Cottonwood, AZ

Friday we arrived at the Verde Valley campground in Cottonwood, AZ. We’ll be spending 9 nights here. Verde Valley is our first of many Thousand Trails (TT) campgrounds. We’ve been spending more than we should on campgrounds so far (between $500 and $800 per month), so we took steps to reduce this cost. We purchased a platinum membership in TT, which is a membership campground. This means we can spend up to 21 consecutive days at each of the 80 campgrounds in the country. I heard that platinum plans cost around $13,000, but you can buy them used if you shop. I purchased a plan from a private seller for $1,500, plus a one-time $750 transfer fee paid to TT, plus annual dues of around $550. The way I figure, I can pay for this initial outlay of money in about 6 months use of TT campgrounds. After that, my only cost is the dues of $550 per year. For an additional $100 annually I can purchase a membership in RPI that allows me to stay in hundreds of additional campgrounds for only $10 per night. There are some down sides to the TT parks. Most sites provide only 30 amp electrical service rather than the 50 amp that we are setup for. This means (for example) if we have the fireplace and dryer on, and we turn on the microwave, the circuit breaker will probably pop. If we need the air conditioner on, we will probably have to turn off almost everything else while it’s running. Because we follow the weather, we’ve only used the AC a couple times so far. The other thing about TT, up to now we’ve told campgrounds that we are a big rig, so we reserve a long site. With TT we make a reservation for a site, but the actual sites are first come, first served. So we could get there and not find a site long enough for us to fit. This may be an issue, but I think the worst that would happen is that we spend the night in their parking lot or overflow area, and then wait for someone to leave the next morning from a site that is long enough for us - or we go to another campground. The next TT campground is in Vegas. It’s 6 miles from the strip, and we will be spending 21 fun filled days there (from 4/7 to 4/28).

They were giving health screenings here at the park, so I was waiting in line behind an older couple. The doctor said - Morty, I need a urine, stool, and semen sample. Morty said - What’s that Doc? The doctor repeated his request. Morty said - I can’t hear you Doc. The wife shouted - Morty, the Doc says he needs your pants.

Tucson, AZ

Yesterday we drove from El Paso, TX, through New Mexico, and into Tucson, AZ. While in New Mexico we started seeing large rock formations along the highway. It was a much prettier drive than what we saw in western Texas.
Today I went to the Sonora Desert Museum that is an outside museum including wildlife located on 21 acres. I was interested in seeing what wildlife was around this part of the country. I’m always curious to learn what creatures can kill me in different parts of this great land. One of the first things I saw was a roadrunner. Next to it was an empty fenced-in area that used to house a coyote. I asked the guide why it was empty. Apparently the coyote had flung a rock toward the roadrunner with an Acme catapult, the rock bounced off a cliff and ended up crushing the coyote.
Also pictured is a javelina (a wild pig like animal) and a bighorn sheep. There is also a picture of the agave plant that is used to make tequila. Since this is the Sonora desert, there are several saguaro cactuses (or cacti) around. There is a nature trail around our campground that includes many of these cactuses, as well as quail and coyotes.
On the way back from the museum I took a picture of an area where RV’s are boondocking. This is the term used when you just park somewhere with no electric, water, or sewer hookup. It’s a cheap way to live since it’s either free or a small annual fee to the state or federal government, depending on who owns the land.

El Paso, TX

We arrived in El Paso yesterday. We are in a campground that is laid out similar to the one in Fort Suckton, except everything works, and there is no broken glass in the gravel or pit bulls running around. El Paso seems like a nice city. There are some shooting issues since it is right on the border of Mexico, but like Mayor Marion Berry said about D.C., "except for the murder rate, D.C. isn't any more violent than other large cities". If you aren't involved in any drug cartels, or don't have any family members that are involved, then your chance of getting shot is very slim.

Nan and I were driving to a post office today. Nan's brother Mark told her that if you cross a river in El Paso you are in Mexico. Right after she told me that, we crossed a river. I told her we must be in Mexico, so she yelled at me "Turn around you idiot." We were just in New Mexico - big difference.

I included a picture of a Jicama (pronounced hick a ma). It's a Mexican potato. The one I bought is about the size of a large yellow onion. You eat them raw, and they are pretty good.

Fort Stockton, TX

We arrived in Fort Stockton yesterday on the way to El Paso. Not much in this campground as you can see in the picture. It's more like an old drive-in movie with broken glass mixed in with the gravel. BUT - It's only $12 per night. Yesterday it was in the high 70's. Today we woke up to snow flurries. We'll be out of Texas soon. One thing I'll miss about Texas is how polite everyone is. I was sitting in the Smart Car and I noticed a girl in her early 20's coming over to ask me a question about the car. If she was from Ohio she probably would have started the conversation by saying something like "Hi Stud muffin". Because she was from Texas she said "Excuse me sir".

I can't wait to get back to Ohio.

We’ve left Aransas Pass after spending one month there. We are slowly heading to Vegas and we spent 4 nights in San Antonio. While in San Antonio we visited the Alamo. We went into town Monday late afternoon. We got to the Alamo at 4:00 and it closed at 5:00. We rushed through it with the thought of coming back and taking our time in the next day or two. We went back on Tuesday and people were lined up around the block waiting to get in. It’s spring break, so there are a lot of families visiting. I guess the one-hour rush tour will have to do. During our visit we took a trolley tour of the city. One of the pictures is of the San Antonio river in it’s natural state, and then another picture is of the river walk section of the city where the river has been widened to accommodate boat tours. We had dinner in one of the restaurants along the river walk. I paid $8.00 for my chicken sandwich, and $9.00 for my margarita. I also included a picture of the county courthouse which I think is a very impressive building.
Today I went to the Market Square area. It is set up like a Mexico market where you can buy clothes, food, novelties, etc. I saw one T shirt that said - Don’t worry Gringo, I’m Legal. I thought it was funny, but don’t think I’m the kind of person that it would look good on.

Rockport Oysterfest

Yesterday I went to see a doctor for my knee. It’s gotten better since I popped it in Houston, but it’s still bothering me. The doctor said since I’m only going to be in town for about 10 more days it would be best to give me a shot of steroids in the knee to help the healing process. If that doesn’t work, then I can have an MRI when I’m at one location for a while. He suspects I may have torn a ligament. We’ll be in Cleveland from October to Christmas, so if I need to get cut open, that’s the best time to have it done.
Today Bob, Rita, Nan and I went to the Oysterfest in Rockport, TX. It’s a big fund raiser for the local volunteer fire departments. We watched the parade, bought T-shirts, and checked out the crafts. They had a huge tent where people were eating raw and fried oysters. After the oysterfest we went to the local seafood restaurant where I ordered oysters. I felt a little more comfortable with the quality control at the restaurant rather than the big circus tent at the festival. After filling up at the restaurant we had just enough time to walk a couple miles back to the truck, and rush to the grocery store to buy appetizers to take to the "social hour" at our campground at 4:00. About 20 people showed up for that. There must have been some Baptists in the group or they would have called it what it really is - a happy hour. Even with all the walking my knee feels really good. Of course some of that may be from the self-medicating I did at the social hour.

I included a video of Roxy and Roscoe playing. If the trailer's a rockin, it must be the dog and cat playing.