We drove our coach 247 miles, about four hours of driving (and a couple of hours of stoppage), from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Tombstone, Arizona.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

We usually toad up (aka connecting the truck to the coach) by our site, but there wasn’t a great place to do that this time, so we went over by the office. So Jenn drove the coach, and I followed in the truck:

Toading up; hooking up the tow bar and cables, switching the truck transmission to neutral, disconnecting the battery (via a push button), and connecting the brake controller:

The brake controller:

On our way; there were lots of signs like these for several tchotchke shops:

Fireworks and tchotchkes:

Inspection station, with nobody staffing it:

One of several billboards for The Thing?

Our first stop, at a parking area (i.e. like a rest area, with no bathrooms):

Nice to see mountains:

Another tchotchkes shop, with a fun fence painted like storefronts:

Fuel stop:

A third of a tank (we actually paid less than this, thanks to the TSD fuel discount card):

Filling the Diesel Exhaust Fluid:

Then we parked at this truck stop for lunch:

Heading out:

Continental divide:

Lots of signs about dust storms; this one sensibly worded as “caution dust storms”:

Another sensible sign, “zero visibility possible”:

But “dust storms may exist”; yes, indeed, but kinda a clumsy way to say that:

Welcome to Arizona:

Another truck stop, just for a stretch and bathroom break (in our coach, of course):

An interesting and very sketchy-looking homemade trailer:

Benson, Arizona:

One lane roadworks:

Uncomfortably narrow for our coach:

St. David:

Our destination:

We drove our coach 504 miles, an epic eight hours of driving, from Abilene, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

We normally prefer two hour drives, and will go up to four hours when on an interstate (as they are easier and usually have regular rest areas). We had planned two four hour days, stopping in Pecos, but the weather forecast called for 60 MPH gusts along the route on the second leg. So we decided to push on through, doing it in one day.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

Leaving the Abilene KOA:

There were pretty much non-stop pump jacks along the route:

We stopped at several rest areas; this was the first:

An interesting water tower:

Wide load:

“It would behoof you to slow down”:

Road Ranger fuel stop:

We went in, and had Church’s Chicken for lunch (our least-preferred fast food chicken chain):

Back to our coach:

Sleepy Paladin:

A wind turbine blade:

More pump jacks:

As mentioned, we were originally going to stop at Pecos, Texas:

Paladin probably would have preferred that we stopped, but this was just halfway:

A nice rest area:

We were so happy to see mountains again, after spending months in flat Texas:

Lots of trucks:

Allegedly scenic viewpoint:

Entering Mountain Time Zone:

A busy rest area; we parked on the side of the road:

El Paso overpasses:

El Paso artwork:

An interesting RV paint job:

Goodbye Texas; entering New Mexico:

Mountains by Las Cruces:

Our destination, another KOA:

That was quite the drive!