Friday, October 26, through Tuesday, November 6, 2012: Arizona Here We Are:
It was 190 miles from Silver City to Tucson.  No problems.  We arrived at the Voyager RV Resort just after noon, having gained an hour entering into Arizona which does not recognize Daylight Saving Time.  This is the third time we’ve been here.  It’s a nice place---very large (hundreds of RV sites), with a golf course and residential area attached. Being a travel day, we didn’t do much once we got here. A beer (well, two) and some popcorn at the bar meant we needed no dinner.

Saturday involved a Costco run, for the usual reasons, and a bit of football.

Both UCLA and USC played in Arizona, and I switched back and forth between the games until I decided I really didn’t care who won either game---and repaired to my easy chair to read more of my current novel.  I later learned that both games ended dramatically (UCLA beat Arizona State and Arizona beat USC, both excellent results) so I missed some exciting action.

On Sunday, I relaxed and read, and walked Ramsey, while Becky met a former Grand Canyon co-worker, Laura Dillon, for lunch and fun.  

On one of my Ramsey walks, I noticed that a large rig had just parked near us.  It's a 48-foot "toy hauler" 5th wheel, by far the largest I'd ever seen.  Wow! 

Early Monday morning, we headed to the vet (Golf Links Animal Clinic) since some diarrhea Ramsey had for a couple of days hadn't gone away.   (Sunday night, he had to "go out" every two hours; Becky didn't get much sleep.) 

He was diagnosed with having picked up an intestinal parasite.  Apparently, it's not uncommon in these parts.  We got some pills to give him, and we spent the rest of Monday watching and comforting him.  The pills seemed to have helped a lot; he slept through the night.

Tuesday was our day to head for Casa Grande, only 83 miles away---about 50 miles south of Phoenix on I-10. 

We are staying at the Fiesta Grande RV Resort.  It's a very large place with a lot of permanent residents in RVs, "park models," and a few real houses.  Nice place.  They are a little hyper about where dogs can go and where they can "go," but we will cooperate.   

We were expecting a half-case of wine from Justin Vineyards & Winery (in Paso Robles, California) to be here when we arrived.  It was not here.  When I called to find out its whereabouts, I was informed that it had been sent, but, due to Arizona ABC procedures, it wouldn't arrive for at least two more weeks.  That was not acceptable, since we will be here only five days, and, after two more conversations, it was determined that a substitute package would be sent to our destination in Palm Desert, California, where we will be before the end of next week.  Whew!

Our second order of business on arriving was to find a sushi restaurant so we could get our periodic fix.  It was only two blocks away.  Delicious.  That took care of lunch and dinner.  

Wednesday morning, Becky headed for the Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix so she could fly (via Southwest Airlines) to Burbank to spend the night at the Jonathan Club in downtown LA in anticipation of attending a 60th birthday luncheon on Thursday at the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena for Sara Edwards, a high school buddy of Becky's (one of the ladies who met her in McCall, Idaho, a few months ago).  

While she was gone, Ramsey and I muddled along, surviving as best we could.  Becky returned late Thursday night, saying the luncheon was a great success.  

Friday and Saturday were pretty normal.  Friday night we had take-out from Panda Express.  As usual, it was delicious.  Becky took a 15-mile bike ride on Saturday and I kept reading.  I also watched some exciting football on Saturday.  Yawn.

Sunday involved an easy 180-mile move to Yuma, and the Yuma Lakes RV Resort. 

We were here about 2 1/2 years ago.  It's a nice place, though it's several miles from any services; and it's hot and they have only 30-amp service so we can only run one air conditioner.  Again, we'll survive.  Since Sunday was a travel day, we need our rest and won't be doing anything exciting until at least Monday.

I've been doing little but reading since we've been here.  Becky went on a 19-mile bike ride on Monday. 

And, of course, we've been eagerly anticipating the election on Tuesday---watching all the pundits trumpet their predictions.  It turned out, of course, that all of them were wrong and we went to bed Tuesday night secure in the knowledge that we would have another four years of President Obama.  Barf!

