Monday - slept really well, it is very quiet here in the campground, other than the distant trains occasionally in the night. Had breakfast and then went for a long walk through the neighborhood. After we got home and cleaned up, we each received an email from Amazon telling us to report at 1:00 PM on Thursday and Friday for orientation sessions. Now we know when things will begin.
In the afternoon we went to the nearby dentist office and I made an appointment for the afternoon to have my tooth checked. Bummer. Then we went to the Walmart here in Coffeyville to get supplies and groceries. We stopped at Cox Communications, the local cable company to sign up for cable TV and Internet. We will use them and will drop our jet pack service for the next three months. Gary got the inside hookups done for us, we are good to go for internet and college football.
I went to the dentist late afternoon and am pleased with the results so far. He ground a little off my crown and then diagnosed that I may be clenching my teeth during the night, so gave me a temporary implement to wear in my mouth at night to see if things will improve, over a couple weeks trial. He wanted to try that before just going in and doing a root canal procedure. I think he may be right. After supper, I worked on caulking the bottom inside rail of the shower, we still are getting moisture on the outside rail after showering. Darn, hope it works this time.
Tuesday - we decided to drive to Lowell, Arkansas which has the closest Camping World store to us now. We had a couple things to return that we bought in Albuquerque and we needed a couple other supplies. Went through Joplin on the way down, which is about an hour away and then south to Lowell. About 2.25 hours total to get there. Then on the way back stopped in Bentonville, AR at the Sam's Club to pick up strawberries, etc. Bentonville is a very pretty town and then Bella Vista is just north, a popular retirement community. We drove on back roads through Oklahoma on the way home, it was a nice day to be out for a drive. Back home we put our groceries away and then went to El Pueblito, a local Mexican restaurant with good food!
Wednesday - another long walk before breakfast. We did 2 miles on the hospital sidewalk loop and another mile plus to and from the RV park. Today was a laundry and project day to get things done before we start work tomorrow. Our last free day, but we are ready to be on a schedule for awhile - AND start getting a paycheck again!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sept. 21 & 22
Saturday - moving day to Coffeyville. Slept in and then up and packing for our final day of travel for the next 3 months! It was nice to have cooler temps for all the travel preparations.
On the road for just 45 miles to Coffeyville. Followed the directions to the Buckeye Mobile & RV Park. The office was closed since it was Saturday, but we called the posted number on the office door and Tim came right over to help us. He told us we could pick our site, so we looked around at the available options and ended up choosing #31. This site is just round the corner from the office on the north side of the park. We like it because it is not on the main traffic road and we face trees and lawn. This site also has a little more room between campers than the lakeside sites. We got backed in and set up for our 3 month stay.
After we were settled, we headed out to explore the town and find a place to finish watching the
Nebraska/SDSU game. (We found we could not get very many channels at the campground with our antenna for the TV.) Not very many options in Coffeyville as it turns out, but we found Jack's Place, which was advertised as a sports bar. There were no cars out front, but the neon sign said OPEN, so we went in. The music was blasting VERY loud, the waitress said she had to turn it down from the night before. She did and then was very helpful in turning the channel on a couple of the TVs to the game. We watched the remainder of that game (sorry SDSU) and then drove downtown. There are several historical buildings there, most of them dealing with the Dalton Gang robberies of the bank here. We found a place called "Tavern on the Plaza" that was open, so went in for supper. A nice place with unique vintage decor and they had live dinner music, a guitarist/soloist that was performing with just the right amount of volume to be heard, but not drown out conversation. We had a nice meal there. We stopped and picked up some groceries at the Country Mart, looks like that will be our grocery store. Home and a walk around the campground.
Sunday - I got up and took an early morning walk up the street. The Coffeyville hospital is 4 blocks south of us. Their campus has a sidewalk (one of the few in town) on its perimeter that is marked for walking, two laps = 1 mile. I think I will use that often, the streets are busy to walk on.
Back and cleaned up for 10:00 Mass. Our parish here is Holy Family Church, a good size church with a 5:30 Saturday and 8:00 and 10:00 AM masses. The church was about 3/4 full, with a lot of families. There was a visiting priest from Missouri, so we did not yet meet our Pastor. The organist/pianist was also the cantor, she did a good job. They have a Catholic school and a convent here, so a good sized community.
After church we drove out to find where the Amazon facility is located. It is a big building, over
1 million square feet. It will take us 15-20 minutes to get there from our campground. We also saw the Big Chief campground which is advertised as just across the road from Amazon, it actually is down the road a block or more. This campground is very bare looking, no trees, but there were many campers there already and many sites yet available. We also drove by the city park campground and the Heritage RV Campground on the way back in to town and think we made the right decision with the Buckeye RV Park. Home to do laundry and book work. We grilled burgers for supper and went out for an evening walk. The evenings have been cooling off here, we can sleep with the windows open and it is very quiet, except for hearing a train now and then.
On the road for just 45 miles to Coffeyville. Followed the directions to the Buckeye Mobile & RV Park. The office was closed since it was Saturday, but we called the posted number on the office door and Tim came right over to help us. He told us we could pick our site, so we looked around at the available options and ended up choosing #31. This site is just round the corner from the office on the north side of the park. We like it because it is not on the main traffic road and we face trees and lawn. This site also has a little more room between campers than the lakeside sites. We got backed in and set up for our 3 month stay.
