We've not stay in Amarillo proper... but one of our favorite boondocking spots is out at nearby Lake Meredith National Rec area. There's a FREE developed campground up there at Fritch's Fortress with clifffront/waterfront (depending on lake levels) views. It's all dry camping, but there's a bathhouse with toilets/sinks, and a dump station with fresh water. We love it there.. usually very quiet and scenic.
The winds can get wicked up there tho.
- Cherie
Hdrider said
02:26 AM May 2, 2013
Hey THANKS!!! I don't know how I over looked that.
Hdrider said
02:27 AM May 2, 2013
Technomadia wrote:
We've not stay in Amarillo proper... but one of our favorite boondocking spots is out at nearby Lake Meredith National Rec area. There's a FREE developed campground up there at Fritch's Fortress with clifffront/waterfront (depending on lake levels) views. It's all dry camping, but there's a bathhouse with toilets/sinks, and a dump station with fresh water. We love it there.. usually very quiet and scenic.
The winds can get wicked up there tho.
- Cherie
And thanks to you also Cherie,,, we will look into that spot as well.
-- Edited by FastEagle on Thursday 2nd of May 2013 09:21:47 AM
TXRVr said
01:23 PM May 2, 2013
Overnight RV Park. If you're interested in eating a good steak then check out The Big Texan. They provide a courtesy pick up to and from the CG.
Palo Duro is a nice park. All canyon rock for the most part, but very scenic and you should drive around in the canyon while there. There are a couple sections and I cannot remember which one is more big rig friendly. The road leading down to the CG from the check in station is narrow and sometimes curvy. Manageable, but not made for two rigs to pass each other at the same time.
frayfl said
03:58 PM May 2, 2013
We stayed at Overnight RV Park in Amarillo last year, it is between a big truck stop and train tracks and in the flight path for the airport, on top of all of that noise, there was also some kind of auto race track that started at about 8:00 Friday and sat nights.
Dennis & Stella
bjoyce said
04:47 PM May 2, 2013
We have stayed at Oasis, but I hear it has changed ownership since we stayed but is still a good spot. We did take a day trip to Palo Duro from there.
Sushidog said
01:15 AM May 3, 2013
I've got reservations at Palo Duro and Caprock Canyon SP next week. I'll let you know how we liked them when we return, as it will be our first time there.
Chip
Hdrider said
02:33 AM May 3, 2013
Sushidog wrote:
I've got reservations at Palo Duro and Caprock Canyon SP next week. I'll let you know how we liked them when we return, as it will be our first time there.
Chip
Well who knows,,, maybe we will run into you there.
Sushidog said
03:11 AM May 4, 2013
Dave and Diane,
We will be arriving at Copper Breaks SP on 5/7 and leaving 5/9, arriving at Caprock Cyn SP on 5/9 and leaving on 5/11, arriving at Palo Duro Cyn SP on 5/11 and leaving on 5/14. If you guys are there at the same time, drop on by our little Aliner with the noisy bird and we'll share some of our good ole TX grilled meat and perhaps a soda pop with the foam on top if you're so inclined.
Chip & Cindy
Hdrider said
03:06 PM May 4, 2013
Sushidog wrote:
Dave and Diane,
We will be arriving at Copper Breaks SP on 5/7 and leaving 5/9, arriving at Caprock Cyn SP on 5/9 and leaving on 5/11, arriving at Palo Duro Cyn SP on 5/11 and leaving on 5/14. If you guys are there at the same time, drop on by our little Aliner with the noisy bird and we'll share some of our good ole TX grilled meat and perhaps a soda pop with the foam on top if you're so inclined.
Chip & Cindy
COPY THAT!! Not 100% on our timing but we will be leaving here (Bottomless Lake State Park in NM) Monday and headed that way. Our timing at Palo Duro depends on if we go up to 40 so we can see the cars stuck in the dirt and then stay in Amarillo a few nights before going to Palo Duro or if we take a more direct route from here and go straight to Duro Canyon.
Thanks for the invite!!
NWescapee said
10:20 PM May 4, 2013
Chip and Cindy - you're bringing back memories, our first trailer was an Aliner, we had it for 8 years, it was our "graduation" from tent camping. We have camped at Palo Duro Canyon with the Aliner, don't remember if it was convenient for big rigs.
