Going Back In Time to Three Travel Days at the Beginning of March

It is Wednesday Morning, April 3, 2024, as I finish writing this blog. We stopped in St. Augustine, FL for Easter and this morning we will be heading North into Georgia. 

I am still trying to get the Blog caught up to us. The next bit of information is an FYI for us: In the last blog I wrote about our time parked off of Ogilby Road in February. I blogged about leaving there on February 22, 2024, our two day drive to Quail Ridge and our time there is in this blog and this blog the second blog also contained information about our first travel day as we made our way to New Braunfels, TX which was our next stop.

For the most part I am just posting the pictures from our travel days. Not a lot to say really we were on I-10 and moving East.

Friday, March 1, 2024 (Roadrunner Rest Area to Walmart in Ft Stockton, TX -- 286 miles)

After about 31 miles Friday morning we left New Mexico behind and crossed into Texas and construction.

Going through El Paso.

It is really nice when the highway numbers are printed on the road.
Upper left: every time we have come through here I wonder
what this is?

We have been through Border Patrol Checkpoints before but
this was the first time we have seen a sign asking that you have
 your immigration documents ready. We were waved through.

Just west of Ft. Stockton this was on our left

and these metal figures were on our right. 

We ended out day at the Walmart in Ft. Stockton. We have stopped here before and it is usually a quiet stop and tonight it was. 

Saturday, March 2, 2024 (Ft. Stockton Walmart to Walmart in  Boerne, TX -- 284 miles)
Today we were reminded of two things pay attention to your surroundings and if a place does not feel comfortable just keep moving. We stopped at a small truck stop for diesel, there were only two pumps. While Tom was inside paying I watched two young men walk towards the motorhome from the back door of the store where they had been sitting and then disappear behind the Jeep. I did feel us move a bit while Tom was still inside the station which means they were trying the Jeep doors or fooling with the hitch. When Tom came back out I waved him inside to tell him what was going on. He went back out to pump the diesel and they were still behind the Jeep. At that point he asked them what they were doing back there and they claimed to be taking pictures though they were obviously looking inside.  After Tom finished pumping he pulled around to were some semis were parked to take a quick walk around the Jeep and check our hitch. Luckily nothing came of it but I was nervous while Tom was out there pumping the diesel. As soon as I saw them walking towards the motorhome I was sorry I had not trusted my instincts and asked Tom not to stop at the pumps but to circle around and get back on to I-10.

As we were pulling out of the Walmart this morning this was our
view. Evidently if you are running for office in Ft. Stockton this
is the place to put up your sign.

We stopped at this Rest Area and there were no spots to park 
and for a while there was no way out. 

 It is green!

I just liked the look of these trees.

More green.

Today's plan had been to stop for the night at a rest area but when we pulled in there were only a few spaces for semis and RV's plus they were at an angle. So I looked ahead, made a phone call, Tom pulled the Stinger "B" back out onto I-10, and we continued to the Walmart in Boerne, TX. 

Sunday, March 3. 2024 (Boerne Walmart to York Creek RV in New Braunfels, TX -- 59 miles)

Today we only had about and hour left before reaching our destination and check in was at  1:00PM so we were not in a rush to get on the road. So we took our time drinking our coffee before heading out.

Leaving the Walmart.

Merging on to I-10

Between this picture of us going South on I-10

and this one of us going North on I-35 there was a lot of construction
  on the bypass. No one was actually working as it was Sunday but 
  all the evidence of construction was there just the same.

I did not take one picture as we drove through the construction as I was to busy helping keep the Stinger "B" in her lane so she did not hit the cement barrier on our right and that involves a lot of leaning in towards the center of the motorhome. If you are scratching your head about that one then you have never sat in the passenger seat of a Motorhome. Everyone who has I am pretty sure knows what I am talking about...It is not easy and it is a stress full job!...lol

We pulled into the York Creek RV Park just a little after 1:00PM, unhooked the Jeep, Tom backed the Motorhome into our spot, and we got settled in. Our reservations were for a week but we ended up staying 9 nights. This is a no frills RV Park and it looked like there were mostly long term rigs parked here. The park itself was clean and Tom said when he went to do jeans the laundry area was decent. For us this park was the right price and in the right location. It was Northeast of San Antonio and within an hour or less of the places we wanted to visit. We would stay here again if we are in this area.

