After our showers last night we watched the movie Sherlock Holmes. It was pretty good.
We left River's Edge Campground at 8:30 am (ET). We stopped at a rest stop somewhere along the way and stretched our legs.. I think near De Funiak Springs FL.
In Chipley FL we stopped at Hardee's for a sausage biscuit and a cup of coffee... it was good. Of course by time we got to Newton GA I had to go to the restroom. We pulled over in the Dollar General Store parking lot. Frank had a good shot out of the parking lot until a woman pulpwood truck driver pulled into the lot. So he had to back up some and go around her truck.
We made it home around 1:00 pm (ET). We started unloading the food. Then we took a break for sandwiches. After lunch we did more unloading and putting supplies away.
I discovered the toilet in the house had a leak, so Frank had to go out for repair parts. He dropped by the post office and picked up our mail. When he got back I took a break and went through the mail with garbage can at hand. We got a lot of junk mail and some mail that wasn't ours. I wonder if someone else has gotten some of our mail?
I was pleased to see an envelope from Pic Sweet... remember we had bought some of their brand of frozen squash and it was not good. Enclosed was three coupons for free veggies (12 to 16 ozs bags). We'll probably get baby lima beans that Frank likes so much and not cringe at the price :-)) Not bad to help Pic Sweet keep their quality control up.
Overall we had a great adventure. Now... to planning the next adventure.
We traveled 206 miles today.
In 51 days our total miles traveled is 6,312 miles.
26 May, 2010
Monday 24 May 2010
We left Escatawpa Hollow Campground at 8:25 am (ET). We took US 61 over to I-10. We stopped in Pensacola Florida for gas at $3.09 a gallon.
We stopped at the Alabama Welcome Center to stretch our legs. We stopped somewhere along the way and got coffee at a Pilot service station. It was good coffee. We stopped at the Florida Welcome Center to stretch our legs.
We arrived at River's Edge Campground at Holt Florida at 12:45 pm (ET). We are in site #7.
We ate lunch and watched more of the dvds of the Jack Benny Show. I edited some pictures while watching... didn't know I had so many more to go through. WiFi is limited to an hour here (and I'm tired)... so I think I will wait until we get home to upload the pictures.
Hopefully soon it will be cool enough to take a shower.
We stopped at the Alabama Welcome Center to stretch our legs. We stopped somewhere along the way and got coffee at a Pilot service station. It was good coffee. We stopped at the Florida Welcome Center to stretch our legs.
We arrived at River's Edge Campground at Holt Florida at 12:45 pm (ET). We are in site #7.
We ate lunch and watched more of the dvds of the Jack Benny Show. I edited some pictures while watching... didn't know I had so many more to go through. WiFi is limited to an hour here (and I'm tired)... so I think I will wait until we get home to upload the pictures.
Hopefully soon it will be cool enough to take a shower.
Sunday 23 May 2010
We left Grand Gulf Military Park at 8:45 am (ET). We traveled US 61 to US 84/98. We stopped at Brook Haven Mississippi to stretch our legs. We were supposed to stay on US 98, but missed the turn off. We got on I-55 and made ourway our way back to US 98. It didn't matter much anyway :-))
We stopped in Columbia Mississpi at Subway for a sandwich.
We arrived at Escatawpa Hollow Campground at Wilmer AL at 3:30 pm (ET). We are in site #17 this time... I think last time it was #22. It was still humid but not as bad as at Grand Gulf Military Park. There are a lot of people in the campground and many are parked near our site. The people are by and in the river.
We got set up and called Frank's Aunt Zell. We went over and visited with her a while. We enjoyed our visit with her.
Gas was bought in Lucedale MS for $2.88 a gallon. When we got back to the campground all the swimmers and picnickers were gone. I think the mosquitoes ran them off.
We got our showers at the bath house. It sure was wet in there from the river swimmers taking showers. Frank found 28¢ in the shower and I found a dime :-))
More Jack Benny was watched and we went to bed.
We traveled 272 miles today.
We stopped in Columbia Mississpi at Subway for a sandwich.
We arrived at Escatawpa Hollow Campground at Wilmer AL at 3:30 pm (ET). We are in site #17 this time... I think last time it was #22. It was still humid but not as bad as at Grand Gulf Military Park. There are a lot of people in the campground and many are parked near our site. The people are by and in the river.
We got set up and called Frank's Aunt Zell. We went over and visited with her a while. We enjoyed our visit with her.
Gas was bought in Lucedale MS for $2.88 a gallon. When we got back to the campground all the swimmers and picnickers were gone. I think the mosquitoes ran them off.
We got our showers at the bath house. It sure was wet in there from the river swimmers taking showers. Frank found 28¢ in the shower and I found a dime :-))
More Jack Benny was watched and we went to bed.
We traveled 272 miles today.
Saturday 22 May 2010
This morning we went over to the observation tower in the park and climbed it. It is 66 steps up and 166 steps down... and we both made it without hurting ourselves :-)) We could see bits of the Mississippi River from up there. There is a dead tree in front of the tower and a flycatcher spent a few minutes high in its top... the tree top that I was eye level with. I thought I had no need to haul my big lens with me. Such luck I have! There was also a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker and another woodpecker... maybe a redheaded. I really did need the big lens! It sure was pretty up there.
A walk through the cemetery in the park was interesting. There are graves dating from 1840... maybe older.. a lot of the gravestones are not readable. As we walked through the cemetery we heard bees buzzing. We looked high up at a tree and the bees were coming out of a hole in the tree fast and thick. As we made our way back out of the cemetery we could only see a few bees exit the hole in the tree. We were sweating pretty good by now... 8:30 am (CT) and 85°. We are in the land of humidity again :-))
We drove to what is left of Grand Gulf. It is mostly fishing camps now... just a few people back in the area. On the way back from there a racoon ran in front of us... Frank got him on video.
We then drove into Port Gibson. I had hoped to get a good picture of the Jewish Temple there, but there just was not a good shot. It is interesting to look at though. We topped the tank off there at $2.99 a gallon.