We had originally planned to stay here for four nights, before heading to Palm Springs, but we decided to make it three nights instead and spend Wednesday night in Thermal, California---about 30 miles from Palm Springs. 

The idea is to arrive at the Thousand Trails preserve in Palm Springs first thing Thursday morning and, thereby have a better chance of securing a suitable space.  Therefore, Tuesday was our last night in Arizona for a while.             

   

     

Saturday, October 20, through Thursday, October 25, 2012:  Six Days in New Mexico:
On Saturday, we made the 160-mile trek to Las Cruces, New Mexico---on I-10, roughly 40 miles West of El Paso.  We are staying at the Hacienda RV Resort. 

It's a near-new, beautiful place, with excellent facilities (pool, jacuzzi, clubhouse, showers, etc.)  We don't typically use the facilities, except a dog run, but it's nice to have the option.  One special touch here is that they groom each site by dragging a mesh screen over the gravel as soon as a site is vacated.  The effect is that each site looks as nice as a freshly groomed baseball infield. 

Saturday night, we met Peter and Esthela Rothe for dinner at the St. Clair Winery & Bistro in Las Cruces. 

Becky met Peter in 1997 when they were jointly working on a job search, and, as with everyone she meets, Becky has stayed in touch ever since.  We last saw them in 1998, just before we moved to Denver. They are an interesting couple, and we had a lot of fun reliving the past 14 years.

And the restaurant was very nice---good food, nice wait staff, great ambience.  I returned Sunday morning to buy three bottles of its wine.  The place is owned by a winery (the largest in New Mexico) located in nearby Deming.  Where we ate is called a “winery & bistro,” but there is just a bistro there.  The company has two more bistros---in Albuquerque and Farmington.

Sunday morning, Becky went on a 12-mile bike ride across Las Cruces. 

While she was on her ride, I took my rear wheel to the only local bike shop open on Sunday to get a new tire and tube due to a blowout that occurred a few days ago without my knowing it.  Just as I returned, I received a call from Becky to the effect that she had just had a flat tire.  I picked her up and we returned to the bike shop to get her tire fixed.  In addition to a new tube, she bought a new shirt, of course.

Monday morning, we took a short 3-mile bike ride to see if we could do it without getting a flat tire, and we succeeded.  The destination was the post office in nearby Mesilla.  That small town was settled in 1848, following the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican-American War, and the surrounding area ultimately became Las Cruces.  Mesilla continues in operation today, with a few homes, some stores and restaurants, and a lot of historical buildings.  It's quite cute.

We had lunch in Mesilla at a Thai Restaurant, and Becky then went on a 9-mile ride to work it off.

Monday night was the final candidate debate before the November election, and I couldn’t be happier that it will finally be over.  We don‘t watch the debates; we wait for the post-debate pundits to analyze them.  It‘s less stressful that way.  I’m so tired of it all, that I almost don’t care who wins.

Tuesday, we made the 109-mile move to Silver City, our last New Mexico destination.  It’s about 35 miles off the beaten path (the “beaten path” is I-10), northeast of Lordsburg. 
We stopped at the Visitor Center, then took a short tour of Silver City before settling in for the night.  It is an old and apparently somewhat static city of about 11,000 people.  It's the county seat of Grant County, and it has a beautiful old courthouse.

We are staying at the Rose Valley RV Ranch, a nice, fairly new place, designed to look very western.  It has one especially nice touch---the side-by-side sites are screened from one another so you can sit in your patio and be relatively private.

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There's not much we want to do here in spite of the glorious things they pitched at the Visitor Center.  On Wednesday, Becky took a bike ride around town, and we hit the local Walmart for some food items.  On Thursday, Becky went to Glenwood (about 50 miles away) to visit Sue Boles and John Gilmer, former co-workers at the North Rim.  The principal reason we came to Silver City was so Becky could visit them.  I stayed back to deal with Ramsey, and read.  It's very relaxing here at the ranch.

So went our exciting six days in New Mexico.

