Wednesday February 21, 2007
I kind of regret having to leave Galveston today, although I am excited about being able to help facilitate a recovery support group training.
Today I am slowly packing up my campsite. People always watch to see just how I manage to pile up the stuff onto my motorcycle. I really, really need to get a trailer. It would make me feel a bit less like an oddity.
It is right around noon when I finish packing. I take the time to be on a conference call before I leave. While I am talking on the phone, I put my hand into my pocket, pull it out and realize that my mother’s ring has slipped off of my finger. I look and look, but never find it. It means a lot. I am not sure where it is hiding in the grass, but I don’t see it.
I look at some coupons for hotel rooms in Houston, but can’t find any that I like where I think I am going to park so I am making sure to go in early.
I cruise around and find a parking spot parking area. I have used them in the past and had good luck. I decide to leave my bike in one. Then I start to look for a hotel room. I find nothing that I like that I can afford, but need to stay in one as I am not ready to part with my bike. I need to re-pack. My computer usually travels in my large duffle bag to keep weight load down low. Before I can hop on a plane, I have to make the big bag lighter and the backpack which usually travels on top as it is very light, loaded with stuff like my rain gear, heavy with my computer.
The place I decided to use was a budget hotel that really sucks. There is no promised refrigerator. There is no wireless internet as promised. The rooms are new, but the two promised amenities that aren’t suck. I think about leaving, but realize that I would have to repack my bike. I regretfully decide to stay due to the location and the hassle, but decide to complain about the hotel. (both in the blog and to the corporation.) ;)
I can’t sleep as I am nervous about the upcoming training. I am going with a group of people who are absolutely awesome. These are people who I dream of being able to spend more time with and enjoy more on a regular basis. My heroes, (everybody grab their cell phones and wave them in the air. Grin)
I ride over to Sonic and after I place my order and receive it, remember-- . Oh, yeah, I remember now, I hate the buns on the Sonic. I eat it anyway as breakfast was a long time ago, pick up some gas, go back to the hotel and log in some expenses. Sometime after 4, I fall asleep.
I am both nervous and excited with no surf. Sigh.
Happy trails, Marty
Monday, February 26, 2007
Tuesday February 20
Tuesday February 20, 2007
It is so unbelievably relaxing to lay down to sleep at night and to be able to relax with the sound of the surf in my ears. In the past, I tried listening to CDs that had the sound of the surf in the background. They didn’t work for me at all. It sounded like a CD or Cassette playing the surf. This is so different to me. I am not sure if it is/was the quality of the sound or if it is/was the massive difference in atmosphere.
When I was at home and trying to listen, there were all the cares of the world there. When I am here, although I am being followed by the council cares, it is still easier to put them aside for a while. I am also trying to follow some of the dreams of my heart. That could be the difference.
Today I got up long enough to watch the surf at dawn and allowed myself to be lulled back to sleep as I listened to the surf. That is so relaxing. My quality of rest is amazingly high when I allow that to happen. I feel truly rested and less stressed.
I went back into Galveston today. I checked my bank account and it said that my check had been deposited. I decide to try a Golden Corral to eat a salad and see what they are all about. I decide that although the food is good, they are merely another place where I can go and pay to eat in an unhealthy manner. I still have many of my old food addictions hanging on. The overeating when the food is available or eating foods that are unhealthy because when I order there are things that I don’t really expect put in front of me is still continuing.
Today I went cruised around the downtown area. It is a neat area that I need to come back and visit. It feeds my soul.
There are some pics that I will post of the downtown area.
There is a used bookstore in town that I won’t have time to visit. I love used bookstores. It might explain why there aren’t many used books at the GoodWill. I was looking for a helmet and to see if there was some bike stuff, but things weren’t working out well. There was nothing there I could have used.
I cruise into the WalMart and look at things like compression bags, a helmet and chain lube. The compression bags that I am looking at are water resistant. They will really help in packing. I grab them up. Then I go look at a helmet. The full face helmet that I have is way too hot to use when the temp is over 80* as it is today. I look for gloves that have gel padding and a few other things.
I am thinking about things like how to pack better, how to figure out a way to support my bags better, if the next move needs to be a trailer, etc.
Then when I go to checkout, even though my bank account says I have money, the amount won’t clear. I hate it when that happens. I realize that the bank only cleared part of the amount, but that the whole amount showed up. My heart sinks into my boots. I immediately try to decide just how to handle coming back tomorrow, getting the stuff, and wondering if it would be restocked in the same place.
Then I start to think about the stuff I read in the book while I was in Hammond and decide to take some time to look at a budget and to try to figure out which end was up and how my finances might need to be looked at if I want to stop operating as hand to mouth as I am doing.
My thinking starts to shift from getting spending to look at what I am doing. That is really a large shift for me. I am not sure if it will last, but it is a huge shift. Change comes in stages and as I look more at the situation, I realize that any change is better than none.
When I go back to the tent, I plug in and start to figure out a spending plan. After I do it, I realize there are a lot of parts that I left out and that the spending plan won’t work, but the huge drive to spend money indiscriminately without really looking at where it is going or if there will be enough for later is gone, at least for now. It may possibly be gone for good, but the level of struggle has shifted, which is great progress.
Thinking stuff through has kept me up through midnight. Tomorrow I have to go into Houston to find a place to store my bike while I go to Connecticut. I am thrilled to be able to help roll out the recovery support group training. I do see the dream of having one available on every corner.
It is so unbelievably relaxing to lay down to sleep at night and to be able to relax with the sound of the surf in my ears. In the past, I tried listening to CDs that had the sound of the surf in the background. They didn’t work for me at all. It sounded like a CD or Cassette playing the surf. This is so different to me. I am not sure if it is/was the quality of the sound or if it is/was the massive difference in atmosphere.
When I was at home and trying to listen, there were all the cares of the world there. When I am here, although I am being followed by the council cares, it is still easier to put them aside for a while. I am also trying to follow some of the dreams of my heart. That could be the difference.
Today I got up long enough to watch the surf at dawn and allowed myself to be lulled back to sleep as I listened to the surf. That is so relaxing. My quality of rest is amazingly high when I allow that to happen. I feel truly rested and less stressed.
I went back into Galveston today. I checked my bank account and it said that my check had been deposited. I decide to try a Golden Corral to eat a salad and see what they are all about. I decide that although the food is good, they are merely another place where I can go and pay to eat in an unhealthy manner. I still have many of my old food addictions hanging on. The overeating when the food is available or eating foods that are unhealthy because when I order there are things that I don’t really expect put in front of me is still continuing.
Today I went cruised around the downtown area. It is a neat area that I need to come back and visit. It feeds my soul.
There are some pics that I will post of the downtown area.
There is a used bookstore in town that I won’t have time to visit. I love used bookstores. It might explain why there aren’t many used books at the GoodWill. I was looking for a helmet and to see if there was some bike stuff, but things weren’t working out well. There was nothing there I could have used.
