Into Texas

January 30
A little putzy with packing up and getting going in the morning, but eventually made our way south and east and down from Albuquerque to warmer weather! A day of driving brought us to Littlefield, TX where we parked at Wayne Jennings RV Park - fairly late with the change to Central Time. Just did some leftovers and then to sleep.

January 31
Sunny and 70, but also windy. We got in a little driving before stopping at Mae Simmons Park by Canyon Lake in Lubbock for some biking. The area is pretty flat and open - not spectacular riding, but relatively enjoyable and well maintained trails with lots of entertaining prairie dogs. After the midday fun we continued driving, with scenery that included rolling hills, antelope, cotton, and oil derricks. We ended up at Lake Fort Phantom Hill to spend the night, ate some shells and white cheddar (a little more bland than the previous case of sharp cheddar), and got in a round of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win.

February 1
I strolled around a little by the lake, trying to check out some birds. I was able to identify Texas Bewicks wrens, coots, and cardinals.

Coots out there

Saw a little cactus by the lake

Continuing on down the road, we stopped in Waco at Cameron Park for biking and hiking along the Bosque River. This was a prettier area than I expected. I didn't cover many of the trails with my little hour on foot, but enjoyed some limestone cliffs, and woodsy surroundings - and the beautiful sunny weather.

Bamboo!

Too much fun for me today - nice trail signs though

Good re-purposing

Mid afternoon we were back on the road to complete the trip to Huntsville. We found a place to overnight in Sam Houston National Forest south of town at an equestrian parking area/trailhead. Burritos for dinner and Trivial Pursuit for fun - Leslie win.

February 2
Groundhogs Day! Don't know if the shadow was seen or not. A little change in weather with overcast skies, cooler temps, and a bit of humidity. The big activity for the day was touring town a bit, with a little shopping, van work, and getting a new propane tank - only the second purchased on the trip - the first one lasted something like five months! Headed back to the forest, stopping by the ranger station, where we received recommendations for another camping area at Stubblefield Lake, so we headed there - pretty quiet, but still only Thursday.

Interesting forest

The rest of the day was a lot of hanging around, Rudy even put the hammock out. It was pretty nice hearing what I consider 'summery' birds and insect sounds in February. Eventually we ate some rice and lentils, then took in Apollo 13.

February 3
Cooler and cloudy again. Nothing too exciting for the morning, just put my drop bags together, feeling concerned about my lack of nervousness for this race. For the afternoon, we just had packet pick up and the pre-race briefing. We were able to find fellow Duluthian Michael there along with his wife, Carol, and family friend, Amanda.  After that, headed back to the equestrian area (saving ~1/2 hour of driving over Stubblefield) and had some early pasta, a little Trivial Pursuit (Leslie win), then early to bed.

February 4
Rocky Raccoon 100-mile - race report http://nohurrynoworries.blogspot.com/2017/02/rocky-raccoon-100-mile-run.html


Summary: it didn't go well

February 5
Slow moving, but not crippled, for me in the morning. My right foot, knee, and hip were pretty inflamed, and everything else (including my ego) just a little sore.

Hot and angry foot and knee

We had to head back to the race area for my drop bag, then returned to the equestrian area for a lot of laying around. Little rain showers throughout the day made that a little easier. We watched Apollo 18 - I didn't finish it, the jumpiness was too much for my legs. I did manage to get in all of Ace Ventura Pet Detective though! Dinner was shells and cheese with a little ham mixed in, along with a big can of collard greens. We got in a game of Trivial Pursuit - Rudy win (I must really be tired - ha!), then early to bed.






February 6
Ten hours of mostly sound sleep! I was moving slightly better. Less than an hour of driving and we were able to visit Rudy's hometown friends Mike and Linda at an RV Park on Conroe Lake. Some good catching up before we headed into Willis and Los Pericos for late tex-mex lunch - Rudy had the most interesting meal of an avocado stuffed with cheese and shrimp and deep fried, he had to save half for later. After that, just tons more visiting, including a trip to see their grand kids where Rudy helped out with some bike repairs. Was pretty surprised we were are able to stay up until midnight!

February 7
I got to enjoy some Keurig coffee until everyone was awake and Linda made some fantastic pancakes and cottage bacon (from Grand Rapids!). No major outings for the day - a few short strolls for me certainly helped me think I was feeling better. Rudy helped with getting the RV awning out. Dinner was burgers (Grand Rapids beef!) and fried potatoes. One of the grand kids stopped by and Rudy got to show off his bike to a rapt audience. Other than that - more visiting! These guys need to see each other more than every five years. We did manage slightly earlier for bedtime at least.