April 2024 – Life after Leukemia

Big Bend NP – WOW

We drove into Big Bend under cool cloudy skies heavy with rain. Ironic. We’re entering the Chihuahuan desert and it’s the same weather we left in Mass. Before long the rain gave way to drizzle, then fog. Winding through the mountains on an unfamiliar road pulling a trailer through thick fog requires concentration. I’m glad to be driving. I would be more nervous as a passenger. (Steve can confirm, I’m a lousy passenger) Finally, we arrive at our campground “Road Runner RV Park.” Setting up camp goes smoothly. We’re getting the hang of this.

Monday, we head into the park and spend the day travelling on the Ross Maxwell scenic drive. The weather is splendid, still cool enough to wear jeans. The scenery is spectacular. Pictures can’t do it justice. The park is a vast panorama of jagged mountains, flat topped plateaus, and buttes. The land mass is over 800,000 acres. To my delight the cactus are blooming. Many stops are required for me to photograph the blossoms.

We also visit the remnants of pioneer homes. I am amazed that people chose to settle in this harsh remote environment. I don’t know how they did it. It would be an arduous journey. When they arrived, they had to find water and food and build a shelter. One couple installed a wind driven well. They planted pecan and fig trees which still survive. They are supplied with well water to this day.

The following day we drove into the park to take in the dinosaur exhibit and the Chisos Basin. Many fossils have been discovered in Big Bend and they have an excellent roadside exhibit. The Chisos basin is an adventurous drive complete with hairpin turns and steep hills. Again, the scenery is indescribable. We also visited the grave of Nina Hannold, a 29-year-old mother of three. She died of Uremic poisoning (kidney failure) in 1911, probably brought on by dehydration. Once more I am stunned that anyone, let alone a couple with young children, would attempt to live here at that time. The temperature rises steadily throughout the day; it’s 90* by the time the sun sets.

Wednesday is river day. We spent the day paddling canoes on the Rio Grande. Sadly, the River is extremely low on water. We had a great trip and got to navigate through some minor rapids, but there is the only one traversable section of the river. In this part of the country the mighty Rio Grande is mostly dry creek bed. By the time we finished paddling at 2:00pm temperatures were soaring near 100*. We were glad to be done.

The Big Bend leg of our trip wrapped up Thursday with a drive to Big Bend Ranch State Park. We traveled on HWY FM 170 from Terlingua to Presidio. National Geographic rates this road one of the 10 most scenic in the US, with good reason. We made time for a short hike and lunch in Lajitas. Now it’s time to move on. See you in Carlsbad or maybe Santa Fe.

Hot Springs AR not so hot

By the time we arrived at Hot Springs and got the camper set up in Gulpha Gorge campground it was late afternoon. We hopped in our truck and drove into town under darkening skies and drizzle. My initial impression was not favorable. “This is it? This sucks.” I groaned. I returned to the campground a bit dejected. It wasn’t what I was expecting. Upon further reflection I realized that was a bit harsh.

I thought downtown would be historic buildings, period details, and manicured grounds. There are several antique bath houses, but many notable buildings have been destroyed by fires and floods over the years. In their place parking garages and mundane structures have been erected. The park service owns one of the old bath houses and it’s been converted into a visitor center. It’s not a national park as much as a historic monument. The surrounding hills are the national park and there’s not much to it. It is not Yosemite; That’s all I’m saying.

We did have an enjoyable time though and as we spent more time Hot Springs grew on me. We had breakfast at the Pancake Shop. They have been in business since the 1940s. We took in the view from the Mountain Tower and went to the Gangster Museum. The museum was interesting. Hot Springs was built on booze, gambling, and brothels. The local police and politicians protected the illegal activity, making it a hotspot for gangsters. Baseball teams had spring training there. Celebrities and wealthy people frequented the casinos, and they all came to “take the waters.”

The following day Steve and I went to the Quapaw Bath House and relaxed in the mineral rich spring water. It didn’t cure Steve’s arthritis, but it did soothe my muscles after a morning hike. We finished the day at Grateful Head, an open-air beer garden overlooking downtown. All in all, we had a good time.

Hot Springs could be so much more if the state poured some money into revamping downtown. Maybe build a 1930 style casino. We did see several buildings being renovated which is encouraging. If you visit Hot Springs let me know what you think. As for us, we left a day early to begin our multi-day journey across Texas down to Big Bend NP.

Thanks for joining us on our trip.

Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?

Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? Why yes, it is. We’re here in Chattanooga enjoying the sites. The trip down was pleasant. Every time we drive through Virginia, I think we should move there.

