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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Feelin Gooood!

Yesterday was a great day!  We got to use the new compact washing machine and wall all the clothes we have worn for the last 3 weeks.  The washing machine is great to have.  I'm ticking off my savings every time I use it.  We saved more than $20.00 by not having to go to a laundromat.  When we have paid for the machine and I can call it "profit"  for a lack of  a better term, I  will be even more grateful!  I do know that I put laundry off too long though.  Sounds like sticks and bricks / home doesn't it. 

I also lined the cabinet shelves with rubber mats to keep the dishes, cups and mugs from sliding and chipping.  That is a task I have wanted to do since we purchased our "road house" in July.  The inside of the cabinets looks so good now!  Living in 400 sq. ft. has made me obsessive about keeping things in their place!  Just one thing out of place in here can make the entire space look cluttered.  I've also learned much about what we can take out of here.  There are things that we were sure we would need / use that we have not even given a thought to.  But there are also things we intend to bring from now on.  One thing is my printer!  I've needed to print several things and haven't been able to.  What's a person to do?  Make adjustments, I suppose. 

We had rain last night and the higher elevations we blanketed with snow.  It's a lovely sight.  We will be crossing more foothills and mountains of the Sierra today.  After a day of work, I'm ready to grab my camera and ride.  I really hope that we do not have to deal with as many switchbacks as we did Thursday.  The driving can be physically draining as well mentally tiring for John. 

Yesterday, discovered more damage that the toilet had caused.  More carpeting had to be removed.  Oh, what  a stinky mess.  Not much fun for John.  Edmundson RV has been put on notice that they have a mess to repair.  They have been so good to do business with that I am sure they will "do us right" in this instance. 

I am reading another great book.  The title is bel canto and is written by Ann Patchett.  The setting is somewhere in South American and an opera star has been invited to perform as a birthday present for one of the guests of the Vice President of this country.  Terrorists take over the mansion and the story unfolds from there.  In this book, you find drama, comedy, love stories, friendships form and compassion expressed.  It is a great read. 

Time to shower and get back on the road.  Bye for now...

Friday, February 25, 2011

Santa Barbara Sunshine to Sierra Mountain Winds

We left Leo Carrillo State Beach with a lot of sadness.  We had to tell Jojo good bye for almost 2 weeks.  Even though she would be working all week, just to have known that we were near would have made me feel better.  It was way too long since we had last been with her.  Somehow, I was able to let my tears go on the beach in order to not ruin our goodbye hugs.

We moved north on both the 1 and the 101 toward Santa Barbara.  This route is absolutely breathtaking.  What am I saying????  Ninety nine percent of what we have been seeing has been breathtaking.  I marvel at God's handiwork.

As we traveled north, the Pacific was so beautiful.  Every turn in the road brought new excitement.  How could the next scene be more outstanding than the other I don't know.  Not only did we see water scenes, but we saw miles and miles of fields fill with strawberries, blueberries, avocados and vegetables. 

Santa Barbara was larger than I remembered it.  We walked the beaches and took State street out to the pier where we had a wonderful lunch of shrimp, calamari, oysters, scallops, a wonderful slaw with pineapple and onion rings.  We ate outside and watched the fishing boats return with their day's catch.  Sail boats completed the peaceful scene.  A very nice day.  

We stayed at the Sunrise RV Park.    It was expensive!  $55.00 /  night but we had to hook up to electricity to recharge batteries in order to get the generator started so we could boondock during our trip to Death Valley.

Talley Winery was on our itinerary.  They had a lovely setting.  Rows and rows of vines in precise order blanketed the hillsides. After leaving Talley Vineyards, we visited the J Lohr vineyards.  Oh my!  I thought that Talley had a vast vineyard but J Lohr went on forever and as far as the eye could reach. 

Bakersfield was our next destination.  We were to boondock at the Camping World.  We had some supplies to pick up and wanted to have the oil changed.  They were unable to do the oil change which was okay since were were actually not at 3,000 yet.  They were, though able to help us with a lack of knowledge about generators.  This motor home is providing us with a HUGE learning curve.

