We left Roswell three days ago in search of someplace close to Albuquerque so we would be in the area for the repairs on the Doodle. Our appointment is Tuesday morning at 7:30 at Mercedes-Benz of Albuquerque. What follows is how it has worked out so far.
So many warning lights!!!
It is now Sunday evening, we left Roswell Thursday. As we drove up route 285 out of Roswell we only had the engine warning light showing, the DEF light had gone dark again. Fifty miles up the road the DEF warning light came back on. As we merged onto I-40 heading west toward Albuquerque, we both noticed that the wind was picking up. It really started to blow. Somewhere along the road a huge gust darned near blew us off the road and I got two new warning lights. Lights with wiggly tires and such. My dashboard was starting to look like Times Square at night.
Our free stay at the West Wildlife Nature Park
We made our way to the town of Edgewood, about 40 miles east of Albuquerque and to the West Wildlife Nature Park, another free night courtesy of Harvest Hosts. We checked in and when I moved the Doodle to a more level spot, the wiggly tire lights had gone out as did the DEF warning light. This is a park that takes in animals that are injured and cannot be returned to the wild. What a noble thing to do, and they have quite a variety of animals. There is a walk of about a mile and a half through the 'zoo' where you can see bobcats, eagles, elk, wolves owls and many other animals native to the area. We had a great hike and during the hike we had several phone calls from family and friends, and the wind continued to howl. The weather report was for a high wind alert for the next day.
Driving on I-40 toward Albuquerque on a windy day.
Carol and I looked through all the information we had and reviewed all our apps to try to figure what we are going to do until Tuesday. Ultimately we found an RV park on the edge of Albuquerque, called and made reservations, with plans to get there by noon before the high winds get too bad. I also called Enterprise car rentals and rented a car. I don't want to drive the Doodle around with lights showing in case I am causing more damage or I get locked out of the system. A rental car will provide us the opportunity to tour the area for a few days and let the Doodle just hang out at the park. On the way to the rental we stopped at the Acapulco Burrito Cafe, a suggestion from a friend of Carols' - it was one of the best burritos I have had for a while. It tasted of the the southwest. After touring the neighborhood, we found a carwash large enough to fit the Doodle, so we washed off some of the dirt we have collected over the last 3000 miles.
Old Town in Albuquerque
At the car rental place we got a Chevy Equinox...Carol followed me and Harper and the Doodle to the RV park. When we arrived at the park we got registered and assigned site number 103. I got the stabilizers down, the the slide out. Electricity and water hooked up and even cable tv. This is a nice park. Then I opened the side door, the wind snatched the door right out of my hand and snapped the piston that keeps the door from opening too far. An easy fix but frustrating. We then buttoned up everything, took the rental and went into Albuquerque to explore. We visited Old Town, it is the touristy place to go, we are tourists, so we went. Carol got a new hat and there is always other little things that may be needed. Carol loves to shop. We also found a 'Camping World' RV store and got a replacement piston for the door. Returning to the park we were amazed by the dust blowing, and it was really blowing. We were both glad not to be on the road in our RV. We made some supper, and just relaxed playing cribbage again, we each won one game. We then settled in and flipped around through all 40 cable TV channels before realizing that there really wasn't anything good to watch, so we each returned to reading our books..
Meg, our waitress at The Owl Cafe, I look scared to death..ha!
This morning we were up at six, which seems to be the sweet spot for getting up, and had our morning coffee at the picnic table at our site. Thankfully the wind had diminished to a breeze, and it was perfect way to start the day. I installed the new piston on the door and the Doodle is back in fine shape, at least door wise. After morning chores we got in the little Chevy and headed out to find another restaurant that had come highly recommended, the Owl Cafe, just off route 40 on the other side of I-25. What a cute place, and again the food was just outstanding. We had an awesome waitress named Meg. With the meal here at the Own and at the burrito stand they asked the question; "Red or Green or Christmas?" Of course they are talking about what kind of hot sauce, red chili pepper, green chili pepper or both. Red Green or Christmas.
Santa Fe
After breakfast we headed north toward Santa Fe and were in town just about 10:15. We found a great parking spot right near the plaza where we enjoyed yet another New Mexico cultural experience. Santa Fe seems much more 'New Mexico' than Albuquerque. I know I'l get flack for that comment but it seems more post card-y, if you know what I mean. All the houses are made of Adobe and it just feels like the old west. It was also very dog friendly. Harper had a ball sniffing every post and even some dog butts. I got a new coffee cup from a potter, Carol got a new ring from a native jeweler. I was in awe of furniture made by local craftsmen, from mesquite and elm and other woods I could not identify. We visited galleries and shops of all kinds and marveled at the architecture. We visited the New Mexico History Museum, and Harper was welcome there as well.
Harper in The New Mexico History Museum
We spent a couple of hours there, reading everything. When you read the real history of the 'Wild West' you realize just what poor job Hollywood has done telling the story. It was a great afternoon. We spent more time just enjoying Santa Fe. I would like to come back here and spend a month, someday maybe. The drive back was beautiful as the sun was low and the New Mexico atmosphere and colors were doing their thing. There were distant purple mountain set against the closer ranges of so many various colors. Red rocks and bright greens and oranges and browns. I am quite fond of this place. I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings...
And of course here is a gallery of images from the past few days
