Sunday, October 14, through Friday, October 19, 2012: Heading West in Texas:
We are now beginning our trek to California.  First, we have to get out of Texas.  The first stop is San Angelo, and the very pretty Spring Creek Marina & RV Park.  The only site available to us looked like the abundance of trees would present a problem with our satellite dish, but it turned out to be OK. 

San Angelo is much larger than I expected (Population: 94,000).  The RV park is portion of a huge local park (Spring Creek Park) that is located on Lake Nasworthy, one of the gazillion artificial lakes in Texas.  (I have previously noted that there is only one natural lake in Texas; the rest are reservoirs/recreational sites.)

On Sunday, we ventured into San Angelo to visit Fort Concho, a frontier Army post that closed in 1899 after the local Indians had been taken care of.  The large fort is very well-preserved/rehabilitated.  Factoid: The frontier forts, none of which had protective walls around them, were never attacked by Indians.

We also visited three stores, looking for an appropriate antenna for the radio in our trailer---which does not get decent reception as now equipped.  This is a problem we have had ever since we left Pasadena in 2003.  I’ve been told the metal frame of the trailers blocks the radio signals, so we need an external antenna.

Periodically, over the nearly 10 years, I have tried unsuccessfully to find one that fits, and works.  We now seem to be on the final leg of the search, though.

Also on Sunday, Becky took a nearly10-mile bike ride around the area, and announced that the two of us would take a similar ride on Monday---which we did, but it was only 6 miles.  In that 6 miles, we never left the park.

Someone had parked what appeared to be a brand-new 5th wheel in the site next to us.  We learned Monday afternoon that the owners (from Odessa) were on their first-ever camping trip in their 2-day-old trailer.  Stephen was a 63-year old Baptist preacher who was looking forward to retiring and enjoying travelling with his wife in their RV.

We spent quite some time answering questions about the operation of the trailer, giving them practical tips about accessories to acquire, and, ultimately, helping them connect up and leave.  The rest of Monday was quiet.

Tuesday, we headed for Fort Stockton, an easy 160 miles away.  There is nothing of any interest between San Angelo and Fort Stockton.  It felt like we were driving on the moon.  And, frankly, there's not much of interest in Fort Stockton (Population:  8,300); it's a pretty dreary city.  We are staying at the Hilltop RV Park, a nice new-looking place with, though, very little grass and few trees.  I am informed that the park has been here for many years, but that the new owners completely rebuilt it two years ago.

On Wednesday, Becky got 10 minutes into a bike ride and called for pickup because she had a flat tire.  She had picked up a two-inch long mesquite thorn.  The only bike repairman in town (Dean Tedford) is also the only locksmith in town.  After putting three patches on the tube and not completing the repair, Mr. Tedford finally relented and put in a new tube---which we had suggested all along.

Thursday, we took the 125-mile trip to Van Horn, Texas (Population:  2,400), and the Van Horn KOA Kampground.  The highlight in Van Horn is the historic El Capitan Hotel.  It was built in the 1930s as part of a small chain of luxury hotels along the New Mexico/Texas corridor.  It was closed in the 1960s when I-10 made the town a place to bypass, and was turned into a bank.  In 2000, someone bought the building and spent $2.5 million restoring it as a hotel.  It's pretty dazzling.

We visited the hotel, had an adult beverage (or two), and a large nacho plate Thursday afternoon.  That took care of dinner.

On Friday, we took a 130-mile (round trip) excursion to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  It’s so far west in Texas and so close to the southern boundary of New Mexico that it’s in the Mountain Time Zone.  This is the fortieth anniversary of its designation as a national park.

Its principal landmark is Guadalupe Peak, the highest point (at 8,749 feet) in Texas.  The part that is visible without hiking into the back country is quite stark and desolate.  Apparently, though, the hidden area behind the top of the peak is quite green.  Like the vast Colorado Plateau, this area was under water millions of years ago, and has, therefore, a sizeable collection of marine fossils.  The U.S. Army finished driving the indigenous Mescalero Apaches out of the area in 1880.

Friday night was time to relax and prepare to leave for New Mexico on Saturday.