Trip 78-Pt 5

Trip 78, 2005 West, Part 5
Sunday, April 17, 2005

Today is definitely D Day-----Departure that is. Evans wanted to go to Jerry’s to eat. It was an expensive Jewish Deli. The food was OK. Evans got a plate of potatoes the size of a meat platter. I guess there aren’t too many things he can eat for breakfast with his weird diet.

I had to take a quick shower because I was so itchy all day yesterday.

Hamilton handled the traffic on THE 10 like a pro. There were just a couple of actual standstills. It was fast moving and it took forever to get past all the little towns that are right next to each other.

We had a so so meal at Denny’s in Yucca Valley (that’s a town, not a valley) and went on to the Joshua Tree National Park entrance in Twentynine Palms. Then we saw the sign saying all campgrounds were full. Undaunted,, Ham drove right in and right on. We found one site that didn’t look claimed, so here we are. Maybe Smokey will roust us out about midnight or so.

Ham can give an accurate description of the German camper down the way a piece. It is beyond my ability to describe it. nl

It looks like some kind of military utility truck. That’s all I know about that. We did see a sailboat leave a slip right outside Evans’ window. It was at least 36 feet long with a big wheel in the stern cockpit. The captain pulled it out very nicely. Later in the day he came back in doing just as nice a job as he did leaving. I’m glad to see that a boat or two is used for something other than partying. hb

Monday, April 18, 2005

It was something of a lazy morning parked under the huge rocks of Joshua Tree National Park. It was warm, but not too hot, and it felt very good to just laze around it bed for a while. We did expect the ranger to come knocking on our door since we didn’t pay for camping. In fact, Hammie leaped out of bed once, looking for him/her. When no one was there, he figured out he must have been dreaming.

So, leaving a finished paperback for the next camper to take or not, we figured perhaps that was the cost of camping in a national park.

We could not believe how pretty the desert was when we took the same road out that we had come in on last night. I guess all the little flowers had closed up for the night. There were just carpets of yellow. This seemed to be the primary color of desert flowers around the area. I hope the pictures give them justice.

So, we went in to the dreaded Denny’s for breakfast. I feel like I have been eating for three while visiting Evans, so I simply had toast. Ham had healthy oatmeal.

This time when we headed out of town we left on St. Road 62, which was just a continuation of the main drag of town, going right past the entrance to the park. A little ways out of town, there were quite a few houses scattered about the desert. Most of them (I would say all of them, but then Ham would take issue) were very small, very shabby, and obviously were the homes of very poor people. The nearest thing that we have seen to this situation, were the poor Indians on the reservations. Very, quickly the houses just stopped and we had desert all around us with craggy hills on the horizon. Again, the desert was blooming, and with the lonely road, it was very, very pretty.

We did enjoy this drive very much; and, I’m so glad we took this route instead of going down to I 10. Of course, I yelled “No,” very strongly when Ham, filled with adventurous spirit, wanted to take a dirt road. It was a pleasant drive.

After Hammie took over the driving, he called my attention to all the tumbleweeds. The wind had picked up and they were doing their merry rolling across the road. All at once, he said, “Look at that!” There was a dust devil about 25 feet high and about the width of the road at the bottom, whirling away on the right. I was afraid when it crossed the road we would be in the middle of the thing and that wouldn’t have been too good because it was just full of tumbleweeds. They were swirling and rising up the column of air looking just like the movies when they show tornados picking up houses and cows and things and they go swirling up the funnel column. It was just the neatest thing; but did I think to grab the camera and photograph it? Of course not! What a picture that would have made! Maybe we can add it to our list of fish stories…..you know, the one that got away.

Ham nicely obliged when I said I wanted to go to Quartzite. By this time I was pretty hungry from just having toast. So, Mickey’s came through again. I wanted to look for some turquoise beads. We found a pretty reliable looking place right off the bat. Most of the places are so junky. But first we ate, then drove around town looking at the unusual walls a lot of people have. There would be this very small house or trailer, and it would be surrounded by a wall that would cost more than our house at home.

Eventually, I went back to the first shop and we bought Nan Lou a necklace almost like the one Hammie bought me in Laughlin. Of course, I liked mine better. I hope she likes it.

Before leaving town, I wanted to see the BLM desert where people just park their rigs wherever. We actually camped there the last time we were out this way. Right away we were surprised to see the dearth of Saguaros. I kept saying I wanted to find my “pet Saguaro” but that was hard to do with so many missing. So, finally, I just declared one to be it.

It was really too hot for camping just yet. The temperature, believe it or not, was in the middle 80’s. After Evans’ cold apartment, it felt pretty good. We headed toward Phoenix. The trouble was that there were no towns, to speak of, between Quartzite and Phoenix. When we started to get pretty close, I started to look for airports because Ham was sure that Wal Mart wouldn’t let us use their pavement. As he said, Arizona seems to prohibit overnight parking since we have never had permission to stay.

We came to Tonopah which was right off the road and had a big truck parking area. We drove around a bit checking out the campground (for curiosity’s sake only), then went in the Subway which was added to the convenience store in the gas station. I even had an ice cream cone desert.

Ham is fixing some problem on the other computer. When nine o’clock rolls around, I guess I’ll check my e mail, if I can pull it up. In the meantime, I guess I’ll veg. nl

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

There was a nearby truck with its engine running all night but it didn’t seem to bother us too much. Anyway, we awakened pretty early and left the truck stop mainly because I couldn’t go back to sleep. My mind just churned away thinking about our bad brakes and steering. We took a back road half way to Gila Bend and a pretty busy highway the rest of the way. At Gila Bend we found a pretty nice café for breakfast and continued on our way. That is, after driving back and forth through town once or twice trying to make our minds up as to where we were going. We decided to head for Casa Grande and a Dodge dealer and have the LER checked out. Alas, 63 miles later we were told that we could be worked in sometime next week. What ever happened to dealers like in Texas and Gallup, New Mexico where we were taken in immediately? Oh well, the LER can keep on ticking, just like the old Timex.

We did stop at the local WalMart and lube and oil the LER. They weren’t too friendly there missing more than half the grease fittings and having signs posted telling about the dire things that would happen to one if one were to attempt to park there overnight. A typical Arizona WalMart.

