We went to Hoover Dam this morning. The traffic was much like Atlanta... the speed limit is 65 and most cars went way beyond that. It cost $7 to park and $15 each for the tour. I don't think we got our money's worth. We saw a short movie.. which was an excerpt of what we've seen on PBS. Then to one station to tell us about how the dam was built and works. Then we were taken where a turbine or generator was... I'm not sure. My hearing was not good enough to seperate what the tour guide said and what those around me were saying. Then we looked around the observation deck... really not much to see there but cement and a glimpse of a pool of water and the bridge they are building. There were some chipmunks and we took pictures of them. They looked hungry. Frank was told about them by the man at ITT, but didn't realize exactly where they were... bread was in the truck to feed them. We did buy a couple of souveneers... a coin and a bell.
We came back to the campground and registered for a couple of more days. Then we had dinner... more deli chicken and some steamer veggies that had asparagus in them. It was pretty good. Then just napping in our chairs while watching cooking shows on PBS. Then editing a few pictures for me and Frank tied the awning down... the wind has picked up.
For a while the highest temperature were the upper 60s to low 70s... and now the temps are in the low to mid 90s. No humidity to speak of but still hot. I cannot seem to get enough to drink. My skin drys out fast... so lotion and more lotion.
Tomorrow we will go into Las Vegas.
I talked to Mama a bit ago. Good to hear her voice and talk a while. I'm still not used to talking on a cell phone. .... talked a bit to Zarone too.. another good voice to hear.
It is good to be a bit lazy. In a bit we take the computer up towards the office for a good signal and try and plan our next leg of the journey.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Our plans changed... we weren't going to visit Las Vegas because the place we were going to stay was too pricey. Frank got tired of driving and thought to call Nellis AFB to see if we could get a spot for a few days. We didn't realize that we were in Pacific time zone... so we pulled over at a truck stop, casino and fireworks plaza in an Indian reservation and walked around a bit until it was time for the campground to open so we could make reservations. We were lucky and managed to get a spot in the campground. We arrived at the Nellis Air Force Base campground, Desert Eagle RV Park, at noon (GA Time). It's a nice campground with lots of space between sites.
I heated up some deli chicken and some frozen veggies to go with it... pretty good. Afterward we went onto main Nellis AFB. The map the host here gave us of the base was hard for us two old foggies to read... after wandering around a bit we found the car wash and gave the truck a bath and a vacuum. Then we went to the BX complex. The haircuts were a bit pricey for Frank... I think he said $9.10. We bought a couple of books and tapes for the camcorder. Then we went into the commissary and bought some apples, more frozen veggies and some Klondike ice cream bars... amazing what this little freezer can hold.
We then did laundry. Very reasonably price laundry... 75 cents for wash or dry... $1 was for super wash (extra rinse and wash time). Each load of laundry dried on the 75 cents. While I finished laundry Frank went back on base and found ITT to check on tickets for tours of the dam. The tours all start from hotels... so we'll just drive over and look if we want. It will be easier to find the dam than the hotels the tours start from. Frank got back in time to tote the last basket of clothes back to the trailer. On the way back to the trailer we spotted a pair of Gambel's Quail... beautiful birds. I got a couple of pictures that aren't real bad.... maybe we can get better pictures before we leave.
We traveled 96 miles today.
I heated up some deli chicken and some frozen veggies to go with it... pretty good. Afterward we went onto main Nellis AFB. The map the host here gave us of the base was hard for us two old foggies to read... after wandering around a bit we found the car wash and gave the truck a bath and a vacuum. Then we went to the BX complex. The haircuts were a bit pricey for Frank... I think he said $9.10. We bought a couple of books and tapes for the camcorder. Then we went into the commissary and bought some apples, more frozen veggies and some Klondike ice cream bars... amazing what this little freezer can hold.
We then did laundry. Very reasonably price laundry... 75 cents for wash or dry... $1 was for super wash (extra rinse and wash time). Each load of laundry dried on the 75 cents. While I finished laundry Frank went back on base and found ITT to check on tickets for tours of the dam. The tours all start from hotels... so we'll just drive over and look if we want. It will be easier to find the dam than the hotels the tours start from. Frank got back in time to tote the last basket of clothes back to the trailer. On the way back to the trailer we spotted a pair of Gambel's Quail... beautiful birds. I got a couple of pictures that aren't real bad.... maybe we can get better pictures before we leave.
We traveled 96 miles today.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
We left Ruby's Inn RV Park at 9:30 (GA Time). We went highway 12 to highway 89 to highway 9. We tried to go through Zion National Park but we were too long (50 feet is the limit and we are 54 feet) and had to turn back. We got back onto highway 89 and at Kanab Utah we kept on it instead of taking alt. 89... so turn around and get on the right road. Then to highway 389.
We got gas outside of Hurricane Nevada for $4.76 a gallon. The credit card would only allow us to purchase $100 worth of gas at the pump. Frank called the credit card company later to make sure that was correct... they said to purchase more you would have to go inside and sign the paperwork.
Then to I 70.... We stopped at a Wal-Mart (the first one we had seen since Durango) at Washington Nevada and resupplied. We had room in the freezer for a few frozen veggies... almost as good as fresh.
We arrived at Oasis RV Resort, Mesquite Nevada (basically a parking lot with water, sewer and electrical hookups) at 5:30 . It was kinda noisy with truck traffic but after the driving and backtracking all day we slept pretty good. We got gas at a Chevron service station at $4.73 gallon. The credit card wouldn't work at the pump, so Frank told the clerk that he would give him $50 cash to hold and come back inside to reclaimed the $50 and pay for the gas with the credit card. When Frank went back inside the clerk told him he had entered the $50 as a prepayment and could not change it. He also said he had no way to give us a cash receipt. Frank said it looked like the two workers there were stoned on drugs and that two customers in the back of the store were fighting over a beer.
We traveled 255 miles today.
We got gas outside of Hurricane Nevada for $4.76 a gallon. The credit card would only allow us to purchase $100 worth of gas at the pump. Frank called the credit card company later to make sure that was correct... they said to purchase more you would have to go inside and sign the paperwork.
Then to I 70.... We stopped at a Wal-Mart (the first one we had seen since Durango) at Washington Nevada and resupplied. We had room in the freezer for a few frozen veggies... almost as good as fresh.
We arrived at Oasis RV Resort, Mesquite Nevada (basically a parking lot with water, sewer and electrical hookups) at 5:30 . It was kinda noisy with truck traffic but after the driving and backtracking all day we slept pretty good. We got gas at a Chevron service station at $4.73 gallon. The credit card wouldn't work at the pump, so Frank told the clerk that he would give him $50 cash to hold and come back inside to reclaimed the $50 and pay for the gas with the credit card. When Frank went back inside the clerk told him he had entered the $50 as a prepayment and could not change it. He also said he had no way to give us a cash receipt. Frank said it looked like the two workers there were stoned on drugs and that two customers in the back of the store were fighting over a beer.
We traveled 255 miles today.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
We left Torrey Utah at 10:00 am (GA Time). We enjoyed our trip on highway 12. Some pretty scenery along the way. We stopped and took a few pictures. I aggrevated another lizard at one of the overlooks. The Ponderosa Pines are beautiful. The highest elevation point was 9600 feet.
We arrived at Ruby's Inn RV Park at 1:20 pm (Ga Time). We are in campsite # 110. We set up camp and then went over to The Cowboy's Buffet & Steak Restaurant. The buffet was expensive... $11.99. The lady at the campground desk said they had vegetables. The vegetables were mostly in the sald fixings... lettuce, tomatoes, raw broccoli, raw grean peas and raw carrots. They also had slaw and what they call potato salad. There was some rice that had no flavor and canned corn and carrots (we didn't eat the latter two. They had baked beans and a bean salad that would turn your cheeks inside out (sour taste). They had some grapes that tasted pretty good. They had a couple of puddings for dessert, but Frank and I chose chocolate cake and I had a slice of lemon cake too... and they had a chocolate coconut candy that was okay. We were really hoping they had more green varieties of veggies. Some nice turnip or collard greens would have been nice... or even spinach. I guess I am a little bit home sick for Southern Cooking. It was not worth near the price they charged.
We then went into Bryce Canyon National Park. We stopped at the visitor center and then drove through the park. The scenery is pretty... especially the Ponderosa Pines. We took some pictures along the way. The views are nice, but we think that we are about canyoned out.
At one view point there were a couple of Ravens. People have been feeding them... against park rules. We saw an antelope in the park and just outside the park we saw a mule deer cross the road. I looked into the woods where it went and I saw a deer lying down, but I don't think it was the same deer we saw cross the road.
We bought 5 gallons of gas before coming back to camp at $4.99 a gallon. We are hoping it will be a bit cheaper down the road.
Needless to say it has been a very tiring day. No need for soup and sandwiches for supper... we tried our best to get our money's worth at dinner.
We traveled 114 miles today.... a bit slow going on highway 12.
We arrived at Ruby's Inn RV Park at 1:20 pm (Ga Time). We are in campsite # 110. We set up camp and then went over to The Cowboy's Buffet & Steak Restaurant. The buffet was expensive... $11.99. The lady at the campground desk said they had vegetables. The vegetables were mostly in the sald fixings... lettuce, tomatoes, raw broccoli, raw grean peas and raw carrots. They also had slaw and what they call potato salad. There was some rice that had no flavor and canned corn and carrots (we didn't eat the latter two. They had baked beans and a bean salad that would turn your cheeks inside out (sour taste). They had some grapes that tasted pretty good. They had a couple of puddings for dessert, but Frank and I chose chocolate cake and I had a slice of lemon cake too... and they had a chocolate coconut candy that was okay. We were really hoping they had more green varieties of veggies. Some nice turnip or collard greens would have been nice... or even spinach. I guess I am a little bit home sick for Southern Cooking. It was not worth near the price they charged.
We then went into Bryce Canyon National Park. We stopped at the visitor center and then drove through the park. The scenery is pretty... especially the Ponderosa Pines. We took some pictures along the way. The views are nice, but we think that we are about canyoned out.
At one view point there were a couple of Ravens. People have been feeding them... against park rules. We saw an antelope in the park and just outside the park we saw a mule deer cross the road. I looked into the woods where it went and I saw a deer lying down, but I don't think it was the same deer we saw cross the road.
We bought 5 gallons of gas before coming back to camp at $4.99 a gallon. We are hoping it will be a bit cheaper down the road.
Needless to say it has been a very tiring day. No need for soup and sandwiches for supper... we tried our best to get our money's worth at dinner.
We traveled 114 miles today.... a bit slow going on highway 12.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
I think we left out about 8 am (mountain time) this morning.... about 42 degrees. We stopped by the post office to mail David a card. Then off sight-seeing. We saw a critter sitting on a stump as we passed... we backed up and the critter ran off before Frank could get the camera ready... we think it was a marmot. We drove to the other end of the park and enjoyed the beautiful colors. We stopped at the entrance there and took pictures of a lizard and tried to take some pictures of birds... not sure what I managed to get, but hope I got something that will help tell me what kind of birds I was seeing. They hide in the leaves and behind the limbs and flitter fast from one place to another. I saw a jackrabbit and thought Frank heard me say that I saw one, but he didn't. I should have gone back to the truck and gotten my long camera lens and made sure Frank knew I had spotted a jackrabbit. Being I had the shorter lens on the camera the shot is a bit far off, but hopefully one can tell it is a jackrabbit.
I can't even begin to spell the word for the writings on the mountain walls that the Indians drew. We looked at them and at the boardwalk there were three mule deer. We hope we got good pictures of them.
We then stopped at the old schoolhouse. It is a nicely preserved one. I think it was last used in the 1930s.... and I think built in the early 1900s. I wanted to get a good picture of the inside of the schoolhouse, but too many of "them tourist" came by :-D We came back later, but they closed the schoolhouse door.
After the schoolhouse we went to the farmhouse and looked around in it and the store they had there. Then we had a picnic. Before I could get the hand wipes to wipe our hands with a young lady came up and wanted to know if we would participate in a survey. I quickly referred her to Frank :-D He said okay... the form had a stamp on it to be mailed but Frank filled the survey out after we ate our sandwiches and handed it back to the young lady. I bird hunted while he did so. I chased some poor little flycatcher... trying to get a good photo of him.
Then back to the schoolhouse. Then we stopped for gas in Torrey... price was $4.66 a gallon. We looked in the convenience store for bread... just white bread is all they had. We stopped at a little grocery store/bakery and they had some fresh made bread there and some older bread that was reduced down. We got a few loaves.
Back to camp and calling the Passport America and getting that set up. I think if we use it two or three times it will be paid for itself.... we get half-price off at some campgrounds. We'll probably use it several times before the trip is over.
The water is good here and Frank has refilled some of our gallon jugs. He is now trying to repair the gasket around the bathroom vent. I could hear air blowing around it when we got back today... and it was closed. The wind wasn't much at all in the park, but a bit windier here in the campground. I guess next is the screw that came out of the cornice board.
In a bit we will have Chicken Noodle soup and I'll throw a can of peas in so we might have some veggies. I'll sweep the floors before then... there is always work to do... but it is sure fun seeing new places and things.
We are showered and fed and Frank is reading his Louis Amour book... he is almost finished both volumes. We may have to buy more books before the trip is over. I did bring along a Fanny Flagg book that I can't remember the name of ( too lazy to go look ) and a book of Mark Twain short stories. I stay so busy with the journal and pictures that I have very little time to read or puzzle.
