A Weird and Wacky Day!

Knowing we had to get through Houston this morning we waited until 10am to leave figuring we would miss the morning commute traffic.  It worked!  The traffic was light and we got through the city in record time.  But, then we hit Baton Rouge at 4pm and got stuck in traffic jams trying to cross the bridge over the Mississippi and then get through the city to our exit to get on I-12.   Hmmm... win some, lose some.

Our trip mileage today was longer than we normally do so we could have a decent length drive tomorrow as we pull into Pensacola.  We drove from west of Houston near Katy, TX to Denham Springs, LA which is east of Baton Rouge.  

Traffic on I-10 across the rest of Texas was steady but busy with the majority of vehicles being big trucks.  Lots of them!! Nothing out of the ordinary to report on that stretch of the road except we were, again, fighting  a heavy wind.  The fuel was disappearing at a rapid pace so we had to stop to replenish - something Roger is loathe to do as it means maneuvering the truck and rig through a fueling station.    We stopped at a road side rest for lunch and had to eat inside again.  When we opened the doors to the RV we were astonished to see that the place was in shambles.  Things on the stove counter area had flown across the room and were under the dining table.  The desk chair was on its back.  Cushions were on the floor.  Neither of us remembered making any sharp turns or hitting rough areas of the road so it seemed sorta weird.  We picked stuff up, had lunch and got back on the road.

Then we crossed into Louisiana after passing through some of the refinery areas around Beaumont, TX.  We saw lots of rice paddies - miles and miles of rice farms - in that part of the state. Then the road started feeling rough - bumpty, bumpty, bump - for miles on end.  Add the wind whipping us all over the road and it was a really fun ride.  

So, what's the problem with
the road???

Even Maggie was giving me the evil eye.  It seemed to last forever but finally we hit some decent pavement about the time we hit the Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp (the largest wetland and swamp in the United States) when we got on a 20 mile long bridge to cross the rivers, swamps, and bayous of the wetlands and national wildlife preserve.   The area is beautiful in its own weird way. Lots of water, birds, trees, shrubs.  If one wanted to hide someplace where you never wanted to be found, I think that this place may be it!

Miles and miles of bayous

Flocks of egrets everywhere.

One thing that struck me was that out west where we come from, lakes are blue and rivers are fairly clear.  It was a bit disconcerting to see brown rivers.  Even the Mighty Mississippi is a dull brown. 

It seemed to take forever today to reach our destination especially when we got into traffic just before crossing the Mississippi River and lasting 15 miles or so to our exit.  We were most happy to finally get off the road!

Notice the upside down pot.

Rog almost lost his receiver.  That
wouldn't have been good.

Again, the place was a shambles.  Things that never move, did.  One of the plants ended totally upside down! The chair was knocked over again, and the cupboards were all discombobulated.  We've been on roads like that before and things didn't move that much.  We still can't figure out what happened.  It took a long time to clean up the mess.

All the cupboards needed
some readjusting.

Rog made this little table for me
before we left home.  Just big
enough to hold a lamp and 2 mugs
of tea without the chairs knocking it
over.  It's now in the dumpster!

Heavy winds from the south ALL day.

The wind was still blowing when we pulled in.   Of course, we were a bit up-tight (and hungry) after the traffic when we pulled in and anxious to get to our site and out of the truck.  There was a line of RVs at the office and, of course, the guy in front of us had to stop and unhook his towed car from his big fancy motor home. He was in no hurry and just messed around.  Rog had to get out and walk around to contain himself!  Finally, though, our escort led us to our spot which was easy to get in and fairly level so it didn't take long to get set up. 

Roger took the truck to refuel for tomorrow.  Between the two fill ups we spent $120 and filled a 36 gallon tank with 33 gallons!!  The extra mileage and the wind sure did take its toll.

On a different note - we have been hauling our recycle stuff around since we left Santee the first of the month and it was taking over the living space.  No where in Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas were we able to get rid of it.  We had hoped that in Houston they would have a bin.  Nope.  Our friends say there is no residential pick up in Houston.  If you want to recycle you have to take it to the plants they have around the city.  We finally just dumped everything in a dumpster yesterday, cringing as we did it.  Today, here at the KOA there is a recycle bin.  Go figure.  

Yesterday, knowing we had two days of driving and then four days of company we spent the day not doing a whole lot.  Roger did wash all the windows, but I did a whole lot of nothing.  The highlight of the day was a flock of flamingos that circled the lake where we were.  They were probably migrating and looking for a place to rest, but never stopped.  The were the brightest pink and so beautiful in the air.  

