The weather reports are not good so we will see what tomorrow brings.
OUR OWN LITTLE ADOBE
VIEW OF THE SNOW FRONT OVER MOUNTAINS--FROM THE PARK
VIEW OF RV PARK FROM ROAD
VIEW OF MOUNTAIN BEFORE WE GOT TO ALBUQUERQUE
Monday, January 31, 2011
January 31, 2011---Albuquerque, NM
Today was a day of travel. We did well by leaving at 7:30 am and arrived in Albquerque just when the cold front was moving in. The travel was 6 hours long with only a few stops for a bathroom. We were trying to get to our park before things got bad. Well, we did it and everything went well except when we started running out our wings. The door side slide was a mess. It seems we hit something on the road (probably a bridge bump) that caused the door side of the RV to jump and it turned over the furniture. The desk, the table next to Walts chair and the dining room table and two chairs were on their side. It was all fine once we straightened everything up. We have no idea when this happened because we did not feel it in the truck. I would not believe this could happen.
The weather reports are not good so we will see what tomorrow brings.
OUR OWN LITTLE ADOBE
VIEW OF THE SNOW FRONT OVER MOUNTAINS--FROM THE PARK
VIEW OF RV PARK FROM ROAD
VIEW OF MOUNTAIN BEFORE WE GOT TO ALBUQUERQUE
The weather reports are not good so we will see what tomorrow brings.
OUR OWN LITTLE ADOBE
VIEW OF THE SNOW FRONT OVER MOUNTAINS--FROM THE PARK
VIEW OF RV PARK FROM ROAD
VIEW OF MOUNTAIN BEFORE WE GOT TO ALBUQUERQUE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
January 30, 2011---Movie
Well, today was a nice quiet day. We went to mass and then went to see the movie entitled "A Kings Speech". I really enjoyed the movie and the acting was great. I recommend it. It is rated R but it was not that bad. No nudity, the f word was used less than what you hear on the street. Good story and good script.
Tomorrow we leave early for a fairly long day of driving. We plan to be in Albuquerque by late afternoon.
Goodnight. SOME PICS OF THE LAST WEEK
FARM COUNTRY NEAR AMARILLO
OASIS RV PARK TAKEOFF OF THE CADILLAC RANCH
THE BLACK GOLD OF TEXAS
THE CADILLAC RANCH
Tomorrow we leave early for a fairly long day of driving. We plan to be in Albuquerque by late afternoon.
Goodnight. SOME PICS OF THE LAST WEEK
THE BLACK GOLD OF TEXAS
THE CADILLAC RANCHSaturday, January 29, 2011
January 29, 2011--Trip to Groom, Tx.
When we got within a few miles we could see the cross from the interstate 40 and 66. The cross is 190 feet tall and 110 inches across. I will show you a few pictures and you can go on their internet site to get the full story of the cross.
The web site is http://www.crossministries.net/
We finished our afternoon at the Big Texan Restaurant on the west side of Amarillo. The big gimmick to get people in the door is to offer a 72 ounce steak for free if you can eat it in 1 hour with a side of baked potatoe, buns, salad and 3 shrimp. If you cannot do it you pay them 72 dollars.
Needless to say we did not try the gimmick but 3 men did while we were there. Neither one of them were able to do the job so they charged them $72.
January 28, 2011--Drive to North Pan Handle area
After mass we met at a cafe and grill in the United Grocery store. The women set at one table and the men were at another table. The breakfast was delicious even though my omelet was filled with jalapenos. I just ate around those spicy little chillies. We were invited by a couple who live in the area and Walt had spoken to Don during the week. Don had been a truck driver and he and his wife Alby had visited some friends in New Knoxville and had gone to the Auglaize County Fair. Alby had been an Home Extension Agent in her work years so she was quite interested in the fair and how it was run.
After breakfast we went back home and did a few housekeeping chores and Walt took Bart for a walk. Our goal for the day was to drive north of Amarillo to check out the farm country. This area had been ranches but now the ranches were be changed to farming country. About 394,000 of the 960,000 acres are in the federal government's Conservation Reserve Program, intended to prevent erosion by taking acres out of farming use. The farmers in the county produce sorghum silage, hay, red top cane, cotton, wheat, sunflowers and some corn. Cotton production was started about 3 years ago with a mill being built about 2 years ago.
Water for those crops is pulled from the Ogallala Aquifer, an underground pool of rainwater that reaches more tan 250 feet below the surface. Crop production has turned from grains to ensilage because of water depletion from the Ogallala and producers have shifted from irrigating with tubes in furrows to using center pivot sprinklers to conserve both water and operation expenses. Water wells are fueled by either electricity or natural gas, built may soon be fueled by wind power. It is either drought or flooding when it comes to the rain fall. The temperature ranges from a few days below freezing in to near or above 100 degrees for several days in the peak of summer. Humidity is low most of the year, except for a few days in June, which is also the rainiest month of the year.
Cattle and wheat are the main source of agricultural income in the area, providing work for cowboys and custom combiners. Wheat hay is an excellent food source for cattle, so the number of harvested acres of grain wheat varies each year.
Calves that weigh around 300-450 pounds are purchased in the fall after wheat is planted and allowed to graze the wheat. From wheat, cattle go into growing yards or to ranches to utilize native grass until the fall, when they normally move into farmyards. Many of those cattle are purchased and resold later at area livestock auction barns.
