Since I didn’t have much internet access there was any way to make updates. I also was busy packing and getting ready – seems like I did all of the getting ready?
Day 0
Spent the day getting some more minor fixes put in… got the new Cell phone antenna and amp put up – pictures to follow… (update – not till I fix it). Also replaces another old vent cover that had rotted from the sun – they sure don’t last long or they were really old when the unit was built? I also sealed cracks in the front cap match to the roof line… that may have been a place where the water was getting in? I washed some of the cloths “we” might need and packed most all of my stuff in for the trip. It was hot outside and I was really wore down but I think I am ready?
Day 1
With no real direction other than “west where we can find cool”, we headed out. Took Highway 51 all the way west to the point of hitting Hwy 270 then jog north to Seiling, OK. At this point we stayed on Hwy 51 west into Texas… We saw several farmers cutting wheat along the way… I should have stopped in Higgins Tex and got a picture of the bank on the corner as we passed through, but Higgins is not a tourist spot and it had not other value than the sign – which read “Happy State Bank”. I was thinking they must be happy from all the money they are making? But in reality it hit me that it probably was a branch of the bank from “Happy Texas”… If you have ever been out that way you surely have to wonder – “Why call it Happy?” Unless you like desolate, barren, windy places?
Anyway we just kept moving… got to the Canadian junction and opted to make the shift north. Why? Because I was told we didn’t want to eat at Dairy Queen and in Canadian I was not sure we could find a place to pull the motor home and jeep off to eat other than the DQ…? And the idea of “Dixie Dog” came rolling out so we made it toward Perryton. Pulled into the Waterhole-83 parking (It is a truck stop with huge parking area. We unhooked the jeep and made a quick run to the Hospital area (just to look), and then to the Dixie Dog – a long tradition in Perryton. After we got out meal of the “Dixie Burger and fries” I wondered why? They aren’t that good but reasonable if you like the old style grilled burger and fries. the fries I think are fresh potato? although you can order the frozen (Wendy’s) like stuff if you want… During eating Sherrie said she had heard some of the locals talking that the wheat fields were rotting, ground turning black with rot from all the rain…. very unusual for Perryton. We had noticed that nearly every water hole was full of water coming in.
After out “GUT BOMB” specials we took a quick tour of the rest of Perryton… at least up main street – west to the old house , through that neighborhood, then back to the jeep. Nothing much change there, the names on some of the stores have changed but most of the stuff looks about the same. At the old house, some of the trees we tried so hard to get to grow are gone but most of it still looks the same as well, although they were building a new house to the north on the corner lot east? Didnt see a much more new building going on out there – I am sure there must be some but we didn’t see it.
After the nostalgia drive we got hooked back up and pulled up to the station north of the corner (couldn’t get to the slower pumps at the waterhole). and filled up with Diesel as I was sure it would get more expensive as we move west.
We moved on west from there to Spearman and saw the sign to the new Palo Duro creek lake. We surmised that with all the rain it must be full now, also an unusual occurrence for any lake out there… We took the road through Gruver then on to Stratford and back down to Dalhart… most of it was exactly as it was 15 years ago… we used to take that route from Perryton on our way west… I must say it adds a few more miles but the road was smoother most of the way than the Hwy 3 route?
From Dalhart we go through Clayton, and most of the road from Dalhart to Clayton is now 4 lane… that is much nicer than the over crowded 2 lane, where we had to use the shoulder for a pull over to allow passing.
I had thought we might stop in Capulin at the “new RV park” there but it was still early so we moved on to Raton. Note to self – in the future you really only want to try to do 300 miles of less. I am not up to the long drives as much as i was 20 years ago and we miss a lot by not stopping. We camped in Raton at the Sumerlan RV park… on the east side of town to the south of the highway… at least it has trees and the people there is real nice… He and I got into a discussion while checking about “green chile”. I have a thing about green chile so I try to get some ever where I go… It is not a common chile anywhere else but Colorado, New Mexico and some of south texas. Most people , even the Tex-Mex restaurants have no clue when you ask about “green chile”. Most of them want to bring you out chopped up jalapeno… He said they had some at the “Oasis” on the south end of town… it is a motel/restaurant place. We decided to go there after checking out the other “full mexican” restaurant that was closed?
When I walked in I saw a local having what I believed to be a “stuffed sopapilla” with green chili so I ordered that instead of the “green chili burger” I had planned on. Anyway it was good but not spectacular. It was way too much as we both got one and had to pack about 1/3 of it back with us. After this it was time to get back to the rig and crash… I was pretty tired by now.
Once back I thought I would try the wifi repeater out, well, it didn’t work so well as the RV park has wifi but it usually only worked at the front deck of the check in building. He has plans to get it out for the whole park but just hasn’t happened yet. At this point I noticed that my hours of work, to get the cell phone system in did not get us any better coverage…? strange it did at home? plus we were in a roaming area and my tethering did not work either? I went out to raise the wifi antenna to see if that would help and found the coax for the cell phone antenna cut in two… “ain’t gonna work that way”. Seems I had forgotten that the slide hole I put it through would be a spot that the slide would move back and forth some, even though there was rubber seal on the other side it somehow cut the coax. I was pissed… now I have to try and get repairs for the coax, and go ahead and put a hole through the wall… oh well… such fun. So off to bed for me, I had enough of that. Tomorrow will be another day and I sill have no idea where we will go. I keep asking but she ain’t telling other than we have to stop at Trinidad to get out caps….