Weekly Happenings # 8

25 Mar to 2 April 2018

Sunday: 
We are leaving on Wed morning and we "must" start packing. We have been saying this for a week now so there is no tomorrow. So to start the day we will go out for breakfast and we will take our friend Terry as she is leaving  Tuesday to fly back to Med Hat. We try to select a different eating establishment every Sunday and someone suggested Denny's. Suffice to say we have been there twice : first and last. Apparently "eggs over easy" means mostly raw.

After breakfast we got busy and started to pack the, hang up clothes, then I had 3 Blue plastic tubs so we filled them anything that was one of kind: ie a frying pan that Carroll but did not need; a coffee pot that Carroll brought but did not need and a Crock pot that Carroll brought but did not need, I think you get the picture. Since we still had more to pack I went to Wal-Mart and bought another blue basket it was soon full. Anything else will go in a plastic bag. About this time I begin to think I should have bought a truck. 

We had 1 steak left so I BBQ it for supper and then Carroll announced "the kitchen is now closed " and all meal will be from a restaurant.

Monday

We had 3 fridges which was great for 4 months but now we had to clean them. How in hell does a fridge get so dirty when all you do is remove and replace the items in it. After the fridges are sparkling clean you have to  inhibit them for the next 6 month by putting a small bowl of coffee in the freezer and the fridge compartment along with a box of soda baking. You have to leave the doors slightly ajar so to ensure that they do not close you must hang a dish towel over the door so they do not accidentally close during the summer months.

As I mention we are "closing up " for the owners so several other task are required. There are 4 cactus plants in pots so they have to be relocated along the drive so they can receive whatever rain they may get during the summer. Yes they will survive. Then they have ceramic lawn ornaments place in the front of the mobile so they have to be carefully stored so as not to get broken. And finally they have  5  or 6 metal  ( cheap looking ) ornaments that are hung on the side of the mobile so they have to carefully removed and stored.

Although I can not pack things in the storage shed yet I did size up how I was going to get everything in the shed. Terry should have taken a picture of how he packed it which would make it easier for me.oh well. I will manage.

 Tuesday

OK; D day is here !!! The car is being pack. Everything is out of the house except our " Toiletries ". The house is being clean and all floors washed. I packed the shed and everything does fit even without a " shoehorn". I re-read the closeup directions and realized I had to turn off 2 gas valves although I had already turned off the main valve.  By early afternoon all the closeup was done. 

Wedesday

We rec a voice mail on the phone in the evening from Terry ( the landlord ) asking us to give the keys to a neighbor, who would take them to Terry since they  live near Terry in MB.  I was wondering what to do with the keys since I would need then to lock the doors on our way out so this solve the key problem.

By 8:30 AM we were ready to start north, so we said goodbye to the neighbors and we headed for Bandera, TX , which is a small "Cowboy " town , pop of 986 located 1 hour west of San Antonia.

After driving thru rain for an hour ( a much needed rain for southern TX ) the weather cleared. We arrived in Bandrea around 2 PM and we checked into the hotel which just met the MMS (Minimum  Military Standard ).  They said they provided a hot breakfast but after checking the breakfast area I assumed they meant  the coffee would be hot so we decided to eat breakfast elsewhere. 

Our friends told us to check out the "11 street pub " because on Wed evening this tiny bar had a huge area for a BBQ , a band that produce great music and a dance floor and there was no cover charge. I should mention that Band era has a population of 986. 

I always like to check out these facilities myself because  you never know what is great for some folks in not great for me. I parked in front of the Pub and as I walked into the Pub,  I notice 2 customers looking at my licences plate but they said hi as I passed them. I went to the bar to ask the Bar Maid about the BBQ/ dance. She advise me that I had to bring my own steak and I could  BBQ it as they had 3 large Pits. For 7.00 a plate I would get a bake potato, a salad and all the trimmings. Just I was about to ask about the seat/table arrangement  the phone rang and it must have been someone with a higher status in life then me as she seemed to ignore me.  
So a local "Bar Fly " offered to show me the BBQ/dance area and the seating arrangement. The seating is by reservation but it cuts off on Tuesday so the rest of the seating general seating on s first come basis, The area was only 3/4 reserved so he said there was lots of room. He explained that the doors opened at 5:30 and he suggested we arrive before 6 to make sure we had a seat. The BBQ Pits would be hot by 6. 

We arrive before 6 and most unreserved seats are bar style with bar stools. Luckily we for two bar stools with a back rest. They only sell beer and pop so you can bring any other drink except beer and pop. Beer was 4.00 and pop was 2.00. The music was great and we chatted with a few people who were seated near us and they were from out of state who had heard about this place, much like us. 

There are 4 RV parks in Bandera so many of the customers where from the RV Parks. 

I mentioned this was a large area and in one corner a local Rancher had a "Huge" 13 year old Long Horn ( and I mean Long Horn ) docile Bull and he will let you sit on the Bull for picture taken for a tip. Many city slickers including "yours Truly" got a picture and that is NO BULL!!!! We are glad we visited the Town of Bandera, known as the Cowboy Capital of the World. I wouldn't put it on your Bucket list but if you are near by you should stop in for a visit. cheers 

Thursday

When we left Bandera , heading for Fredrickburg, a very German city that we had visited before. However, as I exited the Hotel lot I made a wrong turn and it was so foggy you could only  see a few hundred feet. So now I had to turn around which was going to be a risky move. I did find a driveway and got turn but I notice a vehicle gaining on me so I kicked it up to 80 KMH and at that instant a deer jumped in front of me. I locked up the brakes and only the seat belt kept Carroll from kissing the windshield. She was looking at the other 5 deer standing by the road side. We were lucky !!!

