With no idea when Congress might pass a spending bill, three days of elevator repairs planned for Carlsbad Caverns and a storm with high winds approaching we decided to head back towards El Paso to continue our westward journey. After doing as much research on the storm as possible we decided it was safe to leave. I waved at the Carlsbad Caverns park entrance as we passed. Unfortunately the only good way to return was the same road we had traveled the previous day – so no pictures.
We did go a bit beyond El Paso and spent the night about halfway between El Paso and Las Cruces, so the day ended as it began – in New Mexico!
As we pulled out Monday morning we called Pro Tech Diesel (on the north side of El Paso in Anthony, TX) to see if they could fit us in to repair our bent generator tailpipe. They had been recommended to us late Saturday morning when we searched for a muffler shop that could handle us but they closed at noon. Luck was with us this time as they weren’t too busy! It took several hours but they were able to fix the tailpipe as well as test and replace our weak chassis batteries. We definitely recommend them – their staff, service and pricing were all fantastic.
By now it was late afternoon so we just headed back to the same campground in New Mexico. I did a few loads of laundry while we worked on a plan for the next few days. The government shutdown was still affecting our plans – points of interest planned for Tucson were all national parks so that didn’t look promising. Eventually we decided to head toward Phoenix – stopping in Safford, Arizona to keep the driving time reasonable.
The drive through New Mexico was similar to the previous few days but I did manage to take a few pictures. We had long roads, long trains and far off mountains – and an industrial plant that looked like a castle from far way!
This Border Patrol Inspection Point separated cars and trucks – we probably should have gone for the truck side as the lanes for cars were a pretty tight fit for the RV. They didn’t even speak to us this time – just waved us through!
Twice along the way we encountered blowing dust warnings – and it was a whole series this time not just one sign! I missed the one that said not to stop in traffic lanes – I thought that was pretty obvious but I guess people get disoriented in a dust storm.
We’ve now spent three nights in New Mexico and have left the state without seeing much of anything except highways and campgrounds – hopefully we’ll catch some sights when we come back across the northern part of the state later in the year!
Once into Arizona, the town of Duncan provided some interesting sights – cute store fronts and entertaining shop signs – and they manage to keep the hotel fully occupied.
And of course they sell rocks and there are cattle in pastures along the road.
Between towns we again had miles of road, houses on distant ridges and more mountains.
As we approached Safford the scenery began to change – pastures and scrub were being replaced by cultivated fields – some green and some just plowed. The warning signs reflected that a different hazard might be encountered and it appears they have some rather electrifying shoes!
Tomorrow we’ll shorten our drive time a bit and see some sights in Arizona over the next few days – I managed to find a reasonably priced RV resort in the Phoenix area (pretty amazing as many were fully booked or rather pricey).
For more pictures of our drive along Interstate 10 in New Mexico click here and for pictures of southeast Arizona click here.
The Travel Adventures of Cheryl and Charlie 