Day 12 -- Durango, Colorado to Gallup New Mexico -- 172 Miles

It was raining like crazy this morning when it was time to pack up all the gear and leave the Oasis RV Resort in Durango. I knew all the hoses and cables and such were going to be soaking wet and icy-cold, but we needed to get moving if we wanted to make any miles today. Plus, we needed gas for the rig and groceries before we hit the highway.

Once outside I decided to dispense with flooding the black tank with fresh water after I drained it which I like to do to keep it extra clean. That would have required that I break out the extra hose and spend fifteen minutes hooking it up and checking the black tank as it filled. I'm usually pretty insistent on that chore, but today it just wasn't going to happen.

In terms of shopping, we already knew that the local Walmart was just minutes from camp in the direction of Durango, and we set off toward town as the rain pelted down incessantly. Once we rolled into the parking lot and found four spaces that we could occupy without inconveniencing anybody, we set off at a brisk pace for the door.

Inside, Concetta sought out the grocery isles and I made for the RV supply isle. When we became RVers, we soon discovered that Walmart has everything we needed for life on the road. You can get virtually anything from flexible sewer lines and wheel chocks to special toilet paper and water hoses right there.

Even though we hurried, it still took us an hour to finish our shopping. Once we had all our supplies stowed, we launched into the next chore of finding a gas station large enough to fit our 32-foot rig. Thankfully, as we exited Walmart's parking lot, we saw that there was a station right across the road. So we dashed over there and pulled up to a pump just behind a guy gassing up his pickup truck. So far so good.

Sometimes you can't get close enough to the pump nozzel for your fill location on the coach so you have to wait until the person at the forward pump finishes. But this time the filler hose reached just fine, and I quickly inserted my card, chose the grade of gas, and started to fill -- for about two seconds. Then, try as I might, I could not get the pump hose to keep filling. Getting back in the truck I waited for a time as the guy in the pickup continued to fill, and fill, and fill his tank. He never seemed to finish. Finally, in exasperation, I backed away and pulled around pickup guy and left the station

We remembered we had seen another station back up Route 160 the way we had come. When we arrived there, we discovered a much more spacious station with plenty of room and no one waiting. Once again I pulled opposite the pump, inserted my card, and tried to pump gas. And once again the nozzel refused to stay on.

Now I was really confused. I just couldn't figure out what was going on with the two stations. But then I accidently discovered that instead of pushing the nozzel in the filler outlet as firmly as I usually do, I pulled the nozzel part way out. Miraculously the gas started to flow! Who would have guessd that bit of gas-pumping nonsense.

Anyway, now we had to set off at a brisk pace as we hadn't gone a half dozen miles, and it was already eleven o'clock! We had exited Route 160 onto Route 550 to get to the filling station. Now we kept to Route 550, crossed Route 160, and headed south in the direction of Gallup, New Mexico where we fervently hoped to find more pleasant weather.

Our mission at this point was three fold: First, we had to find a postoffice to mail mother's day cards to our daughters-in-law without consumming too much time in the process; Two, we had to find a Wells Fargo Bank to deposit a couple of checks; and three, we had to find our way to Gallup using a selection of recommended routes without getting lost or arriving after dark. Pretty big order.

As it turned out, we managed two out of the three as well as finding a decent place to pull over and have lunch. We failed to find a bank on our side of the street, though we did see one with a tiny, non RV-friendly parking lot on the other side of Route 550.

So, we proceeded to spend almost the entire day in driving in all intensities of rainfall. The skies were voluninously studded with black clouds, often streaked with curtains of rainfall. But, we did manage to find the RV camp we had decided upon and managed to arrive at the exact moment when the rain had paused. Thankfully, I was able to do the outdoor setup without getting soaked.

In terms of photography, I only stopped once to try and grab a few shots even though the light was flat. You can see from the top photo what I'm talking about. On the other hand, I snapped the center photo on the roadside which is a "Silvery Lupine according to my new "Wildflowers of Mesa Verde" book that I bought at the Mesa Verde Visitors Center. Its botanical name is "Lupinus Argenteus," and it's in the Pea Family. I've been trying to find a handy selection of books for identifying the roadside flowers and plants we've been seeing, and I've begun to build a nice collection to that end.

The bottom photo I just now snapped when a miraculous shaft of sunlight suddenly illuminated my dinner-table desk where I sit writing this blog entry. Since I hadn't seen the sun all day, I threw on a jacket and dashed out to grab the shot and just barely made it before the sun edged behind a cloud again. Tonight our camp is USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico, and Navigator Concetta found it for us.

Our destination for tomorrow is, of course, undecided at this point. It could be east, west, or even south, but we're certain it's NOT going to be north since we're hoping to escape the seemingly eternal rain. So, until then, we wish you happy travels of your own!