Day 35-36 Anzo Borrego Desert Park, Borrigo Springs, California

Day 35

We woke up to cold rain outside. I did not have raingear so I made one for the upper body, one for shorts and one for a hat out of small garbage bags. Raingear goes on the shopping list. I should have listened to Gina and did it last night. My hands almost froze trying to hook everything up. We finally got on the road at 10:00 and had a 5+ hour drive ahead.

We drove through Phoenix on I-10 in the middle of a downpour. The interstate was under construction and in some spots I lost the lines separating each lane and would find myself straddling two lanes in complete bumper to bumper traffic; Very nerve racking and I was really thankful when we exited the City and traffic calmed. Once outside of Phoenix we stopped at a Starbucks and Walmart and endured yet another horrible grocery shopping experienuce. I-10 continued west with only two lanes and more Semi’s on it than cars. Every time they pass the trailer gets pushed around – you have to stay on high alert.

Once over the California border I had a choice: stay on I-10 or take State Road 78 down around the Sultan Sea. I called the park and they told me to stay on I-10 but I was tired of the trucks and decided on 78. It was a 2+ hour drive down a two lane road with hardly any traffic that went up and down and around some crazy desert hills. If we broke down we would be spending the night out there on that road as there was no cell phone coverage. We went from too much traffic and craziness to complete isolation. Amazing how one road can be so different from another. The drive down 78 was very unique, unlike anything we had seen before. In particular, the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area was wild, it consisted of massive sands dunes, with zero vegetation, that ran as far as you could see in all directions. We might as well have been in the Sahara Desert.

The weather never broke and for most of the day we drove through the rain finally arriving around 4:00. The Anzo Borrego Desert Wilderness was huge and very beautiful. Definitely nicer than I had expected, but unfortunately, the park ranger informed us that no dogs are allowed on any trails because of too many snakes and other animals. Looks like the California rules are already starting to kick in. Gina made Chicken and Gravy with butternut squash in the Instapot. We called Debbie, Nana and Poppie, and Lily to touch base and were in bed by 9:00. The quietness and darkness of this campsite rivaled City of Rocks.

Day 36

We had yogurt for breakfast and took a walk with the dogs over to the visitor center. This was about a ½ mile walk through the desert and the only path the dogs were allowed on. The walk could not have been more pleasant. It snowed during the night in the upper mountains surrounding us but the morning warmed up nice and quick; the day was absolutely gorgeous. The visitor center was the nicest and most informed one of all the parks we have been too. In second was Oliver Lee. There were exhibits about the desert, movies about the desert, shopping for desert stuff, etc etc. There were a lot of people and most were not campers, most likely from the coast, escaping the madness in search of wildflowers. We learned that the desert in Anzo blooms around this time of year, but the actual date varies depending upon temperature and rainfall. The full bloom is expected in the middle of March. We were here the end of February and it was just starting to show a little.

When we got back to the RV we called jack to check in then moved the trailer to another site – only two spots down: this was our 7th day in a row of moving the trailer. After a quick set up we headed into Borrego Springs, the local town, and had lunch at Kelsie’s Kitchen, hit the local grocery store called Center Market and picked up a skirt steak. We had brought our bikes and headed out of town towards two suggested bike rides: Arroyo Salada and/or Inspiration Wash. We drove about 8 miles out of town and once again were in the middle of the desert – there were no landmarks of any kind. We passed a small turnout and noticed a small stick with “Inspiration Wash” on it. We pulled off but the path was mucky so we decided to move on. After another couple miles we saw another stick with “Arroyo Salada”. We turned off down a dirt path and drove by some RV’s boondocking. We found a place to stop the truck, unloaded our bikes and started to ride, downhill. After a mile and a half we were in the middle of nowhere – nothing, just us on a dirt road in the desert still going at a good clip downhill. Gina started to worry about how far we had to ride back uphill to get out so we turned and got out. The whole ride was supposed to be 3 miles in to a Palm Oasis in the middle of the desert and 3 miles back out – we actually went about half way. Once out, we decided to drive the truck to the Oasis.  We got about a half mile further than the bikes but the road started getting too sandy and soft. Once again: What if we can’t get out? A three point turn without getting stuck and we bounced all the way out.

On the way back we noticed RV’s scattered all throughout the desert like they just turned off the road and drove out into the middle of the cactus. That is some true boondocking. There were also cars parked alongside the road and people trudging through the desert with cameras taking pictures of any desert flowers that were blooming. It was a strange site, but apparently gets even crazier when the full bloom goes off.

Back in town, we picked up some propane and gassed up the truck for our Pacific Ocean trek tomorrow. The dogs were happy to see us when we got back and took them for a nice long walk around the park, I grilled up the skirt steak tostada Gina had prepared for dinner. Afterward Gina tried to watch a movie but halfway through the wi-fi quit. I did some blog posting but before going to bed we went out and looked at the stars – the sky was beautiful and alive with stars– this is something we quite frankly have not seen a lot of because of the We wanted to stay out longer and gaze but it was very cold. In fact, in the middle of the night Gina asked me turn on the heater for fear of the dogs freezing.

Day 31 - 34 Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ

Day 31

We got up in the morning and had grain free English muffins for breakfast with peanut butter and jelly. Gina took dogs for long walk through the park and attempted to meet me at the ranger station. I to the bikes down to determine if we could extend our stay. The ranger on site was one of those “by the rules” people. She saw that our trailer and truck were too big for the site I had reserved so she made us switch to another overflow site – another parking lot. The good part about this one was that it was completely paved and we were in the back corner with a nice open space next to us. She had told me that this site was pretty nice and we would like it. There was no electric and water so we had to use the generator again for coffee. We decided to switch coffee making from the electric perculator to a French press that used boiled water. The weather was still not great so we decided to go into the closest tow, Apache Junction. We went into a Laundry mat to do our laundry and ended up hiring the girl who worked there to do our laundry while we went to lunch at The Handlebar Pub And Grille. The place was packed; everything on the menu is grilled and nothing is fried. I had a couple of cold beers and gina had a cider. We met some people at the bar from Illinois who were big Cubs fans. They come here every year for spring training to watch the Cubs in their big Class A. They were not staying at Lost Dutchman but some privately owned RV site close to where we were. The food was excellent and we had a good time, although it was quite cold sitting outside. We left and picked up the laundry, We bought some new dog beds and a french press at Frys and returned to the park in time to still make a 2 ½ mile hike up to superstition mountain green boulder. We took both dogs on the hike; Teddy did really good; On the way back he tried to take a short cut through the desert but didn’t get too far before we reigned him in. Back at the RV we fired up the generator to charge the computer and cooked chicken wings and asparagus on the grill. The weather was cold but nice. Another beautiful sunset. Gina was in bed by 8:30 and I updated the blogs. We slept good that night but it was cold. It actually snowed up in the mountains that night.

