About Me

Lee Creek, North Shuswap near Chase, B.C, Canada
We went full-time Rving in October of 2005! We retired from full time to part-time as of the end of 2015. Our present "small but comfortable" Wagon is a 2008 Camper trailer(TravelAir Rustler), pulled by a 2008 Dodge Dakota, 4X4.l. Our home is now a Gated Community Park, in Oliver, British-Columbia, Canada. I retired in 2005 and my Life Companion, Valerie, retired October 1, 2006 from nursing. We invite you to follow and share our new adventures and mishaps. Life is but an adventure full of dreams yet to be fulfilled!

Friday, March 30, 2007

March 28 to April 1, 2007

MARCH 28, Wednesday, cloudy Going to El Paso

We left our site at 9:20 a.m. and headed west on Hwy 90. We stopped in Landry to look around and visited Judge Bean courthouse and house. His court was the saloon which he owned. He was famous as the only judge west of the "Pecos" river; he was known to be very severe and loved to hang robbers and murderers. He had very little to no training in law. Landry itself was a small village of approx. 18 people still living there on a full time basis. There was an RV Park which cost $15 per night with some hook-up. (see pictures)
We left an hour later. It's very cloudy with fog hanging over the highway which makes driving strenuous and boring. We are slowly and steadily climbing. Stopped in Dryden for lunch, another ghost town. Left a half hour later

Arrived in Alpine (altitude 5000 feet) on I-10 around 4 p.m. and we got a spot at Mtn view Park for $15 with full hook-up. Average 12 mpg today which is excellent. It is sunny and 80*F but windy again.

N 31*02'17" W 104*49'00" Distance today: 250 miles
Fuelled 21.959 gallons @ $2.869


MARCH 29 Thursday, sunny

Left at 10:45 and got on I-10 west. Within 30 minutes, we entered Mountain Time so moved all the clocks back one hour. Scenery is changing all the time. We are now along the Rio Grande river and are seeing a lot of green fields and orchards. Pecan tree and grapes mainly. We went through El Paso without stopping. A big town consisting of over 2 million people when combine with Jarez in Mexico which is just across the river.

Stopped at camping world to buy a couple parts for the awning and ended up buying a bike rack which was on sale. Within 3 miles from there, we entered New Mexico and stopped at the info centre and had lunch and took a few pictures. It's 2 p.m. local time. We went on for another hour on I-10 then turn north on I-25. We are now definitely on our last leg of this voyage. We will follow this hwy until Canada/
It's been cool today hovering around 65*F It got down to 38* last night.
we are still following the Rio Grande which goes all the way north to Colorado. we are seeing more mountains too and evergreens.
We stopped at a State Park in Cabello for the night. Pretty place right on the Rio Grande. Paid $14 with electricity.

N 32* 53'25" W 107*17'37" Distance today: 367 km (227 miles) altitude: 4172 feet
fuelled 23.768 gallons @ $2.819


MARCH 30, Friday, cloudy To Albuquerque, NM

Left at 10 a.m. and headed north on I-25 Very cool this morning Only 44*F Stopped in San Martial for a coffee refill and again in Belen to fuel 23.754 gallons @ 2. 989

Scenery is beautiful with mountains all around now and prairie like plateaus with prairie grass. Once in Albuquerque, we turn East on I-40 and headed up to 6800 feet to our campsite, approx 15 minutes from town in Tijeras. As we climbed, it started to snow and we had steady and heavy snow falling by the time we arrived at our site at 3:30 p.m.
Set up camp and got the furnace going...it's really pretty with all that snow This is an R.O.D. park so it's not costing us anything.

N 35*06'17" W 106*20'11" Distance today: 307 km (189 miles) Altitude 6722'

we will be here for 7 nights.


MARCH 31, Saturday, cloudy

Got up to 32* which warmed up to 50*F Went into town at the library to check our mail and buy some groceries. Went into a Irish Pub for a beer. Set up the satellite and repaired the awning's arm.


APRIL 1, Sunday, April fool!

