Amarillo, Texas:

Well the winds died down overnight to their ‘normal’ levels. Normal for this part of the country is breezy and gusty. Wednesday & Thursday were way above normal but today, Friday was pretty pleasant. Sooo, we were able to leave the small town of Socorro, New Mexico and head towards Amarillo, Texas; taking the scenic us 60 route of course.

 

The weather was still a little strange for this time of year. The same front that brought the high winds brought in much cooler temperatures; all the way down into the 40’s & 50’s during the day. Didn’t feel that cold since the sun was shining however at one point we drove through very light snow. So light it hardly left any water on the windshield; instead the flakes evaporated almost as soon as they hit the glass. Still, pretty strange to see snow flakes with the temperature around 42.

The drive itself was uneventful. We stayed on US-60 for about 170 miles and then jumped on Interstate 40. US 60 is just a two lane road that tracks west to east almost all the time. It wanders through some of the prettiest high desert country you can find. New Mexico is a beautiful state and Mary Lynn and I want to spend some more time exploring it’s incredible history.

Plus the road itself is in much better shape than Interstate 40. It’s a shame really. With all the money spent on improving the Interstates you would think the roads would be in much better shape. After driving the smooth surface of US 60, I-40 felt like a test track for off-road suspensions.

We hit the New Mexico – Texas border about 70 miles west of Amarillo. Everyone knows Texas is big but it’s hard to remember how big. Usually when you enter a new state they have a visitor’s information center to welcome you and provide tourism oriented information. In fact, on the other side of the interstate, for those people headed west and just entering New Mexico, there was a very nice visitor’s center within the first mile.

Well, when we saw the sign for the Texas Information we just started laughing because it told us the information center was 76 mile away. We hit Amarillo and we have yet to pass the information center – however I’m sure it’s excellent!.

Tonight we are at the Oasis RV Park in Amarillo Texas. Of course we had to go into Amarillo to The Steak Barn – not much of a name but the steaks and onion rings are so good you’ll want to cry for your mama (or at least order more onion rings).

Tomorrow we’ll travel the rest of the way to Tulsa. I can’t wait to see our son Christopher and Daughter-in-law Rachael. Plus we get to visit their new church where Christopher took over as the youth minister. Christopher is also into photography and he wants to go out and shoot some photo’s after church. Should be a lot of fun. He sent me a link to some of his work and it’s really good. As they say in the photo biz: “He has a great eye”.

I’ll see if he’ll let me post a link/some of his pictures.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: New Mexico,Texas,Visitor's Center,I-40,US 60

Socorro, New Mexico: High Wind Advisory = NO GO (at least for today)

Well, we are still in Socorro New Mexico. We left Casa Grande yesterday morning and arrived in Socorro around 6 pm. We had planned to leave first thing this am however yesterday’s high wind advisory carried over to today, with winds in the sustained 30-40 mph winds and gusts to 70 mph. This warning included a special mention for ‘high profile vehicles’ which is code for RV’s and tractor trailers. Any vehicle with a large flat surface that the wind can push against (and push over) is told to be careful, whatever that means.

 

In any case, since we are in no hurry we decided to stay another day in Socorro until the wind dies down late this evening. As I write this update on Thursday evening the wind is still blowing strong. Supposedly the winds will be down to their normal level, about 10-15 mph in this high mountain desert environment.

We spent some time exploring this small community which loosely translates to “Mary Lynn spent the afternoon shopping at the various gift shops and a variety of local stores that specialize in the ‘Southwest style’. Lots of great architecture here as well. Socorro is also home to the annual Festival of the Cranes held in mid-November.

The local news is reporting on all of the dust storms, accidents, felled trees and power lines that were caused by today’s high winds. Some of the gusts reported were over 70 mph. Absolutely the right decision to keep the RV parked for another day.

If the weather cooperates and the wind dies down we will resume our trip tomorrow. We expect to be in Amarillo, Texas where I plan to enjoy a great big steak. We ate at a great steakhouse in Amarillo last year and I remember two things about that steakhouse. One; the steak was delicious. Two, they had the skin of the largest rattlesnake I have ever seen up on the wall. maybe I can get a picture for you.

 

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Socorro,New Mexico,High Winds,Amarillo,Texas,steakhouse,rattlesnake

Casa Grande, AZ: Leaving Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort Headed To Maryland (Eventually)

After staying the winter in Arizona at the Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort we are headed back to the east coast, specifically to Maryland. Mary Lynn’s mom is having surgery in mid-May and we want to be there before that happens so we will spend the next ten days driving from Arizona to Maryland. By way of Tulsa, Oklahoma of course so we can spend a few days with our son & daughter-in-law.

Early this am, after spending the last few days getting everything packed, loaded, lubed, filled, checked, cleaned, tested, washed, etc., etc., etc, we hit the open road.

I wanted to avoid driving the same roads to Tulsa that we had used previously so I mapped out a course that has us travelling over US 60, basically from Globe, Arizona to Socorro, New Mexico.

I was a little concerned about the route based on conflicting reports from fellow RV’ers. Some said the route was fine: the road was good, beautiful scenery, some twisting roads but overall a very good route. A few others said it was way too mountainous with too many switchbacks for a long RV, and certainly not if you are driving a long RV and towing a car (which we always do).

In any event, the road was not a problem. Yes, you do descend into a great canyon carved by the Salt River and yes there are some switchbacks however the road is very doable. Just don’t take your eyes off the road to view the spectacular scenery. Take advantage of the many pull-outs to enjoy the breathtaking heights and panorama.

Oh, and the high wind advisory that was broadcast on Tuesday evening had me a little concerned as well. Turns out we did OK, just had to be prepared for sudden gusts trying to push you off the road. Actually not too bad when you are down in the canyon but very strong once you reach the high desert plateau on the other side. We battled those winds for about 160 miles.

We also passed the Very Large Array site located along US 60 about 40 miles before you arrive in Socorro, New Mexico. Very cool. There is a visitor’s center however we arrived after closing time so I can’t personally comment about the VLA visitors center although I’ve heard good things about the display. Actually, the visitors center is open till sunset however the gift shop closes at 4 pm, and you know Mary Lynn’s rule: No gift shop, no can do.

The VLA is a part of the National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Radio Astronomy is the study of celestial objects via invisible radio waves. The images they produce of the universe are nothing short of spectacular.

As you can see from the pictures, the VLA site itself is, while impressive in its own way, not too exciting. Lots of big radio receivers pointed into the sky. Here is a connection to the VLA web site.

In any case, tomorrow, if the winds allow, we head off via US60 & I-40 to Amarillo, Texas. Should take about 7 hours. Another 7 hours on Friday puts us into Tulsa Friday afternoon.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Salt River,Canyon,New Mexico,US-60,High Winds,Socorro,Very Large Array,VLA