After we were settled, we headed out to explore the town and find a place to finish watching the
Nebraska/SDSU game. (We found we could not get very many channels at the campground with our antenna for the TV.) Not very many options in Coffeyville as it turns out, but we found Jack's Place, which was advertised as a sports bar. There were no cars out front, but the neon sign said OPEN, so we went in. The music was blasting VERY loud, the waitress said she had to turn it down from the night before. She did and then was very helpful in turning the channel on a couple of the TVs to the game. We watched the remainder of that game (sorry SDSU) and then drove downtown. There are several historical buildings there, most of them dealing with the Dalton Gang robberies of the bank here. We found a place called "Tavern on the Plaza" that was open, so went in for supper. A nice place with unique vintage decor and they had live dinner music, a guitarist/soloist that was performing with just the right amount of volume to be heard, but not drown out conversation. We had a nice meal there. We stopped and picked up some groceries at the Country Mart, looks like that will be our grocery store. Home and a walk around the campground.
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| Saturday morning mist on the lake |
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| He wanted to ride along - can anyone tell us what he is? |
Sunday - I got up and took an early morning walk up the street. The Coffeyville hospital is 4 blocks south of us. Their campus has a sidewalk (one of the few in town) on its perimeter that is marked for walking, two laps = 1 mile. I think I will use that often, the streets are busy to walk on.
Back and cleaned up for 10:00 Mass. Our parish here is Holy Family Church, a good size church with a 5:30 Saturday and 8:00 and 10:00 AM masses. The church was about 3/4 full, with a lot of families. There was a visiting priest from Missouri, so we did not yet meet our Pastor. The organist/pianist was also the cantor, she did a good job. They have a Catholic school and a convent here, so a good sized community.
After church we drove out to find where the Amazon facility is located. It is a big building, over
1 million square feet. It will take us 15-20 minutes to get there from our campground. We also saw the Big Chief campground which is advertised as just across the road from Amazon, it actually is down the road a block or more. This campground is very bare looking, no trees, but there were many campers there already and many sites yet available. We also drove by the city park campground and the Heritage RV Campground on the way back in to town and think we made the right decision with the Buckeye RV Park. Home to do laundry and book work. We grilled burgers for supper and went out for an evening walk. The evenings have been cooling off here, we can sleep with the windows open and it is very quiet, except for hearing a train now and then.
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| Our view looking forward |
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| Our patio at the Buckeye RV Park |
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Sept. 19 & 20
Thursday - time for a hike! We are in a beautiful park and they have great nature trails, we had a great time hiking around part of the lake on the wooded trails. A good workout for us, especially with the humidity. Back to our rig, we put out the patio mat and sat outside. We are enjoying this campsite, the lake is behind us, trees all around us and the site next door is empty. Very quiet and relaxing.
After lunch we decided to take the boat out. We drove over to the boat ramp/swimming area and got the Sea Eagle ready for a voyage. We saw another kayak out on the water and other boats were putting in. We are not far from the dam, so we headed the other direction around the park point. It was beautiful. The wind was picking up and we were going with the wind, so the captain decided we better head back. Whoa! A lot harder paddling back into the wind and waves. The crew (me) worked hard to follow the captains's orders and soon had a blister. Ouch. As we headed back we could see storm clouds approaching, time to get back to land. The other kayak and boats were going in too.
We landed and carried the boat up to a grass boulevard to clean, deflate and put away before the storm. We just got it bagged and in the car when the rain started. We put the car under a tree and then we sat under the picnic shelter to watch the rain. Pretty soon it was coming in sheets and the wind was hard enough to get us wet. When it let up we went home and settled in for rest of the storm. (Did I tell you that our camp site was at the bottom of the hill?) It rained really hard again and soon we had a river of mud and water running across our patio mat on its way down toward the lake. Good thing we are on a hard pavement surface. It continued raining on and off the rest of the evening, we stayed inside and worked on the computers.
Friday - Overcast and still sprinkling. After breakfast, Gary went out to clean up the patio mat and mud. He ended up putting the mat over the picnic table and hosing it down, also hosed the mud off the rest of the patio/driveway area. There was plenty to wash away. I worked on projects inside and vacuumed the house, using our new Eureka handheld. A lot of power, it did a great job. The day gradually improved, two men brought in a camper trailer in the site next to us about noon and set it up - then left. They did not come back until about 9:00 that night. We cleaned up and went in to town in Oogolah for supper. Found the only non fast food place, Doug's Cafe. A small family run cafe, they had good food. We enjoyed watching the clientele, a big table full of high school kids eating before the football game, families and older couples. The family staff were really hustling to keep up - they did a great job. We drove around the town afterward. They had a statue of Will Rogers in the center of town, he is from this area. Home and started packing up for our travel tomorrow to Coffeyville.
After lunch we decided to take the boat out. We drove over to the boat ramp/swimming area and got the Sea Eagle ready for a voyage. We saw another kayak out on the water and other boats were putting in. We are not far from the dam, so we headed the other direction around the park point. It was beautiful. The wind was picking up and we were going with the wind, so the captain decided we better head back. Whoa! A lot harder paddling back into the wind and waves. The crew (me) worked hard to follow the captains's orders and soon had a blister. Ouch. As we headed back we could see storm clouds approaching, time to get back to land. The other kayak and boats were going in too.
We landed and carried the boat up to a grass boulevard to clean, deflate and put away before the storm. We just got it bagged and in the car when the rain started. We put the car under a tree and then we sat under the picnic shelter to watch the rain. Pretty soon it was coming in sheets and the wind was hard enough to get us wet. When it let up we went home and settled in for rest of the storm. (Did I tell you that our camp site was at the bottom of the hill?) It rained really hard again and soon we had a river of mud and water running across our patio mat on its way down toward the lake. Good thing we are on a hard pavement surface. It continued raining on and off the rest of the evening, we stayed inside and worked on the computers.
