Texas for the Long Haul

 

The Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument is the mountains to the east of Las Cruces.  Obama designated the monument on May 21, 2014, with half of the monument designated wilderness, closed to development or motorized use.  We had a pretty good night's sleep at the rest area, and were on the road by 7:45.

Within a half of an hour we were entering Texas...were everything is so much bigger that it takes two signs to welcome you into their state.

Being a Saturday morning, the traffic is light.  The smog coming out of Mexico is not...but it never is.

It was a nice day to travel.  Light clouds, temps in the 60's and low 70's.

We stopped for breakfast and a doggie break at the first rest area out of El Paso, and later at another rest area east of Van Horn, after a quick pass through at the Boarder Patrol check point.  We have stayed in Van Horn many times, but this time I decided on Saddleback Mountain RV in Balmorhea.  

The Saddleback Restaurant and Circle Bar Saloon (both the same establishment) are part of the RV Park.  

This is the 'office' to the RV Park which is really a 'self check-in' procedure.  Pick your spot, go to the office, put $20 (check or cash) in the envelope, write date and site on envelope and drop in the lock box.

There are 40+ sites, and reservations are not needed.  Above is a picture of the back half of the park, not as well landscaped as the front half of the park.

 We are in the front part of the park near the back.

I sat outside with Indy for a good hour, and from my vantage point I got the following pictures to show some of the landscape here.

         

This last one puts it all together so you can see how it all fits together within the various sites.  Our motorhome is there in the middle of the picture, hidden by trees and bushes just a bit.  Each site is lined by rocks, and they seem to be very level.  Each site has electric, water and sewer all for $20.  They do have weekly and monthly rates.

Tomorrow we plan to hit a Cracker Barrel, the next day will be a much longer day since we plan to drive through San Antonio and Houston, but plan to stay at a Passport America park for two days before continuing our drive home to Florida.  That puts us in Texas for four nights and five days (although the first and fifth day are just partial days).

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.