We are in Sayer, Oklahoma

 

We arrived on Easter Sunday, April 5. 2026
Though it was not the first time this year we also stopped on April 4, 2026

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Saturday we pulled out of the New Mexico Welcome Center, where we had spent a restful night, merged on to I-40 and headed West, yes West. After just a few miles we were at an exit which we took, then crossed over to the entrance back on to I-40 going East.

Back on I-40 going East we soon passed the New Mexico Welcome
Center where we were parked among the Semis.

Then we again said goodbye to New Mexico
and 
Hello to Texas

In Texas and on our way.

We say a lot of semi-trucks today.
What a great message on the back of the middle truck.

We went by grain elevators 

and my favorite, windmills.

There were turbines in the distance and cattle.

We passed by the Cadillac Ranch. 
We have stopped here in the past but not this time.

Then we were going through Amarillo.
We actually had dinner at the Big Texan last Easter.

Then we spotted the Cross in Groom, Texas

Built in 1995 by Steve Thomas of Pampa, Texas, this impressive roadside structure (often called the Groom Cross) took eight months to complete with the help of 100 welders working in two locations. Once finished, it took seven flatbed trucks to move the giant steel pieces from Pampa to Groom, where they were assembled into what would become one of the most iconic landmarks on the Mother Road.

The stainless steel cross stands 190 feet tall, weighs a staggering 2.5 million pounds, and was specifically engineered to withstand the harsh winds that blow across the Texas Panhandle. While it’s often dubbed the “Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere,” it’s actually the second-tallest cross in the United States—just a few feet shorter than the 198-foot “Cross at the Crossroads” in Effingham, Illinois, which was directly inspired by the one in Groom.

Since 1995, Cross Ministries has grown tremendously. Starting with the Cross and a small building for greeting visitors, the grounds now has over a dozen life-sized bronze sculptures that portray Jesus’ journey to the cross. There is also a replica of the Shroud of Turin, the Empty Tomb, an Abortion Memorial, a bronze sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel, and The Ten Commandments. They have also moved from the little building to a much larger building, which houses their Divine Mercy Fountain, Gift Shop and Restrooms, Reception Room, Offices and Counseling Center, and Theater.

After looking up this information I hope we will come back this way and the next time we will be stopping.

The Leaning Tower of Britten.
Not my best picture of this. 

In Groom there is also a leaning water tower, sometimes called The Leaning Tower of Texas or The Leaning Tower of Britten, which currently serves as a decorative item and roadside attraction. The leaning tower was originally a functioning water tower which was slated for demolition until Ralph Britten bought it and moved it to serve as a sign for his truck stop and tourist information center (located on a stretch of interstate that was once a part of U.S. Route 66). This truck stop can still be seen, set back off the road behind the tower, now boarded up and in disrepair following a devastating fire decades ago.

Eventually we crossed into Oklahoma and stopped at the Welcome Center.

A few more miles and we were in Sayer, Oklahoma

In our Easter blog I mentioned we felt like life had thrown us a small "storm". Looking back it was more like a tiny "storm" but when it is happening it always seems a little larger. When we pulled out of Meteor Crater RV Park back on Thursday, April 2nd, there was a plan in place. By Friday night we had already put into place a Plan B. Not that big of a deal just another hour or so of driving and Tom said he was up to it. Then Saturday happened. I am not going to name the place or its location because just because it was not the right choice for us that does not mean it would not be for the next person. One thing we learned the hard way is when you do not feel comfortable pulling into a place do not do it. It only took once and that once resulted in damage to our 5th wheel and a popped out back window in our truck. Since then we trust our gut instincts and do not do it. We had planned a two night stop that would include going to Mass on Easter and enjoying a nice dinner I had planned. When we got to the stop we immediately did not like the entrance into it or the parking space made available. We did walk it to be sure but decided it just was not a place we would feel good pulling into, being parked at, or pulling out of. The corners and drive in were all tight. So we kept going and another Plan B developed, The Sayre City Park. We have stayed there several times and it is always half empty. It is not anything fancy but the sites are long with water and electricity (50amps) along with an available dump station. On this Saturday we pulled up to a totally full park. Checking there website later that evening we found out they had a Alumni golf thing going on. So now it is late in the day and we are not going to start searching so the decision was to head back the 17 or so miles to the Oklahoma Welcome Center, where we spent the night.

