Three words to describe Texas: oil, hats (red and cowboy), and guns. At least that was our expectation. We didn’t see any oil rigs until we reached central and west Texas. We saw no red hats and only a handful of cowboy hats. And no open carry weapons. Lots of gun decor though ( I don’t get it).

What we learned: not everything is bigger in Texas. Like this pumpkin float.

We drove an hour for what I expected to be a festival with over 100 pumpkins floating in the river. It was about a dozen total.

But we saw some beautiful views and a really crazy storm on the way. And had dinner at a fun restaurant so it wasn’t a total waste.

Another lesson: always street view a business before signing up for a class. Camryn and I enjoyed the glassblowing class we took. But the fact that it was in a shed in the instructors back yard made for an anxious start.

We rounded out Camryn’s visit with a stop at Buc-ees and Putt Pub, cards, hot tubs and lots of kitty time.

Following a great visit with Camryn, we packed up and hit the road for New Mexico. Our first stop was Fort Stockton. A great little campground on top of a hill. Nothing fancy, just what we needed for the night.

Our second day of travel was more eventful. It included a stop at auto zone, just 4 miles from the Mexican boarder. You can see Jays fb post for those details.

I -10 west in El Paso is closed for construction so we faced the unnerving decision to follow GPS or the detour signs. Ultimately we decided on the detour. And we were treated to an amazing ride through the mountains.

We arrived safely at our destination, Las Cruces KOA Journey. For those familiar with the KOA brand, this place should not be a Journey. It’s gorgeous!! Definitely upgrade to the view sites. It’s worth it. We even put down our patio (only the 5th time since we owned it). New Mexico is prettier than I expected. Lessons learned.