I cruise into the WalMart and look at things like compression bags, a helmet and chain lube. The compression bags that I am looking at are water resistant. They will really help in packing. I grab them up. Then I go look at a helmet. The full face helmet that I have is way too hot to use when the temp is over 80* as it is today. I look for gloves that have gel padding and a few other things.
I am thinking about things like how to pack better, how to figure out a way to support my bags better, if the next move needs to be a trailer, etc.
Then when I go to checkout, even though my bank account says I have money, the amount won’t clear. I hate it when that happens. I realize that the bank only cleared part of the amount, but that the whole amount showed up. My heart sinks into my boots. I immediately try to decide just how to handle coming back tomorrow, getting the stuff, and wondering if it would be restocked in the same place.
Then I start to think about the stuff I read in the book while I was in Hammond and decide to take some time to look at a budget and to try to figure out which end was up and how my finances might need to be looked at if I want to stop operating as hand to mouth as I am doing.
My thinking starts to shift from getting spending to look at what I am doing. That is really a large shift for me. I am not sure if it will last, but it is a huge shift. Change comes in stages and as I look more at the situation, I realize that any change is better than none.
When I go back to the tent, I plug in and start to figure out a spending plan. After I do it, I realize there are a lot of parts that I left out and that the spending plan won’t work, but the huge drive to spend money indiscriminately without really looking at where it is going or if there will be enough for later is gone, at least for now. It may possibly be gone for good, but the level of struggle has shifted, which is great progress.
Thinking stuff through has kept me up through midnight. Tomorrow I have to go into Houston to find a place to store my bike while I go to Connecticut. I am thrilled to be able to help roll out the recovery support group training. I do see the dream of having one available on every corner.
Galveston Island Monday February 19
Monday February 19, 2007
Wow, what a refreshing way to go to sleep and to then wake-up, listening to the sound of a pounding surf. It lulled me to sleep much earlier than I planned on going to bed. When I woke up early in the morning, I thought about going to walk on the beach to watch the sun rise. When I leave the tent, I see a piece of paper sticking to my tire, reminding me that I have to go pay the fee to stay in this wonderful state park. I grab my gloves and jacket and cruise up to the office without a helmet. It feels so awesome.
When I get back to the campsite, I think about staying up-that I should probably get some stuff done. Instead, I go back to sleep, drowsily listening to the surf again and feeling the peace permeate my soul. My heart feels so restful here. The restful feeling jangles with the needs of the non-profit I do things with/for.
I have no propane and not much more money, until a check that I received can be put in the bank. I have a few dollars, and relax, knowing that the check will be able to be put in the bank tomorrow. The campground is way more expensive than any of the books (or even the brochures I picked up at the Texas Information Area) say that it will be. The difference in price is ten dollars a night, which is a large amount to me right now. I relax and breathe the salt air into my lungs. What a great way to enjoy life.
I also notice that my knees are getting a little worse. Much of the way that I feel is due to the dampness that goes along with being on the ocean.
At the beginning of the afternoon, I check the amount of gas in my tank, and ride off to the other end of the island. I really like the houses that are built here. They are unique and have unexpected corners; decks that face the road and extend all the way around the house, stilts that give the house personality and funky colors. At home when one drives along the lake, the houses are mushed together and irritating in the sameness of color and brick. The Island of Galveston is not like that. Here the whimsy of the houses make me smile with delight.
After crusing to the end of the island and finding a toll bridge, I execute a U-turn and head back towards town. The thought of a toll bridge makes me laugh. The ferry, that costs money to run each and every trip is free, while the bridge that is stationary and doesn’t use up fossil fuels costs money. I like Texas. It is an interesting place to be.
It is a chilly day and I decide to go to the Wendy’s to enjoy the surf from inside.I see a guy riding a bicycle down the street. He has a surfboard under one arm and it looks a little funny. A few minutes later, I see him and a friend out trying to catch a wave that is good. As I try to catch a few good pics, things (and the actions of the surfers) all seem to conspire against me. I sit and contemplate my seeming inability to get one.
As it grows darker, I start to get ready to go back out to the campground. I stop by a Kroger’s Grocery Store and pick up some great wheat bread along with a few other staples. I think about my motorcycle and try to hurry.
As I ride back to the campground, I relax and just melt into the ride. When I see the sign to the campground, I realize that the campground is a lot closer than I thought that it was. Driving in the dark last night, made the distance be deceiving. It seemed to be much longer.
There are three other motorcyclists camping here in the state park. I am the only person, traveling by themselves and tenting without motorhome support. What’s up with that?
Happy trails, Marty
Wow, what a refreshing way to go to sleep and to then wake-up, listening to the sound of a pounding surf. It lulled me to sleep much earlier than I planned on going to bed. When I woke up early in the morning, I thought about going to walk on the beach to watch the sun rise. When I leave the tent, I see a piece of paper sticking to my tire, reminding me that I have to go pay the fee to stay in this wonderful state park. I grab my gloves and jacket and cruise up to the office without a helmet. It feels so awesome.
When I get back to the campsite, I think about staying up-that I should probably get some stuff done. Instead, I go back to sleep, drowsily listening to the surf again and feeling the peace permeate my soul. My heart feels so restful here. The restful feeling jangles with the needs of the non-profit I do things with/for.
I have no propane and not much more money, until a check that I received can be put in the bank. I have a few dollars, and relax, knowing that the check will be able to be put in the bank tomorrow. The campground is way more expensive than any of the books (or even the brochures I picked up at the Texas Information Area) say that it will be. The difference in price is ten dollars a night, which is a large amount to me right now. I relax and breathe the salt air into my lungs. What a great way to enjoy life.
I also notice that my knees are getting a little worse. Much of the way that I feel is due to the dampness that goes along with being on the ocean.
At the beginning of the afternoon, I check the amount of gas in my tank, and ride off to the other end of the island. I really like the houses that are built here. They are unique and have unexpected corners; decks that face the road and extend all the way around the house, stilts that give the house personality and funky colors. At home when one drives along the lake, the houses are mushed together and irritating in the sameness of color and brick. The Island of Galveston is not like that. Here the whimsy of the houses make me smile with delight.
After crusing to the end of the island and finding a toll bridge, I execute a U-turn and head back towards town. The thought of a toll bridge makes me laugh. The ferry, that costs money to run each and every trip is free, while the bridge that is stationary and doesn’t use up fossil fuels costs money. I like Texas. It is an interesting place to be.
It is a chilly day and I decide to go to the Wendy’s to enjoy the surf from inside.I see a guy riding a bicycle down the street. He has a surfboard under one arm and it looks a little funny. A few minutes later, I see him and a friend out trying to catch a wave that is good. As I try to catch a few good pics, things (and the actions of the surfers) all seem to conspire against me. I sit and contemplate my seeming inability to get one.
As it grows darker, I start to get ready to go back out to the campground. I stop by a Kroger’s Grocery Store and pick up some great wheat bread along with a few other staples. I think about my motorcycle and try to hurry.
As I ride back to the campground, I relax and just melt into the ride. When I see the sign to the campground, I realize that the campground is a lot closer than I thought that it was. Driving in the dark last night, made the distance be deceiving. It seemed to be much longer.
