ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS FROM HASKELL TX TO TATUM NM….TOMORROW, THE MOUNTAINS:))

OUR FREE OVERNIGHT STOP IN TATUM NEW MEXICO….AHEAD IS THE COMMUNITY CENTER BUT WE NEVER SAW A SINGLE PERSON ANYWHERE ALL THE TIME WE WERE HERE.  GOTTA LOVE THAT……..:))
Cold night in Haskell but the morning dawned clear and bright.  Checked some areas ahead of us and see we can be in some warmer weather in a day or two.  That’s kind of a priority for us this year….go where it’s warm!!  The Quartzsite and Yuma areas are looking pretty good right now.
A brisk morning morning walk around the Haskell ball bark and we were on the road westbound again at 8:20 a.m.
I sure like this 397 mile stretch of highway 380 between Jacksboro Texas and Roswell New Mexico.  It’s a good road with very little traffic, varying scenery, interesting and tired little western towns along the way, rest areas and free Community parks.  We are currently in a little town in eastern New Mexico called, Tatum.  Kelly found a favorable internet review on it so we checked things out and decided to stay for the night.  The Park is called Rampy and has 5 pull through sites.  It’s an old site but we are on a hard level surface and have electricity. The water taps are long gone and I don’t know if the sewer pipes work on each site.  But, the Park is free and there is a large park here and lots of secure room for pets to run free.  Great spot for an overnighter if your not expecting fancy schmancy.
In the morning we will continue west on 380.  Shortly after leaving Tatum I will have my eyes glued to the horizon ahead for my first glimpse of the western Capitan Mountains looming up out of the flat misty plains.  That’s always a favorite time for me when we use this route.  Just love catching my first glimpse of the mountains.  It is this same stretch of highway where I have sadly watched the mountains disappear in my rear view mirror on several of our homeward journeys:((
Sorry about all the repetitive doggy photos this week but I just haven’t been taking a lot of time to find anything too creative. I will get the Nikons dusted off shortly:))

We will head through Roswell Friday morning and climb into the mountains passing through the little towns of Hondo and Ruidoso.  We will reach the summit of the Apache Pass in an Alpine like setting and begin the long drop down the other side into the New Mexican town of Tularosa.  Descending from Apache Pass I will be straining for my first glimpse of the White Sands far out on the Tularosa Valley floor.  It is at this point of our westbound journey that I feel we have finally arrived at our southwest winter home.  From this point on the rush is over and everything slows down to a relaxing winter pace for the next 5 months.    
As we draw ever closer to our winter home we still have no idea where we are going.  Should we head straight away to southern California and work our way back or should we hang out in southern Arizona for awhile and move further west later on.  What about Quartzsite this year or maybe try a new area up around Parker and Lake Havasu along the Colorado River.  Will we re-visit the area around Why and Ajo Arizona again?  How about the Patagonia area south of Tucson or the Vallecito Valley in California.  Checking ahead, I see Yuma is the warmest.  All these questions and southernmost areas are in our conversations these days as we plod ever further west.
Had planned on just letting my hair grow for the winter again but after nearly a week on the road and scaring small children and frightening elderly ladies in Wal-Mart the other day I knew it was best for all concerned that I get my hair cut.  Didn’t take Kelly long to shorten me right up!!  With most of the hair gone I later stood myself pretty darn close to my electric beard trimmer too:))
PHEEBS IS WONDERING WHY MOM IS CUTTING DAD’S FUR OFF
TRAVELER has joined the Bayfield Bunch as Blog Follower 350.  Welcome aboard Traveler and thanks for stopping by:))
And a big thanks to reader Butterbean for her generous invitation for the Bayfield Bunch to drop by and visit her Texas ranch southeast of Abilene.  (I’m assuming Butterbean is a female with the name Butterbean:)) In part, Butterbean said, “You'll get a BIG TEXAS WELCOME AND HOWDY, with plenty of room for the pups to play!!! You can stay as long as you want!!! Hot coffee, toast &
peanut butter & venison chili!!!” We did have a look at the map to see where you were BB and if we get down into that neck of the Texas woods sometime we would be happy to drop around.  We will hang onto those directions you gave us.  Keep that toaster and peanut butter jar handy:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  My husband had lost 50 pounds and after eight years of being a housewife, I had taken a job in a restaurant. When I returned home after my first day at work, I gave my husband a big hug.
He seemed to cling to me longer than usual. "Did you really miss me that much today, dear?" I asked.
"No," came the reply. "But you smell so much like pancakes that I hate to let you go."
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