Taos to Los Alamos, New Mexico

Friday 9/18/2015

This morning we drove the short run of 66 miles from Taos to Los Alamos. We are camped in Rae Anne's (Millie's daughter) house and will be here for a week. Their home borders the Los Alamos National Forest so we have a beautiful view out our windows and several hiking trails that pass right by the house. I don't venture too far when I have Maggie with me, as there are many coyotes and mountain lions in the area and she is like walking “bait”.

Marcus and Evan where thrilled to see “Grandma” and to have “the bus” parked in their driveway. We all went to dinner at a small restaurant in town.

Fuel= none purchased today, but FYI prices are up here in New Mexico. We've seen $2.19 on the Indian reservation, $2.75 in Taos, and $2.59 in Los Alamos.

Meals= the Kolman's treated us to dinner, all other meals eaten aboard Motorhome. $0

Miles driven today= 66

end of day odometer reading=66103

Saturday 9/19/2015

Today is Marcus's 5^th birthday (As well as my son's 44^th Bday) and he had a party at the Gymnastics School in Los Alamos. About ten of his school classmates and their parents attended. By all accounts the party was a huge success, the kids had a great time romping with all the padded equipment, singing happy birthday to Marcus and eating cake. 

Mileage=0

Meals=All meals eaten on-board motorhome, cost $0

Note= I only consider meal costs that are purchased or eaten out, eating in is no different than being at home and not part of the traveling costs.

Sunday 9/20/2015

As of this writing the family has no plans for today. The kids are riding bikes on the driveway this morning and I expect them to visit the bus soon. Millie is going to cut hair today, Ray Anne's and the kids anyway, not sure if she cuts Dave's hair.

Arkansas to Missouri to Kansas to Oklahoma to New Mexico

Tuesday Sept 15 2015

We departed Lake Norfork Arkansas and drove north into Missouri. With sadness we passed right by Branson but vowing to return when we can stay for 4 or 5 days. Most of the headliners have left the music mecca but you can see some really talented but unknown acts for not much $$. We went north as far as Springfield and then turned west to Kansas. 

There are two reasons we have veered north once again on this trip 1. Millie and I have never been to Kansas. 2. Big Brutus is in the lower right hand corner of the state. The rational of #1 is obvious but who or what is Big Brutus, you ask.

Big Brutus is the largest electric shovel in the world. For about ten years in the sixties and seventies it was used to strip mine coal. It did not dig the coal but removed the overburden (dirt and rocks covering the coal seam). By 1974 it was no longer cost effective to operate the giant shovel and Big Brutus was left to sit at the edge of its last strip mine. In 1984 the owners donated it to a non profit foundation. The huge excavator is now a museum and memorial to the southeast Kansas coal mining industry. You can walk around many of the equipment rooms inside Brutus as well as climb into the giant bucket. It's one of those things you have to see and touch to appreciate the enormity of this behemoth. 

Just the facts about Big Brutus:

Largest electric shovel in the world

160 feet tall

weight=11 million pounds

boom=150 feet long

dipper capacity=90 cubic yards (150 tons) enough to fill three railroad cars

maximum speed=.22 mph, that's 1/5^th of one mile per hour

Cost in 1962=$6.5 million

three man crew=operator, ground man, oiler. There was also an electrician but he was not considered crew as he had duties off the shovel as well.

The main hoist was operated by eight 500 hp direct current electric motors.

Brutus was not independently powered, it received 7,200 volts of 3 phase alternating current thru large extension cords from the power company.

Inside Brutus were two 3500 hp motors that ran 13 DC generator sets used to produce the DC voltage which in turn operated the drive motors, winches and hydraulic pumps.

After visiting Big Brutus we continued our drive west for about an hour to our overnight stop. Along the way we were looking for the never ending fields of amber waves of grain. To our dismay this corner of Kansas has an unkept appearance, overgrown fields and hedgerows, with weeds growing right up to the roads. The two lane roads had no shoulders and were heavily used by over the road truckers. Every time we passed an oncoming truck on the narrow roads the air wave they push would rock the motorhome. Poor Maggie was scared of them and Millie had to hold her the entire way.

When we stopped at Parsons for fuel I discovered that the rush of air from the truckers had torn part of a rear fender loose on the motorhome. Hard to believe but it was only attached with pressure sensitive tape. I duct taped a repair and we continued on our way.

At Fall River dam we stayed overnight at the adjacent Corp of Engineers campground. Once again it was only $10 for the night with our America the Beautiful pass.

Falls River COE campground=$10.

