We arrived in Mesa about 3 PM and found a place to park for the week. We are staying at Apache Wells RV Resort. You can see the exact location by clicking on the "Where are we?' link to the right.
We had the truck and trailer washed in Willcox. They do a pretty good job and sure save my back! When hooked up we are 65 feet long and 13 feet high. That's a lot of area to wash.
The weather was still cold and we even saw snow on the ground in Texas Canyon. I don't remember ever seeing that before. Traffic got heavy before we hit Tucson and the interstate from Tucson to the Phoenix area is always very crowded. It was not a big problem, but it did require a lot of paying attention.
We always cause a commotion when we arrive in a new RV park. All the neighbors come out to see if I can really park this huge thing. Then they all want to talk about the truck, trailer, motorcycle and satellite system. A couple guys even climbed up into the truck to look at the inside. I enjoy answering their questions, but it does make setting things up take a little longer.
We finished setting up and then made a trip to Wal-mart to stock up on groceries. We called Mom and decided to go see her tomorrow instead of this evening. We splurged and had Western Bacon Cheeseburgers at Carl's before coming home to rest up for the night. Traveling so far so fast has worn us both out.
Showing posts with label Retired 2006. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retired 2006. Show all posts
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Bowie
We got an early start this morning and gained an hour when we crossed into the Mountain time zone so we went further than we had planned. Even with stopping for fuel in El Paso we arrived in Bowie, AZ at about 3:30 this afternoon. There was no reason to stop anywhere else along the way due to the cold temperatures. It never got above 46 degrees anywhere, it was foggy and we encountered drizzle in a couple places.
Whenever we pass through Bowie I think about the family visit to Ft. Bowie when we were growing up in Tucson, and about the return visit I made with my family several years ago to deliver the crossed sabers I had found to the museum there. Now it is a National Historic Park, but it was just some rancher's land when we visited back in the 60's.
There is a lot of snow on the Chiricahuas so it looks very different from the last time we were here. We will leave here in the morning and stop in Willcox to get the truck and trailer washed. Then it is on to Mesa where we will try to find a place to spend a week or so.
Whenever we pass through Bowie I think about the family visit to Ft. Bowie when we were growing up in Tucson, and about the return visit I made with my family several years ago to deliver the crossed sabers I had found to the museum there. Now it is a National Historic Park, but it was just some rancher's land when we visited back in the 60's.
There is a lot of snow on the Chiricahuas so it looks very different from the last time we were here. We will leave here in the morning and stop in Willcox to get the truck and trailer washed. Then it is on to Mesa where we will try to find a place to spend a week or so.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Westward Ho
We are on our way west again. We left Denton yesterday and only drove as far as Abilene, TX where we spent the night in a city park by a lake. It was free but we had no hook ups. We were all by ourselves so it was quiet and peaceful.
Today we drove as far as Van Horn, TX. The wind blew very hard and it was no fun driving. Our fuel mileage was also seriously impacted. About 3 pm we ran into rain and the temperature dropped to 36. That was even less fun.
Tomorrow we will continue west and probably stop in Demming for the night. We don't like to go so far so fast but this weather is no fun. We are hoping for better weather in AZ.
Today we drove as far as Van Horn, TX. The wind blew very hard and it was no fun driving. Our fuel mileage was also seriously impacted. About 3 pm we ran into rain and the temperature dropped to 36. That was even less fun.
Tomorrow we will continue west and probably stop in Demming for the night. We don't like to go so far so fast but this weather is no fun. We are hoping for better weather in AZ.
Monday, December 4, 2006
Denton for Christmas
We will be back in Denton tomorrow to spend the Christmas season with Dayna, Chris and the kids.
We headed south as we mentioned in the last post. We spent the first night in Montgomery and had a pretty good shower during the evening and a couple more light showers before morning. That was about it. The next day, Thursday, we drove down to the Escapees park in Summerdale, AL where we had spent a week on the way to TN. We really like it there and since it is close to the Gulf it is about as warm as anywhere in the area. We spent three nights there and just did a little shopping and went out to dinner one evening. Gulf shrimp are good when you buy them near the Gulf!
We decided to return to TX by way of the southern route to try to stay as warm as possible. We spent last night at Poche's Fish n Camp in Breaux Bridge, LA. It was kind of a neat place, but cold and windy. They have about 10 acres of man made lakes that are stocked with bass. The campsites are right on the lake so you can almost fish from you door. It would be a good place to spend a vacation if you are a fisherman.
Today we came across the rest of LA and into TX where we are staying for the final night before driving to Denton tomorrow. We are at the Escapees park in Livingston.
We saw only a little damage while driving across LA yesterday. We took I-10 and then the I-12 shortcut that goes straight to Baton Rouge instead of following the I-10 loop down to New Orleans. There were a few billboards that were piles of bent metal and a couple light posts that had been knocked down, but that was about it. I guess they have gotten things pretty well cleaned up.
We plan to be in Denton until after Christmas when we will head west, so will probably not post much for the next couple weeks. Merry Christmas to all.
We headed south as we mentioned in the last post. We spent the first night in Montgomery and had a pretty good shower during the evening and a couple more light showers before morning. That was about it. The next day, Thursday, we drove down to the Escapees park in Summerdale, AL where we had spent a week on the way to TN. We really like it there and since it is close to the Gulf it is about as warm as anywhere in the area. We spent three nights there and just did a little shopping and went out to dinner one evening. Gulf shrimp are good when you buy them near the Gulf!
We decided to return to TX by way of the southern route to try to stay as warm as possible. We spent last night at Poche's Fish n Camp in Breaux Bridge, LA. It was kind of a neat place, but cold and windy. They have about 10 acres of man made lakes that are stocked with bass. The campsites are right on the lake so you can almost fish from you door. It would be a good place to spend a vacation if you are a fisherman.
