El Reno Oklahoma to Tucumcari New Mexico

We were awakened about 6:00 AM to the chirping of the low voltage warning on the CO detector. I had left the furnace on all night and the fan drained the single house battery. There wasn't even enough juice to start the generator so I started the engine (separate battery) which put power to the house circuit. Then I fired the Genny up.

Morning at WalMart

After a breakfast of cereal and blueberries, we were on the road shortly after 7:00 AM. We immediately encountered strong gusting winds from the southwest, giving us a combination of headwind and crosswind. I drove with the steering wheel cranked about 20 degrees to the left. The radio news told us about the 8.9 earthquake in Japan.  Unbelievable.

A few miles down, Sandy asked if the CB antenna was supposed to be parallel to the ground. No, it wasn't. I pulled off at the first opportunity, straightened it up and tightened the set screw. Across from where we stopped was a church with a "Bikers Welcome" sign out front.

Bike friendly sign

I noticed as we cruised along that this part of the country has more truck stops than towns. Occasionally, we would see an old style gas station abandoned and falling down. I guess these fell victim to those same truck stops. Near Weatherford, we saw our first wind farm of the day. Those blades were really churning out the energy in these winds.

Wind farm working hard

Just past Weatherford, a semi passed us and we saw a long line extending from the back of it. It was the inner rear tire coming apart. I never saw one do that before. It broke free when I ran over it. I tried to raise him on the radio but no luck. Then I pulled off and checked underneath to make sure it hadn't wrapped itself around any part of our unit. Finding nothing, we pushed on.

One nice idea was an RV park that advertised all the usual amenities and also boasted a storm shelter. It is probably necessary out here in Tornado Alley. We fueled at a Flying J in Sayre. They had automotive propane in the RV lane but didn't have anyone certified to pump it. My tank is still 1/4 full so I should be good for a while. I was using their WiFi until a Dutch Star pusher pulled in between us and the building and I lost the signal. BTW, a billboard told us that the shopping cart was invented in Oklahoma so I guess we can blame the Okie's for all those wonky wheels.

We crossed the Texas line at 10:25 Central Time. A stop was in order at the impressive Gray County Rest Area. They had interesting display inside describing the huge cattle ranches, the Cheyenne Indians (especially Quanah Parker) and wind energy. just before we got to the center, we passed a man pushing a shopping cart along I-40 westbound. While we were inside, he walked in so he must have been traveling at a good pace (for a walker). I called the KOA in Tucumcari New Mexico and made a reservation for tonight.

Scenes from the Gray County Rest Area

We continued on towards Amarillo fighting the crosswinds.

Scenes from the Texas Panhandle

Before Amarillo, we encountered another two lane stretch of construction. Concrete barrier to the left, rumble strips to the right and buffeting crosswinds. Again, one misjudgement and we lose a side of the RV.

White knuckle time

Coming into Amarillo, we crossed a BNSF yard. Our friend Bob wanted some photos so these are included for him.

BNSF yard in Amarillo Texas

We stopped at the Texas Tourist Information Center in Amarillo and picked up a large handful of guide books and brochures on interesting things to see. The nice man at the counter gave us directions to the Cadillac Ranch and the mid-point of old Route 66. We sat in the RV and had lunch while continuing to try to get the blog caught up.

Good plate at the Tourist Information Center - Amarillo Texas

We moved on, getting off at exit 60 to look for the Cadillac Ranch. We didn't find it. Then we moved on across the Panhandle. We missed the mid-point sign as well. Zero for two today.

More scenes from the Texas Panhandle

We crossed into New Mexico at 3:40, which immediately became 2:40 because we were now on Mountain Time. We stopped at the Glenrio Visitor Center and got another mittload of books and guides.

Welcome to New Mexico

It was a short hop to Tucumcari, named for Tucumcari Mountain which it sits next to. The KOA was right there and we were guided to a spot that would probably hold a 747. Sandy and I tented here on our way back from our first California trip back in 1978. Another couple had just arrived in a similar sized Class C. Turns out they were also first timers and were from Gatineau Quebec. Small world. It was hot while I hooked up the power and water. I also filled the fresh water tank about 2/3rds full.

