Sunday September 30, 2012-Moving day-Tye RV Park to Alamo Fiesta RV Resort

We went from a small overnight park in Tye Texas to the Alamo Fiesta RV Resort for the South Texas Chapter of the Heartland Owners club.

This is the office for the resort. We have been here several times in the past and incidentally, it was the location for the first IRV2 National rally that we attended back in about 2004.

 Here we are, all set up in our site. We had our choice of sites in the reserved area, and chose #159. This is our first time in this section of the park and I think we made a good selection. Time will tell...

We're kind of lonesome back here all alone! It will fill in soon enough and the party will start!

We were up about 7 this morning but were in no big hurry because we only had about 225 miles to drive today. Stella made us a good breakfast and we were on the road about 9:30. We made good time down the highway since there was very little traffic on a Sunday morning and it had stopped raining.

The further we drove, the more we realized that this was the exact route that we took a couple of years ago when we took Tyler and Cameron to Colorado. I even remembered a couple of stops that we had made with them and it brought back good memories. That's just one of the great things abut this lifestyle, the memories. It's so nice to see something on television and be able to say, "Hey, we were right there!"

We got into the park about five minutes til 2, and the office closed at 2, but it was already locked up. We picked up our brochure that showed us to our site, but the work camping lady came to the door to see if there was anything else that we needed. She saw our trailer and said that they had just bought a new Landmark as well, so I invited her to come to the rally. She is very close to being an owner, so she should be able to come have some fun with us to see what its all about, being a Heartland owner. I just hope I don't get in trouble with Tom for inviting her. Its hard to remember that I'm not the Chapter leader any more.

So long.

Saturday September 29, 2012-Moving day-Corral RV Park, Dalhart to Tye RV Park, Tye Texas

It was a very pleasant night here at the Corral in Dalhart. We didn't discover until we arrived that we had stayed here with Tyler and Cameron a couple of years ago.

I slept late (for me) and Stella slept until almost 7, but it didn't take long for us to get started and we still pulled out about 8:20.

It started to rain on us when we had only gone a short distance and it rained on us all the way to Tye TX where we decided to stay tonight. There is nothing here but bare ground and full hookups, so its okay for an overnight stop. The office was different than most parks. They have a sign on the door to put your check or cash in an envelope and into a drop box and go pick out a site. Keep in mind that this is during business hours... A guy rode up in a golf cart, looking like Goober. He did escort me to a site, but I guess a nice trailer like the Landmark deserved better service. We have the nicest trailer in the entire park! We are out in the middle of the park, all by ourselves.

So long.

Friday September 28, 2012-Moving day-Mountain View RV Park to Corral RV Park, Dalhart TX

Today is the day that we've been waiting for! Our final morning in Creede was a very cold one, but we got stated about 8AM.

Please notice the frost on the windshield of my truck. It was 24!! degrees this morning. We didn't have any problems with froze pipes or hoses, but Gene, our neighbor, had a frozen water hose. Nothing serious happened except that they couldn't take showers until the pipes thawed out.

                One last picture of the Landmark against the mountains.

         The colors are deeper and I hope you can see it in this photo.

 Look at how empty the park is! In just a couple more days, it will be completely empty. Everyone will be gone on the 1st of October.

I love the low clouds against the mountains. I know I'm weird, but I think its beautiful and hope you do too.

We pulled out about 9:20 and luckily for us, there was almost no traffic at all on the road this morning. We made good time and made our first stop at Alamosa where we picked up some breakfast and continued on our way.

The trip was uneventful and we made only a couple more stops along the way, mostly to stretch our legs and once to let the dogs out for their comfort. It was a great day for traveling and the temps quickly warmed up as we left the high mountains of Creede Colorado.

Almost before we knew it, we were across Raton Pass and into New Mexico. We just angled down through NM, which has a beauty of its own. Not as mountainous as Colorado but the flat topped buttes and razorback ridges are beautiful. We passed within a couple of miles of the Capulin National Volcano Monument. We have visited this volcano a couple of times in the past on other trips to Colorado. We took my sister and her husband to it and enjoyed the hike around the edge of the rim. Its a strenuous hike but we were glad we did it. We didn't stop today but may come back someday.