Today we came across the rest of LA and into TX where we are staying for the final night before driving to Denton tomorrow. We are at the Escapees park in Livingston.
We saw only a little damage while driving across LA yesterday. We took I-10 and then the I-12 shortcut that goes straight to Baton Rouge instead of following the I-10 loop down to New Orleans. There were a few billboards that were piles of bent metal and a couple light posts that had been knocked down, but that was about it. I guess they have gotten things pretty well cleaned up.
We plan to be in Denton until after Christmas when we will head west, so will probably not post much for the next couple weeks. Merry Christmas to all.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Rocket and Space Center, Huntsville, AL
We left Cleveland yesterday and drove to Huntsville, AL. It was only about 130 miles so we got a late start and still arrived before 2PM since we also changed back to the Central time zone. The Rocket and Space Center has an RV park on its grounds so we made reservations to stay here where we could walk to the Center. Unfortunately, the RV park is rather old and it was tough getting in and level.
Today we visited the Rocket and Space Center. This is really the home of the Saturn 5 moon rocket as well as where much of the American Space Program was developed. Werner von Braun led the facility here. The museum was very interesting and we spent over five hours there. Included in the admission were the IMAX theater, virtual reality simulators, a centrifuge ride and a simulated space launch. The space launch was nothing more than one of the rides that shoot you up in the air like those at amusement parks. Dianna (ever the kid) enjoyed it. I felt it would not be a good idea with my back, so I passed. There was a lot to see and we enjoyed it very much. We are both tired from standing so will just rest up tonight. We will continue our journey towards Denton tomorrow, but the weather forecast for the rest of the week looks ugly. We may head south toward the gulf again to try to avoid the coldest part of it. We'll see. Sure is nice not having to schedule things!
Today we visited the Rocket and Space Center. This is really the home of the Saturn 5 moon rocket as well as where much of the American Space Program was developed. Werner von Braun led the facility here. The museum was very interesting and we spent over five hours there. Included in the admission were the IMAX theater, virtual reality simulators, a centrifuge ride and a simulated space launch. The space launch was nothing more than one of the rides that shoot you up in the air like those at amusement parks. Dianna (ever the kid) enjoyed it. I felt it would not be a good idea with my back, so I passed. There was a lot to see and we enjoyed it very much. We are both tired from standing so will just rest up tonight. We will continue our journey towards Denton tomorrow, but the weather forecast for the rest of the week looks ugly. We may head south toward the gulf again to try to avoid the coldest part of it. We'll see. Sure is nice not having to schedule things!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Darin and Diane's New House
OK Mom, here you go.
This is a close up of their house. The dormers really look nice. The sun was very low in the sky so there is a lot of reflection from the side of the house.
This is a photo from up the street a little ways. They are on a cul-de-sac with only two houses beyond them. It makes for very little traffic.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
We had planned to go to Huntsville on the way to visit Darin, but decided to stop by there on our way back to Texas instead. We stayed an extra day in Summerdale and arrived here in Cleveland on Tuesday after spending Monday night in Montgomery. After all, traveling more than 200 miles a day is taxing when you are retired!
Darin and Diane have a very nice home. They are almost moved in but that is a big job. He still has to move his storage shed to the new place.
We had Thanksgiving dinner there today with just his family and us. It was very nice. Diane cooked both a turkey and ham so we all had too much to eat. Dianna made an apple pie and the world famous Lafferty chocolate pie. I don't think there is much pie left.
We plan to stay here until Monday and then head back for Texas.
We hope everyone else had a good Thanksgiving too!
Darin and Diane have a very nice home. They are almost moved in but that is a big job. He still has to move his storage shed to the new place.
We had Thanksgiving dinner there today with just his family and us. It was very nice. Diane cooked both a turkey and ham so we all had too much to eat. Dianna made an apple pie and the world famous Lafferty chocolate pie. I don't think there is much pie left.
We plan to stay here until Monday and then head back for Texas.
We hope everyone else had a good Thanksgiving too!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Throwed Rolls
You haven't lived until you've been hit in the head with one of Lambert's Cafe's "throwed rolls"! It's a local novelty restaurant where we had dinner last night and they literally throw the rolls to you across the room! They have traditional southern dishes and "pass arounds" dishes (sides that they walk around and offer you all through your meal) like macaroni & tomatoes, fried potatoes & onions, fried okra, black eyed peas and their famous throwed rolls served with sorghum molasses or apple butter. We have enough food left over for two more meals each so we really got our money's worth! It was great fun!!
Before dinner we did some shopping and took a drive down Hwy 59 to Gulf Shores. It is only about 20 miles southeast of us and is a beautiful gulf resort area. Unfortunately, Katrina made a mess of it.
The recovery effort is well underway and most of the houses along the beach have new siding and roofs on them already. There are some places where no house exists because there was nothing left to put new siding on.
From Gulf Shores you can turn west along the gulf and drive about 20 miles to Ft. Morgan. Ft. Morgan, on the western end of the Alabama peninsula which shelters Mobile Bay, and Ft. Gaines, on the eastern end of Dauphin Island, were Confederate strongholds which guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay. On August 5th, 1864, the Union fleet, led by Admiral David Farragut, sailed between them in the greatest naval battle of the Civil War. During the battle, Farragut issued his famous order: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." Torpedoes were what we call mines today. One of his ships was sunk by a "mine" that was set off by men in Ft. Morgan. The fort was originally built in about 1844 and was closed in the 1920's, only to be used again during WWII for a period of time. Here is a link to some information about it if you are interested. Ft. Morgan
We rode back down to the fort today on the scooter since we got there too late yesterday to do any sightseeing. It was about 80 miles round trip. Since it was only in the mid 50's today we wore down jackets, long johns and gloves which helped keep us reasonably comfortable, but I don't think Dianna is up for anything much colder. We still had a good time.