It has cooled down here in the shade

Our campsite

We went inside and ordered supper from the KOA kitchen. Then we Skyped Kim and talked to Jolene as one motorhome after another rolled in. Skype contact was poor this evening and we had to reconnect a few times. After supper, which they delivered to us, Sandy watched TV while I worked hard to catch the blog up to date. I think I have gotten it done because I am now typing this in real time. It is 9:35 and Sandy had turned in. As soon as I get it done, I'll be joining her.

Today's Route (338 miles):


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Forrest City Arkansas to El Reno Oklahoma

We woke up at 6:15 AM to cool temperatures and partially overcast skies. The tires were reading 68 PSI and I bumped them up to 73 (to see if we could improve fuel mileage), a laborious process considering my Rube Goldberg method of using the booster cables to get enough length from the battery to the drive tires.

We rolled out at 7:50 leaving the partially blue sky behind in favour of solid overcast. The reaction to the motorhome pushing to the right when a semi comes abreast has become automatic. We were back to good weather in Little Rock with motorcycles riding around. We passed an exit for Camp Robinson, an Arkansas National Guard installation. We stopped at a McDonald's between Little Rock and Conway for a WiFi fix.

Pentecostal Church

Camp Robinson sign

Blossoms at McDonald's

On the road again, we were straight into the teeth of a west wind. In Russellville, I saw a Flying J truck stop across from a Pilot. I wonder how that works now that the two of them have merged? We passed a sign for Ozark and the Pig Trail. If the bike was up to snuff, I would have stopped for a day and ridden the legendary road. Next time. I was managing the cruise control up the hills to try to keep the downshifts to a minimum. Third gear has to suck a lot of fuel.

Near Fort Smith, we passed an old Winnie broken down on the side of the road. One of the passengers had a lawn chair out on the grass and was watching a portable pen full of Bassett hounds.

The Oklahoma Welcome Centre had fast WiFi so we caught up again and Skyped family and friends while having lunch.

Oklahoma Welcome Centre

Continuing on, we encountered quite a bit of smoke from fires in the fields. They looked to me like controlled burns but that would be dicey given the winds.

Burning fields

My original plan was to stop in Midwest City but I decided it would be better in the morning if we were on the other side of Oklahoma City. As we passed through Midwest City, we went by Tinker Air Force Base and saw aircraft on display adjacent to the highway including a B-2, a B-52, a B-47 a Boeing 707 in Air Force One livery and a few I didn't get a chance to identify.

Traffic going into Okie City was jammed up until most took the I-35 South exit. Then we hit an area with a Congestion sign and all the lanes slowed down except the left, which I moved to. Yes, this was the lane that was closed. Funny how it always works that way. I-40 through the centre of Okie was about as bad as any highway I have seen in North America.

Downtown Oklahoma City

This is where I will vent in general about I-40. Although some is passable and a small bit might be classed as good, I have to wonder how the majority of such a major transcontinental artery could be allowed to get so bad. Not only that, but the construction zones where we were down to one lane each way with a concrete barrier in the middle were scary. One moment of inattention could do a world of hurt to the side of the motorhome.

All across Oklahoma, I had been noticing Indian Nations. Cherokee, Muskogee, Kickapoo and now Cheyenne/Arapaho. We pulled into the WalMart in El Reno (named for Civil War Union General Jesse L. Reno, who died in 1862 at the Battle of South Mountain, Maryland. Two nights, two towns named for Civil War generals. The Indian presence became known as soon as we went into the WalMart. We picked up some pre-made salads, buns, turkey and cheese and went back to the RV to enjoy supper. I did some off-line blog work while we watched the American Idol vote-off show.

Living the wild party life, we were in bed by 9:30.

Today's Route (449 miles):


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Hixson Tennessee to Forrest City Arkansas

We woke up about 6:00 with the rain still pouring down. It felt good the be on high ground. The radar showed a red line extending from the Gulf to Birmingham moving fast, but it looked like it would fall short of Chattanooga. The rest of the map was a sea of green as far west as Nashville, so we had hopes of better weather down the road.

Jean made a nice breakfast while we visited and then Tony had to head off to work. He sure does work a lot for a retired guy:-) We can't thank these fine folk enough for looking after us while we were in the area and hope to see them again soon.

Sandy playing with Sophie the attack dog

As we were getting ready to leave about 8:45, Jean ran out with her umbrella and gave us the leftovers from last night. We started down the hill and could see a river of water running down the street. It's nice to live on top of a ridge. We followed Tony's directions instead of the GPS and were soon headed northwest on I-24 in the driving rain.

