Hot and Hotter, Texas to Arizona: Monday - Thursday, July 1-5, 2024

On Monday, July 1, we headed from San Antonio to Fort Stockton for our first night on this vacation. We made a few stops at rest or picnic areas. 

Downtown San Antonio, 6:15 am.

The Tower of the Americas, San Antonio, TX
at 6:15 am.

In Ozona, there was a new Rest Area sign on I-10. We never knew a rest area was there, so we exited. It was time to feed the cats, use the restroom, and relax. The freeway access road did not have another Rest Area sign. The Visitor Center had a directional sign so we went there. Sure enough, there were about five RV parking spots. We would stop there again.

We checked into Hilltop RV Park in Fort Stockton. A brand new, huge flagpole was being erected in front of the RV park office. We set up our RV and headed to Walmart for supplies and fuel. 

Our next stop was the Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center. Here are photos of the main points of interest and history markers.

A "representation" of what Comanche Springs
may have looked like.

The Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center
is located inside the original train station.

Fort Stockton was at a major
transportation crossroads.

Pecos County is famous for its oil and 
gas industry.

The roadrunner sculpture is all decked out
for Independence Day.

A beautiful sunset view from our campsite
at Hilltop RV Park in Fort Stockton, Texas.

On July 2, we stopped at a picnic area along I-10 for a break. Just before getting back in the truck, Bob checked all the tires. One was wearing unevenly and the steel belt was starting to show. We researched tire repair companies in Deming, New Mexico, our destination tonight. After reading reviews, we chose Big Sky Tire & Repairs.

After we arrived at Escapees Dreamcatchers RV Park, we set up our RV onsite and went to Big Sky Tire. Nate helped us at the customer service desk; he said we could bring our 5th wheel in at 8 am when they opened. For dinner, we went to an Indian restaurant inside a truck stop. It was good, but very spicy.

July 3: At 8 am, we were at Big Sky Tire. Marvin assessed our spare tire which was dated 2011. That wasn't going to cut it. They had seven tires in stock that would fit our 5th wheel. They put the new tire on while we waited. Marvin rotated the opposite old tire with the new one. 

It only took 1-1/2 hours which was awesome. That's way better than having a blowout on the freeway in 110-degree heat and waiting for help to arrive in the middle of nowhere! We are thankful to find yet another excellent tire shop on our journey. [Last summer, we had a screw in a tire and had it repaired in Big Spring, Texas.] 

Today, we drove to WestWorld of Scottsdale where we will stay for three nights. WestWorld is described as "Arizona's Premiere Equine Venue." It is also an internationally recognized facility that hosts the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction, conventions, trade shows, concerts, equestrian shows, and other events. Their camping areas are much like state fair campgrounds...big, flat, concrete pads with water and electric hookups. There is a dump station on site. The big attraction for us is that it's close to Bob's aunt and cousin.

Tuesday night, Bob's Aunt Sally had us over for afternoon snacks while we caught up on family news. Then she took us to dinner at Sophia's Kitchen Italian restaurant. It was delightful. Bob and I both tried new-to-us dishes. I had braised short rib with Crimini mushroom sauce served over tagliatelle noodles. Yummy! It was a huge portion, so I saved some for lunch tomorrow. I don't remember what Bob ordered. Thank you to Aunt Sally for such a good dinner!

July 4: Bob walked at 5 am when the temperature was only 90 degrees. I slept in! Today, we mostly stayed inside because it was so hot outside (115 degrees F.).

Our long-time friends Charlie and Debbie Smith invited us to their home in Sun City West to play pinochle and hang out in their pool. We had a lot of fun. Debbie made salad, salmon, spinach, and shortcake for dinner. It was spectacular. (See what I did there?) 

We all agreed that we had several challenging pinochle hands. At the end of the night, it was men: 3 games; women: 3 games, so we had to play a tiebreaker. The ladies won four games to three.

We also talked about the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. 2024 will be their fifth year of volunteering. Our campsite will be an hour away and we plan to visit them on the first Saturday of the festival. That afternoon, we will go to the Balloon Museum, visit the booths, have dinner, and go to the Night Glow and Drone shows. Plus, we will have a pinochle rematch to see if the guys can take the crown. LOL. We'll be able to cross the Balloon Festival and Balloon Museum off our bucket list.

We were well taken care of by our gracious hosts. Thank you, Charlie and Debbie, for a fun evening. 

When we drove back to the RV at midnight, the temperature was 100 degrees!!! Way too hot for the middle of the night.

July 5: Bob was up early. This morning he went for a bike ride. I slept in again. That's such a luxury for me.

We spent the afternoon with Aunt Sally. Bob helped her with a couple of things around the house. We enjoyed lunch at Carlos O'Brien's Mexican Restaurant & Pub. That's such a comfortable place with very good food.

On the way to the restaurant, we passed the tower below. Hello! What's that? It's the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wow! 

Atlas Obscura describes this as follows:

"This 25-foot tower was part of a design that architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed in 1957 as Arizona's new State Capitol...Called 'The Oasis,' Wright's vision included a canopy of honeycombed glass and a delicate spire atop each of three wings. At the time, the design was rejected by Arizona for being "too modern," and for many years it sat as one of the hundreds of Wright designs that were never implemented.

"But in 2004, the Promenade Scottsdale wanted a focal point for its shopping center. Working with one of Wright's apprentices, Arnold Roy, they resurrected the tower elements from the design, and built one on the corner of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road.

"The tower is constructed from 1,700 pieces of individual steel and weighs 75,000 pounds. The colors of the spire were chosen to represent the colors of turquoise and copper ores that are very prevalent throughout the Arizona landscape. Internal LED lighting turns on each night. It sits amongst several Wright design elements including a pavilion, reflecting pool, and sculpture park containing pieces by Heloise Crista, who joined the Taliesen West collective in 1949 and passed away in 2019...

"The spire is about seven miles northwest of Taliesin West, the winter home that Wright established in 1937." 

Frank Lloyd Wright Spire in 
Scottsdale, Arizona.

Carlos O'Brien's Mexican Restaurant & Pub
in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Aunt Sally, me, and Bob at Carlos O'Brien's
Mexican Restaurant and Pub.

Bob had Pollo Fundido for lunch. He had
enough for tomorrow's lunch, too.

Heat and high temperatures are on our minds right now. A heat dome is parked over the West for 1-1/2 weeks. Our daytime temps will be 101-118 degrees F.

• For the next couple of days, Las Vegas, Nevada will be 118 F. 
• Bakersfield, CA will be 114 when we arrive.
• Stockton, CA is forecast to be 104 degrees F.
• Even Dunsmuir, CA in the mountains has a forecast of 101 degrees F. when we arrive there in a week!

We have vowed never again to travel in the southwestern United States from April until October 'cuz this is ridiculous!