ME & QUEEN ELIZABETH:))

FRIDAY MARCH 28/08

Our spring melt here in the park's pine forest is progressing painfully slow with temperatures only hovering around the freezing mark during the day. Cloudy days have kept the sun from biting into the snow banks. Still not able to get outside & begin the spring clean up either here or over at Deerpark Lodge. And I do truly enjoy the spring clean up & always look forward to it. In the meantime, boredom prevails so I've decided to add some articles to the blog that I had written previously but had never put in the blog before. This one is entitled, "Me & Queen Elizabeth."

I wrote the article awhile back for CARP's 50+ site when the topic was, "Famous People I Have Met." (first let me say that I have never met any famous people but I've seen a few) Out came my pen & paper & once again I reached back through my memory banks & what's left of my brain data to see who was all there. This is what I managed to retrieve from the mists of time...........

I think it was sometime in the mid fifties & I was probably ten years old or so when I first saw the Queen of England. It was a fleeting glimpse as she & the Prince of Whales passed by in an open car on William Street, Stratford Ontario Canada. But, I was sure she saw me. Afterall, I was a young 10 year old boy with a big imagination so why wouldn't she have seen me. The roadside was jammed with throngs of cheering people as far as I could see & the Queen of England had just become my friend. It would be another 45 years or so before the Queen & I would lay eyes on each other again.

Canadians will recall some of these next names.............
I remember seeing our then Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker when I was a small boy in public school. He stopped in the village of Tavistock Ontario where I grew up & gave a speech by the town's water fountain. I related this story to a friend of mine from Tavy & he said, well don't you remember Pierre Elliott Trudeau coming through town a few weeks later doing the same thing. Alas, I didn't. Must have been one of those days I was playing hooky.

In 1967/68 I was a doorman/car jockey at a then posh Tower Hill apartment building at the corners of St. Clair & Spadina Ave in Toronto. The president of the Canadian Cancer Society lived there & one night held a big entertainment function. Myself & another fellow doorman were at the big front glass doors as the limousines rolled up. We smartly stood at attention & swung open the doors for Princess Margaret & Lord Snowden. I remember how she glowed as she walked by with all her jewels on & how handsome Lord Snowden looked. Later that evening 4 of us had to move a heavy piano from a hallway into the suite where the party was going on because pianist Peter Duchin was playing. There was a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player there that night as well but not sure who it was. Might have been Carl Brewer.

Sat at a table next to Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in a little Halifax coffee house back in 1966. I was in the Navy at the time. His career was just in the process of revving up & he was playing there. I remember their table was pretty "lively!!" Saw him once more after that in concert at The Center In the Square in Kitchener, Ontario. I think it was sometime in the eighties.
Saw rompin Ronnie Hawkins at the Stratford Coliseum in the early 60's when he was a really wild & crazy guy. Some members of his band went on to form, "The Band" who in later years backed Bob Dylan.
While living in Stratford Ontario back in the 90's I drove for a company called, The Stratford Airporter taking people to & from Pearson International Airport in Toronto. I drove singer & harpist Loreena McKennit several times as well as another lady from a Canadian group called, Farmer's Daughter. Actors from the Stratford Shakespearian Festival frequently traveled as well. Bill Needles, Martha Henry & Rod Beattie were a few of the travelers.

Saw Johnny Cash & June Carter at Toronto's Ontario Place as well as Tina Turner & Cindy Lauper. Been to concerts in Toronto by, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, The Eagles, & Neil Young. Saw Roberta Flack on stage at the Festival theater in Stratford. Listened to Moe Kaufman playing, The Swinging Sheppard Blues in Stratford as well.
Back in the 70's & 80's there was a well known stage actress at the festival in Stratford by the name of Pat Galloway. Before moving to Bayfield in 02 I did a lot of grounds work for Pat & her husband Barnhard at their home near St. Marys Ontario. Really, really nice down to earth people. Fellow stage actors William Hutt, Douglas Chamberlain & Douglas Campbell would sometimes be there. In Pat's heyday we heard that there were some pretty lively parties on their estate with various in town Hollywood actors popping in.

Well, I've got a little long winded again here haven't I.

Oh yes, about me & Queen Elizabeth & our second meeting. I think it might have been in the summer of 1998. The Queen was in Stratford again & I heard she would be heading off to Woodstock, Ontario in early afternoon. I knew that I may never see her again so I hopped on my motorcycle & headed over to a spot out in the country along highway 59 just a few miles north of Hickson Ontario. Nice open spot & no throngs of people this time. Finally, the normal traffic going by ended. No cars at all. Waited & waited & then one car went by & few minutes another one followed a few minutes later by another one. This went on for about 5 minutes. Had I missed her?? Then I saw the convoy of cars coming fast. First one, two or three & then there she was & she was sitting by the back window on my side of the road. Light blue outfit with a matching blue hat. I was standing beside my motorcycle as I waved. No mistaking it this time, she looked right at me, but alas, there was no recognition in her eyes from 45 years before. Whoooooooosh, the car was by in seconds & she was gone..................... And that was my little story of, Me & Queen Elizabeth:))

Now, don't you wish you had gone & vacuumed the floor, washed the car or something instead of sitting here reading all this:((

P.S. Meant to mention something to other fellow bloggers about backing up your blogs in case of a meltdown at some point. We hooked up with an online site called Techrigy where they will automatically back up your blog for free up to 50.00MB. You can find them at.............................
http://www.techrigy.com/index.html Nice to have some peace of mind:))

BEEN HOME 2 WEEKS & WE'RE NOT HAPPY CAMPERS!!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 26/08

(The photo is me trying to unsuccessfully light a little campfire in our firepit in the back yard. Thought maybe if I got a little fire going I could melt all the snow around me & at least make things look like spring)

Well, it's been a little over 2 weeks now since arriving home to Bayfield, Ontario Canada & unlike other years, we are not happy campers. There is still a full blown winter going on here & yesterday we had an Alberta clipper go through that left us with another inch of snow. Roads in our park have been sheer ice & too dangerous to walk on. In fact, we have not had the doggy guys out for one good morning walk since returning. Too much snow & ice to get through. Our four & a half month trip seems like a long distant faded memory now & this wretched weather has convinced us that it must have been just a dream we had.

