Big Spring to Pook & Diesel

8:30 a.m. - pulled out of Whip In RV Park. Temperature: 54 degrees. Cloudy. Wind: 10-15 mph. Route: I-20 > Exit 340 > Dublin > Texas Hwy. 6 > Midway COE Campground. ETA: 3:00ish.

8:57 a.m. - Colorado Lake State Park. Lake was so small I almost missed it. Did miss taking it's picture.

This area is looking more like where we both grew up: grass, trees, rolling terrain, mesquite trees. plowed fields. pasture land, cows and horses, kind of red dirt (Don), cedars, freshly plowed gardens, pine trees (Don's fav).

9:07 a.m. - Don's Trooper sighting (TS): 4 since we left park.

Little bitty drops of water. didn't last long.

Generating windmills everywhere. Not a good sign. Must be windy here a lot. Both sides of the road.

9:20 a.m. - Stopped for gas @ 235 Travel Stop. easy off, easy access, easy on. $3.25/gal.

Oil pumps still dotting the landscape. I'm disappointed: it's too early for the Texas Bluebonnets, here.

Notice flags in Sweetwater. It's still windy today, but not as bad as yesterday. Present temperature: 51 - 53 degrees.

TS-5

My goodness, there are miles and miles of electricity generating windmills.

Noodle Dome Rd? Makes you wonder how some of these things got their name.

What's that I smell?

If anyone asks you, the little town of Merkel is just west of Abilene.

If we had a piece of land in Texas with a hill by the highway, this is what I'd do. These are those metal cut-outs that you see at flea markets and specialty shops. This was touching scene of a cowboy kneeling by the cross with his horse standing by. Speaks volumes. If I'm ever headed west on I-20 between Tye & Merkel, I will stop and get a better picture of this.

Tye, Texas

10:10 a.m. - Abilene. Nice size town. Don almost moved here once; Pepsi wanted him to manager their plant here. ooops. Big detour.

Back on I-20.

Elmdale (don't blink)

Rest area for cereal. Red bud tree in bloom

10:45 a.m. - Back on Road.

Clyde (Don's daddy's name), White's RV Park here. Whataburger sighting in Clyde.

Baird, Texas

North side of Texas Hill Country. Very pretty.

Yeah!!! I saw some bluebonnets along the road, but not in this picture. This is more pretty hill country.

Putnam, Texas

Motorcoach pulling a helicopter! We're going to travel with them! Wondering how they got it on that trailer... landed it? I LOVE traveling with camera and laptop. This was really fun to see and record and now I will remember it.

Notice the bottom right corner of this self-pic. Can you guess how that got there? Pretty cool, huh? Couldn't do it again if I tried.

TS 6 (that's code for 'trooper sighting #6')

Cisco, Tx. Someone is raising llamas here. It's pretty through here. We love the hill country. Pink buttercups blooming on in the median.

11:28 a.m. exit 340 to Hwy 6. 84 miles to Pook & Diesel!!

We love seeing the ponds of water along the way in the pastures of green grass. Carbon, Texas.. don't blink. Excuse the antenna in the middle of this picture. You may notice that I obsess about a few things: trees (dead or alive), flowers, bodies of water, & horses. (oh, and I forgot... roads.)

Plum thickets are blooming. Nice two lane highway. Contented cows. Hmmm, this place is for sale.

Prickly pear cactus???? (shudder)

Pretty mini lake. Preventive burning and it helps the new growth. Lots of animals: goats, donkeys, hogs, cows, horses. Love it.

Gorman, Texas Home of the peanut capital. Temperature: 58

Comanche, Texas (some where, missed the town, but saw the sign)

Little white chapel. Pecan and peach orchards abound here.

DeLeon, Texas (home of Morris & Carol Pruitt and The Peach & Melon Festival). This is just out of DeLeon and it has trees (dead & alive), water, cows & horses. Jackpot!

ooooooo saw beautiful purple & white irises! my fav! Mistletoe hanging in the trees.

Dublin,Texas The red buds are blooming in Texas! 12:15 p.m. - stopped for gas. $3.19.9/gal. Dublin is an old town.