From Gila Bend we took I-10 toward Tucson and made it to Marana, a few burbs away from Tucson, where we found a Cracker Barrel, possibly the first one on this trip, and a WalMart that would accept us for the night, a rarity in the fine state of Arizona.

Wow, that certainly was an uneventful day. Maybe Nan Lou can think of the many things I missed. hb

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Ham looked up Japanese restaurants in Tuscon and found out there were 30 of them. We decided to check out the ones on streets that we knew.

I was surprised at the traffic in the city; but Ham said it was always busy. OK: but, THAT busy? We found one Broadway, not so hot, that opened in a half an hour. In the meantime, we decided to check out places on the other street we knew, Speedway. Sushi Ten was the name of a little place that was open for business. It had no décor at all, so to speak. The Asian waitress was helpful and Ham ordered a $12 lunch and mine was six something. He knew he was getting California Roll with his (12 pieces) which he would share with me. I got the edamame, which was cold, and I shared them with him. He shared the salad with me. So, when the food came, we were stunned to see the size of the portions. Three or four enormous pieces of salmon plus some kind of salmon salad and some broccoli and carrots and fried rice plus six pieces of California Roll for each of us. We were absolutely stuffed. The food was very good. And, the place filled up, mostly with Asians so it must have been acceptable with them too.

After stuffing ourselves (I will have gained 15 pounds by the time we get home) it was time to do something about the LER. Ham found the Dodge dealer and made an appointment for tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM. He was told we could spend the night in the empty lot across from the garage.

That taken care of, we went out to the east side Saguaro park. I was trying to find the place with the pretty walk through desert garden. This wasn’t it. But as long as we were there, we took the nine mile drive through the park. Ham said he was glad he didn’t have to pay $10 for the experience. The thing is we saw so many more cacti along the road and marching up the hills and mountains on the drive from Gila Bend to Casa Grande. The cactus experience in the national park was weak at best. We did see a Gambel Quail; if that makes any difference to anybody.

Coming back to the city, Ham stopped at Pep Boys and did magical things underneath the van and seems to have fixed it. I think he said that the screws, bolts, or something like that which held the steering gearbox in place, had all loosened. He tightened them and we drove in circles for quite a while and everything seemed to work. Glorioski! I guess we are going to try to baby the brakes all the way home; so, tomorrow, Ham will cancel the appointment with the Dodge dealer.

He gave the steering a road test by going back up I-10 to the Wal Mart where we stayed last night. After the enormous brunch, I couldn’t believe I was feeling a bit peckish. Hammie gave it due consideration and decided that the chicken sandwiches at Cracker Barrel were better than Mickey or Wendy offered. So we ate there and came back to park for the night.

Ever energetic Hamilton decided to fill the tank with water tonight and I bought a skirt.
We’re keeping fingers crossed about steering and brakes. nl

Thursday, April 21, 2005

The day started off nicely and it was a good day all day, although a bit tiring. It was sort of go go go all day; and it was a little warmer than yesterday.

We went to the Japanese restaurant that we checked out yesterday, called Kampai. Right away we noticed that the ambiance was much nicer than Sushi Ten.

I ordered the Shumai box (little dumplings) and Ham ordered three different kinds of rolls. We both shared and it was a nicer lunch than yesterdays in most ways except the amount. No restaurant would serve more than Sushi Ten. It was a very pleasant lunch.

Then we drove wa-ay over on the other side of town to the San Xavier Mission which was first started in the 1700’s. The building was started toward the end of that century. As usual, there was scaffolding covering half the façade for restoration.
The sanctuary was impressive with painted walls, folk art, and folk paintings. The alter area was very ornate and colorful.

The museum was small but was interesting giving the history of the Mission and the collection of artifacts was small but complete enough to give the viewer an idea of how things used to be.

When we came out, the sun was very hot. Evans called right at that time and standing in the sun talking to him really showed how warm it was bearing down. Then we went to the craft area thinking we would get something cold to drink, but all the tables were in the sun and we had had enough of that. I got a replacement of the little maze that I misplaced a long time ago. I’ll have to keep better track of this one.

We started looking for a comfy place to have a cold drink. When we found out the nice Indian casino was virtually drinkless, it was harder to do than we thought it would be. Where did we end up for a little snack? Why McDonalds, of course.!

Then Ham drove through Tucson Mountain Park that adjoins the West Saguaro National Park. Eureka! For some reason, the cholla cactus had sprung into bloom. We had never noticed it before. The blooms were the prettiest things, quite showy. Some were maroon, some yellow, some clear red, and some almost orange! Who would believe the evil cholla could be so pretty?

Taking the back way to the Wal Mart campground was as good as taking the back way in to the city this morning. Hammie did good!

So we went to Cracker Barrel for a little supper; and, Hammie is as happy as a clam since he got to see Survivor. That’s all. nl

Friday, April 22, 2005

And how happy can a clam be in Arizona? (see yesterdays notes) We were up and off for a last good bye to Tucson about 10:00 AM. I headed for the Tohono Chul city park and found it in a busy suburb with a combination Starbuck’s and Einstein’s kitty corner from it at a very busy intersection. It took a U turn to get to into the parking lot where we parked by the Whole Foods store. Since the line for Starbuck’s wrapped around the world at least once. Einstein’s wasn’t too busy and we found a nice inside table unlike the Marina Del Rey Noah’s which had only three small tables. It was just like being in Broad Ripple.

From there we went around the east side of Tucson to the south side, then back west where we got on business 19 going south. Soon we were on I-19 headed for Tubac, the Nashville, Indiana of Arizona. We had been there before on our winter trips and were surprised to find it empty of tourists. I guess it lives for the snowbirds who always overpopulate southern Arizona. We ate a mediocre lunch, window shopped, and headed for Nogales, Arizona, not Mexico. I missed the turn for the shortcut and we went through a bit of the dreaded Arizona town. There were many trucks heading northward and many businesses that were surrounded with trucks. I guess it is all the Mexican produced goods heading into the states and transfer points from Mexican companies to US companies.

A short while after finding the right road we went through Patagonia, the town with the lady who told us she was taken for a ride in a flying saucer several years ago. We didn’t see her or any saucer like vehicles.

