050130 – Krewe of Carrollton

050130 – Krewe of Carrollton

Sunday

Today was our first real day out on the town, and it was cool, but dry.

We sent the morning at the D-Day Museum – which to me was like walking thru an exhibit on the History Channel. It was 3 floors of great photographs, short films, and artifacts of both the Atlantic and pacific invasions. As we strolled thru the exhibits, people were constantly asking about Peter so I just told them he was a real history buff and insisted I take him here.

In the afternoon, we were escorted to our privately reserved bleacher stands on the parade route. It was right on Robert E. Lee Circle, where you would have guessed there would be a statue and monument to Robert E. Lee and you would be right. It is said that the statue faces north because he would never turn his back to his enemy.

In truth it is also said that this statue is the only accurate way to determine the direction of north in the city, since the sun rises on the west bank of the Mississippi and sets on the east bank.

The Krewe of Carrollton sponsored today’s parade, and that means it is paid for entirely of private funds. The krewe also pays their portion of the city’s expenses for police, fire, medic, and cleanup.

There were 27 floats, along with high school marching bands. The theme for this parade was historical figures, and each float was made with the likenesses of such notables as Nostradamus, Columbus, Napoleon, Shakespeare, and even our own beloved former governor and president, Ronald Regan.

As soon as the first float passed us, the beads and paraphernalia was flying and with hands in the air, and shouts of “throw me something over here”, the stands and crowds were in a frenzy.

I must say that Peter held up very well, considering it must have appeared as if it was a war zone with incoming missiles everywhere.

We managed to catch our share, and others shared some of their booty with us as well. Some came away with shopping bags full of beads and stuff, and this is only the first parade. We are expected to attend many more, and next weekend, they are expected to be quite large and plentiful.

There are supposedly hundreds of parades that go one during this carnival holiday, with as many as 10-15 a night in different areas of the city and outlying areas simultaneously.

Guess what kind of souvenirs you all are getting when I return.

Till next time,

Vermillionville

050126-VERMILLIONVILLE-Lafayette, LA

050126-VERMILLIONVILLE-Lafayette, LA

Knowing that we were going to stop for a couple of nights in Lafayette, we checked for local color or attractions we might enjoy, and found an historic park called Vermillionville.

It’s a restored 1800’s Cajun community that was started by a group from Nova Scotia.
At the time, the area was called Arcadia, Canada – and these French Canadians migrated to Louisiana. These were the original Creoles and the name Cajun is a bastardized version of Arcadians.


There are representative buildings such as a schoolhouse, church, boathouse, family dwellings, blacksmith forge, and for the 2nd time this week, I rode a small ferry. Now I am talking real small. You’ll have to see the photo. It would fit inside the Beast.

All in all, it was an interesting experience and this small village was the beginning of and finally became the city of Lafayette in 1839.

Isle of Capri - Lake Charles

050125- Isle of Capri – Lake Charles

050125- Isle of Capri – Lake Charles

The weather here has been like a revolving stage – one day summer in T-shirts and the next day winter in wool coats and gloves.
I’m just glad there is no snow or rain.

Before leaving on this trip, I had bought a few books on travel and places to see. One of those books was A Guide to RV Friendly Casinos.

It sounded interesting, but when I got it and read it, I figured I had wasted $15.

As it turns out, one of those casinos was right in our path, and the write up was encouraging. It claimed to have a strip of 8 parking spaces for RVs with electric only hookups for 5 bucks. The book warned that a reservation was mandatory, so with a day in advance, I called and they had a spot open.

It was a short drive to the Isle of Capri hotel and casino so we took our time, made a few stops and enjoyed the scenery, but kept the window closed because it was still in the 40s outside.

When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised. The hotel was large, Las Vegas style, and fronted a Caribbean theme, with bright colors, Jamaican type music, and tropical settings.

We had originally decided to stay one night – but it was such a deal, we took 2. I figured that that would make up for the price of the book.

To say the RV spaces were small would be an understatement. It was definitely no place for the big diesels – but the Beast fit in just right.
Id say there was about 3 feet between rigs, just enough room to get your door open, but for 5 bucks, it was worth it. Besides, we spent much of our time at the hotel.

The casino portion was actually aboard 2 riverboats that were permanently moored alongside the hotel, with one having a permanent enclosed walkway from the hotel to the riverboat.

