'24/#11 Snow Blindness At 86 Degrees?

 Yesterday we drove out to the White Sands Monument and Missile Range. The missile range is part of Holloman AFB and is one of several military installations out here in the middle of nowhere. I guess that's as good a place as any. We were more interested in the National Park area.

Instead of an oasis in the desert this is more like a desert in the desert. After miles and miles of sand and cactus and wind we came to an area of bright, white sand. This is the White Sands Monument. It is a natural geological formation that is barely a thousand years old which makes it an infant in relationship to most geologic areas of interest. 

The sand, actually gypsum, has a coarseness somewhere between beach sand and talc. Being very fine it is very susceptible to the winds of the desert. The minimal moisture, the rapid evaporation, and the high winds have created what is the largest gypsum field in the world. Apparently it can be seen from space. 

The fine sand shifts and moves very easily with the wind and also under foot. On flat areas it packs down reasonably hard to create an easy surface to walk on but where it has formed into dunes is a different story. The dunes that can be sixty feet tall or more and are not as easy to climb as people say. The sand constantly shifts under foot and slides downward as you try to climb back to the top. It almost feels like three steps forward and two steps back, and is sometime easier to be on all fours.

Now about the "white" sand! If anyone has experienced snow blindness then you know what to expect. Adjusting from the brightness can take a few minutes if not wearing sunglasses. Not only do you experince snow blindness the sand along the road through the area  looks like you are driving through a winter wasteland, but with temperatures in the 90's it doesn't feel like winter. 

Like most National Parks it is illegal to remove anything from the area. People have been caught and fined for doing so but I don't think they are going to worry about the sand I brought home with me.

The stuff is so fine that it get into everywhere and it is impossible not to have some of the sand follow you home.

Well I will sign off now from our home in Tularosa because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'24/#10 Aliens, Pistachios, and Glowing In The Dark

 We are in Alamagordo New Mexico. The last time we came through the state we stopped in Roswell, the location most famous for alien sightings. We did all the tourist things and saw all the corny museums and gift shops like good tourists.

Here in the Tularosa Basin there are no aliens but science fiction turning to reality. Alamagordo is the site or the Trinity test that led to the creaion of the atomic bomb. While you can't get out to the actual site there are a number of informative exhibits that will tell about that first test. The radiation has diminished to just ten times the natural levels in the surrounding regions so I don't think that we will leave here glowing in the dark.

In the early 1970's pistachio trees were planted in the area and have become a regular crop for the region. Pistachioland is now home to the World's Largest Pistachio and gives regular tours of their farm. All this is on our "must do" list before we move on down the road.

There is much more to see and do around New Mexico including the Balloon Fiesta that we experienced last year. I don't know if or when we may pass through again but I am sure we will find something new to see.

I will sign off now because we want to get an early start playing tourist. So until the next blog from our home in Tularosa because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'24/#9 People, Places, and Things

 Our travels have us criss-crossing the country this year. Our first stop was in Elkart for the trailer upgrade which falls in the category of "things". We are on our way to White Sands New Mexico which would qualify as a "place". 

The past few days we spent in Baytown Texas. A dear friend of ours, Tommie, passed away a while ago and there was going to be a memorial service while we traveled.  It was a no brainer that we would be there. She and her husband were one of our first workcamper bosses. We got to see her husband, Burnie, and the rest of their family and friends. These are the "people" we make a point to see in our travels. We were welcomed by everyone in the same way that Tommie would have. It was nice to know that her influence will continue on through them. The world could use a few more Tommies!

As we've mentioned before we are not in a race around the country. Our days are usually around 300 miles and at a leisurely pace. We don't have to leave at an ungodly hour in the morning and we are settled in for the night in time to prepare dinner. We then relax watching some TV and read before calling it a night. We wake in the morning refreshed and ready to start the new day. We don't get burned out traveling and that is one of the reasons we have been able to enjoy this lifestyle for fifteen plus years. My point is that it is going to take us three days to cross the great state of Texas.

Well this is the end of my blog from our home in Fort Stockton because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'24/#8 And Here We Are

 I didn't start blogging about our current journey until almost two weeks in, so it has taken me this long to catch up. Well here we are today, current and in "real" time. The last blog was from Marshall Texas where we stayed for six days. Since this summer's travels will involve a lot of actual traveling we decided to make time for periodic stops just to rest. We didn't want to burn ourselves out on driving so much that we didn't enjoy the trip.

We left Marshall after doing some of the chores that are part of the RVing lifestyle. The usual laundry and house cleaning, and the RV specific dumping and rinsing the waste water holding tanks. Sounds disgusting but everything is set up so that it is a civilized process. Then it was back on the road.

We are now in Livingston Texas. This the home of the Escapees organization that was formed by Rvers for Rvers. They have numerous campgrounds around the country, organize national and regional events, and provide services for those of us whose homes are on wheels. The most important service to us is the mail forwarding service. Many people ask "How do you get your mail when you travel?" and this is the answer. All our mail comes to Livingston Texas and when we are someplace and want our mail they will send it to whatever address we wish. 

