Another month flies by

In my work vest with my Round Up
in the basket of my NEW bike

May 31 – Another month come to an end.  The year is flying by.  Even though this was our day off, Bill felt guilty, notice I didn’t say I felt guilty, for being gone so long yesterday, so we worked some today.  He went for instruction on using the lawnmower.  They have no idea how much of Bill’s life has been spent using a variety of lawn mowers.  While he was gone I used Round Up to spray the weeds growing in the cracks of the concrete pads, walkways and pavement.  I carried it in the basket on my NEW bicycle and it took me about 90 minutes.  I met the Navajo Indian families meeting here for the weekend for a family reunion.  This will be their 4^th year here.

Prairie Dog

Tiffany Camp Rabbit

The day passed in a blur and I was busy all day but now it’s hard to think of what I did.  Oh, we rode our bikes over to Tiffany campground to look at the prairie dogs.  Some of them are really fat little buggers.  I need a better lens on my camera to get a good photo as they are not too people-friendly.  We stopped in on the camp host there, Newell, and Ranger Manuel was visiting him, so we all chatted a bit.  They have 2 rabbits in the camp that will come up pretty close and one was out and I did get some close of shots of him/her.

After lunch Bill made a loop round to turn tickets on new arrivals and I started working on my RWA project I brought with me.  I have about 30 customer contracts and cover letters to get done.  I did a bunch of the letters, but need to dial into Kerry’s computer for address info.  She didn’t know I meant for her to leave her computer on for me so I didn’t get as far on them as I had hoped for today.  Then I spent an hour on the phone with Toshiba to find out why the netbook will not connect via wifi from the hotspot on my iphone.  The first person had no clue and sent me to a higher level of support, for which they wanted to charge me $99.  I got rather whiny and the guy said well I could check this and that and good luck.  Well, he was right on the mark and I saved $99.  Whining does pay sometimes.  Now Bill can do his email when I’m on the laptop and we can both use the hotspot at the same time.  Maybe tomorrow I will work up the gumption to call Direct TV AGAIN and see if we can get the TV in the bedroom working.

The way our RV is parked we get the morning sun on the least windowed side and the full afternoon sun and heat on the door side with the huge dining window and our 2 bedroom windows and the couch window.  Maybe I shouldn’t jinx us by saying the wind has pretty much died down, so I wanted to put the awning out.  We had it out for a while yesterday afternoon.  It is starting to crack at the top so we know this will be its last summer.  As I was putting it out I noticed one side was way out and one had not moved.  Oops!  We kept working it in and out and got it closed back up.  I got up on the roof to look at it as it was scraping on one side.  It looked like the hydraulic arm on the one side was not centered so the outer frame was not coming in straight.  So I repositioned it.  Then Bill let me put it out, knowing that we might have to hand push the one side in.  Well, it worked just fine, so maybe I fixed it and maybe I didn’t.  Tomorrow might tell.

I made a new recipe from Pillsbury online, Layered Tortellini Pesto Chicken Salad.  You have to let it chill at least 2 hours so I finished it at about 4.  It was so good!  You layer all the veggies, chicken, cooked pasta and spread a sauce of pesto and either mayo or Miracle Whip with a little milk to thin it.  It would look really pretty in a trifle bowl but I don’t have one with me.  Then you stir it all together just before serving.  I thought Bill might not like it as he says he doesn’t like pesto sauce but it all just blended so well.  A definite keeper.  After walking Xena we each had a piece of the pie I made last night.  Time for summer foods!

We played a game of Ring Toss and Bill won as usual, then did 2 loops on the bikes and played again.  I did better but he still won.  Drats!  We need to play that or beanbag baseball each night to be in tournament form in the fall!

Shopping and more....

May 30- I slept really well last night and woke up feeling like a new woman!  Thank goodness!  After a breakfast of cereal, Bill headed out to clean our only site for today and I started on the phone calls.  I had to call Direct TV for the 4^th or 5^th time, but his time was to get the bill corrected.  They won’t let me have both accounts tied to one email address so I had to have the RV one set up on Bill’s email.  Then there was the issue of them adding services that I did not ask for, so they had to credit back $60.  I still have to call again when I have an hour or so to spare, to get the TV in the bedroom working.  Yikes!  And I wonder why I keep Direct TV? 

We went on a road trip (aka Shopping trip) to Durango.  We had a list of places and items to resolve some of our recent mishaps.  I failed to mention the broken door latch to one of the outside compartments when I was on the roof and Bill was tossing something to me and it didn’t quite make it and fell on the open hatch.  And then something else got tossed and Bill’s glasses got hit and scratched. On the way we stopped at the post office to mail a few things and Bill got a Wednesday paper with the grocery adds at the Arboles Convenience Store next door.  We stopped at a fence timber place that’s just a couple miles up the road to see if they had a 6 x 6 piece that Bill could use to replace the one he left in Defuniak Springs. The owner was very nice and GAVE him a piece that was 6 x 8.  The price was right so we’ll live with it or I’ll trim it down when we get home.  First stop in Durango was an RV place and got the latch and extra gutter spouts (they seem to have a life span of about 6 months), followed by Home Depot for herbs, a hose splitter, hinges for the cabinet door and a handle for the 6 x 8 block to make it easy to carry and place under the stabilizer rear legs.  Then we stopped at a sporting goods store called Big 5 that had a big ad in the Sunday paper for shoes.  Bill decided he needed a cheap pair of sneakers to work in.  He ended up getting some leather slip on shoes that he likes too well to work in; this did not surprise me.  He’s going to use the pair he was wearing to work in now.  We drove on into downtown Durango to see if the used book store was still there and stopped at a thrift store so Bill could get a couple of long sleeve t-shirts to work in.  Sun screen is just not going to cut it.  We found one there and I found a canvas jacket.  We had passed a Nature’s Oasis store and I wanted to stop and see if it was like Whole Foods and it was, but on a smaller scale.  We found Bill some pure Shea butter he wanted and they had a bulk food section so I got a supply of granola and Bill got whole wheat cookies like fig newtons.  They had an interesting deli with sandwiches and hot dishes but we had decided to eat at Serious BBQ further down the street.  We did each get a dessert, a huge peanut butter cookie for Bill and a humongous coconut macaroon, coated on the bottom with dark chocolate.  That macaroon was 3 inches wide and over 2 tall.  I ate it in 2 seatings. 

