Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Day 14 since we left home found us still in Texas. Going through the widest part of the state takes days. We kept seeing signs to visit "historic" Ft. Stockton. The word "historic" is used often on the road to get you to visit. Works for me.
Ft. Stockton is another little dusty Texas town hanging by a thread and their claim to fame is the fort. My idea of a fort is one with high walls making it a fortress. This one was just a cluster of buildings and barracks. I suppose it was an oasis to the settlers when there was nothing else around. I always wonder what it would be like to grow up in these little towns that seem so alien to a north east girl.
We found a burrito joint for lunch. Lots of pick up trucks parked outside so it had to be good. Our goal is to never eat at a franchise unless we are starving and have no other option. This was a little family run place and just right.
The real goal for the day was Fredericksburg, Texas. Our new friend Joe from the boat trip told us about it. What an adorable town. Germans founded it and there were Germanic street names and Bavarian relates everywhere. It was also spring break and very crowded for a Tuesday. Why do mild climates get spring break? What do they need a break from? Too much sunshine? Anyway we walked from shop to shop and although it was full of German restaurants had dinner at a Tex-Mex place. It is rather close to San Antonio so that is probably where it draws the crowds from.
Spent the night north west of San Antonio in a Walmart parking lot. Nice and quiet; no big trucks. During the night I got up to use the bathroom and had a major vertigo episode. The room was twirling around like boozey room spins in your twenties. I literally had to crawl. So worried how I was supposed to ride home with the world spinning around me. But morning came and gravity was working fine. Got to get this checked out when we get home.
We drove to San Antonio on a back road and the rolling countryside was gorgeous and in early spring bloom. Can't wait until that magical week happens at home when the trees just start blooming. The colors are so vivid and hopeful. It's our reward for getting through another Northeast winter.
Arriving in San Antonio early to make sure we found a parking spot near the Alamo; it was a gorgeous day. Parking the motorhome in urban areas takes a bit of planning and luck I guess. So far so good. Sometimes we have paid for two parking spots as we do stick out a bit but usually don't have to.
The lines for the Alamo were quite long but determined to look for Pee Wee's bike we hung in there. Alas, no basement, no bike. The Alamo and it's history was pretty cool but to us the real treasure was San Antonio the city. What a precious place. The Guadalupe River runs through the heart of the city and it couldn't be more charming. We took the riverboat ride, (Paseo del Rio) and marveled at the buildings and the budding trees, bistros and blooming flowers. We also took the on/off bus tour and had lunch at a Texas BBQ place. San Antonio gets 5 stars! Go there!
Time to move on for the night. To change things up a bit we booked the night in an RV park near Corpus Christi. Thought it would be fun to get the grill out and make dinner for a change. We got settled into our spot and Dave went out to put down the awning and set up the grill while I prepped the food. He came back inside and said "it's happening again!". I didn't know what he was talking about but quickly realized that thing that happened to the tire on the passenger rear side, was now happening on the driver's side rear tire. This time the tire was gong flat fast. So we started the whole hassle of roadside assistance again. Of course it was after 5:00 p.m. and my very calm, patient husband was handling it quite well. Just like when things get challenging on our Blue Moon cruises. He is definitely the right person for these little annoyances! Me, not so much! Next morning a mobile tire service repaired the valve stem problem for us (so much for preventative maintenance-Mercedes Rochester will have to make this right!) and we were on our way to check out Padre Island.
Padre Island is not what I pictured. It was much less. Being an overcast day didn't help; it was bleak and unattractive. I'm sure there must be beautiful developments and scenery there but we didn't come across them. Looks like a terrible place to be when the inevitable hurricanes hit; no protection at all. Texas seems to be a country within a country and vastly different from one end to the other. Really enjoyed our drive through that state.
It was a short ferry ride across the river to get back to the main highway. Of course we stopped at another Mexican restaurant for lunch. This is my heartburn tour for sure - but so worth it.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Sunday, March 25, 2018
The Long and Winding Road
Saturday, March 10th, 2018
The plane was delayed about 45 minutes leaving Cabo. The pilot managed to still get us into LA on schedule. Getting through Customs is another thing. Confusing system and I think they like it that way. Long lines and nothing you can do about it. Trying not to look at my watch every other minute; we finally got through. Why do I feel like I am going to be pulled aside and slammed into a little room and accused of some crime against the state when trying to get back into my own country? Too many Nazi movies perhaps, or snarky comments about the current administration ?probably that one!
