Mar 28th - Sat - to Mesa AZ
Another long day - about 6 hours. Got an early start due to gaining an hour moving to Mountain Time Zone. We are in Valle Del Oro RV park where we stayed in Nov 07 before heading to Mexico. It is a PA park and they give you half off the weekly rate - unusual and appreciated. We had stopped for a big Subway sandwich for lunch and weren’t starving for dinner so we went for a bicycle ride after setting up, relaxing for a while and looking after emails. We passed a woman riding the other way and both of us immediately realized we should know her. Luckily, her name came right to me and I was able to call to her. It was Diann of “Diann & Rick” from San Carlos, Mexico. Small world phenomenon again!!
Diann & Rick came over for happy hour(s) and we enjoyed chatting and a buddy burner. It was late when they left so we just had a sandwich for dinner and shortly after headed for bed.
Mar 29th - Sun - Mesa AZ
Arizona does not go on daylight savings time so we gained another hour yesterday which meant Dolly & I were awake very early this morning. I moved to the couch to read and not disturb Terry. Of course he woke up as soon as I left the bed.
We headed for the “Mesa Marketplace”, an undercover market, fairly early and had breakfast there before spending a few hours wandering. There are 5 rows each ½ mile long so we got in some exercise. When we got back, Terry cleaned up the truck and I spent too much time trying to get rid of a stupid folder that opened every time we booted up the computer. Finally succeeded and then worked on emails again - everyone that I contacted yesterday got back to me!
After an early dinner, we went to a bulletin board and marked on a park map all the park models for sale. Then we rode our bikes to check them out - 24 in all - so we got some more much needed exercise.
The weather was beautiful - warm with a slight breeze.
Mar 30th - Mon - Mesa
After coffee this morning, we went to say goodbye to Rick & Diann. Turns out they are moving just a few miles away and staying for another week. They picked up a coupon at the marketplace for a week for $75. I think we will go back to the market on Friday and see if we can find the same coupon and take advantage of the good price and enjoy the warm weather a little longer.
After breakfast, I did several loads of laundry while Terry cleaned the 5th wheel. Found a water dispenser to fill our gallon water bottles for 25 cents each as the park water is a little blah.
I searched the internet to find a store to purchase some Working Hands hand cream as Terry’s heels are really dry, cracked and sore. Drove about 5 ½ miles to a store that said they sold it and had some in stock only to find just one jar. I wanted another to send to Theresa and was able to find more at a Lowe’s store less than a mile from the RV park. Also made a grocery stop so we could have a spinach salad with a nice steak for dinner.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Mar 25th to 27th - Big Bend to Deming NM
Mar 25th - Wed - to Big Bend Ntl Park
About a 4 hour drive today to Stillwell Ranch RV park just outside Big Bend park. Lots of desert, not as many cows as I expected, possibly because of the drought in Texas. We were told a couple of times about higher gas prices in Marathon but passed barely accessible service stations in Fort Stockton and didn’t stop there. Mistake! Diesel was $2.39 in Ft Stockton and $3.09 in Marathon!
A group of people were sitting on the front porch of the office when we drove up in Stillwell RV park. The owner suggested that since we were so close to the sites we might as well pick one, set up and come see her when we were done. We weren’t sure how long we would stay so she opened a “charge account” for us and told us to pay when we left. We could also put items from the small store and gift shop on our tab.
As well as our air card not working, now our phones are not working either. The store has “unofficial” wifi available if you sit on the front porch which I used to post my blog. Then I discovered that I could get the signal in our rig as we are near the office.
Terry set up our satellite and we tried to help a neighbor get his going by finding coordinates for him. At 7 there was a music program in the museum. Our immediate neighbors (a couple) sang and played guitars very well. The guy that we helped with his satellite also joined them in a few songs. It was his birthday and someone had baked a cake so we got to enjoy that as well.
Mar 26th - Thurs - Big Bend Ntl Park
Spent the day in the park today. Packed a lunch and headed out just after 9. It is 34 miles from the RV park to the main headquarters in the park - a lot more desert and some interesting mountains. From there we went to the Chisos Basin which is, as the name says, a basin in the midst of large mountains. There is a view through “The Window” to the flat land beyond the mountains. Next a drive to Santa Helena right on the Rio Grande River on the south side of the park. We stopped at several view points and took short walks but nothing very long or ambitious. The Santa Helena river joins the Rio Grande in a canyon with very high, sheer limestone walls. We were going to return by a different road but after driving about a mile of a 12 mile gravel road we decided to turn around and spare ourselves and the truck all the bumps and dust.
We stopped at a viewpoint to have our late lunch and returned to the park. Including the short lunch break, from Santa Helena to the RV park took nearly 2 hours - it is a very large park.
The only blooming plants that we saw were lots of yuccas and ocotillos and blue bonnets along the road.
Our wifi signal disappeared this evening as another large unit parked beside us and blocked it.
Mar 27th - Fri - to Deming NM
We decided last night that we would leave today rather than spend another day in the park as the weather is supposed to get quite cool. We also decided to head for the Phoenix area rather than explore more of New Mexico. Northern NM is expecting very cold weather and snow and we have been in the southern part of the state. We are in search of warm weather, preferably without wind. Deming is about half way so we are at the Low Hi RV park for the night.
We put in a long day of driving today. About 7 hours elapsed with only a few short stops. We spoke briefly at a rest area with a couple from New York and they were going to drive until they got out of Texas!
Hwy 90 from Marathon until it meets I10 east of El Paso is a very good road. Hit lots of traffic in El Paso.
We saw a huge (probably a couple of miles long) orchard of some kind - maybe pecans? - along the highway and then many more orchards of the same kind but not as large. Forgot to ask at the RV office what they were.
It did indeed cool down today. Quite a change from 80’s yesterday to 50’s today. Terry has been sneezing and has a constantly runny nose - I think it is some type of allergy rather than a cold. He has not had allergies in the past but may be developing some. I fed him some Claratin and made an early dinner as we did not stop for lunch. Spent quite a bit of time on emails, now the blog and will post it and then get to relax with a book for a while.
About a 4 hour drive today to Stillwell Ranch RV park just outside Big Bend park. Lots of desert, not as many cows as I expected, possibly because of the drought in Texas. We were told a couple of times about higher gas prices in Marathon but passed barely accessible service stations in Fort Stockton and didn’t stop there. Mistake! Diesel was $2.39 in Ft Stockton and $3.09 in Marathon!
A group of people were sitting on the front porch of the office when we drove up in Stillwell RV park. The owner suggested that since we were so close to the sites we might as well pick one, set up and come see her when we were done. We weren’t sure how long we would stay so she opened a “charge account” for us and told us to pay when we left. We could also put items from the small store and gift shop on our tab.
As well as our air card not working, now our phones are not working either. The store has “unofficial” wifi available if you sit on the front porch which I used to post my blog. Then I discovered that I could get the signal in our rig as we are near the office.