Day 32

This was the 2nd day at Lost Dutchman. We woke up to Rain Rain Rain but the forecast showed promise. We could see the snow up in the mountains from our site and snapped a pic. Fired up the Generator for coffee and breakfast - forgot about the new French press. I had to go down to the Ranger station to change our site for the day. We were able to secure site 56, an electric site and site 81 for the next day, another electric site. Good news is electric, bad news is we have to keep moving. We also decided to skip Buckskin Mountain and Joshua Tree campgrounds. We would stay longer here and then head directly to Anzo Borrigo Desert. We added one day on the front end to Anzo but we would also have to move sites. We also booked a nonrefundable Airbnb in Cottonwood AZ, just a few miles from Sedona. The Sedona properties were way too expensive. This pretty much committed us to leaving the trailer out west and head home in just the truck. More planning will be needed in trying to figure out where! We talked to Lily and Jesse, managed to do some OT work then packed up and moved to our new electric site. This site had a big puddle of water from the rain right where the door opened and we stepped out. I dug an irrigation ditch down to the road and the puddle cleared up that afternoon. Too bad we have to move again tomorrow. By the time we finally got set and ready to move about it was already early afternoon. We took the other hike that ultimately would take you to Flatiron.  We took both dogs as an insurance policy so we wouldn’t be tempted to climb Flatiron. According to some people we talked to, it is a 1,000+ foot vertical elevation change over a mile over rocks. There is no path so you will inevitably be climbing up over boulders on your hands and knees. No way could Teddy make it so we were safe! We hiked to the Basin, close to where the Flatiron portion of the hike started. It was about 2on portion of the hike started. It was about 2 miles. The last section started showing signs of what was to come. We turned around, let the dogs loose and had a nice stroll downhill back to the trailer. We wanted to go into to Scottsdale but decided it was too late after learning the drive was about 45 minutes. We had no groceries left so we went out to dinner in Apache Junction at Los Carnitas for Mexican. Should have picked something else. The place was packed with what looked to be RVers just like us. We all must have gotten suckered in by the Yelp ratings! Back to the RV with indigestion and rotten nights sleep. Worse for Gina than me.

Day 33

The 3rd day at Lost Dutchman started like all others, eggs w spinach and coffee – this time with the French press, although we had electric. We packed up and moved again – 4th day in a row of hooking up and moving. The weather was cold but sunny. Our site was right next to the bike trail that circled the entire park. We jumped on the bikes and made the loop, about 4-5 miles in all, with no dogs – Teddy needed the rest. The trail was clean, well marked and ended up being a nice ride through a beautifully landscaped desert. Of all the parks so far, the landscaping here was the nicest. They had a wide variety of cactus and desert plants all in great shape and not unruly. We made an appointment to have the dogs bathed at Petsmart at 6 pm before taking the dogs on another walk around the park. We then hung around until it was time for their appointment. On our way in to town we stopped at Big 5 sporting goods for socks and rubber boots for Jack – everytime he was out in the rain his shoes would get soaked. We dropped the dogs off for their baths and felt really comfortable with the girls at petsmart. They were big time dog lovers. They suggested a restaurant around the corner and we tooke their advices. It was an Italian Restaurant called something like New Yorks finest! Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The worst was bringing out the wrong food – the waiter said “sorry, I must have punched the wrong item in”.  We couldn’t get out of there fast enough and back to pick up the dogs. They were sure glad to see us! The girls said they behaved and were no problem. Not even Teddy! We went to Frys grocery store again and they had a terrible selection so we didn’t buy much. We were back home and in bed around 10:00. It was very cold that night so the heater went on.

Day 34

Day 4 at Lost Dutchmen and another move – 5th one in a row. This time to site #3 that was a non electric site but it turned out to be our favorite. It was tucked in some tree groves and was very private and quiet. You could not see another RV and nobody could see us. The day was beautiful so we decided to hang out there with the dogs in the sun. Jack made grilled chicken thighs on toasted gluten free bread for lunch; they were delicious. We decided to take the 45 minute drive into Scottsdale tonight for Gina. I was insistent that we at least go there once. Gina made reservations at Sumo Maya, a Japanese/Asian Restaurant in Scottsdale. We left around 5:30, the drive was long but worth it. The dinner was wonderful, Gina was taking pictures of every entrée and sending them to our nephew Dylan. I think they were having a food picture contest or something like that. After dinner we took the same long ride back and made it to the RV by 8:30. Gina wanted me to pack everything away because rain was predicted for the morning.  I did a few things but not everything because I was tired. Not a good move. In the middle of the night the rain started and was relentless. I paid for that decision in the morning when I woke up and had to get the trailer ready in the pouring cold rain.

Day 28, 29 and 30 (by default) Catalina State Park, Tuscon AZ

Day 28

One thing I didn’t count on was how much time it takes to do this blog. I have gotten WAY behind in posting so I am going to change tact a bit. You would think I might be sitting around all day with nothing to do but I can tell you that these travel days are WORK! Packing up, getting hooked up, driving, then unpacking and unhooking. When we get done, its usually time for dinner and after that all I want to do is jump in that bed! I am going to try to shorten my writings. Maybe not fully on this one but future ones are going to get shorter.

Well today is another travel day to Catalina State Park, just outside of Tuscon, AZ. The drive was nice out of NM, We went through Silver City, refueled and were going to stop but parking this beast reared its ugly head again and before we knew it we were out of town. As I said before, there Ain’t No U-Turns in this thing. Once we got down out of the mountains we picked up I-10 the rest of way…… Boring. We called and talked with our friends Dave and Stefania about the timing of our Humbolt trip and learned that we are not going to be able to connect as they get in long after we are gone…. Bummer. We called our friends, Kim and Michael and caught up on home town news.

Just before we arrived at the park, the rain started coming down. At check in, the Ranger warned us that the road may flood and they couldn’t guarantee when we could get out. I didn’t really believe him, and brushed it off. The surrounding mountains were spectacular, but our site was lame, a “group overflow site”. I had no idea what that was and learned that it is an oversized parking lot of dirt (mud with all the rain) that is assigned after all the good sites are gone. There is no electric and no water. Because the generator had never been set up, I had to gas it, fill it with oil, set up the ground wire, etc etc. It took me over an hour and I was completely soaked. I fired up the generator and must have really pissed off the guy next to me – he threw his hands up in the air and mumbled something…. The generator I’m guessing! In sites with no electricity there are certain times you are allowed to run generators and there are quiet times when no generators are allowed. I was fully within the allowable time, I just think the guy was a complete grump. In the morning he was gone. Riding around on our bikes the next day we found him in a full hookup site – I gotta give him credit, no one was coming in or going out because of the flood so he snaked one of the electric sites that were not occupied.  

It was Valentine’s Day so we got ready and went out to dinner at Kegs steakhouse, right across the street from the park. We didn’t bring the dogs and Gina did not want to go far for fear of the road flooding and us not being able to get back in. We had a nice dinner and made it back before the flood. It was a cold night so we bundled the dogs up for bed and the lights were out by 10:30.

Day 29

Gina cooked pancakes for breakfast. We started to hear others in the parking lot talk about the flooded road. It had happened, there was one guy from Austria who took on the role of Road Closing Authority, and we could hear him telling everybody and anybody that wanted to listen. We decided to walk the dogs down to see and it was quite amazing – a 100+ foot wide river, 6 feet deep, rushing across the street, complete with hydraulic waves in the center. The road was packed with gawkers like us. The talk was it would be open tomorrow around noon. That worked fine for us as we can leave when it opens and make our next reservation.

Feeling good about the news, we decided to take Remi on the Romero Canyon Trail, a 6 mile hike up into the mountains. We left Teddy home because it was listed as a difficult hike. We got to the trailhead but could not cross the raging creek, turned around and took the Nature Trail instead. Teddy could have gone with us on that one, as it was quite nice. There is an equestrian center in the park and horses are allowed on the trails so Remi got to see his first horse, he didn’t know quite what to think about something on four legs that big.

Later in the day we rode our bikes with Remi back down to road closing to check on the status. The talk had now turned to tomorrow late afternoon at best or worst the following morning. That changes things: If not open tomorrow it impacts our reservation at Lost Dutchman in Phoenix. We still didn’t panic as we grilled chicken breasts with zucchini and onion for dinner. The weather had finally cleared and we enjoyed a great dinner around the fire bowl. We jumped in bed with our books and were asleep by 9 hoping for good news. One benefit with the road closure is that the park is really quiet and nice at night. No one driving around.

