…believe it or not.

Due to the heat, days start and end early in Phoenix. After a nice home cooked meal and a few glasses of Scotch my cousin, Andy, retired to bed. Having digested my steak, at least the part that’s digestible, apparently the rest of it will journey through my system over the course of the next few decades, I thought I would take a dip in their spacious pool. I asked Linda, my cousin’s wife, when the temperature outside would be under 100, to which she smiled and replied: October.

The next morning after breakfast I headed east towards New Mexico and the White Sands desert. The air was hot and dry, so dry that my sweat mercifully evaporated before it could wet my shirt. As I travelled the 440 miles between Phoenix and White Sands, I calculated my distance from the National Monument several times. I decided to skip lunch in Lordsburg New Mexico, despite their being not one but TWO places with at least a four star rating on yelp, because I couldn’t afford to lose an hour, especially as I crossed from Pacific to Mountain time at the Arizona/New Mexico border. My goal was clear, 7pm/twillight ranger led nature hike or bust. I breezed through Las Cruces, glibly taking a far better route than google maps suggested. I cruised onto US-70 East, past the White Sands Missile Testing range, I’d be at the park by 6:40, plenty of time to get situated and go for a light hike, and then it hit me… or I hit it. I can’t really blame the United States Air Force, because they probably weren’t the reason for the road debree, but something shredded my tire. Perhaps it WAS fragments of something detonated in the desert nearby, perhaps not, but I didn’t have time to waste. Now I was battleing the clock in a different sort of way. I had to change my tire and get back to Las Cruces before Sears closed, or I’d be stuck for the weekend.

I unpacked the trunk, pulled out the donut and lay on the road beside all of my belongings as I sweated to jack up the car. Having burst a few tires in my day, I was efficient and the tire was changed in about 15minutes. I crawled back to Las Cruces at 40 miles per hour. The people at the sears auto center were amazing. I go with a small business every time, but the convenience and service at sears was second to none, and they’re open until 8 on Saturdays. My wallet $150 lighter, I ventured to Nopalito’s where I had the #3 combination for $7. New Mexico is famous for their Green Chilies, but Nopalito’s also offers Red Chiles, so why not have both? Just ask for Christmas and you’ll get the best of both worlds. Nopalito’s doesn’t serve alcohol, so if you’re thirsty swing by an Albertson’s beforehand and pick up a six pack of Happy Camper I.P.A. This crisp, hoppy delight from the Santa Fe brewing company, comes in a sweet looking can emblazoned with the New Mexico state flag, and packs a punch and holds up nicely when paired with the rich spicy flavors of the chiles.

That night I stayed at the New Mexico State University Super 8, where the lovely concierge gave me a AAA discount despite my lack of a AAA card (which obviously would have come in handy earlier in the evening). Super 8 is the way to go when you’re travelling alone, have no one to impress, and want to save a little scratch.