Kerrville TX

Hello Blog Buddies,

Here we are in Kerrville TX - about 1.5 hours north of San Antonio.  I belong to an RV blog called RV Dreams and they just had a rally here which ended yesterday.
The fellow who started RV Dreams - Howard Payne is trained in weighing RVs ---- so on the chance that he was still here we decided to stop and stay at this RV park for tonight.  Welllll yes, Howard and his lovely wife Linda were still here so we were able to get our RV weighed.

RESULTS - we are NOT overweight but need to do some adjusting from side to side and front to back.  Most of which we have accomplished today - so we should be good to go!!!!  We cannot add much more stuff - nor do we need to

Tomorrow we leave for San Antonio to stay in an RV park for a week and do some sight seeing - the Rvierwalk - Tea Garden - Botanical Gardens and also locate some nice restaurants.  I lived in San Antonio 50 years ago while in the Air Force and I just loved it here.

Today's drive was a tad windy - but not too bad - we stayed on route 285 for a while and then onto Rte 10 - which was the windy part as well as 18 wheelers.

We met several folks from the RV Dreams contingent tonight and had a real nice time talking.  One of the fellows fixed our cable connection so now we pretty much have our choice to TV stations now.  We also talked to one couple who used to visit East Boothbay Maine for many summers - and we of course lived in Boothbay Maine.  Small world.

So - I shall post again when we arrive in San Antonio tomorrow and bring you up to date.

JR    :>)

TEXAS

Hello Blog buddies,

Well we have arrived in Texas - we were going to stay in Pecos TX - BUT after checking it out ---- NO WAY!!!!  We drove a bit further and are in an RV park in Fort Stockton TX.  It's pretty nice - a Good Sam member so we get a 10% discount - so it was only $24 for the nite.

Best part is they have a Cafe' with all kinds of good sounding food!!!!  I'm getting the Mesquite Country Style Pork Ribs and Melissa is getting the Texas best chicken fried steak.  The meals come with homemade mashed potatoes, Italian green beans - a dinner roll and a slice of the cream pie of the day.  All this for $7.95 per person!!!!!

You wish you were here RIGHT!!!!!!

They also have a nice sounding breakfast!!!!

Soooo today was a good drive - blue skies and calm seas!!!!  :>)

Tomorrow we head out with the intention of stopping in Kerrville TX and then onto San Antonio the following morning.

Take care my friends - it's getting close to supper time for us!

Hmmmmmmmmm GOOD

PS:  We hung another painting today - this is called "A Balanced Diet"

Not a great photo - but you get the idea.  :>)

JR    :>)

Roswel NM

Yo Dudes,

Well, after a tad over 3 hours of driving and a very - very pleasant drive in the RV - we are in Roswell NM.  Nice a warm here 3:43pm and 86 degrees and no wind.  We are so glad to have left Santa Fe and all the wind and dust.  It was a pleasure to drive the RV today - smooth roads - no wind - with the cruise control set to 55!

Today was the first time I towed the Honda Fit behind the RV.  All my RV buddies have been telling me "you won't even know it is there!"  Wellllllll - they were RIGHT!!!!
Had to look in the rear camera to make sure it was still attached!!!!  Piece of cake!!

Before we left Santa Fe I searched for RV parks and for a WalMart/Sam's club.
The RV park sounded very nice - but $35 for the night.  The Super Walmart and Sam's Club looks very new, and they are both very big!!  Wellllllll the Walmart will let 10 RVs park overnight for FREE!!!!!!  $35 SAVED!!!!!!!  The parking lot is very well lit, with cameras.  We were the first ones there!

We went into Walmart and just double check with Mgmt as to it being OK and sure enough it was OK!  We picked up a few things for supper and also a few bottles of water.
They of course do not provide any services such as electrical or water of sewer hookups - but our RV is self contained - we have about 30 gallons of water for our use, as well as 2 deep cycle batteries - we'll only use these for 12v lighting when getting ready for bed. The refrig can run on elec of propane so we have it running of propane to keep our food cold.  Sooooooo we are all set!!!!

No TV tonight but that's OK as well.

Tomorrow morning we just cross over to the next parking area and gas up at Sam's Club!

HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!!!!

Right now we are at Starbucks enjoying a mocha and using their WiFi

Today was a good day!!!

Well, take care and tomorrow we hope to make it to Pecos Texas - if I have WiFi I shall bring you guys up to date with our travels.

JR    :>) 



A short post

Good morning my friends,

Getting the RV ready for it's journey towards Texas.  This is just to say hello as I have lots to do to get ready for our departure.  We hope to get as far as Roswell NM today - stay overnight and do another 200-300 miles tomorrow.  We figure a comfortable pace of 3-4 days to get to San Antonio.

Soooooo once we arrive in Roswell I will post ( if we have WiFi ) an accounting of our day.

Enjoy the day my friends.

JR    :>)

ECCO

To my friends,

Well, our trip to Albuquerque is done and on the way back into Santa Fe we stopped at ECCO our very favorite coffee bistro in Santa Fe if not the world!!!  Two of the nicest young ladies work there Jessica & Maddie.  We have been going there for 5 years now and IMHO this is where you get the best mochas in Santa Fe - not to mention the best service and the most pleasant people who work there.  They are perhaps the most friendly people we met in Santa Fe.

We just had to stop in and get one last mocha and give them both a big hug - such friendly and pleasant people.  We will miss them and hope they stay in touch with us on our blogs.

Soooooo if you are ever in Santa Fe go to ECCO on Marcy St. a few  blocks from the plaza and ask for Jessica and Maddie - you will love them!!!!