We came back to the park and went through the museum and took a few pictures around the grounds.
Back to camp and lunch of hamburger in gravy, rice and peas... and biscuits.
The humidity got worse as the day progressed. Frank straightened the truck up some and I straightened the trailer up. We took a shower at the bath house and about needed another one as soon as we got out.
Our evening was spent watching Jack Benny again. He is funny.
A walk through the cemetery in the park was interesting. There are graves dating from 1840... maybe older.. a lot of the gravestones are not readable. As we walked through the cemetery we heard bees buzzing. We looked high up at a tree and the bees were coming out of a hole in the tree fast and thick. As we made our way back out of the cemetery we could only see a few bees exit the hole in the tree. We were sweating pretty good by now... 8:30 am (CT) and 85°. We are in the land of humidity again :-))
We drove to what is left of Grand Gulf. It is mostly fishing camps now... just a few people back in the area. On the way back from there a racoon ran in front of us... Frank got him on video.
We then drove into Port Gibson. I had hoped to get a good picture of the Jewish Temple there, but there just was not a good shot. It is interesting to look at though. We topped the tank off there at $2.99 a gallon.
We came back to the park and went through the museum and took a few pictures around the grounds.
Back to camp and lunch of hamburger in gravy, rice and peas... and biscuits.
The humidity got worse as the day progressed. Frank straightened the truck up some and I straightened the trailer up. We took a shower at the bath house and about needed another one as soon as we got out.
Our evening was spent watching Jack Benny again. He is funny.
Friday 21 May 2010
We went to Vicksburg today and visited the national park and cemetery. The tour took us a couple of hours and Frank said we traveled about 50 miles in the area.
We ate lunch at Wendy's and then went into WalMart for a few things. We bought gas for $2.99 a gallon.
After resting a while in the trailer and watching a bit of Jack Benny I did laundry and Frank cooked a few meats on the grill. While the last load of clothes were drying I took a shower and then I called Mama and she was doing okay.
We ate lunch at Wendy's and then went into WalMart for a few things. We bought gas for $2.99 a gallon.
After resting a while in the trailer and watching a bit of Jack Benny I did laundry and Frank cooked a few meats on the grill. While the last load of clothes were drying I took a shower and then I called Mama and she was doing okay.
Thursday 20 May 2010
We left Frenchman's Wilderness Campground & RV Park at Henderson Louisiana at 8:45 (ET). I-10 was not as rough as we left it yesterday to begin with, but it got rough again around Baton Rouge Louisiana.
We left I-10 at Baton Rouge and got on US 61. To start with it reminded us of US 82 back home. Then we ran into a big strip of construction where the speed limit went from 45 mph to 35 mph at times.
The scenery started to look a lot like home. There were green pastures with cattle. Magnolia and live oak trees dotted the sides of the roads. There were fields of wheat. Plantations were everywhere it seemed.
We arrived at Grand Gulf Military Park Campground near Port Gibson Mississippi at 1:00 pm (ET). The roads are paved and the trailer is on a cement pad. There is lots of shade in our site... site #16. It is a back-in. Cost for each night is $17.50.
The Mississippi River is a bit above flood level, but no threat to us... so the host says. She said if it floods where we are Louisiana will be totally under water. With our luck... should we believe her? ;-))
The bath house has only one shower and it is handicap accessible.. which makes it not much more room than the shower in the trailer. The bath house is also up a hill... how my knees scream coming down the steps.
We did tour a few things after we got here and will tour them again with the cameras one morning. At the time we needed to walk a bit... we only made one stop at Natchez Mississippi to stretch our legs. Did I mention it is hot and humid here? Yes... Zaroga's hair is back to frizzy :-((
There have been afternoon showers and lots of thunder in the distance. Most of the bad weather seems to be on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River.
We have no cell phone or internet access. There is no tv reception. There are lots of trees and hill so it doesn't look like we will have satellite reception either.
We bought a dvd player at the last WalMart. Frank set it up and it worked. We watched a Harry Potter movie and later Jack Benny. We bought the Jack Benny dvd on our 2008 trip, but only got to watch part of it because the dvds were bad... we exchanged it when we got home. It is a 4 dvd pack... and it will take a while to watch.
We traveled 179 miles today.
We left I-10 at Baton Rouge and got on US 61. To start with it reminded us of US 82 back home. Then we ran into a big strip of construction where the speed limit went from 45 mph to 35 mph at times.
The scenery started to look a lot like home. There were green pastures with cattle. Magnolia and live oak trees dotted the sides of the roads. There were fields of wheat. Plantations were everywhere it seemed.
We arrived at Grand Gulf Military Park Campground near Port Gibson Mississippi at 1:00 pm (ET). The roads are paved and the trailer is on a cement pad. There is lots of shade in our site... site #16. It is a back-in. Cost for each night is $17.50.
The Mississippi River is a bit above flood level, but no threat to us... so the host says. She said if it floods where we are Louisiana will be totally under water. With our luck... should we believe her? ;-))
The bath house has only one shower and it is handicap accessible.. which makes it not much more room than the shower in the trailer. The bath house is also up a hill... how my knees scream coming down the steps.
We did tour a few things after we got here and will tour them again with the cameras one morning. At the time we needed to walk a bit... we only made one stop at Natchez Mississippi to stretch our legs. Did I mention it is hot and humid here? Yes... Zaroga's hair is back to frizzy :-((
There have been afternoon showers and lots of thunder in the distance. Most of the bad weather seems to be on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River.
We have no cell phone or internet access. There is no tv reception. There are lots of trees and hill so it doesn't look like we will have satellite reception either.
We bought a dvd player at the last WalMart. Frank set it up and it worked. We watched a Harry Potter movie and later Jack Benny. We bought the Jack Benny dvd on our 2008 trip, but only got to watch part of it because the dvds were bad... we exchanged it when we got home. It is a 4 dvd pack... and it will take a while to watch.
We traveled 179 miles today.
