Another new bird for my list. The Green Jay is found in the US only in the Rio Grande valley in South Texas. It is a masked, cartoon colored aggressive bird.
Word is that Bruce the Coffee Artist post will be tomorrow because the investigation into the possible nefarious activities of one C. Moose are not yet complete. Stay tuned.
We have traveled extensively (49 states) with our travel trailer, an Elite 18’ manufactured by Oliver in Hohenwald, Tennessee. And we get lots of comments while on the road or through my web site, Two Lane Touring, that are similar to: “Wow, you are doing what we hope to some day just traveling the country and enjoying life.” Or “We have been shopping for an RV can we look at yours it seems great.” Usually both! We enjoy showing the trailer and talking about our travels. But there is an impression that these experiences are somehow divorced from life’s problems. They are not. Bills still have to be paid, illness can occur in a beautiful campground as well as in your own home, and you bring all your life’s baggage right along with the travel maps.
Apart from that, there is the matter of rattling down the highway in your home, the trailer in our case. Now we have had many, many more good days and amazing adventures than bad ones. Many. And even considering all the bad ones, it has been well worth the cost and the occasional aggravation. Or panic. We have met interesting people we would never have met otherwise. We have been to places and stayed longer, often in spectacular locations, that we could not afford in any other venue. Try pricing out 11 weeks in Alaska or 8 days (don’t forget food!) in Yellowstone for example.
However, we are home today in Raleigh instead of hiking in Big Bend National Park because of a catastrophic electrical melt down in the coach. This is the second time in six years and 93,000 miles we have aborted travel and come home. The first was only a short distance from home; because the repair part was not available and we had only a few more days planned, it was not a big deal. This time it is more extensive and expensive occurring 1600 miles from home.
We were in San Antonio, Texas and we lost all power in the trailer. I called a mobile RV repair company and they came and were competent. Both parts of that equation are not always true. They uncovered a mass of burnt and melted wires in the primary bundle that supplies most of the lights and outlets in the trailer. There were also some charred wires at the furnace and, as we found out on our way to Oliver, one of the electric brakes was shorting and causing great heat. It was cut so we could complete the travel and the person that assisted us thought it might be the culprit for the cause of the problems. We were unable to use battery or 110 power, it was very cold at night, and the local shops were already booked three weeks out and longer. Plus Oliver is a relatively unknown company - no one knows where all the wires go. So the decision to drive 1000 miles to Oliver and leave the trailer and then 600 more home to wait for the bad news was easy. Execution was a tough three days.
Over our ownership time here are my remembered (I may have blocked a few memories) issues:
Replaced Sail Switch 3 times (it ignites the furnace)
Brookline, MA
Hot Springs, AK
Hohenwald, TN
Furnace circuit board - replaced in Vermont
“T” fitting for water pump broke on rough roads in Montana - replaced when we entered Canada and then again with a better one in Whitehorse, Canada.
Broken hot water heater - broke when we hit a tire tread from a big truck on the interstate and it smashed into the water heater and cracked the reservoir.
Lost connection to the thermostat (2x)
Fixed in Florida twice
Each of these happened on the road, so you have to find a repair place, get someone to look at your problem, fix it and then pay for it.
You also have maintenance on the road, oil changes on the tow vehicle and wheel bearings repacked on the trailer are regular items. We had a major brake issue in Kenai, Alaska and it was fixed at a truck repair shop.
We have minor things done at home base like gaskets, tires, hoses, faucet, and we do a lot ourselves including upgrades to the trailer. So it is really good to find a shop near your home base to fix things that can wait or be scheduled for repair.
This is not a trouble free way to live - there are none! Our trailer is extraordinary. It is very well made, easy to tow, comfortable in 17 or 97 degrees; it allows us to visit and experience things that we would not be able to do otherwise. It is the systems that are the troublesome issues, not, thankfully, the integrity of the trailer.
This trip was going well, and we were excited to head out to West Texas, NM and AZ. We were met in Texas by Rusty and Janet. They had to change plans as well - their RV is not a good fit for the dirt mountain roads of Big Bend. We are more disappointed that we missed out on two weeks of travel with them.
