kmurphy98077

[kmurphy98077]

Days 21 and 22

Roswell, New Mexico to Woodinville, WA

When we decide to go home, that’s exactly what we do. 😀 We drove directly home, only stopping for fuel and occasionally some food. Gary and I traded off driving and sleeping so we didn’t even stop to sleep the second day. Of course, that meant I was very tired-awake but tired when we got home. Sleep was my first priority!

Even though we didn’t find any diamonds and only saw a few seconds of the eclipse we did experience the cigar convention, visited six more National Park sites, saw beautiful scenery of all kinds, spent some time with family and friends and had a great time.

I hope this travelogue encourages you to see this great country of ours for yourself for it is a varied and beautiful country filled with interesting people. Thanks for traveling along with us—you also make it enjoyable.

Today’s Miles: 1633

Total Trip Miles: 6,225

States: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Washington

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Day 20 Monday Eclipse Day

Castroville, Texas to Roswell, New Mexico

The day has arrived. The Great 2024 North American Solar Eclipse happened today. Unfortunately, we didn’t see much of it. Cloud cover was over 86%. Luckily, we did see a few fleeting sights of the eclipse.

Things got very dark during the totality. The street lights came on and it felt like night.

Even though we didn’t see as much as we hoped, it was still a great experience and we really did enjoy it!

But then, with the climax of the trip concluded and both Gary and I ready to be home, we decided to leave today instead of tomorrow so we packed up the RV and hit the road for Woodinville.

Things were not very crowded in Castroville so I was thinking that all the traffic, congestion, hype, etc. was overblown but then we saw a traffic jam heading toward San Antonio as we went in the opposite and uncrowned way, that was about 54 miles long. Crazy!

Today’s Miles: 446

Total Trip Miles: 4592

States: Texas, New Mexico

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Day 19 Sunday

Castroville, Texas

Here we are in Castroville, which is to be in the path of totality for the Eclipse of 2024. Castroville is a historic district and has 97 historical buildings including St. Louis Catholic Church, where we attended Sunday mass. It is a beautiful church and reminded me of my grandmother’s church in Pennsylvania, which, sadly, it was closed down over 15 years ago.

We had a delicious lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant that was housed in an interesting, and I assume, also an historic building. After a few practical errands it was back to the campsite, where we hope to stay put until Tuesday morning.

The news and other media has been beset with stories worried about the great influx of people trying to see the eclipse tomorrow. Along that vein, the local chamber of commerce sponsored a day long music show with several bands to start off the party. The bandstand was a short walk from our campsite. Every band was good and we enjoyed it, even though the turnout for the event was sparse. We will find out tomorrow if the big rush materializes.

Today’s Miles: 0

Total Trip Miles: 4,146

States: Texas

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Day 18 Saturday

League City, Texas to Castroville Regional RV Park, Castroville,Texas

Since Houston is Gary’s old stomping ground, he took the opportunity to connect with some old friends and play a round of golf with them. It worked out well since the golf course was on the way to Castroville, where we are going to watch the eclipse.

While Gary played golf, I caught up on some reading (and napping 😉) and afterwards we joined one of the players, along with his wife and daughter, for dinner. Then we headed for Castroville.

The park is by a creek and has a large sports field as well as RV and tent camping. Right now the weather is predicting a thunderstorm about the same time as the eclipse. We will see or not!

Today’s Miles: 257

Total Trip Miles: 4,146

States: Texas

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Day 17 Friday

League City, Texas

A day of variety. We met Gary’s son, Matt, for a late breakfast. Afterwards, we visited the Armand Bayou Nature Center, where we saw some turtles

and bison, and enjoyed walking some of the trails.

