Looking to Fall 2005

Well, Angus McLeod has been a member of our family for six weeks now. He is a wonderful boy! He really is taking to us and his new surroundings. It has taken awhile, but I have found the courage and trust to let Angus take my finger in is mouth. He is much more well behaved than we either expected, and that is a big relief. The other birds, cat and dog have accepted Angus as one of theirs. They are cautiously curious, but have not really tried to encroach on his territory.

Because we have a wonderful new friend, Emily, Pat & I have been given the opportunity to go to some A&M football games. It seems that Emily's grandfather was on the varsity squad back in the 30's, and because of that he was able to get 4 season tickets to the football games. Emily and her Mom offered two of them to us, and we bought three games worth. We went to a game last year and the seats are in a choice location, so we know we are going to enjoy the games. Now, if I can only learn why Aggies bend over and spread their cheeks during the game. Emily is a colleague of Pat's and a real sweetheart. I'm glad she came into our lives.

So the fall trips are going to be for football, and rallies with the Airstream organization we belong to. One rally is in Bastrop and the other is in Kerrville. We also have to attend our grandson's birthday party in November and then the other's in January. So it''s going to be a busy fall, but a lot of fun.

I think we have the start of a solution to the dilemma with Angus and traveling. After I recovered from the nightmarish thought of parting with my sweet sweet dear Airstream, Pat suggested that we remove the sofa. The trailer, being very similar to a sail boat when it comes to living space, does not have much room. Up until now we have been putting two cages on the floor, and one on the forward counter top. We will still have to do this, but then we must find space for sweet Angus. His cage will need to be wider and taller so that he can tolerate traveling with us.

When an Airstream is built, every piece of furniture and appliance is taken through the door frame. This is done before the sides are put up, so it is just the ribs up and the door frame. This is done so that if anything has to come out, it comes out through the door. So, when we're going for a long trip we can take out the sofa and replace it with a recliner and a cage that will be a bit more comfortable for Angus. Pat saved our wonderous Airstream! Three cheers for Pat!

Race to Bloomington - Finis

While we were still in Taos I was on our mapping software trying to find a short way to Bloomington. There isn't one! The major obstacle was a planned visit with my in-laws in San Angelo, TX. We could have taken IH 70 from Colorado all the way to Indiana, but then Pat told me I would be the one to explain to her Mother why we would not be coming. I then swallowed hard, and plotted a route to Bloomington from San Angelo.

We got to San Angelo, had our visit and managed to find a cage that would barely house our new Macaw. We had been getting updates on this majestic bird from Melissa. She informed us that the bird seemed to be in good health, and was very friendly and very loud. Having two smaller parrots we thought we understood the definition of loud; we would learn what loud was in a few more days.

Our trip was going to be 1,200 mile there and 1,200 back. My boss had let me take an extra week off, but it was going to be a long week. I had planned for 3 - 400 mile days for both legs of the trip. Driving 400 miles in a car is long, but you can make it in about 6.5 hours. The same trip towing a trailer adds another 2.5 to 3 hours to each day.

We arrived in Bloomington with a long sigh. Bloomington is a beautiful town in central Indiana, but it only has one RV park. The park understands what the word monopoly means, and charged us accordingly.

After we learned of our new child Pat & I started thinking of a name. A B&G Macaw is a big bird, about 3' from beak to tail, and has about a 4' wingspan, and their colors are very dynamic. These birds are very social birds, and want to be around their family quite a lot. Pat & I had been on an Irish name theme for awhile and I wanted something different, but not too much. I came up with the name - Angus McLeod of the Clan McLeod. I thought it would fit a bird of his stature, and Pat agreed.

The first time we met Angus was an experience for the two of us. Omygod was he a giant bird, and Omygod will you look at the size of his beak, and Omygod is he loud. This bird can take a block of white pine and reduce it to slivers in short order. Pat & I realized that we were at the start of a learning curve that we both hoped would not be too long. We also realized that the new cage, while large, would not house Angus comfortably. The trip home was going to be longer than we had thought.

Our first day on the road went better than we had expected. There was only one loud outburst of complaint from Angus - one was really enough. That first night was a treat. We stayed in an RV park in Memphis, Arkansas that was on the banks of the Mississippi. It was between the levee and really on the banks. The weather was cool, and that let us take the time to sit outside and watch the barges go up and down the river. What a pleasant surprise.

