First Leg - Carlsbad and Roswell

     Well, it seems like it was only yesterday that we were arriving from our last summer's adventures. But now we have finished packing up and we said a temporary "Good-bye!" to our Texas home. We hit the road bright and early and headed westward through Houston and San Antonio, finally coming to an overnight stop in a rest area near Sonora, TX. Nice rest area and it was definitely time to take a break that day!

     You can see us in the photo above. We spent a nice restful evening and then continued on towards Carlsbad, NM. Seems odd that in all of our travels over the years, we have never been to the caverns here. We found a nice campground and got set up. Since we had some extra time, we took a quick recon trip to the National Park to check things out. We decided to take a couple of days to visit the caves. Tomorrow we will take the self guided tours that are available. The following day we will take a Ranger led tour and see part of the caverns that can't be seen if not on a tour.

     Overnight a cold front blew through bringing with it rain and strong winds. Temperatures dropped to the low 40s overnight and the wind-driven raindrops flew through the air as if propelled from a shotgun. The flag at the Visitor's Center was hanging to the flagpole for dear life and visibility of the valley below was near zero! We had decided to go into the caves via the large natural entrance. It is through this entrance that the famous Carlsbad bats emerge at dusk during the summer. Much to our disappointment, they have not yet arrived this year.  The walk to the natural entrance normally is a nice desert garden trail that led into the opening. Today however, we were hit with winds of 50-60 mph and rain. We fought our way to the entrance and gladly got below ground. Here the winds and rain disappeared and the temperature was a relatively cool 56 degrees. Much more comfortable!

The Natural Entrance

     The trail into the cave is steep and has several switchbacks but it is paved and relatively easy to navigate. There are not a lot of cave formations on the way down (like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and curtains). This cave is unique in that it was formed by hydrogen sulfide gas that combined with water and oxygen and made sulfuric acid. This acid ate away at the limestone and formed many of the caverns. Then, over time, groundwater began to seep in and that,s when the cave formations began. So it is unlike other caves in the southeastern US that were formed and "decorated" by the forces of water. Huge boulders lie on your path downwards and the trail weaves around them. Finally you end up 750 feet below the surface at the crossroad junction. One direction leads to the gift shop and snack shop where you can dine in a huge underground dining hall. This way also leads to the easier way in and out of the caves... the elevators! The other path leads you on a circuitous route around the "Big Room." This cavern is about the length of 14 football fields. If you walk the entire trail around it you will cover about 1.3 miles. One of the interesting things that I observed is that this is the only cave that I have been into where folks with disabilities could easily get around. The trail is relatively flat and level and can accommodate wheelchairs. The aforementioned elevator runs from the Visitor's Center down to the lower level and opens up at the snack shop. This makes for a comfortable ride down for those who can't or don't want to take the hike in from the Natural Entrance.

     The sheer size of this cavern is impossible to put in a picture. The photo above looks out along a portion of the Big Room. In the lower right corner you can just see the silver handrails that line the path. The visible portion is probably 20 or 30 feet long. So that gives you some perspective. But look at the decorations in the picture.  Stalactites large and small hang from the ceiling. Stalagmites come up from the floor in copious quantities and unlimited shapes. Sometimes they come together and form a column that reaches from floor to ceiling. The best part--you get to wander around through it all!!! While there were a lot of cars in the parking lot and we passed a lot of people, there were times that we were the only folks on the trail. It was like we had the cave all to ourselves.

     Behind me in the photo above is just one of the columns in the Big Room. It gives you some perspective of the size and otherworldly beauty of the cave. Look at all of the stalactites over my head. Kind of like some medieval torture device.

     OK, the photo above is of a formation called "The Caveman." If you look at it just right,' Star Wars fans, it looks to me like Chewbacca gazing to the viewers left. But, that's just me.

Chinese Theater

     Here again are just some of the features and colors. The features in the Chinese Theatere are 6-7 feet tall. The column on the right of the above photo is 60 feet tall!! Unbelievably impressive! We took over 100 photos and they don't begin to give you the feel of the size and sheer volume of the cavern. You will just have to come see it for yourself!

     The next day dawned magnificent. Sunshine abounded and the temperatures rebounded nicely. We toured the caves and then toured the Big Room again (one, to enjoy the scenic wonder of the cavern and two, to play with exposures and experiment with lighting for photos).  On the way back to our campground, we stopped to see the desert in bloom. One good thing about the rains this time of year, the desert flowers are coming out all over. Carpets of purples, blues, yellows and oranges can be seen all around. Even the yuccas are in bloom.

