Time once again for a Maineiacs in Motion catch up ..
We arrived here at our westward destination near Merced, CA last Saturday after an almost uneventful short driving day up Route 99 from Bakersfield. I say "almost" since I had to take a few minutes at a rest stop to repair one of Winne's slide out toppers (the cover that extends over the slideout when it is pushed out) that was starting to pull out of its channel where it attaches to the motorhome sidewall. The repair was fairly simple as all I had to do was push it back in the channel -- but it involved getting out the ladder we carry from it's storage location which is sort of a pain. Maybe somebody told Winne about her pending retirement to Arizona and she didn't like the idea!
Our first 3 nights here we stayed at the very small RV facility at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, CA. The Museum has lots of old military airplanes on display on the site of the former Castle Air Force Base including the once super secret SR-71 Blackbird spy plane that used to fly out of Castle. When staying at the RV Park you are given one free pass to the Museum -- and this was our second time staying there -- but we still haven't visited! We have been pretty busy since we arrived -- but we still may make it over before we depart.
We were able to reserve a full hookup site at Castle for 3 nights but we were going to have to move to a Water/Electric site for the remainder of our stay so we checked out the local Elks Club Park a little closer to Merced. The Elks have built a very nice park here out in the countryside and will let non-members stay -- so we decided to give that a try. Our site is still Water/Electric only but they have a nice dump station available that will work fine when we have to dump tanks.
We have been visiting with Peggy's sister Carol and her granddaughter Kendrah daily after Carol gets home from work. In addition to our visits - Peggy has been treating them to some of her great cooking and I have been playing Mr. Fixit on several repair jobs that needed doing around the house. I know you are amazed that Peggy remembered how to cook after that stretch of eating out almost everyday as we traveled west ... but let me assure you she still knows how!
We have continued to work on the details of our new motorhome purchase. The financing part is done and the rig has been moved from Albuquerque to Tucson. Yesterday we received a call from our assigned "Service Advisor" - the fellow responsible for getting the Forza all prepped and ready for delivery. We have scheduled an appointment on April 13th for our "Delivery Inspection."
One of the options that comes with our Forza is a roof mounted automatic satellite dish. We find that our portable Tailgator Satellite dish works well for us and I wouldn't have gone out of my way to order the automatic dish -- but since it comes with the rig -- and it's a pretty expensive option -- we might as well use it! When talking to the Service Advisor I found out that the installed dish is for Directv service and we use Dish service ... so he is seeing what they can do to convert it to "Dish."
The Forza comes with 4 large Group 31 12 Volt DC Coach Batteries ... but has space available to mount 2 more. Since this rig has a residential refrigerator that must have 120 Volts AC available in order to operate (no propane capability like our present frig) - they provide a 2000 Watt inverter to power the frig from the Coach DC power system when not connected to "shore power" and not running the generator. I doubt we will need to operate "off the grid" for very long but I know that if 4 Batteries are good -- then 6 Batteries have to be better! That being the case - and since now would be the best time to add additional batteries to the existing battery bank -- I plan on seeing how much more they want to do this modification.
Our plan is to get back to Tucson a day or two before our "Delivery Inspection" day to do our own detailed inspection prior to acceptance and then I suspect we will stay overnight at their facility for at least one day/night as we transfer all our "stuff" over to the Forza. I think we will then stay another day or two in the Tucson area living in the rig and making sure it and we are ready for travel before heading east.
Speaking of "the Forza" ... we need a better name. How about "WinneToo", or "WinneTwo", or maybe we just stick with "Winne"? All suggestions will be duly considered.
We still have lots of visiting and chores to accomplish in our remaining days here in Merced - and we may even throw in a day trip over to Yosemite National Park.
One thing for sure ... these Maineiacs are staying in Motion.
We left North Ranch at a leisurely 9:30 AM and headed northwest. We drove north to Kingman along Route 93 and then west along good ol' I-40 to the Colorado River and into California. The small town of Needles is right on the border and we decided we would call it quits for the day right there in Needles. Another uneventful day. The fuel mileage wasn't so great as we spent the day with lots of hill climbing and descending -- and it was all into the wind.
We awoke way too early this morning and since we were awake we got a little earlier start for our drive today across the Mojave Desert, over the Tehachapi Mountains, and into the San Joaquin Valley here in Bakersfield. We stayed here in Bakersfield back in 2010 and we both enjoyed our stay at the Orange Grove RV Park ... so we decided to do it again. The Park is right off Route 58 and on the edge of a real Orange Grove with rows of Orange Trees within the park. If you are here during "the season" they issue you special orange picking tools and you are free to pick all the oranges you want. Orange picking season is over and the blossoms are now on the trees so we are simply enjoying the amazing scent!
