The Wrap Up!

The End of this Blog.  Thanks to all my readers, I hoped you enjoyed my blathering.

It was a fun run and I recommend that everyone try it once.  A smidgen over 8500 miles saw the job done.  Car put out a message, "Service in 1500 miles or 242 days, which every comes first."  Other than tires the car ran great.  I figured out the cruise controls after a couple of days, which helped.  Call me a spaz, but my eyes couldn't read the button markings without glasses and I never remembered to look after I had stopped. 

I saw some states for the first time and parts of others that I'd not seen.  All good.

Lost Stuff:
    Sun glasses, bought another pair, probably in NC at a golf course
   
    Reading glasses, backup pair broke, bought new ones, they are hanging in there
   
    Golden Age Park Pass vanished, bought another, found the first one, it had worked it's way into the spare tire area of the car, which is two layers down.  
   
    Special Lug nut to take off tires is in Bladen County, NC.  I called them to see if they had it.  "Bring the car in," she said.  I was in New Mexico at that point.  Seems they have a whole drawer full of these kind of nuts.
   
    Golf watch had been taking on moisture and then it lost its glass face and then it got really wet as I could never remember to take it off when showering.  That caused some of the buttons to not work and the display to smear.  I replaced it with the newer version, which was about $50 less than the old one.  Bushnell Neo Ion, if anyone cares and I find it does the job, battery seems to be better than the Neo that it replaced.
   
New Things:
    Saw Arkansas
    Saw Oklahoma
    Saw Central Texas
    Spent a night at Toad Suck Park
   
Parks:
    Saw Canyon De Chelly and Petrified Forest in Arizona - both worth the look.
   
Issues:
    Tires could never be balanced and caused noises and shimmies and psychic damage the whole trip.  Big O was great about trying to fix it (three times), but I've concluded the tires are an issue now.  Probably my own fault as I didn't rotate them the first 20k miles.  I probably should have left them in place.  Volkswagen in Austin charged about $60 for a balance, I'm convinced they never did it.  Volkswagen in Albuquerque was good about removing the locking lug nuts, for which I no longer had the "key."  No Charge for that. 
   
About driving long distances:
    Longest run was 16.5 hours, Albuquerque to Pleasanton; Albuquerque to Austin was a fairly long run too. 
   
    Shortest was probably 300 ish, which seems like a pretty short run to me now.
   
    I couldn't have done it without the audio books - music might have worked, but the books were great. I got through about 5 of them.  Jack Reachers were a favorite; I also liked "The Cairo Affair" as being a bit different.  I would stop them when the driving got complex and back on as soon as I didn't need full concentration.
   
    There are a lot of food/gas stations along the way.  They were all pretty good.  I tried a bunch and didn't find any favorites.  Tip, buy supplies and sodas at the grocery stores and not along the way.
   
    Ice was useful with my cooler and more some when I added a bucket as the ice bags always leaked and food got wet.  Soaked bread will not take peanut butter well.
   
    Cooler would hold ice for a couple of days.  I like to chew it and I bought some plastic cups early on.  My cooler was not expensive.  I got it at Costco for $27 or so.  It's soft sided and I could put it into the passenger foot wells for easy access.  It has the easy access portal on the top and that was useful.

       
Gear Notes:
    Lime Fuel battery was useful - provides 2 amp usb output and enough capacity to charge my phone about 4 times and the tablet 3 times (you don't get both!).
   
    Phone holder worked well until the last day, where the phone got dumped twice.  Not sure what is happening there.
   
    Google Maps did an exceptional job getting me around and avoiding accidents and such. Various apps for finding campgrounds and making reservations were useful.  One of the things I would have liked, pay attention here Google, would be to search for a camp ground 400 miles from my  location, heading west on I-40 (Google is close to being able to do this.  It may be my lack of ability!)  I also would like google maps with mileage radii displayed.
   
    I had a 4 port 2 amp usb plug for the car.  That worked well.  When I ran Renee to the airport, I think I had my phone going and she was charging two other items.
   
    I have a Motorola Moto X Pure and it comes with a "turbo" charger.  Probably just a two amp output, but it worked well for everything - tablet, phone, fan.
   
    I didn't get a chance to use the fan, but I think it would have been very useful.  I'm home now and it's 65 degrees, everywhere else it was 100.
   
    Hatchet was a good buy.  Tent and all the camping gear worked quite well.  I bought a couple of pillows and they were ok, but the way I sleep, I really needed/wanted a normal one and not the inflatables. 
   