 Our greeting to Bakersfield was oil wells.  A question I ask is why, when we have oil wells there, in Alaska, in the Gulf, just to mention a few places, are our gas prices determined by the price of oil in Lybia?  A gas station right next to an oil field and refinery was selling gas for $3.86!  Go figure.  We have read that gas in Death Valley will be over $4.00 a gallon. 

Wal Mart and Fresh & Easy were next on our list for shipping.  We replenished some of our supplies and headed for the Sequoia National Park.  The entrance to the park on  highway 178 is another experience.  The rapids are beautiful as they plummet down the mountain.  We are now in the Sierra Mountains.  What a difference in terrain.  The mountains went from lush green to brown.  This is considered the high desert.  We were planning to spend a few days in the Sequoia N.P., but a winter storm was predicted with high winds.  They said that 25 mph winds would gust to 50 mph.  The more we drove, the more the winds began to plummet us.  

We find that we have planned to much to do and see.  Anyone surprised?  We need to learn to plan our trips better so that we don't feel that we have to run from place to place.  After our "conference" this morning, we have decided to spend today and tonight here and then go to Death Valley National Park.  We are taking Las Vegas out of our itinerary.  Not only will it provide us with more time in Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Forrest, but it cuts down on a full tank of gas at the cost of over $200. 

Happy trails, to you......until we meet again....(sound familiar?)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Leo Carillo St Beach and Park

 What a lovely week end!  Kind of!!  Southern California was expecting a "winter storm".  In Indiana, that would mean snow and more snow, but nope!  Here it means rain and more rain.  A minimum of 3 inches was expected and snow was predicted at an elevation as low as 2000 feet. 

The commute to Leo Carillo was uneventful.  Beautiful mountains and moderate traffic made for the good great beginning of a holiday week end celebrating Presidents Day.  It seems to me that it is a bigger holiday than in Indiana.  We pulled into the park and got things settled in motor home.  Ground squirrels were playing tag and disappearing into their abundant holes in the ground.  Two young deer graised within 5 feet of our front window.  Each plucking the heads of vibrant, wild Black Eyed Susans

Then, the winter storm rushed in.  The sound of the wind rushing down from the mountain tops was fascinating.  At first I had no idea what we were hearing, but when we felt the rocking of the motor home, we understood.    As the rain fell, it gave the appearance of fine silk curtains closing of the scenery of the lush green mountainside.  The sound of the rain provided a backdrop of music as we read our books.  Friday night's final scene was more rain, thunder and lightning with one bolt of lightning that looked and felt as if it had hit just beyond our motor home.  Noah, the cat, ran to the front of the motor home and hid under my seat.  I didn't have a seat that I could hide under - rats! 

Saturday, brought periods of rain and then not rain.It was a good chance to read more and nap a little.  Late Saturday afternoon, we made it to the beach.  It was cold and rainy, so we didn't stay long.    We came back to the motor home and Jojo fixed the most delish  tenderloin roast, cus cus and cherry cobbler.  Oh my, it was to die for.

Sunday, was a tad warmer and off to the beacha we went. Jojo, being the avid photographer she is, took photograph after photograph.  John, Cathy and I walked the dogs and looked for sea glass.  We were on a beach filled with rock on a bed of sand.  Being accustomed to the east coast, this was an interesting experience.  Walking on all those rocks was challenging and boy, did it leave us with very tired legs. 

I called our daughter, Karen as she had called us while we were in the canyon and had no phone or internet reception.  The news she shared was terrific.  Grandson Zack and his wife Danielle had a 6 pound 10 oz. 19 inch long baby boy!  They even sent a picture and oh, my, all that black hair.  It's not a good thing that we will not be able to see our Jackson Mann! 

Monday, we had only a half day at the beach before it was time for Jojo and Cathy to head for home and for John and I to head to Santa Barbara.  We did find some sea glass and I watched the surfers.  I'm glad it wasn't me in that cold water, wet suit or not. 

Sunday night and Monday morning (all though the night) I kept hearing scratching.  At first, I thought it was something trying to move our tubs of firewood.  Then, I tougjht it was an animal trying to get into Jojo's food locker, but then I decided trhat we must have left one of the basement doors open and we had those ground squirrels in our basement.  Then, I fell asleep.  Monday, at breakfast, Jojo said she heard the same thing and we concluded that it must have been raccoons. 

