We had a fifth wheel hitch and brake control installed in the Chevy and also bought a truck box for the bed of the pickup. We did a walk through of the Arctic Fox one day, and the next day we took out-of-state delivery in Blythe, California. On our way back from Blythe, we stopped in Quartzsite and had lunch at Taco Mio -- very good Mexican food...if you're ever in Quartzsite or passing through, be sure to stop and eat there.
We took a trip to Camping World in Mesa to buy stuff for the new fifth wheel and took it in to RV Doctor to have a black tank flush installed as well as an on/off switch for the front landing jacks (the switch is on the outside, making it easy for anyone to come by and play with it).
Ron and Anita Wilson (New Horizons owners) stopped by on their way to the Escapade (slowly, as it doesn't start until April 6) and we had lunch at Cracker Barrel. It was great to see them again.
We found a new place to have breakfast -- Townes Square Cafe. They have great ham! But it's huge, as we found out the first time we ordered it. So the next time we went there for breakfast, one of us ordered the breakfast with the ham, and the other one ordered just eggs.
We had eye exams done and got new frames and lenses at Costco and Earl went to the dentist.
Monday, March 31, 2003
Friday, February 28, 2003
FEBRUARY 2003
On February 1, Earl and I had blood tests done and I had a mammogram. The blood tests and mammogram are sponsored by Bashas' HealthStyles (Bashas is a local grocery store chain) and is done by Sonora Quest Laboratories (blood tests) and MOM (Mobile On-site Mammography) at a lot less than it would cost to have the same tests done when referred by a doctor.
We had taken Maxx in for a rabies shot at the local veterinary office in January. Since he had a large lump in one of his front "armpits" plus some smaller lumps elsewhere, we wanted to have them removed, so took him back to the vet to have the surgery done.
Before doing the surgery, they do a pre-surgery blood test and we were told that Maxx's white blood count was up so they wouldn't do the surgery that day. They recommended a complete panel of blood tests to find out what was causing the elevated white blood count, which we had done.
In the meantime, the vet prescribed some antibiotics, Amoxocillan. Maxx had a very bad reaction to the Amoxocillan...he started throwing up and then stopped eating. Finally, we took him back to the vet and found out that the second blood test had shown that there was nothing wrong with his white blood count! I was understandably upset...all this for nothing!
After we got Maxx to eating again, we did take him back and have the surgery done. Poor Maxx! He had to wear a collar for a few days and then the incision in his armpit started to fill with fluid, so we had to have a drain inserted. It still wasn't healing properly, so the vet took the stitches out and told us to put him in the shower twice a day and flush the wound for about 5 minutes. We bought him two little T-Shirts to wear so he wouldn't lick or scratch at his pit. He sure looked cute in those T-Shirts! Finally, his incision healed.
During the month, we got a call from Ken and Debbie Toth, a couple who had looked at our fifth wheel and truck when we were in Quartzsite at the Boomerang. They had thought it over and decided they wanted to buy both vehicles as a package...hooray! They paid off the truck loan for us, allowing us to put money down on a Shult manufactured house -- a small, single wide with 675 square feet. They were also willing to wait to take delivery of the rigs until we were moved into the house.
We went down to the Room Store and bought a whole houseful of furniture -- living room, bedroom, and dining room (we'd sold all our furniture when we'd started fulltiming). We also found the new fifth wheel we wanted -- a 25' Arctic Fox -- so we bought it, too.
We took a trip to Quartzsite to open a post office box and to apply for a mobile home placement permit.
Bill and Gisela came into town so Gisela could have a blood test done at Luke Air Force Base and we went to lunch at Chili's. We also had a mini-rang with other Boomers at the Wickenburg Elks Club.
We had taken Maxx in for a rabies shot at the local veterinary office in January. Since he had a large lump in one of his front "armpits" plus some smaller lumps elsewhere, we wanted to have them removed, so took him back to the vet to have the surgery done.
Before doing the surgery, they do a pre-surgery blood test and we were told that Maxx's white blood count was up so they wouldn't do the surgery that day. They recommended a complete panel of blood tests to find out what was causing the elevated white blood count, which we had done.
In the meantime, the vet prescribed some antibiotics, Amoxocillan. Maxx had a very bad reaction to the Amoxocillan...he started throwing up and then stopped eating. Finally, we took him back to the vet and found out that the second blood test had shown that there was nothing wrong with his white blood count! I was understandably upset...all this for nothing!
After we got Maxx to eating again, we did take him back and have the surgery done. Poor Maxx! He had to wear a collar for a few days and then the incision in his armpit started to fill with fluid, so we had to have a drain inserted. It still wasn't healing properly, so the vet took the stitches out and told us to put him in the shower twice a day and flush the wound for about 5 minutes. We bought him two little T-Shirts to wear so he wouldn't lick or scratch at his pit. He sure looked cute in those T-Shirts! Finally, his incision healed.