Before dinner we did some shopping and took a drive down Hwy 59 to Gulf Shores. It is only about 20 miles southeast of us and is a beautiful gulf resort area. Unfortunately, Katrina made a mess of it.
The recovery effort is well underway and most of the houses along the beach have new siding and roofs on them already. There are some places where no house exists because there was nothing left to put new siding on.
From Gulf Shores you can turn west along the gulf and drive about 20 miles to Ft. Morgan. Ft. Morgan, on the western end of the Alabama peninsula which shelters Mobile Bay, and Ft. Gaines, on the eastern end of Dauphin Island, were Confederate strongholds which guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay. On August 5th, 1864, the Union fleet, led by Admiral David Farragut, sailed between them in the greatest naval battle of the Civil War. During the battle, Farragut issued his famous order: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." Torpedoes were what we call mines today. One of his ships was sunk by a "mine" that was set off by men in Ft. Morgan. The fort was originally built in about 1844 and was closed in the 1920's, only to be used again during WWII for a period of time. Here is a link to some information about it if you are interested. Ft. Morgan
We rode back down to the fort today on the scooter since we got there too late yesterday to do any sightseeing. It was about 80 miles round trip. Since it was only in the mid 50's today we wore down jackets, long johns and gloves which helped keep us reasonably comfortable, but I don't think Dianna is up for anything much colder. We still had a good time.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Summerdale, AL and the USS Alabama
Sunday we drove down to Summerdale, a very rural town about 20 miles southeast of Mobile. There is an Escapees park here. Escapees is the full timer organization we belong to that provides our mail forwarding service. They also have several RV parks around the country. The price is very low and the parks are some of the nicest we ever stay in. This park is called Rainbow Plantation and has about the largest lots of any place we have ever been.
Sunday evening they had free entertainment in the club house. It was a bluegrass group who were very enjoyable. Monday we just goofed off a while and made a Wal-Mart grocery run.
Yesterday we rode the scooter to see the USS Alabama located in a park on Mobile Bay. We toured the WWII submarine Drum and spent over 3 hours touring the Alabama. That battleship is one large ship. It is the sister ship of the Massachusetts that I toured when I was in Rhode island. They also have a large number of aircraft on display, including an SR71 Blackbird. However, the aircraft were not in the museum. They were all sitting outside and are all damaged to some degree or another.
When Katrina hit it caused major damage to the whole museum. The building where the aircraft were displayed was torn open and the planes were blown around inside. In addition, when the storm surge came up Mobile Bay it hit the Alabama and lifted it out of the 30 feet of mud it was sitting in. It listed over several degrees and caused the boarding ramps to be destroyed. I understand it took several months to get the mud dredged out and the ship righted again. I had no idea that the damage was that serious this far east of New Orleans. That was one nasty hurricane!
Today we have not left the RV. A major storm arrived in the southeast last night with wind and rain. You may have heard reports on the TV. No real problem here except for a lot of rain and some gusty wind. It is supposed to be out of here tonight and we will continue our exploration of the area tomorrow.
Sunday evening they had free entertainment in the club house. It was a bluegrass group who were very enjoyable. Monday we just goofed off a while and made a Wal-Mart grocery run.
Yesterday we rode the scooter to see the USS Alabama located in a park on Mobile Bay. We toured the WWII submarine Drum and spent over 3 hours touring the Alabama. That battleship is one large ship. It is the sister ship of the Massachusetts that I toured when I was in Rhode island. They also have a large number of aircraft on display, including an SR71 Blackbird. However, the aircraft were not in the museum. They were all sitting outside and are all damaged to some degree or another.
When Katrina hit it caused major damage to the whole museum. The building where the aircraft were displayed was torn open and the planes were blown around inside. In addition, when the storm surge came up Mobile Bay it hit the Alabama and lifted it out of the 30 feet of mud it was sitting in. It listed over several degrees and caused the boarding ramps to be destroyed. I understand it took several months to get the mud dredged out and the ship righted again. I had no idea that the damage was that serious this far east of New Orleans. That was one nasty hurricane!
Today we have not left the RV. A major storm arrived in the southeast last night with wind and rain. You may have heard reports on the TV. No real problem here except for a lot of rain and some gusty wind. It is supposed to be out of here tonight and we will continue our exploration of the area tomorrow.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Vicksburg
Gorgeous weather yesterday as we scooted the 16 mile tour of the Vicksburg National Military Park. For the most part the first half of the tour follows the Union lines during the 47 day siege and the latter half the Confederate placements. It's very interesting learning of Civil War battles from the South's point of view!
Every state that had soldiers there has a major memorial - very beautiful ones - and many smaller ones all over the park representing, I guess, places they were defending or attacking from. We walked in the trenches, tunnels and fields the soldiers did, thinking of all the blood spilled and lives lost in that crucial time in our country's history.
They raised a gunboat in the 1960s, built a "ghosted" framework and it is now on display. It sank in only 12 minutes from a mine with no loss of life. Amazing relics on display. (Did you know rhubarb's most common use is medicinal? We all thought it was better in pies!)
We drove around the old part of town enjoying the many antebellum homes still around. We were going to visit one today but they stopped tours until next Feb.
We did visit the Courthouse Museum today. Lots of stories of people from the area and many artifacts. Most were from the Civil War era but some up through WWII.
The North sure mistreated the southerners, black and white alike, after the war. They both did a miserable job taking care of prisoners. Over 26,000 southerners and more than 22,000 northerners died in prison camps. Not a very admirable time.
The temperature dropped by about 30 degrees today so we really had to bundle up to ride the scooter. Didn't do much driving around as a result so we were glad we enjoyed our day out yesterday. We leave in the morning for Mobile.
