Zero Day in West Texas

While traveling cross country - every so often - we just take a day to do nothing. We don't really do "nothing" - we just don't have a plan on how we are going to fill our day.  I call those days "Zero Days" after a term I learned from our RV/Hiking friends Gene and Judi Curp.

We started today's Zero Day by walking over to the on-site Roadrunner Cafe here at the Fort Stockton RV Park for breakfast. Eggs, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Pancakes .... great way to start the day!

After a hearty breakfast we loaded ourselves in the car and drove into Fort Stockton to see what we could see. We started by driving over to the Annie Riggs Museum. The Museum is housed in a hotel built around the turn of the 20th century and contains plenty of artifacts from that era as well as items of interest from this area of the country. Annie Riggs was an owner of this establishment and had a history as a unique woman of her time. The building itself is made of wood and adobe with 14 foot high ceilings and 2 foot thick walls which must have been nice to help keep the rooms cool on those hot summer days without air conditioning.

Quilt Picture For My Sisters

Thick Adobe Walls - Nature's A/C!

Hotel's Dining Room

Check Out that early Electric Stove - Still Works we're told!

We spent an hour or so touring the museum before heading out to our next destination - what's left of the original Fort Stockton.

The US Army had soldiers stationed here before the civil war but the military presence pretty much disappeared during that war. After the war and the ensuing westward expansion in the late 1800s the military moved back in to establish a presence - mainly to keep the fierce Comanche and Apache at bay. Most of the soldiers stationed here in those days were "Buffalo Soldiers" -- African Americans freed during Civil War. These soldiers were known to be pretty effective in living and fighting in these desert-like conditions.

There isn't much left of the  original Fort but there are a few surviving buildings and an interesting museum that is worth visiting.

After our busy morning of learning about this area and its contribution during those days of westward expansion we (Peggy) decided to have an ice cream lunch - so we found our way over to the local Dairy Queen. I'm told this was a pre-determined stop - pre-determined by co-conspirators Peggy and Judy Patterson. It's amazing what mischief those two can get into - even when separated by hundreds of miles!

After DQ we made our way back to Winne and basically goofed off the rest of the afternoon. Since we had worked so hard all day, and since we didn't want to ruin a perfect day by having to cook for ourselves, we joined a bunch of other folks here at the RV Park for a nice dinner of Ribs (Peggy) and Shrimp (Mike) at the Roadrunner Cafe. If you ever find yourself spending an evening in Fort Stockton on your way east or west along I10 - you can find some pretty good grub here at the Roadrunner Cafe! Nothing fancy -- and only a few selections -- but stick-to-your-ribs good food.

We had a nice Zero Day today but tomorrow it will be time to head west once again. Destination? Well that depends on the wind, possible rain, and how we feel. Maybe just west of El Paso, maybe further west to Las Cruces, maybe even all the way to Deming, NM.

I can't wait to find out myself.

Trip Summary

We have been gone from home on this 2015 Winter Getaway for just about 30 days. In those 30 days we have driven Winne a bit over 3,400 miles through some 17 states. We have driven on cold days and warm days. Through snow showers, rain, and even some sleet.

We have visited and shared food with RV friends in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Texas.

It's been a great trip so far!

As planned - we made the short 90 mile trip from New Braunfels, TX to Kerrville, TX yesterday. After setting up at Buckhorn Lake RV Park we soon met up with Paul and Mary Witwer for a short visit and then we drove over to Bill's BBQ - a favorite spot of ours and high on Paul and Mary's "To Do" list. Before long we were all chowing down on Brisket, Turkey, Ribs, and Pulled Pork - all smoked here at Bill's. Now you all know that I have claimed Bill's as my favorite BBQ joint since my first visit about 3 years ago .... but I think we (Peggy and I both) have switched over to Cooper's as our favorite. It's not that Bill's has gone downhill or anything ... the food was great, as always ... it's just that Cooper's was that much better! But don't fret ... there are still plenty of places I haven't tried ... so plenty of opportunities for a new Champ to be crowned.