There are three other motorcyclists camping here in the state park. I am the only person, traveling by themselves and tenting without motorhome support. What’s up with that?
Happy trails, Marty
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Sunday February 18, 2007
Well, I once again major in not getting up. Or I get up and just don’t get out the door.
Check-out time is 11AM so right around 10:58, I put my stuff outside of the door and start to haul it down stairs. The guys who live in the hotel, start to appear, moving their chairs outside onto the deck to watch me pack. I could get up earlier, but to be honest, it doesn’t really seem to help.
I load everything up that I am leaving with. I left a bunch of paper behind. Not like I probably won’t replace it very quickly. I give the lady the key and remote to the room. As I ride off, the guys are still watching.
But, hey, it’s only noon and well, I am in the mood to eat before I hit the road. LOL. So I head down the road to McD’s. I pick up the paper on their wireless service and it says that they charge for it. I put the paper back down and make some really bad food choices, and wait for my order to be filled.
Now the Jennings McDonald’s might not run this way all the time, but don’t expect to get your order right. And the people know that. As soon as they get their food, they pull up a bit and start counting, checking etc. And they have people pull forwards and, well, let’s just say that a couple of these cars have been sitting there forever. This McD’s definitely doesn’t mean fast food.
I laugh and try to get into a book, but can’t.
I climb back on my Vulcan and head off down the road. The time goes by fast and it seems to be a good day for riding. The winds aren’t blowing me all over and the sun feels warm.
I come into Texas pretty quickly. They have a nice rest area and I kick back and sit in the sun watching people come and go. I chat with a couple of them then climb back on my bike.
As I get off on the exit onto the highway that I want to follow down to Bolivar, I find myself in a nice little town called Orange. The place has some really neat qualities. Here is a pic of the park. There aren’t many communities that care enough about the kids to give them this kind of a play area. People look at me weird as I pull up to take the pics, but I figure that they don’t know the bike, they also see that it is loaded.
As I cruise on down the road I get a little mixed up and take an unscheduled detour or two. I come upon a town named Bridge City and try to hurry on towards Galveston. I am a little worried about getting a campsite on a three day weekend, with Mardi Gras still going on.
When I get to Bolivar Peninsula, I just have to slow down. I like the way the houses look. They are different from the Lake homes at home. They are different. They have decks outside all around the house. At home, people are cheap. They don’t want to look out at the traffic, they only want to be outside if they can see they lake. It’s not like that here.
I stop for some gas and exchange some conversation with one of the lady’s that works there.
As I motor towards the ferry landing, I wish that I had taken a comfort break. I wish this as soon as I see the sign that says there is going to be an extended wait. LOL
When I get there, it’s only a two ferry wait and the ride is a quick one.
As I am one of the last vehicles loaded, I am in the rear. There are bunches of people feeding the gulls off the back. The little kids don’t make the toss clear the deck and there are birds everywhere. I sigh and think to myself, I hope they haven’t had a lot to eat today. (I really don’t want bird dodo on my bike and belongings.)
As I cruise through Galveston I notice that their Wendy’s faces the seawall. What a neat thing to have. Cheap food with a great view.
I follow along the seawall to head to the Galveston Island State Park. The office is closed, but there is a sign saying that there are a few campsites available. The sign also says that the sites are ten dollars a night more expensive than the most expensive price list I have which is dated January of this year. I reevaluate my finances and am glad that I put some funds into an account. I just wish I had more funds and hadn’t stopped to eat as much.
I have to get the campground host to show me where the numbers are for the sites. They are on the cabanas. Not visible from the road unless you climb off the bike and then use a flashlight. Doah, what’s up with that? LOL
I find a site, set my tent up in the dark. It’s not hard, I do it a lot as I always seem to leave late (sigh). I climb in my tent and fall asleep listening to the surf pound the shore. I’m gonna really enjoy my short stay here.
Happy Trails, Marty
Well, I once again major in not getting up. Or I get up and just don’t get out the door.
Check-out time is 11AM so right around 10:58, I put my stuff outside of the door and start to haul it down stairs. The guys who live in the hotel, start to appear, moving their chairs outside onto the deck to watch me pack. I could get up earlier, but to be honest, it doesn’t really seem to help.
I load everything up that I am leaving with. I left a bunch of paper behind. Not like I probably won’t replace it very quickly. I give the lady the key and remote to the room. As I ride off, the guys are still watching.
But, hey, it’s only noon and well, I am in the mood to eat before I hit the road. LOL. So I head down the road to McD’s. I pick up the paper on their wireless service and it says that they charge for it. I put the paper back down and make some really bad food choices, and wait for my order to be filled.
Now the Jennings McDonald’s might not run this way all the time, but don’t expect to get your order right. And the people know that. As soon as they get their food, they pull up a bit and start counting, checking etc. And they have people pull forwards and, well, let’s just say that a couple of these cars have been sitting there forever. This McD’s definitely doesn’t mean fast food.
I laugh and try to get into a book, but can’t.
I climb back on my Vulcan and head off down the road. The time goes by fast and it seems to be a good day for riding. The winds aren’t blowing me all over and the sun feels warm.
I come into Texas pretty quickly. They have a nice rest area and I kick back and sit in the sun watching people come and go. I chat with a couple of them then climb back on my bike.
As I get off on the exit onto the highway that I want to follow down to Bolivar, I find myself in a nice little town called Orange. The place has some really neat qualities. Here is a pic of the park. There aren’t many communities that care enough about the kids to give them this kind of a play area. People look at me weird as I pull up to take the pics, but I figure that they don’t know the bike, they also see that it is loaded.
As I cruise on down the road I get a little mixed up and take an unscheduled detour or two. I come upon a town named Bridge City and try to hurry on towards Galveston. I am a little worried about getting a campsite on a three day weekend, with Mardi Gras still going on.
When I get to Bolivar Peninsula, I just have to slow down. I like the way the houses look. They are different from the Lake homes at home. They are different. They have decks outside all around the house. At home, people are cheap. They don’t want to look out at the traffic, they only want to be outside if they can see they lake. It’s not like that here.
I stop for some gas and exchange some conversation with one of the lady’s that works there.
As I motor towards the ferry landing, I wish that I had taken a comfort break. I wish this as soon as I see the sign that says there is going to be an extended wait. LOL
When I get there, it’s only a two ferry wait and the ride is a quick one.
As I am one of the last vehicles loaded, I am in the rear. There are bunches of people feeding the gulls off the back. The little kids don’t make the toss clear the deck and there are birds everywhere. I sigh and think to myself, I hope they haven’t had a lot to eat today. (I really don’t want bird dodo on my bike and belongings.)
As I cruise through Galveston I notice that their Wendy’s faces the seawall. What a neat thing to have. Cheap food with a great view.
I follow along the seawall to head to the Galveston Island State Park. The office is closed, but there is a sign saying that there are a few campsites available. The sign also says that the sites are ten dollars a night more expensive than the most expensive price list I have which is dated January of this year. I reevaluate my finances and am glad that I put some funds into an account. I just wish I had more funds and hadn’t stopped to eat as much.