And now for the news you have all been anticipating. Well ... maybe you were ... maybe you weren't!
Although we walked away from the motorhome salesmen back in Tucson last week ... we left the door open enough for further negotiations which have been ongoing by phone over the last several days.
Our Winne has served us well over these last 12 years and about 137,000 miles ... but she is starting to feel and show her age. Nothing is majorly wrong with her at the moment, and I suspect she can make the trip back without issue but she does complain from time to time.
Now ... deciding to buy a replacement rig after owning a rig like our Adventurer is no easy task. We have grown used to her and sorta like what she is and what she can do. Shopping for a new rig leads to comparing everything to what Winne has and how the new rig will or won't stack up. We like this feature ... we don't necessarily like that feature.
After considering all the pros and cons, pluses and minuses, good things and not-so-good things .... we have decided to take the plunge and buy a new rig.
We have chosen to purchase a 2016 Winnebago Forza 34T.
The Forza is Winnebago's entry level Diesel Pusher (meaning the engine is in the back and "pushes" rather than "pulls" the motorhome. The 34T is 1 inch shorter than our present rig, is powered by a 340 HP Cummins Turbo Diesel through a 6 speed Allison Transmission, and has two slides.
Look at all the new gauges and switches I have to figure out!
Not to mention getting used to air brakes and not being able to hear the engine!
We opted for the U shaped lounge instead of the more traditional loveseat and dinette.
The lounge sits across from the entry door and the TV/Entertainment System and the fireplace
Next comes the kitchen area that includes a convection microwave oven, 3 burner propane stove, and a residential type refrigerator. Sorry for the fuzzy image.
And then there's the stacked washer and dryer. That will be a new experience for us!
The bathroom is pretty much the same as what we have now.
Once again -- sorry for the fuzzy image.
And the bedroom ...
The pictures above are of the actual unit we will be buying which is presently located in Albuquerque but will be taken to Tucson, AZ where we hope to pick it up in a few weeks.
In the meantime ... we are one short drive away from our destination near Merced and our visits with Peggy's sister Carol and her granddaughter Kendrah.
I need lots of time to figure out how all this new stuff is supposed to work anyway!
First, the good news. I saw a dentist here in Wickenburg on Monday morning. He pretty much immediately told me my tooth was "dying" and needed a root canal procedure performed. He took care of the initial rooting out of the canal, gave me a prescription for some antibiotics and required that I come back on Wednesday to at least finish up the root canal procedure. With the nerve gone from that tooth - the pain was gone as well. I returned this morning to have him finish up sealing the work he had done on Monday and then decided to have him go ahead and put a crown on the tooth. Did you know you can get a crown fitted, built, and installed in one day? I didn't until this week. With high tech 3D scanners and computerized 3D milling machines they can make a replacement ceramic crown, fire it, install it, and you are out the door in less than two hours. Whodathunkit!
All you have to do is write a big number on a check!
Since we got to stay here for a couple of extra days waiting to get all that done I was able to wash a few thousand miles of dirt off Winne and we also got to enjoy one more great Happy Hour and Feast over to Jim and Ellie's place. On Monday Jim smoked up a excellent beef shoulder roast. The meat was melt in your mouth mesquite flavored wonderful! Thank goodness my tooth pain was gone so I really got to enjoy it!
Yesterday (Tuesday) we did a little shopping in Wickenburg and then drove over to Prescott Tuesday night to visit with some old friends from Maine who moved here back in the 90s - Linda and Larry Fuegan. Linda and Larry have a very beautiful home in the hills surrounding Prescott Valley where we were treated to a great meal, fun conversation, and a tour of Larry's workshop where he creates some beautiful works of art in the form of knives, spurs, and other western type items. Larry's shop includes a forge room for forging steel for his knives and other pieces, a space for doing all the carving/engraving, and a room for doing his leather work. Seeing where Larry does his magic was an extra added attraction added to a fun visit with a great couple.
As a really special treat Larry presented us with a Special Tool created in his workshop. When used by a trained technician this tool can open just about any bottle of capped beverage with ease. Even more special - this particular tool started life as a shoe on Larry's very own horse and contains the Fuegan Makers Mark. This one's a keeper for sure!
