Breezing Through Oklahoma

We breezed on through Oklahoma with ease. After we bid goodbye to Bell Cow Lake Campground, we had another city park in sight. Our second stop was at El Reno Lake Campground located in El Reno, Oklahoma. It was a good resting spot for two days before heading onward. We were able to stock up on a few things as the Wal-Mart was very close by. And the sunsets weren’t too bad either, don’t you think?

Sunset in El Reno

We’re currently in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, located about midway through the panhandle of Texas. In my previous post I mentioned that I was very excited about this new stop. Why? Because it’s the second largest canyon in the United States, second only to the Grand Canyon! So it’s a nice little taste of what’s to come for the rest of the crew.

Couldn’t you just see a coyote up there howling?

But let me tell you, driving down into this baby was pretty nerve-racking. There are no guard rails and the road is pretty darn narrow. It’s a ten percent grade with lots of switchbacks. I went into low gear and eased Perl girl on down. I’m getting in some practice for the mountain passes yet to come.

It definitely feels a lot more like the desert with the arid climate. It’s a great time to be here. The days warm up very nicely. The nights on the other hand can get pretty darn cold. The forecast calls for warmer nights for the next couple days.

After showering at the bath house today, we stepped outside to a nice warm day. The kids didn’t go back inside but rather hung out in the warm sun. We found a stick bug and the kids decided it was the biggest one they’d ever seen.

Hello down there

There are grasshoppers everywhere! Some of them are black and when they leap through the air, their ‘wings’ (or whatever the flying mechanism is) are a beautiful orange. I ran around chasing them for a while to try to see if I could get a picture. It was an epic fail!

Loki thought it was a wonderful game, running after them with great gusto. Not all of them got away though, poor, poor grasshoppers. I tried to save some, I really did.

Hey mom, these grasshoppers are pretty tasty

Another phenomenon that we’re experiencing right now is flies. I feel like I’m in the Amityville Horror flick. The flies cover the screens. We’ve been killing so many in the RV that our fly swatter broke! Today I took control and got out the deet. The time had come. I sprayed the screen on the front door and around the entrance area. That seemed to keep them at bay a tad bit.

I was reminded of another creature to look out for while I was out hiking today. I came across a diamond back rattlesnake along the side of the road. It was dead but still made its presence known none the less! Please forgive me for sharing road kill pictures with you but I was pretty fascinated to see it. I’ve never seen one in person. Let’s hope I don’t encounter a live one!

Palo Duro Canyon is pretty darn gorgeous. Some sides show her beauty better than others. I love the layers and the band of white that can be found in some of the bedrock. The bottom and oldest layer shows off crimson red in various spots along the canyon wall. I love the earthen tones.

There are nightly shows here in Palo Duro. Everyone wanting to capture the magical glow runs outside to see it around the same time every night. It’s called the sunset. I was out there clicking away along with several other fellow campers tonight. It really is quite spectacular. Check out this article about why desert sunsets are so amazing.

That’s about it for now folks. Since we haven’t had any ‘free’ internet for a while, I’m trying to be conservative with our gigabytes. Boy oh boy do I wish I had an unlimited data plan. I almost snagged one recently but alas, it eluded me.

Thank you for being your gorgeous selves and for using my Amazon link when you do your regular shopping. I REALLY do appreciate your support!

{HUGS} from the Crew!