We took a short taxi ride to the storage facility and the gate was open ! Heading back onto hellish
I-10; it was raining and gray. Not very LA like at all. Heading East through the chaotic traffic we both started noticing how courteous fellow freeway drivers were. They used signals! Let us in when we were jammed up to complete stops and not once did anyone flip anyone off ! What's up with that? Again, being from NY we are not used to this sort of behavior on the highway.
We came to the conclusion that these people have made peace with the insanity of their driving situation and for self-preservation, not really because they wish to let you into another lane, they have decided that to make it another day they have to act civilized on the road. Astonishing. Not once did we come across that usual little prick in a pick-up truck (why always a pick up truck??) that zips in and out of lanes and causes potential death and destruction with inches to spare. They were right on schedule in other states though but we managed to survive.
Night found us back in Ontario, California, sleeping among the big rigs with their ever running motors. Before we went to sleep we watched Netflix on the motor home's tv. Yes children, we are just that smart! Thanks to Dave stopping at a Best Buy and asking the 16 year old working there how to do such a thing; he bought the correct cable and we can now watch Amazon Prime, Netflix and whatever is on the I pad. So proud of us!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
A brilliant, blue California morning and we headed for Palm Springs. Finally out of the metro area of LA the landscape changed dramatically. We stopped for fuel off the interstate in Corazon, CA. When pulling out of the parking lot we heard a thump-thump-thump. I thought we left something unsecured in the kitchen area so I went back to look. Nope. Dave got out and checked the tires. Sure enough he heard a whooshing noise and their was air escaping from one of the outside dualies tires. shit, shit, shit ! Before we left home Dave took it to the Mercedes shop in Rochester (Mercedes is as bad as Apple-ONLY Mercedes service people can seem to do anything to a Mercedes) and had them go over it for the big trip. They suggested that valve stem extenders for the double tires be installed so it would be easier to add air to the tires if necessary. Dumb design (I think) anyway that the valves on the inside tire are facing away from you-near impossible to get at! So they did and we felt confident that we headed off any potential vehicle issues as best as we could. So, long story short, the extender broke off it's holder and it was banging around and we probably ran over it as the end was smashed and letting the air out slowly. Being about 40 miles from Palm Springs the only thing Dave could do was tape up the end; the air stopped and we chanced the drive. Of course it is early Sunday morning, we are in the middle of no where and everything is closed anyway. We made it about 10 miles down the road to a rest stop--thankfully--and pulled off, determined we couldn't drive any farther lest the tire shred to pieces. We needed a permanent fix. At least we had cell service. We called the roadside assistance people that we have a contract with and they sent someone out. Lucky for us it was a relatively simple fix. The tire was refilled with air and we were off again. Kinda' worried about the same thing happening to the other side but really, what were the chances?
This time the thousands of wind turbines outside of Palm Springs were eerily motionless. Very strange sight. None of them were moving. I thought the Santa Ana winds never stopped blowing?
Hope to get back there someday. Really like that part of California. We stopped at a Walmart to re-provision the MH for the trip home. Our goal was to be in the Tucson, AZ area for the night. We enjoyed the southwest scenery along the way. So different than what we are used to. So much unusable land out there! We spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. Seems to be an endless supply of Walmart parking lots and truck stops that are very RV friendly out there. Since the way we choose to use the MH is to not hang out in RV parks and just travel, it works out pretty good for us. Of course we have an app on the Ipad that tells us where we can anchor out, I mean camp out!
Monday, March 12, 2018
57 degrees and cloudy outside and we thought we might want to head way south to Big Bend National Park but as the day progressed we decided to do that some other time. We were listening to the sequel of "To Kill a Mockingbird"; "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee. As is often the case, the sequel isn't up to the original. My quick summary of the book is that is was the classic awakening by an older child that their parent(s) are not perfect and only humans who try to do their best and make mistakes along the way. Still a good read as I love her descriptive writing (a la' Steinbeck).
We stayed in a RV park for the first time on the trip in VanHorn, Texas. It was clean and the majority of the people there seemed to be living in their motorhomes and trailers as there were decks built and flower pots and such. Probably work in the oil industry and move around a lot.
When we left on this trip we laughed that we would either like the motorhome experience or quietly sell it when we returned home. We have both decided that it's a keeper. It's plenty big for the two of us. We are cool with spending the night in secure Walmarts-truck stops and Cracker Barrels as crazy as that sounds, maneuvering it in cities and parking lots is manageable and being able to pee when driving down the highway is kinda' cool. I see more road trips in our future.
