We’re back in the saddle again…..

. . . “ Out where a friend is a friend”. . .to quote Gene Autry.

Wednesday, June 10

After a year’s hiatus we’re back to our usual summer travels.

For the past few weeks friends have been calling and asking “Are you packed yet?” and when we say “No, not really”. They probably think we are just twiddling our thumbs. You see, “packing” for us in preparation for 4 or 5 months on the road involves a lot of things, some of them very last-minute. Like, chasing out the bird who just decided to build a nest in the electric box of our parking space, and then moved to building in the slide-out. And then, there's wiping down the ENTIRE interior, because the heavy oak tree pollen this year came in the windows and coated everything. Getting hitched up and ready to pull out the then discovering little things like electrical problems also slowed things down. Then, aside from RV prep, there is the watering system for the landscaping (what little we have) to get in place and adjusted. Finally, all is done! Food and clothes packed, chores done, and we’re on the road! We aimed for a 10 A.M. departure but made it by 11 – the usual discrepancy, but no big deal. We headed for San Angelo, about a five hour drive.

It was a beautiful day, with a bright blue sky filled with puffy clouds, and the rolling limestone hills covered with oak and cedar still lush from our recent rains. The weather was pushing 90 even this early in the day, but we were comfy in the truck. A perfect first day out . . . then . . . BOOM! . . .

A blow-out on a front trailer tire, on an uphill grade of course, demanded 2 hours of our time. I say “our” as we were both there, but poor Steve was the one on his back in the sun while I kept Shiner company in the shade.

He got the flat changed, and then we headed to Fredericksburg to buy a replacement.


It sounds simple, but between the heat and the time delay, San Angelo was out of the question so we landed at South Llano River State Park (near Junction), where we’ve stayed many times before. ( 2010 visit ) Shiner is so happy to be back on the road and out in the woods sniffing new smells and meeting new people that I could hardly hold her back on our evening walk. Steve spent the evening recuperating in the evening cool, as we watched the fireflies dance in the shrubs around the camp sites. We’ll be back on the road tomorrow. Let’s hope our first day wasn’t a sign of things to come! (Yes, next time we may call the road service, but that probably would have meant at least an hour longer sitting out there in the sun, so it’s a toss-up.)


Thursday, June 11

A leisurely 9 A.M. departure saw us rested and ready to hit the road again. It had been a couple of years since we had traveled hwy. 285 between Junction and Carlsbad and we were amazed at the increase in oil and gas production facilities. Wells, tanks, and temporary worker housing have sprung up like mushrooms. The increased truck traffic has also taken a heavy toll on the road surface. There are several stretches that are downright miserable. We probably won’t follow this route again if we can help it.

Other than feeling like we were riding in a buckboard, the day was fairly uneventful. We arrived at Brantley Lake State Park, New Mexico (near Carlsbad) at about 5:30 local time. It was still over 100 degrees, so we stayed in the shade, let the air conditioner cool things off a bit, and sipped a cool one.

Our site (#40) had a nice view of the lake, which now has water in it!

When we were here a couple of years ago it was pretty much a mud puddle. All the additional rainfall has not only filled up the lake, and taken out one of the campgrounds due to flooding!

The spring rains also brought out all kinds of wildflowers and fruiting desert plants. It makes for delightful walking along the trails. Our site had a lovely pink desert will blooming, perfuming the air and offering snacks for local bumblebees. Shiner enjoyed a walk down to the boat ramp to dip her toes in the water, and very much wanted to chase all the little cotton tails we scared up, but that’s a no-no in a state park! 


After such a long break from blogging it's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things. Technology has changed the way a lot of things work on the back end, so hang in, I'll get caught up!