Getting High on New Mexico

My journey took me to Fort Davis, about 4hrs north of Big Bend area. The attraction there was "The Star Party" at the McDonald Observatory, a research facility of the University of Texas at Austin. I camped at the State Park and then drove about 20 min along a windy road up to the observatory. At 7pm when it was very dark and the sky was brilliant with stars, their program began. About 200 people gathered in the outdoor amphitheatre to listen to an astronomer point out various constellations. After that, we could go to various telescopes to view whatever part of the sky they were focused on. It was a thrill to see the andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our milky way galaxy and millions of light years away. So far I had only seen photos of that far away galaxy and to actually see it was awe inspiring.
The next day I drove another few hours to El Paso, Texas where I had an appointment at Camping World there to finally get my broken seal replaced. I was able to "camp" at their parking lot overnight and the service was very good. I bought a few more RV supplies including some RV antifreeze to have on hand in case I reach very cold weather (one of these days I'll have all I need!)
I phoned my friends Frank and Susan that live in New Mexico and they gave directions, looking forward to having me spend the Christmas season with them and their daughter.
Gas was $2.15/gal as I left El Paso! There was a very strong wind, resulting in tumbleweeds dancing across the highway.
Westward I continued and shortly reached  the border of New Mexico. Then  north for about 3hrs, gradually getting into mountainous regions and being met by Frank to guide me to their place. That last 1/2 hr was quite a challenge with the steep road with sharp curves and no guard rails, reaching to the 5800ft elevation where they live. It was a beautiful sunny day but there was snow (yes, SNOW!) on the sides of the road.

 

We arrived at their home, met by Susan. They are living in a rental house while finishing the building of a house just 2km away. They offered me their new home to stay in as it was too cold to stay in the RV. Luckily I had antifreeze to put into the taks and hope that will keep my waterlines from freezing.

front of "Eagle's Nest"

The new home is wonderful, set on the side of a hill overlooking mountains and a river. It is heated by geothermal heat and has a hot tub fed by hot springs in the area.  

whyknot looks rather chilly!

    At last a place to rest a while.
The Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument is just down the road and a nice walk. There is a small store and post office next door and some scattered houses in the area. There is also a small RV park nearby. It's a magical place with clean air and water. The nights are cold but the days are warm enough to sit out in the sun and read. Today i went for a swim in a neighbor's indoor pool fed by the hot springs. living here has felt like paradise.
Our Christmas celebration was simple but life is so peaceful here, you don't need more.
The new year of 2015 is filled with promise and many wondrous possibilities. 

                                   

                                               

The Magical Desert

It was shortly after leaving San Antonio that the countryside became more desert-like with smaller bushes, expansive views and dry sand. There was a mountain range in the distance and the road seemed to go on forever.

The drive west to Del Rio took 5 hrs. It was quite a flat border. town on the Rio Grande river between Mexico and Texas. After shopping for some groceries, I stayed at the Walmart parking lot for the night before continuing on to Big Bend National Park in south west Texas. It was another 5 hr drive which felt very long. I felt somewhat uneasy at first as there was no cell phone signal and almost no traffic. There was only desert as far as I could see, almost no buildings. The occasional ranch just had a gate and a dusty lane leading to the ranch house which could not be seen. After a while I relaxed and felt the peace of the desert. What is so appealing about the desert where there are few signs of civilization, where there wasn't much vegetation and where water is at a premium? 
The magic of it is the big open space and the incredible stillness, a stillness seldom experienced in life. I could feel any tensions dissolving, a feeling of peace spreading over me, and a sense of timelessness. 
As the gas gauge gradually went down towards 1/4 tank, I was wondering how long it would be to find a gas station. It was with a sense of relief to get to the town of Marathon and fill up with gas at $2.59/gal.
Mountains became visible on the horizon and finally I reached the Big Bend park gate. The campground I chose was in the Chisos basin. RV's over 24ft not allowed due to the very windy road and high altitude. I was grateful my Rv is 24ft and was able to go. It was quite exciting to drive up such a steep road with so many curves and sheer cliffs but I got to the campsite safely. At an altitude of 5401 ft, it felt awesome.
The scenery was spectacular

 There were some fantastic hiking trails with warnings to watch out for mountain lions, bears, and rattle snakes! Fortunately the snakes don't come out much when it's cold (in 30's overnight but nice and warm during the day at 70's)
I had some very nice neighbors at the next campsite and enjoyed sharing some meals. They were from Austin, Texas.
The campsite also has a lodge nearby where there was internet access and a pay phone, There was no cell phone signal.
The stars at night were brilliant due to the clear dark sky.

                                                      











It would have been great to stay for a long time but I needed to keep going to get to El Paso for my appointment.
Back down the steep windy road took careful driving .
On Dec 20 I drove the 4 hrs to Fort Davis State Park and that is a story for another day.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

RV life continues with never a dull moment.

Oak trees, green leaves all year

Kumquats beside an orange

Betty's RV park was a wonderful  experience, a feeling like coming home for a while.

