Well, we thought it would be much more fun and exciting to drive to Texas than dealing with the hassle or flying, so we packed our bags and Letterboxing supplies (of course!) and hit the road!
We left Rio Rancho around 2:30pm on Friday May 25. First we drove down I-40 to 285. The weather was cloudy, but it was only sprinkling, until we crested a hill near the eastern New Mexico town of Encino. And from there we were hit hard by a scary hail storm filled with close-by bolts of lightning!
The hail was the size of small grapes and hit the van so hard that we couldn't even talk and be heard. The temps were freezing and we couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of us. The hail came down so thick that within minutes there were several inches on the ground. We pulled over into a forlorn gas station, along with about 20 other cars, in Encino, the town that time forgot, and waited until the storm slowed enough for us to escape southward towards Roswell.
After 20 minutes we high-tailed it out of that area and outran the terrifying lightning storm watching as the blackened sky tried to chase us down. We also watched as several prairie fires were being fought by firefighters after the lightning had touched down.
Along the way to Roswell we enjoyed catching sight of the numerous Pronghorn antelope herds that browse the grasslands in Eastern New Mexico. The drive was really quite beautiful and very green with rolling hills, not what most people think of when they imagine New Mexico.
Roswell was a unique and interesting town. While driving down their main street we laughed at the hotel signs welcoming aliens, the alien statues, pictures and posters of aliens and space ships, names of stores, coffee shops, and even a Walmart using Alien names or photos. We felt like we were in a theme town for sure.
And the Military Academy in Roswell is also an interesting spectacle with it's facade of stone Castle Turrets and walls, looking so out of place in New Mexico, but kind of cool just the same.
Then we were in Artesia.....and couldn't get out of there fast enough. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can find something good in everything, but Artesia is one place I cannot find anything good about at all.
It is the armpit of New Mexico. It is ugly and stinky. They call themselves the Dairy Capital of New Mexico. It smells like Manure capital of New Mexico. Dead Bugs of Windshield Capital of New Mexico. Acrid Smoke from Oil Refinery Capital of New Mexico.
It is literally a foul and awful place to be.
And then in the 'downtown section' of Artesia, we were forced to live through a Sobriety Check along with about 15 tractor trailers and a long line of other cars with drivers holding napkins over their mouths so as to protect their lungs from the burning checmical saturated air while we waited.
Interesting thing about the stupid Sheriff that 'interrogated' me, too. After I told him we were on our way from the Albuquerque area to the Houston, Texas area to visit a friend due to give birth soon, he peeked into the back of my van where Jax, Jem and Jen, along with all their books, blankets and pillows were sitting. And then peered at the basket of snacks and the cooler. Then he said, "Ya gotta lot of stuff just to go see a friend whose gonna have a baby soon" "Betcha gonna have a big party too, huh?." I was taken aback. "Well, uh, no officer. No parties planned at all actually. I've got 3 kids with all their stuff, and my stuff, too. And then we have our own food to eat along the way to save money on buying at restaurants. And then well, we are driving over 900 miles, all the way across New Mexico and all the way across Texas in about 15 hours"
(Of course, what I really wanted to say was "You are a super big idiot. Now let me get out of this waste-of-my-time-and-gas-DWI line, and escape from this foul smelling town before I end up with lung cancer!") Ugh....Artesia, New Mexico sucks!
This is what I found online about Artesia, NM:
"Artesia" is our town's third name. The first name was "Miller", which came from a railroad employee. For a brief time we were known as "Stegman" after the first postmistress, none other than Sallie Chisum Robert Stegman. Sallie dropped the "Stegman" from her name soon after her divorce, and with the discovery of artesian wells in the area the fledgling town was renamed "Artesia" in 1903 and officially incorporated in 1905.
Artesia became an agricultural oasis until the early 1920s when many of the area's artesian wells began to dwindle. Fortunately, in 1924 another kind of well was discovered when the Illinois #3 oil well came in, opening up the Artesia oil fields locally and the Permian Basin regionally.
Today, the oil & gas industry continues to flourish in the Artesia area along with farming, ranching, dairies, small businesses and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. With a population of 12,000, Artesia, nestled in the Pecos Valley, may be New Mexico's Best Kept Secret." (BWAHAHAAHAA!!)
Anyway, we finally made it through Artesia and then onto Carlsbad just as it was getting dark. Wish we would have time to visit the Living Desert Nature Park there. But I suppose we'll just have to come back one day. I was starting to get tired, but Jax and Jem asked if we could keep going at least until we get into Texas. They didn't think it would feel like we made much progress unless we had made it out of New Mexico.
So onward we traveled through the night, and into Texas about 9:30 at night. Of course, there is nothing at the border of Texas and New Mexico at 285, except empty darkness, so we kept going through a town called Pecos, where the sign said "Birthplace of New Mexico Rodeo". The town wasn't much though, so we drove through and onto Fort Stockton, Texas, right off Interstate 10!! Whohooo! We actually made our goal for the day...driving through New Mexico and into Texas! And it took us less than 8 hours! Exciting!
We checked into the Super 8 Motel, watched TV until 1am (American Idol stars were being interviewed on Larry King!) and then we slept in until breakfast. You know you're in Texas when they serve you BIG Texas Waffles! (And yes, we know the waffle is facing the wrong direction, but the other side didn't get baked as pretty as this side! Don't let the Texans know, though. There is some serious Texas Pride in this state! hehe)
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