Monday, March 19 - I mentioned in my last post that I might add a few statistics, just to provide a sense of what doing the r.v. thing is all about. Not too much, but enough to give you a sense of what our trip involved.
Total kilometers travelled: 11,850
Distance home from our furthest point west, Seminole Canyon, Texas: 3,418 kms.
Number of nights in various states: Virginia 1; South Carolina 5; Georgia 11; Florida 49; Mississippi 2; Louisiana 9; Texas 33; Arkansas 1; Tennessee 1; Kentucky 1; Ohio 1. Total - 114 days
Total liters of fuel consumed: I don't want to know, so not calculated.
Number of stops along the way: 39
Overall average cost of sites, per night: $32.15
Overall cost of transferring from Canadian to American dollars: don't want to know, so not calculated.
Total kilometers ridden on bikes: hundreds...would be more accurate, but my bike computer broke down, as did its replacement and its replacement. Need a new one.
Highlights: i) the freedom of being on the road and totally irresponsible;
ii) visits with Joyce in Palm City, Steve and Cathy in Champions Gate, and with Debbie and Ray in San Antonio;
iii) riding the trails in Lake Worth, New Port Richie, South Padre Island, San Antonio and Austin;
iv) finding a few new birds in the Rio Grande Valley area...just looking for them is fun;
v) getting notes from faithful followers of this blog, always great to receive;
vi) warm weather, when we found it, which was less frequent than in previous trips south;
vii) great performance from our faithful rig, with only a couple of minor glitches along the way.
viii) meeting a lot of interesting and friendly people as we travelled. American people are generally warm and welcoming.
Where to next? Maybe a little trip to Nova Scotia this summer. And for Gail's 75th, I've offered to organize a trip to the Lake District in England, as we haven't been to Britain for a long time. In 2019, we'll be heading west in the r.v. for our Lahr Reunion in Vancouver, and may build in an excursion to Alaska as part of it. We're getting older, so if we're going to do these things, now's the time.
All for now. Stay tuned. More some time later. Thanks for listening.
Monday 19 March 2018
Wednesday 14 March 2018
Wednesday, March 14 - We're home!! Man, it's a long haul from Austin to here. Given that I drive the rig at around 100 kms/hr, I figure we were on the road for about 40 hours. There are times when we got off the interstates, to get away from the massive number of transports that loom behind, pass closely by in the next lane, shifting our little rig to the side. Get on a good secondary road, and we can maintain generally our speed, except for passing through towns. Much more pleasant driving.
But for a good part of it, we were on the interstates. I have to say, the truckers are generally very courteous, and seem to have safety in mind. They let you in when they see you're entering the freeway, and they generally don't cut right back in to your lane, unless they've got another transport on their tail. Always have to be vigilent, always watch what the other guy is doing, and you're okay.
Going back to my previous post about our overnight stay in Bardsville Kentucky, we woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground. Made packing up quite a lot more challenging, especially since we had to drain everything before heading into Louisville for the winterizing I'd arranged. I also had to get up on the roof to sweep the snow off, and to clear the slide-out so it would retract. It was a lot of effort, but we managed; but given the time, we felt we should head into Louisville rather than go over for a tour of the Bourbon Center. A little early to be sampling good whiskey anyway.
We were awaited, much to my delight, at Louisville RV, and were told it would be an hour to get everything winterized properly. They weren't overly busy, so I asked about an oil change, and that was fine. However, it took ages for them to order in a proper oil filter. Not only that, they found that my inside right tire was deflated, and had been showing signs of wear. I hadn't felt anything different while driving, so it was a surprise to me. Long story short, they managed to reinflate it, so we were able to carry on, but didn't get away until early afternoon. So we only got about 5 hours on the road that day, as we tend to avoid driving at night.
During our waiting time, I had good chats with the owner and his main man. We talked about the impact of 2008 on his business. He went from 20 employees to just him and his assistant. He barely managed to keep the business going. Now he has a couple of other employees, so is okay. But it was tough going, and caused him to get out of sales of r.v.'s altogether, and simply do servicing and parts.