Day 30

We had yogurt for breakfast and walked the dogs down to flood.  News was a little more pessimistic, maybe this afternoon but most likely tomorrow. Still no panic; we went for bike ride on the 50 year trail. It was a beautiful path along a ridgeline that overlooked the park. After a few miles it became very rocky and unmanageable for our bikes so we turned around and went back to the trailer for lunch – borritos and margaritas. We had just learned that the road was not opening this afternoon so what the hell, break out the Tequila. I called Lost Dutchman and informed them, they claimed to be well aware and would hold our site, not to worry. We were mixing the second margarita when were heard someone say the road is opening and anyone who wants to get out, better pack up and move! They are clearing the road for only a few minutes and once the last trailer in line is out they will let it flood over again. We did our fastest pack up ever – 20 minutes and the RV was rolling. I hit the dump station to release some weight and we started our short trek to Lost Dutchman in Phoenix. As we gassed up I called Lost Dutchman to inform we were on our way. The ranger said we were booked for tomorrow – nothing today! They had cancelled our reservation for tonight and our site was already taken by someone else! After some unpleasant haggling on the phone they managed to find us an “emergency site” for the night but we would have to move to our regular site the next day. We didn’t have a choice.

The rain was gone and the weather turned nice. We took a back road all the way to Phoenix and arrived at Lost Dutchman right at sunset. This was a beautiful park and we looked forward to exploring it tomorrow. We cooked gluten free burgers on the grill with campfire sauce for dinner and got to bed early.

Day 26-27 City of Rocks State Park, Nowhere NM

DAY 26

We slept in the next morning and the wind had subsided. It was calm and beautiful in the morning. Packed up and drove to Alamogordo to get new tires on the trailer at Big O tires. Our “China Bombs” managed to get about 3,000 miles. After much research I decided to get tires that were rated one step above the factory tires. Most blogs state that the manufacturers will put the minimal rated tires to cut costs.  In our case that was an F rating. The ratings are set by the amount of weight a tire can handle. I chose to go with G rating on the new tires so they can handle more weight. The guys putting the tires on commented on how strong these new tires were compared to the ones they took off. Lets hope we made a good move.

We Left the trailer and truck at the tire shop and walked to “downtown” Alamogordo. The town was pretty quiet and there were not a lot of food choices. We had lunch at JAM-ing hot dogs and more! Not in sync with Gina’s food requirements but I was in heaven. On the way back to the Trailer we stopped at a pet store and bought the dogs some treats and toys.

Got back on the road and the new tires felt great - definitely a difference! The drive took us mostly through desert. We drove by White Sands Monument but did not stop. It looked like Monahan’s sandhills – a lot of dunes and sand. We drove up over a mountain pass and down into Las Cruces NM.  We wanted to check this town out as it is rated as one of the top 10 towns to retire in the USA. We took a couple of wrong turns and ended up going down a street not made for RV’s. The trees overhanging the street were lower than the Trailer and we did a little scraping. We finally found a way out of downtown and made our way to “Sprouts Farmers Market” – Gina went in to shop and I took the dogs for a walk and waited outside. Gina was in the store for over an hour. While I was outside an illiterate homeless guy approached me and tried to have a conversation. I couldn’t understand a word he said. As he talked his shopping cart started to roll away down the hill…. I said hey, your cart is rolling away, he chased after it and he was gone. Thank goodness.

When Gina got back with a full load of groceries we got on the road. We were heading west on I-10 right into the sun. It was a stressful 30 minutes of driving until the sun finally set. But that ended up mild compared to what we encountered next. Darkness! We filled the tank in Demming, NM, got off I-10 and headed toward the City of Rocks - 60 miles straight up hill on a narrow 2 lane road, in complete darkness. You didn’t know whether the headlights approaching were in your lane or the other lane until they went by you. Gina was white knuckled! We finally arrived and went to our assigned site #8. The park was closed, pitch dark and quiet, except of course for our extremely loud diesel truck and our very bright headlights. To be more obnoxious, we walked around with flashlights trying to find the electric hookup, but there was none. The campers in this part of the park had to be thinking who are these idiots. We studied the maps and found “Electric Sites” in a different spot. We worked our way over and found another site 8! It took us about 30 minutes to back into the site and I thought it was very poorly designed and way too tight to make the turn – It was amazing we got in. We were yelling back and forth – left / right / stop / I can’t see / back up! All this while everyone else was asleep. I am sure we managed to get this part of the park to think “who are these idiots” too.  When we finally got in I just wanted to hide so I decided not to unhook the trailer until morning as that would limit noise. Closing the door to the trailer I accidently hit the panic button on my keys! The horn started honking and it took me a while to figure out it was me!

Another freezing night was predicted. We turned the heater on, undid the hoses and were in bed by 10:30. Gina wakes me up about an hour later, “Remi has got to out!”. In the freezing cold he drags me around then explodes! Thank god that wasn’t in the trailer. While being dragged around I filled my socks with stickers and had to pick them out of my feet! I get back in bed; Gina says “Teddy has to go out too!” Walking around out there at night felt like a cougar a/k/a mountain lion was about to strike at any moment. I make it back into the trailer to learn that Remi has projectile vomited all over the heater blanket, carpet, floor and couch. We cleaned it up for over an hour and got back in bed. Gina wakes me 30 minutes later “Remi is panting again” - I take him out again and while freezing witness another blowout. I get back in bed – “The heater is not working!” Propane tank is out. Once again out in the freezing cold braving a potential mountain lion attack to switch tanks. I get the heater back on – It is now 1:30. Remi has settled down and is finally asleep. Same for me.

DAY 27

Woke up at 8 to the freezing cold – went out and hooked the water back up. The place looked a lot milder than it looked in the dark. I also could see that our site was a pull through not a back in – I just could have gone around the loop and drove right in. I took the dogs out and Remi still had his problem. Gina started him on some pills to fix the problem. We had coffee and yogurt for breakfast while looking over the USA map trying to start a plan for the trip home.

It warmed up and we finally took the dogs for walk up to observation point – It was a nice walk up the hill to an overlook down the valley we had rode up the night before. While up there we actually had cell service so we called Lily. On the way back we walked through our first rocks and thought they were way cool. Little did we know that the rocks right next to the camper were far more interesting. We got back to the RV and cooked burritos for lunch then took the bikes around Hydra Trail – a 4 miler circling the entire park. The first half of the ride was downhill and went by fast, the other half was all uphill and worked us – we had to stop for several water breaks. On the ride we met on older couple from Kansas who had been RVing for 30+ years – He was full of advice, the best being an electric hose that will not freeze. That is on my future buy list.

We then took the dogs for a walk in the rocks near the camper. We let Remi loose and he had a blast. Teddy wasn’t so sure footed. The rock formations were much deeper and larger than they appear. Once inside you loose your bearings and the rocks seem to go on forever. We met a father and his son from Alaska - what an interesting guy. He lives in Alaska and bought a place in a nearby town in New Mexico. He explained there was much to see in the area but New Mexico is very low key and keeps these things under the radar. There are Indian hierogliphics, Hot Springs, and Cave Dwellings easily accessible and not set up like tourists traps. We would love to come back and explore.

The temperature started to drop so we worked our way out and back to the RV. I needed to touch base with OT and tried to find cell service by riding my bike around the park. My hand nearly froze holding the phone looking for bars. I had no luck at all – it would have to wait. I got back and Gina had dinner ready - gluten free, dairy free, pasta carbonara and a salad! Chef Gina killed it again. We both had a glass of rose wine with dinner. There was no freeze expected tonight so I left the hose out. We both enjoyed a hot shower and were in bed by 830. Lights out. Our plan is to get out by 9AM tomorrow morning as we have a long drive to Tuscon AZ. We shall see.

Day 24-25 Oliver Lee State Park, Alamogordo, NM

DAY 24

We both slept good last night. Got up at 8:00 and I was feeling better. Teddy also seems to be better. Gina took the dogs for a walk around the park while I got the RV ready to roll. Had our staple of spinach and eggs for breakfast and were on the road by 11:15.

