We made it home in one piece!

Captains Log October 15 – No we didn't fall off the face of the earth! It was just very hectic and tiring at the end. We decided to drive home from Dothan, AL. It was over 300 miles but we made good time by lunch time so we went for it!

We arrived in Winter Garden about 4:15 and all we did was take a few food items from the fridge for breakfast, Molly and we headed for home! It was so nice to walk into a much larger space than we've been in for months!

We showered and went to 4 Rivers BBQ for dinner and I did do a load of leftover laundry to get a start on it. We relaxed and watch some TV and just chilled.

We knew it was going to be a tiring couple of days as we were taking so much stuff out of the RV to wash and things we bought along the way. We did it over 2 days so we could put it away as we brought it home and not have it piled all over. On Sunday Bill helped me do theloadign and then he gave it a good bath. We have an appt at our RV place and a list of small (we hope) things to be repaired so we wanted it ready to go on Tuesday. From there, we will see!

As always, it was a great summer and we met some fun people. We enjoyed having Kam and Melissa come for a visit and share the excitement of seeing new things that we don't have in Florida. Once we get settled in it will be time to start on next year's adventure.

Thank you to my followers for keeping tabs on us and have a great Thanksgiving and a more than Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and we will be back on the road in May, 2022.

Maybe just one more day....

Captains Log October 14 – Nothing unusual about today's drive. No traffic issues, or accidents on the highway, so the driving part was fine, just getting tiring.

This morning there were some delivery trucks at the Cracker Barrel and Bill noticed they dropped 2 baking potatoes. He brought them in and was excited as we haven't had “real” potatoes at home since we left this summer. I sometimes use the instant ones if I'm making him a treat with gravy, but I've tried to do away with potatoes.

The drive went well today and we drove through Birmingham and it was hectic with lots of lanes. We stopped once so I could use the bathroom. We drove to Dothan, AL and as soon as we got parked we had lunch! We're at Dothan RV Park, easy off the main road and it's a really nice park. They appear to have some full timers, seasonals but have about 10 nice pull thrus right in front for easy in and out.

Depending how the day goes tomorrow, we might drive on home. I think I'd rather drive longer and get home and then spend Saturday emptying out the RV and then I have a couple of days to go thru the cabinets before we take it in for repairs and/or estimates.

I baked the biggest potato and had a steak (which was not a very good steak) that I cooked in my grill pan. There was leftover kale salad so it was a nice meal that was simple to make. Then we watch some Perry Mason on TV. Once I get this posted I will read along with Bill for a while and try to get to bed a little early so we can head out a little earlier.

What a day!!!

Captains Log October 13 – Super crappy day!

We were on the road by 9 and things were going really great – until traffic started backing up

Uh oh!

on the interstate. Well, it was about lunch time and since the side was plenty wide enough for us to pull over so we did. We had our lunch and there was a semi pulled over ahead of us and an RV behind us. The vehicles on the road were not moving an in on on the outside lane. The inside lane was creeping a bit. Bill went on his phone and found there

Traffic ahead

was an accident 6 miles up the road. That's a long line of vehicles! We watched numerous ones cutting across the median and turning around. Who knew what we were in for?

Lunch was put away and we sat up front just watching and waiting. By the time we finally got back on the road and on our way wait it was about 2 hours. We passed the accident scene and all we saw was an overturned semi and trailer. They set up cones and had us driving on the outside of the outer lane. It was so bumpy it was hard to look, drive and take photos. Bill tried to get a couple but they aren't very good.

Oops!

So we headed on down the highway. We were planning to stay at a Walmart but since we needed fuel and the Walmart was 5 miles or so off the highway, we decided to fill up at Loves and stay there if they had a space. Lucky us, there was one spot along the edge of the parking area. We unhooked the truck and Bill backed me into the slot and pulled the truck in front of me.

Mighty Mississippi

We crossed the Mississippi River today!  Bill managed to quickly get a photo as we went over!

