The Grand Canyon

Flagstaff, AZ - Williams, AZ
4/29/24 - 5/2/24

Miles Traveled     42
Trip Total          2798
Travel Time       0:45

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, Arizona

The trip from Flagstaff to Williams was short, smooth and easy; right up until we stopped for fuel and propane.  Enroute to the Williams KOA, Karen called to ask if they had propane and the cost.  They did at $5.99 per gallon, OUCH!  Even the clerk at the KOA, knew that was very expensive and suggested that we go to the nearby Love's Travel Center which had it for $4.40 a gallon.  Since we also needed fuel we headed to Love's.

What a freaking mess, first the parking lot was way too small for RV's never mind multiple RV's.  They not only have propane but they also have a dump station and fresh water which makes it a very popular stop for campers that have been dry camping with no hookups.  To make it worse the propane and dump station are next to each other.  It got so bad that we were in a gridlock, with the smallest RV blocking everyone from moving, and he did not want to move until he could get to the dump station/  Angel had to go explain to him, that if he did not move no one could move and he would never get to the dump station.  After all the fun and games at Love's we headed to the KOA. 

Because it was such a short travel day we knew that we would arrive at the campground a couple of hours before check-in.  Normally if the site we are assigned is vacant they let us check in early, and today it worked out well.  The clerk at this KOA was one of the friendliest we have met.  Not only could we check in early, but she moved our sites so we could be next to each other.  While it is a very nice KOA, some of the amenities were not open yet.  Their season does not get into full swing until Memorial day.  because of that both the horseback trail rides and the go karts were closed.  The other odd thing is all of their water is trucked in.  They have a 65,000 gallon water tank that they use to supply the campground.  They are VERY big on conserving water.  The only real problem we had was how unlevel the sites were.  In order to level the RV we had to drive up on blocks, and once we did that, our sewer connection was uphill and our tanks would not drain without moving the RV. Arriving early allowed us to head out for an afternoon adventure.

Angel had found Lava River Cave, mile long lava tube cave, formed 700,000 years ago.  It was about 18 miles (As the crow fly's) from the campground.  After checking Google Maps, we headed out for a  24 mile, 45 minute ride.  Depending on how you look at it, it was either a very exciting ride or the ride from hell.   Google took us down dirt roads (not unusual for this area) but the dirt roads got narrower and narrower, and rougher and rougher.  Even in Mark and Karen's jeep about 4 miles from the cave, the road got so rough we had to turn around.  The roads were labeled as Forest Service Roads, and there were houses with mail delivery at least 10 miles in on the dirt roads.  When we got back, Mark had to take their jeep to the car to remove the two inches of mud from the bottom of it.

Tuesday we headed to the South Rim of The Grand Canyon.  It is still very early in the season, and the visitors center was closed for two weeks for training.  I think it was much better for us to come so early.  The weather was perfect and it was not crowded at all.  Having the visitors center closed did not affect us at all.  It was easy enough to figure out the park and the bus system on our own.  Once in the park there are three bus loops, taking you to various overlook areas.  There is also a trail that runs along the rim of the canyon.  You can either take the rim route trail or the buses to each overlook. 

  While I took many pictures, they do not do it justice.  Everyone should come here at least once.  In addition to the great views of the canyon, we came across a moose grazing 5 feet from the trail.

Returning back to the campground we spent about two hours planning our stops for the next two weeks.  As much as we don't like schedules Cheryl needs to be in Las Vegas for a quick trip home, and some of the campgrounds are a little harder to book for multiple sites.

Wednesday Mark & Karen and Angel and I headed back to the Grand Canyon, while Ken and Cheryl decided to hang back in Williams for the day.  Our plan for the day was to take the Red Loop Bus, and stop at each of the nine overlooks on that route.   While we were waiting for the bus, we saw people walking down the Bright Angel Trailhead.  The Bright Angel Trailhead is a very steep 6.8 mile trail that descends to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  It takes the average hiker 4 to 5 hours to hike to the bottom and about twice that to return to the top.

Waiting in line for the bus, it looked like we were going to have to wait for 3 or 4 buses, so we decided to hike part of the Bright Angel Trail.  We all agreed to go until any one of us decided it was time to turn around.  There are signs reminding you going down the canyon trail is optional, coming back up is mandatory.  Walking down the trail we passed a mule train  coming up the trail.  When they are passing, you have to stay to the cliff side of the trail and they pass you on the outside.  We also had many people pass us both as we went down and up the trail.  After hiking about a mile down the trail, we decided to stop and eat lunch on the trail before heading back up.  Yes we packed lunch! Eating PB&J sandwiches looking up to the rim of the Grand Canyon, what more can someone ask for!  The hike up was harder but well worth it.

