Some of the Birds we've seen

Ladder-backed Woodpecker seen at Spring Creek Campground, San Angelo, TX.

The Vermilion Flycatcher was spotted at Kartchner Caverns in Arizona.

To Lousiana May 12

On our way back to the I-10 we passed through Chappel Hill and had to stop to get these photos. Many of the building have historical plackards.

"Chappell Hill is situated in the southeast portion of Washington County, which lies halfway between Houston and Austin on US Hwy. 290. The town of Chappell Hill was founded in 1847 by Mary Hargrove Haller, granddaughter of Robert Wooding Chappell, for whom she named the town.

"Present-day Chappell Hill is a small Texas town with a colorful history offering visitors year-round hospitality and charm. The town has a delightful combination of restored homes, shops and buildings. Many are found on Main Street, which has been designated as a National Register Historic District."
Present-day Chappell Hill is a small Texas town with a colorful history offering visitors year-round hospitality and charm. The town has a delightful combination of restored homes, shops and buildings. Many are found on Main Street, which has been designated as a National Register Historic District.Present-day Chappell Hill is a small Texas town with a colorful history offering visitors year-round hospitality and charm. The town has a delightful combination of restored homes, shops and buildings. Many are found on Main Street, which has been designated as a National Register Historic District.

Back on the road we stopped to make sure the thermoelectric cooler was plugged into the van's power port. This horse seemed to be keeping an eye on us.

Approaching Houston we saw this monument. Since the photo was shot from the freeway at 70 mph we're lucky to get this good of a picture.

The Houston skyline. We like to steer clear of the cities, but need to make better time for the next few days in order to get to Florida on schedule. We are hoping to have at least two days with Lee.

Ah, finally finished the crossing of Texas. Dan had planned to stay at a campground in Breaux Bridge, but the GPS took us to rural residential areas. We did see a sign for one campground where the GPS lead us, but the sign had a directional arrow pointing further along the road. We followed the road and saw one more sign, but never found the campground. We decided to get back on the I-10 and look for signs along the freeway for campgrounds. We finally saw a sign in a town called Port Allen. We were informed that the spaces were all for permanent RV rental. We decided to go back to the off ramp and check into the Super 8. The hotel is older and rather drab, but clean with instant hot water in the shower and a very good WiFi signal.

Washington, TX May 11

We have seen miles and miles of wildflowers along the road and mostly these Black Eyed Susans. Photos do not capture the brilliance of the flowers. We have passed ranches along the road and seen donkeys, horses, cattle of various breeds, goats, sheep, and llamas. All of these animals calmly grazing on the grasses of the fields.

We stayed at a campground that was way off the beaten path among the ranches. There was no cell phone signal nor Internet for communication with the world outside the area. It was a very nice campground with a pool, spa, pavilion, and cafe. We had covered more miles than usual this day and were weary, so the spa was a welcome item. We took a nap, soaked in the spa, Dan took a short swim in the pool, then we lounged in the shade. Our lounge chairs were next to a couple who were throwing a retirement party for a friend that evening and they invited us to join them in the pavilion. We had dinner at the cafe then got cleaned up for the party. We didn't stay long, but enjoyed the mini cupcakes and watching people dance to the music provided by a DJ.

On our way the next morning, May 12, to Louisiana. The roads in Texas are great, well maintained and wide. I suppose the wide shoulders are there to accommodate the farming equipment when regular traffic backs up behind them.

Georgetown, TX May 10

We stayed in a hotel here and did laundry. It was nice to have a private bathroom for a change. The was a day to relax and regroup for the rest of the trip. No photos were taken this day.

The weather was stormy, T-storms and winds. When we returned from the restaurant where we had dinner the hotel clerk gave us instructions on what to do in case of a tornado. As far as we knew there had been no tornado warnings, but at least we were prepared to act if need.

San Angelo, TX, May 9

Dan found a campground on the lake in San Angelo, a beautiful city & lake. We are hearing some of the city noises and lots of birds. Linda spotted a woodpecker at work on a tree near our campsite.

Our site in the tenting area with electricity to run our cooler and charge up our electronic devices.

Views of the lake area. Very pretty place. We just hope there are no mosquitoes tonight; none so far at 7:30 PM. We’ll use the repellant just to be on the safe side.

