Ft. Stockton, Texas

Today we entered the world of sun and warm weather.  How wonderful it is to experience their magic on one’s psyche after several days of rain and cold.  At the end of our journey today, I retrieved one of our outdoor easy chairs from the “basement” of the coach and sat basking in the sun to soak up as much vitamin D as I possibly could.  For half an hour I did absolutely nothing but listen to birds singing all around me.

Tonight we are staying in a park we visited last year on the journey to California-Fort Stockton RV Park.  It is the only park halfway between San Antonio, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico.  We are not alone.  Coach after coach is following us into the park as I sit outside watching them pass by en route to the office to check-in.  

The trip today on Interstate-10 began in Texas hill country and ended in Texas desert. The change is so gradual as you make your way west, it is hardly discernible except for the decreasing size of the trees that eventually become shrubs and then disappear for the most part replaced by cacti.  The further west we travel, the greater the number of mesa we see along the horizon, the greater the distance you can see ahead of the coach from every rise in the road and the further it is between
towns.

It causes me to wonder how the early settlers ever had the courage and fortitude to make the same trip.  We are spoiled traveling three times the distance they could cover in a day in a mere hour surrounded by air conditioned comfort while sipping ice water and snacking on mini-Mars bars.  That’s not to mention a baked potato and Texas BBQ ribs we purchased at Buckhorn Lake RV Resort this morning that we’re having for dinner.  I’ve been looking forward to them all day!

As the sun sets over the desert creating shadows along the edge of the mesa we can see from our coach windows, I am reminded of how marvelous it is to be on the road with an ever-changing view daily as we cross the country.  As Americans, we are lucky to have so much beauty and so many opportunities right in our collective backyards.

Black Bear Diner

After a long, hot day we opted to eat out.  The reputation and experience of prior visits to the Black Bear Diner drew us in.  As usual we were not disappointed!  The history of the diner was printed on their paper place mat.  Here is what we learned:

In northern California in 1861 there was a gold prospector who fell in love with a mountain meadow at the foot of Mt. Shasta in Strawberry Valley called Sisson.   This enamored prospector picked a spot overlooking wild berry patches frequented by black bears where he opened an inn.  His fabulous hospitality made the inn become a well-known stopover in an area known today as the town called Mt. Shasta City.   Tired travelers were treated to large portions of food in a friendly atmosphere-a standard that people came to expect on their visit.

 In 1995 the first Black Bear Diner was opened on the same site as the valley’s bygone strawberry patches.  The early tradition of Strawberry Valley’s lavish hospitality was restored with the opening of the diner.  Today carved wooden black bears at the entrance door look out over the valley again just like their natural predecessors 100 years before.  Now along the highways and byways of the Western United States, the family of Black Bear Diners is working to remind those dining with them of a time when life was simpler and service and quality defined a business.  They have succeeded in our opinion.

Saturday Night Date

Need I say more?

We have arrived safely in Bakersfield, CA and as predicted it is hot here.  Perfect excuse to go out to dinner.  For the next 10 days this is our front yard:

Can't wait to sit outside and have coffee in the morning.  I already have the chairs out and setup.  We are at the end of a row and it is like having our own private yard.  Just down the road they are pumping oil (Bakersfield is known for its oil production.)  

The Kern River pictured above located at the edge of this park is a victim of the drought and like so many other rivers we have seen in the Central Valley-it is completely dry.  Tomorrow is a long drive day with three or four parks to see depending on how we hold up.  This will be a busy ten days with something like sixteen parks to visit and little time to play (hence the "date night" tonight!)  

Who knows what the plant below is?  I have seen it frequently during the last week or so and its blooms are gorgeous.   It grows quite tall and is not an Oleander bush.  Its flowers make me think of Azalea blooms?  This photo was taken in front of the park's office when we arrived today.