Day 102
Ok-la-ho-ma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain…Our Saturday in OKC was definitely filled with great experiences and some harrowing ones as well. A typical start as we enjoyed a wonderful morning coffee and gentle wake up. Was able to watch both of Emmett’s baseball games as they took a pair in their Father’s Day Tournament. They’ll have a couple more tomorrow and hopefully win their 9th tournament of the season. Pretty impressive for a group of 10 year old from Stanwood!
We then proceeded over to the OKC farmers market where we picked up some nice produce and we came across some really good cold brew coffee with just a hint of vanilla finish in it. WOW!!! So good and that makes evening cocktails even better. Picked up a few grocery items at Wally World and enjoyed a nice lunch back at the rig. Forgot to mention I was able to get a quick bike ride in around the park for 20 mins. Doing laps on an electric bike is not near as boring as walking around a track, so life is pretty good.
After lunch, we went over to Midwest City to visit Amber and Brandon and their new baby Levi Austin. Such a cutie as the pictures attest. Got caught up and discovered they had just tied the knot on June 6th. Congratulations to the Jack family!!! We allowed our selves some serious baby time and then heading back to the rig for coffee cocktails.
Have you ever built something up from your past as spectacular, only to discover it didn’t meet those standards in the present? We had built up the Del Rancho Steak Sandwich Supreme in our minds that way. We’d calculated the weight watchers points, found the nearest Del Rancho, even had them slice the sandwich for us. We got home, mouths watering, expecting a culinary feast….eh, meh. I won’t say regret, but just disappointment.
So we did have a good evening as we got to watch the new Outlander and settled in for the evening. 4 am had come very early, as Annie needed to go out, so we settled in around 9:30. The evening was far from over because around the stroke of midnight, the wind came howling in buffeting the rig in a really exciting way. So much so, that we lost power, but not to fear, fired the generator for an hour and at least got a bit of shut eye. Finally got up around 5 am and Vicki went out to survey the damage and walk the girls. Just the bikes had blown over and the only noticeable displacement of outside materials, was they sewer hose got blown off its support. Shouldn’t be to difficult to repair and we won’t have to get FEMA involved. So hopefully tomorrow will bring nice weather. And by the way, still loving retirement.
Day 103
Recovered from the windstorm of last night and debriefed with folks in the park about the traumatic windstorm. Saw on the news that the winds in OKC peaked at 90 mph. Are you kidding? That’s about hurricane speed. I bet Al Gore has a great case of the the I told you sos. Spent most of the day cleaning the rig with a deep clean. Vicki took on the front of the coach with all the dog blankets and I took on the science project that was our refrigerator. At least there wasn’t any hidden gems of penicillin growing in the corners. Coach looks and smells much nicer than before so we are ready to make the trek to Las Vegas.
Still managing WW and we’ve lost mostly water weight, but we’re still very encouraged. Have a 150 mile trip tomorrow and looking forward to finding a new front yard. Must say, still loving retirement.
Day 104
Hard to believe that we’ve been on the road this long. Brownville seems so far away, yet it seems like yesterday we were just there. We have now made it to the northern part of Texas, just outside of Amarillo, in Vega. A stopping point on our trip to Las Vegas. The campground is simply a way point and very little to see or report. Our last campsite appeared to be abandoned, as we were the only ones there with a drop box for our $16 for full hook ups. We did finally get someone else in the park, but again, and I cannot say this strongly enough, MEN OVER 30 NEED TO NOT GO SHIRTLESS unless you are at the pool!! There is not enough bleach to get those images out of my memory! We had a short drive, (only 144 miles) to our next campsite, so we didn’t have to leave until after 10.
The Walnut RV park in Vega is fairly nice, nothing spectacular, but adequate. A few permanent campers and a few of us transients, but full hook ups and basically level. So our needs were met. The water hose is leaking so will need to make some adjustments. Will be heading to Moriarity NM tomorrow as we make the assent into the high plains. Good thing too as the temperature here has climbed to above 100 degrees. Again, a huge shout out and thank you to the best RV Tech on the planet, Dan Bailey for repairing both our ACs which keeps our rig frosty cold even in the hottest of conditions.
Our dog Annie has been getting the senior zoomies lately. She doesn’t run any more, but just starts pacing and then wants to play the head butt game. She’ll get up on the couch with us, root like a little pig and then push with her head if you touch her left cheek. She’ll do this for a good five minutes, then scamper off the couch and want to do it again in 10 minutes. What a weirdo!! Roxie is still an attention hound and makes new friends where ever she goes. Nothing really exciting to pass along as the views we’ve seen the past couple of days have been the flatness of Oklahoma and Texas. But did I mention…we’re still loving retirement!!
Day 105
Driving across New Mexico is quite the experience. We stayed in basically a truck stop in Cline’s Corner NM. For 30 bucks we had full hook-ups and basically level. It was a bit breezy so sitting outside was interesting. Very surprised there are not more wind turbines here in NM. The road noise was minimal and we felt very secure in the gated park. Only issue was on arrival as we watched a Karen have a complete meltdown with the service station attendant. Didn’t find out what the issue was, but it’s just amazing how privileged some people perceives themselves to be.
The other noteworthy point about New Mexico is I-40 itself and some the major pot holes it possesses. We avoided most but we hit a couple that were ginormous! It rattled the coach so hard that it actually shut down the generator! Vicki was napping at the time and not only did we hit the pot hole, but at that instant I was pummeled by a micro-mesocycle. (aka dust devil) To which Vicki said some things that would make a sailor blush and priest renounce their vows!
The RV is doing great otherwise and making the climb into New Mexico with no problems. So looking forward to seeing family and friends in Las Vegas and relaxing for a few days. The scenery of New Mexico is so beautiful and goes on for miles. There are some boring stretches across the tops of the plateaus, but going up and down them is truly a sight to see. We make another time zone change tomorrow so will have our circadian rhythms fouled up yet again. If that’s our only issue, I’m good with that. Did I mention yet again? We’re still loving retirement.
Day 106
Today is normally post the blog day early in the morning, but things got complicated and so am posting in the evening prior to going out with friends in Vegas! Spent a very nice evening in Flagstaff Arizona at the Railway RV Park. A bit on the pricey side at $64 a night, but when in Flagstaff….
I’m going to go on another rant here so please bear with me. When you go to the gas station and fill your rental RV up, realize that there might be other people waiting to get gas. We had a Kevin and a Karen in a Rent-a-rig class C in front of us at a Love’s Truck stop. They had finished filling their rig and instead of pulling forward and allowing the next rig to access the pumps (yours truly) they decided this was the best time to shop at Love’s for soda, cookies, and all other manner of items. Then after returning and still not moving, they sent there teen aged boys in to do their shopping and looking through the f***ing gift shop! That’s just plain rude!!! We have access to only one pump set usually on the outside lane and when people fiddle fart around we end up taking so much longer blocked the entrance and exits. C’mon man!!! When rentals do that they should be fined, flogged, and sent to 500 hours of community service in an RV junk yard. But that’s just one man’s opinion.
I also want to address the governers of New Mexico and Arizona. Fix your roads! We hit some pot holes that can only be compared to the Grand Canyon. One even knocked off the cover to the generator which causes it to malfunction. So for the final 90 miles into Las Vegas we had no AC. All turned out well as we got to 1000 Trails at exactly 12 which is the earliest you can check in. We’ve got a fairly tight back in spot, but with the help of the greatest ground guide ever, we managed to not only get into our assigned spot, but we are still married as well! Life is just good, and did I mention? We’re still loving Retirement.
