Safely Home

After a grueling 545 mile day, we are home! We all wanted to take showers and crawl into our own beds, but there was work to be done. Unloading the trailer was on the list, as was cleaning out Jodie's car. Jodie has a book event tomorrow morning and needs to pack up her Usborne Children's books - www.livetoread.com (shamless plug!).

A quick inspection shows the entire trip resulted in the expected wear and tear on everything and everyone.

The trailer had the following "issues":
* one wheel bearing failure resulting in burned brake assemly to one wheel
* one vent cover on the top of the trailer blew apart due to the 45mph headwinds we had driving up I-5 on the return trip
* The rear slide track bolts came out. Thanks Russ for the repair!

All other equipment worked very well. In fact, we ran the refrigerator all month and still have lots of propane fuel left in the 30 pound bottle!

This was a great adventure and as usual, taking the roads less traveled led us to fantastic adventures (except for 5 hour detour in Texas!). Our breakdown in Louisiana was something else! It was mindboggling that we would breakdown half a mile from a great RV camp. We spent the downtime exploring the Crawfish Capitol of the World and met some of the nicest folks on the trip. Southern hospitality (and $300) got us fixed up and ready to roll on.

We want to thank everyone in Florida for all the hospitality and love. We miss you all. If Robert can work enough overtime, perhaps we can do it again soon.

The Last Vacation Fuel Stop

At 2PM we stopped for the dreaded, "I gotta go". After the Dale Family left our kidney fluid at the rest stop, we topped off the tank and traded duties; Jodie is now pilot-in-command and I get blogging duty. California is nice this time of year. Its 68 degrees and humidity is about 35 percent. Hee hee to all the Florida family. Sorry, I couldn't help it. We are listening to the SF Giants game on the radio and although we are a few hours from home, I am melancholy about the Palooza being nearly over. Go Giants!

Grapevine?

Well, we did it! We chugged up the Grapevine grade with no problem. Vehicle temps were fine and we didn't go below 45 MPH. It was very windy and cool and this may have helped. For those who don't know, the Grapevine Grade starts at 450ft above sea level and peaks at 4144ft. All this in only about 6 miles! When its hot, there are cars and trucks pulled to the side overheating or actually on fire. Now, we literally have a straight shot up Interstate 5 to Highway 4 and home.

Carioki ©

We are buzzing down the road, singin' songs on the radio and the Ipod and it comes to us.........Car-ioki! We'll make millions!

Jack is a Champ at RV Duties!

Its 0530 hours and we are preparing for our last leg homeward bound. The family seems to tolerate these early morning well. Weather report calls for it to be not so hot, so I hope this helps getting over the Grapevine Grade. Jack loves to be the trailer pit crew guy, hooking up and unhooking all the systems and performing our pre-departure checks. Jack usually is first out to get the rig ready for the road. He knows all the systems and is very fast. He should work for a NASCAR pit crew... if they raced RV's!

Arizona Museum Geocache!

How cool! This museum had a geocache inside and it had Travel Bugs inside the turkey! This cache gives us a geocache find in each state we traveled! California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.

Jail break time, boys!

The Doors and Windows from the old Jail

Horse Drawn School Bus

This horse drawn wagon was used from 1880's to the 1970's as the school bus! They only use it in parades now.

I'll take 5 pounds of bacon, 10 pounds of flour and sugar, and a bottle of caster oil.

Time for Jack to Explore

As the ladies waited in the coolness of air conditioning, Jack and I went across the street to check out the town's museum. Homeschoolers, remember! The museum used to be the town mercantile and everything inside was from when it was open in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a nice day!

(This is how we over charge tourists, Bridget). Actually, Bridget paid very close attention and rang us up perfectly.

Bridget working solo.

Good employee hygiene with those gloves!

How to Operate the Binford 4500 Digital Scale

Bridget learns how to correctly weigh and calculate candy prices.

