Re-Visit #1 /  by Dave Hileman

As some of you know, we were derailed on our trip to the Southwest. Half way into Texas we had a massive electrical malfunction and we could not get it fixed locally so we took the Oliver back to the factory in Tennessee and came on home. We are expecting some word this week from Oliver on the extent and the time frame for repair.

I will use this space to keep up with the latest developments in the trailer repair.

We will not be going back to the SW at that point but hope to resume that effort next spring. However, this is a travel/national park/photo blog with a few mixed in extras and my photography was delayed along with the trailer. Therefore I am going to use a selection -NOT carefully curated - of photos from several years ago. This blog was redone in the Spring of 2016 when we started the quest for the parks and had the trailer. Before that it went three years as “No Itinerary.” So I have posted every day for nearly nine years. That is a lot of pictures with not more than a dozen repeats. So we are going to re-process some of the older ones and post them again. I need the break to catch up and even Dennis does not remember them all. So, here we go:

We were in DC in the evening a few years ago. As we approached the Jefferson Memorial the sun was setting and I got this image with the statue and the sunset. It is one I have always liked and it was a great memory of that very warm spring night and the scent of the cherry blossoms filled the night air.

Interior /  by Dave Hileman

This is a church built in the 1800’s in Waco, Texas. It was moved to the Magnolia complex next to the Wiffle ball field and restored by Chip and Joanna Gaines. They have not used it yet but it will be for several community functions. It was a very nice building.

Yup, Another One /  by Dave Hileman

This is yet another of the new birds I added to my life list. And we are not yet done:)

This is a Great Kiskadee and is found is South Texas and very occasionally in other parts of the gulf coast but rarely outside of Texas and south into Central and South America. They are large flycatchers and love fruit. The Great Kiskadee is a loud, aggressive and colorful bird easily spotted if you are in South Texas.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? /  by Dave Hileman

Cadillac Moose is a hero? What! First the Repair Police take him away, call in a specialist with the Fire Department, electric sub sect, under the Fire Marshal’s province. Surely they are closing in on the culprit. They enlisted the IBAEW union to assure compliance issues and instead of being carted away in chains he is a hero. How?

Dispatch from THE MARSHAL MOOSE

Clearly the Driver has no idea what is going on but then we all knew that. The police and fire were not investigating me they were uncovering the heroic work I did to save the Rolling Igloo not to mention the Driver and the Kind & Pretty one. Oops, I guess I did mention them not that they owe me anything for rescuing them. Or at least not much but we will get to that another time. Heroic effort is my most outstanding quality.

The fire folks & police were so impressed they gave me a huge gold medal, I guess it is worth a fortune. Also lattes and donuts. The Texas Rangers made me a real marshal with a solid silver badge. I also get a 15% discount on TR gear. AND….

I GOT A HAT! A genuine, cowboy 20 gallon hat with a terrific hat band. I look fabulous. I remembered all of my posse as well and got them each a hat almost as good as mine. 

I would love to recount all the dangerous work I did but my new book contract does not allow me to discuss it now. You can watch my appearance on Fox and Friends, The Today Show and the USNews & Moose Report. Then I am scheduled to “do lunch” with some Hollywood types at the Derby in CA. So I will be busy for a while writing my story and screen play. I may do a song as well. They wanted Bullwinkle to star in the movie but I said, “No.” I have of course already starred in a feature film so I will play myself. Ciao.

The Coffee Artist /  by Dave Hileman

We were in Kiingsville, a small town in south Texas, and decided to get a cup of coffee. We had made a pot in the morning, as always, but did not make one to fill our travel mugs. We were in the downtown and CJH wanted to see the Saddle Shop of the King Ranch. (It was very cool) and I asked where to get coffee. She first suggested the drug store and then said there was a new shop connected with a jewelry shop two blocks up the street. We set off primarily because she said there was a good bakery next door. I was not impressed with the adding of a bit of coffee at a jewelry store and first walking in did not help that impression. A single counter near the back encompassed the coffee shop with four or six tables in front of it.