    Hammock has some promise, but I only got it up once.  I was going to set it up in Arkansas, but the trees need to be fairly close together.  I will look into extended suspension items to make that more flexible.  The hammock itself was comfortable and its built in bug screen seems a great feature.
   
    I never got to cook as I was usually tired and it was universally hot, usually over 100 and I didn't feel like food at that point in the day.  I'd read and then crash early instead of cooking, cleaning and eating.
   
    Most expensive gas was in Needles, CA, at $3.99 for premium, cheapest was $2.23 in Muskogee, OK.
   
    At the California border they ask about where you came from, fruits, veggies and firewood. 

Factoids:
    Lots of Adult Stores out there and bridge repair going on.  I saw bridge work in all the states.  It was a pain as I had to adjust speed when they closed down a lane for the work.  Where is all the money coming from for those jobs?  Have the Obama shovel ready jobs suddenly come on line?
   
Roads:
    Worst were a toss up between Chicago and California.  I-5 from Bakersfield was an uneven adventure.  That seemed to apply to the right lane for the most part.  The roads going around Chicago to get to Indiana were pot holed and then they have the affront to charge tolls.  Otherwise, roads were pretty good and basically empty.  Traffic was not a big problem until coming up I-5 on the last leg.  I did try to get out of big cities early in the morning.  I left Chicago and Albuquerque at 6 am, which was a good decision.  Though it probably didn't matter much for Albuquerque.
   
I think that's about it.  It was a good experience.  Being alone doesn't bother me much.  There were places I would have enjoyed sharing with Barb, maybe I can coax her out for the next trip.  The camping was comfortable enough for me.  The setup and take down was not too much of a burden.  I'd like to setup and stay in an area for a couple of days.  The Canyon De Chelly area would be a nice place to explore for a couple of days.

It's different to travel alone.  Stop where and when you want; eat what you want.  No need to consult!  But you don't get to share the experiences either.

Golf highlights:  I got to play with Jay in CA and NC - always a competitive treat, with the Bob, Chuck, Diana and Butch in Chicago and I got to play a couple of rounds with my mom in Albuquerque with the ladies 9 hole group -- they were gracious enough to allow me to play with them.  Then John and Paul and Todd in Albuquerque - got to play the 18 holes side of Los Altos, which I liked.

And finally a special thanks to my many hosts:  Jay in Santa Monica, my parents in Albuquerque, brother Ed and Judy in Austin, Ann Marie, who gives great tour, in St. Louis, Nuclear Bob and Elaine in Elgin, and last but not last, the Family Grimes in NC! 

It's getting to the End...

Dear Loyal Readers,

The great trip is about to end.   On Friday morning I'll be heading from Albuquerque to Barstow,  over night there and then head for home.   About 900 miles to go in total.   The run to Barstow is the long one.  

I'll do a wrapup on the trip and mention any gear that stood out.

It's Friday and I've made it home in one long jump today.   I'll write the last post in a day or two.

A Quick Note about Tent Life

I've come to a couple of conclusions about this camping thing.  I wanted to share.   :-)

I've found that I like the camping better than hotel stays.   Yes,  the hotel was climate controlled,  the bathroom near by,  the temperature tightly controlled.   Yes,  it was quiet,  no bugs,  places to sit which were padded, standing head room, and all of that and I preferred the camp site.

What was it,  I hear you ask.   Well,  it was for the most part noisier,  but with outdoor noises,  not blower AC white noises.

I've had my own picnic table,  sure with a bit of bird debris,  usually.   But outside and amongst the trees and heat of an angry God.

Then there is my little tent and sleeping pad and minimal bedding,  all mine and a small feeling of accomplishment when I set it up on a nice level area,  without dead tree limbs above me.

I rest well in the tent and read a bit and usually go to bed early.   I get up when the sun brightens the day and get on my way.   I need ear plugs.

It's good and relaxing and satisfying.   It would probably be even better if I had gotten around to do some cooking,  but the heat was a killer and I find that driving and snacking seem to go together, and by the end of the day,  I've eaten enough.

The one issue is the heat in the tent.   If there is wind, it's not bad since I've been in fairly dry areas.  But there has been a lack of that.   Even at Toad Suck Park the wind dropped with the sun (correlation/causation!!) it was hot.   There was thunder out there,  but it never came close.   I was kind of hoping I was going to get some rain...

I've put Amazon on it and a USB powered clip on fan is on the way.   I'm hoping this will sit on the top of the tent (now,  the low ceiling is a wonderful thing!)  and powered off my Lime Fuel cells,  provide all the cooling I want.   Heaven!   For Sure!   I'll report on it as I know more.