During the month, we got a call from Ken and Debbie Toth, a couple who had looked at our fifth wheel and truck when we were in Quartzsite at the Boomerang. They had thought it over and decided they wanted to buy both vehicles as a package...hooray! They paid off the truck loan for us, allowing us to put money down on a Shult manufactured house -- a small, single wide with 675 square feet. They were also willing to wait to take delivery of the rigs until we were moved into the house.
We went down to the Room Store and bought a whole houseful of furniture -- living room, bedroom, and dining room (we'd sold all our furniture when we'd started fulltiming). We also found the new fifth wheel we wanted -- a 25' Arctic Fox -- so we bought it, too.
We took a trip to Quartzsite to open a post office box and to apply for a mobile home placement permit.
Bill and Gisela came into town so Gisela could have a blood test done at Luke Air Force Base and we went to lunch at Chili's. We also had a mini-rang with other Boomers at the Wickenburg Elks Club.
Friday, January 31, 2003
JANUARY 2003
Earl did more golfing and we did more eating out. Mom took her friend, O'Neil, and me out to lunch at Mimi's for our birthdays (O'Neil and I have birthdays just a few days apart). Earl took me out to dinner at the Olive Garden on my birthday. Mom and I also had lunch at various places during the month.
In preparation of selling our fifth wheel, we decided to start cleaning out stuff that we didn't really need right away. We bought some storage boxes and started packing...it's amazing just how much stuff we'd packed into our fifth wheel! And there's still more stuff in there! We also took the map off the side of the rig with a heat gun and then used Goof Off to take all the sticky off. We had United Aero Shine of Arizona come out and wash and wax the fifth wheel, too.
A friend and fellow New Horizons owner, George Bruzenak, stopped by Cotton Lane RV Park for a few days on his way to Quartzsite for the annual Boomerang (a gathering a Boomers, a Bird of a Feather group within the Escapees RV Club). We took him to Murphy's of Glendale, an absolutely yummy German food restaurant. The next night, George cooked dinner for us and on the third evening, we returned the favor. Bill and Gisela also stopped by for one night on their way to co-host at the Boomerang and the four of us went to Macaroni Grill for dinner.
The highlight of the month was the Boomerang in Quartzsite. We spent the first week of the Boomerang (which coincided with the big RV show) camped out in the desert with other Boomers. We had a lot of fun hanging out with the Boomers, going to Happy Hours and sitting by the bonfire each night. We also spent time touring all the goings on in Quartzsite and visited our friends, Don and Patti Hellman, who live there during the winter.
On Tuesday, we were treated to a dinner prepared by "Handlebar Jim" (one of the Boomers) and was it ever good! We also had dinner at Bill and Gisela's rig one night and on Friday night, the four of us drove to Brenda where we had dinner at the Black Rock Cafe. One night, we had George B and another fellow New Horizons owner, Lloyd Treichel, over to our rig for dinner.
While in Quartzsite, we bought a lot in the Q Mountain RV Subdivision.
After the Boomerang was over, George B came back to Cotton Lane RV Park to do laundry and stuff before heading off for the Elk-a-rang in Gila Bend. The Elk-a-rang is a Boomers event held at the Gila Bend Elks Club where they initiate new Elks members and do work for the lodge...cleaning, repairing, building stuff, etc. We took George to eat at Macaroni Grill.
In preparation of selling our fifth wheel, we decided to start cleaning out stuff that we didn't really need right away. We bought some storage boxes and started packing...it's amazing just how much stuff we'd packed into our fifth wheel! And there's still more stuff in there! We also took the map off the side of the rig with a heat gun and then used Goof Off to take all the sticky off. We had United Aero Shine of Arizona come out and wash and wax the fifth wheel, too.
A friend and fellow New Horizons owner, George Bruzenak, stopped by Cotton Lane RV Park for a few days on his way to Quartzsite for the annual Boomerang (a gathering a Boomers, a Bird of a Feather group within the Escapees RV Club). We took him to Murphy's of Glendale, an absolutely yummy German food restaurant. The next night, George cooked dinner for us and on the third evening, we returned the favor. Bill and Gisela also stopped by for one night on their way to co-host at the Boomerang and the four of us went to Macaroni Grill for dinner.
The highlight of the month was the Boomerang in Quartzsite. We spent the first week of the Boomerang (which coincided with the big RV show) camped out in the desert with other Boomers. We had a lot of fun hanging out with the Boomers, going to Happy Hours and sitting by the bonfire each night. We also spent time touring all the goings on in Quartzsite and visited our friends, Don and Patti Hellman, who live there during the winter.
On Tuesday, we were treated to a dinner prepared by "Handlebar Jim" (one of the Boomers) and was it ever good! We also had dinner at Bill and Gisela's rig one night and on Friday night, the four of us drove to Brenda where we had dinner at the Black Rock Cafe. One night, we had George B and another fellow New Horizons owner, Lloyd Treichel, over to our rig for dinner.
While in Quartzsite, we bought a lot in the Q Mountain RV Subdivision.
