Odyssey III - 2006 Southeast US

Homeagin, homeagin!

2006-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

After two ten hour days of driving I arrived home before dark yesterday. I do not know the time because every timepiece I have was on a different time system - I still am not sure of the time here! But I am sure that it was Monday. I spent the last night on the road at Gallup, NM. Uncle Wally's driveway had twenty RVs parked in it! Amazing, as I have never visited him when there were more than three or four RVs overnighting.

Gertie and I came through Mule Creek and crossed over into AZ. That drive has one of the most spectacular views around as well as one of the worst curvy downhill roads that I have ever driven in the Barth. This was my second time for the route. Awesome, and fun(?).

Mostly uneventful drives, except for the traffic light in Sierra Vista that I could not get stopped for. I saw that I was going to be in the intersection when I finally came to a stop, and the kind folks with the green had not budged, so I let up and breezed through the red signal. I guess there is something about the saying that most accidents occur within twenty miles of home.

All is OK on the home front. I have all appliances operating again, propane is on order, as I left with 5% in the tank. I did not want a $500 investment in propane sitting here all summer.

The 'house sitter' RV couple that I had perked here about 3 months left before I arrived, to my dismay. I wanted to meet them. I gave them the combo to the garage door and they mowed the premises before leaving, so I did not come home to the usual forest of weeds and tumbleweeds. Wow, what a nice thing to do - the one thing I disliked most about getting home, cleaning the surrounding area! Of course their presence here also provided a measure of security.

Northern NM: Sight Seeing

2006-10-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the five in. snow that fell mostly melted. We visited another BLM area 18 miles South of Taos known as Orilla Verde Rec. Area. This BLM area is at the level of the Rio Grande, but the gorge is more like a canyon, so let's call it a canyon. A few and primitive camp sites lie along the river. This site is more suitable for the day or overnight fisherman than a long term stay in a RV.

The trip also included a visit of the bridge over the Rio Grande on Hwy 64 West of Taos, Taos Ski Valley which was virtually shut down awaiting a few inches of winter snowfall, and a short tour of Taos.

The Taos tour was short because I find browsing in shops without a clear goal boring; and I have no need for rugs, art, trinkets or a motel room. Besides, the city fathers have opted to place parking meters everywhere there is a space larger than 2 ft. x 4 ft. My opinion is that they would better serve the little downtown by providing ample free parking. I never carry change. I did find an Ace Hardware where I bought two new space heaters - I had a need those. I also saw an auto parts shop, but could think of nothing I needed, although I almost stopped anyway... just to browse!

Taos is small only in it's central (and only) shopping district. A view from the highway clearly reveals vast areas of large and fancy housing where the 'other' folks live.

Today we found the road to the fish hatchery viewed from the gorge rim. Being the largest hatchery in NM, it has a nice little visitor center and tour of the hatchery. One tank had 8 in. trout so densely populated that one could probably almost walk across the tank on the surface. An amazing fact noted is that the hatchery produces an estimated 175,000 lbs. of fish each year!

Tomorrow I will direct Barth to head toward Hereford, taking two or three days depending on finding suitable places to overnight. We will head West from Taos on Hwy 64 and skirt down the NM/AZ border, using both sides. Hwy 64 is supposed to be very scenic. I want to arrive home in time to vote for every independent I can find on the ballot.

Providing that she starts, that is. I am still having starting problems. But she has started with difficulty twice while parked here. She probably took on summer-mix diesel at the last fill-up. I hope that is the problem! Otherwise I am still loosing fuel prime. An additive has been added to hopefully help the problem. Fortunately she purrs like a lion after starting.

I have an unneeded camp fire going now. I bought some firewood and have yet to use it, so it will be used today. If I get enough coals supper will be char-grilled Angus burgers. Otherwise supper will be the same burgers duly cooked on the convenient electric George Forman griddle.

The Taos Hum

2006-10-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

Read about the Taos Hum

All I heard was a couple of semi-trucks rumbling through town.