The scenery was nice while we went through the rolling hills between the little mountains. There were no cacti around at all. Soon it flattened and I remarked that it looked like Indiana. Nan Lou said we didn’t have mountains all around the horizon. Picky, picky.

I chose to go to Sierra Vista and not Tombstone since it is a tad shorter route to Bisbee. We stopped by the WalMart to confirm how unfriendly they are here and were greeted with lots of signs prohibiting overnight parking. Unfriendliness confirmed, we proceeded on to Bisbee where we actually stopped at a campground and spent 21 bucks for a spot. It is the little place overlooking the town and not the place we usually stop at about 13 or 14 miles to the east of town.

We had a LER cold dinner for the first time in a long time. Actually I think this is the first expensive campground that we have stopped at. All the others were half price Forest Service or National Park campgrounds. WalMarts are free, Marina Del Rey parking lots were 3 bucks, and the Moab backcountry was also free. I’ve been spoiled. hb

Even though we are over 5000 feet up and the temperature was 68 when we got here the LER is hot. I might not have to break out the red bag which I put away a few days ago. hb The temperature has been going from 71 to 76 all day and it has been overcast. With no sun, it was indeed a nice day to stroll around Tubac. Hammie was very patient. nl

Saturday, April 23, 2005

For the first time, the heat really got to us in the morning. This was after I put the red bag on the bed about 5:00AM. When Ham got to moving, he really moved. The heat was pretty bad and he wanted to get going.

When he stopped to use a trash can a couple of women told him the whole town was blocked off and messed up due to the bicycle race. We had seen lots of them coming from the south and heading right through town.. When Ham asked the traffic cop if he could get in town, he was told the only way was by the north entrance. I kept saying we should just move on, but Ham had the fixed, intent look he gets when he has a quest. So, into town we went. Down the alley that runs parallel to the main drag and low and behold, a space opened up in the parking lot next to the coffee shop. What a surprise!

We went directly to Cornucopia Café for their one of a kind vegetarian sandwich. This time, I ordered half but it came with a huge salad. The sandwich half was so big, I ended up eating it with a fork. Ham was right, as usual; it was a big salad by itself. Dainty Hammie ate with grace and delicacy and didn’t drop a thing; while, I, on the other hand, had veggies on the floor, and covering the entire table lightly.

Then it was down the road toward Douglass, which we skimmed through after visiting their new WalMart that had as many cars with Sonora (that’s as in Sonora, Mexico) plates as American plates, and headed Northeast. We wondered how much trouble it was to cross the border just to go shopping. Finally, Ham turned east on Rte. 9. Then, things got really, really interesting. The drive was very pretty with the shadows on the hills (or mountains, or whatever) But the spooky part was the fact that there was no traffic on the road at all. I mean none. Then we kept coming to these little towns, and the most life we saw in one of them was a scrawny dog. I mean, not a soul stirring, not a car moving! This is on Saturday afternoon too.

OK, so I finally took over the driving, and right away a car headed toward us. Later Ham said I drove about 60 miles and in all that distance we met 10 vehicles and 1 large Greyhound Bus type of thing then one other car. Very weird.

We were pretty hungry by the time we hit Deming. I saw a bunch of people going into a neat and tidy looking restaurant called Primo’s. We had never noticed it before, even though later we learned it had been in business for six years. The food was exceptional; and the music was live. A harp player, an acoustic guitar player (playing a guitar the size of Evans’ travel guitar), an electric bass guitarist; and, sometimes one of them would play the sax. The sound was very, very pleasant.

There was a table of four young people all decked out to go to the prom. The girls couldn’t shut their mouths and the boys just looked uncomfortable with their fancy tuxes on.

As we were paying the bill, another large group came in. Two of the guys had dress (formal, I guess) cowboy suits on, cowboy hats cocked on one side of their heads and extremely pointy-toed cowboy boots. Are we talking cool here, or what? All the little ladies kept yanking up the front of their strapless formals. The facial hair on the guys was shaved into very interesting shapes. One had pencil line thin sideburns going almost to his chin. Ah youth! I told Hammie that it was almost better entertainment than the good band. It brought a tear to my eye.

Back to the new to us Wal Mart! Ham just can’t find a pair of sunglasses like mine that turn everything yellow and everything yellow, white. I can’t find another broomstick skirt. I bought a couple of bras, but I think both are going back.

Ham is doing something to the Velcro that holds up the clock by the bed. He is very busy and is working hard. I am going to see if I can get National Access here. I doubt it. We couldn’t get it in Bisbee. nl

Well, what do I have to add to this fine daily report. The women Nan Lou mentioned were quite frustrated with the traffic in Bisbee. Seems they had been in town the night before and couldn’t go this way and couldn’t go that way. They were driving a van as long as the LER and had to negotiate the Bisbee narrow streets that were half dead ends. The driver said she wasn’t going back there for anything. I commented that driving the long van was a chore. She laughed and said it was especially so with eight yammering women in it.

The bike race looked pretty professional. There were even teams with support vehicles. I said good morning to one guy sitting against the back of his hatchback and he replied that he was getting too old for this stuff. Since we were in town so early and the race officials had made it so difficult getting into town we had the restaurant, the shops, and the street to ourselves. As we were leaving they had opened things up and the crowds were gathering. This race goes on for two days and I imagine they’ll close it up again.

As we were eating in the window seat of the restaurant I mentioned that either the town’s visitors dressed in weird Arizona duds or the locals come out in force to give the place a little color. There was even a guy walking a dog. Not too unusual until you noticed the cat sitting on the dog’s back. A closer look and you could see two white mice sitting on the cat’s back. I took some photos and Nan Lou contributed some money to the animal care-taking place that he was collecting for. (I know there’s a more acceptable name for such places but it escapes me for the moment) I have no more to say. hb

Sunday, April 24, 2005

We were up and at ‘em around 10 AM. I even headed for Mickey’s we were so early but got sidetracked at Denny’s. Since it was Sunday everyone in town was at Denny’s and I continued on toward Mickey’s. On the way there I remembered how bad Mickey’s coffee has been and turned around to cruise the main drag for another likely place. Alas, there weren’t any. But, there was a sign for the Holiday Inn and their restaurant. And, that’s where we had breakfast. Mine was good, Nan Lou’s was so-so. It was a beautiful morning with white puffy clouds and a comfy temperature. We had some rain and strong winds last night but it was clear and sunny when we awakened.

