DAY 11 in Needles CA:

Slept in until 7:30, but that was quite difficult, between the early sunrise, the heat, and the diesels warming up with outside temperatures of about 70F +.

We loafed outside until around 11 a.m. when it was just starting to become too hot to sit outside. They were having coffee and donuts up at the clubhouse, and a presentation by a field representative trying to sell an after market product called Brake Guard. It sounds like an a real nice addition, even to vehicles that have ABS brakes. I just didn’t think we could justify the cost of $395, when our brakes work perfect now.

After lunch I drove into town to pick up a case of coke, and to go to a car wash. The outside of the truck was basically only dusty, but I wanted to get the critters off the front.

I called Albuquerque yesterday and made reservations for Sunday and Monday. The lady at the campground said it had snowed in the higher elevations the day before. I guess winter isn’t over yet.

The wind came up terribly right after supper, and there was quite a scurry around the campground as people raced to put up their awnings. The temperature hit 97F as verified by the news, and the warm air outside feels just like a blast furnace.

Note: At this point I will have to explain that we, that is the "war department" and I had a big meeting and we decided to revamp our trip a little. The weather reports for southern Texas are for some extremely hot weather, and with a full potential for some tornado action. We don’t mind the heat so much, it is the thought of tornadoes that cause us some concern. Some friends of ours lost their travel trailer to a twister in Oklahoma in 1995, and we still marvel at how fortunate they were to survive.

So we will stay a little further north on the I-40 heading east. It means we will be skipping going to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolina’s. Not to worry we think, it will always be a reason to plan another trip.

DAY 12:

I checked the front of our atlas last night, and I swore we would have to change time today. Turns out I was wrong. So we were up, and gone by 7, thinking it was 8, but it wasn’t.

We had a gas stop in Kingman, AZ, and a break stop around 10 a.m. This area of the I-40 is definitely lacking in rest stops, so we had to use a service station parking lot.

Our stop for the day was just 177 miles down the road at Williams, AZ. The town is known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon, which is just 59 miles away. We are at the Railside RV Park, and this is a Good Neighbour Park for Coast to Coast members. Today was quite a change in the weather. The wind is blowing like a wild thing, and the day temperature was only up to around 65F. The campground staff cautioned us about possible freezing temperatures during the night, so I disconnected and drained the water hose.

DAY 13:

We were up at 6:30 and out at 7:45 a.m. We had frost last night and we were glad we disconnected the hose last night.

I have never believed that the number 13 was unlucky, but today was not a good day for us. First we went to our intended stop in Sun Valley, Arizona where we were going to book into one of our Good Neighbour Parks. This place looked like one of those "in the middle of the Mojave desert" scenes you see in a movie. The sites were within spitting distance of the I-40, there were several little shacks which might have been motels in the past, and where there may or may not have been guests staying. There wasn’t another RV in sight, and we believe in company for security. The only things missing from this scenario were the rattlesnakes and the circling buzzards. We made a quick U turn and got back on the freeway before the buzzards landed, and the old desert rat with the missing teeth came out of the office.

We found a service station on an off-ramp a bit farther east, and pulled out the Trailer Life directory and quickly decided to head on to Gallup, NM.

After a Wal-Mart and break stop in Lupton, AZ we pushed on arrived at Red Rock State Park about 6 miles east of Gallup, NM. With either CARP or Good Sam discount we paid $13 for a site with 30 amp power and water. The wash places are beautiful and clean, no cable hookups and TV on the roof antenna is zip. The dump station is behind the office on the way out of the park. Right next door to the RV park there is a native museum with some excellent exhibits of Navajo, Hopi and Zuni life and art. Their pottery is especially beautiful.

The second bad luck was detected when we stopped after lunch for a break. We, and I use the collective term "we" had left the electric kettle full of water on the ledge above the back rest on the after dinette seat. Well of course this water didn’t want to stay there so it upset on the cushions, into the storage area under the settee and on the floor. So we had a mop up when we stopped. Fortunately the sun is beaming down on us, and there is a warm desert breeze blowing and it will dry quickly. ?

Yesterday afternoon the little on-board computer and readout on the dash of our truck told us that is was time to change oil. And a quick check shows that we have done approximately 5,000 kms. since it was last done. So while we are in Albuquerque we will find a GM dealer to have it serviced.

There were two partial gas fill ups today, the first was 11.52 mpg and the second one was 15.68 mpg, a new record.

DAY 14:

When I got up this morning I went to the washroom for my shower. When I got back I was met by a very irate lady demanding to know when she could have her shower. We had an idea it might get cold during the evening, but no idea how cold. We have one of those filters on our water line, and I guess the frozen slush in the line blocked it. It took a full ten minutes with both taps open wide to clear the line. I guess it will get better.

We arrived at Hidden Valley RV Park, 13 miles east of Albuquerque, NM off exit 178 of I-40. This is a Coast to Coast campground. It has a pool and spa but they will not open until May long weekend. I don’t understand why the people here are all in long pants, jackets, etc. and they seem to find it cold. We were booked for two days but asked for, and got the third day.

My internet server is Telus, and regretfully I didn’t look into having another server for our time on the road. Most campgrounds now have modems for people with laptop computers who want to stay in touch, do their banking, check their stocks and the like. I was so frustrated in not being able to get on-line, matter of fact I couldn’t even reach Sheila with these articles. So today I signed on with Microsoft Network for the balance of our time in the US.

I spent the balance of the afternoon doing quick e-mails to let our family and friends know that we are back on-line.

The temperature here today was about 80F, and according to staff it dropped to 31F last night. I will disconnect our water hose tonight before turning in.

DAY 15:

This morning I was up fairly early as I wanted to contact GM dealer about oil change. Turned out that they have a quick lube bay and we were in and out in an hour, and with a complimentary wash even. It takes us longer than that at home with an appointment!! If one wants to visit the Old Town part of Albuquerque, there is free, and safe parking at the museum almost next to Old Town. We had a nice lunch of Mexican food, and then spent three hours looking at touristy things. Today was ideal for shopping, neither too hot or too cool. We then made a brief stop at Wal-Mart in the east part of town, and my wife went for a hair cut. Last on the to do list was a few groceries and a top up of gas. The price for regular here is $1.39. Then it was back to the campground for a nice supper of veggies and a pot roast which has been cooking for two days in the crock pot.

An interesting tour here, and we have done it before, is the National Atomic Museum. It is located at Kirtland Air Force Base. Check their website at: www.atomicmuseum.com. They have some very interesting displays. Some of the places along the old Route 66 are quite interesting also.

DAY 16:

Today was a total day of rest, other than a quick vacuum of the floors in the trailer, doing a few e-mail, and sitting and reading, and scouring the bushes nearby looking for bits of dried cactus branches for crafts. Not my favourite past time, as I always visualize snakes hiding behind trees and rocks. There are lots of scorpions in this area, so you never pick up anything off the ground until you give it a good kick, or flip it over with your foot.

We decided to stay another day here for two reasons. My back has been aching up, and secondly there are wind gusts of up to 40 miles an hour blowing. I figure we might as well sit here with the sand blowing all around us, rather than being jostled around out on the freeway. Besides we have no tight schedule. I found out by reading the morning paper that President Clinton was here yesterday and he had a traditional Mexican dinner in the same restaurant in Old Town that we ate in. At least he has some class, in dining that is.

- - - Continued next issue.