This was the first of many long road trips we have planned for retirement. We wanted to drive through the panhandle of Oklahoma since we have never been there. Leann wanted to see Gilla Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico and I wanted to see family that is spread across Texas. We filled in the rest along the way.
In the old days this would have been a 2 week trip, we took 4 so there is hope for us after all.Great timing for our trip, the temperature was dropping 20 degrees below normal the same day we were leaving. Since we had not used the Espar heater for some time I decided to start it and see if there were any issues. There was only one slight issue: no heat. We called Creative Mobile Interiors and discussed the problem, they walked me through clearing all the errors but that did not correct the problem. We asked if we could head down and have them take a look, no problem. They spent about 2 hours trouble shooting and realized there was a bad pump. They had an extra one, installed it, instant heat. Their customer service is amazing.
KISER LAKE STATE PARK, OHIO
Hard to tell but temps are in the mid 30’s and the wind is howling. We were happy the van heater was working, we were toasty. The heater takes gas from the gas tank, combustion takes place outside of the van and then the hot air is blown inside. We ran the heater all night and I was surprised how little battery and fuel was used to keep us warm. This is the same product truckers use to keep warm when they are stopped for the night.First stop on the trip and first hike.
CLIFTY FALLS STATE PARK, INDIANA
Not much water coming over the falls but the rocks were nice.Cake RockSammy seems to be liking the trip. He broke his dew claw on the hike at Clifty Falls. Leann trimmed it and bandaged it at the end of every day. It did not seem to bother him at all. He is a tough old dog.
GIANT CITY STATE PARK, ILLINOIS
The hiking here was not very exciting but we did see a skunk during our hike. Fortunately Sammy did not see it.We liked this wood carving by the entrance to the campground.
ROARING RIVER STATE PARK, MISSOURI
This is the fire tower trail, we both went to the top but trees blocked the view. More black Vultures than we have seen in one place. This is just part of the flock.The campground was packed since it was the last day of trout season. The river was also packed with people fly fishing.Pea Ridge was the key battle in the Civil War west of the Mississippi. 11,000 Union soldiers defeated 16,000 attacking Confederate troops.. This was the deciding battle for control of the West.Pea Ridge is also called the battle of Elkhorn Tavern which was a stop on the overland stageAndrew Jackson’s Indian removal policy resulted in the trail of tears.. 60,000 people were forced off their land and moved to the west, estimates are that 3000 died during the forced migration. This is the largest protected tallgrass prairie left on earth, 39,650 acres. It is 4% of its original size.The prairie is home to 2500 free range bison, 700 plants, 300 birds and 80 mammals.Grasslands as far as you can see.
SALT PLAINS STATE PARK, OKLAHOMA
The weather looks great but that did not last. We debated having an air conditioner installed and I am very glad we decided to get one. The temperature reached 94 degrees at the end of our second day, the winds picked up all day. 94 degrees and a dust storm, great time to have AC and a van. A tent would have been miserable.White PelicansAll of the trails allow horses, fortunately the trails were in good shape.I think this is a Viceroy butterfly. Maybe there is a Lepidopterist reading this and they can let me know.Osage oranges also called horse apples. I thought horse apples were something else….These are sand spurs, nasty little things. They stick to everything and the points are razor sharp. Friends warned us about these so we took boots for Sammy. I was still finding these stuck to gear when we got home.
BLACK MESA STATE PARK, OKLAHOMA
We were both impressed with Oklahoma state parks. This was one of our favorite parks (camp site, hiking, facilities), we will return.Brown TarantulaSammy and his little boots
Hike to the highpoint in Oklahoma, Black Mesa: 4973 feet
I did not expect to see Bighorn Sheep in Oklahoma, this was taken at the start of the hike.This is our destination, roundtrip of 9+ miles. Black Mesa is 28 miles long and extends from Colorado though Oklahoma and into New Mexico. New Mexico (5239 feet) and Colorado (5705 feet) both have higher points on the mesa than Oklahoma.View near the topSammy’s first high point. We talked to a local at the top. His advice: plan on 3 days if you want to do this hike. You might have good weather 1 of the 3 days. We got lucky, the weather was perfect.This area was used as a hideout by outlaws and was called Robbers Roost.This is 3 corners where Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas come together. There are 38 other places where 3 states join (on land). Below is a link to a blogger that is documenting her visits to 3 corner areas and other interesting places.
Our atlas showed an area with dinosaur footprints, took awhile to find them but here they are.Pronghorn Antelope
VILLANUEVA STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO
I was bummed our campsite did not have a cabana, would have been nice since it was another windy day.View from camp, Pecos River runs behind our campsite.View from El Cerro trail.Start of the Viewpoint Loop Trail.We had dinner by the van so some of the wind would be blockedAfter 2 weeks on the road we needed to visit the laundromat.Another stop that was on our route: Billy the Kid grave.
Little Black Peak erupted approx. 5000 years ago covering 125 square miles of the Tularosa Basin with molten rock up to 160 feet thick.I did not take a picture of all 20,000 petroglyphsSammy was not allowed on the trail.Leann thinks I am crazy but I would love to turn our brick wall in the living room into a wall of petroglyphs.
OLIVER LEE MEMORIAL STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO
We met our friends (the Castors) here for 2 nights.Dog Canyon hike.Beautiful meadow near where we had lunch and started back.BFF’s (Leann & Anita) together again and trying to identify a bird.You can see White Sands National Park in the distance.I thought the shadows were interestingHedgehog CactusThis plaque was at a rest stop.