Up at 7 a.m. and it is sunny. Went down to 30*F last night but quickly went up to 60* once the sun was up
Today we went to "SKY CITY" a Acoma Indian village built on a mesa (promontory). it is the oldest still occupied pueblo by the Indians It dates back to the 1100 years. It was BEAUTIFUL! See the pictures. (they don't do justice) We had to stop at their Cultural Centre and pay 10 dollars each and it was worth it. Also had to pay $10 for taking pictures. We got on a bus and went up to the village, and adobe bricks built village with a minimum of 8 family still living there. The village is built approx. 400 feet up on this mountain/promontory call a "Mesa". A mission was built here in the 1640 and it is still in use today. We had an Acoma Indian girl named Kathleen. She had a good sense of humour and very informative. The road up was built by a Hollywood team who did a film here about an African tribe; Incredible. So they got the road for free. Before that, the only way up was by a trail which we took coming down. It was quite something (see pictures)
The surrounding country side is absolutely incredibly beautiful, consisting of sagebrush, low trees and prairie grass, surrounded by low mountains and Mesa. We bought a couple of local souvenirs and a couple of homemade apple turnover made the local Indians that day. DELICIOUS!
We were back home by 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

March 27, 2007 A day in Del Rio



MARCH 27, Tuesday, sunny

We got up to a very muggy and cloudy day but it soon cleared to a beautiful sunny day and warm....89*F

We went to a National Park about 25 miles from here but before getting there, we stopped at AMISTAD Dam to take a look around. The road goes over the dam into Mexico so there is a border crossing on the Dam itself. Looking down over the lower Rio, we could see HUGE bass fish. Took a picture of Val with one foot in Mexico and one foot in the U.S.

At the park, we walked around and took some pictures. Unfortunately we couldn't go to the caves without a guide but we did take pictures of them from the Centre.

From there, we drove back to Del Rio and visited a local winery. A young girl gave us a tour and we got to taste some of their wine. Her name is Lizzy and she is married (one year) to a young man in the Air Force who is training here to fly F15 fighters. Interesting winery but small compare to those at home.

From here, we went home after topping up with fuel ($2.45/gal.) at Walmart and getting some stuff for dinner.

Tomorrow, we head west and north to El Paso. Figure it will take us two days to get there.

March 22 to 26, 2007 San Antonio to Del Rio

MARCH 22, Thursday, Cloudy


Another cloudy and warm day bit who is complaining. We left the site around 9:30 a.m. and went back into town. It is easy driving form our camp to city centre. Freeway all the way and all the tourist attractions are near the exits. We are approx. 18 miles from the Alamo itself.

After parking ($4. for the day) we went to the IMAX and bought a combo ticket that gives us access to the movie, a narrated trolley ride and a narrated river boat ride around the "River Walk". Cost was $31. each and well worth it. We had some time to kill before the movie started so we walked inside the mall. We ran into a celebrity of sort while here. As I was looking in a shop, I saw this guy who looked familiar, then I recognized him; it was Mike Campbell, our Premier's brother and a CTV financial adviser. We introduced ourselves and met his wife. His son is here to play in the finals for Basketball.....What a small world!!

The movie was a short version of the new one with narratives interjected in between. Well done! From here we went and took the trolley ride. It took us through town and a couple of Missions and gave us an idea of what to go back and see in more detail. The guy was interesting and full of facts about San Antonio.

From here, we still had lots of time so we went to the "River Walk" canal and took the boat ride. Again, very interesting and we saw the whole thing form a different perspective. The canal is U shape and an extension at the bottom of the U that leads to the MARRIOT hotel which is a BIG attraction here. The bottom section is nothing but a big shopping mall. It has two big locks at each end of the U in case of floods and apparently, they empty the canal every January to clean the bottom. It is only 2-3 feet deep compared to the main river which is about 12 feet. The canal was originally built in the 1800's.

Drove home tired but happy.




MARCH 23, Friday, cloudy with some drizzle.





Today we did the Mission tour. Including the Alamo, there are 5 of them running in a north to south direction and approx. 3-4 miles apart. This had to do with self protection and preservation because of the roaming Apaches and Comanches.

We began the tour with Mission Conception which is still intact and well maintain. From here we went 2 miles to Mission San Jose, built in the 1700's and considered the "Queen" of all of them. It was beautiful I must admit and very impressive. Spanish colonial style is very prominent and there is a window call "Rosa's window" which according to the legends, was completed by a Mexican sculptor who lost his Sweetheart in a boat accident. She drowned while en route from Mexico to join him in Tejas. A true declaration of Love.

The other two Mission were more damaged but still interesting to visit. Built in 1716, Mission San Juan was moved to the East bank of the Alamo river because of flooding and the soil was also more fertile on that side.

A very interesting and informative day. We spent over 4 hours visiting all of them and the best part....it was FREE!