Sunday, October 14, through Friday, October 19, 2012: Heading West in Texas:
We are now beginning our trek to California.  First, we have to get out of Texas.  The first stop is San Angelo, and the very pretty Spring Creek Marina & RV Park.  The only site available to us looked like the abundance of trees would present a problem with our satellite dish, but it turned out to be OK. 

San Angelo is much larger than I expected (Population: 94,000).  The RV park is portion of a huge local park (Spring Creek Park) that is located on Lake Nasworthy, one of the gazillion artificial lakes in Texas.  (I have previously noted that there is only one natural lake in Texas; the rest are reservoirs/recreational sites.)

On Sunday, we ventured into San Angelo to visit Fort Concho, a frontier Army post that closed in 1899 after the local Indians had been taken care of.  The large fort is very well-preserved/rehabilitated.  Factoid: The frontier forts, none of which had protective walls around them, were never attacked by Indians.

We also visited three stores, looking for an appropriate antenna for the radio in our trailer---which does not get decent reception as now equipped.  This is a problem we have had ever since we left Pasadena in 2003.  I’ve been told the metal frame of the trailers blocks the radio signals, so we need an external antenna.

Periodically, over the nearly 10 years, I have tried unsuccessfully to find one that fits, and works.  We now seem to be on the final leg of the search, though.

Also on Sunday, Becky took a nearly10-mile bike ride around the area, and announced that the two of us would take a similar ride on Monday---which we did, but it was only 6 miles.  In that 6 miles, we never left the park.

Someone had parked what appeared to be a brand-new 5th wheel in the site next to us.  We learned Monday afternoon that the owners (from Odessa) were on their first-ever camping trip in their 2-day-old trailer.  Stephen was a 63-year old Baptist preacher who was looking forward to retiring and enjoying travelling with his wife in their RV.

We spent quite some time answering questions about the operation of the trailer, giving them practical tips about accessories to acquire, and, ultimately, helping them connect up and leave.  The rest of Monday was quiet.

Tuesday, we headed for Fort Stockton, an easy 160 miles away.  There is nothing of any interest between San Angelo and Fort Stockton.  It felt like we were driving on the moon.  And, frankly, there's not much of interest in Fort Stockton (Population:  8,300); it's a pretty dreary city.  We are staying at the Hilltop RV Park, a nice new-looking place with, though, very little grass and few trees.  I am informed that the park has been here for many years, but that the new owners completely rebuilt it two years ago.

On Wednesday, Becky got 10 minutes into a bike ride and called for pickup because she had a flat tire.  She had picked up a two-inch long mesquite thorn.  The only bike repairman in town (Dean Tedford) is also the only locksmith in town.  After putting three patches on the tube and not completing the repair, Mr. Tedford finally relented and put in a new tube---which we had suggested all along.

Thursday, we took the 125-mile trip to Van Horn, Texas (Population:  2,400), and the Van Horn KOA Kampground.  The highlight in Van Horn is the historic El Capitan Hotel.  It was built in the 1930s as part of a small chain of luxury hotels along the New Mexico/Texas corridor.  It was closed in the 1960s when I-10 made the town a place to bypass, and was turned into a bank.  In 2000, someone bought the building and spent $2.5 million restoring it as a hotel.  It's pretty dazzling.

We visited the hotel, had an adult beverage (or two), and a large nacho plate Thursday afternoon.  That took care of dinner.

On Friday, we took a 130-mile (round trip) excursion to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  It’s so far west in Texas and so close to the southern boundary of New Mexico that it’s in the Mountain Time Zone.  This is the fortieth anniversary of its designation as a national park.

Its principal landmark is Guadalupe Peak, the highest point (at 8,749 feet) in Texas.  The part that is visible without hiking into the back country is quite stark and desolate.  Apparently, though, the hidden area behind the top of the peak is quite green.  Like the vast Colorado Plateau, this area was under water millions of years ago, and has, therefore, a sizeable collection of marine fossils.  The U.S. Army finished driving the indigenous Mescalero Apaches out of the area in 1880.

Friday night was time to relax and prepare to leave for New Mexico on Saturday.