Terry and Jo said
02:28 AM May 5, 2013
Don't forget the option of using RV Park Reviews to see what is in the Amarillo/Canyon area. Some of the reviews there may also be helpful
Terry
WestWardHo said
07:55 PM May 5, 2013
We loved Palo Duro State Park. Stayed there in one of our early trips in a 28 ft. travel trailer. Plenty of room with wide spaces. The road in is described well above. The museum is good. Lots of great lectures by rangers and nice hikes and wildlife. Reminded me a little of Sedona.
Watch your weather reports. They had a major flood a few years back. Rangers tell good stories about it.
Sherry
Hdrider said
08:24 PM May 5, 2013
They are supposed to have a thunder storm tomorrow but I think we will head there anyway and stay 3 nights. Then head up into Amorillo to stay 2 nights before heading into Oklahoma. Thanks for all of the input.
Terry and Jo said
10:03 PM May 5, 2013
Ahhh.....
.....Oklahoma in May.
Keep an eye on the weather. If you've got bad weather and are anywhere close to Oklahoma City, KWTV, channel 9, gives the best severe weather coverage. When the bad weather does come, we tune to 9 and watch the storm tracks. They are pretty darn accurate, and if one knows where one is in relationship to their tracks, one can mostly just sit out the storm.
Terry
Hdrider said
10:31 PM May 5, 2013
I know,, I'd really rather not be in Oklahoma in May,,, the worst month of the year for tornado's,, but we have poked along at such a slow rate that it's how the timing worked out. I would be fine working our way north but when we set out we really wnated to get to Tenn. and Kentucky and the east coast and up to Penn. so I think we will just stick with the plan but maybe HURRY through a couple states like Ok LOL!!
Terry and Jo said
02:32 AM May 6, 2013
Yes, you want to hurry. It smooths out the rough roads because if you go fast enough, you just hit the tops of the bumps, or as we used to say in the trucking business, "running on the high road."
At one time in the Oklahoma Panhandle, there was a three mile stretch of road that was so rough that those hauling produce from the west coast had to slow down so as no to "bruise the fruit." Those of us that drove that road fairly regularly made it a point to run with our inside wheels ON the center line, which put the shoulder side wheels on the center of the right lane. Then, if you were going fast enough, it was a fairly smooth ride. Trouble was, if you met traffic coming at you (two-lane road), you got to feel the bumps. As soon as the traffic passed, it was back to riding the parallel ridges.
On some stretches of roads, I still do that today. The road "lanes" tend to get "beat out" by the heavy truck traffic which is what gives the normal area of driving such a rough ride. I also tend to do the same if it has rained fairly hard and water is standing in those "valleys." That way, I have less chance of hydroplaning.
Terry
NWescapee said
02:42 AM May 6, 2013
Hurrying through OK sounds like something we would do, except, oh yeah, that's where the grandtwins live. So, we might linger once we're on the road FT, but I have no plans to be in TX or OK in May - Sept, too darn HOT for this northern girl. BTW, hang onto your hat if you wear one, this is the time of year when the wind just doesn't quit in Oklahoma. No offense intended Terry, but it would take a family crisis to get me to OKC this time of year.
Not sure which route you are taking across OK, but once you cross the state, if you find yourself in Arkansa, the Hot Springs area might slow you down a bit more on your travels.
Terry and Jo said
01:11 PM May 10, 2013
OK. I want to give a wee bit of perspective here before the entire world decides to FOREVER AVOID Oklahoma. With regards to tornados, I've lived in Oklahoma except for nearly 4 years in the service and two years of living in Texas as I was driving an 18-wheeler at that time.
In all of that time, and considering that I am about two weeks from being 67 years old, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TORNADO WITH MY OWN EYES. (Yeah, I know. My eyes aren't all that great right now.)
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 10th of May 2013 01:12:14 PM
Hdrider said
02:05 PM May 10, 2013
Update,,, Palo Duro was a great stop. We went down in the canyon to the campground deepest in,, Mesquite. Had a good time. Roads were not bad to navigate. But doing it mid week and not having the heavey traffic was good. Had a jack go bad on departure day but thats another story. We are now at the Oasis campground just outside Amarillo. Got the jack off of the motorhome and then went through a pretty good wind storm. Now to make a few calls ahead to find parts for the jack probably around a larger city like Oklahoma City,, do a day or two tour of Amarillo and watch the weather forcast so we can shoot across Oklahoma between storms with luck LOL!!