MARCH 24, Saturday, cloudy

Today is our anniversary and also my grand-daughter, Hayley's birthday! A HAPPY DAY!

We did laundry and computer stuff this morning and I caught up to all my pictures. In the afternoon, around 3 p.m., we went back into town and walked the whole "River Walk" including time in the evening to see all the lights glittering. The place was full of people, being Saturday and all.

We visited a bar and museum call BUCKHORN. The museum had to do with Texas Rangers and was not that impressive. The bar however was! It dates back to 1881 and the whole atmosphere is that of a big "Saloon" (without the smoke) and the walls were literally covered with antlers and trophy head of different animal You have to see our pictures to get an idea of it all. We had a beer then left. We went back to the Alamo to have a last look then walked Tucker before heading to the River Walk. We got a call from Rick and Diane, friends we met at our campsite, and they invited us to join them at the "AZTEC" for dinner but we couldn't as we were just too far away.

We walked the whole thing including a visit in the Vallita village which is an artisan's village dating back to the 1800's. We stopped at a pub on the River Walk for dinner and celebrated our Anniversary. 100's of people walking about and the evening was just as enchanting as we had imagined.

Came home tired and late...What a great day! This city is very romantic and so beautiful

MARCH 25, Sunday, raining this morning,

Washed the truck once it stopped raining and packed all the goodies away. Val finished her wash. I fuelled the truck and checked all the oil levels.

This is the end of this leg. From Key West, Florida to here we did 6861 miles! WOW! We did do a lot of sightseeing and extended detours. All worth it.

Tomorrow begins our final leg....home via Alberta.

MARCH 26, Monday, Raining of course

A drizzle is falling. Said our goodbyes to Rick and Diane then we left at 9:45 a.m. We drove to 410 then west on hwy 90. the other side of Uvalde, we hit a storm with heavy rain. So much so that I had to slow down to 40 mph. We stopped in Bracketville for lunch. This is where John wayne filmed his version of "The ALAMO" and the village is still standing and now a tourist attraction for a fee of course.

We went on and aarrived in Del Rio at 2;45 p.m. and camped at 'American Campground", a Passport member for $16 for the first night and $23 for the second. Full price is $35. We have full hook-up, cable and WIFI!

The sun is shining and the forecast is for 85 degrees tomorrow and more sunshine. Life is good!

N 29*27'45" W 100*59'05" Altitute:1205 feet distance today 163 miles



Wednesday, March 21, 2007

March 17 to 21, 2007

MARCH 17, Saturday, Cloudy

Got a call this morning from my brother-in-law, Michel.... My little brother Johnny fell off the ladder at work and broke a vertabrae in his neck and had a concussion. He was lucky that he lived through that from what I am told. He is also lucky in that he can still move his fingers, arms and legs....no paralysis...

Went to our friends, Dave & Edna, Mike and Marylin for dinner. Arrived around 3 p.m. and had a few drinks, of course, then we had shrimp for appetizers and the main course consisted of steaks & potatoes, mushroom caps. Everything was delicious and we had a really good time. Very good people and very friendly and welcoming. We left around 10 p.m. after saying our goodbyes and promises of seeing each other again in the future.


MARCH 18, Sunday, Cloudy and humid

Sun finally came out in the afternoon. Day spent loaded all the toys, washing the truck, fuelling. Got a call from Ginette (Johnny's grilfriend) that he is doing fine and talking but a bit confused (wonder why) He is improving and should be home by next week-end, so she thinks.


MARCH 19, Monday, Clouds

Got up at 7 a.m. and loaded the rest of the stuff. On the road by 9:40 a.m. Headed west on hwy 83 to DelRio then northeast on hwy 35 to San Antonio. About 10 miles out of Del Rio, we had to stop at a check point where they asked us if we had anyone in the back of the 5th wheel!
We stopped a little further at a tourist info centre (very beautiful) and got info on San Antonio then had lunch.
Arrived at Hidden Valley RV Park at 4:30 p.m., paid $89. for 7 nights and parked. Extremly friendly place and full of info on San Antonio. We are approx. 10 miles out.

Travelled 466 km (292 miles) and are at 556' above sea level

N 29*17'23" W 98*37'05" Truck did really well...Averaged 11 mpg GREAT!


