Lesson learned: never travel on a windy day

Bad idea!

First of all, our GPS Garmin RV890 gave us a different route then our Google Maps on our cell phone. We decided to keep following the Garmin with the 3 hours and a half itinerary.

It was like in the movies of the Wild West, the bushes rolling in front of us in the wind. The storm of wind was coming more and more. The wind hit the RV straight on the side and sometimes the wind gusts were pushing the rv on the curb.

I was affraid, didn’t say a word. We could feel the tension and stress building up in the rv. Then, we heard an unfamiliar noise. Trying to find where that noise was coming, I told Ben: “I think this is coming from the driver’s side outside.” Ben found a place to pull over and we both went outside.  Walking around the RV trying to find what happened, we found our awning’s extension was flying and tapping on the roof or the RV. The awning unrolled itself with the wind.

When we took the last exit of the highway, we were just starting to breathe slowly. After a detour of about 15 miles, because we went to the main entrance of the Elephant Butte State Park and our campground was completely at the opposite, we finally arrived, almost 6 hours later, to our site called South Monticello Area. Wind gusts were still at 75 Mph so we have decided to not open our extensions that night. Only set up electrical 50A with our Power Watch Dog and water.

We were so tired with all the stress that we had to deal with during our travel day, that we have decided if it’s happening again on another travel day, we will only wait and leave the next day. Point blank. This was dangerous and could have been even worse for us and George our RV.

Bad idea!

First of all, our GPS Garmin RV890 gave us a different route then our Google Maps on our cell phone. We decided to keep following the Garmin with the 3 hours and a half itinerary.

It was like in the movies of the Wild West, the bushes rolling in front of us in the wind. The storm of wind was coming more and more. The wind hit the RV straight on the side and sometimes the wind gusts were pushing the rv on the curb.

I was affraid, didn’t say a word. We could feel the tension and stress building up in the rv. Then, we heard an unfamiliar noise. Trying to find where that noise was coming, I told Ben: “I think this is coming from the driver’s side outside.” Ben found a place to pull over and we both went outside.  Walking around the RV trying to find what happened, we found our awning’s extension was flying and tapping on the roof or the RV. The awning unrolled itself with the wind.

Sand storm!

Our friends were about one hour behind us and they took a different route, because they are using their cell phone GPS. We were sometimes in touch with them but sometimes we were not in area with good signal. They needed to stop because at a certain point, they were not able to see 10 feet in front of their truck. They were in a sand storm!

When we took the last exit of the highway, we were just starting to breathe slowly. After a detour of about 15 miles, because we went to the main entrance of the Elephant Butte State Park and our campground was completely at the opposite, we finally arrived, almost 6 hours later, to our site called South Monticello Area. Wind gusts were still at 75 Mph so we have decided to not open our extensions that night. Only set up electrical 50A with our Power Watch Dog and water.

We were so tired with all the stress that we had to deal with during our travel day, that we have decided if it’s happening again on another travel day, we will only wait and leave the next day. Point blank. This was dangerous and could have been even worse for us and George our RV.

We could feel the tension and stress building up in the rv.

Elephant Butte State Park –
South Monticello Area

After having this stressful travel day, we couldn’t enjoy more South Monticello. This area is the best one for tranquility, amazing sunsets and stargazing! Sites are hughes and it is giving you a kind of privacy you can’t have in other campgrounds.

Having walk, go for a hike, you will discover this beautiful area surrounded by mountains and the view of the Elephant Butte Lake. In this area, you are about at 20 min drive from Elephant Butte or Truth or Consequences. If you like tacos, we suggest that you stop at Casa Taco and taste these excellent tacos and why not a hot churros for dessert? Seeing and smelling our food, we were hungry, we completly forgot to take picture before we eat of our food. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But we can tell you this was so goooood!

Lions Beach Area

This area is also a beautiful but more dynamic area. Sites are tighter and closer together. Perfect for family and friends and also meet new friends like we did! On each of the 3 loops, you will have a magnificent view of the New Mexico’s largest lake, Elephant Butte Lake. Here you can see my view, while working outside…

Elephant Butte Lake is the place to go boating, paddle boarding, jet skiing, kayaking, swimming, tubing and fishing! Even if the lake was about 12% full when we have been there, a lot of people were coming making waves and enjoy time with family and friends on the beach. We were going down to the lake few times a week and we were having good time at the lake with Brix and our paddle boards. We really enjoyed it!

3 really big and Unique Events

Holiday Luminaria Beachwalk

This magical evening is the second Saturday of December each year. A night to enjoy with thousands of luminarias, holiday lights, host campfires and more!

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