Terry set up our satellite and we tried to help a neighbor get his going by finding coordinates for him. At 7 there was a music program in the museum. Our immediate neighbors (a couple) sang and played guitars very well. The guy that we helped with his satellite also joined them in a few songs. It was his birthday and someone had baked a cake so we got to enjoy that as well.
Mar 26th - Thurs - Big Bend Ntl Park
Spent the day in the park today. Packed a lunch and headed out just after 9. It is 34 miles from the RV park to the main headquarters in the park - a lot more desert and some interesting mountains. From there we went to the Chisos Basin which is, as the name says, a basin in the midst of large mountains. There is a view through “The Window” to the flat land beyond the mountains. Next a drive to Santa Helena right on the Rio Grande River on the south side of the park. We stopped at several view points and took short walks but nothing very long or ambitious. The Santa Helena river joins the Rio Grande in a canyon with very high, sheer limestone walls. We were going to return by a different road but after driving about a mile of a 12 mile gravel road we decided to turn around and spare ourselves and the truck all the bumps and dust.
We stopped at a viewpoint to have our late lunch and returned to the park. Including the short lunch break, from Santa Helena to the RV park took nearly 2 hours - it is a very large park.
The only blooming plants that we saw were lots of yuccas and ocotillos and blue bonnets along the road.
Our wifi signal disappeared this evening as another large unit parked beside us and blocked it.
Mar 27th - Fri - to Deming NM
We decided last night that we would leave today rather than spend another day in the park as the weather is supposed to get quite cool. We also decided to head for the Phoenix area rather than explore more of New Mexico. Northern NM is expecting very cold weather and snow and we have been in the southern part of the state. We are in search of warm weather, preferably without wind. Deming is about half way so we are at the Low Hi RV park for the night.
We put in a long day of driving today. About 7 hours elapsed with only a few short stops. We spoke briefly at a rest area with a couple from New York and they were going to drive until they got out of Texas!
Hwy 90 from Marathon until it meets I10 east of El Paso is a very good road. Hit lots of traffic in El Paso.
We saw a huge (probably a couple of miles long) orchard of some kind - maybe pecans? - along the highway and then many more orchards of the same kind but not as large. Forgot to ask at the RV office what they were.
It did indeed cool down today. Quite a change from 80’s yesterday to 50’s today. Terry has been sneezing and has a constantly runny nose - I think it is some type of allergy rather than a cold. He has not had allergies in the past but may be developing some. I fed him some Claratin and made an early dinner as we did not stop for lunch. Spent quite a bit of time on emails, now the blog and will post it and then get to relax with a book for a while.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Mar 20th to 25th - Bowie to Big Bend Ntl Park TX
Mar 20th - Fri - Bowie
It takes a long time to catch up on 45 years but we continued trying to do so this morning while I did a couple more loads of laundry. Then Theresa took Terry & I to town to see her store (Heartland). It is wonderful with a great mix of candles, purses & wallets, house wares, greeting cards, decorative home items, soaps & lotions, etc. We went to a small Italian restaurant for a good lunch, picked up one grocery item and headed home. Leftovers for dinner so Theresa didn’t have to work so hard!!
Theresa’s brother Bob (and Terry’s cousin of course!) drove today with his daughter Renee from Denver, Colorado. They stopped in Wichita Falls TX to pick up Theresa & Bob’s mother Millie who is Ella Mae’s (Terry’s Mom) sister-in-law. Got that??
They didn’t arrive until after 8 and then there was another round of reminiscing.
Theresa & Tom have 2 cow dogs that do not like small animals such as cats and Dolly so I have to be really careful when I take her outside. I tell the dogs to go back to the house and Dolly really gives them heck.
Mar 21st - Sat - Bowie
I baked quick Danish biscuits for breakfast today and we chatted the morning away. After lunch, we got out the Skip Bo cards so Theresa could teach Terry, me and Renee how to play. It is a fun game that we will be adding to our game cabinet.
Even though we were all full from a good spaghetti dinner, I made Blackberry Dumplings for dessert which everyone enjoyed.
The wind continued today. I could not live where there is so much wind.
Mar 22nd - Sun - Bowie
The “girls” (me, Theresa, Millie & Renee) went shopping today. First we stopped by Theresa’s shop and each bought a few items. Then we went to WalMart to get some spring blouses for Millie. Of course, Renee & I found a couple of items also. Bob was having a problem with his car so Terry drove him to town for a water pump and Tom was working up some ground to plant more sprigs.
Spent the rest of the afternoon sitting at the side of the house out of the wind and enjoying the sun. Dinner, TV, pictures on the computer and watching a cow starting to have a calf filled the remainder of the evening.
Mar 23rd - Mon - to Big Spring TX
The wind was very strong & gusty all last night, rocking the 5th wheel and causing Terry & I to get very little sleep. We packed & hooked up and went for a last cup of coffee with the relatives. After hugs all around, we were on the road just before 9.
Our route took us south & west. The wind was mainly from the south so we bucked a head wind but that feels better than getting rocked by a broadside wind. We originally planned to stop in Abilene but Terry wanted to get a bit further west to get out of the front which was moving east and causing the wind.
We are at the Texas RV Park in a HUGE drive-thru site - must be 90 feet long. There are 4 foot solid wood fences between the drive-thru sites so they buffer the decreasing wind. In fact, I would call it a breeze now.
We angled SW to Hwy I20 when we left Bowie so we would miss Ft Worth traffic. Good roads. We passed quite a few large horse ranches with lovely (expensive!) fences and impressive entry gates. Also many herds of goats. Cheese? Meat? Lawn mowers? From Sweetwater to here are lots of wind turbines.
Mar 24th - Tues - Big Spring
Spent quite a bit of time on the computer last night trying to get connected to the internet until we finally realized that we must be in an area without broadband service which means phones but no internet.
Took our time getting going this morning and then went looking for a liquor store and a library. The county where Theresa lives is dry so we shared our alcohol store with everyone and needed to replenish. Reasonable prices at the liquor store and then on to the library where we found that the wifi connection is though the same company as here at the park for $9.95 for 24 hours - we passed on that offer. WalMart for some groceries, topped up on diesel ($2.11) and headed back to the park.
After lunch our neighbor came over to share some information about Big Bend National Park which is where we are going next. Spent a nice, lazy afternoon with a little exploring, cleaning up the truck and just relaxing.
Mar 25th - Wed - Big Bend National Park
Just a quick entry, will do the rest later. We have sit on the office porch to get wifi so will just post my blog and complete & post this later. Also do not have cell phone service so don't be worried if you try to call us in the next few days.
It takes a long time to catch up on 45 years but we continued trying to do so this morning while I did a couple more loads of laundry. Then Theresa took Terry & I to town to see her store (Heartland). It is wonderful with a great mix of candles, purses & wallets, house wares, greeting cards, decorative home items, soaps & lotions, etc. We went to a small Italian restaurant for a good lunch, picked up one grocery item and headed home. Leftovers for dinner so Theresa didn’t have to work so hard!!