In the morning after I posted the blog we decided not to go into Elk City, look for the church and try to find parking for the rig. So we watched Easter Sunday Mass online, had our coffee. We talked about it and decided that with any luck people would be pulling out of the Sayre City Park and we would find a site. Regardless, we could use the dump and move on if we had to. Well luck was with us and while Tom was dumping our tanks I took a walk down into the park and the site we have always been able to pull in to was open. When we leave in the morning we will have spent five nights here and enjoyed the stop. At $12 per night we feel it is a very good deal. (You may feel like I put way to much information into this but it is about our memories of the journey.)

Heading back to Sayre again. When we turn onto the road to the
park we could see the dome on their city hall.

The entrance in and our site in the distance.

All is well that ends well is a good way to put these days. Yes, we had a few glitches or a tiny "storm" but in the scheme of things we had a good spot at the two Welcome Centers and were able to rest and move on.  Those new plans, B, C...etc...are just part of the journey. 

If you have enjoyed the pictures I have put out there 

or the words I have added that makes me smile. 

If you have time to leave a comment they are always special to read. 

No matter what I am glad you stopped by!

Three Days, Three States, and We are in Sayre, Oklahoma

After three days of Tom driving in the wind, at least part of each day, we have stopped at the Sayre City RV Park in Sayre, OK. We have stayed here several times over the years and for $12.00 a night for electric and water it is the right price. The sites are long and fairly level and it is located not far off I-40. Plus, there is a dump station. The park itself is a wonderful city park for this community. It is well maintained and there is a lovely playground area with mini golf, plus a pool, tennis, 9 hole golf course, fishing pond, walking trails and more. I am sure this is all well used during the summer months by this community.

The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the Stinger "B"
were these lovely sunshine filled dandelions!

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

After two nights we left the Mountain Meadows RV Park near Alamagordo, New Mexico at 11:00AM. We were not in a real hurry as today's ride would take us about 212 miles to a Rest Area about 50 miles East of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. We knew it would be windy but little did we know just how windy it would get. Not long before we reached Vaughn it really started to gust and we could hear what sounded like something had let loose on the roof. Have you ever noticed when you need to pull over there is no place to do so not even a wide enough road shoulder for miles? We finally found a place wide enough with no parking signs and pulled over. Tom got the ladder out so he could look on top to see what was going on. He checked what he could from the ladder and found nothing loose. Though our antennae moved so he figured that was the noise we were hearing. So after putting everything back away that "fun" on the side of the road was done. Back on the highway and no more noise so with any luck that was it and a gust had just lifted the antennae. Though we did wonder since it sounded like something rolling...to be continued tomorrow.  Once we could see Santa Rosa in the distance the wind did calm down quite a bit and the last 60 miles or so it was calm. After a long day we reached the Pajarito Rest Area on I-40. It had been a longer then planned day by about 2 hours and it felt good to park and shut down for the evening.

Mountain Meadows RV Park

This is a small Passport America Park, 20 total sites, it is pretty much a no frills park but they do have laundry, and all the normal amenities since they do have tent sites. We had a 50 amp pull through site and we were happy with it for $20 plus a $2 electricity fee. The owners were welcoming and the park is kept clean.  It suited our needs for the two nights we were there. The road in was decent; going out was a little rougher as the edge is disintegrating. Would we stay there again? The answer would be yes for short term but no for long term.

At our first stop of the day for diesel in Tularosa I spotted
this semi. I thought it was beautifully done with a great message.

We are headed North on US-54 

and the mountains as we look east and west are beautiful.

As we traveled these three days I saw more windmills 
then I think I have seen in the last six months.

We, also, drove by a lot of these wind turbines. 
Just not as pretty as the windmills.

This is the name given to honor the Virgin Mary in Hispanic
Cultures. Titled Our Lady of Guadalupe. 
Spanish origin that means River of the Wolf.
I always know we have reached the southwest when we see pictures
and statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the churches we attend.
I do love the name of this county.

Train station in Vaughn, NM

The highway is now a series of rolling hills.

There is a vastness in the western desert that we never 
experience back where we call home. 

A bird enjoying the wind.

Seriously, how cute is this?

Santa Rosa, NM in the distance.

Pecos River

We are now on I-40

and soon we will reach

tonight's destination.

As I mentioned, it was a long day especially for Tom driving with the wind hitting the drivers side of the motorhome the majority of the day. Yet we are now tucked in, so to speak, at a decent rest area and it is time for dinner.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Today began under a sunny sky and some wind but not anything like yesterday. We did get a late start the same as Wednesday but again we only have about 200 miles to reach our next planned stop, the Donley County Rest Area. The key word in the last sentence is "planned".

