Our RV Adventures

Since today was a short run of 240 miles. we didn’t have to leave until about 10am, especially since we’ll gain an hour crossing into the Mountain Time Zone.

Before we left I did want to add a little air to my driver’s side rear outside dual. It seems to have a slow leak, but I don’t know if it’s the tire itself, or possibly, the tire pressure sensor. I’ll have to keep checking.

Anyway, it was so much easier using my new air compressor, rather than using the rig’s onboard air compressor.

A little before 10 I walked the garbage over to the dumpster, so we wouldn’t have to stop on the way out. While I was gone, Nick Russell called to check in and bring us up to date on their schedule.

We left the park about 10:15, heading west on I-10 to Las Cruces, NM, a 240 mile trip. Much shorter than yesterday’s drive, but still great scenery.

About 80 miles later, we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone, gaining an hour. As we approached the outskirts of El Paso, we had planned to take a new route suggested by Nick Russell. It’s called the TransMountain Dr., or SR-375 Loop. It’s a bypass around all the traffic going thru El Paso.

But when we came to the exit, traffic was backed up onto the feeder from that direction. Don’t know what the problem was, maybe a wreck up ahead, but it didn’t look like a direction we wanted to go. Luckily I was able to get right back on I-10 with no problems.

We got into Las Cruces about 2:15 and got a site at the Coachlight RV Park, another Passport America park. The sites are kind of tight, but we had no problems getting parked.

As soon as we got set up, we headed over to Old Mesilla (pronounced ‘Ma-see-ya’) to eat at La Posta, one of our two favorite restaurants here in Las Cruces. We wanted to get there early because on Friday nights they get very busy very fast.

I first ate at La Posta in 1981 when I was working with NASA at White Sands on the first Space Shuttle flights. I told Jan how great it was, but she didn’t get to eat here until we visited Las Cruces in 2007.

La Posta is the last remaining station on the old Butterfield Stage Line, and has been visited by the likes of Billy the Kid, Kit Carson, and Pancho Villa.

In the 1800’s Mesilla was a booming community. In fact until 1881, when it was bypassed by the railroad, it was the largest city between San Antonio, TX and San Diego, CA. But after that, it died a long, slow death.

It’s been a restaurant since 1939, and it’s still going strong today. It’s a beautiful place,

and the food is just delicious. This is my La Posta Grande dinner. It comes with a toss salad, queso, a sopapilla, and an empanada with ice cream for dessert. All this for $14.

Boy, were we both stuffed.

This is our other favorite restaurant in Las Cruces, El Comedor. It’s only about a half mile from La Posta. We normally eat at both places while we’re here, but with only one night, it was La Posta.

Leaving the restaurant, we drove over to the nearest SuperCuts so Jan could get her hair done. And then it was home for the night.

Getting back I got the sat dish set up and we settled in for the evening.

Tomorrow we’ll make a 250 mile run to Tucson for the night, and then on to Gila Bend on Sunday.

More tomorrow. . .

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Thought for the Day:

Shoot for the moon! If you miss you will still be amongst the stars. – Werner Von Braun

Of course, he also said “I aimed for the moon, but sometimes I hit London”

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This morning started with one of Gina’s great cranberry muffins, toasted and slathered with butter. Just fantastic!

I had gone out last night and taken down the sat dish, so we didn’t have a lot to do this morning, just unhook power, water and grey water drain.

As soon as I went outside this morning, the deer came running, apparently thinking I was Jan. But she did get a large group when she came out a little later.

We left Lake Pointe RV Park in Canyon Lake about 8:15 after stopping at the office to check out and pay our electric bill of $12.60. All sites are plus electric, but $12.60 is not bad for 5 days.

We had a great time visiting our friend Gina and look forward to seeing her again next year.

Rather than take the most direct route to I-10W, we took the scenic route up thru Fredericksburg and out US 290 to intersect I-10 about 25 miles east of Junction, TX.

The first thing we noticed was Texas’ enlightened view of speed limits out here in west Texas. Of course since I normally set the speed control in the rig on 55, it doesn’t help me much. But it is nice to dream.

We got to Junction, where we planned to eat lunch, a little before 11am, and parked right down the street from Isaak Restaurant

We had picked Isaak’s because it was listed in Texas Monthly as one of the best small town café’s in Texas, and we thought we’d give it a try. And Texas Monthly was right. It was really good.

When we plan on stopping at a place in a town I use Google Maps and Google Street View to find out what rig-sized parking area are available, and so far it’s always worked out.

Leaving the restaurant and walking back to the rig we saw this Deer Horn Tree. I guess it makes sense that the building right behind it is a deer processing business.

Then right outside Bakersfield (TX, not CA) we saw this. Jan immediately said “Look, it’s Boob Mountain. (God, I love this woman!)

And she was almost right. It’s called Squawteat Peak. Probably not exactly PC, but certainly not only ones around.

In August 2009 we were in the Bar Harbor, ME area on our way to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and saw this.

Officially they’re called ‘The Bubbles’. But guess what the locals call them?

And don’t even get me started on ‘The Grand Tetons’.  Just because it’s French doesn’t mean it’s not naughty. Or maybe that’s why.

About an hour or so out of Balmorhea, I started the diesel generator so we could run the roof air conditioners, since it was getting pretty warm in the coach. It was 85 there today, warmer than we’ve been used to for a while.

We arrived at the Saddleback Mountain RV Park a little before 5pm, checked in, and got set up.

It’s a nice little park, in a desolate sort of way, but a great deal at $10 for full hookups with Passport America.

Tomorrow we have a much shorter drive of about 240 miles to Las Cruces, NM, a lot better than the 370 miles today.

More tomorrow from Las Cruces.

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Thought for the Day:

“If women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. If you can’t be either, be rich enough to pay someone to fix things.” – Red Green

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