Made it to my hotel in Sata Fe in one piece! Drive through the mountains wasn’t so bad after the first 100 white-knuckle miles down the mountains. Believe the pass I drove through was approaching 10,000 feet but grades were fairly gradual. Got lucky once again and split the green & blue on the radar. Super glad I chose not to do Monarch Pass – from a distance they appeared to get blasted!
After coming down the mountain I drove through the night in the middle of the desert. I only saw about 5 cars the whole time, the blacktop was perfectly flat, and the road was dead straight. Oddly enough this was one of my most peaceful drives. Also another drive I wish to have done in daylight as the vistas had been described to me as amazing.
My hotel is also a casino, however this may be one of the nicest rooms I have had. Still a bit upset it’s too cold to camp. Lows tonight below freezing in the high desert. Light pollution also sucks here so no astrophotography for now. However the bartender was super cool and served me minutes after last call – my first drink in a week!
Tomorrow I have one stop planned then it’s on to Las Cruces where I finally get to see the family. Excited for at least one day of downtime before the elk hunt.
Thank goodness!!