A TOUCH OF SPRING IN THE TRAVELING AIR

THESE MIGHT BE CHERRY BLOSSOMS

The outside temperature on our thermometer this morning said 43F & I was relieved to see that because it meant we would not have to contend with black ice on our early morning start.  Noticed a fair bit of snow in the field beside us had melted as well.

PIT STOP FOR THE BAYFIELD BUMS

Rolled out of Bonham Texas onto highway 82 heading east at 6:50 a.m.  Little did I know it would turn out to be a 10 hour driving day taking us north of Memphis almost to the Missouri State line.  I'm writing this from a Lowe's/Wally World Parking lot just off I-55 in Blytheville, Arkansas.

       

One of the problems of early morning starts heading east is the rising sun & it sure did us a bad turn this morning.  Heading into Paris, Arkansas I totally missed seeing the the by-pass sign & drove right smack dab into downtown Paris.  Not only got onto some narrow streets but had trouble reading the street signs because of the sun in our eyes.  We got dragged right down main street through the business district.  The cloud of blue air inside the motorhome didn't help the visibility any either.  Kelly spotted a highway 82 sign with an pointing arrow & about half an hour later we were finally back on track & heading east out of Paris.  Two years ago this very same town literally ate us up & spit us out twice in less than an hour.  I have copied & pasted the 'Paris' part of that post I did for that day at the end of this blog entitled....."A Paris Repeat!!"

I-30 through Texarkana has been under construction every time we have gone through there these past few years & today was no different.  What a mess & what a miserable time we had finding Cracker Barrel again.  I think I had just better stick with my egg salad sandwiches!!

MORNING'S SUNRISE.....KELLY FIELD'S A WORK CALL OUTSIDE CRACKER BARREL....SOCKY GEEPERS ENJOYING THE VIEW

Weather was good, wind was no problem, & the traffic flow was rolling along well today so we just went with the flow & kept on going, & going.  Whenever we get that 'going home bug' or that 'heading for the southwest bug' we just focus on the objective & go for it until we reach our goal.  Right now my cushy recliner chair at home & a long hot shower are priority one!!

Today's cherry blossoms & dandelions were taken at a rest stop area along I-30 west of Memphis.  Sunset photo was taken across the Wal-Mart parking lot in Blytheville, Arkansas.

 

OUR OVERNIGHTER SPOT IN BLYTHEVILLE

Tomorrow morning we'll head east & cross the Mississippi River into Illinois before swinging northward up to Effingham & east to Indianapolis.   Indianapolis is our last major pain in the asparagus before reaching the Canadian border probably sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday.  We'll see how it goes..........10-4!!

TONIGHT'S SUNSET....LIGHT STANDARDS ARE IN THE WAL-MART PARKING LOT

GROANER'S CORNER:(( And did you know it's a fact, taller people sleep longer in bed.

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

"A Paris Repeat!!"   November 18th 2008

Lots of construction going on in the city of Paris, Texas but we were able to thread our way through the traffic cones, around the workers, past the detour signs, & somehow remained in the narrow pot holed construction lanes. Nearly missed a turn at a particularly nasty intersection but we made it through & breathed a big sigh of relief as I watched Paris disappearing in the rear view mirrors. Next big town would be Sherman. Into a bit more construction & a couple sweeping curves to the left. The sun caught my attention when it appeared in my driver's side mirror. Odd, it should be high up on my left side, not in my mirror. More construction & congestion & before I could logically figure out the strange positioning of the sun we nearly missed a turn at a particularly nasty intersection. AWWWWWW NUTS!!!!!! It was the exact same intersection we had just bounced through about 20 minutes before. We had traveled in a complete left hand circle & back into the construction area of Paris. *!!#^>"+! How did this happen!! Watched Paris disappear in my rear view mirrors for the second time. I was beginning to see shades of Bill Murray's movie, Groundhog Day. What if we have entered the Twilight Zone & are doomed to repeat this route around & around forever & ever. We were totally glued to every road sign going by dreading the thought of making the same mistake again. Finally, there it was, a big green sign with the number 82 on it & an arrow pointing to the exit west. How had we missed that before!!!! Had it been any bigger it would have jumped out & slapped us in the face..................

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BAD WINDS, SLUSH ON THE ROADS, & COLD!!!!

