Saturday, April 27, 2013

Two years ago we visited the area between Las Cruces, New Mexico and San Antonio, Texas.  Think Roswell, White Sands National Monument and Missile Range, Carlsbad Caverns etc. This year we simply stayed on I-10 from Las Cruces to Junction Texas, with a night stop over in Van Horn, Texas. Talk about a lot of nothing.....ugh! Even the gas stations had buzzards circling overhead...we arrived in Van Horn last night and took a walking tour of the town. Cute little town and it's too bad it's struggling to survive the Interstate. Everyone in such a hurry and never stopping to enjoy the ambiance of the small towns that used to dot the main highways crisscrossing our nation. We found a gem in  the campground called Desert Willow. Clean facilities and perfect for a one night stop over. No amenities other than wifi but that's all you need for a one night stop. Didn't get up until noon and headed east about 1PM. After several stops along the way, we made it to Junction, Texas around 7PM. Pretty late for us. However, the park owner saw us come in and came to meet us in his golf cart to escort us to our site. Very clean park and friendly owners. It's called North LLano River RV Park. We will stay a couple days before heading into San Antonio....





This sign pretty much sums up this segment of our trip....















If I'm looking for a bright spot....there's not much traffic.....














Jasmine asks...."Are we there yet?"





Desert Willow RV Park....Pretty much deserted on a Friday night. New owners and a spotless park. Great for one night with wifi and full hookups....




Today was pretty much....same old, same old...







One of the rest areas just outside Sonora, Texas. Another picture is below. California could take some lessons on building rest areas. Free wifi too! 
Pretty boring stuff, huh? When I was about seven years old, my dad said the following when we were traveling from California to Michigan. I still remember it today and chuckle every time I think of it.
He said,   "The sun has riz, the sun has set, and here we is, in Texas yet!"     True story.....

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Finally hit the road again...since I had not had the coach in for it's annual maintenance, our first priority was the SpeedCo in Casa Grande, Arizona. I have had this facility do our annual service on the rig for the past three years. Clean and efficient, the folks there really know what they're doing. Our rig has an air leveling system and I had noticed the on board compressor making a noise when activated so I suspected a loose bolt. While they were doing the service, I went into the pit to check it out. Not only were the bolts loose, one was missing. Unfortunately, they are custom type bolts with a spring so not readily available. I had to remove one of the remaining bolts as a specimen and hit the local Home Depot. After some searching, I had enough materials to manufacture a similar bolt. Now to install them. We spent two nights at the Casa Grande RV Resort. A beautiful facility with two pools, a spa, many amenities and big rig friendly. I've decided to start another blog, listed as Big Rig Campsites on the Favorite Websites box along the right side of the page,  with pictures and descriptions of the places we stay at this year. I hope this may provide better information for fellow travelers as to what the campgrounds actually look like. If you like, please let me know. BTW..I bought a new camera, so bear with me.

Since we have already toured the Tucson area, we breezed right through there this year. If you've never stopped and visited Tucson, you should put it on your calendar. It's a City that should be explored. If you're interested in some of the sights and places to visit, go here...http://s245.photobucket.com/user/Dynasty40/library/Tucson%20trip?sort=3&page=1. Check out the library arrow on the left hand side of the page. A drop down menu appears with many photos and pictures we visited.

After leaving Casa Grande, we stayed one night in Willcox, Arizona, at the Elks Lodge. They served up some killer tacos and enchiladas at a more than reasonable price. Washed down with a couple margaritas and the night was complete. Topped off the evening walking Jasmine under a full moon in 71 degree weather. Perfect! .







Downtown Willcox....Home of Rex Allen and the Marty Robbins museum.









The THING??? What is it? A mystery in the desert, east of Tucson! But, what is it?

Alas, it's simply a tourist trap. But, you can buy T-shirts here...on sale!











Beautiful country under clear blue skies.....near the border of Arizona and New Mexico.














Welcome to New Mexico...










Do dust storms really exist or is this simply a warning sign to scare drivers..???













Guess I found my answer.....fortunately, it was too bad and was of short duration.












Three minutes after the above picture was taken...










Entering Las Cruces, New Mexico


We left this morning and are now in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We chose the Coachlight RV Park. It's an OK park for a one night layover but I wouldn't choose it for an extended stay. Located behind the Hotel, it has full hookups and wifi, but little else..I was able to wash the coach, so she's beautiful again... We are off to Texas tomorrow and will be staying in Van Horn...not too much in Van Horn..but....