Dec. 26, 2009

From the KOA Fairplex RV Park, Pamona, CA, N34º5.306’ W117º45.824’
This trip is a rally with Adventure Caravans to see the Rose Parade. We left Las Vegas at about 10AM and got to the RV park at about 3PM. This is a typical older KOA park with very narrow streets and not much space between sites. We are in the space right next to where the staff has set up registration. We met a few of the staff and registered, even though the activities don’t start until Monday afternoon.
After getting set up and registered we went to visit Todd and family in Long Beach. We last saw Todd, Jeannette, Emma and Wyatt when we started or long trip in June. Emma hasn’t changed but Wyatt is taller and slimmer and talks a lot more now.
After supper we exchange gifts. Emma loves swirly dresses so she got a princess dress. Wyatt seemed to enjoy a truck and car set that we bought for him in Hershey, PA. Emma and Wyatt gave us ornaments they had made from sea shells picked up in Mexico.
This was the last of Christmas for us since we had already been with the families in Las Vegas and Reno

Dec. 25, 2009

From Las Vegas, NV.
On the evening of the 21st we got to visit with Kayla our oldest G-person. She didn't get to Reno until after 9PM. Another early exchange of gifts. We will see her again in June when she graduates from college.
During the early morning hours we noticed it was getting cold in the RV. By 6:30 AM it was down to 48 degrees. We got up and ran into the house to get warm. Turns out one propane tank had run out. I didn’t know anything about switching tanks. Our RV has a 32 gallon propane tank and the furnaces run on diesel fuel. We got to visit again before leaving for Las Vegas.
The trip home was uneventful except places where snow drifted across the highway and formed ice. There were a lot of plows out so we had no problem. It was snowing off and on between Indian Springs and the Mount Charleston turnoff, but the road was dry.
Between Beatty and Las Vegas I realized I was catching a cold.
I went to bed not long after getting home and for all intents and purposes didn't venture far from bed until Christmas morning.
A planned dinner and gift exchange with Curtis' family and Gerri's mom had to be cancelled. It's on again for tonight.
Tomorrow we leave for Pomona and a RV rally including the Rose Parade.
We hope to complete Christmas with the kids and grandkids with visiting Todd and his family before our activities start.

Dec.20, 2009

From N399⁰44.11' W119⁰45.56’
We are really roughing it. Kathleen didn't have a coffee maker in the RV. The girls brought us some and saved the morning. I was really cold during the night and we had no water. I the tank gauge read empty. When I talked to Scott, he told me had just filled the tank Saturday afternoon. We did some checking and found a tghat the casing for the water filter had cracked. Probably from a hard freeze a week or so ago. Scott had drained the tanks but not the entire system. Nothing to do about it on Sunday, so we will keep roughing it. Gerri and Kathleen went into Reno to finish last minute shopping. The borught home pizza to bake for supper. After supper we had an early gift exchange since we leave to go back to Las Vegas on Tuesday. The girls gave a piano recital before opening gifts, each one playing three Christmas songs. After gifts hot chocolate was served.
I was much warmer during the night, when we retire dto the RV there was a cold wind blowing north but it was warm enough tht the snow was still melting.
Kayla comes in from Seattle tomorrow evening, so we will have another Christmas party then.

Dec. 19, 2009

From the corner of Argonaut and Matterhorn. Near Reno, NV
Well the Barker's are on the move again. We aren't in the motorhome this time. We drove the new Lincoln to Scott and Kathleen's. Their guest bedrooms are a fifth wheel. Very nice quarters.
This was the first trip with the new car. We bought a 2010 Lincoln MKT last week. It's a new crossover from Lincoln. I know I swore off Ford ownership after we had a 1988 Lincoln Continental. But with Chrysler or GM I have to pay with taxes for the bailout and the purchase price. At least this way I only pay once. The Lincoln is a little larger than the Cadillac SRX we had for five years. It has a third row of seats which will come in handy when we have the G-people with us.
The drive from Reno was mostly unremarkable. We got up at about 5:30AM and left the house at 7. This after the family Christmas party and cleanup which lasted until about 12:30AM. I went to sleep after trying to learn something about the audio and navigation systems. I woke up at Beatty to the sight of snow all around and it was with us the rest of the way. We gassed up in Hawthorne and I took over driving. North of Schurz and south of Fallon we ran into what looked like fog. Visibility was reduced to less than a quarter mile and only white could be seen looking out the side windows. It wasn't really fog, but water crystals suspended in the air. It is a fairly common phenomenon called Pogonip. The bushes and trees we could see from the road were covered with ice, it looked like a scene from Dr. Zhivago.
The drive from Reno was mostly unremarkable. We got up at about 5:30AM and left the house at 7. This after the family Christmas party and cleanup which lasted until about 12:30AM. I went to sleep after trying to learn something about the audio and navigation systems. I woke up at Beatty to the sight of snow all around and it was with us the rest of the way. We gassed up in Hawthorne and I took over driving. North of Schurz and south of Fallon we ran into what looked like fog. Visibility was reduced to less than a quarter mile and only white could be seen looking out the side windows. It wasn't really fog, but water crystals suspended in the air. It is a fairly common phenomenon called Pogonip. The bushes and trees we could see from the road were covered with ice, it looked like a scene from Dr. Zhivago. The temperature had dropped from 44 in Hawthorne to 26.
When we got to Scott and Kathleen’s there was still a couple of inches of snow on the ground and piles everywhere where roads had been plowed. We will be here until Tuesday. I have to be back in Las Vegas for doctor appointments on the 23rd and 24th.
We had a great evening catching up, we hadn't seen this part of the family since last Thanksgiving.

Nov. 30, 2009

From Las Vegas, Nevada.
It's been awhile since I posted. We have been at the house in Las Vegas for a little over a week. Not much happening of note. I did have good news from my doctor's visits. My eyes are doing well no shots needed to hold off the macular degeneration. There was no change in my kidney function so the doctor reduced my prednisone dosage. I see my urologist tomorrow.
there are good things about being at the house; Grandkids, Grandkids and our Church Family.
I have noticed it's a lot further from the bed to the bathroom, an important trip for us old guys. The house being larger gathers more dust faster than the motorhome.
The frenzy starts soon. Decorating for Christmas. We ordered a new tree and it should be here later this week.
Before we left this summer we sold Gerri's Cadillac. Now we are car shopping, she has her eye on a Lincoln MKT. I swore off Fords in 1988 due to problems with a Lincoln Continental we had for two years. It wasn't the car so much as the dealer's service. I won't consider a foreign brand, even ones built in this country. GM and Chrysler are out of the question. Buying one of those brands means I pay twice and would validate both their bad business practices and the government bailout.
I still have the power reel problem to resolve with the coach. Other than that no problems, life is good.

I don't know what newspaper this was in, but it's clever:
From today's letters to the editor:
I don't understand why the White House is so upset about the two party crashers at Barack Obama's steak dinner the other night. Is it really appropriate and politically correct to call them party crashers just because they trespassed on Mr. Obama? Does that make them criminals? Isn't that discrimination? Shouldn't they be rewarded for such bold and brave behavior? Maybe they were just trying to feed their family? I would suggest that it's more appropriate to call them "undocumented guests." Just because they weren't officially invited doesn't mean they should be treated like criminals. Maybe they should get free health care, free housing, free legal services and free White House green cards so next time they can enter legally. And they should be able to bring all of their relatives and family members, too. How can Mr. Obama be mad at them just because they crossed over some arbitrary man-made border? They were there only to do the things that regularly invited guests didn't want to do. (Like hang out with Joe Biden.) How can the White House punish these poor oppressed undocumented visitors?
Brian K. Shoemake

Nov. 20, 2009

From Las Vegas, Nevada.
Day 153, the last.
The weather in Tucson was perfect for sleeping. But since we had about 430 miles to go, we got underway at about nine.
Headed toward Phoenix, the road was good and like I said yesterday this coach runs effortlessly at 75 mph. This was the easiest drive I have ever had through Phoenix to pick up US-93 to Las Vegas. It has always amazed me that no Interstate connecting these two cities. Actually there has been a lot of work on 93 north of Phoenix, it may be four lane divided in 10 or 20 years.
We stopped for dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Kingman, Az. This is the closest one to Las Vegas so we indulged ourselves.
A short jaunt on I-40 brought us back to US-93. The road is now under construction from the Lake Mead Recreation Area boundary to the dam. It looks like it will be four lane divided all the way to Kingman about the same time the bridge downstream from the dam is completed. The check point has moved from the old rest stop to about where the road to Kingman Wash is. The stop and inspection didn’t take five minutes and sure beats going through Laughlin to get to Las Vegas.
By the time we got across the dam it was dark. We got to Henderson just in time for rush hour traffic. The coach may be a dream to drive on the highway but I don’t like the stop and go especially in the dark. It was slow all the way to the house
We got to the house at about 6 PM. A little while later Curt and Dana brought the kids over. We really missed them and enjoyed a couple of hours of them tearing through the house.
We didn’t do much in the way of unloading. We will leave that for other days.
I doon’t know if I will keep up the Blog daily now that we are off the road. The next week or two will be just doctor appointments and getting squared away.
Our next planned trip is to the Rose Parade.
I love to travel, but Home Is Nevada.