After the Boomerang was over, George B came back to Cotton Lane RV Park to do laundry and stuff before heading off for the Elk-a-rang in Gila Bend. The Elk-a-rang is a Boomers event held at the Gila Bend Elks Club where they initiate new Elks members and do work for the lodge...cleaning, repairing, building stuff, etc. We took George to eat at Macaroni Grill.
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
DECEMBER 2002
December found us doing some more eating out at our usual restaurants. We added a new Mexican food restaurant, Los Altenos; a barbecue restaurant, Thee Pits Again...both of these places had good food. We also ate out at El Paso Barbecue with friends, Buck and Phyllis. And, of course, Earl did more golfing.
We took advantage of vascular screening done by Life Line Screening at Estrella Community College. We each had a carotid artery screening for stroke, an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, and peripheral arterial disease screening. In addition, I had my bone density checked. We passed all the tests, so I guess we'll live for another year or so!
We had an enjoyable Christmas, even though we were by ourselves again...my mother had gone to Idaho to have Christmas with my brother and his family.
We took advantage of vascular screening done by Life Line Screening at Estrella Community College. We each had a carotid artery screening for stroke, an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, and peripheral arterial disease screening. In addition, I had my bone density checked. We passed all the tests, so I guess we'll live for another year or so!
We had an enjoyable Christmas, even though we were by ourselves again...my mother had gone to Idaho to have Christmas with my brother and his family.
Saturday, November 30, 2002
NOVEMBER 2002
We arrived at Cotton Lane RV Park on November 1. I immediately got busy putting the Freightliner and the New Horizons fifth wheel up for sale on various websites, even tried a stint on E-Bay. Although we got several inquiries, no offers were made.
We had nerf bars put on the Chevy as well as having a spray-in bed liner put on.
Made a trip to Brenda to check out an RV park there where we could put a park model. We also checked out some park models, even going so far as putting a refundable deposit on one that we liked. However, in doing some additional checking on park models, we found out that while banks will loan money on a new park model, they will not loan money on a used park model. Therefore, when you go to sell a used park model, you'd either have to carry the contract yourself, or find a buyer willing to pay cash. We decided against a park model.
Cotton Lane RV Park had some manufactured homes on various lots around the park, two of which we really liked. Unlike park models, banks will loan money on used manufactured homes. We thought that once our truck and fifth wheel sold, we'd buy one of these homes. The only drawback was that we wouldn't own the land on which it sat; we'd only be renting the land.
Earl golfed with Buck and other friends, usually twice a week...Estrella Golf Course, Falcon Golf Club, and Villa De Paz Golf Club being the usual hangouts.
We did our usual eating out, normally lunches...Takamatsu, a Japanese & Korean restaurant; Kyoto Bowl and Japanese Express, both Japanese fast food places with Japanese Express being our favorite; Lilly's, a Mexican food restaurant where we ate with Buck and Phyllis; On The Border, another Mexican food restaurant; Bennetts BBQ; Cracker Barrel; and Schlotzsky's, one of our favorite sandwich places.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving by ourselves...cooked a chicken rather than a turkey because it's tough to find a turkey small enough to fit in the roaster than fits in the oven and because space in the refrigerator is limited for leftovers. We did take part in the potluck at the RV Park the weekend before Thanksgiving, which was fun.
Had the couch and the carpets cleaned professionally in preparation for selling the fifth wheel.
We had nerf bars put on the Chevy as well as having a spray-in bed liner put on.
Made a trip to Brenda to check out an RV park there where we could put a park model. We also checked out some park models, even going so far as putting a refundable deposit on one that we liked. However, in doing some additional checking on park models, we found out that while banks will loan money on a new park model, they will not loan money on a used park model. Therefore, when you go to sell a used park model, you'd either have to carry the contract yourself, or find a buyer willing to pay cash. We decided against a park model.
Cotton Lane RV Park had some manufactured homes on various lots around the park, two of which we really liked. Unlike park models, banks will loan money on used manufactured homes. We thought that once our truck and fifth wheel sold, we'd buy one of these homes. The only drawback was that we wouldn't own the land on which it sat; we'd only be renting the land.
Earl golfed with Buck and other friends, usually twice a week...Estrella Golf Course, Falcon Golf Club, and Villa De Paz Golf Club being the usual hangouts.
We did our usual eating out, normally lunches...Takamatsu, a Japanese & Korean restaurant; Kyoto Bowl and Japanese Express, both Japanese fast food places with Japanese Express being our favorite; Lilly's, a Mexican food restaurant where we ate with Buck and Phyllis; On The Border, another Mexican food restaurant; Bennetts BBQ; Cracker Barrel; and Schlotzsky's, one of our favorite sandwich places.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving by ourselves...cooked a chicken rather than a turkey because it's tough to find a turkey small enough to fit in the roaster than fits in the oven and because space in the refrigerator is limited for leftovers. We did take part in the potluck at the RV Park the weekend before Thanksgiving, which was fun.
Had the couch and the carpets cleaned professionally in preparation for selling the fifth wheel.
