NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, and into FL

My last morning in Gunnison, Colorado I awoke to an inch deep puddle of water between the refrigerator and the steps leading up to the bedroom. Sniffing the water gave me the minor good news that it was fresh water (it could have been a whole lot worse). I immediately disconnected from the campground water, cleaned up the puddle, and then turned on the various sinks and shower one at a time, pumping from the holding tank. No more water seemed to be coming in and that too was good news. I found an RV repair facility in Santa Fe, New Mexico which is a few hours south on my intended route and made an appointment. The drive through the canyons south of Gunnison was magnificent. None of the grades were difficult, traffic was very light, and every bend seemed to provide a view more beautiful then the one before. Eddie, at Complete RV Care, was very friendly and accommodating. I arrived as he and his technicians were about to have lunch and they invited me to join them. The meal consisted of perfectly roasted chicken, refried beans, quesadillas, nice hot roasted whole jalapenos, chili sauce, ice cold delicious well water, and great conversation. After lunch the technicians quickly discovered a cracked elbow joint on the water intake from the outside connection, They also found a heater vent hose that had broken free from its connection, and a separation on the underside of the front of the rig itself. I can't be sure but I'll bet it's all the result of the tractor hitting the rear of the RV. Complete Care's total charge was only $89. I joked with them that the repairs must have been free 'cause lunch was worth the charge by itself.


It was late by the time the repairs were completed so I decided to finally stay at my first Walmart. Over three years of full timing and I'd never boondocked at a Walmart. The Albuquerque, New Mexico Walmart was just a little over a mile off the route I'm travelling. I found a quiet spot in the back of the parking lot near a motorhome already parked. I bought a couple of items and asked the manager if I could stay overnight. She said sure and gave me a look like why are you even bothering to ask. I cooked a light dinner, watched a movie on TV and had a quiet nights sleep. Heading south out of Albuquerque it became very smoky. It was so smoky that at times I could barely see a car or two in front of me. The smoke lasted for about 50 miles, the result of wildfires. Once past the fires it was a beautiful blue sky. As I turned into the Lo-Hi Ranch of Loners on Wheels in Deming, New Mexico I felt like I was coming home. I'd only been here once before and that was over six months ago. Still, this is a very comfortable place to hang out. While I only stayed a week, I managed to get a few things done and enjoy the time. I got my truck serviced, finally toured the local museum, enjoyed the Saturday night dance, had a great time visiting the "Pink Store" in Mexico, and relaxed sitting out, chatting with other RV'ers. Every day was in the mid-70's and every night was in the 50's. Southern New Mexico sure is pretty this time of year although I wouldn't want to be here in July or August.


My one Walmart experience was pretty good so I'm actually planning a second one. Driving all the way through to the San Antonio, Texas area from Deming, New Mexico is to far for me. I found a Walmart Superstore in Fort Stockton, Texas which is pretty near halfway. There was one RV already parked so I pulled up nearby and went into Walmart to let them know I'd be staying overnight and pick up a few items. When I got back to my rig there were three more RV's parked in the same area. A light supper, a movie, and another quiet night. As I left the Ft. Stockton area on I-10 I saw a huge fireball off in the distance. As I got closer I saw a tractor-trailer blazing in flames on the far shoulder heading in the opposite direction. The police were only allowing traffic in my direction to use the far shoulder even though the fire was about eight lanes away. As I passed, it felt like I was passing a furnace. I don't know what was in the rig but both the tractor and trailer were partially melted. I sure hope no one was inside when it went up.


The campground seems to be a bit out of the way. So far most of the Thousand Trail parks have been a little off the beaten path. Full hook ups, an open site for my sat. dish, and a sparkling clean pool and hot tub, what more can you ask for!! There are lots of little deer throughout the park. If I walk near them they run away but for some reason they aren't afraid of vehicles stopping by them. The deer graze and even sit within a few feet of the RV's. This is the fourth Thousand Trails park I've stayed at and so far they all seem more like state parks than RV campgrounds. All the parks have been quite large, hundreds of acres. The sites have also been large with more than enough room for the biggest rigs and lots of trees and ground between sites. All the parks have had swimming pools, although the park in northern California had closed the pool for the season. The parks are different from the private campgrounds I'd become accustomed to but may prove all right for a change of pace. It is really hot in central Texas! It's mid-October and several days were in the 90's with the other days in the mid to upper 80's. Even the nights were in the upper 60's. I sure am glad for full hook ups 'cause the a/c has been running almost 24 hours a day. I enjoyed the pool and hot tub every day and toured a new town for me of Boerne and went back to one I'd been to earlier in the year and enjoyed, Bandera, "The Cowboy Capital of Texas"! While in Boerne I explored the Cibolo Nature Center. It's about 100 acres adjacent to the town park. Several trails meander past forest, streams, grass and marsh land. I was dripping wet after a couple of hours of walking around in the near 90 degrees. Still, it was a peaceful day. Bandera is, well, it's Bandera. The cowboys may drive pickup's but you've never seen so many Stetsons. The Frontier Museum has an incredible eclectic collection ranging from Mt. St. Helen's ash, a shrunken head, an ostrich egg, and lots of the usual western/frontier stuff. The saddle collection is awesome. Did you know that their are over 2,000 patents for different styles of barbed wire? The museum "only" has about 100 examples. For those reading this who know me well you'll smile at my experience getting a haircut. As usual, the barber and I had a conversation while he was cutting my hair. However, since there was no one waiting when my cut was done the barber and I continued our conversation. For almost an hour, over coffee, we solved most of the country's problems.




The drive to Beaumont, Texas was a combination of easy driving through the Texas countryside and high anxiety driving around San Antonio and Houston. I may have grown up in a big city but I'm sure getting to dislike them now. It's hard to believe I spent so many years commuting through crazy city driving. For those who haven't yet enjoyed some of the rough Alaskan roads just take a drive from Beaumont, Texas to New Orleans, LA on the I-10. You will get to experience some of the bumps and washboard roads famous in Alaska. I've got to find a way around this section of the I-10 for future travel.


As Thomas Wolfe once said, "You can't go home"! Returning to a familiar place is never the same as you remember it to be. I had been looking forward to returning to New Orleans and enjoying another Sunday brunch at "The Court of the Two Sisters". There was a tour group at the restaurant and it was packed. While I did get a seat pretty quick it was very noisy, I could barely hear the jazz group, and the buffet just wasn't the same when it took so long. The food was still incredible and the jazz music was nice, what I could hear of it anyway, lol. It was a beautiful day and fun walking around the French Quarter and people watching. The continuing drive on I-10 in Louisiana was more horrible road. However, the I-10 in Mississippi and Alabama got significantly better than Texas and Louisiana had been. The Florida campground is about two miles off the I-10, far enough to get away from the road noise. The site was sandy which made for a very level area and pretty quiet when other vehicles went by. The process of getting my Florida license was pretty easy. The local sheriff's office comes right to the campground to complete a vehicle check and complete the DMV form, a very nice public service. The deputy who came by to do my vehicle check was wearing an airborne bracelet similar to mine. Turns out it he served in Iraq and the bracelet was to honor his dad who actually served in the same unit I did, just 20 years after me, dam I'm getting old, lol. The deputy stayed around for a little while after his check of my vehicles, we chatted about the differences in the military over the twenty years from my service to his dad's and the additional twenty years from his dad to his service. It's a different world in so many ways. You can't go home 'cause the home just isn't the same one you'd remember. Well, I'm now a Florida resident!