Tag: Winnebago

RODEO

What’s in Clovis NM besides fields full of cows? The rodeo. That’s right I diverted our trip home 250 miles south to see the Pioneer Days PRCA Rodeo and it was worth every mile. It was 2+ hours of nonstop entertainment. There was bare back bronco riding, roping competitions, stunt riders, barrel racing, bull riding and mutton busting. I would go again.

Mutton busting is when a little kid gets on the back of a sheep and holds on for all they’re worth. It doesn’t take long for the sheep to shed the kid. The sheep are happy to be rid of the child and they are none the worse for it. The kids get big applause, an official competition bib and a score, so they are tickled pink. It sounds strange, but it’s cute as heck.

Now it really is time to start heading North and East. Saturday, we make our way into Oklahoma. It’s pretty here. Unlike New Mexico and Texas, there are lakes and streams. The fields are bright green, where the soil is exposed its terracotta red. It seems like you could scoop up a handful of soil and mold it into a clay pot. There are deciduous trees everywhere. Towers of leafy green goodness. I’ve missed trees.

By the time we arrive at our campsite it is apparent that I have an infection. I have become adept at picking up the early signs. I’m on antibiotics 2-4 times a year. First thought; Great, I’m in Fornicating Fly, Oklahoma and I need to locate a medical facility. Second thought; Why is this happening? Are my blood counts out of whack? Do I have leukemia? The cold stab of fear catches me off guard. After all these years I’m still anxious?

The unfamiliar surroundings have thrown me for a loop. I locate a clinic 20 miles away. They close at five. I drive like a bat out of hell to get there. When the young attendant takes my blood pressure she exclaims “It’s really high.” She looks at me like I’m an overfull water ballon that could burst at any instant. The second reading is also high. Eventually, the nurse practitioner takes my blood pressure manually. It has come down to 150/90. Still high, but not scary. I explain to her I’m a little amped up and why. She is casually efficient; calm and competent. She sends a couple of prescriptions to Walgreens. The pharmacy closes at six. I zip over there and get the goods. The health care system in this country is tremendous. I was examined, diagnosed, and had a prescription in hand in a little over an hour.

The night brings heavy rain. Thunder booms and the rain pounds our camper. I realize that I’ve missed rain too. Our little Winnebago holds up fine. No leaks, thank God. Sunday I am not feeling chipper, so we content ourselves with some souvenir shopping. I had hoped to go for a bike ride in the large state park. Oh well. Sometimes you must accept what life gives you. Tomorrow we will be in Oklahoma for another night and then on to Missouri. We’re closing in on home.

Whoops! I spoke too soon. We’re unable to travel Monday because of tornado warnings in most of Oklahoma. We’re in the southwest corner of the state so hopefully we’ll be safe here.

Stay tuned…

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.