Summary day 5 to 8

 Long and longer driving days.  Day 5-8

I could not blog until now because the battery of my computer does not last long anymore, and I needed to be on power constantly to be able to write. Therefore, I do a short summary about the last days now.

We came out of the cold weather area as soon as we crossed the Mississippi. 

St Louis, IL/MO

4 C (39F) to 19 C (66F). Amazing that a mighty river can bet such a climate divide.

Our day on the roads needed in Marshfield, MO

Dixie especially loved the nice grass around our parking space.

Next morning right after sunrise we went on. Nothing special. 

Lots of traffic in and we were battling headwinds which

slowed us down extensively and brought down our gas milage. 

We had planned to take I-40 to Albuquerque, NM, but changed

plans again and went Hgw 60 and 70 via Clovis NM, towards Alamagordo NM. 

That way we got to drive with much appreciated tailwind.

I-40

It would have been pretty boring hadn’t I decided to take photos of birds along the road. 

I scanned power pole and fence post. Many hawks I saw and the occasional falcon. 

This night we stayed again on a Walmart parking lot 

and Dixie encountered for the first time the dreaded “goat's head” weeds

with its tumbtack like thorns. 

After getting the first into her paw she plain refused to go for her evening business. 

Poor girl.

Just before we turned off the lights Peter walked her again and found a grassy spot 

without “stickers” and she finally was successful.

Muddled up by the time change we got up an hour too early, I

t was still dark when we got back on the interstate. But sunrise

finally came and with it I saw a big flock of white pelicans on a pond along the road. 

Too bad, otherwise I could have taken

photos of them. 

Apropos taking photos. It is a constant challenge because I have to decide 

whether to take landscape shots

with the small lens, or close ups with the 200mm lens. 

So, I am sitting and changing lenses all the time and of course, 

sometimes there is an interesting bird flying by or sitting on a pole 

and I have the wrong lens on! 

Miles and miles of open grassland, high mesa, passed by. 

Here traffic was very light, and I did not have to concentrate on the 

road as much as I had to in the cities. 

How 60

We climbed an and climbed and reached the highest point 

at Apaches Summit with 7591 feet (2313m). Briefly I saw antelopes

Hgw 70

in the early morning sun. Sorry, no photos, we drove by too fast

and I had the wrong lens on anyway. 

Prickly Pear Cacti along the road

Downhill we went for miles and miles until we finally reached 

Alamamogordo White Sands Monument 

where we stopped fora short time only. 

We did visit those chalk white sands earlier in 2011 and took awesome photos. 

But today Peter was not in the mood. He wanted to push on towards our goal. 

2 More days.

On we went towards Tuscon AZ another long day of driving. 

By now I was really tired and worn out, not to mention Dixie,

who rode in the back without seeing the beautiful vistas. Poor thing. 

I-8 Saguaro Cactus along the road

She looked at times really depressed.

We did not make it all the way to Tuscon before dusk was over us and we decided 

to stop at a know place, the "Red Barn Campground” In Benson AZ. 

Not a fancy place, but good for a one nights stay. Again, finding a place without

sticker weeds for Dixie took a while. 

By now I thought she found out that it was not us that were punishing her for something 

she did not know she had done wrong, 

but that it was something in nature she had to accept. 

Gingerly she walked on each grassyarea anticipating a thumbtack in her paw any time.

 

I was looking for more birds in the meantime and found some interessant

doves and a hummingbird at the neighbour’s feeder in the morning. 

Peter had to wait a few minutes so that I could take 

A decent photo. He rolled his eyes at me and remarked: 

“You and your birds. If you would stop at any bird that you see and 

take photos I (Peter) would already be on my way back home

 before you ( Bea) even had reached our winter destination.”

Talk about clashing interests.