Thursday, June 28, 2018

Do you ever get lost?


Well, I have been told to do that.  From my pilot training: I never get lost... sometimes temporarily situationally confused.  The coach has a built-in infotainment center: AM/FM/SiriusXM/DVD, GPS mapping with a gazillion POI (Points of Interest), driver warning (curves, speed limit changes, exceeding the posted speed limit, camera monitor for rear and side cameras, bluetooth operation, a probably a few other things I don't remember.  We also use a portable Garmin GPS that has Voice Command, custom POI, and the usual GPS stuff - it gets moved between the coach and the CR-V.

With all that, it should be hard to miss a turn.  I somehow managed to do that today, and we took a short (7 1/2 hour... I'm kidding) round about.  Both GPS units wanted me to "make a U-turn"... to which I replied (yes, I talk back to them), "Have ya seen what I'm driving?"  Checking her phone, Joan determined that it would be better to continue the direction we were heading and not get caught on gravel roads.  Pretty much our excitement/diversion for the day.

Leaving from Liberal, Kansas this morning, the change of terrain is apparent; agriculture to the horizon...


I wondered what this was...


Joan said, "Check your blog from two years ago in October - you wondered the same thing back then."  I looked; didn't see it.  My guess is it is weather forecasting related.

There is still some oil production in Kansas, too...


We had a hardy breakfast this morning when we stopped at a Loves to fuel up and they had a Taco John's co-located.  Breakfast steak burrito... yummmm.  So, as it got close to noon, we weren't hungry, but we knew Rufus would be... we stopped at a truck stop to give him a chance to eat while we weren't moving.  I stepped outside to check the rig - the wind was blowing about 25, out of the south; hot and dry.  Check out this large flag...


It was really snapping in the wind.

The folks who run the RV park where we stayed last night asked about us double towing - they said that was only allowed in Kansas if the middle unit was a 5th wheel.  When I checked about the same situation in Arizona, it is because the authorities feel it is unsafe to tow a bumper hitch trailer behind a bumper hitch trailer.  With the SUV as the middle vehicle, it is as, or more, stable than with a 5th wheel.  Still, it made me wonder.  We had run this same rig through Kansas two years ago (on our way back from Friday Harbor) and had no issue.

Leaving Kansas...


Entering Nebraska...


Not long after, we saw a Highway Patrol vehicle.  I said, "Well, I guess we'll see if there is an issue with double towing in Kansas."

To which Joan replied, "We aren't in Kansas, anymore."  She did not call me Toto.  ;-)

We had a few east and west stretches of two lane, making for a rather direct crosswind.  Rarely was it directly behind us; more often quartering a bit.  Going through one town, there was a sign that read, "10 foot width limit ahead."  They lied.  We are 8 1/2 feet wide at our widest point (the cargo trailer)... of course, there was a "Wide Load" truck that came at us on that construction area on that bridge.  I slowed to a crawl... our trailer tire on the passenger side was just scuffing the concrete barrier, but the tire on the other side was just touching the yellow line in the middle... 10 foot width, my ass!  The wide load was on a trailer hauling those giant round hay bales... if our coach had been any wider, it would have scraped down the side of it.  I was surprised that there was no one to stop traffic to let a "Wide Load" vehicle pass through there.  I checked the trailer tire at the next possible stop... a light scuff, no gouges.

Other than the wind, the rest of the day's drive was uneventful.  We planned a gas and grocery stop at a Walmart before settling in for the day.  Joan went into the store while I gassed up.  I threaded my way around that tight parking lot to find a space long enough for us.  Rufus took advantage of Joan's absence by sitting in her seat...


"She didn't call 'Saved!' " the furry boy said.

"True, but I'm sure you will give it back to her when she returns, right?"

"Yeah... I suppose."

A short trip to this evening's RV park.  It is hot again (upper 90s), and we have the a/c going full blast.  The NBC on the park's cable is out of Denver - they were saying that Denver hit a record of 105º today.  Yep, hot.

Tomorrow, we will be running into a north wind as a cool front moves in.  The high where we should be on Saturday is forecast to be 70º... that will be a refreshing change!

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On edit:

Joan took these of Rufus today...

It was a long driving day (our longest this trip) - he is bushed...


Yes, this is the same cat (more awake, though)...



Are we there, yet??


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