Fuel at Parsons, KS. $2.20 per gallon, 38.9 Gallons, $86.06 total

Fuel at Mountain Home AR. $2.12 per gallon, 31.2 gallons, $66.42 total

all meals eaten onboard today cost=$0

Big Brutus T shirts for Marcus and Evan= $12. each

Miles driven 9/15=330

end of day odometer=65518

Wednesday Sept 16 2015

We got up at our normal 7 am and departed Fall River at 9 am, also a normal time for us. Thus began a long day of driving across southern Kansas on route 400. Mostly a two lane road the trek west was kept lively by a brisk cross wind the whole day. The terrain became more scenic as we progressed west, first with rolling hills and open range and later some agriculture

Soon we passed Wichita and we still hadn't seen endless flat fields, they must be up in the northern or midsection of the state. Later in the day over toward Dodge City we started seeing huge feed lots where poor cattle are corralled in small pens. Forced to stand in their own poop with no shade and no grass, they are feed and watered to fatten them up before going to the slaughter house. I know there are a lot of beef eaters out there who would rather not know about this but its true and its a sad thing to see.

Our day ended just above the Oklahoma line in the southwest corner of Kansas in the small town of Elkhart. Prairie RV Park was small, about 15 sites and very neat and clean. It even had grass strips in between the gravel camper sites. There is no office just a little covered counter with pay envelopes and a drop box.

I planned on getting this posted to the blog on Wednesday but we had a really strong 4G signal on my phone so we used it as a hotspot to stream the CNN coverage of the Republican debate to my laptop.

Prairie RV Park= $20 a night with full hook up including cable.

Fuel at Dodge City Flying J, $2.12, 40.3 gallons, $85.84 total

miles driven today=371

end of day odometer reading=65857

Thursday Sept 17 2015

We woke up at 7 am and were surprised that it was still dark outside, We have been driving away from the rising morning sun and finally got to the point were we are rising before the sun.

We refueled before leaving Elkhart at a co-op fuel depot, not members we didn't get the discounted rate but it was still 10 cents cheaper than either of the stations on the highway. BTW, the co-op was also unattended, paid at the pump and left Elkhart never having spoken with anyone from town.

Soon we crossed the border into Oklahoma and much to our dismay found the roads are in the same wash board condition as the last time we passed thru the panhandle. Two lane road, 65mph speed limit, we drove a lot of it at 45 mph, luckily there was very little traffic.

When we got to Boise City OK the road conditions improved and we were able to drive the posted speed. A few miles down the road we passed the upper left corner of the top hat portion of Texas, which was soon followed b the New Mexico border.

On our way west thru New Mexico we crossed the actual path of the historic Santee Fee Trail. At Simarron the Santa Fee Trail converged with the modern road to pass thru the Rocky mountains. A long journey now on asphalt, back in pioneer days it had the added element of being an arduous passage on two ruts in the dirt trail.

In one of the larger valleys in the middle of the mountain range is a settlement called Eagles Nest. It was here we saw a sight we're been looking for in all four of our cross country adventures. I know this is hard to believe but today was the first time we've seen cowboys on horses herding cattle! I've come to believe that most ranch chores are performed using all terrain vehicles. Now if we could see some buffalo in the wild!

About half way thru the mountains you pass the ski resort area called Angel Fire. If you look north up on the hill you will see a white sculpture sweeping up out of the ground and going skyward. Originally built by the grieving parents of a Vietnam war casualty, it was willed to the state and is now a memorial to all Vietnam veterans, it shares the name of the surrounding area, Angel fire.

Many twists and turns in the road later we arrived on the other side of the mountain range and our stopping spot for the night. We are parked at Taos Valley RV Resort in the artist colony called Taos. After settling in and walking Maggie, we treated ourselves to a dinner out, We chose a Mexican restaurant and had an enjoyable meal. Afterwards we drove to the city center tourist shopping district where we walked off some of our meal and bought,...... what else..... T shirts!

Fuel at Elkhart CO-OP $2.34 a gallon, 35.3 gallons, $82.92 total

Taos Valley RV Resort $36.92 a night

Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant Dinner for two $19.25

end of day odometer reading 66103

Lake Norfork, Arkansas

Sunday started out as a drive day, meaning we had no destination picked out. Leaving Cherokee Landing Campground we just meandered the local roads in the general direction we wanted to go. Sometimes these days are just a long drive and sometimes we find something interesting and stop for a while. Today's treat would come at the end of our travels. 

We crossed the Mississippi River on the lower bridge out of Memphis Tennessee. We stopped for fuel at the Flying J Travel Center in West Memphis Arkansas. This area is a big trucking and shipping area as both railroads and interstates are funneled together at the river crossing. Not wanting to share I-40 with all the trucks we elected to take route 64. We've never gone that way and it was generally going west, so what more could we ask for! The landscape is the same as along I-40 in this part of the state with lots of cultivated fields, but we did get to pass thru several small towns and villages. 

