Left Cortez this morning around 7:30 am, looking for breakfast. Took US 491 northwest toward Montecello, UT, then turned north on US 191 to Moab, where I finally found a Denny's and had a late breakfast around 10:am. Nice drive; lots of trees and lots of hills. The rig was really working on those hills.
Arrived Grand Junction around noon. Stopped and registered and checked the rig in and went to see Dad, who was fighting dizziness. We talked for several hours, sitting out in Buz/Sunny's back yard; the weather was perfect today. Dad gradually felt well enough to go pick up his prescriptions and a few other things he needed, so the dogs and I ran him to the store. The dogs got to run loose in Buz's back yard and enjoyed that for several hours. I finally left Dad around 6:30pm; it had been a long day and I was tired.
Grand Junction, CO Elev. 4789
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Cortez, Colorado
Had lunch with Deb Sunday afternoon and went back to Madrid to exchange a piece of jewelry, then said goodbye and went back to VanGo to get ready to leave. Did a few last minute things and secured everything I could.
We left Albuquerque this morning at around 8:30 and reached Cortez around 2:pm. After we mounted that last hill on Albuquerque's west mesa (where all the old microwave towers are), we had seen our last glimpse of my favorite city. It was a good visit and I was sad to go.
The western New Mexico landscape is some of the most desolate I've ever seen, excluding perhaps Saudi Arabia. There are some pretty red-colored mesas and I passed nearby Shiprock, which I had only seen in pictures. Quite impressive, and larger than I thought.
The countryside seemed to green the minute we left NM and entered Colorado. Cortez seems to be a nice little town; very quiet, and the park I'm in is practically in the middle of town. The weather's quite mild: around 70 degrees F.
We have no plans to do anything; we're only going to be here overnight, and I don't want to unhook the car. We'll leave tomorrow morning, go west and north through Utah to catch Interstate 70, which will take us to Grand Junction.
Cortez, CO Elev: 6201'
We left Albuquerque this morning at around 8:30 and reached Cortez around 2:pm. After we mounted that last hill on Albuquerque's west mesa (where all the old microwave towers are), we had seen our last glimpse of my favorite city. It was a good visit and I was sad to go.
The western New Mexico landscape is some of the most desolate I've ever seen, excluding perhaps Saudi Arabia. There are some pretty red-colored mesas and I passed nearby Shiprock, which I had only seen in pictures. Quite impressive, and larger than I thought.
The countryside seemed to green the minute we left NM and entered Colorado. Cortez seems to be a nice little town; very quiet, and the park I'm in is practically in the middle of town. The weather's quite mild: around 70 degrees F.
We have no plans to do anything; we're only going to be here overnight, and I don't want to unhook the car. We'll leave tomorrow morning, go west and north through Utah to catch Interstate 70, which will take us to Grand Junction.
Cortez, CO Elev: 6201'
Monday, April 21, 2008
A Little Family Time
On Saturday, Apr 19 I drove down to Los Lunas to visit Marc, Elaine and the kids. Maria, who just turned 13, seems to have grown the most since the last time I saw her a year ago. She reminds me very much of what Elaine must have looked like at that age: long, tall, and lanky. Aaron's taller too, as is Jake. Jake seems to be the family entertainer. Never a dull moment in his house, I'll bet, and his folks say the same is true at school. Maria's in 7th grade, Aaron in 4th, and Jake's in kindergarten.
We went to a Mexican food place in Peralta for lunch. I visited with them for about two hours and I am kicking myself for having forgotten my camera.
Sunday, Deb and I went to a very good Mexican food place in Corrales called Garduno's and had the absolute best brunch I've ever had. Eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, omelets, chicken enchiladas, sopaipillas, fajitas, fresh fruit, cereals, danish and cinnamon rolls, and then desserts. I was proud that neither of us overate. It was very, very good.
We had planned to go to Old Town to see some kind of festival going on there, but Deb mentioned Madrid and I was interested in going there. I love Madrid; it started out as a coal mining town but went bust in the late 1800's and had been a ghost town until people started moving in around the late 1960's. It's a very "hippie" town; Abbie Hoffman, while he was on the run, wrote articles and sent them to various liberal magazines and newspapers, and one of his best was an article called "Too High to Die", about the Madrid residents. One of the local businesswomen told us Madrid has no potable water; the water supply was permanently ruined by the mining. She said folks who live there have water trucked into town from Albuquerque. The water is safe for laundering but tastes, smells and looks bad, and is "fizzy" (trying to think of the word - is it effervescent?). Only one road runs through Madrid, and the residents live right on that narrow road, or in the hillsides surrounding the town. If you're headed toward Sandia Crest from Albuquerque, just keep going straight instead of turning up to the Crest. You'll eventually get to Santa Fe and you can't avoid Madrid. Drive slow: lots of foot traffic in that road, the vast majority of whom are tourists. The rest are local hippies.
The place is pretty well commercialized now, but in a very charming, attractive, rustic way. I bought two of the prettiest pieces of Indian jewely and a rug from Oaxaca at a couple of the shops there.
We stopped at the sole bar in town , the Mine Shaft (that won't last long! - although, now that I think about it, it was the only bar there fifteen years ago when Marc and one of his motocycle buddies took me for a ride from Albuq. to Madrid), and enjoyed a slow beer, then left for home after spending about six hours just strolling through the town and visiting the shops. A good day....
Driving back to Albuquerque, we spotted what we first thought were heavy clouds, but then realized it was smoke from the fires in the Manzano mountains. We hadn't noticed them on the way to Madrid because we were facing away from them. I heard later in the evening on the news that several families have had to be evacuated from the area.
Today was clothes laundry day, and tomorrow will be rug cleaning day; it's time to get the rig ready to head for another destination. I leave next Monday, Apr. 28 and will stay the night in Cortez, Colo., that night, then head into Grand Junction the 29th. I washed the car today: god! what a job, and it's a small car! It was pretty filthy; I had driven to Los Lunas on Saturday with my windshield almost completely obscured by filth: elm pitch and dust from our recent sandstorms. I've got to take VanGo to the RV shop that installed my satellite antenna and make sure it's working right; I was never able to because the day the work was done was a cloudy day and we couldn't get a signal. I'd really like to wash the rig, too, but....god, if I think Oor's a pain to wash, what's VanGo gonna be like? I can't reach high enough and sure as heck am not getting on top of the rig to do the roof, but it sure needs it. What I need is a 6'5" teenager who works cheap.
We went to a Mexican food place in Peralta for lunch. I visited with them for about two hours and I am kicking myself for having forgotten my camera.
Sunday, Deb and I went to a very good Mexican food place in Corrales called Garduno's and had the absolute best brunch I've ever had. Eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, omelets, chicken enchiladas, sopaipillas, fajitas, fresh fruit, cereals, danish and cinnamon rolls, and then desserts. I was proud that neither of us overate. It was very, very good.
We had planned to go to Old Town to see some kind of festival going on there, but Deb mentioned Madrid and I was interested in going there. I love Madrid; it started out as a coal mining town but went bust in the late 1800's and had been a ghost town until people started moving in around the late 1960's. It's a very "hippie" town; Abbie Hoffman, while he was on the run, wrote articles and sent them to various liberal magazines and newspapers, and one of his best was an article called "Too High to Die", about the Madrid residents. One of the local businesswomen told us Madrid has no potable water; the water supply was permanently ruined by the mining. She said folks who live there have water trucked into town from Albuquerque. The water is safe for laundering but tastes, smells and looks bad, and is "fizzy" (trying to think of the word - is it effervescent?). Only one road runs through Madrid, and the residents live right on that narrow road, or in the hillsides surrounding the town. If you're headed toward Sandia Crest from Albuquerque, just keep going straight instead of turning up to the Crest. You'll eventually get to Santa Fe and you can't avoid Madrid. Drive slow: lots of foot traffic in that road, the vast majority of whom are tourists. The rest are local hippies.
The place is pretty well commercialized now, but in a very charming, attractive, rustic way. I bought two of the prettiest pieces of Indian jewely and a rug from Oaxaca at a couple of the shops there.
We stopped at the sole bar in town , the Mine Shaft (that won't last long! - although, now that I think about it, it was the only bar there fifteen years ago when Marc and one of his motocycle buddies took me for a ride from Albuq. to Madrid), and enjoyed a slow beer, then left for home after spending about six hours just strolling through the town and visiting the shops. A good day....
Driving back to Albuquerque, we spotted what we first thought were heavy clouds, but then realized it was smoke from the fires in the Manzano mountains. We hadn't noticed them on the way to Madrid because we were facing away from them. I heard later in the evening on the news that several families have had to be evacuated from the area.
Today was clothes laundry day, and tomorrow will be rug cleaning day; it's time to get the rig ready to head for another destination. I leave next Monday, Apr. 28 and will stay the night in Cortez, Colo., that night, then head into Grand Junction the 29th. I washed the car today: god! what a job, and it's a small car! It was pretty filthy; I had driven to Los Lunas on Saturday with my windshield almost completely obscured by filth: elm pitch and dust from our recent sandstorms. I've got to take VanGo to the RV shop that installed my satellite antenna and make sure it's working right; I was never able to because the day the work was done was a cloudy day and we couldn't get a signal. I'd really like to wash the rig, too, but....god, if I think Oor's a pain to wash, what's VanGo gonna be like? I can't reach high enough and sure as heck am not getting on top of the rig to do the roof, but it sure needs it. What I need is a 6'5" teenager who works cheap.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Another Week
Last Saturday (04/12), Deb took me to Albuquerque's best casino. I'd never been to a casino, and I've always been curious. It took about $60 worth of curiousity to determine that gambling's not for me. We stayed just a couple of hours and had a beer each while we played quarter, dime or penny slot machines, then left in disgust. We wandered around the north valley area looking for the old Robin Hood Inn, where Jerry and I met, but I think the placed must have been razed because we couldn't find it. The north valley, especially the Guadalupe Trail and Rio Grande Blvd. in Corrales has become the haven of the wealthy. There are some huge, beautiful houses there, most of them in southwestern architecture. There's still a little farming there, and horses and other livestock are allowed in the area.
We came close to going to Old Town, but I was just there a year ago and didn't see the attraction. We drove on to the University area (much changed; remember Galles Oldsmobile on Central? UNM bought 'em out; the university area's huge now) and stopped to peek in the shops at Nob Hill, always one of my favorite parts of Albuquerque. I found an art paper shop and picked up some card-making supplies. We stopped at a dessert shop and had some of their wares; delicious! The shop must be doing very well: it was pretty crowded.
Sunday, we fooled around all day, not doing much. We had both been in the mood for a steak so went to a Texas Steak House, or something like that, which I won't recommend. They tried, twice, to pass off a ribeye for a filet mignon and I ended up getting them both free after pointing out their error. The dogs loved it.
The start of this week has been spent doing a few small chores, making some cards and trying to figure out how to entertain Marc, Elaine and the kids this Saturday. Temperatures here are very mild and the humidity is non-existant, but the wind is kicking up and we're in for a cold spell starting tonight. It's been blowing for a couple days now, and I noticed this afternoon that most street curbs are about three inches deep in elm tree seeds. It's around 7:PM now and already the temp's dropped about 20 degrees. Tomorrow's high is predicted in the 50's, so I feel another "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day coming on.
I must admit that if it weren't for the fact that I haven't yet gotten to see Elaine and the kids, I'm ready to move on to Grand Junction. I understand that area's still suffering some pretty cold weather and even an occasional snow, so I'll stick around here 'til April 28.
Just glanced out the back bedroom window; yep: the clouds are moving in from the north.
Later,
We came close to going to Old Town, but I was just there a year ago and didn't see the attraction. We drove on to the University area (much changed; remember Galles Oldsmobile on Central? UNM bought 'em out; the university area's huge now) and stopped to peek in the shops at Nob Hill, always one of my favorite parts of Albuquerque. I found an art paper shop and picked up some card-making supplies. We stopped at a dessert shop and had some of their wares; delicious! The shop must be doing very well: it was pretty crowded.
Sunday, we fooled around all day, not doing much. We had both been in the mood for a steak so went to a Texas Steak House, or something like that, which I won't recommend. They tried, twice, to pass off a ribeye for a filet mignon and I ended up getting them both free after pointing out their error. The dogs loved it.
The start of this week has been spent doing a few small chores, making some cards and trying to figure out how to entertain Marc, Elaine and the kids this Saturday. Temperatures here are very mild and the humidity is non-existant, but the wind is kicking up and we're in for a cold spell starting tonight. It's been blowing for a couple days now, and I noticed this afternoon that most street curbs are about three inches deep in elm tree seeds. It's around 7:PM now and already the temp's dropped about 20 degrees. Tomorrow's high is predicted in the 50's, so I feel another "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day coming on.
I must admit that if it weren't for the fact that I haven't yet gotten to see Elaine and the kids, I'm ready to move on to Grand Junction. I understand that area's still suffering some pretty cold weather and even an occasional snow, so I'll stick around here 'til April 28.
Just glanced out the back bedroom window; yep: the clouds are moving in from the north.
Later,
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Snow!
Looked out the window this morning to discover that last night's rain froze on the west side of the Sandias; they're covered with snow! Today's high is predicted at 61 degrees F., but with the wind-chill/feels-like, it's only 34. And the motorhome is rockin' in the wind! Brrrrr!
Looks like today's a "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day. I've got the space heater going, and have turned on the furnace for the first time since February.
Update, just two hours later: It's snowing! I was taking the dogs out for their necessary pee/walk when it began. I was elated and the dogs were mystified. They couldn't quite figure out what the heck was going on. But they were sure glad to get back in the rig!
I tried to get a quick photo, but the snow melted just about as soon as it fell. Sure was pretty, tho'.
Looks like today's a "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day. I've got the space heater going, and have turned on the furnace for the first time since February.
Update, just two hours later: It's snowing! I was taking the dogs out for their necessary pee/walk when it began. I was elated and the dogs were mystified. They couldn't quite figure out what the heck was going on. But they were sure glad to get back in the rig!
I tried to get a quick photo, but the snow melted just about as soon as it fell. Sure was pretty, tho'.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
News for the Week
Started the week doing things that needed doing, then had lunch with Marc on Wednesday; he looks well and healthy. We're going to try to get together (with kids and Elaine) some time next week; little (?!) Maria turns 13 today and is having a slumber party this weekend, so we'll do something the weekend after that.
Didn't get to see Deb 'til Thursday night after her respite care job; we had dinner at a nearby Chili's and laughed 'til our stomachs ached. Friday night, we had a sort of picnic supper at her house and did a little more laughing. It never ceases to amaze me that we can spend five years and not make a single phone call or write a note, and still pick up like we just talked yesterday.
Saturday we took the dogs to Petroglyphs National Monument, just west of Albuquerque. When I was a kid, the old inactive volcanoes there were nothing special; just a backdrop for the mesa. There was a college there...St Joseph's, I believe, and I think it's still there. The difference is that since my youth, (1) the volcanoes were discovered to hold historical significance in that there are ancient drawings on the volcanic rocks, and (2) the whole area is now surrounded by housing developments. You can see the houses all the way from the base of the Sandia mountains: what used to be just mesas and dunes are now thousands and thousands of houses, both north and south of Coors. Deb led me from there north on Old Coors Road (which I thought never went any further north than West Central Avenue) all the way past Corrales almost to Bernalillo (which is also heavily developed). Rio Rancho and Paradise Hills are now accompanied by something called "Taylor Ranch" and a huge shopping mall, larger than the old Coronado Shopping Center and decrepit old Winrock in the NE heights.
We hiked the Petroglyphs. About thirty minutes was all I could take; it was hilly and the sand was loose so it was quite a trudge. The dogs loved it, and Deb's fit as a fiddle, so....
That evening we went our separate ways, if for no other reason than to get a decent night's rest, all to start up again in the morning...
...which, for Deb, means "noon". We finally got rolling and went to a very large flea market in what is, in September every year, the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. I prefer a flea market that has more antique and craft items, but this one was just one huge, disorganized yard sale. We both found some lovely baskets, native American-designed, but I'm not real sure they were actually produced by native Americans. After a good long walkaround, we went to our respective "homes", me to walk the dogs, who'd been pent up all day in the RV, and Deb to get ready for work the next day.
Monday was a day of rest/laundry, and Tuesday I took the dogs in for their quarterly shampoo/nail clip. They spent over half the day there, so I used their absence as an opportunity to wash all the rugs, vacuum, wash some screens and windows, dust and simonize the dashboard of both VanGo and Oor, clean the bathroom, and get rid of too much "schtuff" in my closets. All this nice, clean space makes me appreciate the rig more. I also managed to get an oil change and new wiper blades on Oor, so I had a good, productive day and wound up with a clean, sweet-smelling house and two dogs in the same condition.
Today (Wed., 4/9) I took VanGo to Myers RV here in Albuquerque and had a satellite antenna installed on the roof. The latest technology, it stands not even as high as the air conditioner up there, and its aim is automatic. I was tired to death of not being able to aim the satellite dish DirecTV had given me, and this will make tv watching better and rig resale easier. While we were without our little abode, the dogs and I took off in the car to try to find something to do.
First off, I needed a new bulb for my right turn signal; it had gone out the day before without my notice. I pulled into Pep Boys on San Mateo and Central, where they had done the oil/wiper change the day before; they were out of my particular bulb. I headed down to Lomas to Quality GMC to see if they had the bulb; nope. (Reminder to self: Don't forget to change the oil drip pan plug on Oor next time you get an oil change.) I gave up, and decided to head downtown just to see what's up.
By the time I reached downtown, I had decided to head for the south valley. I turned south on 4th Street, intending to catch Bridge Street and cross the river there. The City Fathers have redecorated the downtown area to an unrecognizable degree. Fourth Street has been blocked to make a sort of arcade or something from Marquette to Central, so I had to do some fancy backtracking and zigzagging to get to the intersection of Fourth and Central. Finally got there, to find the sole recognizable building in the downtown area: the Simms Building. The parking garage across the street is still there, but I don't think that's where people catch the city (county?) bus any more. I saw no signs nor people there.
Anyway, I kept heading south on Fourth Street, looking for Bridge Street, where I would turn right and go over the bridge. I found the semi-major intersection of Fourth and Cesar Chavez and as I glimpsed to my right, sure enough, I saw the bridge. They had changed Bridge Steet's name.
We crossed the bridge and turned left onto Isleta Blvd. It now takes much less time to go from the head of Isleta Blvd. down to Gun Club Road than it did forty years ago, I swear. It is much changed. I turned on Blake Road before I ever got to Gun Club, just to see how much of it I remember. The only thing I recall is where the road swerves to the left in front of a still-huge cottonwood tree: Dead Man's Curve. It's not named that for nothing. Approaching Coors Road at the end (actually, it's not the end; Blake Road continues west of Coors now), I was stunned at how much development (if you want to call it that) has taken place in that area. From Blake to Gun Club on Coors (and possibly further south; I didn't look) is fast-food joints, auto shops, gas stations, etc., etc. Not a real pretty part of town. Turning left onto Gun Club from Coors, it's houses all the way to Isleta. I could find and recognize only one family home from the '50s/'60s: the Wenks'. The old Buhler house on the corner of Gun Club and Isleta is still there, but is looking pretty trashy. I remember how pretty that place was. What a shame. I could swear half the trees are missing.
