30 April 2006: It's raining and we are resting. Tom did the food shopping and I'll do the laundry tomorrow. We will be back on the road again on Tuesday heading to Bristol-Kingsport KOA in TN, then we'll be in Lexington, VA on Wednesday. The rain must be clearing some of the pollen out because I no longer feel that I have pins and needles in my eye sockets!
29 April 2006: Allergy Alert! Our truck Ruby was dusted with yellow pollen today. Yesterday, Harry Cat rolled in the leaf mulch which was sprinkled with honeysuckle and poison ivy, then he slept on his pillow next to my face last night. I woke-up feeling like pins and needles had been poked into the flesh around my eye sockets! I took Benadryl and slept most of the way through the middle of Tennessee. Tom's sneezing and I'm itching. Ah, yes, we remember springtime on the East Coast! Irises, azaleas, and those trees with purple blooms that look like upside down wisteria are blooming, and I saw some white dogwoods in bloom, too. Green, green Tennessee and sweet tea at Micky D's! A Confederate flag was flying, chickens were in the yard, and flowers were growing in an old bathtub: We must be in THE South. We've stopped at Bean Pot RV Campground in Crossville, TN, for a few nights to rest, forage for supplies, and wash the dirty clothes. I just took another Benadryl, so another nap is coming my way ...
28 April 2006: Across the Mississippi River, the Memphis Skyline shapes the landscape. Road construction and traffic congestion presented some driving challenges, but Tom maneuvered our rig around the city like a veteran RVer. The landscape east of Memphis was quite flat but became hillier as we approached Nashville. We passed signs for many state parks and Loretta Lynn's Country Kitchen, Gift Shop, RV Park, and Dude Ranch. As for flower watching, I saw a few red poppies, some small white daisies, and some wildflowers that looked like miniature purple lupine. And as for critter watching, I saw a few crows and groundhogs, that's all. There were quite a few XXX Adult Book Shops along the Interstate; guess the truckers get lonely and bored.
We've stopped overnight at the Dickson RV Park, a defunct KOA now managed by "one ol' grouch and one friendly person." The self proclaimed ol' grouch registered us with the help of one of her cats, Honey. Another friendly feline, mostly Maine Coon, greeted us in front of the office. Both of these cats were left behind by their owners over a dozen years ago. They have been well taken care of by the ol' grouch who had some beautiful purple, yellow, and brown irises blooming in front of the office. The iris is the state flower of Tennessee.
We are again right off a major highway so it will be another noisy night. We're in trees, so the satellite dish is not up and there is no WiFi in this rundown place, so no Internet tonight. We do have a cell phone connection. The tree pollen is thick and irritating. Thank goodness for Benadryl! Tomorrow, East Tennessee ...
27 April 2006: Puffy, white clouds, 69 F., and I slept most of the way from Texarkana through Little Rock, location of the Clinton Presidential Center. I think I'm getting tired ... I-30 E is mostly bordered by stripmalls and industrial parks. Beyond Little Rock, we turned onto I-40 E and the land became agricultural. There were rivers and lakes, and even some standing water in marshlands; we are no longer in the desert. Honeysuckle draped the fences and hillsides. I'm very allergic to honeysuckle! I saw a heron flying over, a few turtles were contemplating crossing the road, and red-winged blackbirds flitted in and out of roadside bushes and perched on fence posts. I know we're in the South because the restaurant served sweetened ice tea! Tomorrow, on to Tennessee where Elvis and Dolly were born and country music reigns supreme.
We have an electrical problem. The ice-maker is not working and the electric power will not heat the water. We're hoping that we'll get to Natural Bridge, VA, before anything else breaks. Once we get there, we can call an RV repairman to come fix the problem. At least we're not in the desert and the temperatures are much cooler. We heat with propane, so that won't be a problem. We can also heat the water with propane. We learned about this problem tonight when I took a COLD shower! We've stopped overnight in a rather dumpy RV Park because there weren't many to choose from in this area. And again, we're near the highway so it will be another noisy night.
