From New Mexico to South Dakota: Unraveling Road Trip Mishaps and Heartwarming Moments

In the great song lyrics Willie Nelson made famous “On The Road Again” we too were on our way

Join us on a wild adventure through some of the wild west. Fun stops and some issues we encountered on the road.

We set out about 7:30 am from St. Johns, Arizona. We had to take it slow because the Highway 191 between St. Johns and Sanders is a very bumpy road. It always makes us laugh when we see the “BUMP” sign. We wonder which one they are talking about because it is the whole road!

We stopped in Sanders in a large parking area across from the Speed Way gas and convenience store. If you stop here be very aware of where you park your rig. There are HUGE pot holes that could easily swallow a VW Bug! They had some good rain and filled one of them up. Lots of little tadpoles swimming in the pothole.

Crossing our first state line

It does not take long to get from Sanders, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico. About 45 minutes.

Gallup has grown to be quite a community. When I was a teen, we would drive from Carlsbad, New Mexico up to Washington State. Gallup was always a fuel stop. Small “old town Gallup” is still there but along the North side of the freeway, they now have several restaurants and big box stores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

Day 1 goal was Moriarty, New Mexico

Passing through Gallup, New Mexico brought back some fun and not so fun memories. It was time to push through to a casino just west of Albuquerque, NM. A great place for fuel, snacks and a rest break. Princess was able to catch up on some “pee mails” and we were all able to stretch our legs.

The Route 66 Casino and hotel is right off the I-40 about 20 miles west of Albuquerque, NM. It has easy access fuel islands and large areas for parking an RV or big rig truck. There is not much shade so pick your timing if heat is an issue.

The trip had been going along rather smooth. We were back on the road and getting ready for the long pass just east out of Albuquerque. Tijeras Canyon is also referred to as Tijeras Pass. The elevations range from 5600-7000 ft above sea level. It is several miles long. The weather was warming up and I had a few concerns about taking that pass.

Brian is great at driving in those conditions and he explained to me how shifting and the rpms working together. I was feeling much more confident until Brian said the alternator had gone again!! Moriarty is about 24 miles away. I prayed hard for 24 miles!!

We pulled into the Happy Trails RV Park. I was so relieved when we made it! We were talking to the manager about what had happened. She said she was off to the parts store in a few hours and she would be happy to pick up parts or take me along. Erin was great! She took me to pick up the new alternator and a tail light that looked to be burned out, then to the Pizza Barn to grab dinner after a long day. That pizza was incredible!

We stayed at this park back in April and liked it so much then, we decided to book another stay. This park is very small. They have very clean bathrooms and showers. They have a laundry facility and picnic area. We give it 5 stars for sure! Thank you Erin for going above and beyond to help us in a crazy situation!

The tail light was not burned out so Brian said he would look at it closer in Guymon, KS where we were scheduled to stay the next night.

On the way to Guymon we stopped at Pajarito Rest Area near Cuervo, New Mexico. I had to take a photo of this guy! If you have ever felt you were being watched… you just may have!

Next stop Guymon, OK

We rolled into Guymon, Oklahoma about 3pm. We booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express. It was central to a fuel station and places to eat. We chose Taqueria el gallo de jalisco restaurant. I would say this one one of the best burritos I have ever had! The chicken was seasoned and they believe in HEAT!

After dinner a walk through the park

We took a walk through Centennial Park. Lots of history in Guymon. We took some photos and some video of the statues in the park. Nice little pond too. The gazebo had a lovely bench that over looked the park.

After some recovery time from such a good meal, Brian decided to look into the issue of the tail light not working. *A bit of a back story… in Kingman we lost the spare tire. It was attached to the bottom of the truck. The brackets broke and the tire hit the freeway at 60 mph. When it tore loose it grabbed onto some wires and tore some of them up.* Brian pulled the wires out and discovered which ones were torn up. It was quite the fix to get to the wires but he was able to get the job done and we were ready to roll again in the morning. A great bed, a hot shower and a yummy breakfast at the hotel and we were on the road again about 7am.