It seems that the ruling is: gambling cannot take place on land, only on a floating casino. For years, the law required that the riverboat be sea worthy, and must put to sea once a year to qualify as a floating casino. Later rulings found this to be unnecessary, and in fact a problem with these riverboats entering shipping traffic lanes and creating a nuisance as well as a potential hazard so they decided that they could be fixed in place, as long as they floated.

I can’t honestly say what the casino portion looked like because we didn’t venture there. We spent time at the restaurants and various lobby areas and outside areas, reading and relaxing – the air was cold but the warm sun felt good.

With our $5 fee, we also had access to the health club, but it was too cold to use the outdoor pool and Peter did not want to take a steam bath or get a massage, so we passed on that.

All in all, I must say that this was another unexpected treat.

Till next time,

BATTLESHIP TEXAS B-35 

050121 - Battleship Texas

050121 - Battleship Texas

After a restful and relaxing 8-day stay at lake Conroe, we ready and eager to hit the open road.

With the Battleship Texas as our target for the day, we made a quick stop for groceries at one of the many Wal-Mart’s along the way.

We had the route planned and printed by our capable computer mapping program by Microsoft, and were fully prepared and knowledgeable about our destination.

We were excited about going aboard such an historic ship, but were unaware that it would not be the only “ship” we would be on this day.

As our faithful GPS program directed us to our goal, we noticed a sign indicating a ferry ahead. Upon more intense scrutiny of our map, it specified that there was a “free ferry” in our path. As we approached the ferry landing – from which there was no escape – we became a bit perturbed.

In the first place, the ferry wasn’t much bigger than the Beast itself, holding a maximum of 15 cars – squeezed together quite tightly packed.
I was expecting Huck Finn to arrive with a pole to captain it across the bay.

Secondly, when we arrived, there were at least 10 cars already loaded, and the crewman kept waving cars behind us to come aboard, leaving us to watch as it sailed away.

There was no one to talk to or ask questions of, and turning around appeared to be out of the question without assistance, but as quickly as the ferry departed, another, having left the opposite shore, arrived in its place.

After it was quickly offloaded, I was waved aboard first, and encouraged to get as close to the leading edge as possible without rolling off. Since we sit higher than cars, out view was better, but it was not very comforting. I kept thinking that we might be too heavy for this frail craft, and since we were higher, we might roll over in a good wave.

As we left the dock, we could see across the bay our counterpart ferry coming toward us in a rounding maneuver. The entire ride was only about 10 minutes, but very nerve racking. Peter, of course, showed no emotions whatsoever.

From the landing, it was about a 5-minute drive to the Battleship Monument, and as we pulled into the parking lot, we were quite impressed by its appearance and stature. Besides the beast, there were only about 5 cars in the parking lot. I assumed that because it was a Friday - there would be light attendance, but I am figuring, how many cars could get across the ferry in one day to make it crowded?

Our first surprise was that this massive ship, which was built in 1911 and commissioned in 1914, was painted a dark blue, almost black – not the usually battleship gray we are accustomed to. This color was chosen during the war (WW-II) as a means to confuse enemy aircraft and radar. I don’t know how effective it was, but it sure made the ship look more formidable and threatening.

Once aboard, the aura and magnitude of the vessel overcame us. Armament was everywhere – small machine guns along the perimeter, larger guns embedded behind barriers, projecting out of gun ports, and of course those 14” long guns, with barrels 20 feet long, capable of firing shell weighing as much as Volkswagens, 21 miles inland.

Looking up, the massive superstructure rose to overt 100 feet at some points.

Its history indicates that in 1945 it put into the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs and refitting, so I am pretty sure that my dad would have been assigned to work on her.

We strolled the main deck, absorbing as much info as we could. The lower decks were available for touring, but I chose not to chance the treacherous stairs and ladders and bulkheads. I suggested that Peter go below with the camera, but he also declined.

Our return ferry ride was just as trepidous as our first, but we made it across without mishap and journeyed on to our park de jour.

At first glance, this park, just off the interstate, seemed shabby and uninviting, but the manager placed us in a spot further off the highway, alongside a pond on a grassy site which is quite picturesque as well as comfortable for Peter. We were happy.

We did notice the presence of mosquitoes in the area and also in our cabin – probably from standing water in the pond. I will have to find our bottle of mosquito repellant. I once read that the sheets of fabric softener (like Bounce) repel mosquitoes, but I don’t recall it working in the past. Perhaps we’ll try it again. I really hate mosquitoes.

We took a brief walk around, hooked up just electric – our fresh water tank ¾ full – and settled in for the night.

