On the road again!

Wednesday - April 11 - This is not our usual heading out for the summer trip. We're on our way to Southern California, where we'll meet Kendra and the baby (they're flying) so he can meet his great-grandparents (Steve's parents). It will be a short trip, but probably good to get us back in traveling shape for the summer.

We hadn't planned an early departure on Wednesday as we knew there were a few things to finish up in the morning, which turned out to be a good thing. As usual the Travel Gods struck and add one more task to the list. The hard drive for the security system went toes-up and Steve had to run into town for a new one, then get it installed and hope everything else was still working. In spite of that, everything was checked off the list and we were out the door by noon. Our port of call for the night, Junction City Park. Not too far away, a free spot by the river is not to be passed up!

We did indeed end up with a nice river view, in a practically deserted park. And upon arrival we learned the Travel Gods had thrown us another curve. The freezer door had apparently popped open on the way down our steep driveway and the contents had fallen on the floor. Most of the frozen food was partially defrosted and worsts of all, the ice had all melted! No ice for my evening cocktail! Now that's a crisis!! So another thing goes on the checklist - check the contents of the interior at the bottom of the driveway. We may be slow but we do learn and seldom have the same crisis twice!

Camping in the park Shiner got her first taste of exploring new territory, and being on the leash a lot! So far she's doing fine as a traveling dog. The only downside - the park is surrounded with the most lovely, blooming China berry and Ailanthus trees, all of which are severe hay fever irritants. I don't know if they are allergens, but the park is also surrounded by an outstanding crop of bull thistles. I felt like we were surrounded by Audrey II and her sisters (the talking plant in Little Shop of Horrors.) By morning Steve's head was a mess. So, that stop goes on the books a good one in some seasons, but in spring, not so much. There may be other areas in town, we'll look into that later. Otherwise, there's always South Llano State Park, where we usually stay.

Leaving Junction and heading west we passed huge fields of wildflowers. This isn't one of the most outstanding years for wildflowers, but the spring rains have resulted in a pretty good showing. Miles and miles of bluebonnets and golden coreopsis are certainly easy on the eyes.

Leaving the Hill Country it's a different story. The impact of the drought on west Texas is even more obvious against the brilliant green of new spring growth. The feathery light green mesquites contrast sharply with the rusty cedar trees and pale yellow cactus patches, all dead from lack of water and last summer's blistering heat. Yes, it's been so dry that even the cactus have died. Live patches remain here and there, and even a few are setting blossoms, but it's a pathetic site overall. They are receiving a bit of rain in the area, but it will take years to recover.

There aren't many choices for overnight stops along Hwy. 10 so (Thursday night) we're back at Balmorhea State Park.  The beautiful pool here has some sort of stinging critter in it, so they've had to close it down until they figure out what it is. We weren't planning to swim so the closure doesn't impact us much, but the folks who drove all day hoping to take a cool dip were a bit disappointed.

Feeling much refreshed after a good night's sleep we headed out for what we knew would be a long day of driving. We thought we'd stop at the Elks in Wilcox, but after arriving and seeing the location of the RV area (right next to a busy railroad line) we decided to move on. Wilcox is an attractive little town, with an historic section along the rail road, and looked like a nice place to go back in visit, just not a good place to sleep! So, after about 600 miles, bucking a head wind all the way, we ended up at one of our usual stops, RoVers Roost in Casa Grande, AZ. This is where our air conditioner died last spring, when it was 110 in the shade. This time of year it's nice and cool.  Shiner thoroughly enjoys the wide expanse of desert just outside the RV park. It's a great place to play fetch! And I love walking among the blooming beaver tail and cholla cactus. They look so healthy here, compared to the drought stricken Texas cactus. Rain is expected overnight, and high winds tomorrow, so we don't plan on driving as far as we did today.