In the town of Wynne we stopped at a convenient Walmart parking lot for lunch. Wondering what the scenery looked like in the northern part of the state we decided to change directions, at Bald Knob we turned north on route 167.

The terrain gradually changed to forest covered mountains and other than in the towns we saw little housing or signs of any commercial activity. Several times the road would crest over the top of a mountain and we would be treated to a panoramic view that probably looked the same to early explorers.

 At Ash Flat we turned west once again and drove the roller coaster like route 62. About 4:30pm as we passed a large lake we decided we had been on the road long enough and thought this might be a good place to spend the night. A search on the database in our GPS pointed us to a Corp of Engineer campground on the lake and just 2 miles from where we had stopped. Turns out the campground is a gem of a park located on a small island on Lake Norfork.

 

They let us drive in and pick our site before registering and after driving thru we were so pleased with the campground and its environs, we decided to stay for two days. The lake around the campground recently was overfilled and they have been slowly drawing it down. We could see where the high water mark was about 6-8 feet above it's present level and they still have a good 8-10 feet to go before the swimming beach will be exposed. 

Every time we take Maggie outdoors she wants to go to the waters edge and play. She doesn't go swimming, just wades at the edge and bites at wavelets and bubbles. The side walk in the picture goes down to the swimming beach.

We drove into the nearby town of Mountain Home (pop. 15000+/-) this morning. It is a populated with big box stores you wouldn't expect in such a small out of the way place, I'm assuming the population swells during the summer boating months. We enjoyed some down home cooking in a restaurant on the old town square, it was there that we saw a couple anonymously pay for the meal of an old crumpled man. Kind of warms the heart, I hate to say it but in our town he would have been invisible to most people, such is city life nowadays.

We shopped for a few provisions and then found the post office before heading back to the campground for an afternoon of quiet contemplation. It is one of the great joys in life, to gaze out over the water and just be.............there are no fancy words coming..........to just be, is a state of mind.

Miles driven Sunday=300 +/-

Fuel= 36.4 gallons, $2.09 per gallon, total= $74.68

Sunday meals eaten onboard MH, cost= $0

Monday lunch in town, $21.00 

Corp of Engineers Federal Campground= $10. a night with Senior America the Beautiful Pass.

Shiloh

Even though things didn't go as planned we had an enjoyable day. The original idea was to drive to Pickwick Lake State Park in Tennessee, set the motorhome up and then drive the jeep to the Civil War Battlefield National Park called Shiloh.

On the way to Pickwick we detoured north off the direct route so we could travel for 15 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline drive, this scenic road is better taken in short doses and our chosen duration worked out about right. After 15 miles of looking at manicured grass along the parkway I started yearning for rustic tobacco barns and old gas stations.

We drove thru Pickwick State Park and couldn't find a site that our motorhome would fit in, so we continued on to Shiloh. They have RV parking at the visitors center so we left Maggie in the motorhome while we watched the movie about the battle. Afterwards we drove the 12 mile self guided route around the park.

These monuments to our history are always thought provoking for me and I've been trying to summarize my introspection into a profound statement. The best I can come with is just stating the facts.

On April 6 1862 forty thousand Confederate troops engaged an equal number of union soldiers in the forests and fields surrounding a Methodist meeting house called Shiloh. The two day battle produced 23,000 casualties and was the bloodiest battle in American history at it's time.

After our visit to Shiloh National Park we continued westward for about fifty miles to a Thousand Trails campground. It is called Cherokee Landing and is located near the town of Saulbury Tennesse. 

National Park fees= $0

meals= eaten aboard motorhome=$0

Fuel= none purchased today=$0

Campground= $20.00
Distance traveled today=150 miles
odometer=64899

Muscle Shoals Alabama

After yesterdays busy start I decided I deserved an 8 cup of Joe morning. We finally got out the door around 11 am to begin our tour of Muscle Shoals. Where the heck is Muscle Shoals and why should I care, you may ask? I never heard of it myself until the PBS special about the music studio's located in the northwestern Alabama town. 

Since the 1960s the city has been known for the "Muscle Shoals Sound", as local recording studios produced hit records that shaped the history of popular music. Unusual was the cross-pollination of musical styles that originated in Muscle Shoals. Black artists used white country music styles in their work, and white artists from the Shoals frequently borrowed from the blues/gospel influences of their black contemporaries, creating a distinct sound.

