theboondork's RV blog

have I made up my mind? Or am I losing my mind?

9/19/2019

Yesterday I wrote about the possibility of heading for Texas when I leave Colorado and then going to Arizona when and if Texas weather gets too cold for me, and the more I thought about it the more it sounded like a good idea.

I've been looking for a way to break out of the current rut I'm in of making a big circle almost every winter down through Arizona, up through New Mexico, and back to Colorado. This new plan would get me off that well-worn path and put me on some new roads, or at least roads I haven't been on for a while, before the rut gets so deep I can't see out and no longer realize I'm in a rut.

New roads bring new horizons, new challenges, and a sense of freedom, and I feel those things help keep me feeling young. Old familiar roads bring security, complacency, and a sense of belonging. Not necessarily bad things, but I don't believe their things that will help me feel young, in fact us old folks generally seek out those situations, and the next thing you know your playing shuffleboard, learning how to knit, making three doctors appointments a week, stocking up on Ensure, and joining the Metamucil of the month club.

When I left Padre island Texas which was December 2016, I had pretty much decided that because of the exceptionally bad weather during the three weeks I was camped on the beach, and all the rust on every bit of exposed metal on the Arctic Fox, the truck, and my motorcycle, I had pretty much made up my mind to never do that again. But time, along with my geezer recollections, has erased a lot of my memories of Padre island, not to mention where I parked my truck yesterday. So maybe if I could be there when the weather is better, and the storms aren't rolling in once or twice a week blowing salt and sand all over everything it might be a better experience for me. If not, then this time I'll get the heck off the beach and go somewhere else.

I haven't totally made up my mind that this is what I'm going to do, I might wake up tomorrow and decide to go to Florida. But at this particular moment I am leaning in the Texas direction.

theboondork

Fowers in the rain.

6 Comments

Barney Ward link

9/19/2019 03:51:21 pm

Don't worry, you will find out where when you wake up there. That happened to me one morning and I was in the wonderful paradise of Van Horn Texas when I looked out the window and saw the highway sign.

Tom

9/19/2019 04:22:56 pm

I've been through lovely Van Horn many times in the past, but now days when heading for Texas I usually take the shortcut to Carlsbad New Mexico down to Fort Stockton bypassing Van Horn and a lot of other desolate territory. It seems that West Texas cornered the market in desolate territory.

If I come to Texas I'll have to hang around New Mexico for a while to use up some parks pass. I figure if I hang around there during the Fall, and on the way back to somewhere else, I'll get my money's worth of free camping.

Tom

Larry Worsham

9/20/2019 06:32:52 am

Be wary of the roads in West Texas. The area around Pecos and Ft, Stockton have been destroyed by oil field truck traffic.

9/20/2019 08:07:31 am

Thanks for reminding me Larry. The last time I went to Texas in 2016 I was on Highway 285 I believe, going from Carlsbad to Pecos and every mile I kept telling myself, never come this way again. The road was beat up, potholed, and it seemed like about every hundred yards there was tire carcasses, and retreads laying in the road.

I knew it was oil country because I could see all the wells, and all the pumping stations near the highway but I didn't realize that's what caused the road to get in the condition it was. So thanks again for reminding me, you jogged my memory just enough to know that I will drive far out of my way to avoid that Highway.

Tom

9/21/2019 06:15:52 am

Living in Central Texas and traveling to the NW quite often we like traveling on 84 from Clovis NM. Oasis State Park near Clovis is a nice park and the area is near Ft. Sumner. There are several NM St. Parks that way.

9/21/2019 09:21:04 am

Thanks for that Larry. I've spent a fair amount of time on Highway 84 myself. When I was living in Florida and visiting Colorado I often used Interstate 20, and then heading north on 84 as one of the ways I got to Colorado, I thought it was a nice drive through Texas, and how can I ever forget rush-hour traffic in Muleshoe.

Since I buy a nonresident New Mexico annual pass every year I've stayed at most of the New Mexico parks and I believe my favorite is Elephant Butte state Park outside of Truth or Consequences New Mexico. It's a huge park and can become very crowded on occasions especially holidays, but there's plenty of boondocking which is free for me so I always end up spending some time there every year.

Tom

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have I made up my mind? Or am I losing my mind?

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