We had our bbq and were disappointed.  Last time we were there it was very good, but we have now scratched it from out list.  The slaw was tasteless and the brisket was chewy.  We should have eaten in the grocery store!  There was another thrift store in the plaza next to the Walmart so we stopped there and Bill found another shirt.  Once in Walmart we split the list; I did the grocery side and Bill did the “other” stuff side.  We did meet in the bikes and I found me one.  I first narrowed it down to 2.  One was steel and heavy and had a lot of brown on it, and the other was aluminum and so light weight for me to pick it up.  It was less expensive and I liked the colors better but it didn’t have as many amenities as the other.  But color and weight won out.  I rode it around the parking lot of the car wash next door while Bill drove the truck through. 

On my new bike

Once we got home and put everything away, we got industrious and replaced the latch, took the tire off my old bike and the damaged one from Bill’s bike and changed the tube and tire and got Bill’s bike back in good order. Then we took the doofy plastic woven basket off my new bike and put my big wire basket on.  I might change out my seat after I ride it a while.  Bill took off any parts we might be able to use down the road from my old bike and it’s very sad looking.  We put the handle on the new wood block and I put the new hinges on the cabinet door so we made some headway on repairs.

I made a peach WW pie for tomorrow and we just had leftover meat and potatoes with steamed broccoli for dinner.  We walked Xena and took another ride on the bikes.  I finally put my cactus light up.

Feeling a bit under the weather

May 29 – Not the best day, as I went to bed with a stomach ache last night and after getting up during the night and then not sleeping well, I really wasn’t ready to get up this morning.  Bill was on his own for breakfast and lunch today.  He went out and cleaned the couple of vacated sites for today and I laid around in my pjs til after noon.  I took a pretty long nap this afternoon in the chair so hope it doesn’t keep me from sleeping tonight.  I’d feel OK then once I was up and moving after a bit it’d hit me again.  I did manage to get a load of wash together and Bill drove me down to the laundry room.  I read and waited on it and then dried it at the RV. 

The Beanbag Baseball game we made

I did some straightening up and tried to find homes for things that make it rather cluttered in here.  I would just sit a bit here and there til my stomach would settle.  Drank a lot of 7-up!  I sat outside and read for a while as it was a nice day out.  Then Bill and I played our first game of Beanbag Baseball.  Of course he won, 6-2.  It must have been due to my feeling poorly.  Then we decided to ride our bikes and my chain guard apparently had gotten bent when Bill’s bike was damaged so we corrected the problem and the chain kept falling off because the sprocket got bent again.  Bill said it was time for me to get a new bike.  We checked my tire size compared to his and they are the same so we think we can use my wheels on his bike but he has new tires so will trade them when I find a new bike to my liking.

It’s a good thing we had some leftovers to choose from since I really didn’t feel much like cooking.  We had leftover potato salad, a tossed salad and shredded pork.  For dessert we shared a small dark chocolate bar.  After dinner I thought I could manage to walk the loop so we headed out.  One of the campers asked us how to clean the yellow catfish he caught.   Bill remembered catching the same kind as a kid but not how to clean them.  I had never seen a yellow catfish.  He told us he fished from the shore and where, so now we have a tentative spot for this weekend.  We had 3 new campers come in today and will have about 20 for the weekend.  That’s not too bad.  Bill matched up the catfish guy with one of the new campers who said he could show him how to clean them.  I guess they peel the skin off and filet them.  Hope Bill was paying attention!

I have to water my plants every day since it’s so dry and windy. Not a sprout showing yet, and I will get a couple more herb plants tomorrow.  Bill said we should stock up on lotion when we go into Durango tomorrow.  We both lotion multiple times a day.  We can’t recall having this much dry skin when we were out west before and in Tucson for 2 weeks. 

One of the swallow nests

We saw the hummingbird today.  Might buy an inexpensive feeder tomorrow and try my luck here.  We have 2 swallow nests in our picnic shelter and one of the guys said they always use our shelter and none of the others.  We see them all the time but not on the feeder yet.

I think Bill will wait to clean the 1 site that will vacate tomorrow after we get home.  No one has it rented so there is no rush.  We will stop at the post office on the way to mail some things and to pick up the new grocery ads.  They come in the daily paper and a free weekly publication so I’m all for that freebie unless Bill wants to get a paper.  I organized my coupons so I’m good to go!

Happy Memorial Day!

Bill raking out a site

May 28 -We had to hit the ground running today.We had 24 sites to clean and rake.Bill went out and did 3 that left early while I made breakfast.Today was turkey bacon, fruit bowl and low fat cranberry orange muffins. After breakfast I went with him for the first time to start doing my share and we did 4.My job is to clean the fire pit, pick up any trash and sweep the wood that lines each site. Bill’s job is to rake out the whole site.We both pull any weeds we see along the way. It was pretty chilly when we went out but when we left for the second round when we did 14 sites we had both shed our jackets. The sun was out first thing this morning and there was no wind.When it gets hotter out it will be more of a challenge to get it done.Guests have until noon to leave so they straggle out until then. I haven’t adjusted to the dryness and my throat was so parched when we came in.

Lake side of the Marina at Navajo State
Park

We did have a little excitement today. I put the ashes from the fire pit in big plastic garbage bags and we carry a bucket of water in case there are any hot coals. I checked each time but guess I missed one as we were finishing our lunch and a ranger came knocking on the door. He said we had a fire in our vehicle and Bill jumped up and used a cuss word or two, and I looked out the back window where the Mule was parked and there was a blaze going. Bill moved the tools that were close and opened the tailgate on the Mule and raked the burning bag onto out driveway. Then he used his bucket of water to douse the flame. I heard we weren’t the first to have that happen. Bill went out by himself to do the last 3 once they left. It’s really empty out there now, only 6 sites filled.

The relief host couple came over and we discussed days off and we will have off Thursday and Friday each week and they will cover for us for 4 days if we want them, so that was nice.  They said they would be happy to come take Xena out during the day if we need them to.  They have a dog also.  So that’s great.

Later the other host couple, Marion and Jerry, came over to see how we did with the large number of sites to clean.  They didn’t have as many as we did.  A lot of theirs are staying thru tonight, so they will be busy again tomorrow and I think we only have 2 leaving.

I took the hinges off the cabinet that were sprung when we started out so this week we can see if we can find replacements.  Bill put out our flag for Memorial Day and I hung an Indian design windsock, so we’re gradually getting things set up as the winds recede.  Bill grilled some hot links, chicken and turkey burgers and I cooked corn on the cob, potato salad and some celery, tomatoes and mozzarella with Italian dressing for our holiday dinner.  It’s kinda sad to celebrate alone though.

