Clovis, New Mexico to Lubbock, Texas
Distance: 118 miles
Cracker Barrel - Boondocking
Cost: Free
Duration: 1 night
Weather: Rainy
The carbon monoxide alarm went off right after we finished breakfast and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. I reset it and after a few minutes, it went off again. It eventually stopped, so we think it was from the exhaust from one of the RVs near us in the Walmart parking lot. At least we know it works. (And it will definitely wake us up in the middle of the night!)
It was cloudy and 80 degrees when we drove out of Clovis. It only took us a couple of hours to get to Lubbock, but our next destination was almost 200 miles further, which is really too far to drive in an RV. (RV 2-2-2 Rule: Never more than 200 miles, stop by 2 pm, stay at least 2 days.) No relief from the heat in Texas, which didn't surprise us.
We found a coffee house (Yellow House Coffee) in Lubbock and got a couple of drinks while we used their WiFi for uploading pictures, drafting blog posts, etc. It could have been a nice place, but like the spot we visited the day before, it was too noisy. So far, the quietest coffee house we've found on this trip was in Flagstaff. We loved that place!
We had originally planned to stay at a Harvest Host winery, but with torrential rain on the horizon, we didn't want to park on their dirt road (which they said gets very muddy) and wind up getting stuck, so we found a Cracker Barrel for another night of boondocking. It turned out to be a very dark & stormy night!
Parked near these railroad tracks,
but no problem with train noise.
but no problem with train noise.
What a night! It was very windy (25-30 mph gusts) and then the rain began. It howled and roared like a summer storm in the Midwest. The RV shook and the rain thundered down on the roof All. Night. Long. It was a little scary and I couldn't sleep, so I moved out to the couch (which was surprisingly comfortable). I dozed on and off, but it was really an awful night. Rod didn't do much better. Everything is much louder in an RV than a house, so it sounded like someone was pounding on the roof the entire night. If we were fulltimers, I would have driven to a hotel!
I don't know why but it is so terribly scary when we are camping and the weather turns south. I've survived a lot of rain in tents, but it is still worrisome.
ReplyDeleteNext time I hope you will stop by Alvin and we can explore the coffee shop here. It's a quiet place.
Deb, it is scary to be out camping, whether in a tent or an RV, when the weather is so nasty. I've been in sticks-and-bricks (houses) during severe weather and that's scary enough. Being in an RV that could possibly tip over during straight line winds would be terrifying. Thankfully, while annoying and loud, we were never in any danger during this storm.
DeleteThanks for the invite. I hope to get to Alvin someday, not just for the coffee, but to visit you!
I spent the first 10 years of my life living in Lubbock, TX. So, I know about the temperatures and the storms - well, all of Texas has thunderstorms. At least Lubbock doesn't have the humidity of other parts of Texas. Just lots of dust and dirt when the wind blows and there isn't any rain. Growing up, I thought it was normal to have to dust the windowsills weekly in order to remove the dust (no A/C and windows open). Then we moved to the Dallas area and eventually to Austin - not nearly as much dust - more humidity though. :-)
ReplyDeleteKay, yes, thankfully it wasn't humid in Lubbock during over stop over. There was a lot of dirt, though!
DeleteYikes, that weather sounds awful - at least it was just for a night.
ReplyDeleteKathy, I'm pretty sure I would have insisted we get a hotel if it continued and we were still there. :)
Delete