Falling temps and white stuff

Well another Christmas has come and gone. Had a good time with both Kids home. Santa was good and a great meal at my sisters with the family on Christmas Day.
Unlike last year, this year has been rather mild and snow free here ..... so far. However the temps last night dropped and we now have a thin layer of snow on the ground with more forecast in the not too distant future. We have been lucky so far as north of us in cottage country and south of us in Buffalo they have had heavy snowfalls already.
Need to put preparations for heading south into high gear. I have taken the drop in box liner out of the new truck and have an appointment to get a Line-X spray-in liner tomorrow ..... then next week up to Morry's to get the hitch installed and have the trailer set up to ride level (will probably have to raise the trailer a bit as the new truck is a 4X4 so higher)
I am still hoping to get out of here before the end of Jan. and head due south to warmer temps.
Well off to get my license and health card renewed.
Doug.

The deed is done!

Well I have been looking for quite some time for a new truck..........not that the last one wasn't good ...........it was a great truck but I always had to count every pound that went into the trailer so I wasn't too over the rear axel weight. I finally found the truck that I hope will last me the next 10 to 15 years. A new (to me) 2008 Dodge (yup gotta have that Cumins) 3500 Dually. I have posted pics here. Http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99 This truck should be able to pull anything I want. Now I have to get it set up. I have called Eric at Morry's and am going to have him install my old hitch which I kept and set up the truck and trailer right. He knows his stuff and I trust him to do a great job as he always does. If anyone is looking for an RV particularly a Titanium go here http://www.morrystrailersales.com/ The truck has a slip in box liner but I really liked the LineX liner I had on the last one so will get that done first thing then up to morry's. He will also need to put in a brake controller.
The truck although new to me only has 4000 KM on it so the engine still needs to be broken in. It also has a few extra options like heated seats that Sue is gonna love.

The leaves are falling the leaves are falling oh there down

Well the weather is getting colder, the days shorter and my envy is rising for all the travellers that are either on there way or already down south. Oh well it will be some time before I head down to join you. I did however take in something I couldn't during my working time and that is the Friday the 13th Port Dover day. Every Friday the 13th no matter what month bikers by the thousands decend on the small village of Port Dover on Lake Erie for a get together. This year Friday the 13th of Nov. was blessed with sunny skies and warm temps so thousands showed up. The first thing that struck me as I strolled down the main drag was "boy there are a lot of bikers" it was filled from curb to curb with every type of motorcycle imaginable. big ones small ones custom jobs and fancy dancy just plain very expensive ones. The diversity of bikes was only matched by the diversity of riders all shapes and sizes. Now if your thinking bikers -- Hell's angels gangs etc. that really wouldn't fit this crowd of about 30,000 most seemed to be boomers who were trying to recapture their youth. Anyway it was fun strolling around and taking in the sites. I have posted some pics here. Http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

Home again

Had an interesting trip to Pelee Island. First we went across on Thursday which was a windy day .......the day the Tornado(s) hit different parts of Ontario. Our run at 11:30 was an extra put on as the 10:30 run was full and what they did was put us on the old "Pelee Islander" a very small car ferry which made for a wild ride over in the wavy conditions. Being new to this trip I had thought the trip was about 30 minutes long......no way 1 and 1/2 hours. ....... but I didn't get sea sick. the island was interesting we had lunch at a local restaruant then toured around the island stopping at a few spots to hike a bit....we ended off at the Pelee Island winery for a tasting then hurried to the dock for the return trip which was on a much larger ferry .........so a much smoother ride. We will return someday as we didn't have time to explore all the areas we wanted to. Friday we took a circle trip along the shore of Lake Erie had a very nice lunch at a winery situated right on the shore. Then continued on to Windsor and back along the shore of Lake St. Clair to Lighthouse cove then back to the campground where I cooked a nice steak dinner for sue (it was our wedding anniversary) Back home on Saturday and am now extemely busy with the honey do list from Sue.

busy summer

Well Sue has been keeping me busy this summer..........new flooring is to be installed downstairs as well as painting and a new mantle over the fireplace. We did manage to get out camping for a bit. Spent part of July visiting friends north of Kingston then down to New York State. We stayed at Association Island campground on the eastern end of Lake Ontario......then down to Watkins Glen for 3 days hiking exploring and visiting Corning New York. Next it was up to Julian Ponds campground so Sue could hit the outlet mall near Rochester then over to Southwoods RV park east of Rochester for 3 days. A really nice campground with a fellow titanium owner there for the season. Finally after more shopping back home and on to the chores. Got the fireplace mantle done then prepared the floor to be replaced I will put down the new Laminate wood floor and get the rest of the area ready for someone else to lay the linoleum. It is now August and we are down at Campers Cove campground near Wheatley Ontario............relaxing in the sun trying to keep cool. nice campground and Sue's sister is visiting today. Have been exploring the local wineries and Windsor Tomorrow it is on the ferry for Pelee Island for the day.

home again

Well the crossing into Ontario at the border was uneventfull. A few questions and proof that the rig was really mine and on my way. I arrived home in good order and took the weekend to unpack, unwind and catch up with Sue. On Monday morning I headed into the Bank to get some canadian funds and deposit the remnants of my US funds, then off next door to visit (or gloat to my former work collegues) unfortunately I received bad news when I arrived.......... a dear friend, my former secretary had passed away just yesterday from Cancer. My next stop was going to be to see her and give her the frog I picked up in Texas..........what a shock to learn she was gone. Life certainly is fragile and not to be taken lightly. I will miss Pat........but will remenber her sense of humour and dedication.
Doug.

The long long road home

I left Nashville very early this morning after getting a Neighbour (who was also up) to help me back out of my site. A tree, the utilities pole and a parked truck blocked my drive out. Once on the highway all the mud on my tires flew off onto my nice clean trailer augghhhh. I will have to wash the trailer again when I get home. I hadn't planned on driving so far today but once on the road and getting closer to Sue I just kept going. I ended up just north of Findley Ohio.... soooooooo will probably be home tomorrow. The area all the way from Natchez, Mississippi to Findley has been soaked with rain for the last few weeks........creeks and rivers overflowing with ponds of water in the fields. Needless to say the campground I'm in is muddy and of course its colder than I've experienced in quite a while so I have a 50 amp site to run my heaters. I will head north to cross at Sarnia (Detroit has construction and is not "trailer" friendly) then on home. pics here http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

I have enjoyed my adventure but did miss Sue greatly so will have to think long and hard about what to do next winter. I will go back to the Rio Grande Valley at some time in the future. The people are friendly, there is lots to do and the weather is great.
Doug.

