Texas Trip, Spring 2013

The trip kept collapsing. Plan to stay somewhere a week; no make that 5 days. All changes were due to a need to get back to Arizona and finish buying the new house, which we have now accomplished. Texas became more rushed, and we missed seeing several friends and family members, but we did see so many wonderful folks. The time spent with everyone was truly amazing.

Some time in early February, I took time to document the trip up to that point. My journal never made it to BLOG status but remained on the computer waiting for the day. Once we got to Dallas time seemed to accelerate beyond my ability to keep up. I am summarizing the remainder of the "Texas Loop" here and will post the earlier entries in the next offering.

We spent 10 fabulous days with Kyle and Karyn. What a treat! It has been years since we have that kind of quality time with Kyle and it was great to do the everyday kind of things together. We also had time to catch up with friends from our working days in Richardson.

From there we traveled south to Waco. The party lasted for 5 days. Two families joined us in their rigs at the Midway CORPS campground. This established a base for many other friends to enjoy the beauty of the park and old friendships. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality.

Hospitality continued just down the road in Austin where we spent 2-too-short days with friends there. The Bohas home is always a treat.

Houston was our last official stop before heading back west. We got to visit with my Dad, 2 sisters and their families. It was absolutely lovely to see everyone. Most families live on the west side of Houston which meant we did not spend time driving the length and width of the city. Niece Allison and future husband Mike stopped on their way from Austin to their home in Clear Lake City. We were also able to spend an evening with my high school friend and her husband who live in the area.

The only downside of that trip was the tummy trouble Wally was having. He didn't start feeling better until after a visit to the vet and we were heading west on I-10. He had too many schedule changes and stops to be able to keep up the pace. But he was a hit all the same.

Our final Texas stop took us to Boerne where Cousin Sharon fixed an impromptu lunch. Delicious! In fact, EVERYONE fed us. From El Paso to Boerne and all points in between we were treated in high fashion. We look forward to being able to repay that gracious hospitality when people come to see us in Arizona.

And that is another story.

Between Trips

We are in the throws of getting our lives in order for THE TRIP.

• Taken several short trips getting acquainted with the new rig.
• Getting doctor's appointments out of the way.
• Packing the paperwork that needs to accompany us.
• Clothes packing- summer is around the corner.
• Packing the stuff that we need to take to family in Texas.

Tentative leave date: February 1, 2913.

Tentative stops: Wickenburg and Tucson in Arizona, El Paso, White Bluff, Dallas, Austin, and Houston.....so far. So we'll be in Texas for at least 3 weeks. After that we are headed across the south on I-10. Next destination: numerous spots in Florida. After that we head north up the Atlantic coast. The goals are to visit family, investigate ancestors, and enjoy the sights.

We are trying to be planned and organized without creating restrictive deadlines. Our new rig allows for more flexibility and we really hope to take advantage of that feature.

This "lift off" is different from previous trips. In the Monaco many items were already packed, ready and waiting. Our storage space is different. We will take advantage of the rig, the car, and the storage box hitched to the rear of the car. Of course, there are a lot of items we have toted around the country that we just don't need for the smaller van. In addition, we need to have the condo ready to be on auto-pilot through the summer and into next fall. We are trying to plan and take care of things in advance so the day of departure will be relatively stress-free. The really great news is that with the van parked on the condo property, all of this is more easily accomplished.

I hope that some of the proposed destinations will be near you and our paths will cross. Please let us know

Say Hello to VAN

Van, our new Class B RV, fits beautifully into our family, AND our parking spot!

We have gotten home from Yuma, our first trip with Van and Wally. Adding a puppy and a smaller rig at the same time takes a little adjustment.... OK, quite a lot of adjustment, but we did it! We drove the 5 hour trip on less than $100 in gas, a change from the Class A that we can get used to. We fit nicely in the park site and took a lot of questions from fellow campers who have also thought about going smaller. "That is so cute!" was the common remark. This from folks who know the joys and hassles of a Class A.

High points of the first trip with Van:

• Sitting behind the rig to watch TV and the stars while Wally finds a nice spot to rest in the sand.
• Creating a porch where Wally can relax off-leash between Van and car.
• Traveling light.
• Cooking light.
• Terrie DRIVING! but not too much. We just proved it was possible for me to drive the new rig.
• Packing/unpacking in the condo parking lot. No more traipsing back and forth across town to the RV park to get ready for a trip.
• No more RV storage fees.

Highlights of Yuma trip:

• Thanksgiving dinner with fellow Escapees.
• Meeting other Escapee dog owners at the 7 acre dog park.
• Swap meet shopping.
• Shopping in Mexico.
• Happening on a children's parade in Mexico.

 Every change comes with adjustments. We enjoyed discovering the surprises of Van. As Russell says, "Now we're really camping!"

Odd Pairings

Throughout our travels we have noticed entrepreneurs with small businesses of all varieties. Most are the predicable service or product oriented stores, some based in people's homes. Several have caught our attention because of the combinations offered. Some are just unique, other down-right unappetizing!

You decide!
Taxidermy and Cherries (farm road in Washington state)
Car Wash and Grill (that's burgers and other bar food in Dickinson, TX)
Homemade Candy and Hair Salon ( sign at a home in Tennessee)
Coffee/Storage/Car & RV Wash (Kallispell, MT, I think)
Anti-Monkey Butt Powder (advertising sign at hardware store in Couer d'Alene)
Motorcycle Accessories and Dart Supply Co. (I forgot, still thinking about candy/hair shop)

We will continue to keep our eyes open for folks just trying to keep their heads above water across the USA.

