Day 4 - Perfect Day till Deming, New Mexico

 The morning was perfect.  Cold but sunny.  I decided to head out at 7:15 as the sun was coming up and have breakfast down the road.  They were calling for a cold front to come in with wind, so I wanted to get to Deming early and settle in.  Ha!

Yuma enjoyed seeing the flat lands and helping me navigate.  We stopped at a rest area and had our breakfast.

As you can see the weather was perfect again today.  Sunny with no wind as we headed towards Albuquerque.  As we drove along the land was fairly flat and then as we got nearer to Albuquerque we could see mountains.  Just as we arrived into the city, we went through the Sandia Mountains and then down into the valley where Albuquerque is.

Just wanted to give you a flavor of what we were seeing as we drove along.  I am taking these out the window with one hand so they are blurry.

We turned onto I-25 from I-40 inside the city limits.  The markings were great and we had no problems at all finding our way.  I-25 is a beautiful road for most of the way.  I was glad t finally be heading South after three days of going West.

Stopped in Truth or Consequences for diesel, my only stop of the day for fuel. :))  The Elephant Butte State Park with its beautiful lake was on my left as we drove along I-25.

Here's another one of Yuma's favorite places to get some sun.

At the small town of Hatch, we headed toward Deming, New Mexico on highway 26.  It is a two lane road but saw only one car behind me the entire 30 miles.

Made good time all the way to Deming.  Still took about seven hours but it was smooth sailing.  Then things went bad.  Last year when I stopped at Walmart they told me to go next door to a vacant building they had bought and it had plenty of parking.  

So, I drove past Walmart and went to turn into the drive and I almost ran into a cable running across the drive.  It was a four lane road and when I turned left across the oncoming traffic I didn't see it.  There I was stopped blocking both the lanes of traffic on the busiest street in town.

I got out to see if I could remove the cable but no luck.  By now, people were honking because I was blocking the street completely.  I tried to pull the stake out of the ground and then I heard someone say "you can't do that." and I turned around to see a motorcycle policeman with a bull horn.

He started directing traffic and I told him I would have to unhook the jeep but luckily this street person walked over.  I asked him if he would steer the jeep while I backed out.  Thank goodness he came along and was nice enough to help.  Backed up enough while the policeman stopped traffic so I could get back on the street and out of the way.  Gave the man $20 and it was the best money I spent today.   Sorry I didn't take the time for a few pictures. :))

He also told me the city had made it illegal to park overnight in the city limits.  Made a decision to leave Deming behind.  Too bad!  I had stayed there overnight for a number of years.  

Got on I-10 and headed west looking for the next rest area and luckily about 15 miles down the road there it was and I'm in a nice rest stop for the night.  By this time it was 4:30 so it took from 7:15 to 4:30 to end my day. Nine hours and change!  Good thing I started early.  The wind had picked up in the afternoon, but it wasn't a bother and the temperature is very comfortable. 

All in all it wasn't really a bad day.  Could have been worse.  

See you later.

Day 3 - Rest Stop West of Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Headed out early this morning at 8:15 heading for Amarillo,  Texas.  This morning it is beautiful.   No wind, no rain, no clouds.  Just the way I like it.

East Texas is rolling hills but looks flat.

Leaning tower still standing. 

Passed by Cadillac Ranch and there was a crowd of people, but didn't stop.

Yesterday, I almost froze thinking the dash heat didn't work.  I had tried most of the positions with no luck so today I tried VENT and boom, the heat came out.  Wished I had done that yesterday.  Oh well, yesterday was a wash anyway.

Made good time with two stops for diesel and several stops for Yuma to stretch his legs.   I was soon into New Mexico.

My cruise control went on the fritz so it's the old foot control now.  Bummer!  It wouldn't hold the gear when it dropped down on hills.  And there were a lot hills till West Texas.  

Finally arrived at my rest area destination at 3:45 Central time; 2:45 Mountain time.  Drove 387 miles again today and it took me 7 hours fifteen minutes.

See you later.

Day 2 - Weatherford, Oklahoma

 Slept fairly well for the first night on the road.  Had a short breakfast and took Yuma for a walk and we were on the road by 9 o'clock.

It was cloudy and a light rain started around Springfield soon after we started our drive and lasted till Joplin at the Missouri/Oklahoma border. 

Had small sprinkles till Tulsa, Oklahoma but they were not bad.  The winds really picked up to around 20 mph in Oklahoma with gusts in the 30s out of the North.  It made driving kinda rough.  They lasted the rest of the day.  

My big worry was getting through Oklahoma City and it was hard.  There was road construction on I44 going into the city and the hook-up to I40 was difficult.  The roads were really bad.

I was expecting to find a rest area about 30 miles west of OKC but there wasn't one, so I drove an additional 20 miles to the Walmart in Weatherford, OK.  

Stayed here before and with the temperature getting down to 21 tonight, probably a good thing.  Got here at 4 o'clock and we are in for the night.  I'm sure the heater will be going tonight.  Luckily, the wind has died down. 

Had dinner already and just finishing my blog.  Only 6:30 but I'm ready to lay down and rest.  

Traveled 387 miles today and took 7 hours.  Stopped twice for diesel and one stop for a short break so Yuma could walk around a little.  He is settling down, but I think he would rather be at home.

See you later.

First Day on the Road

 Dolly and I were up by 7:30 and we had a little breakfast and packed the last of everything and by 9:15 I was on the road.

First stop was in McLean at the Dixie 66 Truck Stop and I filled up with diesel.

