April 3 thru 5, 2024, On the Way to Steve and Angie's in Texas

Before leaving Deming, we filled the coach at $3.30/gal. That felt pretty good since it was $3.90 anywhere around Phoenix. It was a long and boring drive, 337 miles, to our planned overnight stop at the Ward County Safety Rest Stop along I-20 in Monahans, Texas.

Texas Safety Rest Stops are the best. Police have an office on the premises.

Along the way, we saw a blimp floating above the desert (too far away for a picture) and we spotted our first Tesla truck (I didn't give Joani enough of a heads-up for a close shot). It certainly was different looking!


The next day we drove another 154 miles to Lake Colorado City State Park, in Colorado City, Texas. Our makeshift window repair seemed to be traveling well - it did not need any attention.

This park will probably not be on our "must see again" list. It was mostly low scrub and cacti. 



The lake level was low and not exactly picturesque. We decided access was limited enough that we would not try the kayak. We did a bit of walking as we circled the park and realized we need a lot more to get in shape for a summer of hiking.


I set up the telescope - found and viewed the sun in about 10 minutes. Practice, practice, practice. I think I might be ready for the eclipse. I left the scope up to view the beautifully dark Texas night sky. After alignment, the Nexstar 4SE performed flawlessly finding a variety of open clusters, globulars, galaxies and, of course, Jupiter.

On our second night, a group of, I think, 6 dads and, I'm guessing 15 boys who all appeared to be around 8 to 10 years old, set up tents. The cold wind made them play harder and poke in the fire more. I'm sure they all had a blast! 

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