I'm a little bit country not

Finished the natchez trace today and it was like travelling back in ....... seasons...... down at the south end everything is fully out but as I drove north I was travelling back into early spring the leaves became fewer and the flowers not as plentiful. Lots of wild turkeys all along the trace however. The outside temp. guage on the truck also went down as I went north. I left Tupelo wearing sandles and a light shirt......give your head a shake Doug. it is still cold up north and I had to stop to put on warmer footware and a jacket. I am staying at the Nashville country RV park for the night and they had to squeeze me into a small site as that was all that was left and because of all the rain they have had in the last few weeks lots of mud..... no concrete pads here. I'm glad it's just for one night. I will go into Nashville this evening to visit a camping world and see the grand old opry...... hey I'm here might as well check it out...... but I am still more rock and roll. Will try to get a long days drive in tomorrow and then have to decide whether to winterize the trailer before I get home????? Are we going to have any more hard freezes in Ont.??????? might have some pics to post tonight but none right now.
Doug.

What a light show

Well I made it to Natchez State Park in Mississippi. Three nights here but no internet at all. Peaceful execpt for Sunday. The skies went dark Sunday afternoon and my weather alert radio kept sounding alarms every 30 minutes.....severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings and flash flood warnings. We got lots of rain very heavy downpours but the winds weren't as bad as predicted where I was. They did get damage north of where I was. The campground was full as the easter weekend is like our May 24th weekend the first big camping weekend. Got some hiking in and finished another book. I left Natchez early Monday morning and followed the natchez trace a parkway going north east to Nashville. Commercial traffic is banned this parkway is limited to 50 miles per hour and is for bikers and tourists. No stops for the entire length. I made it just over halfway to Tupelo Elvis Presley's birthplace and am spending the night. Nice campground with good WiFi so I can get this on and check e-mail. I'm only here for one night then further north to just north of Nashville. Should be home by the weekend if the weather is warmer up there :-)
I have posted new pics check them out at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Doug.

gamblin

I finally broke down and went into the Casino today as the weather, although warm was cloudy and windy. They are calling for severe thunderstorms tonight. I will have my weather alert radio on to warn of any watches and warnings. Oh I donated to the casino :-( was up $10.00 at one point but that's as far as I got into the good and ended up donating to the cause. The park here is starting to fill up with campers from Louisiana and Texas. This is there big first camping weekend of the year, the easter weekend. I will be leaving here in the morning and am going to a State park in Mississippi for 3 nights. From the pictures I have seen this is a lovely state park with lots of hiking trails. I posted pics yesterday of Paragon RV park at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99 I washed the RV and truck .... hopefully for the last time till I'm home. Everything is now shiny again. There are lots of Titaniums here and I get lots of comments about my rig. as it is the only Titanium Mystic here. There are lots of Quebecers here as well. Some heading north from Texas but some who spent the winter here in south Louisiana where there are a lot of french speaking people.
Doug.

Paragon Casino

Boy there are a lot of Casinos in Louisiana. I am at the Paragon Casino RV resort for the next three days. Again nice campground concrete pads full hookups pool and all the other amenities plus that casino. Got to remind myself set a limit and stay within it :-) This park is in the town of Marksville and so has some stores, restaurants etc. unlike the last place I was at. I need to get to a grocery store to replenish my supplies. After a cool night got down to 38 degrees last night once the sun came out the temps have been rising and at noon it is in the hight sixties and rising. The trip here was interesting..... I took the cross country route (IE off the interstates) and went through some really neat places swamps, poor areas and really rich areas and some really old towns. They also seem to have a lot of prisons here or at least I seem to drive past a lot of them. Well going to make lunch then do some exploring. I have posted pics at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

Red Shoes

I haven't been able to get on for a while soooo I'll bring you up to date. First I am feeling much better the antibiotics have done the trick. I left Houston West RV yesterday and did get to stop into Camping world, Bass Pro and Costco. Got a few bargains at Bass Pro where I used some gift cards I got from the Guidance Heads for my retirment. Thanks guys. I am now in Louisiana at the Coushatta Casino RV resort ......this is for Sherri It is run by the Sovereign nation of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. This territory was started by a Coushatta leader known as Red Shoes "King of the Alabamas and Coosades" The nice thing about this RV park is....it is inexpensive they figure they'll get your money in the Casino. Well I donated $20.00 to them so far. I leave here tomorrow and head further north to the Parragon Casino resort...costs for the night there are $8.50 and it is a first class resort , full hookups and all the facilities pool etc. It was cooler last night getting down to the low 40's after a day in the 80's and it is only going up into the 70's for the next few days but glorious sunshine. Well off for my morning walk then to the pool. I will try to post pics.

what again?

I have had a sore throat for the last couple of days and when I woke up this morning........it was terrible can't swallow even liquids. got the shakes and a temp. and achy all over. ..........so when I got to the Houston West campground I decided to go to the hospital and see the doc. only took 20 minutes to get in and see the doc. (got a bad sore throat) then off to Walmart for some meds. well 3 hours later to get the precription filled......... I'm back at the trailer and going to take drugs, see if I can keep some food down and crash.... If I don't improve I may stay here an extra day don't want to be driving in the state I'm in.
Doug.

dairy queen

Left Bensen palm village bright and early this morning......well early anyway it was overcast but did not rain and travelled north thru the dead horse desert to Goose Island State park on the coast. I have a site right on the water acutually I'm only about 10 feet from the water. Tomorrow is suppose to be clear and warm again. I spent the day exploring the park, took pictures of the "big tree" That's an old live oak tree that is over 1000 years old. This park is suppose to have WiFi but it isn't working...... when I asked the staff where the nearest hot spot was they said you have to go to the Dairy Queen about 6 miles away ............ so tomorrow it's off to Dairy Queen so I can post this on the blog.....and try out one of there new blizzard flavours ....... I just gotta :-) I will also try to post some pics as well. I am here for two days then off to west Houston RV park for a couple of days....going to do some shopping...yup found out that this location is near a Bass Pro, Camping world, costco and a large outlet mall. Well got to keep this short as not sure what the connection will be like at Dairy Queen. I'll let the sound of the waves crashing on the beach lull me to sleep.Doug.
PS. I'm obviously at Dairy Queen heading in to try there new blizzard. very windy and warm today will try to post pics

packing up

well I'm starting to pack up in ernest today. I leave tomorrow to start the journey north. I will keep a close watch on the weather as I don't want to arrive too early (ie. while it is still cold :-) ) I have spent quite some time checking out possible routes north..........so many different routes and things to see. I think I'll head up to the coast north of corpus christi for a few days on the beach then head north to Houston for a few days. then northeast into Louisiana before heading north to the Natchez chase. I have washed the truck and trailer and packed up most of the things one puts out when in an site for a month........solar lights, chairs, mats, bbq, etc. Check air in tires, torque nuts on wheels, and top up fluid levels and clean holding tanks. the wind today is from the north but is scheduled to be from the southeast tomorrow to help blow me north. going to miss the Valley it is a very friendly location with lots to do.
Doug.