Another topic was the gun thing. He has two prominent signs in the store, which make it clear guns are on the premises, one of which says "We don't call 911...we call the morgue." I asked the guy behind the counter if he carries. "Nope, but I've got one right here under the counter.The boys are always after me to wear one, but I don't like to". Later, I asked the owner if he carries. "Normally I do, but at the moment it's in the car." He took me outside and showed me one handgun on the passenger seat, and another holstered right beside the gear shift on the console. We got into the gun thing, and he agreed it's a shame things are that way, but it's not going to change. There are so many guns in the country; it's been part of the country's way of life for more than 200 years; and carrying serves as a deterrent. If the bad guys know you have weapons, they're much less likely to cause trouble.
It was an interesting discussion with a well-spoken and successful businessman. Some change may come about because the kids are making lots of noise. But it will be only a little, and nothing significant, until those kids are in charge, if the impetus carries forward. Don't hold your breath. 90 people a day are killed with guns in the States. It's not going to change for a long time.
On to a place called Lima, in Ohio. Pronounce that Lye-ma, not Lee-ma. We motelled it, as the van was winterized, so not convenient to use for the night. Gail was up early the next morning, surprised me, and off we went for the next 11 hours, through Detroit, onto the 401, and through about 8 snow squalls. The worst was just outside of Toledo, where things came to a standstill. The road was ice for about a km., because of a heavy squall, but the trucks slowed right down at the right time, and there were no pile-ups. After that, we ran into one squall after another, but nothing that slowed us down much until we reached good old Prince Edward County, land that we love. Heavy snow coming down, although not too much accumulation. So we climbed out of the rig at about 7:30, dead tired but glad to be home.
So there you go. Winter Trip 2017-18, all 115 days of it, have concluded. No "more later", although I may add some statistics and a few thoughts in one more post. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned. Who knows where we'll go next!?
But for a good part of it, we were on the interstates. I have to say, the truckers are generally very courteous, and seem to have safety in mind. They let you in when they see you're entering the freeway, and they generally don't cut right back in to your lane, unless they've got another transport on their tail. Always have to be vigilent, always watch what the other guy is doing, and you're okay.
Going back to my previous post about our overnight stay in Bardsville Kentucky, we woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground. Made packing up quite a lot more challenging, especially since we had to drain everything before heading into Louisville for the winterizing I'd arranged. I also had to get up on the roof to sweep the snow off, and to clear the slide-out so it would retract. It was a lot of effort, but we managed; but given the time, we felt we should head into Louisville rather than go over for a tour of the Bourbon Center. A little early to be sampling good whiskey anyway.
We were awaited, much to my delight, at Louisville RV, and were told it would be an hour to get everything winterized properly. They weren't overly busy, so I asked about an oil change, and that was fine. However, it took ages for them to order in a proper oil filter. Not only that, they found that my inside right tire was deflated, and had been showing signs of wear. I hadn't felt anything different while driving, so it was a surprise to me. Long story short, they managed to reinflate it, so we were able to carry on, but didn't get away until early afternoon. So we only got about 5 hours on the road that day, as we tend to avoid driving at night.
During our waiting time, I had good chats with the owner and his main man. We talked about the impact of 2008 on his business. He went from 20 employees to just him and his assistant. He barely managed to keep the business going. Now he has a couple of other employees, so is okay. But it was tough going, and caused him to get out of sales of r.v.'s altogether, and simply do servicing and parts.
Another topic was the gun thing. He has two prominent signs in the store, which make it clear guns are on the premises, one of which says "We don't call 911...we call the morgue." I asked the guy behind the counter if he carries. "Nope, but I've got one right here under the counter.The boys are always after me to wear one, but I don't like to". Later, I asked the owner if he carries. "Normally I do, but at the moment it's in the car." He took me outside and showed me one handgun on the passenger seat, and another holstered right beside the gear shift on the console. We got into the gun thing, and he agreed it's a shame things are that way, but it's not going to change. There are so many guns in the country; it's been part of the country's way of life for more than 200 years; and carrying serves as a deterrent. If the bad guys know you have weapons, they're much less likely to cause trouble.