Randall county is home to five confined animal feeding operations that are state licensed and have a capacity of approximately 140,000 head and an annual total turnover of 500,000. These industries generate approximately $400 million-$500 million annually in gross revenue. We saw 3 of these feedlots. These feedlots give the area a very dirty and smelly environment.
The ranch is quite a place to see with neat homes, schools and every activity that a child may wish to participate in as a learning experience.
A young woman gave us a very interesting tour. She talked about the structure of the program and how the house parents were responsible for the daily living activities. She was married and her and her husband lived in one of the homes. The kids get a lot of one on one instruction in the schools with about 6 to 8 students in a class. This allows the student to catch up with the curriculum which they may have missed in their previous school. They are taught respect, goal setting, responsibility and all of the tools they need for a good self-reliant person.
As we left the Boys Ranch we went north on 385 towards Dalhart. We passed miles of pasture land with some hilly spots. North of Canning there was a feedlot with large piles of large bales of hay. They definitely had a smell around the feed lots. Further down the road we saw some irrigation for corn and hay fields. We saw fields were they had chopped corn, flat grassland and also harvested corn. There was a busy railroad track along the road for many miles.
The water situtation is very serious in the panhandle--the aquaifer is one of the largest water supply but it is down a foot in the last 10 years because of the drought in this area. Meredith Lake on the Canadian River is very low. The lake is 38 feet deep when it can be a deep a 105 feet. We passed over the Canadian River a few times and there was only a trickle of water in the river bed.
After we passed north of Hartley, Tx. we saw many grain fields and many oil and gas pumps. As we traveled you could see 8 or 10 oil pumps in one glance. There were some farmers working the ground in fields that went as far as the eye could see. We did pass another feed lot and we couod smell the manure before we saw the feed lot.
A few miles south of Dalhart we turned east on 281 towards Etter, Cactus and Sunray. On the way we passed a large dairy farm which looked very new with huge buildings for the cows. At Etter, which is at 287, we stopped at a little cafe. There were many pickups in the parking lot so this is our gauge for good food. It was a restaurant managed by a young man and the original owner was from Mexico. You could see that she was Mexican because she had a lot of Mexican food on the menu. The cafe was filled with local men who were either from the farms or the businesses in the area. When we left the restaurant Walt asked about the dairy which we had passed a few miles west of the town. The young man at the cashier said he could have introduced us to the manager because he came to the cafe for lunch each day. We were to late to meet him but he gave Walt his name and telephone number if we wanted to tour the facility. Then when we came out of the cafe I noticed that one of our front tires was very low. We went next door and put air in the tire, but it was down 20 lbs. So we went back to the main highway and stopped at a little garage which was owned by two young Spanish men. They spoke Spanish to each other but spoke to Walt in very good English. We had a small hole in the tire so we had it patched. Walt had called the dairy, so when the tire was repaired we went west to the dairy.
Faria Brothers Dairy from South America::: The dairy has 7700 cows in their completed area and are working on another 7000 cow addition. The cows are in a free stall barn and have very little contact with humans so they have minimal stress. The barn has many fans and misters when it gets too hot. This barn has 10 pens with 770 cows in each pen. The cows which are a cross breed of Guernsey and Holstein are fed 100% corn silage. The silage is from local farmers and from the farm the Farnia Brothers own.
The free stalls and pens are flushed every 3 hours with running water. This mixture of manure and water is flushed behind the barns and is left to dry on a membrane which keeps the manure on top to dry and the water goes back to the holding tank and is used again in future flushings. When the manure has dried for 4 weeks it is put in the free stalls as bedding
The cows are artifically bred. They have anklets on one rear ankle and they measure how many steps they make in a day. The computer counts the steps and when they have more steps per day the computer signals them out because this is a way to tell if the cow is in heat. When they leave the milking carosal the computer makes certain the gates are opened to a special holding area for breeding. The other cows from the carosal are sent back to their pen.
When a cow is bred she is dryed out and taken to a facility 10 miles from the barn until she has her calf. The calves go to another facility in New Mexico were they are raised to springer heifers and then they go into the herd. If a cow is sick the go to a cow hospital 4 miles from the barns.
When the cows are ready to be milked their pen gate opens automatically and they walk down an isle to the milking carasol. The carasol turns automatically and 3 people have specialized tasks as the carasoul turns. The first person sprayed the legs, and the utter; the second person washed and wiped the utterand the tits with a soft cloth. The soft cloths were used for only one cow and then were washed and dried before the cloths were used again. The second person put the milkers on the cow. When the carasol has reached its beginning point the cows have been milked and the milkers have automatically been removed. They can milk 1200 cows per hour with this system, and they milk the cows three times a day. When the cows exit the milking area they walk on rubber mats in the aisle ways and holding pens.
There was absolutely no odor. Walt said he did not notice any manure smell through the entire tour.
Note: The owners did know about the bankruptcy of the Ohio Dairy in northwest Ohio. It was also very evident that they were working very hard on public relations with the local people in this part of Texas.
Walt will be able to talk about this experience for many years in the future..
After we left the dairy we drove directly home because we were going to dinner with our new friends from the church. The dinner was in a little German town called Umbarger, TX, about 10 miles south west of our present home. The speciality was catfish and chicken. It was a delightful evening. More later.
Front aspect of Faria Brothers Dairy
View of the holding tank which holds the water to flush the manure from the barns.
