Sunday 10-18-26 We're Home, Unloading the Minnie & More

 

Sunrise in Brady Texas

We woke up to nippy morning with the temperature of 44 degrees in Brady Texas. The high temperature in Belton Texas was 75 degrees with a breeze.

I crawled out of bed at 6:30 am and got dressed. Then we put things down and secured. We had a Hostess Coffee Cake and shared a shake. We were on the road by 7:15 am. 

Today was a short travel day. Larry drove for 130 miles. We drove highway 190 East, it goes all the way to Belton. It was hard for Larry to drive because he was driving into the sun. We saw another gorgeous sunrise. We drove through some small towns and cities. We drove through Rochelle, Richland Springs and San Saba. When we got to San Saba we stopped at Donut City for donuts. Afterwards we were back on 190 East. On the other side of San Saba 183 North joined up with Hwy 290, we drove by Lomenta to highway 580. Then we got back on highway 190 East. We drove through Copperas Cove, Fort Hood, Killen and Nolanville. When we were got to Nolanville exit on 190 we took it and drove home. We saw a couple of deer while driving. The drive was very nice.

We were home by 9:45 am. When we got home I unloaded the Minnie and Larry helped. Larry turned on the water to the house and plugged the Minnie into power. He took the electronics back into the house and turned on the computers. He made sure everything worked correctly. He had to replace batteries in a couple of devices. Once I got everything unloaded from the Minnie I put everything away. It took us about three hours unload the Minnie and put things away. 

Home Sweet Home

After unloading the Minnie I started doing laundry.

Doing laundry

Today is a new weekly challenge in pinball. This weeks challenge is Indiana Jones. Larry reinstalled the game so I could start playing the challenge. Once he installed the game he played it to make sure it played correctly. 

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The Daily Event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 1 hour, 27 minutes and 59 seconds to complete, which put me in 22nd place in my group.

While doing laundry we started to watch the YouTube videos we follow.

In the evening we started to watch the 5th season of Professor T on PBS. We watched three episodes. Then we continued watching YouTube videos. When Larry went to bed I started to watched the 3rd season of The Marlow Murder Club on PBS. I watched four episodes of it.

Relaxing in front of the television

While watching YouTube videos in the evening I played four pinball games, which were Big Bang Bar, Beetlejuice, Indiana Jones and The Beach Boys. I played Indiana Jones first and entered my first high score of the week. It was 118,232,190, which put me in 22nd place out of 26 participants so far. Then I played Big Bang Bar, Beetlejuice and The Beach Boys. I had fun playing pinball once again after two months.

Indiana Jones

Beetlejuice

Big Bang Bar

The Beach Boys

I ended up doing 6,000 steps. I started working on my jigsaw puzzle again. The puzzle is Horse of Iron.

   

Saturday 10-17-26 Richards Park and Having Fun

 

Sunrise in Texas

We had a cold day. We woke up to a chilly 41 degrees in Fort Stockton, TX and the high temperature was  62 degrees in Brady, TX. We had wind out of the north, which kept it chilly.

I woke up at 6:30 and got dressed. Then we had a sausage patty and shared a bagel and shake for breakfast. After breakfast we put everything away and secured. We were back on the at 7:15. It was still dark.

We drove 230 miles from Fort Stockton to Brady. The first 50 miles was on I10 and the last 80 miles was on high 190 east. We saw a gorgeous sunrise as we were going down I10. We drove right into the sunrise. We saw a lot of west Texas, which was a lot of desert and smelled the oilfields. We saw some windmills generating power. They weren't moving much. We saw one deer on the side of the road. The interstate was four lanes and highway was two lanes. At places the drive was rough. I spent a lot of time napping. We stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs and bathroom breaks. When we got to Brady we filled the Minnie up with gas.

Brady had two parks we could say at. One was Brady Lake, which is five miles from Brady. It has 25 miles of shoreline for water skiing, swimming, camping and fishing. It has 8 cabanas and 12 cabins to rent. It has 23 RV hook-up sites with water and electric, 15 tent sites and 3 primitive sites. The other campground was Richards Park, which is a city park in Brady. It has 14 full hook-up sites, picnic tables, restrooms with showers, playground and a frisbee golf course. It's shaded with pecan and oak trees.

