Day Five

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

It didn't take long for us to realize we weren't going anywhere besides Tucumcari, New Mexico today. The suite was available for one more night and we took advantage of it. The motel gave us free breakfast at a restaurant down the street and the restaurant manager came and picked us up and delivered us, just like they had the night before when she also stopped at the grocery store so Craig could get some cards. The owner of the Blue Swallow, graciously, gave us a ride to the community pool. She just put a sign on the door and we loaded up. We weren't even there an hour before the kids were ready to go. Instead of calling to get a ride back to the motel, we just walked. It was 105 degrees, but felt like in the eighties. The fuel pump they installed wasn't working so we have to wait until tomorrow morning to get another one. They haven't even started on the tires or wheel bearings. Sammy is just about ill at the nits that said this vehicle was road-worthy. Thankfully, the folks at the repair shop are very nice and accommodating. I just wish their toilet wouldn't keep stopping up. There are two other RV's sitting in the same shop with the same problems as ours. A truck with a camper was sitting with a blown engine. One of the families dubbed this area the Tucumcari Triangle. I had to agree with their observation.

Our stop for two days

Sammy dubbed this the Tucumcari Auto Pros and RV park

Our shuttle from motel to restaurant

Jake had been making some kind of idiotic face, but stopped just before snapping the picture. Craig looks thrilled doesn't he? We were the only people in the Pow-Wow restaurant eating breakfast that morning.

Day Six

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

We finally are back on the road again today. New tires, new fuel pump and new wheel bearings. Apparently, the reason the tire lost tread was because the front wheels were toed out 1". They fixed that, too. At this point, it now would have officially been cheaper to rent. The ride is so much smoother and the gas mileage appears to be better, too. It was starting to storm as we got on the highway and we actually pulled over for a while until the wind gusts decreased. The scenery is starting to change in New Mexico. The houses have an adobe architecture and there are lots of plateaus dotting the horizon. We made it to the Albuquerque Central KOA for the night. They, of course, are having record high temperatures and the wind gusts were as much as 56 mph. Glad to get off that highway.

Chillin' at the Tucumari Auto Pros

Supervisor Sammy

Sammy and new friend, Paul

Goodbye garage at the Blue Swallow Motel

Goodbye Blue Swallow Hotel Suite

Monday, June 21, 2010

In case you can't tell, Addie and Hoke left their mark at the Cadillac Ranch

So today the fun began. I talked Sammy into slowing down the pace and we took a trip south of Amarillo to the Palo Duro Canyon. It was neat, but I imagine it will pale in comparison to what we will see later on this trip. Of course, we couldn't leave Texas without a quick stop at the famous Cadillac Ranch. There were cans of spray paint littering the landscape and each child searched until successfully finding the treasure of a non-empty can. I only wished that had been the highlight of the day. I haven't decided if the highlight was when we had to change a tire on the side of a busy interstate or having the RV towed into the next nearest town to have the fuel pump replaced. About one mile before reaching the New Mexico state line the tread flew off the right front tire. Luckily, it was on the right side, and I use the term "luckily" loosely. It is somewhat uncomfortable with the RV sitting on a small jack while trucks fly by and cause it to sway. We couldn't get the wheel changed fast enough. So, back on the highway, we traveled one mile to the New Mexico welcome center. As we came to a stop in the parking lot, the RV spit and sputtered and cut off. Sammy cranked it again and it didn't like it. He gave it gas and it backfired. Basically, we talked sweet to the RV and it spit in our face. I will now declare the highlight of the day to be when we had the RV towed into a Tumcumcari, New Mexico repair shop and we got to stay at the Blue Swallow Motel on Old Route 66. The repair shop determined the fuel pump was bad and would have us on the road by twelve the next day.

I could tell my boys not the build something like this at our house and within days we would have it built.

Skeery

Yes, the tow truck is pink

Our stop on Route 66

Third day of trip, Sunday, June 20, 2010.

