March 9, 2004 - Tijeras, NM
We got a call from the Foretravel factory in Nacogdoches that they had the radiator we needed, and we could come and get it installed. Well, that was good news and bad news. Good for us because we were only about 250 miles away from the factory and heading west, so the trip back was easy to do. Also, it would let us get the leak in the toilet fixed that I finally found. However, the trip was bad, really bad, because we were so looking forward to a visit with our special friends Dean and Bettye Kennedy in San Antonio, and it would really take some doing to be able to get the work done on the motorhome and still have enough time to drop back down to visit them before needing to be in Albuquerque by the 10th. Naturally, we took off for Nacogdoches. And they replaced the radiator at no charge to us, of course, because of the Forestar warrantee (still have about 3500 miles to go for that!) and replaced the rear view monitor that had been on order, some door struts that had also been on order, and the vacuum breaker on the toilet that was leaking. But it took long enough to get that done that sure enough, we missed visiting Dean and Bettye. As it turned out, it might have been one of those "back door blessings." Tornado in the area of San Antonio raised all kinds of havoc. Some SOWERS lost their motorhome on I-10 just a bit west of San Antonio. They had stopped by the edge of the road to wait out the storm, but it blew them over into the ditch anyway. Scary, but everybody is OK. We left Nacogdoches and went NW and spent a couple of days in the 1000 Trails preserve at Lake Tawakoni, then drove the 400+ miles to Amarillo for another couple of days, and today we came close to Albuquerque. There is a Foretravel Motorcade Club pre-rally that starts on the 11th, and then the big International FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) rally starts on the 13th. Both will be first time events for us as club members, and we're excited about it.
Remember those horseback riders we saw as we drove through Dallas on our way to Columbus? Well, a reader (thanks, Tom) was kind enough to write to us and tell us that they were riding from San Antonio to Houston (nearly 200 miles) for the annual Rodeo and Livestock Show in Houston. Now that's some horse ride! And yes, it is a real big deal. Tom sent me links to the entertainment (Las Vegas quality) they were having, and other links regarding the rodeo. Thanks again, Tom!
Well, nice as it is, the pool at the Colorado River Thousand Trails Preserve in Columbus, TX, isn't going to be used by us this trip! But Barb did manage to find a flower.... a brave little mini-daffodil.
Pretty little water wheel by the main gate. And every town, no matter how small, has something they're proud of. Sometimes it's historic and sometimes it's current. In this case, we enjoyed a couple of things about the place. This oak tree was just one of them. The other was the Oprey. Local musicians, and above average talent. Not only did we get the Thousand Trails discount of a dollar off regular admission, but at the intermission we won a pair of tickets for the following Saturday night! Fellow Foretravel SOWERS Dale and Nancy told us about the place. They also told us about a terrific meat market, but we had to hustle back to Nacogdoches and missed that treat.
The word "massive" really doesn't do that tree justice. And to think it's only the second largest in the state! That old truck still runs, and the refrigerated box still keeps ice cream frozen! We took the tour which we thoroughly enjoyed, and the samples were especially good.
Uh, what's that by the side of the road? Yup, it's SNOW! Of course, we're at 7200 feet elevation, and we're dropping down into the Albuquerque area, so everything will be just fine. Only here we are all tucked into our space.....and that's snow right there out the driver's window! That's not white sand, it's that ugly cold stuff we hate. Well, that's not entirely true. It's fun to be here with the windows open in the bright sunshine hammering the keyboard while Barb works on a blanket for the new grandbaby we're expecting next month. Yeah, son Doug and his wife Kerry are giving their 15 and 13 yr old daughters somebody to play with. Poor kid will have 3 mothers!
Tomorrow will be a catch-up day for us right here, and then on Thursday we'll head off to a week of partying. Should be fun. And expensive, what with over 500 vendors displaying their RV "gotta haves."
Been talking to the webmaster for the www.rvlifeonwheels.com website (friend John) and he tells me that reservations for the Moscow, ID, conference are coming in at a rapid rate, and there aren't a lot of spaces left, so if you're even thinking you might go, you really better act fast. It's been getting a lot of publicity lately.