After returning to the rim of the canyon, we hopped on the Red Loop bus and checked out the first three overlooks.  We picked the third overlook, because that is the first place you can see where the Colorado River runs through the canyon from the rim.  It would have been nice to stop at all nine overlooks, but the entire trip takes eighty minutes, not including the time you spend at each overlook and waiting for the next bus.  What we did find out, if you want you can stay in the canyon until after sunset.  The last bus leaves the furthest stop one hour after sunset.   Way too late for us! 

 

After finishing up exploring the canyon we headed back to Williams to meet up with Ken & Cheryl for dinner. Besides being a great jumping point for exploring the Grand Canyon, Williams is also the town on Route 66 that was bypassed by the building of Interstate 40.  We had a wonderful BBQ dinner at Cruiser Cafe 66, on Route 66.  Not only was dinner delicious, but the portions were large enough that we have tomorrow's lunch.

Leaving Williams we will be heading back down I40 back through Flagstaff heading to Kanab Utah, where we will go through another timezone change.  Kanab will be our basecamp for exploring Zion National Park.

Flagstaff, AZ

Tucson, AZ - Flagstaff, AZ
4/28/24 - 4/29/24

Miles Traveled   255
Trip Total          2756
Travel Time       4:38

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, Arizona

What an incredible drive, we knew that Flagstaff was 6800 feet above sea level, verses Tucson at 2300, but we did not know how many mountains we would go up and down between the two.  Passing through Phoenix we were at 1028 feet above sea level, in the next 120 miles we would climb almost 6000 feet. Once we hit about 5000 feet, the landscape turn to ponderosa pine trees.  It has been many miles since we saw so many trees!

Once again we stayed on the outskirts of town at Black Bart's RV Park.  As with many of the RV parks near large cities this park had many long term residents, but there were many "transient" sites available and we were given three "pull through" sites right next to each other.  Pull Through sites are where you pull into your site head on, and when you leave you just drive straight out.  We were there for two nights.

We had two sites we wanted to see while we were in Flagstaff, Winslow AZ, and Meteor Crater. Both were close enough to do in one day.   

We started by going to Winslow.  Winslow was the inspiration for the Eagles song  "Take It Easy".  The focal point of Winslow is the "Standing On The Corner Park" where there is a bronze statue of Jackson Browne, and a Flat Bed Ford.  The old Route 66 runs through the center of town.  It is estimated that about three people a day come to visit this corner.  

On our way into Winslow we saw at least four long trains (at least a mile long each) stopped on the
tracks that paralel route 40.  In the train yard in Winslow there were also several trains stopped there including one with military armoured vehicles and tanks.  That train stretched as far as I could see in either direction.  When I was taking pictures there was a  women that lived in Winslow, that told us that the train with the army tanks, has been there for several days due to a train derailment in New Mexico.  After we finished exploring the town we enjoyed lunch at a local cafe.

Our next planned stop was Meteor Crater.  On our way to see it we stopped at a rest stop where Mark, Ken and I did a little rock climbing!  Meteor Crater was formed over 50,000 when a 150 diameter meteor struck the earth outside of Flagstaff.  The collision caused a carter almost a mile wide and 550 feet deep.  The property the crater is on, is privately owned.  Once we got there and found out what they were charging none of use felt it was worth going to see it.  As much traveling that we are doing, and with so many things to see we do have to pick and choose what we do.

On our way back to Flagstaff, Karen found Walnut Canyon National Park, for us to check out.  There are two hikes you can take at Walnut Canyon. The first is a 3/4 miles hike along the rim of the canyon.  it is a fairly flat easy trail, the second is the Island Trail that is almost a mile and has 750 very steep stairs.   We all walked the Rim Trail, then Mark, Ken & I walked part of the Island Trail.  It was easy going down the trail but each stair we took we knew we had to come back up.  We did not go very far!

One of the attractions of Walnut Canyon is the remains of over 300 cliff dwellings.  These dwellings were homes built into the face of the cliffs, using the natural openings in the cliffs with stone walls built in front to enclose them.  It is amazing think how these were built by hand.  I had trouble walking up the cliffs with stairs, and people built houses there.

