Day 39-August 13, 2017-To Van Horn, TX
Sunny and warm in the morning, up to 90, then more clouds and thunder, lightning and sprinkles in the afternoon.
We’ve started the long journey home on I-10 East. Stopped at a rest area in Las Cruces and saw a huge silver roadrunner sculpture (the state bird) on a hill. The obligatory “Watch for Snakes” sign was there and on the road we saw lots of signs like “Dust Storms Ahead” and “Strong Wind Currents”. They even gave instructions for dust storms, “Don’t use your brakes, turn off your lights, pull over, etc.” Started another book on tape. Drove over the Rio Grande and into Texas. The first city we came to was El Paso, 30 miles of4-6 lanes of traffic and construction. The traffic was heavy, even for a Sunday at noon. I can only imagine what it’s like on Monday morning. The bridges and overpasses are decorated really nicely, even the columns that hold up the bridges are pretty. We’re following the Rio Grande now and can see Mexico on the other side. Lots of mountains. Got to Esperanza and then turned east instead of south, no turning back now. Went through a border patrol where they stopped us but only wanted to know if we were US citizens. Lost an hour when we drove back into Central Time Zone about 5 miles away from the campground. We wanted to go a bit longer today but when I called ahead for reservations I was told at 3 places that they have been booked since March. The next closest campground was over 200 miles away so we’re staying with Plan A, which is spending the night in Van Horn, Texas. Not much of a campground, a bit run down, but the sites are adequate, it’s quiet, right off the highway, big sites so we can pull in and not unhook and friendly owners. There’s a cage with a flock of chickens and one with rabbits, too. Don’t know if they’re pets or used for dinner. Everything is Pepto-Bismol pink here, the signs, the buildings, the cars. Just as we pulled in it started to lighting and rain a bit and the wind shook the RV but it passed in a little while and the sun came out. We had lunch and then settled in to read and relax for the afternoon. Brenda, one of the owners, made homemade ice cream today, cinnamon peach and chocolate. By the time we got there after dinner all she had left was chocolate but it was good. Not much of a sunset but beautiful clouds. Got dark early, we’re in a different time zone and we'll have to get used to it.