We had a great trip, thoroughly recommendable. Probably the most interesting and fun states that we have been to. The people were really friendly and we really enjoyed it. Great to see them all in their cowboy hats and boots, and the rodeo was really exciting ! We started off in Fortworth, where we stayed at the historical Stockyards area in the Stockyards Hotel. A really authentic hotel, very interesting, and we had a room done out in Indian style, named after Jeronimo. The restaurant was done out in saloon style with saddle seats at the bar, and various animal heads, amongst many other things, emerging from the walls. We saw a cattle drive while we were there, and visited Billy Bob’s, the biggest `Honky Tonk’ in the world. It held bars, dance floors, gaming tables, bull riding, etc, etc. John Wayne’s widow had been there only two days before with her two granddaughters, and J R (Larry Hagman) had been there the previous week! The eating places were superb and we had never eaten such enormous ribs. Our eyes nearly popped out of our heads when we saw them!

We stayed in Fortworth for two nights and then moved on to Amarillo. We had hired a Chevrolet and it’s more of a pleasure to drive in America - so much more space. We are a cramped little country in comparison ,with horribly congested roads. I can never get over how much empty land there is, that just travels on for hundreds of miles. Houses that have been abandoned - people just seem to move on elsewhere as land is so cheap, or they buy massive mobile homes and have them delivered to where they choose and move on whenever they want - taking their homes with them!

In Amarillo we stayed in a Texan ranch style place, and the eating place was a huge saloon show bar type of place with balconies. Husband ,Orson ,and son, Callum really enjoyed the steak, and one man who was there took up the challenge of eating a 72 oz steak with all the trimmings in one hour!!! I don’t think he ate half of it. It has been done apparently in the past, and one who met the challenge was a 69 year old Grandmother and another was an 11 year old boy. Must have had enormous gullets!!!!

The weather was relatively mild, around the 50s, but when we reached our next stop of Santa Fe in New Mexico, it started to snow. By the next morning, it had snowed over 2’ What a winter wonderland! They had not had snow like it since they could remember. Well, you might know, the Jones’s had arrived. We always have extreme weather or incidents, whether it be heat, bush fires, floods, hurricanes, etc, normally wherever we go!!! The place we stayed was very cosy and the rooms were done out swiss chalet style, with olde worlde reception and lounge areas. It was very Christmassy and cosy. Trouble was that the roads were hazardous and travel became an impossibility. People like us had to spend an extra day there due to roads being closed. Not that we minded too much, as it sure was a novelty. In the old town, which was really quaint, everyone was slipping all over the place, throwing snowballs, and just enjoying the whole experience.

We managed to leave after 3 nights, and made our way to El Paso, Texas, for New Year. What a journey for the first hour or so. Everywhere was white with blizzard snow. Unfortunately, we had to miss Alberquerque out because of being delayed in Santa Fe, but there was heavy snow there also, so we wouldn’t have been able to do as much as we would have wanted. Whereas Santa Fe had a Indian kind of culture, El Paso was very Mexican, and we were on the Rio Grande (John Wayne land) and on the border of Mexico. It was very quiet for New Year - not like Time Square in New York the previous year!!!!

After New Year we made our way to San Antonio, a place where Callum particularly wanted to see because it was where the Battle of Alamo took place. It was a very interesting city with lots to see, but unfortunately not enough time to do everything, but nevertheless we had a glimpse and a feel for the places we visited. After that it was back to Dallas, with a night’s stop near Wako on the way. It was lovely to drive through and stop at some of the small towns. So much character and charm. One place we stopped at to eat, you could almost imagine the old days when strangers rode into town. As soon as we opened the door, everyone just stopped and stared! One old guy in his cowboy hat looked as if he was ready to shoot us - maybe we have watched too many westerns, ha!!! It’s always enjoyable to try local dishes, and I ate corn bread for the first time. Quite an acquired taste. Not bad with a little butter on! I just love the old colonial houses. We went through Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid territory, and also Jessie James. We passed through ex-president Lyndon B Johnson’s home town, and at one point we were only 30 miles from President Bush’s ranch.

We covered just over 2,000 miles. We got as far as the outskirts of Oklahoma, but had no time to visit the city. It is fortunate that Orson doesn’t mind driving, and it is fantastic just to go where the road takes, with roads stretching as far as the eye can see, passing through different territories and landscapes, different towns and places, and meeting new people. Can‘t beat it. Great holiday if you don’t mind living out of a suitcase. I was really sorry to be back, and still am, but you know me, I would keep on travelling! Still can’t get over the fact that Walmart stores sell real guns!!