Home again, home again!

October 25 – Home again!

We made it home safely and spent the afternoon unloading a summer of “stuff” so we can take it in to the shop Monday. It ended up we didn't get it all done on Friday, as by the time we got home and loaded up the truck once, unloaded it and put things away, we were pooped. We went back on Saturday morning before it got too hot out and did the rest.

So on the 28th we took the RV in for a long list of things to be fixed.  We were told there will be a wait for them to get to it, but at least we got it into Independence RV, where we really wanted it to go.  I think the service writer was a bit overwhelmed at all of our issues!  So are we!

Then my laptop died, guess I overworked it the last 5 1/2 months!  I had to order a new one and then my computer guys transferred all of my data over to the new one, but things are just not the same!

Thank you all for following us on another summer adventure.  We had a great time and were thankful to make it home with no further issues.  

Almost home!!

October 24 – Only 2 days to go! We left Defuniak Springs about 9:30. It’s a pretty short day to Tallahassee. Most of the drive was on I-10 and as we got closer to Tallahassee we could see there has been more clean up from the hurricane that hit the area last year. They was a lot of new fencing and power work being done.

We pulled in to Tallahassee RV Park where we have stayed for years coming thru here. It’s home football this weekend so we managed to schedule Thursday as if you want Friday you must take 2 nights. It’s totally booked for tonight. We met a neighbor who is headed to Orlando where his brother lives. They are from Ridgeway, Colorado and rented out their house for 2 years to see if they like full time RVing.

We both started bagging up our clothes to make the emptying of the RV a little better once we get home. This is not the fun part of the trip! Surprise, surprise, the washer and AC are working today so I decided to do up as much laundry as possible to not have to deal with it at home.

Paul picked us up for dinner and Jean met us at Ted’s Montana Grill. Paul was on his way home from work and Jean had picked up her grandchildren and car pool kids and took them all home for her daughter who is out of town. We had a nice meal once we changed booths due the waiter spilling a huge glass of water on Bill! Jean had just walked up! The guy felt terrible about, but it was only water so no damage done. We laughed a lot and talked about EVERYTHING! I hate saying good bye to them but it looks like we will see them twice before the year ends!

We were home in time to watch Little Sheldon and for me to write today’s blog. Now time to read a while!

Back on Florida soil...

October 23 – Back on the road a few minutes late this morning.  We were on schedule until I received a phone call from a manager of Agero, the company that handles the Roadside Assistance program for Safeco Insurance.  She was reaching out to apologize for the poor service we received and let us know the person who we had first that screwed up royally was going to be retrained.  She also said for me to send her the photos of our damage to the RV and the estimate for repairs and they will reimburse me and collect from the tow company.  Nice!  She’s sending me a claim form and once we get home and get an estimate I can submit it.

So that was a pretty nice start of the day!  It was a rather boring drive today.  We opted for Rts 45 & 84 which were sometimes 4 lane but mostly 2 lane back roads with little traffic but quite a few small towns.  It was scenic and lots of cotton fields along the way. 

It was well after 1 when we stopped in Andalusia, AL at David’s Catfish House for lunch.  OMG, was it good.  Bill didn’t care for the Southern sides and had chicken tenders, hush puppies and cole slaw.  I had a whole fried catfish with hush puppies, cheese grits and turnip greens.  Omm, was it ever good.  I didn’t leave a crumb and Bill took 2 hush puppies and a chicken tender with him!!!  I do love my country cooking every once in a while!

We arrived a Sunset King RV in Defuniak Springs around 3:00.  I hooked up the cable and Bill emptied the tank and back-washed the black tank.  We have a bad leak behind the panel and it just runs water in the compartment.  One more thing to add to the list.

Since the power worked last night on the washer and AC, I figured I’d do a load of Bill’s rag towels and wouldn’t you know, the washer and back AC won’t work again.  There must be a short or something loose somewhere!  I’m so over this!

I adjusted the clasp on the silverware drawer so that shuts now.  I used Bruce’s trick with a toothpick to repair a couple of screw holes in the washer/dryer compartment.  Thanks Bruce! 

