Another day of rest, and football
Day 52, Saturday, September 26, 2009: In Williams:
Today was a day to relax after the North Rim caper. There was college football, of course. Oregon demolished Cal, and Notre Dame almost lost. UCLA had a bye.
Day 51, Friday, September 25, 2009: Back to the South Rim and Williams:
Neither Larry nor I slept very well, worrying whether our two alarm clocks would wake us up at the designated 4:00 AM time. Where we were staying is about 45 minutes from where we needed to meet the hikers. There were a zillion deer out ---on and near the road---so we had to drive quite slowly to avoid them. As it turned out, there were already two victims lying on the road. We dared not be late, since the hike could not start without our setting up the shuttling of the six vehicles to the South Rim, and the hikers wanted to leave by 5:45 AM. They were not ready to leave on time, as usual, so we finally dropped them off at the trailhead at 6:20 AM, and headed for the South Rim. The trip was uneventful, and, after a couple of cold ones, Larry and I hopped on the 3:30 PM train back to Williams. I slept most of the way. I would have slept all of the way but there was a very loud drunk woman sitting across the aisle from me. She was a cackler, and loved the sound of her own voice. Yuck!
I picked up Daisy at the kennel. She was glad to see me. The two of us went to bed early.
Day 50, Thursday, September 24, 2009: On the way to the North Rim:
Larry and I rode the morning GC Railway train to the South Rim and Scott joined us as we picked up the Trans-Canyon Shuttle as planned. Before we left, I ate a sandwich while sitting on the rim. A very aggressive squirrel wanted part of my sandwich and actually climbed up on my lap when I didn’t volunteer. Yuck!
Once we got to the North Rim and found the Reynolds clan, which wasn’t easy, we had a couple of adult beverages and sat down with them to a very nice prime rib dinner---on them, of course. We borrowed one of their rental cars to go to the Kaibab Lodge, where Larry and I were to stay for the night. Being very careful, I got Larry to agree to be the designated driver. We checked into the Lodge just as they were closing for the evening. Then the real fun began. We had to drive to our room. Larry couldn’t get the key into the ignition. After he made numerous attempts at a variety of alternative measures, I grabbed the rental agreement and tried to call Avis for advice. Of course, there was no cell phone service out in the boonies, so I had to get the lodge people to let me back in to use the public phone. First I called the Reynolds member (Kirk, Chris’s brother) who had rented the car to see if he had any advice. He did not. Then I set about to contact Avis. My calling card had run out of available funds, and I was about to add some (for which I was going to be charged a 25% surcharge, according to the issuing company) when I noticed a small piece of paper near the phone. It had a bunch of numbers written on it that looked like calling card codes. I tried it and discovered that it worked---and had plenty of time available. In the middle of trying to explain our problem to a very confused Avis lady, Larry popped in and said he had solved the problem. It turned out that he had grabbed the keys out of the wrong pocket and was trying to use his Saturn key in the Dodge rental car. (He hadn’t recognized his own keys. Maybe I made a mistake in making him the designated driver.) When he tried the correct key, of course, the problem went away. I decided to let Larry explain this to Kirk the next morning. I kept the calling card information, by the way. Finders keepers, after all.
Day 49, Wednesday, September 23, 2009: In Williams:
Today involved a trip to Flagstaff to do some shopping and eat what will probably be our last meal at the Thai place for a long time (since we’re leaving next Thursday for Albuquerque, then back to the canyon, and then to who-knows-where). We also took in our first movie in quite a while: “The Informant” with Matt Damon and some even less-talented people. What a waste of our time! Tonight Becky leaves (by Amtrak again) for her annual dinner with the Organization of Women Executives in Los Angeles and a UCSB Delta Gamma reunion in Dana Point. Tomorrow morning I leave (via the Grand Canyon Railway) for the South Rim, then by Trans-Canyon Shuttle to the North Rim, to do our annual car transport service for the Reynolds gang, some people from Denver that we help out in connection with their annual family Rim-to-Rim hike. Larry Van Dusen and I will spend Thursday night at the North Rim, and on Friday drive two of the Reynolds family cars from the North Rim to the South Rim, then take the GC Railway train back down to Williams. It will be two long days. Daisy will stay at the GC Railway kennel---not her favorite place. But, she’ll be comfortable.
Days 46 through 48, Sunday, September 20, 2009, through Tuesday, September 22, 2009: In Williams:
Not a lot was done these 3 days. Just hanging out, mostly. That’s what we’re here for. Becky did take Daisy for some serious walks, preparing for her (Becky’s) hike down to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of Grand Canyon in a couple of weeks.