The plane was delayed about 45 minutes leaving Cabo. The pilot managed to still get us into LA on schedule. Getting through Customs is another thing. Confusing system and I think they like it that way. Long lines and nothing you can do about it. Trying not to look at my watch every other minute; we finally got through. Why do I feel like I am going to be pulled aside and slammed into a little room and accused of some crime against the state when trying to get back into my own country? Too many Nazi movies perhaps, or snarky comments about the current administration ?probably that one!
We took a short taxi ride to the storage facility and the gate was open ! Heading back onto hellish
I-10; it was raining and gray. Not very LA like at all. Heading East through the chaotic traffic we both started noticing how courteous fellow freeway drivers were. They used signals! Let us in when we were jammed up to complete stops and not once did anyone flip anyone off ! What's up with that? Again, being from NY we are not used to this sort of behavior on the highway.
We came to the conclusion that these people have made peace with the insanity of their driving situation and for self-preservation, not really because they wish to let you into another lane, they have decided that to make it another day they have to act civilized on the road. Astonishing. Not once did we come across that usual little prick in a pick-up truck (why always a pick up truck??) that zips in and out of lanes and causes potential death and destruction with inches to spare. They were right on schedule in other states though but we managed to survive.
Night found us back in Ontario, California, sleeping among the big rigs with their ever running motors. Before we went to sleep we watched Netflix on the motor home's tv. Yes children, we are just that smart! Thanks to Dave stopping at a Best Buy and asking the 16 year old working there how to do such a thing; he bought the correct cable and we can now watch Amazon Prime, Netflix and whatever is on the I pad. So proud of us!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
A brilliant, blue California morning and we headed for Palm Springs. Finally out of the metro area of LA the landscape changed dramatically. We stopped for fuel off the interstate in Corazon, CA. When pulling out of the parking lot we heard a thump-thump-thump. I thought we left something unsecured in the kitchen area so I went back to look. Nope. Dave got out and checked the tires. Sure enough he heard a whooshing noise and their was air escaping from one of the outside dualies tires. shit, shit, shit ! Before we left home Dave took it to the Mercedes shop in Rochester (Mercedes is as bad as Apple-ONLY Mercedes service people can seem to do anything to a Mercedes) and had them go over it for the big trip. They suggested that valve stem extenders for the double tires be installed so it would be easier to add air to the tires if necessary. Dumb design (I think) anyway that the valves on the inside tire are facing away from you-near impossible to get at! So they did and we felt confident that we headed off any potential vehicle issues as best as we could. So, long story short, the extender broke off it's holder and it was banging around and we probably ran over it as the end was smashed and letting the air out slowly. Being about 40 miles from Palm Springs the only thing Dave could do was tape up the end; the air stopped and we chanced the drive. Of course it is early Sunday morning, we are in the middle of no where and everything is closed anyway. We made it about 10 miles down the road to a rest stop--thankfully--and pulled off, determined we couldn't drive any farther lest the tire shred to pieces. We needed a permanent fix. At least we had cell service. We called the roadside assistance people that we have a contract with and they sent someone out. Lucky for us it was a relatively simple fix. The tire was refilled with air and we were off again. Kinda' worried about the same thing happening to the other side but really, what were the chances?
This time the thousands of wind turbines outside of Palm Springs were eerily motionless. Very strange sight. None of them were moving. I thought the Santa Ana winds never stopped blowing?
Hope to get back there someday. Really like that part of California. We stopped at a Walmart to re-provision the MH for the trip home. Our goal was to be in the Tucson, AZ area for the night. We enjoyed the southwest scenery along the way. So different than what we are used to. So much unusable land out there! We spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. Seems to be an endless supply of Walmart parking lots and truck stops that are very RV friendly out there. Since the way we choose to use the MH is to not hang out in RV parks and just travel, it works out pretty good for us. Of course we have an app on the Ipad that tells us where we can anchor out, I mean camp out!
Monday, March 12, 2018
57 degrees and cloudy outside and we thought we might want to head way south to Big Bend National Park but as the day progressed we decided to do that some other time. We were listening to the sequel of "To Kill a Mockingbird"; "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee. As is often the case, the sequel isn't up to the original. My quick summary of the book is that is was the classic awakening by an older child that their parent(s) are not perfect and only humans who try to do their best and make mistakes along the way. Still a good read as I love her descriptive writing (a la' Steinbeck).
We stayed in a RV park for the first time on the trip in VanHorn, Texas. It was clean and the majority of the people there seemed to be living in their motorhomes and trailers as there were decks built and flower pots and such. Probably work in the oil industry and move around a lot.
