A GOOD FIRST DAY ON THE ROAD…..BUT, NO INTERNET YET:((

THIS IS MY HAPPY RVING FACE TODAY:))
Saturday November 12th 2011……..As expected, we ran into some unexpected problems hooking up our Verizon equipment Saturday night!!
Hauled my frame out of the recliner for the last time this year at 4:28 a.m. Saturday morning.   Surprisingly, Kelly was already up and had coffee brewing.  Lots to do and everything single thing was last minute stuff…again.  Still dark outside under a clear starry sky as we loaded the last few things into the rig.  Big bright moon.  Pre-ignition and systems check at 6 a.m. with main ignition 35 minutes later.  Lift off at 6:38 a.m.  We are finally underway.  Destination….the great American Southwest:)

<<< OUR ANNUAL MORNING DEPARTURE PHOTOS
Unlike like last years snow and fog on the way to the border we had a beautiful morning going for us.  Not cold, cloudy or raining.  Fiery sunrise into a clear blue sky.  Reached the four lane highway 402 at 7:45 and the border at 8:05.  It will either be Jacksboro or St. Jo Texas before we get to set our wheels back on a good old secondary two lane highway again.  I will answer the question of why I prefer this route over going through St. Louis, Oklahoma City, etc in a later post.
Thought we were cooked at the border crossing for sure because the lane we picked had a young male border officer checking each vehicle closely.  Opening car doors and trunks for a look see.  Sent the SUV two vehicles ahead of us to the guard house.  Figured for sure he was the kinda guy to pink slip us for an agriculture check for sure.  But no, just the standard dozen questions or so and he handed our passports back and waved us through with a, “have a good day folks.”
 
 
IT’S QUITE A SNUGGLY CREW WE HAVE ABOARD:))
We barely had time to savor our good fortune when just a quarter mile from the border we were siphoned off down a ramp into what turned out be a long and poorly marked detour through the very heart of downtown of Port Huron.  Road work was apparently being done on I-69 but we eventually found our way back to the Interstate without any wrong turns. 
We had heard there was some confusing road construction around Lansing Michigan but we never did see any.  Picked up I-94 and headed for Kalamazoo.  Made a couple Rest Area doggy pit stops along the way and the guys did fine.  Pheebs was so excited at every stop she nearly jumped out of her fur.  We noticed a big change in Motormouse too.  She was so happy to be traveling again because at each Rest Area she was out running around like a happy little puppy dog.  It was fun to watch both her and the Pheebs playing together.
 
We reached our day’s Wal-Mart destination of Benton Harbor shortly after 2.  Way to early to be coming off the road for us but we slipped in for some groceries while we were there anyway.  This was the same place we stayed on our first night a year ago.
Back on the road we continued west for another hour and a half to Gary Indiana.  Kelly had found a Cracker Barrel using our ‘Next Exit’ book so figured that’s where we would do our overnighter.  This location turned out to be a bonus find because Cracker Barrel is right next door to the nicely landscaped and state of the art Indiana Welcome Center.   There is even a small lake here.  Even found a large vacant parking area for the guys to rip and tear around.  You can actually see the excitement in their little doggy eyes.  The Welcome Center had a very impressive Christmas theme going on inside based on the movie, ‘The Christmas Story.’  I will include more pics of this display in the days leading up to Christmas.

 
OUR OVERNIGHT SPOT BEHIND CRACKER BARREL AND THE INDIANA WELCOME CENTER
A great supper at Cracker Barrel with Kelly having some of those shrimp things and Al having a yummy open faced roast beef sandwich including mashed potatoes and gravy.  Mashed potatoes and gravy sure beats the heck out of Shrimp things in my book.  At the moment I am typing this in our rig parked directly behind Cracker Barrel.  Both Motor and the Pheebs are sound asleep from all their tearing around today.  Pheebs is right beside me on my bed and Motor is curled up in my fleece lined blue jean jacket.  My bed is not wide enough for both Pheebs and I so this will be the first night she will not be able to sleep with me on my bed.  She will have to get used to her own padded doggy bed on the floor.  Motor will sleep on one of our two chair.  We’ll see how our first night goes.  We all have a lot of adjusting to do now that we are on the road.  It’s all a part of being a Snow Bird:))
In the morning we will slip over to a nearby McDonald’s before hitting the road and see if we can check our email and maybe get this blog posted.    Right now our Verizon router is in the process of charging and we are hoping that is all our problem is.  We’ll know tomorrow. (update)  It’s 4:30 Sunday morning and Kelly just got us online) 

THIS INDIANA WELCOME CENTER HAS A CRACKER BARREL RIGHT BESIDE IT AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE FOR OUR FIRST OVERNIGHTER:))
We are currently being buffeted by wind gusts and did hear on the 6 o’clock news there will be a wind advisory in this area tomorrow.  Yep, sure is good to be back on the road again alright…….10-4:))  I’ll get Groaner’s Corner up and running later today.

ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO, WE ARE ON THE LAUNCH PAD AND THE COUNTDOWN IS ON…..T MINUS 10:))

WE ARE SOOOOOOO READY TO RUMBLE……….

We started the morning off in pouring rain but it soon turned to sleet and light snow for a short while.  It didn’t deter us from our morning walk though as Pheebe and I made our way around the trail.  Stopped for a few thoughts at my favourite young Maple tree and then wrapped up our last Pine forest morning walk for the year.  Yes it’s true…….I talk to trees:))

A SKIFF OF SNOW ON THE TRAIL THIS MORNING AND THE PHEEBS HAS AN APPLE IN HER MOUTH

  

A YOUNG OAK TREE GROWING OUT OF A LARGE OAK STUMP…….AND SLEET ON THE MORNING PATH  

It was a day of cleaning, doing laundry, organizing and rearranging.  We do not shut our place down completely so we put a big thermometer in the window for our neighbour to see because we always leave a bit of heat on.  For anyone doing this it is very important to put fresh batteries in your thermostat.  We didn't do that last year and when the batteries failed in both our electric furnace and remote powered gas fireplace stove at the same time the temps dropped low enough to kill all our indoor plants.  Luckily, the fellow who regularly checks our place caught the problem before any damage was done to our pipes.  A very close call, so be sure to put new batteries in your thermostats folks.
 

YEP, I’D SAY WE ARE GETTING OUT OF HER JUST IN TIME ALRIGHT

Still no idea just where we are headed for first in the southwest but I finally do have an idea on which route we will take when leaving here in just a matter of hours.  Decided to follow our tracks from last year and make our first overnight stop in Benton Harbor Michigan.  Sunday morning we will slip into Gary Indiana on the east side of Chicago, change direction and pick up I-57 heading south down to Effingham Illinois.  Reaching Effingham puts us back onto our old tried and true southern route for the southwest.  We will continue south on I-57 joining I-55 south to the west side of Memphis and the Mississippi River.  We will make the big swing down the Interstate ramp onto I-40 pointing the rig's nose directly at the southwest.  I always look forward to this spot either coming or going in our travels because it is a major change of direction and roughly marks the half way point for us.

PICKED UP THIS LITTLE $3 WALL MOUNTED LAMP AT THE GOODWILL STORE LAST WEEK…..MUCH BETTER THAN THE TIPPY FLOOR LAMP WE USED TO HAVE
Don't want to dwell on this but just want to say thank you to all the folks who have stuck with my blog these past difficult seven and a half months.  I have very much appreciated your support, patience and understanding.  Now, let's see if we can get out there and find us a big breath of fresh air and some new adventures:))

WHEN IT BEGAN TO SNOW AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON I THOUGHT……OH OH!!

Left the History channel on TV all day and found myself continuously drawn to the screen watching programs dealing with the 'Days Of Remembrance.'  Our power went out for about an hour beginning at 10:40 a.m.   At 11 a.m. I was in the Motor Home with the radio on listening to 'In Flanders Fields.'  Years ago in my reading days, the bulk of my reading for many years had to do with factual accounts of the wars.  Maybe that is why I joined the Canadian Navy at age 20.  I remember last year on November 11th at 11 a.m. in the morning we were westbound on I-10 somewhere between Deming and Lordsburg New Mexico.