January 27, 2011--Canyon and Palo Duro Canyon
We have been busy and had long days so I am 2 days behind on my blog. I am writing this page on Saturday January 29. I will try to remember all the details.
Our first stop on Thursday was Canyon, Texas, just about 10 miles south of Amarillo. It is a nice town with the West Texas A&M State University situated in the town.
We stopped at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum for a short visit but we eventually spent a few hours at the museum. The exhibits covered oil rigs, windmills, geology, automobiles, paleontology and art galleries by famous artists depicting life of the cowboys and Texas settlements. Walt really enjoyed the windmill exhibit because it had a windmill designed by John and Gerhard Albers. They even had exhibits on a boardwalk of a life-size 1880's frontier town. I immediately thought of Max, our grandson who loves animals, when I saw the replicas of dinosaurs in one room.
When we left the museum we asked about a "mom and pop" restaurant we could find for lunch. Well, we did find the cafe which they recommended and it was home cooking. They really do us chillies in their food, but it was okay for me. There were many locals in the cafe and it was very interesting listening to the accent and the way they talked about family and friends.
Our next stop was a visit to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The canyon stretches 120 miles, running southeast across the panhandle from Canyon to Silverton and is the second largest canyon in the United States. The park is constantly made larger as more land is purchased from ranchers by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They have 29 thousand acres in the park. They have trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding which go throughout the park.
We left the flat lands of the plains and we drove into the park to cliffs that were more than a thousand feet deep down into the ground. The cliffs were multi colored with bands of dark pink, white and a dull red. I an only imagine how the cliffs would change colors with the setting sun. I remember how the rock formations in the Bad Lands changed when the sun began to set. After we left the park it was late afternoon so we pointed our truck for home. It was the end of a good day.
I FINALLY TOOK TIME TO LEARN HOW TO PUT PICTURES ON MY BLOG. ENJOY. I AM AMAZED AT HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY I CAN LEARN AT MY TIME IN LIFE. THE YOUNG SEEM TO DO IT WITH EASE BUT IT TAKES MORE TIME FOR AN OLDER PERSON WHO IS NOT TOTALLY EDUCATED IN THE SIMPLE OPERATIONS OF THE SOFTWARE.
THE PICTURE DOES NOT SHOW THE REAL BEAUTY OF THE LAND
A VIEW OF THE COUNTRY SIDE WITH CATTLE GRAZING ON THE PROTEIN RICH PANHANDLE GRASSES.Wednesday, January 26, 2011
January 26, 2011--Feed Lots, Quilt Shop, Michaels, Rudys BBQ
Today was a day for Marge. Walt came home from Mass and said this was my day. So number 1 on the list was another Quilt Store. This one turned out to be a great store and I got the fabric for Molly's Graduation quilt.
We also went to CVS again to pick up some meds they had to order and then we went to Michaels and Walt went to Petsmart.
When we started out this morning we drove 7 or 8 miles west of Amarillo on Route 40. We did not see anything except flat brown prairie, but then we saw one of those great big feedlots. They had all size holsteins in the lot and there were cattle as far as you could see.
Tomorrow we plan to go to Canyon which apparently is very interesting. We will see you tomorrow evening. Bye!!!
We also went to CVS again to pick up some meds they had to order and then we went to Michaels and Walt went to Petsmart.
When we started out this morning we drove 7 or 8 miles west of Amarillo on Route 40. We did not see anything except flat brown prairie, but then we saw one of those great big feedlots. They had all size holsteins in the lot and there were cattle as far as you could see.
Tomorrow we plan to go to Canyon which apparently is very interesting. We will see you tomorrow evening. Bye!!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
January 24, 2011--Amarillo, TX
We made it to Amarillo, TX tonight. We arrived at about 3:30 even though we had a very strong head wind for the last 50 miles. The wind apparently is 50 mph and 40 degrees. It was very hard to hold onto your clothes and walk at the same time. After we got set up we were putting things together and we found our coffee maker would not work. We were both looking for a nice warm cup of tea or coffee. Walt called the company and they suggested we take it back to Kohls. Well, we were lucky because the Kohl's store was only 4 miles away. We are located on Route 40 just west of Amarillo so they have a nice strip mall very close to us. We are even closer to the buried Caddilacs in the field. You can see them on the internet also.
After we got back to the RV it was time for supper and a early night to turn in. We were both tired.
Oh, by the way the drive today was first through some rugid waste land (or that is how it looked to us). Then as we passed through Sweetwater we saw some more wind farms. After we left Lubbock we started to see flat prairie with a lot of cotton fields and we even saw some farmers working ground. As we approched Amarillo hit the head wind and saw tumbleweed blow across the highway in front of us. We even saw a very large tumbleweed which we missed by only a few inches. Walt was sure we would hit it.
We are at the Oasis RV Resort. It is very nice and is out in the open. There are not trees within site and everything is light brown. It still is a nice place to be. We do hope the weather gets warmer.
Now it is time to call it a night.
After we got back to the RV it was time for supper and a early night to turn in. We were both tired.
Oh, by the way the drive today was first through some rugid waste land (or that is how it looked to us). Then as we passed through Sweetwater we saw some more wind farms. After we left Lubbock we started to see flat prairie with a lot of cotton fields and we even saw some farmers working ground. As we approched Amarillo hit the head wind and saw tumbleweed blow across the highway in front of us. We even saw a very large tumbleweed which we missed by only a few inches. Walt was sure we would hit it.