It was in Arkansas that we first began noticing the damp cold & that just became continuously worse the further north we came. No doubt about it.....the southwest is far healthier in the winter months than it is here in southwestern Ontario. We had become acclimatized to the warmer dry air down there. The cold & dampness now has really brought out our aches & pains again. Didn't seem to notice it other years but we're really feeling it this year. Just makes you want to drop a firecracker in your shorts to warm yourself up in a hurry.

Basically, for the past 2 weeks we have been confined to the house a lot. Just don't want to go outside. The not wanting to go outside is part of the negative mental side of it. This kind of weather just gets you down in the dumps. There's things to do of course, but you just don't feel like doing them. Cabin fever sets in & everything takes on a gray overtone. Kelly has been busy with her job at Deerpark Lodge so that has given her added incentive to get out there & chase those March winter blues away. I had really hoped to be busy outside with the big spring clean up by now but looks like that's not going to happen for at least another couple of weeks. Arrrrrggghhhh!!!!!

Next year we will not come home one second earlier than April 1rst for sure. Maybe even the middle of April. Some changes are already in effect to ensure that.

Our plans are to return to the southwest once again in the late fall, with our first destination being the Silver City & Gila Forest region of southern New Mexico. We want to have a closer look at things there & maybe check out some real estate prices. Of course, with the cost of gas going the way it is, we may not make it past the end of our driveway, but that's another reason for looking ahead a few years to future plans. One thing is certain.......We do not want to ever have to spend another winter's day here Canada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the key word there was......day!! Enough is enough is enough is enough!!
WEB ALBUM.....http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

ALAS, IT'S THE LAST TRAVEL BLOG:((

I would like to keep the travel blog going forever, but our trip is over & it's time to put down the pen & paper until once again in the fall we can hopefully begin anew.
I would like to thank all the people who dropped in on our site & to 3 members of my family who made this trip possible for us.
As of to-day we've had 7,375 visitors to the blog. It gave me a point of interest each day thinking of photos to take & things to say. I know my writing leaves a lot to be desired & I probably included waaaay to many pictures, but it brought me (& hopefully you) much enjoyment. It was nice to meet new people along the way who were also doing the same thing.

I will still probably continue to write for the blog occasionally & add photos but it won't be on a daily basis as before.

So, once again, thanks everybody. And thanks to the folks who repeatedly dropped in to see what a poorly educated dumb kid was writing about & taking pictures of. Much appreciated:))

Below are a few thoughts, opinions, ideas, observations & basic musings I have concluded about our trip. Some are greatly exaggerated, some are slightly humorus, some are angry, some have no basis in fact whatsoever, some are biased, some are off the wall, some are pure speculation & some I have no idea where the thought process came from in the first place. However, they all have one thing in common. There is an element of truth in each one. Even the ones with no basis in fact whatsoever.

- New Mexico is cheaper than Arizona which in turn is cheaper than California.

- Why does the American southwest have to have sooooo much wind!!

- There are more McDonald's restaurants than there are grains of sand!!

- There are more shards of broken glass along the roadsides in the southwest than there are stars in the sky. This is particularly true in the Indian Reservations. Why is that!!

- Why go to Mexico when you have everything right here in America & Canada. And you won't get searched at gunpoint either & we all speak the same understandable language here!!

- In the 5th wheel vs motorhome argument....give me a motorhome anyday. Amen!!

- Why do RV club type people have no respect for other people's privacy when they swarm into an area!!

- Why can't convicted drunk drivers & alcohol related driving offences people be made to crawl on their hands & knees along the countless thousands of miles of roadway picking up all the broken glass & booze bottles they have obviously thrown out there!!!!

- And why can't it be taught in schools not to litter!!

- What are all those American military planes doing in the sky every night over southern Arizona.

- What ever happened to simple gas pumps. Nowadays you need a degree in engineering just to figure out all the different types of pumps & how they operate. I hate those things!!

-And now that we're home, Kelly says I have to get a haircut & trim my beard.....or else!!

- Why can't we just do away with the border between Canada & the U.S. & cut down on those long border waits & silly customs questions. And stop those stupid agriculture checks. The customs officials make enough money to buy their own food!!

- And if I fly my Canadian flag it doesn't mean I'm there to claim I have just defeated the United States of America in some big huge war or something. It's just a silly little flag to say, hey, we're from Canada guys. Your friendly & helpful neighbors to the north, remember. Geeeeezzzzzzzz!!

- How come the United States hasn't smartened up to Tim Horton's coffee yet. That Charbucks stuff you got is awful.

- Why can't some places put butter on the toast.... I'm talking to you Cracker Barrel!! And while I'm at it, why can't you people include the price of coffee in the breakfast price. Coffee is separate??...what is that!!

- When your heading east, why does the Saguaro cactus end at Tucson.

- Why can't the American southwest make a deal with the American southeast to trade some rocks & sand for some trees.

