Still Rooted after a very Windy Night in Amarillo, Texas but Not Sticking Around

We woke up Friday, Mar. 24^th by 7 but I felt really tired. I don’t think I slept as well as I first thought. I wanted to stay in bed. Worry does that to us, I suppose, wears you down. Bill was up at 1 and said the wind picked up again so he got dressed and waited it out on the couch for an hour.

Good morning from Amarillo, Texas

After an hour of really strong winds and rain we brought the 2 door side slides in. We can’t bring anything else in and still live in the Suite so we did what we could. I was able to read a bit and listened to the Amarillo news channel in case we needed to find shelter.

Teasing the good folks of Amarillo with pretty skies

This morning everything was dried up and within an hour the winds started again. We walked over to the Information Centre and the two staff were really nice ladies, very helpful. Checking the forecast, very strong wind advisory/warning was returning to Amarillo from 10 am to 7 pm. The sky to the west was evidence of that movement, Mother Nature wasn’t waiting for a clock.

Our spot on the left, we were the first ones in

We pulled in our slides and headed east to sunny skies. The wind warning would follow us so we will see how far we get and check it again. That is scary stuff and you just want to be near a shelter if you need it. It was a cool 46F at the Centre but now 60 miles in it has warmed to 59F.

Destination: Blue Sky

By 10:45 we were entering Oklahoma and stopped at Erick’s Information Rest Area. These places are lovely, wish I’d taken a picture inside the washrooms. We checked with the lady at the desk and she informed us that the wind gusts could get up to 40 mph. That is better than what we would be dealing with in Texas, if we’d stayed.

This is what we left behind us with wind warnings from 10 to 7 pm

Pulled off to a Flying J at Exit 20. We haven’t had a coffee or breakfast so Denny’s sounds really good. Bill topped up the tank, diesel is $2.40.9/gal with our card. How nice it is to have someone make you breakfast and we always love Denny’s food. A 2 egg omelette with hash browns and a biscuit for $6.99. Can’t go wrong.

this was a great breakfast

The washrooms at the Flying J's are usually spic and span and spacious
The travel centre in Erick was as nice as this

Back on I-40 at noon heading towards El Reno for perhaps our overnighter. The weather is much better here, 70F, sunny skies, no clouds and yes, a fairly strong tail wind. It looks like we are still under wind advisory but at least not expecting storms in this neck of the woods.

School bus with no nose and the Stop sign at the back end
Interesting that there is an emergency door 3/4 of the way back and it is high off the ground

I loved this picture, an old motor home and the dog as much as saying "ok that is enough travel today"

We had our fill so we just kept motoring until we came to our exit #125. We realize now that we could have and should have taken exit #123, it would have been more straight forward, the signs in El Reno were a little hard to see. Nice, but with traffic in front of you, difficult to locate until it was too late. Our gps didn’t acknowledge the address on US-81.

Hey George! This one is for you! I know you see it every time you come down I-40 and now I've seen it twice!

Anyway, we soon found it without too much turning and such and found the last of two free spots at Lucky Star Casino. Arrival time was just after 2 pm. They offer 10 free rv spots with full hookup for up to 4 nights. That is a great deal. Of course, they expect you to ‘donate’ a bit at their casino before you leave, so we will and perhaps have dinner there one night.

Starting to look more like home

We have no complaints and are snuggled in nose and tail to the west and east respectively and rv’s on either side for some wind protection. Last night we were the wind protection. After set up, Bill and I walked over to report to Security that we were here. They seem very friendly and helpful.

Love the beautiful purple blossoms

Bill and Clemson settled in for a siesta and I went out for a walk in the wind. 

It is nice that we are out of the city limits and the highway is far enough from the road that it should be a quiet night.

By 5:30 it is apparent that the winds have died down as the clouds rolled in. It is probably about 72F still outside even at this time so a pretty good night for sleeping. Last night our neighbor at the Texas centre ran the generator in their Class C motor home all night. Good thing I wear ear plugs!

These are the directional signs in El Reno but just not high enough

These overnight stops are not great for meal planning, I find. We can’t get the barbecue out so it means thinking of indoor meals, just like I had to back home! Tonight will be a repeat for Bill, I have sausage left that is thawed and he has requested some brown beans to go along with it. That is great and easy enough. I will steam up some broccoli for my side dish.

Nice easy directions once we got to their lot

10 spaces, we are 3rd from the left with a nice view out the back window

I sat in my chair when the boys got up and read a few chapters before I had to close the book and shut my eyes for a minute. 15 minutes later I realized my mouth had dropped open in my slumber and I woke with a start. How nice it is to be able to relax like that, I seldom am able to drop off so easily unless I am in my bed in a comfy position. No doubt I was tired.

this funny little cargo trailer is parked down the row

It was inevitable and from our worry last night, I woke this morning with a new batch of shingles. Darn it all! The pain is eased somewhat when I think of Daddy, and the memory of what he had to endure for so long. I took a pill this morning and focused on our travels. The first 2 days are the most uncomfortable while they are new before they blister. I just have to try not to scratch, that would be worse. 

Tonight will be quiet, all slides are open, yay, and we can watch television as much as we want. There are always things to be thankful for no matter the odd stresses that creep in. 

We hope our travelling friends are all safe and sound as I write this, everyone is experiencing these powerful winds in some shape or form.

this is in place of my sunset picture, since all we have is clouds now

Hopefully you have had an enjoyable day like we have. This was a shorter travel day for us and we are prepared to sit tight for at least 2 nights before heading to our park.

Thank you for reading today’s post. I love to hear from you!