Next stop Salina, Kansas

Our goal for the day was the Salina, Kansas KOA Holiday. Cute and fun KOA. The theme of the park was the Wizard of Oz.

When we arrived we discovered there was no water. The city had shut off all water and they didn’t know what time it would be back on. We always carry drinking water so we were good. The trip so far has had a few hiccups and I was to tired to cook something up. I used door dash and got some good food from Chilis.

After a good night sleep we were up at 4:30am to be on the road by 5:30. Well that plan was put to a halt when we were doing our walk around check. The tail light was working great but the running lights were now out. We had to wait for day break and check out the wiring again. With another 300 miles to go today we were on the road shortly after 7am.

What the heck in Iowa?

Another full day of travel we made it to Iowa. Our stay for the night was scheduled for Stone State Park near Sioux City, Iowa. Brian couldn’t fix the wiring again in Salina, so it was going to be done here in Iowa. Well… just like some of the rest of this trip… It was going to be an adventurous day.

We drove into the park and started questioning if this was going to be a good idea. I had booked this park about a month ago. I searched rv parks and campgrounds online. The park looked like a great place to go. I put in all of the information required. 32′ 5th wheel, Ford F-250 pick up truck. All was good and checked the boxes. We made it up the hills to the location of the campground. There was one last hill and Brian thought it looked a little sketchy to drive up with the Cougar in tow.

I was so happy he walked it first. There was no where to safely get the Cougar into the camping pad. There was no where to turn around if he had driven it up to the pad. Re-routing our plans, we called a hotel in Sioux City about 10 minutes away. Hot and tired from a full day of driving and minor issues Brian took a bit of time and looked into why the running lights were not working. One of the wires had slipped out of the connector. Easy fix. Whew!

Racking up the points at the Holiday Inn Express hotels this trip. We went ahead and booked the next night at a HIE in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We did not want to risk a 40 mile round trip only to find the Cougar would not fit.

The last day of travel for a well deserved break

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Holiday Inn Express was a great stay. We really have enjoyed staying at them. The beds were very comfortable and the showers were great! They were very clean and updated. Easy on and off the freeway and plenty of parking for the Cougar and big rig trucks.

We set out for Buffalo, North Dakota. We made reservations at a winery campground in Buffalo. The drive through South Dakota was beautiful! Lots of tall green and gold stalks of corn. Fields of potatoes! I-29 through South Dakota was pretty comfortable.

When we got to exit 207 north we were in for a surprise. We talked about how we had stopped at the TA for fuel and drinks just last year in August. About a mile past the exit we started to hear a loud rattle. Then a clunk and a loud drag! Brian was driving and did a great job at getting the truck and Cougar off to the side of the freeway safely. We jumped out to find that the driveline was laying on the ground.

Shortly after we were off the road South Dakota State Trooper Greg Brooks pulled in behind us. His car parked behind us gave us a good block making sure cars and semi’s were crossing into the proper lane keeping us safe. Trooper Brooks called a mechanic shop in Summit, South Dakota, a mile back. The shop is Cal’s Repair in Summit, SD. Brian got the driveline off and we were able to get back on the road to the turn around and make it back to the shop in 4 wheel drive. Slow going but we made it. Thank you to Trooper Brooks for all of his help keeping us safe as we made it to the shop.

While Brian was in with Cal talking about options I called a campground about a quarter of a mile down the road we were on. The County Line Campground had availability for us. We got the truck to the campground and got checked in. Brian finished getting the rest of the parts off the truck that Cal was going to drive back to Sioux Falls, SD for us. With the next day being Friday the driveline rebuild was going to have to wait until Monday. We now were going to be delayed by six days.

Here are some photos of the park and the small town of Summit, SD.

The journey to North Dakota for harvest is not over yet. There is more to come. For now we are safe here in Summit while we wait for the driveline to come back.

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Till next time thank you for taking the time to read our adventures.