Gulf Shores and down for the winter!

YEA!  Back to Gulf Breeze RV Resort for another winter.  We had planned on taking site 43 which we had 3 winters ago but the trees had grown and we didn't want to park under them.  Our HitchHiker friends, Mike & Debra, are 2 roads over and we wanted to be near them so we took a site two away from them.  It was hot, mid 80s, so we had a cool down rest after setting up then went to see Mike & Debra who were gracious and had dinner prepared for us!  The next day the park maintenance workers were busy cutting the grass so I borrowed a tree trimmer from them and climbed into the bed of the truck and whacked off several small branches that were rubbing on the roof and side.  It was a busy day as we were both up at 6:30.  Judy dried off the truck and I cleaned the bugs off the HH front cap and dry waxed it.  We went to Krystals, our favorite breakfast spot.........

  
I dropped Judy off at a shuttle bus site and she went to the Shrimp Festival, this is the first time we have been down here early enough to check it out.  While she did that I aired up the bike tires and lubed the chains, vacuumed the truck, and a couple other minor tasks.  Judy call about 1 so I drove over to the shuttle bus site and brought her home.  It's in the high 80s and very humid.
Poor Patches is whipped after all the travel but she'll be back to normal after a couple days sleep......

                                 Every year when we get down here she hugs the palm trees

Livingston, LA

It was 281 miles today, almost all on I10 and I12.  While being passed by a FedEx tandem truck we heard a loud sharp bang.  We pull off shortly after this and the bottom of the rear driver side door was dented and scratched.  The semi must have kicked up a sizable rock or cunk of cement.  Rudy & Linda have stayed at this campground and recommended it, it's Passport America and half off so $20 was a decent price for an overnight stop.

Time to head east

We got to visit and eat out with Rudy & Linda several times while we were in the Escapees park before we left.  They have a ERPU site (long term lease) and reside here if not traveling.  We also had some work done on the upstairs TV for Judy.  She enjoys watching over the air channels and cable if  a campground has it so she can tune in the local news.  We are very optimistic that her reception is now greatly improved.

Livingston, TX with friends

Another 230 some mile day and we arrived at the Escapee HQ park, Rainbows End about 2:30.  We are here to have the bedroom TV cabling checked out as Judy likes the local news using the over the air antenna and the reception is pretty poor.  Just as important or more is we can visit with Rudy & Linda who have a long term site here to be near family.  We went out at 4:30 to eat and visit with them.

We brought a couple hundred "loving friends" with us on the front of the HitchHiker and Ford, love bugs. This is the most bugs we have ever had on the front cap.  We cleaned them off shortly after getting here as they can stain the paint.  They are flying making love all over down here, damn bugs.

Whitney, TX

Today was a 241 mile day southwest to a membership park that will cost nothing to stay in tonight.......except a few thousand dollars for the membership.  We'll stay one night and off in the morning to Livingston for a few days.  We stayed here back in 2010 with Dave & Trish and Jeff & Susan.
I enjoy reading the Texas ranch names on the entrance arches as we travel......today's good ones were Wrong Turn Ranch and the best was Stud Duck Ranch.  Sure would be nice to know how they got their names.

Sweetwater, TX

Well, neither of us were abducted by aliens in Roswell so we had a long 293 mile day to Sweetwater, TX on the back roads.  We are in Lake Sweetwater Municipal CG out in the boonies with one other RV.  We are way off the main roads so it should be very quiet and dark tonight, good for sleeping. The DirecTV and Verizon hotspot work well so we are happy campers.  Two normal 200 mile days to Livingston, TX and the Escapees home park Saturday.

Roswell, NM and the original illegal aliens arriving on UFOs

On the 30th we made the 222 mile tow to Roswell, NM.  We passed by Roswell in 2010 when Margret died and we were headed to Cumming, GA.  This time we stopped and Judy wants to check out the UFOs and te original illegal aliens from 1947.  I was too tired after the drive and setting up so we decided to stay another day and visit the museum(s) tomorrow.  We did go out for a late lunch which was VERY good, I had a bacon cheeseburger and Judy had a chef salad at the Big D restaurant downtown.  Roswell is much larger than we expected.

This fellow (lady?) greeted us as we entered.

And here they meet face to face!

After awhile they got pretty chummy with Judy..........

But they they had to leave.............

One did stick around for some medical attention.........

he was too ill to make the trip to Dracula, GA and have Jody work on him (her).