Monday, Feb. 20…Howlin’ at the Moon (Hank Williams Sr.)

   I usually make hotel reservations while we’re on the road.  I turn my phone into a hotspot, connect to the web on my computer and see what’s available down the road. I know I can do it on my phone but the small screen isn’t as easy to navigate as the computer screen.

   When I made our hotel reservation for the Best Western in Deming, NM, I knew this was the same Best Western we’d stayed at last year. But there was a definite sense of déjà vu when we walked into our room.  Turns out the king bed, no smoking room was the exact same one as last year…Room #113.  And having stayed here before, I knew that the waffles would have the BW monogram and frankly, was looking forward to having one for breakfast this morning.  But alas, it was not to be…the BW waffle machine broke and was replaced with a plain waffle machine. I choose to have eggs and sausage instead. 😋

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  Saw miles of railroad ties laying along the tracks in New Mexico, parallel to I-10. Kim guessed that a tie replacement project was underway.  The track was less than 100 feet from the highway with a frontage road between and I really wanted to stop and take a quick peek.  But there was a pesky fence between the highway and the frontage road so I took Kim’s advice and turned to YouTube instead.  Turns out there’s lots of videos on the subject. Watched a couple of short videos of both wooden and cement ties being replaced. Can’t imagine how this was done before the invention of the machinery that was being used.  Interesting stuff to watch!

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   We’re back in the Land of the Dust Storm with signs along the road advising what to do should a person be caught in one.  We have been in a dust storm in the past and it’s as disorienting as being caught in a sudden whiteout in a snowstorm. But today all was clear on the road to Picacho.

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   I have to say right off that I am not a Sylvester Stallone fan…I don’t care for the type of movies he makes.  Despite not being a fan, I requested that we make a quick stop in Bowie, AZ, because apparently it’s the birthplace of Rambo, the gun toting, headband wearing character portrayed by Stallone.  And what person my age doesn’t recognize that character? According to Roadside America,  
the mural of Rambo isnon the side of a gas station so, yippee skippee, I could make it double as a bathroom stop. 😎  I was glad I took my camera into the gas station with me because there was another mural in the hallway to the restrooms that caught my eye.  It depicts a southwestern band of animals hangin' out on a moonlit Arizona night. I know what the coyotes would sound like because I hear them at home but a sunglass wearing turtle? What would he sound like...what would he sing? The blues? Classic rock? A ballad? What a fun thing to ponder. 
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   While we’ve been keeping our windshield clean, both inside and out, the rest of our rig has been still wearing its Michigan salt layer. We knew that Picacho has a truck wash but we also knew from experience that there’s a mind numbing wait so that was going to be our last resort.  However, from Tucumcari onward we couldn’t find an easily accessible car wash that was tall enough for the camper. So, Picacho truck wash it was.  As expected, we waited in line for over an hour to have our rig spiffed up so it wouldn’t look so nasty when we pulled up to the campground office.  All total the experience took over 90 minutes.  But the bonus of waiting was that I was able to walk over to Hot Dogs Alvarado to get us a late lunch.  Two hot dogs with everything, please!

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   Arrived at the KOA at about 4:30, checked in at the office saying a quick hello to Ryan and Felicia before heading to site #59, our home base for the next 5 to 6 weeks.  Got most of the set-up done before dark; everything seems to be in working order except possibly the fridge.  Not sure about that yet.  All surfaces have been wiped down and the floor’s been mopped. We have no food, but we do have some trail mix and mandarin oranges which along with the hot dog we had earlier will have to suffice for now.  

   The temperature was in the 70s upon our arrival and I was most certainly overdressed in jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt.  Rumor has it that tomorrow is supposed to be colder (in the 50s), rainy and windy…very windy.  Let the good times begin!!   


 

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