Rain on I-24

Waterfalls

Me at work

We joined the line of trucks making the slow climb to Monteagle. I have been many places but would be hard pressed to find a grade this steep for this long anywhere else. At the top, we stopped for fuel while high winds rocked us. We continued on towards Nashville and eventually ran out of the rain.

I-24 not raining

Standing water in fields

Bad weather in our rear view mirror

Needing a break, I tried to get into a Pilot truck stop before Nashville but there was an accident in the intersection and we continued on after going around a very large block. After driving through Music City, we moved onto I-40 West and finally stopped at a Flying J. While Sandy prepared lunch from the great leftovers Jean gave us, I took some time to stow some of our Camping World purchases and change one tie-down point on the bike to the upper mid frame. The food was great, followed up by a piece of Blondy's pound cake.

Pulling out, it started raining lightly. As we approached Memphis, the sun came out and I found out that the backup camera is great in low light but not so good in bright sunshine. All I get is an overexposed white wash except for the brief moments I go under an underpass. Note to Tony: I finally understand what you were telling me about mirror view. It was on so I didn't realize it.

I-40 in places is missing big pieces for a stretch along here. One sign even said "Potholes Ahead - Use Caution". Sandy got a kick out of the name as we went by the Bucksnort exit. It must be something to put that in your return address.

I was getting very tired but the truck parking in the first Rest Area was full. I continued on, dodging the potholes. Soon, the GPS started trying to route me up to I-55. It was adamant that I leave I-40 but, after checking avoidances were set properly, I couldn't figure it out. Eventually, I tweaked to the fact that when I downloaded the areas of the new maps, I missed Memphis. Where the city should have been was a white area with grid lines. It looked downright spooky but, chancing the unknown, I cancelled the route and stuck on I-40.

We stopped in a Rest Area before Memphis and I climbed in the back and got an hour of shuteye. Then it was on through Memphis rush hour, which looked pretty bad for the people going the other way but was no problem for us. We crossed the bridge into Arkansas without incident.

Leaving Memphis

Welcome to Arkansas across Ole Miss'

The GPS had a jog in the middle of the bridge where I reconnected with the downloaded maps again. Luckily, there was no such jog in real life. The Mississippi was high and some adjoining lands were flooded. And I wonder why bridges in Arkansas are so rough?

We stopped in Forrest City, Arkansas, named for Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. First, we fueled up at a Shell and then repaired to the local WalMart, parking behind a Class A from Michigan. We went in and bought vitamins and water and then finished the last of Jean's leftovers and had some more pound cake.

I spent a little while figuring out the TV and antenna but we got it done. I need to add the 12V option so I don't always have to run the generator. I do like the High Def broadcast signals, though.

It was a quiet night and we ended up in bed before 9:00 PM.

Today's Route (405 miles):


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Chattanooga Tennessee (Camping World) to Hixson Tennessee

We were up at 6:00 AM and had a breakfast of cereal and blueberries. I unhooked the trailer and disconnected the water and electric, moving the RV to Camping World at 8:00 AM. The planned work included installing a TV antenna and TV plus a backup camera, recaulking the cab/house joints, putting in a CB radio and antenna, changing the oil and filter and servicing the generator. The work order was already prepared so we turned over the keys and adjourned to the tables in the sales/waiting area.

Camping World waiting area (with WiFi)

A little while later, Eric took us over to the shop to discuss the location of the TV and CB. I asked about tire tread depths and he said they replace them based on age due to weather checking. I pointed out that we would not be keeping a set that long but never did get a clear answer.

Eric at Camping World

We were warned that we would need to pull out first thing tomorrow morning since more heavy rains were coming and they were expecting more flooding. This was scary because the water levels were already high. No problem since we expected to be heading west at first light.

High water in Chattanooga

Jean called and asked if we wanted to go to lunch. We thought that was nice so she picked us up and took us to Wally's where we ordered off the menu instead of attacking the buffet. After lunch, she took us for a drive to see the massive new Volkswagen plant that is being built and we drove past the Tennessee Traffic Managment Center that tracks all the traffic on the highways and controls the overhead signs that are supposed to give timely information to drivers. This is Tony's current project.

