Heading North
Thursday 7/31, Sedona Arizona.
It was hard to say goodbye. We have all grown quite fond of the Cacafuego and the whole RV experience, at least in it’s simplified, quirky variation we lived for ten days or so. There are a lot of different types of people out there living the RV life: Gypsies, migrant workers, vacationers, retirees, redneck bow hunters, and you are as likely to meet up with one kind as another. I suspect we will try again sometime, but with a modified strategy, An RV is too complex a machine, both a motor vehicle and a tiny house – sort of a “Motor-Home” as it were, and I think it is treacherous to put all your eggs in one basket. Better to split the tasks a little more sensibly and tow a trailer, even though that means you can’t ride in your living room. It’s more flexible, as you can mix and match components, and you can disconnect the trailer and drive around downtown without backing into things quite so much.
We are now on vehicle #4. First the late lamented Cacafuego, then sporty red rental in Austin, two days back in the Cacafuego, another mini SUV rental for the Grand Canyon leg of our trip, and now, purchased outside Flagstaff, a hearty Ford Econoline van suitable for both carrying and/or towing our gear for the rest of this trip, and heading into service for Rising Tide Inc. once it gets back to Baltimore. I think I shall call her Sophie.
Ann and the girls have headed back to Gallup to clear out the rest of our stuff from the Cacafuego, leaving me to finish the sales contract on Sophie, and I am having lunch in Sedona at three in the afternoon on a beautiful, hot 102 degree end of July day, looking ou the window at spires and mesas and savoring the tingle of habanero on my lips. I will rejoin them in Gallup this evening, and we will decide a route from there. I hope to persuade them to go north into Colorado, either to Mesa Verde and beyond, either east to Boulder, or North to Yellowstone. I think we need to regain some vehicular confidence before we commit.
Friday August 1, Cortez Colorado
We picked North.
We spent the night in a buggy RV park in Gallup, then unloaded the rental car and loaded our Canyon gear into the Sophie, then drove over to the auto mechanic’s who was babysitting the Cacafuego and made our final unload and farewell. I think we had all done with our emotional reactions, so it was not too hard to unload., and by noon we were on our way, with $300 cash in my pocket for the scrap. I tried to siphon the +/- $80 in gas from her tank, but the hose I had was too stiff to coil up in the bottom of the tank. We also left behind a couple of nice pans we had stowed in the oven and forgot to retrieve, but other than that, it’s just a burden off our shoulders now.
We drove North and visited the monument at Four Corners wher you stand in line to have your picture taken in four states at once, then on up to Cortez for an early stop and reorganization, so that tomorrow we can tour Mesa Verde, then on another hundred miles to Arches National Park. After that, we will decide if we still have the verve to go on up to Yellowstone.
GRAND CANYON, and bust…
We made it to the Grand Canyon last night about 9pm after leaving Gallup< NM at 2pmish. Today we woke up early and made a light breakfast, and then found the hike to the Trancept and Bright Angel Point. BEAUTIFUL. Spent hours there, just looking and taking photos, and looking around the Lodge, and looking at the chipmunks and a deer.
Tom had seen a mule earlier in the morning, just walking around the campground. It’s a beautiful day. I even had enough bars to call my dad from the Grand Canyon. He and I were here on the south rim in 1978, and we took a mule ride 1/2 way down. We could see that path from this side. Tom was also here once before with his Uncle Bob, and they walked down and back up. Yikes. So then a slow day of showers and siesta, and we will go back to the rim for sunset in about 2 hours.
But let me go back to Gallup… We left Gallup about 8pm on Sunday night after leaving Santa Fe. We gassed the Cacafuego, and were going to drive to the Petrified Forest and camp so we could see that first thing Monday and then come out here, but at about 9:30pm I was having trouble with the Transmission. I couldn’t get out of low gear, and it was quite unnerving. So we tried to pull off, but the road we pulled off on was frightfully dark so we got back on Route 40 West and finally limped off at Chambers, where we thought we had seen a sign for an RV park. By then my nerves were SO rattled, that I just turned around and we parked in the lot of a Trading Post/gas station for the night, praying that someone would show up in the morning.