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| On the hike |
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| Our site from the hiking trail, we are on the far right |
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| The voyage |
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| View of the park from the water |
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| And the rain ran down! |
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| Our campsite - another view |
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| The picnic table area was below the back of the motorhome |
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Sept. 18 - Wednesday
Slept in and then visited more with Chris & Dorri. Packed up and left for our short drive today. We stopped for groceries at the local Walmart, then up to Pryor, to Claremore and north to the Hawthorn Bluff Corp of Engineers campground on Lake Oologah. Oh my, it was very hot and muggy by then! The park attendant directed us to a good site, we are backed up to a cove, out of the wind coming off the lake. Very wooded, she said to watch for armadillos, deer and raccoons. Gary rode his bike around to check out the boat dock and swimming beach possibilities and I took a walk around the campground. By now it is 95 degrees and even more humid, good thing we are in the shade this time. We went out after dark to see the beautiful harvest moon shining over the water. We could not stay out long, we are back in mosquito territory. Ended the day watching one of our favorite movies, "Under the Tuscan Sun".
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| Harvest moon over Lake Oogolah, OK |
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| Beautiful! |
Sept. 16 & 17
Monday - Happy Birthday Kelsey!
Today we go to Oklahoma. Headed west on # 20, then north on # 271 through Gilmer, Mt. Pleasant and Paris, TX. Crossed the Oklahoma border and instantly had rough roads! Not a priority here, I guess. Shortly after that we had our first armadillo sighting, on his back, feet up in air. We did not see a single one in Texas where they are lovingly called Texas speed bumps.
At Hugo, OK we started on the Indian Nation Turnpike. It was a little smoother and had very little traffic. We got off just south of McAlester, $7.50 paid out in tolls. There just aren't many straight highway options in that part of OK.
So now we are on Hwy 69, very rough and a lot of semi traffic. Drove up through the lakes area, Lake Eufaula being the largest. Arrived at Onapa RV Park - a small place just south of Checotah. Set up and then went in to Eufaula for groceries and to look at the nearby Oklahoma state park. We wanted to see how their state parks compared to other states. They look about the same, some sites have water hookup, the older sites were gravel pads and very small. There were larger sites with paved pads too. Home, supper and early to bed - it was a long travel day.
Tuesday - we went for a long walk on the rural roads by our campground. Watched a movie on TV while having breakfast, some western called "The Honkers". Drove north to Wagoner, then west to just outside of Coweta. Here we stopped to see our friends, Chris and Dorri Evans - we had met them at the Workkamper News Rally we went to last October and then Gary had seen them again in May at the RV Maintenance training. They had invited us to park and stay overnight in their driveway. It was great to visit with them and catch up. We went into Coweta for supper at a Mexican place, then came back and sat outside. They need rain here too, it showered a little as we arrived in the afternoon, but then quit. Thank you Evans' for your hospitality.
Today we go to Oklahoma. Headed west on # 20, then north on # 271 through Gilmer, Mt. Pleasant and Paris, TX. Crossed the Oklahoma border and instantly had rough roads! Not a priority here, I guess. Shortly after that we had our first armadillo sighting, on his back, feet up in air. We did not see a single one in Texas where they are lovingly called Texas speed bumps.
At Hugo, OK we started on the Indian Nation Turnpike. It was a little smoother and had very little traffic. We got off just south of McAlester, $7.50 paid out in tolls. There just aren't many straight highway options in that part of OK.
So now we are on Hwy 69, very rough and a lot of semi traffic. Drove up through the lakes area, Lake Eufaula being the largest. Arrived at Onapa RV Park - a small place just south of Checotah. Set up and then went in to Eufaula for groceries and to look at the nearby Oklahoma state park. We wanted to see how their state parks compared to other states. They look about the same, some sites have water hookup, the older sites were gravel pads and very small. There were larger sites with paved pads too. Home, supper and early to bed - it was a long travel day.
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| Onapa RV Park site |
Tuesday - we went for a long walk on the rural roads by our campground. Watched a movie on TV while having breakfast, some western called "The Honkers". Drove north to Wagoner, then west to just outside of Coweta. Here we stopped to see our friends, Chris and Dorri Evans - we had met them at the Workkamper News Rally we went to last October and then Gary had seen them again in May at the RV Maintenance training. They had invited us to park and stay overnight in their driveway. It was great to visit with them and catch up. We went into Coweta for supper at a Mexican place, then came back and sat outside. They need rain here too, it showered a little as we arrived in the afternoon, but then quit. Thank you Evans' for your hospitality.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Sept. 12 & 13
Thursday - after our last two busy days, we decided to stay put today. I went for a walk, then we did book work, laundry, and cleaning. Gary took our outgoing mail to the post office. the post office in Cut-n-Shoot had closed at 1:30, so he had to go on to Conroe to get things mailed. In the afternoon we went to the pool, then had an early supper. (It is nice not to be driving somewhere every day)
Friday - time to pack up again and hit the road. Heading north now, took # 105, then # 59 up to Nacogdoches. As we left Cut-n-Shoot and drove, the lovebugs were hitting our windshield like rain! We did not dare run the windshield wipers, it would have been a solid smear. When we stopped for gas, Gary tried to wash them off, but with very little success. Yuck! Then north on # 259 and at Henderson caught # 322 and #1122 to the Fernwood RV Park just south of Longview, TX. A very nice place, cement pads and blacktop roads, but no shade and it was high 90's. When we got out to look, the entire front of our motorhome was covered with love bug carnage - we will work on that tomorrow when it is cooler. Hooray, there are no bugs here!
