Since traveling on the road for over 11 years now, we never have made a move this late in the season. We always have been somewhere and settled way before even Thanksgiving. But this year being a little different since working at amazon.com, we didn’t hit the road until literally days before Christmas!
Leaving Coffeyville, we had decided to make one of the AZ Casino’s our place to stop to enjoy Christmas at one of their delicious buffets and who knows-pluck a few dollars into the slot machine.
Upon getting ready, we knew that a bad snow storm was hitting in the direction we wanted to go, so we got held up in Sayre OK until the storm passed and the Instate cleared.
The more we thought about it, the more exciting it sounded to be parked in snow! We would bundle up and yes, even Leah and go play out in the snow on Christmas Day! What a better way to enjoy the day and then go pig out on the Christmas Buffet!
Well, here’s where it starts to get interesting….
Upon leaving Amarillo TX and heading towards NM border we knew that we would start to see the snow accumulation. Heading towards Tucumcari we only saw a dusting along the roadway and thought to ourselves that this was nothing. We were thinking that a dusting to these folks was a blizzard…but as we got closer to a town called Edgewood NM, the snow started to get deeper. There were areas along the I-40 corridor that hadn’t even been cleaned off along the shoulders yet. All the rest areas Westbound were still closed and not plowed out yet. They were just opening Eastbound rest areas as we plucked along.
Needing a break and wanting to stretch my legs, Brian found a Wal-Mart right off of I-40 in the town of Edgewood. The exit was slushy but cleared enough to master the motorhome and tow, until we got into Wal-Mart’s parking lot. They apparently don’t know the word “snow-plow”! It wasn’t plowed at all, and being Christmas Eve, it was chaotic! There was no place safe to park the motorhome without the fear of getting stuck since there appeared to be 10-12 inches of the white stuff. I manage to go in one entrance and out the next exit to learn that I could not make the left turn I needed to head in right direction. So ended up going down the road, in the wrong direction of our destination and not knowing what was ahead.
I found a shopping center where I barely could get the motorhome in one drive and back out the other just to turn around! upon the entrance I scrapped the back-end. Brian goes to investigate and finally those skid wheels we purchased did their job well!Now turned around back in the right direction, We decided I didn’t need that rest after all so onward we go to the Casino!
We were tossed between Dancing Eagle and Sky City Casino. Both had RV Parking, however Sky City sounded to have a wonderful Christmas Buffet-so Sky City here we come…
Monitoring the weather closely in that particular area, we knew that both Casinos got hit hard with the snow storm. So Brian called to find out if even the RV Parks would be open and even plowed out. Sky City told us that it was being done as they spoke-or so we were told.
Upon our arrival to Sky City Casino in late afternoon on Christmas Eve, we were again greeted with lots of slush and snow! It made it difficult to even get fuel, but manage. We paid for our site and was told that the campground was plowed out and ready. The RV Park is across the road from the Casino/Hotel/Travel Center. As we crossed over the road, to our dismay, we couldn’t even try to get into the RV roadway let alone find our spot that was buried yet under all the snow!
We left the motorhome sitting in the roadway, unhooked the car and went back over to the travel center where we paid and complained. They got the guy over to plow it out while we sat waiting…thinking boy, we gotta be crazy or what? It took well over an hour and half just to get us a path in and into our site.
Now we are stuck here until they finish up on Christmas Day so that we can pull back out bright and early Monday morning to much warmer weather-AZ!
Upon getting up this morning-it was only down to –7below outside! I think this is the coldest weather thus far since traveling. So did we stay warm inside? You betcha!!! With the help of the electric heater and the motorhome furnace running until we got up, then Brian turned on our Cozy World brick heater. We never hooked to the water direct and what we have in the tank didn’t freeze either.
We opened up the window blinds and discovered all the windows had ice on them!
Since the sun has come out all the windows are cleared up. We are just waiting for the afternoon sun to hit the slide side so that we can bring it in and not wait till tomorrow. As the day moves forward we are to warm up to a mighty 36 degrees.
