It's been six months since my last post, so there's probably no one checking anymore, but this is also a record for me so I'll post for myself, if no one else.
I took a trip with my family in August, taking the grandkids to Duluth and then on up the North Shore of Lake Superior. The kids had never been up there, so it was fun seeing it through their eyes. I've been there many times, but it made it all new again, watching them enjoy it. Reminded me of when I saw it for the first time at about ten years old, with my mother, brother, and his wife.
After returning home for one night, we headed down to Iowa to check out a litter of puppies. (No,not for me!) We started back the next day with a VERY cute addition to the family...a 7-week old Havanese. She did very well on the drive home, losing her lunch only once, and not whining at all. Of course, it helped that she spent the entire trip in the arms of the one kid or another.
The next time the MUTT hit the road was to head to Canada for the annual LTV Rally. The last time I went for the rally, in 2005, I was sick the entire time, spending most of my time in bed. After I got home I was diagnosed with a severe case of bronchitis, bordering on pneumonia. I was very happy to be heading up there healthy this year, determined to make up for lost time. It wasn't to be.
I woke up Saturday morning in terrific pain. My neck hurt and my right arm was almost useless and hurt so bad I was in tears. Thanks to a lot of pain medications, I made it through the day, but for the second time, I missed the Saturday evening program and talent show. (Some people said they thought that was the silver lining in my dark cloud!) The pain got steadily worse and I found the only way to relieve it at all was to keep my right arm curled over my head, with the hand over my left ear. I drove the entire 470 miles home in that position. It was definitely the trip from Hell...or to Hell...or in Hell. Whatever.
After I got home, things moved very fast. I called the doctor Monday morning and she got me in right away. She ordered an MRI for the next day, got the results back on Wednesday, and sent them to a neurosurgeon on Friday. He looked at the films and told his nurse to get me in on Monday. After seeing me, he told me to make arrangements for surgery as soon as possible. I had a pinched nerve caused by bone spurs on the vertebrae that were also causing herniation of the disk. He said in ranking of the severity of that particular injury, I was in the top two percentile. I had my pre-op physical the next day and entered the hospital on Thursday morning. I have always dreaded surgery and all that goes with it, but the pain was so bad, I actually looked forward to it.
The surgery was September 20, and I'm still recovering. The surgeon said recovery could take as long as a year; nerves heal very slowly. I'm in physical therapy now and hope I'll be able to leave for my trip south in January.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Went There, Did That, Came Home
This is a very late report on my trip in May. I had been drafting a log as I went along, and finished it up when I got home. As I was trying to publish it, suddenly my screen went blank. All lost in the vacuous void of the internet. You’ll just have to take my word that it was comprehensive, educational, and brilliantly composed. Ah well, here goes my new version that I'm sure suffers from my memory insufficiencies.
I left home on May 7th and drove to my friend Gayle’s house in Atlanta
(1-1/2 days, 1200 miles) and when I arrived, I didn’t want to touch the steering wheel again for a couple days! I ended up staying three days and had a great visit with Gayle and her son Sean.
I then headed for Savannah, GA, camping on Tybee Island that night. I tried to find a place to walk the dogs on the beach the next morning, but the parking places were all too short for the MUTT. I ended up parking at a nice park in town, taking up two parking places, but I didn’t figure that was a problem, as there were only a couple other cars parked there. As I got back to the parking lot, there was a police car driving through the lot and I willed him to keep driving. Instead, he slowed and stopped by the MUTT. I hurried up, hoping to be able to sweet talk him with my charming Minnesota accent, but turns out he was there because someone who apparently lived in her car was sleeping close to my rig.
Next on the route was Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. I had read much about it and was familiar with its reputation as a golfing mecca. I had heard people talking about golfing Hilton Head and expected one golf course. Wow! I saw course after course as I drove the length of the island. In between were very upscale, chic-looking shopping areas. No big billboards or signs of any kind; even the Target store was only marked by a small Target logo set in a stone pillar…very discreet. Some interesting history of the island: During the Civil War, the island was the site of several major battles, eventually captured by the Union Army. The slaves on the island were freed and became the first black troops to serve for the union. After the war, the island was granted to the freed slaves, who farmed and fished it until the northerners rediscovered it and purchased it from the inhabitants. In the 1950s, it was developed as the planned resort community it is today.
I continued up the South Carolina coast, staying at a campground in Hollywood before going through Charleston. That was one of the disappointments of my trip, that I wasn’t able to see more of the city and its historical sites. It was too hot to leave the dogs in the RV, so other than a walk around a park, I just drove through. It’s hard to see anything that way, the narrow streets and lots of traffic demanding my full attention. Next time I’m out that way, I’ll leave the MUTT at a campground plugged into A/C to keep the dogs comfortable, and rent a car to explore.
As I continued up the coast, I intended to visit Myrtle Beach, but that was the weekend of a Very Large motorcycle rally, and I found the MUTT being used as a pylon for the bikes pouring into town. What I did see seemed very touristy and commercial, and that impression was confirmed by people I talked to later. As I drove north, there were hundreds more bikes on their way to the rally, so I’m glad I made the decision to give it a pass.
The drive from the coast to the RV rally near Glendale Springs, North Carolina was relaxing and uneventful. After arriving at the campground, which is just a stone’s throw from the Blue Ridge Parkway, I spent four great days renewing friendships and making new ones. That’s the greatest thing about the rallies and RVing in general…almost everyone I meet becomes an instant friend.
After leaving the rally, I got caught up in a major traffic tie-up: two hours to go 12 miles! They were blasting a tunnel through the mountain, and had narrowed six lanes down to two. One of the joys of traveling! I stayed in Frankfort, Kentucky that night, but as I had been warned not to go through Louisville during rush hour, I got up at 3:00 a.m. to avoid it. Worked great, but I soon needed to pull over and catch a quick nap. That was the story of my trip home; drive a few hours, nap an hour or two, then back to driving.
I reached the Minnesota/Wisconsin border on I-90 just before sunrise the next day, and pulled into the rest area just into Minnesota. After washing up, brushing my teeth, feeding and walking the dog, I watched the sun rise over the Mississippi river. Absolutely breathtaking! I thought to myself that of all the beautiful scenery I had seen on this trip, this was the most beautiful. For readers who haven’t been to Minnesota, if you visit, be sure to enter the state via I-90 if possible. The river with its many islands and the river bluffs make southeastern MN a paradise, in my opinion. I love Minnesota: The northern part of the state has the North Shore of Lake Superior, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Voyageurs National Park, and of course we have over 15,000 lakes throughout the state, (Forget that “Land of 10,000 Lakes” slogan. We’re just a very modest people here. As Garrison Keillor once said: “If Minnesotans had named Lake Superior, it would have been Lake Pretty Good.”)
But as much as I enjoy traveling in Minnesota, I’ll keep sampling the flavors of the rest of the country and sharing them here. C’mon along!
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Empty Space Behind the Seat...A Eulogy
I'm getting ready for my next journey, but with a heavy heart. I lost Pacer last week, and it's been a tough time. She was my friend and companion for 15-1/2 years, and it seems so strange to not have her following me around. She had a wonderful, long life, but I only wish it could have been longer. I don't want to talk about her passing, though; I want to talk about her life.
I would have seen Pacer being born if not for the record-breaking blizzard of 1991. It started on
Halloween and by the time the puppies started coming, the roads were impassable. So I sat at home getting regular phone updates about the births from the mother's owner. The next day, my daughter borrowed her husband's 4-wheel-drive vehicle and we braved the roads. For the next seven weeks, until Pacer was ready to come home with me, I saw her at least once a week. I bought a large stuffed Border Collie toy and took pix of Pacer next to it, starting when she was about as big as the toy's front leg and continuing until she passed it up in size.
As she developed, it became apparent that she was going to be the fast, driven flyba
ll dog I had hoped for. Her drive was a little much at the beginning, when the ball in the other dogs' mouths seemed much more attractive to her than her own. There was a point when I was ready to give up, afraid that she'd chase the wrong dog and get hurt. Oh, I am SO glad I stayed with it!
At two years old, when she was still a little inconsistent but very fast, she won the "Fastest Dog in Texas" award at the Houston Astrodome International Flyball Tournament. At the same
tournament the next year, she recorded the first sub-4 second run for an Animal Inn dog. Years earlier, her father, Cider, had recorded the first sub-5 second run. A great legacy to her dad!
Pacer continued her stellar athletic career, both in flyball and agility. Obedience wasn't quite so successful, as her concentration strayed whenever someone in the next ring threw a dumbbell. She never actually jumped over the gate, but man, was it close a couple times! Her behavior outside the obedience ring, however, would have won blue ribbons. She was the most responsive dog I could have hoped for. Twice, I called her off a rabbit she was chasing. Once, she was heading for a cliff up by Lake Superior, scaring the
heck out of me, but turned on a dime and came back as soon as I called.