Off roadin

The weather is once again very pleasant......highs in the 80's and lows in the 60's. Have started to get ready to head out. A lot of the winter Texans have already left and by the end of this week the park here will be practically empty. I leave Wed. and start following the warm weather back north again. Washed the RV and truck and will bet the basement in order tomorrow that is in between hiking and lazing around the pool. Today I had booked out the ATV that the park has for the use of it's guests. (no charge) Had a ball off roadin and following the trails around Mikes property. didn't get many pics as most things cleared out when they heard the ATV coming. Put the few pics I took in the gallery at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Doug.

toasty

Been getting some shopping done as the temps have climbed today it was 98 degrees and very humid sooooo i broke down and put on the air conditioner and got around to the stores to keep cool. I did receive a new antenna today via UPS I tried it out and as soon as I conected it I was able to see about 10 new computers and 2 other routers. this would have helped when I was back at the seawind to bring in the internet signal. Got up this morning and started my walk........got around 3 times then saw the propane truck come in and so went back to my site to get one of my tanks filled........this is the first time on this trip I have had to refill a tank not bad. I then decided to wash the RV as it was overcast ........so gave the roof a good scrubing and was starting on the sides when the sun came out and boy did it get hot but I finished the job then got inside for the air conditioning. I invited fellow titanium owners Paul and Jane from Ottawa over for happy hour to help me finish off the wine Sue left and we succeded finishing two bottles of wine and a few beers as well. We had a nice visit. Tomorrow its off for a park breakfast then maybe back to Mexico on orders from Sue. She "needs" earings to go with the necklace she got. :-) Like I know what to get........oh well I'll try. Sunday morning I have booked the park ATV and will go off roadin for the morning through the many trails the park owner has. should be fun. I have also posted more pics showing the flowers in the park. see them at
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Doug.

heating up again

I put on the air conditioner for the first time here as the temps go up and suprisingly so does the humidity .........something that hasn't happened while I have been here. So time to laze around the pool and heat out to flea markets etc. Still feeling fallout from the whirlwind when Sue was here and was up till midnight last night doing laundry........cooler then. today off to more flea markets and the pool and taking some pics of the plants around the campground. I also found out that we can now book out the ATV which has been out of commission for a while.........so Sunday morning and it is all mine to play on. I am looking forward to exploring some of large property that Mike owns. I will post the plant pics later got to run and put in the awnings again as the wind is picking up. As always pics are at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

Doug.

Bonus days over :-(

Got up at 3:30 this morning to get sue to the airport for her earlier flight home and everything was a go. I followed her progress on the web and she landed just 2 minutes late into Buffalo after a long day in the air. I have just been cleaning up and resting from the very active week we had together in south texas. Lots of laundry to do .......... maybe tomorrow. The temps have gone up again 86 today and very windy (not breezy sue windy) By friday the temps are forecast to go up into the mid 90's. Well I am here until April 1st then will start the slow move back north following the warm weather.
Pics at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

Bonus Day

Spent yesterday at Tourista Day in Progresso Mexico.....whoooeee quite the show. Crowds and Crowds lots of activities and of course shopping and free trinkets. Went to card bingo last night and guess what sue won one of the games, something I haven't been able to do. Then a relaxing evening a last dip in the pool and up before the sun this morning to get Sue to the airport. Dropped her off and then waited at the end of the runway to see her plane off..........or so I thought. I drove home and was thinking about going back to sleep when the phone rings........its Sue calling wanting me to pick her up again. Seems the airport in Houston was fogged in this morning and so they wouldn't let her flight leave on time.........which meant she would miss her connecting flight in Houston ...........they tried to book her on another flight even another airline but everything that got you to Buffalo (where her car is) was booked up solid sooooooo off the plane and back for a bonus day here in Mission. We will try the whole thing over again tomorrow. Only perks the airline would give was she will be flying first class. Well what to do with a bonus day here swimming? shopping? hiking? reading? or maybe a bit of everything. I just know I'm enjoying it. :-)
Doug.
PS I have loaded some more pics at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

hiking and partying

Finally got Sue up early and went into the State park to do some "birding" hiked around and took bird pics and finally found a Javalina for Sue to see. I let her lead on one of the trails and wouldn't you know it her great direction got us off the path and we ended on an unmarked cut back to the road. spent the afternoon at the pool then went by convoy with a bunch of others from the park to El Rancho ????? a beautiful restaurant had a good time eating talking and dancing. Today its back to Progresso, Mexico for tourist day and more shopping. Pics posted.

Beach

Got up Wednesday morning and the weather was great so decided to head out to south Padre Island (along with thousands of college kids for what they call Texas week) Had a great time .........sat on the beach in the morning then off exploring by driving north on the island to the end of the road where you can drive on the beach.......great place for a 4 wheeler. We stopped into Dirty Als for schrimp which was great. ......then back on the much more crowded beach before doing one more stop into the stores and for me to see all the kids prancing on the street in their bathing suits trying to impress the opposite sex...........hey I'm not dead ......nice to look. Pics of the day are in the photo gallery at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Back to Mission with a couple more shopping stops and finally to Dairy Queen for a treat and guess what along with our treats we got 4 bingo cards and as we ate they called numbers for Bingo. (we didn't win) Haven't seen that before.
Today as we ate breakfast in the RV planning to head into the state park to bird watch there came a knock on the door. It was guest services saying they had a no-show for the owners tour and could be go..........well as this is a highly sought after tour we said great be there in 5 minutes.......hurried to get dressed and joined the group. The owner of the park and everything around it takes 8 people out for a tour in an ATV and was it great. What an interesting fellow.....learned all about him his company and what the plans are for the thousands of acres that he owns. Again pics in the photo album. The rest of this day was spent lounging by the pool, napping and we are now figuring out what to do for this evenings entertainment.