We spotted some deer grazing on the campground grass. Two were brave enough to enter the campground and there were others in the tall grass among the trees beyond the edge of the tenting area. Linda got as close as she could without causing them to run.

Monahans Sandhills State Park, New Mexico, May 8

This was an out of the way and very quiet campground, which was great for getting a good night’s sleep. I didn’t rain, but the sky was filled with clouds. The tan of the sand was an interesting contrast to the grey of the sky.

The drifting sand was engulfing the picnic tables and grill stands. The rain from the night before
had groomed the sand leaving a fresh surface for new footprints.

The yucca plants here have a light green blossom instead of the white with which we are familiar.

With the cloudy sky and no street lights this was the first night we had to use our flashlights to trek to the restrooms after dark.

Carlsbad Caverns May 7

Our visit to the caverns was great. We certainly got in plenty of walking, over two hours worth. No photos of the caverns, Linda did not want to bother with the camera. You’ll just have go there someday and experience them for yourselves, if you haven’t already. We were disappointed that we were there too early in the year to watch the bats emerge from the cave opening in the evening. We had lunch at the visitors’ center and selected some items from the store to purchase.

The sky was cloudy all day and it started to lightening, thunder and rain about 5 pm. We ended up eating dinner in the van. It carried on all night long and rained quite heavily with some hail to boot. When we opened the door around midnight to make the trek to the restroom we realized that where we were parked had become a pond. We moved to another spot hoping the management would understand.

Carlsbad May 8

Happy’s Restaurant

We had a very nice breakfast at this restaurant next to the campground. The owner has quite a
collection of Happy Face merchandize. The place was obviously once a gas station. After breakfast we hit the road again. The storm was still active, but just a light rain.

We were traveling along a county highway when we encountered this scene. A huge storage tank being transported to its final destination through a driveway barely wide enough to maneuver through. It took a while, and several men assisting, but it finally off the road.

We almost missed the Welcome to Texas sign. Take a close look; this one has been used for
target practice.

Well, we traveled a short distance this day and passed through a few very small towns before settling into a State Park to spend the night.

Las Crusas, New Mexico

Our campsite location in Las Crusas, NM. It was hot so the shade from the big tree was
beneficial.

The cook at work on his alcohol burner made from soda pop cans. It really works and takes very little fuel. The alcohol burns cleanly and leaves no odor like kerosene.


The cook at work on his alcohol burner made from soda pop cans. It really works and takes very little fuel. The alcohol burns cleanly and leaves no odor like kerosene.

Dan made a wind shield from aluminum ducting. It was windy and the shield did the job.

The view from our camp site.

We stopped for gas and saw this huge Bar-B-Q set up for transporting. Dan thought it looked like a military tank.

We also saw this amazing Monte Carlo on its way to a car show. Two guys from El Monte, CA, had worked this baby and it was it top condition. As is expected of a vehicle headed to a car show, the engine was spotless.

The bridge over the Rio Grande.

The water level looks low.

We drove through the White Sands National Monument. Among the shrubs, grasses and cacti we found this cactus in full bloom. We had to traipse through the desert plants to get this close up shot.

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We drove to Cloudcroft hoping to stay the night in a boarding house, but it is a seasonal venue, apparently for the winter or summer guests. This little town is in the mountains and the weather was much cooler there. We ate lunch at a picnic table by this quaint grocery store.

We drove on to Artesia where we saw this sculpture, and several others. We walked past a General Store and spied this two headed calf in the window.

Whites City Camp Ground, the rising moon was red tinting the surrounding clouds. By the time we got the camera the moon was higher and not as red, but just as impressive.

The camp ground looked OK, but was unsatisfactory in many ways. The meal at the restaurant was as good as one would expect coming from a can or frozen package. We had expected something much better considering all the signs extolling the place for miles & miles before we arrived. We stive to get a site as close to the restrooms as possible. Well, the shower drains were backed up, but the sinks & toilets were OK. We went to the other buiding in the campground and found larger rooms which included the shower head & drain, a sink and a toilet. There were no hooks to hang things on or shelves. To our discust the shower drains here were not draining any better, but we had already soaped up and had to rinse off.

At least we were camped next to a nice couple from Florida and visited with them after dinner.