Pacer and I traveled to flyball tournaments throughout the US and Canada. When I started RVing (because of the dogs, by the way), Pacer discovered the joys of beach-walking. She has walked the beaches of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and countless lakes and rivers. I'm sure I'll never walk another beach without visions of her loping along, tongue hanging out, and tail wagging furiously. Our travels took us to 41 states and 4 provinces.
For all her wonderful athletic accomplishments, the greatest trait she had was her unquestioning, never-wavering devotion to me. I was so loved and so fortunate to have had her with me for as many years as I did. Sleep well, my Pacer.
I would have seen Pacer being born if not for the record-breaking blizzard of 1991. It started on
Halloween and by the time the puppies started coming, the roads were impassable. So I sat at home getting regular phone updates about the births from the mother's owner. The next day, my daughter borrowed her husband's 4-wheel-drive vehicle and we braved the roads. For the next seven weeks, until Pacer was ready to come home with me, I saw her at least once a week. I bought a large stuffed Border Collie toy and took pix of Pacer next to it, starting when she was about as big as the toy's front leg and continuing until she passed it up in size.As she developed, it became apparent that she was going to be the fast, driven flyba
ll dog I had hoped for. Her drive was a little much at the beginning, when the ball in the other dogs' mouths seemed much more attractive to her than her own. There was a point when I was ready to give up, afraid that she'd chase the wrong dog and get hurt. Oh, I am SO glad I stayed with it! At two years old, when she was still a little inconsistent but very fast, she won the "Fastest Dog in Texas" award at the Houston Astrodome International Flyball Tournament. At the same
tournament the next year, she recorded the first sub-4 second run for an Animal Inn dog. Years earlier, her father, Cider, had recorded the first sub-5 second run. A great legacy to her dad!Pacer continued her stellar athletic career, both in flyball and agility. Obedience wasn't quite so successful, as her concentration strayed whenever someone in the next ring threw a dumbbell. She never actually jumped over the gate, but man, was it close a couple times! Her behavior outside the obedience ring, however, would have won blue ribbons. She was the most responsive dog I could have hoped for. Twice, I called her off a rabbit she was chasing. Once, she was heading for a cliff up by Lake Superior, scaring the
heck out of me, but turned on a dime and came back as soon as I called.Pacer and I traveled to flyball tournaments throughout the US and Canada. When I started RVing (because of the dogs, by the way), Pacer discovered the joys of beach-walking. She has walked the beaches of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and countless lakes and rivers. I'm sure I'll never walk another beach without visions of her loping along, tongue hanging out, and tail wagging furiously. Our travels took us to 41 states and 4 provinces.
For all her wonderful athletic accomplishments, the greatest trait she had was her unquestioning, never-wavering devotion to me. I was so loved and so fortunate to have had her with me for as many years as I did. Sleep well, my Pacer.
Herdobe's Set the Pace
November 2, 1991 - April 21, 2007
November 2, 1991 - April 21, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
A Quick Update and Some Trip Stats
Unfortunately, my comment about not boasting about the weather became a prophecy. It was beautiful the first few days after I got home...an all-time record for March 26 of 81 degrees! Then the bottom fell out and since then we've had some snow and quite a lot of extremely cold temps for April. Now we're setting temperature records in the other direction. Lows consistently in the lower twenties and teens, with wind chills below zero. The MUTT is in an unheated storage building and I'm hoping to not find it flooded from cracked water lines when I go to pick it up. Next year I may not come home until May!
The final stats for my trip are as follows: 6357 miles and a cumulative fuel mileage figure of 21.1 mpg. I could add up the amount spent on fuel, but that would be too painful. Prices for diesel ranged from $2.279 to $2.749. I actually saw a station in Winslow, AZ that listed diesel at $3.499, but just laughed and drove past.
I'm planning on leaving for my eastern trip on May 6 or 7 after a weekend of watching my granddaughters Kendra and Annika both play soccer and my grandson Jacob compete in the MN State Wrestling Tournament.
The final stats for my trip are as follows: 6357 miles and a cumulative fuel mileage figure of 21.1 mpg. I could add up the amount spent on fuel, but that would be too painful. Prices for diesel ranged from $2.279 to $2.749. I actually saw a station in Winslow, AZ that listed diesel at $3.499, but just laughed and drove past.
I'm planning on leaving for my eastern trip on May 6 or 7 after a weekend of watching my granddaughters Kendra and Annika both play soccer and my grandson Jacob compete in the MN State Wrestling Tournament.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Back Home...And Warm!
I completely avoided winter this year! (Maybe I shouldn't gloat; this is Minnesota after all...we could still get more!) I arrived home yesterday and the only snow I've seen was in the ditches in Iowa. It's in the 50s here and should get to the 60s today. The dogs are really happy to be home; Rave has been lying outside in the sun for over an hour, Pacer is lying in the sun in the living room, and Wink of course has to be on my lap wherever I sit. I'm surrounded by a mountain of mail, and all the clothes, food, and other supplies unloaded from the MUTT. No hurry to clean it up...I'm retired!
I left Amarillo Wednesday morning and fought cross winds from the south all the way to OK City. My arms and shoulders ached from fighting the wheel all the way. When I headed north on I-35, it became a tail wind and no more problems. I stayed in Emporia that night and other than a thunder storm during the night while I was in bed, all the threatened bad weather was already to the east. Sunshine all the way home!
One very scary event during the drive: As those of you that have been reading this from the beginning may recall, my first day on the road I saw a serious accident when a pickup pulling a large trailer sideswiped a car, then went in the ditch and flipped the trailer before running into some trees. That happened about a half-mile in front of me and I got there right after it happened. This time, I saw a similar accident, but this one happened right in front of me! There was a semi in front of me and all of a sudden, I saw the pickup in front of him speed into the ditch, hit a guardrail, go airborne, flip over, and land on its side about 10 feet from the side of the road. The semi and I both pulled over and ran back. In no time, there were a bunch of other trucks and cars stopped. The truck drivers pulled the driver's door, which was on top, open and managed to get the driver out. It took quite a lot longer to get the passenger out, and then I decided there was nothing I could do, so I left. I'll skip the injury details. My hands were shaking for a long time afterwards! The pickup had had a blowout of one of his rear tires, and I couldn't help thinking about the state of my tires the rest of the way home. It seems eerily coincidental that the two accidents were on the first and last days of my journey. My friends that believe that everything happens for a reason might say I witnessed the first accident to caution me to be careful, and the last to remind me how fortunate I was to make it safely home.
I want to thank all of you who have followed my journey and stuck with it regardless of my rambling on at times. Thanks, too, for the emails and comments some of you have sent. I'm writing for myself as a record as well as for others, but it's nice to know that people have been following along. Until May, when I take off for North Carolina, I'll sign off...take care and travel carefully!
I left Amarillo Wednesday morning and fought cross winds from the south all the way to OK City. My arms and shoulders ached from fighting the wheel all the way. When I headed north on I-35, it became a tail wind and no more problems. I stayed in Emporia that night and other than a thunder storm during the night while I was in bed, all the threatened bad weather was already to the east. Sunshine all the way home!
One very scary event during the drive: As those of you that have been reading this from the beginning may recall, my first day on the road I saw a serious accident when a pickup pulling a large trailer sideswiped a car, then went in the ditch and flipped the trailer before running into some trees. That happened about a half-mile in front of me and I got there right after it happened. This time, I saw a similar accident, but this one happened right in front of me! There was a semi in front of me and all of a sudden, I saw the pickup in front of him speed into the ditch, hit a guardrail, go airborne, flip over, and land on its side about 10 feet from the side of the road. The semi and I both pulled over and ran back. In no time, there were a bunch of other trucks and cars stopped. The truck drivers pulled the driver's door, which was on top, open and managed to get the driver out. It took quite a lot longer to get the passenger out, and then I decided there was nothing I could do, so I left. I'll skip the injury details. My hands were shaking for a long time afterwards! The pickup had had a blowout of one of his rear tires, and I couldn't help thinking about the state of my tires the rest of the way home. It seems eerily coincidental that the two accidents were on the first and last days of my journey. My friends that believe that everything happens for a reason might say I witnessed the first accident to caution me to be careful, and the last to remind me how fortunate I was to make it safely home.
I want to thank all of you who have followed my journey and stuck with it regardless of my rambling on at times. Thanks, too, for the emails and comments some of you have sent. I'm writing for myself as a record as well as for others, but it's nice to know that people have been following along. Until May, when I take off for North Carolina, I'll sign off...take care and travel carefully!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Homeward Bound...Really This Time!