     We had originally planned on heading to northern New Mexico, to a mineral spring spa called Ojo Caliente. The weather had other plans. Seems that there is a large Canadian cold front coming through and it is bringing with it high winds, freezing temperatures, and possibly some snow. We put our heads together and decided to drop our northern New Mexico stop and instead stay an extra day in Carlsbad and add a day to our stay at the Grand Canyon. So with that extra day, we jumped out and took a day trip to Roswell. The first stop of the day was the Eddy House. This house was owned by Charles Eddy in the mid 1880's. Robert Tansill and his family spent the winter of 1888 in this house. Tansill was instrumental in the settlement of the town of Eddy which later was renamed Carlsbad.

     Next stop was the concrete flume. This structure was originally made of wood in 1890. It was washed away by a flood in 1902 and replaced with this concrete structure in 1903. At the time it was built, it was the largest concrete structure in the world. It carries water from the Pecos River as part of the Carlsbad Irrigation District. It was once featured on Ripleys Believe It or Not as the river that crosses itself.

River water flowing into the flume

     Our last stop was the city of Roswell, made famous by the alleged crash of a UFO in 1947 near the city. Supposedly there were five bodies of aliens found, four dead and one still alive. All evidence of the crash was secured and sanitized by the Air Force. It was originally dismissed as debris from a radar test balloon that had crashed. Since then, conspiracy theories abound and what really happened has died with the primary participants. What is a fact is that Roswell has capitalized on UFO fever and has embraced both believers and doubters alike. We visited the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Here is a large collection of photos, testimony, and research on UFO's and UFO phenomena.

     Above is a photo of the life-size recreation of the aliens purported to have crashed at Roswell.

     This is a set of props used on the TV movie "Roswell."

     Whether you believe or not, you just CAN'T not stop and see the UFO stuff in Roswell.

On The Road Again (almost)

     Well, Spring has finally arrived in southeast Texas. We have been busy replacing landscaping that didn't make it for one reason or another. The trees have leafed out and every bird within a two mile radius is trying to make a nest somewhere on our motorhome!! I have to make daily tours around the coach and check under the slide out awnings, in the engine compartment, and inside the front cap next to the generator. We have one stubborn and industrious wren who can make quite a sizable nest in a 24 hour period. Remove it and it will be back again the next day.

     We have also planned our travels for this summer and are now in the process of packing up the things that we got out and have been using. Cleaning up the motorhome and getting it ready for the journey. Making sure that everything we intend to leave behind is properly cleaned and stored away. It is a chore, but a necessary one.

     Our plans call for us to head west through Carlsbad in New Mexico and on towards the Grand Canyon. From there we intend to hit California and see Yosemite and the Redwoods. We will gradually make our way back to Depoe Bay, OR where we will again stay and workamp at Sea & Sand RV Park. We enjoyed the park and the people and they invited us back. While we will be seeing much the same country that we did last summer, it is beautiful country to see. I have purchased a new "toy"--a drone that sports a GoPro camera. With it, I can take aerial shots and video. I hope to take some of our place in Texas before we leave and will take some of our destinations along this summer's adventure--providing a new perspective. If I can learn how to keep the files relatively small, I will post some of them. We are looking forward to a great summer and we hope that all of you have one too!

Touring Northwest Alabama

     While sitting in Red Bay over the weekend, there is no service work happening so we decided to go tour the area. Nothing extensive, but we just wanted to get out and see something other than a service bay and the parking lot campground!

     We had heard about it on previous visits to Red Bay but had never taken the trip. This time we decided it was about time that we visited the Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee, AL. Back on Labor Day of 1937, a guy named Key Underwood sadly buried his faithful coon dog, Troop. They had been hunting together for more than 15 years. Key chose a spot that was a popular hunting area where coon hunters from all around would gather, tell tall tales, and compare dogs. Troop loved this spot and Key decided that Troop would be buried here. He wrapped the dog in a cotton pick sack and buried him three feet down, marking the grave with a rock from a nearby old chimney. Using a hammer and screwdriver, he chiseled out Troop's name and the date. Troop was known as a "cold nosed" coon hound meaning that he could follow cold coon tracks until they grew fresh and he never left the trail until he had treed the coon. This is the only cemetery of its kind in the world and hunters from all over have buried their coon dogs in the cemetery. Now be advised that only coon dogs can be buried here. To qualify for burial there are three requirements that must be met. First, the owner must claim the dog is an authentic coon hound. Second, a witness must declare the deceased is a coon dog. Thirdly, a member of the local coon hunter's organization must be allowed to view the coonhound and declare it as such. Headstones are crafted from wood, metal, or stone and bear epitaphs that range from humorous to touching.