Now, what will we find ahead???  We will see tomorrow. 

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Farmer's Markets, Languages and Repairs, Oh My

After we arrive Friday afternoon, we went to the Farmer's Market in Monrovia, CA....oh my! The fresh veggies and fruit. We purchased blueberries, strawberries and wonderful cakes. Like I said, oh my!

We went to Wally World night before last. We were looking for a propane heater for our camping expiditions in the desert where there will be no hook ups and it gets quite cold in the desert at night. Nancy Jo has a heater and it is quite nice. We could not find it. Of course, our daughter being who she is, went on Amazon.com and found our Buddy (name of heater).  He arrived at her office today.

Back to Wally World. While there, we did a bit of grocery shopping. As we walked down the bread isle, note, I said bread. I saw the largest display of tortillas I've ever seen. There were more tortillas than loaves of bread! Corn tortillas, wheat tortillas...you name it, it was there! All 20 feet of tortillas! 

We also have noticed that we are a minority in LA. With the Mexicans, the Japanese, Indians, etc., etc., we are but a drop in the bucket called the world.   But that's what the U.S. is all about, isn't it? The land of opportunity. We as a people, get so out of shape with the illegals. But I've had my eyes opened a bit. What if I were living south of the boarder? What if I had no way to provide for my family in a way that would not be at poverty level? What would I/you do? Would you try to get across the boarder to find a job that would help your family?  The problem is how do we keep the bad out?  There must be a way. 

I know, it is breaking the law. I agree, it IS breaking the law. But is the law right? Who else will do the "grunt" work? Who does that "grunt" work and does it 10 times better than a citizen of the U.S? Maybe we should take a good look at our immigration laws. Just thinking.......

We washed windows on the motor home today. Clean motor home, clean windows inside and out.  I'm glad that our work is over and we will have clear windows as we head out to Leo Carrillo State Beach tomorrow. I know, I have totally butchered the name of this place all week, but finally, I have the name/spelling right...

The motor home has given us no problems, save one. One of the things we had done before we left was the toilet. The "flapper" whatever was not working properly. Well, it now opens and closes, BUT we discovered on our journey west that the carpeting in the bathroom and hall was getting a bit damp....then it was getting a lot damp, then it was totally soaked! And, boy did it smell!

Saturday, we ripped out out the carpeting in the hall and part of the bathroom. Oh my, what can I say? Jojo brought over a bottle of enzymes that you use to get rid of pet odors, doused the floor with it and we set a heater/fan on it to dry.

The problem continued. So Monday, John rips out more of the carpeting. (He is an ANGEL!) The only carpet that is left now is right under the vanity and the toilet....no way to remove this. Now we can see where the water is coming from and running.

We have made some modifications to our actions and have stopped the leak. Now to get this back to Edmundson RV and have them fix this properly.

The funny thing is that a couple from Illinois with a RV parked next to us the last two nights. They had a problem with their RV....guess what part. Yep, you are right...the toilet. Interesting.

Well, it could be worse. We feel that we are totally blessed. Everything else is working as it should.

When we arrived, Jojo and Cathie surprised us with flowers and books to read. I finished my book this morning. What a compelling book. The name of the book is Help.  This book is set in the early 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi. What an eye-opener. It is a must read!

From sunny California, to our friends scattered about....good night and we will see you on the road tomorrow....

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Whew!

My computer crashed and I've been unable to post. I'm using John's computer and it did not want to cooperate with the Blog. But, all is well now.

It was so hard not to be able to share the Grand Canyon with you. What a spectacular sight. John's reaction was WOW!-- DOUBLE WOW!!! at Grandview Point. The first thing we did was visit the book store. There is sooo much information, stories, facts about the G.C. We could have spent the day in there!

The altitude was hard on John. He had a very difficult time and we did most of our sight seeing by driving from point to point. No trails for him. It takes a while for those red blood cells to multiply and carry enough oxygen to the brain. In order to see more, the next time, we would like to take either the helicopter or airplane trip into the Canyon.

