June 25 - June 27
Saturday we arose early to head to Amarillo, TX. We chose to go I-635 to I-35, through Denton and then through Decatur to Hwy 287. We stopped for a quick shopping trip through Camping World, then the usual for fuel and restrooms. At one stop, the temperature on the truck's outside thermometer said 113 degrees! The closer we got to Amarillo, the drier the vegetation looked. It was obvious they were in a severe drought condition. We arrived in Amarillo about 6:15PM, in time to visit family and eat dinner.
Sunday we again hit the road early, for the longest stretch of the trip. This part of the trip was challenging in that we had a significant headwind, as well as rolling terrain. We had to fuel more often, and at one point give the engine a quick rest as temps were getting a little high for comfort.
When we got to Cline's Corners, we decided to go a different route than we have in the past. Normally we head into Albuquerque, then head northwest. instead, we turned at Cline's Corners toward Santa Fe, and then on to Albuquerque on I-25. According to the GPS it is slightly longer, but we enjoyed the change of scenery, the break from the headwind, and the less stressful drive (bypassing Albuquerque). This will become our route of choice for the future!
The scenery through New Mexico is always amazing to me. So many colors and interesting formations. In some areas, it is also interesting to see very little evidence of man's impact. I wonder if the fact that there are still a number of Indian Reservations in the area have something to do with that. It's refreshing to see, especially growing up and living in a big city all my life.
We arrived in Durango about 5:30PM Mountain time. Got in our spot and set up, ate dinner and relaxed. About 7PM, the sun gets behind the mountain range, and the temps cool quickly, into the low 70s, making for a very pleasant evening to sit outside. The Animas River is just 50 feet from our trailer, and sitting outside we can hear the water rushing by. We could also hear hummingbirds! Lots of folks have feeders, and one hummingbird was making a high-pitched fluttering chirp as he flew around the park. We also went for a walk around the park and saw a North Trail, and a Big Horn. Didn't see their people, but hope to visit sometime with them.
Monday was "go to town" day. We went to downtown Durango and explored the shops, visited the railroad depot, and ate. I'm on a quest for a key rack with an elk on it for the trailer, so looked at many shops with mountain/western decor. When we headed back, we stopped at the James Ranch located on the Animas River. They sell their own grass-fed beef, eggs, pork, and cheese, as well as their own organically grown vegetables. We picked up some steaks, ground beef and eggs for our stay here. After some relaxation at the park, we decided to finish grocery shopping at the Organic Market just at the edge of town. We got some fresh bacon cheddar burgers to cook... which were amazing!! Tony cooked on the grill and we enjoyed them, eating outside on the picnic table.
No comments:
Post a Comment