Lions, tigers and bears, oh my!

Our virtual trail guide at Frontier Texas!

One of Joan’s frequent comments is that we don’t spend enough time just sitting around the trailer enjoying some peace and quiet. It’s usually my fault because I try to find interesting, and inexpensive, things to do when we are visiting a city for the first time.

So when we pulled into Abilene, Texas yesterday my plans were to have no plans. I was thinking we would Just have some down time for a few days before we head to San Antonio.

Imagine my surprise when Joan asked me indignantly what my plans were for our short stay in Abilene. I had to first admit I wasn’t planning any excursions until our departure Friday. But with her sudden interest in discovering Abilene I hit the Internet and found a number of local attractions that sounded interesting.

Looking down on a giraffe at the Abilene Zoo

The local Chamber or business organization offers a one-time-pass to six local attractions for $15 a person. If you just visit two of the attractions you break even and a third and fourth just increases your value.

So today after a short walk to a nearby RV parts and service center where I picked up a new water filter and spare parts I hooked up the water to the trailer and about 11 a.m. we set off to the Abilene Visitor’s Center in downtown Abilene.

(I made the water hookup sound much easier than it was because for some odd reason it took a long time for the hot water to warm up today than it usually does. My theory is that some residual water was frozen in the tank and it took a considerable time to thaw that water out. But anytime I get to use my drill driver and several of my tools is a good day.)

Looking for love in all the wrong places

The visitor’s center is located within one of the attractions, Frontier Texas!, which was one of the places we expressed an interest in seeing. We were met at the front desk by some nice local Texas folk who sold us the $15 pass and we immediately cashed one of the tickets in to see Frontier  Texas!

This was a really cool exhibit that included projected actors talking directly to you about Texas history. The story of Texas 1775-1880 was told through the stories of a few historic Texas figures. Some of the interactive displays put you in the middle of a buffalo stampede, a poker game shootout and in the middle of a bar room discussion about a very bad man.

The trip's first bonnet photo

There was a lot of difficult history about the treatment of Native Americans who were here long before the Spanish, Mexican, buffalo hunters or Texas settlers arrived.  The exhibits included weapons and other interesting displays and we thoroughly enjoyed Frontier Texas for about two hours. Pretty much we were the only people there.

Following that experience we headed to the Abilene Zoo where we again joined an intimate group of folks in a tour of the small, but interesting zoo. Going there cashed in a second ticket on our attractions list, so we are already even on our purchase.

Joan and I enjoyed a close encounter with a couple zebras and were within a few feet of a Lion female and male. The male lion was trying his best to romance the female lion, but she was having none of it. Eventually the two got into a loud and sometimes frighteningly sounding roaring argument.

The “Creepy Crawler” building housed a number of venomous snakes and reptiles and with the cooler temperatures of the day at least a few of the usually nocturnal animals were out and about, or at least visible.

After visiting the zoo we headed home to the trailer about 3:40 p.m. Joan fixed cold cut sandwiches for dinner and we took a short walk around the RV park after dinner. Temperatures are supposed to reach into the 70s tomorrow and stay above freezing overnight.

 (Scroll down to see more photos of today's adventure.)

Tomorrow we plan to cash in a couple more of our fun pass tickets. Stay tuned.

More from Abilene, Texas

Me and my furry friend

This stage was driven by Paul Newman in "Hondo"

Joan and her touching things

One of our virtual Native American guides

Entrance to Abilene Zoo

The insurance lizard.

Joan's always the short one.

He got a little too close.

Joan and a friend.

Flamingos

Deep in the "cold" heart of Texas

Some days Joan and I are real senior citizens. Like the other day when we specifically went to Red Lobster in Oklahoma City because we had a $4 off coupon.

Today we are staying in a primitive RV park because it was much cheaper than some others nearby. Of course, we are roughing it because of it as this park does not offer cable television, so we are at the mercy of whatever signal is coming through the air. It’s like being back in the 1950s.

The high tech sign for our RV park.

The park is basic and with a severe freeze warning tonight we are also roughing it without water as the trailer is still winterized and I don’t want to take the chance of freezing the pipes before we get started. It is supposed to warm into the 70s tomorrow with no more overnight freezing temperatures, at least for a while. We’ll hook up the water tomorrow after it warms a little.

After much adjusting, I was able to find three television stations that we can watch on our little flat screen TV. Our other TV, the one that came with the trailer is really old school and does not work with a digital, over-the-air signal. But don’t lose any sleep we are happy to be in Abilene tonight after a journey through the Heart of Texas.

