Here We Go Again

Finally, we have departed the Sunshine State. This is the latest date for our summer exodus and I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get off. The reasons are multiple and include visiting family, (we enjoyed the two weeks with Beth, Aaron, Leon and Silas), doctor appointments, wrapping up a kitchen remodel and, oh yeah, finally getting our motor home back from the dealer.

I have to confess our start has been rocky. Kathy’s back has been out and I have been suffering extreme fatigue which has greatly hindered our packing routine and getting the house closed up. In addition, there have been numerous issues with our new land yacht. Originally we were going to leave on June 3^rd but that didn’t work out. Our next selected date was the tenth but it was the twelfth before we eventually got on the road. Fortunately I made reservations the first night for St. Augustine for that was as far as we could get the first day. It was late morning before we pulled out the driveway, but we couldn’t leave town without stopping at Camping World to iron out several issues, the main being the refrigerator didn’t cool while going down the road.

Checking in at the St. Augustine at about 5:30 we were quite worn out. Our trip there was plagued by horrific noises coming from the slide which we erroneously attributed to the awning. Also, the next morning when I dumped the tanks I discovered that the grey water valve was pouring water into the affected compartment. Thank goodness it was the grey water valve and not the black water – what a nasty mess that would have been.

This resulted in our visit to the St. Augustine Camping World for more repairs. We got everything pretty well settled (thanks to the great crew @ St. Augustine CW) and left there around 2:00 p.m.

Neither of us has ever been to Hilton Head Island so we planned a two night layover here. We arrived late Thursday afternoon where we checked in to the Hilton Harbor RV Resort & Marina. Backing in to our waterfront site about six we were very happy to be off the road. Watching the sunset from an air-conditioned window table in the Sunset Grille at the marina helped to ease some of the rumples of our trip thus far.

I am so over the South right now as the temperature reading on the coach display has steadily read between 100 and 107 degrees. These extremes really whip me down; taxing my energy levels and leaving me without much motivation to do anything. I will be much happier when we reach a cooler climate.

Today we visited Harbor Town and enjoyed the harbor front restaurants, shops and sights as we walked around. It is really the first opportunity we have had to do any sightseeing and touristy stuff. We also rode around this beautiful RV resort on our bikes (one of the nicest we have visited).

In the morning we are again heading north. We have no idea yet as to our route or destination for the day. Will we hit the interstate and beat a rapid retreat from South Carolina or will we continue up the coast toward the Outer Banks and leisurely enjoy the slow route along the ocean? I have no idea; yet. We’ll figure it out in the morning.

Remember the Alamo

We are in San Antonio Texas. Again, this is a place that I have always heard about but never thought I would visit. San Antonio is the 3^rd largest city in Texas and has a rich culture and history. The three days we have been here is not nearly enough to experience much of what this city offers.

Wednesday afternoon after setting up camp we climbed aboard a city bus ($1.10) and rode downtown. Walking along Riverwalk was very pleasant with plenty of shade from the towering cypress trees and high rise buildings. There is shopping galore and multiple restaurants. We dined at the Del Rio and enjoyed another fine meal of Southwestern fare.

Thursday morning a local tour company picked us up at the KOA for an all-day Grande Tour. Our day included the Alamo and several other Spanish Missions in the city, the Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Ranger Museum, a riverboat tour, and the Japanese Tea Garden. It was a long day but we really enjoyed getting a real taste of San Antonio. 

I hope the following photos will give you feel of the things we have seen.

Riverwalk

City Scene

The Alamo

Alamo Memorial

Crockett is a common name here

Buckhorn Saloon

Bonnie and Clyde's auto

Alamo Scene

Riverboat Tour @ Riverwalk

Tower above Riverwalk

Alien Abduction Scenario

Yes, I know we said we were headed directly to Florida but upon leaving Tucson we decided that a detour to Carlsbad and Roswell, NM was something we must do. After all, when might we get this close again? Perhaps we could be abducted by aliens and get a real sightseeing tour? Both are considerably north of our itinerary but we feel it is worth the time and distance. When in Tucson Kathy and I had decided we were about traveled out and wanted no more adventures but the allure of the largest cavern and aliens was too much to resist and our imagination  and travel passion was rekindled.

New Mexico was a novelty to us as neither had been there before and we had no idea as what to expect. We encountered vast spaces stretching impossibly to the horizon. Despite the limitlessness of the prairies we still were required to ascend some impressive elevations so it wasn’t all flat. At times it looked like Texas or Oklahoma with thousands of rocker pumps extracting precious black gold. It was also noted that there seems to be a flurry of drilling as we saw numerous seismic crews locating drill sites and drill rigs along the way. At other times, as we looked around it seemed that we were in Georgia because of the many groves of pecans and great farms of cotton.

Having made reservations at the Carlsbad KOA Campground, thinking logically that we would be camping in Carlsbad, we were stunned to discover that our campsite was about fifteen miles north of the town and some thirty miles north of the caverns. Oh well. Actually it worked out pretty well as Roswell was another fifty miles north of the KOA and we ended up being somewhat centrally located. 

Saturday night we made a quick run to the caverns to witness the bat flight. Each night, until they migrate in mid-October, the bats leave the cavern at dusk for their nightly feeding frenzy. Over the space of an hour thousands upon thousands of bats spiral out of the cavern natural entrance and fly south in great clouds of beating wings. I wish we had photos but we were threatened with expulsion and ticketing for any electronic (cell phones, iPod’s, cameras, etc.) activity. And the Nazi-rangers stood guard to enforce compliance. It was worth the trip as it was a fascinating phenomenon to observe. 

Sunday we made our way to Roswell and to the UFO Museum and Research Center. It was an intriguing encounter with history, mystery, and mystique. Upon reading the many certified firsthand accounts from residents and former military personnel involved with the Roswell incident there is little doubt of a government cover-up. Yes, there is a lot of hokum about alien abductions and such but much of what happened at Roswell is plausible and well documented. The homogenous nature of the varied accounts could not be explained except with a concerted collusion. The possibility of such collusion defies the imagination given the diversity of witnesses involved and improbability that they could coordinate a cohesive story. It was fun.

Monday we again visited Carlsbad Caverns to make our descent into the netherworld. We hiked for miles and miles underground and in the dark. Impressive in size Carlsbad, in no way eclipses Luray Caverns in beauty, because she lacks the numerous formations of her eastern cousin. Carlsbad is definitely one of the wonders of the world but I like Luray better. 

Being adventurous we dared the 1 ½ mile descent by foot into natural entrance instead of employing the convenient elevators to make the 750 foot descent. Halfway down we regretted the decision as I discovered that I very badly needed to visit the restroom. Leaving Kathy to enjoy the walk I hied to the lower level Rest Area missing much of that portion of the cavern because of my haste. Joining up again we discovered together the various attractions of the Big Room. It was acres large and the immensity swallowed us up.

Being caverned out we still had some time so we visited the Living Desert Zoo on our way back to the KOA. There we were able to see some rescued native wildlife, such as bison, cougar, elk, bear, etc., and much of the regional flora was on display. 

Tuesday we departed Carlsbad venturing to San Antonio, TX via an overnight at the Junction, TX Good Sam Park on the Llano River. If it were not so sad I could find humor in reading the “Swim at Your Own Risk” signs on the riverbank as there was no water. Yep, dry as a bone. This area has been hard hit by the drought.

Wednesday we arrived in San Antonio.

Carlsbad & Living Desert Photos below