DECIDED TO TAKE OUR SUN ROOM’S GREEN RECLINER THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF THE SECOND RED POANG CHAIR….KELLY WILL USE IT AND I WILL STILL USE MY RED CHAIR WHICH I REALLY LIKE EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN’T RECLINE

About 3:30 this afternoon I hooked the Jeep up to the back of the Motor Home.  Good thing I remembered how because the last time I hooked it up was nearly 8 months ago  before leaving a campground near Canyon de Chelly in north-eastern Arizona.  Took the rig and Jeep for a test run and everything checked out fine.  Parked it with the door opening into the driveway where we can load up the final things in the morning and that’s it.  We are ready to go……….. at last:))

TAKING THE MOTOR HOME AND JEEP FOR A TEST RUN THIS AFTERNOON AND KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THINGS IN THE REAR VIEW CAM >>>

If by chance you do not see a blog from me Saturday night or Sunday morning it probably will just mean we have had a few technical problems re-activating our Verizon Internet card.  Kelly doesn't feel there will be a problem but I am always a bit more sceptical when it comes to a lot of this new space age techno stuff.  In my world, Mr. Murphy is always just around the corner waiting to mess me up……10-4:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A sweet young thing who has just been shopping is pulled over by a traffic cop and given a ticket for speeding. Rather than fight the ticket, the woman writes a check for the amount of the fine and puts it in the mail.
However, the young woman is anxious. Her husband always examines her checkbook carefully, and she doesn't want him to know about the incident.
Then inspiration strikes, and she scribbles on the check stub: "One pullover, $125."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

TODAY WAS KINDA THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM

A LATE AFTERNOON NOVEMBER SUN ON OUR STREET TODAY

Definitely needed a warm coat on today with temps barely hauling themselves above the 40F mark.  Big gusting winds in the night not only brought small branches down but ushered in a cold front.  Late this afternoon the sky's darkened, thunder rumbled and we had a short smash of very cold rain and snow showers. That was followed by a beautiful burst of yellowing sunshine low on the horizon.  Crazy weather for this time of year.  

We are pretty much loaded up and ready to go with just the last day stuff coming up Friday so it will be a busy one and I look forward to that.   Kelly upgraded our Star Choice TV coverage today so instead of the basic package we will get a few extra channels on the road this year including History, CNN, Discovery and National Geographic. 

Today I just kind of coasted.  Felt kind of like the lull before the storm because Friday morning things will begin to ramp up very quickly and stay that way until we finally touch down somewhere in a relaxing spot on the other side of the country somewhere. 

With Remembrance Day coming up Friday the History channel has had many programs on related to the two past great wars.  WW1 and WW2.  Being a bit of a history buff I always find these documentary type programs (not movies) interesting.  Found myself kind of glued to the History channel today watching many aging Veterans interviewed and seeing a lot of war film footage I had never seen before.  Also enjoy the modern graphics used to depict and explain how battles happened and events occurred. 

AL WASN’T THE ONLY ONE COASTING TODAY

Dennis and Donna over at the CAVE DWELLERS are counting down their final departure days to Louisiana and will be on the road just a couple days after we are.  Donna is another one of those people like myself who is just bursting at the seams right about now counting down the days and hours to getting the show on the road.  Let’s just get out there and ‘git er done’ Donna:))

Fellow RVing friends Rick and Kathy Rousseau from Tecumseh Ontario have just published their first blog, IT'S ABOUT TIME.   They are off to a great start using the Blogger format and have done a fine job in setting it all up.  Driving a truck and fifth wheel I think a lot of folks will identify with their blogs title when they read it:)) 

Noticed today we have a new blog follower so the Bayfield Bunch extends a warm welcome to Caterina Serra.  Nice to have you along as we count down the last couple days before our departure to the great American Southwest.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, a minister hears the intoning of a prayer that nearly makes his collar wilt.
Investigating, the minister discovers that his five-year-old son and playmates have found a dead robin. The children, feeling that the little bird ought to have a proper burial, have put the bird in a small box and dug a hole for a grave.
As the one chosen to say the appropriate prayers, the minister's son is mimicking his father's sonorous dignity and repeating what he thinks he's heard his father say: "Glory be unto the Faaaather ... and unto the Sonnnn ... and into the hole he gooooes."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

SAID GOOD-BYE TO UNCLE HARRY TODAY UNTIL NEXT SPRING

IT WAS NEARLY A YEAR AGO WE SPENT A COUPLE NIGHTS AT RUSTY'S RV RANCH  NEAR RODEO NEW MEXICO UNDER THE WATCHFUL GAZE OF ARIZONA’S LEGENDARY CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS

Out of our last 6 border crossings into the States we have been singled out 3 times for so called 'agriculture checks.'  This involves having to disembark the rig (dog's too) and wait outside in the cold while custom inspectors go through your stuff.  This is followed by a long wait at the end of a constantly growing line of people until you find yourself at a counter inside a building with an often as not grumpy custom's officer firing questions at you.  This is never a pleasant experience (generally an hour) from start to finish and is the main reason we always dread border crossings.  We have been free of those border checks for 2 years in a row now but will our luck hold Saturday morning at our Port Huron border crossing or will we be randomly singled out again!!  We'll see...........