Misty visiting her Alabama cousins

     If you read the previous blog entry you know that Misty dislocated her hip. She has been recuperating during this travel and has just recently began to use all four legs again. This was the first big outing since the accident and she really enjoyed getting out. She was pretty stiff and worn out when we got home but we think that she'd go again in a heartbeat given the chance!

Misty out and about in the woods. 

      We left the cemetery and drove through Mussel Shoals to Florence, AL to visit Pope's Tavern museum. At one time this served as a stagecoach stop, tavern, and inn and is one of the oldest structures in Florence. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson stopped here on his march to the Battle of New Orleans. It also served as a hospital for both Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War. Because of its location and port facilities along the Tennessee river, Florence was occupied by both sides repeatedly over the course of the war. Antiques and artifacts from the 18th and 19th century abound in rooms on the ground floor. The second floor is filled with artifacts from the Civil War and items of local history.

Portrait of the original owner (above) and a view of the front entrance

An old Edison wax cylinder player

Artifacts abound in the kitchen area

Pleating iron or Crimper used on clothing

The Dining/Meeting room

     A little about the kettle in the above photo. I thought that it was used to boil down sugar cane (we have seen bigger ones like this in plantations all along the Gulf Coast). Turns out it is too far north for sugar cane. This kettle was used originally to remove the hair from the hide of a freshly killed hog! The carcass was placed in boiling water in the kettle and the hairs loosened from the hide and were easier to remove. In later years, the local church made stews in the kettle and served to parishioners.

     Just across from Pope's Tavern were two "Sears Homes". Look it up on the internet. You used to be able to order a home from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. It would arrive to you pre cut and in pieces. You then had it built. There were many styles and sizes to choose from. These are two originals that are occupied to this day.

     Down the street is the University of North Alabama--a neat little campus tucked away on neatly manicured lawns. Nothing really differentiates it from any other small college site except for the little area just inside the gate. Here the University mascot(s) are housed and live in comfort. It was a cool and cloudy day when we visited and they were awake and regal in surveying their minions. They are actually brother and sister. They seem to enjoy watching people as much as the people like to watch them.

THE Univ. of North Alabama Lions! (Leo III and Una)

          After viewing the lions, and on our way back to our car, we encountered the bus (in the photo below) parked in the parking lot. As RVers we couldn't resist a closer look and we were warmly invited in by the occupants. They told me that they had modified the coach themselves and the interior was extensively remodeled. There was a sitting area up front, Dining table, and a kitchen and bath in the rear. Sleeping quarters were along the top. The group of folks are members of The Twelve Tribes. They are a religious group that has locations all across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and Australia. They are similar in lifestyle to a commune as they share things like chores, duties, meals, and such. They are religious but not in a pushy or preachy way. They were  very friendly and invited us in for conversation and answered all of our questions cheerfully. They did not try to push their lifestyle on us or hound us for donations. They all worked at a restaurant chain called the Yellow Deli that is run by the Twelve Tribes organization and were out touring northwest Alabama just like we were.

The Twelve Tribes Bus

     Our last stop was at a little park by the marina on the Tennessee River. It is a nice place to have a picnic or just relax and have fun with family and friends. I bet it is really popular in the summer months!

Red Bay 2015

     Well, we decided that there were a few things that we wanted to modify on our coach and there were a few things that needed taken care of while still in warranty, so we packed up and headed to Red Bay, Alabama. We have been here several times before and we find that it is the best place to have work done on your Tiffin motorhome. Since it is the location of the manufacturing plant, the repair and service bays can usually get any part that is needed to fix your coach in a short amount of time (usually measured in minutes), and their service techs are well-versed in all things Tiffin.

    There are slots for over 100 coaches in the campground parking lot. Each site has 30 and 50 Amp hookups along with water and sewer connections. This time of year the water is turned off at the sites, but there is water available at the RV wash rack that is located on the west end of the service bays.

     Our logic was that there wouldn't be very many folks in Red Bay in the middle of January. Snowbirds should be in their southern "nests" and other part time RVers would have their units safely winterized and tucked away in their storage spots. Since service is "first come, first served" we thought this would be the time to show up. Well, we were wrong!!! There were 40 people on the waiting list and that didn't include everyone who was already in a repair bay. As our kids are so fond of saying, "You're retired so what else do you have to do?"; we signed up and started the wait.