Since we knew we were coming here we haven't had our mail forwarded for almost a month and planned on picking it up in person. Being on the road doesn't stop us from shopping so there were a number of packages included. Three trips from the window to the truck and we had all our mail. It was time to take it back to the trailer and sort through it all. I thought it would take days but we were done in an hour or so. In addition to packages and the usual bills and correspondences we also had a stack of magazines. Lots of reading material for a while.

Well here we are, all caught up, in our home in Livingston because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Maniaci

'24/#7 A Time To Celebrate

 With Hollister in our rear view mirror and memories of good times with friends we hit the road again. Our next destination is Little Rock Arkansas. We will stay here for five days and do some celebrating and exploring.

Like many across the country we wanted to see the April 8th eclipse. It was special to us since it also fell on our 35th wedding anniversary. I tell Mary that I ordered the eclipse for her and she acts like it is true. Well that's our story and we are sticking to it. Little Rock was in the path of totality so we had ring side seats for the show. As much as I can usually express my thoughts this was one of those events that are just too big for words. Let's just say that it was awe inspiring. 

Later that day we took a stroll across the river to visit the Clinton Presidential Library. The museum was a self guided tour and tastefully done. It was not just about Bill Clinton but also about how the world was changing during his time in office. It was about the world and the country and how Bill and others tried to make it a better place. 

The documents, memorabilia, photos, and videos collected brought back memories of a time that I personally remember and lived through. I'm not sure, but having lived through a time that is now considered historical might just label me as an old timer. Let's make me sound older by saying that I grew up in the mid to late 1900's. Ouch!

Just down the river was a naval museum dedicated to the USS Razorback. It was a combat submarine that saw service in WWII and Vietnam. It was decommissioned in 1970 and  recomissioned to NATO in the Turkish navy in 1971 where she served for another 31 years making her the longest active service submarine in history. 

Submarine life is not for the faint of heart as we have learned through our visits to four different submaine musems. We have seen the Civil War era Hunley, the Cold War era USS Growler at the Intrepid Museum, the USS Nautilus that was the first nucler-powered submarine, and now the USS Razorback. We have an appreciation for those that served as submariners in the US Navy that can only be learned by walking in the footsteps of those who lived the life.

I am going to sign off now and start getting ready to depart tommorrow from our home in Marshall Texas because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'24/#6 Friends In Our Neighborhood

Back when we started this RV adventure one of our first RV friends told us that our neighborhood was now 3000 miles wide. That means that all the new friends we make during our travels are in the neighborhood. Traveling thousands of miles it is not unccommon for us to travel 100 miles out of the way to see friends.

The Monday after Easter we left St Louis and headed toward Branson to stay in Hollister Missouri. Several years ago we worked in Forsyth that was also near Branson. That was our one and only attempt at up-north winter workcamping. We survived but decided not to work where the temperatures got into the single digits any more.

I worked at the old Jellystone campground and Mary got a job in town at the Dollar General. She, and I by proxy, made some good friends at the Dollar General. We have kept in touch over the years and whenever we pass through the area we make a point to stop in and visit.

It was relaxing just chilling out and spending time. Crystal is doing well, her boys have grown and our she has gotten married to a nice guy named Lee. We get along great with him and the boys are just as glad to see us. They all want to catch up and hear about what we have been up to.

It has been ten days since we dumped our waste water holding tanks so it was time. Our last day in Hollister was spent dumping tanks, cooking for the road, and just generally getting everything ready for travel. Like I've said before, this year will involve a lot more traveling than we have done in the past, so setting up and breaking down is now becoming routine.

Another note on the upgrade to the trailer. Not only has the ride smoothed out the trailer is also much more stabile. The independent suspension ensures that no more than one wheel at a time is bouncing over bumps which allows the remaining wheels to maintain contact with the road. 

We are still in Marshall Texas relaxing and just taking care of the usual things that come up in day to day living. Until the next blog from our home in Texas because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'24/#5 Feels Like New

 Well, all the work on our rig is done and it is time to hit the road again. The ride is much better. The trailer rides a little taller and the expansion joints are much less noticable so I guess everything is working as promised. We will evaluate more as we put miles behind us, and that is the plan this summer!

Our next destination is Hollister Missouri. We have worked in this area and passed through several times over the years. That means we have friends to visit and catch up with. We stopped twice just to overnight. Our first stop was at a Loves Truck Stop RV area. Loves has built a number of RV parks at their truck stops. This keeps RVs away from the trucks that come and go at all hours and sometimes idle all night. It also allows Loves to get some more of the RV dollars we spend on the road. It was convenient but still noisy due to the proximity to the truck traffic. It was also a little pricy for just an overnight stop. For the same price we could stay in a regular campground just a little bit off the highway with better amenities and more quiet. We will not return unless it is the best option in the area.

The next night we stayed at a KOA in St Louis and had the quiet that was missing the night before. Same price, cheaper fuel near by, and just as close to the highway. KOAs are not our first choice because they are on the pricy side for overnighters but we get discounts as former employees and for repeat visits.

By the way, Happy Easter. Our next stop will be five days in Hollister. Looking forward to see our friends. Almost caught up so I will sign off from our home in Marshall Texas because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary