Jeez! I just realized it’s payday. Sometimes we lose track of time. I was pretty certain it was either June or close to it. LOL!! Just yesterday we were in Sams Town Casino and Gambling Hall in Tunica MS, going up the escalator to look around and I put my arm around Kat and said, “we sure are fortunate! How tough is it to run around the country going different places and doing neat stuff?” Just so y’all know we don’t take our travels and lifestyle completely for granted. We are very lucky to have found each other and to now have the ability and means to do what we do. Very lucky indeed!
Well! We did go to Branson. It was alright I guess? We saw some shows and did some looking around. We went to a Broadway Review show that featured Merle Osmond. One of the Osmond brothers for those who didn’t know it. He was better than I thought he might be. Kat thought so too! Pretty good really. And we went to a “50’s” show. Kat liked that a little better. I liked the Broadway stuff better. Just personal preference. The last two days we left Branson proper and stayed at a State Park. But from there we went to see the showboat “Branson Belle” and took the dinner cruise. And in Branson we did lot’s of walking around and looking and eating. It almost seems like we are trying to sample every buffet on our line of travel. It was hard to find an eatery that wasn’t some kind of buffet in Branson. I would like to report that the walking balanced out the eating. I’d like to……. But I’d be lying through my teeth. And I should point out that walking in Branson is not an easy think to do. The sidewalks are very poor or non-existent and the crosswalks were the same. I guess that’s somewhat of an excuse. And any excuse in this case is better than none at all.
We spent some time in Memphis and I met Eddie. That’s Kat’s cousin who lived with Kat and her family for a while when they were in their school years. Eddie and his family were very gracious hosts and made sure we saw plenty of Memphis. He even loaned us his pick-up while we were there. According to Eddie there are three must do’s in Memphis. You have to do barbecue, see Beale Street, and go to Graceland. I’m going to give us credit for all three. In actuality we only drove by Graceland and looked. For us that was close enough. But I’m not trying to pick a fight with any Elvis people. We just weren’t that interested in Graceland. Beale Street was interesting! We went to the Club 152 to see an Elvis impersonator. Eddie’s wife Lynda is VP of his fan club. Rafter something is his name I think?? (Sorry Lynda) So we had a table right up front for the show. I must tell you that Rafter put on a good show. He said that he was not an impersonator but did his show as more of a tribute to Elvis. But! If you sing Elvis songs, dress like Elvis, act like Elvis, wear a whadayacallit hair styled wig like Elvis, mimic facial expression like Elvis, talk like Elvis, move like Elvis, and do it very well, people are going to think you might be impersonating Elvis. Which we did, and we enjoyed. So if you’re ever on Beale Street stop in and watch Rafter. He treated us nice and it’s the least I can do. He even came up to our table to sing a song for Kat, much to her delight. We walked up and down Beale Street to see the sights. Kat was surprised to see drinks being served on the street. You can buy beer or hard liquor in open containers right on the street. I guess in that respect it’s not much different than Las Vegas. But there the similarities end. I suppose if you imagine an old part of a southern city given over to music like the “Blues”, lots of drink, lots of tourists, lots of revelers, lots of locals trying to make a living off the tourists, and then you throw in some ethnicity and racial mix, well then maybe you have a picture of Beale Street. Or maybe you could go to Bourbon Street if it’s open yet. We had barbecue several times and it was all good. Here it is all pork and not so much sauce as I/we think of as typical. Pulled pork really, or ribs, and it’s treated pretty seriously down here. I think they would give you a recipe if you asked, but then they probably would have to kill you! We were coerced into trying the barbecue sandwiches with Cole slaw and found that it was very good and now eat them that way because we like it. Next it will be “slaw dogs” just like cousin Eddie! I think ‘cuz’ would be proud
Tunica in Mississippi is a casino town just south of Memphis. Eight or ten casinos along the Mississippi river and nothing really special. Maybe it would be for those who like to gamble. But that is not us. We lost a few bucks, $20 or $30 maybe but that took two nights and we had several drinks while we were losing it. Real big spenders!!
We went to Montgomery Alabama to meet Kat’s uncle Rupert (Charlie). Charlie is 92 years old and a real piece of work. He still drives and gets around very well, has a rapier like wit and is just about as curmudgeonly as can be. He kept us smiling for a couple of days. He and Kat’s cousin, Shirley took us to dinner and had barbecue take-out on successive nights. He paid the bill at the seafood buffet (what else) we went to and was joking with the young and cute cashier. She was too flustered to do the math and when she finally was able to tell him it was “$65. He said, “$65 dollars!!!!!, Oh, I thought you said $55.” Then he was describing a car trip from some time in the past with Shirley and another person who was driving. The driver must have had problems navigating because Charlie said “by the time we figured out where we were we were three niggers short of Chicago!“ Kat and I really did crack up at that. And that’s the way it was for two days. Kat did learn a great deal about her family from Charlie and Shirley. All her family except her mom and dad stayed in the Memphis area and she knew little about them. So now both of us are a little into genealogy.
On the wildlife front we haven’t seen too much. There are lot’s of turtles in the area and we’ve seen many. Not long ago I was driving down a country road and saw a turtle up in front of us. I managed to miss it by driving over it but I could just see it as we passed over. I still see the poor thing sucking in his head just as a very large bus type vehicle passes over and sets him spinning. And when the spinning stops he comes out of his shell and serenely walks back the direction he came. Or so I thought?
We went thru Hotlanta and saw Doug from the old neighborhood and had a nice visit. And we stopped in Sanford NC to see nephew Mike and Phyllis. Are all well. Now we are on the way to the Carolina Beach to join up with Mike and Phyllis again. Mike has a working vacation and Phyllis is going down with Garrett who is taking one of his friends. We’re staying at an RV park in the vicinity.
So……….. It’s into the teeth of Alberto!!!!
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Alligators in Memphis
This was our '15 minutes of fame' in Memphis. We were staying at T.O. Fuller state park when we were approached by a TV truck and crew. They asked if we would mind being interviewed for TV about the alligators in the park. We said sure, why not? Well, actually I said that. Kat agreed, but only if I did the talking. So we both got on TV. I just did the talking. I tried to get the video but this is the best I could do. Oh well!
Alligators not a large concern for Memphis campers
May 24, 2006 04:07 PM MDT
May 24, 2006 04:07 PM MDT
Mississippi wildlife experts are warning campers in the central part of the state to be careful of alligators this weekend.
With alligators also spotted recently near T.O. Fuller state park, some campers there are wondering if they should be worried about alligators, too.
There are at least two alligators at McKellar lake, located in T.O. Fuller State Park. Randy Sines and his wife camped there Wednesday, but weren't worried about the animals.
"I have seen them in the Everglades and they didn't seem too dangerous," Sines said. "I wouldn't think they would bother me."Chris Baker, a curator at the Memphis Zoo, said the alligator warning in central Mississippi is active because the gators are breeding. "If you have a female that has built a nest, she will actively guard that nest," he said. "If you get really close to it, she will attack you."
Baker and the Tennessee State Parks say there's no need for campers like the Sines to worry about alligators here in the Mid-South.
"You've gotta have aggressive alligators that have been fed by people, are not afraid of people and associate you with food," Baker said. "I don't think we've got anything like that here."
Experts say if you see an alligator on land, back slowly away. Alligators are fast in the water, but slow on land.
This is from NBC Channel 5 news in Memphis TN, Brook Sanders reporting.
With alligators also spotted recently near T.O. Fuller state park, some campers there are wondering if they should be worried about alligators, too.
There are at least two alligators at McKellar lake, located in T.O. Fuller State Park. Randy Sines and his wife camped there Wednesday, but weren't worried about the animals.
"I have seen them in the Everglades and they didn't seem too dangerous," Sines said. "I wouldn't think they would bother me."Chris Baker, a curator at the Memphis Zoo, said the alligator warning in central Mississippi is active because the gators are breeding. "If you have a female that has built a nest, she will actively guard that nest," he said. "If you get really close to it, she will attack you."
Baker and the Tennessee State Parks say there's no need for campers like the Sines to worry about alligators here in the Mid-South.
"You've gotta have aggressive alligators that have been fed by people, are not afraid of people and associate you with food," Baker said. "I don't think we've got anything like that here."
Experts say if you see an alligator on land, back slowly away. Alligators are fast in the water, but slow on land.
This is from NBC Channel 5 news in Memphis TN, Brook Sanders reporting.
Oh! We never did see any alligators. We didn't "beat our feet in the Mississippi Mud" either!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Mt Ida
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to denigrate Arkansas, but we’re in the heart of it right now! Yesterday we drove a couple of hundred miles from Broken Bow OK., to Mt Ida AR. through the Ouachita National Forest. We’re headed to Hot Springs AR., and then to Branson MO. It is and was a very beautiful drive. Nice winding roads, lots of trees and greenery, a few mountains, definitely hill country. But! That was it. No shopping mall, no fast food, no passing lanes, two service stations, and worst of all no latte’ stand. In fairness, we did pass some very nice and well kept homes. The kind that sit back in the trees some and the grass is all well mowed and everything seems to be in neat and proper order. In other spots we passed some old cars that I haven’t seen in years; Studebakers, a 53 Pontiac or two, some things with fins and some that were made before there were fins. We passed one spot that looked incredible. I swear it could have been the Hollywood set for Dogpatch. Old and sun bleached wood frame shanty’s. The kind with the big cracks between the rough cut timbers and roofs that are swayed and bent with age and weather. You could almost see Granny sitting in a rocker smoking her corn cob pipe. There must have been a dozen buildings of various sizes and shapes. And they were all still standing. It was almost as if they had been placed there as a set. All that was missing were people in bib overalls and clodhoppers and calico dresses. Or maybe a sign that said “Sadie Hawkins Day Race“. Some will relate, others won’t! To those that don’t I will give you a hint, think Li’l Abner. But it was neat! In Mt Ida we shopped at the Family Dollar and Bob’s Super Mart and had a shake at the Dairyette. Those were the choices. Oh! And we saw our first “Bear Crossing” sign just west of here! Arkansas!
On the way out of town I passed a US Forest Service campground and got a quick look. It didn’t look any different than they usually do. That’s a dirt campsite, maybe big enough and maybe not, with water and no electricity and a picnic table. But I turned around down the road a piece and came back to take a look. I’m glad I did. I asked the old gentleman who came out of the “campground host” spot if he had something suitable for us? He said that he did and to go on back and take a look. Man! Were we impressed. This is the nicest Forest Service park we’ve (I’ve) stayed at. There must be 50 sites total. Some with full hook-ups; sewer, water, and electric. Both 30 and 50 amp service. We use 30. Some of the bigger rigs use 50. The pads are black top and 50-60 feet deep with a level crushed rock tent site behind that and about a 15’ X 20’ concrete pad attached beside the black top. The concrete pad has a picnic table, fire ring, about a 4’ raised barbecue, two bear hooks and an elevated cooler stand/work table. The fire ring is set in an exposed aggregate corner of the pad. And it’s all new! There hasn’t even been a fire in the fire ring. The camp host said it opened on the first of the month. The restrooms and showers are nice and new and there’s a pond with swimming platforms and ladders. Most of the roads are new macadam and good for biking. All of the campground is wooded and a small stream runs through the center and is dammed to make the pond and swimming hole. So we may and just open a bag of marshmallows stay awhile. That may sound pretty simple, I suppose it is! But it’s nice, and just one little tiny part of our “great big backyard”.
The Flight School Reunion was great! It wasn’t like I knew a lot of guys but there were a few I recognized right away and some that came back to me. My (rememberer) isn’t as good as it once was and after this long most of us look a little different. I won’t go into that; you all probably know what I mean. Our class started in 1966 and 40 years is a long time. My good friends Ron and Cathy couldn’t make it so mostly it was renewing old or establishing new friendships. But then that was easy. I guess when you do something difficult together like we all did, and then have pretty much the same experience, things can come together quickly. And they did. Lots of laughter and tears. As hardened and calloused as we were to the events of the time, most of us have become a lot more tenderhearted over the years. There wasn’t a great deal planned. We had the obligatory dinner and everybody spent some time in the bar. A few of us played a round of golf at the course next to the hotel. Probably what most of us will remember is the little ceremony that was done to honor our KIA’s in Vietnam and those who have passed since. KIA names were read and posted and one of the guys had prepared and did a very well done reading. I had the honor of posting my good friend Glen Shropshire’s name. That was a little hard on me as the ceremony was to most of the others. And then there were the “war” stories and all the times and things we remembered about flight school. Gosh it was good to get together. Kat really enjoyed it too! We all had such a good time that we decided to do it two years from now in San Antonio. We plan on being there!
So now it’s time for the second leg. We’re going to go see Kat’s cousin Eddie in Memphis and her uncle Rupert in Alabama. But we’re going to do it via Hot Springs National Park and Branson MO, and maybe some other stops in between.
The storms appear to be over. It’s that time of year, but it seems we’ve had more than our share of thunder and lightning. Almost every night for the last couple of weeks. Although daytime weather has been pretty good the storms have been a little rough on Kat. The benefit for me is that is causes her to snuggle up a little closer. That’s nice! Today is bright and clear and the humidity as dropped considerably. Yesterday we got the RV and bikes all washed up and today were going to go into Hot Springs and see if we can find the Wal-Mart and stock up. That is where RV’ers go, Wal-Mart! We also need to find a spot where we can get phone service so we can make reservations in Branson. So for those of you wondering, “why don’t they call“? It’s because we can’t.
And that’s it for now. We’re having a grand time and wouldn’t trade for anything.
On the way out of town I passed a US Forest Service campground and got a quick look. It didn’t look any different than they usually do. That’s a dirt campsite, maybe big enough and maybe not, with water and no electricity and a picnic table. But I turned around down the road a piece and came back to take a look. I’m glad I did. I asked the old gentleman who came out of the “campground host” spot if he had something suitable for us? He said that he did and to go on back and take a look. Man! Were we impressed. This is the nicest Forest Service park we’ve (I’ve) stayed at. There must be 50 sites total. Some with full hook-ups; sewer, water, and electric. Both 30 and 50 amp service. We use 30. Some of the bigger rigs use 50. The pads are black top and 50-60 feet deep with a level crushed rock tent site behind that and about a 15’ X 20’ concrete pad attached beside the black top. The concrete pad has a picnic table, fire ring, about a 4’ raised barbecue, two bear hooks and an elevated cooler stand/work table. The fire ring is set in an exposed aggregate corner of the pad. And it’s all new! There hasn’t even been a fire in the fire ring. The camp host said it opened on the first of the month. The restrooms and showers are nice and new and there’s a pond with swimming platforms and ladders. Most of the roads are new macadam and good for biking. All of the campground is wooded and a small stream runs through the center and is dammed to make the pond and swimming hole. So we may and just open a bag of marshmallows stay awhile. That may sound pretty simple, I suppose it is! But it’s nice, and just one little tiny part of our “great big backyard”.