Side notes: Dayna won't need further surgery any time soon. She'll just have to live with the pain and fortunately she has a high threshold like her dad. Unlike her son who screamed and hollered at the ER Wed. as he had to have four stitches above his eye due to a skateboard accident. Continued to holler after it was numbed & he couldn't feel a thing!!
Every state that had soldiers there has a major memorial - very beautiful ones - and many smaller ones all over the park representing, I guess, places they were defending or attacking from. We walked in the trenches, tunnels and fields the soldiers did, thinking of all the blood spilled and lives lost in that crucial time in our country's history.
They raised a gunboat in the 1960s, built a "ghosted" framework and it is now on display. It sank in only 12 minutes from a mine with no loss of life. Amazing relics on display. (Did you know rhubarb's most common use is medicinal? We all thought it was better in pies!)
We drove around the old part of town enjoying the many antebellum homes still around. We were going to visit one today but they stopped tours until next Feb.
We did visit the Courthouse Museum today. Lots of stories of people from the area and many artifacts. Most were from the Civil War era but some up through WWII.
The North sure mistreated the southerners, black and white alike, after the war. They both did a miserable job taking care of prisoners. Over 26,000 southerners and more than 22,000 northerners died in prison camps. Not a very admirable time.
The temperature dropped by about 30 degrees today so we really had to bundle up to ride the scooter. Didn't do much driving around as a result so we were glad we enjoyed our day out yesterday. We leave in the morning for Mobile.
Side notes: Dayna won't need further surgery any time soon. She'll just have to live with the pain and fortunately she has a high threshold like her dad. Unlike her son who screamed and hollered at the ER Wed. as he had to have four stitches above his eye due to a skateboard accident. Continued to holler after it was numbed & he couldn't feel a thing!!
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
On the road again
We leave Denton tomorrow for points east. The overall destination is to visit Darin and Diane in their new home in Cleveland, TN. Their new home is only about 3 miles from the trailer they have rented for the past few years. They closed escrow yesterday and are in the process of moving in today.
Our planned route to TN is to spend a day in Vicksburg, MS to visit the National Historic Park there, then to the Mobile, AL - Pensacola, FL area to visit some museums in the area. Then up to Huntsville, AL to visit the NASA facility there where the Saturn 5 Booster was built, along with many other rockets.
It will probably be a couple weeks before we get to TN but we will be there in time to spend Thanksgiving with Darin and family. Then slowly back to Denton to spend Christmas with Dayna's family.
We don't know how much internet access we will have for the next couple weeks, but we will try to keep you all up to date on our travels as much possible.
Our planned route to TN is to spend a day in Vicksburg, MS to visit the National Historic Park there, then to the Mobile, AL - Pensacola, FL area to visit some museums in the area. Then up to Huntsville, AL to visit the NASA facility there where the Saturn 5 Booster was built, along with many other rockets.
It will probably be a couple weeks before we get to TN but we will be there in time to spend Thanksgiving with Darin and family. Then slowly back to Denton to spend Christmas with Dayna's family.
We don't know how much internet access we will have for the next couple weeks, but we will try to keep you all up to date on our travels as much possible.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Family News
Happy 14th birthday Deidra!
Dayna went back to work a week ago. She was pretty wiped out at first but gradually got her strength back. She saw Dr. Kristoferson Wed. who gave her pictures he took during surgery. The tear in her cartilage (I was wrong - only one is torn - the lateral meniscus) looks pretty bad and that's what he clipped a rough edge off of. The ligament is so stretched I'm surprised she has any stability in her knee at all. She goes back in two weeks to determine the next step. She can only bend her knee about 90% but I'm sure that's normal. It's just a wait and see game now but we know she'll have to have, at the very least, a ligament graft.
Darin and Diane have put a bid in on a cute little house in Cleveland and should find out today if it was accepted or not. It's got dormers and nice porches front and back. They wanted something larger but, to stay in the same school district, they had to settle for a smaller house with less land. It will be such a step up for them from the falling apart mobile they've been living in for years. They are so excited and we're thrilled for them.
Dayna went back to work a week ago. She was pretty wiped out at first but gradually got her strength back. She saw Dr. Kristoferson Wed. who gave her pictures he took during surgery. The tear in her cartilage (I was wrong - only one is torn - the lateral meniscus) looks pretty bad and that's what he clipped a rough edge off of. The ligament is so stretched I'm surprised she has any stability in her knee at all. She goes back in two weeks to determine the next step. She can only bend her knee about 90% but I'm sure that's normal. It's just a wait and see game now but we know she'll have to have, at the very least, a ligament graft.
Darin and Diane have put a bid in on a cute little house in Cleveland and should find out today if it was accepted or not. It's got dormers and nice porches front and back. They wanted something larger but, to stay in the same school district, they had to settle for a smaller house with less land. It will be such a step up for them from the falling apart mobile they've been living in for years. They are so excited and we're thrilled for them.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Where are we?
I added a link to this page under "Other Links" that will answer that question. It links to a map used by many of us who have Hughesnet satellite internet systems. The majority of the users have a unit made by Datastorm that is mounted on top of their RV's and automatically finds and locks on to the satellite, but many also use a tripod mounted system like we do.
There is an option at the top right side of the map to link to Google Maps using our location. You can toggle to see a satellite view from there. No, you won't be able to see our trailer.....
I have to manually update our location every couple weeks or it drops off the map. I'll try to remember to keep it updated.
There is an option at the top right side of the map to link to Google Maps using our location. You can toggle to see a satellite view from there. No, you won't be able to see our trailer.....
I have to manually update our location every couple weeks or it drops off the map. I'll try to remember to keep it updated.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Since this is not "no news" it's not good news
The bottom line on Dayna's knee is that it's blown. All he could do today was clip a part of the medial meniscus that's torn and hope that will relieve her pain. Her ACL is stretched to the point it's folding over on itself, thus not prividing any support in her knee & why it hyperextends. Her lateral meniscus cartilage has a "double bucket" tear.
