We were going to take it easy today (Mar. 26), but before the morning was into its prime, we buckled up and headed for El Centro, in California…
There’s a Costco there, and, evidently, our brains told us we needed a Costco fix…
It’s a 140-mile round trip, so we must’ve needed a fix pretty bad, huh?
Anyway, it was a nice ride, which took us through The Imperial Dunes Recreation Area…
A humongous sandbox where hundreds of four-wheelers gather to eat dust and sand… Must be fun…
We visited El Centro in 2000, but it seemed much smaller then…
Don’t know how many inhabitants there are, but it sure is a big town now, with huge boulevards leading to who knows where, and homes and businesses all over the place…
We had Jill take us straight to the Holy Grail (Costco)...
Oh… Backtrack…
I did tell you about Jack’s sex change, didn‘t I?
Our GPS has now gone from Molly to Jack to Jill in a matter of 9 months, and, hopefully, this’ll be the end of it… Those little people inside that gadget has ticked me off to no end over these months, but they are (for the most part) invaluable to our travels, so we put up with their idiosyncrasies and hope for the best…
My next item of importance, though, is to upgrade the little suckers, so, maybe, that‘ll get both them and me on the same track…
Only time will tell…
I had my tires rotated at Costco (actually, that was the reason we went there in the first place… Yeah, right!), and we shopped for food and got new thongs for the both of us… Lu got a new bathing suit, and I bought ink cartridges for my printer… That’s about it… Oh… Almost forgot… We had Polish Sausages for lunch… Yum, yum…
Yesterday brought the Yuma Air Show into the area…
We took off around 9:30...
After jockeying around to find a parking spot, we pulled in behind a young couple, and,
as we both climbed out of our respective cars, I put on the Coast Guard cap Nephew Mike, gave me...
Walking to the gate, they both looked at my cap and smiled, nodding their heads, saying "hello,"
which, of course, Luanne and I returned...
Nothing more was said, and we went our own ways as soon as we got through the gate...
We hadn't walked very far, however, before we noticed they were heading straight for us again...
The girl (or should I say woman) stretched out her hand, and in it were four tickets, which she explained
were tickets to get into the VIP section of the Air Show...
Since they saw my cap - they explained - and since the guy was in the Coast Guard, we were more than
welcome to join them...
Nothing else was said, except that they'd gotten the tickets from a friend of his brother (or something
like that), so, of course, we thanked them, and went our separate ways again...
At the VIP entrance (a huge area enclosed by chain link fences, right in front of the tarmac and the announcer) they took our tickets, gave us wrist bands, and we were allowed to enter...
Two long tables (probably at least 24 ft long) were set up with catered food of all kinds, and there were
soft drinks, water, and even a keg of beer, but the best part were the chairs...
Not having to stand for hours on end, is a blessing to us old folks, you know...
Anyway... Long story short...
After an hour or so, the couple happened to come by, and we struck up a conversation...
Of course, they were curious about where I'd served in the Coast Guard, and, even though I was tempted
to lie a little, I told them I'd gotten the cap from Mike...
Told them he was down in Lockport, Louisiana, and they said they were on their way there, to Eric’s new station, which I believe he said was on the North side of Lake Pontchartrain (not the Post where Mike is)...
Anyway, I dropped Mike’s name, and the guy asked me if Mike had served on the "Hamilton," in San Diego...
Can you believe that?
He then told me that Mike had been his commanding officer back when...
Is that fluky, or what?
Small world, huh?
Their names are Eric and Amy Pruitt, and we can’t begin to say how much we appreciate their kindness... Thank you, guys!
Needless to say, due to Eric and Amy, we had a fantastic experience…
We got fed very well…
We loved the show (but had troubles with the camera, which, for some reason, didn’t want to focus when planes flew by, so there’s not very many good pictures of that)…
And we found some new friends…
What more could you ask for?
That’s all for to today… Here are some of the pictures we did take:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20trip%20to%20EL%20CENTRO%5EJ%20CA%5EJ%20and%20the%202010%20YUMA%20AIR%20SHOW%20%5E5MAR.%2026%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=80&isFromRichUpload=1
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
YUMA, ARIZONA, AND LOS ALGODONES, MEXICO (from MAR. 18 to 25, 2010)
Well, guess it’s time to update the Blog again…
Let’s see… Where did I leave off…
Believe it’s been about a week… Nice break!
As I’ve said, there isn’t all that much to write about once you’re in a place like this, because you get into somewhat of a routine, where you tend to do the same things over and over:
Like hitting the hot tub and the pool first thing in the morning - before the “Chicken Coup” invades for their morning exercises…
You go shopping at Walmart for food (or whatever), or you spend half a day browsing one of many “flea markets” where you can buy everything from needles to haystacks…
You lay out in the sun (just long enough not to burn), then spend half an hour “cooling” off in the pool, yapping up a storm with people you meet…
Some times you take a drive in and around the neighborhood, just to check things out, and some times you luck out and find new things to do or see…
We’ve visited the old Yuma prison as well as the Pea Patch, and we’ve taken a trip into Los Algodones, Mexico (only about 40 minutes away)…
We’ve stopped by the roadway just to watch migrant Mexican workers pick lettuce, cabbage, and all kinds of other crops…
Totally amazing how they can handle working in such hot weather day in and day out - from dawn to dusk - and, probably, not at a very decent wage…
We moved (after our five days at Westwind RV and Golf Resort) to Yuma Lakes Resort for a fourteen night stay, after which, we’ll go back to Westwind again for a ten night stand…
I told you (some time back) that we had trouble with the hot water tank, and, sure enough, last Friday, it bit the dust…
Funny way it did it, too… Must’ve been a short, ’cause the electric breaker went off, and when I tried to turn it back on, there was a puff, and, all of a sudden, the alarm of the car next door started bleeping… The people came out and couldn’t figure out the problem… Sensitive thing, huh?
Of course, I didn’t tell them…
We spent some time locating a repair service, and when we finally did, we couldn’t get them to come to our site before yesterday, and yesterday we had dental appointments at 2:00, in Algodones, so there was the potential for a small conflict, but it was avoided… The repair guy finished up just in time for us to hightail it down to Mexico…
We got to our appointment with 5 minutes to spare, only to find six other customers waiting in line…
The dentist was hours delayed…
We mulled it over for a bit, then made arrangements to come back at ten o’clock, Monday, April 5...
Spent a couple of hours strolling through the town, which is nothing but a Super Flee Market, where you get bombarded by hawkers, selling everything you can buy across the border, but with the exotic twist of having to bargain in broken Spanish…
There must be a hundred dentists (and the same amount of drugstores) across the Mexican border…
Why, you ask… Well, prices are just a fraction of what we pay at home, so this is definitely a draw for us living in the U.S…
I think, though, that OUR biggest draw to this place are the Shrimp Tacos… They’re fabulous, and they’re served at a “hotdog” stand (sorry, can’t call it anything else) on a busy corner…
The waiting line is always long, but always worth the wait…
We had our first ones here in 2000, and, Luanne just told me, she saw an add that they’re celebrating their tenth anniversary… There’s a reason for them staying in business this long…
Needless to say, we had two of them yesterday, and that took care of our dinner for last night…
Unfortunately, I’ve had to spend some time working on our taxes, which only means we’re closing in on the end of our trip…
Sad but true…
Well, that’s about all for now… Just an update to let you know we’re still breathing, still having fun, and still have a bit over a month left before we get home…
Y’all have a great day, and keep an eye out for us on my Blog…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20ARIZONA%5EJ%20AND%20LOS%20ALGODONES%5EJ%20MEXICO%20%5E5from%20MAR.%2018%20to%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=74&isFromRichUpload=1
Let’s see… Where did I leave off…
Believe it’s been about a week… Nice break!
As I’ve said, there isn’t all that much to write about once you’re in a place like this, because you get into somewhat of a routine, where you tend to do the same things over and over:
Like hitting the hot tub and the pool first thing in the morning - before the “Chicken Coup” invades for their morning exercises…
You go shopping at Walmart for food (or whatever), or you spend half a day browsing one of many “flea markets” where you can buy everything from needles to haystacks…
You lay out in the sun (just long enough not to burn), then spend half an hour “cooling” off in the pool, yapping up a storm with people you meet…
Some times you take a drive in and around the neighborhood, just to check things out, and some times you luck out and find new things to do or see…
We’ve visited the old Yuma prison as well as the Pea Patch, and we’ve taken a trip into Los Algodones, Mexico (only about 40 minutes away)…
We’ve stopped by the roadway just to watch migrant Mexican workers pick lettuce, cabbage, and all kinds of other crops…
Totally amazing how they can handle working in such hot weather day in and day out - from dawn to dusk - and, probably, not at a very decent wage…
We moved (after our five days at Westwind RV and Golf Resort) to Yuma Lakes Resort for a fourteen night stay, after which, we’ll go back to Westwind again for a ten night stand…
I told you (some time back) that we had trouble with the hot water tank, and, sure enough, last Friday, it bit the dust…
Funny way it did it, too… Must’ve been a short, ’cause the electric breaker went off, and when I tried to turn it back on, there was a puff, and, all of a sudden, the alarm of the car next door started bleeping… The people came out and couldn’t figure out the problem… Sensitive thing, huh?
Of course, I didn’t tell them…
We spent some time locating a repair service, and when we finally did, we couldn’t get them to come to our site before yesterday, and yesterday we had dental appointments at 2:00, in Algodones, so there was the potential for a small conflict, but it was avoided… The repair guy finished up just in time for us to hightail it down to Mexico…
We got to our appointment with 5 minutes to spare, only to find six other customers waiting in line…
The dentist was hours delayed…
We mulled it over for a bit, then made arrangements to come back at ten o’clock, Monday, April 5...
Spent a couple of hours strolling through the town, which is nothing but a Super Flee Market, where you get bombarded by hawkers, selling everything you can buy across the border, but with the exotic twist of having to bargain in broken Spanish…
There must be a hundred dentists (and the same amount of drugstores) across the Mexican border…
Why, you ask… Well, prices are just a fraction of what we pay at home, so this is definitely a draw for us living in the U.S…
I think, though, that OUR biggest draw to this place are the Shrimp Tacos… They’re fabulous, and they’re served at a “hotdog” stand (sorry, can’t call it anything else) on a busy corner…
The waiting line is always long, but always worth the wait…
We had our first ones here in 2000, and, Luanne just told me, she saw an add that they’re celebrating their tenth anniversary… There’s a reason for them staying in business this long…
Needless to say, we had two of them yesterday, and that took care of our dinner for last night…
Unfortunately, I’ve had to spend some time working on our taxes, which only means we’re closing in on the end of our trip…
Sad but true…
Well, that’s about all for now… Just an update to let you know we’re still breathing, still having fun, and still have a bit over a month left before we get home…
Y’all have a great day, and keep an eye out for us on my Blog…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20ARIZONA%5EJ%20AND%20LOS%20ALGODONES%5EJ%20MEXICO%20%5E5from%20MAR.%2018%20to%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=74&isFromRichUpload=1
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
YUMA, AZ (MAR. 16 & 17, 2010)
Went to the pool (yesterday morning, Mar, 16) with the intent of going for some laps, but, unfortunately, I was a bit late…
A pod of ladies were in the process of doing water aerobics, so I relegated myself to the Hot tub - which is huge!
Found out the ladies (or anybody, really) has the pool set aside from 8 to 10,
so no need to hang around after I started steaming…
Went RV Park-hunting after I cooled down…
We’ve decided that Yuma is the place we want to spend our Winters, at least for the next few years…
We’ve done research, and found this area to have the warmest temps from about November to April, and we like it down here, so there you go…
The only problem is to find a decent place, with activities we’d be inclined to partake in… Hence, Park-hunting…
Actually, we absolutely love the place we‘re in, the “Westwind RV and Golf Resort,” and, so far, have not been able to find another place that compares (and we‘ve been to a dozen so far, I think)…
They have a full-time restaurant, and the Cheers Bar is located right next to the Pro Shop for the 9-hole Golf Course, which is immaculate…
Of course, there are more arts and crafts areas than you can shake a stick at (there’s even a wood shop!), and the Recreation Hall is huge enough to sport Live Entertainment from some of America’s known and unknown acts…
What more could you ask for?
So far, our stay here (two nights out of five) have been blessed with day-temps in the 80s, and nights in the high 50s… No complaints!