I can't even begin to spell the word for the writings on the mountain walls that the Indians drew. We looked at them and at the boardwalk there were three mule deer. We hope we got good pictures of them.
We then stopped at the old schoolhouse. It is a nicely preserved one. I think it was last used in the 1930s.... and I think built in the early 1900s. I wanted to get a good picture of the inside of the schoolhouse, but too many of "them tourist" came by :-D We came back later, but they closed the schoolhouse door.
After the schoolhouse we went to the farmhouse and looked around in it and the store they had there. Then we had a picnic. Before I could get the hand wipes to wipe our hands with a young lady came up and wanted to know if we would participate in a survey. I quickly referred her to Frank :-D He said okay... the form had a stamp on it to be mailed but Frank filled the survey out after we ate our sandwiches and handed it back to the young lady. I bird hunted while he did so. I chased some poor little flycatcher... trying to get a good photo of him.
Then back to the schoolhouse. Then we stopped for gas in Torrey... price was $4.66 a gallon. We looked in the convenience store for bread... just white bread is all they had. We stopped at a little grocery store/bakery and they had some fresh made bread there and some older bread that was reduced down. We got a few loaves.
Back to camp and calling the Passport America and getting that set up. I think if we use it two or three times it will be paid for itself.... we get half-price off at some campgrounds. We'll probably use it several times before the trip is over.
The water is good here and Frank has refilled some of our gallon jugs. He is now trying to repair the gasket around the bathroom vent. I could hear air blowing around it when we got back today... and it was closed. The wind wasn't much at all in the park, but a bit windier here in the campground. I guess next is the screw that came out of the cornice board.
In a bit we will have Chicken Noodle soup and I'll throw a can of peas in so we might have some veggies. I'll sweep the floors before then... there is always work to do... but it is sure fun seeing new places and things.
We are showered and fed and Frank is reading his Louis Amour book... he is almost finished both volumes. We may have to buy more books before the trip is over. I did bring along a Fanny Flagg book that I can't remember the name of ( too lazy to go look ) and a book of Mark Twain short stories. I stay so busy with the journal and pictures that I have very little time to read or puzzle.
Monday, May 26, 2008
We left Moab Utah at 9:45 am (GA Time). We thought we might have a bit of trouble getting out of our site because of the tightness in the area, but Frank... being the great driver he is... had no problem. Campers had trashed and stolen toilet paper from the bath house... so sad they don't appreciate the facilities.
The drive to Torrey Utah was beautiful. We still had gust of winds 30-40 mph. We stopped a couple of places along the way to stretch our legs and take pictures.
We arrived at Sand Creek Campground 1:55 pm (GA time). The Elevation is 6,880 feet.
Frank found we couldn't fit well into one site with our slide out. In the loop he chose to turn about in the vent cover got knocked off the trailer by a tree limb. All in all I think we've done pretty good about not making stupid mistakes. There are not a lot of sites in the campground... I think twelve and a couple of cabins. It is a nice clean campground. The sites are closer than we like.. but we take what comes out way.
Before we got set up our neighbors in a Bounder motor home greeted us. They are from Georgia too... I think around Marietta. They are full-time rvers. Their address is listed as South Dakota. Their names are Jane and Leyman Williams. Very friendly and nice.... I think Frank and Leyman could have a story telling contest :-D
They told us about Passport America and the discounts they get with it. They loaned us their guidebook so we could look it over and see if it would be worth while getting.
After a while we got set up and we ate meatloaf and some canned whole green beans and sliced potatoes drained and mixed together with a bit of Smart Balance and seasoned pepper. It was pretty good... just needed a biscuit... even one of those you buy in the freezer section would be good.
After dinner we got gas for $4.69 a gallon. One of the Frenchman in a rental rv motor home was trying to convey to the gas station attendant that he needed LP gas. Frank helped the attendant understand what the man wanted. Frank got a Merci for that. The French we've encountered have been polite.
Then we went into the visitors center across the road. A screw came out of one of the cornice boards (best name I can think for it) and Frank asked the attendant if their was a hardware store around that might sell plastic anchors. The attendant said the nearest hardware store was 15 miles away and he then went into the back room and brought out a plastic box with odd & ends in it... he told Frank he could have the anchors and screws. The attendant was from Florida... I've forgotten which town now. He said he thought he was getting away from the wind... didn't happen.
Then we dropped by the Capitol Reef National Park's visitors center. We had not found a birthday card for David, but found a note card in the gift shop that we could send him.
We took a look at the campground there and it is nice. There are spaces our trailer would fit in. The night was to be cold and heat was a necessity for these two old fogies. No electricity or running water at campsites there. We saw a herd of deer in the campground and took pictures.
We then took the ten mile scenic drive. It was a beautiful drive. A little tight in some places when vehicles met. We met a rental RV motor home (we've probably seen a few hundred...ehh maybe thousands on this trip and most have French families in them) Frank had to back up to let him by. On this drive we saw a critter along side the road and thought it was a ground squirrel... I might have possibly caught a glimpse of it on the camcorder. It is possible it was a marmot. We got such a brief look at it... when we stopped the truck and got out to look it disappeared.
After our lovely day we came home and got our showers and then ate some chicken noodle soup and a sandwich.
We then took our neighbors the book they loaned us and were invited in. We had an enjoyable visit with Leyman and Jane. We were fed a delicious pound cake. Jane had made some biscuits for their supper and we drooled just looking at them :-D It was after 9 pm mountain time before we left them. Then it was to bed and I awakened around 1:30 (Mountain time) hunting the quilt. I threw it over Frank's legs and later on he had it pulled up over his head.
The drive to Torrey Utah was beautiful. We still had gust of winds 30-40 mph. We stopped a couple of places along the way to stretch our legs and take pictures.
We arrived at Sand Creek Campground 1:55 pm (GA time). The Elevation is 6,880 feet.
Frank found we couldn't fit well into one site with our slide out. In the loop he chose to turn about in the vent cover got knocked off the trailer by a tree limb. All in all I think we've done pretty good about not making stupid mistakes. There are not a lot of sites in the campground... I think twelve and a couple of cabins. It is a nice clean campground. The sites are closer than we like.. but we take what comes out way.
Before we got set up our neighbors in a Bounder motor home greeted us. They are from Georgia too... I think around Marietta. They are full-time rvers. Their address is listed as South Dakota. Their names are Jane and Leyman Williams. Very friendly and nice.... I think Frank and Leyman could have a story telling contest :-D
They told us about Passport America and the discounts they get with it. They loaned us their guidebook so we could look it over and see if it would be worth while getting.
After a while we got set up and we ate meatloaf and some canned whole green beans and sliced potatoes drained and mixed together with a bit of Smart Balance and seasoned pepper. It was pretty good... just needed a biscuit... even one of those you buy in the freezer section would be good.
After dinner we got gas for $4.69 a gallon. One of the Frenchman in a rental rv motor home was trying to convey to the gas station attendant that he needed LP gas. Frank helped the attendant understand what the man wanted. Frank got a Merci for that. The French we've encountered have been polite.
Then we went into the visitors center across the road. A screw came out of one of the cornice boards (best name I can think for it) and Frank asked the attendant if their was a hardware store around that might sell plastic anchors. The attendant said the nearest hardware store was 15 miles away and he then went into the back room and brought out a plastic box with odd & ends in it... he told Frank he could have the anchors and screws. The attendant was from Florida... I've forgotten which town now. He said he thought he was getting away from the wind... didn't happen.
Then we dropped by the Capitol Reef National Park's visitors center. We had not found a birthday card for David, but found a note card in the gift shop that we could send him.
We took a look at the campground there and it is nice. There are spaces our trailer would fit in. The night was to be cold and heat was a necessity for these two old fogies. No electricity or running water at campsites there. We saw a herd of deer in the campground and took pictures.
We then took the ten mile scenic drive. It was a beautiful drive. A little tight in some places when vehicles met. We met a rental RV motor home (we've probably seen a few hundred...ehh maybe thousands on this trip and most have French families in them) Frank had to back up to let him by. On this drive we saw a critter along side the road and thought it was a ground squirrel... I might have possibly caught a glimpse of it on the camcorder. It is possible it was a marmot. We got such a brief look at it... when we stopped the truck and got out to look it disappeared.
After our lovely day we came home and got our showers and then ate some chicken noodle soup and a sandwich.
We then took our neighbors the book they loaned us and were invited in. We had an enjoyable visit with Leyman and Jane. We were fed a delicious pound cake. Jane had made some biscuits for their supper and we drooled just looking at them :-D It was after 9 pm mountain time before we left them. Then it was to bed and I awakened around 1:30 (Mountain time) hunting the quilt. I threw it over Frank's legs and later on he had it pulled up over his head.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Today we went to Canyonlands National Park. We got an early enough of a start that we beat the Big Crowd. Again... just beautiful scenery.
We saw a jackrabbit on the side of the road, but Frank couldn't stop in time for us to get a picture... it was long gone by time he backed the truck up. We also spotted a bluebird and we think two types of jays... it was a blue day :-) The birds fly by so fast that it is so hard to tell what they are.
We walked down to one overlook and on the way back we met a bus load of tourist. They were from France. I said "good morning" to all I passed and either got a "hello" or "bonjour" from most of them. Their bus driver was Mexican. The tour originated in Baja Mexico . They were an interesting group to watch. People are the same no matter where they are from :-)
We found a picnic table and enjoyed our sandwiches watching a beautiful view.
Today we figured out how to use the timer on my camera. Frank set up the tripod and took a couple of pictures of us. They turned out okay considering what it had to work with :-D
When we left the park the line to get in was probably a bit more than a quarter of a mile long... and we met more cars along the road.
Next up was a ride on scenic 128 along the Colorado River. Some pretty scenery there too. There is a lot of camping along the banks of the river. Our turn around point was a museum about all the movies that have been made in the area. An interesting museum. I didn't realize there were that many B westerns that we haven't seen. There were a lot of non-western movies made in the area too... there too many we had never even heard of.
When walking back to the truck we heard baby birds. There is a shelter over the door and the sound was coming from there... a nest made of mud was there with babies asking loudly for food. We saw the parents, but have no idea what type of birds they were.
We stopped by City Market grocery store for bread and gas... same place we got gas the other day. We paid $4.59 a gallon... ten cent more than a couple of days ago.
Back to home and a shower. I thought I was going to have a nice quiet relaxing shower. A woman and her ... I would say three years old came in to use the bathroom. The girl was a squealer. My head was pounding by time they left.
Tylenol, soup and sandwich calms the head :-D
I only moved the pictures to the computer and to a dvd today... none to the Picasa Album. I need a bit of rest.
We saw a jackrabbit on the side of the road, but Frank couldn't stop in time for us to get a picture... it was long gone by time he backed the truck up. We also spotted a bluebird and we think two types of jays... it was a blue day :-) The birds fly by so fast that it is so hard to tell what they are.
We walked down to one overlook and on the way back we met a bus load of tourist. They were from France. I said "good morning" to all I passed and either got a "hello" or "bonjour" from most of them. Their bus driver was Mexican. The tour originated in Baja Mexico . They were an interesting group to watch. People are the same no matter where they are from :-)
We found a picnic table and enjoyed our sandwiches watching a beautiful view.
Today we figured out how to use the timer on my camera. Frank set up the tripod and took a couple of pictures of us. They turned out okay considering what it had to work with :-D
When we left the park the line to get in was probably a bit more than a quarter of a mile long... and we met more cars along the road.
Next up was a ride on scenic 128 along the Colorado River. Some pretty scenery there too. There is a lot of camping along the banks of the river. Our turn around point was a museum about all the movies that have been made in the area. An interesting museum. I didn't realize there were that many B westerns that we haven't seen. There were a lot of non-western movies made in the area too... there too many we had never even heard of.
When walking back to the truck we heard baby birds. There is a shelter over the door and the sound was coming from there... a nest made of mud was there with babies asking loudly for food. We saw the parents, but have no idea what type of birds they were.
We stopped by City Market grocery store for bread and gas... same place we got gas the other day. We paid $4.59 a gallon... ten cent more than a couple of days ago.
Back to home and a shower. I thought I was going to have a nice quiet relaxing shower. A woman and her ... I would say three years old came in to use the bathroom. The girl was a squealer. My head was pounding by time they left.
Tylenol, soup and sandwich calms the head :-D
I only moved the pictures to the computer and to a dvd today... none to the Picasa Album. I need a bit of rest.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
We went to Arches National Park today. The park was very busy. Despite the heavy traffic we enjoyed ourselves.
I cannot begin to describe the beauty of this land... the colors, the shapes and the sounds... all extraordinarily beautiful. I took pictures, but even though they are beautiful they cannot convey the beauty that we saw.
One of the best parts of my day was seeing a moth lying on a rock. I would probably have never seen him, but I saw a couple and the man was on his knee taking a picture and I had to ask what they had found. It was good to see that others take pictures of something other than the scenic views. I told them of the primrose that was just behind our truck... I looked over a few minutes later and they were taking pictures of it. It amazes me that a creature and a flower can survive in this dry environment... I may not... my skin is so dry. Lotion and more lotion.
The park was so busy that we could not find a picnic table to eat our sandwiches at... so we found a lovely overlook to stop at and had our picnic in the truck.
