Tomorrow we drive south about 45 miles to Devil's Den State Park to participate in an Aliner Rally of the LOKAT's, that's for Aliner owners from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas. This is our first owner rally and should be fun and interesting to meet others who enjoy getting out and about with our unique little campers.
We planned to start our traditional fall trip with the rally and then meander toward Virginia where Ginnie's sister Jane lives. We will have some restrictions due to the Goverment Shutdown closing all federal facilities, which include all the campgrounds in National forests and Corps of Engineer facilities. Bummer... I called my Congressman's office and asked where I could camp in Arkansas. I was told that they couldn't help me, and I responded with, "Yes you can, just do your effin job." I would make an educated guess that most of the public campgrounds in Arkansas are federal, and as a result our choices are going to very limited as to where we can stay. Naturally this problem isn't going to be experienced only in Arkansas, but in Missouri, Kentucky, N. Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia as well.
Again, Bummer...
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Staying connected while on the road
We, like so many today, have multiple electronic gadgets. In our case, we travel with two laptops, two ipods, a tablet, a nook and a kindle. I had dropped our Verizon unlimited data plan when I crunched the numbers and realized that I was paying $800+ annually for a smartphone in order to have internet access for two or three months travel. That didn't make a lot of sense. I had read on another blog about a new phone/data company, Ting, and liked the idea of paying for what you use. As a result, I now have a smartphone that costs as little as $13 per month when we are home, and usually $39 when we travel and use the phone as a hotspot for all our devices. Sounds good, except the data connection is provided by Sprint, and quite often, we don't have a connection, because of Sprints limited coverage. I needed to find a way to get my data from Verizon, but at a reasonable rate, paying when we needed it, and not paying when we are at home.
My solution was to get a mifi device, or as Verizon calls them, a Jetpack. At first, I thought to get a prepaid device which can go from month to month. It was a bit pricey, $100 for the device, and $60 for 3gig, but I thought with careful use we could get by with this. Off we went to the Verizon store. I ended up with a different deal. I signed up for a two year plan. I bought the same device as offered with the prepaid plan, but paid only $20 for the device, and my service is suspended, meaning I pay nothing until I activate the device and use it. When I activate the device I begin paying at a monthly rate of $50 for 5gig. When we get home and no longer need the device, I will deactivate it, and my billing will be prorated for the time I actually used the device. Pretty sweet, I think. That all depends on it working as Verizon peeps have told me. I will have to use it, and see actual bills to know if it all works this way. Hope so, as I'm excited to have the 4G lte connection, where to date, we've only experienced 3g.
My solution was to get a mifi device, or as Verizon calls them, a Jetpack. At first, I thought to get a prepaid device which can go from month to month. It was a bit pricey, $100 for the device, and $60 for 3gig, but I thought with careful use we could get by with this. Off we went to the Verizon store. I ended up with a different deal. I signed up for a two year plan. I bought the same device as offered with the prepaid plan, but paid only $20 for the device, and my service is suspended, meaning I pay nothing until I activate the device and use it. When I activate the device I begin paying at a monthly rate of $50 for 5gig. When we get home and no longer need the device, I will deactivate it, and my billing will be prorated for the time I actually used the device. Pretty sweet, I think. That all depends on it working as Verizon peeps have told me. I will have to use it, and see actual bills to know if it all works this way. Hope so, as I'm excited to have the 4G lte connection, where to date, we've only experienced 3g.
Get a Human
I'm posting this as we all get frustrated calling a business and being stymied by the infamous robotic "tree".
I just learned how to "get a human" for Verizon, and it has worked like a charm twice now.
Dial 800-922-0204. As soon as the robot begins it's spiel, dial five zeros. 00000. Almost immediately you will be connected to a real helpful and cheerful person. Works between 6am and 11pm 7 days per week.
I just learned how to "get a human" for Verizon, and it has worked like a charm twice now.
Dial 800-922-0204. As soon as the robot begins it's spiel, dial five zeros. 00000. Almost immediately you will be connected to a real helpful and cheerful person. Works between 6am and 11pm 7 days per week.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Truck Report
Our Honda Ridgeline worked pretty much as we anticipated, with the advantages I cited in my first post.
