The 2006 Travels of Richard n Shirley

We are waiting on the mail which should be here today for sure. This is day three. Should the mail arrive, we will be going to Three Rivers,NM which is north of Almogordo, NM. We will dump and get water in Artesia, NM vs here at The Ranch. We can dump here but not get water. The well nitrate level is 3.4 times the state/EPA allowable.

We will go down the mountain at Cloudcroft, NM to Almagordo, NM. Its not to steep we are told. I will unhook the car so its not pushing me. Its been a hot one here. The weatherbug said it was 108 yesterday. We are seeking places to see and a higher elevation for cooler weather.

We have posted pics of the lots here. Some of them are really nice. Go to our pictures and see for yourself. We will be posting some more shortly. Gas in Artesia, NM was 2.79 yesterday.

Well, DW didn't want to move today. The mail did arrive, and we got the needed CC that we needed and the one sent to the wrong address too. We also got the other cards that we had renewed, so all is good. But we are still here.

Temp: 71
Temp: 112 on our window IN THE SHADE
Milage: 217
Gas: 306 miles @ $148.00 @ $2.79.9

There are lots of bunnies here to watch. Our cat must spend most of the night watching them out the window as he sleeps most of the day.

During the evening, we open the door, latch the screen, for him to look out. He seems to just enjoy this. He spends hours siting on the last step looking out.










Here is a close-up of a bunny. He watched me and just stood still so I could get his picture.












The bus stop down from the entrance. If you wait to long, you to will get dry from the low humidity and shrivel up like this poor soul.

We arrived here about 11:30 am and got settled in at space 32. We got our SKP hug and a very nice welcome. The office is just right in size and heart. We were welcomed with a ringing of the bell and the SKP hug. The managers escorted us to our spot and made sure we were settled in. Best welcome we have ever had at any campground or park.

I hope to meet Elizabeth while we are here. Shhhhh dont tell her we are here just yet.




This is the entrance to The Ranch. Reminds me of entering a ranch. There is the usual cattle guard and stop sign and welcome sign. We will be at the 4 o'clock "happy hour" meet and see the residents. Since this is Thursday, we will stay here till Monday. Since we are going to a tourist area, its best the we not arrive on a weekend.







A point of interest is the Boot Hill. Not sure what the story that "lies" behind this but I'm sure going to ask and pass on whom "lies" here.
Of course, I'll embellish on it.










Our space. Very nicely done. We are guests parked in a lease holders space while they are away. We did walk on down the drive and there are some very nice spaces here. We will post some shots of them for all you readers to see. if you are an SKP, stop by here. Best over night stop you will find.

We did go out to eat with the SKP's here and had a good time in Artesia, NM

There are lots of rabbits here in the park.

Miles: 112
Temp: 100

Most of town is like this. There are some occupied buildings but very few.




Well, here it is. We drove 138 miles from Lovington, NM to see what the farm looked like today. Back about 80 years ago, the farm grew cantelopes. The soil here is sand. And sand will grow about anything. But it takes water too. Since the rainfall is very low, the water was channeled from the Pecos river. We saw lots of the old irregation channels that were used to move water from field to field over many miles. Today its oil and gas. On down the road is a large natural gas facility. This is a picture of the land. Not much of a farm any more. Its been in the family since the 1900's.



The last pic of Barstow today. This is an old bank building. The sign you see denotes this as a state historic site.

This is the RV park we are staying for a couple of days. Its owned by the Escapees RV Club that we are members. This is our first park to visit since we bagain this life of leisure. We are down the row on the right with full hookups.







We are in the desert town of Pecos, TX. We got here about 11 am. If you have been keeping up with us you know we had a stop to make before getting here. We went to the Ward County Appraisal district office and got directions to the property and then to the county clerk to get a copy of the deed. We drove down TX115 to Pyote and parked the RV at a nearby rest stop. When we returned we drove to Pecos to the Escapee park for a couple of days. We are paying for the first time this month at $12.50/day.



This is a photo of the office and entrance. As you can see the yard is gravel, its to dry for grass.

Since its going to be mid 90's tomorrow and then 100 thru the weekend, its better and cheaper to pay than run the genset.
At $2.75.9 per gallon in the tank, and the genset uses $2.75.9 per hour, its a no brainer. And we can use our washer vs pay for someone elses.
We will go look at the 15 acres north of Barstow and see what is left of the Burke, my grandmother, family farm. I do expect to see no farm operation but desert. Oh, kids, there is no oil there. I'm spending your inheritance as we speak.



We are parked next to our cabana. Why are we so close? the electrical, water and dump are in the middle for another RV going the other way.


There will be photos of whatever and more tomorrow when we get back. In the mean time,





Milage: 66
temp: 86
GPS: N31 deg 23.498, W103 deg 30.581



And last is the vehicle wash area. It has a dump, concrete wash pad and non-potable water. Just bring your own hose, soap and nozzle and have at it.

The water tower in Wink, TX. As you can see we had cloudy and cool weather. In fact it rained some which made it nice and cool We are across the street in the "park" for the night.









Here is the park and parking spot. Its along side TX115. We will find out how quite this is tonight. The electrical boxes are shown but not in a closeup. There are 4 post with 6, 30 amp boxes and 20 amp on the end posts. But there is only four backin spaces for 6, 30 amp plugs.








The sign says it all, Free for 48 hours. Register at the city offices across the street during normal business hours. The police station is there too. Hope this is quite and safe.










A photo looking at the parking area with the electrical boxes. Yep, they are in the parking lot. Dont, knock them over. We were told there was water but we never did see any faucets. They have a sprinkler system here but no visible water outlets.

We did drive around to see the town.
we found a small museum and library. Across the street was a sign saying this, a vacant lot, was the original home site of Roy Orbison. For you whom ask who is Roy Orbison, Just two words, "PRETTY WOMAN".

Tomorrow its on to Monahans and the court house there and then to Pecos and the Escapee RV park and the court house there. We are on a search for the family farm.

Milage: 28
GPS of park N31 deg 45.463', W103 deg 09.321'

A happy Mothers Day to all you mothers.

During the night the wind came up and it did blow. We got up this morning and put the living room slide in to keep from tearing the slide awning. One of our class mates, had to replace their slide awnings and it cost time and money. We just spent 17 days in the body shop and dont want to do that again anytime soon.

The Saturday party at the lake is over and the place is about deserted. Its us and sometimes somebody else. Right now its us, a class c and a picnic family. The wind is still blowing but its down some, 15 with gusts to 24. The temp at 1 pm is 92 with a forecast high of 85. Hummmm, seems it will be a hot one again.

We have CBS on channel 7 from Odessa and its golf time from the Byron Nelson. Then at 7pm its Survivor time for two hours. DW will record her housewives and Greys anatomy on ABC starting at 8 pm.

Have a good weekend and we're off to Wink tomorrow. Its golf time.