The rest of the trip home was long but uneventful. We did come to the realization that, because of Angus' size, our next long trip was going to require a lot of planning. We will have to either board Angus, not very high on the list, or make some changes to our beloved Airstream. There was one other choice that we know we must consider. We may have to give up our cherished silver galleon, and move to an SOB. Oh, sob, sob I can't talk about that choice. It wracks my heart to just even put these words to print. Leave my dearest treasure, never!

Vacation Statistics:
Time Span July 1 - August 1
Miles Traveled 5,000
States Visited New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
Trip Highlights Rafting the Rio Grande, Llama Hike, Adopting Angus McCleod
Trip Lowpoints San Antonio, NM
Cost of Fuel High 2.65 Low 2.18
Cost of Lodging High 54.00 Low 18.00
Average Cost per Day 135.00

Vacation Rating (Scale of 1-10) 7.9 Too much travel in too few days, heat, too few wi-fi connections, one too many ---

Plans Change - Friends Leave

While we were still in Taos, our two traveling companions modified their plans. Instead of returning to Texas with us they decided to cut short their stay in Taos, and go up to Colorado Springs. This was bitter sweet news. Pat & I had enjoyed our time with Jim & Raisin, but we knew that we would enjoy time to ourselves.

At about the same time, Pat's youngest daughter, Melissa, called and told us that we were the new parents of a Blue & Gold Macaw! All that we had to do is send money and drive to Bloomington, Indiana to fetch our new bird child. Egads! I had been looking forward to a leisurly trip home, and now I had to re-route us from Taos to Bloomington and then home. I also had to to this with as much haste as we could muster. I have a job to get back to, and my boss, while understanding, had to be informed. More on this saga in a seperate post.

While we were still in Taos we all took the raft trip down the upper Rio Grande. The trip was a real hoot. We had a great guide that kept our raft upright, and its passengers inside. The river flow was down, but it still moved us along at a pace that suited us. We all got wet, and had a grand time.

The next day we went to the Taos Pueblo. The Pueblo is still inhabited, and is a very interesting place to see. We sampled some bread that had been baked in an outside oven that I can't remember the name of. They pre-heat the oven by burning cedar logs in it, sweeping the ashes out, and then placing the food inside. We had a tour of the place, and the young lady that showed us around gave us a very good presentation.

We took a driving tour into the mountains and the ski areas around Taos. It was very scenic, cool, and mountainous. We've learned to take two vehicles to keep our sanity - I could have used that death ray several more times on this trip. If it wasn't for the cold weather, these areas would be a nice place to visit in the winter.

The next day our companions left us. They were anxious about finding a way out of Taos that the driver of the SOB could handle without too much anxiety. They finaly met up with a camper-worker in our RV park that knew the exact route for them to take. They called later in the day from Colorado Springs to say they had arrived safely, and they had not lost the hot weather.

Pat & I left the following day for the famous Llama hike into the mountains. This turned out to be really fun. I took movies of the hike to show to Melissa, and Pat just enjoyed walking beside a Llama. The hike was two miles up a mild incline in a national forest. The weather was cool because we were at 11,000 feet altitude. We crossed fast moving creeks that were fed from snow melt in the higher elevations. The forest was mostly tall ponderosa pines that were very fragrant and majestic. The Llamas were a fun treat to be with. They carried back packs that contained our lunches, and I'm sure there was also a first aid kit as well. Our host was a retired aeronautical engineer who made sure that we were enjoying ourselves. We arrived at a very pleasent meadow at the end of our outbound leg, and had a wonderful lunch and rest. My favorite part of the hike was the downhill trek back. It was a wonderful day, and we'll do it again when we return to Taos.

Taos is a nice place to spend some time. It would have been better if we had come in August though, because that is the rainy season and the temperatures are much more moderate. Pat & I both want to return when we can spend more time.

First days in Taos

Well, we've had problems with our WiFi. Pat has been screaming and yelling at the computer. It started working well yesterday, and it has taken until now before Pat would relinquish control of her beloved computer.

We drove down to Santa Fe on Saturday to go to the flea market. It's still hot here, and in Santa Fe too. The flea market was fun, it has some really good stuff and we all enjoyed it. The pro shoppers had to be pulled out of there. It was not a pretty sight.

Instead of going to the plaza in Santa Fe we decided to go to a festival at a nearby pueblo. As it turned out we would have been cooler at the Santa Fe Plaza. God was it hot. The festival did have a lot of original indian jewelry, and Pat added to her collection. That means I get to buy another T-shirt. It seems they sold the sweetest corn in the world there. Everyone who had it just raved about how sweet it was.