Speaking of new champs ... the Seahawks days are numbered and down to about 3 days left before those Patriots from New England wear their Championship hats once again.

Today we said our goodbyes to Paul and Mary and were back on I10 West around 9:30 AM. We had a nice, sunny, warm travel day and pulled in here at the Fort Stockton RV Park around 2 PM. We have decided to take a Zero Day tomorrow and just hang out here in Fort Stockton. We may just goof off here around the RV Park ... or we may go play tourist in the Fort Stockton area. Or maybe a little of both!

You can really see the difference in landscape between "The Hill Country" area around San Antonio and here in West Texas. Here was our view this morning in Kerrville ...

and then here in Fort Stockton this afternoon ...

fortunately we missed this view at our house ... taken by our fantastic daughter Stacy who was doing her best to snowblow all that snow! At least until she ran out of gas!!

Yep ... it's been a great trip so far --- and now on to the rest of the story ---

It's a Tough Life

This morning finds us parked in beautiful New Braunfels, TX at the Hill Country RV Resort - a nice spot where we stayed for a few days on our return trip last year (at least I think it was last year -- we have traveled through here enough now that I can get confused from time to time). 

Our travels from the Louisiana area across I10 to here in the middle of Texas have been relatively uneventful. There was the meltdown of the fuseholder for the leveling jack system back in Fontainbleau State Park as we were getting ready to depart. That problem is a repeat offender from about 3 years ago when the same thing happened. I remain perplexed as to why that fuse holder gets hot once in a while. It has to be from water getting in the connection and corroding the connector. I replaced the fuse holder when we stopped for the night near Beaumont, TX and all seems to be working correctly again. I suppose I'll have to pull that fuse periodically and make sure it's kept clear of corrosion. 

As we arrived here in New Braunfels we were contacted by our RVing buddies Rod and Debbie Kendall who are spending their winter here in the San Antonio area. Although they were hoping to be making $$ by guarding a gate in the nearby "oil patch" - it seems the big drop in crude oil prices is putting a damper on those plans at the moment. Bad for them ... but good for us because that made them available to join us for some really good BBQ at Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ yesterday afternoon! We had a great meal of ribs, sausage, brisket, potato salad, cobbler ... combined with a whole lot of catching up with the Kendalls. I'm sure we will run into them again in the future ... but until then ... Thanks for a fun afternoon!

Go Patriots! (Rod is a BIG Seahawks fan!)

Today we are faced with more of the same. Once we get our act together this morning we will be heading further west - but not that much further - to Kerrville, TX ... home of our all time favorite BBQ joint - Bill's BBQ. And as it just so happens -- temporary home to another set of RVing friends Paul and Mary Witwer. We met the Witwer's for the first time while staying at the Buckhorn Lake RV Resort in Kerrville way back in March of 2011. So ... in celebration of that we must partake of more visiting and more BBQ. This really is a tough life!

Meanwhile ... back in Maine it is snowing and blowing and snowing some more. Love you guys ... stay warm and safe!

The Big Easy

We spent a relaxing Wednesday at the Plantation. In between all that relaxing Peggy caught up on the laundry and I replaced Winne's batteries ... so we did accomplish a few things. 

Wednesday evening we joined Norm and Linda, Don and Gloria, and some new friends for a nice Mexican dinner out in nearby Foley. We even had a pretty good conversation going until the band started up and the noise level got out of control. Regardless, we had a good meal with good folks and it don't get much better than that.

Thursday morning we left the Plantation about 9 AM or so but needed to stop to fill up on propane at the local Tractor Supply (nice to pay $1.99 per gallon) and then fuel in Loxley at $1.88 per gallon ... before we finally started heading west on I10 around 10:30 AM.