We were having a nice evening and I had put chicken in the crock pot to make chicken tacos for dinner. As we sat down to enjoy dinner, a butt head was walking his dog in the grass along the side we were parked on. He started getting nasty with me with remarks like” you belong in a campground, this is a truck stop” and on and on. We pulled the shade down and you could still hear him mouthing off. We buy our fuel at truck stops and rarely do we stay in them but this was very convenient for us. Bill was worried the butthead would come down and let the air out of our tires or something. We were across a side road from a Cracker Barrel and although we have never stayed at one I'd heard/read that they welcome Rvers. I told Bill that and he called and they said we could definitely stay there. So Bill drove over to check it out and called me and said to come on over. So I closed the one slide we had put out and drove over and we have a nice level spot right out back of the building. I think we will get a breakfast roll or something in the morning. So it worked out OK and we won't have to worry about the butthead at the Loves!

Restful day!

Captains Log October 12 – I spent my morning making calls to get our newspaper, etc. back on track and with one of our camping club ladies to discuss upcoming events and plans. Bill took his truck to a car wash and then washed the front of the RV.

I spent some time on the phone with friends in Venice about a get together after the first of the year and with our friend Judy trying to get some campouts on the calendar. We really need to add some new folks to our group as it is dwindling with aging and illness. It's Hell to get old!

After lunch I took a drive into town. The old downtown is pretty much deserted. There were some office that looked like they are in use but very few retail stores. I stopped at one that was jam packed with merchandise. They had everything from shoes to tools to books. I was impressed at how much was stuffed in to the space. I enjoyed perusing but didn't make any purchases.

On the way back I spotted a “flea market” sign so I stopped. It was an awesome place! It's one of those buildings that individuals have their own little spots and they mostly have antiques, clothes, books, you name it! You check out near the front. I found a book for Bill and a little item for Kam for Christmas. I think my friend Karen would have loved that place!

I made a quick stop at Walmart for deli turkey, kale salad and vitamins. Bill was relaxing with a book when I got home. We both read for a while then I made dinner. Bill did up the dishes and we hooked the truck up for in the morning. After I did the last load of laundry he emptied the tanks so we won't have much to do in the morning!

Time to post!

Welcome to Forest City, AK

Captains Log October 11 – Continuing along I-40! Not much of a fun drive but we left the desert look behind and now are in to more greenery and up and down roads. Once we crossed into Arkansas the road itself improved drastically. That's a really good thing.

Our stop tonight is actually for 2 nights to give my aching shoulder a bit of a rest. We landed in a small (under 15,000) town right off the Interstate, Forest City, AR. We were a bit leery of the campground as it didn't have a “house” number and no real website. We were pleasantly surprised that it is a very nice small park with about 20 sites and full hookups. They are very level and there's green areas, half back in and half pull thrus.

We went to a bbq place for dinner and were a little disappointed in the fatty brisket but had a nice flavor. They do have a Wal-mart here as well and a lot of nice hotels. Not sure what the attraction is or just convenience to the interstate. There is some kind of college I think also. 

Arrived in Arkansas

Captains Log October 10 – Another day of driving! We were on the road at 9 and didn't stop but once to use the bathroom. We landed in Van Buren, AK at Walmart at about 1:30. It was long drive and my shoulder was really hurting.

At least there was no “hooking up” to be done as we just turned on the generator and the AC. After we had some lunch and relaxed a bit we walked over to Aldi. I haven't been to one in probably 4 months. They don't have them in Oregon, Utah, Arizona! We picked up a few things but their produce was pretty picked over so we unloaded our purchases and then went into Walmart. Bill did his part of the shopping and I did the rest and we had 2 Trader Joe bags. Maybe we have enough to get home on!

We had some leftovers for dinner and set up the TV but CBS was not available in our area as they want millions of dollars to provide service to this particular area so we didn't get to see “The Equalizer”. Oh well, guess we will be home for the next episode!

We did watch some Hallmark and I made a Raspberry Jello Pie that we had a piece while watching TV. The time is winding down for sure. Going home is like a Catch 22 – it's always good to be back home but then there's all the unloading and getting life at home back in order.

Spending the night in Oklahoma!

Captains Log October 9 – Another day on the road! Miles and miles of wind turbines, cotton and

Texas size rest area

sorghum! There were a few cattle scattered along the way. Traffic wasn't bad at all and only one single lane area for a couple of miles. All in all a good day.