We were finally going to get out of Texas today! The road out of Alpine was as boring as the road in. Nothing at all to note. We started a new audible book “Killer by Nature” and this one was good. It was actually an audible drama where there is not one reader trying to do all the voices but instead different people took on the different roles. Felt like you were listening to a movie instead of one person trying to imitate and old mans voice and then a young girls voice, and then grandma…. You get the picture.  Finally got on I-10 and headed west through El Paso Texas listening to the book. Went by Biggs Army Air Field and it was massive – lines and lines of Army vehicles for as far as you could see – listening to the book . We stopped at a Starbucks for a coffee and took the dogs for a much needed pit stop in some remote field. With coffee in hand, we refueled at a Chevron but it was a tight squeeze for the trailer. On the way in there was a steep incline and we heard a loud scraping noise. What Now? We bent one of the scissor jacks – the new one I bought in Tallahassee after taking out the Winding w\Way sign. I have hardened a bit, so I just kicked the thing back into shape and moved on. I will see how it works at the next site. Nothing I can do now.

We headed up State Road 54 towards Alamogordo and Oliver Lee State Park – listening to the book. When we turned off the road and started towards the park we went by some of the most run down old double wide trailers you’ve ever seen. We were thinking why did we pick this place? But up ahead on the hill we could see some RV’s parked underneath this beautiful canyon. Then we entered the park.  We went to our site and hooked up. The view down canyon was as nice and the view up canyon. This was a very pretty campground. The nicest so far with the biggest vistas we have had. The book was off by now.

Gina cooked Chorizo and Potato tacos for dinner and we were in bed reading by 8:30. Another limited internet service. I unplugged the water hose because it was predicted to drop down into the 20’s tonight. Learned my lesson on that one.

Day 25

Woke up to another cold morning. Went outside and hooked up the hose. We have water and it is still freezing out. Temp is expected to rise fast so I am not worried about the hose freezing. We had spinach and eggs again for breakfast, then lounged around for a while dealing with some Ocean Tec issues. We also just didn’t want to deal with that cold – it was sunny but the wind was whipping pretty good, making it feel colder.

We finally decided to brave the cold and go hike the Dog Canyon Trail – at the start of the hike there is a sign “Beware this is Cougar Country”, if there is one thing I never want to meet on a trail it is a big cat, especially a Mountain Lion! Well we started up the trail and there is about a 500 ft elevation change in the first ½ mile. We brought Remi but did not bring Teddy. We left him back in the trailer. After the 1st half mile there are some beautiful vistas into the valley but we noticed some dust storms in the distance. Gina commented that she hopes they don’t come this way. Well after another 10 minutes going up the wind was gusting over 40 knots. Gina actually sat down on the trail for fear of getting knocked over. I went ahead about 250 yards to scope out if got any better but it did not, we were walking along a ridge taking the full brunt of the wind. We decided to turn around and do the gentler and milder Nature Trail. That trail just meander up the canyon about ½ mile than back down. It worked its way over to the remnants of Frenchy’s cabin – a Frenchman who settled in this area back in the late 1800’s growing grapes, fig and other fruit trees. Interestingly, Frenchy was found dead of a gunshot wound in his cabin. It was ruled suicide but most people think it was murder. Sounds a lot like Trapper Nelson from our home town of Jupiter.

After the hike we dropped Remi off and went back to the Visitor Center. They have quite a collection of old Indian and Oliver Lee artifacts in the center. Oliver Lee was a guy who settled the area about the same time as Frenchy and became one of the largest land owners and eventual Governor of New Mexico. While touring the cent we met a couple from Minneapolis, Jay and Lauren, who actually just had completed the entire hike. They told us good thing we turned around. The hike got really sketchy at the top, it was only about a foot wide with a sheer drop off on one side. On one part of the path they encountered very large cat paw prints. When I got back to the RV I googled cougars to see how big they get – what I learned was that Cougars are the same as Mountain Lions and panthers. I think if that original sign said “Beware of Mountain Lions” I would not have even gone as far as we did.

Back at the RV Gina did her sauna while I scheduled our trailer tire change for tomorrow and updated the blogs. The wind continued to howl When she finished, we walked the dogs around the loop at sunset. Gina made a Hot Toddy and it mildly offset the cold from the wind. While we walked around we noticed several people in tents. How in the world were they going to manage another night below freezing with winds gusting over 40? We saw a few of them in their cars, maybe that’s where they slept that night because the wind was relentless.

Gina made pulled chicken breasts in the instapot with roasted broccoli, another winner. After dinner the wind picked up so much that in addition to the RV rocking, the slide out was moving in and out. Gina worried that RV was going to tip over. I had to go outside and pack everything away because things were starting to blow away into the cactus! After bundling up inside, we started to hear a loud rumbling sound off in the distance, it would gradually grow louder than disappear. After the second time, I finally went outside to look; there must have been 15-20 blinking lights all in formation coming down through the valley. They were some sort of military aircraft most likely headed to the air field we saw yesterday in El Paso. This repeated several times throughout the night and was actually a reprieve from the howling wind. Gina was in bed by 8:00 and I stayed up another hour to do some blog writing, then outside again to bring the hose in as another freezing night was expected.

Day 20-21 Monahans Sandhills, Monahans TX / Day 22 - 23 Lost Alaskan, Alpine TX

Day 20

We made some calls to Mooma, Nana & Poppi and Jackie before we left Lost Maples at 11:00. We wasted about an hour at the dump station because nothing would come out. Found out that the dump station at this site was slightly tilted away and that affected the gravity flow. I had to pull the trailer up on some blocks to get the flow going. Finally out of there about 12:00. Today we are heading to Monahan’s Sandhills State Park, still in Texas.  

The drive was enjoyable early as we left the Hill Country then everything turned to desert. Around the 98th parallel this change occurs and I think we hit that today. We listened to our audible book “House Next Door” and finished it. What a ridiculous story – don’t waste your time, even if you are driving in a boring desert. We got off I-10 and drove 12 miles out of the way to the town of Iraan to get gas. This place was in the middle of oil country and the only people around were oil drillers. I had to pull the trailer in to the pump, face to face with a Ryder truck. There was no-one in it with the gas pump in the tank pumping away. When the guy came out of the store I apologized for “boxing him in” but he said no problem, you left me enough room but the last faggot that was here was way too close. OUCH! When I went into the restroom it looked and felt liked Sea Bass, from Dumb and Dumber was going to barge in at any moment. Another town we couldn’t get out of there fast enough. As we left Iraan and started up to the Sandhills the landscape was dotted with huge Wind Turbines for as far as you could see. I’m not quite certain how that is environmentally friendly because it sure ruins the natural landscape, but that is another conversation for another day.

We arrived at Monahan’s after closing time – about 4:45. The sites were different than any we have been in before. They were pull throughs with the electric and water on your left and nothing but sand on your right. After my first attempt the trailer door opened right into sand –  I had to do some adjusting. A ranger who worked there, Arturo, they call him Mr T, saw my struggles and came over to help. He guided me in such a way that we could walk out of the RV on payment. He then began to fill us in on all the wonders of this place. He certainly loved this area “I’ve grown up in the desert sand” he liked to sand. He told me of one story that after Hurricane Katrina came through the park had received 36 inches of rain. The sand soaked it all up but released it back into the air through the sand at the highest spots. That year the sandhills produced sunflowers by the millions and they would follow the sun, starting in the morning facing east and slowing turning west with the sun. He told us to walk up Mount Everest, the highest point and we did so later taking some fun sunset shots.

After setting up and a hike to Everest we grilled some steaks with sweet potatoes, ate by the firebowl while remi laid in the sand, one of his favorite things to do – he felt like he was back at the beach.

We went to bed early. Quiet and nice and good sleep. Finally.

