Out for our morning walk...

 

This is going to be an "all about Rufus" post.

The wind is supposed to be ugly across west Texas today... ugly, as in: gusts between 50 and 60 mph, sustained winds in the 30s.  Since we are in a decent RV park, we decided to get another day here, wait out the winds, and head out again tomorrow.  It was a unanimous decision... Rufus likes this place, so he wanted to explore a bit more this morning.

The sites here are a hard pack sand and very small gravel...

It reminds me a bit of the clumping kind of litter, so I was concerned he night think this is a good place for a big ol' poop.  He didn't.  Because he's a good boy.  We discovered grass in an area close behind us (in front of the office) - he didn't have to walk all the way to the dog run to enjoy some greenery...

We spent some time there, including a couple nose-to-nose encounters with dogs.  One lady with an older big dog said that no cat has ever wanted to get close to her dog.  I told her, "Rufus likes dogs, so it might be a good introduction."  Her dog didn't look remotely aggressive, so I let Rufus walk up to it... they touched noses.  No, I didn't have the camera out, but it was cute.

Some of the sites here (including the one we're in) are landscaped with large rocks.  Rufus seemed to really enjoy exploring a couple different rocky areas...

And trees...

He had a good walk.  The parks we've been in since leaving Goodyear have been more conducive for Rufus walking.  He has encountered more dogs and seems to be back to his social self, wanting to visit with the dogs.  No issues.

A chilly start to the day - in the low 60s while Rufus and I were out.  It felt good.  It will be close to 90º this afternoon, so this was refreshing.  Since we don't have to pack up and hit the road today, we plan to do some exploring around Las Cruces later this morning - it has been 25 years since we've done more than just drive by this area.

Sometimes we get our head into just getting across New Mexico and west Texas, so this Mother Nature inspired day off the road isn't a bad thing.  The ugly forecast winds across west Texas would be a crosswind today; tomorrow they are supposed to be lighter (still in the upper teens), but more of a tailwind component.  Nice to be able to pick the travel days... and, of course, give Rufus more outdoor time.

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We ran a couple errands, topped off the Equinox, then out for a real sit-down lunch.  Joan wanted to see the Mesilla area.  It was the original settlement here, and for a short time served as the capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona.  These days, it is mostly shops, art galleries, and coffee shops.

 

Thanks to the wind, it was a drive-by.  As expected the wind came up before noon and has been building all day... currently 27 mph, gusting to 40, and expected to continue building.  Taking the day off the road was a good move.  One other thing I'd like to see in this area is Slot Canyon, which is supposed to be "an easy 2.7 mile hike."  That is just a ways north of Las Cruces, but I expect it would be an unpleasant (blowing dirt) hike in this wind.  Another time.

The wind is forecast to stay up until midnight.  By tomorrow morning, it should be single digits until 10:00 am or so.  The plan is to get out early.