When we left on this trip we laughed that we would either like the motorhome experience or quietly sell it when we returned home. We have both decided that it's a keeper. It's plenty big for the two of us. We are cool with spending the night in secure Walmarts-truck stops and Cracker Barrels as crazy as that sounds, maneuvering it in cities and parking lots is manageable and being able to pee when driving down the highway is kinda' cool. I see more road trips in our future.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Oh Mexico! it sounds so simple I just gotta go!
Friday, March 2, 2018 - Day 11
Because I am compulsively early for everything, we woke up at 4:00 am to make a 9:00 flight to Cabo, our brains were still on east coast time anyway. We noticed how helpful the LA airport staff were. Being from NY we are not used to such niceities. The flight to Cabo was about two hours and when we landed it was chaos through Customs and limo drivers looking for their clients. The National Geographic people found us and we boarded the bus for the 2 1/2 hour drive to LaPaz. The view from the bus was of scrubby, rough desert landscape with the occasional shack or tents literally made out of old tarps. There are the “haves and the have nots”; these people are the “have nothings”. Highways are full of trash and broken glass.
Our resort for the night was gorgeous and had an adjoining marina full of high end yachts. Steven Spielberg and the late Steve Jobs ships were there. Ridiculously opulent and huge of course.
Dinner was under the stars as we were serenaded by Mexican guitars and the full moon over the mountain was brilliant white. After a walk in the balmy night we slept with the screen door open. A true delight for northerners.
Next day we were off on our 3 hour bus trip to our ship, the Sea Bird. The same ship we were on in Alaska. 62 guests. Nice and small. We have done the large cruise ships and do not care for them. About 2/3 of the way to the ship, getting pretty excited; we had to turn around! Apparently there was a nasty virus on the incoming trip and Nat Geo wanted a day to sanitize the ship before we arrived. Of course we were all disappointed but they took us back to the same resort and we went out on whale shark boats and encountered the strange friendly creatures.
Next day all was well and we arrived at the Sea Bird and got nestled into our cabins. The rest of the week was amazing as only a Nat Geo trip can be. This was trip number 5 for us and we have loved them all. Besides the epic animal encounters and the dedicated naturalists, you meet some really cool fellow travelers. There were people from all over the US there; a lady there from Brighton and 3 other people from my home town of Beckley, WV. That is unheard of ! We made some new friends from St. Louis, Sally and Joe, and hope they can come to NY for a little Blue Moon cruise.
We spent two days interacting with the gray whales and their babies. Once we rode the zodiacs to their breeding grounds, the gentle creatures came to us! The mama and baby were very friendly and let us pet them and some even kissed them! Unforgettable experience. The same creatures who were once slaughtered by the thousands are now safe and wish to have human encounters. There is hope for mankind... maybe.
Snorkeling among the sea lion puppies was probably Dave’s favorite part of the trip. The little guys just wanted to play and got a bit rambunctious with some of the snorkelers and drew blood! All was forgiven and a day to remember!
The food onboard is 5 star and the crew treats you like gold. Everyone seems to love their job and why wouldn't they? Can’t say enough about every aspect of the trip. We went into one little historic town for the afternoon and walked around. That was enough for us. These trips are about nature adventures, not t-shirt shops !
One afternoon was spent kayaking in a cove with a dramatic landscape of red rocks against the turquoise water. My favorite afternoon of the trip if it is possible to have a favorite. That evening the crew prepared a beach BBQ for us and there was a fellow traveler there who was an astrophysicist from NASA. Sheldon Cooper for real! He had us sit back, look up at the sky full of stars and pointed out constellations and star formations to us.
All too soon the week came to an end and we had our final dinner aboard and toasted the crew and the whales and the stunning landscape we were lucky to experience for a time.
Off to the airport next morning and my anxiety over getting to the Motor Home before closing of course. Any delay would throw us past closing time at the storage place until Monday morning. Ugh.
Because I am compulsively early for everything, we woke up at 4:00 am to make a 9:00 flight to Cabo, our brains were still on east coast time anyway. We noticed how helpful the LA airport staff were. Being from NY we are not used to such niceities. The flight to Cabo was about two hours and when we landed it was chaos through Customs and limo drivers looking for their clients. The National Geographic people found us and we boarded the bus for the 2 1/2 hour drive to LaPaz. The view from the bus was of scrubby, rough desert landscape with the occasional shack or tents literally made out of old tarps. There are the “haves and the have nots”; these people are the “have nothings”. Highways are full of trash and broken glass.
Our resort for the night was gorgeous and had an adjoining marina full of high end yachts. Steven Spielberg and the late Steve Jobs ships were there. Ridiculously opulent and huge of course.
