WOW!!!! That was quite a FAST trip.

Some kind of a conversion that was!!! We departed from Deming,NM at 7:20am and It was 36 deg!!!!!Brrrrrrrrr. The first morning we got up here at 4am it was 75deg!!!!! We headed to South (Mission) TX. traveling was great, no wind, clear as a bell. Made it through El Paso during the mid Sunday morning traffic and it was a snap....
When we got to Van Horn on I-10 we turned south on hwy 90. Larry and Linda Moore joined us in Deming and we following closely behind. We made it all the way to Sanderson,TX.,a total of 420 miles when we decided to hang it up for the day. That's a little longer day than we usually travel, but it was easy and exactly half way to Mission.
Early (7:15) departure again the next day to complete our trip. We had some wind today and of course it was side ways to partly head on. Everything went fairly smooth until we got to Larado,TX. We both took on a fill of Diesel at Flying J as it was the best price we had seen for a while...($2.689) Then when we started our last leg of our trip we found that it was a quite busy highway and a LOT of stop lights.....It was stop and go through a dozen or more little towns, thankfully it was only 124 miles, but it slowed us down by about a hour at least. We got into (Finally) the Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort at about 5:30. They normally close at 5, but Pat had called them and they were waiting for us. Soon we were in our sights.....Whew!!!!!

WHAT A NEAT PLACE!!!! This is the complex we came all this way to see. It is some kind of a layout. What a plan this place was. Its all brand new and most of it under construction. Three or four (could even be 5?) years ago when we camped here, this place was just a dream. We heard about it and saw some construction equipment starting on it, but we had no idea it would develop into the super large complex that is planned. Take a look at it on www.Bentsenpalmvillage.com Check out the Master Plan and you will see what I mean. This is going to be one SUPER community!!! So much wilderness surrounding it and planned parks, lakes, rec areas, etc. Bentsen State Park on the south end includes the World Birding Center........
We are looking at an RV lot in Retama Village. That and this campground will be the only RV portion of the plan. Today we took an hour trip with the owner Mike Rhodes. Mike is a super guy and a real genius for putting all this multi multi million dollar complex together. He really has a "vision" and what's really interesting is he's only 45 years old!!!! He is one BUSY 45 year old, he has more going than most 3-4 people. His tour,meeting him, and seeing his enthusiasm was truly enjoyable...........Before he was in the meat packing business.

Today we are meeting with Ken the head engineer. We still have lots of questions and looking at the RV sites they have left. They are selling like crazy. The absolute BEST ones are of course already gone, but there are still plenty of good ones. Just deciding what we want is TOUGH!! Decisions, decisions,,,,,,,,????

It will be a FUN day!!!!!

ANOTHER GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

Back in Tucson....

Here we are back in Tucson. We are at the New Horizion owners group rally. Our PressurePro Seminar was yesterday at the Patio Room at Beaudrys RV Resort. This is a nice place, so being here is always enjoyable. Plus we get to see oldest son Mikel and our 2 grand kids who live here. An added treat!! The attendance was good at the Seminar and we sold a bunch of PressurePro Systems, a PowerTank, some DriWash and met some neat people. Several of our "old" customers were here that we had already sold to. Its always great to meet people that have bought the system off the Internet. Every one of them is extremely happy with the peace and comfort, along with the safety they receive from the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. They all tell us how much easier it makes their life...........We know just what they are talking about!!!!!! Couldn't live without ours!!!!

We departed our RV Lot at North Ranch at Congress,AZ last Wed on April 18Th. Its a job putting everything away and setting the place up for the summer. It is normally about 8 months before we return. Thank Goodness for our GREAT neighbors that look after things for us. North Ranch had really gotten to be a ghost area the last few weeks as everyone started departing for the summer. Although many people stay there year around, the Campground gets near empty and lots of owners leave. Always a little tad bit sad when we leave. You plan on being back, but let me tell you, I see plans changing for so many people because of illness and other "stuff" you just never know..................Part of getting older I guess...........Nothing we can do about that.

Planned on getting on the road first thing this morning. However its raining and we aren't pressed to wait for another day...........so we have decided to wait a couple hours and see if it clears up before noon. If it doesn't, we'll probably just stay another night. I love it when we're not pressed......and can do what we feel like.......that's a GOOD feeling. This is the GREAT life!!

ANOTHER GREAT DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

CRAZY HORSE MOUNTAIN

This was taken as we walked back down the mountain. We were standing way up there just in front of his face.

They have been working on this mountain for over 50 years. For a long time you couldn't see much development, but now with the face completed its easy to see that this is going to be something SPECTACULAR!!!!!

Mike

ANOTHER GREAT DAY !!!

CRAZY HORSE MOUNTAIN

This is an interesting picture. Its a shot of us right in front of Chief Crazy Hose. Taken one of the many times we have hiked to the top of CRAZY HORSE MOUNTAIN.

We are standing on his outstretched arm.

They are working on the head of his horse now, which is also directly below us. I'll show another picture of the mountain from a distance..........

Mike

Another GREAT day!!

(finally figured out how to post a picture):-)

FRIDAY THE 13th

Well today is Friday 13 of April, 2007. I'm not very superstitious. In fact I try to turn it around and think it is a LUCKY day!!! So far so good, this is our official weekly weigh in day and I'm down another lb. Pat stayed the same............In 2 weeks I've gone down 3 lbs. Kinda makes it all worth while. I'm constantly amazed at how much better I feel if I don't over eat and eat the right things, get my daily exercise and keep my weight down. But BOY,,,its HARD!!! Takes all the will power that I can muster up and we NEVER go out to eat. But on weigh in day its WORTH it!! Now I can celebrate and have a bowl of popcorn with happy hour tonight......

