Twisty, Curvy Roads

Today was a beautiful Fall Sunday and Max and I wanted to get out of the house. So we climbed onto the motor scooter for a short tour around Round Rock. Brushy Creek at Memorial Park With no particular destination or route in mine, we soon found ourselves at Memorial Park where we stopped to enjoy a few moments of the perfect day. Luckily I had remembered to bring my phone and was able to snap this photo from the low water crossing where N. Lee Street crosses Brushy Creek.  After leaving the park, we wandered around through one of the older neighborhoods. The neighborhood is primarily Mexican American and many of the homes are a bit ramshackle. But it has always been an interesting neighborhood.  As you drive through you often see entire multi-generational families on their porches or gathered in the yard for a family barbeque. Almost every third or fourth lot now has a commercial "For Sale" sign and within a short time, this neighborhood will not longer exist. It wi...

I spent the night parked in a rest area beside the Rio Grande Gorge, only a few miles from Taos, New Mexico. When I opened the Casita door the next morning, this is what I saw.  The far mountains belong to the Sangre de Cristo range. This was facing east, roughly toward Taos, and you can see the flare from the morning sun along the upper left side of the photograph.  What you cannot see in the photograph is the unbelievable scent of the high desert and how the cool desert air felt upon my face. This was truly one of those transcendental moments where all of the disparate elements of the Universe seem to coalesce into one harmonious and perfect whole. Looking over the edge of the gorge. Rio Grande is far below. Another thing you cannot tell from the photograph is that only a hundred or so yards away, the flat desert terrain is sliced open by a huge gash cut by the Rio Grande on it's way to the Gulf of Mexico.  The day before, I had been driving along...

The My camp on Lake Ouichita Ended up spending two nights in arkansas. Stopped at a camp on Lake Ouichita Friday night. Right on the water but pretty crowded. Got up yesterday morning and drove to Mena, Arkansas. Mena has a population of slightly over 5000. Nice enough little town and seems to have all of the basics. Highlight was a scenic drive along ridge of the mountains that stretch from Mena into Oklahoma. Lots of pull offs with wonderful views. On the way back I took highway 63 which runs along the valley to the south of the skyline drive. Very nice country. I was surprised that there was almost no traffic. I did not see more than a double handful of cars on the entire tour if I exclude those in the towns. I stopped at a Subway back in Mena and decided upon where to head next. Spoke with Julie on the phone and she encouraged me to take an extra day or so before returning to Round Rock. Using my gps on my phone, I spotted a route that headed south throug...

(The day after Thanksgiving, 2014)   Click here to listen to this post Max There are times that the words that I want will not come to me.  Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year, and this year, in particular, has been filled with people and experiences for which I am especially grateful. This morning I sat down to write exactly why I feel that way..., but the words simply refuse to flow.    Perhaps it is because there is so much for which to be thankful that I can not begin to sort it out. Should I start with the sheer thrill of walking out of the door each morning into another beautiful Texas day? Are there any words that would express the joy of reuniting with my long lost cousins Glenn and Jane, and meeting their families? What about the trips I took with my sons and getting to spend some time with my grandchildren, Alise, Momo, and Zilker? Or do I begin with the excellent Thanksgiving meal that I enjoyed yesterday with dear friends Roger, Carolyn, ...

The star marks our campsite. Wellington Lake shows near the bottom left. Exploring Forest Road 550 Found a great campsite for tonight. We are somewhere off of hwy 67 north of Woodland Park and south of Deckers. I unhitched the Casita and drove off to explore father down the forest road. Lots of snow and ice but I could see that others had passed so was not too worried. Never the less, having four wheel drive was a comfort. Ended up at Wellington Lake, a pretty large body of water that was frozen solid. I would not want to go onto the ice - not that solid! Frozen Wellington Lake Back to camp now and time to let Max out to explore, then feed him and myself. I may practice my ukulele a bit before turning in. It is only 5:53 Texas time. Much too early to hit the sack. I miss having internet big time. The coordinates for this campsite are: N 39.34488 and W 105.27187. I can always get back if I don't loose them! Well just finished a delicious dinner of boiled fra...

(Feb. 2014 - Trip to see Alise) Forest road 550 was where I left hwy 67. Slept well, warmer either because I had the thermostat higher or because t he blanket of snow that fell d uring the night help to insulate the Casita. It we as 3 degrees outside this morning. Beautiful snow covering everything! Sent from my stupid iPad! my iPad

(Feb. 2014 - Trip to see Alise) Reached Lakewood, Co. yesterday. Drove by Patrick and Lysha's place to be certain that I could find it and then on to Chatsfield State Park. Chatsfield is a "grasslands" park, very different from the mountain campsite of last night. The campsites are designed for motorhomes and that is mostly what the other visitors are using. The main thing is that there is a very nice bathhouse with showers, toilets, and a laundry center. That makes it a great place to stop and clean up before going to visit the kids. I set up the Casita and then showered and changed to a clean shirt and jeans. I left Max to hold down the fort and drove into town to see little Alise. She is a pretty baby. Patrick ordered out for salads and we ate dinner there. Their house is a 60's style split level. The front door open to a set of stairs, one going up and the other going down. They have remodeled the bottom floor with a nice kitchen, famil...

