OASIS CAMPGROUND, AMARILLO, TX-CAMP 6

I wrote quite a bit about the Oasis campground in 2009. Obviously some prices have changed, but it is still as well maintained as it was back then.  In fact they had just done some refinishing on the asphalt drives just before we arrived.

Basically it is a big parking lot with wide flat parking spaces and little to no shade.  But the staff is friendly and helpful, the pool is great, has a good playground for the younger travelers, sparkling clean bathrooms that are 4 per building (there are numerous buildings) with the laundry attached.  The laundry is reasonably priced at $1 to wash and $1 to dry with both units running long enough to thoroughly wash and dry your loads on a single dollar.

The only drawback of course was the fact that it was a flat concrete and asphalt parking lot. It was over 100 degrees when we were there and the winds were so strong all the time no one put their awnings out.

Nature did step in and really cool us off one afternoon with a pretty huge storm that came through.  At one point the camper really rocked, but all was good and the running water after the storm disappeared quickly.

We did get permission and one day were the breeze was slightly lower so Gary could fly the quadcopter and take videos of the campground. You can view the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrcIisWnyrw 

The rate for full hook-ups including wi-fi and cable tv was $35 a night, $150 a week or I think it was $375 for a month, but I am not certain of the monthly rate.  Call to verify if you are headed there.  This campground is open year round. 

Located right off the I-40 highway almost next to the CadillacRanch it is easy on and easy off to go to the campground.  While there is a fuel station just a couple of blocks from the campground they tend to be a little high so we chose to go to the Sam’s Club that was around 5 miles from the campground and save almost $.30 a gallon on diesel. 

Our original plan had been to stay one week at the Oasis seeing the CadillacRanch, Jack Sisemore’s RV Museum, the Amarillo Botanical Garden, and Palo Duro Canyon then to move on to another location to enjoy the sites.

While we never actually got out of our truck and walked out to the cars at the Cadillac Ranch, we did drive by it constantly because it was so close to the campground.  We have been up to the cars in the past and I have previously blogged about them so it wasn’t as if we were missing anything.

The other three locations we did visit and I blogged about each one individually because each was interesting in its own right.  You can read about those by clicking on the hyperlinks in blue on this blog. All were low priced to do or free, and within a short driving distance.

We ended up staying 8 days because Murphy, of Murphy’s Law, seemed to think it was a good time to play tricks on us. 

First he kept the right turn signal from working on the trailer.  We spent a huge amount of time on our departure day working on that to learn that the trailer turn signal was a different fuse on the truck than the one the truck turn signal is on.  Once we determined that the fuse was blown that was a quick fix (so we thought) and we hit the road.

Or at least that was the idea as we pulled out.  Roughly 20 minutes later the tire minder screamed at us just as we were getting on the main expressway to take us back into Oklahoma.  The valve stem on the driver’s side outside rear dually tire on the truck had broken.

Normally Gary would have just changed the tire himself, but it was already 98 degrees on the side of the highway.  I called AAA.  The fellow to change the flat was there in about 30 minutes.  I will say this is the first time that the AAA representative showed up in just a car rather than a tow truck.  Luckily Gary already had our tire changing equipment out and was lowering the spare when he arrived.

He verified our AAA membership had rv coverage before he even started.  Even though the now totally flat tire was on the truck the fact the fifth wheel was attached to the back of the truck would have prevented AAA from paying off had we not had the RV policy, unless we detached the rv from the truck.  Which we do have the rv plus policy. So be aware that you must have an rv policy to get AAA to provide the proper coverage while traveling.   He changed the flat quickly and we were off to find a valve stem.

Because our tires had been purchased at Sam’s Club, albeit the Florida one, using our Oklahoma membership there was no charge for the valve stem replacement in Texas and the job was done quickly. Once again we put what they can metal valve stems on the tires to help cut down valve stem breakage due to the after market addition of the tire minders. The valve stems weren't the brass ones we truly needed ones, but they had some metal in them.

However, by then it was around three in the afternoon, which is the time we usually try to be in our next campground by, so we went the five miles back up the road to the Oasis and back into our exact same spot paying the nightly rate for one more night, rather than getting into Woodward, OK after dark.

Since we had done only the very basic of set-up for the single night stay we left early the next day and other than the turn signal fuse being blown again we had no other problems.

The turn signal fuse was to become a great mystery that finally got solved when we returned to Oklahoma for various appointments. More on this later.  Jan who wishes we could just continue to travel rather than bopping back to Oklahoma every few weeks but thankful to be healthy in and away from OK