First Stop: McKinney, TX

Sunday, April 29, 2007
McKinney, TX

We left Albuquerque on schedule yesterday morning, and had another solid day of I-40 eastbound. The drive got off to a slightly nervous start, as there was a thick cloud bank hanging over the mountains that line the eastern edge of the city. Other than those dark clouds, the sky was a perfect blue. It was like we were entering Mordor from Lord of the Rings as we climbed out of town. On the other side, as we continued east through Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, and on into Texas, the clouds gradually dissipated so by the time we got to Amarillo it was all clear again.

Bonus for me during the afternoon: Geri put in almost two hours of "seat time" driving the coach. It was all Interstate driving, but I'm guessing (just my opinion, mind you) that she's actually more comfortable driving on city streets than the highway. Higher speeds and passing trucks (we stick to between 55-62 MPH for fuel economy and stress reduction reasons) were the primary factors, and those 6- or 8- or 12-mile long construction zones every 30 minutes or so where both lanes are shifted to one side of the highway and you're in the land of the orange barrels didn't help either. Of course, as expected, she did a great job and will get more comfortable with more experience.

I should have done my homework better, as we missed one of the quirkier (if that's a word) roadside attractions on the route: Cadillac Ranch (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/TXAMAcadillac.html). It's about 10 old Caddies stuck nose-first in the dirt on the side of the highway. By the time I saw it and remembered what it was, we were already too late to exit. I've got to do a better job with this fun stuff.

Today, we took advantage of an opportunity to work on another resolution for this year's travels: "get off the Interstate"! We took US-287 and US-380 from Amarillo to McKinney. It was almost all 4-lane divided (but generally not "limited access") highway, except for all the little towns, some of which even have traffic lights. Most of the bigger burgs have bypasses, and Wichita Falls even has a segment of I-44 (I know, a technical violation) for about 10 miles. Actually, the road was in better condition than much of the Interstate network, and we made time right on schedule.

You would have had to grow up in the northeast to realize how difficult using the old "US Highway" system can be for me. In New England, the thought of getting anywhere in a reasonable time by using US-1 along the shore, US-3 from Boston into New Hampshire, US-5 along the Connecticut River Valley, US-6 through my hometown (Watertown, CT), US-7, US-202 -- you get the idea. In that area, these roads are slow, slow, slow. Out here in Texas, and elsewhere in the west, they're good, wide, fast, truck-friendly (and RV-friendly) roads with towns spaced way apart. In fact, they're the best way to get from point a to point b if an Interstate doesn't happen to go your way. I'm learning...

Anyway, we're all settled in at Motorcoach Designs (aka "MCD") where we'll have the interior window treatments upgraded starting tomorrow. At least, I hope we start tomorrow. We originally thought we'd be the only ones here this coming week, but we're actually in "Spot #5" in the parking area. Some of our new neighbors look like they've been here for a while, so we'll see tomorrow. The good news is that the 50 amp service works, there are water and sewer connections, the dish is up and working, and we can adjust our plans as needed if we're held over to the following week. Life is, indeed, good.

PS: Last night we watched "Casino Royale" (better than I expected) so tonight I'll download pictures and post a few that may be noteworthy.