Our next stop is only 30 miles away, Williams AZ.  Because we are not planning our stop very far in advance (We made our reservations 3 days ago) this was as close to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Tucson, AZ

Deming, NM - Tucson, AZ
4/24/24  - 4/27/24

Miles Traveled    226
Trip Total           2501
Travel Time        3:48

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, Arizona

We left Deming for a quick and somewhat easy drive to Tucson Arizona.   The roads were good for the most part but we did have a few hills.  Overall the RV handled the hills very well, only slowing down to 30MPH a couple of times.  Our destination in Tucson was Prince Of Tucson RV Park.  It is located directly off of I10 on the outskirts of town.  It looked like I10 was farther from the park until they widen I10, now the only thing between the RV park and I10 is the sound barrier wall.  Over all it was a good park with large spots.  About 3/4 of the park is full time residents.

When the hills are steep the only thing we can do is stay in the right lane put the hazard flashers on, and keep chugging up the hill.   During our last fuel fill up, we did add high test fuel which I think helped a lot.  Not only did it feel like it had more power, but the gas milage went up about 10%. Going up the hills have never really concerned me, I knew we would make it up the hill sooner or later, going down is a whole different challenge.26,000LBS is a lot of vehicle to slow down. So far we have not had a problem.  The hills between Deming to Tucson were just a warm up we have even steeper hills in the days ahead.

The views while driving have been incredible, each area we go through is a little be different.  Each desert area is very different from the next, with the one thing they all have in common is DUST and no humidity.  In New Jersey the average humidity is 76%, in Tucson it is 25%.  While we were there it was 10%, and you can definitely tell. 

Thursday we headed to Tombstone, Tombstone is know for the most notorious gunfight in the wild west.  Today it is a tourist destination, with some of the original buildings still standing while others have been rebuilt.  Some of them have been rebuilt twice due to fires in 1881 and 1882.  The one building that is still 100% original is The Bird Cage Theater.  The Bird Cage Theater is where the  Ladies of The Night would stand on the staircase enticing the men to spend some time with them. While we went into the lobby, we did not do the full tour.  You could spend all day (and lots of money) doing each individual tour and reenactment.  

East Allen Street looks like it did in the late 1800's, including the dirt road, and all of the businesses.  Walking down the street you could imagine what is was like in its heyday.  We choose to visit the Gunfight Palace to see a couple of reenactments of famous gunfights.  It was a little hokey, with a little history mixed in, overall it was enjoyable.  After the gun fight we had lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon.  Big Kate's started out as The Grand Hotel, but after it was devastated by a fire in 1882, it was changed into a Saloon.  The bar is still the original bar, but was moved into the what was the hotel lobby.  You can see where the floor in the restaurant changes from the original floor to a newer floor.   While you are there you can dress up in costume and have your photo taking around the saloon.  Because the temperature was 20 degrees colder in Tombstone than Tucson and we came unprepared we all bought fleeces!  Next time we will think ahead.

Friday we went to tour the only remaining Titan Missile Silo, from the cold war.  From 1963 to 1987 there were 54 Titan Missile Silos, ready to launch a 3.44 Megaton Nuclear Warhead 6300 miles across the world.  These silos were manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.   

The museum is the only remaining silo from the cold war.  The missile is the actual missile that was in the silo while it was an active silo.  It has been rendered inoperable, by cutting a 2'x2' hole in the nose cone and the silo doors have also been sealed. This was all done in accordance with the 1979 SALT  (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) Treaty.  The treaty allowed for both us and the Soviet Union to keep one silo, with a disabled missile that could be verified by satellite.

The tour took us through the procedures that a the crew would go through when arriving at the silo for their 24 hour shift.  We walked down the same stairway they used, and through the double bomb proof doors into the silo. The silo consisted of a concrete cylinder suspended between the concrete walls of the hole.  Each floor is suspended by extremely large springs.  If the silo was hit by a nuclear warhead or a bomb they crew in the silo would not feel it, and the floors would not even move.  We sat in the control room while while the tour guide explained explained everything.  Then we were walked through a simulated launch.  Like in the movies, it takes two keys to launch the missile and the two keys are far enough apart that it would require to people to launch it.  Unlike the movies once the launch sequence is initiated, there is no stopping the launch, also the crew did not know what the target was.  They only knew to select Target 1, 2 or 3.   To this day the targets for each silo is highly classified.

