Thursday September 29, 2016 Deming, NM

We only planned to drive to El Paso today, about 240 miles.  So, we didn't try for an early start.  Gerri walked around the park and took pictures of the art work.  Some of it was humorous.

Not very long after leaving Fort Stockton I was behind a semi passing a slower car.  The semi went back into the lane in front of the car we were passing.  I saw a huge "road gator" in my lane.  The car I was passing was on my right and there was no shoulder on the left.  I hit the thrown off tread.  I stopped at a rest stop and the only damage I could see was to the rear mud flap. When we stopped for fuel in El Paso, a helpful truck driver helped me tie the flap up with elastic ties so it didn't drag.

With the change to mountain time it was too early to stop.  We drove on to Deming, NM.  When I registered at the RV park more of the mud flap had torn off and was dragging again.

After Getting set up in our site, I cut the mud flap off.  I hoped to salvage the Chrome strip.  The mud flap wouldn't fit in the back of the jeep.  With some assistance of a neighbor I got the chrome part and it's backing off and fit it into the storage area, across the coach.  I had already removed the mud flap when I thought of taking pictures.  Only the top bar is left on the coach.

Gerri made a delicious dinner with sausages and fried tater tots and a great salad.  We watched TV and did computer stuff until bedtime.  It started raining just as we were going to bed.

Tomorrow, we plan to drive to a town south of Tucson.  I hope to find a cache in one of the 3 Arizona counties I haven't cached in yet.

Wednesday Sepetember 28, 2016 Fort Stockton, TX

We left the RV park after getting the utilities unhooked and the Jeep hooked up.  We stopped at the Buc-ee's in New Brunfels for fuel.  Diesel was $1.929 per gallon

Even during rush hour we were almost around San Antonio on the Anderson Loop before we ran into a couple of slow downs.  Once on I-10 it was clear with no traffic problems.

We had lunch on the road after a short stop.  We arrived at the Hilltop RV Park in Fort Stockton before I got droopy.  The park had mixed reviews.  We liked it.  Easy on and off I-10 but far enough away for no traffic noise.  One reviewer complained about he caliche dust.  We found the roads hard packed with no dust.  The spaces are all pull through with picnic tables on concrete pads at all sites.  Some sites had shade over the picnic tables.

Gerri prepared a noodle dish using the pork chops left over from last night's supper at Curtis and Dana's.

It was warm when we got here and the sun was very bright in the west.  It turned into a beautiful sunset.

I took care of some computer chores and we watched TV until bedtime.

Tomorrow we plan to drive to El Paso, about 300 miles.

Tuesday September 27, 2016 San Marcos, TX

We had our coffee while catching up on computer junk.  I went out to check on a RV park I spotted in San Marcos, close to Kyle.  On the way I found a couple of geocaches I had DNFed in May when we were going east.  I looked for a 3rd one that I never found.  The RV park was mostly a trailer park with RV sites that seemed to be long term residents.

In the afternoon we went to the house.  Gerri and Dana went for pedicures before picking up the kids from school.  I went out and tried to find more caches, I found 1 and DNFed two.

I got back to the house before the others and took a short nap.  After Curtis got home he took
Brandon to football practice.  Dana fixed pork chops, broccoli and asparagus for dinner.  Atter we ate we joined Curtis for Brandon's football game which followed the practice.  Brandon's team won.  At quarterback Brandon handed off a touchdown play and passed a conversion.

Back at the house we visited.  Brandon had a homework assignment to interview people for writing a biography.  He interview both Gerri and me.

We were back at the coach by 9.  Some TV took us to bedtime.

Tomorrow we plan to drive to the Fort Stockton area, about 350 miles.

Brandon and Vanessa 

Monday September 26, 2016 San Marcos, TX

It rained heavily all night and into the late morning.  Our plan was to pickup Brandon and Vanessa from school in Buda at 3:30.

Dana called and told us about a traffic jam on I-35.  She suggested we start for Buda early because of the delay.  We took her advice.  Most of the traffic problem was on the south bound side of the interstate.  There was some flooding along the highway.






On the way we stopped by the Kyle Chamber of Commerce.  I turned in the paper work to show that I completed the Kyle Geotour.  I got the coin they were giving for completing the tour.  We took pictures by the old train station in Kyle.

We got to the school at about 3.  We waited in the parking lot.  The kids were supposed to do some of their homework before we picked them up.  Brandon had finished his homework at school, Vanessa had to spend time at home finishing hers.  They were in and out of the house playing with friends.