Well, it looks like a few small things will not get done before departure tomorrow morning - they can wait until we arrive in Texas!!!!!!

Take care my friends.

JR    :>) 

Another busy day

Good morning blog buddies,

We have a wireless alarm system in the RV - works on motion.  We have had a proliferation of MOTHS the past few days due to drought conditions they say!
It seems everything gets blamed on the drought!!!!  Beer sales are up - must be due to the drought - more anti-perspiration being sold - must be due to the drought!

Last night we went to bed about 10:15 and after about 1/2 hour the alarm went off!!!!!  YIKES!!!!!  It is very loud and certainly made me jump up out of bed - assuming a karate pose!!!  :>)  EEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAA!!

Well after my heart slowed down to 327 beats per minute, I regained my senses and realized a MOTH had set the alarm off!!!!!  Good to know it works with such a slight sense of motion.

Today we have to drive down to Albuquerque in our CAR and pick up the new mirror I ordered - to replaced the one the jerk on the interstate broke by getting too close to the side of our RV!

When we come back we have a few chores to do and then Melissa is going for a SPA treatment with a girlfriend.  And then we are going out to eat with the SPA FRIEND and her husband.  They have been real good friends during our 5 years in Santa Fe and will be missed.

If all the important projects get done today we will leave on Saturday for our 4 day journey to San Antonio TX.  A day longer than really needed but we want to take it slow and with comfort!!!!  Trying to keep it to around 200 - 250 miles per day.

We are confident that when we reach SA - the relaxing part of our RV journey will at last commence - WOO-HOO  :>)  STRAIGHT TO THE POOL!!!

Well ----- have a good day my friends and I will see you on my next post.

JR      :>) 

PACKING

Yo,

A few quick photos - we have several small storage areas under the RV that odds and ends can be stored in.  Most of the items we have in these areas are stored in plastic tubs with lids.  The large storage area is a "pass thru" for the entire width of the RV and has an access door on each side as well as a large door on the back.

This is where the bulky items get stored - such as the grill - the air compressor to inflate tires - the suit case (for a fast get-a-way) the water hoses, the electrical hook up cord - the beach chairs and some odds & ends.

The following photos are of the pass through" storage area and we still have a lot of room left over which we hope does not get filled up!!!!!

The beach (WOO-HOO) chairs are in the back of the car as the car is of course what we will use to get to the beach.

When it comes to packing - my DW Melissa is BRILLIANT!!!  This is why we have space left over!!!!

We are going to have a contest to see who can guess what the RV will weigh in at.

If I win, my prize will be a hot fudge sundae with pistachio ice cream and a very, very,very generous amount of whipped cream!!!!

Melissa seemed to think that might also be her choice if she wins.

JR    :>)

Getting closer to departing

Yo my friends,

Completed a few more projects this morning - getting us closer to leaving for TX on Saturday.

We decided to hang a painting in the RV - makes things more home like!

Since we are heading to S. Carolina after Texas, we figured a dune/ocean scene would be fitting.

Now that the RV has 99% of our STUFF in it, I had to add more air to the 6 tires.  So in talking to a couple of seasoned RV-ers I decided to bring the tires to within 5 lbs of their Max PSI..The fronts are set a 70lbs and the 4 rear at 75lbs

I used the new air compressor we bought yesterday and it did a great job.  I had to ask for some help, as no air was going into the tire!!!!!  Found I had to turn a PSI regulator knob (which was never mentioned in the instructions) once that was done - bingo the tires aired right up to the need PSI.

Well will leave them at this PSI until such time I can get the RV weighed and then make adjustments as needed.

We still have more room to pack more things - but truth is we have nothing else to pack!!

:>)  This makes us very happy!!!!

We should me UNDER the weight limit of 14,500 total lbs - but the weighing will tell the story.  We don't think we added more than 1,000 pounds and we had 1,800+ that could be added.

The front axle can carry 5,000 lbs and the rear axle 9,500 lbs (4wheels)

We certainly can move things around to balance the axle loads as well as the side loads - so we think things look good.

Well, a few more projects to do today so until next post -

Be happy and healthy my friends.

JR     :>) 

STORAGE OTTOMANS

Yo,

Just a quick hello - we bought 2 leather ottomans -the tops come off so you can store things in them and the top turns over and is a serving tray - how cool is that!!!!!  :>)

They are a rich dark brown color and fit in just great with the inside of the RV.

We also put a different bedspread and big pillows on the bed.

Well, we are about 95% packed up with a our possessions that are coming with us in the RV.  I still have several projects left to do and hope to get them done on Thursday and Friday.

Both of us are getting tired of getting set up and hope to soon be RV-ing!!!!!!!  Seems like we've been moving stuff forever!

Later my friends.

JR    :>)

Time is closing in

Yo my friends,

Well this  morning I have a DR. appt. at 8:30.  When I had my annual checkup this past Oct., I mentioned our RV adventure to my Dr.  Well he said "let me put a synopsis of your medical history/conditions together so if you need to see a Dr. while on your journey he will have a good understanding of your conditions." 

Well I guess that is a good idea and it was nice of him to do this - however for some reason it made me feel sort of old and decrepit.  I'll take it with me but that's about all I'll do with it.  Assuming the packet is not so heavy that it puts our RV over weight!!!!  :>)

I had a heart attack at 49 while vacationing in Aruba (not very smart of me) and I have a few minor inflictions but not to the point that they have to be written out in detail!

