9/25/2017
We made our way out of Nebraska and into Kansas, accompanied by hot, windy weather. Got off a little later than we wanted due to a minor issue with the hitch but after that the trip was smooth and uneventful. We rolled into Dodge City about mid afternoon and found the park adequate but bordering a railroad track and stockyards detracted from the experience a bit. Our hopes for an interesting stay were let down a bit. It was evidently not the right season for the true Dodge City experience so we went through the gift shop and saw a lot of Gunsmoke (TV show) souvenirs, a little disappointing but we managed to find a great Mexican restaurant.
The next couple days were rainy so we spent some time planning more of our route to Yuma. When we left Dodge City it was with rain and thunder but we managed to get to Amarillo, Texas, without any issues. We have had really excellent traveling weather for most of the time on the road these past 2 years so we can’t really complain. At least it’s warm! The RV park we stayed at was the Oasis RV Resort and I think it was one of the best planned parks we have seen. It is also very close to the Cadillac Ranch which we had to stop to see. If we are back through here in the future, this is where we will stay.
The main reason for stopping in Amarillo was the proximity to Palo Duro Canyon, billed as Texas’ Grand Canyon. The ride down into and through the canyon and was quite beautiful. We had considered taking the RV down into the canyon and spending the night, but I am glad we didn’t. A smaller 5th wheel or motorhome would have been okay but ours, at 40′ might have given us some problems on some of the turns. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our afternoon there.
We left Amarillo and headed toward Dallas, stopping overnight in Vernon,Texas, about half way between the two cities. It was overcast and rainy these 2 days but the road is good and didn’t have any issues.The truck is running like new after the great job the guys in Detroit Lakes did for us. Crossing our fingers it stays that way!