April 2th - 4th: Abiline, Texas to Carlsbad, New Mexico

Saturday, April 2nd: Frontier Texas!

Today was a hot one - 95 degrees. It's a DRY HEAT, so they say.

Remember the song, "Abiline, Abilene, prettiest town I've ever seen?" Found out that it is NOT this Abiline. We drove downtown and kept saying,  "This isn't so pretty." A woman finally told us the song is about Abiline, KANSAS. Mystery solved.

Don loves cowboy stuff, so we had to go to Frontier Texas! It's a type of interactive museum, that features how the frontier developed in central Texas. The museum talked about how the cattle drives originated; described the conflicts with the Indians in the area; depicted the hard lives of the settlers, esp. the women; portrayed how the cavalry established forts to help protect the settlers, etc. The highlight was a multimedia presentation summarizing the what was shown in the museum and what it was like to get caught in the middle of a buffalo stampede. I liked the saga of a woman and her daughter who were captured by the Indians and later rescued. Hard, hard life back then.

Sunday, April 3rd: Perini's Steakhouse Ranch

Morning started with a super bike ride around the camp. Since we walked a lot yesterday, we thought we should mix up the exercise routine a bit. After a nice shower and breakfast, we did a little planning - playing the calendar out a bit to get a better overview of our trip and the dates of when to be where.

Love these flowering yucca!

After three attempts to get a reservation at Perini's Steakhouse Ranch in Buffalo Gap, just down the road from the camp, we were finally successful. Locals told us that this is one of the top five steak places in Texas and not to miss out. So early Sunday evening we ambled along to the ranch for a fine filet mignon with Perini's famous steak rub.

Tom Perini catered events for  George W. Bush at the White House. He also did quite a Texas Christmas party at the  James Beard House in NYC. If you want to know more or get steaks shipped home, check out their website: www.periniranch.com 

Just coming to the ranch was an experience - a working oil rig, antique/old stuff all around the rustic restaurant, scuffed/beat up tables to eat at, buffalo heads and steer skulls hung about, and our first sighting of a cowboy with spurs eating alone. There was no air-conditioning in the restaurant, but fans kept it relatively cool on this hot night.

Now for the food ---- The Texas steak was magnifique, of course. The zucchini casserole as a side could have been a meal by itself. The piece de resistance was the Jack Daniels bread pudding for dessert. We fortunately discovered that there is a Perini Steakhouse cookbook and we are bringing the recipes home!!! Hope if you visit we can offer up something close to their version of the bread pudding. Even if you don't like bread pudding (Don is not a fan), this will convert you.

Monday, April 4th: Carlsbad, New Mexico

Driving another 365 miles, we made it to the KOA in Carlsbad by 3:30. We drove into another time zone, Mountain Time, so we really got here by 4:30 body time. It was a wild, windy drive across Texas and the truck was sucking up the gas. After talking with a fellow at the campground, he confirmed that driving into headwinds greatly reduces your fuel efficiency. Makes sense. He told Don that many RVers closely follow the weather and if high winds are predicted, they either wait it out or leave at the crack of dawn to avoid the high cost of travel on that particular day.

Carlsbad KOA is our priciest campground so far - $42.31 a night - and this is with the KOA discount. This place got the best www.RVparkreviews.com in the area, and since we didn't want a parking lot scenario, we selected this campground. The people were wonderful and the park was super-well maintained, but we were still out in the middle of the desert and it was windy and hot. Glad we were not here during tarantula mating season, as we were told these huge spiders are everywhere. All we saw were lots of noisy birds and cute bunnies running without abandon throughout the park.

Note the windmill toward middle back of picture. They have the wind to generate power!

March 30th, 31st & April 1st: Bookin' It West

Wednesday, March 30th: Tannehill Ironworks & Historic State Park, McCalla, Alabama

The trailer repair to the water pump was completed in a very timely fashion and we are now on our way west! Since Meridian, Mississippi can't be reached today as planned, I needed to research and find a new destination and campground.

For Christmas, Donny gave his dad a Virgin Mi-Fi, a portable internet hot-spot, which can be used while on the road and can handle up to five devices. Like all new technology, there is a learning curve and getting it set up to work correctly was a challenge. At Connie's, Don spent an hour or two on the phone with Virgin trying to set up the account. The last tech support person said, "Let's hit the reset button." Naturally that worked!

So here we are on the road and I can check the MapQuest, weather and campground reviews for our next stop while Don tends to the driving. I also can check email, but no beefy downloads. Yes, this does sound perfect except when there is no signal (satellite connection) or Virgin wants more money. The cost we finally discovered is about $50 per month. We rationalized this expense as we put our home cable and internet on hold status while we are gone, which only requires a minimum monthly fee to keep active.

