Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Buccaneer State Park

Moving along the gulf, I'm now in Waveland, Mississippi, at the Buccaneer State Park, which had been devastated in Hurricane Katrina. Today it is mostly rebuilt, and beautiful and calm (for now). While in New Orleans I had a tornado watch, which made for a not-so-restful night. My emergency management experience ensured I made a plan for what I'd do if it became a warning. Stormy weather is expected to come through again, but it doesn't sound like the area I'm in will get the extreme storms other areas north of here have experienced. 

Right now I mostly hear birds of several varieties and the occasional plop of a fish jumping. Seems I've landed in "no-see-um" country too. 

It was a short and nice drive from New Orleans. I took the local highway, alongside and across the waterways. The view was varied with well-built-looking houses perched high on stilts, lots of pull-offs with people fishing at each one, a number of rotting boats carelessly tossed alongside the highway by previous storms, beautiful egrets almost as numerous as the seagulls back home (and roadkill ranging from bear to armadillo to domestic dogs. Looks like Louisiana doesn't bother with highway cleanup in the area.) Traffic was so light I could slow down to soar alongside and admire a hawk for some distance. 

Charley had a vet check today, and she was satisfied with his progress. He celebrated with the longest walk he's taken so far post-illness around the RV loop. When he's going at a good pace, it's a challenge for me to keep up, and that's such a great improvement. He doesn't have long-term stamina, but that will come in time.  


Saturday, December 26, 2015

Charley's Getting Better

Bored & ready to play ball again
I've been in New Orleans for the week of Christmas and Charley, my dog, is getting better each day. He still has an extreme palsy that prevents him from fully controlling his limbs, but he can stand up when he wants to, and until he becomes exhausted, he can walk in a staggering fashion. He's getting bored with the sedentary life. When he has the energy he even tries to run, which often results in him going head-over-heels, either forward or backwards. I try to find a good, soft lawn for his outdoor time.

I haven't spent as much time exploring New Orleans as I had originally expected because of the dog not being well. There have been a couple times that I've put him in the carrier and taken him to Frenchmen Street or Bourbon Street or people-watching along the Mississippi River and outside of Jackson Square. He's small, and over my shoulder, the black bag doesn't attract much attention. In places that have music and don't sell food, I just bring him right in and set him on the floor under my seat. I can't tell if he likes live music as much as I do, but I know he likes to "get in the box" and go places better than being left alone.

A highlight of the visit is that Cheryl Armstrong, who I used to work with, came down to New Orleans from Baton Rouge with her father and we spent time walking and wheeling around the city.


Itinerary: I've got a follow-up appointment for Charley with a veterinary neurologist on Tuesday, then I'll be motoring eastward around the Gulf. New Year's Eve will be in Biloxi, Mississippi and a couple days later I should be on Florida's Emerald Coast.


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

A Terrifying Journey for Dog

My last blog post was all about the Padre Island beach and what a good day it was. That great day turned into a hellish night and days since. While I was preparing to go to bed I took Charley out for a walk, and once outside, he wouldn't move. There were a ton of crickets making noise in the dark, and who knows what else was out there, so I thought something had him spooked. At that time, I actually couldn't tell if he wouldn't move right or couldn't move right.

It wasn't long before I realized something was really wrong with him. He'd been quiet and clingy that evening, but after I put him up on the bed, he started drooling excessively and was restless and aimlessly moving around. He was stumbling, and I realized I couldn't have him on the elevated bed so I moved some blankets down to the floor. Looking into his eyes, though, I saw that he definitely "wasn't right." At the national park I didn't have an internet connection or reliable cell service, so I finally just decided to pack up and go in to Corpus Christi to see if I could find a 24-hour emergency vet. I'm so glad I did. By the time we arrived, about 40 minutes later, he couldn't even hold up his own weight and his eyes weren't responsive to light.

My best guess was some kind of shellfish poisoning since we'd been on the beach, and at one point I'd seen him pick up a crab with his mouth and I had to get him to drop it. Who knows what he actually ingested. He had also carried around two different pieces of seaweed on the beach. At the vet hospital, they were perplexed, admitted him, did blood tests, got him on IV fluids, and began a lipid treatment for exposure to an unknown toxin. That was Monday, December 7. On Wednesday, when his body and neurological responses weren't responsive to the lipid treatments, they began to discuss our "options." Not good.