Time for some dinner!  I made a couple of hamburgers, cooked 2 ears of corn, heated up a leftover piece of chicken, green beans, asparagus and Bill’s lunch chicken.  Ended up with a burger and some green beans!  We’re meeting Jean and Paul for dinner in Tallahassee tomorrow night so was hoping to knock out all of the leftovers – well, there’s still lunch tomorrow….

We opened our half gallon of Huckleberry Ice Cream and had small bowls for dessert.  Yum!

Time to do a bit of reading!!

Worked our way to Mississippi

October 22 – Another driving day!  Not much to report as far as the travel goes.  We

Approaching the group of bridges

crossed a nice bridge that was once of several crossing the Mississippi River. We only stopped once for fuel at Loves.  It was a bit of a fiasco as the clerk didn’t know much about her job as yet!

We stopped for the night in Meridian, MS.  The campground was pretty large, very level with concrete pads and you just picked your site and went up and paid.  Apparently the overnight spots are all pull thrus and close to the office.  We had

About to cross

Tiffins on each side of us, one couple just went full time in July and the other was headed home to Biloxi.

Once we settled in I thought I’d check the washer again and “bazinga”, the light came on.  I proceeded to check the back AC and it worked also.  Not sure what’s going on but I did

Barges on the Mississippi

get a load of laundry done!  Will see what tomorrow brings!

Cute delivery car

I did some housework in preparation for taking the RV in on Monday and made a “bag meal” for dinner.  I really didn’t feel like getting out my laptop so just read except for NCIS.

Travel Day

October 21 – Wow, what a mess in our campground this morning.  Nothing compared to

There were a lot of acorns this morning

what we saw on the news of the places hit by tornados and horrible storms.  We were quite fortunate to only be bombarded by acorns and a few tree branches.

We managed to get on the road around 9:30 on our quest East.  We stopped about a 1 to fuel up and have some lunch.  The Flying J had meat pies so I got four.  They are kind of small.  Then we had veggies with them.  They actually taste like the Pasties we had last summer in the UP.   We headed back on the road.  We didn’t have a very long day today, only 240 miles. 

We checked in to Cinnamon Creek Campground in Minton, LA and have a decent pull thru spot.  I did some house work and discovered that the washing machine will not power on.  I’m hoping that it is only the plug not secure in the outlet since it’s been sitting at an angle for a month and today we did hit quite a lot of bumpy roads.  It was getting hot in the bedroom so I turned the AC on in there – surprise, it would not run!  Not even the fan.  I checked the breakers and fuses but they appear to be fine.  The AC had been getting really loud and when we had them checked before we left we were told they are on the way out but not to the point where our warranty would cover them, so maybe we’re not at that point!  Good thing we’re only a few days left on the road.

In our campground tonight

Since we are just next door to a couple of restaurants it worked out well that we stayed hooked up.  The one we wanted to eat in was closed so we had Mexican.  I had a very good chicken taco salad with a lot of guacamole.  Bill had a Chimichanga and said it was excellent.  There chips were the thinnest and most crispy I’ve ever had.  It was getting a bit chilly on the walk home.

We watched one of my favorite movies, Independence Day, with Will Smith.  I worked on the computer and ordered my script refills, no matter where we are, life goes on!!

Last day in Texas

October 20 – Not much to report today!  After breakfast and some lazying around, Bill washed the RV front and I left to go to Burkes Outlet and Wal-mart.  I texted Jean a lot of Baggilini photos as they had the best selection I’ve seen!  She picked what she wanted and I picked what I wanted and I perused the store a while and found a good deal on flavored coffee. 

Wal-mart was the busiest I have EVER seen!  You could barely go from one entrance to the other side across the front!  It was a shopping frenzy!  I started in the pharmacy area, then hit the Clearance aisle and THEN made it over to the grocery side.  Of course I backtracked a lot since I don’t know where anything is.   I think we shoppers should petition Wal-mart to lay out ALL of their stores the same.  When you travel it’s so hard to know not only the groceries but if you need pet supplies or something from hardware they're in different places.  I would think it would be less expensive for them to do it the same way rather than hire architects to keep changing the layouts! 

