Postcard from Texas- 4

Posted on Thursday, 14 January 2010 by bruce10b

Conroe, TX

Our frantic escape from San Antonio & Columbus, punctuated by near frostbite while hitching up, had us on our way to Conroe, TX and what we feared would be even colder temps. We weren’t disappointed.

The KOA in Conroe Lake is a huge RV park. It was originally an independent, but newer owners chose to join the KOA system. This is the first time we’ve seen a high-end RV park and we were taken aback by all the ‘toys’. Like the indoor/outdoor pool and 2 fenced dog playgrounds. This park set a new standard for us. But with the cold temps the place was nearly empty save for the employees and us.  Oh… and this brand new New Horizons. Roger & Debbie gave us the cooks tour and it’s gorgeous. And big! You can’t see the big red Volvo 610 they pull it with, but it’s normal to see a 610 as the tractor of an 18-wheeler.

Not only was it as cold as we feared, neither were we free of our current trend of F-O-R-D: Fix Or Repair Daily. It wasn’t the truck (which is doing fine). This time the landing gear was (were? whatever) the culprit. We called a mobile repair service advertised in the park brochure. That person passed us off to someone else because he was out of town and that company, Conroe RV, did the repair. They first repaired the driver side leg (the gears were worn enough that they were slipping), then with that repaired they found the passenger side was also bad. So a one day repair stretched into 2 days and about $750. And as they left they said “btw, the 30 Amp fuse is blown so you’ll have to get a replacement at AutoZone or some other auto parts store.”

So off we went to Brookeland, TX hoping things, both weather and repairs, would improve. Hah!

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Postcard from Texas- 3

Posted on Thursday, 14 January 2010 by bruce10b

San Antonio, TX

We arrived in San Antonio at KOA Alamo. Pretty nice facility! Lots of trees, all of which are looking quite naked this time of year. There’s a stream very near our site- Salado Creek- and there’s even dichondra hanging on to it’s native green color. In the past when I ran into a mix of Bermuda, dichondra and rye I called it weeds, but in RV-speak it’s called grass.

The drive from San Angelo was pleasant with very little traffic. Mr. Garmin designed the trip to take us through cotton fields just east of San Angelo and ranch land for the rest of the trip. We had 4 lane US-highways with just enough 2 lane to keep me alert until we joined I-10 at Junction, TX. On I-10 we had a lot of steep grades from Junction to San Antonio and I watched the fuel mileage drift relentlessly down to 11 mpg.

As pleasant as the drive to the outskirts of San Antonio may have been, the drive thru the city to the RV park was hell on wheels. And this was before the commute started. Once off the Interstate we were dumped into an industrial area with pock marked streets common to war zones or heavy trucks. Perhaps it was this high tension prelude that makes the park seem so deliciously tranquil.

We had grey weather  starting 10 minutes after we arrived. But we were determined to get out to see the San Antonio River Walk. This mariachi was hanging around waiting to get into Rita’s restaurant and looked about as glum as the whole day had been. In a couple hours he’ll need to be in happy mode!

When we returned to the park we found this note attached to the door. Good thing we went out when we did! It turned cold and generally ugly, so we did little more than pull on our woolies to walk the dogs for the rest of our stay here. It was generally miserable.

Columbus, TX

We bailed out of San Antonio with our collective tail between our legs, beaten by the cold. Again. I know better than to whine because I realize how hot it can get along this route, but we are wondering when we’ll be treated to slightly warmer weather. I can only hope that it gets the cold stuff out of the way before we arrive in the Keys where they’re expecting 40 deg F at night… about 20 deg F lower than usual for winter in Key West.

Columbus, TX was a stop beside the freeway for the nite. And yes, it froze again over nite. We did drive into town for din-din and found that folks here have some respect for trees as witnessed by this circuitous preservation of 2 old timers. Wonder if they’ll do the same for me when arthritis leaves me stranded in the middle of the street some day… yuh think maybe? Nah!

Off to Conroe, TX.

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Postcard from Texas- 2

Posted on Monday, 4 January 2010 by bruce10b

We made it to San Angelo, TX, but not without a little drama. When I got up Sunday AM I found the waterline was frozen. Not surprising since it had gotten down to 27 deg F… duh! That was easy enough to deal with: join the 2 ends of the hose and toss it in the storage compartment to thaw. Better than our neighbor whose internal waterline burst and required some repair work inside.

Our bigger issue was the front slide which houses the settee in the front lounge area. Something in the drive mechanism was slipping and the unit refused to close. Finally I got outside and pushed while the Admiral operated the power switch and we managed to get it closed. Then on the roughly 300 mile trip from Van Horn to San Angelo I noticed the slide would work its way out maybe 1/8″ – 1/4″. Not a lot, but enough that the seal would probably leak in a downpour.

So after we arrived at the campground we contacted a local that has a mobile RV repair service. Shannon and his helper Bud ripped apart the drive, found the Woodruff key that connects the motor drive shaft to the gear had sheared. They found a replacement plus a spare for me to carry for the next time it happens, and had it back together and working in 2 hours. Before they arrived I hadn’t a clue where the motor was located. Now I have a hunch I might be able to replace the key myself in the future.

