A Mother's Day Happening

Palo Duro Canyon State Park (TX)

“I  feel like I been draggin’ a boat anchor all the way from Oklahoma City”. (Overheard at a truck stop on I-40 in NM in 2005)

On Saturday we pushed ourselves a bit and broke the rule for stopping (e.g. “Three hundred miles or five pm, whichever comes first”). We drove over 400 miles and didn’t stop until after six. The pay-off was camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park near Hinton, OK.  We actually had reservations to camp here in 2005 but cancelled because we left earlier than expected. On the weekends Oklahoma state parks require a two night reservation but it being Saturday, we decided to give it a try. Bingo! They had eight unreserved sites

Red Rock Canyon is an interesting geological phenomenon, a kind of wide slot canyon in the middle of the plains. Repelling is very popular here and the narrow green valley between the high red rock walls is very pretty. We had a nice pull-through spot beside a little creek.  A congregation of Righteous Bikers across the road had us concerned at first but most of them all left about 6:30 and did not return.

Sunday  we got off to a good start and planned to go to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. About 11 Stephen called to wish me a happy M-Day and during the conversation reminded me that Palo Duro Canyon was nearby. As we were approaching Amarillo and Palo Duro was only 30 miles away, we made a quick change of plans.  Being Sunday afternoon the campgrounds were clearing and we had a choice of beautiful spots.

The Happening? Palo Duro Canyon! If we though Red Rock was “interesting”, this place is amazing! It is 120 miles long and 800 feet deep. The rocks are bright red claystone with bands of white gypsum with footings of yellow, grey, and lavender mudstone. There are miles of trails and lots of interesting rock formations. Not nearly as spectacular as the canyons and formations of the parks in the Four Corners area, but very impressive for west Texas! We had a super campsite and a relaxed afternoon and evening.

This morning we called ahead to Camping World in Albuquerque for an appointment to get the gas line to the refrigerator repaired and to a glass company to replace the rear window in the truck.  Good thing! At noon, I went into the TT to make lunch and found that the ‘fridge was leaning out of its cabinet. We now know why the gas line separated; when CW in Tallahassee took the fridge out for repairs they did not screw it back in! The constant movement on the road shook the line until it broke. At this point we just shrug and laugh.

Going west is always problematic in the spring but we have been blessed this year. Today was the first really bad wind and it was tough. At one point we were getting less than 4 mpg . Fortunately the storm front was behind us and we did not have tornado warnings. We did learn the benefits of missing a window in the truck as we got miles of “fragrance” from every cow lot we passed. That and counting deceased armadillos are about the only amusement we get. 

At Palo Curo State Park (TX)

"Hoo-doo" at Red Rock Canyon  SP (OK_

We are at our first private RV campground tonight, (Enchanted Trails), as it is right next door to Camping World. If all goes well with the repairs we will continue on I-40 tomorrow to Williams, AZ. It is very painful to be this close to Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and all our other favorite haunts but we have to stay focused or we will never get to Alaska.

Toad Suck Revisited (after 37 years)

“Come come! Come Out!
From bogs old frogs command the dark
and look...the stars”
― Kikaku, Japanese Haiku

We are, at last, under way on our trip to Alaska by way of Reno and points west. The last few days before departure on Wednesday afternoon of Cinco de Mayo were hectic and Not Fun. This is our second night on the road and we are beginning to wonder what kind of Kamping Karma we have generated as we have had more issues in one and one half days than we usually have in six or eight weeks.

Day One: We got a late start (1 pm) from Farner, TN in cold (40 degrees) and rain.  We had an hour long construction delay on I-40 but the sun came out and we gained an hour when we crossed into CDT.  The battery on the TT was sluggish when we raised the power hitch but we thought it would charge along the way (not so) and the fridge, which spent six weeks at  Camping World in Tallahassee being repaired, refused to work on gas. This was not an immediate problem as it was a cold day and I had ice packs for the perishables.  In late afternoon Butch noted that the pressure in one of the tires on the truck (less than one month old) was slowing decreasing.

Turning to our trusty Next Exit book, I found that exit 238 had a Wal-Mart (battery and fuses for the fridge), a Discount Tire (that’s where we bought the tires), and a state park (Cedars of Lebanon). This appeared to be a good “Happening” as we had a new battery, a new tire, the fridge working, and a nice campsite within two hours. 

