we're in Palo Duro Canyon SP, south of Amarillo, Tx. and we have no cell coverage or internet connections, so the blog will be silent until after the weekend. Its spectacular here, sorry I can't show you pictures for awhile. I'm sitting at the side of the road, "borrowing" someone's internet. bye for now!
beluga
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Tuesday, still in Amarillo....
We're still in Amarillo. One more night. Beluga was in the shop most of the day, and was finally repaired and ready to go around 5 p.m. (Central time, of course) We decided to stay here one more night rather than driving down into the canyon at the end of a long long day. Fortunately, this campground had another site for us, so we put out the grill and cooked some comfort food - hotdogs and mac. salad - and settled down for the night. Tomorrow is another day.
Here are some pictures of the funky Big Texan restaurant, last night's dinner choice. Actually, the dinner was excellent. Steak, cowboy beans and beefsteak tomato/onion salad for Dave and I enjoyed a filet with sauteed mushrooms, loaded baked potato and salad. When in Texas.....
This guy was one of two taking that challenge while we were there. They sat at a raised table in the center of the cavernous dining room below a digital clock, counting down the hour. Who would do such a thing? Other "diners" would walk up to the table and stare at him, take pictures of him and otherwise root him on.
This is the view from our table, you guessed it, on the balcony at the last table, all alone. Look at all the people, look at all the deer heads.....visual overload.
Free entertainment of the tackiest kind. Yep, this is Texas!
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| Beluga in the repair bay |
Here are some pictures of the funky Big Texan restaurant, last night's dinner choice. Actually, the dinner was excellent. Steak, cowboy beans and beefsteak tomato/onion salad for Dave and I enjoyed a filet with sauteed mushrooms, loaded baked potato and salad. When in Texas.....
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| Huge, roadside sign can be seen for miles, just as we remembered it |
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| this is the free "limo" we took from the campground to the restaurant, JoAnn, note the horns on the hood... |
As you see, their claim to fame is the free 72 oz. steak dinner IF you can eat the entire dinner (appetizer, salad, rolls and dessert along with that big old 72 oz. steak) in one hour.
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| look at the size of that piece of meat (Gross, Dave says) |
This guy was one of two taking that challenge while we were there. They sat at a raised table in the center of the cavernous dining room below a digital clock, counting down the hour. Who would do such a thing? Other "diners" would walk up to the table and stare at him, take pictures of him and otherwise root him on.
This is the view from our table, you guessed it, on the balcony at the last table, all alone. Look at all the people, look at all the deer heads.....visual overload.
Free entertainment of the tackiest kind. Yep, this is Texas!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Monday. Trouble part 2
The panhandle of Texas is a study in horizontal lines....
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| and a lesson in perspective |
Sometimes driving on Interstate highways is interesting, sometimes boring, sometimes exciting and sometimes dangerous. Today the drive became dangerous for just a second, but that was enough. As we headed on I-40 west toward our destination south of Amarillo (Palo Duro Canyon State Park) we encountered a large 4 x 4 post in the middle of our lane. Dave couldn't avoid hitting it but he was able to straddle most of it to avoid damage to our jeep behind us. We immediately pulled over and Dave checked out the motorhome as best he could on the busy highway shoulder. Nothing obvious, so we continued our drive. When we stopped for lunch he was able to go over it in more detail and found that a coolant pipe under the radiator had been smashed by the lumber strike and was slowly leaking antifreeze.
We located a Freightliner dealer just a few exits from where we were and decided to have it looked at before it failed while we were in a less convenient place (such as driving down the highway at 70 mph) Arranging a tow and repair in an emergency situation didn't sound like a good thing, so we drove to the repair shop and waited our turn in the parking lot. After a couple of hours it was determined that it could be fixed and the parts would be available tomorrow after 11 a.m. Phew.
We couldn't drive the remaining 30 miles to the canyon so we found a campground right around the corner and checked in. Not our usual kind of place, very crowded, but they had room for us and it couldn't be more convenient.