Her surgeon said the next step is an ACL graft which would be a 2-3 hr surgery & mean nine months of rehab. We didn't ask if that would mean she would have to be off work for that long or just a lot of PT. Probably the latter. If that doesn't work then she will need a full knee replacement.
She wasn't ready for this news since he had told her he couldn't see anything on the X-ray or MRI. She was beginning to think it was all in her head or something very minor and she almost cancelled today's surgery.
She's home and resting and only time will tell what the next step is. Thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers.
Her surgeon said the next step is an ACL graft which would be a 2-3 hr surgery & mean nine months of rehab. We didn't ask if that would mean she would have to be off work for that long or just a lot of PT. Probably the latter. If that doesn't work then she will need a full knee replacement.
She wasn't ready for this news since he had told her he couldn't see anything on the X-ray or MRI. She was beginning to think it was all in her head or something very minor and she almost cancelled today's surgery.
She's home and resting and only time will tell what the next step is. Thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Surgery
We're back in TX at the same campground we were at before we left in June. Dayna is having knee surgery on Wednesday so we don't know how long we will be here. This is the knee injured in the trail bike accident when she was 13.
She has little control over it anymore. It hyperextends on its own and causes her a lot of pain. The doctors can't find anything on the X-ray or MRI so will be doing exploratory surgery arthroscopically. If he can find something fixable that way he will. Otherwise he will close her up and then reschedule major surgery for a later date. So right now our plans are on hold.
But her luck continues to hold - sort of. She was in a pool tournament with Sally employees a few weeks ago & won a TV!
Deidra & Dom have no school today due to one of those teacher days and have free tickets to the state fair so we are going to take them. But not until we drop the scooter off at the repair shop. The coolant sprung a leak before we left CA so the scooter needs to get fixed. That's the first of many repair/maintenance items we have to do while we're here.
She has little control over it anymore. It hyperextends on its own and causes her a lot of pain. The doctors can't find anything on the X-ray or MRI so will be doing exploratory surgery arthroscopically. If he can find something fixable that way he will. Otherwise he will close her up and then reschedule major surgery for a later date. So right now our plans are on hold.
But her luck continues to hold - sort of. She was in a pool tournament with Sally employees a few weeks ago & won a TV!
Deidra & Dom have no school today due to one of those teacher days and have free tickets to the state fair so we are going to take them. But not until we drop the scooter off at the repair shop. The coolant sprung a leak before we left CA so the scooter needs to get fixed. That's the first of many repair/maintenance items we have to do while we're here.
Friday, October 6, 2006
HDT Rally
We arrived in Wichita on Saturday and joined about 45 others who tow their RV's with converted big rigs. Since everyone does their own thing, it is fun to see how each person customizes their rig. Some have motorcycle loaders like we do, some have very bare bones conversions and one even has ramps to load a car on the back of the truck and still pulls a big trailer. There are many colors and makes, though Volvo is more common than any other.
We spend a lot of time just talking and sharing experiences, but there is a schedule of events as well. The primary sponsor is Doonan Peterbilt that is located just across the street from the campground. The owner, Kenny Doonan, provides busses, technicians, space for the meetings and his considerable influence in the Wichita business community to arrange for tours and speakers.
The Rally started Sunday night with a pizza party kick off. Monday we had seminars on big rig testing equipment and brake systems. We also had a presentation by the Teton factory rep who came down from Wyoming to be here. Many of us have Teton 5th wheel RV's. Tuesday was a class on tires and a defensive driving course for those who wanted it. It was put on by the local community college. There was also a driving course contest for those who wanted to participate. That evening we had a BBQ.
Wednesday started with a tour of the Cessna Citation plant here in Wichita for those of us who were interested. It was very interesting so see that they still build every plane by hand. The construction methods have changed little in 50 years. After the tour we had a class on diesel engine maintenance, a presentation on tire monitoring systems and another presentation on RV suspensions and braking systems.
Thursday we had a roundtable Q & A session with Doonan's technicians, and then several of us visitied a B29 restoration project going on at Boeing. I really enjoyed that tour. They are rebuilding a B29 to flying condition. It is amazing to consider that it was built over 60 years ago. We also took the group picture yesterday afternoon. All the trucks were lined up in a large parking lot and the Wichita Fire Department brought over a ladder truck so the photographers could get a birds eye view of the rigs.
Things wind down today with only a motorcycle ride planned during the day and our final steak dinner scheduled for tonight. We may leave tomorrow instead of wating until Sunday but have not decided yet.
This has been a very enjoyable week for me. Dianna has not participated in much, but has spent a lot of time on the computer. I bet she really added to her Pogo points this week.
From here we make our way down to Denton for a few weeks. Time for doctor visits and a grandkid fix.
We spend a lot of time just talking and sharing experiences, but there is a schedule of events as well. The primary sponsor is Doonan Peterbilt that is located just across the street from the campground. The owner, Kenny Doonan, provides busses, technicians, space for the meetings and his considerable influence in the Wichita business community to arrange for tours and speakers.
The Rally started Sunday night with a pizza party kick off. Monday we had seminars on big rig testing equipment and brake systems. We also had a presentation by the Teton factory rep who came down from Wyoming to be here. Many of us have Teton 5th wheel RV's. Tuesday was a class on tires and a defensive driving course for those who wanted it. It was put on by the local community college. There was also a driving course contest for those who wanted to participate. That evening we had a BBQ.
Wednesday started with a tour of the Cessna Citation plant here in Wichita for those of us who were interested. It was very interesting so see that they still build every plane by hand. The construction methods have changed little in 50 years. After the tour we had a class on diesel engine maintenance, a presentation on tire monitoring systems and another presentation on RV suspensions and braking systems.