Nov. 19, 2009

From the Voyager RV Resort, Tucson, AZ. N32° 5.633 W 110º 50.332.
What a noisy night at the rest stop. I must have slept some but not much. The trucks on the Interstate were very loud. The ones driving through the rest stop were even noisier. Then tere are the ones in the rest stp that don't buy thier own fuel, and leave the engine running.
We were up and out of there before 8:30 AM. One thing about Texas, the speed limit was 75 mph until we got to El Paso County where it dropped to 65. I don’t know about fuel consumption but this machine we call home will run effortlessly at 75 and without wind is a dream to drive. Engine load seldom reaches 60% except on steep hills. Passing into New Mexico and then Arizona the desert landscape I love flowed by in an unending panorama. For as little sleep I had last night, I wasn’t as tired as I expected.
By five we were in the Tucson area, Gerri spotted a billboard for Voyager RV Resort at exit 270. The bill board claimed it has top rating in the country. Funny I never heard of it. When we turned in a gate guard greeted us and directed us to the check in area. The registration area looked like a hotel lobby. I could hear the couple ahead of us give information and be charge $55 for the night. They were driving a Class C motorhome with no towed car. They also took a back in spot. I don’t know what I said that was different, I got a pull though site and they charged me $39. Another guard escorted us to our site and guided me in. The park is extensive. There are RV sites, Park Models and what looked like apartments, there is also a grocery store and a restuarant.
Anyway we were set up and relaxing by 5:45. The rest of the evening was relaxing and watching TV.

Nov. 18, 2009

From a Rest stop along I-10, just east of Van Horn, Texas. N 31° 2.527 W 104º 45.267.
We got started from Paul and Ann’s house in Spring Branch, Texas at about 10 AM. It was only few miles before the adventure began. When I was planning the route the DeLorme program showed the route to be US-281 north to US-90 near Johnson City and then west to I-10. The Gremlin showed a turn on Texas FM 473. I took to turn. Not a bad road but a lot of curves and dips. The coach suspension got areal work out what with the load shifting so often. We intersected I-10 at Comfort. The route was shorter but I’m not so sure about quicker.
As we left Hill Country in the afternoon, I noticed a jagged purple line on the horizon. Mountains at last. It made me very comfortable when we got further west and I could see mountains near with rows of taller ones in the distance. Of course the landscape turning form trees and other green foliage to desert brown with muted green helped me feel more at home every mile. I love the desert, the bare craggy mountains and the chaparral.
The Gremlin acted up again just before we got to the intersection with I-20. It gave directions to turn north, but I know this road and didn’t fall for it this time.
I drove until about 5 PM. We stopped for the night at a rest stop on I-10. It’s pretty close to the Interstate with traffic noise, but we will get some sleep and make an early start in the morning. We had a pretty sunset with the few clouds making bands of goldish orange. As it got darker we could see the lights of Van Horn a few miles away.
We should be out of Texas before noon tomorrow.

Nov. 17, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
This is our last full day at the Conner’s Ranchita. After Coffee I went to Walgreens for a prescription. Afterwards I did seven geocaches in the area of Paul’s house. They were all in a series named after governors of Texas
Today is pauls birthday so we were invited over for supper. Jim and Vivian Boylan were the other guests. Ann had fixed beer can chicken. And of course we had corn, on the cob this time. The corn has become a joke. We sometimes call Paul Corner instead of Conner because of his taste for corn at every meal.
A pleasant evening topped off by a little on line time, Facebook for Gerri and WoW for Paul and me.
I went to bed at about 11:15, hoping to get under way in the morning by 10 AM, I hev to get fuel before going too far.

Nov.16, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
We hadquite a light show with thunder and rain about 2:00 AM. The wind blew most of the day and it was the coldest day we have seen in Texas.
Pretty lazy day. I got a couple more reoccurring payments switched over to the new Master Card. We are having trouble with the Cox SMPT server again. I did set up a Hughes.net account so if you get e-mail with server don't be surprised, We can sent through Hughes but if we try to reply ton e-mail sent to us at our Cox addresses, the reply won't send. We'll see what happens when we leave her.
we went for supper at Milagro's Mexican Restaurant. They don't have an extensive menu but what the serve is excellent.
Back at the coach; Gerri resumed Facebook, Glenna read and watched TV and I played WoW on line with Paul.

Nov. 15, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
Today was the day we planned to pick up my mother in Corpus Christi. We got up a little earlier than usual and were on the road around eight. Corpus is abot 190 miles. The terrain changes from the hill country to thick brush and then the coastal plain. I tought Indiana was flat untill were got close to Corpus. Gerri drove all the way and I napped most of the way. When we left spring Branch the GPS couldn't find my Uncle Curtis' address so I had just entered the city. We got to Corpus Christi at about 11:30 and stopped at a Cracker Barrel. I called but got a recording, they were in church. Gerri shopped until the call was returned. After getting the directions it only took a few minutes to get to the house. The problem with the address was the street is private property. Once I had the address of the complex it was a piece of cake.
During their visit the sisters had played bowling on the Wii game. Aunt Gloria demonstrated the bowing game and others on Wii. Guess what we aregetting for Christmas.
After lunch we gassed up and headed back to hill country. Gerri started driving, afetr about a hundred miles I took over so she could nap in my place. Gerri always says that when I drive the Jeep I jerk a lot. I tried to not be jerky and must have done ok. She slept most of the way to San Antonio.
We got back to Pual and Ann's about seven. After some TV and computertime we retired. As is her habit Glenna read for awhile before turning things off and going to bed.

Nov. 14, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
Not much going on today. Paul went to a meeting and ride on an Air Force C-5. Ann Was busy and gone all morning.
We have been here a little over a week with no sewer hookup, So Gerri and I rolled everything up and drove to a nearby RV Park and dumped the tanks.
After Paul got home, he had a couple of delays which made him several hours late, we went to the San Marcos Veteran’s Day Dinner and Hanger Dance. So called because the event is held in the hanger of what used to be called the Confederate Air Force. Due to political correctness they were forced to change the name to the Commemorative Air Force. They had old airplanes on display but it was dark by the time we got there. Actually we arrived at a good time for supper, the lines were over and we were served quickly. The hanger has a WW II museum, mostly items related to flying. The event was a fund raiser for the CAF and included a silent auction. Of course there was a band playing music from the forties and a jitter bug contest. W got back home at about ten and I plan to hit the sack early. Tomorrow we make a whirlwind drive to Corpus Christi and back to pick up Glenna.

Nov. 13, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
I started my day in a way that I shouldn’t have. I received our mail yesterday. On of the prices paid for our lifestyle is late mail. Many full time and part time RV’ers use some type of mail forwarding service. Our arrangement is that our daughter-in-law, Dana, bundles the mail up and sends it to us when we give her an address where we can receive mail. In our case the mail is sometimes over a month old when we get it. Most of our reoccurring bills are either paid either by the bill payer service I set up at our credit union or applied automatically to one a credit card. In the case of the credit union I am notified by he mail when one of the payments I have scheduled goes out. With the credit card I go on line and check what has been charged, I usually do this every couple of days. Most of the bills we get in the mail forwarded by Dana are already taken care of. Others like medical co-payments have a small balance owing, which I go on line and pay with either bank draft or credit card. A problem comes up when the payment is made after a second notice has been sent before they receive the payment. Going through the mail this morning consisted mainly of verifying that I had paid or making the payments. Two of the letters this morning were from the ambulance company in Las Vegas, another salvo in the battle that started in early April when we had to fly my mother from Mexico to Las Vegas by air ambulance. We paid, and dearly, with a company to transport her from the hospital in Cabo San Lucas to Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas. Apparently that company has never paid the company in Las Vegas for the last leg from Henderson to the hospital. So far the battle as been cordial and only a little annoying. Of course it may heat up. I topped of this exciting morning by reconciling our credit card accounts.
Around noon Paul took me to a Comal County yard where he picked up a load of mulch for the trails he has constructed around his property. He got about four yards and it’s free. Landscaper and others who clear brush and trees drop them off at the yard and a county crew grinds it all into a mulch. The interesting part of this is that the person dropping the stuff off pays a fee, the person picking it up doesn’t. This oversight probably won’t continue for long.
After lunch Paul and I drove down the road to check out an RV park. The one thing we don’t have at his place is a sewer dump. It’s been over a week, all you RV’ers know what that means, and we will be here until Wednesday morning. The closest park is about eight miles and they only want seven bucks to dump. It’s an easy in and out. So you know what my morning chore will be tomorrow. I am considering buy Paul one of those blue tanks on wheels, then I could use it to wheel our waste over to his septic tank. Mmm, is that really a present for Paul?
Now the fun part and one of the reasons we love to travel. In the evening we went over to Bulverde to visit Gerri’s old friend Bernadette. I don’t mean she is old, but that Gerri has known her since before we were married. After a pleasant visit and catching up on happening in both families we went for supper at a nearby restaurant. Pappa Gallo’s is a family owned Mexican restaurant. Not long on ambiance but very good food served hot and fresh. After supper we returned to their house for a much unneeded but delicious dessert with coffee.
We got home about 10 PM. Sean called and wanted me to play World of Warcraft with him. Since it is a Friday night he gets to stay up till 10 o’clock, Reno time. By the time it was his bedtime my eyes were really dropping and I went straight to bed.
For Friday the 13th it was a very good day. I should have noted the date before I started with the mail.

