Day 2 -- Texas to Wyoming

June 20, 2014

We woke bright and early at six o’clock in the morning, in the Wal-mart parking lot in Childress, TX.  The sun had just began to peek over the horizon. We purchased a roast beef deli sandwich to split for breakfast.

   

In Hedley, TX, we spotted the first bison of the trip, albeit livestock.  Still, a break in the West Texas horizon.

 At 11:32, we entered New Mexico.  This is also the At 7:30, we stopped in a roadside park near Claude, TX to start the pork tenderloin in the crockpot.  We added seasoning, potatoes and a few of our dehydrated peppers.  Inside the trunk, Jason has constructed a plywood box to hold our crockpot in place and allow us to pack around the handy appliance.  

An hour later, we reached Amarillo, TX.  We re-filled at the Flying J at 3.39 per gallon. time line between central and mountain time, so it instantly became 10:32.

 Fifteen minutes into New Mexico, we passed through an interesting little town called Clayton.  Downtown Clayton had several older buildings, giving the town an original ambiance.   There were several sculptures, but the most impressive metal dragon curled in the front of one store front. As we were leaving town, Jason spotted a field filled with alpacas.

 New Mexico was the bright yellow color of dried grass, with shanty towns dotting the landscape.  Signs of a still present civilization were few and far between.  At 10:55, Jason spotted the first antelope.  We quickly started taking turns spotting one or groups of many for the rest of the day.  This game put off the inevitable boredom from the mostly flat treeless landscape.

We stopped to eat sandwiches for lunch at a rest area.  The water filter had loosened itself in the ninety degree temperatures and we had to clean up some water on the floor.   After tightening the issue, we grabbed bread and quickly got back on the road, hoping to each lunch on the way.  However, the heat had also molded my homemade bread.   And as our bellies rumbled, we were cursing the deserted desert landscape.

    At 12:34, we entered Colorado.  In an instant, the flat desolate landscape was filled with mountains and trees. 

At 12:52, we filled up at a Safeway in Trinidad, Co. for $3.69 a gallon.  Jason bought a loaf of bread and we satisfied our grumbling stomachs with much anticipated sandwiches. 

  

 

We began to hit traffic in Colorado Springs that would only continue as we entered Denver just in time for the 5 o’clock rush hour.  It was a miserable experience with the camper in bumper to bumper slowdowns.

  

In Carr, Co, there was a large black buffalo cut-out on top of a ridge, overlooking the road.  This would be the first of these cut-outs of various animals across the West. 

Soon after we crossed into Wyoming, Jason pointed out a field of unusual livestock.  A dozen camels dotted the pasture.

At 7:45, we stopped at a roadside park to eat our pork tenderloin and potatoes.  I don’t think we could have asked for a better dinner.  We had a nice picnic shelter and available water to wash the dishes afterward. 

Pinks and purple clouds scattered across the sky as the sun set over the hilly prairie of Wyoming around 8:48 that evening. 

We settled into a city park for the evening in Douglas, WY.  They provide a nice free park for camping traffic needing a place to overnight.  While we didn’t have electricity hook-ups, we had free showers and a quiet spot for sleeping.