The Marina

View of a section of the lake

After dinner we drove Xena around with us in the Mule and logged the campsite dates so we’d know what spaces we have coming up to clean.  We drove to the other campgrounds and took some pictures of the lake and Marina.  Then we walked Xena around the loop and I made chocolate cake in a mug for dessert.  It was pretty good.   Will definitely make it again.  That way there are no leftovers to over indulge in later.  We watched a show about the life of Johnny Carson that was really good.  Then time for reading and off to bed.

Still blowing in Colorado

May 27 – After having 60 mph winds gusts during the night, we awoke to a chilly, yet calm morning.  We used our space heater in the bedroom last night and it helped but the furnace would have been better.  We set out on our first loop check and walk.  It was cold enough that I put on long pants, a t-shirt and hoodie.  Our camp had not suffered much from the winds but we heard that Tiffany camp had several tents fly off in the winds.  I made our regular Sunday breakfast:  bacon, grapefruit, pancakes and 2 poached eggs for Bill. 

Bill and Xena had gone to the little convenience store while I was getting breakfast so he could get a Sunday paper.  They had not been delivered yet.  After breakfast he wanted me to drive up again and try to get one.  So once I cleaned up I went to the store, which is about a mile up the road from the park and got a paper.  On my way back I stopped at the office and checked for reservations and was able to get a box I need to mail something.  I picked up some tourist literature for us.  As I walked out, Bill drove up on the Mule.  We met another of the rangers and he said today and tomorrow would be nice with no more than 15 mph winds and chilly.  WRONG!  The day gradually got windier. 

When Bill finished his chores we decided it was nice enough out for me to get on the roof and replace 3 of the broken gutter spouts and replace and caulk several places where the screw cover was missing or weathered.  Once he sent up all the supplies I needed he went to the maintenance shed to report a broken toilet.  I was almost done when I started to smell something burning; then it registered:  I had left potatoes and eggs cooking for potato salad for tomorrow.  I moved pretty darn fast for a fat old lady and down the ladder.  I was so relieved to see the water had cooked down, but not out, so it wasn’t my food burning but someone else’s.  Finally something went right!

Boats on Navajo Lake

I finished up and Bill came back and we discussed using some nylon rope to secure the slide topper that we fear will be damaged if we get more bad wind.  So once again I climbed onto the roof and we slid the rope through 2 styrofoam tubes that are for covering water lines to keep them from freezing.  We had those positioned over the edges of the topper and Bill tied one end to our entry handle and I came down and we pulled the rope under the slide so it circled it and secured it also to the handle.  Hopefully that will fix the problem so we don’t have to bring in the slide anymore.

Marina at Navajo State Park

We both settled in to read the paper and in the weather section it said tonight will be a low of 29 –YIKES!  Today was only in the 60’s and over the week it is supposed to gradually get a bit higher, into the 70’s.  That’s perfect but it is still supposed to be chilly at night, just not freezing.  Later in the afternoon we took Xena on a loop check in the Mule and went over to Tiffany camp to see if the tents were still down.  There were more down than up.  We stopped and Bill took a few photos of the boats out on the lake.  It was nice and clear today and the lake was really calm compared to the white caps we saw yesterday and the thick haze of dirt in the air.

I put a small pork loin in the crock pot this morning and we had that shredded for dinner.  The rest of our meal was cleaning out leftovers from our small fridge.  There was corn, broccoli, baked potato and I roasted the last 2 of my bell peppers from my garden.  Bill scarfed those down first.  He really loves it when I roast any kind of peppers.  For me they are totally nasty.  Following dinner we took Xena for her nightly walk.  It was chilly out but all the wind had blown away for the time being.  We’ll see what tonight and tomorrow brings.  I wanted to put out some of my patriotic decorations, but don’t want them all ruined if the wind picks up again tomorrow.

I read for a while and organized my coupons and Bill listened to some old radio shows on his Sirius radio and then we went on our last loop check on the Mule.  We had one new RV check in and we had to pick up (I told Bill it was his job) a deer foot and about 6 inches of leg.  It was right in the road.  We didn’t want any of the many dogs in the camp to get hold of it.  Yuk!  Is there a 3 legged deer in the park?  Bill hates that so many of the campsites have fires tonight, which means all those pits will have to be cleaned once they leave.  It’s the first night it’s been clear enough for everyone to enjoy sitting around the fire.  Bill had 2 girls come by to purchase bundles of firewood, our first.  One of the other hosts had a bundle stolen.

We have to leave our kitchen water on drip for the night so the hose and pipes don’t freeze and I turned the tank heaters on.  I took my shower before bed when it was warmer and we had plenty of hot water.  You never know!  Time to post this blog and read on my Janet Evanovich book.

Continued wind and dinner out

Our tree and birdfeeder

Kelly's garden

May 26 -  Bill let me sleep in this morning, but when he left for his first loop check I got up and started breakfast.  I made grits for me, bacon and fruit and when I saw Bill coming back I made him some toast and 2 eggs to go with his bacon and strawberries.  He was pretty happy to get his eggs two days in a row.  He left again to clean another site and while he was gone I planted the herbs I got yesterday and planted the two small planters I brought with me with radishes and lettuce.  I had in my mind that they were bigger so I have plenty of potting soil, so next time I go to town I will get more seed and a couple more planters.  I used the herb containers to plant the last of my basil seed so should have plenty of basil for the summer.  When Bill got back he worked on the getting more of the tar off the front bottom of the RV from the road work areas we had to drive through to get here.  I hung the tiny bird feeder that I brought from our only tree.  I laid out my cactus and banner light but won’t stake them down until the wind dies down.  I should say IF is dies down.  Bill said it will be a LONG summer if it’s like this every day.

We made two loop checks and checked the bathrooms for needed supplies.  We had the worst wind so far this afternoon.  I watched it blow over a grill at the site across from us and I think some campers left due to the wind.

Our picnic table with pavillion and all our "stuff"

We spent most of the afternoon inside because of the wind.  We decided to drive into Ignacio, which is about 20 minutes away, and have dinner.  Kam and Jared got me a gift certificate at Moe’s BBQ for Mother’s Day and we thought we’d try it and check out the casino in town run by the Ute Indian Tribe.  We passed it the first time through so went to The Patio Diner as they had quite a few cars in the parking lot.  The place is nothing fancy but they are known for their homemade pies.  They must have had 10 -12 kinds to choose from.  We both really enjoyed our dinner.  Bill had a steak and I had chicken fried steak and we both came home with leftovers.  I had oreo chocolate pie and Bill had Chocolate caramel.  Will have to go back and try the liver and onions and coconut cream pie!

