Odometer 58606
Trip Meter 57 miles
Las Cruces, NM
After a cold and windy overnight in Deming, we woke to leaden skies. The temperature didn't dip below freezing last night, but it was in the neighborhood. I got out of bed at 5 to see if the Honda would start or if I was going to need the battery charger. It started up okay, so I ran it through the gears, and shut it off, turned on the engine heater on our big Cat diesel, and crawled back into bed to snuggle up against my warm sweetie and doze for another couple of hours.
After breakfast we packed up and headed for I-10. We elected to top off our diesel tank at the interchange, noting that the price had jumped 60 cents a gallon from our fill up in Arizona, even though the diesel tax in NM is 6 cents less- Hmmm.
An hour later as we were descending a long grade into Las Cruces we decided to pull into a rest area and consider our options. A quick check on the iPad showed hard rain coming to El Paso, changing to snow or slush as the day progressed. A cold "bulge" was pushing down from Canada right into our path.
We decided to stop right here in Las Cruces and let the cold weather move through before continuing. Joan got on the iPad and found an RV park with a spot for us for a couple nights.
We checked into the Hacienda RV and Rally Resort and settled in for at least a couple nights as the weather descended. We suspect we were not the only ones- as the Park filled up pretty quickly.
We used this "free" day to tick off another must do on our list. We drove over to the town of Mesilla, less than a mile from our RV Park. Mesilla is a well preserved border town originally built in 1800, it was in Mexico, now part of the US, thanks to the Gadsden Purchase in 1854.
The downtown buildings have been occupied by businesses selling artwork, Mexican pottery, carvings, sombreros, clothing and tourist T-shirts, a few are now restaurants or bars. We had a good time poking through the offerings- but given the size of our rolling home, nothing tempted us to buy. The building pictured below is the oldest masonry structure in New Mexico dating back to 1860. The bricks were made and fired right here.
150 years ago Mesilla boasted 2,500 residents. It was a major stop for travelers going from San Antonio and San Diego. Mesilla garnered some fame as the site of famous western outlaw Billy the Kid's murder trial. In 1881 the railroad bypassed Mesilla for Las Cruces, but Mesilla managed to retain it's integrity and character through the intervening years.
Today the plaza and the surrounding buildings are a National Historic Landmark.
Thursday morning we awoke to a fairly decent day. The skies were overcast and the temperature was in the 40s. We slipped out to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast, and afterwards drove over to an O'Reillys auto parts store to have the car battery tested. I needed to figure out whether the reason for our dead battery was the battery failing or a nasty parasitic draw on the battery as we are towing. I put the battery tender on it last night and by this morning it was fully charged. O'Reillys will check for free and they have a fairly sophisticated checker that load tests the battery, measures the cold cranking amps, checks your alternator, and a dozen other things I didn't understand. The tech assured me that the battery and charging system were just fine. That means it's something in the car that's using a lot of electricity while we tow. Bearing in mind here that all the lighting is being powered by the motorhome's electrical system through the umbilical. I need to find out what else is being powered, or do as friend Paul suggests just take the battery cable off the car when we tow.
As we arrived back at the motorhome we were greeted by this scene. We had seen sparkles in the air a lot earlier, but this looked like it could become serious. Our luck was holding and the flurries stopped altogether and there were even some slight breaks in the otherwise overcast sky.
Then the next shoe dropped. We turned on the TV to see the weather forecast and Yikes! Did they really say temperatures in the teens!! Grrr! I am here to escape winter.
So, after dinner I put on my parka and went out to drain and roll up the water hose, and to put a very small electric heater in the wet bay. Tomorrow's weather shows a clearing trend that should hold all week. The lows for this area stay sub-freezing, but as we get closer to Dallas the lows should be above the frost line. We don't have a lot of experience in this bus with freezing weather while the tanks are in use (wet), so I worry about the fresh water tank freezing or the piping and fittings near it, the grey and black tanks and the drain valves.