MARCH 20, Tuesday, rain most of the day

Stayed home and read, met our neighbors and just relaxed. Having trouble setting up the satellite...will try again tomorrow


MARCH 21, Wednesday, cloudy
Somewhat cloudy but cleared in p.m. Had a lousy sleep! Very warm overnight and humid and no breeze to speak of.
Called Conley about the money they owed me and we got a transfer done on my credit card so that's out of the way.
Left our site around 10:30 a.m. and went into San Antonio and FINALLY SAW THE ALAMO!!!! YIPPEEEEE! Now my trip is over! We walked into town, saw the river walk and will do that tomoroow, got ourselves oriented for later in the week.
The Alamo was everything I expected and more. IT is now a shrine and beautifully and tastefully done. we spent about an hour there then we went for lunch at Pat O'Reilly, an Irish pub.

A very nice day, indeed.

Friday, March 16, 2007

March 11 to 16

We went back to Nuevo Progresso on Wednesday March 14 with our friends Edna & Dave and Mike & Marylin. Dave had to get some dental work done so the rest of us went to the local bars and had a few to his health. We were there for about 3 hours then returned home with no hassle at the border.
Going through Progresso on the US side, I got a speeding ticket for a total of $173. Needless to say I am very upset.

The next day, March 15th, we went back to Progresso to see a judge but none were available. I had been told that one would be available. I went to the city hall to see what I could do....I wanted to have the ticket reduced. The clerk told me to call tomorrow.

So, on March 16th, I called and the ticket was reduced to $35. as long as I was willing to go back to Progresso, which we did PRONTO!! Paid and got a receipt then we went to Pepe to celebrate our good luck.

It's been a funny week, weather wise. Cloudy and humid in the morning and sunny and hot in the afternoon. Today, Friday was our last day a tthe gym. Tomorrow we are going to Mike and Dave's place for dinner then Sunday will be packing day for a departure on Monday the 19th for San Antonio.

All is well that ends well!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

March 1 to 10

It's been a busy 2 weeks and time to bring this to date before I get more e-mail wondering where we are!?

The month started with a bang as we celebrated our birthdays on March 4 and 5 We are now BOTH Senior Citizens ( over 60 and all that) We had a good time too. On Val's b'day, the 4th, we started the day by going to church. Yeah, that's right....our friends, Connie and Tom invited us to come along so we went and had a nice time. It's been a while since I've set foot inside a church, Catholic at that. That evening, we went out for dinner at a very nice restaurant and had a pleasant and romantic dinner.

On my b'day, the 5th, we went cycling for about 3 hours and had a picnic.

On March 3, we went to Mexico. We drove to the border than walked across to Nuevo Progresso, a fairly big town. We walked the main street and I have never seen so many advertisement for dentist and pharmacy. They even had sellers on the street. We walked for about an hour and bought a couple of little things. Val bought herself a very nice belt with lots of colors. We had lunch in a local restaurant. Came home late after a really interesting day. No problemo crossing the border although it was BUSY! We had to pay.30 cents to cross the bridge.

Val went to the doctor on Mar 6 to have her finger nails checked as they are discoloring. She got good news in that it was not a fungus and nothing serious but it did cost $50. for a small bottle of medicinal liquid for it. EXPENSIVE!!!!!!

On the 7th, we went to a flea market in "DONNA", about 25 miles from here. A big one and bought a couple of little trinkets for the fifth-wheel.

On March 8, our friends Connie and Tom left so we said our good-byes with promises to keep in touch. They were really nice people and we will miss them.
We decided to go to Brownsville and South Padre Island afterwards. A one and half hour drive. What a nice place Padre Island is. A real resort with lots of condos, hotels and B&B's. We heard it is the second most popular place for college students at Spring Beaks and we can see why. It was warm and the water was comfortable. I heard that some days it takes up to 3 hours to cross the bridge to get to the Island....Incredible! We drove to the end of the road, parked and walked the sand dunes. There was sand as far as you could see. We could see why this is such a popular place. Even trucks and jeeps riding on the beach. The ocean on one side and the Bay on the other. Paradise!

Friday the 9th was quiet day at home. Around 3 p.m., we went to see friends we met at the gym; Mike and Marilyn, Dave and Edna. Beautiful people and extremely friendly. We had a ball....Happy hour lasted 4 hours and we agreed to meet at our place tomorrow which we did, and more fun was had... They are party people and we had fun.

So that's it for now...the place here is getting emptier by the day. People are leaving for home. We have another week here then it will be our turn.

Check out the link to our Pictures.... lots of new ones

Friday, March 02, 2007

Feb 18 to 28, 2007

FEBRUARY 19, Monday, sunny and windy


Windy all day and evening too. Went to Camping World about the brakes on Kenzie. Again I am told that the drums should have been turned so made an appointment to get it done and fix properly. Called Conley and after a few heated arguments they agreed to pay half of the bill.