Capacity for all our stuff, some hidden storage and greater ground clearance proved their worth. Gas mileage was indeed worse, adding 10-15% to our fuel bills. Clearly there are better choices if long distance interstate travelling are part of your plans. There is no such thing as the perfect vehicle, but the Ridge, as we use it and intend to use it, works well for us.
We found it comfortable, spacious, easy to drive, and able to safely carry us on to unpaved forest roads in Colorado and Arizona. Creature comforts are on par with the Sienna Van, with the only negative in that department being "primitive" electronics. I was shocked to find that there is no provision for plugging in my Ipod.. Six disc CD changers are so old school when all your music is on your Ipod. l also was accustomed to listening to Pandora using our phone. With no bluetooth, that option is no longer available either.
Other than complaints about the audio components, all I can say is, "It's a Honda!" Implicit in that is my faith that the Ridge is bomb proof and dead reliable for thousands of miles to come.
Capacity for all our stuff, some hidden storage and greater ground clearance proved their worth. Gas mileage was indeed worse, adding 10-15% to our fuel bills. Clearly there are better choices if long distance interstate travelling are part of your plans. There is no such thing as the perfect vehicle, but the Ridge, as we use it and intend to use it, works well for us.
We found it comfortable, spacious, easy to drive, and able to safely carry us on to unpaved forest roads in Colorado and Arizona. Creature comforts are on par with the Sienna Van, with the only negative in that department being "primitive" electronics. I was shocked to find that there is no provision for plugging in my Ipod.. Six disc CD changers are so old school when all your music is on your Ipod. l also was accustomed to listening to Pandora using our phone. With no bluetooth, that option is no longer available either.
Other than complaints about the audio components, all I can say is, "It's a Honda!" Implicit in that is my faith that the Ridge is bomb proof and dead reliable for thousands of miles to come.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The end of this story
Monday, we did just as I mentioned in the previous post. We had a nice breakfast in the small restaurant that's on site at the KOA, and followed that with an easy drive home. We followed I-40 to I-540 and soon we were in familiar territory, passing all the places we shop in Rogers and Bentonville. We got the trailer pretty much unloaded, the truck in the garage, water turned on in the house, A/C dialed down to get some dry clean air circulating, and ice being made in the fridge. Tuesday, Ginnie will do a huge laundry load, I'll wash the camper in and out and we will shop for groceries, pick up our mail and settle back into our Arkansas routine.
The trees here look amazing. Lots of spring rain has helped enormously. The dogwood that I was sure we had lost is fully leafed out. The view behind our house has the appearance of a tropical jungle with mist rising in the early morning. My two patches of grass need attention badly, but they will have to wait a couple of days. With my push lawnmower being all I have to mow with, I'll have to use the string trimmer first to get the grass cut down to size.
Ginnie tells me that we will be in Salina for Adrian's birthday. He needs to get familiar with his grandparents. His crying reaction to our presence might just be his way of getting attention. We'll see how a two year old reacts to a birthday celebration.
I'm getting used to blogging and how blogger works. I need to proof my writing and check my grammar. I think I will keep this up. Ginnie has kept a much more extensive daily journal throughout our trip. None of it has appeared here. My apologies to any and all who have followed us along on this trip, as the actual trip was a lot more fun for us than reading about it was for you.
Another no pic day.
Monday, June 17, 2013
I-40
Early Saturday we hitched up and headed East. From Santa Fe we headed south to Clines Corners where we picked up I-40 and by early afternoon we were in Amarillo, TX at a KOA on the east side of town. We were far from the interstate but nearby trains and Amarillo's airport made up for it. Military jets, probably part of an Air Guard unit took off, making noise as only military jets can. We went to Mass at the local Cathedral, and followed that up with dinner at a Cracker Barrel. I gassed up at a Samsclub and then back to the campground where we read until bed time.
Sunday found us hitched up and headed for points east. We were not sure how the tornadoes would affect campgrounds in the Oklahoma City area, and whether we wanted to stop there or go further. As it turned out, the weather was really nice, so we kept going past Oklahoma City to a KOA situated close to the town of Checotah, OK. They advertised a "quiet country atmosphere" No mention that they are about 100 yards from I-40 and constant traffic noise. The lousy WIFI, which is always part of the KOA experience was blamed on the tornadoes. Hah.