Having exhausted Deming’s fun places we discussed where we were going. Gallup was back too far and too far north, El Paso had no appeal, but Las Cruces and their very big bookstore called out. We enjoyed the view approaching Las Cruces with the nice mountain range behind the city and went directly to the bookstore where we spent $80.00 for old worn out books. That might have bought a couple of nice fetishes in the aforementioned city to the north. Well, maybe one real nice one.

By then it was too late to go to La Mesilla where we usually walk around the old square but seldom buy any thing. We like the restaurant there but were not hungry enough to make the ten mile trip. With nothing left to do we headed for Alamogordo where we knew of an accommodating WalMart just waiting for us.

The WalMart was not only accommodating, it had the sun glasses I had been looking for and another skirt Nan Lou had been wanting to get.

Wendy’s got the nod for dinner. Wendy’s didn’t have any potatoes or lemons for the iced tea. Wendy’s is moving down to the bottom of the list of acceptable eateries.

Earlier Nan Lou was feeling puny but perked up after the bookstore. The bookstore put me down and I didn’t get feeling better until after two potty trips and two WalMart trips.

The temperature is in the 60’s and feels pretty cool. I guess the rain last night was part of a cold front. I better get the red bag out. hb

Well, I did get my nice many-eagle necklace at La Mesilla. That was nice. nl

Monday, April 25, 2005

We found we were in a new time zone yesterday and slept late because of LER lag. By the time we left Alamogordo and drove the short distance up to Tularosa for brunch at some Mexican restaurant we had enjoyed in the past our appetites had awakened. Alas, as someone said about going back, we couldn’t. The incomparable eating team of Nan and Ham voted both the Moab and the Deming restaurants better. And the chairs were killers.

We drove around Tularosa looking at their old houses and cottonwood trees that are very big and gnarled. It was the time of year when they had the irrigation ditches flowing throughout the town to water all the cottonwoods. I was told the water comes from the nearby mountains and is diverted between the farmers and the town and the property owners all pay according to their amount of land. Some yards were covered with several inches of water. Old fixed up adobe houses in the town go for over $200,000.

From there we went north to route 70 which goes past Ruidoso and the Mescalero Apache Indian reservation and some real pretty mountains, one of them being the 12,000 foot Sierra Blanca which still had some snow on it. Nan Lou did most of the driving which included fighting the heavy crosswinds most of the way to Roswell. We stopped at the UFO museum for a postcard only. We’d been in it twice and one can only take so much UFO crap. A stop at a downtown deli/coffee house proved to be futile since there sandwich materials hadn’t arrived yet. I didn’t quite understand that, but that’s what we were told. Heading north on the highway from downtown we stopped at the dirtiest Arby’s in the world for a small sandwich and a cold turnover. Sometimes we just don’t get lucky with eateries.

A little farther up the road and we found an accommodating WalMart across from the shopping center, which used to house the Italian restaurant which served my favorite spaghetti. I’m glad I was still stuffed from the Mex meal and the Arbyucky because it had long since changed its’ theme and closed. BUT, they had a four screen movie there and we went to see Sahara. Was that a waste of time and money. Nan Lou said the only saving grace was viewing Mathew Maconahee. I, of course, retorted with a similar remark about Penelope Cruse. If truth be told, I could have bypassed looking at Penny and saved my sensibilities by not seeing the movie.

We crossed the street to our parking place among the big motor homes in the WM lot, turned the furnace on because it is cold again, got out the computers. Nannie called and after being forced to look in her mailbox said she found the Dog Walker tee shirt we sent a few days ago. And so be it. Nan Lou just told me that there is no cell phone computer connection here. No wonder the aliens came to this backward part of the country. Ooops, another try and I was able to connect through the slow and nearly useless Net 2 Quick. hb

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

It was about 10:00 AM when we started moving. We went back toward town to Denny’s and sat for awhile waiting for a waitress. Finally we gave up and went looking for another place. There was a local place that was much less crowded than Denny’s and served up a pretty good lunch. There were many photos and letters on the wall chronicling a visit by George W. Bush that he made to the restaurant during the last campaign. Denny’s can’t match that. Nor much of anything else.

It was time to hit the bank for some cash, which we did before leaving Roswell heading for Texas on US 70. US 70 is a four lane road much like an interstate but with practically no traffic. I drove until we decided to take lesser roads to Lubbock, Texas on our way to the big book store in Archer, Texas owned by Larry McMurtry, famous author. Nan Lou took over the driving on the two lane and found it to be her kind of road, wavy and rough. At least there were no construction zones or other impedances that she usually gets when it’s her turn to drive.

About 20 miles from Lubbock I took over as the road became a four laner. For about ten miles prior to that we passed more oil wells than I had ever seen. There was a pumping unit every 200 feet in every direction and they extended as far as you could see. At Lubbock we took the bypass that was being repaired or upgraded with lane switching galore. We spotted our home for the night and had to do a Texas-go-around from the interstate-like bypass to get to it. Since we weren’t in Arizona I felt pretty sure that WalMart would let us park for the night, which they did. There is an Appleby’s right next to WM and we ate a fine Weight Watchers dinner before settling in for the night. The time zone changed again and the time here is now the same as the time at home. I don’t know if we are in our zone or if it’s another zone with daylight saving time. Hey, maybe our new governor got daylight time through, though I don’t see how it could be done so quickly.

Nan Lou is working online through the cell phone and it seems the quicker National Access isn’t working. We are either in a no National Access or Verizon is locking us out. Quick 2 Net is doing its usual sucky job. hb

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

We found one Japanese restaurant with little trouble. The thing is they didn’t have salmon and the place looked pretty grimy and seedy. So, we started looking for the other one; and, finally had to call for directions. Wouldn’t you know it was just a block or two down the street from the other one.