We got setup, had lunch and went to the pool at the RV park. Changed our clothes & went in to Longview for supper where we found Leon's Steakhouse & Saloon. A busy place, we sat by a table full of salesmen, celebrating because their team had met their sales goals. The sales manager & boss were there getting them everything they wanted. (They all talked funny too.) When we were ready to leave, one of the owners stopped us to ask how it was and then took us back to see the dancehall area. They were having a live blues band that night and a rock and roll band on Saturday night. She was very friendly, encouraged us to come back to dance - we had a nice visit and then headed home.
Friday - time to pack up again and hit the road. Heading north now, took # 105, then # 59 up to Nacogdoches. As we left Cut-n-Shoot and drove, the lovebugs were hitting our windshield like rain! We did not dare run the windshield wipers, it would have been a solid smear. When we stopped for gas, Gary tried to wash them off, but with very little success. Yuck! Then north on # 259 and at Henderson caught # 322 and #1122 to the Fernwood RV Park just south of Longview, TX. A very nice place, cement pads and blacktop roads, but no shade and it was high 90's. When we got out to look, the entire front of our motorhome was covered with love bug carnage - we will work on that tomorrow when it is cooler. Hooray, there are no bugs here!
We got setup, had lunch and went to the pool at the RV park. Changed our clothes & went in to Longview for supper where we found Leon's Steakhouse & Saloon. A busy place, we sat by a table full of salesmen, celebrating because their team had met their sales goals. The sales manager & boss were there getting them everything they wanted. (They all talked funny too.) When we were ready to leave, one of the owners stopped us to ask how it was and then took us back to see the dancehall area. They were having a live blues band that night and a rock and roll band on Saturday night. She was very friendly, encouraged us to come back to dance - we had a nice visit and then headed home.
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| What a Mess! |
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| Hard to see through all this! |
Sept. 14 & 15
Saturday - up for a walk, while Gary washed the love bugs off the windshield and front of the motorhome. It was cooler this morning, we had the windows open for a couple hours. Took this day to catch up on financial work and to research more about what to expect at our Amazon job. And of course, watching college football! (Wins for both Michigan and SDSU-yay!!) I went in to town to Walmart for essentials and groceries. I bought salmon and a sweet onion which we grilled for supper and then watched the Notre Dame game. Good job Irish!
Sunday - 10:00 Mass at St. Mary's in Longview. A nice parish, but the congregation was not singing. We really notice that now. Home, lunch, watched my Kansas City Chiefs win! That game was on locally because they played the Dallas Cowboys (did I mention who won?). The Packers won too, but the Vikings lost by just one!
We went to the pool, got there just as a family group did, so after a lot of getting splashed on and listening to a lot of loud voices (and they all talk funny down here) we went home and sat out in the shade to enjoy the afternoon. The park here is full of trailers, fifth-wheels & motorhomes, mostly with Texas plates, but very few people staying in them this weekend. Grilled burgers for supper. Later, I went to the shower house and did my hair coloring touch up, it needed it.
Sorry, we forgot to take pictures.
Sunday - 10:00 Mass at St. Mary's in Longview. A nice parish, but the congregation was not singing. We really notice that now. Home, lunch, watched my Kansas City Chiefs win! That game was on locally because they played the Dallas Cowboys (did I mention who won?). The Packers won too, but the Vikings lost by just one!
We went to the pool, got there just as a family group did, so after a lot of getting splashed on and listening to a lot of loud voices (and they all talk funny down here) we went home and sat out in the shade to enjoy the afternoon. The park here is full of trailers, fifth-wheels & motorhomes, mostly with Texas plates, but very few people staying in them this weekend. Grilled burgers for supper. Later, I went to the shower house and did my hair coloring touch up, it needed it.
Sorry, we forgot to take pictures.
Sept. 11 - Wednesday
In Galveston - woke up and watched some of the 9-11-01 footage on TV before going down to breakfast. Checked out (yay) and stopped to get the car washed on our way out of town. It was covered with salt spray, the windows had a film on them.
Headed north to the NASA Space Center. They open at 10:00, we were there shortly after that, nice to have a near empty parking lot. They suggested we take the Tram first, a 1 1/2 hour tour of Mission Control (like the one you see in Apollo 13 movie), the Astronaut Training Center and to see the Saturn 5 rocket. Very interesting, especially to the former aspiring astronaut I was with. Back to the Center, we went to the Starship Gallery next and then looked at all the exhibits.
www.spacecenter.org
Mid-afternoon we headed for home. We decided to just take I-45 right through Houston, not knowing how that would be. Perfect timing, I guess, we made it through in 1 hour! Gary said it is one of the easiest drives he has had in a big city. Thank goodness!
We stopped in Cut-n-Shoot at a bank to get my signature notarized for some benefits papers Gary had to send in. Then we were home, for a relaxing evening. A successful day of sightseeing!
Headed north to the NASA Space Center. They open at 10:00, we were there shortly after that, nice to have a near empty parking lot. They suggested we take the Tram first, a 1 1/2 hour tour of Mission Control (like the one you see in Apollo 13 movie), the Astronaut Training Center and to see the Saturn 5 rocket. Very interesting, especially to the former aspiring astronaut I was with. Back to the Center, we went to the Starship Gallery next and then looked at all the exhibits.
www.spacecenter.org
Mid-afternoon we headed for home. We decided to just take I-45 right through Houston, not knowing how that would be. Perfect timing, I guess, we made it through in 1 hour! Gary said it is one of the easiest drives he has had in a big city. Thank goodness!