I have to get the campground host to show me where the numbers are for the sites. They are on the cabanas. Not visible from the road unless you climb off the bike and then use a flashlight. Doah, what’s up with that? LOL
I find a site, set my tent up in the dark. It’s not hard, I do it a lot as I always seem to leave late (sigh). I climb in my tent and fall asleep listening to the surf pound the shore. I’m gonna really enjoy my short stay here.
Happy Trails, Marty
Saturday February 17, 2007
Yes, indeedy I do love the invasion of the car runners, but tonight, I got home a little too early and there was this awful generator running. It was not one of those nice quiet Honda Generators, but one that clacks and eeewwww. It really hurt my ears. So last night, I went up to the restroom to escape the noise and read a book for a while.
I went outside at 9 to see if they had shut it off and no, they hadn’t. I went to the laundry room to surf the Internet for a bit. The connection is slow, but better than nothing. I realize after I get all set up that I have a ton of laundry to do, but don’t want to shut everything down to go back out to grab the laundry.
I surf the Internet looking for things on Recovery and find some good reading. Not anything that is very helpful though.
Then I download some ebooks that I want to read and chill out.
So it is now the next morning and I am once again sitting in the laundry room surfing the Internet while I wait for my clothes to dry. After a bit, I realize that the time is slipping rapidly away and I am not anywhere close to being packed up and ready to go. The clothes are ready, the dryer that I am hearing is the neighbors, mine stopped a long time ago. LOL oops.
I go down and start to pack up, trying to decide where to head. The Louisiana State Parks are cheaper than most, but they keep saying the words “feels like 29*”. These are not happy words for me. I calculate the distance to Galveston in my head.
And I try to pack. It is hard for me to pack up when I have been in one place for 15 days. My stuff seems to explode and won’t fit on my bike anymore. I try harder. I didn’t buy that much stuff. Just some books. And some more books. And some clothes. Oh, and some food. Nothing that I didn’t need.
But now the stuff won’t fit in a way that makes me happy. I call my daughter and have a chat with her about the snowsuit. It won’t fit me next winter, but it is hard for me to leave it behind when I just bought it less than two months ago. But lets face it, I am headed to Texas and losing weight fairly quickly, what’s the point in keeping it? I decide to let it go along with some food that has hung around for too long. It’s still good, but if I brought it from Michigan and haven’t yet eaten it, I would say that there is a good chance that I won’t.
It’s now after 1PM and I should have left already. They keep driving by to clean up the campsite. All I can do is wave. LOL
Finally I get everything I want loaded up and hit the road. I make it all the way to Baton Rouge and then pull off to eat breakfast. I am hungry and the wind is terrible. It’s blowing me all over the road. It is a struggle to stay in my lane at times.
And it is late. I have wasted too much time today. I pull off the road in Jennings and decide to find a dive to stay in as my funds are limited. Yep, it’s a dive. But the atmosphere is one of people who work hard for a living, but can’t afford a better place to live, so they stay at this hotel.
I get a room key and a remote. The remote is the wrong one for the TV, but it’s an upstairs room and I just don’t feel like negotiating the stairs again. I sit on the end of the bed and start to sort through papers and things to lighten the load.
I write some notes on some of the stuff from the book that the clubhouse gave me and throw it away. It smells pretty bad as it got wet more than once. I really enjoyed the book, but it’s not salvageable.
I throw away some papers, make some more notes and condense others. It’s hard to believe, but I still have a paper problem on the road. That is so sad.
I decide to head on over to Galveston to camp tomorrow. I want to be on the Gulf. It is pretty and I love the water. I decide to stay away from the Interstates as much as possible and take the run down the Bolivar Peninsula. There is a free ferry from the Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston that I want to take.
My lips are sunburned, and my cheeks feel really dry like they might be sunburned also. I dig out some lip junk, Carmex, and put it on my lips. They burn for quite a while.
I watch movies on TV. Ritchie Rich is on, and Miss Congeniality is on. I enjoy the light comedy as the day was stressful and being buffeted all over the road was more than I could handle at times.
And I have to pack up again tomorrow. Grr.
Yes, indeedy I do love the invasion of the car runners, but tonight, I got home a little too early and there was this awful generator running. It was not one of those nice quiet Honda Generators, but one that clacks and eeewwww. It really hurt my ears. So last night, I went up to the restroom to escape the noise and read a book for a while.
I went outside at 9 to see if they had shut it off and no, they hadn’t. I went to the laundry room to surf the Internet for a bit. The connection is slow, but better than nothing. I realize after I get all set up that I have a ton of laundry to do, but don’t want to shut everything down to go back out to grab the laundry.
I surf the Internet looking for things on Recovery and find some good reading. Not anything that is very helpful though.
Then I download some ebooks that I want to read and chill out.
So it is now the next morning and I am once again sitting in the laundry room surfing the Internet while I wait for my clothes to dry. After a bit, I realize that the time is slipping rapidly away and I am not anywhere close to being packed up and ready to go. The clothes are ready, the dryer that I am hearing is the neighbors, mine stopped a long time ago. LOL oops.
I go down and start to pack up, trying to decide where to head. The Louisiana State Parks are cheaper than most, but they keep saying the words “feels like 29*”. These are not happy words for me. I calculate the distance to Galveston in my head.
And I try to pack. It is hard for me to pack up when I have been in one place for 15 days. My stuff seems to explode and won’t fit on my bike anymore. I try harder. I didn’t buy that much stuff. Just some books. And some more books. And some clothes. Oh, and some food. Nothing that I didn’t need.
But now the stuff won’t fit in a way that makes me happy. I call my daughter and have a chat with her about the snowsuit. It won’t fit me next winter, but it is hard for me to leave it behind when I just bought it less than two months ago. But lets face it, I am headed to Texas and losing weight fairly quickly, what’s the point in keeping it? I decide to let it go along with some food that has hung around for too long. It’s still good, but if I brought it from Michigan and haven’t yet eaten it, I would say that there is a good chance that I won’t.
It’s now after 1PM and I should have left already. They keep driving by to clean up the campsite. All I can do is wave. LOL
Finally I get everything I want loaded up and hit the road. I make it all the way to Baton Rouge and then pull off to eat breakfast. I am hungry and the wind is terrible. It’s blowing me all over the road. It is a struggle to stay in my lane at times.
And it is late. I have wasted too much time today. I pull off the road in Jennings and decide to find a dive to stay in as my funds are limited. Yep, it’s a dive. But the atmosphere is one of people who work hard for a living, but can’t afford a better place to live, so they stay at this hotel.
I get a room key and a remote. The remote is the wrong one for the TV, but it’s an upstairs room and I just don’t feel like negotiating the stairs again. I sit on the end of the bed and start to sort through papers and things to lighten the load.
I write some notes on some of the stuff from the book that the clubhouse gave me and throw it away. It smells pretty bad as it got wet more than once. I really enjoyed the book, but it’s not salvageable.