So with our visit here at North Ranch just about over we plan on hitting the road again tomorrow morning - destination California. We have about 600 miles left to go on our westward leg and could do it in two days - but I think we are going to stretch it to three.
Ya'all will have to stay tuned to see what trouble these Maineiacs can get into when in the Golden State .... and whether or not they return to Maine with the same equipment as when they left!
Once Again ... time to catch you all up on our doings since we last left you back in the great state of Texas.
After finishing up our stay in Kerrville we set sails west along I-10 once again - destination Fort Stockton, TX about 250 miles away. The drive through West Texas was the normal wind in our face, generally uphill, fuel mileage killing, drive -- through miles and miles of beautiful Texas scrub brush, with nary a critter in sight. But it was "all good" as we arrived safe and sound at our destination at the Fort Stockton RV Park in time for a BBQ rib dinner at the on-site Roadrunner Cafe. Not bad cookin' either.
After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast at the Roadrunner Cafe once again -- we continued on west on Wednesday - through downtown El Paso (always a driving experience) and finished up Texas as we settled in for the evening in Anthony, NM -- just north of the Texas border. Now the RV Park in Anthony isn't the fanciest in the nation but has several things going for it. 1) It's not in El Paso, 2) It's convenient off I-10, 3) It's relatively inexpensive for a long pull through 50 Amp Full Hook Up site -- especially with an Escapees discount, and 4) It's sorta near Chope's restaurant in La Mesa, NM.
After getting settled in we were joined by some dear family friends, Sandy and Reed Kimzy (also part time RVers) and we all made the trip over to Chope's for some fantastic and very authentic Mexican food. I ate too much ... but what are you going to do when it all looks so good and you have to try it all! Enchilada, Tamale, Chile Relleno, sopapilla ... it was all great stuff!
It was back on the road again on Thursday - heading west again - but this time in the Mountain Time Zone. But then we changed time zones again once as we entered Arizona - which is on Mountain Time normally but changes to Pacific Time when the nation decides to save daylight. All very confusing isn't it!
We landed at the Pima County Fairgrounds - just east of Tucson -around 2 PM local time. After recovering from our driving day - and since there just happened to be a "RV show" going on at the fairgrounds - we decided to walk over and check it out. It wasn't really a "RV Show" -- it was just the local LaMesa RV Dealership showing their wares -- but it's always fun to kick tires -- so we did.
Well one thing led to another and next thing you know we were looking at a new 2016 Winnebago Forza 34T motorhome. The 34T has a very similar floorplan to our present 2003 Adventurer 35U - is basically the same length (within an inch) and is powered by a 340 HP Turbocharged Cummins Diesel engine / 6 speed Allison Transmission / Air Brakes / Exhaust brake -- you know -- all the fancy stuff that the Big Boy Diesel Pusher motorhomes have!
Peggy and I both liked the rig itself -- but not the colors of the interior. Too dark - and too green! We looked at a somewhat larger Forza and liked some of the interior colors better - but not the floorplan. So we retired back to good ol' Blue and White Winne for the evening
We were planning on spending an extra day in Tucson anyway - so I walked back over to the Show on Friday to check out a few more details I hadn't looked at on Thursday. I guess I was getting a little more serious! To make a long story short ... the rest of the day was spent checking out the Forza, taking a test drive, and doing the negotiations dance with a minimum of four salesmen. When all was said and done on Friday - they just didn't have (and could not get from one of their other locations) a rig that would fit all our wants and needs. So we said thanks but no thanks and drove off to have a nice dinner of mesquite smoked baby back ribs at our favorite Tucson eatery - Daisy Mae's Steakhouse. We did however get one more phone call from a salesman on our way to dinner. I turned down that offer by email.
Oh -- but we weren't done yet! While getting Winne ready for travel the next morning I got another call from the salesman who just had to show me one more motorhome that was "gently used" - had more "stuff," and was listed for even less $$. I looked - said "no thanks" and we hit the road again -- headed north.
All-in-all I guess it was an interesting experience. We found a motorhome that might fit the bill if we do decide to get another one, we found out what ballpark the $$ will be need to be in, and it didn't cost us a dime - yet.
