Well, that's different...

We have been in the dry ol' desert for several months.  The humidity has generally been 25% and lower (often much lower).  Coming across eastern Arizona and southern New Mexico, the fire warnings are "Extreme" due to the dry conditions and wind.  For the first 350 miles or so into Texas, the lack of rain has been apparent - this is the first time we haven't seen any desert blooms.  What scrub-brush is out there has been more brown than green.

Heading out of the campground this morning, we were driving east, into the sun...

Yes, that is a ground layer of fog above.

Not much in the way of civilization once you head east from Fort Stockton... but, there is cell coverage most of the way.  Joan got a call from friend MJ to see where are - they will be crossing our path (north to south), but are a couple hours ahead of when we would be in that area.

They left their home in the Tropical Tip yesterday - we are a few days apart.  If all goes as planned, we'll be home in another day or two.

This boy is having a very bad day...

Heck of a place to break down.  Rolling east, we start to see the first signs of the Texas Hill Country...

Rufus took turns on our laps once again, and was ready to roll this morning.  Here he is, resting his head on my arm while I drive...

And, the other direction...

He entertained us during the drive - this is "cat hide and seek"...

Stretching out on the floor...

350 miles into Texas before we started seeing much greenery.  No Bluebonnets yet.

At one point, Joan got out of her seat because Rufus was meowing at the bathroom door.  When she went back to see if he needed the potty, he took over her seat...

On the scooter forum, a friend asked about double towing our length and wondered if there were any issues with that.  Well, things do get a bit snug at some gas stations...

We probably could have passed on this station, but it was time for lunch, they had a McDonalds, I haven't had McDonalds in over a month, yadda, yadda, yadda.  It was a bit of a squeeze getting out of that gas lane.

This boat passed us.  Twice.  A Customs and Border Patrol boat, with 3 300 horsepower outboards on the back.  I didn't get a photo of it, but there was a Ford F-650 with CBP markings towing it.

Approaching mile marker 500, we began to see some flowers in the median and the side of the road...

Getting closer to San Antonio, construction ahead...

We have to make a navigation choice ahead: Loop 410 or stay on I-10 to I-35 back to I-10, and then I-37... right through the heart of downtown San Antonio.  It may sound counter-intuitive, but we have had better luck with traffic going right through town.  As we got close, traffic was backed up on Loop 410 - decision made.  With all the Interstate changes, it is good to have a navigator keeping track of the upcoming turns so I can concentrate on traffic and lane changes.  We're a good team.

Not so much as a slow down as we went through the city.  We did try to time it so we would be ahead of the afternoon rush hour times.

Just south of San Antonio and settled into a nice long RV site so we don't have to unhook...

This is a good opportunity to dump holding tanks and have the coach ready to unload when we get home; not looking forward to the work of unloading, but we are excited to see what Rufus does in his new home.  Two time zones, over 1,000 miles so far - he has handled it all just fine... as long as we are close by.

It is hot and humid here in south central Texas... quite a change from the last few months.

We are down for the night...

... in the scenic suburbs of Fort Stockton, TX - just in time for the annual Blowing Dirt Festival (Jan. 1st through Dec. 31st, each year).

About 350 miles today - Rufus is officially a travel cat.  He did great today, although for full disclosure, he did look at me while Joan and I were getting ready to roll and said, "We're gonna do this again, aren't we?"

"Yes, Rufus, this is what we do - we travel together.  Happily.  You'll get to see your new house soon, but we have to travel to get there."

"OK - just as long as you guys are here.  And food - food is important."

"Yep - we will always be here for you.  With food."

We got out a little later than yesterday, intentionally -  an hour and a half down the road, we will be going through El Paso, and we want to avoid morning rush hour.

The view in southeast New Mexico - the mountains by Las Cruces...

We were out before the wind picked up - the weather weasels are calling for strong west to southwest winds, with gusts to 40 mph by afternoon.  Check out the flag - it's a crosswind in this area...

"Who cares about the wind and weather - show us Rufus!"  Yeah, I get it.  He likes to ride on a lap right now...

That may change as he gets more worldly.  Just across the Texas/New Mexico border, we made our usual stop for fuel.  Ready to take on the El Paso traffic.  It was worse on the west side of El Paso, due to road construction.  Since the road construction through the main part of the city on I-10 is done, the problem isn't stop and go, bumper-to-bumper traffic - it is the crazy ass drivers who are driving fast and switching lanes as though this were a NASCAR event.  I knew we were back in Texas when a car in the far left lane shot between the semi and us in the far right lane, and just barely made Exit 1.  We saw plenty of that for the next 35 miles.