We landed in Clinton, Oklahoma. Our campground is a great improvement over last night and was $2 less.! We were parked in an area with a row for pull thrus. We got here first but by the end of the day there were 4 RV's in our row.

Since we will be at Walmart tomorrow night I did 2 loads of laundry and one load of Bill's rags. Bill cleaned the RV front

Must be full of alcohol

and we both read and relaxed some. We had a nice long conversation with our friends Bruce and Sharon. Can't wait to be home and see them in person! Actually I miss all of my family and since Covid we haven't really have much “getting together”. Time to get back together!

We were happy to have enough leftovers on hand and I didn't have to do anything but use the microwave. Not sure about tomorrow!

Overnight in Amarillo

Captains Log October 8 – The day to head back home has arrived! Once we packed up it was

Just a few wind turbines

get on I-40 and head east. It's been a great time but I doubt the next week will be as much fun. We're not planning on any real sightseeing, just driving almost daily

The main site along the way were the hundreds of Wind turbines. They were all over the place. Traffic on the interstate was pretty steady.

We decided to drive a bit further than the original plan so Bill called ahead and found a campground for us just off the interstate. However, when we arrived at the exit, the exit was closed and this was in the middle of no where so we had to pass it up and move on. Bill made several calls and found RV Cadillac Campground in Amarillo right after you pass the famous Cadillac Ranch. They were not sure we

could pull thru towing but we managed to squeak in!

It's more  of a run  down trailer  park  but  it served it's  purpose for  the night.  They  have  3 old Cadillacs at the entrance in additional to a really tall cowboy supporting the 2^nd Amendment! Go Texas! 

Last day in Santa Fe - Time to head East

Captains Log October 7 - I definitely think we are winding down, so it's a good thing this is our

last official “tourist” day. Once we had breakfast out of the way we headed out just about a a mile down the road from our campground. There's a small parking area there and a path leading to La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs. Bill wasn't overly excited over going but he was a good sport about it. He didn't sleep well and we had to walk about 10 minutes to the base of the mesa. Then it's a kinda path but rocky and not wide. The petroglyphs are 2 kilometers and over 4,000 of them. I could have spent all day out there so it was a good thing to Bill that I didn't have all that data before we left. I did get some good photos of what was at this particular area. Bill's not much on the climbing and I'm like a mountain goat. I love to climb! So, for me, this was the best part of our time in Santa Fe.

We really didn't feel like driving out to Chimayo like we had planned . It's a very nice Pueblo there and an old church with interesting history. We've been several times, but I think we were just tired !

After our hike, we dropped a package off at the post office, which oddly, is in a mall. So I did browse Penney's for a bit but no real deals and I really didn't need anything.

Then we stopped at Walmart and I did 2 returns. While I was in there Bill was chatting up a couple of locals and found an excellent place for lunch. The Pantry which is

NEW Mexican food. I have a 3 items platter and on it was a brisket taco. AWESOME! I didn't have any leftovers but Bill had part of his brisket quesadilla to bring home.

We stopped at one last pottery shop, which actual was a village of different shops. Bill watched a glass blower while I perused plants and flowers made by welding. So much Talavera and so little space to put it! More beautiful stuff.

Time to head back to the campground! I did a bit of housework and later made dinner but mostly chilled with my current book!

Day out in Santa Fe

Captains Log October 6 – After a bit of a lazy morning we headed into Santa Fe. Parking was

The famous stairs

the main hurdle of the day! In addition to lack of spaces, there was a box truck blocking the street on the old square and held things up for about 15-20 minutes. We found a city lot that had space and although it was $15 for the day, it was better than driving around forever.

We visited the Loretto Chapel which is well know for it's spiral staircase. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. It is said that the staircase was built without

Chapel Window

nails—only wooden pegs. Supposedly the man who built it left when it was completed and no one ever saw him again.

Then we stopped at the San Miguel Mission. It's a small church but claims to be the oldest church in the USA. It was started in

Bill on the right

1797 by the Franciscan Order. They have a side room off the chapel that houses their relics.

And of course we have to visit St. Francis Cathedral. It's really gorgeous inside and so calm and peaceful. The stained glass windows are beautiful and it was a nice sunny day so it was perfect.

