It was really cold in New Mexico so we pulled into a campground with hookups. We were skeptical that we’ll be able to stay warm in the forecast -14 Celsius even with hookups. We had our portable oil filled radiator (quiet), a small ceramic heater (loud, but effective), an electric blanket (12 volt), propane heater, a bunch of blankets, and Emma. We were covered! During the night we used only the radiator and the electric blanket and were fine. The temperature in the cabin did go down to 6c, but having the electric blanket proved priceless! If you don’t have one yet, get one! So far it’s the one thing we were were the happiest for purchased before this trip.
We left Denver earlier than planned, on Dec. 29. There was another snow storm on the way and we wanted to be deep in Arizona before that happened so we pushed through New Mexico as far as we could. It was a cold and surreal, and people seemed confused about this weather that clearly we dragged with us from Canada.
looks like home doesn’t it?
The temperature fluctuated between plus 7c in Denver to -19c somewhere along the route. Yes, you heard right -19. So we stopped at Coronado Campground in the town of Bernalillo (just before Albuquerque) for the night. The lady at the desk asked if we had any pets and how many. She than added: “it’s a three dog night”. We only had the one dog and truly hoped it was enough to keep us warm.
We had to put something in front of the propane heater grill to prevent the cold air coming in.
By the way, the Lagun table works great!
Also, the electric blanket is simply amazing! We highly recommend that you get one. It is now on our list of must-haves on a trip. Here’s link to one in Amazon Canada.
and we woke up to a cold, but glorious morning. There was sun! We found it.
The campground was right by the Rio Grande River and the Coronado historic site of ancient pueblos
You can see the pueblo ruins beyond the snow-capped cactus.
More weather systems on the way and our escape is starting to be funny. how far are we going to run and will we ever feel the warm sun on our freezing bodies? So we raced through the rest of New mexico, with just a few short stops n the way.
We had to stop at this town. It used to be called Hot Springs, but changed the town’s name to win a radio contest.
A quick stop at Elephant butte Park and Dam
a glorious sunset at the first rest stop in Arizona
And we made it to Willcox in time for new Year’s Eve. We crashed at 10pm, but to be fair, it was midnight at home, so technically we did greet 2019.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Cost: CAD$307 ($US 222.5) includes gas, food, propane and campgrounds
- Distance traveled: 1,646 km (1025.5 miles)
- Fuel average: 6.8 km per liters (16 mpg)
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Love your story . . . I’ve done the same trip. Next time, be sure to stop at the Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences (the locals call it “T or C.” )
Question: do you plug the 12 volt heater in the dash? The cord is long enough to use it in the bed?
Hopefully it won’t be such a dash on the way back! We have similar 12 volt sockets in the cabin, built into the side of the bed. Having said that, the cord is very long. I don’t think that the socket in the dash will work if the car isn’t on.
I love the idea of a 12 volt. I could have used one boondocking in Port Jervis NY back in Nov.. had 6 inches of snow and below freezing temps, but if you are in a full hook up park, wouldn’t you just use 120 elec.?
Of course! I don’t know if there are electric blankets that use both currents though. The one we had is only 12 volt.