On to Las Cruces, New Mexico and Beyond

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Last night, I cooked my first meal.  Maybe not real cooking, but it was hot.  I made noodle soup and had butter and crackers to go with it and some Tapioca pudding for dessert.  I had to text Dolly about three times to get it done, but my cooking career has started.  I was getting quite tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and dinner.

Left Fort Stockton for New Mexico at 10 a.m. this morning and about 50 miles west started running into my first western mountains.  These were the Barrilla Mountains to my south.  (The names of the mountains is to the best of my recollection and may not be 100% accurate)Then came the Davis Mountains where the historic Fort Davis is located.  Next were the Apache Mountains to my north.  Can’t go west without following trains.Then the Van Horn Mountains.Getting a little shaggy.  Debating on whether to shave or not this trip.

Stopped at this rest stop for lunch overlooking the Apache Mountains.  Beautiful place on a beautiful day.  

Ran into a little traffic and road work in El Paso, Texas.  That place is very crowded, even at 2 in the afternoon Mountain Time.

  Had to stop at a border check.  They asked if I was an American citizen and off I went.  I guess because El Paso is so close to the Mexican border, they want to make sure they don’t make it into New Mexico.
My plan was to sleep over in an I-10 rest area overlooking Las Cruces, New Mexico like we did coming home earlier this year.  Here is my account of that stay:  Bisbee – Part II and Guadalupe Mountain National Park.  However, the rest stop is only for those traveling east and I was too lazy to turn back, so I proceeded west to Deming, Texas.

I am now sitting in the Walmart parking lot on a nice level spot and ready to rest for the night.  The weather is just great here, so later I may walk around the other stores in this mall.

See you later.