The Trip - Spring/Summer 2009

It's two nights before we're supposed to leave. We have so much left to do I don't know how we'll fit it all in tomorrow, but we'll manage.

Jax to Cave Creek and back wrapup 12-20-07

We arrived back home on December 20 about 8PM. We left Clinton, MS at 6:45AM Central time in the rain. The rain chased us all the way to Mobile where we finally outran it. Dad called several times today with weather reports keeping us informed. We stopped in Quitman, MS and filled up with gas before we noticed it was cash only. No wonder their gas was cheaper than any one else's. No credit card fees.

Ever since we left San Angelo EJ and I had been swapping driving duties. Let us tell you, it is so nice to be able to get in bed when your driving turn is over and take a nap. It's also nice to give your posterior a break from all that sitting in one spot. Roadie did great.

What worked and what didn't:

• The only real problem we had was with the gps reciever. Occansionally it would decide to take a break right when we needed it most. It would deliver the dreaded "Lost satellite signal" message. It's a Pharo brand receiver sold by Microsoft. I'll have to do some research on that problem and see if anyone has come up with a solution.
• Preparing and freezing meals ahead of time is a good thing.
• As a general rule use the backroads if you have the time. Use the Interstates if you don't.
• Using a good cat sitter works. Fewer worries about how the cats are doing and if there are any problems with the house.
• Driving 2200 miles in 4 days is not a good idea. (Actually it was 5 days, but on the third day we didn't do any driving).
  

When we get home from these trips, the cats have been pretty much ignoring us. This time they were like velcro. They wouldn't let us out of their sight. We usually don't let them in the bedroom, but they insisted on sleeping with us that first night. I guess they were making sure we didn't sneak off again.

Now for the stats:

• We traveled 4,823 miles.
• We spent $990.54 on gas,
• Our average fuel consumption was 14.18 mpg.
• We spent $156.16 on rv parks.
• We stayed in Roadie 13 nights.
• We were gone for 22 days.

We can't wait for the next trip.

Christmas in San Angelo 12-18-07

We set the alarms to get up early this morning to take Mom and Dad to the hospital for tests. Since they were both going to be under anesthesia at the same time they needed some one there to keep track of things and some one to drive them home. So we volunteered since we were going to heading back this way to go home. All went well and Mom slept a good part of the afternoon.

While they were relaxing we slipped out to do some Christmas shopping. It's amazing how busy we've been that we didn't have time to really do any Christmas shopping up to now. Hiking, visiting, sight seeing, driving....it's been go go go! Knowing that we weren't going to see Frank's parents again until after the holidays we decided to have Christmas early. Shopping at the mall in San Angelo was interesting. They have all the usual stores, Sears, Penneys, Belks, and so on, but not the crowds. Frank even said it was pleasant and he hates crowds.

Jean enjoying her Christmas surprise

Bill intent on unwrapping his gift

Another Texas Surprise 12-17-07

When we awoke in Demming this morning it was 24 degrees outside. Since we wanted to make a quick get away we rushed to get dressed so we could get Roadie ready for the road. Having arrived after dark last night, I didn't want to bother with connecting the water and sewer hoses. This morning with temps below freezing, filling with water and dumping the holding tanks was going to be interesting. Given my propensity for making a mess while dumping, I was concerned. In preperation EJ made me a cup of hot chocolate. Thus fortified, I tackled the tasks and surprisingly everything went well. Actually I did have one little problem. The connection where the RV sewer hose connects to the campground sewer system froze in place and I had to get out the tools to pry it loose.

Ice column on RV next door

To us Texas is a state of many pleasant surprises. Lots of parks, wind farms, 80 mph speed limits, lots of roadside picnic areas on all types of roads, and now we add a new one to the list...roadside rest stops with free wifi.