PLAYING A GAME OF ‘STICKS’ WITH MAX, CHECKERS AND CORA A YEAR AGO TODAY AT AN IOWA REST STOP

One year ago tonight we overnighted in a little county park in Lindsborg, Kansas on our way west and the following night we made it to Dalhart, Texas.  It is sad when I look back in my blog to that time a year ago and see all my photos of Max and Checkers each day happily traveling along on their way west with us.  Little did we suspect that 5 short months later neither one of the guys would be with us anymore.  Very sad.

<<< TOOK THIS EARLY MORNING SUNRISE PHOTO THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD OF THE RIG SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN IOWA A YEAR AGO

Been toying with the idea of hooking the utility trailer up to the back of the Jeep behind the Motorhome.  Why?  So I can take my treasured recliner with me:))  Ok, just joking about that but I consider recliners to be one of the greatest inventions of modern history.  I do love my big cushy recliner but it's way too big for the Motor Home.  First spotted it sitting quietly amongst a bunch of other recliners in a Sears 'Outlet' store in London Ontario about 6 years ago.  Walked over to it, sat myself in it and pulled the wooden reclining leaver to stretch myself out into full blown comfort.  It was love at first snuggle.  Half an hour later we had the chair in our mini-van heading for home.  Me and my Buddy have been nearly inseparable ever since.

LAST YEAR’S MORNING DOGGY WALK AT RUSTY'S RV RANCH

I sleep in it, sometimes eat in it, write portions of my blog in it, snuggle with the doggy guys in it, catch daily catnaps in it and just generally spend too much quality time in it.  Kelly has sometimes threatened to have me taken to the hospital and have the recliner and I surgically separated.  Sometimes there are furry critters sleeping in it and keeping it warm for when I get there.   From my control center recliner I can open and close our patio door for the guys when coming in or going out.  I can clearly check the daily temperature on a tree outside the window and of course have full control over TV and Stereo systems via remotes conveniently located on a renovated marble topped cabinet/table out of a Phaeton Motor Home.  I can answer the telephone from my recliner and reach one of my Canon cameras for impromptu doggy photos or easily slip out of it onto the floor for a game of doggy toys with the guys.  Yep, I'm going to miss my good old cushy recliner Pal alright and on our return in the Spring it is one of the first things I tend to reunite with when coming into the house.  I look forward to that big huge sigh of relief as I blissfully sink into the welcoming and enveloping arms of my dear old friend:)) 

ROLLING THROUGH HUTCHINSON KANSAS NOVEMBER 10TH 2010

I always carry a 'pruners' with me on our morning walks for trimming back small branches or tall weeds along the forest path. For three years now I have used the blue handled cutters in the photo below. I even take these cutters to the southwest with me each year and carry them on our mountain hikes sometimes trimming back any protruding or low hanging branches growing across the trail.  

MY BLUE HANDLED PRUNERS ARE NEVER TOO FAR FROM MY SIDE WHEN OUT ON THE TRAIL
Jerry's post over at OUR LIFE ON WHEELS was of particular interest to me today.  I totally understand Jerry and Suzy feeling a need to prioritize things and go with the necessary and welcome changes in their busy lives.   They have decided to change some of their blogging habits and I understand why.  I always find the topic of blogging interesting and I always enjoy reading people's thoughts regarding blogs or blogging.

KELLY SAYS GOOD-BYE TO UNCLE HARRY TODAY

We slipped over to Mitchell Ontario this morning to see my Uncle Harry and say good-bye before we leave Saturday.   He's doing pretty good and we feel comfortable that he will be fine over this upcoming winter season.  He is in good hands at the Ritz Villa.  He sure is going to miss Pheebe though.  Uncle Harry always has been a caring 'dog person':))

I REMEMBER HOW GREAT IT FELT LAST YEAR ON NOVEMBER 12TH TO FINALLY BE STANDING IN THE SHADOW OF THE MIGHTY CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS ONCE AGAIN

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A State legislator is awakened in the middle of the night by his wife, who whispers, "I think there's a thief in the house."
"Not in the House, my dear," her husband says. "Perhaps in the Senate, but not in the House."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

SOOOOOOO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING NEW THINGS:))

