A CHRISTMAS FEELING IN THE APACHE PASS

SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS  (to-day's photos were taken through a dirty motorhome windshield driving through the Apache Pass in the Sierra Blanca mountains in New Mexico...sorry about the splooches & bug splotches)

We were happy campers last night when the heavy wind gusts finally subsided around 7.  However, they were back again in the middle of the night & it was the  same old routine......... get up, get the slides in, & try to get back to sleep!!

THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS EAST OF LAS CRUCES...SAN AUGUSTIN PASS IS THE LOW POINT OVER TOP THE SILVER CAR AT LEFT

Well, we sure knew we weren't in the warm southern air of the Phoenix area anymore when we stepped out into the 40 something Fahrenheit temperatures this morning.  Throw in a wind chill factor & it was darn well cold!!   

 

ENTERING THE SIERRA BLANCA MOUNTAINS EAST OF TULAROSA

We had the wheels back on I-10 by 6:15 New Mexico time heading for Las Cruces.  Traffic was light & the early morning sun sat right on my eyeballs.  Last year we made the mistake of thinking it would be better to go through Las Cruces rather than around it.  We were much smarter this year & stayed on I-10 until it connected with I-25.  Picked up highway 70, climbed up Organ mountain & cleared the San Augustin Pass without any problems.

WINTER SCENES IN THE APACHE PASS (click to enlarge)

As soon as we cleared the long grade down into the Tularosa Valley, strong cross winds hassled us all the way across the White Sands Missile Range.  Picked up the Alamogordo by-pass & swung up into the Sierra Blanca mountains at Tularosa.  The morning sunshine we had enjoyed was lost to a heavy cloud cover in the mountains & the temperatures dropped.  Every car coming the other way had snow on it so we knew for sure we would be into some kind of weather.

 

We like this route because the Apache Pass is a reasonably easy way over the mountains & is not unduly hard on the motorhome for long periods of time.  Two years ago we saw snow in the pass on our way home & today we saw even more.  Roads were wet but bare, so no problem.  The landscape reminded me so much of Christmas with pine trees layered in coats of white.  Just east of Ruidoso it began to lightly snow & I had all kinds of Christmas Carols going through my head.  Same thing happened two years ago.

 

Coming down the eastern side of the mountains we could see patches of blue sky ahead in the direction of Roswell.  Didn't last long though & by the time we reached the renowned space alien city on the edge of the great plains country the skies were totally overcast.  Fueled up in Roswell & off we headed for the looooooong journey across the treeless flat tundra.

     

Our goal was Brownfield, Texas because we like to use a free little fairground park there that has a Wifi hotspot.  Sometimes we are the only one's here but not today.  We got the second last spot so there's about a dozen rigs in here.  Sun is back out but it's really cold so I'll be spending my time inside until we roll out early in the morning.

 

EXITING THE EAST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS ONTO THE OPEN PLAINS

Had a comment about, 'will I continue to blog once we get home' & the answer to that questions is.....yes!!  Last year when we arrived home I didn't blog for a few days but my blabbering fingers couldn't stay away from the keyboard & I was right back at it again & continued posting every day since then.  Started doing this blogging stuff about September of 07 I think.  If you look back in our archives to last spring, summer, & fall, you will find a blog every single day.  And photos each day as well.  I always manage to come up with things to write & photograph so if the interest is there I will keep the blog going again all summer.  And if it isn't there, I will keep it going anyway.  As mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy doing this blog & it gives me a focus & purpose for myself each day.

 

ROSWELL ALIEN ON A WALL NEAR THE MAIN INTERSECTION AND THE MILES & MILES & MILES OF FLAT COUNTRY WE HAVE TO CROSS

Welcome to our latest blog follower, Rick.  The southwest travel part of the blog may be temporarily coming to an end but hang in there Rick, there's more to come:))

COLEMAN PARK IN BROWNFIELD, TEXAS IS FREE FOR OVERNIGHTER'S.....FREE WIFI TOO:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man went to his dentist because he feels something wrong in his mouth. The dentist examines him and says, "that new upper plate I put in for you six months ago is eroding. What have you been eating?"
The man replies, "all I can think of is that about four months ago my wife made some asparagus and put some stuff on it that was delicious...Hollandaise sauce. I loved it so much I now put it on everything --- meat, toast, fish, vegetables, everything."
"Well," says the dentist, "that's probably the problem. Hollandaise sauce is made with lots of lemon juice, which is highly corrosive. It's eaten away your upper plate. I'll make you a new plate, and this time use chrome." "Why chrome?" asks the patient.
To which the dentist replies, "It's simple. Everyone knows that there's no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise!"