By the way, since we made reservations long ago (and didn’t know what we’d “run” into here), we’re moving to Yuma Lakes next Saturday for a two-week stay, and then on to Bullhead City and Laughlin for a couple of weeks before heading home…
After some soul-searching and deliberation of pros and cons, we’ve decided to make this (Westwind Resort) our Winter home-away-from-home, starting next November (more than likely)… That should get us away from the cold and snow for a few years anyway…
Enough of that…
I’m not going to elaborate too much on what we’re doing here, because the topic will more than likely be about spending time in and around the pool…
We both have appointments with a dentist, in Los Algodones, Mexico, to get our teeth cleaned, so we’ll be going there at least a couple of times over the next few weeks… Other than that, there’s no real plan, so I’m letting you know now that, henceforth (at least while we’re in Yuma) there might be some small installments on my Blog from time to time, but I’m going on “vacation” for a while, so check back, but don’t expect too much…
Sorry, but we haven’t taken too many pictures lately, so there’s not much to look at…
We did take some of the agricultural fields as we drove over to Yuma Lakes, but I’m not sure they show the immensity of the area… No wonder they call this place the vegetable garden of the U.S.
Unbelievable how big they are…
Well, that’s it for now…
To all, thank you very much for following us, and please don’t get discouraged if you don’t see an update on my Blog for a bit… I’m sure the writing-bug will catch up with me sooner than later, and you’ll get your doze of ho-hum again…
Until then, take care…
Here are the few pix we’ve taken while in Yuma: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2016%20%5E0%2017%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=17&isFromRichUpload=1
A pod of ladies were in the process of doing water aerobics, so I relegated myself to the Hot tub - which is huge!
Found out the ladies (or anybody, really) has the pool set aside from 8 to 10,
so no need to hang around after I started steaming…
Went RV Park-hunting after I cooled down…
We’ve decided that Yuma is the place we want to spend our Winters, at least for the next few years…
We’ve done research, and found this area to have the warmest temps from about November to April, and we like it down here, so there you go…
The only problem is to find a decent place, with activities we’d be inclined to partake in… Hence, Park-hunting…
Actually, we absolutely love the place we‘re in, the “Westwind RV and Golf Resort,” and, so far, have not been able to find another place that compares (and we‘ve been to a dozen so far, I think)…
They have a full-time restaurant, and the Cheers Bar is located right next to the Pro Shop for the 9-hole Golf Course, which is immaculate…
Of course, there are more arts and crafts areas than you can shake a stick at (there’s even a wood shop!), and the Recreation Hall is huge enough to sport Live Entertainment from some of America’s known and unknown acts…
What more could you ask for?
So far, our stay here (two nights out of five) have been blessed with day-temps in the 80s, and nights in the high 50s… No complaints!
By the way, since we made reservations long ago (and didn’t know what we’d “run” into here), we’re moving to Yuma Lakes next Saturday for a two-week stay, and then on to Bullhead City and Laughlin for a couple of weeks before heading home…
After some soul-searching and deliberation of pros and cons, we’ve decided to make this (Westwind Resort) our Winter home-away-from-home, starting next November (more than likely)… That should get us away from the cold and snow for a few years anyway…
Enough of that…
I’m not going to elaborate too much on what we’re doing here, because the topic will more than likely be about spending time in and around the pool…
We both have appointments with a dentist, in Los Algodones, Mexico, to get our teeth cleaned, so we’ll be going there at least a couple of times over the next few weeks… Other than that, there’s no real plan, so I’m letting you know now that, henceforth (at least while we’re in Yuma) there might be some small installments on my Blog from time to time, but I’m going on “vacation” for a while, so check back, but don’t expect too much…
Sorry, but we haven’t taken too many pictures lately, so there’s not much to look at…
We did take some of the agricultural fields as we drove over to Yuma Lakes, but I’m not sure they show the immensity of the area… No wonder they call this place the vegetable garden of the U.S.
Unbelievable how big they are…
Well, that’s it for now…
To all, thank you very much for following us, and please don’t get discouraged if you don’t see an update on my Blog for a bit… I’m sure the writing-bug will catch up with me sooner than later, and you’ll get your doze of ho-hum again…
Until then, take care…
Here are the few pix we’ve taken while in Yuma: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2016%20%5E0%2017%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=17&isFromRichUpload=1
Monday, March 15, 2010
SIERRA VISTA, and from BENSON to YUMA, AZ (MAR. 14 & 15, 2010)
Mar. 14...
Didn’t have too much on the agenda today, so we did a load of laundry while pondering what to do…
The truck needed an oil change, so we finally decided to forego another trip into Tucson, and, instead, get that done (even though we would’ve loved to have another stab at this great city)…
Because Benson‘s Walmart didn‘t have a “Tire and Lube Center,“ we had to drive over to Sierra Vista (about 30 miles West of Benson)…
NOTE: There’s a military base around here somewhere, ‘cause we ran into a fair share of guys (and gals) with military haircuts and demeanor (did I cover myself?), and some of the people we talked to had that special military way of talking…
You know: Yes, Sir… No, Sir… Ma’am… That kind of crap… (you know what I mean)… Hell, the last time I was addressed as Sir was when I gave this guy a few bucks for parking my car in a sleazy part of some town somewhere (I didn’t like it then, and I just can’t get used to it… Even though I got my car back)…
No matter… We hightailed it to Sierra Vista, and then spent the next two hours waiting around… There’s only so much you can see and do at a Walmart, so the time spent went excruciatingly slow, but we managed… Read that as: The BOSS didn‘t spend too much out of the ordinary, so we got out of there without going broke… There’s something to be said about that…
Filled the truck up on the way home (cost me an arm and a leg, and half a mortgage, but we‘re good to go in the morning…
Stopped by our favorite watering hole (The Arena Bar, on the outskirts of Benson), and watched a couple of cowpokes practice roping a few cows from our window seats, while nourishing some refreshments…
Now tell me - honestly - where can you find another bar like that?
Don’t we live a charmed life?
Mar. 15...
Another blue sky… Another wonderful morning…
Up at 7:00, and on the road a little after 8:00...
All went quite well until we were stopped by a “pissant” officer (of the State Patrol type)…
Evidently, I didn’t “move over” to the left lane, when I passed him, but, obviously, he didn’t have much to do this morning, so he set his sights on innocent “foreign” travelers (I am Norwegian… OK?!)…
Now… He did have his Christmas Tree Lights going, but the guy he had stopped (before me) was pulling out and was long gone by the time I caught up with the Trooper and his flashing lights, and…
Wait for this…
There was a semi truck in the left lane beside me, so I couldn’t move over…
We spent about 15 - 20 minutes (at the side of the road) while waiting for him to go back to his vehicle, and come back with the verdict…
NOT GUILTY!
Of course, he didn’t quite think I was innocent, so he gave me a Warning Ticket…
Life in Arizona is so unfair for us foreigners!
Wonder if illegal Mexicans cause that kind of reaction?
Probably not… But who knows?
As a result of this mishandling of personal rights, we were about 20 minutes late for our meeting with our wonderful friend, Mavis Fey, which was to take place at the Iron Skillet (Exit 200 off I-10)...
Since she’s such a good personage, she forgave us, and even bought us breakfast, which was totally uncalled for, but tremendously appreciated…
We‘ll make up for it when you come to Yuma for a visit… OK?
After getting our bellies saturated, and bidding Mavis “adjø” (Norwegian for adjø… Learn it, or die!)
we headed West on I-8...
I programmed “Jack” last night to take us to the address of our new RV Park (the Westwind), in Yuma…
I didn’t check with any of our paper maps, because, as soon as I put the address in, he came right up with “Drive to… etc… etc…”
Figured he had it down pat…
WRONG!
When we got to Yuma, he had us leave I-8 at Exit 2 (that‘s 2 miles from the California border), then one turn after another lead us into the toolies…
When we finally arrived at the place he thought was our RV Park, we were, in fact, in the middle of the
“American Lettuce Basket” (look at the pictures)…
We headed South (BIG mistake!), thinking we’d be able to make a left (back to the freeway), but the lettuce fields (or whatever they were) were so huge, and there were no cross streets for miles, so it seemed like we were half way to Belize before we could finally turn…
Please remember I’m hauling a 30-foot trailer behind me, so it’s not all that easy to make a turn, if you know what I‘m saying…
Well, long story short… We spent at least an hour, and drove probably more than 30 extra miles, because “Jack” had fun steering us astray…
I was not pleased, and Luanne must’ve been more so, because she yelled at me when I vented my frustration in a not-so-gentlemanly-way…
We had a quiet time (while I contemplated my outburst - and hers), and then I spoke out loud: “That bastard is done for! He’s gonna be a girl from now on! Good bye Jack! Hello Molly!”
Lu called the RV Park and got directions…
Found I-8, and headed back East to Exit 12, and entered a fine-looking RV Park, where we’ll spend the next five nights…
Everything we could possibly want for in recreation is here… Swimming Pool… Hot tub… Library… Shuffle Board… Cafeteria… Bar…
Oh, I could go on, but I’ll let the pictures tell the story as the days go by… How’s that?
Will say that we met some very friendly people already, and Luanne is absolutely giddy with delight of finding a place like this right off the bat…
That’s it for tonight…
We have a bunch of things to do and see around here in the next four weeks (among them is a visit to the dentist for some cleaning), so we’ll see how the Blog comes into play… Not going to promise an update every night, but we’ll see…
Until we meet again, then… Safe travels to all…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SIERRA%20VISTA%5EJ%20and%20from%20BENSON%20to%20YUMA%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2014%20%5E0%2015%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=67&isFromRichUpload=1
Didn’t have too much on the agenda today, so we did a load of laundry while pondering what to do…
The truck needed an oil change, so we finally decided to forego another trip into Tucson, and, instead, get that done (even though we would’ve loved to have another stab at this great city)…
Because Benson‘s Walmart didn‘t have a “Tire and Lube Center,“ we had to drive over to Sierra Vista (about 30 miles West of Benson)…
NOTE: There’s a military base around here somewhere, ‘cause we ran into a fair share of guys (and gals) with military haircuts and demeanor (did I cover myself?), and some of the people we talked to had that special military way of talking…
You know: Yes, Sir… No, Sir… Ma’am… That kind of crap… (you know what I mean)… Hell, the last time I was addressed as Sir was when I gave this guy a few bucks for parking my car in a sleazy part of some town somewhere (I didn’t like it then, and I just can’t get used to it… Even though I got my car back)…
No matter… We hightailed it to Sierra Vista, and then spent the next two hours waiting around… There’s only so much you can see and do at a Walmart, so the time spent went excruciatingly slow, but we managed… Read that as: The BOSS didn‘t spend too much out of the ordinary, so we got out of there without going broke… There’s something to be said about that…
Filled the truck up on the way home (cost me an arm and a leg, and half a mortgage, but we‘re good to go in the morning…
Stopped by our favorite watering hole (The Arena Bar, on the outskirts of Benson), and watched a couple of cowpokes practice roping a few cows from our window seats, while nourishing some refreshments…
Now tell me - honestly - where can you find another bar like that?
Don’t we live a charmed life?
Mar. 15...
Another blue sky… Another wonderful morning…
Up at 7:00, and on the road a little after 8:00...
All went quite well until we were stopped by a “pissant” officer (of the State Patrol type)…
Evidently, I didn’t “move over” to the left lane, when I passed him, but, obviously, he didn’t have much to do this morning, so he set his sights on innocent “foreign” travelers (I am Norwegian… OK?!)…
Now… He did have his Christmas Tree Lights going, but the guy he had stopped (before me) was pulling out and was long gone by the time I caught up with the Trooper and his flashing lights, and…
Wait for this…
There was a semi truck in the left lane beside me, so I couldn’t move over…
We spent about 15 - 20 minutes (at the side of the road) while waiting for him to go back to his vehicle, and come back with the verdict…
NOT GUILTY!
Of course, he didn’t quite think I was innocent, so he gave me a Warning Ticket…
Life in Arizona is so unfair for us foreigners!
Wonder if illegal Mexicans cause that kind of reaction?
Probably not… But who knows?
As a result of this mishandling of personal rights, we were about 20 minutes late for our meeting with our wonderful friend, Mavis Fey, which was to take place at the Iron Skillet (Exit 200 off I-10)...
Since she’s such a good personage, she forgave us, and even bought us breakfast, which was totally uncalled for, but tremendously appreciated…
We‘ll make up for it when you come to Yuma for a visit… OK?
After getting our bellies saturated, and bidding Mavis “adjø” (Norwegian for adjø… Learn it, or die!)
we headed West on I-8...
I programmed “Jack” last night to take us to the address of our new RV Park (the Westwind), in Yuma…
I didn’t check with any of our paper maps, because, as soon as I put the address in, he came right up with “Drive to… etc… etc…”
Figured he had it down pat…
WRONG!
