Rick and I are headed out for a long RV trip from California and the Pacific Ocean, to Florida and the Atlantic Ocean!
Check back over the next couple of weeks as I hope to Blog along the way!
Check back over the next couple of weeks as I hope to Blog along the way!
- Day 1. Drive San Diego to near Casa Grande, Arizona (between & Tuscon). We passed wind farms near Palm Springs, and some very rocky areas. Charlie grilled up some great steaks, Pattie made side dishes AND chocolate chip cookies, and we drank a little vino in their motorhome. Not a bad start!
- Day 2. Drove through Arizona, and into New Mexico. Lots of flat plains surrounded by sharp rock/mountain formations. While we normally enjoy the beauty of the desert through Tuscon, it was heart-breaking to see thousands of saguaro cactus that seem to be rotting on the bottom. These majestic plants are only found in the Sonoran Desert and they are very slow growers.
From the Saguaro National National Park website:
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/az/cac_sag.htmA saguaro's growth is extremely slow. Growth occurs in spurts, with most of it taking place in the summer rainy season each year. By the end of a year the saguaro seedling may measure only 1/4 inch. After 15 years, the saguaro may be barely a foot tall. At about 30 years saguaros begin to flower and produce fruit. By 50 years the saguaro can be as tall as 7 feet. After about 75 years it may sprout its first branches, or "arms." The branches begin as prickly balls, then extend out and upward.
By 100 years the saguaro may have reached 25 feet. Saguaros that live 150 years or more attain the grandest sizes, towering as high as 50 feet and weighing 8 tons -- and sometimes more -- dwarfing every other living thing in the desert. These are the largest cacti in the United States. Their huge bulk is supported by a strong but flexible cylinder-shaped framework of long woody ribs.
Saguaro cactus:
We are in Las Cruces tonight, and I have internet! www.lascrucescvb.org It's our night to cook, but we are going into town for some great Mexican food! La Posta de Mesilla. We have all eaten before and it is good! Here it is: laposta-de-mesilla.com/ It's a very old building that was once a jail. We are practically in Mexico. And the food proved it!
The TV weatherman is predicting record-breaking high temperatures today. High 80's. It's "Fat Tuesday" and we are glad we are not closer to New Orleans! It wouldn't be pretty dragging this big ol' RV through Bourbon Street, would it? haha But think of all the beads it could hold!
The TV weatherman is predicting record-breaking high temperatures today. High 80's. It's "Fat Tuesday" and we are glad we are not closer to New Orleans! It wouldn't be pretty dragging this big ol' RV through Bourbon Street, would it? haha But think of all the beads it could hold!
- Days 3 and 4 -- still driving through Texas! It's over 900 miles wide! It's mostly flat with slightly rolling hills in some places. Nothing to see but you can see it for miles!! We could spot some oil wells, and wind farms. (I was looking around for T.Boone Pickens!) AAA book says there are farms around that raise goats just for cashmere! San Antonio is nice, we know from our trip 3 years ago. We'll be stopping on the way back.
Only in Texas -- "Liquor and Guns - Drive Thru" ! !
click on the photo to enlarge it.
click on the photo to enlarge it.
- Day 5 -- We finally made it across Texas! We've arrived in Lafayette, Louisiana.
From AAA: "Lafayette (population 110,000) Cajun Country and the Gulf Coast gas and oil industry--Lafayette is the center of both. The Cajuns, whose French Acadian Ancestors came to the area in the mid-1700s, speak a French dialect, observe many old customs and serve a distinctive cuisine. The discovery of offshore oil transformed Lafayette into a booming business and industrial city."
From me: Meanwhile, after days of flat plains and ranches, we see a booming metropolitan Houston. The outer edges are filled with new construction, wide roads, and elaborate freeway interchanges. Population: about 2 million. Kevin Schell, I thought of you by the Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park! Jim White: by the Budwiser plant! :) Texas does have the distinction of being of the very few (4 out of 50 maybe?) States whose economy is still going well.
haha -- probably no one will ask for more details again! Anyway, we are close to New Orleans and just missed "Fat Tuesday" and giant mardi gras celebrations. (that's OK for us...way too many people, although I would probably enjoy the parade! It does look like fun, doesn't it?) see: Mardi Gras New Orleans
Downtown Houston:
- Day 6 - Instead of 3 days in ONE state (Texas), today we passed through 3 states in one DAY! We made it to northern Florida after driving through Louisiana, across Mississippi, and just a short trip cutting through just a short leg of Alabama, before entering Florida. We have definitely left the dryness of the desert as we drove hours over the marshlands. Some low-lands had 20-mile long elevated freeways to get across. It was a day for causeways as it seemed half our trip was water-logged swamp country. Cactus have been replaced by moss-covered trees and water water everywhere! We listened to local radio as they still discuss problems due to the destruction that was caused by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. It is very humid out. No sunshine. :-( After dinner in our RV we laughed our way through "Apples to Apples" (with the help of two bottles of wine!)
- Day 7 - RV trouble -- Pattie & Charlie's RV wouldn't start this morning. Of course it couldn't do that at the campground, but instead a half mile away at a gas station. So they had to have it towed back to the campground, and now have to wait until Monday for service. :( We have gone on. Tomorrow we will arrive in Orlando and are hoping they can catch up with us Tuesday.
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