From Spring Branch, Texas.
This morning I puttered around on the computer. I went with Paul to his Kiwanis Club meeting With Paul and a friend, Clay Blanton. On the drive to the meeting we learned that Clay retired form a high position with Caterpillar Equipment. I ask him if had known Jim Cashman who ran the Caterpillar Equipment in Las Vegas. What a small world to find a stranger in the middle of Texas with common acquaintances. I phrased the question as had known because Jim died several years ago with a sudden heart attack.
We had a good lunch at the club meeting. The restaurant, Anchor’s Landing is on the opposite side of Canyon Lake in Startzville. The speakers included a group of young ladies from Canyon Lake High School who were part a group at the school involved in community service. The two ladies that spoke were very impressive. After the meeting Paul showed Clay around his place and I gave him the nickel tour of our coach before driving him home.
While we were at the meeting Gerri had left on an errand to Walgreen’s to pick up prescriptions. The closest Walgreen’s is about forty miles away. She got back and I ask if all my prescription came in. With a surprised look she admitted that she had picked up her and my Mom’s but forgot about mine. So it was back to Walgreen’s. The trip took longer this time, she got stuck in rush hour traffic coming out of San Antonio on S-281.
Before supper Paul demonstrated his potato gun off their back porch. The potato gun is basically a long piece of PVC for a barrel, a larger PVC combustion chamber with a screw on cap and an igniter from a BBQ grill. The potato is forced down the barrel, then he uses a shot of aerosol carburetor cleaner in the combustion chamber, screws the cap, aims and ignites. The piece of potato goes about a hundred yard if everything is timed right. Then the potato becomes deer food.
Paul and Ann prepared a spaghetti dinner for my birthday. Does anyone remember an old antacid where the guy says, “Thatsa some a spicy a meatball?” These were spicy but just right.
I got a lot of calls today from friends and family with happy birthday wishes. I could believe how many of my ”friends” from Facebook sent me greetings. A fine day except for the reminder that I am advancing into old age. By the way, I have pushed the threshold of what constitute old age further up the age scale.

Nov. 11, 2009

Another beautiful day in hill country. Thank you Texas for the great weather. The days have been warm, the nights perfect for sleeping with a light blanket.
I did nine geocaches in the middle of the day. Saw a lot of the countryside. After a relaxing afternoon we got ready to go to the Riverwalk in San Antonio for supper. It’s about forty miles and we were glad we were going in instead of coming out. Why do we call it rush hour, no one was going north very fast.
We walked around for awhile deciding on a restaurant. The host or whatever at all the restaurants comes out to the sidewalk with menus trying to get you into their place. The only other US city I have seen this is New Orleans, it’s common in Mexico.
We decided on a Mexican restaurant named “The Original Mexican Restaurant.” They claim to be the oldest in San Antonio. We are a pretty boring group, after the waiters description we all ordered the chili rellenos dinner. It was a lot of food. Two chili rellenos with rice, beans and squash. This restaurant doesn’t batter the rellenos and fry them. They stuff them with seasoned meat, one with chicken the other with beef, and bake them in a red sauce.
Being stuffed made it hard to stay awake on the ride back to Spring Branch. We retired to the motorhome. After checking my e-mail, Paul and I played World of Warcraft for a couple of hours.
Like I said in the beginning the weather was perfect for sleeping.

Nov. 10, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
Another gorgeous day in hill country. Paul and Ann had a golf tournament and meeting during the day. Ken and Sylvia Harwood came up from San Antonio. We went to a bar and grill on US-281 for lunch. The Shade Tree wasn’t very busy in spite of the number of cars parked out front. Turns out there is a parking lot for motorcycles on the side , that’s where the real customers park. This is a biker bar. We sat on a porch like area. The lunch special was a Rueben Sandwich with homemade potato chips. We all had the special, it was one of the best Rueben’s I have had. Toasted to perfection and piled with kraut and corn beef.
Glenna called and we chatted for awhile. I guess she wanted to make sure we weren’t planning to leave her in Corpus.
I went geocaching in the late afternoon. Since I have been here a couple of times the nearest caches weren’t very near. I bagged two and couldn’t find one. There is a geocaching event this Saturday, but we are committed to a dinner honoring Veterans. One of the caches I found was packed with travel bugs in preparation for the event. I discovered them all except one that I couldn’t read the number.
Ann had a book club meeting, we never saw Paul. In the evening Paul and I played WoW.
Maybe it was because today is the 234th anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps, I noticed how the setting sun lit up the flag we fly above our coach. The sun actually lit up the flag, it’s nylon and the light passes through. I thought of all the Marines, and all veterans, who have served this country. So many sacrificed all so that we can enjoy our liberties and freedom. There are many who sacrificed limbs and health, we owe them all a debt of gratitude. I think everyone knows the Marine Corps’ motto; Semper Fidelis. As beneficiaries of their service, that should also be our individual and collective motto, Always Faithful. Faithfull to the promises that were made the men and women when they agreed to serve and swore an oath to defend this country and it’s constitution.
I thought too of a special Marine. Theodore Eugene Wisnewski, my step father. He left the coal mines of West Virginia to join the Marines. He fought through out the Pacific and made a career of the Marine Corps. He served during two other wars and most of the cold war. I also thought of another veteran today and his influence in my life. Arvid J. Barnhart, my father-in-law. He was an Air Force veteran of three wars. These two men, so different in personality, education and background shared so many things. Both loved this country, their families and set examples of hard work and responsibilities. These two heroes, along with so many like them, are gone but remain in our hearts and minds.
I pray that their sacrifices were not in vain and the leaders of this country adhere to Semper Fidelis. Faithful to the constitution and foundations of this country, and turn from embracing socialism. If not our veterans served in vain.

Nov. 9, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
It was an early morning. I got out of bed at 7 and Gerri was already up. Gerri spotted the sunrise and tried to get a picture. After this one was taken the sun rose into a cloud layer.
We are boring bunch. We didn’t do much in the morning and even less in the afternoon. Gerri and Ann did go to a nearby shop. By 2:30 I took a nap.
We went to the Grist Mill in Gruene for supper. Interesting place. Like the name implies it’s an old mill converted to a restaurant. It’s right on the Guadalupe River and next to the Gruene Dance hall. The dance hall is billed as the oldest dance hall in Texas.
Back at the house we split up. Paul and had I planned to play World of Warcraft. There was a major patch to download that took forever to download. Pauls DSL was faster than Verizon Broadband. The download hung up and I swtched to the MotoSat. The whole process took a cople of hours.

Nov. 8, 2009

From the Texas Hill Country.
Today’s narrative will be pretty short, unless I write in detail about the rain that started in mid morning. I started the day at about 7:20. I spent a little time making sure the bills were caught up and trying to change our credit card number with places that bill it on a recurring basis. Some of these folks have websites that are very difficult to maneuver. I’m tempted to just wait until they contact me after the charge won’t go through. I’ll miss some and that will happen that way anyway.
Paul and Ann left for their golf game at about 8:30. The rain started at about 10:00. It came in waves, heavy for a few minutes and then it would slacken for a few minutes, rinse and repeat. It was never as heavy as we experienced in Garrison. Of course Paul and Ann were rained out and came home earlier than they expected.
I called my mom who is visiting with her sister in Corpus Christi. We had originally planned to pick her up on Tuesday and now we have changed that to Sunday. That will give her more time to visit Gloria and she won’t feel like a 5th wheel when we are visiting friends here in the Hill Country. Of course I have been chided for not scheduling the pick up for next Monday. Ann is scheduled for jury duty that day and if she isn’t called for that day she and Paul have a golf tournament.
The afternoon was spent visiting and Gerri giving Paul more encouragement on Facebook. By the time we were ready to go to supper the rain had slackened. We went to an Italian Restaurant in Spring Branch. Now I don’t want you to get the impression that Spring Branch is like a city or even most small towns. Unless I have missed something, it covers a lot of rural area with scattered homes and businesses. The food was very good. Now you have to remember that for me a meal that I don’t have to help prepare or clean up after has to be pretty bad before I complain. This meal was very good. If you are ever in Spring Branch check out the Tuscany. If you don’t care for Italian there is a Mexican restaurant next door.
We went back to the house and to our own facilities. Paul and I logged on to World of Warcraft and knocked out some quests and both of us advanced a level.
Another good day. “ This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it,” Psalms 118:24.