Day 45, Saturday, September 19, 2009: In Williams:
Becky arrived only a half hour late this morning. We went to breakfast and I got regaled with tales of the highlights of her Russia trip. Then we watched the video that the tour company had prepared. Becky took Daisy for her (Daisy’s) first long walk in 2+ weeks, and the two of them finally crashed and took 5-hour naps. I watched more college football. It was a great day: UCLA won and USC lost.
Day 44, Friday, September 18, 2009: In Williams:
More cleaning and painting, interspersed with crossword puzzles and sorting (and reading) this week’s mail. This afternoon, Becky called to say she had arrived in Los Angeles. Hooray!!! She’ll leave there tonight by Amtrak at 6:45. Now I really have to hurry to finish my chores,
Day 43, Thursday, September 17, 2009: In Williams:
My 10+ year-old VCR died this morning---with a tape stuck in it. I rushed to Flagstaff and picked up a used replacement machine, came home, installed the new one, and took the old one apart to retrieve the tape. I spent the rest of the day preparing for Becky’s return. (That means more cleaning and painting.) This evening I had an exchange of emails with the Rim-To-Rim people the shuttling of whose cars (from north to south) on September 25 I have organized. All is set. Larry Van Dusen and I will take the train to the South Rim and then Larry, Scott Woods, and I will take the shuttle from the South Rim to the North Rim---all on the 24th.
Day 42, Wednesday, September 16, 2009: In Williams:
Today was spent doing laundry and more puttering around with my fix-it jobs. Nothing special. I finished the novel I had been reading. I had started it more than three years ago, but had put it away and forgotten about it. There was nothing watchable on television (for the second night in a row I watched a few minutes of the new Jay Leno show; definitely not funny) so I dragged out my DVD of the first season on Two And A Half Men and watched most of it. Daisy and I went to bed early.
Day 41, Tuesday, September 15, 2009: In Williams:
I awoke early to another 58-degree living room. Consuming the first propane tank had taken a month; consuming the second tank took nine days. I guess the heat we had experienced in August had its upside. By purely blind luck, I had refilled the first tank yesterday while in Flagstaff, and was able to make the switch instantly. I didn’t have to thaw out Daisy after all.
I got a call from the service advisor at the dealer in Flagstaff to the effect that the parts were in, so I dashed to Flagstaff and got the mystery problems with the truck fixed today. Hurray!!! I can now see what gear we are in, the direction we are headed, and the outside temperature. And the emergency brake actually works. I also got the second propane tank filled, just in case. I made Fettuccine Arrabbiata (with Italian sausage) for my dinner tonight. Yummmmmm. After dinner, I called my brother to wish him a Happy (74th) Birthday (on Thursday).
Day 40, Monday, September 14, 2009: In Williams:
I went to Flagstaff early this morning for a pre-arranged appointment at a GMC dealer to get some work done on the truck. After two hours, I was told that the earlier diagnoses had been wrong; they did not have the proper replacement parts in stock; and I would need to return at a later date---probably Wednesday, at the earliest. I was disappointed for two reasons: (i) I would have to come back, and (ii) the real repairs were going to cost three times as much as the earlier prediction. At least I get a senior discount at this dealership. I avoided the temptation to seek comfort by having lunch at the Thai restaurant. Instead, I went home and made myself a dazzling Turkey-and-Swiss sandwich.
Because of the length of the men’s final match in the U.S. Open (Roger Federer lost this particular tournament for the first time in years), Two And A Half Men started 40 minutes late. I don’t really care about the tennis; it’s Two And A Half Men that interests me.
It was a somewhat frustrating day, except for the home fix-it projects I was able to finish. And I was able to make substantial progress on the novel I’m reading.
Day 39, Sunday, September 13, 2009: In Williams:
Today was another day of football (professional, this time) and chores, and one nap. The Broncos scored the 83-yard, game-winning touchdown against the Bengals on a tipped pass, with 20 seconds left. It was very exciting. I’m still a Broncos fan—dating back to the 1½ years we lived in Denver---unless they play the Bears, of course. Coming from Chicago is like being a Marine; it’s a lifetime commitment.
Day 38, Saturday, September 12, 2009: In Williams:
It’s a big day for watching college football. I saw UCLA almost lose to Tennessee. (In my 55-year association with the Bruins, I have detected a propensity to blow a lead at the end of the 4th quarter.) And USC put on a thrilling game-winning drive against Ohio State. As much as I dislike USC, I really dislike Ohio State. The only time I root for USC is against Ohio State and Notre Dame(another “favorite” of mine).
Naturally, I also did a few fix-it chores around here. It rained heavily for a while today. I lost the satellite feed for a bit during the UCLA game as a result. Daisy was spooked by the thunder, as usual.
