Fort Stockton to Van Horn, Still A Blowin’ and Big Problems

Van Horn TX.

34 Deg., overcast, NE wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy, high temp. 52 deg, a 20% chance of rain, East wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

Just before we pulled out of the Fort Stockton RV park at 8:40 Thursday morning, the wind started to blow again. It wasn't blowing too hard, so I thought it would be OK. As we were heading to the next exit where there was a gas station, I thought the wind may be picking up a bit, but it still wasn't too bad.

Well, by the time Jim had filled my tank with good old #2 diesel and we headed back out onto Westbound I-10, I knew it was going to be a tough travel day. You see, the wind had switched to the NE and was hitting me pretty much broadside at about 20 to 30 mph with higher gusts!!!  : O  

Now, I’m pretty heavy and wind doesn't bother me a real lot, but Jim had to “stay on the ball” to keep me from wandering off course, which meant that he couldn't really relax at all.

We stopped at one rest area and one picnic area along the way. Once to just relax a bit and the other time to relax and check tires and tow bar. So, with getting fuel and stopping the 2 times, it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel the 123 miles here to the Eagle's Nest RV Park in Van Horn, TX.

This is a pretty nice park with fairly large pull-through sites and full hook-ups, with some sites having 50 amp electric. There wasn't anyone in the office when we pulled in, so Jim did the "self registration" thing and soon I was parked in site #3.

Yesterday morning, the wind had died down some, so Jim and Linda thought they'd get an early start. Well, as you know, the best laid plans don't always work. 

By about 8:30, Jim and Linda had everything ready go go, so Jim fired up my engine and it started right up and then promptly stopped!!!! He tried to start it again but it would crank over but not start!!!   : O

Now what to do???? He went out and checked to see of there was anything visible wrong but couldn't find anything, tried to start my engine again, but it still wouldn't run.  : (

So . . .. .  . A call to Road Service was in order.

After talking to the friendly and sympathetic people at Road Service for awhile and giving them a bunch of information, it was decided that the best thing to do was to send a tow truck out and have me towed to the nearest facility, which is about 100 miles away in El Paso.

After about an hour so so, they called back and said that they had found a towing service that could handle me, but it would be between 3:00 and 5:00 before they could get here. : ( 

So, , , , , nothing to do but wait, and if you know Jim, waiting for something like that is not one of his better attributes.  : (

Anyway, about 3:30, the phone rang and it was the Road Service telling Jim that the tow truck had problems and wouldn't be able to come and tow me to El Paso until Monday!!!!!  : ((

But, , , , , , , , , , Just after that call, the man from the tow truck company called, asked some questions about me and asked if anyone had looked at me? He was told that "No, the Road Service had determined that the thing to do was to tow me to the facility in El Paso". He said that since his tow truck service was in Van Horn, and he had some time, he wandered if it would be OK if he came over and had a look at me?

In about 10 minutes he arrived, checked a few thing out, and then he and Jim tried to start my engine. Again, it would not start, so the man got out some starting fluid and while Jim was trying to start me, he sprayed some into my engine air intake.

My engine fired up and in a short time was running fine on it's own!!!  : )

So, what's the problem? Well, he thinks that there is a small leak somewhere and my fuel system is loosing its prime. In another words, after sitting, the fuel runs out of my fuel lines and back into the tank and without a little help, the pump will not pull it back up.

I've noticed my engine running a little rough after starting a few times, but I just blamed it on the cold weather, as that seemed to be when it happened. But now, I've got an idea that there was a problem for some time now, and it finally showed up here when the temperature was down to near freezing.  

Being that it was too late to head to El Paso, it was decided that we'd stay here for the weekend. Jim called the Road Service and told them to cancel the tow and then called the repair facility in El Paso and arranged for me to go in to be checked out Monday.

Oh, and that man from the tow truck company? He wouldn't accept any money for stopping by and instead, apologized for having a problem with his tow truck and not being able to tow me.

But, you know what? I'm glad that he had a problem with his truck!!! I didn't really want to be towed and if Jim can get my engine started Monday morning, he can drive me  to El Paso to see what the problem is.

