Monday, March, 6

We didn’t have to leave Rockhound until 2, so we got to enjoy the morning and take a long walk. Christy did her normal refusal to return to the Ham and we kept walking. We cut through an area, between two sites, where gravel was stored. Partway through, Christy stopped and wouldn’t move. The Southwest has Goathead stickers that are torturous to dog paws. They are much like sand burrs. I found a few in her feet and removed them. Two steps later, she had more in all four paws. Figuring she couldn’t walk any further, I picked up our 80-pound lab and carried her to safety. Sticker-free Christy, hurriedly, trotted back to the Ham to tell her Mommy about her traumatic experience. She got lots of treats and hugs from Carol.

We spent the night at a dairy farm/petting zoo that we had visited back in December. Christy got to see her friends again.

Tuesday, March 7

Traveling east on I-10, we had to drive over the Siera Blanca Mountains. At the top of the mountains, where it levels off, is a border patrol checkpoint. The right lane was stacked, twenty-deep, with stopped trucks. The left lane only had a few cars waiting to continue on. After going through the checkpoint, vehicles in both lanes start jockeying around to get back to the speed that they previously were traveling – the speed limit is 80. I drive slower than most, so I moved from the left lane to the right. I had gotten back to 65 mph and set the cruise control. A few miles down the road, we were approaching a slower truck. The traffic in the left lane didn’t allow me to change lanes. When I finally saw an opening, I turned on my blinker and accelerated. Just before moving into the lane, I checked my mirror again. Suddenly, the truck in front of us quickly swerved into the left lane. Our lane now had a stopped Wide-Load convoy about 200 feet in front of us. At the same time that I was hitting the brakes, Carol started screaming, “Stop, stop, stop, stop.” Stopping a heavy RV takes a much longer distance than a car, and even more so when going 65 mph. Not able to switch lanes, I continued braking and looked towards the right berm. Because the wide load was taking up a portion of the berm, there was very little room to work with. We were able to get the Ham stopped beside the convoy without crashing. I say, “We” because Carol was braking from her passenger seat harder than I was. When we get back home, I’ll have to hammer out her foot imprint in the floorboard. By the way, the wide load was a military tank.

We made it to Monahans Sandhills S.P. around 2:30. I previously mentioned about having to stay in the RV this trip because of cold, rain, wind, or snow. Today was for a different reason. Sunshine and 85 degrees made it too hot for any of us to be outside. We did get to enjoy the sand hills around sunset.

Wednesday, March 8 

Another storm from California passed to the north of us last night and dropped the temperature by 30 degrees. It’s only going to be in the 50s and very breezy. I guess I’ll have to wear my puffy again today.

We traveled east to San Angelo, TX, and overnighted at The Gin & Granary restaurant. They make an amazing pizza. The only things left for Lucy were a few crumbs and a greasy cardboard box.

Thursday, March 9

South Llano S.P. in Texas is a park we like for its trails, armadillos, wild turkeys, and birds. Our afternoon hike on the Turkey Roost trail, looking for wild turkeys, was very dusty. Pigpen from Peanuts would have been proud of the dust Lucy and Christy were kicking up. Christy and I sat outside at our picnic area before supper. A strong fragrance filled the air. Thinking that a previous camper had spilled perfume close by, I walked around sniffing to find it. About to give up, I found a bush with small yellow blossoms. When I bent over to smell the blossom, its sharp pointy, holly-like leaf jabbed my nose. It was a barberry.

Our after-dinner walk around the campground felt like a summer evening and I didn’t want it to end.

Friday, March 10

This morning is cold, cloudy, and is drizzling. We delayed our morning walk an hour and still had to wear winter coats. Mid-afternoon we took a long hike, still looking for wild turkeys. On the trail, the campground host shared his bird knowledge and pointed out the mistletoe growing in the trees. During the walk, the wind changed direction, the sun came out and it got warm. Lois found a spot on our sunny site between some barberry bushes. When she came in, she commented that the fragrance outside was intoxicating.

Saturday, March 11

By morning walk-time it was already shorts weather. Most of Texas was going to be around 90 today. We left Llano to spend a couple of days at Kimball Bend Park, an hour south of Fort Worth, TX. The roads in central Texas wind up, down, and around hill after hill. Most of the roads were Farm to Market roads. That means they are in need of paving and they are barely wide enough for an RV. When you mix in strong winds, the drive was exhausting. We did get to see every cow, horse, goat, and ranch in central Texas. The route was dotted with numbered historical markers. Carol entertained herself by Googling the numbers and reading about the marker. That only lasted until the winding road made her nauseous.

It was 89 degrees when we got to Kimball, so we let the Ham’s AC keep us cool until sunset.

Sunday, March 12

This is more of a party campground, so we were concerned about the noise level overnight. Unfortunately, the party started around one in the morning and went on for about two hours. It was two feral cats celebrating their love for each other. Much cooler and breezy for our morning walk, but it sure feels better than yesterday.