From here, I went to Ford dealership and had a oil and lube for $79. Quite reasonable. Checked the e-mail and brought the blog to date and downloaded some pictures





FEBRUARY 21, Wednesday, sunny


It's going to be a hot day....already 70*F at 8 a.m. decided to go to Hidalgo but first we cecked out a couple of gyms and decided to try out "Body in the Making" about 2 miles from our place. Price is $55 for a month for both of us.


Took hwy1016 south and found "Pepe on the River" A restaurant famous amongst Winter texans. We had lunch there and decided that it was a fun place to be and frequent more. It overlooks the Rio Grande river and is open like those bars in Mexico. It was almost packed for lunch.
From here we walked the grounds and found a small Mission from the 1800's Took a few pictures. Went on hwy 1016 to Hidalgo and visited an old water mill built in the early 1900's. From here we went to Bentsen State Park to check out a few things.


A hot day at mid 90's*F (30*C). Had happy hours with Connie and Tom




FEBRUARY 22, Thursday, cloudy


Looks like we had a few drops of rain overnight. A bit cooler too. 66*F at 8 a.m. Went to the gym and had a good time. After that, it was local chores and grocery shopping. Sky is really dark.






FEBRUARY 23, Friday, sunny







We went cycling to Bentsen Park. It was fun a a very beautiful park. We cycled it and also walked a couple trails. One of them, we took the wrong turn and ended up lost and came out on the road about 2 miles form our bikes. FUN!!!

We had lunch at a neat place where we saw lots of birds and a column of ants carrying leafs. The had walked this trail for so long that a small indententation had formed. It was really cool to watch them.

After this, we found the second trail which took us to the Rio Grande (walk only, no bikes). I love the country side and the arrid, rustic scenery.

Tucker was happy to see us back home.






FEBRUARY 24, Saturday, sunny



Today was the hottest day so far. It went up to 98*F (35*C) We took a drive to Rio Grande City, about 40 miles from here, and visited a couple things including the Grotto for the Lady Lourdes. This is a very historic town and played a role in the development and birth of texas.


On the way back, we stopped in Los Ebanos, a tiny village by the Rio Grande where a small ferry was located. It had NO MOTOR. They would load 3 cars and a dozen people then they would pull on this rope and pull it across the river (about 50 yards wide) to Mexico. It is the only one of its kind in the U.S.. What a neat place. Check out the pictures!!




FEBRUARY 25, Sunday, sunny


Drove to Harlingen and tried out a small bike trail along Aroyo Colorado that we had read about. Had lunch there then cycled to the old town centre which turned out to be a disappointment from what we had read about it. Had lunch in the park

Came home via express 83 and made 17.6 mpg WOW! That's fantastic.




FEBRUARY 27, Tuesday, sun/clouds


Day started cloudy but soon became sunny. Temperature mid 70's today...very comfortable.


Took our bikes back to Los Ebanos and took the ferry across. Cost $2.00. We cycled to the small Mexican village Diaz Ortaz. On the way, we met about 3 dozen cyclist heading back to the ferry which by the way, shuts down around 3:30 p.m.
It was a very poor village yet had a very busy main street. Saw lot of farms but no industry.


Our plan was to have lunch there but because of the time, we decided to return as we didn't want to spend the night in Mexico. No problems with customs coming back but they did ask us for our passport which we had on us.
We stopped at the small general store on the US side and had a beer and chatted with the locals and other tourists. It was fun




FEBRUARY 28, Wednesday, sunny


Took Kenzie over to Camping World and left it there. We went to McAllen and visited the museum of Texas. It was AWSOME! One of the best I've seen. (SEE PICTURES via link) We paid only $6. for both of us (senior rates). It started with a section of pre-historic times then moved on to the Indian living there before the white man. From here, it went on to when the Spanish came over and their development, then on to the history of Texas, and ranching today. VERY WELL DONE! Worth every pennie


Got a call from Camping World and they found out that the problem was a bad connection. One of the wires had come apart and we only had brakes on one axle. No wonder I had no brakes. A soon as I connected and tried them out, the trailer came to a dead stop after only applying a small amount of pressure. Cost.....$124 which Conley agreed to pay back in full after I called them.


HAPPY hour with Connie and Tom. They went on a mexican tour today so they told us all about it.