October 4 Texas Here We Come

From the front our our RV in Palo
Duro Canyon

Bill was so nice to let me sleep til 7:30, knowing it takes more than an hour to eat, dress and close up things to leave, but we were close to liftoff time – 8:40. But then there was the glitch! Bill thought the same RV tire looked low, so he checked it and it was 30 pounds low again. He got out the pump and pumped it up and while it was doing its thing, he asked where there was a tire place. Seems there was one just up the road, so he called and they said to bring it right in. We weren’t sure what to expect but turns out we pulled to one side of the building and the guy came and took the tire off and found a piece of metal in it, repaired it and we were good to go. I sat in the truck with the pets and made some phone calls I need to get off my “to do” list. So we actually got on the road to Texas at about 9:30. Bill called the campground to see how late we could arrive and they close the gate at 6 since it’s a state park. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is just south of Amarillo to be exact.

Since we weren’t on interstates there were only a few roadside rests, not real rest areas to accommodate a rig this size, so we pulled into a closed stockyard, put out the slides and had lunch. The drive was easy but you sure get tired of the prairie land. Miles and miles of flat land with either corn or sorghum. Once in a while there are some cattle or horses. In the horizon you’d see some really tall building but when you get close it’s just another grain elevator or silo. Then a tiny town will have sprouted up around it. That was the routine today, over and over again. And then the wind, wow, there were even signs warning of dangerous crosswinds. That is not a pleasant feeling. But we arrived safely at Palo Duro at about 4 and by 5 we were set up and sitting in our recliners. Bill went in and got our spot in the first campground and informed me we would have to back in. No campground manager to help this time. Luckily our spot was across from an open drive and I could just about pull straight forward and back right in. It was nice not arguing about the parking for a change. Maybe someday we’ll get the hang of it. Also the road down into the canyon was a 10% grade, which was our steepest yet, but Big Blue did her job and we landed safely at the bottom.

The view across from our RV

There was another Cedar Creek checking in at the same time and wouldn’t you know they parked just down the circle from us. Of course we had to walk down and check out their unit, then one of the ladies came out to ask about ours. Theirs is an 07 and ours an 09 and they have had really good experience with Forest River. This is their second one, they went bigger.

Another view from the RV

This is a super nice park. I’m sure there are lots of activities in the summer as they have an amphitheater, horse trails, and programs for kids. We can sit in our RV, or out in our site and look at the red rock, reminding us of Sedona. It’s really beautiful and now the wind has stopped and sitting here with the window open as I type I can hear the crickets chirping. Very serene indeed. What a way to end the day!