Escaping Texas

It was it to get out of the heat and looking at the storms in north Texas I knew it was going to be quite a drive. I left late from South Padre and started my trek north, but first I stop at a DXL store in Brownsville to get some more shorts. Then off I went with Roxy sleeping soundly we drove for about 5 hours till I hit Jourdanton south of San Antonio and had it. I was supposed to stay at Garner State Park, but had it and need a good shower and to wash my cloths. So off to a La Quinta Inn for a night stay. One good thing about the stop was Restaurante Chile Bandera a great Mexican place where I had a great meal. So if your ever in Jourdanton stop in.

We started early the next mourning so we would miss the storms and headed to Abilene State Park.

Abilene State Park

Abilene State Park and the groves of oak, elm, and pecan trees, sit along Elm Creek and Lake Abilene. I found the park was developed in several stages—fall of 1933 through September 1934 and then June-September 1935–by two distinct CCC companies–one a mixed-race unit of World War I veterans, the other an all-black veterans’ group. Pool building built by Company No. 1823 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from native sandstone in 1933 and is really a neat building. I spent the next mourning checking it out. The stone work was amazing.

This park is nothing like the CCC parks in Pennsylvania. The sites were really cool driving down tree lined roads and my site was tucked in a secluded section. At night I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of owls hooting and a gentle rain fall. The storms did not get down this far.

I started off walking the short trail from my site to the hub of the park where the Pool building is located. From what I was told by the ranger this is the main draw of the park, all original CCC constructed buildings with exception of the swimming pool which was just renovated. I really enjoyed the architecture and the walk there and back was shaded and cool in the morning.

I got a late start from the park due to some exploring and again headed north to Caprock Canyons.

Caprock Canyons State Park

I arrived at the park around 3:30 and was checked in, during that process the ranger told me where the storm shelter was, since they were expecting high winds and thunderstorms. Great, my site was on the rim of the main canyon, while great made me nervous

Driving to my site I saw a heard of bison. Apparently, bison roam freely throughout the park, and I was told they are accustomed to being around people, they are still wild animals and stay at least 50 yds away from them. All around the park, I could see piles of evidence left by the bison that showed me they truly do roam freely throughout the park.

That night the storms rolled through and the gusts were up to 60 mph. Really made the RV rock and roll and I got a little nervous when the flashes of lightning lit up the camper. We made it through the night although Roxy stayed under the covers.

After an early break down of camp I was ready for a long drive to Trinidad Lake State in Colorado to get out of the heat and humidity finally. Its time to get out of Texas.

On the way out as I rounded a corner, I saw what appeared to be a herd of lounging bison, right on the road, where I needed to go. Caprock Canyons State Park is home to the official state Texas bison herd, and they were in my way.

Escape and the storm

During the time driving the RV I have found that it drives much differently than my Terrain. One of the reasons for this is that it’s a rear-wheel drive and acts like a big sail. I have been told It’s best to drive slowly when driving through a rainstorm to prevent slipping and sliding on the road.

So armed with this knowledge I headed off. After a quick thunderstorm in the morning the afternoon sky turned bright and started to heat up. From my time living in Kansas, I know this is a bad omen and around 3 pm I started seeing the clouds form in the west. The pan handle is flat and you can see these monster storms coming. After getting off the phone with my brother at a rest stop the storm hit. First there was the wave of dust and high winds, my RV actually was pushed from the right-hand lane to the left by a gust of winds. I slowed down to about 30 mph and the storm hit. The lightning was all around me and the rain was coming so hard I was at on time going 5 mph. Damn I never want to go through something like that again.

You know I really need a weather radio.

Trinidad Lake State Park

The storm stopped when I got to the New Mexico boarder and after short way I finally made it to Colorado. I arrived at Trinidad around 7 pm and got set up for a short stay. The park sits above the lake and I had a great view.

Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains Sangre De Cristo Range at an elevation of 6,200 ft. on the Purgatoire River, and bordered by the historic Santa Fe Trail. Trinidad Lake is a multipurpose project for flood control, irrigation and recreation, authorized by the 1958 Flood Control Act. The dam protects the city of Trinidad, Colo., from flood waters and sediment, and holds irrigation water for the Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District.

If I had some more time I would have loved to go down to the lake and do some fishing. The lake is stocked annually with rainbow trout and offers largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, and walleye. But I needed to get a fishing license and was leaving at 10 am.

On the way out I stopped at Bob & Earl’s Cafe for one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long and highly recommend it.

Next Colorado