 

A CONTENTED LITTLE TRAVELER

First thing I saw when I stepped out of the rig this morning was my breath. It was cold out alright.  There is electricity at this spot as well as water so we were able to use our electric heaters last night.  And use them we did!!  Didn't hook up to water Saturday night though because we didn't want to be froze to the water tap this morning & unable to leave early.

HEY MIKE, WENT BY THOSE WINDMILLS AGAIN THIS MORNING & CRACKED OFF A SHOT THROUGH THE DIRTY WINDSHIELD FOR YA:))

 

 

We left Coleman Park in Brownfield, Texas at 6:50 a.m.  Rolling east out of town the big red rising sun was sitting right square on the road in front of us.  Wow, talk about eye strain for awhile.  We were not too long on the road when I was aware of a vibration in the rig.  I could feel it in my seat but didn't feel anything in the steering wheel & thought that was kind of odd.  Took me a couple minutes to finally figure it out.  Before we left home last fall I had bought a foam seat cushion on sale at Canadian Tire.  It has 6 small massage motors in it for legs & back.  Of course I forgot to use it for most of the trip but I did remember to plug it in this morning.  And yep, that was the vibration I was feeling in my seat alright.  Oh, isn't this aging process fun!!!!

GONNA BE A COLD DAMP NIGHT AT WALLYWORLD IN BONHAM, TEXAS

We started out with light winds this morning but by 10 o'clock we were being blown all over the place again.   Nice sunny day but those nasty wind gusts sure made for some tough driving.  As usual there was very little traffic on highway 380 & it's the main reason we use this road coming & going to the southwest.  I first came across it a few years ago while pouring over maps & Atlas's looking for a route west that avoided large cities.  We use the section of 380 between Jacksboro, Texas & Tularosa, New Mexico.  Nice rest stops along the way, very little traffic, some sleepy western towns, & a couple of free overnight spots with utilities. 

I THINK WE JUST MISSED THE LOCAL SNOW STORM

The winds were really bad on the section of road heading north from Jacksboro on highway 59 to St. Joes just west of Gainsville, Texas.  Our gas mileage probably dropped to about 2 miles per gallon:((

Fueled up in Bowie, Texas about 2 o'clock & pushed on.  I wanted to get Gainsville behind us because I knew the traffic through there would be busy in the morning.  We were surprised by the snow in this area & slushy spots on the road.  Two years ago on our way west we did an overnighter at a Wally World in a town called Bonham so that's where we are right now.  Sure is cold here!!

Did a little browse around in Wal-Mart & picked up a few groceries.  We'll be out of here first thing in the morning & will spend tomorrow night somewhere in Arkansas before our northward swing up the Ohio Valley.  The rig is running good, dogs are fine, & Kelly has been pacifying me with egg salad sandwiches while on the run.  All is well in RV Ville...............:))  

AW COME ON MOM & DAD, LET'S GO BACK TO ARIZONA

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

And remember ladies.....Beauty is only a light switch away.

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.

A CHRISTMAS FEELING IN THE APACHE PASS

SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS  (to-day's photos were taken through a dirty motorhome windshield driving through the Apache Pass in the Sierra Blanca mountains in New Mexico...sorry about the splooches & bug splotches)

We were happy campers last night when the heavy wind gusts finally subsided around 7.  However, they were back again in the middle of the night & it was the  same old routine......... get up, get the slides in, & try to get back to sleep!!

THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS EAST OF LAS CRUCES...SAN AUGUSTIN PASS IS THE LOW POINT OVER TOP THE SILVER CAR AT LEFT

Well, we sure knew we weren't in the warm southern air of the Phoenix area anymore when we stepped out into the 40 something Fahrenheit temperatures this morning.  Throw in a wind chill factor & it was darn well cold!!   

 

ENTERING THE SIERRA BLANCA MOUNTAINS EAST OF TULAROSA

We had the wheels back on I-10 by 6:15 New Mexico time heading for Las Cruces.  Traffic was light & the early morning sun sat right on my eyeballs.  Last year we made the mistake of thinking it would be better to go through Las Cruces rather than around it.  We were much smarter this year & stayed on I-10 until it connected with I-25.  Picked up highway 70, climbed up Organ mountain & cleared the San Augustin Pass without any problems.