Nov. 7, 2009

From Spring Branch, Texas.
I got out of bed this morning at about 8;30 to see a light fog outside. It cleared but there were scattered clouds most of the day. Weather wise the day was good, the temperature comfortable and although cloudy there was no hint of bad weather.
Paul and Ann have a beautiful place and it is obvious they have put in a lot of hard work. The parking place for the RV is well done with 50 amp electrical service and water. Paul installed a light that flies a pennant, TEXAS PROUD.” Looking out the windows of our home we can see their house, and the landscaping which includes numerous oak trees and shrubs. They say they have a constant job of keeping the tree from eating small trees and shrubs. When I step out the door I can see a wedge shaped part of Canyon Lake. The parking pad doesn’t have a sewer dump. Their septic tank cleanout is about 200’ away. They have a circular drive that goes within about 30’ of the cleanout. They use that when they need to dump the tanks of their fifth wheel. For some reason Paul and Ann think our coach is too large to go around the drive. From what they said some delivery trucks have swung around the drive and broken tree branches. I walked the drive and although there are a couple of low branches but I think I could avoid them easily. The only problem I see is that the coach would go over the concrete apron in front of the garage and I don’t know if it would hold the weight or crack. I’ll talk to Paul about it if we need to dump.
The Conners left about 11 AM to go hit golf balls in preparation for a round of golf tomorrow.
At about two we left for a visit and supper with Ken and Sylvia Harwood. They live in San Antonio and we met them Last year at Horseshoe Lakes in Indiana. Sylvia is the one responsible for us seeing the Allegiance at the FMCA Convention in St. Paul. We also spent the second week of this trip with them at Whaler’s Rest near Newport, Oregon. They travel in a 2001 American Eagle and still have the house they have lived in for thirty four years. Supper was salmon that Ken grilled with trimmings prepared by Sylvia. We had a pleasant evening talking of cabbages to kings. Man that came up from the far reaches of my mind. It’s from Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter.”
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
There is speculation that Mr. Dodgson was on drugs when he wrote pieces like “Alice in Wonderland” and other stories under the nom de plume of Lewis Carroll. Ooops, I wondered off there. But I digress. The drive back to our coach was about an hour and after a little Facebook time by Gerri and WoW time by me we turned in.

Nov. 6, 2009

From N 29° 56.860’ W 98º 19.108’ Spring Branch, Texas.
We left Lake Conroe at about 10:30 AM. We headed to Paul and Ann Conner’s home near Canyon Lake in Spring Branch, Texas. About 250 miles to travel today. I choose the route that had the most Interstate, so we went south to Houston and picked up I-610 west and the west on I-10. We left I-10 at a point that took us to San Marcos. We stopped at the Wal in San Marcos to stock up. The only other stop we made was at a rest stop earlier for PR. After leaving the Wal I missed a turn on Texas 12. The cross street were to narrow to just go around the block so I continued on the mistaken route until the GPSR recalculated. The new route took us a little further and only made the trip about 10 miles longer.
At about 4 Pm we turned onto Paul’s street, make that road. Although the area has built up it’s still kinda country with the houses situated a good distance from each other. I saw lights flash ahead, Paul was waiting on his golf cart to guide us in. We hadn’t seen Paul and Ann since Sept. 2006, of course I talk to Paul when we play world of Warcraft. After greetings we got the coach set up in the most excellent RV site #1 that Paul set up. We have water and 50amp power. Paul had just finished installing an automatic light a few days ago. The site is very close to level and solid as the rock a fraction of an inch below the topsoil.
Cenábamos delicioso del alimento mexicano. Si tenemos comida mexicana más a menudo tendré que escribir esto en español. Oops; We had a delicious supper of Mexican food. If we have Mexican food more often I will have to write this in Spanish.
Before and during supper Gerri had ragged Paul about not being on Facebook. So after supper they spent some time getting him signed back up and showing him how to avoid some of the content he doesn’t care about.
After we went back to the coach for the evening Paul and I signed onto WoW and Paul helped me with some group quests. My Warlock is now level 64.
A great day with better to come.

Nov. 5, 2009

From the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails Preserve, Willis, Texas.
After a morning of hanging around thr coach we drove to La Porte to visit Gerri’s Uncle Glenn Barnhart. We visited at their house and then went to supper at the El Toro Restaurant about two blocks away.
After we left La Porte we rendezvoused in Houston with a classmate of Gerri’s from High school in Mississippi.
We got back to the coach at about 10 PM. Tomorrow is moving day so we want to get to bed earlier than usual.

Nov. 4, 2009

From the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails Preserve, Willis, Texas. This was another down day, not even cleaning or laundry. I did meet an RVer with a 2003 Tradition that he just bought and sold him the surge protector that I no longer needed. This coach has surge protection built in, the ’03 didn’t.
We were set to leave Lake Conroe tomorrow but I got an e-mail from Ken and Sylvia Harwood that they couldn’t make it to Medina Lake. We also got a call back from Gerri’s Aunt in La Porte. We decided to stay another day at Lake Conroe. Tomorrow we plan to drive to La Porte to visit Gerri’s Uncle, Elbert Glenn Barnhart. Friday we will drive over to Spring Branch and park at our friend’s, Paul and Ann Conner. We will use their place as a base to visit with them, the Harwoods and Gerri’s old friend Bernadette Dass.
I went to the ranger station and got the permission fo the extra day and also cancelled the Medina Lake reservation.
This afternoon I got a call from Chase security, we have a credit card with them. Someone had charged $209 on my account and then tried the same amount three more times. After a phone conversation I had to cancel the card. Chase will issue me another with a new account number. It should get here tomorrow. The big hassle with this is all the bills I pay with this card that are deducted automatically, oh well I'll eventually hear from them all.Gerri and I went to Pappadeaux Seafood Restaurant to have supper and to celebrate our birthdays. Today is Gerri’s birthday mine is next week. We had Oysters Pappadeaux for appetizers. For an entrée Gerri had filet mignon and lobster, I had pasta Mardi Gras. Gerri’s came with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. My dish was linguini with crayfish, shrimp, mushrooms and spicy sausage in a cream sauce. All in all a very good repast to top off a good day.

From the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails Preserve, Willis, Texas.
Another beautiful day. Our only plan was to have supper with some of the cousins.
Gerri had a conversation with one of her Facebook people who wanted to meet her. Gerri does an egg hunt thing and a scavenger hunt and interacts with a lot of other players. Now I have to tell you I’m very skeptical about meeting people from internet contacts. The rendezvous was arraigned for later in the afternoon at a Gelato shop in Spring. Of course I planned to go with her, who knows when a big ugly guy is going to be needed?
She also had a request from another Facebook contact to take a picture of the church she was married in 57 years ago.
I went out for a few minutes to drop a travel bug at a nearby cache, I found another cache while I was out.
Back to Gerri’s missions:
First the church search. Betty Bond was married 57 years ago in the small Conroe Church of Christ. Gerri found the address o the internet and away we went. When we saw the building we knew it had been remodeled. Make that rebuilt. It is now a very large modern building with acres of parking. We took the requested pictures.
Next we headed to Spring and the Gelato shop to meet Veleen Simms. We arrived first and saw her turn in, she had told Gerri she would be driving a Ford Explorer. After introductions, Veleen brought her daughter and son. Gerri and I both had Gelato and coffee. Not to bad but no better than Blue Bunny. We had a good time talking about common interest including Boy Scouts, geocaching and of course Facebook. I was impressed with her children. They were both congenial, capable of and comfortable with conversations with adults. Gerri has been talking about getting a new phone with internet capabilities, Veleen showed us her i-Pod and some web pages on it. It is a must have now.
After that visit we headed to cousin Lawanna’s house. We decided to go to a Salt Grass, basically a steak house. The party consisted of me, Gerri, my cousins Lawanna, Lael, Mark and Karla and Lawanna’s husband John. We had a good meal. After the meal we sat around for a long time. We talked about things we have seen, methods of travel and somehow got on the topic of things that had scared us as kids, especially movies. The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Night of the Living Dead, and the like which had seemed so scary at the time but are now campy or hokey.
After dinner we said goodbyes to Lael at the restaurant, she had to head back to Houston. Back at Lawanna’s we said goodbyes t everyone else and headed back to the RV park.
Another good day. Tomorrow is Gerri’s birthday.

Nov. 2, 2009

From the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails Preserve, Willis, Texas.
This was a down day for us. No visiting. Geri did wash and I washed the Jeep and the front of the coach. We didn’t do much else. We did go down to the lake at sunset and took a few pictures.
Gerri fixed supper at home and we watched TV during the evening. Ok there was some Facebook and WoW time.