Back at Camping World, we were told the storm was advancing more quickly than first anticipated and that everyone needed to be out tonight. The rains started at 4:00 PM as I was out stowing gear in the trailer. The intensity picked up as we paid for things we bought in the store including a new high tech sewer hose to replace the one I broke last fall. One big ticket item was a ladder that stows at 28" long but extends to 10' to allow me to get up on the roof. I called Jean and told her we were being evicted and she invited us to spend the night at their place in Hixson. Finally, the RV was done at 6:00 PM so we hooked up in the rain and got out of there.

Blurry photo of hooking up in the rain

We followed the GPS directions to Tony and Jean's. This took us over the famous Chickamauga Dam. They live on a ridge and their street is a cul-de-sac. Tony suggested I turn at the end and come back. Unfortunaely, three vehicles were parked there and tomorrow was garbage day so there were large trash bins set out. I managed to make the turn in four moves, not quite jacknifing the trailer.

Parked and inside, Jean had pizza, pasta and salad laid out for us. It was an excellent meal and, again, the company was even better. Sophie, their little dog, is one of the few chihuahua's I ever remember liking. After supper, we spent some time visiting before turning in for the night to the sound of raindrops on the roof.

Today's Route (15 miles):


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Centreville Alabama to Chattanooga Tennessee

We were up at 6:00 AM sharp (Central Time, this will become important later). I had a nice cup of Timmy's coffee and played with the dogs while Sandy did whatever it is she does in the mornings. My eye has been bothering me since soon after we left home and today it was swollen beneath it. Looks like a sty.

I checked and recorded all the tread depths on the RV and trailer. One more little anal habit of mine. Towing, I realized we are as long as a Greyhound bus.

RV ready to go at Blondy's

We bid Blondy goodbye with many thanks for all she has done for us. She headed to work and I settled in to maneuver our outfit to the highway. Although I did well driving it last fall, I was still concerned about getting back in the saddle. No problem. Once I got going, it was as easy as pie. Trying something new, I didn't engage Tow-Haul Mode on the highway and it pulled very smoothly without the aggressive downshifting. The Toe/Haul will still come on in town because it makes the transmission downshift when you tap the brake pedal, saving the pads.

We motored up to I-20/I-59 and stopped at Jack's for breakfast. This was where we had met Blondy last November. I checked the bike (this also will become important later). We drove northeast on I-59, bypassing Birmingham on the I-459. The unit was trucking along at 60 MPH and, other than being tired, I was having a great time driving it. We stopped at a rest area near Gadsden Alabama so could have my 5 Hour Energy Drink and walk around a bit. After Gadsden, we hit a long stretch of construction with traffic reduced to one lane each way divided by a concrete barrier. You need to be on your toes because, at 8'4" wide, one moment of inattention can be very expensive. After we got back to four lanes, the right lane was so rough everyone traveled in the left and passed on the right. Finally, after Fort Payne, the pavement improved enough to move back to the conventional lane.

In Georgia, we pulled off at exit 11 looking for the advertised Welcome Center. We never found it so, with heavy hearts, we got back on the big road and continued on. Leaving I-59, we followed I-24 into Chattanooga and stopped at WalMart for a few supplies. I checked the bike for the 4th time and all was well.

It was a short distance to Camping World where we checked in with Eric in service and confirmed tomorrow's work order. Then we registered for the adjacent campground and drove in to find a site. The creek next to the facility had overflowed its banks and flooding was in progress but there was a high road between there and the campground. The sites were gravel with a bit of mud. We got located and hooked up the water and the power. The lady hosting in the campground had a neat little golf cart with a vintage Chevy style body on it.

Set up in the Camping World (Shipp's) campground

A cool set of wheels

When I opened the bike trailer, the tie down on the left side had broken. That was a first. The bike was leaned over but the Condor Chock kept the weight off the mirror, which was resting against the door. Luckily, the scuff marks rubbed right out. I replaced the broken strap and added a secondary strap in case of another occurrence.