Well, we had a batch of visitors all night long for what seemed like such a deserted spot: two truckers who didn’t like the price of gas, two motorcyclists who didn’t mind it, and other cars just kept coming and going all night long.
Tom finally got up at 5:30 or so and took the moped to a Mobile station we’d seen on the other side of the exit, but there were no service stations for MILES, so we called AAA. After much negotiations, we found an independent tow company who would tow us back to Gallup, and we’d see.
But the first thing the tow truck driver did was disconnect the drive shaft, ’cause it messes up the transmission if you don’t. Remember the tow we got back in f……g Rockdale? No drive shaft disconnect there… So back to Gallup to a Mom and Pop Service place and after much wrangling…They first jumped the battery and took her for a drive, started up nice then, but why running so hot? And while it was still cold, she would shift, but once hot, she would not. Well, it seems that little handyman fan is not enough for that big of an engine and why didn’t the guys in Rockdale notice that?
And yes, the transmission was shot, and by the way, I’ve never liked how the brakes felt. So do we put more money or consider our options. But wait, we have reservations for tonight at the GRAND CANYON! So we rented a car, threw all the camping gear in it and high tailed it out the the Grand Canyon, after deciding that we will leave the Cacafuego there for junk. We will deal with that when we get back, the nice folks there were good enough to let us leave her there.
Options are: buy something or rent something. Fortunately, Flagstaff is big enough we can do either. We will keep you posted, but that was the biggest.
Santa Fe was great, it was Spanish Market, just like when Tom and I were there 4 years ago. Great art, and food, and many things to look at. We had such a nice day, and such a nice siesta in the Cacafuego after the all night drive. It was so much fun being “home” again. We are all saddened by the pulling of the plug, yet strangely relieved that the stress is off. THanks for all the posts and emails. They get me through.
-Ann
Crank it UP!!
Willy Nelson: “On the road, agin,”
Martin Luther King Jr.: “Free at last! Free at LAST! Thank God Almighty, I’m FREE AT LAST!”
Tom Hickey: “Ow!ow!ow!ow!ow!
After ten days (not all of it wasted) we are finally travelling again. We meant to spend maybe three days in the Austin area, and were happy with the amusements of about seven of them. Austin is a swell town, much like other university towns large ans small, with coffee shops, an unofficial motto of “Keep Austin Weird” and they do a pretty good job. I got to go to one Aikido class there, so that justifies bringing my gi bag along. They seem to be a sattelite dojo from Takoma Park with three transplants from that dojo that I recognized – Violina Rindova, Dinee (sp?) and Nancy, both of whom I don’t remember their last names. Nice people, nice class, no pictures.
We struggled with the repair shop for days over the work schedule to get the new engine in the Cacafuego. First they said, “Wednesday evening or Tursday morning.” Then, “Thursday evening or Friday morning,” then “Friday evening or maybe sometime Monday.” Things got a little tense at that point. Finally, at 5 pm on Friday evening, interrupting the matinee of “The Dark Knight”, (which is, by the way, the best batman movie to date, by far), the service manager called and said the mechanic would work late and call him when he was done, and he would in turn call me, and it should, God willing, be ready at 8 am Saturday, after a test drive.
At 8 am Saturday I was at their gates. I could see the mechanic inside, through the window, with the engine compartment still disassembled. They let me in and I sat for three hours with my book. (As yet another aside, I highly recommend revisiting the old John D. McDonald “Travis McGee” detective stories from the 60’s. Iconic stuff.) At 10:30 the service manager said that they were finished, they just needed to rebundle the wires and hoses, take it for a test drive, and let it go.
By 2 pm we were on the road.
By 7 am we were in Santa Fe.
With the time zone change, that was 750 miles in 15 hours, not including stops for gas, a visit to WalMart for a new tire. The rear wheels come in pairs, for a total of six, and when we were running low on the outer tire back in North Carolina, I guess we damaged the inner tire without knowing it, and as we approached a small town it started thumping like mad. Fortunately for us, the service department was still open, and we were the last vehicle, so all five mechanics pounced on the task, and we were back on the road within the hour.