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

WAITING IN TEXAS FOR THE SNOW TO CLEAR IN NEW MEXICO’S SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS

 

HERE’S THE BEST PARTS OF THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

The day dawned cloudy, windy, wet, & cold.  Not a nice RV weather day!!  There is snow & bad weather in the mountains west of Roswell New Mexico & friends in Tularosa on the other side of the mountains said the Apache Pass can be nasty.  Weatherman said they had 13 inches of snow in Ruidoso & that is right on our way.  Decided to spend the day here in Brownfield Texas because we have free water & electricity, nobody else here, & they have a large sports complex area for walking the doggy guys.  Might un-hook the car later & do a mall crawl as well because they have a Wally World here.  I'm feeling like a people fix so just walking around in Wal-Mart for half an hour should fix me up real good for another month.

THE WHOLE GANG WAS POOPED TO-DAY

Ever had one of those really rotten RV days from hell??  Rene & Jim did a few days ago.  Check out their miserable ordeal at LIVE-WORK-DREAM.  We met Rene & Jim last winter at the ranch.  Nice folks.  I used Googles search gadget on our blogger site for the first time to find the Rene & Jim post I did last FEB 13TH & it worked fine.  Sure makes for finding things in previous posts much easier.  Jerry, go to your blogger dashboard & click layout.  Click 'add a gadget' & you will see the Google search gadget in the menu near top.  Click on that & 'poof' it's on your site.  Then, flushed with new confidence & success, get your blender out & try one of my yummy-yukking shakes while your at it:)) 

 

		COLD WIND BLOWING ALL DAY
	WHAT??

HOVER YOUR MOUSE OVER THE PHOTOS FOR CAPTIONS & CLICK THEM TO ENLARGE

4p.m.   We are back from our Wal-mart excursion & I was a bit disappointed in the store.  It's old, not very big, & reminds me of an old Kresge's or Woolworths store from years ago.  Needless to say I didn't walk out of there with my usual Wally World high.  Next it was a grocery store & than back to the rig in the pouring rain with a slight bit of sleet mixed in.  Just not a nice weather day.  Took the panel off the hydraulic leveler box looking for the big red 'easy fix' button but it didn't have one.  I think those 'easy fix buttons are only installed in those high end coaches.  Rest of our day has been spent sitting around reading, ambient music, TV, & slow motion computer stuff.  Air card isn't as fast as we are used to but it helps pass the time waiting for pages to come up.  Kelly also snuck up & gave me a haircut to-day after I fell asleep in the computer chair waiting for a website to open.................:))

HURRY BACK FROM GROCERY SHOPPING MOM & DAD

And welcome to new follower....John Souza Sr:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I got in a fight with my wife last night and it was totally my fault.  She asked me what was on the TV and I said............"dust."

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

BOWIE TO BROWNFIELD TEXAS - HIGHWAY 380……..THE LONG QUIET ROAD WEST

THE LONG TEXAS ROAD WEST

Our plans to sleep in this morning went about as well as we expected.  I was up at 4 a.m. & Kelly was up a half hour later.  Seems the more we age the less we sleep & quite possibly the less we sleep the more we age.  Yes, I have heard life referred to as a merry-go-round alright!!

 

AFTERNOON PIT STOP NEAR CLAIREMONT, TEXAS

We puttered around on the computer catching up on blogs, emails, news, etc until well after sunrise.  Would have hung around longer but we had big winds coming in straight off the lake dropping the otherwise mild temps to unacceptable levels.  Decided to roll out, so at 8:35 we carefully eased out the bumpy water rutted laneway heading in the direction of the Park entrance. Came to a fork in the road where I of course took the wrong fork to the right & promptly drove us down a mud caked road to a dead end!!  When you are driving a 33 foot motorhome with a car in tow......there is no backing up.  Had to un-hook the car, turn it around & then wiggle the motorhome back & forth a couple times until we had both vehicles separately heading back out to the main road with Kelly in the lead looking for the way out of the park.  Good thing we hadn't decided to leave earlier in the darkness.  Hooked the car back onto the motorhome on the paved road near the lake & we were on our way once again. 