Thursday we had a roundtable Q & A session with Doonan's technicians, and then several of us visitied a B29 restoration project going on at Boeing. I really enjoyed that tour. They are rebuilding a B29 to flying condition. It is amazing to consider that it was built over 60 years ago. We also took the group picture yesterday afternoon. All the trucks were lined up in a large parking lot and the Wichita Fire Department brought over a ladder truck so the photographers could get a birds eye view of the rigs.
Things wind down today with only a motorcycle ride planned during the day and our final steak dinner scheduled for tonight. We may leave tomorrow instead of wating until Sunday but have not decided yet.
This has been a very enjoyable week for me. Dianna has not participated in much, but has spent a lot of time on the computer. I bet she really added to her Pogo points this week.
From here we make our way down to Denton for a few weeks. Time for doctor visits and a grandkid fix.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
On the way to Wichita
We left Las Vegas as planned on Monday. I had been watching a tire on the trailer and when I stopped to check it about 30 miles up I-15 it looked worse. I think I had a ply fail in the tire so I decided to put on the spare. Only took about 20 minutes and Dianna stayed cool in the truck.
We filled up with diesel in St. George, Utah and headed east. We followed the AZ-UT border and finally stopped for the night in Fredonia, AZ. The next day we continued east through Indian country, through Page, AZ where we crossed the Colorado river, then through four corners and on to the town of Mancos, CO which is near Mesa Verde National Park. We spent the night at a nice RV resort high in the pines. Fortunately, everything is almost shut down and there are very few people travelling in the high country right now.
Yesterday we travelled through Durango, Pagosa Springs and over Wolf Creek Pass. Do I ever love this truck! We pulled up and over the pass at the speed limit (35-45) with the cruise control set and stopped at the top for lunch. We fed a hungry and very friendly bird some crackers. There was still a couple inches of snow on the ground from a storm a week or so ago. Going down the other side of the pass was just as comfortable. I just put the truck in 7th gear and used the jake brake to control the speed. My foot rarely touched the brake pedal. Some different from the white knuckle towing I used to do.
We continued to Del Norte, CO yesterday and decided to stay a couple days. We arrived about 2 PM so had plenty of time to relax. Today we washed some of the bugs from the truck and trailer and took a drive to South Fork, CO, about 17 miles away, to see the property some friends purchased there. It is a very pretty RV development on the banks of the Rio Grande river. We chatted with some of their neighbors since they are in Texas now.
As you can tell, we are taking our time. We have only been traveling 200-300 miles a day and stopping to see things whenever we want. Dianna got tired yesterday as we were driving so we just pulled off the road and took a nap. Nice way to travel.
Tomorrow we will go about 250 miles to somewhere near the Colorado-Kansas border. That will be half way to Wichita, KS where we will go on Saturday. We will be there for a week as we join a rally of owners of converted Class 8 trucks like ours. We expect that there will be over 50 rigs there so it will be a fun time of looking and learning.
We filled up with diesel in St. George, Utah and headed east. We followed the AZ-UT border and finally stopped for the night in Fredonia, AZ. The next day we continued east through Indian country, through Page, AZ where we crossed the Colorado river, then through four corners and on to the town of Mancos, CO which is near Mesa Verde National Park. We spent the night at a nice RV resort high in the pines. Fortunately, everything is almost shut down and there are very few people travelling in the high country right now.
Yesterday we travelled through Durango, Pagosa Springs and over Wolf Creek Pass. Do I ever love this truck! We pulled up and over the pass at the speed limit (35-45) with the cruise control set and stopped at the top for lunch. We fed a hungry and very friendly bird some crackers. There was still a couple inches of snow on the ground from a storm a week or so ago. Going down the other side of the pass was just as comfortable. I just put the truck in 7th gear and used the jake brake to control the speed. My foot rarely touched the brake pedal. Some different from the white knuckle towing I used to do.
We continued to Del Norte, CO yesterday and decided to stay a couple days. We arrived about 2 PM so had plenty of time to relax. Today we washed some of the bugs from the truck and trailer and took a drive to South Fork, CO, about 17 miles away, to see the property some friends purchased there. It is a very pretty RV development on the banks of the Rio Grande river. We chatted with some of their neighbors since they are in Texas now.
As you can tell, we are taking our time. We have only been traveling 200-300 miles a day and stopping to see things whenever we want. Dianna got tired yesterday as we were driving so we just pulled off the road and took a nap. Nice way to travel.
Tomorrow we will go about 250 miles to somewhere near the Colorado-Kansas border. That will be half way to Wichita, KS where we will go on Saturday. We will be there for a week as we join a rally of owners of converted Class 8 trucks like ours. We expect that there will be over 50 rigs there so it will be a fun time of looking and learning.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Credit Cards and Las Vegas
Looks like we have some catching up to do! Since we planned to leave California on Monday, we visited Dianna's parents last week. We took the Metrolink train up on Tuesday afternoon and back on Thursday afternoon. A nice visit but sad that we will not see them again for a few months.
On Saturday morning I received a call from Wells Fargo Fraud Department in which we determined that our main credit card had been comprimised. It was not stolen because both Dianna and I still have the cards in our possession. All the fraudlent charges were at Post Offices in the area where her parents live. The only time either of us had our card out of our wallets was when I purchased the tickets from the Metrolink vending machine. There were several people standing there at the time buying tickets as well, but something must have been afoot. They must have somehow seen my number (photographed with phone camera?) and made their own card. According to Wells Fargo the fraudlent charges were made by swiping a card.
This was a real problem since we planned to leave California on Monday and I needed to purchase fuel in Barstow and to rent a car in Las Vegas. I wanted to pay for the fuel ($500) with credit and you absolutely have to have a credit card to rent a car. Wells Fargo worked with us and was able to put a temporary hold on the card which we had removed just before buying fuel and then again just before renting the car on Tuesday. Then we permanently shut it off and have had a new card overnighted to a local bank branch here in Las Vegas. We pick it up this afternoon.
