Goal: Roswell, New Mexico
Last night we battened the hatches, and stowed 90% of the gear. This enabled us to be up, undocked in 25 minutes, and on the road by 9:31 am. While we only have a short drive, we want to get to our destination early so that we can do some sightseeing later today.
There was a cold wind sweeping off the plains today. The outdoor sensor of our indoor/outdoor weather station showed that it was 56 degrees outside, which isn’t really cold. However, the wind was at least 30 mph, and the wind was gusting much higher. The trailer rocked all night so we could tell that it had been gusting all night.
Our conclusion is that Whites City RV doesn’t have a lot to offer, what with everything else in the town being closed. However, it is a perfect location to stay when seeing the Carlsbad caverns. There isn’t anything closer than right at the entrance to the park.
From the cat’s perspective, we scooped the cats into the truck before they had a chance to know we were driving today. We made the transition quickly, as we didn’t want to be out in the cold.
Today we drive thru the city of Carlsbad to Roswell. This should be our last full day on “the flats”. Traveling from Roswell will be up, over, and around a number of hills as we traverse between river valleys.
Rob reports that even with the gusting wind, driving Clyde with The Roost is easier than it was before the alignment in Memphis. Yea! Finally he is comfortable with the basic handling. We do believe that Clyde squats too much when the trailer weight is on the bed of the truck. Rob is researching why may be the issue, and hence the best correction for that problem.
We stopped in Carlsbad at the Walmart to pick up a few quick grocery items, as we had to drive past the Walmart on our way. We purchased some Krazy-Glue to repair a pair of Rob’s reading glasses. Then we picked up a few groceries. Deryl found some lovely poblano peppers for chili rellenos, along with canned tomatoes, tomatillos, and ground turkey. We also picked up some items breakfast, including croissants, and cut fresh fruit.
We continued looking for an empty for milk crate as we realized that we needed a milk crate to transport the 30 lb propane tanks when a tank needs filling. Rob also wants to try and find a new outdoor temperature sensor, as the current one seems to be flaky and not report the temperature all the time.
While in Carlsbad, we also filled Clyde up with 20 gallons of diesel. We have been finding fuel in towns here in New Mexico is lower than near the interstates or major highways.
Our next stop was at a Lowes next. Rob was able to find an indoor/outdoor temperature sensor, but no milk crate. Oh well, we will keep the milk crate on the shopping list.
As we leave the city of Carlsbad, the landscape is rolling scrub with a mix of cactus. For fauna, we see scattered beef cattle. Some herds are angus, and others are longhorn cattle.
About half way between Carlsbad and Roswell is the town of Artisia, the cats start meowing. We have learned that this is their warning to us of an approaching unpleasant aroma.We have learned to change the cabin air from fresh to recirculate. We did that. A minute later we pass a large oil refinery! The cats again are correct, unpleasant smell!
As we leave the area of Artisia, Pecan farms occasionally dot either side of the highway. Deryl is able to recognize the trees now, without needing the big “Pecans for Sale” signs. Other than the agriculture, most of the area is flat desert, with scrub bushes, and cacti.
As we approached Roswell, the landscape was more grasslands, with cattle. Followed by several cattle feed yards as we got close to town.
The total milage to Roswell was 115 miles.
We had no problem finding and getting into Trailer Village RV Park, on Second street of Roswell. We had a nice large pull through site, and hooking up was a quick task. Rob dumped the tanks while Deryl brought the cats into the trailer. Nettle has learned what the trailer looks like so quickly marches from the truck to the trailer door. Tigger took a little longer, as she checked out the back of the truck, and the open trailer basement hatch. But Tigger did figure out that the open doorway was to the house and climbed up the 3 stairs with ease.
After getting the trailer docked, and our chores done, we took a ride around town. We ended up not visiting a single alien exhibit, as they all seemed hokey. There were “little green” beings in front of many estabilshments all around town.
Tonight we had dinner at Taqueria Jalisco restaurant. Their menu proudly proclaimed Margaritas! So Deryl asked for the Tequilla list. Again we discovered that New Mexico restaurants don’t sell hard alcohol. Oh well, we tried the “Margaritas Lite”, they were selling. To our pleasure they tasted just fine.
Deryl was feeling adventurous, and had looked “Tripas” in the Spanish/English dictionary. The translation was guts, which Deryl interpreted as “stomach”. What she got were deep fried veins. They were fine, but she won’t order them again, as they were nothing special.
Rob was also a little adventurous in his Fajitas order. He selected the Azteca Fajitas, thinking that they were Beef, Chicken, or shrimp with veggies and cheese. Instead it was a huge plate with Beef, Chicken, Shrimp, and homemade Chorizo sausage crumbles. This was all sautéed with peppers and onions, then covered with cheese.
After dinner we drove the “long” way back to the Roost, and saw a little more of the town.
Our conclusion is that Roswell is similar to Clovis, with its beef feed lots, and rail connection. Unlike Clovis, which is a major rail yard and transition point for Union Pacific, Roswell has tried to stay relevant by adding this schemer of “Aliens” to draw tourist dollars to town. It didn’t work on us, but it might for other folks.