After leaving Amarillo, we traveled for more than two hours along I-27 which is a beautiful and for today, a nearly deserted freeway.

Our departure was delayed a little when we had a minor, but annoying and time consuming trailer wiring problem that had to be resolved before we could hook up and get on the road. Complicating the work was a wind chill about 10 degrees and a real temperature of 22 degrees as we did the work.

Note the old school TV antenna deployed

I have trouble doing manual work in gloves so much of the time my hands were exposed with the predictable results. They should thaw out by tomorrow and Joan has threatened that if I come with a foot of her with these hands she will slug me.

At 9:31 a.m. with the wiring problem resolved, with the help of Stater’s Acres RV, I jumped back into the Tahoe and looked at Joan and said: “It’s always something.”

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, although a local Texas cowboy jumped out of his truck and said “Howdy,” to me which kind of cracked me up.

During a visit to a Texas rest stop on I-20 near Roscoe, Texas I was using the facilities when a man standing at a nearby urinal was seemingly talking to the wall, but was apparently carrying on a business conversation while doing his business.

One of the startling things I heard him tell whoever he was talking to on his Blue Tooth was that he could provide insurance coverage for a number of circumstances including kidnapping and ransom demands. I’m wondering what business the person on the other end of the line is involved in.

Oh, and Joan wanted me to mention that the bathrooms at the Texas rest stop were beautiful and included Native American tile work and were far above anything she had ever seen on the road. Take that Oklahoma and your pit toilets.

We passed an exit off I-20 that was labeled “Stink Creek Road.” That would be a great address, would it not?

We went shopping at Walmart where we bought one of those already cooked store chickens and packaged potato salad so we wouldn’t have to wash dishes tonight. Tomorrow, after the water is turned on, we’ll use the good plastic dishes.

We plan on exploring the wild west tomorrow here in Abilene.

Mileage out: 4527

Time out: 8:08 a.m. (From hotel. Time out from RV place 9:31 a.m.)

Mileage in: 4826

Time in: 3:20 p.m.

Amarillo: The read Windy City

What we thought was wind yesterday was a mild breeze in comparison to what we had today driving from Oklahoma City to Amarillo. A stiff head wind across the wide open prairie battled us all day along I-40.

A huge, beautiful cross just outside Amarillo

When we left Oklahoma City it was a balmy 56 degrees with a high temperature today of 72 as we approached Amarillo.

At one stop just inside Texas the wind was so strong I literally had to stand against Joan’s passenger door so that it wouldn’t blow off its hinges as she was getting in and out of the car. When I say literally, I mean literally.

My father chimed in with this comment today:  “Ah yes, good ol' Amarillo, the garden spot where I took basic training in the summer of 1943.  (Amarillo is) the only place on the face of the earth were you can stand up to your knees in mud and get dust in your eyes; the only thing to stop the wind is a barbed wire fence.  Give my regards to Amarillo.”

A leaning water tower only the picture doesn't show it

Despite the wind we arrived in Amarillo about 2 p.m.  and headed straight to Strater’s Acres RV storage lot and found our Laredo in good order and all maintenance done as required. The folks at Strater’s are very nice and the cost was extremely reasonable.

To save some time tomorrow when we hook up and head to Abilene, Texas we unloaded the trailer stuff from the Tahoe and put it away in the trailer.

Following that, we headed to our hotel – Baymont Inn and Suites in Amarillo – and put our feet up for a little while. The desk clerk – Zach – was very friendly and gave us a suggestion for a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Double rainbow in Amarillo

On the way to the hotel, Joan spotted a double rainbow and did her best to digitally capture it. She really gets upset when I try to take photos and drive at the same time. Someday I’d like to try and take a photo, drink my water and talk on the phone while cruising on the highway. I’m just kidding.

Before that, I took the Tahoe to a local car wash and scrubbed all the Michigan slop off the car.

After that I returned to our room and picked up my bride and we headed to Jorge’s Tacos Garcia’s where we had a really good and filling meal of Fajitas.

Jorge's Tacos Garcia - we highly recommend it.

Back at the hotel room we settled in for an evening of hockey as the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are on TV here. (Why they aren’t showing the Red Wings versus Buffalo instead of Dallas is beyond me).

Two fun things we noticed today: A large RV unit had a painted graphic on the back that said: “Roughing it smoothly.”

Another one was an Oklahoma traffic sign that pointed out that “Damaged Guard Rail Ahead.” And, yes, there was a damaged guard rail, but why you would take the time to put up the sign and not fix the guard rail left me scratching my head.

