Escape from Demming

We escaped from Deming, New Mexico today. 

Sunday brought very high winds, rain, sleet, snow, dust storm, and hell fire to Deming.  The temperature also dropped to 20.  Police were advising no travel due to very limited visibility.  So we stayed in town and attended a free jam session at a local dance hall.  About 10 musicians showed and close to 75 spectators practiced spectating and/or dancing to the music.  Donna believes that I could sing better than some of the performers.  Make any assumption you want on the quality of the performance from that fact.

We left Deming at 9:00 this morning and travelled almost 300 miles through New Mexico and into Arizona.  We crossed the continental divide about a half-hour out.   Many of the higher mountain peaks were snow capped but the desert floor was very dry.  Some road construction interfered with our speed and we survived I-10 through Tucson.  We landed at the Rover's Roost Park (an Escapee Park) in Casa Grande, AZ.  Casa Grande is about an hour out south of Phoenix.  The temperature was 70 and the sky was full sun when we arrived this afternoon.  We decided to stay for a month as the rate is very reasonable:  $250 plus electricity for full hookups.

First impressions are very positive.  However, we did see a coyote just outside of the park and were told that rattle snakes may be out at night trying to keep warm on the blacktop in the park.  Fun!

White Sands National Monument

On Friday after touring Mesilla, we went to the White Sands National Monument click located 52 miles east of  Las Cruces or 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico.  The monument borders the White Sands missile Range and, in fact, is often closed during periods of testing.  There are 275 square miles of  magnificent white dunes.  There is a self guided tour on an 8 mile long road which takes you through the dunes:

The dunes are gypsum crystals.   From a distance they appear as drifted banks of snow:

Touring this site was well worth the drive from Deming.

New Mexico Tourist Traps

As the conditions remain too windy to tow the trailer, we decided to see some of the sights today.  We headed back east to Las Cruces area to see the old town of Mesilla, New Mexico.  Mesilla was a part of Mexico until 1848.  Mesilla has a long history of Apache attacks and colorful characters including Billy the Kid.  Old Billy was tried in this building for murder and was hung:

The old downtown is built about a plaza with a catholic church on one end.  Here is Donna talking to her sister Judy in the square:
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The square is lined with shops and restaurants all looking for handouts from northern tourists.  We had a late morning snack here:

Here is yet another example of the adobe architecture:

It's a very picturesque town connected to the very large city of Las Cruces. 

On the Move

Thursday was a day of travel.  We left Ft. Stockton Texas at about 8:00 and headed out to Deming New Mexico, a distance of about 360 miles on I-10.  West Texas is one long and boring drive through the desert with distant low mountains visible.  We saw lots of goats and some cattle grazing.  The weather was much colder than we had on Wednesday.  Highs were only in the 50s (had been in the low eighties).  We had a strong head wind all the way which negatively affected our mileage.  The area is very dry so dust and dirt were prevalent.  The speed limit was 80 yet very few vehicles went that fast.  We  travelled at 65 mph and had only a handful of vehicles pass us until we got near El Paso. 

We stopped in Van Horn, Texas for a late breakfast and re-fueling.  We realized that we had changed time zones and gained an hour because we were now in Mountain Time.  We entered the dreaded El Paso traffic at 11:30.  Traffic was moderate and we had no problems.  The highway runs parallel to the Mexico border which looked to be less than a mile away.  At the north end of El Paso is the border for New Mexico.  We stopped at a visitor's center on the highway and picked up a new map and tourist information.  We remembered stopping here 6 years ago:

About 15 miles west of Las Cruces was a border patrol check point.  All west bound traffic was pulled off the road (similar to a truck weigh station)  for "inspection."  About a 1/4 mile from the border patrol staff were video cameras pointed at the driver, passenger, front license plate, rear license plate, passenger's left ankle, driver's right arm pit etc.  Also evident were an array of other sensors.  Once at the head of the line, I was asked if we had anyone riding in our trailer.  After I replied "no," we were waived through.  Apparently, old people from Wisconsin and considered "safe." 

We arrived in Deming elevation 4487 feet shortly before 2:00 PM and set up house in the Dream Catcher's RV Park which is a part of the Escapee Club's park system.  The rate is $12 per night plus electricity for full hook-ups.  The site is a flat gravelled service which includes a club house.