Thursday, October 31, 2002
OCTOBER 2002
Tuesday, 10/1 thru Sunday, 10/6
We drove into Manhattan to do grocery shopping and stopped at Staples to pick up some more card stock for our calling cards. A group us went back into Manhattan in the evening to have dinner at the All Chinese Buffet. This is one of the best Chinese buffets we've even been to, if not "the" best.
The rally was a rousing success! On Thursday night, the start of the rally, we all had dinner at the Sirloin Stockade in Manhattan, a rally tradition.
Friday started out with a welcoming talk by the new owner of Horizons, Phil Brokenicky, and a standing ovation for Harold Johnson, the previous owner and founder of Horizons, Inc. During the day, there were various classes held on several topics, including a talk by J.D. Gallant of RV Consumers Group. That night was the potluck which, because of the weather, we had to move inside to a building in Manhattan.
Saturday saw more classes and the hog roast that night...another rally tradition. The hog roast is graciously provided by Horizons, Inc., and is a big hit with both New Horizons owners and the employees of Horizons who also join in on the fun.
Sunday was a day for relaxing and the open houses...where those who want to, open up their rigs for people to see. This is a great place for "wannabees" to see a lot of New Horizons all in one place and to get some ideas about how to customize their own rig. That night, another group of us went back to the All Chinese Buffet for dinner.
Monday, 10/7
We moved over to the Horizons lot in preparation for our appointment on Tuesday. There were several other people there having work done on their RV's, too...Kirk & Gen were back because all the window awnings they were having put on had not arrived before the rally. We went to Coach's for dinner that night with them and with Nancy Moon, the editor of the "Horizon Herald," the NHOG newsletter.
Tuesday, 10/8
Horizons got started working on our rig bright and early, so we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast (always a good excuse!). We had a new day/night shade installed (the string had broken), had a louver replaced on one of our windows (which had gotten broken going through a construction area on our way to the rally), and had the wheel bearings repacked. After everything was finished, we went back out to West Rolling Hills, the COE park on Milford Lake where we stayed for a few days.
Friday, 10/11
Drove 181 miles to Pratt County Lake in Pratt, Kansas.
Saturday, 10/12
WE drove 185 miles to Angler Point, a COE park on Optima Lake near Hardesty, Oklahoma. Stopped along the way to do grocery shopping and fuel up both trucks (I followed Earl in the Chevy).
Sunday, 10/13
Today, we drove 165 miles to City of Canyon RV Park in Canyon, Texas. We stayed here for a couple of nights and took a drive through Palo Duro State Park, east of Canyon. It's a very pretty park -- sort of a small Grand Canyon.
Palo Duro State Park:
Texas Longhorns:
Tuesday, 10/15
Drove 112 miles to the Elks Club in Lubbock, Texas. We had dinner at Popeye's, filled up the Chevy with diesel, and stopped at PetsMart to pick up more food for Maxx.
Wednesday, 10/16
We drove 141 miles to Sweetwater City Park near Sweetwater, Texas. We stayed here for a couple of days and took a trip to Hylton, Texas. Hylton isn't much of a town; in fact, there's no town there at all -- just a Masonic Lodge and a cemetery. We walked around the cemetery and found 3 Hylton graves...two were presumably the founders of "Hylton" and we supposed the other was probably one of their children.
Hylton Cemetery and Headstone
Elisha Hylton, Aug 12, 1833 - Jan 26, 1901
Rebecca Hylton, Mar 22, 1832 - Mar 3, 1916
Hylton Masonic Lodge and Road sign:
Friday, 10/18
Drove 155 miles to Brownfield, Texas where we spent the night at the Coleman City Park. This is a free park (donations accepted) that provided water and electric hookups. It's just a large, dusty parking lot, but considering the price, it's OK for an overnight stay.
Saturday, 10/19
Today, we drove 140 miles to the Town and Country RV Park in Roswell, New Mexico. We had dinner Saturday night with Bill and Darlene Jones, friends we'd first met at the 1999 Spring Escapade. (Actually, we'd met them the night before the Escapade when we stayed at the same RV park, and then saw them after the Escapade when we once again ended up staying at the same RV park. Then later that year, they showed up at the same RV park in Spokane where we were spending a month!) We had a nice visit at their new house and then we all went to Tia Juana's for a wonderful dinner.
The remainder of the time spent in Roswell was taken up with grocery shopping, doing laundry, and buying a new tire for the fifth wheel (to replace the one that had gone flat previously).
Tuesday, 10/22
Drove 98 miles to Valley of Fires BLM Recreation Area near Carrizozo, New Mexico. This is a very nice park that has large sites with water and electric and a dump available. The park is located in the middle of a large lava field and has a walking path running through it with signs we assumed told about the geologic history of the area...it was raining and cold, so we didn't take the walk. This is definitely a place we'll have to come back to.
