FROM THE ARKANSAS RAINS TO THE TEXAS SUNSHINE:))

 

WE HAD GUESTS FOR SUPPER TO-NIGHT

It was the first night on the road we didn't require any heat to keep warm.  The rain pattered away on the roof reminding me of tenting days gone by.  The drone of distant I-40 slowly faded as I drifted away into RV la la land in Hazen, Arkansas.  

IT’S A RAIN SOAKED MORNING AT A CRACKER BARREL STOP IN TEXARKANA TUESDAY MORNING

Kelly was up before me again & it wasn't long before we were getting things squared away for the day's journey.  I should clear a couple things up here first of course.  Seems I have to do a lot of that!!  Kelly questioned my use of the word's pooh pooh in last night's blog.  I explained that when someone pooh pooh's something it means they generally don't like it.  Nothing to do with the other......well, you know what I mean.  I had used those words in describing 'high enders' pooh poohing or not liking this kind of park.  No paved roads, custom curbs, manicured lawns, bubbling hot tubs, pristine pools, or patented palm trees.  We had never seen many RV's in this park before but when we pulled out this morning there were 6 big fancy diesel bangers & a couple of large 5th wheels huddled to-gether over in one corner of the park.  Opposite corner to where the Bayfield Bunch was so maybe that tells me something.  And, by the way, I just happen to love those big colored fancy-do swirly paint jobs on those  big coaches & must admit I am envious.  As previously posted, white is not my color!!  Oh, & Kelly suggested I stop referring to rich folks as high enders.  Ok, ok.............geeeeeeezzzzzz anyhow!!

ON THE SHORES OF PEACEFUL AMON G CARTER LAKE NEAR BOWIE, TEXAS

We hit the road in the pouring rain at 6:20 a.m. with the addition of another $120 worth of gas from the Citco gas bar nearby.  Shell & Exxon are also at this interchange plus convenience stores so it's a good fuel stop for anyone.  Visibility in the darkness on a rain soaked highway is always difficult let alone on an Interstate with ka-zillions of trucks whizzing by dousing you with road spray & grit from countless tires.  That stress filled little drive lasted for 190 miles until we reached Texarkana, Texas & pulled into a Cracker Barrel. 

 

MAX FELL ASLEEP IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR

It was our 4th time in this particular CB & we chowed down on a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausages, & wall paper paste.  By the time we left Cracker Barrel the rain had stopped & there was a bit clearing in the heavy cloud cover on the horizon to the west.  I-30 through Texarkana has been under heavy construction for the past two years & it was a real nerve buster again maneuvering through those cement construction barriers that were obviously set up with Volkswagon cars in mind.  Ok, ok, I know.......wall paper paste??  Well, how else can I describe that stuff you folks down south here call............grits!!!!

FEROCIOUS MOTORMOUSE DOG ON THE PROWL

Three years ago on our way home from the southwest we came through Dallas using the I-20 bi-pass south of the city.  We made out OK but I haven't felt like tackling Dallas again so we generally detour around it by going north.  We tried the 380 Denton route a couple of years ago & it was all infested with heavy traffic, construction, & traffic lights.  Last year we got off I-30 at New Boston & took highway 82 going up & over through places like Paris, Sherman. & Gainesville.  Planned to go that way again but at the last minute decided to try a new route from Greenville up highway 69 & joining 82 near Sherman.  Turned out to be a good decision because it was nice quiet 2 lane highway.  We had been Interstating it ever since we crossed the border at Port Huron & I was desperately needing a good old back roads fix.  Can't tell you how nice it was to get off the stock car track & back out into the peaceful countryside.  We will not be on another Interstate until we reach I-10 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Saw our first cactus & yucca's in the little western town of Celeste.