By this time, and after all that, it was only around 10:30AM, so we got off Isleta at Rio Bravo and joined up with I-25. I had decided that Santa Fe was a good idea, so off we went. About 40 minutes (possibly more) later, I read a sign that read "Cochito Lake" off to the left. This was quite a ways north of Bernalillo. I had been hoping to see some Indian (is that pc? am I supposed to say "Native American"?) pueblos and possibly look at some jewelry, plus the sign had reminded me that a long, long time ago, Jerry had had a Ducati motorcycle, and I'm pretty sure we went, at least once, on a bike ride up on Cochiti Lake Dam. I was curious to see that again.
It's a nice, lazy type of drive up there; there are several pueblos - Cochiti, Santo Domingo, and a third one, I think. I imagine it's prettier in the summer. I found the town of Pena Blanca, an odd little town with lots and lots of trees and farmland - oh, yeah! and some buffalo! - surrounded by the high desert. I don't know if it's part of one of the pueblos, or what. I eventually found my way just past the Dam Lake, or rather, the Lake Dam and stopped to ask where I'd end up if I continued on my road and was told "Jemez". Well, that was a little farther north than I intended so I turned around, had a look at Cochiti Lake and the Dam (very pretty; they dammed the Rio Grande to make the lake and have installed a prize-winning golf course there), and headed back toward I-25. I turned north again and stopped just south of Santa Fe, having just seen it last year, and went off toward Madrid.
By this time, I had noticed that it was cold as hell, and the clouds, which had started the day only "partly", were thick and dark. I had neglected to watch the weather since Albuquerque's having some very enjoyable days - 70's, almost 80's and dry, dry, dry!
Passed Cerrillos, which is growing like crazy, went through Madrid, which is charming as ever, and finally got to Cedar Crest and Tijeras Canyon. It rained - sprinkled, really - the whole way, and I had the heater going. As I exited Tijeras Canyon (and evidently, the Verizon Badlands) my cell phone signaled that I had a message. It was Deb, telling me that if the dogs and I were bored, we could go hang out at her place; she had left the door unlocked.
The dogs and I grabbed burgers and headed to her place. We couldn't have been there more than ten minutes when Deb showed up, and almost immediately after, Myers RV called to tell me the antenna installation job was finished, and they had lubed the chassis and changed the oil. Impressive! The antenna job alone is usually six or eight hours.
Well, what a good day! Got to do some reminiscent-type sight-seeing (site-seeing?) and got some improvements/maintenance done on my home.
Tonight (7:00PM), it's raining like crazy and we're supposed to have high winds and thunder. In Albuquerque? Where the sun shines more than 300 days out of the year? Actually, this is good news: all the natives have been saying how long it's been since they've had a good rain.
Later.
Didn't get to see Deb 'til Thursday night after her respite care job; we had dinner at a nearby Chili's and laughed 'til our stomachs ached. Friday night, we had a sort of picnic supper at her house and did a little more laughing. It never ceases to amaze me that we can spend five years and not make a single phone call or write a note, and still pick up like we just talked yesterday.
Saturday we took the dogs to Petroglyphs National Monument, just west of Albuquerque. When I was a kid, the old inactive volcanoes there were nothing special; just a backdrop for the mesa. There was a college there...St Joseph's, I believe, and I think it's still there. The difference is that since my youth, (1) the volcanoes were discovered to hold historical significance in that there are ancient drawings on the volcanic rocks, and (2) the whole area is now surrounded by housing developments. You can see the houses all the way from the base of the Sandia mountains: what used to be just mesas and dunes are now thousands and thousands of houses, both north and south of Coors. Deb led me from there north on Old Coors Road (which I thought never went any further north than West Central Avenue) all the way past Corrales almost to Bernalillo (which is also heavily developed). Rio Rancho and Paradise Hills are now accompanied by something called "Taylor Ranch" and a huge shopping mall, larger than the old Coronado Shopping Center and decrepit old Winrock in the NE heights.
We hiked the Petroglyphs. About thirty minutes was all I could take; it was hilly and the sand was loose so it was quite a trudge. The dogs loved it, and Deb's fit as a fiddle, so....
That evening we went our separate ways, if for no other reason than to get a decent night's rest, all to start up again in the morning...
...which, for Deb, means "noon". We finally got rolling and went to a very large flea market in what is, in September every year, the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. I prefer a flea market that has more antique and craft items, but this one was just one huge, disorganized yard sale. We both found some lovely baskets, native American-designed, but I'm not real sure they were actually produced by native Americans. After a good long walkaround, we went to our respective "homes", me to walk the dogs, who'd been pent up all day in the RV, and Deb to get ready for work the next day.
Monday was a day of rest/laundry, and Tuesday I took the dogs in for their quarterly shampoo/nail clip. They spent over half the day there, so I used their absence as an opportunity to wash all the rugs, vacuum, wash some screens and windows, dust and simonize the dashboard of both VanGo and Oor, clean the bathroom, and get rid of too much "schtuff" in my closets. All this nice, clean space makes me appreciate the rig more. I also managed to get an oil change and new wiper blades on Oor, so I had a good, productive day and wound up with a clean, sweet-smelling house and two dogs in the same condition.
Today (Wed., 4/9) I took VanGo to Myers RV here in Albuquerque and had a satellite antenna installed on the roof. The latest technology, it stands not even as high as the air conditioner up there, and its aim is automatic. I was tired to death of not being able to aim the satellite dish DirecTV had given me, and this will make tv watching better and rig resale easier. While we were without our little abode, the dogs and I took off in the car to try to find something to do.
First off, I needed a new bulb for my right turn signal; it had gone out the day before without my notice. I pulled into Pep Boys on San Mateo and Central, where they had done the oil/wiper change the day before; they were out of my particular bulb. I headed down to Lomas to Quality GMC to see if they had the bulb; nope. (Reminder to self: Don't forget to change the oil drip pan plug on Oor next time you get an oil change.) I gave up, and decided to head downtown just to see what's up.
By the time I reached downtown, I had decided to head for the south valley. I turned south on 4th Street, intending to catch Bridge Street and cross the river there. The City Fathers have redecorated the downtown area to an unrecognizable degree. Fourth Street has been blocked to make a sort of arcade or something from Marquette to Central, so I had to do some fancy backtracking and zigzagging to get to the intersection of Fourth and Central. Finally got there, to find the sole recognizable building in the downtown area: the Simms Building. The parking garage across the street is still there, but I don't think that's where people catch the city (county?) bus any more. I saw no signs nor people there.
Anyway, I kept heading south on Fourth Street, looking for Bridge Street, where I would turn right and go over the bridge. I found the semi-major intersection of Fourth and Cesar Chavez and as I glimpsed to my right, sure enough, I saw the bridge. They had changed Bridge Steet's name.
We crossed the bridge and turned left onto Isleta Blvd. It now takes much less time to go from the head of Isleta Blvd. down to Gun Club Road than it did forty years ago, I swear. It is much changed. I turned on Blake Road before I ever got to Gun Club, just to see how much of it I remember. The only thing I recall is where the road swerves to the left in front of a still-huge cottonwood tree: Dead Man's Curve. It's not named that for nothing. Approaching Coors Road at the end (actually, it's not the end; Blake Road continues west of Coors now), I was stunned at how much development (if you want to call it that) has taken place in that area. From Blake to Gun Club on Coors (and possibly further south; I didn't look) is fast-food joints, auto shops, gas stations, etc., etc. Not a real pretty part of town. Turning left onto Gun Club from Coors, it's houses all the way to Isleta. I could find and recognize only one family home from the '50s/'60s: the Wenks'. The old Buhler house on the corner of Gun Club and Isleta is still there, but is looking pretty trashy. I remember how pretty that place was. What a shame. I could swear half the trees are missing.
By this time, and after all that, it was only around 10:30AM, so we got off Isleta at Rio Bravo and joined up with I-25. I had decided that Santa Fe was a good idea, so off we went. About 40 minutes (possibly more) later, I read a sign that read "Cochito Lake" off to the left. This was quite a ways north of Bernalillo. I had been hoping to see some Indian (is that pc? am I supposed to say "Native American"?) pueblos and possibly look at some jewelry, plus the sign had reminded me that a long, long time ago, Jerry had had a Ducati motorcycle, and I'm pretty sure we went, at least once, on a bike ride up on Cochiti Lake Dam. I was curious to see that again.
It's a nice, lazy type of drive up there; there are several pueblos - Cochiti, Santo Domingo, and a third one, I think. I imagine it's prettier in the summer. I found the town of Pena Blanca, an odd little town with lots and lots of trees and farmland - oh, yeah! and some buffalo! - surrounded by the high desert. I don't know if it's part of one of the pueblos, or what. I eventually found my way just past the Dam Lake, or rather, the Lake Dam and stopped to ask where I'd end up if I continued on my road and was told "Jemez". Well, that was a little farther north than I intended so I turned around, had a look at Cochiti Lake and the Dam (very pretty; they dammed the Rio Grande to make the lake and have installed a prize-winning golf course there), and headed back toward I-25. I turned north again and stopped just south of Santa Fe, having just seen it last year, and went off toward Madrid.
By this time, I had noticed that it was cold as hell, and the clouds, which had started the day only "partly", were thick and dark. I had neglected to watch the weather since Albuquerque's having some very enjoyable days - 70's, almost 80's and dry, dry, dry!
Passed Cerrillos, which is growing like crazy, went through Madrid, which is charming as ever, and finally got to Cedar Crest and Tijeras Canyon. It rained - sprinkled, really - the whole way, and I had the heater going. As I exited Tijeras Canyon (and evidently, the Verizon Badlands) my cell phone signaled that I had a message. It was Deb, telling me that if the dogs and I were bored, we could go hang out at her place; she had left the door unlocked.
The dogs and I grabbed burgers and headed to her place. We couldn't have been there more than ten minutes when Deb showed up, and almost immediately after, Myers RV called to tell me the antenna installation job was finished, and they had lubed the chassis and changed the oil. Impressive! The antenna job alone is usually six or eight hours.
Well, what a good day! Got to do some reminiscent-type sight-seeing (site-seeing?) and got some improvements/maintenance done on my home.
Tonight (7:00PM), it's raining like crazy and we're supposed to have high winds and thunder. In Albuquerque? Where the sun shines more than 300 days out of the year? Actually, this is good news: all the natives have been saying how long it's been since they've had a good rain.
Later.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Moving On
On Sunday, Mar. 30, I got bored with Las Cruces so decided to leave the following morning.
Set out that Monday and went straight north on I-25 to Albuquerque, where I arrived around 3:PM. The topography and geography of that route was all new to me; I must have a very bad memory, or maybe I've never been that route. When I left Las Cruces, the Rio Grande (which is very full, I meant to mention earlier) was on the west side of I-25. Not too far north of Cruces, it crosses to the east and stays that way 'til I got to Isleta Pueblo. I-25 bypasses Belen and Los Lunas altogether, so I didn't see but a glance of each town.
I'm at El Rancho Mobile Home Park on Wyoming SE. Friend Deb has informed me that in the last 15 years or so, this area has been designated a war zone. Oh, fine. Now she tells me.
Started getting the rig connected up when I realized the only electricity I had was my lights, which are 12.5 v. Nothing else in the rig, using 110 v., would power up: no refrigerator, no tv, no etc. I called the Park management, who did the usual. They always ask if I'm sure I plugged in right, and then they always say "it must be something with your rig". They never check their own damn facilities first; they blame the renter first. Other RVers I've talked to say it happens to them, too. Must be an occupational hazard. Eventually, they came to have a look, you know, to make sure I was connected correctly. Upon investigation, they discovered that their whole @#$%^ electrical pole was burnt out. No one had been in my spot in the five months previous, and they had no idea. They replaced their breaker and voila! Suddenly I had electricity! No apology, no nothing. Do these people forget that I'm giving them money? Do they forget that when I give money, I'm supposed to get something back? Keee-rist!
After all that, I discover they've blown one of my 12.5 v. fuses. I can't tell which one it is, but I know it's the one that's running the tv antenna booster, which runs on 12.5 v. No tv for the night.
After a decent night's rest (despite that fact that my bed(room) window faces a noisy street), I wake up, feed/walk the dogs, disconnect everything and head to Myer's RV Service up on northeast Central to see about getting the fuse situation fixed. I got extremely lucky at Myer's: two very nice guys in their service department actually came out, took a look around, figured out which fuse was out and replaced it, at no charge. I had spoken to Jarod, one of their electronics wizards, a couple of weeks ago to order a built-in (-on) satellite antenna, and he was more than helpful. My new antenna's still not there yet, but they're going to install in when it arrives.
After a pretty stinky start to my stay in Albuquerque, of which I am very fond, I'm now settled in and pretty damn content. The same network television stations I watched 50 years ago are still in action on the same channels, plus a few new ones.
I emailed Marc and Elaine, and phoned Deb to let everyone know I'm here. Got a return email from Marc almost immediately, and Deb called to let me know that she's doing respite care for someone almost all this week (in addition to her day job), so she and I will get together this coming weekend. Talked to Marc; all the kids are either suffering from or just getting over strep throat, so I won't see them 'til sometime next week.
Am getting around Albuquerque as if I'd never left. There's a Mexican restaurant across the street; not the best, but certainly pretty darn good. Found a dog park out behind the Veteran's Hospital and another one up at Los Altos Park, where Jerry used to golf nearly forty years ago. Found a Walmart and a PetSmart practically across the street from the park. Drove over to Coronado Mall to Sears to get a tool I had misplaced and noticed that Winrock Shopping Center doesn't even exist any more. Changes....
The weather is a little iffy, allergy wise: Monday and Tuesday were windy (very) and the pollen count is way-y-y-y high. Everything I can remember growing here is blooming: the forsythia, the lilacs, and lots of pink or white blooming trees. The dreaded Chinese Elms are bursting forth and will break out into full-size leaves any day now. Today's been quiet and quite warm, and they're predicting rain tomorrow afternoon, which I'll believe when I see. The nights, 'tho, are pretty darn cool, verging on cold. I haven't used any propane in over a month, 'tho, because my tiny little electric space heater is doing a fine job of keeping the three of us toasty-warm.
Albuquerque, NM Elev. 5314'
Set out that Monday and went straight north on I-25 to Albuquerque, where I arrived around 3:PM. The topography and geography of that route was all new to me; I must have a very bad memory, or maybe I've never been that route. When I left Las Cruces, the Rio Grande (which is very full, I meant to mention earlier) was on the west side of I-25. Not too far north of Cruces, it crosses to the east and stays that way 'til I got to Isleta Pueblo. I-25 bypasses Belen and Los Lunas altogether, so I didn't see but a glance of each town.
I'm at El Rancho Mobile Home Park on Wyoming SE. Friend Deb has informed me that in the last 15 years or so, this area has been designated a war zone. Oh, fine. Now she tells me.
Started getting the rig connected up when I realized the only electricity I had was my lights, which are 12.5 v. Nothing else in the rig, using 110 v., would power up: no refrigerator, no tv, no etc. I called the Park management, who did the usual. They always ask if I'm sure I plugged in right, and then they always say "it must be something with your rig". They never check their own damn facilities first; they blame the renter first. Other RVers I've talked to say it happens to them, too. Must be an occupational hazard. Eventually, they came to have a look, you know, to make sure I was connected correctly. Upon investigation, they discovered that their whole @#$%^ electrical pole was burnt out. No one had been in my spot in the five months previous, and they had no idea. They replaced their breaker and voila! Suddenly I had electricity! No apology, no nothing. Do these people forget that I'm giving them money? Do they forget that when I give money, I'm supposed to get something back? Keee-rist!
After all that, I discover they've blown one of my 12.5 v. fuses. I can't tell which one it is, but I know it's the one that's running the tv antenna booster, which runs on 12.5 v. No tv for the night.
After a decent night's rest (despite that fact that my bed(room) window faces a noisy street), I wake up, feed/walk the dogs, disconnect everything and head to Myer's RV Service up on northeast Central to see about getting the fuse situation fixed. I got extremely lucky at Myer's: two very nice guys in their service department actually came out, took a look around, figured out which fuse was out and replaced it, at no charge. I had spoken to Jarod, one of their electronics wizards, a couple of weeks ago to order a built-in (-on) satellite antenna, and he was more than helpful. My new antenna's still not there yet, but they're going to install in when it arrives.
After a pretty stinky start to my stay in Albuquerque, of which I am very fond, I'm now settled in and pretty damn content. The same network television stations I watched 50 years ago are still in action on the same channels, plus a few new ones.
I emailed Marc and Elaine, and phoned Deb to let everyone know I'm here. Got a return email from Marc almost immediately, and Deb called to let me know that she's doing respite care for someone almost all this week (in addition to her day job), so she and I will get together this coming weekend. Talked to Marc; all the kids are either suffering from or just getting over strep throat, so I won't see them 'til sometime next week.
Am getting around Albuquerque as if I'd never left. There's a Mexican restaurant across the street; not the best, but certainly pretty darn good. Found a dog park out behind the Veteran's Hospital and another one up at Los Altos Park, where Jerry used to golf nearly forty years ago. Found a Walmart and a PetSmart practically across the street from the park. Drove over to Coronado Mall to Sears to get a tool I had misplaced and noticed that Winrock Shopping Center doesn't even exist any more. Changes....
The weather is a little iffy, allergy wise: Monday and Tuesday were windy (very) and the pollen count is way-y-y-y high. Everything I can remember growing here is blooming: the forsythia, the lilacs, and lots of pink or white blooming trees. The dreaded Chinese Elms are bursting forth and will break out into full-size leaves any day now. Today's been quiet and quite warm, and they're predicting rain tomorrow afternoon, which I'll believe when I see. The nights, 'tho, are pretty darn cool, verging on cold. I haven't used any propane in over a month, 'tho, because my tiny little electric space heater is doing a fine job of keeping the three of us toasty-warm.
Albuquerque, NM Elev. 5314'
Friday, March 28, 2008
An Olfactory Moment
Took the rugs to the laundromat this morning and instead of having to wait for them to dry, I brought them back to the Park and hung them on a neighbor's clothesline.
Have you ever had deja vu...of the nose? The scent of those clean rugs dried by the sun and soft breeze (and low humidity!) took me right back to the south valley of Albuquerque where I grew up. We had quite the clothesline in our backyard; a huge one, what with a family of six and no automatic dryer. Man! I'm gonna be sniffing those rugs all night!