PHOTOS MAY BE A LITTLE SCARCE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS UNTIL WE GET OURSELVES ON THE ROAD

I am almost afraid to allow myself a twinge of excitement this close to our departure date in case it throws a jinx into our travel plans.  But, allow a twinge of excitement this morning I did, and what a great feeling it was too.  I would have to say, the RV Traveling lifestyle is probably the number one favourite thing for me at this stage in my life and being only days away from another great southwest trip feels like a hurricane of fresh air blowing through my mind.  I love the excitement of unknown destinations and adventures.  And, above all, I love the feeling of being completely mobile and not being committed to sitting in one spot for weeks or months on end.  Our time is our own whenever we chose to let the winds blow us on to our next destination.  We do enjoy our extended times at the Ranch near McNeil Arizona but that is the exception to our blowing around like a tumbling Tumbleweed all winter.  Sooooo looking forward to seeing new things:))

KEVIN AND RUTH had a question about why would we fill up with gas in Canada when we are so close to the U.S. border.  Well, good question I guess and one to which I have no totally logical answer.  Only way for me to respond to that one is to simply say I never thought of it.  Guess it's an old habit of filling up locally before heading out on a trip.  Having been out of the States for 7 months now and not being a guy who ever pays attention to gas prices it just never occurred to me to do that.  I wonder if it would fall under the heading of a 'Senior Moment.'  And Jo over there at THE WANDERING WISHNIES  wondered why it is I can't eat McDonald's Burrito's anymore.  Well, it's not so much that I can't them Jo but I have been trying to avoid wheat based products lately in an effort to see if all that doughy ooze I love so much has an affect on my health.  Of course eating a whole wheat bread Turkey Salad sandwich didn't make much sense Tuesday and maybe those Burritos aren't made out of wheat anyway.  I'm thinking there just may be a couple McDonald's Burrito's in my not too distant future now that you mentioned it:))  

Our temps are still holding out on the mild side with 60F today under cloudy skies and a drizzly kind of mist in the air.  Sure not complaining about the weather though if the temps stay like this.  Thought I noticed on last night's news that we were the same temperature yesterday as Phoenix, Arizona.  I'm keeping a close eye on the weather patterns right now south and west of us.  Noticed it's 66F in Yuma Arizona today and 69F in Borrego Springs California.  Those are perfect temps for hiking so hang on to those temps guys because we are headed your way soon:))

HELPS TO HAVE A BIG LAP AT OUR HOUSE:))

I once again spent time on Google+ this morning trying to gain some kind of concept into how this program works.  Managed to change my profile pic but that was about as far as I got.  Thanks for the response Sue.  Saw a post by someone I finally recognized (Froggi Donna:)) and was able to respond to that.  I did type a message into a box asking if anyone had any easy suggestions on understanding the program but........no response:((  I remember years ago how long it took me to figure out the concept of Blogger.  After half a dozen tries at trying to understand what Blogger was and how it worked I was finally able to fit a couple pieces of the puzzle together and gain an overall understanding of the whole picture.  I probably had the same problem understanding the concept and setting up Picasa and Facebook years ago as well but can't remember.  I will try Google+ again and maybe again......and maybe again.

On our walk this afternoon I couldn't believe how fast Pheebe nearly ran down a Squirrel in a large grassy field area.  Had it not been for a large Walnut tree the Pheebs would have caught the Squirrel.   Pheebs does not appear to have a mean bone in her body so I have no idea what she would have done had she caught up with the little fella.  Probably smothered it in smooches and knocked it out with her big strong wagging tail.  

As much as I sometimes complain about CNN news with it's giggles gang in the morning, seemingly never ending commercials and their tunnel vision focus on repeating things over and over and over.....I'm going to miss the gang.  The TV package we have with Star Choice while on the road does not include CNN so it will be next Spring before I tune in to Wolf Blitzer and the crew again.  But, CNN is a treat compared to the aggravating morning network news program we get while traveling.  More about that annoying noise when we are on the road again.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  My wife still uses curlers in her hair after she washes it. She came into the Family Room as I was watching TV.
I guess I stared at her funny because she said, "I just set my hair."
The last thing I remember saying was, "Oh, really? And what time does it go off?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

GASSED UP THE RIG AND HAD A BIN DOOR GAS SHOCK REPLACED

With the approaching inclement weather in a few days I figured it was best to gas up the rig now rather than later.  Pheebs, Motor and I headed off to Goderich and loaded up with $260.00 worth of fuel.  With McDonald's tempting us just across the road we turned our backs on that idea and instead I zipped into the mall beside the gas bar and got us Turkey salad sandwich for breakfast.  Happy little tummies all around. 