In addition to visiting the historical places, we did our share of shopping as well. We found a bargain spot close to our parking area and bought a

Inside the little mission

few things there and there was a outdoor market with 6-8 booths set up. The craftwork is beautiful but we didn't have any space left at home for anything large and new.

I bought some Talavera items, the one I bought for me is an air balloon that I will hang on my front porch. I could spend a fortune on that pottery. It's so bright and colorful, perfect to get your day started with

St. Francis Cathedral

on your table!

By lunch time the recommended places were packed with waiting lines. We had seen what we wanted and spent more than we should so it was time to head towards our campground and watch for a place to eat.

Bill knows I LOVE Chick-fil-a and was planning to stop at the one on the way. It was on the other side of the road and we had to

Their windows are gorgeous

pass it and get in a turn lane to get to it. As we passed it I saw a Greek place on our side of the road and told Bill I'd like to try it. Best decision of the day! They were not busy when we arrived so service was prompt and the food was excellent. We both had some leftovers to bring home.

The rest of the day was doing a load of laundry and chilling! 

Last balloon morning - so sad!

Captains Log October 5 – We were up early again and outside by 7:15 to see the best balloon

morning of our 3 days. They seemed to sit  still much longer in  the  same area  than  on other days. It was kind of sad to leave and say goodbye to our friends but it was time to move on to Santa Fe for a few days before making that turn east to head home.

It was a little warmer this morning but still only about 50 when we went out. The air was very still and it looked like there were many more balloons up today. Perhaps that is because they didn't get carried away with heavy currents today.

There was only the 6 of us out watching this morning as most of the other campers are balloonists. I took my good camera out today an got some nice shots of the balloons and some I don't think I'd seen before.

We said out goodbyes to The Barmores and her relatives and headed in to have breakfast and get packed up. We stopped the dump station and Bill handled that duty and then we went across the highway to the Pueblo and VERY slowly filled the tank at the only diesel pump. It maxed out at $100 so we had to do it twice but they had the best price we'd seen and then we were able to pull behind the

Over 60 balloons in this shot

building and hook up. So it worked out well.

The drive to our HIPCO campground was only about 40-45 minutes. It's 20 miles south of downtown Santa Fe and it's a big horse area and stables. There are 30 sites here and it is very peaceful and quiet. You can also walk across the lot and check out a lot of boarded horses as well.

We decided after 3 days of being on the go that today would be a resting day. I don't rest very well so I made a batch of sugar free chocolate chip cookies and stuffed peppers for dinner. We watched some TV and Bill took a nap and we will still have 2 full days to venture into Santa Fe and the surrounding area. I also did a load of laundry and have another ready for tomorrow!

Last day in Albuquerque 😞

Captains Log October 4 – It was another COLD morning! 47 degrees when we went out just after 7 to see the balloonist. Since so many left yesterday from the campground it was just Bill and I and we walked to the other end of the arena and saw our friend Betsy sitting out. Then her sister came out walking their dogs. Eventually the husbands both showed up as well! The balloons were just as beautiful this morning but they didn't fly over us like yesterday and I got a photo of I think at least 50 in the western sky.

We headed in for breakfast and our friends were going to Santa Fe for the day. Hope to catch up with them later when they get back.

After breakfast we eventually got dressed to head out for a jewelry store Bill wanted to go to, but the navigation on his truck apparently

The most balloons I've gotten in a photo

 was way off base. We ended up stopping at World Market and Walmart. I got what I think we need for the next few days.

Bill wasn't feeling good so we headed back to our area but checked out 3 gas stations to see if we could get the RV thru them and one on the reservation looked good and was better pricing than it's neighbor so that's where we will fill up the RV in the morning as we head out.

Once Bill had a nice nap we headed to the jewelry store he had found that might have the ring I want. They have a lot of nice stuff, but not what I was looking for. On the way home we drove through downtown where our favorite native store used to be but was closed a couple of years ago. No one goes downtown anymore. We then went to see if a restaurant we liked was still open and it was. It's across from the University of NM is. It's a pretty busy place.

On the way home Bill took the wrong exit and we got stuck in horrible traffic. It was extremely slow moving and it was great to make the turn on our road!