I throw away some papers, make some more notes and condense others. It’s hard to believe, but I still have a paper problem on the road. That is so sad.
I decide to head on over to Galveston to camp tomorrow. I want to be on the Gulf. It is pretty and I love the water. I decide to stay away from the Interstates as much as possible and take the run down the Bolivar Peninsula. There is a free ferry from the Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston that I want to take.
My lips are sunburned, and my cheeks feel really dry like they might be sunburned also. I dig out some lip junk, Carmex, and put it on my lips. They burn for quite a while.
I watch movies on TV. Ritchie Rich is on, and Miss Congeniality is on. I enjoy the light comedy as the day was stressful and being buffeted all over the road was more than I could handle at times.
And I have to pack up again tomorrow. Grr.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Friday February 16
I get into town. I finish reading all the financial books. I return stuff that hasn't worked out.
I have to get ready to leave tomorrow. OH CRAP!!!
And tonight is the invasion of the car runners. The massive amounts of people who run their cars to stay warm at night. And thereby keep me awake.
It is hard to pack up when you don't get to sleep much.
Happy trails, Marty
I have to get ready to leave tomorrow. OH CRAP!!!
And tonight is the invasion of the car runners. The massive amounts of people who run their cars to stay warm at night. And thereby keep me awake.
It is hard to pack up when you don't get to sleep much.
Happy trails, Marty
Friday February 16
I get into town. I finish reading all the financial books. I return stuff that hasn't worked out.
I have to get ready to leave tomorrow. OH CRAP!!!
And tonight is the invasion of the car runners. The massive amounts of people who run their cars to stay warm at night. And thereby keep me awake.
It is hard to pack up when you don't get to sleep much.
Happy trails, Marty
I have to get ready to leave tomorrow. OH CRAP!!!
And tonight is the invasion of the car runners. The massive amounts of people who run their cars to stay warm at night. And thereby keep me awake.
It is hard to pack up when you don't get to sleep much.
Happy trails, Marty
February 15, 2007
So, what a day for a day dream. Grin.
I got part of the stuff for my bike. Yeah. I didn’t get part of the stuff for my bike. Boo, hiss.
So anyway, I have been searching for a way to handle my finances that made sense to me and would help me not overspend. I overspend because I always feel that I have more money than I have because I look at a total amount and guesstimate what I have left to spend money on. And I always spend too much and end up with too much month left at the end of my money.
Also, I don’t do credit. I do owe some money, but I don’t pull out a Visa Card or American Express Card to do my car repairs. That means that I need to be able to save up money to do my motorcycle repairs and save up money for other things. That is the stuff that I really want to get a handle on.
So I do research. I read this book and I read that book. I surf to this site and I surf to that site. And I have found few answers that fit. But today I ran into a book by “The Cheapest Family in America” (hey they called themselves that in the book) and the way they tell you to look at the monies is a little bit different that it may work for me. Let me tell you what hasn’t worked.
Putting money away in a different envelope. (which actually has gone electronic). If there was money in the clothes fund and I wanted to eat out-hey, did I really care if I had new jeans? Or any clothers at all. grin We all know that I never really was into clothes. Now I am not saying that this isn't a great system for lots of people, it just didn't work for me.
Dave Ramsey. I didn’t have debt, he figures that everyone must have debt and well, he didn’t work for me. If he does for you-that’s great. I know a lot of people who worship the ground that he walks on and pay him accordingly. There are forums available on his site where you can chat with some of the worshippers. Now, I am not saying he isn't good, he's just not for me.
There are a few more, I am drawing a blank right now. What is important is that I at least tried to put my finger in the dyke so to speak and tried something. Not looking for a way to grab some control of your money when it's out of control is like burying your head in the sand. Hmm, sand, dykes, I need to head to water.
Anyway, I read this book by the people who run the website http://www.americascheapestfamily.com and the plan actually made sense to me, (Ok, ok, I know that I am no good at finances, but no really, this plan I could actually understand, that’s probably a good starting point) and what’s even better it doesn’t tell me to keep all my money laying around in my house easily accessible to my fingers.
So I go to surf to my bank to find out a couple of things, like do I have any money left and how much do I get in a month (hey, I warned you that I’m no good at finances), all that really complicated stuff. And the Internet goes out, but I pull out the notes that I made and realize that it still makes sense to me, even without the gosh darn book.
That sounds great to me. I think I will try this plan. Most of the rest of them I just sit back and laugh at. (Kind of like the other book that I read tonight.)
I am the person who read the book about running a lemonade stand and couldn’t figure it out enough to use. And I was told that book made finances really simple.
Ok, just go online enough to go to the website. Hmm. No, I don't like this result. Just go read the book, it will work out much better than trying to go use the website. The website is pretty much a bunch of ads and little boxes selling themselves to you, by telling you where they will be. ;) Gotta love it.
Oh, what’s the name of the book? Geez, now I have to go back to the website to find out. Just a minute.
America'sCheapest FamilyGets YouRight on the MoneyYour Guide to Living Better,Spending Less andCashing In On Your Dreams! Buy it online and save some bucks. You can get it for $8.01 used.
This is a book we wish existed when we were first married. It's easy to read and full of hundreds of simple money saving ideas. Plus it explains how to get out of debt and set up a household budget that really works. Read more about it.
While here I also read The Six Day Financial Makeover by Robert Pagliarini. It has some redeeming points also.
Well, go read it, I might buy it if I wasn’t already so short on space. LOL
Gotta go, happy trails Marty
So, what a day for a day dream. Grin.
I got part of the stuff for my bike. Yeah. I didn’t get part of the stuff for my bike. Boo, hiss.
So anyway, I have been searching for a way to handle my finances that made sense to me and would help me not overspend. I overspend because I always feel that I have more money than I have because I look at a total amount and guesstimate what I have left to spend money on. And I always spend too much and end up with too much month left at the end of my money.
Also, I don’t do credit. I do owe some money, but I don’t pull out a Visa Card or American Express Card to do my car repairs. That means that I need to be able to save up money to do my motorcycle repairs and save up money for other things. That is the stuff that I really want to get a handle on.
So I do research. I read this book and I read that book. I surf to this site and I surf to that site. And I have found few answers that fit. But today I ran into a book by “The Cheapest Family in America” (hey they called themselves that in the book) and the way they tell you to look at the monies is a little bit different that it may work for me. Let me tell you what hasn’t worked.
Putting money away in a different envelope. (which actually has gone electronic). If there was money in the clothes fund and I wanted to eat out-hey, did I really care if I had new jeans? Or any clothers at all. grin We all know that I never really was into clothes. Now I am not saying that this isn't a great system for lots of people, it just didn't work for me.
Dave Ramsey. I didn’t have debt, he figures that everyone must have debt and well, he didn’t work for me. If he does for you-that’s great. I know a lot of people who worship the ground that he walks on and pay him accordingly. There are forums available on his site where you can chat with some of the worshippers. Now, I am not saying he isn't good, he's just not for me.