So is it worth it? YES. We will get this repaired and head back out where we will experience both good and bad days again. And we hope for more good days next time :)
At a camp site on a maple farm in Maine with Rusty and Janet’s rig in the back. Beautiful spot.
This amazing animal was at the King Ranch, a mere 1 million acre spread. The brand is a “running W.'“
We did make it back to Raleigh after dropping off the trailer at the Oliver factory. That is always dangerous as the new ones have super nice upgrades and are very livable. However they cost a lot. We arrived here about midnight and today will be a slow day but we have some business that must be attended to - maybe late morning:)
The Moose has been cleared by the Repair Detectives however he is not out of trouble yet. They referred the case to the Fire Marshal (yes a REAL marshal). She has sought help with the International Brotherhood of Antlered Electrical Workers (IBAEW) union. I suspect I will not like that outcome. Their report is due very soon.
We are still processing miles toward Hohenwald, Tn and the Oliver factory. We expect to be there early morning on Monday. We will meet with the service manager and then make a decision about what we will do next. I expect the repair will be long enough that we will head to Raleigh. It has been a tough trip for several reasons. The Moose is under investigation right now pending the outcome of the repair detectives he may be back soon or….
We also have a neat visit with Bruce to chat about soon.
We got a brief visit downtown and walked by the Alamo.
We had a repair on the furnace done on the road to Alaska in 2019 that was not done correctly. The furnace worked but the wires were not in the proper place. Over time they deteriorated more and more until they were creating much more heat than the wire was able to handle, they went from the furnace back into the main point were they were in a bundle of wires all of which began to melt and fuse together. We were fortunate it did not catch fire. So the coach has zero battery power and is unsafe to run the 110 power. We are headed back to the Oliver factory in TN (and not the True West) to leave the trailer to be rewired and have what parts replaced that might be needed. No one in San Antonio was able or willing to try that feat. We expect to return to Raleigh to wait for the repair. Marshal (nee Cadillac) Moose has much to say on this issue. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s update.
We drove all day and are still in Texas, but only by a mile in Texarkana at a Hampton Inn.
“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.” Psalm 57:1 NLT
Yet another new bird, #404 an Inca Dove.
TLT has posted every day for almost seven years. I will still try and post a photo each day until I can further deal with the issue that has halted our trip. It is trailer related not our health but it is a mess. We are heading east in the morning. i will write more in detail tomorrow or monday.
Cannon at the Palo Alto battlefield, NPS #310
Yes, I am back. A good marshal does not flinch at every obstacle. I have reformatted my internal hard drive and will Press On Regardless. (POR) Fortitude is one of my more outstanding qualities. Now, I need to figure out how to move us to the True West and leave this ocean bird watching to the birds. Next in line is more Ice Cream, we are seriously lacking and that is intolerable. Next, I need to get my hat, my fringy vest, a new badge and 2 Colt six-shooters in matching leather holsters with fancy engraving or whatever they do. I think I want an ice cream cone on one and a latte on the other. That’ll be cool. We did get out of Dodge (just an old cowboy saying we were not in Dodge or at least I don’t think so) but it is dark and we are parked in a grove of trees. Typical of the Driver. Where did you stay? Under a pecan tree. Snicker.
Dunes @ Dusk at Padre Island National Seashore. What a magical place. It is NPS unit #309. Absolutely loved this one.
On the Gulf - and for $7 a night. Why didn't we stay two weeks.
And a gorgeous sunrise to start the day. We had a couple of adventures but all ended well.
Dispatch from Marshal Moose, Deputy, Sheriff, Outlaw Cook & Driver Dave
Cadillac, excuse me, Marshal Moose is unavailable today something about a need to hide under the covers and hum the themes to Gunsmoke and the Magnificent Seven.
Our day started with an issue - all our battery lights etc went out. A call to an RV repair in the direction we were heading got us an appointment. While they were investigating, Cindy and I explored the Aransas NWR and were able to see at least two maybe three Whooping Cranes (new bird) but at a long distance and a Couch’s Kingbird another new bird that followed yesterdays Crested Caracara which was bird number 400. Plus a lot more in this interesting part of the world. It is super flat like it was ironed into place and the deep dark fields stretched to the horizon sometimes on both sides of the road.