The bad place was Shogun and the place we ate was Tokyo Steakhouse. It was several steps above the first one. It was all hibachi grill. There were five other people at our table. That was a new experience for us. It was interesting to see the chef cook all the different meals for the people. I was rather fascinated by how he knew exactly how much to cook. He clickety clacked more than the chefs in Flagstaff and he was pretty good at throwing salt. We had salmon without the teriyaki. It was very mild and tasty. Since it wasn’t on the menu, we had to pay dinner prices. Oh well, we felt healthy. They guy cooked a big batch of fried rice, and it was only after we left that I learned we were charged for it, even though we had no choice about getting it. It was just dumped on our plate. Hmm!

After being fortified, we started east for Archer City. We took turns driving. The road was empty of traffic and the driving was easy. Parts of the scenery were pretty in a subtle sort of way. Ham said it was just like Sedona because the ground was red. There were steep erosions, arroyos, etc. Wild flowers bloomed along side the road. Actually, we agreed that it was prettier than the acclaimed Texas Hill Country. Of course for most of the trip it was just flat. Then, we got into cow country with huge herds grazing.
There were oil wells but not as many as yesterday. Then we got into horse country. The horses looked sleek and plump and it looked just like Lexington, KY. There was one huge spread with 6666 in great big numbers on the buildings. It was here, that we saw our honest to goodness cowboy, trotting along looking all western in hats, boots, and what have you. I wondered if he was paid to trot up and down the field to add local color. Whenever it is possible, I do want to look up this ranch on the internet.
It was a little over 200 miles to Wichita Falls which is longer than most of our daily travels. Since the road was practically empty and we switched drivers a lot, the drive wasn’t too bad and it went quickly.

We did see another guy on horseback and a few hanging around their pickup trucks in one little town.

We got to Wichita Falls and Ham found the Wal Mart with no trouble and he got permission to spend the night. Then the fun began. He decided to look for the local Japanese restaurants tonight instead of tomorrow. Using his trusty computer, he ALMOST knew where to go. It is not too far from Wal Mart, but it, too, does not have salmon. We’ll just have to see if we are in the mood for sushi tomorrow for breakfast.

Then, it was off to find the other restaurant. It was on the other side of town, and we drove, and drove, and drove and finally determined the place was no longer in business. Ham wanted to eat a cheap Big and Tasty for supper. So, he drove and drove and drove and finally cut through a side street. I’m thinking they will find our bones someday, when he came to a main street and there, right across the street was Mickey’s Place. I swear he has a built in radar antennae. After eating and feeling pretty bad because we checked out the fat content of our meal, we tried to find our way back to Wal Mart. So, we drove and drove and drove until we spotted the highway we came into town on. From there it was a snap. We just followed the path we used to find Wal Mart in the first place.

So, Ham is doing something with Gator and I’m through. nl

Thursday, April 28, 2005

The night was hot. I awakened about 1:30 and had to open the window to breath. Then I couldn’t sleep, so I read until 4:30. We both were awake about 9 AM and went across the street to the Internet café for bagel and coffee. This place was brand new and really big with four or five serious looking workstations and a few private offices. There was one guy doing something to a computer game and another guy at another computer. We couldn’t see what he was doing. A girl or two came out of the private areas once or twice to get coffee. I think they are some kind of clandestine computer outfit working for the CIA or BVD.

From there we headed 24 miles south to Archer City and McMurtry’s four book stores. The first thing we noticed was a typewritten letter on the front door written by McMurtry saying he was getting old and tired and the stores would close at the end of the year. There was something about just shutting the doors and leaving things in place until the next, “Turn of the wheel.” How about that?

We looked at some of the “Collectible” books, ‘Cave Bear’ first for $100, an old Hiaasen for $45, and even an original ‘Willy and Joe’ cartoon signed by Bill Maudlin from WW11. It was $600.

A lot of the books in the regular shelves were a wee bit old and first editions. They carried prices from $20 to $40 even if they were in poor shape. A lot of them weren’t even near being collectible books. Everyday books in good condition were at least $15 and up. We bought a new McGarity book for $15 figuring it would be at least a year before it hit half price for $12. All of this was in Book Store No. 1, the main store. The shelves were 14 feet high and there were rolling stairs to access the high shelves. The girl there told us to go to the other stores, pick out our books and bring them to her and pay her there. She said they think “Book People” are honest folk. We went to No. 2 and saw that you could really walk off with some books pretty easily. Of course, the geeks back at the internet café in Wichita City would be keeping tabs on you and the Book Patrol would pounce like the Border Patrol on a wet back.

The war books were in No.2 and there were a lot of them, none too interesting and mostly pretty faded and worn looking. The bookstore in Los Cruces is smaller, but it has better books.

We bypassed No. 3 and No. 4 because we weren’t interested in the books there, whatever boring subjects they dealt with.

Methinks McMurtry is probably waiting for a buyer to come along and offer him big bucks for his books and buildings.

Anyway, it is an interesting place to go, even if it is just to badmouth his books. I imagine one might occasionally find a rare buy. Or at least a book that isn’t floating around Half Price back home.

Heading back to Wichita Falls Nan Lou mentioned stopping at the Starbucks we passed on our way south. Hoo Haa! I couldn’t remember how to get back to the exact place and we ended up on the far opposite side of the city. This is a smallish city with practically no traffic and one of the worst street layouts and marking systems I have ever been in. Or maybe I am just street challenged.

We did find our way to the right road heading north toward Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains. But no Starbucks. Also, back in Witchy Falls I tried to get gas at three different stations. Gas was no problem, but water and a squeegee were. Either nothing at all or a squeegee setting in a pot of dirt. I got five gallons that lasted all the way to Ardmore, Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains and the window washer pots are brim full.

On our way to Ardmore, about five miles into Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains, we stopped at a Comanche casino that had a small feeding area where we had an adequate brunch.

Wally is our host again and we found a few things in the grocery department for a late romantic dinner in the LER. Actually, Nan Lou strong-armed me into the grocery bit since I was headed for Wally’s Mickey. You might need to get your decoders out for that last one.

It seems to be a bit coolish out there, but as usual, the LER generates heat like Three Mile Island. Decoder, decoder.