We got back to the trailer and called it a day.

Ride to Taos

Well, we left Ruidoso almost on time. We traveled about 280 miles to get up to Taos. It was uphill, but the road was good all the way to Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a pretty village, but they want all the buildings to look alike. All adobe squares. It's kind of boring. We had to drive through the city, and that was pretty nervous.

As we left Santa Fe our SOB driver really started to worry about fuel. Pat told him he had to hang on for 20 miles, and he said that was cutting it close. He had refueled already, and I thought he should have plenty of fuel. I had over 1/2 a tank, but I'm towing an Airstream afterall. The land between Santa Fe and Taos is almost all indian reservations. I found a some fuel for the SOB, and we continued.

We really started to go through the mountains, instead of around them. The climbs up and down were steeper and longer. More than we had seen on the trip, but still nothing like Wyoming. The SOB driver continued to downshift at high speed, and I know that I will have to pick up his transmission after he tears it up. It doesn't matter, it's not my truck and he's pulling an SOB.

The views are beautiful. We were driving along the side of the Rio Grande. A river we will raft down on Monday. We get into Taos, and the weather is nothing like Ruidoso. It's pretty hot, but nothing close to Socorro. The village is pretty, and the surrounding mountains paint a pretty picture. We are here for a week. We learn that the other two couples will be leaving us on Tuesday, as they go on to Colorado. Traveling with a group has been fun, but it has also made both of us appreciate being to ourselves as well. We will enjoy the rest of our trip together.

Escape to the hills

Thank God Monday came, and we could flee the hell fire of San Antonio, NM for the pine scented Lincoln National Forest. This is the first travel day that we've had where everyone was ready to pull out on time. We left at 8:00AM and it was already 88.

The trip from San Antonio, NM to Ruidoso was less than 150 miles. I had to re-route our trip because the driver of the SOB just really does not know how to tow his 5th wheel. We arrived at a farm town junction where we would turn south, and the SOB had to fill up after 60 miles. He was really really worried about pulling his rig up mountains.

Ruidoso is in a valley that is at over 7000 feet, has beautiful tall ponderosa pines. It hasn't reached 90 since we've been here, and in the evenings it drops down into the low 50's. With the tall ponderosa pines there is always the aroma off pine in the air. We all went to the Hubbard museum of American History where the above picture was taken. We have also found the best pie shop in New Mexico, possibly the best in this hemisphere. I bought a three berry pie, and a chocolate cream pie. I would have bought more, but Pat said she wasn't going to throw out any of the food just to make room for pie.

Our travelers have visited with their friends, and we have just hung out around the trailer enjoying the weather. I checked out the weather in Taos, and found that the weather is the same up there. The rest of the vacation will be nicee and cool until our return to Texas.

Pat & I went into town today just to look around. The shops were ok, they had mostly the same kind of stuff you find in Fredericksburg. I found a nice tee shirt, and Pat found some rings. We were in this one store that was run by an older Mexican lady who designed a lot of the jewelry. I found a bear claw pendant that I liked, so now I have more than just tee shirts to show for my vacation.

Ruidoso has been a nice break. We both agree that this would be a nice place to come for a week or two. We have a long drive tomorrow to get to 'Taos. Longer, because the one guy is going to insist on stoppingg every 100 miles or so. Even then, I am looking forward to it.

Socorro - The Middle Armpit of New Mexico

Well, we left Silver City for Socorro. At first I was going to go due east, but learned that the highway was just too scenic for us to take. So we went south, and turned left just north of Demming on a nice highway to Hatch.

Hatch, NM is famous for its chili peppers. We found a stand along the side of the road, and we were all abble to stop. Having three rigs to pull off on a shoulder takes up some space. The 3 trailers are 100' in length and then you have to add the tow vehicles. The little stand had some dried arrangements and some larger fresh arrangements, so everyone found something to their liking.

We got onto the northern interstate, and it took us to San Antonio, NM. This is a little village just south of Socorro - another village that has a few more people. Both are next to the Rio Grande so there are farms on the east side of the highway, and desert on the west side. I had no idea what we were getting into when I made the reserrvations. All I knew was that it was on the way to the next place we were going to, Ruidoso. Staying there made for two short travel days instead of one long one.

