We were at Mike and Marie’s in Claxton, GA for the initial days of October. I joined Mike for Saturday morning breakfast with his friends at the cafe and we talked about the Hurricane Ian that went around and were thankful it did. Teri and I spent a few more days with Mike, Marie and Diana and then we were on the road headed West.

Our first stop was for lunch. You can’t leave the Peach State without stopping in Peach County and have lunch at the peach orchard, Lane Southern Orchard. Did I mention peaches? We stopped for one night in Montgomery, AL and continued west. Our next stop was Greenwood Stables on the north side of Biloxi, MS. We had intended on staying 2 nights but ended up staying 4 nights. Our hostess, Mary was a wonderful, inviting hostess. She has 11 RV sites on the property. We took up the 6th site and 2 more rolled in over the weekend for a short stay. She also has a BNB house in addition to her house which was also occupied. As you walk past the barn and into the pasture, you are greeted by her 2 horses and a miniature donkey. The donkey’s name is Don-Key. He is an ornery little fellow. He stands waist high and wants his ears scratched. If you don’t stop to say hi and scratch his ears and when you walk away he bleats his displeasure for all to hear. From there you walk back through the 15 wooded acres which have trails through them and you end up at a small pond. Of course we had to throw our fishing lines in the pond and caught a few bluegill and small bass that we did not keep.

We took a day to go into Biloxi to get breakfast. Little did we know what we were in for. The traffic was extremely heavy, slow and everywhere you looked were reconditioned muscle cars, old school trucks and everything was loud. We had walked into the middle of the Cruise the Coast event. Cars from all decades, all manufacturers and models were on display and few were stock. They were loud, large tires, supercharged and it was a great event. The folks who were registered for the event that numbered in the 1000’s cruised from town to town (city to city) along the coast to get their card stamped. I don’t know how many cities, but it was a sight to behold. It was a great spectator event as well. We also took a short walk along the beach.

Saturday night, 1 of the camps offered up a BBQ dinner. These were 3 brothers who were all in the restaurant business, 2 in Louisiana and 1 from Alabama. They cooked up a pot of chili that was heavenly. We had about 10 people who were staying at the ranch, from all parts of the area sitting around swapping stories. 1 couple were staying in the BNB and were there for the Cruising event. They had a 70’s Chevy Chevelle that was on wide rear tires with an amazing loud sounding exhaust.

Before we left I found a MTB trailhead and went for a ride. I had thought of riding from our camp on the gravel bike, but the roads in the area are narrow and there is no shoulder.

Our next stop was Orange, TX. If I haven’t mentioned how flat everything is, I’ve been remiss. You can see for a hundred miles as the land is flat with scrub brush for trees. The Lake Charles area was an interesting site with all the oil refineries and a huge bridge you had to cross to get over the river. We saw a large plume of smoke to the south that I assumed was some type of field fire. I was never able to confirm that. Then we rolled into San Antonio.

The San Antonio KOA is situated on the east side of the city and is primarily an industrial, lower income area. The park is beautiful and is right along a multi-use paved trail that extends several miles. I took a morning to ride on my gravel bike to Planet Fitness to work out. As I finished my workout and walked out to ride ‘home’, imagine my surprise when I didn’t see my bike in the bike rack. The lock was lying on the ground, cut. A phone call to San Antonio PD to report it stolen and a phone call to Teri to pick me up and then I was home. We didn’t let that deter us however. I found a replacement bike that afternoon. We spent 1 day and drove out to visit with John & June Calender to catch up on old and new times. They were wonderful hosts as we went to lunch and toured the area of Gonzalez, TX. As you would expect, this area is predominantly ranching with large fields of brown grass and the wind blows constantly. They have a wonderful little ranch and a beautiful house. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Before we left San Antonio, we had to take Sarge to the vet. He had developed an abscess on the back of his front right leg. The vet bandaged it and put a cone on his head so he wouldn’t pull the bandages off. You can imagine how much he liked that! He was in the cone for 2 weeks. The cone was a hardened fabric that would crush when he laid on it so he could still sleep but he couldn’t get to the bandage.

