On the road again -- finally! Haven't been out in TuziTwo since Yellowstone last fall (except when we parked it in our driveway and slept there while the Easterling kids were here at the first of April). It's been a very snowy winter and in fact just two days ago we had snow blowing in the air, so we're ready for spring, bigtime. This is going to be a six-week plus trip. Not only that, but we're going to see all six kids in one trip. That'll take care of our 2007 obligations -- just kidding, kids. Here's the itinerary:
April
April 26. We leave home about 1030 am, right after Regis Philbin's return from heart surgery. Three hundred miles later we're stopped for the night at the Lubbock KOA, where we've stayed a few times before. Perfect RV park locale: near the highway and a busy railroad! Not a hard day's travel, but we're tired, after 2-3 days of getting ready and loading, and ready to stop. Everything seems to work, including satellite TV.
Day 2 starts with an unusual problem -- About 6:30 am I start to leave for a trip to the KOA facilities and I can't unlock the front door. That's the only door. The lock had been working smoothly, up to now, but I can't budge the deadbolt knob. What to do? I could wait until someone walks by and throw them a key and see if the door will unlock from the outside. The wait might be too long and would be embarrassing. I could force the knob, but that might make things worse. I could go out the emergency window -- but I'm not sure but what when I release its latches, it might crash to the ground, which you would want in an emergency but not now. So, I decide to climb out the driver's side window. The decorative bed spread is laying nearby (we have daily rituals of unmaking the bed and making the bed) so I get the idea to lay it over the window sill and hang it down the outside to protect the motor home. I squeeze out backwards, dangle, and drop lightly, catlike, to the ground. The lock won't budge from the outside either, not surprisingly, so I get a screwdriver out of my toolbox, get the ladder out of the basement, climb back inside and with a little bit of work -- the knob was lined up with the screws -- take the back off the lock. Still can't retract the deadbolt, so it's back through the window and somehow working the key in the loosened lock retracts the bolt. There is a second door lock, so we won't be without security until I get the lock replaced. Getting the back of the lock back on just to hold the lock on proves difficult -- a three-hand job with only two hands. Susie soon arises, though, I tell her about the excitement, and together we soon get the lock secured and away we go.The standard way from Lubbock to Abilene is to angle down US 84 to I-20, then east to Abilene -- about 180 miles total. I decide to take a more scenic, meaning two-lane, route. And it is more scenic -- more rolling hills as we cross several branches of the Brazos river. We stop in a rest area to check the map and as we pull out I notice a group of three mailboxes, all full of bullet holes. That's neat, shoulda got the picture. Then, almost immediately there's a large ranch gate proclaiming Hang 'Em High. No doubt now, we're in legendary west Texas -- Big Country, the Abilene newspaper calls it. Some people say there's nothing out here. One thing I get a kick out of, however, is ranch gates -- you can see how each owner is trying to make a statement. If there's not one already, there ought to be a book of these.
Two more hopes I have for this route are a small-town cafe and a Texas county courthouse -- and we find both. In Aspermont, after passing one cafe with no room to park, I spot a small place with lots of pick-ups parked around and a sign out front saying only -- catfish. Be still my heart. Susie says that, but not about catfish, so I borrowed it. We go around the block, park, and enjoy a catfish lunch. The interior is what you'd expect -- tattered oilcloth tablecloths, ripped-up vinyl chairs, well-weathered men in boots, jeans, and battered cowboy hats -- even saw one wearing spurs, interesting folks of both sexes. Lots of big people, most of whom seemed to be eating hamburgers, not catfish.
On down the road toward Abilene we go through Anson, which features this courthouse. I'm sure I got a picture of this one in 2005 when we lived in Abilene, but it's easier to take a new picture than find the old one.
Got to Abilene in mid-afternoon, parked in the Rays' (Elsie and Ken -- our Abilene and Mediterranean cruise friends) driveway, rested in their backyard, went downtown to the Grace Museum for an art show (some outstanding Texas scenes by a local artist) and snacks.
That's all for now. We'll be here until Monday when the Rays and us are motor homing down to Fredericksburg for a few days.
Cheers,
Rob and Susie
1 comment:
Sounds like one heck of a trip already. Love the story about the door not opening as I try to imagine Rob climbing out the window. Was Susie sleeping in past Rob's usual 5am wake up or what? Have a fabulous journey.
Val
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