Off we went to the visitor's center. I had to ask one special question...."why are some of the mountains flat?" I had no clue! The explanation was too simple. The mountains are made of layers of rock, some soft, some hard, and some harder. Over years and years, when the rains come , the soft washes away. When that is gone the next layer washes away and continues to do so until the hardest layer is left. The ranger said that "eventually" it will all wash away. I've simplified his explanation and it really seems to easy of an explanation. I expected something much more technical.

John kept asking me if I saw the Colorado River cutting trough the canyon. Nope! I didn't see it. I kept looking for a large river! But being so high above the Colorado, it looked like a shoestring winding its way through the rock.

We met a lot of people while visiting the Grand Canyon. Visitors were from Europe, Japan, and one family from Alaska camped right next to us. The were homeschooling their children and this was one of their lesson plans. What a way to teach. Much better than just book learning.

Thursday, we left the Grand Canyon and set our sights for California. Up to that point, John did all the driving, so I it now was my turn. The interstate continued to reach higher elevations for a short while, then we were on our way down. We left the interstate and drove more of the Historic Route 66. I must say that many times, Route 66 was in better condition than the interstate.

The weather forecast predicted high winds. Oh man, they were so right. We would be driving along and suddenly be hit by a massive gust of wind. The motorhome felt like it was skidding sideways on ice! What an adrenaline rush! One of the downhill runs lasted for 2 1/2 miles.

When driving a motor home, the speed to get the best mileage is between 60 and 65. In order to stretch our budget and just as a safety measure, I drove between those numbers. But, the gravity on those downhill runs would pull the motor home to 70, 75 and 80mph in an instanty....way too fast for this woman!

We spent Thursday night, our last night on the road for a while, boondocking in Barstow California. I think we froze to death that night! No, we survived and got back on the road as soon as we changed clothes. Another couple was behind us and in the exact make and model motor home as ours. And of all things, they were pulling a Miata the exact year and color as ours! Now how many times would that happen in a trip?

Friday was the day we were to pull into NancyJo's driveway! As I drove down the interstate, I kept telling myself I was NOT going to cry when I saw her. It's been such a long time and I've missed her terrbly. Any of you with family living far away will understand my emotions.

Driving on Interstate 15 was a nightmare! If thought the winds in Arizona were bad, I had no idea what was laying in wait for me down the road. Oh my gosh! At one time, I thought I had lost the motor home. The wind was sooooooo strong. We totally went off the road onto the shoulder of the road. Getting the motorhome back into it's lane was the most difficult driving experience I have ever had. I was almost standing and fighting the steering wheel, but like a trouper....I got her back on the road! Ask me how tired and sore my arms and shoulder was Friday night. I never let John know just how frightened I was. I just wanted to let him be able to "sight see" as I had done the previous 5 days.

Well, we made it. We pulled up to meet Jojo. We waited a little while while she was having her hair cut. When she drove up and we got out of the motor home to meet her....Yep, I did it...I cried like a baby. She then proceeds to tell me that my hair "looks like crap!" Well now, that took me aback! It turns out that this is what Cathie does to her when she is about to cry. It kinda startles you and makes you laugh. We were greeted by a boquet of flowers and a book for each of us to read. More on the book later.

That night(Friday) Jojo took us to an Indian Restaurant called the Great Onion. Oh my, what wonderful food. And the Indian couple that owns it were so nice. The food, what can I say? It was magnificant. I have decided that I love it and am going to learn to cook it.

After eating at the Great Onion, we went back to see Jojo's house. And then off to a Farmer's market in Monrovia, CA. The fresh fruit and veggy's were a cooks delight! We purchased fresh blueberries and strawberries. We also purchase a German Chocolate and a pecan, sour and buttercream cake (small size). We had those for breakfast the next morning.

Jojo found us a nice RV campground about 10 minutes from her house. So convenient and half the price of all the RV campgrounds we found on the internet. We settled in, thinking we would stay until Monday. Then, we thought we would head down to Santa Barbara until Thursday then we all were to camp at the Los Carlillos State Beach were we would camp Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, Jojo and Cathie took us to Ranchero, of course a Mexican Restaurant. Yummm. We had so much to eat that we could never finish it all. Guess who got to bring it back to the motor home to eat yesterday? Double yummmmm.

