Road Warrior Bob -- Tues., July 24

Ft. Stockton, Texas:

Drive, drive, drive, drive, rest area, drive, drive, drive, DQ for dinner. Drive, drive, fill up with diesel. Drive, drive, drive, RV Park. Ahhhhh. Seriously that was our day today.

We left San Antonio around 12:30 p.m. and arrived in Ft. Stockton at 7:30 p.m. Lots of long, straight freeway. Bob is the road warrior...he drove the whole way. I have never pulled the 5th wheel because I've always driven separately in my Escape pod. Guess I'll be learning on this trip. Any words of advice?

We love Hilltop RV Park in Ft. Stockton! The owners K.C. and Jim are precious, so warm and welcoming. They live here and it shows. 

Hard to get it all in one picture.

Art on the buildings.

Metal sculptures at the RV Park.

Another metal sculpture.

After we got our RV hooked up to electricity, water and sewer, and cats fed and watered, we headed into town to go to Walmart and see the roadrunner sculpture. While there, we found a historic driving tour of Ft. Stockton and drove part of it. Ft. Stockton has a long history which is quite interesting. It was on the Butterfield Stage Line and had the third largest fresh water spring in the state of Texas.

Pecos County Courthouse

An interesting store in town.

Heeeeere's Roadrunner...meep, meep.

While we were at Walmart, there was a fiery sunset. When we finished in town it was time for a swim in the RV park pool. So relaxing and we were the only ones in the pool. Nice.

Our RV Park has free wi fi, but the connection is slow.


Bob filed a police report on his stolen laptop and smart phone. When he talked to the police officer, the police didn't seem to think they were after our identity. They think both pieces were stolen for the hardware. Our insurance agent thinks we will get reimbursed for part of the new computer and smart phone since this was a robbery.

Bob got his new computer and smart phone yesterday. Last night he went to work and loaded his new software onto it. This morning, the company I.T. guy made sure Bob's computer could connect to company's server.

Time for bed. We'll be up early for our next adventure.

G'night. Over and lights out.

Warrior vs. Worrier Mode - Mon., July 23

San Antonio, Texas:

A fine way to say, "Farewell." Today Bob was out having lunch with the owner of the company he works for. When he returned to his pick up, his computer and cell phone had been stolen.

All of our financial and his company's financial records are on the computer. Bob lost all of his own personal computerized files. 

According to the owner of the company, there are electronic equipment organized theft rings in San Antonio. The owner has had his computer stolen and another worker at the company had his computer stolen as well.  We don't know what this might mean in terms of identity theft. I shudder to think.

In a conversation with Bob later this afternoon, he already had his previous cell phone shut off, and had purchased a new computer and a new smartphone. When he got his new computer back to the office, their I.T. guy told him he needed to take it back and buy a computer with "Microsoft Professional" software. Back Bob went to Best Buy to trade it in and add some new software as well.  He is going to purchase the full Adobe Acrobat package...all we've had until now is Adobe Reader.

Here's my take on this in a Men-are-from-Mars-Women-are-from-Venus kind of way. When a problem occurs, men go into WARRIOR Mode and women go into WORRIER Mode. Bob is out there running around taking care of business in true Warrior fashion. I am sitting here in true Worrier fashion worrying about all that can happen with the stolen items...the biggest worry of all is identity theft. 

Bob's all grab-the-bull-by-the-horns-we're-going-to-get-through-this and I'm saying, "What if this happens? What if that happens? Did you call the police? Will insurance cover it? What if the thieving pigs charge beaucoup bucks on the cell phone?" You get the picture.

In the long run, we'll work through it and deal with all the ramifications (which I hope won't be many).

We will pick up my Escape pod from the auto detailer in the morning. The carpets and seats should have had a chance to dry by then. Bob will have to go back to the office in the morning and finish loading programs onto his new computer and make sure their I.T. guy connects his computer to the company server so Bob can work remotely.

You know when bad stuff happens you just gotta look the devil in the eye and say, "Pfffffffffffffffffffft!", take care of it, and move on. ("Build a bridge and get over it," is what we like to say.) Which is what we'll be doing literally and figuratively tomorrow. We may not get out of town as early as we hoped but that's okay. Our next stop is about five hours away and it's all freeway. How hard can that be? Then we'll have something in common...BOTH of us will be ROAD WARRIORS.