Well, enough of my weird humor. hb

Friday, April 29, 2005

After an hour struggling with American Nasty Express and Discover trying to get the bills under control, I finally made it to bed last night. To my surprise this morning, the coolish air of last night had gotten coolisher. I thought it was because the sun wasn’t shinning turning the LER into an oven. After we got moving I realized that it was just plain cold here in Okalahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains. The temperature barely inched up to 50 all day long: a far cry from yesterdays 80 plus and sunshine.

While looking at the map yesterday, Nan Lou saw the town of Gene Autry a few miles north of Ardmore and said she had to go there. We immediately headed that way, bypassing breakfast, and found the tiny hamlet of Gene Autry that had a few houses, a few closed businesses, and a pretty large building that housed the post office, the town hall, and the Gene Autry museum. I wasn’t going to bother with it but Nan Lou said she’d go and peek inside. A few minutes later she came out and told me that I’d better get off my butt and take a looksee. I did and was stunned at what it was. There were three long and wide hallways and about ten separate rooms off of the hallways. Many, many square feet just filled with Gene Autry memorabilia. There were even separate rooms and or displays dedicated to other western movie stars of the same era. Movie posters from more movies than one thought had ever been made. Photos of every western movie star that walked the earth. There were Guitars, toy guns, saddles, clothing, pocketknives, and old 78 rpm records displayed in every room. It was pretty cool. There was even a small display showing Patsy Montana who sings, ‘I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart’, to us every now and then in the LER.

We found out that the town adopted the Gene Autry name in 1941 a few years after he bought a nearby ranch where he could raise stock. We wondered how many people came to this out of the way place to see everything. There were only two or three going through it when we were.

By then we had worked up an appetite and were lucky to find a restaurant in a motel in the wee town of Sulfur. The Chickasaw Indians either owned it or the area was on a reservation because they had Chickasaw in their name and a small room full of slot machines. We both had bison burgers, not buffalo burgers, which the waitress called hamburgers as she confirmed our order. That, and the fact the meat wasn’t really dry like other buffalo burgers I had eaten led me to suspect what we were really eating. Was it bison, buffalo, or hamburger? The taste was so hidden by lettuce, onion, mustard, and ketchup, I couldn’t tell.

Trying to keep from the dreaded freeways and toll roads had led us to Sulfur and we were determined to keep it that way until we are forced to get on one. The roads, Oklahoma 1, US 270, and others did just that and we ended up in Poteau, Oklahoma for another Wally night of fun. There were many pretty yellow and red wildflowers along the highways and even thickly scattered in adjacent fields. Nan Lou picked one of each to accompany her rapidly fading rose.

Having passed a Pizza Hut on our way to WalMart we made our way back there for some pasta. The little girl filling the salad bar told us that it would be at least a 45 minute, or longer, wait for an order because they were really swamped. Since they were only about one-tenth full, I couldn’t figure it out. Maybe, being Friday night they had a lot of carry out or deliveries. Maybe it was just our suave and debonair appearance that did it, just like the Denny’s where you wait forever. These Westerners just have a thing for us sophisticates from the east. Shit fire, what else could it be, Bubba?

Anyway, we ended up at a western ice cream place that served burgers and such stuff. I had chili, which sucked, and Nan Lou had chicken pieces that were adequate. Luckily I had stocked up on grapes and strawberries in Wally’s earlier.

Tomorrow we must decide how to cross Arkansas, I-40, or some winding mysterious byways. That is if we survive the night with the icy winds sweeping down the Oklahoma plains. The furnace is on and we are now warm. hb

Saturday, April 30, 2005

It was pretty cool this morning; at least we slept pretty late. Ham immediately started complaining that it was too warm because a sunbeam or two was hitting the LER. So, with the roar of the semi tractor behind us, we fled to the adjoining gas station where the prices were somewhere in the vicinity of $2.04 which was cheap, to say the least, compared to what we have been paying.

Driving a bit, Logan’s was a choice for breakfast. However, since I was feeling yucky in the tummy, Ham thought a real breakfast might do more for me. He was nice; not bean at all. So we drove to Fort Smith to our first Cracker Barrel in ages. I had a fried egg breakfast and it was pretty good. Ham had chicken and dumplings. Then, we were on our way again. Tummy was full, but the yucky feeling didn’t go completely away.

Ham kept driving and driving. I could have driven to relieve him, but he was still in nice mode. The countryside seemed so green. The trees were big. I think we must have gone through the Ozark mountain area since one of the exits was labeled Ozark. A clue, huh?

There were a lot of reservoirs and it was a nice, pleasant pastoral drive. Lots and lots of grazing cows and a huge, sturdy bull or two! There are also a lot of horses here in Arkansas.

All this time I kept feeling very, very tired. I really don’t know why. I had a really good night’s sleep and a really good breakfast.

Anyway, we came to Searcy and got permission to park at Wal Mart, then started thinking about supper. Ham said he wasn’t hungry and I wasn’t too much. Nothing tickled our fancy as we drove by all the usual fast food places that grow along the interstate. Ham wanted spaghetti at Pizza Hut last night and couldn’t have it, so when we passed that, it seemed to be calling.

It was really crowded and noisy with several groups of soccer teams and one table of parents; but, Ham thought his food was pretty good although it had meat and bad stuff in it. I had a personal pan pizza, veggie, and it tasted pretty good too.

We stopped by the movie that looked absolutely dead. We would have had to wait an hour or so for a feature to start and the place looked crummy anyway, so we returned to the parking lot to find the perfect camp site for the night.

We closed up our curtains and crawled in the back for a rest, which turned out to be a nap. That felt good. Then, I finished my McDonald book and got up to write this while Ham was supposed to continue reading and resting. But here he is, pouring over an old USA Today; and, I’m finished. nl

Sunday, May 01, 2005

The temperature went down to 42 last night, the night before it was 44. I couldn’t complain about the heat.

We awakened pretty early mainly to hit Mickey’s before breakfast was over. I was looking forward to a bagel and cream cheese although I knew it would be a poor substitute for Noah’s or Einstein’s. Little did I know that I would end with a bagel with egg, cheese, and a giant hunk of mystery meat. Seems that the lad who took the order wasn’t too sharp with the order computer. I did remove the three dreadful items and just ate the bagel. Nan Lou pigged out on an egg McMuffin. Bad Nan Lou.

