After our whirlwind “Meet in the Middle gathering in Watkins Glen, NY we started our new work camping job at Bowlin’s “Flying C Ranch” on Thursday, November 7th.
So far we have worked three full shifts and have been busy learning the rules, systems and processes of being a Customer Service Representative (CSR). We work inside the travel center (TC). The TC is located at exit 234 on Interstate 40 in New Mexico. The nearest town with any amenities is 45 miles in either direction. We are literally in the middle of nowhere!! The TC sells everything from fuel, snacks, and drinks to custom Native American jewelry, hand crafted Mexican goods and FIREWORKS!!! You can spend between $0.49 and $6,000.00 on any single item. If this store doesn’t have it, you probably don’t need it! As CSRs we welcome customers in to the store and sell the merchandise in the store. We run registers, maintain store standards, clean bathrooms (yuk) and overall help people however we can.
Our first day of work came with 10” of snow from a storm that would eventually dump more than 18” over three days. Be sure to read the photo comments for more details. We will be working between 35-40 hours per week, get a lunch break and the commute time is awesome!
Pretty much everyone who works at the travel center or in the Dairy Queen lives in what we call “the compound” behind the TC. There are a number of mobile homes and several RV spots located behind a 10’ high metal enclosure. The enclosure is awesome for two reasons; it provides privacy and security from the general public, and it breaks the New Mexico desert winds!!! We have free full hook-ups, free propane, free laundry, and a nice private, level site. You’ll see in the pics that our view is pretty nice as well.
Because the nearest town with amenities is 45 miles in either direction, our grocery runs need to be well planned. We will run through a 1/4 tank of diesel doing a round-trip grocery/errand run. We are trying to shop just every two weeks or so to keep diesel costs down. One dilemma we face is attending mass. Because we are in the middle of nowhere, many of the churches are now “mission” churches and only have mass once a month. The nearest regular scheduled mass is an hours drive away. Fear not, we will figure this out. But until we do, please keep us in your prayers.
On the topic of prayers…
We remain “We RVery Blessed”!
The “Flying C Ranch” is one of 10 travel centers owned by the Bowlin Family. All ten stores are in either Arizona or New Mexico.
About 1/4 of our store is filled with a wide variety of fireworks. They range in price from $0.49 to $1,000.00!!
There is a Dairy Queen store attached to the travel center. It is VERY busy.
If you are traveling across New Mexico on Interstate 40, be sure to take a break at exit 234 and stop in to say, “Hello!!!”
We will post more pics of the wide variety of things available in the store, but in the mean time, if you have always wanted your very own stuffed bison, we’ve got you covered!
When you go from 800′ above sea level to over 6,000′ above sea level, your chip bags get really puffy!
Thankfully, neither of us has had any issue with the elevation.
A pic of our truck in the middle of the snow storm.
We brought the rockers that the kids gave us for our 25th wedding anniversary (2017). We’re glad we brought them and glad that Chris sealed them earlier this past summer.
Our door mat…
Chris is on her commute to work. It takes about 2 minutes in good weather, 3 minutes with a foot of snow.
Even 18 inches of snow can’t dampen our spirits. We love our “quit-ired” life!
Interstate 40 was a parking lot for about three days. It was fully closed several times and often times had only one lane open. People were stranded. Trucks ran out of diesel. Cars ran out of gas and everyone had to go potty!!!
A RoadRunner!!!! Beep, beep!!
The mountains you see in the distance are our view from the RV compound where we are set up, behind the travel center. Those are the Sangre de Cristos mountain, Spanish for “blood of Christ”. This name refers to the phenomenon of alpenglow, when snow-covered mountains turn pink in the evening light.
Our set-up at the back of the travel center.
The slide-out toppers certainly helped protect the top of the slide-outs. Once we were able to remove the snow they popped right back to taut.
More of the stuck trucks!
Ken is making the trek to work. You can’t see both hands, but there is a coffee thermos in both!!!