We are at the Oasis RV Resort. It is very nice and is out in the open. There are not trees within site and everything is light brown. It still is a nice place to be. We do hope the weather gets warmer.
Now it is time to call it a night.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
January 23, 2011--Abilene, TX.
Sunday is a day of rest and that is what we did. We went to a very nice church in Ablilene called the Holy Family Catholic Church. They had a mass at 9 am and when we arrived for the 10:30 mass at 10:05 the parishiners from the 9 am mass were in the nartex having a coffee and doughnuts social hour. They were all very friendly and were enjoying each others company.
Walt did some socializing with the RV'ers in the park this morning when he was walking Bart. He talked to a man who was here to hunt wild boar. He said they had been hunting in this area for many years. There are wild boar all over the area and a female can have as many as 20 piglets a year. They have no enemies in the wild since they are very vicious and powerful. Everyone is lower on the food chain. There are some red fox but they stay away from the wild boar.
Walt also talked to a man who was moving polo ponies to California. He had a huge horse trailer which had 3 polo ponies, 3 plain horses and l extra horse on the trailer. The horses stayed on the trailer last night and were going to be able to leave the trailer tohight.
We did some R and R this afternoon and Walt is watching the Jets and Steelers game at this time. The first game today he was not able to get on the TV because of our reception. We have cable and local stations which adds up to about 1 station we like to watch. They have a lot of different sports and many many cartoon stations. The internet is fine, so I have been catching up on a lot of monthly things I do each month on the computer.
Tomorrow is a day of travel to Amarillo, TX. We plan to stay there for a week at least. We will decide to stay longer if we still have places to visit. Maybe I will find some more quilt shops.
Goodnight.
Walt did some socializing with the RV'ers in the park this morning when he was walking Bart. He talked to a man who was here to hunt wild boar. He said they had been hunting in this area for many years. There are wild boar all over the area and a female can have as many as 20 piglets a year. They have no enemies in the wild since they are very vicious and powerful. Everyone is lower on the food chain. There are some red fox but they stay away from the wild boar.
Walt also talked to a man who was moving polo ponies to California. He had a huge horse trailer which had 3 polo ponies, 3 plain horses and l extra horse on the trailer. The horses stayed on the trailer last night and were going to be able to leave the trailer tohight.
We did some R and R this afternoon and Walt is watching the Jets and Steelers game at this time. The first game today he was not able to get on the TV because of our reception. We have cable and local stations which adds up to about 1 station we like to watch. They have a lot of different sports and many many cartoon stations. The internet is fine, so I have been catching up on a lot of monthly things I do each month on the computer.
Tomorrow is a day of travel to Amarillo, TX. We plan to stay there for a week at least. We will decide to stay longer if we still have places to visit. Maybe I will find some more quilt shops.
Goodnight.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
January 22, 2011--Buffalo Gap, TX.
Today was a busy day. We did breakfast at Dennys--not my favorite place but it was close and Walt likes their breakfasts. After breakfast we went to a CVS store for a refill on some meds. Great service and a very personable young pharmist in the pharmacy department.
Next stop was to find one of two quilt shops in Abilene. Well, I did not mention I found these shops on the internet. Anyway, number one was a little shop with about 100 bolts of fabric behind a door that said "Not Open on Saturday and Sunday". We saw about 6-8 cars in front of the shop and the back room had people working at the tables. Well, after I got a bit frustrated, Walt pulled on the door and we were invited in by a older lady who apparently owned the shop. I did buy two small pieces of fabric and then looked for the cash register. She did not have a register but a metal box on the back of a shelf in the back room. New kind of quilt shop experience for me.
We then went for the second shop and after walking around a strip mall I finally went in a store and they told me that the shop had been closed for a couple of years. I guess quilt shops live forever on the internet.
Then it was time for Walt to chose an attraction. He chose the Buffalo Gap Museum, which was 10 miles out in the country from Abilene. This little town had 463 inhabitants and was a sleepy little town in the middle of Mesquite Trees.
The museum covered the era of the last half of the 19th century to the early 20th century. They had all kinds of small building which would have been in the towns of Texas at this time. It took us about 1 and a half hours to go through the exhibits.
After the museum we found a restaurant for a light lunch and then went to the grocery store. Albertson Grocery stores are in the south and we have been to that grocery store before when we were in the lower south.
When we got home at about 5 p.m. Walt did the laundry and I started to make supper. This brought us up to the evening hours and T.V. We just watched a new show on ABC. It is called "Harry's Law" with Catherine Bates as a lawyer. It is a bit funny and makes you think about some every day issues. (I believe that was the name of the show.)
Weather today was windy but a high of 53. The wind was cold this a.m. but was warmer this afternoon. This warm wind and low humidity has thrown up all kinds of alerts about flash fires in the area. Have not heard of any fires at this point. All the tall grass in beige in color and I can see how it could be a fire danger.
Enough for the day. Goodnight
Next stop was to find one of two quilt shops in Abilene. Well, I did not mention I found these shops on the internet. Anyway, number one was a little shop with about 100 bolts of fabric behind a door that said "Not Open on Saturday and Sunday". We saw about 6-8 cars in front of the shop and the back room had people working at the tables. Well, after I got a bit frustrated, Walt pulled on the door and we were invited in by a older lady who apparently owned the shop. I did buy two small pieces of fabric and then looked for the cash register. She did not have a register but a metal box on the back of a shelf in the back room. New kind of quilt shop experience for me.
