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#