We headed for Memphis on the two lane route 64 and were pleased with the lack of traffic and pleasant scenery. We noticed many small and medium sized rivers that were full, and even overflowing, their banks. Quite different from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. After a while Nan Lou noticed plowed fields with mounds of dirt about a foot or two high curving across the fields in what seemed to be a random pattern. It almost looked like terracing but there was no discernable slope to the fields. All of these fields were between a small city called Bald Knob and the Arkansas state line at Memphis. I finally stopped at a general store and went in to inquire about the rows of dirt. There were two guys sitting in a back room where it was set up like a café. They were studying a couple of big gun catalogs. I asked, and was told that they were levees to control the water for the rice fields. I though rice was just grown way down south in Louisiana, Mississippi, and China. We learn something useful every day.

Soon we hit I-55 that took us into Memphis. Need I say that is in Tennessee? I-55 crossed the Mississippi over an old bridge and we could see where I-40 crossed it on a newer fancy bridge off in the distance. There was a big pyramid building near the I-40 bridge which I vaguely remember form a past river crossing. For the life of me I cannot remember what it is. Maybe I’ll look it up in an old log and see if it was mentioned.

I had planned to take Nan Lou to Graceland since she said once that she would like to see it. We found the Graceland exit and took the Elvis Presley road to Graceland. The first thing we noticed was that the street was pretty seedy looking. Not exactly what one would expect for the road named for the King Of Rock and Roll. Soon we found the complex with parking on one side of the street along with a big souvenir shop and a museum and his big private airplane the Lisa Marie. I think it is an old DC-4 or DC-6. The Graceland mansion was across the street and I guess you were taken there in a bus for the tour. I say, “I guess,” because when we found that parking was $5, tickets for the mansion $20 (apiece), and $6 and $8 (apiece) for the museum and some other attraction, we decided to be on our way. Nan Lou will now tell all her friends about how I was too cheap to take her to Graceland. Well, if we didn’t go to the alligator show in St. Augustine for $8, what can one expect? There were many people there and it wasn’t even vacation season yet. Go figure.

We tried to find a Japanese restaurant that was open in Memphis, but they were all closed, except for one in the far eastern suburbs. That turned out to be a mall fast food place. We ate at Logan’s, just like home. Afterward, Nan Lou finally had her iced decaf soy latte.

Back on the road, we took I-40 for forty miles and then switched to US 79, a good old two laner. The first thing we noticed about this Tennessee road was it was narrow. Then we noticed that all of the small towns were practically end-to-end like a rural megapolis.
Nan Lou was driving and she complained about the impoliteness of these Tennessee drivers compared to the drivers in other states, even the dreaded California.
We seem to be in a rut about spending the night at WalMarts. I suggested a park nearby as we neared Paris, Tennessee and Nan Lou was totally surprised. I guess she thinks I am King of the Chintzes. What can I say? It just is so easy to pull of the road into a WalMart instead of searching out the parks down some remote road, messing with registration, and finding a good site. Oh yes, I am the King. And we are at the Wally’s in Paris.

We ate lightly at Mickey’s. I could have done without eating at all, but I was nervous and had to stuff something in my mouth. It’s a good thing I never smoked. When we first started this trip, I enjoyed the simple LER meals of hard boiled egg whites, veggies, fruit, and a simple imitation cheese sandwich. Oh how I have fallen. hb

Monday, May 02, 2005

Breakfast was something of a problem since we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Oh there were plenty of fast food eateries, but we both are tiring of the grease that comes out of those. So, we started off down the road and soon noticed a sign saying a State Resort Park. Ham toodled on when I saw a sign saying lodge and restaurant. He said, “Where?’ And, I replied, “You just passed the road.” Witty conversationalists that we are! So, with all the practice he’s had, Ham made one of his expert Ueys and returned to the road. The lodge was not nestled miles and miles from the main road as some are. In fact we came to it rather quickly and noticed that it seemed large and well designed. By the way it was in Paris Landing State Resort Park.

They had just set up the lunch buffet, which was reasonable in price—somewhere between six and seven dollars. We chose to eat from the menu and the food was pretty good. We checked out said buffet on our way out and it was quite extensive. I always wonder how much I can eat, anyway.

We drove through Tennessee and thought it was quite nice. However, the road going up the middle of Land Between the Lakes was nothing much to speak of, even though it was listed on the map as a scenic byway. Just trees and more trees on each side and it was narrow and winding. A few Bison (still called Buffalo by moi) were seen off in the distance. We stopped at a rest stop at the side of the road, called Golden Pond, and there were two mysterious cement steps, about 4, I think, leading to nothing. That was certainly a mystery. There were some Western garbed guys and a bunch of horses in the back of the grassy area. Maybe they use the steps to climb upon their steeds.

Getting into Kentucky, the scenery was rolling and My Oh My how these Kentuckians like to mow their lawns. They would have cardiac arrest at our yard. It seemed like every house had 4 or 5 acres mowed all around it. Of course the effect was quite pleasing.

The dogwoods were in full bloom, which was something of a surprise. I keep forgetting its May because the temperature has been in the 50’s all day. It has really felt cold. I dug out my old zip up sweatshirt. It was sunny with blue sky and little fluffy clouds, but it was cold. A friend wrote to say Indianapolis had a couple of days in the 80’s and then it plummeted down to the 50’s again. I’m hoping by now, it has gotten all that stuff out of its system and it will soon get warm again. Not hot, mind you, just nice and warm.

We crossed over into Indiana at Cannelton. Back Home Again In Indiana….LaLa..LaLa..La La. We drove a bit down the road to Tell City where Wally gave us permission to park for the night. Then we drove a bit farther and found a Subway. We always feel so proud of ourselves when we eat healthy. What good children we are! Darn, I wish I had a plum to pull out of the pie.

So then it was naptime until Nannie called and woke Ham up. He is able to spring out of bed like a gazelle while I am still thinking about moving. So, I thought I would write this. Then tomorrow, the campground will be Oakland Avenue, I fear. Darn, again! nl

May 3, 2005

The temperature this morning was pleasant in the van. Last night, or rather at 5:00 AM when I got up, I was freezing. Ham was cold too; so, some cuddling took care of that. Then when we stirred around 9:30 or so, I thought it was going to be nice and warm. Wrong, again! The temperature was in the 50’s and dropped to the low 50’s the farther north we went.