WINTER SCENES IN THE APACHE PASS (click to enlarge)

As soon as we cleared the long grade down into the Tularosa Valley, strong cross winds hassled us all the way across the White Sands Missile Range.  Picked up the Alamogordo by-pass & swung up into the Sierra Blanca mountains at Tularosa.  The morning sunshine we had enjoyed was lost to a heavy cloud cover in the mountains & the temperatures dropped.  Every car coming the other way had snow on it so we knew for sure we would be into some kind of weather.

 

We like this route because the Apache Pass is a reasonably easy way over the mountains & is not unduly hard on the motorhome for long periods of time.  Two years ago we saw snow in the pass on our way home & today we saw even more.  Roads were wet but bare, so no problem.  The landscape reminded me so much of Christmas with pine trees layered in coats of white.  Just east of Ruidoso it began to lightly snow & I had all kinds of Christmas Carols going through my head.  Same thing happened two years ago.

 

Coming down the eastern side of the mountains we could see patches of blue sky ahead in the direction of Roswell.  Didn't last long though & by the time we reached the renowned space alien city on the edge of the great plains country the skies were totally overcast.  Fueled up in Roswell & off we headed for the looooooong journey across the treeless flat tundra.

     

Our goal was Brownfield, Texas because we like to use a free little fairground park there that has a Wifi hotspot.  Sometimes we are the only one's here but not today.  We got the second last spot so there's about a dozen rigs in here.  Sun is back out but it's really cold so I'll be spending my time inside until we roll out early in the morning.

 

EXITING THE EAST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS ONTO THE OPEN PLAINS

Had a comment about, 'will I continue to blog once we get home' & the answer to that questions is.....yes!!  Last year when we arrived home I didn't blog for a few days but my blabbering fingers couldn't stay away from the keyboard & I was right back at it again & continued posting every day since then.  Started doing this blogging stuff about September of 07 I think.  If you look back in our archives to last spring, summer, & fall, you will find a blog every single day.  And photos each day as well.  I always manage to come up with things to write & photograph so if the interest is there I will keep the blog going again all summer.  And if it isn't there, I will keep it going anyway.  As mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy doing this blog & it gives me a focus & purpose for myself each day.

 

ROSWELL ALIEN ON A WALL NEAR THE MAIN INTERSECTION AND THE MILES & MILES & MILES OF FLAT COUNTRY WE HAVE TO CROSS

Welcome to our latest blog follower, Rick.  The southwest travel part of the blog may be temporarily coming to an end but hang in there Rick, there's more to come:))

COLEMAN PARK IN BROWNFIELD, TEXAS IS FREE FOR OVERNIGHTER'S.....FREE WIFI TOO:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man went to his dentist because he feels something wrong in his mouth. The dentist examines him and says, "that new upper plate I put in for you six months ago is eroding. What have you been eating?"
The man replies, "all I can think of is that about four months ago my wife made some asparagus and put some stuff on it that was delicious...Hollandaise sauce. I loved it so much I now put it on everything --- meat, toast, fish, vegetables, everything."
"Well," says the dentist, "that's probably the problem. Hollandaise sauce is made with lots of lemon juice, which is highly corrosive. It's eaten away your upper plate. I'll make you a new plate, and this time use chrome." "Why chrome?" asks the patient.
To which the dentist replies, "It's simple. Everyone knows that there's no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise!"

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

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH IS ON THE ROAD & HOMEWARD BOUND

A FINAL MORNING FAREWELL TO SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN

This post is coming to you from 30 miles west of Demming New Mexico on the south side of I-10.  We are in a nice rest stop area for the night with our own space complete with a Casita & picnic table.

REST AREA WEST OF DEMMING, NEW MEXICO

We had figured on staying at Lost Dutchman until Sunday but after sitting around yesterday we were both thinking the same thing.  It's time to go.  The weather has been good in Ontario, didn't see any storms shaping up across the country, Kelly's Deerpark Lodge phone has been getting busier, & I had the usual ants in my pants to get rolling.

LOOKING NORTHWEST TO THE GOLDFIELD MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

A final few pictures & a hearty farewell to Superstition Mountain this morning had us off our #118 site at 7:45 a.m.  Quick stop for dump & water, then hooked on the car & out the gates we went.  Time was 8:25.  Skies were very stormy looking to the north & we had a few raindrops on the windshield but that was it.