Valley of Fires National Recreation Area:
Wednesday, 10/23
When we left Valley of Fires, we stopped to see the VLA (Very Large Array) near Datil, New Mexico. The VLA is an astronomical observatory; however, instead of analyzing the light from stars and galaxies, astronomers here study the radio waves that are emitted by those objects. The VLA consists of 27 dish-shaped antennas that are connected together to form a single large radio telescope. The 27 antennas are placed in a "Y" pattern with each arm of the "Y" 13 miles long. The resolution of the array can be varied by moving the antennas along the arms of the "Y." Part of the movie Contact with Jody Foster was filmed here. However, unlike the portrayal in the movie, the astronomers at the VLA don't "listen" -- rather, the radio telescopes are another way of "seeing" the universe.
After visiting the VLA, we spent the night at Datil Well BLM Recreation Area where we dry camped. With our Golden Age Passport, it cost us only $2.50.
Very Large Array (VLA):
Thursday, 10/24
Drove 94 miles to the Casa Malpais RV Park in Springerville, Arizona. Stopped and had lunch at Lil Ranglers Cafe in Springerville and filled up one of our propane tanks.
Friday, 10/25
We drove 67 miles to the Crystal Forest at the intersection of US-180 and the road through the Petrified Forest National Park where we camped for free (with electrical hookups!). After setting up and unhooking, we went for a drive through the park.
Some 225 million years ago in the late Triassic Period, this area was a vast floodplain crossed by many streams. When the trees here would fall, they would be washed by the swollen streams into the floodplain and then would be covered by silt, mud, and volcanic ash. Eventually, silica-bearing ground waters seeped through the logs and replaced the original wood tissues with silica deposits which crystallized into quartz. The area then sank and was covered with fresh water sediments. Later, the area was lifted above sea level and over time, wind and water have worn away the layers of sediments, exposing the fossilized remains of the trees. There is readily visible evidence of human habitation in the area for more than 10,000 years.
Petrified Forest:
Petroglyphs:
(Note the frog in the bird's mouth in the second picture)
Saturday, 10/26
Drove 185 miles to the Elks Club in Clarksdale, Arizona. We stopped in Munds Park and had lunch at the Loan Pine Restaurant.
Sunday, 10/27 thru Thursday 10/31
Drove 138 miles to North Ranch in Congress, Arizona, one of the Escapees parks. The evening we arrived, we drove into Wickenburg to do grocery shopping and have dinner at Anita Cocina.
We took it easy, making a couple more trips into Wickenburg to do grocery shopping. On Wednesday, we took a drive to Prescott and had lunch at Zuma's Woodfire Cafe -- great food!
We drove into Manhattan to do grocery shopping and stopped at Staples to pick up some more card stock for our calling cards. A group us went back into Manhattan in the evening to have dinner at the All Chinese Buffet. This is one of the best Chinese buffets we've even been to, if not "the" best.
The rally was a rousing success! On Thursday night, the start of the rally, we all had dinner at the Sirloin Stockade in Manhattan, a rally tradition.
Friday started out with a welcoming talk by the new owner of Horizons, Phil Brokenicky, and a standing ovation for Harold Johnson, the previous owner and founder of Horizons, Inc. During the day, there were various classes held on several topics, including a talk by J.D. Gallant of RV Consumers Group. That night was the potluck which, because of the weather, we had to move inside to a building in Manhattan.
Saturday saw more classes and the hog roast that night...another rally tradition. The hog roast is graciously provided by Horizons, Inc., and is a big hit with both New Horizons owners and the employees of Horizons who also join in on the fun.
Sunday was a day for relaxing and the open houses...where those who want to, open up their rigs for people to see. This is a great place for "wannabees" to see a lot of New Horizons all in one place and to get some ideas about how to customize their own rig. That night, another group of us went back to the All Chinese Buffet for dinner.
Monday, 10/7
We moved over to the Horizons lot in preparation for our appointment on Tuesday. There were several other people there having work done on their RV's, too...Kirk & Gen were back because all the window awnings they were having put on had not arrived before the rally. We went to Coach's for dinner that night with them and with Nancy Moon, the editor of the "Horizon Herald," the NHOG newsletter.
Tuesday, 10/8
Horizons got started working on our rig bright and early, so we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast (always a good excuse!). We had a new day/night shade installed (the string had broken), had a louver replaced on one of our windows (which had gotten broken going through a construction area on our way to the rally), and had the wheel bearings repacked. After everything was finished, we went back out to West Rolling Hills, the COE park on Milford Lake where we stayed for a few days.
Friday, 10/11
Drove 181 miles to Pratt County Lake in Pratt, Kansas.
Saturday, 10/12
WE drove 185 miles to Angler Point, a COE park on Optima Lake near Hardesty, Oklahoma. Stopped along the way to do grocery shopping and fuel up both trucks (I followed Earl in the Chevy).
Sunday, 10/13
Today, we drove 165 miles to City of Canyon RV Park in Canyon, Texas. We stayed here for a couple of nights and took a drive through Palo Duro State Park, east of Canyon. It's a very pretty park -- sort of a small Grand Canyon.
