Today is rolling day. We put the motorhome back in front of the house and loaded the last of our stuff. Closed down the house. Double checked everything - time to roll!
We drove separate to the Wally World parking lot, where we connected the circus train...
Checked lights and connections, and headed out. The early plan: take the roads we frequent on our scoots and bypass Hwy 100, Los Fresnos, and Harlingen. Hardly any traffic...
Rufus settled in, after checking out his tower, our laps, and his carrier...
I am probably giving him some human emotions, but he has been a bit agitated the last couple days. He could tell something was up, and I think he is smart enough to know a move was underway. It makes me wonder if whoever had him before us packed up and left him behind. He was a happy boy to see all his stuff with us in the coach.
These back roads drop us just north of Harlingen; palm trees line the entrance ramp to Hwy 77/I-69...
From here it is 4 lane (Interstate or Expressway) the rest of the way. We listened to the Today Show on the satellite radio. The All Honda & Trailer Channel, all the time, was playing...
Approximately 100 miles north of the border, we stop at the Border Patrol Inspection Station...
They must be doing something with the road that leads into the overhang - they kept us on the main highway, but you still have to stop. A cursory, "Are you US citizens? Anyone else in back with you?" And we are on our way.
We stopped at the Rest Area just north of there. First time in 20 years along this route that the Rest Area wasn't full of cars and people. We pulled in, fired up the generator, and Joan made us lunch while I walked all around the rig, checking tires and connections...
The rear camera comes in handy, just to keep an eye on things behind us. Something was definitely going on on this stretch of road: we saw at least 20 Highway Patrol vehicles and another half dozen County Constables, covering every entrance and exit on the highway.
The "picnic" comment from the title: Joan asked what I wanted for lunch... "A hot dog would be good."
"How about a hot dog and half of a hamburger?" Add some fried chicken and watermelon, and you've got a holiday picnic. What? No, we didn't add chicken and watermelon. Rufus also got his lunch while we weren't rolling. I made one last walk around the rig...
About 2 hours and 45 minutes to go for tonight's destination. On the first leg of an outing, we like to spend an extra night if time allows, to sanitize and dump tanks, and have a "leisure day."
With his belly full, Rufus was ready for more lap time...
An uneventful drive today - just the way I like it when we're double towing.
Just before pulling in for the day, we stopped to top off the fuel tank in the coach. We had a crosswind most of the way, changing to a quartering tailwind the last hour or so. Even with that, our mileage was about average.
The ladies at the office where we are staying were chatty today. A new girl, looking out the window at our rig, asked, "Is that even legal?"
"No. Mostly we travel at night and drive like crazy to stay ahead of the law." (Shocked look) "Nah, I'm just kidding. It is legal in Texas and most of the other midwest states. If we are traveling where they don't allow it, we just unhook, put the trailer behind the motorhome, and my wife drives separate in the car."
Speaking of Joan, the new girl was surprised when she saw Joan getting the car unhooked from the motorhome: "You don't see many women doing that while the guy checks in," she said.
"We're a good team. We can both handle any of the RV duties. If she gets the car unhooked, it is faster for us to pull into our site."
We got hooked up to utilities and settled in. Our timing is good: the weather is suppose to turn this evening: colder with rain tonight and tomorrow. It will be a good day to not be on the road with this rig. Oh, it can handle the cold, wind, and rain - it just makes an awful mess of everything with the road grime. Oh, sure, we'll get out and about with the CR-V tomorrow (lunch out and some shopping), but it is easy to run that through a car wash... I haven't found one of those, yet, for the motorhome and trailer. ;-)
The weather should be better for Thursday, but for now, we are snug in the motorhome. Rufus is sitting beside me; he seems pretty content. Joan is ready to start some supper. It's all good.
2 comments:
On the road again!
Like a rolling stone, you gather no moss.
PS Uncle Jerry wouldn't go with me to Michigan, said something about not wanting to hear me cry again.
Bud, my bud, you two are the only ones I know personally who acted out a Bob Bondurant Winter Driving Class while towing a boat! ;-) So, are you off to pick up the new dinghy solo? That sure looks like a pretty boat. I guess you will be able to drop that "boatless" from your name now, huh?
I have felt more like a Herman's Hermit than a Rolling Stone, but I am good with a change of scenery. We don't roll as fast as we used to, but it is good to be out and about again.
Always a pleasure to hear from you!
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