After our tour we headed next door to the Green Valley, AZ American Legion for lunch.  Pizza and a round of drink for the six of us was $30. One of the great things about belonging to the Legion, is you are always welcomed at any legion.  This one was no exception.

After lunch we headed to Tubac Az, a small community known as where art meets history.  Tubac has dozens of art galleries, restaurants and historical sites.  Mark, Karen, Angel and I did not stay long deciding instead to head to Nogales AZ, to check out the border and The Border Wall only twenty miles from where we were.  There is both a Nogales AZ and a Nogales Mexico separated only by The Border Wall.   

It was definitely an experience seeing the Border Wall.  It looks like at one time you could very easily walk between the two towns.  In Nogales the wall is steel beams spaced inches apart, reaching up over 30 feet in the air.  attached to the beams is chain link fencing.  As we drove by the wall we could see people on the Mexico side looking to the US side.  At one spot there was a young women and a child talking to a man on the Mexico side.  They were reaching through the fence to each other.  Most of the fence had barbed wire on the bottom 10 feet of the wall.  Also along the Border Wall were towers with cameras, that tracked the car as we drove along the border. The last piece of security were Border Patrol Agents in SUV's parked along the street. It looked like they were spaced where one Agent could see to the next agent.  It was worth the drive to check it out. 

On our return trip to Tucson we had to stop and go through a Border Patrol Check Point.  This was about 25 miles from the border.  Commercial vehicles had to go through one lane, while passenger vehicles had several other lanes to pass through, either way the first thing you pass is an automated license plate reader.  When we got up to the agent, he just waved us past him.  On the commercial vehicle lane they had a truck with a mobile scanner, that x-rays, and detects drugs explosives and organic material. 

Saturday we left  Tucson to heads to Flagstaff AZ.

 

 

Deming, NM

Carlsbad, NM - Deming, NM
4/22/24

Miles Traveled   232
Trip Total          2275
Travel Time       4:30

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX,  New Mexico

The ride from Carlsbad to Deming was very uneventful. The only interesting things we saw on the trip was signs warning us of possible dust storms, and what to do if we are caught in a sandstorm.  While we did not see any dust storms we did see sand swirling like small tornados across the desert.

Deming, NM was a small town with nothing to offer us but a Harvest Host to spend the night.  Deming is the Midpoint between Carlsbad and Tucson.  Leaving Carlsbad the first thing you notice is the sign stating that there were no services for the next 145 miles. For 145 miles we saw little to no signs of life, most of the houses we saw along the roads looked abandoned.  

At Deming we stayed at a winery D.H Lescombes Winery.  Not only do the produce wine, thay have a small restaurant.  I am not sure how they make any money, While we were there two people came in for a glass of wine, and the six of us had dinner.  Even for a week night that was not much business.  After dinner we sat under the trees and played Mexican Train until it got to dark to see.

Even though we did not encounter any dust storms, The wind was pretty strong and dust was blowing everywhere.  Harvest Host do not offer any hookups, so we had no electric.  Rather than run the generator for the air conditioner, we started with the windows open,  That did not last long, between the heat and dust coming in the windows we ended up closing the windows and running the air condition.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Tucson, AZ  one more state under our belt.

Carlsbad, NM

Roswell, NM - Carlsbad, NM
4/21/24 - 4/22/24

Miles Traveled    104
Trip Total          2043
Travel Time       2:40

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX,  New Mexico

Another beautiful drive through the Chihuahuan Desert.  Up until the last 3/4 of a mile it was a easy smooth ride. While we did have some hills to climb they were so gradual, we did not really notice it. When the drive got really interesting was we turned of Highway 62, onto a dirt road. It is a "maintained" dirt road but it is mostly rocks.  It was a very rough and bumpy ride.

Our destination for the night was Sunset Reef a small BLM (Bureau Of Land Management) campsite.  You can camp anywhere on BLM but they do have a some designated sites.  One of the best things about camping on BLM land is that it is free.  They do not have electric, water, or sewer, instead they have some of the best views you can get!   There were about 15 campers here with a mix of RV's and tents, with a few people tent camping outside of the designated site.  The only difference between the designated area and outside of it, was a railing, a gate and the cattle guard.  Giving the amount if cattle that we saw roaming around the fence I think you would have to be crazy to sleep in a tent outside of the fence.

