Big Bend National Park, Texas

Wow, what a trip, yes it was a go, but the location was a no!! Bad weather here in north and central Texas caused a last minute location change, so Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas was the new location. It was about a 9 hour drive from snowy Amarillo, to the 90 degree park, yes I said snow in Amarillo, this is just such wild weather we are having. Ok, back to the details, Friday evening I packed up the Jeep, loaded the Kayak and headed over to Jim's house to load the Kayak on the trailer with his Canoe (should have seen the looks I got hauling my Kayak and gear in a snow storm...lol) So, Friday night we were all loaded up, Jim picked me up at my house Saturday morning @ 0 dark 30 (5:30 am) and headed south.
About 100 miles north of the park, we stopped in the small town of Marathon, Texas for lunch and found a little local eatery in a converted gas station called Cottonwood Station, food was good, but nothing to brag about, ahhh, but the ice cold Shiner Bock draft beer, was a welcome relief to a trio of parched and weary travelers.
I guess it's a Texas law that these signs be posted in restaurants, I just have never noticed them before, so it just struck me funny and made me wonder just a little about our choice of eateries as we sat down beside this sign....
After refreshments and a full tummy, it was off to our final destination for the night. We stayed at the Rio Grande Village campground by the Rio Grande river in the park. The campground is much nicer than you my expect for the middle of the Texas desert, but it was well shaded by large trees and grass most everywhere. Since there are no RV hook-ups in this part of the campground it was funny to see all different types of camper all located next to one another, we tent camped amongst $200,000 dollar motorhomes, the sites were large and level, with tables and grills at each. Steaks and corn on the cob were in order for dinner, so with full tummys again it was off to bed as our river adventure began in the morning
Sunday morning we arose to pack up from the evening and head down to our put-in place at the river. We will be traveling approximately 40 miles down river through Boquillas Canyon to our take out at La Linda (a small town on the Mexican side) where Jim's truck will be awaiting us, via a shuttle service.

We got on the water around 10:30 am, since this is my first experience in a kayak, it should be interesting getting the feel for it, especially the getting in and out part!! ( sorry to disappoint, but never flipped or fell out during the trip!!!) I know you were waiting to here about a dunk in the drink!!....lol
Here we are actually entering the canyon, it's about a mile by river from the put-in at Rio Grande Village. The scenery is just stunning, the canyon walls rise strait out of the river for hundreds of feet, there are small beaches at every bend in the river and in some places flat ground before the cliff face. There are also several slot canyon to explore on foot along the way.
We camped our first night on the Mexico side of the river, explored a small slot canyon. As evening fell, we began to hear the most god awful animal noise you could imagine and it was loud, we finally figured it to be wild donkeys. The sounds were like the normal hee haw you would expect, just much louder and drawn out, sounded like a train going by in some cases. So we bedded down for the night, but was awakened several times by those screaming donkeys, awrrrr!!! they just wanted to make you scream yourself as they scared you awake. Oh well, just part of the experience and a wild memory.

The next day was more paddling and exploring, the wind came up which made it alittle more difficult but still very enjoyable.

Camp 2 for night was very interesting, as we camped with a group of wild horses on the Mexican side. There was a deep slot canyon we also explored, around each corner was a new sight or experience, it was like discovering something wonderful with every turn. Night fell and the blasted donkeys screams were back!!!! so much for a good nights sleep!!! the bats were also out, as we sat and talked into the evening they would swoop down close to us and then be off into the night again.

The last day on the river, we paddled for a few hours, then ran into some class II whitewater, that made for an interesting and exciting couple of runs. One run was more exciting than the others as Jim and Gary took the wrong line at the rapids and in a turn no less, well we can just say they got wet. Ok, more than wet, the canoe flipped and wedged on a couple of rocks in the middle of the river!! that was quite the feat trying to right the canoe with the force of the river flowing into it, but we managed and all was well in about a half hour. We all walked away, so no harm done, just alittle pride soaking....lol The canyons finally gave way to more gentle rolling hills and flatter land by the take out point. The take out point was across the river from the small Mexican town of La Linda, at one time a booming mining town

What a great trip, sure was nice to get away, I missed Sheryl and kept think how much she would have enjoyed it, but she couldn't get off work. Next time though, she'll be right there fighting the currents and having a ball.

