Texas Bound

We are on our way to Texas to the Foretravel factory in Nacogdoches. We have a leak in the seal on the front slide. And, when we got to Wilderness TT I noticed water dripping from under the coach bay where the Aquahot lives and yes it also has sprung a leak. With those 2 major repairs looming in our near future and a few other items on a wish list we changed plans and headed for the great state of Texas. Our first stop was Casa Grande Desert Shadows RV Resort. It was a Western Horizons until recently but has been sold to the same company as Indian Waters. I expect some great improvements the next time we come through there.

Next stop was Las Cruces NM where we parked at the Eagles Lodge, they have 30 amp and water hookups. Wi-Fi inside the lodge. We went for a walk and found The Rio Grande River.

 

Here is Dick standing in the middle of the river.

This river is controlled by several dams the largest being the Elephant Dam 70 miles to the north. As you can see they don’t release much water.

We stayed there 2 nights then onward to Midland Texas. We parked in the front yard of my nephew’s Matt & Lisa for a couple of nights. We went for a walk the next morning where Dick took this picture. There are lots of oil wells in this part of the state.

Matt took us to The Petroleum Museum where Lisa works. What started as the dream of one man in 1957 has become the nation’s largest museum dedicated to the industry and its pioneers.

There was an excellent documentary on the oil industry.

Modern oil rig erected in front of the museum.

Also housed in the museum is the Chaparral Gallery which tells the pioneering story of the Chaparral Road Racers. Jim Hall revolutionized the sport of racing in 1965 with his winged Chaparral racing cars. His aerodynamic innovations, wings, ground effects and light-weight construction materials. He has donated some of his cars to the museum.

This race car was banned from the track because it was too fast.

I got to sit in one to see what it was like. You had to take the steering wheel off to get in and out.

This is a later design of his. He had retired from racing and someone talked him into designing an open wheel Indy style car.

We had a great visit with Matt & Lisa and hope to come through there again when we can stay longer and maybe take in a football game. He plays for the Drillers a semi-pro team. Their first game was this last Saturday and they won 38 to 6.

Next stop is Lake Whitney TT.

Short Subjects Continued

Our plans have changed and as you can see from our schedule we are on our way to Nacogdoches, TX. Our appointment with Foretravel is for March 5. We discovered an air leak in the rubber boot around the front slide. It is a major fix and not all RV repair places have worked on these things. We decided that going to Texas this time of year was going to be better weather then trying to go to Spokane WA. Then after our Move from Pio Pico TT to Wilderness TT I found water dripping from under the coach where the Aquahot tank lives. We aren’t sure if the leak is from inside the tank or a pipe coming out of it. It isn’t a huge leak but it does drip constantly. So that sealed the decision to go to the factory. After talking it over we have decided that is going to be a great adventure and are looking forward to seeing parts of Texas we have not been to. Our first stop in TX is Midland where my nephew and family live. It will be great to see that part of TX and visit with them.

We don’t know how long these repairs are going to take but our plan is still to come back to OR for the summer.

We have been playing in the pool tournaments at the Thousand Trails parks Pio Pico in Jamul and Wilderness in Menifee. I didn’t do so well but had a great time. Dick didn’t play at Pio Pico he came down with a cold and stayed home. He got 3rd place in the 9 ball at Wilderness.

Next stop was back in Indio for a few days to get ready for the trip East. On our list was a Costco stop where Dick bought me a new exercise outfit for Valentines Day.

Short Subjects

Our days have become routine, we walk in the mornings, play pool, Mah Jong, ping pong, and shopping. Christmas decoration went up early all over the park. Some of them were very elaborate like the lady with the huge village set up in her carport. It took up the whole carport and more. They have a decorating contest every year and we came in third in the RV category.

Christmas Day we had friends over for dinner and had a great day. Santa was wonderful this year.

New Years Eve they had a wonderful dinner and dancing to a band called the 5 Guys. They were excellent.

We had a great time and danced until midnight. The next day we are on our way west to Ehrenberg on the Colorado River.

Our view of the Colorado River the site was perfect. We visited friends and my Aunt & Uncle in Quartzite. The town was just getting ready for a gem show the next weekend. The big tent is not up yet and you can still drive around town.

This must be the biggest palm we have ever seen it was down by the river. I must say it is very quiet here even if this park sits next to the freeway. We had Air Force fighter jets from somewhere fly down the river heading south just about everyday. I never tire of hearing the sound of those engines and watching then fly over. The last one I saw actually tipped his wings when he flew over.

Our next stop is Indio and our park Indian Waters have new owners and they have been hard at work improving the park. New swimming pool, PB courts, exercise room and pool room.

Sunset out our front window.

I volunteered this year for the Humana Challenge held at PGA West and La Quinta Country Club. I had so much fun last year I decided to do it again. I was at La Quinta for 3 days then went over to PGA West and worked there for the rest of the week. Here I am in my work duds.

and then with the jacket.

It was a great tournament at least until Saturday when the wind started blowing. The gusts were probably 50 mph and some of the small tents in the Bob Hope Village were coming down. Bob Hope Village is where the venders and restaurants set up theirs booths during the golf tournament. Some of the venders cater directly to the players and some to the public that come to watch. They finally evacuated the the course and all the buildings. Bill Clinton was playing with Greg Norman and was on the 10 fairway. The tent crews came in and repaired most of them during the night and everything was ready Sunday morning for the last day of play.