We pulled into the place, and the word dump just does not do enough to describe where we were. It was 105, no shade, and a cinder gravel lot to park on. The view was nil. Tumbleweed, sand, rock, and more crap. The blessing was that we have 2 A/C units that kept our trailer nice and cool. After we had unhooked, I decided that the three night stay had just lost a night. We would spend only one full day, and two nights. The other two couples were fast to agree. This really competes with Fr Stockton for a nasty award.

The next day we went up into some mountains to a small village called Magdalena, NM. They were having a weekend festival, and Sunday was the last day. There were some nice shops, and Pat was able to find an Indian doll that was a good buy - so we did. We went over to the festival area where they had some Indians selling their jewelry. Their prices were good so the women got some, and I had a really good root bear float.

We went back to the RV park, and it was over 100 again. This place just plain sucks. Thank goodness we don't have to stay another evening.

Friday was a rest day. We leave for Socorro tomorrow, July 9. So, today we tried to get some work done and get ready to move out in the morning. We did take time to go see the Santa Rita Open Pit Copper mine--it also seems to be the Chino Open Pit Copper mine--both are identified on the map at the same place and both claim to be the oldest active copper mine in the Southwest! The Native Americans harvested copper here before the Spanish and then the Spanish started taking copper from the area in the 1800s. The site is impressive and rather appalling. The mine is really deep and seems to stretch out forever! It looks like they plan to dig up all the mountains around. At the same time, we saw the Kneeling Nun rock formation on the mountains in the distance.

Off to the Cat Walk

On July 7, we all went to the Cat Walk. The Cat Walk is a 250 foot causeway that began as a support for a gas pipe. It is in Whitewater Canyon and is only about 20 feet above the stream bed. But in places the canyon is 250 feet deep so you look up at sheer walls and down to waterfalls and a rushing stream. The canyon is often only about 20 feet wide. Over a 1.1 mile trail you go over the Cat Walk and then continue to climb and climb and climb! There are a couple of other bridges including a swinging bridge which my mean, vicious husband tried to scare me on. I was crossing and he was ahead of me shaking the bridge! Bad man. It is a really beautiful hike and sometimes you can even catch your breath and enjoy it! The altitude coupled with the steep trails made it quite a challenge but the views were worth it!

The trip to Gila Cliff Dwellings

On July 6, we all went to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings. This site is in the Gila Mountain National Forest and is about 50 miles away. However, that is 50 long twisty mountain miles! And we were all in one truck--4 of us in the back seat of a pick-up. Now granted it is a nice big pick-up but some of us are broader in the beam than we'd like so it was snug. That's putting it mildly! We finally got there and started our hike to the cliff dwellings--it's about 1/2 mile. This 1/2 mile is an impressive jaunt--it's up a trail that rises sharply and we're already at 8000 feet! There was panting and huffing. Once there the view was spectacular. The dwellings are nestled in large caves--they were built in the 1200s and abandoned around 1300. Not much is known about the Mogollon people who built them, where they went or why. But the dwellings are extensive and well preserved. You can climb up inside them and look out over a spectacular canyon. Be sure to look at our pictures on our photo gallery www.airstream1529.com

On the way back we stopped for lunch at Grey Feathers Inn and Cafe. Possibly it was the hike and altitude, but whatever the reason, the food was the best EVER! We had great hamburgers and then a lovely Fruit of the Forest Pie--berries, rhubarb, etc in a wonderful crust. Tom had ice cream which made him a happy man. The really neat thing about the inn was all the birds around. They had feeders all over and there were so many different birds. The inn had large porches covered with hummingbird feeders. There were 8-10 in the front and several out back and all of them were consistently covered with hummers of many different varieties. They hovered around and drank and drank and then chased each other off. It was wonderful to watch the tiny little things. I did not get any pictures there but did get a couple of ok shots at the Visitors' Center for the Cliff Dwellings.

We all got home a bit stiff but ok!

City of Rocks, NM, July 5, 2005
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Road trip to Old Mesilla

We took off early this morning for the bottom of New Mexico. We went to a little village just west of Las Cruces called La Mesilla. The village still has its original adobe structures, small streets, and square. There are shops around the square that have everything you could want in every price range. I got some nice shirts, Pat got some stuff for her Dias de los Muertos collection, and we ate at La Posta. La Posta is in its original building which was built in the late 1800's. The food was good and we left full. We finished our stroll around the square, and decided it was time for the 90 minute ttrip back up hill.

