Left Mexican Hat early the next morning and headed thru Bluff. The sun was perfect that morning but not right to take a good pic of Mexican Hat - tho anybody whose see roadrunner cartoon has seen it a hundred times
Head over to Buff and then 491 down to Gallup and then down minor roads thru the reservation to Quemodo arriving to fuel up around 3
Look see at the map and decide to overnight at the Valley of fire state park and head over to Socorro Before Socorro you see the VLA - but no Jodie Foster :cry
From Socorro I headed down to SanAntonio and pick-up 380 toward Roswell. This is a very empty road and I was chased by thunderstorms from San Antonio East, past White sand missle range. So I end up flying past the Valley of fire with a overhead threat of heavy rain and high wind....so I head east and arrive in Roswell after dark and take a cheap room at 8pm dog tired
Around 6-7 hundred miles for the day and sleep till 7:30 the next morning
Friday dawn very dank and dreary. Roswell smalls like horse poop this morning and the clouds for a low dark ceiling
Head south in this thinking I'll stop in Artesia for breakfeast - the weather is still dreary with a light mist and arriving in Artesia shows me one of the most depressing and dirty oil towns I've seen so I plow thru to Carlsbad and the weather worsens somewhat
At this point my plan was to head down to overnight in Big Bend, one of my most favorite places ever - so I head down 285 to Ft. Stockton
Leaving Carlsbad the sky falls - heavy rain and high wind all the way. Crossing I-20 heading south the rain deepends and I'm thinking this is total suck age but what the heck it's only water and I'm unlikely to melt....
I eventually arrive in Ft. Stockton in the rain, fuel up and walk over to the travel center for a coffee and road burger..shudder
and make a decision.
Big Bend is likely socked in as badly as this place and camping wet like that sucks. Talking with a couple guys on there way to Mexico, going to ride the divide, they confirm it's raining heavy all the way to Sonora
So with heavy heart I cut the last day and head east - sure enough the rain stops in Sonorra and I stop and ditch my rain gear in a road side travel garbage can because the rain proof membrene has taken a dump and at that point is more of a wind catcher then rain proof. Feeling good that the worst of the rain was behind me I stop in Boerne for coffee and bit to eat. Sue me but it is a Starbucks
As penance for the frufru coffee I walk to the parking lot and look up to some of the most ominous clouds I've seen on this trip and get back on the road just as the skies open....and they stay open for the next 100 miles thru to Luling. Thank goodness for Texas putting the reflective dots between the lanes as that is all I can see at times as it also becomes full dark at 6:30 with the heavy storm clouds overhead. Some toe currling moments and I still question my decision making.
After Luling the clouds, while not parting, certanly let up and the next 150 miles home are much more bearable - and in the barn door for 10:30pm for a 800mile + day
Thanks for following along