From One Extreme to Another

I’m not sure where to start.  Again, today it is weather related stories.  If we didn’t laugh about it, we would cry.  Since that storm in Pensacola only the first two days of travel had no weather issues. 

After our post to the journal yesterday the wind whipped up quite a sand storm.  It’s as if Mother Nature was having a snit fit.  The wind was clocked at around 60 miles an hour and a dust cloud came off the desert and pelted us with sand twice in about two hours.  You could hear the sand hitting the back and side of the RV.  The Tailgater satellite cube went flying about 20 feet, the extra step we have ended up in the next row, and even the wheel chocks blew down the road.  It was scary watching the storm come toward us - not like a haboob like they get in Arizona - but more like a sand tornado.   Our neighbors were out on their evening walk about when it it and couldn’t see where they were going.  It was really a very uncomfortable day.

View before the storm

I’ve tried to capture some photos of it (from inside, I wasn’t about to go outside), but they do not do it justice.  

Here it Comes!!

At one point after dinner I was begging Maggie to let me have some of her doggie valium but she said she needed it more than I did for surviving the rides in the truck.  I wasn’t so much queasy from the rocking, but the constant wind had worked up some tension in my neck and was causing some anxiety.  I toughed it out, though.   The wind finally calmed down to about 10 mph about bed time - it wasn’t too bad when I took Maggie out for her last potty break.  

We had several hours of this

It is obvious that the RV is not air tight as you can see in this photo of the dust/sand on the counter tops this morning.  

The sides of the RV and the truck were all spotted this morning like they had the measles because just after the dust storm there was a spritzing of rain - just enough to make an awful mess.  

We need to find a truck wash to take them both through.  

I spent an hour once we settled in tonight running the vacuum and dusting all the surfaces.  This rag is from one counter top.

This morning it was blowing again, but nothing like yesterday.  We packed up to go knowing we would be facing 10-15mph headwinds again today.  Well, the wind was at least that fierce and there were several areas where I was white knuckling the door handle.  Not only was the poor truck bucking the head wind, it was climbing in altitude.  We had to stop for fuel on the trip - something that is difficult to do with the RV, but the truck was sucking fuel like no tomorrow.  It was a another tough day for Roger.  We had to eat lunch inside the RV today because of the wind - and cold. Maggie wouldn't even get out.  

Yes, cold.  We have reverted to winter.  At one point about 40 miles east of Albuquerque we hit a storm cell that we thought was rain, but it was sleet.  The temperature had dropped to 37 degrees and the roads were white from the ice. It only lasted about 10 minutes but it was enough to make us realize we were in some wacky weather pattern and we just needed to laugh it off as best we could.  Most of the day the temps were in the high 50s.  We are in Grants, NM tonight at an altitude of ~6,900 feet.  Roger had to wrap insulation around the water hose because tonight it is supposed to dip down to 28 degrees!  It’s also windy.  What can I say.  

We are now in the high desert of northwestern New Mexico with mountains, volcanos, and lava beds  and red earth all around us.  The Navajo and Acomo Nations live in this area and I found two small pots at the KOA gift shop made and signed by the local artists to add to our collection.  There is snow on top of one of the mountains you can see from here - I’m told it is called Mount Taylor.   It isn’t a bad looking area if you like high desert landscapes with the mesas and mountains, which we do.  

It’s another 250 miles planned for tomorrow - to Flagstaff, AZ.  We will change to Arizona Time Zone (same as Pacific right now) and cross the Continental Divide.  More milestones under the tires!!! 

Here are the two videos I tried to upload on Tuesday of me and Maggs in the wind:

(I'm not sure how to do movies on this blog but hope it works.)