5/12-5/14 2026: Lubbock, TX to Chiricahua National Monument Campground

 5/12/2026

 We shared the overnight last night at Cracker Barrel with 4 other RVs and we were awakened by a very noisy semi at 4am.  He was delivering supplies to the business and wanted to be on time!  (Kept his engine running)  We were disappointed that the fuel price with Open Roads was incorrect when we bought diesel, costing us quite a bit more than a station down the road. That has happened rarely.  

We stopped for a Sammy walk in Seminole where they had a very nice park with an active oil well in the middle. A city employee stopped to tell is that there was a free city campground nearby, but it was too early in the day to take advantage of the offer. 

We visited Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center and saw their displays and the movie, but we did not go to the caverns.  Years ago, I had a very claustrophobic experience in a cave, shoulders wall to wall and people touching in front of and behind.  Since Ron didn't want to see the caverns, we skipped them. I know, everyone says its beautiful!

Camping for the night:  Frijole Ranch horse corral.  They have only 1 reservable spot there. Guadalupe National Park Campground up the road was full.  

5/13/2026

Injuries:  Sammy is limping and I discovered a tick over my sternum (May 11th).  Tick removed.   The tick bite area has become reddened has increased in size, so we decided to go to the only clinic in the town of Columbus, NM.  There was no wait, no registration, no fees.  The diagnosis of the reddened area was mild case of shingles, even though I've had my vaccines. I was told I needed an antiviral drug. There were two choices: 1) Drive to Deming, NM (40 miles) or go 2 miles and cross the border into Mexico. We opted for Palomas (Chihuahua) Mexico. The clinic gave us directions:  park on the US side, walk across the border, go to the pharmacy and tell them what you want.  No script necessary.  Oh, and by the way, eat at the Pink House for lunch.  Got my script for $20 which included tablets and 3 tubes of ointment.  The Pink House was a real treat!  Live music, great food and a neat gift shop. 

We drove on to Paradise Cemetery, a place where pioneers and present day people are buried.  It was 5 miles up a rugged dirt road  We spent some time looking at tombstones and let Sammy run around the enclosure for a while.  Ron knows not to tell me things I don't want to hear and this was one of them.  To get to our campground, it was 100 miles on paved roads OR 20 miles on a one way rutted gravel mountain road with ruts and switchbacks. We climbed to 7800 feet and it took almost 2 hours to go 20 miles. Needless to say, I do not like sheer drop-offs!! We met only one parked car on the way up and saw some birders pulled off on a narrow stretch on the way down.  Apparently birding is a big thing there.  The bonus for the day was our beautiful campground (Chiricahua National Monument)  tucked back in a canyon with lots of trees.  We opted to stay 2 nights.  

For some reason, I haven't been able to upload photos.  Will try again later.

Little Rock to (Choctaw Recreation Area Buckhorn Campground, Sulphur, Ok) to Lubbock TX

5/9 and 5/10

Talimena National Scenic Byway(Arkansas to Oklahoma)  provided some beautiful views as we drove.

We stayed  at Buckhorn Campground two nights because storms and rain moved in on the 10th.  We parked in a site really too small for Poppy (30 feet), so we parked sideways on the first night.  Since it was so rainy, we doubted that campers would show, so we moved to a much better (longer and more level) site.  Well, we were wrong.  The people who had a reservation for the spot we were in showed up, but they kindly offered to take a different site. A few hours later we moved to yet another site that we reserved. 

5/11  

On Monday, the 11th, we had beautiful weather as we headed for Lubbock, TX.  In Oklahoma, we found Gene Autry Road.  He grew up near there and the town was re-named after him.  So of course we put on the Gene Autry radio station on Pandora!!

On Gene Autry Road

• We arrived in Lubbock, found a barbeque joint for dinner, ice cream after and then found our spot at Cracker Barrel. Behind the restaurant was a field filled with prairie dogs.  They chirped and were so cute!

Little Rock , Arkansas

 

 5/8/2026

We headed for the Clinton Presidential Library and were the first ones there this morning.  Neither of us was awed by this library.  We have been to so many others that we liked better. They did, however, have a wonderful special display celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Each of the amendments to the Constitution was featured in this room with an explanation of its significance.  

There were several features in the Clinton section that I found interesting.  One was a Chihuly Christmas tree and the second was a table setting for a state dinner. 

After a couple of hours at the museum, we did some much needed chores:  haircut, laundry, grocery shopping and post office to mail a birthday card.  We realized that last night's campsite looked very familiar, so we looked at our log from 3 years ago.  Yes, indeed, we have stayed there before.  

          We made reservations for tonight at Hot Springs National Park.  It is small and nestled between several hills.  We tried to book it for another night, but it is full for the weekend, so we are headed to Oklahoma. 

We were very impressed with Little Rock.  It was not at all what I expected. There are numerous sections of the city that have beautiful, expensive homes and high end shopping.  Population:  206,000.

Ron is such a Teddy Roosevelt fan that I had to take this picture at the museum.

Nashville to Little Rock 5/6 and 5/7, 2026

 

5/6/2026 

After a night at Cabela's (rained all night), we headed for the Corvette Museum.  At one time, Ron had owned a red 62 and I had a  red 65? with a canvas top.  After spending a couple of hours at the museum, we headed for Nashville to see our kids. We picked the right day to visit, because Leah was in a school musical and we were able to be there.  No pics of the kids since they prefer to avoid having a presence on social media. 

This is the color chart they use for interiors/exteriors

 5/7 Nashville to Little Rock

We had great weather today and wanted to take advantage of it, so we had a very long driving day (8+ hours).Our current location is the Corps of Engineers site at Willow Beach Recreation Area near Little Rock.  Tomorrow we go the the Clinton Museum, grocery stop, haircut, post office and laundromat.