Airstream in Tow
Now I had to drive with an Airstream in tow through Needles and hit a commercial campground. Which was precisely what I did. KOA Needles was a gravel lot with just water and electric. I arrived after midnight; tired, hungry and cross-eyed. I parked it, leveled the trailer, plugged in, and realized it was still soaring hot (95 degrees outside)! I ran my custom built A/C all night to get rest. After a light dinner, a small glass of chilled wine, and a few minutes of reading, I quickly fell asleep.
Part of my agenda was to bring...
Part of my agenda was to bring home a client's restoration project from Logan, New Mexico.
I woke up at around 7 a.m. to a magnificent desert sunrise. A quick trip to the front office to pay the $30 fee and I was off. A gravel spot in the desert that billed you extra for WiFi and the dump station is definitely not on my future list of places to stay. After a shower in the trailer, and a quick breakfast, I was on the road. I had filled up with fuel, and I did a safety and tire check back in Needles. I jumped on I-40 going eastbound. It was a haul across the Colorado River and into Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. I knew of a rest stop that comes soon after the border, the one I had originally targeted to spend the night at, but it was closed. And that made the aggravation of the overpriced KOA all of a sudden a futile memory.
I always look forward to climbing from the hot California desert into the higher plains of Arizona; the change in landscapes, scenic routes, and native vegetation has always fascinated me. I've taken this drive many times, and it never seizes to be great visual entertainment. It follows the old Route 66 towns, Kingman, Seligman, Williams and Flagstaff. A tough climb uphill, but my 2007 Suburban handled the 5,100-pound Overlander just fine, never dropping below 55 mph. After Flagstaff, the towing requirements changed. Trucks that were previously chugging along at 55 to 60 mph in California were now blasting past me at 70 mph, the Arizona speed limit, producing giant bow waves of wind. I use a Reese Dual cam HP weight distribution/sway control combination. It handles these conditions quite well, with only occasional upset, while being passed by low flying tour buses.
Approaching Winslow, I was thinking of stopping at La Posada for a bite to eat. I am fascinated by this great piece of American history, which was created by one of the pioneering female architects, Mary Couter. Aside from the amazing architecture of this historic landmark, there's an amazing gourmet restaurant inside, too. Very unexpected for Winslow. But, I couldn't take a break because I was supposed to be in Albuquerque before sunset.
Detour Ahead
It was time to consult my GPS, on both the arrival time and distance to my final destination. Then I got a call from Ken Johansen, my tall Norwegian secondary GPS. Traffic conditions were clear, he said, no reason why I shouldn't make it. I was crossing the plains of Arizona into New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. Another fuel stop, safety check and I was off again on the last leg. It was Gallup to Albuquerque. Stepping up the speed a bit, I didn't want the crew at the balloon field to wait for me, or worse, I would miss my deadline and the VIP special treatment. There was some increase in traffic through populated areas, just before Albuquerque. I could see the city! I made it with little time to spare. Then the traffic came to a crawl and I was dead in the water.