We then went for the second shop and after walking around a strip mall I finally went in a store and they told me that the shop had been closed for a couple of years. I guess quilt shops live forever on the internet.
Then it was time for Walt to chose an attraction. He chose the Buffalo Gap Museum, which was 10 miles out in the country from Abilene. This little town had 463 inhabitants and was a sleepy little town in the middle of Mesquite Trees.
The museum covered the era of the last half of the 19th century to the early 20th century. They had all kinds of small building which would have been in the towns of Texas at this time. It took us about 1 and a half hours to go through the exhibits.
After the museum we found a restaurant for a light lunch and then went to the grocery store. Albertson Grocery stores are in the south and we have been to that grocery store before when we were in the lower south.
When we got home at about 5 p.m. Walt did the laundry and I started to make supper. This brought us up to the evening hours and T.V. We just watched a new show on ABC. It is called "Harry's Law" with Catherine Bates as a lawyer. It is a bit funny and makes you think about some every day issues. (I believe that was the name of the show.)
Weather today was windy but a high of 53. The wind was cold this a.m. but was warmer this afternoon. This warm wind and low humidity has thrown up all kinds of alerts about flash fires in the area. Have not heard of any fires at this point. All the tall grass in beige in color and I can see how it could be a fire danger.
Enough for the day. Goodnight
Friday, January 21, 2011
January 21, 2011--Sweetwater and San Angelo, TX.
Yes, we did make it to Tye, Texas last evening. We are just west of Abilene, Texas in a park that is in the middle of a junk yard and a little away from an Air Force Base. Last night just after dark we all of a sudden heard a low, loud-loud plane going over us. It even made our windows rattle. We heard a few more and then it quieted down. I did not hear any during the night.
This morning we were a little slow on getting up and on the move. At about 10 am we left home and went west to Sweetwater, Texas. They are known for the World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-up. The town looked like it was holding on by a shoe string. We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce and the fellow who helped us was from northern Indiana and went to Dayton to watch UD play basketball.
As we drove 20 miles to Sweetwater we saw large fields of wind turbines. They were dancing in the distance. They are so great to watch. When we left Sweetwater and drove south to San Angelo we passed through the wind farm. Nolan County is the capital for wind energy. Nolan County has over 1200 giant wind turbines powering 500,000 homes. The wind farm stretchs the breadth of the county atop Trent Mesa. Included in the vast wind energy projects is the Horse Hollow Wind Farm which covers 47,000 acres and is the largest wind farm in the world. The farm has an economic impact of more than $50 million for the county.
As we were traveling thru the farm we noted cattle grazing the winter grass under the turbines. They were like dots when you saw them in comparison to the turbines. The turbines stand 262 feet above the ground.
We stopped in the middle of the turbines and could hardly hear any noise from the turbines. Some people in our home area are concerned about the noise but it is so quiet you will need to really listen to hear them turn. To me they are very mezmorising to watch. They move with such slow precision.
We drove 86 miles south to San Angelo but it only took us a little over an hour to drive the distance. You see, the speed limit is 70 mph on a farm road which is paved and lightly traveled. On the way to San Angelo we saw miles and miles of scrub trees and brown grass with ranch houses some distance from the road. They all had gates at the end of their lanes and the houses sat low in the landscape. Most of the buildings are small and beige in color, the same as the surroundings in which they stand.
When we arrived in San Angelo we stopped for lunch at the Mesquite Bean Cafe. It was a part of The Cactus Hotel, the first hotel by the Hilton. When we went to the bathroom we crossed a small ballroom which was set up for a small wedding. The floors and the staircase were done in a bold blue and yellow tile. It was quite ornate. Walt had fried catfish for lunch while I chose the salmon with dried tomatoe sauce on top of the salmon. It was quite good and very economical. They had buttermilk pie for lunch, which we asked about and think it was like a custard pie. Walt had some bread pudding and he enjoyed it very much.
After lunch we went to the Fort Concho Museum. It was a frontier army post form 1867-1889. The fort a historic preservation project and museum which is owned and operated by the City of San Angelo, Texas. It included 23 original and restored fort structures. We had an individual give us a tour.
It lasted about 1 1/2 hours but was very interesting. Walt certainly enjoyed himself.
We then drove back to Tye. It was a busy day. Tomorrow we are planning quilt shops, CVS for drugs and grocery store. It seems we could always use more fruit and veggies.
Goodnight-----Marge
This morning we were a little slow on getting up and on the move. At about 10 am we left home and went west to Sweetwater, Texas. They are known for the World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-up. The town looked like it was holding on by a shoe string. We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce and the fellow who helped us was from northern Indiana and went to Dayton to watch UD play basketball.
As we drove 20 miles to Sweetwater we saw large fields of wind turbines. They were dancing in the distance. They are so great to watch. When we left Sweetwater and drove south to San Angelo we passed through the wind farm. Nolan County is the capital for wind energy. Nolan County has over 1200 giant wind turbines powering 500,000 homes. The wind farm stretchs the breadth of the county atop Trent Mesa. Included in the vast wind energy projects is the Horse Hollow Wind Farm which covers 47,000 acres and is the largest wind farm in the world. The farm has an economic impact of more than $50 million for the county.
As we were traveling thru the farm we noted cattle grazing the winter grass under the turbines. They were like dots when you saw them in comparison to the turbines. The turbines stand 262 feet above the ground.