Then it was time to get some maintenance done on the RV, which took most of the afternoon. After a stop for dinner, we headed back to the RV park, which is also on a lake. It will be an early start tomorrow, which means an earlier night tonight. I 😴

Today’s Miles: 0

Total Trip Miles: 3,889

States: Texas

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Day 16 Thursday

Sandy Creek Park to USA RV Resort, League City, Texas

A busy day today. Our first stop after leaving Sandy Creek campground was Big Thicket National Reserve visitor center. Big Thicket Reserve is big in territory too. Our campsite last night was actually in its boundaries.

Big Thicket was the very first national reserve. It has a diverse plant and animal life, including alligators and pitcher plants (a plant that eats bugs). The dense forests of trees also makes it easy to see why they call it Big Thicket

Then it was on to Houston and a stop into Gary’s old (and current) work and a chance to say, “Hi,” to old friends and co-workers.

Tonight we had dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack in Kemah with Gary’s daughter, Shannon, her husband, Cole, and daughters, Emma and Allie. It was great to see them. 😀

Today’s Miles: 152

Total Trip Miles: 3,889

States: Texas

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Day 15 Wednesday

Crater of Diamonds to Sandy Creek Park, Texas

We said good-bye to Crater of Diamonds empty handed of diamonds. We then drove about 6 hours to get to Sandy Creek/Steinhagen Lake Park, Jasper, Texas. I had hoped to make a National Parks site stop in Hope, Arkansas, birthplace of William Jefferson Clinton, but it happens that it is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Guess my count will remain at 116–for now!

Steinhagen Lake is actually a large lake or reservoir near Jasper, Texas and has three separate campgrounds.

The area is very scenic and our site is right on the water. Only one issue, one that has been following us most places and that is that it is windy. It’s always something. 😉 Hopefully the wind will die down tonight.

We have a nice view from our back window, too.

Today’s Miles: 279

Total Trip Miles: 3,737

States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas

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Day 14 Tuesday

Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas

We got a break from driving today. We spent the day at Crater of Diamonds trying our luck at diamond hunting. The mining field is an extinct volcano and is a source of diamonds and a few other types of gems such as amethysts.

For an admission fee ($15 per person), whatever valuable rock you find is yours. You can just walk around and try to spy something on the ground or dig with a trowel and search through the dirt or you can collect buckets of soil and wash it through water.

We went low key and just used a trowel and rake. Unfortunately we did not find anything of value although I did keep a few interesting rocks anyway. It was fun and a different way to spend a couple of hours.

I was surprised about the number of families with young kids that were also trying their luck. I don’t know if any of them found anything—I hope so!

I also went on a short hike from the campground and got to enjoy a bit of the nature.

Today’s Miles: 0

Total Trip Miles: 3,458

States: Arkansas

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Day 13 Monday

Foss Lake to Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas

Today was mostly a travel day but we managed to make a stop about three hours in at one National Park site, Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulfur, Oklahoma.

It’s not your typical recreation area since most of those seem to be away from towns and people but this visitor center is right in Sulfur. Chickasaw has six campgrounds and the trail that started near the visitor center lead to one that was completely empty and I could see the traffic passing by on the adjoining street. Not exactly a wilderness experience.

From there we drove another four hour to Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas. We were here last August (which was very hot and humid) and wanted to try our luck again. We also like the campground. Last time we were here it was virtually empty, guess others people don’t like camping in hot, humid weather either 😉 but this time the place is completely full.

Another inspiration might also be that people really do find diamonds here. Since last August, two people have found large diamonds here. Additionally, just last month more than 30 people have found smaller ones. We will try our luck tomorrow. 🤞

Today’s Miles: 405

Total Trip Miles: 3,458

States: Oklahoma, Arkansas

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Day 12 Sunday Easter

Happy Easter!

Foss Lake, Oklahoma

We started the day with mass. I always feel like I get a bit of the local culture when we attend the local church and today was no exception. It was a small church and by the time mass started it was packed.

Afterwards, we stopped for lunch before heading back to our campsite for the night.