We stopped in Cut-n-Shoot at a bank to get my signature notarized for some benefits papers Gary had to send in. Then we were home, for a relaxing evening. A successful day of sightseeing!
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| Shuttle spaceship commander |
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| New test robot at NASA |
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| Exhibit in the Starship Gallery |
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| The Shuttle is on display, they are going to add the 747 there |
Sept. 10
Tuesday - today we explore Galveston! Had a great plan to get there, headed south on I-45, then took the # 8 East Bypass. We knew #8 was a toll road, but those are usually faster, Usually. We started on the # 8 East Parkway. We went past several ramps to get on the bypass, but they all had these big glaring signs that said E-Pass only, no cash. Not what do we do? The bypass parkway was usually 3 lanes wide, so we moved along pretty well, except for stop lights repeatedly on this route. We finally stopped at an E-Pass Store to find out what it cost to do the bypass, they told us $55 a day. So, back to the parkway, until we came to where I-10 crosses. Then you have to get on the bypass - just for a little while, paid two tolls and then had to get off again! Finally it merged with I-45 and we arrived in Galveston after 2 1/2 hours on the road!
Galveston and the Gulf, we're here. We drove along the bay side and looked at the water, beach, the restaurants and everything else. 88 degrees and very windy. By then it was time for lunch, so we stopped at "The Spot". A cool place where they had moved in 5 different houses, joined them together and had different eating venues in each. We sat in one that had open air dining (and wind). Had great fish tacos and a burger. The waitress filled us in on where to park to go to the beach and the nightspots on The Strand.
On the way down, I had looked at the map closer and discovered that the NASA Space Center was southeast of Houston. Since we were battling the bypass at that time, I made the comment that we should have just planned to stay in Galveston overnight. We decided it was a great idea, pretty spontaneous for us (it helped a lot that we had each packed another set of clothes anticipating going to the beach and getting sweaty with the humidity). So at lunch, we got on Priceline and got a room for the night. Ended up at a LaQuinta Inn, so we went to check in so we could change to go to the beach.
Well, not such a great adventure. The desk clerk was not excited to be bothered to check me in and when we walked into the room, phew! It smelled. OK, we're here, we'll tough it out. Gary wanted a quick nap, I ended up going down to the front desk to get a code to make the TV work. Miss Friendly said they were new TVs and she would call maintenance to find out. As I stood and waited she went in the back, then out to talk to another gal in the breakfast room - not too concerned about me. Finally she said she would find out and come up. I went back to the room and then the maintenance guy showed up with the code. Thank you.
Changed into our suits and off to the beach. Not as pretty as Cancun water, but we watched others picking up shells, swimming and could see a half a dozen tankers sitting out on the horizon. We walked on the beach, took pictures and walked out on the pier. This was a fishing pier, there was a shop you entered where you paid $10 to be able to go out for access to fish, or $2 to go up just to look. Gary was joking with the guy there, so he let us go up and look for 3 minutes when we realized all our money was in the car. He was a crusty older gentleman, originally from Brooklyn he told us. We drove around and looked at more of the island, we were fascinated by all the houses built up on stilts, some had a garage on the bottom. Went back to our room and changed for supper.
We went to the downtown area which is full of shops, bars and restaurants. Stopped in for Happy Hour at the 2 Steppin' Saloon, our server there was from Moldova. We had asked because she had such a distinctive accent. Then we went back to the bay side of the island for supper at Gaido's for seafood. Then back to our smelly room for the night. I was tired, so luckily fell asleep right away.
Galveston and the Gulf, we're here. We drove along the bay side and looked at the water, beach, the restaurants and everything else. 88 degrees and very windy. By then it was time for lunch, so we stopped at "The Spot". A cool place where they had moved in 5 different houses, joined them together and had different eating venues in each. We sat in one that had open air dining (and wind). Had great fish tacos and a burger. The waitress filled us in on where to park to go to the beach and the nightspots on The Strand.
On the way down, I had looked at the map closer and discovered that the NASA Space Center was southeast of Houston. Since we were battling the bypass at that time, I made the comment that we should have just planned to stay in Galveston overnight. We decided it was a great idea, pretty spontaneous for us (it helped a lot that we had each packed another set of clothes anticipating going to the beach and getting sweaty with the humidity). So at lunch, we got on Priceline and got a room for the night. Ended up at a LaQuinta Inn, so we went to check in so we could change to go to the beach.
Well, not such a great adventure. The desk clerk was not excited to be bothered to check me in and when we walked into the room, phew! It smelled. OK, we're here, we'll tough it out. Gary wanted a quick nap, I ended up going down to the front desk to get a code to make the TV work. Miss Friendly said they were new TVs and she would call maintenance to find out. As I stood and waited she went in the back, then out to talk to another gal in the breakfast room - not too concerned about me. Finally she said she would find out and come up. I went back to the room and then the maintenance guy showed up with the code. Thank you.
Changed into our suits and off to the beach. Not as pretty as Cancun water, but we watched others picking up shells, swimming and could see a half a dozen tankers sitting out on the horizon. We walked on the beach, took pictures and walked out on the pier. This was a fishing pier, there was a shop you entered where you paid $10 to be able to go out for access to fish, or $2 to go up just to look. Gary was joking with the guy there, so he let us go up and look for 3 minutes when we realized all our money was in the car. He was a crusty older gentleman, originally from Brooklyn he told us. We drove around and looked at more of the island, we were fascinated by all the houses built up on stilts, some had a garage on the bottom. Went back to our room and changed for supper.