- How come so many towns have so many wrecked & tumble down buildings in them.

- When will Canadian restaraunts learn to dish up big heaping plates of food like the Americans do.

- I don't think Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California, Arizona, & New Mexico should be allowed to advertise how beautiful they are. First darn thing ya know, you'll have all those hordes of people stampeding out there from the east. That would not be a good thing!!!!

- There are more trucks on the road than there are drops of water in all the oceans.

- Why can't you Americans put some color in your money so us dumb ass Canadians can tell a one dollar bill from a hundred dollar bill.

- And thanks for the expert medical attention I received at the Lincoln Community Hospital in Hugo, Colorado when I had that kidney stone. I really liked that trip you sent me on with the morphine or whatever it was:))

- And to you greed infested oil company executives or whoever you are. How about a big break on those gasoline prices or The Bayfield Bunch isn't even going to get out of their driveway next winter.

-And speaking of winter........do ya suppose Hawaii would trade us some of that nice warm tropical air for some of this awful winter snow we got here.................................. Toodles

RE-LEARNING THE ROUTINES AGAIN:((

WEDNESDAY MARCH 12/08

Shortly after we arrived home yesterday I found myself in the living room staring blankly at 3 remotes lying on the table. One of them turned the TV on, the other controlled the volume, & the third added stereo sound to the whole mix. I couldn't even remember which one turned on the television let alone which was which for the other two. What number is CNN, why won't the channels change, where's the Biography channel!!
When I sat down at our desktop computer it took me a few seconds to remember that the "on" button was on the tower which in turn was under the desk.
I have repeatedly tried to flush the toilet with my foot & I didn't have a clue how to get a CD playing in our washroom CD player.
When the computer booted up & the screen appeared I sat here in a daze looking at all the icons trying to remember what they were all for. Where were my music files, what music program was I using 5 months ago. What file did I have my photos in. And where was what & what was where??
I sure hope this happens to other RV people because I would hate to think it's just me.
In the rig we were running satellite's Starchoice on our television & I had become used to that. At home we have cable.
In the rig we used our laptop computer & I had become used to where everything was on it. At home we have a desktop....different animal, same fur, but different animal!!
The toilet in the rig has a foot pedal to flush it & because I hadn't used the CD player for 4 months, I had to really stand there awhile pressing buttons before it gradually came back to me.
Maybe age has something to do with it but I've found if I don't routinely do something, it doesn't take long for me to forget how to do it altogether. Everything at home here was as familiar to me as my own nose but after being away four & half months, it's a real learning curve re-familiarizing myself with the routines & equipment again. Just like it will be in 8 months from now when I will have to re-learn all the equipment & habits in the motorhome again. Things that were just as familiar to me as my old nose, just a few days ago. To-morrow I have to take our mini-van in for a new battery........if I can remember how to start it that is!!

We put a total of 6,832 miles on the motorhome from October 27/07 until March 11/08. Total cost for gas was $2,698.00. Probably put another four hundred dollars in the Santa Fe for day trips. With the cost of gas steadily on the rise it really puts future winter vacations in jeopardy. Not sure what we will do in the fall but 2 things we do not want to do is...... 1- Stay here for the winter & 2- Go Florida & sit in a horribly jammed up & boring trailer park for 5 months with a ka-zillion million other people. So, we've got our work cut out for us between now & next November in trying to figure out how we can get ourselves back down to our beloved & spacious American southwest.....cheaply!!

Spent a big part of to-day unpacking the rig & trying not to slip & slide on the ice & hard packed snow. Even the motorhome is not happy about being back. I tried to move it closer to the house for unloading but it refused to budge. Just sat where it was & spun it's wheels on the ice & hard packed snow in the driveway. Even Max refused to get out of the rig yesterday & spent a lot of it steadfastly holding on to his couch in hopes we would have the big wheels rolling south again for more fun in the sun & morning desert walks.

Kelly spent a good couple of hours on the phone to-day tracking down billing mistakes (I'm convinced they are intentional) by our Electricity company, Telephone company, Cellular Mobility phone company, Satellite TV, etc. Everyone of them had in some way or another had so much bafflegab built into their billing practices as to make the consumer as confused as possible. I'm sure a lot of people just give up & those companies know that. It's more money in their pockets & they get away with it every day. Lucky for us, we have someone here who won't let them get away with all that BS. Kelly goes over the bills with a fine tooth comb & then gets on the phone & hunts them down demanding answers. With no word of a lie she saved us $316 to-day & she's not done yet. The common response from the companies was that is was an "oversight." Oversight!!!! BS It's so unfortunate that in big business it's an acceptible way of ripping off the consumer nowadays. It's a sober indicator of what our society has become & where it's going!! So, fellow RV'ers, (and everybody else) when you get home from those long vacations, go over those bills very carefully & and don't let the word "oversight" fool you.............

Oh well, enough of my blustering. The sun came out this afternoon & I was heartened by the drip, drip, drip, sound of some snow beginning to melt off our roof. I even managed to shovel some snow without mitts on. Now, how's that for a positive attitude:)))

The blog picture is of our snowy garden shed out back. Hmmmm, I wonder what's in there......................................

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH IS HOME:)))

MARCH 11/08

If you thought you heard a sighing sound in the wind to-day around 12:40 Ontario time, it wasn't really the wind. It was a big huge collective sigh from the 5 members of The Bayfield Bunch as they cleared customs at the big Bluewater bridge in Sarnia/Port Huron. Only a couple quick questions from the customs guy & within 30 seconds we were back safely on Canadian turf & on our way home. We're very fortunate because it's only an hour & a half quiet country drive to Bayfield.