I got what I came for plus a couple other items, always the case!  Then checking out was still a wait.  They only have 4 self check stations at each end of the store and the end I was at only 3 were working!  Oh well!

The plan was for me to pick up Chick-fil-a sandwiches for lunch and when I saw the empty lot I realized it is Sunday!  Darn!  Couldn’t have my favorite.  So next door is Whataburger.  I called Bill so see what he wanted and I ordered a plain burger with mustard and pickle.  I ended up with tomatoes, lettuce and onions on it!  Crap!  I’m not a big burger fan to start with then they mess up the only way I really like one!  I did order a side of onion rings (since Bill wasn’t there to pick fries) and they were awesome!  I ate my half before I got home!  Best when they’re super hot!

After we ate we drove to the other side of town and I got to go into World Market but no real bargains.  I did get some dark chocolate digestives that were on sale.   Then we crossed over the interstate and made as stop at Duluth Trading.  Bill loves their underwear!!  Lucky for us today they had 25% off everything in the store.  I found a top I liked that was on Clearance plus the 25 % off and I bought a couple of Christmas gifts as well.

We drove back a different way that was less traffic and shorter. Took no time at all!  I broke out the wine bottle and started on the computer.  I wrote a scathing letter to our RV insurance about the stupid people that work for them in the tow service area.  I copied it to my insurance agent.  I told it like it was and how incompetent their staff was and that once they screwed up they should have sent the first tow company they found that could tow us.  I expressed my feelings in a firm and slightly mean way, but I don’t feel the least bit bad about it.  I paid a big premium for coverage on this RV and I felt entitled to say my piece!

OK, now I feel ever better!! 

We ate a late lunch so about 5:30 I put some tiny colored potatoes in the toaster oven to roast and later I steamed some fresh green beans and made Bill a cube steak and I had a petite sirloin.  I only had one of each in the freezer and offered Bill first pick!  I think since I was doing the cooking he figured I deserved the better meat.  It was all yummy!  Especially the green beans! Bill even said so!

We watched a John Wayne movie (not a western) and then NCIS and a storm started up.  It sounds like huge rocks were hitting the RV roof!  We thought maybe it was hail as it was predicted for some areas along with possible tornadoes.  I checked outside and didn’t see any giant hail so must be big acorns!!

Time to pack up Dell and read my book for a while!  Tomorrow we officially start heading home and our summer adventure will come to an end. 

Stockyard here we come!

October 19 – Today was fun!!!  After a nice breakfast we went over to the Trader Village Flea Market.  It’s huge!  They also have a big section of rides and games that you can buy tickets for the day.  Our feeling was most of the products came from China and they have lots of repetitive shops.  We did find a nice used book store but they were just setting up so we had to wait a while.  We did leave with 4 books, so that was nice.  We didn’t even get to half of the shops.

Official Entrance

Lunchtime

We needed to leave the campground by 12:15 to meet Bruce and Sharon in Ft. Worth at the Stockyards.  We pulled in the parking lot right behind them and parked right beside them.  Perfect timing today!  We debated on lunch and maybe we passed up on a really good spot at Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ.  It’s ala-carte and you order your meat as you walk in the door and it’s by the pound.  So we headed

Nice dark brew

over to the main street and chose Riscky’s Steakhouse.  It was a busy place but we were seated immediately.  The

Brew time

service was good as was the food.  Bruce, Sharon and I went with Steak Salad and Bill had a steak.  The rolls were excellent and the service was good.  They never made us feel like we needed to hurry along.

Once we had our delicious lunch we went to a number of shops.  All western and beautiful and expensive stuff.  I found some cute shoes but a bit on the pricey side. We ran out of steam about time for the Trail Boss to push the cattle along

Bill can outrun these

the road into their corrals.  It started at 4 and the street was line with people.  They are doing construction on one side of the street and so no one can stand on that side.  Just before the longhorns came through Bill got to sit on a

The real thing

longhorn so I could take photos at him.  He was a happy guy.  This equals when he got to ride an elephant! 

The steers don’t move very fast, I imagine they are so trained to make the walk twice a day, 7 days a week that they just do their thing and get their photos taken and go back to their pen.  Poor guys!  One of them had a huge set of horns!  It’s a wonder they can hold

Some major horns

their heads up.