Did you know that Van Horn was named for Lt. James Judson Van Horn who commanded an army garrison at the Van Horn Wells beginning in 1859? Lt. Van Horn's command was relatively short-lived as the post was seized by Confederate forces in 1861 and Lt. Van Horn taken prisoner.

It Just Keeps Blowing

Fort Stockton, TX

58 deg. haze, N. wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 72F. Winds from the West at 10-20 mph shifting to the North in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20%.
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The wind blew hard all day again yesterday but I don't think quite as hard as the last 3 days.

Jim went over to the Cafe for breakfast in the morning and then in the early afternoon, he put some water in my fresh water tank, dumped my black and grey water tanks and checked my fluid levels to make sure I'm ready to go today.

Linda did some reading and then worked with her Family Tree program. She's finally getting most of the features figured out and is enjoying the results. : ) After Jim came in they both worked on their CG database where they keep track of all the CGs that they've stayed at and prices, features etc.

For dinner they headed back to the Road Runner Cafe. Jim had the Chicken fried steak this time and Linda had the jumbo shrimp. Again, both of them said their food was excellent.

The evening was spent finishing entering the CGs, reading and fooling around with the computers.

It's been a good stay here at the Fort Stockton RV Park. It's too bad they don't have cable TV or Satellite TV here. (Their WI-FI could use a little upgrading too). The folks running and working at this CG are supper friendly and will do their best to make your stay enjoyable. The park is well maintained and Jim and Linda think, the best in the Fort Stockton TX area.

Did you know that the Texas cattle population is estimated to be near 16 million?

Catching Up, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Because of Internet connections, I've gotten behind. So . . . . . now, I've got to try to bring you up to date. : ( 

I'll see if I can get them caught up here.

Fort Stockton, TX.  Monday, 3/5/2012

46 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = sunny,  high temp. 78 deg.  15 to 20 mph. winds with 30 to 35 mph gusts.

We left the Pecan Valley RV Park near Junction about 5 minutes before 10:00 yesterday morning and continued West on I-10. The 181 mile drive here to the Fort Stockton RV park in Ft. Stockton was uneventful and by 10 minutes to 1:00 we were pulling up in front of the office.

Hmmm! 181 miles in 2 hours and 55 minutes. Made pretty good time again.

Jim and Linda have been to this park before and seem to really like it. The people running the park are supper friendly and willing to assist RVers in any way they can. It’s an old KOA and the sites are kind of narrow, but fairly long. It’s well maintained and most of the sites are pull-through. I have 50 amp electric, and full hook-ups. There are small trees between most sites, but they have no leaves at this time of the year, there’s also native plants planted between the sites, and many sites have picnic tables.

Another neat feature about this park is that they have a small café next to the office. It’s called the “Roadrunner Café” and they have limited breakfast and dinner menus. Even though the menus are limited, they have a wide variety to choose from, the meals are all “home cooked” including the excellent mashed potatoes), the portions are large and the prices are good.

For instance, Jim and Linda went over there about 5:00 last night. Linda had the “Texas Best Chicken-Fried Steak” that came with mashed potatoes, green beans, dinner roll and a slice of cake for desert, Jim had the “Café Favorite Chicken Breast Tenderloins” that came with all of the same sides, both Jim and Linda had a soft drink, and the bill was less than $20.00. 

Linda’s Chicken-Fried Steak was very large and Jim had 3 very large chicken tenderloins. Needless to say, they were both stuffed by the time they finished their meals. ; )

But, again, there are drawbacks to this Park. TV is very weak here. I can only get 2 English and one Hispanic channels on my TV and the data signal on the AT&T air card is almost non-existent. 

We’ll be staying here for  2 nights so today, Jim and Linda want to go into Fort Stockton to look around. Jim also wants to scope out a gas station where I can get into when we leave here. It’s been pretty long since I've had a drink and I used quite a bit of #2 diesel bucking a headwind all day yesterday. : (  

Ft Stockton, TX. Wednesday, 3/7/2012

55 deg. clear, S. wind @ 22 mph. 

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 15 to 25 mph. Gusts 30 to 40 mph.