Back at the camp we drove the loop with Xena and checked the restrooms and turned the reservation tickets on the new campers.  One poor man was trying to put his tent up by himself in the horrible wind.  Bill offered to help him but he said he’d be fine.  He’s working on a road project in the area and will be here a couple of weeks.

Watched TV a while and read.

Still windy------------

Bill in his new vehicle

May 25 – The wind died down by morning so Bill put the slide back out.  We hope it stays died down.  Bill went out to clean his first site and I made breakfast.  I ended up just having a half grapefruit and piece of toast because Bill mistakenly put ketchup on my Florentine scrambled eggs, so he ended up having my eggs and an over easy one of his own along with his toast and grapefruit.  He offered to cook more egg for me, but I passed.  Since there wasn’t anything he needed me to do and I wanted to pick up a few groceries for the weekend, Bill said I could drive into town.  The word was that the road to Durango was finished being resurfaced and the one to Pagosa Springs was now being worked on, so I decided to go to Durango.  My first stop was the Durango Mall.  It’s not a huge mall but they have most of the stores I am interested in.  I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Pier 1 and Bath and Body Works, but they also have Sears and Penneys and 10 -12 more small stores.  I used my coupons for a few things, then drove into town to see if there was a car wash and to fill the truck.  Traffic in town was terrible and I did manage to go the wrong way on a one way street for a block without incident.  Whew!

Our Site and Designation

I couldn’t get over to the gas station I was trying for so headed back to Wal-Mart and did all of my shopping except for a new wheel for Bill’s bike.  He didn’t know til he tried to ride it that when the bike carrier was bent, his bike hit the ground hard also and bent the wheel.  I guess we’ll have to find a bike shop there or in Farmington, NM.  There was a gas station across from Wal-mart so I filled up and headed for home.  It takes about 40 minutes each way, which is what I grew up on to get to town.  Traffic once I was out of town was minimal.  Bill was wondering what happened to me.  I was taking my time and enjoying my time alone.  It rejuvenated me. 

Bill had his lunch while I was gone and I grabbed a BBQ sandwich at Wal-mart and ate it in the parking lot before I left.  When I got back we made rounds of the campground and checked off who had arrived and turned the reservations slips.  We took Xena along for the ride.  She loves the Mule as much as riding in the truck.

Terry came by while I was gone and changed our satellite pole to a smaller one and said he’d be back and get us up and running.  He did come back and he did get us to 91% on the signal meter.  Bill asked him what he did different that we had and he used a higher elevation.  We were so ticked that we went by the one provided on the TV set up and that the technical support at Direct TV told us.  Unbelievable!  So now we have one TV working.  Will work on the bedroom  TV tomorrow.

We had finished off our Newton Thins so I made a batch of the bagged cookie mix.  They were filled with chocolate chips and pretty good.  That will be our dessert for a couple of days.  I made some chicken chorizo quesadillas for dinner with re fried beans and a salad.  We each had a cookie and then took Xena for a loop walk.  Later we did another loop check once more sites were filled.  Then we watched a little TV and actually went to bed early.

Things continue to go downhill!

May 24 –  We were to meet one of the other couples at the Visitor Center to meet the staff there and pick up our reservations for the day, but at about 8:30 Terry showed up to give us a tour.  We covered a lot of ground.  We didn’t realize how big the park is and where all the fishing and boating ramps are and there’s a 4^th small campground that is first come, first served across the lake with no hook ups at all, but there are restrooms.  It was pretty interesting.  We met his wife who works in the office and one of the other office ladies.

When we got back I tried calling about the washer again and was told to unplug it for at least 15 minutes then try it again.  Well, of course that didn’t work so we loaded 6 loads of wash in the truck.  Xena has had a couple of accidents and we had lots of linens and Molly had thrown up on the bathroom rug.  Our little washer can’t do blankets, etc so we went to the first campground and they have a nice laundry room with 3 washers and 3 dryers.  I did the wash and Bill took it back to the RV and started putting it in the dryer.  The big bulky stuff I had to dry in one load there and did the rest in our little dryer.  It took all after noon but the laundry is all done.

While we had lunch we watched the tow truck pulling houseboats from dry dock to the launch.  One of them is the one that a pair of volunteers live in.  They said they will be very busy tomorrow putting more boats in for the weekend that will be left buoyed.

Bill put out our rope lights but it has been pretty windy still so didn’t put up our cactus and other light yet.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the last of the bad wind.  I brought the slide in again on the windy side most of the afternoon.  Terry delivered our “Mule” this afternoon.  We have rakes and shovels and garbage bags.  We went for a test drive over to the maintenance area and Terry gave us each 2 shirts and a new cap.  Bill got a key to the storage in the restrooms.  We only have to stock the toilet paper, no cleaning toilets!  Looks like we are ready to start working.

I called Whirlpool back and they gave me the numbers for the two closest authorized repairmen.  One is in Pagosa Springs and one is in Durango.  I left a message for the one in Pagosa Springs and hope to hear from him tomorrow AM.  Would like to have it fixed by the middle of next week. 

Then we attempted to set up our satellite.  That was a huge NO GO!  I decided to give it a rest and fix dinner.  We bought some fresh made sausages in Albuquerque so for dinner Bill had an Italian pork sausage and I had a really delicious chicken with spinach and feta cheese one.  He had baked potato and I had sweet potato and we had steamed broccoli.  We were both pretty hungry and didn’t say a word during dinner.

Then it was back to working on the Direct TV.  First the guy told us the box was bad and our second box was not on the account.  Then the next lady told us to try all kinds of things with the second box and she deduced that the boxes are probably fine but something wrong elsewhere, so we have a tech coming NEXT THURSDAY!  A whole week.  With the antenna we get one station and it’s a bit dicey.  We just not must be living right!  We heard from Carole today and some of our luck must have rubbed off on them, as yesterday she had a double tire blow-out and had to get a new tire on and this morning she checked the pressure before leaving Texas and had a flat and had to have them come out again and they got another new tire and ended up staying another night since it was so late getting the repair done.  Bummer for them!