CITY OF ROCKS STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO
The camping here was unique, we will go back.There are 3 to 4 campsites in these rocks.View at dinner, not bad
The Mogollon people lived here until the 1300’s. They left the area during the Great Abandonment when there was a decline of the Pueblo and Mogollon civilizations. This abandonment was the result of a drought from 1276 to 1299 that led to crop failure and famine. This migration is still being studied and debated today but the results are not in dispute: large villages and cities that thrived for centuries were abandoned within a matter of decades.
Nice view on the drive back to City of Rocks.After visiting Gilla we decided to hike up Table Mountain. Everything was going well until we found a bull snake in the trail, This is the largest snake native to the US. It moved out of the way so we kept going. After about 50 feet, Leann asked if I rubbed against a bush. I said no, it’s a rattle snake. Problem was I could not find it right away but then saw it move underneath a bush. We figured somebody was trying to tell us something and decided to do another trail.Dinner guest
“Fort Hancock, right on the border. I figure that is where Andy crossed” This is a quote from Red (Morgan Freeman) in the movie Shawshank Redemption. Shawshank is a family favorite and is based on a novella by Stephen King. I saw Fort Hancock on the map and had to stop.
DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK, TEXAS
Dry algae on the left, wet algae on the rightFort Davis protected travelers on the El Paso to San Antonio road.There are a number of fort historical sites along this road. Here is a list of historical markers:
We got to the park late late and decided to do a quick hike before dinner.Breakfast for dinnerWe had a lot of great sunsets on this trip.I saw Crockett Monument on the map and thought it might be worth a stop, not so much. This is in Ozona, Texas which is in Crockett county.This is a really nice rest stop in Texas, maybe I should write a book: rest stops across America.Fort McKavett State Historic Site: another fort protecting the El Paso to San Antonio road.
Next stop family! We visited family in San Angelo, Killeen and then Pearland. They all made the same mistake by cooking great meals, and welcoming us to their homes. This was a big mistake on their part since we plan on a return visit.
SAN ANGELO STATE PARK, TEXAS
BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK, TEXAS
baby alligatorThis park was a pleasant surprise: miles of paved roads for biking and lots of habitat for bird watching. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
LAKE FAUSSE POINT STATE PARK, LOUISIANNA
President Abraham Lincoln declared Vicksburg “the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket.”
Jefferson Davis said : “Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South’s two halves together.”
Vicksburg, Mississippi was the last confederate stronghold on the Mississippi. If it fell to the union the confederacy would be divided and their supply lines cut. US Grant tried many times to take the city, all failed. He then settled on an old fashion siege. After 47 days the confederate commander surrendered and 29,000 confederates were captured. Lincoln had the “key” in his pocket.
LEROY PERCY STATE PARK, MISSISSIPPI
Sammy really wanted to “play” with one of theseLeann called the park to see if we needed a reservation, turns out we were the only campers. It was kind of creepy having an entire campground to ourselves.
MORGAN BRAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Nice spot for lunch, great thing about the van we can have lunch anytime anyplace.This guy joined us for lunch
CHICKASAW STATE PARK, TENNESSEE
Looks like we are by ourselves but this place was wall to wall campers.There is a separate horse camp at the park. The weather was getting colder so we decided to head home the next day. Outside of Nashville traffic was at a standstill for 30 minutes. No problem: we had lunch and used the bathroom while waiting.Back to reality: we came home to a ton of leaves but got them done in time for the giant vacuum to get them.
What would we do differently
Check all major systems monthly.
Extra water pump, just in case
Electric heater for when we are plugged in
Camp chairs, we like our folding backpacking chairs but they can be a pain to set up. It would be nice to have chairs that set up quickly so we can grab them and use them without any hassle. We are trying our beach chairs on the next trip, stay tuned.
The camp box on the hitch was a pain to use since I had to take off the straps and the lock and then repack every time we wanted to use propane. I have to find a better way to carry the propane tank.
Leann was not happy with the window covers and is making changes.
Spend at least 2 nights in each campground. We just stayed one night at the campground to start and the trip, this did not leave much time for relaxing.
Drive more the first 2 days of the trip, get to the good stuff faster.
Bottom line: I can get use to this retirement thing. What’s next?
Happy trails, Steve
4 replies on “NEW MEXICO”
It’s hard to pick a favorite photo, so here’s my top 5:
1. Sammy with his little boots
2. Dinosaur foot prints
3. All the petroglyphs
4. Leann & Anita identifying birds, birds of a feather…flock together…
5. BABY BISON!!!!!
I would definitely buy a Rest Stop through America coffee table book. We can work on the title. 🙂
I like your list, number 4 is funny. Now about that book title……
Steve, thanks for sharing your adventures. Sammy must be really enjoying your retirement as well. Keep up the good “work.”
Glen, Sammy does like road trips. Thanks for reading and providing feedback, I hope all is well, happy trails.
4 replies on “NEW MEXICO”
It’s hard to pick a favorite photo, so here’s my top 5:
1. Sammy with his little boots
2. Dinosaur foot prints
3. All the petroglyphs
4. Leann & Anita identifying birds, birds of a feather…flock together…
5. BABY BISON!!!!!
I would definitely buy a Rest Stop through America coffee table book. We can work on the title. 🙂
I like your list, number 4 is funny. Now about that book title……
Steve, thanks for sharing your adventures. Sammy must be really enjoying your retirement as well. Keep up the good “work.”
Glen, Sammy does like road trips. Thanks for reading and providing feedback, I hope all is well, happy trails.