Category: 2025

Three Lakes in Three Weeks from Texas to Oklahoma

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 2 Comments

We left Lake Colorado City State Park and made our way to northern Texas. Our first two-week stay was at Clear Lake Campground on Lavon Lake east of Dallas, Texas. It is run by the Army Corps of Engineers, and it was a lovely place to call home for a time.

The sites are very nicely spaced apart, and we had a pretty view of the lake. Wildflowers were blooming in the field on the other side of the Airstream. Murphy and I spent most of our days walking to the shore of the lake so that he would swim and wear himself out. The park was not crowded or full during the week, but it would get very busy on the weekends. That is OK with us, as we usually do our laundry and shopping on the weekends, and our recreation during the week.

Close-up of a yellow wildflower blooming in a grassy field.
A dog standing by the water's edge, looking out at a lake under a partly cloudy sky, with grass and plants in the foreground.

Murphy photo bombing my picture.

A small plant with reddish leaves growing on a grassy bank by a lake, with calm water in the background.

This was the shot I was aiming for.

I swear the dog is part dolphin. It is near impossible to keep him out of the water.

There were a few rainy days, but that is expected in spring.

The day before we were supposed to check out and move to our next stop, we got a phone call from the state park we had booked for the next 2 weeks. Lake Texoma State Park was experiencing very high water levels, and the site we had booked was closed due to flooding. They did have other spots available in a different part of the park, so we went ahead and took the offered campsite.

Since Aaron had a company truck, I had to do the towing of the camper. I don’t tow it very often, so this was good for me. If ever Aaron were not able to drive, I need to be comfortable towing and parking the rolling house. I will say, driving through and around such a metropolitan area as Dallas was a bit intimidating. My nerves were shot, but I did a good job. This picture is from my Snapchat story.

I was excited for our new spot, It was in Floyd’s campground in the state park. My grandpa’s name was Floyd, so I thought it was pretty cool to park here for a few weeks.

This was the view from our site. As you can tell from the trees in the middle of the water, the lake was crazy high. And it only continued to rise.

We stayed in that spot for 2 nights before the park called us again. They were worried that our site was going to flood and asked if we could move to another site, still in Floyd’s, but up a hill and further from the water. We semi-packed up and moved across the street, up the hill.

A shiny Airstream trailer parked under lush green trees with a black truck nearby in a campground.

I still took Murphy down to the water, considering his part-dolphin heritage, but didn’t really let him swim. There was so much trash washed up from the lake. I was really mad about it, too. People use the lake for boating, fishing, and swimming, but do not respect it enough to take care of it, and throw away their trash. It really frustrates me! It won’t be a beautiful place to spend time if it is abused and trashed.

Close-up view of a muddy area with scattered debris, including plastic cups and sticks, along with patches of green grass.

We stayed in our new spot for 2 days, and then got another call. We would need to move sites again for the night and would have to leave the park the next day by 2 pm. The park was closing due to rising water levels. Aaron was at the new office trying to set it up, so I was scrambling to find us a new home for the remaining week and a half we were supposed to be at Lake Texoma.

I found 1 spot available about 30 minutes away at Murray Lake State Park in Oklahoma for the rest of the week. It was a lovely state park, but the campground was very crowded. We were very grateful we had somewhere to go, and Murphy, as usual, enjoyed swimming in the lake. I was getting more towing experience than expected, and it was a good reminder to always have a plan B in mind, in case of something like flooding occurs.

I was also able to reserve a spot for us at Hickory Creek Campground in Lewisville Lake, just north of Dallas, for the following week.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who reads and follows my blog. I will be back in a week or two with more Texas adventures.

Exploring Texas: A peaceful week at Colorado Lake State Park

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 6 Comments

We said goodbye to New Mexico and made our way into Texas. Our first stop in Texas was near the oil fields at Colorado Lake City State Park. After we had made the reservation, Aaron and I realized that we had stayed at this particular park once before for about 3 days in 2023. We stayed there for the same reason: we were on our way to the Dallas, Texas, area for Aaron’s job. This time, though, we will be in Texas a lot longer.

We spent a week here and saw almost no one else. When we arrived, our campground was almost completely empty and remained that way throughout the week. It started filling up on Friday for the weekend, but that was OK. We had fun during the week when we had the place virtually to ourselves.

A white dog on a leash explores a grassy area in a state park, with trees and picnic shelters visible in the background.