Tomorrow - Pensacola and family!!!  We will be there a month and we're ready for the rest so we are really forward to the visit.  Will point the truck west on the first of May and have a different route for our return home!  We would really like to see some new territory so that will be the main objective. We shall see. 

  

Visiting With Friends

Our Houston Home

After Thursday's harrowing day, we spent most of Friday just trying to untie the knots in our necks and shoulders! Rog even spent an hour in the little fitness room they have here working out some of the kinks and stress!  We found a grocery store and got enough fresh produce to last us until we get to Pensacola.  

Late in the afternoon yesterday we drove to our friends' house for a visit and dinner.  Rachel and Steve, formerly of Reno, moved here two years ago for their jobs.  (I really miss Rachel as we had lunch often and she was in my book group!)  They have two female dogs - a collie and a large terrier mix - so Maggie was welcomed into their home. I intended to get photos of "the girls," but kept forgetting to take one.  They were pretty funny to watch.  Maggie is about knee height to them and just trotted along with them checking things out in the back yard.   Rachel made a great dinner and we caught up on each other's lives. 

The drive back to the RV was a bit scary.  Major thunderstorms were moving across the area and there were tornado warnings - which we hadn't heard.   The sky to the south was pitch black, the wind was blowing, lightning was zapping, and it was raining hard!  We hit this storm cell about half way home to the RV and we watched the thermometer in the truck drop from 84 to 65 in less than five minutes.  It got downright cold.  The storms were tracking south east, so by the time we got to our little house on wheels and got settled in the storm had passed.  Still....it was a mite nerve-wracking!!!  

Today we went to the Johnson Space Center - NASA's Mission Control which currently watches over the International Space Station mission.  It was a LONG way across Houston and then south. We asked them to drive!!!  We all enjoyed the day sightseeing while Maggie stayed at their home with her new friends, Lola and Roo. Houston is a booming city with construction everywhere and lots of very upscale neighborhoods.  This place obviously represents a lot of financial wealth.  

 (Again, I forgot to get the doggie photos.  :-/ )

It was cold and windy on the
tram ride through the
Space Center Campus.  

After wanting to go see the Space Center for so long, it was a little disappointing in that we really only got to see one small part of it - Mission Control.  We did get a tram ride around the installation and were told what was going on in the buildings, but we didn't get to peek. 

We were lucky, though, only those visiting on the weekend get to see the Mission Control Room because it is busy during the week.  The museum displays were well done and the moon rocks were displayed nicely.  The International Space Station information was mostly in the form of a film. The whole exhibit area was geared more for kids, I think. There were lots of interactive stuff for them. We expected to get a look at a lot of the actual work of the place, as was the case on the tour we took of Cape Canaveral, but the public displays were all we got. The displays were very well done, but not like seeing the real thing.  It was a bit weird, though, viewing the NASA timelines and the history with our friends who were born the year Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.  Made me feel a bit "dated."  All in all, though, it was a very nice day and we checked one more thing off of our "bucket" list of places to see on our travels!

The Redstone and Gemini Rockets.
The Saturn Rocket was too big to
get in one or even two photos. 

We aren't too sure what we are doing tomorrow except gearing ourselves mentally for the drive through Houston on Monday with the RV!  We thought the San Diego area was bad for traffic but there is no comparison with this place!  Monday we will stop in Baton Rouge, LA for the night.  Then on Tuesday we make our easternmost destination - Oak Grove RV Park, NAS Pensacola, FL!  

  

Kerrville, TX to Houston, TX - a Long, Hard, Day!

It was our third day in a row of driving, which would normally be tiring, but today was especially so.  We started out in Hill Country with 15-20 mile an hour winds and huge gusts as we would drop into the valleys.  Yesterday we had battled a head wind all day.  Today's was mostly a side wind and Roger had a very hard time keeping us on the road.  It was scary sometimes.

Then we got to the outskirts of San Antonio and even though we took a loop road way out of town to avoid city traffic the drive was tough.  It had just rained, the road was wet enough that we still had to use the wipers for cleaning off the spray from other vehicles.  There were lots of them, too.  Traffic was high with lots and lots of trucks.  It was quite stressful. 

As we got back on I-10 and headed east again, it started raining very hard.  We still had heavy traffic, high winds, and now heavy rain.  Ugly.   It was about 55 degrees, rainy, windy and miserable when we stopped for lunch at a rest area.  Maggs didn't want to go out and do her business and I certainly didn't want to take her, but we had to.   We were sure wishing for a hot lunch instead of our cold egg salad sandwiches and apples as we sat inside the RV for our meal. 

