"Bill's Excellent Adventure!"

9-8-07

Well, its currently 2:30 am, just been through a hard rain with thunderstorms. Fortunately the lightening never got close. My tent is set up under the metal shelter so the rain just really hit one side of the tent and top. Unfortunately, I woke up about 12:30 when the rain started and the sleeping bag was resting against the tent and got a little wet. The humidity is quite high tonight and I wasn’t sleeping inside the bag so I didn’t get wet, but I am fairly muggy feeling. I put on a sweatshirt and long john bottoms to give me a little protection from the moisture. That seems to have worked fairly well.

I have been listening to “Coast to Coast”, an all night talk show of the bizarre. Boy is it strange! Lots of weirdoes out there.

Today, or should I say yesterday, I went into Roswell, stopped by Wal-Mart to look at storage bins to see if any could be used as storage in the truck after I get my cap put on later in the month rather than attempt to build heavy and complicated wood storage units. I think these bins with pullout drawers might work. We’ll see.

Later I went to Checkers auto parts to see what they might have in the way of a cruise control kit. Theirs is a generic one that didn’t mention a truck my year so I’ll forget them as a possible supplier. The price was right ($104) but who knows what challenges I might have installing it. Right now my best bet is the Universal Speedometer and Instrument Company lead I got from the local Ford dealer here. That unit will be about $300, but bound to be properly designed for the truck.

After this stop, I went to the Roswell Museum and Art Center next door to the Visitor’s Center and spent a couple of hours enjoying their displays and took a slew of pics (see the slideshow.) Most of my pics were of a chronological narrative of the history of the confluence of Native Americans, Spanish and American events that have helped shape the Native American story in the western part of the country. I decided to take these pics as much for reference in my fun western novel I’m drafting as well for understanding the Indian experience.

I also stopped by Sprint and checked on the appropriate package for setting up the laptop to access the web. This package requires a special card for my laptop, does not work through the phone, but directly works off the Sprint data system. The only part I don’t like is that it currently will not work through digital roaming signals, just the Sprint network. My observation is that if I am in a population area where I get a direct Sprint signal, I usually can locate a WiFi signal and do not need the card. One of the sales people indicated they are working on gaining access to the roaming signal but they could not give me projected date. The card costs about $60, as does the data signal monthly fee. Just too high a price right now for what I get. That’s $120 initial fee and ongoing fees of $60/mo.

I tracked down the post office Will is sending my mail too. It’s one of these Contract Units, housed in the back of a rundown laundry mat! My mail has not come in yet, but I thought I might just as well do my laundry when I stop by again after I get word my mail is in.

Later today, I may venture into town again for part of a two-day dog show and enjoy that experience and take in a movie...looks like my choice with be the "3:10 to Yuma" western.

In less than 10 days, on the 14^th, 15^th, and 16^th, there is a riding and shooting contest for charity. Sounds like it might be fun. I am thinking of swinging back through this way to take advantage of something I’ve never seen before. They use black powder, shooting 45’s from horseback at balloon targets.

A volunteer from the museum told me about another contemporary art gallery close by that I might be interested in. Apparently the guy that runs it also sponsors artists to work out of the gallery. I might check that one out as well.

My plans were to camp through tonight and move to Carlsbad, but given I am waiting for my mail, I may just stay put through the weekend and leave Monday, assuming my mail shipment arrives.

We have had clear skies most of the day with rain off in the distance with lots of lightening and the weather deteriorated late as I mentioned earlier. It’s now 3 am and the rain is starting up again and I’m now stranded in the truck as I write this! Wish me luck!