The trailer problem was a breaker that I did not know existed. So I got a $40 lesson on Oliver Operations. But we were fixed and traveled to Padre Island National Seashore and scored the last campsite on the Gulf. The sun came out in full and the day ended brilliantly. Spectacularly beautiful and $7 a night. Padre Island is NP number 309. All the numbers are climbing today. Possibly the Marshal will recover in time for tomorrow’s adventure.
Couch’s Kingbird at Aransas NWF - bird number 401
Trio of White Pelicans soar high overhead
Crested Caracara - or Bird Number Four Hundred as it shall be known henceforth.
Campsite at Magnolia Beach
Dispatch from Marshal Moose
I am so confused. We set off this morning and finally we were in what appeared to be The Real West, ranches and cows and cattle and fencing and big skies. Yet there were roads and cars and, well you get the picture. No mesquite fires or branding. No gun fights. So as I started to contemplate what was going on we ended up, are you ready for this, AT THE OCEAN. Texas does not have an ocean but there it was beaches and waves and no land on the other side. Plus the Driver is going bird watching. I am so confused. How did this happen and will I ever get a hat. I need to go to bed. Maybe this is a bad dream.
We escaped the ice age and were off on a bright, warming, sunny day toward the Real West. We did find some wide open spaces, some ranch signs and even longhorn cattle. We also toured a ranch owned by someone without a name, just initials. LBJ. Guess he could not buy a vowel from Vanna. Ha, I should write a book or a movie. BUT there are no dirt streets, no swinging doors, no smell of gunpowder in the morning. This guy even had 8 cars and a jet airplane and not a horse in sight, NOT A COWBOY. Something is seriously wrong here. Plus I have not found a boot, a hat or any pearl handled colt six-shooters with matching leather holsters. Where is the Real West? I heard someone say we are in central Texas so we are not yet in West Texas. How we can meander so much is only understood by watching the Driver flail around. He saw an ice cream stand today, that was good. We made eleventy turns to get to it and it was right on the main highway. I forgave him because it was really good ice cream. We are going somewhere else tomorrow so I am keeping my hooves crossed.
LBJ’s Texas White House
He had this Ford custom built with a big V8 and two gun racks and a full wet bar in the back for his guests. He loved driving people around his 3000 acres.
I got this buck at the edge of the woods on the LBJ ranch.
A view of the grazing land for his herd of cattle a large portion of the 600 acres owned by the Park now. . LBJ was a long way from my definition of a good president but he loved the land and did a lot for the NPS expanding or adding fifty parks, I can appreciate that aspect of his presidency.
Day three in the campground and no one was able to go anywhere on the slick ice until early afternoon. I was not able to go target shooting or quick draw practice cause of the slickness of the surface. My hooves provide a robust platform but not for shooting so I just crashed all day and ate cookies. Cowboys love cookies with their lattes. The Driver tried to go buy gas and got partially out of the camping area and the vehicle went a bit sideways - I blame too much wine. (ED NOTE - no wine was involved in the minor incident) He had to get out and chop a hole in the ice with the back of his hatchet. LOL. The weather is going to change a bit tomorrow and we are set to move - I hope west. I know this cause my bones are hurting. That is how we actual cowboys know things. So not much to report from Lake Forlorn and the Ice Palace on Wheels.
There was a vote today for “Best Individual to be Stuck in a Storm in a Tiny Trailer With.” I never voted before but it did not seem fair that the Kind & Pretty One got six votes, the Driver got one and C. Moose, got a request to trot into town and get lattes. How does this thing work. No wonder I did not get to be President.
The Ice Palace- not going anywhere today!
Same tree from the other day, very quick picture as the wind was really blowing and we were still near 20.
The “storm” came, big deal. We have worse summer days in Maine. Why when I was a young Moose I had to….(ED NOTE: mercifully I cut the rant that encompassed the next seven paragraphs)… and that was when the old saying “Once in a Blue Moose” began. But here a bit of coolness and some ice and we stay inside the pill all day. Well, they did I went for a walk and got a latte and a donut. Did you know donuts are big out here in Almost Texas. There are many of these places and one in every town we go to. Talk about perfect. Why I think that ought to qualify for a Nibble Prize. Anyway we went no where but maybe moving out tomorrow about High Noon.