Our next stop was Dead Horse Point State Park. I know a weird name for a park. Here is an explanation:
"Before the turn of the century, mustang herds ran wild on the mesas near Dead Horse Point. The unique promontory provided a natural corral into which the horses were driven by cowboys. The only escape was through a narrow, 30-yard neck of land controlled by fencing. Mustangs were then roped and broken, with the better ones being kept for personal use or sold to eastern markets. Unwanted culls of "broomtails" were left behind to find their way off the Point.
According to one legend, a band of broomtails was left corralled on the Point. The gate was supposedly left open so the horses could return to the open range. For some unknown reason, the mustangs remained on the Point. There they died of thirst within sight of the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below."
It is a beautiful park. No words or pictures can do it justice. The colors remind me a bit of the Grand Canyon.
Then it was home, showers and soup and sandwiches. I edited some pictures and Frank read... our typical evening :-)
I cannot begin to describe the beauty of this land... the colors, the shapes and the sounds... all extraordinarily beautiful. I took pictures, but even though they are beautiful they cannot convey the beauty that we saw.
One of the best parts of my day was seeing a moth lying on a rock. I would probably have never seen him, but I saw a couple and the man was on his knee taking a picture and I had to ask what they had found. It was good to see that others take pictures of something other than the scenic views. I told them of the primrose that was just behind our truck... I looked over a few minutes later and they were taking pictures of it. It amazes me that a creature and a flower can survive in this dry environment... I may not... my skin is so dry. Lotion and more lotion.
The park was so busy that we could not find a picnic table to eat our sandwiches at... so we found a lovely overlook to stop at and had our picnic in the truck.
Our next stop was Dead Horse Point State Park. I know a weird name for a park. Here is an explanation:
"Before the turn of the century, mustang herds ran wild on the mesas near Dead Horse Point. The unique promontory provided a natural corral into which the horses were driven by cowboys. The only escape was through a narrow, 30-yard neck of land controlled by fencing. Mustangs were then roped and broken, with the better ones being kept for personal use or sold to eastern markets. Unwanted culls of "broomtails" were left behind to find their way off the Point.
According to one legend, a band of broomtails was left corralled on the Point. The gate was supposedly left open so the horses could return to the open range. For some unknown reason, the mustangs remained on the Point. There they died of thirst within sight of the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below."
It is a beautiful park. No words or pictures can do it justice. The colors remind me a bit of the Grand Canyon.
Then it was home, showers and soup and sandwiches. I edited some pictures and Frank read... our typical evening :-)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Frank said I slept soundly last night. People putting up a pop-up camper clanking poles and yelling didn't wake me :-D
This campground isn't much more than a parking lot... some of the tent spots are shady with green grass around them and a couple of the pull thrus are shady and grassy. For the most part there is clay and gravel. We are in site #54. The owners are nice and the bath house is clean. There is wifi access here... I didn't expect that.
We went about a mile up the road to do laundry this morning... boy did we have a lot of it to do! Sheets added to the amount. I think it was one 18lb washer... one 40lb washer and two of the regular washing machines. We are wearing shirts and britches more than once when we can to cut down on the amount of laundry. I can only imagine how much we would have to do if we didn't do so. I guess we didn't do too bad considering it has been a week and half since we did laundry.
We stopped by an Ace Hardware store for wood glue and nails. One of the cabinet bottoms has come loose.... it is the pretty layer.. not the support layer.
We got gas for $4.49 a gallon in Moab.
Lots of laundry to put away.... but I made time to make us some chicken-veggie soup. It was good. Soon afterward the rain came and has been with us the rest of the day. We had hoped it would clear up for a bit of site-seeing. Ever once in a while there is a break with a bit of blue sky and sun... but it doesn't last long.
We waited until after lunch to make the bed... a booger to make up. Frank has been reading and I have been editing pictures.
The internet connection isn't always there, so not so sure when I will get this uploaded to the blog.
We watched a movie: I AM LEGEND.
This campground isn't much more than a parking lot... some of the tent spots are shady with green grass around them and a couple of the pull thrus are shady and grassy. For the most part there is clay and gravel. We are in site #54. The owners are nice and the bath house is clean. There is wifi access here... I didn't expect that.
We went about a mile up the road to do laundry this morning... boy did we have a lot of it to do! Sheets added to the amount. I think it was one 18lb washer... one 40lb washer and two of the regular washing machines. We are wearing shirts and britches more than once when we can to cut down on the amount of laundry. I can only imagine how much we would have to do if we didn't do so. I guess we didn't do too bad considering it has been a week and half since we did laundry.
We stopped by an Ace Hardware store for wood glue and nails. One of the cabinet bottoms has come loose.... it is the pretty layer.. not the support layer.
We got gas for $4.49 a gallon in Moab.
Lots of laundry to put away.... but I made time to make us some chicken-veggie soup. It was good. Soon afterward the rain came and has been with us the rest of the day. We had hoped it would clear up for a bit of site-seeing. Ever once in a while there is a break with a bit of blue sky and sun... but it doesn't last long.
We waited until after lunch to make the bed... a booger to make up. Frank has been reading and I have been editing pictures.
The internet connection isn't always there, so not so sure when I will get this uploaded to the blog.
We watched a movie: I AM LEGEND.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
While we were riding the train the wind had picked up at the campground and a few small trees toppled. One fell where Frank had been parking the truck. The campground crew were so efficient that we could not even tell there had been a tree down.
We woke up to overcast skies, but no rain... so no problems dismantling camp. Frank had to rinse the truck... pollen overtook it at the parking lot for the train. Gray pollen.. almost looked like ashes.
As it turned out we made a good choice in campgrounds. The staff was friendly the place was neat and clean. We had first thought of going to United Campgrounds... in the listing they seemed to have more side-by-side campsites... otherwords your door is opening on your neighbors trailer than Lightner Creek Campground had listed. We rode past United Campground on the train ride. It looked liked a parking lot. Lightner Creek campground has grass, trees, creek and a bit more space between sites. Lightner Creek has a nice playground, a pool and a dog park (with hurdles and a balance board... looked like a see-saw). The prices in their supply store looked reasonable at a glance. We left at 9:30 (GA Time).
We missed our turn in Cortez, Colorado to highway 491. We decided it would be about the same distance if we turned around or kept on highway 160 and picked up 191.. we did the latter and stopped to see Four Corners. It is the slab with flags around it showing where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet. There are pretty views from there. There is sort of a flea market there with the Indians selling their goods. Frank bought me two pairs of earrings. I like the smaller earrings... one pair is made from colorful stone and the other pair is silver eagles. Excellent workmanship in both pair. The colorful stone was made by the young lady's parents and she made the eagles. She said her nickname is Muzzy and her real name is Katherine.
We stopped in White Mesa Utah for gas at $4.46 a gallon.
We stopped at Blanding Utah at the visitors center to eat our sandwiches. We went inside the center and asked a couple of questions and they gave us a bag of goodies (disposalble razors, gum, protein bars and such.
We saw a mule deer standing by the road not far past Blanding. A little further down the road Frank saw a dog herding some cows. By time I looked the dog disappeared. I think it was my day for disappearing dogs. I saw one walking by the road earlier and it disappeared behind one of the brushes and I didn't see it come out... maybe I was seeing things :-D
We arrived at Moab Rim Campground at 4:30 (GA Time).
I think I called Mama a little before 5:30 (GA Time). Afterward we went to take a shower and then the wind kicked up high. I had to close the trailer windows. I think it was about 60 degrees, but it was a bit warm in the trailer. It cooled down about 10 degrees after the wind started shaking the trailer. There were a few sprinkles of rain during the night, but nothing enough to wet the red clay here.
We looked at the weather on the computer and they are calling for a 60% chance of rain tomorrow... so a good day to do laundry.
We traveled 247 miles today.
We woke up to overcast skies, but no rain... so no problems dismantling camp. Frank had to rinse the truck... pollen overtook it at the parking lot for the train. Gray pollen.. almost looked like ashes.
As it turned out we made a good choice in campgrounds. The staff was friendly the place was neat and clean. We had first thought of going to United Campgrounds... in the listing they seemed to have more side-by-side campsites... otherwords your door is opening on your neighbors trailer than Lightner Creek Campground had listed. We rode past United Campground on the train ride. It looked liked a parking lot. Lightner Creek campground has grass, trees, creek and a bit more space between sites. Lightner Creek has a nice playground, a pool and a dog park (with hurdles and a balance board... looked like a see-saw). The prices in their supply store looked reasonable at a glance. We left at 9:30 (GA Time).
We missed our turn in Cortez, Colorado to highway 491. We decided it would be about the same distance if we turned around or kept on highway 160 and picked up 191.. we did the latter and stopped to see Four Corners. It is the slab with flags around it showing where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet. There are pretty views from there. There is sort of a flea market there with the Indians selling their goods. Frank bought me two pairs of earrings. I like the smaller earrings... one pair is made from colorful stone and the other pair is silver eagles. Excellent workmanship in both pair. The colorful stone was made by the young lady's parents and she made the eagles. She said her nickname is Muzzy and her real name is Katherine.
We stopped in White Mesa Utah for gas at $4.46 a gallon.
We stopped at Blanding Utah at the visitors center to eat our sandwiches. We went inside the center and asked a couple of questions and they gave us a bag of goodies (disposalble razors, gum, protein bars and such.
We saw a mule deer standing by the road not far past Blanding. A little further down the road Frank saw a dog herding some cows. By time I looked the dog disappeared. I think it was my day for disappearing dogs. I saw one walking by the road earlier and it disappeared behind one of the brushes and I didn't see it come out... maybe I was seeing things :-D
We arrived at Moab Rim Campground at 4:30 (GA Time).
I think I called Mama a little before 5:30 (GA Time). Afterward we went to take a shower and then the wind kicked up high. I had to close the trailer windows. I think it was about 60 degrees, but it was a bit warm in the trailer. It cooled down about 10 degrees after the wind started shaking the trailer. There were a few sprinkles of rain during the night, but nothing enough to wet the red clay here.
We looked at the weather on the computer and they are calling for a 60% chance of rain tomorrow... so a good day to do laundry.
We traveled 247 miles today.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
There was a brief rain shortly after we went to bed last night.
We rode the train from Durango to Silverton. A lot of beauty along the way. An enjoyable ride, but a very tiring day. The ride started off fine with nice weather. We had a short stop going up when the break on our car didn't release. By time we got to Silverton the clouds were rolling in. The wind was blowing about 15 mph and gusting to 30 mph. We ate our peanut butter crackers and drank our water. We walked into a few shops, but all of them were selling the same high-priced junk :-)
We boarded the train a little before boarding time for the trip back down to Durango. Frank's hat blew off before we made it to the train car we were to ride in. While walking around we had icy rain hit (ouch!) and some blobs of white stuff... so we were perfectly happy to sit on the train a bit longer.
We talked to a lot of nice people on the train. On the way back we talked with a family from Nebraska.... mostly to the father and some to his 18 year old daughter. There were three children in the family... the 18 year old girl and two boys in college. One of the boys lost his hat (University of Wyoming) on the ride up and the girl lost her (pink) cell phone. The articles were found by the railroad crew that traveled the rails behind us. We met the boy that lost the hat, but didn't meet the other boy. The mother was not feeling well and was wrapped in a blanket and slept most of the way back to the train station.
On the way back down there were some people riding the rapids. The consensus in our area of the car was they were crazy people. They were interesting to watch.
On the ride back down we stopped a short time... more like slowed to a stop... the train was still moving. A small boulder had landed on the tracks earlier in the day so our train inched across the damaged rails. All the conductors are outside and we are left inside the car to perish if the car fell into the rapid flowing water :-)
We took lots of pictures... but it will be later when I edit them.. If ever :-D
We made it back to Durango about 5:45 mountain time. Frank bought us a burger & fries at McDonalds and we came back to camp. We had to take a shower before eating to feel human again :-)
They are calling for a 40% chance of rain in the morning. If it is raining hard we may get a late start tomorrow. We are heading towards Moab Utah tomorrow... highs in the mid 60s.
We rode the train from Durango to Silverton. A lot of beauty along the way. An enjoyable ride, but a very tiring day. The ride started off fine with nice weather. We had a short stop going up when the break on our car didn't release. By time we got to Silverton the clouds were rolling in. The wind was blowing about 15 mph and gusting to 30 mph. We ate our peanut butter crackers and drank our water. We walked into a few shops, but all of them were selling the same high-priced junk :-)
We boarded the train a little before boarding time for the trip back down to Durango. Frank's hat blew off before we made it to the train car we were to ride in. While walking around we had icy rain hit (ouch!) and some blobs of white stuff... so we were perfectly happy to sit on the train a bit longer.
We talked to a lot of nice people on the train. On the way back we talked with a family from Nebraska.... mostly to the father and some to his 18 year old daughter. There were three children in the family... the 18 year old girl and two boys in college. One of the boys lost his hat (University of Wyoming) on the ride up and the girl lost her (pink) cell phone. The articles were found by the railroad crew that traveled the rails behind us. We met the boy that lost the hat, but didn't meet the other boy. The mother was not feeling well and was wrapped in a blanket and slept most of the way back to the train station.
On the way back down there were some people riding the rapids. The consensus in our area of the car was they were crazy people. They were interesting to watch.