Another sentimental journey...or maybe I should call it a "scentimental" journey. Ha!
Have you ever had deja vu...of the nose? The scent of those clean rugs dried by the sun and soft breeze (and low humidity!) took me right back to the south valley of Albuquerque where I grew up. We had quite the clothesline in our backyard; a huge one, what with a family of six and no automatic dryer. Man! I'm gonna be sniffing those rugs all night!
Another sentimental journey...or maybe I should call it a "scentimental" journey. Ha!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Missing Photos
Here are the photos I was trying to enter in my previous post. Click to enlarge (the photos, not me: I need no help there!).
Obviously, I need to work on formatting, don't I?
Obviously, I need to work on formatting, don't I? The top photo is us at White Sands National Monument, and the second is of us at Aguirre Springs State ...Park or Recreation Area, I can't remember which.
A Sentimental Journey
(Click on photo to enlarge.)These are the Organ Mountains, and this photo clearly shows why they were so named.
The dogs and I got up this morning, had breakfast before 8:AM, took a walk around the park, and decided to take a road trip for the day. I got out a magazine about Las Cruces and things to do there, and decided to take US Hwy. 70 northeast through San Augustine Pass, where you go over/through the Organ Mountains, to a place called Aguirre Springs. I had read on the internet that it's dog-friendly, and an easy hike. I figure "Aguirre" translates in English to "dry; never been any water here" because there ain't a drip to be found within sight of the horizon. We walked around for about 45 minutes; it was a steep hike on paved roadway and my legs were killing me by the time we finished. Can you say Out Of Shape?
Some friendly fellow touristas agreed to take a photo of the three of us. I'm having trouble loading photos, so it's on the next post.
It was still early so I decided to turn further east when we exited Aguirre Springs and see what we could see. Almost immediately, we had come to White Sands Missile Range. There's not a lot to see on the Range; for the most part, it's closed to the public. I knew Alamogordo wasn't too far, so we just kept going.
About 45 minutes into the Range, I came upon White Sands National Monument. I entered, of course; it had been roughly 50 years since I'd seen it. We paid our fee (dogs are permitted) and walked a little through their Dune Life Nature Trail. Now, you talk about a leg workout?! The dogs were totally into it; that soft, white sand, and they scampered up the dunes very quickly, while I sort of slogged after them. We came upon a family of two adults and four kids - the same configuration of my family when we made our trip so very long ago. Another tourist snapped a quick photo for us. Again, see next post.
By this time, it was about 12:30PM and I was feeling hungry. Just a few minutes further east on Hwy. 70, we came to Holloman AFB and the town of Alamogordo, which has, of all things, an Applebee's Restaurant, which Las Cruces doesn't. The dogs napped in the car (not to worry: it was only about 80 degrees F.) and I went in for a spinach and grilled shrimp salad, which just hit the spot.
We left and got back to Las Cruces by 3:30PM. The dogs are now napping, and I'm thinking of going to Walmart for a few groceries.
It's been a great day; I should take those one-day road trips with the dogs more often! Oh, by the way: Oor's gas mileage is terrific! That little thing runs for about a week or ten days before it needs refilling, unlike the beast, Van Go, which, when we're traveling, sometimes needs fuel twice a day. Yeah: OUCH!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Mail Call!
A large box courtesy of FedEx came today from Cynthia. My license plates for Oor were there; thank all the little state police gods. My temporary plates had expired on 03/08, which appears to mean March of 2008 in states other than Texas, for which I'm grateful: no citations for expired tags. Mounted the plates and thanked my lucky stars.
Several magazines were in the box as well, another thing to be grateful about: I was running out of reading material. Also, a sizeable check from the title company again: a refund of 2008 property taxes. Nice!
Took the dogs with me to mail the aforementioned goodies to family; stopped at the one-and-only Petsmart in town to get some of Annie's flea meds; and visited the local satellite installation office to get one of their techs to come point my dish in the right direction. I can pick up only El Paso's network channels otherwise, and not too well, at that.
I'm gradually learning my way around town; it takes a heck of a lot less time to get from point A to point B than I estimate, every single time. I keep thinking this is a big town, and it's really not. I'm not using much gasoline, for sure.
Did a little research on RV parks in Albuquerque on the internet. There seem to be about six or eight there, or at least there are six or eight with websites. I checked out the KOA campground there and, WOW! Must be a grand place: they wanted more than $1000 for about a 17-day stay! I'm continuing my search.
PostScript: The guy who came to aim my satellite dish couldn't quite get it right. I'm tired of having to pay people to aim the damn dish, and I'm tired of toting and storing the damn tripod, so I've ordered a KVH hard-mounted satellite antenna that aims itself automatically. I ordered it from an RV shop in Albuquerque, so will go there when it arrives.
Several magazines were in the box as well, another thing to be grateful about: I was running out of reading material. Also, a sizeable check from the title company again: a refund of 2008 property taxes. Nice!
Took the dogs with me to mail the aforementioned goodies to family; stopped at the one-and-only Petsmart in town to get some of Annie's flea meds; and visited the local satellite installation office to get one of their techs to come point my dish in the right direction. I can pick up only El Paso's network channels otherwise, and not too well, at that.
I'm gradually learning my way around town; it takes a heck of a lot less time to get from point A to point B than I estimate, every single time. I keep thinking this is a big town, and it's really not. I'm not using much gasoline, for sure.
Did a little research on RV parks in Albuquerque on the internet. There seem to be about six or eight there, or at least there are six or eight with websites. I checked out the KOA campground there and, WOW! Must be a grand place: they wanted more than $1000 for about a 17-day stay! I'm continuing my search.
PostScript: The guy who came to aim my satellite dish couldn't quite get it right. I'm tired of having to pay people to aim the damn dish, and I'm tired of toting and storing the damn tripod, so I've ordered a KVH hard-mounted satellite antenna that aims itself automatically. I ordered it from an RV shop in Albuquerque, so will go there when it arrives.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Las Cruces, via Tubac
The dogs and I left Tucson a day early and detoured to the south on our way back to Las Cruces. Went down I-19 to a little town called Tubac, which I call Arizona's answer to Taos. Charming little town in a shallow valley with a river going through it. Can't remember the name of the river, but one of their shopkeepers said Tubac boasts the longest stretch of cottonwood trees in the world. It was pretty, I'll admit that. The cottonwoods that far south have all sprouted green.
I found a couple pieces of jewelry and the dogs and I were headed back by 10:AM. Their shops open early just for folks like me who want to look, get what we want, and get back on the road early enough in the day to arrive wherever we're going at a decent hour.
The trip on I-10 headed east to Las Cruces was a journey through "All the Cacti You'll Ever Want to See, and Then Some". I'll bet I've seen more different varieties of cacti than I ever knew existed. Particularly pretty, in a sort of stunning way, are the saguaros. Some of them are twenty feet tall. I saw ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear, cholla, and others I can't name. A lot of them are blooming.
We arrived back in Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces around 5:30 PM, just after their office had closed. Pulled into a pull-through space, looked at a few email and went to bed around 10:30. This morning bright and early I visited the office and got reassigned to a non-pull-through space (less expensive) and paid for a month's stay. I figure that's enough time for the cold weather to ease in Albuquerque and I can make my way north. There's a native American gathering I'd like to visit at University of New Mexico on April 26th, plus Marc and family and friend Deb are there. I figure I might stay as long as a month there as well.
The tulips and irises are blooming here in Las Cruces; it's those sunny days and cold nights that encourage them. Lots of the fruit trees here in the Las Cruces farming community are blooming, but I notice the pecan trees, of which there are groves and groves, and which are the latest greening of all the nut trees, never in danger of frost, are still barren, so maybe we're in for one last cold spell, even though daytime temps here in Las Cruces are approaching the high 70s.
Took out my maps and worked on my weak navigating skills last night and decided to go this morning to Mesilla, NM, just down the road from Las Cruces. It is, quite literally, just down the road from the RV park, come to find out. Mesilla has quite a history. After the Gadsden Purchase in the mid-1800s, Mesilla was the capital of the Confederate Arizona Territory, which included New Mexico and I think went all the way to California. It was destined to be the only territory of the Confederacy.
Mesilla Plaza, in the old town square, has become another Santa Fe, Taos, and Tubac. It being a holiday weekend, it was very crowded, and there were a good number of cars bearing license plates from all over. I found some goodies to send to family and a couple more pieces of jewelry and lunch at the Double Eagle restaurant, which used to be the largest house in Mesilla. Its construction was begun in the late 1840s and has since been put on the National Register of Historic Places. Judge Roy Bean got his start in Mesilla. Billy the Kid used to go there and raise hell once in a while and even stood trial there once. There is much original, very old art in the restaurant, from all over the world. The food's very good, but even if it weren't, the place is worth visiting just from an historic viewpoint.
After walking a good two miles at the Plaza, I'm back in the motorhome, and need to walk the dogs. I plan to try and get out and see as much of the area as I can and will report later.
Las Cruces, NM Elev: 2900' to 4200'
I found a couple pieces of jewelry and the dogs and I were headed back by 10:AM. Their shops open early just for folks like me who want to look, get what we want, and get back on the road early enough in the day to arrive wherever we're going at a decent hour.
The trip on I-10 headed east to Las Cruces was a journey through "All the Cacti You'll Ever Want to See, and Then Some". I'll bet I've seen more different varieties of cacti than I ever knew existed. Particularly pretty, in a sort of stunning way, are the saguaros. Some of them are twenty feet tall. I saw ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear, cholla, and others I can't name. A lot of them are blooming.
We arrived back in Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces around 5:30 PM, just after their office had closed. Pulled into a pull-through space, looked at a few email and went to bed around 10:30. This morning bright and early I visited the office and got reassigned to a non-pull-through space (less expensive) and paid for a month's stay. I figure that's enough time for the cold weather to ease in Albuquerque and I can make my way north. There's a native American gathering I'd like to visit at University of New Mexico on April 26th, plus Marc and family and friend Deb are there. I figure I might stay as long as a month there as well.
The tulips and irises are blooming here in Las Cruces; it's those sunny days and cold nights that encourage them. Lots of the fruit trees here in the Las Cruces farming community are blooming, but I notice the pecan trees, of which there are groves and groves, and which are the latest greening of all the nut trees, never in danger of frost, are still barren, so maybe we're in for one last cold spell, even though daytime temps here in Las Cruces are approaching the high 70s.
Took out my maps and worked on my weak navigating skills last night and decided to go this morning to Mesilla, NM, just down the road from Las Cruces. It is, quite literally, just down the road from the RV park, come to find out. Mesilla has quite a history. After the Gadsden Purchase in the mid-1800s, Mesilla was the capital of the Confederate Arizona Territory, which included New Mexico and I think went all the way to California. It was destined to be the only territory of the Confederacy.
Mesilla Plaza, in the old town square, has become another Santa Fe, Taos, and Tubac. It being a holiday weekend, it was very crowded, and there were a good number of cars bearing license plates from all over. I found some goodies to send to family and a couple more pieces of jewelry and lunch at the Double Eagle restaurant, which used to be the largest house in Mesilla. Its construction was begun in the late 1840s and has since been put on the National Register of Historic Places. Judge Roy Bean got his start in Mesilla. Billy the Kid used to go there and raise hell once in a while and even stood trial there once. There is much original, very old art in the restaurant, from all over the world. The food's very good, but even if it weren't, the place is worth visiting just from an historic viewpoint.
After walking a good two miles at the Plaza, I'm back in the motorhome, and need to walk the dogs. I plan to try and get out and see as much of the area as I can and will report later.
Las Cruces, NM Elev: 2900' to 4200'
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Maintenance, etc.
The maintenance, I'm used to. It's the etc that sometimes stops you cold and makes you say "Huh?"
Spent yesterday doing little things around Van Go. Did laundry. Went for groceries and watched a man berate his wife in front of their children and the general public, and heard him say, "Well, it wouldn't have happened if I'd done it. Every time you use the computer, you release so much negative energy..." at which point she turned around and left.
People. Whad're ya' gonna do?
Spent yesterday doing little things around Van Go. Did laundry. Went for groceries and watched a man berate his wife in front of their children and the general public, and heard him say, "Well, it wouldn't have happened if I'd done it. Every time you use the computer, you release so much negative energy..." at which point she turned around and left.
People. Whad're ya' gonna do?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Compass-ion
My name is Lynne; I am directionally challenged.
I just spent from 8:30AM to 11:AM trying to find my way from the RV park to Pima Community College here in Tucson. I used Mapquest, the tool I use all the time to find my way around. Works like a charm every time.
My error occurred when I failed to realize that when I exited I-10 W in Tucson onto I-19, I turned practically from north to south. When I think of I-10, it's the nation's most southerly Interstate highway and it runs from the west coast to the east. When it gets to El Paso, however, it turns northerly to Tucson and onward to Phoenix, where it then continues westward again. When you get to I-19 in Tucson, where I had to turn off to get to the RV park, I thought I was making a huge left turn, when I was actually heading in the direction opposite from which I'd just come.
Anyway, I've been completely turned around ever since I got to Tucson, and this morning's adventures, what with every downtown exit on I-10 being closed due to construction, my frustration level met its limit. I stopped by the College long enough to get my registration stuff, and found Froggi Donna boondocking on the College campus and met and had a nice chat with her. But I'm not going back to the campus for the Conference; their scheduling is somewhat constricted and the two courses I wanted to sit in on were both scheduled at the same time, same day. My blood pressure skyrockets under the conditions I found myself today, so I'm just gonna save the headache. There's some sightseeing here in the Tucson area I'd like to do and if I can do it relatively painlessly, I'm gonna.
And don't give me any grief about my GPS; remember, I'm at my limit.
I just spent from 8:30AM to 11:AM trying to find my way from the RV park to Pima Community College here in Tucson. I used Mapquest, the tool I use all the time to find my way around. Works like a charm every time.
My error occurred when I failed to realize that when I exited I-10 W in Tucson onto I-19, I turned practically from north to south. When I think of I-10, it's the nation's most southerly Interstate highway and it runs from the west coast to the east. When it gets to El Paso, however, it turns northerly to Tucson and onward to Phoenix, where it then continues westward again. When you get to I-19 in Tucson, where I had to turn off to get to the RV park, I thought I was making a huge left turn, when I was actually heading in the direction opposite from which I'd just come.
Anyway, I've been completely turned around ever since I got to Tucson, and this morning's adventures, what with every downtown exit on I-10 being closed due to construction, my frustration level met its limit. I stopped by the College long enough to get my registration stuff, and found Froggi Donna boondocking on the College campus and met and had a nice chat with her. But I'm not going back to the campus for the Conference; their scheduling is somewhat constricted and the two courses I wanted to sit in on were both scheduled at the same time, same day. My blood pressure skyrockets under the conditions I found myself today, so I'm just gonna save the headache. There's some sightseeing here in the Tucson area I'd like to do and if I can do it relatively painlessly, I'm gonna.
And don't give me any grief about my GPS; remember, I'm at my limit.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Chances of Precipitation
When the weather forecaster in Houston says there's a 20% of rain, it means there's a 20% chance that there's going to be rain over 20% of Houston.
When they say there's a 10% chance of rain in Tucson, it means that if you go to Walmart and forget where you parked, there's a 100% chance it's going to rain steadily for just long enough for you to get soaked, walking up and down the parking lot aisles, looking for your car. Memo to self: Uh, catch the aisle number on your way in; saves you a lot of grief later.
Not only that: I always thought Tucson was that hot and sunny place down in southern Arizona. Today there's some kind of funky weather thing going on and not only is it raining, it's cold as a welldigger's belt buckle.
Dogs and I left Las Cruces around 8:AM yesterday (Sat, Mar.15) to get an early start before the high winds of yesterday came back. It was a nice drive; mild weather, no wind. A little boring; I guess I'm getting used to the southwest and its novelty has worn off. Lots of low mountains on every side, and we didn't really get into any wind 'til we'd passed the NM/AZ border. Did go through another one of those US Border Patrol check stations, but this time, they were just waving through any vehicle with a US license plate. Way to go, Homeland Security. So much for protecting our borders.
Mapquest had given the estimated travel time from Las Cruces to Tucson as a little over three hours. That must be only if you're driving the speed limit, which, in that area, is 75 MPH. I only push Van Go to 60 (65 max), especially when I'm towing Oor. It took me 'til after 4:PM, around eight hours, which I rarely do. Arizona has no Daylight Savings program, so I at least saved an hour on the clock and turned it back to 3:PM.
I'm in Rincon West RV Resort. They have over 1,000 spaces, all narrow and close together. The place is landscaped beautifully and they allow dogs only in one small corner of the resort. They have put me in space number 847, which is so un-level that I can't use my own shower. The water in the shower stall puddles in the rear so deep that it almost runs out onto the floor. I tried to change spaces this morning, but the space they wanted me to go in is worse than the one I'm in, so I'll stay. I'll use the resort's shower facilities. They have at least four buildings scattered around the resort, and each one contains an exercise room, a laundry, a wifi room, and men's and women's showers. I'll live.
The Life on Wheels conference starts Tuesday, so today, other than staying inside the rig and trying to keep warm, I'm reading and updating the blog. Have tentative plans to run down some of the Escapees Class of '08 members and have dinner one evening this week. I was going to stay here two weeks, but their rates are sky high, so I'm going back to Las Cruces March 22 and stay there for a couple weeks and see what the weather's doing.
While in Las Cruces, I went to Walmart and stopped in for a quick pedicure. I met a woman, Linda, and we chatted while our toes were done. We got to talking about the green chili in NM, and she invited me to lunch. She took me to her favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican food cafe. I had the stuffed sopaipilla, which was perfect. We must have sat and talked for about two hours. She's a very funny woman, divorced, a nurse, loves to talk as much as I do, and we had a good time. We exchanged phone numbers, and I'm going to see her again when I go back to Las Cruces.
Poor little doggies are lying in bed, cozied up in the blankets, trying to keep warm. I think I'll join them with a magazine.
Tucson, AZ Elev: 2584'
When they say there's a 10% chance of rain in Tucson, it means that if you go to Walmart and forget where you parked, there's a 100% chance it's going to rain steadily for just long enough for you to get soaked, walking up and down the parking lot aisles, looking for your car. Memo to self: Uh, catch the aisle number on your way in; saves you a lot of grief later.
Not only that: I always thought Tucson was that hot and sunny place down in southern Arizona. Today there's some kind of funky weather thing going on and not only is it raining, it's cold as a welldigger's belt buckle.
Dogs and I left Las Cruces around 8:AM yesterday (Sat, Mar.15) to get an early start before the high winds of yesterday came back. It was a nice drive; mild weather, no wind. A little boring; I guess I'm getting used to the southwest and its novelty has worn off. Lots of low mountains on every side, and we didn't really get into any wind 'til we'd passed the NM/AZ border. Did go through another one of those US Border Patrol check stations, but this time, they were just waving through any vehicle with a US license plate. Way to go, Homeland Security. So much for protecting our borders.