The Flight School Reunion was great! It wasn’t like I knew a lot of guys but there were a few I recognized right away and some that came back to me. My (rememberer) isn’t as good as it once was and after this long most of us look a little different. I won’t go into that; you all probably know what I mean. Our class started in 1966 and 40 years is a long time. My good friends Ron and Cathy couldn’t make it so mostly it was renewing old or establishing new friendships. But then that was easy. I guess when you do something difficult together like we all did, and then have pretty much the same experience, things can come together quickly. And they did. Lots of laughter and tears. As hardened and calloused as we were to the events of the time, most of us have become a lot more tenderhearted over the years. There wasn’t a great deal planned. We had the obligatory dinner and everybody spent some time in the bar. A few of us played a round of golf at the course next to the hotel. Probably what most of us will remember is the little ceremony that was done to honor our KIA’s in Vietnam and those who have passed since. KIA names were read and posted and one of the guys had prepared and did a very well done reading. I had the honor of posting my good friend Glen Shropshire’s name. That was a little hard on me as the ceremony was to most of the others. And then there were the “war” stories and all the times and things we remembered about flight school. Gosh it was good to get together. Kat really enjoyed it too! We all had such a good time that we decided to do it two years from now in San Antonio. We plan on being there!
So now it’s time for the second leg. We’re going to go see Kat’s cousin Eddie in Memphis and her uncle Rupert in Alabama. But we’re going to do it via Hot Springs National Park and Branson MO, and maybe some other stops in between.
The storms appear to be over. It’s that time of year, but it seems we’ve had more than our share of thunder and lightning. Almost every night for the last couple of weeks. Although daytime weather has been pretty good the storms have been a little rough on Kat. The benefit for me is that is causes her to snuggle up a little closer. That’s nice! Today is bright and clear and the humidity as dropped considerably. Yesterday we got the RV and bikes all washed up and today were going to go into Hot Springs and see if we can find the Wal-Mart and stock up. That is where RV’ers go, Wal-Mart! We also need to find a spot where we can get phone service so we can make reservations in Branson. So for those of you wondering, “why don’t they call“? It’s because we can’t.
And that’s it for now. We’re having a grand time and wouldn’t trade for anything.
Friday, April 28, 2006
It's good to be in Texas
I don’t know if I’d get complete agreement from Kat, but I still maintain If it weren’t for the Northwest and family there now, I’d live in Texas. Texas just doesn’t disappoint.
We got a fine welcome in Monahans Sand Dunes state park. We were treated to one of natures displays of thunder and lightning. Because it is Texas we could see a storm coming and we got bulletins on TV that there were storm warnings near us. The usual “stay inside and take cover” stuff. Then we started getting tornado warnings just west of us. So we took some precaution, but we could see it out the window and on the TV weather radar so I don’t think we were in danger. We did get to see the lightning and listen to the thunder for at least a couple of hours as it passed to the north. And we did that for a while from the vantage point of a large sand dune. It was a good welcome!
As most of you know it was in Ft Wolters near Mineral Wells that I went to Primary Flight school and taught Warrant Officers training. And In 1967-69 we used to go to the Graham TX bus depot and get steak dinners. I think for $1.99 we got a steak that pretty much covered the platter and left no room for trimmings. One of my goals while in the area was to see if the bus depot was still here. I didn’t hold out hope I could still get a steak for $1.99. But I thought we might find it anyway. Well, we looked around and ask the nice ladies at the Museum and Chamber of Commerce. But 39 years is a long time and they couldn’t help much and I might be all wrong to begin with. The best we can figure is the bus depot is a youth center now. But it didn’t seem right to me. In the end, I still have my memory, so I say “the dream still lives.
When we checked into Possum Kingdom Lake state park, ranger Carolyn had us “just go pick out a spot and come back in the morning and pay”. I haven’t paid by the honor system in a long, long time. That was the second time we’ve been told to do that. But I can tell you for sure and for certain that in most parks you can’t even get in the gate to look at a spot without paying, getting finger prints taken or leaving a body part or your first born. But, we’re at PK lake where I spent some time years ago. I can’t find that spot either. But then it is a big “dog-gone” lake.
Last night I heard Kat calling “duck-duck, duck-duck”. I turned to see two ducks approaching from the lake. She already had the bread out. But the story here is that these ducks fit the theme. They were a pair of really well mannered Texas mallards. Not the strange looking and weird acting ducks we had at our apartment complex in Oregon City. We had a group of three ducks there that I seriously wanted to put out of their misery. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it without some tree huggin’, duck loving, stump eating Oregon environmentalist jumping out from behind a bush just after I did the deed. But they were rude, raucous and ravenous. The pair here were just as polite, quiet, and nice as they could be. We took a bike ride after Kat fed them and they were still here when we got back. So we gave them some more bread and bird food. They just kind of hung around ‘till dark and slept or followed us around. They haven’t come back this morning yet. Maybe later? I hope so. They were cute, polite, and just good old Texas ducks!! And they did come back! For two more days.
