Deming, NM

 This was a much better day!  We lounged in the KOA campground for a few hours while the AMA guys (Any Make Automobile) searched for a part.  They came over and checked a measurement and he thought he had found one, but had to check the size.  A bit later they called to say Come on over!  They put it on and we were on our way for <$200 by 2 PM.  It’s only an hour or so to Deming so we came to the Adobe Deli, the Harvest Host we intended to be at last night.  Also where we were Jan 29 before arriving in AZ.  

So we celebrated St Paddy’s Day with some Knappogue Castle, my favorite Irish whiskey, then we had dinner at the Deli.  It’s called Adobe Deli but it’s a regular restaurant.  Carlene had a BBQ sandwich and I had a French Dip and Dos Equis.  All very good.  Not very Irish, but this isn’t very Irish country either.

We made reservations at a state park just north  of here for two nights.  We’ll explore Hatch and the Percha Dam area on the Rio Grande.  Skye should like being by a river again, if there is water in it.  When we came through Las Cruces in Jan. it was pretty dry.  It’s a dam so there should be.

Some entertainment while at the garage

The broken part, you can see the extensive wear on the hinge point that broke

Lots os yellow flowers along the highway

At Adobe Deli

I mentioned last time that this place is part museum 

We had not seen this before 

Hand crank starter, wooden wheel spokes

1928 registration plates 

Even the customers have interesting cars

Is that a rocket engine?

This upper deck offers good views

The camper in the background 

Out toward Deming to the west

Inside

Good night

Lordsburg, NM

 This has been a very up n down kind of day.  But we are comfy in the KOA in Lordsburg, NM tonight.

Sit down and relax, this is a good story!

We left Hereford about 9:30 headed to Deming NM and the Adobe Deli, where we spent Jan 29 before arriving in AZ.  We got up to Texas Canyon just east of Benson AZ and as I looked at the trailer it seemed to tip toward the passenger side more than I thought it should.  As I looked around I discovered a broken leaf spring on the rear axle.  Good Grief!  Well we made a slow trip down I-10 to Willcox and I pulled in to the RV park where we stayed last year while exploring the Chiricahua area.  I went in to the bar and asked about places to get that repaired.  They sent me to one a couple miles away, I topped the trailer to scout.  They took care of it right away.  They got the old one off and went out & found a replacement.  Maybe even a better one.  They said the springs on my trailer were rated at 2500# but it should be more for that size trailer; put on a 3500# spring.  Fine.  We hit the road again andI stopped at the NM Welcome Ctr to check the lugs.  They were tight!  But as I looked at it I saw that the equalizer between the two axles was broken!  It was not broken in Willcox.  It broke in that 50 miles.  OK, slow drive to Lordsburg, about 15 miles into another rest area.  Search the internet for another repair shop.  Found one, drove over and as I approached I see the yard is full of cars, no place for a long trailer.  I spy a street behind them and roll around to park right behind the shop.  The guys come check it out and in an hour they have found a part in a couple towns nearby.  Here “nearby” is an hour away.  That will happen tomorrow morning.  When I called the boss’s wife answered the phone and d said she was in Deming, well, that’s where the part is!  But she was on her way home before anything was established.  A happenstance that didn’t quite happen! 

Now, recall back in Terlingua?  This is the same part that broke over there (opposite side).  Since Dan (Terlingua repair guy) had never seen one break like that neither of us considered that both should be replaced.  Probably didn’t need it then.  Is this related to the broken spring?  Or to the upgrade in spring strength?  Did it break because it was cracked or weakened while driving with the broken spring?  We may never know. The tech guys at this place said “maybe, maybe not” to all of those questions

The brown line right in front of the mountains is the border wall

The smaller mountains in front are the hills behind Tombstone.

The ridge in back is where we were yesterday.

We are much better off than this guy

Joe has mentioned some of our camp places look desolate 

This is desolate!  Just east of the NM-AZ border

Texas Canyon

#%^&^%O*!!!!!!

Again!?!?!?!

Park my camper in that lot?  Barely room for the truck!

KOA

It isn’t crowded here!

Fleabane

Hereford & the Dragoon Mountains

 This was Sie-by-Side day.  Two seat ATV or OHVas they cal them, Off Highway Vehicle, although you can register them for use on the highway too here in AZ.  Guy & Elaine have one and their friend Chuck also has one.  So Guy & Chuck brought theirs on trailers over to Tombstone and on east to the Dragoon Mountains and Cochise’s hiding place.  We took an old road up through a cut in the rock and then farther up to an old mine.  Then back down and around to a petroglyph area.

Then a relaxing evening on the porch with Guy & Elaine.  Good Guy & Miss Lainey for you cowboys.

This has been a great few days here.  It is always a sad day for us when we leave Arizona.  We have 3 weeks to get to SC.  That’s a nice leisurely pace.  We want to spend a bit og time in Fredericksburg TX on the way.  We have driven through a couple times and it looks interesting so we’ll check it out.  And maybe spend some time in NM too.

For a drone flyover video of the first road we took:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mHB5LdtL784&pp=0gcJCZoBo7VqN5tD

It’s open range so finding horses roaming free isn’t odd here

For the first part I rode with Guy and Carlene rode with Chuck

And up we go

This is the “Gateway to West Cochise Stronghold”

A side road to an old mine

The road was more washed out than the last time the guys came up here

Preparing to change a flat tire

Going back down was fun too!

At the mine

Looking out toward Tombstone

Fort Huachuca at the base of the far mountains

Headed over to the petroglyphs 

In a cave-like meeting room among the rocks

A milling hole, this one even had seeds in it!

Skye stayed home with Elaine

She had a good day, went for a walk, played with a neighbor dog, kept tabs on Elaine’s chickens

She was pooped by the end of the day

The dark line at the bottom is the Mexican border wall