Where Are Today
Elephant
Butte State Park
Elephant
Butte New Mexico
Our 438.7 mi.
day started out by being on the road by 7:40 this morning. Today’s route took
us across the rest of Texas and as far as Albuquerque New Mexico on I-40.
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Up and Down
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I-40 was in
good condition with an 8 out of 10 to the New Mexico state line. From there to Tucumcari
NM it was the pits, the right-hand lane is always the lane that is the worst.
This section gets a 5 out of 10..JPG) |
| Open Plains |
Some would
say to move over into the left-hand lane, but I don’t feel that is right to do.
Posted speed limits on I-40 are 70 to 75 mph, I only travel at 60 to 65 mph, so
I won’t move over and make some doing the speed limit slow down and have to
pass me on the right. Trucks are to use the right-hand lane, I consider myself
a truck and large trailer, so that’s where I drive. If there is no traffic
behind me, I will move until there is.
After
Tucumcari, I-40 became a much smoother road to travel on, even some new
pavement, all the way to Albuquerque. It also gets a 8 out of 10 for this
section.
The high
plains of Texas and New Mexico are wide open with little to see, except the
mountains in the distance at Albuquerque. There are grades to climb and descend,
which doesn’t make for great fuel mileage. We probably won’t take this route
again..jpg) |
| Here we go again |
At
Albuquerque, we turned south onto I-25. We hit a stretch of road work where two
lanes got pushed down to one. We were driving partly on the paved shoulder.
When the lanes opened again, we crossed over the rumble strip that runs along
the edge of the shoulder, which we had been straddling. Here's where our day
went in the garbage, we blew the front tire on the passenger side of the
trailer as it crossed the rumble strip..jpg) |
| You can see the outer tread that gave way. |
For the third
time in two years, I am on the side of the highway changing a tire, and to add
to the pot, one of the tires on the other side has a leak, which I think is the
new valve stem that was put in last month..jpg) |
| No caption necessary |
Needless to say,
I'm bummed and will be dealing with this tomorrow. I am thankful that we are safe
and no other damage to the trailer.
Thanks for
stopping by and checking in. Don’t forget to check out Pat’s blog HERE
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Blown Tires are always such a pain. Hopefully there was no damage to the trailer.
ReplyDeleteStay Safe and Enjoy the adventure.
It's about time.
Yes they are. Thankfully there was no damage.
DeleteSorry to read about the tire, glad to read you are all safe.
ReplyDeleteThank you, will get it looked after and carry on. Looking forward to meeting up and having some happy hours and pizza.
DeleteI agree about the right lane usage, truck/trailer combination should be using that lane, it just makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThe tire problem, I'm glad you are all safe, no trailer damage and at least on the best side possible.
Enjoy the park, it is beautiful there.
Deb
Thank you Deb, no trailer damage and being on the right side is a blessing. Yes this park is beautiful, have stayed here a few times, but it has been 5 years since the last one.
DeleteI feel your pain and frustration. All we can do is persevere and remember we are not alone. John D.
ReplyDeleteThanks John.
DeleteSorry to hear about your tire problems. I kept having same issue with trailer tires, so I put on Michelin truck tires, problem solved. Have never had a issue since. I tow a 32 ft Forest River Wildcat, it is 14 years old now.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I have had that thought.
DeleteAs a long time Alberta snowbird I did the same as Doug. No regrets and no problems. To smooth out the ride I only inflate tires to 70.
DeleteGot the comment working. I am so sorry to hear this Bill. I know you have done a lot to mitigate this with the rim work and TPMS, so am surprised to see another blowout. Did you get any warning at all?
ReplyDeleteGreat you got the comment working. No warning at all.
DeleteTire age is very important, should not run tires over 6 years old, period. The cold and heat of the roads cause the tires to fail. Simple.
ReplyDeleteYes age is important, these are 5 years old. When parked the tires sit on a piece of rubber, so not in contact with the ground.
DeleteSorry to hear about your tire, but glad it was on the right hand side. And thanks for the map!
ReplyDeleteThanks Furry Gnome, yes I'm glad it was on the right hand side. Your welcome.
DeleteBummer. Fortunately, it was on the passenger side and did no trailer damage. Won't be much longer. Have a save journey
ReplyDelete