From there it was over to CTC (Canadian Tire) to have all the tire pressures checked.  A-OK.  Headed back to Bayfield for a stop at STORMRUNNER RV SALES AND SERVICE.   Our main bin door on the rig was not remaining up anymore and I suspected the gas shock was shot.  It was.  Had emailed Diane at Stormrunner earlier in the morning to see if they had those types of shocks in stock and they did.  Rolled into Stormrunner's and it took one of the fellows there all of about 3 minutes to replace the worn out shock and I was good to go.  Dianne hadn't met Pheebe or the Motormouse (Cora) before and after following our blog for the past 3 years she was anxious to to meet the guys.  Dianne and husband Harry usually head for Florida every year in one of their nice high end Carriage Fifth Wheels but this year they are breaking with tradition and heading West with a truck camper on their big new Ford dually.  Di had told me awhile ago that after reading our blog and seeing all the photos of our travels over the past few years she wanted to head West for a welcome change and see all that great scenery for herself.  Good for you Di and maybe we'll meet up with you guys somewhere in the Southwest for a good old dust and sage brush infested desert coffee somewhere:))
  
HARRY’S BIG SHINY FORD DUALLY AND THE GAS SHOCK WE HAD TO GET REPLACED

Forgot to mention a few things in Sunday night's post regarding Kelly being able to help a neighbour gain access to our blog site again.  A link in our Shout Box last week from Bob set the gears in Motion for Kelly in tracking down the culprit that was not allowing Monica's computer access.  I also mentioned it was a DNS problem and forgot to explain DNS.  I know how annoying it is when people put clusters of letters in their blogs and then expect everyone to know what they are.  You know, ROTFL, LMAOUISMP, PMPTIOD, etc.  DNS could have meant, Damn Nasty Soup or Disco Night Shuffle for all anybody knew.  Here's what DNS really means......WHAT IS A DNS SERVER.  Had an email this morning from Cindy in Ohio also saying she suddenly couldn't access our site so I have no idea what is going on.  A second email from Cindy said she tried it again later and all is well.  Just seems odd that this has never been a problem until the last couple of weeks. 

And I seem to recall a question from SAM last week wondering what porridge is.  I had mentioned having porridge for supper one night.  Some may remember these words from a Mother Goose Rhyme..."Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold...Peas porridge in the pot 9 days old.  Some like it hot, some like it cold... Some like it in the pot 9 days old."  When I was a kid we always called porridge, porridge, but nowadays it may simply be known as a bowl of Oatmeal.  Whatever you call it, it's yummy with brown sugar and milk.....hot or cold:))

OUR RIG IS ONE OF THE FEW ON THE ROAD WITH A BIG NATURAL BUILT IN HAPPY FACE FOR A FRONT END

So reassuring this year to know we are heading out with all practically new tires on the rig.  We put two new front tires on the coach a year ago before heading south with the idea of replacing the 4 back tires this year before we left.  By the time we reached Flagstaff Arizona on our way home last March we knew we could not chance going any further with the rear tires in the condition they were.  Reluctantly, we pulled into a tire place and had 4 new tires put on.  I took a few pictures that day at the tire shop but I never posted the photos to the blog that night.  It was just one of those tired frustrating days.  Below are those pics I never published.  It sure tore the heck out of a $3000.00 bill:((

 

  

I especially liked the photos in JOHN AND BRENDA'S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY recently.  They trailered their horses from near Phoenix to a beautiful area of the Dragoon Mountains near Tombstone Arizona.  Kelly and I are familiar with the area where Brenda and John rode and camped. 

