Day 147

I awoke at an elementary school in Fairacres, NM. I watched the sun rise.

I broke camp, repacked the buggy, and hit the road.

I followed Highway 70 all the way up and out of Fairacres:

I joined the I-10 frontage road. 

I started putting in the miles:

There wasn’t any shade or culverts along the road, just small drainage pipes. At 9:30 a.m., I arrived at a truck stop along I-10. There were some decently shaded trees, I decided to break early for a siesta. 

Time passed. I slept mostly. I bought a large powerade free pour and a meatball sub for the road.

At 4 p.m., I was back on the road:

The frontage road was so nice. I had it all to myself. Unfortunately, an hour or so before sundown, it ended. 

Well, sort of. Google maps said it kept going. The frontage road actually turned to dirt. It seemed pretty packed down. Actually it wasnt even a frontage road. The country road went at least 7 miles into the Chihuahuan before it turned more westward. Evening time is when I can get a good portion of miles in, but I didn’t want to travel on I-10 at night. If I traveled into the night it could be worth the investment. 

I kept moving deeper into the wilderness. It was tough, but I saw a lot of beautiful things. Bulls, sunsets, moon rises, wild vegetation, and dry river beds. I almost got lost a couple times. It was challenging. I could give a play by play but I will let a few pictures tell the story:

Around midnight I found some high tension poles. I set up my hammock 4 miles south of I-10. Freight trains, a full moon, and coyotes. I was tired. I fell fast asleep.