Fortunately we didn't have far to go as our travel goal was to stop near New Orleans. Originally we were going to stay where we stayed during a past visit at Bayou Segnette State Park - just south of the city ... but I changed my mind and we drove north on I12 around Lake Pontchartrain and stayed at Fontainbleau State Park instead. Bayou Segnette is a nice enough place but you have to negotiate the New Orleans traffic getting in and out ... where Fontainbleau is much easier to access. 

We rode out a whole lot of rain and wind on Thursday night as the storm that moved on to the eastern seaboard got its' start down here in the gulf. Friday morning the rain/wind had calmed down so we got ourselves ready and drove the Fusion into New Orleans across the Pontchartrain Causeway - a 23 mile drive straight across the lake right into the heart of New Orleans. 

This trip to the "Big Easy" was mainly to visit the National WWII Museum in downtown New Orleans. The Museum used to be known as the D-Day Museum but has changed names and grown much larger in the past few years. Thanks to "Lola" the GPS we use in the car and my memory from when I worked a bit in New Orleans we found the museum with little problem, got parked, and then spent the next 5 or so hours immersed in the War That Changed The World. The Museum is very nice and is still under construction as they add more displays and venues ... and it certainly was busy! The cost is pretty high at $23 (you can save a few bucks if you are over age 65) but if you are willing to see it all you will get your moneys worth.

My Aunt Vallie was a Charter Member Contributor to the Museum and included my Dad's name on the computerized Honor Roll -- so we had to check that out ...

It was a grey day in the city ... but you can make out the roof of the Superdome and the Entergy Building where I used to work at the right with the flag on top.

So ... after all that walking and looking we found our way back to the car -- across the causeway -- and back home to Winne for a good nights sleep.

Now its time to get moving again ... on to the great state of Texas.

Relaxing at the Plantation

Tonight finds Mike and Peggy warming their bones at the Rainbow Plantation in Lower Alabama. The high today may only have been in the mid 60s - but warm is a relative thing - and I'll take 60s in late January!

We arrived here in Summerdale, AL on Sunday -- just in time to get the satellite TV receiver set up to watch the NFL Divisional Championship games. Being from Maine means we are New England Patriots Fans ... but SIL Kaj is from the Pacific Northwest and is a staunch Seahawks fan. No problem here  ... we root for the Seahawks in the NFC game and Patriots in the AFC game. But what happens if/when both teams win? 

Well now we get to find out. Our poor 3 year old granddaughter is caught in the middle. I figure she and her mommy will root for that cute Quarterback Tom Brady while her and her daddy will root for that tough Seahawks defense. As it should be!

Meanwhile Papa will root for all things New England ... go get 'em Pats!

Yesterday was a fairly nice day weatherwise. Peggy and I joined Norm and Linda Payne and Don and Gloria Martin for lunch at Big Daddy's Grill on the Fish River. Mmm mmm ... those grilled and blackened shrimp sure were yummy! After lunch we took care of a necessary grocery shopping chore and got that put away before joining some fellow Escapees (SKPs) at the clubhouse for social hour. The folks at the plantation  are getting in the groove for the upcoming Mardi Gras season with this years' theme being the Wild-Wild West. They are getting an early start and folks have already been fined and thrown in jail! Another busy-fun day here at the Plantation.

Our major accomplishment for today was getting Peggy to a local dentist. She managed to break off part of a tooth the other day and it was causing her some discomfort. A crown will be required to fix this tooth for the long term but she was looking for some temporary fix until we get back home. Fortunately the folks at Foley Family Dentistry were able to fit her in and got the tooth all stabilized for now. So .. Peggy and her tooth are good to go ... for a few months anyway.

Winne's new tires are working well. Peggy and I both noticed that the road noise level has decreased noticeably. I reckon that is an added bonus -- along with a safer ride. We have one more "repair" to make before we head west. I noticed that Winne's coach batteries are not maintaining their charge like they should ... and since they are near 6 years old ... it's time to replace them. I have used 12 Volt "RV/Marine Deep Cycle" Batteries in the past and they have done their job ... but this time I am going to use 2 6-Volt Golf Cart Batteries wired in series. So tomorrow is new battery day.