Dinner was under the stars as we were serenaded by Mexican guitars and the full moon over the mountain was brilliant white. After a walk in the balmy night we slept with the screen door open. A true delight for northerners.
Next day we were off on our 3 hour bus trip to our ship, the Sea Bird. The same ship we were on in Alaska. 62 guests. Nice and small. We have done the large cruise ships and do not care for them. About 2/3 of the way to the ship, getting pretty excited; we had to turn around! Apparently there was a nasty virus on the incoming trip and Nat Geo wanted a day to sanitize the ship before we arrived. Of course we were all disappointed but they took us back to the same resort and we went out on whale shark boats and encountered the strange friendly creatures.
Next day all was well and we arrived at the Sea Bird and got nestled into our cabins. The rest of the week was amazing as only a Nat Geo trip can be. This was trip number 5 for us and we have loved them all. Besides the epic animal encounters and the dedicated naturalists, you meet some really cool fellow travelers. There were people from all over the US there; a lady there from Brighton and 3 other people from my home town of Beckley, WV. That is unheard of ! We made some new friends from St. Louis, Sally and Joe, and hope they can come to NY for a little Blue Moon cruise.
We spent two days interacting with the gray whales and their babies. Once we rode the zodiacs to their breeding grounds, the gentle creatures came to us! The mama and baby were very friendly and let us pet them and some even kissed them! Unforgettable experience. The same creatures who were once slaughtered by the thousands are now safe and wish to have human encounters. There is hope for mankind... maybe.
Snorkeling among the sea lion puppies was probably Dave’s favorite part of the trip. The little guys just wanted to play and got a bit rambunctious with some of the snorkelers and drew blood! All was forgiven and a day to remember!
The food onboard is 5 star and the crew treats you like gold. Everyone seems to love their job and why wouldn't they? Can’t say enough about every aspect of the trip. We went into one little historic town for the afternoon and walked around. That was enough for us. These trips are about nature adventures, not t-shirt shops !
One afternoon was spent kayaking in a cove with a dramatic landscape of red rocks against the turquoise water. My favorite afternoon of the trip if it is possible to have a favorite. That evening the crew prepared a beach BBQ for us and there was a fellow traveler there who was an astrophysicist from NASA. Sheldon Cooper for real! He had us sit back, look up at the sky full of stars and pointed out constellations and star formations to us.
All too soon the week came to an end and we had our final dinner aboard and toasted the crew and the whales and the stunning landscape we were lucky to experience for a time.
Off to the airport next morning and my anxiety over getting to the Motor Home before closing of course. Any delay would throw us past closing time at the storage place until Monday morning. Ugh.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
I Can’t Drive 55
Day 10 Dave is a driving machine! If anyone could handle the insanity that is I-10 going into LA it is him! We hung around until 8:30 thinking the worst of the ingoing LA traffic would calm down. I am sure it did but still not enough for any reasonable person to make that commute every day. The 57 mile drive to our MH storage place took a little over 2 hours! There were lots of stopping and starting and a couple accidents along the way. Thankfully not us! Dave manuevered the bulky MH in and out of lanes like he was navigating Blue Moon on the lake! I gotta give him major accolades for the drive out here thru some nasty downpours and road construction and heavy traffic among areas that we have never been in. Oh, and the GPS of course! The best invention and marriage saver ever!
We arrived at the little storage place to house the MH while we are on Phase 2 of this journey, the National Geographic Baha, Mexico cruise. It was very hard to find somehwhere in LA to store the MH and after calling easily 10 places we found a place near the airport where we could leave it. We arrived there, did the paper work, paid for a month, even though we only need it 11 days and got an uber ride to the hotel where we are staying tonight. While checking in Dave asked if we could have parked the MH there while we were away? “Sure!” they said. I never thought to ask the hotel when I was looking for a storage place! dumb-dumb-dumb! it would have been easier and cheaper! And we get back here next Saturday around 4 and the storage place closes @ 6 until Monday morning! That means if our flight is delayed we might not get to pick up the MH and get out of here until Monday morning. Ok being stuck in LA for a day isn’t the end of the world but I know by next Saturday we will both be itching to head East! I guess any trip has it’s little snafu but I hope to hell we get back here in time to get on the road next Saturday evening!
Will try to post from the ship but not sure about internet connection.