I phoned Tony and he said he would pick us up at 6:30. We rearranged gear and then went to explore the campground. As we came out of the shower building, a car was honking its horn at the security gate. It couldn't be Tony because it was only 5:30. But it was. I was still on Central time. We rushed to change shoes and Tony and Jean took us up the City Cafe where the gang was assembling. In addition to the four of us, Crystal & EZ, Phin, Keith, Scooter & Jan and Mikey & Linda. The food was good and the company was better. It was good to see everyone again. Someone (I won't say who) was celebrating their 19th anniversary but the male half of the couple forgot. Ouch. Anyway, Happy Anniversary to both of you.

After supper, we got a look at Scooter's GL1800. It's a very nice '02 and I hope to be able to ride with him some time soon. Unfortunately, being the dummy that I am, I forgot to take any pictures. Sorry about that. We spent a while after supper visiting before Tony and Jean took us back to the campground. It was cool but, since we were plugged into their AC, we used the ceramic electric heater instead of the LPG furnace. We turned in for our first night in the RV since last fall and went right to sleep.


Today's Route (210 miles):


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Sudbury Ontario to Centreville Alabama (mostly by bus)

I have just taken two bus trips. My first in 40 years and my last. But I am getting ahead of myself.

It all started the day before yesterday. You will recall we decided to take a Greyhound bus to Alabama to claim our motorhome and bike at Blondy's. The bus won out because of the extremely low cost. After a busy week of getting the to-do list completed, I had finished my packing by 7:00 PM. Sandy was already done, as usual, but I normally pack at the very last minute and now I know why. Being all done and then waiting leaves me at loose ends. On the plus side, with our two big suitcases and carry-on luggage, everything we planned to take just fit. I had to swap Sandy a few of my heavier camping guides in return for some lighter stuff to keep my case under the 50 pound Greyhound limit.

Sandy going out the door

It had snowed so I shoveled a path to where Sandy would get into Gary's SUV because she was wearing sneakers. He was there right at 11:00 as planned and ferried us to the run-down Sudbury Greyhound terminal. Our bus wasn't scheduled to depart until 12:50 AM so we were there way early. Buses rolled in from the west and were taken away to be serviced, so we spent the time talking to people who had just arrived and were waiting to reboard. This included a man from Fort MacMurray going home to Hamilton and a Korean War vet traveling from Calgary to Cobourg who was 50 hours into his trip due to a breakdown in Regina.

The bus pulled in at 12:40 and we loaded our gear and climbed aboard. It was almost full and a young lady helped me figure out how to adjust my armrest. The lights dimmed and we were rolling at 1:00 AM on the great adventure. When we stopped for a break at the Tim Horton's south of Parry Sound, it was 2:49 and pouring rain. So much for my friend Dave's plan to go snowmobiling in Bracebridge this weekend. We were back on the road by 3:10 and I slept most of the way to our first Toronto stop at Yorkdale. Then it was on to the downtown bus terminal, where we arrived at 5:30 AM, 20 minutes early.

We had three hours to wait for our bus to Detroit and all the eating establishments were closed and the WiFi wasn't free, so we just sat around and watched people come and go. We did talk to a lady and her daughter returning home to Sarnia from Sudbury, where the slightly built teenager had won her class in the all Ontario wrestling championships. One restaurant opened at 7:30 so we had a light breakfast. When we were done, I noticed a line at our gate even though there was no bus yet. Here I learned the first important lesson. Boarding a Greyhound is first come, first served so as soon as you arrive, find your gate and line up.

Sandy in the Toronto terminal

View from the Toronto terminal

This bus was a new one. It had WiFi and 110V power at each seat but, strangely, the seats were quite firm and not that comfortable. It was raining when we pulled out and the visibility was marginal, but the driver did a good job and got us to London 20 minutes early while I played on the Internet via our rolling hot spot. All was going according to plan but that was about to change.

We changed drivers in London and our new driver was 20 minutes late getting us on the road. This was a concern because we only had a one hour layover in Detroit and they had only scheduled ten minutes for the border crossing. This bus took the back roads through all the little towns but the only stop was in Chatham where the driver spent fifteen minutes in the terminal. As a result, we arrived at the border a half hour late.

The ten minute schedule for the border crossing was just plain silly. There were ten of us on the bus and they took us all inside for the 3rd, 4th and 5th degree. They wanted to know where we were going, why, how long and wanted all manner of details that I don't normally have to provide. Then they searched the luggage. By the time this was done, we lost another half hour to the schedule and we pulled into the Detroit bus station just in time to see our 3:30 direct bus to Birmingham leave through the other gate.