After we dropped out of the Hill Country to more flatland, the side of the road was covered with the prettiest blue and orange flowers.  Fields of them.  They helped keep my spirits up!

We pulled in to our Houston RV park and had to set up in the rain.  It's really the first time in this trip we've had to, so we can't complain too much, but it was no fun.  About half an hour after we got settled in the rain stopped!  Oh, well.  It is supposed to rain and thunder off and on during the night and tomorrow but then the rest of the time we are here we are supposed to have sun and warmth.  Sure hope so. 

Today was the first day we used a full tank of fuel even though we didn't go any further than usual.  Fighting the head and side winds and rain just sucks that tank empty!  

After some Tension Tamer tea for Roger and a dinner of comfort food (soup and grilled cheese) and the heater warming up the place, we are quite comfy and starting to relax.  Even Maggie has settled down in her bed on the couch and is sleeping.  She had a rough day, too.   

This is a nice RV park.  Cement pads, grass between the wide sites.  There are some trees, but they are small.  It's a newer RV park and is set up for the larger rigs. According to the guy who checked us in, they are full and most of the tenants are living here.  Apparently there is a lot of work here and not enough housing, so folks are living in their RVs.  Also, a lot of the work around here is transient and people pick up and follow the producing oil fields.  

Tomorrow is rest, fuel the truck, and who knows what - probably not much.  Friday we will connect with Rachel and we'll see what the day brings.  

Fort Stockton, TX to Kerrville, TX

Good Morning, Fort Stockton RV Park

I wrote this last night but didn't get it posted.


Being up before sunrise is not a usual thing for us.  It is so weird not to have the sun come up before 8am and go down at 8pm.  But, it was beautiful!  

Today's drive was much nicer than yesterday's.  The road surface was smooth and it didn't sing in a high pitch and send me and Maggie into hyper state.   

Traffic was light.  We could count the number of cars we saw on both hands.  Pick up trucks, on the other hand, were numerous. There weren't as many RVs on the road either.  

The KOA is not one of the better ones, but passable.  People were very friendly and helpful.  Like almost all the places we stay the WIFI is awful.  I couldn't even log in.  The KOA guy worked with me and helped me get in but I had to sit in the office/store to send an email to Stephanie.  After his help I really had to sit there and do that instead of going home to my hotspot.  

Rog bought a Texas lottery ticket on a whim.  First time we've done that.  He said he would share if he won!  

Las Cruces, NM to Fort Stockton, TX

We were on the road a little earlier than usual today anticipating another time zone change which makes us get into our destination an hour later than our actual drive time.  

Today's journey across the open desert of western Texas was long and tedious after a stressful stretch of road through El Paso.  The traffic through there was horrid.  Once we got through El Paso, which is a really ugly city, we  headed southeast following the Rio Grande for about 80 miles or so before turning east.  Between I-10 and the river were acres and acres of pecan orchards, some vineyards, what looked like alfalfa fields, and several very large dairy farms.  The other side of the road was nothing--desert scrub.  Once we turned due east, both sides of the road had absolutely nothing to look at.  

The road was quite rough as we had to stay in the trucker's lane and it is pretty well beaten up.  I'm glad I boiled eggs last night - they would have been scrambled after today's trip!  The inside of the RV was a bit discombobulated when we landed.  Our little table was broken, a screen fell out of the window, and things that don't normally move were strewn about.  It took a while to get things back in order.   The rough road made the tires sing a real high-pitched whine on a long section of highway this morning and that got old really fast.  Maggie stayed a bit hyper longer than usual even with her pill and we think it was the rough road and the tire/road noise.  

The RV park tonight is several miles east of Fort Stockton, TX. We've stayed here a few times before over the years on our treks back and forth from Florida.  It's not a bad place to stay - some grass and trees and wide sites.  Nothing fancy, but clean and friendly.  Lots of empty spaces when we pulled in around 4pm and by 6pm all spots are full.  As I mentioned before - 'tis the migratory season for RVers.  One would think that no reservations would be needed mid-week out in the middle of Texas.  We are glad we called ahead! 

In the past I've noted in my travel journal that Arizona seemed to be the worst of anyplace we've traveled for trash and litter along the interstate and Texas was near the top of litter free states.  Well, things have changed.  I noticed that Arizona, while not litter free, was a lot cleaner than in past years.  Texas, on the other hand, has fallen down on the job of keeping their roadsides clear of plastic bags and other trash.  We did spot some "clean up gangs" from correctional institutions out there today, but still, something has happened to Texas' clean roadsides and not for the better.  

