Arizona/New Mexico Wind & Dust Storm!!

Whewwww…what a day in the Great Southwest.

We left Buckeye this morning after a nice evening with Matt and Lisa. And before leaving I took some pics of some of the lovely flowering plants in Lisa’s neighborhood. It amazes me that plants can grow in rocks and produce such vibrant colors.

And as we were leaving Lisa told us that the area was expecting very heavy winds and it was a “red alert.” We hit the road and it really was windy – it reminded me a bit of our Harley ride to Sturgis, South Dakota when we hit the really bad winds in Wyoming and the bike was all over the road. But today I drove at a slower pace, kept my eyes on the trailer, and all was going well. “Was” being the key word.

About 25 miles from the New Mexico border, Interstate 10 East came to a complete halt. The 2 lane interstate and the shoulder quickly filled with mostly large, commercial trucks with the occasional passenger vehicle. We talked to some truckers and found that the interstate was closed (both directions) due to the high winds, dust storm and zero visibility. Ugh. We also talked to a Customs Boarder patrol officer and found that the closure was for over 100 miles – all the way to Las Cruces, New Mexico!

So for about 4.5 hours Mike, Sitka and I entertained ourselves in the truck and with walks through the truck “parking lot.” Finally the road was opened around 8:30pm and we found our way to the nearest motel several miles into New Mexico. Soooo welcome to New Mexico!

Unfortunately, I am unable to upload my pics, but I will try again in the morning.