The Storm

Storm Wall near Plains, Kansas

Storm Wall near Plains, Kansas

Jim, June 24:

We’re tooling along in Kansas, and travel was filled with the joys of using the old atlas and The Girl for navigation. Paper meets high tech. Hot, Sunny and miles of flat, straight road ahead. The only thing to break up the monotony was a construction zone with very aggressive rumble strips to slow down the traffic. Normally we wouldn’t have noticed. But then, passing cars and trucks began waving and gesturing to us. “Oh, look, more teardrop fans!”, “Isn’t it fun that we seem to be attracting attention with our cool trailer!?”

rear view galley lid check

rear view galley lid check

Then Marilyn looked into her rear view mirror and noticed that the galley hatch was up. Hmmm. Perhaps we’re not as cool as we thought. Everyone was trying to tell us about the lid. *quiet chagrin*. We stopped and corrected the problem, and it became her job to periodically check on the galley hatch.

I’ve been through Kansas many times, and it’s normally quite dull, so I wasn’t expecting what I saw next. Out my side window, was one of the blackest skies I’ve seen recently with the clear indication of a wall cloud. Severe Weather! In other circumstances, I might have just tried to outrun the coming storm, but we were towing a small, light-weight trailer. On it’s first trip. Although it looks airworthy, I didn’t really want to try it. We needed shelter! Plains, Kansas wasn’t too far, and we could see a large grain elevator. We drove into town, headed straight for the elevator, and hunkered down. We had enough cell service to use our iPhones, and Dark Skies and Weather Bug gave us radar views of the storm. We spent the next hour in torrents of rain and blustery winds, but fortunately nothing worse.

Holiday Inn, McPherson, Kansas

Holiday Inn, McPherson, Kansas

We decided we could make McPherson, Kansas that night, and after a near rain-out the night before, and a near miss by a violent storm, we were feeling a little moist and beleaguered. The McPherson Holiday Inn would be just fine.

Road Trip Eats

Dairy Queen, Stratford, Texas

Dairy Queen, Stratford, Texas

Marilyn, June 24

What’s a road trip without road food – right? We drove across the flat landscape at the top of the Panhandle and pulled into Stratford, just a stone’s throw away from the Oklahoma line. The water tower and the massive bank of grain elevators, called the tin man and silos dominated the skyline and across the highway was unmistakable sign for DQ, a comforting sight in the middle of nowhere. Dairy Queen held special memories for me. As a child in Eldorado, Texas we used to pile in the car and go for soft-serve cones during the hot summers. Jim pulled into the parking lot, we opened the door and indulged in the familiar sights, sounds and tastes. In addition to the DQ menu, there was Orange Julius, another memory from childhood. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Ahhhh…..

 

 

On the Road Again

Teardrop Leaving Palo Duro

Teardrop Leaving Palo Duro

Mirror Shot

Mirror Shot

Jim, June 24:

Loaded up, ready to go. Having arrived in the dark, we didn’t get to see much of the park, so we took a little time to sight-see before hitting the road. Beautiful place, well worth a trip back. It’s on our list for a dedicated trip. The campsites are in the canyon, and the canyon isn’t visible from the park entrance. I’m sure lots of folks drive by on the highway and never realize there is something really special just a few minutes away. It also means that it takes 20-30 minutes of twisty-windy roads to get into or out of the camp sites. Great sightseeing.

Interstate Vista

Interstate Vista

After leaving the canyon, we passed through Amarillo (with a successful stop for Starbuck’s!) before getting back on the road. Several hours of straight and flat travel lay ahead.

… And the Rain Came.

Marilyn, June 24:

Camp Palo Duro in the Rain

Camp Palo Duro in the Rain

The sky turned from overcast to a full-fledged downpour as we finished breakfast under the canopy. Water started to collect and reshape the shelter. It was time to break camp and pack up as puddles collected around the campsite. Each time we pushed up on the canopy, large amounts of water ran off. We had to disassemble the kitchen as quickly as we could. Stashing the stove in the hatch. The two plastic totes with fold-over lids I had used for condiments and larger items had filled with water. We folded the wet chairs and forced them into stuff sacks. Wet items were thrust into garbage bags. As we loaded the trailer with all our wet gear, it became apparent that we needed a plan to deal with rain. We did our best to dry off and hopped in the Mazda to depart.