Tomorrow we have reservations at a KOA in a little town called Kerrville - west of San Antonio.   We will be in Texas Hill Country which is somewhat nicer than what we drove through today.  We are hoping for a more pleasant scenery and better roads.

OK, Las Cruces is off our list!!

After a very nice lunch at a Thai restaurant down the street from us, we spent the afternoon cruising around the town.  The more we saw the more we disliked about it.  In some spots it reminded me of North Las Vegas, in others it was like being in Yuma again.  The really nice areas were hard to find.  

We went in search of a flea market thinking it would be like the ones in Mesa and Yuma - vendors selling cheap junk with RVers in mind.  It was more like an outdoor Mexican garage sale - but not as nice.  We are glad we went - it was way on the other side of town and it gave us an opportunity to see areas we probably would not have ventured into on our own.   

In the meantime I read an article on the USA app this morning about the 10 states with the cheapest tax rates.  Nevada is number 2, so we can't do much to beat that!   I'm sure we will be staying put for a while - as in, not selling and moving but still traveling and wintering in the RV!  

We had a very nice call this morning from Pensacola.  Our two year old granddaughter, Kinsey, said hello to us!  We saw her a year ago and it is hard to believe she is talking so much!  The kids are prepping her for our visits with photos.  Apparently she is more taken with Maggie than with us!!  We are anxious to see her - and grandson, Ryan!  Won't be long now!  

Cool but sunny today.  Don't think it will make it to 70.  Winds have been light but when you look across the valley it is hazy from blowing dust.  

On the road for the next three days!  Will be very tired when we reach Houston on Wednesday afternoon.  

We Found a Nice Craft Fair

Due to the time change yesterday from Arizona Time (they don't switch to Daylight Saving) to Mountain Time, our bio clocks were a little off this morning and we were a bit slow getting going. We should be regulated now but it seems so light out at 7:30pm and seemed so dark at 8am. We must be on the eastern edge of the time zone.  

We have been tossing around the idea of moving further east (but not too far) to be closer to the Colorado and Pensacola kids so we wouldn't have quite so far to travel to see them and could do it more often.  One of the places we had talked about is Las Cruces. We've stopped here before on our travels and thought it might be a good place to live.   It's high desert, I can see mountains on one side, it's a blue state, and it is a university town.  It does have an income tax, though.  So, with these things in mind, we decided to stay the couple of days and do some exploring.  We do like this town and if we ever decide to move, and then get up the energy to do so, Las Cruces would be on the list of possibles.  It is awfully close to Texas, though. Don't worry, we aren't serious about it yet, but the thought is there.  We just need to find a better place than we have (not too many places fit that bill) and not have to take on a mortgage.  Just dreaming right now.   

It is definitely the month of RV travel.  People going home after wintering or on their way somewhere for Spring Break.  The RV park was pretty full last night and this morning it was pretty empty.  Again, this evening a lot of spaces are full.  The location of the park is easy access to the interstate, because Las Cruces is at the intersection of I-10 and I-25, and there is not a whole lot of options for stopping in any direction it's a good stopping off place for travelers.  The people next to us last night were on their way from Tampa to Los Angeles.  It's a very transient time for those of us in RVs.

We found a craft fair this afternoon in downtown.  It was quite large - took up three city blocks.  Lots of jewelry and art work, some fresh produce, wood workers, tie-dyed t-shirts, and the usual booths one finds at a craft fair.  We did make a couple of small purchases - a hand painted gourd bowl, some bialyies, and a ladybug ID badge holder for Colorado Pam.   

We got a history lesson from the baker who sold us the bailyies when I asked what they were.  They are bagel bread (baked but not boiled) with caramelized onion in a center depression instead of a hole. They were made by the Jews in Bailystok, Poland and the survivors of WWII brought the recipe to New York.  They look yummy and will probably be breakfast tomorrow.   Here's a link to an article about them in the Huffington Post:  Bialy   I had never heard of them before and am anxious to try one.  If we love them, where will we get them????  

We checked out the university area and in doing so found another yogurt place so we had to stop as it was afternoon snack time.  Rog got a comment about his Nevada Wolfpack shirt in New Mexico State University territory from the cashier. Rog tells me they are in the same conference and the UNR Wolfpack sometimes plays here - like I pay attention to that.  

We got some pretty fierce winds this afternoon but they only lasted a couple of hours.  The sun was out and it made it to the mid 70s today.  We are at 4,000 ft so we had a cold night and mild day.  

Tomorrow we do some more exploring.  I have reservations now for our Texas trek so I guess we have to go as we are running out of time to make it to Pensacola on the 1st of April after a stop in Houston for a few days.