To Our Blog Readers -- New Pictures

Since arriving home, I have uploaded some of the pictures we took while on the trip. I have added a few of them to the following entries:
- Tuesday, March 25. Pictures of pigeon chicks and their first-flight coup. Also check out the pig in the trough at the OKC Stockyards.
- Monday, March 24. Pictures of the Oklahoma Capitol building.
- Saturday, March 22. Pictures from the OKC Federal Building Memorial.
Hope you enjoy!

We're Home!

Overnight: HOME

Well, to all those faithful readers, we have arrived safe and sound. God truly blessed us with a safe trip and one that has tons of great memories--some funny, some serious, and some great lessons.

We arrived at approx. 2:30 P.M. It was wonderful to hug the pets. Everyone was glad to see us. Scooter lost weight, Graykitty gained what she lost, and Kalli was in a world of her own. I think Tina & LD's dogs were happier to see us than Kalli was. But, on the other hand, she's not left our side and she's glad to be back cuddling with Dave at night. The kids took great care of the four-legged critters and the house, but then I didn't expect anything less! They were great to do this for us.

Our greeting committee is pictured above. Scooter is the calico cat that my mother willed to me. Kalli is pictured standing on the back deck. Graykitty is obviously the gray cat in the chair. Rusty is LD's beagle sitting by the fence. And, Shadow is Tina's Australian Shepherd.

We plan to take off again within 45-60 days and we're heading for parts Northwest this time. We did cancel our ferry tour of Alaska for now. But, we may still continue on to the most-Northern country.

I'm settling in to do those dreaded taxes (oh, Fair Tax, where art thou??).

I'll keep you posted on this blog when we take off again. Be blessed.

Homeward Bound - Day 24

Overnight: Pell City, Alabama (near Birmingham)

Today we were on the road at 9 A.M. However, we had to wind ourselves out of the woods and get gas. Next to the gas station, we found a Huddle House and decided that was a great first stop (even if we had only been on the road for 20 minutes). After our breakfast, we only filled the gas tank with $50-worth because we had to pay $3.23 per gallon.

The drive on Hwy 78 is very pleasant. It's the new road where we saw coal-loaded box cars on the way toward Albuquerque. So, it was smooth sailing. We did find a gas station in Birmingham that charged only $3.09, so we filled up. We had mostly used what we filled up with when in Tupelo.

We arrived in Pell City, AL, about 2:30 PM and decided that we'd grab our early dinner as we didn't want to unhook the car from the trailer tonight. We opted for Cracker Barrel. We arrived safe and sound at the Lakeside Landing Campground. Dave hooked up all of our utilities. Tomorrow morning we have to empty all tanks and not add anything other than storage water and cleaners as we will arrive home tomorrow.

After we unpack in the next few days, we will haul Homey-Roamy to Camping World to get some things repaired and get some maintenance done before our next journey in approximately 45 days.

Thanks for joining us on our Albuquerque Trek. We look forward to keeping a blog when we hit the road again. We will leave home sometime between mid-May and the first of June. I'll add one more entry to let you know that we did arrive home safely.

May God bless and keep all of you well and healthy.

Speaking of healthy, I'm off to get a bowl of ice cream.

Homeward Bound - Day 23

Overnight: Tupelo, Mississippi

We left Morrilton at 9 A.M. as Dave had us all hooked up and ready to go. We only had to unhook the water/elec/gas. I had a little bit of put-away to do, but we were mostly ready to roll early in the morning. I remembered to make sandwiches, so I didn't suffer the wrath of humiliation from Dave--he loves to tease me about not "wanting" to make sandwiches (opting, instead, to eat out).

Today is LD's 39th birthday. So, we called to say HI. We look forward to celebrating with him when we are home.

We did notice on the drive today that there was a lot more flooding from the swollen rivers and streams. Many of the land was soaked as much as a mile from the rivers, and the waters covered many streets. We, however, did stay high and dry.

We stopped at a Wal-Mart parking lot and ate our sandwiches. We found a really great price on gas--$2.79 per gallon. So, Dave, with great difficulty I add, maneuvered into the gas island. Then, we looked up and realized the gas station was closed--permanently. No wonder the gas was advertised so inexpensively. Ha Ha on us.

Dave was getting tired by the time we passed Memphis, TN, but we couldn't find a place to camp along the way. We finally got desperate in Tupelo, MS, and decided to take our chances with a state campground. Usually, they don't have electric hookups. But, after driving beyond the freeway (actually, Hwy 78) for about 5 miles and winding our way into the hills, we found the greatest campground: Tombigbee State Park. Not only did it have electric and water hookups, but it had sewer hookups, picnic tables, boat ramps, tennis courts, shower and laundry facilities, and lots of trees. So, we were pleasantly surprised. Of course, we did not have WiFi, so we took a break from the PC and just relaxed. The fee for the night was only $18.

Our night's sleep was interrupted quite a few times, however, with trains passing. But, this was something I'm sure you'd get used to quickly. They weren't terribly loud. All in all, we would definitely stay there again.

Did I mention, we were just down the road from Elvis' birthplace? We opted not to visit this time as we were anxious to get home. Tupelo is a nice little city--at least on the outskirts.

Homeward Bound - Day 22

Overnight: Morrilton, Arkansas (east of Russellville and west of Little Rock)




Note: For those of you who have been keeping up with the blog, scan down and see some new pics added to previous stops.

This morning we didn't arise as early as I had hoped, so we didn't get on the road until our "normal" time of 10 A.M.

We stopped for gas and then were on our way. By the way, our gas prices on the road seem to be about $3.13 on average. We paid as low as $3.09 and as high as $3.39. We are still averaging about 8.5 MPG.

We had an essentially uneventful day today. We did notice that the waters were a little high in Arkansas. But, we didn't see any significant flooding. Some of the sod farms and other farm lands seemed a bit "over wet."