Day 37, Friday, September 11, 2009: In Williams:
Oops!!!
It was, in fact, a blown fuse that had caused my light circuit to go down on Wednesday. It was mis-identified (by the manufacturer) on my fuse panel as “Slideout Receptacle” while all the other light circuits were labeled “Lighting.” It was a natural mistake by me that, as a seasoned professional home fixer, I should have been able to avoid, and one that cost me 60 miles of travel and a bit of misplaced rage. The Camping World tech was man enough to admit that it was he who had caused the blown fuse, that he knew about the fuse on Wednesday, and that he should have fixed it then. In any event, barring more mechanical trouble I am now firmly ensconced in my spot in Williams for the rest of the month. Again, Daisy was a champ today.
Day 36, Thursday, September 10, 2009: In Williams:
I got to Flagstaff early so I could get the driver’s seat repaired (after 130,000 miles, it was starting to look a little ragged), and not lose the whole day. That was to be a 3 to 4 hour job, so I walked to a not-so-nearby restaurant to pass the time. Once I had picked up the truck I stopped to see if I could get the windshield replaced soon. They were willing to do it right then, for less than it had cost a month earlier. Amazing! I agreed, and was able to catch a ride to the dentist with a glass company customer who was heading home. She was a slightly strange old bird, but a free ride is a free ride. After I got home, I assembled a new entry step for our trailer---from parts I had bought in Flagstaff. The old step (which I had picked up from a departing employee at the North Rim four years ago) was far too heavy for our new peripatetic lifestyle.
Day 35, Wednesday, September 9, 2009: In Williams:
Today was a day to “break camp” and take the trailer to Camping World. I had never done that by myself. It wasn’t as easy as it might have seemed; lots of checking and rechecking to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. We got there without incident. We spent the rest of the day doing “stuff” in Flagstaff. Daisy was terrific---spending almost the entire day in her crate in the truck. I had made plans to go with the Van Dusens on a planned three-hour trip on the GC Railway train---pulled by the steam engine---in the late afternoon. It was to test the ability of the engine to do more than just go out a few miles and return. Unfortunately, I didn’t get back from Flagstaff until two hours after the train left. A soon as I had set up camp again, I noticed that one of the light circuits in the trailer was no longer working. It was not a simple blown fuse. Since those lights had worked that morning, I had to assume that one of the geniuses at Camping World was the culprit---when he fiddled with the electricity as he installed the new valve. In any event I need to take the trailer back to Camping World on Friday. A friend called (I hadn’t spoken to him in at least six months) to inform me that he found two typos in my journal---in a part I had read at least 20 times. That was not great news at the end of this particular day. For dinner I had some wonderful Chicken Cashew I had purchased in Flagstaff at our favorite Thai restaurant. That took some of the edge off.
Day 34, Tuesday, September 8, 2009: In Williams:
Daisy and I took a two-mile walk early today. I made arrangements to get various things done in Flagstaff tomorrow. I need to drop the trailer off at Camping World to get the brand new gray tank valve replaced. I will also get a haircut and visit several tradesman. Life is so complicated when you’re retired.
Day 33, Monday, September 7, 2009: (Labor Day) In Williams:
I decided not to labor at all today. Daisy and I spent the whole day vegging out (except for her five walks). It was wonderful.
Day 32, Sunday, September 6, 2009: In Williams:
I awoke this morning thinking I was living in a meat locker. It was 58 degrees in the living room. I knew immediately what had happened. During the night, one of my propane tanks had run out. I quickly switched to the other tank and all was well. For the nearly three years we were at the Grand Canyon our propane had been supplied commercially, and I didn’t have to monitor it. Just another adjustment to our terrific new life. I almost miss the heat of Texas. Nahhh. I rode my bike to the post office today, to drop off some mail. It won’t be picked up until late Tuesday afternoon because of the Labor Day holiday. Mailing the stuff was obviously not imperative; I just wanted to get some exercise. On the way, I passed the rodeo area. It did not seem to be much of a draw. There were more participants than spectators. Much of the day was spent cleaning 4,000 miles of bugs and road crud off the front of our truck and trailer. They are really spiffy now. The Grand Canyon Railway (located here in Williams) decided to start a special holiday service, sending hourly trips part way to the canyon and back, using the old steam engine and “Harriman” cars from the ‘30s. It passes within 75 feet of our trailer and toots its whistle several times an hour as it passes by. But for the fact that it’s so cute and historic and fun to watch, it would be annoying.
Day 31, Saturday, September 5, 2009: In Williams:
Today was a lazy day. After all, it was the first day of the college football season and what was a person to do but watch every game that was televised? And that required eating a bag of peanuts (in the shell, of course). Daisy needed five walks to retain her sanity during all this excitement. She is such a good companion; I rewarded her with some of my beef tenderloin this evening.