I've only been going to this DR for 5 years - I mean he was not even a DR. when I had my heart attack 23 years ago!  He has never even treated me for a cold - once a year my annual checkup and that's all he has ever done with me!~

Between you and me I think it is just another way to submit some billing to medicare - in this economy Dr's and other medical folks are not making the $$$$$'s they were.
I'm betting he submits an office visit invoice for payment to medicare.

A busy day on Wed. 4/25 - after the Dr appt. we have several preparation things to do and I have a list of DIS & DAT to get done before our departure to TX.

We hope to leave on Saturday so we pick up a couple of extra days in order to make the driving less hours per day.

Soooooo until the next blog post - take care my friends and enjoy life - make the most of every day - this is what we hope to accomplish during our journey.

JR     :>)

Good Morning Blog Buddies

Well --- I got an appointment for a teeth cleaning at 11am this morning - I hope they do not lose me in their computer again!!!
This clinic is in a shopping mall and there is also a Sears there.  We need to buy an air compressor as it is difficult if not impossible for an RV to "air-up" at a gas station.
Tire pressure is critical on an RV - based on the load you are carrying it is very important not to have over or under inflated tires.  This is one item that I worry about as getting the correct pressure is not all that easy.  Trying to find the recommended pressures for a specific type tire is not information that is readiy availiable.  So a lot of internet searching is needed.  I found the best way is to go to the web site of your tire manufacturer.  Although they do not list all the tires they sell, I think one can get a pretty good idea.

Today after the dentist will consist of the start of a variety of small projects in preparation for our Sat. or Sun. departure from Santa Fe to San Antonio Texas:

Install TPMS on the Honda Fit
Tighten the lug nuts on the RV wheels (if needed)*
Start the rearranging of STUFF in the external storage compartments under the RV
Decide what wil be stored in the back of the Honda Fit rather than the RV.
Assemble out Q-100 gas grill

* It is highly recommended that this be done before each trip as overtime the lug nuts CAN loosen up!!!!  YIKES!!!!!!  A week before we arrived in Oklahoma City an 18 wheeler lost a front wheel due to loose lug nuts - it was not pretty!!!!  Do most truckers or RV-ers check the lug nuts?  NO!!!!!

Last but not least we will get a pizza for tonights supper!!!   :>)

Well, time to get the day started - looks like another sunny day which is pretty much the standard for most days in Santa Fe - I do like that about Santa Fe - 90% of the time GREAT WEATHER!!!!

Please excuse any mis-spellings as GOOGLE BLOGGER spell check is not working - one of the many things that no longer work on the NEW & IMPROVED GOOGLE BLOGGER!!!!!!!

Well my friends - until my next post - I wish you all well.

JR    :>)

GMAIL

Hi Buddies,

Just a short post to let you know that I'm trying to eliminate anything coming to me via GMAIL as this sucks just as much as Google Blogger.  GMAIL is not longer possible to use it simply does not work.  I find it amazing the Google can change a system from one that was working to a system that does not work at all.  The Google systems are unsupported so WHY FRIGGIN CHANGE IT??????

I hope I have succeeded in changing my email address to:

meesarj@msn.com

The majority of folks I talk to HATE the new Google and as one would figure

GOOGLE JUST DOES NOT CARE!!!

JR SAYS GOOGLE SUCKS  :>(

MORE STUFF

Yo my blog buddies,

Well - this morning after Melissa comes back from yoga we will go down to the STORAGE BUNKERS and pull out the last of the items we will try to take with us in the RV.  I'm hoping this will be the end of it!!!!!!  I'm getting a tad nervous about the total amount of weight we are adding to the RV.  We had about 1,700 - 1,900 lbs we could add and while I find it impossible that we could add that much weight - ya just never know!!!!  I don't think we own 1,700-1,900 lbs of STUFF!!!!

Take into consideration we both lost 10-12 lbs recently, I'm hoping we are all set!!  :>)

Before leaving for San Antonio we have to re-organize all the STUFF stored in the outter storage compartments into a logical sequence.  One thing we are finding - in an RV it seems as tho you need to move 4 things to get to the 1 you want.  But that will get better as we get better at storing and packing.

Well - I best be gettin' my skates on as I've got a few projects to do while me DW is at her yoga class.

Later Dudes.

JR    :>)

Hooking up the Honda

Yo my friends,

Well-----this morning we both practiced hooking up the Honda Fit to the newly installed tow bars as well as hooking up the Aux brake system for the Honda.

We both did it twice and we did real good with the process!!!!  Melissa took a video and photos when the RV Tech showed us HOW TO do both of these processes.
So we were able to refer to these and it did help us remember what he had said.

We'll do it several more times before heading our to San Antonio TX on Fri-Sat of Sun.

We will check the weather forecast for the 5 day period beginning on Friday and try to leave Santa Fe when the better weather is forecast.  The last thing we want is to drive thru another horrid wind storm!

Sat around most of the day - did a small laundry and read on our Kindles - we really enjoy these - no need to carry hard copy books around - just download and read away!!

Sooooo - short blog - just to bring you guys up to date of the doings of today.

Tomorrow Melissa goes to Yoga and I'll call the DVM and inquire as to the registration process for the RV - also the dentist to try and setup a cleaning and check up during the upcoming week.

Going out tonight to split a plate of nachos at a little place we found close to the KOA.

Splitting is cheaper and less calories and both of those are good things :>)

Until next post -

JR     :>)

HAPPY RUG

Yo my friends,

Well, we are starting to put a few "home touches" into our RV.  The first was our "HAPPY RUG" had to get put down.

It adds a splash of color as well as a softness under foot.