On the ride back down we stopped a short time... more like slowed to a stop... the train was still moving. A small boulder had landed on the tracks earlier in the day so our train inched across the damaged rails. All the conductors are outside and we are left inside the car to perish if the car fell into the rapid flowing water :-)
We took lots of pictures... but it will be later when I edit them.. If ever :-D
We made it back to Durango about 5:45 mountain time. Frank bought us a burger & fries at McDonalds and we came back to camp. We had to take a shower before eating to feel human again :-)
They are calling for a 40% chance of rain in the morning. If it is raining hard we may get a late start tomorrow. We are heading towards Moab Utah tomorrow... highs in the mid 60s.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
We left at 9 am (GA Time). On our way back to highway 160 we saw a heard of antelope... I think a heard of mule deer too (will have to make sure on video tape) and we saw a herd of elk does... maybe a young buck with no antlers in with them. We stopped and took pictures of the dunes in the morning light. It sure was beautiful. It sure was worth going that 16 miles and back :-)
We stopped at Wal-Mart at Alamosa Colorado. Just a few staples of milk and eggs & such.
We bought gas for $4.49 a gallon at Alamosa.
We stopped at a rest stop to stretch our legs.. but I can't remember what town it was near.
Our ride through the mountains was beautiful. There were spruce and aspen trees and a few trees I don't know what are. There was still some snow on the mountain sides and water flowing down the mountains into streams. We traveled through two short tunnels. The scenery was magnificent.
We arrived at our camp site at about 3:15 (GA Time). We are at Lightner Creek Campground. It is very nice and the host are great. We saw our first Magpie today. There are a few robins about too.
After eating our dinner we went into Durango and purchased our tickets for the train ride tomorrow. We also went into Wal-Mart... we always need something :-) Then over to the car wash and went into the RV supply store across the road. Then back to Wal-mart :-D Then back to camp for shower and pack our fanny packs for tomorrow.
We traveled 191 miles today.
We stopped at Wal-Mart at Alamosa Colorado. Just a few staples of milk and eggs & such.
We bought gas for $4.49 a gallon at Alamosa.
We stopped at a rest stop to stretch our legs.. but I can't remember what town it was near.
Our ride through the mountains was beautiful. There were spruce and aspen trees and a few trees I don't know what are. There was still some snow on the mountain sides and water flowing down the mountains into streams. We traveled through two short tunnels. The scenery was magnificent.
We arrived at our camp site at about 3:15 (GA Time). We are at Lightner Creek Campground. It is very nice and the host are great. We saw our first Magpie today. There are a few robins about too.
After eating our dinner we went into Durango and purchased our tickets for the train ride tomorrow. We also went into Wal-Mart... we always need something :-) Then over to the car wash and went into the RV supply store across the road. Then back to Wal-mart :-D Then back to camp for shower and pack our fanny packs for tomorrow.
We traveled 191 miles today.
Monday, May 19, 2008
We left Clayton New Mexico at 9:10 am (GA Time) We saw a cottontail rabbit in the park on our way out.
We got gas in Raton New Mexico for $4.59 a gallon.
We stretched our legs at a rest area near Trinidad Colorado. They even had a corral for a horse to rest :-)
We were going to stay in a campground at Blanca Colorado, but it just looked to bad to even consider staying at. It was junky,,, with railroad boxcars turned on there side. There were sheep wandering about.
Then we saw a sign for Great Dunes National Park ,,,, 16 miles.
Arrived at Great Dunes National Park Colorado at about 2:30 (GA Time). It was very difficult to find a site that the trailer and truck would fit in... the campground was built for tent camping. We found a site, but we couldn't slide the slide-out out. There was no water or electricity hookup. We had enough water in the holding tank to take showers and wash dishes. While we were setting up camp I saw an Ord Kangaroo Mouse run and bound just in front of the truck.
We walked back up to the Kiosk to pay. The hill back up was a bit of a strain on my breathing. After lunch we walked back down there to call and make reservations near Moab Utah. With Memorial Day weekend coming up most campgrounds are full.. but we found a site!
We cornered a ranger after making our calls to ask him some questions and I asked for a brief explanation of how the dunes came about... we weren't able to unhook the truck from the trailer to go down to the visitors center (the center was probably a little bit more than a mile from our site, but no way I or Frank could climb down and back up the hill) . The ranger's brief description was about 15 minutes long... and me expecting only about 2 minutes :-) I can't remember half of what he said, but will look it up on the internet later. They are beautiful dunes.
Frank read and I worked on word puzzles when we got back to camp... of course we climbed that hill again to get here. When it cooled down we went for a little walk. A hummingbird buzzed Frank... I guess the hummer didn't like getting video taped. We took pictures of the dunes and mountains.
We managed to stay awake until 9 pm mountain time. The time change is a bit rough at times. It is hard to tell when you are suppose to eat or sleep.
We traveled 224 miles today.
We got gas in Raton New Mexico for $4.59 a gallon.
We stretched our legs at a rest area near Trinidad Colorado. They even had a corral for a horse to rest :-)
We were going to stay in a campground at Blanca Colorado, but it just looked to bad to even consider staying at. It was junky,,, with railroad boxcars turned on there side. There were sheep wandering about.
Then we saw a sign for Great Dunes National Park ,,,, 16 miles.
Arrived at Great Dunes National Park Colorado at about 2:30 (GA Time). It was very difficult to find a site that the trailer and truck would fit in... the campground was built for tent camping. We found a site, but we couldn't slide the slide-out out. There was no water or electricity hookup. We had enough water in the holding tank to take showers and wash dishes. While we were setting up camp I saw an Ord Kangaroo Mouse run and bound just in front of the truck.
We walked back up to the Kiosk to pay. The hill back up was a bit of a strain on my breathing. After lunch we walked back down there to call and make reservations near Moab Utah. With Memorial Day weekend coming up most campgrounds are full.. but we found a site!
We cornered a ranger after making our calls to ask him some questions and I asked for a brief explanation of how the dunes came about... we weren't able to unhook the truck from the trailer to go down to the visitors center (the center was probably a little bit more than a mile from our site, but no way I or Frank could climb down and back up the hill) . The ranger's brief description was about 15 minutes long... and me expecting only about 2 minutes :-) I can't remember half of what he said, but will look it up on the internet later. They are beautiful dunes.
Frank read and I worked on word puzzles when we got back to camp... of course we climbed that hill again to get here. When it cooled down we went for a little walk. A hummingbird buzzed Frank... I guess the hummer didn't like getting video taped. We took pictures of the dunes and mountains.
We managed to stay awake until 9 pm mountain time. The time change is a bit rough at times. It is hard to tell when you are suppose to eat or sleep.
We traveled 224 miles today.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
We left Ft. Supply at 8:50 amm (GA time).
As we left the campground we saw several turkeys... and I think what I saw bounding through the thick brush was a pair of rabbits. I saw an oriole before we left, but they just do not want their picture taken. I think the two varieties were Orchard and Baltimore.
Not far from Ft. Supply (town.. more like a spot in the road) there were some wind turbines. The terrain for a while after Ft. Supply was rolling prairie hills with cattle dotting them. Wherever you see trees is where a house is or was.. there are some fairly new plantings of juniper/cedar in rows. There were wheat field too. We saw a coyote not far from Ft. Supply.
We had a close call. I was looking at the cattle that were next to the fence by the highway and all of a sudden Frank is putting on brakes... a slight bit harder than gentle :-) There was a bull in front of us. He saw or heard us and quickly got off the road. I am sure glad that we didn't hit him... he was x-large. This happened a bit before we reached Balko Oklahoma. Shortly after that I saw a jack rabbit sitting by the edge of the road.
We stopped at a rest area (that is just one picnic table with shelter over it) near the Texas County line close to Hardesty Oklahoma to stretch our legs. A beautiful meadowlark was singing. I think Frank captured him on the camcorder. He got scared off by some traffic by time I got my camera... I may have a distant shot of him. Such a beautiful voice.
We bought gas in Guymon Oklahoma for $4.39 a gallon.
We saw some antelope a few miles out from Guymon and saw a few more along the way. Maybe we will get a good picture of one before the trip is over... one can hope :-D
We bought gas in Clayton New Mexico for $4.49 a gallon.
We decided not to take a chance on the state park. We figured it would cost about the same to find it (ten miles off the beaten path) as this KOA campground. We arrived here at 2:15 (GA Time... it is Mt. Time here... it is two hours earlier here than GA).
It is not the best campground, but a place to stay. It took us an hour to figure out how to get the trailer level. We were hot and sweaty and frustrated by time we finished. We didn't eat dinner until after setting up.... leftovers from yesterday.
There is cable tv.. yeah! news and weather and Indiana Jones :-) The showers are spotless here. I have an internet connection too. The sites are graveled and unlevel... we're in 21c. Very few trees. We can still smell cattle... there is a road behind the campground and I think there are cattle or horse in the pasture.
I'm sure the evening will consist of watching Indiana Jones and resting up for the ride tomorrow. We both took a cat nap after dinner.
The road was rough on us today... my back (kidney area) got beat up pretty good. I can only imagine what the pioneers went through riding on their wagons and horses over this terrain.
We traveled 221 miles today.
I got a chance to look the bird up that we kept thinking was a shrike... it is a White-tailed Kite. The book we have is a bit confusing... it didn't show the eye marking not that the bird was in Oklahoma. I found a site with pictures of Oklahoma birds and ID the bird that way.
As we left the campground we saw several turkeys... and I think what I saw bounding through the thick brush was a pair of rabbits. I saw an oriole before we left, but they just do not want their picture taken. I think the two varieties were Orchard and Baltimore.
Not far from Ft. Supply (town.. more like a spot in the road) there were some wind turbines. The terrain for a while after Ft. Supply was rolling prairie hills with cattle dotting them. Wherever you see trees is where a house is or was.. there are some fairly new plantings of juniper/cedar in rows. There were wheat field too. We saw a coyote not far from Ft. Supply.
We had a close call. I was looking at the cattle that were next to the fence by the highway and all of a sudden Frank is putting on brakes... a slight bit harder than gentle :-) There was a bull in front of us. He saw or heard us and quickly got off the road. I am sure glad that we didn't hit him... he was x-large. This happened a bit before we reached Balko Oklahoma. Shortly after that I saw a jack rabbit sitting by the edge of the road.
We stopped at a rest area (that is just one picnic table with shelter over it) near the Texas County line close to Hardesty Oklahoma to stretch our legs. A beautiful meadowlark was singing. I think Frank captured him on the camcorder. He got scared off by some traffic by time I got my camera... I may have a distant shot of him. Such a beautiful voice.
We bought gas in Guymon Oklahoma for $4.39 a gallon.
We saw some antelope a few miles out from Guymon and saw a few more along the way. Maybe we will get a good picture of one before the trip is over... one can hope :-D
We bought gas in Clayton New Mexico for $4.49 a gallon.
We decided not to take a chance on the state park. We figured it would cost about the same to find it (ten miles off the beaten path) as this KOA campground. We arrived here at 2:15 (GA Time... it is Mt. Time here... it is two hours earlier here than GA).
It is not the best campground, but a place to stay. It took us an hour to figure out how to get the trailer level. We were hot and sweaty and frustrated by time we finished. We didn't eat dinner until after setting up.... leftovers from yesterday.
There is cable tv.. yeah! news and weather and Indiana Jones :-) The showers are spotless here. I have an internet connection too. The sites are graveled and unlevel... we're in 21c. Very few trees. We can still smell cattle... there is a road behind the campground and I think there are cattle or horse in the pasture.
I'm sure the evening will consist of watching Indiana Jones and resting up for the ride tomorrow. We both took a cat nap after dinner.
The road was rough on us today... my back (kidney area) got beat up pretty good. I can only imagine what the pioneers went through riding on their wagons and horses over this terrain.
We traveled 221 miles today.
I got a chance to look the bird up that we kept thinking was a shrike... it is a White-tailed Kite. The book we have is a bit confusing... it didn't show the eye marking not that the bird was in Oklahoma. I found a site with pictures of Oklahoma birds and ID the bird that way.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Frank fixed us a good breakfast of a ham omelets and grits. We did the dishes and then I called Mama. Frank looked some at the antenna/booster... nothing new on that.
We walked a bit around the campground.... hoping to get a picture of an oriole. I might have one picture that isn't blurry :-) We saw a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes again. We saw a beautiful Red-Headed Woodpecker. There were Killdeer, Red-Winged Blackbirds and of course the geese. I saw a red bird flying tree top level.... I have no idea what type of bird it was. We saw a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers and several orioles near our camping area. All flying behind leaves and limbs hiding from us.
We fixed dinner of hamburgers in gravy, mashed potatoes and green peas. I tried to make a stove top biscuit, but dried them out a little much.
More dishes to do and then I cleaned the trailer a bit... vacuuming ( the stick vac doesn't pick up that much), sweeping and mopping with a rag. I can't get down on my knees so leaning over was a bit of a chore.
Frank is reading and I'm catching up on the journal. I think Frank planned where we will stay tomorrow night while I finished mopping and napped in my chair.
This afternoon I edited pictures... no oriole. I tried again later, but they are avoiding me. I did get a sorta decent photo of a Western Kingbird. When I was looking for the orioles I saw some Grackles... not sure which species of them. The sun made the back of one's neck look blue. They see the camera and fly off too. I need to set up a blind so I can get decent bird shots :-)
Showers are taken. These showers are like the last campground's... you push a button and the water flows for maybe 10 seconds. Warm water was scarce this evening. I washed my hair and it was a pain to rinse it.
Frank is piddling around outside and I'm about to do the same inside. Put some things away so there isn't so much to do in the morning. I think our next stop is Clayton New Mexico.