Time to head back to our trucks and say our “real” good-byes.  We’ve so enjoyed seeing Bruce and Sharon 5 times since we left home in May.  Now the chances are we

Trail Boss

won’t see them again “in person” until next fall when they head back to Florida to winter.  Great people and we will miss them, BUT, we will be in touch on a regular basis!!

We have some noisy neighbors next door and the mom and daughter both have pink hair.  They are constantly yelling at their 2 dogs and just noisy neighbors.  

Dinnertime

Once dinner time rolled around I got out my grill pan and put on some pencil asparagus dosed in olive oil and seasoned with Badia seasoning.  I had thawed a BIG chicken breast so I sliced it into 2 filets and coated them with plain panko crumbs and some bbq seasoning.  Then a quick fry on both sides and we were ready for dinner with the leftover potato salad! Simple, one pan dinner! 

I worked on the computer a while and we watched a bit of TV.  Bill went to bed and I stayed up reading until I was ready.  Good end to a great day!

We miss you already Bruce and Sharon!!

Driving and dining

October 18 - No rush today as we only had about 103 miles to Grand Prairie, TX.  Basically it’s between Ft. Worth and Dallas.  The RV ran fine today and we arrived in time for lunch.  We had booked a site at Traders Village RV as we had stayed here before, but they put us on the other side of the park and our row isn’t very nice.  Bill was concerned that they don’t have cable and we are under trees, but I turned on the antenna and we got the channels we wanted!

Sharon and Bruce were arriving in Azle, TX which is a bit north of Ft. Worth I think.  They hit some traffic and wind and were glad to get to the campground.  We met them for dinner in Ft. Worth at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.  That’s what they have, all fried chicken and it’s all spicy!  I ordered a 2 piece dark meat with a double order of collards (you get 2 sides), Bill went with white and the standard potatoes and slaw.  Sharon and I split and order of fried green tomatoes.  Spicy but so good!!  Of course we visited as long as possible but left in hopes of getting home before dark.  The drive home was uneventful and much less traffic than when we drove there. 

We watched Blue Bloods and I did some computering!

Busy day in Waco

October 17 – Since I’m writing this the day after, I might miss something!  Once we had a good breakfast, we headed out for our full day in Waco!

2 mammoth teeth

First on the list was the Waco Mammoth National Monument.  They claim to be the largest site under cover with regard to mammoths.  Bill and I recall going to a huge place that was not a national park.  In looking it up, it is The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD!    Anyway, today’s location was pretty special.  We did have to pay a $4 each

Male mammoth

fee for a ranger led tour.  She did a great job as she explained the differences of a mammoth and a woolly mammoth and the ones we saw today would tower over a woolly mammoth.  The facility is very well done with out disturbing the site.  In addition to the mammoths found there was a camel as well.  The first one found by 2 young men who were friends in a pit type area just outside of the current building in

With femur bone

1978.  They took the leg bone to Baylor University in town.  Due to the wetness of the find area the fossils were quietly excavated and placed in plaster jackets and stored in Baylor’s museum storage to avoid poaching of the site.  These animals died 65,000 years ago!

From the walkways you can see whole skeletons partially exposed and the rangers explained how you can tell the ages and sex of the animals.  Because the study of each bone and testing done takes so long, they are currently not removing any further fossils from the site.  The bones in storage have not been studied as it takes years for the funding and staff to run all the tests so it will be years before they remove any more.

On the way into Waco proper, we stopped at the Suspension Bridge that was built in 1870

Suspension bridge

as the first bridge across the Brazos River.  It originally was a toll

One of the many sculptures

bridge used to take cattle across along the Chisholm Trail.  There are nice sculptures of cowboys and steers along the entrance.  Of course we got some photos to prove it!

The Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum was great!  The movie covering the history of the rangers was 90 minutes

In the museum

and even showed when they captured Bonnie and Clyde.  There were displays for a lot of the rangers who have died.  There were displays of the different guns they have used over the years and about many of the “bad guys” they have dealt with.  It’s amazing the dedication these guys

In the museum

had/have.  One family had 5 of their men serve as rangers.  Bill really enjoyed it, especially the room with the Lone Ranger and Tonto and all of the toys, games, etc generated due to the show. 