That's it for this post, just a quick, ok kinda quick, run down of the adventure (oh yea, I never flipped once, not bad for a first time kayaker!!! :)

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

Happy Easter to all!!! Today was a day of doing nothing, just relaxing and hanging around the house(to darn cold to do anything else.) Since Sheryl and Cassie spent Easter in Kansas with family, I kicked back had my morning coffee, played on the Internet, watched TV and brought down my camping gear from the attic. Why you ask, is he getting his camping stuff out, is he that board?? nope, I was invited to go on a 4 day kayak trip down the Brazos river in central Texas starting next weekend. Hopefully it will work out and we go, but I'm not holding my breath until it's a sure thing. If it a go, there will be plenty of pictures and info to come.
So there it is, Happy Easter to all, take care and see ya soon!!!

New Tree's and More

Hard to believe it's Thursday all ready, another day off as I relax this morning with my coffee and catching up on several fulltime RV'ers journals. Reading the travels of others in the fulltime lifestyle helps to keep our dream alive as well as to give us insight and valuable information for the future.
The week began (Friday) with a visit from Kaileigh and Chris (her Chris not Kayla's Chris), they only stayed for a few hours as the were on their way to Las Vegas to visit Chris's dad and then a whirl wind trip of the U.S. as they made their way north to visit more relatives. t was good to see them both even if only for a short time. Sheryl had a little more difficult time seeing them leave (she doesn't want to share her little girl, but knows she has to). Kaileigh called from Vegas last night, she just had to tell us about this great little place they found, (Ellis Island) a small casino off the beaten path, it has a micro brewery and the best ribs in Vegas!!! Sheryl and I had a great laugh as she asked Kaileigh if it was Ellis Island, Kaileigh was surprised that we had been there and thought it was just as great, besides of all the places in Vegas it could have been!!! Will update more as we get pictures and details of their travel.

Our plans for the weekend were to visit the local state park for a grand reopening of their visitor center and a hike, along with maybe getting the kayaks in the water on Sunday. Well, last minute changes to plans happen, Sheryl had an appointment to get her taxes done up in Dumas as well as taking Cassie and a couple of her friends to a funeral for a friend of theirs from school. On their way back Saturday Sheryl stopped by Wally World and found some trees she wanted for the front yard. She came home and off we went to check them out, well since Lowe's is next to Wally World we stopped there first and found a couple of beautiful trees. Well, as you can tell Sunday was a day of hard labor for Kevin, supervised by the Warden Sheryl!!! Just kidding, Sheryl was hard at work also, planting several new rose bushes. The end result, the front yard looks great and adds value to the house for the future. Next week will bring another new tree for the other side of the house and back yard.

Great news!!! Sheryl found a good deal on line for plane tickets for Michael and Charity to come out to Amarillo, Yeah!!!! So we will have a full house in a couple of weeks, will be good to have everyone together and Sheryl will get to meet Charity, she is so excited!!!

Ok, that's all the news for this week, so until next time, keep lovin your life as we love ours....

Ahhhh, another week has gone by and where does the time go??? I'm a couple of days behind in the posting, just wasn't in a writing mood, but that has past, so we are off and running again. Got a call from Kayla earlier in the week, telling me she had found a really good deal on plane tickets flying right into Amarillo!!! so they (Chris and her) were buying them as we speak. I sure am looking forward to seeing her and getting to know Chris a little better, as I have only met him the one time at Kayla's graduation. Michael is still undecided, a minor monkey wrench was thrown into the works when he unexpectedly got his daughter for the summer early. Tell you what, he is one happy man and a great father!!! Hopefully he will be able to come, but having to get two plane tickets instead of one is a bit more financially challenging. We are hoping for the best as we would love to see him and Charity.