Later today we will spend some time hitching and unhitching the car to the tow bars.  This is not a really hard thing to do but it of course has to be done correctly and therefore practice is needed.  As I mentioned in an earlier post - towing the car behind the RV will introduce a new challenge to driving as I will now have to be aware that there is an additional 10+ feet behind me that I need to take into consideration when changing lanes and when going around corners - especially right hand turns.

We will be watching the weather forecast for the NM/TX area and may leave NM a day or 2 earlier so we can take more time on the drive to TX.  It would be nice if on this leg of our journey we could only drive a max of 300 miles per day and the absence of wind and tornadoes would be greatly appreciated.

Monday we need to register the RV - which could be interesting if we need to bring it with us as the location of the DMV is not overly accessible by RVs!!!  :>(

The Yoga studio had a real nice party last night for Melissa - these yogini folks are so nice and Melissa has developed a special friendship with a lot of them as a teacher, a student and working P/T at the studio.  The owners of Yoga Source Amy & Wendelin are just the nicest and special folks that both Melissa and I have met.

Well time for a shower and some food and then onto the hitching & un-hitching!!!

Later my friends -

JR    :>)

Google Blogger SUCKS

Yo,

Well I still cannot figure out the NEW GOOGLE CRAP!!!  It tells me my browser is no longer supported by Blogger - they suggest I download Google Chrome - which I did and can't see that this changed anything!  I guess it is just Chrome Google Crap now!

There may be some comments that are not posted as I cannot get into the section that allows me to moderate the comments - but - I'll figure this out some day.

Well today was  busy day -I had a dental appt. for a cleaning and got there a 8:45 - 15 minutes early just as they ask you to do.  The receptionist asked my name - I told her and she keyed it into her computer  - looked at me and said "you do not have an appointment today!"  I said "yes I do!"  she said "no you don't!"  I said "well maybe I'm off by a day?"  She said - "your name does not appear for any day in 2012 in our schedule!"  So much for a dental cleaning - I try to get one when we get to Texas!!!

Melissa went to Yoga this morning so after my non-dental appt.  I went to ECCO our favorite coffee bistro and got my self a large Mocha!!!!

Let me interject here - if any of my blog buddies are fighting their weight, I have the solution!!!!!  From the time we left Indiana with our new RV 4/10 and arrived in Santa Fe on 4/15, I lost 12 pounds - Melissa lost 10 pounds - sooooooo go buy an RV - drive it back home for about 1,400 miles and you too will lose 10 - 12 pounds.
I now weigh 147 LBS.  I think most of it was lost during the drive on Rte 40 with winds of 50MPH and 18 wheelers passing us sometimes two at a time, one on each side of us!!!!

After enjoying my Mocha, I picked up Melissa at the Yoga studio and we went to the Storage Bunkers to get more STUFF for the RV.  We brought the STUFF back to the Rv, unpacked it and put most of it away - perhaps not in its permanent place, but at least away.  Then we went back for a 2nd load and then we went to ECCO where we had a treat and returned to the RV to put most of the 2nd load away.

SO all in all a busy day - lots accomplished - although my teeth are not bright shiny white as I had hoped - but we made progress with moving into our new home.

Tomorrow (Saturday) Melissa is going to Yoga again - I'll go to ECCO again - (Hell I've got 12 pounds to play around with so a Mocha or two won't hurt!)  We'll come back to the RV and putter around and the Yoga Studio and the teachers are having a going away party for Melissa starting around 6pm - so we'll go to that and have a good time!

Until the next post, take care my friends and enjoy life - you are only here once - well maybe twice!!!  :>)

JR   :>) 

TOTAL CONFUSION!!!!

Yo My Friends,

Well Blogger/Google has gone and done it!!!!  They have changed the format of google blogger and of course offer no information on the new format - at least that I can find.  I'm trying to get to understand it - so my next few posts may be messed up.

Went down to Albuquerque today to have the levelers fixed - we think they seemed to be fixed - time will tell.  We did not get a good feeling from the Tech who fixed the problem as he really did not seem to know much about the system and his responses when we questioned him as to what he found the problem to be - did not make any friggin sense!!!!!!

So said we would like to try them out before we drove all the way back to Santa Fe.  As a side note, the round trip mileage to Albuquerque from Santa Fe is 120 miles - at .50 per mile, it cost us $60!!!

We went out and push the button to put the levelers down and guess what????

THEY DID NOT FRIGGIN WORK!!!!!! Arrrrrrggggggggggg!!!!!

So we went back into the RV placed - asked to speak to the technician and told him
THEY DID NOT WORK!!!!!!

Well, long story short after talking to him for a while as he work on them I found that he really did not know much about the system and in fact he was lying to me regarding the system - just making up a bunch of BS!!!!!  I called him on it and he of course was not longer liking me!!!!  Longer story short - he got them working and off we drove.

We contacted the Mfg of the levelers and reported the apparent stupidity of the Technician.  Well, the Mfg has been quite helpful thru this process and he is going to get back to us and let us know what will be done next should the system fail again.

His ending comment was - if this does not completely correct the problems, we if necessary will completely replace the system.  They are a good company and you can get faulty parts with anything you buy the problem clearly is with the RV repair facility.

SO we are back in business again - the RV is petty close to perfectly level - our refrig is fired up and we went to the grocery store and once again got some grown-up food.

So my friends - I will play around with google blog and I hope I can figure it out

JR     :>)

Ability to tow our car

Yo my friends,

Well - we did not get out of the RV place until 3:15 - so my estimate of noon time was WAY OFF!!!!!