We arrived at the little storage place to house the MH while we are on Phase 2 of this journey, the National Geographic Baha, Mexico cruise. It was very hard to find somehwhere in LA to store the MH and after calling easily 10 places we found a place near the airport where we could leave it. We arrived there, did the paper work, paid for a month, even though we only need it 11 days and got an uber ride to the hotel where we are staying tonight. While checking in Dave asked if we could have parked the MH there while we were away? “Sure!” they said. I never thought to ask the hotel when I was looking for a storage place! dumb-dumb-dumb! it would have been easier and cheaper! And we get back here next Saturday around 4 and the storage place closes @ 6 until Monday morning! That means if our flight is delayed we might not get to pick up the MH and get out of here until Monday morning. Ok being stuck in LA for a day isn’t the end of the world but I know by next Saturday we will both be itching to head East! I guess any trip has it’s little snafu but I hope to hell we get back here in time to get on the road next Saturday evening!
Will try to post from the ship but not sure about internet connection.
Life is a Highway
Day 5 after passing through bayous and parishes we flew past Dallas and headed for Route 20 west. We were both starting to get into the groove of this rare opportunity to have the freedom to plan our journey on the fly and stop and stay wherever we wished without worry of a motel reservation. We were driving our own little house around. It’s fun to settle in for the evening, watch Netflix and then wake up in the morning and make breakfast in the little galley. Dave and I are both list people. We make lists for every thing and set little weekly goals. This experience has us completely out of our element and could be habit forming.
20 West brought us through the west Texas oil and cotton fields. Nothing else is there except for old rusted out trailers or abandoned buildings and dreams. Oil and cotton. Unattractive scrub land worth lots of $$$. I wonder if it gets any prettier in the spring. Suddenly in the middle of oil country we came upon thousands of giant wind turbines gently turning in the wind. It was surreal! Like the wind turbines were coming after the fossil fuel oil rigs to do battle and in Texas of all places! It made my day to see this progressive renewable energy thing happening.
Day 6 we fueled up in Eunice, New Mexico. A very gritty, dirty, rusty little town. Must be the folks work at the oil fields. You could see why drugs and alcohol run rampant there in that hardscrabble 1gas station town. We took the back roads over to Carslbad and passed by acres and acres of solar panels! The southwest is getting it on with energy alternatives! In Carlsbad we stopped at the Living Desert Museum. I saw my first mountain lion and they are huge! We were up so high and had such a great view you could see the curvature of the earth? And, my ears finally popped! Night was spent in Las Cruses, NM, a cute little college town.
Day 7 We met a man in an MH like ours that suggested we go north to Silver City. We had the time so we went up there and enjoyed lunch in the historic little town. From there we took 60 west thru the mountains and some breathtaking scenery. Jaw dropping scenery. You are so far out there then you come upon a house or trailer home. Where do these people shop? We went past acres of burned out forests where the tree trumps were singed black and yet the branches were full of green leaves ?
Day 8. Steve called us and reminded us to go to Frank Lloyds Taliesen West home/camp if we could. We were heading towards Scottsdale so made a point of getting tour tickets online and going there. We have been to his Falling Waters in Pennsylvania so this was a real treat. The tour guide was excellent and we came away inspired to do some things at our home that we saw there. More lists! The weather was 65degrees and perfect. I could dig Scottsdale I think.
Switching house styles and gears we signed up for a Mid Century Modern home tour in Palm Springs for the next day.
Day 9 Palm Springs is one of the hippest, rat pack memory evoking towns ever. If it was cool enough for Frank then it’s cool enough! We had a great tour guide all to ourself, an architect who does tours. He drove us all over town and pointed out building details and styles. He was talking Dave’s language and I was taking notes for more ideas at home. We did see Sinatra’s house. It is vacant and for $2,500 a night you can stay there and sleep where Frank slept. Pretty cool! We’ve been to Palm Springs before and I would love to spend more time there. Joshua Tree National Park is nearby and I believe the Burning Man event is held out there in the desert. We pushed onto Ontario,
California for the night, about 57 miles out of LA. We wanted to get close to LA for the drive into the city the next morning.
20 West brought us through the west Texas oil and cotton fields. Nothing else is there except for old rusted out trailers or abandoned buildings and dreams. Oil and cotton. Unattractive scrub land worth lots of $$$. I wonder if it gets any prettier in the spring. Suddenly in the middle of oil country we came upon thousands of giant wind turbines gently turning in the wind. It was surreal! Like the wind turbines were coming after the fossil fuel oil rigs to do battle and in Texas of all places! It made my day to see this progressive renewable energy thing happening.
