Friday, April 05, 2013

ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO TO WEATHERFORD OKLAHOMA…A TIRING WINDY DAY

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EAST BOUND ON I-40 SOMEWHERE IN NEW MEXICO EARLY THIS MORNING

We were on the road by 4:30 a.m. Arizona time & totally enjoyed Albuquerque’s sea of lights as we descended into the Rio Grande Valley & through the golden night time city of embers.  Traffic heading east in the San Pedro Mountains was light & we were out onto the flatter eastern plains before the sun was up.  Just as I had hoped:)) 

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Overcast skies kicked up a tough gusting Texas crosswind coming at us from the south all day.   Saw a travel trailer on I-40 with it’s awning torn out & in tatters.  Our gas mileage really suffered as we fought our way across the Texas  panhandle.  Computer said we were averaging about 8.2 mpg.  The hectic winds chased us all the way right up into Oklahoma.  As I type this from the front passenger seat of the Sunseeker tonight the wind continues it’s relentless harassment.  Forecast is for winds again tomorrow but we can do er.

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CROSSING THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

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OH DAD, WILL WE BE HOME SOON………

This is our third stay at Weatherford’s Walmart alongside Interstate 40.  Stopped here on our way home last year & again on our way to Congress in the Fall.  We were needing a few groceries & we find this Walmart an easy stop.  Gas station on the way in as well.  After a long day’s drive I don’t mind just wandering around aimlessly in a Walmart store loosing myself somewhere between Housewares & Men’s Underwear……………….

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JUST A FEW VIEWS FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT TODAY

Looks like the weather is going to hold for us so we’ll do the toll route in the morning around the north end of Oklahoma City up through Tulsa on I-44.  Don’t mind paying those tolls to avoid the chaos of city traffic congestion.  We are basically on the same time & route schedule as last year.  And as last year, we once again have an urgency in our step.

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SNAGGED ME A COUPLE WINDMILLS FOR YA MIKE:))

Kelly & I are Executors Of The Estate for my Uncle Harry’s estate & we will have to hit the ground running as soon as we get home.  Uncle Harry’s funeral plans are already in place but a date is yet to be set, depending on our arrival date.  Harry’s room has to be quickly emptied at the care facility.  Many, many, tasks ahead of us.  Aunt Jean flies in from Florida next week as well.  Kelly has been busy on the phone these past couple travel days cancelling Uncle Harry’s phone, cable TV, etc.   Numerous things to deal with but as I sit here tonight with my headphones on listening to sounds of the Big Band era I know I am enjoying the same music Uncle Harry enjoyed so much as well all those oh so many young years ago. 

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GROANER’S CORNER:((    I was browsing in a souvenir shop when the man next to me struck up a conversation. Just as he was telling me that his wife was getting carried away with her shopping, a brief power shortage caused the lights to flicker overhead.
"Ah," he sighed, "that must be her checking out now."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

16 comments:

  1. Looks like you are making good time. Sad that both this year and last, your trip ended on a sad note. Stay safe.

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  2. Love your 'views from the road'. Safe travels.

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  3. Your makin good time, long days, but your on a mission. I have done the same thing many times to funerals,,, not pleasant by any means, but has to be done...

    Stay safe and Thank you my friend for those beautiful "Windmills",, I love 'em......my middle name is "Windmill"... Carry on!!

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  4. So glad to hear from you on the road! My aunt had to take care of a lot of things after my uncle died. It is never easy...sigh...take care!

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  5. Love the windmills!

    Safe travels tomorrow!

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  6. Lucky to have a Walmart to stretch your legs and back, not to mention it feels good to decompress after so many hours on the road. Winds make driving a real chore and you may rock and roll all night. Safe travels guys.

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  7. nice views today! maybe tomorrow there will be a tailwind pushing you all towards home!

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  8. I will think of you tomorrow as you pass to the south of us in "Okrahoma" and hope you have smooth sailing round the big towns of OKC and Tulsa and on into "Misery"! We like to tease our neighboring states here in Kansas... lol

    I'm so sorry about your Uncle Harry passing. But my, how you've gotten to enjoy and treasure him for a good many years! And make so many good memories to carry you through this time of saying good-bye to him. You've been a treasure and a blessing to him also... and also to Aunt Jean! Family's the most important earthly "treasure" we all have!

    Drive safe.

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  9. Glad you're making good time and sounds like the Sunseeker is handling even the wind.

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  10. Your old Class A would have been even more difficult in the wind. It is one thing we have not yet experienced.. Hope it is calmer Saturday.

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  11. Nice pics of the road. Love those open plains. You sure got your hands full upon homecoming.

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  12. Making good time, and hope the wind dies down for you today, it can make for a tiring drive.

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  13. Why is it that no matter where you are in Texas, no matter which direction you are going, the wind is always blowing against you? Lost a refrigerator vent last year headed west on I-10 out of San Antonio....also lost about 2 mpg of fuel.

    Sorry about your Uncle, sounds like a wonderful man. Enjoy the family who gathers and the fond memories which you all will enjoy. And travel safe.....

    Dave (and Marcia and Bubba and Skruffy)
    GoingRvWay.com

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  14. Safe travels and hope the wind gives you a break!

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  15. I understand the urgency of your trip, as we have an elderly couple we watch out for..However, we have no control over their potential arrangements..no one does :-((

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  16. Beautiful sunrise!
    Travel safely, especially with the wind.

    Pam
    ohtheplacestheygo.worpress.com

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