Day 30, Friday, September 4, 2009: In Williams:
Daisy got me up early again, but I didn’t mind. We went for a nice walk before sunup (and before the rain started). I guess it’s still monsoon season here. This afternoon Larry Van Dusen (an old Xanterra friend) and I went to the Coconino County Fair in Flagstaff. We decided that we both need new Ginzu knives, and that was the logical place to get them. It turned out to be a big bore. No Ginzu knives, no dancing girls, no thrill rides for grownups.
Williams, for those who don’t know it, is an old Route 66 town that’s a major gateway to the Grand Canyon---55 miles north of here. It doesn’t have much in the way of built-in excitement besides Route 66 memorabilia, but they try very hard to generate business---and it seems to work. This weekend, they are holding both a Rodeo and a Shakespeare Festival. Quite a culture mix. If there is any trouble in town, the cowboys will probably brandish powerful firearms and the intelligentsia will counter with devastating ripostes.
Day 29, Thursday, September 3, 2009: In Williams:
Daisy returned to her old timetable---waking me up at 5:00 AM. I was not amused. I was able to persuade her to go back to bed for another hour. We went for her pre-breakfast walk at 6:00 AM---a much better time. She performed admirably. I spent the rest of the day reading and doing chores. (I sound like a farmer.) Daisy spent the rest of the day sleeping, of course, except when the occasional thunder caught her attention. It rained very hard for a few minutes a couple of times.
Day 28, Wednesday, September 2, 2009: In Williams (for the rest of September):
Today was Daisy’s and my first day on our own. I started working on my honey-do list. I went to the hardware store nearby and bought some more parts for my projects, came home and: (i) assembled an extension cord for our 30 amp trailer hookup, (ii) experimented with attaching some nylon glides to the feet of our outdoor furniture pieces, (iii) attached the front stabilizer to our trailer, (iv) attached a support system for our holding tank disposal hose, and (v) did a bunch of other minor projects. I’m in home improvement heaven. I was going to set up our satellite radio system, but discovered that Becky had taken the power cord with her---thinking it was the recharging cord for her cell phone. I found the local medical clinic and had blood drawn for my periodic PSA test. (It comes with being an old man.) The tech refused to follow my advice about where to insert the needle, and ended up bruising the inside of my elbow. Then he did what I had initially told him, and all went well.
Day 27, Tuesday, September 1, 2009: Leaving Flagstaff:
Today, we moved to a new RV park (in nearby Williams, Arizona) for the entire month of September. It will be quite a relief not to move every day or so. It is our plan to stay places for at least a week once we go on the road with the Wheelers.
Tonight, Becky left for Los Angeles on Amtrak to meet up with Honoria Vivell for their two-week voyage in Russia (St. Petersburg to Moscow). The train was actually on time tonight. The last time we were to take it from Williams to Los Angeles it was so late (the route originates in Chicago the night before) we decided to drive instead. We spent the night in Needles, California, and still beat the train to LA the next day.
It was an altogether outstanding day for Daisy and me. We went to bed early.
Day 26, Monday, August 31, 2009: Still in Flagstaff:
As the result of our appointments today, we now have new brakes and working air conditioners on our trailer and shiny teeth in our mouths. And we also have acquired several parts and accessories for my project list during Becky’s absence. Becky is making final arrangements for her trip. There are several piles of clothes around our “house” awaiting final decisions on what goes into the one bag she will be allowed to take with her. Daisy and I have to tiptoe around the piles. Have you ever seen a Dalmatian tiptoe? It’s quite a sight. I chipped a tooth tonight on a piece of the softest candy I have ever eaten. I will get to the dentist in due course.
Day 25, Sunday, August 30, 2009: Still in Flagstaff:
Today we had three goals: Take a short bike ride, have lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant, and start packing for Becky’s trip to Russia. We finished the 8-mile bike ride before 9:00 AM; the lunch was fabulous (as usual), and the packing went well enough. (Becky doesn’t leave here until Tuesday night.) Altogether it was a satisfying day. Tomorrow we have an appointment at Camping World for some repairs to our trailer, and we both have dental appointments.
Day 24, Saturday, August 29, 2009: Heading for Flagstaff, Arizona:
We left at 5:45 AM. Hooray. Between Phoenix and Flagstaff are two very long uphill climbs. It was not easy pulling our trailer up those hills, but our truck did it. It was necessary, though, to keep a close eye on the engine and transmission temperature gauges to avoid overheating. Both of them got rather high on the hill climbs, but returned to normal as soon as we leveled off about 2/3 of the way to Flagstaff. When we arrived in Flagstaff, it was only 83 degrees out but it felt like the Arctic Circle to us. We are smiling broadly again!