Wait! Now that I have read about it, I think I can hear it!

Three Inches of Snow

2006-10-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here today...

...gone tomorrow.

Hiking Into The Rio Grande Gorge

2006-10-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

I couldn't let my friend Gordon, who camped here in the summer, show me up. You see, he has had knee replacement surgery and is a year older than I. So needless to say, I was off to do the canyon.

I took the Big Arsenic Spring trail into the Rio Grande Canyon to the Big Ar Spring Campground. This was 0.8 mile with a 600 feet change in altitude, rated medium difficulty. I don't know how they measure the 0.8 mile, but I think that there may be an accuracy issue here. In my younger years I backpacked with 60 pounds on my back into and out of the Grand Canyon, but that was another lifetime.

I have to agree with the medium difficulty rating. The inclines were not horrific, the trail was wide and well made and maintained. It had the characteristic appearance of WPA/CCC projectsI have seen elsewhere, but there was no sign so stating. You younguns that think that WPA is a wifi security acronym, see the footnote. On the way out, at my many rest stops, I marveled at the amount of effort that was necessary to construct the trail down what appears as a sheer cliff from a distance.

I did not take Annie as dogs were not permitted on the trail, strangely the only trail in the area that disallows dogs. I asked ranger Danger about it, and he said he had no idea why this was the case. I suspect that in the early years of this park someone ordered the wrong sign, and the mistake has become obscure. But you know how the government bureaucracy is; never ask your boss anything that he may not know the answer, better to let the obvious singularity remain as is.

I did take a camera. The first shot is a view of a small section of trail. The 'steps' are well constructed water stops. A beautifully constructed trail.

At the spring at the bottom is a nice camping area with a few three-sided shelters for backpackers. Some even had a picnic table, all had a fire ring. Again, luxury accommodations as backpacking goes.

When I reached the river I had to do this:

Not the first time that I had a toe in the Rio as I visited it at Big Bend in Texas. A lot of the water disappears between here and there. I have also visited the Rio in Colorado.

At the river I got a picture...

upstream:

and downstream:

Before I went down into the canyon I took Annie on a short flatland hike to a lookout upon the fish hatchery in the bottom of the Red River Gorge. Now I want to find the road that goes into the gorge to the hatchery. I have a map and a list of jeep trails in the area that I may try, although they can be nowhere near the fantastical breathtaking trails at 10,000 feet altitude in the Silverton, CO area. The hatchery:

Footnote; On May 6, 1935, the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was created to help provide economic relief to the citizens of the United States who were suffering through the Great Depression.

The Creation of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd U.S. President on March 6, 1933. A bill known as the Emergency Work Progress Bill was introduced in Congress on March 21, 1933, enacted into law March 31, 1933. This bill spawned numerous federal agencies, such as the PWA, WPA and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). There were approximately 5,000 camps of 200 enrollees set up in all states, plus the American Territories. The enrollees enlisted for periods of six months at a time and were paid $1.00 per day, of which $25.00 per month was sent directly to their families. The CCC was made up of approximately 3.5 million men, 225,000 World War I veterans, the balance young American boys, unmarried, between the ages of 17 and 28 years. The CCC existed for over nine years until June 30, 1942, at which time it was absorbed into America's Armed Forces.

General George Catlin Marshall testified before Congress at the end of World War II that the early training given to the men of the CCC was a major factor in America's winning of that war.

Visit Of Town Of Red River

2006-10-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

Trip to see Questa, as I thought I had just passed by it on the way. Nope, I went right through the center but did not notice! From there to the town Red River. Red River is in a hiatus between summer sports season and winter sports season. Most shops are closed. Empty chair lift awaiting snow. It was so sleepy that I had difficulty spotting a restaurant on the single street that was open. But I did finally have a great lunch of BBQ pork and sausage.

