We left a thermometer on the camper step last night and it recorded a low of 14 degrees Fahrenheit. We were glad that we slept in our warm sleeping bags.
Continuing east on US 64 we drove through beautiful Cimarron Canyon State Park and Philmont Scout Ranch. The State Park had a nice looking campground beside the river.
In Raton we stopped for fuel and kept going east on US 64. The terrain was rolling grasslands dotted with old cinder cone volcanos. We drove to the top of Capulin Volcano National Monument, a forested perfect cinder cone. Looking down from above it was easy to see the volcanic origins of the area.
Apparently we were crossing a major antelope migration route and we saw many herds near the road. One crossed the highway in front of us and ran beside us for awhile. I always thought pronghorn antelope were small but these were the size of large goats. It was very exciting to see them up close.
The road passed through tiny towns with many abandoned houses and empty businesses. We expected to see wild grasslands driving through Rita Blanca National Grasslands but only large ranches and irrigated sorghum and hay fields were visible from the highway.
At Clayton we found a former KOA that sold propane and drove into Oklahoma on US 412. The gently rolling Oklahoma panhandle was dotted with desolate looking towns, grain elevators and train tracks.
We stopped for the night at No Mans Land Regional Park in Guyman, Oklahoma. The park welcomed overnight parking with open bathrooms, showers, water, and a free RV dump station. The police station was across the street and there were bright lights overhead.
With an expected low of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it felt like a heat wave and we put away our sleeping bags.
Lesson Learned: National Park Service Visitor Centers often have filtered water taps for water bottles that you can use to fill your small jugs.