Day 23, Friday, August 28, 2009: Heading for Phoenix, Arizona:
Today was not a great day for us. Or for Daisy. We had decided to spend only one day in Tucson because of the heat, and to spend, therefore, two days in Phoenix (on our way to Flagstaff). To return to the highway after a fuel stop, we had to go out of the way to reverse direction. This included going through a bank parking lot. It was smaller than we thought and we scraped a parked piece of construction equipment with our trailer---getting blue paint (its) on our rig and tearing two small parts (ours) off our rig. No big deal; just an annoyance. Then we arrived in Phoenix and realized it was 114 degrees. With no hesitation we decided that, while it was too late in the day to go anywhere cooler, we would not spend two days in this torture chamber. We had barely settled in when we discovered that our primary air conditioning unit could not keep up with the heat. It kept tripping its circuit breaker every two minutes. After an hour of this hassle, we (including Daisy who had been panting mightily since we got here and had happily worn a wet towel for a while) repaired to the bedroom (where the separate A/C unit worked well enough to keep us alive) and closed the door to the living room. When we went out to dinner (there was to be no cooking in this heat) we locked Daisy in the bedroom.
When we left the local Mexican restaurant, named Lupitas (the meal was wonderful, by the way; definitely worth a return trip), it was already dark out. The temperature had plummeted to 106 degrees. We immediately vowed to get up early and get on the road to Flagstaff.
Day 22, Thursday, August 27, 2009: Heading for Tucson, Arizona:
The trip to Tucson was uneventful, and, as soon as we set up in a very nice RV park, we headed off to Saguaro National Park. The saguaro is the cactus with the “arms” pointing upward. This park has zillions of them, and each is different from the other. They take about 15 years to grow to a foot tall, 50 years to get to six or seven feet, 75 years before they begin to sprout arms, and live for 150 to 200 years, growing to as much as 50 feet tall and weighing as much as eight tons. Their roots are only three inches below the ground but reach as far out as the plant is tall.
By the way, it was 108 degrees in Tucson today. And I thought Texas was hot.
Day 21, Wednesday, August 26, 2009: Heading for Lordsburg, New Mexico:
El Paso has decorated highway overcrossings, different in style from those in Albuquerque, but attractive nonetheless. It was quite refreshing after seeing thousands of gray concrete structures on this trip. Zipping down I-10 today between El Paso and Lordsburg, we lost the second wheel cover off our trailer. (The first one disappeared in Flagstaff.) I happened to glance at the rear view mirror and watch this one roll toward the median. There was no way I was going to turn around and look for it. I wasn’t about to now lose an hour (and risk my life and a ticket) traipsing around the median on an interstate highway, searching for my wheel cover. Earlier, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, I missed one little turn after a fuel stop and had to go about five miles out of the way to get back on the highway. The KOA Kampground in Lordsburg is pretty sterile (as is Lordsburg), but quite satisfactory for just a one-night stay. Tonight we will relax inside the trailer.
Day 20, Tuesday, August 25, 2009: Heading for Van Horn, Texas:
The trip to Van Horn was interesting due to the changing scenery. From Terlingua to Marfa (via Alpine) there were interesting mesas, buttes, and other formations, and a lot of greenery. From Marfa to Van Horn was nothing but Texas desert. Yecch! Van Horn was, however, a little cooler than we were used to in Texas. Yippee! We shopped for dinner in a local store, in one of the few buildings in Van Horn that were still in use. There were a lot of For Sale and Closed signs, but they all looked like they pre-dated the current recession. (Hint: One of the signs had the asking price in Roman numerals.) After dinner we took advantage of the cooler weather and sat outside with a bit of Chardonnay. In the morning we discovered a number of bug bites from the foolishness the night before. Live and learn.
Day 19, Monday, August 24, 2009: Still at Big Bend:
The south boundary of the park is the Rio Grande (yes, that one) so Mexico is right next door. We went to the river today and noticed that “Grande” is quite an overstatement. The river is about 50 feet wide and, according to the published material, about two feet deep at this point. Because of upstream use by everyone, the river would barely exist at this point if it were not for another river that flows into the Rio Grande from Mexico just west of the park. Since 9/11 there is no legal crossing point from Mexico into the park. (Not that the dope smugglers care; visitors are cautioned to ignore them.) Becky took a picture of a Mexican canoeing across the river to bring merchandise to his “store” on the park side.
We had lunch at the lodge: a set of ‘50s buildings (a total of 72 rooms) that are nicely placed to give good views of the surrounding mountains and other vistas.
