On the road cross-country to The Dalles
Departed CFO about 0945. Positioning the Goose at the Gosling’s coupler took just one try, but lots of creep backwards/ cut the wheel/ creep backwards and so on. Rear end of Goose didn’t drop much when I put the Gosling’s weight on the hitch. When I went to hook up the trailer safety chains, I couldn’t get them into the hitch. I went looking for screw loops, found them in the wrong place in the garage, then attached them. Then I tried the safety chains in a different orientation and they worked!
Forgot my wallet, so made the gravel loop and stopped at the house again to retrieve. While I woke about 0730, it took two hours to get a shower and load the last of the stuff into the Goose. Part of that was Deb’s sewing machine and other stuff, plus a laundry-basket-full of spices and foodstuffs.
Took 64 West to Mocksville, where I fueled and bought a cranberry/ chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Phoned the KOA in Newport TN, but there’s some kind of festival and they were booked. Phoned Sherman Oaks and a very nice Cammie took my reservation, told me how to do self-check-in and asked that I text her the site I pick. $45, so not bad. Got on I-40 at Mocksville and continued past Asheville. The bridge reconstruction west of Asheville is complete, but I took it slow through all the curves.
Got to exit 435 at Newport and stopped for fuel and groceries (Murphy and Walmart). Once loaded, I proceeded to Sherman Oaks, which was as expected a second tier campground. However, the site is close to level and the utilities are fine. I’ll cook a burger for dinner and crash after I figure out all the stuff for tomorrow.
Incredibly windy all day long. TPMS worked great; rear tires significantly more load as shown by temperature and pressure. Don’t have TPMS on the trailer, so I looked out the side mirrors all day today to see if they were smoking or blown. Not, thank God.
Stupidities of today:
- Forgetting to put my wallet in my pocket.
- Driving all the way to TN with the hatches above the theater seats wide open. Only one thing fell, the jar of Valentina, and it didn’t bust.
- Forgot to pack the spare tire (rubber, not wheel) for the motorhome. Hope we don’t destroy a tire!
Bob and Lorraine at rest
On June 4th, family and friends interred the earthly remains of Bob and Lorraine Davis at Arlington National Cemetery. Their ashes now rest in the columbarium. Our placement attendant, Bill, has been one of the people going into jungles in Papua New Guinea and Korea to recover remains and repatriate them. We were extremely glad to have Bill assist. There are temporary markers in place right now, but a permanent plaque should be there by the end of August. Attending were: Jim/ Deb/ Aaron/ Josh Davis; Mike/ Milly Boyt; Lorraine’s sisters Margaret Bush and Signe Ann Thrift; and Jim’s high school friends Steve Steele/ Bill Norris. We were accompanied in spirit and prayer by a host of family, friends and angels. Afterward, we visited the grave of Frederick Elijah Bush, a Pearl Harbor veteran and the father of the sisters.
ANC is kind of the Davis family burying ground, along with Fort Lincoln cemetery in Brentwood MD and Greenwood Memorial Gardens in San Diego CA. There are about eight Davis family members at ANC, and it is the intention of Deb and Jim to join them when we inevitably pass.
Roadkill analysis
We started keeping track of dead animals for our amusement on this trip. We only saw skunks in Texas; they haven’t gotten the word that stench does not overcome gross tonnage. Clearly, the chicken has things to teach the skunks and possums!
South of Chattanooga
Drove up and over Birmingham, past Huntsville, up to Chattanooga then down to Trenton GA. Lunch at Jefferson’s in Scottsboro, excellent food. Me a chicken avocado sandwich, Deb some shrimp tacos. We followed the Tennessee river valley, walled in by Appalachian mountains. Very pleasant.
The Lookout Mountain KOA is back in a hollow up a mountain. We realized when we got there that we’d lost two hours: one to switch to Daylight Savings Time, and one by driving from Central to Eastern time. We haven’t had watches on for a while.
Clean laundry room, so we caught up. Dinner from stores, then some work on laptops. Rain fell all night and the pitter-patter was soothing.
To Winfield for repairs
Drove to Winfield AL via Corinth MS (Thai lunch at Blazing Noodlez, an excellent meal), Tupelo, Guin and Gu-win. Found the Tiffin service center and chatted with the other Wayfarer owners here for work on their rigs.
Onward to Southaven
Woke to very cold temp, so we waited until 9am to get up. Outside was bright sunshine and 32 degrees. Got away at 10am. We took I-30 toward Memphis. This part of Arkansas is very wet and flat. Rice, soybeans and wheat. Some lousy roads around Little Rock. Crossed both the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers over bridges that are in bad shape; concerns about US infrastructure are not misplaced. Arrived at EZ Daze RV park in Southaven MS. Filled LP tank. Watched TV, noting that politics in AR is very conservative. One Republican candidate is in favor of “babies, borders and bullets,” hitting the key issues for conservatives.
Driving to Arkadelphia into the snow
Drove to Arkadelphia AR. Lunch at the Rt67 Grill in the historic center of town. Good slaw and burgers. Refuel at Valero. Found a deserted Caddo Valley RV, which is a big/ flat gravel lot with very modern utilities pods. We waited until 3pm when the camp manager bestirred herself from her RV. The snow started right then, with freezing temperatures predicted. We started the night slow-dripping water in the bathroom faucet and the gray water valve open, using our heated water hose. After the snow slowed, Jim rethought precautions. Stopped the drip, drained our water hose, used propane heat with Truma on full. Closed gray tank, all tank heaters on. We successfully passed the night without apparent freezing.
Driving to Sulphur Springs
Drove to Sulphur Springs TX. Jim woke at 0730 and made coffee, feeling some better. Shady Lake RV park is proximate to Walmart and cheaper fuel. We cooked and slept, snugly.
Driving to Weatherford
Drove to Weatherford TX, west of Ft. Worth. Stayed off interstate, instead driving through Ballinger/ Comanche/ Stephenville on US 67 and 322. Cut back up TX171 at Cresson to Weatherford. Pleasant drive, but rough road. Stayed at Weatherford / Fort Worth West KOA, which is barely okay. Underground septic piping patched, but still leaking. LP tank (for filling customer tanks) inoperative. Nice flat, graveled sites. Has the look of a long-term residency park, and those campers have let their situations get run down. Generally only good for a quick stop, not as a place to explore the surrounding area.
Heading to San Angelo TX
Drove away at 10am. Saw a vermillion flycatcher at a picnic stop just south of Alpine on TX-188. Fueled at Alpine. Took US-67 to San Angelo. Oil fields, solar farms and wind turbines as we crossed the Permian Basin. Fuel prices are way up, with diesel > $5/gallon (Ukraine invasion effect). Fueled for less at Murphy’s in San Angelo. We are staying at Goodfellow AFB Rec Camp, which is outside the AFB right on Lake Nasworthy. $15/ night and they have a laundry!
On our second day at Goodfellow AFB RecCamp, we woke at usual time. Clouds are an unusual sight since we’ve had desert blue sky for days. We did two loads of laundry and paged through Escapees magazines left by others. Otherwise, we spent the whole day inside. We ate leftovers for dinner and watched pawn store shows on TV. Crossing the grass, we picked up nasty burrs that stuck to the bottom of our shoes and came off on the rugs!