After arriving and setting up we Mark & Karen and Angel & I headed to Carlsbad National Park, to tour the caverns.  We have seen several caverns in our travels but nothing like Carlsbad Caverns.  First Carlsbad is the only caverns in the National Park System that allows self guided tours, second Carlsbad has the largest cave chamber in North America that is open to the public.   We opted to walk down the open air entrance into the caverns, rather than take the elevator down.  The trail down is 2.5 miles long with a 20% grade.  The trail takes you 750' below the surface and takes over and hour to walk.  In contrast the elevator takes you to the same place, but in two minutes.  Among the many sites walking down the trail we came across four workers picking lint from the rocks.  They were on their knees with headlamps, tweezers and ziplock bags.  They travel from cave system to cave system cleaning the lint.  The lint comes from our clothes as we walk through and is very detrimental to the ecosystem.  The week before the crews picked over thirty pounds of lint from the rocks. After arriving at the Big Room we decided that we would take the elevator to the surface. (Like their was any chance we would walk back to the surface)

Monday we decided to have a lazy day and just enjoy hanging at the campground.  We did do a quick grocery run, and then took the RV to fill it with fuel.  When we leave Carlsbad it will be 145 miles before we reach any services or fuel.  While we had enough fuel to get there, it is better safe than sorry.  It also much easier to get fuel without towing the car.  Todays weather was much better than yesterdays allowing us to see the mountains surrounding us, and a spectacular sunset.  When we first got here we saw signs of cattle (Cow Patties EVERYWHERE) but no cattle.  Monday that changed very quickly, starting with hearing them in the distance, to several parading right by us. When I tried to get close to them for a picture they ran, but when one car tried to leave by car, they just stood in the road.

One thing we have noticed is that RV'ers are not as social as boaters are.  This campground has been the exception.  We have talked to most of the RV'ers here, talking about where we've been and where we are going.  Two couple we talked to also use Harvest Host, is was interesting that we all have stayed at the same Harvest Host in Timmonsville SC.  

Tomorrow we are heading out to Deming Arizona.   It is just a one night stop on our way to Tucson.

Aliens Everywhere!

Childress, TX - Roswell NM
4/19/24 - 4/21/24

Miles Traveled    331
Trip Total          1939
Travel Time       6:05

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX,  New Mexico

The trip from Childress to Roswell, was one of the best rides so far.  The views were incredible, the roads were good and very little traffic.  We saw more ranches, oil wells, and today lots of gullies, washes, and hills.  Dallas is about 450 feet above sea level and Roswell is about 3600 feet above sea level.  Most of the hills were gradual climbs, but there were a couple of steep ones. 

One thing we enjoyed, was we were on secondary roads rather than interstates. There is so much more to see on the secondary roads, and this trip is about seeing America.  What was interesting is even on the secondary roads the speed limit is 75MPH.  Because we were on a two lane highway,  the bad news for the drivers behind us is, we can not do 75.  Our sweet spot is between 62 and 64MPH. While I can get the RV up to 70MPH, the max speed for towing the Trailblazer is 70MPH, so I try to stay well below that. Luckily for the drivers behind us.  What was nice was there were passing lanes every two to three miles, and there were signs stating how far ahead the next passing lanes were.  

One tense moment we had was finding fuel.  We were trying to balance remaining fuel and fuel prices.  Leaving Dallas gas was $3.59 to $3.79, Gas Buddy was listing gas in Lubbock, TX as $3.09.  When your buying 60+ gallons fifty cents a gallon adds up.   We also have to find stations that we can get into, get to the pump, and get back out of.  What made it a little tense was we had less than 50 miles of fuel left, when we did get fuel.  We also ended up a a station that was a little to small, and the one pump we could to easily, the pump was broken.   We ended up going out of the lot, going the wrong way down a one way street, then back into the station.

We also had to stop at Camping World for a part for our toilet.  The supply line started leaking right after we left Dallas.  Of course in Dallas, Amazon would deliver the part next day, Childress or Roswell, four to five days.  This is one of the reasons we like having to bathrooms in the RV.  (Once I had the part it was a quick simple fix).

Instead of staying at a campground we spent the two nights at the local B.P.O.E (Elks Lodge).  Many Elks lodges across the county allow RV's to stay in their parking lots.  The only requirement is you must be and Elk to stay there.   Some of them also have hookup's of some type.  The Roswell lodge has 20 RV spots with water and electric.  The sites do not have sewer hookup's but they do have a dump station on site, which is an added bonus.  The best part is they are always less expensive than a campground.  This lodge, request a $25 a night donation.   I had called in advance to ask if Mark & Karen could stay there with us, they are not Elks.  The were very accommodating and said as long as I was there with them, they were welcome to stay. As an added bonus, the food was good and the drinks were cheap!