When we got to Yuma, he had us leave I-8 at Exit 2 (that‘s 2 miles from the California border), then one turn after another lead us into the toolies…
When we finally arrived at the place he thought was our RV Park, we were, in fact, in the middle of the
“American Lettuce Basket” (look at the pictures)…
We headed South (BIG mistake!), thinking we’d be able to make a left (back to the freeway), but the lettuce fields (or whatever they were) were so huge, and there were no cross streets for miles, so it seemed like we were half way to Belize before we could finally turn…
Please remember I’m hauling a 30-foot trailer behind me, so it’s not all that easy to make a turn, if you know what I‘m saying…
Well, long story short… We spent at least an hour, and drove probably more than 30 extra miles, because “Jack” had fun steering us astray…
I was not pleased, and Luanne must’ve been more so, because she yelled at me when I vented my frustration in a not-so-gentlemanly-way…
We had a quiet time (while I contemplated my outburst - and hers), and then I spoke out loud: “That bastard is done for! He’s gonna be a girl from now on! Good bye Jack! Hello Molly!”
Lu called the RV Park and got directions…
Found I-8, and headed back East to Exit 12, and entered a fine-looking RV Park, where we’ll spend the next five nights…
Everything we could possibly want for in recreation is here… Swimming Pool… Hot tub… Library… Shuffle Board… Cafeteria… Bar…
Oh, I could go on, but I’ll let the pictures tell the story as the days go by… How’s that?
Will say that we met some very friendly people already, and Luanne is absolutely giddy with delight of finding a place like this right off the bat…
That’s it for tonight…
We have a bunch of things to do and see around here in the next four weeks (among them is a visit to the dentist for some cleaning), so we’ll see how the Blog comes into play… Not going to promise an update every night, but we’ll see…
Until we meet again, then… Safe travels to all…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SIERRA%20VISTA%5EJ%20and%20from%20BENSON%20to%20YUMA%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2014%20%5E0%2015%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=67&isFromRichUpload=1
Saturday, March 13, 2010
TUCSON, ARIZONA (MAR. 13, 2010)
Since it was “only” about 40-some miles, we decided (at 9:00AM) to take a drive into Tucson, and - let me tell you - we found a new favorite place!
The City is nestled between the Tucson and the Santa Catalina Mountains, and it’s idyllic, beautiful, and all those great words that describes peace and quiet…
Not knowing what to do and what to see, we asked “Jack” to take us to a Visitors Center, which he gladly did (now that we have an understanding - See previous Blogs), and that happened to land us smack in the middle of an incredible complex called the Convention and Visitors Bureau…
Please see pictures, because it is very tastefully done, and very colorful…
Found out there are all kinds of things to see and do in town (and the surrounding area) all year round, but there were several things going on this weekend, which we thought we’d take a look at, and, so, we started out by visiting The Old Town Artisans Plaza…
Very unique in that you walk in at any one of the four corners (it takes up a whole block), and then stroll through shops, boutiques, and art galleries by interconnected doors… In other words, you don’t have to go outdoors at all, unless you want to sit and relax in the inner courtyard, where you’ll find the Cocina Restaurant…
We were told there were going to be Aztec entertainers at noon, 2:00, and 4:00, so, since we had a lot of time on our hands, we decided to drive down to San Xavier del Bac Mission, a Mission that goes way back to when those Spaniards were running things around here…
We had no idea we would run right into the 28th Annual “WA:K POWWOW”
(a conglomeration of Indian Tribes from all over the Nation), which was to take place at the “back” lot of the Mission, starting a half hour after we arrived…
We’ve never been to a powwow, so we had no idea of what to expect, but we thought, what the hey, and paid the $3 for parking, and the $18 to get in…
Not going to say anything other than we had a fabulous time; we had two home-made beef tacos each, which an older Indian lady took ten minutes to make from scratch (and it was the best tacos I‘ve ever had), and we watched a most vibrant and colorful pageant saturated in tradition and history…
Look at the pictures, and you’ll see what I mean…
We didn’t leave until after 3:00, when we scooted back to Old Town Artisans - to catch the Aztecs - and to have dinner at the Cocina Restaurant…
We got ourselves a table out in the courtyard, and, for about half an hour, we listened to Tom Short play fabulous Jazz and Blues on his guitar… He was so good, I broke down and got his CD…
After dinner we went home via a quick trip to Costco, where Lu needed to get a couple of slabs of ham…
Don’t know why she had to go to Costco for that, but mine is not to question why… Etcetera…
Stopped by the Arena Bar (in Benson) for a nightcap, then home to get this Blog and pictures posted, so we can start all over again tomorrow…
Don’t actually know if we’re heading back to Tucson tomorrow (‘cause Lu’s in bed), but we talked about it earlier, so there’s a chance we’ll make a return trip…
There’s a Jazz Festival up in some canyon, and all sorts of other things (like a movie lot - where a lot of Westerns were shot), but who knows, we’ll see tomorrow…
Until then, then…
Take a look at today’s pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/TUCSON%5EJ%20ARIZONA%20%5E5MAR.%2013%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=166&isFromRichUpload=1
The City is nestled between the Tucson and the Santa Catalina Mountains, and it’s idyllic, beautiful, and all those great words that describes peace and quiet…
Not knowing what to do and what to see, we asked “Jack” to take us to a Visitors Center, which he gladly did (now that we have an understanding - See previous Blogs), and that happened to land us smack in the middle of an incredible complex called the Convention and Visitors Bureau…
Please see pictures, because it is very tastefully done, and very colorful…
Found out there are all kinds of things to see and do in town (and the surrounding area) all year round, but there were several things going on this weekend, which we thought we’d take a look at, and, so, we started out by visiting The Old Town Artisans Plaza…
Very unique in that you walk in at any one of the four corners (it takes up a whole block), and then stroll through shops, boutiques, and art galleries by interconnected doors… In other words, you don’t have to go outdoors at all, unless you want to sit and relax in the inner courtyard, where you’ll find the Cocina Restaurant…
We were told there were going to be Aztec entertainers at noon, 2:00, and 4:00, so, since we had a lot of time on our hands, we decided to drive down to San Xavier del Bac Mission, a Mission that goes way back to when those Spaniards were running things around here…
We had no idea we would run right into the 28th Annual “WA:K POWWOW”
(a conglomeration of Indian Tribes from all over the Nation), which was to take place at the “back” lot of the Mission, starting a half hour after we arrived…
We’ve never been to a powwow, so we had no idea of what to expect, but we thought, what the hey, and paid the $3 for parking, and the $18 to get in…
Not going to say anything other than we had a fabulous time; we had two home-made beef tacos each, which an older Indian lady took ten minutes to make from scratch (and it was the best tacos I‘ve ever had), and we watched a most vibrant and colorful pageant saturated in tradition and history…
Look at the pictures, and you’ll see what I mean…
We didn’t leave until after 3:00, when we scooted back to Old Town Artisans - to catch the Aztecs - and to have dinner at the Cocina Restaurant…
We got ourselves a table out in the courtyard, and, for about half an hour, we listened to Tom Short play fabulous Jazz and Blues on his guitar… He was so good, I broke down and got his CD…
After dinner we went home via a quick trip to Costco, where Lu needed to get a couple of slabs of ham…
Don’t know why she had to go to Costco for that, but mine is not to question why… Etcetera…
Stopped by the Arena Bar (in Benson) for a nightcap, then home to get this Blog and pictures posted, so we can start all over again tomorrow…
Don’t actually know if we’re heading back to Tucson tomorrow (‘cause Lu’s in bed), but we talked about it earlier, so there’s a chance we’ll make a return trip…
There’s a Jazz Festival up in some canyon, and all sorts of other things (like a movie lot - where a lot of Westerns were shot), but who knows, we’ll see tomorrow…
Until then, then…
Take a look at today’s pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/TUCSON%5EJ%20ARIZONA%20%5E5MAR.%2013%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=166&isFromRichUpload=1
Friday, March 12, 2010
COCHISE STRONGHOLD, CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT, FORT BOWIE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE (MAR 12, 2010)
Very tired after a long day (somewhere close to 9 hours and about 220 miles of travel), so this Blog is going to be fairly short…
I’m taking some time now, while I’m waiting for my photos to upload, to give you a brief update on some of the stuff we did today…
Maybe some of it will interest you?
Took well over 300 pictures, but cut them down to 182, which is still a lot to look at, but I just couldn‘t see dropping any more than that…
I added text to quite a few of them, so you should have no problem figuring out what you’re seeing…
You can get an idea of how vast this territory is by looking at the map (the first picture)… It literally takes hours and hours to drive the “short” distance we did today, and when you take into account stopping and hiking, you soon have a full day on your hand…
I took quite a few pictures of plaques (posted here, there, and everywhere) at the sites we visited… They’re a great source of information, and they help me remember whatever I need to remember, if I ever should need it…
I hope that information will help you as well…
I think both Luanne and I got the most pleasure of visiting the Stronghold of the Apache Chief, Cochise, and Fort Bowie, but the Chiricahua National Monument is totally awesome also… Mother Nature has been very busy here, and it’s a must-see if you’re ever in this area…
We had a spectacular day today, by the way… No wind, clear, blue skies, and an abundance of sun… It looks like the weather is finally going to straighten up and behave for the foreseeable future, and it’s about time… We need to get some tan before venturing back to the Northwest…
My pictures just finished uploading, and I’m going to end this mess and go to bed… Later, Y’all…….
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/COCHISE%20STRONGHOLD%5EJ%20CHIRICAHUA%20NATIONAL%20MONUMENT%5EJ%20FORT%20BOWIE%20NATIONAL%20HISTORIC%20SITE%20%5E5MAR%2012%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=182&isFromRichUpload=1
I’m taking some time now, while I’m waiting for my photos to upload, to give you a brief update on some of the stuff we did today…
Maybe some of it will interest you?
Took well over 300 pictures, but cut them down to 182, which is still a lot to look at, but I just couldn‘t see dropping any more than that…
I added text to quite a few of them, so you should have no problem figuring out what you’re seeing…
You can get an idea of how vast this territory is by looking at the map (the first picture)… It literally takes hours and hours to drive the “short” distance we did today, and when you take into account stopping and hiking, you soon have a full day on your hand…
I took quite a few pictures of plaques (posted here, there, and everywhere) at the sites we visited… They’re a great source of information, and they help me remember whatever I need to remember, if I ever should need it…
I hope that information will help you as well…
I think both Luanne and I got the most pleasure of visiting the Stronghold of the Apache Chief, Cochise, and Fort Bowie, but the Chiricahua National Monument is totally awesome also… Mother Nature has been very busy here, and it’s a must-see if you’re ever in this area…
We had a spectacular day today, by the way… No wind, clear, blue skies, and an abundance of sun… It looks like the weather is finally going to straighten up and behave for the foreseeable future, and it’s about time… We need to get some tan before venturing back to the Northwest…
My pictures just finished uploading, and I’m going to end this mess and go to bed… Later, Y’all…….
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/COCHISE%20STRONGHOLD%5EJ%20CHIRICAHUA%20NATIONAL%20MONUMENT%5EJ%20FORT%20BOWIE%20NATIONAL%20HISTORIC%20SITE%20%5E5MAR%2012%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=182&isFromRichUpload=1
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
BENSON, TOMBSTONE & BISBEE, AZ (MAR. 10, 2010)
As you probably know, this area literally bristles with Old West history, and should I take the time to write about all of it, I’d be here ‘till Doomsday, and that’s only if a gaggle of historians did the research for me, ’cause I sure don’t know much about any of it, except for maybe some highlights here and there…
Guess what I’m saying is that I don’t want to add my meager scribbles (about the cowboy era) to the millions of volumes already on the shelves…
Did that make sense?
What it boils down to is that I’m trying get out of writing a long and tedious essay, so, then, in the interest of brevity here on the Blog, I took a slug of pictures, which, hopefully, will give you a feel for “things” from days of yore, and, maybe, guide you in your own exploration of interesting facts about some of the historic characters and the times they lived…
Can you see yourself a hundred-and-some years ago, riding into Tombstone (on an incredibly hot day in August), bellying up to the bar, next to Wyatt Earp and his brothers, at the Bird Cage Theatre, of course, since that was one of their favorite hangouts, or sitting down at the table (in the basement) playing a hand of poker with Doc Holiday?
Since you’re dreaming, why not picture yourself being an eyewitness to the gunfight at the OK Corral… Can you smell the gunpowder?
How about spending months and months, year in and year out, in the Queen copper mines of Bisbee, at an elevation of 5,300 feet… Wow, what hardship that must’ve been…
There are so many stories here…
Some are true…
A lot are fictitious…
Some are a little of both, but embellished to no end, just for the literary market, so legends will live on forever…
I’ve only touched on the “cowboy” side of things today, but I’ll give equal time to the Indians later - once we venture over to check out Fort Bowie…
Have you heard of Cochise and Geronimo, the Buffalo Soldiers, and the Indian Wars?