Late one evening we had a skunk walk very near our site. I was saying don’t turn here! Don’t turn here! Fortunately he kept going straight into the woods. Usually the skunk you see are just road pizza. But aside from all the road pizza we’ve seen on the trip we have seen lots of wildlife. Elk, mule deer, white tails, armadillo, bunnies and jack rabbits, wild turkey, two unidentified and very quick snakes, and a fleeting glimpse of a bobcat, not to mention three very dangerous, but cute, 8 week old Shih Tzus (sp?) being sold in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Mostly we have seen lots and lots of birds and added several to our list of those we have seen. Kat has really taken to watching the birds and trying to identify them using our Nat’l Geo. bird book.
I went fishing at PK lake. I brought along my light weight trout gear on the trip and they have a promotional policy of allowing fishing without a license in state parks. So I gave it a try, to know avail. I might have had one little bump, but that in all likelihood was the bottom. Then we had two ladies occupy the site next to us and Alice ( I got her name later) started getting out her fishing gear. I went over to inquire about set-up and stuff, and she said her son used spinners. She showed me one of hers (spinners that is! LOL) and she went off fishing. In a little while I went down to the dock and Alice was fishing, so I watched a bit and she caught one and lost what looked like a big one. So I went and got my gear and a couple of spinners and gave it a try. Alice and I caught a few fish before we were interrupted by lightning and Kat. Like I told Alice when the storm started blowing up, if I don’t get out of here, I’m going to get the “dickens”. I did! Kat wasn’t too far behind the thunder and lightning. Alice took all the fish for breakfast. “It Worked for me!” because I’m just not too much into cleaning and eating fish. I think they were Sand Bass but I’m not too sure. They were small, but it was fun!
The storm turned out to a good‘n! Thunder, lightning, hail and very heavy rain. This may be where I picked up the expression, “raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock“. That’s how it was. The RV was sitting in just a little bit of a depression and in the morning we had quite a bit of mud under us. We had to hose off chairs and outside rugs and stuff and then we tried to pull out and couldn’t. We were on the slightest of inclines but it was just to slippery to pull out of our spot. I had to get out the shovel and move a little mud and wait just a bit for it to dry some. Then we got out with some more sliding. But getting stuck in a 30’ RV is not what you want to do. No damage though. But we did have to do some more cleaning. At our first stop after driving a while we got out and were checking around and Kat noticed a big glob of mud on our tail pipe. It had fallen down from the frame. But we both had to laugh because it looked like a big ole cow had somehow taken a dump on our tail pipe. And we’re still dropping dried up mud.
Mineral Wells seems to be doing quite well. They’ve got a new Wal-Mart, a nice new High School, and athletic fields, and lot’s of new stores. I wouldn’t hardly know the place from 1968. Just a few landmarks that haven’t changed. We drove by the old wood frame three story apartment building Janene (not Jeaneane) lived in while I went to flight school our first time down here. It’s still in use. It looked like it might be some sort of foster home. We spent the night at Wal-Mart. Now we’re a little north of Mineral Wells in a nice RV park with a pool and golf course. Will stay here for a couple of days and then go back to Mineral Wells state park and then on to Ft Worth.
And it was a tough decision but we did not buy the Shih Tzu. Cat spent some time in Wal-Mart looking for all the things we would need. We figured at least $350 before damage. And we would need a dog sitter in Ft Worth. So it was a no brainer. No pets for us. Secretly, I think we were both close. But then we came to our senses.
We got a fine welcome in Monahans Sand Dunes state park. We were treated to one of natures displays of thunder and lightning. Because it is Texas we could see a storm coming and we got bulletins on TV that there were storm warnings near us. The usual “stay inside and take cover” stuff. Then we started getting tornado warnings just west of us. So we took some precaution, but we could see it out the window and on the TV weather radar so I don’t think we were in danger. We did get to see the lightning and listen to the thunder for at least a couple of hours as it passed to the north. And we did that for a while from the vantage point of a large sand dune. It was a good welcome!
As most of you know it was in Ft Wolters near Mineral Wells that I went to Primary Flight school and taught Warrant Officers training. And In 1967-69 we used to go to the Graham TX bus depot and get steak dinners. I think for $1.99 we got a steak that pretty much covered the platter and left no room for trimmings. One of my goals while in the area was to see if the bus depot was still here. I didn’t hold out hope I could still get a steak for $1.99. But I thought we might find it anyway. Well, we looked around and ask the nice ladies at the Museum and Chamber of Commerce. But 39 years is a long time and they couldn’t help much and I might be all wrong to begin with. The best we can figure is the bus depot is a youth center now. But it didn’t seem right to me. In the end, I still have my memory, so I say “the dream still lives.
When we checked into Possum Kingdom Lake state park, ranger Carolyn had us “just go pick out a spot and come back in the morning and pay”. I haven’t paid by the honor system in a long, long time. That was the second time we’ve been told to do that. But I can tell you for sure and for certain that in most parks you can’t even get in the gate to look at a spot without paying, getting finger prints taken or leaving a body part or your first born. But, we’re at PK lake where I spent some time years ago. I can’t find that spot either. But then it is a big “dog-gone” lake.
