Yiihaa, We Are In Texas

 A normal travel day has come to an end. We traveled from Minden,LA to Sweetwater,TX. Weather had done a major drop in temperature from 28C to around 11C for a day-high.

After plunging through the traffic machine in the east it felt great to see the wide open and less traveled highway stretch out before us now. What a relief it is not having to be on constant lookout for those big-city idiots with the high-powered Mustangs and Corvettes.

One of the last "Spaghetti Highways" before reaching El Paso, TX

The open highway of the west

It had been raining through the night, and on and off during driving hours. But at least the clouds saved us from having to face the setting sun while heading west.

We had been running low on water and felt we could benefit of a shower. Since also our hot water boiler has a current hiccup (it doesn't light) we decided to try a full hook-up at Love's truck stop. YES, that's right. Love's has started up in the RV-Park business and offers brand-new RV-sites alongside their travel centers. But you haven't heard the most exciting part with it: 

There is no human there taking your money, opening the gate or telling you where to park. These basic functions are taken care of by the online reservation system. Once you have made your online reservation, you get a code which you have to punch in at the gate. And whooops....the gate slides open. (some RV-parks have no gate though) Your confirmation gives you the site # you gotta use. It also gives you a link in your email which you have to confirm, and that, folks, turns the power on at your site. Before I knew that I couldn't fathom why there wouldn't be any power at the box. Well, my technologically less challenged dear wife, found the key to this luxury. But hey, this is not everything yet. There is a small building with restrooms and shower. The doors have key pads as well, and here another secret code is used to miraculously open the door. Once you step inside you'd be flustered about how nice this is. Squeaky clean, functional and with lots of room to place your clothing without getting it wet. Turning on the hot water it takes a few moments until it arrives, but once it comes and you step in the water, you won't leave it again. This is just too good to be true. We have learned that pricing for all this varies, but seniors are getting a 10% rebate. 

Needless to say, that after a full week on the road, we feel great for this. A bonus is the proximity to the Interstate, so no long detours for the travelers.

Look for this sign, you can find it along the highway

Right here, at Sweetwater, we can hardly hear the road traffic. There is a trainline going by, but that is the case most other places along the I-20 and I-10 and even I-8.

Now, regarding further plans, we think we will be staying overnight along I-10 in New Mexico tomorrow and the night thereafter we will be at WHY BLM area in Arizona, where we will meet up with Yves and Louise from Quebec

Super orderly sites at Love's. Dixie is enjoying the super soft grass.