Palo Duro State Park:
Texas Longhorns:
Tuesday, 10/15
Drove 112 miles to the Elks Club in Lubbock, Texas. We had dinner at Popeye's, filled up the Chevy with diesel, and stopped at PetsMart to pick up more food for Maxx.
Wednesday, 10/16
We drove 141 miles to Sweetwater City Park near Sweetwater, Texas. We stayed here for a couple of days and took a trip to Hylton, Texas. Hylton isn't much of a town; in fact, there's no town there at all -- just a Masonic Lodge and a cemetery. We walked around the cemetery and found 3 Hylton graves...two were presumably the founders of "Hylton" and we supposed the other was probably one of their children.
Hylton Cemetery and Headstone
Elisha Hylton, Aug 12, 1833 - Jan 26, 1901
Rebecca Hylton, Mar 22, 1832 - Mar 3, 1916
Hylton Masonic Lodge and Road sign:
Friday, 10/18
Drove 155 miles to Brownfield, Texas where we spent the night at the Coleman City Park. This is a free park (donations accepted) that provided water and electric hookups. It's just a large, dusty parking lot, but considering the price, it's OK for an overnight stay.
Saturday, 10/19
Today, we drove 140 miles to the Town and Country RV Park in Roswell, New Mexico. We had dinner Saturday night with Bill and Darlene Jones, friends we'd first met at the 1999 Spring Escapade. (Actually, we'd met them the night before the Escapade when we stayed at the same RV park, and then saw them after the Escapade when we once again ended up staying at the same RV park. Then later that year, they showed up at the same RV park in Spokane where we were spending a month!) We had a nice visit at their new house and then we all went to Tia Juana's for a wonderful dinner.
The remainder of the time spent in Roswell was taken up with grocery shopping, doing laundry, and buying a new tire for the fifth wheel (to replace the one that had gone flat previously).
Tuesday, 10/22
Drove 98 miles to Valley of Fires BLM Recreation Area near Carrizozo, New Mexico. This is a very nice park that has large sites with water and electric and a dump available. The park is located in the middle of a large lava field and has a walking path running through it with signs we assumed told about the geologic history of the area...it was raining and cold, so we didn't take the walk. This is definitely a place we'll have to come back to.
Valley of Fires National Recreation Area:
Wednesday, 10/23
When we left Valley of Fires, we stopped to see the VLA (Very Large Array) near Datil, New Mexico. The VLA is an astronomical observatory; however, instead of analyzing the light from stars and galaxies, astronomers here study the radio waves that are emitted by those objects. The VLA consists of 27 dish-shaped antennas that are connected together to form a single large radio telescope. The 27 antennas are placed in a "Y" pattern with each arm of the "Y" 13 miles long. The resolution of the array can be varied by moving the antennas along the arms of the "Y." Part of the movie Contact with Jody Foster was filmed here. However, unlike the portrayal in the movie, the astronomers at the VLA don't "listen" -- rather, the radio telescopes are another way of "seeing" the universe.
After visiting the VLA, we spent the night at Datil Well BLM Recreation Area where we dry camped. With our Golden Age Passport, it cost us only $2.50.
Very Large Array (VLA):
Thursday, 10/24
Drove 94 miles to the Casa Malpais RV Park in Springerville, Arizona. Stopped and had lunch at Lil Ranglers Cafe in Springerville and filled up one of our propane tanks.
Friday, 10/25
We drove 67 miles to the Crystal Forest at the intersection of US-180 and the road through the Petrified Forest National Park where we camped for free (with electrical hookups!). After setting up and unhooking, we went for a drive through the park.
Some 225 million years ago in the late Triassic Period, this area was a vast floodplain crossed by many streams. When the trees here would fall, they would be washed by the swollen streams into the floodplain and then would be covered by silt, mud, and volcanic ash. Eventually, silica-bearing ground waters seeped through the logs and replaced the original wood tissues with silica deposits which crystallized into quartz. The area then sank and was covered with fresh water sediments. Later, the area was lifted above sea level and over time, wind and water have worn away the layers of sediments, exposing the fossilized remains of the trees. There is readily visible evidence of human habitation in the area for more than 10,000 years.
Petrified Forest:
Petroglyphs:
(Note the frog in the bird's mouth in the second picture)
Saturday, 10/26
Drove 185 miles to the Elks Club in Clarksdale, Arizona. We stopped in Munds Park and had lunch at the Loan Pine Restaurant.
Sunday, 10/27 thru Thursday 10/31
Drove 138 miles to North Ranch in Congress, Arizona, one of the Escapees parks. The evening we arrived, we drove into Wickenburg to do grocery shopping and have dinner at Anita Cocina.
We took it easy, making a couple more trips into Wickenburg to do grocery shopping. On Wednesday, we took a drive to Prescott and had lunch at Zuma's Woodfire Cafe -- great food!
Monday, September 30, 2002
SEPTEMBER 2002
The weather in Ocean Shores was good, but often foggy. We could sit in the RV at the casino and watch the fog roll in from the ocean. Not good for the solar panels, so we had a chance to give the generator a good workout.