THAT GANG OF GEESE ARE KEEPING THEIR DISTANCE FROM THE  GATOR DOG ON SHORE

The heavy forests of Arkansas slowly began to diminish the further west we went.  Fewer & smaller trees as begin reaching the eastern edges of the great plains.  More cactus appearing along the roadside & in the fields.  More small scrub trees & the land is flattening out.  West of Gainesville & Muenster is a little place called St. Jo & this is where we make the left turn onto my favorite part of the journey.  From here to Tularosa NM it is a serene 2 lane highway winding through many small west Texas towns with names like Bowie, Jacksboro, Throckmorton, Haskell, Old Glory, Aspermont, Post, & Tahoka, just to mention a few.  Light traffic on this road all the way with nice rest areas & vast scenic plains stretching for as far as the eye can see.  The plains have a beauty all their own but I'm afraid I couldn't live there.  Got to have my trees!!

 

AND THIS IS WHAT KELLY WALKED INTO WITH BARE FEET

We have an Escapee Club book that lists many out of the way areas for RV'ers to stop & Kelly found one just 3 miles southwest of Bowie, Texas about 2 miles east off highway 59.  The narrow paved road ends at Selma Park on the shores of Lake Amon G. Carter.  This is so much a perfect spot for the Bayfield Bunch.  We are camped right on the shores of the lake with only the camp host as distant neighbor.  The dogs can run free & we only have the crickets & frogs competing with the sounds of wind in the small scrub oak trees & tiny breeze driven waves lapping on the shore.  We even have our own resident herd of small geese at the water's edge. 

MOTORMOUSE PUTS THE RUN ON OUR SUPPER GUESTS

Being Canadians from afar we are not always alert to some of the flora & fauna of the southwest that can cause grievous injury to the unwary.  To-day the unwary one turned out to be Kelly.  She had taken off her shoes & socks & was stretched out in her chair catching some rays when she decided to get up & go into the motorhome for something.  I was about 30 feet away when I heard her holler & figured she had stepped on a sharp stone or something.  But, it had turned out to be more than that.  She had walked right into a patch of cactus burrs that neither one of us had noticed.  She couldn't move or take a step because of the pain.  I was able to get her lowered to the ground away from the brambles & the bottoms of her feet were embedded with cactus spikes.  I was very worried at this point so asked her if she thought she would still be able to make supper later.  I won't tell you what she said to me!!  Took her awhile to delicately remove all the prickers & it's safe to say this story had a happy ending.  We had chicken burgers for supper:))

MINUTES BEFORE WALKING INTO THE CACTUS PATCH JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAR!!

 

OUCHY OUCHY OUCHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are in no hurry now that the temperatures are warmer & we are away from the Interstates.   Might be a nice sunrise over the lake too.  We hope to sleep in to-morrow morning & just maybe go out & graze in the morning grass for awhile.   We'll head further west later but not sure how far.  Maybe Haskell or maybe Brownfield.  Or maybe I might end up in the middle of the lake if I make anymore wisecracks about Kelly's little cactus dance this afternoon............:))

Mondays miles traveled.......285 miles

Tuesdays miles traveled......452 miles

(there may be a lot of mistakes in to-night's blog because right now I am so tired Kelly's got me propped up in my chair with a broom handle)

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I dreamt that I was a muffler. When I woke up, I was exhausted.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

SOME AUTUMN COLORS & RAIN DROPS IN ARKANSAS

 

SOME AUTUMN COLORS AT T-RICKS RV PARK ALONGSIDE I-40 EAST OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

I think my head was unconscious before it hit the pillow last night because I can't even remember going to sleep.  Not a sound during the night so we both slept well.  Rolled out of the park at 6:10 this morning & our first stop was just down I-55 for $165 worth of gas at a little place called Dongate.  Prices are definitely up over last year's trip.  Rigs running good but did notice yesterday we have a slow leak in the plastic windshield washer container.  Will have to get somebody to weld that up:))

 

HARD TO TELL BUT ALL THESE CEMENT PADS ARE SLOPED

We have seen two sunrises in a row & that's a real treat for us because we have pine trees all around our house in Bayfield & never get to see the sunrises or sunsets.  At the Arizona ranch we will see the sun rise over the Swiss Helm mountains every morning & set behind the Mule mountains to the west every night.  Now, I'd say that's pretty darn special:))

AN OLD TUMBLE DOWN SHED SITS NEARBY OUR CAMPSITE

Crossed the Mississippi from Illinois into Missouri this morning about 7:30 & waved to Elvis over in Memphis as we exited the ramp from I-55 to I-70 around 11:15.  I have always found this interchange west of Memphis a pivotal point in our journey coming or going to the southwest.  It's roughly a half way point to our western destinations.  Coming home this is where we make the major swing to the north & coming down it is the big turn in our westward travels.   The land seems to really flatten out this side of the Mississippi too & we saw the first of many cotton fields.  We noticed the absence of  abundant autumn colors this morning as well because autumn here is in an earlier stage than up north.

