NO GOOD DAY IS A LOST DAY.

Hey Bud, Time to roll outta the sack. I don't hear that Generator running ,which means you aint got no coffee going. Let me get her started up and I'll scramble up some eggs and make some toast. Wont be Mayor May style but It will get ya buy. AWWWW coffee.

I parked up here on the west side of Las Cruces for a reason, Look out there. What a sight to see, makes Me wish I had one of those High dollar panoramic picture cameras. Those Organ Mountains in the back ground are just beyond words. The little city of Las Cruces all spread out along the Rio Grande and up the side of the Organs. We have ringside seats to it all. Don't cost a penny and look up, Bet you aint never seen a sky that blue. Mother nature is sure treating us fine this morning.

 




You set up here in the late spring and watch the Onion harvest. In the summer the fields will all be green with cotton, Chile and pecan 
trees and in the Fall the cotton is white and the Chile is Red. 

Right here is where US 70 meets up with That Infernal, ah I mean, Interstate -10. If you look out the window at the head of the bed you will see a monster size metal Roadrunner.That is the New Mexico state bird. Van Horn,TX claims to have the largest roadrunner in the world but I am not to sure about that. I think in a year or two I'll take a tape measure to these two and find out.

 Some say this is the best place to retire in the U.S., I dont know but it is mighty fine. Warming up real nice out there for late December. We might just set up the chairs and lolly gag around up here for a tad and enjoy the view and the good weather Mother Nature is providing us.


 See all those shiny Tall tanks down there right across from the Truck stop, guess what they have in them....well Bud at least take a guess. Yea right. Tequila,you wish.  :-) Well at least you played along and took a guess. How about pure concentrate Louisiana hot sauce. NO JOKE. Speaking of joke how is the leg to day? Dont look like you are walking in circles :-)). I have hauled a many a load of Cayenne peppers from over in the Roswell,NM area in there. They process them and ship the concentrate to Springfield MO. and thats all I know about that story. 

Right up the valley to the north about 35 miles is where the world famous Hatch Chile come from,You had some of that in your scrambled eggs a bit ago.

 Roasting  chile's

About another 35 miles is T or C New Mexico. The town was  called Hot springs NM until back in the early 50's when Ralph Edwards, the host, of a radio show called Truth or Consequences offered to broadcast from any town that would change it's name to Truth or Consequences. Hot Springs did it and  Edwards did it and the rest is history. 

They have a monster lake up there , Elephant Butte. Its a big recreational area and some Dang good Stripper fishing.

 

Here is a little short side story about T or C. back in about '63 I was Hauling  a load of Pinto Beans from Dove Creek, Colorado to El Paso. The flu hit me in Albuquerque and I spent a day or two at a truck stop on old 66. I got to feeling a little better and thought I could make it to El Paso.  I rolled in to T or C about Midnight sick as a poisoned pup. Stopped at the truck stop and went in to see If they had anything for the flu. They just had one waitress about 19-20 and a cook and when I walked in the waitress said" D--N another ole Redhead" I didnt have any Idea what she was talking about and was to sick to care. Come to find out, she had a thing for Redheads and her husband was Redheaded. 

When she got off work the next morning she brought me a container of chicken soup. I got to feeling better and made it on to get that load of beans unloaded and then spent about 3 days recouperating at El Paso Truck terminal. 

I stopped in at the Truck stop at T or C 2-3 months later. I ask about her and they said she had moved on.

Never saw her again until '83 when my best Buddy was in the Hospital in Ruidoso, NM. I walked in his room and his nurse said " Another D--N ole Redhead, Looks like you are feeling better than the last time I saw you"

  Well she was single and I was single and we kept company for 3-4 years. Last I heard she married a Redheaded chile farmer over around Hatch.We did both quit smoking and went to AA together she already had about 7 years and I had about 6 months.I got my foul language cleaned up but I don't reckon she ever did.

Bud, look where that sun is we been setting her jacking our jaws all day long... Snickering like that can get you a long walk home :-))...How about we whip up some supper and watch the sun go down on the Organs and the lights of Las Cruces come on.You wont ever forget it,it's mighty pretty sight. If that little truck stop diner was still down there on old 70 we would just go have a Mexican food supper, been gone now for 20 years or so.

Tommorow : Back to Billy the kid, Duck races and my Son, He is the best Dang driver I ever ran in to.

Rojo  with Bud riding along