bjoyce said
10:54 AM May 11, 2013
We really enjoyed Claremore Oklahoma, including the Will Rogers museum. The bombing memorial in Oklahoma City was overwhelming to us, mostly because we had lived close to the northern Idaho militia movement and Rajneedhpuram in its heyday. We had lived where the crazies might do something nasty. We also liked the Oklahoma City Bricktown Water Taxi, http://www.bricktownwatertaxi.com/.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Saturday 11th of May 2013 11:06:07 AM
53 Merc said
02:11 PM May 11, 2013
Way to go Terry. Some people look for nirvana or Utopia. They miss a lot of life doing so. Avoiding a place because of the news media and their panic reporting is just dumb. Beauty is where you find it. Peace is too. Ken
Terry and Jo said
03:02 PM May 11, 2013
You are right, Ken. And one never knows what they might miss because they didn't search it out. For instance, Palo Duro Canyon would not seem to exist until you get right to it. Similarly, just off of I-44 and South of Hinton, Oklahoma is Red Rock Canyon State Park, another of those places that won't be seen until you get to it. While the sites there don't have sewer, we spent a week there back in April of 2011. While we were there, a number of folks "over-nighted" in their travels.
Now, as far as Nirvana is concerned, some of our roads certainly don't qualify for that "image."
Terry
Hdrider said
04:09 PM May 11, 2013
OK,, I certainly don't want to give the impression that I live in fear. I also grew up in a area that tornado's happened,,, Iowa. I have however seen them with my own eye's. I have had barns torn apart and a large two story home turned on it's foundation. And have made many trips to the cellar. That does not make me fear the mid west but I simply brought it up because it is the month that has the most activity. I didn't mean to sound like I'm skurd. I've scrapped many a floorboards racing through the mountains,, I've jumped many a atv's through the air along with many things I would not have done if I lived my life in fear. Many of them I look back on now that might have been concidered plain stupid. Just wanted to clear the air before I was classified as a person looking for nirvana or Utopia. But I am however a person that might weigh out the odds a bit more than I would have a few years back.
Terry and Jo said
05:12 PM May 11, 2013
Dave,
My comment was not directed specifically to you. I just wanted other folks to know that Oklahoma isn't the end of the world. (I think that is Pakistan, where I was stationed in the Army.)
Like yourself, I've done my share of "risky" things, but as I'm almost 67 years old and want at least another 10 or 15 to go, I also temper myself with regards to those "risky" things. With any endeavor, whether extreme or just towing a big rig, respect for the "possibilities" is something to always have in abundance.
I guess I was in my late '50's before I learned what "fear" was for me. That was getting up in front of about 300 people at church and giving a 3 to 5 minute talk. Jo said she saw the color literally drain out of my face. That is a story for around a fire so everyone can experience the humor in it.
Terry
NWescapee said
05:51 PM May 11, 2013
Terry - Oklahoma is one place we won't be avoiding, you've met the grandtwins so you know we have 2 very good reasons for visiting your home state. There are just some times of the year when we would rather visit, Fall, for example around the Lake Murray area is lovely. Tent camped in the state park there several times when we lived in Dallas and we also loved visiting the Chickasaw national forest area, in fact we were just having a conversation about needing to check out those areas for camping with the grandkids next time we come to visit. We were tent campers when we did a lot of camping in the TX/OK area so now all the research begins again as we bring our house on wheels along.
Hdrider said
01:51 AM May 12, 2013
We are leaving Amarillo in the morning and heading to Foss Lake State Park in Oklahoma for a couple nights,, then either into Oklahoma City to Twin Fountains RV Park or Lake Thunderbird State Park for a few more nights. (we have a new jack for the RV being shipped to a shop in Oklahoma City). So we will be in Oklahoma for at least a couple weeks the way it looks. We are looking forward to it befor we slide on east.
Terry and Jo said
03:16 AM May 12, 2013
Dave,
Believe it or not, Lake Thunderbird State Park was hit a few years ago with, guess what, a tornado and it tore up a lot of the trees in that area. It also wiped out one of the major marinas and a few other things. In addition, the locals also call Lake Thunderbird "Lake Dirty Bird" as it is really a muddy color all the time. Because of all that, you might not like the park. Back in 2011, when we chose to do a week's vacation in April, we went to check out Lake Thunderbird. We ended up in Red Rock Canyon State Park instead.