I must be happy to be in Texas... I'm taking LOTS of pictures. It's so green and pretty. And I've seen two cardinals.

Game preserve! There are prong horns and deer in this picture, but hard to see.

Clairette, Tx; Bosque River; Hico, Tx - famous for Billy the Kid legend and Wiseman CHOCOLATE (and there was no place for us to park! :-(() A mural painted on the wall of a building in Hico. Wish I could have gotten the whole mural.

Bluebonnets! and Indian Paint Brushes. Horses at Hico... guess that makes them Hico Horses.

Don says "no wind, very pleasant drive today." He's just tired of being in the truck.

Iredell, Tx

A mansion on the hill... hope they have one in heaven, too. The big gate at the entrance said, "Mosley Ranch."

Meridian, Tx

Missed a photo opp while texting Les... Longhorn cattle.

Clifton, Tx. - Stopped at Brookshire's Grocery and bought fried chicken for lunch. Ate in the Savannah. Darlene called while we were in the store. They were stopped at the same rest area we stopped at Tuesday, just a few miles from the NM border. Sure was good to hear her voice.

2:00 p.m. - back on Hwy 6 toward P & D. Talking to Darlene made me want to hear Snookie's voice, so I just called her when we got back in the truck. She didn't recognize my voice (sigh) until she her Don laugh... then she knew it was me. They are still at Beaudry's in Chandler getting the wheels packed, etc. They plan to head for California in the morning. God's speed, Good Friends!

Valley Mills, Tx This is a champion performance horse ranch. The ranch house was beautiful. Tophand Cowboy Church in the white tent at this ranch and roping arena. The sun is shining through the haze.

2:20 p.m. - Our home for 2 weeks, Lake Waco, Midway Park. There's the lake!!

Got all set up, except DirecTV cable isn't long enough AND there is NO internet service here. Let's move! No TV and no internet, should be a pleasant two wee

5:00 p.m. - Going to Leslie's house to see her, Pook & Diesel!! Ck u later!

YEAH! POOK and DIESEL and LESLIE!

Pook was out in the neighbor's front yard playing with 'the girls'... neighbors grandkids, when we arrived. She ran to her front door, opened it and yelled, "They're here!" and then ran just as hard as she could down the sidewalk to me. Camden said, "Hi!"

Leslie (and her wonderful mother-in-law) have been working so hard to get the house ready to sell, along with her 8 to 5 j-o-b and taking care of two small children. I think she's happy we're here. I could just eat Camden "Diesel" aka "CamDiesel" up! He's grown so much and is walking everywhere. LOVES his mama. She's dealing with his separation anxiety at this stage, which probably has a lot to do with his daddy being in a different location. Emma "Pook" is such a happy girl, dancing and chattering like a little magpie. LOVES outdoors, like her Nonna. We went to Double Dave's Pizza for dinner. (The Double D brand is for Dave & Darlene) Yes, that's cottage cheese and chopped boiled eggs in her plate. She ate pizza, also.

Diesel loves his food!

Got his little cheeks stuffed full. When we got back to the house, it's bath time and bed time for Diesel. Pook got to stay up a little longer to play with the camera. She loves taking pictures. Wonder who she got that from? Here's her Webkinz, etc.And Papa Doppy. And Nonna. And her mommy. She does a really good job for a four year old. OK, Pook, it's time for bed, so my sweet Emma brushes her teeth and gives everyone nite-nite kisses with gobs of "I love you's" all around. We sure are enjoying being here with our family. Hopefully, we will be able to help out a little as Leslie certainly has her plate full.

Aren't you glad the travel log is finished for a while? :-))

Sunday's Coming

Sunday's Coming was sent out via email on Wednesday, but I haven't had a chance to post it to Count It All Joy until today. It's short and sweet because we were on the rode.


Blessings from Above to all.

The Sutton's Report from Benson, AZ

Got this email from Dave & Darlene and thought our Quail Run friends would love to hear from them.

"Hello: A short update on the Sutton's.