Last night I heard Kat calling “duck-duck, duck-duck”. I turned to see two ducks approaching from the lake. She already had the bread out. But the story here is that these ducks fit the theme. They were a pair of really well mannered Texas mallards. Not the strange looking and weird acting ducks we had at our apartment complex in Oregon City. We had a group of three ducks there that I seriously wanted to put out of their misery. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it without some tree huggin’, duck loving, stump eating Oregon environmentalist jumping out from behind a bush just after I did the deed. But they were rude, raucous and ravenous. The pair here were just as polite, quiet, and nice as they could be. We took a bike ride after Kat fed them and they were still here when we got back. So we gave them some more bread and bird food. They just kind of hung around ‘till dark and slept or followed us around. They haven’t come back this morning yet. Maybe later? I hope so. They were cute, polite, and just good old Texas ducks!! And they did come back! For two more days.
Late one evening we had a skunk walk very near our site. I was saying don’t turn here! Don’t turn here! Fortunately he kept going straight into the woods. Usually the skunk you see are just road pizza. But aside from all the road pizza we’ve seen on the trip we have seen lots of wildlife. Elk, mule deer, white tails, armadillo, bunnies and jack rabbits, wild turkey, two unidentified and very quick snakes, and a fleeting glimpse of a bobcat, not to mention three very dangerous, but cute, 8 week old Shih Tzus (sp?) being sold in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Mostly we have seen lots and lots of birds and added several to our list of those we have seen. Kat has really taken to watching the birds and trying to identify them using our Nat’l Geo. bird book.
I went fishing at PK lake. I brought along my light weight trout gear on the trip and they have a promotional policy of allowing fishing without a license in state parks. So I gave it a try, to know avail. I might have had one little bump, but that in all likelihood was the bottom. Then we had two ladies occupy the site next to us and Alice ( I got her name later) started getting out her fishing gear. I went over to inquire about set-up and stuff, and she said her son used spinners. She showed me one of hers (spinners that is! LOL) and she went off fishing. In a little while I went down to the dock and Alice was fishing, so I watched a bit and she caught one and lost what looked like a big one. So I went and got my gear and a couple of spinners and gave it a try. Alice and I caught a few fish before we were interrupted by lightning and Kat. Like I told Alice when the storm started blowing up, if I don’t get out of here, I’m going to get the “dickens”. I did! Kat wasn’t too far behind the thunder and lightning. Alice took all the fish for breakfast. “It Worked for me!” because I’m just not too much into cleaning and eating fish. I think they were Sand Bass but I’m not too sure. They were small, but it was fun!
The storm turned out to a good‘n! Thunder, lightning, hail and very heavy rain. This may be where I picked up the expression, “raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock“. That’s how it was. The RV was sitting in just a little bit of a depression and in the morning we had quite a bit of mud under us. We had to hose off chairs and outside rugs and stuff and then we tried to pull out and couldn’t. We were on the slightest of inclines but it was just to slippery to pull out of our spot. I had to get out the shovel and move a little mud and wait just a bit for it to dry some. Then we got out with some more sliding. But getting stuck in a 30’ RV is not what you want to do. No damage though. But we did have to do some more cleaning. At our first stop after driving a while we got out and were checking around and Kat noticed a big glob of mud on our tail pipe. It had fallen down from the frame. But we both had to laugh because it looked like a big ole cow had somehow taken a dump on our tail pipe. And we’re still dropping dried up mud.
Mineral Wells seems to be doing quite well. They’ve got a new Wal-Mart, a nice new High School, and athletic fields, and lot’s of new stores. I wouldn’t hardly know the place from 1968. Just a few landmarks that haven’t changed. We drove by the old wood frame three story apartment building Janene (not Jeaneane) lived in while I went to flight school our first time down here. It’s still in use. It looked like it might be some sort of foster home. We spent the night at Wal-Mart. Now we’re a little north of Mineral Wells in a nice RV park with a pool and golf course. Will stay here for a couple of days and then go back to Mineral Wells state park and then on to Ft Worth.
And it was a tough decision but we did not buy the Shih Tzu. Cat spent some time in Wal-Mart looking for all the things we would need. We figured at least $350 before damage. And we would need a dog sitter in Ft Worth. So it was a no brainer. No pets for us. Secretly, I think we were both close. But then we came to our senses.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Paradise on the Pecos
Well you probably know by now that we did get that RV. Bigger, faster, cheaper to drive. I won’t go into details, but we sure do like it and it does everything we want it to do and a little more.
We missed Joshua Tree National Park and the Sulton Sea. It had to do with taking possession of the RV outside of California to avoid sales tax. So we went directly to Yuma. We spent a week or so there. It may not be the “snowbird” capitol of the world, but it’s got to be in the rankings. Many, many RV’s of all types and “park models“. From there we went to Quartzsite and spent a few days just parked in the desert. That’s one of the big features of our new Winnebago Sightseer. It allows us to boon dock (stay without hook-ups to water and electric) more. So that’s what we did. Quartzsite has a reputation as being the boon docking capital of the world. In January thousands of RV’s show up for an annual convention of sorts. Many vendors, RV dealers, and lot’s of crazies. We’ve not done that yet. Maybe sometime?
