Texas - Everything Is Bigger

Haughton, LA - Dallas, TX
4/11/24 - 4/18/24

Miles Traveled     222
Trip Total            1338
Travel Time         4:45

Miles Traveled    13
Trip Total            1348
Travel Time        :30

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, Texas

The trip from Haughton to Dallas was mostly uneventful. The closer we got to Dallas the worse the traffic became, and not just the volume but the way people drive.  Also as we travel from state to state it is interesting to see how differently each state configures on ramps, merges and highway changes. It is "exciting" to figure them out in a 36 foot long motor home towing a car.  My favorite is where on a 70MPH road, the right lane just ends, there is little warning, and the cars to the left of you do not want to let you in.

Remember that a couple of nights ago we spent the night camped out in front of a cemetery, well it looks like a ghost or gremlin  that like to play tricks decided to join us on the trip.  We stopped for breakfast at a Buckee's, and while we were sitting in the RV eating and the generator started itself. As soon as I shut it off it started again.  After doing this 4 or 5 times, I had to disconnect some wires to stop it from happening.  One more interesting problem to figure out. 

We (Meaning Scott) picked a KOA campground in Arlington, right outside of Dallas.  Our preference for campgrounds is Federal/State/Local parks then KOA's.  While KOA's are more expensive they are normally very good.  Part of the reason I picked this location because it is centrally located to places we wanted to visit.  While the location for sight seeing was good, it is was not the best KOA we have been to.  All three of use arrived at the same time, and we blocked the entire driveway while we checked in.  Once in the campground the roadways were great and the sites easy to get into, but for Angel & I that's where it ended.  The site was so small we could not open the awning on the RV, and the fire pit was 3 feet from the RV.  There is no way I would light a fire that close to the RV.    The best part was the gremlins were not done with us.  I went to empty the holding tanks and the sewer backed up. After a day of the campground promising me they would fix it, they admitted that they knew there was a problem with that site, and they need to call in a plumber to fix it.  After the first night they did move us to another site.  But the ghost and gremlins were not done with us yet, when we turned on the front AC unit, we got no cold air. (More on that later)

       

We did have a couple of places that we wanted to see while we were in Dallas and the first on the list was Dealey Plaza, the site of JFK's assassination.  

Mark and Karen have been there before and Mark was a wonderful tour guide. I am not a conspiracy theory person, but looking down from the perch were Oswald shot JFK,  if he was the only shooter he had a much better shot before the motorcade turn the corner.  

The 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository has been turned into a museum. The actual window where they shot came from and where Oswald set up is behind plexiglass, you can look out the window next to it and see the X's in the road where JFK was shot.

        Our next destination was AT&T Stadium for a tour.  While neither Angel or I are big sports fans,  I enjoy touring the stadiums.  I find the logistics of running the stadiums fascinating.  

Not only is it the home stadium of the Cowboys, they rent the space out for events such as High School Proms, Weddings, Expos and almost anything you can think of.  

While we were there, the stadium was also host an RV Show.  (And yes we did check out the RV Show).

    

 Number three on our Dallas stops was the George W. Bush Presidential Library.   While no one will ever forget 9/11, it was not until we walked into the library that we remembered it was George W. who was president then.  Among all of Bush's accomplishments was a memorial to the 9/11 victims, listing them all and where they died. What every your political affiliation is, touring the presidential libraries is a must do.

      

Our final tourist destination was the Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District.  . While this was not on our list of things to do, once we found out about it, it was a must do.  The Stockyard is located at the start of the Chisholm Trail.  The Chisholm Trail was a 1000 mile cattle trail from Texas to Kansas.  The Fort Worth Stockyard was where all the cattle were brought to be sold before the journey. 

        

We started out watching a cattle drive down Main Street.  There were only around 15 cattle, but it was still very impressive.  The horns on the cattle range from 4 feet wide to over 11 feet.  The cattle average 1100 pounds but they have one that is over 2000 pounds.   The rest of the afternoon we spent wondering in and out of the stores in the Stockyard.  In addition to the shopping and dining, the stockyard holds rodeos, and shows.

Our original plans had us staying in the Dallas area for three nights, but it is just a plan, not a schedule. Because of the air conditioner, and some other issues we extended our stay.  While RV Rescue Mobile RV Repair was great to work with there is only so much they could do.  They were able to come out very quickly and diagnose the AC, they determined that the unit had to be replaced.  This was on Friday, they said the earliest they could get a new unit, was Monday.   

Monday afternoon when they arrived and went to install the new unit, they found out the new unit was the wrong unit.   This was not the fault of RV Rescue, but their supplier.  They were able to get the correct unit and return on Tuesday to install it.  

We are very glad they got it installed, at our next stop, Childress TX, the forecasted temperature is in the mid 90's.  I still need to figure out what is going on with the generator.  But for now, I can keep it from starting on its own, and still start it when we need it.

Our KOA reservations were through Saturday, so Saturday we moved from the KOA to Loyd Park, on Joe Pool Lake.  It is a much nicer campground spaced out over several hundred acres.  Even the owner of RV Rescue said that we would like it there much better than the KOA, it is also 1/2 the price.

In the morning we will be leaving and heading to Childress TX,