Willis Creek Park on Granger Lake

Granger, Texas.  We are parked for two weeks at an Army Corps of Engineers campsite.  We are about an hour north of Austin and an hour east of Houston.  I have a brother in Austin and a sister in Houston.  Consort and I had lunch with brother and his family last weekend, sister plans to visit next weekend.

My namesake niece was present at lunch on Sunday and kept me laughing throughout.  I love seeing her and finding out what books she’s been reading.  I loved the way she would grab my phone to find an illustration for the point she was making.  Isn’t it interesting when you reconnect with the kid you used to know who grew up into an adult while your head was turned?

It is quiet here, which is one of the things I like best about the COE campgrounds.  When we pulled in last Friday, the campsites were full.  There were fishing boats out on the lake, kids running around.  By Tuesday morning, we were one of six hardcore campers remaining.  I say hardcore because it's been so cold! 

The dogs love the deserted campground.  The cockaburs are few and far between, so they’re able to go outside and enjoy all the things dogs like to do.  Annie digs a new hole.  Bella sniffs and explores.  D.O.G., well, he's happiest when he's rolling in something smelly.  We have a large open area around the camper and we’ve been working with the dogs outside off leash.  The Pulik are not a problem, but Bella’s middle name is, I like to bolt.  I’m impressed with the dogs and their willingness to pay attention and play by the rules.  Bella has only run off once and that was to chase a recumbent bicyclist with a Scotty running alongside him.

Side note.  The recumbent cyclist uses a walker when he is out walking his dog.  But every day this same guy goes out for an extended ride on his recumbent.  I feel like a whiny sloth.

I’ve been bird watching and logging sightings.  We’re next to a marshy section of the lake that opens onto wide fields surrounded by trees.  There are hawks and Killdeer, there was a Great Egret on the water this morning along with a group of Lesser, or maybe Greater, Yellowlegs.  At the birdfeeder attached to the back window there was a Western Bluebird feeding.  No pics.  The birds are too quick and I’m too fascinated to move.

As for the vegetation, I think I already mentioned the divine lack of cockaburs.  Consort and I found yellow passion fruit growing wild.  The fruit was too ripe for consumption, so we left it for the wildlife.  Did you know passion fruit is an ingredient found in all Hawaiian Juice products?

I have realized the reason I am in love with this camper:  It is exactly like the house we just moved out of, you know, the one without wheels.  Similarities include, but are not limited to:  When it’s cold outside, it’s colder in here.  It is always dusty.  The wooden shutters on the windows at the house, I swore I would never clean them again.  Those same shutters adorn the doors in our new bedroom.  The French doors in our old house, I complained every time I had to wash the glass window panes.  Those same door/window combinations are replicated on the cabinets in the trailer.  Biggest difference?  It only takes an hour to deep clean the entire place.

On the to-do list:          Learn to drive the Ford F-350 King Ranch dually

In the oven:                  Brisket

Playing on TV:             Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn

It's a travel day.

I am in love with this picture although it is not in Abilene.  Did I mention we're on the road?  Entertain yourselves  Steve James The Change.

 

Amarillo, Texas...

 

…has been a breath of fresh air.  I think I came with preconceived notions about Amarillo which reality has happily changed. 

There is W.I.N.D. here.  We started this adventure in northeastern Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains nearly all day every day, but the wind in Oklahoma is nothing compared with the west Texas wind.  It comes in about the same time every day like a tropical rainstorm.  And, like tropical rainstorms, after a couple of hours, it fades away.  When the wind stops blowing, you have perfection:  hot sun, cool temps, blue skies.  Delightful! 

Now, having said that, we’re headed out in the morning.  The weather prediction for tomorrow reads 70% chance of SNOW SHOWERS – ack!  Who wants to deal with that?  We head south.

I’ve had a few epiphanies this week.  One is that we are full-time RVers.  **I’ve never said I was quick**  As far as I can tell, our days are split three ways:  travel days, life days, and vacation days.  Our days in Amarillo have been for living life. We’ve eaten well, rested, caught up on chores, shopped, visited two out of three local dog parks, and generally taken care of business.

Yesterday, however, was a vacation day.  We took the three dogs and headed out to explore Palo Duro.  We weren’t overly enthusiastic having just come from the wilds of the Oklahoma Panhandle, but Palo Duro was beautiful and really different.  The thing I found most surprising was how green everything is.  That’s not to say there’s not a lot of dirt in varying shades, there is, but there are also green trees turning gold.  There is grass. 

Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the USA.  We were spellbound, not only by the scenery, but by campers brave enough to pull fifth wheels larger than ours down switchback roads to the bottom of the canyon.  There’s no doubt it would be beautiful camping there.  Maybe another time, when consort and I have more experience.

Coyote Bluff Cafe



The best part of Amarillo – aside from the RV site where we’re currently parked – was dinner at Coyote Bluff.  The exterior of the building might make you wonder about your choice of dining establishments, but we were intrigued. 

Once we walked in the door, we were hooked.  We were greeted by great music and a complete lack of television; friendly, smiling, efficient wait staff; rustic, warped wood floors and flea market finds on the walls.  Best of all, there was a clawfoot tub full of iced beer that seemed to be calling our names.  The burgers were perfect, well worth a letter home.  My burger had guacamole and green chilies and was definitely one of the best burgers I’ve had the pleasure of consuming. 

Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was the great food and conversation, maybe it was the free-flowing apple beer, whatever the reason, consort and I paid the bill then decided to hang out and have another drink.  Consort got the t-shirt.
 

Black Mesa State Park

Boise City, Oklahoma. The locals pronounce it Boys City. Now you’re in the know.

Black Mesa Park is truly in the middle of nowhere. Large black rocks from lava flow in the days of dinosaurs form the mesas.

My strongest impression of the park is the cockaburs.  They-are-everywhere.  On the dogs, on our shoes, their paws, our rugs, all the floors. It is overwhelming. We ended up buying baby socks to put on the dogs to protect their paws. We carry the dogs from the camper to the cement street to walk, etc.



The picture above gives you an idea of what the wee mangy mongrels have had to deal with.  The burrs in the pic are sandburs. They’re small and pesky, unpleasant to deal with, and hard to find in dog fur. Consort says the nasty, prickly ones are called goat’s head burrs. They are a nightmare.

We left the camper parked one day and headed out for an adventure. We are close to both New Mexico and Colorado and decided to explore. I programmed a destination into the Waze app and off we went.

There is a cell tower near our campsite and it turns out to be our carrier. We have excellent cell signal and strong WiFi, but zero TV — I wasn’t able to watch the debate, frustrating! I finally found it on NPR via iPhone. But once again, I digress.

Waze took us what it calculated to be the most direct route to Colorado. It entailed driving some very narrow backroads with landscapes that reminded me of the Painted Desert National Park in New Mexico, and it was every bit as remote. About 30 miles into the trip, there was a sign: Rough road ahead, gravel. We didn’t think it could be too bad, after all, these are directions from Waze.. and we are naïve and trusting.

Twenty miles farther down a gravel road and a time zone change, we knew we were committed to seeing these directions through. The views were once in a lifetime. And we did pass an antelope ranch.  We successfully reached our planned destination in the time Waze projected.  On the way home, however, we decided to navigate ourselves and took a different route.

The weather out here in The Panhandle is perfect. The stargazing is the best I’ve ever experienced. But the cockaburs, they are intolerable. There has to be a solution.

We move on tomorrow.  We will be backtracking whilst still progressing.

It’s really colorful in here. I invite you in. ~Marty Stuart

Great Salt Plains

I’m not sure what I want to say about western Oklahoma. It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit ever since my parents stopped forcing me to visit as a child for family reunions.

We camped at the Great Salt Plains State Park outside of Jet, Oklahoma. We dug for selenite crystals on the Salt Plains — with our bare hands, we forgot to pack a shovel — and successfully unearthed five crystals. We toured Cherokee, Driftwood, and Byron, Oklahoma, then across the border to Kiowa, Kansas. These towns are my dad’s original stomping grounds. We didn’t meet any relatives, not even the jake-leg variety we met up with in Porter -- you know who you are.

We pulled into the campgrounds on Saturday.  After backing in and setting up, we took the dogs out to walk.  That's when we realized we were parked in a patch of cockaburs. Cockaburs and furry dog paws don’t mix well.  The cockaburs were everywhere.  In western Oklahoma, the burrs seem to thrive.  But, honestly, I’m not even sure you can find grass in the wilds of Oklahoma that doesn’t have cockaburs this time of the year. Cockaburs and complete lack of cell signal make for unhappy camping.

Today is Monday and we’re on the road to Black Mesa State Park. This is even further west into the Oklahoma Panhandle.  We're not far from Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.  Consort says this is one of the blackest skies in the country and there will be stargazing. It's also considered a birder's paradise.  The jury is still out on the cockaburs...

On the stereo:
Baby Likes to Rock It Like a Boogie-Woogie Choo-Choo Train by The Tractors

Bluff Landing

I am sitting at the kitchen table reading a book.  The table sets under a large picture window.  I'm distracted from my book by the sound of a fishing boat passing by.  I see the Verdigris river, the trees, the empty campsites.  The window is open, the weather is beautiful.  The smell of dinner slips by on a slight breeze.  The Pulik lay curled together on the cold kitchen floor.  Bellissimo Bella keeps constant watch from the top of stacked pillows.  Some moments in time are perfection.  Peace out.

Goodbye, Betty Jean

Some days are just hard.

 

Today's view from the kitchen table.

Porter Peach Barn.

My first job of any length as a court reporter was at Muskogee County Courthouse.  I worked as an official for six weeks writing and transcribing preliminary hearings.  It was a good first job. 

Each day I had a 35 mile commute from my home to the courthouse.  Every day for six weeks I had to wait for a stoplight at the intersection of the Porter Peach Barn and Hwy 69 -- interestingly enough, I   NEVER   noticed there was an RV park across the street from the Peach Barn, but I digress.

Every day for six weeks I promised myself in the morning I would stop at the Peach Barn that evening.  Each evening I was too rushed to stop and put it off to another day.  Fast forward a few decades and here I am this morning, living across the street from the Porter Peach Barn.

I have been shopping and found the most delicious peaches and vegetables, jam, salsa, BBQ sauce.  Consort and I have been eating cobblers and pies, at least I think he's gotten some of each.  The GSx3 (three grandsons) are spending the upcoming weekend with us.  Plan to take them out to lunch.  Where else could we possibly go but the grill at the Porter Peach Barn?

It pleases me.