Comanche, TX

Site:

Copperas Creek Campground

Site: 52

Wifi: Verizon - Can’t even make phone calls, ATT - 33 down, 20 up

Cost: $20/night

Noise: None, just nature

I was reeeeeally worried on the drive to Copperas Creek. We had zero cell reception. We’ve had it before where we have had crappy cell reception, but this was pulling nothing. And it was that way for at least 30 miles before we reached Copperas. If we weren’t going to have wifi, we would have to leave. Luckily ATT saved the day and had great speeds. Ron has even streamed on Twitch with minimal issues. And how awesome, because the campground is gorgeous. We are feet from a big lake, with lots of people fishing and ducks and herons all around. The site itself has electric (50 and 30) and water, a fire pit, and a covered area with cement picnic table. There is a sewer dump before you get in, so everything is covered. The bathrooms are individual, with a toilet and shower in each. There’s a dock for fishing and benches so you can watch the sun set. We had nearly no neighbors in our time here, even though it was a holiday weekend and we expected the area to be packed. With views like these, this is easily one of our favorites. 

Most copilots don’t get to sit on the pilot’s lap.

City

Comanche, TX

This was another town we went to that, when asked what there was to do, most people said leave. Comanche is a small town of just over 4,500 people, with no real big city amenities. However the people were incredibly friendly and happy to chat and offer advice when we said we were from out of town. The town has a small historic square with lots of local businesses. The problem was that, on a Sunday when we visited, all of them were closed with the exception of the soda shop. A good portion of them were also permanently closed or abandoned. A developer with some great ideas could make this a bustling, cute town. 

Restaurant:

Harvest

Harvest is right downtown in the main square of Comanche. It looks like a fancy Italian restaurant inside, and we were promptly seated and served. It was weird that on a Saturday, the entire place was filled with middle aged women. Where was the rest of the town? The lunch was decently priced, with large portions. I ordered the cornbread catfish, and Ron had the cheeseburger. While we were both impressed at our main entrees, the sides were lacking and not flavorful. However the server was very attentive even with a full house, and we enjoyed our time.

Abilene, TX

Site:

Whistle Stop

Site: 33

Wifi: Verizon - 10 down, 40 up / ATT - 60 down, 30 up

Cost: $225/week

Noise: Moderate - highway and train noise

We read reviews on Whistle Stop and everyone said they have the nicest bathrooms. I’m here to tell you that OH MY GOD THEIR BATHROOMS ARE AMAZING. We would have paid for the bathrooms alone. They are individual bathrooms like you have in a house, they’re clean, the showers are big with actual showerheads, awesome water pressure and the water actually gets warm. It was a dream. The sites weren’t overly close together, office folk seemed nice enough, and it’s a hot minute to get on the highway. Were we to need to go back to Abilene we would stay there again. 

City

Abilene, TX

Look, I came in to Texas having a bit of a bias. But people in Texas have been very friendly and helpful, and the people of Abilene were no exception. Abilene has a lot of amenities, including MULTIPLE WALMARTS. We found a Walmart that even had Pineapple Upside Down cake, which is Ron’s favorite, and YooHoo, which is my favorite. We went to the zoo, which was small but you got to be really close to the animals. We also visited the Frontier Texas museum, which was really someone’s idea for a multimedia experience. It took us about two hours to get through, and they had a lot of great information. It was a little weird, though, because you can tell they were trying to be as PC as possible, while still calling Native Americans “Indians” at every turn. Guess having the flow of Cowboys and Indians was more important than respect, but what can you do when talking about the slaughter of entire nations.

Nasty, nasty fish mouths looking for food at the zoo

Restaurant:

Chicken Express

We went to Chicken Express thinking it was some local fast food place. We have never heard of Chicken Express, and honestly didnt expect much. It. Was. Amazing. The food was well seasoned, cooked nicely, and you get a ton of it for the price. Ron had chicken gizzards, which he says were “exactly what he was expecting having eaten thousands in the past, and it’s exactly what I wanted”. Can’t look at a Chicken Express without the Chicken Attack song coming to mind, but we would definitely go back again, especially we have seen one in literally every town we have driven by since. 

Lubbock, TX

Site:

Mesa Verde RV Park

Site: 66

Wifi: Verizon - 71.5 down, 41.9 up / ATT - 29 down, 11 up

Cost: $190/week

Noise: None

Mesa Verde has incredibly friendly staff and a stellar bathroom. This is one of the few places that actually has showerheads! Instead of feeling like I was in a dorm, it felt like using a  normal house shower. Unfortunately there is little Verde around. We were in the newer part of the park, and it felt like a parking lot. There is no green between the spots, and no amenities like picnic tables or shelters. The park is right by the highway but suffers no highway noise. 

Getting used to the road!

City

Lubbock, TX

Lubbock is a much larger town than it lets on. They have two Targets! Unfortunately we were unable to explore it as we had freezing temps for most of the trip and going out on the motorcycle when it is cold out is miserable. That said, the people we met were friendly and eager to speak to us once they learned that we were not from here.

Restaurant

We went out to Joe’s Crab Shack for my birthday dinner, but we really want to only discuss local establishments instead of chains. Shout out to Bailey, our server. We hope you get to Colorado and NYC, and all the places you want to visit.

Ron tries Big Red for the first time… with mixed results