2010

RV Road trip to Southeast Texas

Friday, November 19, 2010 

I was sitting at home this evening, minding my own business, when I got a phone call from my friend, Meredith. She and Rodney, and Ava, their Great Dane, had just driven down to Willis, Texas to spend Easter with friends and relatives in the area. I was watching their cats for them while they were gone. Anyway, she asked me to come down and join them for the week. I thought it sounded like fun, and would give her my answer in the morning.  The house battery in the motor home  had gone dead and I need to see if it would hold a charge. 

We had our first dusting of snow  last week, and the RV was already winterized - the battery is stored in the house,  and the RV  has pink potable antifreeze running throughout the water pipes and the storage tanks. By the way, when winterizing it, I had spilled some of the so-called potable fluid on my grass.  The grass is now dead.  Food for thought.   

I installed the battery, hooked up the motor home to electricity, and turned on the refrigerator. We'll see how it looks in the morning.  

Off to the store  to fill a prescription and pick up a few groceries.

Saturday, November 20, 2010 

The battery is charged and the refrigerator is cold. Things look good. I called Meredith to tell her we're coming.  This should be fun.   I've flown into Houston a few times, but never driven in that part of Texas.  I'm hoping to see something along the way that I've never seen before:  a live armadillo.  

I got out my RV checklists. Well, they're actually located on my PDA with all of my other checklists. Pretty convenient. My RV list includes what "To Do", "To Buy", and "To Bring".  

Spirit is pretty excited about the activity around the motor home.  He climbed in and won't leave it. Before we leave, I have some errands to run.  We went to a Jiffy Lube and got an oil change and air in the tires. Then to the liquor store for a supply of wine.  Then to Petsmart for food and treats for Spirit, Zoot Suit, and Fancy Pants.  Yes, the kitties are coming, too. I haven't told them yet, though.  Zootie will come willingly, but Fancy will hide and beg me to let her stay home. 

I brought a cat carrier and the salmon kitty treats into the house, and called my babies.  Zootie came, but not Fancy.  I looked all over and finally found her hiding under the bed in the downstairs bedroom.  Not her usual hiding place.  She was already crying and begging me to leave her home.  Poor baby.  I tried, in vain, to catch her.  She's a feral kitty, and loves to cuddle, but on her own terms.  Today she was saying "no".   I brought in reinforcements, a neighbor, and together we struggled to herd her to the carrier.  Eventually, he upended the mattress, and she finally was cornered.  Ahhhh.  My big sigh of relief, not hers.  She stayed out in the motor home while I loaded up.  

I was upstairs, packing my clothes, when I heard a mournful cry.  It was Zootie.  Spirit and Fancy were gone, and he thought he was all alone.  Poor baby.  He found me and followed me everywhere after that. 

I went through my checklists, and we headed out.  Almost forgot Zootie.  Must add him to my checklist. 

I have no intention of driving at night or in icy or snowy weather.  My schedule will be ruled by the weather and the earth's rotation.  I have my critters with me, and should have no need to rush back home.

I was heading down I25 in southern Colorado, enjoying the view of the sun setting behind the mountains, when I saw a KOA.  Perfect timing.  The sun was almost ready to set, so I did, too. We settled in for the night. I didn't travel very far today, but... oh, well.  I did not want to drive the mountains of New Mexico at night.  Nice little KOA, and the owners offered me fresh macadamia white chocolate cookies.  Yumm.

I got out my GPS and finally plotted a course. I had assumed the quickest route would be straight down New Mexico on I25, but it turns out that it's shorter and faster to cross over into northern Texas from Raton, NM.

Sunday, November 21, 2010 

We headed out this morning and faced a strong wind. It's very normal in this part of Colorado. I had checked the weather service and saw a forecast of 40 - 60 mph winds in this area. As I'm approaching Walsenburg, I heard a flapping sound. Persistent sound. I pulled over, and was surprised to see that the tires all looked okay, and then I looked up. My awning was flapping in the wind. The wind was so very strong here, that I could not risk climbing up on the roof to secure it. We drove on, flapping as we went. After a bit, the noise changed, and it sound like a hailstorm. I kept driving. I stopped in Walsenburg, behind a building, and climbed up. I had hoped to secure the awning with straps, but the other end of the awning was attached to the roof, and there was no way to tie it.  We drove on. 

