EAST OF AMARILLO TEXAS
We woke up to the crowing sounds of a Rooster this morning. Now how nice is that:)) And how nice it is to have it light until 8 p.m. at night now too. Many early signs of Spring as we rolled through the rural countryside today too.
SUNRISE ON OUR STREET THIS MORNING
A few words about Vega City Park in case there are some Boon Dockers motoring through on I-40. . This was one of our nicer stops even if it was on a street. The fenced Park is well cared for, clean & neat. Tennis Courts, jogging track, horseshoes, badminton & a complete children’s playground with washroom. Book says one can park anywhere they like around the outside of the Park. We parked at the northwest corner by the gate. Beware the low hanging tree branches. Another good spot is the south side along the fence by the tennis courts. Verizon signal was good as well as Skype. Also received about 5 clear TV channels with the rig’s antennae.
A COUPLE OF TIRED LITTLE TRAVELERS
After a fuel fill up in sleepy little Vega we were back on I-40 heading east about 8:10. For the longest time I thought we had some kind of transmission problem because the rig wouldn’t shift into high gear. I felt we were ascending a long grade into Amarillo but it still should have shifted. We seemed to be running a thousand RPM’s to high. Tac should have been reading about 2200 & it was reading 3200. Stopped to check tranny fluid & it was fine. Just could not figure out why it was not shifting. And then…………with the flick of a switch the problem was instantly solved.
THEY SURE BUILD LONG TRAINS OUT HERE IN THE MIDWEST
When we had stopped for the day on Friday, one corner of my suction cup visor had pulled free. In order to re-stick it to the windshield I straddled the steering wheel with knees resting against the dash. My right knee had pressed the ‘Overdrive’ button into the ‘ON’ position. As soon as I turned that switch off this morning the revs dropped to their normal running range. And with that, all the gloomy transmission repair dollars floating around in my head flew right out the window:)) Ya Ya I know, I can just see all the mechanic guys just shaking their heads.
We had been driving in beautiful morning sunshine until we hit Amarillo. Ahead of us, just like a wall, lay a cloud bank. It was like we drove up into the clouds complete with a big drop in temperature. Shades of the Twilight Zone. Twenty miles east of Amarillo we were back into full sunshine & warmer temps again heading for……..Oklahoma City? Nope, Wichita Falls. Just before Amarillo we decided on the southeastern route along highway 287. This proved to be a good decision because the highway is a nice 4 lane road. We were just needing an Interstate rest & 287 gave us that. Lite traffic, green farm fields stretching to the horizon, quaint towns & great signs of Spring along the way.
THIS McDONALD’S IN CHILDRESS WAS UNDER RENOVATIONS WITH ONLY THE DRIVE-THRU OPEN….BUT, DID THAT STOP KELLY?? NOSIREE…………..
Missed a turn off ramp in Wichita Falls & briefly ended up in the Soupburbs again. But, within minutes we had ourselves straightened out & back on track for the little town of Henrietta on highway 82. Our book told us of a city park there called Hapgoods so that is where this blog is coming from tonight. We are within site of the highway but all is quiet. This is actually a real RV campground with water, electricity & sewer. We are fine so never bothered with any of the facilities. Twelve spots here with 3 rigs & us. The other rigs kinda look permanent. Not as nice a location as Vega but it will do just fine for an overnighter. Five clear TV channels, green grass, a tree & a good Verizon connection. No destination tomorrow except to say we will join up with our old tried & true southwest route at a little place called St. Jo just west of Gainesville Texas. As challenging & exciting new routes are, there is always something comforting about the familiarity & security of old routes……………10-4:))
Oh Oh……I think the wind just found us again:((
OUR OVERNIGHT SPOT IN SOUTHEAST HENRIETTA TEXAS…COMPLETE WITH GREEN GRASS & A TREE:))
We have gone through two time zones in the past 3 days & that is working in my favor as far as sleeping goes. It has been as if my Ontario body clock never did make the transition to Pacific time all the while we were in the West. Kelly was even up before me this morning & that is extremely rare.