The most hopeful (and expensive) option was to take him to a veterinary neurology center, which was expected to have more experience identifying and dealing with neurological disturbances. For some reason, they didn't conclude that his condition was related directly to beach exposure. They suggested imaging, spinal fluid tests, and tests to identify whether it was a soil-borne disease picked up while we were traveling through the Southwest, and talked about possibilities ranging from cancer to encephalitis. The nearest vet neurology center was in Houston. I ended up deciding to do that, and made arrangements to pick him up in the wee hours and make the four-hour drive to Houston in order to get there at 8 a.m. Thursday.

None of their tests showed anything specific, and he was still in really bad shape. They admitted him in their 24-hour care area, I found an RV park as close as possible, then I took a city bus back up to the vet clinic. The veterinarian and vet neurologist had been asking around, looking for potential answers, and were finally informed that there had been a red tide during the month of November on the beach I was at, and it was certainly possible that he could have ingested something that had been exposed to the brevetoxin previously. There weren't any tests to confirm it, and they'd not found it responsive to any specific treatment, they just provide supportive care to an animal if it survives the exposure. After a few more days he started getting a little better.

I'm happy to say that after picking him back up Monday afternoon (December 14) he has been gradually improving. They said it will likely take weeks for the effects of the toxin to fully work through him. He is responsive now and aware of what's going on around him. He's able to eat and drink by himself, though not in the quantity he needs, so I've been hand feeding him too. His episodes of extreme vertigo have tapered way off (originally it seemed like he was having seizures). He still can't support his weight with his limbs, but most of the time he has enough control to hold his head up now, and today he began "scooting" to get around when I set him down on the grass, and when he found a site he was happy with, he went to the bathroom outside. I think he knows what he wants to do, but his body isn't fully cooperating.

This has been a horrible experience, but I am hopeful for his recovery. Charley's days running on the Gulf Coast beaches are unfortunately finished - I can't let that happen again.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Living Room View of the Gulf at Padre Island

I'm at the Padre Island National Seashore for a few days, with off & on cell service (mostly off). It's beautiful here. The beaches here and at Mustang Island, where I just spent a few days, are so much nicer than the only other Texas Gulf beach I'd been to, in Galveston. Charley and I are lazing the days away, being beach bums. Not a bad life!
Living room view

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Austin City Limits






















Last time I was in Austin, I looked to see what entertainment was available and saw a Hilary Scott (of Lady Antebellum)  benefit concert at the Paramount Theater that also featured Colbie Caillat, Kelsea Ballerini and others. It was a great show!

This visit, I read that you really should see a show at the Moody Theater, home of Austin City Limits Live, while in Austin. So I checked the schedule and ticket availability, and now I'm hanging out waiting for the Easton Corbin show to start. It's a coincidence that I've seen him perform before. He was one of eight acts that played at the Grand Ole Opry concert I went to last spring.

The theater boasts that no seat is further than 75 feet from the stage. Here's the view of the stage from my 1st row in the balcony seat. Can't wait for the concert to begin!

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Batty in Austin

Today's been a day where I've realized how fortunate I am to have a flexible lifestyle. I woke up disappointed that the sort-of-sore throat I've had the last couple days really was a cold coming on. Sometime after noon, I decided to take advantage of yesterday's bus pass that was good for a couple more hours and go up to Hudson Meats to buy their awesome Venison & Pork Jalapeno Cheddar sausages. I'm hoping to be able to spend time in early December at a national park in southeast Texas and will need to be stocked up to stay put for awhile. These sausages will be great to have in the freezer.

So I went and got the sausages and some pepperoni, then stopped by a farm-to-market store to pick up some other stuff and asked if they had fresh or locally made tortillas. They had one brand but said if I really want something fresh and local, go down a couple blocks to Guero's Taco Bar and ask for their handmade tortillas to go. I decided I might as well get late lunch instead of dinner, had two minutes to spare to get their Chile Relleno lunch special, and it was such a good choice. (And margaritas are full of Vitamin C, right?) It's been a nice easy-going day.