We stopped for dinner at the same Mexican restaurant that we stopped at in Russellville on our way to ABQ. We tried to stay at Ivy's RV Park again, but it was still full of those folks who are cleaning out the nuclear power plant. So, we drove on to Morrilton and settled in at the KOA. We have pretty good WiFi here.

We will have a repair to make when we get home. The wind ripped the plastic edge of the fascia piece that goes under the bottom edge of the slide-out. Of course, it's part of an entire piece that runs the full length of the slide-out. Not sure how much that will run, but sure it won't come cheap, and I'm sure the repair shop will have to order that piece.

We do have an overwhelming swarm of "baby" flies to deal with, but the door is shut and, so far, we don't seem to have them inside Homey-Roamy.

We notice that we have deer tracks right at the foot of our RV steps, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled. Dave would be the better tracker, but he's crashed on the bed (it's 7 P.M.). Not sure what tomorrow will bring. We are toying with stopping to see the capitol in Little Rock, but I'm now getting a bit anxious to be home. So, we'll have to see how it goes tomorrow.

Homeward Bound - Day 21

Overnight: Oklahoma City, OK

Today we were supposed to rise early to go to the cattle auction. But, late at night, I decided I wasn't sure what the facilities looked like or what seating accommodations would be like, so I changed the plans and we slept in.

We did want to go to Stockyard City anyway. It's basically an Old Town shopping area. We do like to go in and out of those kind of stores, so we had fun going into tack, saddle, and boot stores. Dave bought a cowhide belt with fur and all and it's studded with turquoise. He's my cowboy!

We ate lunch at the Cattlemen's restaurant, which has been going strong since the 1920s. It was really good and we opted for the small luncheon steak. We've been eating so much, we just didn't want a heavy lunch.

We drove by the stockyards and I was glad we opted not to attend. No seats. Just pens and pens and pens with walking rows between. We did spot some pigs and got a great picture of a sow sitting in the water trough. However, I'll have to upload when I get home, because I took the picture with the regular camera and not my phone (I can't upload camera disk onto this laptop).

We stopped back by the World of Wings Pigeon place and visited with the owner. We had not met him the day before, but he asked us if we were the folks that came by the day before. So, he had heard about us. Isn't it nice to be so famous? Oh, well, back to reality. He showed us around the nesting building, which we did not see the day before. We saw and touched 2-day old chicks, 4-wk old chicks, and 6-wk old chicks. By the time the chicks are 6-weeks old, they are fully grown. I was amazed that the pair of pigeons raising the 4-wk old chick had already laid 2 more eggs. I took pictures, but with my camera. So, I won't be able to upload those until we get home. Check back at some later date, as I will post those pictures when I get home.

We went back to the RV and took naps. I cooked a hearty on-the-road meal---hot dogs. Watched TV and called it an early evening.

Homeward Bound - Day 20

Overnight: Oklahoma City, OK

Today we rose early to take the car in for an oil change. I had suggested this while in Albuquerque, but we kind of got lazy (well, I guess I should say "I got lazy") and opted just for a car wash while in ABQ. But, true to form, as soon as we were well on the road out of Amarillo, the "you'd better change my oil" light came on. So, today was the day for that task. We found a GMC dealer and headed in. We were very impressed with their thoroughness in finding all the "little" things that needed to be done and left with our $24.95 oil change costing us $364.03. But, we are all set to go now and have the "little" things taken care of.

After that ordeal, we were supposed to go to the Capitol Building, but we were a bit too early for the afternoon tours. So, we headed for the World of Pigeons Museum. Yup, you heard right--pigeons. I always seem to find these strange, off-the-wall things to do. But, that's half the fun of the trip, isn't it?

It's just a small museum and facility. It just happens to be about 1/4 mile from the campground. It was hard to find anyone around to give us a tour, but after walking around in the museum part for a while, we headed outside and were finally greeted by the son-in-law of the owner. It turned out to be so fascinating. He took us to a small building where we watched a video of the pigeons' history and their role as homing birds in WWI and WWII. Just a factoid: the film was narrated by Michael Landon just prior to his death. I guess he was a fan. Anyway, after the film, the "son" brought in his favorite bird. He acted just like a trained parrot, except he cooed instead of talking.

We then went on a tour of the fancy pigeons (some we saw are shown above). I never knew that there were so many varieties of pigeons. Who knew that pigeons can have curls on their feathers??? All we normally see are those common pigeons in the park. They had just released a 6-week old group of pigeons for their first outside (but in a cage) experience today. They were really enjoying basking in the sunshine. I am going back tomorrow to take some pictures, because I just can't get over the variety of pigeons and want to share with you some of the "houses" they live in.

We were also told that homing pigeons are a hobby of big bucks---again, I'm thinking, "in pigeons???" It seems to purchase a good bird for mating stock, it costs about $10,000. Yes, that's right--ten thousand dollars. The birds lay two eggs at a time about five times per year. You can sell those birds for $5,000 each. So, you make quite a bit of money from your investment. Anyone want to invest in our new pigeon farm??

We ate lunch at the hamburger joint near the campground, and then headed off to the OK State Capitol. We arrived about 30 minutes early, but looked around a bit. The tour was a typical capitol tour, but each state's capitol has it's own uniqueness and historical significance. Of course, they are beautiful and filled with marble, stained glass, and exquisite paintings and frescoes. The surprising fact is that the dome on this capitol was not completed until 2001. It was originally designed to have a dome, but funds ran short so it wasn't re-initiated as a building possibility until this late date. One of my goals during my lifetime is to tour every capitol building that I can get to. Of course, we have driven past more than those that we have toured; we still haven't done Georgia yet. So far, the states that I can remember touring are California, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, & Massachusetts, and, of course, our national capital: Washington DC. So, we have quite a task ahead of us!

Dave is napping right now, and I think we'll go out for a bit of Mexican tonight. After all, it's been three whole days and we are having withdrawal symptoms. Tomorrow is our final day here in OKC. We plan to go to Stockyards City to experience the cattle auction at 9 AM. Maybe that will spur us on to invest in a cattle-pigeon farm. Hey, don't laugh, I convinced Dave in 1976 that we should raise chickens.