Dana got home at about 4:30 and Curtis a little after 5.  Dana made dinner.  Vanessa's softball practice had been cancelled.

We visited until about 7:30.

When we returned to the coach we watched the Presidential debate before going to bed,

Sunday September 25, 2016 San Marcos, TX

Brandon and Vanessa started stirring around at about 8:30.  They played well together for a while before becoming restless.  At 11 we drove toward their house.  We stopped at a Taco Bell and got them some cheese roll ups.
 At home the kids went out and played with friends while we visited and watched some TV.  Dana and Michelle were at the art show in Austin.

Later Curtis and I went out to find some caches.  We started with one in a nearby park.  We moved on to one we didn't find yesterday, Curtis found it this time.  We moved on to a puzzle cache that took us from the old part of Kyle to a newer part.  On the way to the second step it started raining heavily.  The rain continued and we had to wait till it slackened before finding the cache.  We then tried another that we hadn't found yesterday.  We looked for about an hour with no success.  We then went back to the old part of Kyle and completed a multi-cache.

Did I say "rained heavily"?  Gerri took this video in front of Curtis' house.

Back at the house we decided to go to Raising Cane's for supper.  We drove separate cars.  After eating Curtis and the kids went home and we went back to our coach.

We were able to tune into the webcast of the worship services from Oakey Boulevard.  Tyler Kirkpatrick delivered a great message on the importance of the resurrection of Christ.

Tomorrow we will pickup the kids from their school and spend the evening with them.

Saturday September 24, 2016 San Marcos, TX

Last night we had decided that the kids, Curtis and I would go geocaching to see if we could earn the Kyle Tour Geocache Trail award.  We found 9 and DNFed 2.  One that we found didn't have the information we needed, the log was missing.

Dana went to help Michelle at the show in Austin.  Gerri stayed at the house and did some laundry.  At lunch time we met Gerri at the Whataburger at Kyle Crossing for lunch.  The Geo Tour of Kyle also includes a way of earning points for shopping and dining in Kyle.  It rained for awhile after we ate.  Everyone was tired so we went back to the house.  Even though the forecast was for more rain, Gerri and I went and ran the Jeep through a car wash so we could see out the side windows.  We also found another cache on the Tour series.

We went to a Mexican restaurant in Kyle for supper.  This was a small restaurant in an old house near the old downtown area, El Pueblito.  The food was good, especially the Fajitas.








Michelle and Dana got home about 8:30 and were ready for bed.  The kids wanted to sleep over at the motor home so we left at about 9.

At the coach Brandon and Vanessa entertained us for awhile with a light show.


They had brought sleeping bags and slept on the floor.  All was quiet by 11.

Friday September 23, 2016 San Marcos, TX

Chef Perley

We were up at 7.  We started our coffee and got the coach ready to travel  We hadn't had the Jeep unhooked for nearly a week and the battery was dead,  I forgot to turn off the chargers for the GPS and iPhones.  Herb got out his booster and we got it started,  I left it running while we had breakfast in the house.

Goodbye pups

Herb's nephew still hadn't picked up the dogs.  They were under the motorhome and wouldn't come out when called.  We decided that after breakfast we would try to lure them out with food.  While we were eating they me up into the bushes outside the front door.  Some scraps of french toast kept them out of the way while I backed the coach out and hooked up the Jeep.  Goodbyes were said and hugs exchanged.

A few miles after leaving the house we were on US 79 headed south.  We were on this highway until just north of Austin.  We then traveled on Texas Highways 130 and 40.  These are both Interstate grade toll road with an 80 mph speed limit.  We never drove at 80 and never paid any tolls.  There are two choices; Tex Pass or Pay by Mail.  I assume they video license plates and send out bills, there are no manned toll booths.  My assumption is in question since we still haven't been billed for the toll when went to and from Mississippi last year.

We got to the Canyon Trail RV Park at about 3:30 and parked as directed in space 85 a pull through in the rear of the park.  We have good satellite reception.  Both Curtis and Dana were still at work with the kids at daycare.  I paid for 3 nights, we still have to decide if we are going to stay for Brandon's footall game on Tuesday evening.

We went to Curtis' at a little after 5.  Dana had picked up pizza.  Michelle Barnhart arrived shortly after us.  She has a show this weekend in Austin and is staying with Curtis and Dana.  Dana will help her with the show.

Curtis and Gerri took Vanessa to her softball practice.  Brandon and I went out and found two caches that had been placed since we were here in May.  Curtis and Gerri brought home treats from DQ after the practice.