Wednesday 19 May 2010
Our breakfast this morning was a waffle shaped liked the state of Texas... a complimentary breakfast from the park. We left Gulf Coast RV Park, Beaumont, Texas at 8:45 am (ET). A couple of hours later we were hungry... the waffles didn't last. We stopped at a truck plaza/center and walked around and there was a Hardee's inside so we got sausage biscuits to go.
We bought gas in Duson Louisiana at $2.88 a gallon. A short distance down the road it became a rough ride. We'll probably be sore from it. In the trailer it the sofa bounced a bit and slid forward and the cushions were all topsy-turvy. The cabinets stayed shut... so Frank has for sure fixed that problem :-))
We arrived at Frenchman's Wilderness Campground & RV Park at Henderson Louisiana at noon. Our cost with Good Sam is $28.50 for the night... they overcharged us $2 and Frank caught it and got the refund. They charge $2 for the cement slab out by the trailer. Now isn't that ridiculous? We are in site #38. The campground is shady and the grounds well kept... a really nice looking campground. The roads and sites are gravel.
I checked the bath house out and Frank asked me how it was. I said compared to Castroville Regional Park the bath house is an A+, but compared to Gulf Coast RV Park it is a C or maybe a D :-)) The bath house is clean here, just old looking.
We saw a lot of bayous, rice fields and crawdad ponds today. The clouds have rolled in and out all day. We got a sprinkle of rain after lunch... which was barbecue sandwiches, corn, tomatoes and green beans.
The sun came out and it is typical South... warm and humid. We went for a walk around 7 pm (CT). We probably walked close to a mile around the perimeter of the park. There are a lot of permanent residents. On our walk we saw a snake... we don't know what kind, but it looked like some type of water snake.
Frank set the satellite dish up and we watched In Plain Sight on the USA network and then went to bed.
We traveled 160 miles today.
We bought gas in Duson Louisiana at $2.88 a gallon. A short distance down the road it became a rough ride. We'll probably be sore from it. In the trailer it the sofa bounced a bit and slid forward and the cushions were all topsy-turvy. The cabinets stayed shut... so Frank has for sure fixed that problem :-))
We arrived at Frenchman's Wilderness Campground & RV Park at Henderson Louisiana at noon. Our cost with Good Sam is $28.50 for the night... they overcharged us $2 and Frank caught it and got the refund. They charge $2 for the cement slab out by the trailer. Now isn't that ridiculous? We are in site #38. The campground is shady and the grounds well kept... a really nice looking campground. The roads and sites are gravel.
I checked the bath house out and Frank asked me how it was. I said compared to Castroville Regional Park the bath house is an A+, but compared to Gulf Coast RV Park it is a C or maybe a D :-)) The bath house is clean here, just old looking.
We saw a lot of bayous, rice fields and crawdad ponds today. The clouds have rolled in and out all day. We got a sprinkle of rain after lunch... which was barbecue sandwiches, corn, tomatoes and green beans.
The sun came out and it is typical South... warm and humid. We went for a walk around 7 pm (CT). We probably walked close to a mile around the perimeter of the park. There are a lot of permanent residents. On our walk we saw a snake... we don't know what kind, but it looked like some type of water snake.
Frank set the satellite dish up and we watched In Plain Sight on the USA network and then went to bed.
We traveled 160 miles today.
18 May, 2010
Tuesday 18 May 2010
We left Columbus Texas at 8:45 am (ET) .
We just ate a snack for breakfast.. neither one of us were hungry. We made it through Houston... a lot of traffic, but think it was better than last time. A stop was made in Baytown Texas for breakfast. Grits were on the buffet bar at the restaurant at the Flying J. We bought gas at the Flying J for $2.97 a gallon.
Our arrival time at Gulf Coast RV Park was 1:15 (ET). We are in site #4.
We traveled 158 miles today.
We just ate a snack for breakfast.. neither one of us were hungry. We made it through Houston... a lot of traffic, but think it was better than last time. A stop was made in Baytown Texas for breakfast. Grits were on the buffet bar at the restaurant at the Flying J. We bought gas at the Flying J for $2.97 a gallon.
Our arrival time at Gulf Coast RV Park was 1:15 (ET). We are in site #4.
We traveled 158 miles today.
17 May, 2010
Monday 17 May 2010
We left Castroville Texas at 9 am (ET) in thick fog. Charlie was right on the way to get through San Antonio... the Texans still drive crazy :-)) About 9:30 am (ET) we stopped somewhere for coffee.... extremely bitter coffee even with cream in it. We managed to only down about half of it. It perked us up a bit and made my heart race.
The trees and pastures were so green along the way and pleasant to our eyes. There was a huge ranch called the Silver Wolf Ranch that ran along the side of US 90/I-10. They raised buffalo. It was neat to see a herd of them again.
We stopped at a rest stop along the way to stretch our legs and bought gas at Weimer Texas for $3.09 a gallon.
We arrived at Columbus RV Park Columbus Texas at noon. We had the pork and rice/beans that Didi sent home with us for dinner. Really delicious!
It has been a hot afternoon... it got a bit cooler in the trailer when the sun hid behind the clouds. There is a 40% chance of rain tonight. Umm... hopefully not a deluge like Castroville will happen ;-))
I played on FaceBook this afternoon and Frank has watched tv... then a shower. Mine was a cool shower and it didn't seem to cool me down any. Frank did some planning for our day tomorrow on how to get through Houston. Now I catch up on the blog and will play a little more FaceBook.
We traveled 151 miles today.... a short travel day :-))
The trees and pastures were so green along the way and pleasant to our eyes. There was a huge ranch called the Silver Wolf Ranch that ran along the side of US 90/I-10. They raised buffalo. It was neat to see a herd of them again.
We stopped at a rest stop along the way to stretch our legs and bought gas at Weimer Texas for $3.09 a gallon.
We arrived at Columbus RV Park Columbus Texas at noon. We had the pork and rice/beans that Didi sent home with us for dinner. Really delicious!
