Category Archives: On The Road

Traveling in our Coach

On The Road, Photos-Landscapes

~”When that sun is high in that Texas Sky” – It is time to leave Amarillo

November 13, 2015 Sheila 5 Comments

November, 13, 2015

Copper Breaks State Park

Quanah, TX

2 nights, Site 22

How many country and western songs would you guess have been written about Amarillo? I don’t know, but there are several. One of the most famous is Amarillo by Morning, which has been recorded by many artists including George Strait. And, why is it stuck in my head? Read these lyrics and it will be stuck in yours!

Amarillo by Morning

By George Strait

Amarillo by mornin’
Up from San Antone
Everything that I got
Is just what I’ve got on

When that sun is high in that Texas sky
I’ll be buckin’ at the county fair
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo, I’ll be there

They took my saddle in Houston
Broke my leg in Santa Fe
I lost my wife and a girlfriend
Somewhere along the way

But I’ll be lookin’ for 8 when they pull that gate
And I hope that judge ain’t blind
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s on my mind

Amarillo by mornin’
Up from San Antone
Everything that I got
Is just what I’ve got on

I ain’t got a dime but what I got is mine
I ain’t rich but Lord I’m free
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s where I’ll be

Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s where I’ll be

Thursday evening we receive a phone call from the Ford Dealership in Canyon, TX letting us know our car is ready. Just like that our plans change; we will have to visit the Amarillo Botanical Gardens and see the Christmas lights another time.

Friday morning was hectic, up early, on the road to Canyon with the rental car to pick up our car, back to Amarillo to drop off the rental car, and then back to the RV Park to get the coach ready to pull out before eleven o’clock. We made it!

We decided to travel to Copper Breaks State Park in Quanta, TX and stay Friday and Saturday night. We visited this park once before and enjoyed staying here. We arrived at Copper Breaks early in the afternoon and after getting settled in our site we enjoyed a walk and a sunset.

The sounds of Amarillo…..trains, planes, helicopters and eighteen wheelers, were becoming unpleasant. All sounds we could hear from our site at Amarillo Ranch RV Park.

Perhaps this is why so many country songs have been written about Amarillo, to simply drown out the noise with music.

Or it could be Amarillo rhymes with a lot of words!

Today was peaceful, quite, un-crowded, with dark (I mean dark) skies.

Wonderful, Beautiful, We are happy!

Hope your day was grand.

On The Road

~ The sky was clear, no clouds

November 8, 2015 Sheila 10 Comments

The sky was clear, no clouds.

Our first day back on the road we drove through prairie lands in eastern Colorado. Mostly flat terrain with sage brush as far as the eye could see. The wind would blow across this barren landscape and I would catch a glimpse of the reddish tones of autumn.

Not a lot of water in these parts; as we rolled along we could see an occasional small pond. In some of these ponds dark, small, blobs were moving around; I am guessing migrating ducks. However, no way to tell what species they were. I would have loved to stop and shoot a few through my camera lens.

Antelope and hawks call this vacant land home. It was enjoyable seeing these skillful hawks flying low over the land, hunting, and small herds of Antelope grazing and occasionally looking up for signs of danger.

We were headed to Lamar, Colorado, our first night destination. We passed a few cattle ranches dotted with doe eyed cows trying to find an editable morsel as they competed with the Antelope. We slowly meandered through small towns with names of Deer Trail, Hugo, Wild Horse, Kit Carson an Willey.

Not a person about in most of these dusty towns. Old rusty cars sitting in yards and vacant lots, boarded up windows on building where once people gathered to eat and enjoy the company of others, were the only remnants of a better life. These, the telltale images of long ago small thriving towns, now mostly abandoned, were sad to see.

As we drove further south the fields became greener, irrigation equipment replaced rusty old cars, and fields of harvested crops replaced sage bushes. Silos were abundant, storing crops perhaps wheat, an indication of a more prosperous area. Businesses were open, people coming and going.

Signs of life seemed normal. Glad!

On The Road, Photo Challenge, Photos-Birds, Poetry

~The Daily Post Photo Challenge-Boundaries

October 4, 2015 Sheila 2 Comments

Boundaries, in this case, equals confined.

Chick the link below to visit The Daily Post Photo Challenge page and view all the beautiful photo entries.

Boundaries

~

Don’t feel pity for me,

I have an injury and,

can’t be set free.

~

We’re part of a team,

teaching all those that come,

the wonders that be.

~

I took these photos back in February while visiting the Hobe Sound Nature Center. Sorry for the poor lighting. I wasn’t able to determine the cause of the injuries to these two beautiful birds.

You can visit the web-site for the HSNC at http://hobesoundnaturecenter.com to see the other members of the “Teaching Team”.

Even though confined by the boundaries of perches and enclosures, I believe they have the best possible life under the circumstances.

On The Road, Photos-Birds, Photos-Landscapes

~This time last year

June 27, 2015 Sheila 5 Comments

Around this time last year Howard and I were staying at Willard Bay State Park in Willard, Utah and while there we visited Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Since I haven’t taken any interesting photos here at home, I thought I would share with you a few from our visit to this gorgeous area. To view my original posts, visit these web-sites Bear River and More from Bear River and Willard Bay.

We had an exciting time traveling last summer, visited some beautiful areas and saw lots of wildlife; however, so far this spring and summer it has been wonderful just relaxing here at home. I need to capture a few photos from around here to share!