We went to the downtown area which is full of shops, bars and restaurants. Stopped in for Happy Hour at the 2 Steppin' Saloon, our server there was from Moldova. We had asked because she had such a distinctive accent. Then we went back to the bay side of the island for supper at Gaido's for seafood. Then back to our smelly room for the night. I was tired, so luckily fell asleep right away.
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| A beach friend |
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| Captain by the sea |
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| Happy beach bums |
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| A cool building downtown |
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| Oil Drilling off the coast |
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| Refinery towers everywhere |
Sept. 9 - Monday
Happy Birthday to Dan, Heidi & Suellen!
Packed up to head east today. Started out on Hwy 290, north at Hempsted on # 6, east on #105 at Navasota to Conroe. Then back on # 105 to our destination, Cut-n-Shoot, TX. (Really) We stayed at the Country Place RV Park.
Before Conroe we had stopped for gas in Montgomery. While Gary was at the pump, there were bugs flying all over. He got back in and told me they were black, box elder type bugs that were flying two and three together. When we arrived at the RV park, the bugs were everywhere. When I checked in at the office, I asked about them. They told me they are love bugs and they are present usually at Easter time and now. They don't bite, they are just a nuisance. We asked if they were only alive one day like the May flies at home. They said no, they are around a week or more unless there is a hard rain. But they are attracted most to white clothing. Guess I will stay away from that!
We got set up then went in to Conroe for supper and found the Red Brick Tavern. Good food and service. Gary wanted seafood, so he had the Crawfish Carbonerra.
Packed up to head east today. Started out on Hwy 290, north at Hempsted on # 6, east on #105 at Navasota to Conroe. Then back on # 105 to our destination, Cut-n-Shoot, TX. (Really) We stayed at the Country Place RV Park.
Before Conroe we had stopped for gas in Montgomery. While Gary was at the pump, there were bugs flying all over. He got back in and told me they were black, box elder type bugs that were flying two and three together. When we arrived at the RV park, the bugs were everywhere. When I checked in at the office, I asked about them. They told me they are love bugs and they are present usually at Easter time and now. They don't bite, they are just a nuisance. We asked if they were only alive one day like the May flies at home. They said no, they are around a week or more unless there is a hard rain. But they are attracted most to white clothing. Guess I will stay away from that!
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| Love bugs |
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sept. 7 & 8
Saturday - I went out for my walk and discovered water gushing out of the water heater compartment. Called my personal mechanic out and he discovered the plug had blown. He fixed it with a new plug, but we had to dry out the compartment and the things we had stored in it. Lucky for us, it is still hot here for drying! What a great thing!
After all that and breakfast, Gary went out and washed the motorhome and I vaccumed and cleaned inside. We facetimed with Katie and the boys, they were showing us the pictures I had sent to them. Then we went to Cranky Frank's, a BBQ place here to get brisket to eat while we watched the Michigan/Notre Dame game that night. A fun place, they are open from 11-3 each day and when they run out, you are out of luck. The brisket was good, but not as good as Lois's in Santa Fe. We put the SDSU and Michigan flags up, first on the awning rail (it got too windy to have the awning down) and then in the front window. While the game was on, I got the sewing machine out and downsized a tablecloth for our table. I wanted to get that done to protect the wood surface. Go Blue - Michigan won! Gary had also listened to the SDSU game on the computer with live stream radio. In the evening it actually clouded up and blew enough that we had to put the awning up again. Only a few sprinkles of rain.
Sunday - breakfast & then 9:00 Mass at St. Mary's Church in Fredericksburg. A big parish, good cantor, Father had a peace theme for the hymns and homily. We stopped for groceries on the way home, then packed up to move on. Left about 12:30, got gas and hooked the car up. We went across on Hwy 290 to Austin, then # 71, back to # 290, turned onto Hwy 21, back to # 290 to Carmine, TX. Pulled in to the Dixieland RV Park & Repair. The park was back off the road in a field, with mostly long term campers there. Very nice and quiet. We settled in, went for a walk, then had supper and watched I Love Lucy videos. (Exciting reading, isn't it?)
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Sept. 5 & 6
Stopped for refreshments afterward and then picked up groceries on the way home. We changed in to our jeans and boots and headed to Luckenbach, TX. Turns out the "town" of Luckenbach consists of a small touristy general store with a bar in the back, outside seating on picnic tables and a dance hall they open on weekend nights. Oh, and a separate little bathrooms building. Nothing air-conditioned. The first lady we saw there asked if we were from South Dakota (Gary had his t-shirt on) her son had gone to Mt. Marty and then Creighton. Small world. Gary did find a nice cowboy hat in the store, it looks good. There was a small group of musicians playing outside, just jamming together and singing a few songs. We stayed for a couple sets, then headed home. A lot of deer in this area, we saw them during the day too. It appears they feed & raise them, it is a well known deer hunting region.