Click on any of the following colored links and they will take you to my posts about each of these places we have been in and around the Dragoon Mountains.  We have hiked both COUNCIL ROCKS and the COCHISE STRONGHOLD nearby and driven over the MIDDLE MARCH PASS.  We have also Jeeped some ROUGH AND DUSTY TRAILS on the northeast side of the Dragoons ending up at the site of 5 Confederate soldiers killed by Apache Indians.  Spent 4 enjoyable hours at the GRAPEVINE CANYON RANCH nestled into the side of the Dragoons near the Cochise Stronghold.  Also visited 3 old western ghost towns on the east side of the Dragoons as well.  PEARCE, COURTLAND, GLEESON 1 and GLEESON 2.   And yep, I reckon we’ve been to TOMBSTONE a time or two as well.  Great historical area for sure and it was nice to see some familiar territory in John and Brenda's photos:))

I am so looking forward to heading for the Southwest once again and I will be so glad to have something else to write about other than this daily same old-same old routine sitting at home stuff.  This past seven and a half months have been such a loooooong haul.  Looking forward to those big west winds blowing all these old tired cobwebs out of my head again…………… 10-4:))

 

OUR TAIL GUNNER IS READY TO RUMBLE AS ARE OUR BISBEE KIDS UP IN THE WINDSHIELD

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The pastor had launched into one of his "Best Ever"messages. He was about half done, at the 45-minute mark and just getting to the "good part," when a member of his congregation died.
Rushing to his office, he dialled 911. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics carried out 51 people before they finally got one who didn't wake up when they got him to fresh air.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

MY HEAD JUST KINDA WORKS LIKE THAT SOMETIMES

We took advantage of another great weather day and moved a fair few things to the Motor Home.  Kitchen items and clothes being the biggies.  Well, Kelly's clothes anyway.  Checked all the solar batteries and tires.  Double checked the oil level again as well and fired up the generator for 20 minutes.  Water pump checked out OK as did a test firing of our Legacy Blue Flame heater.  We are traveling with a new Shaw/Star Choice TV receiver this year as well as a new tech savvy dish and LMB.  Of course I am leery about the new equipment but Kelly feels confident we will be alright with everything.  I just remember too many frustrations and 'tearing out of hair' with all that satellite type stuff from a few years ago. 

Kelly's patience and computer skills never cease to amaze me.  She just keeps working away at a problem and goes that extra mile until she figures it out and wrestles it to the ground.  If it wasn't for Kelly's computer smarts I would probably still be in pencil and paper mode.  Our neighbour Monica, who recently went to Florida for the winter found that once she got there she could not access the Bayfield Bunch blog with her different service provider, Comcast.  Kelly had Monica download a program called LOG ME IN which enabled Kelly to gain permitted access to Monica's computer in Florida from our computer here in Bayfield.  Kelly then determined Monica’s problem and changed the DNS servers on Monica's computer.  As soon as she did that Monica once again had access to our blog.  Kelly first set this up for her Mother's computer as well over in Spencerport New York about a year ago.  At any time if her Mother has a problem with her computer Kelly can just log in from wherever we are and have a look at her Mother's computer.  We have that 'Log Me In' program on all three of our computers so theoretically if our desktop was on here at home all winter we could access it any time if we had to from anywhere we are.  And, this ‘Log Me In’ is a free program too:))  

HERE’S KELLY TAKING THE RIG FOR A RUN BACK IN HER LONG HAIR DAYS:))

Oh, and Kelly just straightened out my iPod as well.  She was able to figure out how to stop it from shuffling between playlists.  Right now she is tracking down a problem on her work cell phone.  Incoming text messages have stopped leaving an audible alert.  I'm sure she will have that all straightened out right quick.  She has been trying to get me straightened out for over 18 years now but of course that's proving to be a bit of a bigger challenge for her.   But, with a bit of patience……………………:))   

Weather is not looking good for our Saturday departure at the end of the week.  Rain predicted for Thursday, Friday and Saturday with daytime temps dropping to the mid 30's.  Big change from today’s 60F.  We will definitely want to have the rig completely ready for travel by the end of Wednesday.  Don't want to have to be loading things in freezing cold rain.  Oh well, at least it's not snowing.  And at least we are not stuck sitting here for the entire winter.  Despite all my complaining sometimes, we are truly fortunate people:))
 

Occasionally there are times when I sit down here at the keyboard and am totally void of any inspiration to write anything. There are always interesting things to write about of course, but it is just sometimes I question what it is I write about every day. Are my posts too personal at times, too repetitive perhaps, too predictable. The topics are interesting to me of course but are they really of that much interest to others as well. It seems I sometimes hit the nail on the head and as often as not I feel like I have missed the mark by a country mile. Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest simply because it was on my mind today.  My head just kinda works like that sometimes…………………………..10-4

GROANER'S CORNER:((

 

NO, DESPITE OUR BAYFIELD BUNCH NAME BEING ON THIS CARTOON I DID NOT DRAW IT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.