So we gave up and had our strawberry parfait desserts and I wrote postcards and Bill read.  Since no campers are scheduled to leave tomorrow we don’t have any “work” to do.  We will go get our P O Box and Bill wants to see if it is dollar taco day at the place people here say to go.  He cleaned the front of the RV today and wants to take the truck for a bath tomorrow.  Since they are doing road work on the road we would take to Ignacio and Durango, we won’t plan to go that direction.  If we decide to go to a movie we will go to Pagosa Springs.

I have a good view from my computer desk that I can see who comes and goes from our campground and we just had 2 late arrivals that we will have to check on in the morning to make sure their reservation started today. 

Colorado here we come!

May 23 - We made it safe and sound to Navajo State Park, and boy, is it in the middle of no where.  The lake it’s on is huge and beautiful.  The trip here was uneventful.  We left Albuquerque at 7:45 and stopped in Bernalillo at the KOA to dump our tanks for the long drive.  That took about 30 minutes.  Then we headed on up the road.  It was not Interstate but it was all nice 4 lane road until the last 30 miles.  We had expected to run into some wind along the way but luckily did not have but a few swells along the road. 

For some reason I got really tired and could barely keep my eyes open, so Bill got to switch with me for a while.  I napped and then traded back.  He got to drive through a couple of small towns and make several turns, so it was good experience for him.  It was only 200 miles today and we stalled off lunch until we arrived.  The Volunteer Coordinator, Terry met us and led us to the Carracas Campground where we will be spending the summer.  There are 3 campgrounds here and ours is the middle one.  We are the first site at the entry and it is concrete pad, and perfectly level.  We have a sheltered picnic table and some nice grass for Xena to do her business.  The minute we arrived the real wind kicked up and has not stopped.  We were concerned that from the direction it was coming it might tear up one of our slide toppers so we brought the slide in after we finished vacuuming and so it’s been a bit cramped. 

We didn’t get to put out our lights or anything outside due to the wind.  One of the other volunteer couples came by and introduced themselves.  Nice people from south of Tucson.  We also met one of the seasonal rangers, a volunteer who is the head of maintenance and he and his wife live on a houseboat on the lake.  There are 11 volunteers for the summer, so that’s good.  There is a couple assigned to each campground and a couple who covers those couples’ days off.

I really needed to get some laundry done and put in my first load and it washed but would not spin.  I wanted to cry.  I just can’t believe now the washer is broken.  The error message says it’s electrical.  I called Whirlpool and was on hold for over 15 minutes and once I got someone and clarified who I was, my machine’s info and told her I wanted clarification of what that code means, she said she’d look it up and we got disconnected.  I wasn’t up to trying again so will call tomorrow.  We have to go tomorrow and get a PO Box , so will take all the laundry and find the Laundromat.  Maybe Bill can sit with the wash while I get some milk and a couple other things.  If it weren’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all!

For dinner we had our leftover stuffed peppers and then took Xena for a walk around our campground loop.  There are only 2 others here tonight but for the Memorial weekend, all are reserved but 5 in our campground.  Our sites are water and electric and the first one is full hook ups and it’s almost full now.  We drove around the whole park and the lake is beautiful and there are a lot of houseboats on it now.  We will be busting our butts come Monday and everyone leaves and we have to work each site.  Fun! 

I printed some picture with the new printer and it does a really nice job.  Bill wants to send some as postcards so I will have them ready for him in the morning.  Time for bed, I’m pretty tired tonight!

Our best day so far!

May 22 -  We really had a great day today!  It’s about time.  I made Bill his Sunday breakfast since I didn’t get to on Sunday; red velvet pancakes, bacon and grapefruit.  Them we showered and left to get massages.  Oh, that was so nice for my neck and shoulders after 6 days of driving.  Bill really enjoyed it too.  Bill dropped me at Office Max where I was able to exchange my sad little printer for a new one.  It was $10 less and is a scanner and copier also, so it was a good deal.  It’s a little bigger but will still work in my limited space.

I wanted to stop in Albertson’s for some Kefir, which they didn’t have, but did pick up some other things that Wal-mart didn’t have yesterday.  There’s a Sunflower Market across the road that we went to before and it’s such a nice market.  Reminds me of Whole Foods.  Lots of organic and bulk items.  Bill went in with me as he likes that market too.  Got the Kefir and several bags of bulk items, fresh fruits and a jicama.  We unloaded at home and had lunch and just chilled for a bit.  I attempted to resolved the window issue but have not.  I called a claim in to the insurance in case it gets really expensive and talked to the manufacturer who will not sell us the piece we need in the event it’s not installed properly and causes a future injury or claim.  I understand but was not happy with the answer.  Then the distributor I needed to order from left early, so will work on it again tomorrow.

The Spy House

Bill wanted to go see The Spy House here.  It was the home of Ethel and Julius Rosenburg who in 1953 sold the plans for the Atomic bomb to the Russians.  They were electrocuted for treason.  It’s now a bed and breakfast and has a small sign on it that says The Spy House.  He knows all kinds of trivia stuff like that.

Cathedral on Old Town Square

Then headed on down to “Old Town” Albuquerque and shopped a bit and walked the old square.  It was the first time we’ve been there when it hasn’t been packed with people. Stopped for a coke and ice cream, well, Bill had the ice cream.  Looked at lots of jewelry and we bought another Kachina.  I told him this is the last one.  We have no more room for knick-nacks. 

We decided to have dinner at one of the places from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Standard Diner.  It was delicious.  Bill had a fancy meatloaf that was round and wrapped with bacon, served with pretty tasty mashed potatoes, thick gravy and steamed asparagus.  I had Ahi tuna bites that were lightly breaded, deep fried and sliced and served over a wasabi guacamole and another sauce, with Israeli couscous.  We shared a blue cheese lettuce wedge with bacon and these little blue cheese potato balls.  Of course the loaf of bread was excellent too.  Bill couldn’t eat all of his; he blamed it on the ice cream from earlier.  I was stuffed but didn’t want to ruin my tuna by re-heating it.  They had some nice looking desserts in a display case and it was a tough decision but we were kinda good and each got a shot dessert of Chocolate Pie.  They were twice the size of the ones at Season’s 52 for just $2 each.  It had oreo crumbs, then chocolate cheesecake, then chocolate mousse and a white chocolate swirl dollop and chocolate crumbs on top.  Can’t eat like that every night for sure!

Pretty exchange in Albuquerque

Traffic was horrendous on the way home.  We both walked Xena and then I had to clean the RV hitch and put fresh grease on it.  It had some sand on it and that will ruin the hitch.  I found homes for all the groceries.  We over-bought but didn’t know when we would get into Durango to a real grocery once we arrive at Navajo State Park.  We need to get set up and go get a PO Box and get trained and then work our first weekend.  So we don’t know yet when our first day off would be.