But Bruce emerged from the back and when we said we wanted a cup of coffee he pointed to a menu. Four pages! Not just fancy names or drinks that had a passing resemblance to coffee, you could get Thai coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Japanese coffee, Cuban coffee, cowboy coffee, all the forms of espresso drinks you could imagine plus a few you could not think of and they were all different. Bruce made me a pour over coffee, adjusted to a medium strong brew with a bit of sugar. PERFECT. Cindy ordered a cowboy coffee and it was delicious. I asked about the kinds and he said as he traveled all over the world he sought out the best coffee shops and learned how to make coffee dozens of ways. When I asked what took him around the world, he said he was the sound technician for Stryper (sp), U2 and Rush on what seemed like endless tours. We chatted for an hour and he regaled us with several stories. What a morning. We also noted some brilliant small portraits and it turns out while his wife fills the store with creative jewelry he paints in a 15th century fashion gorgeous portraits - some of them can be found in palaces. Simply stunning.

Talking to Bruce was a treat, drinking the special coffee he made likewise and the whole experience made a remarkable stop. But there is more. I started to settle my bill, the prices on the menu wee “suggestions,” and Bruce said it was by donation. He said there were college students in town who could not afford the coffee so he just made it what you want to pay. I paid for ours and a couple more.

So if you are in Texas stop in a the Kingsville Coffee Cup. I know, Texas is a big place but that is no excuse to pass up the best coffee in the best coffee shop you will ever find. And you might find some nice earrings too.

Check out the Kingsville Coffee Cup on Facebook.

Concentration

Some of the studies for the full size works.

Green Jay /  by Dave Hileman

Another new bird for my list. The Green Jay is found in the US only in the Rio Grande valley in South Texas. It is a masked, cartoon colored aggressive bird.

Word is that Bruce the Coffee Artist post will be tomorrow because the investigation into the possible nefarious activities of one C. Moose are not yet complete. Stay tuned.

An Assessment: Thoughts on an Interrupted Trip --- Bonus Post /  by Dave Hileman

We have traveled extensively (49 states) with our travel trailer, an Elite 18’ manufactured by Oliver in Hohenwald, Tennessee.  And we get lots of comments while on the road or through my web site, Two Lane Touring, that are similar to: “Wow, you are doing what we hope to some day just traveling the country and enjoying life.” Or “We have been shopping for an RV can we look at yours it seems great.” Usually both! We enjoy showing the trailer and talking about our travels. But there is an impression that these experiences are somehow divorced from life’s problems. They are not. Bills still have to be paid, illness can occur in a beautiful campground as well as in your own home, and you bring all your life’s baggage right along with the travel maps. 

Apart from that, there is the matter of rattling down the highway in your home, the trailer in our case. Now we have had many, many more good days and amazing adventures than bad ones. Many. And even considering all the bad ones, it has been well worth the cost and the occasional aggravation. Or panic. We have met interesting people we would never have met otherwise. We have been to places and stayed longer, often in spectacular locations, that we could not afford in any other venue. Try pricing out 11 weeks in Alaska or 8 days (don’t forget food!) in Yellowstone for example. 

However, we are home today in Raleigh instead of hiking in Big Bend National Park because of a catastrophic electrical melt down in the coach. This is the second time in six years and 93,000 miles we have aborted travel and come home. The first was only a short distance from home; because the repair part was not available and we had only a few more days planned, it was not a big deal. This time it is more extensive and expensive occurring 1600 miles from home. 

We were in San Antonio, Texas and we lost all power in the trailer. I called a mobile RV repair company and they came and were competent. Both parts of that equation are not always true. They uncovered a mass of burnt and melted wires in the primary bundle that supplies most of the lights and outlets in the trailer. There were also some charred wires at the furnace and, as we found out on our way to Oliver, one of the electric brakes was shorting and causing great heat. It was cut so we could complete the travel and the person that assisted us thought it might be the culprit for the cause of the problems. We were unable to use battery or 110 power, it was very cold at night, and the local shops were already booked three weeks out and longer. Plus Oliver is a relatively unknown company - no one knows where all the wires go. So the decision to drive 1000 miles to Oliver and leave the trailer and then 600 more home to wait for the bad news was easy. Execution was a tough three days. 