We are again at Foss Lake State Park for a quiet, peaceful day and the temps have improved, it got to 80 degrees briefly today—what a change from the freezing cold. 😀

Today’s Miles: 28

Total Trip Miles: 3,053

States: Oklahoma

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Day 11 Saturday

Vega, TX to Foss Lake State Park, Oklahoma

Another low key day although we did hit another National Park site (that’s #115, for me). It was only a couple of hours from Vega in the Texas Panhandle to Washita Battlefield National Historical Site in Oklahoma.

I didn’t know anything about it before and so we learned it was the site of an attack by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer on a village of Black Kettle’s Cheyenne, who Custer thought was a band of warriors involved in attacking settlers and his cavalry during the Indian Wars. There were significant losses on both sides. It really was mostly women and children so it was a sad day for all involved.

The rest of the day dealt with practical issues such as stopping at a laundromat to do laundry and restocking on food supplies. We are now at Foss Lake State Park in Oklahoma. We have a site right on the lake and it is peaceful here.

Today’s Miles: 213

Total Trip Miles: 3,025

States: Texas, Oklahoma

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Day 10 Friday

Today was a quiet day, as fitting for Good Friday. We left the very windy but warmer Conchas Lake, and drove about two hours to Vega, Texas.

Desolated is the adjective that comes most to mind. Again we saw few cars and no people out and about. The scenery looked like this most of the day:

In Nevada there is a highway touted as “the Loneliness Highway” but New Mexico Route 104 has it beat.

It was difficult to find a spot to stay tonight. Possibilities are few and far between, so we are in Vega, Texas, a town of 900. The RV Park office is in the kitchen of the owner, which made check-in a unique experience. At least the weather is no longer cold. It reached 80 degrees today. Now if we could only get the wind to calm down!

Today’s Miles: 113

Total Trip Miles: 2,812

States: New Mexico, Texas

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Day 9 Thursday

Bandelier to Conchas Lake State Park, New Mexico

What a difference four hours can make! Last night the temperatures fell to the low twenties and by 8:00 had warmed up to a cozy 36. But by the time we were ready for our hike it was close to 50 degrees.

We had a nice hike to the overlook of Frijoles Canyon and Tyuonyi Pueblo. We saw the remnants of houses where people lived over a thousand years ago. At the overlook we could see where there had been a thriving village long ago.

Then we were on to our next stop and National Park site 115 for me. 😀 This stop was Pecos National Historical Park. Here there is a varied history from Pueblo and Plains Indians, Spanish conquistadors and missionaries, Mexican and Anglo armies (including a Civil War battle), Santa Fe Trail settlers, railroad, Route 66 and modern travelers. We explored the Pecorino Mission church. It really was a step back in time.

Then on to our stop for the night. It was a two hour drive during which we discovered a new meaning of being the middle of nowhere! Most of the time we saw no cars, no houses, nothing but endless fields of grass and scrub trees. When we got to Conchas Lake State Park, we found it barely inhabited but at least the temperature was around 70, although it was quite breezy. So maybe we will get blown away instead of freeze to death.

Today’s Miles: 193

Total Trip Miles: 2699

States: New Mexico

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Day 8 Wednesday

Gallup to Bandelier National Monument

It was one of those days when things didn’t go as planned. Things didn’t go badly, just not as I anticipated.

We left Gallup and for a while drove the old Route 66 and then on to Petroglyph National Monument on the outskirts of Albuquerque. While yesterday we saw a few petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock today we saw dozens.

We took a short hike, which was actually more of a rock climb, where we saw many petroglyphs as well as a panoramic view of the area. It was interesting and we got some steps in. 👍

From there, I had planned to go to Valles Caldera Natural Preserve but when we finally got to the road to the visitor center, the road was mud and. covered in snow and slush. Definitely not fit for our motor home to travel.

So we went on to Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Surprise! The visitor center is closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. So much for that stop too!

We moved on to Bandelier National Monument, a park I knew nothing about other than they have campgrounds (no hookups).