I performed another oldtimers slip. I topped off Jeeps radiator with about a cup of water, but forgot to put the cap back on. I was passing through Questa when I noted my brakes were faded although I had not been down a hill, then a strange smell, then smoke, and I finally looked at the temperature gauge; pegged as so hard that it was almost bending, smoke rising from oil drips on the side of the engine.

After waiting for the temperature to drop back below the boiling point, I added the gallon of antifreeze that I had with me and 1.5 gallon of water after it. An indication that there was not a drop of water left in the engine. Fortunately I was still in a populated area. It would have been a real pain to have been 15 minutes farther down the road. I was disappointed in the NM folks, as probably 100 cars passed me but did not stop. Perhaps it would have been different if I had been deeply into a rural area.

Jeep seems to be getting used to being overheated, and took the incident in stride. I think it may have sealed an oil leak!

Yipee! Electricity

2006-10-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was chatting with the folks, make that folk, at the visitor center, which is only open on weekends. I learned that the summer camp host left just two days ago. I also found out that the host site could be rented. It has full hookups w/ 50 amp ac. $14.00!

I jumped on that like a cat on a mouse. So now I have full hookups to combat the cold nights. The Passport America rate is half at $7.00/night.

I also learned that specific summer host is here only every other year. So on the chance there is not a standing host replacement for next year I put my name on the list.

This would be a good place to summer. Host responsibilities appear to be limited to this specific campground, which has only six sites, very light duty, five days on, two days off. I could just about do the things I would do anyways. The lady that just left is 80 years old.

Perks are a free site with hook-ups (this one), $20/day, mileage if I use my car for any business. The vast majority of host opportunities require a couple, and both are expected to work. This place is one of the very few that will accept a single.

But I suspect that they have an alternate-year host already. The guy that would know is not available right now. That is the way hosting frequently works. Once a person gets in, they have first dibs at returning the next year. So it is difficult to pick a particular place and get in. It usually requires going to a place that became available, and they may be available because too much was expected of the non-returning host.

It would be nice to live here in the Northern NM high country for the summer!

A Few Gorge Shots

2006-10-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

A shot of the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red Rivers at the joining of their respective gorges.

A shot of the Rio Grande River nestled calmly in the bottom of it's gorge - at least it looks calm from the top!

And finally (three is a few, right?) a shot of the top end of the trail to the bottom of the gorge(s). If I try the trip down, it will undoubtedly be an all day affair. I really wonder what the bottom half of the trail looks like.

Arrival At El Aquaje Campground (BLM)

2006-10-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Where is El Aquaje Campground (BLM)?
Day before yesterday I drove from AR to Amarillo, TX as the half-way point in my long move back to the Western US. I stayed at Uncle Wally's overnight. Unfortunately they were re-striping the parking lot and I had to move twice to get out of their way. It was a six hour drive without incident, mostly interstate highway. I do not like interstates, but in some directions it is entirely impractical to avoid them. Also I needed to get some miles under my feet.

Yesterday I arrived after a six and a half hour drive at the Wild Rivers Recreation area, a BLM area. I allowed Gabby Gertie to guide me, knowing that the shortest path might not be the quickest. But I enjoyed the drive, seeing more of NW NM than I would have otherwise. I came through the town of Red River which looked like a tourist-friendly place, as snow ski resort towns always appear. The nearest town of Questa actually reminds me of the border town Columbus in Southern NM, but larger, and perhaps a little more developed.

I found a site in the El Aquaje Campground, a small primitive campground that Ranger Danger advised as the best for a large rig. It has about six sites that are not very level, most being too short for Barth, but I did find the one pull through site that was suitable. I am camped on the rim of the canyon of the Red River with the canyon of the Rio Grande a short distance away, as is the confluence of the two river canyons. I may send Annie into the canyons to report back to me the way they look at the bottom. I think I am the only person camping in the entire park!

Primitive sites, no hook-ups, at $3.50 per night. The low cost helps with the propane and generator fuel that I will use. It was well below 30 degrees last night; I am not sure how long I will stay here before moving to warmer climes. I will do some exploring of the canyon views and perhaps a local town or two then move on. This place would be great in the summer at 7400 ft. Altitude.