 

Day 21

Woke up around 7:30 and had yogurt breakfast. It was cold but manageable. We took the dogs for a walk down the road and up past an old oil rig. We walked out into the sand and let them run loose. Remi’s foot started hurting him:  he has always had a problem with running on loose sand for too long and develops a bad limp. We got back to the road and walked them home for a rest.

We got the bikes out and road to visitor center for Wifi as this was yet another site with zero bars. When we walked in the receptionist informed us that she had bad stomach ache and she needed to use bathroom and could we wait?  I don’t want to be explicit about how the place smelled, so I tried to do my work outside on a picnic table but the glare of the sun was too much and I had to finish in there. It was grueling.

While at the visitor center and on the bike ride back Gina talked her sister Liz and got updated on everything with Moo at home. Even though it was a short ride it was mostly up hill, against the wind, and the temp had dropped considerably. When we got back to the RV Gina continued her battle with the sand. It was everywhere and couldn’t be avoided or kept out of the RV. The dogs were full of it. I also was starting to battle something with a nasty cough.

GIna cooked some leftover Chili for lunch and prepared the stuffed Porkchops for dinner later. We decided to tape up Remi’s foot and go up into the sandhills. He hated it at first but it did help a little. We went sledding down the sandhills. Remi chased his ball, dug holes and got covered in sand that stayed embedded. Teddy was  extremely frisky that day and had a lot of fun too. I think both of them got a taste of home running around in the sand. When we got back I gave Remi another bath as the temperature continued to drop.

Gina cooked Apple, onion, bacon stuffed porkchops with Rosemary roasted potatoes. We ate it inside because it was way to cold outside. We got bundled up, turned the furnace on and jumped in bed with our books. Gina gave me a real sleeping pill that night and the next thing I remember is waking up in the morning with her telling me there is NO WATER!

 

Day 22

NO WATER!  That cant be. I went to the sink, nothing, Toilet – nothing. What in the world is going on – something broke! Dammit! It was really cold too -- 26 degrees. I went outside to look at the water connection to see what might be wrong. Found it! The hose was frozen solid. DUH! I look around at the other RV’s and nobody left there water hose connected. Typical bonehead move by someone from Florida. That wont happen again. Luckily I had another hose. Using some muscle (and a crescent wrench) I got the hose off. It took a few turns of the faucet but it finally loosened and the pressure shot the ice out and we had water shooting from the spicket. I hooked up the new hose and we had water! I felt like I had redeemed myself… but it still was a neophyte/bonehead move to leave the hose out in the first place.

I was feeling pretty rotten, so Gina got out her bag of pills and found some antibiotics and put me on a three day regiment. First pill this morning. She made our go to breakfast – eggs and spinach with toast.

We packed up the RV and headed to the dump station. The grey water valve was frozen shut – I guess the black water is a little tougher to freeze because that flowed out. I gave up and just left the grey water not dumped. I will do that at the next site, which was to be Brantley Lake outside of Carlsbad. I googled the weather when we got out of the park and found out it was predicted to snow there tonight. Gina and I looked at each other and said – No Way!  Lets find someplace warm. We found a park in Alpine Texas on the way to Big Bend National Park – The Lost Alaskan RV Park. Several people had told us that Big Bend was a must. I made the call and we were booked and heading to Alpine. I was stoked. It was not going to snow, this park had Wifi and a laundrymat – the jackpot!

The drive was really bad. Nothing to see. Some of the towns we went through were almost 100% boarded up. Really depressing. We stopped in Fort Stockton for gas and groceries then continued down this long and ugly road to Alpine. We arrived at the Lost Alaskan and Bob showed us to the site. It was clean and nice and totally different than what we had been to so far. This was a privately owned park instead of a State Park, Some of the people there were permanent residents and some transients like us. Well we got hooked up and settled in. Gina made a Keto Chicken Parmesan and salad for dinner. For the first night since we left we actually watched a movie on Netflix. I finally worked on the blog with Wifi.  

We didn’t escape the cold though, It was expected to get to 26 degrees – again! This time I unplugged the water line so it didn’t freeze. I had a horrible night sleep I think because of the antibiotics – just didn’t feel right - but I stayed clear from those California pills  

DAY 23

I woke up feeling bad. Cough and cold. No sleep. We went into the town of Alpine for breakfast to Judys Bread and Breakfast. It was very good. The town was interesting, had a train station that could take you to LA or Orlando, lots of Art, Food Trucks, 100 miles from Big Bend, home of Sul Ross College (who the hell is Sul Ross? Well while reading my book that night I learned he was one of early young Texas Rangers that fought the Comanche and later became Governor of TX). But at the same time the town was also quite depressed. I saw potential, but one guy at the RV park called it the town of broken dreams. People come her thinking it is growing and learn quickly that it will not change. That is the reason he moved here, from all places… Florida. He couldn’t stand the change that Florida went through and said it would not happen here for a long time. Who Knows?

We wanted to really see Big Bend, but I was in need of rest. We went back to RV and I passed out for a couple of hours. Gina did laundry, washed sheets and blankets, bathed dogs, cleaned out the truck and was a busy bee all day. Teddy was acting funny after bath and was having trouble standing. We think he hurt his leg doing one of his flying maneuvers up the steps into RV, where he misses the steps all together and his legs go down between the steps. It hurts to watch that move.

I woke up around 3:00 and I felt much better. I washed the truck in 40 degree weather and froze my ass off. Shouldn’t have done that. At 5:00 we went back into town to have dinner at The Holland Hotel  Century Bar and Grill. This was a turn of the century Old western hotel that has been restored. It was quite impressive in the middle of that little town.  I had Wahoo (from New Zealand – or so they said) and Gina had a salad.

Back at RV early and in bed reading out books. I am now reading “Empire of the Rising Sun” and Gina is reading “Without a Sound”. We each took a sleeping pill and Slept all night.

9

Days 17 -19 Lost Maples State Park, Vanderpool TX

Day 17

Woke up around 8:00 am. Still gloomy and wet outside. Had granola and vegan yogurt for breakfast. Cleaned up and packed RV. Jack had a little scare when the trailer rolled backwards when he lifted the scissor jacks. This was the first time it happened and thankfully it was on a slight hill. Note: later in the day we purchased some wheel chocks – Can’t believe we went this far without them. We got on the road around 12:15.

If you notice on our trip map, we didn’t make plans to get home. Today we decided that we will be leaving the RV out west and driving home the truck and return late summer to pick it up so we can hit some of the Northern parks in the mountains. We can’t stand the cold weather here in the southern part of the country so there is no way we can do those Northern Parks in March! Gina made our first AirBNB in Austin from April 1 till 6th. Still not sure where our other stays will be the rest of the trip back. We picked Austin because we enjoyed the city. Our spot is close to downtown and has a fenced in backyard for the dogs. Lots of young people and great food. Weather was not so good this time of year – hoping for better weather early April. Driving the truck in the city was a little challenge, but manageable.

The Drive from Austin to Lost Maples park started out like just an ordinary drive through some boring country. We chose to skip the interstates and take the backroads. About half way across there was a choice to make – stay on 290 or take 165, a smaller country road. We chose 165 and it was a good choice. It took us through more of the countryside and before we knew it we were in the Texas Hill Country which is quite beautiful, consisting of nice rolling hills, trees and long vistas. Every so often the road will dip down to a creek level with a warning sign stating that the road may flood here. Right next to this dip is a marker going up to 6 feet that can register how high the water is in the dip so you can decide whether to proceed or turn around. Thankfully for us none of the dips were filled, but had they been, we would have been spending the night next to that creek until it subsided, or worse, turn our RV into a house boat (I think I mentioned before that there ain’t no u-turns in the RV). About 30 miles out the dogs were dying to pee and Gina needed a coffee. We stopped at the Apple Store in Medina TX, not one of Steve Jobs Apple Stores, and Gina got some delicious apple turnovers and two coffees.