We stopped in the middle of the turbines and could hardly hear any noise from the turbines. Some people in our home area are concerned about the noise but it is so quiet you will need to really listen to hear them turn. To me they are very mezmorising to watch. They move with such slow precision.
We drove 86 miles south to San Angelo but it only took us a little over an hour to drive the distance. You see, the speed limit is 70 mph on a farm road which is paved and lightly traveled. On the way to San Angelo we saw miles and miles of scrub trees and brown grass with ranch houses some distance from the road. They all had gates at the end of their lanes and the houses sat low in the landscape. Most of the buildings are small and beige in color, the same as the surroundings in which they stand.
When we arrived in San Angelo we stopped for lunch at the Mesquite Bean Cafe. It was a part of The Cactus Hotel, the first hotel by the Hilton. When we went to the bathroom we crossed a small ballroom which was set up for a small wedding. The floors and the staircase were done in a bold blue and yellow tile. It was quite ornate. Walt had fried catfish for lunch while I chose the salmon with dried tomatoe sauce on top of the salmon. It was quite good and very economical. They had buttermilk pie for lunch, which we asked about and think it was like a custard pie. Walt had some bread pudding and he enjoyed it very much.
After lunch we went to the Fort Concho Museum. It was a frontier army post form 1867-1889. The fort a historic preservation project and museum which is owned and operated by the City of San Angelo, Texas. It included 23 original and restored fort structures. We had an individual give us a tour.
It lasted about 1 1/2 hours but was very interesting. Walt certainly enjoyed himself.
We then drove back to Tye. It was a busy day. Tomorrow we are planning quilt shops, CVS for drugs and grocery store. It seems we could always use more fruit and veggies.
Goodnight-----Marge
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
January 19, 2011--Tye, Texas
Today was a day of travel, travel, travel!!! and tired, tired, tired.
I do not think the states of Mississippi or Louisiana know how to build roads. Interstate 59 and 20 were so rough that our heads felt like they were "boggle heads". Walt really had to hold onto the stirring wheel in some areas.
We were planning to stop in West Monroe, Louisianna, but when we stopped at the welcome center to Louisiana we listened to the weather and decided to not stop in Louisianna but go to Tye, Texas. That made our day of travel much longer--7:45 am to 4:15 pm. We usually do not travel that far in one day.
We did stop at a truck stop in West Monroe for a break and when we left the truck stop we saw the R.V. park we had planned on staying at this evening. Well, we were glad we had decided to change our stop for tonight. It definitly looked like a very poor park---it was not very neat and needed a lot of repair. It was also located in a very poor part of town.
When we came to Schreveport, Louisiana, we saw it was a real gambling town. There were casinos all along the interstate. We did notice that when we crossed the Texas border the grass was green. For the last two days we had only seen trees along the highways and brown grass. As we came close to the Texas border the trees disappeared except for the fence rows and along the rivers. It then turned to an open area with green grass and fields planted with green vegetation. We could not get close enough to identify the vegetation.
Tonight we are in a great great park. It is very nice with cement pads and grassy areas between the pads. It has paved streets and it looks like a street in any suburb. The area around the park is a golf course. So we are in the good part of town tonight. It is also a Passport America Park so 15 dollars is a great price.
We hope all is well with each one of you and you will hear from me tomorrow evening--destination is Abilene, Texas. We will be there until next Monday morning. Hope to find some activities in the area and a quilt shop for quilt fabric for Mollys quilt (Molly is our grandaughter).
Good night. Marge
I do not think the states of Mississippi or Louisiana know how to build roads. Interstate 59 and 20 were so rough that our heads felt like they were "boggle heads". Walt really had to hold onto the stirring wheel in some areas.
We were planning to stop in West Monroe, Louisianna, but when we stopped at the welcome center to Louisiana we listened to the weather and decided to not stop in Louisianna but go to Tye, Texas. That made our day of travel much longer--7:45 am to 4:15 pm. We usually do not travel that far in one day.
We did stop at a truck stop in West Monroe for a break and when we left the truck stop we saw the R.V. park we had planned on staying at this evening. Well, we were glad we had decided to change our stop for tonight. It definitly looked like a very poor park---it was not very neat and needed a lot of repair. It was also located in a very poor part of town.
When we came to Schreveport, Louisiana, we saw it was a real gambling town. There were casinos all along the interstate. We did notice that when we crossed the Texas border the grass was green. For the last two days we had only seen trees along the highways and brown grass. As we came close to the Texas border the trees disappeared except for the fence rows and along the rivers. It then turned to an open area with green grass and fields planted with green vegetation. We could not get close enough to identify the vegetation.
Tonight we are in a great great park. It is very nice with cement pads and grassy areas between the pads. It has paved streets and it looks like a street in any suburb. The area around the park is a golf course. So we are in the good part of town tonight. It is also a Passport America Park so 15 dollars is a great price.
We hope all is well with each one of you and you will hear from me tomorrow evening--destination is Abilene, Texas. We will be there until next Monday morning. Hope to find some activities in the area and a quilt shop for quilt fabric for Mollys quilt (Molly is our grandaughter).
Good night. Marge
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
January 18, 2011--Meridian, Mississippi
Today was a day of travel, but much shorter than yesterday. We did jump to a new time zone so I feel like it is bedtime but have another hour before I can jump into bed. We are at a very nice park. It is called Benchmark Coach and RV Park and it is a Passport America Park. To those who are not campers, that means we got our site at half price. It was 15 dollars for the night and that includes electricty. They have a cement pads which made parking a "piece of cake". We ate lunch and then went out to see the sites.