We drove around both parks and decided to stay at Richards Park We had no problem finding a site. There was a sign, that said reservation only but we found a pay station. If you went online to reserve a site it was $30.00 but if you paid at the pay station it was $25.00. The park is very nice.

Camping at Richards Park

  

After setting up the Minnie for the night we had lunch. After lunch we walked around Richards Park. There was a bridge, that went over the river. The river divides the electric sites from the full hook-ups. The price per night is $25.00 for full hook-ups and electric sites. They had a rock show going on in the covered building. We walked through the show, there were a number of people. We walked around for about a half hour. 

Playground at Richards Park

More of the playground

A planter that looks like a basket

Memorial for Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Richards who donated the park April 15, 1925

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The Daily Event was Event: Experts Only Mini of five games. It took me 1 hour, 30 minutes and 39 seconds to complete, which put me in 15th place in my group.

I finished reading Remarkable Creatures by Tracey Chevalier. It was a great book about two women, who were fossils hunters in England in the 1800's. It was based on real people, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. They discovered ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs and challenged the scientific and religious views. 

Reading is fun

After dinner we walked around a park that is across the street. The park had a swimming pool, volleyball court, basketball court, horseshoe pits, covered pavilions, playground and baseball fields. The park is very nice. We walked around for another half hour.

Horseshoe pits

Playground 

Climbing rock, swing and more play things

By the end of the night I had done 6,000 steps.  

     

          

Friday 10-16-26 Cold Windy Day

Celebrate it's Friday and dance

 

We had a cold windy day. 

We didn't go anywhere because it was too windy. The wind was out of the north, which made it cold. The wind blew 20 to 24 mph with gusts 31 mph. We woke up to the morning temperature of 56 degrees at 6:00 am. When the front came in the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. It didn't get out of the 50's. The high was 62 degrees. It was weird it was 62 degrees outside and our air conditioner ran in the afternoon.

Hold on tight

I woke up at 7:15 and got dressed. Then I made apple cinnamon mini waffles and we shared a shake for breakfast. About 10:00 we went over and paid for another night. The gentleman and his son were in the dog park area installing a couple of red canvas tarps on the covered area to block the wind. The gentleman talked to us and said he and his son started the RV park ten years ago. He also told us they were having the Big Bend Open Road Race this weekend. He also said they have a nice museum about Fort Stockton. 

The Big Bend Open Road Race happens twice a year for four days. Every fall and spring a fleet of Ferraris, Mustangs, Lamborghinis, Corvettes and other cars descend in West Texas for the event. They put the drivers in different classes. The first and second days are registration, tech, rookie orientation, qualifying and practice. The next day registration, tech, car show and parade. The final day is the race, after race party and race banquet. It is a 118 mile loop from Fort Stockton to Sanderson and back. It takes place on highway 285 and the classes compete between 100 to 200 mph. 

We spent the day reading. Larry started a book and finished it. Then he started another book. After I finished The Man with No Borders I asked Larry to choose another book for me. The book I started to read today was Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. It's about two remarkable women, who study fossils in the England. It very good so far.  

Reading and relaxing

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The Daily Event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Pyramid and 3 Tri Peaks). It took me 15 minutes and 3 seconds to complete, which put me in 15th in my group.

I didn't do too many steps. I only did 2,000 steps. 

       

Thursday 10-15-26 New Time Zone, Return to Texas & Westex Living RV Park

Westex Living RV Park in Fort Stockton

We had a great day. 

We woke up to the morning temperature of 60 degrees at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino at 6:00 am. It got up to 79 degrees in Fort Stockton Texas at 4:00 pm.

I woke up at 6:00 and got dressed. Then we had a sausage patty and shared a bagel and shake for breakfast. Then we put things down and secured. We were on the road by 6:45 am Mountain Time. 