On a happier note, all the mail/packages we were expecting have arrived. The manager of the RV park has offered to store my Escape pod for free in a locked storage yard on the property since we plan to come back to this park for two more months after our six-week trip. (How nice is that? We love this place!)

I am so thrilled with the response to my blog from earlier today about Choosing an RV. It's only been a few hours and people's Comments are exceptionally well thought out. I'm happy RVers are willing to share experiences and knowledge. Thank you so much.

Tonight, I need to get some sleep. I told Bob as soon as "The Closer" is over to clonk my night owl self on the head and make me get some sleep.

Wow, this blog just wrote itself. What fun! I hardly had to think.

Worrying Travel Bug out.

I leave you with a few kitty pics...

Stuffed animal cat packaged just for you.

"I'z not fat, the camera angle iz weird."

Mice are better in a box.

Give a cat a box...

A Declaration -- Fri., July 20

San Antonio, Texas:

I declare I intend to eat healthier. With all the hiking we're about to embark upon, I'm thinking the pounds have to start melting away.

What good fortune came our way today. I needed a few items and tooled down the road to buy them at Super Walmart. While there I checked out their fruit and veggies. My, oh my. Good stuff...so I stocked up. Cantaloupe for $1 each, fresh ripe peaches, Washington state Bing cherries, bananas and golden Delicious applies. I found some very fresh broccoli and cauliflower and bought those too. Our little 5er fridge is chock full of healthy food. 

My plan is to use the fruits as my "go to" food when I have a craving for sweets. As soon as I made my way back home and washed the fruit, I had cherries and a slice of cantaloupe. Yum. 

For dinner we're having Sloppy Joes on whole wheat buns with steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Guacamole is on the menu too (found just-ripe avocados and tomatoes at the store) which I will serve with "Food Should Taste Good All Natural Multigrain Tortilla Chips" from Costco.

The 5er repair guys were supposed to return today, but apparently one part has not come in. They've got Monday to finish before we skedaddle to points west. I know they'll show because they said they'll collect payment when they finish! They can't collect payment if we're not here.

Tomorrow we will do another Volkswalk, we're thinking the one to four missions which will probably take a good portion of the day by the time we read all the history and I take a mess of pictures. Temperatures are supposed to reach 98 F.

On Sunday, I want to do the Broadway neighborhood Volkswalk which spends some time in Brackenridge Park. I'm thinking shade under the big, old trees. Temperatures are supposed to reach 97 F.

Bob found some glitches in his work's 2011 year-end report yesterday and spent until 2:00 a.m. at work trying to sort through the books and find supporting documentation. He was hoping he'd have everything worked out with the accountant and the report would be finished today. The accountant leaves on a two-week vacation tomorrow and we leave for six weeks on Tuesday. At least Bob will be available by phone and internet.

Today I received one of two FedEx boxes I've been waiting for. It's a bird feeding pole which has five arms for hanging bird feeders, suet, and a water dish. The other package I'm expecting has a bird feeder and a shower squeegee. Here's hoping it makes it before we leave. 

Somewhere in our 5er basement I have a hummingbird feeder that has lived down there since last October. Finally, I'll be able to hang it up! Who has a good recipe for hummingbird feeder nectar? Please share.

Bob is finally showing some excitement about our upcoming trip. Maybe working until 2:00 a.m. knocked some sense into him.

Before we leave on Tuesday, we will make one last Costco run for bottled water and to stock up on dry cereal. Oh, and a Petco run to stock up on Sunnie's wet food. (Sunnie and Bowie eat different wet food and each doesn't like the other's wet food. Spoiled rotten fur-kids.)

For those of you without RVs who are thinking of full-timing, here are a few pics of a lived-in 5th wheel.

Our kitchen with the slide out.

Slide out wall of kitchen.

A slide out pantry--wonderful, wouldn't be without one.

Washer/dryer closet--used for cat box, mops, brooms, vacuum.

Kitty play time:

Gozer gozerian. ("Ghostbusters" reference)

 

"Shall we take this outside?"

It's so fun to watch them play. They leap over each other, fly over the stairs and go at it for about 10-15 minutes. Very entertaining.

Travel Bug out.