Our first stop will only be a one nighter, as in the trip planning stages we decided to get out west as soon as possible. Living in the northeast, we can easily return to the south, but getting out west will not happen often, if ever again. With this is mind, it means at least three straight days of traveling. We also recalled from last fall's trip that six hour days are ideal and longer than that, the "grouchies" set in.

Since we have empty black & gray water tanks and will stay hooked up (truck connected to trailer), we can stay anywhere. I found fabulous reviews for Tannehill State Park in McCalla, Alabama, on a river in a forest setting. Oh, what joy to pull in on our first night to this absolutely delightful campground and pay only $17.88 night (senior pricing).

This is how to create a great state park: Take something historical and put a park around it and add a campground. There is the Tannehill Histroical Ironworks Museum in the park, as this area made most of the iron used by the Confederacy during the Civil War. The museum was closed by the time we got here, but we walked around the park and explored the machines outside the museum. There are OLD log cabins (really old) that you can rent and stay in for vacation near the museum. Other OLD cabins are used to showcase different artisans and hold craft classes, such as pottery making. On site is a restaurant, open on weekends, and a homemade candy shoppe. The camp store looks like an old-time general store/gas station. The weekend before we arrived was a big trading weekend and the camp was packed. I guess this takes place once a month and is quite a "happening."

Log Cabin for Rent

Our campsite was on the river, but we were too tired for a campfire and it was rather chilly. Don met our nearest neighbors and the guy is a musician who plays the banjo, Dobro and guitar in three bands. He wanted to do some pickin' with Don, but believe it or not, Don begged off.  Just getting on the road took a lot of effort, plus the drive and our walk around the camp had us dragging. Had the weather reports for the next day been better, we might have stayed one more day for Don to get a music-fix, but coldy rain pushed us along.

Thursday, March 31st: Shreveport, Louisiana

Since we were off to a delayed start yesterday, we tried to make up some time today by adding an additional hour. The morning exit was at 8:30 AM and we arrived at Tall Pines RV Park at 5:30 PM, covering 441 miles today! Phew.

Fortunately, Tall Pines was beautiful campground, but night fell before we really had time to enjoy the neat site with its own swing. We did meet the owner, who is mighty proud of his clean campground. Somehow Don and the owner started talking about planes and flying (maybe Don's retired Navy hat started the conversation). The man flew private company planes and was in the air on 9/11. He said it was really something when he was told by air traffic control that there was a national emergency and he had to land immediately. He asked to have this command repeated, as it was so bizarre for the tower to tell him to get out of the sky NOW!

Leaving the next morning, we realized the owner also had a good sense of humor with this exit warning sign.

 

Friday, April 1st: Texas Here We Come!

Without unhooking the camper last night, we actually got on the road at 7:30 and drove to Abilene, Texas, 381 miles. It was 88 degrees when we arrived at Abilene State Park Campgrounds around 2:30. We had a nice, cozy site with full hookups.

We took a walk-about the camp before going out for a fried catfish dinner at a local joint - The Deutschlander. Guess the Germans settled in this part of Texas???? It is so dry here that all campfires have been banned in the park. The campground even had a few yurts for rent. This is a cool twist from the typical the cabins for rent.

Yucca in bloom.

TRIP #2: Pre-Trip for Going West

March 10th to March 29th (2011): Three Weeks Prior to Getting On the Road West

We left home early in the morning on Thursday, March 10th during a mild snowstorm. A nice parting gift to the never-ending winter this year in Maine. We were facing a three week truck-only trip prior to actually leaving with the trailer for our trip west.

It took five days to get to Florida, with a few stops along the way, for a week-long visit with our dear friend, Connie. After Florida, we stayed a week plus with my sister, Ginger, and husband, Lou, in South Carolina. The trailer, Four-Bit Room, had wintered near Ginger and Lou in SC, and she needed to be summerized before putting her back on the road.

Day 1 was a revisit and overnight at my cousin's home in NJ. Rob and Sue were so accommodating on our fall trip that they were lucky enough to have us return. That's what you get when you are mighty great hosts! Don is still dreaming about that delicious pot roast dinner Sue made for us.

Northern Jersey was having major flood problems. Here's where we stopped for gas.

Day 2 and 3 took us south to outside of DC to good friend's (Bob and Sharon) home. Once again this was a return stop and the "B&B" was still spectacular. Here we saw some spring flowers in bloom and warm breezes for a walk without hats, gloves, scarves, snowshoes, etc.

The boys comparing their trucks.