A Canyon Breakfast

 

Breakfast in Palo Duro

Breakfast in Palo Duro

Jim, June 24:

Although the sunrise was beautiful, the sky was mostly overcast and it wasn’t long before it started to rain. I quickly set up the canopy so we could enjoy breakfast, and Marilyn made short work of preparing the food. As was clear from the mocha incident of the day before, I care about my coffee. Most coffee that is available on the road is pretty poor, so we travel with an Italian stovetop espresso maker. We also carry a supply of dark roast sumatra from Anderson’s Coffee in Austin (best in the city!) They work great on camp stoves and I set out brewing my morning espresso. Add Bacon, Eggs, Toast, and Jam, and you have a breakfast that is a far cry from the chuckwagon of olden days!

 

Breakfast and Coffee

Breakfast and Coffee

Glorious Sunrise

Glorious Sunrise

Glorious Sunrise

Marilyn, June 24:

Our first night in the teardrop. We slept soundly. The birds began to sing as our sleepy eyes opened. We had arrived on a black, star-less night but looking out the tiny window, I caught a glimpse of the breath-taking colors illuminating the canyon walls. What a glorious sunrise. We were IN the canyon looking up at the picturesque formations. It was a first for me. I had been used to viewing canyons from the rim. This was a dynamic change of scenery from the flat vistas of the Panhandle. As we climbed out of the teardrop, our conversation turned to coming back soon.

Palo Duro Canyon Walls

Palo Duro Canyon Walls

Setting Up in the Dark

The Chef at Work

The Chef at Work

Jim, June 23:

We made it to the campground just in time to set up camp and make dinner — in the dark. Ain’t no hill for a stepper, right? I began unloading the pantry boxes and putting the kitchen together while Marilyn found the food. The trailer lights and LED lantern provided enough light, and we were set up in about 20 minutes. Not too bad. I opened a beer and poured a glass of wine for Marilyn. She then invented what I will always remember as one of the best meals I’ve ever had while camping — Balsamic Chicken. It’s so good we’ve fixed it several times at home. Simple. Satisfying. With a salad and mashed potatoes, it was a great meal. We had passed the first hurdle of the trip in our new rig: arrived, set up for the night and had a great meal.

An Elegant Repast

An Elegant Repast

On the Road, Headed for Palo Duro Canyon

Marilyn, June 23:

On the Way to Palo Duro Canyon

On the Way to Palo Duro Canyon

After the Starbucks App created a huge disappointment in Lubbock, we headed to Palo Duro State Park, known as the Grand Canyon of Texas in the Panhandle near the city of Amarillo. The artist Georgia O’Keefe spent her formative years exploring and drawing inspiration from the canyon. When we had made reservations, we were told to be aware that the gate would close promptly at 10:00 PM. We were still miles away as darkness set in. I called the park office to make arrangements for a late arrival. The friendly voice on the other end of the phone advised that we should try to arrive before the office closed because we would need assistance finding our campsite. The Girl from Google guided us along the two-lane roads and we arrived at 9:55, just in time. Using light from my iPhone, I followed the map, sharing the directions with Jim. We descend the narrow, winding road in the pitch-black night. Looking for the campground as the headlights illuminated the signs, we found number 23 and Jim backed the teardrop into the space.

 

Camp Palo Duro

Camp Palo Duro

No Starbucks, No Mocha.

Perfect Mocha Prohibition Sign
No Mocha, no Joy.

Jim, June 23:

Following directions from the Starbuck’s app, we got off the Interstate and wound our way through rush-hour traffic following each voice command in search of the magic elixir. We were led to a truck stop, but didn’t see the familiar green Starbuck’s sign. After circling the building, we decided to go in — maybe it was one of those internal Starbuck’s stores. There was no joy. No Starbuck’s, No mocha today.

Heading North with The Girl on Google

Marilyn, June 23:

Starbucks Lubbock Map

The Promise of Starbucks —

As we left Eldorado and headed north, Jim was looking forward to stopping in San Angelo for a Starbucks Mocha. It was his custom every afternoon to find happiness with a decaf, no whip, non fat Mocha. After checking with The Girl on Google,
we realized that our destination was at least four hours away. We by-passed San Angelo heading north postponing the Mocha stop until we reached Lubbock. As we approached the exit, I clicked the Starbucks app and passed along the directions to Jim. We exited and followed the Starbucks app.