I got the new printer all set up and ready so will print some photos for post cards tomorrow night if I’m not too tired.  We’re expecting strong winds they say, up to 60 mph, so it will not be a fun drive to Colorado.

Made it to Albuquerque

May 21 – There was no rush to leave since we were only 2 hours from Albuquerque.  After breakfast of Kelly McMuffins and fruit, I started making calls about the window while Bill got the RV ready for travel.  I spoke to the window manufacturer, who told me to contact the distributor, who told me to contact the manufacturer of our RV for the specific ID number of the window.  I had to leave a message for him so we headed out.  We fueled up before getting on I-40 again at about 9:15.  We were one of the last to leave the campground.

The ride was pretty uneventful.  We wanted to return the 50 amp cord we bought in Ft Worth to the Camping World in Albuquerque, which is 10 miles further than our exit.  When we got there I called the Forest River guy again so if he could not help us we could have the service department at Camping World take a look.  I got the guy and he gave me all the info on the window.  We did our return and bought a new rack for the RV ladder to carry our 6 foot ladder and if we want we can put lawn chairs on it also.  Before we left I called the distributor back and gave him the info.  New problem:  half of the hinge stays on the window casing and half stay with the pane that we need.  Bill unscrewed the hinge from the frame to get the dangling piece off.  The rep said unless we can take the pieces apart we would have to get an entire new window as the pane only comes with half the hinge and it slides into the other part.  So once we got parked and had lunch we looked at the piece.  Unfortunately to store it in the hold, Bill had to bend it and he bent it in the middle of the hinge.  He straightened it and I was able to hammer them apart, but that doesn’t mean we can get them back together.  I decided to call the manufacturer back and beg for the other part but with the 2 hour time difference they were closed.  Will try again in the morning.  Ugh!

The area here at Bernalillo

We’re parked for 2 nights at the Bernalillo Sheriff’s Posse Arena facility.  We stayed here 2 years ago when we came for the Balloon Fiesta.  The location is great, in town and close to every thing and the price is reasonable.  Had we come a day sooner we could have watched the calf roping competition.  It’s not a fancy place and this time we are the only ones here.  The caretaker family lives here and they are the same folks as before and are very nice.

The view of Sandia Peak from our RV

After settling in we went to Wal-mart to get some groceries and to the pet store to get some Greenies for Xena that were left home.  We considered going out to dinner but I bought a small tub of potato salad, corn on the cob and Hot Links, so Bill said we could have that and go out tomorrow instead.  I worked on the blog and trying to get my HP little printer to work.  I have tried and tried but can only get the color to work.  At least I bought the extended warranty so will take it back to Office Max tomorrow.

Arriving in New Mexico

Leaves where there were none last night

May 20 – Bill couldn’t wait to get up today and survey the damage. A few dings in the truck but no real damage to the RV. I got on the roof and checked and swept off a lot of leaves. One of the gutter spouts was off and one was cracked and I accidentally broke one with the broom. No rain got in our repaired window. There were lots of leaves covering the ground.

We had cereal today so we could get going. It was pretty chilly out this morning. Enough so we got jackets out. Big change from the past week. Made it on the road at 8:30, continuing west. We stopped at 9:30 for fuel at the exit where we had planned to visit Washita National Battlefield. Once we stopped I thought it sounded really familiar so I went in the RV and checked my National Parks Book and we went there in 2009. So that saved us a couple of hours as it’s 30 miles off the interstate.

We stopped at the Texas Welcome Station and it was really windy but the sun was trying to come out. We had expected to be driving in lots of rain by now. Just sprinkled enough to make you put the wipers on the lowest setting. We knew the change of plans for the day was putting us in at our RV park way early so we called and moved it from Vega, TX to Tucumcari, NM. We drove through Amarillo and from the road saw the famous Cadillac Ranch that we visited several years ago. It’s 6 old Cadillac embedded part way in the ground, nose first, all in a row and people bring spray paint and paint names and designs on them, over and over.

At the New Mexico Welcome Station I picked up some NM travel information and a cup of coffee. We opened the slides and had lunch. Bill had his leftover Subway and I had a salad with the last of my turkey. Now we figured we still would be really early since the time changed again once we got into NM. So we called and cancelled Tucumcari and made a reservation in Santa Rosa, NM. That puts us just 120 miles to Albuquerque, but that gives us time to try and order a window. We did stop in Tucumcari at the K-Mart for packing tape, duct tape, garbage bags and a cardboard box.

The sun going down but I didn't get
the eclipse

We camped at Santa Rosa Campground and it’s OK. The pads are gravel and not the most level and they said you may not get the local channels on the cable and you have to pay extra for it, so we opted for a 30 Amp space and no cable. Our antenna worked fine so we could watch the new 2 hours Jesse Stone movie with Tom Selleck. First order of business was to work on the window. By the time we stopped for the day the exterior layer of plastic was about off. I traced the screen on the cardboard and we cut it out, actually we made 4, in case we have to repeat the process. We bagged it from each end with the garbage bags and taped it very securely. Then I taped it in the outside of the window first with package tape and then 2 rounds of duct tape and then another layer of package tape. On the inside I had to take the board off and put the screen back in better and put the board back up. I sure hope this holds til we get to CO. We decided for sure to have the window shipped to us as there are only 10 screws that hold it on and the holes are predrilled so it should be simple so we don’t have to hook up the RV once we are settled in and take it into Durango. For dinner I made venison stuffed peppers. I had 3 nice bell peppers from my garden so I used them and made a small casserole dish of stuffing for me. That will be enough for 2 meals. I had to improvise on the recipe. I had no spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce, so I cooked a can of diced tomatoes in with the meat and added herbs for seasoning and at the end stirred in some catsup and put some on top of the peppers once stuffed. Bill said they were really good, so guess I’ll have an alternate recipe when the need arises again.

After Jesse Stone we showered at the bathhouse and Bill did up all the dishes. We won’t be in a rush to leave in the morning as we have some phone calls to make so we know who is going to order our window.

The good, the bad and the ugly in Oklahoma

May 19 – We were up at 7 and on the road by just after 8, so that’s a good start for us.  We just had smoothies with our Magic Bullet.  We had some touring planned for the day so wanted to get an early start.  Our first break was the Oklahoma Welcome Center.  As Bill got out of the truck he saw our window at the computer desk was flopping.  It’s an escape window and the latch must have gotten bumped by the printer and opened it and the wind pulled the latch out of the hole.  No damage!  I got to have a delicious coffee with almond toffee creamer there.  They gave huge servings.  Bill had to settle once again for a Snapple.