I spent three great days in Laughlin, except for the heat. It was in the upper 90s every day and the poor dogs had to spend all their time in the air-conditioned RV, except for a morning and evening walk. It cools off a lot at night, so that makes it more bearable. Also, there's no humidity, so it's much cooler in the shade. I didn't lose TOO much in the casinos, and the entertainment value was worth it.
I left yesterday morning and spent last night in Gallup, NM. An extreme temperature change...the temp was 30 degrees this morning! I drove across northern NM today; east of Albuquerque, it's not nearly as pretty as the rest of NM that I've visited.
I'm in Amarillo, TX now and it's the first time I've had an internet connection in almost a week, so thought I'd give everyone a quick update. I may be home by Thursday night, but should make it by Friday for sure. Hope the MN weather takes a turn for the better by the time I get home!
I left yesterday morning and spent last night in Gallup, NM. An extreme temperature change...the temp was 30 degrees this morning! I drove across northern NM today; east of Albuquerque, it's not nearly as pretty as the rest of NM that I've visited.
I'm in Amarillo, TX now and it's the first time I've had an internet connection in almost a week, so thought I'd give everyone a quick update. I may be home by Thursday night, but should make it by Friday for sure. Hope the MN weather takes a turn for the better by the time I get home!
Friday, March 16, 2007
A Change of Plans
Well, I saw snow and pine trees today, but it wasn’t Minnesota, it was Arizona. The Whim and Weather took over…
First the weather: I watched the forecast for MN and saw that the coming weekend was going to dip down in the low 20s again. As the MUTT isn’t winterized, I didn’t want to drive into that, so I decided to stay south for another week. As I said, the park by Canyon Lake, TX was really nice, but the weather was pretty nasty the last two days and the forecast for the next 3-4 days was for more of the same. The weather map on TV was really pretty with all the red, orange, and yellow colors swirled all over TX, but not very inviting.
The Whim part took over… I talked to my friends Barb and Lisa, who live in San Diego, and they were looking for a weekend getaway, so we decided to meet in Laughlin, NV for a long weekend. So I headed west towards El Paso. The first two hours after leaving Canyon Lake, I drove through thunder storms and heavy rain. Once I got through that, though, the skies turned blue and it was a great drive. Western Texas looks like every cowboy movie I’ve seen: Very hilly with gray-brown soil polka-dotted with sagebrush and mesquite. In my mind I could almost see wagon trains crossing and Indians riding and hunting.
New Mexico was a change of scenery and a pleasant surprise…it’s a very pretty state! The prevailing color changed from gray-brown to red, and the hills changed to mesas and buttes. I intended to head straight across I-10 into Arizona, then head north to Laughlin, but I saw the weather forecast calling for record-breaking high temps, so decided to take the northern route, through Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Again, a lot of really beautiful scenery.
I stayed in eastern AZ, then started off in the morning before sunrise. As I drove west, I saw a fantastic sunrise in my rear-view mirror, and the mountains rising from the plains ahead of me. The mountains were snow-capped, and the sunrise turned the snow pink…I started humming “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Along the way I took a detour leading to the big crater in Arizona, but after driving there, decided $15 was too much money to spend to see a big hole in the ground. If you’re ever traveling I-40 through AZ, I highly recommend the rest area just west of Flagstaff, between mile posts 182 and 183. It’s in the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in America. There’s a path circling from the rest area through the trees, complete with plaques along the way educating the reader about the forest.
Well, weather-wise, I’ve traded the icebox for the frying pan, to badly muddle a metaphor. True, the northern route through AZ was much cooler than the southern would have been, but here in Laughlin, they are setting record highs. My thermometer today hit 101! I’m afraid I won’t be doing much gambling in the casinos during the day, because I can’t take a chance on the air conditioner quitting in the RV with the dogs in there. Since AZ doesn’t observe daylight savings time, it’s dark by 6:30, so I’ll get a chance to lose some money after dark. I'm here until Monday, then it's homeward bound regardless of the weather!
First the weather: I watched the forecast for MN and saw that the coming weekend was going to dip down in the low 20s again. As the MUTT isn’t winterized, I didn’t want to drive into that, so I decided to stay south for another week. As I said, the park by Canyon Lake, TX was really nice, but the weather was pretty nasty the last two days and the forecast for the next 3-4 days was for more of the same. The weather map on TV was really pretty with all the red, orange, and yellow colors swirled all over TX, but not very inviting.
The Whim part took over… I talked to my friends Barb and Lisa, who live in San Diego, and they were looking for a weekend getaway, so we decided to meet in Laughlin, NV for a long weekend. So I headed west towards El Paso. The first two hours after leaving Canyon Lake, I drove through thunder storms and heavy rain. Once I got through that, though, the skies turned blue and it was a great drive. Western Texas looks like every cowboy movie I’ve seen: Very hilly with gray-brown soil polka-dotted with sagebrush and mesquite. In my mind I could almost see wagon trains crossing and Indians riding and hunting.
New Mexico was a change of scenery and a pleasant surprise…it’s a very pretty state! The prevailing color changed from gray-brown to red, and the hills changed to mesas and buttes. I intended to head straight across I-10 into Arizona, then head north to Laughlin, but I saw the weather forecast calling for record-breaking high temps, so decided to take the northern route, through Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Again, a lot of really beautiful scenery.
I stayed in eastern AZ, then started off in the morning before sunrise. As I drove west, I saw a fantastic sunrise in my rear-view mirror, and the mountains rising from the plains ahead of me. The mountains were snow-capped, and the sunrise turned the snow pink…I started humming “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Along the way I took a detour leading to the big crater in Arizona, but after driving there, decided $15 was too much money to spend to see a big hole in the ground. If you’re ever traveling I-40 through AZ, I highly recommend the rest area just west of Flagstaff, between mile posts 182 and 183. It’s in the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in America. There’s a path circling from the rest area through the trees, complete with plaques along the way educating the reader about the forest.
Well, weather-wise, I’ve traded the icebox for the frying pan, to badly muddle a metaphor. True, the northern route through AZ was much cooler than the southern would have been, but here in Laughlin, they are setting record highs. My thermometer today hit 101! I’m afraid I won’t be doing much gambling in the casinos during the day, because I can’t take a chance on the air conditioner quitting in the RV with the dogs in there. Since AZ doesn’t observe daylight savings time, it’s dark by 6:30, so I’ll get a chance to lose some money after dark. I'm here until Monday, then it's homeward bound regardless of the weather!
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Last Texas Post?
Well, we cut our week in the vacuum to three days. One can take only so much desolation, isolation, and monotony. The resort was “on the shores of Lake Medina” – the only catch was that the lake was dried up in the area of the resort. In fact, it had been dry for so long that farmers had put fences up on the lake bed and were grazing cattle out there! One fascinating thing we saw was a herd of zebras grazing on a reserve close to the resort. There were also some very large bovines that we think were Cape Buffalo and some antelopes with long, spiraled horns that were familiar from African safari movies. We later saw another small herd of zebras closer to New Braunfels, and Sally had told me about yet another herd close to Boerne. Who would have thought Texas was the Zebra breeding capital of North America?
One correction: In my last post, I called Bandera the “Cowboy Capital of America.” That should have been the “Cowboy Capital of the World,” so I’ve corrected it. Sorry, Bandera.
We’re now at a very nice RV Park near Sattler, TX. It’s a big park with lots of amenities for families (two pools, three spas, a large lounge with a very large screen TV, and much more). Only problem is that it’s so spread out that you need to drive to everything. We’re in the “back 40” and even the rest room/shower building is a long walk. The office is on the other side of the highway by the clubhouse and cabins. There is no WiFi access on the camping side of the highway, so I don’t know when this will get posted. It’s raining today, so I’m spending the time in the RV to type this up so I’ll have it ready to send when I get the chance. This is Spring Break week for all of Texas, so the resort is hopping with lots of families. Considering the all-day rain, I feel sorry for the ones camping in tents with a bunch of kids!
We took a trip around the area yesterday to guess where? Fredericksburg and Luckenbach! Yep, that’s the third time for me in less than a month! Mike and Shirley hadn’t been there, so I was happy to accompany them. We hit Luckenbach on a Saturday and it was a completely different experience from my previous two visits, which were both on Mondays. There were about 30-40 motorcycles, about as many cars, and two buses. The stage was open, with continuous live music, there were two outside bars open as well as the one inside, and there was a small store selling cowboy hats. The line at the cash register in the souvenir store was at least 10 people long all the time. I guess that the first experience, with many fewer people and a few guys informally jamming in the bar was a more quaint, unique experience, but this was fun, too.