Lunch time!  We headed back over by the river to find a place for lunch and went to a great little bbq place.  We both got double brisket and 2 sides and brought half of the brisket home.  The cojito cheese mac and cheese was awesome!  The slaw was good but I REALLY like the mac and cheese!

The silos behind the bakery

Then we parked the truck in public parking and walked across the main street to catch the trolley.  The trolley runs every day but the route changes for special events and we had no idea today was the start of the 5^th Annual Silobration!  We were chatting with the couple we met at the stop who are new full time RV’ers and missed our stop and we road the circuit again!

They had a bag check to get in and boy, was it crowded.  The line for the bakery was ridiculous so needless to say, we didn’t even get close to it.  There

The Magnolia Store

were a few things I wanted to check out at the Magnolia Market.  It is 2 rooms:  the front is smaller and has mostly wall and table décor, then you go down the steps into the old grain barn where it is mostly soft goods and coffee mugs.  The lines were long but by the time we had our items secured they were at a lull so I got right up to a cashier.

Of course we took photos of the silos and the Magnolia Market, then we spoke with a greeter about the crowd and she said today was slow compared to what it will be on

Bill is sad he can't get a pastry 😖

Saturday and Sunday.  We heard that Chip and Joanna would be around on Saturday.

We checked out the booths set up on both streets.  They are primarily craft booths that are all selected by Joanna.  There are food booths and some free game booths.  I did the ring toss and got 1 on and picked a key chain.  Bill wouldn’t try it – party pooper!  We were ready to head back.  Bill thought we should walk back instead of walk to the trolley, then walk to the truck so we walked and we overshot the street (Bill’s call), and back tracked.  My back and hips were killing me! 

One thing Bill really wanted to visit was the Davidian Compound, even though we were told there’s not much there to see, but he decided he was tired and we’d do it the next time we were here.  So we headed back to the RV.  While I was doing my thing, he took the truck to have a car wash.  He took so long I thought he went to the compound! 

I heated the leftover brisket and make a small quickie potato salad and tossed salad for dinner.  Then we settled in to watch some TV.

Back on the road

October 16 – We got up at 8 and went down for breakfast, got showers, loaded up the truck and checked out of the hotel at 10:30.  When we got to Lonestar the RV was almost ready.  In about 10 minutes it was ready and I paid the bill and got the photos emailed to me of the un-clamped clamp that caused the whole issue. 

Bill drove around to the bay and they drove it out and I loaded our stuff back in while Bill started hooking the truck up to tow.  In shutting down the generator after having it run for 4 days straight, it alerted that it is time for service.  That’s what we were afraid of.  Guess I’ll need to book campgrounds the 2 nights we were scheduled to stay at Wal-Mart.

We stopped only once when we got on the road.  We fueled up at Flying J and I got Bill a chicken lunch and us each a fried pie.  I had my leftover potatoes and andouille sausage.  The drive was nice.  We exited I-20 onto Rt. 6 and it was minimal traffic while driving through numerous small Texas towns.  There were cattle along the way, even a herd of Belted Galloways! 

Our campground is on the other side of Waco, so we pretty much drove through the city.  Our park is very nice and close to full.  I’m sure this is a winter home for most of the people here.  There were 2 RV’s ahead of us checking in.  We have a nice full hook up with cable and pull thru!  Nice!

I immediately started on laundry and got 2 loads done, changed the sheets on the bed, swept and vacuumed and put away our bags of stuff from the hotel. 

Dinner was a bag meal and it was good.  Then Bill drove to Wal-mart to get his script and a few things we needed.  He mapped out our day tomorrow as well.  Then we watched some TV while I worked on bills and paperwork.   Ugh!

Sightseeing in Abilene

October 15 – Once we had breakfast, Bill had decided he wanted to go to the 12^th Armored Division Memorial Museum in downtown Abilene.  We called a local grocery store and asked if they could store 2 bags of freezer items due to our circumstances.  They said they would.  We stopped at the front desk and extended another night.