Old Guerrero

Yesterday the clouds cleared and the temps soared to reveal a beautiful day. We joined a tour at 8:30 in the morning and headed northwestward along the Rio Grande river, where we crossed into Mexico crossing the Falcon Dam. This dam on the Rio Grande provides hydro electric power, irrigation and flood control. The dam was built in the 1950's and created a huge lake behind it. The Mexican town of Guerrero was on the river and was flooded as the waters rose. The government relocated the people to Neuvo Guerrero about 30 Km away and the old town was left to the elements. We took a long dirt road to get into the old town site and wandered around looking at a way of life crumbling away. See pics in Gallery at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
On the return trip we crossed at a different border crossing and got stuck in a long line of traffic waiting to get back into Texas. The american border process is slow with very thorough checks, which isn't suprising as they have been having all kinds of violence just across the border in Mexico as the drug cartels battle the police and military in Mexico. Anyway a pleasant day finished off by drinks at a neighbours and an evening stroll.
doug.

Visiting

Sue arrived safe and sound on Friday evening, but she brought cool and rainy weather with her. In the 2 months I have been down here we had maybe one day of slight drizzle (heh they are in a drought down here) and the temps have been consistantly in the 70's and 80's...........now 50's and rain. While it is good they have rain finally it could have waited till next week or even last week.......oh well it is forcast to improve and get back into the 80's on Monday. I met sue at the airport at around 4pm and because it located just across the street from a mall guess where we went first........ then off for supper and as I had been called earlier in the day by UPS that a package was in for me and they couldn't deliever it I could pick it up at their depot after 7pm so off we went to get the package and waited and waited.....finally after 8pm I gave up and will try again Tuesday. (we are off on a trip to Mexico on Monday) Yesterday was spent at the outlet mall and Sue is happy she got a few things and I even scooped two new pair of New Balance shoes 50% off then another 40% off that so got both pairs for less than what one pair cost at home. Today we are going shopping again (flea markets and malls) then hopefully the weather will be good and Sue will be shopped out. :-)
Doug.

Where'd the heat go?

During the night the temps down here took a nosedive. Instead of having an overnight low in the 70's it went down to 50 last night and only got up to 54 today......what a change. I also had a first on my trip.......precipitation yes it rained for the first time in over 60 days. Can't complain too much however as they really needed the rain down here. The cool temps and precip. is slated to last until Monday when it will start warming up into the 80's again. Got some sad news today......... there has been a helicopter crash off the coast of Newfoundland and one of the passengers was my cousins husband. So far only one survivor (not him) and one confirmed dead but if they don't find the rest soon, it doesn't look good as the north atlantic is very cold at this time of year. Well good time to do more laundry and shopping indoors.
Doug.

decisions decisions

After my morning walk i had to decide what should I do go for a walk in the state park and bird watch....... visit friends I've met here..... go have a game of pool at one of the games areas or maybe lie by the pool........... hummmm decisions decisions. I decided to clean the RV instead at least at first so swept, dusted and cleaned windows that worked up a sweat soooooo made the decision on what to do next easy........off to the pool where I spent the afternoon jumping from the pool to hot tub back to pool then lounge around and read then back into the pool......at least until it was time to go for the free margaritas well not really free you donate a couple of bucks then get all the free margaritas you want........... good deal. After that as it was getting cooler in the evening I gathered up all my dirty laundry and headed out to do a few loads.......where I met some more people and had a good time visiting while the clothes went through. Another day in paradise this retirement gig isn't bad at all...........especially when I read that the temp. back home went from 10 above to minus 10 during the day. Still some winter to go .............I'll wait
I have posted some more pictures of birds I took yesterday. You can view them at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99/20090308#

Doug.

Mexico

I sound like a broken record but guess what another hot windy windy day here in the Rio Grande Valley. Went exploring today.......only intended to go to the store but ended up going all over and because I was only going to the store didn't take my camera...........will next time........anyway drove along the border area and saw the "wall" The wall is a tall barrier the states are building along the border with Mexico to try and stem the tide of illegal immigrants. It is tall almost like a very tall picket fence made out of brown steel. I drove along a dike by the river and visited Pepee's on the river and saw the large chimney ......... this is part of the irrigation system down here and you see large pipes sticking out of the ground all over the place. Water is pumped from the Rio Grande to irrigate the land and make what was basically a desert into a rich farming area. I then drove through a free trade zone where lots of companies have set up shop.........I am assuming the taxes are alot lower here and then ended up near Nuevo Progreso soooooo decided to check out the other side. This is basically just a tourist area and most people walk across the border at this point. $2.00 to park on the US side all day then a short walk across a bridge. 25 cents to walk across and basically just go through a turnstile and your in Mexico. What struck me at once was the number of people begging and the sight of heavily armed soldiers at the border. ......... but half a block and your into the venders hundreds of them selling lots of different things. It seemed every few store front I was propositioned by hawkers enticing me with..............of all things need a dentist? looking for a drug store? how about vet drugs? Yes they have all the regular jewelery, arts and crafts but the major draws are dentists. It seems like there are hundreds of them and many tourists especially those without insurance back home get everything from root canals to whitening done. And if your looking for presciption drugs no problem of course the biggest draws seem to be Viagra and diet drugs that you need a presciption for in the states. I learned a lesson when I went into eat. I had a very nice and large T-bone steak with all the fixins for just $10 a real deal but I didn't check out the cost of the drink before I ordered.........bad mistake.....and I didn't have booze. I ordered a diet coke or as they call them there a light coke........and was still thirsty so ordered another............was I surprised when the check came the meal as I said was $10 each can of coke however was $3.50 so $7.00 for the soft drinks......way more expensive than if I had ordered beer. I won't make that mistake again. Anyway a very enjoyable meal. I walked back to the border and paid the 35 cents it cost to get back and the US border personal scanned my passport and waved me through. Oh I did eventually get to the store for the milk I wanted.