  Not completely.  The pump stopped at $100 and I just left it at that.

All went smoothly until we got to St Louis

and I again missed the turnoff to I44.  Went down the first off ramp and it happened to be the Busch Stadium exit so got a picture and soon saw a sign to get back on I44 West and away we went.  

Stopped outside of St Louis and again filled the tank to $100 and we were off crossing the state of Missouri.  

I had forgotten how hilly it is in the southern Missouri area.  We went up and down all afternoon.  The sky was bright blue without a cloud anywhere.  The temperature got to the low 50s with little wind so it was a beautiful day for driving.  The only problem is there is a lot of traffic today.  Everyone was moving along so not a real problem.

About 25 miles from my stop for the night, I saw a truck on the side of the road with a flashing sign saying the traffic would stop ahead so prepare to stop and sure enough about a mile further brake lights were on and everyone was slowing to a stop.  Luckily I stopped right at an exit and the trucks behind me were taking the exit.  I followed.  Glad I did.  We took a highway along the interstate and soon I saw the problem.  There was a semi jack-knifed off the side of the highway and the traffic was one lane.

Arrived at the Route 66 rest area at 3:30.  Yuma and I took a walk in the rest area.  It is made up to look like a miniature town along route 66.  This is a nice place to stop or stay the night.  Very large parking area.

Called Dolly to let her know we were shut down for the night and soon Yuma and I were having dinner and getting ready to rest for the evening.  Nice and quiet here while I'm doing my blog for the evening.

Route for the day.  Took 6 hours and 15 minutes to travel 343 miles.

Everything is a Go!

Had my doctor appointment this morning by video and when I have my blood tested I worry that my A1C glucose will be high, but again stayed at 6.0.  This number is still prediabetes but close. Anything above 6.4 is considered type 2.  I'll take it.

We've had two days of clouds and rain, but after today, the weather turns sunny and mild.  For the next week this will hold giving me the opportunity to travel I-40 across the country. 

I will finish packing on Friday and head out Saturday morning.  Following is the final version of my planned route and stops along the way.  Driving time each day is around 5+ hours till I reach Deming, NM and then slows down drastically.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Almost Ready to Leave

Bought new glasses and got a pair of Ray-Bans too.  Been a long time since I've had a pair of prescription sunglasses.

Been slowly moving forward.  Last week I took the White Lion to have the front shocks replaced and added new front tires.  That was an expensive visit.   On the way home stopped by and had it washed so it will look nice for my journey.

Finished setting up my new Jeep brake assist and it is ready for the road.  Haven't tested it yet.

Slowly packing the MH and Dolly bought $500 worth of food and meat so I'm good to go on food for awhile.  Leaving the 28th.  Next week I have my doctor visit and Thanksgiving, so will be busy.

The Covid ID (call it this because we watch the Discovery ID channel so much) is hitting close to home now.  Three of the girls working in the same place as my son Jim have tested positive and Jim is waiting on his test results.  He has no symptoms, thank goodness.  

They are asking for no travels this holiday so the roads should not be too crowded.   I have decided to follow the interstates and stay at the rest areas along the way.  I will have a full fridge and will only need to stop at rest stops and for diesel fills. 

With this plan I hope to travel longer distances each day.  The White Lion loves to gallop and don't have to worry about towns and two-way traffic.  I also plan to take longer breaks to keep from getting tired.  I will be able to travel after dark with only four lane roads to worry about.

Nervous about all the uncertainty this year but the call of the desert is strong.  The weather is looking good next week so that's a good sign.  Got to a beautiful 62 with sun and no wind today.  Can't beat that this late in the Fall.

See you later.

Getting Ready to Travel

 I've been working on the White Lion and studying for my CDL class B drivers license during October.  Proud to say I passed both the written and driving exams on the first try so done with that.

 I worried excessively about both but shouldn't have.  They were both easy.  It's my nature to worry I guess.

Getting this huge 41 foot motorhome in and out of my driveway is a pain in the neck.  It is just too long to move in tight places.  I manage but not without a learning curve.  The first time, I tried to do it without Dolly as my spotter I promptly backed into the ditch across the road and got stuck.  $260 tow bill to pull it out!

Then I forgot one of the bay doors was open and I pulled it forward in the shed area and hit a post.  Evan got it bent back so it locks but next Spring I'll have to pay to have it fixed and painted.  ):

I did get some good things done though.  With my son-in-law, Evan's help I added a propane outlet so I can use my Wave 6 propane heater and we figured out how to turn on the Hurricane heating system and the hot water.  Not sure if the solar panels can handle the system yet, but I can always use the generator for hot water if need be.  The Wave 6 should provide all the heat I need.

I bought and replaced my original black and white back-up camera with a nice new one with a 7" monitor.  Had to crawl the whole length of the underside of the MH to string the line from the camera to the monitor but it works great.  Getting too old for this stuff.

I bought a propane firepit so I can sit outside at night and enjoy a fire while watching the stars.  I believe I will be spending more time living in lazy comfort this year.  I feel a little slower so hopefully I won't do anything too stupid this winter, but stupid will probably happen anyway.

My plans are to leave late November after my doctor's appointment to have my blood vitals checked and to see where I stand on my pre-diabetes numbers.  Dolly plans to vacation at home again so just me and Yuma.

I'm going to miss all my Canadian friends who are trapped in Canada this winter due to the Covid 19.  Hopefully my journey and pictures will help with the winter time blues.

I'll post again as I get closer to D day.  Take care everyone.