Tuesday morning, Jim went over to the Cafe and had some great biscuits and gravy that came with sausage and scrambled eggs. It was too early for Linda, so she stayed here.

About 11:00 or so,, they took CLT and headed into town to find a station where I could get into easily for a drink and to see what Ft Stockton was like.

They found a station about 3 miles west on I-10, and then drove around. Both Jim and Linda decided that there wasn't much in town that they wanted to see or do, so by about noon, they were back here at the park.

The rest of the day was spent inside of me with the winds howling outside at 20 to 30 mph with 40 or more MPH gusts!!!

Jim doesn't like wind much, so he had no desire to be outside.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 3/6/2012, Jim checked the TV and the Internet and both said that the wind was going to continue to blow even harder that it had the past 2 days.  So . . . . . . being that we're not on a tight schedule, Jim went to the office when it opened and signed me up for 2 more days!  : )

After he came back, he helped Linda get all their tax information packaged up and then they went to the Post Office and mailed it to their tax lady.

Then, because it was again very windy, the rest of the day was again spent inside. : (   Both of them did get some computer work done during the afternoon though, so the day wasn't wasted.

Today, it's supposed to be real windy again with gusts over 40 mph, so I doubt if much will be happening. Even though he doesn't like the wind, I'm sure he'll go out and check my fluid levels and tires to make sure I'm ready to leave tomorrow morning.

You know, I almost forgot!! The other day the phone rang and it was Louise, (Of Paul and Louise, who manage the CG up in Rantoul, IL). She and Paul had been in San Antonio while we were in Borne and if they had know that we were so close together, could have gotten together for dinner or something. : (  Also, while she was talking to Jim, she asked him if he'd be interested in parking me in site #23 when we came to Rantoul this year? 

Well, Yeah!!!! Site 23 just happens to be one of the best sites in the park, but it has been occupied these last years by Jerry and Mary and their 5th wheel. This year they will not be using the site though, so Louise offered it to me!!!! : )

Louise said that it would be waiting for me when we get back there in July!  ; )

Thanks Louise!!!!


Did you know that the armadillo is the official state mammal of Texas?

S L O W C O N E C T I O N

Junction, TX.

27 Deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 72F. Winds from the WSW at 5-15 mph.
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I have no idea if I'll be able to post this or not. I've got such a S L O W   C O N E C T I O N!  !  !  ! 

But, I'm going to try.   : )

Wow!!!! It's chilly this morning!!!! Only 27 degrees as I write this and it will probably drop another degree or so before the sun comes up!!!

Brrrrrrrr!!!!

We left the Alamo Fiesta RV Resort in Boerne about 10:35 yesterday morning and got back on I-10, Westbound.  It was quite windy with gusts over 30 MPH. so I was glad we didn't have a long day scheduled.

From Boerne west, it gets pretty hilly and I finally got to show Jim and Linda what my engine could do. Yeah, I know, it's not that hilly in that part of Texas, but it was enough that they could see that I have plenty of power to keep up with traffic. ; )

It only took us an hour and 40 minutes to travel the 98 miles here to the Pecan Valley RV Park, so I guess I wasn't dragging my mudflaps too much. ; )

This is a neat little park. It's well off of the expressway so there's hardly any road noise, there's only about a dozen sites, (so you need to call ahead like Jim did), all the sites are full hook-up, (with 50 amp at a few of them), most of the sites are pull-through, all sites are paved and the Park is very well maintained. There's lots of trees but none of them have leaves on them now. However, they should provide some shade from the sun during the hot Texas summer.

The man who greeted us when we pulled into the park was very pleasant and told Jim exactly how to find my site, and already, Jim has found out that many of the other RVers here are very friendly.

I guess you can tell, I like this park.

OK, I can hear you saying, "There's got to be some drawbacks to the park". 

Well, yes there is. First of all, there's no TV stations in this area, so you can't get any TV on an antenna. My AT&T connection is very slow, and I've heard that the other carrier's signals are not any better. There's absolutely nothing to do here at the park, and probably not much in the area either, and, I don't think there's any shopping anywhere near by.

