Leg 4- April 10th - Amarillo, TX to Oklahoma City. OK

We left Amarillo this morning at about 8:30 a.m. under sunny skies and VERY HIGH WINDS (gusts up to 42 mph)! Luckily they were tail winds until about 30 miles west of Oklahoma City when they turned into cross winds. Because of the tail winds we managed about 15.2 mpg on the trip.



I-40 was very busy, lots of trucks. The first part of our return through the remainder of the Texas panhandle was boring, just flat land and much of the same for the first part of Oklahoma.

Pretty pastoral scene.

We saw a few of these wind farms along the way. This one was at Weatherdon, OK.

I took this photo wondering why the deer and antelope weren't playing here? (And yes, I need to send my camera to Sony when I get home and get the lens cleaned. It's been bugging me!)


The soil in Oklahoma is very red and the rivers and creeks run red because of it. It looks very pretty with the green grass.


The road wasn't very good in spots and when I opened the refrigerator the top had worked its way off the cheese whiz - never had that happen before! But the cupboards were okay, thank goodness.

We arrived at Council Road RV Park at about 12:45 p.m. and were set up by about 1:30 p.m. since we're not setting up any satellite dishes. They have free, fast wifi at your site and lots of TV channels just with the aerial. We were checked in by a really nice African American gentleman who guided us to our site and into our site as well. He did a really good job. There are very few people who have the knack to be able to do that. Another person who is really good at getting you placed properly in your site is Raoul at Rideau Heights Campground in Ottawa.

The sites here are quite nice with a concrete pad for your picnic table. They aren't overly wide (like at Doc Justin's in Tucson) but they will do and they are long enough for us to remain hooked but we always unhitch as Gordon doesn't like to refuel while towing.

I've had a request from Dee on rv-dreams chat to take some more photos of the campgrounds. So here are some photos of the Council Road RV Park. The office, washrooms and laundry area are in this green building and there's a picnic area that's also painted green.


In the Oklahoma City area they got 4 inches of rain yesterday so there is lots of water lying around. Our RV site is the photo on the right.


Gordon is trying to stay upright and keep his hat on in the wind. the photo on the right is the view from our back window if we had the blind open.


So we're here safely and it's still really windy but it's not raining and the sun is shining so I'm happy!

More Sittin' and Waitin'

We decided this morning to stay put. The rain started just as I got ready to go for my walk so I just walked over to the booth to get a new envelope to pay for today. Then I sat down at the computer and listened to the rain and the thunder.

I didn't get a lot accomplished this morning but I did start going through our receipts to get them ready for the border crossing. It's a tedious, dull job but it has to be done.

Here in Amarillo they have a restaurant called The Big Texan Steak Ranch. This restaurant promises a free 72 oz steak to anyone who can eat all of it within an hour. Since 1960 over 40000 people have attempted to do this and over 7000 have succeeded! They also claim to be one of the top ten steak houses in America.

Our high today was only about 46F (8C) so I tried out the new electric throw that I bought at Walgreen's back in Tucson and it works really well. It's nice and cosy. Just as a comparison it was 52F (11C) in Ottawa today!

This afternoon we went out to get fueled up and also to buy a couple of microwave bulbs as ours had burned out. After that it was dumping the tanks and getting ready to get on the road tomorrow!

I spent a lot of the afternoon researching the remainder of our trip home and locating campgrounds along the way. Lots of people enjoy this. I don't. I don't mind looking up a campground for our next stop but because we might not have internet I've been trying to find them all along the remainder of our route. So for now, I have them lined up. Hopefully, they'll work out!

Not much to photograph today, just a rainy, cloudy Texas day which makes me appreciate all the sun we had in Arizona this winter much more!

Just a Sittin' in Amarillo

It was cold and windy this morning! It's been a long time since I've put my splash pants on over my slacks, two coats and a toque for my morning walk but I did today! The wind made it really chilly! There's not much place to walk here so by the time I'd walked around the park about eight times, I decided to go inside.

Here are the overnighters in the park this morning.


I-40 Westbound in Amarillo.


After breakfast we went to the Dodge dealer and got the service done on the truck, then stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things. We also stopped to take a few photos that probably will have significance only to Jim of Just Travelin.

Trees in blossom.



And here's our first sighting this year of Canada geese.

The rest of the day we spent just hangin' out at the RV checking on the weather that lies ahead in our travels. I also put a roast of beef in the crockpot. Since it looks like severe thunderstorms and tornadoes for the Oklahoma City area tomorrow, if it still looks that way in the morning, we might stay here an extra day. We'll decide in the morning.