Ham said something about eating at Leavenworth and that escaped me for a while since I always think of a prison with a name like that. Finally, I remembered the restaurant perched high on a cliff overlooking two bends of the Ohio River. That was worth waiting for. The drive to it was very nice too. The food was passable and the service was lackadaisical, but the view is outstanding, especially when you have a window table.

We drove through Beautiful Southern Indiana and admired the dogwoods in bloom; and I had it backwards, the Redbud blooms first. They were already leafing and the blossoms were fading. The drive was curvy and hilly, but very pretty.

We had decided, last night, to stretch out the vacation for another night but when Ham turned toward Brown County State Park from Rte. A37, the brakes started grinding and shuddering---they shudder a lot----but, this weird noise was scary and sounded like the brakes would give it up any minute. So Hammie turned around and went right back to Rte. 37 and headed home. Grr!

Of course I had to give him my passenger seat instructions on how to save the brakes all the way home. The man showed the patience of Job and did not order me out of the car.
Hah! That would have been a good one to observe. Anyway, taking the way with the least amount of stops, we arrived home sometime about 4:00 PM

We, of course, took the computers in first, then just a few more things and it was time to eat. I thought Hamilton would be thrilled at the prospect of trying out the new Q Doba. He surprised me by saying he wanted to go to La Piedad. The meal was very good.

I have had my shower and feel clean for the first time in ages. Ham is opening piles and piles of mail, and then it is off to the shower or bath for him.

May 18, 2006. The troubles we had with shuddering while braking was stopped after I discovered the loose bolts on the power steering gearbox that the so called Dodge Dealer experts could never find. Prior to this trip one of these dealers changed the steering gearbox five times before he finally installed one that worked properly. Actually the forth unit worked best but it was leaking because of a "cut seal" and had to be replaced and not just have the seal replaced. The fifth unit was adequate until the mounting bolts worked loose. The brake problem at the very end happened when one brake pad just about disintegrated. Being fed up with the dealers, I replaced calipers, pads, rotors, hoses, and sundry parts when we arrived home. The brakes have never preformed better. EXCEPT, I believe these Dodge brakes on the one ton chassis are not really designed for the weight of the vans and overheat easily and then warp. The GVWR is 8510 pounds while the LER's actual weight is 7400 pounds loaded and ready to go.

I just read in the CarTalk web site that a survey they made showed that dealers across the country charged something like 12% to 18% more for repairs than independent repair facilities (for Dodges). They made a statement that often it is worth the little extra to have the experts do the work. I think they are wrong. (5 steering gear boxes!!!) Look at cartalk.com for their exact words.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/dealers/results1.html

I have had several “nice” Dodge Dealer experiences, but overall I have felt that the service departments have been rather lacking in their work and knowledge or are downright crooked.

Yes Virginia, this is, The End.

Back to DragonTrips.

The flowers of the ocotillo cactus.

This is a opuntia (prickley pear) cactus.
I don't know what opuntia means,
sounds like afootball thing.
I do understand prickley pear though.
Ouch!

This is a cholla cactus. My wife says that if you
come within two feet of them the they will attack
and you'll be picking out needles all day.

Some flowers do not have the protection that
the cacti has. One can pick them without fear.

We were very furtunate to be in the desert
at the right time. I had no idea it could be so beautiful with flowers of every color.

Some of these western roads are such a
delight to drive. We drove for miles and
did not see another car, truck, or the
dreaded tourist in the RVs that are
practically bumper to bumper
on the interstates.

The San Xavier Mission, located near Tucson,
Arizona, is just about 300 years old. At first I
thought the section on the left had been worked
over by Cristo for one of his drape artsy
projects. I was quickly set straight by my
better three-quarters; it was undergoing
some restoration work.

The following four photos show the interior of the well restored and maintained Mission. You have to be impressed with
the workmanship no matter
what your faith.

Bisbee, Arizona usually has a lot of people milling about, but today there is a big bicycle race or tour going through the town and it was pretty well blocked off.

The excellent veggie sandwiches at the
Cornucopia Café. This whole trip was because
we had a craving for them. The lady across
from me reduced her sandwich to the size
you see in her hand with one really big bite.

This appears to be tourists who are too cheap to fork over the moolah for gas. They all had on very tight clothing that showed off their well muscled bodies. I had to watch Knan Knoo very closely.

Bisbee is an old mining town and really cool

Now this is what I'd call a real
weird manage a trois.
Pardon my spelling,
my German is pretty bad.

Bisbee's houses stack up the hill like houses
stacked up a hill. Some residents have to park
their cars way down below and take a hot air
balloon up to the house.

There is this big statue in town dedicated to
the miners. He stands nobly with a hammer
tool in one hand and his other tool in the other
hand. After seeing him we sadly left Bisbee.

An interesting motorhome with an extra set of wheels to help hold up the added back porch. The car being towed is an old MG B. I think I might add a front porch to the LER with a device to push a car so I can see it at all times.

Larry McMurtry's main used book store in
Archer, Texas. It might not be there now, or it
might be there under a new name.
Or maybe I just dreamed it.

This Gene Autry museum in Gene Autry, Oklahoma, was really neat. It is off the
beaten path, but well worth the thousands
of miles we traveled just to find it.

This is just a small section of the museum. On
another trip we found the Tom Mix museum in
a little town in northern Oklahoma just a wee bit
north of Bartlesville. It isn't as big as Gene's place,
nevertheless, verrry interessstinggg. One of these
days there will be no one left who remembers
these two cowboys. From the emptiness of both
places, it won't be soon. Sad.

I think we ran into some kind of dimensional warp. We found this area with dikes going on
over many acres. I stopped and asked, relax
men, I wasn't asking for directions, and was
told it was for a field of rice. You know, like
rice paddies. I think we hit this dimensional
warp and were somewhere in China.

Back home in Indiana. The view from the
Overlook restaurant in Leavenworth, Indiana.
We are almost home.