Bridget's First Day on the Job

A walk down the street revealed a cute candy shop. Hmmmm, car snacks! The shop owner said hello and immediately asked Jodie if school was out early today. Jodie, in a mater of fact tone, told her we were homeschoolers. The owner then asked Bridget to help her. Bridget got on-the-job training on how to work at a candy shop. Bridget took our orders, picked out the candies, weighed them, and then learned how to ring up the sale on the cash register. She even processed our credit card. Nope, no family discount. She took every penny! Hope the amount was correct! The store owner was very nice and really made Bridget feel special. After bagging up our purchase, including lime-chili chocolates, we were off to see what else was around town.

Made a Fuel Stop in Benton, Arizona and......

The kids got a little nervous when they saw a guy on a Harley packing a pistol, in a holster. Real America kids and we are in the wild west. We then decided to explore and look what we found!

We Made it Back to California!

Whew! Blythe, California KOA and the Colorado River! What a day driving. This is our last scheduled overnight stop before we trek the last bit home tomorrow. Let's recap the day in photographs....

Pink Mouse?

Bridget appears to be hypnotized by a....pink mouse. Maybe its Gonzo who hypnotizes her?

The Only Way to Fly!

Our in-flight movie will be the entire 5th seaon of the Muppet Show. Snacks will be provided however, the pilot has illuminated the fasten seltbelt signs due to severe turbulence (read really bumpy roads).

Arizona!

...and the road conditions start deteriorating.

Faster than a Loocomotive

We are seeing lots of eastbound trains, so we took the opportunity to race a westbound one. He was pulling away until we hit the grade. We pulled away and Jodie proved she IS Superwoman!

New Mexico is Really Serious About Safe Driving

Extreme Caution? What other kind is there???

This one's for You, Uncle Buddy and Aunt Ellen!

Need anything while we go by? Thanks again for hosting Fish Fry 2010!

Critter Update

Just outside of the border station, Jodie had to slam on the brakes due to a worthless coyote on the road. He stared us down like we were some silly barn cat. He finally jumped out of the way probably when he realized our bumper was going to make quite an impact.

Checkpoint Charlie

Near the border of NM and AZ, we were stopped at this border inspection station. The agent asked us,"Is everyone aboard a US citizen?". Jodie replied in her sweet innocent voice, "yes". (except for the 25 guys we picked along the roadside who are hiding in the trailer)
.....These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.

Perfect Technique

Jodie is driving the first leg of our journey today. Notice the perfect 7:30 / 5:30 hand position on the steering wheel. She has found her inner "trucker diva". I'll take the end of the day driving shift. Hey, I'll have the sun in my eyes in the afternoon!

Going to California

After a great night sleep in cool Las Cruces, NM, we are getting ready for a long 530 mile push across I-10. Its reportedly going to be windy and hot and Blythe, California, will be up to 100 degrees! I don't miss the Florida humidity.

Critter Update

Bridget "Ellie Mae Clampett" Dale found some wild bunny rabbits hopping around the campsite.

AAAAHHHHHHH This is Nice!

Back at the Las Cruces KOA

After getting checked in and the trailer parked and hooked up, we enjoyed a gourmet meal of hot dogs and corn... Just like cowboys in these parts! "Hey Dad, remember they have a pool?" And so it is. An evening dip in the pool to relieve 500 miles of cramps and aches.

Looks like we made it!

New Mexico! Whooo! Texas behind us and only Arizona and the dreaded Grapevine Pass keeping us from home.

Gassin' Up in Ozona, Texas

I wonder if Obama will close this town due to high Ozona levels.

Thursday Morning

Heading to Las Cruces, NM, this morning and VERY SORRY that we cannot spend more time here in Fredericksburg TX. What a beautiful town! We could spend days here exploring. Sigh.....

Cross Roads in Fredricksburg

Good Morning Fredricksburg, Texas

I wish we had time to really explore here. We saw lots of cool things on the way in, like nice fruit stands with softball size peaches! We head out to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and weather should be nice. Driving westward is tough during sunset hours with the blinding sun in the eyes.

Made It!