After the bombing

Bronze memorial chairs

On our excursion through Oklahoma we passed through the home towns of Garth Brooks, Toby Keith and Will Rogers.  Our plan was to eat in the RV once we parked in Oklahoma City at the National Memorial and Museum, but I really had to find a bathroom from drinking that coffee, so we stopped just before Oklahoma City and fueled up and got a Subway sub for Bill and a salad for me.  We parked across the street at the big casino and ate, then headed on to Oklahoma City.  We called for parking information for the RV and were directed to a specific lot.  Well, we got right to it and the opening was so narrow, well, I pushed the ticket button and started in and Bill said I was going to hit the RV on his side, so he got out and told me to back it up on the road, and I did.  I was kinda pleased that I did it on the first try and he just hopped in and we circled the block and went to the first lot we passed that you didn’t have to go through an armed gate.  We just had to stick money in the slot along the sidewalk.  We put one side of slides out and turned the vent fan on and put Molly and Xena in the RV.  It was not hot out and we only allotted 2 hours for our visit.  The memorial is tothe victims of the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building by Timothy McVeigh.  It was truly one of the most emotional places I have ever been.  It ranked right up there with Dachau and the Holocaust Museum.  It just broke my heart to read the stories.  One woman was there with her mother and two children to sign up for her youngest son’s social security number.  Her mother and children died and she had tohave her lower leg amputated by an orthopedic surgeon on the site in order to get her out.  The lives of these people, like those who survived 9-11, will never be the same.  The museum was so well laid out, with many personal items found in the rubble and even sections of beams and walls from the building. 

Reflection Pool

The outside memorial is beautiful and so serene.  It’s called The Gates of Time and it’s a reflection pool and on one side there are bronze chairs in rows, signifying by the row what floor of the building that person was on when they died.  Then spaced down a bit from them are other chairs for those who died that were not inside the building but on the sidewalks and even one nurse who was helping and fell and hit her head and died 4 days later.  It was just a very sad place to see, but will leave a lasting impression.

My inside repair job

We only had 80 miles to go to our RV stop, Hargus RV in Clinton, OK, so we expected to get there by 4:30.  NOT!  We were only about 15 miles away and a guy passed us and honked and motioned us off the road.  That is not a good sign.  Bill got out and our bedroom window had literally blown out.  We were in shock.  From those darn bumps on the interstate, the same thing happened to this window.  Only it had gotten really windy out and I guess the direction of it was stronger.  The screen was laying on the bed and the wood blinds kinda dangling but still attached.  The frame of the window had no glass and was half curled up and scraping the side of the RV in the wind.  We had no way to cut the frame off, so we bent it around and into the bedroom and secured it under the bike (so it was handy after all).  We taped a plastic bag on the outside of the window.  I was laying on the bed and dresser hanging out the window trying to tape the top and sides in the wind.  Not an easy task and definitely not a fun one.  We couldn’t put the slides out since we were barely off the interstate.  I just drove slower than normal to our exit and as soon as we stopped, Bill got out he said it didn’t hold at all.  Once we got parked in our space, he took the ladder down and our neighbor, such a friendly and helpful man, loaned us more tape, his drill, and a piece of wood.  Bill unscrewed the part that was still attached and we slid the screen into 2 bags and taped all around it and snapped it back in from the inside.  Then the piece of wood was just long enough and had holes already drilled so we put it across the window from the inside to secure the screen.  Monday we will call Forest River and see if they will ship us a new window to CO.  If not we will stop in Albuquerque at Camping World and have them order one I guess.  By now I’ve lost count of all out bad luck.  But it doesn’t end with the window!  Hargus RV is OK.  Not big and the sites are gravel and somewhat level.  We were surprised they had cable TV but didn't bother to hook it up for the night and knowing we might get a storm.  When you get out on those plains, there isn't always a lot of choice.  They didn't have a bath house so we used our shower, which is a bit of a pain as I keep my herb garden in there.

It was after 7 by the time we finished up, so Bill ate his leftovers and I had a big salad with the last of the rotisserie chicken.  The neighbor said the weather radio said strong winds and rain were north of us and might be headed our direction.  Well, the wind wasn’t so bad but the hail lasted 30 minutes.  It was the size of large marbles and you can’t imagine being in a wooden box and pounded and pounded by what sounded like big rocks.  It was all over the ground.  I tried putting a pillow over my head, but that didn’t stop the noise.   We decided it might tear up our slide toppers so we brought in all the slides and just lay on the bed til it finally stopped.  We tried to look at the truck with a flashlight.  In the dark it doesn’t look like it did any damage, but we will see in the light of day tomorrow.  I will have to get on the roof to see how it looks.  Egads, will things ever just run smoothly?   It continued to rain almost another hour and has just stopped.  We had no leaks or cracks in our ceiling vents or the skylight, so that was good.  And, we are thankful that we are safe and our pets are safe.  So it couldn’t be that bad!

Fun day in Ft. Worth and Dallas

May 18 - The one day we could really sleep in and neither of us did. We had a lot of sight seeing to do today so it was best to get up and get moving. I made Bill a Kelly McMuffin with grapefruit and I had grapefruit and Florentine Egg Beaters. It’s the best way for me to eat egg as it comes with cheese and spinach in it to hide the taste of the egg.

Headed to Ft. Worth first to the Camping World there. We needed filters for the inside water filter, a new snap on water connection and a new 50 AMP electric cord. The ends are pulling out of ours and our tech suggested we get one or repair the one we have. It was not that much more to buy the new one so that’s what we did.

Bill and a Longhorn Steer

In front of the Stockyards

From there we stopped for fuel so we don’t have to once we leave in the morning. Then we headed to the old downtown to The Stockyards. It’s the original Ft. Worth and pretty much looks the part. We went in some shops, watched the cattle drive of 12 Texas longhorn cattle down the main street and checked out the plaques dedicated to those in the Texas Walk of Fame. A lot we never heard of but a lot we had, such as Tex Ritter, Roy and Dale Evans, Bill Pickens and Bat Masterson. We went back behind the original Stockyard building where some of the cattle were and listened to some wranglers give a presentation to a school group. We decided to tour Billy Bob’s of Texas. They have an indoor bull riding ring and concrete squares like in Hollywood with the hand prints of famous performers who have played there. That was pretty neat to see. Bill kept checking the hand sizes compared to his.

