Going to try a little snowbirding

[AK49er]

Well, long time no post. Been out of cell contact, lack of time on my part also.
First of all, I would like to say that the Grand Canyon is the greatest sight I have ever laid eyes on! It will bring a grown man to tears to see it. I have seen many things in my life but that sight outweighed them all. Wish we could have spent way more time there.

We are now in Tombstone AZ, it is way more fun than I thought it would be. Good to walk through town and see how it all began here, the Earp thing is also fun to see. I wish there were more representatives of the "cowboy" side of the shootout, as I understand it a lot of the people were on their side and not the Earps, oh well, it makes for better storytelling I guess. Off to New Mexico tomorrow, any good places to see on the southern end? Safe travels.

[Davydd]

New Mexico.

White Sands National Monument is very much worth a stop. You know how to go sledding on the snow. You can do it on white sand as well.



There is also the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo and Roswell UFO Museum.

Lastly, Carlsbad Caverns.

If you go from Alamogordo to Roswell or Carlsbad take the mountain pass through Cloudcroft. On the way up stop at the Apple Barn. It is owned by a friend of mine, a professional photographer and digital graphics expert originally from Chicago. https://www.facebook.com/oldapplebarn

[stanw909]

You are very close to Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona). It is worth a look. Part of what they call sky islands. The mountains are separated by tough formidable terrain that keeps certain species isolated thereby forcing them to evolve in unique ways. In the Chiricahua's there is a lizard species that is only female. The rock formations are very interesting and there is a lookout from which you can see a formation on a far away ridge that looks like the Apache chief Cochise staring up at the sky. Safe travels.

[stanw909]

You are very close to Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona). It is worth a look. Part of what they call sky islands. The mountains are separated by tough formidable terrain that keeps certain species isolated thereby forcing them to evolve in unique ways. In the Chiricahua's there is a lizard species that is only female. The rock formations are very interesting and there is a lookout from which you can see a formation on a far away ridge that looks like the Apache chief Cochise staring up at the sky. Safe travels.

[Davydd]

Chiracahua NM has a nice campground. Fortunately for B owners you can get in. I think they have a 40 foot limit for a practical reason. You will bottom out and get hung up on the road depression otherwise. We watched one guy challenge the limit and scrape bottom excruciatingly with a trailer.

They have an interesting hike. You take a passenger van to the top of the mountain and then walk back down. It is an easy hike that way.

[AK49er]

Pulled into Las Cruces NM this afternoon and checked the forum for help, there was lots. Thanks guys. We were thinking of the Apple Barn in Cloudcroft but found out the road (hwy 70) will be closed for missle testing until Friday, so will instead head to El Paso and follow hwy 62 back into NM to Carlsbad NP to see the holes in the earth, should be fun. After the holes we might head to Roswell to see if my relatives did in fact crash land on Earth a few years back. Need to look into some other way of keeping in touch on the road besides an old lap top and a hot spot device that looks like a UFO, maybe a trip to Best Buy in the AM. My Queen needs a better way to post her daily stuff on facebook. Safe travels.

[Mike]

Have fun in Roswell.

[AK49er]

We never made it to Roswell as I found out that my relatives were not on that flight that day!

We now sit in Eastern Texas for the night after consuming the last BBQ in this state. It has all been pretty good but Coopers BBQ in around Mason was by the far the best. For me its the sauce more than the method of cooking the meat. I wanted to try Franklin BBQ out of Austin but never had a chance, Austin is a very busy place!

Texas has been a very tough place to camp in. Not much for public land, from what I understand, it has less than 1% public land. We seem to tour more than we ever have just because of this, maybe next time we will prepare ourselves a little different.
I think if a guy had a little bit of land here he could make a living just catering to the RV crowd, nothing fancy, just a place to stay for a night or so.

Our next big feeding frenzy will most likely be in the coastal area of LA, I hear the shrimp can be had for next to nothin' off the boats. I will put that to the test for sure. Not many B's on the road as camping season must be coming to an end, although the ones we do see we wave at. I hope everyone has safe travels.

[Davydd]

If you want fresh local shrimp you ought to head for South Padre Island, Texas. There are several inexpensive very good restaurants that serve it. Galveston, Texas is pretty good as well. The actual Louisiana coast itself doesn't have a lot. Quite a bit hasn't recovered from Katrina or maybe it was never there. I've hugged it all the way as I have Texas. New Orleans is, well, New Orleans. Always great, but if you want some good local Cajun and Creole seafood and crawfish hang around St. Charles, Lafayette and Abbeville. Steamboat Bill's in St. Charles, Prejean's in Carencro, Shuck's in Abbeville and Gator Cove in Lafayette are favorites of mine that I've gone to more than once. You can boondock in the Prejean's parking lot. We did it.

Boondocking at Prejean's.

[Mike]

You could also try the pork cracklin at Don's. It makes for a different kind of road snack in a brown paper sack. Very Bohemian, but tasty, if you like spicy. I'm pretty sure it's healthy, too. :roll
Don's Specialty Meats - Boudin, Cracklin, Jerky, Specialty Meats, Louisiana, Cajun http://www.donsspecialtymeats.com/
I think it's at exit 97 on I-10 if that's your course to the east.

Say hi to Emeril for me. I make a wicked (bastardized) version of his Cajun jambalaya.

[AK49er]

Thanks for all the advise guys, good places to eat I'm sure. Cant really say which way we will head when we arrive but will keep our options open. Hopefully staying places will be easier than in Texas. Looks like another hot and dusty day today, it sure makes a body feel good.
I hear there is a little storm going on back home, would I trade this for that ? NOPE>

[AK49er]

Made it through Louisiana and now in the Biloxi area of Mississippi. I believe that that finest place for shrimp eating is in Alaska! The cold water must have something to do with it as these warm water shrimp didn't have the flavor as ours up north.