Another windy hot day

The wind blows and blows and blows......it doesn't seem to stop here at all. It is however welcomed on these days when the temp is up in the mid to high 80's. I washed the truck again and went for my morning walk. Last night I went in to the movies and saw "Watchmen" wasn't really impressed with the movie however. Today I went to a big Flea Market which is put on by Winter Texans saw lots of things but only ended up buying...........ShamWow.........yes didn't have a shami to dry the truck when I washed it so figured I'd get some ShamWow's. $10 for 4 large ShamWow's and one smaller one for the kitchen. I passed another flea market that looked much larger (acres and acres) but I was shopped out (ya don't have the stamina of sue in that regard). The medication I got for the Shingles seem to be working as my rash is just about completely gone and the burning pain in the shoulder and back are just annoying at this point. I think I will be able to get into the swimming pool this coming week. I have avoided that because of the Shingles (even though I am told they aren't contagious). I continue to be amazed at the amount of border patrol activity around here. Every day and night the border patrol vehicles are parked behind the park and occasionally it is obvious they are in a chase situation........lights flashing, helicopters overhead etc. I personally however, have not seen any illegals but then again I probably wouldn't be able to spot them. Except for the Winter Texans most of the locals seem to be Hispanic. Don't forget to check out my Pics. at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Time for an afternoon nap..... :-)
Doug.

on the border

Another beautiful day here highs in the low 80's not a cloud in the sky but still a bit windy. I got up this morning and headed into the Bentsen Palm State park. I walked as it is just across the street. What a wonderful place. A number of years ago they stopped all camping and vehicle traffic in the park and gave it over to hikers and bikers and birds. I have posted a number of pictures at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99/20090303#
walked all through the park and was able to photograph Javalina, many different birds and the Rio Grande river with Mexico on the other side. Lots of birders here and when they stop they ask what did you see ........unfortunately usually all I could say was birds and then they would list off all the different species they had seen. I guess I'll have to study my bird book so I can name a few. There are lots of border patrol personnel here in jeeps, trucks, cars, horseback and in the air in helicopters and planes. Finished my walk at around 11 and then met a couple of people in the RV park that I had met up in Ontario at a Titanium get together. We are all looking forward to the free Margarita Hour they have here in the park every Wednesday evening. The owner is always looking for feedback and figured if he gives you free booze he has the right to ask questions about what you want in a camping experience to improve his park..........hey ask away. :-) Oh about the microwave issue Sue and I have decided to wait until I return to Ontario and then have Morry's replace it with a convection microwave and pay the difference. So will use the barbeque much more this trip. well off to soak up some rays.
Doug.

microwavinnnnggggg

I have spent two frustrating days making phone calls. As I mentioned before my microwave oven has crapped out. Won't heat an ice cube. .........anyway called my dealer in ontario who got the people from Glendale to call me. They said no problem just take it into a dealer here in Texas and they will process it through Dometic as it is covered by warranty. Sooooo I called a dealer in Donna Texas about 30 miles away who is a Dometic authorized repair facility and explained the situation to them. They said bring it in.......... well I asked if I could take the microwave out of the trailer and just bring it in.....as opposed to packing everthing up disconecting and driving the whole thing over for them to confirm the microwave was kaput and then drive back set up again and wait for them to get a new one delievered then pack up again to get the new one installed. He had to ask his manager if that was possible............well he phoned me back and said no can't do that just call Dometic and they'll send you a new one and gave me a number to call......you guessed it wrong number..........sooooo I called Glendale back and they couldn't understand what the Texas dealership's problem was and took my info. again and said they would contact Dometic for me and get back to me. Well they called today and said Dometic would only deal with the owner (me) and gave me the number to call..........I called and they said just take it to the dealer.........they look after warranty issues..........I explained that they sent me to them and so they contacted the dealership to sort it out and got back to me to say that the dealership would take care of me if I still wanted to deal with them and they gave me the numbers of two other places if I didn't.......... this is 24 hours later and I looked at how to get the microwave out of the rig and guess what it is not so straight forward and Sue (bless her heart) suggested that she really wanted a convection/microwave all along............so I called Morry's again and they told me if I wanted to bring it back to them they would look after the warranty issue and replace it with a convection/microwave........... so now for the big decision to wait and upgrade or just get a replacement down here.......... haven't contacted Sue on that one yet. Other than those inconviences life has been good the weather is fantastic.........sunny breezy and highs in the 70's I have explored more of the surrounding area and continuallly amazed by the diversity of bird and plant life here. This is a gorgeous park. Well off to take some pics. Hope to get them posted tomorrow as well as have a decision made on the microwave.
Doug.

ya gets what ya pay for

After the hot hot hot temps of the last few days we have had a change........cold front came through and the temps have dropped down from the 90's to the 70's much more pleasant. I packed up this morning (Sunday March 1) and drove over (only about 45 miles) to the Bensen Palm Village where I will be for the month. This is a beautiful park. The landscaping is amazing, the number of birds and variety of species is great and the amenities are good as well. Free WiFi free long distance calling within North America, free use of bikes and kayaks, free tours of surrounding area.......well not really free the cost here is $495 plus electric for the month....... still not bad...........but it is hard to get a reservation as they are always booked up. I got lucky to get in. Lots of canadians (about 40% ) and I have counted 9 other titaniums. I have been having a problem with my microwave (doesn't work) so will call the dealership tomorrow to see what they can do for me. The drugs must be working as my Shingles are starting to clear up, however, they are still very uncomfortable. Lots of places to explore here, we are across from a state park for hiking and birding (the park is part of the world birding headquarters.) and this park provides free passes for us. Well have to get to a grocery store as I am running out of provisions. check out my pictures of the park I will take better ones later. http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99/20090301#

hot hot hot

I am sitting here in the rec hall at the Fig Tree rv resort. It is air conditioned in here hooray because it was 93 degrees F. today and very windy........cold front coming through tomorrow so the highs will only get up into the 70's The hot temps. are making it uncomfortable with my shingles........ hope they clear up soon. There is a country and western concert going on next door at the park. I met Genni and David Bailey who are from Brantford. They were very nice to invite me to accompany them doing the rounds of flea markets etc. tomorrow but I declined........don't want to spread the shingles around (wouldn't wish them on anyone else). I am also having a problem with the microwave in the RV it comes on turntable goes round but it doesn't heat up anything at all......and of course it is Friday soooooo I guess I'll have to wait till next week to get it looked at. I did e-mail the dealership hopefully they can arrange somewhere for me to get it looked at. Lots more here down in the valley to do and it is alot greener than just north of here where the drought is much worse. I am here for two nights and then Sunday I go over to Mission, (a short 45 minute drive) and the Bensen Palms Village park where I will be for the next month. The fact that the microwave is not working means I have an excuse to try out a few of the local restaurants as it is too hot to use the stove and oven in the RV or so I think
:-)

Packing up

Went for my morning walk again this morning.... Last one here. Will pack things up this evening so I can leave here tomorrow morning after I settle up my bill. The charge here was $250.00 for the month plus Electric.....so I take the meter reading in tomorrow and I will see how much that will cost. I figure about $75-$100 as I did use the electric heater earlier in the month and the air conditioner is going now. I am off to the Fig Tree resort in Harlingen for two nights then over to Mission to the Bensen Palms Village where I will set up for the month of March. This has been a nice park very quiet with lots of things to do in the park if you wanted but not much in the surrounding area soooooo I haven't spent a lot of money this month, except of course for yesterday. I had to pay for the doctor visit and meds myself ( I will eventually get it back) , the doctor visit cost $70.00 and the meds cost $230.00 wow one little tube of creme cost $166.00 ouch. I hope it works. My shingles are still there (feels like a bad sunburn on my left shoulder and back) hard to sleep when I toss over to that side at night. Oh well hopefully it will be gone or at least diminished in a few weeks. Wouldn't you know it they fixed the internet here a few days ago ..........just in time for me to leave? Well trying to keep cool :-)
Doug.

ouch

Well after a 3 hour wait to see a doctor (actually a physician assistant) my diagnosis was confirmed yes I have Shingles. Very painful on my left side under the armpit and upper chest and back. Anyway had to pay up front for the visit and my insurance provider says I will get the money back eventually. Also need to go to the pharmacy to get 3 presciptions filled, an antiviral drug, a antiviral creme and pain killers. I was also told to keep cool and dry, which considering it is in the 80's today and forcasted to go up to the 90's by the end of the week, could be difficult.
Guess I will have to crank up the air conditioner. Off to find a place to eat lunch then get my presciptions filled and head back the 25 miles to the campground.

wasting time

Well here I am at the Kingsville Library wasting time while I wait for my insurance provider to fax information to a medical clinic so a Doctor can check me out. For the last week or so I have had a burning pain in my left side and kinda think it may be shingles. We will see.
Well Monday I drove down to the Valley for a day and was able to drive through the Bensen Palms where I will stay for the month of March .......looks like a nice place. I will probably spend two nights at the Fig Tree resort as I have to leave the Seawind on the 27th and don't get into the Bensen Palms till the 1st of March. The valley is much different than here in Kingsville, a lot greener and wall to wall shopping (Sue's going to like it :-) ) Lots of smoke in the air as there have been alot of brush fires and they are burning off the sugar cane. The reason I went down to the valley for one day was because there was a Titanium owners luncheon which was quite nice. (and I won another titanium hat). On my way back I stopped into the Baffin Bay Inn to have a seafood supper which was really good. Shrimp, fish, scallops, and camalari. I have posted a few more pics. in the gallery for you to check out. http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Yesterday I washed the RV and when others saw me do that they all came over to ask when I was leaving....... I guess that's what they do here before they leave this park is wash the RV soooo everyone knew I would be leaving soon. Oh they finally are fixing the WiFi here and I can now connect once more from my RV instead of driving down and sitting in the truck outside the laundry room.
Well off to the clinic again to see if they have received the fax authorizing payment for the visit.

Windy

Well it seems the winds don't stop blowing very often in this part of Texas. I attended a line dance performance yesterday put on by the club here at the park. They did a good job actually. Saturday there is going to be a Tiquila Fest here at the park .........apparently they eat Mexican food, dance and drink Tiquila someone is bringing samples of different types to sample much like a wine tasting back home. Today however, I drove up to Aransas Gap and took the free ferry over to Mustand Island then drove along the beach (yes you can drive on the beaches down here) down to Padre Island then back over to Corpus Christi to site see and visit some malls. Picked up a few Solar Lights to put out by my trailer......... getting right into the trailer life here. Tonight it is going to get cold here going down to the low 50's overnight and only up to the high 60's tomorrow. I'll have to dig out the blanket I put away. :-) Well only here for one more week then hopefully someplace with a better WIFI setup. Also got lots of pics of the many birds that spend the winter here. Check out my new pictures at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Click on each folder to see more pics.

Getting into a Routine

Well they repaired the WIFI here at the park...... kinda...... It is not as powerful or as fast as before....but I only have a couple of more weeks here then off further south. I can check e-mail and use Skype to talk to Sue and occasionally I can get onto my blog to update it. The temps. here have been pleasant with highs in the 70's to 80's and lows in the low 60's or high 50's.
The residents here have been getting ready for their big Valentine’s Day dance I have put a couple of pics in the photo gallery of that as well as a few pics of the "Threads of Love" program they do here at the park. Basically the women make clothing for newborns and on this week the men were finishing building small caskets for still born or small newborns that die. I guess the local hospital has a need for these as they just finished 15 and were asked for more. Too bad the demand is there but kudos to the people here for helping out. I have been walking along the beach but it really isn't a big beach area. It is really not sand as such but piles of small shells piled up. The big beach areas are out on the Barrier Island (Padre Island) where you can drive your vehicle right on the wide beaches. I will eventually get out there but you have to go up to Corpus Christi or south to Brownsville to get out there. I still am amazed by the variety and numbers of birds in the area. North of Corpus Christi is the Aranasas wetlands area winter home to whooping cranes and thousands of other seabirds. Around here are geese, pelicans,
Plovers, ducks and many other shorebirds as well as thousands of smaller birds.Check out the pics at
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

problems problems problems

Well the internet connection problems continue in the park I am in. The "techies" have been working but from what I understand the system needs to be replaced, anyway I can occasionally get on to check e-mail but the system is too slow most of the time to update the Blog. The internet connection at the next place I am at is apparently much better, but I won't be there till March 1 Keep checking back.
I have been getting into a routine walking, socializing, reading (have read 4 novels so far) and generally puttering around exploring the area. Speaking of the area ....... this area of Texas is apparently one of the poorer areas not a lot around here and a lot of people who live in trailers. In the past most people going to the Rio Grande Valley just passed through without stopping...........this is changing now that the local county built this RV park. Business has been so good that the extra revenue has been helpful and the local police dept. has been able to hire more officers and don't have to expend alot of resources on our little community (law abiding old folks) Sooooo last Saturday they held an appreciation dinner for all the people in the park, providing us with a free mexican food meal. Tomorrow the park manager is haveing an appreciation reception for us as well. I have met a lot of fellow Canucks and there are quite a few in the park. A couple just arrived here from Ottawa and we compared the border crossing at Detroit. They had a few of the same difficulties I had. They also had a further glitch as the wife kept her own last name and because they had different last names they were asked for a copy of their marriage certificate to prove they were married........ not sure what that was all about I didn't know you had to be married to cross the border anyway they obviously relented and let them into the states.
The weather has been quite pleasant with highs up to the 80's and lows in the high 50's nice for sleeping. I am planning a few side trips to see a few of the local sites one of them is the King Ranch...... which has 825,000 acres in an area known as the Wild Horse Desert. It is a working ranch with over 60,000 head of cattle as well as a museum, and wildlife refuge and hunting area (I know bit of a conflict, but they love their guns and hunting and fishing down here).