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| Captain at the wheel |
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| Plaque in Memorial Park |
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| Cowgirl in Luckenbach |
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| Audience seating area |
Friday - up and got my one hour walk done. Trying to get in shape for Amazon, less than a month away. Gary went in to Fredericksburg to finish the Pacific War Museum tour. He went to the Admiral Nimitz museum &th Pacific Combat Zone display. I researched campgrounds, worked on the blogsite and laundry. In the afternoon, we drove east through Stonewall to the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch. After stopping at the visitor center, you drive through the ranch grounds, past the cemetery where he & Lady Bird are buried, then around the air strip, past the stock barns and end at the airplane hangar by the house. In the hangar they have displays, including LBJ's cars. We bought tickets for the tour of their summer White House. A park ranger gave us the tour, she was very good. Two ladies from Austin were with us on the tour, it was very entertaining to listen to their comments & the ranger's comments, since they were all from Texas. Very proud and adoring of the Johnson's, they oohed & awed about everything we saw. It was fun to see the phones, furnishings, decor, and clothing from the 60's. Next we drove to Johnson City and saw his boyhood home. We headed south to Blanco, TX, hoping to find wineries not on the main strip. Nothing! When we saw a sign to head back to Stonewall, we took it. A back road through farms/ranch land, curvy and hot. We were both getting disappointed when we came upon the town, Albert, TX.
A small bar, the Albert Ice House along the highway, with a large shaded deck under a large Texas oak tree, outside fire ring and a dance hall. Outside bathroom house again, but much nicer than Luckenbach. There was a BBQ concession trailer, The Pig Pen, that served hot food.
Great bartender and we visited with a gentleman that had retired there from Houston. One sign says there are four people in Albert, one sign said three and two gals sitting there said they had met the one lady that lives there. The bar was going to have a singer coming in after 6:00, we should have stayed there to hear that. Again, not air conditioned, but they had ceiling fans everywhere.
This was definitely a Kathy and Gretchen kind of stop!
We left there to visit a winery before they closed, found one that had a Tuscany look. Went in and found out they wanted $12 to taste - not interested! We went back to Fredericksburg for supper and ate at Cultures, then walked through a few shops that were still open before going home.
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| Lyndon B & Lady Bird Johnson |
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| Albert Icehouse, Albert TX |
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| Outdoor seating & huge oak tree |
Sept. 3 & 4
Tuesday - up and ready to travel. Heading for Texas! Filled up on gas in Carlsbad, then headed southeast on Hwy 285. Desert terrain all the way, with the addition of hundreds of oil derricks pumping, oil storage tanks, semis hauling oil or water and big white pickups. Doesn't make sense, white pickups driving on dirt most of the time, but Gary says white color is the cheapest. Went through Pecos, TX and then on to Fort Stockton. Arrived at the Parkview RV Park (a desert park view I guess) about 1:00. Set up, started laundry and napped. (Not much to do in Ft. Stockton on a hot day). We did go to get pictures of a giant Roadrunner. We have been trying to find roadrunners for the twins, this was a good one! Had a quiet evening at home.
Wednesday - Up early for travel days to beat the heat, we headed east on I-10. The scenery changed right away, more gentle hills and some mesas, not just desert. A pretty drive, took us about 5 hours to reach Fredericksburg. We found the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park and checked in. They gave us a full hookup site, with Shade! They had a very strong wi-fi signal and cable TV hookup. The Captain was very happy - Cable = college football later in the week!
After setting up, we went to see downtown Fredericksburg, a historic German town. Had supper at the Fredericksburg Brewery. We walked through shops and finished the night with a glass of wine at the Texas Wine Cellars and there we watched the "American Pickers" show with a couple visiting from the UK.
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| Our Parkview site |
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| Giant roadrunner |
Wednesday - Up early for travel days to beat the heat, we headed east on I-10. The scenery changed right away, more gentle hills and some mesas, not just desert. A pretty drive, took us about 5 hours to reach Fredericksburg. We found the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park and checked in. They gave us a full hookup site, with Shade! They had a very strong wi-fi signal and cable TV hookup. The Captain was very happy - Cable = college football later in the week!
After setting up, we went to see downtown Fredericksburg, a historic German town. Had supper at the Fredericksburg Brewery. We walked through shops and finished the night with a glass of wine at the Texas Wine Cellars and there we watched the "American Pickers" show with a couple visiting from the UK.
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| Lady Bird Johnson Park |
Friday, September 6, 2013
Sept. 1 & 2
Sunday - hard to believe it is September here, it is still hot like summer. Went to 9:00 Mass at St. Edwards in Carlsbad, NM. Very nice parish, they had added on to their church at some point, so the altar was in the middle between the two additions and faced sideways. The sending song was America the Beautiful, it was great to be able to sing the descant (softly).
After mass, we went to the city park. The Pecos River runs through Carlsbad and they have a lovely lake waterfront area for swimming, boating and picnics. An oasis in the desert, green grass, shade and water! We changed into boating clothes and finally got our kayak on the water. What an enjoyable day! We boated for awhile, than swam a little, had a little lunch at the concession stand and boated some more.
We picked up groceries on the way home. It was 101 degrees on the way back. Settled in and then went for a walk after supper.
Monday, Labor Day - up early for a walk and then a few morning chores. At noon we headed to the Carlsbad Caverns. There are a number of tours available, we did the Natural Entrance tour. This 1¼-mile tour follows the traditional explorer’s route, entering the cavern through the large historic natural entrance. The Natural Entrance route descends more than 750 feet into the earth following steep and narrow trails through a tall and spacious trunk passage called the Main Corridor.
At the bottom, we continued on to the Big Room route, a one-mile, self-guided underground walk around the perimeter of the largest room in the cave.
The hike down was steep and many times we and the trail were being dripped on from the stalactites. The path was lit well enough for walking, a flashlight would have been helpful at times. A lot of amazing sights and formations. Gary was happy there were no earthquakes that occurred then.
At the bottom, we toured the Big Room, wow, it was like an underground cathedral! 75 stories underground and there were still bottomless pits going further down. Gary said some parts reminded him of the catacombs in Rome. Hard to believe it was this huge, the trail there at the bottom was at least the mile+ long they said it was. http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.html
When we came back to the surface there were rain clouds moving in. We went back to
Carlsbad for supper, but not much was open. We ended up eating at Lotaburger.