I checked at the counter and they told me the next bus was 10:30. Yikes. Seven hours in the Detroit Greyhound terminal with no restaurants or WiFi????? I spoke to Blondy and let her know our 6:45 AM Birmingham arrival was out the window, while Sandy met and got talking to a young lady from Minneapolis on her way to a fashion show in Hamilton. That is one good thing about bus travel. You meet lots of nice people. While wandering the terminal, I saw that a 5:50 bus that included Birmingham was sold out so I went back to the counter and asked about stand-by. A different lady marked our tickets and told us to line up at Gate 6. I asked if we should wait until the regular passengers got on and she said that when the bus arrived, we should get on it. We were second in line and I was happy. OK, happier than I had been.

We met more people while waiting in line including Jack, a retired Chrysler worker going to visit family in Athens, Georgia. We all waited for the bus as 5:50 came and went. Why oh why was our original bus the only one to leave on time? The bus finally arrived, delayed it appears because they needed to call in a backup driver. On the way to the bus, we were questioned by two Border Patrol officers. I thought we were done with that at the border. One of them, checking our passports, asked if we had Form I-94's. He said that was written permission to travel more than fifty miles form the border. Never heard of it. Then his partner said they weren't necessary here and the first apologized, explaining that he has just relocated from  the Mexican border. The bus, with Zack driving, rolled out at 6:40 on wet, snowy and partially icy roads. Unlike the original bus direct to Birmingham, we would have to transfer in Nashville because this one was going on to Memphis.

We rolled through the night, napping (you don't really sleep on a bus). Zack went through his welcome spiel with all the panache of a stand-up comic. We stopped in Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati. There we all got off the bus and Jack and some others transferred to one that would continue down I-75 to Atlanta. Reboarding, we had a new driver and some new companions. In Louisville, we were out of the snow but it was still cold. We arrived in Nashville at 5:30, right back on schedule, and quite a few of us got off to await the 8:00 Birmingham bus. We immediately lined up at Gate 2 behind a crowd of people. Although we were worried about the number of travelers, we found these guys were soon out of here St. Louis bound. One driver said we didn't need to line up yet but we've learned how things work. The next unravelling came soon after when they said the 8:00 bus wouldn't arrive until 9:30. Grumbling, we stayed in line and waited. 9:30 came and went and, while buses arrived that would head to Memphis, Atlanta and one more to St. Louis, Gate 2 stayed empty. By 10:00, tensions were running high and the girls at the counter were getting defensive when they were finally pushed to admit they didn't know where the bus was but the station manager was on his way (on a Sunday morning) to deal with the situation. Before we could go Libya on them, the bus magically appeared, we boarded and were on our way. I spoke to Donna for the fifth time with our revised ETA. A couple of stops and we finally pulled into Birmingham at 2:53 PM. That was 37 hours.

Waiting in Nashville

I understand the problems inherent in managing transcontinental bus schedules but failing to keep us informed in Nashville was very poor customer service. Then again, I hear the horror stories of airline passengers being held on the tarmac for hours and realize that any transportation where you are not in the driver's seat leaves you open to this type of thing.

Off the bus, there was Blondy. A sight for sore eyes. We caught up on the drive to Centreville and went to the buffet at the River Bridge Restaurant for supper. Then it was on to the house to make friends with the dogs and get the motorhome ready to go. It all went well (the tires even had the right pressures in them) except for the kitchen faucet, which spewed water all over when you opened it. Hooking the trailer up was trickier because we couldn't get the wheel off the front jack after it was hooked up and had to dig a hole in the ground to get enough clearance. I touched cyberbase with my Email and VROC and found I had blown up in the NASCAR Fantasy Pool. Then it was off to bed after having a piece of the pound cake Blondy made for us to take with us.

Donna's kitchen

The pound cake

Our route yesterday and today (1,256 miles):

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Ready To Go

It's been a busy week. You can tell when I am getting serious because I make a list. Or lists. This list was a long one but I kept after it and, slowly but surely, I ticked off everything on it. But then there is, as Normie calls it, the unknown X factor. This morning, after filing our tax returns and making some calls to track down a couple of Mom's errant information slips, I sat down to upgrade my Garmin Zumo 550 GPS.

