Medina Lake with Alan and Lou

We aren't through with San Antonio yet. We are joined at a Thousand Trails preserve about thirty miles northwest of the city by our very good friends from Jojoba, Alan and Lou Flaum. They are on their way back home after two months of travel, while we're just getting started. The park is called Medina Lake, but "lake" seems a thing of the past. We were here six years ago and one third of the park was lakeside with a large boarding dock and launch facilities. Now with the lake at 3.7% of normal capacity (that is NOT a typo) the water's edge more than five miles away.




The lack of nearby water hasn't discouraged the local white-tail deer population, and a $10 investment in a 50# bag of deer corn guaranteed their attention.

The park is in the Texas hill country and close to Bandera, a small taste of the West in the "Cowboy Capital of the World." (Most everything in Texas is a bit of a stretch.) Some fun shopping along with a beer and barbeque.

That was followed by a trip to town to see the Alamo and stroll along the Riverwalk - some of the best that San Antonio has to offer. And it was all punctuated by the Spurs successful run for the NBA title.

While in town, we also took a trip down Jan's Memory Lane as we tracked down her high school alma mater - Alamo Heights - and two of her former homes.

One other side note. We knew our house batteries (2 of the six-volt deep-cycle variety) were on their last charges, so we took advantage of a Costco that was close, and exchanged them for fresh ones. Taking a lesson from Jojoba friends who recently posted similar repair challenges while on the road, I carefully photographed the situation before removing the old ones, and used the pic to assure the correct placement of the new ones. In went the first just according to the photo. Then the second. After hooking up the cables, my trusty repair assistant asked why there was so much sparking going on. I confidently told her it would quit when I tightened the wing-nuts. I quickly realized that I was the wing-nut when the batteries started heating up. A quick disconnect, end-for-end swap on the second battery, and reconnect (plus-to-minus-to-plus-to-minus!) corrected the problem. And I didn't even cook the converter. You know, ignorance has limits, but stupidity is a bottomless pit!

San Antonio Walton Family Fix

The highlight of the first part of our journey this year is our visit with our oldest child and his family of three in San Antonio. It has been four years since we have been together, and although F/B and phone keeps us in close touch, there's nothing like the actual thing. David (the III -  twenty now,) and  David (Jr) and Yvonne make a close and happy family, and a real joy to visit.


Yvonne is a San Antonio native, and they have lived here for over twenty years. They are part of a close extended "familia" with parents and four sisters, which makes for aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and cousins galore. Our visit was touched by a terrible family tragedy which happened only six weeks before. Yvonne's kid brother, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan, and the future patriarch of the family, became another of our brave soldiers unable to cope with the memories of combat. D3 considered his uncle Paul his hero and role model, and now wears Paul's dog tags.

Getting time together can be a problem, since all three work, D3 sometimes till 11PM, Yvonne on an 8 - 5 schedule, and David working four 14-hour nights as a shift manager followed by four days off. For us, it just complicates a one-week visit. For them, it's a fulltime challenge till David moves to days next February (or sooner if Walmart promotes him to store manager.) But we managed very well, getting quality time with all three - even D3's girlfriend.

Till next time. We might even get them out to SoCal next year.

Big Bend National Park

Well, I could pretend that it is the next morning, but it's actually three weeks later and we are well down the road. It's not like I haven't had time to keep you up-to-date. Like in grade school -  I get an "X" in self discipline. So.....

We are off to Big Bend National Park, about 65 miles to the park headquarters. When we arrived we were greeted with an unlikely scene in the parking lot - about fifteen or twenty new or like-new Corvettes. Turns out the Corvette Club of California was on a "Tromping Thru Texas 2014" rally. Bet the Visitor Center has never had so much money in the parking area at one time.

We explained our limited time and a very nice ranger recommended a route down to the river , the Rio Grande, through some beautiful country, to Santa Elena Canyon, then back to the highlight of the park, the Chisos Mountains and lodge.

