Our RV Adventures

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Jan and I left the rig about 1:30, heading out for lunch and groceries. But our first stop was at the park Ranger Station to try and extend our stay another 3 days, until the 20th of September rather than the 17th. And to also pay them for our stay here, the $5 a day, and the $3 a day for 50 amp. When I tried to do this last week the computer wouldn’t take the extension. It said the park was full.

But when they tried to ‘test’ extend someone else’s stay, it worked fine. So it was just me. And when they got the main office to try, they couldn’t do it either. And no one knew why it wouldn’t work.

But I suggested a workaround that did. So now we will check out on the 17th, but then  right back in again for the next 3 days. Of course the rig will never move, but the paperwork will work out. And that’s what’s important, right?

I think this probably has something to do with the fact that when we finally do leave here on the 20th, we will have been here for 34 days straight. Certainly a new record for us.

Our lunch destination was the Chuy’s Mexican down near the Woodlands, a location we’ve never been to before, although we’ve eaten at several other of their places around town.

We actually go to Chuy’s for their salads, mainly their Mexi-Cobb salad, which is what I got this time.

Really good, especially with their Creamy Jalapeno dressing.

Jan decided to try their Chicken Fajita Salad for a change, which she said was good, but she’s going back with the Mexi-Cobb next time.

We both really like their sauces and queso. With the chips, they bring out the usual Pico de Gallo, but also a bowl of their Creamy Jalapeno dressing, but as a dip. Then we also ordered a small Guacamole for Jan, and a Queso for me.

Again, really good.

Then, after a great meal, we headed back up to Conroe to the Wal-Mart for groceries and gas at the Sam’s next door, finally getting back to the rig a little before 5pm.

Recently there has been a debate among some of our blog commenters about whether or not my blogs about computer stuff, the ‘never ending math’ about where to stay, or even ‘defragging a coffee pot’, are boring. Some thought so, but others came to my defense.

So maybe I need to talk about the origins of this blog. It started in January 2009 at the beginning of our 2nd year on the road. In 2008, our first year, we  traveled all the way up to Fairbanks, AK where we spent five months workcamping, before heading back toward home on September 20th.

By the first part of November, we were in Gatlinburg, TN, before getting back to Houston the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

The blog started as a way to share our travels with family and friends as we traveled, but over time and repeated references to our blog from my friend, Nick Russell, the blog has a much wider following. In fact we had a little over 400,000 visitors last year, covering every continent except for Antarctica. (BTW if you know anyone on a science expedition to Antarctica, please ask them to visit our blog.)

I do this blog every day, and in 9 years I doubt I have missed more than a couple of dozen days. But as anyone who has tried this can tell you, doing a blog every night is not easy, as the many abandoned blogs around the Internet will tell you.

So I have to write about things that interest ME. It’s really the only way I can do this blog day after day. I’m not really a ‘creative’ writer like Nick. My forte has always been in ‘technical’ writing, doing manuals, courses, and how-to’s, for NASA, the DOD, manufacturers, and colleges. So I can write what I know and what I see. That’s about it.

Now when we’re traveling, seeing the sights around the country, blog writing is pretty easy. But when we’re wintering over here in Houston, or even gate guarding, it can get a little dicey. Because many days we don’t leave the rig, just reading, relaxing, computing, and enjoying life.

But of course this doesn’t leave a lot of hot topics to blog about, so you pretty much get my life, boring as it is. What we did, what we saw, where we ate, and what I’m working on, that’s about it.

Some readers refer to this as ‘reading my diary’. kind of a voyeuristic pleasure. Or maybe like peeking in your neighbor’s window.Anyway, maybe you can look at it this way.

You know how sometimes your favorite magazine has a ‘theme’ issue, and it’s a theme that you could care less about, or maybe even hate. But then the next month it’s a theme you’re crazy about.

Pretend it’s like that. Come back tomorrow and maybe you’ll like it better.

Thought for the Day:

Saudi Arabia actually imports sand.

The sand in the Arabian desert look like tiny crystal balls under a microscope. Pretty to look at, but useless for making concrete  because it’s so smooth. Concrete requires a rough, jagged sand so it all bonds together tightly and makes a strong block.

So every bit of sand in every skyscraper in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, etc., is imported, in some cases from as far away as the US.

fhjfhj

Today was another Clear Lake travel day, so after gassing up at the Kroger’s in Willis, I was on my way about 9:45.

While I was getting gas I was checking out the SigAlert app on my phone, looking at all red (heavy) traffic lines moving through downtown Houston. I was already planning on taking the Hardy Toll Rd. into I-610E and then back over to I-45, but then it all bogged down into bumper-to-bumper cars, especially around the I-10 interchange.

But looking east of town I saw that I could go east at I-610 instead of west and then hook up with I-69/US59 south, which would bring me back into I-45 below the downtown area, and all the heavy traffic

And it worked. It was just smooth sailing with almost no slowdowns, never dropping below 50mph. And even better it looks like it will work in reverse as well, when I’m coming back to Conroe.

Things went pretty well at the client’s today, except for the USB WiFi adapter Win7 install. I was able to track down a number of things in the system that I had been looking for. It’s amazing all the weird places the ex-guy found to squirrel things away.

But the USB WiFi adapter install on the Win7 is still a dud. I uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers several times, I tried 3 different USB ports on the machine, and I swapped in the working adapter from the Win10 machine.

All with no luck. So now it’s a email off to the the seller, and we’ll see how it goes.

Since I was picking up Jan in Katy this afternoon, I was on the way about 3pm trying to stay ahead of the traffic, especially since leaving Brandi’s, we’d encounter even more traffic heading up to Conroe.

So Jan and I were on our way from Brandi’s a little after 4, taking the 99 Tollway up to I-45 and then on up to Willis for . . . Whataburger!

Tomorrow we’ll rest up and later get groceries, as well as take care of a few other things.

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