 

THOUGHT IT WAS AN APPROPRIATE PHOTO FOR HALLOWEEN

I am typing this blog to-night from a small rain soaked RV Park in Hazen Arkansas which is just a short distance east of Little Rock.  This is probably our 5th stop here in the last 3 years.  We stumbled upon it a few years ago when I was tired from driving & willing to just pull in anywhere......even a crowded RV Park.  But, for us it turned out to be a bonus find because there is hardly ever anyone here.  It's kind of a shabby little place but it's safe for our dogs to run loose.  The interstate is only about a half mile north on the other side of a small forest & we can hear the steady low rumble of traffic but not enough to be annoying.  Name of the park is T-Ricks like in T-Rex the dinosaur.  Big gas station at the entrance which makes it convenient for a fuel stop as well.  The town of Hazen stretches from here to the south but we've never been there.  We just use this as a convenient overnight stop with full hook-ups.  ($25) My theory of why this park never made it is this..... the cement slabs are not level!!  All the slabs are sloped down to the north so no rig sits perfectly level.   It's not a big concern for us but for the high enders out there this would be totally pooh pooh!!  Could be why this park fell on hard times.  Fine with us though & it's a good one nighter stop for the Bayfield Bums:))  Yahooie Louie.......

THAT’S US ON THE UPPER RIGHT

Some folks may wonder why we push it a bit when leaving home for the southwest.  A lot of it has to do with weather.  Our destination is the warmer weather of the south & when your rolling out of Ontario at this time of year it is wise to get as far south as soon as you can.  Ice & snow storms can roar in at anytime & there is no point dawdling with that threat hanging over your head.  We are not cold weather people so have no interest in hanging around cold damp weather areas on the way down either.  The further south we get the less propane we use to keep warm at nights too.  As I stated in a previous post we generally keep the hammer down until we slip over the mountains through the Apache Pass west of Roswell, New Mexico & down into Alamogordo.  For us, this is where our much slower & relaxed winter lifestyle begins.  We are once again back to our beloved mountains, canyons, & desert.  From here there is no reason to hurry anywhere for the next 6 months or so.   It's just the Point A to Point B that we like to get behind us & the return trip is the same in spring.

 

WE ARE ACTUALLY PARKED IN THE WRONG WAY….WHY??  BECAUSE WE COULD !!

RICK got me clued in on Googles 'custom search box' after I mentioned earlier that I wished I had a way of finding things on our blog site.  I had seen it in the 'Add A Gadget' menu earlier but in my probable haste to the refrigerator or something I promptly forgot about it.  Rick has it on his site & I have added it to mine.  Haven't used it yet because I forgot I put it there!!

THIS DECAYING SWING SEAT HASN’T HAD A RIDER FOR A VERY LONG TIME

Welcome to blog followers, MARK & TERI & may you live long & prosper.  Well hey, that's what Spock used to say on board the starship Enterprise & if it was good enough for the folks he talked to it's good enough for all the Bayfield Bunch followers too:))

JUST GOTTA ADD SOME MILK & ORANGE JUICE, HIT THE SWITCH, & I’VE GOT MYSELF ANOTHER VERY FINE YUMMY SHAKE ON THE WAY:))

Reading VERAGIRL the other day I noticed a website on her page called, BITS FROM BILL'  He seems pretty savvy on techie stuff & his site looks very informative.  He has some opinions about Windows 7, Vista, & XP.  Hop on over & check out Bill's bits.

CAN YOU FIND KELLY & MAX IN THIS PHOTO??

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Two hydrogen atoms meet.  One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says, 'Are you sure?'  The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'

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TO-DAY WE DID BATTLE WITH INDIANAPOLIS ILLINOIS…….AND GOT LOST AGAIN!!!!