We got the bearings packed, new seals all around and the brakes adjusted by a couple of very nice guys who were helpful and very efficient. I was very pleased with the quality and the professional way they did the job. Then we went to Tucson and took our friends out to lunch and went back and visited a while.

The Tombstone trip yesterday was a hoot. Had a very nice time. Will send a couple pics along to show some of the action.
Will leave in the morning and go to El Paso. Might stay if we find something to do, if not on to San Antonio.

Hope everyone is having a good trip.   

D & D."

Praying the wind is calm for ya'll.  I'm sure El Paso has some places of interest when you get off I-10. 

HAVE FUN AND BE CAREFUL.  LOVE THE PICTURES!  KEEP SHARING.

Las Cruces, NM to Big Spring, TX

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANCY! Hope you are having a wonderful day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LaDONNA! Hope Bob takes you to dinner and showers you with presents! (Good friend back in Oklahoma)

[Disclaimer: Let me alert you right up front that this posting mostly for me and will probably not be entertaining to anyone else but me.  It's also a log of our road time... just something to keep me busy.  I suggest skimming.]

Up at 6:00 a.m. after a good night's rest. Packed up and on the road at 7:50 a.m.  It's a beautiful day with a few very high clouds. Lots of doves in the RV park where we spent the night.  Only a slight breeze... nothing like yesterday, yet.  Forecast said 10-20 mph wind today.

There are a bunch of dairies east of Las Cruces, but they sure don't smell as bad as the ones in Arizona. These are all on a slant so the water drains down into a hay field... good thinking on someone's part. The milk mamas are enjoying breakfast.  Must be the bosses house.Welcome to Texas. We're finally in a state that is in Leslie's cell phone plane!  Not to mention that this is my home state... born and raised. 

8:20 a.m. - arrived to El Paso.  There's Old Mexico across the Rio Grande River (where trees are).   Traffic is slightly slow.   This is just not a very pretty drive thru EP.

8:34 a.m. - policeman is weaving back and forth in the traffic ahead of us to slow it down. Looks like some one lost something off their pick-up ahead of us.

8:36 a.m traffic stopped. 

8:37 a.m. traffic is moving again.

Quality of air is horrendous in EP.  I didn't realize I was taking a picture of a carnival.. I was looking at the brown smog in the back ground.

Whataburger sighting: picture was too blurry to post.(for Khalil)

8:50 a.m. - goodbye El Paso.  That only took 30 minutes.

Part of the Psalm that I read to Don as we are driving: Ps.137:5-6

5  "If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
      let my right hand forget how to play the harp.
6  May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
      if I fail to remember you,
      if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy."

.... and some people wonder why the United States is allies with Israel, so far.  Obviously, King David understood that it was IMPORTANT TO GOD.

Don called Stephanie to see how they are faring in the bad weather in Oklahoma.  A small tornado went by their house about a mile away, sirens went off, but it never touched the ground.  LOGAN STORY:  Our five year old natural-born athlete is playing T-ball again this season... different from last year when every player batted every inning if they didn't get out.  This year the inning is 3 outs or 7 runs, whichever comes first. The other day at his game, he was playing first base when the guy at bat hit the ball.  One of Logan's team mates got the ball and threw it to Logan on first base, he caught it, before the runner got there. Midway to first base, the runner saw he was out and walked back to his dugout.  Logan looked at his coach and said, "what's he doing?"  Coach said, "You got him out!"  Steph said you could see the 'wheels turning' and then it registered with him how the out had happened and he pumped both arms and said "YESSS."  <pic of Logan from facebook> He was very focused from then on.  We can't wait to get to Bixby, OK to watch him play.... so competitive.  You know, every good player slides into home.

 

Water!

Speed limit is now 80 mph.  Not us, thank you.

The troopers sure are active this morning. They decided in their meeting this morning to blitz I-10 because we have seen a bunch of them.

The Rio Grande valley is rather pretty with it's fields and orchards. And the mountains..  I think that's the Van Horn Mountains or maybe the Sierra Blancas, ahead of us that we'll have to climb. 

Watch for a black deer jumping!  Would love to see a deer or two out there. 

