Today is moving day, we were going to Las Cruces, New Mexico… but, the cold front that recently hit TX is moving this way and Las Cruces is getting snow, lots of it considering it is New Mexico, and the temps will go into single digits overnight. We decided we would stay here one more day, but when I went to the front desk to extend our stay, they said they were full, so since we had to move anyway, we might as well move towards our next stop. As I looked up the weather on the path towards Las Cruces, it looked like the last place that will have no snow and not too much below freezing is Lordsburg, NM. I looked up what they have there and there is a KOA Journey there, which is fine for the night. Those are much simpler with no amenities, but that’s all we need anyway.
When I woke up, we did not have coffee grounds to make coffee, so I changed quick and left to a nearby Walmart. I got some coffee there and got Carol some flowers and the girls some treats (pudding and flan) for Valentines day. Carol woke up first… then Bella, then Bia… hugs, kisses, happy valentines day! We all chatted for a bit, and enjoyed that moment together having our breakfast of choice… then got going.
We started packing late, but didn’t have any issues with our regular routine, so we were out by 11. I even did an extra rinse in the sewer hose since I have that new clear adapter now. It worked nice and all the connectors and hose were clean.
We had an easy drive to Lordsburg, all I-10 in a pretty straight shot. It was a beautiful drive, especially as we get to NM with big mountains. It was pretty windy though, and the closer we got, the windier it got. We could see a big mountain range coming up, and our place for the night was right at the foothills of the mountain range. As we pulled in and off the highway, we could see a bit of the down, it looked pretty small and “run down”.
We didn’t plan on unpacking much, but with the cold and wind, and just regular use, had to do most things. Unhitch, lower stabilizers, connect sewer, electric and water. This time we are using our heated water hose for the first time, since it will hit high 20s according to the forecast, and for a few hours overnight.
Getting the heated hose setup took a bit as I had never done it. Needed to make sure the electrical side was by the faucet so the cord would go to the post with the electrical box. Then had to make sure all the ends were fitting properly, and slide the rubber cover over the connections. There are two parts that are not covered by the hose, the tap connection, and the connection to the trailer. I chose to use the water filter, and covered that plus the connectors with some styrofoam I had, then covered that with a plastic bag so no water from the top would seep in, and then covered that with a small towel. I am hoping temps don’t drop too much as that may be my weak link. I covered the faucet piece with another piece of styrofoam and taped it all together, that connection is a weak link as well, but I think it will be ok. We’ll see.
The wind was brutal… and gaining speed. It was rocking the truck and trailer on the way, and now was rocking the trailer non stop even when we were done and setup with the stabilizers lowered.
As we were setting up, the slide out was making weird noises as it was going out, so we worked on that a bit as well. It feels like it’s the bottom track at the back that may be getting stuck, and as it pushes out it also pushes the wall outside, and I can see it kick. It eventually goes, but makes noise and does not look right. We tried to see if it was some alignment, and closed it and opened a bit a few times, but it didn’t do much. On the last open, I stayed outside and pushed on the wall as it came out and it seemed to help a bit. But, something is off, so we’ll need to investigate soon, before it is too late and something bigger happens.
With the trailer setup as much as we wanted, we were inside and made plans for lunch\dinner. We had agreed yesterday that for Valentines Day we’d get pizza, so we looked up the options and chose a place. There are few dine in options in NM as they are very restricted due to covid, so we drove to the pizza place nearby, which was like 2 minutes from the campground. Carol and the girls went inside to chose and order, and we’d go back later to pick up. While they were there, it started snowing. The wind speed kept increasing, while the temp kept dropping.
We went to the local grocery store to get milk for tomorrow. We were getting more snow and faster winds by the minute. Then we went to get gas… over $3 at this Circle K station… darn, these guys are always more expensive, but I thought I was done paying $3 or more. Not sure if that’s NM price or just this gas station. Then we went back and got the pizzas and went back to the trailer. It kept snowing more, but it was more like flurries, not wet snow. The wind was still picking up speed.
We had our pizzas, had some laughs, it is always good to sit down and have a meal together. The pizza was actually pretty good. Thin crust, like a cookie, and it was in between crispy and a tad chewy. We all liked it and all ate almost all our pizzas as we each had one. Carol had bought some churros as well for dessert.
Then we watched a movie, 50 first dates, since it’s Valentines Day. The girls liked the movie. Bia was laying with Carol on the couch, and Bella was sitting\laying with me on the dinette sofa. It was a nice cozy family time.
As the movie was going, I was doing some research on slide out issues, and ended up doing research on that the rest of the night. Carol and the girls showered, but it was so cold they did not want to open the vent, so all that humidity was inside, and as you can imagine, all the windows fogged up. I’ll have to get the dehumidifier out again tomorrow. I had left the grey tank closed, so after they showered, I went outside to open it and empty the tank, but the valve was stuck. I think it was frozen and I could not open it. Great… one more thing to deal with tomorrow. I went outside one more time and sprayed WD40 on the handle, just in case it helps tomorrow. I tried again, but the thing didn’t budge. So, no shower for me tonight.
The girls watched one more movie and then it was bed time. We got their heated blankets going, and I turned the furnace up to 65F from the usual 63F.
Carol worked on some website things, updating recipes as the plugin she was using needed to be updated, so she has a good amount of work there. I did more research on slide outs, and I know how they work now, so it may be easier to figure out what’s going on tomorrow. Then we went to bed around 11.
We had a good moving day and Valentines Day. A bit nerve wrecking to be here with this much cold and wind, and already have frozen tanks, but all good so far.