Sunday Scripture: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” I Corinthians 4:18 NLT
Our now frozen view. My new theme song, “Let it GO!”
Or, “These are a Few of My Favorite Things.”
Dispatch from Marshal Moose
Today was not a stellar day, yet I will not utter a discouraging word. We did not venture anywhere but spent the whole day loafing around the town we are camping near. I was tempted to pilot a few planes cause we are at the airport but never got the chance. We had to shop in —looking carefully over shoulder for the formerly Kind One, kinda girly places. Something about Chip and Dale or Joanna, I forget. There was food and a good latte involved and that was good. Apparently we also stocked with BBQ and more stuff cause of the “storm” and the temperature that will be about 17 - whatever that means. The Driver who was going to drive today said the weather was going to be “too bad to travel.” Right, like who ever heard of such a thing. We Moose are made for any kind of weather with our superior fur and dynamic fluidity. (ED NOTE - Someone has been reading the “word of the day” calendar again) But what can I do. I have some plans in place but until we move a bit more into real Texas I will just eat and plan and eat some more. Maybe I can get in some target practice. But I still need those pearl handled Colt six-shooters. Hmmmm.
View of a lone tree from our campsite on the shore of Lake Waco.
At the Magnolia Market made famous by Chip and Joanna Gaines and their show, Fixer Upper. They have transformed a portion of downtown and done so very well. This is a waffle ball field on the site of an old baseball field where Babe Ruth once played. The church is being restored, moved on site from another part of town. Lots of food trucks parked under cover, coffee shop, home furnishings, bakery and lots more cleverly organized and in the midst of a big expansion.
We also walked to the Dr Pepper Museum where the first bottling plant was and just a block or two from the original drug store where the 23 flavor “pepper” was invented. Well done and fun tour that ended with a hand mixed Dr Pepper.
We had a late excellent lunch at Cafe Homestead a bit north of town. It is part of an intentional Christian community somewhat related to the Mennonite/Amish theology but separate from those groups. By the time we left, 3:20 or so it was raining, hard. We scampered to the grocery store that was way over capacity. Returning to the camper, we are in and the rain is coming down in sheets. Close to torrential as I care and changing to ice by 3AM and snow by 5AM, stopping after noon tomorrow. We will be here and in all day, never have done that before in the camper and we are not sure how it will handle the lows of 23 tomorrow AM and 13 on Friday. Not sure we can go anywhere Friday either. So, here we sit!
Dispatch from Marshal Moose
Sometimes my plans are so brilliant I don’t even have to implement them. We are moving west today. Not as far as three hours but we are headed to the real Texas. I am sure I can get us to move the rest of the way.
There will be outlaws to catch and you need a posse for some of those. A good Marshal needs planning. So, I will begin to name deputies for when the call goes out we will be ready. Now who do I know? Well, Tom used to shoot cannons, so of course he will be a deputy. Dennis and George were policemen, that is like a trainee deputy so they can be in the posse. I’ll let them ride in the middle till they get the hang of it. Gary is broken right now, I’ll let him pass. Steve is required to be in the posse cause he plays the harmonica and that’s what they do. Who else? Oh, I know, Rusty. He used to wrestle a porpoise or something like that but that is OK cause he has a great nickname, Rusty. A great deputy has to have a nickname. I bet when Rusty finds out he has been deputized he will rush out to West Texas. I’ll put him in charge of campfires, he should be good with that. What if he brings Janet? I don’t think a girl can be a deputy. (MRS ED NOTE - redacted for our sensitive readers) OUCH, that hurt. I guess I was wrong. The formerly Kind and Pretty one has an edge. So we can have a girl woman deputy. I guess that is good because someone has to scoop the ice cream. (MRS ED NOTE - redacted for scenes of gratuitous violence and antler twisting) That REALLY hurt. I think I need to go and lie down, no more fabulous ideas today.
We visited the Mammoth National Monument in Waco Texas, park number 307 as the count goes on. As usual the parks are more interesting than we expect. This one was very low on my list - but it was Okay and unique. We spent about an hour. There are some 23 animals and they have evidence of more but the dig is suspended right now. These are Columbia Mammoth and not Wolly Mammoth. The Columbia is bigger, nearly 20 feet high at the shoulder. Certainly taller than Cindy:)
The dig is enclosed in a light and humidity controlled environment. Those are the real bones that are exposed where they have been found. They believe the herd was caught in a flash flood and drowned together.