I got up early because we had to go through El Paso Texas. I figured Larry wanted to get through El Paso before morning rush hour. We spent the night at the casino, which is at the state line of Texas and New Mexico. The traffic was a little heavy but not as heavy going the opposite direction. 

Today Larry drove 250 miles on I10. We were only in New Mexico for a few blocks and then we were back in Texas. The scenery wasn't that exciting in west Texas. It was mainly desert with a little bit of mountains. We filled the Minnie with gas in El Paso at the Love's and Fort Stockton at the Pilot. We also stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs and for bathroom breaks. The time changed from Mountain Time to Central Time right before we got to Van Horn. So we gained an hour. We arrived in Fort Stockton at 1:00 pm Central Time. We're back on our normal time zone. We have to adjust to the time difference. 

Time adjustment

During our trip we traveled in three time zones: Central Time, Mountain Time and Pacific Time. 

We are staying at a small RV Park called Westex Living RV Park. It's in Fort Stockton, TX. It cost $30 per night. When we were driving in the park it looked full. Larry stopped at the office and asked if they had any openings. The couple said, that they usually do have a few openings for people to stay a night but there was a project going on so they are full. They said, that a few of the RVs haven't shown up yet and we could have site #30. Larry told them we may be here for two nights. They said it probably will be ok. We backed into site #30 and setup the Minnie for the night. 

Entrance gate on the right

Entrance gate on the left

Dog park and playground

Horny toads decorations at a common area

Skeleton at the dog park

Office for the park with a scarecrow

Halloween decoration at the laundry

 

The owner's shed and decorations

Westex Living RV Park is a cute park and very well maintained. They have a dedicated dog run with  disc golf and horseshoe, small playground, laundry, 50 large sites with full hook-ups (20/30/50 amp, sewer and water and WIFI. The site are very nice but you do get noise from the highway.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The Daily Event was Event: Two Game Tango of 20 games (10 Klondike and 10 Spider). It took me 2 hours, 33 minutes and 58 seconds to complete, which put me in 15th place in my group.

Larry started a book and after reading a few chapters he said it was not worth reading so he picked another book to read. I finished reading The Man with No Borders by Richard C. Morais. It was a great book about an elderly man who is dying and takes his final journey in life. It has some twist and turns about his life. I liked the ending. Richard C. Morais is a great writer and keeps you interested through out the book.

Reading is fun

By the end of the day I only did 2,000 steps.

    

  

 

Wednesday 10-14-26 Back in Texas, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino & Having Fun

 

Sunland Park Race Track & Casino exit sign (2023)

We had a wonderful day. The morning temperature was 56 degrees in Deming, New Mexico. The high temperature was 82 degrees at Sunland Park, New Mexico. 

I woke up at 7:00 am and got dressed. Then we had breakfast, which was a sausage patty and a bagel. We shared a shake. Then we put things away and secured. We weren't in any hurry because didn't have too far to go, about 100 miles. We were on the road by 8:15 am.

Before leaving Rockhound State Park we stopped by the dump station and dumped out tanks. We went a different way to Deming from the park. We drove a few miles, where the park road Ys. Instead of going straight we turned left. It was a little longer but the road was a little better. We drove through Deming and got on I10. Larry drove the interstate to our destination, which was Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. The drive was very nice until we got about 18 miles south of El Paso, Texas. Then we had road construction for a few miles. We didn't stop completely but traffic had to feed into one lane. We said good-bye to New Mexico and hello to Texas at the same spot. We were only in Texas for a couple of miles and then we were back in New Mexico. Texas doesn't have any casinos because it's against the law to gamble. We got to the casino at 11:00 am. 

The RV spots are first-come-first-serve and there's only 8 spots. We found a spot and walked over to the casino security office to pay for the site. While there we asked the security officers if they were remodeling because of the painting going on. She said yes because they have a new owner. We paid for site #7. The sites have water and electric for $15 per night. You can stay up to 10 nights. Check-in time is any time and check-out time is 10:00 am. They have security in the parking lot. Sunland Park Casino is small but very nice. There is no non-smoking section. The have beverages areas through out the casino. It is very clean.