Leg 3 – Tijeras, NM to Amarillo, TX

We left Tijeras, NM at about 8:10 this morning. It was 46F but nice and sunny. The trip from Tijeras to Amarillo is pretty boring, mostly flat land with prairie grass and some trees that look like junipers here and there.



About 40 miles past Tijeras you come to Cline’s Corners which is apparently the highest point on today’s drive so it’s pretty much downhill all the way to Amarillo. We also had a good tail wind (19 mpg with gusts up to 38 mph) so we averaged around 15mpg on this trip. We’ve had higher but this trip is right up there.

As we crossed the Texas state line we changed to clocks to Central Time.



We arrived at AOK RV Park around 2:00 p.m. This park is exactly as advertised. It’s nothing much but they have full hook ups, long pull thrus and 30 amp service but that’s ok for $11/night on the Passport America rate.



There are some permanent or semi-permanent trailers across the way from us that don’t look very nice but as it’s east of Amarillo it’s good for us getting out of town when we leave on Wednesday morning. Tomorrow we’ll hopefully be able to get the truck in for service and then we’re on the road again.

The campground is located on the approach to the airport so the planes are flying quite low over our RV but we've been here nearly three hours now and it hasn't been too bad.

For Gordon's update for today, click here.

Leg 2 – Deming, NM to Tijeras, NM

We were on the road this morning at 8:35 a.m. Our truck thermometer said 48F (9C) when we started but quickly changed to 55F (13C ).

We took S.R. 26 from Deming over to Hatch which is on I-25 and north from there to Albuquerque then east about 20 miles to Tijeras which is what I would call a suburb of Albuquerque. S.R. 26 is kind of cute in that it has a ‘town’ called Nutt and the road ends at Hatch so it is the Nutthatch Road? The town of Nutt appears to have one building.

SR26


Here's some artwork along the road in Deming.

Green fields along the way. It's been a long time since we've seen green fields.



After you get on I-25 there are two towns called Derry and Arrey so I took a photo of the sign – also cute! Each town gets first place on a sign!


We crossed the Rio Grande at least twice.


Interesting mountain just before you get to Albuquerque.


We arrived at Hidden Valley RV Resort at about 1:15 p.m., got checked in and were set up well before 2:00 p.m. since we didn’t set up the internet satellite.

Then off to the showers before it got any colder – it was 63F (17C ) here this afternoon.

So here we are with Leg 2 under our belts. Sure hope things keep going well!

For Gordon's web page for today, click here.

A Relaxing Day

This morning we decided to stay here another day and just veg out. So, I went for a walk this morning and had to wear a jacket again. I wasn't impressed either with the cold or the walk. The furnace actually ran this morning for the first time in about three weeks.

The 'paved pathway' (photo below) across the road from the RV park that leads you to a city park is actually like a sidewalk that runs along the highway. It is not a nice walk nor is it a pretty walk so before I had gone too far I turned around and instead walked around the park and looked at license plates and RVs. I didn't manage to walk the whole 30 minutes so when I came in I changed the bed as I hadn't washed the sheets this week when I did the laundry.



Our site among the others.

One of the RV's in the boondocking area.


I saw this little robin when I was out walking.


After breakfast we went to Walmart and I picked up some things to make a salad as since Gordon isn't eating meat these days we thought a salad would be good for him. Gordon went along and got some washers that he had been wanting for some of our ground pegs.

When I got back I washed the sheets and then returned to the RV to finish my book. When that was finished I got another Sandra Brown book called 'French Silk' and also one by Tess Gerritsen called 'Vanish' from the campground library.

Other than doing computer jigsaw puzzles, reading and surfing, that is about it for my day. Gordon went out and got the truck filled up with diesel. Diesel across the street from the park is 4.19 and 4.29 per gallon so he went to the truck stop at the other end of Deming and got it for 3.87.

Tomorrow we'll be going to Albuquerque and we're hoping to stay there only one night. We stayed at Hidden Valley Resort in Tijeras on our way west. It's at 6680 feet and where I had a hard time walking as I couldn't breathe because of the altitude but it's cheap (Passport America park) and convenient and I think they have wifi in the library so we probably won't set up the internet for just one night. We're hoping to head to Amarillo on Monday and stay at least one and maybe two nights as we have to get the truck serviced.

We didn't hook up our thermometer but I would say it was around 70F (21C) today and fairly windy. The wind affects my allergies which affect my eyes so they're runny and blurry today which gives me a bit of a headache. I'm ready to move on!