We have had a COOL spell set in on us. About noon yesterday the sky clouded up and the wind started blowing like crazy. It went from 70 deg down to 50 deg in a couple hrs. The wind was really cool. Then about 4:30 it started raining. Now this morning (5am) its 48 deg and noticeable cooler than its been for a while.

We are having to "FAST" this morning. NO COFFEE!!!! That kills me. We're going in at 7am for some final blood tests. Can't wait for that cup of coffee right after they take that blood. I know right where the coffee pot is there at the hospital!!!

We are getting things ready to go!!! Lots of stuff to do and time is flying by. Only 4 days until we depart. We would like to find time to take the 4x4 out in the desert and take our pistols and get ONE MORE target practice session in...........Maybe this afternoon, if the weather permits.

Another GREAT day!!!

Mike

Great trip to Lake Havasu City

Easter Sunday....we got up early and headed 150 miles to Lake Havasu City to visit with my middle son Patrick (OP) and wife Michelle. We left at 6:15 am and had a nice drive to Lake Havesu, through Parker. Neither of us had ever been over there, so it was a thrill for us to be in new territory. Gosh, its pretty over there. Pat and Michell just moved there a few months ago from Nebraska. What a great year for them to move to a warmer area. Its been a HECK of a cold winter in Lincoln. Youngest son Scott and wife Ann still live in Lincoln and about froze to death!! They are still freezing to death,,,and its EASTER. I'll bet they are waiting for the day they can move to warmer climate.
We arrived at the kids house just before 9am. Earlier than they expected of course. We are ALWAYS early.....After hugs and greetings, we had a tour of their new house. Its nice and has a SUPER view. Then they took us down to the Lake and we walked the 3.5 bike & hike trail. We really enjoyed that. We hate to have to miss our morning walks.
Then back to the house where we saw the new boat and we showed the our PressurePro system and then the DriWash ultra Ion. They were impressed with both. I demoed some of the Ulta Ion on his truck and he was surprised to see how well it worked. A big bird had done a number on his hood and I took it right off in a heartbeat with NO WATER, plus his truck was setting right in the hot sun...........So he picked up a 16 oz bottle and pumper to try further... A demo will always sell the stuff. It is truly amazing and so easy to use...............he will be another faithful user by the time he uses up that bottle.
Then we visited a bunch and Michell had a nice dinner for us. By this time it was already 3pm. The time I set for departure......Gosh, it was hard to leave. We just don't get to see enough of each other...............Hit the road at 4pm sharp. kind of a sad trip home as its always hard to leave the kids. I always get a little depressed. It just seems life is getting shorter and shorter.
Home at 6:45. Not bad time for 300 miles and a 3.5 mile walk, Easter Dinner and a nice visit with the kids. I was about pooped tho!!! ANOTHER GREAT DAY!!!!!!
Mike

Things finally come together!!!

Finally got the truck and the new Teton all completed. This was taken as we were hooked up and leaving our place in the Black Hills of South Dakota. heading to the HDT rally in Wichita,KS. Oct 2005.......

Purchased our Volvo 770 10/21/04

This was an exciting day in Oct of 2004 when we bought our Volvo 770. Here we are as the proud new owners at the dealership in Nashville,TN.

Now we have 2 Trucks and I have to pull the TETON...........Guess what that means, Yep, Pat has to drive this BIG RIG to Tallahassee.(500 miles) I'll take her to a big empty parking lot and give her some lessons...She is excited, bet she don't sleep a wink tonight!!!:-)

Life is EXCITING !!!!

It was a GREAT DAY !!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

update: She made it driving the BIG SEMI in fine shape. She LOVED it!!!!

UPDATE,,,,,,2ND POST....Trying to learn!!

Got our walk out of the way early. Some of our friends have gotten us interseted in a RV GATED RESORT that is just being built in Mission,TX. We started looking into it and it sure looks nice. We have been talking to the CEO of the developement and reviewing site maps, rules and regs. etc. We'r just in the talking stage, but this coulod develope into something. We arer a little disgruntled at North Ranch. We thought we were getting into a RV Park. However it has turned into a PARK MODEL park and non RV'ers are all around us and we are one of the FEW that hasn't built a PARK MODEL on our lot. That's not what we wanted at this point in our life.
If they are going to do that, they should have sections. A section for PARK MODELS and another section for RV's. The one we are looking at in So Texas is that way. So,,,we're looking, talking and thinking.
Took out one of our BIG cactus's today. The freeze had messed it up and it was looking bad. So I took it out and covered the area with some BIG rocks......looks much better.
Ran the Honda Generator for 12 minutes today for its monthly excersize. It starts on the second pull.......nice!
We are both getting "itchy" feet and wanting to travel. Maybe when we go to the Rally in Tucson to give the PressurePro Seminar we will travel to Mission, TX and just take a look at these FINE looking RV sites. Its in a NEW planned GATED area. Hadr to get the whole layout without seeing it in person. So,,,,,,I'm "kinda" gettin ready to shut this place up for the Summer. Got up to 90 deg today, but real nice.
First thing I knew it was Shower time.....then Happy Hour!!!!
Yep,,,,,Another GREAT day!!!!!
Mike

OK, Here we go! Starting my FIRST BLOG

We are still at our lot at North Ranch in Congress, AZ. Its beginning to warm up considerably each day. Its is 58 deg at 3:15 am this morning and it will get up to about 85 today.
The humidity is non-existent and its quite comfortable. I've noticed that even when it is quite warm, if you get in the shade its cool. Almost always a little breeze. We will soon go out for our 4 mile daily morning walk. We usually start about sun up so we can get it in before it gets too warm. then we can get on with our 'busy"day. More later.....
Mike