Last night, we had carry out Thai. Again....yummmm. Good grief! I was hoping that I would be eathing all the fresh fruit and veggies available here and loose some weight....Not sooo far! Tonight, we eat at "home". Steak, green beans and salad. Even that sounds good.

Yesterday, we were able to wash all the salt and road yuck off the motor home. Jojo could not believe how nice it looked! It takes a lot of energy to wash a 35' motor home, but we did it!

Now, we have not had a trouble free trip. Before we left, we had our toilet worked on. The "flap" did not work properly. They "fixed" it. BUT, in Barstow, it suddenly started leaking. Oh my, what a smell! We have fought it until this morning. Saturday, we removed the carpeting in the hall and part of the bathroom. That helped a little but the smell was still there. Today, John removed the rest of the carpeting and the odor is better. We can hardly smell anything. Hopefully, when everything dries out, we will have a better fragrance in here.

I think I have kept you long enough. Our day is almost over. We will end our day reading the books that Jojo and Cathie gave us opon our arrival. Good night all. See you tomorrow. N

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Weather Change!

For the better! We have gone from snow and almost zedro visibility to driving into the sun, puffy clouds and clean blue sky. The sun is soooo bright, we need air conditioning in the motorhome.

We stopped at the Arizona welcome center, picked up some information, I fixed lunch and we are back on the road. Something that amazes me is how the scenery changes dramatically with each passing mile. . It looks to me right now that we might be in the dessert, The Petrified Forrest is the next interchange. Off in the horizion, we see a gully, brown grass and then way off there are low (seemingly, form a distance) mountains. The diversity is amazing. Another thing that John and I have comment on is the lack of fencing. In the midwest, farm fields are separated by rows and rows of fencing. In Texas, New Mexico and now Arizona, we cannot tell where one property ends and another begins. The only fence we see is to separate the land from the interstate. Ok, we are goig to tumble on down the the road with the tumbleweed!

Good Bye Albuquerque

We took our time leaving Albuquerque today. We stayed the Enchanted Trails RV park. It was just okay. Would not want to stay more than a night. Since our motor home needs to stay winterized until we arrive in warm weather, we need to stay places that have showers (if we are not boondocking). The office and other rooms in the building were great to see. They have been left decorated in the earlier period before interstates took over for route 66. A bit of history at our fingertips. We enjoyed leisurely showers, did a little surfing and spent a lot of time just talking.

We were greeted by the largest owl I've ever seen. Some of you bloggers have posted photos of this kind. Little short pointy ears. He swooped over us as we were pulling into our space. The wing span! Wow! But his flight was silent. God sure made it so he could fly down and grab his prey without being heard. He landed on a tree in our spot and Oliver and I just stood there and talked to him. He just watched us. I think he was quietly sayin "just WHO do ya think your talkin to??? He stayed for a long time after Oliver and I went back into the "Road House" to fix dinner.

Dinner was nice thick pork chops and stir fry veggies. I used Penzey's Spice called Arizona Dreamin. Thought that was very appropriate, don't you? No, no eating out, no additional expense. Only gas since last Friday. Money saved! We did join Passport America. That saves us 50% on Parking / camping at night. The seem to have a huge number of places for over night stays. The fee was $44.00 and saved us $20.00 last night. One or 2 more overnight stays and it will have paid for itself. We also joined the Good Sam Club last fall, therefore double covered. Where one will not be effect, the other one will be, hopefully.

We are driving on Route 66 today. The interstate is to our left. Let the folks whiz by. The wind is blowing from 15 to 35 mph and makes for some tiresome driving. One thing that takes minds off the driving is to be driving along and cross cattle guards in the roadway. Hey, we just passed a for sale sign. Anyone want 2240 acres in AZ?

Well Route 66 just emptied onto I 40 again and we are off to Flagstaff. We hope that we can continue to outrun the bad weather. Just checked Weatherbug and from Albuquerque to Louisiana a bad, bad winter storm is coming. So far, we have been able to out run it.

I just looked up and see something! Yuck! SNOW! It looked like snow fog from a distance. It has reduced visibility tremendously. Still, from a distance it looks like fog, but we are being hit with flakes and as I write this the snow is increasing. The Temperature here in the motor home has dropped. It Was toasty with the sun, now we need to turn on some heat.