And then we plan on heading further west on Thursday.

First Stop -- The Big Easy -- Stay Tuned!

Warming Up in the Land of (Liquid) Sunshine

We made the trip into Florida last Monday driving in on-again - off-again rain. When we arrived here in Crystal River at the Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park we got Winne sorta parked in her assigned spot when it really started raining hard and steady. Even though we really weren't very level we rode out the evening in the rain just the way we were. The rain stopped by Tuesday morning so we re-parked Winne in a better position where we could get level and then spent the afternoon visiting with our friends Mike and Jane Swartz who live here in nearby Homosassa Springs.

Our mutual friends Kathy and Bill Ball from Naples, FL joined us and the Swartzs for an afternoon lunch and gabfest here at the RV Park on Wednesday. The Swartzs and Balls were neighbors of ours for many years in Topsham and Mike and Bill and I worked together for Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company throughout the 80s and 90s. We had a lot of fun reminiscing about the "old" days and finding out how we were all surviving our various versions of retirement. We only had a few hours of time together since Kathy and Bill had to get back to Naples but it was great getting the "gang" back together!

Thursday was new tire day for Winne. Peggy spent the afternoon with the Swartzs while I took Winne over to the tire store. It didn't take all that long to take off the old tires and mount the new ones - even though the tire guy broke down and remounted the tires by hand. A couple of hours and a very large bucket of money later and bingo ... Winne had new tires. When the old tires came off I had an opportunity to really inspect the wear on the old ones. I definitely think I got my moneys' worth on the last set as they lasted for 86,000 miles over 7 years and were down to about 6/32s tread depth from an original 16/32s. Yup -- it was time for some new ones!

By the time I got Winne back to the RV Park it was raining pretty steady once again. What the heck is up with all this liquid Florida sunshine? In spite of the rain ... Peggy and I joined the Swartzs for a nice dinner out at Cody's Roadhouse and said our goodbyes - until next time!

I spent the morning today getting the wheel covers back on Winne's wheels and getting the tire pressure sensors back on the tires. I also picked up some replacement safety cables the other day ... so we are ready to take off tomorrow and make some more miles. 

We spent the afternoon visiting with some more RV friends - Paul and Margery Zehler who are spending the winter in their normal spot at Blueberry Hill RV Park over in Bushnell, FL. After a short visit in their motorhome (soon to be replaced in a few days with a brand new fifth wheel) we drove together to one of their favorite eating establishments -- The Oakwood Grill over in "The Villages" ... a super large retirement community here in Central Florida. I had the half rack of ribs and smoked turkey combo while Peggy had the smoked turkey sandwich. It was all very good!! 

We had a very nice and relaxing visit with the Zehlers and we may get to see them again soon as it sounds like Maine is back on their short term travel itinerary. Afterall - they really like those Ipswich, MA clams and they need to try a lobster roll from Libbys Market!

SO ... our visiting here in Florida is done and Winne has her new tires ... time to head north .... BUT not that far north! We will head into the Florida Panhandle tomorrow and then west along I-10 to see what trouble we can find at the Escapee Rainbow Plantation. 

I'm pretty sure some Gulf Shrimp will be involved!

And The Adventure Continues

First -- an update on our progress ...

We finished our fun visit with the Pattersons in Tennessee on Friday after being joined by Gene and Judi Curp from over in Maryville, TN for lunch and an afternoon of gabbing. As always -- we enjoyed our visits and look forward to doing it again!

On Saturday we drove south through the Tennessee countryside, crossed the border into Georgia at Chattanooga and then drove a few hundred miles through the Georgia countryside to Pine Mountain, GA. This route allowed us to bypass the busy Atlanta area and most importantly -- brought us near the home of more RVing buddies -- Mike and Gerri Jones. Needless to say -- dinner was involved once again as we joined Mike and Gerri for some pretty tasty Mexican food and a few hours of catching up with the Jones'. We don't get to see M&G very often but we certainly always enjoy our time with them!