It has been a hot afternoon... it got a bit cooler in the trailer when the sun hid behind the clouds. There is a 40% chance of rain tonight. Umm... hopefully not a deluge like Castroville will happen ;-))
I played on FaceBook this afternoon and Frank has watched tv... then a shower. Mine was a cool shower and it didn't seem to cool me down any. Frank did some planning for our day tomorrow on how to get through Houston. Now I catch up on the blog and will play a little more FaceBook.
We traveled 151 miles today.... a short travel day :-))
Sunday 16 May 2010
I think I got up around 7:30 and Frank got up maybe 45 minutes later... I didn't pay that much attention to the clock.
We are terrible eaters and ate sandwiches for breakfast... I added a couple of cookies in with my breakfast.... coffee and cookies go so well together :-))
I asked Frank how we could send flowers to Didi. He looked up online how we could do it. So he got the address of the florist and programmed it into the GPS.
Almost 10 am and time to go. So off to the Alamo! In the traffic again... these Texans drive crazy!!
We parked about 3 blocks from the Alamo... far enough away that the parking cost $4. Meter parking is free on Sunday, but the truck couldn't fit into them.
There were lots of people there... elbow to elbow at times. Frank saw a picture of the Alamo in the gift shop that he liked and I told him that it would make a good souvenir and the cashier nearby wasn't busy. So a quick purchase.
We did walk around a bit more in the gift shop and looked at the knives and swords. David would have liked them.
It was hard looking at any of the displays... just so many people! We did manage to look at some of them. We only walked through the shrine building. The line was very long to look at the displays in there.
We attempted to take a few pictures of the outside with as few people as possible. Hopefully something will be good enough to say we were there.
We dropped by a Home Depot to look at something, then WalMart. WalMart was being remodeled so hard to find anything in there. We left and looked next door at Sam's Club. We were hoping to find another dvd player... they only had blue ray players at Sam's.
We bought gas for $2.89 a gallon... then we got something to eat. It was nearing 2 pm (CT). I HOP was near the service station so we went there. We had beef tips and it was good.... or we were starving ;-))
Somewhere in there we stopped by the florist shop and bought flowers to be delivered to Didi on Monday.
We came back home and I played on FB while Frank called his parents and someone else we had met in another campground.
Then I called Mama while Frank figured out where we were going to spend tomorrow night.... Columbus Texas it is.
Frank washed the dishes while I caught up on writing this blog. I have been terrible about updating it the past few days. I guess I was just having too good of a time :-))
Tonight... a lot earlier to bed :-))
We are terrible eaters and ate sandwiches for breakfast... I added a couple of cookies in with my breakfast.... coffee and cookies go so well together :-))
I asked Frank how we could send flowers to Didi. He looked up online how we could do it. So he got the address of the florist and programmed it into the GPS.
Almost 10 am and time to go. So off to the Alamo! In the traffic again... these Texans drive crazy!!
We parked about 3 blocks from the Alamo... far enough away that the parking cost $4. Meter parking is free on Sunday, but the truck couldn't fit into them.
There were lots of people there... elbow to elbow at times. Frank saw a picture of the Alamo in the gift shop that he liked and I told him that it would make a good souvenir and the cashier nearby wasn't busy. So a quick purchase.
We did walk around a bit more in the gift shop and looked at the knives and swords. David would have liked them.
It was hard looking at any of the displays... just so many people! We did manage to look at some of them. We only walked through the shrine building. The line was very long to look at the displays in there.
We attempted to take a few pictures of the outside with as few people as possible. Hopefully something will be good enough to say we were there.
We dropped by a Home Depot to look at something, then WalMart. WalMart was being remodeled so hard to find anything in there. We left and looked next door at Sam's Club. We were hoping to find another dvd player... they only had blue ray players at Sam's.
We bought gas for $2.89 a gallon... then we got something to eat. It was nearing 2 pm (CT). I HOP was near the service station so we went there. We had beef tips and it was good.... or we were starving ;-))
Somewhere in there we stopped by the florist shop and bought flowers to be delivered to Didi on Monday.
We came back home and I played on FB while Frank called his parents and someone else we had met in another campground.
Then I called Mama while Frank figured out where we were going to spend tomorrow night.... Columbus Texas it is.
Frank washed the dishes while I caught up on writing this blog. I have been terrible about updating it the past few days. I guess I was just having too good of a time :-))
Tonight... a lot earlier to bed :-))
16 May, 2010
Saturday 15 May 2010
During the night Frank peeked outside to see where the water was.... it was edging closer. I was afraid to look. Frank got very little sleep.
Sometime between 3 am and 7 am the river went back into its banks and all was well.
Didi sent an email message that they would come out to the park and lead us to their home. We used the time to go to Lackland AFB and buy a few things at the huge commissary. The commissary in Albany is not as big as a normal-sized grocery store.... so the giant, crowded store was an experience. We were in and out as quickly as possible.
Frank bought us a couple of tacos and a burrito at a Mexican Restaurant just outside the base gates. They were good..... definitely not a Taco Bell.
Didi and Charlie came and got us at 3 pm... they are so punctual :-)) The evening was a lot of fun. Frank and Charlie bragged about how they were so bad at the game of pool.
Karen, their beautiful daughter, joined us. She became "photographer of the evening" and did well.
Charlie is a jokester and Frank kept right up with him... most of the time ;-)) It is amazing how their views of life are alike.
Our dinner was delicious. The pork roast was cooked to perfection.... even the pork skin. The rice & beans tasted great too. She told us the name of the dish, but I cannot remember.
We talked and laughed past midnight. Our bedtime is usually 9 or 10 pm. So it was a late night for us.
Didi sent us home with a gift from PR, leftover pork & rice, a plantain, and PR coffee. What a perfect hostess. We had a great evening.
I was a little worried about Frank driving being he didn't sleep much the night before. He did well until we got to the park and he almost turned into the parking area instead of the park. He made it though.
Sometime between 3 am and 7 am the river went back into its banks and all was well.
Didi sent an email message that they would come out to the park and lead us to their home. We used the time to go to Lackland AFB and buy a few things at the huge commissary. The commissary in Albany is not as big as a normal-sized grocery store.... so the giant, crowded store was an experience. We were in and out as quickly as possible.