     Above is the camp office building. There is always a pot of coffee brewing and the folks are friendly and helpful about things to do and see in the area. They are the ones that check you in and out and assign you your camp space. Their offices are on the right. In the middle is the laundry facility. Here you can do your laundry at a reasonable cost if you are here that long (and most usually are). The two doors on the left are the restroom/shower facilities. We use them for showers and it conserves our on board water and propane usage. Minimizes our trips to get water refills.

     Next to the office is a parts store. Here you can buy any part you desire for your Tiffin motorhome. If it is not in the store, they can get it from the factory parts bin. It's like a Camping World store that specializes in Tiffin products.

     New to us was the Customer Waiting Lounge. The old one was located inside the repair service building and I thought that it was pretty nice. The new building is just outside of the service building and is divided in two sides. One side is pet friendly and one is for those without pets. Both sides have a coffee machine and they share bathroom facilities and vending machines. There is satellite TV setup on both sides and comfortable seating for those long hours spent servicing your motorhome.

One side of the Customer Waiting Lounge

Cushy seats, reading materials, and coffee 

   

     Above is just one side of the repair bays. There is another set on the other side of this building. Inside are general repair bays, specialized bays for chassis work to include a lift that can pick up the biggest motorhome, several bays that can handle painting from touch up to entire coaches, and a carpentry shop that can fix, manufacture, or replace anything wooden you want/need in the coach. Every weekday morning around 6:45 am you hear the RVs start up that are scheduled for service. They roll up to their assigned bay door and magically just before 7:00 the door opens and they are guided to their repair position. 

     Above is another new item since we were here last. This is an RV wash pad and dump station. Here two coaches can pull up and fill fresh water tanks, dump on board holding tanks, and/or wash the rig. This is where we go when we need water during times when they have turned it off at the sites. You can see a coach pulling in to get some water.

     Also on site is the Allegro Club. This organization consists of members who own Tiffin motorhomes. There are local chapters across the country and they hold national rallies in different part of the country throughout the year. 

     This trip, besides getting some flaws fixed and things that were not working as designed repaired, we had two upgrades/modifications made to the coach. In all of our previous coaches the window near the passenger's seat is a two piece window that can be opened by raising the lower portion. This is all well and good but we never really opened it. In fact, Barb likes to take pictures out of that window and the horizontal center of the window is blocked by the window pane frames. This "bar" is right at viewing level and annoyed her to no end. It bothered her so much in fact that she asked Tiffin reps a few years ago that since they made their own windows, couldn't they replace it with a single pane model. They said that it was not available but that they would make note of the suggestion. Well, while perusing a 2015 sales booklet, Barb saw that a single pane was now a standard feature! Armed with that information, we asked if one could be retrofitted into our coach and they said "Yes" (for a price but that price was not nearly what I expected).

Original Passenger side window

New "Upgraded" window

     In our Phaeton, we had a microwave/convection oven. Barb really liked how it worked and its versatility. This coach came with the standard microwave. We asked the Tiffin folks if they could swap the microwave for a microwave/convection unit, and if so how much. They could and again, it wasn't as expensive as I had thought. So we told them to "Make it so!" 

Original Microwave

New Microwave/Convection (with cookies as the first test subjects)

     As of this writing we are still in Red Bay. We have completed our repairs and warranty work and are now on the list for paint fixes. Hopefully that will happen within the next couple of days. We are very happy with the results of this trip and the modifications really make the motorhome feel like an even better place to live in. 

Misty Throws us for a Loop!

     While visiting family in Kansas after Christmas, Misty the Wonder-dog somehow dislocated her right leg at the hip! She was upstairs running around when she was heard to yelp very loudly for half a minute or so. She then carried the right rear leg up under her and laid down shivering and panting. This was late on a Saturday afternoon. She didn't complain or whine but she didn't move much either. We didn't know what she had done and the vet's office wouldn't be open until Monday. Luckily, Wichita has a 24 hour vet emergency center, so it was a no-brainer to take her there.
   