According to the local ranger, the park has between 200,000 and 400,000 visitors each year. August is definitely not part of the park’s high season. It was a virtual ghost town. Tomorrow we move on to another metropolis.
Day 18, August 23, 2009: Heading for Big Bend National Park, Texas:
The trip to Big Bend was uneventful. The park is very reminiscent of Death Valley, in that it is a vast desert. It has interesting mountains, though, of lava and limestone. Our RV park is in a little burg called Terlingua (I think it means “three tongues” in some language) just outside the southwest side of the park. Amazing for such a nothing town, there is an internationally known (and popular) chili cookoff in Terlingua every year. We’ll go back and visit the park in depth tomorrow. It’s still very hot, by the way.
Day 17, August 22, 2009: Heading for Fort Stockton, Texas:
The big excitement today was almost running out of fuel. We definitely need to pay more attention to the gauges on these 300-mile days. With about 15 miles to go in our tank and 45 miles to go to our destination, we finally came across a filling station with diesel in a wide spot in the road called (if I recall correctly) Middle-Of-Freakin’-Nowhere, Texas. I almost didn’t care that the diesel cost about 40 cents more per gallon than anywhere else on earth, including Antarctica. When we got to our campground (KOA calls them Kampgrounds; how cute!) I couldn’t find the gizmo that connects our 20 amp second air conditioner to the 30 amp receptacle. Without the second A/C unit, we would have had to sleep in the living room tonight. And only Becky knows what punishment I personally would have suffered tomorrow and beyond. The office didn’t want to sell me the $8.95 goodie I needed, since the only one they had was used, so they gave it to me instead and charged me $3.00 for the extra amperage I was going to use. I love RV people.
Day 16, Friday, August 21, 2009: Still at Medina Lake, Texas:
We did absolutely nothing today---besides feeding the deer, of course. Both activities were very enjoyable. Tomorrow it’s on to the Fort Stockton, Texas, KOA campground for a return visit on our way to Big Bend National Park.
Day 15, Thursday, August 20, 2009: At Medina Lake, Texas:
This morning, there were twenty-four deer waiting for breakfast outside our door. We had to disappoint them, but we promised to be back with more food for their dinner. We then rode our bikes down to the lake, to discover that it has almost dried up. It’s a shadow of its former self. Apparently the drought has taken quite a toll on much of southern Texas. Dinner for the deer was quite a treat---for them, and us.
Day 14, Wednesday, August 19, 2009: Heading for Medina Lake, Texas:
Today was a 300+ mile day (which for us is a lot) so we headed out early to get a head start on the heat. (Have I mentioned that it is hot in Texas?) We arrived at the 300-acre Thousand Trails preserve in good time, and set up camp in a great spot. (That means, in part, there are no overhead trees to block our satellite dish.) We had spent time at this location 5 1/2 years ago and enjoyed it immensely. At sundown, four deer arrived at our site to check us out. Becky had saved some deer food from our last time here, and she started tossing it to them. Within a few minutes, there were eleven deer finishing off the entire batch.
Day 13, Tuesday, August 18, 2009: Still in Livingston, Texas:
We did exactly what we had hoped today: Walked Daisy, bought food, cleaned a little of this, fixed a little of that. We also bought new truck and trailer insurance. Not too exciting, but necessary since the company that issued our existing insurance is not admitted in Texas and the new status of our vehicles requires Texas-based insurance. We arranged to meet the Wheelers at the (hot-air) Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque in early October.
Day 12, Monday, August 17, 2009: In Livingston, Texas:
Howdy, pardners!!! We are now officially sworn, documented, and licensed citizens of the Great State of Texas. Hee Hah! Even Daisy has picked up the mood---she now barks with an accent. We celebrated our new status by dining out in typical Texas style: at a local Italian restaurant. It was so low-key, we had to supply our own wine.
Tomorrow we plan to relax and enjoy our new status; maybe take another run at the pool. Then it’s on to Medina Lake, Texas, for the next installment of our adventure.
Day 11, Sunday, August 16, 2009: Heading for Livingston, Texas:
The primary purpose of this particular leg of the trip is to further document our Texas residency with new license plates, drivers’ licenses, voter registration, etc. We hope to accomplish all of that in Livingston tomorrow. Tonight we are in a beautiful RV park and marina on Lake Livingston, in Onalaska---about 12 miles from Livingston. On the way here, we turned the wrong way once---near College Station, home of Texas A&M and the George Bush (41) Presidential Library---fortunately wasting only 10 miles in the process. It’s still very hot. We hit the pool this afternoon for a refreshing dip, staying until twelve members of the same family showed up to play Marco Polo. Goodbye, pool!