VALLEY OF FIRE VISITOR’S CENTER BLENDS RIGHT INTO THE ROCKS
And now, once again let me clear something up. Geeeezzzz!! The book I mentioned in last night’s blog is the ESCAPEE CLUB’S book called, Days End. You have to be a member of the Escapee’s Club to receive this book. I have mentioned probably half a dozen times in past posts that Kelly & were once members of the Escapee Club when we first became interested in the RV lifestyle years ago. We also joined the Canadian EXPLORER RV CLUB around the same time. We let both those membership’s lapse but our very outdated Days End book dates back to that time & still serves us well. I happen to think the Escapee’s Club is an excellent outfit with many benefits. We just happened to let the membership slip & just haven’t got around to renewing it again. Now, I hope that calms the troubled waters……..again. Double Geeeezzzz!!!!
VALLEY OF FIRE, NEVADA
GROANER’S CORNER:(( What do you have when a lawyer is buried up to his neck in sand?
Not enough sand.
--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/BISBEEARIZONAAFEWFINEPHOTOMEMORIES
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
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.
Troubled waters? I don't think there are any troubled waters here. I'm a lifetime member of Escapees, and happy to be so, but if you're not a member any longer, I don't have a problem with that. I don't follow your reasoning on troubled waters...
ReplyDeleteI've only been with you for a few months.. It is interesting to see how you go from place to place and boon-dock all of the time. Or almost all of the time.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet you don't seem to have to use the Walmarts or other depressing places as you go.
glad you solved your 'transmission' issues without having to remove your wallet from your pocket!..my dad, told me one day about how he had some trouble with his motorhome..wouldn't go up hill very fast..pedal all the way to 'what he thought was the floor'??..made a 'pit stop' and realized that the floor mat had gotten stuck under the wheel!!..needless to say I think the floor mat got tossed to the back of the rig after that!!
ReplyDeletenice car that Kelly was using at the 'drive through' :)
I was so happy to read that your transmission problems were so easy to fix. I, too, could see that money just flying out the window.
ReplyDeleteI see Jerry was leaving his Escapee commercial on the blog since you mentioned the Day's End book again.
ReplyDeleteAnd I too am a member of that organization, and checked on the book, but found that they want to sell it to you on a computer file now, and rarely print the book any more.
That's fine if you always have the computer running, but there is something comforting about having the book open to the needed page while you are driving looking for something.
But for you, Kelly could be looking at the computer while you are driving, since she does that most of the time anyway. LOL.
funny you found your way to Henrietta Texas as my mother and sister live in that small Texas town... nothing much there but wind, heat, and cold but it is a nice stop to get off the road for a day... enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHey Al just wanted you to know your two train shots pass muster.Shooting train pictures is like, fishing you have to be patient and wait for the big one to come along, That's a BNSF train you got and it probably had a couple more engines on the back radio controlled in what they call distributed power mode.Have a safe journey. Sam & Donna..
ReplyDeleteHey, when did you put the new photo of Kelly on the blog? I just noticed it today. When we were together in Borrego Springs, I meant to tell her how much I liked her new haircut, but we seemed to have so much to talk about I never fit it in. It looks great on her, and the new photo shows it off.
ReplyDeleteBTW, we subscribe to Day's End. It is now run by Guy Gipson, who does a great job, publishing updates, deletions and additions online on a special website constantly. He puts out an updated file (PDF and .rtf) which you download quarterly. When we know our route, I print the pages we are interested in, so it is the best of both worlds - frequently updated, resident on your computer, printable.
You can send in additions and changes as you find them to earn "points". Earn enough points and you don't pay for the service any longer. Very cool. If you are an Escapee, the cost is just $10/year, I believe.
I think I agree with Judy and Emma, I don't see any troubled waters here.
ReplyDeleteDictionary.com says that 'troubled waters' is a confused or chaotic state of affairs. I find that in my personal life but have not experienced any on the Bayfield Bunch blog.
Good deal to check the overdrive setting before hitting the panic button. That is like extra money in your pocket.
ReplyDelete