LEAVING LOST DUTCHMAN STATE PARK

We decided on the southern Tucson route this morning after getting up.  Had some good suggestion from ROD & WANDERING WILLY about alternate routes in the Globe/Payson areas but I had already checked our Mountain Directory & decided we really didn't need to put the rig through all the stress & strain of mountain grades, curves, & hills.  Plus, the weather was looking a little iffy to the north & we figured we'd be better off sticking with our old familiar & traffic friendly southern route.  After running the route calculations through Mapquest last night I figured the southern route is only about 200 miles longer anyway.  Slower as well, but that's OK.

OUR OVERNIGHT STOP NEAR DEMMING, NEW MEXICO (that red car is on I-10)

Nice quiet drive down highway 79 to Catalina & then it was over to I-10 for our swing down through Tucson.  Traffic wasn't too bad as we rolled straight through the city about 10:30.  Big traffic jam west of Benson due to some road work & that cost us about half an hour.  Just long enough to get up & make a coffee & sandwich plus hit the washroom.  A couple of doggy snuggles & back in the driver's seat.   Gotta love this motorhome concept)

A BIT CROWDED UNTIL THE WIND DIES DOWN

We waved a big hello to JERRY & SUZY as we blew by Benson about noon remembering our Christmas Day at their place last year.  More memories flooded in as the Dragoon mountains came into view.  Could see lots of snow on the Huachuca's down near Sierra Vista & the white tops of the Chiricahua range.  This whole Sulphur Springs Valley area is like a second home for us.  So many great memories of our time spent driving & hiking in the great mountain ranges & ranch sitting at Jeanie & Ray's.  We waved a big hello to all the people we have met & Max, Checkers, & Motormouse were all at the window barking a big doggy hello & goodbye to Gleason & Pearce plus all the other great ranch critters we have come to know so well. 

I'M WORKING ON THE BLOG WHILE KELLY'S ON THE INTERNET....GOTTA LOVE THE CONVENIENCE OF THESE VERIZON AIR CARDS

I love special old memories like that.  My short term memory may not be so great but there's nothing wrong with my long term memory.  Why, I can even remember standing next to Christopher Columbus on the deck of the Santa Maria telling him, "head west young man, head west."

STRUGGLING AGAINST THE WIND TO CLOSE THE MOTORHOME DOOR

We didn't realize the powerful tail wind we had all the way from Tucson until we pulled into a rest area west of Demming about 4:30 this afternoon.  I was somewhat aware that we were being pushed along on I-10 but when we stopped & exited the rig we were nearly blown off our feet.  Got the dogs out for a pit stop ok but when we got back into the rig Kelly couldn't even physically close the motorhome door.  Check out the picture of me & my hair blowing as I struggled with the door against the wind to get it closed.  There was tons & tons of dust in the air after awhile & the winds made the Borrego Springs blow a few weeks ago seem like a gentle Sunday morning breeze.  Didn't even attempt to put the slides out.  Sure would have been a tough drive for any RV'ers heading west today.

WAITING FOR THE BIG WINDS TO LET UP SO WE CAN PUT THE SLIDES OUT

It's now 8 o'clock New Mexico time & the winds have finally subsided.  We'll be on the road again early in the morning & tomorrow we'll slip up & over the San Augustin Pass at 5,719 feet just east of Las Cruces.  This is our biggest mountain grade of the whole trip.  From there it's on to Alamogordo & through the Apache Pass in the Sierra Blanca mountains.  I suspect tomorrow night at this time we will have left our beloved mountains behind & be somewhere out on the great American plains.  I am saddened by that thought because I know I will miss my old friends as I watch them through my rear view mirrors slowly fading away into the hazy memories of my mind..............:((

GROANER'S CORNER:((    Snow White received a camera as a gift. She happily took pictures of the Dwarfs and their surroundings. When she finished her first batch she took the film to be developed. After a week or so she went to get the finished photos. The clerk said the photos were not back from the processor.
Needless to say, she was disappointed and started to cry. The clerk, trying to console her, said,
"Don't worry. Someday your prints will come".

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.