Unidentified Callers -- Thurs., July 19

San Antonio, Texas:

The insistent phone rings, you pick it up. Nothing, no voice, no "hello," nothing. The most infuriating thing is, "they" don't leave a message. The voiceless, nameless "they." Who are these people?

Sometimes, when a telemarketer calls, you get two seconds of silence before "they" start speaking. That gives you a chance to hang up as soon as you hear the voice or the recording. But when there's nothing, and they keep calling back for days on end, you begin to wonder..."Did I miss something important?"

Here's a way to find out who's calling. Go to 800notes.com Directory of UNKNOWN Callers on the web. I discovered this site a few years ago. You enter the phone number of the person who called you into the appropriate box on the left-hand side of the site (if you know it, otherwise it won't work) and hit "Search." If other people have reported the number, you can read about who the callers are. Spread the word.

I researched the calls I've received for the past three days and found out it's Shell Vacations. I identify them in my phone's directory and ignore the call. If you have a call blocker or ignore app, you can use those.

On the 800notes.com web site I have identified spam calls from: People trying to offer me a bogus job, YAK service in Canada (which reroutes calls so you won't know who they're from), "You have won a $1,000 gift card from Walmart," Shell Vacations, insurance companies and more. Handy website if you want to know who's calling you with bad intent.

In the right-hand column of the web site you can look at the most recent threads, read the latest news about fraud, and read articles about their web site, including FAQs (which is informative).

If no one has reported the number, you can fill out a report on their web site and check back to see if anyone else has been receiving calls from the same number. Very useful website. The only thing better would be if the web site could help stop the calls or report them to the Attorney General's Office.

On to life in general...

Picked up my car this morning from Grande Ford Light Truck Service. Total repair bill $142 and some change. Pretty good when it's under $200. They did an oil change (lube, oil, filter), replaced air & fuel filters, checked brakes, suspension, battery, and a "clunking" sound when turning the steering wheel. The Escape pod has a clean bill of health. Now all my car needs is a full detail, including engine cleaning, to remove as much caliche dust as possible. Then my baby will be "purring" again. Grande Ford just called me and they have someone there who will detail the whole car for me. I'm taking it in on Monday! Woo hoo.

Bob is very busy at work getting the 2011 year-end financial statement done. That is his goal before we leave for Yellowstone. Oh, and even though he's controller, he is now in charge of hiring a replacement receptionist for the company. Two people were interviewed yesterday and two more to interview today. (He received over 40 applicants.)

This morning I spent time planning our overnights on the way to Yellowstone. It's so much fun to ferret out RV parks/campgrounds along the way. We won't have the Escape pod this trip to run ahead and check RV parks or campgrounds so I'm trying to suss out how easy it is to get in and around the campgrounds. Free wifi is always a plus, especially since Bob will be working on the road. We can give our air card a rest. If needed, hopefully there will be a library, truck stop, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks or McDonalds nearby just in case we can't get internet any other way.

Last night, I didn't sleep much so I cat-napped with the cats for four hours in the middle of the day. I feel much better.

Life is very interesting, you never quite know what will happen next.

Welcome to John and Ellen at Connected to the Vine Photography.

Australia Planning! Thunder! Lightning! -- July 18

San Antonio, Texas:

Who knew? Wednesday is exciting after all. 7:30 a.m.: We dropped off the Escape pod at the Ford service center and Bob gave me a ride home.

The morning was spent planning our time in Sydney, Australia. Have you ever read TripAdvisor.com? I started out with the review on our hotel. On that page were links to reviews of tours. So after clicking on one tour and reading all the reviews, I was on to another tour and reviews, and another tour and reviews...you see where I'm going with this. When the RV repairmen arrived I was STILL reading reviews of tours. 

Our hotel--for the first three nights before our timeshare starts--is in the heart of Sydney's CBD (Central Business District). For sure, on our virginal day in Sydney we will go on "I'm Free Tours." They offer free walking tours: three hours for downtown Sydney, 1-1/2 hours for The Rocks area in the evening and, if I understand correctly, there is a three-hour afternoon tour. Tips are encouraged if you like the tour. All the reviews I read gave it four (very good) or five (excellent) points. Other tours that sound good are Sydney Architectural Walks (SAW) and a small bus tour to the Blue Mountains. That last tour is pretty expensive. I say we drive ourselves to the locations the tour bus goes to because we'll have a rental car. (Note to ourselves: Remember to drive on the left side of the road. How could I forget when the steering wheel is on the right? Random thought: How do countries originally decide which side of the road to drive on?)

