Shelly
Happy Father’s Day! Sam’s present was driving almost 11 hours to somewhere with crazy hot temperatures….but it did get him a day closer to his comfy bed and air conditioned home 😀
So today we started the long trek home. We had planned a more leisurely stroll through Colorado, with 3 nights for our travel home. but then our Colorado campgroundp Pop CCC. closed for some reason and finding a suitable replacement just wasn’t happening. So, I replanned our route, yet again, so that we are now on the southern route home over 3 days and 2 nights.
Today is our longest drive at almost 11 hours. And definitely our hottest.
We knew it would happen at some point on our trip…CAR TROUBLE. Just after Albuquerque our battery warning light came on. A quick google search told me it could be a few different things. Basically it boiled down to either our battery wasn’t charging as it should (bum battery, alternator, or wiring) or the sensor for the battery monitor is corroded and on the fritz. My money is on the later (the sensor). That was the issue with a different warning light a few months ago. But to be on the safe side we turned off the a/c, unplugged our many charging devices and hoped to make it the last 90 miles into Amarillo. ‘Cause goodness knows we don’t want to be on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere when it’s over a 100 outside.
So the boys had fun playing with their hands outside the open window, learning the physics behind how an airplane gets its loft…and sweating like crazy. It kinda took me back to the road trips of my youth in an old Buick.
We made it to the campsite. So that’s good news. We all huddled into the camper with the a/c blowing full tilt until the blazing Texas sun went down.
Keep your fingers crossed that my bet is correct and the old Highlander starts like a champ in the morning. [UPDATE: it did. All is good.]
The scenery today was a lot more dessert, some more mountains, and fields of windmills as far as the eye can see. Actually, it was just a lot of openness in every direction for all 11 hours other than the occasional town and Albuquerque.
The New Mexico flag
States today:
- Utah
- Colorado
- Mew Mexico
- Texas
What We're Eating:
Breakfast: Pop Tarts, banana, and bagel
Lunch: Mexican to-go in Albuquerque, NM. Note, New Mexico green chili sauce is not the same as salsa verde back home. The boys found that out the hard way on their burritos!
Dinner: Takeout Dinner at THE BIG TEXAN, they deliver right to our RV site at theBig Texan Campground. https://www.bigtexan.com (it’s 100 outside. So standing outside without shade to cook just wasn’t going to happen.)
Temperatures:
60’s when we left Moab...then reached 104 between Albuquerque and Amarillo. It’s supposed to get down to the high 60’s overnight.
Drive Time: 10.5hrs
Total Miles to Date: 4,712