Theresa’s brother Bob (and Terry’s cousin of course!) drove today with his daughter Renee from Denver, Colorado. They stopped in Wichita Falls TX to pick up Theresa & Bob’s mother Millie who is Ella Mae’s (Terry’s Mom) sister-in-law. Got that??
They didn’t arrive until after 8 and then there was another round of reminiscing.
Theresa & Tom have 2 cow dogs that do not like small animals such as cats and Dolly so I have to be really careful when I take her outside. I tell the dogs to go back to the house and Dolly really gives them heck.
Mar 21st - Sat - Bowie
I baked quick Danish biscuits for breakfast today and we chatted the morning away. After lunch, we got out the Skip Bo cards so Theresa could teach Terry, me and Renee how to play. It is a fun game that we will be adding to our game cabinet.
Even though we were all full from a good spaghetti dinner, I made Blackberry Dumplings for dessert which everyone enjoyed.
The wind continued today. I could not live where there is so much wind.
Mar 22nd - Sun - Bowie
The “girls” (me, Theresa, Millie & Renee) went shopping today. First we stopped by Theresa’s shop and each bought a few items. Then we went to WalMart to get some spring blouses for Millie. Of course, Renee & I found a couple of items also. Bob was having a problem with his car so Terry drove him to town for a water pump and Tom was working up some ground to plant more sprigs.
Spent the rest of the afternoon sitting at the side of the house out of the wind and enjoying the sun. Dinner, TV, pictures on the computer and watching a cow starting to have a calf filled the remainder of the evening.
Mar 23rd - Mon - to Big Spring TX
The wind was very strong & gusty all last night, rocking the 5th wheel and causing Terry & I to get very little sleep. We packed & hooked up and went for a last cup of coffee with the relatives. After hugs all around, we were on the road just before 9.
Our route took us south & west. The wind was mainly from the south so we bucked a head wind but that feels better than getting rocked by a broadside wind. We originally planned to stop in Abilene but Terry wanted to get a bit further west to get out of the front which was moving east and causing the wind.
We are at the Texas RV Park in a HUGE drive-thru site - must be 90 feet long. There are 4 foot solid wood fences between the drive-thru sites so they buffer the decreasing wind. In fact, I would call it a breeze now.
We angled SW to Hwy I20 when we left Bowie so we would miss Ft Worth traffic. Good roads. We passed quite a few large horse ranches with lovely (expensive!) fences and impressive entry gates. Also many herds of goats. Cheese? Meat? Lawn mowers? From Sweetwater to here are lots of wind turbines.
Mar 24th - Tues - Big Spring
Spent quite a bit of time on the computer last night trying to get connected to the internet until we finally realized that we must be in an area without broadband service which means phones but no internet.
Took our time getting going this morning and then went looking for a liquor store and a library. The county where Theresa lives is dry so we shared our alcohol store with everyone and needed to replenish. Reasonable prices at the liquor store and then on to the library where we found that the wifi connection is though the same company as here at the park for $9.95 for 24 hours - we passed on that offer. WalMart for some groceries, topped up on diesel ($2.11) and headed back to the park.
After lunch our neighbor came over to share some information about Big Bend National Park which is where we are going next. Spent a nice, lazy afternoon with a little exploring, cleaning up the truck and just relaxing.
Mar 25th - Wed - Big Bend National Park
Just a quick entry, will do the rest later. We have sit on the office porch to get wifi so will just post my blog and complete & post this later. Also do not have cell phone service so don't be worried if you try to call us in the next few days.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mar 17th to 19th - Lake Whitney to Bowie TX
Mar 17th - Tues - Lake Whitney
A couple that parked next to us in San Antonio had told us about a bakery in West with “the best” cinnamon rolls. We had actually gone through West on the way to Whitney. So we had to take a drive to get breakfast at the bakery. They have many varieties of rolls - I stuck with cinnamon/raisin and Terry had raspberry/cream cheese. We should have just split one roll! They were large and DELICIOUS! Well worth the drive. Also had to try the kulachi (another type of dough with sweet or meat filling) so we got a ground sausage and a pecan/cream cheese to go.
Stopped at a car wash and got diesel before taking a different route on the way back to go around Lake Whitney - nice lake and scenery. At the service station, the guy filling up beside us was from Spokane. He said he was also staying at Lake Whitney and Terry assumed at the same park as us. He wasn’t there so we drove to the state park to see if we could find him. We could not get in to look for him without paying the $3 each entry fee. Since we weren’t even sure if he was there, we didn’t go in.
We checked to see if anyone was catching anything in the indoor fishing area - very slow. We were sitting outside and Terry decided that the 5th wheel needed some cleaning. So we took a bucket and some cloths and cleaned it as far up as we could reach which was fine as the top was not dirty.
Barbequed dinner and had a quiet evening.
Mar 18th - Wed - to Bowie TX
We tried not to leave too early this morning as we didn’t want to hit rush hour traffic going through Ft. Worth on our way to Bowie which is north west of Ft. Worth. (The pecan kulachi was great for my breakfast!) Terry has a cousin (Theresa & husband Tom) who lives there and whom he had not seen since they were kids. We have been exchanging infrequent emails for about a year and trying to figure out if a visit would work into our route - and here we are.
We arrived about 1:00 and immediately started catching up on the last 45 years with Theresa. Theresa & Tom live on a cattle ranch, have another ranch in Oklahoma, Tom works as a pipe fitter and Theresa has a gift & antique store in Bowie. We took a break from chatting to set up our 5th wheel on their front lawn.
Theresa had told us that she would be making us dinner so I could just kick back.
Before we knew it, it was 10 o’clock and time to let them get to bed as Tom heads to work at 5:30.
Mar 19th - Thurs - Bowie
We finally wandered over to Theresa’s house about 10 and took along some laundry to take advantage of her offer to use the laundry facilities. We drank coffee, chatted, did laundry, watched the “hours old” calf in a field right by the house and had lunch before Theresa took us on a tour of the ranch on her 4 wheeler. They grow Bermuda grass for pasture and hay. They recently bought equipment to harvest & plant “sprigs”. The “sprig digger” is pulled over an established Bermuda grass field, digs up grass roots and throws them into a wagon. The ‘sprigger” then plants the roots in a bare or partially bare field. With a little rain (much needed in a lot of Texas), the newly planted field can be used for pasture within a few months.
Terry & I made a quick trip into Bowie to WalMart for a few items and then spent a couple of hours on the computer showing Theresa photos and jokes. She uses dial up for the internet so I put some jokes & pictures on a CD and loaded them on her computer. When Tom got home from work and then got back from clearing some land, we had him in tears laughing at some of the jokes.
Theresa cooked a great dinner for us again and we “thanked“ her by showing Alaska pictures until their eyes crossed!
A couple that parked next to us in San Antonio had told us about a bakery in West with “the best” cinnamon rolls. We had actually gone through West on the way to Whitney. So we had to take a drive to get breakfast at the bakery. They have many varieties of rolls - I stuck with cinnamon/raisin and Terry had raspberry/cream cheese. We should have just split one roll! They were large and DELICIOUS! Well worth the drive. Also had to try the kulachi (another type of dough with sweet or meat filling) so we got a ground sausage and a pecan/cream cheese to go.