Twin Fountains is possibly the nicest RV park, but even its fountains are dirty water. It is because of the clay in much of Central Oklahoma. Should you choose to go to Twin Fountains, it is right next door to the mobile home park that Jo and I are in. If you're going to be here a few days and want to see things, there are a number of museums and other attractions close to the area.
If you want, contact me via private message, and I'll get you my e-mail address and cell phone number. I can try to be "something of" a source of information for you.
Terry
Hdrider said
10:10 PM May 12, 2013
Thanks for the info and offer Terry. We will certainly keep that in mind. We are settled in at Foss Lake state Park right now. Got a spot as close to the water as is available. Water tree's and green grass. Just don't get much better. I think we will stay here at least 3 nights and maybe check out the Red Rock Canyon before having to be in Oklahoma City to pick up our jack.
Terry and Jo said
11:09 PM May 12, 2013
Dave,
If you are considering Red Rock Canyon, please allow me to offer you my blog postings for the time we were there. If nothing else, you can see some pictures of what it looks like in the canyon. There are four posts for the days we were there.
Any suggestions for a good place to stay? Has anyone stayed at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park?
Dave and Diane,
While we've not stayed there, Howard and Linda did once and wrote a review for it. Here is a link:
Palo Duro Canyon
Terry
The winds can get wicked up there tho.
- Cherie
And thanks to you also Cherie,,, we will look into that spot as well.
Here is where we stayed. Check it out.
http://fasteagletravels.blogspot.com/2012/06/amarillo-tx-fort-amarillo-rv-park.html
FastEagle
-- Edited by FastEagle on Thursday 2nd of May 2013 09:21:47 AM
Overnight RV Park. If you're interested in eating a good steak then check out The Big Texan. They provide a courtesy pick up to and from the CG.
Palo Duro is a nice park. All canyon rock for the most part, but very scenic and you should drive around in the canyon while there. There are a couple sections and I cannot remember which one is more big rig friendly. The road leading down to the CG from the check in station is narrow and sometimes curvy. Manageable, but not made for two rigs to pass each other at the same time.
Dennis & Stella
Chip
Well who knows,,, maybe we will run into you there.
We will be arriving at Copper Breaks SP on 5/7 and leaving 5/9, arriving at Caprock Cyn SP on 5/9 and leaving on 5/11, arriving at Palo Duro Cyn SP on 5/11 and leaving on 5/14. If you guys are there at the same time, drop on by our little Aliner with the noisy bird and we'll share some of our good ole TX grilled meat and perhaps a soda pop with the foam on top if you're so inclined.
Chip & Cindy
COPY THAT!! Not 100% on our timing but we will be leaving here (Bottomless Lake State Park in NM) Monday and headed that way. Our timing at Palo Duro depends on if we go up to 40 so we can see the cars stuck in the dirt and then stay in Amarillo a few nights before going to Palo Duro or if we take a more direct route from here and go straight to Duro Canyon.
Thanks for the invite!!
We have camped at Palo Duro Canyon with the Aliner, don't remember if it was convenient for big rigs.
Don't forget the option of using RV Park Reviews to see what is in the Amarillo/Canyon area. Some of the reviews there may also be helpful
Terry
Watch your weather reports. They had a major flood a few years back. Rangers tell good stories about it.
Sherry
Thanks for all of the input.
Ahhh.....
.....Oklahoma in May.
Keep an eye on the weather. If you've got bad weather and are anywhere close to Oklahoma City, KWTV, channel 9, gives the best severe weather coverage. When the bad weather does come, we tune to 9 and watch the storm tracks. They are pretty darn accurate, and if one knows where one is in relationship to their tracks, one can mostly just sit out the storm.
Terry
Yes, you want to hurry. It smooths out the rough roads because if you go fast enough, you just hit the tops of the bumps, or as we used to say in the trucking business, "running on the high road."
At one time in the Oklahoma Panhandle, there was a three mile stretch of road that was so rough that those hauling produce from the west coast had to slow down so as no to "bruise the fruit." Those of us that drove that road fairly regularly made it a point to run with our inside wheels ON the center line, which put the shoulder side wheels on the center of the right lane. Then, if you were going fast enough, it was a fairly smooth ride. Trouble was, if you met traffic coming at you (two-lane road), you got to feel the bumps. As soon as the traffic passed, it was back to riding the parallel ridges.
On some stretches of roads, I still do that today. The road "lanes" tend to get "beat out" by the heavy truck traffic which is what gives the normal area of driving such a rough ride. I also tend to do the same if it has rained fairly hard and water is standing in those "valleys." That way, I have less chance of hydroplaning.