Arrrrgh! Weather

2006-10-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

To Annie's chagrin it has been raining cats and dogs!

It has been raining almost non-stop yesterday and through the night. Visibility is very poor, especially on the Ozark roads of the area, which are bad enough in the sunshine.

If the conditions improve by mid morning today, I will depart for OK. Otherwise I will wait for tomorrow's forecasted weather improvement.

Arlo Still Has IT!

2006-10-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the Arlo Guthrie concert that prompted me to delay me departure from Beaver Lake. The concert was in a small auditorium in Eureka Springs, but for the size of the town, it could be considered large. The lighting was amateurish, no spotlights. Probably what one would find in a well equipped high school auditorium (do they still have those?).

Arlo appeared with family members, two sons, a daughter and a son-in-law, and was tagged a 'Legacy' show. They played an assortment of guitars, mandolin, steel guitar and keyboards. We quickly discovered what 'legacy' meant, other than the family members. He quoted and sung tunes from his Dad and recounted many items about his Dad's life. Somewhat interesting, but at one point somewhat a distraction when he played a recording of his Dad's monologue. Especially as Arlo had just recanted almost every thing on the two minute tape, transferred from a wire recorder. You do remember those pre-tape wire recorder machines, don't you?

But it was easy to see why Arlo has always been a story teller. This is very clear in one of his biggest hits, "Alice's Restaurant" which meanders forever on a convoluted path that ultimately reveals why the songs persona was rejected for the Vietnam War draft. This was a big hit in the hippy days around which he spun yarns between songs. And it was a big hit with the audience last night.

However, most of the songs were not of the antiquity variety, but just enough of the hits to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, tapping feet, clapping with the music, and singing along.

He was received thunderously by the audience, most of which appeared to perhaps have grown up with him.

I enjoyed the concert immensely, and would probably place it a notch above the best of the Bronson shows, except perhaps the Platters

I was one of those that grew up with him! Along with Loudon Wainwright III's "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road".

It all brought back memories of a charter bus snow ski trip I was on in the 70's to Brian Head, Utah. It seemed that our bus was the only one to make it through the snowstorm that weekend and we had the entire ski slope to ourselves. The downside was that we only had ourselves for entertainment. That was provided by an amateur folk singer with us that had brought his guitar along, and he knew "Alice's Restaurant" by heart, all seemingly thousands of verses - no small feat. He also knew "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road".

For the few that haven't memorized the lyrics to "Alice's Restaurant", the lyrics can be found at this link.

Touring Eureka Springs

2006-10-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was devoted to touring the town of Eureka Springs. A small town with a rich history of quackery surrounding it's springs which at one time were deemed as mystically medicinal. They talked about the springs, but I saw nothing but relics of springs. Apparently when the mysticism was debunked, the springs went away in disgrace.

The major 'Grand Hotel' was built as a hospital and run by a Doctor who was not a doctor but a business man. It became renown as a cancer cure center with it's own mystical spring-fed water supply. The good 'doctor' would have the patients write a letter home three times a week. It was no mistake that the patients were far from home and family. He made sure that the letters were not dated. He would send one to their relatives every week or three.

The remaining letters would be filed in his desk to be sent periodically long after the patient had died and his bed was occupied by another patient with unrealistic expectations of cure by the Eureka Springs. This action assured that funding for the deceased person would continue to flow to the 'hospital' long after their death.

Fortunately the Feds caught up with him and he was sentenced for fraud by mail. Ironically the good 'doctor' died of cancer.

That is the story as told by my tour guide. But she also said that if her stories differed from those told by other guides, the other guide was flat wrong.

The town itself is on a hill, but that does not deter the pedestrian or automobile traffic. It was somewhat like Helen, GA but perhaps worse because of it's many winding streets. I resisted the purchase of anything other than lunch.