We were up before the sun this morning getting things stowed away for our final day on the road. There was a heavy frost on everything & the condensation inside the motorhome was bad again. Had to squeegee the windows inside in order to see out. I was glad I had brought mitts along because it was cold hooking up the car. We had the wheels rolling by 7:30 & headed down the street, around the corner, & up onto the toll road heading east. Decided the toll road would be safer because all the traffic would have worn off any black ice. When we got off at I-69 I couldn't open my window because it was frozen shut so Kelly had to slip out the door & walk up to the toll booth to pay the $6. I was worried if the window stayed frozen all the way to the border it wasn't going to go over well with the customs guy if I just sat there making faces at him because my window wouldn't open. Needless to say, I worried about that all the way to the border & needless to say.......my window opened fine with no problem.

The young customs agent looked at my Arizona hat & asked me where we had been, so I said...Arizona!! "OK," he said, "way ya go:))" And, away we went. It is always such a grrrrrrrreat feeling to be back on home turf again. Weather was good, roads were bare & dry, & we knew we were shortly in store for a good old Canadian Tim Horton's coffee. Thanks to the town of Forest, Ontario for having a Tim Horton's coffee shop there.

We un-hooked the car on ClanGregor square in Bayfield before driving the short couple of miles home. Nice to see our driveway all plowed out because there is a lot of snow here. Took a picture through the windshield before I shut the motorhome down. WEB ALBUM http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy
What a nice feeling to know that we were all home safe & sound. It's always so strange walking into your house after you've been away so long. Everything looks so strangely different, but somehow familiar. You see things you had totally forgot you even had. The pile of mail on the kitchen counter was totally intimidating. The thought of having to now unload & unpack the motorhome was even more intimidating. But, never mind all that, we were all home again. Awwwwwwwwww..........did you just hear something in the wind again??

I am now going to go fill the tub up with bubbling hot soapy water, climb in, & totally immerse myself for the next 6 weeks!!

(I'll be back to-morrow night:)))

ELKHART INDIANA FOR A NEW SCREEN DOOR

MONDAY MARCH 10/08

The coyotes woke me up around 2 a.m. & the diesel freight trains kept me awake for a long time after that. In other words, a poor night's sleep. Not a good thing when your traveling!!

We pulled out of the Percival Air Park about 7:15 heading into Effingham, Indiana & found our way onto I-57 north heading to-wards Chicago. Weather was good, roads bare & dry, & the traffic was actually rather civilized for being so far east. At Gillam we climbed off the interstate heading east on 24 & then north on 421. Just figured we'd take a break from the interstate for awhile. Picked up a toll road near Chicago heading east through South Bend to Elkhart, Indiana. Elkhart is the capital RV manufacturing place in all of North America. Our Damon Challenger was made here as well as most all other RV's on the road. We couldn't get a new screen door directly from Damon but had to go through their dealer, Total Value RV. Found the facility alright about 2:15 this afternoon & within half an hour they had our coach inside & nice courteous young fellow was replacing our old twisted screen door. Too bad we couldn't have had this door replaced at the beginning of our trip instead of the end. Oh well, at least it's done now.

Because of my lack of sleep the night before & the lateness of the afternoon we decided to take advantage of the free RV site that True Value had on their premises here & stay for the night. Nice clean little area with electricity & water. We've been very fortunate with the weather ever since leaving the west but the days & days of steady driving have sure knocked the stuffing's out of me. I'll be glad to get home, flop into my big cushy recliner & once again vow to never ever leave home again. Well...... for a couple days anyway:))

I'll do a final blog to-morrow night after we get home & then within a few days I will do a short summary of our trip listing likes, dislikes, ideas, opinions, thoughts, etc. I will also do some snow pictures because I understand that we have a totally huge amount of snow at home. I will probably be spending a bunch of time on the end of my trusty old snow shovel for the first few days.
Anyway, stay tuned for a couple more blogs...... & thanks everybody.

A GOOD TRAVEL DAY

SUNDAY MARCH 9/08

I'm typing this from the back room of a little restaurant at the Percival RV Airpark in Watson, Illinois a short 6 miles south of Effingham. Brought the laptop in but the signal wouldn't reach so the lady set me up in the backroom where the router would be closer. They even brought my coffee, hamburger & fries in to me too. This is the same little place we stopped last January of 07 on our way home as well. Kelly wasn't hungry so she is in the motorhome but I remember the burg & fries from last year so I just had to get over here & get me some. Plus, the laptop needed recharging anyway.

We had a good travel day again as we headed off into the sunrise on I-40 from Brinkley, Arkansas. All roads were bare & dry with skiffs of snow here & there in the ditches & fields for about for the first couple hours of travel. We did see some of the carnage left over from Friday night's snow storm west of Memphis. They were still cleaning up truck parts & cargo.

Don't want to overstay my welcome in the back room here so I'd better not upload any time consuming photos. Maybe to-morrow. We'll roll out of here in the morning heading for Elkhart, Indiana to see about a door. There's a chance we might make it home Monday night but more realistically, it will be Tuesday sometime.

OK, gotta go.....................

WEATHER'S GOOD SO WE'RE GONNA GO FOR IT:))

SATURDAY MARCH 8/08

Beautiful sunrise over the far end of the lake this morning. This is a very scenic area between Mount Vernon & Mount Pleasant. Cypress Lake is about 12 south of I-30.

