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| Hay propelled camper of the Valley |
The winters here in
the Rio Grande Valley are sunny and windy, with lots of activity. People come from afar with any means to get here!
Lets see, sun or snow...which do I prefer?
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| Daisy's view in winter from Va. |
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| My view in winter from Tx. |
This has been a very mild and sunny winter here in the
Valley. That appears to be the pattern generally in the rest of the country,
too. Now the mildness does not mean that the winds have been less. Don’t come
to Texas if you cannot handle wind. It is breezy all the time here—normally about
10-20 mph from the SE or SW. This brings warm temps in the 80s and discourages
the gnats and mosquitoes. It has also been very dry up to the beginning of
February, but that changed the latter part of the month with two weeks of frequent
rains and cooler temps in the 60s. It you want to replay your childhood, the
beaches here are a great place for kite flying. I met some college friends
there for the South Padre Annual Kite flying festival.
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| Ed, Jane and I were classmates at Va Tech. They live in San Antonio now. |
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| round ugly kites |
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| all shapes and sizes |
This may be a low tech event but the kites are highly
maneuverable and enormous. Some are as
big as a bus and require 5 people to handle them. The handlers wear body harnesses
that are linked to the control surfaces of these creatures. In other events, 4 people fly individual
kites accomplishing turns, loops, and wing tip to wing tip moves that are choreographed
to music.
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| My well used home on the road |
I have been a nomad for nearly 13 years and am ready to
begin another new chapter in my life, with Daisy as my designated co-pilot and
lifetime partner. The existing RV is 12
years old and has been towed 220,000 miles in that time. It is our intent to
park her full time in southern Texas for use as a winter escape haven.
We have been searching for a more mobile and smaller
footprint vehicle, as in a slide-in truck camper, for monthly short-term
adventures when basing out of the house in NW Arkansas from spring to fall. We lucked out in that one of the largest
truck camper dealerships in the US is located in Austin, TX. Daisy
had a meeting scheduled nearby in San Antonio during the early part of
February. We were going to take advantage of her time there to finalize our
plans on truck camper choice and get my current truck equipped to haul a heavy
slide-in unit.
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| The Alamo in downtown San Antone |
San Antonio is one of my favorite places with its history,
Riverwalk, shops, and friends that I have in the area. The good news is that Daisy got to meet more
people from my past who wanted to check her out.
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| We run into Rick and Darlene across the land. This time in Texas |
The bad news is that she got ill after a couple of days and spent several days recovering with me as her nurse. She termed it dealing with the “in sickness and in health” aspect of our upcoming union. When Daisy got home to Virginia, her doctor said she had pneumonia and she was in bed for a week, but is doing fine now.
Some more friends we got to visit this trip...
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| Dave and Twyla |
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| Jim and Mary |
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| Mike and Mickey |
Truck Camper News...
Within one week before our rendezvous in San Antonio, we had found the ideal truck camper for our use. The challenge was that it was in northern California and I would have to go get it. We were purchasing it from a private seller who was willing to drive a third of the way. We made the deal using the internet with a third-party inspection.I removed the truck bed toolbox and the tailgate before I left for San Antonio, then went to the truck camper dealer in Austin to have airbags and stable loads (suspension blocks) installed.
So I took a little road trip again...
The day I left for Hemet, CA, Daisy left for Virginia and home.I had a 1200 mile journey out and a 1500 mile return to TX with the camper loaded on the truck.
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| Patio awning curb side |
What we purchased was a 2006 Eagle Cap 1160. It was clean and in good condition. One of
the features we were especially glad to find was that it has 2 slides. The one
on the driver’s side has the dinette and fridge, and the other is in the back
with a full-size couch that makes into a bed. This is a top-of-the-line unit.
It has a queen bed in the area over the truck cab, flat-screen TV on a swivel
mount so it can be viewed from the bedroom or the living room, and DVD and CD
with surround sound. Other features are solar power, A/C, heater, fridge, microwave,
and 2500kw generator. It also has a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. After one day getting some rewiring done, I
was ready for the road, but not to head back to Texas.
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| the boy and his dad....with meat and beer..ohra! |
I drove 2 hours and
spent a couple of days visiting my favorite son Michael in Long Beach, CA. It is a whole lot easier making that trip in
a 19 ft. truck camper than in a 38 ft. fifth wheel.
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| Yes Virginia there are two slides on this puppy... |
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| Side door entry |
(remember to click on the pictures to make them larger)
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| Looking to the front. Door is to bath with shower |
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| Looking towards rear slide with sofa |
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| stepup bedroom with full wall wardrobe |
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one butt kitchen
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It is very cozy indeed!
On the way home...
On my
return journey I stopped in Yuma to see my auto insurance agents and to visit
with my friend and USFS co-worker Jerry for a night at his retirement resort.
The unit handled well and even better after I added more air to the airbags to
level the rear end. The stable loads helped to reduce body sway, and I may
still add newer adjustable HD gas shocks to the truck.
I also
visited wintering friends in Tucson before continuing on the maiden voyage in
the truck camper back to the Rio Grande Valley and my winter home.
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| Cathy and Laura I met on the road 2 years ago |
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| Cline and Kristen I met on the road 10 years ago |
Upcoming trip plans to
Arkansas and to Alabama for Easter
I am planning on leaving Texas the end of the month for
Arkansas. The first time Daisy will see the truck camper will be when she meets
me in Alabama at Shannon and Matt’s for Easter.
I
have a few weeks left to prep the fifth wheel (grandson Josiah calls it my “house
on wheels”) for summer storage here and to pack the truck camper for its journey
to my house in Arkansas (my “real house” according to Josiah).
I wonder what
grandson Levi will call the truck camper? Stay tuned!
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