At Home

Looks weird, At Home. But that is how it feels and we are glad to be here. We spent several days at the RV park before putting the rig in storage, busy days.

We are now in the pattern of most retirees, exercise, errands, assorted projects. Nothing to blog about... until Tuesday.

Introducing Wally!

Russell started shopping the shelters and rescue agencies. There was a pattern: find the right dog, leave, think about it, go back, dog is gone. Heavy sigh. At the Vegas Animal Shelter I refused to leave and think about it. We were leaving with Wally, and he is the best choice. He is a dachshund/terrier mix; long, low, squirmy, weighing in at 15 lbs and full grown at about a year old. It has been noted that his white hair matches his owners. He is quiet, mostly, and well tempered. He is house trained, mostly, and will be a perfect RV dog.

The Trip to Vegas

We left Seattle heading south on I-5 to Vancouver, WA on the north shore of the Columbia River. This park was so nice and so much less expensive than we had been paying, (they took our Escapees card!) that we decided to stay a week. This gave us time to visit Portland, just south of the Columbia and allow the temps to drop a little in Vegas, well we could hope for that anyway.

The park is within walking distance of shopping, a real rarity for RV parks which are usually a little remote. The Seattle park also had shopping close by. Another commonality of the 2 parks; blackberries. I had thorn scratches and insect bites, but also a bunch of great berries to show for my efforts. We are still eating the berries that I froze. We also rode our bikes and walked the river shore and downtown Vancouver.

RV neighbors recommended the downtown farmer's market, a weekly event. On this weekend the area was also the scene of the annual Komuricon convention. Komuricon, we found out, is a group that follows Japanese anime characters, comics and games. The attendees dress as their favorite in colorful and creative costumes. It is a mostly young group, but not exclusively. They were playing games in the park, shopping and posed quickly for cameras. We enjoyed the show, music, shopping and lunch in the festival type atmosphere.

We took a day trip to Portland, OR. Our primary destination, Powell's Books. We enjoyed the shopping and people watching at the largest book store around. We walked several miles through town and decided that Portland is indeed weird. We enjoyed it more the first time we were there. The trip back north was grueling. All roads lead to the single bridge that crosses the river. We bailed out and ate dinner on the south shore.

We continued south on I-5 through Oregon and into California. This is a pretty drive, mostly through rural and suburban areas. Just north of Mount Shasta we turned off  the interstate to cross the northeastern corner of California. this is the shortest way to Reno. The 2-lane road was beautiful connecting 2 volcanoes, Shasta and Lassen. We just caught a glimpse of Lassen, but Shasta was obscured by smoke. There had been a number of fires in the area that were still smoldering. We stopped in Susanville on the eastern side of the mountains.

The second day we entered the desert created by those lush mountains of the previous day. In Reno we picked up the Truckee River and traveled along it for awhile then headed more south to pick up US-95 that takes you to Vegas. We were surprised by Lake Walker. This beautiful oasis is a deep and wide natural lake fed by the Walker River. We passed through the towns of Hawthorne, the largest ammo storage site in the USA. Nellis AFB stretches from Hawthorne to Vegas, it is massive! But the road was long and we kept driving to get to Vegas. We plan to retrace that path in October to actually stop and see a bit more.

Western Washington State

We made 2 stops on Washington's Puget Sound, first north to Bellingham then to Seattle. The trip to Bellingham included fruit stands, bike rides and a day trip to Vancouver, BC. We enjoyed the towns of Ferndale and Lynden, suburbs of the larger city as well. Lynden is near Mount Baker, a snow-capped volcanco peak that watches over the valley. We drove up during a bike event. Our car was working to make the steep grades, we were most thankful to not be peddling. Actually, the free fall  trip back down would have scared me too. We took a short hike and picnicked next to a series of small lakes that were crystal clear and beautiful.

We enjoyed several bike rides, but the hate we have long held for out bike carrier grew with each trip. We finally bought a new one that is so much easier to handle, what took us so long? Each ride was unique and eventful, through town, forest, coastline. The one common element was UP. I don't do UP very well, so trips were fairly short, I'm afraid.

We drove to Vancouver to see my cousins and have an early dinner prior to their Alaskan cruise. We walked downtown and enjoyed the street performers on a Sunday afternoon and got to walk a bit in Stanley Park with dinner at the Fish House. We got dessert at the water-side market. The border crossing was eventful coming and going. It seems that border agents are suspicious of Texans. We are all "gun toting" apparently; well Russell is actually. Anyway, they searched our car on the north bound trip and we must have passed. South bound, the agent asked to see our 45's. He believed us when we told him they were at home.

We stayed at an interesting park in Seattle near the intersection of I-405 and I-90, easy access to just about everything. We spent time at the Bellvue Mall, movies, shopping, food, art all together. We also met up with the Rutherfords and walked downtown, including Pioneer Square and the Market. The Rutherford's have gotten out of RV mode and had rented a house across the Sound in Bremerton. We spent a day bumming around the University of Washington area. Another day we enjoyed a drive to Tecoma and the shoreline at the southern end of the sound.

This trip, from the time we left Vegas in May, has been one of breakage. In Bellingham, we had to replace the RV alternator. Russell found a great truck service shop that took good care of us. In Seattle Russell's computer gave out. Office Max saved that day. A nice lady, Pam, was able to recover and transfer all of his data to the new unit. So when talking about our next stop, we decided that home was a good destination.