Thursday, April 2…The Windmills of Your Mind (Dusty Springfield)

 

   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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 Wind turbines have dotted the landscape to the west of US 54 between Vaughn and Carrizozo for the eleven years we’ve been driving out here. On our way out this year, we noticed that there had been an expansion to the east of the highway. Today, I was amazed to find turbines just on the other side of the power lines, maybe 200 or so yards from the road. My over-active imagination has them playing a very weird version of the game “Mother, May I” at night, sneaking closer and closer to the road.

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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 there were whiteboards for the customers to display their creativity. Last time we were there, I only had a small section to add my handiwork to the walls; this time the walls had recently been cleaned so I had plenty of room to make my mark. Turns out that a small space to work with may have made it easier.        

   Using a picture on my phone as a guide, I did a reasonable job on the Upper Peninsula, but it took me several attempts to get the Mitten even remotely close to how it looks. When it was as good as I was going to get it, I marked Charlevoix and Freesoil (where Mom lives) and added KB2 and Grandma Hall, along with the date.

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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.

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   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?  

   Luckily, Kim caught it before we had a blowout. And my racing brain slowed down when he said that we have a good spare but no jack. Harbor Freight to the rescue!!  So currently (5:30 p.m.), we’re hanging out in the parking lot of Harbor Freight while Kim changes the tire. **Big sigh** 

   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.

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