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| windshield view as we waited our turn in air conditioned comfort! |
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| This was a big facility that takes care of lots of trucks |
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| Three of us stayed inside Beluga while one of us crawled under with the service guys... |
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| Safely off the road awaiting our new parts. We took advantage of this unplanned location to have dinner at a real, honest to goodness tourist trap, The Big Texan! We ate there with Kay and Maureen over 40 years ago when we drove them across the country from Rochester to Scottsdale Arizona. Back then, we were driving on Route 66 and it passed right in front of this Texas steakhouse. We were staying in Amarillo for the night and had dinner at the Big Texan, one of the only restaurants in town then. What a hoot that place is. More, tomorrow. |
Sunday, pictures
Here are some of the pictures that wouldn't load last night.....
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| the storm cometh..... |
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| driving on the "legendary" Route 66 |
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| Yep, this is Texas all right |
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| view through the windshield at our West I-40 campground |
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Texas
Before I tell you about our Sunday, I think I'd better give you all an update on those pictures from yesterday...Dave is fine.
He was focused on his checklist to break camp (and you all know how focused Dave can get) and stood up when he shouldn't have. He took the corner of the slide right in the top of his head and it made a very bloody divit. No hair to protect his scalp, so it bled like a stuck pig. He came running into Beluga with his hankerchief completely saturated with blood and quickly sat on the floor...Long story short, I closed the wound with butterfly closures and bandaged it and off we went. (in case you're wondering why he was holding up his foot, it was because he was trying to re-bandage an earlier gouge in his big toe!) And he's still smiling!
Well, I've been trying to load pictures for the past half hour and nothing is working, so I guess this post will be picture less! Sorry.
We left western Arkansas' flooded rice fields early today and drove most of the day through Oklahoma. I was surprised at how many Indian nations the I-40 crossed through. Names like Shawnee, Seminole, Chrerokee, Creek, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations. We saw license plates bearing those names instead of Oklahoma's as well.
The scenery has changed slowly and we're starting to see huge herds of cattle grazing these flat prairies and even some oil derricks.
We're in a place called Shamrock, Texas tonight. Nothing around for miles and miles except us and a few other adventurous travelers. Three young men opened up the metal gate into the field in front of Beluga and drove their red pickup in, unloaded some long guns and a device that looked like a rocket launcher. Hmmm.
Turns out they were launching clay pidgeons and shooting at them. Sasha definitely didn't like that. Yep, I guess this is Texas.
Tomorrow we'll head for Palo Duro Canyon State Park, south of Amarillo, Texas.
10:30 p.m. Central Time Update - see those clouds above? I just thought they looked beautiful earlier, so I took a picture of them. Well, they weren't beautiful at all it turns out. Terrific storms just blew through here and we couldn't get the NOAA weather radio to work. Finally did and found out that severe weather was moving very close to us, to the north. The bus was rocking and rolling and I was sure we were going to blow away. Dogs were very nervous and so was I, but it has calmed down now. We're off to bed, sleep will not come easily tonight I think.
He was focused on his checklist to break camp (and you all know how focused Dave can get) and stood up when he shouldn't have. He took the corner of the slide right in the top of his head and it made a very bloody divit. No hair to protect his scalp, so it bled like a stuck pig. He came running into Beluga with his hankerchief completely saturated with blood and quickly sat on the floor...Long story short, I closed the wound with butterfly closures and bandaged it and off we went. (in case you're wondering why he was holding up his foot, it was because he was trying to re-bandage an earlier gouge in his big toe!) And he's still smiling!
Well, I've been trying to load pictures for the past half hour and nothing is working, so I guess this post will be picture less! Sorry.
We left western Arkansas' flooded rice fields early today and drove most of the day through Oklahoma. I was surprised at how many Indian nations the I-40 crossed through. Names like Shawnee, Seminole, Chrerokee, Creek, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations. We saw license plates bearing those names instead of Oklahoma's as well.
The scenery has changed slowly and we're starting to see huge herds of cattle grazing these flat prairies and even some oil derricks.
We're in a place called Shamrock, Texas tonight. Nothing around for miles and miles except us and a few other adventurous travelers. Three young men opened up the metal gate into the field in front of Beluga and drove their red pickup in, unloaded some long guns and a device that looked like a rocket launcher. Hmmm.
Turns out they were launching clay pidgeons and shooting at them. Sasha definitely didn't like that. Yep, I guess this is Texas.