 

OUR OVERNIGHT SPOT AT FERNE CLIFFE STATE PARK NEAR GOREVILLE,  ILLINOIS

I think the locals wrapped up their drag races in the Wal-Mart parking lot last night around midnight but we were long gone to dreamland by then. I was back up & on the computer at 3:30 & Kelly got up around 5.  Had the big wheels rolling by 6, grabbed some fuel at a nearby gas bar, & we were southbound on I-69 by 6:15.  Still dark out so we had to really be vigilante for deer.  Have seen about a dozen casualties so far & our headlights lit up 2 live ones standing just off the right hand shoulder as we lumbered by.

 

AN EARLY ILLINOIS SUNRISE & REST AREA PIT STOP

Nice sunrise as the cloudy wet weather from days past began to dissipate.  We just kept rolling & rolling this morning enjoying the beautiful autumn colors along the forest lines close to the road.  Breakfast was served from Kelly's on board kitchen. Hot coffee & an egg salad sandwich brought right to the driver by boss Kelly her very self around 8:30.  It was a big sandwich & thanks to a rough stretch of interstate under construction I managed to get as much of that sandwich on my pants as I did in my stomach.  And the crumbs & eggs that missed my lap were quickly gobbled up by a little motormouse sitting by my seat with head turned up & mouth agape.

YEP, IT’S AN EGG SALAD SANDWICH ALRIGHT……STRAIGHT FROM KELLY’S ONBOARD KITCHEN CAFETERIA:))

I sure had to do a lot of swearin this morning to get us through Indianapolis.  We knew Indy was going to be a miserable problem again as we approached from the north & saw the big orange construction signs saying the western by-pass was still under construction & interchange 465 was closed.  We had turned Garmin Gertie, our 3 year old GPS on, & she seemed to have a problems getting her bearings.  Between listening to Gertie's babbled ramblings & our own confusing bickering about road signs, construction signs, lane changes & whatever, we were siphoned right off the interstate onto a 6 lane traffic lighted highway headed straight for downtown Indianapolis.  Kelly frantically tried to re-program Gertie as I frantically tried to re-program my vocabulary.  Saw a road sign telling us we were on Binford Blvd but it was too late to matter.  About the time I was considering just pulling over onto the shoulder of the road, putting up the TV antennae & calling Indianapolis home, Garmin Gertie sputtered & came through with what sounded like some believable directions finally.  She told us to continue on for a couple miles & make a left turn on Keystone Avenue.  With the Indy skyscrapers looming ever closer we put our faith in Gertie & went for it.  Five minutes later she had us up onto I-70 & heading west.  And I sure knew we were heading right when the sun warmed up my left shoulder & I saw the Indianapolis Airport on my right.  We were finally back on track & headed in the right direction after well over half an hour of blithering blusters .  And, that is exactly why I like to leave home on a Saturday morning  so as to hit Indianapolis on a Sunday morning.  Had to-day been a week day I  would probably still just be sitting there on a street curb somewhere in the Indy suburbs watching the world go by thinking, whatever happened to those good old days at home relaxing in my comfy, cozy, recliner:((

KELLY CRACKED OFF THESE PHOTOS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS SKYLINE AS WE BREEZED THROUGH HEADING WEST ON I-70 ABOUT 9:50 A.M.

We reached Effingham Illinois in early afternoon & swung our bow southward onto I-57.  Sun was out, the autumn leaves were in full color & the traffic was lite.  Decided I needed a little extra energy so Kelly's kitchen came through with another......egg salad sandwich.  

 

CHECKERS HAS HERSELF A COMFY SPOT IN THE LEAVES

Figured we might as well push on to Ferne Cliffe State Park in Goreville Illinois which is about 200 miles north of Memphis Tennessee.  We had stopped there twice before on our way back from the southwest so it was familiar territory.  In 04/05 we pulled in here on our way back from Big Bend National Park in Texas.  It was December 31rst & we were the only ones in the whole park.  Never saw a soul as we snoozed New Year's Eve away.  Stopped here on our way back to Canada this past March too.  This is a picturesque park with many hardwood trees so with this nice weather week-end the only two spots we could fit into were occupied.  Drove around a bit with the sinking feelings of having to head back out onto I-57 again & keep pushing on.  We drove through the park one more time & luck smiled on us as the folks in one of the 2 spots were just leaving.  We had logged 439 miles to-day & were very grateful to have that spot.  Since leaving home we have traveled 731 miles so far.

