Bob and Pam Nodine: Texas really is BIG and the road to New Mexico and Arizona

Monday morning we continued our travels west on I-10 and spent the night in Fort Stockton, Texas. We had a severe thunderstorm Monday night that gave us a good example of what heavy rain is like in the desert. The infamous roadrunner bird is native to this area of Texas and we could hear them make their call but were not lucky enough to see one.

Camped in Fort Stockton

Before the Bee incident

Smashed Bees all over the windshield

On Tuesday morning we traveled on thru El Paso to a campground in Las Cruses, NM, finally making it all the way across Texas. From grade school it is hammered into our brains how big Texas is but it does not sink in until you drive across it. When entering Texas from Louisiana on I-10 the first mile marker you see is 880. Immediately it registers in your mind that you have never seen a mile marker of that numerical size and you know it is 880 miles before you get to New Mexico. This morning we had two surprises as we traveled I-10. We had only been on the road about an hour when we were startled by a swarm of bees hitting the windshield at interstate speed. It sounded like hail and instantly the entire windshield was covered with smashed bees. The internal organs consisted mainly of a clear liquid that left a messy film that was difficult to see thru. We had to stop at a rest area and clean the windshield before continuing on.

We needed to make a fuel stop and combined that with a meal. We almost exclusively use Pilot/Flying J for our fuel because we have an account with them. Using the card Pilot issued us we don’t have to go inside and pay the bill online. Also we can fill the tank without multiple swipes of a credit card. Many locations limit the maximum purchase to $50 or $75 dollars with a credit card. We chose the Pilot in Van Horne, Texas because it had a Wendy’s. We always use the truck lanes to fuel because we are almost as large as an 18 wheeler and tow a vehicle behind the motorhome. Coming off the interstate we looked for the truck entrance but did not see the sign and missed it. The sign was located some distance from the highway and you would have to know it was there to see it. As we were dinning we noticed a number of Pilot managers visiting that location and I approached one of them and mentioned the poor location of the sign. When I told him we were from Knoxville he instantly said he was also and lived in Hardin Valley. That is when I realized they were from corporate headquarters. We chatted for a few minutes and I sat back down. Pam then pointed out that Jimmy Haslam was standing a few feet away. We had noticed a big Provost bus with six air conditioners on top sitting out front and thought it belonged to a band. That bus must be what Pilot uses to travel around the country inspecting Pilot/Flying J’s.

Soon after we entered New Mexico all the west bound traffic was routed off the interstate into an inspection area. This was a surprise as usually only commercial trucks must enter inspection areas. It turned out to be the U.S. Border Patrol looking for vehicles that might be transporting illegals that managed to sneak across the border. Interstate 10 thru El Paso and in this part of New Mexico is very close to the Mexican border with many places to cross on foot. We camped for the night in Las Cruces, NM and on Wednesday traveled to Tucson, Arizona were we are as I write this. The wind as we traveled I-10 on Tuesday and Wednesday was brutal, blowing constantly at 30 to 40 MPH and gusting to over 50 MPH. We thought the wind in North Dakota was terrible when we were there in 2016 but the wind in West Texas and New Mexico takes the prize. We encountered numerous signs telling motorist what to do in the event of a dust storm and were glad one did not manifest in our path. The only grass in this part of the US must be watered daily to survive and consequently rest areas do not have grass. Our dog may have to go to therapy before the trip is over. He keeps looking for grass.