On the way back we went over to see the City of the Rocks state park. It would have been more interesting if it hadn't been 105 and no shade. Jim and I sent the women out of the truck to take the pictures. When they got back in we took a vote about the $5 park fee if we wanted to get closer and walk around. We made a U-turn and came back to the park where it was 10 degrees cooler.

Tomorrow we go to see the reason Pat & I came back here. The Gila Mountain Cliff Dwellings. I'm going to let Pat make tomorrow's post

Bang, Bang It's the Fourth

Well Ft Stockton is still flat, hot and ugly. There is only one RV park, and it's a bit better than a Wal Mart parking lot. Power is not constant, and Ron's 5th wheel isn't getting all the power it should. They did have a restaurant so we don't have to cook in the wind and the heat. Oh, did I memtion that West Texas is windy. Yes, it is.

We ate breakfast, which was pretty good and got under way about 8:30. Jim & I have fuel tanks that are larger than Ron's, so Ron is going to determine our pace. He's towing a 36' 5th wheel. That's like towing a 13' tall shoe box, it will hit the wind full force and just pull on the truck that is pulling it. This is Ron's first long trip with his SOB [Some Other Brand], so he is unsure of what mileage he should expect.

The trip to Silver City, NM was long, over 400 miles. It was all up hill. The elevation at Ft Stockton is about 1,200 ' and Silver City is over 6,000'. There was a fierce headwind all the way to Deming, NM. The 2 Airstreams just sliced right through this wind with little effort. That poor SOB just shuddered as its diesel puller towed it.

To make sure Ron had adequate fuel, we stopped 3 times. Each time the Airstream's tow vehicles took less than 1/2 a tank of diesel. Each time Ron took 3/4 of a tank. It was over 103 when we got to New Mexico, and have I mentioned the wind. We decided to eat lunch in our vehicles because of the weather.

It was about this time that Pat brought Seamus into the truck. Now Seamus has expressed his dislike for my truck in the past - this is why he rides in the trailer. I'm not anxious to travel for another 3 hours or so with the smell that stays behind, after Seamus has expressed his dislike for my truck. I do understand the need, so Pat and I just wait for everything to pass. ** I notice that Tom doesn't say that Seamus was a perfect gentleman in the truck--he slept on the seat above my head and looked out the window or slept with Iris. The trailer was over 96 degrees when I got him out--he was ready to get in the cool truck! Nothing passed at all!--Pat

At Deming, we turn North for the last leg of a very long day. I'm concerned about the SOB which will now be taking on a crosswind that is at least 25 mph. I slow us all down to 60 mph because of the wind. This road is a steady climb up, and with the crosswind my mileage drops from 12 mpg to just 9 mpg. I need to say that this is the worst mileage I have ever gotten. I want this leg to end soon.

We get to Silver City, and it's 10 degrees cooler than at the bottom of New Mexico. The Rose Valley RV Park will be our home for the rest of the week. It's a very nice, quiet park and we'll be a ble to see the fireworks from our site.

We made it. It took about 2 hours longer than I had planned, but we can only travel as fast as the slowest member. The next 3 legs of the trip are short. The only leg that will require a fuel stop will be the one form Ruidoso to Taos.

The fireworks were the night of the 3rd, and on the hill just west of the RV park. We all sat out in front of the trailer and enjoyed them a lot. The next morning we all went to town and picked our shady spot to sit and watch the parade. Pat & I have really enjoyed seeing 4th of uly parades in small towns. We've seen them in Cody, WY & Bloomington, IN before. This one was just as good, more than Bloomington because it had one band and they did not stop when the traffic lights turned red on the parade blocked streets. It had a lot of floats, and we were refreshingly reminded that New Mexico is a democratic State. Yahoo! No wonder the air hear is cleaner than in Texas.

The parade was a lot of fun, and then we went to the arts & crafts fair in the twon square. That was fun, we had a tamale dinner with rice and beans that was very good, and only cost $3.50 per. We looked around awhile and then decided to go home and get cool. It has been hotter hear than normal - we've been told - but it is still cooler than the bottom of New Mexico.

Yea, Yea I'm Free

This is the first day of our vacation. It took awhile this morning to finish all of our chores deposits, prescriptions, and load the truck but we did it. A good thing that we didn't plan for a long travel day because we didn't pulll the trailer onto the road until 11:00 in the morning.