We went by Lonestar and our RV was not in the normal parking spot so we drove around and it was in a bay.  We waited for the mechanic to come over and he said they found the problem with the coolant.  When the radiator was replaced ONE hose clamp was not put back and that was the issue.  He said they took photos and fixed it. 

We asked if they could change the oil since we would be not be leaving until tomorrow.  He said he could but might not be able to get the air filter but that would not be an issue.  He was also going to service the generator.  We were VERY happy for the news.

Great lunch spot

It was getting close to lunch time as we drove downtown so we decided to have lunch before going to the museum as we didn’t know how long we would be there.  We chose a little place in a house downtown.  We parked at the museum and walked the 4 blocks to Hickory Street Café, which was excellent!  I loved my chicken salad with grapes and 2 slices of zucchini bread with cream cheese and Bill enjoyed a BLT on a croissant with peach jam!  Very yummy place!

The museum was very nice and great displays, lots of photos and sad stories.  There are WWII vehicles outside and

The museum

Bill with a WWII Jeep

uniforms and other memorabilia filling 3 floors.  Bill really enjoyed it all.  Me, it makes me sad.

Bill had called in a prescription to Wal-mart so we went by to pick it up.  It wasn’t ready and he waited over 30 minutes to be told they didn’t have the pills in stock!  Geez!  Once we got back to our room he called a store in Waco and asked them to transfer it from Abilene to there.

We relaxed a while (one of us had wine), and then we left to meet Sharon and Bruce for dinner in Merkel at Skeet Texas Grill.  It’s a bit closer to us than them, but not a bad drive for

Good meal with great friends!

either.  They were there when we arrived.  We all had a nice dinner and great visit.  We never run out of conversation.  We plan to meet up with them again in a few days in Dallas-Ft. Worth area. 

On the way back we were able to stop by Lone Star to make sure the RV was either plugged in or the generator on.   They are open until 7 for parts and pick up.  The RV was not totally completed so I didn’t pay.  We told them we want to pick it up by noon.  I guess we will see.

Molly was glad to see us as usual and we watched some TV.

Hanging out still in Abilene

October 14 – The day didn’t go as we had hoped, surprise – surprise!  We had breakfast, packed up, bagged up clothes and things we figured we’d need in case we end up in a hotel.  We packed up Molly and her litter box and food.  It’s like moving!!

We were at Lonestar Truck Group about 9, only to be told they have one RV bay and there were several ahead of us.  The service guy said it’d be late this afternoon before we’d hear anything. 

Since we’d done the tourist thing yesterday and our hopes were dashed for the day, we really didn’t do much.  We sat in the truck a lot and read, Bill napped and I crocheted.  We found a RV place a few miles down the road so we stopped there and I got a new latch for the drawer that was broken.  Once lunch time was getting close we went to a road we passed that seemed to have some restaurants and shops.  I went to Dollar Tree and picked up a few items, then we were going to Chick-fil-a, but the lot was so full we couldn’t get in so we went to Jason’s Deli instead.  The line was a little long but at least there was parking and plenty of seating.  Lunch was good!  I had a Nutty Salad with chicken that was great and Bill had some kind of soup and combo thing.  Then we had complementary soft serve for dessert.

We parked in the truck lot for a couple of hours and no call!  As the afternoon wore on we figured we wouldn’t leave today in the RV at this late time so we went to La Quinta at the same intersection and I negotiated a room.  The lady working today was much nicer than the girl yesterday.  She even upgraded our room at no extra charge.

Well, we never heard a word!  We called over to see if we could get some things we forgot and he said they’re open til 7 but never mentioned our status.  We got checked in and Bill showered then we went by the RV with a short list of things we forgot.  For dinner we went to Cheddars across town.  The town is not too big so it was not too far.  Our server was super!  Very cordial, great personality and awesome service.  Bill had a sirloin steak and I went with shrimp and chicken.  Had to pass on dessert!

As we were leaving the parking lot Bruce and Sharon called and checked in.  Apparently tomorrow they will be about an hour from us.  So if we are still here we are meeting in between for dinner.  That will be nice, maybe lift our spirits!

After dinner I showered and journalled and Bill watched TV. 