We passed a RV being towed by a wrecker. It was heart breaking to watch. It could be us. I am thankful that we have insurance for roadside service and towing. God has blessed us on this trip. Our motor home is running perfectly.

We are in elk country. There are warning signs along the road warning of Elk Crossing!. I'd love to see one as long it is not running in front of us. Now the snow is much heavier! Going to go "help" John drive. Thanks for stopping in and please be sure to leave your comments. I enjoy hearing from you.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Oklahoma City to Amarillo

It is great to see new sights. I love learning new things. Oklahoma has very few billboards. That would be nice during the day, but at night we felt like we were driving through this dark tunnel that lasted for miles and miles.

The Texas panhandle landscape is varied. From Flat lands, to hills, to washes and gullies. One other thing that strikes us is the working windmills. I have seen them on farms in Indiana, but they are old and not working. I have yet to see a non-functioning windmill here.

Last night, we stayed at a BLM campground. Lake McClellan is a small camping area with 18 sights. They had showers, electricity and water. Of course we could not hook up to the water since the temperature plummeted back to 23 early this morning. I'm sure there is warm weather ahead! We had chili that I brought from home, yummmm. It was a great thing to have on a cold night. Wish we had more since tonight is supposed to be as cold and very windy, driving the wind chill down. Total spent eating out $0.00....nada....zip! Of course we have to pass places that offer huge steaks...next trip, maybe.

We were awake at dawn to a beautiful scene. Of course, the first thing we do is look outside and see a large herd of deer. I counted 17 of all ages. Two immature bucks were chest butting in play, but soon they will be fighting for their territory. One will win and the other will either die or move on to find his own herd. Oliver thought he should be able to go out to play with those "really big dogs". The deer could hear us talking, in normal volume, in the motor home. Their ears perked up and they stood on maximum alert. He also thinks the Black Angus are there for his entertainment.

Gas prices are getting more expensive. They have not reached the high we paid in Indiana though. While John was filling the tank, I would take Oliver for his walk. The odd thing is that people out here do not seem to pick up after their dogs. There are piles and piles of dog doo. It was hard to find a clear place for Oliver to make his deposit. I promptly picked it up and deposited it where it belonged.

We have seen a few working oil wells and large groupings of wind turbines. One thing I like about the turbines is that they are not ugly. They move gracefully and not adding to the scenery, they do not detract, either.

Oh, another thing. You hear that everything is bigger in Texas. Well, I have one to tell you about. I have noticed, as we drive ete bridges are longer and taller. We just passed under one that was an inch under 17 feet.

Off to the south, there is the longest train! They don't have trains this long in Indiana either. We started seeing these long, long trains when we reached Oklahoma.

How many you you remember a TV series called Rout 66? We have traveled on parts of this. Some stretches are new and some old, taking you back in time.

As we enter Amarillo, I will sign off...See you tomorrow with news from west Texas and New Mexico...Headin to Alburquerque!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

From Indiana to Oklahoma

Cleaning the motor home, loading and arranging the motor home took more time than I anticipated. Before,when we prepared for trips, the motor home was at the house and I worked over a period of days, at my leisure. This time, we were really "itching" to be on the road.

There was a bit an anxiety coupled with the "itch". We had just spent $6000 on repairs to the "roadhouse" We had anticipated a bill of only $1500, but some problems showed their faces in the garage. We are thankful that they were found before we left. The large repair bill has but this trip on a tight, tight budget. This an unexpected challenge that are really enjoying. Bring it on!

We were finally ready to pull out Friday afternoon at 2:30. We are using www.gasbuddy.com to research gas prices as we drive the interstates. It is helping us to save enough to put smiles on our faces. The roads in Indiana and Illinois were great. Our first stop was in St Louis. I must say that the Arch in St. Louis is spectacular at night. My camera did not want to cooperate and we did not get a photo.

Friday night our camping was "boondocking"(camping using our own power). BUT....the generator would not start....oops, forgot to consult the gas guage! Generators will not run if there is less than a quarter of a take of gas .... guess what..... we were just under. So out comes the down comforters and we snuggle into bed, and sleep just fine even with temperature of 22. Getting out of bed was a bit cool though. We moved quickly into warm clothes, started the engine on the roadhouse, warmed up the 35', grabbed a quick breakfast and was on the road.