I got an email from Chris with several pictures from Sea World in Orlando, looks like Kayla and Chris had a good time. They were able to pet the dolphins and watch the dolphin show. They also checked out the Bush Gardens area, got up close and personal with Bud the Clydesdale as well as checked out a few of the samples Budweiser is known for!!! This weekend I had to work, I changed weekends so I would not have to work when the kids are here. As you may or may not know, I work every other weekend (actually not bad in the retail business) It was good timing as I will be transferring to the ATV department soon. This weekend the store had a (well what was supposed to be) a big Canoe and Kayak sales event. I spent most of one day setting up a display at the front of the store and then sat back and waited for the customers to roll in and buy us out!! One problem, minimal advertising on the radio, no newspaper ad, or any other promotion lead to ZERO sales of any kayaks, canoes and related products, talk about an anti climax!!! for the store, but I guess that's what happens when no one knows about an event! We've been getting some strange weather here lately, one day a band of showers will come through and then the next day clear sky's and bright sunshine. The pattern has been continuing all week, one day toward the early evening, the rain and sun came together for a beautiful show, a perfect rainbow appeared right out our front door. Being here on the plains it was something to see, and actually being able to see each end on the ground was a sight. The rainbow was so big I could not capture the whole thing in one picture, talk about one of natures wonders and a simple pleasure in life just to behold.....ahhhhh, life is good.
Yesterday was a departure form the norm for me at work, I gave a camping/hiking seminar to a Girl Scout troop. The girls were in the 10-14 year old range and very intelligent in the ways of camping. I talked about each aspect of camping and hiking from campground living to backpacking on their own. Also hit hard on safety and whet they needed should hey get lost. They really appreciated the info, since it came on the heels of the boy scout who became lost in the woods of North Carolina while out with the scouts. I think they learned a lot and it was nice to help them out.
Ok, we are all caught up for the week, I'm awaiting the plumber to show and hopefully get to the bottom of out leaking shower.....so until later, take care and enjoy each day to it's fullest!!!

I'm Baaaaack!!!

Back from Houston, and there's one thing I can tell you, business trips in the corporate world are far different than in the Air Force. We were put up in a hotel with no transportation and with-in walking distance of nothing!!! That pretty much left eating each meal at the hotel, not that the food wasn't good (which it was) just the fact you were stuck there with no way to go anywhere else. The seminars changed at the last minute, so instead of learning about ATV's and the associated paperwork, we had a whole day of sales training (basically, training to be the used car salesman everybody hates) so we came away with a bad taste for the trip. The other seminars wern't to much better, lame presenters, I won't boar you with the details. There was a silver lining though, I did get to meet some nice and interesting folks. While at the hotel lounge, I met a couple who were on there way to Honduras for vacation. They had a house down there and went as often as there business schedule would let them, nice down to earth folks, we talked and traded stories for hours. No pictures of the trip, as nothing was worth the photos.

Sheryl's daughter came in from Oklahoma for the weekend (the little moma the aforementioned and now famous baby blanky was made for) It was good to see here and her little pooch (it's so cute) Saturday they (Sheryl, Kaileigh and Cassie) headed off to Kansas for the weekend and to attend a relatives baby shower while I slaved at work for the weekend!! (notice a theme going on here?? weekend trips seem to happen while each weekend I have to work...Hummm) just kidding...lol.