 

KELLY’S HANDLING ANOTHER WORK RELATED DEERPARK LODGE CALL (oh, & that leopard skin blanket is actually a dog blanket to keep fur off my bed:))

To-morrow we may head for another familiar spot & stop at the T-Rex RV Park east of Little Rock, Arkansas or we just might blow right on by there & end up wherever to-morrow night.  Just another typical Bayfield Bunch day on the road.  Hard to know where we’re going when we can hardly remember where we came from……………..:((

GROANER'S CORNER:))  A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons.The Stewardess looks at him and says,  'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger'

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.  BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, MR. BORDER GUARD GUY…….SIR:))

LOADING UP THE GANG AT 6:17 A.M. THIS MORNING

I am generally up well before Kelly but I heard some shuffling around about 4:15 so knew it was time to get up & get moving.  It had been raining hard when I went to bed about 6 hours before but the start to our day was dry with surprisingly mild temperatures & that just added an extra touch of niceness to loading up the last few things in the rig before heading out.

 

CROSSING THE BLUEWATER BRIDGE……. DESPITE THESE EASY TO READ SIGNS I STILL MANAGED TO GET MYSELF INTO THE WRONG LANE FURTHER AHEAD AT THE BORDER!!

We started the big wheels rolling at exactly 6:20 a.m.  It's always a weird kind of feeling leaving your home behind knowing you won't be back again for a whole 5 or 6 months.  Doesn't quite seem real in a way driving off into the darkness leaving all your comfy, cozy security behind you but it only takes a few miles to get that feeling all shook out & then the journey ahead becomes priority one.

OUR FIRST STOP WAS A CRACKER BARREL IN LANSING, MICHIGAN

It's an easy drive from our place to the border at Sarnia/Port Huron & by the time we rolled up to the gate it was light with the clock showing 7:50 a.m.  Renee, we passed over your old farm at Indian Road about 7:45:))  I was so intent on getting everything right as we approached the customs gate that I promptly pulled into the wrong line up of course.  Well, that got me rattled so I brushed a yellow utility pole in the narrow lane with my right mirror.  We now have a nice flash of yellow paint on the mirror but It's ok because I really like it.  A few more of those & we'll have one of those big colorful fancy schmancy paint jobs on our coach.   Besides, it matches our desert boondocking pinstriping that sets us apart from the pavement huggers !!

WAITING PATIENTLY IN LINE AT CRACKER BARREL

Did you hear that big sigh of relief blow through your neighborhood this morning about 8:05 Ontario time:))  I had my coat ready, the dog leashes out, & was fully prepared to be pulled over for our usual grinding agriculture check.  Young fellow at the gate asked the usual questions, was very polite & had a pleasant personality.  Not the gruffness we are used to.  He asked if he could step into the coach & we said of course.  Said he had 2 big dogs at home so he liked ours.  He apologized for leaving the coach door open behind him & asked if he could walk further back in the coach.  Made some nice comments about our dogs & then headed back to his booth, handed our passports back & said, "have a nice trip folks."  Kelly & I were in a totally exuberant state of shock.  This was the best border crossing we ever had & this nice young fellow with the dark rimmed glasses (be sure to get him if you cross) was soooooooo totally polite & respectful.  What a great professional attitude he had compared to a lot of the border guards we have run into.  Thank-you from The Bayfield Bunch young man whoever you were:))

FIRST DOGGY PIT STOP OF THE DAY

Very light traffic all through Michigan & that's why I prefer to drive Saturday's & Sundays.  Friends of ours usually start their trip on a week day & I've never understood why.  Been raining on & off all day & we drove through a half a dozen short heavy rain cells.  Our 'first eats' stop this morning around 11 was our 'last eats' stop on the way home last March.  Lansing Michigan's Cracker Barrel of course:))  It's very rare we ever eat out at home so we save those times up for when we are on the road traveling.  Ya gotta love those $5.99 prices & we both waddled out of there filled right up.