It turns out to be a beautiful place with lots of mountains, canyons and roads with many, many switchbacks. I got my stamp at the visitor center and we set up at the campground. It is very peaceful. I really do feel like I am camping. 😀

Today’s Miles: 268

Total Trip Miles: 2506

States; New Mexico States; New Mexico

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Day 7 Tuesday

Williams to Gallup, NM

After two very cold nights in Williams we started out for the Petrified Forest National Park but not very far past Flagstaff we saw a sign for Walnut Canyon National Monument and decided to check it out.

It turned out to be well worth the stop. As you might have known, I was previously on a quest to go to all 63 parks identified as national parks. I have been to 61. The remaining two are Katmai in Alaska (the one with the iconic scene of bears catching salmon in a rushing river) and American Samoa. I was scheduled to go to Katmai with a friend the year of Covid and it was cancelled and we have not yet been able to reschedule and American Samoa would just use up too much time and take too much of my travel budget so I don’t plan on heading there anytime soon.

So, instead, I have decided to try to go to all 429 national park properties. Park properties include sites like national monuments, national battlefields, national recreation areas, etc. as well as all the national parks. Today Walnut Canyon was my 112 site. Obviously, I have a ways to go!

Walnut Canyon was cool—in more ways than one. Since we didn’t know anything about it we were surprised to learn that in addition to the beautiful scenery (it is a small Grand Canyon), it is home to a collection of ancient cliff dwellings. You can see some from the overlook and there is a trail that takes you up close and personal to the cliff dwellings. Unfortunately, we were unable to hike the trail today but we intend to come back at a future date to try it out.

After Walnut Canyon we moved on to the Petrified Forest National Park which includes the Painted Desert. At the park we saw even more beautiful and interesting scenery along with lots of beautiful, interesting petrified wood and petroglyphs.

Of course, as has been the trend, it was cold and the wind made it seem even colder. We are experiencing more winter weather this spring than we had this past winter!

Miles Today: 244

Total Trip Miles: 1778

States: Arizona, New Mexico

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Day 6 Monday

Williams to Grand Canyon National Park

Our day started with a showdown between the outlaws and the Marshall.

We then boarded the train. We were on the car named Mary Colter. We were in the observation car which has dome windows so we had an excellent view. The day was beautiful, too—cold but beautiful and so was the scenery.

The train ride was a bout 2 1/2 hours each way with a 3 hour stop at the Grand Canyon.

We saw the canyon, walked the Rim Trail, looked at the Bright Angel Trail and weren’t even tempted to try it. The Bright Angel Trail is the most famous one in the park and very long and strenuous. Maybe we will come back some day and ride the mules to the canyon floor.

The ride back was enjoyable, even with the outlaws that boarded the train and held us up. They did manage to get a few dollars from us.

Temperatures are expected to get down to the mid-twenties tonight. Doesn’t feel much like spring.

Miles Today: 128

Total Trip Miles: 1534

States: Arizona

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Day 5 Sunday

Las Vegas to Williams, Arizona

A transition day in more ways than one. We started the day by attending Palm Sunday mass at the Guardian Angel Cathedral, just off the Vegas Strip. Then we were back on the road again.

I had a shock when I received my confirmation email from Grand Canyon Railroad and RV park and I discovered I had mistakingly made the reservations for the wrong days. Panic!

Since I have already booked every night but one until April 8th, it would have a cascading effect on the entire trip. Fortunately, although it took a bit of doing, I got both the campsite and train reservations changed to the correct days. Phew!

The three hour drive to Williams took over four since we hit some traffic and then a serious hail and lightening storm just outside of Williams. We got to the RV park and discovered that we were back in winter! Cold temps and snow topped with hail covered the area. Apparently we have left spring behind and are back into winter. Glad I brought my parka!

Today’s Miles: 219

Total Trip Miles: 1406

States: Nevada, Arizona