Mapquest had given the estimated travel time from Las Cruces to Tucson as a little over three hours. That must be only if you're driving the speed limit, which, in that area, is 75 MPH. I only push Van Go to 60 (65 max), especially when I'm towing Oor. It took me 'til after 4:PM, around eight hours, which I rarely do. Arizona has no Daylight Savings program, so I at least saved an hour on the clock and turned it back to 3:PM.
I'm in Rincon West RV Resort. They have over 1,000 spaces, all narrow and close together. The place is landscaped beautifully and they allow dogs only in one small corner of the resort. They have put me in space number 847, which is so un-level that I can't use my own shower. The water in the shower stall puddles in the rear so deep that it almost runs out onto the floor. I tried to change spaces this morning, but the space they wanted me to go in is worse than the one I'm in, so I'll stay. I'll use the resort's shower facilities. They have at least four buildings scattered around the resort, and each one contains an exercise room, a laundry, a wifi room, and men's and women's showers. I'll live.
The Life on Wheels conference starts Tuesday, so today, other than staying inside the rig and trying to keep warm, I'm reading and updating the blog. Have tentative plans to run down some of the Escapees Class of '08 members and have dinner one evening this week. I was going to stay here two weeks, but their rates are sky high, so I'm going back to Las Cruces March 22 and stay there for a couple weeks and see what the weather's doing.
While in Las Cruces, I went to Walmart and stopped in for a quick pedicure. I met a woman, Linda, and we chatted while our toes were done. We got to talking about the green chili in NM, and she invited me to lunch. She took me to her favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican food cafe. I had the stuffed sopaipilla, which was perfect. We must have sat and talked for about two hours. She's a very funny woman, divorced, a nurse, loves to talk as much as I do, and we had a good time. We exchanged phone numbers, and I'm going to see her again when I go back to Las Cruces.
Poor little doggies are lying in bed, cozied up in the blankets, trying to keep warm. I think I'll join them with a magazine.
Tucson, AZ Elev: 2584'
Thursday, March 13, 2008
This is a Test; This is Only a Test
Decided to take the dogs to Las Cruces yesterday morning to try to find a park to play in; it's only 20 miles from where we're staying.
Didn't find the park, but did find a small RV park I thought we'd enjoy instead of Camping World's. We stopped in a made the reservation for that afternoon. As I got into the car to go back to El Paso for the RV, the car wouldn't start.
When you buy a used car, you get what you pay for. Called a tow truck recommended by the repair shop; the tow driver said his company had just been approved by AAA for both towing and repair, so we went to his shop. Nice folks; Walker Towing and Recovery. They started out in Alamogordo in the '80s, and recently opened a shop here in Las Cruces. Their mechanic took the starter apart and said it wouldn't catch the flywheel. I love learning new languages, don't you? Anyway, I knew that was gonna take a while, so I had the owner's son, Sal Calmenero, drive me to Enterprise Leasing (I have a membership there) to get a car to drive back to El Paso. Enterprise had no one-way cars (so much for the value of my membership), so I called Hertz. They were happy to help; in fact, they came and got me from Enterprise (Sal had gone back to his shop) and rented me a nice little SUV.
Got the dogs and ran them back to the RV, then took the SUV to the Hertz office in west El Paso, right down the street from the microwave repair shop I had visited just a few days earlier. I'm learning my way around the west side of El Paso pretty well. Finished up there; they only charged me $38! Nice surprise, right in the middle of a nasty one, I thought. They drove me back to the RV where the dogs and I chilled for the evening.
After a crummy night's sleep, we left early this morning and went back to see how the repair of Oor was going. We arrived around 9:00 AM, and they were finished! When I got the bill, I got another nice surprise: a very reasonable charge for replacing the starter with a new one.
We're all nicely encamped in the Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces, NM. It's a beautiful day: around 75 degrees F, mostly sunny, 13% humidity. Tomorrow and Saturday, however, the wind is supposed to pick up and my drive to Tucson will be in headwinds of around 40 MPH. I can hear the gasoline draining out of the RV already.
I'm happy, happy, happy to be back in New Mexico!
Las Cruces, NM Elev: 3900' to 4200'
Didn't find the park, but did find a small RV park I thought we'd enjoy instead of Camping World's. We stopped in a made the reservation for that afternoon. As I got into the car to go back to El Paso for the RV, the car wouldn't start.
When you buy a used car, you get what you pay for. Called a tow truck recommended by the repair shop; the tow driver said his company had just been approved by AAA for both towing and repair, so we went to his shop. Nice folks; Walker Towing and Recovery. They started out in Alamogordo in the '80s, and recently opened a shop here in Las Cruces. Their mechanic took the starter apart and said it wouldn't catch the flywheel. I love learning new languages, don't you? Anyway, I knew that was gonna take a while, so I had the owner's son, Sal Calmenero, drive me to Enterprise Leasing (I have a membership there) to get a car to drive back to El Paso. Enterprise had no one-way cars (so much for the value of my membership), so I called Hertz. They were happy to help; in fact, they came and got me from Enterprise (Sal had gone back to his shop) and rented me a nice little SUV.
Got the dogs and ran them back to the RV, then took the SUV to the Hertz office in west El Paso, right down the street from the microwave repair shop I had visited just a few days earlier. I'm learning my way around the west side of El Paso pretty well. Finished up there; they only charged me $38! Nice surprise, right in the middle of a nasty one, I thought. They drove me back to the RV where the dogs and I chilled for the evening.
After a crummy night's sleep, we left early this morning and went back to see how the repair of Oor was going. We arrived around 9:00 AM, and they were finished! When I got the bill, I got another nice surprise: a very reasonable charge for replacing the starter with a new one.
We're all nicely encamped in the Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces, NM. It's a beautiful day: around 75 degrees F, mostly sunny, 13% humidity. Tomorrow and Saturday, however, the wind is supposed to pick up and my drive to Tucson will be in headwinds of around 40 MPH. I can hear the gasoline draining out of the RV already.
I'm happy, happy, happy to be back in New Mexico!
Las Cruces, NM Elev: 3900' to 4200'
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Horns, Bull, Taking
If you want the job done right.... or fast... do it yourself.
Spent half the day Sunday doing laundry and walking the dogs out on the mesa surrounding the place where we're parked, which under no circumstances could ever be called a "park". A huge slab of concrete (or what feels like concrete; I suspect it's caliche) punctuated by three-feet-tall utility poles every 25 feet or so apart, space enough for 300 to park. I can't imagine what it would be like if the place were that full; so far, this is a stay-and-go place. Stay here just long enough to see or do what you want/need, and get the heck out. Fortunately, there's a grocery and laundromat within one mile. I also found an outlet mall about five miles away.
Monday I decided that Camping World was going to take too long to take the microwave to a repair shop in El Paso to determine whether or not the thing could be fixed, so I took the bull by the horn and took it there myself. They called this morning (Tues) to let me know that the megatron (which is the thing that actually makes the microwave work and which sounds like the name of a science fiction movie (MEGATRON!!) to me) had to be replaced, to the tune of $215 (parts only). (Note to self: paperwork is in pending file.) Well, obviously, that exceeds the cost of the microwave.
I went to Camping World's service folks and they said they would have to let the RV manufacturer know and get permission to either repair or replace the microwave. They called and got an answering machine and left word. This was already taking too friggin' long. I've got to be in Tucson in four days. I told Camping World to forget it, went and picked up the old microwave and paid for the estimate, took its measurements and went and got a new microwave at Walmart for about one-eighth the cost of repairing the old one.
I couldn't get one with the same measurements as the old one (of course not! that would've been too lucky), so got one as close as I could and put it back in the RV. The faceplate doesn't even hold the oven in place, there's that big a difference in size, but I can either take it out when traveling, or push it far enough in that it won't come out in the event I make a turn so sharp and fast that the thing would come hurling out.
Well, what with Camping World's rule of sticking to what the manufacturer says, I'm not thrilled, but so what? I can adapt. As long as there's some kind of solution, I can live with it. I'll gripe and moan, curse and spit, but I can live with it.
I think I'll go fix a baked potato.
Two hours later: the following is an update to the morning's input.
That baked potato? I substituted a Lean Cuisine instead.
Using my brand new, $46 GE microwave, it did heat up. However, the indicator lights kept flickering on and off. I had no way of knowing when the time was up, or if it was even "cooking", so I opened up the door after about two minutes. It was hot. OK. I took the tray out and closed the microwave door. The thing kept on running! I pushed the "stop" and "clear" buttons, to no avail. I ate the dinner, took the faceplate off, took the microwave out of the cabinet, put it in its box and took it back to Walmart. I went to Sam's Club and found a much better, and right-sized, microwave, bought it, installed it and tested it. I just hope it continues to work. If this one goes bad, I'm gonna have to consider that there really is something wrong with that particular electrical outlet in the RV. Something expensive, I'll bet.
Spent half the day Sunday doing laundry and walking the dogs out on the mesa surrounding the place where we're parked, which under no circumstances could ever be called a "park". A huge slab of concrete (or what feels like concrete; I suspect it's caliche) punctuated by three-feet-tall utility poles every 25 feet or so apart, space enough for 300 to park. I can't imagine what it would be like if the place were that full; so far, this is a stay-and-go place. Stay here just long enough to see or do what you want/need, and get the heck out. Fortunately, there's a grocery and laundromat within one mile. I also found an outlet mall about five miles away.
Monday I decided that Camping World was going to take too long to take the microwave to a repair shop in El Paso to determine whether or not the thing could be fixed, so I took the bull by the horn and took it there myself. They called this morning (Tues) to let me know that the megatron (which is the thing that actually makes the microwave work and which sounds like the name of a science fiction movie (MEGATRON!!) to me) had to be replaced, to the tune of $215 (parts only). (Note to self: paperwork is in pending file.) Well, obviously, that exceeds the cost of the microwave.
I went to Camping World's service folks and they said they would have to let the RV manufacturer know and get permission to either repair or replace the microwave. They called and got an answering machine and left word. This was already taking too friggin' long. I've got to be in Tucson in four days. I told Camping World to forget it, went and picked up the old microwave and paid for the estimate, took its measurements and went and got a new microwave at Walmart for about one-eighth the cost of repairing the old one.
I couldn't get one with the same measurements as the old one (of course not! that would've been too lucky), so got one as close as I could and put it back in the RV. The faceplate doesn't even hold the oven in place, there's that big a difference in size, but I can either take it out when traveling, or push it far enough in that it won't come out in the event I make a turn so sharp and fast that the thing would come hurling out.
Well, what with Camping World's rule of sticking to what the manufacturer says, I'm not thrilled, but so what? I can adapt. As long as there's some kind of solution, I can live with it. I'll gripe and moan, curse and spit, but I can live with it.
I think I'll go fix a baked potato.
Two hours later: the following is an update to the morning's input.
That baked potato? I substituted a Lean Cuisine instead.
Using my brand new, $46 GE microwave, it did heat up. However, the indicator lights kept flickering on and off. I had no way of knowing when the time was up, or if it was even "cooking", so I opened up the door after about two minutes. It was hot. OK. I took the tray out and closed the microwave door. The thing kept on running! I pushed the "stop" and "clear" buttons, to no avail. I ate the dinner, took the faceplate off, took the microwave out of the cabinet, put it in its box and took it back to Walmart. I went to Sam's Club and found a much better, and right-sized, microwave, bought it, installed it and tested it. I just hope it continues to work. If this one goes bad, I'm gonna have to consider that there really is something wrong with that particular electrical outlet in the RV. Something expensive, I'll bet.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
El Paso, TX
Just got through spending two days without Verizon Aircard internet access, and decided to leave early and go to El Paso to get the microwave fixed.
Left Alpine early this morning. Hwy 90 west of Alpine, through Marfa and all the way to Van Horn is a nice, smooth ride. There are mountains, tho' not big ones, all the way. Lots of ranching, and I saw a herd of pronghorn antelope off the highway. As I was leaving Marfa, I thought I saw a small plane, flying ahead of me. After about half hour, though, I realized I was catching up with it. Turns out it was a dirigible. I couldn't tell if was anchored or what, but it seemed motionless. There were no buildings or vehicles around to identify it. I thought maybe it was a weather information-gathering thing.
I do see the oddest things from time to time: just outside of a very small spot in the road named Lobo, TX, and before I made the turn at Van Horn, where Hwy 90 turns into Interstate 10, there was a small building, adobe-colored, very neat, very trim, with a solid glass front. In front of the building was a large sign: PRADA. Sure enough, inside the window were three or four expensive-looking handbags. I wish I'd stopped and gotten some information, but there was no one to ask. There was no counter, no clerk, no cash register. This'll remain a mystery, for sure.
I saw a huge pecan grove along that same drive. Had no idea pecans grew in such a desert-y looking place.
Arrived in Anthony, TX, just west of El Paso around 2:30 PM. Made reservations for the staff at Camping World to pick up the microwave Monday and take it to a repair shop. Hope I'm not stuck here too long, because there is absolutely nothing to do in Anthony. I'd love to go to Juarez for the afternoon some day this week, but I can't find my damn passport. I have no idea where I put it. Ack!
Anthony, TX Elev: 3806'
Left Alpine early this morning. Hwy 90 west of Alpine, through Marfa and all the way to Van Horn is a nice, smooth ride. There are mountains, tho' not big ones, all the way. Lots of ranching, and I saw a herd of pronghorn antelope off the highway. As I was leaving Marfa, I thought I saw a small plane, flying ahead of me. After about half hour, though, I realized I was catching up with it. Turns out it was a dirigible. I couldn't tell if was anchored or what, but it seemed motionless. There were no buildings or vehicles around to identify it. I thought maybe it was a weather information-gathering thing.
I do see the oddest things from time to time: just outside of a very small spot in the road named Lobo, TX, and before I made the turn at Van Horn, where Hwy 90 turns into Interstate 10, there was a small building, adobe-colored, very neat, very trim, with a solid glass front. In front of the building was a large sign: PRADA. Sure enough, inside the window were three or four expensive-looking handbags. I wish I'd stopped and gotten some information, but there was no one to ask. There was no counter, no clerk, no cash register. This'll remain a mystery, for sure.
I saw a huge pecan grove along that same drive. Had no idea pecans grew in such a desert-y looking place.
Arrived in Anthony, TX, just west of El Paso around 2:30 PM. Made reservations for the staff at Camping World to pick up the microwave Monday and take it to a repair shop. Hope I'm not stuck here too long, because there is absolutely nothing to do in Anthony. I'd love to go to Juarez for the afternoon some day this week, but I can't find my damn passport. I have no idea where I put it. Ack!
Anthony, TX Elev: 3806'
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Brrrr!
It's cold here today. MSN weather says it's 36 degrees F., and we've got a little wind as well.
The dogs and I drove from Alpine to Fort Davis about 40 miles north of here yesterday. Charming little town, but not much to it. On the way back on Hwy 118, I saw a sign that read "Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute" so turned in to see what it was. A narrow dirt road led me the the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens, a really neat place. The dogs and I took about a 45-minute self-guided tour (read: "hike") through the place. Lots off botanical research is going on there, funded privately. The Institute was started by several professors at Sul Ross State University, here in Alpine. I saw at least four different varieties of agave, and went through their hummingbird and butterfly area. Unfortunately, it's still too cold for much activity there. I was a nice walk. I kept imagining a sunbathing rattler on every rocktop, but it must have been too cold. It got up to the mid-70s yesterday, and sunny. A beautiful day. The dogs acted like they were really enjoying the "wilderness"; certainly no blacktop nor fire hydrants there.
Today is laundry day; it's much too cold to be out running around. I think everyone in the park is laundering today: it's taking me twice as long to get one load of stuff washed and dried.
I've learned a new fuel-saving trick these last couple of days. The nights here are in the 20s and I can keep Van Go warm all night by using the little space heater I was maligning last month instead of turning on the furnace. Tried it last night and it worked great. I've got it on today, too; the dogs are actually shivering.
I did some research on Camping World's Anthony, TX location last night. They've got a huge RV park there, so I think I'll go there as soon as my mail comes here in Alpine, and get the microwave fixed. After that gets done, I'll head for Tucson for the Life on Wheels conference, then to Albuquerque and visit Deb and see Marc and family.
The dogs and I drove from Alpine to Fort Davis about 40 miles north of here yesterday. Charming little town, but not much to it. On the way back on Hwy 118, I saw a sign that read "Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute" so turned in to see what it was. A narrow dirt road led me the the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens, a really neat place. The dogs and I took about a 45-minute self-guided tour (read: "hike") through the place. Lots off botanical research is going on there, funded privately. The Institute was started by several professors at Sul Ross State University, here in Alpine. I saw at least four different varieties of agave, and went through their hummingbird and butterfly area. Unfortunately, it's still too cold for much activity there. I was a nice walk. I kept imagining a sunbathing rattler on every rocktop, but it must have been too cold. It got up to the mid-70s yesterday, and sunny. A beautiful day. The dogs acted like they were really enjoying the "wilderness"; certainly no blacktop nor fire hydrants there.
Today is laundry day; it's much too cold to be out running around. I think everyone in the park is laundering today: it's taking me twice as long to get one load of stuff washed and dried.
I've learned a new fuel-saving trick these last couple of days. The nights here are in the 20s and I can keep Van Go warm all night by using the little space heater I was maligning last month instead of turning on the furnace. Tried it last night and it worked great. I've got it on today, too; the dogs are actually shivering.
I did some research on Camping World's Anthony, TX location last night. They've got a huge RV park there, so I think I'll go there as soon as my mail comes here in Alpine, and get the microwave fixed. After that gets done, I'll head for Tucson for the Life on Wheels conference, then to Albuquerque and visit Deb and see Marc and family.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Alpine, TX
Got a good night's sleep in Marathon, and got an early start this morning. First thing I did was open the back blinds a little to see how light it was. The sun was well up, it being 8:15AM. First thing I saw was how much frost there was on Oor's windshield. Wow, I thought. Must be cold.
Well, yeah. I got dressed and fed the dogs, then ventured out to unhook everything. There was a very brisk wind. I went to unhook the water first and noticed that the hose connection was frozen to the spigot. Great. I opened the basement and took out the toolbox, and tried to get the connection off with a pair of pliers. Nope. By this time, I was freezing and had to go to the bathroom. Without a water source, I couldn't use the RV, so walked what seemed like a quarter mile to find the public restroom. Inside was a television with the weather station showing that the current temperature was 34 degrees F, with a wind chill of 26. No wonder I was cold. No wonder the connection was frozen.
I went to the office and borrowed a hair dryer to thaw the connection enough to get it off. Worked great, much to my surprise. Got the water hose off and stored it in the RV shower stall to thaw while we made our way up Hwy 90 to Alpine.