I decided today to buy tickets for a Arlo Guthrie concert next weekend while they are having some kind of festival. That means that I will be parking at the Beaver Dam Site Campground for another week. After all, it is an altogether pleasant Campground, providing a beautiful lake view a mere few feet from Barth's window.

Arrival At Dam Site Campground, Beaver Lake, AR

2006-10-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

Where is Dam Site Campground, AR?
Gertie did it to me again. I checked her recommended route, but my lack of familiarity with the roads prevented that from helping. A guy chatting as I took on water upon arrival said that I probably had traveled the worst road in the Ozarks.

The road was very narrow, twisty and winding. There were two bridges under construction that narrowed down to one lane with no more than a foot on each side of Barth to spare.

Obviously we made it. But my palms were sweating. And I had enough adrenaline to sway me through the remaining curves.

This campground is great. It has few trees, and it is on a peninsula in the lake that would be an island except the COE has built a causeway to it. There is a nice breeze blowing off the lake. Love the COE campgrounds, especially the $8.00 / night!

I do not want to face the curves again too soon, so I will probably stay here at least one week to regain my composure. The camp site is right beside the water.

P.S. For the benefit of other RVers that might read this, there are safe ways to get to this campground.

A Couple Of Pictures.

2006-10-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted any pictures. I know that is why folks quit reading my blogs. Sorry, I somehow just do not have the photo "bug" right now. But here are a couple.

This is a picture of my campsite the last night at Canal Campground on KY Lake. The next day Barth was repaired and I was on my way 3 days later than I had planned. Although you cannot tell it, the lake is just beyond the trees.

A shot of campground at Table Rock Lake, MO. Again, the lake is just beyond the trees.

This is a shot across the Beaver Lake at the campground on a peninsula. Barth is sitting water-side in the lower left of the 'island'.

And this is the view from my window in Barth as I type this. Do you wish you were here?

Karma?

2006-10-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

My karma is still waning instead of waxing. This morning my 19" LCD panel died, totally black as if the light source burned out. The computer still connects to it, and it also does not work as TV monitor, so thank goodness it is not the computer! So I guess a trip to Uncle Wally's place to acquire a new one is in order. It is only 3 years old and should still be going strong.

I use the display as a TV screen and as a computer desktop extension for some real estate intensive programs that I run.

I did fire up Barth yesterday to see if the problem fix was permanent. She started on the first revolution, so at least Barth will start Monday morning when I move.

Today is the day for a thorough Barth cleaning inside, and preparation for a move tomorrow to some where as yet undetermined. Of course I blame all the litter of leaves and stuff on Annie, but she cannot be blamed for the galley mess.

Show Marathon: Completion

2006-09-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Upon hearing that I was to see four shows, one correspondent stated something like I was going wild with the shows. My response was that it will be four shows in twenty years, or more. So today was the closeout out my show marathon. I saw the Japanese fiddler Shoji Tabuchi and the Frankie Avalon/Brenda Lee shows. The wrap up:

Shoji claims to have fallen in love with country/western music when Roy Acuff toured in Japan when he was but a young boy. At the time he was taking classical music lessons. Long story short, he ended up coming to the US and taking lessons from Acuff, becoming a fairly proficient fiddler. But he is no where near a Roy Acuff. He now rives here with his famiry, but he needs to porish his Engrish ranguage skirrs a rittre more.

However his show was entertaining because of the variety of his dancers and support singers in Hollywood costumes supporting magical laser light and fireworks displays. He stated that they all had BA or MA degrees in music, and must be able to sing, dance and play at least one musical instrument to be hired. Any fiddlers that I know want to audition?

He gets a C+ for fiddling, and a A+ for show production. The production is performed by his wife, who is the true genius behind his show. Without her touch, Shoji would probably be pan handling on street corners in the French Quarter. Well, possibly not, but you get the idea. So I figure that if one combines the C+ and A+ a fair score would be B+, substanciated by the fact that I did not check my watch once during the show. Like I said, the support cast and special effests were excellent.