We checked the weather ahead of us & could see things were improving to the east as far as Memphis so we decided to hit the road & log on some miles to-day. We were eastbound on I-30 by 8:15. First stop was in Texarkana where we Wal-Marted ourselves with some groceries. Then, off on the next exit & Cracker Barreled ourselves real darn good. Next was a hundred & fifty dollar gas stop in Hope, Arkansas. Birthplace of ex President Bill Clinton. We breezed through Little Rock alright & headed for the town of Brinkley. Noticed the traffic was super heavy coming the other way. Turned on the CB Radio & could hear the truckers talking about the big traffic jam mess west of Memphis. They had one of the worst snow storms on record last night & there were multiple accidents. I-30 was completely shut down this morning while crews cleaned up the wrecks. That explained the heavy volume of traffic just after they finally opened it up. We pulled into Brinkley so didn't get as far as the eastbound back-up. Kelly had found an RV park on the computer last night behind the Heritage Inn just off I-40 in the town of Brinkley so that's where I'm typing this from. It's a nice sunny day here but there are still melting patches of snow from yesterday's storm.

First thing we did was check the weather ahead & it looks like we have a clear shot at making it home either Monday or Tuesday. Weather is looking clear & it's getting milder so figured we might as well take advantage of the situation before the next big snowstorm rolls in again. Hadn't planned on being home this early but we just have to roll with the punches here & take a shot at it. We have one stop in Elkhart, Indiana to pick up a new screen door for the rig & then it's down the homestretch for home................. Ya-houie Louie, it will be good to be home......but only for a few days & then we'll be wishing we were still in Arizona somewhere basking in the warm desert sun. Ya just can't win!!!! COME ON SPRING:))))))

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

BYE BYE RAIN & HELLO MR. SUN:))

FRIDAY MARCH 7/08

After being in the comfortable dry climate of the southwest for the past 4 months I was really bothered by the cold dampness as we set up camp on the shores of Cypress Lake here in northeast Texas. The kind of dampness that just gets right inside your clothes & makes you feel like a mobile hunk of ice. I definitely think the southwest is a far healthier place to live.

The rain started early Thursday afternoon & continued all night right up until about 9 o'clock Friday morning. We had not chosen our second campsite here on the lake very wisely. Failed to consider the lay of the land in case it rained. And, it rained, & rained & rained. Kind of like pitching a tent in a hollow. I had parked the rig near the lake on a lower section of dirt road. By the time I realized my mistake later in the day, it was too late. We had a lot of run off water coming down the road & pooling around us with one small stream passing right underneath the rig on it's downhill trek to the lake. The dirt road turned out to be a red clay mixture & my footsteps sunk in when I walked around. Needless to say I didn't get a good night's sleep worrying about how we were going to get out of here without bogging down in the mud. To make it even worse, we are on an uphill curve & slightly off the road. I was tempted to try & drive it out last night but figured if it got stuck on an angle we would loose our level status. Thought about trying to back it out. Thought about a lot of things. Finally figured it would be best to do nothing & wait for the rain to stop & the ground to dry up to-day. So, that's where we are at right now. The rain stopped this morning & the ground around us has been drying all day under the warming Texas sun. No rain in the forecast to-night so by to-morrow morning I'm hoping the mud road will be dry & firm enough for us to just simply drive right out of here no problem. Well, that's the theory anyway!!

Our day was very quiet & relaxing. Reading & computer stuff. This is a very pretty area with an abundance of many birds. Couldn't identify all the different species but I did recognize a few. Especially the large blue herons & the numerous white pelicans. Turkey Vultures soaring high overhead & little Nuthatches twittering around on the tree trunks. A flock of small black duck like birds with white beaks took off from the lake nearby but don't know what kind they were..... OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

To-morrow morning we'll roll out of here heading east on I-30 to Little Rock, Arkansas & then pick up I-40 heading to-wards Memphis. Somewhere between Little Rock & Memphis we'll find us an RV site to hold up for a few more days. Our length of stay will depend on the weather in Ontario. We have to stop in Elkhart, Indiana to pick up a new screen door for the rig too so that might be our last stop before getting back to Bayfield........whenever!!

Come on Bayfield, crank up the thermostat, turn on the sunshine, & get rid of all that nasty snow. The Bayfield Bunch will soon be home:))))))

I WILL ADD TO-DAY'S PHOTOS TO SATURDAY'S OR SUNDAY'S WEB ALBUM.

A COLD, WET, & MISERABLE DAY:((

THURSDAY MARCH 6/08

A large blue heron standing on the end of the small dock, a white Egret sitting in front of the motorhome & 4 Canvas Back ducks paddling by greeted us as we peered out the windshield first thing this morning. A small group of Coots floated on the water just offshore. Heard a Killdeer & a Red Winged Blackbird in the distance despite the racket from the crows & the cooing of the morning doves. A nice way to start the day. But, it wasn't to last.

A light rap on our door around 9 brought the lady who collects campsite fees for the County. We were informed our night's stay had cost us $25. That was much more than we thought it was supposed to be but she informed us that the park was now in season so the rates had gone up March 1rst. Said there was a dry camping (no electricity or water hook-ups) area just down the lake a few miles for $10 a night so we packed things up & off we went to the other area.
We're still on the edge of the lake but not as close as before. We have some grass here but the roadway is muddy & now that it's been raining for a couple of hours, things are a bit of a mess........especially with 3 dogs going in & out.