Otherwise the gear is working,  though I've only used it 6 times.  I've used the axe/hammer the most as a tool.   Pegs have to go in and the axe does the job nicely.   One of the campgrounds was hard gravel and the axe was needed to pound the Pegs home.

Finally more car news.   I was seeing some shimmy at 80, which is a reasonable speed when crossing Texas.   I found the local Big O and they test drove,  balanced and test drove again.  My man assures me that it's all good now.   He needed to shift weights by a half an ounce on each of the front tires.  Big O has come through twice on this trip and again there was no charge for their work and efforts.   Many thanks!

That's all for now.   Trump has asked the Ruskies for some information and suddenly email security is a right and not an annoyance for our dear Hillary.   Shockingly bad logic on the talking heads' part,  but don't get me started on that.

Time to lift the next beer and taste some hot dip mother is pushing on me!   (She is still crying when she thinks of the DNC,  she'll come around at some point I hope.)

Trail of Tears

See prior post for the teaser...

The Trail of Tears was on display in OK in brochures at the Toad Suck Park.   But it's got more than one meaning in the Hume household...

I get to Duke city about 6 and meet my mother at the door,  which was unlocked and showed scant concern for security!

Mother was all red eyed and teary.   Well,  it is good to be missed,  I thought.   But no!

Mother was all chocked up by the DNC's nomination of Hillary.

"I had this tremendous reaction," she said.

"I had one too.   Tears don't come close,  my stomach hurts too," I said.

I tired to comfort her as a good son should.

"Don't worry mom,  there is a real good chance she won't be elected. "

You would think this would sooth her angst,  but strangely,  I had misread the situation.

She punched me in the shoulder!   And exclaimed that this was a historic occasion and for over 150 years a woman had never been nominated.

"Well,  your gender has only had the vote for 90 some years,  so I'm not sure the 150 number means much."  Here again I was trying to get some rational grounds back into the discussion.   Every little bit can help,  I've come to realize.  That remark didn't go over well either.   Was I blind to so much in this conversation?   What else was I missing?

Yes,  Hillary has the nomination and my sister is probably a bit upset too as she was rooting for the Bernster.  The recent emails from the DNC seems to suggest they like democracy as much as any politician and decided early to help Hill on her way to the coronation.  This grass roots stuff can be annoying when the riff raff get involved.  

When the smoke cleared only my mom seems to be happy about the outcome.    

Actually,  I'm not unhappy or emotional at about it.   I've got views and they are not real important.   As a gal at work said a while back,  "I don't mind a woman president,  just not that woman." 

I think it will be an interesting race and I look forward to the debates.  It's been an interesting election season and I was hoping for more fireworks from Bernie and his minions at the convention.  But Bernie seems to sold it all for a plane ride and what did his supporters get for their money?  Maybe like the lottery,  a bit of a dream!   Reasonable return,  I think.

One other thing as I ponder this and do my laundry, there are clips of Michelle Obama talking about how wonderful Hillary is and how capable and her hubby joins in on this.   Then we get the clip from 2008 where Hillary is not to be trusted with car keys much less the nuclear football and is totally incapable of running her house (aka Bill and his walking zipper) and therefore shouldn't be running the White house.   All of which came from Michelle also.   What a difference 8 years makes.   Is any of that true?   Is it all crap?   Both can't be right?   If you believe Michelle now,  did you disbelieve her then?   Or has Hillary turned on some super powers to eclipse the abilities of all prior presidents as our dear Leader would now have us believe?

In re the prior paragraph; I see posts from friends about how wonderful the Obamas are and they never say why,  it seems to be obvious or assumed or something.   But clearly the public utterances of these folks are just for show and the moment and the audience, and what they really think is pretty well hidden well away from the folks who vote.  Pick your facade and run with it!   But please don't point to any of it as an honest utterance.

Sorry for the soap box.  The illogical aspects are much more interesting to me than what they are trying to sell.

I'll be spending a few more days here with the folks,  then head home and   rest my driving feet!

Toad Suck to The Duke City

Hello loyal readers,

I made the run yesterday from AR to NM,  it was about 13 hours.   I found a new bug in Google Maps and saw three dead armadillos.  There was a guy in handcuffs in Texas being walked away from his car.  And about three cars in the ditch in Texas as there were some heavy storms at the Texas Oklahoma border.   The storms didn't last long,  but they were bad enough I tucked behind a semi with its blinkers on and slowed down.

Trivia question: what is unique about the armadillo?   Answer below.