We were back at the coach at 9:30.  We had made plans to go back to Kyle in the morning.  The kids and I plan to work on a series of geocaches put out by the Kyle Chamber of Commerce.  I saw the series when I looked up nearby caches.  There are 21 caches worth 5 points each and other ways to earn points by activities in Kyle.  They will give out geocoins to the first 250 people to submit the form showing 25 points.  We will need to find 15-17 of the 21 caches and hope we are in the first 250.

We watched some TV until bed time.

Thursday September 22, 2016 Garrison, TX

No plans for today.  We started our coffee and then went into the house.

After lunch we played a domino game. I won.  In the afternoon, after we had lunch, Herb and Jo-Nell went into town for some errands.  Gerri and I stayed at the coach.

We saw the pups several times during the day.  Herb's nephew plans to take them to his house tonight.  He lives across the street.

We had spaghetti with a salad for supper.  Tonight's domino game was won by Jo-Nell.

We called it a night and went to the coach at about 8:30.  We watched some recorded TV before bed time.

Tomorrow we plan to drive to San Marcos.  I have to unhook the Jeep before backing out.  We plan to have breakfast with Herb and Jo-Nell before leaving for the visit with Curtis and his family.

Wednesday September 21, 2016 Garrison, TX

Another slow start.  We had our coffee and then visited.  In the late morning we drove to Shreveport.  On our way to Garrison we had passed some things Gerri wanted pictures of.

We had lunch at Johnny's Catfish and Seafood Restaurant.  The restaurant was three sections of a strip mall in an industrial area.  They had spared all expense on decor and atmosphere.  The only decorations being an old looking board,  Johnny's sign, maybe from an older restaurant and several black and white pictures of what may have been members of Johnny's family.  What they lacked in decor was made up by the food.  We all had the catfish filet lunch with various side dishes.  Fresh hushpuppies were brought through out the meal.  We all had leftovers. The restaurant had been quite busy when we arrive and did a steady business while we were there, several to go orders were taken out as well as new diners coming in.  I found a cache at each end of the parking lot.

On the way back to Garrison we stopped for pictures of the old Texas state line marker.  The marker had been there a long time and showed evidence of several repairs.  I was unable to find a nearby cache.  There was another marker nearby commemorating a popular route that had been traveled by many settlers enroute to Texas.  I always thought Texas was a Spanish word.  It actually is a Caddo Indian word meaning friend or ally later used by the Spanish to describe the land.

We visited a roadside memorial to Jim Reeves.

We drove by the Tex Ritter Music Hall Of Fame in Carthage.

There had been a couple of old barns Gerri wanted pictures of but we missed one and couldn't get a decent shot of the other.  We did get pictures of the grocery store in "downtown" Dotson.

Back at the house we relaxed for awhile and then played a game of Mexican Train, Gerri won.

Herb had a sandwich before going to a meeting at their church.  For supper we finished the left overs from Johnny's.  When Herb got back we played another domino game, Gerri won again.

Some time during the afternoon someone had dropped two puppies off and they were laying in the shade under our motor home when I went out.  They were still there when we went out to go to bed.  I only heard them bark once,  Jo-Nell says that people often drop their unwanted dogs in the area.

Tuesday September 20, 2016 Garrison, TX

We started moving slowowly this morning.  At about 11 we drove into Nacogdoches with Herb and Jo-Nell.  Jo-Nell had a doctor appointment.

After the doctor appointment we went to Walmart for a few items.  While there I found a cache in the parking lot.  We then went to lunch at the Butcher Boys restaurant.  They serve great burgers and very large onion rings, also very good.

Back at the house we played a game of dominoes.  Gerri was the winner.  After the game we rested for awhile.  I checked under the dash of the motor home to see if I saw any loose wires.  On the way here from Gatlinburg the Sirius radio stopped playing and the rear view camera has no picture.  The side camera still work.  We have had both these problems before.  Kevin had replaced the Sirius module while we were in Ohio but that only lasted a week.  Without the rear view camera I have had to adjust how I change lanes and pass other vehicles.  I didn't find any obvious loose wires.

When we got up this morning I opened the front blind.  While we were gone the sun was shining into the windshield.  Since we have only 30 amp electric we can only run one A/C unit and one couldn't keep up with the heat coming through the windshield.  I will know better tomorrow and leave the blind down.

There is still a lot of hummingbird activity and Gerri took some video out the dinette window before we played dominoes.



















Jo-Nell warmed up the food from last night's supper for another supper tonight.  We didn't eat much because of the large lunch.  Gerri won the evening domino game too.  After dominoes we had peach cobbler and ice cream.