Our doubts about how Big Bend might measure up to our other experiences were misplaced. Lots to see and marvel at, even on so short a visit. In the fall/winter or winter/spring, the hiking and canoe/kayak adventures along the Rio Grande would be a real kick. The 100+ temps kept us from even walking down to the river's edge.

We finished up our visit with a drive up to the Chisos Lodge for lunch - a cool 91 up here at 6000 feet.










When we returned to the Marathon Motel and RV Park, we had time for a cocktail, and a stroll around their very nice garden area.

Hot Stuff Along Interstate 10

Left home a week ago today, and tonight we are camped in Marathon, TX, about 50 miles north of the entrance to Big Bend National Park, which has been one of our targets since we began our camping adventures. We have been this close a number of times before, but there's always been a reason to "skip it this time." So tomorrow we'll see if our efforts now will be rewarded. With all the incredible sights we have seen over the past 8 1/2 years, Big Bend has a lot to measure up to.

The common theme this last week has been "HOT!" We started out in Yuma/Algodones for a couple of nights to get eyeglasses and meds in one of our favorite Mexican border towns. 108 degrees both days. Then it was on to Deming, NM after an overnight in a little park in Marana, just west of Tucson. 106 degrees. We were in Deming for three nights - two non-travel days, one spent touring and one spent doing nothing (we call it a "lay day.") 105 and 107 and 107 degrees.






Our touring day took us north of Deming on a 200-mile loop to the City of Rocks State Park, Silver City - lunch at Jalisco's, - and the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
























While at Gila, we met Jeff and Donna Cooney, recent members at Jojoba (now members at Saguaro SKP Park in Benson, AZ) who had started that very day as Park volunteers. (Only 93 degrees at the caves.)

Then on to Texas - Van Horn - needing to take care of some "business" on our first trip back to TX in four years. State Vehicle Inspection stickers are required on all TX-registered vehicles when traveling the roads in the state. We planned to stay in Van Horn, arriving early enough to get the Jam and the HHR inspected, then on to an RV park for the night before setting off for Big Bend the following day (today. - Have I lost you yet, or are you just losing interest.) Weeell, turns out my scheduling put us there on a Sunday, and the town's only inspection station was closed.

So we decide to mosey (I'm already getting Texafied) on down I10 about 50 miles to one of the nicest $10/night RV stops you ever hope to find - our third time there - right off the highway (108 degrees,) get an early start in the morning for Fort Stockton - another 50 miles - and get those pesky stickers at a station we've used before. Yee Hah! (see?) We pull in at 0845 to get in line. The friendly mechanic reminds us that we'll need our "proof of insurance"  for both vehicles in order to get inspected. (Can you see where this is leading?) Turns out Dave has forgotten to put the latest copies of those documents in the glove compartments. A few phone calls and a trip to the local Progressive agent's office later, we have the necessary poop in hand and by noon we are totally legal (?) and on our way. Whew! BTW, big thanks to the Ft Stockton Progressive agent office for their timely help.

So here we are at the Marathon Motel and RV Park, actually a nice place, watching info about the heat advisory for this area.

Back Again - and So Soon

Hard to believe that it's been three years since my last post, but it also seems like forever. In defense of my absence, this has always been intended as a travel blog - you know, "Jan and Dave's Excellent Adventure." Since we've done almost no traveling over a week or more, it hardly seemed notable enough to bother you followers. But, believe it or not, we are on our way for a 4-5 month journey now - I'm even posting this on day 6 - so it's time to bring you up-to-date.

 

 

Our life at Jojoba has been marvelous, and we'll miss it and our new "home" of a year terribly as we make our way in a "new" travel rig. Over the past three years we've had some changes in our immediate family, losing our beloved Sunny after twenty years, and gaining and losing cute Mr. O'Malley after only 5 months, a rescue we barely had time to get to know. We've also had changes to our immediate surroundings, with the trade-in of our 36' Dolphin motorhome for a 35' Palisades 5th-wheel and a 24' Jamboree class C motorhome. The 5th-wheel stays put, and the "Jam" is a more practical rig for non-full-time travel. We'll see how this works out - and you will too.