Rufus was assigned to Joan's lap during our El Paso passage...

We made it through El Paso unscathed, only needing to use the horn once for a truck that drifted into our lane.  Once into the clear, Rufus took turns with lap sitting...

The goal for today: 350 miles, getting us near Fort Stockton, and get down before the wind really kicks.

I have heard a rare person say that west Texas is ruggedly beautiful.  Maybe we've made this transit too many times.  There is some of this...

... but mostly it is pretty desolate.  It does appear that there is some activity in the oil biz again, with new tank farms and equipment.  Speaking of the oil biz: as usual, the highest gas prices are in the Van Horn and Fort Stockton area.

We rolled into an RV park around 4:30 - good thing we called a few hours ahead to get reservations: the place was busy, and we are in a site that is almost long enough for us.  Hot (in the low 90s) and windy (west at 20 and building).

We are comfortable in the coach, the a/c is keeping things cool, and Rufus is stretched out for a nap... he doesn't get his morning and afternoon naps in when he has to do all this "lap duty."  Truth be told, we have a couple different cat beds in easy reach for him, so he could hop off a lap and catch some zzzzzs.  If he wanted to get off a lap.

He did fine with the different road noises, having lunch at a not-particularly level rest area, and stayed on my lap when I rolled down the window at the Border Patrol Check Point.  Oh, he did get our attention when he stepped on the window button, rolling it down - he didn't freak, and had no intention of making an escape.  He did look at me like: "What the heck was that all about?"

It's all good.

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Up and at it this morning.  As we arranged with Steph, I called her as soon as we were ready to start hooking up the "train," so they could come by to say one last good-bye.  Exactly right on time, I was just locking up the Honda after we checked the lights - ready to roll.  We said our teary good-byes, then Steph gave us an Easter basket to take with us on the road - these two are so sweet.

Inside the Aspect, I grabbed my camera and went back for one last photo...

Don't let the smiles fool you - they are gonna miss us.  ;-)

It was 8:15 as we headed for the Interstate, hoping that we'd be ahead of the usual Phoenix traffic...

Yep.  But, I know you don't care about the traffic - what about Rufus?  How'd he do?  Thanks for asking.  We kept him in his carrier for the first 15 minutes or so... I have mentioned that he can be vocal.  Yep, again.  This is his first time with the RV moving (even though we have taken him for car rides), so the little furry boy wasn't sure about the whole thing...

Joan held him in her lap, and he was OK.  He wanted to hop down, but we wanted to get through Phoenix first.  Fortunately, the traffic remained light, even past the airport...

Joan let him down, but followed him around to make sure he was OK.  He wanted to come over to my side of the cab, but I was concerned that he'd hop down and get under the gas and brake pedals.

Joan held him in a blanket for a while.

South of Phoenix, past Casa Grande, and by Picacho Peak...

Heading towards Tucson, Joan opened our Easter basket...

All kinds of sweets, some cat toys for Rufus, gift cards, and a really nice card that they both signed, saying how much they enjoyed having us here for the past couple months.  It is very special for us, too.  Plus, did I mention: we got sweets?  ;-)

We stopped to top of fuel; gas prices are running around $2.55 most places, about 25% higher than when we came through here two months ago.  On the bright side, the weather weasels were calling for hot and sunny, with building wind.  It was overcast and didn't get above 80º; the headwind we had on the way to Tucson, turned to a quartering tailwind as we turned east.

Rufus settled in, ready for a nap...

East of Tucson, you climb from the low teens to over 4,000' elevation...

I mentioned he can be vocal...

Rufus decided he was going to come sit with me...

Being RVers, we stopped at a rest area for lunch, for all three of us.  Rufus was a happy boy, knowing that the meal service he has become accustomed to continues, even when this house moves.

Continuing east...

The driving is easier when I have some help...

We ran into some crappy road surfaces in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.  Rufus asked, "It it always going to be like this??"

The road surface smoothed out, and he was able to get back to his cat napping...

Getting an early start, we probably could have gone further, but we figured 350 miles was plenty enough for today - we are down for the night in south central New Mexico.  Land of Enchantment.  "Enchantment" is an old Indian word meaning: blowing dirt.

While I hooked up electric and cable, Joan put the jacks down and the slides out - Rufus is very happy that his "house" is back to normal.

I am very happy with how he did today.  We'll see how tomorrow goes...  Rufus: "Wait!  We're going to do this again??"

"Yep, we need to start checking off states that you've visited - with only two, you have quite a ways to go."  ;-)

Ready...

We spent the morning getting everything put away... you tend to make your site "homey" when you're in one place for an extended time.  Patio mats are pulled up, cleaned, and put away.  All the patio furniture is cleaned and put away.