We finally drove out of the fog as we headed for Kerriville which is on the way to Fredricksburg as our intended stops was for the Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Once in Fredricksburg we went to the visitors centre to get advise on what to see or  visit in the area. 

After a tour of the town to check for a German restaurant for supper and a reasonable hotel we headed for the Seed Farm which has hundred of acres of Royal Poppy, which they call the Canadian poppy as it is the poppy from Flanders in France and of the one in the poem " In Flanders Field ". It also has hundreds of acres of the Bluebonnet, which can also be found growing along the road side, by the thousands , in the Hill Country of TX. 

Lady Bird Johnson started a Society where they plant "Zillions " of Blue Bonnets and Indian Paint Brush along the roads, highways and Interstate throughout TX and this really does enhance the roadsides. 

And then to close out the day, we went to Luckenbach where Willie Nelson  and Conway Twitty sang a song about Willie and the Boys. Luckenbach was a trading post as late as 1904 with a population of 492 but today the Pop is betwwen Zero and 3.  However,  it does have a Mercatile store with all of the dust  from the 1900's and mostly overprice merchandise including Tee shirts for 30.00 USD. Many people including us visit the town because attached to the Store is a bar and usually there are people who play music for tips or beer. There is an outdoor area for the "band " or Guitar Pikers/Singers to sing and attract a crowd.  This day there were about 20 Bikers enjoying the music so we joined them for a beers. If you are every near Luckenbach you must drop in for a beer. The 2.50 beer is worth it. 

We did have supper  at a German restaurant. Cheers 

Friday

We are now heading for home and there isn't much more boring then driving down the Interstate a 75 MPH ( the speed limit id 80 ). However we did have an incidence that came very close to costing us our life but thankful to an alert driver of an 18 wheeler we where spared. 
Briefly this is what happened.
We were driving about 70 MPH on a 4 lane divided hwy and we were nearing  a city which we intended to take the bypass according to our GPS. There was a construction warning sign that said that the left lane was closed ahead and we were to reduce our speed to 65 MPH. I had just past a 18 Wheeler and the traffic although not heavy, appeared to have be slowing slightly. By this time we are  approaching the city but no signs or indication that we need to slow down. However someone at the front of the line, which numbered about 20 cars and for some unknown reason  decided to stop. I slammed on the  brakes and stopped a couple of feet short of ramming the vehicle  in front of me. I then took a quick look in my rear view mirror and holler to Carroll to brace yourself because the 18 wheeler can't stop. Luckily for us there was a 10 foot paved shoulder and at that instant the 18 wheeler past us on the right with all braked locked up. He got stopped 3 car lengths past us. Thank you driver for being alert because we would have surely met our " Waterloo ". 

Due to the confusion we missed our bypass exit so  we had to go thru the city which wasn't a problem. However, while going thru the city we pulled  up beside the driver of the truck at a stop light and he and Carroll had a  short conversation. 
His first question why did the traffic stop in a 65 MPH zone and then he said he knew he was going to hit us so the shoulder was his only hope to avert a disaster. We are glad he was alert.
I think my finger prints are still in the sheering wheel. 

Saturday and Sunday ( 1 April )

The next two days was spend speeding down the Interstates heading for Med Hat. I will say one thing for the Americans, they do know how to build highways and they allow you to drive at a reasonable "safe " speed. I do think that  80 MPH is a tad over my safe limit. 

We arrived in Billings,MT on Sunday evening. We are now 1 day from home.... I think!!! As i checked into the hotel the clerk advise me that a snow storm was starting at 9 PM and by tomorrow morning we could receive up to 8 inches of snow. We spent the night thinking if we would take the short cut tomorrow or take the I-90 which will take 2 days to get home. cheers

Monday 

The weatherman was right this area of Montana received 4 to 6 inches of wet snow. We first checked the Interstate and although the traffic was moving it was snow covered and slippery so we took the short cut so to speak. 

The short cut is thru ranch land with very few services and two lane highways but fairly good roads. However after 2 hours of very poor conditions and no end to the snowfall we decide to return to Billings as it was very hard to see the road and the conditions were getting worst. 

When we got to Billings and the Interstate was fairly clear and the traffic was going at the speed limit so we headed west to I-15, Helena or Great Falls depending on the weather. We did reach Great Fall but we did hit a few areas where the Bizarre was still raging but the roads were clear. 

Tuesday

We left Great Falls  heading how which is a 4 hour drive with a stop in Shelly ( 35 miles form the border ) to fill up with the last of the cheaper fuel ( 2.50 a gal ). Then on to the Customs hoping they did not mind that I was 2 litres of Crown Royal over my limit, which they did not mind . It is my honest Face.
After 4 months and two days, plus 10,000 KM we arrived home where we will ponder our trip for next winter. cheers