We are camping nearby at a very nice place on Lake Waco. I’ll get a photo tomorrow. We have extended a day here because a winter storm is due tomorrow night with cold temps and freezing rain or snow.
Dispatch from Marshal Moose
There is hope. After a whole day of plodding along trails in The Big Thicket and not seeing a single horse or long horn steer anywhere I was back at the campsite feeling sad. But you can’t really keep a Moose down even if I was not going to get a hat so I walked around the camping area. Don’t think big rocks and a bed roll with someone playing the harmonica while the fire dies down, no this is fancy camping in land yachts and a few pill boxes like ours. Anyway I was being my normal friendly helpful self bringing cheer to all (ED NOTE: Sheesh, enough already) and then I spotted him. He was sitting by the campfire fire (we never have a campfire) with his fancy boots (we have no fancy boots) and cowboy hat. A really neat hat! Just like I need, except I need a white one cause I am The Marshal. Jimmy was not from here but he was from Texas - I knew it, there had to be the real Texas somewhere. He has a huge ranch and ranch hands and hay and stuff. Wow. He said he was three hours away. I am only three hours from the real Texas. Now what can I do to convince the Driver to go three hours away. I need to work on that, so no more scribing tonight, must plan for the Great Texas Get-a-Way.
A somewhat rare Pitcher Plant along one of the trails we hiked in the Big Thicket. Most of them are about gone at this point in the year, this one had a tiny bit of color left. The insects are attracted by color and odor and then get trapped inside and dissolve in the plants fluids.
Typical Big Thicket area. Good hiking trails at this time of year, few insects.
Dispatch from Marshal Moose
This can’t be Texas. We got here - according to the Driver and we know how reliable he is, but this is not Texas. There are CARS, and I saw a Starbucks. Good grief, no, please not in Texas. There are supposed to be mesas, and cottonwood trees, campfires and horses, saloons with swinging doors. I want to walk through a door that swings! I have not seen a horse. I have not seen a fort or a stage coach or an old guy named Cookie. The guy at the fake Texas visitor center told us there was an alligator along the board walk. That is Florida. The scenery is not like Texas, it looked like the area north of Raleigh. I think I have been tricked and I am not happy. We are in a place called The Big Thicket. Never one time did I hear a cowboy say “Let’s put our bed rolls over there on The Big Thicket.“
I did hear someone say that this is East Texas so maybe we are close to Actual Texas but I doubt the Driver will ever find it if he thinks we are already here. Gloom and despair fill the air and my hat is fading away.
Thought you might like to see the sunrise since I showed the sunset from the evening before.
We arrived in east Texas and headed to the Big Thicket National Preserve. We took a short hike to a cypress swamp before heading to our campsite at the Martin Dies State Park. We have a nice site here.
Dispatch From Marshall Moose
I am worried. Nay, more than worried. Do you know where we ended the day yesterday? FLORIDA. Florida is where we have been before and there was no sight of Texas. In fact, Florida is a skinny, sandy, alligatory stick of land that goes out into the water and you can’t go anywhere near Texas from there. The technical term for that kind of land is semi-island. Not near Texas. But we set off in the early morning dew anyway and four hours later we were in …FLORIDA. I despair of seeing Texas and getting my hat. I long for the wide open plains, the buffalo majestically roaming over purple hills. I long for my first gunfight. That brings up another problem. The Driver said no guns. He knows nothing about Texas. You have to shoot someone every day or two.
(ED NOTE: the obsession Cadillac has was formed early in his life. As you recall from previous flashbacks, he was born in the Maine woods near a rusty 59 Cadillac, hence the name. But he was fed as a pet -he never would have survived otherwise, by a kindly Maine hermit who had a VCR and two hundred old westerns on tape. So, C. Moose would watch through the window and How the West Was Won, True Grit, Stagecoach, Rio Bravo et al are all he knows about the west. And, no, it will not be necessary to shoot someone every couple of days. Sheesh.)