Homeward Bound - Day 19

Overnight: Oklahoma City, OK

Today is Easter Sunday and we do miss not being at Arbor Pointe Church for their very fist sunrise service on our new property.

Our sightseeing destination today is the National Cowboy & Western History Museum. We took our time getting up and going, called the kids, had our Easter blessings (to each other), and then headed off to the museum. It's only about 1 mile from our campground. Dave mentioned that the musuem had a snack bar, so we decided to grab a bite of lunch there before we did our looking around.

When we got there, we were asked if we were there for the buffet. Of course, we didn't want to miss an Easter buffet, so we indulged. It was really nice to have something special to celebrate Easter because we were not with our personal or church family.

After filling ourselves to the point of almost not being able to walk, we began our trek around the museum. It was very interesting. Dave really enjoyed the displays of boots, saddles, belt buckles, guns, rodeo stuff (and Dot Edmunds, we thought of you a lot when we looked at the cowgirl exhibits), and Indian artifacts and handmade apparel. But, for me, the best part was the little movie theater presentation that was narrated by Sam Elliott (my favorite cowboy) and showed all the cowboys that played a part in the movies since the Silent Film era. Then, there were displays of all the cowboy film stars. We were most impressed with all that was donated by the John Wayne family for his display. As you can see, Dave and John (Wayne) posed the same for this picture!

They even had an indoor, full-scale display of a western city. It was set up as if it were at night and you were walking the streets of a western settlement. I did step into the dancehall and felt right at home with the "tinny" music that was playing--maybe that speaks volumes?? We spent about 3 hours there--after our meal. The paintings of early pioneers were so elaborate and it just makes me wonder why some folks have so much talent and others don't. Bless those who share with all of the rest of us lowly folks.

Our evening was uneventful--just watching TV, playing on the PC (and, yes, the WiFi booster helps a lot, although it does still cut in and out a fair amount of the time), and playing solitaire. I went to bed at 10 PM and Dave thought I was sick because I checked out so early. He just ran me ragged in the museum--and my boots are "not" made for walkin'!

Homeward Bound - Day 18

Overnight: Oklahoma City, OK

This morning’s agenda was to get an adapter for the WiFi to see if we could bring the signal into Dave’s laptop a bit stronger. After visiting the RV park office for directions, we began our wrong-way journey. Seems we were sent about 5 miles too far east. But, we finally found Best Buy. It was about 15 miles away, and I’m surprised that a city of this size didn’t have one closer, but alas.

As long as we were at Best Buy, we decided to make it worthwhile. So, we also purchased a new TV for the bedroom in Homey-Roamy. You know Dave just hates all those reality TV shows I watch. Because the bedroom and living room TVs are a matter of one thin wall apart, we also purchased a wireless headset for Dave.

I also purchased a memory chip for my camera because I left one in the rental car in New York last summer, and the other one burned up after I took pictures of my church family. Humm—is this just a sheer coincidence? I’m sure!!

We were going to the OKC National Memorial & Museum after our shopping spree, but I forgot to bring the camera. So, we drove all the way back to the RV park, put our purchases away, and grabbed the camera. After a bite of lunch at a nearby burger stand, we headed for the memorial site.

I knew this would be a difficult museum and memorial to visit. The pictures above are the reflecting pool, the fence where remembrances are hung every day, and an inscription written on the wall the day of the blast.

We all remember the horror of that day (April 19, 1995), but somehow it’s been a bit subdued in my mind since 9-11. There are just no words to express the awe and inspiration of this memorial. The museum was put together in a most poignant presentation—it puts you right there, that day, with all the sights and sound as the bombing happens. You see some of the destruction left as it was. You hear the stories of those that experienced that day of horror, and you have a chance to look at a portrait and selected mementos from each of those who lost their lives: the children were so difficult to see. I am so glad we made the effort as it was a profound experience. It was most fitting to us that we attend this day before Easter when we remember that our Lord died and rose for all of us that believe in His saving grace so that when our earthly existence is over, we shall be with Him forever.

With our hearts filled with respect and inspiration, we quietly drove back to Homey-Roamy. When we arrived, Dave set about to install his TV and I installed the WiFi adapter. The WiFi helps a bit, but it is still not as strong as it should be and the signal cuts in and out. Dave is now enjoying the fruits of his labor by lying on the bed and watching his “own” TV. The wireless headsets are charging, and I’m sure he’s looking forward to tomorrow when they are fully charged.

Homeward Bound - Day 17

Overnight: Oklahoma City, OK (OKC)

We rose about 7:30 AM and found it to be quite cold and slightly breezy here in Amarillo. However, the wind was not as bad as it had been the previous day. We had not hooked up the car to Homey-Roamy the night before, so preparing to leave took a little longer. Poor Dave was out in the cold breeze hooking up the car and disconnecting the water and electric. I felt so bad for him, but, of course, not bad enough to get out there myself! As you can see by the picture, he was unaffected by the cold! HA HA

When we were ready to leave, the park was finally ready to hoist the Pole Man and his platform and paraphernalia atop the billboard. So, we had to wait and watch that activity.

Our drive to Oklahoma City was uneventful. We stopped a few times to get gas and to stretch our legs.

We arrived at 4:30 PM and settled in to the Twin Fountains RV Park. It’s a beautiful, well-kept park. There are trees at every site. The freeway is right behind us, but it’s more of a dull noise than a bother. After we got all set up, Dave put out our chairs on the patio and we enjoyed the warm sunshine and woodsie atmosphere.

Again, we had no luck with the WiFi that the campground hosts state works VERY well. Our experience is that it comes and goes, and mostly it’s gone. So we think we’ll head out to Best Buy today and see if there is some kind of booster that we can get to attach to our laptop that might help. I’m not sure if it’s truly our laptop, or just our luck to get spots that seem to be blocked from great reception. We did find out in Amarillo when the technician came to work on the laptop that we had a “b” version of the wireless card and not the more recent “g” version; so that could be our problem. Maybe an internal upgrade is possible as well. But, I’d rather go with an external booster as it would be a quicker fix and could be used with another laptop, should we buy a new one.

