The 'Ultimate' BIRD, outside Las Cruces, New Mexico

 

Nope, we ain't talking about "let's Go Brandon", or even a "Flock of Birds"...Nope, we are talking about the famous, one and only Las Cruces Road Runner, a sculpture which can be seen from I-10 both east and west, and is an easy walk when you are at the award winning Eastbound Rest Stop between mileposts 134 and 135.  Created in 1993 by artist Olin Calk it sat at a 'Junk Yard' for its first 8 years.  WHY a junkyard????  Because it is made of JUNK...yes, household junk...which makes it the "Ultimate Bird"...one of a kind...

Look at its head...

Now look closer at its head....you will see soles of shoes and sandals and sneakers. A tire making up the 'whites' of its eye, and an old headlight and something black making up the rest of its eye.  Miscellaneous fabrics and metals.

In its mid-section you can see a keyboard, a cell phone, a train, a horse...and its breast made up of white tennis shoes.

In early 2001, Olin stripped off the old junk, replaced it with new junk, and moved the roadrunner to a rest stop along Interstate 10.  By 2011 the roadrunner had deteriorated, partly from the elements, partly from grabby visitors. Olin stripped it down and brought it back to his house. It sat there for three years, waiting for the city to determine its fate. Wisely, they decided in favor of the roadrunner, and it was returned to the rest stop in June 2014. By then the landfill had closed, so Olin re-feathered it using thrift store rejects and scrap metal salvaged from the Las Cruces recycling center.

 

Overall it was another easy traveling day of just under 280 miles...about half of it in Arizona and half in New Mexico.  We stopped at the Texas Canyon Rest Area for a doggie break and breakfast for all, and then at San Simon Rest Area for a break for all.  From there we made it to the Love's Truck Stop FOR GAS, just 3 miles from the Roadrunner Rest Area where we are spending the night.  Our first time here, but others, in their blogs, report it to be a quiet night, with security, and, of course, the ULTIMATE BIRD!

Just outside the motorhome is a nice little doggie area which was made through an Eagle Project with a Boy Scout Troop.

Includes two fake fire hydrants with dog paws on them.  Indy really enjoyed this added attraction.

Tomorrow will be our first of three nights, four days traveling through Texas.

Benson to Van Horn

Another day that we were off before the crack of dawn.  It was very cold in Benson this morning, around 27 degrees when we left at 6:45. Thank goodness the roads are dry, and traffic was sparse that time of the morning. About the time we got to the New Mexico border, we hit rush hour traffic...eight cars go zooming by us headed towards El Paso...and it was over.

 

Between Benson and just inside the New Mexico border there are some amazing rock formations...but with the sun just coming up, we didn't bother taking pictures of the real amazing ones outside of Benson.  Above is just a minor example.

The only wreck we have seen in the past three days is this truck in New Mexico.  It seemed that it happened a few days ago, since there was a road side sign and plenty of markers announcing it drivers, yet no police, fire, or any other emergency personal on hand.  

Soon we were coming up on Las Cruces...and we start to see the hints of a bit of smog.

No, this is NOT a real Road Runner.  It is a sculpture which was created in 1993, and it is 20’ tall and 40’ long.  It is made from material which was recovered from the Land Waste Area, and for years that was where it stood.  Around 2002 it was moved to the Rest Area just west of Las Cruces.  The sculpture is made of materials which breakdown as time goes on due to exposure to the harsh climate, and “human exposure” which has created wear and tear as some visitors remove or add pieces to the work.  In 2012 a major refurbish took place, and eventually it will need it again and again.

Now no one can tell Marcia, but our trip is not even half over yet, and we have been on the road for five days.  Tomorrow when we go through Fort Stockton, 120 miles down the road, we will celebrate our halfway point.  I still don't have an idea as to when we will be home, but after tomorrow, it looks like the COLD COLD nights are behind us.