Our learning curve was enticed the last time we were here, and we hope to refresh some of those numb brain cells in a day or so…
So, without further ado, I leave you to your own exploration… Have fun…
Here are today’s crop: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BENSON%5EJ%20TOMBSTONE%20%5E0%20BISBEE%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2010%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=118&isFromRichUpload=1
Guess what I’m saying is that I don’t want to add my meager scribbles (about the cowboy era) to the millions of volumes already on the shelves…
Did that make sense?
What it boils down to is that I’m trying get out of writing a long and tedious essay, so, then, in the interest of brevity here on the Blog, I took a slug of pictures, which, hopefully, will give you a feel for “things” from days of yore, and, maybe, guide you in your own exploration of interesting facts about some of the historic characters and the times they lived…
Can you see yourself a hundred-and-some years ago, riding into Tombstone (on an incredibly hot day in August), bellying up to the bar, next to Wyatt Earp and his brothers, at the Bird Cage Theatre, of course, since that was one of their favorite hangouts, or sitting down at the table (in the basement) playing a hand of poker with Doc Holiday?
Since you’re dreaming, why not picture yourself being an eyewitness to the gunfight at the OK Corral… Can you smell the gunpowder?
How about spending months and months, year in and year out, in the Queen copper mines of Bisbee, at an elevation of 5,300 feet… Wow, what hardship that must’ve been…
There are so many stories here…
Some are true…
A lot are fictitious…
Some are a little of both, but embellished to no end, just for the literary market, so legends will live on forever…
I’ve only touched on the “cowboy” side of things today, but I’ll give equal time to the Indians later - once we venture over to check out Fort Bowie…
Have you heard of Cochise and Geronimo, the Buffalo Soldiers, and the Indian Wars?
Our learning curve was enticed the last time we were here, and we hope to refresh some of those numb brain cells in a day or so…
So, without further ado, I leave you to your own exploration… Have fun…
Here are today’s crop: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BENSON%5EJ%20TOMBSTONE%20%5E0%20BISBEE%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2010%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=118&isFromRichUpload=1
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
LAS CRUCES, NM to BENSON, AZ (MAR. 9, 2010)
For some ungodly reason Luanne got out of bed before 6:00 this morning, but she had second thoughts five minutes later, when she plumped back into bed, turned on the light to read, and was asked (very gently by yours truly) what the heck she was doing bouncing all over the place…
She didn’t take lightly to that, and got back up…
Well… My beauty sleep was shot, as you can imagine, so I crawled out of the sack myself…
Maybe because I wasn’t quite awake and didn’t fully understand what she’d said, I peaked out (as I came to the door to the “head”), and found her standing at the kitchen sink - with her back to me…
Unfortunately, I asked again (in a most gentle and unobtrusive way, you understand) what she was thinking getting up at this time of the night…
When she slowly turned my way (dead giveaway), I knew I was in trouble… Those warm, blue eyes had turned arctic, and (being the diplomat I am) I piled into the bathroom before I could hear what she said…
Moments later, however, she yells that the heater is not working, and the propane tank is probably empty…
I’m standing here stark-raving “nekked” woman! Whazza matter with you?
Go and turn the switch to the other tank yourself!
Needless to say, we had a quiet (and peaceful) road trip today…
Thought I’d share that little episode with you to let you know that we do have “spats” from time to time, but doesn’t that make life interesting?
Now… Over to something dramatic…
I mentioned, yesterday, that I might carry out a sex-change operation on “Jack” and bring “Molly” back, because he became deaf-mute on me again, and would not acknowledge anything I tried to do to make him speak…
Well, last night, I took him into the trailer (to program him for our trip today), and when I placed him in his cradle (in the truck) this morning, he started singing like a damn canary…
Can you believe that?
Amazing what a little “tough love” will get you, huh?
How and why the sudden (and unexpected) turn-around happened is beyond me, but I have a sneaking suspicion… I’m just saying…
Wow! This issue of my Blog has become a little on the weird side, huh? Sorry about that…
Guess today’s travel wasn’t very exciting, and I don’t have much to add to the description I “planted” on the pictures, so there you go… Time to write silly stuff…
Anyway, as you can see by the headline, we made it to Benson, Arizona… All on Interstate 10...
Stopped in Deming (at a Denny’s) for breakfast, and then, at a Rest Area, just a few miles from Benson, because Lu had to get rid of some water… Hey! When you gotta go, you gotta go!
And, besides, after this morning’s debacle, I wasn’t about to mention we were within minutes of our destination… I know my place in the hierarchy…
So, we got settled… Took a nap, and went out to get propane, order medicine at Walmart, and stopped at the local wet-spot for some thirst quenchers…
A note about the weather:
We were lucky today… Had clear, blue, skies and no wind all the way here.
Right after our nap, however, huge, black clouds rolled in from the West, along with strong winds that sent dust flying everywhere… Then came torrential rain, but it only lasted a short while, and they’re saying tomorrow will be great, so we’ll see…
I’m done for today, and don’t know when I’ll get back to the Blog…
Probably be a couple of days, because this is one of our all-time favorite places, with a lot of history from the “cowboy” era, and we plan to do and see a lot this coming week…
Just about every day I do put notes on my Facebook, so, if you don’t see any action here, you might want to check there…
Take care until next time…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20CRUCES%5EJ%20NM%20to%20BENSON%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%209%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=57&isFromRichUpload=1
She didn’t take lightly to that, and got back up…
Well… My beauty sleep was shot, as you can imagine, so I crawled out of the sack myself…
Maybe because I wasn’t quite awake and didn’t fully understand what she’d said, I peaked out (as I came to the door to the “head”), and found her standing at the kitchen sink - with her back to me…
Unfortunately, I asked again (in a most gentle and unobtrusive way, you understand) what she was thinking getting up at this time of the night…
When she slowly turned my way (dead giveaway), I knew I was in trouble… Those warm, blue eyes had turned arctic, and (being the diplomat I am) I piled into the bathroom before I could hear what she said…
Moments later, however, she yells that the heater is not working, and the propane tank is probably empty…
I’m standing here stark-raving “nekked” woman! Whazza matter with you?
Go and turn the switch to the other tank yourself!
Needless to say, we had a quiet (and peaceful) road trip today…
Thought I’d share that little episode with you to let you know that we do have “spats” from time to time, but doesn’t that make life interesting?
Now… Over to something dramatic…
I mentioned, yesterday, that I might carry out a sex-change operation on “Jack” and bring “Molly” back, because he became deaf-mute on me again, and would not acknowledge anything I tried to do to make him speak…
Well, last night, I took him into the trailer (to program him for our trip today), and when I placed him in his cradle (in the truck) this morning, he started singing like a damn canary…
Can you believe that?
Amazing what a little “tough love” will get you, huh?
How and why the sudden (and unexpected) turn-around happened is beyond me, but I have a sneaking suspicion… I’m just saying…
Wow! This issue of my Blog has become a little on the weird side, huh? Sorry about that…
Guess today’s travel wasn’t very exciting, and I don’t have much to add to the description I “planted” on the pictures, so there you go… Time to write silly stuff…
Anyway, as you can see by the headline, we made it to Benson, Arizona… All on Interstate 10...
Stopped in Deming (at a Denny’s) for breakfast, and then, at a Rest Area, just a few miles from Benson, because Lu had to get rid of some water… Hey! When you gotta go, you gotta go!
And, besides, after this morning’s debacle, I wasn’t about to mention we were within minutes of our destination… I know my place in the hierarchy…
So, we got settled… Took a nap, and went out to get propane, order medicine at Walmart, and stopped at the local wet-spot for some thirst quenchers…
A note about the weather:
We were lucky today… Had clear, blue, skies and no wind all the way here.
Right after our nap, however, huge, black clouds rolled in from the West, along with strong winds that sent dust flying everywhere… Then came torrential rain, but it only lasted a short while, and they’re saying tomorrow will be great, so we’ll see…
I’m done for today, and don’t know when I’ll get back to the Blog…
Probably be a couple of days, because this is one of our all-time favorite places, with a lot of history from the “cowboy” era, and we plan to do and see a lot this coming week…
Just about every day I do put notes on my Facebook, so, if you don’t see any action here, you might want to check there…
Take care until next time…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20CRUCES%5EJ%20NM%20to%20BENSON%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%209%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=57&isFromRichUpload=1
Monday, March 8, 2010
Architectural Gems found in LAS CRUCES & OLD MESILLA, N.M. (MAR. 8, 2010)
We got up early, mainly because we were used to the old time zone, but also because I needed to get printer ink (in order to get the check book and bank statements taken care of), so off to Walmart I went…
Programmed my good friend “Jack” and he gave me directions to a Supercenter about 3.5 miles away…
Got there, only to find they’d run out of my type…
Reprogrammed “Jack,” and he took me to another Supercenter, only a mile from the trailer… Now, why didn’t he get me there first? Conundrum…
Anyway, no ink there either…
Guide me home “Jack“…
You wouldn’t believe the route he took me… In and around neighborhoods, at least 3 miles out of my way, and to top it off, the jerk quit speaking to me before I got to our RV Park, so, of course, I didn’t pay attention (since I was used to hearing his warnings), and drove right on by…
Realized what I’d done a mile down the road… Made a U-turn, and am now in the progress of debating whether I should perform a sex-change operation on the little turd…
Maybe get Molly back?
My word, I do go on, don’t I?
Long story short: Called ahead to a couple of places (why didn’t I think about that before?), fetched my Better Half, and picked up the ink cartridge at a Office Max…
It was blowing very hard this morning (all day, actually), so, once we’d gotten the ink, we decided to take a short drive around some of the neighborhoods in Mesilla, on the way home… Took lots of pictures of wonderful Southwest Architecture…
Have to apologize for the lack of diversity in our pictures this time, but that’s because this “Adobe” design turns me on… Almost makes me want to start designing again…
Oh, well… got home and ended up taking a nap before taking off to check out the Historic District of Las Cruces… Then back to Old Mesilla again (which certainly rates among one of our favorite spots), where we strolled from shop to shop, and even found a couple of small gifts for some special people…
The evening was still early, and, since I’ve been on the vocal side about not having had a Texas steak in Texas for a few days, the Boss allowed me to take her to the “Texas Roadhouse“ (read that as STEAKHOUSE), where we indulged in some of the most fabulous animal protein we’ve ever had…
Which, of course, could only come from an authentic Texas restaurant in New Mexico…
Well stuffed, we headed home for a last night in Las Cruces…
We’re heading into Arizona tomorrow morning, and should be in Benson around 1:00, or 2:00, where we’ll be staying 6 nights, I believe (have to check the itinerary)…
Until further notice, then, we’re gone…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Architectural%20Gems%20found%20in%20LAS%20CRUCES%20%5E0%20OLD%20MESILLA%5EJ%20N.M.%20%5E5MAR.%208%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1
Programmed my good friend “Jack” and he gave me directions to a Supercenter about 3.5 miles away…
Got there, only to find they’d run out of my type…
Reprogrammed “Jack,” and he took me to another Supercenter, only a mile from the trailer… Now, why didn’t he get me there first? Conundrum…
Anyway, no ink there either…
Guide me home “Jack“…
You wouldn’t believe the route he took me… In and around neighborhoods, at least 3 miles out of my way, and to top it off, the jerk quit speaking to me before I got to our RV Park, so, of course, I didn’t pay attention (since I was used to hearing his warnings), and drove right on by…
Realized what I’d done a mile down the road… Made a U-turn, and am now in the progress of debating whether I should perform a sex-change operation on the little turd…
Maybe get Molly back?
My word, I do go on, don’t I?
Long story short: Called ahead to a couple of places (why didn’t I think about that before?), fetched my Better Half, and picked up the ink cartridge at a Office Max…
It was blowing very hard this morning (all day, actually), so, once we’d gotten the ink, we decided to take a short drive around some of the neighborhoods in Mesilla, on the way home… Took lots of pictures of wonderful Southwest Architecture…
Have to apologize for the lack of diversity in our pictures this time, but that’s because this “Adobe” design turns me on… Almost makes me want to start designing again…
Oh, well… got home and ended up taking a nap before taking off to check out the Historic District of Las Cruces… Then back to Old Mesilla again (which certainly rates among one of our favorite spots), where we strolled from shop to shop, and even found a couple of small gifts for some special people…
The evening was still early, and, since I’ve been on the vocal side about not having had a Texas steak in Texas for a few days, the Boss allowed me to take her to the “Texas Roadhouse“ (read that as STEAKHOUSE), where we indulged in some of the most fabulous animal protein we’ve ever had…
Which, of course, could only come from an authentic Texas restaurant in New Mexico…
Well stuffed, we headed home for a last night in Las Cruces…
We’re heading into Arizona tomorrow morning, and should be in Benson around 1:00, or 2:00, where we’ll be staying 6 nights, I believe (have to check the itinerary)…
Until further notice, then, we’re gone…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Architectural%20Gems%20found%20in%20LAS%20CRUCES%20%5E0%20OLD%20MESILLA%5EJ%20N.M.%20%5E5MAR.%208%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1
Sunday, March 7, 2010
FORT STOCKTON, TX. to LAS CRUCES, N.M. (MAR. 7, 2010)
We had another 300-miler ahead of us today, so we were out of Fort Stockton by 7:45...