At Raton, New Mexico, I  left I25 and drove US64.  It's a great little 2 lane road, albeit the area is just as windy as Walsenburg.  As I entered Texas, the first cow I saw was a longhorn..  Cool!  We're in Texas.  There was lots and lots of open space along the route.  There were grass lands, and I thought it was perfect habitat for pronghorn antelope. Within 30 seconds, literally, I saw a herd of antelope.   They were resting in the grass, all facing east. Morning prayers, I presume.  There's not much to look at out here.  I passed a trailer load of trailers.  The wind has been blowing strong and incessantly. 

I stopped to fix lunch and walk the dog.  A 6 or 7 foot piece of battered awning was loose, hanging down the side of the motor home. I was afraid it would get caught in the wheel well and cause and accident, so I climbed up, exacto knife in hand, and cut it loose. There was a large flap of battered awning still flapping as we drove away, but it was no longer making that horrendous noise.  

I was getting tired as I reached Amarillo.  I hadn't driven very far today, either, but the wind had taken its toll on me. There had been times when I felt like the RV was airborne, and I was suddenly 4 or 5 feet to the left or to the right. Driving requires not just 2 hands on the wheel, but 2 hands really gripping the wheel.  I was beat. I saw a sign for a KOA north of town, but I needed to stop for groceries first.  I didn't see any stores along the highway until I was in the center of town, on the business loop, so I decided not to go back to the KOA.  I stopped at a grocery store to pick up, among other things, a couple of 9V batteries for the smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.   As I was heading out of Amarillo,  I saw a sign that said "KOA, Turn Here".  So, I did.  It turned out to be the one the earlier sign had been referring to.

As I was installing the 9v batteries, I read the labels on the detectors.   Hmmmm.  I didn't know that.  It reminds me of another trip with my kids to Grand Lake for a day of snowmobiling.  Danni and Cory, do you remember when:

Anyway, I digress.  I just installed the batteries in the detectors, and guess what?  It was the smoke detector that was blaring that night, not the carbon monoxide detector.  I could have just removed the battery from the smoke detector, and we could have stayed nice and warm.  Both nights.  Boy, this story just keeps giving. 

It was windy here, too, and I didn't have the energy to fix the awning just yet.

 

Monday, November 22, 2010 

This morning I had to face the problem of the battered awning.  I climbed up on the roof, armed with an exacto knife and lots of duct tape, and a bit of optimism.   To my surprise, the awning was no longer attached to the roof.  All but about 18 inches of it was ripped to shreds and completely detached.  I finished off the 18 inches with my trusty exacto, clambered down for my little rubber loops. I don't know what they're called but they're so cool. They're like thick rubber bands, with a little plastic rod that allows you to loop it around things such as rolled up electrical cords. I have a bag of assorted sizes. Just because you never know when they might come in handy.  And today they did.  Grabbed 4 large ones and went back up and wrapped them around the awning.  Problem solved.  No more flapping.  God, I feel like a girl scout.   

It  was 3:30 as I approached downtown Fort Worth, and I was low on gas.  I had hoped to get through the city before the 4 pm rush hour.  Gas won out.  Back on the freeway by 3:45, and quickly came to a stop. Traffic was barely moving.  After it picked up a bit, I was near the city center, when my GPS started hollering out instructions:  keep left, merge right, turn here, turn there, look out for that little car.  It was pandemonium getting through the city.  The most horrible freeway interchanges I've ever seen.  And so many of them!  I thanked my GPS for getting me through it so nicely;  it would have been difficult on my own to keep track of all of the freeway changes.  

