Day 2 - Carsbad, New Mexico to Marfa, Texas

Unfortunately, Kjell and Scott didn't have the time to stay for the whole trip so they started for home in California this morning after breakfast. We enjoyed their company, and wish them a safe and enjoyable trip home.

We couldn't let them leave without a photo of Kjell's beautiful Series 1 FHC

Unfortunately, Kaye was taken ill this morning, so she and Darrell traveled directly to Marfa so that Kaye can have more time to recover, and continue with the tour. We hope she feels better very soon. After breakfast, the rest of the group set off for Texas. The weather had become overcast and rain was forecast but did not materialize. 

Our initial taste of Texas was nothing to write home about - a straight highway cutting through a featureless landscape

We stopped for fuel in Pecos, and there experienced our first breakdown of the day... It was Lloyd's turn to have a problem as he tried to drive away from the pump having filled up with gas. A loud shriek from a fan belt was the initial symptom. We eventually determined that one of the long machine screws that hold the casing of his alternator together, had backed out of the alternator into the fan, causing it to jam. 

A familiar sight on the Oil Leak Tours - Lynn, Lloyd and Jerry fixing another problem - this time an alternator

As we were all patting ourselves on the back for diagnosing and fixing this problem so quickly, Lloyd was forced to cut off the celebrations. Now the alternator was not charging! We performed a number of diagnostics tests, but were unable to conclude what was wrong. In the end, we were forced to "call a friend" (in this case Ray Livingston) to get help. While performing the tests that he requested, Lloyd noticed that one of the connectors was floating loose in the alternator body, and therefore not connecting properly to the harness. From there it was a relatively simple job to fix the connection temporarily, at which point the alternator resumed charging, and we could get back on the road. The next leg of the route took us on highway TX-17 to Fort Davis. This was a much more enjoyable drive through dramatic scenery.

Lined up for a photo-op: 5 E-Types, and XK-140, and a BMW M3

Driving along TX-17

At Fort Davis we had a late lunch, and then visited the Fort which is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail.

Lloyd trying out a bed in one of the refurbished sleeping quarters

The commander of the Fort seemed to live very well - this is his Dining Room

The final leg of the drive was from Fort David to Marfa via a large loop consisting of sections of TX-118 and TX166. Several of the group swapped cars for sections of this route. Unfortunately, before we had even left the parking lot at Fort David, Jerry's car, driven by Lynn and Jan experienced complete electrical failure. Once again, it was time to break out the multimeter! This time, it turned out that the positive battery terminal had a very high resistance connection to the cable clamped to it. Once it was cleaned up, all was restored and we set off.

Driving on TX-118 below the McDonald Observatory on Mount Locke

The roads on the loop were a joy to drive. There was no traffic, and we were able to thoroughly exercise the cars. We drove up Mount Locke to see the McDonald Observatory, but it was closed to visitors. At this point, David's car refused to start again, so the new ignition coil I fitted this morning clearly isn't the answer. As before, a 10 minute wait for things to cool off was the answer. 

Mike's Series 3 on TX-118

On TX-116 we were surprised to find cattle roaming freely by the roadside, which required special care to be taken, especially when youngsters decided to leap out without warning.

Incoming.....

We didn't reach Marfa until 8pm, so it had been a long day - the time change when we entered Texas didn't help. Shortly after we arrived, we experienced another breakdown, when an ignition lockout switch on Lynn's car failed. Hopefully, we will have less problems tomorrow when we drive to Marathon, Texas. We are staying at the historic Paisano Hotel in Marfa that was opened in 1930. The hotel is best known as the location headquarters for the cast and crew of the film Gaint (1956) for six weeks in 1955. The building and rooms are impressive; the customer service less so...