Six days on the road…….

 its a long way from Tucson to Paducah!!!

Day 1

Leaving Catalina State Park, we started the long, boring  drive home, once again, on I-10.

At the end of the day, along with 7 other rigs, we spent Saturday night at a Harvest Hosts winery near Las Cruces, New Mexico. 

With ample parking, decent wine, friendly staff and a fun atmosphere with live music, we highly recommend a stay at Rio Grande Winery near Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The main reason we search out Harvest Hosts stays is the opportunity to meet fellow travelers. Joining us in the tasting room at Rio Grande Winery were a couple of truly adventurous travelers. We are not talking U.S. travel, but many out of the country experiences, like South America, Iceland, Antarctica . See for yourself on their travel blog at Marnie and Steve Travel Blog. (Kind of reminded us of our hometown friend, Nancy.) Living in Prescott, AZ, Marnie and Steve spend about 10 months of the year traveling. 

Day 2 was pretty much uneventful which isn’t always a bad thing when traveling. Taking I-25 from Las Cruces to Albuquerque, we picked up I-40. Y’all, there is a whole lot of empty space in our country!!!

At the Walmart in Edgewood, NM, we gathered a few supplies, watched our home church sermon (delayed), and settled in for the night. Around midnight the driver of an an 18-wheeler decided, with an almost empty parking lot, the best place to park was next to us. After about 30 minutes all was quiet again and we returned to sleep.  When we woke on Monday morning the temperature was 28 degrees. We were grateful there was no disconnecting or hooking up to be done!

Day 3 started back on I-40 which took us across the state line, through the wind farms in the Texas panhandle, and back into the Central Time Zone. We happened upon the iconic Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.

Our Harvest Host for the night was just south of Amarillo in Canyon, Texas. Bar Z Winery is closed on Mondays but graciously
opened their parking lot and tasting room for Harvest Hosts members. 

For a short while we literally had the tasting room to ourselves but were delighted when three couples (also Harvest Hosts members) from Upstate New York joined us. Soon two more couples from Minnesota appeared and we had a Harvest Hosts Party.

We were having a great time getting acquainted, sharing travel stories and tips as we sipped some very good wine when the tasting room host said she had to close the tasting room. It was too windy to sit on the lovely patio so we  strategically positioned our RVs to block the wind while we continued the party outside.

While Bar Z wines are a bit pricy, we think they rival those we have found in California. As we sit on our porch at home sipping the Tempranillo and Sangiovese that came home with us, we will remember another wonderful  Harvest Hosts experience.

Day 4 greeted us with sunshine and 28 degree temperature. (Whose idea was it to take the northern route home!?) The long drive on I-40 took us through more of the Texas Panhandle wind farms, into Oklahoma. We found our Harvest Host, Anthem Brewery in Oklahoma City. 

After sampling some nice stouts, we settled in for a quiet evening.

Day 5, waking to 36 degrees and sunny was a bit better but still chilly. I-40 was, well is just I-40, lots of trucks but nothing else. As we traveled east we noticed more green. Red buds were in bloom as well as a few Dogwoods. Maybe, just maybe, spring will greet us when we get home. Our stop for the night was Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas. Finally we could sip wine while sitting outside.

It truly is a small, quiet, lovely state park. 

Day 6 brought in the clouds and 48 degree wake-up temperature, Having traveled the I-40 to I-55 route probably a hundred times over the years, we decided on a different route and avoided Little Rock and Memphis. It was an easier drive with less traffic but the scenery was pretty much the same, flat farmland.  Arriving at the Walmart in Blytheville with about a dozen 18-wheelers, the temperature was 71 degrees. Now that is what we have driven across the country to find!

Arriving home on Friday morning, we enjoyed sunny temperatures in the 70s. We rushed to unload the essentials before the predicted storms with tornado potentials arrived. Yes, spring has arrived!