But, , , , ,  Oh, the peace and quiet!!!!!!!! ; )

We'll be leaving here this morning and heading a little further down the road. Should have faster Internet at our next stop.

Did you know that Junction is named for its location at the confluence of the North and South Llano Rivers?

H.E.B, Home Depot and Getting Ready

Boerne, TX

48 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 61F. Winds from the NNE at 5-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph shifting to the WNW in the afternoon.
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As soon as Linda was up and had her breakfast, she and Jim took CLT and headed out to get some groceries. Because of previous trips to and though Texas, they knew about and wanted to go to an H.E.B grocery store. In the past, they really liked the stores and weren't disappointed on this shopping trip.   : )

There's an H.E.B store here in Boerne, but construction crews have a portion of the parking lot closed off so finding a place to park is a nightmare. So,  ,  ,  ,  , they headed to another H.E B store about 8 miles East of here.

The shopping went well, and by a little after noon they were back here, carrying groceries inside of me and putting them away.

I don't think I told you, but the other day, an electric space heater that Jim and Linda use inside of me, (instead of my furnace when the weather isn't too cold), died. Jim had originally found the heater setting along side of a dumpster down in Florida about 5 years ago, and after some cleaning, it has worked well for all these years.

Anyway, it died the other morning and so after he relaxed a little, he took CLT and headed to Home Depot to see if they had any left. Well, they only had a few models left, but one of them was just what he was looking for, so he bought it and brought it back here.  

It's one of those tower heaters, (like the old one was), and it seems to be doing a fine job. It's 48 degrees outside right now and 73 degrees inside of me, and my furnace hasn't run all night. : )

Linda did a load of laundry yesterday afternoon and after the washer was done, Jim went out and drained my tanks and put away all my hoses. Then he checked my tires and fluid levels to make sure I'm ready to leave here this morning.

I don't think we'll be traveling very far today. West of here, the RV parks are kind of scarce, so it's either have a short travel day, or have a long travel day. Well, being that we're not in a hurry and Jim and Linda really don't like long travel days very much, the shorter one was chosen. ; )

Don't know if I'll have Internet at this next park so you may not hear from me for a day or so. But, don't worry, I'll get you caught up on my wanderings as soon as I can.  ; )

Did you know that "Texas" comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies?

Fireworks? Old Faithful? and Dinner

Boerne, TX.

67 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast in the morning, then partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 79F. Winds less than 5 mph.
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Jim and Linda took CLT and headed into town yesterday morning to do some shopping. The first stop was at "Billy's Western Wear where Jim found 2 short sleeve shirts that he really liked and a new straw cowboy hat to replace the one that looks like it's been worn 3 too many years already.

From Billy's they headed to a place called "EWE & EYE". There, Linda looked at all kinds of craft and gift stuff like needlepoint items, yarn, thread and toys that are home made, such as dresses for the dolls and children's clothes.

She did find a Christmas present for one of the grand kids, but that was about all. The next stop was "Tweety's RV Parts and Supplies". I'm sure some of you RVers are familiar with Tweety's web site as they are quite popular. The only thing Jim bought there was a new high volume water pressure regular for me.

By this time Jim and Linda were getting hungry, so they came back here for lunch.

Being that yesterday was Jim and Linda's anniversary, they had decided that they would go out for dinner. As they were getting ready, Jim and I noticed someone backing back and forth in a site right across the street from me, trying to get his Dutch Star Motor Home properly positioned in the site.

Well, I could tell that the person didn't know what he was doing because he was constantly turning the front wheels the wrong way. A woman was trying to help guide him into the site, but it wasn't helping much.

Anyway, all of a sudden I saw the Dutch Star backing up right towards the utilities post and yep, you guessed it, the driver backed right over them!!!!!

He didn't just bump them, he backed right over them!!!!   The electric box which caused all kinds of fireworks, the cable box which caused even my cable to go off, and the water pipe, which when broken off, gave a very good impression of Old Faithful!!  : O

Then as he pulled ahead, the Dutch Star's splash guard got hooked on the broken off utilities and ripped it off of the left side of the MH!!!!