Tuesday, October 9, through Saturday, October 13, 2012:  In Fredericksburg:
Fredericksburg is only 82 miles from Austin, so the trip was easy and short.  We are staying at the Fredericksburg RV Park, where we've stayed before.  It's very nice.

Our reason for coming here is to visit some wineries during the 2012 Texas Wine Month Trail---a creation of the Texas Hill Country Wine Association.  Fredericksburg is a nice little city (Population:  10,500), with the odd juxtaposition of its strong German-farmer history and its Pacific War Museum.  (Admiral Nimitz was born here.)

After arriving and setting up, we hit the local Ace Hardware store for a couple of things, then spent the rest of the day unwinding from the frantic pace of our week in Austin.

On Wednesday, we ventured to the LBJ Ranch---about 20 miles away---part of which is now a state historical park and part of which is a national historical park. 

There's not much to see there unless you're willing to spend a lot more time than we were, but it was interesting to at least see where the former president spent his entire personal life.

On the way back to Fredericksburg, we stopped at three wineries (Surprise!!!) to see what they had.  Our quick consensus on the Hill Country wines is that they are generally a little short on flavor and long on tartness. 

Nevertheless, we picked up three bottles (two Tempranillos and one Cabernet/Syrah) at the last stop (Woodrose Winery).  The other two wineries were William Criss and Pedernales Cellars.

Thursday afternoon was time to attack three more wineries:  Singing Waters Vineyards, Bending Branch Winery, and Sister Creek Vineyards. 

At the Bending Branch Winery, we had a nice chat with John Rivenburgh, the Winemaker, VP of Operations, and son-in-law of the owner. 

We haven't changed our opinion of the wines here, though we happily admit that some are certainly drinkable.  Tomorrow, we'll continue our research.

We also stopped at the local H.E.B. Market to pick up some food.  Nice place; nice people.

Friday, we hit three more wineries: Torre di Pietra Vineyards, Grape Creek Vineyards, and Becker Vineyards. 

Torre and Becker were beautiful places with friendly and knowledgeable people, and Grape Creek was awful.  The place was OK but the lady who served us couldn‘t have been less friendly or interested.

Friday night we had dinner at The Nest, a very nice restaurant two blocks away from our RV park.  We had a fun waiter, Jeffrey, and a delicious dinner of scallops.  We inferentially insulted the locals by ordering a lovely wine from Sonoma County, California (Ferrari-Carano).

Saturday, we were a bit wined out so we visited only one winery---in the downtown Fredericksburg---called Fredericksburg Winery, naturally.  The people were fine, but all six of the wines we tasted were absolutely terrible.

This was our last day in Fredericksburg, so we just relaxed the rest of the day. And I watched football, of course.          

Tuesday, October 2, through Monday, October 8, 2012: In Austin:
Tuesday morning, we made the 139 miles from Whitney to Austin with no problems, arriving just before noon at La Hacienda RV Resort, where we’ve been before.

It’s a very nice place, well-located in the north Austin area adjacent to Lake Travis.  Our reason for being here is, of course, to visit our son Rick and his family, Joell, Jake, and Beck.

The first order of business was to get the outside of the trailer cleaned.  (Weeks of bugs and dirt had accumulated.)  Becky located a detail man who talked us into washing and waxing the beast (at enormous cost, of course).  We scheduled him for the next day.  Late Tuesday afternoon, we went to Rick’s house.  Joell had just arrived home from a business trip to Dallas. 

Rick was on his way home. They are 95% finished “doing” their back yard.  The project involved construction of a pool and spa, a covered cooking/eating area, an outdoor lounging area, and landscaping.  It is truly spectacular.

After cocktail hour, we all headed for Cho Sushi, a local Japanese sushi/fusion restaurant. Delicious.

The detail man, Kurt Priebe, arrived early Wednesday morning and did a great job. 

We don’t know if it’s related, but while Kurt was power-washing the rig, our refrigerator stopped working.  It involved a repeat of the breakdown of a safety gizmo that we had to replace in Bemidji, Minnesota, in July.  The manufacturer referred me to a local mobile RV repairman, Dan Bailey of TD RV Repair, who agreed to come by on Thursday afternoon. 