Day 4 we made it to Florence, SC, and spent the night in a Springhill Suites. Behind the motel they had a great nature walking path, so we were able to get in some exercise. My Lenten challenge this year is to get 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week. When traveling and just sitting for days on end, this seemed like a good, healthy goal for me as well as for Don. We also had been fed so well by our gracious hosts these past three days, we practically rolled along the hiking paths.

We did make a quick stop before getting to the motel at the famous or "infamous" South of the Border. I remembered the signs spread out along the highway pulling people in from when my family drove to Florida back in 1961. Nothing has changed, as it is still a junk haven of cheap souvenirs. [Hint - Do not stop here unless you truly need to stretch your legs or have kids along who want to buy junky toys.]

Day 5 got us to Connie's by early afternoon. The door to her lanai (Florida term for a screened porch) was open and we had dinner outside! What a beautiful and rapid change from winter in Maine.

Our week with Connie was busy and fun, with perfect, if not HOT weather. Naturally we made it to the beach a few times and were lucky enough to see four fan propelled para-gliders. What a show they put on for us. I think I want to fly, too!

Don was in heaven in Florida, as he had two absolutely super play days. The first was when we went to St. Augustine and dropped him off at his old Navy buddy's house for a guitar practice session. Bert Hodge and Don sang together as Two-Way Street in Brunswick, Maine, back in the 70's. Bert is now with a band, Lonesome Bert and the Skinny Lizards, and they were performing later that evening at the Florida Cracker Cafe and asked Don to join them!

Former Navy pilot, now "Lonesome Bert"

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While the guys sang, Connie and I worked on the pitcher of Sangria that's sitting on the table. Fun night!!!

Don's second play day was going to Universal Studios in Orlando to visit the new Harry Potter theme park. Once again we stayed at the military resort, Shades of Green, on the Disney property. The first evening there we went and saw Blue Man Group at Universal. Quite entertaining and worth seeing at least once.

 Our son, Donny, told us that he read that Harry Potter was the #1 destination of the year in Orlando. We found this out. The day was very hot, pushing 90 degrees, and we fortunately arrived when the park opened. By noon they were restricting people from entering that part of the park due to crowds. We enjoyed seeing Hogwarts School of Magic and Diagon Alley brought to life. If you are a Potter fan, you do want to see this.

At Olivander's Wand Shoppe, this wizard will help you select the perfect wand for you.

On March 22nd we left Connie's and drove eight hours to Anderson, SC. It felt so good to get out of the truck and take a long walk around Ginger and Lou's neighborhood before dinner. For me, having these weeks (fall and spring) with my sister is such a gift. Our whole adult lives have been a few days or a week here and there together during the past forty years. Ginger and I did get sneak-away time to go shopping and just hang out, while Don and Lou got Four-Bit out of storage and readied for the trip. Before hitting the road west, the four of us drove up to Pigeon Forge, TN, for a long weekend to return to Dollywood.  Ginger and Lou had never been there and we knew they would enjoy the clean entertainment factor presented at this pleasant theme park. Unfortunately the weather turned drizzly and borderline cold, but we were inside for the shows during the worst of the rain. We still had a great day and plan to return together again in the fall as we all purchased yearly passes.

We drove back to South Carolina via the Smokey Mountain National Park. We wanted to stop for a hike, but the road west was calling and we had a lot of last minute prep to do with the trailer. Wednesday, March 30th, was DEPARTURE DAY and Don was itching to get going.

Scenic Overlook Stop to say "Hello" to the Smokies - Ginger & Lou

The afternoon and early evening after returning from Dollywood was beyond full getting everything set in the camper. Eventually when I got tired, I just started tossing things in the cupboards. Don noticed that the water pump wasn't working. Oh dread, now what????

We were up early on the 30th with a plan to swing by the RV dealer that summerized the trailer and see if they could remedy the messed up water pump. Out by 9:00ish, the pump problem was minor, air in the water line, so we were FINALLY on the road by 10:00. This was two hours later than our ETD, so we adjusted our goal point from Meridian, Mississippi, to McCalla, Alabama. Once again, "flexibility" is the golden password for this type of trip. WESTWARD HO!!!

Day 54 to End of Trip: Cades Cove, High Point, Friends, Relatives & Home

It is February 25, 2011 and we are beginning to plan our next trip without completing the blog for this first trip. The blog was almost done when poor/no Internet access and "life" got in the way. Hopefully Internet access will not be an excuse for our next trip due to a Christmas gift from Donny, Nikki and Ella to Don - a Virgin Mobile MiFi, a portable hotspot. As for "life," we can't always control that!

Friday, November 12th: Cades Cove, Smoky Mountain National Park:

This is the last actual tourist part of our camping trip, as we were still in Pigeon Forge, TN. We had been to Dollywood the day before and returned to our trailer rather late that evening, 9:30 or 10:00 PM.