I cooked spaghetti and we settled in to watch TV. While we are here, there’s a few things we’d like to see. The weather is clear, but cold, today. Tomorrow will be cold and raining in the morning. But, the rest of the week is supposed to be warm and sunny.

We hate that we are going to miss the very first Easter Sunrise service on our church’s newly purchased land. So, we’ll keep the congregation in our prayers and just wish we were there.

Homeward Bound - Day 16

Overnight: Amarillo, TX

Today we slept in a little late and didn’t rise until 8:30 AM. We both availed ourselves of the showers next door and gussied up. Check out this picture of the nice shower & laundry building.

We stopped by the office to pay for the extra night and to get more propane. We found out that they have a great service at this campground. To get a propane tank filled, you notify them of your need and then just put your gas tank outside in front of your trailer. They come and pick it up, fill it, and return it to you. Then, you just stop by the office to pay later. Another plus at this campground was that the first night here was $33 and the second night was only $17. Although this campground doesn’t have any trees whatsoever (after all, it’s strictly desert), it was very clean and well laid out.

By the way, most of the campgrounds have been charging between $27 and $33 per night. The most expensive seem to be KOA campgrounds, and I find them to be the least desirable. In Albuquerque, we paid $39 per night at the KOA (with our Good Sam discounts).

We headed out about noon. We stopped at Red Robin for lunch. Yumm. Sure wish the east coast had that chain of burger joints.

After lunch, we headed to the American Quarter Horse Museum. The museum was well laid out and the displays included many types of information about the horses and their role in history and competitions. Several rooms included information about championship riders, some of their saddles, their horses, their awards, etc. Several items of interest to me were the explanations of what a trail drive included (like the kinds of riders and their positions), a fully loaded and authentic chuck wagon, and several actual starting gates for horse races.

The museum also had an animated (mechanical) horse doctor who talked to a mechanical (cartoonish) horse in a stall. That presentation delivered information about various ailments that horses deal with and how to avoid those illnesses. You could choose among several topics. A clever display also included a full-scale lighted diagram of a quarter horse with an x-ray panel in front of it. As you moved the panel to various parts of the horse, the x-ray showed information about the bones and muscles in that area of the horse.

Our favorite presentation was a kiosk in which we could choose any one of about 30 short clips about the various rodeo or equestrian competitions and the qualifications to win each.

We did a little grocery shopping on the way back to Homey-Roamy and then settled in to devour our apple pie and ice cream.

Homeward Bound - Day 15

Overnight: Amarillo, TX

We headed out of Albuquerque today at 8 AM. A very early start for us. But, we wanted to get to Amarillo early in the day. I had forgotten that the time changes between the two cities, so we arrived in Amarillo time at 3:30 PM. We made good time as we were going down hill this time. The gas mileage was good at 8.5 MPG.

We are staying the Oasis RV Park campground on the West end of town. It's a really nice campground and every note I saw in the comments from rvparkreviews.com stated that the WiFi was exceptional. Yup, here it comes--but, not for us!

After we got all set up, they sent a technicial to our trailer to work on it. It seems we are parked right in line with some new system they are putting in for a guy to stay on a billboard for 30 days as a promotional gimmic for charity. Leave it to us to get assigned that specific spot!!

Notice the flat, dirt, lack-of-trees campgroud. That's Amarillo in a nutshell. But, there is something alluring about this town to Dave and me. I think it's the compact area and it's a very clean town.

Settled in Albuquerque - Days 11 to 14

Overnight: Albuquerque, NM

Through Tuesday night, March 18.

We ended up having to stay a few extra days because of the wind. It was so strong we decided to bring in the slide-out, just to avoid a possible tip-over. Not that it would have, but we are new to this trailer and wanted to error on the side of caution. So, we spent a few days just visiting with Bev and Jerry. We went out to eat once a day and the places they picked were always VERY good. We took our PC to thier house a few times to get on the Internet. Jerry's WiFi worked great--unlike the campground's.

Settled in Albuqueque - Day 10

Overnight: Albuquerque, NM
This is Jerry hard at work!

Today Bev and Jerry came to our trailer. Then, we went out for breakfast and off to the movies. We saw “Horton Hears a Who.” It was OK. But, nothing I’d go out of my way to see again. Certainly, it was no “Shrek.”

From there we traveled to the hills of Albuquerque to spread Dave’s parent’s ashes. However, due to the fire threat, all the parks were closed. Of course, we have to be sly to do this because it’s not allowed. So, we will have to postpone the “ceremony” until later this year when we return to Albuquerque after our trip North.

Dave and I played Canasta tonight. I won this game, so he’s after me now to even the score. Yea, well, just let him try!

Settled in Albuquerque - Day 9

Overnight: Albuquerque, NM
The pictures are of Bev & Jerry's puppies (Piccalo and Magellan) and Muffy (Dave's parents' dog that Bev & Jerry have taken care of for several years). Yes, that's Bev with her puppies.

Bev wasn’t feeling too good today due to her allergies. So, we didn’t get together with them in the morning. Instead, Dave and I did our laundry here at the campground. Then, we had our Wal-Mart experience where we did a wee bit of shopping, followed by us both getting a well-needed hair cut. Afterwards, we went out for Mexican with Bev, Jerry, and Gregory.

Dave and I came back to the trailer. Dave took and nap and I did more crocheting. I’m doing pretty well on the afghan, but I have a long way to go and short time to get it done. For those of you who know me well, “what else is new?”