It was an interesting discussion with a well-spoken and successful businessman. Some change may come about because the kids are making lots of noise. But it will be only a little, and nothing significant, until those kids are in charge, if the impetus carries forward. Don't hold your breath. 90 people a day are killed with guns in the States. It's not going to change for a long time.
On to a place called Lima, in Ohio. Pronounce that Lye-ma, not Lee-ma. We motelled it, as the van was winterized, so not convenient to use for the night. Gail was up early the next morning, surprised me, and off we went for the next 11 hours, through Detroit, onto the 401, and through about 8 snow squalls. The worst was just outside of Toledo, where things came to a standstill. The road was ice for about a km., because of a heavy squall, but the trucks slowed right down at the right time, and there were no pile-ups. After that, we ran into one squall after another, but nothing that slowed us down much until we reached good old Prince Edward County, land that we love. Heavy snow coming down, although not too much accumulation. So we climbed out of the rig at about 7:30, dead tired but glad to be home.
So there you go. Winter Trip 2017-18, all 115 days of it, have concluded. No "more later", although I may add some statistics and a few thoughts in one more post. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned. Who knows where we'll go next!?
Sunday 11 March 2018
Sunday, March 11 - We are now in Bardstown, just south-east of Louisville, Kentucky. We did a thing yesterday I normally yell at Bob Munn for. We drove all the way from 2 hours west of Little Rock through to...not Memphis, but Nashville. Eleven hours in the saddle. Funny how it works that way. I had this thought that if we got to Nashville early enough, and in the right location ,we might go to the Grand Ol' Oprey, assuming there would be a show.
But by the time that we got there, found our r.v. park after a couple of wrong turns, we were done. No thought of going anywhere. No problem! We didn't recognize any of the performers listed for last night except the Oak Ridge Boys, who we saw a few years ago in Galveston. So we settled down, and went to bed rather early. Daylight saving kicking in, plus moving on to Eastern time zone. So we have to start adapting to the time change.
Have to mention the town of Hope in Arkansas. We drove through, having some thoughts that this was where Bill Clinton came from. But lo and behold, the first tribute we saw was to local hero Mike Huckabee. Who'd have guessed. A few blocks further was Bill Clinton Avenue. Hello!! What a contrast of major political figures in one small town. We drove through another small Arkansas town, and saw a building labelled " Ken Duke Golf Academy", he who has won over 10 million on the PGA tour. Surprising what you see when you get off the interstate.
But most of yesterday was on the Interstate, where every third vehicle is a transport truck. One after another they speed their way to their destinations. Generally good drivers, courteous, not like some of the ones we encounter on the 401. So by the time we got settled in Nashville, there wasn't much left in our energy tank.
Today, we chose to go on a minor scenic road from Nashville to Bardstown, and a lovely drive it was. Didn't see one transport all day. Scenic is correct, as it's a lovely drive through the Kentucky hills. By the way, Bardstown has been voted Most Picturesque Town in America, and not just because it's the Bourbon Capital of the Americas. We've been here before, and have enjoyed good tasting of the best bourbons, so if the snow isn't too deep in the morning, we may go over for a wee tour before we head into Louisville. We're scheduled to get the rig winterized some time tomorrow, but if we get a large snowfall, we may be stranded for a day before we get to Louisville. Looking ahead, we still think it's quite possible we'll be home by Wednesday night. Meantime, we've been listening to Buddy Wasisname and The Other Fellas on Spotify in anticipation of Friday night in Kingston.
So that's it. Pray it doesn't snow too much. All for now. More later. Stay tuned,
But by the time that we got there, found our r.v. park after a couple of wrong turns, we were done. No thought of going anywhere. No problem! We didn't recognize any of the performers listed for last night except the Oak Ridge Boys, who we saw a few years ago in Galveston. So we settled down, and went to bed rather early. Daylight saving kicking in, plus moving on to Eastern time zone. So we have to start adapting to the time change.