You can’t stop in San Antonio without visiting The Alamo and walking the River Walk. The Alamo is an historical tribute to the galant men and women of the time who were settling the area. The stories of Teddy Roosevelt, Jim Bowie and others who have had stories written about them since we were all kids, are riveting. It is definitely a step back in time as you walk through the area. The River Walk is largely a commercial walk along the San Antonio River and it’s tributaries. We have both been there before, but this time we took the boat trip along the river. Teri loves to visit hot glass studios and we found an amazing shop. It didn’t boast a large retail space but the blown glass pieces that were on display were amazing. The owner was extremely informative of the glass blowing process. The oven is heated 2000 degrees to melt the glass. Yes, that’s right, 2k degrees. It’s a dry heat, remember? LOL

We then started south and arrived in Harlingen, TX where we spent several days to visit my grandkids, Damian and Mia. They live there with their Aunt and Uncle, Marissa and Jessie. It was a bright, sunshine filled weekend and we drove out to South Padre Island and spent the day frolicking in the ocean water and sitting on the beach before getting lunch at BlackBeard’s Restaurant. We finished the day by climbing the stairs to the top of the Port Isabel Lighthouse.

The RV park we stayed at was a gated park that is normally filled with winter visitors. Most had not arrived as of yet so the area we were parked in was empty. Of course I got up early each morning to go for a bike ride. Remember the gated comment??? Well, me and my bike were not large enough to trigger the gate to open so I had to ride in circles until a vehicle exited so I could get out. I had a gate code to get back in, but there was no code box on the inside. On the day we were leaving I saw a couple walking their dog who walked into the park. I asked how they got out and they showed me a clicker. Essentially it was a garage door opener. The park office had been closed all weekend so I hadn’t been able to inquire about this. Oh well, next time. One evening we all went to downtown Harlingen to take in the sights and sounds of the downtown festival. A very gala affair. The majority of the shop owners had kept their businesses open for the night, the streets were closed off, and there was a stage for local performers, food trucks, vendors with all types of fun things for kids and adults alike. Sunday afternoon while Damian was at work, we took Mia to McAllen to see a movie, Bullet Train. It was another fun afternoon.

We then headed back north and intended to stay a couple days in Corpus Christi. We had made reservations at the county fairgrounds. When we arrived, the wind was blowing and the skies were gray. There was no one else parked in the large open parking lot but the electrical box was unlocked for us. We set up camp and drove into downtown to River Dr. As we arrived, the skies opened up and the downpour commenced. We parked and went for a walk through the downtown area but it wasn’t very fun so we packed up and headed back to the coach. The next morning it was still raining so we decided to head west. Our next destination was Kerrville, TX where we had planned to stop as I had entered a MTB race.

Our reservations were at the Kerrville-Schreiner City Park which borders the Guadalupe River. The park is in an area called Hill Country as we had left the flatlands of TX and were now in hilly country. These were not hills like AZ but hills nevertheless. The park has a multitude of trails built for hiking an biking. The trees are short, small trunks and tightly packed with the trails cut through. The river is dammed slightly creating a small lake at the park that we tried our hand at fishing but came up empty. The Schreiner name is a prominent name on the buildings and businesses and was the premier banker and business owner when the town was founded.

We took a day drive to Bandera, TX but first we stopped for lunch at Camp Verde, TX. Camp Verde was an historic Army fort in the early days of the settlement of TX. Who would have known the Army would have named 2 different forts with the same name (Camp Verde, AZ and TX)??!! Camp Verde, TX was the headquarters of the Camel Experiment. The Army used camels to transport supplies from Texas through New Mexico and Arizona to California. Last year we found the memorial to one of the more famous camel drivers in Quartzsite AZ, the Hi Jolly Monument. Hi Jolly was from Syria and was hired to care for the camels. His true name was Hadji Ali but was known as Hi Jolly. The experiment was abandoned due to the Civil War and never restarted.