Stopped at a car wash and got diesel before taking a different route on the way back to go around Lake Whitney - nice lake and scenery. At the service station, the guy filling up beside us was from Spokane. He said he was also staying at Lake Whitney and Terry assumed at the same park as us. He wasn’t there so we drove to the state park to see if we could find him. We could not get in to look for him without paying the $3 each entry fee. Since we weren’t even sure if he was there, we didn’t go in.
We checked to see if anyone was catching anything in the indoor fishing area - very slow. We were sitting outside and Terry decided that the 5th wheel needed some cleaning. So we took a bucket and some cloths and cleaned it as far up as we could reach which was fine as the top was not dirty.
Barbequed dinner and had a quiet evening.
Mar 18th - Wed - to Bowie TX
We tried not to leave too early this morning as we didn’t want to hit rush hour traffic going through Ft. Worth on our way to Bowie which is north west of Ft. Worth. (The pecan kulachi was great for my breakfast!) Terry has a cousin (Theresa & husband Tom) who lives there and whom he had not seen since they were kids. We have been exchanging infrequent emails for about a year and trying to figure out if a visit would work into our route - and here we are.
We arrived about 1:00 and immediately started catching up on the last 45 years with Theresa. Theresa & Tom live on a cattle ranch, have another ranch in Oklahoma, Tom works as a pipe fitter and Theresa has a gift & antique store in Bowie. We took a break from chatting to set up our 5th wheel on their front lawn.
Theresa had told us that she would be making us dinner so I could just kick back.
Before we knew it, it was 10 o’clock and time to let them get to bed as Tom heads to work at 5:30.
Mar 19th - Thurs - Bowie
We finally wandered over to Theresa’s house about 10 and took along some laundry to take advantage of her offer to use the laundry facilities. We drank coffee, chatted, did laundry, watched the “hours old” calf in a field right by the house and had lunch before Theresa took us on a tour of the ranch on her 4 wheeler. They grow Bermuda grass for pasture and hay. They recently bought equipment to harvest & plant “sprigs”. The “sprig digger” is pulled over an established Bermuda grass field, digs up grass roots and throws them into a wagon. The ‘sprigger” then plants the roots in a bare or partially bare field. With a little rain (much needed in a lot of Texas), the newly planted field can be used for pasture within a few months.
Terry & I made a quick trip into Bowie to WalMart for a few items and then spent a couple of hours on the computer showing Theresa photos and jokes. She uses dial up for the internet so I put some jokes & pictures on a CD and loaded them on her computer. When Tom got home from work and then got back from clearing some land, we had him in tears laughing at some of the jokes.
Theresa cooked a great dinner for us again and we “thanked“ her by showing Alaska pictures until their eyes crossed!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mar 14th to 16th - San Antonio to Whitney TX
Mar 14th - Sat - San Antonio
Still cool & drizzly but we figured we better go downtown anyhow. We found a parking garage and walked to the Buckhorn Restaurant and Museum which I had seen in a brochure. There is also a Texas Ranger Museum so we got a combo ticket and spent about 1 ½ hours going through them & the gift store. The Texas Ranger museum is a little dry with a lot of reading necessary. It included Bonnie & Clyde’s car with all the bullet holes from their final showdown with police & rangers. The Buckhorn museum is an amazing collection of all sorts of things - stuffed animals (American, African & others), stuffed bird & fish displays, saddles & other tack, spurs, chairs made from horns & hides, historical dioramas, bronze busts, “old West” rooms (jail, bar, etc), oddities (2 headed calf, antler anomalies) and other bits & pieces to numerous to mention.
We went next to the RiverWalk which is very nice. The city has built bulkheads along the river with pathways on both sides. A man-made canal was added to extend a sharp turn in the river into a complete loop. You go down steps from the street level to the RiverWalk and there are multiple foot bridges over the river as well as car bridges which are also accessible by stairs. We took a half hour boat tour for an overview and some history. It was drizzling a bit when we started but not enough to ruin the tour.
Headed back early as Louise had invited us and another couple over for dinner. We met Ron & Gail when we were in Sarasota for New Years.
Had a great dinner and then went to “Casino Night” in the park. They gave everyone a dish of 50 chips and 5 tickets which you could deposit in bags for your choice of 5 gifts in a drawing. You then gambled (21, poker, horse racing) and bought more tickets with your winnings. You could also buy these tickets and tickets for a $250 credit card. The first ticket drawn was for an MP3 player and Terry won it!! Guess who gets to figure out how to load music on it?!
Mar 15th - Sun - San Antonio
We went back to downtown San Antonio this morning. I tried to talk Terry into taking the bus that stops right in front of the park but when it was at least 15 minutes late we both said “to heck with it” and took the truck again. We parked near the Alamo historic site, saw a line again and went to the RiverWalk via a large shopping mall. We found a restaurant serving a buffet brunch and had a lovely meal sitting outside on the second floor balcony of the restaurant. Handy since the buffet was served on the second floor!
We were wandering along the RiverWalk when a small parade of boats/barges went by in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. There was a band, a bagpipe group, 2 groups of young girls dancing Irish dances and a couple of rag-tag groups which were both dragging bags of green dye in the river. On the way back to the truck, we finally got into the Alamo grounds. I am not a huge history buff and was not impressed with this attraction. Might have been more interesting if we had waited in the line to enter a building that we never did know what was in there - possibly a film?We went for a bike ride on a biking/walking trail that follows the river for several miles. It goes to a mission not far from the park but we did not find it before we were ready to turn around and check the trail out the other way from the park. There were quite a few “ups & downs” that wore both of us out.
Mar 16th - Mon - to Lake Whitney TX
We said farewell to Doug & Louise this morning. Our just over 4 hour trip turned into 4 ½ hours as an accident on the freeway caused us to sit for ½ hour waiting for it to clear and then for the traffic to get moving. We listened to the CB and truckers were saying the back up was 7 miles long.
We are at the Lake Whitney Marina & RV Park - PA park northeast of Waco. Nice quiet park but Terry is out right now (8:15 pm) trying to figure out why we have no water. The only faucet that we found was on the side of a mobile home beside us and we did have water earlier. He just came back and we have water from another tap that he found somewhere.
The marina has an indoor fishing area where you can fish for free when you stay in the RV park. We walked down to watch for a while and chatted with a couple from a nearby town who leave a trailer here for weekend use. Only a couple of keeper perch were caught - we may try it out tomorrow.
We went for a walk around the rest of the park which is spread out over a large area. Lovely weather! Sunny and warm.
Still cool & drizzly but we figured we better go downtown anyhow. We found a parking garage and walked to the Buckhorn Restaurant and Museum which I had seen in a brochure. There is also a Texas Ranger Museum so we got a combo ticket and spent about 1 ½ hours going through them & the gift store. The Texas Ranger museum is a little dry with a lot of reading necessary. It included Bonnie & Clyde’s car with all the bullet holes from their final showdown with police & rangers. The Buckhorn museum is an amazing collection of all sorts of things - stuffed animals (American, African & others), stuffed bird & fish displays, saddles & other tack, spurs, chairs made from horns & hides, historical dioramas, bronze busts, “old West” rooms (jail, bar, etc), oddities (2 headed calf, antler anomalies) and other bits & pieces to numerous to mention.