Talking about Ft. Stockton, here’s an interesting tidbit I found out yesterday:
The town is sitting at 3,000 feet above sea level…
That, in itself, may not turn you on, but for me, driving from sea level (in Rockport) to here, it was an eye-opener… You see, I had no idea we climbed that high, because it’s so gradual, you think you’re driving on the flat the whole way… I thought we’d climbed a couple of hundred feet, or so… But 3,000! No way!
Now, wasn’t that interesting?
Anyway…
Today (except for the long drive), there really isn’t much to comment on…
The trip was uneventful, and almost as boring as spending a full day in Fort Stockton (with the exception of finally driving in, over, and around some real mountains… Even though they’re as bald as a baby’s derrière)…
As you can see from the pictures, there’s no real change in the landscape, until you get to the mountains, and once over them, you’re back to wide open spaces, which - oddly enough - reminds you of the Arizona desert…
We got into some traffic in El Paso, but nothing hair-raising… Got a few pictures of Juarez, Mexico, which we could see across the Rio Grande River (the border between the U.S. and Mexico)…
Amazing to look right and see prosperity, then look left and find poverty and squalor…
From El Paso it only took a little over half an hour to drive up to Las Cruces, where “Jack” almost sent us on a wild goose chase, but, thanks to the observant driver of our little convoy (does one vehicle and one trailer constitute a convoy), we managed to avoid that traumatic event, and arrived at Coachlight RV Park safe and sound…
It seems that this park spares no expense, because we were greeted by a Welcoming Committee just as we’d gotten ourselves situated…
As we always do when we arrive at a place, we spend a few restful minutes (letting the road dust settle, so to speak), and go over some of the info we have, so we can plan on what to do and see…
Well, when we opened the door (to a wonderful 75 degree warmth, I might add), we were met by an incredibly colorful rooster standing a half dozen feet away… Looking at us and making sure we were comfortable, I’m sure… Got his welcoming act on a digital image, and added that to this day’s pictures…
We’re only staying here two nights, so we took a quick trip into town - just to familiarize ourselves - and then drove to Old Mesilla (part of Las Cruces, and one of the oldest settlements in the U.S. - sometime in 1598, I believe), where we strolled around the square… We caught the end of Sunday’s “Arts and Crafts Fair,” and then had Taco dinners at “La Posta de Mesilla,” the same restaurant, and the same FABULOUS food we remember we had ten years ago…
Can’t get more authentic Mexican food than that, unless, of course, you’re in Mexico…
Well, that’s it for tonight… Getting late, and tomorrow is another day, so, until then…
Bye for now…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TX.%20to%20LAS%20CRUCES%5EJ%20N.M.%20%5E5MAR.%207%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=80&isFromRichUpload=1
Talking about Ft. Stockton, here’s an interesting tidbit I found out yesterday:
The town is sitting at 3,000 feet above sea level…
That, in itself, may not turn you on, but for me, driving from sea level (in Rockport) to here, it was an eye-opener… You see, I had no idea we climbed that high, because it’s so gradual, you think you’re driving on the flat the whole way… I thought we’d climbed a couple of hundred feet, or so… But 3,000! No way!
Now, wasn’t that interesting?
Anyway…
Today (except for the long drive), there really isn’t much to comment on…
The trip was uneventful, and almost as boring as spending a full day in Fort Stockton (with the exception of finally driving in, over, and around some real mountains… Even though they’re as bald as a baby’s derrière)…
As you can see from the pictures, there’s no real change in the landscape, until you get to the mountains, and once over them, you’re back to wide open spaces, which - oddly enough - reminds you of the Arizona desert…
We got into some traffic in El Paso, but nothing hair-raising… Got a few pictures of Juarez, Mexico, which we could see across the Rio Grande River (the border between the U.S. and Mexico)…
Amazing to look right and see prosperity, then look left and find poverty and squalor…
From El Paso it only took a little over half an hour to drive up to Las Cruces, where “Jack” almost sent us on a wild goose chase, but, thanks to the observant driver of our little convoy (does one vehicle and one trailer constitute a convoy), we managed to avoid that traumatic event, and arrived at Coachlight RV Park safe and sound…
It seems that this park spares no expense, because we were greeted by a Welcoming Committee just as we’d gotten ourselves situated…
As we always do when we arrive at a place, we spend a few restful minutes (letting the road dust settle, so to speak), and go over some of the info we have, so we can plan on what to do and see…
Well, when we opened the door (to a wonderful 75 degree warmth, I might add), we were met by an incredibly colorful rooster standing a half dozen feet away… Looking at us and making sure we were comfortable, I’m sure… Got his welcoming act on a digital image, and added that to this day’s pictures…
We’re only staying here two nights, so we took a quick trip into town - just to familiarize ourselves - and then drove to Old Mesilla (part of Las Cruces, and one of the oldest settlements in the U.S. - sometime in 1598, I believe), where we strolled around the square… We caught the end of Sunday’s “Arts and Crafts Fair,” and then had Taco dinners at “La Posta de Mesilla,” the same restaurant, and the same FABULOUS food we remember we had ten years ago…
Can’t get more authentic Mexican food than that, unless, of course, you’re in Mexico…
Well, that’s it for tonight… Getting late, and tomorrow is another day, so, until then…
Bye for now…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TX.%20to%20LAS%20CRUCES%5EJ%20N.M.%20%5E5MAR.%207%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=80&isFromRichUpload=1
Saturday, March 6, 2010
FORT STOCKTON, TEXAS (MAR. 6. 2010)
What to do when you’re in a sandbox…
That was the dilemma this morning, and we solved it by staying in bed a bit longer than usual…
Found my monthly bank statements were on-line, so I figured I’d spend some “quality” time with that before noon, but, when I went to print out the statements, there was a message on the printer saying I had neglected to heed four (count them: 4) other warnings about running out of ink…
Well, cheeeeeezzzz…
These electronic devices are beginning to scare me!
Next, they’ll tell me I forgot to wipe…
Ugh… That’s too much of an image…
Lu gave me permission to go and find a printer cartridge at Walmart (very convenient, since she was going to color her hair), so that’s what I did…
Of course, Walmart (the smallest Walmart we’ve ever been to) didn’t have the cartridge I needed, and having investigated numerous other “suggestions” (for where I might find the elusive container), I came up empty, and headed home…
Too soon!
I opened the door to our fine abode, and found a strange phenomenon:
Sitting on the sofa was a bizarre-looking woman with some kind of wrapper covering her upper body… There was a profusion of copper-colored hair on top of her head (last I heard, she was going “Dirty Blond”), and I took a double-take…
Well, of course, after some close scrutiny, I finally recognized her as my dearly beloved, and apologized for whatever shock and awe I may have showed…
Peace is paramount in a trailer of a mere 200-plus square feet!
Since “nothing” had worked out for us (so far) today, we decided to go for a sightseeing tour of this Godforsaken place…
Found the town to be larger than what we’d anticipated (there are just over 7,000 souls calling this home), but didn’t find more than a dozen homes larger than a stamp… Nah, that’s not fair… Most of the houses were probably 600 square feet (at least!)…
We found a huge (and I mean HUGE) town park… Swimming pool, Barbecues, and all…
There are a profusion of Mexican restaurants, and quite a few gas stations, but not much else…
Oh… Almost forgot… There’s the Historic Fort… Took us five minutes to take pictures and learn everything there’s to know about it…
Sorry… (Probably stepping on footsies here, but…) That’s all the info I have about this dirt pile…
After our outing, we took a long siesta (gotta talk the local lingo here, you know)… Reading chapter after chapter of our respective books… Snoozing in-between… And overall taking it easy the rest of the day, getting ready for tomorrow…
Can’t wait to head on out of here tomorrow morning, actually… Hopefully, to an exciting Las Cruces, New Mexico…
As you can probably guess, we’re spending the evening on the computer, and watching TV…
Time to stop this madness, and publish the Blog and pictures, which you can find here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5MAR.%206.%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1
That was the dilemma this morning, and we solved it by staying in bed a bit longer than usual…
Found my monthly bank statements were on-line, so I figured I’d spend some “quality” time with that before noon, but, when I went to print out the statements, there was a message on the printer saying I had neglected to heed four (count them: 4) other warnings about running out of ink…
Well, cheeeeeezzzz…
These electronic devices are beginning to scare me!
Next, they’ll tell me I forgot to wipe…
Ugh… That’s too much of an image…
Lu gave me permission to go and find a printer cartridge at Walmart (very convenient, since she was going to color her hair), so that’s what I did…
Of course, Walmart (the smallest Walmart we’ve ever been to) didn’t have the cartridge I needed, and having investigated numerous other “suggestions” (for where I might find the elusive container), I came up empty, and headed home…
Too soon!
I opened the door to our fine abode, and found a strange phenomenon:
Sitting on the sofa was a bizarre-looking woman with some kind of wrapper covering her upper body… There was a profusion of copper-colored hair on top of her head (last I heard, she was going “Dirty Blond”), and I took a double-take…
Well, of course, after some close scrutiny, I finally recognized her as my dearly beloved, and apologized for whatever shock and awe I may have showed…
Peace is paramount in a trailer of a mere 200-plus square feet!
Since “nothing” had worked out for us (so far) today, we decided to go for a sightseeing tour of this Godforsaken place…
Found the town to be larger than what we’d anticipated (there are just over 7,000 souls calling this home), but didn’t find more than a dozen homes larger than a stamp… Nah, that’s not fair… Most of the houses were probably 600 square feet (at least!)…
We found a huge (and I mean HUGE) town park… Swimming pool, Barbecues, and all…
There are a profusion of Mexican restaurants, and quite a few gas stations, but not much else…
Oh… Almost forgot… There’s the Historic Fort… Took us five minutes to take pictures and learn everything there’s to know about it…
Sorry… (Probably stepping on footsies here, but…) That’s all the info I have about this dirt pile…
After our outing, we took a long siesta (gotta talk the local lingo here, you know)… Reading chapter after chapter of our respective books… Snoozing in-between… And overall taking it easy the rest of the day, getting ready for tomorrow…
Can’t wait to head on out of here tomorrow morning, actually… Hopefully, to an exciting Las Cruces, New Mexico…
As you can probably guess, we’re spending the evening on the computer, and watching TV…
Time to stop this madness, and publish the Blog and pictures, which you can find here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5MAR.%206.%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1
Friday, March 5, 2010
THE ALAMO, RIVERWALK, and off to FORT STOCKTON, TX (MAR. 4 & 5, 2010)
Mar. 4...
It’s wonderful waking up to sunshine every day… Kind of gets your day going at the right beat, if you get my drift…
Oh, the wind is still persistent, and it’s still cool in the AM, but one has to take the good with the bad, I say…
We left at 8:00AM, having plans to “take in” the Alamo, and not much else today, but we found there really isn’t all that much to look at (and absorb) once you’ve walked in and around the ruins, and listened to the narrations of well versed guides…
Very interesting stuff if you’re into American Frontier History, and, especially, if you’re curious about the Texas connection… Actually, if you are, you should read James Michener‘s “TEXAS” (a very good chronicle of the early days in Texas)…
I took some pictures of plaques (placed strategically around the compound), which describes the history of the fighting here, and with that, I leave you to do your own research…
As I said, once you’ve spent a couple of hours soaking in the ambiance of this battlefield, you’re pretty much looking for a way out… And, for us, that what as easy as stepping across the street, walking down a few steps, and finding ourselves in the middle of the Riverwalk…
This place is amazing… No, really! It has everything… You don’t have to try very hard to find a place for peace and quiet, or, if you choose, find hubbub in the congregation of partygoers…
There are every conceivable eatery - from fine restaurants (playing Wolfgang or Ludwig, or some other classic dudes), to rowdy canteens with mariachi bands belching out foot stomping castanet music…
We heard the Walk is about three miles long, but they’re adding to it, and it sounds like it’ll be about 13 miles when all is said and done… Well, good for them, I say… The attraction is certainly a tourist trap, but well worth coming to San Antonio to experience…
Had lunch at “The Texas Republic,” and then headed home, thinking the almost five hours we’d spent today was enough, but, lo and behold, around 4:30, after resting our weary bones, and finding not having anything to do, we jumped in the truck and went back to the Riverwalk…
Yes, we strolled almost the whole thing once again… Amazing how many people show up after work!
