caravanman
Engineer
Rain during the night at Pinetop near Show Low, but a nice fresh clear morning. I have my trusty travel kettle, even though it takes ages to boil, as it is designed for use with 250 volts, and I made up some instant porridge and PG Tips tea for breakfast.
My route is influenced by my road map again today... following the green dots makes for a scenic drive, mostly.
Yesterday was an arid environment for much of the drive, rocky, sharp and dusty. Today starts much more softly, many trees, but also open spaces, grasslands, and animals grazing between the wide spaced trees.
The area is part of the Apache white mountains reserve, and the roads are quiet... Something I notice the further I drive, is that if you can get off the main highways, the lesser roads are almost empty. The lesser roads here in America would be a damn fine major road if in the UK.. road construction standards here are good.
My route today takes me on 260 through Eagar and on to Alpine, where I branch off on the 180. I get the impression that there has been some mining in the area, I notice some very smooth rounded hills which, although huge, look man made.
Soon I have passed the New Mexico border, and my route continues through the San Francisco Mountains, all the way down to Silver City and Bayard. At this point the sky darkens dramatically and the car is deluged by rain, it is like driving in a black wet cloud. I try not to think about tornado's and storm chasers and eventually it eases off... there was even a rainbow as a curtain call. The stretch of road from Bayard to Deming is long and straight, there are mountains off in the distance but not much to see close up. I decide to halt at Deming as it was later than I thought... clocks go forward an hour in New Mexico, coming from the west!
A nice room, a fair sleep, and a good motel breakfast of eggs and fruit, together with my own porridge and tea, set me up again for the day.
Noticed Roswell on the map, so thought, why not... seen London Bridge, be rude not to look in on the aliens too when I am so near!
A quick drive along 10 and then onto 70 from Las Cruces up to Alamogordo, minor diversion caused by several trucks colliding and blocking the road, hope no one was injured, and so on to Roswell.
Checked into motel and promptly fell asleep, must have been that big breakfast! I will have to look out for aliens in the morning...
Some more pics here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152731692634120.1073741839.682004119&type=1&l=40a5fa2924
And more of New Mexico to explore yet...
Ed
My route is influenced by my road map again today... following the green dots makes for a scenic drive, mostly.
Yesterday was an arid environment for much of the drive, rocky, sharp and dusty. Today starts much more softly, many trees, but also open spaces, grasslands, and animals grazing between the wide spaced trees.
The area is part of the Apache white mountains reserve, and the roads are quiet... Something I notice the further I drive, is that if you can get off the main highways, the lesser roads are almost empty. The lesser roads here in America would be a damn fine major road if in the UK.. road construction standards here are good.
My route today takes me on 260 through Eagar and on to Alpine, where I branch off on the 180. I get the impression that there has been some mining in the area, I notice some very smooth rounded hills which, although huge, look man made.
Soon I have passed the New Mexico border, and my route continues through the San Francisco Mountains, all the way down to Silver City and Bayard. At this point the sky darkens dramatically and the car is deluged by rain, it is like driving in a black wet cloud. I try not to think about tornado's and storm chasers and eventually it eases off... there was even a rainbow as a curtain call. The stretch of road from Bayard to Deming is long and straight, there are mountains off in the distance but not much to see close up. I decide to halt at Deming as it was later than I thought... clocks go forward an hour in New Mexico, coming from the west!
A nice room, a fair sleep, and a good motel breakfast of eggs and fruit, together with my own porridge and tea, set me up again for the day.
Noticed Roswell on the map, so thought, why not... seen London Bridge, be rude not to look in on the aliens too when I am so near!
A quick drive along 10 and then onto 70 from Las Cruces up to Alamogordo, minor diversion caused by several trucks colliding and blocking the road, hope no one was injured, and so on to Roswell.
Checked into motel and promptly fell asleep, must have been that big breakfast! I will have to look out for aliens in the morning...
Some more pics here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152731692634120.1073741839.682004119&type=1&l=40a5fa2924
And more of New Mexico to explore yet...
Ed