After an earlier start, Sammy, once again, put the petal to the metal. Have I mentioned our gas mileage stinks? Our plan was to make it through a good portion of Texas today, and we did. Somewhere is Arkansas, the roadkill changed from raccoon to armadillo. The wind what was sweeping 'ore the plains didn't make for good driving. Of course, I didn't drive in the wind, I am just going by what Sammy says. The trees, or what few there are of them were leaning north in both Oklahoma and Texas from the wind constantly blowing them that direction. Sammy kept the steering wheel in a constant left position just to keep the RV straight. I asked him how it felt with the wind whipping us around then a big truck passing by pushing us and he said that is didn't make much difference. That wears me out just thinking about driving like that all day. Learning the secret to cooking in the camper. If you have to stand up while riding, keep your legs apart and your knees bent. That way, you can keep your balance as you go with the bouncing and swaying. Also, don't keep your dirty dish pan, with dirty dishes in it, on the countertop while in motion, unless you want your coffee cups broken. Also falling apart in the RV today was the curtain rod, a small metal support bar under an outside compartment and another compartment door was deformed. The door deformation was caused by the propane tank pressure relief valve releasing it's pressure while going down the road. It released three times while driving, but the first time we were all sure something had come loose and we were dragging. It was a horrible sound, but lasted only seconds. We bunked for the night at the Overnite RV Park in Amarillo, TX. The wind was blowing so hard, we felt like we were still moving.

Largest cross in the northern hemisphere

Texas rest area/tornado shelter

Man, that sign was big.

These windmills are huge and I am pretty sure there are millions of them.

Made it all the way through Oklahoma today.

Second day of trip, Saturday, June 19, 2010. Sammy drove for about 10 hours today, only stopping for gas. I've learned to cook while traveling. The biggest problem is keeping your balance as we bounce along. What has been extra nice is not having to stop for bathroom breaks (except Sammy) every other hour. There is just enough room in the RV that the kids are getting along pretty well. I am having to find a way to hang our wet towels and bathing suits while we keep moving. Those little sticky hooks are doing the trick. The bathroom wall is now covered with towels and suits. Not too pleasing to the eye, but hey, you do what you gotta do. Observations of Arkansas, they people are super friendly, the landscape is gorgeous, but the heat is stifling.

We were fortunate enough to get to the Lake Dardenhelle State Park in Russellville, Arkansas just in time to get a spot for the night. The sun was setting and the place was absolutely gorgeous. We all wished we could spend more time here, but as vowed by Sammy Ballard, we were on the road at 7:52 in the morning. As we pulled out, all four young'uns were still snoozing. Weird, we seemed to have a lot more energy not having to drag and push four extras to get ready to go.

Mississippi River

Made it into Arkansas.

West, will we make it?

First day of trip, Friday, June 18, 2010. Okay, so I've uploaded pictures and, of course, they are in reverse chronlogical order and I can't figure out how to change it. These five pictures are of our first day in our quest to tour the western United States. Now, tell me why, all of a sudden, the font changes in the middle of this blog. The first picture in this update is of our "Battleship Gastonia" prepared for take-off. The second we left the driveway, Jake exclaimed, "I'm bored". The second is of traffic in the mountains of North Carolina. The buses you see in the pictures were still traveling with us through Texas. The traffic was due to the rock slide near the NC-TN state line. Sammy was happy. The third picture is of the I-40 sign we are still seeing as we travel westward across this great country. Made it almost halfway through Tennessee the first day and stayed at Bean Pot Campground in Crossville, TN. We camped on Lima Bean Lane. Strange, but they didn't have a Pork 'n Bean Lane. I forgot to leave a suggestion that they get that changed before I cross their path again, oh well. The only camper troubles this day was the door trying to fall apart before we left the house. Okay, now I see why the pictures are in reverse order, it is because when you add a new blog, the newest is on top. Last thought for today, if one is prone to motion sickness, one shouldn't try and organize in a moving vehicle. By the way, I am not proofreading what I am typing, therefore, rest assured there will be a plethera of grammatical and spelling errors. Renea

making sure I remember how to do this

This post is to see if I remember how to do this blogging thing. I will find out when I finish if I do or not. The picture is our dog, Casey, our 100+ pound female black lab. Once again, not sure why this particular picture was chosen, I just thought she looked extra sweet in this one, so there. Okay, now to see if I am doing this right or not. Later.