Nov. 1, 2009

From the Thousand Trails Preserve, Lake Conroe, Willis, Texas.
Retired people shouldn’t have clocks. The plan for today was to take my mom into Spring this morning at 9 AM. She is going to visit with her sisiter in Corpus Christi for a week or so. I got the alarm set for AM and got up when it went off. I made my coffee and while checking my e-mail noticed the time on my computer, a little after 4. I didn’t hear Gerri when she reminded me about fall back for the end of day light savings time.
With that extra hour we got to Lawanna’s house in Spring on time. We went to a Mexican restaurant for breakfast. I had been warned about the huevos rancheros so I ordered a pancake breakfast. Very good food. We took some group pictures and the group split up. Back at Lawanna’s I got Glenna’s things into her sister’s car and off they went to Corpus.
Lawanna, her husband John and I shot the breeze for awhile before I headed back to Lake Conroe.
Since Friday evening we have been unable to send e-mail. We can go on the net and receive e-mail but not send. In the coach we can use either Verizon Broadband or Hughes Net and the park has WiFi. We can’t send from any of them. I was on the phone with Cox for more than an hour. The tech had me change some setting but the problem was never resolved. We are now sending out e-mail using Spamarrest. Off and on this summer we have had sending problems but were always able to switch networks and send. Not this time and it affects both computers. The tech from Cox tried to lay the blame on Outlook or Norton. I can’t buy that, we haven’t made any changes and the problem is with both computer, what are the odds?
I puttered around for awhile and then did a search for nearby caches. There were several. I found six within a couple of miles. One was chained to the Thousand Trails sign at the entrance of the preserve. I didn’t find one in a nearby cemetery, cemetery caches are common in Texas and a few other places but I still feel uncomfortable searching for them. I don’t worry about the occupants just their still living relatives and friends. Nowadays I consider six finds in a day very good.

Oct. 31, 2009

From the Thousand Trails Lake Conroe Preserve, Willis, Texas.
Back to cousin Lawanna’s for family time. Some of the family had gone to the renaissance fair. Gerri , I, Glenna, Curtis Ford and Lawanna played a game new to us. Curtis had a lesspolite name for Revenge. It’s an easy to learn fast game. Everyone starts with three coins, your choice of denomination. A card is dealt to each player, in turn all players but the dealer can trade cards with tier neighbor on the left. The dealer is the last player and turns his card over, the dealer then has the choice of playing the card he has or drawing the next one off the deck. The player with the lowest card puts a coin in the pot. The last player with a coin or coins wins the pot. As ech player runs out of coins they are sang out of the game; nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey hey goodbye.
After Lael, another cousin Lael Miler, Gloria Ford and two co-workers of Lael’s got home from the fair we played some more Revenge and other card games.
Mark suggested we grill burgers and hotdogs instead of going out for supper. That idea was approved and he went to the store. By this time Karla Shuler and Lael’s son Matthew and his girlfriend had joined the group.
We had excellent hamburgers and hotdogs fixed as you like them, fixed by yourself afte Mark grilled them. Sides of beans and chili were also available.
We went back to the park at about 7:30 PM. Glenna is going with Curtis and Gloria back to Corpus Christi in the morning. So had to get her things together and be up in time to get her back to Spring by 9 AM.

Oct. 30, 2009

From N 30° 23.87 W 95º 32.227. The Thousand Trails Preserve at Lake Conroe, Willis, Texas.
More rain during the dark hours but it quit not long after 9 AM. We got every thing ready to move. No difficulty backing out even with the wet ground, Herb guided me. After the Jeep was hooked up and ready to go, we went in for breakfast. Herb and JoNell fixed eggs, spicy sausage, thick cut bacon, biscuits and gravy. After this hearty breakfast we said our goodbyes and were on the road at about 11:30 AM, Headed for the Thousand Trails Par at Lake Conroe.
We stopped in Nacogdoches for propane. Although the panel and gauge on the tank read empty, it only took a little over 19 gallons to fill the tank. Since we only use propane for the stove top and the refrigerator (when we don’t have 110 v power) this was the first time the tank has been filled since the coach was delivered to us last July in Minnesota.
Most of the 160 or so miles to Lake Conroe were on good Texas highways and the lat stretch on I-45. We didn’t have rain during the drive, but the highway between Garrison and Nacogdoches was wet from earlier rain. This really messed up the coach and Jeep. A day driving without rain is like, well a day of driving without rain. We got to Lake Conroe at about 3 PM. We decide to look for a pull through site with 50 amp power hook up. We pulled into a 30 amp site to reconnoiter. The roads and sites are very narrow and I found out the ground was very soft. The pull through sites here are arraigned so every other one pulls in opposite the coach next door. It’s nice that the next guys utilities aren’t just outside your door. It also makes it nice if you travel with another coach, your doors face each other. The drawback here at Conroe is that the spaces are very close together. The back in sites are spaced further apart. We finally settled on space 54 next to a man we had talked to after looking around.
After getting set up and resting for awhile, I called y uncle Curtis Ford t see what the plan for the evening was. They were at their daughter Lawanna’s home in Spring. We decided to meet them at about 630 and go to supper from there.
Spring was about a thirty minute drive from Thousand Trails. After greetings and hellos we visited for awhile. It had been several years since we had seen this part of the family. Present were the three of us, Gloria Ford, my mom’s youngest sister and her husband Curtis, three of Gloria’s children, Lawanna Tom, Karla Schuler , Mark Ford and John Tom, Lawanna’s husband. We went for supper at a nearby Mexican restaurant, Some good food some so so food, but good company. Back to the house for more visiting. We got back to the RV park at about 11 PM, That’s why my blog is date on the 31st.

Oct. 29, 2009

From near Garrison, Texas.
Last night the washer went off when it got to the dry cycle, so our clean clothes are hanging all around to dry. Starting yesterday evening it got warmer and very muggy.
Before noon I got up on the roof and swept the leaves and water off the big slide awning. I now see why following American Coaches advise to lower the front of the coach to let the water run off doesn’t work. There is a rafter that makes a ridge down the length of the awning and two side rafters that divide the awning into three segments. There is no way the center section will drain by lowering either end of the coach. I’m going to post this problem on the American Coach Yahoo group and see how others handle the problem. I put in the big slide and after checking the hose reel without seeing any easy fix, I closed the other rooms before the rain started in earnest. I put in a call to Glendenning Marine customer support but had to leave a message. When they called back they wer short of advise on what to do. The tech said he would check around the Houston and San Antonio areas for someone to check it out. By 5:00 PM he hadn’t called back. I guess I’ll wrap the shore cord around the flag stand above the hitch and tow bar and secure it for travel until we can get it fixed. The list grows.
The forecast was for five to eight inches of rain today. All afternoon it has been coming down in waves. Slacken and then pour, slacken then pour, repeat.
After a lunch made up of Sloppy Joes made from the left over chicken we played Chicken Foot. JoNell kept the winning in the family, she won the first game. Gerri won the second.
The rain slowed down about 5 PM, by then we had 3.03” of rain. The thunder continued and by 5:30 it was raining pretty hard again. Herb has a weather warning radio and the keep giving warning that severe thunder storms capable of producing tornados are in the Carthage area. That’s about twenty miles away but the storms seem to be moving NE.
Supper was salad, home made chili and cornbread with cheese and mild chili peppers cooked in. After diner it was more dominos. We played a game of Chicken Foot, which Gerri won, and then switched to Mexican Train. Glenna won the first game and Gerri the second. I never saw the Perleys get such high scores.
We plan to leave in the morning after breakfast. As we used to say in West Virginy, “ Lord willin’ and the crick don’t rise.” Where we are parked is asphalt but there is a stretch of grass I have to back over to get to the road.
It is raining again as I type this. When I last looked at the rain gauge it read 4.21” for the day. We go through Lufkin tomorrow and they got 5” today.

Oct. 28, 2009

From near Garrison, Texas.
Sunshine this morning. I went with Herb to take his brother to the doctor in Nacogdoches. He had to have x-rays to check the healing progress of his broken leg.
When we have visited Herb and JoNell we have always plugged into 2o amp 115 v service. Herb and I decided to remedy this so that if needed we could run air conditioning. While in Nacogdoches we went to Lowes to pick up a 30 amp breaker and waterproof receptacle. Herb already had the wire, so with stops at a couple of RV stores we picked up both male and female plugs to make up a power cord long enough to reach from the barn to where we park. Herb’s son also parks his trailer in the same place, so he can also use the power cord.
Do monkeys love footballs? We got everything put together and plugged in to the couch. Whoops wiring error, nothing coming through. We took the plugs apart and checked the wiring, I had got that right. We took the receptacle apart, Herb had that right too. We put it all back together. Viola, no wiring errors and 120 volts reading on the ESP and 30 amps reading on the power control system central monitor panel.
This little job had taken all afternoon and by 6 PM everyone was starving. We decided to go to the Cotton Patch in Nacogdoches. Why do we keep going there? We should go to Tyler, it’s easier to spell. We all had excellent meals once the waiter got fresh fries on the table.
Back to the house and an exciting Chicken Foot game. From previous blogs you can probably guess who won. His initials are Herb Perley.
I had filled the water tank earlier and when we got to the coach Gerri started to do wash. Remember the monkey and the football? No volts coming in and a wiring error message on the monitor panel. Start with basics, the breaker wasn’t thrown, both ends plugged in. Humm, what could the matter be? A close inspection showed that when the cord plugged into the receptacle it was on a little bit of an angle. When the lid to the weather proof box came down it moved the plug just enough to break the connection. Off with the waterproof part. A jury rigged plastic bottle fitted over the box to keep out the rain and we were back in business.
Tomorrow we will have clean clothes.
All is well in Barkerville. Well almost. With the new power cord I didn’t need as much shore cord coming out of the coach. I tried to reel it in no dice. There is a sound like gears not meshing completely. So tomorrows plans now include trying to see if I can fix that problem so the shore power cord can be reeled in.
I love the adventure of living and traveling in a motorhome. But sometimes the adventure isn’t what I plan.