Enjoying the sunset's changing colors while waiting for the bat show

Tuesday night I walked down to the South Commerce Bridge to see the famous Austin bats. I'd heard about them when I was here in January, but there weren't any bats that time of year. November is the end of the season to see them, but I'd seen "tweets" indicating they were still around. A couple guys were providing a little bat education and taking donations for an Austin Friends of the Bats organization, and they persuaded me to put my jacket hood up (apparently there are a few cases a year of some yucky scalp disease from getting bat crap on the head and about 5-7 cases of bat poop in the eyes. I didn't come to Austin to get rabies treatment.) Awhile after sunset, the bats suddenly came streaming out from under the bridge, flying down the river. I don't know how long they continued - I watched for about 15 minutes until it became too dark to see much, but they were still coming out. It was crazy, and so were the people watching from on top of the bridge, when some bats suddenly changed directions and flew towards them.


Charley and I are enjoying the dog-friendly aspects of the city. There are two off-leash dog parks within easy walking distance of the RV park, so we've been taking advantage. I like walking along the creek and looking at the birds and turtles, and Charley likes that too, but the open, off-leash spaces are the best.







Itinerary: My Austin reservations are thru Nov 21. I'm hoping a cancellation will allow me to stay thru Nov 23 and watch one more game with the Austin Seahawks Booster club. I'll be in San Antonio Nov 25-29.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

What's Shakin', Bacon?

That was the logo on the official tasting glasses of the Southwest Bacon Fest in Albuquerque last Saturday. The "Bacon, Beer and Blues" event sounded too good to pass up. It was a sunny, crisp day at the Balloon Fiesta Park, with the Sandia Mountains in the background. With the sun was shining right on you, it was warm, but by the end of the day I was glad I'd carried my jacket around all afternoon.

The festival was tasty and fun.


On Sunday Charley and I took a drive up to Santa Fe, a city I really like. I love to "window shop" at the street market area where locals sell beautiful handmade art and jewelry. The rest of the time I've just been relaxing in Albuquerque. I was able to get a super cheap rental car for the weekend, and the RV park is close to the Route 66 busline, so it's been easy to get around. Unfortunately it gets dark so early, and though it feels perfectly safe within the RV park, I'm in an area where it seems best to be off the local streets before nightfall.

Itinerary: Today I'm headed east, towards the Texas Hill Country. Not certain yet where I'll spend the next couple nights (but I'll probably stop by the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que place in Driftwood before I get to Austin). I'll be at the Pecan Grove park in Austin from Nov 15-20. I had hoped to be there Nov 14-23, but they didn't have openings for all those dates. If they have cancellations, I'll stay since it's so centrally located near the busline, the downtown area, a great park for walking the dog, and a cluster of restaurants and food trucks. After that, my next reservations are to spend Thanksgiving in San Antonio at Travelers World Nov 25-29.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Utah Rocks

Skyline Arch, Arches National Park
For many years, I've wanted to visit southern Utah because I've seen beautiful photos of rock formations and wild river scenes. This time of year river rafting isn't on the agenda, but I have been able to indulge my thing for big red rocks. Yesterday I visited Arches National Park, one of my goals. It was a beautiful day! I bought an annual National Parks pass and headed up the hill.

Today I went through Canyonlands National Park. It was stunning in a different way. At times it almost reminded me of the Grand Canyon. But compared to yesterday's 72 degrees, today's 42 degrees and raining at times, I was lucky to see as much as I did. At first the sun was shining and the viewpoints were amazing at Island in the Sky, a large mesa overlooking canyons of the Green and Colorado rivers. But as the afternoon went on, the clouds and rain came in, and the views, lighting and shadows weren't as spectacular. I did enjoy many rainbow sightings, and the views and lighting of the troubled skies were pretty interesting. Capped the day off with a super-cheap, yummy happy hour special at the Moab Brewery, and my short visit to SE Utah has been great.



Tomorrow, headed south for a week in Albuquerque.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Southeast Utah

It's Sunday night and I'm in Green River, Utah. I've pretty much just been driving and haven't even taken pictures yet to post. Both last night and tonight have yielded beautiful sunsets, and today's sunrise was great too.

I had to choose whether to stop for the day in Provo and watch the Seahawks game or just keep driving, and I thought I might as well drive and listen on the radio. I hadn't thought through the terrain, though. Driving through Price Canyon I only had reception for a very small portion of the game. No cell signal to get it online, either. I got settled in at Green River in time to watch the last 14 seconds, but from what I can tell, it was probably a rough game to watch. Glad they got a win, though.