So on to the Frankie/Brenda show. This was really two one-set shows back to back since they did not sing together any, and only barely acknowledged the presence of the other. But that is ok.

Frankie Avalon, 61 years old I think he said, put on a polished, active and engaging program. Very entertaining. He could bend his knees, jump a little and actually defied his age. And his physical condition did not hint at his age. His voice was excellent, just mellowed a bit by age. I rate his show as A. I never once considered looking at my watch, except to see how long the show was at the end, as it seemed only 30 minutes. It actually was 50 minutes.

Brenda Lee struggled. She understandably has lost the clarity of her voice, having obvious problems with range for her not-so-rangy songs. She did reveal her age by stating that it is the same as her good friend Dolly Parton, and that Dolly is always honest about her age, so ask her. She did inject a round of rather amusing jokes, probably to give her voice a rest. I won't rate it, I just won't go to see her again. The watch? I checked it occasionally, wondering if she was to sing 50 minutes also. She did.

There was a fellow seated beside me that pulled out his camera when Brenda was to start her set. He did not do so for Frankie. So I observed that he must be there for Brenda Lee, due to that fact. He then went into his praises of her, all obviously from memory. She has always been four foot something, but now she is also about four feet wide. I noticed that he didn't take a single picture of her.

So the summary of my experience in Branson entertainment is that it is a mixed bag. But in general they can be entertaining and not dismally bad. Just ratchet your expectations down one notch at the city limits. And bring more money than you think they should charge as you will need it. Also ratchet up your patience two notches, as many shows start at the same time and end at the same time, which converts route 76 into a linear parking lot. One good thing: all shows started very promptly on time.

I may come back in twenty years for my four show dose, but I won't recognize any of the performers; they will be today's has-beens, and I don't know any of today's now-is's.

Man, am I glad I don't have to read thier review of me!

An after thought, I did make it to the original old town Branson today, complete with the brand spanking new Branson Landing shopping bonanza on Lake Taneycomo, at the end of Main Street. I bought a pair of badly needed sneakers, but they are so white that I walked Annie tonight without the help of a flashlight. Andy Rooney, why don't they make black sneakers? The blue-white glow of these things look ridiculous on a boy my age!

Next week, off to another adventure, hopefully less expensive.

Andy And The Petula

2006-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight I saw the Andy Williams with Petula Clark concert in the Andy Williams Theater.

I can always tell how well I like a performance by the number of times I look at my watch. I checked it several times during Andy's set. Frankly, it was getting boring. Andy at 79 has lost his zip and his ability to sing his songs convincingly. Andy, I respect you, but it is time to really retire from performing!

Petula's performance, the shorter second set, was a breath of fresh air until Andy joined her for some duets. That is when I started watching the time again. Petula still has enough pizazz to demand an audience's attention. Too bad she wasn't the headliner.

Now that is my humble opinion. I asked a great-great-grandmotherly lady next to me which she thought was the best. "Why, Andy of course," she said. "He still has it, and I don't like the loud music."

I enjoyed the "Lost in the 50's + Platters" show yesterday more than tonight's performance. And it was in a much lesser theater at a considerably cheaper price.

I got home rather late because I had to stop at Uncle Wally's place for some food, as I skipped supper because of having nothing to eat.

Lost In The 50's

2006-09-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my first show in Branson. It was called "Lost in the 50's with the Platters."

It had a featured cast of 'younguns' plus a small live band. They were actually very good singers, doing a good job with the 50's songs, all hits that I well remembered. The show had skits as themes through the show.

Featured also were the Platters. This was not a impersonation act, but the real Platters of the recent incarnation. All were old, one was so fat that I was afraid I would be hit in the eye by a popping button, since I was in the third row. But there was one younger than the rest, probably a replacement from the passing of a member somewhere in the past.

Although their voices obviously were not up to their heyday, fatty's voice cracking occasionally on high notes, they did an acceptably good job singing their hits, and a set of period songs that were not theirs. They were definitely entertaining, and the audience, 99% of which were old enough to have grown up with them, received them enthusiastically. One picked a gal out of the audience to sing to, and her name popped up in the skits frequently. Very funny, although I suspect it is a common trick.