We drove all night, in one to three hour shifts, and dawn in the desert was fantastic. It rained for a hundred miles, from Roswell NM half way tp Santa Fe, and the clouds were just breaking up as the sky lightened. Fog rose from the desert floor, and the sun broke brilliant on the cloud bank over our shoulder. This is the weekend for Spanish Market, and we parked just two block off of the main square in tyown where they hold the festival. We have toured the Georgia O’Keefe museum, had a siesta, and now we are laying plans for the final run to the Grand Canyon this evening. It’s just six hundred miles, so we hope to get there in about 15 hours. Our original reservations at the North Rim campground are for tomorrow night.
More, Back in Austin
Back from the move: we saw “Hancock”. Wanted to see “The Dark Knight,” but it’s sold out til 10:45pm and that’s way too late for us. We love the Alamo Movie Theatre, though, they serve food and drinks before the movie. Tom called the mechanics in Rockdale and they think it will be late tomorrow or early Friday. They had to order one more part. SSSSsheeeeeesh. We are tired of all this. For a while, the kids were tired of all of the driving. Now they are tired of all of the sitting. WE tire of hotel life, and we realized that hotels don’t really want you to read in bed. It has been seldom that the beds have lights next to them. Now, I’ll go look for some photos of the day.
Hamilton Pool
The artist at work
Lazin' in the River
Other thoughts by Ann
Of course, while we are RV-less, we have seen MANY RV sites inside the city or town limits, some within walking distance of some interesting things to do. But noooooo Rv for us… We are seeing clouds from Hurricane Dolly. All day there have been many fluffy clouds and the quality of sunlight has been very different, and as we came into Austin, we saw three separate rain storms ahead of us, and it started to rain just as we got out of the car. Very heavy, but very quick rain. Now there are very dark clouds to the east. A fabulous day at Hamilton Pool, a natural pool made by a source of water and then at the “other end” of the walk a bigger river, the Pedernales River, where we found a rock in the middle and just latched on while the water went by us. So did a snake, swimming his way by, and then a red squirrel came to the water to drink. The only signs of civilization were the sounds of some people laughing upstream and a wire across the river, upstream. BEAUTIFUL. Back in Austin, time for a movie
Sunday, July 20, 2008 (Tom)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
We have had a series of pleasant, yet eventless days, here in the land of the lotus-eaters, where each day is much like the one before, and prospects for tomorrow are not much different than today.
I am exaggerating, of course, but staying in motel rooms is not half as much fun as roving the country like gypsies so the ennui is palpable around here, despite specific activities each day to keep ourselves entertained.
Friday was travel day, as we left Austin and went first, back to Rockdale to scavenge the Cacafuego for gear and clothing that we had been missing during our first hiatus in Austin. We drove from there to San Antonio, and along the way we saw a roadrunner and longhorn cattle, neither of which we managed to photograph, and we stopped for lunch at Sonic, which is an old-fashioned car-window fast food place that, apparently, everybody in the country takes for granted except us easterners. We also stopped at a farmer’s market and bought hand crafted goat cheese from a toothless old texan in a straw stetson hat.
Our hotel in San Antonio was a bit of a dive, in the shadow of the interstate, but the price was right, and we were only about ten block out from the downtown tourist district, so we could walk back and forth and get our exercise with only the occassional detour around a wino or two on the way. The Alamo is downtown, surrounded by gift shops and office buildings, much like Liberty Hall in Philadelphia, of Graceland in Memphis, and it is oddly unnerving to stand and contemplate the solemn history of the place with neon and chaser lights behind your back. There is a plaza there, with great gobs of human activity surging back and forth, including kids with plastic light sabers and sombreros, as well as belligerent street preachers and two, or maybe even three, arch-rival ghost tours who would, I think, gladly make of each other fodder for next season’s spiel.
And, it was HOT. Siesta time is a serious business when the sun burns down over a hundred degrees from two to five pm. We didn’t notice if all of San Antonio shuts down for siesta, but we certainly did. In the hotel with curtains drawn, naps being optional, and then out again after six pm. The first night we visited the Alamo, then dined on the Riverwalk, which is a long maze of meandering walks along the canals and channels of the San Antonio River as is cuts through downtown, lined with restaurants and cafe tables, and with tour boats and dinner boats plying trade up and down the waterways. It is pretty, but the food was tourist grade, much as we expected.
