Day 20 - Roswell to Santa Fe, NM

Days on the road: 20.
Miles today: 216.
Miles to date: 4396.


In my rush to get out of Roswell, I elected to jump on the highway without filling up. This added a rather unexpected element of drama to my Sunday morning as my fuel warning light went on about 25 miles outside of Roswell. I didn't expect this to be an issue as opportunities to stop for fuel had been plentiful to this point in my motoring adventure. Worryingly, my fuel range indicator started to drop faster than the miles it indicated were being covered. Then I saw the sign to the next town, Vaughan, at 58 miles away. The numbers didn't add up and it wasn't my lips that were puckered as I surrendered to the idea that I would be on the side of the road and out of gas. The range indicator ticked down from 35 miles to 25, skipped 20 and landed on 15 (that was concerning), fell to 10 and then settled on 0. Important background - this same range indicator left me stranded once in Toronto when registering 25 miles to empty.

While I was somewhat secure in the knowledge that my CAA membership would be honoured and provide relief, I now started to worry about whether there would be cell phone coverage in the middle of literally nowhere. My mobile phone was in the trunk and I didn't want to stop to get it out to check for coverage. The thought of American wireless provider TV commercials started to go through my mind and their images of what parts of the country they cover - I couldn't remember if I was in anybody's zone. I slowed my pace and continued the long uphill climb towards Santa Fe (elevation 7,000 ft), and the little blue Audi proved to be a most economical vehicle. I made Vaughan on fumes and pulled joyfully into the Conoco station. I mentioned to the clerk that I didn't think I was going to make it and he remarked, "That happens about 4 or 5 times a day. They should really put a "last gas" sign on the way out of Roswell".

They joy of making it to the gas station and refilling was the highlight of the morning and the best part of New Mexico to date. And this little mis-adventure has proven that my concerns about the Audi making it are completely unwarranted and that the weak link in the equation is the flesh and bones making the decisions (good and bad) behind the wheel. Unfortunately, the weather has forced me inside as the winds are very gusty and I've seen rain, hail, snow, and sunshine since pulling into Santa Fe. If things clear up a bit I'll get out and explore, but the 2nd best thing I've experienced in New Mexico is the movie Robocop dubbed into Spanish on the TV in my hotel room. Gripping and muy dramatico.