Day 2 March 26, 2006 Sonora, TX to Carlsbad, NM

Day 2
March 26, 2006
Sonora, TX to Carlsbad, NM

(sung to the Folgers theme song) “The best part of waking up is Debbie in your bag”, but we’ll have to take Erik’s word on that. He says it wasn’t too cold for him last night because she’s a good conductor of heat. Heat was certainly a good thing – the overnight low temperature tied a record low for this day in history here at a blistering 30 degrees. By midnight, the livestock actually started to quiet down – which helped those of us who were restless and cold and having trouble sleeping.

Sunrise came and went, but the huge globe of fire hadn’t warmed up the air much even a couple of hours later when we finally emerged from our nylon shells. We quickly layered on clothes and got the camp stove fired up to boil some water for breakfast: oatmeal and cocoa. We realized we hadn’t gotten any pictures of the campsite last night, so we snapped a few and then set to the arduous task of packing everything back up and back onto the bikes.







The wind was clearly attempting to have us stay put – it was a hard, steady wind with unpredictable gusts that made packing up tents look more like flying a kite. We finally got it all tethered and hit the road.

First stop, Déjà vu. Ozona – the same gas station that we had stopped at yesterday when trying to find a campsite. This time it was quick – nobody even removed their helmet (which appears to make all the difference in the world between a quick refueling and a break lasting at least a half hour).

Back on the road, the wind was throwing us everywhere. Even at the “calm” spots, it was pushing us steadily enough that the bikes were all leaned over despite riding in a straight line. We arrived in Fort Stockton for some lunch, but we don’t want to hit the local DQ. The GPS says there’s a Mexican restaurant only a mile away, so we head in that direction. La Rosita – small, quaint, and decent food.



The service left a little to be desired, but it was obvious that the locals were catered to more than these funny-looking travelers. Spank enjoyed the chips and salsa (once we got the waitress to bring some, that is).





New Mexico, here we come!



The goats were the demise of Erik’s fuse. Yup, you read that right. Somewhere around Red River Gorge Erik wanted to find out if the goats on the side of the road were “fainting goats”. These are animals that freeze and simply fall over when they hear a sudden noise. They aren’t harmed, just a little dirty. Maybe Erik was being taught a lesson about being mean to them, because the use of his horn (a new one installed just last week) caused the fuse to blow and the loss of not only his horn, but his brake light and turn signals as well.

The horn would have come in handy a half hour later when he was trying to flag down our self appointed fearless leader on our way up into Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We’d entered the park without stopping, but Deb and Erik were soon realizing fuel was low and there was no indication of fuel or camping up this road. Deb and Rebecca both watched and laughed as Erik got right up behind Gavin, waving his arms in the air with exaggerated movements. No sign from Gavin that he saw him. Was his gear blocking his view from his mirrors, or was he simply having too much fun on these twists and turns due to the absence of any twisties the entire ride here?

Not wanting to run out of gas, Deb, Erik, and Rebecca pulled off into a small parking lot for an “exhibit”. Not sure what (specifically) was being exhibited, but the scenery was outstanding.







Gavin eventually came back for us, having reached the end of the road, taking some pictures, and asking someone about camping. We managed to make it back down the hill before running on fumes, and once refueled we headed towards the city of Carlsbad to find a campsite.

Billboards were everywhere promoting hotels and motels, but only two for campsites. The Carlsbad RV Park and Campground with WiFi, an indoor pool, and “family fun”, and the KOA 20 more miles north. We had decided during the planning stages of the trip that we’d be keep it cheap – no fancy hotels, motels only when absolutely necessary, and no KOA due to the price.

The Carlsbad Campground was rustic (to say the least) and was right on a major highway. It was $16.50 a night, but the tent sites were a mere hundred yards from passing cars with no screening.





Despite the low price, we all agreed we’d have to spend a little more than we had planned and we moved on. A quick stop at Autozone for some fuses for Erik and a call to the KOA, and we were back on the road for 20 more miles.



The KOA had a gravel parking lot, but thanks to Deb’s new lowering links it wasn’t much of a hassle. By the end of this trip, we should be pros at maneuvering in less-than-ideal conditions. We chose the “tent village”, which amounted to a grassy area for the tents, gravel parking for the bikes, and a covered area with storage, a picnic table, and electricity. To top it off, there was a grill, a fire pit, and electricity on the site. Clean bathrooms and hot showers, a general store, and friendly staff. It was worth the $40.



The sun was setting and we got the bikes parked, then headed over to the store/restaurant to see what we could muster up for dinner. There had been a pot luck, but it was already over and the banquet room was mostly empty. As it turns out, they had closed the kitchen early because of the pot luck, and we almost decided to order a pizza. Not wanting to wait, we picked up a pack of hot dogs, some buns, and a few sodas. We were going to head back to the campsite and boil them on our stove, but Connie, our lovely KOA hostess, insisted that she boil them up for us in the kitchen. We sat and ate, and as the pot luck was cleaned up we were given the leftovers! Chips and salsa, guacamole, some taquitos, and even some pizza rolls. We didn’t much mind being charity cases.



Got back to the campsite, set the tents up in the dark, then we settled down for a game of Scrabble. Deb ended up winning by only five points, but Spank didn’t really have any good letters to work with.







Settled in for sleep in now-cooler but not quite cold temps. It’s forecasted to get down to 51 degrees, so thermals weren’t necessary.