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| Entering a Dust Storm in New Mexico |
After discussion we decided on a slightly less northerly route, than the "option 3". This decision meant we would have a maximum of 6-1/2 hours driving time each day, and as little as 4-1/2 hours. Add to this driving time gas stops, meal breaks, sight-seeing and so on. In retrospect it was a wonderful route. Driving US 350 - CO 71 (the original Santa Fe trail) was monotonous, but it was pleasant, nonetheless. I never knew how much farming there was in Eastern Colorado.
This route did not allow us to go into South Dakota, but we'll do that this summer during another trek. The "option 4" route reduced our trek distance by about 291 miles. The "option 4" actual distance was 1,877 miles. The trip planning projected 1,840 miles, but that ignores side trips to truck stops, museums and other sites, etc.
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| Option 4 trek - via Iowa, but short about 110 miles to final MI destination |
We closed down the AZ site and got into the Roadtrek 210P:
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| Leaving the Winter Site to the Summer Caretakers..... |
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| On the Road in New Mexico |
Our first night stop, in New Mexico. We used the propane furnace for our first two nights, because it got cool. But no freezing conditions. I've set up the Dometic thermostat to run the Cool-Cat heat pump fan when the propane furnace runs. That's an option, and I think it provides better airflow and temperature distribution in the Roadtrek by running both. That means more comfort at night.
Cacti blooms in Elephant Butte:
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| Campsite in Elephant Butte |
Continuing on, the next day:
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| Guess Where? |
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| Sunset - 2nd night |
We stopped in Raton, NM and visited their museum. The museum was a gem and I'll post about it later: There is a 1-1/2 hour guided tour, but we arrived too late for that. We will attempt a future trip to attend that tour. The museum caretaker was kind and gave us the "mini version".
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| Raton, NM Museum |
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| Interior, Raton Museum, First Floor upon entering |
We had dinner at K-Bob's Steakhouse in Raton. We asked about local places to eat and this was one of several suggested by the museum caretaker. It was delicious. Easy parking for RVs, too! I had a chicken fried steak and the wait staff was excellent, as was the food. I was so hungry that I ate half of it before taking the photo. Homemade mashed potatoes, and I ordered gravy on the side.
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| K-Bob's Steakhouse, Raton |
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| K-Bob Steakhouse Chicken Fried Steak |
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| Raton Campground |
On to Limon, CO via the Oregon Trail. This route took us east of I-25 on CO 71 though farmland for a few hours. We stopped for gas in Ordway at a bustling local store and gas station. In fact, I wasn't aware of how much farmland this part of CO has. We stopped for lunch at the only fast-food restaurant we saw that morning. It was a Wendy's on CO 71 in Limon. Kudos to the teenager who stepped up to help even though it wasn't his shift. It was a long line and our order for two sandwiches took 20 minutes to fill.
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| Rural CO 71 - Not a Snow Bunny in sight! |
After Limon, CO we continued to I-76 and Nebraska. We had dinner in Ogallala and spent the night there. We dined at the Crystal Palace and LOL, they actually had a salad bar! The first we had seen in a year!
Ogallala has an interesting history, steeped in the cattle drives. In fact, in one year 100,000 head of cattle were driven through the town, en-route to market!
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| Crystal Palace Steakhouse and "Saloon" Ogallala NE |
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| Crystal Palace |
I ordered the chicken fried steak, which is, I understand, the most popular item on the menu. G ordered a hoagie with shaved rib meat. It too was delicious.....
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| Chicken Fried Steak - Crystal Palace |
The Crystal Palace has a stage show, but it doesn't begin until Memorial Day and we were a week early. However, we did visit the museum. I'll put more about it in a future post.
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| Crystal Palace Stage |
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| Nebraska Sandhills Warrior Rabbit - Crystal Palace Museum |
Continuing to Iowa, I was impressed by the miles of terraced fields, which improve soil retention:
Our final night was at the Timberline Resort in Waukee, IA. They have an extensive agreement for visitors, but it seems to work as we had a pleasant and quiet overnight. One observation, there were many chipmunks to be seen cavorting on the grounds, probably a bunch of happy rodents. The area looks interesting for future exploration.....
Original material Roadtrek210.blogspot.com (c) Norm Retzke
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