We pulled in here at the Escapee North Ranch RV Park in Congress, AZ, just north a bit from Wickenburg, AZ, around 2 PM yesterday, rested up for a bit, and then headed over for Happy Hour at Jim and Ellie Meacham's place here at North Ranch. Mike and Pat McFall joined us and the Meachams for Happy Hour and a dinner of burgers and brats expertly grilled by Jim. Once again - we were saved from starvation by a fantastic dinner provided by one of our RV friends. Oh Bye The Way --- Peggy actually did cook our dinner tonight. Just wanted it clear that we don't eat out every night while traveling!
Now for the not-so-good news. Somehow over the last few days I have managed to damage one of my teeth. It hurts like heck if I put any pressure on it and I suspect it is cracked, or I lost a filling, or ... who knows. All I know for sure is ... it probably isn't going to fix itself and it needs to be fixed soon. So ... I managed to get an appointment tomorrow AM at a local dentist recommended by Jim Meacham.
Here's hoping he can fix it!
Yesterday we drove about 180 miles and ended up here in Kerrville, TX about 50 or so miles northwest of San Antonio. After we settled in after our relatively short driving day we decided to drive over to Fredericksburg for some good authentic German cuisine for Linner. Once again we settled on Der Lindenbaum ... a nice restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg that has very good food and certainly has the German heritage Fredericksburg atmosphere. Peggy had some sort of pork dish that I can't spell or pronounce and I had the 3 sausage special that includes bratwurst, brauenwurst, and some other kind of wurst. Needless to say - we left full!
Today was a planned "Zero" Day. No raising jacks, no bouncing down the interstate, and no miles. It has been an absolutely gorgeous Texas Hill Country Day with temps probably near 80 degrees after a nighttime low of around 42 degrees. Great sleeping weather and great sit outside and soak up the sun weather!
We are spending our time here in Kerrville at the Buckhorn Lake RV Resort. We have stayed elsewhere here in Kerrville in the past ... at places that aren't nearly as resort-like as here at Buckhorn -- but we decided to treat ourselves this time. Actually, we stayed here at Buckhorn on our last trip through because we wanted to meetup with some RV friends who we knew were staying here -- Paul and Mary Witwer. We were pleasantly surprised earlier this afternoon when Mary Witwer saw our rig here while on her afternoon walk and came over for a short chat! Although we weren't aware that they were here ... it seems she and Paul are staying here again for a few months! A nice surprise and an added bonus for a somewhat last minute decision on our part.
I spent a few hours this morning catching up on some Winne chores. Readjust the tire pressures down since they were last filled in Maine when the temp was 40 degrees, clean up a few electrical connections on things like our shore power connection and the umbilical cord that feeds brake/turn signal power to the Fusion, and charge some refrigerant into Winne's dash Air Conditioning System. I had to do that last summer as well so the system obviously has a small leak and will require recharging every so often. The usual suspect on a unit with over 135,000 miles would be the compressor seal - but as long as a recharge once a year keeps getting the job done - that will work for me! A bunch easier than replacing the A/C compressor!
Tomorrow we plan on continuing west along I-10 to our normal stopping point in Fort Stockton at the Fort Stockton RV Park. It looks like yet another night of eating out as we always like the Roadrunner Cafe right in the park itself. And then the next night we plan on stopping in Anthony, NM where Chope's Bar and Grill is located in nearby La Mesa, NM -- some really great authentic Mexican Food. And then there is Tucson, AZ where we have several favorite restaurants. I guess there is no denying that we tend to travel the USA from restaurant to restaurant!
This trip will be the 12th time We and Winne have made the trek from Maine to the Pacific Time Zone and back (I do have to count one trip that had a western terminus in Arizona ... but they never change to Daylight Savings Time ... so it counts - sorta). I guess that explains why Winne knows the way.
After spending some time visiting with Norm and Linda Payne a few days ago swapping RV travel stories I realize that we are mere babes when it comes to RV travel. But I do recall our first trip "out west" way back in 2005 (hard to believe that was 11 years go!). I recall:
- Using Delorme Street Atlas software on our laptop sitting on a console between the seats for our navigation assistance. But we still relied heavily on our Rand McNally paper atlas.
- Being able to connect to the internet using WIFI at only a few campgrounds. And the reliability of using campground WIFI hasn't improved much!
- Towing my daughter's Saturn SL-1 as our "TOAD." She didn't mind having our Chrysler 300M as her ride for those few months.
- Planning on 350 mile travel days. Although we still may do that from time to time, our plans are to shoot for closer to 250 miles nowadays.
- Being awed by my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Still on the top of my Awesome Sight list.
