Day 26 - Highway 285 and Driving Thru West Texas

Woke up cold but too early to take the camper down. This campground has all-quiet hours. Went to the warm laundry room and downloaded photos from our day in the Sabino Canyon. Yes, I am very far behind on the photos. Did morning ablutions when the rest of the camp woke up. Put the camper down (actually 3 times since I kept forgetting things in there that I needed), and hit the road. I am taking this opportunity to let you know that Carlsbad is only about 70 miles south of Roswell, New Mexico, so there are a lot of alien mementos and signs in town. Also, since the caves are formed by hydrogen sulphite mixing with limestone, it is immediately apparent when you drive into town that the soil is loaded with hydrogen sulphite - the whole town smells like sulfur. But I did like it there. I can see how it might be a great place for a summer vacation in the Southwest because it is about 20 degrees cooler there than it is at 1,000 feet elevation.



Well, I almost hit the road. I stopped to gas up in Carlsbad, and then stopped at the No Whiner Diner for breakfast. The only whiner in that restaurant was the owner, who is a world class whiner. And they overcharged me for my meal. Skip it, and let him whine in peace.

Took Highway 285 down to I-10 in Fort Stockton, Texas. Highway 285 in New Mexico is the WORST stretch of highway that I have ever driven on in my life! Just awful - and no rest stops either. I had to pull over after about 3 hours of driving to take one of my famous 15 minute naps, and had to just pull over on a wide and gravely right-of-way by the side of the road. Highway 285 improved somewhat in Texas. Picked up I-10 in Fort Stockton and headed east to San Antonio. The towns in West Texas are about 70 or 80 miles apart so you have to make sure you gas up whenever you have a chance.

So ecstatically happy to make it to Ozona, Texas about 6 pm with about one-sixth of a tank of gas. I-10 in West Texas is very straight and mostly flat since those Texans just blast their way thru any foot hills that stand in the way of an interstate construction project. There were a few rolling hills to drive over, but not much scenery. It can get kind of boring. Then, the speed limit is 80 miles per hour, which after a few hours seems pretty tempting - even with a camper. I stopped for gas one other time when my tank got down to half full, just in case, and to stretch my legs. Made it to my campground in San Antonio about 11 pm. I was so tired, my eyes weren't focusing, so I just slept in the car with a sleeping bag thrown over me. That made for a really, really, really long day sitting in the driver's seat in my car. Should have thought that thru more carefully, but too tired to think too.

Here is the map of my cumulative travels. Have put 4,700 miles on the Subaru so far.