Have to mention the town of Hope in Arkansas. We drove through, having some thoughts that this was where Bill Clinton came from. But lo and behold, the first tribute we saw was to local hero Mike Huckabee. Who'd have guessed. A few blocks further was Bill Clinton Avenue. Hello!! What a contrast of major political figures in one small town. We drove through another small Arkansas town, and saw a building labelled " Ken Duke Golf Academy", he who has won over 10 million on the PGA tour. Surprising what you see when you get off the interstate.
But most of yesterday was on the Interstate, where every third vehicle is a transport truck. One after another they speed their way to their destinations. Generally good drivers, courteous, not like some of the ones we encounter on the 401. So by the time we got settled in Nashville, there wasn't much left in our energy tank.
Today, we chose to go on a minor scenic road from Nashville to Bardstown, and a lovely drive it was. Didn't see one transport all day. Scenic is correct, as it's a lovely drive through the Kentucky hills. By the way, Bardstown has been voted Most Picturesque Town in America, and not just because it's the Bourbon Capital of the Americas. We've been here before, and have enjoyed good tasting of the best bourbons, so if the snow isn't too deep in the morning, we may go over for a wee tour before we head into Louisville. We're scheduled to get the rig winterized some time tomorrow, but if we get a large snowfall, we may be stranded for a day before we get to Louisville. Looking ahead, we still think it's quite possible we'll be home by Wednesday night. Meantime, we've been listening to Buddy Wasisname and The Other Fellas on Spotify in anticipation of Friday night in Kingston.
So that's it. Pray it doesn't snow too much. All for now. More later. Stay tuned,
Friday 9 March 2018
Friday, March 9 - Happy March Break to all, especially teachers and students who have to put up with each other day in and day out. You deserve a break for sure. Have a great week.
We are now just outside of Texarkana, on the Arkansas side, having spent the day churning down the highways and biways from Austin. All has gone well, with fairly heavy truck traffic, but not overly so. We escaped the interstate for awhile, bypassing Dallas, so that made it a little more pleasant. Found a nice r.v. park, and Gail made a great dinner (gumbo supreme).
We enjoyed our last day in Austin by biking (surprise!) over the river, parked our bikes, locked 'em up, and did a fairly major walk around the downtown area. Headed west on 5th street to the Whole Foods store, which is one of the best grocery stores anywhere. Many choices for lunch, so we did it there, despite the abundance of tempting food trucks in the area. Then we walked back east, then north to the Capital to have a look around the grounds. Inspected the huge monument to those who fell (on the Confederate side) during the Civil War. Offsetting it, though, is an equally impressive monument to African Americans, so I guess it's balanced out. We finished off the afternoon biking along the river on both sides again, a nice 10 mile ride. Great biking. Never saw so many fine young bodies, male and female, doing their thing along the trail.
The town is getting ready for Fiesta, which is a huge event throughout the downtown area. There will be music on every corner for several days, and lots of hootin' and hollerin' to go with it. It's pretty chaotic, as traffic is snarled, many streets are closed, and thousands of people come for the fun. This is the start of College Week, one of three, so there'll be loads of young people celebrating. Good time for old people to make their escape, although it would have been fun to take in some of the music.
Speaking of which, on Wednesday night we went back to Saxon's Pub, to listen to a band led by Walt Wilkens. Give him a listen if you can find him on Spotify. Good sounds, and they had a lot of fun on stage. Three nights in a row of clubs, so we took it easy last night, going back to Uncle Willy's for the fourth night in a row. Guess we qualify as okay, as the bartender gave us a pair of nice beer glasses as souvenirs. Met a young guy there who works for the ball team in Corpus Christie, a farm team of the Astros. He's really excited with his job, which is to do video and editing for the manager/coaches/players. Because his team did so well at supplying players to the Astros, they will all, him included, be getting World Series rings. He can hardly wait, like a kid before Christmas.