Oct. 27, 2009

From near Garrison, TX.
There is a T in Texas and a T in Tyler too. Herb, JoNell and Gerri and I drove to Tyler. We had lunch at iHop and then went with Herb to his orthopedic appointment. He is getting a series of shot in one of his knees to ease the pain. They have some type of thing made from rooster comb that helps replace cartlidge, Or something like that.
On the way back to Garrison we stopped at the Minden Post Office. I hadn’t seen a Post Office this small since I was a kid in West Virginia. I was born in Riverview, West Virginia. My Grandfather and I used to walk to the Post Office to pick up our mail. That Post Offoce was an old carriage house, not as big as a one car garage. Of course it’s gone now, as is the town that was Riverview. Riverview was annexed into Charleston and Interstate 64 goes over where the Post Office was.
While in Tyler we stopped at Home Depot and picked up the parts for a 50 amp outlet in Herb’s barn. So the next time we visit we will have a better power source.
When we got back from Tyler Herb took a nap and the rest of us just sat around. Glenna wasn’t feeling good. She didn’t go to Tyler, not because she wasn’t feeling good but just to stay at the coach and read. The feeling bad came later. She did come into the house with us for supper and ate pretty good. This nondescript “not feeling good” has happened once before on this trip when she had eaten hardly anything but candy all day. She said she didn’t eat any candy but she also had not been drinking any water. Hopefully this is the same thing and she will be good to go in the morning.
We had leftovers for supper and Glenna ate well.. It was better than Yesterday. I never understood why some people don’t like leftovers.
A round of Chicago and a game of Chicken Foot rounded out the evening. Gerri won at Chocago. Remember she also won last night at Chicago. Herb won Chicken Foot.

Oct. 26, 2009

From near Garrison, TX.
I heard the rain coming through the trees before I heard it on the coach roof. It rained hard for what seemed like hours before daylight. Turns out the rain started at about 5 AM. It rained most of the morning, totaling 2.48” according to Herb’s new rain gauge.
Herb and I did drive into town to get bills for my G people’s Halloween cards and get them mailed in time to get there before Halloween.
Herb smoked ribs and chicken for supper. No jokes about how hard is is to light ribs and chicken. I meant the food was cooked on a smoker. JoNell had fixed broccoli, a cheesy potato casserole, and sweet corn from their garden to round out the meal. It’s diet time after this trip.
After supper we played Chicago. Halfway through we had desert, carrot cake and ice cream. After all the hands were played Gerri prevailed. In 12 hands she only missed her bid twice.
Another good day visiting.

Oct. 25, 2009

From near Garrison, TX.
We attended church in Garrison. We talked with members of the congregation we hadn’t seen for five years. After services we had lunch with JoNell while Herb was at a church meeting. W spent a lazy afternoon around the house and coach. We went for supper at a Rancho Grande, a Mexican restaurant in Timpson. It used to be a drive in, great Mexican food. They have a soft serve ice cram machine and you get all the desert you want.
After supper we played a game of chicken foot.
All in all a really good day.

Oct. 24, 2009

From somewhere near Garrison, TX. N 31° 54.304’ W 094º 31.569’
I overcame my clockly deficiency and got it set. It’s one of those “atomic” jobs that sets to the correct time from some radio signal. I finally found the button combination to get it on Central Time instead of Eastern Time. I wanted to get an early start so I set the alarm for 7 AM. Gerri woke me up to tell me the alarm was going off. Oh, I guess I hadn’t mentioned that the beeping is in a range I don’t hear. I guess it’s the same frequency as the constant ringing in my ears. Of course I was too tired to roll out of bed and I laid there for another forty five minutes.
By the time I got the utilities put away and enough water off the slide awning to allow them to roll in properly it was nine o’clock. I couldn’t leave without saying goodbyes to the Howeth’s, after all it may be over a year before we see them again. So it was about 9:30 AM before we left the Rockwell RV Park.
Right away the Garmin started giving me trouble, here after I will refer to it as the Gremlin. Gerri’s Cousin, JoNell Perly and her husband Herb, live on Texas FM Road 1791that the Gremlin wouldn’t accept or couldn’t find. It did find FM Roads with higher and lower numbers. It also wouldn’t come up with Garrison, TX, Garrison several other states but not Texas. I figured what the hey, I know where Dallas is and headed that way figuring I would dial in a route later.
Gerri called JoNell to tell her we were on the way. JoNell gave us the latitude longitude coordinates for her house. How many people do you know besides me and Paul Conner that know the coordinates for our homes? Once the coordinates were laid in the route was calculated. I went over the turns and guess what the last turn was on to? You got it, FM 1791. In spite of that glitch I felt better with the route laid out and the mileage and ETA displayed.
We stopped at about noon and had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel. Meals for three at Cracker Barrel shouldn’t cost $98. I hadn’t figured on the shopping part of the stop. I had to stop a three more times, once for fuel and twice to walk around and wake up. Neither of the rest stops had caches, bummer.
In spite of the stops and a futile drive around Henderson, TX looking for a propane station, we got to Herb and JoNell’s at about 6 PM. But not without the Gremlin striking again. We left Henderson going south on US 259. About ten miles later the Gremlin said to turn on Texas something or other and later onto an FM Road and then east on US 84. I zoomed out the map display and of all things, I could have gone further south on 259 and intersected 84. That route would have been on wider roads with shoulders. Not that the Texas Route and the FM road were bad. The speed limit was 60 MPH on them , and 70 MPH on the US routes. This speed limit was in spite of the fact the roads were narrow two lanes with no shoulder or controlled access. In Ohio they would probably been restricted to 30 MPH. I know this because most four lane divided roads with controlled access there are 55 MPH, ask some one close to me what doing 60 there will get you. I haven’t checked yet but I suspect I had the Gremlin set to calculate the shortest route instead of the fastest.
Herb had set up a 50 amp circuit with a long cord for us, but he used the twist lock type plug and I didn’t have an adapter. So Monday it’s probably off to the hardware store. We got set up by about 6:30 with only 20 amp service. With the weather here that will probably be plenty.
For a late supper Herb grilled rib eye steaks and we had all the trimmings plus a delicious carrot cake for desert. Jason, eat your heart out, your Nana is a great cook.
We plan to go to church services in Garrison. Lucky us Bible Study isn’t until 10 AM and services are at 11 AM. Pretty convenient for us late sleeping slow movers. We have attended the Garrison Church of Christ a few times before, interestingly enough we met people there whose nephew I worked with in Las Vegas.
BTW, it was sunny today with only a small headwind while we were driving.

Oct. 23, 2009

From the Rockwell RV Park, Oklahoma City, OK.
Grey again this morning but no rain or wind. It cleared later in the day, sunshine at last. This our last full day in Oklahoma. I did two geocaches in the morning. We went to visit Gerri’s aunt Gladys King. She lives in an assisted living facility next to Oklahoma Christian University. I had last seen her in 1975 or ’76. Gerri has last seen her at Gerri’s Grandmothers funeral in 1991. We spent the afternoon with some catch up.
In the evening cousin Tammy and her family came to the park for a visit . Her husband, Brian, hadn’t seen our RV so I gave another nickel tour. Tammy brought over oatmeal cookies and brownies for our going away present. They might not last till we leave.
I hooked up the Jeep tonight . I’ll do the utilities tomorrow in the daylight. I hope to get underway by 9 or 9:30 in the morning and be in Garrison, TX by late afternoon.

Oct. 22, 2009

From the Rockwell RV Park, Oklahoma City, OK.
Another morning sleeping in late. I guess we needed to catch up after a wee in Decatur and two days on the road. Very clody today but not a lot of rain and colder than yesterday.
We went to Helene Anderson’s after lunch. Helene is the Grandmother of our nephews Chris, Brian and Matt Anderson. In our family things aren’t simple and you might need a program to know all the players. Maybe I need to print one up. Brian and his girlfriend (Miranda) and his father, Fred, were also there. Miranda is a new player for my program, nice lady. We played a game of Chicago. I really don’t care for bidding type card games, mainly because I don’t play them well. With seven players the game is 14 hands. Wonder of wonders I was only set once and was the winner for the day.
We talked Helene out of cooking for the group and decided on Italian food. We went to Zio’s in Bricktown. For those who aren’t familiar with OKC, Bricktown is a kind of downtown redevelopment area centered around a canal system. Lots of restaurants and shopping with other development like condos and hotels nearby. If you are in OKC it’s really worth seeing. I know a lot of people make fun of Oklahoma and Oklahomans but, OKC is really quite a cosmopolitan place.
The meals at Zio’s are reasonably priced and plentiful enough that everyone took home enough for another meal.
After supper Fred and Helene came over to see our home away from home. I showed Fred World of Warcraft and when we have a better connection I’ll send him a trial invitation. Brian already plays but not on the same server as I do.