Just lived through a terrific storm last night! There were tornado warnings along with large hail flash flood, and damaging wind warnings. We managed to avoid all those, but the rains were incredible. The little pond in our resort is now a lake, and is running over the earthen dam into the previously dry creek bed. No damage, but some pretty wet, dirty dogs.
Well, I think it’s time to head for home after this stop. I hear the snow is melting pretty fast and I sure miss the grandkids! It’ll be almost time for baseball and soccer by the time I get home. Since my next trip will be the Class B Rally in No. Carolina in May, I need time to regroup, clean the MUTT, and let the dogs have the freedom to roam the house instead of having only a 2 x 10-foot hall to walk in. But, hey, at least they haven’t had to walk through snow this winter!
One correction: In my last post, I called Bandera the “Cowboy Capital of America.” That should have been the “Cowboy Capital of the World,” so I’ve corrected it. Sorry, Bandera.
We’re now at a very nice RV Park near Sattler, TX. It’s a big park with lots of amenities for families (two pools, three spas, a large lounge with a very large screen TV, and much more). Only problem is that it’s so spread out that you need to drive to everything. We’re in the “back 40” and even the rest room/shower building is a long walk. The office is on the other side of the highway by the clubhouse and cabins. There is no WiFi access on the camping side of the highway, so I don’t know when this will get posted. It’s raining today, so I’m spending the time in the RV to type this up so I’ll have it ready to send when I get the chance. This is Spring Break week for all of Texas, so the resort is hopping with lots of families. Considering the all-day rain, I feel sorry for the ones camping in tents with a bunch of kids!
We took a trip around the area yesterday to guess where? Fredericksburg and Luckenbach! Yep, that’s the third time for me in less than a month! Mike and Shirley hadn’t been there, so I was happy to accompany them. We hit Luckenbach on a Saturday and it was a completely different experience from my previous two visits, which were both on Mondays. There were about 30-40 motorcycles, about as many cars, and two buses. The stage was open, with continuous live music, there were two outside bars open as well as the one inside, and there was a small store selling cowboy hats. The line at the cash register in the souvenir store was at least 10 people long all the time. I guess that the first experience, with many fewer people and a few guys informally jamming in the bar was a more quaint, unique experience, but this was fun, too.
Just lived through a terrific storm last night! There were tornado warnings along with large hail flash flood, and damaging wind warnings. We managed to avoid all those, but the rains were incredible. The little pond in our resort is now a lake, and is running over the earthen dam into the previously dry creek bed. No damage, but some pretty wet, dirty dogs.
Well, I think it’s time to head for home after this stop. I hear the snow is melting pretty fast and I sure miss the grandkids! It’ll be almost time for baseball and soccer by the time I get home. Since my next trip will be the Class B Rally in No. Carolina in May, I need time to regroup, clean the MUTT, and let the dogs have the freedom to roam the house instead of having only a 2 x 10-foot hall to walk in. But, hey, at least they haven’t had to walk through snow this winter!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Yee-Haw...I'm in Cowboy Country!
It’s been a fairly quiet time since the last post; I’ve stayed within about a 60-mile circle and have actually made a circle route. I left the RV Resort near Bourne and headed up to Fredericksburg again, visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War. I had stopped by there with Ron and Sally the first time around, but the Admiral Nimitz Museum was closed for renovation and was scheduled for reopening by the time I got back there. It was fascinating to this WW II buff. My interest started when I had to take a History class in college and chose WW II History. If you ever get the chance to visit the museum, allow several hours to really do it justice.
Leaving Fredericksburg, I drove up to Llano for a BBQ lunch at the highly-recommended Cooper’s BBQ Restaurant. The beef brisket was incredible! (Thanks for the tip, OTBiker!)
Since it was right on the way, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit Luckenbach again. It was much quieter this time…no singin’ cowboys! The chickens were the real entertainment. The chickens flew up in the trees, followed by the roosters, who chased each other until one of them was pushed off. They repeated this several times and then the three roosters had a crowing contest. They took positions about 20 feet apart, then took turns puffing up their throat feathers and letting loose with some really fowl yodels! This entire show played out within a few feet of the fascinated tourists…quite a show!
After Luckenbach, I went on to San Antonio to meet up with Mike and Shirley. We went into town the first evening to take the boat tour of the river and walk past the lit-up Alamo. The second day, we went out to breakfast to celebrate Shirley’s first Social Security check, then returned to the campground for a relaxing day and some very pleasant dog walks. The weather has been great the last couple weeks and as a result, the dogs are getting a lot of exercise and then lounging in their kennel outside. The third day in San Antonio we visited the Mexican Marketplace, doing some shopping then having lunch at a restaurant there. We next returned to the Alamo and this time toured the inside. It’s very moving to be standing on the site where so many people died. The same feeling I had when I visited Gettysburg.
I left San Antonio yesterday, following Mike and Shirley, and we are now camped at a campground in the dead center of nowhere. We went through the town of Bandera (the Cowboy Capital of the World), then drove for what seemed like hours through the kind of scenery you see in old westerns…you know, the guy crawling past cactus and tumbleweeds, calling out, “Water, water…” before collapsing. Anyway, we finally made it to the campground and probably won’t do much touring the next week, since the scenery is pretty monotonous. (And monochromatic, too.) If anything exciting happens, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, I’ll write again when I get back to civilization!
Leaving Fredericksburg, I drove up to Llano for a BBQ lunch at the highly-recommended Cooper’s BBQ Restaurant. The beef brisket was incredible! (Thanks for the tip, OTBiker!)
Since it was right on the way, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit Luckenbach again. It was much quieter this time…no singin’ cowboys! The chickens were the real entertainment. The chickens flew up in the trees, followed by the roosters, who chased each other until one of them was pushed off. They repeated this several times and then the three roosters had a crowing contest. They took positions about 20 feet apart, then took turns puffing up their throat feathers and letting loose with some really fowl yodels! This entire show played out within a few feet of the fascinated tourists…quite a show!
After Luckenbach, I went on to San Antonio to meet up with Mike and Shirley. We went into town the first evening to take the boat tour of the river and walk past the lit-up Alamo. The second day, we went out to breakfast to celebrate Shirley’s first Social Security check, then returned to the campground for a relaxing day and some very pleasant dog walks. The weather has been great the last couple weeks and as a result, the dogs are getting a lot of exercise and then lounging in their kennel outside. The third day in San Antonio we visited the Mexican Marketplace, doing some shopping then having lunch at a restaurant there. We next returned to the Alamo and this time toured the inside. It’s very moving to be standing on the site where so many people died. The same feeling I had when I visited Gettysburg.
I left San Antonio yesterday, following Mike and Shirley, and we are now camped at a campground in the dead center of nowhere. We went through the town of Bandera (the Cowboy Capital of the World), then drove for what seemed like hours through the kind of scenery you see in old westerns…you know, the guy crawling past cactus and tumbleweeds, calling out, “Water, water…” before collapsing. Anyway, we finally made it to the campground and probably won’t do much touring the next week, since the scenery is pretty monotonous. (And monochromatic, too.) If anything exciting happens, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, I’ll write again when I get back to civilization!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
When the Wind Blows…the MUTT will Rock!
I had a great week down in Mission, both with weather and the wonderful people there. The temperatures were in the 80s with lots of sunshine. I partook in most of the park events (pancake breakfast, pizza lunch, style show, coffee and donut morning,) and also got back together with Mike and Shirley for a trip around the area. We visited the Bentsen State Park where we walked our dogs and fortunately, didn’t meet any wild Javelinas. We went to the very small La Lomita Chapel built in the mid-1800s, then spent a fun couple of hours at “PePe’s on the River”, an outside bar/restaurant right on the Rio Grande. A couple Border Patrol officers pulled up to the dock in their boat and had lunch while we were there. I could write a whole entry just on the illegal immigrant problem down here, and maybe will sometime in the future. There are a lot of strong feelings among the residents down in the valley.
I left Mission Gardens on Feb. 21 and headed north. The weather that day in San Antonio (which I went through) got to 89 degrees! I arrived at the Top of the Hill RV Park and met up again with Sally and Ron. We were joined shortly by the other Rally RVers. The first night there, we were rocked throughout the night by incredible winds with gusts of 50 mph! Since we were perched on top of the hill, I was hoping everyone had their parking brakes firmly set! The weather for the most part, though, was very good...sunshine most of the days, and starry nights. There were four Class B vans during most of the rally time, a fifth joined us for one evening, and another for one night, leaving the next morning. We ate, went on a short road trip to Comfort, ate, visited, went to the store and bought more food, ate, and played a hard-fought game of dominoes. It was fun comparing notes on our various rigs and getting some great ideas for updates.