It was a good day,

Lake Conroe,TX

050120 – lake Conroe

050120 – lake Conroe

While the first day on Corpus Christi bay was nice, the 2nd was cool and very windy, and that night was a thunder and lightening storm that lasted almost to morning.

When we left, it was bright and sunny but still cool and windy. The first hour on the road was a real battle with cross winds, and then it eased up a little as we approached Houston.

This RVP is a marina resort on lake Conroe, which is about 40 miles north of Houston. Unfortunately, the weather is going to be cool for the week with night temps in the 30’s and daytime about 60, but it will be dry and sunny.

The next day turned out to be a great day.

The morning was cold so we stayed in bed till 9, when it started to warm up.
The sun was out and the blue sky was beautiful, and in the sun it was warm with a light breeze.

We go notified that a better site was available (the one we were given had no sewer dump). The new site, #1 is perfect. Unobstructed view of the marina and bay and large and grassy for Peter. The park is basically half woodsy and half marina.

The inner roads are good enough for the Batmobile, which Peter and I appreciate.

The dining room is down at the marina, a small, cozy room with a great kitchen, good cooks and good food at reasonable prices and nice people who offer assistance and are enjoyable to talk to.

We’ve been here about a week and plan on leaving tomorrow. Although our stay has been pleasant and enjoyable, I will say I would have liked the temperature to be at least 10 degrees higher most of the time. The blue skies and high white clouds were a clever disguise for 30-degree nights and 50-degree days.

Ironically, the last two days of our stay have been warmer with night temps in the 60s and daytime in the 70s although low clouds and overcast have been the compromise.

This is the longest we have ever stayed in one place without a planned activity, and it feels much longer and we have an urge to move along. I know we’ve been here long enough when Peter has established specific places to do his business. I like to keep him guessing.

Unfortunately, the forecast for the next few days is a cold wave with some rain, and so far the long distance report for New Orleans is cold – day and night.

While planning our next stop, we noticed an exhibit along the way – the Battleship Texas – docked in La Porte, Texas.

During the war (WWII) my dad worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a welder on warships. In fact, the battleship Missouri, the last battleship to be commissioned by the U.S. Navy, was built in The Brooklyn Navy Yard, and my dad was on that construction crew.
Given the choice of working above or below decks, He used to brag that he liked to take the more dangerous assignments to work on the high masts and riggings (sometimes 10 stories in the air – hanging by a lifeline) because none of his supervisors were brave enough to come up to check on his work and he didn’t like people looking over his shoulder while he worked.

His experiences and stories led me to a hobby of model shipbuilding, with many of the ships that he actually worked on. He would often describe the conditions of warships that came in for repairs after sea battles and what his role was in getting them back to action.

I would hang on his every word, and as I was assembling the superstructure of a ship, I would imagine him up there helping me – or was I helping him?

We look forward to the exhibit and continue to inch our way toward New Orleans.

Till next time,

King Ranch 

050112-Corpus Christi

050112-Corpus Christi

Leaving San Antonio and arriving at Kingsville was a pleasant drive – with some light winds and showers, but nothing to threaten us.

Kingsville is about 40 miles northwest of Corpus Christi and the home of the King Ranch. Actually, the entire ranch is about the size of Rhode Island, but it started in Kingsville. The total acreage is about 825,000.

It was started by an Irish immigrant from New York, who developed a colorful life from the age of nine when he ran away from home by stowing away on a boat heading south. He became a steamboat captain, and with some good friends and connections, saved enough money to buy some Mexican land grants in Texas at the price of about 2 cents an acre.

The ranch is responsible for developing a special breed of cattle (Santa Gertrudis) as well as raising horses – quarter horses and racing horses.

In the early 40s, there was a colt born on the ranch that injured its foot on a pointed stake and was though to never be able to run. As it turned out, that horse did learn to run and run fast. His name was Assault and he won the Triple Crown in 1946.

On of the Mexican cowboys that work the ranch named Lo Lo, gave us a brief history of the ranch from his prospective as a 4th generation ranch worker. In fact he was the first cowboy to break and saddle Assault. Lo Lo is now in his 70s, a widower, and works as a spokesman and historian of the ranch.

The bus tour was about 2 hours, but we were not allowed to get off so taking photos was not very productive, but to be there and recognize the magnitude and spectra of the land was awesome.

Onto Corpus Christi, we booked a RVP along the bay. Infact, our campsite was “sitting by the dock of the bay”. The weather was warm, in the 80s, but the humidity was in the 90s. That was one of the reasons I left New York.