     Just like the human ER, we sat in the waiting room with several other pet owners and waited our turn. A little over two hours went by before we were finally shuttled into a room. They gave Misty something for the pain and she settled down while they examined her. They determined that X-rays were needed but that she would need to be knocked out in order to do it. It was now around midnight so we zipped off to an IHOP for something to eat (we hadn't had dinner so we were a little hungry) while the procedure was performed. We came back an hour later and waited for the results. The vet came in and said that it was about as bad as it could be! We had visions of Dusty, Misty's predecessor. Dusty was just two years old when he jumped off of the couch and yelped. He was lame on his rear leg and a visit to the vet found bone cancer. Prognosis was bad and we had to put him to sleep! Now here was Misty following a similar path at a relatively young 6 years old. The vet showed us the x-ray and it was obvious that the femur was out of it's socket in the hip. They took two attempts to reset it and were successful. Her leg was taped up to prevent movement and she was given pain meds and anti-inflammatories. We were cautioned however that this procedure had a 50/50 chance of success. If the leg would not stay in the socket, then the next step was surgery.

     We took her home and made a nice bed area for her in the closet of our bedroom in our daughter's home where we were staying. She could rest and recuperate away from distractions yet have some room to stretch out. Several times daily we took her out for bathroom breaks and in the evening let her sit next to us on the couch and watch TV with the family. She rapidly adapted to three legs and was very adept at moving around. Ten days later we went to the vet to have the tape wrapping removed and crossed our fingers. The vet said to take her on short walks daily and to let her know if Misty was not using the leg after 10-14 days.

     We traveled back to Texas and followed the vet's advice. Gradually Misty began to use the right rear leg. She will use it if you force her to slow down on a walk or if her nose overrides her brain and she forgets to think about it. Every day we see a little improvement, but like human traumas, it takes a split second to cause the damage and can take a long time to heal. We'll just be patient and revel in our little successes!

Finishing Up 2014

     After returning to Texas, we settled in and started to prepare for the upcoming Holidays. Barb fired up her embroidery machine and made a multitude of Christmas gifts for friends and family. She also tried her hand at embroidering The Preserve logo onto some shirts for one of the employees. It turned out great!

     We spent some time decorating the place with Christmas lights and garland. Brad chainsawed  down a dead tree and then cut and split it up for wood to use in the fire ring. There were several nights where we built a fire and enjoyed the ambience and warmth.

     Thanksgiving was a quiet affair with just the two of us. We tried out a Bourbon brined turkey recipe for the Traeger and smoked our Thanksgiving bird. It turned out very juicy and flavorful but wayyyyy too much for just two people! Brad was "enjoying" all manner of turkey leftovers for quite a while.

     Our next big event was a trip to Orlando to meet our daughter and her family along with another family. Amanda (our daughter) had reserved a huge vacation rental home. It had seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, two living rooms, kitchen and dining room. It was ideal for the nine of us to base our adventures out of.

     We visited Universal Studios and all of the Disney Parks. We also took a day to drive to Crystal River and swim with the manatees. I'll post a separate blog entry to detail those trips.

     For our return, the youngest granddaughter, Belle, came back with us while her family flew back to Kansas. Belle spent the week with us and had a great time. She got to attend the annual Christmas Party at The Preserve and was overjoyed at receiving a gift. She helped us pack up and then drive back up to Kansas a week later, just in time for Christmas. We spent the Holidays in Kansas (Brrrrr!!!) and then attended a wedding on January 2nd in Liberty, Missouri.

Belle was the flower girl and her sister, Tori, helped with handing out programs. Then they partied into the night with the bridal party. Belle enjoyed sitting at the "Princess Table" (she got to sit with the bridesmaids whom she had wrapped around her little finger!). 

     The only downside to the trip was that somehow Misty dislocated her hip while scampering around at Amanda's home. After a late night trip to the veterinary ER, the hip was put back into place but it required her leg to be tied up in a sling for 10 days and she had to be quiet and rest. In the course of treatment, we discovered that the pain meds that she was prescribed caused her to become anxious and agitated. After a trip to the vet to verify that the hip was still in place, we took her off the pain med and things got back to "normal" (or at least as normal as it can be for a three legged dog). Prognosis for this type of treatment is no better than 50%. We're hoping that she is strong and fit and that she will be on the plus side of the 50%. If the hip dislocates again after being removed from the sling, then surgery is our next option. We'll see how she goes in the new year. 

     So that being said, we have put another year into the books. We have been from Texas to Florida, back to Texas, then to Arizona. Spent the summer in Oregon. Returned to Texas via California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The year ended up back in Florida then to Texas, and finally in Kansas. Whew!!!!! During this year we dipped our toes in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We went from almost the norther border of the U.S. to almost the southern one. We had a great time and look forward to what the New Year holds in store.