My class at ACA
On Saturday, I got up and made my escape to Alamo City Aikido, the local ASU dojo, in the hopes of a little exercise and a change of pace, since I haven’t been training much at all this year, and it is about time I got back into it. I had packed by aikido gear for just such an unlikely eventuality, that I would find myself in a town with a dojo, and with time on my hands, and it turned out that the family could do without me for a few hours after all. The local sensei was an alum of the Washington DC dojo, so he knew my teachers, and told me that I was welcome to visit, but he would not be there, and that he suspected I would outrank any of his local students and would I mind teaching class? I ended up doing just that, which was a little uncomfortable for me since I felt out of shape, but we all had fun, I guess, and they bought me lunch.
Stephen Spielberg works with Angelina Jolie on her characterization of the title role in THE SOPHIA LOREN STORY
Ann and the girls were out touring the Alamo interior and getting lunch, so we all rendezvoused for siesta and a swim under the freeway, then went out for the evening to first tour some of the other old missions, then dinner (away from the Riverwalk), then a ghost tour from one of the snipey, fractuous, and frankly-creepy-wouldn’t-feel-comfortable-passing-him-on-the-sidewalk tour guides. They passed out infra-red thermo-meters (laser pointers), magnetic field detectors (stud finders), and dowsing rods (bent coat hangers on a spool) and tramped us around downtown pointing them at things and listening to stories about the old spanish garrisons and vigilantes and such. It was mildly amusing and moderately irritating at the same time, but it gave us something to do.
- Lunch in Boerne (Bear Moon Cafe)
This morning we shook the dust of that town from our car tires and had another travel day, this time to the Texas Hill Country, which is much like the Texas flatlands, only hillier. We spent a pleasant hour or two in the crafts and antiques town of Boerne, and had luch at the local coffeehouse, with a homey character and a sophisticated menu. I had Yucatan chicken and lime soup, as an example, and I hope to recreate the recipe someday.
Now we are in Fredericksburg, another lovely town of arts, cafes and wineries. I had small tastings at two wineries this afternoon, within two blocks of each other, and there are at least three more further down Main Street to hit tomorrow. The German heritage of the place apparently is responsible for the town policy of encouraging open containers of beer and wine on the sidewalks,which is, in my opinion a very civilized way to live, at least until someone puts an eye out, or something.
Dinner this evening was crackers and toothless texan goat cheese, with a jar of local jalapeno jelly for counterpoint, with bananas and Nutella for dessert, enjoyed in the comfort of the Super 8 Motel. We are all content with a quiet evening tonight.
AWH-Austin
Did you hear about the fireants? They are AWFUL. While we were standing around in Rockdale, waiting for the tow truck to come, we were standing on the side of the road, and walking around. Soon, my foot is on fire! They are small, red and FAST. Just taking two or three steps off the road, about 8 to 10 ants were on my foot and BITING. Here I am two days later, and my few bites itch so badly. Yowza. Last night we swam in Barton Springs and then found a theatre and saw WALL-E. The springs are a natural spring, the water is very cold and clear, though there is a good bit of algae floating in it. I thought it fabulous, thinking that people for perhaps thousands of years have been enjoying the cool refreshing water if this spot. The movie was cute. The theatre has seatside food and beverage service, so the family enjoyed some sodas, beer, mozerella sitcks and chicken tenders. Very classy. Found two nice bead stores in town and bought some very silly state charms. Guess there will be a theme necklace soon. And, of course, a mission of finding more state charms. I miss the Cacafuego. Hotels are nice for some things. But I do miss some of the comforts of “home.”
Engineer’s Log 7-17
July 17, Austin, TX
We have had a charming day in Austin, found the cool and funky part of town on South Congress, and spent the night in the definitely Unfunky (but inexpensive) Extended Day Suites about 15 miles on the north side of town in superhighway and supermall hell.