Of course, that is only the beginning of the fun. I have several payments automatically attached to that card so now I will spend several days changing them all over. We don't know what we should have done differently since we are not exactly certain how the card was comprimised, but we know it will take a good deal of time to deal with all the ramifications.
The trip over was uneventful. Towing an RV with our big truck is amazing. We came up Cajon Pass at 65 MPH. Some cars can't maintain 65 on their own. I was in the next to the fast lane and easily staying with traffic. Out across the desert with the cruise control set is just like it would be in a car. None of the mountain passes slowed us down and when we descended the 15 mile 6% grade we just shifted to 9th gear, engaged the jake brake, and never touched the brake pedal all the way down. If I were towing with a pickup it would have been white knuckle time.
We will be in Las Vegas until next Monday. We enjoy seeing the sights and strolling the big hotels. We really like Bellagio where we went a couple nights ago. Their water show is so neat.
We are on our way to a rally in Wichita, KS. It is a gathering of people who have converted the big over the road trucks like ours. There are lots of classes and an opportunity to learn and see what others have done with their trucks.
This is getting long so I will stop. We will try to post more often so it does not get out of hand like this.
Donna, we plan to be here until next Monday so you have a cheap place to stay Saturday if you want to stay with us. We are at the Sams Town RV park on Boulder Highway.
On Saturday morning I received a call from Wells Fargo Fraud Department in which we determined that our main credit card had been comprimised. It was not stolen because both Dianna and I still have the cards in our possession. All the fraudlent charges were at Post Offices in the area where her parents live. The only time either of us had our card out of our wallets was when I purchased the tickets from the Metrolink vending machine. There were several people standing there at the time buying tickets as well, but something must have been afoot. They must have somehow seen my number (photographed with phone camera?) and made their own card. According to Wells Fargo the fraudlent charges were made by swiping a card.
This was a real problem since we planned to leave California on Monday and I needed to purchase fuel in Barstow and to rent a car in Las Vegas. I wanted to pay for the fuel ($500) with credit and you absolutely have to have a credit card to rent a car. Wells Fargo worked with us and was able to put a temporary hold on the card which we had removed just before buying fuel and then again just before renting the car on Tuesday. Then we permanently shut it off and have had a new card overnighted to a local bank branch here in Las Vegas. We pick it up this afternoon.
Of course, that is only the beginning of the fun. I have several payments automatically attached to that card so now I will spend several days changing them all over. We don't know what we should have done differently since we are not exactly certain how the card was comprimised, but we know it will take a good deal of time to deal with all the ramifications.
The trip over was uneventful. Towing an RV with our big truck is amazing. We came up Cajon Pass at 65 MPH. Some cars can't maintain 65 on their own. I was in the next to the fast lane and easily staying with traffic. Out across the desert with the cruise control set is just like it would be in a car. None of the mountain passes slowed us down and when we descended the 15 mile 6% grade we just shifted to 9th gear, engaged the jake brake, and never touched the brake pedal all the way down. If I were towing with a pickup it would have been white knuckle time.
We will be in Las Vegas until next Monday. We enjoy seeing the sights and strolling the big hotels. We really like Bellagio where we went a couple nights ago. Their water show is so neat.
We are on our way to a rally in Wichita, KS. It is a gathering of people who have converted the big over the road trucks like ours. There are lots of classes and an opportunity to learn and see what others have done with their trucks.
This is getting long so I will stop. We will try to post more often so it does not get out of hand like this.
Donna, we plan to be here until next Monday so you have a cheap place to stay Saturday if you want to stay with us. We are at the Sams Town RV park on Boulder Highway.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Your speed is ....
Most of you have probably seen the radar trailers that police set up to inform you of your speed. They are usually used when the speed limit drops quickly around a construction site or where they have a big speeding problem. Well, the State Park here has such a trailer.
When we first arrived we were given the electric cart we use. As we checked it out with the ranger we quickly discovered that most of the lights did not work. I told the ranger I would look at it and within a day I had everything working. The marine environment here had caused a lot of corrosion in switches and contacts that just took some sanding and WD-40.
The rangers were very impressed that I was able to get it all working so quickly and a couple days ago they asked me if I would look at the radar trailer. They said it worked up until about a year ago and several people had looked at it but no one knew much about it. They dropped it off last night and I looked it over this morning. I had no idea that ocean air could cause so much damage. Almost every wire is rusted through at the terminal strips and connections. In addition, the three batteries that run the unit are completely dead. It's hard to say if they died of old age or because the solar battery charger was disconnected.
Fixing this is going to be a real challenge. Since they have no manuals or schematics for it I told them they would have to obtain them first. I found the manufacturers web site but they will only deal with police or public safety officers so the rangers will have to order those themselves. I gave them a report of my findings and provided them with a list of things I will need. If they can get it all together by the time we get back here next March I will have something to keep me busy for a few days.
Oh, one other thing.... the radar gun itself it missing. Duh! I hope they just took it out for safekeeping, but I doubt it. Without that, the whole trailer is a lost cause.
When we first arrived we were given the electric cart we use. As we checked it out with the ranger we quickly discovered that most of the lights did not work. I told the ranger I would look at it and within a day I had everything working. The marine environment here had caused a lot of corrosion in switches and contacts that just took some sanding and WD-40.
The rangers were very impressed that I was able to get it all working so quickly and a couple days ago they asked me if I would look at the radar trailer. They said it worked up until about a year ago and several people had looked at it but no one knew much about it. They dropped it off last night and I looked it over this morning. I had no idea that ocean air could cause so much damage. Almost every wire is rusted through at the terminal strips and connections. In addition, the three batteries that run the unit are completely dead. It's hard to say if they died of old age or because the solar battery charger was disconnected.