We finally arrived at Lost Maples about 4:15. They gave us our pick of sites as the campground was not very full. We picked a nice spot and set up. It was Superbowl night and we debated driving 45 minutes to Bandera to watch it because we had no cell service and no cell service means no internet service and that means no TV service. We are talking ZERO bars here. Thankfully we decided the drive to was too far so we put out the fire bowl and ate left over gluten free Bolognese pasta. The night ended up being a beautiful evening sitting out by the fire bowl with perfect temp and a nice breeze. We closed up and hit the bed early looking forward to checking this park out in some finally spectacular weather.

That night there was a dog barking in the distance ALL NIGHT! Or I was imagining things again. Gina slept like a rock.

 

Day 18

Woke up around 8. What happened to the weather? It was very wet, foggy and gloomy outside AND… we had no internet, cell service, nada! So we lounged around, walked the dogs, Gina made an egg breakfast with spinach. I had to go to the Check in station to get internet. Public wifi – not secured - no work today. Did check the weather hoping for good news, but…. nope – rain and wet, only saving grace was temperature was not cold – in the 50-60’s. Interesting to note that a month ago I would have said 50-60 was cold. The ranger informed us that the nearest ATT signal was 2 miles down the road and the nearest store and gas was another 2 miles. Went back to RV discussed options with Gina and we decided: drive to the store, do some internet checking and find a sunny park somewhere else. We got ready, and as we were leaving we changed our plans. The fog had lifted and we decided to hike one of their trails first. They have an East and a West. The East is 3.5 miles, The West is 4.5. With Teddy in mind we chose the East. The first park of the hike is mild and crosses a river bed several times, with nice tree cover and an easy path to walk on.  That section is about ¾ mile. Then you come to a sign that states “East and West Trails Start here” one trail goes one way and one the other. We took East of course – and for about ¾ mile this trail goes straight up hill and you are climbing over rocks. Teddy started out good, but pretty soon we were carrying him up. Gina did some carrying but I got the motherload of that duty. When we finally reached the top it turned into a 2 mile easy walk along a ridgeline. There were several good spots to stop and take pictures. Teddy was good to go again. Remi was in his glory the whole way and if we let him loose he would have been in heaven. After the ridge we had about ¾ mile downhill with the same rocky conditions as we walked up, except because this section was shaded, it was slippery. Teddy did great going down but Remi was the challenge this time. He loves to pull, and going downhill on slippery rocks, with a leash that is just not quite long enough made the downhill portion nerve racking, but we survived. After finishing the decent I checked the map - 1 mile go - Wait a minute – the trail was 3.5 miles. we went 3/4+3/4+2+3/4+1 that equals 5¼ miles! For some strange reason they didn’t count the in and out as part of the East Trail - only the up/across/down part. No wonder why our legs were hurting. Despite the extra miles, Teddy was a trooper, but he was dragging when we finally got back. It is worth mentioning that the mile out was a very nice hike that crossed a river several times with an abundancy of white limestone rocks. Gina finally decided the hell with the leash, Remi wants in the water, so we let him loose and he ran around the shallow water hunting fish (of course there were none). We also let Teddy loose and they both played together. Despite the extra length we both would say that was an excellent hike.

When we got back we had to wash the dogs… again! This time behind the public bathrooms there was a hose so they both got blasted with COLD water, but were dried and put in the RV. We finally got to the store about 3:30 – so much for finding a sunny RV spot today. The local store did not have very much in the way of food, so we got gas, a couple bottles of water and two bags of Doritos, something neither of us ever eat but they were good. Back at the RV Gina cut my hair, She couldn’t stand the Mountain Man look I was trying to create. She then cooked dinner in the insta-pot: short ribs from the Austin Whole Foods with Garlic ginger sauce over rice and roasted broccoli. It was killer!

We were now ready for bed and it was early, about 8:30. I asked Gina for one of her sleeping pills because I did not want another night tossing with that damn dog barking. She gave me something else instead. She had a friend get her a pill she tried when we were in California that worked wonders, except this one she thought might be a little different, something about the ratio of THC to CBD or the milligrams of THC being different, but I took it anyway! I wanted to sleep! Bad move. I started reading Origin and it was getting close to the end and it was a cliffhanger. Page after page - totally into it. Then Remi barked – the awning outside was flapping in the wind. I got up to bring the awning in and came to the realization that the pill was working full force, but not for sleep anymore – I was buzzed. I learned later these pills work best if you go to bed right after taking them, don’t stay awake and read a cliffhanger novel! Needless to say it was another long noisy night!

Day 19

Woke up around 7:30 and had yogurt for breakfast. The only good thing about those pills is there is no hangover. The weather was even worse than yesterday with a real light misty rain soaking everything. We had planned to do the West trail today, but this weather changed those plans. Instead we decided to drive to the town of Bandera for supplies and lunch. We took the dogs with us and were in the town by Noon. The Park Ranger told us to check out The Chicken Coop. We did and shouldn’t have. The only reason we did is the dogs were allowed to sit with us on the outside patio. We had a burgers, fries and beer each. While we were eating a biker couple from Oklahoma sat next to us on the patio, before them, we were the only ones there. Well he was very chatty and wanted to know everything about us, He was a nice guy, but….. Check Please. We were out of there.

We walked the streets to a Meat Market Gina noticed driving in. Gina went in for what seemed like an hour while I was out on the street with the dogs. Next to the meet market was supposedly a famous “Cowboy Bar” – I stuck my head in but there were just a few construction workers sitting at the bar. It was about 1 o’clock, so maybe the place gets hootin and hollerin later. Gina finally emerged with some meat and commented that the “kid” selling was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he had no idea about where the eggs were from, pasture raised, free range,  no details on his meat, etc etc. She ended up buying sausage, Pork Chops and a couple of steaks anyway.

We then stopped at Lowes Market for groceries. They seem to be a large chain out here, but they are not a Whole Foods for sure. We got some essentials but have stayed away from them on future grocery runs.

The drive back to Lost Maples was Wet. The misty rain never went away. We stopped again at the local Lost Maples Store to re-fuel and skipped the Doritos this time. Back to the RV and Gina did a Sauna while I took Remi for a bike ride. We first went to an open field in the picnic area. No one was around so I threw the ball with him off leash, then rode down to the River on the outbound section of the East Trail. I let him off leash and threw the ball with him in the water. We headed back to the RV in time for Dinner. Gina had made a Zuppa Tuscana with the sausage she bought from the meat market. As always with her cooking – It was magnifico!

I was so exhausted from my “party sleep” the night before, that I had a fairly minimal “noise” night.

All in All, despite the weather, Lost Maples is a beautiful and quiet State Park.

Days 13-16 McKinney Falls State Park, Austin Texas

Day 13

Travel day to our first City, Austin TX. Left at 11:30 and we continue to get a little better on our steps to “travelize”. Starting to Tetras a little better thanks to our neighbor Don. Don worked so many days at our house on the trailer that he all but moved in there for a month. He put dividers in all our kitchen drawers so we could separate utensils, he put stops in all the cabinets to prevent stuff from flying around, he put a shelf in for books, a specialized one of kind triangle garbage can for trash in the bathroom, locking arms for cabinets in the bedroom that open up and his and hers dresser drawers under the bed. All of these things have been life savers for us and we are so thankful to Don for his skills, ingenuity and willingness to help us.

The drive today took us down toward Houston, but thankfully we stayed out of the major traffic. What appeared to be a fairly new highway took us around the north side of city. It was a “Toll” road but there were no toll booths - maybe Florida Sun Pass works but I doubt it, probably will get some bill in the mail, it will be lost, then I will get a bill with a huge fine and that toll will end up costing a fortune. Se la vie. Everything seemed to be under construction outside of Houston. Gina saw a Chick Filet in a new shopping center and made me pull in. Wasn’t health food, but I must admit it hit the spot.

