On to Phoenix

Today was a travel day--Las Cruces overnight, then on to Phoenix.

Crossing the Rio Grande just south of Albuquerque, we headed due south for about 230 miles to Las Cruces.

Kate received the good news Tuesday that she could resume traveling.

She had the tube removed that had been draining fluid from around one lung. That was about the first time in two months that she had no tubes in her side. Just the simple action of sitting in a chair without the apparatus sticking her in her back was a relief.

As a precaution, the surgeon wanted Kate to have another C scan done in a couple of months. Rather than try to find a lung specialist in a new city, Kate opted to return to Albuquerque and have the same surgeon follow her progress.

So, in about 60 days, we'll be making this same trip along I-25--only in the northerly direction.

These scenes show the San Mateo Mountains, I believe, and the open spaces along the entire drive.

There are only a handful--a very small handful--of towns visible from the interstate and a couple of casinos to break up the "earth-tone" scenery. One of the larger towns (population about 8,000) just off I-25 was Truth or Consequences. As we passed the exit signs for the town, we tried to recall host of the TV show with the same name. We came up with Bob Barker.

We tried to imagine what might lie at the end of some of the dirt roads we saw, but given the small number of cattle heading down the road, our imagination created only a small ranch.

So, our thoughts returned to Truth or Consequences. We learned that the town was originally named Hot Springs. In 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio quiz show"Truth or Consequences" announced that he would air the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Hot Springs, NM won the honor.

We made a mental note to spend a little more time around Las Cruces when the desert is a bit more colorful.