Day Two: We decided to push a little further today and set off for Nashville, Memphis, and Little Rock. All went well until afternoon. We had rough road conditions in West Memphis and a rock (or something) shattered the back window in the truck. When we stopped to refuel, I thought I smelled propane but the whole truck stop was super stinky, so I didn’t worry.  About three pm I called several campgrounds but did not find a vacancy until I called Toad Suck. They had five sites but as they are a  COE facility and registration has to be done through Rec .Gov.com, they could not hold one. About 15 minutes out I called them again. They now had three sites. When Butch and I arrived, there were two RV’s in front of us. Yep, we got the last site! Good Karma.

BUT: When we got into our campsite the propane smell was overwhelming and our alarm was going off in the TT. Butch took the cover off the back of the fridge and the entire gas line had come loose. Camping World had made no effort to secure the line or the cover. We lost all our propane and now, cannot use any gas appliances until it is repaired. On top of that, the shelf in the fridge broke (again!) and everything spilled on the floor, including a bottle of Merlot! Bad Karma!

Open another bottle of wine (one with a screw top), take a deep breath and wander down memory lane. When I was at Toad Suck in 1979 I was traveling in a Chevy van with my three sons. We put up our tents. We got out the Coleman stove. All our food was in a cooler with ice. I sat in a lawn chair, drank a glass of Merlot and admired the beautiful Arkansas River flowing by. The boys played in the water. Life was good and it still is.

 

Getting Real

“I’d really like to cuddle a unicorn but it ain’t going to happen”. (India Knight)

With less than 10 days (more or less) until EDT it is time to get real. Although our present TT is the largest RV we have ever had and it looked enormous when we bought it, everything has limits. Just because we can stuff every niche and cranny doesn’t mean we should. Not only would it make us overweight but it is would be impossible to find anything. (I would like to digress here into a tirade about the designers of RV’s but will restrain myself).

Our TT is actually considered small at 25’ and when seen parked next to some of the behemoths in campgrounds it is rather puny. Compared to our years of traveling in a VW pop-up transporter, it is positively palatial.  But for reasons not clear to me, access to storage was not a design priority. Thus our multitude of clear plastic boxes and see-through  bags with labels on them. 

 

Reality check #1, old people constantly lose things and I don’t want to spend our entire trip looking for stuff.

Reality check #2: What do we really need? Butch and I do not like to do laundry.  One of the perks we allow ourselves on trips is finding a place to have our laundry done. Sometimes these places are few and far between so we do take an ample amount of basics (socks, underwear, T-shirts). We choose light weight fabrics for quick drying and we do not take clothes that require special care since they won’t get it. (I will admit that when we get low on basics Butch will sit in a campground laundry for a few hours getting us caught up again.)

Clothing wise we need to be warm when it is cold and cool when it is hot. We need one nice outfit in case of a special occasion. We do not need a complete wardrobe of mix & match garments and black is always good. The same rules are true for sleeping. Sometimes we boondock or dry camp and don’t have heat. We have spent some very cold nights fully dressed and huddled in our sleeping bags so I have to contain my urge to take too many blankets. They take up a lot of space and don’t get used that much. If it’s too hot at night we deal with it. After all we grew up in Florida before air conditioning.

Reality check #3: I am not a gourmet cook at home and am unlikely to become one on this trip. I have a list of cupboard necessities (including salt, pepper) but don’t have space for much more. We will eat simply as we always do and explore the local cuisine when possible.  I have a wonderful set of stackable pots that, combined with a small fry pan and the pressure cooker, meets our needs.  Three RV’s ago I bought a set of Corian dishware that we never use. I took it out of the TT and put in four plastic plates. If we have guests they can bring their own. Plastic cups and wine glasses are good but I have two big fat crockery coffee cups.  Some things are not negotiable. I’m taking the microfiber towels that I bought when we had the van because they dry so fast but I’m adding some terry towels too. There are situations where you just need a big, soft towel.

Reality check #4: I do not ride my bicycle. It has traveled thousands of miles in the back of the truck but it is staying home this time. Butch does ride his so it goes. I do use my solo canoe from time to time but have decided that it can stay behind also. We are taking Miz Floppie (our inflatable tandem) because we always use it and I may take my new Rio (solo inflatable). Hiking sticks are a must-have along with a backpack, water bottles, and etc. 

