The Airstream is back on the road!   We’re starting off easy, with a 200 mile drive to Deming NM to visit one of Emma’s favorite parks: Rock Hound State Park.   It’s a beautifully scenic hillside park at about 5,400 ft altitude.

We got a short campsite with an overhang, which presented a fine opportunity to inspect the Airstream’s underside belly pan.   For once I didn’t have to bend over to get things out of the rear compartment, either.   But Emma found the concept of her bed hanging out in space to be disconcerting.   Eleanor suggested she could sleep up front in my place, and once that idea was proposed Emma was not interested in explanations about why it made no difference where we were parked.   So I get the back bed tonight.

Being a short drive, we had plenty of time in the afternoon to go for a hike and rock-hunting foray.   This park is loaded with jasper, which you can find and take home (up to 15 lbs).   Even if you aren’t interested in rocks, the views are spectacular in all directions.

The plants here are telling us we are no longer in the Sonoran Desert.   We are now in the Chihuahuan Desert, which extends into Texas.   No more tall saguaros, but there are lots of nasty sharp lechiguillas to watch out for along the trails.

We’re all tired.   The past few days of packing up and finalizing the house have taken a toll on us.   We could use a few good nights of sleep. For a couple of days we will take it as easy as possible.   I think the Big Bend portion of the trip will rejuvenate us.

Our coordinates tonight:     32 °11’13.76″N   107 °36’47.13″W