Rain from AZ to AL

Warning….boring post. (Just wanting to document this extremely difficult trip for future reference.)

We stay three nights at the Escapees Dream Catcher park in Deming…did I already say that?  Our time in New Mexico seems so long ago but it has been only 9 days!
One of the highlights of our stay is meeting a fellow blogger, Susan, of the Travel Bug.  It’s a brief encounter but it’s great fun to run across someone with so many shared interests! Our paths will cross again.
Leaving Deming we are perplexed about the route back east.  There is a great rain event coming and I can’t decide whether to go through Dallas or San Antonio.  We head east on I-20 and land in Pecos, TX at the Escapees park, Tra-Park.

 

Their dry camping spot is just outside of the office.  If the photo looks desolate, it is a dismal, bleak place.  But we are in west Texas.
It’s raining the next morning.  Nothing significant, just light rain.  We decide to take I-10 as the bad weather seems worse on I-20.
It’s around 200 miles to Sonora where there’s a little RV park at Caverns of Sonora.  It’s a quaint place but we have an electric hookup…our first in several weeks!  We decide against the cave tour as it will take several hours and it’s 20 bucks.  Maybe next year?

The truck and trailer are soaked from the rain and we give them both a good rubdown.
Another day of traveling in the rain deposits us in Boerne, Texas. (Say Burney, rhymes with Barney.)  We locate the Walmart and park in a nice quiet spot close to a Visitor Center. It’s a short travel day…due to the rain we drive less than 150 miles!  I manage to have fun by getting my hair cut and shopping. Forgot to take a photo of our great spot.
The next day we have a huge obstacle in our path…it’s called Houston! It is like a nightmare to drive through this town and I worry that the rain will stress me over the edge. But the rain has slowed and the sun is shining.  And I see clusters of blue growing along the freeway.  I believe it is bluebonnets!
Later I get it confirmed…they are bluebonnets!  My first sighting of the famous Texas flower.
The traffic in Houston is bad but not as bad as the last trip when we hit the city during rush hour.
We stop for the night at the Isle of Capri casino in Lake Charles, LA. Not sure if it is the anticipation of the good food or the great shower but both are appreciated!

I’m amused at the casino advertising.  We know nothing about gambling….I’ve never even played the lottery.  It appears that many people are enjoying this past-time.
We are getting closer to Alabama…just need to get through Louisiana and Mississippi.  But the heavens open and the rain gets heavy.  We go slow and try to stay safe.  I-10 slows to 5 miles per hour.  The west bound lanes are also crawling.  I notice flood waters lapping onto parts of I-10 west.  Began wondering if the flooding would trap us on the interstate.  We decide to go to Fontainebleau SP and get off onto SR 22. Traffic stops again after 5 miles as the road is underwater.  We manage a U-turn and head back to the parking lot of I-10.

This is a side road close to where we made the U turn.
After forever on the interstate we manage to get off at Covington and get to another Walmart.  (This is a special place….where we completed the paperwork last May to buy our Escape.)
We spend the evening doing more shopping and having dinner at a Chinese place.
The trip from Covington, LA to Summerdale, AL is uneventful.  We arrive at Rainbow Plantation, another Escapees park, before noon.  Again we choose to dry camp.  (The dry camping only cost $5.00)

Sylvester and David enjoy the green grass and tall pines.  The sunshine is lovely after all the gray wet days.
The next day we arrive at Gunter Hill COE near Montgomery, AL where we will be for the next 6 days.  And it is NOT RAINING!
Now we are having fun with our non-stop visiting!

Winter Paradise Ending!

 

The warm days are just getting warmer!  Looking to find somewhere cooler we travel east to the Congress area where the Escapees’ North Ranch is located. We decide to dry camp for a couple of days which turns into four nights!

Beautiful flowers are blooming in the ditch next to our spot.

We spend our days exploring the area, looking at the cute little houses and walking in the desert behind the park. A drive up to Prescott, AZ, finds big trees and, surprisingly, fruit trees in blossom!

David has another doctor’s appointment, it’s time to return to the big city of Phoenix.  David’s report is good….heart rate regular!  We say good bye and thank them for their excellent treatment.

We have one last week in AZ before it’s time to hit the road. We decide to spend it at Lost Dutchman SP…our very most favorite place!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It gets hot during the week with temperatures in the upper 80’s but we manage to survive without too much discomfort.

One day we drive up to the Tonto NF to visit Phon D Sutton, our favorite parking lot from last year.  The forest service has now banned camping and the area is deserted.

I get a real treat…no photos…but there is a river otter playing in the waves, one of the few I have seen in the wild.  He’s in the current where the Verde River runs into the Salt and he dives and cavorts..much like a porpoise!

On our last night John and BJ join us for dinner at the campground.

We have a great time sitting around the fire and swapping stories….forget to take photos!

Heading east, we take a new route through Globe and stay on HWY 70 until Lordsburg, NM.  We decide to stay in Safford, AZ at a RV park but it is not too appealing and there is a WalMart handy.

 

The Dream Catcher Escapees Park in Deming is our destination and our current location.  We are waiting for the big rain to move out of our path.  Meanwhile we are socializing and learning how to line dance!

The plan is to stay at Escapees parks on our way east…but you know how it is with jello plans.

Reservations at Gunter Hill COE start on 3/14/2016.  See y’all!