Originally settled by the Choctaw Indian Nation in the early 1800, American settlers arrived at the settlement on the Wichita River around the start of the Civil War and the city was named Wichita Falls in 1876 because of the water fall on the river. Ten years later a flood wiped out the falls. Because visitors to the city kept asking about the storied waterfall, the city constructed a man-made waterfall on the south bank of the river in 1987. The 54 foot falls recirculates 3,500 gallons of water per minute.
Vicky and I took a walk along the riverbank and ended up at the falls on Saturday morning. I cannot say what the original falls looked like, but the new, man-made version is pretty nice. While we were there at least four other couples came along to view the rushing water and take photos. I am told that the falls are visible from highway 44 which crosses the river just yards away. Traffic was light and the city is very easy to get around in. Wichita Falls is also the site for two devastating tornados, back in 1964 and 1979. The town is just 15 miles south of the state’s border with Oklahoma.
We are staying in the Wichita Falls RV Park for two nights. It is a pleasant campground with long, wide and level RV sites. The water pressure is abysmal, but the campground WiFi is excellent. We made our necessary pilgrimage to the local Walmart, and it is very like all the others we have visited. They failed to have the cake donuts we (me) desired though.
Driving here we saw more power generating windmills dotting the plains. These were actually generating electricity, I assume, as most of them were spinning. Northwest Texas is just as flat as New Mexico. We left Amarillo and rode US287 all the way into Wichita Falls – a nice stretch of road FYI. On the way we paused for Vicky to conduct a business meeting.
Diesel prices are all over the board. Before we set out, I paid $4.48. I have paid as much as $5.55 on the road. I am getting around 11.5 miles per gallon, but the fuel cost is way more than I had budgeted. We will do a post trip analysis upon our return to Round Rock and see how the increased fuel prices affect our travel plans in the future. By my estimate, we are paying an average of $4.49 per gallon.
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