YESEREEEEE, YUMMY IN THE TUMMY:))

It felt soooooo good to be back on the road to-day & finally going somewhere again.  And it's sooooooo nice to have a Class A to do it in.  Warm & toasty plus the whole gang's to-gether.  Great for the doggy guys.  Kelly can grab us a coffee or sandwich while rolling or be sitting comfortably at the computer desk.  Never have to leave the coach to use the washroom either.  Plugged our Verizon air card into the laptop in Lansing Michigan & we were on-line within about 20 seconds.  Now, how nice is that:))

 

KELLY FIELDS HER FIRST DEERPARK LODGE CALL OF THE TRIP

I should clear something up here about last night's blog before I get myself deeper into trouble & it regards our sleeping arrangements.  Kelly felt I may have put her in a bad light.  One of her most important things is getting a good night's sleep & it goes a long way to making her the sweet charming pleasant little person she really is.  Kelly has to have the room totally dark & quiet with not so much as a squeak anywhere.  I, on the other hand am up & down in the night like a jack in the box & rarely ever get a good night's sleep & I'm sure that goes a long way to making me the cranky cursmudgeon I really am.  I'm just not good company for a sound sleeper & besides, I've never understood why 2 full grown people would ever cram themselves onto a bed for a whole night's sleep with hardly enough room for a spider to crawl between them.  At home we have our own rooms & Kelly has hers all fixed up just the way she likes it & I have mine all junked up just the way I like it too.  Sure makes a whole lot of perfectly good sense to both of us to have our own space.  In the motorhome it is the same & if any of the doggy guys have to go out in the night or early in the morning I sleep up front near the door & can get up & do that without disturbing or waking up big chief little boss in her quiet bedroom at the back of the coach.  Now, I thought that was mighty darn considerate of me.........didn't you:))

  DIDN’T TAKE THE KIDS LONG TO GET THEIR TOYS OUT ONCE WE GOT STOPPED FOR THE DAY  (click any photo to enlarge it)

This blog to-day is coming to you from a Wal-Mart parking lot in Angola, Indiana & we are in the very same spot we were last March for our last night on the road before reaching home.  Last year we stayed in Pokagon State Park just a few miles from here on the way south but when we pulled in there to-day all the pull through sites were taken so we remembered this Wal-Mart & came a few miles further.  Great spot for the dogs with lots of grass beside us.  Windy, cold, & raining at the moment.  Glad we're heading south & not north.  And, talking about heading somewhere, I figure it's just about time for me & the furry guys to draw straws & see who takes the first shift at sleeping on the single bed to-night. 

And, that just about wraps up the Bayfield Bunch's first day on the road for 2009/10:))     (blog may look a little choppy for a few days until I get it configured for the laptop)

 

ANGOLA, MICHIGAN…..OUR FIRST OVERNIGHTER

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft.
Unsurprisingly, it sank, proving once again, that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

YABBA DABBA DOOOOOOOO:))

WE ARE ON THE STARTING LINE & READY TO RUMBLE........ARIZONA HERE WE COME:))

The day before we headed south last year it was a miserable wet, windy, & cold rain soaked day.  To-day was a repeat performance as I hooked the car up to the motorhome in the rain.  The last time I hitched the car up was around March 23rd of this year when we left the ranch near Douglas, Arizona.  I surprised myself by remembering how to do it without having to get in a big snit with my myself.  We have the rig parked on the road in front of our driveway now & plan to roll out as early as we can in the morning.  Probably won't sleep good to-night so I have a feeling it will be an early start.  There will be no excitement or smiles on our faces until we clear the border!!!!

KELLY PACKING AWAY SOME KITCHEN THINGS

Wow, sure is a big stampede going on in the blogging world with the release of Windows 7 this week.  Blog after blog I'm reading are talking about it.  Some folks have Win 7 on order while others are going the upgrade route.  A friend of mine (Gary) in Bayfield emailed the other night saying he just got a new laptop with Win 7 installed.  From the early reports it looks like it's going to be a great program.  We had talked about it a few months ago but will wait until next year before deciding on a new puter.  Our AMD desktop running XP is about 4 years old while our Toshiba, also with XP is a little over 3 years old.  So far they are both performing fine & we'd like to get a few more miles out of them.  One of the big mistakes I made when we went from Windows 98 to XP was in trying to turn XP back into Win 98.  I think we have a habit of routines & sometimes we try to resist the change by clinging to old habits.  I did manage to mess it up pretty good & a techie guy had to straighten it out for me.  Kelly then straightened me out right quick & we've all been one big happy family ever since.