Over our ownership time here are my remembered (I may have blocked a few memories) issues: 

Replaced Sail Switch 3 times (it ignites the furnace)

Brookline, MA

Hot Springs, AK

Hohenwald, TN

Furnace circuit board - replaced in Vermont

“T” fitting for water pump broke on rough roads in Montana - replaced when we entered Canada and then again with a better one in Whitehorse, Canada. 

Broken hot water heater - broke when we hit a tire tread from a big truck on the interstate and it smashed into the water heater and cracked the reservoir.

Lost connection to the thermostat (2x)

Fixed in Florida twice

Each of these happened on the road, so you have to find a repair place, get someone to look at your problem, fix it and then pay for it. 

You also have maintenance on the road, oil changes on the tow vehicle and wheel bearings repacked on the trailer are regular items. We had a major brake issue in Kenai, Alaska and it was fixed at a truck repair shop. 

We have minor things done at home base like gaskets, tires, hoses, faucet, and we do a lot ourselves including upgrades to the trailer. So it is really good to find a shop near your home base to fix things that can wait or be scheduled for repair.

This is not a trouble free way to live - there are none! Our trailer is extraordinary. It is very well made, easy to tow, comfortable in 17 or 97 degrees; it allows us to visit and experience things that we would not be able to do otherwise. It is the systems that are the troublesome issues, not, thankfully, the integrity of the trailer. 

This trip was going well, and we were excited to head out to West Texas, NM and AZ. We were met in Texas by Rusty and Janet. They had to change plans as well - their RV is not a good fit for the dirt mountain roads of Big Bend. We are more disappointed that we missed out on two weeks of travel with them. 

So is it worth it? YES. We will get this repaired and head back out where we will experience both good and bad days again. And we hope for more good days next time :)

At a camp site on a maple farm in Maine with Rusty and Janet’s rig in the back. Beautiful spot.

Looooooonghorn /  by Dave Hileman

This amazing animal was at the King Ranch, a mere 1 million acre spread. The brand is a “running W.'“

We did make it back to Raleigh after dropping off the trailer at the Oliver factory. That is always dangerous as the new ones have super nice upgrades and are very livable. However they cost a lot. We arrived here about midnight and today will be a slow day but we have some business that must be attended to - maybe late morning:)

The Moose has been cleared by the Repair Detectives however he is not out of trouble yet. They referred the case to the Fire Marshal (yes a REAL marshal). She has sought help with the International Brotherhood of Antlered Electrical Workers (IBAEW) union. I suspect I will not like that outcome. Their report is due very soon.

/  by Dave Hileman

We are still processing miles toward Hohenwald, Tn and the Oliver factory. We expect to be there early morning on Monday. We will meet with the service manager and then make a decision about what we will do next. I expect the repair will be long enough that we will head to Raleigh. It has been a tough trip for several reasons. The Moose is under investigation right now pending the outcome of the repair detectives he may be back soon or….

We also have a neat visit with Bruce to chat about soon. 

We got a brief visit downtown and walked by the Alamo. 

A bit more information... /  by Dave Hileman

We had a repair on the furnace done on the road to Alaska in 2019 that was not done correctly. The furnace worked but the wires were not in the proper place. Over time they deteriorated more and more until they were creating much more heat than the wire was able to handle, they went from the furnace back into the main point were they were in a bundle of wires all of which began to melt and fuse together. We were fortunate it did not catch fire. So the coach has zero battery power and is unsafe to run the 110 power. We are headed back to the Oliver factory in TN (and not the True West) to leave the trailer to be rewired and have what parts replaced that might be needed. No one in San Antonio was able or willing to try that feat. We expect to return to Raleigh to wait for the repair. Marshal (nee Cadillac) Moose has much to say on this issue. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s update.

We drove all day and are still in Texas, but only by a mile in Texarkana at a Hampton Inn.

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.” Psalm 57:1 NLT

Yet another new bird, #404 an Inca Dove.

The Reset /  by Dave Hileman

Yes, I am back. A good marshal does not flinch at every obstacle. I have reformatted my internal hard drive and will Press On Regardless. (POR) Fortitude is one of my more outstanding qualities. Now, I need to figure out how to move us to the True West and leave this ocean bird watching to the birds. Next in line is more Ice Cream, we are seriously lacking and that is intolerable. Next, I need to get my hat, my fringy vest, a new badge and 2 Colt six-shooters in matching leather holsters with fancy engraving or whatever they do. I think I want an ice cream cone on one and a latte on the other. That’ll be cool. We did get out of Dodge (just an old cowboy saying we were not in Dodge or at least I don’t think so) but it is dark and we are parked in a grove of trees. Typical of the Driver. Where did you stay? Under a pecan tree. Snicker. 

