8. Welcome to the southwest, glad you made it and can now enjoy some of this amazing warmer weather and sunny blue skies. A very nice spot there in Columbus to relax a bit and cat h you breathe. Maybe a trip to the Pink Store too for Kelly?

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  9. Glad ynoou are warm and safe, now you can relax .

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  10. Whew...what happy news! Goat heads are NO fun! Please watch out for foxtail too...they are deadly!

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  11. Yes, you're lucky you got outa town when you did, just in the nick of time! Glad your trip worked well and you're now warm! We are too as long as we stay inside!

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  12. Glad to hear you are out of the cold and into the warmth of the southwest. Cute little place Columbus, NM. Have a rest, give Libby a stretch and enjoy!

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  13. Arizona has had temperatures averaging 10 degrees above normal.

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  14. So glad you made it to our nice, WARM Southwest weather! Yes, I saw that storm moving from Canada through the eastern US. Hubby is from eastern Pennsylvania, near Erie! YIKES! He wouldn't go back there for... ANYTHING! No way! He loves the California sun!

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  15. Congratulation, hard part of your trip is over Enjoy the New Mexico. !!!
    We are staying till 5th January at Elephant Butte

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  16. Happy for you and that you safely met your destination! Time to recharge those inner batteries.

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  17. You did it!! Now sit back and enjoy that heat and the sun.

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  18. You're right, you left here just in time. Lots of black ice around these days.
    We like the looks of those Thor Vegas too - basically a Class C but designed like a compact Class A. Based on the Ford E450. You'd miss the space you have now though.

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  19. Poor Phoebe. You can see on her face how painful those goat heads are and then you get stuck when you pull them off.

    I'm with you and love the SW. Lisa and I lived in SE Arizona for over 30 years and since we have been full-time RVing we still gravitate to the winter desert. We have not figured out a better place to be.

    Enjoy. Thank you for sharing your life journey. Connie

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  20. We stayed at Columbus in Pancho Villa S.P. quite a few years ago for Pancho Villa Days in February..Walked across the border to Palomas and had lunch at the Pink Store...I heard from some fellow travelers that the Mayor of Palomas and some other official were arrested on drug charges...Not sure if this is true..Be very careful if you cross the border....

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  21. Glad you found some sunshine and warm temps. Be safe.

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  22. Great to hear that you made it down finally...I hear it's cold back in our neck of the woods.

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  23. Yipppeee, you're back!! Beautiful skies - it even looks warmer :-))

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  24. I'm glad you can finally relax. I always thought El Paso was the absolute worst town to drive through. Glad to hear they did something about it.

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  25. Thanks for the link to Howards info. Had found it a month ago when planning our route but your link saved me from searching for it again. We were through there early this morning and now in Benson. Left Wasaga on Wed morning.

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