Peter seemed to like the smell of salt water in the air, and we spent a lazy afternoon sitting by the bay reading, sunning and napping (Peter did the napping – didn’t bring a book to read).

Today was a different situation. The winds are whipping abound – up to 30 mph gusts – which woke us up with a rocking of the Beast.

The bay looks like it’s creating its own tsunami, with white caps and waves that are breaking over the embankments. We are apparently in no danger, and one brave fisher-woman even braved the winds to stand on the dock and cast away.

We have a sudden change of plans – the next campsite we planned for was in Rockport – a few miles away – but we could not get a reservation, so plan B was Lake Conroe, just north of Houston. It’s within a day’s drive and should be nice. We’ll be there for 8 days and then head for New Orleans.
Till next time,

BM6 

050107 SAN ANTONIO-2

050107
San Antonio-2

The good news is that the weather is supposed to be dry and warmer by the weekend but for now it’s still cold enough to freeze your gonads off. Of course, for Peter, that’s not a problem anymore.

Last night we hit the cheap Mexican restaurant across the street. It was clean and half occupied which made me feel good.

After we were seated and reviewed the menu, I noticed that Peter seemed nervous and uncomfortable. After I finished ordering dinner, he told me he was worried about drinking the water. After I assured him it was safe, he settled down.

The food was pretty good and large portions although there was not much for Peter: I had a chile relano, guacamole, and a beef taco. He got the taco.

Fortunately I had enough treats in my pockets to keep him satisfied.

This morning the front office called to tell me that there were no tours available. Maybe next time.

We leave Sunday morning for Kingsville, and hopefully will be able to get a tour of the King Ranch – I don’t know much about it but friends have strongly recommended it.

Till next time,

050106 - San Antonio

050106 - San Antonio

Leaving Ozona in a light rain – not expected to last to long.
Peter insisted on a walk before leaving but even he didn’t like the weather and was anxious to climb aboard the Beast as soon as I opened the door.

About an hour later, the rain stopped but gusty winds took over and made the driving a real wrestling match with the steering wheel. Thank god for cruise control so I can keep both hands on the wheel.

We make a few stops at rest areas to take a break and relax from the stress. It’s nice to be able to stop and go to the fridge for a glass of milk and a brownie and have your own bathroom on board. Of course, these niceties do not seem to impress Peter and his basic drive to go outside has to be honored.

We selected the Traveler’s World RVP because we’ve been here for Thanksgiving on our maiden voyage and really liked it. Across the street is the city bus line that goes right into the heart of the city (3 miles away) and the buses are very modern with low step access and handicap ramps. Also, across the street is a very good and cheap Mexican restaurant.

There is an active community room with dinners and games scheduled.
There are lots of trees and grass for Peter and paved (though not so smooth) roadways for the Batmobile.

On arrival, the weather was warm and dry with a gray overcast.
The next day the temp was in the 70s but we had showers and winds during the day.

Reading the local tourist magazine explains that this is the time of year the River walk portion of the San Antonio River gets drained and cleaned. The interesting part is that the city turned this messy maintenance chore into a local celebration called the Mud Festival; complete with a parade and King and Queen. Unfortunately the draining is January 3-12, and the Festival starts on the 13th, and we'll be gone by then.

It’s Thursday and the weather has taken a nasty turn. Last night was Burger nite and besides a fulfilling dinner with lots of fixings and side dishes and chocolate cake for desert, the surrounding company was fun and educational as usual.

Back to the weather; it started last night with dropping temperatures and never looked back. This morning was in the low 40s and stayed that way all day. The good news is that I have learned to be prepared for anything and I do have a warm woolen jacket and gloves.
Somehow, Peter isn’t bothered by the cold, but everyone else in the park are walking around in clothing that looks like they are going skiing (heavy jackets, gloves, scarves, and even woolen ski caps).
There are a couple of tours available but one of them involves a ride on a River walk boat, The Alamo, an Imax movie of the Alamo, the Mission and the Market place.
Since the river is closed and I’ve seen the Alamo, we opted for the LBJ Ranch and Hill Country. Unfortunately, they are not available for Friday so if we can’t get one for Saturday, we’ll go without.
For now, the main goal is to keep warm, and the Beast is taking good care of us.

Till next time …

PS-my back is still healing and the good news is that it has taken my attention away from my bad knees. The weather isn’t helping any.

