Day 165

Texas Size Fun

Oct 18, 2013, 8:04 PM

We went to the San Antonio Zoo today. We had such a great day. We had overcast weather, so the temperatures were very comfortable and we saw some animals we haven't seen before, plus this little zoo was so nice and clean. We saw two hippos in a large tank and the water was crystal clear. Typically the hippo tank is so green and cloudy. All of their tanks were beautiful, you could see the small fish cleaning the skin of the hippos, the air bubbles coming out of the hippo's nose. The only thing I have to complain about was a lack of pins with the zoo logo. We got one with a giraffe on it. The zoo logo was very pretty and perfect for San Antonio, it is a gazelle with very long antlers and they are in the shape of the roof line of the mission at the Alamo. Really kind of cool, but they didn't have any of those. We bought a pin with a giraffe on it, we always buy the pin as soon as we go into the zoo, on our way out we realized we didn't even see any giraffes, they didn't have any at the zoo. CRAZY!!!!! I have to try to get a better pin from the Columbus Zoo too. When we were there they had no nice pins, just a cheap plastic button. EVERY other large zoo we went to had nice metal pins, come on Columbus Zoo, get in line. 

After the zoo we went to the Riverwalk. We rode a boat around the river and saw much more than we would have on foot. It was pretty cool! Then we had a wonderful dinner in one of the nice restaurants along the river. Oh it was so good and we are so stuffed. I planned on having a creme brûlée for dessert and we couldn't make it. What a disappointment. So now we are just home trying to get over dinner and relaxing. Tomorrow we are off to Houston for a few days. So goodnight all!! I'll talk to you again tomorrow.

Day 164

Remember The Alamo

Oct 17, 2013, 7:32 PM

We went to the Alamo today and once again preconceived notions were just completely off base. I expected the John Wayne version. The Alamo sitting in the middle of a desert area. Oh how wrong can one person be? (That was a rhetorical question, I don't expect, or want, any smart ass answers.) the Alamo is actually situated in the flipping middle of San Antonio, there are hotels, restaurants, stores, and building of all kinds all around it. It was wild!!!! The Alamo was nice, the gardens very quiet and serene, the buildings were old and crumbly, there was a very interesting movie that pretty much debunked the John Wayne movie portrayal of the battle at the Alamo. I was expecting something more, especially since it is referred to as a shrine, you have to remove your hat inside, you have to speak in hushed tones (as if anyone did), no photos, etc. 

After that we found a place to get lunch. Oh it was a big mistake. There were animals heads and upper bodies all over the walls. I don't understand why some people need to kill poor defenseless animals to feel superior, must be so sad, but I can't abide senseless killing. There was a freaking GIRAFFE head and neck on the wall. REALLY, you had to kill a giraffe, the big scary giraffe caught you off guard and you just happened to have a gun in your hands. WOW how sad and small must their self-esteem must be. Well the lunch was ok at best, it didn't sit well with Steve either. I guess the animals were getting him back. He had a burger, I had a fish sandwich, there weren't any fish on the walls. 

Tomorrow we are going to go to the zoo and check out the river walk area some more. It will be good. 

Day 163

San Antonio 

Oct 16, 2013, 8:44 PM

We are in a really nice campground in San Antonio. We had a good drive here. The scenery was a little different than from Roswell to Fort Stockton, there were even several mountain silhouettes that were very female in nature. Steve made sure to point it out to me. They did look naughty! It was chilly/cold this morning and the day remained gray all day so having things to laugh at along the way seemed to brighten the day a bit. I-10 from Fort Stockton to San Antonio was a straight shot and not bad as far as traffic at all. This campground is very nice and welcoming. It's a really pretty place too. We got situated, had dinner, and are now relaxing for the evening. Tomorrow the weather here is supposed to be perfect, so we are going to the Alamo. I'm looking forward to that, I'm sure this will be a highlight for Steve too. I'm sure every little boy has wanted to visit the Alamo in his lifetime. See where childhood hero's made their stand. It should be great. I'll have more tomorrow, you all have a wonderful night. 

Day 162

Rain Day

Oct 15, 2013, 8:17 PM

When we woke up today it was raining. So we have a day of rest. Steve saw a Denny's on our way in and he thought it might be nice to go to breakfast. So we got ready to find breakfast, then we were going to go to a food store to get stuff to make gravy and mail a card. Well Steve must have been mistaken because I couldn't find a Denny's in the GPS! but I did find an IHOP. That will do nicely!!!! So we follow the GPS and we found no IHOP, no Denny's oh my gosh, there is NOTHING in this place. There is a whole lot of nothing in this place. We found a mailbox, and a little place to have something to eat, it wasn't great but it wasn't bad, we went to the food store, then back home. We spent a wonderful afternoon watching movies that were suspenseful as all hell. Oh it was a good day! Tomorrow we are off for San Antonio. The weather is looking pretty bad for there too, but I'm going to the Alamo. So be watching for that blog. Goodnight guys, sorry I don't have something more interesting for today. 