I made one of Bill's favorite dinners: mashed potatoes, beef in gravy and grilled asparagus. I have to say it was good and we hadn't had it in a while. Nice change of pace.

Then it was TV time. We will head out tomorrow after the balloons go up. 

Awesome balloon day!!!

Captains Log October 3 – It was COLD this morning and we had to turn the heat on for sure! I

layered clothes on and went out to join Bill. We sat in our chairs and took photos of the beautiful balloons. A few were going north but most were going south. With the direction they were going from the lift off you could not really see the colors or designs until they gut up a bit and further out.

Eventually there were lots of them overhead and I love taking photos from the bottom of them.. The most exciting part of the day was having a balloon land right in front of our RV.  I took a 

series of photos of it landing, deflating and all of the helpers.  Once the landing was over, the crowd dissipated. A lot of the RV's were gone by noon. We are thinking they will be back for next weekend!

After lunch we ran a couple of errands to Wal-mart and World Market. Then we went to the Reservation and checked out their gift shops and then Bill went to watch football in the casino while I wasted my money on the slot machines. I really miss the old days of putting your coins in and actually having a clue of what the machine was doing. I really didn't have the pleasure I used to always get even if I lost  my money. Bill had

The most important balloon!!

 migrated to sitting outside when I caught up with him and we headed home.

We had a dinner reservation at El Pinto at 5:30 so we just stopped at home briefly and left for a nice dinner of Mexican food. We both had leftovers, which is always good.

Time to relax with some TV and unwind before bedtime!

Hello Albuquerque!!

Captains Log October 2 – We managed to get a fairly early start this morning. We were right off

Obviously I couldn't wait!

I-40 so it was easy on. Traffic was heavy with trucks and there were 2 single lane areas but we managed to get to Bernalillo Sheriff's Posse Arena in Albuquerque by lunchtime! The grounds were packed with RV's. It was a bit of a surprise as we've been coming here for at least 10 years and our first time there was only us and one balloonist. Now there are a lot of balloonists and other Rver's as well.

Our camping friends, Betsy and Tommy are here with her sister and brother in law. They got in yesterday and are staying 5 nights I think. We didn't see them until we got back from an afternoon excursion.

We went to Old Town. We stopped at a Jewelry store and then parked at the Old Town lot. We didn't know there was a celebration going on sponsored by the city. The old mission church was hosting it's annual festival so there were a lot of

One of the dance groups

people and dancers in the gazebo and music – it was a really nice afternoon. In addition to the sights and entertainment we visited some shops. Nothing lifts your spirit like shopping!

Down the street from the Old Town area is a major Talavera pottery place. Wow! They carry other décor items in addition to wool woven rugs, blankets and more. We picked out new rugs for at home as ours are getting a bit worn. Hope we did a good job on the colors!

After dinner we walked to our friends and visited until the fireworks went off at the Balloon Fiesta. Then it was time to head home as it was getting pretty chilly out! We have to get up early in the morning for the balloon lift off!

Another long day!

Captains Log October 1 – It was a rough (in more than one way) drive today. We were on the road a bit earlier than normal and of course it started off curvy and up and down. That went on for an hour! Then the road crossed a valley and was totally straight and flat, well, it looked flat. Then there must have been a problem putting down the tar, as  every 6-8 feet it dropped and that is not how we want to handle our RV. So I had to drop to 35MPH for at least 45 minutes until we must have changed counties and the road smoothed out considerably. It stayed straight for over 100 miles! Our route was odd as we started in NM, then drove through AZ along the south to north border and eventually went east on I-10, which took us to NM again! I-10 was where the rain started and we ran out and back in a couple of times. I was so glad when we got to our exit in Gallup. If we had time I would have liked to visit the Historic El Rancho Hotel where many black and white movie stars stayed during the movie shoots.

Our campground was easy to find and enter and then we were #6 in the line. 2 more showed up behind me before Bill came out of the office and motioned me to go around the other RV's. They were a group and ended up parking in the row next to us. They traveled together from CA to go to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.

Since it was still a bit rainy out we just rested and chilled until leftover time for dinner. There were RV's still arriviing in the pitch dark after 8:00.

Heading to Albuquerque in the morning for 3 nights and then Santa Fe for 3 nights and sadly that's where we turn East and head for home.