"Continue on Route"

.....so the GPS said.  Sitting in our RV site at the Provo/Springville, Utah KOA I punched in Augusta, Georgia.  Our survey of the Salt Lake Valley had wrapped up for the year and we had been informed by the boss to hit the road.  He needed me down in the Peach State until about the middle of December so it was time to head east again.  After a little extra time calculating, a mini map of 2/3 of the United States popped up on the screen.  Mr. Garmin suggested I-70 through Denver but we decided to make the little machine recalculate.  We wanted to take a few extra days and see some things we hadn't seen before as well as take a route we hadn't taken.

We planned to exit the Interstate, take a right at Albuquerque and make a beeline to Roswell, NM to get to the bottom of the alien invasion controversy.  From there we'd take I-20 east through the girth of Texas.  Scoot north of the Hill Country.  Cruise through the bayous of Louisiana.  Begin the home stretch in Birmingham and sail through Atlanta on the weekend, arriving in Augusta before the next Monday.

It was a pretty uneventful trip. Again, a 2000 mile trek without breaking anything, but we did get surprised by a few things along the way.  All for the good.  Let's start with the hot air balloons.

Our second night on the road saw us at an obscure little state park just east of Gallup, New Mexico.  For a mere $20.00 we had a nice quiet full hook up site in a very sparsely populated campground.  Early the next morning though we heard a lot of activity outside.  A dozen or more SUV's with utility trailers were invading the place.  Come to find out we had accidentally happened onto the annual Red Rock Balloon Rally.  Soon the whooshing sound of 15 propane burners filled the air, then the balloons themselves sequentially filled the sky just feet from our campsite.  For close to 2 hours in the still New Mexico morning air we had a front row seat.  This was really one of those special occasions where we were in the right place at the right time.  One balloon landed just a few feet behind LuLu, all the while the pilot reassuring me from the gondola he wouldn't land on top of her.

Next stop, Roswell, NM.  This place has been on my bucket list for quite some time.  We pulled into the Trailer Village campground in Roswell and on checking in were directed to a site next to 3 other Airstreams, all from Florida. They were returning home from a 2 month long caravan throughout the West.  There's nothing like the instant camaraderie from fellow "'streamer's" inviting us to join them for an evening nightcap.  The next morning we hit the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell. I have to tell you folks, they DO exist.  The museum operates on the assumption that it really did happen.  They take their research seriously and even though there was a faint smell of "tourist trap" the exhibits were very well put together and quite informative.  After you're through here visit their site if you want the whole story. 

LuLu happy with her bunkmates

They DO exist

See!  I told ya

Eastbound again, we found ourselves in the endless expanses of West Texas.  They're right when they say everything is bigger in Texas.  It just goes on and on but eventually we stopped for the night in Sweetwater.  We camped at a brand new RV park with our good friends, and co-worker, Pat and Nancy, who were there visiting relatives.  The next morning we shared a nice breakfast and some local lore.  They showed us the house they had built in the 70s when they lived here then wished us safe passage as we pulled out the next morning.

We tackled Dallas/Fort Worth in late morning on day 4, which wasn't as bad as it could have been, then rode on until we found a nice state park just before dark. State parks are always the best way to go when you have the chance.  They simply don't compare to commercial RV parks.  The Tyler State Park was no exception, just outside of Tyler.  It's a gem - if you like to camp in the woods for $20.00 and see a million stars at night.

Tyler TX State Park - beautiful site

In the remaining days we crossed into Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia without fanfare.  Yes, most of the trip was just piling on the miles but the weather was great the whole way.  Atlanta was a concern.  We had no choice but to take it head on.  Approaching from the west we had a decision to make - go around on the beltway to the south or to the north.  The south is shorter and was our plan but just before the exit a trucker on the CB mentioned a backup on the south end and to take the north route.  We took his advice and never dropped below 60 mph the whole way around.  Piece of cake.

Sunday saw us safe and sound in Augusta - thankful for a safe journey.  As I said, the plan is to be here until December 15th or so.  Work has precluded us from visiting Augusta proper, and right now, rain is preventing us from even getting outside, but we'll get downtown and check out the Savannah River and everything else Augusta has to offer.

Till next time.