It was crowded, but still fun…
Stopped at Joe’s Crab Shack before finally calling it a day…
Mar. 5...
Up early (very overcast, but not too cold), and got under way at 7:50...
Not much to talk about, really… Just a long and boring drive through the heart of Texas…
Got caught in rush hour traffic, on the South side of San Antonio, and that slowed the progress down some for about half an hour, but it eased soon after we hit I-10, so can’t complain too much…
My goodness gracious, but Texas is huge!
I believe I saw a sign, at the border with Louisiana, showing Mile Post 800-something (on Interstate 10)… Since the East-West mile posts start at the Western borders of each State, that means there’s a distance from New Mexico to Louisiana of 800-something miles…
That’s a long way, folks… Especially, if you take into consideration that Washington State is about 275 miles from the Canadian border to Oregon… Guess they’re right when they say EVERYTHING IS BIG IN TEXAS…
The terrain we drove through today ran from flat to hilly to flat… And that’s about all you can say about that…
We saw a few cows (no longhorns), and some sheep, and we passed through some “communes” which made you wonder what the heck they were thinking settling down in places like that…
The map showed a few “wide-spots” in the road between San Antonio and Fort Stockton, and since we filled up the truck yesterday, we thought we’d be good for the whole trip, but the map doesn’t show you that those “wide-spots” don’t all have gasoline for sale… My fuel gauge has been on the blink for a good while now, so I’ve had to rely on the odometer to figure out fuel mileage… Well, that’s all good and well when you’re driving on flat ground without hauling a 30-foot fully loaded trailer behind you, but today we were up and down hills (even had a headwind for a good spell), and to top that off, the “wide-spots” we were counting on for fuel were miles and miles apart, and, of course, the last one we thought would save us didn’t have any gas stations at all…
The gas gauge was stationary well below E(empty), and we had about 350 miles on the tank, with still almost 50 miles to go…
What could you do besides crossing fingers and toes… And keep on trucking…
That must’ve helped, because a mere 20 miles from Ft. Stockton, we spotted a lone station with a Diesel sign showing… Got gouged for $3.09/gal… Almost 50 cents per gallon more than most other places we’ve come across… Oh, well… When you gotta have it you gotta have it…
Anyway, that was the most traumatic experience we encountered today, so, I suppose, we’re doing OK…
Found a sand trap of an RV Park (Parkview RV Park), on the Southeastern outskirts of Fort Stockton, and had the trailer hooked up by 3:15... Laid down for a bit, then took a drive around town (if you want to call it that) to get the lay of the land, so to speak…
I can tell you this, what we saw of this town, makes us wonder where we got our information when we booked the reservation… We didn’t notice anything worth talking about, but we’ll give it another try tomorrow, since we have two nights here…
With that, I’ll bid you all a good night…
Maybe I’ll be able to add something worth while tomorrow?
Here are the latest pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/THE%20ALAMO%5EJ%20RIVERWALK%5EJ%20and%20off%20to%20FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5MAR.%204%20%5E0%205%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=54&isFromRichUpload=1
It’s wonderful waking up to sunshine every day… Kind of gets your day going at the right beat, if you get my drift…
Oh, the wind is still persistent, and it’s still cool in the AM, but one has to take the good with the bad, I say…
We left at 8:00AM, having plans to “take in” the Alamo, and not much else today, but we found there really isn’t all that much to look at (and absorb) once you’ve walked in and around the ruins, and listened to the narrations of well versed guides…
Very interesting stuff if you’re into American Frontier History, and, especially, if you’re curious about the Texas connection… Actually, if you are, you should read James Michener‘s “TEXAS” (a very good chronicle of the early days in Texas)…
I took some pictures of plaques (placed strategically around the compound), which describes the history of the fighting here, and with that, I leave you to do your own research…
As I said, once you’ve spent a couple of hours soaking in the ambiance of this battlefield, you’re pretty much looking for a way out… And, for us, that what as easy as stepping across the street, walking down a few steps, and finding ourselves in the middle of the Riverwalk…
This place is amazing… No, really! It has everything… You don’t have to try very hard to find a place for peace and quiet, or, if you choose, find hubbub in the congregation of partygoers…
There are every conceivable eatery - from fine restaurants (playing Wolfgang or Ludwig, or some other classic dudes), to rowdy canteens with mariachi bands belching out foot stomping castanet music…
We heard the Walk is about three miles long, but they’re adding to it, and it sounds like it’ll be about 13 miles when all is said and done… Well, good for them, I say… The attraction is certainly a tourist trap, but well worth coming to San Antonio to experience…
Had lunch at “The Texas Republic,” and then headed home, thinking the almost five hours we’d spent today was enough, but, lo and behold, around 4:30, after resting our weary bones, and finding not having anything to do, we jumped in the truck and went back to the Riverwalk…
Yes, we strolled almost the whole thing once again… Amazing how many people show up after work!
It was crowded, but still fun…
Stopped at Joe’s Crab Shack before finally calling it a day…
Mar. 5...
Up early (very overcast, but not too cold), and got under way at 7:50...
Not much to talk about, really… Just a long and boring drive through the heart of Texas…
Got caught in rush hour traffic, on the South side of San Antonio, and that slowed the progress down some for about half an hour, but it eased soon after we hit I-10, so can’t complain too much…
My goodness gracious, but Texas is huge!
I believe I saw a sign, at the border with Louisiana, showing Mile Post 800-something (on Interstate 10)… Since the East-West mile posts start at the Western borders of each State, that means there’s a distance from New Mexico to Louisiana of 800-something miles…
That’s a long way, folks… Especially, if you take into consideration that Washington State is about 275 miles from the Canadian border to Oregon… Guess they’re right when they say EVERYTHING IS BIG IN TEXAS…
The terrain we drove through today ran from flat to hilly to flat… And that’s about all you can say about that…
We saw a few cows (no longhorns), and some sheep, and we passed through some “communes” which made you wonder what the heck they were thinking settling down in places like that…
The map showed a few “wide-spots” in the road between San Antonio and Fort Stockton, and since we filled up the truck yesterday, we thought we’d be good for the whole trip, but the map doesn’t show you that those “wide-spots” don’t all have gasoline for sale… My fuel gauge has been on the blink for a good while now, so I’ve had to rely on the odometer to figure out fuel mileage… Well, that’s all good and well when you’re driving on flat ground without hauling a 30-foot fully loaded trailer behind you, but today we were up and down hills (even had a headwind for a good spell), and to top that off, the “wide-spots” we were counting on for fuel were miles and miles apart, and, of course, the last one we thought would save us didn’t have any gas stations at all…
The gas gauge was stationary well below E(empty), and we had about 350 miles on the tank, with still almost 50 miles to go…
What could you do besides crossing fingers and toes… And keep on trucking…
That must’ve helped, because a mere 20 miles from Ft. Stockton, we spotted a lone station with a Diesel sign showing… Got gouged for $3.09/gal… Almost 50 cents per gallon more than most other places we’ve come across… Oh, well… When you gotta have it you gotta have it…
Anyway, that was the most traumatic experience we encountered today, so, I suppose, we’re doing OK…
Found a sand trap of an RV Park (Parkview RV Park), on the Southeastern outskirts of Fort Stockton, and had the trailer hooked up by 3:15... Laid down for a bit, then took a drive around town (if you want to call it that) to get the lay of the land, so to speak…
I can tell you this, what we saw of this town, makes us wonder where we got our information when we booked the reservation… We didn’t notice anything worth talking about, but we’ll give it another try tomorrow, since we have two nights here…
With that, I’ll bid you all a good night…
Maybe I’ll be able to add something worth while tomorrow?
Here are the latest pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/THE%20ALAMO%5EJ%20RIVERWALK%5EJ%20and%20off%20to%20FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5MAR.%204%20%5E0%205%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=54&isFromRichUpload=1
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (MAR. 3, 2010)
Another sunny day! Oh, I like this…
Now, having said that… I would like it to be just a bit warmer in the morning so Lu doesn’t have to turn the furnace on…
We decided to hang around this morning, and go into town a bit later in the day, since I had to catch up on some writing, and Lu had some washing to do…
Got done with our chores around 11:00, and since that was still a bit early, we took a trip up to Walmart (only about 4 miles up the road), and got an armful of fruit: Bananas, apples, pears… You name it, we can now start our own fruit stand!
Home for a little R and R, then off to the big city to see what it had to offer…
It’s really nice to be so close to “things” here (only about 15 minutes away from where we’re staying)… Dropped the truck off at a parking garage, and then proceeded to “take in” the Riverwalk Mall and, of course, the walk around the San Antonio River, as well…
Totally amazing what they’ve done to this area…
I mean… Just look at the pictures…
It’s absolutely a wonderful place to spend any kind of time - from minutes to hours… And that’s what we did…
I think we walked both sides of the river at least twice, and I’m not sure we caught everything… Guess we have to go back tomorrow?
Again, we found a Joe’s Crab Shack, and had dinner there…
Can you believe it, salads for both of us… Lu chomped down on some chicken fare, while I devoured some green stuff with crab in it…
Most delicious, and truly stuffed tourists!
Got out of there around 7:00, which was probably beyond Lu’s bedtime, but live dangerously, I say…
Anyway, that was the end of a pretty nice day in San Antonio, and tomorrow we’ll more than likely repeat some of the Riverwalk experience, but also spend some time trying to understand why Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett gave their lives at the Alamo… Should be interesting!
Here are today’s pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SAN%20ANTONIO%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5MAR.%203%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=72&isFromRichUpload=1
Now, having said that… I would like it to be just a bit warmer in the morning so Lu doesn’t have to turn the furnace on…
We decided to hang around this morning, and go into town a bit later in the day, since I had to catch up on some writing, and Lu had some washing to do…
Got done with our chores around 11:00, and since that was still a bit early, we took a trip up to Walmart (only about 4 miles up the road), and got an armful of fruit: Bananas, apples, pears… You name it, we can now start our own fruit stand!
Home for a little R and R, then off to the big city to see what it had to offer…
It’s really nice to be so close to “things” here (only about 15 minutes away from where we’re staying)… Dropped the truck off at a parking garage, and then proceeded to “take in” the Riverwalk Mall and, of course, the walk around the San Antonio River, as well…
Totally amazing what they’ve done to this area…
I mean… Just look at the pictures…
It’s absolutely a wonderful place to spend any kind of time - from minutes to hours… And that’s what we did…
I think we walked both sides of the river at least twice, and I’m not sure we caught everything… Guess we have to go back tomorrow?
Again, we found a Joe’s Crab Shack, and had dinner there…
Can you believe it, salads for both of us… Lu chomped down on some chicken fare, while I devoured some green stuff with crab in it…
Most delicious, and truly stuffed tourists!
Got out of there around 7:00, which was probably beyond Lu’s bedtime, but live dangerously, I say…
Anyway, that was the end of a pretty nice day in San Antonio, and tomorrow we’ll more than likely repeat some of the Riverwalk experience, but also spend some time trying to understand why Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett gave their lives at the Alamo… Should be interesting!
Here are today’s pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SAN%20ANTONIO%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5MAR.%203%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=72&isFromRichUpload=1
Last days in PORT ARANSAS and ROCKPORT… Off to SAN ANTONIO, TX (FEB. 28 to MAR.2, 2010)
Feb. 28...
Oh, how we’ve waited for these sunny days…
We’ve had quite a few of them lately, and we certainly count our blessings…
Spent the morning getting the pictures organized, and writing three Blogs…
Too bad the internet and cell phone services were so dreadful down here, because (other than that) we really enjoyed our week-long stay…
Had to stand in one place, and not move a muscle, while talking on the phone, otherwise we’d loose the signal (some times we lost it anyway), and it took 10 to 15 minutes just to log on to the internet, so I was not a very happy camper…
But… It’s all in the rear view mirror now, and we move on…
Found out we can’t spend too much time at Erik’s (when we get to Phoenix, AZ), since we can’t park on the street (in front of his house) for more than a couple of nights, so we spent some time reshuffling our schedule and made a couple of reservations, which will take us through March, and well into April…
Went into Fulton and had dinner at the Pickled Pelican, then watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics…
Mar. 1...
It rained overnight, but woke to clear, blue skies, so that was OK…
Luanne cleaned house, and managed to get pissed off about it, but that was soon forgotten when we drove out to Port Aransas, for a last stab at the beach…
We parked the truck on the beach (so it blocked the fairly strong wind), and enjoyed a couple of hours of solitude and at peace with the world…
On our way home we stopped at a fish shack and bought 2 pounds of prawns, which we’ll have for dinner once we’re in San Antonio…
Took a short nap, then headed over to Key Allegro to have dinner at the Paradise Key Restaurant… And that took care of the last day in Rockport and the Gulf Coast…
Mar. 2...