Day 10, Saturday, August 15, 2009: Still in Austin:
Early this morning I went with Rick to his office/warehouse, as he was expecting the delivery of two more cars to his TexasOnlineAuto.com used car emporium. He has an interesting business plan, and appears to be doing quite well buying and selling near-new Mercedes Benz autos. (He deals solely in MBs; but he has a couple of odds and ends---including a Smart car---that he took as trade-ins.) Since we are in a major city, we had to stop at a Costco, of course, and stock up on things that we can barely fit in our trailer. This afternoon, we went to a PTA fundraiser for Jake’s new school in a local park, and met some of the real housewives of Austin. Impressive. Tonight we celebrated Rick’s 42nd birthday (a day early) at the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse, watching a magnificent sunset over Lake Travis.
Day 9, Friday, August 14, 2009: Heading for Austin, Texas:
On the way to Austin we passed through two interesting towns. Besides being a nice-looking place, Fredericksburg (Population 9,000) has a unique juxtaposition of World War II memorabilia: a very strong German influence (street names, hotels, restaurants, etc.) and a Pacific War museum. Its neighbor, Johnson City (Population 1,200), has a lot of LBJ things---it claiming to be his home town. In between the two are beautiful ranches, peach orchards, and wineries. We must return to taste the local grape products.
We spent the late afternoon and evening with our son, Rick, his wife, Joell, and their sons, Jake, and Beck, boating on Lake Austin and dining in their spectacular home. It’s very hot in Austin.
Day 8, Thursday, August 13, 2009: Heading for Junction (North Llano River), Texas:
We have now entered the Hill Country of Texas. We’re in a nice KOA park. It’s rather pretty here, with trees and a lot of greenery---quite unlike what we’ve seen so far in Texas. It is just as hot, though. So, having now set up the trailer for the night, we have decided to do absolutely nothing else until we simply must.
Day 7, Wednesday, August 12, 2009: Heading to Fort Stockton, Texas:
We started a little late this morning, and didn’t get to Fort Stockton until mid-afternoon. Since Fort Stockton is so exciting, we spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on chores. Becky did laundry while I rearranged the storage of some of our stuff, cleaned a little of this and fixed a little of that. Becky hosed down the main air conditioning unit on our roof to clean it for the first time in at least three years, and shorted out something in the process. It was a race to see whether we would melt from the heat (95+ degrees) before the A/C unit dried out. We were saved just in time. Becky then barbecued a delicious pork tenderloin for dinner.
Day 6, Tuesday, August 11, 2009: Going to the Caverns:
On our way to the caverns, we stopped at an auto glass place to see about replacing our windshield. The owner talked us into leaving things as they were. He actually passed up a sale. It must have been the heat.
The caverns are truly amazing. And they are impossible to describe, beyond saying just massive. One of the cavern “rooms” is 8 acres in size. The caverns are 750 feet below the surface. Becky hiked the 1½ miles down from what is called the Natural Entrance, while I, of course, took the elevator. It took her more than an hour; it took me 40 seconds. We now know the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. They also have “draperies” and columns and other formations in the caverns.
We went back in the evening to watch the bat show. Every night the bats (several hundred thousand of them) leave the cavern mouth as a group. It can take up to 2½ hours to get them all out. After searching out their daily food intake of insects, they return to the cavern as a group in the morning. In October, they migrate to Mexico. Even bats know it gets cold in New Mexico in the winter.
Day 5, Monday, August 10, 2009: Heading for Carlsbad, New Mexico:
We found out more about Santa Rosa today. It is the County Seat, has only 6,000 residents, and was spared from extinction when I-40 was designed because of its strong identification with Route 66 (there’s a Route 66 museum there). A significant attraction is its Blue Hole, a small (60 feet across, 80 feet deep), spring-fed, scuba diving spot in the middle of town. It was worth seeing.
We then went through Roswell, which was a lot bigger town than we expected. The only alien we saw was the spitting image of our friend Bill Wheeler.
We ended up at a beautiful KOA park in Carlsbad. We were going to go to the caverns tonight to see the bats do their thing, but it started raining. So we decided to watch The Closer and Two And A Half Men, and go to the caverns tomorrow.
Day 4, Sunday, August 9, 2009: Heading for Santa Rosa, New Mexico:
We got a bit of a late start today, and ended up not getting to Santa Rosa until mid-afternoon. The trip was uneventful except for the several spates of road construction on I-40. (They were actually working on Sunday. Thanks to the recession, I imagine). We passed through Albuquerque, and noticed that there was Los Angeles-type smog there. Otherwise, it was not particularly notable---except that they decorate their freeway overpasses quite nicely. Very southwest. We had a picnic at a rest stop on I-40. Not exciting, but a nice break. Our dog, Daisy, has been a super traveler.