The jumper battery/compressor I have been using for a while busted yesterday while checking the tires on the coach.  Of course, it was a small plastic fitting that renders the compressor part useless.  We picked up the "new and improved" version that has a compressor that allows you to enter the tire pressure you want, then runs until it reaches that pressure, then shuts off.  I like it!  The old one will still see duty on the boat, as back-up power.

Hitch installed and lubed on the CR-V.  I pulled the car around to the front of the cargo trailer and tested lights: all functioning.  Lubed up the front jack on the trailer.

Then, on to the holding tanks in the coach: ran the fresh water in that holding tank into the black tank and flushed it.  Twice.  One more fill and dump with the fresh water tank with some bleach for sanitizing.  Into the black tank with that.  Put fresh water onboard.

While I was doing all that, Joan was busy cleaning and putting everything down and away inside the coach.

Rufus understands that something is going on - he isn't sure what, but he knows this isn't our normal routine.  Yes, I know he is a cat, but I let him know that there are some changes coming, but they will be fun changes, ending (this trip) with a house that is a lot bigger than the motorhome.

Into the 90s today - it hasn't been particularly hot until yesterday.  By the time we were done, we were ready for showers... had to get all spruced up to go out for an early supper with Steph and Dan.  They came by and got to spend some quality time with Rufus (we got our grandkitties time in the last two days).  Off to supper, then back to the coach, where we visited a bit more and Rufus made sure everyone got some snuggle-time.

It was hard to say "good night" to our sweet daughter and supportive son-in-law.  Good-byes seem to get tougher each time.

The last bit of work around the coach before we settled in for the evening: I dumped gray and black water tanks and put away our sewer stuff.  It is more than just a sewer hose here, since that hose isn't allowed to touch the ground in Arizona.

Tomorrow, after a quick clean up, we will undo water and electric, pull in the slides, put up the leveling jacks, and hook up the car and cargo trailer.  Steph and Dan plan to come say "Good-bye," before we roll out.  I think she just likes to see the old man get all mushy.

We'll see how Rufus does with this road-trip stuff.

A heavy heart this morning...

We got a call this morning from home.  I answered the phone, "Hi, Randy!", thanks to caller ID.  It wasn't Randy, but his wife Cindy with some tough news: Randy passed away.

Randy was one of the first people we met when we bought our lot - their place is right across the street from ours.  I've written about Randy in this blog: he was a avid sailor.  They own a MacGregor 36 catamaran.  Randy gave me plenty of good advice early on in our water adventures there.  We sailed together, each on our own boat, and we sailed with them on their catamaran.  He grew up sailing the waters of the Laguna Madre and the Gulf - this was his domain.

Randy had a tough ordeal with cancer years back, and we gave them their first water outing after that on Wild Blue; not the same as sailing, but I think he enjoyed just being back on the water.  They live in the Valley, and have their place on our island for water getaways... I know Randy always looked forward to those sailing escapes.  Like us, they are able to keep their boat out their back door.  When they weren't there and nasty weather hit, I would go over and check on his boat; add or adjust lines.  When we weren't there, he would keep an eye on any activity around our house.  We looked out for each other.

They made a trip for business to the Pacific Northwest, and they came out for a whale watch tour with us.  Whenever we would get back home after a summer up there, Randy would reminisce about how much they enjoyed seeing the Orcas.

Cindy is a retired school teacher, Randy owned a fruit packing company that sent Rio Grande Valley fruits all over the country.  He talked about retiring; it didn't happen.

They are the immediate neighbors we have had the longest.  I will miss my friend.

Rest in peace, Randy - I know you are sailing free with never-ending favorable winds.

Once in a blue moon...

The second blue moon in 3 months!  And they say that a blue moon is a rare occurance (as in: something happening once in a blue moon.

If you've been keeping track, there was no full moon in February this year... but a blue moon in January.  And, for the record, February can't have a blue moon, even during a leap year, because the full moon cycle is just over 29 1/2 days.  (You might win a bar bet with that info.)

So, if you think people were being a bit weird today... you were probably right.  ;-)

Luxurious...

Life in the Winnebago?  No.  It's comfortable, though.

Rufus has come a long way since he became a part of our family.  When we got him, his fur was thin and felt like straw.  With good nutrition, grooming, and lots of love, you wouldn't know this is the same cat.  The fur around his face and neck has thickened; his belly fur is absolutely silky and luxurious.

Sitting by me last night, he put the belly out there to be rubbed...

I think he can see the differences, too - he still checks out the mirror...

Even the tail has filled out.

The boy is lookin' good!