Off we go again - sadly in the wrong direction to take advantage of Diane's invitation and gallery recommendation (we'll have to head back this way to catch up on all the good things we missed!) We said goodbye to Rick and Maggie and headed out on the I10 to just beyond El Paso where we'd booked a couple of rooms for ourselves and Mary at Mesilla, near Las Cruces.
Rick had told us of his boyhood treat of visits to the Dairy Queen, Ozona, so true to form, we paid homage by stopping there ourselves to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat. Feeling slightly nauseous from a variety of junk food, we continued our journey eagerly awaiting the next excitement - the time change!
Just before that, however, a "scenic outlook" tempted us to step from the vehicle and take a look. Worthwhile just to see this amazing flower, we thought.
A little further on, time changed (an hour gained by entering Mountain time) we were bowling nicely along when our attention was attracted by a smart gentleman in a black car with flashing lights - the State Trooper politely requested Mark's attention to the fact he'd been speeding: doing 85 in an 80mph speed zone. A formal warning was issued - no penalty - and apologies offered for the fact that he had been unable to correctly enter the details of Mark's drivers license because there were too many digits for his form. Fair cop - in both senses of the phrase.
Conversation turned to reminiscences of the Dukes of Hazzard as we sped (ever so slightly slower) to the New Mexico border!
But as you can see, we didn't slow down quite enough for me to catch the picture!
So, we are here in Mesilla tonight, where everything closes on a Monday.
We found a good Italian restaurant in Las Cruces and enjoyed great pizzas before coming back to catch up on email and the Food Network. Rachel, thanks for the yarn shop tip - maybe there will be time tomorrow to go and explore a little....we'll see!
Oh, and weirdly (but thankfully), my camera has behaved itself for most of the day and I have not needed to rely on my standby purchase. We think that perhaps the internal battery has discharged in some way and needs recharging with a cable connection (which I don't have). We'll see how we do tomorrow.