Found the Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine. Great place; very friendly, very funny, very efficient. These folks are the ones with the dog park. First thing I did after paying for a week's stay was to unhook Oor from Van Go and park the RV. While getting the only other key to Oor (the other one was in the ignition; it has to stay there while being towed), I dropped it somewhere while I was moving from the front door of the RV to the water/sewer connection area on the ground, not thirty feet away. I looked around for about ten minutes, then went to the office and asked them to call a locksmith to get Oor's door open, so I could move the car from the office parking area to the RV spot. While one of the park's guys was showing me how to connect to the water system, the locksmith showed up. He used a funny looking little bag, which he then inserted into a crack in the door, then inflated the bag which forced the door open just enough to slip a thick wire and hook thingy inside and spring the door open. Fantastic! I've got to get one of those.
Got everything hooked up (including free cable!) and took the dogs to the dog park. It's very tiny, no trees, no room to run, and no other dogs. Pretty disappointing. But I let them run (stroll, actually) free for about a half hour, so they could pee to their hearts content, and maybe tire out a little.
Got them in the car and went grocery shopping in downtown Alpine, about two miles away.
So now I'm settled, again, for a week. I'm going to try to get out and do some sightseeing, but Big Bend is at least a hundred miles away, and I doubt I'll go that far. I do like the topography here, tho'. Lots of mountains (not big ones) and lots of desert. I see that although the Mountain Cedar that I fought with in Hondo has finished blooming there, here in Alpine it's in full swing. Between the cedar and the pines, my allergies are killing me.
Alpine TX Elev: 4451'
Well, yeah. I got dressed and fed the dogs, then ventured out to unhook everything. There was a very brisk wind. I went to unhook the water first and noticed that the hose connection was frozen to the spigot. Great. I opened the basement and took out the toolbox, and tried to get the connection off with a pair of pliers. Nope. By this time, I was freezing and had to go to the bathroom. Without a water source, I couldn't use the RV, so walked what seemed like a quarter mile to find the public restroom. Inside was a television with the weather station showing that the current temperature was 34 degrees F, with a wind chill of 26. No wonder I was cold. No wonder the connection was frozen.
I went to the office and borrowed a hair dryer to thaw the connection enough to get it off. Worked great, much to my surprise. Got the water hose off and stored it in the RV shower stall to thaw while we made our way up Hwy 90 to Alpine.
Found the Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine. Great place; very friendly, very funny, very efficient. These folks are the ones with the dog park. First thing I did after paying for a week's stay was to unhook Oor from Van Go and park the RV. While getting the only other key to Oor (the other one was in the ignition; it has to stay there while being towed), I dropped it somewhere while I was moving from the front door of the RV to the water/sewer connection area on the ground, not thirty feet away. I looked around for about ten minutes, then went to the office and asked them to call a locksmith to get Oor's door open, so I could move the car from the office parking area to the RV spot. While one of the park's guys was showing me how to connect to the water system, the locksmith showed up. He used a funny looking little bag, which he then inserted into a crack in the door, then inflated the bag which forced the door open just enough to slip a thick wire and hook thingy inside and spring the door open. Fantastic! I've got to get one of those.
Got everything hooked up (including free cable!) and took the dogs to the dog park. It's very tiny, no trees, no room to run, and no other dogs. Pretty disappointing. But I let them run (stroll, actually) free for about a half hour, so they could pee to their hearts content, and maybe tire out a little.
Got them in the car and went grocery shopping in downtown Alpine, about two miles away.
So now I'm settled, again, for a week. I'm going to try to get out and do some sightseeing, but Big Bend is at least a hundred miles away, and I doubt I'll go that far. I do like the topography here, tho'. Lots of mountains (not big ones) and lots of desert. I see that although the Mountain Cedar that I fought with in Hondo has finished blooming there, here in Alpine it's in full swing. Between the cedar and the pines, my allergies are killing me.
Alpine TX Elev: 4451'
Monday, March 3, 2008
Westward Ho
Isn't that the title of a new country rap song?
Left Hondo this morning and arrived on Wagner RV's doorstep around 8:45. He was ready for me and installed the hitch on the RV in no time flat. That guy's a magician, and that system by Blue Ox, is just outstanding. I watched as he installed the hitch and connected everything to the tow plate, which had been installed on the car last week. By the way, I expected to see some really ugly apparatus protruding from the front of my sporty little car, but it is sharp! Two prongs come out of the grill, and they're removable if I care to. I think I'll leave them on: it looks like I'm spear-hunting.
The hitch assembly is so easy. I had heard people, women in particular, brag about how simple to join/separate the system is, but I'm still amazed. Sonny Wagner, who chose the system, really knows his stuff! I'm really happy with it.
Anyway, he was finished by 10:AM, so Van Go, Oor, Spike, Annie, and I set off with hardly a backward glance. I did email Shari at the Lone Star Corral and thanked her, Nancy and Bette for all they did to further my efforts to find the car and get it joined to the RV. I'm sure I'll be seeing them again.
After spending last night with the roof vents and one window wide open all night, I had heard it raining pretty well in the middle of the night. I bounced out of bed and closed everything up, and by the time we arose at about 7:30 am, things had already dried out. Not much of a rain for poor ol' Hondo, and they really need it.
We headed west, and by the time we got to Del Rio at about 2:PM, I needed lunch. We pulled into a Walmart there and picked up burgers. The weather had turned COLD! I didn't have so much as a sweater on and just about froze to death just getting from the RV to the store and back. We downed our burgers and headed out again.
Del Rio has an Air Force base, I noticed: Laughlin.
The wind had been blowing very hard to whole trip, and continued as we passed through Del Rio. Shortly outside of town, I thought I caught a glimpse of bright blue out the passenger side window. I looked a little harder and it was a huge lake. Turns out it was Amistad Lake, part of Amistad National Recreation Area. Very clear, blue water. The wind was so high the whole lake was covered with whitecaps. From a distance, it looked like boats, but it was much too cold for boating. The rest of the area, however, is desert. Not too attractive, unless you like deserts.
Further west on Hwy 90 is Seminole Canyon State Historical Park, at which we did not stop. I was trying to get to Alpine before dark. Just as we were approaching a very small town (?) called Langtry, we passed over a gorgeous red rock gorge, through which the clear, blue Pecos River was running. If I'd had a brain, I'd have taken some photos, but I breezed right through, oohing and ahhing the whole way. Idiot! Ditto Amistad Lake.
I saw many Border Patrol vehicles on this route, and didn't realize how near the Texas/Mexico border I was 'til I later looked in my road atlas. Just outside of Comstock, there was an immigration checkpoint at which I was questioned as to "the nationality of all those in the RV".
Pushing on and watching the gas gauge plummet, I filled the tank in Dryden, and saw a sign saying "Alpine 104 miles". By this time, the temperature has reached about 40 degrees F, and my tolerance for the monotony of the road, plus the pain in my hands from gripping the wheel the whole way, had exceeded what I was willing to bear, so I decided to stop for the night in Marathon. Not much to say about Marathon: I'm too darn tired.
We'll start fresh in the morning.
Marathon Tx Elev: 4055
Left Hondo this morning and arrived on Wagner RV's doorstep around 8:45. He was ready for me and installed the hitch on the RV in no time flat. That guy's a magician, and that system by Blue Ox, is just outstanding. I watched as he installed the hitch and connected everything to the tow plate, which had been installed on the car last week. By the way, I expected to see some really ugly apparatus protruding from the front of my sporty little car, but it is sharp! Two prongs come out of the grill, and they're removable if I care to. I think I'll leave them on: it looks like I'm spear-hunting.
The hitch assembly is so easy. I had heard people, women in particular, brag about how simple to join/separate the system is, but I'm still amazed. Sonny Wagner, who chose the system, really knows his stuff! I'm really happy with it.
Anyway, he was finished by 10:AM, so Van Go, Oor, Spike, Annie, and I set off with hardly a backward glance. I did email Shari at the Lone Star Corral and thanked her, Nancy and Bette for all they did to further my efforts to find the car and get it joined to the RV. I'm sure I'll be seeing them again.
After spending last night with the roof vents and one window wide open all night, I had heard it raining pretty well in the middle of the night. I bounced out of bed and closed everything up, and by the time we arose at about 7:30 am, things had already dried out. Not much of a rain for poor ol' Hondo, and they really need it.
We headed west, and by the time we got to Del Rio at about 2:PM, I needed lunch. We pulled into a Walmart there and picked up burgers. The weather had turned COLD! I didn't have so much as a sweater on and just about froze to death just getting from the RV to the store and back. We downed our burgers and headed out again.
Del Rio has an Air Force base, I noticed: Laughlin.
The wind had been blowing very hard to whole trip, and continued as we passed through Del Rio. Shortly outside of town, I thought I caught a glimpse of bright blue out the passenger side window. I looked a little harder and it was a huge lake. Turns out it was Amistad Lake, part of Amistad National Recreation Area. Very clear, blue water. The wind was so high the whole lake was covered with whitecaps. From a distance, it looked like boats, but it was much too cold for boating. The rest of the area, however, is desert. Not too attractive, unless you like deserts.
Further west on Hwy 90 is Seminole Canyon State Historical Park, at which we did not stop. I was trying to get to Alpine before dark. Just as we were approaching a very small town (?) called Langtry, we passed over a gorgeous red rock gorge, through which the clear, blue Pecos River was running. If I'd had a brain, I'd have taken some photos, but I breezed right through, oohing and ahhing the whole way. Idiot! Ditto Amistad Lake.
I saw many Border Patrol vehicles on this route, and didn't realize how near the Texas/Mexico border I was 'til I later looked in my road atlas. Just outside of Comstock, there was an immigration checkpoint at which I was questioned as to "the nationality of all those in the RV".
Pushing on and watching the gas gauge plummet, I filled the tank in Dryden, and saw a sign saying "Alpine 104 miles". By this time, the temperature has reached about 40 degrees F, and my tolerance for the monotony of the road, plus the pain in my hands from gripping the wheel the whole way, had exceeded what I was willing to bear, so I decided to stop for the night in Marathon. Not much to say about Marathon: I'm too darn tired.
We'll start fresh in the morning.
Marathon Tx Elev: 4055
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Eviction Notice
Sort of.
Most RV parks have a policy that prohibits renters from staying longer than a month. Management advised me yesterday that since I'd been here a month now, I'd have to leave if the park filled up and there was nowhere to accommodate new visitors who came in. Well, one came in this morning, so around noonish I was asked to give up the full-service connection I had and boondock for the rest of my stay.
"To boondock", in RV parlance, is a verb meaning "to camp". No electricity, no water hookup, no sewer. Well, I haven't had that experience yet, and would really rather do it on my own terms, with some planning and provisioning first. Plus, it's supposed to get cold tonight and no electrical hookup means no furnace. So I unhooked everything (including [gulp] my satellite dish and tripod), packed things up nice and tight, and left. I paid my rent and electric bill, which was very low, by the way, and decided to head into Hondo proper to see if there was a night's space in Countryside RV Park.
And there is! So that's where I'll spend tonight, and then head out early tomorrow morning to see if Wagner's got my car ready to go. I might go to Walmart and get a few victuals before I leave, hopefully early afternoon, for Alpine. It took me maybe ten minutes to get hooked up here; I'm gettin' good at this! 'Course, I didn't hook up the dish yet; I'm pretty much positive I won't be able to get it positioned right, and I really don't want to stand there, fiddling with it and looking stupid.
Most RV parks have a policy that prohibits renters from staying longer than a month. Management advised me yesterday that since I'd been here a month now, I'd have to leave if the park filled up and there was nowhere to accommodate new visitors who came in. Well, one came in this morning, so around noonish I was asked to give up the full-service connection I had and boondock for the rest of my stay.
"To boondock", in RV parlance, is a verb meaning "to camp". No electricity, no water hookup, no sewer. Well, I haven't had that experience yet, and would really rather do it on my own terms, with some planning and provisioning first. Plus, it's supposed to get cold tonight and no electrical hookup means no furnace. So I unhooked everything (including [gulp] my satellite dish and tripod), packed things up nice and tight, and left. I paid my rent and electric bill, which was very low, by the way, and decided to head into Hondo proper to see if there was a night's space in Countryside RV Park.
And there is! So that's where I'll spend tonight, and then head out early tomorrow morning to see if Wagner's got my car ready to go. I might go to Walmart and get a few victuals before I leave, hopefully early afternoon, for Alpine. It took me maybe ten minutes to get hooked up here; I'm gettin' good at this! 'Course, I didn't hook up the dish yet; I'm pretty much positive I won't be able to get it positioned right, and I really don't want to stand there, fiddling with it and looking stupid.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Eau d'What?
What is that smell?
Today's just about a perfect day. Here it is noon Saturday, and the temperature's around 70 or so, partly/mostly cloudy, and a breeze. Very low humidity, and the scent of something familiar is wafting in the wind. I could swear it's Russian Olive, but there are no Russian Olive trees around here, although I don't know why they wouldn't live well here; it's a lot like New Mexico, where the tree abounds.
Yeah, for this to be the day I should have been leaving for other climes, it's not a half-bad day.
I talked to Sonny Wagner yesterday. Instead of my being at his whim, I decided to take a more proactive approach and tell him when I'd like Van Go and Oor to be ready to go. I told him I'd be at his shop early Monday morning and that I'd like to be on the road in the early afternoon and he was quite agreeable.
I'm going to have to try that more often, aren't I?
Oh, yeah: those new summer shoes? They wore a blister on one of my Big Toes yesterday, sure as hell. Gonna have to wear a bandaid on it. That's gonna look nice.
Late note: That scent? It's Mountain Laurel. It's blooming all over the park.
Today's just about a perfect day. Here it is noon Saturday, and the temperature's around 70 or so, partly/mostly cloudy, and a breeze. Very low humidity, and the scent of something familiar is wafting in the wind. I could swear it's Russian Olive, but there are no Russian Olive trees around here, although I don't know why they wouldn't live well here; it's a lot like New Mexico, where the tree abounds.
Yeah, for this to be the day I should have been leaving for other climes, it's not a half-bad day.
I talked to Sonny Wagner yesterday. Instead of my being at his whim, I decided to take a more proactive approach and tell him when I'd like Van Go and Oor to be ready to go. I told him I'd be at his shop early Monday morning and that I'd like to be on the road in the early afternoon and he was quite agreeable.
I'm going to have to try that more often, aren't I?
Oh, yeah: those new summer shoes? They wore a blister on one of my Big Toes yesterday, sure as hell. Gonna have to wear a bandaid on it. That's gonna look nice.
Late note: That scent? It's Mountain Laurel. It's blooming all over the park.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Twiddling
Yep. Twiddling. That's what I've been doing just about all week, waiting to get the tow plate installed on the car.
Took the dogs to a dog park in San Antonio on Monday, Feb. 25. It was a long drive, but the dogs were starting to get cabin fever, as am I. Drove through Lackland Air Force Base, which reminded me strongly of Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque. Only spent about thirty minutes at the park, 'tho, because Annie was attacked by another female dog. No damage done, but I didn't want to stay and have to follow Annie around to make sure the other dog left her alone.
While we were there, Sonny Wagner at Wagner RV called to say I could bring the car to his shop Thursday at 9:AM to have the tow plate installed on the car. Good news, finally!
One of the gals at the RV park followed me to Wagner RV Thursday morning, and we left the car there. Sonny said I could bring the RV the next day, and he'd get Van Go and Oor joined together. Bette and I left and went to breakfast, then walked around a local mall for a while, where I found new spring/summer shoes. I'd been looking ever since my arrival in Hondo. About an hour after we'd left Wagner RV, Sonny called to tell me that the tow plate he was going to install was the wrong one. Of course it was. He said he'd reordered the right one and was having it overnighted to the shop and would start work Friday morning as soon as the plate arrived.
I'm going to be here yet another weekend, and this time without Oor. I'm not happy, but at least I've got two new books to read while I'm twiddling again. Or still.
Nutz!
Took the dogs to a dog park in San Antonio on Monday, Feb. 25. It was a long drive, but the dogs were starting to get cabin fever, as am I. Drove through Lackland Air Force Base, which reminded me strongly of Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque. Only spent about thirty minutes at the park, 'tho, because Annie was attacked by another female dog. No damage done, but I didn't want to stay and have to follow Annie around to make sure the other dog left her alone.
While we were there, Sonny Wagner at Wagner RV called to say I could bring the car to his shop Thursday at 9:AM to have the tow plate installed on the car. Good news, finally!
One of the gals at the RV park followed me to Wagner RV Thursday morning, and we left the car there. Sonny said I could bring the RV the next day, and he'd get Van Go and Oor joined together. Bette and I left and went to breakfast, then walked around a local mall for a while, where I found new spring/summer shoes. I'd been looking ever since my arrival in Hondo. About an hour after we'd left Wagner RV, Sonny called to tell me that the tow plate he was going to install was the wrong one. Of course it was. He said he'd reordered the right one and was having it overnighted to the shop and would start work Friday morning as soon as the plate arrived.
I'm going to be here yet another weekend, and this time without Oor. I'm not happy, but at least I've got two new books to read while I'm twiddling again. Or still.
Nutz!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
...and Other Calls
My oldest, dearest friend called today: Deb. She's still in Albuquerque. We made plans to see each other after the Life on Wheels Conference in Tucson in mid-March. I'll probably go visit there in April or so.
It was very good to touch base with someone I've known since I was 17. We have a lot of history together.
It was very good to touch base with someone I've known since I was 17. We have a lot of history together.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Mail Call
Got my most recent package of mail from Cynthia; thanks very much. Signed off on my tax return and sent it on to the good ol' Internal Revenue folks, just doing my part to help the country stay afloat.
Got three magazines and an Ann Tyler book. I'll probably spend the rest of the weekend reading and relaxing. The weather has turned warm, but the humidity has gone, so it's very pleasant. Yesterday we had a high of 84 deg. F, and had the AC going the whole day.
Got three magazines and an Ann Tyler book. I'll probably spend the rest of the weekend reading and relaxing. The weather has turned warm, but the humidity has gone, so it's very pleasant. Yesterday we had a high of 84 deg. F, and had the AC going the whole day.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
And then...
Sonny Wagner at Wagner RV Service Center called around noon. He had some bad news to reverse: it seems that the five-speed Sunfire with standard transmission needs no lube pump after all, saving me about $1000 in parts and labor. When he had asked Remco what we needed to tow the Sunfire, evidently Sonny had mistakenly told them the car has automatic transmission, which would require the lube pump.
Good things do happen now and again. My faith in human beings has been somewhat restored.
Good things do happen now and again. My faith in human beings has been somewhat restored.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Good News, Bad News
(Click on photo for a better view)
The good news is: I bought a car to tow behind the RV. I had entered an internet used car search in the San Antonio area, and a local Ford dealer found a little 2001 Pontiac Sunfire: manual transmission, mileage 78,000, silver-colored, weighs about 2700 pounds. I called General Motors and they assured me that the car can be towed four-wheels-down, with no modifications.
