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Published: November 11th 2020
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The four corners states are New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Unfortunately my adventure vacation starts and ends with a two day drive across Texas.
This started with good preparation for weeks in Nacogdoches, Texas. My basic trip has major overlap to my vacation in 2017 that I contributed to this site in 2018. Since that last travel I got older and more disabled so planning was essential for my survival. I wish I had a satellite phone cuz where I was going mostly had no cell phone reception; and where I camped in the back-country I could not walk out to get help. This was a very enjoyable spiritual experience as I could be with Mother Nature and see extinct volcanism, powers of erosion, and beautiful trees that can not live in East Texas.
As I made expensive repairs to Old Blue (running very well), my good friend with cancer (and could not drive any more) sold me his white truck with four wheel drive and cruise control. I repainted my camper shell and mounted it permanently on White where the rain could not get inside. (Camping wet is a bummer.) I done some expensive maintenance and repairs
to White cuz I needed good teamwork between man and machine. This I consider a survival test for this old country boy. I would cook my own food (propane stove) and camp every night. (My first night in Colorado was my only fling staying at a hotel and enjoying dinner and good live entertainment in a Italian restaurant built in the late 1800s.)
In the back of my truck land-ship is a full sized spare tire in the port aft. I secured a six gallon water container (not my only water) in starboard aft. Unseen is my extra full sized spare tire under the back, to give me six good tires. I use two four inch thick foam pads for sleeping comfort. The gear nets (hard to see) has clothes, flashlights, and anything I may need at night. In front of the wheel-wells is crates of canned food and sodas that I hope that the black bears would have no interest in. I have a thermometer listing F & C. In the cab is my ice chest with food and emergency supplies and tire changing gear. Also I mounted my barometer on the drivers dash so I could predict
the weather fronts. (A week before I departed there was a big snowfall in Colorado.) I loaded my ice chest with my frozen meats, coffee creamer, and fruit juice.
I drove from Nacogdoches on a route that avoided Dallas traffic with little traffic from Southern Fort Worth, Texas. After driving long past sunset and made my camp at a small picnic area on US Hwy 287 near Estel, Texas.
The next morning driving less then a hour I reached Monroes Peach Ranch (fruit stand) very near the small town of Hedley, Texas. It was to late in the season to get their very good peaches and fruit stocks were limited. I purchased some good apples, pears, and a bottle of good grape wine. I had a good chat with the nice lady there but I had to move on to overnight in Trinidad, Colorado later that day.
My next stop was in Goodnight, Texas to see the Goodnight Ranch from the outside. Charles Goodnight was a pioneer settler and rancher who made cattle drives to the railroad in Kansas. (Unfortunately like most of the early settlers he was involved with battles against Native Americans defending their homelands.)
There was also a large store there that sold buffalo robes and other buffalo products. I did not stop to see the buffalo products.
I drove to Amarillo and turned North still on US Hwy 287. I wizzed past the Canadian River with no time to turn around to check out the river; that looked a lot like the Red River a good ways South of Amarillo. I did manage to stop at a cluster of Historic Markers of interest. One sign marked the first natural gas (methane) field in the North Texas "panhandle". Also there was the first helium well that was important to the USA during WW2. Then I was driving to Northeast New Mexico.
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