kamping in america

LB admiring knox's handiwork

after trying unsuccessfully to talk knox into a camping adventure with bob in bryce canyon, utah, i insisted that we stay at the KOA on our way from denver to dallas. the bryce canyon marriott was nice enough, but for $26, the KOA was definitely more my scene. of course, it was only after we got in and set up (knox put the tent up in record time by himself (quite an improvement over our april trip to joshua tree, where we almost killed each other in the 45 minutes it took to get it standing!)) that we discovered why it was such a good deal... location, location, location! and not simply the fact that the texas panhandle is hardly prime camping real estate. no, the amarillo KOA is special: it sits on a barren lot nestled between the amarillo airport, which is surprisingly active despite the small size of the city, a pornography studio, where the magic actually happens (knox kept waiting for the lost porn actress to arrive at our tent looking for a place to "crash"), and a texas state prison. according to the very helpful material posted at the campground entrance, campers are advised to call KOA security should the prison siren sound. but i don't know, if the state prison security isn't up to snuff, i can't imagine the KOA peeps are going to make much of a show.

but the night air was brisk and we were happy not to be in the pathfinder, so it didn't take long for us to come to terms with our situation. plus, there was a lovely older german couple in the site next to ours, and they didn't seem to be worried about escaped cons or wandering porn stars. but just as we settled in, zipped up our bags, and turned out the lantern, we discovered one last snag: the campground is practically sliced in half by the railroad, which is also surprisingly active – the train came barreling through our campground no fewer than 8 times that night. apparently, this campground was originally built in the 50s on what used to be route 66, and access to the railway travelers was key. not so essential anymore, i reckon.

but given that you pay $89.95 + tax a night for roadside hotels with cigarette holes in the sheets and dead bugs smeared across the walls (the best western in el paso, tx comes to mind), i'd say this wasn't too bad a deal.