We went next to the RiverWalk which is very nice. The city has built bulkheads along the river with pathways on both sides. A man-made canal was added to extend a sharp turn in the river into a complete loop. You go down steps from the street level to the RiverWalk and there are multiple foot bridges over the river as well as car bridges which are also accessible by stairs. We took a half hour boat tour for an overview and some history. It was drizzling a bit when we started but not enough to ruin the tour.
Headed back early as Louise had invited us and another couple over for dinner. We met Ron & Gail when we were in Sarasota for New Years.
Had a great dinner and then went to “Casino Night” in the park. They gave everyone a dish of 50 chips and 5 tickets which you could deposit in bags for your choice of 5 gifts in a drawing. You then gambled (21, poker, horse racing) and bought more tickets with your winnings. You could also buy these tickets and tickets for a $250 credit card. The first ticket drawn was for an MP3 player and Terry won it!! Guess who gets to figure out how to load music on it?!
Mar 15th - Sun - San Antonio
We went back to downtown San Antonio this morning. I tried to talk Terry into taking the bus that stops right in front of the park but when it was at least 15 minutes late we both said “to heck with it” and took the truck again. We parked near the Alamo historic site, saw a line again and went to the RiverWalk via a large shopping mall. We found a restaurant serving a buffet brunch and had a lovely meal sitting outside on the second floor balcony of the restaurant. Handy since the buffet was served on the second floor!
We were wandering along the RiverWalk when a small parade of boats/barges went by in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. There was a band, a bagpipe group, 2 groups of young girls dancing Irish dances and a couple of rag-tag groups which were both dragging bags of green dye in the river. On the way back to the truck, we finally got into the Alamo grounds. I am not a huge history buff and was not impressed with this attraction. Might have been more interesting if we had waited in the line to enter a building that we never did know what was in there - possibly a film?We went for a bike ride on a biking/walking trail that follows the river for several miles. It goes to a mission not far from the park but we did not find it before we were ready to turn around and check the trail out the other way from the park. There were quite a few “ups & downs” that wore both of us out.
Mar 16th - Mon - to Lake Whitney TX
We said farewell to Doug & Louise this morning. Our just over 4 hour trip turned into 4 ½ hours as an accident on the freeway caused us to sit for ½ hour waiting for it to clear and then for the traffic to get moving. We listened to the CB and truckers were saying the back up was 7 miles long.
We are at the Lake Whitney Marina & RV Park - PA park northeast of Waco. Nice quiet park but Terry is out right now (8:15 pm) trying to figure out why we have no water. The only faucet that we found was on the side of a mobile home beside us and we did have water earlier. He just came back and we have water from another tap that he found somewhere.
The marina has an indoor fishing area where you can fish for free when you stay in the RV park. We walked down to watch for a while and chatted with a couple from a nearby town who leave a trailer here for weekend use. Only a couple of keeper perch were caught - we may try it out tomorrow.
We went for a walk around the rest of the park which is spread out over a large area. Lovely weather! Sunny and warm.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Mar 10th to 13th - San Benito to San Antonio
Mar 10th - Tues - San Benito
We went for a drive south and east today - through Brownsville to South Padre Island. We were warned that there might be lots of traffic because of kids on spring break but things were pretty quiet. We walked out to the beach - not many people there but it was very windy and not a great beach day.
We had lunch and headed back. We chatted with Glen & Bonnie while I was putting some bread pudding in the oven and I invited them over later for dessert. I also made a vanilla sauce (recipes from the internet) and I think it turned out great.
Mar 11th - Wed - San Benito
Glen & Bonnie headed for home (Louisiana) this morning - the park is really emptying out. I did a couple of loads of laundry while Terry washed the truck & the 5th wheel. I made breakfast for lunch and then we went to the pool for a while. The wind let up a bit today but there was enough to make you feel cool when you got out of the pool even though it was probably in the low 80’s.
Mar 12th - Thurs - to San Antonio TX
Lots of empty highway - empty of traffic and anything interesting to look at - on the 4 ½ hour trip to San Antonio today. We took a highway (281) that paralleled the one (77) that we took down. We found out from Glen when we in San Benito that the 60 mile stretch on Hwy 77 without a service station was one side of the famed King Ranch.
After setting up and having a late lunch, I dealt with too many emails and then we went out for diesel and groceries - story of our life! The people that we met in Sarasota for New Years (Doug & Louise) are in this park and went to the office before we arrived to arrange for us to have a spot near them. They were busy today so we will see them during the remaining 3 days that we are staying here.
A cold front came through and the temperature dropped a lot last night and stayed cool, rainy and breezy today. The River Walk is a huge “must see” in San Antonio so I hope the weather improves so we can enjoy it.
Mar 13th - Fri - San Antonio
Doug & Louise came over for coffee and banana bread that I baked yesterday. Since the weather was cold and rainy, they were doing laundry & cleaning so we headed for a flea market. It was a disappointment since more than half of the stalls are only open on Sat & Sun. Since we were north of town, we continued on to find a Costco, grazed our way through the food demos, had a hot dog and came back. Terry fixed the cord on our plug-in cooler while I worked on the computer.
We joined Doug & Louise for happy hour and “suddenly” it was 8 and we hadn’t had dinner. So we all walked across the road to a Mexican restaurant where we had fajitas for a very reasonable price. Back to Doug & Louise’s MH for a nightcap.
We went for a drive south and east today - through Brownsville to South Padre Island. We were warned that there might be lots of traffic because of kids on spring break but things were pretty quiet. We walked out to the beach - not many people there but it was very windy and not a great beach day.
We had lunch and headed back. We chatted with Glen & Bonnie while I was putting some bread pudding in the oven and I invited them over later for dessert. I also made a vanilla sauce (recipes from the internet) and I think it turned out great.
Mar 11th - Wed - San Benito
Glen & Bonnie headed for home (Louisiana) this morning - the park is really emptying out. I did a couple of loads of laundry while Terry washed the truck & the 5th wheel. I made breakfast for lunch and then we went to the pool for a while. The wind let up a bit today but there was enough to make you feel cool when you got out of the pool even though it was probably in the low 80’s.
Mar 12th - Thurs - to San Antonio TX
Lots of empty highway - empty of traffic and anything interesting to look at - on the 4 ½ hour trip to San Antonio today. We took a highway (281) that paralleled the one (77) that we took down. We found out from Glen when we in San Benito that the 60 mile stretch on Hwy 77 without a service station was one side of the famed King Ranch.
After setting up and having a late lunch, I dealt with too many emails and then we went out for diesel and groceries - story of our life! The people that we met in Sarasota for New Years (Doug & Louise) are in this park and went to the office before we arrived to arrange for us to have a spot near them. They were busy today so we will see them during the remaining 3 days that we are staying here.