- Learning how to find Flying Js -- and how to maneuver the RV islands once there.
- Learning how to cope with fuel stops that weren't Flying Js!
- Experiencing our first "breakdown" on the road. We weren't really "broken down" -- but we definitely needed to get Winne's Throttle Control Actuator replaced before continuing on past our stop at the Grand Canyon.
Those were certainly the good old days.
But these days aren't too bad either!
So ... we left not-so-bright but early on Friday morning from the Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL. It started to sprinkle a bit as we rolled out of town, was a light rain as we entered Mobile, AL, turned into a downpour just west of Mobile, and rained pretty hard and steady all the way to Baton Rouge, LA. From Baton Rouge west it was a pretty nice day! Just as planned!
We spent the night near Lafayette, LA last night and hit the road again heading west this morning around 9:30 AM. It rained a bit this morning but nothing like the rain we had on Friday! Most of the miles along I-10 through Louisiana and into Texas were nice and dry with temps in the low to mid 70s. Oh by the way ... if you ever find yourselves traveling into Texas from Louisiana along I-10 ... take a break at the Texas Information Center / Rest Stop. They have a really nice boardwalk nature trail through the nearby swamp with some great opportunities to see beautiful shore birds, snakes, turtles, alligators, and other such creatures that inhabit the swamps of this country.
We are spending the night tonight in Columbus, TX ... about 120 miles east of San Antonio, TX along I-10. It appears we have outrun the "unsettled" weather for now and I am hoping to have a all sunny travel day tomorrow. As for tomorrow's destination? ... I think we have decided to drive on up to Kerrville, TX about 50 miles west of San Antonio. We plan on taking at least one day off from our westward travels after reaching Kerrville. Since one of our favorite BBQ joints nationwide just happens to be in Kerrville ... I reckon we will have to visit Bill's BBQ while we are there ... and then one of our favorite German restaurants is just a bit north in Fredericksburg, TX ... so a trip to Der Lindenbaum may also be In Order before we set sails west once again!
We have traveled just over 2,200 miles so far on our trip west and I figure we have about 1,800 miles left to go on the westward leg. Winne has performed well so far ... and I plan on keeping her well fed with 87 Octane for the rest of the trip! As long as the price of gasoline is going to remain around $1.60 or so per gallon - keeping Winne's PPM (Price Per Mile) under 25 cents ... then everybody will be happy!
Oh yeah ... I guess we also have to "Spring Ahead" tonight. Does that mean I lose an hours sleep? Nah .... just a later start to our gypsy travels than normal ... no big deal.
See ya at the next stop!
As advertised, we pulled into the Escapee Rainbow Plantation on Sunday early afternoon. Our Saturday travel from Heiskell, TN ended just south of Birmingham, AL where we spent Saturday evening which made for a easy 240 mile drive into Summerdale on Sunday. Both travel days were nice weather-wise and Winne continued to purr right along. In fact - it was warm enough to break out my short pants in Birmingham and again here in Summerdale. Upon our arrival were were greeted by Gary Smart and his wife Millie who manage the place in the winter months and by Don Martin who happened to be biking by. Its always nice to pull into a place you haven't been in a year and be greeted by friends!
After settling in for a few hours we decided to have dinner out at one of our favorite spots here in Lower Alabama -- Big Daddy's Grill on the Fish River.
As always -- the grilled gulf shrimp were really yummy! We may have to get back again before we head west. After dinner we made our way back to the Plantation and over to the clubhouse for the Ice Cream Social where we got to visit with some more dear friends we have met here in the past including Larry ("the Cook") and Babs Cameron.
Peggy and I got a good nights sleep on Sunday night into Monday morning and still managed to make it out to breakfast at the Foley Coffee Shop. The Foley Coffee Shop is nothing special as far as the food (although it is pretty good) but you can't beat it for small town diner atmosphere where I'm sure most everybody knows everybody and everybody's business.
The rest of Monday was spent getting Winne scrubbed clean on the outside, accomplishing a few minor items on the project list (always something to fix after driving a 12 year old motorhome down the road for 1,500 or so miles), and a short visit with Don and Gloria Martin.
Today was another decent day weather-wise with temps making it into the 70s -- but the wind picked up from the south bringing a bunch of moisture and clouds up from the Gulf. As I feared from earlier forecasts it looks like the Gulf states (especially Louisiana and Eastern Texas) are in for a real drenching over the next few days with some strong thunderstorms thrown-in for good measure. Unfortunately for us -- that's right where we are heading. That being the case, and since I don't like driving this High Profile Vehicle in windy, rainy, strong thunderstormy weather, I think we will sit still for a few days ... at least until the extent of any flooding is known and the winds die down a bit.