Frank bought us a couple of tacos and a burrito at a Mexican Restaurant just outside the base gates. They were good..... definitely not a Taco Bell.
Didi and Charlie came and got us at 3 pm... they are so punctual :-)) The evening was a lot of fun. Frank and Charlie bragged about how they were so bad at the game of pool.
Karen, their beautiful daughter, joined us. She became "photographer of the evening" and did well.
Charlie is a jokester and Frank kept right up with him... most of the time ;-)) It is amazing how their views of life are alike.
Our dinner was delicious. The pork roast was cooked to perfection.... even the pork skin. The rice & beans tasted great too. She told us the name of the dish, but I cannot remember.
We talked and laughed past midnight. Our bedtime is usually 9 or 10 pm. So it was a late night for us.
Didi sent us home with a gift from PR, leftover pork & rice, a plantain, and PR coffee. What a perfect hostess. We had a great evening.
I was a little worried about Frank driving being he didn't sleep much the night before. He did well until we got to the park and he almost turned into the parking area instead of the park. He made it though.
Friday 14 May 2010
There was a 40% chance of rain today. The rain awakened me at 2:30 am (CT) pouring down hard. It continued that way most of the day. The Medina River spilled over into the park. It had us worried that it might come up into the campground area... and there would be an evacuation.
A 40% chance of rain in Georgia means more than likely no rain will drop upon you. In Texas it means a deluge :-))
We had intended to go see the Alamo. The rain stopped in the afternoon, but we were concerned about the rising waters. Many people visited the park taking pictures of the Medina River.
A 40% chance of rain in Georgia means more than likely no rain will drop upon you. In Texas it means a deluge :-))
We had intended to go see the Alamo. The rain stopped in the afternoon, but we were concerned about the rising waters. Many people visited the park taking pictures of the Medina River.
Thursday 13 May 2010
We left this morning at 9:00 am (ET).. Our eyes brightened as we neared Castroville.... lots of green! Crops of corn and wheat were growing in the fields. How beautiful. Don't get me wrong. The desert was beautiful, but it was time to civilization again.
We arrived at Castroville Regional Park in Castroville Texas at noon. We finally have a shady spot in site #3.
Frank has found someone that can out talk him... the host, Joshua Shrunk :-))
The bath house here is not great either... so showers in the trailer.
Frank attempted to put the satellite dish up, but could not find the magic spot through the trees. So antenna tv that goes and comes as it pleases.... ahh... for the days of analog.
We took a short walk after lunch. We saw a woodpecker and a yellow bird that I couldn't see well enough to know what it was. There were a lot of grackles. We saw many varieties of butterflies and a few dragonflies. No wonder my friend, Didi, likes this place!
I played a little on FB. Then later in the evening I walked around the road here. I haven't figured out the trails yet, but hope to explore them.
We traveled 154 miles today
We arrived at Castroville Regional Park in Castroville Texas at noon. We finally have a shady spot in site #3.
Frank has found someone that can out talk him... the host, Joshua Shrunk :-))
The bath house here is not great either... so showers in the trailer.
Frank attempted to put the satellite dish up, but could not find the magic spot through the trees. So antenna tv that goes and comes as it pleases.... ahh... for the days of analog.
We took a short walk after lunch. We saw a woodpecker and a yellow bird that I couldn't see well enough to know what it was. There were a lot of grackles. We saw many varieties of butterflies and a few dragonflies. No wonder my friend, Didi, likes this place!
I played a little on FB. Then later in the evening I walked around the road here. I haven't figured out the trails yet, but hope to explore them.
We traveled 154 miles today
12 May, 2010
Wednesday 12 May 2010
This morning we took the drive up to the top of the mountain to watch the sun rise. It was pretty up on top of the mountain. On our way down we saw... I think there were 3... javelinas. I got some blurry pictures of them... but I'll take what I can get.
When I lifted up one of the leveling boards I was surprised by a scorpion... it was just inches from my fingers. I got blurry pictures of it.
We departed at 9:00 am (ET).
More antelope were seen between Ft. Davis and Alpine. There were two does and two babies and a stag. Of course too far away for pictures.
We bought gas in Alpine for $3.11 a gallon and in Del Rio for $3.19 a gallon.
Our arrival time at Buzzard Roost Campground in Del Rio Texas was 2:30 pm (ET). It is not much of a campground/RV park. Our cost is $17 with Passport America. The park has graveled roads and gravel/grass sites... we are in site #48. The bath house is really bad. So showers in the trailer. It is only for one night :-))
When I was putting down one of the jack stand blocks I dropped it and it bounced off a rock and landed on my right little toe. I will probably be in my sandals the rest of the trip.
We've eaten our sandwiches and taken our showers... so relax time!
We traveled 230 miles today... it seemed like it was at least a hundred more miles than that for some reason :-))
When I lifted up one of the leveling boards I was surprised by a scorpion... it was just inches from my fingers. I got blurry pictures of it.
We departed at 9:00 am (ET).
More antelope were seen between Ft. Davis and Alpine. There were two does and two babies and a stag. Of course too far away for pictures.
We bought gas in Alpine for $3.11 a gallon and in Del Rio for $3.19 a gallon.
Our arrival time at Buzzard Roost Campground in Del Rio Texas was 2:30 pm (ET). It is not much of a campground/RV park. Our cost is $17 with Passport America. The park has graveled roads and gravel/grass sites... we are in site #48. The bath house is really bad. So showers in the trailer. It is only for one night :-))
When I was putting down one of the jack stand blocks I dropped it and it bounced off a rock and landed on my right little toe. I will probably be in my sandals the rest of the trip.
We've eaten our sandwiches and taken our showers... so relax time!
We traveled 230 miles today... it seemed like it was at least a hundred more miles than that for some reason :-))
Tuesday 11 May 2010
We left Las Cruces at 9:00 am (ET).
We bought gas in Van Horn Texa for $3.09 a gallon
Lunch was at Wendy's. We saw antelope between Valentine and Marfa. They were too far away for pictures except one that I did not see in time for us to stop.
