Tucumcari, New Mexico

Friday, March 24, 2017

My location:  Tucumcari, New Mexico – Love’s Truck Stop

(Continued from yesterday)

As I slipped into Chloride, New Mexico, I started taking photos.  I could tell immediately the Chloride community took pride in their little town and had remodeled many of the original old mining homes and buildings.

I parked right across from the Pioneer Store and museum and walked through the town.  Not very big.  Has one main street and that is dirt.   The town has the look and feel of an old western town you see in the cowboy movies.  Even has the rails to tie your horse.  Most of the buildings are open for business, but probably not much business.

 

This sign refers to the building below it.

This is the sign hanging in front of the building above.

As I entered Chloride, I noticed a sign to my right for the town’s cemetery.  As I was leaving,  I drove up the dirt road to see it.  The road was so steep going up the hill, I had to put the Jeep in four wheel drive.   Wonder how they have funeral processions.

There were fairly new residents, but many were very old.  The stones were hand carved on some of them and some were just wooden crosses.  Looks like they leave the grounds in their natural state.

 

 

This is the view as I looked East towards the Caballo Mountains.  They bury their dead high up on a hill overlooking the whole area.

This house was right in front of me as I turned the first curve leaving Chloride.  Very nice and colorful home.

Heading home, I should have known the weather was going to get bad.  The wind had picked up and there was dust everywhere.  As we were leaving the hills, it was spitting wet snow.

Sam Mateo Peak was giving me a warning the weather is changing in his mountains.  I got back to the RV around 5 o’clock and the temperature was dropping like a rock.  Yesterday, I had the AC on and tonight I will need to turn on the furnace.  Weather changes fast!

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The wind became fierce in the little valley in the mountains where I parked the RV.  Went to bed hoping that the wind would die down soon.  But, that was not to be.  By 2 A.M., I wanted to get out of bed and hook the Jeep and get out of there, but the wind was so bad, I was afraid I would hurt myself in the dark, so I waited till first light.  The sustained howling wind must have been in the 30’s or 40’s and the gusts might have hit 70 mph.  Needless to say, Yuma and I didn’t get any sleep last night.

At 5:30, I put on all my warm clothes and braved the howling winds and got everything hooked up and the inside packed and we were heading down the mountainside by 6:30.  The wind was better in the desert, but it was still bad.

I didn’t stop until I hit the first rest area East of Albuquerque around 1 o’clock.   The wind was coming out of the West as I was driving North on I-25.   I was buffeted the whole way, but I kept telling myself that once I hit I-40, the wind would be at my back and it would be clear sailing.  I’m 140 miles through my 315 mile journey.

The Rio Grande River.

Got to get in the right lane for I-40 East towards Santa Rosa, and I made it.

Saying goodbye to the mountains above Albuquerque with their dusting of snow from last night’s drastic weather change .

About an hour after leaving the rest area, the winds turned to the North and picked up significantly.   I was holding the wheel with white knuckles as I was buffeted again.

Lots of high desert heading East across New Mexico.  I am so glad there were no sandstorms today.  With the winds, I was afraid there might be.

Getting close to Tucumcari with their red dirt and mesas.  Finally, I made it to my destination around 3 o’clock for the evening.

I got one last insult for the day.  Tucumcari does not have a Walmart.  Five exits and no Walmart!!  I was so tired from not having any sleep and driving over eight hours, I knew I wasn’t going any further.  So, here I am for the night.

See you later.