Millie in one of the audio booths at 3614 Jackson Street, She's got the moves like Jaggar!

The list of artists who recorded at the studio's came from all music genre's and many famous bands. If you get a chance, watch the PBS movie titled Muscle Shoals. 

We missed the tour time for the FAME Studio but did tour the original building of the M. S. Sound Studio popularly know by it's address 3614 Jackson Street. Afterwards we drove across town and visited the Alabama Music Hall of Fame which has many artifacts and memorabilia from artists who are from or spent significant time in the state.

We had a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant called Swamp John's. The house specialty is fried catfish, which we enjoyed with hush puppies, cole slaw, fries, sour pickle and sweet tea. It was mighty good eating!

Before heading back to the motorhome we made a quick stop at Super Walmart, the traveling RV'ers friend. We ran just ahead of some low hanging and scary looking clouds accompanied by blasts of pelting rain. The TV weather man later explained the strange cloud formations were formed by rain cooled clouds rapidly ascending a mountain just west of town. 

Alloys Park near Muscle Shoals Alabama.

It was a good day, Millie is a big time music fan, knows a lot about the artists and enjoys the history in the museums. Me, I like to listen to it, know nothing about it, but like the brush with fame.

Lowes Home store to the rescue!

I try really hard to keep the motorhome in good condition but no matter what you do, somethings always seem to go wrong. Early, really early this morning I woke up to the sound of water running. Thankfully, a quick check found no water inside, but I was certain I heard water. Outside I soon found the source, the plastic cap of a diverter valve had blew out. I shut the water off at the service post and went back to bed.

An internet check revealed a Camper World parts store 14 miles down I-20. We drove the motorhome to Camper world. The first person I talked to said yes they have them in the service department. So I go over there and a young lady said yes they have them but I have to call (I forgot his name). She calls I forgot his name on speaker phone and says she needs a ¼ inch diverter valve. I spoke up and said, no it is a ½ inch ¼ turn diverter valve. I forgot his name immediately says no we don't have them. As there several different styles, I'd think he would have wanted to see the part but no he just didn't have one. Doesn't have a very good attitude either if you ask me!

I asked the counter girl if there was a Lowes or Home Depot nearby. Yes right down the road she said, I thanked her and left. At Lowes I purchased some PEX tubing and fittings and fashioned a replacement arrangement for the broken valve right in the parking lot. Thank you Lowes, shame on Camper World of Anniston for the poor customer service.

After lunch, we decided to change course and get off I-20. We drove north on rt 431 a nice 4 lane highway that winds it's way thru towns, across mountains, and Gunterville Lake. We followed it all the way to Huntsville before turning west and making our way to Muscle Shoals in the northwest Alabama.

We are camped in a county park campground located on Wilson Lake just outside the town. We have decided to spend two nights here so we can explore the musical heritage of Muscle Shoals. Although an unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. There, FAME Studios brought black and white musicians together to create music for the masses.

Campground= $16.00 a night full hookup plus good WiFi.

Fuel=$1.95 per gallon, 37.6 gallons, $73.77 total.

Miles driven today= 237

Lowes= $40.00

Lunch at Zaxby's= $10. for two sandwiches

Diner from Subway $5.80 for one foot long sandwich we shared.

On the road again and heading west!

We're off and running and headed west! We delayed our departure by about an hour this morning to let a rain shower pass and left home by a little past nine. Millie and I had been worried about how Maggie would react to the motorhome without Dixie. As it turned out it was us who shed a tear as we settled into our seats without our little co-pilot. The sad moment passed quickly and soon we were excited about the trip. Departure mileage reading 64118.

The night before we left Sam, one our neighbors at the Cane Patch brought us a bag of homemade cheese crackers. Sam said he never got very far down the road before he got the munchies and sure enough as I came upon the sign inviting us to Marion county I found my hand in the snack bag, thanks Sam!

Our first stop near Columbia South Carolina, we topped off the fuel tank at a Flying J travel Center and had lunch in the motorhome. $1.78 per gallon, 28.4 gallons, total $50.82, mileage 64226

We continued on, still running on I-20 the highway that would eventually take us all the way to Birmingham Alabama. We stopped again at another Flying J west of Atlanta Georgia near the town of Temple. We topped the fuel tank again, $2.10 per gallon, 32.8 gallons, total $69.16 mileage 64512. We purchased a sandwich from Subway for dinner and found a campground for the night thirty miles further along I-20.

We arrived at Cane 9 Creek campground (Heflin, Alabama) about six pm central time, having crossed the time zone line a few miles back. Campground cost $24.75 for full hookup pull thru site.

Total miles driven on day one 424.