Bandera, TX was a small town that has the distinction of being the start of the Western Cattle Trail which extended to Nebraska. It was given the name as the Cowboy Capital of the World. There were many memorials to honor the men who braved the cattle drives and the settling of Texas.

Kerrville MTB Festival Race (TMBRA)

The Kerrville Mountain Bike Festival Race is the culmination of the Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association’s (TMBRA) race series.  The race was held at the Kerrville-Schreiner City Park.

The banter at the start line was lighthearted, friendly, joking, and supportive. At the whistle 8 of us old timers (60+) sprinted forward down a 500 ft grass straightaway before turning right and into the trees on a single track path.  I had a slow start but was able to power into 3rd going into the trees.  Mike was gone never to be seen again, 1st place at the finish.  I was right on Bruce’s wheel as we turned, powered up, twisted and pedaled through the trees.  At one point he offered to let me pass but I declined. He was pushing a decent pace and I wasn’t sure how strong he was.  We had dropped everyone else.  At mile 3 I felt I had the power to pass and I did as he had started to labor as he slowed down and started breathing a lot harder.  2 minutes later I couldn’t see him at all.  Up and over The Hill at mile 5.  The Hill is a 1/4 mile long stretch that starts at 2% grade and culminates in a 150 ft rocky climb that starts at 7% and tops at 23% grade.  At the top of the climb, I was just barely able to finish the last 2 pedal strokes to get over the top, but I made it. I was pushing hard, probably harder than I have consistently pushed in a race.  At about mile 8 I heard the sound of a spinning wheel hub behind me.  He just sat there as we passed riders who had started before us in a different category.  I had tried some easy pushes to see if I could drop him, but he kept coming bike like a yo-yo.  With 1 mile to go I asked if he was in my cat and if he was racing me and he said yes.  Remember Bruce from earlier in the race, it was him, but I didn’t know that until we crossed the finish line.  As we exited the trees and made the final left turn onto the finish straightaway I put down the power with everything I had.  A 1/10 mile sprint like I have never sprinted before.  At the finish line he beat me by inches to take 2nd place. I had 3rd.  It was a fantastic finish, one of the most fun races I have competed in.  Great people, fun event.

San Angelo, TX was a pleasant surprise. Our first night there we had a beautiful sunset to welcome us. The next day we headed for downtown and the historic Fort Concho. Fort Concho was another Army fort in a series of forts to protect the settlers of the time. The parade ground was huge, the length of a couple of football fields and about 1 football field wide. The north side had the enlisted barracks as well as the welcome center. Some of the barracks were open and were decorated as they would have been during its active days. There was also a display of the artillery guns of the day and the wagon that was used to pull them. At the east end was the HQ. The south side held the chapel, school and officers quarters. The officers quarters were actually homes and had been inhabited post war time.

One of the more interesting sites as we walked the historic downtown were the painted sheep. A ceramic sheep would be positioned on a street corner or at the front entrance of a store and had been painted. We learned there had been a contest at some time so they were painted and then put on display. A short walk along the River Walk rounded out the day. A beautiful, peaceful, flowing river through the town with a paved walkway that paralleled the river. This was nothing like the San Antonio River Walk. This one was for exercise and enjoyment and not necessarily for excitement. We met a lady and her mother who were pushing a child in a stroller and talked with them for a short time. As we talked the lady’s sister drove by. They gave us an interesting history lesson. All along the walk were decorations for Christmas depicting the 12 Days of Christmas and a playground for kids. The town is also very proud of their heritage and have displayed it through murals and statues throughout the town.

A short stop in Midland, TX to have lunch with Justin and Melissa. That evening, Justin took me on a bike ride with a friend of his. They introduced me to the hills of Midland, the headwinds that blow non-stop as they are no hills in Midland. This area must be rich in oil as there are oil drilling rigs all over the area. The rigs disappeared as soon as we crossed the NM border and the slight green landscape gave way to brown grass.