A cold front came through and the temperature dropped a lot last night and stayed cool, rainy and breezy today. The River Walk is a huge “must see” in San Antonio so I hope the weather improves so we can enjoy it.
Mar 13th - Fri - San Antonio
Doug & Louise came over for coffee and banana bread that I baked yesterday. Since the weather was cold and rainy, they were doing laundry & cleaning so we headed for a flea market. It was a disappointment since more than half of the stalls are only open on Sat & Sun. Since we were north of town, we continued on to find a Costco, grazed our way through the food demos, had a hot dog and came back. Terry fixed the cord on our plug-in cooler while I worked on the computer.
We joined Doug & Louise for happy hour and “suddenly” it was 8 and we hadn’t had dinner. So we all walked across the road to a Mexican restaurant where we had fajitas for a very reasonable price. Back to Doug & Louise’s MH for a nightcap.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Mar 7th to 9th - San Benito TX
Mar 7th - Sat - San Benito
We headed out this morning to Mission to go to a lunch & comedy/music show. It actually didn’t start until 12:30 but we wanted to try to find Bob & Karen from Chewelah who had camped across from us in Foley. Karen had emailed us with the name of the park in Alamo where they were going to stay but we weren’t sure when they were arriving. When we drove into the park, a sign on the office said they were closed on the weekend so we just started driving up and down the roads and finally found them. We had a nice chat with them and carried on.
Our destination, The Chicken House Opry, was 6 miles off Hwy 83 and Terry was sure we were not on the right road as it got pretty trashy with graffiti on any paintable surface. But we found it and were parked behind a large, metal building. In front was another building with a semi-enclosed area serving lunch - BBQ beef sandwich, beans, pickles & a drink - for $5 for both of us. Tickets for the show were $20 per couple and included a CD (which we have not played) for the first 100 couples.
There were comfortable theater seats in the building, a rustic stage and a curtain made out of mismatched blankets. The show was very enjoyable. Apparently the “cast” was rehearsing and moves to Branson MO in April to start doing a show there. There were corny jokes, better jokes, skits, a comedian and many good singers. The drive was just over 40 miles each way but it was definitely worth it.
We stopped at a grocery store on the way home and by the time I put away groceries and meat, we had a late dinner.
Getting to places beside the freeway can be very frustrating. When you see a store and take the next exit, you are generally past the store and on a one-way frontage road which does not allow you to get back to the store. You have to go to the next exit, turn under the freeway, drive along the one-way frontage road on the other side until you are one exit past where you exited, turn under the freeway again and access the store from the frontage road. You basically have to know & take the exit before you see the store.
Mar 8th - Sun - San Benito
I looked after email and we chatted with our neighbors before leaving to check out a flea market. It was OK but smaller than we were used to in Ft Lauderdale & Naples. I wanted one food item so we tried without luck to find a smaller grocery store. Finally I said “forget it” and we came home for a late lunch.
We figured it was time to refill our buddy burners so I cut one of our large candles and started melting wax. Terry started to cut the remaining piece and I said “if you break my knife I’ll have to kill you and if you cut off a finger I’ll have to kill you”. The words were not all out of my mouth when the knife went right through the candle and, of course, he cut his finger. Actually, 2 fingers! One badly but didn’t require stitches. He kept pressure on until the bleeding finally stopped and a couple of tight bandaids fixed him up.
Glen & Bonnie came out so we had to tell them all about buddy burners - Bonnie figures she needs to make one. By the time we had all the burners filled, it was time to fix dinner and shut down for the evening.
Mar 9th - Mon - San Benito
Did some chores this morning and then joined Glen & Bonnie to go to Mexico. There are safety concerns in the border Mexican towns right now but Progreso is considered safe so that is where we went. There are lots of armed police right at the border crossing and in the streets.
We parked in a large lot and walked across. It costs 25 cents in a turnstile to get into Mexico and 30 cents to get out. We wandered along quite a long street of stores and sidewalk vendors, entering a few stores and heading for a restaurant & bar frequented by Glen’s cousin and her husband and friends who joined us. We enjoyed a few margaritas and snacks and then all headed back. Bought a few items on the way back so we didn’t have to carry them the whole time. There was a short line through customs, another line to pay duty on liquor and then we all stopped for an ice cream cone on the US side.
Still windy and hot so we watched TV and snoozed before making dinner. Glen & Bonnie came over and we had no problem visiting until 10. I have a hard time with the daylight savings time change and am not ready to sleep at night - will be happy when my body gets adjusted
We headed out this morning to Mission to go to a lunch & comedy/music show. It actually didn’t start until 12:30 but we wanted to try to find Bob & Karen from Chewelah who had camped across from us in Foley. Karen had emailed us with the name of the park in Alamo where they were going to stay but we weren’t sure when they were arriving. When we drove into the park, a sign on the office said they were closed on the weekend so we just started driving up and down the roads and finally found them. We had a nice chat with them and carried on.
Our destination, The Chicken House Opry, was 6 miles off Hwy 83 and Terry was sure we were not on the right road as it got pretty trashy with graffiti on any paintable surface. But we found it and were parked behind a large, metal building. In front was another building with a semi-enclosed area serving lunch - BBQ beef sandwich, beans, pickles & a drink - for $5 for both of us. Tickets for the show were $20 per couple and included a CD (which we have not played) for the first 100 couples.
There were comfortable theater seats in the building, a rustic stage and a curtain made out of mismatched blankets. The show was very enjoyable. Apparently the “cast” was rehearsing and moves to Branson MO in April to start doing a show there. There were corny jokes, better jokes, skits, a comedian and many good singers. The drive was just over 40 miles each way but it was definitely worth it.
We stopped at a grocery store on the way home and by the time I put away groceries and meat, we had a late dinner.
Getting to places beside the freeway can be very frustrating. When you see a store and take the next exit, you are generally past the store and on a one-way frontage road which does not allow you to get back to the store. You have to go to the next exit, turn under the freeway, drive along the one-way frontage road on the other side until you are one exit past where you exited, turn under the freeway again and access the store from the frontage road. You basically have to know & take the exit before you see the store.
Mar 8th - Sun - San Benito
I looked after email and we chatted with our neighbors before leaving to check out a flea market. It was OK but smaller than we were used to in Ft Lauderdale & Naples. I wanted one food item so we tried without luck to find a smaller grocery store. Finally I said “forget it” and we came home for a late lunch.
We figured it was time to refill our buddy burners so I cut one of our large candles and started melting wax. Terry started to cut the remaining piece and I said “if you break my knife I’ll have to kill you and if you cut off a finger I’ll have to kill you”. The words were not all out of my mouth when the knife went right through the candle and, of course, he cut his finger. Actually, 2 fingers! One badly but didn’t require stitches. He kept pressure on until the bleeding finally stopped and a couple of tight bandaids fixed him up.
Glen & Bonnie came out so we had to tell them all about buddy burners - Bonnie figures she needs to make one. By the time we had all the burners filled, it was time to fix dinner and shut down for the evening.