050104 - Ozona

050104 - Ozona

The next morning, with about ½ tank of gas we headed for Ozona, in the middle of nowhere but one of the few RVP between here and San Antonio. Just out of habit, I set my GPS computer program.

I found that using a GPS while traveling across Texas is as entertaining and useful as staring at a radio-producing nothing but static. 250 miles of watching a horizontal blue line with an ”X” in a circle traveling from left to right over and over again.

Speaking of radio, not even an NPR station – but fortunately I had some books on tape to cut thru the border.

As we passed a sign that said – Ozona –15 miles – the engine sputtered and threatened to fail. I looked at the gas gauge and it was on the empty line. In the past I took that to mean careful – but apparently that scenario has been changed to tough luck – you’re out of gas.

I cancelled the cruise control, dropped my speed to about 45 and gently teased the hand control for the gas and managed to keep the engine from stalling. As we approached an incline our speed dropped to almost 30 and I feared we would not crest it but we did and I slipped into neutral for some gliding.

As we exited the interstate, the engine quit but I kept it rolling and actually was able to restart it and coast into a gas station. We took 56.6 gallons – for a 60-gallon tank.

What have I learned from this experience? Always keep your tank topped off when driving thru Texas.

The Bar Circle RVP is also one we stayed at before. It reminds me of a cross between a drive-in movie and a Howard Johnson’s. I’ll try to send a photo.

WE had dinner at the truck stop restaurant next door and got great service that you can only get from a truck stop waitress who treated everyone like she’s your mother – telling you what to and what not to order and making sure you finish everything on your plate.

My back seems to be improving and healing, slowly but surely. It still hurts and sitting up in bed hurts and bending over is not a thrill but less pain and disability than before.

Tomorrow we hope to be in San Antonio and stay 3 or 4 days, but don’t know if we will do any sightseeing.

Oh, by the way, we crossed another time zone, so will lose another precious hour of sleep in the morning.

Las Cruces

Las Cruces

Leaving Lordsburg heading for Las Cruces –

Driving along New Mexico’s highways can be so educational and gives one a sense of safety.
There are signs such as WARNING – DUST STORMS AHEAD and another foretelling with ZERO VISIBILITY POSSIBLE.

Another sign makes a claim I Am not sure is a boast or suggestion - GATEWAY TO MEXICO.

We arrived in Las Cruces late in the afternoon after taking a leisurely drive around the city to see if there was anything interesting to see and then had a late lunch.

We were happy to find that the RVP did not have any party planned – so we settled in with cable TV and home cooking and Peter and I had our own New Year’s Eve party.

We were asleep before midnight.

We were only a couple of blocks from an “OLD TOWN” historical park, but being Jan 1st, it was closed. However the day was a beautiful warm, sunny day so we enjoyed the great weather.

That evening, just after sunset, as I was preparing to take Peter on his constitutional, I lost my balance along side the beast and leaned on a railing that I forgot was hinged –
I fell backwards – square on my tailbone and then supine.

It was dark, and there was no one to be seen. As I lay there, Peter sat beside me, I tried to do a quick diagnostic program on myself.
I was conscious, I did not bang my head, and although there was great pain in my low back, I did not sense any pains radiating up or down or in any other part of my body.

I managed to roll over and get on my hands and knees and then pulled myself upright and climbed back into the beast. I chug-a-lugged some Aleve, grabbed a frozen bag of peas fro the freezer and hit the bed.

I knew that how I felt in the morning would be an important part of my prognosis, and we were planning on driving that day.

I used some self-hypnosis to try to relieve some of the pain as well as try to get some sleep. It seemed to work for a few hours at a time.

I awoke early, before any alarms, made an assessment and decided that I had not broken or dislocated any vertebra or disc, nor did I sense any nerve damage – so I carefully unhooked our lifelines and prepared the beast fort travel.

I was worried about climbing over the doghouse (the large hump between the front seated where the engine is located) to get to the cockpit. It was actually easier than I expected, and once I settled into the captain’s chair I really felt comfortable.

We drove to Van Horn, and even managed a rest area for Peter to take care of business.

Arriving at the Eagle’s Nest, a park we had been to before, we were assigned a space right near the pet exercise yard, which was a fenced in area. It was a blessing because now I did not have walk Peter – just open the gate and set him loose.

Since this was just an overnight stay, I only hooked up our electric line – the less schlepping the better. Our fresh water tank was half full and so were our gray and black water tanks.

The pain was still rough, but manageable, and we got to bed early.