We did manage to get a few pictures today. The Aerostat was in the air at the TARS station near Marfa Texas. I think when we past this before I called it an Aerodrome instead of an Aerostat. The Aerostat helps in drug detection.
We arrived at Davis Mountains State Park at 3:30 pm (ET). It is a shady park. All the full hookups were full. We were put in a handicap space, site #39. The only site that our trailer would fit in. The bath house wasn't much to speak of... very small for the number of campsites to use.
The trailer was very hot when we got set up, so we turned the ac on and went to see Historic Ft. Davis. It is a very nice museum. We could not cover it all in the 45 minutes we had to look at it. Many of the original structures still remain. There is a lot of walking to do there. They did seem to have a tour that was by golf cart.
The trailer was cooler when we got back to camp. We got a shower at the bath house and then ate a sandwich. I worked in my puzzle book and Frank rested the rest of the evening.
At dusk two mule deer strolled nearby our trailer. We went outside and watched a pair of vermilion flycatchers catch their meal... all the time wishing there was enough light to take pictures.
As we got ready for bed we heard a car horn. Frank opened the door and looked out. Oh my... how beautiful the sky was!
We finally had a night of no trains. Someone kept traveling up and down the road that goes by our campsite though. It seems there is always something to interfere with my sleep :-))
We traveled 269 miles today.
We bought gas in Van Horn Texa for $3.09 a gallon
Lunch was at Wendy's. We saw antelope between Valentine and Marfa. They were too far away for pictures except one that I did not see in time for us to stop.
We did manage to get a few pictures today. The Aerostat was in the air at the TARS station near Marfa Texas. I think when we past this before I called it an Aerodrome instead of an Aerostat. The Aerostat helps in drug detection.
We arrived at Davis Mountains State Park at 3:30 pm (ET). It is a shady park. All the full hookups were full. We were put in a handicap space, site #39. The only site that our trailer would fit in. The bath house wasn't much to speak of... very small for the number of campsites to use.
The trailer was very hot when we got set up, so we turned the ac on and went to see Historic Ft. Davis. It is a very nice museum. We could not cover it all in the 45 minutes we had to look at it. Many of the original structures still remain. There is a lot of walking to do there. They did seem to have a tour that was by golf cart.
The trailer was cooler when we got back to camp. We got a shower at the bath house and then ate a sandwich. I worked in my puzzle book and Frank rested the rest of the evening.
At dusk two mule deer strolled nearby our trailer. We went outside and watched a pair of vermilion flycatchers catch their meal... all the time wishing there was enough light to take pictures.
As we got ready for bed we heard a car horn. Frank opened the door and looked out. Oh my... how beautiful the sky was!
We finally had a night of no trains. Someone kept traveling up and down the road that goes by our campsite though. It seems there is always something to interfere with my sleep :-))
We traveled 269 miles today.
10 May, 2010
Monday 10 May 2010
We left Benson Arizona at 10:10 am (ET). It was a very windy trip today... fortunately a tailwind for us. The dust was prevalent with the winds.
We stopped at the Continental Divide Trading Post and did a little walking to break our trip up. Our souvenir is a pretty decanter that was made in Mexico.
We bought gas at $3.11 a gallon in Lordsburg New Mexico and $3.04 a gallon in Las Cruces New Mexico.
We arrived at Sonny Acres RV Park at 3:30 pm (ET) in Las Cruces New Mexico. There are more shade trees here than most campgrounds. The roads and sites are graveled. We are in site PP. Our price is $17.50 for the night with Passport America.
We traveled 232 miles today.
We stopped at the Continental Divide Trading Post and did a little walking to break our trip up. Our souvenir is a pretty decanter that was made in Mexico.
We bought gas at $3.11 a gallon in Lordsburg New Mexico and $3.04 a gallon in Las Cruces New Mexico.
We arrived at Sonny Acres RV Park at 3:30 pm (ET) in Las Cruces New Mexico. There are more shade trees here than most campgrounds. The roads and sites are graveled. We are in site PP. Our price is $17.50 for the night with Passport America.
We traveled 232 miles today.
Sunday 09 May 2010
Today we have been getting things ready to leave tomorrow. Most of it just takes a few minutes and will take time off of the morning ready.
Frank did planning on our route this morning. He spotted some gambel's quail and got a few pictures of them. My time at the computer has been editing photos and catching up on the blog. I have been remiss in writing.
We walked over to Safeway for some bananas and dinner rolls.
We both have called our Mama's and wished them a Happy Mother's Day. Sonja and David both called to wish me a happy day. It was a good day for the most part.
Frank did planning on our route this morning. He spotted some gambel's quail and got a few pictures of them. My time at the computer has been editing photos and catching up on the blog. I have been remiss in writing.
We walked over to Safeway for some bananas and dinner rolls.
We both have called our Mama's and wished them a Happy Mother's Day. Sonja and David both called to wish me a happy day. It was a good day for the most part.
Saturday 08 May 2010
This morning we grabbed sausage biscuits and coffee from McDonalds to eat on the way to Saguaro National Park.
We looked hard for a Gila Monster. We may have seen one from a distance... it was a large lizard for sure. We saw lots of small lizards on our trip around the park. They are fast creatures.
We took the trip down to a picnic area. There is where we think we saw one of the monsters. The terrain was different in this area... lots of little flowers, prickly pear and bushes.
The clouds came in and made photographing a bit difficult. We saw white wing doves, curved-billed thrasher, a hooded oriole, and a finch looking bird that I have no idea what it is... I'll eventually get an ID. We saw a chipmunk, which was camera shy. There were also lots of butterflies flying about... flying being a key word; they did not light.
We bought gas in Tuscon for $2.91 a gallon.
We got home and had brisket, rice and canned green beans with potatoes for our dinner. I guess we needed a lot of starch :-))
We rested the rest of the day.
We looked hard for a Gila Monster. We may have seen one from a distance... it was a large lizard for sure. We saw lots of small lizards on our trip around the park. They are fast creatures.