Then it was on to Phoenix. We spent a few days visiting and shopping with Kat’s daughter and then spent four days parked (boon docking) at the Gila River Indian, Wild Horse Pass casino. The in-laws, Blair and Vickie Steelman, came through and spent a couple of free nights with us. They are traveling in their RV too and we happened to be crossing paths. We visited with old Post Office friends Paul and Pam Harris. They are doing well and happened to be having a birthday party for Paul’s father who’s birthday was April 4. I mentioned mine was the 3rd so we got to celebrate my birthday with Paul and Pam. We drove thru the Petrified Forest,/Painted Desert National Park and now we’re in New Mexico.
We’re at what is called “Paradise on the Pecos”, Lake Sumner State Park. We just left Santa Rosa Lake state park a few miles north of here. We’ve been enjoying the sun and solitude. And there are plenty of both. No Wal-Mart, no TV, very little radio. We’re thirty seven miles out of town and town wasn’t much. The Paradise part may be a stretch, even for someone born and raised in New Mexico. I guess if you add a lake that will dry up some years to Pinon Pine and Yucca, it becomes Paradise? They’re in the middle of a drought here, and if that isn’t bad enough the wind has been blowing for thirty days. The camp host at Santa Rosa is a nice old Texan gentleman and when we first got here we needed the campground reservation phone number for N.M. We knocked on his trailer door and I said that I was “curious” about the reservation phone number. Typical of an old curmudgeonly Texican he replied, “are you curious about it or do you want it.” Kat asked if the wind was going to let up and he said “no ma’am, been blowin’ like this for 30 days and ain’t going to quit anytime soon.” Later we talked to the park ranger and he said they really didn’t have much of a winter this year. It had been replaced by “Winder”, just lot’s of wind and no rain.
But we’re here for three nights and not complaining even a little bit. Just taking a few walks, riding our bikes and feeding and watching the birds. We even put a couple of new birds on our ‘seen-it’ list. The same Texan campground host also feeds the birds. We were talking about that with him and later in the day he came over and was showing us his bird list and worked his way around to asking us if we wanted to camp host here for a month or so. He needs to go home to San Antonio for a medical procedure. I think he is concerned more for the birds than anything and ask us because we had shown interest in birding too. But we had to politely decline because of other commitments. Still it was nice to be asked. And it is something we might consider under different circumstances. Like having the car with us. But we didn’t anticipate buying a bigger RV and staying out so long, so the car is in Oregon.
Last night we were treated to a small herd of deer. I guess it’s a herd, not a gaggle or a swarm anyway. The camp host here feeds them. Maybe he has a salt lick? But there were six or seven mule deer at his site and we were nearly trampled by four others when they came by our rig heading over to be fed. Trampled may be a little bit of an over statement, but they did come by quickly and I’m glad we weren’t in the way. Maybe the wildlife makes it closer to Paradise?
We haven’t been bothered or threatened by any of the fires you may have read or heard about. So no worries! We are both well and enjoying what we do. I hope that is conveyed in my letter. Now it’s time to get on down the road.
Texas awaits!
We missed Joshua Tree National Park and the Sulton Sea. It had to do with taking possession of the RV outside of California to avoid sales tax. So we went directly to Yuma. We spent a week or so there. It may not be the “snowbird” capitol of the world, but it’s got to be in the rankings. Many, many RV’s of all types and “park models“. From there we went to Quartzsite and spent a few days just parked in the desert. That’s one of the big features of our new Winnebago Sightseer. It allows us to boon dock (stay without hook-ups to water and electric) more. So that’s what we did. Quartzsite has a reputation as being the boon docking capital of the world. In January thousands of RV’s show up for an annual convention of sorts. Many vendors, RV dealers, and lot’s of crazies. We’ve not done that yet. Maybe sometime?
Then it was on to Phoenix. We spent a few days visiting and shopping with Kat’s daughter and then spent four days parked (boon docking) at the Gila River Indian, Wild Horse Pass casino. The in-laws, Blair and Vickie Steelman, came through and spent a couple of free nights with us. They are traveling in their RV too and we happened to be crossing paths. We visited with old Post Office friends Paul and Pam Harris. They are doing well and happened to be having a birthday party for Paul’s father who’s birthday was April 4. I mentioned mine was the 3rd so we got to celebrate my birthday with Paul and Pam. We drove thru the Petrified Forest,/Painted Desert National Park and now we’re in New Mexico.
