Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Day 4 - Perfect Day till Deming, New Mexico

 The morning was perfect.  Cold but sunny.  I decided to head out at 7:15 as the sun was coming up and have breakfast down the road.  They were calling for a cold front to come in with wind, so I wanted to get to Deming early and settle in.  Ha!

Yuma enjoyed seeing the flat lands and helping me navigate.  We stopped at a rest area and had our breakfast.

As you can see the weather was perfect again today.  Sunny with no wind as we headed towards Albuquerque.  As we drove along the land was fairly flat and then as we got nearer to Albuquerque we could see mountains.  Just as we arrived into the city, we went through the Sandia Mountains and then down into the valley where Albuquerque is.





Just wanted to give you a flavor of what we were seeing as we drove along.  I am taking these out the window with one hand so they are blurry.

We turned onto I-25 from I-40 inside the city limits.  The markings were great and we had no problems at all finding our way.  I-25 is a beautiful road for most of the way.  I was glad t finally be heading South after three days of going West.

Stopped in Truth or Consequences for diesel, my only stop of the day for fuel. :))  The Elephant Butte State Park with its beautiful lake was on my left as we drove along I-25.


Here's another one of Yuma's favorite places to get some sun.
At the small town of Hatch, we headed toward Deming, New Mexico on highway 26.  It is a two lane road but saw only one car behind me the entire 30 miles.

Made good time all the way to Deming.  Still took about seven hours but it was smooth sailing.  Then things went bad.  Last year when I stopped at Walmart they told me to go next door to a vacant building they had bought and it had plenty of parking.  

So, I drove past Walmart and went to turn into the drive and I almost ran into a cable running across the drive.  It was a four lane road and when I turned left across the oncoming traffic I didn't see it.  There I was stopped blocking both the lanes of traffic on the busiest street in town.

I got out to see if I could remove the cable but no luck.  By now, people were honking because I was blocking the street completely.  I tried to pull the stake out of the ground and then I heard someone say "you can't do that." and I turned around to see a motorcycle policeman with a bull horn.

He started directing traffic and I told him I would have to unhook the jeep but luckily this street person walked over.  I asked him if he would steer the jeep while I backed out.  Thank goodness he came along and was nice enough to help.  Backed up enough while the policeman stopped traffic so I could get back on the street and out of the way.  Gave the man $20 and it was the best money I spent today.   Sorry I didn't take the time for a few pictures. :))

He also told me the city had made it illegal to park overnight in the city limits.  Made a decision to leave Deming behind.  Too bad!  I had stayed there overnight for a number of years.  

Got on I-10 and headed west looking for the next rest area and luckily about 15 miles down the road there it was and I'm in a nice rest stop for the night.  By this time it was 4:30 so it took from 7:15 to 4:30 to end my day. Nine hours and change!  Good thing I started early.  The wind had picked up in the afternoon, but it wasn't a bother and the temperature is very comfortable. 

All in all it wasn't really a bad day.  Could have been worse.  

See you later.

26 comments:

  1. You had a very interesting day. How terrible of Deming to ban parking,after all.these years. I guess its just a sign of the times. 😟 Hope Pretty pictures of your day's drive. Have a safe trip tomorrow.

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    1. Thanks Dolly. Not a fan of Deming anymore. Glad you enjoyed the picture.

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  2. When we came that way in October I remembered you had mentioned that Walmart did not allow overnight parking anymore. Every once and a while I retain that type of information luckily I did not retain what you said about the empty lot so we had planned on just going by. It sounds like they really do not want RVer's there, I find that sad, and we will be driving past Deming in the future. It must have felt good to pull into that rest area after your long day. Looks like Yuma has found a warm comfortable spot to enjoy the ride. Continued safe travels.

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    1. There were a lot of trucks and some RVs in the Walmart parking lot so Walmart is not enforcing the ban but the city police could come by in the middle of the night so not worth the worry. For another 15 miles I had a nice NM rest area. :))

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  3. I agree Doug,that was nice of him to drive the Jeep, I find most people will help when you needed it! Will you be in Arizona tomorrow? Anyway safe travels, Rawn

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    1. Thanks Rawn. Expect to be in Tucson at the Pima County Fairgrounds for one night to get water and propane.

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  4. Well, that's good for fellow RV'ers to know about those restrictions in Deming. I remember that area your at with the nice Casitas and yes that whole area is known for its high winds. We once had to do nearly a hundred mile detour near Lordsburg between Deming and Benson At least you are in the southwest now and you can stop anytime for some good old rest and relaxation.

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    1. Finally in Arizona Al. Five long days. I'm not a patient traveler. Lots of signs about wind danger but no wind today.

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  5. Well, that is sad. I'm sure a lot of rv'er business will be passing Deming by if we can't park in the city limits. LOL
    It is so cute how Yuma helps navigate. Especially from the front window. "Are we there yet, Dad?" :) Continued safe travels.

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    1. Yes, I think Yuma stills hopes to see home still. Hopefully he will adjust as I must. Four long days is enough. Glad I don't come from Ontario :)).

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  6. I'm sure that no parking is a result of all the RV parks in town. They want your $50 a night. I stayed there in September. Very nice of that guy to steer your Jeep. Good thing you found the rest stop since that's a long driving day.

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    1. You're right about the parks. I really like the Rest Areas instead of Walmart now. Much easier to get my 50 footer in and out. So glad he came along. Shouldn't call him a street person because of his long hair and beard. Looked like me. :))

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  7. We've always enjoyed our stops in Deming. We would to some wine tastings and settle in for the night. Sorry to hear of the changes

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    1. The parking lot still has RVsand trucks, so Walmart is not enforcing the city ordinance. I just don't want to chance getting thrown out in the middle of the night.

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  8. Glad you are moving along. It will soon be time to put your feet up and relax for a while. Safe travels!!

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    1. Thanks Lorne.. I am so looking forward to just relaxing.

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  9. What an interesting day! Yuma is too funny.

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    1. Yes it was. So glad it turned out well. Didn't even get a ticket for blocking traffic.:))

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  10. It didn’t take you long to get in trouble! Looks beautiful out there!

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    1. You know me Kristi. If it can go wrong it will. It is pretty in a rugged way. Glad to get done with driving. :))

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  11. Well my nerves would have been shot so I'm glad you found the rest area not too far away.

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    1. I was ready to call it a day that's for sure. I was surprised I didn't panic. I just knew I had to take my time and ignore the honking. So glad help came along quickly.

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  12. A sign of the times probably brought on by the campground owners. We've spent the night at that Walmart before as well as the Escapee's Park. When you are a member they are very reasonable with Full Hook Ups.
    Good thing you saw that cable or you might not have written about it.
    Be Safe and Enjoy the southwest.

    It's about time.

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    1. Wondered where you were Rick. I came within a foot of hitting that cable by the time I stopped. They should have something there other than a cable. If it had been dark I would have blasted right thru it. I'll be glad when I'm settled in somewhere. I stayed mostly at rest areas this trip and worked out well. They seem safe enough.

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  13. Glad to hear you had help under those circumstances. I've always found Demming too windy.

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    1. Yes I was glad someone came along to help. I'm not much of a fan of New Mexico in the winter. Too cold and yes, too windy. Hope to see you this winter.

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