Sunday, 22 July, rolled out of Abilene, TX and left the interstate. My route now was on was along US 277, 80, and 62 toward Hobbs, NM. I've driven through this region of Texas in the past when the roads were less traveled and the countryside was undeveloped, not so much now. I prefer the lonesome type drives along highways with light traffic where you can stop when you want. The energy extraction and utilization across this part of Texas has exploded, miles upon miles of solar farms, windmill farms, and oil pumps.
Lunch stop somewhere in west Texas, the first good pull off I found. Not particularly scenic and a bit of a local dump site.
Fuel octane levels dropped in west Texas and across New Mexico but I did not notice any affect upon the 2F running 86.
The drive on US 82 west of Artesia toward Cloudcroft in the Sacramento Mountains is a very nice drive IMO. Terrain is grasslands with scattered yucca, cresosote, native grasses and the possibility of seeing a pronghorn herd. The 60 with the 2F handled the climb into the mountains better than I had expected. My destination for the evening was Lower Karr Campground that's above 8000 ft elevation, in the Ponderosa pine forest.
The road in was dirt but not difficult. The good roads came later in the trip.
