After rolling in to Amarillo at 2am local time we evaluated our planned overnight stop, Loves gas station*, but they didn’t seem to have any good RV spots and we didn’t want to compete with the truckers for their spots. Fortunately the TA Travel Center across the street had flat and plentiful parking for RVs our size. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 1 point for TA Travel Center, 1 point for Flying J, and -1 point for Loves.
These types of stops typically have no hook ups, and this may be the first of two stops in a row like this, so we planned ahead by filling up our fresh water tank and making sure we emptied our black/gray tanks. Running the generator for short periods of time is usually fine. We would typically do that if we need to recharge the house batteries, run the AC, or use the microwave. The coffee machine runs just fine off the inverter as long as we move it to one of the inverter outlets.
One thing Lana and I always find interesting while reading reviews for overnight gas station stays are the noise related complaints. Really? Are these people hoping for a nice peaceful experience while staying (for free) at 24/7 truck gas stations? With that said this one was truly special in terms of noise (not that we’re complaining!). In related news, we discovered that in Amarillo, freeway demolition is an all night activity. Even though this was right across the street from us we were so tired we didn’t even care. Not to mention that the price was right!
After breakfast, a quick card game, and filling up, it was time to hit the road to our next stop – Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma. This one is a first come first serve place when staying overnight so hopefully they’ll have a spot for us.
*Loves, Pilot, Flying J, and TA Travel Center are truck oriented gas stations usually offering free overnight parking