Hot Springs

About 200 miles down the road from Mt. Pleasant is Hot Springs and a nice place to stop for the night. We've found in our old traveling age that 200 miles is a nice pace for us.

Let's see ... the microwave-convection oven ceased to function last night. OK no cooking at home. We go out to a schnitzel joint and get the worst we have ever had. Good service, good wine, but nasty pork and chicken schnitzel ... yuk.

Here's Hot Springs downtown area and it is a really cool place with the thermal baths and springs.

The baths have been here for a hundred years but I'm not sure what you would do in there .... haven't tried.

Then the next day we again followed the storm another 200 miles to Memphis. The park at the Naval Air Station was welcome as usual and the weather is great and we could do some shopping at the BX (new microwave) and commissary. For our run today we stayed at about 65 degrees and cloudy.

And arrived in Memphis at about 60 degrees and apparently the end of the nasty storm system that has made such a mess to the east of us.

Maybe Nashville tomorrow.

We're on the road again!

 

In spite of the massive spring storm moving eastward we unhooked the Flying Scotsman from the Vineyards campground where grandson Ev is feeding the really shy squirrel ... the beast would come in the RV if allowed.

 

The current weather system is massive and spawning many deadly storms. We decided to move easterly slowly, following the trailing edge of the system as we work toward Gatlinburg.

 

It's great to be in the bus again and we had an uneventful 140 mile run to Mt. Pleasant. We kept watching the storm and stopped at the KOA in Mt. Pleasant to keep from getting too far into the mess.

This is a nice older KOA with a large concrete pad where we could stop for the night and not unhook. So far we have been averaging about 8.8 miles to the gallon. During today's trip we found that the dash A/C unit of the bus had ceased to function. I did a bit of checking and it looks like we need Freon so if we really need cool air we will run the generator and roof air units.

Sunday night was generally quiet and then a super cell came by at about 12:30 am and hit us with some rain and brilliant lightning but not much else.

Again on Monday we decided to keep going, but slowly, to stay behind the storm which has killed at least 17 so far. After an hour or so on the road we decided to stop at a Love's truck stop for fuel. $3.79 a gallon for the first fill up after we left Bryan at the Kroger where it was $3.39. No pull-thru sites at the Love's ... really poorly laid out place for people like us who can't back up.

We did land happily at the KOA in Hot Springs and our favorite site on the pond for $51. We will keep watching the weather and see how far to go tomorrow. Above is Jo-Anne as she was feeding the "ugly duckling" who came for the dog food.

This dude will never get the prize for prettiest duck in the world. It even has a pronounced limp, but still is right there for a hand out.

And speaking of other bums, Bandit was enjoying the outdoors as well as we relaxed on the fantastic deck by the lake. Later some park guys came by and offered to wash the bus and car for $75 and so we have been scrubbed and rinsed clean of all the Texas dirt and pollen and ready for what nature might offer next.

Again, tomorrow we will review the weather ... old pilot stuff ... go outside, look up and sniff the air ... and then see how far we will proceed to stay behind the storm system.

Ouch!

 

Hey, it's great to be back in the Carrollton park on our small patch of gravel. You'll wonder at the above expression for a couple of seconds, but stay with me. Below is an example of the best Prevost coach, less than 100 miles on it, and in the 2 million plus category ... no, not the brown one to the left with the little HHR, eh.

 

 

OK, here is the ouch part. We are sitting in the "observation deck" of the Flying Scotsman, having our coffee in the morning and we see the really neat bus next to us start to move. In the above pic notice the power pole on the right.

He's a single older man pulling a pickup truck and really cuts the corner by the pole. I'm out of our bus in a second yelling and whistling at him but he doesn't stop until his truck is so entangled in the power apparatus that his 500 horses can't go further.

This power substation is the entire source for over 150 units and below the electrician is cutting the power to the park. I helped the bus owner release his pickup from his bus but, while still drivable, there is extensive damage to the truck and RV.

The fire and police arrive and finally declare that both vehicles are safe to extract.

The repair folks began to cut the damaged panels from the bus and the electrician cut the panels off the power poles. And finally got both the bus and truck off to repair facilities.

We were supposed to leave the park Saturday morning and begin our northward adventure .... however. With the power going to be off for the next 24 hours at least (in spite of Jo-Anne's help below, yet with 90 degrees and full sun) we decided to get the heck outta Carrollton.

And therefore we have landed back at our favorite spot in Grapevine for at least Friday and Saturday. With the weather forecast on Sunday of a mix of tornadoes, hail, high winds, and other nasty Texas stuff from here east we might delay our departure for a day or so to be safe.

Four Generations.

 

As we said goodbye to Mom and Dad we got four generations together to celebrate the neat longevity of this family.

 

 

Mom and Dad are still doing great at the Manor in Bryan and there couldn't be a better facility for all their needs including the enjoyment of this latter stage of life.

