Baja Bound Part 2 – TX to NM – RVing the Southwest – Ghost Towns & Dirtbikes
During Tucker’s 6 month checkup, the pediatrician recommended we give Tucker two flu shots, waiting one month in-between the two. Unfortunately, we were on the road in time for the second dose, and many places that offer flu shots (i.e. Walgreens, Publix, etc.) are not able to provide them for infants. So began the search for a pediatrician or community clinic that A) had an available appointment THAT DAY, since we would attempt this without delaying our travels too much, and B) that had the second round of flu shots in stock. After striking out in the big cities of Tucson and Yuma, I called the Ben Archer clinic in Deming, NM. I had little hope they would have an opening AND the second round, but we had to try. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes the stars align and Jesse gets the chance to say, “I love it when a plan comes together!” The clinic not only had the correct flu shot for Tucker and an opening that afternoon, they also had an oversized parking area that was a breeze to pull our rig through without decoupling. Sighs of relief all around. Except maybe for Tucker, who would soon get his cute little thunder thigh poked.
While waiting for our appointment, we filled up across the street at the Valero – 5R Travel Center and had lunch at The Wagon Wheel Cafe. If you find yourself in Deming, NM, we recommended stopping at this gem of a restaurant!
Tucker took his shot like a champ, quivering his pouty bottom lip for just a moment before grinning and flirting once more with the nurse. Our world was good again, and we could get back to stressing over crossing the border. Naturally, we didn’t stress too much because there was a ghost town right off the highway and we decided it was a must see. Pulling into the ghost town of Steins, NM (minutes from the AZ border) was…underwhelming. The town is sandwiched between the highway, railroad tracks, and a few homes. The large red trailer proclaiming the ghost town was inaccessible due to fumigation was a perk. Ascetics aside, the town itself was interesting enough to warrant drone footage of it’s rusty remains and the awesome mountains surrounding it.
Since I am by no means a Ghostbuster and “I ain’t afraid of no ghost” does not apply, we hustled down the road a bit to a spot Google Maps had convinced me would be a perfect boondocking location. Open desert, off the highway, and surrounded by rocky mountain peaks. Regrettably, Jesse did not believe it would be as cool a spot as I, and instead parked us just inside a gated road (an open, unlocked gate we hoped would still be open and unlocked in the morning) leading to what appeared to be a business of some sort a few miles away. This decision also landed us 10 feet from a cattle grate on a road used no less than 23 times during our stay. Duuuurrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuup! each time a vehicle’s tires flew over the metal. Perhaps there was a full moon party on this particularly moon-less night, because people came and went all. night. long. Duuuurrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuup!
No problem. I woke up to coffee and Jesse skipping over to his dirt bike because, “Babe! That mountain looks too fun to pass up and I’ll be real quick!” It had been 3 layers of dust and 5 states since he’d gotten a chance to ride, and so off he went, leaving Tucker and I to enjoy the duuuurrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuup!’s for a bit longer.
With Tucker ready to face any flu germs we could throw at him and Jesse’s dirt biking wiggles out of his system, we were ready to keep on truckin’ towards the Mexican border.