I have really enjoyed meeting a lot of wonderful people on this trip and seeing old friends again. RVing has to be the best way to meet people while traveling. Can you imagine making friends with people you meet in the parking lot of your motel, or walking down of the halls of a hotel? Almost without exception, RVers are friendly, helpful, and generous. Also, walking dogs around a campground initiates a lot of conversations, and is a great ice-breaker.
Ok, I’m off to bed and will be leaving in the morning for more adventures. Catch you later!
I left Mission Gardens on Feb. 21 and headed north. The weather that day in San Antonio (which I went through) got to 89 degrees! I arrived at the Top of the Hill RV Park and met up again with Sally and Ron. We were joined shortly by the other Rally RVers. The first night there, we were rocked throughout the night by incredible winds with gusts of 50 mph! Since we were perched on top of the hill, I was hoping everyone had their parking brakes firmly set! The weather for the most part, though, was very good...sunshine most of the days, and starry nights. There were four Class B vans during most of the rally time, a fifth joined us for one evening, and another for one night, leaving the next morning. We ate, went on a short road trip to Comfort, ate, visited, went to the store and bought more food, ate, and played a hard-fought game of dominoes. It was fun comparing notes on our various rigs and getting some great ideas for updates.
I have really enjoyed meeting a lot of wonderful people on this trip and seeing old friends again. RVing has to be the best way to meet people while traveling. Can you imagine making friends with people you meet in the parking lot of your motel, or walking down of the halls of a hotel? Almost without exception, RVers are friendly, helpful, and generous. Also, walking dogs around a campground initiates a lot of conversations, and is a great ice-breaker.
Ok, I’m off to bed and will be leaving in the morning for more adventures. Catch you later!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Mission TX keeps callin' me back
I’m back at the Mission campground for the third time, but since it’s been so long since I updated the blog, I’ll try to catch up in chronological order since this will be pretty long. I'll be adding some pictures soon, but wanted to get this posted now.
Feb. 7 Leaving the Valley
After spending a few nice quiet days at Mission Gardens, I said goodbye to all my new friends with promises to renew those friendships next year, then headed north on Hwy 281. The highway changes personality completely between the Rio Grande Valley and the ranch country to the north. Down in the valley there are palm trees in the median, then about 20 miles later mesquite trees start appearing along with the palms. The ratio of palms to mesquite gradually changes in favor of the mesquite for the next 20 miles, then becomes all mesquite. The other interesting thing was the road kill. In Minnesota, we’re used to seeing deer by the side of the road, but down here I’ve seen more dead coyotes than I ever saw deer in the same distance.
Along the way, I saw a caravan of riders on horseback and covered wagons pulled by mules. They were escorted along the highway by state troopers, and were playing and singing cowboy songs. If you travel north from the Valley, you have two possible routes: Hwy 281 or Hwy. 77. If you’re in a hurry, 77 is the best as there are fewer towns and some of those are bypassed. If you have more time, I highly recommend 281. It’s more interesting and has more history and personality. That’s just my opinion, of course.
I wanted to tour the King Ranch, but got there after the last tour of the day had departed. The ranch is 825,000 acres, an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Oh well, something to look forward to next year.
I arrived back in Port Aransas and got to take the dogs on one more beach walk. Pacer seems to revert back to her youth when her feet hit the sand, and the rest of us love it, too. After settling in at the County Park by the beach, I was picked up by Sam and Alice and we had a great visit at a local restaurant. That night I slept about 50 yards from the water’s edge and the sound of the surf was constant and LOUD! I woke up several times during the night and thought the noise was coming from a motor somewhere in the RV.
Feb.8 – Feb. 12 Traveling with Sally and Ron
After waking up in the morning to the sound of the surf, I took the ferry across to the mainland and headed north. I stopped again in Rockport and walked the same path along the wharfs that I did on my way south. I took the secondary road along the gulf before finally joining the traffic heading to Houston, where I met up with Sally and Ron at their friends’ house. We spent the night “camping” in the driveway, then headed to the big RV show at the Astrodome. I looked at some of the new RVs, dreaming of what could be and realizing that what already is, is not so bad. We spent that night at a campground in Katy, TX, where I managed to get attacked by chiggers, who decorated my legs with scores of VERY irritating bites. The intense itching lasted for three days, and only Benadryl lotion allowed me to get some sleep. There’s the silver lining for you Minnesotans suffering through the cold and snow: No bugs in the winter!
We traveled the next three days, stopping at several very interesting places, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro, a salsa factory, and a glass-blowing plant. We camped one night in the McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, where we were welcomed at the gate by a herd of deer, who just stood and watched us as we passed by.
During this stage of our journey I received very bad news from home: My daughter Shar’s mother-in-law passed away after a 15-month battle with lung cancer. I wish I could have been home to help the family through this difficult time, but you can never plan for something like this. My thoughts are with all of them, though, and I can’t wait to hug my grandchildren. One doesn’t realize how much those hugs mean until you don’t get them.
Feb. 13 – Feb. 14 In Cowboy Country
I had been told that the Hill Country was different than the Rio Grande Valley in that the Valley is very influenced by its proximity to Mexico and the very large number of Mexicans living and working there. The Hill Country on the other hand is what most Americans think of when they think of Texas. Lots of mesquite, tumbleweeds, and ranches. However, there’s also a large German influence there. We spent an afternoon in Fredericksburg, visiting the Veriens Kirche Museum, a reconstructed hexagon-shaped one-room church built in the mid-1800s, and having lunch at an authentic German restaurant. The food was pretty much what I remember having in Germany. I won’t comment beyond that.
Even though it’s one of those places that you have to experience yourself, I have to try and describe one of our stops – Luckenbach, TX. It’s not really a town…the sign says Population 3, but the locals say there is really only one person still in residence. We didn’t see any houses, though, so I’m not sure where the resident lives. The “town” consists of two buildings (plus a couple outbuildings). One is the dance hall, which was not in use when we were there. It’s one large room with a stage, large dance floor, and lots of wooden tables and benches. The other building really defies description, but I’ve never let that stop me. It’s labeled the Post Office, but hasn’t been one for years. The whole building isn’t more than about 20 feet by 50 feet, divided into two rooms. The front is a haphazard collection of souvenirs…thousands of them from bottle openers to guitars. It’s looked after by a real authentic-looking old cowboy, who told us stories about the town and its history. The back of the building is the bar, but not like any bar you’ve seen elsewhere. The atmosphere is so casual that the bartender walks around with the customers and checks occasionally to see if anyone wants another beer. There is one table, at which the guys with guitars sit while jamming with old CW tunes. Everyone else either stands around or sits on the long benches along the walls. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of hats contributed by visitors. We were given permission to spend the night in the parking lot and I awoke the next day to a flock of chickens walking around the van, cats chasing something I thankfully couldn’t see, and absolutely no other people except Sally and Ron. Luckenbach was quite a unique experience and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!
The next day we made the visit to Fredericksburg that I mentioned earlier, then went on to a campground near Bourne (pronounced Bernie). The temperature had been falling all day and the next morning was bitterly cold. (No comments, northerners.) The forecast for the next night was for a low of 28 degrees and the following night 22 degrees. I decided I really needed to go back down to the Valley, since the alternative was to drain my water tanks and blow out the pipes. Also, it was too cold to let the dogs sit outside, and we’d all have cabin fever before long. So I bailed and made the 270-mile trip back to Mission. I’ve renewed those friendships a few months earlier than I thought I would, and it’s nice to be back in the relative warmth. (Even though they’re talking about a possible dip below freezing tonight.)
Well, I’m finally up to date and hope to keep this more current from now on! Either that or not have anything worth reporting for a few days…
Feb. 7 Leaving the Valley
After spending a few nice quiet days at Mission Gardens, I said goodbye to all my new friends with promises to renew those friendships next year, then headed north on Hwy 281. The highway changes personality completely between the Rio Grande Valley and the ranch country to the north. Down in the valley there are palm trees in the median, then about 20 miles later mesquite trees start appearing along with the palms. The ratio of palms to mesquite gradually changes in favor of the mesquite for the next 20 miles, then becomes all mesquite. The other interesting thing was the road kill. In Minnesota, we’re used to seeing deer by the side of the road, but down here I’ve seen more dead coyotes than I ever saw deer in the same distance.
Along the way, I saw a caravan of riders on horseback and covered wagons pulled by mules. They were escorted along the highway by state troopers, and were playing and singing cowboy songs. If you travel north from the Valley, you have two possible routes: Hwy 281 or Hwy. 77. If you’re in a hurry, 77 is the best as there are fewer towns and some of those are bypassed. If you have more time, I highly recommend 281. It’s more interesting and has more history and personality. That’s just my opinion, of course.
