On Tuesday morning, October 17th, with our 5th Wheel in tow, we pulled out of our driveway in Kansas City, Missouri, and headed southwest to El Paso, Texas. And Andy’s first travel nurse assignment. You can read about our decision to leave home and travel in The Only Constant Is Change
Our southwest route took us through the rolling Flint Hills of Kansas, south through Wichita, and into Oklahoma, where we stopped in Guthrie, completing the first and longest leg of our trip.
Our first overnight stop was at the Cedar Valley RV Park. Since we were overnighting, they placed us in the #1 spot, an easy in and out.
The campground was nice and very clean. The host was friendly and helpful, providing information about places to explore in town. The park has overnight, weekly, and monthly spots.
At our 5:30 p.m. check-in, we learned that Guthrie is home to the largest contiguous historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
It is also home to the smallest national park in the United States. The Guthrie National Park consists of one tree and is located on 2nd Street, by the post office.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the park or the historic district on our way to Texas.
While setting up our 5th wheel for the night, we discovered the bolts attaching one of the awning arms to the side of our Solitude had pulled away.
Yes, we know what happened.
On the way to Guthrie, the pressure warning for the truck’s tires came on, and Andy pulled onto the shoulder. Unfortunately, a mile marker along the shoulder got in the way and smacked the side of the Solitude, hitting the awning arm.
I saw it happen and pulled in behind the RV. At the time, we didn’t see any damage.
The rest of our evening was spent on a quick run to a local store for bolts and securing the arm. The awning has been successfully opened and has not pulled away from the side. Repair success!
Views from the Road
We left Guthrie around 9:30 Wednesday morning and drove to Stamford, Texas, our first overnight stop in Texas. Along the way, the scenery changed from fields with crops to fields with windmills.
More windmills than we’d ever seen in one place.
In addition to the windmills, we started seeing oil well pump jacks. And fields with rows of white cotton, interspersed with pump jacks and backed up with rows of windmills. The changing scenery made the long drive more interesting.
The pump jack below was taken at Monahans Sandhills State Park. It was a bit difficult to get a picture of one from the road. This particular pump jack has been there since 1957.
We arrived at the Davis RV Park in Stamford, TX, around 4:30 pm and set up for the night. The park attendant was helpful and friendly. The park itself had seen better days and needed some repairs. However, for an overnight stay with full hook-ups, it was okay.
Exploring Stamford, TX
After settling in, we took a drive around town and explored the area. Stamford is a small town about 40 miles north of Abilene, with a population around 2,900. While driving through what appeared to be the downtown area, we saw an interesting building that looked abandoned.
A perfect photo opportunity after a day of driving.
Back in the car, we drove through town, stopping at the Subway closest to the RV park for a quick dinner. After our sandwiches were ready, we asked the clerk about the building.
It was the Stamford Inn. It had once been a luxury hotel, and Elvis Presley had stayed there. Of course, we checked it out. Historic Stamford Inn
The Stamford Inn was built in 1900. Over the years, it changed from a luxury resort to a nursing home and in the late 70’s, a gentleman’s club. However, we couldn’t find any information about Elvis staying there.
Local legend or well-kept secret?
The inn is in such disrepair that it is considered dangerous and not safe to enter. It was a struggle for Andy to only take pictures from the outside. However, there was another photo opportunity for Andy back at the RV park. When we checked in, we noticed a weathered, abandoned house on the edge of the park. Andy took some evening and early morning shots of the house. Below is a sampling. You can see more in Stamford, Texas.
Monahans Sandhills State Park
Early Thursday morning, we headed for our next stop, Monahans Sandhills State Park. This stop was our break from the road, and we wanted to have time to relax and explore. We didn’t have reservations and had been told we would need to get there before 2 pm to get a site.
The scenery on our third day, continuing west, was filled with more windmills, cotton fields, and pump jacks. Our dogs were getting used to the new routine and enjoyed getting out and exploring new areas when we stopped for breaks.
We arrived at the park right before 2:00 pm. There was only one person in front of us. The check-in was smooth, and we got a great spot.
All the spots are on the asphalt, and the grills and tables are in the sand. We declined the offer to rent sleds to ride down the dunes; however, we spent quite a bit of time walking up and down them with the dogs. They really enjoyed it. We were also very happy that it was a clear night and the park had minimal street lights.
We saw more stars than we’d been able to see in several years.
After a good sleep, we were up early for a morning walk to watch the sunrise on the dunes. As much as we wanted to linger, we also needed to get back on the road to El Paso.
For more photos of Monahans Sandhills State Park, visit this gallery.
The Last Leg
As we drove from Monahans towards El Paso, we watched the altitude numbers on our GPS increase as we ascended higher into the hills. The speed limit was 80 mph; however, our little caravan was a bit slower because the truck was pulling the 5th wheel.
I followed behind, watching the mountainous scenery, which made up for the slower pace.
Before leaving Kansas City, we had made reservations at an RV Park in El Paso. This park did not require a deposit, which was good. They were booked as a backup park.
Our 1st choice was Ft. Bliss RV Park. Unfortunately, they do not make reservations in advance. Andy had called their office when we left Kansas City and learned there were no spots available as of that day.
They suggested that he call back after 1:00 pm, the day we planned to arrive. When we stopped for gas and a break at 1:30 Friday afternoon, Andy called again.
There were 2 spots open!
We arrived a little before 3:00 pm, El Paso time. We gained an hour when we crossed into Mountain Time. There were spots available and we were assigned the one farther from the highway. I immediately contacted the park with our reservation and let them know we did not need a spot at this time.
We set up our site and collapsed!
While in El Paso, we explored many places, including riding the Wyler Aerial Tramway. It was a fun ride up the mountain, with great scenery.
Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance writer specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas. Visit his portfolio here.
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