We have a nice shady campsite, with no one close by and they have a small restaurant in the office. We are out of cereal for breakfast, so will go to the restaurant for our morning meal.
Following that, it's 155 miles to the house, and the end of this story.
Sunday found us hitched up and headed for points east. We were not sure how the tornadoes would affect campgrounds in the Oklahoma City area, and whether we wanted to stop there or go further. As it turned out, the weather was really nice, so we kept going past Oklahoma City to a KOA situated close to the town of Checotah, OK. They advertised a "quiet country atmosphere" No mention that they are about 100 yards from I-40 and constant traffic noise. The lousy WIFI, which is always part of the KOA experience was blamed on the tornadoes. Hah.
We have a nice shady campsite, with no one close by and they have a small restaurant in the office. We are out of cereal for breakfast, so will go to the restaurant for our morning meal.
Following that, it's 155 miles to the house, and the end of this story.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Thoughts of home
Not too surprising, as we've been co-habiting in 72 square feet for a month now, but a trip to the central plaza in Santa Fe seemed to satisfy our urge for sight seeing in Santa Fe. After all, we've been here before. Ginnie got some earrings and a new hat, plus we had a tasty lunch from a food stand on the plaza. We returned to the campground, where at least one of us took a nap, and then after consulting the local "plan your trip" info, and finding nothing that piqued our curiosity,made a joint decision to pull up stakes in the morning and head home.
We should be in Amarillo tomorrow night, then spend Sunday night somewhere in Oklahoma, completing the trip home on Monday.
We've had a great time, and I think we have worked through all the kinks and quirks of our little mobile home. We can't think of anything we need to add. We've learned that we really are in our 70's and have to work much harder at staying in good health and physical condition. Being in shape doesn't come easy any more. It's a lot more like work than fun.
Most of the camera work today was in and around the Loretta chapel, home of the "miraculous staircase" ($3 admission, and a huge gift shop) as well as the Cathedral Basilica, which has new pews since our last visit. A side chapel holds a number of reliquaries, two of St. Francis of Assisi, and a splinter from the true cross, were the most notable/memorable.
Dinner was at La Plancha, a Mexican/Central American restaurant. Ginnie played it safe with chicken fajitas, while I ventured a bit for a pork chop. Ginnie's wasn't particularly memorable, but I feel I was rewarded for being just a bit adventurous.
Hook up tomorrow, and head for Amarillo where I've already made reservations at a KOA. We lose an hour, so 5 o'clock church probably wont happen. I hope we can make Church Saturday so that we can get fairly far down the road on Sunday without having to attend a service. I want a short drive home on Monday.
I think that's about it for the "adventure"
We should be in Amarillo tomorrow night, then spend Sunday night somewhere in Oklahoma, completing the trip home on Monday.
We've had a great time, and I think we have worked through all the kinks and quirks of our little mobile home. We can't think of anything we need to add. We've learned that we really are in our 70's and have to work much harder at staying in good health and physical condition. Being in shape doesn't come easy any more. It's a lot more like work than fun.
Most of the camera work today was in and around the Loretta chapel, home of the "miraculous staircase" ($3 admission, and a huge gift shop) as well as the Cathedral Basilica, which has new pews since our last visit. A side chapel holds a number of reliquaries, two of St. Francis of Assisi, and a splinter from the true cross, were the most notable/memorable.
Dinner was at La Plancha, a Mexican/Central American restaurant. Ginnie played it safe with chicken fajitas, while I ventured a bit for a pork chop. Ginnie's wasn't particularly memorable, but I feel I was rewarded for being just a bit adventurous.
Hook up tomorrow, and head for Amarillo where I've already made reservations at a KOA. We lose an hour, so 5 o'clock church probably wont happen. I hope we can make Church Saturday so that we can get fairly far down the road on Sunday without having to attend a service. I want a short drive home on Monday.
I think that's about it for the "adventure"
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| Miraculous staircase |
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| Reliquaries |
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| Santa Fe Plaza |
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| Santa Fe Plaza |
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