Here's the lastest from Fort Stockton.
Th only reason there is a Fort Stockton is because this is where the spring flowed out of the ground. Trail travelers and Indians would take their horses there for water. Not much flowing water in this part of Texas. Now due to farming wells, the water only flows in the winter. Crop irrigation drops the water table to low for a year round flow today.
The good news is that there has NOT been a campground shooting here. There are still a few days left, so it could happen. Unlike San ANtonio, which had a bit of an AUstin, TX, I think most folks around here pack heat.
The mesas round here fascinate me. They look like mountains with their tops cut off. A quick google search confirmed what I suspected. Wind, water and erosion removed the softer earth until it reaches the hardened layers. The eroded layers of dirt are currently blowing all over the place like lost souls. Our vehicles have a layer of fine Texas terra covering them. Even the cooler we leave outside looks like it's been there for months.
Vrai joked with me that she wondered what bad thing would happen to us when we were due to leave Kerrville. Our departure was delayed 2 days due to what turned out to be a loose gas cap. So thanking our lucky stars it wasn't something major. Not an hour after those words left her lips then we find that the battery on the Jeep was kaput. We quickly jump the Jeep and then head down the road.
I won't bore you with my travails of driving in the west Texas winds. Needless to say there was a moment where I was ready to pack it in and settle down. Or at least head back to the east coast where I would take my chances with the occasional hurricane.
Once we got to Ft Stockton the Jeep battery again was DOA. ANother jump start but this time we are blocking the only ntry to the campground. So rigs were backing up waiting for us to clear the path. You should see both of us work quickly like a well choreographed musical. Getting the cables hooked up, start the Jeep, unhook the cables, move ther Rav4, open up the travel lane for the road weary travelers. All who faced the same nerve wracking winds to get there.
I put the battery on my charger. I try to start it again and nothing. I suspect the battery. I'm in the lower 50 percentile in mechanical aptitude. At least that is what my ASVAB score claims. Paul Simon doesn't know much about biology. I know about as much when it comes to vehicles. Gas, tires, keys, adjust mirrors. Pretty much covers it. I do have a sweet back up camera on the dash. Oh and I can parallel park. Anywho I suspect the battery is bad. I remove the battery and take it over to the auto part store. This is 1 of those times when it pays for us to have 2 vehicles.
I bring the battery into the store. The gal at the counter asks for the vehicle info. She punches it in her computer. Tells me what model to get. The suggested model is clearly much larger than the battery I have on the cart in front of me. I'm all for women in non traditonal roles but when I'm purchasing auto parts I need the most knowledgeable person helping me. Because I have to rely on their expertise to get me the right parts. So I question that her recommendation doesn't seem correct. We look over the several dozen batteries for sale. She grunts and groans which doesn't make me think she's the most informed battery person in the store. I almost suggested that maybe 1 of her coworkers might be able to help us out. LSS, I get what looks to be a suitable battery.
Back at the campground with the new battery, I put it on the charger to make sure I have plenty of starting power. I set the battery in the Jeep, only to find out that the groove at the bottome of the battery isn't long enough to accept the tab on the Jeep. I struggle to get the terminal on the posts. It's a tight fit. I have to angle the battery and I get the negative side on. I try to do the other side but I need a 3rd hand. Vrai assists me and we get it on. I give it a try and I now have a working vehicle. Now to just batten down the battery and I'm good. The part that I detached needs to get screwed back in. But I can't get it in because of the slot mismatch issue. The battery is too far forward. It should sit back further but can't. I decide at this point that I want the correct battery. And the Jeep runs, so I drive it over to the parts store. My mission is not to leave until I have the correct battery.
The auto part store is now having their parking lot resurfaced. Great. I explain my issue to the sales gal. More hemming and hawing. Her knowledge of batteries hasn't increased since the last time I left. She types the info into the computer again and gets the same result. This mega huge battery is the replacement for my itty bitty battery. So at this point my head is getting pretty hard. I take the battery to the parking lot. Remove the other new battery. In the base where the battery goes there is a plastic wedge that appears removeable. I wiggle that part free. Now my battery compartment is large enough to accept the mega battery. I drop it in. Hooking up the terminals is a snap because on this battery the posts are recessed about and inch and half. I even have enough space to get the wedge in to firmly secure the battery in place. I'm good to go. I pay the difference in battery price and I fly out the door. Success.
And here you all thought that all we did was travel around to neat place and eat and drink to our heart's content. Well this is living on the road. We have the same challenges as those that live in 1 place. In the big picture the battery issue wasn't that big of a deal. It worked out in the end.
We met a couple from NJ that is in the campground. They have the same make and model RV as us. Only they have a 31 footer. We compare notes. They have been full time traveling since December. He remarked at how hard it was to drive in the wind. The wind has actually calmed down a bit since the gusts of Tuesday & Wednesday. They are having an issue with their RV steps not wanting to come down. They have a step ladder to get in and out of their RV. Welcome to RV life. Just like a stick & brick home, things always seem to be in some sort of needed repair. Just the other day I turned on the AC. Nothing happened. I turned the thermostat all the way down. Still nothing. I went and tried the bedroom AC. Still no love. While we are troubleshooting the issue(both of us scratching our heads), Vrai looks up and notices that the microwave oven isn't showing the time. The whole campground is without power. So it isn't our issue. That makes me extremely happy. Even though we don't have any cold air at the moment.
Speaking of cold air, here we often end up running both heat and AC in the same day. I like that we can have the screen door open during the day. We can only do that if the wind isn't blowing like crazy. Having that dust all over isn't fun.
I thought I would see a road runner while we were here. The main bird here seems to be the mouring dove. They are everywhere. I hear a few cooing while I type this.
My neighbor in the campground is 81 years old and is a full timer. He's a grandfather but doesn't have any great grand kids. He doesn't see any in the future. Yet the woman that we met yesterday, who looked to be around my age, already has a great grand kid. My mom has 17 grand kids. The youngest is a sophomore in high school. Theoretically every one of them could possibly give her a great grand but most likely won't happen for a while. I should start an office pool to see which grand kid is the first to reproduce.
Vrai walked in from taking Apollo out on a sniff & destroy mission. Now the door is shut and the heat has been turned on. She's usually the one that's hot all the time. I'm the one that is always putting a long sleeve shirt on. I think we have somehow changed preferences.
Time for me to wrap this up. I have to get on the other forum areas so I can argue politics with random strangers. *May all your cars start on the first try and your road trips be long and windless. * = an old Comanchee saying.
Be safe and stay warm.