Here's the bad news. I took the car to Wagner RV here in San Antonio to have them mount the tow plate on the car, and the hitch bar on the RV. Sonny, the owner, called Remco Towing (the ultimate tow experts here in the US), and, sure as hell, a lube pump must be added to ensure the transmission is protected. I should have called Remco myself before trusting the manufacturer of the car. Who knew, right? Another lesson taught; not necessarily learned, because "I should have..." is gonna be the title of my memoirs. I can't tell you how many times I should have (insert damn near anything here)....
Ok; I'll accept my punishment, which is gonna be about $800 worth of lube pump work. I'm going to smile every time I think of this and move on. What else can ya' do?
When I bought the RV back in November, Cindy and Kent were helping me with a name for it. Most RVers I know actually give their rigs names. I told them the RV is a Dutchmen Express, and Kent suggested a famous Dutch person. We were thinking about it when I blurted out "Van Gogh", then immediately realized what a perfect name it is for the RV. "Van GO"! I've named the toad (which is a play on the word "towed") "Oor", Dutch for "ear". As you can see by the photo above, Van GO has silver, black, bronze and gold "swooshes" on the design, and Oor is silver. They make a fine pair, don't they? And hey: look at that clear blue sky. Not exactly what I'm used to seeing in Houston.
So: I've ordered the lube pump, tow bar and tow plate and when they arrive, will have a friend from the Park follow me and Oor to Wagner RV to get the fuel pump and tow plate installed, which is about a two-day job. In the meantime, I'll leave Oor with Wagner and go back to the Park and stay in Van GO 'til Wagner's ready to install the tow bar. After everything's done, I should be ready to head west again.
On the domestic front, yesterday I made a big pot of stew. It's the first time I've done any big cooking, and it went well. Storage, however, of a big pot of stew is another matter entirely and called for some innovative thinking. Or so I thought. Come to find out, the pot fits in the tiny refrigerator just fine.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Maintenance
In talking (via forum) to some fellow RVers, I'm getting some information about my non-functional microwave oven.
As was suggested, I found the power cord plugged into its own power receptacle in the kitchen cupboard next to the microwave. I unplugged it from there and tried the other kitchen receptacle - yep, it's still tripping the breaker. I tried the bathroom receptacle, and, yes, it trips that breaker as well. So, despite all my observations of "Yeah, but how many times have you seen a microwave oven go bad? It's a perfected technology!", it seems my microwave oven has - yes - gone bad. Color me clueless, as usual.
Another poster suggested that, if I don't want to wait/sit in Camping World's waiting room (which is, by the way, 80 miles in the opposite direction of where I'm headed), I could go to Walmart and buy a similar (size being the important criteria) microwave and install it myself. I know I could do this. I can see how the frame around the oven is mounted: just pull it off, toss the old/bad oven, and replace the new one. There's no wiring to be done; looks pretty simple. However, this is a warranty issue. Why should I pay/do the work when it's Camping World's job? I'll wait 'til I reach New Mexico, where I plan to spend quite a little time, and have it done there.
I'm up early this morning, aroused by the incessant barking of the dogs down the road. They're there to guard the goats from coyotes. No one lives there, and I don't know if the dogs are fed/watered daily or what, but they sure make a racket. It is, however, a gorgeous day: bright blue sky and no humidity, although it's slowly making its way from the Gulf. I can feel it breathing down my neck, literally. The nape of my neck gets damp.
Speaking of maintenance, I'm off to do some laundry. A woman's work is never done, but, in my case, at least there's no one telling me what work to do. Ah, (retirement, as well as the single-) life is grand!
Late afternoon update: Took the indoor vent screen off the furnace to clean off all the dust. In the two months I've been using the RV fulltime, I've noticed an inordinate amount of white dust. I have several white or offwhite cotton rugs and I wonder if those are the source. While laundering them today I added fabric softener, in hopes that the rugs'll stop "shedding". When I finally got in the driver's seat after a month in Brookshire, the dashboard was covered with fine white dust. I noticed it's even inside the oven. (Note to self: Clean the oven before you light it. :))
I've also noticed that whatever the roads in the RV Park are made of, they're hell on the rugs. It looks like fine gravel covered with tar. It's throughout the Park. After I washed the rugs today, I stepped onto one of them after having taken the dogs for a walk and left a nice, dark footprint. Phooey! All that work for nought.
I'm not sure what today's high is, but I've had the air conditioner running ever since around 11:AM. The humidity's only 33%, but in the sun, it's hot out there! I notice no one's out walking around today. Smart folks.
As was suggested, I found the power cord plugged into its own power receptacle in the kitchen cupboard next to the microwave. I unplugged it from there and tried the other kitchen receptacle - yep, it's still tripping the breaker. I tried the bathroom receptacle, and, yes, it trips that breaker as well. So, despite all my observations of "Yeah, but how many times have you seen a microwave oven go bad? It's a perfected technology!", it seems my microwave oven has - yes - gone bad. Color me clueless, as usual.
Another poster suggested that, if I don't want to wait/sit in Camping World's waiting room (which is, by the way, 80 miles in the opposite direction of where I'm headed), I could go to Walmart and buy a similar (size being the important criteria) microwave and install it myself. I know I could do this. I can see how the frame around the oven is mounted: just pull it off, toss the old/bad oven, and replace the new one. There's no wiring to be done; looks pretty simple. However, this is a warranty issue. Why should I pay/do the work when it's Camping World's job? I'll wait 'til I reach New Mexico, where I plan to spend quite a little time, and have it done there.
I'm up early this morning, aroused by the incessant barking of the dogs down the road. They're there to guard the goats from coyotes. No one lives there, and I don't know if the dogs are fed/watered daily or what, but they sure make a racket. It is, however, a gorgeous day: bright blue sky and no humidity, although it's slowly making its way from the Gulf. I can feel it breathing down my neck, literally. The nape of my neck gets damp.
Speaking of maintenance, I'm off to do some laundry. A woman's work is never done, but, in my case, at least there's no one telling me what work to do. Ah, (retirement, as well as the single-) life is grand!
Late afternoon update: Took the indoor vent screen off the furnace to clean off all the dust. In the two months I've been using the RV fulltime, I've noticed an inordinate amount of white dust. I have several white or offwhite cotton rugs and I wonder if those are the source. While laundering them today I added fabric softener, in hopes that the rugs'll stop "shedding". When I finally got in the driver's seat after a month in Brookshire, the dashboard was covered with fine white dust. I noticed it's even inside the oven. (Note to self: Clean the oven before you light it. :))
I've also noticed that whatever the roads in the RV Park are made of, they're hell on the rugs. It looks like fine gravel covered with tar. It's throughout the Park. After I washed the rugs today, I stepped onto one of them after having taken the dogs for a walk and left a nice, dark footprint. Phooey! All that work for nought.
I'm not sure what today's high is, but I've had the air conditioner running ever since around 11:AM. The humidity's only 33%, but in the sun, it's hot out there! I notice no one's out walking around today. Smart folks.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Uvalde, Texas
Click on photo for a better view.
The dogs and I took a little trip west to Uvalde today. Nice little town. (Please do a Google search of Uvalde; I don't know how to post a link.) They've got SW Texas Jr. College, a Sul Ross University branch and one other school whose name escapes me. Uvalde's got every fast-food restaurant ever developed, I think, and they're all along Hwy. 90. I picked up burgers for us all and found Uvalde Memorial Park right across the street. The Leona River passes through Uvalde, and the city built Memorial Park around where the river crosses Hwy 90 (see at right). Nice little park, nice little walk; the water's crystal clear. The maintenance man I talked to said the river is fed by springs, but that it also has "recycled water" in it. I didn't ask, but I'm assuming maybe it's from the local water treatment plant. I asked him what the trees were. He said cypress, which I thought I recognized by the knobs around the trunk at water level, live oak and cedar. There was another tree, with sort of white-ish mottled bark that had hanging from its limbs what looked like sweetgum balls. Lack of leaves prohibited my identifying it, and the maintenance guy didn't know.
I could sense the elevation rising as we drove, hill after hill, each one higher than the one previous. We passed at least three rivers on the forty-odd-mile drive: the Frio and the Dry Frio, both of which were dry, and the Sabinal, which was running shallow but just as clear as...well, water. Went through several named creeks, too, all of which were bone dry.
This is pretty rugged, scrubby country. Lots of farming, still, but the farther west you go on Hwy. 90, the fewer the farms. (That's my opinion based on having gone only this far west on Hwy. 90; for all I know, the land farther west is even better farm country!)
All my mail from home arrived yesterday: a good day, indeed! My 1099s arrived, as did the mortgage interest statement, so I assembled and mailed all my tax stuff to the accountant in Houston. Also got a nice escrow overage check and a refund from Comcast Cable, so I located a branch of my bank in San Antonio (round trip: 80 miles +) and cashed the checks. Those will pay for a lot of gasoline when I head down the road in a few weeks.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Once Around the Park...
is a far-enough walk to let you know your new shoes are too-o-o small.
I had ordered two pair of Keds sneakers last December, in anticipation of doing a lot of walking with the dogs, which I'm doing, which is good. I ordered size 6's; I've always worn a size 6, sometimes even a 5 1/2. I put on my new lightweight white, thin socks and put the sneakers on this morning. Oh!, I thought. These are a little tight. Surely they'll loosen up as I walk.
My walk around the RV park is probably 3/4 of a mile. By the time I was halfway through the walk, the back of the left shoe was rubbing terribly. I had to pull off the back end of the shoe and fold it under my foot.
When I got back to the RV, I pulled both shoes off and took a look at my heel; yep, small blister. The shoes, both pair, are now residing in a bag to be dropped off in the recreation center's white elephant area. Anyone who can wear them is welcome to them
The dogs and I ran to Walmart to see if I could find replacements for the tennies; nope. I guess I'll continue to shop for shoes as I progress across the Western US. Sheesh.
Bad news on the RV front: my microwave oven tripped a breaker the other day. I reset it, reset its clock and tried again. Nope. I called and made an appointment for Friday to see what the hell's wrong with it. The guy at Camping World said "Sounds like a bad microwave, to me. Takes about two/three weeks to get in a new one." I said, "Oh, are you a technician?" He says, "No." I posted to the RV forum who's been a lot of help to me recently and did a search on microwaves. Most folks think it's probably an electrical problem. I'm tending to agree. Thing is, the microwave didn't misbehave until after the satellite dish/receiver were installed. I'm wondering if the receiver, plus any other electrical stuff I've got going at the time, plus the microwave kicking on is what's causing the trip. Anyway, I cancelled the appointment at Camping World. I can live without the microwave, and I'll get it fixed when I'm in a larger city, nearer than 70 miles from the nearest Camping World.
Made reservations to check in at the Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine, TX on February 25. Evidently, they're booked solid that week for the Cowboy Poetry (who knew?) event, and I can only stay two nights unless someone cancels. The weather there sounds great: no humidity, high 75, low 45. They're very near Big Bend National Park, so I might go there and see what's up. They've got some hiking trails where the dogs are permitted. The really good news is that the Lost Alaskan has a bark park! Yea! The dogs could use a good run.
The weather here in Hondo (D'Hanis, actually) has improved just this morning. We've got a cool front in from the north, and the humidity has died down significantly in just the last six hours. It got up to 84 here yesterday!
Flora/Fauna report: Male cardinal in the area building a nest; fat-looking hawk (probably just well-feathered) stays perched on the power line alongside Hwy 90 every day; three I-don't-believe-what-I'm-seeing wolves (no; not coyotes) one grey, two black, in a fenced enclosure in a homesite near here, probably about a half-mile away. I was skeptical when told about it and decided to go see for myself, and, sure enough, there they were. No local stories about it that I've heard but I have to wonder where they came from and why they're being kept there.
Flora include lots of live oaks, very old, very large; a few pine trees, some palm trees, lots of cactus, a few Crepe Myrtle bushes (bare, of course) and my Very First Orange Tree. Oh, and one lone pecan tree right here in the Park. I'm sure there are the dreaded Mountain Cedar, as well, but I wouldn't know one if it was standing next to me. They don't use St. Augustine grass here; probably not enough water. The Bermuda grass is all dead of course, so this is a pretty desert-y looking place. Not much growing locally (except for the cabbages mentioned earlier), but I'll bet in the summer it's pretty green. I've noticed the fields are all equipped with those huge irrigation thingies.
PM/PS: The manager at the Lost Alaskan called. They had a cancellation up in Alpine, so I now have reservations for a whole week. Outstanding!
I had ordered two pair of Keds sneakers last December, in anticipation of doing a lot of walking with the dogs, which I'm doing, which is good. I ordered size 6's; I've always worn a size 6, sometimes even a 5 1/2. I put on my new lightweight white, thin socks and put the sneakers on this morning. Oh!, I thought. These are a little tight. Surely they'll loosen up as I walk.
My walk around the RV park is probably 3/4 of a mile. By the time I was halfway through the walk, the back of the left shoe was rubbing terribly. I had to pull off the back end of the shoe and fold it under my foot.
When I got back to the RV, I pulled both shoes off and took a look at my heel; yep, small blister. The shoes, both pair, are now residing in a bag to be dropped off in the recreation center's white elephant area. Anyone who can wear them is welcome to them
The dogs and I ran to Walmart to see if I could find replacements for the tennies; nope. I guess I'll continue to shop for shoes as I progress across the Western US. Sheesh.
Bad news on the RV front: my microwave oven tripped a breaker the other day. I reset it, reset its clock and tried again. Nope. I called and made an appointment for Friday to see what the hell's wrong with it. The guy at Camping World said "Sounds like a bad microwave, to me. Takes about two/three weeks to get in a new one." I said, "Oh, are you a technician?" He says, "No." I posted to the RV forum who's been a lot of help to me recently and did a search on microwaves. Most folks think it's probably an electrical problem. I'm tending to agree. Thing is, the microwave didn't misbehave until after the satellite dish/receiver were installed. I'm wondering if the receiver, plus any other electrical stuff I've got going at the time, plus the microwave kicking on is what's causing the trip. Anyway, I cancelled the appointment at Camping World. I can live without the microwave, and I'll get it fixed when I'm in a larger city, nearer than 70 miles from the nearest Camping World.
Made reservations to check in at the Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine, TX on February 25. Evidently, they're booked solid that week for the Cowboy Poetry (who knew?) event, and I can only stay two nights unless someone cancels. The weather there sounds great: no humidity, high 75, low 45. They're very near Big Bend National Park, so I might go there and see what's up. They've got some hiking trails where the dogs are permitted. The really good news is that the Lost Alaskan has a bark park! Yea! The dogs could use a good run.
The weather here in Hondo (D'Hanis, actually) has improved just this morning. We've got a cool front in from the north, and the humidity has died down significantly in just the last six hours. It got up to 84 here yesterday!
Flora/Fauna report: Male cardinal in the area building a nest; fat-looking hawk (probably just well-feathered) stays perched on the power line alongside Hwy 90 every day; three I-don't-believe-what-I'm-seeing wolves (no; not coyotes) one grey, two black, in a fenced enclosure in a homesite near here, probably about a half-mile away. I was skeptical when told about it and decided to go see for myself, and, sure enough, there they were. No local stories about it that I've heard but I have to wonder where they came from and why they're being kept there.
Flora include lots of live oaks, very old, very large; a few pine trees, some palm trees, lots of cactus, a few Crepe Myrtle bushes (bare, of course) and my Very First Orange Tree. Oh, and one lone pecan tree right here in the Park. I'm sure there are the dreaded Mountain Cedar, as well, but I wouldn't know one if it was standing next to me. They don't use St. Augustine grass here; probably not enough water. The Bermuda grass is all dead of course, so this is a pretty desert-y looking place. Not much growing locally (except for the cabbages mentioned earlier), but I'll bet in the summer it's pretty green. I've noticed the fields are all equipped with those huge irrigation thingies.
PM/PS: The manager at the Lost Alaskan called. They had a cancellation up in Alpine, so I now have reservations for a whole week. Outstanding!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
A Little Exploration
Click on photo for a better view.
This is St. Dominic Catholic Church in D'Hanis, TX. Or, it used to be. These are its ruins. The church membership moved to another location after a diptheria epidemic in the late 1800s. They took the roof beams, and left everything else. There's a small cemetery and a historical marker located just to the north (left). The sign at lower left of the structure reads "Restoration Contemplated" and warns of taking the stones the church is made of. This is all located in the middle of ranching/farming country just outside Hondo. Our RV park is maybe a quarter-mile away, and the church is surrounded by small houses in what used to be D'Hanis. A local longtime resident came to the Park yesterday afternoon and gave a one-hour talk on the history of the town. The only thing it's got going for it now are a Chevron gas station/convenience store and a pretty good restaurant/honky tonk. I had lunch with some other single women in the Park yesterday and the food was very good and very cheap. I had grilled tilapia, potatoes au gratin, and squash.
The dogs and I took a long walk down a country road just alongside the Park after lunch. We had no real destination; just wanted a good walk. The dogs met their first horses and are properly awed, I think. Dogs and horses did a little nose-to-nose greeting and were pretty friendly. I've always been a little afraid of horses, so the stroking of their jaws was about as close as I was going to get. I'm thinking of taking them some apples this weekend. The road we were walking on led to endless farmland, growing I-don't-know-what, but I think it was corn, judging from the remains of the previous crops.
On Tuesday, the folks from DirecTV came to the Park and were all set to install my new satellite dish when it appeared that whomever wrote the work order forgot the tripod. I had taken pains to ensure that they knew I'd be living in a motor home, i.e., that I'd be moving around. Sure enough, the work order was written for a permanently-fixed dish (affixed to the chain link fence alongside the RV space! Duh!). They made arrangements to come back the next day with the tripod.
The dogs and I went to Bandera that afternoon, on a lark. I was actually headed for Bulverde, which the Enterprise Rental Car guy had said was a nice drive. Unfortunately, he gave me some bum directions, but it was nice to see Bandera again; I like the looks of that little town. It's truly hill country: there's a deep, craggy ravine where (name of river escapes me) falls, and even some shallow waterfalls. I saw acres and acres of green and purple cabbages on the farmland just outside Bandera. Could've taken a head if I'd wanted to; Hwy 173 from Hondo is a pretty, and not-much-used drive. Very little traffic.
I've got a nice little four-cylinder car from Enterprise; can't tell exactly what it is. The logo/icon look familiar (Plymouth, maybe?). It has awfully good gas mileage.