It was nice to see trees again, but it was still somewhat like a desert. There were cacti, and there was plenty of sandy dirt. But, there was the lake, so I spent most of my time taking Murphy down to Lake Colorado for a swim. Murphy does not like water to have sticks, branches, or debris in it, so he does his best to bring all those things onto shore. The little cove I took him to for swimming had lots of sticks and branches to keep him very busy while he swam.

A white dog wading through shallow water, playfully carrying a twig in its mouth, surrounded by sparse vegetation and water.
A view of a lake with muddy water and sparse vegetation, including tall, thin plants and a large rock in the foreground. A dog can be seen swimming in the water.

It was a nice spot to spend our afternoons while Aaron worked.

After a week, it was time to keep heading northeast towards the Dallas area. Our next stop -Lavon Lake, northeast of Plano, Texas, at the Clear Lake Campground.

A silver Airstream trailer parked in a green, grassy area with trees and a clear blue sky.

From Desert to UFOs: Our New Mexico Travel Highlights

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 1 Comment

We finally made it out of Arizona! Our first stop was at Adobe Deli, a Harvest Host in Deming, New Mexico. This eclectic restaurant felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. It had a small museum, lots of taxidermy, a wonderful staff, and some of the best French onion soup I have ever had. We sat next to the Deli Gator, and we were under a female lion leaping through the air. Aaron and I both enjoyed a great steak and slept well, ready to get back on the road in the morning.

Lincoln National Forest is in an interesting part of New Mexico. The area we stayed in was near the Capitan Mountain Range, the town of Capitan.. Capitan, New Mexico, is the home of Smokey the Bear. A baby black bear was rescued from a forest fire in the Capitan Gap in 1950, and he became Smokey the Bear.

We had planned a week’s stay in the forest, but the weather forecast changed our plans. It was supposed to snow and have mixed winter weather the coming weekend, and we knew we did not want to drive the dirt/gravel road in sleet/rain/snow mix. We did enjoy our stay. It was really interesting to watch the weather change over the four days we were there. Day one was sunny with mild temps, day two had strong winds and a dust storm, day three brought light snow, and the day we left was sunny again.

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Murphy had a great time running free, finding a few bones, and just enjoying being in the mountains. He found 2 cow jaw bones. We were not surprised, as ranches surround the national forest land. The scenery was beautiful, and I was thrilled to see some trees!

We got a reservation at Bottomless Lakes State Park just outside of Roswell, New Mexico, for our next stop. I was very excited! I was looking forward to being near a body of water again and excited for the opportunity to explore Roswell.

We parked the Airstream and settled in for a week and a half at the Clear Lake Campground in the state park.

It was wonderful to see the wild flowers, let Murphy swim and just to relax next to a lake.

We could not avoid the rain and snow altogether, but at least we were not driving in them. It rained for half the day, and in the second half, it snowed. The ground was too warm and wet for the snow to stick, but I did enjoy watching it fall. Here is a two-second video of the snowfall.

For those of you who are not familiar with Roswell, New Mexico, it is known for a supposed UFO crash landing in a rancher’s field in 1947. It is probably one of the most famous and researched supposed alien encounters. This incident has sparked conspiracy theories, myths, investigations, and a town that has embraced its alien encounter fame.

We spent a Saturday afternoon exploring the International UFO Museum & Research Center located in downtown Roswell. As a bonus, dogs are welcome at the museum, so Murphy got a day out with us.

As we were walking down the sidewalk, I was behind Aaron and Murphy, and just happened to catch a picture of Murphy barking at a window. Aaron started laughing, and I had to see what made the dog bark. Apparently, Murphy is not a fan of the gray aliens. 😂

The museum was pretty cool and had some nice displays with research, and some really cool pieces.

After we enjoyed the museum, we drove around town. It was really fun to see the different ways Roswell has embraced its link to alien encounters and made it part of its identity. Even a big chain like Dunkin’ Donuts has bought into the alien culture there.

Overall, we really enjoyed having more time to explore New Mexico. This state is so diverse, and rich with history from the wild west days, military history, natural geological wonders, and diverse ecological systems. I really think we could spend months just exploring New Mexico. But, we still needed to get to Texas, so it was time for us to move east into Texas.

A Long Time Spent in Arizona

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 5 Comments

The holidays were over, and things quieted down for Aaron, Murphy, and me. Aaron still had a lot to do to get the new field office in Phoenix up and running, so we knew we had a lot more time to spend in the desert. He and I also discussed how much time we planned to spend in Arizona. We came to the conclusion that we will probably spend some time in the area each winter. We also researched the region’s population growth, increasing property values, and future business growth. We decided to start looking for an undeveloped piece of land that we could use to park the Airstream while we are there, and eventually sell as an investment.