Just one of the loop de loop exchanges

We had lunch in the famous Bugger Red’s Saloon. The brisket sandwich was excellent and the Texas fries were fresh, not frozen. That’s the first fries I’ve had in probably 2 years. Bill got a call from Pat and Ray, friends here in the area, and they wanted to pick us up at 4 to go to dinner, so we had to kick it in high gear and head to Dallas. The loop de loop roads here were far worse than the ones Kerry and I drove on in Los Angeles.

One of the X's

The traffic from Ft Worth to Dallas was horrendous, now Bill got to see what it’s like driving in it. Luckily we got off the interstate and right into town where we wanted to be and found parking right away. We went to see where President Kennedy was assassinated.  There are 2 "X"s on the road showing the points the car was between, as they don't know exactly which spot.  We learned that he was not shot from the open window, but from the "grassy knoll".  It's due to the injury being from his forhead and out of the back of his skull.  We got to see some horrible photos of him with part of his head missing and a photo of Jackie reaching onto the back of the car to get a piece of his skull that she patted back in place.  The photos are not to be released to the public for 29 more years.  I don't quite understand that.  There is also proof of coverups and that 2 shots hit him.  So I tried to get a photo of the 2 x marks on the road.

On the way back to the RV we wanted to stop at a grocery store but had some difficulty finding one. Then there was road work and Bill went over a railroad and we just kinda dropped and it was quite a bang. When we did get home he discovered that it hit so hard that the bike rack was damaged so we now have to put one bike on the bed each night til we get to CO. We did finally find a grocery as we were giving up, a Kroger. I mostly needed bread and produce so it was a quick stop. Once we got back, Bill Took Xena for a walk while I put things away and we had a few minutes to wait for Pat and Ray.

We went to dinner at Joe T. Garcia’s in Ft. Worth. It’s been in business a long time as it is now being run by the grandson of the original Joe and this guy is at least 45. They told us if we didn’t arrive early enough there would be a 2 hour line. Most of the restaurant is outside and the décor is beautiful, with fountains and plants. Some of it is covered and there are fans and heaters depending on the weather. It seats a lot of people. The only negative for me is they don’t have a menu as they don’t serve but a few items. They do have delicious sangria! We had the normal chips and salsa, then the nachos are a 6” corn tortilla with choice of topping and you order how many you want. Bill and I didn’t understand so we said we’d share an order and they said, no, you can eat at least one each. Once they came we understood. The beans and rice are served family style and you can order fajitas or enchiladas with corn tortilla. That’s pretty much it. It was good and Bill brought home a plate of food. I only had a couple of chips so I had room for my meal. Pat and Ray’s son, Mike joined us for dinner. He’s a doctor and has an RV that he and his family drove to Durango last summer, so we had a lot to talk about. They were right, as we left there was a huge line and it was expected to be longer. Cars were every where and they do not have room for more. After dinner they drove us around TCU, Texas Christian University, which is in Ft. Worth. It’s a beautiful campus. Ray, his 2 children and their 2 grandchildren all went there.

They dropped us off and wished us a safe trip and we thanked them for the dinner and told them we hoped to come again when we can stay longer. There is quite a bit to see in the area. We put things away for leaving in the morning. We were both pretty pooped so didn’t do much computering.

Safely made it to Texas

May 17 – We woke up early but it was only 6:45 so I went totally back to sleep but I think Bill got up with Xena. I slept another 45 minutes, guess I needed it. We had a quick breakfast today of cereal, not my favorite, so we could get on the road. Managed to leave the park at 8:15 and drive across the road and fuel up and on the road at 8:30. Nothing left behind, but Bill had a scare that he left his ring in the bathroom as he could not find it. I later found it in the clothes hamper. He was literally a “happy camper”.

Since today was to be a longer driving day, we tried to make our stops short. There are not many rest areas in LA. We finally got to a welcome center 2 hours south of Shreveport. They did serve some nice LA grown coffee, Community brand. I added my own flavored cream and it was pretty good. Bill had to settle for a Snapple.

Along the road today the traffic was really light and the scenery was so nice. Rolling hills and very verdant surroundings. No ugly billboards destroying the scenery. As we approached one hilltop we could see a large stream of smoke on the other side of the road. It was visible for quite a way. Finally we saw the long line of traffic on that side all backed up behind the smoke. As we got closer we saw the problem. The rear axle of a truck loaded with cut lumber had somehow crumbled and was on fire and the wood was on fire. There were fire trucks and lots of police cars. I do have to admit we were really glad to be on the northbound side of the highway.

The drive through Shreveport wasn’t bad and we stopped on the other side for fuel and lunch. Today we ate in the RV. Just a sandwich, veggies and a cookie. Today’s problem occurred when I opened the slides for lunch. I try to watch all over to make sure nothing is in the way, but I heard wood cracking and stopped. The coasters and holder (with all the horrible roads causing bouncing) had gotten out of the basket and one of the coasters was lodged in between the edge of the slide and the wall it was to slide to. Yikes! I almost panicked, but calmed down and brought the slides all back in and got the coaster out. I told Bill to get a hammer and he almost got the wood frame back like it was. Will work on it more when we get to CO.

After lunch break we headed on I-20 to Grand Prairie, which is a suburb between Dallas and Ft. Worth. As we approached Dallas I didn’t think the traffic was bad at all. NOT! We were 4 miles from our exit and it was 4 lanes solid, just creeping along. It was the most nerve racking drive so far. My neck and shoulder muscles were knots. I stayed in the right lane as it’s so hard to change lanes in that kind of traffic, but the butthead drivers kept just cutting in from the shoulder in front of me from the on ramp. Of course it would be my fault if I happened to rear end one of them.

We arrived in one piece to Trader Village in Grand Prairie. It’s a pretty large RV park that adjoins what I hear is a HUGE Flea Market.  The RV park here is really very nice.  The spots are a bit small but they are all concrete pads and have picnic tables.  It’s really convenient to sight-see  the two cities instead of being outside of either one.  Unfortunately it is only open on the weekends and we leave on Saturday. We could not get into the site we were assigned so we took a one further down and they said that was fine. I had to break out the Canadian and Coke once we got set up. Then I managed to get some dinner made. Leftover chicken, fresh beets from my garden, leftover green beans for Bill and corn. Nothing fancy. Bill walked Xena twice and I blogged. We watched the season enders of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Mentalist”. Those darn cliff hangers!