We ended up our week at the Quinalt Beach Resort & Casino by going out to dinner at Alec's By The Sea where we had great seafood.
We left the coast on the 3rd to start our push to Kansas for the 4th annual New Horizons Owners Group rally and to take delivery of our new Chevrolet pickup which we'd ordered when we were in Junction City this spring and thinking about having Horizons build us a travel trailer. We drove 118 miles and spent the first night back at the Elks Club in Puyallup, stopping at the Costco to do shopping first.
Wednesday, 9/4
We drove 187 miles to Moses Lake, Washington, where we stayed at Pier 4, a Coast to Coast park. Stopped to do grocery shopping.
Thursday, 9/5
Drove 158 miles to Newport, Washington. Stayed at another Coast to Coast park, Old American Kampground.
Friday, 9/6
Today, we drove 206 miles to Kalispell, Montana, where we stayed at the Elks Club. We stopped here for four nights to visit friends who had a tri-color Basenji that looked to be Maxx's twin. Unfortunately, they had to have Chico put down earlier in the year. We had a very nice visit with Don and Patti, going out to breakfast and dinner with them, and visiting them at their house on Flathead Lake. Earl and I also had dinner at the Thai Palace.
Tuesday, 9/10
Drove 164 miles to Shelby, Montana where we stayed at the Lake Shel-Oole City Park...electric hookups for $15 per night. On our way to Shelby, we stopped at Midway Cafe (around Summit and Merias Pass) to have lunch. We'd stopped here before on a previous trip and found that they had good chili, so we each had a chili burger.
Wednesday, 9/11
We drove 201 miles to Malta, Montana where we stayed at Trafton Municipal Park...no hookups for $3 per night.
Thursday, 9/12
Drove 177 miles to Culbertson City Park in Culbertson, Montana. This is a free park with space for about 4 or 5 rigs and has water and a dump available. We hadn't been there too long before a pickup with a camper parked next to us and proceeded to unload about 12 hunting dogs from the side bins! After feeding and watering them and letting them have some fresh air, the dogs were put back in the cages for the night. Fortunately, we didn't hear a peep out of them during the night!
Friday, 9/13
Today, we drove 174 miles to Roughrider Campground in Minot, North Dakota, a Good Sam park. We stayed in Minot for a couple of days so that we could catch up on laundry and do grocery shopping. Since we had only water and electric hookups, we had to take our laundry to a laundromat instead of doing it in the rig.
Sunday, 9/15
Drove 180 miles to Seeman Municipal Park in Linton, North Dakota ($5.00 per night).
Monday, 9/16
Drove 207 miles to Murdo, South Dakota, where we stayed at the American RV Park.
Tuesday, 9/17
We traveled 181 miles to Stapleton City Park in Stapleton, Nebraska...a $3 park, no hookups. We did unhook and go into town to do grocery shopping.
Wednesday, 9/18
Today, we drove 159 miles to Harlan County Lake, Methodist Cove Campground, a Corps of Engineers (COE) Park near Alma, Nebraska. We'd stayed at this same park back in May on our way to the Oregon. This time, we took a spot right on the lake. In the morning when we were getting ready to leave, we spotted a huge flock of white Pelicans on the lake. They'd stay in one place for a time and then, en masse, move down the lake to a different spot. We stayed there quite a while watching them.
Pelicans at Harlan Lake:
Thursday, 9/19
Drove 246 miles to Junction City, Kansas, where we stayed at Milford Lake, West Rolling Hills Campground...another COE park. Since we were going to be here for a while (until the New Horizons Owners Group rally), we opted to stay in the fee portion of the park that has water and electric hookups. Since Earl has a Golden Age Passport card, we were able to stay for half price.
One of the first days we were in Junction City, we decided to stop by Horizons to see if there was anyone there that we knew. When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw a familiar pickup truck -- Dallas and Audrey Smith, who we'd seen in the Spring when we were at Horizons having some work done on our fifth wheel! We knocked on their door and asked them if they'd spent the summer in the Horizons' lot. Turns out they'd had to return to Horizons because they were having some problems with their slide. Dallas complained a lot about all the problems they had with their slide, but before we left, we found them ordering a new fifth wheel!
While we were in Junction City, we did a lot of what we do best -- have meals out: breakfast and lunch at Cracker Barrel, lunch at Meridy's, dinner at El Cazador and the Elks Club (with Dallas, Audrey, and Kirk and Gen Griffith, who were also at Horizons having some work done on their fifth wheel before the rally). We took a trip to Salina where we did shopping at Sam's Club and picked up a CB at the Flying J. And, of course, we picked up our brand new truck -- a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado LS 3500 extended cab with a Duramax diesel engine and an Allison transmission.
Monday, 9/30
We moved to Tuttle Creek State Park (a trip of 46 miles) for the New Horizons Owners Rally which will start on Thursday and run through Sunday. On our way to the park, we stopped to have our truck and RV washed so that we'd arrive nice and clean!
