We had a fabulous time with Hanna, Ben and Ben’s mom. The shower was wonderful and just being able to hug Hanna was emotional and wonderful. We spent the evening catching up and it was good for my soul. We had run out of water and our HH did not have any so since we had to hook up and find a new place with water anyway we decided to head out early the next morning for New Mexico. The goal had been Santa Fe but we were both a bit road weary so we decided on heading to the closer location of Taos to see if inspiration took up further. On the way I did not have much luck finding a place to stay through HH. One place declined us and the other did not get back to us (the risk of planning as you go) but I found a few campgrounds in the Taos area so we thought that definitely had water so we decided to head there and see if they had any availability. Worst case, we find a parking lot or side of the road and hunker down (the advantage of dragging your house behind you). The weather was hot and dry – I was starting to grow a little weary of hot and dry 😊. It was an easy drive down to Taos and we even got to cross the Rio Grande! Kind of cool! New Mexico is definitely an interesting place. We passed a UFO tower which consisted of a metal tower in someone’s front yard with other alien paraphernalia, the Earthship Biotecture Community which we did not end up visiting but I was kind of interested in and living structures of all different shapes and sizes. Definitely no HOA out here. 😊
We got to the first campground and they had a spot for us for one night and after the long drive we were happy to take it. It was a nice campground right outside of Taos. We hooked up and after a short break decided to head out and see what there was do see. I wanted to check out the Rio Grande Gorge bridge which had a trail and some spectacular views. Then we headed out to see Taos. We were disappointed. It could be that we were both a little saturated on seeing things at this point or maybe it was just Taos but the town looked old and sad and did not inspire us to spend time there. We headed back to the camper to have dinner and decompress. We did a bit of research and what we saw of Santa Fe looking like a bit more of a larger, nicer but still highly touristy town so we decided to find a place towards the goal of Oklahoma. The map had a place about halfway to Jonathan’s sisters house in Oklahoma City called the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area near a town called Frick in the Texas Panhandle. It had a reservoir and free first come first served boondocking sites so we decided to do the 5 hour drive and check it out and overnight there.
The next morning dawned beautiful but there was a storm front coming in later that morning. We ended up having that storm front chase us all the way into Texas. Between construction on the roadways and the wind it took us more like 7 hours to get to our destination and that front was on our tails the entire way. I have to say, the people of Texas were super nice. We stopped in a small town to find a lunch and kick the fridge on. We were walking around this small town trying to find a place to eat (and it was HOT – 98 degrees). A man saw us walking around clearly looking for something and helped us find a nice local diner. Things like that happened throughout our stay in Texas. The storm front was definitely cool to watch. There was a distinctive line in the sky that you could watch bearing down on you. We did not want to have to drive through it though so it definitely kept us moving.
We arrived near the Recreation area and it took us an extra half an hour just to find the place. They definitely were not advertising it overly much. By the time we got there the sun was already starting to go down but we really liked it. It was a reservoir of water that was really beautiful against the red and brown valley of rocks. It was interesting to see all of that water when we had spent so much time the last two days with barely water in sight. We had the entire campground to ourselves which was both great and a little unsettling. There was no one around for miles. The wind had been crazy all day due to the storm front and being up on the canyon edge did not help. We set up, sat outside for a little bit and then headed in due to the wind. That night the storm caught up with us for real. The wind was howling making the camper shake and the rain came down in torrents. We were happily safe and snug in Sunny but it was definitely something. I was glad, yet again to not be in a tent. It was definitely on the warm side but at least we were dry.
The next morning dawned sunny, hot and still very windy but you would never have known that there was as deluge of rain the night before. Everything was bone dry. Kind of amazing. We had thought when we pulled in that we would just overnight but we decided that we wanted to explore the area a bit more so we made a decision to spend one more night here. We headed into town to grab some breakfast and check out the visitors center for a bit more information on the recreation area and the town. We found out that the recreation area itself was largely a boating area with a few hiking paths. Right nearby was the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument that we decided to go check out. It is astounding how many national parks, national monuments and state parks there are in this country. Once you start looking for them they seem to be around every corner. It was going to be another incredibly hot day so we decided that hiking was not really going to be a thing outside of small trails here and there. The Flint Quarries visitor center was an Adobe structure that had information on the indigenous people of the area and the unique flint that was mined and traded there. The flint was known for its rainbow colors and the sharpness of the shards. It was interesting to learn about. We asked the park ranger if where we could go in the area to check out the flint mines and he said “This is your land. You can go wherever you want. Avoid going through any locked gates because they may be private property and know that you are on your own out there but otherwise you can go anywhere.” This gave me pause for a minute. It struck me as both a totally Texas point of view but he was also right. These national parks and monuments are “ours” and the idea that we would be restricted from them is against that idea. Also the comment about being on your own out there definitely was something we encountered out in the West. There was a lot less hand holding out here in the form of Warning signs, railings and prohibitions. You can do whatever you want but do not expect anyone to save you. The thinking was definitely a departure from the Northeast where I feel like we are a bit more “corralled” should I say. I cannot say that I was against it.
We spent the late morning and afternoon exploring the Alibates and the Lake Meredith areas. Once it got to hot to be out and about we retreated to our lovely camper, did some swimming in the reservoir, reading and just relaxed. Although hot (we were boondocking so no AC) it was a really relaxing day. The wind rocked us to sleep that night and the next day we packed up and headed on out to Oklahoma City. The ride was, thankfully, an easy one. We even spent a brief time on Route 66! We arrived in Oklahoma City on time and no worse for wear. We were not sure that we knew how to behave in civilization anymore. We had spent so much time out in the remote the past few weeks. We were very much looking forward to parking and staying for a few days with the luxury of real showers, water on demand and laundry. Jonathan’s sister Jessica and her husband Paul welcomed us wonderfully. We got to hook the camper up to the house which was blissful because the heat followed us here. The next two days or so were going to be over 100 degrees! We had a wonderful dinner and sat and talked and did not worry about next steps or anything. We have been here for two days and we went to a wonderful restaurant called Vast in the highest tower in OKC and walked around the city. OKC is actually architecturally really interesting and they have a very cool botanical garden and some beautiful parks. We visited the site of the Oklahoma bombing which was beautiful and solumn and we visited the Oklahoma City Museum of Art which happened to have a Chihuly exhibit (who I love). We went home and played cards and talked into the evening. It was strange and wonderful to spend such a cosmopolitan day. Today is errands and I am cooking our hosts dinner. We are going to the symphony tonight – can you imagine? I am actually putting on a dress! We are planning on heading out again on Sunday (tomorrow) but we are not sure where yet.
This stop truly feels like the turning point East and back home. We both have a lot of conflicted feelings about it. The rest and change here has really helped us get re-energized to get back on the road and see things. We will resist the urge to head straight home and remember to enjoy the road and keep the trip about what we see and experience on the way. There is more adventure yet to come and we hope you continue to travel with us. My only ask of the universe is that the temperature outside cools down. I am ready for fall weather (actually today is the first day of fall so happy fall everyone!).
← Episode 12: The ups and downs of Colorado
Episode 14: The Ozarks →