It must have rained good at the campground, our mat was soaked and there were water puddles. Much cooler, thank goodness. The tent campers were all gone, but 4-5 little motorhomes came in that evening.
After mass, we went to the city park. The Pecos River runs through Carlsbad and they have a lovely lake waterfront area for swimming, boating and picnics. An oasis in the desert, green grass, shade and water! We changed into boating clothes and finally got our kayak on the water. What an enjoyable day! We boated for awhile, than swam a little, had a little lunch at the concession stand and boated some more.
We picked up groceries on the way home. It was 101 degrees on the way back. Settled in and then went for a walk after supper.
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| #11 our shaded campsite |
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| Carlsbad City Park on Pecos River |
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| The Captain and his ship |
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| The last sunset in New Mexico |
Monday, Labor Day - up early for a walk and then a few morning chores. At noon we headed to the Carlsbad Caverns. There are a number of tours available, we did the Natural Entrance tour. This 1¼-mile tour follows the traditional explorer’s route, entering the cavern through the large historic natural entrance. The Natural Entrance route descends more than 750 feet into the earth following steep and narrow trails through a tall and spacious trunk passage called the Main Corridor.
At the bottom, we continued on to the Big Room route, a one-mile, self-guided underground walk around the perimeter of the largest room in the cave.
The hike down was steep and many times we and the trail were being dripped on from the stalactites. The path was lit well enough for walking, a flashlight would have been helpful at times. A lot of amazing sights and formations. Gary was happy there were no earthquakes that occurred then.
At the bottom, we toured the Big Room, wow, it was like an underground cathedral! 75 stories underground and there were still bottomless pits going further down. Gary said some parts reminded him of the catacombs in Rome. Hard to believe it was this huge, the trail there at the bottom was at least the mile+ long they said it was. http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.html
When we came back to the surface there were rain clouds moving in. We went back to
Carlsbad for supper, but not much was open. We ended up eating at Lotaburger.
It must have rained good at the campground, our mat was soaked and there were water puddles. Much cooler, thank goodness. The tent campers were all gone, but 4-5 little motorhomes came in that evening.
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| Cave formations |
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| In the Big Room |
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| Forest Ranger wannabe |
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| View from the parking lot of the Caverns |
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Aug. 30 & 31
Friday - slept in. Out for a walk, then breakfast. Decided to just stay put for the day, it was heating up fast. We had hoped to go boating here, but the lake is very low, the locals told us it has gone down over the last 4 years. We had a site with no shade and this was a hot day in the desert. The motorhome tried to stay cool, but barely kept up. We went out and sat in the shade and breeze in the afternoon at an empty site near ours. 95+ with 37% humidity, but we saw it was worse at home with those temps and a dew point in the 70's. Yuck! Luckily here, when the sun started setting, it cools down noticeably.
Saturday - up early to move the motorhome. Our original reservation was for only two nights, there was no availability for rest of the weekend. But, we watched the website all day Friday and two sites opened up, one with shade. We grabbed it for rest of the weekend. We had considered moving to a RV park closer to the Carlsbad Caverns, but found they were considerably more expensive and none of them had very good reviews. We got moved and set up, then had breakfast. Decided to stay put again. Worked on a few organizing things and watched football. Go Blue, Go Jacks! And, we did the restringing of our big window blind that had broke just before we left Sioux Falls!
We watched more campers and TENTS arrive and set up. How they stay in tents in this heat we just can't imagine. Many of them were hanging tarps on their picnic shelters to block the sun. We enjoyed more of Lois's Texas brisket for supper (it's like heaven) and then went for a walk and another sunset. We visited with one of the campers that works for an oil company and is headed up to Williston, ND this week. His company rents rooms in one of the hotels there, keeping the rooms even when they don't have someone there, because housing is so hard to find.
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| Our hot campsite - but great sunset view |
Saturday - up early to move the motorhome. Our original reservation was for only two nights, there was no availability for rest of the weekend. But, we watched the website all day Friday and two sites opened up, one with shade. We grabbed it for rest of the weekend. We had considered moving to a RV park closer to the Carlsbad Caverns, but found they were considerably more expensive and none of them had very good reviews. We got moved and set up, then had breakfast. Decided to stay put again. Worked on a few organizing things and watched football. Go Blue, Go Jacks! And, we did the restringing of our big window blind that had broke just before we left Sioux Falls!
We watched more campers and TENTS arrive and set up. How they stay in tents in this heat we just can't imagine. Many of them were hanging tarps on their picnic shelters to block the sun. We enjoyed more of Lois's Texas brisket for supper (it's like heaven) and then went for a walk and another sunset. We visited with one of the campers that works for an oil company and is headed up to Williston, ND this week. His company rents rooms in one of the hotels there, keeping the rooms even when they don't have someone there, because housing is so hard to find.
Aug. 29, Thursday
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| Our ranch campsite |
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| Our view from the motorhome at the ranch |
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| The Wortley Hotel & Restaurant |
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| Goodbye Capitan Mountains |
Back in the motorhome we headed out for our next home, Brantley Lake State Park, just north of Carlsbad, NM. Easy to find by the signs, but 4.5 miles back in from the highway. A large reservoir, but very low. The locals say this is the 4th dry year. It is at least 20 degrees warmer here than where we have come from. Set up by 6:00, supper, a short hike and guess what? Another beautiful sunset!
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| Sunset on Brantley Lake |
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| The desert we are now camping in |
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