Tomorrow we'll head for Palo Duro Canyon State Park, south of Amarillo, Texas.
10:30 p.m. Central Time Update - see those clouds above? I just thought they looked beautiful earlier, so I took a picture of them. Well, they weren't beautiful at all it turns out. Terrific storms just blew through here and we couldn't get the NOAA weather radio to work. Finally did and found out that severe weather was moving very close to us, to the north. The bus was rocking and rolling and I was sure we were going to blow away. Dogs were very nervous and so was I, but it has calmed down now. We're off to bed, sleep will not come easily tonight I think.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Birthday
As I sit here tonight working on the blog, the sky is changing again, from clear blue to a rather ominous dark grey and pink. Hmmmm. I don't think I like the weather here in Memphis. As soon as I'm done I must turn on the weather radio.
As you've noticed, today is Dave's birthday. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes, by phone, text, email and greeting card - they mean a lot to him.
We had a very nice, low key day. It wasn't til around 2 p.m. that we started out to find a grocery store and stock up on dinner preparations. Steak, twice baked potatoes, grilled asparagus and peach pie. A good dinner for a good day. G & T's at river's edge, of course. The dogs helped Dave cook our feast, at least lent moral support. (don't ask me why this section is blue....poltergeists again me thinks)
Kildeer have nests in the driveways of a few of the sites around us. The owner's of the campground are so great, they've put little blue flags next to each nest, so we all can be careful not to disturb the families.
I know I've posted lots of barge pictures, but we just can't get enough of them. There are such a variety of tugs, a variety of cargo on the barges, huge variances in sizes and in the strategy used to power these enormous masses through the boiling currents and around the sharp corners. We're used to their sounds now, low rumbling as they approach, loaded diesel engines with a high pitched, soft whine as they pass. Small pleasures...
The distant rumbles remind us of the huge freighters navigating the St. Lawrence River when we first slept in a tent there. You'd hear them all night long. Yes, I said "slept in a tent". That phase didn't last long, as you might expect.
Not to worry, the weather turned out to be a non-event. Phew!
If anyone is interested, go to tomsawyersrvpark.com and click on the "flood" tab at the top to see just what this place can look like. We've been wondering how high the water actually comes because the levee we drive over to get here is very high and this campground is very flat and right at the river's edge. Now we know. The picture that shows the motorhome section flooded is taken from directly behind the site we're now occupying. Glad the river is in a low stage now or we would be underwater.
Tomorrow we break camp and set out west on I-40. Talk to you all later, thanks for riding along.
As you've noticed, today is Dave's birthday. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes, by phone, text, email and greeting card - they mean a lot to him.
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| Lewis playing ball in our beautiful side yard with the river behind |
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| view through our windshield and, yes, another barge |
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| Mama was very upset when we approached her nest |
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| the protected ones |
Kildeer have nests in the driveways of a few of the sites around us. The owner's of the campground are so great, they've put little blue flags next to each nest, so we all can be careful not to disturb the families.
I know I've posted lots of barge pictures, but we just can't get enough of them. There are such a variety of tugs, a variety of cargo on the barges, huge variances in sizes and in the strategy used to power these enormous masses through the boiling currents and around the sharp corners. We're used to their sounds now, low rumbling as they approach, loaded diesel engines with a high pitched, soft whine as they pass. Small pleasures...
The distant rumbles remind us of the huge freighters navigating the St. Lawrence River when we first slept in a tent there. You'd hear them all night long. Yes, I said "slept in a tent". That phase didn't last long, as you might expect.
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| birthday boy watching a coal barge. They come very close to us. |
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| A regular power boat passing that coal barge. Its hard to really show the scale of these beasts but I hope this shot helps. |
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| Cooking his birthday dinner |
If anyone is interested, go to tomsawyersrvpark.com and click on the "flood" tab at the top to see just what this place can look like. We've been wondering how high the water actually comes because the levee we drive over to get here is very high and this campground is very flat and right at the river's edge. Now we know. The picture that shows the motorhome section flooded is taken from directly behind the site we're now occupying. Glad the river is in a low stage now or we would be underwater.
Tomorrow we break camp and set out west on I-40. Talk to you all later, thanks for riding along.
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