Night 2 was spent in Cabin, Oklahoma at a very small RV campground. The snow wat to the top of the picnic tables at the campsites. They had only 10 spaces and we were the only ones there. The electricity was good to have and on went the new ceramic heater. Yummmm, toasty. We had dinner, played a couple of games of Farkle and went to bed in a bit warmer motor home than the previous night. Downside? since we did not boondock, we spent $21. Actually, very reasonable. Total money spent for three days on the road..... $22.00 groceries, gas, 21.00 camping last night. We are keeping the speed between 60 and 65 to improve gas mileage. Not bad, not bad at all.

Oklahoma has had much more snow and snow related problems than we have encountered thus far. Tractor trailers lay, abandoned, on their sides like road kill. Crews are still trying to get the snow cleared from the interstate and the entrance/exit ramps.

The bad thing is that I have read on the web that Oklahoma city and northern Texas is expecting 2 more snow storms today and Tuesday. I don't know how much of that is TV drama, but we decided to hit the road early, forget our sight seeking in Oklahoma City and our steak at the Cattlemen's and keep on motoring down while the roads are still clear. We are 90 miles east of OK city. Wish us God Speed!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Loading Up!

We are loading up and heading out in the morning. Clothes are in. We have food to load then we are ready to rock and roll! Checking the road conditions from here to St. Louis, our first stop. John wants to check out the Feather-Craft store in St. Louis, then the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield. AND I want to find Cabellas and their cave!

California, here we come....ready or not.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

It's Pouring Freeziing Rain!

We are reconciled to the the fact that we are not going to get out of here until Thursday or Friday. The wind is howling and freezing rain has coated every surface. Businesses are closed as well as malls, doctors offices, our RV dealer/repair, schools etc.

Right now, it is a beautiful sight. But the weather forecasts are calling for downed trees, power lines etc. The branches on our pine trees are low to the ground from the weight of the ice. This is just a harbinger of things to come.

It is amazing that many times the things that are so beautiful are so dangerous. As I sit here writing this, I am looking at branches of trees drooping lower and lower. Winter wonderland? Not so sure of the wonderland - only if you are inside, it is warm, there is still power and you are looking out.

If you are in the path of this monster, please say inside. If you are someplace warm ... Enjoy!

OH, Good Grief!

Today, we received a much anticipated telephone call from Edmundson RV. After their receiving parts that were defective and more parts that were the wrong parts, our motor home is ready. We can pick it up after lunch break tomorrow.

BUT...... Right now, there is rain falling....freezing rain.....or should I say that there is ice falling from the sky?? The forecast is that we are to have freezing rain. Enough freezing rain to cause power lines to fail, power outages to prevail, travel to come to a stand still.

Now keep in mind...we were supposed to leave here a month ago....do you hear me??? Four weeks ago! We have packed then unpacked and packed again then used clothing that we packed. We have repeated the laundry drill over and over...therefore we have the right to claim the title of repacking champions.

Right now, I am actually listening to rain falling - hard. Oliver went outside and slipped then fell on the ice covered patio. The snow that was already on the ground is now covered with a sheet of ice. What else can happen weather-wise? Geez. I think that next year we will leave here right after Christmas.

Nothing can be done about this. I can't change a thing, John can't change a thing...OH YES, we can change our attitudes. Enough whining.

We were to leave here and travel I 70 through ST Louis. This evening, after some research, we found that if we would go to Memphis then over to Oklahoma City, we would miss the bad weather conditions. Sounds good doesn't it. BUT, we must be able to get down to Edmundson's RV to pick up the motor home. Then we need to be able to get the motor home into our drive and to be able to load the things in the house into the motor home without falling and hitting our noggins, breaking an arm, or just landing on our bum! This is getting funny...kinda. If all else fails, it looks like things will be decent by Thursday, Friday at the latest.

We are looking forward to Joshua Tree National Park in California and Leo Carrillo State Beach, CA. When we arrive, all this will be a memory. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing NancyJo.

What do you think? When will we get out of here?