And as we say goodbye to the Bryan-College Station area for the next five months or so, another shot of the Holiday Park we stayed in (Flying Scotsman looking at us under the porch roof). Really great facility, friendly management, fully paved, and manicured vegetation. Super.

Birthday Easter

 

It doesn't happen often but Easter was late this year and coincided with the party for this old dude as the last year he could say he was "sixty something."

 

Kerry actually put 7 candles (the real total would have reduced the bus to plastic scrap) but I didn't light the 7th as I'm not quite there YET.

Then, above the mob at the obligatory din-din at Cenare. It was really great to have the whole bunch including Leigh, Brooks and Ev together one more time with the Great Grandpa before we depart for the North.

Then on Sunday the Easter Rabbit was good as he (she?) left a bunch of eggs and toys for the little guy to search for around the bus. Here he is getting the pleasure of a lifetime smashing a cascarone egg shell filled with confetti on his dad's head ... really a fun time ... and after a dozen of them the bus was pretty littered.

Texas Lore

 

First, yes it is spring in Texas and here are Leigh and Ev along one of the roadsides in the local area. On every sunny day you can see many folks with their kids taking some memories home with spectacular scenes of color.

And then on another whole subject. Remember the old expressway supports with their rusted steel and crumbling concrete.

Well here are some panels from just in front of our RV park in College Station on one of the bypass bridges over a RR track. This is amazing bas relief work in the concrete and then painted; with the cowboy above ...

... and the cowgirl ...

... and finally running full speed on the stallion! The grasses painted before the figures almost look like the real thing. There are about 7 or 8 different pictures including a windmill ... pretty neat ... and if you look close at the vertical texture lines you can see that it is rope braids.

Packing up ... Again

 

It seems like we are always loading something into the HHR to go to or from somewhere.

 

 

Saturday the 5th , following the massive storm on the 3rd, we did go up to Denton and took possession of the Flying Scotsman. They had been unable to complete any more of the requested work and we settled up and parted company. The left over big things like the shower pan and the slide roller will have to wait till we settle in Barrie. This winter was the worst for weather yet we managed to sustain very little damage.

On the 5th we drove the 30 miles or so from Denton to the Sandy Lake RV park ... I know, It's not our favorite, but again we can't avoid the convenience. Here's our spot of gravel as we unloaded at least four loads of stuff from the apartment into the bus.

Finally on the 7th we freed the Flying Scotsman from its moorings and did the 200 miles down I-45 to College Station on a beautiful sunny 70 degree day. Great to be in the bus again; love it! This time we moved into the Holiday RV park on the south side of town where we have stayed several years ago. Below you can just see the cranes over Kyle Field at A&M University in the sunset.

And with the setting sun the now sprouting Bluebonnet and Indian Paintbrush wildflowers really pop with color.

Another parting shot of a typical Texas roadside, this one just behind the RV park we are staying in.

We'll be here in the Bryan-College Station area until at least the 21st to complete more medical appointments and say goodbye to Mom and Dad and Richard and Kerry. Then back to Dallas to formally close up the apartment and head much further north ... still waiting for the snow to go!

Spring in Texas

 

Here's our friendly Dallas weatherman explaining that the purple blob by the I-35 symbol in the center of the map is directly over Bruce and Jo-Anne's RV. We were to pick up the Flying Scotsman the next Saturday. Our apartment is about 30 miles south of Denton and well out of this area. He is pointing to the "hook" area of this classic pre-tornado type of formation ... yeow.

 





 

And this shot below was about a mile east of the Camping World location. At this point, as the RV was parked outdoors, we assumed that it should have been reduced to a very short pile of plastic and metal.

And Mr. Dave saying, "Right below this neat looking cloud you can almost see a Camping World with all their RVs parked in a row. Actually you shouldn't be watching this screen right now ... TAKE COVER NOW!"

Ahhhh ... but the RV gods or goddesses were kind to us again. While we were in the midst of some pretty significant hail and wind (80 mph) the bus remained unscathed with absolutely no indication of any affect whatsoever ... close one though and glad not to be in it!!

Rats!

 

Sitting on the porch looking out at the bank of the White Rock Creek on the golf course we spied this muskrat ... pretty good sized one at that. Actually "Muskrat Love" as there were two of them, one just below the bank out of view.

 

 

And take a look at those whiskers!!

The two Canadians that occupy the 11th fairway of the Prestonwood Country Club along with our porch really don't seem all fired up to head north quite yet ... somehow they are watching the national weather forecast I guess.

To finish up here is a nice evening view of the 11th tee from our vantage point. This appears to be a tough 4 par, 389 yard hole with the lake you see below at the tee ... they are shooting toward the camera across the water ...

... and then if you turned right from the above picture you would see the creek and its elevated walls (muskrat pic backdrop) and then the green across it some 20 feet higher than the fairway ... wow!

Saturday we pick up the Flying Scotsman from Camping World ... ready or not! Hey, as nice as this place is, we are ready and anxious to hit the road again to places known and unknown.