The ride home was 9.5 hours, no fun, so we found a full hookup site at Abilene State Park, and here we are. It was 7.5 hours to get here through some really desolate country, I mean, dust was in the forecast for crying out loud. It was a nice drive, we actually didn’t listen to anything on the way. The hum of the motor and wind outside was nice even if it was too windy for fun.

When we finally got here, it was beautiful. 70 degrees and no wind. I pulled out the bikes and sent Sandy on her way while I slimed the back tire that was flat on mine. It seemed to take and we bikes for about 5 miles into the twilight, used our headlights to make it back. Burgers on the grill and air fryer tater tots for dinner and making plans to bike around the lake tomorrow. It’ll be cooler but we’ll bundle up.

We policed up camp and had to fuel up and get a refill on a propane tank and then it was off to the caverns. It was amazing to see again after 45 years. Sandy and I got separated walking around but it still was neat to see. We’re going to White Sands National Park tomorrow.

It was a bit harrowing with the wind, but we made it to Carlsbad and set up camp at the Chosa BLM site. We took the back corner and are running the generator. The wind is unreal. It pushed the trailer around something fierce all the way here, and it was so bad it was hard to stand when getting the generator going. We went to Walmart about half an hour away, and they didn’t have DEF, a bike tire patch kit, or milk. Unbelievable.

We’re on battery overnight, so we’ll see how it goes. Tomorrow is the caverns, and that should be neat. Here are some shots of the camp grounds, pictures of the caverns tomorrow!

In keeping an observant eye on the weather, we’re in for a high wind warning tomorrow until 9 pm, so it’s completely within our travel window. I’ll put the stabilizer bars on before we leave out, and we’ll be filled to the gills with water for boondocking, which will keep the trailer bottom heavy. The trip here is the first time I’ve put the stabilizer bars on since I got the new truck, and I’ve literally hauled it through half the country. It does look like we avoid the winter front that the rest of the country is dealing with, but that’s why we’re exploring the desert in the winter.

Another issue is I got a flat on the bike. I have three inner tubes, but guess where they’re at? Hint: not here. I don’t think I’ve seen that size in stock, but it’s not like I’ve looked. LOL, another stinking tire I have to keep tabs on and a spare around for.

We’ll be leaving the comforts of water and power with a dump station in sight for boon-docking at a Bureau of Land Management site a stones throw from Carlsbad caverns. Either Sunset Reef Campground or Chosa Campground but neither have power or water. So this is where the battery upgrade and solar capabilities come into play. The battery we had wouldn’t make it overnight in Yellowstone meaning that if it freezes outside, there’s no battery power to run the propane furnace and it is freezing inside. That is no good and not fun. My rough calculations say that even without solar we should be able to run both nights with no issue but reality can be a different story. I’ll update as the internet allows.

Meanwhile here’s what the campsite here at Lake Colorado City State Park looks like. LOL the name still kills me:)

The first leg or journey takes us about 4 hours west on interstate 20 to Lake Colorado City State Park. Quaint little place in the middle of nowhere. There are 3.1 miles of trails, which we’ll hit tomorrow. We biked almost the entire park when we got here. It was about 6 miles. Mac-n-cheese for dinner with some sandwiches. We’re both pretty tired even if it was a short travel day.

I got the controller wired in today. Mounted the new showerhead. Fixed the closet door with 3 inch screws. Validated that the kitchen sink is not going to fall through. Fixed a vent duct that I did not know was broke. And I validated that I’m not reducing the noise on the pump before we leave on this trip. We’re only out for 8 or 9 days so packing is simple enough. We ordered all the food for pickup and put it directly in the RV. I’ll top off fuel overnight and we’ll be out in the morning with the first stop being Lake Colorado State Park. It’ll be good to be camping again!

I’ve got the new battery wired in and I have run the wires that I’ll need to patch in the solar charge controller. Why do I need that? Good question, from my understanding, the current/voltage coming in from the solar panel is kind of all over the place and the controller sets things right to be able to charge the kind of battery that you have. I should research to see why there isn’t one for the charging from the vehicle or shore power but I suspect they are already set up for 12v charging.