Wifi sign and notice the other sign

We're embarrassed to admit that as we were traveling I-10 we were so engrossed in a conversation that we blew right by the hiway 67 turnoff to San Angelo and had to back track 8 miles. Thank goodness for GPS. We looked at Nomad and then each other and said "Hey, weren't we supposed to turn back there?"

We arrived at Rio Concho Manor in San Angelo about 6PM.

I-10 Rant 12-16-07

We digress a little from our quick Tuscon entry to fill in the blanks.

By now you are probably aware of our dislike for Interstates. In a moment weakness we decided to take I-10 from Phoenix to Tuscon yesterday. We hadn't been on it 10 minutes before all 4 eastbound lanes came to a halt. There was a traffic accident ahead. We opted instead for an alternate non-interstate route to Tuscon.






It worked out better because we got to stop at the Casa Grande National Monument. This was a Hohokam Indian settlement occupied around 1300 A.D. They hand built over a hundred miles of canals to bring river water to their crops. They had to dig through caliche which is a hard rocky clay material. Today we use ditch digging machines and backhoes to remove caliche. They did it with their hands and stone digging utensils. They then used the removed caliche to build their homes and lodges.





We had a really good time visiting with Andy, Sabina, Johnny and Christina in Tuscon. We spent the evening catching up and talking about family items. We wish we could spend more time, but we have to hit the road. Keeping in touch with family is important.



After we left Tuscon this morning, we had to avoid most of I-10 around Tuscon because of a huge road widening project. This meant most of the entrance and exit ramps were closed.
We wanted to see Chiricahua National Monument. So we had Nomad (our computer) plot us a route from Wilcox, Az to the Monument and on to I-10 without backtracking. So we took our 35 mile detour off of I-10 and spent 2 hours at the monument. Chirichahua is home to Faraway Ranch and rock formations like Bryce Canyon. We plan on coming back when we can spend more time.






As we got ready to leave we checked the onward route Nomad had planned for us and discovered it was all dirt roads. We prefer not to travel dirt roads in Roadie. We asked a park attendant which the best way to get to I-10 and she said back the way we had come. We really hate back tracking but there was no choice.
We made it to Demming, NM where we'll spend the night. On to San Angelo tomorrow.

Tuscon 12-15-07

A few quick notes. No pictures this time as we are trying to get on the road.

We stayed in Tuscon with Andy, Sabina, Johnny and Christina last night. Actually we boondocked out on the street. Andy fixed a great Artichoke Chicken and dressing. We were stuffed.

Also we met up with old friends Don and Trish who live in Missouri. We both happened to be in Phoenix at the same time.

Time to go more later.

Finally Hiking 12-14-07

The rains are finally gone and the weather has turned beautiful. It's in the low 40's at night and right around 60 during the day. The sky is a brilliant blue. Our first hike took us to Pinnacle Peak, a 3.5 mile hike with highest point at 2900 feet. The trail was really well groomed compared to the Appalachian Trail. The rain had caused some damage, but folks were out with their shovels taking care of it. It is a popular trail and lots of younger folks were actually jogging. Not me, there were several places I was huffing and puffing just walking.

Our second hike took us to the Sears-Kaye ruins. The ruins are reconstructed to a degree to give the observer a feel for what life was like back then.


After that, EJ and I rushed off to the dentist as EJ had broken a tooth the night before and we wanted to get it checked out before we left for the rest of our trip. Mike, a good friend of Terry's, got us an appointment with his dentist. Scotty the dentist did his magic and told EJ just to take it easy on that side of her mouth and she'd be ok until we get back to Jacksonville to see our own dentist.

Thursday night Joy and Terry had their friends, Ronnie, Abby, Mike and Mary over for dinner in the condo. It was a roaring success, but we were all having so much fun we forgot to take pictures while everyone was there.


Earlier this week I had called old friends Don and Trish who generally travel west this time of year to see if they had left their home in Missouri yet. Turns out they are here in Phoenix also. We are going to meet them for brunch on Saturday. We're off to Tucson after that to visit EJ's niece & nephew.