All was completed and we now can tow our Honda Fit behind our RV.  I must say that this will be another learning curve for me as this adds about 10+ feet to the length of the RV.  This is important as now I have to leave more turn room than before.
Soooo another process has been completed and we are one step closer to departing on 4/30 for San Antonio TX.

Some people I've spoken to say "don't worry - you won't even know it is there."  To that my reply is "and that is the problem!!!!"

With a bit of luck and the grace of God our leveler system will be fixed on Thursday and one more process checked off.

Had a bit of a scare on the drive down to Albuquerque - in my mirror I saw a big - big - bad ass pickup truck with those huge wheels coming down on my left.  He was weaving a bit and I could not move over one lane as some one was right next to me on my right!

Well long story short - this frigging idiot got so close to me that his passenger mirror hit my driver side mirror!!!  When I say hit - he grazed it - then he swerved to his right and took off like a bat out of hell. 

Longer story shorter - the concave mirror popped out of its encasement and is now some place on RTE 25 in Albuquerque!

Sooooo tomorrow - since we have been working so hard getting things done we are going to take it easy for a while.  Going out for breakfast and then to Home Depot for a few needed items - then to the storage bunkers for more STUFF to go into the RV.
We will stop at the Ford Dealer and check into how and when the mirror can be fixed.

Between you and me - these mirrors stick out way too far - about 6 - 8 inches too far - so I'm going to see if a shorter arm is an option.

I bought a tow bar lock at the RV place as people steal these tow bars and I'm sorry but mine cost $650 so a lock was required.  For the life of me I could not figure out how to install the locking device!!!  DUH - I spotted one of the fellows who works here at the Santa Fe KOA and asked if he knew anything about the installation.  He said "NOPE" - but lets go look at it.  Within 10 minutes he figured out how to install it!
One thing we have read about is how helpful fellow RV-ers can be - and we are finding it to be true.

At the RV place some folks asked if we were the owners of the NEXUS -of course we were very proud to say YES!!!!  They said they have been looking on line at them and are interested and could they look at ours - of course we were very proud to say YES!!  So we gave them a tour of our RV and answered some question about it.
They left seeming more interested in finding our more about these RVs!

OK - I've talked enough - sometimes I get carried away and it is usually when I'm excited and happy - and that defines how I feel.

So my friends enjoy your day and if the chance presents itself - make some one smile today - they will be glad you did and you will be glad you did.

JR     :>)

Good Morning Blog Buddies

Yo,

Well, here it is 8:43am and we are sitting in the lounge at Hard Rock Cafe ------ just kidding - we are sitting in the lounge at Rocky Mountain RV in Albuquerque.  We'll probably be here for 3 hours or so - :>( 

Today is the day that the tow bar gets attached to the RV and the associated wiring for brake lights, blinkers etc to our Honda Fit which will be towed behind the RV.  Additionally, the aux brake system needs to be connected between the RV and the Fit and installed in the Fit.

Rocky Mountain RV is a very big RV dealer in this area.  Lots of folks will suggest you stay away from RV dealers as they tend to cost more than small RV repair shops.  Most RV shops charge $120 - $150 per hour.  It is to my way of thinking a PITA trying to find a small RV repair shop and also trying to verify the quality of that shop - you really need to know someone who frequents such a place.

Sooooo while it may cost a bit more for our work today, there is to me an element of comfort and sort of a security having work done by a place that both sells and installs and repairs and has a very good reputation.  Sort of a security blanket which is a comfort to us.

Following is a link to a three part video with Melissa and me being interviewed by the President of NEXUS - Claude Donati.  the video is in 3 parts - I tend to talk a lot about something I have a passion about. 

http://www.nexusrv.com/testimonials.php

Check it out.

I am normally a very quiet somewhat shy person but when I believe in something or think highly of a product - I tend to talk about it - perhaps too often and too much but at 72 I think I've earned the right to express my self.  I also tend to talk too much about painting - but HEY painting is one of my passions so I TALK!

Well, another long day ahead - I'd be shocked if we got out of here much before noon - but hey we are reaching the end of our GET READY TO FULL TIME" processes and pretty soon sitting around the pool or the ocean will be in full swing.

Take care and until next time - remember "He who hesitates is in doubt."

JR     :>)

Good Morning Blog Buddies

Yo,

Well, today is a day of DO-DO-DO!!!!!!!!

Melissa has a Dr. appt this morning and the only transportation we have is our 31 foot RV - just wait until I pull into that small parking lot with the RV - won't be room for anyone else!!!!  :>)
After that, we travel down to Albuquerque in the RV to pick up our car at the Airport.  We could not go get it the other day as the winds were so bad on the highway that we came straight to Santa Fe instead.  Yesterday up until mid morning it was windy and snow showers so we did not go get the car yesterday.  Today blue skies - no wind and clear sailing!
We'll bring the RV back to the KOA RV park, and then take the car to our STORAGE BUNKERS to get out some STUFF for the RV as well as the AUX Brake system which gets installed tomorrow down in Albuquerque.

The biggest thing for the day is to go to Trader Joe's and get some grownup food - it's been about 5 days since we eat any thing of substance other than PIZZA and we all know one can live on PIZZA!!!!  :>)

This will get us back onto the path of NORMAL!!!  After the installation of the tow bars and Aux brake tomorrow that will get us back to more of a NORMAL state - with the only disruption being the fixing of the levelers some time during the next 2 weeks - which will mean another trip down to Albuquerque.

Once we set out on 4/30 for San Antonio I think we will be able to stop DO-DO-DOing things and settle into a nice life of retired RV-ers - things take time and there are a lot of things to put into motion and I think we are reaching the end of this phase.

