Saturday July 31, 2010-Travel day-Carlsbad RV Park to Las Vegas NM KOA

We made the long and most-times boring drive from Carlsbad to Las Vegas New Mexico today. Our day began with coffee for Stella and I in the trailer, but we changed somewhat on our departure. We packed up almost everything and took down the utilities leaving only the rooms slid out and the electricity on to keep Cassie comfortable while we went back to Happy's restaurant for breakfast. We decided that it would be better to eat a big breakfast, which is, by the way, the most important meal, and get on the road and then skip lunch. It worked out very well, and we got on the road at 10:30. There is only one town between Carlsbad and Roswell, so there wasn't much of a slow-down. North of Roswell is nothing but rolling lands and mesas in the distance. It was boring but the road is wide and smooth and we made good time.

Just before we got to Vaughn NM, where we made our first turn, our old nemesis returned. Yep, the low coolant light came back on but I had not seen any elevation of the temperature gauge. The gauge was still not showing to be hot, so we continued on into Vaughn and I stopped at a truck stop/convenience store and bought a gallon of coolant/water mix and added it to the overflow tank. I watched the gauges all the way into the new park that is actually about four miles out of Las Vegas NM and we got here with no other problems.

The people here at the KOA are very nice and friendly and after getting set up, I spoke with the manager and her husband about a mechanic that they know here. I called him up as they suggested, but his phone was out of order, so I guess we'll continue on tomorrow with he watching the gauges all the way to Colorado Springs.

I learned that Las Vegas is a very historic little town. The road that we came in on, Hwy. 219, is a part of the historic Route 66 and that prior to 1937, Route 66 ran right through the site of this very park. Butch Cassidy once tended bar in town. (was that Paul Newman or Robert Redford?) Tom Mix brought early Hollywood to town and made several movies here. Movies made in and around Las Vegas were: Tom Mix movies: The Rancher's Daughter, Never Again, Local Color, The Country Drugstore. Also The Evil, Red Dawn (Wolverines!!), Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Girls, Speechless, Miracle in the Wilderness, Hi Lo, All the Pretty Horses, Blind Horizon and No Country For Old Men.

Later in the evening, Stella got a call from her niece Jana. She had been to Denver for a convention and had brought her family with her on the trip. They were leaving Colorado and had decided to stop off in Las Vegas for the night. Stella suggested that they stay here in one of the cabins, so Jana called the park and made their arrangements, and they got here about 8:30. We had a nice visit with them at the cabin until about 10 o'clock when we all turned in. They are coming over for coffee in the morning and we may all eat breakfast here in the park before we take off. We will be going on to Colorado Springs and they will be going to Roswell and Carlsbad. It seem ironic to have both been traveling and run into each other this way.

We have also been talking to Mike and Patrice, who are also coming to Colorado Springs from Dickinson. We may be able to hook up with them today and drive on into CS together. Mike is an old mechanic and may be able to figure out whats wrong with my truck. He'll be moral support for sure. You'll have to check back to see if we can find them along the road somewhere between here and CS.

So long.