4 April - 1st Leg of Our Homeward Journey - Tucson, AZ to Deming, NM

We took our time packing up this morning but were still on the road by 9:30 a.m. It was 68F (20C ) then and it never did get above 70F (21C) in our travels today.

Gordon did really well on the 4 hour drive. We took it slow and easy with only one stop and with the one hour time change (we’re now back on Mountain time) when we crossed into New Mexico, we arrived at Dream Catcher SKP RV Park in Deming at 2:30 p.m. He still felt well enough to set up the internet satellite! We’re thinking we might spend two days here, we’ll see how we feel tomorrow morning. This isn’t a pretty park with beautiful surroundings like we’ve had for the past few weeks but it’s functional, level, has 50 amp electric and restrooms and showers so it works for us!

Here are a few photos that I took along the way today.

Pretty green trees. Spring has sprung in the desert.



The Thing - you see these signs all along I-10. We've never stopped to see The Thing!

Lots of rock formations around Dragoon, AZ.

We saw several dust devils along the way.

There are always lots of colorful trains running beside I-10 along the way.

Yeah! We're in New Mexico!


Interesting 'ghost' trees.


I hate saying goodbyes when we’re leaving which is why we said goodbye to Jim, Ellie and Christine yesterday. A couple of other neighbors dropped by this morning to wish us well but the park is emptying out very quickly. It’s starting to look like it did when we first arrived there in November. When you come right down to it, the season for Arizona RV parks is nearly as short as they are in Ontario so how come Ontario RV parks charge so much? I always thought it was because of their short season?

Since we were leaving this morning I didn’t have my morning desert walk so I’m glad I said my goodbyes to it yesterday too.

It felt good to be on the road again but it always feels better to arrive safely at your next destination.

This is It!

Goodbye to Tucson! Gordon decided this morning that we're going to start our trek back to Ontario tomorrow (Friday). He thinks he's feeling well enough to go.

So this morning I went for what might be my last desert hike. I took the North Trail to Tucson Mountain Park then west to West Loop and back to the RV. I saw quite a few jackrabbits and one cottontail but thankfully, no snakes!

After breakfast, I set off to pick up some last minute groceries since we may not be unhooking the truck at night and to pick up more of the antifungal prescription as I have no idea if that is even stocked in Ottawa. On my way back, I stopped at the office to say goodbye to Christine (owner's wife) in case she's not here when we leave in the morning. She gave me some really yummy butter cake. That woman is always feeding me!

After unpacking groceries, I went to sit outside and read but the wind came up so I decided not to breathe any Valley Fever spores and came inside to read and do some computer stuff.

Just to let everyone know, we won't be hooking up the internet satellite on our way back (at least that's the plan) so my blog may be absent for a few days but I'll post when I can. I also probably won't be in the rv-dreams chatroom until we are settled either back in Ontario or perhaps in Ohio for a few days. Some of the parks may have wifi but the research I've done isn't hopeful for the most part.

We went out and fueled up late this afternoon. Just as we were leaving Ellie and Jim arrived back from La Mesa where there were having some things done to their new motorhome so we stopped by when we got back to say goodbye and so Gordon could see their new digs. He hadn't been over yet since they bought it due to his health. We said our goodbyes hopefully only until next winter in Rockport, TX.

End of Month Expenses and More Housework

Here are March's expenses:

I'm pretty sure that we'll get most or all of the Medical/Dental expenses back from our travel health insurance but I won't submit them till we're home in case there's more. Without the medical expenses our monthly total would have been $2397.65. I'm happy with the rest of the expenses for this month.

It was a bit cloudy this morning as I left for my walk but still 55F (13C). I took a different path this morning within Pima County Park. It's not very well traveled so you don't even realize it's a path. Unfortunately it dumps you off in an area of housing so I had to go through the desert a bit to get back to the RV park. The alternative was to walk back the way I had come. I can see why this trail isn't well traveled. As you get closer to the houses there is broken beer bottles and garbage all around in the desert. Looks like a weekend hangout for teenagers and beer!

Here's a bird's nest I found. I think it's probably a curved bill thrasher's nest.


After breakfast I got the laundry ready but delayed going to the laundry room for a bit as I thought it would be less crowded around lunch time. It also gave me time to have a shower before I went. It worked well, there was no one in the laundry room at all. I was just carrying my finished laundry to the truck when someone else arrived so I was happy. I spent most of the time talking to the owner's wife while I waited for laundry. She's such a nice, caring person.

When I returned, after putting laundry away it was back to reading.