I decided to keep driving after nightfall.  I almost changed my mind, as the first 10 miles I drove after sunset were on a lousy little narrow 2 lane road.  It was difficult for me to see the lane with the glare of oncoming headlights.  But, I soon transitioned to highway 45, which was a lovely divided highway, and driving wasn't bad at all.  I called Meredith to tell her I would be there, according to my trusty GPS, at 8:30.  I made the turn to Janet's house in Willis, following a very narrow road, lined by tall trees.  My GPS started failing - it claimed it lost the signal.  Not to worry - I don't completely trust it, and had written down the street names to follow.  Then my phone started singing and flashing.  There was a voice mail from Meredith;  she said to let her know when I reached the turnoff, as Rodney was headed out there to meet me and lead the way in.  Hmmm.  Just a bit too late. A few minutes later he passes me from behind and leads the way.  My GPS is coming and going, always squawking about something.  It was nice to have an escort.

We arrive at Janet and Steve and daughter Courtney's home, and Spirit and Ava see each other and are so excited and amazed to see each other - they were dancing in the street.  Life is good.  

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - Friday, November 26, 2010

Happy birthday, Jim.

The RV remained camped in Janet's driveway from Monday night until Saturday Morning.  The cats were comfy and quite settled in.  I had picked up a container of live catnip for them. and Zootie was nibbling on it every time he passed it. he's trimmed it pretty well.  The cats both like to sleep at night in their beds up in the overhead bunk area.  During the day, Zootie prefers the dash.  I have a windshield screen in place, providing him with all the privacy he desires.  Fancy can be found during the day in a cabinet above my bed, all hunkered down in a comfy bin containing socks and a packing back of underwear.  She really, really likes her privacy.  She's usually there when I'm driving, too.  Zootie is usually on my bed, under a pillow, when I'm driving. 

The days I spent at Janet's were wonderful.  On Tuesday, we went to lunch with Rodney's sister, Patti, and then went as a group to a Walmart and all had pedicures. That night, we went to Rodney's Mom's home, where she had prepared a dinner of sukiyaki and sake. The food was great and we had a great time.  Rodney's brother James  was also there.

On Wednesday, Meredith and I and Spirit and Ava went down to Galveston. Meredith had spread her son Patrick's ashes off the Galveston pier, and she always comes to visit when she's in town.  The dogs went swimming on the beach and had a really great time, even making a new friend - a 4 1/2 month old lab puppy.  The water was a tepid 81 degrees. We stopped in a wonderful little seafood market for some fresh flounder and shrimp.  After that we went to a wonderful restaurant on The Strand for lunch.  We shared a plate of raw oysters and something I had never had before:  "Shrimp Kisses".  Shrimp stuffed with Jack cheese, bacon-wrapped, and fried.  Only in the south!  And they were delicious!  For dinner, Rodney cooked stuffed flounder, which was absolutely wonderful! 

Thanksgiving dinner was held with a group of 19 friends and family at a neat little restaurant, the Homestead, composed of 2 early 1800s log cabins.  The food was wonderful, as was the ambiance.  We actually had our own little cabin to ourselves. Really nice!

On Friday, Meredith, Janet, and I had brunch at a local cafe that has been one of their favorite places for years. Later we made my world-famous stuffed jalapenos and munched on them and boiled shrimp in the evening.   

I really had a wonderful time. 

Meredith, Rodney, and Ava left for home around 2 am Saturday, and we were all up to give them a send-off.  

Saturday, November 27, 2010 

On Saturday I made a stop in The Woodlands for a little visit with my neighbor's Mom, Johnnie. We chatted over lunch, and then I was off to Galveston.  As I was driving, Fancy Pants came out of her cabinet and up to the overhead bunk, where her food is located.  Must've been really hungry for her to make that move while the motor home was in motion.  She decided to stay up there for a while, climbing into her bed and just watching the world go by from her viewpoint.  She also checked in on me.  I guess she's getting more relaxed.  My cat, Ninja, used to ride up there quite often, just hanging out, watching me and watching the scenery.  She died last April, and I miss her.  She had been on every motor home road trip with me, including Alaska, east coast, and west coast.  Quite the traveled little kitty.  

On Galveston Island I checked into the Galveston Island State Park.  The ocean-side sites were full, but I was able to get a site on the bay side.  The location was great!  It was adjacent to the bay on one side and a marsh on the other. I did a u-turn for a bird photo-op prior to even getting to our spot.  There was a magnificent sunset that evening;  it lasted for about an hour.    Spirit and I took a nice walk to scout the neighborhood.  There were huge flocks of grackles, everywhere, singing beautifully.  Zootie was thoroughly entertained.  Cats can and do sometimes have a good time camping. 