We walked a bit around the campground.... hoping to get a picture of an oriole. I might have one picture that isn't blurry :-) We saw a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes again. We saw a beautiful Red-Headed Woodpecker. There were Killdeer, Red-Winged Blackbirds and of course the geese. I saw a red bird flying tree top level.... I have no idea what type of bird it was. We saw a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers and several orioles near our camping area. All flying behind leaves and limbs hiding from us.
We fixed dinner of hamburgers in gravy, mashed potatoes and green peas. I tried to make a stove top biscuit, but dried them out a little much.
More dishes to do and then I cleaned the trailer a bit... vacuuming ( the stick vac doesn't pick up that much), sweeping and mopping with a rag. I can't get down on my knees so leaning over was a bit of a chore.
Frank is reading and I'm catching up on the journal. I think Frank planned where we will stay tomorrow night while I finished mopping and napped in my chair.
This afternoon I edited pictures... no oriole. I tried again later, but they are avoiding me. I did get a sorta decent photo of a Western Kingbird. When I was looking for the orioles I saw some Grackles... not sure which species of them. The sun made the back of one's neck look blue. They see the camera and fly off too. I need to set up a blind so I can get decent bird shots :-)
Showers are taken. These showers are like the last campground's... you push a button and the water flows for maybe 10 seconds. Warm water was scarce this evening. I washed my hair and it was a pain to rinse it.
Frank is piddling around outside and I'm about to do the same inside. Put some things away so there isn't so much to do in the morning. I think our next stop is Clayton New Mexico.
Friday, May 16, 2008
I had to ask Frank what we did this morning. He swept and straightened the back of the truck and put the jack back under the seat... not easy. He read a while and then siliconed some of the window tracks of the trailer so they would slide easier. I wrote in my hard copy journal. I get to see some of the mistakes I made in this online blog that way. The editor for the blog does catch some of my spelling mistakes. I also edited some pictures to put in the Picasa album I hope it works. I'm only choosing a few pictures to share... don't want to bore y'all any more than you all ready are :-) I wish I had thought to about seeing if Frank managed to capture the double rainbow... next time :-)
By time we did all that it was time to put something together for dinner. We had bought a roast chicken from Sam's before setting out on this trip and divided it up and put it in the freezer. Today we had the breast. I heated up a can of whole green beans in the microwave... a little seasoning helps a lot.... it made that 25 cent can of green beans taste like it cost a whole dollar :-) It was a dented can from the reduced section at the commissary. I cooked some of the narrower broad noodles, added a packet of Sazon seasoning and part of a bag of cheddar melt cheese. Frank let me win the fight over the last bit of those noodles :-D
We did the dishes and walked up to the office to ask if there was an RV part supply place in the area. The lady said there was a Terry's in Woodward and gave us directions. We then packed the computer and ourselves in the truck and headed to town.
We stopped at a large Ace Hardware Store for set screws. The faucet handle is now fixed.
Frank decided to top the tank off at Wal-mart... less than $2 went in the tank... we paid $4.26 a gallon with card. We then shopped in Wal-mart. We bought valve stem caps, sam's colas, cookies :-) , canned potatoes, instant coffee (for those evenings when I just want one cup of coffee) and bread. They didn't have any of the unsweetened shredded wheat cereal, but a United Supermarket up the road did. The price on the shelf read 2/ $5.00 for Kellogg's brand, but they rang up as $4 and something each box. The cashier went and checked the price and gave us the shelf price.
Oh.. in between those two places we went to Terry's RV and I believe it had tacked onto the name "and Muffler Shop". He told Frank how to tell which part was bad and he could borrow a part from another rv... all rvs on his lot where old. The part prices he quoted seemed high to us... especially for used. We'll do without tv and hope that we can keep up with the weather via radio.
Then went went to McDonalds and bought a milkshake and I uploaded pictures and blog entries... and checked email. I think that took about an hour. Frank said it exhausted him just watching me. I thought I did it rather quickly since I don't have the hang of Picasa yet. It is faster for me to not include the pictures in the blog and a little bit better on my aging brain that can't remember things :-)
We stopped by a truck stop before heading back to camp. We used a pay phone to check what our credit card bill amount is. The truck stop lot was full of cattle and hog transport trucks. They were empty... except for the smell :-)
We went for a walk when we got back to camp. We saw a critter cross the road up ahead. A car had stopped and watch the critter cross. It was the sheriff in the car and Frank talked with him a minute. He said it was a raccoon that crossed the road and it didn't look healthy.
Next it was shower time. We saw more orioles on the walk back.
By time we did all that it was time to put something together for dinner. We had bought a roast chicken from Sam's before setting out on this trip and divided it up and put it in the freezer. Today we had the breast. I heated up a can of whole green beans in the microwave... a little seasoning helps a lot.... it made that 25 cent can of green beans taste like it cost a whole dollar :-) It was a dented can from the reduced section at the commissary. I cooked some of the narrower broad noodles, added a packet of Sazon seasoning and part of a bag of cheddar melt cheese. Frank let me win the fight over the last bit of those noodles :-D
We did the dishes and walked up to the office to ask if there was an RV part supply place in the area. The lady said there was a Terry's in Woodward and gave us directions. We then packed the computer and ourselves in the truck and headed to town.
We stopped at a large Ace Hardware Store for set screws. The faucet handle is now fixed.
Frank decided to top the tank off at Wal-mart... less than $2 went in the tank... we paid $4.26 a gallon with card. We then shopped in Wal-mart. We bought valve stem caps, sam's colas, cookies :-) , canned potatoes, instant coffee (for those evenings when I just want one cup of coffee) and bread. They didn't have any of the unsweetened shredded wheat cereal, but a United Supermarket up the road did. The price on the shelf read 2/ $5.00 for Kellogg's brand, but they rang up as $4 and something each box. The cashier went and checked the price and gave us the shelf price.
Oh.. in between those two places we went to Terry's RV and I believe it had tacked onto the name "and Muffler Shop". He told Frank how to tell which part was bad and he could borrow a part from another rv... all rvs on his lot where old. The part prices he quoted seemed high to us... especially for used. We'll do without tv and hope that we can keep up with the weather via radio.
Then went went to McDonalds and bought a milkshake and I uploaded pictures and blog entries... and checked email. I think that took about an hour. Frank said it exhausted him just watching me. I thought I did it rather quickly since I don't have the hang of Picasa yet. It is faster for me to not include the pictures in the blog and a little bit better on my aging brain that can't remember things :-)
We stopped by a truck stop before heading back to camp. We used a pay phone to check what our credit card bill amount is. The truck stop lot was full of cattle and hog transport trucks. They were empty... except for the smell :-)
We went for a walk when we got back to camp. We saw a critter cross the road up ahead. A car had stopped and watch the critter cross. It was the sheriff in the car and Frank talked with him a minute. He said it was a raccoon that crossed the road and it didn't look healthy.
Next it was shower time. We saw more orioles on the walk back.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
We left Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge (Doris Campground) at 9:20 (GA Time). We were delayed a bit by the resident bull buffalo :-) The ground was a bit muddy from the rain the night before.
I'm afraid I can't tell you a whole lot about the scenery... I slept a lot.
As we left the refuge it was beautiful looking towards the East... but hard for me to turn my head that way. The sun on the prairie grass and wildflowers was beautiful. We saw the usual critters of buffalo, longhorns and prairie dogs.... no elk :-(
Just outside the refuge there were cattle ranches and wheat (or possibly another grain) glimmering in the morning sun. We saw a crop duster.
There were cedar trees dotting the rolling hills. We stopped at a monument for people who died in a school fire... Babbs School I think. It happened in the early 1900s. A candle on a Christmas tree started the deadly fire... 35 people perished. Frank video taped the sign and a bit of the scenery around... including the wildflowers we had been seeing on the roadside. It was so chilly out that I didn't get my camera out and take pictures.
We stopped at a rest area about 35 miles south of Woodward and ate sandwiches. We got gas in Woodward for $4.24 gallon.
As we came close to Ft. Supply we saw wind turbines in the distance.
We arrived at Ft. Supply Campground (Oklahoma) at 2:30 (GA Time). We are in site # 19 on the lake side. There are lots of Canada Geese here guarding their young. We've already been hissed at... hopefully we won't get attacked. It is a miracle to walk and not step in their droppings :-)
I managed to get two of the folders of photos that we took at the refuge copied onto disc, but I couldn't get the third one to copy. Each folder is about 650 MB :-) I got frustrated and will try again tomorrow.
I did my shoulder exercises with the ball and one of the other campers (Lynn Parsons) came up and gave me his card to give to Frank... they are from Oregon. They have about a 40 ft. fifth wheel they stay in. I notice there was a network available for the Internet and it is from them... but you have to a password to get access and I'm not going to ask them for a password. Maybe we'll stop at McDonalds before we leave here and I can send all these boring happenings to the family.
Frank had snuck off to the office. I decided to walk the loop and I found him coming out of the office and he finished walking the loop with me. We saw a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes and a pair of Killdeer. We also saw an oriole. I'll have to have Frank look at the book to see which one it was... I can't remember all the markings. I think it is either a Orchard or Baltimore Oriole. I'm leaning toward Orchard if I remembered the color correctly.
When we first set up we could get a few channels on the tv pretty good... now none. Frank looked and some of the cables weren't real tight and he tightened them... but no change. He even tried different cables and still no tv signal. We'll ask the hosts if there is an RV repair place tomorrow.
We went up to get our showers a bit ago and it was sprinkling rain... it was still sprinkling when we came out. We had a small shower and then a break. It is a steady shower now... no thunder and lightning yet.
We traveled 172 miles today.
It is 7:30 pm and it is raining lightly with the sun peaking out...the wind has picked up some. There is a double rainbow. Frank is trying to capture it on the camcorder and cameras.
I'm afraid I can't tell you a whole lot about the scenery... I slept a lot.
As we left the refuge it was beautiful looking towards the East... but hard for me to turn my head that way. The sun on the prairie grass and wildflowers was beautiful. We saw the usual critters of buffalo, longhorns and prairie dogs.... no elk :-(
Just outside the refuge there were cattle ranches and wheat (or possibly another grain) glimmering in the morning sun. We saw a crop duster.
There were cedar trees dotting the rolling hills. We stopped at a monument for people who died in a school fire... Babbs School I think. It happened in the early 1900s. A candle on a Christmas tree started the deadly fire... 35 people perished. Frank video taped the sign and a bit of the scenery around... including the wildflowers we had been seeing on the roadside. It was so chilly out that I didn't get my camera out and take pictures.
We stopped at a rest area about 35 miles south of Woodward and ate sandwiches. We got gas in Woodward for $4.24 gallon.
As we came close to Ft. Supply we saw wind turbines in the distance.
We arrived at Ft. Supply Campground (Oklahoma) at 2:30 (GA Time). We are in site # 19 on the lake side. There are lots of Canada Geese here guarding their young. We've already been hissed at... hopefully we won't get attacked. It is a miracle to walk and not step in their droppings :-)
I managed to get two of the folders of photos that we took at the refuge copied onto disc, but I couldn't get the third one to copy. Each folder is about 650 MB :-) I got frustrated and will try again tomorrow.
I did my shoulder exercises with the ball and one of the other campers (Lynn Parsons) came up and gave me his card to give to Frank... they are from Oregon. They have about a 40 ft. fifth wheel they stay in. I notice there was a network available for the Internet and it is from them... but you have to a password to get access and I'm not going to ask them for a password. Maybe we'll stop at McDonalds before we leave here and I can send all these boring happenings to the family.
Frank had snuck off to the office. I decided to walk the loop and I found him coming out of the office and he finished walking the loop with me. We saw a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes and a pair of Killdeer. We also saw an oriole. I'll have to have Frank look at the book to see which one it was... I can't remember all the markings. I think it is either a Orchard or Baltimore Oriole. I'm leaning toward Orchard if I remembered the color correctly.
When we first set up we could get a few channels on the tv pretty good... now none. Frank looked and some of the cables weren't real tight and he tightened them... but no change. He even tried different cables and still no tv signal. We'll ask the hosts if there is an RV repair place tomorrow.
We went up to get our showers a bit ago and it was sprinkling rain... it was still sprinkling when we came out. We had a small shower and then a break. It is a steady shower now... no thunder and lightning yet.
We traveled 172 miles today.
It is 7:30 pm and it is raining lightly with the sun peaking out...the wind has picked up some. There is a double rainbow. Frank is trying to capture it on the camcorder and cameras.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I awakened to flashing lights and booming.... and the trailer was rocking from the gusty wind. I thought thunderstorms were happening. For some reason it got very windy... we have no tv reception for news and the radio stations don't seem to have any news. Anyway we figured out this morning that the booming was artillery fire from Ft. Sill. I'm not sure what the flashing lights were.
I fixed us a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and grits... we had leftover pancakes with jelly too.
We rode around and took more pictures and more pictures. I'm trying to get them copied onto a disc, but the computer isn't cooperating.. I'll try again tomorrow.
We we were taking pictures at one place and Frank looked down and there was a snake. We went by the visitors center and Frank looked it up... a Bull Snake is what it was. At the same place we saw what we thought was a Loggerhead Shrike, but looking at the bird book that isn't what it is and I can't figure out what it is... beautiful bird.
It is a good thing we ate well this morning... our dinner didn't happen until almost 2:30 central time. We shared the leftover pork chop and I added stewed tomatoes and onions to the lima beans and corn and some Sazon seasoning... served it over rice.... it was good. It was the first time I tried the seasoning... thanks to Didi for telling me about it.