Just a shor hop from San Antonio to Boerne, so we pulled into our slot at Top of the Hill about 12:30. It's the 4th so it's got to be hot. The weather hit 98 today, plus the humidity, and you've got the main reason we're going to the mountains. ToH RV park is really a nice place, it can't do anything about the weather. As the name implies, it is on top of a hill. I took a few pictures of the rigs and the view. You can view them at our spiffy website http://www.airstream1529.com

Everyone of the drivers has experience in towing in the mountains. Ron & I are towing new and heavier rigs, so the experience will be a bit different for us. Jim still has his 31' Airstream towing it with his beautiful Excursion. I wish I had a rich relative that would give me one of those. It is my dream tow vehicle, and I'll probably never have one. But my F250 does a great job, and will do what I want when I want. So, it's a great tow vehicle to have around.

We leave tomorrow for FT Stockton, TX. It's the pits, but you gotta go through there to get outta Texas. It is in the middle of the West Texas desert, and it will break 100 there by the time we arrive. It's just shy of 400 miles so it is a full day tow. I'll be glad when it's over.

It's fun traveling with others. This evening we had supper together. There was home cooked brisket, potato salad, bread, cole slaw, rib bits, and a fruit dessert. You wind up eating better than you would by yourselves, because everyone chips in.

That's it.

Here is the floor plan of our Airstream trailer!!

Getting Ready

June 26, 2005. We've been taking stuff to the trailer all weekend. I've torqued the lugs on all six tires, and aired them up. I went to my online bank and scheduled all of my bills to pay when due. I'm ready to go now, but must wait a little longer.

As you can see from the photo, we've found keyhole.com and have subscribed to their service. I really like it, but have had a hared time trying to learn how to get it to play our trip. I just need to spend more time on it. I was going to get close ups of each place, but some of the RV parks weren't built when the satellite image was taken. I do think that this one is pretty cool though.

I've prepared notebooks for the couples traveling with us. It has directions to each RV park, so if someone is late or has to stay back, they can catch up with us, and not have to map it out themselves. I also included some local information that I took from webpages about the RV parks, and the towns we'll be staying in - where available. I left out the one night stops, besides who wants to know about Ft Stockton except how far is it to a cooler climate.

Just 4 more days, but who's counting.

Our Airstream
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About Us

Pat & Toms Airstream Adventures
TOM
I grew up in San Antonio, and still live there. I've lived in other places from Chu Lai to Lubbock to San Diego to Houston and Waco. San Antonio is the only place I've called home. For me, it's just a great place to live.

In the 60's I was in the Navy, and had the opportunity to tour Viet Nam. I also was able to take a winter cruise off the coast of North Korea in a guided missle destroyer after they seized the USS Pueblo. That experience is my claim to having been cold once.

I returned to civilization, and decided to get my education. I started at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX. A wonderful town in the Davis Mountains. I transferred to Texas Tech and graduated with a BBA in accounting.

I began my carrer working for the U.S. Government in San Antonio, transferred to Waco, TX for three long years, and then went to Houston, TX for 13 even longer years. I finally had a brain fart, and realized that I should go home; so I transferred back to San Antonio. I plan to retire in 2 years having served my Country for over 37 years.

Along the way I managed to meet and marry the woman of my dreams. Since I rarely have done things right the first time, Pat is my second, and last, wife. I love her for many reasons, the most important being that she loves and tolerates me. I don't understand a lot of things - like why the hell people that you'd consider sane would vote for George Bush. I'll never understand why Pat decided to be my wife, but I count my blessings that she did. One of her finer points is that she, too, is a Yellow Dog Democrat. A trait I find most endearing.

I have one son from my first marriage, Greg. He has somehow managed to live to the age of 30. He's a good son, a good man, a good father, and a good husband. He and his wife, Christalee, have given us 4 grandchildren: Ansley, Levi, Logan, and a baby whose name I can't name at the moment - of course it begins with "L". (Note from Pat--his name is Landon. I'm not sure why the L rule kicked in but it did. Travis believed his name should be Langstrum and that does have cachet but it is Landon.) As my only son, I am trully blessed that it was Greg.

Pat gave me 3 wonderful stepchildren: Jennifer, Melissa, and Travis. These 3 all look like their Mother, but they all have their own personalities. Jennifer is married to Tim and they have commited to not having children; a tough, yet commendable decision not to contribute to the overpopulation of the world. Jennifer has her BS in psychology, and Tim has a BBA in management. Melissa is getting a Phd in folklore, and her dissertation will be on Japanese pornography. (Note from Pat--not really porn, just manga or some other aspect of Japanese modern culture) She is commited to having as many pet children as she can, and loves them all. Travis just got his Masters in English, and we're still waiting for him to get off his dead ass and write his first novel.