Oct. 21, 2009

From the Rockwell RV Park Oklahoma City, OK.
Ore wind during the night and early morning. It was dark and we slept late. By noon we were blessed with more rain. Mostly gentle rain but sometimes heavily.
Later in the afternoon I saw Alan and Joan, whom we met in Decatur, pulled in and parked at the end of the row opposite us.
I visited with them until Gerri got home from her hair appointment. Then the four of us visited until it was time to meet cousin Tammy for supper at On The Border. Her husband, Brian, had a root canal yesterday and didn’t make it. Tammy’s son, Nicholas, was there and another cousin, Josh King was a pleasant surprise by being able to make it. We hadn’t seen him since he was enroute to his first year of college at Pepperdine. The food was good and the conversation spirited.
After supper Tammy and Nicholas came over to the park to see where we live while on the road.
As I get ready for bed the rain continues.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7

Oct. 20, 2009

From the Rockwell PV Park, Oklahoma City, OK.
It’s still windy but warmer than other places we have been recently.
I went to a nearby Camping World and looked at all the stuff. They didn’t have anything I don’t already have or can’t live without. I also knocked the bugs off the front of the coach.
We went to Gerri’s cousin’s house for supper. We had barbecued ribs and chicken. Preceded and followed by visiting and catching up on family members.
Tomorrow Gerri is going to get her hair done and I plan on puttering around most of the day.

Oct. 19, 2009

It was windy during the early morning. We only had the bedroom slide out and the awning was snapping really loud.
Still clockly deficient and woke up an hour before I wanted to. I think this clock is one of the Atomic ones that is set by radio waves.
I tried for a nearby cache but no luck. We left Springfield at about 9:30 AM. Our target for this afternoon is the Rockwell RV Park, just off I-40 on the west side of OKC.
We had a head wind crossing from the left all day. Once in Oklahoma the speed limit was 75mph.. I got up to 70 for awhile. The crossing wind made me uncomfortable at that speed so I slowed it down to 60. Much more relaxing at that speed.
We got to the RV park at about 3:10 PM and set up. It was still very windy but a lot warmer. Gerri made contact with some of the people we will be visiting here.
We went to Shorty Small’s for supper. We all ordered big meals, so now we have leftovers for at least two meals.
Glenna gets her hair done at the shop here in the park office in the morning at 10 AM.
Tomorrow Gerri plans to start catching up on the laundry tomorrow. My ony plan is to get some heavy duty sleep tonight.
We drove 268 miles today in two states today.

Oct. 18, 2009

From N 37° 14.874 W 93º 18.701, Super WalMart, Springfield. Missouri.
We had been in the Eastern Time zone since mid-July. That changed last night. I woke up so early this morning, being somewhat clockly challenged, I set the bedroom clock wrong. I realized my mistake while making coffee, I had set the microwave clock correctly.
I’m not sure what the outside temp was during the night. I had the front thermostat set on 60° and heard it running most of the night. When I got up I turned the bedroom thermostat to 60º when I got up and it came on immediately. The both ran until we were ready to leave. The coach started shedding 110 appliances just before the coffee finished brewing. I had to start the genset to finish the brewing and using the computer. I’ll sure be glad when we have the larger batteries. This coach is a real power hog compared to the Revolution. I guess it’s the extra fridge and computers.
We got underway at about 8:30 AM. Most of the roads in both Illinois and Missouri both have 55 mph for vehicles like ours. Because of my short sleep we stopped at three rest stops. We had lunch in the first one and then I did geocaches. The next rest stop had a geocache too, so I bagged that one. The next rest stop had a welcome center but no geocaches. It did have the largest truck parking area I have ever seen in a rest stop. We had decided to stop at a WalMart on the west side of Springfield. The rest stop was at mm111. Just as I got up to speed on the interstate I noticed there was a brake check up ahead. Traffic went down to one lane, eventually stopping altogether. We could see the jam continuing up a hill in the distance. Traffic stopped twice so long I shut down the engine. Thiscontinued to mm105 where the wreck was being cleared. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel on the east side of Springfield. We all love their food, of course Glenna get two suppers for the price of one. She didn’t eat but about half her meal.. We got to the Super WalMart at exit 77 at about 6 PM. There were several semis parked under no truck parking signs. I went in and got an OK from the manager to park for the night. There was one other RV here and the lot was noisier than the one last night.
We drove 327 miles in two states today and plan to be at the Rockwell RV Park in OKC tomorrow afternoon. We have stayed there before. We plan a few days of down time planned before visiting relatives in the area. We are hoping the park still has an onsite Beauty Salon. For the ladies, not me.
As a side note; American Coach srikes again. They replaced the hdrolic piston that operates the step cover. Now the switch is backwards, it retracts when Extend is pressed and extends when Retract is pressed. When we get set up in OKC I'll take a look at it and see if I can reverse the wires.

Oct. 17, 2009

From N 39° 8.526 W 88º 33.772 The Super WalMart, Effingham, IL.
We parked at Cruising America RV, Kamp Kevin, last night. Since they start work at 8 Am we got up at about 7 AM. As it turns out Kevin ordered the wrong batteries, so they wouldn’t fit in our bay. He did wire in the switches for the dash fans that were installed in Sept. We will get together with Kevin in Quartzsite in January for the battery installation.
We left Celina, OH at about 10:40 AM with the Gremlin, err Garmin, set on Oklahoma City. We drove 267 miles across parts pf three states; Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. We stopped at about 4:15 PM, due to the time change to central. By eastern time it was after 5 PM. Seven hours driving is plenty for one day.
There are 5 or 6 other RVs at this WalMart. It is also the first one I recall seeing with a truck parking area. There are over 20 semis here. Of course some run their engines all night and other run reefers in spite of the cold ambient temperature. Running the engine all night is a sure indication the driver doesn’t pay for the fuel. The trucks also come and go so there is acceleration and braking noise going on too. At Kamp Kevin the trucks come and go from the shop behind Kevin’s building all night. Last night I slept so soundly I only heard one go by. They are only about 10 feet away, but I still didn’t hear the ones that came by after I went to bed. Maybe tonight will be a repeat.
We had supper at a nearby Mexican Restaurant, El Rancherito. It was very good. Glenna had a shrimp fajita. We must have starved her all day, I never saw her eat so much.
Depending on how well we sleep, OK how well I sleep, we plan on getting an early start and making it over half way to Oklahoma City.
I’m going to log on to World of Warcraft and see if Sean is playing. He called earlier while I was driving to see if Grandpa could play.
I did manage one geocache at a reststop after we got to Illinios.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17

Oct. 16, 2009

Last night when the coach came out of the service area there were four items to be completed. After the rain we added back the leak in the front of the bedroom slide.
We slept in for an hour more than the last couple of days, they didn’t come for the coach until 7 AM.
When we got here Monday there were 24 items on the list to resolve. Today the took the coach to the rain tank to test to see if the leaks had been fixed. I was told there were no leaks. The did wash the coach. This was the first time it was cleaned since we had it washed at the Home Coming rally in July. My excuse is all the rain while we were parked or driving. In discussion with the service writer after four full days they seemed to think they had done all they could. I left understanding that the problems with the bedroom TV wasn’t fixed and that after rain I had a procedure to follow to keep water coming in with the full room slide. Their outside contactor wasn’t able to match the vinyl. I guess we will be looking for a company when we get back to Las Vegas.
We left the service center at about 2:30 PM and headed for Monroeville, In about 14 miles away. At Monroeville Chassis the dismounted the front tires and installed the Tyron System that Spartan wouldn’t or couldn’t do. The Tyron System is designed to keep the tire on the wheel in case of a flat or blowout. It came with the coach from Beaudry and I thought it best to keep it. After the installation the tires were remounted and balanced. We were out of that shop at about 4:15 PM.
I had called Kevin Mallory at Cruising America while the work was being done at Monroeville. He had my new batteries in and said come on over. Counting moving around the Service Center all week, the trip to Monroeville and then to Celina we have traveled 76.2 miles and are parked at Kamp Kevin in Celina, OH, 32 miles from Camp Fleetwood Decatur, IN. We got to Cruising America RVand set up by 5:30 PM. No one else is here. Since Kevin and John don’t usually start work until 8 AM we get to sleep in again tomorrow. Hopefully the new batteries will give us the amperage to handle the the evenings we aren’t in RV parks. With this coach we haven’t been able to stay off the grid as long as with the last one. With the Revolution it wasn’t difficult to park at 4 in the afternoon and still have power at 8 or 9 the next morning. We have found this coach takes more power than the old one. I guess the extra TV, computers and fridge in the basement make a big difference.
I think we finished off the leftovers at supper tonihgt.
When Gerri turned down our bed there was water on the pillow. Mmm, I guess my list starts again for the next trip to Decatur. The control for the bedroom TV didn't work as well as it did before they checked it. Another item for the new list.
We hope to leave for Texas on Sunday. This drive will be more leisurely than the one from Vermont Back to Indiana. We hope to take a couple of days of downtime along the way to rest, relax and refresh.
BTW, this was a day without rain, no sunshine either.
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;" Hebrews 10:16

Oct. 15, 2009

From the Fleetwood Service Center, Decatur, IN.
Up before sunrise! This isn’t my idea of leisurely travel. Tomorrow should be the last day here, there are only four items to finish. Hopefully they will finish in time for us to have quick trip to Monroeville, IN and then on to Celina, OH for a couple of days.
I was cold again today and rained in the afternoon, but no snow yet. We are hoping to be headed south before that happens.
I’m going to bed early again, even though we get a break in the morning. They aren’t coming for the coach until 7 Am
One consolation in spending time here is the great folks we have met.