Day 6 we fueled up in Eunice, New Mexico. A very gritty, dirty, rusty little town. Must be the folks work at the oil fields. You could see why drugs and alcohol run rampant there in that hardscrabble 1gas station town. We took the back roads over to Carslbad and passed by acres and acres of solar panels! The southwest is getting it on with energy alternatives! In Carlsbad we stopped at the Living Desert Museum. I saw my first mountain lion and they are huge! We were up so high and had such a great view you could see the curvature of the earth? And, my ears finally popped! Night was spent in Las Cruses, NM, a cute little college town.
Day 7 We met a man in an MH like ours that suggested we go north to Silver City. We had the time so we went up there and enjoyed lunch in the historic little town. From there we took 60 west thru the mountains and some breathtaking scenery. Jaw dropping scenery. You are so far out there then you come upon a house or trailer home. Where do these people shop? We went past acres of burned out forests where the tree trumps were singed black and yet the branches were full of green leaves ?
Day 8. Steve called us and reminded us to go to Frank Lloyds Taliesen West home/camp if we could. We were heading towards Scottsdale so made a point of getting tour tickets online and going there. We have been to his Falling Waters in Pennsylvania so this was a real treat. The tour guide was excellent and we came away inspired to do some things at our home that we saw there. More lists! The weather was 65degrees and perfect. I could dig Scottsdale I think.
Switching house styles and gears we signed up for a Mid Century Modern home tour in Palm Springs for the next day.
Day 9 Palm Springs is one of the hippest, rat pack memory evoking towns ever. If it was cool enough for Frank then it’s cool enough! We had a great tour guide all to ourself, an architect who does tours. He drove us all over town and pointed out building details and styles. He was talking Dave’s language and I was taking notes for more ideas at home. We did see Sinatra’s house. It is vacant and for $2,500 a night you can stay there and sleep where Frank slept. Pretty cool! We’ve been to Palm Springs before and I would love to spend more time there. Joshua Tree National Park is nearby and I believe the Burning Man event is held out there in the desert. We pushed onto Ontario,
California for the night, about 57 miles out of LA. We wanted to get close to LA for the drive into the city the next morning.
Living in a van down by the river
Thursday, March 1, 2018
3,231 miles, 10 days on the road in a 24’ motorhome and we still like each other! Well, I still like Dave; not too sure how he feels about me? Day 1 was a short day to Presque Isle, Pa. The MH rocked back and forth a little going down the road in the wind. Felt like 3 footers on the lake. We stopped at Presque Isle State Park for lunch. Looks kinda unfriendly in late February but sure when summer comes the place fills up with nature lovers. Looking for something to do we went to see the Black Panther movie. Not our usual type of movie but enjoyed it all the same. We overnighted in a casino parking lot. Due to my aversion to casinos (the smoke mainly) we didn’t go in.
Day 2 we left early for our destination of Cincinnati. Don’t laugh but I wanted to go there to stop at the Sign Museum. Sounds hoaky but it was pretty cool. Full of neon and metal signs that we remember growing up. It even had the old Burma Shave signs that I saw as a child from the backseat on our many trips to and from West Virginia. I also remember stopping at gas stations in those days where the bathroom was an outhouse. Before the interstates were running north and south. Yep, I’m just that old.
While in Cincinnati we got tickets to the School of Rock play. It was well done and might have to watch the movie now. We found a spot behind a Cracker Barrel to sleep overnight. I am sure this sounds apalling to many; this road gypsy experience. But Cracker Barrels are one of the few businesses that let you camp out overnight in their parking lots. Many Walmarts do and some
big truck stops. Truck stops are our last choice because for some reason the truckers keep their big NOISY diesel motors running all night! I guess to keep the heat or air conditioning going? Not sure why but if you nest among them that’s the deal. I told Dave to go knock on the window of a big rig and ask
them to turn it off but he said he would like to go on living a while longer.
Day 3 brought us to Nashville after playing chicken with the trucks on the interstate. Reminded me of the barges we had to navigate around on the Mississippi. We visited the American Pickers store and was surprised at how small it was. Of course the boys weren’t there but we did recognize some of the stuff that we saw on the tv show. We had plans to see The Tedeschi Trucks band at the Ryman but sacrificed our tickets and didn't go to the concert. Looking ahead at the weather app on the Ipad it looked like we better change our route from 40 west and head south as fast as possible to avoid some bad weather. It’s a really good thing we did otherwise we would have been in the middle of all that nastiness that went on in Arkansas and Oklahoma last week. Love the weather channel!
We spent the night in the Nashville Fairgrounds rv parking area among about 20 other motorhomes. These seemed to
be people that were there to set up their wares for the flea market that was happening that weekend. Wow! Packing up and setting up all that stuff from town to town! Trying to squeeze out a living.
