Leaving Junction we drive to Fort Stockton, hoping to purchase the yard-art metal peacock we had seen on the drive east when the store was closed (a Sunday). Fort Stockton doesn’t look much different today, a weekday, but the store is open and the peacock has been sold, to our disappointment. We cross the street to the only café in town and enjoy a lunch, but this is no substitute. We drive on.
Texas is in a bad drought, perhaps the worst in 40 years, and as we speed through windy west Texas we see burning hills near Fort Davis and a lot of smoke in the air.
We drive on to “Historic Van Horn” (the sign says), a town sadder than Fort Stockton. I don’t know what glued this place together, but today the main street consists of closed stores, closed motels, motels offering rooms for $25, and a few newer motels that look like they should never have been constructed. The low-priced motels bring images, perhaps unfairly, of bedbugs but on a gamble Marcia calls the better looking Ramada Inn and the Holiday Inn, but the former holds firm at $59 and the latter wants $79. We go instead to the Eagles Nest RV Park, which wants $30; I point out to the manager that there are motels in town advertising rooms for $25 and he gives me an indignant look and comments that his prices are in line.
The next morning we continue I-10 through west Texas, a long drive made the worse because of blowing dust and smoke. El Paso is its usual chaotic self but the dust and winds continue well into New Mexico, where we settle at the Lordsburg KOA for about $34. Having a desire for New Mexico style Mexican food we disconnect and drive to El Charro, an old but large place near the railroad tracks endorsed by the largest collection of still-runing cars in town. Service is very pleasant and most everybody seems to know each other. Dinner is okay and probably what I expected, but not what I wanted. After dinner we drive the dusty streets trying to figure what used to make this town tick – perhaps mining, just not sure.
On Friday the 15th the winds and dust are much improved and our drive through New Mexico and into Arizona is reasonably pleasant. We are making good time now and expect to be home on the 18th, in time for Sue Burmaster’s memorial on the 19th. We spend the evening in at the Saddle Mountain RV Park in Tonopah, Arizona, for only $14 using Passport America.
No comments:
Post a Comment