Below, Gail along the Colorado River in the middle of Austin. We had great riding and were so lucky to be located in Austin where we were, having such immediate access to the city. Came to believe that Austin is one of our favorite cities.
That's our update. Tomorrow we head for Memphis, where we may stay tomorrow night. All for now. Stay tuned. More later.
We are now just outside of Texarkana, on the Arkansas side, having spent the day churning down the highways and biways from Austin. All has gone well, with fairly heavy truck traffic, but not overly so. We escaped the interstate for awhile, bypassing Dallas, so that made it a little more pleasant. Found a nice r.v. park, and Gail made a great dinner (gumbo supreme).
We enjoyed our last day in Austin by biking (surprise!) over the river, parked our bikes, locked 'em up, and did a fairly major walk around the downtown area. Headed west on 5th street to the Whole Foods store, which is one of the best grocery stores anywhere. Many choices for lunch, so we did it there, despite the abundance of tempting food trucks in the area. Then we walked back east, then north to the Capital to have a look around the grounds. Inspected the huge monument to those who fell (on the Confederate side) during the Civil War. Offsetting it, though, is an equally impressive monument to African Americans, so I guess it's balanced out. We finished off the afternoon biking along the river on both sides again, a nice 10 mile ride. Great biking. Never saw so many fine young bodies, male and female, doing their thing along the trail.
The town is getting ready for Fiesta, which is a huge event throughout the downtown area. There will be music on every corner for several days, and lots of hootin' and hollerin' to go with it. It's pretty chaotic, as traffic is snarled, many streets are closed, and thousands of people come for the fun. This is the start of College Week, one of three, so there'll be loads of young people celebrating. Good time for old people to make their escape, although it would have been fun to take in some of the music.
Speaking of which, on Wednesday night we went back to Saxon's Pub, to listen to a band led by Walt Wilkens. Give him a listen if you can find him on Spotify. Good sounds, and they had a lot of fun on stage. Three nights in a row of clubs, so we took it easy last night, going back to Uncle Willy's for the fourth night in a row. Guess we qualify as okay, as the bartender gave us a pair of nice beer glasses as souvenirs. Met a young guy there who works for the ball team in Corpus Christie, a farm team of the Astros. He's really excited with his job, which is to do video and editing for the manager/coaches/players. Because his team did so well at supplying players to the Astros, they will all, him included, be getting World Series rings. He can hardly wait, like a kid before Christmas.
Below, Gail along the Colorado River in the middle of Austin. We had great riding and were so lucky to be located in Austin where we were, having such immediate access to the city. Came to believe that Austin is one of our favorite cities.
That's our update. Tomorrow we head for Memphis, where we may stay tomorrow night. All for now. Stay tuned. More later.
Wednesday 7 March 2018
March 7, 2018 - We left San Antonio on Monday, and have been busy ever since. Thankfully, Gail is back to full strength after her 'bug' episode. We rode 28 kms all over the river valley here in Austin yesterday, even venturing up one of the busy streets, Congress South, to have a look. They have several areas of food trucks scattered about the city, which attract a lot of patrons. Toronto should learn from this. You can find almost any kind of food you might think of in these various areas. We had a little Mexican repast yesterday during our ride.
Both nights here we have gone to clubs. The first was a repeat of when we were here 2 years ago, and by coincidence, the same band was playing, as it's a regular Monday night gig for them. The place was packed, so we had to stand, until a kind server noticed there was one empty table, and whispered in my ear that we should go and sit there. Great band, led by a singer/songwriter named Bob Schneider. The group is called Lonelyland. Really enjoyed their work; varied, soft then heavy, excellent musicians...guitar, bass, keyboard and other instruments, cello/violin, drums. Last night was not so good, at the OnetoONe Bar. A younger band, sound not as good, but a young crowd seemed to like them. Can't win 'em all.