We took the trip down to a picnic area. There is where we think we saw one of the monsters. The terrain was different in this area... lots of little flowers, prickly pear and bushes.
The clouds came in and made photographing a bit difficult. We saw white wing doves, curved-billed thrasher, a hooded oriole, and a finch looking bird that I have no idea what it is... I'll eventually get an ID. We saw a chipmunk, which was camera shy. There were also lots of butterflies flying about... flying being a key word; they did not light.
We bought gas in Tuscon for $2.91 a gallon.
We got home and had brisket, rice and canned green beans with potatoes for our dinner. I guess we needed a lot of starch :-))
We rested the rest of the day.
Friday 07 May 2010
Today we went to Ft. Huachuca. The post looks so modern! As we made our way to the museum Frank spotted a jackrabbit.... two jackrabbits when he started taking photos. One ran lickety-split down the road and another one showed up... or the other one did a fast run around the neighborhood. It was fun watching him have fun chasing jackrabbits.
We visited the museum there. It was really a nice museum.... very informative. As we left we got pictures of a hummingbird sitting on her nest which was on a rafter of the porch.
We ate lunch at Burger King and then went to the PX mall. I walked around the PX while Frank got a haircut. I was chicken and didn't get a haircut :-)) Then we got a few things in the commissary.
Our next stop was Tombstone. It has stores with products for tourist to buy. The Okay Corral cost $10 per person to see.... so we skipped that and went to the museum at the courthouse. It was really a good history of the area. Why see the Okay Corral when Earp said it was a street fight :-))
Then it was time for home and a shower. Frank had signed us up for the observatory show. I was so tired that I just couldn't make myself go. I tried watching Medium on tv while he was off enjoying himself and all I got out of the show was Ariel crying a lot.... I'll catch it on the rerun. Frank said the show was good and it was neat looking at the stars. Maybe one day we'll get a telescope. Frank was extremely tired when he got back.
We visited the museum there. It was really a nice museum.... very informative. As we left we got pictures of a hummingbird sitting on her nest which was on a rafter of the porch.
We ate lunch at Burger King and then went to the PX mall. I walked around the PX while Frank got a haircut. I was chicken and didn't get a haircut :-)) Then we got a few things in the commissary.
Our next stop was Tombstone. It has stores with products for tourist to buy. The Okay Corral cost $10 per person to see.... so we skipped that and went to the museum at the courthouse. It was really a good history of the area. Why see the Okay Corral when Earp said it was a street fight :-))
Then it was time for home and a shower. Frank had signed us up for the observatory show. I was so tired that I just couldn't make myself go. I tried watching Medium on tv while he was off enjoying himself and all I got out of the show was Ariel crying a lot.... I'll catch it on the rerun. Frank said the show was good and it was neat looking at the stars. Maybe one day we'll get a telescope. Frank was extremely tired when he got back.
Thursday 06 May 2010
We drove over to the west side of the Saguaro National Park. The Saguaro Cactus were blooming and were pretty. The scenic drive is rough over there so we skipped that part.
We drove into Tucson and looked around Camping World. Then went shopped for a few things at Sam's Club.
We bought gas in Tuscon for $2.91 a gallon.
Our health was still doing okay so we went back to the east side of Saguaro National Park. We took lots of pictures. The desert really is beautiful! We didn't see a Gila Monster :-(
We drove into Tucson and looked around Camping World. Then went shopped for a few things at Sam's Club.
We bought gas in Tuscon for $2.91 a gallon.
Our health was still doing okay so we went back to the east side of Saguaro National Park. We took lots of pictures. The desert really is beautiful! We didn't see a Gila Monster :-(
Wednesday 05 May 2010
Frank started not feeling so well yesterday afternoon. The evening got no better. He vomited a lot! At bedtime he took the last anti-nausea pill we had.
We put in a call to the doctor for more meds... just in case this stuff comes backs to get us. We walked over to Safeway and picked the meds up. the rest of the day was rest and soup was the fare.
We put in a call to the doctor for more meds... just in case this stuff comes backs to get us. We walked over to Safeway and picked the meds up. the rest of the day was rest and soup was the fare.
Tuesday 04 May 2010
Today is a better day. I am weak, but am able to eat. Frank fixed us scrambled eggs, grits and toast for breakfast. We walked around the RV Park. I did fine. We went over to Walmart after lunch and bought Mother's Day cards. The rest of the day will be rest.
Monday 03 May 2010
It was not a good day. My stomach did not like what I ate for dinner yesterday. Diarrhea happened. After a few hours I thought I was okay and we set off for Saguaro National Park. I did okay through the visitor's center. We stopped at the first viewing area and I took a few pictures. I sat back in the truck waiting for Frank to take his pictures... he was a little behind me because he had to put film in his camera. I felt okay and then all of a sudden my vision went to almost to entirely white. I felt clammy and didn't feel so good. So Frank decided we are going home. On the way back I had to ask him to pull over because I felt sick. Diarrhea again too. We made it home and I got cleaned up. Frank found my prescription for diarrhea. I crashed the rest of the day. I did manage to sit up some, but not for long.
While I rested in the afternoon Frank went to the car wash and washed the truck. He said it was an expensive wash.
We went to bed at 8 pm Arizona time.... which is the same as Pacific time.
While I rested in the afternoon Frank went to the car wash and washed the truck. He said it was an expensive wash.
We went to bed at 8 pm Arizona time.... which is the same as Pacific time.
Sunday 02 May 2010
We did laundry and lazed around the rest of the morning with plans to go to a Mexican Restaurant for dinner. According to their advertisement they opened at noon on Sunday of course now they are closed on Sunday. So we went a couple of doors over to a restuarant that had American, Greek and Italian fare. We ordered liver & onions and it came with a salad, mixed steamed veggies and mashed potatoes with gravy. It was a lot of food.
We walked around in WalMart some for exercise. The winds were still gale force. We checked out the birding area they have here. It was not much. Pretty much a holding pond. It had hole in the fence if you desired to take pictures. A few geese and ducks were there... nothing we really wanted to take a picture of.