There are a few more, I am drawing a blank right now. What is important is that I at least tried to put my finger in the dyke so to speak and tried something. Not looking for a way to grab some control of your money when it's out of control is like burying your head in the sand. Hmm, sand, dykes, I need to head to water.
Anyway, I read this book by the people who run the website http://www.americascheapestfamily.com and the plan actually made sense to me, (Ok, ok, I know that I am no good at finances, but no really, this plan I could actually understand, that’s probably a good starting point) and what’s even better it doesn’t tell me to keep all my money laying around in my house easily accessible to my fingers.
So I go to surf to my bank to find out a couple of things, like do I have any money left and how much do I get in a month (hey, I warned you that I’m no good at finances), all that really complicated stuff. And the Internet goes out, but I pull out the notes that I made and realize that it still makes sense to me, even without the gosh darn book.
That sounds great to me. I think I will try this plan. Most of the rest of them I just sit back and laugh at. (Kind of like the other book that I read tonight.)
I am the person who read the book about running a lemonade stand and couldn’t figure it out enough to use. And I was told that book made finances really simple.
Ok, just go online enough to go to the website. Hmm. No, I don't like this result. Just go read the book, it will work out much better than trying to go use the website. The website is pretty much a bunch of ads and little boxes selling themselves to you, by telling you where they will be. ;) Gotta love it.
Oh, what’s the name of the book? Geez, now I have to go back to the website to find out. Just a minute.
America'sCheapest FamilyGets YouRight on the MoneyYour Guide to Living Better,Spending Less andCashing In On Your Dreams! Buy it online and save some bucks. You can get it for $8.01 used.
This is a book we wish existed when we were first married. It's easy to read and full of hundreds of simple money saving ideas. Plus it explains how to get out of debt and set up a household budget that really works. Read more about it.
While here I also read The Six Day Financial Makeover by Robert Pagliarini. It has some redeeming points also.
Well, go read it, I might buy it if I wasn’t already so short on space. LOL
Gotta go, happy trails Marty
February 14, 2007
It's Valentines Day. I don't have a better (or worse) half, so I find myself at loose ends. I decide to stay at the campsite and read a couple of Nora Roberts Romances.
Actually, I have sat around and done a lot of reading. It is what I feel like doing right now.
I have thought a lot about celebrating Mardi Gras this year and decide that I would like to wait and do it either with friends or when I have a partner. Usually, I don't feel that way, I will go anywhere at any time and do just what I want to do.
Tomorrow I am going to go into Hammond and see if any of my bike parts are in. Then I am going to go see about making some kind of a rack. There is a Lowe's here. They should have something that I can use. (Or not. LOL)
I thought that I was leaving on Sunday, but instead after reading my receipt, realize that I have to leave on Saturday morning. That will really put me in a rush as there is a book at the Books a Million that I want to finish reading.
this is nothing new, the time thing. I have a terrible time, gauging time, dates, places to drive, etc. It is just incredibly frustrating, never knowing how to gauge time, especially when I am travelling.
Happy Trails, Marty
Actually, I have sat around and done a lot of reading. It is what I feel like doing right now.
I have thought a lot about celebrating Mardi Gras this year and decide that I would like to wait and do it either with friends or when I have a partner. Usually, I don't feel that way, I will go anywhere at any time and do just what I want to do.
Tomorrow I am going to go into Hammond and see if any of my bike parts are in. Then I am going to go see about making some kind of a rack. There is a Lowe's here. They should have something that I can use. (Or not. LOL)
I thought that I was leaving on Sunday, but instead after reading my receipt, realize that I have to leave on Saturday morning. That will really put me in a rush as there is a book at the Books a Million that I want to finish reading.
this is nothing new, the time thing. I have a terrible time, gauging time, dates, places to drive, etc. It is just incredibly frustrating, never knowing how to gauge time, especially when I am travelling.
Happy Trails, Marty
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Lazing Around Day
February 5, 2007
I had a really hard time getting moving this morning. At the same time, it was really great that the gosh darn vehicles weren’t getting me up continually throughout the night. Of course, after two nights of that I can understand just why I felt that tired. LOL
I get up late, do some laundry again and surf the net. I also worked on my resume some for the position of CC Director. I think I will have some competition so I am not just listing everything, but explaining just what it means. It should only take a few more lightyears to get the thing finished.
Anyway, I finally decide to roll out of the park around 2:30 and go to see if I can find a library with some plugs or some place like that where the Internet will be faster.
I find the library and then head on over to Books A Million as it is supposed to be a nice day tomorrow.
Who do I see at BAM, but Paul! LOL He is reading while Wendy is surfing the goodies. I order a tea and sit down to read up on NOLA. It sounds exciting, but my problem is parking. After Baton Rouge, I am not so trusting. I decide to take a cruise downtown tomorrow and see what it is like.
It is time to leave and I have to get a move on or the gate will be locked on me and I don’t have a flashlight.
I am thrilled with being at Tickfaw State Park. I will return in about four years. (After 2 years on the road with the bike and a couple of years of sailing around). The Louisiana State Parks are doing what they wanted to do. To stop those of us on the way to other places in such a way that we want to stop and spend our monies here for a bit.
Even if the state barely breaks even on my camping as I get to pay half price to use the sites as I have a disability, it just frees up some of my cash to spend somewhere else in the state.
I think I am going to continue to look for a trailer and a generator. Grin.
Happy trails, Marty
I had a really hard time getting moving this morning. At the same time, it was really great that the gosh darn vehicles weren’t getting me up continually throughout the night. Of course, after two nights of that I can understand just why I felt that tired. LOL
I get up late, do some laundry again and surf the net. I also worked on my resume some for the position of CC Director. I think I will have some competition so I am not just listing everything, but explaining just what it means. It should only take a few more lightyears to get the thing finished.
Anyway, I finally decide to roll out of the park around 2:30 and go to see if I can find a library with some plugs or some place like that where the Internet will be faster.
I find the library and then head on over to Books A Million as it is supposed to be a nice day tomorrow.
Who do I see at BAM, but Paul! LOL He is reading while Wendy is surfing the goodies. I order a tea and sit down to read up on NOLA. It sounds exciting, but my problem is parking. After Baton Rouge, I am not so trusting. I decide to take a cruise downtown tomorrow and see what it is like.
It is time to leave and I have to get a move on or the gate will be locked on me and I don’t have a flashlight.
I am thrilled with being at Tickfaw State Park. I will return in about four years. (After 2 years on the road with the bike and a couple of years of sailing around). The Louisiana State Parks are doing what they wanted to do. To stop those of us on the way to other places in such a way that we want to stop and spend our monies here for a bit.
Even if the state barely breaks even on my camping as I get to pay half price to use the sites as I have a disability, it just frees up some of my cash to spend somewhere else in the state.
I think I am going to continue to look for a trailer and a generator. Grin.
Happy trails, Marty
On Sunday we go to town. Feb 4
Sunday February 4, 2007
Around 6AM I give up trying to sleep and decide to go do my laundry. The laundry room is warm and I am not able to sleep because of all the vehicles starting up. It’s like they listen for another vehicle to start up and then they know that it is safe to start their vehicle up as it was just blend in.