Yesterday we drove south a few hundred more miles to here in Valdosta, GA - just north of the Florida Georgia Line. Mmmm sounds like the name of a singing group!? This leaves us with just under 200 more miles today to our Florida destination in Crystal River/Homosassa where we plan to hang out for several days. While we are in Crystal River we have more friends to visit -- in and around taking care of a few chores like getting Winne some new tires.

Waay back in 2004 we purchased Winne new although she is actually a 2003 model year "Adventurer." Being a 2003 model year meant that her Workhorse Chassis was actually built in 2002 ... and therefore her original tires were made and installed in late 2002. After suffering a catastrophic blowout on one of Winne's outside dual tires while driving on the NY Thruway in late 2007 and since all the tires were a bit over 5 years old (except the one I had to purchase to replace the blown one) and since I was a RVing Newbee ... I decided to replace all the remaining tires in early 2008. In the ensuring 7 years we have put over 85,000 miles on those tires. So I think it's probably a smart move to replace them. I am actually pretty impressed as to how well these tires have performed. The original tread depth was 16/32nds of an inch and they are down to just about half of that now. I have noticed some small amount of sidewall "checking" - but nothing too serious.

I didn't have much luck finding replacement tires in Maine all summer/fall so I figured someplace down south might offer a better chance. So later this week I have an appointment in Wildwood, FL to get Winne some spiffy new shoes so she'll be ready for another 85,000 miles!

Winne continues to perform well. The Fusion charging issue seems to be solved and I was able to replace the crushed tire pressure sensor while we were in Crossville so that issue is behind us also. I do however have a new "issue" to deal with ...

Every once in a while we will pull into a place that has a big dip at the entrance or exit. And every once in a while these dips are steep enough that our towbar will drag on the pavement. Obviously I try to avoid these spots but I managed to drag the towbar yesterday when pulling into a gas station for fuel. The good news is that the towbar itself was only cosmetically damaged ... the bad news is that the safety cable that ran underneath the towbar was caught and cut in two! So now I need to purchase some new safety cables. 

Isn't life on the road a wonderful adventure?

I believe it is.

Bundled Up In Tennessee

Time to get caught up ...

We finished our trip to Crossville, TN on Tuesday and Wednesday arriving here in the early afternoon in a snow flurry. Yep - you got that right ... the temp here was around 24 degrees and falling as the arctic air flooded into the whole southeast region. 

After getting Winne set up and ready for some cold weather camping we traveled over to Darrell and Judy's house for a few hours of visiting and a nice travel day dinner. Seeing old friends along our travels is a real bonus for this RV lifestyle!

We survived frigid Wednesday/Thursday night as the temperature dove to 0 degrees by morning. It's a good thing that we topped off the propane tank before arriving here as we sure did burn up some gas staying warm! But we did stay pretty warm in our nice warm bed with its heated mattress pad as the furnace ran on and off all night.

We joined D&J for nice Thursday morning breakfast out and then toured the Crossville/Lake Tansi area before heading back to their place for an afternoon of more gabbing as we took advantage of their laundry facilities. Once the laundry was finished we headed out for a Pizza dinner to add Tennessee to our list of states where we have shared a Pizza with D&J (New York, Michigan, Maine, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and now Tennessee)!

Today we have another visiting day planned and we are looking forward to being joined by Gene and Judi Curp - our other Tennessee RVing friends who live over in Maryville, TN. Another day - more visiting with friends - and maybe even a little sunshine ... sounds like a pretty good day to me.

Pretty good indeed ... but still not warm! The high today is only expected to reach 27* and the low tonight is forecast to be in the high single digits. So we need to head further south. Winne can handle the cold but that doesn't mean we want to!

Our plan from here is to head pretty much due south for another 650 or so miles to near Crystal River, FL. It will take us a few days to get there and we plan on staying for several days to warm up, visit with some more friends, and get some new shoes for Winne.