Mar 9th - Mon - San Benito
Did some chores this morning and then joined Glen & Bonnie to go to Mexico. There are safety concerns in the border Mexican towns right now but Progreso is considered safe so that is where we went. There are lots of armed police right at the border crossing and in the streets.
We parked in a large lot and walked across. It costs 25 cents in a turnstile to get into Mexico and 30 cents to get out. We wandered along quite a long street of stores and sidewalk vendors, entering a few stores and heading for a restaurant & bar frequented by Glen’s cousin and her husband and friends who joined us. We enjoyed a few margaritas and snacks and then all headed back. Bought a few items on the way back so we didn’t have to carry them the whole time. There was a short line through customs, another line to pay duty on liquor and then we all stopped for an ice cream cone on the US side.
Still windy and hot so we watched TV and snoozed before making dinner. Glen & Bonnie came over and we had no problem visiting until 10. I have a hard time with the daylight savings time change and am not ready to sleep at night - will be happy when my body gets adjusted
Friday, March 06, 2009
Mar 3rd to 6th - Rockport & San Benito TX
Mar 3rd - Tues - to Rockport TX
The RV park in Beaumont had a continental breakfast for campers so we joined Billy & Lauri before we all headed out. There were make-it-yourself waffles in the shape of Texas, bagels & cream cheese, cereal, fruit, orange juice & coffee. Nice way to start the day.
We didn’t have a definite destination in mind so I browsed through books and finally made a reservation for a couple of nights at a PA park (Circle W) in Rockport. It is not a great park with mostly long term residents but it will do for 2 nights. We unloaded the bikes and rode around the park before sitting and enjoying the sun for a while. It was windy and cooled down the minute the sun went behind trees so we moved inside, had dinner and relaxed with TV and a book for me.
The highway goes right through Houston which is a very large city. There were as many as 7 lanes of traffic so we were again very happy to have Wanda doing an excellent job of navigation. We later drove past many huge, flat, planted fields that we finally figured out were cotton.
Mar 4th - Wed - Rockport TX
Terry got in a cleaning and organizing mood this morning and attacked the storage box in his truck. He ended up with some space so he moved his heavy fishing tackle box from the front storage of the 5th wheel into the truck. Then we decided that we could move a few items and also move the heavy generator from the same storage compartment into the truck. Since fishing poles were going under the bed, I finally persuaded Terry to toss some slacks that we have been packing around the whole time and have never been worn. Now we have to find a Goodwill to get rid of the clothes.
I made a nice big breakfast (for lunch!) and then we took a drive. We made a loop down to Corpus Christi, drove past some lovely big homes on the water, went across to Padre Island, drove north on Mustang Island, drove on the beach, took a free 5 minute or less ferry ride back to Aransas Pass and then north back to the park.
We had seen a sign advertising T-bone steak for $3.99/lb so had to stop and get some for dinner. It was pretty windy to barbeque but Terry moved the barbeque around and cooked a nice dinner.
Mar 5th - Thurs - to San Benito TX
Another “just over 3 hour” drive today to the southern tip of Texas. There is one section with no service stations for 60 miles that is very “nothing”. Also lots more cotton fields, quite a few cattle and very flat.
The lady in the RV park office had just left for lunch when we arrived so I made a sandwich for us while we waited for her to return and check us in. Sunny & hot but lots of wind. We requested a parking spot that Terry thought might shelter the door side from the wind - helps only a bit. After setting up and visiting with the next door neighbors (Glen & Bonnie), we went for a drive in nearby Harlingen which is quite a large city. Happened upon a Big Lots store where Terry finally found a kettle to melt wax for our buddy burners. I have used my double boiler in the past but I am tired of cleaning it afterwards.
After dinner we went to the clubhouse to play Card Bingo which we had first played in Mexico Beach. Terry & I each started with 10 quarters (use 1 each game) and then he pulled out a dollar to buy more quarters. He was going to change more than a dollar but I suggested he wait since one of us was going to win and sure enough, after using the 4 quarters, Terry won a game and then won another one so we ended up with 2 more dollars than we started with. Good thing since the laundry is piling up!
Mar 6th - Fri - San Benito
Had to wait for washers to free up but got the laundry done this morning after visiting with Glen & Bonnie again. Very warm but still windy so we went driving again. Stopped at an info center to get a local map and other brochures, found a St Vincent de Paul to drop off the clothes and it turned out to be closed and drove a short way down the freeway to San Benito which was an uninspiring small town. We turned at a road to turn around to get back to the freeway and there just happened to be a clothing donation box on the corner of a service station. Got diesel at $1.94 and then discovered we could have paid $1.89.
We sat and chatted with Glen & Bonnie again. I was going to make hamburgers for an early dinner until I discovered that I didn’t have any hamburger in the freezer. Glen & Bonnie were going out for dinner so we joined them to go to a barbeque place.
Then they were very brave and accepted an invitation for coffee and pictures. They left about a half hour ago after their eyes crossed from all the pictures!! They are from northern Louisiana and have the lovely drawl to prove it.
The RV park in Beaumont had a continental breakfast for campers so we joined Billy & Lauri before we all headed out. There were make-it-yourself waffles in the shape of Texas, bagels & cream cheese, cereal, fruit, orange juice & coffee. Nice way to start the day.
We didn’t have a definite destination in mind so I browsed through books and finally made a reservation for a couple of nights at a PA park (Circle W) in Rockport. It is not a great park with mostly long term residents but it will do for 2 nights. We unloaded the bikes and rode around the park before sitting and enjoying the sun for a while. It was windy and cooled down the minute the sun went behind trees so we moved inside, had dinner and relaxed with TV and a book for me.
The highway goes right through Houston which is a very large city. There were as many as 7 lanes of traffic so we were again very happy to have Wanda doing an excellent job of navigation. We later drove past many huge, flat, planted fields that we finally figured out were cotton.
Mar 4th - Wed - Rockport TX
Terry got in a cleaning and organizing mood this morning and attacked the storage box in his truck. He ended up with some space so he moved his heavy fishing tackle box from the front storage of the 5th wheel into the truck. Then we decided that we could move a few items and also move the heavy generator from the same storage compartment into the truck. Since fishing poles were going under the bed, I finally persuaded Terry to toss some slacks that we have been packing around the whole time and have never been worn. Now we have to find a Goodwill to get rid of the clothes.
I made a nice big breakfast (for lunch!) and then we took a drive. We made a loop down to Corpus Christi, drove past some lovely big homes on the water, went across to Padre Island, drove north on Mustang Island, drove on the beach, took a free 5 minute or less ferry ride back to Aransas Pass and then north back to the park.
We had seen a sign advertising T-bone steak for $3.99/lb so had to stop and get some for dinner. It was pretty windy to barbeque but Terry moved the barbeque around and cooked a nice dinner.
Mar 5th - Thurs - to San Benito TX
Another “just over 3 hour” drive today to the southern tip of Texas. There is one section with no service stations for 60 miles that is very “nothing”. Also lots more cotton fields, quite a few cattle and very flat.