Soooooo my friends - You know what they say don't you???  NO!!!!  Well I was hoping you did as I have NO IDEA WHAT THEY SAY -  DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE!!!!

Take care my buddies.

JR   :>) 

YO BLOG BUDDIES

Here are a few photos of the Santa Fe KOA - all the sites have pinon trees between them for sort of a privacy screen and they also have fire pits - picnic tables - cable TV connections, and full hookups.  It is sort of off season here so it is very quite.  Most sites are a pull-through which is nice in that you don't have to back into the site - a lot easier to pull in.

My DW - Melissa - Still a tad windy!!!

Dreamcatcher resting in its assigned space

KOA Reception building

A bigger Class A RV - I would guess about 36 feet long. - It is a DP - (Diesel Pusher) One of our neighbors.

We met a couple from England this morning while doing the laundry.  They rented an RV - picked it up in Chicago and are driving around areas of the USA for about 2 weeks.

Very nice folks - they leave today and head out for Arizona, taking in the Grand Canyon, Zion in Utah and Monument Valley.

Well, enjoy the pics.

Later my friends,

JR     :>)

Good Day My Friends

Yo Buds,

Well, our first morning back in Santa Fe is somewhat cloudy and quite chilly - but the weather forecast indicates clearing up for the rest of the upcoming week.
When we left Santa Fe on 4/5 for Elkhart IN it was snowing - when we returned on 4/14 it was snowing!!!!

Tomorrow we will drive the RV to a DR. appt that Melissa has and then we will drive down to the Albuquerque Airport to pick up our car which we left there on 4/4 - we have a coupon for $1 off per day so that will save a couple of $'s.

Then we will go to our STORAGE UNITS in Santa Fe and pick up stuff that will come with us in the RV!  Also we will go food shopping as we are getting HUNGRY!!!!!

On Tuesday we need to go back down to Albuquerque to Rocky Mountain RV who will install our tow bars and our aux braking system for our Honda Fit so it can be towed behind our RV.  This will bring on a whole new learning curve as we will no have an additional 10 feet or so behind the RV that needs to be taken into consideration when making turns and changing lanes on the highway!!!!!  We will also stop in Santa Fe at the STORAGE UNITS and pick up more STUFF to go into and RV and perhaps RETURN some STUFF that we picked up the day before.

One thing we are finding is we can get along quite well with less than we thought we needed to bring into the RV.  I had planned to bring WAY TOO MANY CLOTHES and I think Melissa is of the mind that perhaps she too planned on too many clothes.

Also odds & ends that we do not have and have not had during our 5 day trip back seem much less important and some STUFF for sure can stay behind.

Sooooo my buddies - lots to do and lots of finding a place for everything and everything in its place.

Take care my friends - SOOOOOOOO MUCH MORE TO FOLLOW!!!

To show you how hungry we are I bought a micorwave-able container of Chef Boyardee Beefaroni at the KOA store and Melissa bought a Maruchan instant lunch microwave-able soup.  We also bought 2 small cans of beans and 2 bags of corn chips and will make Frito Pie for supper.

We did the laundry this morning at the KOA laundry-mat so all is good!  Clean socks - clean underware what else do YA need!!!!   :>)

TOMORROW - FOOD SHOPPING - WOO HOO!!!!!!!

This is part of the experience and the journey and "WE ARE LOVIN' IT!!!!!"

Until next time - stay healthy & happy!

JR     :>)

YO - I'M BACK

Hello My Friends,

We spent 4 hours in the RV repair shop and they believe they found the problem but did not have the part of fix it ------ s the manufacturer of the leveler systems is going to send the part to a place in Albuquerque so they can perform the repair.

We left Oklahoma City around one in the afternoon and we were very glad to do so as very severe weather was predicted for the following day.  The issued tornado warnings 2 days in advanced which has never been done before!!!!  So it was time to get out of DODGE!!!!!  Besides which I do not like Oklahoma City at all.

We made it to Shamrock Texas which was odd because it was Friday the 13th so we thought we would try to LUCK UP our evening.  We stopped at a small RV Park which belongs to the Good Sam network and for the most part these are pretty nice places.  This place advertised WiFi and TV. 

Wellllllll --- we could not get WiFi and we could not get TV.  The RV park was old, out in the middle of a field - half grass and half dirt and one could see for miles.On a scale of 1 - 5, we would give this place a 2.  It suffers from "deferred maintenance!!!!!"  Cheap enough - but in RV parks you tend to get what you pay for.  All we needed was a good nites sleep and that we got.

Our back yard was quite nice looking - out over lots and lots of land - but the front yard and the actual RV spaces NOT SO MUCH.

Some photos below of the back yard and of course of DREAMCATCHERS.

We are back in Santa Fe for 17 days to accomplish a few obligations - DR. dentist and load up the RV for our journey.

SHAMROCK TEXAS RV PARK BACK YARD

Most RV-ers say "BIG BACK YARD - SMALL HOUSE"

This back yard was as far as the eye could see.

From the looks of the news tonight we got out of Oklahoma and Texas with tornadoes nipping at our BUTTS!!!!! 

Well --- more to follow - not as much excitement during the next 17 days but I will post our doings and happenings.  We have a lot to do to get ready for our departure on or about  May 1

Later my friends

JR    :>)

Yo my friends

Gooooooood Morning My Buddies,

Well, this morning we are off to try and get our leveler false alarm fixed and then on into Amarillo Texas - only a 4 hour drive from here so that will be a breeze!!!!