Watched some young fellows load a big steel tracked digging machine onto a barge & head off down the lake. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ Awhile later we heard some shouts & saw another motorized barge about a hundred yards off shore with a dead engine. He was adrift & calling to another fellow on the shore to get him some help. Felt sorry for the guy because it was raining & the wind was blowing him towards the far shore across the lake. No shelter on the barge so he must have been very wet & cold. Help arrived about half an hour later when a pick-up truck with second barge on a trailer pulled & backed the barge down into the water. The barge operator unloaded a battery out of the truck so figured the guy who was stranded must have had a dead battery. Only took the 2nd barge a few minutes to reach the 1rst barge & it wasn't long before they had the new battery in place, engine re-started & both barges were on their way back to shore. Good thing they weren't upriver from Niagara Falls!!

Sitting here inside all day we couldn't help but look on the bright side of an otherwise cold, windy, wet, & miserable day. We have cable TV & internet. Our blue flame propane heater (& furnace) keeps us roasty toasty, & our living room & bedroom slides give us lots of room. Our satellite radio brings in clear ambient music & we've got 3 furry wild & crazy doggy guys to keep us entertained, so how's that for being positive on a wet miserable day somewhere in the eastern part of the Texas panhandle........................

A TOUGH DRIVING DAY & A QUIET LAKE

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5/08

We briefly considered staying in Haskell for a few days but it wasn't too scenic where we were & we felt we could find a better spot further east so without further ado, we rolled out of Haskell around 8 a.m. being followed closely by that old northwest blustery tailwind. Only this morning the wind was more northerly than westerly so that meant we had a tricky crosswind trying to flip us off the highway into the Gulf of Mexico many hundreds of miles to the south. No slacking off to-day, no putting the rig on automatic pilot & getting up & walking back for a peanut butter sandwich.

The pleasant driving ease of highway 380 comes to a confusing & congested end about Jacksboro. From there to where it ends at I-30 in Greenville the highway is a mosh of endless jarring traffic lights,(must be over a ka-zillion million) heavy traffic, construction, easy to miss turns, & in general, just a big bad piece of road that should be avoided!!!! It was actually a treat to get on I-30.

Stopped in Sulphur Springs for a bite to eat & then headed east a few more miles before pulling off I-30 again in Mount Vernon & heading southeast for about 10 miles to a place we had seen on the map. A year ago we had stayed at Bob Sandlin State Park in this are for one night on our way home. Noticed a county park near Bob Sandlin so decided to check it out because it was a bit cheaper to stay. We sure lucked out because Walleye Park on Cyprus Lake is a beautiful place. Tall pine trees just like home & we found a spot about 20 feet from the lake. And the best part............... we're the only one's here again. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay:)) Heard a loon on the lake & saw a white egret. Small waves lapping at the shore & the site even has a small dock. Someone across the lake had a campfire going so there was a great wood smoke smell in the air. Sooooo nice to end a long rough driving day by sitting quietly on the pine forested shores of such a beautiful & picturesque lake. About 75F to-day.
And then there was the sunset:)) OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

Weather is going into the dumpster to-morrow for a couple of days so we may stay here until Saturday or Sunday before moving further east. However, if the weather doesn't smarten up in Ontario soon, we may still be here well into June!!

Noticed Max walking without a limp to-night for the first time in nearly a month. Yaaaaay Max!!

BIG TAILWINDS IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

TUESDAY MARCH 4/08

<< Haskell, Texas

I cautiously peeked out the motorhome window this morning to see if we had been carried off in a spaceship to another planet in the night, but alas, there was Roswell's Wal-Mart & I knew we hadn't left the parking lot:(( So, without further ado, we walked over to the store & cruised a few isles before leaving town. Result.... 1 jar of peanut butter.

We were on the road heading east on highway 380 by 7:30 with the heater going full blast. Brrrr, another cold morning but nowhere near as cold as our home in Canada right now. We had originally planed to head northeast up # 70 to Amarillo but due to the colder weather in the north we decided at the last minute to stay further south & take 380 right across New Mexico, Texas, & most of Arkansas. This is a great highway with hardly any traffic, long straight stretches, & rest stops along the way. Why drive an interstate when there are great highways like this available. It's actually our 3rd encounter with this great road in the last 4 years but first time heading east on it. The southwest tailwind was soooooo strong that I almost had to ride the brakes all the way across the Texas panhandle. Big help with the gas mileage for sure. Popped into a McDonald's in Brownfield, Texas & found out they had Wifi so brought the laptop in & were able to get caught up on emails, weather reports, the blog, etc. Pulled into the little town of Haskell later & found a local RV friendly park that had electricity & water so we're here for the night. Weather is sooooooooooooo bad back home that we may have to stay here for awhile. Or, maybe move a little further east to Texarkana. It's really not too scenic here because we are out on the plains & it's very, very, flat with very few trees. We'll decide in the morning........

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

A TOUCH OF CHRISTMAS IN APACHE PASS

MONDAY MARCH 3/08

Brrrrrrrrrr, it was a cold start to the day with the temps in the mid 20's this morning. I was glad I had packed up & got the rig ready for traveling yesterday afternoon. We rolled out of our Elephant Butte Paseo Del Rio site about 8:25. We highly recommend this place. Very quiet, scenic with animals & birds along the bank of the Rio Grande. The washrooms & spacious showers are wheelchair accessible as well. We will come here again if we're ever in the area & it's only $8 a night. No electricity or water on site.
Stopped at the bigger Elephant Butte State Park just down the road & emptied our tanks & took on fresh water. Breakfast at McDonald's & we were on our way. Bye bye Truth or Consequences & thanks to Becky & Norm for a good week.