I wanted to tour the King Ranch, but got there after the last tour of the day had departed. The ranch is 825,000 acres, an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Oh well, something to look forward to next year.
I arrived back in Port Aransas and got to take the dogs on one more beach walk. Pacer seems to revert back to her youth when her feet hit the sand, and the rest of us love it, too. After settling in at the County Park by the beach, I was picked up by Sam and Alice and we had a great visit at a local restaurant. That night I slept about 50 yards from the water’s edge and the sound of the surf was constant and LOUD! I woke up several times during the night and thought the noise was coming from a motor somewhere in the RV.
Feb.8 – Feb. 12 Traveling with Sally and Ron
After waking up in the morning to the sound of the surf, I took the ferry across to the mainland and headed north. I stopped again in Rockport and walked the same path along the wharfs that I did on my way south. I took the secondary road along the gulf before finally joining the traffic heading to Houston, where I met up with Sally and Ron at their friends’ house. We spent the night “camping” in the driveway, then headed to the big RV show at the Astrodome. I looked at some of the new RVs, dreaming of what could be and realizing that what already is, is not so bad. We spent that night at a campground in Katy, TX, where I managed to get attacked by chiggers, who decorated my legs with scores of VERY irritating bites. The intense itching lasted for three days, and only Benadryl lotion allowed me to get some sleep. There’s the silver lining for you Minnesotans suffering through the cold and snow: No bugs in the winter!
We traveled the next three days, stopping at several very interesting places, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro, a salsa factory, and a glass-blowing plant. We camped one night in the McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, where we were welcomed at the gate by a herd of deer, who just stood and watched us as we passed by.
During this stage of our journey I received very bad news from home: My daughter Shar’s mother-in-law passed away after a 15-month battle with lung cancer. I wish I could have been home to help the family through this difficult time, but you can never plan for something like this. My thoughts are with all of them, though, and I can’t wait to hug my grandchildren. One doesn’t realize how much those hugs mean until you don’t get them.
Feb. 13 – Feb. 14 In Cowboy Country
I had been told that the Hill Country was different than the Rio Grande Valley in that the Valley is very influenced by its proximity to Mexico and the very large number of Mexicans living and working there. The Hill Country on the other hand is what most Americans think of when they think of Texas. Lots of mesquite, tumbleweeds, and ranches. However, there’s also a large German influence there. We spent an afternoon in Fredericksburg, visiting the Veriens Kirche Museum, a reconstructed hexagon-shaped one-room church built in the mid-1800s, and having lunch at an authentic German restaurant. The food was pretty much what I remember having in Germany. I won’t comment beyond that.
Even though it’s one of those places that you have to experience yourself, I have to try and describe one of our stops – Luckenbach, TX. It’s not really a town…the sign says Population 3, but the locals say there is really only one person still in residence. We didn’t see any houses, though, so I’m not sure where the resident lives. The “town” consists of two buildings (plus a couple outbuildings). One is the dance hall, which was not in use when we were there. It’s one large room with a stage, large dance floor, and lots of wooden tables and benches. The other building really defies description, but I’ve never let that stop me. It’s labeled the Post Office, but hasn’t been one for years. The whole building isn’t more than about 20 feet by 50 feet, divided into two rooms. The front is a haphazard collection of souvenirs…thousands of them from bottle openers to guitars. It’s looked after by a real authentic-looking old cowboy, who told us stories about the town and its history. The back of the building is the bar, but not like any bar you’ve seen elsewhere. The atmosphere is so casual that the bartender walks around with the customers and checks occasionally to see if anyone wants another beer. There is one table, at which the guys with guitars sit while jamming with old CW tunes. Everyone else either stands around or sits on the long benches along the walls. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of hats contributed by visitors. We were given permission to spend the night in the parking lot and I awoke the next day to a flock of chickens walking around the van, cats chasing something I thankfully couldn’t see, and absolutely no other people except Sally and Ron. Luckenbach was quite a unique experience and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!
The next day we made the visit to Fredericksburg that I mentioned earlier, then went on to a campground near Bourne (pronounced Bernie). The temperature had been falling all day and the next morning was bitterly cold. (No comments, northerners.) The forecast for the next night was for a low of 28 degrees and the following night 22 degrees. I decided I really needed to go back down to the Valley, since the alternative was to drain my water tanks and blow out the pipes. Also, it was too cold to let the dogs sit outside, and we’d all have cabin fever before long. So I bailed and made the 270-mile trip back to Mission. I’ve renewed those friendships a few months earlier than I thought I would, and it’s nice to be back in the relative warmth. (Even though they’re talking about a possible dip below freezing tonight.)
Well, I’m finally up to date and hope to keep this more current from now on! Either that or not have anything worth reporting for a few days…
Friday, February 2, 2007
Staying in Spittin' Distance of Mexico
The really cold weather seems to be over (wait until I find some wood to knock on) but the clouds are hanging around. Much better than at home, though! As soon as you get away from the border, it cools down significantly. San Antonio is still having lows in the 30's, so I'm delaying that move north as long as possible. That seems to be next week, when I head to Houston to meet my friends, Sally and Ron. Until then I'll be staying in Mission.
I left here and headed to Brownsville, traveling on the farthest south road in Texas, Highway 281. It's called a highway, but is two narrow lanes all the way. It was much better than taking the expressway, because instead of seeing miles of Wal-Marts, chain restaurants, and strip malls, I got to see some of the real, predominately Mexican Texas. All of their cemetaries are decorated beautifully, with very colorful flowers on every grave, and huge ribbons all along the fence. I'll try to get a picture and post it here. There were a lot of cabbage fields, and sugar cane, which is being harvested right now.
I spent another week in Brownsville at a fantastic RV Park, Winter Haven. Three swimming pools, a big hot tub, and beautiful fountains in the Resacas. Of course, it was too cold to use the pools or hot tubs, but they really did look great! I traveled there with Mike and Shirley who hadn't been down this way before, so we did some touristy sight-seeing in the area. We went to Port Isabel three times, twice on our way to South Padre Island, and once to have dinner at a very good seafood restaurant. We also went to the Gladys Porter Zoo, which is rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the country. It was very nice, except for the exhibit of tarantulas, scorpions, and poisonous snakes. There's a saying that there are 2000 species of poisonous snakes and all of them are found in Texas.
A funny zoo story: Shirley and I were standing looking across a moat at some monkeys, and one of them had a lump on it's chest and some slashes across its back. I said,"Looks like it has a tumor on it," and she said, "I wonder if it had incisions for something." I looked closer and said, "You know, I think its carrying a baby!" Turns out the "tumor" was the baby's head, and the "slashes" were the arms and legs. We were practicaly rolling on the ground laughing!
We went into Nueve Progresso, Mexico on the way back to Mission and all the streets were full of the awful, slippery mud that forms from wet clay. We did have a very good meal at a restaurant the seemed very clean and was really popular with the tourists. It was the best meal I've had since leaving home, and none of us got sick! (Yet...)
Hasta Luego!
I left here and headed to Brownsville, traveling on the farthest south road in Texas, Highway 281. It's called a highway, but is two narrow lanes all the way. It was much better than taking the expressway, because instead of seeing miles of Wal-Marts, chain restaurants, and strip malls, I got to see some of the real, predominately Mexican Texas. All of their cemetaries are decorated beautifully, with very colorful flowers on every grave, and huge ribbons all along the fence. I'll try to get a picture and post it here. There were a lot of cabbage fields, and sugar cane, which is being harvested right now.
I spent another week in Brownsville at a fantastic RV Park, Winter Haven. Three swimming pools, a big hot tub, and beautiful fountains in the Resacas. Of course, it was too cold to use the pools or hot tubs, but they really did look great! I traveled there with Mike and Shirley who hadn't been down this way before, so we did some touristy sight-seeing in the area. We went to Port Isabel three times, twice on our way to South Padre Island, and once to have dinner at a very good seafood restaurant. We also went to the Gladys Porter Zoo, which is rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the country. It was very nice, except for the exhibit of tarantulas, scorpions, and poisonous snakes. There's a saying that there are 2000 species of poisonous snakes and all of them are found in Texas.
A funny zoo story: Shirley and I were standing looking across a moat at some monkeys, and one of them had a lump on it's chest and some slashes across its back. I said,"Looks like it has a tumor on it," and she said, "I wonder if it had incisions for something." I looked closer and said, "You know, I think its carrying a baby!" Turns out the "tumor" was the baby's head, and the "slashes" were the arms and legs. We were practicaly rolling on the ground laughing!
We went into Nueve Progresso, Mexico on the way back to Mission and all the streets were full of the awful, slippery mud that forms from wet clay. We did have a very good meal at a restaurant the seemed very clean and was really popular with the tourists. It was the best meal I've had since leaving home, and none of us got sick! (Yet...)