We rode around a bit more and looked at a cemetery. There are some interesting headstones there. There are Arizona roundtail ground squirrels that make there residences in the cemetery.
We bought gas for $3.02 a gallon in Benson.
Later in the afternoon I rode the bike exercise machine for a little bit and walked some in the strong winds around the park. By then the clouds had rolled in and it started to rain. It didn't rain much.
We watched Desperate Housewives and then went to bed. In the middle of the night we were awakened by a train that sounded like it was right by the trailer. The tracks are a half mile or more from here.
We walked around in WalMart some for exercise. The winds were still gale force. We checked out the birding area they have here. It was not much. Pretty much a holding pond. It had hole in the fence if you desired to take pictures. A few geese and ducks were there... nothing we really wanted to take a picture of.
We rode around a bit more and looked at a cemetery. There are some interesting headstones there. There are Arizona roundtail ground squirrels that make there residences in the cemetery.
We bought gas for $3.02 a gallon in Benson.
Later in the afternoon I rode the bike exercise machine for a little bit and walked some in the strong winds around the park. By then the clouds had rolled in and it started to rain. It didn't rain much.
We watched Desperate Housewives and then went to bed. In the middle of the night we were awakened by a train that sounded like it was right by the trailer. The tracks are a half mile or more from here.
Saturday 01 May 2010
We left Deming New Mexico at 9:45 am (ET). We bought gas for $3.11 a gallon at Lordsburg New Mexico. A cup of coffee to go... not great, but perked our eyes up :-))
We passed more pecan orchards today along with walnut orchards. There were also vineyards. At times there was lots of vegetation off the sides of the roads and then there would be very little vegetation.
In the distance we would see mountains which were especially beautiful with cloud formations over them. Then we would go through some hills. In one spot there were some beautiful rock formations... we wondered how some boulders balanced upon each other. It was neat to see.
The train tracks were all the way from Deming to Benson and I imagine they go on to California. We heard them a lot last night and will hear them again tonight.
We arrived at Butterfield RV Resort, Benson Arizona at 1:15 pm (ET). This is really a resort... full hook ups, heated indoor pool, hot tub, exercise room, banquet room, library, pool tables, cable tv, laundry room and an observatory.. Yes! observatory.. we'll do a bit of star observing one evening when we can stay awake. This place has about everything.... everything but a playground. WiFi is for a hefty fee. Cost for our stay is $25 a night. That is summer rates.... winter rates are higher for the snowbirds.
The park has paved roads. Pull thru sites are paved and back-ins are graveled. We are in site 71. They advertise the sites as level. We had to use our two-board runners to level. We used all our boards to put under the jack stands. The back of the trailer is way up off the ground. We are having to use the bedroom door entrance. Even with our extra step it is too hight to use the steps at the kitchen entrance. This may be a resort... but I prefer our state parks back home.
After setting up camp we went and had the truck oil changed and new oil filter put in. For a couple of cold mornings this week the clock in the truck has reset itself back to 12:00. So battery problems. We could smell sulfur when Frank cranked the truck up to leave the lube place. So he raised the hood and looked at the batteries. One was sputtering acid, so definitely bad. Frank had the guys check both batteries and only the one was bad. So a new battery was bought and installed.
It had been a while since we visited WalMart so we did that and bought more than we had on our list.
Before we left Deming Frank looked up on the internet to see if there was a Ryan's in Benson. Ryan's site said there was.. when Ms Garmin directed us there it had magically changed into a Bank of America. So dinner plans changed. We dropped into Safeway which is right next door to the RV park and bought some deli chicken, potato salad, wheat rolls and some tuscany style frozen veggies. We bought a square of carrot cake for dessert, but it wasn't eaten.
Arizona doesn't do daylight savings time, so we are another hour's difference. Early to bed... yawn.
We traveled 177 miles today.
We passed more pecan orchards today along with walnut orchards. There were also vineyards. At times there was lots of vegetation off the sides of the roads and then there would be very little vegetation.
In the distance we would see mountains which were especially beautiful with cloud formations over them. Then we would go through some hills. In one spot there were some beautiful rock formations... we wondered how some boulders balanced upon each other. It was neat to see.
The train tracks were all the way from Deming to Benson and I imagine they go on to California. We heard them a lot last night and will hear them again tonight.
We arrived at Butterfield RV Resort, Benson Arizona at 1:15 pm (ET). This is really a resort... full hook ups, heated indoor pool, hot tub, exercise room, banquet room, library, pool tables, cable tv, laundry room and an observatory.. Yes! observatory.. we'll do a bit of star observing one evening when we can stay awake. This place has about everything.... everything but a playground. WiFi is for a hefty fee. Cost for our stay is $25 a night. That is summer rates.... winter rates are higher for the snowbirds.
The park has paved roads. Pull thru sites are paved and back-ins are graveled. We are in site 71. They advertise the sites as level. We had to use our two-board runners to level. We used all our boards to put under the jack stands. The back of the trailer is way up off the ground. We are having to use the bedroom door entrance. Even with our extra step it is too hight to use the steps at the kitchen entrance. This may be a resort... but I prefer our state parks back home.
After setting up camp we went and had the truck oil changed and new oil filter put in. For a couple of cold mornings this week the clock in the truck has reset itself back to 12:00. So battery problems. We could smell sulfur when Frank cranked the truck up to leave the lube place. So he raised the hood and looked at the batteries. One was sputtering acid, so definitely bad. Frank had the guys check both batteries and only the one was bad. So a new battery was bought and installed.
It had been a while since we visited WalMart so we did that and bought more than we had on our list.
Before we left Deming Frank looked up on the internet to see if there was a Ryan's in Benson. Ryan's site said there was.. when Ms Garmin directed us there it had magically changed into a Bank of America. So dinner plans changed. We dropped into Safeway which is right next door to the RV park and bought some deli chicken, potato salad, wheat rolls and some tuscany style frozen veggies. We bought a square of carrot cake for dessert, but it wasn't eaten.
Arizona doesn't do daylight savings time, so we are another hour's difference. Early to bed... yawn.
We traveled 177 miles today.