 Initially, we were going to stay at Deming for only one night.  However, high wind warnings are in effect so we decided to stay put until at least Monday.  Temperatures are expected to dip into the low 20s and rain/sleet/snow is possible.  Winds are forecast to be in the 40 mph range with gusts to 70 mph.  We are told if the visibility is poor due to blowing dust, the interstate will be closed.   We will be hunkered down until the storm passes.

Ft. Stockton, Texas Day 2

We veered off from our very tight schedule and stayed a second night in Ft. Stockton.  Not directly by choice, however.  Upon unloading the trailer from the hitch, I noticed that one of the safety chains was oily. Donna smelled propane.  As propane was higher on the do it now list, I discovered that propane was leaking from a bleeder nozzle at the fill port.  When we got propane on the way out of Boerne, the propane attendant did not tighten it down appropriately.  Tightened it and the smell dissipated.  Another thing to double check when we refill!  Back to the oil.  Checked under the truck and could not see any evidence of a drip or leak.  Wondered if propane could have been the culprit?  Checked the Ft. Stockton area for an auto repair service to check for possible problem.  Chevy dealer was less than 2 miles away.  Went there and came back with an 8:00 AM appointment for today.   Needed a rear end gasket.  Left by 11:00 with gasket installed and $227.00 dollars less in the kitty.  We decided that we would rather stay another night here than get to El Paso at rush hour this afternoon.  The last time we drove through El Passo was at rush hour and the traffic on the interstate was horrendous.  We plan on leaving early tomorrow morning to be in El Paso before noon and then ending in Deming, New Mexico. 

We made the most of our time here by touring the area.  Yes, there really is a fort in Ft. Stockton.  We know because we paid our $3.00 each for a tour of the grounds.    The fort lies in the heart of the city and has been recently restored.  The fort never had a palisade as one could see across the desert for miles in all directions.  No one could sneak up on it without being seen.  The fort consists of a large parade grounds with several buildings including bunkhouses, officers' quarters and guard house:

The above guardhouse had three solitary confinement cells and a large holding cell.  Not too many of the residents of the cells smiled upon entry.  Below is an example of other buildings on the site:

And, of course, any old western fort has to have a connection with John Wayne, right?

Here is a closer view of the sign painted on the wagon for you old western buffs (you know who you are, don't you?):

Behind the wagon, is the parade grounds.  The grass looks very brown in the photo.  It was.  It actually crunched under our feet.  It is so dry here that there is a high alert in place for flash fires. 

A few blocks away from the fort is the tourist information center where tourists are greeted with this water falls and sculpture:

Actually, this is but a small piece of a much larger display.  It was quite impressive.  But not as impressive as this REAL, GIANT ROADRUNNER we found downtown:

Donna got it to pose for us by teasing it with some candy.  And, of course, there was some pretty good camera work involved!

Ft. Stockton, Texas

Today was a travel day.  We have left Boerne and are on our way to Arizona.  We are spending the the night in Ft. Stockton, Texas, at an RV park, Comanche Land RV Park, along Interstate 10.  It's basically a large gravelled parking lot on the highway.  The price is OK ($16) for full hookups for an overnight stay.  And we have good phone and Internet service!

Ft. Stockton is part of the Big Bend region of Texas and lies with the Chihuahuan Desert which covers not only parts of Texas but Mexico and New Mexico as well.  Annual rainfall is reported to be no more than 12 inches.  There actually is an old fort here which initially protected settlers from the Comanches a few years prior to the Civil War.  Tourist attraction now.  Big Bend National Park is also in the vicinity--actually 127 miles away, but in Texas, that is in the neighborhood.

Wicked in San Antonio

On Sunday afternoon we attended a performance of the musical "Wicked" which is based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.”  The story is centered on Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West ) from the "Wizard of Oz" and deals with the circumstances of her birth, her friendship with Glinda (the "good" witch) and how she became "wicked." 

The performance was at the Majestic Theater which really is quite majestic. 

We attended with John and Judy's daughter, Kathy, and her son Justin and had box seats provided by Johna and Judy.  There were 6 boxes in the theater (three left and three right of the stage) with each box having 6 chairs.

 If that didn't spoiled us enough,  the assigned wait staff and valet parking topped it off.  Good show.  Thanks to John and Judy for tickets!

Prior to the show, we took a stroll on the River Walk.  It is a walkway along the San Antonio River one story below street level with hotels, shops, cafes, restaurants, etc.   We found it bustling with activity with people eating at street cafes, shopping or just out for the sights.  And the river boast were full of tourists floating up and down the river with the boat captains providing a history lesson of the area. 

It was a great day.

Note that the above photos are not my own but are from Internet sources.