Hasta Luego!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Rainy Days and Mondays…and Tuesdays…and Wednesdays…
This weather is getting a little old, but there are a few highlights. I wandered into the pool room here, and the lone guy in there asked if I wanted to play…beat him three straight! (Full disclosure: He should have beat me the third game, but he scratched on the eight ball.) That night I played cards for more than 3 hours with other campers – lots of fun! The next night I played Bingo; I find that game really boring, and it's not just because I never won.
Yesterday in the constant downpour, I toured with a widow (Colette) I met at the card game who offered to take me around the area. We went to the LaBorde house in Rio Grande City, a restored 1880s mansion, which is now an inn, completely renovated with period furnishings. Next stop was the Los Ebanos Ferry, the last remaining hand-drawn ferry in the country. It crosses the Rio Grande River to Mexico, but is now grounded because of damage. The next very unique experience was visiting a “Ropa” (Spanish for clothing) and it defies description but I’ll give it a shot. It’s in a one-room building about the size of a football field with mounds of clothing as far as the eye can see. These mounds are 6 feet high and higher, and people climb on them searching for what they consider treasures. They’re tossing clothes over their shoulders as they frantically try to find those treasures. Against the walls of the building are huge bales of clothes that haven’t been opened yet. This is where most of the clothes you donate to the Veteran’s Administration, the Lupus Society, etc. end up. I have no interest in ever going back to one, but several people from this RV park go weekly.
The couple parked next to me (Mike and Shirley), who are from Blaine, have been great about inviting me along for shopping trips, and we’ve gone out to lunch a couple days together. We’ve decided to camp together the next couple weeks, in Brownsville for a few days, then back here in Mission for another week. If the weather hasn’t cleared up by then, I might have to start heading west towards Arizona. It’s cool there, but looks dry. It has been raining here nonstop since Tuesday night. Living in a closed-up Class B with 3 wet dogs makes my townhouse seem like a mansion!
Yesterday in the constant downpour, I toured with a widow (Colette) I met at the card game who offered to take me around the area. We went to the LaBorde house in Rio Grande City, a restored 1880s mansion, which is now an inn, completely renovated with period furnishings. Next stop was the Los Ebanos Ferry, the last remaining hand-drawn ferry in the country. It crosses the Rio Grande River to Mexico, but is now grounded because of damage. The next very unique experience was visiting a “Ropa” (Spanish for clothing) and it defies description but I’ll give it a shot. It’s in a one-room building about the size of a football field with mounds of clothing as far as the eye can see. These mounds are 6 feet high and higher, and people climb on them searching for what they consider treasures. They’re tossing clothes over their shoulders as they frantically try to find those treasures. Against the walls of the building are huge bales of clothes that haven’t been opened yet. This is where most of the clothes you donate to the Veteran’s Administration, the Lupus Society, etc. end up. I have no interest in ever going back to one, but several people from this RV park go weekly.
The couple parked next to me (Mike and Shirley), who are from Blaine, have been great about inviting me along for shopping trips, and we’ve gone out to lunch a couple days together. We’ve decided to camp together the next couple weeks, in Brownsville for a few days, then back here in Mission for another week. If the weather hasn’t cleared up by then, I might have to start heading west towards Arizona. It’s cool there, but looks dry. It has been raining here nonstop since Tuesday night. Living in a closed-up Class B with 3 wet dogs makes my townhouse seem like a mansion!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Tying up some loose ends...
I've been reminded that I forgot some information. First, my frig: Turns out, evidently it was all my ignorance. I packed things in there so tightly when I left home that the air couldn't circulate. The freezer was fine, and when I moved food around, so was the frig part. Whew...saved some money there! A few days later, the microwave conked out. That one was the outlet that it plugs into. The GFI button won't stay down and the outlet is mounted high in the back of a cabinet, so it won't be getting fixed during this trip. I bought a heavy-duty extension cord and I'm just it running it across the aisle when I need to use the microwave. Could have been worse...pretty much everything I eat gets nuked!
While I was staying in Brownsville, I took a day trip to Port Isabel to go up in the lighthouse, then made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go across the causeway to So. Padre Island. There's a Mexican Restaurant there that I really like and besides, it gave me a chance to walk the dogs on the beach again. Good food and a long walk to wear it off afterwards!
I also went to the Palm Sabel Bird Sanctuary, but it was a disappointment. Muddy paths, pesky bugs, and very few birds. I walked the path to the Rio Grande River and was amazed how easily illegal immigrants can get into TX. My neighbors here in the RV park went to a different wildlife area yesterday and saw a bunch of Mexicans run out of the woods, jump into two cars, and speed off down the road. There was a Border Patrol car just around the bend that missed the whole thing.
My new next-door neighbors here in Mission are from Blaine, MN and are really nice. They have taken me along a couple times when they've gone shopping, and we went out for lunch yesterday to a small, very "quaint" Mexican restaurant. (Define quaint as something that would never pass Health Department inspections in MN.)
I've made the decision to stay here at the Mission Gardens RV Park for the rest of the month. We had a beautiful, sunny, 70-degree day yesterday, but now we're back to 50s and drizzly weather for the next 5-6 days. I just don't feel like moving when the weather is bad. Only bad thing about this park is no cable and only two channels. When it's rainy, thing s like TV channels get more important!
While I was staying in Brownsville, I took a day trip to Port Isabel to go up in the lighthouse, then made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go across the causeway to So. Padre Island. There's a Mexican Restaurant there that I really like and besides, it gave me a chance to walk the dogs on the beach again. Good food and a long walk to wear it off afterwards!
I also went to the Palm Sabel Bird Sanctuary, but it was a disappointment. Muddy paths, pesky bugs, and very few birds. I walked the path to the Rio Grande River and was amazed how easily illegal immigrants can get into TX. My neighbors here in the RV park went to a different wildlife area yesterday and saw a bunch of Mexicans run out of the woods, jump into two cars, and speed off down the road. There was a Border Patrol car just around the bend that missed the whole thing.
My new next-door neighbors here in Mission are from Blaine, MN and are really nice. They have taken me along a couple times when they've gone shopping, and we went out for lunch yesterday to a small, very "quaint" Mexican restaurant. (Define quaint as something that would never pass Health Department inspections in MN.)
I've made the decision to stay here at the Mission Gardens RV Park for the rest of the month. We had a beautiful, sunny, 70-degree day yesterday, but now we're back to 50s and drizzly weather for the next 5-6 days. I just don't feel like moving when the weather is bad. Only bad thing about this park is no cable and only two channels. When it's rainy, thing s like TV channels get more important!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The only thing hot about Mexico today was the food...
I arrived at the Mission, TX RV Park on Monday, and haven't hardly got out of the rig since. It rained all the way here from Brownsville, then turned bitterly cold (for Texas) that night. I got up several times during the night those first couple days to run the water through the pump so neither it nor the pipes would freeze. I draped my sleeping bag over Rave and Pacer's kennels so they wouldn't freeze, and cuddled up with Wink under the comforter. Taking the dogs out in the morning was a real treat! I got a kick out of the Mission newspaper yesterday: the weather forecast said, "High 38, Low 38." The really cold weather has passed, but now the rain's moving in again. I'm getting to read a lot and watch lots of TV on the only two channels available. (As though I couldn't do that if I were home!)
I went to the Park's pancake breakfast yesterday and met a very nice lady from Indiana who invited me to join her and her husband on their drive to Mexico today. He had a dentist appointment down there and she welcomed some walking-around company while he was in the chair. We walked around saying "No, thanks" about a thousand times to the vendors, had some coffee and a pastry at the panaceria, then visited one of the many pharmacies. Did you know you can get almost all your drugs without prescription in Mexico? That worked out well for me, since my doctor won't renew one of mine until I visit her again. I bought enough to last me until I get back in MN.
Don't know what's next on my itinerary, but keep checking in !
I went to the Park's pancake breakfast yesterday and met a very nice lady from Indiana who invited me to join her and her husband on their drive to Mexico today. He had a dentist appointment down there and she welcomed some walking-around company while he was in the chair. We walked around saying "No, thanks" about a thousand times to the vendors, had some coffee and a pastry at the panaceria, then visited one of the many pharmacies. Did you know you can get almost all your drugs without prescription in Mexico? That worked out well for me, since my doctor won't renew one of mine until I visit her again. I bought enough to last me until I get back in MN.
Don't know what's next on my itinerary, but keep checking in !