Pat also gave me the best in-laws a man could ask for. I can attest to this because I've had the in-laws from hell. Gail has a BM, no [you nasty minded reader] it stands for Bachelor of Music, taught piano and played the organ for her church for scores of years. She's also too young to have had three children that are very old. Dan is an Aggie. That should say it all, but he is a man that I admire and look up to. He's also a retired Army Colonel, and I forgive him for that. They both taught their children how to love and raise children. All of their children are fine people.

I'm a lucky guy. I survived Viet Nam. I am surviving George Bush - spit, spit. I have a wonderful wife. I have a wonderful son. I have wonderful grandchildren, most of whom I can name. I have wonderful stepchildren. And I am lucky enough to be able to travel this wonderful Country in my beautiful Airstream.

PAT
I too am a native Texan and I have lived all over the state except for the valley. Tom has pretty well covered my family and they are wonderful. All funny, smart people who pushed me through my PhD studies in History and were a terrific support system. I am lucky to have found Tom on the internet. I got a wondeful husband and great step-son in Greg. And then I got grandchildren too!

The best thing about Tom is that he has accepted all my animal children as well as my human ones. We have a lovely little dog who adopted me before I met Tom. Iris goes with us and loves to travel. We have a nanday conure who adopted me at an outdoor restaurant and Bartleby loves Tom more than anything. We also have a male Solomon Island Eclectus, Aloysius, who loves to talk, play peek-a-boo and eat. Our female ekkie, Caeli, escaped in May and we are still hoping for her return. The birds also love to travel with us. I also have a cat, Bastian, who does NOT want to travel with us so he stays home and holds down the fort. Seamus, the beautiful Himalayan Tom got for me, does love to travel and goes on our trips with us. Tom takes it all in stride--crazy, opinionated kids, lots of furry and feathered companions. He's a sweet, tolerant but obviously unhinged man!

Getting Started

Hello. Pat & I travel in our 2004, 34’ Airstream Ltd. It’s our dream trailer. It has a slide-out, fireplace, dome satellite dish, two a/c’s, and pulls like a dream. Even though we tell our human children that the trailer feeds 2 and sleeps 2, we do allow our pet children to travel with us – they’re easier to clean up after, and make less noise. We have a dog, cat, and 2 parrots that go everywhere with us.

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle our travels in this wonderful dream of a trailer. We’re going to start with notes of our vacation to New Mexico this summer. We are caravanning with two other couples. One is towing a 31’ Airstream, and the other tows a 36’ SOB fifth wheel. We’ll start off from Top of the Hill RV Park, just outside of Boerne, TX, and then head to Silver City; NM, Socorro, NM; Ruidoso, NM; and Taos, NM. We’ll then start our return to Texas via Lubbock, TX, and San Angelo, TX. We’ll leave San Angelo and part company when we get to USHwy 281S . Our two caravan friends will then head home to Bryan and Conroe, TX while Pat & I will turn south to San Antonio. The trip will take about 24 days and a solid 1,000 miles.

This is our second Airstream, and the heaviest at 9,500 dry pounds. Our first was a 2000 31’ Classic that was 7,100 dry pounds. We towed both trailers with a 2000 F250 PSD, a brute of a truck that seems to be built for the job. Three summers ago we towed the 31 through South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. We never encountered any problems pulling the 31 up or down the 7% & 8% grades that we traveled over. This will be our first experience in the mountains with the 34, and I’m a bit anxious to see how it goes, dragging almost 5 tons behind us. We’ve been to New Mexico before, but a week was the longest stay.

Our past travels through New Mexico were always humorous. If you can’t laugh about what’s going on – don’t go to New Mexico. This is an under-populated state. It’s mostly rural areas, Indian reservations, and mountains. Oh, it does host a former nuclear proving ground and an alien landing site. It has two east/west interstates and one north/south interstate. They may or may not have access roads. You can not count on an access road actually providing access to the interstate, which means it should be called something else. All things considered they are a lot better than driving through Louisiana. The state highways are mostly 2 lanes, and will have an occasional gas station every few hundred miles or so. They are scenic and do go through some interesting villages and towns.