The hundreds of visitors who camped around the Hardeman County Courthouse in Quanah, Texas, are all gone now, leaving Cloud 9 as the lone witness to a weekend of activities, acquaintances and all-things-Airstream. It was our first regional rally, and our first experience “boondocking,” or dry camping–that is, camping without water, electrical or sewer hookups.…
Our beloved Loyd Park is finally recovering from the spring floods, opening more sites–and more possibilities–for weekend campers like us. Four of Loyd Park’s five camping loops are now accessible, but signs of the flood persist, as debris, as well as rusted sign posts, dumpsters, electrical hookups can be seen throughout the park. We had…
This year’s Fourth of July, our 14th celebration together, was an experience we’d rather forget. Although it began with much promise, it ended with more of a whimper than a bang. We thought the stars had aligned when we were able to get a campsite at Loyd Park, despite being told, early in the week,…
After an intense, albeit shortened, work week, we began our three-day weekend at Loyd Park with a quick set-up, a first walk and a refreshing cocktail. We fired up the BGE and were soon enjoying grilled salmon, cob corn and shishito peppers, complemented by caprese salad and cabernet wine. That’s roughing it, Garinn-style. An after-dinner…
With so many area parks closed due to flooding, finding a place for weekend camping is a challenge. Thankfully, we discovered Loyd Park, a campground managed by the City of Grand Prairie. We hesitated to try a “city” park for a number of reasons. First, city budgets aren’t generous when it comes to parks and…
At the end of a particularly demanding work week, we were eager to get away. We set our sights on Salado, a tiny Texas town that was established in 1867 for the sole pupose of building a bridge across Salado Creek. Cliff’s Garner family was hosting its annual reunion at the Stagecoach Inn, a Salado…
8,000 | Altitude, in Feet, At Which We Had Our Most Strenuous Day 3,036 | Total Miles Traveled 750 | Estimated Number of People Viewing Old Faithful Geyer at 2 pm on May 27 152 | Coal Cars Counted on BSNF Train 72 | Horses Counted in One Pasture at Buffalo Valley, East of the…
Day 8 of our Yellowstone Adventure found us overnighting at the Amarillo KOA, our third overnight there. Among other things, Amarillo is known for its meatpacking industry, one of the largest in the nation, and was once called the “Helium Capitol of the World,” for having one of the country’s most active helium fields. The…
Day 7 of our Yellowstone Adventure found us headed for Pueblo, Colorado, as we continued to make our way back home. We had been advised to skirt Denver via the E-470 tollway rather than stay on I-25 through the city. The combination of construction work and rush-hour traffic seemed to make the $50 in tolls…
We left Yellowstone National Park two hours ahead of plan, thanks to an unexpected snowstorm. Heavy, wet flakes fell at about an inch an hour, quickly covering everything in a blanket of wintery white. To complicate matters, we learned that our intended route out the East Entrance to Cody had to change because a rock…
Garinns on the Go 