We decamped at 8 AM again. Today we'll meet up with Kathie Saeger, my nursing school buddy who has traveled with us in the past, in Flagstaff, AZ. So our task today was to finish traveling in New Mexico and get to exit 201 off I-40 in Arizona. There are lovely yellow flowers, which I'd initially thought were sunflowers, blooming along the road and in the median all through New Mexico and Arizona. I think they are black-eyed susans because the bloom isn't as big as a sunflower. Sure are pretty!
Other remembrances from previous trips through this terrain are the miles and miles of miles and miles. Lava rocks! Railroads parallel the highway, or is it the highway that parallels the roads? Probably the latter because I think the railroads were here before the Interstate hiway system. The trains are VERY long with many cars carrying coal as well as lots of truck trailers, sometimes double-decked.
There are lovely Indian and Western decorations on some of the overpasses, too. Lots of money being spent to improve the highways, too. The largest amount was $6M+ for an eight-mile stretch in New Mexico. I-40 carries huge amounts of truck traffic, so I can see the justification for improving it. Lots of sandstone formations, too, which I am sure we will come to get tired of in another two weeks.
There's a most interesting rest stop near mm 100 off I-40 in New Mexico. To access it one drives through two traffic circles and ascends to a national historical marker area which commemorates Pueblo of Acoma which dates to the 13th century. A dramatic battle between Acoma and Onates occurred here in 1599. There is a mission church, San Esteban, which was built between 1629-41 which was described by Fray Francisco Dominguez in 1776. There are at least a dozen adobe picnicking spots around the rest stop, too.
We arrived at KOA at 3 PM. I had to ask at the desk what time it is because Arizona stays on standard time, but the AAA map didn't indicate that we had reverted to standard time. I didn't want to believe the iphone!!! We set up camp and prepared to put the slide out for the first time on this trip, since Kathie will sleep on the sofa bed which is part of the slide. It made a horrid noise and didn't move!!!! Panic! Fortunately the office had cards for on-site repairmen. Within an hour, Dave Gould was here, evaluated the issue, had us turn the slide to retract which brought the motor and long bolt which carries the slide out into its proper housing, so he could reposition the motor to where it should have been. He told us to try the out button again and it worked!!!! Solution took less than 5 minutes!!! And he only charged us $20!!!! It had probably gotten shaken loose from some of the rough road we'd traveled.
As I'm writing this I am watching a 50+ft 5th wheel trying to turn down our lane to a pull-thru spot. He's not gonna make it because the trees are too close. We have had a similar problem at this KOA in the past. They don't always have an attendant lead travelers in and the roads are confusing and it is very wooded with some trunks obviously damaged from too-close turns. I've just gone out to tell him our experience. He's going back to the office for a different spot!!
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