Settled in Albuquerque - Day 8

Overnight: Albuquerque, NM
(At Bev and Jerry's house)
Today Bev and Jerry (her wonderful significant other) arrived at 10 AM at our KOA campground to see us and our Homey-Roamy. After a bit of chatting, we went back to their house to chat some more. Gregory, a great friend of theirs, joined us all for a late lunch at a great sandwich shop. This place has killer desserts. I had “Death by Lemon” and it certainly came close! We called it an early evening at 4 PM and headed back to the trailer for a nap. We had planned to head back toward Georgia on Friday, but there is another storm coming in. We will have high winds on Friday (gusts up to 60 MPH) followed by a great day on Saturday. But, then Sunday and Monday there will be high winds, rain, and possibly some snow all traveling eastbound. The territory between Albuquerque and Amarillo is known for high-wind gusts, so it can be treacherous even when there is no storm. But, with a story coming, we’ll wait until it passes and leave here on Tuesday.

Settled in Albuquerque - Day 7

Overnight: Albuquerque, New Mexico

We left Amarillo at 10 AM. So, much for an “early” start.

We had an uneventful drive to Albuquerque. But, even though the territory seems flat, there is quite a rise toward Albuquerque.

We have been doing a bit better on gas mileage during this trip than I thought we would. I had planned on 7 MPG. But, we have been averaging between 8 and 9 MPG.
One thing that I have been surprised about is the number of coyotes we have seen. We have seen three alive crossing the road or munching on roadkill. We have also seen 4 that didn’t make it. We have been this route many times and have never seen so many.
We also have seen many, many small black critters with white stripes taking a sunbath on the highway. Dave suggested that he stop and pick up the pelts and make me a stunning coat. Black and white attire is all the rage this season. He also assured me that if I donned my fur coat, no one would bother me. (He’s so funny!)
We arrived in Albuquerque at 5 PM. We didn’t see Dave’s sister, Bev, tonight because by the time we got set up, it was getting late. She was also caring for her two miniature Dashhounds that had “minor surgery” today and they were both a little sick. We’ll get an early start with them tomorrow. Dave and I went out to get some New Mexican cuisine. Love the Chili Rellenos that they make here. I have not been able to find the same rellenos in Georgia. So, when we get here, it’s the first stop we make-get those relleonos. They also have an appetizer that is called “Tableside Guacamole.” The server takes two avocados and chops them up. Then, he adds pico de gallo, seasoning, chopped tomatoes, and lemon. He smashes it all together right there at your table. You talk about YUMM. We inhaled it.

On the Road to Albuquerque - Day 6

Overnight: Amarillo, Texas
We had a, thankfully, uneventful drive through Oklahoma. What a desolate state that is across I-40. But, I busied myself with crocheting and Dave listened to the Arbor Pointe Church’s music CD. We had a couple of campgrounds in mind in Amarillo. We drove by the first one and took a peek. Thought it looked good, but wanted to check the other one. We liked the second one, which was about 3 miles west of the first, so decided to check in. When I was checking in, found out that the only WiFi is in the office. So, we went back to the first campground. It turned out to be very nice. It was quiet and run by very friendly folks. They even had something we had not seen; they had 4 spaces that had a private fenced area for your own pets. Really cool. We had a bit of trouble getting logged in to the WiFi, but finally got it. We planned to get up early and head out. It was so nice to have our furnace working again. Wink. Wink.

On the Road to Albuquerque - Day 5

Overnight: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Here's the continuing epilogue from our stay in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The photos you see are canned photos from our overnight location. But, you'll first have to read the continuing saga from Fort Smith.

At 3 AM on Sunday morning at Fort Smith, I awoke to a freezing cold trailer. We realized we were out of propane for the heater, and the temp was dropping VERY fast. We were worried about the pipes under the trailer and the water heater freezing. So, Dave and I got up to see what we could do to keep the water heater from freezing without taking the time to drain it (a royal pain). As we had just learned a few nights ago, it works automatically on electric, so we wanted to be sure that there was water in the water heater.

Side Note: When we arrived, we knew the temp was going to drop below freezing, so Dave didn’t want the hose out there. We had again filled a bucket with water for flushing and a container to hold water for coffee in the morning. Mind you, it’s probably about 28 degrees out there at 3 AM.

We went back to bed and tried to keep warm with tons of blankets. We do not have an electric heater for emergencies, nor do we have electric blankets. Both situations we will remedy tonight during our Wal-Mart shopping spree. I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold like that, my bladder thinks it has to work overtime. So, I was up 4 more times before morning. Each time I got up, it was MUCH colder than the trip before. The potty is at the far end of the trailer. So, I was able to get good and cold before returning to bed.

It was a horrendous experience. One I hope never to repeat again! I know it was at least 21 degrees outside and 30 inside. We waited, shivering, until 8 AM when the office opened. We called to be sure we could come and get propane that early. So, bless Dave’s heart, he’s out cranking up the stabilizers in 25 degree weather. Then, he unhooked the electric and we were off to the office. Of course, Dave had to stand outside with the guy while both 30 lb tanks were filled. And, then he had to go inside to pay (a rather long walk). But, one "fun" thing was that Dave took a parade of ducks with him to the office. He looked like the Pied Piper with 30 quakers following him to the office door. Of course, you know he really loved that.

When Dave went into the office to pay, the son of the owner started in on Dave telling Dave that, "He needed to read the signs and obey the rules. And that if he pushed driving all day and then came into 'any' campground after hours, he had to pull into the spaces that have no service and not disturb the other campers. Campers need to obey the rules because their campground has full-timers, and they do no want them disturbed...blah blah blah." Dave said he went on and on and wouldn't let him speak.

Then finally Dave found a spot to speak when this guy took a breath, and Dave stated that we had called ahead and made reservations. Dave told him we had talked with a lady and she took all of our information. That lady said she would leave our map and instructions on the bulletin board at the late-arrival registry area outside. We arrived around 8 PM where we picked up the papers. And, we were really were quiet in setting up.

The guy said, "Oh, my brother must have thought you were someone else."

Dave said he offered no apology just that good "blessing out" on a Sunday morning. Dave said he was good-to-go with that sermon for the rest of the day!

The guy did offer him a cup of coffee after the "blessing"; but all Dave wanted was out of there, so he turned him down.