The next morning he and I followed the nature trail through the marsh.  The birds were wonderful.  One moment the grasses would seem empty, and then a white head on a long neck would just pop up.  And another, and another. Great Blue Heron. Egrets. I took pictures of the signage so that I could later identify some of the birds I saw. It was so much fun, and another beautiful Texas day.   

While most of the shore birds have beaks resembling chopsticks, this one has a beak that's more like tongs.  I'm guessing this is a spoonbill.

Sunday afternoon I was able to switch to an ocean-front camping site. It was fantastic!  Hardly anyone there. Spirit and I went for long walks up and down the beach and never encountered more than 3 people, and generally saw no one. He loves swimming in the ocean and chasing the birds.  There were so many shore birds, of many different sizes. The sand was pocked with holes where they had dug for whatever it is they're feeding on there. One time I looked up and saw a squadron of brown pelicans flying by, noiselessly.  They flew in a V formation, just as geese do, but without the racket.  So quiet.   Almost eerie.   

Monday morning at about 5 am a very sudden rainstorm hit, and hit hard. It sounded like rocks hitting the top of the RV, like we were under attack.  Fancy Pants went running through the RV seeking safety.  The rain was intermittent throughout the morning.  Spirit and I took a walk up to the office to reserve the sport for another night, and then I spent the rest of the morning just listening to Elvis.   The afternoon was again sunny, and we took two more long walks along the beach and Spirit got to go swimming one more time.

Please click on this photo.... must see it up close.... pretty bizarre:

I wasn't able to get my little grill working, so one night I had broiled shrimp instead of grilled, and the next night I had scampi.  Yum!

I also played my steel drum  in the mornings and evenings while camped along the beach. It felt wonderful.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 

We left Galveston in the morning, heading west and taking the bridge back to the mainland. While on the bridge, I saw a wonderful flock of brown pelicans floating in the water.  I wanted to stop for a photo-op, but couldn't.  At either end of the bridge I saw cars down on the beach, and I thought it looked so inviting.  Well, after exiting the bridge, I saw a road down to the beach and I took it.  I know, not the brightest thing to do in a heavy motor home.  but, I really, really wanted to do it.  I hit the sand and quickly encountered very soft sand, but deftly maneuvered out of it.   All those times 4-wheeling in the Arizona desert paid off, I think.  I continued down the beach and stopped to see the pelicans.  There were a lot of them resting on a sand bar a ways off.   I wasn't as close as I would have liked to been, but I'll take what I got.  Got out of there with no problems. 

It was a gorgeous day, as I followed the coast up to Freeport.  Then I headed inland, taking little country roads, with the help of my GPS.  It was a wonderful drive.  My destination for the evening was San Antonio. A priority for me while driving across Texas was to see the Alamo.  I had also heard that San Antonio's river front is very nice. I parked at the local KOA, checking in for 2 nights.  There's a very convenient bus stop in front  of the KOA. I caught the bus and went downtown for a stroll.  The Christmas lights are up and the river front is stunning. I enjoyed dinner outside, watching the people and river boats go by.  Wonderful evening.  The Alamo was closed, but nicely lit up.  Pretty cool little mission right downtown. 

I went back the next morning, to see things in daylight. The river front is very pretty, even without Christmas lights. It's just a nice, relaxing place to just kick back and enjoy the scenery.  I went to the IMAX to see a 40 minute film about The Alamo, which was quite informative.  After that, I toured the Alamo.  No pictures allowed to be taken inside. 

In the late afternoon I took a 40 minute boat ride to see the sights form another perspective, and to learn a little more about the river and city. Very enjoyable.  I finished the day with dinner at Boudry's, dining outside while watching the boats pass by.  I had coconut shrimp, which was outstanding, with 5 large butterflied shrimp.  I've now have had shrimp boiled, broiled, grilled, sauteed, butterflied, as well as stuffed, wrapped, and fried.  I think I've just about satisfied my taste for shrimp.

I've decided to begin heading home in the morning.