Another sunny morning, but very cool… Gonna be nice to get into some warmer weather, which it should be once we drive into the interior of the state…
Left our RV Park at 9:00, and drove through some incredibly vast stretches of farmland… Lu saw a sign showing a small farm of 1,100 acres for sale, if anyone’s interested… Didn’t get the price, but it shows everything is big in Texas…
The closer we got to San Antonio, the taller the trees became, and, to our amazement, we found ourselves driving up and down some hilly terrain (of course, these undulations are bunny hills compared to the ones in the West, but it was a nice change of scenery anyway)…
Arrived at Brauning Lake RV Resort, just about ten miles South of San Antonio, on Highway 37, at noon…
Very nice place with concrete pads, and drive-through spaces (so, no backing), which always makes for a good day for Lu…
Got everything hooked up…
Rested for about half an hour, and then headed into town to find Costco… Haven’t been to a Costco since Fort Lauderdale, and we were going through withdrawals…
Saw the “Quarry Market” (a huge shopping center Lu had read about) as we drove by, on our way to Costco, and, of course, we had to go back there on our way home…
Wouldn’t you know it, there was a Joe’s Crab Shack nestled in among all the buildings…
Had to stop there, of course… They have the best Happy Hours around!
We celebrated the end our day with the prawns we got yesterday… Oh, were they ever good!
And now I’m up to date, and so are you…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Last%20days%20in%20PORT%20ARANSAS%20and%20ROCKPORT%e2%80%a6%20Off%20to%20SAN%20ANTONIO%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2028%20to%20MAR.2%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=39&isFromRichUpload=1
Oh, how we’ve waited for these sunny days…
We’ve had quite a few of them lately, and we certainly count our blessings…
Spent the morning getting the pictures organized, and writing three Blogs…
Too bad the internet and cell phone services were so dreadful down here, because (other than that) we really enjoyed our week-long stay…
Had to stand in one place, and not move a muscle, while talking on the phone, otherwise we’d loose the signal (some times we lost it anyway), and it took 10 to 15 minutes just to log on to the internet, so I was not a very happy camper…
But… It’s all in the rear view mirror now, and we move on…
Found out we can’t spend too much time at Erik’s (when we get to Phoenix, AZ), since we can’t park on the street (in front of his house) for more than a couple of nights, so we spent some time reshuffling our schedule and made a couple of reservations, which will take us through March, and well into April…
Went into Fulton and had dinner at the Pickled Pelican, then watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics…
Mar. 1...
It rained overnight, but woke to clear, blue skies, so that was OK…
Luanne cleaned house, and managed to get pissed off about it, but that was soon forgotten when we drove out to Port Aransas, for a last stab at the beach…
We parked the truck on the beach (so it blocked the fairly strong wind), and enjoyed a couple of hours of solitude and at peace with the world…
On our way home we stopped at a fish shack and bought 2 pounds of prawns, which we’ll have for dinner once we’re in San Antonio…
Took a short nap, then headed over to Key Allegro to have dinner at the Paradise Key Restaurant… And that took care of the last day in Rockport and the Gulf Coast…
Mar. 2...
Another sunny morning, but very cool… Gonna be nice to get into some warmer weather, which it should be once we drive into the interior of the state…
Left our RV Park at 9:00, and drove through some incredibly vast stretches of farmland… Lu saw a sign showing a small farm of 1,100 acres for sale, if anyone’s interested… Didn’t get the price, but it shows everything is big in Texas…
The closer we got to San Antonio, the taller the trees became, and, to our amazement, we found ourselves driving up and down some hilly terrain (of course, these undulations are bunny hills compared to the ones in the West, but it was a nice change of scenery anyway)…
Arrived at Brauning Lake RV Resort, just about ten miles South of San Antonio, on Highway 37, at noon…
Very nice place with concrete pads, and drive-through spaces (so, no backing), which always makes for a good day for Lu…
Got everything hooked up…
Rested for about half an hour, and then headed into town to find Costco… Haven’t been to a Costco since Fort Lauderdale, and we were going through withdrawals…
Saw the “Quarry Market” (a huge shopping center Lu had read about) as we drove by, on our way to Costco, and, of course, we had to go back there on our way home…
Wouldn’t you know it, there was a Joe’s Crab Shack nestled in among all the buildings…
Had to stop there, of course… They have the best Happy Hours around!
We celebrated the end our day with the prawns we got yesterday… Oh, were they ever good!
And now I’m up to date, and so are you…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Last%20days%20in%20PORT%20ARANSAS%20and%20ROCKPORT%e2%80%a6%20Off%20to%20SAN%20ANTONIO%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2028%20to%20MAR.2%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=39&isFromRichUpload=1
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
ROCKPORT, FULTON & PORT ARANSAS (FEB. 26, & 27, 2010)
Feb. 26...
Got to dress in shorts and T-shirt for the first time in months, folks!
Nice to be able to shed long pants and socks…
Now, if the weather will only stay this way… That is the question…
Very windy today, so we spent the morning working on the Blog and pictures, and then went to the Club House where we played a couple of games of pool… Browsed through the exchange “library,” where I found a couple of books of interest…
Took a trip down to Walmart, for some juicy steaks, and then to a local fish market (down on the docks), where we picked up a pound of prawns…
Drove around the waterfront and took pictures before heading home for a nap… Drove over to Key Allegro in the afternoon, and had a couple of drinks at the Paradise Key Bar & Restaurant …
Home for a superb dinner!
Feb. 27...
Slept in until 9:00, but then hustled and headed over to Port Aransas Beach, where we spent four (or was it five?) wonderful hours licking up the sun…
No wonder we love it here… Fabulous place!
Stopped, on the way home, and bought two pounds of prawns, then visited the local watering hole to quench some pent-up thirst from a day in the sun and sand…
Found our way home, where we devoured the prawns for dinner…
All in all, I’d say this was a perfect day!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ROCKPORT%5EJ%20FULTON%20%5E0%20PORT%20ARANSAS%20%5E5FEB.%2026%5EJ%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=47&isFromRichUpload=1
Got to dress in shorts and T-shirt for the first time in months, folks!
Nice to be able to shed long pants and socks…
Now, if the weather will only stay this way… That is the question…
Very windy today, so we spent the morning working on the Blog and pictures, and then went to the Club House where we played a couple of games of pool… Browsed through the exchange “library,” where I found a couple of books of interest…
Took a trip down to Walmart, for some juicy steaks, and then to a local fish market (down on the docks), where we picked up a pound of prawns…
Drove around the waterfront and took pictures before heading home for a nap… Drove over to Key Allegro in the afternoon, and had a couple of drinks at the Paradise Key Bar & Restaurant …
Home for a superb dinner!
Feb. 27...
Slept in until 9:00, but then hustled and headed over to Port Aransas Beach, where we spent four (or was it five?) wonderful hours licking up the sun…
No wonder we love it here… Fabulous place!
Stopped, on the way home, and bought two pounds of prawns, then visited the local watering hole to quench some pent-up thirst from a day in the sun and sand…
Found our way home, where we devoured the prawns for dinner…
All in all, I’d say this was a perfect day!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ROCKPORT%5EJ%20FULTON%20%5E0%20PORT%20ARANSAS%20%5E5FEB.%2026%5EJ%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=47&isFromRichUpload=1
PORT ARANSAS, MUSTANG ISLAND, PADRE ISLAND & CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (FEB. 25, 2010)
Up at 8:00 today… Getting lazy…
Worked on the Blog and pictures for a while, then headed out for some exploration…
Drove down to Aransas Pass and took the ferry over to Port Aransas…
This free service just blows me away, but anyway…
Headed down Mustang Island, which is just as flat as all the rest of the barrier islands we’ve visited…
There’s not much to block a hurricane surge, I don’t think, so, I’m wondering, are all these islands totally cover with water at such times? I suppose there aren’t many (if any) people who could answer that…
Anyway, we stopped at the State Park - down the island a ways - and checked out their facilities… There’s a fee for just going into the park, and another for camping there, and it didn’t look all that inviting, so we decided to drive down to the Malaquite National Park, on Padre Island, instead…
There’s a fee here also, but, since I have the Senior Pass, which allows me (and whoever drives with me) into any and all National Parks for free, we didn’t have to pay anything… By the way, the Senior Pass cost me ten dollars when I turned 62, and is good for as long as I live, so quite the bargain…
Beautiful facilities, with an endless white sand beach… Bought a new pair of flip-flops, and off we went on a shell hunt… Spent a peaceful couple of hours just roaming the beach, and loved every moment…
Gosh, life is good when the sun and sand cooperates…
We had more to see, and off to Corpus Christi we went…
This city has changed tremendously since last we were here in 2000... And all for the better…
Not going to describe things here, ‘cause you can check the pictures and see for yourself…
We ended up on the waterfront, at Joe’s Crab Shack, for a great lunch, then, instead of going the “mainland” route home, we returned the same way we came… The barrier islands are just too beautiful to skip…
Took the ferry back to Aransas Pass… Stopped for cocktails at a local bar, then home to work a bit on all the pictures we took today…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/PORT%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20MUSTANG%20ISLAND%5EJ%20PADRE%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20CORPUS%20CHRISTI%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6
Worked on the Blog and pictures for a while, then headed out for some exploration…
Drove down to Aransas Pass and took the ferry over to Port Aransas…
This free service just blows me away, but anyway…
Headed down Mustang Island, which is just as flat as all the rest of the barrier islands we’ve visited…
There’s not much to block a hurricane surge, I don’t think, so, I’m wondering, are all these islands totally cover with water at such times? I suppose there aren’t many (if any) people who could answer that…
Anyway, we stopped at the State Park - down the island a ways - and checked out their facilities… There’s a fee for just going into the park, and another for camping there, and it didn’t look all that inviting, so we decided to drive down to the Malaquite National Park, on Padre Island, instead…
There’s a fee here also, but, since I have the Senior Pass, which allows me (and whoever drives with me) into any and all National Parks for free, we didn’t have to pay anything… By the way, the Senior Pass cost me ten dollars when I turned 62, and is good for as long as I live, so quite the bargain…
Beautiful facilities, with an endless white sand beach… Bought a new pair of flip-flops, and off we went on a shell hunt… Spent a peaceful couple of hours just roaming the beach, and loved every moment…
Gosh, life is good when the sun and sand cooperates…
We had more to see, and off to Corpus Christi we went…
This city has changed tremendously since last we were here in 2000... And all for the better…
Not going to describe things here, ‘cause you can check the pictures and see for yourself…
We ended up on the waterfront, at Joe’s Crab Shack, for a great lunch, then, instead of going the “mainland” route home, we returned the same way we came… The barrier islands are just too beautiful to skip…
Took the ferry back to Aransas Pass… Stopped for cocktails at a local bar, then home to work a bit on all the pictures we took today…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/PORT%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20MUSTANG%20ISLAND%5EJ%20PADRE%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20CORPUS%20CHRISTI%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6
ROCKPORT, FULTON, ARANSAS, and PORT ARANSAS, TEXAS (FEB. 24, 2010)
As you know, we’ve been to a few RV Resorts over the years, and it’s funny, in a sad kind of way, that some of the finer ones have given us fits for one reason or another… Be it from gravel interior roads (turning to mud in a rain), broken sewer lines, or simple things, like bad cyber space stuff: I’m talking bad cell phone, internet service, and satellite TV reception…
The last one is a MUST HAVE (if I want to stay married), so we always make sure we have a good, open spot for that… Have to mention that some times we have to plug into cable TV service, but that’s as a last resort, if there’s absolutely no chance of satellite coverage…
The cell phone I can live without, because we can move about the area where we’re at, and - usually - find fairly good reception… At least enough to keep in touch with friends and relatives…
Internet service, on the other hand, is a “Norse” of a different color…
Once we’re settled in a place (at an RV Park), it’s tricky to get good service if the Park is in a poor reception area… That means (I think) that the “Transfer Hub” (or whatever it’s called), between my MiFi and the satellite, is located too far from the park… Probably a host of other reasons for this, but I’m mostly uneducated about these things, so I’m guessing that location is of paramount importance…
No matter… Not having internet service really sucks, and is very frustrating for me, since I have all these pictures to upload, and this Blog to keep up to date…
And, guess what…
The internet service here in Rockport is almost non-existent… The trailer is under a canopy of Oak trees, and we’re miles away from any “large” city…
I think it’s a miracle we have satellite TV…
The Sybergods must be trying to save me from someone’s scorn?
