The Trek East Continues

Shortly we will be pulling out of our spot parked near the United States Marshals Museum in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. We are continuing our trek East at a new pace. Things happen in life which we cannot always share but right now we need to be in Michigan near our children and grandchildren. Sometimes we need to ask for prayers and again cannot explain why but if you believe in prayer please keep our family in your prayers. 

Sunrise, April 11, 2026
The promise of a new day.

Friday, April 10, 2026

After spending 5 nights at the RV City Park in Sayre, Oklahoma we were up and moving as our trek East and then North begins in earnest. 

This was a lovely spot to stop and catch our breaths. No, it is not because the RV Park itself is spectacular, though it is clean and $12.00 per night is certainly a good price. For that price you get water and 50amp electric at your site, the use of the dump, plus if you do not want to unhook the sites are extra long it. For the size of this town it is a very nice park. There are ponds, Tom read stocked with fish, a golf course and a mini golf course. There are several small playground areas plus a pool. A sports field and what looked like a place they could hold a small rodeo. There are bathrooms with showers here but we did not go in so we cannot vouch for them but the building itself looks really nice. 

The sun has gone down on our last night parked in this place.

When I saw the dome in the top picture I thought I remembered it 
being their City Hall it is actually the County Courthouse.
The bottom picture is their City Hall.

The trees are starting to fill with leaves.

Several ponds

Taking a page from Shirley and Ken, 
Seeing America with Ken and Shirley, 
we had a Mimosa Monday...😉

Our spot and looking out our door and front windshield

The pictures below are of today's journey east on I-40.

We are on our way under cloudy skies.

We see this company's semis along the way always reminding
us to to hope and trust in the lord.
This is one of my favorite bible versus.

Going by Tinker Air Force Base

Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City, OK
I always think of scissors when I see this.
Interestingly, this sculpture was inspired by Oklahoma's state
bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.

The scenery is a beautiful green. After so many months in the 
desert we love it is wonderful to see the green again.

The clouded sky we started out under eventually turned into
a blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds.

Some trees filled with leaves some still working on it
and an Amazon truck promising happiness.

We exited towards our stop for the night at a Harvest Host,
the United States Marshals Museum in Ft. Smith, and crossed
into Arkansas.

Today's travel day was uneventful and we even found diesel at one station for $4.79. It was a good day.

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!

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!

Another Day Traveling East on I-40 (Before Easter)

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

We are presently parked at the Sayre City RV Park. We pulled in here on Easter and will leave on Thursday. More about that as I get the blog caught up into real time.

Good Friday, April 3, 2026

We pulled out of the Bar S RV Park in Milan, NM just after 10:00AM. This was not a bad overnight stop, as I think I mentioned in the last blog, but it is fairly close to active railroad tracks and if train noise keeps you awake then be sure to have earplugs, if you stop here. For whatever reason being parked where we can hear trains never seems to bother either Tom nor I. Our first stop this morning was the Love's just down the road to top off the diesel. 

This was parked just to the side of us when we were getting diesel.
Not sure what this was but definitely something to do with
 the 250th USA Anniversary. We caught up to and passed them a
short distance down the road. 

After our tank was full and the windshield was clean we headed towards I-40 and turned left and continued our trek East. For the first hour or so the scenery was very similar to yesterdays. Scenery, that I honestly can say, neither of us gets tired of seeing. 

Camping World does fly 
some great US Flags.

Then in the distance we could see Albuquerque coming into view.

Then we were on the East side of Albuquerque and going by Tijeras and the
 Exit for the Turquoise Trail. The first time we came this way we had our
5th Wheel, the Crusader, and stayed in Tijeras and we took a ride to Santa Fe
on the Turquoise Trail, nice memories.

Then the land became flatter and when this happens it seems like you can see forever.

Then something we had not seen in awhile, Turbines, came into view.

When we stopped for diesel then parked in the truck parking lot at Clines Corners to eat our lunch the turbine below was in our view. I just thought it looked interesting and decided to do some research to find out what kind of turbine it was. Some of the information I found is below. 

What I found out is this is a type of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) specifically a Darrieus wind turbine design often referred to as an "eggbeater" turbine. In 1931, French engineer Georges Jean-Marie Darrieus filed a patent for a vertical-axis wind turbine capable of spinning through aerodynamic lift, generated by the motion of its blades in the wind. At the time, Darrieus’s invention remained largely theoretical and on the fringes. It was too far ahead of its time and was quickly overshadowed by the rapid development of horizontal-axis wind turbines, which were easier to design for large-scale installations in wide-open rural environments. (There is a lot more information out there about the VAWT turbines and the Darrius Turbine but this is all I will make you read...lol)

The advantage of a VAWT is it does not need to be pointed into the wind to operate. This removes the need for wind-sensing orientation mechanisms. Plus, key components like the generator and gearbox can be located close to the ground, facilitating easier service and repair.

Santa Rosa is in the distance.

We had planned on stopping at the Pajarito Rest Area for the night. It was one we had stayed at in the past. Not the best one we have ever stayed at but it works. Pulling in we knew it was not going to work for tonight. It is parallel parking versus angle and there were no close to being level spaces available. So we kept going to the next rest area which is the New Mexico Welcome Center in Glenrio. 

What it looked like in the distance then as we got closer and
I zoomed in.

We said goodbye to New Mexico and hello Texas as we crossed
 over behind the sign to I-40 going west.
Then we crossed back into New Mexico, under one of my favorite
state signs and exited into the Welcome Center for the night.

The question could be asked why not stop at the next Texas Rest Area going East versus back tracking West? The answer would be the first rest area in Texas is the Amarillo Travel Information Center a nice stop but another 84 miles and we had, had a long enough day. 

It ended up being a 296 mile day, about 75 miles more than we had planned, but it was an uneventful drive. Those are the type of travels days when we park say, it was a good day.  

\

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!