SELMA PARK ON CARTER LAKE NEAR BOWIE, TEXAS

On the way to Jacksboro I saw a road sign that said, 'Bugscuffle' which put both Kelly & I on high alert in case we came upon a couple of bugs scuffling on the road or something.  Or what if there was a large gangland bug scuffle going on just around the next bend in the road.  Never did see anything but thought it was a strange kinda highway sign anyway.

Our trek westward went well under sunny skies & it's probably the 3rd or 4th time we've used this quiet 380 route.  Very little traffic & many times there are no vehicles visible for as far as the eye can see either ahead of us or behind, & there are stretches where the road is visible for miles in either direction.  Trees are gradually vanishing & giving way to the long stretches of the vast plains.  Many cotton fields west of Post, Texas.  There also begins a gradual ascent here as well so of course we picked up a full load of fuel in Post & then proceeded to drag all that extra weight up the long ascent to Brownfield Texas some 54 miles away.

Before reaching Brownfield we stopped in a little town called Tahoka where Kelly slipped into a grocery store for some bananas & milk.  While waiting in the parking lot I was thinking what a nice name this town head.  I was reminded of the 'Bugscuffle highway sign I saw this morning.  Figured if the townsfolk of Tahoka ever got to-gether with the folks in the Bugscuffle area & had themselves knock em down & drag em out Saturday night barn dance, maybe by the end of the night they would come up with a new kind of dance called...........'The Tahoka Bugscuffle.'

 

COTTON FIELDS WEST OF POST, TEXAS

Now, about the word, Mossmagator' I sometimes use in my blogs.  JERRY asked me about that this morning in an email.  I first came across the word in the late 70's.  A friend & work place supervisor used it one day when describing something he couldn't remember.  Heard him use it a few more times in different ways & terms.  Mossmagator can be used in many venues...... could be a Mossmagator hub cab, or, can you hand me that Mossmagator of a wrench over there.  Oh, what a Mossmagator he is, had a piece of apple pie with some of that great Mossmagator sauce on it, & when eating one of Jerry's peanut butter & onion sandwiches you might just come down with a Mossmagator of a stomach ache!!  Anyone can use the word Mossmagator by following these simple rules.  You must repeat the word 'Mossmagator' 3 times in rapid succession & then turn around twice in the opposite direction.  If you do that, the word is yours to use forever.................. But, on a more serious note......the fellow I got that word from is right now at this moment in critical condition in a Jacksonville, Florida hospital after suffering serious injuries in a fall from a roof.  And, he is the very same Richard who I mentioned in my October 19th blog.  And as soon as he regains consciousness I'll bet he's going to say, "wow, that was one Mossmagator of a fall I had!!  Keep him in your special thoughts.

I THINK WE’RE GETTIN CLOSER TO THE MEXICAN BORDER

It's a cloudy Wednesday night with rain sprinkles & we are in Brownfield Texas.  We do not have good Verizon air card coverage here so I don't know if this blog will upload or not.  Haven’t been able to read any blogs, check hotmail, or leave comments anywhere.  May have to wait until we reach another area before we get caught up with everybody again.  Maybe Thursday sometime. 

We are in the Brownfield’s RV Park which has electricity, water, & a dump station, plus.......it's all free.  We stayed here last year on our journey west as well.  Lots of nice walking areas & the best part for us to-night is the pleasant fact that we are the only one's in the whole park.  Do  you suppose word got out again about the Bayfield Bunch's traveling animal circus being in the area.

COLEMAN RV PARK IN BROWNFIELD, TEXAS

Try as I might I could not get our hydraulic leveling jacks to work.  Haven't used them since last March but I'm sure I've remembered the procedure.  Tried with the engine on & off, made sure I had the emergency brake on, & tried with the slides both in & out.  Checked the glass type fuse & the filament inside looked fine.  Made sure I had the 'On' switch to on.  Nothing!!  No power going to the control box so to-night we sleep on a slant.  I absolutely hate mechanical things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

WE ARE THE ONLY ONE’S IN THE WHOLE PARK:))))

To-morrow we head west into New Mexico & my eyes will be straining to catch the first glimpse of the magical mountains looming out of the distant hazy horizon.  I am sooooo looking forward to seeing the mountains again.  The southwest has become our second home & we're looking forward to getting there very shortly:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal?  His goal.......transcend dental medication.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.