Our location is rustic, established in 1946, and not much done to it since. The only thing older about the park is the guy who runs it, who proudly said he was born 7 years before it opened. But location is everything. We can be in the river valley in a few minutes, as it's only 3 blocks away, can walk to clubs, can walk over the bridges to the downtown area, which we did upon arriving the first day, as we wanted to visit the excellent Visitor Center on east 4th street. Quite a hike, but worth it.
There are more people running, biking, walking, doing exercises, than in any city we've ever been to, as it's been built into the thinking of the citizens that it's a good thing to do. The trails are busy with people, so when riding one has to be careful not to run over joggers or walkers or women pushing their baby carriages along. Folks in the bike shop we visited yesterday told us that on the week-ends, large groups of people gather together on the river trails to run and jog...hundreds of them. Glad we're here during the week.
Before leaving San Antonio, we spent our last afternoon with friends Debbie and Ray wandering the River Walk. A beer in a German themed place, another drink at another place, dinner at an Irish Pub. All in all a very nice way to spend a pleasant afternoon and evening. We really enjoyed out time with Ray and Deb, and thank Ron and Marilyn Harris for getting us together.
On the way out, we stopped at the Japanese Garden in the north part of the city. Truly a delightful place to spend a little time, and it will no doubt be even better once spring planting comes to full flower. I'll post a pic to give you an idea.
Another pic will be of two guys I met on the trail in San Antonio. One of them has one artificial leg, the other both legs. They were moving right along, so after I'd passed them, I stopped and they soon caught up to me. They told me they had already done 14 miles that afternoon. Young ex-soldiers, vital, energetic, impressive guys. Quite inspiring to see their resolve!
Two more days here, and we will hit the road east and north. The weather will be the main concern, but we hope to be back by the 13th or 14th. We will keep you posted if wifi is available.
Below, the Japanese garden in San Antonio; the two ex-soldiers; Austen skyline; and our friends Debbie and Ray Zschuppe from Belleville.
Both nights here we have gone to clubs. The first was a repeat of when we were here 2 years ago, and by coincidence, the same band was playing, as it's a regular Monday night gig for them. The place was packed, so we had to stand, until a kind server noticed there was one empty table, and whispered in my ear that we should go and sit there. Great band, led by a singer/songwriter named Bob Schneider. The group is called Lonelyland. Really enjoyed their work; varied, soft then heavy, excellent musicians...guitar, bass, keyboard and other instruments, cello/violin, drums. Last night was not so good, at the OnetoONe Bar. A younger band, sound not as good, but a young crowd seemed to like them. Can't win 'em all.
Our location is rustic, established in 1946, and not much done to it since. The only thing older about the park is the guy who runs it, who proudly said he was born 7 years before it opened. But location is everything. We can be in the river valley in a few minutes, as it's only 3 blocks away, can walk to clubs, can walk over the bridges to the downtown area, which we did upon arriving the first day, as we wanted to visit the excellent Visitor Center on east 4th street. Quite a hike, but worth it.
There are more people running, biking, walking, doing exercises, than in any city we've ever been to, as it's been built into the thinking of the citizens that it's a good thing to do. The trails are busy with people, so when riding one has to be careful not to run over joggers or walkers or women pushing their baby carriages along. Folks in the bike shop we visited yesterday told us that on the week-ends, large groups of people gather together on the river trails to run and jog...hundreds of them. Glad we're here during the week.
Before leaving San Antonio, we spent our last afternoon with friends Debbie and Ray wandering the River Walk. A beer in a German themed place, another drink at another place, dinner at an Irish Pub. All in all a very nice way to spend a pleasant afternoon and evening. We really enjoyed out time with Ray and Deb, and thank Ron and Marilyn Harris for getting us together.
On the way out, we stopped at the Japanese Garden in the north part of the city. Truly a delightful place to spend a little time, and it will no doubt be even better once spring planting comes to full flower. I'll post a pic to give you an idea.