A map update should be easy, albeit time consuming because of the 550's USB 1.1 connection. I paid for lifetime upgrades for this unit to stay current and have already done it once. But I have heard that recent upgrades would not fit in the Zumo's internal 1.2 GB memory. And that is what happened this time. All the extra voices and icons had been deleted and the trip logs erased and still not enough room. So I very painstakingly imported regional maps until the memory was filled up, getting most of Canada and the US except for the Prairie provinces and Newfoundland.

Wile I was waiting for the maps to load, I checked out the ever useful Zumoforums and found a procedure that will allow me to install the maps on the external SD card. When I have time and a larger card, I will give this a whirl.

The weather didn't cooperate, either. You'd think the snow could have held off for one more day to allow us to make a clean break, but we weren't so lucky. Several inches of greasy slippery snow fell today but we'll be out of here before the rest arrives.

So by 6:30, my list was finished except for the things to be done just before we leave. There was a minor flurry a few minutes ago when I discovered my suitcase was a few pounds over the fifty pound limit. I have some very heavy manuals and camping guides in there. No big deal, I moved some of the heavy stuff to Sandy's lighter bag in exchange for some clothes.

So Biker will be picking us up at 11:00 PM to take us to the bus station. The bus leaves at 12:50 AM and should get us into Birmingham at 6:45 Sunday morning where Blondy will pick us up and take us to Centreville where she has been babysitting our vehicles. The Chattanooga area VROC contingent have a supper planned for Monday night and we're booked into Camping World for the mods and service first thing Tuesday morning.

The adventure begins. Stay tuned for future updates.

Getting Ready To Hit The Road

Sandy's appointment with the specialist is Tuesday.  I had planned to leave here on the 7th but, after talking to Blondy and finding it would be better to arrive in Birmingham on the weekend, we'll be out of here on the 5th.  Rather than face the costs and/or complexity of flying, we are electing to go by Greyhound.  It will leave Sudbury at 12:50 AM on the 5th and should, after two transfers (Toronto and Detroit) get us to Birmingham at 6:45 AM on Sunday the 6th.

So now that we are leaving two days earlier, I have to kick preparations into high gear and get all those jobs I have been putting off done.

After talking to Sherm, we've also revised the itinerary.  After getting the RV sorted out, we plan to travel to the Ringgold Georgia area and visit some friends while getting the motorhome into the Chattanooga Camping World for a few fixes and modifications.  I need to get the caulking between the cab and RV body redone and want to have a TV antenna installed and  a set mounted.  We'll stick with off the air signals for now.  I also want to get the generator serviced (not sure when it was done) and the oil changed (it's almost time).  We also have a shopping list of goodies to pick up.

From Ringgold, we'll head up to Nashville and catch I-40, which will take us all the way west to Holbrook Arizona and then cut down to Phoenix.  My plan had been to wander west but the timing of a social engagement in Phoenix accelerated the plan.  After visiting in Phoenix, we'll head to Yuma for a bit and then wander our way back through New Mexico and Texas, stopping to take in the sights along the way.  The goal is to be home before Easter so we should have lots of time.

So stay tuned to this channel.  Winter hibernation is almost over and tales of our travels should be starting soon.

Woodstock Ontario to Sudbury Ontario

Sunday morning, time to head home. Before we left, Sandy was looking through the Canadian Tire flyer and saw that they had the bike lift that we were only able to get one of on Boxing Day listed for the same price at the Woodstock store. She pointed this out to Tom.

We were on the road about 8:00 AM. I proceeded east on the 401 at my new, slower pace, stopping at the service centre near Cambridge for fuel and a Mickey D breakfast. We followed the 401 to the 400 and headed north as usual, stopping again at Derek Roberts' Esso in Waubaushene for some food. I listened to Atlas Shrugged on the Zumo much of the way and finished the first half just before Sudbury.

The drive was uneventful. We noticed some fresh snow north of Parry Sound but the roads were clear. Police were largely absent but, at my new rate of travel, it doesn't make much difference because there is no way I would come to their attention.

We arrived home before 2:00 PM.

One thing I never mentioned from Friday. As I was out on Kim's front porch smoking, I watched the garbage men (sanitation engineers?) feed an entire couch into the back of a regular garbage truck. It crushed part of it, drew more in, crushed another section and kept that up until it was gone. I never knew one of those trucks could do that.

Today's Route (317 miles):


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