26 April 2006: Temperatures dropped to 49 F. again last night. We followed our trek on I-20 south of Dallas-Ft. Worth. We could see the Ft. Worth skyline in the distant haze. Traffic was tolerable mid-day on the Jetson-like layered highways. After we passed this metro area, we traveled north to I-30 E. Bushes became trees here and tall green grasses overtook the wildflowers; only thistle, Queen Anne's lace, and orange Indian paintbrush were visible in the meadows. Taco Buenos, Sonic drive-ins, and Whataburgers are as numerous as McDonald's, Subways, and Wendy's. I had good luck finding boots for the kids at the Circle E Western Store in Sulphur Springs, TX: purple boots for TJ, yellow boots for Rosie, and black & red boots for Peyton. As for critters, a huge wild turkey crossed the highway in front of us. A Google search on wild turkeys in Texas shows that turkey hunting is a favorite sport in Texas. I saw two armadillos, dead ones on the shoulder of the road. We've stopped at the Texarkana KOA for the night. It will be another noisy night because we're near I-30 E. Tomorrow, Arkansas ...
25 April 2006: Temperatures have dropped from 94 F. to 49 F.! Guess the mid-Texas heatwave has passed for now. The weather is now chilly, cloudy, and windy, not good for roadside photo-ops of wildflowers. We passed some wind turbines; good to see Texas exploring alternative sources of energy! The industrial sites become farms and cattle ranches. East of the stinky, ugly oil refineries, the desert dirt comes alive with green grass and the colors of wildflowers. Pink and white primroses, blanket flowers, purple clover, Mexican hats, winecups, and yes, a few bluebonnets colored the landscape. There were many prickly pear cactus plants, but they were not yet blooming. We stopped overnight in Aledo, Texas, at Cowtown RV Park. It was a noisy stop near I-20 E.
24 April 2006: It's hot, dry, and there isn't a cloud in the sky! We must be in the Sonoran Desert. Nope, we've driven on into Texas. We've stopped for two nights in Big Spring, Texas, to shop for food and do laundry. Here's a summary of our last few travel days ...
On 22 April, we left New Mexico with its distant, craggy mountains and pecan orchards. We passed a huge cattle feed lot that smelled to high heaven in the desert heat! I still can't believe that I eat meat from animals that live in their own waste! Along I-10 East near Las Cruces, we could see the Rio Grande River and into Mexico, the poor side of the river. The quality of housing was much worse on the south side of the river than on the north side of the river. After entering Texas, we began to see billboards boasting about great steaks and BBQ, after all, this is cattle country. Hitching posts along the way had saddleblankets, jewelry, pottery, and boots for sale. We had to stop at one Border Control post. Yes, we are both US citizens. But what about all of the immigrants hiding in our RV? They didn't even ask to check in there. If they had checked back there, they would only have found two black cats both of whom are also US citizens. The land gets flatter and the yucca plants are fewer while the bushes and brush take over much of this land.
On 23 April, I saw two roadrunners, but they ran away before I could photograph them. I also saw a cute kitty who looked like a young, skinny Sadie. There were many rabbits, busy birds, and an emu at this KOA in Van Horn, Texas. It was 88 degrees at noon as we passed wide open spaces dotted with oil pumps and lined with railroad tracks. We passed by Odessa, hometown of our friend Bellann, and Midland, noted as the hometown of George & Laura Bush on a billboard, and Stanton noted as a place of 3,000 friendly people and a few old soreheads. This area is very, very industrial. This season's wildflowers are few and far between because of the current draught. I only saw a few white prickly poppies, yellow brittlebrush, and a handful of blanket flowers, alas, no bluebonnets. Perhaps we're too late, it has been too dry, or we're just not in the right region.
21 April 2006: Tom had a tough morning. He wasn't feeling up to par, but we had to hitch-up and go. When he drove the truck off of the boards that we had used to balance the RV, he damaged the electric cord that was still plugged in. Oops. He was able to repair the connection in the RV. Fortunately, we were near a Camping World store that had a new electrical end but not a full cord. So, we went to the RV service bay at Beaudry RV in Tucson, AZ, where we had been camped for the past few nights, hoping that they would put the new end on the cord for us and test it before we pulled out onto I-10. The service advisor was busy, then very RUDE. He said that we would have to leave the RV all day and even then they might not get to it until tomorrow which meant we would have to take the cats and ourselves to a hotel for the day and night. Why did they need the RV when only the cord was damaged? They didn't want to help us; they were too busy with bigger fish in the pond. So, we drove back to the Camping World parking lot where Tom got out his trusty tools and stood in the hot sun on the burning blacktop pavement and did the repair himself. We finally got onto I-10 heading east about noon.