We set up house at West Pinal County Campground again and began a property search. We spent several Saturdays and Sundays driving around Pinal and Maricopa counties to find the right property at the right price. Quite a few were inaccessible with our F-250 4×4 truck, so we knew we would not be able to get our camper onto the property.

We found 9 acres in the Sonoran Desert that fit our needs and wants. We started the ball rolling, hoping the seller would accept out offer.

In the meantime, I had another trip to Iowa planned for the end of January to assist my mom with recovery from knee replacement surgery. I was in Iowa for about a month, spending some quality time with my mom, taking my dad to a doctor’s appointment, and spending more quality time with my younger brother, nephew, and sister-in-law. I did not take many photos while I was there. We were busy with physical therapy and recovery. Once Mom was far enough in her recovery to have visitors, both her brothers came to stay with us for a few days. It was wonderful for her, and for me to get some extra time with my uncles. When those three siblings get together, there is always lots of laughter, great stories, and love. Unfortunately, they are not able to get together very often due to living so far apart. I am so grateful I was able to be a part of this.

The Burns Siblings-Cheryl, Darrell, and Steve

Once Mom was on the mend, it was time for me to fly back to Aaron and Murphy. After a cold month in Iowa, it was wonderful to feel the warm sunshine of Arizona. Things had been moving along with the property, and it was time to close the deal.

Once I got back to Arizona, Aaron, Murphy, and I spent a few more days at Pinal, and then it was time to move our rolling home onto our piece of the desert.

Our oldest son, Gage, who lives in Phoenix, went out to the property with Aaron and helped clear a driveway for us to use. Then, it was time to park the trailer and settle in.

As we explored the land, we noticed some fox and rabbit burrows. Of course, Aaron decided to set up a trail camera to see what critters we were sharing the desert with. We got pictures of a fox, a rabbit, and a coyote.

There were also quite a few kangaroo mice around, but we never could catch a good picture of one.

Of course, there were things left behind by others from who knows when. We cleaned some of it up, and will have more to collect and clean when we go back.

A rusty bucket

A party keg

An old Dr. Pepper bottle

We found several rusty old cans, including one that had not been opened. We decided not to open it, keeping its contents a mystery.

I have two favorite things about this property. One is that there is a saguaro cactus there. Native Americans view these as sacred beings, guardian spirits, and ancestors. They are beautiful, and I am honored to have two there.

The other thing I love about the property is all the rocks! Everywhere I walked, there was quartz. There are large and small stones scattered everywhere! We found more than enough to create a fire pit and to use as a border for Aaron’s cactus garden. We also found quite a few pieces of petrified wood scattered around. I started quite the rock collection.

These are a few of my favorite finds.

This is one example of the petrified wood we found. I did spend a lot of time collecting and cleaning rocks. It was fun, and gave me something to do since we were in one place for quite a while.

These are just a few pictures of rocks scattered everywhere. It was tough for me not to pick up everyone I saw. When we did leave, I left a considerable pile of rocks that I will revisit when we return. I hope to have some polishing tools by then, so I can pretty them up even more.

We had one day of rain. Aaron and I were excited! It had been a long, long time since we had seen, heard, or smelled rain! Also, since it rained, we could use our fire pit at least once. The property is covered in creosote bushes, and when it rains, they give off a not-so-pure scent. They have an almost chemical smell when wet. That was a new experience, the not-so-fresh smell of rain. The raindrops made a beautiful sight on our bedroom window during sunset.

I did a lot of sky watching and daydreaming while enjoying the views. Poor Aaron was working while Murphy and I played.

While we were there, Gage had to go out of town for work, so we got to have Lola stay with us for a week. She and Murphy were very excited. Lola had fun wandering around the desert with us.

We spent the last of February and the entire month of March on our small piece of the Sonoran Desert. I honestly think I did not post anything to this blog while we were there because, as much as I enjoyed being there and enjoyed the beauty and the rocks, I felt stagnant. We had been in the Phoenix area for a total of 4 months (3 for me since I spent a month in Iowa), and it was time to wander again. Plus, it was starting to warm up in the desert, and I do not mesh well with desert temps in the spring and summer.

Aaron needed to start heading towards Texas for the next new field office to get set up, so it was time to say goodbye to our Arizona landing pad until sometime this winter. It was moving day again! Watch out, New Mexico, we are headed your way next!