The weekend weather was great here in Amarillo, probably the nicest so far this year, that made business at work kinda slow, as all the outdoor loving folks were actually outdoors enjoying it!! As it seems true to form, the weekend weather was great while I worked and now on my day off here it is cold and rainy :( as you can tell by the picture out the front window of the house. Something else you may notice is the construction going on now across the street, we were hoping for a few more years of a nice open views across the field out front, but it looks like that will be short lived as more homes are built. So here we are at the end of another week in the life, seems like a lot of ho humm news, but intermixed there are many stop and smell the roses times, as well as enjoying many of the simple pleasures in life...that fist sip of coffee in the morning, a long hot shower or bath, that kiss or hug from a loved one, a certain smell or sound that reminds you of a great memory, you get the picture. So don't forget the simple pleasures of everyday life, until next time...

Headin Out to Houston

I almost forgot, I leave tomorrow morning (0 dark 30) for Houston, TX. for a class on proper ATV sales and associated paperwork. My boss asked me about 2 weeks ago if I wanted to go to Houston for this company sponsored class, and of course I jumped at the chance (heck, any chance to travel is great to me.) The store asked me if there were any other departments I would feel comfortable working in, to expand my knowledge base of the store, I told them I wouldn't mind working ATV's. Well they have decided to move me there, it will be a nice change of pace and hence the Houston trip. That's about it for today, will have an update and pictures when I return. Of course I will miss my honey, but at least it is only for 2 days. OK, until then....

New Blanky and RV Thoughts

Wow, it's been a bit since the last posting, I guess that just shows not every day can be exciting!! Actually not a lot has been happening this week. Sheryl has been sick all week, came down with a really yucky tummy virus, which ended her in the emergency room at work. We finally decided it was a tummy bug as all the tests, x-rays, sonograms and CAT scans came back negative (thank goodness) as we had all kinds of things running through our heads on what it could of been. She was in very bad pain for several days, but has seemed to pull out of it now after a solid week of feeling like yuck.

My honey is sitting in the living room just a working away on her new crochet project for her nieces baby shower next weekend. So she will be off to Hugoton, KS. for a fun filled shower weekend while I slave away at work, missing her dearly.

Last night we did have our next door neighbors over for dinner (Brandon & Julie) the weather is actually starting to change for the good, so of course BBQ was in order for the day. The smell of slow cooking ribs filled the house for hours as the meat became more and more tender. Ribs were rubbed with Cajun seasoning, cooked for 3 hours in the oven and finished on the outside grill with a little BBQ sauce, yummy, yummy, yummy. Some more grilled shrimp seasoned with the same Cajun seasoning made for a nice appetizer. Wine, spirits, good food and great company made for a wonderful evening, this was our first time having neighbors over, and we hope to have more and more good times like these in the future.

Something dawned on me the other day, this site was created to allow family and friends to see what we are up to in our daily life as well as to cronical our move toward full time RV'ing. The thing that dawned on me is, I have yet to mention anything on RV'ing. So with that in mind, I will begin sharing some of our thoughts on the matter. We have decided we want a motorhome as apposed to a fifth wheel or trailer. We like the idea of a motorhome due to all the built in conveniences they offer as well as allowing us to pull the jeep along behind, and it is just a personal thing to us. I wont get into the pros and cons of different rv's as each person is different. Since we decided on the motorhome, now it is a matter of deciding on how much we want to spend and how large a payment we will be willing to live with. A larger payment means more work and less money to spend enjoying our travels. However more spent on the motorhome means newer and potentially less problems with it. An older home would of course come with smaller payments but have the potential for more problems just as with any older, car, home, etc. Though my research however, it seems if you are careful and patient, you can have the best of both worlds, as I said, the potential for problems is there, but that doesn't mean they will happen. All motorhomes have the same basic layout (floorplan) however some brands seem to use the space more efficiently and seem to make the inside feel more roomy. This is what we are looking for, a bright, airy, spacious feel. Even if the inside decor is not to our taste, a remodel is not out of the question, new carpet, window treatment, etc can make a big difference, just as in any home. We still have a couple of years yet to find the perfect motorhome, so these are just some of our early thoughts. Until next time.....Live, Love, Laugh!!!