Monthly Archives: June 2010
Great Steaks…
I started out this morning working on our trip route when we leave here this coming Sunday.
I also called some of the parks we’ll be staying at in the next few weeks, and looking at where we’re going after the 4th of July when we leave New Braunfels, TX.
A few people have asked about the computer display I have on the dash that shows engine readouts and my GPS mapping program. So here’s what the display looks like. You can click the pic for a larger view.
Across the top it tells me the transmission is set for 6th, but is presently in 5th. Next the tachometer is showing 1614 rpm, the turbocharger is showing almost no boost pressure, and the MPG is 272.6 MPG. This is because we are coasting downhill. If the cruise control was engaged, the yellow ball in the center would be green.
On the 2nd row the CPSD is the speed that the speed control is set for, and SPEED shows the present speed.
Down the right side it shows the time, the battery voltage, and the FUEL RATE AND HORSEPOWER. These are both zero since we’re coasting.
To the left of the yellow ball is a box that shows the remaining miles on this tank of diesel, the amount of fuel left in the tank (102.1 out of 150), and the rolling average MPG (7.8).
Across the bottom of the white area it shows the miles traveled so far today and the miles traveled on this tank of diesel,
The tan area across the bottom of the picture is my GPS display. It shows the road I’m on and the distance to the next stop. The box on the far right shows how far it is to our destination for the day.
At 2 pm Jan, Terry and I headed out for a Walmart run, while Nick stayed home working on the next issue of the Gypsy Journal RV Travel Newspaper.
About 4:30 we all headed out for supper at the Chuckwagon Steakhouse over in Pinetop for a meal of really great steaks.
Getting back around 6:30 we made a date to go out to Dairy Queen about 8 pm for a late night snack.
Another great day!
More tomorrow…
Quote of the Day:
Happiness is not a reward — it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment — it is a result.
–Robert Green Ingersoll
Red Devil and Greer…
Today started out with sleeping late and just got better all day long.
I got up about 10 am and, after doing some computer stuff, Mister and I went outside to do some things around the coach.
Mister decided to help out by taking a long nap in Jan’s chair. At least he was out of the way.
i got the ladder out of the back of the truck and started cleaning all bugs off the front of the RV. I did the hard part first, which was to get the painted part of the rig clean. Tomorrow I’ll finish up the windshield itself.
This Elks Lodge RV park is nice, with full hookups and 50 amp electric, and the surroundings aren’t too shabby either. We’re in the middle of a pine forest, but not too thick, so satellite reception is still good. Here’s Nick and Terry’s rig right next door.
And this is the view out our front window.
A little while later the four of us headed back over to Pinetop, first for some errand stops, and then a late lunch at the Red Devil Italian Restaurant.
Jan and I had a cup of Potato Bacon Soup and then a really good pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and jalapenos. I think the crust was maybe the best we’ve had since New York City last year.
After lunch we took a sightseeing trip about 40 miles out in the country, thru the Apache Indian Reservation, and ending up in Greer, AZ, a resort area in the middle of the Apache National Forest in the White Mountains.
You really have to want to go here to get here, because the road ends here. Then you turn around and go back home.
Which we did.
But after leaving Greer and getting back on the main road, we decided to come home a different route, making a big circle thru Eagar and Springville on the way.
In Springville, we stopped off at the Western Drug and General Store. Right next door is one of the Madonna of the Trail monuments. The 12 monuments, erected in 1928 and 1929, are in 12 different states, from Maryland to California, and are placed along the National Old Trails Highway, much of which later became US 40 and US 66.
Our road trip today was great fun, and we finished it up with some more of Terry’s great cinnamon rolls before returning to our coach about 9 pm.
I think we’ve about got our route back to Austin planned out for when we leave here. Now we just need to figure out when we’re going to leave.
More tomorrow…