On Thursday, I took another drive in to Hondo's Walmart to get a few groceries and dog food. Found a couple of books that looked interesting: "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, and John Grisham's latest, "The Appeal". "Water for Elephants" was wonderful! I read it in about seven hours. I couldn't put it down, satellite tv or no. The protagonist is an elderly man who reminds me of Dad, so I'm going to send it to him; I think he'll like it. Haven't started the Grisham tome yet; must save it for a rainy day or some other time when I've nothing to see/do.
The weather here has gone from warm/near humid when I arrived a week ago to cold/dry all this week. The highs have been in the 50s and 60s, and the lows have been down to around 28 degrees F. The dogs and I are still comfy every night; sleeping well and warm. Winds have been a little strong and even blew the satellite dish over, necessitating a visit from the DirecTV tech to right the tripod and reprogram the dish's aim. Allergies have really taken over and I'm told it's the famous (or infamous) Mountain Cedar grown here. I must have acclimated myself to whatever grows in/near Houston, because my old allergies haven't really bothered me much 'til now. Guess I've got a new one. Someone recommended Chlortrimaton (sp?) as a replacement for Benadryl, which has been no use at all lately. The Chlortrimaton works very, very well and I'm able to enjoy being outside again. Today, a little heat/humidity is moving this way from the Gulf; I feel it already: the hair at the nape of my neck gets damp.
Am having no luck finding a small vehicle to act as toad. The Ford dealership has their eye out, as does the Saturn (Saturns were originally made to tow) guy, but no luck yet. I plan to stay here in Hondo 'til February 23. If I still don't have a toad by then, I'll continue to look in Deming, NM, then in AZ.
This is St. Dominic Catholic Church in D'Hanis, TX. Or, it used to be. These are its ruins. The church membership moved to another location after a diptheria epidemic in the late 1800s. They took the roof beams, and left everything else. There's a small cemetery and a historical marker located just to the north (left). The sign at lower left of the structure reads "Restoration Contemplated" and warns of taking the stones the church is made of. This is all located in the middle of ranching/farming country just outside Hondo. Our RV park is maybe a quarter-mile away, and the church is surrounded by small houses in what used to be D'Hanis. A local longtime resident came to the Park yesterday afternoon and gave a one-hour talk on the history of the town. The only thing it's got going for it now are a Chevron gas station/convenience store and a pretty good restaurant/honky tonk. I had lunch with some other single women in the Park yesterday and the food was very good and very cheap. I had grilled tilapia, potatoes au gratin, and squash.The dogs and I took a long walk down a country road just alongside the Park after lunch. We had no real destination; just wanted a good walk. The dogs met their first horses and are properly awed, I think. Dogs and horses did a little nose-to-nose greeting and were pretty friendly. I've always been a little afraid of horses, so the stroking of their jaws was about as close as I was going to get. I'm thinking of taking them some apples this weekend. The road we were walking on led to endless farmland, growing I-don't-know-what, but I think it was corn, judging from the remains of the previous crops.
On Tuesday, the folks from DirecTV came to the Park and were all set to install my new satellite dish when it appeared that whomever wrote the work order forgot the tripod. I had taken pains to ensure that they knew I'd be living in a motor home, i.e., that I'd be moving around. Sure enough, the work order was written for a permanently-fixed dish (affixed to the chain link fence alongside the RV space! Duh!). They made arrangements to come back the next day with the tripod.
The dogs and I went to Bandera that afternoon, on a lark. I was actually headed for Bulverde, which the Enterprise Rental Car guy had said was a nice drive. Unfortunately, he gave me some bum directions, but it was nice to see Bandera again; I like the looks of that little town. It's truly hill country: there's a deep, craggy ravine where (name of river escapes me) falls, and even some shallow waterfalls. I saw acres and acres of green and purple cabbages on the farmland just outside Bandera. Could've taken a head if I'd wanted to; Hwy 173 from Hondo is a pretty, and not-much-used drive. Very little traffic.
I've got a nice little four-cylinder car from Enterprise; can't tell exactly what it is. The logo/icon look familiar (Plymouth, maybe?). It has awfully good gas mileage.
On Thursday, I took another drive in to Hondo's Walmart to get a few groceries and dog food. Found a couple of books that looked interesting: "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, and John Grisham's latest, "The Appeal". "Water for Elephants" was wonderful! I read it in about seven hours. I couldn't put it down, satellite tv or no. The protagonist is an elderly man who reminds me of Dad, so I'm going to send it to him; I think he'll like it. Haven't started the Grisham tome yet; must save it for a rainy day or some other time when I've nothing to see/do.
The weather here has gone from warm/near humid when I arrived a week ago to cold/dry all this week. The highs have been in the 50s and 60s, and the lows have been down to around 28 degrees F. The dogs and I are still comfy every night; sleeping well and warm. Winds have been a little strong and even blew the satellite dish over, necessitating a visit from the DirecTV tech to right the tripod and reprogram the dish's aim. Allergies have really taken over and I'm told it's the famous (or infamous) Mountain Cedar grown here. I must have acclimated myself to whatever grows in/near Houston, because my old allergies haven't really bothered me much 'til now. Guess I've got a new one. Someone recommended Chlortrimaton (sp?) as a replacement for Benadryl, which has been no use at all lately. The Chlortrimaton works very, very well and I'm able to enjoy being outside again. Today, a little heat/humidity is moving this way from the Gulf; I feel it already: the hair at the nape of my neck gets damp.
Am having no luck finding a small vehicle to act as toad. The Ford dealership has their eye out, as does the Saturn (Saturns were originally made to tow) guy, but no luck yet. I plan to stay here in Hondo 'til February 23. If I still don't have a toad by then, I'll continue to look in Deming, NM, then in AZ.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Another Day, Another...
...way to think up things to keep yourself occupied. When you've got no tv reception and no car, you walk a lot. You do laundry again. You make lists of things to either get or do. I'm on the pc a lot (thank all the little tech gods for my aircard reception), either blogging or messaging. I will say this: the people here in Hondo are ten times friendlier than the folks I met in Brookshire. I think the folks in Brookshire were either passing through or worked somewhere in the area (there are a lot of what look like permanent structures, i.e., eyesores). These folks here in Hondo are either snowbirds or they live here; they're all retired. And friendly! Everyone waves or stops to say hello. I had inquired about a message board system in the Park, so I could bum a ride to Walmart. While the dogs and I were walking yesterday afternoon, a couple drove up and offered me a ride. How sweet they are: Larry and Marie. They're dog people, too. I swear, I've met more dogs and their owners here than I have in a month of going to the Katy Bark Park. Anyway, they took me to Walmart where I got some much needed grocery items. It was short-sighted of me to run so low and I should have taken care of it before I arrived in Hondo, but I was excited to get to my next destination.
I've been trying to talk to Dish Network and DirecTV about satellite coverage for the RV. I must have been dreaming when I thought tv reception was going to be as good anywhere as it was in Brookshire. The folks at the internet forum where I visit a lot have been extremely helpful in this endeavor. One of them is a satellite tv expert and I'm going to go with his advice. That's the trouble with fora: too many opinions. Dish Network says that in order to receive local network programming at the city where I reside, I'll have to call Dish and change my zip code every time I move. I want local stations ("local" meaning wherever I am right now), in order to get their local news. Forum members say whoever I talked to at Dish doesn't know the straight poop and I should continue to ask until I get someone who knows what they're talking about. What a pain in the butt, frankly.
I also need to call Enterprise in Hondo and get a car to drive while I'm here. They're closed on Saturdays, which I find odd as hell. I would think weekends would be big business for car rental agencies. I've got an alert out with Carmax for a small, cheap, manual transmission car to tow. Again, I was kidding myself about not needing a car: hooking/unhooking every time I want to go somewhere is another pain in the butt. Geez, any more of these, I'm gonna need medication.
While walking yesterday, I heard geese honking and, sure enough, there were two large flocks going over, low. I'm seeing more fauna. Behind the RV park is a...farm? Dunno, but there's a donkey whom we've visited every day, and several pygmy goats, which I fall in love with every time I see. I gave the donkey two apple halves this morning, but he turned them down. I think his olfactory senses are damaged: he didn't react to them at all. He does like a nice scratch behind the ears and on his cheeks, tho. Sweet animal; he's had some awful mishaps, it look like: scars on his face that look like his bridle was made of barbed wire. Yech...
What will this day bring? Yesterday was a gorgeous day; sunny, clear, brisk. The air is clean. Tomorrow's supposed to be rainy. I better get that car rented and a dish installed, or I'll either go nuts sitting right here, or will pull up stakes and see what's next.
I've been trying to talk to Dish Network and DirecTV about satellite coverage for the RV. I must have been dreaming when I thought tv reception was going to be as good anywhere as it was in Brookshire. The folks at the internet forum where I visit a lot have been extremely helpful in this endeavor. One of them is a satellite tv expert and I'm going to go with his advice. That's the trouble with fora: too many opinions. Dish Network says that in order to receive local network programming at the city where I reside, I'll have to call Dish and change my zip code every time I move. I want local stations ("local" meaning wherever I am right now), in order to get their local news. Forum members say whoever I talked to at Dish doesn't know the straight poop and I should continue to ask until I get someone who knows what they're talking about. What a pain in the butt, frankly.
I also need to call Enterprise in Hondo and get a car to drive while I'm here. They're closed on Saturdays, which I find odd as hell. I would think weekends would be big business for car rental agencies. I've got an alert out with Carmax for a small, cheap, manual transmission car to tow. Again, I was kidding myself about not needing a car: hooking/unhooking every time I want to go somewhere is another pain in the butt. Geez, any more of these, I'm gonna need medication.
While walking yesterday, I heard geese honking and, sure enough, there were two large flocks going over, low. I'm seeing more fauna. Behind the RV park is a...farm? Dunno, but there's a donkey whom we've visited every day, and several pygmy goats, which I fall in love with every time I see. I gave the donkey two apple halves this morning, but he turned them down. I think his olfactory senses are damaged: he didn't react to them at all. He does like a nice scratch behind the ears and on his cheeks, tho. Sweet animal; he's had some awful mishaps, it look like: scars on his face that look like his bridle was made of barbed wire. Yech...
What will this day bring? Yesterday was a gorgeous day; sunny, clear, brisk. The air is clean. Tomorrow's supposed to be rainy. I better get that car rented and a dish installed, or I'll either go nuts sitting right here, or will pull up stakes and see what's next.
Friday, January 25, 2008
On the Road Again...
Ha! Shades of Roger Miller!
I'm now in Hondo, TX; the Lone Star Corral RV Park, to be exact. I'll always think of them as "One Tar Oral" due to the missing letters in their name on their mailbox. Nice place, and I'm surprised by how pleasing the terrain is. It reminds me a lot of Bandera (not far away from here), where I took Jordan for her sixth birthday. Hill country, indeed. Lots of ranches here. Quite a bit of farmland, too.
The Park is very well laid-out and very, very clean. It's a co-op Park and you can tell people work at making it a nice place to live. Miles away from a good grocery, tho'. The good news is that I'm getting five bars on my Verizon aircard and phone reception is good, too. I'm told that my site is better positioned for Verizon reception than a lot of others here. The bad news is that I can get only one channel on my tv antenna, and it's cartoons. Next stop: Camping World. I've got to get a low-profile satellite antenna for the RV. I don't watch much tv any more, but there are few programs I really want to see. Also, national news programs. It irks me that I'm gonna have to subscribe to another version of "cable tv", but there you have it: I must have my entertainment.
The drive from Houston was mostly uneventful. Dogs dozed the whole way, and I only stopped once. I do love my own personal ladies' room, just feet away from the driver's seat. There was one detour: just east of Columbus, there was an accident and traffic on I-10 westbound was routed about a mile around the accident. I never saw any evidence of it. Tex-DOT was johnny-on-the-spot with traffic cones and personnel to route everyone around Columbus back onto I-10. Very efficient bunch.
More as the days progress...
Hondo, TX Elev: 930'
I'm now in Hondo, TX; the Lone Star Corral RV Park, to be exact. I'll always think of them as "One Tar Oral" due to the missing letters in their name on their mailbox. Nice place, and I'm surprised by how pleasing the terrain is. It reminds me a lot of Bandera (not far away from here), where I took Jordan for her sixth birthday. Hill country, indeed. Lots of ranches here. Quite a bit of farmland, too.
The Park is very well laid-out and very, very clean. It's a co-op Park and you can tell people work at making it a nice place to live. Miles away from a good grocery, tho'. The good news is that I'm getting five bars on my Verizon aircard and phone reception is good, too. I'm told that my site is better positioned for Verizon reception than a lot of others here. The bad news is that I can get only one channel on my tv antenna, and it's cartoons. Next stop: Camping World. I've got to get a low-profile satellite antenna for the RV. I don't watch much tv any more, but there are few programs I really want to see. Also, national news programs. It irks me that I'm gonna have to subscribe to another version of "cable tv", but there you have it: I must have my entertainment.
The drive from Houston was mostly uneventful. Dogs dozed the whole way, and I only stopped once. I do love my own personal ladies' room, just feet away from the driver's seat. There was one detour: just east of Columbus, there was an accident and traffic on I-10 westbound was routed about a mile around the accident. I never saw any evidence of it. Tex-DOT was johnny-on-the-spot with traffic cones and personnel to route everyone around Columbus back onto I-10. Very efficient bunch.
More as the days progress...
Hondo, TX Elev: 930'
Monday, January 21, 2008
After Further Review...
I'm thinking of heading south instead of west. It's been so dreary and cold here in Houston, and I'm thinking Hondo is west, not south, so what're the chances of getting warmer weather heading west? If I didn't have the dogs with me it wouldn't matter so much, but I've got to be able to get them out more often and I can't when it's this cold. I'm such a wimp; I really can't tolerate weather extremes any more. I know I despise this humidity: I've got heat rash from perspiring so much. I emailed an inquiry of availability to a park in Rockport, TX, this morning but haven't heard from them yet. Ah, well, I could have worse problems.
I've got, Got, GOT to go get the oil changed in the SUV. Even if it's not going anywhere but to park at Cynthia's, I'll feel better knowing I'm leaving it in good condition and on maintenance schedule. There's a Pennzoil garage in Katy (7 miles away) that's rarely busy. Better get it done today.
Speaking of Cynthia, I checked in at her house Saturday and got my mail: the meds and the pants arrived, so I'm cleared to leave. I guess now I'll worry about the damn 1099s until they get to Houston, get forwarded to me, and sent to the accountant. If it ain't one thing, it's another, huh?
This weekend was clear, sunshiny, and cold. The RV Park was pretty soggy from recent heavy rains. Every time you walk on the grass, you sink in to water. My feet were cold all weekend. I had bought a little space heater and it's pretty much worthless. I guess the manufacturer made sure it wouldn't start a fire, because it won't heat me unless it's about 12" from me. Pretty much worthless, like I said. Its cord is short, too. Definitely not made for use in a place where all the electrical outlets are at least three feet off the floor. Bummer. A poster from the online forum I talk to frequently suggested I check Lowe's or Home Despot for a decent heater and I think I will.
On my way back from Camping World last Friday, I saw a huge flock of geese in a field on the north side of I-10 just east of Brookshire. Rice used to be grown in this area and the local fields (I don't know what they raise now) had been plowed. What with the recent rains, it must have looked like a lake from the air. There were hundreds of geese. I also saw three deer in a small wooded area between I-10 and Hwy. 90 the other day. Poor darlings, they were caught between two open fields. I can't imagine how they survive.
PM/PS: Note to self: Ford Focus, manual shift, is suggested as a good toad. Check into something called the "Superbumper". Woodall's latest issue has an article about it.
I've got, Got, GOT to go get the oil changed in the SUV. Even if it's not going anywhere but to park at Cynthia's, I'll feel better knowing I'm leaving it in good condition and on maintenance schedule. There's a Pennzoil garage in Katy (7 miles away) that's rarely busy. Better get it done today.
Speaking of Cynthia, I checked in at her house Saturday and got my mail: the meds and the pants arrived, so I'm cleared to leave. I guess now I'll worry about the damn 1099s until they get to Houston, get forwarded to me, and sent to the accountant. If it ain't one thing, it's another, huh?
This weekend was clear, sunshiny, and cold. The RV Park was pretty soggy from recent heavy rains. Every time you walk on the grass, you sink in to water. My feet were cold all weekend. I had bought a little space heater and it's pretty much worthless. I guess the manufacturer made sure it wouldn't start a fire, because it won't heat me unless it's about 12" from me. Pretty much worthless, like I said. Its cord is short, too. Definitely not made for use in a place where all the electrical outlets are at least three feet off the floor. Bummer. A poster from the online forum I talk to frequently suggested I check Lowe's or Home Despot for a decent heater and I think I will.
On my way back from Camping World last Friday, I saw a huge flock of geese in a field on the north side of I-10 just east of Brookshire. Rice used to be grown in this area and the local fields (I don't know what they raise now) had been plowed. What with the recent rains, it must have looked like a lake from the air. There were hundreds of geese. I also saw three deer in a small wooded area between I-10 and Hwy. 90 the other day. Poor darlings, they were caught between two open fields. I can't imagine how they survive.
PM/PS: Note to self: Ford Focus, manual shift, is suggested as a good toad. Check into something called the "Superbumper". Woodall's latest issue has an article about it.
Friday, January 18, 2008
My Friend Murphy
Murphy's Law. Don'tcha love it?
Today started out badly enough: the pitter-patter of rain on the roof woke me around 6:AM. I thought, "OK, it'll surely die down by the time I'm ready to get up". Around 7:30, I finally rose, and, sure enough, things had subsided to a light sprinkle. I took the dogs for a very quick walk (it was freezing!) and fed them. I had my oatmeal and blueberries (fresh!) and checked my email. By 9:AM I was ready to get things going for my appointment at Camping World.
I disconnected the dehumidifier and stowed it under the dining table. I packed up everything that was lying loose: the laptop, some magazines I'm making my way through, the fan, the trash can up in the alcove. I turned off the refrigerator. Next, I headed outside to the basement (outer storage area of the RV) and got my vinyl gloves on. I disconnected the electrical line and stowed the 50-to-30 amp adaptor inside the rig (I knew I'd be needing it again in just a few hours), then disconnected the water and stowed the line in the basement. I emptied the grey and black tanks. I disconnected the sewer hose at the RV end, and tied a plastic bag to the hose and left it connected to the sewer. I had seen another Park resident do this when he made a run in his RV while connected, so I figured that's a good way to do it for short hauls when you know you'll be back in a few hours.
I moved the Murano to the back of the RV lot and took one last, good look, inside and out, to make sure I was ready to move. Everything looked good and I was feeling confident.
That's when Murphy smiled at me.
As I was rounding the first corner of the lane that led to the Park office and exit, it hit me: the antenna! I had forgotten to lower it! Momentary panic hit, then I remembered that I still had to stop at the office and let the manager know where I'd be, so I could stop there and lower the antenna. OK. Not so bad.