And there is nothing soothing about it like when I was at Sturgis and the ground shook enough to lull you to sleep. Nope, nothing redeeming about it here. Here there is just noise.
We are going into town later to find the WalMart, a book store and hopefully a Golden Corral. I am sitting in a t-shirt and shorts int eh laundry room trying to find out which machine works as a change machine when in comes a guy who must be a regular. He knows that he will use all three machines. The washers run for 35 minutes and the dryers run for 45 minutes. “When will I be done?” he asks.
I smile and ask if he has any change to spare. He abruptly says no and goes down to his van, but then he changes his mind. I guess he realized that I could stay in the laundryroom forever, chasing the Internet and he would have to do his laundry in front of me. He decides to give me some change. (Good move.)
I get to finish my laundry. Now that I think about it, I think he is a van dweller who uses this park part of the time and goes stealth the rest of the time.
Paul and Wendy are leaving and we decide to go to town together. We find WalMart and I get part of what I want to get. It is a large, extremely crowded Stupor WalMart. I have a hard time shopping in it as it is so crowded and so huge. They don’t have one of the waterproof bags that I want. The one they have is too big and $8 more expensive. I am trying to find a waterproof bag for my laptop so I can worry a little bit less.
I buy some more propane, some meat, some junk, some brats. That kind of stuff. I don’t buy a campstool, but I am sorely tempted. For $5 I could be comfortable for a week or so. I could watch campfires in more comfort every night. I decide that I would rather do New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
We wanted to go to Golden Corral, but there isn’t one. We decide to try Ryans, but realize that since it is Sunday, no matter what we do-it will be expensive, more than we want to pay on this day anyway.
We decide to go to Wendy’s and have some food. This turns out to be a major mistake. The food, if you could get what you ordered, was pretty good. The help was something else. First there was a lady in training, up there by herself. We started ordering unusual stuff and she asked for help. A guy came up and took over never realizing that he needed to zero out some of the stuff that she had put in. The order was for a lot more than it should have been. The guy calls the manager to zero out the order, as it had been totaled. She was really a pita to the guy. He didn’t deserve it. She sent him to the back and took the order herself. The right food still didn’t happen.
The next people didn’t get the right order either. I went up for more pop-that did work. Paul and Wendy were so grateful they asked the people next to us, who didn’t get the right food either if there was a bookstore in town.
There is a Books a Million. We went there to see if we could troll for goodies, but there weren’t any in the store so Wendy and Paul ended up leaving and I stayed and had a great time reading. The boy that is the manager has a hard time with people like me, but let’s be honest, where would I put a book? So I ignore him and read anyway. They have blackberry sage tea, which is a real favorite of mine.
I get back to the campground a little after dark. The roads are narrow, curvey, and rough. It is hard to see. I go up to the laundry room to surf some more. The laundry room is the only place that I can pick up the Internet. Grin
Happy Trails
Around 6AM I give up trying to sleep and decide to go do my laundry. The laundry room is warm and I am not able to sleep because of all the vehicles starting up. It’s like they listen for another vehicle to start up and then they know that it is safe to start their vehicle up as it was just blend in.
And there is nothing soothing about it like when I was at Sturgis and the ground shook enough to lull you to sleep. Nope, nothing redeeming about it here. Here there is just noise.
We are going into town later to find the WalMart, a book store and hopefully a Golden Corral. I am sitting in a t-shirt and shorts int eh laundry room trying to find out which machine works as a change machine when in comes a guy who must be a regular. He knows that he will use all three machines. The washers run for 35 minutes and the dryers run for 45 minutes. “When will I be done?” he asks.
I smile and ask if he has any change to spare. He abruptly says no and goes down to his van, but then he changes his mind. I guess he realized that I could stay in the laundryroom forever, chasing the Internet and he would have to do his laundry in front of me. He decides to give me some change. (Good move.)
I get to finish my laundry. Now that I think about it, I think he is a van dweller who uses this park part of the time and goes stealth the rest of the time.
Paul and Wendy are leaving and we decide to go to town together. We find WalMart and I get part of what I want to get. It is a large, extremely crowded Stupor WalMart. I have a hard time shopping in it as it is so crowded and so huge. They don’t have one of the waterproof bags that I want. The one they have is too big and $8 more expensive. I am trying to find a waterproof bag for my laptop so I can worry a little bit less.
I buy some more propane, some meat, some junk, some brats. That kind of stuff. I don’t buy a campstool, but I am sorely tempted. For $5 I could be comfortable for a week or so. I could watch campfires in more comfort every night. I decide that I would rather do New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
We wanted to go to Golden Corral, but there isn’t one. We decide to try Ryans, but realize that since it is Sunday, no matter what we do-it will be expensive, more than we want to pay on this day anyway.
We decide to go to Wendy’s and have some food. This turns out to be a major mistake. The food, if you could get what you ordered, was pretty good. The help was something else. First there was a lady in training, up there by herself. We started ordering unusual stuff and she asked for help. A guy came up and took over never realizing that he needed to zero out some of the stuff that she had put in. The order was for a lot more than it should have been. The guy calls the manager to zero out the order, as it had been totaled. She was really a pita to the guy. He didn’t deserve it. She sent him to the back and took the order herself. The right food still didn’t happen.
The next people didn’t get the right order either. I went up for more pop-that did work. Paul and Wendy were so grateful they asked the people next to us, who didn’t get the right food either if there was a bookstore in town.
There is a Books a Million. We went there to see if we could troll for goodies, but there weren’t any in the store so Wendy and Paul ended up leaving and I stayed and had a great time reading. The boy that is the manager has a hard time with people like me, but let’s be honest, where would I put a book? So I ignore him and read anyway. They have blackberry sage tea, which is a real favorite of mine.
I get back to the campground a little after dark. The roads are narrow, curvey, and rough. It is hard to see. I go up to the laundry room to surf some more. The laundry room is the only place that I can pick up the Internet. Grin
Happy Trails
Monday, February 5, 2007
Tickfaw State Park-Saturday
Did I mention before that I have decided to stay here for a few days? I am trying to recover from the constant travel and it is a pretty central location. Also there is a good possiblity of their being a decent bookstore and library a few miles down the road.
Saturday February 3, 2007
Saturday we pretty much just hung around and enjoyed the park. We went to the movie on mammals and to the live animal show. There are pics that will be posted later when I get a card reader. Some of the animals were great and I hadn’t seen some of them before.
Now if I could just remember some of the names.
After the show Paul went out to do some birding on the boardwalk. Neither Wendy nor I are avid birders. We went back to their motorhome to share some conversation since it will be one of the last. They are moving on tomorrow.
We decided to share a campfire and have somemores. I am so addicted to them, I am grateful that the fixins for somemores are not in the area very often. I love the sweet-gooey-chocolatey taste entirely too much.
It is cold out. By 7:30 it is bone-numbing cold. Most of the park campers end up going to bed early. Then it starts. The trucks and cars fire up as people go sit in them to get warm.