Leaving AZ, the saguaro cacti disappear and yucca plants dot the dessert. There was an interesting area of rock formations along the way. Into New Mexico we go ... Several times, we saw signs warning us of possible dust storms causing zero visibility and boding us to drive with extreme caution but to not stop in the traffic lanes in such storms. Fortunately, none blew our way today, but we did see several dust devils spinning in the distance. In fact, one stirred up at a truck stop where we stopped for a short break. I saw some yellow brittlebrush flowers, desert marigolds, and a scarce, few blanket flowers along the way, as well as many tumbleweeds piling up along fences. I thought that tumbleweeds were just balls of dried grasses that were shaped by the wind blowing them around, but I was wrong. Tumbleweed is also known as "Russian thistle" and "wind witch." Every time we cross the Continental Divide, Tom gives me a report as to where our pee will be going now, like I care! We were almost a mile high in altitude today which is contributing to my sinus infection mostly caused by dust and dirt. We'll be driving into Texas tomorrow ...
20 April 2006: Yesterday, Tom and I spent about five hours at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. We were greeted by a ranger with an owl on her arm. We enjoyed the 2-mile walk through desert scenery and a good meal at the Ocotillo Cafe. When the sun hit high noon, we high-tailed it home out of the heat. This morning, we headed out to the Saguaro National Park East. My goals were to photograph a saguaro flower, a cactus wren, and a roadrunner. I accomplished the first of these three. I have about 200 photographs to review, edit, and upload for our gallery on Arizona. Tomorrow, we head into New Mexico where the roadrunner is the state bird so maybe I'll get a photo of one there!
17 April 2006: We spent a few hours this afternoon at the Old Tucson Studios in AZ. This is where many outdoor sets are maintained for westerns. Movies were filmed here beginning in 1939 with Arizona. The TV shows, Little House on the Prairie, Gunsmoke, and Wagon Train, were filmed here as well as many classic old westerns like Gunfight at the OK Corral and Hombre. John Wayne, "the Duke," made many movies here. More recently, mostly commercials are being filmed here. Today, two set guys were in the courtroom discussing how to modify it for some upcoming filming. The lighting was good for many outdoor photos so I've created a new gallery just for these photos. I'll upload these photos soon.
16 April 2006: Tucson, Arizona ... hot, dry, sun, cacti, dust devils, active adult living communities, golf courses, desert mountains and plateaus, dry riverbeds, and dry creekbeds. OK, it's warm and the heat is good for achey bones, but I can't believe that the dust and dirt is good for old folks' respiratory systems! We'll be staying at the Beaudry RV Resort & Rally Park a few days to take photos in Saguaro National Park and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and to have our truck Ruby serviced.
14 April 2006: SANDSTORM! The wind went crazy and carried dust and dirt through the park most of the day. Tom had left the windows in the truck partially down, so now Ruby is filled with grit. There was so much dirt in the air that we could not see the desert mountains across the Colorado River. After the storm blew away, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees to a comfortable 70 this evening. The locals are sitting around fires with jackets and hats on. The grackles are squealing and the red and white oleanders are blooming. We had tasty chicken tacos for dinner and a sweet, juicy CA orange for dessert. Tonight's sunset was not as interesting as last night's, not as many clouds. Tomorrow is laundry day.
13 April 2006: Yesterday as I was looking at the map of Country Hills RV Park in Beaumont, CA, I commented about the street names. We're parked on Coyote Lane. I wondered aloud if there were coyotes here. Early this morning, a coyote pack ran through the park yelping. I thought those were very strange sounds for dogs to be making. Tom later asked me if I had heard the coyote pack. I have never heard such a sound before in my life. A cat would never survive such a pack! On to dry, hot AZ today ... I wanted to be warm, not HOT! It's 98 degrees and Tom's miserable, so we have both air conditioners churning. We'll stop here at River Breeze RV Park on the Colorado River for 3 nights and 2 days to rest, shop, and do laundry.
12 April 2006: What a drive! We towed from Bakersfield through Tehachapi on past Riverside to Beaumont. Ruby towed the RV up Tehachapi Pass 4,064 miles! Those wind turbines are still an awesome sight to see. Then, Ruby wanted to fly down the other side. Whew!! There was quite a bit of snow on the high ranges of the Sierra Nevada and the San Bernardino Mts. In fact, we can see snow from our campground. We've finally connected to I-10 East that we'll take through AZ, NM, and Texas.