I spoke to the mechanic this morning, and he confirmed our fears, that the Cacafuego’s engine has probably suffered terminal damage. The compression on the left cylinders is at about half capacity, while the right side reads fine, which, even to a layman such as myself, indicates that there is a pressure leak on that side of the engine block or head. We could have the cylinder head removed and tuned and planed for a particular sum of money, which does not guarantee that the block or the pistons, or the rings aren’t screwed as well, or for somewhat less than double that amount, we could have a used engine from the local auto recycler (read “junk yard”), which comes with a 90 day warrantee, put in it’s place, OR, for even more money, we could install a freshly rebuilt engine with a GM certification, OR, we could junk the scarey son-of-a-bitch and buy a cargo van and a trailer.
We held a family conference this morning, and, much to my surprise, everybody expressed too much affection for the old goat, and the adventure as a whole, to contemplate throwing in the towel on her, so we elected the middle road choice of putting in a junkyard engine, provided that the warrantee has any real meaning once we leave town. I have not heard back from the mechanic on that score, he was going to get a copy faxed to his office and let me know what he thought of it. In the meantime, we have extended our car rental, and are looking for a better hotel, or at least a more convenient location, and expect to spend the next week touring around the Austin/San Antonio area. We had lunch at an outdoor creperie in a park, and talked with a charming young man at our picnic table about the local attractions, so we are set for a few days of local interest, at least. When the Cacafuego is serviceable again, we will hightail it out of town and try to catch up to whatever amounts to a schedule, meaning making it to the Grand Canyon in time for our reservations on the 26th and 27th. If we don’t make those dates, well, flexibility remains the watchword.
Engineer’s Log 7-16-08
July 16, Rockdale, Texas
The Cacafuego is down, and maybe for the count. We broke a belt after a picnic lunch at a rest stop west of the Brazos River, and, although Ann and I changed it, the time spent with the water pump not moving must have done some damage. The engine started rough, and a quarter mile down the road a rattling began. I pulled off the road, and immediately the cooling system exploded spewing radiator fluid all over and generating a huge cloud of steam. I thought we had an engine fire. So did a passing driver, who called 911, and shortly we had a helpful samaritan and a sherriff’s deputy on hand to help us decide what to do.
The deputy called for a wrecker, and we towed the vehicle several miles into town, and left it at the Chevy dealership. We were quite lucky to be that close to civilization. We spent the night in a hotel, and Ann has gone on her moped into Taylor, the next town 30 miles up the road, to get us a rental car so we can go into Austin and settle in for a couple of days while the Chevy people figure out what to do. I spoke to them already this morning, and it was being looked over at the time, so we should have an analysis fairly soon. It needs a new radiator, and is leaking oil somewhere, but there is also the rough engine bit, which is the most worrysome. We may be home sooner than we thought.
Ann’ thoughts of the day: pre break down…
AWH: Other thoughts here:
At Poppy’s Market in what ever town that was, “Ahab, the Arab” and “Alley Oop” were playing on the Loudspeaker. Whoever chose the music there is a lover of odd stuff like me!! I was amazed and pleased. Did anyone mention that Sarah drove for 2 hours and 20 minutes yesterday during rush hour, and through Shreveport ? I was in the back reading my Tennessee ghost stories; I’m not sure which was scarier. She did a GREAT job and had a good time too, which are both good signs. I am pleased with both girls, they are very accepting of this camping and campsites. Thank you Girl Scout leaders. Elinor has been great at rigging things, like the tarp one rainy night, as she explained, every campsite they went to it usually rained and so all they did was rig tarps. I’ve been teaching Sarah some knots, so more of that can happen. One regret…I found some child-proof drawer latches at Goodwill in B’more and Tom said we wouldn’t need them, especially since we rigged the drawers not to fall out, (what did the previous owners do about that?), so I left them home. And sure enough around the first big corner, we were wishing for them. The drawers spend a lot of time open, but not falling out at least. We have adjusted well, I will put them in when we get home, but again, what were the previous owners thinking?
About that…This rig, (and I’m being nice here, because it is my home for the next 4 weeks) is junk. It is swigging Antifreeze like there is no next hour and we just discovered it’s going through oil too. I am not only cranky with the previous owners, but the guy who did the inspection. I expected some of this, but not ALL of this. There is a little switch on the steering column that is an additional fan for additional cooling of the motor once stopped and off. That’s how hot she runs. All of this homemade rigging has overridden the real meters, and all the readings are crazy. And now Tom is dealing with the leaking of the water containers. Thank goodness for silicone caulk. But we are sleeping well, though the girls might dispute that, and still have some room for souvenirs. We are not leaking when it rains, and the A/C works when we are plugged in. As long as we can find electricity and running water, and the camping/RV places have shower/toilet facilities, I’m happy. Once closed, the loo here is noise tight, but also tiny and stuffy. I don’t think anyone has actually tried the shower in here.