Late today I did have a glimmer of hope as we crossed a puny state, Alababba, I think, and got into yet another at this rate the Driver is bound to blunder into Texas some time. Maybe we will make it. Then I plan to drive a stagecoach - cause I cannot fit my magnificent seven tiered antlers into that thing so of course I will pilot the stage. I think you can shoot even more outlaws from there.
Across the street from our camp for the night. Sunset on the Gulf
Here we are at Buc-ee”s a 200 gas pump mecca for travelers. Think WaWa that got bit by a radioactive spider and grew 20 fold. We also passed a sign for the Florida Panhandle Technical College. I never knew that all those people I see at intersections actually majored in the art at the FPTC.
This is an 1839 example of a Louisiana raised cottage. It is on the gulf in southern Mississippi and was the last home of Jefferson Davis. They are part of the Harvest Host program and we stayed on property with the gulf at our door (across the fence). We toured the house which is very nice and had a quiet night.
Almost hidden in the trees but the Gulf of Mexico was 100 feet behind our trailer.
Dispatch From Marshall Moose
Yeehaw, finally we are going to someplace exotic. We are off to Texas, the most gigantic of the real states of America. I am so excited. This is the land of Wyatt Moose, Hop-a-Long Moose, the Lone Moose and One Antler Jack. I cannot wait. The Driver ought to be able to find this place it is so big that you cannot drive through too many of these puny states until you bump into Texas. The only reason we have not found it before is that the Driver is not really qualified to go to Texas. Can you imagine him in a cowboy hat! Ha. But I on the other hand was born for thie wide open range. I am getting a full 20 gallon size white Stetson with a fancy rattlesnake band. Oh, and a vest. OOH, with FRINGE. I will need some great boots that have lots of stuff on them and a bandana. To top off the whole outfit, two pearl handled Colt six-shooters. Marshal Moose will roll into town and everyone will notice me. (ED NOTE there will be no pearl handled Colt six-shooters or anything else that might shoot including rubber bands.) I don’t guess we will get there today, but I am the very paradigm of patience (ED NOTE HA!) so I am ok and by lunch tomorrow we ought to be going through the swinging doors of the saloon and into fame and fortune. With my acting experience I can see a whole new show staring Marshal Moose the Conscience of the West.
On the road before seven! We stopped in Dunn, NC for a planned repair but that took only about 90 minutes. We had an uneventful trip to north Florida and stayed the night at a private home with a Boondockers Welcome program. Perfect place, nice folks and great rest. We covered 560 miles day one and now have 90,000 on the trailer! Yikes.
Great stop for our first night. Even had electric hookups.
So, here is the plan. We are off to spend time in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona with a brief excursion into Southwestern Colorado. And who knows what else might open up? Our original plan called for us to go via Atlanta, Birmingham and Jackson into Texas but weather concerns emerged and we are doing the I-95 to I-10 route. We have a general itinerary to visit 13 Texas parks, 12 New Mexico and six Arizona parks, all new for us and, possibly two in Colorado. On the way back we will pick up the last one in OK and the last one in Arkansas. We have postponed the two remaining in Georgia and one in MS that were planned at first. There are three or five more that we could do with cooperative weather and time and energy. We’ll see. We will also revisit several of the parks that we have been to and enjoyed. Chief among them is White Sands in New Mexico. Our goal for 2022 is to get to at least 350 parks. So adding 45 for this year makes this trip the biggest part of that effort with 35 possible on this journey.
Daily posting for this trip will begin on Monday. Again the delay is to compensate for the times we are without service. This trip three days may not be enough! Once in Texas we will be joined somewhere by the Harmans for a part of the trip and that will be added fun. Besides the National Park units, we have some other historic sites, a few state parks, some interesting towns and ghost towns to explore. And the trip always unfolds more opportunities than expected. Our camping will be Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, state parks, National Parks, some BLM and a few commercial campgrounds. Maybe a rest stop or two. Ice cream will be sought out, and we have a couple of restaurants to look forward to as well.
I am excited to explore some of the old west places etched in my mind by countless cowboy movies and scores of books. The history of this area is fascinating. Hope you can ride with us across the Western Range.
Two Lane Touring- winding through the trees of Vermont, sort of not the way to Texas!