We quickly drove back to our spot, reconnected the electric, turned on the gas, and thawed out. We thought we might go back to bed. But, alas, by that time, we were wide awake. So, we finally got on the road about 11 AM after cleaning up, making sandwiches, and breaking camp.

The drive was, thankfully, uneventful, except for those Oklahoma roads. Man, do they need repairing. They are so "bouncy" that you get your teeth jarred more than you can imagine. It's so bad at times, you can't even talk because the air is pushed out of your lungs before your tongue can form the words.

We stopped at a roadside rest and ate our sandwiches in the Homey-Roamy. We had planned to drive to Elk City, but Dave was really tired from the previous day and night's and experiences. So, I got out ye ol' Next Exit book and found some campgrounds in Oklahoma City.

After a bit of taking the "scenic route" to find the campground, we are all settled in at the Rockwell RV Park (www.campusa.com/ok/rockwell/) just west of Oklahoma City. This camp is just a parking lot, albeit nice. Hey, they gave me a box of candied cherries when I checked in, so no more needs to be said!

They have an enclosed, heated swimming pool. So, that would be really nice if one would dare to don such attire.

On the Road Again to Albuquerque - Day 4

Overnight: Fort Smith, Arkansas
We awoke at about 8 AM and checked out the snow situation. Still have plenty on the ground, but with the dawn came warmth and we felt we could bring in the slide-out at about 10:30 AM without having to mop up too much water inside.

So we headed out of West Memphis, Arkansas, at 11 AM. First stop was to get gas. We stopped at a Pilot station, and a truck driver told us that I-40 West was backed up for about 12 miles. He suggested we take US 70 West. So, we did. After about 10 miles, we could see from afar peeks at the freeway, that there was no backup on I-40. So, we ventured onto the freeway. We traveled about 2 miles and then came to a screeching halt. To shorten a very long drawn out story, we ended up going 50 miles in 3 hours. We sat one place for about an hour. We even got to share Homey-Roamy's potty with some nice young lady who was as desperate as I was to use it.

To make up for the rough, late start on our driving log, we drove longer than we like to. We drove until 5:30 PM. We had planned to make it to Fort Smith area, but Dave was really tired. So, we stopped in Russellville, AR, to find a place to camp. According to The Next Exit book, there were two campgrounds at that exit. We asked a clerk at the gas station where we filled up where these campgrounds might be. We checked the first one, which seemed to be the back lot of an RV sales lot. That was not inviting, nor did it seem to be open. Our second choice was at a city-type park, which clearly stated "RV Park" on their sign. We checked all roads within the park, and not a camper was to be found. Our third choice was a better choice--regular campground. But, they were full because the nuclear power plant nearby was shut down for cleaning, so all the workers were camped there. At this point, it's nearly 6 PM. So, we decided to call ahead to the KOA in Fort Smith koa.com/where/ar/04110/ we had originally planned to camp and see if they had any spots. They did. So, we registered by phone. All papers were going to be placed at the night check-in area, so we were good to go.

We decided to first get a bite to eat at a Mexican restaurant. It's so much fun trying to find a place to park with a big rig. But, Dave's so good at driving our Homey-Roamy, it seemed effortless. After dinner, we continued onward to Alma, AR, which is just 7 miles east of Fort Smith, AR.

Arrived 7:30 PM and as the owner had said, we were all registered and papers waiting for us when we arrived.

Dave hooked up on the electric, turned on the propane, and we settled inside to work on the blog and answer emails, but we were only given 30 minutes of WiFi "free" time. What a duh! When Dave tried to send a message, I guess the 30 minutes was up because nothing would send. So, we settled for watching a wee bit of TV and then went to bed.

At 3 AM I awoke to a freezing cold trailer. We realized we were out of propane for the heater, and the temp was dropping VERY fast. We were worried about the pipes under the trailer and the water heater freezing. So, Dave and I got up to see what we could do to keep the water heater from freezing without taking the time to drain it (a royal pain). As we had just learned a few nights ago, it works automatically on electric, so we wanted to be sure that there was water in the water heater (because we had not hooked up to the water at the camp yet) and then the electric would just keep the water toasty. Out Dave goes to connect the water until we can tell the heater is full of water. When we arrived, we knew the temp was going to drop below freezing, so didn’t want the hose out there. We had again filled a bucket with water for flushing and a container to hold water for coffee in the morning. Mind you, it’s probably about 28 degrees out there at 3 AM.

We went back to bed and tried to keep warm with tons of blankets. We do not have an electric heater for emergencies, nor do we have electric blankets. Both situations we will remedy tonight during our Wal-Mart shopping spree. I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold like that, my bladder thinks it has to work overtime. So, I was up 4 more times before morning. Each time I got up, it was MUCH colder than the trip before. The potty is at the far end of the trailer. So, I was able to get good and cold before returning to bed.

It was a horrendous experience. One I hope never to repeat again because I know it was at least 21 degrees outside and 30 inside. We waited, shivering, until 8 AM when the office opened. We called to be sure we could come and get propane that early. So, bless Dave’s heart, he’s out cranking up the stabilizers. Then, he unhooked the electric and we were off to the office. We hadn’t unhitched the car when we camped, and we were not about to go to that trouble in 25 degree weather. Of course, Dave had to stand outside while both 30 lb tanks were filled. And, then he had to go inside to pay (a rather long walk). But, one good thing was that he took a parade of ducks with him to the office. He looked like the Pied Piper with 30 quakers following him to the office door. Of course, you know he really loved that.

When Dave went into the office to pay, the son of the owner started in on Dave stating telling Dave that he needed to read the signs and obey the rules. And that if I pushed driving all day and then came into "any" campground after hours, I had to pull into the spaces that have no service and not disturb the other campers, renters that obey the rules because they have full-timers that they do no want disturbed...blah blah blah, he went on and on and wouldn't let Dave speak.

Then finally Dave found a spot to say that we had called ahead and made reservations. We had talked with a lady and she took all of our information. She said she would leave our map and instructions on the bulletin board at the later-arrival registry area outside. We got in around 8 PM where we picked up the papers. And, we were really were quiet in setting up.