Another pic will be of two guys I met on the trail in San Antonio. One of them has one artificial leg, the other both legs. They were moving right along, so after I'd passed them, I stopped and they soon caught up to me. They told me they had already done 14 miles that afternoon. Young ex-soldiers, vital, energetic, impressive guys. Quite inspiring to see their resolve!
Two more days here, and we will hit the road east and north. The weather will be the main concern, but we hope to be back by the 13th or 14th. We will keep you posted if wifi is available.
Below, the Japanese garden in San Antonio; the two ex-soldiers; Austen skyline; and our friends Debbie and Ray Zschuppe from Belleville.
Saturday 3 March 2018
March 3, 2017 - Here we are in March, some would say, "Finally!!" The sap is running at home, my friend Ed Taylor will have the pails out on the trees soon if not already, and although there may be more winter stuff before the end of the month, we can at least feel spring is around the corner.
We are now in San Antonio, in an excellent R.V. Park. It's great because we're in the city, and can access the river trail directly from our site. We're somewhat centrally located, so we can ride both north and south for several miles. South takes us out along the river to the areas where the old missions are located. North takes us to the central area. So I've been riding my little buns off, camera on my back. The pictures above are part of the results I've enjoyed. At the top, a pair or red-shouldered hawks, fresh from love-making right before my eyes. (Modesty prevents my showing the action. Besides, with the type of monitoring we're subject to, I might end up charged with distributing pornography.) The second is a black vulture, who was feeding on carrion beside the trail. He stood his ground, only 5 feet away from me, as he wasn't going to give up his lucky find.
The third picture is a beautiful red-tailed hawk, maybe even the one previously referred to, looking quite fresh. The fourth picture is a red-combed fluffy-winged foot scratcher, seen in a yard along the way. Our friend Marian Ellis, a formidable birder in her day, has challenged us to find an 'elegant troban'. We wonder if this fellow will do as a substitute.
An the down side, Gail contracted a bug, which knocked her low for a couple of days. On our first day here, we caught the bus downtown, wandered around the Alamo (third time, and it's always interesting to see), then went to the RiverWalk. First thing we saw was the Mad Dog Pub, same name as one of our favorite bars in Hong Kong. So we had to have a beer. Shortly after finishing it, Gail went to the washroom and was ill. Feeling okay, sort of, afterwards, we wandered along the river, and found a TexMex place for dinner. Part way through, G hustled to the washroom to be sick again. We managed to get back to the park, but just in time, for as soon as we got off the bus, G was sick in the bushes. (She'll love me for giving out these details...hope she doesn't read this posting.) After that, she was down for the count, and only today was more herself again. Thank goodness.
Friends Ron and Marilyn Harris sent us an email to let us know that mutual friends were coming to the same park here in San Antonio. So we've had some nice visits with Debbie and Ray since their arrival two days ago. They'll be here for a month, and have been here before, so know the ropes around the city. Nice to have some company for a change.
We extended our stay until Monday morning, and have booked 4 days in Austin. The R.V. park we have stayed in before, so again we can access good biking in the river valley from our site. Hope to catch some good Austin music as well. After that, we will point our noses north-east, and hope to be back in time to look after Dodger MacKay while his parents go back to Mexico. That's earlier than planned, but what the heck...we also want to be home in time for Gail's birthday on the 16th (a big one!) and for son Jeff's (another big one) on the 25th.
One other little note as to why people find places in Texas to stay for the winter. It's cheaper than Florida or Arizona. We stayed in the town of Uvalde for a night, and parked next to a couple from Ontario who also had a Triple E rig purchased in Oshawa, where we got ours. Another coincidence! Chatted with them as to why Uvalde was their choice. Simple. It's a very nice park, small city of 15,000, and they get their site for $300 a month plus hydro, and join the local golf club for $200. for both of them, including cart. They have it figured out.
All for now. Hope our friends on the ailing list soon are better...or improving...Jimmy, Penny, Sandy Taylor, Ron Harris, Ken Marshall, sister Marilyn, and anyone else fighting the ravages of season and/or age. Stay tuned. More later.
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