Another Christmas Day to remember and to put in our memory book
Leaving Coffeyville, we had decided to make one of the AZ Casino’s our place to stop to enjoy Christmas at one of their delicious buffets and who knows-pluck a few dollars into the slot machine.
Upon getting ready, we knew that a bad snow storm was hitting in the direction we wanted to go, so we got held up in Sayre OK until the storm passed and the Instate cleared.
The more we thought about it, the more exciting it sounded to be parked in snow! We would bundle up and yes, even Leah and go play out in the snow on Christmas Day! What a better way to enjoy the day and then go pig out on the Christmas Buffet!
Well, here’s where it starts to get interesting….
Upon leaving Amarillo TX and heading towards NM border we knew that we would start to see the snow accumulation. Heading towards Tucumcari we only saw a dusting along the roadway and thought to ourselves that this was nothing. We were thinking that a dusting to these folks was a blizzard…but as we got closer to a town called Edgewood NM, the snow started to get deeper. There were areas along the I-40 corridor that hadn’t even been cleaned off along the shoulders yet. All the rest areas Westbound were still closed and not plowed out yet. They were just opening Eastbound rest areas as we plucked along.
Needing a break and wanting to stretch my legs, Brian found a Wal-Mart right off of I-40 in the town of Edgewood. The exit was slushy but cleared enough to master the motorhome and tow, until we got into Wal-Mart’s parking lot. They apparently don’t know the word “snow-plow”! It wasn’t plowed at all, and being Christmas Eve, it was chaotic! There was no place safe to park the motorhome without the fear of getting stuck since there appeared to be 10-12 inches of the white stuff. I manage to go in one entrance and out the next exit to learn that I could not make the left turn I needed to head in right direction. So ended up going down the road, in the wrong direction of our destination and not knowing what was ahead.
I found a shopping center where I barely could get the motorhome in one drive and back out the other just to turn around! upon the entrance I scrapped the back-end. Brian goes to investigate and finally those skid wheels we purchased did their job well!Now turned around back in the right direction, We decided I didn’t need that rest after all so onward we go to the Casino!
We were tossed between Dancing Eagle and Sky City Casino. Both had RV Parking, however Sky City sounded to have a wonderful Christmas Buffet-so Sky City here we come…
Monitoring the weather closely in that particular area, we knew that both Casinos got hit hard with the snow storm. So Brian called to find out if even the RV Parks would be open and even plowed out. Sky City told us that it was being done as they spoke-or so we were told.
Upon our arrival to Sky City Casino in late afternoon on Christmas Eve, we were again greeted with lots of slush and snow! It made it difficult to even get fuel, but manage. We paid for our site and was told that the campground was plowed out and ready. The RV Park is across the road from the Casino/Hotel/Travel Center. As we crossed over the road, to our dismay, we couldn’t even try to get into the RV roadway let alone find our spot that was buried yet under all the snow!
We left the motorhome sitting in the roadway, unhooked the car and went back over to the travel center where we paid and complained. They got the guy over to plow it out while we sat waiting…thinking boy, we gotta be crazy or what? It took well over an hour and half just to get us a path in and into our site.
Now we are stuck here until they finish up on Christmas Day so that we can pull back out bright and early Monday morning to much warmer weather-AZ!
Upon getting up this morning-it was only down to –7below outside! I think this is the coldest weather thus far since traveling. So did we stay warm inside? You betcha!!! With the help of the electric heater and the motorhome furnace running until we got up, then Brian turned on our Cozy World brick heater. We never hooked to the water direct and what we have in the tank didn’t freeze either.
We opened up the window blinds and discovered all the windows had ice on them!
Since the sun has come out all the windows are cleared up. We are just waiting for the afternoon sun to hit the slide side so that we can bring it in and not wait till tomorrow. As the day moves forward we are to warm up to a mighty 36 degrees.
Another Christmas Day to remember and to put in our memory book
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