We stayed overnight in each direction in Deming, so we averaged about five hours of travel each day, giving us plenty of time to rest and recuperate between legs of the trip. We travelled with only one slight mishap; in the confusion of construction in Las Cruces we went about forty miles in the wrong direction before realizing our mistake. We pulled off in Arrey (near Derry) and got directions and some home-made fudge, then, rather than retrace our route we continued to San Antonio, Carrizozo, Lincoln, and on to Roswell.
I was excited to see Lincoln, the beautifully preserved historic town that was the scene of the Lincoln County War which brought Billy the Kid to outlaw prominence. Other favorite places we passed through were Ruidoso (really a slight jog off route rather than passing through), Mescalero on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, and White Sands. Roswell is a pleasant mid-sized city (about 50,000) with all the necessities and a fair share of niceties; of course their claim to fame is close encounters of the alien kind and it is evidenced by little green men and flying saucers everywhere you look. (We bought a bag full of little green men for our left-behind grandkids.) We celebrated our son, Chris’ birthday with him and Katherine with lunch at Chili’s as we headed for home.
The Wham Curse is now stocked in Reader’s Cove, Deming; COAS Bookstore, Las Cruces; and Books Etcetera, Ruidoso.