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The Southwest up to Omaha
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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    The Organ Mountains

    28 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today we went down to the (huge) White Sands Army Base to see the missile museum. Along our drive we had a great view of the Organ Mountains, which we figure earned their name by resembling a massive pipe organ. Eric (lucky duck) spotted several cacti with blooming red flowers and a roadrunner.

    We drove along the White Sands National Monument, which is the world’s largest deposit of gypsum sand (which evidently stays cool to the touch regardless of the blazing sun overhead).    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Bottomless Lakes SP

    28 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    We arrived before dark (yay!) to a cute little loop set right next to a lake. To our surprise, a truck and mini trailer were parked in our reserved spot, and after a conversation with a nice couple from Quebec we realized the reservation system was VERY confusing. In any case, they moved over a few spots to an unreserved site and we pulled into our beautiful lakefront site.

    We took a few minutes and sat out to watch the sunset over the lake through the trees. The bats were swooping all around by the shore eating bugs and the wind started picking up. Later the wind was howling and we brought in the chairs before they blew into the lake! Even inside the RV we could feel the gusts shaking us back and forth.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Lea Lakes

    29 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    So our campground is actually at one of the bottomless lakes, called Lea Lake. As we read more about the park, we discovered that each of the lakes is a sinkhole that developed due to soft ground. Since it’s only about 15 minutes outside of town, the lakes are a popular destination for local families wanting to swim and picnic.Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Roswell

    29 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We started our day off at a cool little diner, The Chapparal Cafe where we both ordered the Truckers Special (excellent choice). Next we have ourselves a little self tour of Roswell, where we found a UFO-shaped McDonalds and a ton of kitschy stores selling alien gear. We especially enjoyed all the little touches: the alien eyes on all the lampposts and the little green men in random parking lots and gas stations.

    It rained for a couple minutes when we were walking outside and for the rest of the day wherever we drove there were lakes of water covering the streets. All the locals could talk about was how much they needed this rain! California should stop complaining about their drought in my opinion.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Robert Goddard

    29 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We headed next to the Roswell Art & Science Museum to see the display on Robert Goddard, the pioneering engineer and physicist who contributed greatly to the scientific knowledge on building missiles and rockets. His dream was to send a rocket to Mars, and he spent decades finely crafting different experiments here outside of Roswell.

    His work was largely ignored in the U.S. but was blatantly stolen by the Germans to create the V2 rockets they used to bombard Europe during WWII. The museum had a phenomenal display that recreated his workshop.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Leaving New Mexico

    30 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Leaving New Mexico we saw a plethora of local attractions, like the Taco Box, tons of cattle and horses, lots of locomotives, grain silos, and new and old farms and industrial equipment. We saw our first oil pump, which is how we knew we were getting close to Texas!

    Our favorite was a sign welcoming us to Portales that proclaimed “Home of 17,000 friendly people (and 3 or 4 grumps)”.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Entering Texas

    30 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Entering Texas was uneventful at first. We were in town and drove past a road called “Stateline”, then suddenly we saw the small state sign. About a mile down the road we saw a Welcome sign, and then the scenery started changing. The American and Texan flag were flying high over tons of buildings and the cattle ranches were bigger, more organized KFOs (and waaay stinkier). Surprisingly there were more trees and less desert already!Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Palo Duro

    30 апреля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Arriving at this campground was like a dream. They call it “Grand Canyon of Texas” for good reason. The rocks are red and multicolored, and the deep canyon is covered with trees and lush ground cover. After wandering around having difficulty finding our campground (due to it being unmarked! No signs!!) we pulled into a killer spot with tons of privacy and million dollar views. On the way we spotted a lazy deer, two wild turkeys, and a bunny rabbit (the latter had claimed our campsite for his own). This is going to be great!

    At night we watched a lighting storm in the distance light up the sky. Too far away for thunder or rain, but still fun.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Amarillo by Morning

    1 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We wanted to see what Amarillo was like, so we drove through the Historic Route 66 District complete with shops, restaurants, and bars. Next we headed out to see Cadillac Ranch, where multiple spray painted Cadillacs are half buried into the ground. The RV Park next door had an attraction all of its own: the 2nd amendment cowboy (he was 22 feet tall and used to advertise a Texas BBQ steakhouse).