Mileage out: 4227

Time out: 9:55 a.m.

Mileage in: 4489

Time in: 1:55 p.m.

Meet me, a serial Oklahoma toll evader

Today was about dead animals, dead lobsters and dead toll plazas. Don’t worry, I’ll explain.

When we left Staunton, Illinois this morning I had to scrape the windows. That’s a first for the season. Part of the reason for that is that our car is usually in a garage, but the unseasonably warm weather has also contributed to the lack of need for window clearing.

The temperature was 26 when we left the hotel and was 59 when we arrived at our next stop in Oklahoma City. We crossed over the Mississippi River about 8:40 a.m. and took a gander at the Arch. We have an affection for St. Louis because that was where Joan and I became engaged about 14 years ago.

As the temperatures steadily rose out of the freezing range we crossed Missouri  on our way to Texas.

 

Missouri and Oklahoma presented us with those famous "winds come sweepin' down the plains" weather today. A stiff cross wind made me very glad I was not pulling the Laredo behind me today.

We’ve been through this state several times and Joan always mentions that she would like to stop at Fort Leonard Wood to see the base where her father trained during World War II. Today was that day. Unfortunately, today was Sunday and none of the base museums were open, but we did stop long enough to take a picture at the front of the base.

  It took a little effort to find the base entrance, partly because we had trouble finding the visitor’s center. I’m being kind because I asked Joan to help me follow the little blue signs for the center that started on the freeway off ramp. 

As we came off the freeway I followed the directions on the signs, but Joan couldn’t find the Visitor’s Center. She began complaining that the local Chamber had deliberately misled folks with the signs so they would pass by every restaurant and store near the freeway.

  Finally, I called OnStar to help. She directed us back to the same spot where we got off the freeway and we again followed the same signs but with the OnStar directions to the exact address Joan realized that she had missed a 30-foot lighted neon sign that said “Visitor’s Center – Chamber of Commerce.” 

I promised I wouldn’t make her pay for that for more than a month or more. With help from a map at the center we headed to the Army base.

  A nice soldier at the gate told us it would be OK to take a photo of the sign, but we nearly triggered a terrorism alert when I started taking pictures. A civilian police sergeant hustled out to our location and asked us what we were doing and he wanted to make sure we didn’t take pictures of the entrance gate. 

I explained to the sergeant that Joan’s father was trained at the base during World War II and he was satisfied with the explanation and declined my offer to show him all the photos I had taken. Glad not to be in custody we drove off with our photos and continued our journey.

  As we continued through western Missouri we saw a freshly killed coyote on the side of I-44 and just a few miles later a deer with a huge rack dead in the median and then just to complete the collection a large dead hawk. I would have loved to have those antlers for my living room.  

Joan brought her iPod along on this trip and instead of listening to the radio we listened to her collection of music, which is mostly Michael McDonald and Michael Bolton.

  The way I tell the difference between the two Michaels is that the only one who pronounces the words that I can understand is Mr. Bolton. Pretty much Michael McDonald sounds like every word is in a slurred foreign language. I have fun mimicking McDonald. I’ve gotten pretty good at it too. 

We were remembering a previous trip we made through Arkansas and how we listened to a local radio show called “Tradio” during that trip. Maybe some of the funniest radio I have ever heard. People would call in to sell or trade items and some of the offerings were priceless.

Both of us recalled our favorite item: One man called in to offer a five-gallon bucket of “pig slop” to the first person who came to his house to pick it up. The other thing we both recalled was that the host of the show kept telling people that they could sell just about anything, except automobiles, on the show. 

At least every other caller phoned in trying to sell a car. We figured that they weren’t selling cars because the sponsor of the show was a local car dealer. In Ft. Leonard Wood we spotted a sign that said “Pre-owned cars,” which to me is a stupid way to try and avoid saying “Used Cars.” Who does the dealer think he’s fooling. Pre-owed is simply “used.”

 One other sign spotted during the trip was a billboard from Hudson’s Jewelers with my motto on it: “Happy Wife, Happy Life.” 

We crossed into Oklahoma and my recent frustration with the state’s turnpike system reached a new level. Following is my open letter to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority:

  Dear Oklahoma Turnpike Authority: 

My wife and I have been visitors to your state twice in the past six months. We are normally law-abiding friendly folks who try to do the right thing. You are turning us into wanted fugitives.

 Back in October we drove through your state pulling our 33-foot trailer. We suddenly found ourselves unexpectedly on a turnpike. There was little warning and certainly no warning that many of the toll plazas were unattended and that we would need boatloads of coins and exact cash to feed your machines. 