All things considered, it was a very enjoyable and entertaining show, a good choice.

Speaking of 99%, I overheard one woman behind me tell another, "If my son wins the lottery he is going to buy me a Thunderbird convertible, and I am going to drive it to Chicago. I have the money, my purse and my Depends, and I am ready to go!."

Arrival At Aunte Creek Campground

2006-09-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Where is Aunte Creek Campground (COE)?
An uneventful day of travel yesterday; left KY Lake at 7:30 AM and arrived at the campground about 4:00 PM. A long day of driving with only one 15 minute stretch break and one stop to refuel Barth.

After the fuel filter replacement Barth started aggressively and idled strong. She ran like a Swiss watch all day. Albeit a loud Swiss watch.

The fellow that made the repairs seemed to be a good mechanic (he had horse sense) but was a bit chatty, which probably cost me a half hour of labor.

Gaby Gertie performed pretty well, although she took me on a US highway that was narrow and winding. I did not know that, and apparently she didn't either. It was one of those roads that once on it, one had to drive to the end as there was nowhere to turn for a 100 miles. So aborting early and finding a better path was not possible.

I crossed the Mississippi River on US 60. That bridge was undoubtedly built in the 40s as it was very narrow. It would have been a real pain to meet a semi rig on it. I was fortunate that I escaped that fate.

The first CG I went to, called Indian Pointe, had no space for me. It is closer to Branson and other stuff.

I am camped not near Branson, but this area has bloomed into a city called West Branson, among other town names. Very commercial. I did not see any houses so I guess everyone lives in the back of the store fronts. Branson proper is probably 20 - 25 miles from here, so trips there to see entertainment will be a major activity. Dog is out of her arthritis [ain med so I need to find a vet for a refill first activity.

Aunte Creek CG is a COE park on the water, as all COE CGs are. It is virtually empty. I think there are only four of us scattered about the CG. I will probably park here at least a week, maybe two.

Short And To The Point

2006-09-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

Still in KY. Barth would not hit a lick this morn.

Had a mobile mechanic visit and he replaced the complete fuel filter, not just the cartridge. Consensus was that the old filter assembly was allowing air to be sucked into the fuel lines.

Was performing perfectly normal when he left.

As yesterday, early tomorrow morn will be the proof. I will either be on my way to Bronson or paying another $180 to find another plausible cause of the problem.

Now the problem is also escalating to the issue of arrival at Bronson near the beginning of a weekend, never a good time to move.

SOAPBOX - Sometimes things balance out...

2006-09-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

It is good when the yin and yan tend to balance, although my life has not yet come back up to neutral status.

Two examples: The first in Lebanon, TN, was a gross overcharge for a minor misalignment of my awning. About $250 for two high school dropouts to hammer it and finally succeeded. But in the process they broke a plastic latch instrumental in stabilizing it in the wind, not noticed until I was far from there.

The second at the below mentioned Freightliner service shop where I was spared today's exorbitantly high labor rates of over $100/hr by being offered the opportunity to pay the mechanic a fair price directly, avoiding the high overhead. So $30, including the guy that charged me $10 for directions to the Freightliner shop, for a job that most places would have charged $100 to $150. And that $10 charge was probably a bargain since it probably helped me to avoid a disaster at the small shop.

Sometimes things balance out, although not often enough to keep me even with the universe. But hopefully there is still time to catch up!

Move to Branson, MO... NOT

2006-09-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today was not a routine day. My plans were to be on the road toward Branson MO by 8:00-8:30 A.M today. I was all ready, but Barth started, ran for 15 seconds, and died. After that no manner of cranking would elicit a hint of action. I tried every 10 minutes or so for about two hours, threw in the towel and called my emergency road service (ers) for a tow.

