From Arkansas to New Mexico

Sunday p.m.

We have stopped for the day in Tucumcari, New Mexico at a KOA. So far we’ve done about 1,300 miles – another 700 to go.
Will try to catch this up tonight – although there really wasn’t much to write about for a couple of days.
Here’s a picture taken at the campground we stayed at in Heth, Arkansas.

Shell Lake RV Park

Spent the next day driving across the state – a pretty uneventful drive on I-40. We had to stop in a rest area so Bill could go up on the roof to tape down a cable that we thought was flopping and banging around. Sounded horrible from inside. Got back on the road and still heard noise – finally figured out that there must still be an acorn up there stuck under something and rolling around. It finally stopped – either it rolled off or is really stuck. We stopped at a Petro Truck Stop and ate lunch in their Iron Skillet restaurant – wow – excellent food and lots of it for a very good price. Will make it a point to stop in one again. The only thing really to mention is the fact that the trees are still full of color here.

Oh and we managed to stop for the night before that big storm hit us. It came in about two hours after we stopped in Alma for the night. Strange little campground. No one in the office, just an envelope to leave the money in. Took us a while to figure out how the sites were set up but we found one big enough that we didn’t have to unhook. Satellite went up fine and miracle of miracles AOL and the search engines came right up. The lady from the campground came by later and gave us our 48 cents change!!! And mentioned that the storm might be a bad one and the safe room was the laundry room. Oh Goody. Turned out to be just rain and very little wind. Guess we got lucky.
Saturday we got moving around 8 again. It was clear and sunny out. Crossed into Oklahoma and spent the day driving across the state. One comment this was the worst road we’ve been on in a long time. At one time I though the fillings in my teeth were going to pot out. Poor Jennie – it’s a wonder any screw is still attached. The parts of the road that weren’t horrible were under construction with only one narrow lane. Was very glad to stop for the day in Elk City, OK. We actually stopped at a KOA before Elk City but couldn’t find anyone in the office so we drove around the campground but it was full of trees making the spaces very narrow. Also didn’t look very well kept – so on down the road. I’m beginning to wonder about RV parks along that highway. Again the one in Elk City had no one in the office – in fact the whole place had no one in it but on the door was a sign “Overnighters park in first row. Longer stays anywhere else. Some one will contact you later.” No campground map so we just guessed which would be the first row. The first site we pulled into the electric didn’t work so moved to another one where it did. The water spigot was foamed and taped over and had no water. Also no sewer connection. Oh well didn’t need them anyway. Never saw anyone the whole time we were there – NO ONE – no where in the whole almost empty park. Tried the office again this a.m. Still no one around. Maybe the place has shut down for the winter – still don’t know.
It got pretty cold during the night again. And never really warmed up during the day. Of course the whole day the wind was blowing and we were climbing in altitude.

Drove into the great state of Texas where we passed the “largest cross in the Western Hemisphere” in Groom.

Passed some cotton fields some picked some waiting to be picked.

Cotton Field

Then I started to see cotton in the weeds beside the road. Whoa….that isn’t cotton its SNOW.

Snow along road

Sure enough we stopped around Amarillo to eat (37 degrees out) and there was snow on the ground – quite a bit of it left from the storm a day ago. Sure glad we didn’t get in it.

Amarrilo - Snow on the roofs and lawns

Finally left Texas behind - so many miles of nothing but miles and miles of nothing. 

New Mexico

  Saw this along the way - hope they fix it soon

So on we went and here we are in Tucumcari – got here in time to watch the NASCAR Cup race – boy don’t want to miss next weeks.
While riding along I have a lot of time to think and wonder about things. Crossing the nothingness of TX and OK I wondered “How did the cowboys, drifters etc. of old find the little towns in the middle of nowhere?” And have you noticed when there is a commercial for cell phones they don’t even mention making calls on them.
Another thing I thought about was that I’d like to go to that Skywalk the Indians built that goes out over the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Well I looked it up on the web. Costs $45 per person to enter the area and then another $35 per person to go out on the Skywalk. And you can’t take your camera or cell phone out with you – so no pictures. Also have to park outside of area and take a van to it. Guess I’ll just forget about it. Maybe I’ll go ride in a race care at the Vegas track instead.

I think I’ve caught up so enough rambling for today.