Dunes @ Dusk at Padre Island National Seashore. What a magical place. It is NPS unit #309. Absolutely loved this one.

On the Gulf - and for $7 a night. Why didn't we stay two weeks.

And a gorgeous sunrise to start the day. We had a couple of adventures but all ended well.

Thus Entered the Sun /  by Dave Hileman

Dispatch from Marshal Moose,  Deputy, Sheriff, Outlaw Cook & Driver Dave

Cadillac, excuse me, Marshal Moose is unavailable today something about a need to hide under the covers and hum the themes to Gunsmoke and the Magnificent Seven. 

Our day started with an issue - all our battery lights etc went out. A call to an RV repair in the direction we were heading got us an appointment. While they were investigating, Cindy and I explored the Aransas NWR and were able to see at least two maybe three Whooping Cranes (new bird) but at a long distance and a Couch’s Kingbird another new bird that followed yesterdays Crested Caracara which was bird number 400. Plus a lot more in this interesting part of the world. It is super flat like it was ironed into place and the deep dark fields stretched to the horizon sometimes on both sides of the road. 

The trailer problem was a breaker that I did not know existed. So I got a $40 lesson on Oliver Operations. But we were fixed and traveled to Padre Island National Seashore and scored the last campsite on the Gulf. The sun came out in full and the day ended brilliantly. Spectacularly beautiful and $7 a night. Padre Island is NP number 309. All the numbers are climbing today. Possibly the Marshal will recover in time for tomorrow’s adventure. 

Couch’s Kingbird at Aransas NWF - bird number 401

Trio of White Pelicans soar high overhead

Crested Caracara - or Bird Number Four Hundred as it shall be known henceforth.

Campsite at Magnolia Beach

Land of Confusion /  by Dave Hileman

Dispatch from Marshal Moose

I am so confused. We set off this morning and finally we were in what appeared to be The Real West, ranches and cows and cattle and fencing and big skies. Yet there were roads and cars and, well you get the picture. No mesquite fires or branding. No gun fights. So as I started to contemplate what was going on we ended up, are you ready for this, AT THE OCEAN. Texas does not have an ocean but there it was beaches and waves and no land on the other side. Plus the Driver is going bird watching. I am so confused. How did this happen and will I ever get a hat. I need to go to bed. Maybe this is a bad dream. 

Thawed! (and park #308) /  by Dave Hileman

We escaped the ice age and were off on a bright, warming, sunny day toward the Real West. We did find some wide open spaces, some ranch signs and even longhorn cattle. We also toured a ranch owned by someone without a name, just initials. LBJ. Guess he could not buy a vowel from Vanna. Ha, I should write a book or a movie. BUT there are no dirt streets, no swinging doors, no smell of gunpowder in the morning. This guy even had 8 cars and a jet airplane and not a horse in sight, NOT A COWBOY. Something is seriously wrong here. Plus I have not found a boot, a hat or any pearl handled colt six-shooters with matching leather holsters. Where is the Real West? I heard someone say we are in central Texas so we are not yet in West Texas. How we can meander so much is only understood by watching the Driver flail around. He saw an ice cream stand today, that was good. We made eleventy turns to get to it and it was right on the main highway. I forgave him because it was really good ice cream. We are going somewhere else tomorrow so I am keeping my hooves crossed. 

LBJ’s Texas White House

He had this Ford custom built with a big V8 and two gun racks and a full wet bar in the back for his guests. He loved driving people around his 3000 acres.

I got this buck at the edge of the woods on the LBJ ranch.

A view of the grazing land for his herd of cattle a large portion of the 600 acres owned by the Park now. . LBJ was a long way from my definition of a good president but he loved the land and did a lot for the NPS expanding or adding fifty parks, I can appreciate that aspect of his presidency.