In a matter of hours our sticks & bricks life of the past 7 months will literally change overnight to our five & a half month life on the road with over half that time boondocking somewhere in the deserts of Arizona & California.  And with this overnight change to-night comes the re-learning curve.  Everything is different.  Gotta figure out the rig's TV remote again plus this year we'll have Star Choice.  Haven't driven anything 53' long since last March.  That length includes the car. 

Water will take on new importance as will gasoline & propane,  Solar panels, inverters, & batteries will once again enter our daily vocabulary.  My nightly sleeping arrangement will go from a spacious double bed in my very own room here at home to a single bed in the front of the coach with 3 dogs all piled up around me.  Kelly has the spacious & quiet luxury of the big bedroom in the back of the coach.  So, am I complaining....no sireeeeeee.  Us old dogs gotta stick to-gether!! 

I'm going to miss my hot lobster showers every single morning after we leave too.  I am already missing my big recliner, stereo, big TV, double bed, comfy cozy computer room with stereo sub woofer computer sound, & bigger kitchen conveniences.  Is this stuff enough to stay home for??  No way Jose but I'm going to miss them all anyway & even though I love traveling I'm already looking forward to coming home at the end of the long dusty journey & ka-flopping into my big old comfy chair again:))

LOADING SOME FINAL THINGS

Noticed TIOGA GEORGE  stopped in to see WANDERWOLF in Ajo, Arizona to-day.  We popped into to see Mike, his rig Wanderwolf, & his dog, Little Bit, last December when we were passing through the neighborhood as well.  You can read our blog about that meeting HERE.  Tioga George is on his way from Mexico to California at the moment to get his Datastorm system fixed.  I blogged about Tioga George about a month or so ago.  Wished I had some kind of quick reference system here for finding things in previous posts.  Tioga George just past the 4 million visitors to his site mark about a week ago.  I think he has the largest following of all RV folks on the road to-day.  Maybe one day the Bayfield Bunch will get to meet Tioga George:))  WANDERING WILLY once met him.

  I THINK THE DOGGY GUYS KNOW SOMETHING IS UP

Well, time to call it day & this will be the last post from this computer here at home for awhile.  Hopefully I'll be back to-morrow night from somewhere north of Indianapolis.  Wish us luck at the border & when you hear that whoosh of air go over your head sometime in the morning it's just the Bayfield Bunch letting out a big huge sigh of relief as we finally clear the border.   And if you see something sparkle in the sky it's just the sun's reflection off our big toothy Cheshire grins as we point our faces into the wind, put the hammer down, & head off for the sunny southwest...............10-4:))

And Sandra & Gordon.....hope you can still get things worked out & are not too far behind us.................

GROANER'S CORNER:((  What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?   A nervous wreck.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

LOADING.......AND UNLOADING SOME THINGS FROM THE RIG TO-DAY:))

WE WILL SOON LEAVE OUR AUTUMN BEHIND

Gonna be a short blog to-night.  Just got home from a 'driver information meeting' with the mobility van company I am a part time driver for.  The meeting went long but I didn't care because they brought in some big delicious chicken pot pies for supper with Cesar salad plus all the butter tarts I could cram into my face.  All the info they presented at the meeting won't mean a think to me when I return next April because I won't remember any of it......except how many butter tarts I ate:))  Oh, & I finally picked up my company driver's winter coat they had promised me........3 years ago!!

