We Awake To Water Running

We woke up this morning to hear water running outside.  I looked out and there was a large puddle next to our RV.   I was surprised to find two small holes opposite one another.  It looked almost like someone stuck a penknife through it.  I can't imagine why anyone would do that so I guess I will have to chock it up to more Chinese junk.  The hose was a new one and I had only used it a couple of times.  I will have to see if it can be repaired.

I sure miss the fellowship of the people at our church.  Anyone who has never been a committed member of a good church has no idea what community is.  We miss everyone at Lighthouse Fellowship in Cape Coral, Fl.  They are the sweetest most friendly people we have ever known.  I don't think we will find anything to compare out here.   I think about this when sunday rolls around.  I miss my church.

Last night Darlie said she couldn't sleep because she was freezing.  All I have heard since we left home is, "I'm hot."  It was a bit nippy this morning at about 42.  I turned on the heat to take the chill off.

There is a high wind advisory for this area today.  It is supposed to be gusting up to 55mph.  That isn't good when you are trying to keep a MH on the road.  We decided to head out anyhow.

The scenery in this area is the best we have seen in New Mexico.  The Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation had the most beautiful scenery.  It was pine and sage brush.  Sage brush is aptly named due to the sage color.  It makes a beautiful contrast against the pine and rocks.

We stopped along to the road to check out the sage brush a bit further.  I know you people who know all about sage brush probably think we are nuts but I will remind you of that the next time you are in Florida and get all worked up about pelican or a coconut.

I was surprised to find that it didn't have sharp barbs. I figured anything that could survive in this environment would either bite ya, prick ya or stick ya, as Rooster Cogburn would say.

The leaves were actually soft and had a very pungent odor when crushed.

The landscape changed very dramatically in short order.  It was the most desolate place I had ever seen.  The wind was blowing very hard.  The air was full of dust.  We were choking inside as we drove along.  We saw a dead dog by the side of the road but I am sure an autopsy would reveal it wasn't hit by a car but instead choked to death on the dust.

As we continued west on Rt 64 towards Bloomfield, NM, we began to wonder where we would spend the night.  We could just pull off the road but the dust!  I had forgotten to fill my water tank this morning because of the water hose issue.  Without a full tank of water we would probably run short if we decided to boondock for long.

We pushed on.  Soon we arrived in Bloomfield.  I don't want to insult people who live there but if your kids all move away as soon as they can you might want to look around and realize you live in a dirt pit.  The economy seems to be tied to the oil well business.  We saw many wells along the way.  I guess you have to live where the work is.  If I had to live there I would wish for a very early retirement.

After looking at the map there seemed to be only one option.  We would go on to Durango, CO even though the forecast is for freezing weather at night.   We turned on to highway 550 and headed north.  It was a good road and the miles flew by.  Durango turned out to be a very nice place.  It is a tourist haven as is evidenced by all the motels and restaurants.

We stopped at a WalMart for some supplies and cash.  It was their grand opening.  It sure was difficult finding a place to park the bread truck in there.

We stopped at United Campground on 550 a short way out of town.  The park is serviced by a free trolley that will take you all over town.  They stop at the park every 20 minutes.   I called about taking the train ride.  They are booked up tomorrow and they have a few seats left for monday morning early.  We will see how the trolley thing works out before we commit ourselves.  We would have to catch the trolley at 7:00 AM to make the train on time.  We have been getting up a 6:00 AM or earlier everyday.

We will see if the trolley can get us to a church in the morning.   As for now, we are both pooped.  Darlie went in for a nap and I think I will follow her.  Until later.