The lady in the RV park office had just left for lunch when we arrived so I made a sandwich for us while we waited for her to return and check us in. Sunny & hot but lots of wind. We requested a parking spot that Terry thought might shelter the door side from the wind - helps only a bit. After setting up and visiting with the next door neighbors (Glen & Bonnie), we went for a drive in nearby Harlingen which is quite a large city. Happened upon a Big Lots store where Terry finally found a kettle to melt wax for our buddy burners. I have used my double boiler in the past but I am tired of cleaning it afterwards.
After dinner we went to the clubhouse to play Card Bingo which we had first played in Mexico Beach. Terry & I each started with 10 quarters (use 1 each game) and then he pulled out a dollar to buy more quarters. He was going to change more than a dollar but I suggested he wait since one of us was going to win and sure enough, after using the 4 quarters, Terry won a game and then won another one so we ended up with 2 more dollars than we started with. Good thing since the laundry is piling up!
Mar 6th - Fri - San Benito
Had to wait for washers to free up but got the laundry done this morning after visiting with Glen & Bonnie again. Very warm but still windy so we went driving again. Stopped at an info center to get a local map and other brochures, found a St Vincent de Paul to drop off the clothes and it turned out to be closed and drove a short way down the freeway to San Benito which was an uninspiring small town. We turned at a road to turn around to get back to the freeway and there just happened to be a clothing donation box on the corner of a service station. Got diesel at $1.94 and then discovered we could have paid $1.89.
We sat and chatted with Glen & Bonnie again. I was going to make hamburgers for an early dinner until I discovered that I didn’t have any hamburger in the freezer. Glen & Bonnie were going out for dinner so we joined them to go to a barbeque place.
Then they were very brave and accepted an invitation for coffee and pictures. They left about a half hour ago after their eyes crossed from all the pictures!! They are from northern Louisiana and have the lovely drawl to prove it.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Feb 28th to Mar 2nd - MS, LA, TX
Feb 28th - Sat - Picayune
Some chores this morning including putting dinner in the crock pot and then Terry & I went back to the Hollywood casino in Bay St Louis (Terry was bored!). Not much change in our (bad) luck but Terry did get back $20 when we had to leave so he didn’t have a chance to lose it.
The reason that we had to leave was that we had invited the others to dinner since we are going separate ways tomorrow. I made a chicken/black bean/corn/salsa main dish, Carie brought hummus and rice and Lauri made salad with shrimp so we had a great dinner.
Mar 1st - Sun - to Kinder LA
We left this morning without a definite destination - we just had to stay in Louisiana for one night to get the last state on our map. While we were driving, I found an RV park beside a casino (Coushatta) just north of Kinder that advertised “pay for one night, get one night free”. Can’t turn down free so we got off I10 and stopped for diesel before getting to the park. Terry noticed that the tires on the right side of the 5th wheel were almost touching each other. When he had a look, he could see a bent bracket holding the rocker arm that holds the springs.
We checked into the very nice RV park and got a phone number from them for a welder in Kinder. Of course we didn’t expect to contact anyone since it was Sunday so we left a message and went to the large casino. I think our negative mental state because of the 5th wheel acted on the slot machines as we didn’t do well at all! Back in the rig we had a choice of 3 terrible programs on TV so I finally got my pictures sorted out, labeled and ready for the internet.
Across the lower part of Louisiana on I10 are many miles of elevated highways (“bridges”) over swampy areas. As we traveled west, more green in grass and trees started showing up along with lots of yellow flowers.
Mar 2nd - Mon - to Beaumont TX
It got very cold last night (heavy frost on the hood of the truck) and we ran out of propane in one tank so Terry had to go out and switch tanks so we could warm up the rig enough to get out of our nice warm bed. The welder called back just after 8 and said to come in at 10. I had time to finish posting pictures to the internet. It was about 10 miles away and even with careful driving we were there early but he was ready for us.
They had to remove the tires to work on the part and the lug nuts were difficult to remove - glad we didn’t have a flat on the road somewhere. I sat in the truck and read while the work was being done and kept seeing dollar signs as each half hour passed. They finished just after noon and Terry got a very pleasant surprise when he asked how much he owed - $80!!!! Terry gave him $100 and said thank you very much!
We decided not to go back to the casino for our free night and headed for Texas. Billy & Lauri were going to stay for 2 nights in Beaumont so we called the Gulf Coast RV park and joined them.
The weather is still cool and breezy. The forecasters keep promising that it is going to warm up - I guess it will sometime!
Some chores this morning including putting dinner in the crock pot and then Terry & I went back to the Hollywood casino in Bay St Louis (Terry was bored!). Not much change in our (bad) luck but Terry did get back $20 when we had to leave so he didn’t have a chance to lose it.
The reason that we had to leave was that we had invited the others to dinner since we are going separate ways tomorrow. I made a chicken/black bean/corn/salsa main dish, Carie brought hummus and rice and Lauri made salad with shrimp so we had a great dinner.
Mar 1st - Sun - to Kinder LA
We left this morning without a definite destination - we just had to stay in Louisiana for one night to get the last state on our map. While we were driving, I found an RV park beside a casino (Coushatta) just north of Kinder that advertised “pay for one night, get one night free”. Can’t turn down free so we got off I10 and stopped for diesel before getting to the park. Terry noticed that the tires on the right side of the 5th wheel were almost touching each other. When he had a look, he could see a bent bracket holding the rocker arm that holds the springs.
We checked into the very nice RV park and got a phone number from them for a welder in Kinder. Of course we didn’t expect to contact anyone since it was Sunday so we left a message and went to the large casino. I think our negative mental state because of the 5th wheel acted on the slot machines as we didn’t do well at all! Back in the rig we had a choice of 3 terrible programs on TV so I finally got my pictures sorted out, labeled and ready for the internet.
Across the lower part of Louisiana on I10 are many miles of elevated highways (“bridges”) over swampy areas. As we traveled west, more green in grass and trees started showing up along with lots of yellow flowers.
Mar 2nd - Mon - to Beaumont TX
It got very cold last night (heavy frost on the hood of the truck) and we ran out of propane in one tank so Terry had to go out and switch tanks so we could warm up the rig enough to get out of our nice warm bed. The welder called back just after 8 and said to come in at 10. I had time to finish posting pictures to the internet. It was about 10 miles away and even with careful driving we were there early but he was ready for us.
They had to remove the tires to work on the part and the lug nuts were difficult to remove - glad we didn’t have a flat on the road somewhere. I sat in the truck and read while the work was being done and kept seeing dollar signs as each half hour passed. They finished just after noon and Terry got a very pleasant surprise when he asked how much he owed - $80!!!! Terry gave him $100 and said thank you very much!
We decided not to go back to the casino for our free night and headed for Texas. Billy & Lauri were going to stay for 2 nights in Beaumont so we called the Gulf Coast RV park and joined them.
The weather is still cool and breezy. The forecasters keep promising that it is going to warm up - I guess it will sometime!
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