Roswell, NM claim to fame is the famous (?) alien invasion of 1947. Every store in the downtown area either has the word alien in it’s title, as a enticement to enter the store, or has alien items for purchase. We found the alien theme to be cute but too much. We didn’t see much industry in the city and it seemed their primary industry was alien tourism. The Museum was an interesting visit. The stories of the alien spaceship crash landing in 1947 and the subsequent cover up by the military was quite spellbinding. The personal accounts of the events by numerous people and the apparent cover up kept your attention. Before we knew it, we had been there for an hour and had only read about 1/2 of the accounts of that encounter and subsequent encounters. There were other historical monuments that depicted the history of the area. Statues of John Chisholm and Pat Garrett and their stories were displayed near the center of the city. After a couple of days, we were ready to move. As we got closer to AZ the more anxious we were to get ‘home’. But first, I had promised Teri a stop in Santa Fe.

We arrived in Santa Fe early in the afternoon and I decided to go for a bike ride. There is a wonderful riding area called La Tierra Trailhead on the west side of Santa Fe. I arrived and got ready to ride. As I looked over my maps to decide where to ride, a young lady and her dog disembarked from her truck and pulled her bike off the rack. I asked if she would mind showing me around and we took off. 37 degrees with a windchill of 27 degrees and snow flurries and we rode for an hour before we called it quits.

The next morning we woke up to 26 degrees and the RV park water lines were frozen. We had a little water in the fresh water tank, so we weren’t completely waterless. The day was a sunny one and the water lines unfroze and we filled the fresh water tank later that day. The RV park is located in a bowl surrounded by hills. There was no cell reception but they had a strong wi-fi signal in the park. We headed into the city to sightsee. We’ve been here before and still had not seen everything. 10 miles of walking later, after visiting churches, stores, lunch and cathedrals and walking through the arts and crafts festival which included a farmers market, we headed back home. I headed out for a bike ride the next day on a varied terrain path I had picked out using my various riding apps. After a mile I had to turn around as the road I had planned for was closed off. Next I headed for an unpaved section and started riding. Soon I was walking the bike. I had planned a collection of paved and dirt roads to ride on my gravel bike. It turns out the unpaved portions were not roads, they were trails. They would have been tough on my mountain bike. Then I realized the cranks were loose due to a bottom bracket that hadn’t been tightened all the way by the shop when I bought the bike. I headed home after about 30 minutes on a 2 hour planned ride. The next day we headed west, again.

We chose to stop at the Hopi Travel Center (truck stop) outside Holbrook for the night. When we spoke to one of the employees, they suggested we park on the passenger car side as to avoid the noise and congestion of the 18 wheelers. When we parked, we were the only RV or truck on our side. A large empty parking lot was available. The truck side was already filling up with 18 wheelers. At about 8pm a truck pulled in alongside, parallel to us and engaged the air brakes. With a whoosh, the truck stopped and idled and the generator running. Fortunately our coach is fairly insulated so the noise didn’t bother us. When we got up in the morning, we were greeted with a glorious AZ sunrise. There were trucks and a few RV’s parked all around us. The parking lot was full. We decided at that point, that a truck stop will be the last resort overnight place to stop in the future. Too much noise, too much congestion and there was trash all over the place.

After a short stop in Payson to have lunch with TC, Donna and Kim and some fishing, we arrived at our home base on November 1 where we will be parked until March 16 when we head out for the next adventure. We are situated at the Sundance West RV Park in Apache Junction. We had to shoehorn the coach into our space. There are inches between the left tires and the sewer dump as well as inches on the right between the tires and the cement patio. The rear of the coach is backed up against a palm tree and the front of the coach is right along the roadway edge. It’s all that was available. We’ve met some wonderful people since we’ve been here and have had a few adventures that will be detailed in the next post.

As this is coming out just before Christmas,

We wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and may God Bless you all.

John & Teri