The reason I mentioned our previous late night return is that we needed to get up really early to get to  Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains in order to maximize wildlife sightings. Amazing that animals get up at sunrise to forage for breakfast. We got up at 6:00 AM. In hindsight, this turned out to be one hour too late. It was a solid hour's drive to Cades Cove, as the Smoky Mountain National Park is HUGE, and we did not arrive until close to 8:00.

The Cades Cove Loop is an eleven mile, one-way road that tours you through an early 1800's era settlement in a mountain hollow (pronounced "holler"). Many rustic homes, barns and outbuildings are preserved or reconstructed, along with churches, graveyards and a working gristmill, to show tourists how these mountain folks settled and lived in Cades Cove about two hundred years ago.

There are a two main reasons to get to the Cove early, early in the morning - animals and traffic. We were truly hoping to see a bear. We missed our only opportunity by minutes, as tourists were walking back to their cars after a sighting. We should have gotten out of bed at 5:00 AM! Fortunately the deer, turkeys and a lone coyote rewarded our 6:00 wake-up. Also had we been an hour later, the car traffic around the loop would have been even worse. Remember, we are in off-season here and by noon the Cades Cove road was slow and congested. We could only imagine summertime in the Smokies. Ugh.

The history and human element of our Cades Cove tour was fascinating. John and Lurany Oliver were the first settlers to buy land in 1816 and build their homestead. The rustic log cabin on the first site you come to on the loop road is the honeymoon home they built for their son when he married. This basic, bare-bones log and mud home gives one an idea of the hard life these people endured in the foothills of these great mountains. We later found the Olivers' graves in a church cemetery here in the Cove.

 

Continuing driving on the loop road, we kept a keen eye out for wildlife and stopped every mile or two to tour another cabin, farm, church, gristmill, barn, graveyard or vista. We had previously purchased a pamphlet that gave us the history of each place we stopped at, including short anecdotes about the families that settled in Cades Cove. By today's standards, it is shocking how our US government in the 1930's forced the last surviving families to leave their beloved Cove and relocate when it was decided to turn the entire area into a National Park. These people were hardy souls and continually worked to improve their quality of life by developing or instituting new improvements to make life easier on their homesteads. We spent a long time looking at how they brought running water nearer to their homes via wooden pipes made from hollowed out tree limbs that traveled from a spring house. The gristmill operator kindly spent a long time showing us how the mill worked and the slow process of grinding wheat into flour using the big, original mill stones. We spent a good four hours touring this eleven mile loop and came away in awe of these Tennessee mountain folks, their desire for community, their hard work and industrious way of life. Do not miss Cades Cove if you are ever in the area!

End of Trip Highlights:

November 13: Planning and organizational day in Twin Mountain Campground, Pigeon Forge.

November 14 - 16: Oak Hollow Family Campground, High Point, NC - Furniture shopping at Drexel Heritage, Furnitureland South and Thomasville. Finally ordered a new sofa and loveseat from      Drexel Heritage.

November 17 - 22: Anderson, SC. Stayed at Ginger and Lou's home (Lin's sister and brother-in-law) while prepping Four-Bit to be bedded down for the winter. On Monday, November 22nd, the trailer was sadly moved into a locked storage unit. She will be missed while resting until spring. Celebrated Don's birthday; visited niece, Carolyn, in Athens, GA; and saw three nephew's children (Tom's kids) baptized in North Georgia; heard great blue grass music at two different venues; ate more great Southern food; and enjoyed just being together with family again in Lou and Ginger's beautiful new home.

November 23 - 26: Thanksgiving with Mag and Dave (Don's brother and sister-in-law) in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Great T-Day feast, good fellowship, guitar jam-fest, pecan "egg hunt," and BBQ.

November 27 - 28:
Moved along to good friends' home in Mason Neck, VA, Bob and Sharon. Relaxing and enjoyable time, as always.

November 29 - 30: Stayed with Doug and Barbara (another of Don's brothers and sister-in-law) in Oakton, VA. Visited youngest brother, Jim, and wife, Bette, in Gainesville for dinner. Dinner at Doug and Barbara's the second night and surprise visit with nephew, Matthew! Wow, have we had a great time seeing family!!!!

December 1: Stayed overnight with Linda's longtime high school friend, Millie, and her husband, Lee, in Califon, NJ.

December 2: Yummy pancake breakfast and off for a short stop in Waterbury, CT, to see Jason (unofficial Son 2) and wife Jen's new baby daughter, Mae.

Finally arrived safely home in Maine at 7:00 PM to welcoming flowers and homemade cookies from friends and neighbors!!! "Hey it's good to be back home again. Yes, it is." Great times, great memories, good people and so, so much more. When do we leave again?