He said, "Oh, my brother must have thought you were someone else."

No apology just a good blessing out on a Sunday morning. Dave said he was good-to-go with that sermon for the rest of the day!

The guy did offer him a cup of coffee after the "blessing [out]"; but all Dave wanted was out of there, so he turned him down.

We quickly drove back to our spot, reconnected the electric, turned on the gas, and thawed out. We thought we might go back to bed. But, alas, by that time, we were wide awake. So, we finally got on the road about 11 AM after cleaning up, making sandwiches, and breaking camp.



We are all settled in at the Rockwell RV Park just west of Oklahoma City. This camp is just a parking lot, albeit nice. Hey, they gave me a box of candied cherries when I checked in, so no more needs to be said!



I’ll work on updating the blog tonight while Dave is sleeping. Our WiFi wasn’t all it was cracked up to be last night. We were only given 30 minutes of free time. What a duh. And, then when Dave went to send a message, I guess the 30 minutes was up because nothing would send.

Snow-Bound on the Road to Albuquerque - Day 3

Overnight: West Memphis, Arkansas (again)Dave's sister, Beverly, asked if we were bringing Homey-Roamy to Albuquerque for a shake-down cruise. Dave matter-of-factly stated, "No, we did that already when we went to Tampa." Boy, was he wrong!

This "cruise" has turned out to be more than a shake-down cruise; it's been a sheer challenge to mind and body. Maybe I'd go so far as to call it a dementia ward-off experience.

Unfortunately, our day started with the sad news that Dave's mom passed away Thursday night. The loss of one's parents is so difficult. But, we know she lived a long and happy life. To quote Dave's sister, "I can picture Dad, Mom, and Penny [the dog the kids had growing up] fishing in heaven, young and happy. They probably have plenty of fried chicken left in the pot, also." Need I say more!

We had made the decision on Thursday evening to stay put through Friday's winter storm and let it pass over us. We at least knew this campground. We have good TV reception and excellent WiFi. The "new" necessities of life. We had other good things we could use as well, like electricity, water, and propane. We also enjoy the unobstructed view of the tugs going up and down Ol' Miss.

Rain was predicted to begin at 5 AM, which was to be followed by snow around 7 AM. AT 4 AM, I awoke in anticipation of the coming storm, and "I" decided that because we were staying put that I should crank down the stabilizers on the trailer before the rain came in at 5 AM. Now, 4 AM is not the time to make such a decision. Nevertheless, I was determined. My hero got up and insisted on doing this dasterdly deed in the freezing cold so I wouldn't have to. What a guy! Love that pedestal he puts me on!

Friday morning at 8 AM we awoke to a clear day. No rain. No snow. So, we just sat and waited. We decided that trying to walk around the shoe-propped-up rug on the floor was a pain, so out goes the slide-out. Phew! Much more room to navigate. I got out my crocheting and started to untangle that mess that I last worked on in July. It's an aphgahn that I need to complete before Dave's Navy reunion in June. It's our raffle donation for the reunion group's fund raising. Dave busied himself on the PC and spent the day preparing as best he could for the upcoming storm. He went out and rolled up the hose that delivers water to our trailer and tucked it under the trailer to keep it a bit warmer. He also filled a bucket with water to bring in for "flushing" in case we lost the hose. The hose froze, even though we dripped water in the kitchen sink, in about an hour. We were glad we had the bucket, but forgot about needing drinking water for coffee in the morning.

At around 1 PM, the snow started, very slowly and lightly. We even wondered if we'd have much at all. Oh, so wrong!

At about 2 PM when we had moderately heavy snow, I realized that we had a 12-pack of Cokes in Dave's car and the temperature was dropping fast. So, I (yes, "I") went out in the snow and retrieved them. No sense in having frozen pop to mop up.

By 3 PM, we had about 3-in. of snow and the temperature was about 31 degrees, so we decided to crank in the slide-out as the canvas awning above it was beginning to creak from the weight of the snow. But, that turned out to be a bad idea once we got it inside. The sides and roof of the slide-out are now covered in snow and ice--all of which is now inside the trailer. But, hey, we did get the snow to roll off the awning. So, back out the slide-out went. We now busied ourselves moping up the melting snow INSIDE the trailer.

We did crank in the slide-out once more at 7 PM to get off more snow from the awning, but we are now learned and put it back out quickly. Just a wee bit of mopping up this time.

As the storm passed over us, we really began to rock 'n roll from the high winds. I honestly wondered if we'd have to call 911 during the night because we might tip. So, I put my cell phone in my pocket and slept with it all night. We retired early at 7:30 PM--not sure if from boredom or freight.

I am now adding this note on Saturday morning (3/8) to say it is calm (we stayed upright all night and glad we had the stabilizers out to keep us as fairly steady). The snow is beautiful. There is about 5-inches on the ground with several snow drifts.

As for the shake-down lesson learned--we are stuck here until the snow melts outside the room, else when we pull it in, the snow melts inside the room.

On the Road to Albuquerque - Day 2

Overnight: West Memphis, Arkansas
This morning we awoke rested and relieved that our RV troubles were over and we were on our way. We left the campground at 9 AM. We headed back toward I-20, but Dave's navigator threw him a curve and we ended up taking a scenic route through old-town Cropwell. When I finally realized my boo-boo, we headed back to I-20.

From I-20, we headed northwest on US 78. It takes a little detour through town, but then quickly turns into a brand new section of freeway called "Future I-22 Connector." It is essentially deserted except for truckers with lots of cops pulling them over and handing out roadway suveniors.

We saw several mining areas for coal and several trains below us loaded with cars filled to the brim with coal.

We stopped at a gas station and had a lucious concotion of corn dogs and chicken (well, not together--Dave had one and I had the other!). Back on the road with about 2 hours to get to Memphis, TN.