Anyway, I’ve decided to keep on writing Blogs (for the week we’re here), transfer my pictures (from camera to PC), and then upload everything once we’re in San Antonio, next week…
So, there you have it… The reason for not seeing anything “constructive” from this corner of the world for a while…
Now, back to yesterday… Feb. 24...
It was a cool morning, but the sun was out, and the temps soon climbed into the 60s…
Oh, what a difference a day makes!
I spent the morning transferring pictures and catching up on the Blog…
Then we were off to explore Rockport, Fulton, Aransas Pass, and the beach at Port Aransas…
We were here in 2000, and loved the area, and, even though things have changed some, the beauty is still here, and the changes are all for the good, as far as we can tell…
We spent a couple of hours on the beach, watching dolphins, pelicans, and other bird life…
Fishermen cast their lines from the shoreline, and from the mile-long breakwater; and ships, of all sorts and sizes, moved in and out of this main channel between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway…
Life is good when the sun shines!
We spent some time checking out the local eateries in Port “A” (as the locals call their town) before heading back to the Mainland on one of the five (yes, I said FIVE) ferries running the three minute crossing of the channel… They are on the go constantly, so there’s hardly ever a longer wait than about ten minutes, and the beauty of the whole thing is that it’s totally FREE!!!
Don’t know how they pay for running five ferries year in and year out, but this is Texas, so…
Went home for a little siesta, around 3:00, then went “barhopping” around Rockport…
When I say barhopping, I mean we check out the local eateries - be they bars, taverns, cafés, or regular restaurants, for their fares and prices… We usually do this the first and/or second day, so we have a good idea of what is served and where these places are… Some times we stop in for a drink, but for the most part, we just walk in, look at the menu, and leave…
What we do depends on the mood we’re in, our thirst and hunger… Just like any other tourist, I’m sure…
Anyway, that’s it for today…
Catch you tomorrow…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ROCKPORT%5EJ%20FULTON%5EJ%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20and%20PORT%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5FEB.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=1&isFromRichUpload=1
The last one is a MUST HAVE (if I want to stay married), so we always make sure we have a good, open spot for that… Have to mention that some times we have to plug into cable TV service, but that’s as a last resort, if there’s absolutely no chance of satellite coverage…
The cell phone I can live without, because we can move about the area where we’re at, and - usually - find fairly good reception… At least enough to keep in touch with friends and relatives…
Internet service, on the other hand, is a “Norse” of a different color…
Once we’re settled in a place (at an RV Park), it’s tricky to get good service if the Park is in a poor reception area… That means (I think) that the “Transfer Hub” (or whatever it’s called), between my MiFi and the satellite, is located too far from the park… Probably a host of other reasons for this, but I’m mostly uneducated about these things, so I’m guessing that location is of paramount importance…
No matter… Not having internet service really sucks, and is very frustrating for me, since I have all these pictures to upload, and this Blog to keep up to date…
And, guess what…
The internet service here in Rockport is almost non-existent… The trailer is under a canopy of Oak trees, and we’re miles away from any “large” city…
I think it’s a miracle we have satellite TV…
The Sybergods must be trying to save me from someone’s scorn?
Anyway, I’ve decided to keep on writing Blogs (for the week we’re here), transfer my pictures (from camera to PC), and then upload everything once we’re in San Antonio, next week…
So, there you have it… The reason for not seeing anything “constructive” from this corner of the world for a while…
Now, back to yesterday… Feb. 24...
It was a cool morning, but the sun was out, and the temps soon climbed into the 60s…
Oh, what a difference a day makes!
I spent the morning transferring pictures and catching up on the Blog…
Then we were off to explore Rockport, Fulton, Aransas Pass, and the beach at Port Aransas…
We were here in 2000, and loved the area, and, even though things have changed some, the beauty is still here, and the changes are all for the good, as far as we can tell…
We spent a couple of hours on the beach, watching dolphins, pelicans, and other bird life…
Fishermen cast their lines from the shoreline, and from the mile-long breakwater; and ships, of all sorts and sizes, moved in and out of this main channel between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway…
Life is good when the sun shines!
We spent some time checking out the local eateries in Port “A” (as the locals call their town) before heading back to the Mainland on one of the five (yes, I said FIVE) ferries running the three minute crossing of the channel… They are on the go constantly, so there’s hardly ever a longer wait than about ten minutes, and the beauty of the whole thing is that it’s totally FREE!!!
Don’t know how they pay for running five ferries year in and year out, but this is Texas, so…
Went home for a little siesta, around 3:00, then went “barhopping” around Rockport…
When I say barhopping, I mean we check out the local eateries - be they bars, taverns, cafés, or regular restaurants, for their fares and prices… We usually do this the first and/or second day, so we have a good idea of what is served and where these places are… Some times we stop in for a drink, but for the most part, we just walk in, look at the menu, and leave…
What we do depends on the mood we’re in, our thirst and hunger… Just like any other tourist, I’m sure…
Anyway, that’s it for today…
Catch you tomorrow…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ROCKPORT%5EJ%20FULTON%5EJ%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20and%20PORT%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5FEB.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=1&isFromRichUpload=1
Last day in NEW ORLEANS… On to BEAUMONT and then to ROCKPORT, TX (FEB. 19 through 23, 2010)
Feb. 19...
Worked on the Blog until 10:00, while Lu did a load of wash…
Took off, after a short nap, to get the truck filled up, then headed for the French Quarter for a last fling…
Walked everywhere once again… Trying to imprint the ambiance of this special place on our memories…
We had a great time here, and both Lu and I are very happy we toughed it out and waited for Mardi Gras… An experience we’ll cherish as long as we live…
Had and excellent dinner at the Crescent City Brew House, and went home to watch a bit of the Olympics…
Feb. 20...
Said our farewells to New Orleans at 8:00, as we headed West to Gulf Coast RV Resort, in Beaumont, Texas… A five hour trip which was very uneventful and quite boring…
The terrain is (as it has been all around the Gulf Coast) flat as a pancake, with hardly an undulation or a ripple breaking the view to the horizon, other than the occasional bridge or overpass, of course…
Anyway, we got hooked up and then went for a ride around Beaumont…
Evidently, the “famous” Crockett Street Square doesn’t get started until about 8 at night (according to a “stray” person we found there), because it was totally desolate, but we got to see it, so that was probably worth something?
You might think we’re not late night owls, and you’d be right…
Unless it’s something special, we like to be home at a decent time…
Don’t know why I brought that up, actually… But there it is…
We went to a Mexican restaurant, Café Del Rio, for taco salads, and then went home to watch some more of the Olympics…
Feb. 21...
And the rain came in buckets!
Thunder and lightning!
Sad day, but a good day to stay inside…
The Olympics was on TV, and so was a NASCAR race, so the day wasn’t a complete waste (like today’s narrative)…
Feb. 22...
We’ve had a leak (a drip, actually) around the hot water tank for a while, but because of the almost impossible location (inside a counter), we’ve kept up with it by putting a “drip” pan and towels under it until we can get someone to take a look at it…
I called ahead to a RV Repair Service, in Rockport (where we‘ll be for one week), to find out what they thought about it, and got an estimated cost of about a thousand bucks to replace the tank…
Ouch!
That’s a fairly significant amount in my book, so I thought: If I have to replace the tank, why not try to patch the leak myself while waiting to get to Rockport…
I got some epoxy and went to work… And guess what? It’s not dripping any more… Did I fix it? Probably not, but as long as the floor is dry, I’m willing to wait until water proves me wrong…
Keep your fingers and toes crossed… I do!
After all that, we took off to explored a bit of the area…
Visited Barns and Nobles (for a new book), and then had a drink at Joe’s Crab Shack, before settling down to a fantastic steak dinner at the Brazos Cattle Company Restaurant…
A wonderful ending to a ho-hum day…
Feb. 23...
Woke up to dark skies and cool temps…
Forecast for some snow as far South as Houston… Not good!
We got everything ready, and then stopped at the Club House for their (every day) free breakfast: Waffles, doughnuts, muffins, toast, fruits, and drinks… Pretty awesome service!
Departed with (full bellies) at 8:45... Had about a 250-mile drive today, which brought us right through downtown Houston… What an enormous City! And the traffic… My word… Thank goodness we drove through during off-rush hour… Some of the freeways had 6 to 8 lanes in each direction, and I can only imagine what that’s like during morning and evening high volumes…
The rain caught up with us just outside Rockport, which we reached at 1:20...
Our new place (for a week) is called Bay View RV Resort, and I would’ve loved to come here on a dry day, but that was not to be… I was totally soaked by the time I had the trailer hooked up…
Nice to have a heater on days like this… Not to mention having an electric blanket, which coddles you very comfortably during naps…
Took a short reconnaissance trip around town before settling in for the evening to watch the Olympics…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Last%20day%20in%20NEW%20ORLEANS%e2%80%a6%20On%20to%20BEAUMONT%20and%20then%20to%20ROCKPORT%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2019%20through%2023%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=85&isFromRichUpload=1
Worked on the Blog until 10:00, while Lu did a load of wash…
Took off, after a short nap, to get the truck filled up, then headed for the French Quarter for a last fling…
Walked everywhere once again… Trying to imprint the ambiance of this special place on our memories…
We had a great time here, and both Lu and I are very happy we toughed it out and waited for Mardi Gras… An experience we’ll cherish as long as we live…
Had and excellent dinner at the Crescent City Brew House, and went home to watch a bit of the Olympics…
Feb. 20...
Said our farewells to New Orleans at 8:00, as we headed West to Gulf Coast RV Resort, in Beaumont, Texas… A five hour trip which was very uneventful and quite boring…
The terrain is (as it has been all around the Gulf Coast) flat as a pancake, with hardly an undulation or a ripple breaking the view to the horizon, other than the occasional bridge or overpass, of course…
Anyway, we got hooked up and then went for a ride around Beaumont…
Evidently, the “famous” Crockett Street Square doesn’t get started until about 8 at night (according to a “stray” person we found there), because it was totally desolate, but we got to see it, so that was probably worth something?
You might think we’re not late night owls, and you’d be right…
Unless it’s something special, we like to be home at a decent time…
Don’t know why I brought that up, actually… But there it is…
We went to a Mexican restaurant, Café Del Rio, for taco salads, and then went home to watch some more of the Olympics…
Feb. 21...
And the rain came in buckets!
Thunder and lightning!
Sad day, but a good day to stay inside…
The Olympics was on TV, and so was a NASCAR race, so the day wasn’t a complete waste (like today’s narrative)…
Feb. 22...
We’ve had a leak (a drip, actually) around the hot water tank for a while, but because of the almost impossible location (inside a counter), we’ve kept up with it by putting a “drip” pan and towels under it until we can get someone to take a look at it…
I called ahead to a RV Repair Service, in Rockport (where we‘ll be for one week), to find out what they thought about it, and got an estimated cost of about a thousand bucks to replace the tank…
Ouch!
That’s a fairly significant amount in my book, so I thought: If I have to replace the tank, why not try to patch the leak myself while waiting to get to Rockport…
I got some epoxy and went to work… And guess what? It’s not dripping any more… Did I fix it? Probably not, but as long as the floor is dry, I’m willing to wait until water proves me wrong…
Keep your fingers and toes crossed… I do!
After all that, we took off to explored a bit of the area…
Visited Barns and Nobles (for a new book), and then had a drink at Joe’s Crab Shack, before settling down to a fantastic steak dinner at the Brazos Cattle Company Restaurant…
A wonderful ending to a ho-hum day…
Feb. 23...
Woke up to dark skies and cool temps…
Forecast for some snow as far South as Houston… Not good!
We got everything ready, and then stopped at the Club House for their (every day) free breakfast: Waffles, doughnuts, muffins, toast, fruits, and drinks… Pretty awesome service!
Departed with (full bellies) at 8:45... Had about a 250-mile drive today, which brought us right through downtown Houston… What an enormous City! And the traffic… My word… Thank goodness we drove through during off-rush hour… Some of the freeways had 6 to 8 lanes in each direction, and I can only imagine what that’s like during morning and evening high volumes…
The rain caught up with us just outside Rockport, which we reached at 1:20...
Our new place (for a week) is called Bay View RV Resort, and I would’ve loved to come here on a dry day, but that was not to be… I was totally soaked by the time I had the trailer hooked up…
Nice to have a heater on days like this… Not to mention having an electric blanket, which coddles you very comfortably during naps…
Took a short reconnaissance trip around town before settling in for the evening to watch the Olympics…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Last%20day%20in%20NEW%20ORLEANS%e2%80%a6%20On%20to%20BEAUMONT%20and%20then%20to%20ROCKPORT%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2019%20through%2023%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=85&isFromRichUpload=1
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