Pulled into our camp spot with no problems. We set up for a quick departure tomorrow. (Wake up at 5:30am again). Its nice and quiet here and all we want to do is put the day behind us and get some shut eye. Jodie whipped up her specialty for dinner- left over turkey meatloaf, green beans, and Mac&Cheese! A real cowboy campin' meal after a long day on the trail!

Sunset over Texas

We've been at it since 5:30am and left Louisiana at 7:30am. Its now 8:22PM and we are in Johnson City, Texas. We had to take a detour because of a hazmat oil tanker spill on I-10. The detour closed the highway for three days and took us way out of our planned route. Johnson City is the home town of President Lyndon Johnson. We liked the area of Lake Houston and the Texas hill country is very beautiful. We should be pulling into our camp in 10 minutes or so.
All I want is a shower, dinner, a little something to ease my pain and a good nights rest. At least we should only be about 1 hour behind our adjusted schedule.

Top Stories

This HazMat Spill closed a 4 mile of Interstate 10 for 3 days!

...Or So We Thought

Well we were back in the saddle again but only for a little while. Major accident with a naphtha spill on a freeway bridge ahead. Traffic backed up for ten miles. Accident happened at 4AM.

So here we are trying to detour with all 6,000 others at the same time.

Back in the Saddle Again

Ready to Hit the Road

The trailer has 4 rolling wheels again. Thanks to the RV repair guy named Galvey Vinson. He was the epitome of a professional and a real good guy. He came out to our trailer yesterday, at the end of his regular work day. He knew what to do and with years of experience, he got right down to it. He left with the broken parts so he could press new bearings at home. He returned Tuesday afternoon, like he said, and reinstalled new brakes, brake drum, bearing and races. He packed the bearings with "greeze" and we were set. But he wasn't through. He checked all the other wheels and found one was loose and all others had no greeze. Remember, I had this all done 3 weeks ago before we left on this trip? He even drove home to get a part from his home to finish the job! This guy knew we were in a jam and he took care of us. So did the owners of this campground. Its feels good to meet true Americas who care for others and lend a hand to a stranger and treated them like family. Perhaps this Country really does have a chance!
In the morning, off to Kerrville Texas!

Atchafalaya Visitor Center

This is the place we pulled into yesterday with a broken wheel. The kids and I went back and found a geocache there. This visitor center building was the grounds for a one-room school house back in the 1930's. Kids living on the other side of the river had to get to school on the School Boat!

Hurry, The Sky is Falling!

Out of the Pool!

After our drive and getting provisions, our RV repair guy returned. He got us all fixed up...for a nominal fee. To celebrate, the Dales went for a swim. After about 15 minutes, the weather suddenly changed from hot and muggy to windy and colder. A few thunder claps and mom said, "out of the pool"! I'm gonna listen to the Florida girl who knows about thunder and lightning!

The Real Breaux Bridge!

In Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, of course.

Why Did the Dales Cross the Bridge?

To see the super cute town on the other side! Crayfish decorate the bridge.

The Bridge Less Traveled

While our trailer has a broken wheel and we await repairs, we went on an expedition, in our Expedition. Jodie fired up the GPS and we started into town. After a "few miles", we discovered the GPS was set to avoid highways, and so began the road and bridge less traveled.

As the small road led us, we were given a lesson about Cajun Country. There were very small shack homes along the bayou. These were reminiscent of what one would see at Disneyland on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Old wood shacks, some looking worse for wear having withstood too many seasons of humidity, heat, rain and hurricanes lined the road. Other homes were beautiful brick and wrought iron mini mansions. What was unusual was that no matter what condition or economics, they all had signs out front naming their homes. Dad's Pad When Mom's Mad, Happy Times, Cajun Crib, and other clever names made for a great adventure into bayou life.

The other side of the road was raised up about 10 feet like a levee. To get to the homes on the river bank we had to off-road up the levee to the dirt road on top. Now we could see the river and how folks lived up on the river.

Then the bridge! I asked Jodie if we were on the right road. She said we were. The bridge didn't look like something that could sustain every day traffic. Note the rust and strange construction. I clicked this photo to document where we where when we collapsed the bridge.