Eventually we ran out of cash and I ended up having to pass through one of your toll plazas without paying. I even pulled my car and trailer to the side of the road – in the rain, by the way – and walked back to the little building next to the toll plaza to try and find someone to give my large bill to without success. There was a car parked outside, but no one answered my knock at the door. Honestly, all I wanted to do was pay you.

Giving up I continued through your state feeling guilty about not having paid my toll. 

So today, January 15, we were driving on the Turner Turnpike and got off to have dinner. When we got back on we pulled up to one of your unattended toll baskets (what do you have against hiring people?) and dropped in the 35 cents you wanted for a two-axle vehicle.

The red stop sign never turned green. I swear – and my wife swears – that we put three dimes and a nickel into the basket. Not sure what currency you are used to in Oklahoma, but that adds up to 35 cents in Michigan. With no more change I had no choice but to pull through and continue on my way. That set off your camera and bell system, but really, what else could I do? 

Now, I guess, I’m a serial toll evader in your State. I’m pleading not guilty, just to let you know.

This could all have been avoided if you would have sold me a Pike Pass at the Welcome Center we stopped at as soon as we got into your State a couple hours earlier. A nice man at the Welcome Center said that we could only buy one of those Pike Pass transponders near Tulsa, but probably not on a Sunday. 

The man thought that maybe next month you might start selling the transponders at the Welcome Center, but not yet. Really, what kind of a Welcome Center is it when can’t buy the stuff you need to operate legally through your toll road system.

Sincerely, 

Jim & Joan Smith

p.s. By the way, if you are going to charge people $4 to drive a car 70 miles you should at least offer flush toilets at your rest areas. Pit toilets, really?  (End of open letter)

 

Anyway, we made it to our hotel after dinner at Red Lobster (you thought I forgot about the Dead lobster comment didn’t you?) and watched the surprising ending to the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants game.

All in all, an interesting day. 

Mileage out: 3664

Time out: 8:14 a.m. 

Mileage in: 4227

 Time in: 6:08 p.m. (Includes an hour stop for dinner)

On the road again, smoother sailing than last year

For a few minutes this morning I was sure I made a big mistake by not leaving on Wednesday as we originally planned. I was also questioning my decision to  delay the trip again on Friday when the weather went to heck again yesterday.

Grimy car

Today was supposed to be clean and green all the way through Chicago, but when we arrived in Flint about 8:30 a.m. the snow was coming down at a pretty good clip. The snow continued through Lansing, but the roads were wet and as we traveled south, conditions improved.

In fact the area I expected problems, the section of I-94 near Benton Harbor, was clear and dry. That is usually where we find lake effect snow, but not today. The further we drove, the better the conditions became.

I was very glad that we left the trailer in Amarillo as I was not looking forward to another snowy adventure on the trip south like we had last year.

Chicago was a breeze (it was Saturday morning after all) and the Detroit Red Wings versus the Chicago Blackhawk game came on at 12:30 p.m. (eastern time) which gave me the game to listen to almost the entire second half of today’s trip. The fact the Red Wings won in overtime just added a little icing to the cake.

Salt mud

This trip, at least through Amarillo, Texas, will be the mirror image of the one we just made in October when we returned from Arizona. Tonight we are staying in the same motel we stayed in on the way home and tomorrow night we will stay in the same place we stayed in Oklahoma City. We liked both places and so didn’t see a need to seek a new one.

Tonight we ate at the same restaurant,  Cavataio’s that we ate at last October with equally satisfying results. Joan had the Chicken Parmesan and I had the mostaccioli. It came with a nice soup and salad bar.

The car is a mess from all the salt spray on the roads, but by the time I thought to take a photo it was dark so I'll shoot a photo in the morning and add the photo tomorrow night.

With two NFL playoff games to watch we’ll be happy in our room tonight. Tomorrow we’ll get up at a normal hour and head to Oklahoma City.

Mileage out: 3135

Time out: 8 a.m.

Mileage in: 3660

Time in: 3:05 p.m. (Central time – travel time 8 hours and 5 minutes)

Heading to the Lone Star State

The first real cold snap of the season has arrived and We Are Out of Here! Joan and I are headed to San Antonio and later to Houston for a couple months escape from winter.

The rough itinerary for the journey is: Day One: St. Louis area. Day Two: Oklahoma City, OK. Day Three: Amarillo, TX. Day Four: (Pick up trailer in Amarillo) head to Abilene, TX. Day Five & Six: Rest in Abilene. Day Seven: Arrive in San Antonio.