The rest of ride was pretty boring and finally arrived at McKinney Falls State Park at 4 pm with 10 miles of gas to spare, set the RV up, took dogs for walk, and got ready to go into downtown Austin, filing up with gas first. Gina booked dinner at Swifts Attic, a Tapas style restaurant on Congress. I worried about parking the oversized truck, but we scored – There was an outdoor parking lot right across the street, in the middle of the City, with open spots! Back and forth, back and forth into the spot – normal for that truck. Swift Attic had some fun cocktails, we had one of their specialty ice balls, A Gin Sage Infusion. When you first get the cocktail it is extremely strong, but the ice ball is not completely solid and includes a piece of sage inside. As the drink sits the ice warms and the ice ball breaks apart a little, releasing the sage flavor and waters down the alcohol. Well done, we had 2 each. Dinner was tapas and we had the Brussel sprouts, A Patai made out of kohlrabi noodles, and bacon wrapped dates.

After dinner we decided to walk the city a little bit, through a girl she followed on pinterest, A Small Victory Bar was recommended in which she claimed were the label best martinis in Austin. We couldn’t find the place and went into a couple of wrong spots. It was right there on my phone and we were standing right next to it, yet no bar in site. We went to the corner and asked a valet who pointed to a glass spiral stair case that looked like it was going into the parking garage. Ok, so we walked up the stairs, opened the door, and boom, there was the bar. It looked like they actually took a section of the garage and turned it into the bar. The old concrete pillars that you always have to be aware of when parking were actually in the bar. We each had a gin martini with Mahon’s gin at a 5:1 ratio. 5 parts gin, 1 part vermouth. They have several ratio options you can choose from depending upon your taste and you can also choose between sweet or dry vermouth. When we left the temp had dropped and we both were cold. Nice walk back our parking spot find, Got back to RV by 11. I took the dogs out for a walk then Lights Out.

Day 14

A little slow getting up. Last night was the latest night to get to been in weeks. We didn’t leave the Rv until about 11am – walked dogs for about 4 miles around onion creek trail. Along the walk we think we heard a pig in the bushes and hightailed it out of that section. We came down to the river and threw the ball with remi. We continued our walk and came across the upper falls of McKinney, The falls are not big but very scenic. Remi was beside himself hearing the water and wanting to jump in. The path continued on to rock shelter trail, part of that trail was closed due to renovations. We were able to slip under some guard rails and make it down to the river and walk along the gigantic overhanging rocks. We were not the only ones to do this as others were down there with us.

The path worked its way up to a very large flattop rock and you could hear the lower falls below. This rock was actually the same rock that we were just standing under. I marveled and what could have made this. To me it looked it could have been the foundation of some enormous skyscraper hundreds of thousands of years ago and was the only thing that remained. We took some short cuts home and Teddy was dragging three tracks when we got back to RV and did not even want to go back out for his normal walk later in the night,

Gina took a nap with the dogs and I had to go in to town to file the OT 1099. One thing that was not planned but I just found coincidental is the IRS center that I had to mail the 1099 to was in Austin, but they don’t give an address so I still had to mail it and that took several stores to accomplish the feet, The fed es store I was able to get the necessary copies made, had to go to Walmart for stamps and envelopes and a mail drop store to put it in the mail.

When I got back at 4:30 Gina was almost ready to go out. We had dinner reservations at Lambert’s at 5:45 then the Rebelution concert at 8:00. I hauled ass down to the public shower and was ready by 5:00 and we headed to Austin. Traffic was insane trying to get in as it was rush hour, We made it there almost on time but one wrong turn in the parking garage and we were back out on the street in jammed up traffic. Not a good move, but you cant make any mistakes in that damn beast of a truck, you cant 3 point turn ever, its more like a 20 point turn. We made it back to the garage and was lucky to park the beast, the front end stuck out a little and the tailgate was hitting the back wall, but we were in.  On the way out of the garage we encountered a group of people wearing red masks, and one dressed in a pigs head. They were all chanting about some Womens equal rights thing and beating the pig over the head with Styrofoam bats. WHAT!! We moved on quick.

Lambert’s was not a disappointment. I had the best deviled eggs ever, along with the best porkchop I have ever eaten. Gina broke her no gluten diet again with Chicken and waffles and devoured them all. The also had some excellent cocktails, gina a gin gimlet and me an ole fashion. After dinner we walked across the street to Moody’s Theater at Austin City Limits for the Rebelution concert. Iya Terra was the opening band, they were solid reggae - 3 foot dreads on all of them – they even did one old Bob Marley tune. The were very good. Rebelution was excellent as always. Our seats were in the middle of the mezzanine section and were excellent. We purposely stayed away from the floor tickets where you had to stand during the entire concert.

We were back to RV and in bed by midnight! YIKES! City life is wearing on us.

Day 15

Another slow start today, thanks again to the City Life. I walked dogs in morning, Laid around and did some ot work. Gina finally got to do some work on the computer too. When we finally got our asses in gear we took the dogs to a picnic area. No one around, so we let Remi do some swimming in onion creek. It was another overcast misty day so we decided to go into Austin for lunch – we wanted to get the city trip out early and take out any temptation to go OUT another night. We wanted to be in bed early. Another recommendation from Gina’ pintrest lady: Tylers Tacos - a real hole in the wall north of the city on airport road. Tacos were excellent and the place had a continuous line – apparantly they are open 24/7 and always busy. Instead of taking instate 35 back we listened to Supertramp and “took the long way home”. We drove down N Lamar Blvd on the west side of the city. There are a lot of dog parks off that road and we wanted to stop and let the dogs run free but it started raining. Down next to the city on the West Side is a very nice shopping district. We found whole foods and it turned out to be one of the largest in country – Gina was besides herself in that place. Still raining when we got done so shot right back to RV. We went for a nice bike ride around the park. We tried to find the Homestead Trail but had to cross the lower falls and couldn’t figure out how to do it. The ride was uphill all the way back. Got back and we called jack to find out how his RV lot purchase was going. Sounds like he is getting close, we then took dogs for walk around the camping loop. Gina cooked dinner and I updated blog. She made sauted ground turkey and cabbage bowls. We ate the bowls around the fire pit. We called Lily and wished her safe travels on her trip to Denver. We were inside by 8:30 – gina read and I updated blogs. Lights out at 9:30.

Day 16

Up at 7:00 – I like the early to bed early to rise much better. Gina made another killer breakfast. Finally used the jelly from natchez on some gluten free bread. Took dogs for walk on a portion of the homestead trail – we called the ranger station and learned how to cross the falls – there are two choices, one below the falls and two above the falls. On the way out we crossed below the falls and it was easy, just had to take shoes off and carry Teddy, Remi charged it. The hike was about 2 miles and Teddy did great although we were worried about him keeping up. We crossed above the falls on the way back – not the best choice, besides having to walk through a much wider river, the underbed of the river above the falls was basically on giant rock with slippery slimy algae on top. Gina and Teddy made it and so did Remi and I finally, but Remi presented a major challenge as he likes to pull – and when he pulls, he pulls hard. I had to keep my balance on a slippery rock with a dog pulling me around. I ended up almost riding on Remi’s back across the river. To make matters worse the park was very busy today since it was Saturday, Gina said I became the entertainment with my river crossing. Why couldn’t this have been on a slow day.

When we got back to the RV it was bath time again for the dogs. Gina washed them outside the RV using the outdoor shower while I held them.  Teddy was easy but Remi was once again the bath monster. When his stubborn mood sets in he does what he wants! Ultimately after some screaming and wrestling we can subdue him but by the time that is over we are soaked. But the deed got done and he is clean, drying him is fairly easy and he loves the towel.

Gina did her sauna and I went for a bike ride. I was determined to do all the trails in the back. So I crossed the falls (below the falls) and hit the entire homestead trail, the flint rock trail and another trail way in the back. When I finally emerged back at the falls me and my bike were covered in mud from top to bottom. what fun.