lost in cyberspace

well the internet wifi connection went down last thursday night and it still hasn't been fixed. I am accessing this from Kingsville Texas on the campus of Texas A&M or rather near it..........hooking into someone elses wifi. The public library which I would have used is closed on Mondays. anyway it has been very windy here for the last few days and cloudy but no rain It is very dry and they haven't had any significant rain here since last Oct. well I have to go as I am getting some stares from students walking by as I write this in my truck.... I guess I will have to go to a restaurant for supper now that I am in here ....... :-) oh well hope they get the internet fixed soon.

walkin

Another lazy day. Did some more reading of a new novel (The Island) and lay in the sun a bit to get rid of that white glow I have. I did go for a long walk today and took some pictures of the area. They can be viewed at
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
I did see a javalina skoot through the brush but by the time I got the camera out and on he was gone so only got a fleeting shot of him. We had a social hour this afternoon as well few of the people brought instruments and sang songs , served chilli dogs and cake. This evening I met a couple from Texas who have a Titanium trailer a bit bigger but older than mine. Nice folks and they came over to inspect my rig with their friends. Tonight the international space station passed overhead I tried to get some pics but need a tripod ......the thing moves fast it only took about 3 minutes for the satelite to go from horizon to horizon. Don't work too hard (at PJ) back home. :-)

another day in paradise

Watched the superbowl in the rec hall and met a couple from London, ontario who are just travelling around sleeping in a tent or the back of their pickup. Glad I had solid walls as it was a bit chilly last night.............got down to the low 40's but warmed up to the 70's during the day. Well I got one book read (the Appeal by John Grisham) and have started another one.(The Island) I am continuing to go on morning and evening walks and am facinated by the nightly display of thousands of birds coming in each evening to roost in the marsh area behind the RV. I put a few more pics in my photo gallery at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99 Today I went on a trip noth to Corpus Christi and out to the outer islands. Followed some smoke which turned out to be a controlled burn. I ended up at Goose Island state park (few pics in the photo gallery) then came back down the coast. They are expecting a big increase in March break this year because of the damage up Galveston way. I also stopped and did some shopping ......... got a pair of sandles for $5.00 as well as groceries and laundry pins (guess I'll have to do laundry soon) I also swapped out the smoke detector that was in the RV with a new one that has a hush feature...now I can burn toast without waking up the whole campground. :-)

"Good Ol Boys"

Cool night last night down into the 40's but up into the upper 60's today under cloudy skies. Got up and had a Texas breakfast in the Rec hall $2.50 Not sure how it differed from anyother breakfast....scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes. After breakfast went for a long walk after which I went down to the boat launch to watch the fishermen launch their boats going out for sea trout and others. I then went to the pier to check out the fishermen there. Each one seemed to have 3 or 4 lines in the water (not legal in Ont.) After I went to a craft sale at the rec. hall...... no sue I didn't buy anything. This afternoon I went to watch the "good ole boys" shoot some skeet. I posted a couple of pics at
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Later while reading I heard a commotion and went out to see thousands upon thousands of birds arriving. (pics at link above) Better here than in cold Ontario but a long flight home.
Doug.

Bingo

Am getting into a routine walk in the morning and evenings. Lots of reading done and relaxing lying in the sun. Went to Bingo last night and as usual didn't win anything just donated to the cause. I did get the RV and Truck washed today and got some of that "upnorth" salt off. Hope to take a long walk along the beach tomorrow. A couple of new pics at this link.
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99
Stay warm.

greeting fellow campers

I just booked here (Seawind RV) for the month. Went for a walkabout and saw a javalina (will take camera next time to get a pic) not sure if it is a pig or giant rodent? Met lots of my new neighbours, fixed my antenna rearanged basement, missed the TAI CHI class, played a game of pool in the games room, checked out the quilting class and will think about washing the trailer and truck this afternoon.................if I get up from my nap by then...... :-) Started reading a new novel The Appeal by John Grisham. Lots to do A bit overcast today but warm temps (71) Well off to make lunch.
Doug.

Seawind RV park

Well finally got Blogger to work not sure what I did (if anything) or how long it will last so I took some Pics and uploaded them. They can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99

Had my first technical glitch raised the TV antenna and went to rotate it in a different direction and handle, springs and all came down on me .............drat not sure how to fix it Oh well I've got lots of time to figure it out..........at least until April. Got to go soak up some rays as the temp has risen to 23.4 degrees C that's 74.1 F (sounds hotter that way :-) )

finally got warmth

I still am having problems accessing Blogger ...... can get into other sites with the WiFi at parks but not blogger anyway am at the Library in Kingsville Texas. Texas is a big state and after a long drive down from Marshall, Tx I arrived at the SeaWind Rv camp south of Kingsville after dark. At first light got out and about and discovered this is quite a nice park right on the water. I may stay here for a while. The temps here are coolish around the 14 degree C. area much too cold for the locals but heaven to someone from the great white north. The temps today are unusual here and tomorrow it will be back up into the 24 degree range. Looking forward to hiking on the beach and meeting more of the other park residents. Had many firsts for the year yesterday.......first bug on the windshield, first mosquito kill, first blooming daffodil etc. Will spend some time today or tomorrow washing off the salt from the journey down then time to get some rays on the beach. (gotta watch out for sunburn). will try to post some pics. if and when I can access again. Don't work too hard back home and don't freeze.......I'll be thinking of you.

brrrrrrrr

well made it to Brinley Arkansas for the night and the snow on the RV is still not melted off.............they are calling for an ice storm here tonight so off it is further south. Going to Marshall Texas tonight maybe I'll find warmer temps there. Having difficulty hooking into Blogger so short post hopefully next place has better WiFi Keep warm.

Thawing out

Well I couldn't stand it anymore the winds were blowing cold sooooo at 1:30AM I started up the Dodge and got out of town..... boy was it windy, occasional flurries but nothing major....Got to the border in Detroit about 5:15 am and hey single guy trailer going to Texas............. got pulled over 3 border guards kept asking me so your alone? then they all piled in the trailer (dirty boots and all) found my stash of cereal and 12 bottles of beer on the wall. Still not satisfied they called the agricultural inspector over luckily his dirty boots didn't go in as one of the guards said he's OK just cereal and beer :-) anyway finally got through Detroit's horrible roads detours and all and ended up at 3Pm at least I think it was then not sure about the time zone here at Elizabethtown Kentucky. Got the trailer set up and as the temp is 2 degrees C. the snow on the roof is finally melting. I put out the slides and am putting everything in its place as we couldn't open the slides at home (frozen) well off to the grocery store for some milk for my cereal. I'll save the beer for another time. Not sure if I'll stay here one night or two depends on the weather and if I recover from the 14 hours of straight driving. furnace and fireplace are on and it is up to 14 degrees C. in the trailer now.
Will try to check in again tomorrow.
Doug.