Day 4
I forgot to mention that it had not stopped raining since we left home. Sometimes downpours. Dave handled it well and by the time we got to Birmingham, Alabama the sun came out for a bit. I noticed the trees are already budding there and we saw daffodils in bloom. Nice. We were into serious country and western (yes, they have BOTH kinds there) or Jesus stations on the radio so I suggested that we listen to a book. We settled on “To Kill a Mockingbird” and old classic I had’t read in many years. We quickly got into the story and it kept us alert for hours.
We ended up in Vicksburg for the night. Finding a restaurant on the muddy Mississippi we ate fried green tomatoes and shrimp. As of yet I have never found fried green tomatoes anywhere that taste like my mom’s. We slept among the big rigs in Vidalia, La.
Day 5 we passed really swollen creeks and rice fields. There was a bit less traffic as we headed for Abilene, Texas
There were billboards that pretty much smashed the separation of church and state but hey, Texas!
3,231 miles, 10 days on the road in a 24’ motorhome and we still like each other! Well, I still like Dave; not too sure how he feels about me? Day 1 was a short day to Presque Isle, Pa. The MH rocked back and forth a little going down the road in the wind. Felt like 3 footers on the lake. We stopped at Presque Isle State Park for lunch. Looks kinda unfriendly in late February but sure when summer comes the place fills up with nature lovers. Looking for something to do we went to see the Black Panther movie. Not our usual type of movie but enjoyed it all the same. We overnighted in a casino parking lot. Due to my aversion to casinos (the smoke mainly) we didn’t go in.
Day 2 we left early for our destination of Cincinnati. Don’t laugh but I wanted to go there to stop at the Sign Museum. Sounds hoaky but it was pretty cool. Full of neon and metal signs that we remember growing up. It even had the old Burma Shave signs that I saw as a child from the backseat on our many trips to and from West Virginia. I also remember stopping at gas stations in those days where the bathroom was an outhouse. Before the interstates were running north and south. Yep, I’m just that old.
While in Cincinnati we got tickets to the School of Rock play. It was well done and might have to watch the movie now. We found a spot behind a Cracker Barrel to sleep overnight. I am sure this sounds apalling to many; this road gypsy experience. But Cracker Barrels are one of the few businesses that let you camp out overnight in their parking lots. Many Walmarts do and some
big truck stops. Truck stops are our last choice because for some reason the truckers keep their big NOISY diesel motors running all night! I guess to keep the heat or air conditioning going? Not sure why but if you nest among them that’s the deal. I told Dave to go knock on the window of a big rig and ask
them to turn it off but he said he would like to go on living a while longer.
Day 3 brought us to Nashville after playing chicken with the trucks on the interstate. Reminded me of the barges we had to navigate around on the Mississippi. We visited the American Pickers store and was surprised at how small it was. Of course the boys weren’t there but we did recognize some of the stuff that we saw on the tv show. We had plans to see The Tedeschi Trucks band at the Ryman but sacrificed our tickets and didn't go to the concert. Looking ahead at the weather app on the Ipad it looked like we better change our route from 40 west and head south as fast as possible to avoid some bad weather. It’s a really good thing we did otherwise we would have been in the middle of all that nastiness that went on in Arkansas and Oklahoma last week. Love the weather channel!
We spent the night in the Nashville Fairgrounds rv parking area among about 20 other motorhomes. These seemed to
be people that were there to set up their wares for the flea market that was happening that weekend. Wow! Packing up and setting up all that stuff from town to town! Trying to squeeze out a living.
Day 4
I forgot to mention that it had not stopped raining since we left home. Sometimes downpours. Dave handled it well and by the time we got to Birmingham, Alabama the sun came out for a bit. I noticed the trees are already budding there and we saw daffodils in bloom. Nice. We were into serious country and western (yes, they have BOTH kinds there) or Jesus stations on the radio so I suggested that we listen to a book. We settled on “To Kill a Mockingbird” and old classic I had’t read in many years. We quickly got into the story and it kept us alert for hours.
We ended up in Vicksburg for the night. Finding a restaurant on the muddy Mississippi we ate fried green tomatoes and shrimp. As of yet I have never found fried green tomatoes anywhere that taste like my mom’s. We slept among the big rigs in Vidalia, La.
Day 5 we passed really swollen creeks and rice fields. There was a bit less traffic as we headed for Abilene, Texas
There were billboards that pretty much smashed the separation of church and state but hey, Texas!
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