The trip through Louisiana went faster than expected due to someone having a bad attitude in navigating certain areas. Our gps, who we call geeps, seemed to have a different mind of its own at times and this upset a person on board who pouted and cussed many times. I finally got over it and proceeded eastward.

We toured Biloxi and even stayed in a casino overnight to recharge our bodies. So much history in this town! Also tried the shrimp here, same as Louisiana. We will tour here for awhile before deciding to either head east or start a North drive to Virginia for family visits, not sure yet.
BTW... I didn't see Emril like you wanted me to Mike, the mad person wasn't ready.

[Davydd]

You head north now you are going to head into sub-freezing weather.

[booster]

But how do we get AK49er to send the crappy Alaska weather back to Alaska??????? While he is playing in the warmth.

We got nearly a foot of snow at our house on Monday/Tuesday and it is 15 degrees this morning.

10 days earlier, we were on the gulf coast in 80+ degrees----

[Mike]

No problem. Coincidentally, I whipped up a batch of my spicy shrimp and sausage jambalaya last night for supper. It was a nice change after a few days of more pedestrian fare.
If you're still in the Biloxi area do the route 90 drive along the gulf/beach, and look for the Katrina tree carvings. They're quite good, and were fashioned from the trees damaged when Katrina hit land 9 years ago. I think they're along the median somewhere between Biloxi and Gulfport but it was a while ago when we first discovered them.

[AK49er]

Good morning. We have a little rain going on here right now. I would have to say that this is the wettest day we have had in our travels so far. Not a lot of rain, just enough to wash the rig.

David, The weather will if fact dictate the drive either North or East, will have to check the weather for Sunday departure. Not having ever driven this part of the states I am not really sure what to expect or when to expect it. We have camped in pretty cold temps so not worried about that. Its the driving in the cold temps that might get to me.

Booster, If we sent all this good weather back to AK everyone there would be upset that we ruined their snow machining fun. The better plan would be for you to put chains on your rig to get out of town then take them off and head to where we are at! You would then be basking in the sun and your fellow statesmen would have their fun in the snow.

Mike, I did sample the jambalaya in both LA and MS, lots of different tastes going on in the bowl, DW couldn't eat it as she cant do spicy.
When we hit MS, we started on hwy 90 and drove into town that way, a beautiful drive. Did a tour of Biloxi in a covered trailer towed behind a jeep all over town. Learned an awful amount of info on that tour. Yes the carved trees are still there along the median and elsewhere around town, excellent work everyone of them.

Dump tanks, get propane, get water, do laundry, do/get... day.

[AK49er]

I do believe we have been in the deep south for the last week!

As I was laying in bed last night here in Alabama I was thinking of booster of all people. Laying in bed with the wind and rain coming down was a nice relief from the warmer windless days of last week, but the stupid acorns that were falling on the rig was another thing! We were being pelted by nuts up the Whazoo. I remember boosters post somewhere about a nut problem and the damage to their hood, I haven't checked ours yet but am hoping for a no dent hood.

Headed slowly to NW Virginia for some holiday action, safe travels or safe storage everyone.

[booster]

Hopefully, your more vintage rig will have panels made of something thicker than recycled beer cans. Ours apparently doesn't.

We had acorns falling several times as we went through the northeast with no damage, but in a park in North Carolina we hit the ones that destroyed our hood. No one I know has ever had a similar problem, so I guess we are just "lucky".

[AK49er]

No damage to the rig.

9 weeks today we left Alaska, just glad that we weren't headed for western New York. Arrived in Virginia after spending a couple of days in TN to wait out the weather, glad we did. Winterized the rig in MS before we left and dry camped from there, smart move on my part wasn't it? We will be here with the DW's family until after the new year and then decide where to go from here. We will be staying in the Queen B and using their house for any water usage duties, it should be fun to see how long our propane tank lasts with regular heater usage.

I haven't added up the mileage yet nor have I done the mpg for the whole trip yet but I will in the days to come. We drove hard when we drove and camped hard when we camped so the numbers will be low on the mpg.
The rig did very well, except for the front caliper problem in WA state we had zero problems. Lots of power when needed with no engine/tranny hiccups. We limited our hookup stays to once or twice a week when laundry and our bodies needed a rest, even once or twice in a hotel to sleep on an uncomfortable bed! We are now plugged in at the house so we will see how that goes.

I suspect 9 weeks in each state would have been better for sightseeing but we had somewhat of a deadline for this first part. I will say again that the Grand Canyon is the most impressive thing I have ever seen in my life by far! So many great things were seen that I cant list them all, don't know what the future will bring but am glad we made it this far.
I wish I knew how to type better, this would go a lot faster and I would do a better job of saying all this! Anyway, this will end our snowbirding thread for awhile, who knows, I may start it up again in January. Thanks to all that helped with their ideas on what to see and where to go, it was very nice of you.

One last thing... The best rv to have when you travel like us is... A 59' diesel pusher with 10 slideouts pulling a 2000 Coach House towing a Jeep Rubicon yanking on a Smart car behind it. I got it all figured out! Bye.

[dicktill]

Originally Posted by AK49er

No damage to the rig.

9 weeks today we left Alaska, just glad that we weren't headed for western New York. <snip>

Hey, I resemble that remark! Actually, it is a very narrow band of Western New York that got plastered with the damned lake effect weather: the southern part of the city of Buffalo and the "Southtowns" up to about 20-25 miles below it. Meanwhile much of the surrounding area has but a few inches as we have here in Allegany NY. Here is a radar image from Tuesday:



Regards, Dick