We had a nice northeast tailwind all the way down to Las Cruces before heading east & then northeast in the direction of Alamogordo. Tricky crosswinds kept us on our toes as we headed up through White Sands & Alamogordo. Stayed on highway 70 to the scenic little town of Tularosa & then headed east over the Sacramento mountains through the Apache Pass. We had seen a big mountain from a long way off with a lot of snow on it & as we climbed higher in the Apache pass we were close to that mountain passing it just to the south. Highway was bare & dry but there was snow on the ground all around us & at that elevation with the snow on the pine trees it reminded me of Christmas. Kind of a warm fuzzy feeling as I hummed Christmas carols to myself, thoroughly enjoying the picture post card winter scenes going by. Kelly took some pictures as we slipped over the summit of Apache pass & began the descent to Roswell. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ This #70 four lane highway is a great stretch of road going through the mountains between Tularosa to the west & Roswell to the east. Steepest grade was only a gentle short lived number 5 & there was very little traffic on it. Will definitely use this road again if we're ever traveling in this area.
We dropped out of the mountains onto the vast flat prairies about 3:30 & rolled into Roswell about half an hour later.

Roswell was a big surprise to me. For some reason I had thought it was just a small dusty little old western town with ticky tacky green Martian billboards all over the place. Couldn't have been further from the truth. Roswell is a sprawling ciy & even has a couple small skyscrapers downtown. It's really spread out & is right up to snuff with all the big box stores, etc. A very modern city indeed. Found a Wal-Mart in the north end so pulled in to see if we could stay for the night in the parking lot. It's always good to ask because some Wal-Marts allow RVers & some don't. This one did:)) There is a Starbucks here so as soon as I'm finished typing this we're going to walk over there in hopes they have Wifi. If they do, I'll upload the blog & web album. If not, I'll just have to wait & see where we are to-morrow night. We'll leave here in the morning & head northeast up to Amarillo & pick up I-40 heading east. That is of course, if we don't get beamed up out of the parking lot in the night by an alien spaceship. Afterall, this is Roswell, New Mexico:))

7:15 p.m. Awwwwww nuts!! Starbucks doesn' have Wifi so they sent us over to McDonalds but they didn't have Wifi either:((
I wonder if that spaceship to-night will have Wifi...........Hmmmmm!!

Tuesday March 4....This email is coming to you from a McDonald's in Brownfield, Texas:))

HIGH WINDS, ANGRY SKIES, & COLD!!!!

SUNDAY MARCH 2/08

The day started out with lots of usual sunshine & fast rising temperatures. Weatherman had warned of high winds. I was up on the motorhome's roof when the wind came rolling in like a freight train. Just got the solar panels down & secured in time. The winds kept up all day intensifying in the later afternoon & bringing a big drop in temperature. Chance of snow the weatherman said. WHAT!!!! Took the satellite dish down before it blew down & we put the living room slide in as the rig rocked back & forth & the temps plummeted. Needless to say we spent the whole day inside reading.

We are leaving in the morning so went over to Becky & Norm's for a farewell pizza. Yesterday I had the A/C on in the car & to-day we had the heater going full tilt. While at Becky & Norm's the sky became very black with big roiling angry clouds. Grabbed my camera & slipped out the door. The pictures in the web album were taken at the River Bend Hot Springs right across the road from Becky & Norm's rig. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ Noticed an old car in the parking lot so included that in some of the photos. I had never seen the combination of colors in that kind of a stormy sky before. It was so cold I had to put my hands in my pockets to warm them up.

Cold day forecast for to-morrow & then it warms up again. We are going to head south to-wards Las Cruces & then east to Alamogordo & probably on to Roswell. I want to have a few words with those spaceship aliens over there on the true meaning of life!! It will depend on the weather just how far we go or where we stop. Don't know for sure when we will have an internet connection again but if we get off the road by mid afternoon I'll set up the dish to-morrow afternoon. The blog may get a little bit behind here & there on our long trek northeast but it won't take me long to catch it up, so hang in there friends & family.....................................

Just as a point of interest....since leaving home back in October we have had 6,635 people visit our site. Right now we are averaging 82 visits a day. Just wanted to say thanks to all the people for their nice comments & emails & for, "making my day:))"

Note to M&M&M........ when you reach a good internet connection & get your email program de-cluttered, let us know & I'll send you some pics.

MONTICELLO....DEFENSE AGAINST THE APACHE INDIANS

SATURDAY MARCH 1/08

Our first stop this morning was Becky & Norm's to return their laptop computer which they had forgot last night. From there it was over to the southwest part of town to see T or C's Veteran's Memorial Park which is the home of the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. This is an impressive & well thought out project which is still ongoing. Be sure to see the photos. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

Our second stop was to an exotic cactus greenhouse. Got talking to an American fellow who mentioned he was from the suburb of Gates in Rochester. Kelly's originally from Spencerport just outside of Rochester. The owner of the cactus store overheard the conversation, came over & said she was from Rochester too. Small world huh!!