Frozen the Sequel  /  by Dave Hileman

Day three in the campground and no one was able to go anywhere on the slick ice until early afternoon. I was not able to go target shooting or quick draw practice cause of the slickness of the surface. My hooves provide a robust platform but not for shooting so I just crashed all day and ate cookies. Cowboys love cookies with their lattes. The Driver tried to go buy gas and got partially out of the camping area and the vehicle went a bit sideways - I blame too much wine. (ED NOTE - no wine was involved in the minor incident) He had to get out and chop a hole in the ice with the back of his hatchet. LOL. The weather is going to change a bit tomorrow and we are set to move - I hope west. I know this cause my bones are hurting. That is how we actual cowboys know things. So not much to report from Lake Forlorn and the Ice Palace on Wheels. 

There was a vote today for “Best Individual to be Stuck in a Storm in a Tiny Trailer With.” I never voted before but it did not seem fair that the Kind & Pretty One got six votes, the Driver got one and C. Moose, got a request to trot into town and get lattes. How does this thing work. No wonder I did not get to be President.

The Ice Palace- not going anywhere today!





Same tree from the other day, very quick picture as the wind was really blowing and we were still near 20.

Igloo /  by Dave Hileman

The “storm” came, big deal. We have worse summer days in Maine. Why when I was a young Moose I had to….(ED NOTE: mercifully I cut the rant that encompassed the next seven paragraphs)… and that was when the old saying “Once in a Blue Moose” began. But here a bit of coolness and some ice and we stay inside the pill all day. Well, they did I went for a walk and got a latte and a donut. Did you know donuts are big out here in Almost Texas. There are many of these places and one in every town we go to. Talk about perfect. Why I think that ought to qualify for a Nibble Prize. Anyway we went no where but maybe moving out tomorrow about High Noon.

Sunday Scripture: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” I Corinthians 4:18 NLT

Our now frozen view. My new theme song, “Let it GO!”

Or, “These are a Few of My Favorite Things.”

Stuck /  by Dave Hileman

Dispatch from Marshal Moose

Today was not a stellar day, yet I will not utter a discouraging word. We did not venture anywhere but spent the whole day loafing around the town we are camping near. I was tempted to pilot a few planes cause we are at the airport but never got the chance. We had to shop in —looking carefully over shoulder for the formerly Kind One, kinda girly places. Something about Chip and Dale or Joanna, I forget. There was food and a good latte involved and that was good. Apparently we also stocked with BBQ and more stuff cause of the “storm” and the temperature that will be about 17 - whatever that means. The Driver who was going to drive today said the weather was going to be “too bad to travel.” Right, like who ever heard of such a thing. We Moose are made for any kind of weather with our superior fur and dynamic fluidity. (ED NOTE - Someone has been reading the “word of the day” calendar again) But what can I do. I have some plans in place but until we move a bit more into real Texas I will just eat and plan and eat some more. Maybe I can get in some target practice. But I still need those pearl handled Colt six-shooters. Hmmmm. 

View of a lone tree from our campsite on the shore of Lake Waco.

At the Magnolia Market made famous by Chip and Joanna Gaines and their show, Fixer Upper. They have transformed a portion of downtown and done so very well. This is a waffle ball field on the site of an old baseball field where Babe Ruth once played. The church is being restored, moved on site from another part of town. Lots of food trucks parked under cover, coffee shop, home furnishings, bakery and lots more cleverly organized and in the midst of a big expansion.

We also walked to the Dr Pepper Museum where the first bottling plant was and just a block or two from the original drug store where the 23 flavor “pepper” was invented. Well done and fun tour that ended with a hand mixed Dr Pepper.

We had a late excellent lunch at Cafe Homestead a bit north of town. It is part of an intentional Christian community somewhat related to the Mennonite/Amish theology but separate from those groups. By the time we left, 3:20 or so it was raining, hard. We scampered to the grocery store that was way over capacity. Returning to the camper, we are in and the rain is coming down in sheets. Close to torrential as I care and changing to ice by 3AM and snow by 5AM, stopping after noon tomorrow. We will be here and in all day, never have done that before in the camper and we are not sure how it will handle the lows of 23 tomorrow AM and 13 on Friday. Not sure we can go anywhere Friday either. So, here we sit!