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Published: March 13th 2008
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Obfuscator writes: We were up by about 7:00 AM, but with repacking a lot of gear and rearranging things, we didn't get hiking until around 8:30. We took a few last pictures of the riverfront campground, and got moving. The hike back out was seemingly much easier than the hike in. We figure that this was probably because the elevation change was more in our favor, and perhaps just that this time we knew better what to expect. There wasn't much that was terribly eventful, but it was again a pretty hike.
When we got out to the trailhead, we met up with our friends of the previous night one last time. They were at the end of their trip, and still had a bunch of extra supplies, so they very kindly left us with quite a bit of food and related equipment (like campsoap!). We spent a fair amount of time repacking our gear at the car, and eventually got underway. We took a different way out, which didn't lead through Silver City. It was neat because it gave us some new vistas to stop at in the National Forest, though it was again quite the slow, winding road.
We got on to the main North-South highway and stopped briefly in Truth or Consequences, partly only because of the name. It turns out that they have an interesting war memorial in the town, including a miniature Vietnam Wall, just like the one in D.C. We continued on our way to Albuquerque, but were detoured by a stop at old Fort Craig. We didn't know what it was, but after about 5 miles of rough gravel road, we found a rather sprawling old earthwork fort. Fort Craig, it turns out was constructed to protect early western settlers in the area from various bands of Indians, and it also saw service in the western campaign of the Civil War. The Battle of Valverde took place just a few miles away, and among other battles in New Mexico, helped seal the fate of the Confederacy in the West. Apparently Kit Carson and the 1st New Mexico Volunteers were based out of Fort Craig for a while too.
We left there in the early evening, and continued North. We were planning on making Albuquerque, but we decided to stop short in Socorro, when we saw a sign for the Very Large
Array, which we had somehow forgotten was in New Mexico! After a bit of haggling, we found a motel that was acceptable. They didn't have laundry though, so we walked a block or so to a laundromat, which had an exceptionally expensive setup, but really good machines.
Addendum by Onaxthiel: Obfuscator has forgotten the most significant part of the drive for the day. My car (henceforth referred to as Road Warrior) crossed its 100,000 mile mark. In honor of this momentous event, I, the vehicles third and longest lasting owner have the honor of writing about its illustrious career as a mode of transportation. Road Warrior began its career in late 2001 as a rental car in north Florida. There it logged only a few thousand miles before being sold to a gentleman employed at Fort Benning, GA as a gift to his teenage son. The young man drove it fairly hard for about twenty thousand more miles before heading off to college and deciding that a Mazda 626 was not a sexy enough carriage for him. Since he picked up a Mustang, and his father had no need of Road Warrior's fuel efficient four cylinder engine and annoying
screech from the serpentine belt, they consigned the auto to the lemon lot at Fort Benning. Enter a young Specialist just back from Ranger School, having destroyed his previous car (the beloved and oft-mourned Nautilus) just a month before beginning the course, and wanting to travel off post again. After a mechanical review, repeated checks to car value web sites, and two weeks of cool down time (the Army has a policy of lower enlisted being required to clear car purchases through their chain of command before they can legally enter the contract,) I was able to get the 36 month old, 35,000 mile Mazda for a very affordable $7,000. Two more years of government service added another 30,000 to the odometer, and did nothing to improve the squeal of the serpentine belt. In spite of the noise, the Road Warrior (though not so named at the time) performed flawlessly, holding decent fuel mileage, no mechanical issues and only one slight starting issue that was easily repaired with a brief stop at Auto Zone. After ferrying my household goods back from Hunter AAF in two runs, Road Warrior underwent a check and repairs to the screeching belt right before the
trip, thanks to the largess of my Mom. I was unwilling to pay for the belt, as I had been assured in the past that it wouldn't result in actual mechanical problems, just annoyance to anyone within earshot.
Soon after, the long drive began and an oil change every 12 days became standard. Even with these, wear began to show. Cracks from Obfuscator driving forward. Dents and dings from Onaxthiel driving backwards. And more dirt than one could shake a squeegee at. In all the 65,000 miles I have put on it, more than half coming from criss-crossing the states in the last seven months, the only complaints Road Warrior has ever lodged are by turning on a small check engine light every so often, and a few occasions of cruise control cut outs while climbing particularly steep hills. I plan on having a drink tonight to honor my exceptionally reliable car, and finally named it in honor of this momentous occasion.
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