Day 302 – Alamogordo to Deming
Sunday was a travel day, but since Michael didn’t have to work, we also had time for a stop to visit the White Sands National Monument. We rented a sled to try doing some sliding down the sand dunes. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as sledding on snow, but it was another unique experience. We definitely enjoyed the beautiful views of the clean white sand backed by the purple mountains.
We unfortunately lost the receipt to the sled, we were just going to give the sled back and lose the deposit. But fate would have it, just as we were getting close to the gift shop we saw another Westy pull in, so we gifted it to them (a very nice French-Canadian couple traveling around the US just like us!).
Next, we enjoyed a scenic drive into Las Cruces for groceries, and then continued on to our hotel in Deming for a long rest/work stop.
Day 303 & 304 – Deming
Monday and Tuesday we stayed in the hotel to rest and get some extra work done.
Day 305 – Deming to Lordsburg
Wednesday started with more work at the hotel, then we packed up, ate lunch in town at an excellent Mexican food restaurant (where we saw another Westy!), and then we got back on the road. We originally planned to drive all the way to Tombstone, Arizona, but they were actually having a big rain storm. As luck would have it, there was a Hampton Inn about halfway where we could get another free night for only 10K points, so we decided to do that and skip camping in the rain.
Day 306 – Lordsburg to Tombstone
After a morning of work, we got back on the road for Tombstone. After stopping for groceries, we continued on to the RV park right next to the OK Corral. Unfortunately the weather hadn’t really improved, so we huddled up in the van to stay warm and dry.
Day 307 – Tombstone to Tucson
Friday started off rainy again, so we never did get to see much of Tombstone except for a quick drive through. We headed north out of the rain to Tuscon, where our first stop was to let Tracey drop off blankets and toys that she had crocheted at the Hermitage Cat Shelter, an amazing no-kill shelter. Then Michael dropped Tracey off downtown for some pampering at a hair salon while he attempted (unsuccessfully) to get the battery replacement for his iPhone installed. Finally, we made it to the KOA to rest up for a weekend of hiking.
Day 308 – Tucson
We had to pack up the van early and drive about 15 miles to the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, on the east side of Tuscon. We took a hike through the cactus forest, and then up to a ridge with excellent views of the mountains and the city. We couldn’t believe how many saguaros there were, it was amazing.
On the way back to the KOA, we also passed by the famous Airplane Boneyard, where there were hundreds and hundreds of airplanes of all types stored away.