10:03 - freeway closed ahead.  uh oh.  "all traffic must stop  when lights are flashing." And it was flashing. U.S. Border Patrol check.  They waved us on through.

A half a tank later, we're on top of the mountain.  Don: "Yeah, I passed somebody!"

Sierra Blanca, Texas. The scenery is pretty along here, if it wasn't so windy, we could enjoy it more, but Snookie would definitely be sick in this rocking "boat."  

 

Are you kidding me? Road is now flat for a ways at MM 109. So decided I would play spider solitaire.  See my reflection?

It's really windy and there's dust ahead.

Oh, there's a wooden windmill!  My mama loves windmills and windmill pictures. 

 

11:33 a.m. - temperature: 64. Climbing long mountains in the wind. Descending long mountains in the wind.  Trucks blowing by almost sucking us off the road. Rocking. Rocking.

11:39 a.m. - entered Central Time Zone. Motor home in front of us is really fighting the wind and the trucks passing him.  So are we.  And it's not a tail wind!  Don will be tired tonight.  There's a little fixer-upper:  

11:45 a.m. stopped at Pilot for gas - $3.19.9/gal.  Whew. It's good to stop for a bit.  See how this lady's hair is blowing as she tries to pump gas? 11:58 a.m. - back on I-10. "Right lane closed ahead." Just across the bridge is all.  Rest area is open.

12:18 p.m. - long steady climb & wind = 3.5-4 RPMS... we can see the gas gauge moving!

12:40 p.m. - 5 miles from I-20 junction. Only one radio station on the local.  Temperature: 55 degrees! Count it all joy.

12:45 p.m. - now on I-20... new route for us. and we're driving into the wind. I hear a guzzling sound, but it's better than the crosswinds.  Road is rough in places.  My stomach is beginning to talk to me.  Goodness!  Where did the mountains go?   Kind of flat.. a relief from the mountains, but still windy.  Solitaire time.

1:25 p.m. - Pecos, Texas. First time we've ever been here.  We haven't missed much.  There's a state prison here. And we saw DQ signs back down the road. A golf course.

2:11 p.m. - temperature 65 - dusty low haze - finished with lunch at the Flyin' J and back on the road.  ETA Whip In RV Park, Big Spring, Texas 4:31 p.m. These were cool paintings on the exit slopes. 

There are oil pumps 'planted' everywhere out here.  And almost all of them are pumping. I took pictures, but we've all see oil pumps. Back to my spider solitaire game.

2:53 p.m. - Monahans Sandhills State Park ... just about as exciting as it gets around here.

3:35 p.m. - rolled into gas station in Odessa on fumes.   $3.25.9/gal - 24.44 gallons - tank holds 25 gallons.  Thank You, Lord.  Temperature - 67. 57 miles to Big Spring. This is mesquite tree country. Took a picture, but we've all seen mesquite trees.

4:24 p.m. - a long row of big white windmills on the north side of the highway.  25 miles to Big Spring.  We're tired fighting this wind. And I need to go to the ladies room. Count it all joy, LaVon

You're going to hate to hear this, but the battery on my camera is almost gone and the replacement is in the 'house' behind us and we ain't stoppin' 'til we get to Whip In RV Park.

Back a ways, I talked to Mama on the phone and she's piecing a quilt top. She got to go to church Sunday for the first time in four weeks, since she got sick.  She sure would love to hear from some more of her grandchildren. hint.hint.  She said she would give a quilt top to any of the relatives who comes to see her.  Tammy said, "that's a bribe."  Mama said, "no, just giving away quilt tops and if you want one, you have to come get it, but you can call it whatever you want to call it."  Sounds like a good deal to me.  I'm going to see her in about two weeks and I'm related!

Arrived at Whip In RV Park safe and sound, Thank You, Jesus!  Didn't take long to set up and we are going to rest.  I did walk around and take this picture.  Someone tell me what kind of pick-up this is...

Made some fresh guacamole and ate light for dinner.

My brother, Jon DeRusha, called from Guam.  Was wonderful to hear his voice.  He was very grateful for the prayers of everyone while he was so sick a few weeks back.  He will be back in the states around the end of April.

Lights out! God bless everyone.