Back in the coach we watched a recording of Judge Judy before bedtime.

Tomorrow Gerri wants to drive back along our route from Louisiana for some pictures.

Monday September 19, 2016 Garrison, Texas

We were in no hurry to get started today since we only had 100 miles to drive.  We hadn't unhooked the Jeep.  I only had the utilities to unhook.  It was hot and muggy so I didn't rush that.

Red River, Casino boats

On leaving the park I pulled across the street and parked and got a geocache.  We were on the highway by 10.  The route took us along I-20 to Shreveport, LA

Hmm, no one exited on to Traffic St.

Then on Louisiana 161 which turned into Texas Highway 315.  Off 315 and onto 1971, the road Herb and Jo-Nell live on.  I almost passed the house.  The woods next door had been clear cut and Herb had taken down the fence  along the road.




Herb and Jo-Nell were waiting for us.  Parking was a snap.  I didn't have to unhook the Jeep or maneuver around the front fence.  The only maneuvering I had to do was getting far enough forward for the satellite to lock on to a DirecTV signal.

We relaxed and visited until supper time.  Jo-Nell served Baked ham with a cheesy potato casserole, baked beans, broccoli and Texas toast.  After dinner we played a game of Mexican Train. Herb was the winner but he only beat Gerri by one point.  After dominoes we had peach cobler and ice cream.

We went out to the coach at about 8:30.

Gerri plans to sleep in tomorrow and later we will go into Nacogdoches with Herb and Jo-Nell.

Sunday September 18, 2016 Minden, Louisiana

Sleep was spotty, a truck pulled in near us just before we went to bed and his reefer ran all night. We were on the road by 8:30.  Not much to get ready for travel when you spend the night on a Sam's Club parking lot.  A quick walk around and then on the way.

The Tombigbee River

Our goal for the day was to drive to Minden, LA and spend the night there.  Our drive was all along I-20.  We crossed the rest of Alabama, then Mississippi where we crossed the Tombigbee River that Gerri was familiar with living in Columbus, MS.  We crossed the Mississippi River near Vicksburg.  Our last crossing of the Mississippi was going east from Dubuque, IA.

Welcome to Mississippi

and cotton fields

We went through several construction zones, two had men working.  Nothing like the traffic jam we went through yesterday.  We smashed some ugly black bugs but a later heavy rain storm took care of most of them.  We stopped at a couple of rest stops and had lunch after fueling up at a Love's station.

We arrived in Minden at about 4.  No one was in the office.  I paid by phone and was directed to a site by phone.  We were near some trees so no satellite reception.  I tuned into OTA stations and had 20 from Shreveport.  I connected all the utilities since we want to arrive at Herb and JoNell's in Garrison, TX with empty holding tanks.

Gerri served spaghetti with marinara sauce along with sauteed vegetables for supper.  I must have been preoccupied with something and forgot to tune into worship services at 8.  We watched some TV and called it a night.

Tomorrow it is about a 110 mile drive to Garrison.  We plan to spend 4 nights there before driving on to Kyle, TX.

Saturday September 17. 2016 Tuscaloosa, AL

Up at seven and made coffee.  We wanted to get a fairly early start to avoid heavy traffic in Pigeon Forge.  We left the RV park at about 8:30 and were through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville and we were on I-40 going west by 10.  Traffic wasn't too bad.  There were a lot of lookers at the old cars in the curb lane but the center lane moved fairly well.

We made one stop for fuel and get the RV washed.  As it turns out we wasted the price of the wash, because of rain a couple of hours down the road.

Crossing the Tennessee River

I had planned to stop in Gadsden, AL for the evening.  When we got to Gadsden it was too early to stop.  There was a time change which set the clock to Central Time.  We decided to drive on.  In some ways it was a good division.  We got further west, but we also were stuck in a construction slow down east of Tuscaloosa.  Several hours to travel about 15 miles.

Stop and go time east of Tuscaloosa 

We decided on a Walmart in Tuscaloosa for the night.  It wasn't a super-center but there was a Sam's Club next door.  We pulled in near the edge of the lot and there were signs saying no overnight parking for trucks.  While I looked for RV parks further west, Gerri went into Sam's and got permission to stay the night.

The rain started just before dark.  It was still warm and humid out so we ran the generator for roof air until the AC's shut off.

For supper Gerri sauteed vegetables to add to the left overs from the Alamo Steakhouse dinner last night.

We watched some TV before bedtime.

We plan to drive to Minden, LA tomorrow, a distance of about 360 miles.