Today I left Kartchner Caverns State Park and headed east. I watched the weather report last night and they said there was going to be some high winds today but I never expected it to be as bad as it was.
The first part of the trip was fine. While the wind was strong, it was coming out mostly of the west so that put it at my back. That was great as I was averaging about 12MPG compared to the 9.5MPG that I normally get. I wanted to fill up with gas before El Paso just to make sure I would make it through the city without needing to fight city traffic while finding a gas station so I stopped near Las Cruces to top off. I am sure glad I did.
Right after Las Cruces I-10 turns southeast, that had the 35MPH southwest winds (gusting over 50MPH) hitting me broadside! To top it off, the roads in that area are not the greatest and it started to kick up a sandstorm. My rig handled the winds fairly well. I just had to avoid all the junk that was being blown across the road and keep an eye out for reduced visibility. While I never felt in danger, it didn't allow me to relax very much. Visibily never got below about 1/2 mile but after 150 miles of driving in those conditions I was wore out by the time I pulled into Van Horn, TX.
The temperatures were in
the 80's and even with windows closed and the A/C on, dust still got into the cab of the truck. It was like talcum powder and was over everything. I'm still cleaning it out my eyes and nose. Tomorrow is suppose to be the same as I am not sure if I'm going move on or wait it out for a day.