Apricity West

January 1, 2021, Friday

 

Happy New Year! 

 

Today we shared the 10 hour drive with frequent stops to gas up, walk around and stretch. We set the cruise control on 60 and stayed in our lane. I didn’t think I would like going that slow all the way, but it really works out well. Also, never drove a Mercedes before - sweet ride! Decided to push through and put up at Vicksburg, MS for the night with the casino lights burning bright across the street. 

 OTR (On the Road) talk of the day:

-lost an hour to time zones, now in Central Time Zone 

-unbelievable number of cars left on the side of the interstate. They must not have roadside service down here. 

-remnants of retreads everywhere - the trucks use them because they’re cheaper. Must not have clean up crews either.

January 2, 2021, Saturday

 

Rise and shine - slept like a rock! Crossed the muddy Mississippi River to enter the state of Louisiana. 

Bossier City, LA

We are off to meet Rich’s friends, Duane and Louise in Tyler, Texas. They have been full timing since 2006 when he retired from General Motors. They have a motorcycle (toy, in RV lingo) which they use to explore the areas that they visit. They do a daily blog and have been for 14 years!!

 

Recently Duane and Louise landed in Tyler where some of their family lives. Needless to say, there was no hugging though they haven’t seen each other in several years. They picked us up and took us to Cracker Barrel where we had a long lunch. They were not serving outside, but the tables inside were set up far apart. The sunshine was bright and warmed the chilly air allowing us to visit comfortably outside at the Texas Rose RV Park.

Rich feels like he is back home since he lived in Texas for 15 years in the 80’s. He has ordered a Texas flag to fly along side of the US flag. 

 

New terms learned:

Mobile home vs. motor home

ERPU - long term lease at Escapee RV park

January 3, 2021, Sunday

 

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the Texas Rose RV Park. Headed out to Riverway RV Park in Llano, TX before 8am. Breakfast today was apple fritters from an early morning Walmart stop… so much for the resolution to get back on track with Keto! It is true that if you eat sugar, you want more sugar. It's an addiction.

 

The landscape on Rt. 31W is flat winter-brown grass with occasional rises with one home, ofter brick, sitting atop it. It seems odd to see the Christmas lights outlining the houses. Neighbors are a good distance away and looking into the woods, the Red Bull Saloon entry way is gated now. RV Dealerships abound and have a very large inventory of all makes and sizes; tiny homes are plentiful too. Horse farms, cattle farms, cotton fields, mini oil pumps dot some fields, pecan tree groves, huge warehouses, Navarro College, Cowboy Church (non-denominational) with a hundred cars in the parking lot on Sunday morning, scrap yards, plowed fields as far as the eye can see (they use satellite to navigate the manned plows without steering them), cactus, 75 mph speed limit.

 

January 4, 2021, Monday

 

Today was a nothing to do morning, so I gave Rich a haircut and beard trim. Will do pedicures on another day. Gotta groom once in a while on the road. 

We met Monty and Betty for lunch at the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, TX. Can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of their pie case - lemon meringue had 3 inches of meringue piled on top. Somehow the waitress convinced me to try the German Chocolate cream which was delicious. 

 

This is the couple that introduced Rich to the Escapees RV Club - an organization that provides benefits such as discounts, certificates, rallies, RV workshops (where Betty first learned about doing a blog) for a mere $49/year. They own the park we are in now. Most of the members are seniors and a lot are going off the road or dying off. In any event, the next generation has spun off to be the Escapers. 

 

Finally got to take a ride with the top down. The last time Rich did that was 1964… We truly enjoyed the ride. 

 

January 5, 2021 Tuesday

 

Interstate 10 is the most Southern continuous route from FL to CA. It is the best road we have travelled yet - wide open, little traffic (mostly RV’s and Semi’s), Fredericksburg (a shopping Mecca for the hill towns), mesquite trees, live oak, hill country, 80 mph, snow

 

Wind mills, mesas and plateaus 

Decided not to push through, so put up at Fort Stockton for the night. After a delicious breakfast (including grits and a biscuit) at the Road Runner Cafe in the park, we are on the road again. 

 

January 6, 2021, Wednesday 

 

Today’s travels are the last leg of the trip to Deming, New Mexico where we will put up for 2 weeks at Dream Catcher RV Park which Rich managed for about a year. The early morning view of West Texas is flat with sage brush and tumble weeds as far as the eye can see except for the shadowy outline of a mountain range on the horizon. And then there is El Paso...

Mexico cardboard shanties

Stock yards of cattle

Giant Metal art piece on the rise.

Border patrol check point. They saw NY plates and waved us through.  

Entering New Mexico

Dream Catcher RV Park

We lost another hour today from Central time to Mountain time. Put in our grocery order for pick up from Walmart and having Amazon deliver a few necessities to the park. Used Door Dash for a tasty meal delivery. Thank goodness for online shopping.

 

January 7, 2021, Thursday

 

Temperatures during the day are in 50s and 60s, but last night dropped to 27! We have not used the propane furnace yet, but have a powerful little electric heater to warm these 300 sq. ft. Finally had an early morning laundry run. And another 1st - we plugged in the 32” TV for the first time since he bought this RV a year ago. We have been watching Justified on HuLu on my MacBook Air after dinner. Any and all news updates are viewed on Facebook.

Had a great visit with Keith and Zilla Karstetter today. She taught Rich how to make pine needle baskets. More on them next week... 

 

Note- I have always enjoyed Riverboat cruises because you don’t have to pack and repack to move from port to port. Even though we had to work hard to pack for 4 months - this is the life!!! Can’t believe we have only been on this journey for 2 weeks. State lines crossed so far: MA, NY, PA, MD, W. VA, VA, TN, GA, ALA, LA, MI, TX, NM and never unpacked once.

 

PS -

I never read a blog before Amy Consolati’s when she battled and beat cancer. She did a terrific job of journaling the roller coaster ride she was on with her health, and still entertained you with her humor. I told her a while ago that she inspired me to do a blog one day.