But, then as they say on those TV infomercials, "there's even more"!!!! Yep, after pulling ahead, he backed right back over the utilities again!!!!!   : O

About this time another RVer went running over there and got the driver to pull ahead and just park.

Jim and Linda were ready to leave by this time, so on their way out of the park, they stopped by the office and told the person behind the desk what had happened. He had already received a phone call telling him about the accident, but he didn't realize that all the utilities had been wiped out.

After stopping at the office Jim and Linda headed to the Hungry Horse Restaurant in town. It wasn't exactly what they had expected, but it was fine.

At this restaurant, you first go to a counter and order your food. then when it's ready they call your name and you pick it up, like at a fast food restaurant. The difference here is that this is not a fast food restaurant, and the meals are cooked just like they would be in a sit-down restaurant.

Anyway, Jim had the beer battered cod dinner, (which was excellent) and Linda had the chicken fried steak dinner which was also excellent. The prices were good, all the food was very good and Jim and Linda enjoyed their meal. : )

By the time they came back here to the park, Old Faithful had been shut down and the electric and cable had been shut off to the site.

Oh, and the Dutch Star, (which really doesn't seem to be damged too much), and another MH had been moved a few sites down the row to sites that were not affected by the damaged utilities.

The evening was spent reading and watching some TV. I think both Jim and Linda had a very good day. ; )

Before I forget, Jim and Linda want to thank everyone who commented / e-mailed / called yesterday to wish them a happy anniversery. : )

Thank You.


Did you know that The first suspension bridge in the United States was the Waco Bridge? Built in 1870 and still in use today as a pedestrian crossing of the Brazos River.

Wandering Around Texas Hill Country

Boerne, TX.

57 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 77F. Winds less than 5 mph.


CLT, (Cute Little Truck), got a workout yesterday. You see, Jim and Linda decided that they wanted to wander around the area and see if they could find some scenic roads.

So. . . . . about 11:00 they took CLT and headed West from Boerne on Rt. 46. The first town they came to was Bandera. There, Linda spotted a quilt shop called, "Gone Quiltin'" that looked interesting, so they went in to look around. It was a neat place and Linda found a few gift items.

While they were talking to the owner of the quilt shop, they mentioned that they were looking for a place to get lunch. Well, the owner knew just the place. : ) It was called "Sparrows", and without the lady's directions, CLT said they would never have found it.

You see, it's about a block off of the main street, and in a building, that you would never think housed a restaurant. The only sign is a sign over the door and unless you're right in front of it, you wouldn't even see it.

From what I understand, it was a neat place where they served mostly sandwiches. Jim had a roast beef sandwich, (that he said was excellent), and a cup of chicken and dumpling soup. Linda had a ham sandwich that was very good and a cup of excellent broccoli cheese soup. Then, as they were paying the bill, they noticed some home-made brownies, so they bought a few of them to bring back here. ; )

Being that this place is off the beaten path, I'll give you the address so you can find it if you ever come to Bandera and want a light lunch. Its at 1307 Mulberry Street, and it's just over a block East of Rt. 16, which is the main street in town.

From Bandera, they headed West on Rt 16. When they came to Medina, they spotted this little store.

It's called the "Apple Store" and it's a combination gift shop/ bakery/ restaurant!!! They have all kinds of locally made gift items, a small bakery and a restaurant at the back of the store.

Again, Linda found a few small gift items to buy. : )

Rt. 16 from Medina to Kerrville is a designated "scenic route", and Jim and Linda were not disappointed. The photo below shows just one of the many scenic views that they saw along this route. CLT says that there were hills and valleys, twists and turns and beautiful homes and ranches all along this route.

From Kerrville, they got onto I-10 and brought it back here to Boerne. It was almost 4:00 by the time they returned.

Both of them said that they really enjoyed wandering around "Texas Hill Country" yesterday and will definitely do more wandering if they come back to this area. ; )

Did you know that today is Jim and Linda's 27th wedding anniversary?

Happy Anniversary, Jim and Linda

For all you family members, Jim and Linda want to know, do you remember the fog?  : )