When I got back I headed to the public shower and de-mudded myself. Our plan was to head into Austin early, drop off our laundry at the Spin Zone, pick it up on the way home, fill up with gas and be ready to head out tomorrow. We are actually getting better at this planning stuff - Everything went according to plan and even better. We went to Rainey Street - a very big bar scene with what appeared to be college kids roaming up and down the street, in and out of bars. Gina picked a quiet little place and we had a good cocktail sitting outside right next to the sidewalk. The only others at this spot were parents with small children. While sitting outside I actually overheard a group of college kids go by  – “Don’t go in there its just a bunch of old people and kids”,  We had to be the old people. Gina’s pinterest lady recommended a restaurant on Rainy called Emmer & Rye. Gina map quest said they were closed! Bummer! Wait, they open at 5:30 – What time is it? For my college friends the answer to that question has always been “Its Early Times”, but in this case it was 5:10. SNAP! Open Table – No available reservations! Bummer Again! Well lets pay the bill and walk down there, maybe we can sit at the bar. We arrived right at opening time and got a primo spot at the bar – good thinking Gina. The food was magnificent. We had several small tapas plates and a couple of great cocktails. They make their own flour out of ancient grains. We had to try their bread and pasta. On the way back we picked up our laundry, filled the truck with gas, walked the dogs, did some blog posts and hit the hay. Like I said, the plans this time worked!

Days 10 11 and 12 in Martin Dies State Park, Jasper TX

Day 10

Yet again another moving day. This was a big one as we would finally get into Texas. For me Texas represented us finally getting away from the South and gaining on the West. I checked the RV tires  and found the PSI low at 60 on each tire so I cranked up the portable compressor and filled all tires back to the required 80 PSI. This little procedure delayed our departure time by about 30 minutes so we pulled out of Natchez about 11:30 and started down the road to Texas.

The drive took us across the Mississippi River, a big milestone, although somewhat anti-climactic. It came and went too fast without any opportunities for good pictures. We included them but they were not the dramatic Mississippi crossing I hoped for. Then the trip carried us through mundane towns in Louisianna – mostly farmbelt  – one area boasted its history of cotton so maybe that was the crop. We finally made the Texas border and the new speed limit was 75mph! on a small country 2 lane road no less. I kept it at about 65-70 and got passed routinely but we finally made it to Martin Dies State Park just west of Jasper TX. We pulled in– there was no one there – I mean no-one. The park was beautiful but empty and desolate. The ranger told us to pick any spot we wanted – OK – so we chose one somewhat close to the park host. Both Gina and I felt a little spooked with no one around. The park reminded me of those movies where someone is being chased through woods by a chainsaw wielding nut. Maybe a little too dramatic but you get the idea. We finally got our set up complete and cooked chicken on the grill with spicy broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes, we put a fire on in the outland fire bowl and sipped our hot toddy’s. One of the few campers in the site was in a F350 pulling a trailer with rolled wire on the back, probably doing a job for an electric company. When he came in and started making all kinds of racket undoing and securing his rig Gina thought he was in fact going to be the guy with the chainsaw. We immediately went inside and locked the doors and were in bed by 9 reading our books. Lights were soon out. Gina said the first part of the night was a little scary for her but she finally managed to nod off. I was the opposite – slept good early but in the middle of the night those woods started making all kinds of crazy noises. I tossed and turned but managed to get enough sleep.

Day 11

On Day 11 I awoke about 7:30 and made coffee. It was 39 degrees. We didn’t have the heater on so I fired it up to take the cold bite out. Gina made a killer breakfast from last nights left overs with fried eggs on top. During breakfast we hear a loud engine outside – an airboat went by our site spraying something in the water. I joked it was a pesticide! Gina was not happy.

We took the dogs for a long walk exploring the south side of the park. We were amazed at how such a beautiful park could be empty. We passed only 2 other RV’s on our walk. We ran into the guys on the airboat and asked why and more importantly what were they spraying. They said a nasty weed grows along the shoreline and will take over if not controlled. They use something called Dyquat and claim it was completely non toxic and environmentally friendly. Not pesticide, weed killer, Gina did not believe them, tried to google the product with no luck and ended up calling it roundup!

We dropped the dogs off in the RV and got the bikes out. This time we explored the North side of the park. We stopped at the ranger station and quizzed her. Somethings we learned: Park Hosts are campers who receive free stay in exchange for 20 hours of work for 3-4 days a week, can stay for months and often move from park to park. We also learned that this park is always quiet in winter – Since I booked this site 8 months ago its safe to say my urgency was mis-guided, oh well. The bike ride was quiet and nice. The park is quite big, and we took a couple of off road trails that were open, most were closed because they were wet. We took the island trail – only 1 mile long that ran around an uninhabited island surrounded by marshes. Gina spotted our first alligator just hanging out in the murky water. The north side of the park was just as empty as the south. We counted 3 RV’s and 3 Hosts.

Back at the RV we got our laundry ready and drove to the nearby town of Jasper – We dropped our laundry at TLC for a complete wash and fold - we were running out of things to wear. We had one propane tank refilled at Parkers Hardware because it was expected to get below 30 and I did not want to run out of heat. The ranger suggested Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp for Dinner just north of Jasper on Hwy 96 - we had a few margaritas and my redfish dinner was excellent. The server was from Northern California and jokingly asked us for ride back home. After dinner, yet another Walmart supercenter grocery store for tomorrow nights dinner, then back to the camp for hot toddys around the fire bowl. Afterwards I updated my posts and gina went to bed to read. It was 10:15 and pabst my bed time so I hit the Haystacks Calhoun.

Day 12

The night was full of noises for me. I kept hearing a low humming engine noise that slightly vibrated the trailer. I could not figure out what it was. Either airplanes heading to Houston, Trucks rolling down State Road 190, our airboats out in the lake. It maybe was a combination of all three or it was my chainsaw imagination!

The morning was frigid. Got down to 28 degrees. I finally got up and turned lights on. Cofffee to warm up and a fantastic breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. This morning Remi was the freezing one and wouldn’t get out of the electric blanket. The cold actually made teddy frisky and he wanted to play.

It was took cold to move around outside so I worked on OT matters with jesse and carlos. Also staring me in the face was the 1099 I had to file by January 31.

We didn’t leave for our walk until 10:45. Temp warmed up to 39 degrees. It was a great walk. We walked along the lake and Remi loose chasing the ball running by “Pets must be leashed” signs. But there was no one there. We let Teddy loose too, but all he wanted to do was go back to the camper. We would walk a while, look around and Teddy was 200 yards away and heading in the opposite direction.

Back at our site Gina started up a 3 bean chili with vegan pasta in the insta-pot. We left the insta-pot cooking outside and went to town to pick up our laundry and to fill the truck up with gas. When we got back I did the Slough Trail on my bike, it was about a 2 mile run through woods. About half way into the ride a coyote sprung out of the woods in front of me and hauled ass down the path, I think I chased him for a half mile before he ducked back into the woods. Very cool and a first time for me.

When I got back dinner was ready, we enjoyed Gina’s chili by the firebowl in the dark cold of night and went to bed early reading our books. It was peaceful, but in the middle of the night, the noises came out again, planes, trucks, airboats, and chainsaws. Remi barked at 1AM, this was the first time either dogs had barked. I came out, looked around and laid down with both dogs on the heated blanket. I woke back up at 2:30 and went back into bed. Noises continued. Tomorrow was a travel day.

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Leaving

We are so thankful for all our family who showed up at the house to wish us safe travels. Our kids: Jack and Lily with Billy too, Gina’s family: Marty, Tommy, Mooma, My family: Mom Dad Debbie. Even though our day got off to a 2 hour delay because of the bagel breakfast in the street we are grateful to all of you. The RV is definitely Rolling now!

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