Our Wednesday night stop.

We are back on I-40

and the road ahead is filled with traffic.

There was a sign just before here that warned about falling rocks.
Here's hoping they stay up there because looking up as we 
passed by I am not really sure what is holding them in place.

There truly is beauty all around us in this county.

Good Bye New Mexico and Hello Texas!
Plus, good bye to an hour of time...lol

Today's lunch view.

More wind turbines; three tries and this set
 was lined up pretty straight when I clicked.

A quick stop, a walk in the wind, and we ✔
the Cadillac Ranch off our bucket list. 

Actually, this was Tom's second time visiting here.
We stopped once before I had the knees to walk it.
So double ✔✔ for Tom.

The Stinger "B" waiting patiently for our return.

There is a Cadillac Ranch RV Park just down the road.

We are now driving through Amarillo.

Always need to include the Big Texan.
Can you eat a 72oz steak with all the trimmings in an hour?
Then this is the place to stop.
Your name can be in the Hall of Fame.
We ate here several years ago and the meal was good.
We watched three who accepted the challenge that evening.
Sadly, none of them succeeded. 

Blurry picture but not only does this say Texas but gives you
an idea of just how much the wind had picked up at this point.

Not one of these was moving.

Peek-a-boo is what I see.

It was just about here that we heard that noise again in the wind which had now picked up with what felt like some good size gusts. It actually sounded like something rolling across the roof just above Tom's head. You may ask what is up there and the answer would be one of our solar panels. So we took the next exit and there was a small empty parking lot between a closed forever Dairy Queen, that is right no ice cream when needed...lol, and a Philips 66 station with a convenience store. Tom went in for ice as we did have adult beverages available and they said we would be fine there for the night. The wind continued until it was to dark for Tom to go up on the roof. So we just decided to make the best of it and enjoy the rest of our evening. Sometimes that is all you can do.

 

As the sun was going down there was a large flock of birds
that kept flying back and forth between this tree and the
wires overhead. This is the color the camera picked up. 

"A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking,
Always believe in yourself." 
                                                                             ~unknown     

There is a bird in the picture above just a little right of the center at the top of a branch.

Friday, April 8, 2022

This morning we were up before the sun and there was barely any wind. We sat and had our coffee while we waited for the first light. Looking at the weather Thursday night there was no wind predicted where we were until 10:00AM. We then made the decision to make our next stop the Sayre City RV park as it is not that far ahead, 86 miles to be exact. Checking their weather it said the same thing no wind until 10 o'clock. We decided the park would be our best bet to wait out the wind until Tom can get on the roof. Decision made we were on the road as soon as the sun came up.

The sun rising over I-40 and we are on our way.

One of the first thing I saw ahead was 
the Britten leaning water tower.

Just a note about this morning's pictures. First most of these pictures were taken into the sun and secondly the windshield is dirty with some smudges. Even though I did my best to remove spots there still may be some.  A side note for us, this morning we came to the conclusion when traveling east the best time to take off is about 2 hours after sunrise.

Will we drive right in to the wind turbines ahead?

The views to the north were filled with shadows.

I just like the look of how everything seemed to glisten in the sun.

Texas is now behind us and we have crossed into Oklahoma.

Not long after we crossed into Oklahoma we decided to stop and top off our diesel. Forty minutes later we pulled out onto I-40 into the wind. We were about 8 miles from our destination so not to bad. 

Sayre City Park

As of right now we will be here until Monday morning. It was windy until dark on Friday then again today, Saturday, but the prediction is for no wind on Sunday. They weather predictors have been right about the wind so we are hoping they will be right about no or very little wind so Tom can go up on the roof. Then our fingers are crossed that whatever is loose up there is an easy fix and he has what he needs to fix it on board. We are really hoping for this to all work out; because if we can get out of here on Monday we have a day of no predicted wind on our route. Then by Monday evening we will be past any more wind predictions for the rest of our trip to Indiana.

It is a lifestyle like any other you take the good with the bad. Things happen to our rigs and weather does not always co-operate. We have friends who have experienced problems this year they had not expected. We have had problems in the past we did not expect. It is not always smooth going but it still is a wonderful lifestyle, in our opinion.  Every morning we get up and are happy to still be enjoying this retirement dream. 

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.