Bluegrass Retired Chick: Day 5: Avenger Field

Day 5: Ennis TX, to Sweetwater, TX - Avenger Field - National WASP WWII Museum - 1 night

Miles: ~255 miles
Left: 10:10 AM Central Time, Arrived: 2:45PM Central Time
2 Pit stops
Weather: Sunny, mid 70s & so Windy

I woke up around 6AM after another good sleep. High View Park was a very quiet campground. We took an easy start to the day & made omelettes and toast for breakfast. I took the dogs for walk while Steve did some birding. Cleaned up camper than showered before leaving. Campground had nice showers with lots of hot water.

We were on the road shortly after 10AM. There was SO much construction around Dallas & Ft Worth!! Winds were still strong & made for terrible gas mileage. We stopped at one rest area & one gas station before reaching our Harvest Host location around 3PM. The temps were in the mid 70’s & sunny but very windy. We parked the camper, got the dogs settled then toured the WW2 WASP museum.

WASP = Women Airforce Service Pilots. Avenger Field was home to the WASP training facility during WW2. They trained women pilots to fly various military aircraft for shuttles, test flights, ferrying people & training. Once they graduated the women were deployed all around the country.

The museum was in two hangers. The first one had lots of memorabilia from several WASP and later pilots and astronauts. There were a couple videos playing the history & interviews of several WASP in their later years reflecting on their service. The second hanger had four old airplanes & other war exhibits. I bought one of the books about the women & the WASP program. The Women with Silver Wings was so well written & very interesting. Overall a very cool museum that I would never have heard of if not for Harvest Host. Highly recommend a stop if in the area.

We spent the evening in the camper. It was so windy all evening. The dogs were not a fan of the wind or the gravel lot. Made dinner in the camper & prepped for the next days drive to Carlsbad, NM. We were in bed by 8:30PM. Still getting used to being on the road but each day is getting better & more into our routine.