The first day driving through the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains was beautiful. The eastern red buds, and forsythia were in full bloom decorating the roadside. Cruising down Rt 81 singing to the radio is a wonderful ride. Steve had the pleasure of listening to me sing for hours on end.

During the trip we started getting an alert every time I hit the brakes: “Service Advance Trac”. Huh, I wonder what that means. Steve works at Acton Ford and he’s friendly with the mechanics so he gave them a call. His friend Dave advised us that it probably is not a major issue.

The second day we drove in rain, sometimes torrential. We also got an additional alert: “Pre Collision Assist Not Working”. Luckily, I don’t plan on having a collision. Every time we hit the brakes it dings and flashes. At the very least it’s annoying. Again, no one thinks this is alarming. I guess I won’t worry about it. Thankfully, we arrive at our campground Raccoon Mountain safely. Let’s check out Chattanooga.

Steve is a car guy. The Coker Auto Museum is right up his alley. I’m not usually interested in transportation museums, but this place is amazing. Dozens of antique motorcycles are displayed 3 high along the walls. They look incredibly dangerous to ride and I’m sure they were. The car collection is diverse. Everything from an Italian luxury auto to delivery trucks to roadsters. The museum is connected to an auto restoration garage. You can see all the projects they’re working on; it’s fascinating. They also have a carpentry shop where they make wooden spoke wheels. I thoroughly enjoyed The Coker Museum.

In the afternoon we visited Montague Park sculpture field. I like sculpture parks. The size and scope of the park was enthralling. How much time, energy and money goes into creating and displaying these massive works of art? Steve is less enthused, but he goes along with me.

I planned Thursday’s itinerary, so I left Friday up to Steve and he knocked it out of the park. I have been looking forward to riding the incline railroad, but they closed it for repairs April 8^th. Can you believe it? We missed it by a couple of days. Instead, Steve planned on driving up Look Out Mountain to take in the view. We accidentally found Rock City. We had no idea what it was. It turned out to be the most incredible botanical garden I have ever seen. Steve isn’t really into gardens, but it was his turn to be pleasantly surprised. We both loved it. I’m devoting one whole page to the photos. After Rock city we stumbled upon Point Park. A national park memorializing the battle of Lookout Mountain. What a great day to wrap up our stay in Chattanooga.

Saturday we’ll hang out and get ready for departure. On to Hot Springs Arkansas. Thanks for following along…

We Did it!

Our first foray into long haul camping is a success. We’re in Bethel Pa tonight, Buchanan Va tomorrow. I don’t want to get overconfident, but travel went well today. Once we got on the road things went smoothly. The days preceding not so much. Let I me tell you about that.

A few days before departure it snowed. 3 inches of slushy snow. Fun. Wednesday, I read an article that said if your camper tires are more than 5 years old, they’re no good. It doesn’t matter how they look they need to be replaced. I checked the date on our tires, 6-7 years old. I had visions of a blowout on the highway with us careening wildly off the side of the road. As soon as Steve walked through the door, I told him “WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRAILER TIRES!” He was thrilled. We had talked about replacing the tires months ago and both agreed they look fine. Now I’m in full panic mode. “Call the tire place, see if they can do it right away” I screeched. Steve’s a good guy so he went to the tire shop, ordered new tires and made an appointment for Friday. When he went to the shop Friday they had neglected to order the tires. Oh well. I guess the tires are fine.

Saturday we were busily packing. When the time came to load our nifty foldable E-bikes, I couldn’t find my key. I thought I had my key, but it didn’t fit. I had a mystery key. I always put keys in a small basket on the kitchen counter. Why isn’t my bike key there and what the heck is this brand new key that doesn’t fit anything? Now I go into frustrated panic mode. I don’t know where to look because I always put keys in the same place. You know, so I won’t lose them. I call locksmiths. They can’t make a key for an e-bike. I contact the company. There’s nothing they can do. Steve figured it out. I had dropped my bike key in the box for the bike lock. I mistakenly picked up the bike lock key and put it in the basket on the counter. What made him look in the bike lock box? I don’t know, but I’m glad he did. He’s pretty smart. We finished packing in cold drizzle.

Finally, the time came to hit the road. Sunday morning, we pull out of the driveway and travel 100 yards when we realize we don’t have the road atlas. Do we need the atlas? Not really. We have an RV GPS and our phones. We like the atlas, sometimes it’s handy to look at a paper map. So, Steve pulled over and I trotted back to the house. I discovered that we had left the garage door open so it’s just as well.

When we finally made it out of town, everything went fine. Only had to turn around once. We’ll get the hang of this camping thing. Chattanooga Tn is in our near future.

Thanks for following along on our adventure.

I can’t seem to upload photos. Tech issues. Photos at a later date.