11 April 2006: We had a rather easy day towing south on 99 from Manteca to Bakersfield. After 4 days of driving, we're still in CA. It's a very long state! We're in AG country: vineyards, nut trees, vineyards, fruit trees, vineyards, cattle feed lots, vineyards, palm trees, vineyards, eucalyptus trees, vineyards, oleander bushes, and, did I mention vineyards? Weather is still in the 60's and rainy. We stopped at a Walmart to pee, change places, and pick-up a few items. I found myself in a Spanish-speaking country! Last night, we were parked on a manicured concrete site; tonight, we're parked in mud. Different day; different yard.
08 April 2006: Another stressful day of towing, this time around San Francisco. After miles and miles of vineyards near Napa Valley, we were greeted with sunny skies, blooming nut trees, and those tall, skinny pine trees. Glowing orange poppies smiled at us and palm trees waved to us, but the windmills were still today. High temperature reached 71 degrees! Ruby is towing fine after her visit to the shop yesterday. We did run into some weight restrictions in our venture around San Francisco. I navigated some narrow, steep streets in lots of traffic while Tom navigated us in different directions. I hate city driving! We're not far from Yosemite National Park, but we have no time for visiting this trip. There's lots of snow on the mountains in that direction so some of the roads would still be closed this time of year. We're camping at French Camp RV Park for three nights so we can shop for food and do laundry and just rest ...
07 April 2006: It was one of those days ... We both woke-up about 3 AM. This is Tom's usual wake-up time, but I think the loud trucks on the nearby highway messed up my sleep. We drank our coffee and tea and did some computering. I went back to sleep; Tom did not. We pulled out of Riverwalk RV Park about 10:30 AM. No rain, but no sunshine, either. In between slides where construction crews were slowing down our progress, we were enjoying the groves of giant redwood trees and glacier green rivers when Ruby started roaring. Tom calmly said, "That doesn't sound right." He was giving her all the gas he could, but she was losing power. He pulled over and checked under the hood: the turbo pipe hose had come off on one end. He fetched his trusty tools and tried to repair it. I drove a short distance then POP! We knew the hose had come off again. I was giving Ruby as much gas as I could, but she was losing power on the hill, and fast! We struggled hoping that the RV would not be pulling us backward soon and found a wide enough spot to pullover. Tom took the hose off, cut away some of the worn edge, cleaned it and put it back on. Fortunately, we were near the small town of Willits and it was a downhill ride from here. The auto repair guy said we should try to drive 20 more miles to Ukiah where there is a Ford Dealer. No way. So, we back-tracked to the KOA campground we had seen signs for and parked the RV. We called the Ukiah Ford Dealer whose parts gal said she thought that they had the part we needed. Now, it's a Friday afternoon about 3 PM and they close at 6 PM, and their diesel mechanic was booked for the rest of the day and no, the service department is not open on Saturday. But, perhaps one of their other mechanics could repair the hose. So, we hurried south to Ukiah where Ruby was serviced and repaired with time to spare. On our way back, the weather turned cold, windy, and rainy. Will we ever get to warm, sunny weather? On the way to and from Ukiah, I did notice many vineyards and lots of fuzzy trees with mistletoe. The fuzz is lichen and moss. It rains a lot here to make those trees so fuzzy. Some days are just like this. Things go wrong, then we realize things could be worse. So, let's count this as a stressful, but lucky day. We will continue our travels through CA vineyards toward warm sun tomorrow ...
06 April 2006: We said good-bye to Brookings, Oregon today and headed south into California. Harry was reluctant to leave Driftwood RV Park as he had become quite the campground cat with free roaming outside privileges during the daylight hours. Because we had not towed in several months, Tom scheduled a rather short driving day. We stopped overnight in Fortuna, CA, just south of Trinidad and Ferndale. There was quite a bit of snow on the Cascade mountain tops, but some spring flowers were blooming around the campground office and I uploaded some photos of them. The weather is still rainy and cool, and I'm still coughing ...
02 April 2006: I'm back in Brookings, Oregon, where the rain never stops! It's rained since I arrived on Thursday. I may not see sunshine before we pull-out this Thursday when we will travel south then east back to VA. Some of this rain should go to VA where you can walk across the creeks and rivers in most places. The spring flowers need sunshine here and a drink of water there ...