After driving thru Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma --------- TA DA----------

Missouri comes in first for the prettiest of these states and also for the best roadways - so everyone give a salute to Harry Truman!!!!!

The roads in Indiana and Oklahoma were the worst!!!  Oklahoma has toll roads - why I don't know as they do not use the proceeds to fix the roads!!!  I would also say that Oklahoma was the least appealing landscape as well.  Of course it is windy here - I guess that's why they wrote that song about the winds whipping down the plains!  :>) 

Of course being Oklahoma there is talk about some SEVERE WEATHER - so we want to get the hell out of here in case that comes!!!!!  Oklahoma is not a place we could live with the constant threat of tornadoes etc.  The RV park has "SAFE" spaces in the main building that one can evacuate to if the weather turns.  NO THANK YOU - GOODBYE TO OKLAHOMA!!!!!!

I'll try and get some photos of this RV Park B4 we leave - it's quite big and quite nice as well - we took a walk around it last night to stretch out our legs and backs!!!!!

Take care my friends and stay tuned!!!!

JR    :>)

TOO LONG OF A DAY

Hello my good friends,

Well, today was way too long of a day!!!!!  Our levelers started acting up this morning when we retracted them.  The same issue that happened in Elkhart.  Big Foot came to Elkhart and fixed the [problem - it was a loose leveler pad.  We when we retracted the levelers this morning the alarm started beeping which indicates the levelers are not retracted!!! BUT THEY ARE RETRACTED!!!!!!

Sooooooo Melissa got on her cell phone and called the President of NEXUS and he said he would call Big Foot and have some one get back to us.  Big Foot called and was able to set up a 9:30 am appt. for tomorrow morning with one of their dealers in Oklahoma City.  Wellllllllll the only problem was we were quite a distance form Oklahoma City!!!!  Sooooooo long story short after 9 hours of driving we reached Oklahoma City and are nice and comfy in a great KOA RV Resort.  Melissa is not ready to drive the RV yet - so I did the 9 hours which is really about 4 hours too long - but here we are safe and sound and surprisingly I did not get tired during the 9 hours but would not want to do THAT AGAIN!!!!!

We have speed control which gives the gas pedal foot a nice rest and I alternate between 55 & 60 MPH which breaks the monotony of driving.

Will try to take some photos in the morning but now it's time for dinner and then a bit of TV and off to dream land.

After our RV appointment tomorrow morning we hope to make it to Amarillo TX - but no more than 4-5 hours of driving.  This of course depends on the outcome of our RV appointment in the morning - we may just end up staying right here for another day - which is OK too.

Later my friends.

JR    :>)

KOA IN MISSOURI

YO DUDES,

Some photos of the KOA we are staying at in Missouri.

DREAMCATCHERS TUCKED IN FOR THE NIGHT

TIME FOR A SWING

NAP TIME

Very quiet here - we ae the only RV so far more people come in during the early evening.

Yo Blog Buddies

Yo my Buddies,

Well, we have WiFi again.  I did a lot of research on WiFi on the road and what I ended up with was a WiFi Ranger Mobile Boost which is designed specifically for RVs.  It takes existing WiFi signals in the area and boosts their strength as well as continuously repeats the signals.

We have had full strength signals at all places we have stopped - so I think I made the right decision.

Well - here we sit in Stanton MO - just outside of St. Louis MO.  We are in a KOA campground - we joined this group so we get a 10% discount which is nice.  Gas is very expensive out here $3.89 - $3.99 per gallon for regular.  RVs as you may know are gas drinkers - we have been getting an average of 9 - 10 miles per gallon and the bill for my 6 hours of driving today was $129.  This gas expense is something we will have to manage and that will be done by staying in one place for a week or longer.  We have a $ figure in our budget for gas and that is what we will manage to.  We anticipated an increase in gas prices and our gas budget is based on $4.00 per gallon.

Sooooo stay put longer and send less on gas!  Simple!!!

The wind was not present today which was greatly appreciated!!!!!  When we crossed over from Indiana into Illinois the conditions of the roads became much better - way-way less pot holes and road cracks.  This made me decide to make Abe Lincoln my favorite President!

However that said - and I just said it - when we crossed over from Illinois into Missouri
the roads became even better - smooth as glass - no cracks and no pot holes ------ so I have now decided that Harry Truman is my favorite President!!!!  :>)

Tomorrow we hope to make it to Tulsa OK or into Oklahoma City.  Melissa has not driven the RV yet as she is a bit gun shy so we will wait and try to get her some practice on less busy roads with less 18 wheelers on them.  Once again we had many 18 wheelers ZOOMING past us on both sides - I've decided that they are bullies!!!
So 6 hours per day seems to be my limit for driving and just as fatigue starts to set in we look for a place to stay.  Melissa is the navigator and she works the GPS and her
 i-phone.  The GPS has a couple of great features in that you press a button and it lists all the gas stations in your area  - with phone #'s - another button will give you all the RV Parks in your area.  The GPS was designed for RV-ers and it works just great.
I also joined Pilot/Flying J and they give RV-ers a .03 per gallon discount.

So there are ways to save on gas and on RV parks and at the end of the year these savings can really add up.

Well, the KOA park we are in serves up some food - pizza, Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork and BBQ chicken breast from 4-7PM (not free of course) however we need a good meal as our refrig is empty (only diet coke, water & kit kat bars left) so we'll splurge and buy some supper!  :>)

Tomorrow we'll try to pull off the hyway - find a grocery store and stock up the frig again.