Received a phone call from Dave's sister that his mother probably won't make it more than a day or two, and we won't be there by then. But, we are continuing onward so that we can at least be there with his sister.

We arrived at Tom Sawyer's RV Park (www.tomsawyersrvpark.com)in West Memphis, Arkansas, at about 3:30 PM. It's right on the Mississippi River. (Note: In the above canned photo, we are parked on the front row, third space in from the right.) We were told when we checked in that they are expecting their winter flooding in about 6 days. The river rises up into the campground and they are getting everyone ready to leave. Also, told that we were having snow tonight.

We got set up quickly. Again, we decided not to unhook. Tonight, Dave didn't even hook up the sewer line as it's just one more thing to deal with. So, Dave hooked up the water, plugged in the electric, turned on the gas, put down the back stabilizers, and I sent out for pizza to be delivered to our trailer. What a life!! Camping and not even cooking--just can't beat that for leisure.

We took a walk down to the river's edge (only about 50 ft). Really a nice spot. The campsites are level and spacious, and they have large cement pads with picnic tables. The WiFi is right next to us on top of the shower house that also has a free washing machine area.

As we were enjoying our dinner, heard the news that the winter storm is getting worse. We are now expecting to have 3 inches or so of snow.

Dave decided to use the PC and realized that he's using it on battery, even though it's plugged in. Humm. What now?? We then began to check the plugs and realized none were working, nor was the microwave, and the TV was beginning to make a "pop" sound. After yesterday, we're getting a bit nervous. So, we decided that we'd better put the slide-out back in because the temperature is really dropping and certainly, Dave doesn't want to be outside with a hand-crank to get it back in. As I am holding the button to bring it back in, it moves slower and slower and slower. Finally, it's in, but now, nothing is working in the trailer. Lights are even dim. Heater won't heat--burr. So, I called the office and they sent someone out to see what might be the problem. If it turned out to be our trailer, we would have to break camp and get to a motel because the temperature is now down in the 40s.

Well, it was a huge relief to realize it was operator error. Seems there was a switch in the electric connector outside that needed to be flipped. Phew! What you learn by going from camp to camp is amazing. One camp has the swith on, another doesn't have a switch, and the next has it turned off.

We decided it was a good thing to leave the slide-out in because we have no idea how much snow we might get on top of the unit tonight. As it is now, all Dave has to do is unhook the water and electric, and we are ready to roll. I say, "Dave has to..." because I conveniently forgot my coat in Atlanta. Soooo sad! Heee Heee.

I'm happy here as I was able to watch American Idol tonight. There ARE priorities, ya know.

When we look outside, we see lots of tugs going up and down the river pushing barges. We have also seen several strings of larger barges. We look forward to a white-river experience in the morning!!

On the Road to Alburqurque - Day 1

Overnight: Birmingham (area), Alabama
This is our first trip out with Homey-Roamy (our travel trailer) since putting the her in dry-dock for the winter. Dave's mom is not doing very well, so we have taken an unexpected trip to Albuquerque.

We left home at 11 AM. We drove through downtown Atlanta, and that was an adventure in itself. Dave did real well as he navigated to I-20. We arrived at Lakeside Landing Campground on the shores of Logan Martin Lake in Cropwell, Alabama (just east of Birmingham [www.lakeloganmartin.com]). It is a beautiful campground directly on the lake. We set up quickly on a level, pull-through site with a concrete pad upon which sat a picnic table. We were setup right in front of the swimming beach (of course, Dave wouldn't try it out this time of year!--chicken).

After we got all set up, the last check was to turn on the water inside the trailer and make sure all was flowing well. As Dave turned on the water outside and I began to turn on faucets inside, I heard a strange sound--like rushing water--coming from the back of the trailer. I yelled for Dave to turn off the water so he could investigate. Well, there is this water filter that is under the bathroom sink and all the way to the back that had exploded. It obviously had water in it during the winter and we did not drain it--one of those unknown gotcha's. So, now, what to do? With this unit broken, there was no way to use our water system. Fortunately, the campground (CG) knew of a mobile RV repair person. So, we quickly called him (Mike). It's now 3 PM (Alabama time). He said he could come out in about an hour, which he did. He crawled between the toilet and cabinet to disconnect the filter and bypass it by re-routing the pipes. So, next step was to check the rest of the water lines. As, I'm standing by the kitchen sink, the hot-water handle flew north along with a geyser of water all over the ceiling and surrounding area. Quickly got the water turned off and wiped up. Now, we need a new kitchen faucet unit--that froze in the winter, too.

We had not planned to unhook the trailer from the car while staying at Lakeside Landing because we wanted to leave early in the morning, but needing a new faucet and a trip to Home Depot to get it, might have to change that plan. However, Mike said he had to go to Home Depot anyway, so he offered to get one for us. Before he left, we found another gusher out the back end of the trailer where there is an outside shower unit. So, he had to remove that entire encased unit from the side of the trailer and re-route those water pipes as well. No chance to get a new unit while out on the road. And, of course, an outside shower is not needed this time of year anyway.

When Mike returned from Home Depot, he connected the new facet and double-checked all other lines. No leaks. Silence in water lines is a good thing!

Before he left, I mentioned that the water heater took a long time to heat up. He said it should take about 15 minutes--I said, "How about 2 hours?" Well, that prompted him to check our electrical circuit panel, only to find out that our water heater's electrical power was only putting out 0.1 AMPs. So, now Mike has to tear apart the water heater outside. That coil had just disintegrated. So, he replaced the coil. We didn't even know that we had an electric/gas switchable water heater!! We thought we only had a gas controlled unit.

Mike worked about 2.5 hours and did all the repairs including purchasing the new faucet for a total of $287. If we had done all this at the camper repair place, I'm sure it would have been close to $500 and a week to repair. Needless to say, we much preferred the one-on-one fix-it-now service. He also made sure everything in our unit was working efficiently before he left.

We were much relieved that we could take off the next day and not have to delay our trip any longer. We ate sandwiches for dinner and then headed off to snuggle in the warm covers.