Oct. 14, 2009

From the Fleetwood Service Center, Decatur, IN.
Up at 4:45 AM again, the techs came at 6 for the coach. It was cold and rained off and on all day, We turned on the furnace as soon as we got the coach back at 2PM. We watched TV most of the afternoon and didn’t go out for supper. We had leftovers to empty out the fridge.
Hopefully we will be finished here tomorrow and the on to Monroevville for front end work. Then a couple of days finishing up with modifications in Celina, Oh and then light a shuck for Texas.
That’s all for today, 4:45AM comes early.

Oct.13, 2009

From Decatur, IN, Fleetwood Service Center.
Up early and at the office at 5:45 AM, it’s like being back to work. My list of items to be fixed was only fourteen long and included some that parts were ordered for in July. The techs got quite a bit done today. The door glass is replaced, the piston in the stair cover has been replaced and a lot of trim removed from the slide room in preparation to get it working properly.
Since they start work here at 6 AM they knock off at 2 PM. We have to be ready again at 6 in the morning. Those early mornings make us want them to work faster, but doing the work well is better.
We had supper with the Howeth’s and Gutierrez’s (sic) who we met here. We met the Alan and Joan Howeth in Sept. and AJ and Kathy Gutierrez this week. We had supper at Prebble Gardens. It’s famous and the place to go in the local area. Plenty Good down home food with a well kept and stocked salad bar.
To bed early tonight.

Oct. 12, 2009

From Decatur, IN.
Not much happening today. Last night when we arrived the lot was pretty full of motorhomes. Even though I slept in till 7:30, I heard some start up and go into the shop. When I looked out there were only 6 motorhomes in the lot.
I checked in for service, but still have to in the office in the morning at 5:45AM.
Gerri and I had supper at El Camino Real. Glenna wasn’t feeling well, so we took her some take out.

Oct. 11, 2009

From Camp Decatur, also knows as the Fleetwood Service Center, Decatur, IN.
N 40º 49.496 W 084° 56.356
When we got up this morning there was heavy fog, I couldn’t see all the way across the parking lot. By the time we were ready to travel there was about ½ mile visibility. Back on the interstate there was construction and barrels chocking it down to one lane, so we weren’t going to go fast anyway. About a mile later the fog suddenly ended and we had full sunlight for the first time in weeks. That lasted about an hour and then it was back to cloudy. Today was the first full day on this leg of the trip without rain.
I did pick up a geocaches in an Ohio rest stop.
Where are Cracker barrels when you are looking? We tried to stop at a couple of Bob Evan’s Restaurants, but the ones we tried near the interstate were very busy and none had on site or nearby parking for something our size. We finally saw a Cracker Barrel in Mansfield, OH about six miles past where we were supposed to turn and went for it. This was a standard CB but with a larger parking lot. The space out back where we usually park was occupied and as with others their RV/bus parking didn’t have room for a 42’ and towed vehicle. We parked in the WalMart lot next door and walked over. The full parking lot should have been a hint. By the time we got seated, served and finished over two hours had passed. There was supposed to be a cache in the Off Your Rocker series here. I couldn’t find it in the usual spot and with the crowd I didn’t do a real close search.
We got to Decatur a little after six, The service center lot was very crowded. We went to the dump station and were set up by seven with empty waste tanks and full fresh water.
Since we had a big late lunch it was a snack of various cheeses from Vermont and crackers. We tried some sheep cheese and finished off the water buaffalo cheese. We also sampled some varieties of chocolates that we bought in Vermont at the Lake Champlain Chocolate Company
Alan and Joan ( http://howethsjournal.blogspot.com/ ) are here hoping to get in for service as drop ins. Our appointment is Tuesday. Tomorrow is a free day, I’m going to try to sleep in. Today was another long day of driving, about 400 miles.

From WalMart Supercenter , Clearfield, PA. N 41º 2.109 W 078° 23.955
We had a little sun when we got up. I tried for a nearby cache before leaving, but no luck. During the3 night we hadn’t put out the big slide room. When I turned in the parking lot a cascade of water came down off it. Another item for American Coach next week.
Yesterday we drove though parts of four states; Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. Today was a long day, we drove over 500 miles and through parts of five states; Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania. It rained off and on but cleared before we got to our stopping point in Clearfield, PA. It was a long drive but I squeezed in two geogaches at rest stops along the way.
This a busy Supercenter but we got permission to park on the perimeter of the lot. The sunset wasn’t spectacular. It was the first one we have seen for nearly a month.
Tomorrow we will make it to Decatur, Indiana, about 450 miles. We plan to sleep in on Monday and then drop in the service center office to see if we can get in earlier for our Tuesday appointment. I also hope to get to Decatur in time for evening services at the Church there, if not it will be the netcast from Oakey. We have always tried to avoid traveling on Sunday but it didn’t work out this week.

Oct. 9, 2009

From a K-Mart parking lot, Milford, MA. N 42º 8.955 W 071° 29.193
Our last hours in Vermont were much like most of the last two weeks. The wind came up during the night and the morning was very cloudy. We headed for Peterborough, New Hampshire, the location fo Peterborough Baskets. Most of the way was light rain and that lasted until we stopped for the day. We made a quick swing through Maine and then headed for Mass. Traffic was really heavy on I-495 around Boston. By 6 PM we located a K-Mart near the Interstate in Milford, MA. A quick stop inside at customer service got us permission to park for the night.
We saw a lot of changing leaves, but with no sunshine it was hard to tell if it was better than northern Vermont.

Oct. 8, 2009

From the Apple Island Resort South Hero, Vermont.
This ai the last day of out two weeks here in Vermont, our 113th day on the road this trip. We have seen some great scenery and visited some beautiful places. Today we started out activities with a tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolate Company. It’s a small operation. The tour was entirely conducted on a mezzinine overlooking the work floor. Besides telling about chocolate production and the company’s activities, they punctuated the talk with samples of the chocolate at each stage of production. As we shopped they kept putting out samples of various candies, they even gave samples of their ice cream.
After the chocolate factory tour we went looking for some more covered bridges. This time we had an “Official” Vermont road map. It didn’t help a lot, we did find two. We wonder why in this modern age the Vermont Vacation Guide doesn’t utilize Lat/Lon coordinates to make the search easier. Today the oldest bridge we saw was built in 1849 and restored in 1950.
On the way back to the resort I did one cache that hadn’t been visited since mid August.
All in all a good day. Unfortunately it was our last full day in Vermont. BTW, we had sunshine in the afternoon for the first time and clear skies as it got dark.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the Petersborough Basket Factory in New Hampshire. Then our whirlwind trip back to Decatur, IN via Maine, RI, Mass., and Conn. begins.

Oct. 7, 2009

From the Apple Island Resort, South Hero, Vermont.
Yesterday must have been a fuller day than I thought. Between being tired and the wind during most of the night we were in bed until a little after ten. Even with the rain I could hear the slide awnings flapping. It was cloudy with intermittent rain all day. About all our activity consisted of was computer time and reading. I did venture out for the mail and to take out the trash. Since we still plan to swing through New Hampshire and Maine with a stop at the Petersbough Basket Company, I did some route planning. Since I don’t load the routes from the DeLorme program on my computer to the Street Pilot, the actual route often varies. I have taken to referring to the GPS receiver as the Gremlin instead of the Garmin. It always gets us through but sometimes does strange things. Once it directed us off the Interstate and the back on via the entrance ramp across the road from the exit ramp. Another time we stopped for the night and the next morning when I turned it on the route was recalculated and we didn’t take the route as calculated the day before. No big whoop since we didn’t have plans along the old route.
Supper was delicious one pot chicken dish with noodles and vegetables that Gerri concocted. One of our best meals. As a reward, or because she sat down in her favorite chair, I washed the dishes and Glenna dries them. We watched the new ABC line up of sitcoms. Remember when TV was called the vast wasteland? Well, it’s baaack. Or maybe it was always this way and we didn’t notice because at home it’s so easy to walk away and there are many others things to do. About the most entertainment on is Fox news. There’s always CNN and the lamestreet stations, but they all worship at the altar of Obama. I have watched Jay Leno’s monolog a couple of times and noticed some BUSHesque comments about Obama starting to slip in. Maybe there is hope for this country yet, his armor seems to be cracking at least with some in the liberal entertainment set. Folks we are teetering on the brink of disaster and have to pull ourselves back before it’s too late.
By the time we went to bed the wind was gusting again. More awning music to sleep by.