Hogtied and Branded

After getting the VW fixed, we completed our vehicle registrations without difficulty. The next step was to get our Texas driver's licenses.

Our first encounter with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) was none too thrilling. We didn't have the VW registered yet, and the Texas rule is that "all your vehicles" must be registered in Texas. Technically, the VW was still owned by the Montana LLC, so we could have argued otherwise. But our plan was to sell it to ourselves and register it here, so we got that done first.

Later that day we returned to the DPS office, filled out the forms and presented all our paperwork for licenses. We knew that we would need to take a written and a road test, since our motorhome was over 26000 pounds. We both took and flunked the written test since we had not been given the study guide and didn't know in what year 2 tail lights became mandatory, among other irrelevant details.

Texas gives you three chances to pass within 90 days. We got a copy of the study guide, went home and studied (1960 was the year) and returned the next day, passing the test with ease. We then scheduled the road tests the next day.

The road test requires that we drive our own motorhome around town, stopping turning, backing up, and of course following all applicable laws and signs. Consuelo went first and passed without incident.

Then I got in, stopped my normal routine to listen to the inspector's instructions, and then started the engine and pulled out onto the road. The inspector immediately told me to pull over and stop the engine, which I did. Then she told me I had failed for not fastening my seat belt. Yikes!

I scheduled to take the test again the next day, which I did, and passed without incident. Yay!

Between my nervousness, and the interruption in my routine, I missed the seat belt. Of course, I should have restarted the routine and picked that up. Normally, I always fasten my seat belt, and if I should forget when I start out, which happens occasionally, I usually get it done within a couple minutes.

Since I'm a golfer, I know the wisdom of the Scots, who say, "Any bloody fool can do it the second time!"

Houston! We have a problem!

Life in a motorhome is no different in some ways than life in a home. Sometimes, you need to call somebody to help with a problem. If you find somebody who is particularly helpful, that's who you call the next time for similar problems. When you're 1500 miles away from the last really helpful person, calling somebody closer usually makes more sense. But not always.

We took our VW Beetle into a shop in Livingston, Texas, to be inspected as part of getting it registered in Texas. I knew going in that one taillamp was burned out, and asked the shop to fix it, they said they could. However, after 15 minutes, they came and told us that they couldn't figure out how to change the bulb, so they couldn't inspect it. While they inspected our motorhome, I looked at the lamp fixture, and I couldn't figure it out, either. A call to a local foreign car service shop indicated that they couldn't look at if for 36 hours. The VW owners manual said to take it to a dealer if we needed a light bulb changed. Yikes!

Before we left the parking area, I decided to call for help. The nearest VW dealer was in Houston, about 100 miles away. I found the phone number in our Street Atlas Plus software, and called a Houston dealer. After being connected a service writer, I explained the problem. He said that I needed to remove the lamp fixture, but he couldn't tell me how to do it, and he wouldn't connect me to a service technician that did know how to do it.

So we drove into town, to continue the registration process with the motorhome, and then to get our licenses. We got the rig registered without incident.

We took an hour to eat lunch and catch our breath while we waited for the Texas DPS office to re-open after lunch. I decided to call Dana Automotive, in Northampton, Massachusetts, a place that has serviced our bug several times while we've been travelling. They connected me with a technician who walked me through the process to remove the fixture and change the bulb. I then removed the light, walked a block to an auto parts store, and fixed the problem. Later that day, we got the inspection complete on the Beetle.

Irrational as it may seem, sometimes calling that place you know to be helpful, even though they may be a world away, is the best option.

San Saba, Texas

San Saba County Courthouse


We stopped in this sleepy little town for a couple nights on our way east. San Saba declares itself to be the "Pecan Capitol of the World", and after driving through the countryside, I cannot argue that there are a lot of pecan trees here. The city (population about 5000) is the county seat of San Saba County, and the San Saba river traverses through. On the east side of town there's a golf course and a new RV park.


The water wheel in the park

We stayed in the older Mill Pond park near the center of town. Nice setting with a waterfall, water wheel, and a spring fed lake. The camping was cheap, $15 with full hookups including 50 amp electric.

Thumper had great fun chasing the ducks away from our motorhome, and got to rinse some of the west Texas dust out of her fur by swimming in the lake. We took showers to achieve the same result.

Sunset in San Saba

The weather was warm, and in our bug we toured some of the dirt farm roads north of town, through a little village called Pecan Grove. When we got back to town, we stopped and had praline pecans with a caramel pecan frappe at the Alamo Pecan store. We walked around town and through some of the mildly decaying neighborhoods near downtown, and we noticed that the luxury homes are outside of town.

Snow in Miami

The near full moon in Kent

We left Apache Junction on Saint Patrick's day, after a wonderful corned beef and cabbage dinner Sunday night with Pat and Bill in the clubhouse, we hit US 60 east and ran into.... SNOW!! in MIAMI Arizona. It snowed all the way up the mountains into Globe.

At one point, a westbound car slid into an 18 wheeler, and started sliding out of control, coming right at us. Somehow, he managed to miss us and our toad, and slid into the guard rail behind us on our side of the road. Pieces of the car were flying off, but I doubt the driver was seriously injured.

Kent Post Office

We put about 275 miles behind us, stopping in Deming, NM for the night. The park was one of the Escapees parks, and unstressed by a schedule, we spent 2 nights there, in dry camp (no hookups). We found that our battery system needs careful management in order for us to have power through the night. I'll make a few queries on the Yahoo Alfa group when I get on line again to find out the scoop on that.

After checking out the town a bit, we put another 275 miles behind us, stopping on the way in El Paso to fill up with diesel. We consumed 69 gallons to travel 620 miles, giving us just over 8 mpg. Not quite as good as the old rig, but pretty close. Diesel cost at Flying J was 3.88/gallon.

No cheap fuel here

We pulled into Kent,TX for the night, stopping in a large empty gravel lot next to the Kent Mercantile, and next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, just ahead of a grade crossing, so the trains sound their whistles as they pass by. Should be an interesting night, but not as bad as the angry cattle. Diesel fuel cost at the Mercantile is 4.22/gallon.

Arizona Fishing 2

Unable to catch any fish on Saguaro Lake in December, when we returned to Apache Junction for a couple weeks in March, I was ready to drag 'em into the boat. Of course, it strill wasn't that easy, but I did have some success this time.

My first catch was a 14" rainbow trout, nice fish, and the only catch that day. On the second outing, Bill's grandson Austin came along, and between the 3 of us, we couldn't catch anything. On my third outing, we tried a lot of places, finally going up river a couple miles to quiet water, and I caught a small bass and a slightly larger striper.

Meanwhile, the turkey vultures were watching us carefully, flying their lazy circles overhead.

I'm still amazed at the juncture of water and desert in the Salt River lakes. The river and channels run 40-80 feet deep, and in many places the desert just seems to jump right up out of the water, in hills and cliffs. So unlike the New England and Minnesota waters I have cruised.