After resisting the fussy chore of connecting to the campgrounds cable TV (requires changing how the TV cables are connected) I finally gave in so we could watch the Sunday nite game (a disaster if you’re a Cincinnati fan, but the Jets looked great). While the lack of a channel guide to find what’s playing is annoying, the available programming was so far superior to DirecTV that it makes me wonder why we’re paying all that $$$ for The Weather Channel- it’s the only thing we watch. They don’t even offer us CNN except as a premium channel… CNN is a premium channel?! Gimme a break! I think DirecTV may be short-lived around here.

The sun currently is setting about 5:30 around here. Perhaps 45 minutes before sunset we had one of those ‘deja vu all over again’ moments when hundreds of birds (starlings?) started arriving and settling into the trees. It was straight out of Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and was downright spooky! I expected to awake in the morning and find the Dog House covered in bird poop, but we were spared.

The truck is fueled up and we’ll be, as Willy would say, “on the road again”. Next stop San Antonio for 3 days. Supposed to start raining at some point while we’re there. If it has to rain I sure hope it warms a little first. With current temps it would probably be snow!

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Postcard from Texas

Posted on Saturday, 2 January 2010 by bruce10b

 Van Horn, TX

At last… on our way east!

We were away a little earlier today. The Admiral pointed out that the longer we stay somewhere, the longer it takes to get going. Sure enough, after a 3 night stop it took us till 9:15 to get on our way. Much better than the 10:45 getaway from Benson after 8 days! I got this look at the hills to the NW as I waited for the Admiral to finish the mini-walk with the dogs.

The trip from Las Cruces, NM to Van Horn, TX could have been much better were there a way to avoid El Paso. This is perhaps our 3rd time thru here and the traffic is no better. And, even though I had thought it impossible, the smog is even worse than last time. But, like a root canal, it was eventually over and we felt better.

Van Horn KOA… every site is a pull-thru!

Here we are in Van Horn, TX, all connected and ready for din-din. I asked an employee at the Las Cruces campground what I was going to find in Van Horn besides the KOA Kampground where we’re parked for the night. He said “It’s kind of like an oasis.” I asked “Really? It’s that good?” “No… it’s more like the only thing that isn’t desert. Nice little town, but there’s not much around there.” He was right on the money, but it’s still a nice stop for a weary driver and the campground is very easy to get in and out: every site is a pull-thru.

Actually, we’re not very weary as we only had a 175 mile day. Tomorrow’s trip to San Angelo, TX will be our longest so far while towing- close to 300 miles. Some might think us wimps, but we’ve arbitrarily set 250-300 miles as our daily limit.

In preparation for a fast getaway we haven’t unhitched. While it’ll be convenient in the morning, it means the trailer rocks & rolls. When the dogs scratch at their harness, the whole floor leaps around like a California earthquake.

The KOA here in Van Horn has a small cafe which is why we didn’t have to unhitch. We had dinner last nite and breakfast this morning. Van Horn is definitely not a luxury resort, but this was pretty darn close!

More coming from San Angelo…

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Postcard from New Mexico

Posted on Friday, 1 January 2010 by bruce10b

Las Cruces, NM

We’re getting really good at taking forever to get going in the morning! It was nearly checkout time (11 AM) when we pulled out of Benson, AZ. But we eventually made it out the gate and onto I-10 and trucked on down the road.

There’s a serious problem with Arizona highways: the &^%$#! rest stops are all closed! Don’t know if it’s the season or budgetary issues, but it’s a pain in the bladder for old toots like us. We finally pulled over at the exit to a closed rest stop and used the toilet in the Dog House. I was pissed, but I got over it! 🙂 The only real issue with the Montana FL3655 is that, in a situation like this, we have to extend the dinette slide a little to be able to squeeze into the toilet. We managed to get moving again before the Highway Patrol found us.

So what happened to the warm southern winter!

After a stop at a Love’s in Lordsburg, NM for lunch [ someone had driven into the corner of the building and really messed things up ], we pushed on to the KOA in Las Cruces, NM. It was cold, windy and cloudy but we managed to get hooked up before dark, so it was a good arrival.

Organ Pipe Mountains, Las Cruces.

And we had a glimpse of a spectacular sunset under the clouds.

The forecast was for 26 deg F overnight, so I disconnected the water only to discover the temps got nowhere near that low. You, the astute reader, probably wonder how I would know that. Easy: We spent from 1 AM to 2 AM tracking down Kelly who had bolted out the door without a leash. It’s a no-no to have your dog outside unleashed. Do you suppose if she’d gotten away from us dragging her leash behind her it would have been technically OK? She had a great time running at full speed from shadow to shadow as she played her version of hide-and-seek.

Nice level sites on parallel parking strips in Las Cruces KOA

Here we are all snugged down for our stay in Las Cruces. We decided to stay 3 nights instead of 2 in order to avoid being on the road on New Years Day. I can’t imagine things are any different in Las Cruces than in Santa Fe when it comes to driving under the influence, so better safe than along the side of the road with a bent RV.

Las Cruces “town center”… sort of

A cruising friend from the Keys asked us to find the town center, so we did… here you go Michael! Had no trouble at all finding it! 🙂 I think we got the last available parking spot. It’s a SuperCenter and the lot was full on this New Years Eve!

We’ll be on the way tomorrow (Saturday, 1/2/2010) headed for Van Horn, TX.

ps- I really hope everyone remembered to hop on their left foot while saying “Rabbit, Rabbit!” on Saturday morning. We did… gotta keep that good luck coming! 🙂

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