It was taking them a long time for ers to find a tow company willing to enter a campground with narrow, twisting and winding roads. And they had a point, as a large rig tow truck is 2/3 or more the length of Barth. During that time I finally got it to run by many air purges of the fuel line. So I called off the ers search for a tow truck, though they thought they might have a volunteer from Paducah KY.

I suspected the fuel filter, and as I had a spare onboard I went in search for someone to install it. An attempt at a small truck garage East failed when the 'mechanic' apparently decided that he was in over his head and reattached the original one half way through the job. But he charged me $10 for the fun. He told me where to find a Freightliner shop nearby.

The Freightliner manager replaced my filter at no charge, saying that I could 'take care of the mechanic' as the paperwork wasn't worth the hassle. I also got the mechanic to adjust a belt that sometimes squealed. He seemed happy with the $20 tip I gave him at a shop that charges $100/hr for labor. Probably as much as he made an hour, but it was a win/win situation.

So I am back at the Canal Campground at KY Lake for at least one more night, maybe more if I have starting problems tomorrow on my second departure to Branson. Maybe I could just get a tow to Branson?

Geocaching, And The Like

2006-09-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

A rattlesnake on the trail kind of dampened my enthusiasm for geocaching any more today. It nailed my dog, and I am watching for any symptoms to see if it made physical connection to the skin. Not sure what the symptoms would be. If it got her it would had to have been in the mouth or the short haired nose.

If she had not been there I would very likely have been bitten as I was daydreaming. I would have stepped on or over it

The snake.

So far I have learned for geocaching: long sleeve cotton shirt, cap or hat for the spider webs and sun, sweat band for the forehead, gloves for rummaging, and keep an eye out for snakes.

Some other shots below.

My campground is behind the trees on the point:

A couple of boat shots:

A bigger boat:

And the good life:

A bigger view of the good life:

Since I will be leaving the area soon I will try to get a few more shots.

Gotta go check Annie for any symptoms of snake poisoning

A Trip And A Walk

2006-09-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today I went on a ride in the country. There were lots of animals and pretty farms, huge farms. I watched out the window as the scenery flipped by. I could have been lost, but my trusty navigator helped me home without a wrong turn.

And I waved and yelled 'HELLO' to some of the cars I met. Those cars did not yell back at me, probably because I waited for them to get right beside me before I yelled at them. It was really good fun. But I eventually tired of that and just kinda semi-dozed as the Jeep wound around the curves.

Since it was looking a lot like rain I took my late afternoon walk a little earlier than usual. I took a road that I had not been on before. What fun! I was hoping to see the skunk on the walk but it was not to be. There were trees, the walk to the canal and Lake Barkley through the woods. I like the sound of that name, Lake Barkley. I actually saw a fire hydrant. And I knew why that was there, so I took a close look at it. Back from the walk, I am in the moho now watching for the skunk out the door.

All said and done, it was a pretty nice day!

-- Annie

P.S. Garry looked like he didn't feel well today. Why, he didn't get out of bed until 9 a.m. I thought I was going to burst! But it looks as if he has shaken that head ache, sinusitis or whatever, after wasting half the day slumped in a chair outside seated in the sun. But it must have worked!

Hanging In Grand Rivers

2006-09-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday periods of heavy rain here, today heavy cloud cover with very high probability of rain.

We have a campground "pet" - a skunk. I was walking dog a couple of nights ago, the 11pm-just-before-bed walk. Due to the cloud cover blocking the moon I had a small flashlight. I saw something vague by the road about 6 feet away from me. Shined the light on what I expected to be a plastic grocery bag, and it was the skunk. Annie was on her 15 foot leash, but fortunately she didn't pick up the scent, or we both would have been in big trouble!

It was across the road from my RV yesterday in the day time. I have been leaving Annie off the leash during the day, but I am now having second thoughts about that! And day and night I am on a constant vigil for the skunk when walking, and checking underneath the vehicles. And Annie is on a short leash!

Yesterday saw a trip to the post office, the barber, and a country restaurant for a roast beef sandwich.