We ended up our week at the Quinalt Beach Resort & Casino by going out to dinner at Alec's By The Sea where we had great seafood.
We left the coast on the 3rd to start our push to Kansas for the 4th annual New Horizons Owners Group rally and to take delivery of our new Chevrolet pickup which we'd ordered when we were in Junction City this spring and thinking about having Horizons build us a travel trailer. We drove 118 miles and spent the first night back at the Elks Club in Puyallup, stopping at the Costco to do shopping first.
Wednesday, 9/4
We drove 187 miles to Moses Lake, Washington, where we stayed at Pier 4, a Coast to Coast park. Stopped to do grocery shopping.
Thursday, 9/5
Drove 158 miles to Newport, Washington. Stayed at another Coast to Coast park, Old American Kampground.
Friday, 9/6
Today, we drove 206 miles to Kalispell, Montana, where we stayed at the Elks Club. We stopped here for four nights to visit friends who had a tri-color Basenji that looked to be Maxx's twin. Unfortunately, they had to have Chico put down earlier in the year. We had a very nice visit with Don and Patti, going out to breakfast and dinner with them, and visiting them at their house on Flathead Lake. Earl and I also had dinner at the Thai Palace.
Tuesday, 9/10
Drove 164 miles to Shelby, Montana where we stayed at the Lake Shel-Oole City Park...electric hookups for $15 per night. On our way to Shelby, we stopped at Midway Cafe (around Summit and Merias Pass) to have lunch. We'd stopped here before on a previous trip and found that they had good chili, so we each had a chili burger.
Wednesday, 9/11
We drove 201 miles to Malta, Montana where we stayed at Trafton Municipal Park...no hookups for $3 per night.
Thursday, 9/12
Drove 177 miles to Culbertson City Park in Culbertson, Montana. This is a free park with space for about 4 or 5 rigs and has water and a dump available. We hadn't been there too long before a pickup with a camper parked next to us and proceeded to unload about 12 hunting dogs from the side bins! After feeding and watering them and letting them have some fresh air, the dogs were put back in the cages for the night. Fortunately, we didn't hear a peep out of them during the night!
Friday, 9/13
Today, we drove 174 miles to Roughrider Campground in Minot, North Dakota, a Good Sam park. We stayed in Minot for a couple of days so that we could catch up on laundry and do grocery shopping. Since we had only water and electric hookups, we had to take our laundry to a laundromat instead of doing it in the rig.
Sunday, 9/15
Drove 180 miles to Seeman Municipal Park in Linton, North Dakota ($5.00 per night).
Monday, 9/16
Drove 207 miles to Murdo, South Dakota, where we stayed at the American RV Park.
Tuesday, 9/17
We traveled 181 miles to Stapleton City Park in Stapleton, Nebraska...a $3 park, no hookups. We did unhook and go into town to do grocery shopping.
Wednesday, 9/18
Today, we drove 159 miles to Harlan County Lake, Methodist Cove Campground, a Corps of Engineers (COE) Park near Alma, Nebraska. We'd stayed at this same park back in May on our way to the Oregon. This time, we took a spot right on the lake. In the morning when we were getting ready to leave, we spotted a huge flock of white Pelicans on the lake. They'd stay in one place for a time and then, en masse, move down the lake to a different spot. We stayed there quite a while watching them.
Pelicans at Harlan Lake:
Thursday, 9/19
Drove 246 miles to Junction City, Kansas, where we stayed at Milford Lake, West Rolling Hills Campground...another COE park. Since we were going to be here for a while (until the New Horizons Owners Group rally), we opted to stay in the fee portion of the park that has water and electric hookups. Since Earl has a Golden Age Passport card, we were able to stay for half price.
One of the first days we were in Junction City, we decided to stop by Horizons to see if there was anyone there that we knew. When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw a familiar pickup truck -- Dallas and Audrey Smith, who we'd seen in the Spring when we were at Horizons having some work done on our fifth wheel! We knocked on their door and asked them if they'd spent the summer in the Horizons' lot. Turns out they'd had to return to Horizons because they were having some problems with their slide. Dallas complained a lot about all the problems they had with their slide, but before we left, we found them ordering a new fifth wheel!
While we were in Junction City, we did a lot of what we do best -- have meals out: breakfast and lunch at Cracker Barrel, lunch at Meridy's, dinner at El Cazador and the Elks Club (with Dallas, Audrey, and Kirk and Gen Griffith, who were also at Horizons having some work done on their fifth wheel before the rally). We took a trip to Salina where we did shopping at Sam's Club and picked up a CB at the Flying J. And, of course, we picked up our brand new truck -- a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado LS 3500 extended cab with a Duramax diesel engine and an Allison transmission.
Monday, 9/30
We moved to Tuttle Creek State Park (a trip of 46 miles) for the New Horizons Owners Rally which will start on Thursday and run through Sunday. On our way to the park, we stopped to have our truck and RV washed so that we'd arrive nice and clean!
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