Where did all the stuff come from?

Made my first trip to the trailer (that is in storage) today.......things look to be fine but very cold. Took a load of stuff out and packed it away .........well really just stuck it in as I didn't want to put the slides out untill I get to above freezing temps as the seals are probably frozen together. Anyway got back home and started putting more stuff together that I "need" in the trailer and boy where did it all come from or should I say where am I going to put it all. The old truck will be a groaning with all the weight. Oh well time to edit. Still hoping to get on the road either late Friday or early Saturday.
Will take the DW out to dinner this evening as I will be gone for valentines day and her birthday. :-) Oh well it's a sacrafice I have to make so I can get down south early and check out the most perfect spot for her when she joins me in March. (at least that's what I tell her) I was finally able to update Susie (my gps's voice) Garmin for the longest time wouldn't allow Canadians to purchase and download map updates from their web site. So my GPS was still working on 2005 maps. Garmin have finally changed that so last night I downloaded the new updated 2009 maps and after a few technical glitches (my old GPS couldn't hold the much larger updated map)
I found a work around using an SD card but hint hint it may be time to get an updated GPS I'll have to work on "she who must obeyed" to get a new one.
well back to editing.

Hoar Frost

Well more snow last night but clear skies today. Looking at the forcast I think I may be able to leavc this Saturday....so I am in high gear here getting things ready to go. Spent part of today with a friend helping her set up a computer system.........but as usually happens a glitch........ the cable we wanted to hook into for internet was there but wasn't live so will have to wait till tomorrow to get that taken care of then I can finish setting everything up for her. (maybe she'll follow my Blog once she's hooked up)
Oh ya the title Hoar Frost.......... driving in this morning there were a million diamonds as the sun shone on the thick hoar frost. (that's a layer of ice crystals on everything when falling temps cause the crystals to form on the cooler tree branches etc.) It was -21 * C this morning.
UPS delievered my copy of the "Next Exit" today This book lists all the exits off the US interstates and what is there ............helps if your looking for diesel fuel with a long trailer behind.

Oh it's so pretty????????

I have been putting all the "stuff" that needs to go into the trailer in piles in the livingroom and now am just waiting for some clear weather to put things in motion. I awoke at 6am to find what???? yup another night of snowfall sooooooo up and crank up the snowblower (the only good thing about this snow is I get to play with the snowblower) and do our drive and walk and the neighbours then up to the church to shovel the walk into the church for this mornings service. When I return home there is the DW (Dear Wife) waiting for me with "Oh it's so pretty" arrrrgh I don't want pretty I want clear weather so I can pack up and get out of Dodge. (in my Dodge)
I have posted a few of the "pretty pictures" at the following link.
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99/20090117#

Now if all the rest of you could just join me in the chant No more snow, No more snow, no more snow. I would appreciate it. Actually I can't leave until at least thursday as I have a medical thing to get done (just tests) and a meeting with my financial planner so he can tell me I'm crazy and can't afford to go south this year............ Already know I'm not listening to him this time.
Just looked out the window and guess what ???????yup snowing again???????well I guess it could be worse....We could be getting what our neighbours to the south in the states are getting. Apparently Buffalo has had about 90 inches of snow this season. Think I'll head the other way down through Michigan to miss some of the white stuff.
Just checked and it is 27 degrees C down Mission Texas today......... once again no more snow.

oiled up

Took the truck in today to get it checked out and have the oil changed. Love that Cummins turbo diesel but boy does it drink alot of oil. I'm using synthetic oil and at almost $10.00 a litre Ouch expensive. Oh well the truck is checked out and everything is AOK Got my trailer batteries in the basement and have them on the charger so they are all topped up. Now to start putting all the things one needs for 3 months together in piles to go back into the trailer. Not sure why I took everything out in the fall but do look forward to getting a place where I can park the rig at home and load it at my leisure.
Hey remind me not to post pics of myself again............ I look scary with short hair.....OK OK I know I look scary anyway ........why do you think I married a beautiful woman ........to cancel my looks out. (already starting to suck up) :-)
I have been using streets and trips and google maps to plan a route down south....I want to move quickly far enough south to get into warmer temps then take a slower route the rest of the way to the Rio Grand valley.
My son is home now so will probably enlist his help in loading the trailer.
I have my out of province medical set up 62 days on my wife's plan then top up from Medipac. A couple of people suggested to me to buy a pay as you go phone at a walmart once in the states as these are cheap (I like cheap) so I will check that out.

Preparation

Well I started to prepare in earnest.........got my summer cut, renewed my truck license which would have expired while away, and renewed my ERS service (emergency roadside service) don't want to be stranded somewhere with a 40 foot trailer. So many things to think about. Luckily my DW is here to look after things when I'm gone. What an angel. I guess I owe her big time.......but I think she is looking forward to a little time to herself.
Weather forecast doesn't look good for the next few weeks so my goal now is to leave here by the end of January. Still some things to get together and set up.

Why do I want to go down to Texas?

well you'll find some pictures I took of my backyard just after I finished shovelling the front walk and driveway......pics looks good................ back not so much and more snow in the forecast as well as a big drop in temps.
http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99/SnowyWonderland#

Learning the ins and outs of blogging

well I am continuing to experiment with blogging today I will attempt to link to some pics I have of my trailer............here goes, follow the link to my web albums.... http://picasaweb.google.ca/collindo99/OurNewTitanium#

if this works you should be redirected to my web album. :-)

Setting up the Blog

Well this is the start of my Blog. I decided to set this up so that family and friends could follow my travels. I have recently retired and am now the proud owner of a 2009 Titanium 5th wheel trailer the layout of which can be viewed at http://www.glendalerv.com/2009/Titanium/32E37SA.html

I am currently at home with cold temps here right now and getting colder ........time to get ready to head south. So I am starting to check out the weather websites looking for a good weather corridor hope something comes up soon. I am planning on driving down to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.......Why? ----- its warmer, I have talked to friends who are there, the scenery and wildlife looks interesting and well I've never been there before.
Time to start getting things organized and ready to get into the trailer for the big rush down to warmer temps. where I can De-Winterize the trailer and use it as my home on wheels.