Chapter 8 July 13 - July 21, 2009

After spending ALL DAY at Freight Liner we finally headed to Oregon about 4:00pm.  We had NOTHING but HOT weather for four more days.  We got to Phoenix RV Park in Salem, Or on the 17th and found ourselves in ALMOST perfect weather!!  It was a little too warm during the day but cooled down to the 60s at night.  At least we were comfortable!!!

We stayed at the RV park for 4 nights before heading to the coast.  The park is VERY NICE and CLEAN and within walking distance to the store.  We were able to have a few dinners with our friends, Dennis and Darlene, and spend some wonderful evenings outside playing cards and Mexican Train with them at Willamette Mission State Park where they are Park  Hosts and we will be park hosting with them Aug and Sept.  It was so good to be amongst friends again!!

We left Salem this morning and headed to Depoe Bay on the Oregon coast.  We are staying in Fogarty Creek RV Park right on US101 and within walking distance to the beach.  I am sitting on the couch and looking out the window at some  beautiful big trees at the edge of Fogarty Creek State Park.  Of course, I do have to look through and around a few motor homes, BUT it is still nice!!  It’s supposed to be cool, not cold, and sunny during the day and cold and foggy at night. ( At least that’s what weather.com is telling us).  I am so excited!!  I don’t think I will have to shave my legs the whole time we are on the coast ‘cause I’ll be wearing long pants!!!

After setting up the motor home, we took a drive down the coast to Boiler Bay and saw 2 whales!!  Of course, we didn’t have our cameras and binoculars with us!  Then we walked through Depoe Bay.  What a cute little town.  Came back to the motor home for a lasagna dinner and enjoy the cool/COLD night.    

Chapter 7

We left Nacogdoches, TX Friday morning about 10:30 and arrived in Aledo, TX around 4:30.  We were looking so forward to some cooler weather.  WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!?!?!  It was just as HOT and MISERABLE!  We decided, shortly after we got there, we would go to bed early and get an EARLY start in the morning and not stop til the sun went down...We drove 13 hrs to Deming, NM where it was 87, cloudy and windy, and even rained a little bit...Not perfect, but A LOT BETTER than TX...We even got to watch some fireworks!!!  Sunday morning we headed to Happy Trails looking forward to the DRY heat!!  As we were driving, our outside temperature gauge kept going up and up and up!!!

By the time we arrived we had seen the temperature go as high as 116.  BUT it was a DRY HEAT!!!

Well, we have been here a week now, and I’ll tell you what, anybody that stays here in the summer by choice has got to be CRAZY!!!  The average temperature has been 110, IF NOT HIGHER!!  First day here I decided to get up early and go for my walk.  At 6:30am it was already 84.  That was the last day it was lower than 90 at 7:00am AND the LAST DAY I went for a walk!!!  

Ok, enough of the weather...we did get the motor home all put back together, and was able to move Rich’s doctors appointment from the 23rd to the 13th, so as soon as the doctor gets done with him we are heading for Freight Liner for a lube, oil, filter appointment set for 7:00am Tuesday.  Then we head to Las Vegas where it’s supposed to be 106.  BUT it is supposed to be 85 in Salem, OR when we get there on the 17th!!!

Since it has been TOO HOT to DO anything FUN, I really have nothing more to say.  I’ll write again when the Asphalt Wanderer is wanderering in COOLER weather!!!

Take Care

Rich & Dorothy 

Chapter 6 Pictures are Worth 1,000 Words

If you right click on the pictures you should be able to "open link in new window" for a better view 

Remember Me?????

Our motor home sitting with the BIG Boys (Country Coach and Prevost)

Motor Home with slides out

Notice the Name Plate?????

A SHORT Chapter 5

Well, we are hoping to leave Nacogdoches, TX Thursday or Friday at the lastest...YIPPIEEEE       YIPPIEEEEEE   YIPPIEEEEEEEE

We should be in Arizona by the 4th where it's ONLY between 101 and 104 for the next 10 days!!!  Well, at least it's a DRY heat!!!  We only plan on being there as long as it takes to put the motor home back together and then we will head up to Oregon to some COOL weather.

If you click on the link, www.xtremegraphics.net, and then on Work in Progress, on the left hand side, you will see pictures of our motor home BEFORE it is done.  If you click on What's New at the bottom of the left hand side, you'll see what our apartment looks like.

Since I don't know WHEN we will have internet again I can only promise to send pictures of the FINISHED paint job sometime soon.

Stay safe and we'll be in touch soon!!

Rich & Dorothy

The Asphalt Wanderers

Chapter 4 June 11th - June 24th

Not much more to say about Nacogdoches, Tx.  We did take a drive to Shreveport, Louisiana and visited the El Dorado Casino.  We even came out $12.00 ahead BEFORE lunch!!

We have been to the Foretravel and Motor Homes of Texas dealerships SEVERAL times.

We have spent quite a bit of time at Wal Mart, too!!!!!

Oh yeah, we went to the Blueberry Festival last Saturday in downtown Nacogdoches.  We tried to go early, 9:00 am, in hopes of beating the heat.  We left by 10:30, dripping wet!!

We were so desperate Monday, we drove to Livingston to pay the motor home registration, even saved $1.00 by not mailing it, and went to the Escapees Park to pick up our mail!!!!