Lessons from a Child

So here we are waiting to see if we will have to become permanent residents of Louisiana or find out our Tuscany Trailer will cost $$$ to fix, the kids in their innocence run out and start skipping and laughing and hunting for caterpillars. We adults can learn from this. Instead of ranting and panicking and creating stress, go hunt for caterpillars!

Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

We have learned that the little town of Breaux Bridge, LA has a rich cajun history. It is known as the "la capitale Mondiale de l'ecrevisse" (Crawfish Capitol of the World)!

Back in 1771, Acadian pioneer Firmin Breaux began buying the land from which the present day city of Breaux Bridge would evolve. He purchased the land from Jean Francois Ledee, a wealthy New Orleans merchant who had acquired the land as a French land grant. By 1774, Breaux's branding iron was registered and by 1786 he was one of the largest property owners in Teche country.

In 1799 Breaux built a footbridge across our beautiful Bayou Teche to help ease the passage for his family and neighbors. This first bridge was a suspension footbridge, likely made of rope and small planks. It was stabilized by being tied to small pilings located at each end of the bridge, as well as to a pair of huge live oak tress on both sides of the bayou. When traveling directions were given, folks would say "go to Breaux's bridge...", which eventually was adopted as the city's name.

Breaux Bridge Webcam

We will do some area exploring and provisioning for needed supplies. Check back later to see what other Cajun adventures come our way!

Hey Mister. Your Biscuits are Burning!

So, we are motoring right along, just outside Baton Rouge when the nice Cajun folk driving past us began honking and waving at us. How nice. They must have seen our California license plate. The third car to go by was a nice lady who really seemed to like us a lot. She was jumping in her seat and seemed to be very excited to see us.

That's when I noticed the smoke coming from the left side of the trailer. Since the refrigerator is on that side, I naturally thought the trailer was on fire! (The refrigerator is on that side and it uses propane and a lit flame to stay cool)

Luckily the next exit was a huge visitor center/rest stop. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and went back to see if I could save the day. I discovered one of the wheels had completely burned up it's wheel bearings and it was still smoking. I didn't need the extinguisher for the wheel, but I nearly lost it and needed the extinguisher for myself!

We were 12 miles from our destination, it was 4:30PM and businesses were closing, and we were stuck. After some frantic phone calls, which did not help our situation, we decided to limp to our destination camp. Literally less than 1/2 mile away was a little gem of campground: The Frenchman's Wilderness Campground in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

We pulled in to find the office closed, but here is the weird thing. On the message board was a note that someone had a reservation in Site #9 for May 17, 2010 and his name was..... DALE ROBERTS!

The owner of the campground got us set up in a site, then called a buddy of his who does RV repair. A couple hours later, the guy shows up and springs into action. He gets the trailer jacked up and set on blocks, he finds the wheel was barely on and there were no wheel bearings left. Just a chewed up rear bearing race. He tells me the axle looks ok and it should only need new wheel bearings and races and new brake shoes. Those burned up too. I was very relieved to hear this news because I had fears of a total disaster and nothing but $$$ floating away.

The good feeling lasted only a moment, because I noticed the other wheel was loose. The repair guy agrees it shouldn't be that loose. My blood pressure rockets when I think back that these are the wheels I had serviced before we left California a couple of weeks ago! I can't wait to call the trailer service manager back home.

Well, as I sit and write this, I am glad that Jodie can calm me down with just a look, and that I should be thankful we didn't become a victim on the roadway like the roadkill beavers, turtles, and armadillos we saw. Tomorrow, the repair guy comes back and we hopefully only add a day to our trip; stranded here in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

The Mighty Mississippi River

As we crossed the bridge over the Mississippi River, Jodie got this shot of a paddle wheel riverboat.

Jack Kicks Back

Jack and Bridget are great travelers. Here, Jack gets comfortable while watching the penguin movie... this time in french!

Jodie, Do I Take This Exit?

Yet Another Geocache!

This one at the front gate entrance to the Stennis Space Center where they test space shuttle rocket engines. Got a Mississippi geocache!