RV Fun Trips

A Trip to the Southwest and the Plains
December 2007
Return to California — Page 2

Oklahoma to New Mexico
Our day began with a bright sunny morning and we took our time getting around. Even though we wanted to get back to California in time for an RV club rally, now that we are retired, there was no urgency to be back by a certain time to go back to work.

A nice place for the night as well as a good place to begin our day

The trip through the remainder of Oklahoma was brief and uneventful. Just before we entered Texas the highway pavement smoothed out very nicely. Texas seems to be good at keeping its highways in very good repair. It is a real pleasure to drive on such smooth roads.

More cotton fields appeared with the big bales of harvested cotton lined up on one side of the field. This seems a bit strange because this area historically has been cattle country. I think I've seen more cotton fields than I've seen in the past.

On our way to and from Arkansas we saw several Hobby Lobby tractor-trailer rigs. One passed us in Texas and then we were passed by Tootsie Roll truck. The picture on the side of the semi-trailer was a huge picture of a Tootsie Roll and on the back was a photo of a Tootsie Pop.

Suddenly I had a strange desire to have a Tootsie Roll

I took my usual photo as we passed by the big cross near Groom, Texas. We've visited the site of the cross on previous trips, so I didn't feel compelled to go there on this trip. The visitor center looks as if it is finished. It was still under construction the last two times we stopped by. One of those times was with Tina and Kevin, the people who showed us such a good time in Arizona in the early days of this trip.

The cross near Groom, Texas

One thing that is very apparent out here in the Texas Panhandle is just how very flat the Great Plains are here in the southern most state of the flatlands. Oh, there goes another cotton field.

A familiar sign showed up that advertised a nationally known fixture of Amarillo, Texas in the form of the Big Texan Steak Ranch. This is the place that advertises a FREE 72 Ounce Steak and has been featured in several television news and travel shows. What the billboard doesn't say is that the steak is "free" only if a person can eat it in one hour or less. Otherwise, the meal is very expensive.

Familiar sign offering a very big steak

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is one of many indicators that this is cattle country. After leaving Amarillo we saw a scene for the first time. It was a herd of cattle in a formation I've not seen before. I saw only two cowboys riding next to the herd that was strung out in a line of cows walking in single file. The line of cows was probably about a quarter-mile long. It was longer than what I could get in one photo that I took while driving.

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Herd of cattle in one very long line

We could smell the presence of another cattle country operation in the form of particularly odiferous feed lots. In this case there were feed lots on both sides of the highway which meant that it was impossible to get upwind from the livestock pens. The last time we came this way the pens were on only the south side of the road and the prevailing winds, this time of year, are usually coming from the north.

Once again I saw wind-powered, electric generators on the horizon to the north of the Interstate. This was yet another group of the spinning propeller devices that I don't recall being there on our last trip along this route. In the past I always wondered why there were no wind-powered generators out on the plains where the wind blows most of the time. Many small towns on the prairie should be able to get a lot of their power from such a source.

All along this route are small towns and villages that in the past were like beads lined up on a string in the form of old Route 66. Many of the towns were bypassed by I-40; however, the old route 66 often runs parallel to the Interstate with the new highway going through some towns. One of those towns is Vega, Texas. The reason I remember this little agricultural community is that is was the location of a "reality" TV series called Personality Contest that was on the air in the spring of 2006.

Sign proclaims the location of the town of Vega, Texas

West of Vega we entered a construction zone where all traffic was routed to one side of the Interstate with vehicles running in single-lane, opposing traffic with a crash barrier between lanes. On the opposite side of the freeway the construction technique could be seen. The far lane had been completed and appeared to be a slab of pavement approximately 12 inches or more thick. In the near lane the reinforcement structure was in place and it looked fairly substantial. I've seen the same type of construction on previous trips through the Texas Panhandle. The resulting road surface is smooth and produces a very quiet ride.

Both lanes of traffic on one side of the freeway

Re-enforcement structure for a new lane of pavement

Soon we were crossing the border into New Mexico with the sun still high in the sky. Our new plan was to spend more time driving each day so we can stop in Laughlin, Nevada on our way to California. This would mean that I would be driving after dark.

In New Mexico we were traveling through familiar territory so old memories came up when we passed by Cuervo, New Mexico. I always wonder what stories the old abandoned buildings could tell. There are still a few residents in the town that appears as if it is close to being a ghost town.

A few of the old buildings that can be seen on both sides of the highway

As we approached Santa Rosa, New Mexico there was a plume of smoke rising above the town. For a while it looked as if the highway would go right through the area under the smoke. As we got closer the road took a turn and as we exited the town the source of the smoke could be seen on the south side where a grass fire appeared to have just about run its course.

Ahead of us is column of smoke produced by a grass fire

The sun was about to set as we passed Clines Corners, New Mexico. We entered Albuquerque — which is not a place I like driving through — after dark at the end of the commute time. I wanted to get across town so I could go to an RV campground up near the top of the hill. Well ... that was the plan; as has happened before, on this trip, I missed my turn-off in the dark. It wasn't very convenient to turn around even in the daytime much less at night.

So with a quick change in plans I now was driving to the Sky City Casino located in Acoma where I figured we could at least spend the night sleeping in the parking lot. As it turned out, our change in plans was a good decision because the casino now has a new RV campground out back.

The campground looks as if it hasn't been open for very long. The sites are all pull-through with full hookups which includes 50 amps with cable service to begin sometime in early 2008. There also is Wi-Fi throughout the park and the best part is the price, only $20 for the night. The building where I registered appeared to be a temporary structure with plans for a nicer office to be built later. There also is a new Laundromat that looks as if it could open very soon.

Even though we were only a few yards from the casino, a shuttle bus was available for those who needed a ride. I'm guessing that the bus might be a nice feature during either very cold or hot weather. As close as we were, we decided to call it a day and not got to yet another casino on this trip.