We got into Dalhart about 5 o'clock, after losing an hour when we entered Texas. It seems like forever since we've been in the Lone Star state and we are both glad to get back. One more stop tomorrow night and we'll be in Boerne. Starting to get excited about the rally.

So long.

Wednesday and Thursday, September 26 & 27, 2012-Mountain View RV Park

We didn't do too much these two days except make preparations to leave on Friday. It has been very cold and the daytime temps didn't get over 55 degrees either day. It was pleasant in the sun, so I enjoyed my walks both days. Every day 4 or 5 coaches leave for the season. Bill told me that every day one or two rigs would come in, some for one night, some for more, to see the changing leaves. Since we returned it hasn't been that way and few if any trailers have come in.

Wednesday all we did was wash clothes and I cleaned the truck and trailer for the trip. We went into town this afternoon to the grocery store for the last time. I'd hate to be the grocery buyer for the grocery store. When do you cut back on buying groceries? Some of the tourists stay until October 1st and still need food, and the store stays open all year, being the only grocery store in town. The locals support the store all year, but I bet it's tough to order supplies.

The city of Creede is repairing the main street in town. They really have to hustle to get the streets worked on. I am told that it is really cold and windy with some snow and ice in April and into May and then the seasonal tourists start arriving in late May and June. The season really starts in June and little but emergency repairs are made then, so that only gives them the month of September to work on the streets. It gets cold in October and it is hard to pour concrete or blacktop when its freezing.

Thursday we went for our last ride up into the mountains to see the pretty colors. It is so beautiful up here, I cannot describe it. Pictures don't do it justice and although the colors have gotten deeper but they really haven't changed that much. I'll probably take some more photos tomorrow early in the morning as we're loading up.

We went to the service station and filled up the tanks for the trip. Can I borrow some money? Prices have come down about a dime but it's still expensive!

It started raining this afternoon, which worried me. Snow had been predicted for Monday and Tuesday but it hasn't happened yet. Temps have gotten down into the high 20 both mornings, so it is cold enough for snow but it hasn't happened......yet. We left the water dripping so we haven't had any problems with freezing lines.

We have decided not to go to Los Alamos to Pat and Lori's house. Pat has gotten very busy with his business, and they are going to have to miss the rally so we'll just go straight to Boerne. We'll miss them at the rally but hope to see them at Inks Lake.

So long.

Tuesday September 25, 2012-Mountain View RV Park

It rained all night long, so we both slept in this morning. It was a good day to stay in sweats and relax after the long drive yesterday. At least it didn't get as cold as it was supposed to.

I went for my morning walk and saw one of the mountain tops that was covered with snow. It was the only one that I saw this morning and I am glad the snow is confined to the mountains and not down here in the valley.

I worked on the rally in Iowa and made trip plans for the route back to Texas and Boerne. It will be two days of longer drives than normal, but we'll get there after two overnight stops. I am really looking forward to getting back to Texas and some warmer weather. That sounds funny doesn't it? I have kind of missed the warm summer weather, but have enjoyed the cool weather at the same time. I guess I'm just lonesome for Texas. Guess you really can't get the Lone Star out of the boy..

I had a couple of nice comments on yesterday's post and I want to thank CJ  for her message about Verne's restaurant and to Joe and Sherri (speedysgreatadventure.blogspot.com). Joe (Speedy) said they are planning to come to Creede next summer. I have seen Speedy's name on the RV Dreams website.

Stella made some chili which was very appropriate with the weather like it is, and we invited Bill and Mary over to eat supper with us. It was nice to sit inside and have our supper, and as usual, Stella's food was great! Since we all will be leaving soon, it was nice to spend time with our friends.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite show, NCIS. Tonight was the season premier, and all I can say is GREAT SHOW!! I knew that Ducky wasn't dead...

So long.

Monday September 24, 2012-Moving day-Lakeside KOA, Fort Collins CO to Mountain View RV Park

Today was the day that we had dreaded all week, moving day. There had been five rigs that had stayed over for another day and four of us were leaving this morning.

