Prior to our departure from Benson, there had been not so great weather forecasts with rain and or snow predicted. Say what? Snow? Oh, oh! Well, as the week progressed, it appeared that the precipitation wouldn’t start until later in the afternoon well after we left. But more disturbing than the snow was that they were predicting very high winds.

We left around 10 a.m. for our 3 hour 15 minute journey. Yep, they were right, the winds were fierce. Along I10 there were numerous signs about dust storms and what to do if visibility was reduced. Mountains ahead of us were totally obscured by dust. Tumbleweeds danced across the highway.

Rob was constantly dodging them but unfortunately one caught the front of the coach in the newly painted area (no Diamond Shield yet) and scratched it.  It was like travelling in dense fog.

But we finally made it to Las Cruces! We knew we were almost there when we saw the huge 40 foot long, made of junk, Recycled Road Runner atop a hill along I-10.

Our final destination for a three night stay was at Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces, another favorite destination. After checking into Hacienda, we opened the door and windows to get some air. Big mistake – the inside (and the outside as well as the Jeep) of the coach was coated in dust! UGH!

Having been to this area numerous times, we have a few favorite eating spots. On the 24th, we headed to Bite of Belgium where we had the same thing we had last time – Waffles & Omelet.

Delicious light fluffy omelet topped with smoked ham and gouda cheese, served with two waffles which we topped with the lemon cream and a small salad with the house vinaigrette. Delish!

After breakfast, we took a ride to Dripping Springs Natural Area which is always beautiful followed by running a few errands (Sam’s Club, a car wash, then Walgreens to pick up Sparky’s prescription).

Stopping at the historic district – Mesilla Plaza, we walked around there for a bit. We went inside the San Albino Basilica, which has an interesting history.

On the 25th, we went to The Shed Restaurant for breakfast, arriving there about 10:30 a.m. Because the parking lot is so small, we had to make several passes before someone left and we could park. Despite the crowded lot, fortunately we only had to wait about 15 minutes.

I had the Eggs Benedict Ala Mesilla with brisket ($13.25) and Christmas (red and green chile hollandaise sauce) and Rob had the steak fingers with 2 over easy eggs and green chile cheddar toast ($13.99).

Delicious! Add another wonderful restaurant to our list of favorites!

After breakfast we drove to Hatch, NM about a 50 minute drive. Instead of taking I25, we took I85 thinking it would be more scenic but it wasn’t. The first thing we saw on our arrival was Sparky’s Burgers & BBQ restaurant and all of the tacky statues and other paraphernalia in front of, on top of and across the street from the restaurant.

After taking a quick peak inside where there was more paraphernalia, we walked around the town for awhile, visiting a few stores, buying green salsa at one and 2 packages of frozen green hatch chiles (medium). Fun exploring the stores with all their Chile stuff.

Before leaving, although we weren’t totally hungry yet, we decided we should buy one Chile cheese burger combo #1 ($13.99) from Sparky’s and split it. There is a window outside where you order and pay for your meal but then you can pick it up inside and eat in the dining room.

OMG, it was so good (may even beat out another of our favorite burger spots – The Pit Stop and the Laguna Burger in Albuquerque)! French fries were great as well.

We took I25 on the way home which actually was prettier than the other road. Time to get ready to leave here tomorrow!

More photos of our stay in Las Cruces can be seen here!