Spent last night In a roadside park across the Perdenales from LBJ's ranch. The lady who maintains the park stopped by and we spent an hour or two visiting. She is an interesting person. She is also an Elmer Kelton fan and we talked about his books and how they make Texas history come alive. Gave her my email and website address. Scott Bailey's wife called to let me know that Scott had passed yesterday around 3:15 pm. I will put together a New Orleans funeral for Scott. Lots of musicians want to play so we will send him off in style. It is a wonderful morning, pleasantly cool with a fairly stiff breeze from the west. My New (to me) Toyota is just what I have always wanted. Pulls the casita as though it isn't even back there. It is a great feeling to know that I can turn in any direction and travel in comfort and with peace of mind. Max and I are really enjoying this little trip. I will go back to Round Rock today to make certain that Scott's funeral is handle...

(October or November of 2013) I am sitting in my comfortable camp chair gazing at Mansfield dam. I can't help but remember the first time I saw this dam and compare it to today. It was 1968 and I had driven from Huntsville, Alabama to Austin for a conducting workshop at the University of Texas. I had a free afternoon and decided to spend it exploring the area. I drove from the University out a wonderfully scenic little two-lane winding road, Ranch Road 2222.  Today 2222 is a major arterial with heavy traffic. I came to an intersection with ranch road 620. Not knowing anything about the area and having no particular agenda, I turned left on a whim. It was a wonderful drive through land that was pretty much as God intended it to be. I saw quite a bit of wildlife, in particular white-tailed deer. At that time, deer were fairly rare back in Alabama and so I was thrilled to see so much wildlife. It was that drive that convinced me to become a Texan. Today, the dam is still the ...

(On the road to visit Alise, Feb. 2014) Monday. I have travelled 125.9 miles from home. Stopped for a burger at McDonalds. Now I am at an old style roadside rest area N31.70783. W 098.85686. This would be a nice place to stop for the night, but it is only three in the afternoon. Nice oak trees and above hwy 183. No toilets or drinking water though. Sent from my stupid iPad! my iPad ******** This roadside rest area is just south of Early, Texas on Hwy. 183.  It is on a hill above the main road.

(Feb. 2015 - On the road to see Alise) Max and I are snug in our little Casita and needed has been done for the night. We are at a Texas rest stop north of Lubbock on hwy 87. My cellphone says this is Underwood, Texas and that the temperature is 39 degrees. It is predicting a low of 24 for tomorrow morning. I'm glad that I had the propane tanks filled! As soon as we stopped I got into the Casita and turned the furnace on. Then took Max for a short walk so he could take care of his necessary business. By the time we got back the Casita was toasty warm. I turned the thermostat down (maybe too much), fed Max and spread my sleeping bag. I do not unhitched when we are in a rest stop, but I do disconnect the electrical. I do not want to risk running down the truck battery overnight. I expect to make the Denver area by tomorrow night and find a place in a National Forrest. May be a problem finding an open campsite this time of year. I'll find out when we get there. Sent from ...

(Trip to see Alise. Feb 2015.  Stayed overnight in a rest area in the Texas Panhandle) Awake at 5:20 am, very early for me. Had a good night's sleep. I had expected to hear tractor trailers coming and going during the night, but did not hear a sound. Temperature inside the Casita is a comfortable 55. Quiet comfortable for sleeping with my down bag and long johns! Outside it is 25, which would probably been ok as long as I stayed in my sleeping bag. I had a strange dream this morning. My mother and father were moving back into the house on Pratt Avenue, where I grew up. I was there helping them clean up the house. We were in the "workshop" I the backyard which was stacked to the ceiling with Dahl's half finished projects. I was explaining to mom that Dahl needed a room of his own where he could just leave his stuff the way he wanted. Then I woke. The window coverings that I made worked well. The parking area is very well lit, but inside the trailer it is dark. If...

We are spending tonight in Hardscrable Canyon in the San Isabel National Forrest. This is not a legit campsite. All of the regular campgrounds are closed for the season. We are stealth camping tonight. As a backpacker I always followed the "leave no trace" ethic, and that has carried over into my travels with the Casita. When we leave tomorrow morning there will be absolutely no trace that we were ever here. I have blackout shades on the windows, so even if I have the lights on in the Casita, no one can see them from outside the trailer. We are in plain sight of the road, but far enough back that no one will notice us unless they pull in. This spot is designated as a wildlife viewing spot, so someone may pull in, but I am not worried. If anyone gets close to the Casita, Max lets me know right away. The forecast for Pueblo, the nearest town, is for 17 tonight. We are at a higher elevation than Pueblo so I suspect we will see a pretty cold night. The furnace should kee...

(Post on our trip to Colorado to see my new grand daughter, Alise.  Feb. 2014) 20.9 degrees outside this morning. It was a comfortable for sleeping 57 degrees inside the Casita, then the furnace kicked in and quickly brought it up to a toasty 63. I slept ok but not as well as the night before. I believe that I have a touch of altitude sickness, which I usually have the first night or two in the mountains. It will go away by tonight. Max is doing well. He likes getting out of the car and having some run around time. He started last night curled in his own bed, but when I woke he was beside me. I don't think it was for warmth, he just likes to be in physical contact. In. The car, Max often climbs onto the lumpy console between the seats so he is close to me rather than staying on the soft pad I keep in the passenger seat. We do not have an agenda for today. I will feed Max and fix coffee then see what happens. Sent from my stupid iPad! my iPad