I stopped at the office and talked to the Manager, then went back to the RV to crank down the antenna. Murphy smiled again and, this time, gave me little wink. Never, never crank down your antenna too tightly. The crank will break. It takes very little force. Evidently, where antenna cranks are concerned, better too loose than too tight. "Well", I thought, "good thing I'm on my way to Camping World".
Managed to get to Camping World (which is maybe a couple of miles away from the Park) without further mishap. Pulled in to the entry and let them know my name and appointment time. It was exactly 10:AM, my appointment time.
I took the dogs to the waiting area and watched MSN. Dogs were being good and were getting lots of attention from employees and other customers. Around 10:45, I thought I'd go see if the RV had even left the entry. As I was leaving, Murphy grinned and flipped me the bird. I thought I heard him giggle a little. The RV was just then leaving the entry, headed for the bay doors. What's the use of an appointment system if it's not honored? This is one of my pet peeves, but what're ya' gonna do?
At 11:15, the service guy told me to come see the technician. I had requested that I be there when they started work on the outlet that wasn't working, to see if maybe it was something I could have fixed myself. The dogs and I went to the service bay and the technician had a puzzled look on his face. He took me into the RV with a doodad that he plugged into the outlet, and said there was nothing wrong with it. He had the generator powered up, so I asked him if it mattered whether there's a difference between the generator and shore power relating to the outlets, and he said no. Don't you hate it when you go to the doctor for a sinus infection and by the time you get there, your infection has cleared up? That's what happened to the outlet. And yes, I felt foolish.
We left the bays and went back to the waiting area to wait for the antenna crank to be fixed, which I figured would be a quick job. Little did I know that Murphy was in the RV and by this time he was in high dudgeon, screwing up my schedule for the day.
At noon, exactly 12:00 noon, the service guy (not the technician) comes and says, "You're all set! He's finished. All I have to do is get your paperwork finished and you can go." I'm thinking "Alright! Things are moving along!" when Murphy moves in for the kill. I'm watching the service guy go to wherever service guys go to finalize a repair, when this other guy, who's obviously senior to the service guy, beckons him over and they walk away. The service guy looks back at me and says "Sorry!".
Thirty minutes later, neither my paperwork nor the service guy has shown up. I ask around. No one can find the service guy. My impatience must be all over my face, because people start moving, trying to find the RV, the service guy, and my paperwork. Finally, another thirty minutes later, someone says, "Your RV is in the entry way; we'll clear up any paperwork. You can leave if you like". Uh, yeah. I like.
In retrospect, not a big deal; not really. I didn't have anything else to do. I'm not on a clock any more. But I really dislike the disrespect I feel when this kind of thing happens.
To top off the whole event, by the time I got to back to the Park, the temperature had fallen to 39 degrees F, and it was raining. I had to move the SUV back into position, park the truck, and hook everything back in, in the cold. And in a bad mood. I hope Murphy catches pneumonia.
Today started out badly enough: the pitter-patter of rain on the roof woke me around 6:AM. I thought, "OK, it'll surely die down by the time I'm ready to get up". Around 7:30, I finally rose, and, sure enough, things had subsided to a light sprinkle. I took the dogs for a very quick walk (it was freezing!) and fed them. I had my oatmeal and blueberries (fresh!) and checked my email. By 9:AM I was ready to get things going for my appointment at Camping World.
I disconnected the dehumidifier and stowed it under the dining table. I packed up everything that was lying loose: the laptop, some magazines I'm making my way through, the fan, the trash can up in the alcove. I turned off the refrigerator. Next, I headed outside to the basement (outer storage area of the RV) and got my vinyl gloves on. I disconnected the electrical line and stowed the 50-to-30 amp adaptor inside the rig (I knew I'd be needing it again in just a few hours), then disconnected the water and stowed the line in the basement. I emptied the grey and black tanks. I disconnected the sewer hose at the RV end, and tied a plastic bag to the hose and left it connected to the sewer. I had seen another Park resident do this when he made a run in his RV while connected, so I figured that's a good way to do it for short hauls when you know you'll be back in a few hours.
I moved the Murano to the back of the RV lot and took one last, good look, inside and out, to make sure I was ready to move. Everything looked good and I was feeling confident.
That's when Murphy smiled at me.
As I was rounding the first corner of the lane that led to the Park office and exit, it hit me: the antenna! I had forgotten to lower it! Momentary panic hit, then I remembered that I still had to stop at the office and let the manager know where I'd be, so I could stop there and lower the antenna. OK. Not so bad.
I stopped at the office and talked to the Manager, then went back to the RV to crank down the antenna. Murphy smiled again and, this time, gave me little wink. Never, never crank down your antenna too tightly. The crank will break. It takes very little force. Evidently, where antenna cranks are concerned, better too loose than too tight. "Well", I thought, "good thing I'm on my way to Camping World".
Managed to get to Camping World (which is maybe a couple of miles away from the Park) without further mishap. Pulled in to the entry and let them know my name and appointment time. It was exactly 10:AM, my appointment time.
I took the dogs to the waiting area and watched MSN. Dogs were being good and were getting lots of attention from employees and other customers. Around 10:45, I thought I'd go see if the RV had even left the entry. As I was leaving, Murphy grinned and flipped me the bird. I thought I heard him giggle a little. The RV was just then leaving the entry, headed for the bay doors. What's the use of an appointment system if it's not honored? This is one of my pet peeves, but what're ya' gonna do?
At 11:15, the service guy told me to come see the technician. I had requested that I be there when they started work on the outlet that wasn't working, to see if maybe it was something I could have fixed myself. The dogs and I went to the service bay and the technician had a puzzled look on his face. He took me into the RV with a doodad that he plugged into the outlet, and said there was nothing wrong with it. He had the generator powered up, so I asked him if it mattered whether there's a difference between the generator and shore power relating to the outlets, and he said no. Don't you hate it when you go to the doctor for a sinus infection and by the time you get there, your infection has cleared up? That's what happened to the outlet. And yes, I felt foolish.
We left the bays and went back to the waiting area to wait for the antenna crank to be fixed, which I figured would be a quick job. Little did I know that Murphy was in the RV and by this time he was in high dudgeon, screwing up my schedule for the day.
At noon, exactly 12:00 noon, the service guy (not the technician) comes and says, "You're all set! He's finished. All I have to do is get your paperwork finished and you can go." I'm thinking "Alright! Things are moving along!" when Murphy moves in for the kill. I'm watching the service guy go to wherever service guys go to finalize a repair, when this other guy, who's obviously senior to the service guy, beckons him over and they walk away. The service guy looks back at me and says "Sorry!".
Thirty minutes later, neither my paperwork nor the service guy has shown up. I ask around. No one can find the service guy. My impatience must be all over my face, because people start moving, trying to find the RV, the service guy, and my paperwork. Finally, another thirty minutes later, someone says, "Your RV is in the entry way; we'll clear up any paperwork. You can leave if you like". Uh, yeah. I like.
In retrospect, not a big deal; not really. I didn't have anything else to do. I'm not on a clock any more. But I really dislike the disrespect I feel when this kind of thing happens.
To top off the whole event, by the time I got to back to the Park, the temperature had fallen to 39 degrees F, and it was raining. I had to move the SUV back into position, park the truck, and hook everything back in, in the cold. And in a bad mood. I hope Murphy catches pneumonia.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Some Notes
Forgot to mention that I bought a four-foot fiberglass ladder for the RV. When I was trying to line the window of the front door with something to shade it, I couldn't get near high enough. I borrowed the Park's ladder but figured in the future, I might be somewhere where no ladder is available, so... I lashed it to the RV ladder permanently mounted in the rear outside the RV. It's tight! It's going nowhere. I hope I can get the damned thing off when I need to.
I'm washing rugs today, and have to go get just one more. On these rainy days, the dogs are "accidenting" a lot, on the rugs, thank all the little gods.
Did a little maintenance this week: vacuumed the RV using my little seven-pound Oreck canister. Man, I love that thing! It's got attachments for getting into Very Small Areas, is lightweight, and stores well in the dining area bench seat. Did some investigating into humidity, how it can damage an RV, and how to mitigate those damages. Chatted with a mechanical engineer, a biochemist, a woman who's got a doctorate in HVAC, and a former Navy submariner, all who explained, in language I could grasp, all about humidity. I noticed that, when I boiled some water for tea one day, every window in the RV fogged up, big-time! I learned that I should be venting the RV, even in a climate like Houston, to prevent humidity from getting to harmful (i.e., damaging) levels in the RV. I had been keeping every vent closed to prevent humidity. Live and learn....
Will visit with Camping World tomorrow to get that kitchen outlet fixed and make sure the tires are at proper inflation levels for the trip next Friday. Chatted with Cynthia and arranged to take the Murano to her house next Wednesday. Am still waiting for my meds and one other package to arrive at Cynthia's. Hoping....
I'm washing rugs today, and have to go get just one more. On these rainy days, the dogs are "accidenting" a lot, on the rugs, thank all the little gods.
Did a little maintenance this week: vacuumed the RV using my little seven-pound Oreck canister. Man, I love that thing! It's got attachments for getting into Very Small Areas, is lightweight, and stores well in the dining area bench seat. Did some investigating into humidity, how it can damage an RV, and how to mitigate those damages. Chatted with a mechanical engineer, a biochemist, a woman who's got a doctorate in HVAC, and a former Navy submariner, all who explained, in language I could grasp, all about humidity. I noticed that, when I boiled some water for tea one day, every window in the RV fogged up, big-time! I learned that I should be venting the RV, even in a climate like Houston, to prevent humidity from getting to harmful (i.e., damaging) levels in the RV. I had been keeping every vent closed to prevent humidity. Live and learn....
Will visit with Camping World tomorrow to get that kitchen outlet fixed and make sure the tires are at proper inflation levels for the trip next Friday. Chatted with Cynthia and arranged to take the Murano to her house next Wednesday. Am still waiting for my meds and one other package to arrive at Cynthia's. Hoping....
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Travel-ready
I've emailed the website for "room at the inn" in Hondo, TX, and am preparing to leave Houston.
In anticipation of all that fulltime rv'ing entails, I've done a few improvements/enhancements:
I ordered and received a 15' x 3' sheet of dark grey clingwrap for some of the windows of the RV; it's been getting too warm, some days. The only window, in this location, that's needed covering is the passenger side door of the chassis. Works great; the dogs can't see through it (and neither can I!), but it sure cut down on the light/heat from that side of the truck. I'm facing east, and as the day progresses, the sun really beams down on the south side of the truck. Most days, I have to close the blinds on all the windows on the south side. I put a small sheet of film on the RV door as well, but it won't cling because of the texture of the glass there. I put a spot of water-soluble glue on it.
I've got an appointment for Friday the 18th to get that one electrical outlet fixed; it's the one in the kitchen that I would love to use for the coffee maker. It worked when I was in Louisiana during Thanksgiving, but when I tried to use it after checking in here in Brookshire, the silly thing wouldn't work.
I ordered my three-month prescriptions and am hoping they arrive prior to my planned departure of Jan. 25.
Unfortunately, my habit of taking the dogs to a local Bark Park is gonna backfire badly. Today, for instance, is very grey and rain is predicted - lots of rain and for the entire day. I anticipate several "accidents", and I'm glad I've got the RV floor practically lined with rubber-backed washable rugs. Initially it was to provide some traction for the dogs; they don't do well on slick vinyl floors.
I've got a couple of those "stair-stepper" thingies to use as a stepstool inside the RV. Stacked one on top of the other, the dogs and I use it to get up on the bed. I use the thinner step as a platform for the laptop, to raise the screen to a level where it's more easily viewed.
The Murano's going to be stored at Cynthia's house, under a cover. I just can't justify carrying two vehicles around. I'm sure gonna miss it; I know it's gonna be inconvenient as hell, having to hook and unhook the electrical, water and sewer lines every time I want to run to the store or do some sightseeing. Oh, well....
I'm becoming quite the old experienced hand in hooking up/unhooking, and emptying the black and grey tanks. So far, so good: no line leaks, no clogs, no bad smells. Propane use rate is good; of course, the weather's been reasonably warm and few nights have required the furnace. Propane is delivered from a supplier about a mile away; you just call and he's there in about 45 minutes. Everything, in fact, is working well, which is a Very Good Thing for me, because I'm mostly helpless when it comes to anything mechanical and/or electrical, although I did go to Camping World and bought several extra lightbulbs for the RV. The porch light burned out while I've been here in Brookshire (I had been leaving it on all night - WHY?).
The microwave and stove top are operational. I have oatmeal almost every day: it's good for the cholesterol, and have fried some sausage and eggs for breakfast a couple of days. Oh, yeah! The smoke alarm works beautifully! I used the park's oven to bake some chicken breasts I marinated; I'm afraid to use the RV oven. I'll get to it. Lunch is either a salad or sandwich, and supper's usually a Lean Cuisine or similar frozen entree.
Storage space, at a premium, is well-used. The large bag of dry dog food is on one of the bench seats in the dining area, and my large butt is usually on the other. Bottled water is on the floorboard in front of the chassis passenger seat. The area above the chassis, which I call my "alcove", is loaded with stuff: a laundry bag, my printer (don't laugh: you'd be surprised how many people carry their printers with them, and mine is small compared to a lot of others), my hobby stuff (making note cards: it fills time); the alcove ladder, a tote for all things related to the dogs (leashes, collars, meds, treats) and the trash can. Yes. The trash can is up there because the dogs can't keep their noses out of it.
The RV doesn't stay as toasty warm as a stix-n-brix, so I've had to acquire some long-sleeved shirts and a jacket. I've got rain gear, on a just-in-case basis. I've got a little dehumidifier and it's pulling out about a cup of water a day, but I anticipate not having to use it when I head west.
I haven't used my new Lorem GPS yet. I have to have an unrestricted view of ...what? the ether? My windshield is pretty well covered by the RV cab overhang and I'm not sure I can get that clear view the instructions say I have to have. Whatever. Using a Rand/McNally Atlas and the directions on the Lone Star Corral's website, I'm confident I can find my way to Hondo. The park doesn't take reservations, which gives me an uncomfortable feeling (since I've never boondocked), but the manager says if I call the day I'm leaving Brookshire, they'll hold a spot for a day. Wish me luck, and stay tuned.
Post Script: It has rained all day, starting just short of noon. The dogs have been in the RV all day and have had the expected accidents. Better get used to it, I suppose. The weather's not always going to be perfect. That's why I have washable rugs.
The sound of the rain on the roof makes for great napping.
In anticipation of all that fulltime rv'ing entails, I've done a few improvements/enhancements:
I ordered and received a 15' x 3' sheet of dark grey clingwrap for some of the windows of the RV; it's been getting too warm, some days. The only window, in this location, that's needed covering is the passenger side door of the chassis. Works great; the dogs can't see through it (and neither can I!), but it sure cut down on the light/heat from that side of the truck. I'm facing east, and as the day progresses, the sun really beams down on the south side of the truck. Most days, I have to close the blinds on all the windows on the south side. I put a small sheet of film on the RV door as well, but it won't cling because of the texture of the glass there. I put a spot of water-soluble glue on it.
I've got an appointment for Friday the 18th to get that one electrical outlet fixed; it's the one in the kitchen that I would love to use for the coffee maker. It worked when I was in Louisiana during Thanksgiving, but when I tried to use it after checking in here in Brookshire, the silly thing wouldn't work.
I ordered my three-month prescriptions and am hoping they arrive prior to my planned departure of Jan. 25.
Unfortunately, my habit of taking the dogs to a local Bark Park is gonna backfire badly. Today, for instance, is very grey and rain is predicted - lots of rain and for the entire day. I anticipate several "accidents", and I'm glad I've got the RV floor practically lined with rubber-backed washable rugs. Initially it was to provide some traction for the dogs; they don't do well on slick vinyl floors.
I've got a couple of those "stair-stepper" thingies to use as a stepstool inside the RV. Stacked one on top of the other, the dogs and I use it to get up on the bed. I use the thinner step as a platform for the laptop, to raise the screen to a level where it's more easily viewed.
The Murano's going to be stored at Cynthia's house, under a cover. I just can't justify carrying two vehicles around. I'm sure gonna miss it; I know it's gonna be inconvenient as hell, having to hook and unhook the electrical, water and sewer lines every time I want to run to the store or do some sightseeing. Oh, well....
I'm becoming quite the old experienced hand in hooking up/unhooking, and emptying the black and grey tanks. So far, so good: no line leaks, no clogs, no bad smells. Propane use rate is good; of course, the weather's been reasonably warm and few nights have required the furnace. Propane is delivered from a supplier about a mile away; you just call and he's there in about 45 minutes. Everything, in fact, is working well, which is a Very Good Thing for me, because I'm mostly helpless when it comes to anything mechanical and/or electrical, although I did go to Camping World and bought several extra lightbulbs for the RV. The porch light burned out while I've been here in Brookshire (I had been leaving it on all night - WHY?).
The microwave and stove top are operational. I have oatmeal almost every day: it's good for the cholesterol, and have fried some sausage and eggs for breakfast a couple of days. Oh, yeah! The smoke alarm works beautifully! I used the park's oven to bake some chicken breasts I marinated; I'm afraid to use the RV oven. I'll get to it. Lunch is either a salad or sandwich, and supper's usually a Lean Cuisine or similar frozen entree.
Storage space, at a premium, is well-used. The large bag of dry dog food is on one of the bench seats in the dining area, and my large butt is usually on the other. Bottled water is on the floorboard in front of the chassis passenger seat. The area above the chassis, which I call my "alcove", is loaded with stuff: a laundry bag, my printer (don't laugh: you'd be surprised how many people carry their printers with them, and mine is small compared to a lot of others), my hobby stuff (making note cards: it fills time); the alcove ladder, a tote for all things related to the dogs (leashes, collars, meds, treats) and the trash can. Yes. The trash can is up there because the dogs can't keep their noses out of it.
The RV doesn't stay as toasty warm as a stix-n-brix, so I've had to acquire some long-sleeved shirts and a jacket. I've got rain gear, on a just-in-case basis. I've got a little dehumidifier and it's pulling out about a cup of water a day, but I anticipate not having to use it when I head west.
I haven't used my new Lorem GPS yet. I have to have an unrestricted view of ...what? the ether? My windshield is pretty well covered by the RV cab overhang and I'm not sure I can get that clear view the instructions say I have to have. Whatever. Using a Rand/McNally Atlas and the directions on the Lone Star Corral's website, I'm confident I can find my way to Hondo. The park doesn't take reservations, which gives me an uncomfortable feeling (since I've never boondocked), but the manager says if I call the day I'm leaving Brookshire, they'll hold a spot for a day. Wish me luck, and stay tuned.
Post Script: It has rained all day, starting just short of noon. The dogs have been in the RV all day and have had the expected accidents. Better get used to it, I suppose. The weather's not always going to be perfect. That's why I have washable rugs.
The sound of the rain on the roof makes for great napping.
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