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I can't do any color other than gray today, though the day wasn't bad. We actually enjoyed our time here. It rained ALL day here! We began the day with breakfast over in the Rally Hall -- all-you-can-eat pancakes, eggs, bacon, and juice. Mmm! It was hot, freshly made, and delicious!
Then we came back here for some computer time, as we listened to the rain pepper down on the RV. Yes, we could have gone into town in the KOA shuttle, but it would have cost us $14 to the show area and $24 had we wanted to go to the historic downtown area. When I hear "shuttle," I'm thinking "free" or maybe a buck or two.
We did take a walk during a break in the rain and went to the Craft Mall. Here there are actual craftspeople showing their work, and there was good stuff! There was a Men's Area, where men theoretically sit on a couch and watch tube while their ladies shop. Well, Jack loves to shop, so we just chuckled about that Men's Area.
As bad as last night's dinner was, tonight's was that good! This was at Rails, a catfish joint known only to the locals... and us! The people were really nice, the service great, and the food was delicious with great variety. :)
We drove yesterday to Checotah, Oklahoma, to a beautiful little KOA campground on I-40. While it was wet, the campground was still lovely, with lots of thoughtful extras. This morning's breakfast we got at the campground's cafe, for example! And it was delicious.
After unhooking, we headed out, with Branson, Missouri in our sights. The drive was mostly uneventful, but we did have to wait for about an hour, while a head-on crash was cleaned up, about 1/2 mile up the road. The road was curvy and lovely, and I'm hopeful that the two drivers involved are patched up successfully and are able to better navigate this road again another day.
We got here at about 4, and got hooked up and level. Then we grabbed our raincoats, just in case, and headed to town to check out the sights. We walked about 2 miles to the outlet mall, where we bought Jack two new shirts and some other little things, and then decided to head back, grabbing some supper on the way.
That's when it started to rain. And it rained. And it poured. Sheesh. My pants were so wet that they stuck to my legs. My feet squished in my shoes. My hood wasn't enough to keep my hair dry.
We sloshed into Dockers, a place offering an all-you-can-eat buffet for $9.99. This place was not good. The food was mostly dried out. There were no sauces for the seafood. Variety wasn't even good. We were relieved that they didn't ask us how it was when we checked out.
It had stopped raining when we left there, but we were still wet, and now cold. We changed into dry things when we got back here, just in time for it to resume raining! Perfect evening for doing some blogging...
Today my friend Lynell picked us up at our campground, and we all went to the Dallas Arboretum. While the day was off-and-on rainy, the light was great for photos, and the arboretum was lovely.
We lunched at the elegant cafe and all enjoyed our meal. The gift shop was fine, with many interesting things, including a pretty pin for our collection!
On we went, back to pick up David, and then out to dinner at El Fenix. Tex-Mex is good food! :) Jack and I really enjoyed our day! Now it's pouring, but we're warm and dry, getting set to rest up for another big day tomorrow.
If you should find yourself in Midland, Texas, the hometown of George W and Laura Bush, looking for something interesting to do, check out the Petroleum Museum. Driving through the central US, you can't help but notice the zillions of "crickets," or gas/oil pumping gizmos operating in fields. These things up close are HUGE! We also saw and took pics of drilling rigs and .. just all kinds of oil-related stuff. Fun museum. There was even a fine gallery of paintings depicting the early oil-exploration and drilling in the Permian Basin.
After that, we found a grocery and laid in some supplies, so that we'd be able to have dinner tonight! A little further down the road (about 3 hours), we landed at the Abilene KOA, where we are tonight. A pretty little campground, this is one at which I've stayed twice before!
For those of you who are craving Janee-photos, here are some!
These are from Carlsbad Caverns:
Here are some shots from the Hubbard Museum in Ruidoso Downs, NM:
And here are some little green men from Roswell, NM:
and some other photos from Roswell:
Terlingua's Ghost Town offered some fun photography opportunities:
So.. whatdya think? Sorry about the graphic nature of the alien photos, but.. I only report what I see!
We awoke fairly early this morning, and, after a quick breakfast and unhook, we drove up to the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend. We parked in a fairly level spot in the overflow parking near the campground, and got set for our hike!
The hike was the Window trail, and it was fantastic! The trail was fairly level, with a slight decline going out, and a slight uphill coming back. And the scenery was extraordinary! Yes, photos will follow.
Tonight we're in Fort Stockton, Texas, having said goodbye to Big Bend after our lunch at the lodge. Temps in Big Bend, by the way, were up just over 100°. That's hot! Here it is not quite as warm, especially tonight.
