We collected and cashed final paychecks from Crazy Horse, did our pre-travel
checklist, and set out on the road to Haslet, TX on Friday. Mike and Claudia, a wonderful couple who
worked with us at Crazy Horse and who will be working with us at Amazon, traveled
with us.
Nebraska is a prettier state than I imagined! Its Lake McConaughy, 8 miles northeast of
Ogallala, was rated #14 by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation on
its 2015 Top 100 Family Places to Boat
and Fish in the U.S. But the winds
blowing across the prairie are brutal!
Kansas, once home to Dorothy Gale, Toto, Uncle Henry, and
Aunt EM, has the distinction of having the largest watershed district in the
U.S. The Pawnee Watershed District
contains 1.5 million acres! We traversed
the Smoky Valley Scenic Byway, though we didn’t see many of its renowned wildflowers
in bloom. We stopped along the Santa Fe Trail for a satisfying
picnic lunch that Yogi Bear and Boo Boo would have loved to snatch! “Skyscrapers” in these parts of Kansas consist
of grain elevators.
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| What's Left of Uncle Henry and Aunt Em's Homestead |
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| The "Skyscrapers" of Kansas - Grain Elevators |
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| The View From the Picnic Area |
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| Picnic Area Along the Santa Fe Trail |
We encountered rain as we entered Oklahoma, “where the wind
comes sweeping down the plain, and the wavin’ wheat sure smells sweet”. Lots of windmills here, though their blades
are hidden in the clouds! I guess this
is testimony to just how massive these windmills are, how low-lying the clouds
are, or a combination of both! We entered
Woodward, “Home of the Boomers!” Didn’t
know “Big Boomer” had relatives!
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| "Big Boomer" Apparently Has Relatives Living in Woodward, OK |
We parked
in Walmart and walked over to Big Dan’s
for a hearty dinner. The NY Strip was
perfectly sized, succulently seared, and just plain old lip-smacking good. Combined with a salad bar any rodent would
drool over and a side order of onion rings, my entire dinner tab came to only
$20! Excellent food, service AND price
earns Big Dan’s a 5-cheese rating!
We arrived in Texas to sweltering temps. Though most of the campgrounds offered by
Amazon are small, “low budget” RV parks, we are satisfied and
thankful. Unlike the facilities at Crazy
Horse/Heritage Village, Texas Star has WiFi AND cable, and our Verizon phones
and personal MiFi have excellent service!
(At Crazy Horse, we were blowing through our 20 gigs of data simply
searching for a signal. We never had
more than 2 bars on our phones. Ironically,
Mommy got better service when walking in the ravines on Mickelson Trail than
anywhere at Crazy Horse/Heritage Village!)
We did some exploring with Mike and Claudia to get the “lay
of the land” of the Fort Worth/Dallas area, and found all the mainstays we
require. So far, so good. Well, time to go. I've gotta get to bed early--tomorrow is our big “orientation” day at
Amazon!
We are about 2 hours east of Dallas, where Red is enjoying fishing on one of his favorite lakes. I'm anxious to see what you think of the Amazon gig...
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you Pam. Glad to hear El Rojo is getting some fishing in.
ReplyDeleteWe normally have time off during the latter part of the week and were hoping to get to the Texas State Fair near Dallas next week if not maybe the following week so if your in the area maybe we can get together. We are about an hour to the west of Dallas on the other side of Eagle Mountain and Lake Worth.
Really enjoying your blog. I've been full timing for 3 years, just me and my 2 dogs. Could you give me any ideas how I might secure a part time job at Amazon during their busy season for next year? I am semi retired, but the field I'm in now has a slow period during winter time, and need something part time to keep me going during my slow time. Thanks for any advise you can give me on the Amazon job. Vicky.
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying reading your blogs. I am also a full timer I travel alone with my two dogs. I was wondering if you could give me some advice how I might secure a part-time job with Amazon for their busy season maybe next year. I am semi retired, and the field that I am in right now I have a slow season during winter time, so I am always looking for part-time work during the fall to winter say about till February. Anyway if you could give me any advice you know how I might be able to secure a job at Amazon part time during their busy season that would be really great. Stay safe going down the road and hope to hear from you. Thank you. Vicky.
ReplyDeleteVicky,
ReplyDeleteGlad you are you enjoying the blog. As for Amazon, they actively recruit thru their website, Amazon.com. If you look under employment you will see the section called Camperforce. They normally start this process around February for the upcoming year. Some associates start as early as mid-August and can start as late as beginning of November.
We are not sure but they may even be still looking for Camperforce associates in Campbellsville, KY and Murphysboro, TN for this year so you should check the website.
We are at the newest location, Haslet, TX which is presently the furthest west. Our contacts here are Joni Johnson (jonij@amazon.com) and Nancy Roudebush (roudnanc@amazon.com).
They also usually have representatives at some of the larger RV shows including Quartzsite, AZ.
As Amazon clearly points out the work is physically demanding.
Good luck with your plans and safe travels as you travel this great country!
I am so glad to have you as a follower as I blog about my parents experiences.
Popo