Walt found a fish hatchery which was on a state road and near to the airport. There is a naval air base in the area, so there were many planes flying over the area were the hatchery was located. We drove up to the nursery and through gentle persuasion Walt got a tour. He found out that it was a nursery that grew catfish for the state of Mississippi to use in their catfish rodeos. Catfish rodeos are for kids to catch catfish and I guess the one who catches the most or the biggest gets a prize.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a quilt shop to no advail. I did find a Joann Fabrics store and spoke to a quilter who did not know of a quilt store in the area. We had a very nice conversation about the area -- she was a very southern lady.
Walt spent the time I was in Joanns at a Sears store. It seems when you go in different areas and check out the stores you can almost always understand the finiancial level and the types of jobs in the area. This Sears store had a very nice stock of tools == a bit higher quality.
We did drive out of the snow today and ran into rain later this afternoon. They are very short on rain at the time, so all precipitation is welcomed.
The ground is a deep red color and when we passed lakes you could see they were short of rain by feet not inches.
Tomorrow is another day of travel and we will be in Louisiana tomorrow night.
Goodnight.
Walt found a fish hatchery which was on a state road and near to the airport. There is a naval air base in the area, so there were many planes flying over the area were the hatchery was located. We drove up to the nursery and through gentle persuasion Walt got a tour. He found out that it was a nursery that grew catfish for the state of Mississippi to use in their catfish rodeos. Catfish rodeos are for kids to catch catfish and I guess the one who catches the most or the biggest gets a prize.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a quilt shop to no advail. I did find a Joann Fabrics store and spoke to a quilter who did not know of a quilt store in the area. We had a very nice conversation about the area -- she was a very southern lady.
Walt spent the time I was in Joanns at a Sears store. It seems when you go in different areas and check out the stores you can almost always understand the finiancial level and the types of jobs in the area. This Sears store had a very nice stock of tools == a bit higher quality.
We did drive out of the snow today and ran into rain later this afternoon. They are very short on rain at the time, so all precipitation is welcomed.
The ground is a deep red color and when we passed lakes you could see they were short of rain by feet not inches.
Tomorrow is another day of travel and we will be in Louisiana tomorrow night.
Goodnight.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Back on the Road Again-January 17, 2011
"We finally left Charlotte, North Carolina for a new adventure". After our trip to Nova Scotia we returned home to Ohio in the early days of October. We had a few doctors appointments and went to dinner with friends and family. We also spent some special time with my Mom. She had been in the hospital and skilled nursing while we had been gone, so we made a point of getting her out once in a while.
I had a series of medical tests because my Cancer screening of my blood had risen over the past few month. So to make sure nothing was brewing in my body I had a colonoscopy and blood work. I was also scheduled for a PET scan but it was canceled a few days before we left for North Carolina. We arrived in Denver, N.C. on the 10th of November after stopping in Berea, Ky. for a night and dinner with some good friends which we met on the road some 5 years ago. The Carolina sun was a nice change and we had 2 good weeks of warm weather and then it got cold and colder and colder.
I did have my PET scan and it came back without any major problems but it also had a few little questions. This meant that I needed a pelvic ultrasound during our Christmas vacation and later a uterine biopsy after the New Year. I am still waiting for the results of the last procedure. The doctor assured me that it would probably be okay, but it is good to cross your T's and dot your I's when it comes to the old dreaded Cancer
disease. We will take things as they come and trust in the ways of the Lord.
Now let me tell you about our Thanksgiving--Our son and his wife hosted the Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Harrisburg, N.C. They invited family and friends from the area for a meal that I made for everyone. We had 45 guests and the table was set with all of the favorite recipes of past Thanksgiving dinners which I have prepared over the years. Everything went well and it was a warm and friendly celebration.
On December 10 we moved to the Charlotte Speedway camping area. We have been there before and we always enjoyed being close to the city. We did go to the Biltmore Estate for the Christmas decorations and had a wonderful time. It was a gift from our son and his family and they were able to go with us. If anyone ever gets in the Ashville, N.C., during the holidays you must take time to visit the estate. It was just beautiful.
On December 19, we had our Christmas with our two sons and their families who live in the area. Our son and his wife in Harrisburg were the hosts. It was great seeing our grandson who is a freshman at App. State in Boone, N.C..
Our trip back to Ohio started on December 22nd and we came back to N.C. on Thursday January the sixth. We made this trip from the farm to the Cleveland to do one night visits with one son and his family in Twinsburg and another night with a son and his family near Chardon, Ohio. It was snowing when we left Chardon as we headed south. We did have an alternator go out on us in West Virginia, but we were able to get it replaced in Charleston, W. Virginia and arrived safely in Charlotte just a few hours later than expected.
Now back to our Christmas Visit in Ohio. We had a very busy time with dinners out and our wedding anniversary on the 29th. It has been 48 year...can you believe it. I don't---the time seems to go faster the older you get. Then my mother had a stroke and we spent the rest of our holiday with her. By the grace of God she is not paralyzed. She was able to punch telephone numbers and finally was able to hit the redial button and get in touch with Walt and I. We were able to get her to the ER in time to use the medication for strokes.