I reckon the delay gives us more time to get back to Big Daddy's and maybe over to the fish market to pick up some gulf shrimp .... you know ... provisions ... for the long trip west to the granola state.
The wind wasn't too bad on Wednesday and the weather in southern Virginia was forecast to be rather winterish on Thursday so we decided to drive on through to the Escapee Raccoon Valley RV Park in Heiskell, TN. Our driving day was uneventful once again.
Yesterday (Thursday) we enjoyed our first non-travel day on this trip by sleeping-in and getting a relaxed start to our day. Peggy wanted to weigh-in at Weight Watchers so we found a location in Knoxville to get that accomplished and then of course -- we had to celebrate her successful week by having lunch out at an O'Charley's restaurant. We chose O'Charley's for no particular reason and although it was OK ... but it wasn't worthy of a rave review either. After lunch we returned to Winne and settled-in for the rest of the day/night.
We got another slow start to our day again this morning and then had a great lunch-visit with Gene and Judi Curp who live nearby in Maryville, TN and Darrell and Judy Patterson who drove all the way over from Crossville, TN to join the bunch of us. We always enjoy meeting up with our RV friends on our travels and seldom have enough time for a proper visit ... as was the case this time. I think we really need to make this area a destination stop in the near future so we can "do-it-right!"
Tomorrow we plan on getting back on the road - heading south by southeast along I-75 to Chattanooga and then I-59 to wherever we end up. On Sunday we hope to roll into the Escapee Rainbow Plantation RV Park in Summerdale, AL for a few more days of R&R before striking out west along I-10.
When we head further west from Summerdale remains the question. I was planning to head west mid-week next week but the weather in the TX-LA-AL area looks to be pretty wet and wild around then -- so as always we'll keep a sharp weather-eye out and go when the conditions allow.
If the weather requires us to stay put in LA (Lower Alabama) for a few extra days then I suppose I'll just have to find more shrimp or BBQ to keep me going!
And oh Bye-The-Way ... Winne's new Koni shock absorbers are working great! The improvement was not as dramatic as when I first installed Koni's about 100,000 miles ago ... but the difference is quite noticeable. No more excess bouncing when hitting those road transitions (especially bad in the northeast), less body lean on cornering, and less reaction when getting passed by those big 18 Wheelers. Thanks to Koni's lifetime warranty the only cost to me was shipping the old shocks back to Koni for evaluation. Buying relatively expensive high quality equipment and getting high value with good service don't always go together ... but I give Koni pretty high marks in this case.
So here we are ... day two of our 2016 Winter/Spring travel adventure is behind us and we find ourselves in Natural Bridge, VA. I had originally planned a shorter travel day ending in Staunton, VA but I decided to hedge my bet a little by driving a bit further south. Tonight a string of strong storms is due to move through this area from southwest to northeast including strong winds in the 20-25 MPH range with gusts to 50 mph. Since Winne is what you call a "high profile vehicle" and since I don't really like driving Winne in strong headwinds or crosswinds -- we may decide to sit tomorrow out. If we sit still here tomorrow we can still make it to the Knoxville area on Thursday as originally planned. If the weather isn't too bad by late morning we may make a few more miles along I81 tomorrow ... but we'll leave that decision to tomorrow.
Our travels yesterday were long ... but uneventful -- always a good day in my book! Today's trip was much shorter at around 270 miles, but also uneventful. Have I ever told you all that I really like it when stuff works the way it's supposed to?!
Today is March 1st - Super Tuesday for you political junkies. If the Republican primary elections go as the polls predict, Donald Trump will receive most of the delegates to be decided today. I remain extremely disappointed that "The Donald" has received as many delegates as he has these last few weeks and am prepared to be even further disappointed this evening. If the results go as the polls predict - I expect to be an Ex-Republican tomorrow and will be available to whatever political party is available to me that 1) doesn't have Socialism in its economic platform and 2) doesn't have Donald Trump as its presumptive nominee. My friend Jim Meacham provided me with a potential new Party on Facebook earlier today ... the "Cocktail Party." I think this may be my best bet of all ... and I'm sure AA will still be there in 4 more years when I need them!
So here's to the Cocktail Party .... as long as the Vodka holds out!
