Layover In Las Cruces

It was a day of frustration for the team as we had to layover in Las Cruces, NM for an additional day because the warning lights in the OREM came on again yesterday. Last night we decided that we had three options: 1- Give up and return to our homes, 2- Ignore the lights and continue eastward, or 3- Take the OREM to the local Toyota dealer and find out WTH is truly going on before we get too far into Texas where mechanical help would be hard to find. Quitting seemed to be the easiest option as we’re all a bit homesick at this point and weary of the OREM-related drama and delays, but we quickly ruled that option out. Option 2, to simply ignore the lights and continue merrily on our way, was also enticing and something I probably would have done as a younger man when I was more impervious to the trails and tribulations of life. But we collectively opted for option 3, wisely I think, and the three of us spent the better part of the day hanging out in the customer lounge at the local Toyota dealership. Our service rep got us a ride to and from a restaurant for lunch, which was cool, and I walked to a nearby ice cream establishment and got post-lunch shakes for Odie and me.  The problem was finally identified around 2pm (long and boring story), parts were ordered, and tomorrow morning we’ll have the OREM there at 8am to fix things once and for all (knock on wood)!

The plan is for The Bob to take the OREM to get repaired, while Odie and I will leave on Hank directly from our campsite. We’ve got roughly 52 miles to cover to get to El Paso, and because we’ll be heading mostly south, the wind will again be a factor with gusts to 35mph from the southwest, not a direct headwind, but still challenging. The OREM is estimated to be finished around noon, and at that point The Bob will speed south and meet us somewhere along the New Mexico-Texas border. This should plan should work, I’m certain it will, it’s a good plan, a flawless plan, it's a plan with panache, it’s plan C or D and maybe E, man I hope it works, what could go wrong??? Peace to you all…

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