With the addition of a golf cart, a gazebo, and about 200 or 300 close friends, we've made Jojoba Hills and Temecula, CA into our best place EVER, and we hope each and every one of you can come visit us here. You can even take a video tour at our terrific website, jojobahills.com.  Wouldn't trade it for the world. After three more years in an RV, it continues to be the best and most economical lifestyle - for us, at least. 




Last week, we put the finishing touches on the Jam, and packed it up to go. We are heading first for San Antonio and a son-David-and-family "fix" and then up through the heartland to visit friends in Wisconsin and Michigan followed by seeing parts of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Colorado before heading back here sometime in October.

We'd love to have you follow along with us.

Springtime at Jojoba Hills

Hello, one and all! I almost missed springtime (at Jojoba Hills) - there's less than a week left in spring! Winter snows (well, at least one) have given way to sunny skies, mild temps, and the full color of spring.

Five+ years of continuous travel and 2 1/2 years of blogging have been capped now by 4 months of sitting still at our new home base in SoCal. We're not through roaming the country by a long shot - there's so much more to see - but it's been great to catch a breather at such a wonderful spot as this mountain "community" of 280+ sites. It's filled with like-minded people - no mixed use homesites here - who remain "on the road" at least part of the year, but know that they will return to a place that is their's.

One benefit for us has been the "yard" - I know...all you readers who have real yards to tend are saying "Are you crazy???" but we have been without a piece of ground where we could dig in the soil or plant a flower or a tree for nearly 25 years. That's a long time for a guy who used to love to pull weeds - yes, I used to be mentally ill. Now we have a space where we can actually do some landscaping and cultivating - go to Lowes and Home Depot and pick out flowers and plants - visit a rose ranch up in the mountains to select the "right" variety of rose bushes to try - shop local nurseries to get the right kind of fruit tree that will thrive in the area. All this and I don't need a lawnmower, because there's no lawn. You can see from these "before and after" pictures, we've taken advantage of all the place has to offer. New outdoor furniture. New places for decor. New ways to make this little piece of heaven even more enjoyable.

The fact that we lead a charmed life has never been more evident than in the little things that happenstance could have made so differently for us. After all, we didn't get to pick our site from many possibilities. We could have ended with the hot afternoon sun on the "living" side of the coach, but we didn't. We could have ended up high on a hill that caught the full breeze (which can be very strong on windy days - you've doubtless heard of the Santa Ana's,) but we didn't. It could have been a much smaller lot (they're not all as big as ours,) but it isn't. We could have been on a treeless expanse (we have a maturing live oak that will someday probably have Spanish moss hanging from it,) but we aren't. We could have had neighbors who were never there or who were cranky (even RVer's can be... well, you know,) but we have great ones. How lucky can two people be?

You quickly get to know your fellow Jojobians, because volunteering for things is at the heart of the success of this place. It was built on 145 acres of virgin high desert by a group of 30 or so RVers  (median age 67) from the local area starting back in 1989. The whole place is beautifully run/maintained by a manager, a fulltime staff of only three office and five maintenance people. So it's obvious that there is much work to be performed by membership volunteering. We can do as much or as little as we want of the day-to-day things as well as special projects like contruction of new storage sheds or restoration of a pond, and committee duty on the various boards which keep the resort running. That may seem like fulltime work, but Jan and I total around 10-15 hours per week - just enough to keep you off your backside.

We are coming up on the summer days - supposed to get downright hot here - most days in the 90's, with most nights in the 50's and low 60's - good hanging around the pool weather and good sleeping weather, too. So far, though it's been great - only four days above 80 so far.

We'll keep you posted - if we can find the time - sigh (or was that a yawn.)