We did the dishes and then headed out filming the campground stopping to take our showers amid filming.
We then went looking for Elk with no luck. We stopped at one of the dams, Quanta Parker, and enjoyed the beauty and of course took more pictures.
I think the most beautiful thing we saw today was a baby buffalo. It looked like it wasn't very old. It would walk a few steps and then lie down and fall asleep and a few minutes later the same would be repeated.
It is almost 8 pm central time and raining. We're trying to figure out the weather by listening to the weather radio... so hard to understand. Maybe we'll have a tv next stop.
We enjoyed our time here and wish we could spend a month enjoying all the animals and scenery here... but time to travel again.
I fixed us a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and grits... we had leftover pancakes with jelly too.
We rode around and took more pictures and more pictures. I'm trying to get them copied onto a disc, but the computer isn't cooperating.. I'll try again tomorrow.
We we were taking pictures at one place and Frank looked down and there was a snake. We went by the visitors center and Frank looked it up... a Bull Snake is what it was. At the same place we saw what we thought was a Loggerhead Shrike, but looking at the bird book that isn't what it is and I can't figure out what it is... beautiful bird.
It is a good thing we ate well this morning... our dinner didn't happen until almost 2:30 central time. We shared the leftover pork chop and I added stewed tomatoes and onions to the lima beans and corn and some Sazon seasoning... served it over rice.... it was good. It was the first time I tried the seasoning... thanks to Didi for telling me about it.
We did the dishes and then headed out filming the campground stopping to take our showers amid filming.
We then went looking for Elk with no luck. We stopped at one of the dams, Quanta Parker, and enjoyed the beauty and of course took more pictures.
I think the most beautiful thing we saw today was a baby buffalo. It looked like it wasn't very old. It would walk a few steps and then lie down and fall asleep and a few minutes later the same would be repeated.
It is almost 8 pm central time and raining. We're trying to figure out the weather by listening to the weather radio... so hard to understand. Maybe we'll have a tv next stop.
We enjoyed our time here and wish we could spend a month enjoying all the animals and scenery here... but time to travel again.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Frank made some good pancakes for breakfast.
We talked to our next door neighbors this morning. They are from Oklahoma City. They were trying out a travel trailer (rental) to see if they liked it... they said they think they decided on a fifth wheel. They had two dogs with them... a Labrador that is a pale brown (almost white and had a pink nose like Annabelle) and a little long-haired Papillon. They said that they didn't have to brush her much... that most any debris caught in her hair fell out on its own. We had only seen this type of dog on dog shows on tv. They left a bit later... they had a hard time breaking down everything... it takes a while to get it down pat.... we sometimes get it wrong after all these years of practice :-)
We took a walk before heading out this morning. We saw Chickadees, Titmice, a Nuthatch and the red bird that Frank got on tape... I'll look that one up later. There were more deer. We were hoping to see the turkeys... we could hear them.
We went into Lawton. Our first stop was at Wal-Mart. We bought gas at $4.12 a gallon (with shopping card). We had the travel trailer tire repaired. While waiting we returned the wallet. Frank told the cashier we bought it in Arkansas and we were traveling. She wanted to know if we were traveling by motorcycles.... I didn't marry a biker :-) We bought some Swimmers Ear drops, fever thermometer and suspenders. We never found the wallets in this Wal-Mart.
Next stop was the laundry. Mr. Lee at Wal-Mart (in the tire service area) told us how to find it. Frank helped me get the laundry started and then he went to the carwash next door and then to Lowes. The hot water faucet set screw in the kitchen is gone to an unknown place. He forgot to bring the faucet handle... so he got some screws and none are right :-) That is okay... I forgot the detergent and we had to turn around and come back and get it and the quarters :-)
There were two young Army wives at the laundry and they were fun to listen to. Oh my... I was a young Army wife at one time :-)
I recognized Elmer Thomas Park... we took the kids there a few times to play when stationed at Ft. Sill so many years ago. I think it was the first place that we ever saw Canada Geese. The visitor center and Great Plains Museum is next to it, so we went in and asked some questions. There are prairie dogs surrounding the museum. They are fun to watch, but they are still just rodents :-)
We ate dinner at Golden Corral... the food was about the same as at the one at home (either not seasoned or seasoned too much).
We looked for a RV repair/supply place and couldn't find one... for the antenna amplifier. We were then going to try and find the house we lived in on Euclid... on the map Euclid is not just one segmented street... it is in three or four parts and we couldn't remember which part it was we lived on.
We entered Ft. Sill. Our ID cards were scanned (with a handheld scanner) as we entered the gate... we've never had them scanned before... a new experience. We were told by the couple in the bookstore at the museum that Artillery Village (housing area) were we lived had been torn down last year. We drove past where our quarters had once stood. It was fairly easy to figure out where it had stood. The school that Sonja attended is still in use. The Post has changed so much... we were in unfamiliar territory for the most part.
We went through the old guardhouse museum and the intepretive museum. We then found the PX. Frank looked for a wallet there, but didn't find anything he liked... or would work for him. We found the commissary and bought some milk and gallon jugs of water.
We were getting very tired and we think a bit dehydrated. We could have filled our empty water bottles from the gallon jugs we had just bought, but stopped at Burger King for a coke with ice. We felt better much better.
On the way back to camp we stopped and took all kinds of pictures... b&w, color and video of buffalo, longhorns and prairie dogs. They all had young, so we stayed a good distance... the prairie dogs probably wouldn't attack us :-) but the buffalo and longhorns were close by. The prairie dogs bark when you are around (usually just one or two who are guards) and if you get too close they go underground.
We made it back to camp and put the milk away. Then we took our showers and put the laundry away. I started writing in this journal and Frank read about trees amongst my million questions of how to spell things... I'm using the Wordpad program and there is no spell checker :-)
Frank got tired of sitting and walked around a bit... he was going to stop by the restroom, but a bull buffalo made Frank change his mind :-)
Time for me to sign off for the day and see if I run into the buffalo.... I didn't meet him. Frank went back up with me. Just outside the restroom coming back we stopped and listened to the beautiful sound of a Whip-poor-will... looking in the bird book it could have been a Common Poorwill. They sound similar and I can't remember the call well enough to decide which one it was... no matter.. it was a beautiful sound to hear.
We talked to our next door neighbors this morning. They are from Oklahoma City. They were trying out a travel trailer (rental) to see if they liked it... they said they think they decided on a fifth wheel. They had two dogs with them... a Labrador that is a pale brown (almost white and had a pink nose like Annabelle) and a little long-haired Papillon. They said that they didn't have to brush her much... that most any debris caught in her hair fell out on its own. We had only seen this type of dog on dog shows on tv. They left a bit later... they had a hard time breaking down everything... it takes a while to get it down pat.... we sometimes get it wrong after all these years of practice :-)
We took a walk before heading out this morning. We saw Chickadees, Titmice, a Nuthatch and the red bird that Frank got on tape... I'll look that one up later. There were more deer. We were hoping to see the turkeys... we could hear them.
We went into Lawton. Our first stop was at Wal-Mart. We bought gas at $4.12 a gallon (with shopping card). We had the travel trailer tire repaired. While waiting we returned the wallet. Frank told the cashier we bought it in Arkansas and we were traveling. She wanted to know if we were traveling by motorcycles.... I didn't marry a biker :-) We bought some Swimmers Ear drops, fever thermometer and suspenders. We never found the wallets in this Wal-Mart.
Next stop was the laundry. Mr. Lee at Wal-Mart (in the tire service area) told us how to find it. Frank helped me get the laundry started and then he went to the carwash next door and then to Lowes. The hot water faucet set screw in the kitchen is gone to an unknown place. He forgot to bring the faucet handle... so he got some screws and none are right :-) That is okay... I forgot the detergent and we had to turn around and come back and get it and the quarters :-)
There were two young Army wives at the laundry and they were fun to listen to. Oh my... I was a young Army wife at one time :-)
I recognized Elmer Thomas Park... we took the kids there a few times to play when stationed at Ft. Sill so many years ago. I think it was the first place that we ever saw Canada Geese. The visitor center and Great Plains Museum is next to it, so we went in and asked some questions. There are prairie dogs surrounding the museum. They are fun to watch, but they are still just rodents :-)
We ate dinner at Golden Corral... the food was about the same as at the one at home (either not seasoned or seasoned too much).
We looked for a RV repair/supply place and couldn't find one... for the antenna amplifier. We were then going to try and find the house we lived in on Euclid... on the map Euclid is not just one segmented street... it is in three or four parts and we couldn't remember which part it was we lived on.
We entered Ft. Sill. Our ID cards were scanned (with a handheld scanner) as we entered the gate... we've never had them scanned before... a new experience. We were told by the couple in the bookstore at the museum that Artillery Village (housing area) were we lived had been torn down last year. We drove past where our quarters had once stood. It was fairly easy to figure out where it had stood. The school that Sonja attended is still in use. The Post has changed so much... we were in unfamiliar territory for the most part.
We went through the old guardhouse museum and the intepretive museum. We then found the PX. Frank looked for a wallet there, but didn't find anything he liked... or would work for him. We found the commissary and bought some milk and gallon jugs of water.
We were getting very tired and we think a bit dehydrated. We could have filled our empty water bottles from the gallon jugs we had just bought, but stopped at Burger King for a coke with ice. We felt better much better.
On the way back to camp we stopped and took all kinds of pictures... b&w, color and video of buffalo, longhorns and prairie dogs. They all had young, so we stayed a good distance... the prairie dogs probably wouldn't attack us :-) but the buffalo and longhorns were close by. The prairie dogs bark when you are around (usually just one or two who are guards) and if you get too close they go underground.
We made it back to camp and put the milk away. Then we took our showers and put the laundry away. I started writing in this journal and Frank read about trees amongst my million questions of how to spell things... I'm using the Wordpad program and there is no spell checker :-)
Frank got tired of sitting and walked around a bit... he was going to stop by the restroom, but a bull buffalo made Frank change his mind :-)
Time for me to sign off for the day and see if I run into the buffalo.... I didn't meet him. Frank went back up with me. Just outside the restroom coming back we stopped and listened to the beautiful sound of a Whip-poor-will... looking in the bird book it could have been a Common Poorwill. They sound similar and I can't remember the call well enough to decide which one it was... no matter.. it was a beautiful sound to hear.
Monday, May 12, 2008
I was feeling a little "not so good" yesterday. Allergies have been tough on me... the pecan trees got me pretty good at the last campground. I didn't feel like doing much of anything... even take pictures.. Frank said he knew I really didn't feel good if I didn't feel like taking pictures. Fluid had gotten in my ears... with some pain. I used my mixture of half and half alcohol and vinegar drops and my ears feel better. I felt like I was running a bit of a fever. I was beginning to think I might have to find a doctor. The drops worked along with extra doses of antihistamine. Getting away from the pecan orchard helped a lot too :-)
We left Juniper Point at Lake Texhoma at 8:50 (GA Time... we are still in Central Time Zone).
The scenery changed a lot today. The mountains came into view and the trees changed. Juniper Point had cedar/Juniper and I think what they call Post Oak trees.
Oh a note on Juniper Point... as we were leaving Frank saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off glass up the hill into a heavily wooded area just before you get to the boat ramp. It was the bath house... no sign as to what it was from the parking lot and no indication of it on the map of the campground.
Okay... back to scenery.. some of the road was cut through rocky hills and had beautiful colors. There were still the same type of wildflowers along the roadside. Much of them are planted through their DOT program... just as they do in Georgia.
As we drove past Lawton and Ft. Sill (Oklahoma) we didn't recognize much of anything. We did recognize the old stables on Ft. Sill.
A real treat driving onto the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Lots of yellow flowers are blooming on the hillsides. There are also Indian Blanket flowers... I guess reddish-orange might describe their color. There is a pinkish hue to the mountains... from the rock and clay here. Buffalo, longhorn cattle and prairie dogs are dotting the grasslands.
We arrived at Doris Campground around 1:00 pm (GA Time). We drove through and found a faucet to fill up the holding tank with water and filled up with water. There are electrical hookups, but not water.
We set up camp and had dinner of grilled pork chops, lima beans and corn... Frank had grilled enough chops before we left home to take on the trip. We watched deer graze outside our window as we ate our dinner.
Then we did some exploring around our camp site area... we are in site # 58. We figured out how to get to the showers and where the flush toilets are... the chemical toilets aren't pleasant :-)
We went up to the visitor center and walked around the museum. We watched hummingbirds outside of one of the windows eat at a feeder. The exhibits were interesting. We were going to listen to a lecture, but one of the campers kept interrupting the speaker so much that it was just plain boring.
Familiar with the western trees we are not... we went into the bookstore to look for a book on trees. We talked to a nice couple who live in the Lawton area and were showing the wife's mother around. The husband was nice enough to go out to their car and bring us a map of the Lawton / Ft. Sill area.
While in the bookstore I looked up the yellow bird that Frank took a picture of at Juniper Point.. it looks most like a female Baltimore Oriole.
We drove up to Mt. Scott... the highest mountain of this range. The wind was blowing at about 50 miles per hour up there. Frank had to help me open the truck door.... the wind force was just too much for me to do it. It is beautiful up there. Frank video taped it and we both too pictures.
I'm never going to have enough time to edit all the pictures I've taken and am going to take. I'm just going to edit a few and post them to this journal.