No big adventures yet, but I'm going to slow down now and enjoy some scenery. I'm hoping to spend the next two days at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and then head down to Albuquerque in time for the weather to start dipping down below the freezing level. No reservations yet, but I think I'll probably stay there a few days.

Friday, October 30, 2015

And the Adventure Begins Again!

I'm on the road again, as of today (Friday, the 30th). Got a late start, so I just went a modest distance to Hood River. And I'm not getting away from the weather any too soon, given the rain and wind we had today. I was hearing neighbors' trees crashing to the ground as I finished my last get-ready tasks. It all certainly got me in the mood to find a drier location.

The current plan (what there is of one) is to head down to Albuquerque, maybe spending a little time in Utah if weather permits. I had really hoped to stay in Austin awhile, but they keep getting hit with storms and flooding, so I'm not sure how hospitable the area is these days. Then I'll travel across the South to Florida again this winter. So if you're curious about what I'm up to, you can call, email, or keep an eye on this blog. I'm planning to keep it up to date with the winter's activities.

Til next time....

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Still Out Here Traveling....

Greetings from Brookings, Oregon! I'm getting closer, but still not ready to rush home yet.

Currently staying at Harris Beach State Park, just outside Brookings, Oregon
Since my last post from Arizona, I met my parents in Laughlin, Nevada, then returned to California to visit my sister Michelle and attend a family event. My friend Laurie joined me in the Los Angeles area in early May and we've been road tripping together since then. Here are a few of the things we've been up to.

We went to see the Mariners play the Angels (not with the result we were hoping for). Then we headed down the coast to San Diego, going as far south as Imperial Beach and the Tijuana River National Estuary, where we could see Mexico from the beach.

We "tasted" Louisiana in San Diego at the Gator by the Bay event
My sister Annette and some of her friends came down to San Diego and Camp Pendleton to visit her daughter Zabrinna and we all went on a great limo tour of several wineries in the Temecula area. That was a fun day!



One more visit with Michelle in Malibu, and then we headed north. We didn't get very far, just to the little Danish town of Solvang, when we realized we had arrived on the date of their 3rd Wednesday Wine Walk. We saw that as a sign that we should stay!


From there, we've made slow progress up the coast, resisting the urge to stop at all the wineries and beaches, but we've hit a few.

I'm always intrigued by Elephant Seal Beach in the San Simeon area.
For Memorial Day Weekend, we wanted something interesting to do, and found Oysterpalooza in the little town of Valley Ford. We stayed the weekend in Bodega Bay and went up to the quaint and fun little music and food event in the hills, just outside a restaurant called Rocker Oysterfellers.


 
 
Our favorite winery stop in central California was the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, which had a beautiful facility and tasty wine. We arrived late in the day, so we didn't get to take advantage of all the facilities' amenities, such as a pool and patio area (with bar service, of course). We did enjoy a wine tasting and had yummy dinner at the restaurant.
 

 
Charley and I are both enjoying having a traveling companion now for the rest of the trip!
 
Farewell for now from Laurie, Kathy and Charley

Friday, April 17, 2015

Beautiful Grand Canyon, Northern New Mexico and Arizona

It's been awhile since I've posted trip pictures and now I'm going overboard. I've been busy driving, sight-seeing, and it seems like when I've had extra time, I'm in a location with no cell signal. Here's what I've been up to:

Albuquerque

I thought Albuquerque was a beautiful city. One of my favorite places was a city park (where Charley was happy to see green grass again for the first time in days). The park had walking paths, swings and play equipment for kids, ball sports courts, a mini theatre area, fantastic art installations, and was surrounded by Old Town Albuquerque with shops and a historic public square, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. Of the many statues throughout the park, the largest commemorated the Spanish exploration and founding of the modern city. Just a small part of this compilation of statues is shown in these photos:


To Santa Fe and the High Road to Taos

I drove the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and enjoyed the shops and downtown area there. Then I drove the High Road to Taos, which took me over scenic hills and eventually revealed beautiful views of the Taos area.

San Jose de Gracia Church (1760) on the High Road to Taos

Look familiar? The church that inspired Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keefe at Ranchos de Taos.
When I'm going to spend time in a specific location, I try to do a web search on "what to do" or "must see" in the area. I learned that the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge was a popular walk for people who can handle heights. Now I hate to be in precarious situations in high places, but when I feel perfectly safe on a structure, I'm okay. So I was ready to head that direction, only to find out that on the way, the Taos Mesa Brewing Company was having a Friday night Jazz and Poetry night. So I had my next destination, but that would get me to the bridge at night-time. No problem, since there was a nice rest area at the bridge, just a couple miles down from the brewery. Perfect for a free overnight stay and a sunrise bridge walk.