Saturday, January 13, 2007
The Hot and Not-so-Cold of it
January 11-12
It’s been getting warmer outside every day, but unfortunately, so is the temperature inside my refrigerator. It quit working yesterday morning, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it. I stopped at an RV Service place, but they said I’ll probably need to replace either the cooling unit or the whole frig. I checked with Leisure Travel about warranty info, and they said I need to go directly to the frig manufacturer. I’m working on that now.
The couple working at the Brownsville RV Park I’m staying at are very nice and let me put all my frozen food in their freezer. I put a couple pans of ice in the frig and that seems to be holding the temp pretty well. The couple works in this park 5 months of the year, then works at another park in MN, north of Rochester another 5 months in the summer. They were so happy to meet another Minnesotan that when I asked for a recommendation for an authentic Mexican restaurant in town, they invited me to join them for dinner. We went to a small but very good place not too far from here and were served by a waitress that spoke VERY little English. She had to go get someone else a couple of times to translate. Tonight there’s a Chili Feed at the park recreation center, and a pancake breakfast tomorrow morning. Just $3 for each! At this rate, who needs a frig?
January 13
I’m still in Brownsville, leaving tomorrow for points west, but not too far west. I have reservations in Mission TX for next Monday through Friday morning. There’s a big Camping World in Mission, so maybe I can get my frig repairs done there. If not, I might buy a small cooler that plugs into the DC power outlet (previously called a cigarette lighter). I won’t be able to carry much food and will have to eat out more. That’s not all bad!
The high today is supposed to be 81 degrees, but it’s raining so it doesn’t feel that warm, just muggy. Right after the rain, the cold weather moves in…high of 40 and low of 33 forecast for Wednesday! An almost 50-degree spread in three days…sounds more like MN.
It’s been getting warmer outside every day, but unfortunately, so is the temperature inside my refrigerator. It quit working yesterday morning, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it. I stopped at an RV Service place, but they said I’ll probably need to replace either the cooling unit or the whole frig. I checked with Leisure Travel about warranty info, and they said I need to go directly to the frig manufacturer. I’m working on that now.
The couple working at the Brownsville RV Park I’m staying at are very nice and let me put all my frozen food in their freezer. I put a couple pans of ice in the frig and that seems to be holding the temp pretty well. The couple works in this park 5 months of the year, then works at another park in MN, north of Rochester another 5 months in the summer. They were so happy to meet another Minnesotan that when I asked for a recommendation for an authentic Mexican restaurant in town, they invited me to join them for dinner. We went to a small but very good place not too far from here and were served by a waitress that spoke VERY little English. She had to go get someone else a couple of times to translate. Tonight there’s a Chili Feed at the park recreation center, and a pancake breakfast tomorrow morning. Just $3 for each! At this rate, who needs a frig?
January 13
I’m still in Brownsville, leaving tomorrow for points west, but not too far west. I have reservations in Mission TX for next Monday through Friday morning. There’s a big Camping World in Mission, so maybe I can get my frig repairs done there. If not, I might buy a small cooler that plugs into the DC power outlet (previously called a cigarette lighter). I won’t be able to carry much food and will have to eat out more. That’s not all bad!
The high today is supposed to be 81 degrees, but it’s raining so it doesn’t feel that warm, just muggy. Right after the rain, the cold weather moves in…high of 40 and low of 33 forecast for Wednesday! An almost 50-degree spread in three days…sounds more like MN.
Down the Gulf Coast
January 9-10
After a nice night at the Victoria, TX Wal-Mart, I spent a nice leisurely day driving down to Port Aransas. I spent a couple hours in Rockport, walking the dogs along the fishing wharfs and smelling the wonderful smells coming from the seafood restaurants. (And I don’t even care for seafood!) I went across to Port Aransas on the ferry and found an RV Park just a few blocks from the house of my friends, Sam and Alice. I joined them and Alice’s mother that afternoon for a good homemade dinner before returning to the park and watching my favorite TV shows before going to bed. (I’m really roughing it, aren’t I?)
The next day was the long and unscenic drive down to the Mexican border towns. Check out the map sometime and look at the stretch between Corpus Christi and Harlingen. Except for Kingsville, it’s miles and miles of nothing. There’s a sign south of Kingsville that lets people know there are no fuel stops for 60 miles. I’m staying in Harlingen tonight and going even farther south tomorrow.
After a nice night at the Victoria, TX Wal-Mart, I spent a nice leisurely day driving down to Port Aransas. I spent a couple hours in Rockport, walking the dogs along the fishing wharfs and smelling the wonderful smells coming from the seafood restaurants. (And I don’t even care for seafood!) I went across to Port Aransas on the ferry and found an RV Park just a few blocks from the house of my friends, Sam and Alice. I joined them and Alice’s mother that afternoon for a good homemade dinner before returning to the park and watching my favorite TV shows before going to bed. (I’m really roughing it, aren’t I?)
The next day was the long and unscenic drive down to the Mexican border towns. Check out the map sometime and look at the stretch between Corpus Christi and Harlingen. Except for Kingsville, it’s miles and miles of nothing. There’s a sign south of Kingsville that lets people know there are no fuel stops for 60 miles. I’m staying in Harlingen tonight and going even farther south tomorrow.
Monday, January 8, 2007
The Journey Begins...
With my temporary filling in place, I left home Saturday night at 9:30, drove all night until 6:00 am, drove all day on Sunday, and am now in Waco Texas. It's darn cold in these southern states! I woke up to 25 degrees the last two days, but it's almost 60 here today.However, a cold front is on its way the end of the week, so I'm heading down to the Rio Grande Valley.
Pretty routine trip so far, except for witnessing a bad accident on the freeway in Kansas. About a half-mile ahead of me, a large extended cab pick-up pulling a very long trailer side-swiped a car on his left side, then over-corrected, going out of control and jack-knifing, flipping his trailer and smashing into some trees off to the right of the freeway. By the time I got there, there were cars stopped on both sides of the freeway and people were running all over. After creeping past the scene, I kept going, figuring there were enough witnesses a lot closer than I had been, and I'd be useless at first-aid. Sobering experience, though.
Today in Waco I took a long walk with the dogs along the river walk, then went to the Dr. Pepper Museum. Tonight, I'm planning on staying in Victoria, then going to the gulf tomorrow. The MUTT is still humming along like the quality machine it is. Keep those fingers crossed for me!
Pretty routine trip so far, except for witnessing a bad accident on the freeway in Kansas. About a half-mile ahead of me, a large extended cab pick-up pulling a very long trailer side-swiped a car on his left side, then over-corrected, going out of control and jack-knifing, flipping his trailer and smashing into some trees off to the right of the freeway. By the time I got there, there were cars stopped on both sides of the freeway and people were running all over. After creeping past the scene, I kept going, figuring there were enough witnesses a lot closer than I had been, and I'd be useless at first-aid. Sobering experience, though.
Today in Waco I took a long walk with the dogs along the river walk, then went to the Dr. Pepper Museum. Tonight, I'm planning on staying in Victoria, then going to the gulf tomorrow. The MUTT is still humming along like the quality machine it is. Keep those fingers crossed for me!
Monday, January 1, 2007
Fate takes a "bite" out of my travels!
The New Year is not starting out very well...
This morning while eating my breakfast toast, a chunk of my tooth broke off! This is the tooth I had complained about to the dentist a couple months ago, and he said he couldn't see anything wrong with it. Time for a new dentist? Anyway, in addition to having a very bad toothache and living on oatmeal and warm milk, I'm probably going to have to delay the start of my journey, which I was planning for this Friday (1/5). I don't know if I'll end up with an extraction, a cap, and/or a root canal. Probably a cap, in my very inexpert estimation.
I don't have dental insurance, so this also takes a big bite out of my travel finances. At least I'll be saving on my grocery bill...oatmeal and milk are cheaper than my normal frozen dinners. I had bought a nice big steak yesterday for my New Year's dinner; guess that will be going in the freezer now!
I'm sure everyone will anxiously await more dental news later this week. (;>) Stay tuned for "As the Molar Burns"...
This morning while eating my breakfast toast, a chunk of my tooth broke off! This is the tooth I had complained about to the dentist a couple months ago, and he said he couldn't see anything wrong with it. Time for a new dentist? Anyway, in addition to having a very bad toothache and living on oatmeal and warm milk, I'm probably going to have to delay the start of my journey, which I was planning for this Friday (1/5). I don't know if I'll end up with an extraction, a cap, and/or a root canal. Probably a cap, in my very inexpert estimation.
I don't have dental insurance, so this also takes a big bite out of my travel finances. At least I'll be saving on my grocery bill...oatmeal and milk are cheaper than my normal frozen dinners. I had bought a nice big steak yesterday for my New Year's dinner; guess that will be going in the freezer now!
I'm sure everyone will anxiously await more dental news later this week. (;>) Stay tuned for "As the Molar Burns"...
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