Started out on US 54 today in a northerly direction which was good for
Kim’s eyes. We’d both been dreading driving east in the mornings…Kim, because
his eyes would rebel and want to close and me, because I usually have to drive when
that happens. I enjoy driving so that’s not the problem. My concern is that I’ve
never pulled the camper, although I’m sure I could. I just don’t relish the
thought of learning under duress. So, this morning, north is a good direction
until the sun gets high enough to not be an issue.
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Phone said the temperature was 46o upon waking…a bit cooler
than what we left behind but the sun made it very tolerable for bare legs. The
hoodie came out of the camper last night and my jeans are easily accessible in
the truck, but I hope to avoid putting them on for a couple more days.
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Just because I
was curious…
Setbacks:
Although
it can vary due to local ordinances, wind turbines are generally required to be
set back from public roads by a distance of 1.1 to 1.5 times their total height (tip height).
Installation: Installing a commercial wind
turbine usually takes 6 months to 2 years for the entire project, including site preparation,
foundation pouring, and assembly. While the actual erection of a single turbine
can take just a few days, the full logistical process, including foundation
curing, generally spans several months.
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The little town of Corona, NM, has seen some construction activity in
the past 3 or 4 years. Not construction to the town itself, though. First there
was some road construction between Carrizozo and Corona, but closer to Corona.
The crews had to stay somewhere, and it looked like the locals were taking
advantage of that fact by renting every inch of their yards to workers with
RVs. Now that the road work has been completed, it appears wind turbine crews have
replaced them, breathing some life back into these little towns…even if
temporarily.
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Brunch was at Penny’s Diner in Vaughn…really the only place to sit down
place to eat between Carrizozo and Vaughn. We ate there a couple of years ago, so
we knew the food would be good. And as a little extra fun, I knew
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Kim has been wanting to get some drone footage of pronghorn; finally
started seeing them north of Tucumcari but most were on the move. Found a herd
that was grazing and seemed to be good candidates; put the drone up even though
it was whining to the controller about how windy it was. But it did not give
up. It had a job to do, and it stayed with it.🙃
On Kim’s end, the sun was creating an issue…he couldn’t see the screen so he
didn’t know if the camera was on the herd or not. Turns out the herd was visible…in
the bottom left-hand corner of the video field. Not what Kim had envisioned but
it’s what he got.
Stopped for fuel in Liberal, KS…Kim wanted me to check out the right
rear tire on the camper. Criminy! It looked like it had a tumor protruding from
just above the rim. Just that quick The Topeka Tire Episode from last year
flashed through my mind and I started doing the mental gymnastics…What day
is it? Anywhere local to buy a tire? How about hotels?
Back on the road at 7:20 p.m. and keeping our fingers crossed. Stopped
after about 20 minutes of driving so Kim could check the tires…just for his
peace of mind. All tires are lookin’ good!
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Made about 470 miles today…not as much as we’d hoped but the tire kind
of messed up our plans. In Dodge City for the night, hoping to get an early
start tomorrow morning.
