The year 2020 is a blur for the Camping Konneys just like it was for everyone else. We practiced social distancing, washed our hands til they were chapped, and kept to ourselves by playing golf and spending time in Naples, FL at the beach.
We are ready to celebrate being able to travel again and our first big trip of 2021 is to the west…one of our favorite spots. We usually head west in the fall but this year we wanted to see the spring blooms on the cacti. (And when I say we, I pretty much mean me!)
We like to drive around 500 miles a day which usually ends up taking longer in the Motorcoach than by car because we stop for fuel, to exercise our legs, and to have lunch in the Coach. Most days end up being 8-9 hour days so at night we usually just set up camp and then relax with some Netflix, before beginning the same routine the next day. Going west is an easy trip to navigate because we take I40 the ENTIRE way. I use an app on my phone called RV Parky which lets me see the rest areas and truck stops along the way so we try to plan our potty breaks based on the app. Finding a place to stop other than a rest stop or truck stop is nearly impossible with the coach and Jeep attached.
When we reached Jackson, TN (just east of Memphis) the scenery seemed to change just a little with flatter land, more farms, and most hills gone. Between Nashville and Memphis we found I40 to be a terrible road with construction/pot holes/ and resurfacing taking place all along the way. After crossing the Mississippi River into Arkansas, the land was even flatter, the speed limit changed to 75 mph, and we noticed many, many more trucks on the highway than we remembered from before. I’m assuming this is another side effect of COVID with more people ordering online now.
As we continued across I40, the headwind was much stronger making our mpg drop to 6.5. We can usually get 7.2 mpg driving at 72 mph. Easy fact to remember because of the numbers. The headwind around Oklahoma and into Texas was very strong, blowing at about 35 mph with higher gusts happening more and more often as we continued westward. Gas mileage dropped to 4.8 mpg with the wind blowing from the north and getting stronger and stronger as Greg fought with the winds to keep the Coach between the lines.
Luckily we have a new gas card called a TSD Open Roads card with allows us to find diesel more cheaply along the route and with the card it will give us a discounted priced at certain stations they use. We usually fill up once a day, never liking the gas gauge to drop below half a tank. So far we’ve saved $110 with this card during the last four days!
One of the best things about driving as opposed to flying is you get to see the landscape change a little each day. Tennessee resembled NC, past there into Arkansas there was more open land but it still looked similar to NC. Once we crossed into Oklahoma and then into Texas and New Mexico the landscape began to really change with more open fields, huge farms, beef farms, windmills for energy, and finally some cactus plants emerged once we got into New Mexico. Texas was dry and there were dust storms along the road blowing dirt and dust all around, making clouds appear in the distance and making the landscape hazy.
Between Oklahoma City and Amarillo, we began to see windmills; more indicators that we were still heading west!! Once we crossed into Texas (especially the Panhandle City, which is located right in the middle of the panhandle) the winds got worse and the gas mileage continued to drop and my grip on the chair handle was tighter. I was thrilled when we passed through that area!!
As we went into New Mexico the scenery changed drastically; almost immediately. The land consisted of red rocks, some cactus plants and lots and lots of rocks. We saw lots of trains and mountains and mesas in the distance. Once we crossed into New Mexico we saw a few more cactus plants, but the majority will be seen once we reach Tucson.
We stayed at KOA campgrounds on this trip because of convenience. We try to go about 500 miles a day and so I check out campgrounds in the area and read the reviews. KOA’s are consistently average so having kind of low expectations for the campgrounds helps quite a bit! For one night, they all worked out ok.
KOA in Holbrook, AZ 
KOA in Sallisaw, Oklahoma 
KOA in Nashville, TN 
KOA in Tucumcari, NM
I love seeing trains out west (and there were lots of them). Just part of what I think of when I think of western states. We noticed a considerable increase in the amount of trucks on I40. Guess that’s a product of COVID as well. People liked ordering online so that has definitely continued. We didn’t realize just how many trucks there were til we were stopped once for construction and that’s all we could see in the distance.
Once we got into New Mexico, we climbed to an elevation of 6,000 feet. Keep in mind, Naples is 7 feet above sea level so 6,000 feet is a huge increase resulting in headaches for both of us. It also makes our bagged snacks swell up!! You can always tell you’re out west when there are cattle grates across smaller roads. We don’t see much of that in NC!! COVID has some campgrounds scared of person to person contact so one KOA had us use a walkie talkie to tell them we were checking in and they told us where to go in the park for the night. Typically they like to escort you to the campground and help you get lined up. Another change because of COVID.
I love seeing trains on the road west. 
Cheetos swollen from the altitude. 
Cattle grades along the roads. 
Finally I saw a cactus blooming. I’m sure I’ll see more in the upcoming days! Until tomorrow…Enjoy reading my blog and traveling along with us.
Camping Konneys 