On the Road Again

Last May and Early June I started this post as we were traveling. Wireless was very spotty, so I never finished it. Hope you enjoy it, better late than never.

When we purchased our monster 5th wheel a few years ago, Kim and I promised ourselves that we would schedule a minimum of a three week trip annually. We have beaten that commitment every year. This year, we decided to use our time to make our way east to Texas and visit Mike and Teri. Being so far apart, we just don't get to see them enough.

It was a busy "Rotary Spring" this year, and we had scheduled to leave on May 16th. After a truck check up in the shop, we had hauled the trailer down to Lake Don Pedro for a shakedown on Mother's Day. While hauling, we heard what might only be described as an "expensive" engine noise. So, I wasn't going to leave until we had it diagnosed and repaired if necessary.

Celebrating relaxing with each other at Don Pedro.
John needs a hair cut, otherwise he looks great!

Bad news. The shop couldn't look at the truck until the 17th! It turned out to be a major problem (the turbocharger was going bad) and wasn't fixed until the 19th. It's a looooong way to Texas so we  left the Thursday evening we got the truck out of the shop. We only made a little over 200 miles before pulling over at a rest stop north of Tonopah.

Look at the sand and dust blowing across the road. It was
Very difficult driving.

Next morning, we awoke to a very strong and gusty crosswind (gusts predicted up to 30 miles an hour). We hung out in the rest stop (in Mina Nevada) for an hour or two, but finally decided to proceed with caution. My top speed was about 45 miles an hour that day. It took constant effort to keep the rig straight and on the road. We drove like that for 12 hours, and ended up in a BLM camp ground near Wickiup Arizona. It was a very nice spot that we found using an App that a fellow RVer recommended. We slept hard.

Burrow Creek Campground.
This Saguaro was in bloom.

Next day we took a short stroll around the campground, checking out the cacti, and looking out for rattlesnakes. Pretty quick we were back in the saddle, steaming for Texas. Rest breaks were no problem since we had to stop for fuel every 2 or three hours. Fortunately diesel is cheaper the further east you go, and we paid just a little above $2 a gallon on average.

At the end of another 12 hours or so, we had made it to New Mexico. and found a pretty little place called Rock Hound State Park. It was up a hill and had a  tremendous view of the surrounding desert country. We happened to catch the Park Ranger as he was leaving for home. It was dark, so he was VERY helpful in getting us into an appropriate site. We got level with minimal fuss, and settled in to a beautiful view of the lights of Deming below us in the inky darkness of the desert night.

In the morning we hit the road again with the Texas border nearly in sight. (at least in our minds). At El Paso we stopped for fuel, and drove parallel to the border (the Rio Grande) for a while. It was amazing to contrast the development on the Mexican side of the border. I can certainly see why the U.S. is the "promised  land" to so many Mexican people seeking a better life.

Big Red fueling up with the big boys!

We decided to make for a Texas State Park called Mt. Davis. It was about a 45 mile detour to the south of  Interstate 10. Piece of cake...right? We should have been tipped off when we saw the sign that we were heading for Mt. Davis State Park 47 miles (good), AND Univ of Texas Observatory (as in a telescope on top of a mountain) 30 miles (not good). We ended up going over the highest peak in Texas, on a road built in the '30s by the CCC. Those boys had no problem with 15+ percent grades. What the heck, Model T's were geared plenty low, and nobody was hauling 6 ton 5th wheels around! Needless to say we spent a lot of time in low gear, and were glad to finally see the observatory. It was an easy (not on the brakes) 17 miles to the  park from there.

After wandering in the park looking for a site for a bit, a friendly ranger helped us find a beauty.  We nestled into some trees, and got set up. We decided that we had caught up with the late start, and could  afford to spend an extra day camping there and visiting the nearby National Historic Monument: Fort Davis. It is a restored frontier fort that housed the famous "Buffalo Soldiers" cavalry. More on this in another post.

Kim next to an old freight wagon located at the old Fort.

After our second night at Mt. Davis, we decided to try another Texas State Park at Pedernales Falls. It would put us within an easy day of League City. It was another beautiful park. We wound down the hill and took the campground loop road to nestle our big rig into the trees of the river bottom. It was muggy and hot outside, but as night was already falling we just got hooked up and turned on the air in our little deluxe portable hotel suite. We decided that this might be a great place to spend a few days if we ever got the opportunity.

Wonderful to relax at our destination "on the water".

Next day it was on to League City and Mike and Teri's place "on the water". It was a simple and relatively short drive before we pulled into the Willow Lake RV Park only about 5 miles from their place at "The Wharf". It was Wednesday, and they had just gotten off work with four days off ahead of us. I'll do a separate post for some of our activities, but it was just nice that Wednesday evening to sit around and visit after a 2,000 plus mile journey.