New Mexico

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Things Fall Into Place

The Motel 6 in Silver City also has a VERY comfy bed and decent coffee. I slept well and didn’t have to schlep out into the COLD for coffee. So the morning started off well and then got better.

I went to bed way to late last night as I was still searching for a place to stay in or near Truth or Consequences. I couldn’t find anything at less than 40USD a night, even for a seven-night stay, so I was looking at more than 400CAD for a week. Way too expensive!

When I was originally going to do this week in Las Cruces, I spent a lot of time on Air BNB and found nothing suitable for that city or the environs, so I put the idea of the site out of my mind. But it was the first thing I thought of this morning. And I found a whole apartment for just under 300CAD for a week…

I fired off an email to the hosts with information about myself, apologized for being so last minute, and shamelessly begged. They very quickly replied that the place will be ready for me after 5PM. Thank you!

The reviews for the place make it seem fine. I don’t think the work station will be comfortable (all I could see in pictures was a small table with folding chairs), but I’ll make it work, especially since I’ll have a kitchen!

Then, I decided to see if I could call AT&T and pay online to put money on my phone rather schlep all the way to Walmart. I couldn’t do that yesterday because I wasn’t getting good service (AT&T coverage is spotty) and calls kept dropping, then it was too late to speak to a live person when I got here. At any rate, I went through all the prompts to pay with my card, was told there was a problem, and was redirected to a live person who was very helpful. She said that I needed to register a proper US address on file and then use that as my ZIP code when paying online. I use my best friend’s address in Virginia for stuff like this (thank you!), so I was able to go through all the steps.

AT&T’s GoPhone plans have really improved in the last six months! For $45, I have unlimited talk, text, AND data. Data gets throttle back after 1.5GB, but I don’t care. I won’t have wifi in T or C, so knowing I can use my phone and not worry about my usage is fantastic.

I’ll be heading out to Gila Cave Dwellings shortly. It’s presently 47F/8C outside and I’m not too eager to get going… I may take a few minutes to pop in to say hi to a blog reader before I head out if he’s around. I’ll need about six hours door to door so I want to be on the road by no later than 11AM.

It’s such a relief to have accommodation lined up for the next week as I’m having some cash flow issues stemming from a late payment from a client combined with PayPal taking an unprecedented amount of time to transfer some funds. Nothing dire and I had budgeted for this eventuality, but I didn’t know if said budget would, in fact, cover a week-long stay. Now that accommodation is paid for a week, I’ll be able enjoy any brief snatches of free time I have in T or C while the May money starts rolling in… and while making serious in roads into June earnings. Things do have a way of falling into place for me, don’t they?!

Okay, going to brave the cold and start getting a move on my day!

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Nogales, AZ, to Silver City, NM

I got my work done this morning, then went to Walmart to get a SIM card for my phone. That did not work out and that’s all I’m going to say beyond the fact that I haven’t missed shopping at Walmart. 😀

Fuel was $2.39/gallon and I took on 12.5 gallons ($30), which was almost three quarters of a tank and plenty to get me to today’s destination. It was weird to pump my own! I had to go in an pre-pay and did that in Spanish, too, adding yet another new linguistic accomplishment. 😉

I pulled out of Nogales around noon local time and headed for Silver City, New Mexico. I knew that there is a huge Walmart in Benson not too far from I-10 right on my route, so that was my first destination.

Coming up to Benson, there was a customs check point…

The two cars ahead of me slowed down and were waved through without stopping.

I was not waved through, so I stopped and quickly removed my sunglasses. I was asked how I was doing, given a once over, and told to go on. Much more pleasant than my inland customs encounter in Texas that I never blogged about.

Walmart in Benson had the Go Phone SIM cards, but no refills. I figured I could just buy the refill online with a credit card…

While there, I had a look at shoes because I wanted to replace the pretty walking sandals I wore right through this winter. The pair I bought in Mexico are good for short trips, but not long walks, and so a good pair of walking sandals I can wear with dresses and skirts was on the budget for this trip. Walmart has the exclusive North American distributorship for the very high quality, yet inexpensive, ‘Earth Spirit’ brand and I had a look at what they had in Benson. I found the exact model I just wore through in a different colour (neutral beige) and they had one pair left in my size for just $19! That was a no brainer of a purchase!

From Benson, I continued on to Willcox to use the internet at McDonald’s to set up the phone.

That didn’t work out too well seeing as you can’t buy time online with a Canadian credit card. So my phone is a brick until I can get a refill card. Thankfully, there’s a Walmart here in Silver City, so I’ll check there in the morning.

The landscape driving east along I-10 was much like my beloved rolling hills of southern SK, but the hills were a tad higher. Lots of olive green and bright blue sky.

Texas Canyon was amazing!

These rock formations are amazing!

These rock formations are amazing!

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Not even the most impressive!

Not even the most impressive!

Before I knew it, I only had five states left to visit…

Five states left!

Five states left!

!!!

!!!

I stopped at the New Mexico welcome centre, but it was, of course, too late in the day and it was closed.

It was spitting rain by the time I got to Silver Springs and cold. I had to pull out closed shoes, socks, and my heavy coat!!!!!!

Needless to say, I was not going to sleep in my truck. So I took a room at the cheapest place in town, which was NOT cheap, more than 50USD, the Motel 6. But it’s a rather nice room, with hardwood floors rather than carpet and there’s a fridge and microwave. I have a budget for this trip and if I run out before the four weeks is up, I run out and I rush home, that’s all there is to it.

So I got, in logged into my email, and found a HUGE out of the blue rush project waiting for me. Huge as in I have to type all day Weds, Thurs, and Fri if I want to get it done by the deadline. Needless to say, I’m getting a motel in Truth or Consequences tomorrow for up to a week, depending on the rate!

Pizza sounded good for dinner since I could have cold leftovers with coffee for breakfast. I was happy that there’s a Little Caesar’s here as that meant supper and breakfast for under 6USD and, as I’ve said in the past, I think their pizza is very decent.

Tomorrow, I am going to the Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument. It is the only thing in New Mexico that I have to see. Not quite a bucket list item, but it’s something I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. I’ll then move on to Truth or Consequences. Lovely readers are expecting me after that in Albuquerque, then Santa Fe (thank you!), so my route is taking on a life of its own.

Even with hills and wind today, my gas mileage was at normal levels. I can’t believe the improvement!