Beeline to Better Weather

It took 3 days to make a beeline to better weather in Arizona. 
928 miles later we pulled in to the Arizonian RV Park in Gold Canyon. 

Essentially we retraced our steps back through Texas into Arizona dividing the 900-plus miles into 3 stops.  The drive from Fredericksburg to our first destination in Fort Stockton was 255 miles, first along route 290 and then I-10 westbound the rest of the way. 
On this grey-sky day, as we left Fredericksburg and scenic Texas Hill Country, we drove past oaks, pecans, and tall healthy juniper trees. 
Many of the homes typical to the region are built of limestone, and you see German names like Eichen Strasse, Schnerr Creek,  and Dittmar Creek. The quaint town of Fredericksburg reminds me of a Bavarian Village, similar to Leavenworth in Washington State, with German flags and Wilkommen signs on each business. The German influence remains and has woven itself into the Texan culture.

cowboy boots and stetsons in cowboy country

Main Street Fredericksburg

Xmas season in Fredericksburg town square 

Bavarian architecture Texas-style

thick grey overhead blanket as we leave Fredericksburg

miles of oak trees

This is also deer country, and just like in New Braunfels, we saw many carcasses along the side of the road. I also noticed several signs for deer-processing and taxidermy services. Michael noticed and remarked that all the SUVS we passed have big grille guards in front. We debated the purpose for the guards, whether it’s just a cool thing to have in this territory that goes with Stetsons and cowboy boots, or whether it's a practical thing like a cattle guard or perhaps deer-protection should you hit one as you are driving.

We passed set-back gates marking entrances to ranch property fenced with miles of barbed wire. It reminded me of the dozens of barbed wire styles on display at the Bush Museum. Barbed wire fences seem the practical choice in Texas, each ranch cordoned off with its own fencing design.

Leaving the Hill Country landscape felt like descending nature's stairways, as we drove across numerous flat buttes that descended gently to another flat topped butte to lower elevations. 

Route 10, gradual descent 

occasionally we passed the odd oil derrick

At Junction we stopped to refuel, then crossed the Llano River. 

Past Ozone, the sky turned clear blue and the thickly wooded terrain changed to desert scrub, prickly pears and creosote bushes. We were back in the flat desert.

Near the turnoff to Iraan we saw wind turbines atop the flat buttes.

We spent the night in Fort Stockton RV Park, the same park where we stayed with our Alpine convoy to New Braunfels. The park was quite full and I commented that I would not be surprised if everyone was also making a beeline for warmth! It was certainly a lot warmer here than in Fredericksburg and we enjoyed a walk around the park to stretch our legs after the long day's drive. 

The next day we got on the road early for the 289-mile trek to Las Cruces, New Mexico.  We left Fort Stockton in dense, drippy fog, making the trip challenging in places where there was not much visibility. It would lighten up in areas then return to the same pea-soup murkiness where we were only able to see a few feet ahead. 

This area is mostly a vast nothingness with very few towns along the way. You could say that we were literally in a fog for about 100 miles, seeing nothing around us but the dense white air like a curtain in front and the black top just ahead.

Around Balmoreah, we spotted pecan orchards off to the side of the road, a few black cattle on a ranch, and desert.  Then we were back in dense fog again.

Temperatures remained in the mid to high 30’s as I checked the weather channel on my phone for each of the upcoming towns. I was glad we were leaving this Arctic Freeze setting in. Georgetown where we spent Christmas was predicted to be in the teens overnight and 20’s during the day. Brrr! 

Now all the signs we saw about bridges icing in cold weather while we were driving eastbound made sense. It can and does get cold here!  As we drove along, the air was so cold that I pulled a blanket over my legs and was wearing three layers of fleece. We saw the distinctive stripes on the road indicating that it had been pre-treated with anti-icing chemicals.  The stripes can be seen on the following 3 photos.  That means we need to get an undercarriage wash soon to remove the chemical salt residue.

Occasionally we were able to see scrubby vegetation along the side of the highway but 
mostly the landscape was completely obscured by the foggy veil. 

