What a cool RV Museum and something I never knew about BBQ

Where are we now?

AOK RV Campground, Amarillo, TX

The other day I learned something new about barbecuing. While on his walk with Reggy, Benno passed a fellow RVer in our RV Park who was tending to his grill outside his rig. The wafting aroma of mouthwatering meat slowly cooking got his attention and seeing the big chunks of meat Benno commented if he was grilling for himself or if it was for all of his neighbours? 

As it turned out, Joe is his name, was cooking a beef brisket and pulled pork. The BBQ he used is not your typical griller. It is a Traeger Woodpellet Grill and this model is also a Tailgater, which he takes to work. He explained that he also owned a larger model. The way it works is that the grill uses an auger to move hardwood pellets from the hopper to the fire pot within the grill. Once in the fire pot, a hot rod ignites the pellets starting a fire. A fan then stokes the flames, creating a convection heat to cook the food evenly. There are also models wifi equipped so using their App you then control your grill with your smartphone! If interested read up on it on the Internet on the above highlighted links. 

Joe had been generous and gave us a sample plate of his just grilled meat. I have to say it was restaurant quality and so delicious that we almost licked up the plate! Thank you Joe!

The box was full with all kinds of spices

Today we visited the “Jack Sisemore RV Museum” here in Amarillo, Texas. What a cool accumulation of vintage RVs, cars, motorcycles, and all things from that era. On our agenda were actually some other interesting sites, (which I will post later as there are far too many pictures in my camera) but we made a stopover at the Amarillo Travel Info Center located East on I-40, Exit 76 and “Peggy” the hostess, asked us if we had been to the RV Museum after learning that we are here with our travel trailer. 

Thanks Peggy, that Museum was a delight! The Museum is associated with the Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Dealership, Service Dept. and Accessory Store on the same premises. 

There were so many interesting antique items complimenting the RVs to see and the displays were done tastefully and cute.  So if you don’t mind, here are only 30 or so pictures of the place.

Note: the scabbard hanging on the motorcycle handlebar is holding a Thompson 45. Also called a Tommy gun, Chicago Typewriter, Trench Broom, or the Thompson. The military loved this weapon during WWII and the Chicago Gangsters incl. Al Capone loved it too in the 30ties depression. The military aluminum camper was for high-ranking officers like generals.

The hanging camper apparently floats too

This concludes my tour of the RV Museum. I hope you liked it. Thanks for visiting and please stay tuned for more interesting sites here in this town.

Holy Cow

Where are we now?

AOK Camper Park, Amarillo, TX

So we left a day early from the Town and Country RV Park in Roswell, NM although I had prepaid a week. After a large exodus of the March Break crowd and the discovery that someone had been siphoning gasoline from our truck during Saturday night and because it was a gorgeous day for traveling, we packed up after lunch and hit the road.

Town and Country RV Park, Roswell, NM

Our destination was Amarillo, Texas but we were not in a hurry so we thought we drive to Hereford, which is only about 50 miles west of Amarillo, and find us a nice Walmart parking lot for the night.  We have never been through this part of the country and I find that new scenery is always nice and exciting. Hereford did ring a bell with me, but I had no idea about the magnitude of cattle in this area.  

Along US-60 on both sides of the road are cattle fields. Some cattle were free roaming on meadows, but the majorities were contained in feeding stations.  And we saw thousands upon thousands of cattle! Now I know why Hereford is called the “Beef Capital of the World” And by the way, if you have a sensitive nose, you might consider a detour.

As far as I could see, cattle and more cattle

The following is an excerpt from the Amarillo.com website:

The Texas Panhandle is the nucleus of beef production. Amarillo ranches and feedlots produce 30 percent of the nation’s beef and 88 percent of Texas’ beef. Ninety-six percent of beef on the market today comes from the Texas High Plains. The Texas Cattle Feeders Association is headquartered here, and Texas Beef, which has been producing beef for more than 100 years spanning four generations, produces 200,000 cattle annually from two feed yards. Cactus Feeders, the world’s largest privately owned cattle feeding operation, owns 10 feed yards, six being around Amarillo. They have a capacity to hold 480,000 head of cattle. 

We found a nice spot at the Walmart parking lot in Hereford and settled there for the night. The temps dropped below freezing but our furnace warmed us up nicely.  After a good breakfast and a stopover at the Murphy USA ($2.25,9 gal) Gas Station to top up our fuel tank we were on the road. Since we were so close to Amarillo we didn’t have to rush but we had lost an hour when we passed the time zone into Texas and our inner clocks were not quite adjusted yet.  

Here in Amarillo we pulled into the AOK Camper Park next to the I-40 Exit 80, which has a sound barrier so we don’t hear much of the traffic. As a Passport America member the stay is $14/day incl. full hook-up, free wifi & free electricity and easy pull through lots. Payments need to be in cash deposited in an envelope into a mail slot at the office door. This is a no frills RV Park and not for you, if you are picky, but it is definitely better than an overnight stop at a Walmart. At the end of the property roaming behind a fence are a Longhorn, an Emu and a Llama our two doggies have visited to say hi.

Also at the end of the property lies a trailer that flipped over in last weeks’ windstorm that raged through here with over 80 miles an hour. It seems it is a work camper that was unoccupied at the time.

We are planning on staying here through Saturday. I’m going to taste test a hunk of that Hereford beef for my upcoming birthday and I’ll let you know how I made out. Basically I am copying "Jim and Barb's RV Adventure" in their birthday celebration for Barb (sans the festivity at the Laundromat) since it’s also a milestone birthday for me.