Reality check # 5: The wench or the generator? They are both heavy and not used often but the generator won out. You cannot use a wench to make a cup of coffee in the morning. Nuff’ said

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(The photo is of our collection of Eagle Creek and Mountainsmith bags. They make packing easy because we put the same things in the same bags every time. When the bag is full…..you are done.)

Ruminations on Preparation

“Like Alexander the Great and Caesar, I’m out to conquer the world. But first I have to stop at Wal-Mart and pick up some supplies.” (Jarod Kintz)

I participate in two on-line groups composed of travelers planning to take their RV’s to Alaska this summer:  RVNet Open Road Forum (Roll Call Alaska 2016) and RVillage (North to Alaska).  As April has arrived the anticipation level is getting higher with some folks already on the road and others about to be.  By the end of May most of us will be part of the northward migration. The seasoned “Alaska Hands” remind us that the drive is not as challenging as it used to be but also caution us to be prepared.

How do you define “prepared”?  How to be sure that you are not obsessively over or carelessly under? The love of order can make life all banks and no stream. On the other hand, too much going with the flow can lead to unwanted stress.  Having  traveled many miles and spent many months in our various camping rigs we know a lot about our traveling style and our tolerance level for the unexpected but the Boy Scout motto* still applies.

We are now less than a month away from our estimated time of departure and are checking items off the list. Butch put new leveling jacks on the TT (ours were bent) and he has re-glued some cabinet doors that were wobbly. I have been through all of the linens and kitchen stuff trying to get us down to a bare minimum. When we were in Tampa we visited the Container Store with our measurements and got some new storage boxes.  Before leaving Sopchoppy we sorted out our clothing and personal items that need to go. Back at the mountain house we are very busy getting it ready to be rented all summer. Sometimes the preparation stage seems overwhelming but I know it is going to be so worth it.

 I am working on a rough itinerary so that we will not be completely aimless when we finally get on the road.  For past trips I have loved playing around with the on-line Good Same Trip Planner. Unfortunately GS has changed their format and the “new” program is not as satisfactory. Fortunately I have saved all of our previous itineraries and they have notes all over them. It is so much fun to look at them and remember all the fun places we went.

Phase I of our trip will be from Farner, TN (where we park the TT) to Reno, NV (where we visit family). At this point we are planning to go west on I-40. We can access it within two hours of leaving home and it is a direct route to Kingman AZ where we turn north to go to Las Vegas and Reno. The only place with traffic issues is Oklahoma City. The downside; the road is poor condition from time to time, tornadoes are a threat in the spring, and the wind can be vicious. Factor in a few days for hunkering down for bad weather.

Phase II will take us from Reno to Prince Rupert BC. Phase III will be on the AMH Ferry to Haines. Phase IV is pretty much unknown. After all, even obsessive preparers have their limits.

*Be Prepared

Ruminations on Preparation

“Like Alexander the Great and Caesar, I’m out to conquer the world. But first I have to stop at Wal-Mart and pick up some supplies.” (Jarod Kintz)

I participate in two on-line groups composed of travelers planning to take their RV’s to Alaska this summer:  RVNet Open Road Forum – Roll Call Alaska 2016, and RVillage-North to Alaska.  As April has arrived the anticipation level is getting higher with some folks already on the road and others about to be.  By the end of May most of us will be part of the northward migration. The seasoned “Alaska Hands” remind us that the drive is not as challenging as it used to be but also caution us to be prepared.

How do you define “prepared”?  How to be sure that you are not obsessively over or carelessly under? The love of order can make life all banks and no stream but too much going with the flow can lead to unwanted stress.  Having  traveled many miles and spent many months in our various camping rigs we know a lot about our traveling style and our tolerance level for the unexpected but the Boy Scout motto* still applies.

We are now one month away from our estimated time of departure and are checking items off the list. Butch put new leveling jacks on the TT (ours were bent) and he has re-glued some cabinet doors that were wobbly. I have been though all of the linens and kitchen stuff trying to get us down to a bare minimum. We also visited the Container Store in Tampa with our measurements and got some new storage boxes. By the end of the week we will have our clothing and personal items sorted out so that we can go back to NC without leaving anything crucial behind.

I am working on a rough itinerary so that we will not be completely aimless when we finally get on the road.  The countdown has begun……..

*Be Prepared