Gordon is feeling quite well today so I hope that keeps up!

Later in the afternoon I went over to visit Jim and Ellie for a while as they will be taking their new motorhome in to the dealer tomorrow and we don't know yet if we're leaving on Friday. I got this photo of the doggies waiting for a treat.

When I got back to the RV, I asked Gordon if he wanted to go out for a drive and go to Taco Bell for dinner so away we went. We had dinner first so he could take his meds then drove up A Mountain (Sentinel Peak) where I took this photo of the gazebo on top of the mountain and a view of downtown Tucson as the sun was setting.




When we returned I got on the rv-dreams chatroom as usual!

Housework and A Gift!

I woke up today feeling lethargic again probably from the Benadryl I took last night for my allergies. I thought I'm going to walk, have breakfast, read some blogs and go back to bed for a while.

I went for my walk and saw that some of the prickly pear cactus look like they're starting to bloom. I saw two jackrabbits and a cottontail but didn't take any photos. They were just too quick for me this morning.

The prickly pear cactus look like they're about to bloom.


Creosote bush in bloom.


After breakfast and blogs, I looked at the bed and decided to make it up instead of going back to it. Then I got out the dustrag and dusted, cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and washed all the floors. Only then did I lay on the couch to finish my book - "Dry Ice" by Stephen White. It was a good book but I haven't read any of his that aren't good.

This afternoon I biked the garbage over to the dumpster and on the way back talked to Joy. She had made me this lovely necklace to remember her by. They are taking their RV in on Thursday to have the new furnace put in and probably won't be back.


It will be difficult leaving my new friends and not knowing when or if we'll see them again. A lot depends on Gordon's recovery as to what we'll do in the future. We still don't know if we'll be able to leave on Friday or not. We're on a 'wait and see' schedule.

It wasn't as hot as far as temperature goes today clocking in at 81F (27C) but it felt hotter than it's been. There's wasn't much breeze so I didn't sit outside today at all.

Hey! I'm Now A Published Photographer

A few weeks ago I received an email from Schmap Florida asking if one of the photos that I had posted on Flickr of Lakes Park in Florida could be used in their second edition Schmap Digital Travel Guide. There was no compensation for it but I would be given credit for it if my photo was chosen for the edition.

Today I got the email saying that my photo had been chosen for Lakes Park and the link to the online edition - http://www.schmap.com/florida/parks/#p=298054&i=298054.jpg Hence the title of this blog. This is the photo that they chose. I took the photo a year ago when we drove from the Texas Coastal Bend to Fort Myers to spend March visiting with my sister and her husband. Lakes Park is a beautiful spot right in Fort Myers. We spent quite a bit of time there.

I had my usual lovely desert walk this morning staying in Pima County Park. After breakfast I went in to Tucson to get groceries and pick up some other stuff. I was back just after lunch. After unpacking groceries I went to visit Ellie and Jim for a while and then I stopped to see Joy before coming back to spend the rest of the afternoon with my book. I took this photo of Joy's dog, Lucy when I was there this afternoon.



When I was sitting outside reading my book I was joined by this Gambel's Quail and these two doves.




Gordon is coming along slowly. He tires easily and is especially tired around dinner time. His appetite still isn't all that good but maybe it's just my cooking!

Meeting New Friends

Today was a windy day but still bright and sunny but a bit cooler at 82F (28C). I walked in Pima and Tucson Mountain Parks this morning and saw this little jackrabbit nibbling at the vegetation.

The jackrabbit is beating a hasty retreat!



This ocotillo is changing color.



Gordon cooked hamburgers this morning before the wind came up thankfully otherwise I would have had to cook them on the stove and I hate doing that. With the wind so strong it keeps blowing out the fire in the barbecue so the hamburgers were ready by the time I got back from my walk.

This morning and afternoon I spent reading and making bracelets. Gordon and I walked to take the garbage to the dumpster and we chatted with a few people along the way.

I got to chat with my friend and former co-worker, Najat on Yahoo Messenger this afternoon and found out the latest information on the company I used to work for.

I had made arrangements yesterday to walk over to Desert Trails to meet Carolyn and John of Travels in Our Airstream. Carolyn and John are also from Ontario and have spent this winter in Yuma. They leave tomorrow to take a short detour through Texas before heading north. I'm glad I finally got to meet these fine folks! Carolyn and John stopped by to see us when we were at Mustang Island last year but we were out so we finally got to meet! I spent a while chatting with them arriving and leaving through the desert. I even took my camera but did I remember to take a photo???

That's my day in a nutshell!