We got rid of a few things at Goodwill today, and bought a few more things, so the trade off is almost even. Wi-fi is not as prevalent as we had hoped, or we’ll see it free in odd places (like a donut [sic] shop) right after paying $4 at Barnes and Nobles.
Now, more on the biking. We thought the Natches Trace was fairly flat, till we decided to try and bike it. So, we get the bikes off and the moped, and check tires, and get helmets down, and get geared up with gloves and yellow safety vest and water bottles, and off Sarah (on the moped), Elinor, and I go. Tom is driving ahead. So, I’m slugging away and I ask Elinor what gear she is in, and she says 6 or something, and I ask, “1, 2 or 3?” “2-6,” “OK.” So I”m slugging away. They take off ahead of me and I am Slugging away…I’m in 1-3 and just barely moving… and I realize that flat road is really a long, long gentle hill. I keep slugging away and finally get off and walk a while. Elinor comes back to check on me, and we discuss the hill aspect, I have gotten back one to ride for a while, and she admits she was in 1-6 when I had asked her earlier. She had misread it. GREAT. I am in NO shape for biking, could you tell? Tom comes back at some point after I have crested the hill and riding again, and tells me there is no turn off for 5 miles, and goes past me. I had just worked up a good speed, so was not going to stop and chat. Whatever. I figure I can walk five miles, no worries. So he goes past me again, and around a curve, I see some cars stopped after hearing a squeal of tires. And perhaps you know the rest by now. PHEW!
Our route is nicely untraveled. We are seeing few cars, and are really seeing the country. Though the Natches Trace was deceptively cool, we discovered as when we came out to the road parallel to it, it was much hotter out there without the steady overhead trees. Most of these small roads are also not interesting to trucks, so we only see cars, and only a few RV’s. The speed in Texas is 70 day and 65 night. Don’t get this craft going that fast. I’ve gotten her up to 60, but just barely. One risks many scary things going that fast in this rig.
Another regret is that I didn’t take a picture of this little shack off the side of the road back in Tennessee. It was painted these great brilliant Carribean colors, like hot pink with purple or turquoise shutters and purple trim. Very tidy and neat, with a big sign saying,”Business for Sale, by Owner.” And we wondered, “What kind of business, really, was that, in this lonely place?” But I have the mental picture in my head, of that cheerful little spot, and the men that might have visited her. We are seeing shacks and trailer homes. Lots abandoned, and lots who knows. A few big places, no real McMansions. Some lovely little Victorian towns, and the town squares just continue to amuse us. They do still exist, but one very lonely one was followed up by about three miles later by a Walmart Super-store.
And now for the BEST IDEA…
What we are finding is that the RV parks are way out of the towns, so I propose we buy part or all of the Baltimore Contry Club site and make an RV park! Tom has already named it the Roland Valu-Park (RVP). See, that way RV’rs could stay in the city, go right across to shop at Cross Keys, have easy access to I-83, and still be close to many things. Year round activities: sledding in the winter; tennis in the spring, summer, fall; football and basketball games right across the street. Shopping up and down Falls Road. Think of the tax revenues, and we’d keep the Park in Roland Park. Just a few sites, very well landscaped and private. A few campsites, too, would be nice. That way the locals could still enjoy the area, and the travelers would meet the locals. The land would be used, but not too heavily. It would be a year round entity and yet not too much wear and tear on the local economy. We could add a swimming pool, that could be community and RVP, a play ground, a dog park, all kinds of amenities. We could keep all or most of the trees, and add more trees and tasteful landscaping to keep it secluded and hidden. Part of the proceeds would absolutely go back into the community, to the RPCL, or to Roads and Mantenance. It would be a true little jewel of economic opportunity. Anyone wishing to go in on this ideal opportunity should call me soon, the lines will be open. I should call the Mayor at our next stop.