The photo doesn't give justice to the perspective of the sudden plunge down to the Rio Grande, and the beauty of the morning sun cast across it. I was amazed to see a bighorn sheep walking along one of the ledges of the canyon, and then up to the top.
I had originally intended to return to Santa Fe on the Low Road to Taos, but while in Santa Fe, I talked to a woman who was visiting and she recommended that I head out to Ojo Caliente Hot Springs, given the general direction I was traveling. It was reasonably priced and had a campground on the property, so went that way via the dirt/gravel road down into the canyon through a small part of the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument.

Part-way down the hill, I stopped for a little hike with Charley to a river overlook, where we had our second bighorn sheep sighting of the day (we had a third sighting in another location.) At this site, I just stopped and watched for awhile, while eight more sheep came up over the small ridge.

What're YOU looking at?

I looked over the camping areas down in the canyon, trying to decide where to spend the night. At one campground I entered, I drove through, then got out to walk the dog, and two older guys driving out of the campground stopped and rolled down their windows. One of them asked if I was planning to camp here. I told him I was thinking about it. He looked around and then said, "I guess this'll be a safe place." Through my conversation with them, I got the impression they were concerned about a woman who was clearly traveling alone. They asked about where I was headed, and I try to be pretty general about answering and said eventually going to the Grand Canyon. The passenger asked if I'd heard of Canyon de Chelly. He recommended that area was almost as spectacular to see as the Grand Canyon. Our conversation finished with them jokingly asking if I had any fish to share. They wanted to return to their campground giving their wives the impression they hadn't been skunked that afternoon.

I decided not to camp in the canyon and headed towards the Ojo Caliente Hot Springs to stay at the campground there. The hot springs boasted several pools of four different mineral waters (although one was closed and being rebuilt). I had a day of alternately relaxing in the pools, laying out in the sun reading, and enjoying the steam bath, where the sage/juniper steam was great for my allergies. The pool area was incredible at night, with dim lighting on the cliffsides and an open view of the starry sky.

Canyon de Chelly

By now I was in Navajo country in northeast Arizona. Canyon de Chelly was spectacular as advertised. The National Monument guide helpfully suggested that the North Rim was the best drive in the morning light and the South Rim was best in the afternoon light, so I had my tour directions, and set out to stop at each of the overlooks, which all had different sights to offer of the farmland below.


 
See the cliff dwelling ruins just below center of the photo?

Ruins of one of many cliff dwellings in the canyon


Spider Rock
Many of the overlooks had these walls with drainage holes built in. Charley had to stick his face into each of the holes. I wasn't sure if it was to enjoy the peep-hole view of the canyon (he also would stand on his hind legs to look over the rock walls) or if it was because all the holes smelled like squirrel.

And Now I'm at the Grand Canyon
 
I've only seen a third of the south rim of the Grand Canyon so far, but I've seen some amazing views.

Watchtower at the east end of the park

Inside the watchtower


Views from the watchtower

I've got the luxury of time to stop at all the overlooks and see all the views



Hmm. There's a person out on that rock. Wonder what the view looks like from there.

This is what the view from that rock looks like, looking down from as close to the edge as I'm willing to get.


Another view from the rock. Weather's starting to come in.

Charley's a little dare-devil mountain goat. Here he's out next to the edge, sniffing another hole. He seems to know he's safe enough when I've got a death grip on his leash. I did notice at one point on another ledge, he went out to the edge, looked down, then immediately backed away a bit. He's been loving getting out to see all the sights and sniffing all the wild animal smells.
The words of Theodore Roosevelt,

...let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see. 

I'm camping at the Mather Campground inside the park. It's very cold, but I'm glad I'm here now because it sounds like the crowds are really bad during the summer. There are such gorgeous views, and I can only imagine what the view from the bottom of the canyon looks like (a Colorado River rafting trip would be exciting in a warmer time of year).

It snowed overnight!

Charley loved playing around in the fresh snow
Next Steps

I'll be at the Grand Canyon one or two more nights. After that I'm thinking about the Sedona area, then will head toward Laughlin, NV.