Roswell New Mexico, home of the aliens!  Funny thing is the 1947 "Spaceship Crash" was about 75 miles from Roswell.  But the entire town center around the UFO.  Including Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds.  The Dunkin Donuts sign is held up by a huge alien, and the McDonalds Playland is shaped like a flying saucer.   Surprisingly enough Roswell is the home of the International UFO Museum and Research Center.  We spent Saturday touring both that and the Roswell Museum.  

In addition to an excellent art exhibit, the Roswell Museum has an Robert Goddard Exhibit.  Robert Goddard is considered the father of US Space program.  Goddard resided in Roswell for 12 years where he launched 56 rockets, with 17 of them reaching over 1000 feet. His pioneering efforts helped establish many of the principals and procedures used in the early US Space Program.  One shining example of this, was the use of a parachute to return the capsule to earth.

The International UFO Museum was founded to inform the public about the 1947 Roswell Incident.  It contains news articles and eye witness accounts and statements from the "incident".  It also explores the history of UFO sightings.  It was well worth the $5 admission fee.  Since this happened well before my time, I am not sure what really happened, but I have added watching "Roswell: The UFO Coverup" to my todo list.

After the museums we headed out to Bottomless Lake State Park.  We spent some time wandering around the park and the lakes.  Even though it is called "Bottomless" the deepest lake is around 90 feet.  The lakes were formed from cenotes that collapsed.  We did not spend much time there but it was amazing to see.  Leaving Bottomless Lake State Park, there was a dirt road, that looked to have a RV camping on it.  Of course I had to go explore it.  It turned out to have several "campsite'' where anyone could just setup camp.  The dirt roads were well maintained, and label on Google Maps.  One thing that I saw on Google Maps was a label "W10".  We never made it that far, but I wish we had.  Once back at the RV I researched it, and it is was a Nike Missel Site W-10.  It is listed as a Historical Site, and I am not sure how much is left but it would have been fun to explore.    It was part of the Walker Air Force Base Defense Area, but it was never activated.

Tomorrow we leave Roswell and head to Carlsbad, NM.   Our plan is to explore the Carlsbad Caverns, and meet back up with Ken & Cheryl.

Childress, TX

Dallas, TX  - Childress, TX
4/18/24

Miles Traveled   260
Trip Total          1608
Travel Time       4:55
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States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, Texas

Today we traveled most of the day by ourselves.  Ken & Cheryl left a couple of days ago, and will meet up with us in New Mexico.  Mark and Karen, were coming from about 25 miles away from us.  Our plan was to meet up with Mark & Karen where I20 intersects with TX Route 360.  That almost worked perfectly.  When we got to the intersection they were about 2 miles behind us, than for some reason our GPS took us on two different routes to Childress.  We did mange to get back together about 100 miles from the campground.

You might be asking why stop at Childress, what is there to do?  The answer is NOTHING!  We only planned to stop here because it was on our route, and it was about our normal travel distance for one day.  By the time we got here we were glad to be done traveling for the day.  Until we got away from the Dallas - Fort Worth area the traffic was pretty heavy.  The highlight of that part of the trip, was the idiot that decided to pass me on the right, even though I was in the right lane.   We were about 3/4 of a mile from the exit ramp, and I guess he did not feeling staying behind, or maybe passing me in the empty left lane.

Once we got pass the cities, we started to see the real beauty of Texas. Ranch after Ranch, Cattle everywhere, Oil Wells, Windmills. and Fields as far as you could see.  As beautiful as it was it came with a price.  We got to fight 25MPH winds for the last half of the trip.  While 25MPh winds are not that high, when you are driving a 36' box, it makes it becomes more challenging. 

We had reservations at J&S RV Ranch.  It is a small working ranch right off the highway with 20 full hookup RV sites.  When we arrived there were about 8 long term campers there and the rest open spots.  There is no office, and no staff on site just cattle, goats and geese.  We picked our spots, and figured someone would show up at some point.  We later found out that there is no comes around, but there is a payment box, by the cattle pen, It's on the honor system just put your money in the box.

Tomorrow we are going to Roswell, New Mexico to look for the aliens.