Terry
Not sure which route you are taking across OK, but once you cross the state, if you find yourself in Arkansa, the Hot Springs area might slow you down a bit more on your travels.
OK. I want to give a wee bit of perspective here before the entire world decides to FOREVER AVOID Oklahoma. With regards to tornados, I've lived in Oklahoma except for nearly 4 years in the service and two years of living in Texas as I was driving an 18-wheeler at that time.
In all of that time, and considering that I am about two weeks from being 67 years old, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TORNADO WITH MY OWN EYES. (Yeah, I know. My eyes aren't all that great right now.)
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 10th of May 2013 01:12:14 PM
Had a jack go bad on departure day but thats another story.
We are now at the Oasis campground just outside Amarillo. Got the jack off of the motorhome and then went through a pretty good wind storm.
Now to make a few calls ahead to find parts for the jack probably around a larger city like Oklahoma City,, do a day or two tour of Amarillo and watch the weather forcast so we can shoot across Oklahoma between storms with luck LOL!!
We really enjoyed Claremore Oklahoma, including the Will Rogers museum. The bombing memorial in Oklahoma City was overwhelming to us, mostly because we had lived close to the northern Idaho militia movement and Rajneedhpuram in its heyday. We had lived where the crazies might do something nasty. We also liked the Oklahoma City Bricktown Water Taxi, http://www.bricktownwatertaxi.com/.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Saturday 11th of May 2013 11:06:07 AM
Ken
You are right, Ken. And one never knows what they might miss because they didn't search it out. For instance, Palo Duro Canyon would not seem to exist until you get right to it. Similarly, just off of I-44 and South of Hinton, Oklahoma is Red Rock Canyon State Park, another of those places that won't be seen until you get to it. While the sites there don't have sewer, we spent a week there back in April of 2011. While we were there, a number of folks "over-nighted" in their travels.
Now, as far as Nirvana is concerned, some of our roads certainly don't qualify for that "image."
Terry
I've scrapped many a floorboards racing through the mountains,, I've jumped many a atv's through the air along with many things I would not have done if I lived my life in fear. Many of them I look back on now that might have been concidered plain stupid.
Just wanted to clear the air before I was classified as a person looking for nirvana or Utopia. But I am however a person that might weigh out the odds a bit more than I would have a few years back.
Dave,
My comment was not directed specifically to you. I just wanted other folks to know that Oklahoma isn't the end of the world. (I think that is Pakistan, where I was stationed in the Army.)
Like yourself, I've done my share of "risky" things, but as I'm almost 67 years old and want at least another 10 or 15 to go, I also temper myself with regards to those "risky" things. With any endeavor, whether extreme or just towing a big rig, respect for the "possibilities" is something to always have in abundance.
I guess I was in my late '50's before I learned what "fear" was for me. That was getting up in front of about 300 people at church and giving a 3 to 5 minute talk. Jo said she saw the color literally drain out of my face. That is a story for around a fire so everyone can experience the humor in it.
Terry
Dave,
Believe it or not, Lake Thunderbird State Park was hit a few years ago with, guess what, a tornado and it tore up a lot of the trees in that area. It also wiped out one of the major marinas and a few other things. In addition, the locals also call Lake Thunderbird "Lake Dirty Bird" as it is really a muddy color all the time. Because of all that, you might not like the park. Back in 2011, when we chose to do a week's vacation in April, we went to check out Lake Thunderbird. We ended up in Red Rock Canyon State Park instead.
Twin Fountains is possibly the nicest RV park, but even its fountains are dirty water. It is because of the clay in much of Central Oklahoma. Should you choose to go to Twin Fountains, it is right next door to the mobile home park that Jo and I are in. If you're going to be here a few days and want to see things, there are a number of museums and other attractions close to the area.
If you want, contact me via private message, and I'll get you my e-mail address and cell phone number. I can try to be "something of" a source of information for you.
Terry
Dave,
If you are considering Red Rock Canyon, please allow me to offer you my blog postings for the time we were there. If nothing else, you can see some pictures of what it looks like in the canyon. There are four posts for the days we were there.
Red Rock Canyon Vacation Day 1
Red Rock Canyon Vacation Day 2
Red Rock Canyon Vacation Day 3
Red Rock Canyon Vacation Day 4
Terry