WIND CHIMES HANGING FROM AN OLD DEAD TREE I PLANTED BESIDE OUR FROG POND A FEW YEARS AGO.  THE LARGE ONE IS ACTUALLY A LIGHT WHICH ILLUMINATES THE POND AT NIGHT

Another cloudy, mild, & quiet day.  Raked pine needles & cleaned out some eaves.  Luckily we just have a one story unit so no high wire act for me.  Caught a lucky break this morning when I noticed Kelly loading a bunch of canned goods into the motorhome.  It's the same mistake we made before  in carrying around a whole lot of unnecessary weight.  I promptly removed about 6.4 tons of beans, soups, sauces, chilies, & whatever else comes in those darned tin cans.  Not anything we can't get south of the border!!  And luckily for me Kelly understood:))

A Canadian RV couple we know just had their whole winter vacation destroyed when they were denied access to the United States.  Conflict over an old green card obtained in 1992.  They have been spending their winters down south for about 5 years now & just a few days ago when they tried to cross at Buffalo they were flagged & denied access!!  They are now in Ottawa scrambling around trying to find a place to stay, getting their 5th wheel winterized, etc.  Their whole lives turned completely upside down & their RVing lifestyle brought to a screeching halt.  You can read SANDRA'S BLOG HERE.  Border crossings are not for the faint of heart as we can well attest to!!!!   STILL SOME OUTSIDE GERANIUMS BLOOMING

GROANER'S CORNER:))  And just when you thought you had that last tongue twister figured out, try this one.  "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick"

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

A QUIET & REFLECTIVE MORNING WALK

I RESCUED THIS CEMENT DALMATIAN FROM A LANDFILL SITE ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO & BROUGHT HIM HOME:))

Click any photo to enlarge it.

There wasn't a sound in the morning air.  No wind to rustle the autumn leaves, no rain to patter on the pond.  Only the sounds of Max & I shuffling along the quiet forest path.   No twittering songbirds in the trees & no scampering squirrels gathering food for the long winter ahead.  Looking about I remembered that old saying, "the lull before the storm."  A saddened sort of feeling came over me as we meandered along the trail.  Not quite the way we used to meander years ago when we were both younger.  Max is aging & finding it harder to keep up now despite my own slower pace.  I am saddened by inner thoughts & concerned for the quiet forest knowing it too has difficult winter storms ahead.

MY BOY MAX SCOUTS THE TRAIL AHEAD

The rain held off all day so that was good for loading more things into the motorhome.  I slipped up to Goderich this morning & picked up a few things at the grocery store we knew we wouldn't find in the States.  Filled the van with gas for it's long winter's stay in the carport.  All & all a moodily quiet day.  This is our lull before the long journey ahead soon...............

TIM HORTON'S COFFEE & SHREDDED WHEAT WITH BRAN ARE RARE COMMODITIES SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Kelly & I in our travels like to head out on day trips that take us to places where we can walk, hike, & do a bit of rock scrambling .  We're not really serious long distance hikers loaded with back packs nor are we into rock climbing as such.  We're generally comfortable for maybe a 4 mile round trip hike, & rock scrambling to us is climbing over rock strewn trails & maybe the odd jaunt up on top of a bolder to have a look around.  We generally like to go by ourselves because that way we can move at our own pace & enjoy our surroundings.  I try to get a feel for where I am & that requires quiet thinking.  I  try to imagine & remember those who have gone before us. 

The legendary Indian Chief Cochise, leader of the Chiricahua Apaches was one of those figures whose trails we walked upon in February of this year.  Too follow in the footsteps of history has always been a favorite thing of mine.  To walk the same trails & paths as historical figures I read about as a kid is very special to me.  And here on these very paths we walked,  the mighty Indian Chief Cochise & his band of mighty warriors had walked many moons before us.

A LAST LINGERING FLOWER STANDS ALONE IN OUR FLOWERBED

The old dusty rock strewn trail leading into the Dragoon Mountains was long & steep at times as we headed out in search of what is known as the Cochise Stronghold.  Our blog for that day is HERE & you can find our pictures for the Cochise trail in this WEB ALBUM.   Come with us for a hike in the Dragoon Mountains of Arizona.

AUTUMN'S COLOR IN A NEIGHBOR'S YARD TO-DAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know that a raisin is just a grape with a sunburn & a secret is something you tell to just one person at a time.

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE FOR OUR ACTUAL BLOGGER WEBSITE WITH PHOTOS & MORE:))

http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.