The run was p[retry uneventful.   I started about 6:40 getting out of Clayton,  which is a bit beyond Little Rock.   Got to The Duke City about 6, but Mountain time.   Google maps had been showing my eta as being 7:30 or so,  not realizing until I crossed the border that it was in a different time zone.   I appreciate that an Eta is kind of a relative thing,  but maybe show the local zone with an asterix or something.

One other feature that I would like is for the app to show the current speed limit on the road.   In some states they are not posted very often and I don't want a ticket.   The hardware GPS systems typically show this.   Also since Maps is calculations eta it must know the speed limits all along the route. 

I got here to a cold beer and a crying mother -  but that is in the next post.

Trivia answer: the armadillo is the only animal that can contract leprosy and thus can be handy in the lab when doing research.   Probably not the best for the armadillo.

Toad Suck

Yes,  you read that right.   It's a place along the Arkansas river,  it has a dam and it can be spelled differently on official signs on the way to the park. 

I don't know how it got its name. 

It's also 100 degrees,  which is a lot cooler than yesterday,  I am told. 

I've been promised mosquitos too. 

I'll see if I can slip in a picture. 

Arkansas is a lot like Indiana,  but the trees are taller and it seems to have less planted crops.   But it's just as flat. 

Drive from Knoxville was fine,  about 8 hours.   New time zone!   One armadillo on the road,  one Greyhound bus - -  first I've seen on the trip.   I remember then from my youth being everywhere.   Maybe everyone has a car these days. 

Camp to setup,  about 10 minutes.   There is a nice breeze,  I hope it lasts as it really helps with the heat.   It's a pretty dry here and in the shade pretty comfortable.   I have a couple of trees close together,  so I may try the hammock again.   It's got that built in bug net and might be just the ticket to a short nap before bed time. 

Ok,  I'm going to setup and then add some pics to this a bit later. 

The picture inserter can't see today's pics, so I'll toss them up on facebook.

Tent is setup and I'm a bit warm!   Time for a cool down.  How did the early people do this without ice?   My cooler is keeping ice semi solid from yesterday morning and it's great to eat and chew and mix with warm soda.  It's also kept my Baby Bell cheese guys cool.   The cheese has been a nice addition to my snacks. 

I may try for Albuquerque tomorrow.   I have to cross Texas to do that.   How far can that be?  

The Turn Towards Home

I've left Wilmington,  NC and have headed West.  

I dropped Renee at Charlotte's airport about 1 and have ended up just west of Knoxville.   I was going to camp,  but the gal at the camp grounds expected it to be rainy again tonight as it has rained every day the past week.

So I wimped out and am in a Micro tel.   Small room,  smells a bit weird,  but they all seem to do that.   They have a nice 20% tax on hotel rooms here,  seems excessive,  but I've been off the road for a decade.

Tomorrow's plan is to end up at the Toad Suck Park which is a bit beyond Little Rock,  AR.   I suppose I should worry about the Arkansas Mafia,  but they should all be at the convention tomorrow.

It's a run of about 8 hours and 550 miles.   Which is about 1/2 the way left to Albuquerque.

The Grimes' annual vacation draws to a close as we all scatter back to work or our corners of the world.  We ended the last night doing a low country boil,  which is sausage,  shrimp,  corn,  onions,  potatoes,  old Bay seasoning and some snow crab legs and claws.  Barb's brother Joe brought his gas powered burner and big pot,  which did a nice job on the cooking.

Traditionally one pours the food onto newspapers and all get handsy over goods.   A bit of butter  for corn and potatoes and some cocktail sauce for the shrimp and it's quite a feast.  We passed on the newspaper ink and used some trays.

I left the beach Saturday evening as I wanted to split some of the driving up, since I was not going to be driving until 10am or so.  

I spent the night at Beth's,  Barb's younger sister,  and I crashed and slept in a bit.   Tanner,  one of Sharon's brood,  brought Renee up with some fried chicken sandwiches from Milton's.   Then we drove to Charlotte.

About 3 hours to get there and Renee got off ok.   She is connecting to DC,  then Belgium and then on to Ghana.  If you read the earlier post,  I did have the tree wrong,  but I don't remember what the real one it.

Beth's son,  Joseph has started a blog,  "The Life of Joseph Martinez"   I'm told there are several posts there already.  I'm going there next.

My destination is Albuquerque where my mom has prepared a new list of items to help with.   I'm guessing I'll be there a week or so,  then off to California and home and some time not on the road.

It's been a good trip with lots of unexpected items,  but even with seeing friends and new places,  I'm about ready to head for the house.  When I traveled for work,  10 days was usually an edge beyond which I started to get twitchy.   I'm feeling ok,  but I'm looking forward to being home.