 

Thursday, December 2, 2010 

Thursday - cats acting like 2 year olds.  At 2:30 a.m., Zootie awakened me by head-butting me.  He wanted attention and some loving.  After he left, Fancy came purring to me, climbing and all over me.  Then Zootie came and used me as a springboard to leap into the cabinet above my bed.  Then he started getting into things, making lots of noise. He can't help himself - he's just wired that way.  I made him get down, and I closed the cupboard.  Then Fancy came and climbed up on me and investigated the closed cabinet.  I told her to go lay down.. Then there was a brief cat fight.  Then Fancy came back to me and sat on my abdomen and cried and cried, begging me to open the cupboard for her.  I finally relented.  She went in, and things settled down, but I couldn't get to sleep right away, and it was already 5 am.   Cats!!!

I have a love-hate relationship with my aging GPS.  I've never been lost with it, but sometimes it picks routes that are less than desirable. Today, as I left the campground, it told me to turn left. I turned right, back to the freeway I had come in on,  It told me to make a U-turn.  I did not.  It got even by plotting a route on the loop north of the city, and then dropping down southwest, close to where we started.  Oh, well.  It's still soooooo much easier to listen to its directions than it is to follow a map while driving without a navigator. It also gives me the freedom to go explore new areas and not worry about finding my way back.  I just have to tell it not to worry, you can rescue me later.

Today was a beautiful day.  I drove on little back country roads most of the day, and stopped in San Angelo, at, of all places, a little KOA.  Yes, KOA does pay me for my little advertisements. Enjoyed a movie on my laptop.

Friday, December 3, 2010 

I continued on the back country roads today.  I love them!  I spent the morning on Texas Highway 208, a quiet little road with many changes in scenery. It started on the plains, and then rolling hills with pinon pines, deer country, and then sage, creosote, and prickly pear.  And then farm land.  Farms with cows, sheep, goats, cotton, pecan trees. Well maybe that's not so much a  farm but perhaps is  an orchard.  A lot of the cotton fields had been harvested, but many remained.  Some had bushes only 8- 10 inches high, while others were closer to 2 feet tall. Some were planted in straight rows, while others were in curved rows. Some were harvested very cleanly, while others missed a lot.  I love these old country roads.

In Lubbock, I stopped at a truck stop to gas up, and noticed there was a barbeque joint inside.  I thought a pork sandwich sounded pretty good.  Well, the menu had all of this stuff that seemed just foreign to me.  No pork sandwich on it.  Instead, at the top of the list was a "Hot Brisket Frito Pie".  I thought that can't be good, but my curiosity got the best of me. When in Texas, etc.... After all, I've been drinking Lone Star beer.  I ordered this concoction.  It was layers of fritos, beans, brisket, cheese, onions, and jalapenos.  And it was absolutely horrible! I know, this should not have been a surprise to me, but, after all, it's presence on the menu means that some people like it. Doesn't it?

After  Lubbock, it was back onto a freeway, I27, all the way to Amarillo.  Not nearly as enjoyable as my morning drive had been.  I'm stopping at the KOA I stayed at on the way down;  from here on I'm just re-tracing my steps.  They remembered me when I checked in.  Even remembered that I have a dog.

Saturday, December 4, 2010 

I don't recall there were so many trains going by when I stayed here 2 weeks ago.  I must've been really, really tired after my day driving in the wind.

There was very little wind today, even in Walsenburg!  I guess that gave me more time to enjoy the scenery, as I saw 5 different little herds of antelope, as well as a coyote, who was stalking them. Nice drive through the panhandle and into New Mexico, and then it was freeway all the way home.  

When we turned off onto Titan Rd, about 5 miles from home, Spirit was roused out of a deep sleep, and began sniffing the air  vent.  Sniffing and sniffing, and then looking out the windows.  Then sniff some more.  He did that when we came home from the west coast last year, too.  I guess the area has a distinctive smell.  He was really excited to be home.   Then after getting out and peeing in the yard and pooping in the street, marking his territory, I guess, he jumped back in the motor home and stayed there while I began unloading.   He just can't make up his mind whether it's more fun to stay or to go. 

He and I both had a really great time on this trip.  The kitties did fine, too.  Never did see an armadillo, live or otherwise.

 Total mileage:  2,357