Today, March 3rd, I saw my first Dandelion in person
for this year. Not the prettiest but one just the same...😊

We spent four days traveling East for a total of  873 miles. The weather cooperated and for the most part so did the wind. There were no construction delays worth mentioning. The traffic well it is what it is on I-10 and we knew what it would be like before we pulled on. All in all we would put this part of our trip in the good travel days column.

The Drive into San Antonio on March 6th, 10th and 11th.

Since this blog is pretty much about traveling on the Interstate, I-10, I thought adding our drive into San Antonia on I-35 would fit in here. The pictures below are a combination of the three times we made the trip. I will be talking about why we stopped here in the next couple of blogs.  

Once we were on I-35 it was not to many miles and we would
pass by this sign.

Then several miles later this was our view.

It really did not slow down traffic but it is going to be 
something when it is finished.

There is going to be a lot of highway up above.

In our opinion for flying both the US Flag and State Flag 
Texas wins! 

One of the days on our way back to the RV Park.

Autism Acceptance Month is observed in April, and it’s a time to celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives of individuals on the autism spectrum. Autism affects one in every 54 children in the United States. Formerly known as Autism Awareness Month, this annual event aims to raise awareness, promote understanding, and foster inclusion for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.

We are glad you stopped by!

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

Dodge City, Kansas to Cortez, Colorado

Friday, October 20, 2023

We are still in Kingman, AZ

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 (Dodge City, KS to Logan, NM)

As we headed south we began to recognize this highway as

 one we had been in and out of Kansas on in the past.
Including last spring when we headed north.

After a short time in Oklahoma and then Texas we ended up at the Arrowhead RV in Logan, NM for the night with a pull through site long enough to keep the Jeep hooked up. We had stayed here in the spring when we turned north for South Dakota. It is a Passport America Park so the price is right. Nothing really special but not awful and for one night perfect.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (Logan, NM to Edgewood, NM)

Stopped for diesel in Logan then we were on our way.

Merged on to I-40 just west of Tucumcari and there is a
 lot more traffic then we have seen in a while.

Tom even passed this guy and I almost missed the picture.
I think that was the 3rd pass this adventure. That may be 
more passes than all of last year...LOL

I do like how they decorate the overpasses out west.
The bottom right for breast cancer.
The truck in the middle had advice all vehicles should listen
to: Do not pass on right with an arrow. It is amazing how many
 small vehicles we see pass semis on the right.

We stopped for the night at the Walmart in Edgewood, NM.

Thursday, October 5, 2023 (Edgewood, NM to Gallup, NM)

Today's ride takes us by Albuquerque and we are beginning to think the city is our bad luck place. As we were going by a vehicle passing us threw up a rock and nicked the front windshield. Which luckily we were able to have fixed when we got to Cortez, CO. So now we have two both low on the windshield and not directly in front of Tom so that is good. 

Going by Tijeras and just before the rock hit the windshield.

Passing by Albuquerque

and out the otherside.