Day 161

The Stars At Night Are Big And Bright, Deep In The Heart Of Texas

Oct 14, 2013, 4:05 PM

The drive from Roswell, New Mexico to Fort Stanton, Texas was pretty much what you'd think. It was so flat and desolate. There were areas we passed that looked like junk yards along the side of the road. Mobile homes left to rot in the sun and cars or appliances or both. It's very sad. There were also a few oil wells and a couple fields of cotton. The cotton was never in a place where we could stop so I could get out and get a good look and maybe a photo or two. I've never seen a cotton field in actuality. Hopefully I'll see more. We traveled almost due south, then just a bit east. We got to a nice little campground, the guy we pulled up next to said we better be quiet or there' be trouble. I told him we had a problem then, cause I'm never quiet!!!! Thank God he was kidding, cause I wasn't. This will be a nice place I think. The area isn't much, but really this is just a place to relax till we get to San Antonio. 

We made a run to Walmart. I wanted to make sure it was a Super Center so I placed a call. I asked the woman that answered if the store was a super center? Her reply, "Sorta". I waited, and waited, then I had to ask. "Sorta?" Then she explained. REALLY? Ya wouldn't offer up that information to begin with. Come on!!! Some people really need to hear how to conduct themselves in the real world. Oh well, my life is too precious to school people on common sense. Sorry!!!! 

You all have a good evening and I will be in touch tomorrow. The weather here tomorrow is going to be iffy at best so we might just have a forced day of rest. That wouldn't be too bad. All this fun is starting to catch up with us. 

Day 160

Aliens Are In Roswell

Oct 13, 2013, 7:54 PM

Well I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself, but there are aliens in Roswell, New Mexico. Spanky saw them too and he made friends with some of them and I was able to catch a few candid moments on film. Ha, what a campy little place. We went to the International UFO Museum. It begs one to ask more questions than it answers, I do however find it hard to take serious. After that we went to check out the Bottomless Lakes State Park and a National Wildlife Refuge, of course the wildlife refuge was closed and we didn't realize it till we'd driven all the way out to nowhere then find the barricades and ranger turning people around. Of course it was a "National" refuge, so it like so many things is closed.  Of course they couldn't put a sign at the main road and save you 18 miles of driving!

So after that we headed home. The sky was looking menacing and we needed an afternoon relaxing and I wasn't feeling my best.  This has been a wonderful long trip and I think the long could be catching up, but we only have a very few days left. We will be home on the 31st and oh my gosh then the real craziness will start. We are going to have to spend some real serious time getting things back in order, if I dwell on that I may have Steve turn the RV around and run away. 

Day 159

Alien Encounter

Oct 12, 2013, 10:02 PM

We made it to Roswell, New Mexico just fine today. We even somehow avoided an accident that had the highway closed. We were riding into Albuquerque and an overhead highway information sign said ACCIDENT highway 40 closed ahead. We both looked at each other and thought oh here we go, we are going to sit in traffic forever now, but NO! I'm not sure if we turned off the highway before the back up or it cleared before we got there or if the sign was a hoax, but we had relatively no traffic all the way here. I will say one thing though, the land is so flat after you turn onto Route 285. Oh my gosh, this road is long, straight, and flat as hell. The campground we are in is a nice place, completely full, but it is on a quiet stretch of road sort of on the outskirts. Well Steve disconnected the car and I checked us in. The woman in the office got on her golf cart to guide Steve to the site. I got in the car, turned the key and got NOTHING!!!!! The battery was completely dead. Steve this morning hooked the car up to the RV by himself. Typically Steve pulls the RV out to a spot where I can pull the car up to the back of the RV then he hooks it all up and we go. This time the site was big enough for him to just hook up the car before we took off and he forgot you have to turn the lights off. The car is put in neutral, the brake off, all the electronics off, the lights off (the RV controls the lights), the ignition in accessory. So for about four hours the car sat with the key half on and the lights on. Not good for the battery. Thank God it's a little car and a stick shift so Steve was able to just give me a push start. All is good!!!!

Oh my gosh, Roswell is such a kitchy little place. There are green aliens at about 25% of the store fronts, I would say at least half the establishments have aliens on their signage or make reference to the fact that aliens are welcome. There was even a motel that had a spaceship in the parking lot. Now I'm sorry, but that's cute. There will be plenty of Spanky photo ops. 

We were set up in time for Steve to see the last few minutes of the Gator game. Doesn't it figure it would be a loss. Then don't you know the Charlotte NASCAR race was on right after and we got that station too. Steve is having a big day. It seems to always work out that when the race or a game are on if we get the channel, we aren't home, if we are home, we don't get the channel. So he was in hog heaven. Then I made him take me to DQ. We'd passed several billboards on the highway for a DQ, but we turned off before we could stop. So that got me jonesing. After the race was over I dragged his butt to get ice cream, don't you know we passed one in town not very far from the campground at all. It was kismet!! So now we in for the night, we haven't decided what to do tomorrow but we are going to check out the UFO Museum. Oh and when we went out for ice cream, the streetlight globs are green and have eyes like an alien head. I'm going to like this place.