Man, was it hot in Santa Rosa! An hour after we arrived, the rig next to us either melted or took off. I’m not sure which. Either way, it’s no longer here. I don’t know if it’s the recession or the heat, but this place is a virtual ghost town. There are several mega-room motels in town with only one car in their parking lots. By contrast, when we left Gallup we could hardly get into the crowded filling stations to gas up. (Actually, to diesel up, but that sounds funny.)
In spite of how it may sound, we are having a wonderful time in our retirement.
Day 3, Saturday, August 8, 2009: Heading for Gallup, New Mexico:
The next morning, as we were readying for our departure (a condition that was eminently obvious to any observer), the next-door neighbor came back to alert me to the same problem with our awning. I assured him that we were not going to open our awning. He then allowed that he did not like being in Arizona, and that if he hadn’t rented his fully-paid-for southern California home for $8,000 a month to a rich divorcee (the former wife of Larry Kohl of the Kohl Department Stores) he would move back to the Los Angeles area immediately. I made appropriately empathetic sounds. And I thought we would miss interacting with the strange guests we used to get at our hotels.
On the way to Gallup, we stopped at the Meteor Crater (east of Flagstaff). It was more interesting than we had expected. It was quite an impressive installation.
And we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park. We had been there some years ago, but Becky wanted to stop there again, to get her National Parks Passport stamped. Like all good tourists, we spent a total of 10 minutes at the park, not even looking at any of the petrified wood.
We arrived at Gallup without incident, and immediately tried to get our satellite dish working. No dice. It now made even weirder sounds than it had made two days earlier. With the help of the front desk person at our RV park, we located a technician who arrived within ten minutes, solved the problem in short order, and charged a reasonable price. That’s the good part. Actually, that’s the great part. While he was on the roof fixing our dish, the local gale-force wind blew the dish cover off the roof and it landed on our truck, putting two significant cracks in the windshield we had replaced last week. That’s the bad part.
Day 2, Friday, August 7, 2009: Still in Flagstaff:
We spent a wonderful day getting haircuts and massages (Becky) doing last-minute errands (Dick), and having lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant: Cashew Chicken and Pad Thai, and, of course, a little Chardonnay. Historic datum: Flagstaff was originally called Flagpole, but the Governor of what was then the Territory of Arizona decided that the name Flagstaff had a little more class. He should have spent more effort on the town and left the name alone.
Day 1, Thursday, August 6, 2009: Leaving the Grand Canyon, Heading for Flagstaff:
The trees in Trailer Village had been trimmed the day before (arranged, probably without proper authority, by the fellow who was going to take our spot) so we could get out without tearing our rig apart. We left when we had planned, except for a half-hour delay to check (for the first time in three years) the tires on our trailer and add many pounds of pressure, thanks to a Xanterra neighbor who had an air compressor. The exit was amazingly smooth except that I had failed to make the electrical connection between the trailer and our truck, which we discovered when I tested the then-non-existent-trailer-brakes at the end of the exit road from Trailer Village. The 70-mile trip to the Camping World store near Flagstaff, Arizona, was uneventful. We had arranged for Camping World to install electric valves on our gray tank (that’s the tank for storing stuff we put down the sink) and on our black tank (for storing stuff that we put down the toilet). We hadn’t been able to close the previous gray tank valve for five years. We had worked around that little difficulty, but thought it was time to fix it. The previous black tank electric valve had been erratic. Sometimes the indicator light said the valve was open when it wasn’t, and vice versa. We told the geniuses at Camping World what the problem was. The tech who replaced the black tank valve finally believed us when he disconnected the valve, thinking he had previously emptied the black tank---relying on the indicator light. About 15 gallons of stuff dumped all over him. He wasn’t amused.
I had bought a 12-volt picnic cooler to take with us. I had even installed a power take-off in the bed of the truck, so we could picnic with the cooler. I knew that my installation was ineffective because the cooler did not work. The tech at our next stop in Flagstaff gave me the good news that my installation was perfect but that there was a problem with the truck wiring that prevented my installation from working. In short: For an unknown period of time, the battery on our trailer was not being charged when we were towing it down the road. That’s not good. He fixed it. Yea! Not for free. Boo!
We arrived at our first RV park, in Flagstaff. We were pleased with the site, except that the slightly demented next-door-neighbor, a former United Airlines pilot (thank goodness for his status as former), shortly informed us that we were parked too close to him to open our awning. Becky soothed him appropriately. He didn’t know that we haven’t opened our awning in five years, and had no intention of starting now. We were parked under an overhanging tree, so I wasn’t really concerned that our satellite dish did not work. We were willing to forego TV for two days until we got to a new site.
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