Tonight's stop the Walmart in Gallup, NM

As I was writing about today's ride and passing by Albuquerque I thought of something I do not think I ever put out on the blog. At least checking I could not find it. Anyway, as you may or may not know we drove back to Michigan for Thanksgiving last year leaving our Motorhome in storage in Arizona. Our first night on the road we stopped in Albuquerque and our Jeep was broken into and we lost quite a few things including our "grab bag" with all our important papers in it. As we thought about what was in the bag we knew there were things we would never be able to replace. For example we could get a new copy of our Marriage Certificate but the old one was gone etc...the things that the originals where more about the sentimental value then anything. We replaced what we could then moved on. Then in June we got a call from a woman in Albuquerque who was cleaning out an old 5th Wheel on a piece of property not far from where are things were stolen and she found our "grab bag". Not just the papers but the bag with the papers in it. I was totally surprised because the bag is a cute one. A lot of people would have gotten rid of the papers and kept the bag. A couple of our cards where inside the bag with our phone number so she called and then mailed it to us. As I write this I am thinking of the gentleman who handed Tom the $100 dollars that morning and took off and now this woman who took the time to get this back to us. I am reminded that there are good and honest people in this world. Having this first hand  knowledge is way more important then anything they took that morning from our Jeep. I am smiling with wet eyes as I write this. 

Friday, October 6, 2023 (Gallup, NM to Cortez, CO)

We turned north today on US-491 headed for the La Mesa RV Park in Cortez, CO. We will be there for seven nights and at this point are looking forward to this next week. We have several rides and destinations planned. The weather, checking ahead, is going to cooperate with our week of plans. 

The road ahead as we leave Gallup, NM in the rearview mirror.

The views along the way

were beautiful.

In the distance 

then

close up.

This sort of looked like a sitting Buddha, to me, in the distance.

The sky was a lovely blue with no wind to speak of

and the road ahead was in really good condition for the most part.

Plus the views kept coming.

We passed by several groups on horse back.

Then we said goodby to New Mexico and hello to Colorado.

Coming into Cortez.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Yesterday we arrived and got set up in our site. This park is in a fairly good location for where we want to go and see while we are here. It will be a place to sleep, enjoy our morning coffee, and have some meals.  Honestly it is an oval parking lot with some trees but we do have full hookups. There are no amenities and you need to be fully self-contained because as of now the bathrooms are not open. We did know all this before we got here but we knew it would serve our purposes and for this stop it was a good choice.

So we started our Saturday morning with coffee while getting ready to go the Tourist Information Center to pickup a map and brochures about what we wanted to see and do while we are here. Then the plan was to go on a short ride. We headed out to the Jeep and it would not start the battery was not complete dead but did not have enough power to start the Jeep. The night before when I shut it down after moving it to our site the battery was fully charged. Back inside Tom gets in touch with our insurance company and they send out roadside assistance. He was able to get it going and tells Tom from what he can see our battery is fine but we are losing power for some unknown reason. 

It is the weekend and there is nothing we can do until Monday morning. Tom was able to start the Jeep and take it for rides but it is losing power. We did take it over to the Tourist Information Center, where still optimistic we would be able to take several rides, I picked up some information. We settled into the weekend not happy about our circumstances but at this point we believed on Monday we would have some answers.

First thing Monday morning Tom is at the Local Jeep Dealership when they open. Explains are problem adding that we are traveling and presently staying in a RV Park. They bring him home saying they will look at the Jeep. A couple hours later they call to confirm that the battery is fine but is losing its charge for some unknown reason.  Tom asks when they will be hooking it up to find out why and is eventually told November 18th. He said okay you might as well come and get me. The gentleman who picked him up was the one who looked at the battery and he told Tom his guess was the problem was the alternator or a loose wire. Tom asked is it driveable, he thought it should be, is it towable, he thought it should be. Is there anyway to get it on the computer to find out? The answer not before November 18th and then if we need a part we probably will not have it in stock for your Jeep, understandable we do have that unusual Wrangler type and that may be me being sarcastic, and it will take two weeks at least to get it. We now accept this dealership will not be of any help.

To say we were not impressed with this place would be an understatement. This is our 10th year living this lifestyle and this was the first time that we have encountered a garage that would not help us at all.

So we ended up renting a car and taking the San Juan Skyway Drive, lots of pictures to come. Plus we did visit the Mesa Verde National Park, more pictures to come. 

Not what we planned but not a total loss. 

FYI: We are in Kingman, AZ and our Jeep has been seen and everything is good. 

We are glad you stopped by!

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