And as a bonus we are planning on an overnight stop near LaGrange, GA ... so another get together with more RV friends is in store!

The forecast for Crystal River for early next week is highs in the high 70s and lows in the high 50s.

Now we're talkin'!!

Back On The Road Again

Nicky made it home from the hospital on Saturday and appears on the mend somewhat comfortably at home ... so we said our goodbyes to the NJ Evringham Gang on Sunday evening and hit the road again this morning heading south.

We left Clarksboro, NJ around 9:15 or so, filled up with gas just down the road at the Flying J in Carneys Point, NJ and continued on our way. We passed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge into Delaware and then on to Maryland, around Baltimore, into West Virginia for a short bit and then continued down I81 into Virginia - finally stopping for the night here in Staunton, VA. 

After the one day warm up we had in NJ on Sunday where the highs reached in to the mid 60s - today we started at around 37* and parked at around 32*. We are looking at temps tonight down into the low 20s so we certainly haven't escaped winter yet!

Although we had to fight a headwind /quartering wind all day today at least the sun was full and bright! Winne continues to run well and the Fusion charging issue seems to have been solved since everything worked well all day today.

I do have to report that I drove the Fusion a bit too close to a curb the other day and smashed one of our Pressure Pro Tire Pressure Sensors to smitherines. I really like having tire pressure information available as we drive - especially on the car being towed - so I reprogrammed one of the sensors normally used on the motorhome for use on the car. I called Pressure Pro today and arranged to have a new sensor mailed to Darrell and Judy's place in Tennessee so we ought to be back having all tires being monitored in a few days. So - lesson learned - Don't get so dern close to the curbs!!

So ... the Maineiacs are back on the road ... running south and seeking warmth. 

Wonder when we'll find it?

More of the Same

We continue to be hanging out here in the land of the WAWA. The original plan was to leave yesterday but that plan changed when Nicky remained in the hospital. But the good news ... it looks like she may be released today if all goes well during the morning visit with her docs!!

Normally I would be complaining about the cold weather and how I really need to head south to warm up ... and it is rather cold here with morning temps in the high 20s to low 30s. But as I see what the rest of the country is dealing with I come to the conclusion that we are far better off than many.

We have managed to stay pretty busy these last few days with hospital visits, visits with Brian, Alyssa, and Emily ... and the standard early trip repairs. As I mentioned in my last post - the highest priority repair was to get the charge wire to the Fusion working and that was fixed a few days ago. Yesterday I moved on to the slide issue we had on the trip down here. The problem was a "rub strip" installed on the top edge of the bedroom slideout that provides a soft sliding surface for the slideout cover to rub on when it is moving in and out ... had come loose and was getting tangled up in the roller tube. The "rub strip" is basically a 3/4 inch wide and 11 foot long piece of velcro (only the fuzzy half). Since about 75% of the strip had already come loose I removed the whole piece and the slide cover now extends and rolls up just fine. I should replace that strip once I get somewhere much warmer ... but I think its fine for now. Then I moved on to the dripping faucet in the bathroom ... and then the water filter that needed replacing ... and then the repair to my heated water hose that quit heating ... now that one was also a priority repair.

Keeping Winne and all her systems working in tip top shape is a challenge sometimes ... but considering all she is asked to do ... and the weather conditions I subject her to ... these small problems are just bumps in the road. All I know for sure is that there will be more bumps and we'll deal with those too.

Speaking of the cold weather that much of the country is experiencing and that heated water hose ... it looks like our winter RVing experience will not be over real soon. Our next destination is down in the mountains of Tennessee and I see the forecast there is for lows in the low single digits on Wednesday!! I reckon I could just give up and head back to Maine ... but I see the temps are headed into the negative numbers there and 6 inches of snow is forecast for this weekend -- so that doesn't seem like a good idea either. On the other hand ... Crystal River, Florida is looking forward to mid 70 degree temps with 50s for a low ...

There is hope for the future.

But you folks in Texas, Arizona, and Nevada have some warming up to do before we head west!