WELL ----- STAYED TUNED --- MORE TRAVEL NEWS TO COME AS LONG AS WE CAN GET WiFi.  We hope to reach Santa Fe on Sunday 4/15 (for a 17 day stay) - which seems good as we are on schedule and as long as I can maintain the 6 hours/day of driving and the weather stays with us - WE'RE GOOD!!!!

Later my friends ---------

JR    :>)

CURRENT RESTING PLACE

Yo My Friends,

Some photos of the RV park we are currently in 4/10 for the night.  Cloverdale RV Park in Cloverdale Indiana.

Dreamcatchers - all settled in for the night

Other RV's settled in as well

Some more of our neighbors

There is a "fishin' hole as well

Indianapolis IN

Yo My Friends,

Well, we left Elkhart Indiana mid morning and are now just outside of Indianapolis IN. in a small RV park - we'll stay the night and head out early in the morning for the St. Louis MO. area.  We'll see how the driving goes and drive for as long as is comfortable and then stop for the night again.

We have a few things that need to get done back in Santa Fe and we need to arrive on about 4/15 - so our driving will be based on that.

I have to say that today we drove almost 6 hours and it was not a very enjoyable drive.
First off - do not come to Indiana on Rte 69, 65,70 as they quite honestly SUCK!!!!  They should be renamed "POT HOLE ALLEY!"  I have never seen such highways in such poor condition - just horrible!!!!!  We will most likely need to get the front end re-aligned when we return to Santa Fe.  In addition to that, the wind has been horrible as well - I was fighting the steering the entire 6 hours and some of the gusts blew us half way into another lane - to top that off, there are hundreds of 18wheelers on these roads and they really don't care about anyone but themselves.

It is still very windy and rather chilly with a freeze forecast for tonight - but we will be snug as bugs in out RV - heat blasting away - we filled up with propane before leaving this morning.  I also stopped for gas - 33 gallons at a cost of $133+ ----- YIKES and that was around a half tank!!!!!

Sooooo all is going well, we are learning all the ropes of setting up the RV in the RV parks and I must pat myself on the back and say that all my 1,000's of hours of research has paid off.

Hoping for less wind tomorrow and smoother SEAS  (NO POT HOLE INFESTED ROADS!!!!!)

Take care - don't know if we will have WiFi tomorrow or not - soooooooooo

STAY TUNED

MORE TO FOLLOW

JR   :>)

Hello Blog Buddies

Yo my friends,

Well today some minor tweaks to the RV so we left it at the factory and we went off for the day.  Went to the Amish countryside and walked around the stores and shops - had a great lunch at a local Amish restaurant - food was great and bought a few treats for the road.

It is a sunny but slightly chilly day here in Indiana but the wind quite strong - windy-windy-windy!!!!

We will be pulling up stakes tomorrow and heading out of Indiana on our way back to Santa Fe.  First stop will be Indianapolis IN and then St. Louis MO, then Springfield MO followed by Tulsa OK - then on into Amarillo TX and then the last day on into Santa Fe NM.  All in all close to 1,500 miles and we are planning on 5 days.

This may be my last post for a while as we can't be sure as to the WiFi hookups - sometimes they are good and sometimes NOT SO GOOD!!!

So until next time - take care and STAY TUNED!!!!!

JR     :>) 

THE DREADED BLACK WATER TANK

Wellllllllll the time has come for us to empty our blank tank (sewer tank) and our grey water tank (water from the sinks and shower.)

This is the most dreaded job involved in RV-ing - so most say - well today the time came for us to perform this task.  The tanks were 2/3's full and that is the ideal time to dump them.

Welllllll we did it - WOO-HOO and the process went as SLICK as could be - not a hitch - not even the hint of any foul odors!!!! 

I bought a real good sewer hose that connects very tightly to the discharge connections of the tank and to be honest - this was easier than driving the 31' RV!!!!
:>)
I did a lot of research on the dumping of the black & grey water tanks and listened to the advice of those I consider "Professional RV" folks and I think it paid off!

Well - we are going to leave the RV at the NEXUS factory tomorrow morning as the automatic levelers need to be adjusted and we are heading off the the Amish Community to go into all the wonderful stores and also look for some hand made decorative throw pillows for our couch and we will also look for some of their wonderful FOOD for lunch.  For desert, we will get some frozen custard - sort of like DQ except it is much thicker, creamier and OH Soooooooooo MUCH MORE TASTY!!!

If I were to tell you that we are really enjoying our RV adventure - it would be a GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT!!!  WE LOVE IT!!!!!!

WOO - HOO

JR    :>)  

FIRST BREAKFAST IN OUR NEW HOME

My DW Melissa cooked up a great breakfast of eggs and sausage and english muffins

WOO-HOO - IT WAS GRRRRRREAT!!!!!!

I think we will go out for Easter dinner as we did not buy a lot of food.  We have not picked up a grill yet so can't do burgers and dogs so I think we'll go to the local

APPLEBEE'S we love it there!

JR    :>)

More Pictures

Good Morning Blog Buddies,

Well, a big wind and rain storm last night and we were snug as bugs in a rug - no problems what so ever - WOO-HOO!

Some more photos following of our RV and not a lot of chatter as today (Easter Sunday) is laundry day for us - got to get ready for the long 1,400+ mile drive back to Santa Fe NM.

Photos of the RV Park we are staying in - The Elkhart Campground

WHERE DOES THE KEY GO?????

I hooked up the water!!!!!

Hooking up the sewer hose --- hope I did not cross the sewer connection with the water connection !!!!!!  YIKES!!!!!

Other RV-ers in the park

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

JR    :>)