    Along the way we were entertained by the TONS of American & Texan flags, and the quirky gas stations. I was mind-boggled by the drive-through window at the liquor store! Eric was in love with the huge brick home with tons of land.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    RV Museum

    1 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    First we headed to the RV Museum, which brought on Eric’s skepticism when he discovered it was located at a huge RV dealership. Lo and behold, behind the sales office there was a two building warehouse filled with restored RVs, from as early as the ‘30s!

    It was really amazing because most of the RVs were open and you could go in them. They still had the period wood paneling, curtains, fabric, and stoves and fridges. The owner of the museum (who also owns the dealership) had decorated each interior with period accessories like games, catalogs, ice chests, etc.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    RV Museum, continued

    1 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The most unusual vehicle the museum had was probably the 1948 Flxible (first two pictures), which was used to film the Robin Williams movie “RV” (it belonged to the Gornicke family). Eric and I love that movie so we got a real kick out of seeing it and walking through it!

    All the other trailers and RVs were so iconic; it really seemed like we stepped into a display of Americana.    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Tyler's BBQ

    1 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We got hungry for dinner and were headed to the Texas Roadhouse, a popular tourist attraction when we decided we should try a local BBQ joint instead. I pulled open Yelp and three blocks away we found Tyler’s BBQ. And boy were we glad we did! It’s gotta be one of the best, if not THE best BBQ joint in Amarillo. The brisket was slow cooked and delicious and we were super impressed!!

    The strangest thing is that we found out one of the employees used to live in Sacramento...he worked two blocks away from Kaiser in Roseville and painted the mural in the tunnel on the way to Old Sac. I know its a small world, but seriously?!    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Our campsite

    1 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    We headed back to our campground while there was still plenty of light so we could enjoy sitting outside with the peace and quiet. It’s pretty awesome because the campground is actually down on the canyon floor, barely visible from the top. The switchbacks in the road are a doozy, but well worth it!

    We had a great time sitting and watching the wildlife and sunset. There was a roadrunner that came right up to Eric’s window and posed for several minutes, then got ran off by an impressive male turkey that walked right through our camp. After the sunset we were able to watch bats swooping around furiously. This place is definitely something special!    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Goodbye Texas

    2 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We left our canyon and struck off Northeast, ready to drive through Oklahoma and on into Kansas for the night. The industrial sized farms are so big they have their own signs and streets to direct the semis around. We saw hundreds of oil derricks, painted all colors (my favorite was the green), and flat expanses of crop fields.Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Oklahoma, aren't you glad to see us?

    2 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    We turned up to Oklahoma and immediately big fat raindrops started covering the windshield. Within 5 minutes the roads were flooding and we pulled over at a gas station to ride it out. The rain quickly turned into a downpour, and before long the lightning was flashing across the sky directly overhead and the thunder was LOUD. We waited for 20 minutes or so until it died down, then pressed on.

    Unfortunately, the direction we had to head was back INTO the storm, and after about 10 minutes visibility was so bad we had to turn out again. We took cover at a truck stop with other truckers and even a police officer. The lightning was so rapid it looked like a strobe light in the sky, flashing every 1-2 seconds from all directions. The thunder was so powerful our motorhome was rocking back and forth. We checked the weather radar and discovered we were on the edge of a severe super cell thunderstorm with a tornado warning, and we’d have to wait for the whole system to pass over us. It was the craziest lightning storm either of us had ever seen, and later the news reported wind gusts up to 90 mph.

    Needless to say, we did NOT make it to Dodge City at our predicted time! We were delighted once we were able to drive through Oklahoma though, because it turns out everyone driving a passenger truck waved at Eric. How friendly!!    Читать далее

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  • The Southwest up to Omaha

    Hello Kansas

    2 мая 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    After our ordeal we finally made it up through the Panhandle and popped out into Kansas. The scenery mostly continued, with cows, wind farms, and grain silos dotting the landscape. The 4th picture is the perfect example of so many small towns we passed through in Texas, Oklahoma, and now Kansas. A large grain silo positioned between the road and the railroad, a train awaits its cargo, and all the while semis are barreling through trying to make good time.Читать далее

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