In the meantime, I bypassed the safety gizmo with a jump wire---as I had been taught in Bemidji---so our refrigerator was working again.

Wednesday morning, we took Becky’s bike to a local bike shop (Southwest Cyclesports) to have a flat fixed.  I decided not to fool with trying to fix it myself, since I no longer like getting my hands that dirty.  The tech, Todd Driggers, fixed the tube merely by inserting Slime, but noticed that the seat seemed awfully high for Becky. 

He had Becky get on the bike, and confirmed that it was too high, and that he couldn’t lower it because the stem had become frozen-in-place in the 20+ years she had owned the bike.  He advised her that the excess height could lead to knee problems because of excess extension of her legs.  He proposed that she consider leaving the bike for them to try some serious attempts at un-freezing the stem.  In the meantime, he suggested she take a quick ride on a bike with a properly set seat, to feel the difference.  She did so, and ended up buying the test-ride bike. She donated her old bike to the local Goodwill Industries place.

Wednesday is Rick’s weekly volleyball day, and we went to Aussie’s Grill & Beach Bar in downtown Austin Wednesday night to watch him play. 

He used to play there when he went to grad school at the University of Texas in the late ’80s, and rekindled the relationship when he and Joell moved to Austin a few years ago.  We had fun watching him.  (His team won its match, incidentally.)

Thursday morning, we returned to downtown Austin to take a bike ride on the trail around Lady Bird Lake, which was called Town Lake when we were last here.  (According to Rick, it seems the name of everything is Austin is being changed to “Lady Bird” something or other.)  We only rode about 6 miles, but it was fun.

There is an area on the trail where dogs are allowed off-leash.  It was hysterical.  The dogs were very well-mannered, and seemed to have lots of fun.  One lady, with two retrievers, kept throwing tennis balls into the lake, and the dogs dutifully chased them down and brought them back enthusiastically.

On the way back to our truck, my chain became tangled between the gear sprocket and the rear wheel, and was not easy to untangle.  So, I got my hands dirty after all.  We stopped at the bike shop on the way home and dropped off my bike to have the derailleur repaired.  Todd was happy to see us again, and didn’t even try to sell me a new bike.  Wow!

Thursday night, we returned to Rick’s house for dinner.  While we were there, Joell’s parents arrived, much earlier than expected---they had driven all the way from Grand Island, Nebraska, that day.  It was fun seeing them again.  Una's sister Meryce was with them.  We'd never met her before.  Nice lady.

The Texas Longhorns are playing the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday---at Texas---so the University of Texas Golf Club, of which Rick and Joell are members, was holding its usual pre-game party on Friday night.

We attended with the rest of the Ebberts and Von Behrens.

It was great fun.  There was a live band that played the kind of music I'm used to, and Becky and I actually danced a little!

On Saturday afternoon we went to Vandegrift High School in Austin to watch Jake play in a Pop Warner football game.  His team lost, but it was fun to see the boys play.

They take football very seriously in Texas, and the facility at the high school was very impressive.

Saturday night, we went to Rick's and watched Texas lose to West Virginia.  Too bad.  We also had dinner and drinks there, with everyone present---the Ebbert and Von Behren clans.

Sunday night, we all met for dinner at the nearby Flores Mexican Restaurant, a local chain.  The delicious food and tasty margaritas are probable reasons for the restaurant's success.  The place was mobbed, but Rick said the crowd was not as large as usual because it was Sunday.  The Von Behrens were leaving early the next morning for Grand Island, so we said goodbye to them.

Monday was a day to return to normal---Rick went to work and Joell spent the day with her principal client.  After I got a haircut, Becky and I just relaxed, getting ready to head for Fredericksburg on Tuesday.  We decided to return to Cho Sushi for our last sushi fix for a while.

Rick joined us there, and we said our goodbyes.  Our stay in Austin had ended.  We had a lot of fun there.