 



 Betty gave me some kumquats growing there.They look like small oranges, citrus, many seeds, a bit bitter, good in Christmas cakes


From Betty's , a 5hr drive into Texas and Galveston Island , on the gulf coast.There was a free ferry across and an interesting drive along the gulf to the state park where I stayed for 2 nights. The island is quite a tourist attraction with many restaurants, bars, beaches. Most houses are on stilts as the land is so low and flat.The park was very quiet and quite a distance form all the action.
A big hassle was that the internet was down the last day at Betty's and then the state park had no wifi.Oh, the agony!
However, the beaches at Galveston were beautiful.
 

 From Galveston island I drove about 4hrs to San Antonio 
where I am at present. It is now Dec 17 and I'll be heading to Del Rio today.
The RV park is on the outskirts of the city and very nice.There is even a heated outdoor pool. Oh ,the ecstasy!

whyknot parked right near the pool!

San Antonio is a beautiful city with a river going through it.
The river has bike paths and walkways along both sides. The walk is known as The River Walk and on the downtown part, no bikes allowed as there are so many people.Both sides of the river are lined with restaurants and there are musicians playing at many of them. There are interesting sights such as the Alamo which I visited.
I had trouble adding minutes to my cell phone and after trying to reach someone to talk to, it took another hour to sort out an error they discovered! It was a frustrating hour on the phone and I was ready to tear my hair out.....more agony!!
The river walk was fantastic and at night, the Christmas lights turned it into a magical wonderland.Pure ecstasy!!

Hilton

Alamo

A bench by a store

Louisiana and..........Betty's RV Park

It was another bright, warm sunny day as I made my way to a propane fill station then to the highway out of New Orleans. Dec 10 and I wonder about the snow back in Canada, feeling very grateful to be wearing my sandals.
Traffic was very heavy at times and to make things worse, the exit I needed was blocked off. It took another 20 min to find another way to Hway 10 to head NE to Baton Rouge, the capital city of Louisiana. With a pop of about 230,000 people, it is located in the Mississippi river delta.
The Cajuns of Louisiana are the descendants of some of the Acadians who were exiled and settled mostly in southern Louisiana. They speak a Cajun French dialect.

It was a thrill to drive on the long bridge over "the mighty Mississippi" which is "the chief river of the largest draining system in North Am . It rises in northern Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for 2320 miles to the gulf of Mexico." (Wikipedia)

Then #10 Hway continued west to Lafayette where I turned south to Abbeville and Betty's RV park, having driven about 4hrs The roads were good and the countryside quite flat with forests along the way with large, grand trees of all kinds.
Along the way I noticed gas here is $2.39/gal and diesel $3.19/gal! I'm relieved gas is such a good price. Now if only the Canadian dollar would get stronger (I have to add about 15% or more to everything I buy in $US)

Arriving at Betty's was a pleasant experience. she came to meet me and guided me as I backed up into my site between 2 large RV's, both about 40ft long. she told me about happy hour and I barely had time to hook up.
Betty's is a very popular spot for RVers that know of her.
(I heard about her from a couple I met at Mexico Beach.)
She retired a few years ago and decided to use her land in Abbeville to build an RV park. It is the friendliest park I've been to, like being a part of a large family. Every day, everyone gets together for happy hour in a room next to her office.People bring food and drinks and often stay for 1-2hrs, sharing stories of their travels and experiences with their RV's.
Most have either  large Class A motorhomes (the ones that are the size of a bus), towing a car or else they have a fifth wheel and truck. I'm probably the smallest "rig" here. The largest one here is a big semi with a fifth wheel trailer attached. That has a garage attached to it for a total length of about 72ft! I got a tour of it. The truck itself is like the ones you see on the hway. Behind the driver's seat is a living space that has 2 bunk beds, fridge, microwave, cupboards, sink and tiny bathroom. The fifth wheel is like a luxury home with a large livingroom, kitchen, separate bathroom, laundry area and bedroom.The garage is separate, on wheels and is for storage, a work area and room to park the car for when they are on the road- totally amazing! And I had been thinking that my 24ft RV felt big driving on the hwy.
I'm so glad I don't have to tow anything although it would be easier to get around an area with a car. Riding my bicycle or taking a local bus feels good enough and simpler.
Most people that are here come back here every year for a month or longer, developing many long lasting friendships.
They got "caught in Betty's web" as a sign warns upon entering her RV park.
I've been warmly welcomed and given many tips which are always useful. I was going to leave after 2 days but have decided to extend my stay after being invited to join them to watch a Christmas boat parade, listen to some cajun music and watch some fireworks. Perhaps I'll stay even longer??
Photos will have to wait.

From an article by Kay Peterson , Escapees RV club co-founder and director:

While traveling in Thailand, she learned that 
"Mi pen rai "   (pronounced My Pin Rye) means
"no worries"  or "it is what it is"

She shares some quotes RVers have written to her:

-- To have great experiences, you must be willing to take the risks
-- If you jump into a lake, don't complain about getting wet
-- The only limits are those you accept as being true
-- Life is a matter of perspective. a worm thinks digging is more fun than going fishing.