Our RV repairmen arrived about 12:30 p.m. and were here until 1:45 p.m. The owner needed to go to his brother's funeral at 3:00 p.m., so they will return on Friday to finish up three remaining items on the list.

Today has produced some thunder which started off slowly this morning--a tease. The "100 drops of rain fell" and then stopped. When the RV repairmen came and were working outside on our electrical plug-in, more rain came, then stopped.

The teasing stopped and now there is a full-on frontal assault with loud, cracking and rolling thunder, lightning and real rain. I love a good thunderstorm! Just checked NOAA's latest forecast, 40% chance of thunderstorms (check, I can say in confidence we're having 100% of a thunderstorm), heavy rain up to 2" per hour possible and a flood advisory. And here I am listening to Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise." What a contrast to what's going on outside right now, although it is HOT out there. I went out to get you some pics of the storm and witnessed a large flash of lightning. Yikes! Wish I would have caught that in my pic! For over an hour the thunder has been loudly rolling and rumbling. More lightning!

The Ford service repairman called me to report the "clunking" noise is most likely coming from the steering column. They are about to check it out. He'll call me back with a diagnosis and estimate to repair. Other than that, the Escape pod just needed routine maintenance.

Robert at Grande Ford Light Truck Service called me back. He had to go into Ford's technical data to find out what the clunking noise was. He read to me that the noise occurs only at the far end of wheel travel when the wheel is turned when stopped or on sharp turning, such as getting into a tight parking space. The tech report states this is normal in Ford Escapes built before 2009. He told me if it really bothered me they could replace the steering column for $1,000. "What? Are you crazy?" No I didn't really say that. I politely said, "Oh that's good to know. I don't see any reason to replace it." We can pick it up tomorrow morning.

Warning: Kitty best buds pics follow...Stop reading now if you don't like pet pics.

Sonnie is helping himself to part of my chair.

"You wash me, I'll wash you."

Kitty contemplation. Don't you wish you knew what your pet was thinking? I do.

Cozy cats.

"Let me clean those ears for you."

Travel Bug out.

Day Tripper, Yeah! -- Sun., July 15

San Antonio, Texas:

Today's post has nothing to do with The Beatles, other than their songs playing in my head when I do stuff.

Our 10K (6.2 mi.) Volkswalk today took us through the entire Friedrich Wilderness Park. I think our feet tramped every trail. 

One of the oldest working windmills in Bexar (pronounced bear) County, Texas. There is a water tank at the bottom of it which provides water for wildlife.

A level section of trail.

Lots of juniper forests, smelled good.

Anyone know what kind of flower this is?

My new boots earned their keep today! I will need inserts to soften the blow across the balls of my feet. Other than that, they're lightweight and comfortable.

Our walk today was more in the category of a HIKE. We started out on paved trails. That didn't last long. The easy trails were in the first mile or two. From there, we went up, down, around, over rocks, over roots, through forest, on ridge tops. By the end of the hike we were aching for the car.

Up...

and up

By far the hardest section of trail!

 

So happy for ankle-high hiking boots.

Day trippers, yeah!

Humidity haze.

Ahhh, sit down and rest for a few minutes. Happy face.

Up, up, up.

Double click to enlarge trail map below...yeah, we've just about finished every trail in this park!

"It won't be long Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah."

 

Norwegian Wood (NOT)

 

Almost back to the car. Yay! We've got a lot more hiking/walking to do to get in shape for Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and the Black Hills. One more weekend before our trip. I see more Volkswalks in our immediate future.

Today's hike took us three hours. We high-tailed it back to the 5er for tuna fish sandwiches with avocado and a nice long rest.

A few miscellaneous photos from the past week:

Love the name of this place. (Hey Bob!)

Our favorite used book store.

Sunnie waiting to be washed.

Bob enjoying Mariners vs. Ranger baseball.

Bowie the laundry cat (not to be outdone by Sunnie)

Kitty snuggles.

Time for laundry (as soon as the sun goes down!). Might be a good night to enjoy the pool.

Enjoy your Sunday and the rest of the week.

Travel Bug out.