Stay turned to see how we fare overnight.
Your Traveling Friends,
Jeff and Joan
Trip Meter 57 miles
Las Cruces, NM
After a cold and windy overnight in Deming, we woke to leaden skies. The temperature didn't dip below freezing last night, but it was in the neighborhood. I got out of bed at 5 to see if the Honda would start or if I was going to need the battery charger. It started up okay, so I ran it through the gears, and shut it off, turned on the engine heater on our big Cat diesel, and crawled back into bed to snuggle up against my warm sweetie and doze for another couple of hours.
After breakfast we packed up and headed for I-10. We elected to top off our diesel tank at the interchange, noting that the price had jumped 60 cents a gallon from our fill up in Arizona, even though the diesel tax in NM is 6 cents less- Hmmm.
An hour later as we were descending a long grade into Las Cruces we decided to pull into a rest area and consider our options. A quick check on the iPad showed hard rain coming to El Paso, changing to snow or slush as the day progressed. A cold "bulge" was pushing down from Canada right into our path.
 |
| Local TV News Thursday |
We decided to stop right here in Las Cruces and let the cold weather move through before continuing. Joan got on the iPad and found an RV park with a spot for us for a couple nights.
 |
| Our Rolling home docked in the Hacienda RV park |
We checked into the Hacienda RV and Rally Resort and settled in for at least a couple nights as the weather descended. We suspect we were not the only ones- as the Park filled up pretty quickly.
 |
| Mesilla shop |
We used this "free" day to tick off another must do on our list. We drove over to the town of Mesilla, less than a mile from our RV Park. Mesilla is a well preserved border town originally built in 1800, it was in Mexico, now part of the US, thanks to the Gadsden Purchase in 1854.
The downtown buildings have been occupied by businesses selling artwork, Mexican pottery, carvings, sombreros, clothing and tourist T-shirts, a few are now restaurants or bars. We had a good time poking through the offerings- but given the size of our rolling home, nothing tempted us to buy. The building pictured below is the oldest masonry structure in New Mexico dating back to 1860. The bricks were made and fired right here.
 |
| Leonart-Maurin Store Mesilla, NM |
Today the plaza and the surrounding buildings are a National Historic Landmark.
Thursday morning we awoke to a fairly decent day. The skies were overcast and the temperature was in the 40s. We slipped out to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast, and afterwards drove over to an O'Reillys auto parts store to have the car battery tested. I needed to figure out whether the reason for our dead battery was the battery failing or a nasty parasitic draw on the battery as we are towing. I put the battery tender on it last night and by this morning it was fully charged. O'Reillys will check for free and they have a fairly sophisticated checker that load tests the battery, measures the cold cranking amps, checks your alternator, and a dozen other things I didn't understand. The tech assured me that the battery and charging system were just fine. That means it's something in the car that's using a lot of electricity while we tow. Bearing in mind here that all the lighting is being powered by the motorhome's electrical system through the umbilical. I need to find out what else is being powered, or do as friend Paul suggests just take the battery cable off the car when we tow.
 |
| Light snow falls In Las Cruces for the first time in 2 years |
As we arrived back at the motorhome we were greeted by this scene. We had seen sparkles in the air a lot earlier, but this looked like it could become serious. Our luck was holding and the flurries stopped altogether and there were even some slight breaks in the otherwise overcast sky.
 |
| Local News for El Paso Friday |
So, after dinner I put on my parka and went out to drain and roll up the water hose, and to put a very small electric heater in the wet bay. Tomorrow's weather shows a clearing trend that should hold all week. The lows for this area stay sub-freezing, but as we get closer to Dallas the lows should be above the frost line. We don't have a lot of experience in this bus with freezing weather while the tanks are in use (wet), so I worry about the fresh water tank freezing or the piping and fittings near it, the grey and black tanks and the drain valves.
Stay turned to see how we fare overnight.
Your Traveling Friends,
Jeff and Joan
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