Steve and Judy's Travels!

26 degrees this morning; so cold that I had to change into long pants for the first time in about a year!  Our happy dirty van was covered in frost for the first time.

We’re back in Laredo Taco country, the gas station concession that serves very good, simple, and inexpensive Mexican food.  Up and about early we were able to start the day with delicious breakfast tacos from LTC, and very good coffee from the Love’s Travel Plaza.

The cold weather was the first desperate moment of the day.  The next came at the first rest area when digging through the layers of clothing, I discovered that as I dressed in the dark this morning, I had accidentally put my boxers on backwards.

We drove from Sonora through Junction, Segovia, Mountain Home, skipped past Kerrville and Comfort, headed for Boerne.  At that point, plans changed as navigation informed us there had been a accident on Interstate 10, the road was closed, and alternate routes were advised.  We detoured toward Bandera, but not all the way there.  We went left on Highway 16 through Government Canyon, past the town of Helotes, and into San Antonio.  We continued on Highway 16 through Leon Valley and caught Interstate 410 to southbound Interstate 37 toward Corpus Christie.  Past Braunig Lake, and made a fuel stop at Exit 125.  Gasoline for $2.47 a gallon and a bratwurst for lunch.  A right turn on Highway 281 that continues south right past our house.  Through Three Rivers, George West, Alice and Ben Bolt.  One last stop in Falfurrias for groceries and a Blizzard.  Enough groceries to last us two or three days before we have to go out and stock up properly.

Home by 3:30.  Still daylight.  Arrival temperature 66 degrees.  Now we are where we want to be again.

2024 Trip Home Map

From Deming to Las Cruces on Interstate 10.  Hang a right and go south to El Paso.  Cruise through El Paso right after rush hour, no problem.  East through Sierra Blanca and into the eastern time zone.  Van Horn.  Interstate 10 and 20 split.  Continue on 10 past Balmorhea.  Less trucks now.  Fort Stockton, Fort Lancaster, Ozona, and stop in the evening light at Sonora.  Tonight’s low, 26.  Another hotel.

400 miles to go.

2024 Trip Home Map

Said goodbye to all the family here, including our fabulous hosts with the casita, Lindsay’s parents, Steve and Lori.

A leisurely leaving.  On the road before noon.  Deming, New Mexico tonight.  300 miles accomplished, 850 miles to go.

Expected overnight low, 31.  We’re in a hotel.

A celebration at Matt’s house

With Judy’s birthday buddy Ayla. 

Ayla was born on Judy’s 70^th birthday so it was a joint celebration.

Ayla just turned six.

This is the usual large distinctive cactus we see here, the saguaro.

This cactus is different.

This looks like an organ pipe cactus.  It’s similar to a saguaro in that it sucks up water during wet seasons and expands to save it inside for the dry season.  It closes the pores on its surface during the day to eliminate transpiration during the heat and conserve water.  It blooms only at night.

I’m a little skeptical about what this cactus is for sure, because in the U.S., organ pipes only grow naturally inside the Organ Pipe National Monument right on the southern border of Arizona.  It also grows in Mexico.  This one is growing in a yard where we are in the Phoenix area.  We’re a little far north, out of the cactus’s natural range.  They can’t tolerate a freeze.  Maybe this is a landscaping version of an organ pipe cactus that can tolerate slightly colder winter weather, I don’t know.