TOUR AMERICA 2019: CANYON, TEXAS – THE LONE STAR STATE

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:   Harvest Host, Bar Z Winery, Canyon, TX

September 5, 2019

Temperature 92

Danger Will Robinson Danger!

Travel Day

Just before we decided to get up and go to bed from the back of the rig came a loud, shrill sound.  What in the world?  Back we went to investigate.  It was the LP alarm, which I’ve learned from experience sounds whenever there is any kind of noxious gas in the rig.  We immediately opened doors and windows, turned the exhaust fans on, turned the propane off and then sat down to try to noodle out what was going on.

We immediately ruled out a propane leak.  So what was it?  We finally figured out that the way we were parked and the way the rig behind us was parked, behind us but off our right rear, was the issue.  The wind was blowing down on us and the exhaust from his generator was being sucked into Graybeard.  Time to move.  We swung out and into the parking lot, several feet from the other rig, and facing the way we would have to go out the morning.  Problem solved.

The next morning we were so glad we had been forced to move.  If we had stayed where we had been we would have had to disconnect the car and back out.  This is because of the construction that is going on at the Museum and the fact that the construction crew shows up by 7 am in the morning.  The way they park and construction materials prohibits an exit to the front.  Still, because we were in the middle of the parking lot we needed to be out as soon as possible.  Can you believe we left at 7 am?  We can’t but we did!

Time to find a place for breakfast.  OK, exit 20 held a lot of promise.  Pilot with dedicated lanes for RV refueling.  A Denny’s for breakfast.  Perfect.  We both gained a place again in the clean plate club.  Refueling was a breeze.  Back on the road.

Under the heading of weird road signs we saw one today that said:

Beware Hitchhikers may be escaped inmates.

Really?

Soon enough we saw one of the more welcoming signs we were looking for.  Goodbye Oklahoma, Hello Texas!

Then a short distance down the road we saw. this sign  Yes, we were in The Lone Star State.

We also saw this huge cross alongside Route 40.  Looks small in the picture but trust me you can see it for miles.  It is in Groom, Texas.

One of the things I couldn’t understand on this trip – at least at first – was the fact that we were constantly climbing.  Not as bad as in the Ozarks, but in this part of the country Route 40 just seems to be forever climbing, long, long gentle upward slopes.  I was almost always in 3rd gear, taching around 3200 rpm.  Then I discovered that this part of the country is known as the high plains and now I understand why we were always going up.

A couple of hours later we were off Route 40, on a couple of county roads and then we saw it, the sign for our new home for the night.

One problem, this guy was in the driveway in front of us and the gate was closed.  But just like that the gate opened and we played follow the leader.

Here’s our destination for the night.  This is the Bar Z Winery.  Not to be confused with a vineyard Bar Z works with Texans High Plains vineyard owners and takes their high quality Texas grown grapes and makes them award winning full-bodied wines.

The winery is located, in what else, the high plains on the edge of the Palo Duro Canyon on the outskirts of Canyon, Texas.

At first glance as I pulled into the parking lot it appeared that there wasn’t a level place in sight to park.  Oh silly me.  I was directed to the side of  the building above.  I moved forward, dropped down into a bit of small bowl, hey we’re perfectly level.  Now how about that.  We have 50 amp.  The sun goes down on the drivers side so the refrigerator is not in the sun.  Yes, we’ll have to back out tomorrow but no big deal.

Look at the view we have out of the solarium window.

All settled in it was time for, what else, wine tasting!  Barbara had been looking forward to this ever since we got here.

She did the wine tasting and I took pictures.  Look at these neat table tops.

 I found this mirror interesting as well.

Since this is a winery, here is where the magic happens.

That brings us to the end of our day on The Road of Retirement.  We had a good travel day, we have a nice place to call home tonight, and we are cool and comfortable.  One more hop tomorrow and then by the end of next week we’ll be in the Escapees Park.

Thanks again for joining us today.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!