Fixing this is going to be a real challenge. Since they have no manuals or schematics for it I told them they would have to obtain them first. I found the manufacturers web site but they will only deal with police or public safety officers so the rangers will have to order those themselves. I gave them a report of my findings and provided them with a list of things I will need. If they can get it all together by the time we get back here next March I will have something to keep me busy for a few days.
Oh, one other thing.... the radar gun itself it missing. Duh! I hope they just took it out for safekeeping, but I doubt it. Without that, the whole trailer is a lost cause.
We should be so lucky
Dayna's luck (Ipod, full pass to NASCAR race including pit pass, meals in luxury private box and free parking, various products, etc.) has struck again. She just won a half-day off from work by doing a puzzle about payroll terms. She'd only been in payroll less than a month when she won and said she wouldn't have if it hadn't been for her University of Phoenix studies. She's only got nine months to go until she gets her degree and is counting the days.
Darin and Diane are house hunting. It will be a first for them and they are very excited. The property their mobile home is on is up for sale so they have to find a new place to live. It's amazing how much house you can get there for so little - 3/4 BR house on 2-3 acres of land for around $95,000. It's beautiful country, rolling hills, streams and lakes all around them.
We are down to our last week here. We've told the Rangers we'd like to come back next spring and stay until we leave for AK. The park won't be open for camping until May 15th so we will work in the kiosk and do maintenance work until then.
We will leave the 18th for Wichita, KS for a big rig conference with stops along the way in Las Vegas and South Fork, CO where some good friends live. Lots of seminars and activities are planned in KS. We then drive back to Denton for his six-month check-up of his back and Deidra's 14th birthday. We want to spend some time in TN w/Darin & Diane the latter part of October and first of November. Hopefully it won't be as cold as it is between Christmas and New Year's when we normally go! We'd like to come to Mesa the middle of November and stay through Thanksgiving, then back to Denton for Christmas. After that we might spend some time in Yuma or someplace out in the desert saving some money for our trip. Staying back here for another few months will help a lot with our budget as well.
Richard has been avidly reading a few blogs of some retirees who made the AK trip this summer and one couple spent around $11,000 for a three month trip. They ate out almost every meal so that added greatly to their costs. If we only end up doing this trip once we want to do it right so will try to do as much as possible while we're there - about three months. One volunteer couple here lived there for 14 years and want to give us some tips before we leave.
I took the train, with Julie and Marie, to Denair over Labor Day. We went white-water rafting, my third time. This was the best trip I've been on. We really had to work, paddling furiously almost the whole time (wore & broke blisters). It was a level IV so it was very exhilarating! It was great seeing all the Esaus again. Aunt Reah and Uncle Linc had been unable to make Daddy's 90th so I'm glad I went. We had a bus ride to Bakersfield where we caught the train. We could see our train pulling out as we pulled into the station!! We got caught in traffic and the bus driver didn't radio ahead about our status which was a tad frustrating! We then had a 2 1/2 hr layover - oh well.
Other than that "life's a beach"! We've really enjoyed the weather and time to totally relax.
We did have a camper report a lost toddler last evening and one domestic fight a couple of weeks ago but other than that it's been pretty ho hum. Richard has been doing some repair work and I've embroidered three T-s for Donna, Carrie and Lauren as well as a sundress for Lauren. Donna, I forget to get pictures of everything before I sent them off so if you can take some I'd greatly appreciate it.
Darin and Diane are house hunting. It will be a first for them and they are very excited. The property their mobile home is on is up for sale so they have to find a new place to live. It's amazing how much house you can get there for so little - 3/4 BR house on 2-3 acres of land for around $95,000. It's beautiful country, rolling hills, streams and lakes all around them.
We are down to our last week here. We've told the Rangers we'd like to come back next spring and stay until we leave for AK. The park won't be open for camping until May 15th so we will work in the kiosk and do maintenance work until then.
We will leave the 18th for Wichita, KS for a big rig conference with stops along the way in Las Vegas and South Fork, CO where some good friends live. Lots of seminars and activities are planned in KS. We then drive back to Denton for his six-month check-up of his back and Deidra's 14th birthday. We want to spend some time in TN w/Darin & Diane the latter part of October and first of November. Hopefully it won't be as cold as it is between Christmas and New Year's when we normally go! We'd like to come to Mesa the middle of November and stay through Thanksgiving, then back to Denton for Christmas. After that we might spend some time in Yuma or someplace out in the desert saving some money for our trip. Staying back here for another few months will help a lot with our budget as well.
Richard has been avidly reading a few blogs of some retirees who made the AK trip this summer and one couple spent around $11,000 for a three month trip. They ate out almost every meal so that added greatly to their costs. If we only end up doing this trip once we want to do it right so will try to do as much as possible while we're there - about three months. One volunteer couple here lived there for 14 years and want to give us some tips before we leave.
I took the train, with Julie and Marie, to Denair over Labor Day. We went white-water rafting, my third time. This was the best trip I've been on. We really had to work, paddling furiously almost the whole time (wore & broke blisters). It was a level IV so it was very exhilarating! It was great seeing all the Esaus again. Aunt Reah and Uncle Linc had been unable to make Daddy's 90th so I'm glad I went. We had a bus ride to Bakersfield where we caught the train. We could see our train pulling out as we pulled into the station!! We got caught in traffic and the bus driver didn't radio ahead about our status which was a tad frustrating! We then had a 2 1/2 hr layover - oh well.
Other than that "life's a beach"! We've really enjoyed the weather and time to totally relax.
We did have a camper report a lost toddler last evening and one domestic fight a couple of weeks ago but other than that it's been pretty ho hum. Richard has been doing some repair work and I've embroidered three T-s for Donna, Carrie and Lauren as well as a sundress for Lauren. Donna, I forget to get pictures of everything before I sent them off so if you can take some I'd greatly appreciate it.
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