We’re at what is called “Paradise on the Pecos”, Lake Sumner State Park. We just left Santa Rosa Lake state park a few miles north of here. We’ve been enjoying the sun and solitude. And there are plenty of both. No Wal-Mart, no TV, very little radio. We’re thirty seven miles out of town and town wasn’t much. The Paradise part may be a stretch, even for someone born and raised in New Mexico. I guess if you add a lake that will dry up some years to Pinon Pine and Yucca, it becomes Paradise? They’re in the middle of a drought here, and if that isn’t bad enough the wind has been blowing for thirty days. The camp host at Santa Rosa is a nice old Texan gentleman and when we first got here we needed the campground reservation phone number for N.M. We knocked on his trailer door and I said that I was “curious” about the reservation phone number. Typical of an old curmudgeonly Texican he replied, “are you curious about it or do you want it.” Kat asked if the wind was going to let up and he said “no ma’am, been blowin’ like this for 30 days and ain’t going to quit anytime soon.” Later we talked to the park ranger and he said they really didn’t have much of a winter this year. It had been replaced by “Winder”, just lot’s of wind and no rain.
But we’re here for three nights and not complaining even a little bit. Just taking a few walks, riding our bikes and feeding and watching the birds. We even put a couple of new birds on our ‘seen-it’ list. The same Texan campground host also feeds the birds. We were talking about that with him and later in the day he came over and was showing us his bird list and worked his way around to asking us if we wanted to camp host here for a month or so. He needs to go home to San Antonio for a medical procedure. I think he is concerned more for the birds than anything and ask us because we had shown interest in birding too. But we had to politely decline because of other commitments. Still it was nice to be asked. And it is something we might consider under different circumstances. Like having the car with us. But we didn’t anticipate buying a bigger RV and staying out so long, so the car is in Oregon.
Last night we were treated to a small herd of deer. I guess it’s a herd, not a gaggle or a swarm anyway. The camp host here feeds them. Maybe he has a salt lick? But there were six or seven mule deer at his site and we were nearly trampled by four others when they came by our rig heading over to be fed. Trampled may be a little bit of an over statement, but they did come by quickly and I’m glad we weren’t in the way. Maybe the wildlife makes it closer to Paradise?
We haven’t been bothered or threatened by any of the fires you may have read or heard about. So no worries! We are both well and enjoying what we do. I hope that is conveyed in my letter. Now it’s time to get on down the road.
Texas awaits!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
The Beginning
Well we've come about as far south on the coast as we can. We really made it all the way to San Diego down the Pacific Coast Highway. Even thru San Francisco and Los Angeles, no small feat by itself. If you count the fact we visited Jeaneane's son who was working near Forks WA at the time, that put us within a few miles of Port Angeles, and that means we did darn near the whole thing. With a few exceptions we were as close to the ocean as we could get most of the way down. You could say that much of the drive we could hit the Pacific with a rock. And we didn't even want to go see the Sea Lions at the San Diego zoo. We'd seen quite enough of them.
We did go to the Zoo. Very nice. Maybe not as nice as I expected. But that may be old news. I guess lots of zoos have had time to catch up since the time I began to hear about the San Diego zoo. It is the only zoo where I have been that you can ride. You could see a lot from the bus tour. That was good. And there was an escalator or two for some steep climbs. But we did lots of walking too. Not just at the zoo either. we've been to Old Town and downtown. Today we went to see the USS Midway aircraft carrier. I enjoyed that. We had lunch on the bay at some fish place and Jeaneane enjoyed that. We've been getting around on the city buses. Only $1 one way for senior citizens. That's cheaper and easier than driving. So San Diego has been good. We've been getting some pool and hot tub time here at the RV park. Tomorrow I'm going to take the water aerobics class. But that will be just like home. Friday we head east.
Our first stop will be Borrego Springs and then over by the Salton Sea to Joshua Tree National Park. Probably then on to Phoenix. Friday we are going to stop at La Mesa RV sales and look at some new (or used) RV's. We're just having too much fun to stop and we might need something a little more suitable for full time use. Not necessarily a lot bigger. Maybe something with slide outs though. We've seen a couple of models that have kind of tweaked our interest. Who knows?
We did go to the Zoo. Very nice. Maybe not as nice as I expected. But that may be old news. I guess lots of zoos have had time to catch up since the time I began to hear about the San Diego zoo. It is the only zoo where I have been that you can ride. You could see a lot from the bus tour. That was good. And there was an escalator or two for some steep climbs. But we did lots of walking too. Not just at the zoo either. we've been to Old Town and downtown. Today we went to see the USS Midway aircraft carrier. I enjoyed that. We had lunch on the bay at some fish place and Jeaneane enjoyed that. We've been getting around on the city buses. Only $1 one way for senior citizens. That's cheaper and easier than driving. So San Diego has been good. We've been getting some pool and hot tub time here at the RV park. Tomorrow I'm going to take the water aerobics class. But that will be just like home. Friday we head east.
Our first stop will be Borrego Springs and then over by the Salton Sea to Joshua Tree National Park. Probably then on to Phoenix. Friday we are going to stop at La Mesa RV sales and look at some new (or used) RV's. We're just having too much fun to stop and we might need something a little more suitable for full time use. Not necessarily a lot bigger. Maybe something with slide outs though. We've seen a couple of models that have kind of tweaked our interest. Who knows?
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