Tucson Bound

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Every trip has a theme and this was no different getting to Tuscon. Wind, noise and slow. Dealing with one is hard - two headache inducing. All three? Plus a turtle that is acting up? Stressful beyond compare.

Just south of Las Vegas NM - the engine starts acting up. The fan will not disengage and is stuck running. It sounds like a jet engine in the cab and our already slow pace becomes a crawl. We ended up taking side roads as much as we could since 40 was our top speed. That meant for some scenic driving and a very quiet first night on the road. But it also added to our stress on the second night. We were on the really quiet roads between Socorro, Reserve and Safford, AZ. The engine was dragging, using more fuel then normal. And the gas stations in the little towns we passed were all closed. We turn off the "main road" onto NM 78 and Nick suddenly asks "how much further?" Its about 70 miles to the next big town on the map. Uh oh - we are really running low on fuel! The auxiliary tank runs dry about 20 miles out and the gauge for the main tank is hovering on E. This is getting nerve wracking! The last thing we need is to run out of gas on some tiny road in the middle of nowhere! Luckily, we made it - on fumes alone, I'm sure.

Our stopping place for the first night - a scenic pull out on NM Highway 14 south of Santa Fe
Then it was time to get back on the interstate for the last leg of the journey. Approaching I-10 from the north looked like a snake of lights slithering across the darkness of the desert. And we were soon going to be joint all that traffic - at our stately 40 mph! At least it wasn't for too long. First rest stop and we were done for the night. Time for a break in our home on wheels. I must say - I-10 rest stops are not as quiet as back roads pull outs. But it was a parking spot for the night. And we would be in Tuscon, raring to ride in the morning! Vacation time with a little race in the middle of it....
Who wants to spend all day replacing one of these? The seized up fan clutch. Fingers crossed....


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