Sunland Racetrack & Casino (2023)

Once we were assigned our site we walked back to the Minnie and plugged it in. After getting the Minnie setup for the night we had lunch. We shared a salad.

After lunch I played my games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The Daily Event was Event: Easy Street Mini of 15 games. It took me 31 minutes and 24 seconds to complete, which put me in 16th place in my group.

After playing my games I went over to the casino to gamble. I was there for a couple of hours and came back with the $20.00 I started with. I went back after dinner for another two hours. I came back with $15.00. For being entertained for four hours and only giving the casino $5.00, that's not bad. I had a great time playing at Sunland Casino.

While I gambled Larry read. He started a new book because he finished reading his book last night. In between gambling and playing games I continued reading The Man with No Borders by Richard C. Morais.

By the end of the day I had done 5,000 steps.      

  

Tuesday 10-13-26 Rock Hound State Park, Hiking Thunder Egg Trail & Having Fun

 

Rock Hound State Park

We woke up to 52 degrees in Deming New Mexico. It got up to a warm 80 degrees. There was a little breeze, that kept it cooler.

I slept in until 7:30 am. I crawled out of bed and got dressed. I made mini waffles for breakfast. 

After breakfast we went on a short hike 1.25 miles. We started the hike from the Minnie and walked to the trailhead, which was on the other side of the bathroom. The trail we hiked was Thunder Egg Trail, which was a 1.1 mile loop. It started by the bathrooms and went up the hill. It looped around the rim of the hill and finished at the day area. It was a moderate trail because you had to be careful of the loose rocks and gravel. The loose rocks were caused by rain. The trail was wide and you saw a lot of desert cacti and other desert plants. We saw a few beautiful wildflowers. We stopped occasionally to look at the view of the campground and mountains. The plants we saw during the hike were Beargrass, Sotol, Prickly Pear, Creosote, Yucca, Mesquite and Mormon Tea. We had a great hike for about an hour.

Sign about Thunder Egg Trail

Plants along the Thunder Egg Trail

Thunder Egg Trail

Mountain range 

Rock Hound Campground from the trail

When we got back to the Minnie Larry went inside and I walked around the Desert Garden. It was very small and had a few benches to sit on and look at the plants. I was a little disappointed because there were only a couple of signs identifying the plants, which were honey mesquite and Tobosa Clump-grass. The cacti and plants at the park. The common cacti in the park  are Arizona barrel, Engelmann prickly pear and hedgehog. Other plants are yucca, ocotillo, mesquite, Soto and Mormon tea. In the canyons and upper elevation plants are junipers and scrub oak. At the visitor center they have a native botanical garden with local species of plants and in the springtime they display wildflowers like the Arizona poppies. 

Entrance to the Desert Garden

Ocotillo 

Arizona barrel

Cholla

Tobosa

Mexican Golden Poppies

When I got back I relaxed with a book and Larry continued doing research on e-mail clients. Then he read on his e-reader and finished the book. I continued reading The Man with No Borders by Richard C. Morais. Richard C. Morais is a great writer and the book is very good so far.

Reading is relaxing

I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong from yesterday and today. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Tri Peaks Mini of 5 games. It took me 13 minutes and 18 seconds to complete, which put me in 33rd place in my group of 50 participants.

Last night Larry noticed there were a couple of rocks on our site, that were painted. So I took a picture of them. They are very nice: one has a morning dove and the other one has flowers and the love. It makes me smile every time I see the painted rocks.

Morning Dove

Love rock

In the afternoon Larry added Dawn and water to our sinks and toilets. Tomorrow he will dump the tanks on the way out of Rock Hound State Park. 

In the evening I didn't do too much. The campground is very small, it has 29 sites (5 non-power sites and 24 electric sites). I decided just to hang around the Minnie. By the end of the night I had done 6,500 steps.

Sunset at Rock Hound State Park

Yucca Elata at our site

Spoon Yucca at our site

Desert Willow at our site