And finally a story you may have heard:
A man walks into a clinic and is asking to speak to the Dr.
He is told to take a number and wait.
He is finally called after about 15min, asked for his health care card and given a form to fill in.
A nurse then takes him into the exam room, tells him to change into a gown, and wait for the Dr
The Dr comes in and asks what his problem is.
The man answers that he has shingles.
"Where are they?" asks the Dr
The man answers, "they are in my truck and I wanted to know where you want me to unload them."

whyknot: full moon woes and sunny joys

The days are sliding into each other.
On Nov 26th, I arrived at the Rustic Sands RV park in Mexico Beach, FL to settle for a while.

the white sands at Mexico Beach FL

The sands are reported to be the whitest in the world here, soft and powdery. I found only small shells here and also an occasional "oil nugget"(from the oil spill a few years ago). Although the days were nice and warm, the water was too cold to swim and also dangerous due to sharks.

The campground was a very pleasant one and owned by a family who went all out to make it a good experience for the RVers. Several activities were organized during the week at their community centre, including a pot luck turkey dinner for everyone on Thanksgiving (nov 27th). Some nights they had musicians to entertain us and it felt good to get up and dance.

I drove to Panama City one day to do some shopping and found a good fold-up bicycle. I quickly straightened it up and put my chain and lock on it that I had brought with me from NS. As I got into the Rv, I stubbed my toe, then my glasses broke, and my computer was acting up. Sure enough, the moon was almost full! Starting to get tense, I remembered my book "Don't sweat the small stuff" and felt better.
The next morning I was excited at the prospect of riding my new bicycle. Unfortunately I could not find the key. I spent a long time looking everywhere but no key. I asked Richard (staff) for any suggestions and he helped  by using large wire cutters to get the chain off. Riding the bike felt wonderful until I almost fell over when the handle bars collapsed! I had been in a hurry and didn't read the owner's manual carefully. There was an extra safety clip I hadn't noticed when unfolding the bike. Some lessons are hard to learn!
That afternoon, I decided to do some caulking of . seams on the RV. With all the driving and bumpy roads at times, some of those seams get little cracks. Well, I checked the directions on that caulking tube and could not figure out how to get the caulking out as squeezing the tube didn't work. Richard came to the rescue again, lending me his caulking gun with instructions on how to use it. They forgot to tell me at the store I would need a caulking gun! So to work I went and aside from getting it all over me, did not a bad job of it. I bought my own caulking gun and new bike chain (with a combination lock) at a hardware store. That will be the only gun I will ever own!
There were several Canadians at the RV park and it was fun to chat with them, sharing RV stories

There was a sign on the window of a small car being towed by a large class A motorhome that read "I'm a good little car. I go where I'm towed"

I made a few phone calls and was getting low on minutes so I phoned the service to add minutes. The woman kept me on the line so long that my minutes ran out and I couldn't phone back.
I couldn't phone anyone! This "small stuff' has been adding up too much! I later on used someone's phone to add minutes.
My friend janice came to pick me up to take me to Port St Joe for another Thanksgiving dinner. Before we left the RV park, we looked at a prickly pear cactus growing right by the office.

Prickly Pear cactus

The manager told us they were good to eat so we both picked a few. We soon noticed our hands were stinging with lots of the little prickles embedded in the skin! Someone told us that masking tape works well to remove them and about 1/2hr later we got most of them removed. I later picked some more using gloves and made some delicious pancake syrup with them.

Later on, Janice took me for a drive around the area and we saw many cypress trees as well as "cypress knees" that I thought were old tree stumps. No one knows for sure what their function is although there are many theories. They grow vertically out of the roots. I didn't have my camera but checking them on google makes an interesting read.
It was such a joy to have some precious time with a good friend.

I wanted to write my blog earlier but had more and more problems with my lap-top, finally taking it to a young man who has his own computer service. Not having a computer is like losing my life-line. He had to take it apart but it now works beautifully. It feel wonderful to be in touch with people I know and care about.

I found out a few days ago that the order for the seals I need won't be in for another week or more. Since I want to keep heading west I didn't want to wait that long and have arranged to have them sent to a Camping World store in El Paso, Texas!
I'll get there sometime and they will do the repairs there.
This has been very frustrating and I decided it was time to put my HSEP (High Stress Emergency Plan) into action:
"Listen to Vivaldi and eat chocolate",
This works very well!!

After watching the sunset on the beach and pizza offered at the RV park, I slept well and left the next morning for Mobile, Alabama.

On Dec 6, I left Mexico Beach to drive along the gulf coast past Panama City, across the state line into Alabama and into the City RV park at Mobile. It was a handy place to stay since I could ride my bicycle to "The Mobile Museum Of Art" which was a fantastic treat.

Seen along the path near the museum

MardieGras celebrations began in Mobile, long before those in New Orleans. 

 Some of the Fantastic Costumes worn at Mardi Gras celebrations:

A float from a Mardi Gras parade

 The display was a feast for the senses;
colours, glitters,

A dance costume

all sorts of dress materials from cloth to metals, gems, beads and       feathers.                                                                             

 
 This train would be hanging on the back of a performer.

 

Created with beads: the French Quarter

Duck crossing on way to museum