We had read & heard about a little town in a box canyon northwest of T or C called Monticello so we headed out across the desert in search of more history. http://www.geronimotrail.com/side_trip_7.html Once again a smooth paved road led all the way across the desert floor before dropping down into long narrow canyon & once again, we found a town at the end of the road. Monticello's buildings were built facing a town square because it was easier to defend against the Apache Indians who also lived & roamed the area back in the mid to late 1800's. The buildings are mostly adobe & wood, some with inhabitants & some without. A lot of the houses have been tastefully restored & others are in various states of disrepair. There is a large heavily constructed school in total ruins. I wondered if it had suffered a fire. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ We spent nearly half an hour here & saw 1 person. The only sounds we heard were horses from some stables near by. I guess it's not fair to call these little places ghost towns but in a sense that's what they are. There are people living here but I think the ghosts of old pioneers are here as well. Maybe not everybody's cup of tea but it's sure a great way to see what's left of & what once was.....the true old American west.
Upon leaving Monticello we had heard about a dirt road across the desert heading in the direction of Chloride so we found that & headed over that way. Once again, a totally serene drive over hill & dale without meeting another car. We were told there might be some water to fiord in a few spots but we found all the washes totally dry. This was also Indian country back in the 1800's & we could imagine the Apache Indian hunting parties riding hard over the ridges & gullies. When you read the history of this whole area there was a lot of fighting going on between the pioneer miners & the Apache Indians. You can feel the history all around you. The well maintained dirt road led us back onto the paved #52 road about 15 miles west of Cuchillo.

We were back in T or C by 2 o'clock in the afternoon & spent the rest of the day relaxing & reading. The sun's rays seem to be getting hotter every day so the brisk breeze was a welcome relief. We have pretty much decided to leave this area Monday morning & head on over to the other side of the White Sands missile range through Alamogordo to Roswell. Because I have an interest in Astronomy it's only normal that I have a likewise interest in the UFO phenomena as well, so in turn it's only natural that I pay a visit to Roswell, New Mexico. Commercialized or not, at least I might get to shake hands with some little green plastic Martians...............................D'ya think!!

THE LITTLE WESTERN TOWN AT THE END OF THE ROAD

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 29/08

To-day was another one of those special day trip days. Stopped at the Elephant Butte State Park office & picked up some maps & pamphlets on the surrounding area. Kelly had heard of a little Pecan store in a town nearby called Cuchillo so off we headed. It's not far from Truth or Consequences & we were there in less than half an hour. Not much left of the town except some old derelict buildings scattered along the road. Rich's Pecan farm was the only place that looked like it had any life to it so we stopped in. Pecan tree orchard at the back. A nice lady came out of the house & over to the shop. They had a big pecan festival there a week ago & she said about 1600 people attended. We bought some pecan fudge & a pecan pie before resuming our journey westward in search of the little western towns of Winston & Chloride. Once you get across the flat open desert setting & into the foothills of the mountains, the scenery really begins to take shape with gently rolling hills studded with Juniper trees. Again, it was my favorite kind of road with good pavement & lots of twists & turns. Another gear jammers paradise. The further we went the more beautiful it became. Distant mountains had snow on their peaks with the slopes covered in forests. It was rare to meet another vehicle & when you did, everybody waved. This is truly a different planet here than where we come from in Canada. It took us awhile to reach Winston & we were disappointed at what we saw. It reminded us right away of another place we had been where the human population had little regard for their environment......Slab City, in California. Old wrecked cars, junk of all description, smashed windows & debris everywhere. This once pretty little place was totally trashed. It was sad because the countryside surrounding Winston is so beautiful. The town of Chloride was only another 2 miles further on & we were apprehensive as to what we were going to find there. These places were all once booming mining towns with thousands of inhabitants but all that's left now in some of them is usually some old tumble down weather beaten buildings with a few residents scattered about. As we rolled into Chloride we could immediately see there was a difference here. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ No junk, no old upside down cars with smashed out windows, no litter sprawling across the ground & no sign of human neglect. Yes, there were some buildings in disrepair but there was something different here. The road finally came to a dead end just past the Pioneer Store & old Saloon building. That was it, it just ended there. Back up & turn around. Kelly remarked that it looked like we came to the end of the world. We pulled the car over across from the Pioneer store & shut it down. We could tell that this was going to be an interesting place. The hills & canyons around Chloride are out of a picture book. There is a quiet peacefulness in the air here. We were very fortunate to meet a local resident lady across the street who took us in the Pioneer store for a look around. Her family is connected to that building & she knows the history of all the merchandise first hand having been a part of the 4 year intensive restoration project. This is a truly remarkable building with all it's old history & merchandise intact. The story of how this building was painstakingly restored is as remarkable as the building's history itself. The best way for me to describe it is to have the readers go to the town's informative website. All the information is there & well worth the read for anyone interested in old towns of the west. http://www.pioneerstoremuseum.com/index.html We also briefly met the man who is responsible for the rebirth of this little town. (and putting to-gether the website idea) He was busy with restoration work on the old bank. It is clearly a labor of love for this fellow & if it wasn't for people like him, much of the history of the old west would be lost forever. I forgot to get his name & we didn't want to keep him from his work but if you get to Chloride, I'm sure he won't be far away. This little town is a page out of history.................

A beautiful drive back through the rolling hills & out onto the desert floor. Stopped at the State Park in Elephant Butte to fill some water jugs before returning to the rig. Norm & Becky picked us up around 5 & we all headed out to Hodges Corners Restaurant for a buffet supper. Great place & they had real mashed potatoes too. Of course we ate soooooo much that we nearly all exploded again but what the heck. Becky & Norm insisted on paying the bill so that was pretty nice.
Back to our rig while Kelly helped Becky with some more computer stuff. I googled up a website that had old television & radio theme music on it so we all sat around guessing what themes they were. Kinda neat stirring up those old memories. Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith Show, Petticoat Junction, Gilligan's Island, Star Trek, Superman, Amos & Andy, The Munsters, Bonanza, Dragnet, The Green Hornet, My Three Sons, Father Know's Best, Columbo, Dallas, The Honeymooners, Mash, My Little Margie, Leave it to Beaver, Sanford & Son, The Lone Ranger, and, and, and, the beat goes on:))

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