Day 4 – Mexican Breakfast in Las Cruces, New Mexico

Arriving in Las Cruces, New Mexico

Another full day of driving which began in Austin, Texas in the morning finally got us out of that giant of a state and into New Mexico. We found another place on AirBnb, this time in Las Cruces and it definitely had that Mexican flavor to it. We really didn’t get to enjoy it though because once again we were arriving well after midnight and ready to pass right out.

Photo of a lady and a Penske truck outside of her AirBnb in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Mom and the Penske truck outside our AirBnb in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Inside a home in Las Cruces.
Inside our AirBnb with the view.
Photo of a sandy backyard in Las Cruces.
The “backyard”.

 

Photo of a residential neighborhood in Las Cruces, NM.
Neat little neighborhood.
Photo of a Las Cruces street sign with the Organ Mountains in the distance.
Our street with the Organ Mountains in the distance.

Mexican Style Breakfast

The following morning we were feeling pretty exhausted and decided rather than spending the morning touring around we would just go for breakfast and get back on the road in hopes of reaching Las Vegas by the end of the day. Being so close to the border we knew our choice for breakfast had to be something Mexican, and boy did we choose the right place! La Nueva Casita Café in downtown Las Cruces was incredible, bit difficult to find parking for our Penske truck though.

Lady standing outside of La Nueva Casita Café in Las Cruces
La Nueva Casita Café in Las Cruces
Photo of the spicy decor inside La Nueva Casita Cafe in Las Cruces.
Spicy decor 😉
Photo of a lady smiling inside La Nueva Casita Cafe in Las Cruces.
Chips n salsa to start.
Portrait of Stevie Vagabond's mother inside La Nueva Casita Cafe in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Mom ready for breakfast.
Portrait of Stevie Vagabond inside La Nueva Casita Cafe in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Me too.
Mexican omelette at La Nueva Casita Cafe in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Mexican omelette, yes that is some okra inside!
Photo of a street in downtown Las Cruces with the Organ Mountains in the background.
Street view of the Organ Mountains.
Photo of a street sign in downtown Las Cruces, NM.
Mesquite Street, downtown Las Cruces.
Photo of bug guts on a windshield.
Bug guts.
Photo of Ortega's Sewing Machine Center & Photography in Las Cruces, NM.
Now I know where to go if I need my sewing and photography done.

After breakfast we squeezed our big Penske truck out of downtown Las Cruces and back to the highway headed northwest towards Las Vegas. We made our way through the changing landscape from the dry and dusty desert of New Mexico with the warnings of ‘zero visibility’ due to dust storms, to the cactus covered hills and into the giant red rock cliffs of Arizona. Our GPS took us through the Apache land. On one of the reserves we stopped for gas where my mom and I stood out like a sore thumb, pulling up in this massive yellow Penske truck, and the two of us walking in with my camera hanging around my neck. One man stopped me and asked where I was from. He introduced himself as “Baxter, Apache Indian”, and shook my hand. After I went to the bathroom I came out to ask for a picture, but he had already left.

New Mexico desert landscape.
Leaving the desert.

 

Photo of a side view mirror with Las Cruces, NM in the reflection.
Adios Las Cruces!
Photo of Stevie Vagabond's mom inside a Penske truck.
She was not happy that I took a few pictures while I was driving.
Photo of a Penske truck in New Mexico.
Just a random old time roadside set.
Roadside leaving New Mexico towards Arizona.
Anyone know the name of these trees?
Photo of a Simple Abundance Farm hat on the dashboard of a Penske truck in New Mexico.
Have to plug my favorite farmers, check them out at Simple Abundance Farms in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Photo of a home in the Apache land in Arizona.
My mom was pretty jealous of the fact these guys would not have to do a ton of yard work.
Photo of a Caution Dust Storms sign in Arizona.
Other than a few dust clouds we thankfully didn’t experience any big storms.
Photo of a Zero Visibility Possible sign in Arizona.
These signs were all over, with warnings and instructions on how to react to the dust storms.
Photo of a dust cloud in Arizona.
Roadside dust cloud.
Photo of a dust cloud running over the road in Arizona.
Entering into the town we met Baxter Apache Indian through a dust cloud.
Photo of an Arizona highway.
Slowly changing landscape.
Photo of a road running between two hills in Arizona.
Higher ground.
Photo of red rock hills in Arizona.
Even higher!
Photo of a Penske truck on the roadside in Arizona.
These views were too good to just pass them by.
Photo of a lady enjoying the red rock views in Arizona on the roadside.
Mom taking it all in.
Photo of the tops of red rocks in Arizona.
One last look.
Photo of a the road leaving Tonto National Forest in Arizona.
Leaving Tonto National Forest.

Dinner “with a view” in Phoenix

Our next stop was in Phoenix for dinner at Twin Peaks, which was advertised as a meal with a view. We didn’t understand what it meant until we walked in and all the waitresses were wearing bikinis. Both my mom and I thought it was a bit weird, but at this point we were not about to turn around and go looking for something else. My burger actually ended up being pretty delicious, but my moms quesadilla was definitely not her favorite. When we got out of the restaurant I noticed that our gas cap was unscrewed from the tank, and I immediately thought someone had stolen our gas. Thankfully it was all still there, maybe the person realized it was diesel and didn’t want it, I don’t know, but we were good to go.

Photo of a road highway in Phoenix, Arizona with a road sign to Phoenix and Flagstaff at night time.
After our dinner “with a view”.

On Through the Night to Las Vegas

The remainder of the drive was in the dark, and although I missed watching the changing landscape I was happy to see the lights of Las Vegas in the distance. My father had just arrived in Vegas earlier that evening, so I was really looking forward to seeing him and also not having to drive anymore. But first we got to meet up with Lesley to park the truck somewhere safe for the night. She was super happy to see us, and let me borrow her car for the night to drive to our hotel. My parents got us free nights at the MGM Grand, so we were staying right on the strip!

Photo of an Arizona highway at night time.
Leaving Arizona in the dark.
Photo of Stevie Vagabond with his parents at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Together again, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas!

After a quick visit with my dad we were all lights out and just glad to be together. The next day I was set to help finish getting Lesley all her belongings moved into her new home, so I knew I needed a good rest.

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