We were exhausted by time we got back to camp. We took our showers and ate a ham sandwich for supper and watched the deer graze. Oh... on the way to the showers we saw a turkey hen. Later on we saw a tom... he was strutting and fanning his feathers. The lighting was awful so no pictures of him yet. We also saw some Cedar Waxwings up in the top of a dead tree... us with no camera in hand.
Frank talked to our neighbors across the way. One has been playing beautiful music on his flute.
We drove 173 miles today... plus what we drove on the refuge later in the day.
We left Juniper Point at Lake Texhoma at 8:50 (GA Time... we are still in Central Time Zone).
The scenery changed a lot today. The mountains came into view and the trees changed. Juniper Point had cedar/Juniper and I think what they call Post Oak trees.
Oh a note on Juniper Point... as we were leaving Frank saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off glass up the hill into a heavily wooded area just before you get to the boat ramp. It was the bath house... no sign as to what it was from the parking lot and no indication of it on the map of the campground.
Okay... back to scenery.. some of the road was cut through rocky hills and had beautiful colors. There were still the same type of wildflowers along the roadside. Much of them are planted through their DOT program... just as they do in Georgia.
As we drove past Lawton and Ft. Sill (Oklahoma) we didn't recognize much of anything. We did recognize the old stables on Ft. Sill.
A real treat driving onto the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Lots of yellow flowers are blooming on the hillsides. There are also Indian Blanket flowers... I guess reddish-orange might describe their color. There is a pinkish hue to the mountains... from the rock and clay here. Buffalo, longhorn cattle and prairie dogs are dotting the grasslands.
We arrived at Doris Campground around 1:00 pm (GA Time). We drove through and found a faucet to fill up the holding tank with water and filled up with water. There are electrical hookups, but not water.
We set up camp and had dinner of grilled pork chops, lima beans and corn... Frank had grilled enough chops before we left home to take on the trip. We watched deer graze outside our window as we ate our dinner.
Then we did some exploring around our camp site area... we are in site # 58. We figured out how to get to the showers and where the flush toilets are... the chemical toilets aren't pleasant :-)
We went up to the visitor center and walked around the museum. We watched hummingbirds outside of one of the windows eat at a feeder. The exhibits were interesting. We were going to listen to a lecture, but one of the campers kept interrupting the speaker so much that it was just plain boring.
Familiar with the western trees we are not... we went into the bookstore to look for a book on trees. We talked to a nice couple who live in the Lawton area and were showing the wife's mother around. The husband was nice enough to go out to their car and bring us a map of the Lawton / Ft. Sill area.
While in the bookstore I looked up the yellow bird that Frank took a picture of at Juniper Point.. it looks most like a female Baltimore Oriole.
We drove up to Mt. Scott... the highest mountain of this range. The wind was blowing at about 50 miles per hour up there. Frank had to help me open the truck door.... the wind force was just too much for me to do it. It is beautiful up there. Frank video taped it and we both too pictures.
I'm never going to have enough time to edit all the pictures I've taken and am going to take. I'm just going to edit a few and post them to this journal.
We were exhausted by time we got back to camp. We took our showers and ate a ham sandwich for supper and watched the deer graze. Oh... on the way to the showers we saw a turkey hen. Later on we saw a tom... he was strutting and fanning his feathers. The lighting was awful so no pictures of him yet. We also saw some Cedar Waxwings up in the top of a dead tree... us with no camera in hand.
Frank talked to our neighbors across the way. One has been playing beautiful music on his flute.
We drove 173 miles today... plus what we drove on the refuge later in the day.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
We had no television at the campground... maybe the antenna booster is going bad. I walked up to the bath house and saw lightning about and heard some weather radios. So when I got back to the trailer we listened to our weather radio. Very hard to understand what the announcer was saying. We finally figured out where most of the counties and cities were that he was talking about. Too many people were in the camping area to cram into the bathhouse for shelter. We would probably drown in the ditch. We finally decided that underneath the concrete picnic table was our best bet... no worries about a concrete slab for our graves... just add the dates :-) There was some wind in the campground and a few drops of rain... everything skirted around us.
Frank awaken in the morning to the sound of a train... he thought tornado.. then realized there was also the sound of a whistle.
We went for our walk this morning after breaking camp (site E28) and left at 8:30 up the pig trail. We filled the gas tank at $4:29 a gallon in Texarkana. Of course several miles down the road we saw cheaper gas.... the way it is sometimes.
About a mile before reaching Blossom Texas we stopped at a roadside park to stretch our legs. Across the road was a buffalo ranch. Frank missed seeing the buffalo... he was looking for the turn to the roadside park. There will be more to see soon.
We stopped at Sherman Texas for dinner. We bought baked catfish dinners at the Catfish King Restaurant. It was okay... but nothing special... we should have gotten the fried catfish.
We were going to stay at a Corp of Engineers campground at Dennison. But there was not an attended gate and we did not feel comfortable staying there. We got gas at Dennison for $4.20 gallon.
We went back to highway 82 and got on 377 and are staying at Corp of Engineers campground called Juniper Point. We think it may be the one we spent some time at when we were stationed at Ft. Sill Oklahoma. Years pass and the memory fades...
We arrived at about 2:45 pm (Ga Time). When we were going back up to the office to tell the attendant what site we picked a man stopped and told us that the front tire on the passenger side of the trailer was low on air. Yep... a tire for Frank to change. The small hydraulic jack we have wouldn't lift the trailer, so Frank had to use the truck's jack. The tire has a nail in it. We'll have it repaired in Lawton Oklahoma.
The water hookup is a ways away from the trailer... so a couple of hoses needed. Frank had to add to the electrical cord too. The Corp of Engineers book lies... no showers or flush toilets. The toilets are up a very steep hill. The toilets is are housed in a snail-coil fashion building over a hole... which I think goes directly into a septic tank. The shower is in our trailer :-)
Highway 82 is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly... sometimes the road is good, then bad and beat you to death ugly. There were stretches of all today.
The roadsides had beautiful wildflowers. Queen Annes Lace, poppies... other varieties of wildflowers were flowering in shades of blue, purple, pink and yellow. One field that was growing grass for hay had lots of yellow flowers in it... so very pretty. There were more horses and cattle in pastures... a few donkeys and mules too. Frank said we should have stopped and cleaned the windows of the truck and video taped some of it... I need a refresher course on the camcorder :-)
A lot of families are here enjoying the lake (Tahoma). They are fishing and boating... tube riding and swimming. It feels too cold to me to do the latter two. No ac needed in the trailer. The windows are open and I'm sitting here freezing :-)
Frank got a couple of good pictures of a Scissortail Flycatcher. He also took some good pictures of a yellow bird... we don't know what it is... it seems too large for a warbler. I tried for a picture of a pair of Downy Woodpeckers but the backlighting was harsh... maybe I can get it better with editing.
David called to wish me a happy Mother's Day. It was good to talk with him.
We traveled 228 miles today.
Frank awaken in the morning to the sound of a train... he thought tornado.. then realized there was also the sound of a whistle.
We went for our walk this morning after breaking camp (site E28) and left at 8:30 up the pig trail. We filled the gas tank at $4:29 a gallon in Texarkana. Of course several miles down the road we saw cheaper gas.... the way it is sometimes.
About a mile before reaching Blossom Texas we stopped at a roadside park to stretch our legs. Across the road was a buffalo ranch. Frank missed seeing the buffalo... he was looking for the turn to the roadside park. There will be more to see soon.
We stopped at Sherman Texas for dinner. We bought baked catfish dinners at the Catfish King Restaurant. It was okay... but nothing special... we should have gotten the fried catfish.
We were going to stay at a Corp of Engineers campground at Dennison. But there was not an attended gate and we did not feel comfortable staying there. We got gas at Dennison for $4.20 gallon.
We went back to highway 82 and got on 377 and are staying at Corp of Engineers campground called Juniper Point. We think it may be the one we spent some time at when we were stationed at Ft. Sill Oklahoma. Years pass and the memory fades...
We arrived at about 2:45 pm (Ga Time). When we were going back up to the office to tell the attendant what site we picked a man stopped and told us that the front tire on the passenger side of the trailer was low on air. Yep... a tire for Frank to change. The small hydraulic jack we have wouldn't lift the trailer, so Frank had to use the truck's jack. The tire has a nail in it. We'll have it repaired in Lawton Oklahoma.
The water hookup is a ways away from the trailer... so a couple of hoses needed. Frank had to add to the electrical cord too. The Corp of Engineers book lies... no showers or flush toilets. The toilets are up a very steep hill. The toilets is are housed in a snail-coil fashion building over a hole... which I think goes directly into a septic tank. The shower is in our trailer :-)
Highway 82 is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly... sometimes the road is good, then bad and beat you to death ugly. There were stretches of all today.
The roadsides had beautiful wildflowers. Queen Annes Lace, poppies... other varieties of wildflowers were flowering in shades of blue, purple, pink and yellow. One field that was growing grass for hay had lots of yellow flowers in it... so very pretty. There were more horses and cattle in pastures... a few donkeys and mules too. Frank said we should have stopped and cleaned the windows of the truck and video taped some of it... I need a refresher course on the camcorder :-)
A lot of families are here enjoying the lake (Tahoma). They are fishing and boating... tube riding and swimming. It feels too cold to me to do the latter two. No ac needed in the trailer. The windows are open and I'm sitting here freezing :-)
Frank got a couple of good pictures of a Scissortail Flycatcher. He also took some good pictures of a yellow bird... we don't know what it is... it seems too large for a warbler. I tried for a picture of a pair of Downy Woodpeckers but the backlighting was harsh... maybe I can get it better with editing.
David called to wish me a happy Mother's Day. It was good to talk with him.
We traveled 228 miles today.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
For the most part we slept well last night. The traffic on highway 82 was steady all night. The only noise of it that was bothersome to me was some of the semi trucks.
Before breakfast we worked on a travel plan for the day at the computer. We finally decided to find the Corp of Engineers park in Texarkana called Clear Springs Campground to spend tomorrow night.
We did a walk around the park. Most of the birds are Robins. There were also Mockingbirds, Starlings and Woodpeckers. The Robins were raising young and building more nest. There are a lot of permanent residents (people) in the campground. Most are over 65 years old and up. I don't think I could live in a travel trailer permanently. The owners of the campground have ran the campground for 22 years. They are very nice people. They have planted lots of beautiful flowers in the campground.
We left Pecan Grove Campground at 9:00 am (GA time).
We got gas in Crossett Arkansas for $4.15 a gallon (with shopping card) at a Wal-Mart. We went in the store and bought bread and me some socks. I bought some soft anklets (Faded Glory brand) at Wal-Mart before we left home and I liked them so much that I wanted more of them :-) They are not tight on my swollen ankles at the end of the day. Frank bought a new wallet, but it didn't work out well, so next Wal-Mart stop it will get returned.
We stopped in Magnolia Arkansas at a Wal-Mart parking lot to eat our dinner. Sandwiches again of roast pork and beef with a salad.
We arrived at Clear Springs Campground near Texarkana Texas at 2:30 pm (GA time). We missed the detour turn to the campground and stopped in time at the blocked off road to turn around. There was a booth up the other road and Frank walked up there to talk to the attendant. The attendant said that a whole section of the park was closed because of flooding. The attendant called the main gate to make sure they had a site for us because earlier the campground had been full. They had a site for us. The attendant told Frank how to get over to the campground. The dirt roads going to the Land down in Baker county are much better than the path we had to take. It was paved, but not much better than a pig trail that had been rooted up by pigs... it very narrow in places. We were afraid we would meet another trailer on the way ... we did. Thankfully, it was in a wider part of the road.
The day started off overcast. Sometimes the sun peeked out. Just before we got to El Dorado Arkansas a bolt of lightning flashed and there were rumbles of thunder. It rained for bit and then it was back to overcast with the sun peeking out ever once in a while. By the time we got to the campground there was sun with a few white clouds. Then by 4:30 (GA time) it was overcast again. There is a light breeze.
There was some pretty scenery along our ride today. There were wheat fields and with the lighting they seem to glow. There were fish farms... we think catfish, but the writing on the one sign we saw was too small to read from the road. We saw new life along the way... horses and cattle.. Some beautiful breeds of both. There were donkeys and Shetland ponies dotting pastures too. We knew we were nearing Texas when we saw the oil pumps in the fields. There was lots and lots of honeysuckles growing along the roadway. Queen Annes Lace and thistles were blooming. I think there are poppies too, but I couldn't see them well enough to tell for sure. The sides of the highway today were almost litter free. I wonder how they accomplish that...
This afternoon we took a walk about the campground. It is a hilly campground nestled among pine trees. The flora looks much like our Georgia pine forests. The pines look just a little bit different. There is hardly a site empty in the campground... 101 total campsites minus the 26 or so that are shut down. There are two bath houses. The one closest to us has only one shower and two stalls per side.
The variety of birds were the same as back home.
We traveled 203 miles today.
Before breakfast we worked on a travel plan for the day at the computer. We finally decided to find the Corp of Engineers park in Texarkana called Clear Springs Campground to spend tomorrow night.
We did a walk around the park. Most of the birds are Robins. There were also Mockingbirds, Starlings and Woodpeckers. The Robins were raising young and building more nest. There are a lot of permanent residents (people) in the campground. Most are over 65 years old and up. I don't think I could live in a travel trailer permanently. The owners of the campground have ran the campground for 22 years. They are very nice people. They have planted lots of beautiful flowers in the campground.
We left Pecan Grove Campground at 9:00 am (GA time).
