Breakdown in the Middle of Nowhere - Thurs., Mar. 6

I'm skipping a few days of blogs to report on today.

We had a mellow start to the day and left Deming, New Mexico at 10:30 a.m. thinking we'd arrive in Carlsbad, NM at 4:00 p.m. We stopped for lunch at Taco Bell in east El Paso, TX.

Driving US 62/US 180 100 miles east of El Paso heading toward Carlsbad Caverns, we heard a loud thump or metallic snap sound. Both of us said, "What was that?" with some degree of alarm in our voices.

Bob pulled to the side of the road and we walked around the rig to check for tire damage or any other damage. We didn't see anything.

After strapping ourselves back into our seatbelts, Bob started up the engine and we slowly moved forward. I said "Won't it go any faster?"

Bob said, "I've got it floored."

Because we were coming up on Guadalupe Pass (5,680') we pulled over to the side of the road where it was wide and there was plenty of room for a tow truck. There were two lanes of highway going our direction so cars and trucks could easily get around us.

A call was then placed to Good Sam Roadside Assistance Technical Support. After Bob explained what happened, their thought was it was most likely a transmission problem. We were on the phone with them for 1-1/2 hours while Good Sam helped us locate a service provider in Carlsbad, New Mexico, 66 miles from where we were. They then arranged a tow truck that could tow both our vehicles at once.

From the time of our initial phone call to Good Sam Roadside Assistance until our tow truck showed up, three hours transpired. I took photos of where we were, and we did a few chores while we waited.

The view where we broke down

In the middle of nowhere

The sign going back the way we had just traveled.

That's where we were stuck.

Nothing for 55 miles this direction (Van Horn, TX).

Yep, he towed both vehicles at once!

Thankfully, we had reservations at an RV park in Carlsbad, NM for two nights. (Looks like we may have to extend that!) Our tow truck driver, Cameron, got us all hooked up. Good Sam Roadside Assistance paid 100% of our tow. The tow truck towed us into the RV site where we unhooked and set up the 5er. He then delivered our truck to the Ford dealership.

Ford will do diagnostics on the truck tomorrow. If it is a simple fix, they think they can have it repaired by Monday or Tuesday of next week. If it is not a simple fix, who knows?

Meanwhile, we have reservations for the 10 a.m. Kings Palace Tour at Carlsbad Caverns tomorrow. What to do? Why, rent a car, of course. Bob got online and found an Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Carlsbad, NM. He called and made reservations. When the email confirmation came, the rental car reservationist made the reservation for Carlsbad, California. Oops! Bob had to call back to have it corrected. Let's just say that the cost of a rental car in Carlsbad, New Mexico is $200 more for a week than one in Carlsbad, California. Crazy!

At least we are all set up in our cozy home and we'll still be able to go on our tour tomorrow. The truck is at the dealership awaiting our phone call at 6:00 a.m. We are in good health and enjoying our trip despite the setback. Thank goodness for Good Sam Roadside Assistance!

We hope you are doing well wherever you are too.

Travel Bug out.