Well we only had one full day at Palo Duro Canyon State Park so we tried to take full advantage of it. We started the week off Monday morning with a six mile hike to the Lighthouse, a 310 foot natural rock formation. The morning temperature was about 45-48 degrees so we dressed for a cool hike. By the time we finished it was close to 80 degrees! It was a hot hike, but well worth it. I think I took nearly 100 pictures along the way.



Afterwards, we arrived back at the RV for lunch and school. While the boys and I were doing school, Cricket drove her Blazer up to the top of the canyon to make some phone calls and check her messages. She had a loan that was closing and needed to make sure everything was going ok. She also received good news with her messages, two more loans to handle.

Later we went back out for a mountain bike ride. The length was about 4-5 miles and it was both tough and fun. It had a lot of downhills, but that also meant a lot of uphills. We got a good workout that day.

Tuesday came and we headed out early. By 8:30 that morning we were on the road again headed towards Dallas. After a couple of hours or so, we finally came across a rest stop along the highway. In Texas, that also means WI-FI! With the two new referrals, Cricket was going crazy not having internet. So we pulled over for about an hour and a half while she got some work done.

Continuing southward, we finally arrived at the Hidden Cove Campground and Marina in The Colony. The Colony is a town in Texas about 30 minutes north of Dallas. It also happens to be where one of my aunts live. We picked a nice spot with a good view of the lake.



Now there was a front passing through Texas at that time and that night it was tough sleeping. There were 20 mph winds with gusts up to about 30 mph. The RV was shaking pretty bad. It wasn't long after you'd fall asleep, the wind would blow and wake you back up!

The next morning we went just a short drive away to my aunts house. Two of my cousins also stopped by while we were there. It was great seeing them again and catching up with each other.

At lunch time, we headed out to Dallas. Our first stop was to check out another one of the Travel Channels Top 10 picks for BBQ. After eating at Sonny Bryants BBQ, we determined that we should have gone to Tony Roma's right next door instead. It was just OK. I can't see how they made it into the Top 10 though.

We then walked right around the corner to the Sixth Floor Museum. The Sixth Floor Museum is in the old Dallas Book Depository from which Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JFK. The entire 6th floor has been made into a museum about President Kennedy and the events that happened that tragic day. Some of the displays contained there included all the dozen or so cameras that captured the images everyone has seen on TV and in print. They also showed the old news broadcasts that covered the event.

It was still windy and overcast out so none of us felt like walking around the city anymore. So we drove back to the campground and stayed there the rest of the day. A windy day on the shore of a lake is better than a windy day in the city.

Anyhow, that night was even worse than the previous. Not only was it windy, but there were tornado watches issued and heavy rains coming down. I think we both got only an hour of sleep.

Since we were both wide awake at 4:30 am, we decided we might as well get ready to drive. We woke the boys up and had an early breakfast. By 6:00am, we were on the road again heading to Florida.

I drove for the first hour or so going through the morning rush hour in Dallas. Once we got away from the city though, I quickly became tired and turned the driving over to Cricket. She got a lot of practice driving in the Texas plains when there wasn't anything around. Now she's feeling more comfortable driving. As long as we don't hit the BIG cities that is! She's actually driving right now while I'm writing this.

We're currently heading east on I-20 through Louisiana. As soon as we reach Mississippi, I plan on taking the wheel again. I've got about 40 more miles to finish writing this. Oh well, almost done. I just have to add some pictures then upload it. Hopefully, I'll have an internet connection and can upload it while we're driving.

Until next time,
Mark