But most of all, Rich has been up at the shop keeping an eye on the motor home, noticing things they have missed :( 

Between the 2 of us we have read 8 or 9 books in the last 2 weeks!!!!

But this weekend was GREAT!!!  We went to the show and then dinner Saturday night for Rich’s BIG birthday!!!  We saw “Taking of Pelham 123” with Denzel Washington and John Travolta.  Excellent movie, kept us on the edge of our seats the whole time!!!  Then we went to a Mexican food restaurant where Rich said he had the best chili rellenos he has ever had.  It was deep fried in a batter...ummmm ummmm good!!

Sunday we decided to take a ride to and around Lake Nacogdoches.  I even got out of the car and got my feet wet...It was like bath water!!!

We have added up the miles we have driven since being here in Nacogdoches.  We have driven over 700 miles and still haven’t seen anything worth stopping at except the Grapeland Safari.

The good news is they say they will be done with the motor home by the middle of next week.   WHOOPIE!!!!!!!

Oh God help us!!!  Rich has just spotted a Marathon Prevost bus conversion for sale right here at Xtreme Paint & Graphics!!!

Now it's REALLY starting to get exciting here in Nacogdoches (for Rich anyways)

'Til Next Time

Rich & Dorothy

Asphalt Wanderers

Photos for Chapter 3

http://picasaweb.google.com/papanana2u/grapelandsafarijune2009



Ok, several people have asked for more pictures, so if you click on the above link you SHOULD be able to see some pictures of the animals of Grapeland Safari.

If it works, let me know, then I can say I figured out how to send pictures and send more!!!

Good Luck

2009 Chapter 3

Hi Y'all...

I'll try not to make this too long!!!  But we have been in Nacogdoches, TX for 10 days now...Let's see, where did I leave off

Oh yeah, we left Midland, TX (with plans to NOT stop on our way back to AZ) and headed to Cowtown RV Park in Aledo, TX. (just west of Fort Worth)  We still had plenty of daylight when we got there and considered continuing on, but we are very glad we stopped.  It was a very nice clean RV park with up-to-date motor homes and 5th wheels.  The weather was perfect so we pulled the chairs out and sat outside on grass!!!  Even enjoyed a walk around the park!!!!  A definite stop when we head back to AZ.  We left there Sunday morning anxious to get to our destination!!!

We arrived at Xtreme Paint & Graphics around 3:00pm after driving past it.  It's not nearly as big as we expected which caused panic #1 for Rich.  We were expecting a bigger parking lot with electricity hook ups but, it only has room for 2 RVs.  Luckily, there was only one other motor home when we arrived.  Rich wasn't too impressed after getting out and looking around which caused Panic #2.  Then he started to worry about the apartment which caused Panic #3.  Well, we settled in for the night and anxiously awaited our Monday morning appointment.

Monday morning we were met by very friendly employees and the owner of Xtreme Paint and Graphics.  They all scrutinized the exterior of the motor home from top to bottom while they mumbled amongst themselves.  This gave Rich and I a chance to see inside the buildings and yards of the repair shop.  Not to our surprise, the place was full of Prevosts, Bluebird Wonderlodges, and Foretravel.(Bus conversions and motor homes).  To make a long story short, to this date our motor home has been stripped of all exterior hardware and its windows.  The old paint job has been thoroughly sanded off.  A minor amount of body work that Rich was not able to get to prior to us leaving AZ. and a coating of primer has been applied and sanded.  Tomorrow the motor home will be moved into the spray booth where the layouts and masking will be done in order to apply all the colors.  By Friday next week, our coach will be clear coated and ready to reassemble.  HOPEFULLY 

After going over the details of the motor home we were shown the apartment.  Actually, it is very nice.  It is basically a studio apartment.  They told us the Directv wasn't hooked up yet but they expected the installer out the next day.  So we emptied out our refrigerator and everything else we thought we would need from the motor home and moved into our new home.  With no TV to occupy his mind, Rich stayed focused on panics 1 and 2 all night.  Next morning we were in the shop bright and early and I have to say, the owner seemed to put Rich's mind at ease by the end of the day.

Unfortunately the TV didn't get hooked up until the SECOND WEEK we were here.  We rented a couple of DVDs and watched them on the computer (not a good idea), bought a jigsaw puzzle and put it together, and read and read and read.  We did take a few drives through and around Nacogdoches and was surprised at how green everything is.  But now that we have been here for a while we know why it is so green.  THE HUMIDITY!!!!  The locals tell us the REAL humidity hasn't even begun yet!!!

Not a lot to see or do in Nacogdoches, but we did take a drive to Grapeland TX about an hour away and went to the Grapeland Drive thru Safari.  Now that was fun!!  You drive your own vehicle through the 59 acres of free roaming animals.  We bought a bucket of food to feed the animals and learned very quickly they know cars have FOOD!!  They come running as soon as they see you!!  And they are NOT shy!!!  The ostrich was right at Rich's window when he turned with the camera!!!  We had camel, donkey, deer, buffalo, and a few others that seemed to know where we had the food, on the floor, and thought they should just help themselves.  Well, I could go on and on about the baby pot bellied pigs, kangaroo, geese, turkey, zebra, llama, and others that I don't even know what they were, but I promised to keep this short.

Actually, it has taken me several days to get this much done and I do have more things to report, BUT that will come in chapter 4.

Until next time

Rich & Dorothy

The Asphalt Wanderers