New years eve we spent with our dear friends for over 50 years. We have seen our children grow and leave home. Now we see the grandchildren with new marriages and babies. (We will have a new grandson on or near March 23 of this year. That will make 21 grandchildren for us. We are so happy for this new little baby boy. We will be having our bi-annual family vacation at the Isle of the Palms in South Carolina this summer and I know the baby will be enjoyed by all.
When we got back to North Carolina we were surprised by the most unlikely snow and ice storm in Charlotte. It beat the south to death and everything stopped. In Ohio everyone takes snow in stride but in North Carolina everything STOPS. Yes, for one week no school or anything else. We had snow on our RV and then it was covered with a 1/4 inch of ice. It did not melt until yesterday when it finally got warm enough to melt the ice and snow.
Today we left Charlotte and tonight we are west of Atlanta in a little town called Waco. We are at a park which is new and it was easy to park and set up for the night. We did take a drive into the country and saw some very broken down farms and lots of hills and valleys. We then did a stop at Walmart for some groceries and came back to the rig. We are now watching a movie on our new DVD player since we do not have any TV reception. During our trip to Nova Scotia the old DVD died, so Walt finally took the "bull by the horn" and changed the DVD. It was not an easy task because it is stacked in the curio cabinet with no room to work at the stereo. The new DVD was worth every minute of labor.
Tomorrow we will travel on Route 20 to Mississippi--so an early start is the plan. We hope all of you are doing fine.
Goodnight-----Marge and Walt
I had a series of medical tests because my Cancer screening of my blood had risen over the past few month. So to make sure nothing was brewing in my body I had a colonoscopy and blood work. I was also scheduled for a PET scan but it was canceled a few days before we left for North Carolina. We arrived in Denver, N.C. on the 10th of November after stopping in Berea, Ky. for a night and dinner with some good friends which we met on the road some 5 years ago. The Carolina sun was a nice change and we had 2 good weeks of warm weather and then it got cold and colder and colder.
I did have my PET scan and it came back without any major problems but it also had a few little questions. This meant that I needed a pelvic ultrasound during our Christmas vacation and later a uterine biopsy after the New Year. I am still waiting for the results of the last procedure. The doctor assured me that it would probably be okay, but it is good to cross your T's and dot your I's when it comes to the old dreaded Cancer
disease. We will take things as they come and trust in the ways of the Lord.
Now let me tell you about our Thanksgiving--Our son and his wife hosted the Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Harrisburg, N.C. They invited family and friends from the area for a meal that I made for everyone. We had 45 guests and the table was set with all of the favorite recipes of past Thanksgiving dinners which I have prepared over the years. Everything went well and it was a warm and friendly celebration.
On December 10 we moved to the Charlotte Speedway camping area. We have been there before and we always enjoyed being close to the city. We did go to the Biltmore Estate for the Christmas decorations and had a wonderful time. It was a gift from our son and his family and they were able to go with us. If anyone ever gets in the Ashville, N.C., during the holidays you must take time to visit the estate. It was just beautiful.
On December 19, we had our Christmas with our two sons and their families who live in the area. Our son and his wife in Harrisburg were the hosts. It was great seeing our grandson who is a freshman at App. State in Boone, N.C..
Our trip back to Ohio started on December 22nd and we came back to N.C. on Thursday January the sixth. We made this trip from the farm to the Cleveland to do one night visits with one son and his family in Twinsburg and another night with a son and his family near Chardon, Ohio. It was snowing when we left Chardon as we headed south. We did have an alternator go out on us in West Virginia, but we were able to get it replaced in Charleston, W. Virginia and arrived safely in Charlotte just a few hours later than expected.
Now back to our Christmas Visit in Ohio. We had a very busy time with dinners out and our wedding anniversary on the 29th. It has been 48 year...can you believe it. I don't---the time seems to go faster the older you get. Then my mother had a stroke and we spent the rest of our holiday with her. By the grace of God she is not paralyzed. She was able to punch telephone numbers and finally was able to hit the redial button and get in touch with Walt and I. We were able to get her to the ER in time to use the medication for strokes.
New years eve we spent with our dear friends for over 50 years. We have seen our children grow and leave home. Now we see the grandchildren with new marriages and babies. (We will have a new grandson on or near March 23 of this year. That will make 21 grandchildren for us. We are so happy for this new little baby boy. We will be having our bi-annual family vacation at the Isle of the Palms in South Carolina this summer and I know the baby will be enjoyed by all.
When we got back to North Carolina we were surprised by the most unlikely snow and ice storm in Charlotte. It beat the south to death and everything stopped. In Ohio everyone takes snow in stride but in North Carolina everything STOPS. Yes, for one week no school or anything else. We had snow on our RV and then it was covered with a 1/4 inch of ice. It did not melt until yesterday when it finally got warm enough to melt the ice and snow.
Today we left Charlotte and tonight we are west of Atlanta in a little town called Waco. We are at a park which is new and it was easy to park and set up for the night. We did take a drive into the country and saw some very broken down farms and lots of hills and valleys. We then did a stop at Walmart for some groceries and came back to the rig. We are now watching a movie on our new DVD player since we do not have any TV reception. During our trip to Nova Scotia the old DVD died, so Walt finally took the "bull by the horn" and changed the DVD. It was not an easy task because it is stacked in the curio cabinet with no room to work at the stereo. The new DVD was worth every minute of labor.
Tomorrow we will travel on Route 20 to Mississippi--so an early start is the plan. We hope all of you are doing fine.
Goodnight-----Marge and Walt
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