The hummingbird feeders were taken
down after dark last night, washed and then packed away. The hummers were a little confused this
morning, but it won’t take long before they forget about the tree in site #59
and focus on the clubhouse feeders. I did leave a little something for the seed
birds…pieces of dried bread. Oh, and cabbage leaves for the rabbits.
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The new axles and tires on the camper make it ride a bit higher than before, which changed the incline of the ramp. The bikes need a little more gas to get up the ramp, but the driver has to be ready to hit the brakes as soon as the bike is on the level in the camper, so he/she doesn’t end up in the bathroom. Once the bikes are safely in their chocks, they need to be tied down with rachet straps, in a very limited space. Kim loads and unloads the bikes; I act in more of a Vanna White capacity to Kim’s Pat Sajak. 😉
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The campground has several dying/dead trees that Ryan and Felicia wanted removed; this morning, a two- man crew came in to start that process. When we stopped in the office to say our goodbyes, we good-naturedly asked Felicia if the tree in Lot 59 was going to avoid the chainsaw. We put in a good word for sparing the life of that particular tree and will hope for the best. While it’s annoying because it drops tree feathers constantly, it’s still very much alive. But it’s not our campground and until they allow us to buy Lot 59, we have no say in the matter. 😎
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We were on the road before 11 o’clock, which is an hour or so before our
normal departure schedule. Told Felicia to figure on us for Feb. 15 through
March 31, 2026.
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We thought we’d left in plenty of time to make our reservation of Feb.
15. But there was that unexpected 5-day delay in Topeka due to camper issues; we eventually arrived in Picacho ready to enjoy our time there. We didn’t
see Sam Elliott this year or the Traveling Sheep, but we did find a burrowing
owl. We saw some awesome dust devils and got caught smack dab in the middle of
a not so awesome dust storm. We went to
the theater 4 times this year instead of our typical one time, experienced a
100-degree day, and held our very own 5K race. We walked around a mountain out
in the desert and were lucky enough to see prickly pear and saguaro cactuses
bloom in the campground. We probably ate at the food trucks too often and there
are plenty of piggy cookies in the freezer. (Some are for my mom.) Roadrunners
used the tree in our yard as a launch pad to get over the fence and I finally
figured out how the rabbits were getting to the other side of the fence. Kim set
up his telescope in the corner of the campground where he has a cement pad painted
with longitude, latitude, and elevation numbers and this year, he imaged new
targets as well as some favorites. I found a kindred spirit in Tammy, and it
was fun to have a ride buddy after the stator on Kim’s bike crapped out so he
couldn’t ride.
We’ve been going to the same campground for nine years; there is so much
that's the same, and yet it’s a different experience each year.
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Got word from Marshal that we have power at our house. Yay!! I already know that the meat in our chest freezer needs to be thrown out; we’re thinking the freezer will need to be as well. But so grateful for the linemen out doing their thing in less than stellar conditions so that power could be restored.
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We managed to avoid all the dark rain clouds out in front of us as we
headed toward New Mexico. It was a mostly sunny drive, but breezy when we
stopped at Dwayne’s, near Fort Bowie, hoping the food truck would be open this time.
It was; the cheeseburger was good, but the fries were only so-so. Bought
pecans, pistachios and peanut brittle and were on our merry way.
Jumped ahead an hour when we crossed into New Mexico and right now we’re
trying to judge how far to drive tonight.
Tucumcari isn’t out of the question, but the weather radar is showing
the possibility of running into a big blue cloud which means snow. Not anxious to drive or be a passenger in a
snowstorm. So, maybe Carrizozo. Currently, just leaving Las Cruces, heading
to Alamogordo.
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We’ve been listening to another Harry Bosch book, The Concrete Blonde,
which is the third in the series. We both have ideas about ‘whodunit’ but there’s
eight hours left to the book, so I’m sure there will be an upcoming twist or
two. I’ve read the book but as with the other two, it’s been so long ago that
the important details are escaping me.
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10:45 p.m….Tucked into a room at the
Super 8 in Santa Rosa, NM. I knew that
there’s not much in Vaughn, NM, but Google showed there are three hotels…a
Travelodge and two local motels. The
girl in the gas station verified that, saying that the Travelodge would be full
of construction workers and that the Bel-Air motel would be our next best bet. She followed that recommendation with her
opinion that it was a pretty crappy motel so we thought the 40 miles to Santa
Rosa would give us a few more options. Had a room booked before we reached
Santa Rosa.
Drove in rain for maybe the last 30 miles but the big blue cloud shouldn’t
materialize in this area until overnight. Thankful that we didn’t have to drive
in snow after dark. There might be snow tomorrow but then again maybe not. Cross
that bridge when we wake up.
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Drove about 570 miles today.