We got gas in Crossett Arkansas for $4.15 a gallon (with shopping card) at a Wal-Mart. We went in the store and bought bread and me some socks. I bought some soft anklets (Faded Glory brand) at Wal-Mart before we left home and I liked them so much that I wanted more of them :-) They are not tight on my swollen ankles at the end of the day. Frank bought a new wallet, but it didn't work out well, so next Wal-Mart stop it will get returned.
We stopped in Magnolia Arkansas at a Wal-Mart parking lot to eat our dinner. Sandwiches again of roast pork and beef with a salad.
We arrived at Clear Springs Campground near Texarkana Texas at 2:30 pm (GA time). We missed the detour turn to the campground and stopped in time at the blocked off road to turn around. There was a booth up the other road and Frank walked up there to talk to the attendant. The attendant said that a whole section of the park was closed because of flooding. The attendant called the main gate to make sure they had a site for us because earlier the campground had been full. They had a site for us. The attendant told Frank how to get over to the campground. The dirt roads going to the Land down in Baker county are much better than the path we had to take. It was paved, but not much better than a pig trail that had been rooted up by pigs... it very narrow in places. We were afraid we would meet another trailer on the way ... we did. Thankfully, it was in a wider part of the road.
The day started off overcast. Sometimes the sun peeked out. Just before we got to El Dorado Arkansas a bolt of lightning flashed and there were rumbles of thunder. It rained for bit and then it was back to overcast with the sun peeking out ever once in a while. By the time we got to the campground there was sun with a few white clouds. Then by 4:30 (GA time) it was overcast again. There is a light breeze.
There was some pretty scenery along our ride today. There were wheat fields and with the lighting they seem to glow. There were fish farms... we think catfish, but the writing on the one sign we saw was too small to read from the road. We saw new life along the way... horses and cattle.. Some beautiful breeds of both. There were donkeys and Shetland ponies dotting pastures too. We knew we were nearing Texas when we saw the oil pumps in the fields. There was lots and lots of honeysuckles growing along the roadway. Queen Annes Lace and thistles were blooming. I think there are poppies too, but I couldn't see them well enough to tell for sure. The sides of the highway today were almost litter free. I wonder how they accomplish that...
This afternoon we took a walk about the campground. It is a hilly campground nestled among pine trees. The flora looks much like our Georgia pine forests. The pines look just a little bit different. There is hardly a site empty in the campground... 101 total campsites minus the 26 or so that are shut down. There are two bath houses. The one closest to us has only one shower and two stalls per side.
The variety of birds were the same as back home.
We traveled 203 miles today.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Frank had a hard time doing his part of breaking camp. In all four people came up and talked to him... life's interruptions :-) We managed to get everything done. We went for a shorter walk this morning and left the campground at 9:00 am. We stopped down the road at a Krogers grocery store and bought salad makings and apples. It added to our walking :-)
Our neighbor (I think they said there last name was Shuman) told us about cheaper gas. We were beginning to think it was too far off our route. It was 3.8 miles off highway 82 to the gas station at Walmart at Starksville Mississippi. We paid $3.94 a gallon... using the Wal-Mart shopping card. Our best price yet for gas. We stopped at Indianola Mississippi gas too..... another Wal-Mart. We paid $4 a gallon with the shopping card.
It was our day for Wal-Marts... we stopped in another Wal-Mart parking lot for dinner at Greenwood Mississippi. We had pimento cheese sandwiches with salad and chips.
Our arrival time was 2:30 at Pecan Grove Campground at Lake Village Arkansas. A nice park for an overnite stay. It is located a bit close to highway 82. The traffic will lull us to sleep tonight.
The shrub/trees that were such a bother seem to have vanished now. We are now in the middle of a pecan grove. This grove was planted in 1903.
We traveled 200 miles today.
Our neighbor (I think they said there last name was Shuman) told us about cheaper gas. We were beginning to think it was too far off our route. It was 3.8 miles off highway 82 to the gas station at Walmart at Starksville Mississippi. We paid $3.94 a gallon... using the Wal-Mart shopping card. Our best price yet for gas. We stopped at Indianola Mississippi gas too..... another Wal-Mart. We paid $4 a gallon with the shopping card.
It was our day for Wal-Marts... we stopped in another Wal-Mart parking lot for dinner at Greenwood Mississippi. We had pimento cheese sandwiches with salad and chips.
Our arrival time was 2:30 at Pecan Grove Campground at Lake Village Arkansas. A nice park for an overnite stay. It is located a bit close to highway 82. The traffic will lull us to sleep tonight.
The shrub/trees that were such a bother seem to have vanished now. We are now in the middle of a pecan grove. This grove was planted in 1903.
We traveled 200 miles today.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
We awoke to the sound of a light shower this morning. The morning was cloudy, overcast and extremely breezy. I worked on the travel journal this morning and Frank read his Louis L'Amour short story book. He eventually fell asleep and I finished the journal entries. Frank had awakened with a bad headache very early in the morning, so he really needed the nap. I snuck out and walked around for about 30 minutes or so. On may way back to the trailer I got trapped in conversation with our neighbor. She and her husband are from Tuscaloosa. She trapped me last evening too... she is very nice, but very talkative. She talks in a normal voice for a while and then she lowers her voice and I have to strain to hear her.
We had meatloaf, mixed vegetables and the last of the potato salad for dinner. It is one of my better meatloafs. I'm glad I cooked enough to bring on the trip.
Around 1:30 pm (GA time) we had a heavy down-pour of rain with a few rumbles of thunder and some lightning and lots of strong wind that shook the trailer. Tornadoes hit Tupelo Mississippi just to the north of us.
Later on in the afternoon the skies cleared for the most part. There was still a good stiff breeze blowing.
We went for a nice walk on the hiking trail. The trail is cement, so no muddy shoes. There are Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies everywhere. There are also Common Whitetail dragonflies and a couple of varities that I can't remember what are. We saw a Zebra Swallowtail fly over the water at an overlook area of the trail. There was another swallowtail that I wouldn't be still long enough for us to get a good look at... a Pine Swallowtail maybe. I got pictures of a couple of other types of butterflies that I will have to I D later. I almost brought my insect and widflower guide books. I only brought the bird guides. I was running out of nooks and crannies to put stuff :-) I got pictures of some type of red wildflower and Frank took pictures of a pink bloom that was on a tree growing in the leaf. I haven't edited all the pictures yet and will post just a few of them.
The park has mostly hickory trees. There are also oak, sycamore, sweet gum, ironwood and a couple of maple trees. We didn't see any pine trees in the park.
We had meatloaf, mixed vegetables and the last of the potato salad for dinner. It is one of my better meatloafs. I'm glad I cooked enough to bring on the trip.
Around 1:30 pm (GA time) we had a heavy down-pour of rain with a few rumbles of thunder and some lightning and lots of strong wind that shook the trailer. Tornadoes hit Tupelo Mississippi just to the north of us.
Later on in the afternoon the skies cleared for the most part. There was still a good stiff breeze blowing.
We went for a nice walk on the hiking trail. The trail is cement, so no muddy shoes. There are Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies everywhere. There are also Common Whitetail dragonflies and a couple of varities that I can't remember what are. We saw a Zebra Swallowtail fly over the water at an overlook area of the trail. There was another swallowtail that I wouldn't be still long enough for us to get a good look at... a Pine Swallowtail maybe. I got pictures of a couple of other types of butterflies that I will have to I D later. I almost brought my insect and widflower guide books. I only brought the bird guides. I was running out of nooks and crannies to put stuff :-) I got pictures of some type of red wildflower and Frank took pictures of a pink bloom that was on a tree growing in the leaf. I haven't edited all the pictures yet and will post just a few of them.
The park has mostly hickory trees. There are also oak, sycamore, sweet gum, ironwood and a couple of maple trees. We didn't see any pine trees in the park.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
We left Lake Point Resort State Park Alabama at 8:20 am (GA time) this morning. Before leaving we went for a walk. Birds fluttered about and sang beautiful songs. There were a few wild flowers along the trail... an almost red thistle among them. Blackberries were blooming and forming... some had already turned bright red. When walking on the trail by the water's edge we saw an alligator a few feet off the shoreline. A young couple we passed on the trail were excited that they got to see an alligator.. they were from up North and probably had never seen one before. As we neared our campsite we saw six deer crossing the road. It was a beautiful way to start the day.
Highway 82 doesn't have the easiest signs to find. Coming from Eufaula there are at least three highway 82 signs hidden by tree limbs. When we got around Montgomery Alabama there was a lot of traffic. Highway 82 zigzags several different ways and it was difficult to hunt for the highway signs and watch traffic. We almost missed the turn to Prattville Alabama. I managed to see the sign just in time to turn. Past Prattville the traffic let up. Around Tuscaloosa Alabama the traffic was very bad with one traffic light after another. It seemed like forever going through there. Once past there traffic was light again.
We stopped at Billingsley Alabama for gas and paid $4.08 a gallon.
Ham sandwiches, tater salad and Baked Tostitos were the menu when we stopped at the rest area at Maplesville Alabama. It was a nice shady place and there was a breeze. We thought that the picnic tables were built for David's and Tish's heights :-)
We arrived at Dewayne Hayes Campground at Columbus Mississippi at about 3:00 pm (GA time). It took a bit to check in.... their computer system doesn't work very well and we tend to talk too much :-) We are in campsite # 86 by the water. A nice pull thru site.
As soon as we got set up we took a shower in hopes of feeling like humans again :-) It did help.
Frank and I both had problems today with a shrub/tree that has white blossoms. With just one shrub/tree there is just a light perfume, but when there are hundreds of shrubs/trees the odor is overwhelming. There are thousands and thousands of them between Eufaula Alabama and Columbus Mississippi. We hope that they will cease to exist in the next leg of our trip. We both have headaches and at times the perfume was so much that it took my breath away to the point of me becoming hoarse.
We traveled 271 miles today.
Highway 82 doesn't have the easiest signs to find. Coming from Eufaula there are at least three highway 82 signs hidden by tree limbs. When we got around Montgomery Alabama there was a lot of traffic. Highway 82 zigzags several different ways and it was difficult to hunt for the highway signs and watch traffic. We almost missed the turn to Prattville Alabama. I managed to see the sign just in time to turn. Past Prattville the traffic let up. Around Tuscaloosa Alabama the traffic was very bad with one traffic light after another. It seemed like forever going through there. Once past there traffic was light again.
We stopped at Billingsley Alabama for gas and paid $4.08 a gallon.
Ham sandwiches, tater salad and Baked Tostitos were the menu when we stopped at the rest area at Maplesville Alabama. It was a nice shady place and there was a breeze. We thought that the picnic tables were built for David's and Tish's heights :-)
We arrived at Dewayne Hayes Campground at Columbus Mississippi at about 3:00 pm (GA time). It took a bit to check in.... their computer system doesn't work very well and we tend to talk too much :-) We are in campsite # 86 by the water. A nice pull thru site.
As soon as we got set up we took a shower in hopes of feeling like humans again :-) It did help.
Frank and I both had problems today with a shrub/tree that has white blossoms. With just one shrub/tree there is just a light perfume, but when there are hundreds of shrubs/trees the odor is overwhelming. There are thousands and thousands of them between Eufaula Alabama and Columbus Mississippi. We hope that they will cease to exist in the next leg of our trip. We both have headaches and at times the perfume was so much that it took my breath away to the point of me becoming hoarse.
We traveled 271 miles today.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
We embarked upon our trip at about 9:00 am (GA time). We stopped in Georgetown Alabama and got diesel for $4.09 a gallon. I didn't think to look at my watch for our arrival time here at Lake Point Resort State Park near Eufaula Alabama.
We had to wait a bit before hooking the water up. There was a water leak within the park system, but within a couple of hours we had water. We have plenty of hand wipes, so no problem for clean hands for dinner.
Dinner was roast pork sandwichs, baked beans and homemade tater salad.
The park has an abundance of birds. Mockingbirds, Canada Geese, Bluebirds, Killdeer, House
Finches, Woodpeckers, Great Egrets, Spotted Sandpipers,Great-Crested Flycatchers and many more species. If we had thought to bring the camera into the trailer we could have gotten a good picture of the flycatcher. The birds were camera shy, but we enjoyed seeing and hearing them.
We traveled 77 miles today. A short driving day. We needed the rest after all the packing we did... so the short travel was much appreciated.
The lady that checked us in remembered us from last year. So nice to be remembered :-) She is looking forward to retirement in two years. We camped in site # 1. We camped in this site last year.... a nice site with full hookups.
We had to wait a bit before hooking the water up. There was a water leak within the park system, but within a couple of hours we had water. We have plenty of hand wipes, so no problem for clean hands for dinner.
Dinner was roast pork sandwichs, baked beans and homemade tater salad.
The park has an abundance of birds. Mockingbirds, Canada Geese, Bluebirds, Killdeer, House
Finches, Woodpeckers, Great Egrets, Spotted Sandpipers,Great-Crested Flycatchers and many more species. If we had thought to bring the camera into the trailer we could have gotten a good picture of the flycatcher. The birds were camera shy, but we enjoyed seeing and hearing them.
The park has great habitat for all these birds. There are pine, sweet gum, and tulip poplar trees to name just a few.
We went for a walk in the afternoon and took a few pictures along the way. All the pictures were taken from a great distance from the subject matter:
A Spotted Sandpiper... a new bird for us.
Just a pretty scene of a Great Egret.
A squirrel that looked to be in deep thought.
The rest of the day was much needed rest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