We were up pretty early but the first thing we needed to do was to go fuel up and to get something for breakfast. I had seen a local feed and ranch supply store that had a better price for fuel, so that is where we went. We then found a Subway sandwich store and picked up a couple of their breakfast sandwiches. We returned just in time to see our friends Dave and Amy off on their trip to Santa Fe NM. After hugs and handshakes, they were off and we got busy to pack and leave also. We made pretty good time and left just after 10 o'clock, a little later than we had expected.

We made good time down the road and didn't even slow down while going through Denver and Colorado Springs. Our only long stop was at a rest area near Pueblo where we all got to get out of the truck and stretch our legs. It was near the south bound rest area where we had stopped last week when we went to Fort Collins. One thing that I noticed about both of these stops are that neither have potable water and apparently use recycled water for flushing. For handwashing, they offer hand sanitzers but no drinking water. I don't know whether this is a "green" thing or they are forcing people to buy drinks from the vending machines. Perhaps I am too cynical....?

We ran through a series of rain showers along the road, especially after we turned off the highway, which slowed us down while going through the mountains. With the slick roads, I was very cautious of wildlife on the road, and we were in no big hurry to get back.

We got back without any problems, a few minutes after 5. Apparently no one had spread the word that we were coming back because Helen, the owner's wife, blocked the road when we tried to get back to our site, until one of the park workers who recognized me, old her that we were just returning and she moved her truck so we could get by. The only problem we had while setting up was that the rear stabilizer refused to go down, but I'll look at it in the morning when it's not as damp and cold.

It was pretty miserable when we arrived, about 55 degrees and very damp, but it got worse over night. It rained off and on all night but at least it didn't get as cold as was forecast. They had predicted 28 tonight but it only went down to the low 40's. I'll take it but the week isn't over yet and more cold is predicted. We'll see...

So long.

Sunday September 23, 2012-Lakeside KOA, Fort Collins CO

Today was the final day of the Colorado chapter. We have had a great time here and I will recap this weekend for you.

Thursday, most of the rest of the rally attendees arrived and the fun really began. Everyone went their own ways for supper but we had a nice chat at Bob's site. We had a very good time with this Colorado group.

Friday morning, our friend Dave who is the Wyoming Chapter Leader, made waffles for breakfast and we all enjoyed them. We went with Dave and Amy to the Fort Collins Brewery where we had some good microbrewery beers and some really tasty sandwiches for lunch. We came back home and relaxed and went to the potluck dinner tonight. We had a nice campfire later to end the night

Saturday morning one of the Colorado chapter members, Monica and her husband Don fixed breakfast burritos for everyone and they were great. Stella had stopped at one of our neighbors to visit and I stopped and talked to them. We all went to a seminar from Windish RV on RV maintenance and winterizing. They also prepared hamburgers and hot dogs for us with all the fixin's. We had an impromptu potluck with leftovers from the potluck dinner the night before with a campfire after.

Today, most of the folks had to go back home but four trailers stayed behind including us. We saw everyone off and went back home to watch football (and nap) and we all got together to go out to eat at a place called Vern's Place. The food was good old home style food and was very good. We all enjoyed our meal and returned to the park for our last campfire. It was a great way to end the rally!

So long.

Thursday September 13, 2012-Trip to Lake City CO

These photos are from a drive we made from Creede to Lake City, showing the beautiful fall colors and snow in the mountins.

Thursday September 6, 2012-Trip into the mountains

We drove up into the mountains to see the colors in the trees.

 A view out over the fence at the park. The mountains surround the park, so there are beautiful views all around us.

This is on the county road called Deep Creek road that runs along behind the park.

                                    More from Deep Creek Road.

This photo is down into the Wolf Creek Pass valley

Sunday September 2, 2012-Labor Day-Homemade Soapbox Races

We went into Creede this morning to watch the soapbox racers as they ran down the main street. It was fun to watch these homemade beauties run.

       Here are just a few of the people watching for the races to begin.

The first race begins! This little three-wheeled vehicle is waaaay out in front of his competitor.

               Here comes the yellow boat, sadly behind the three wheeler.

When he got to our location, about two blocks from the finish line, he needed a little help to keep going.

               This odd looking three wheeler was also ahead in his race.

                 Here is the replica car in the race with the three wheeler.

                           Another strange-looking stand-up race car.