Eventually we broke out of the murky veil that hung over us for over 100 miles. 

Welcome blue sky peeked out through fluffy white clouds and by the time we approached El Paso, the sky was a clear, sunny blue. 

the road ahead became clear and sunny although even this section had been treated with anti-icing chemical

El Paso was busy as we negotiated the sprawling city and its maze of overpasses. Several had been completed since our drive through here a couple of months back so there were fewer orange cone zones.

El Paso sprawling for miles ahead

newly constructed fancy overpasses and elevated highways

Las Cruces, about 50 more miles to go

We finally crossed into New Mexico, leaving Texas behind us. 

When we arrived in Las Cruces it was a balmy 70 degrees.  We were surprised to learn that the town is at 3,780 feet elevation. 

I was so glad to be here. It had been a long and unpleasant drive through the cold and fog. 
We pulled into our pull-through site at Hacienda RV Resort, and after we set up and had tea, we walked around the park. 

The coach was beyond filthy after driving through the constant foggy drip (windshield wipers going most of time) and kicking up the de-icer on the road. Jeep was filthy too. Michael found a truck wash along the next stretch but because the next day was January 1st and a holiday, the truck wash was closed. That meant that we would need to delay our journey by one more day with one more stop. 

We spent the first day of 2018 back on the road again, traveling 333 miles through New Mexico into Arizona. 

Before Hachita, we crossed the Continental Divide (at 4,585 ft) but along this flat stretch of terrain you wouldn't know it.  

For the next 45 miles we drove across an area with warnings for dust storms. 

I had a good chuckle as we approached Lordsburg with its three exits: East Motel St, Main St, and West Motel St. 

I wondered what folks did in this forsaken-looking place with its three main roads, several motels and hotels, dust storms, and nothing much else.

After we crossed into Arizona, we passed through more stretches of road with blowing dust warnings. 

I'm glad we didn’t face a dust storm. There were regular warning signs every few miles with instructions about what to do in case of a dust storm: pull off road, take foot off brake, stay strapped in.

 We were back in flat, arid Arizona yet somehow it felt welcoming. 

the view up ahead from up front    

There were a few areas where we passed walnut and pistachio tree orchards, looking very much out of place in this desert with its resident cacti and creosote bushes. 

Eventually I spotted Picacho Peak on the horizon, and amused myself by clicking several photos. The landmark is familiar and a welcome sight as we approached our final destination. I was happy. This is where I wanted to drop anchor and "hang" for a while after the marathon touring we have recently done and the freeze that seem to have followed us. For that is what "snowbirding" is all about, to go where the weather is best. 

saguaro cactus, long trains, and vast scrubby terrain

Closer to our exit, as we left the remote areas behind us and approached small towns and civilization, several pretty bridges  appeared and I managed to snap this one. 

We pulled in to Las Colinas RV Resort in Casa Grande, where we were a year ago. 

Tomorrow, after a stop first at the truck wash across the road, we would finally be at our final destination in Gold Canyon, just east of Phoenix. In better weather!

By 10 the next morning, we were in line at Blue Beacon waiting for our turn to be washed. 

The good news is that the line was not long, averaging around 10 minutes per truck. However, this truck wash does not have the ability to wash the under-carriage so we will have to wait to have that done at another one. 
An hour later we were on our way, driving the final 51 miles along I-10 to route 287 then route 87N to 60W.  We passed several farming communities, including cotton fields with enormous bales. I wondered whether any of the local cotton ended up in quilt store fabric bolts.

cotton bales and fallow cotton fields

Route 60W veered into pretty landscape, lush and saguaro rich, with the Superstition Mountain range coming into view in the distance.  

We arrived at the Arizonian RV Resort after 1 PM and checked in.  It had been a long three days extended by one more night so that Alpine and Jeep could have their spa treatment. We would remain at the Arizonian for the next ten days, enjoying the sunshine and warmth, and relaxing. These two snowbirds had landed for a while!