Hanging out in Abilene

October 13 – Well it was a quiet night near the tow lot!  It’s supposed to be 85 here today, so

Section of  Frontier Texas

that is a big improvement over the last few days.  We had some fruit, mug muffins and ham for breakfast.  Once we got dressed and ready to head out we went to a couple of the hotels near us to check on places that are pet friendly and pricing in the event we need a place once we get in to Freightliner.  They are much more expensive than where we stayed in Tucson.  They want $20-$25 per night extra for Molly.

Next to us at Goodwill

Then we headed into downtown Abilene.  We stopped at a Goodwill and Bill got a pair of shorts.  We had lunch at Krab Kingz.  It reminded us of the little seafood place in Tallahassee near the fairgrounds.  I had shrimp and sausage with great potatoes.  Bill had gator

Part of my lunch

tail, fries and slaw.  I had leftovers but Bill did not.  It was soooo good!

Then we played tourist by visiting Frontier Texas.  It’s about the settling of Texas.  They have 2 great movies and numerous displays with hologram kiosks throughout.  Each portrays a different character.  The facility did an excellent job as they had 9

Everything is bigger in Texas

different people who had been captives, Native Americans, soldiers, cowboys, and more.  They have a nice gift shop and it also serves as a visitor center.  Outside they have a HUGE longhorn skull and buffalos on tall sticks.  We spent about 1 ½ hours there.  Well worth the stop!

The motorhome was right where left it!  We relaxed a while and read.  It was quite a while before we felt the need to take nourishment!  I heated up the leftover chicken, rice, broccoli tempura and we finished it off.  After a nice call from Paul to catch up on the situation we had huckleberry ice cream sandwiches for dessert. 

We tuned the antenna into the local stations and watched some TV, paid some bills and journalled!

When will things get better?

October 12 – What a CRAPPY day! And we seem to be having our share of them!

Once we had breakfast it was time to put the legs up and hit the road.  I started up the RV while Bill was taking the trash to the dumpster, I barely had it started when the engine coolant light came on AGAIN.  I turned it off and told Bill so he opened up the RV and he had to put a gallon of coolant in.  Once we lifted the legs and I rolled onto the exit he checked the ground and there wasn’t any wet area.  So we headed on our way.

We pulled off at a truck stop where the diesel was the cheapest we’ve seen all summer.  Then I went in and got Bill as chicken meal as I had the leftover chicken from yesterday for my lunch. 

Oil derrick

I do have to say, Texas produces 42% of the US cotton grown, and I think I saw every single cotton bush today!  In addition, there were fields of sorghum.  We did see a lot of antelope again as well.  My favorites were the rows and

Cotton and Wind turbines

rows of wind turbines.  Then as we drove the truck into Abilene, we saw lines of blue flashing lights out in the distance, high up like they were on a line but eventually we saw they closer to the highway and they were on the center of the turbines.  Not each one, but every 2 -3.  Mystery solved!

Cowboy along the road

Everything was going fine as we were headed Sweetwater, TX.  Then about 20 miles out the engine coolant light came on and I did not hesitate to pull over about 2 feet off the side of the road.  Bill made calls to his brother who was an auto mechanic, and

Back of truck with RV on trailer

our friends Paul and Bruce.  Since we had just put coolant in this morning and no one knew if it really was a coolant issue or water in the fuel line or something weird, we opted to call AAA this time and waited for a tow.  We have the Premier RV package so they sent a huge truck with a trailer long enough for the RV to be driven up on.  He secured it with chains and drove it to Abilene.  That is the closest Freightliner to where we were.  It’s about an hour away.  I pulled over before 5.  Being the weekend the driver was on call so had to go to the tow place,

RV on trailer

prepare the truck, do a safety check, drive an hour, spend close to 2 hours getting up loaded, then drive the hour back to Abilene.  We left once he got the RV loaded but was working on the chains to secure it.  He pulled in minutes after we did.  He said we could park outside their fence and run our generator until Monday when Freight-liner would be open.  They have a 24 hour watchman on the property and they have drivers coming and going all day and night.  We are basically directly across from Freight-liner on the other side of the interstate.

Since we were along the road for so long, we just had snacks for dinner and once we got here we were pretty tired and ready for bed.