I find it incredibly irritating as I am not able to do that and they don’t care if they wake me up. I sleep fitfully throughout the night.
Saturday February 3, 2007
Saturday we pretty much just hung around and enjoyed the park. We went to the movie on mammals and to the live animal show. There are pics that will be posted later when I get a card reader. Some of the animals were great and I hadn’t seen some of them before.
Now if I could just remember some of the names.
After the show Paul went out to do some birding on the boardwalk. Neither Wendy nor I are avid birders. We went back to their motorhome to share some conversation since it will be one of the last. They are moving on tomorrow.
We decided to share a campfire and have somemores. I am so addicted to them, I am grateful that the fixins for somemores are not in the area very often. I love the sweet-gooey-chocolatey taste entirely too much.
It is cold out. By 7:30 it is bone-numbing cold. Most of the park campers end up going to bed early. Then it starts. The trucks and cars fire up as people go sit in them to get warm.
I find it incredibly irritating as I am not able to do that and they don’t care if they wake me up. I sleep fitfully throughout the night.
Friday February 2
Friday February 2, 2007
Today when I went out to my bike, I realized there was no longer any left side cover. Under the left side cover there are several wires and connectors. I was glad that it wasn’t raining. My heart sank. I know that the cover was there when I got to University Presbyterian last night and I think I remember seeing it when I covered my bike in the parking lot.
The side cover that was taken was the one that doesn’t have a lock. The other cover you have to take off using my Kawasaki Vulcan key. I am really glad that I took my rain gear, sleeping bag and backpack inside with me last night.
I check the side bags. Nothing was taken. I do keep most of the stuff of value buried under the cheap ramen noodles and the first aid kit. Now, the first aid kit was a waterproof marine model and they could have probably gotten some decent cash for it also.
It does rattle me a bit and I end up getting turned around going out to the campground. I end up on the north west side of Baton Rouge instead of the north east corner. I find route 190 and think to myself well, at least here is a road that I recognize. Life is looking up a little bit.
Of course, then 190 branches off from 61 and I miss the turn off until I go past it and get the experience of turning around. People have a tendency to ride my ass when I am on a motorcycle so I have to be careful about where and how I turn. I am a careful driver who values her life.
I get on the Interstate and ride towards the campground, manage to miss a couple of signs. Once again this is probably because my mind is wandering because I am unable to let go of the experience of having my side cover stolen. I need to relax and let it go, but I haven’t been able to as of yet.
When I finally reach the campground, I stop to check in and tell them that I am going to see what campsite I would like. I decide to choose 31, which looks like it has been set up as a handicap site, but isn’t marked as such. It is near the restrooms, and not really muddy. (Not easy to find in the middle of a swamp.) There are cement walkways and two types of burning areas. I like the low ones best as I can watch the fire better.
I go back to check in and tell them that I want to stay here for 15 days. I want to be able to travel off of a site and this campground at least has gate controlled access at night and during the day there are rangers that regularly patrol the campground. There are also some other permanent type of campers who look like they are maxing out their stay.
Since it is the weekend and it is going to turn nice, the campground starts to fill up with all kinds of people. There are a couple of huge diesel pushers that have huge TVs mounted in the side so everyone can watch them from a campsite. I snicker and think about making fun of them, then remember that it is super bowl weekend. Maybe I need to make friends with them. LOL
Wendy offers me the chance to come over and use some electricity with them, but I am still slightly depressed about my side cover and instead stay at the campsite to set up camp and eat something. And drink hot chocolate.
My mood elevates slightly with the hot chocolate.
Later Wendy, Paul and I go on a night nature walk with the guide Jennifer. We don’t see much wildlife (a spider or two,) but the guide is able to answer some of our questions about the trees and gives us a booklet so we can learn more.
We do find out that the vine that is growing up the trees is poison ivy. Now up north where we are from, poison ivy stays pretty close to the ground. Here, it just climbs up tree trunks. There are no leaves on this poison ivy as it is winter. I am not sure that I would have recognized it as a vine even if there were leaves on it.
The guide talked about how many trees in the area we were walking in were downed during Hurricane Katrina and about how the boardwalks in the park were taken out. We decide to go back over there tomorrow and look around some more.
I go to bed early. It is chilly but I am able to sleep except for the people who seem to continually start their vehicles to get warm. ;
Happy Trails, Marty
Today when I went out to my bike, I realized there was no longer any left side cover. Under the left side cover there are several wires and connectors. I was glad that it wasn’t raining. My heart sank. I know that the cover was there when I got to University Presbyterian last night and I think I remember seeing it when I covered my bike in the parking lot.
The side cover that was taken was the one that doesn’t have a lock. The other cover you have to take off using my Kawasaki Vulcan key. I am really glad that I took my rain gear, sleeping bag and backpack inside with me last night.
I check the side bags. Nothing was taken. I do keep most of the stuff of value buried under the cheap ramen noodles and the first aid kit. Now, the first aid kit was a waterproof marine model and they could have probably gotten some decent cash for it also.
It does rattle me a bit and I end up getting turned around going out to the campground. I end up on the north west side of Baton Rouge instead of the north east corner. I find route 190 and think to myself well, at least here is a road that I recognize. Life is looking up a little bit.
Of course, then 190 branches off from 61 and I miss the turn off until I go past it and get the experience of turning around. People have a tendency to ride my ass when I am on a motorcycle so I have to be careful about where and how I turn. I am a careful driver who values her life.
I get on the Interstate and ride towards the campground, manage to miss a couple of signs. Once again this is probably because my mind is wandering because I am unable to let go of the experience of having my side cover stolen. I need to relax and let it go, but I haven’t been able to as of yet.
When I finally reach the campground, I stop to check in and tell them that I am going to see what campsite I would like. I decide to choose 31, which looks like it has been set up as a handicap site, but isn’t marked as such. It is near the restrooms, and not really muddy. (Not easy to find in the middle of a swamp.) There are cement walkways and two types of burning areas. I like the low ones best as I can watch the fire better.
I go back to check in and tell them that I want to stay here for 15 days. I want to be able to travel off of a site and this campground at least has gate controlled access at night and during the day there are rangers that regularly patrol the campground. There are also some other permanent type of campers who look like they are maxing out their stay.
Since it is the weekend and it is going to turn nice, the campground starts to fill up with all kinds of people. There are a couple of huge diesel pushers that have huge TVs mounted in the side so everyone can watch them from a campsite. I snicker and think about making fun of them, then remember that it is super bowl weekend. Maybe I need to make friends with them. LOL
Wendy offers me the chance to come over and use some electricity with them, but I am still slightly depressed about my side cover and instead stay at the campsite to set up camp and eat something. And drink hot chocolate.
My mood elevates slightly with the hot chocolate.
Later Wendy, Paul and I go on a night nature walk with the guide Jennifer. We don’t see much wildlife (a spider or two,) but the guide is able to answer some of our questions about the trees and gives us a booklet so we can learn more.
We do find out that the vine that is growing up the trees is poison ivy. Now up north where we are from, poison ivy stays pretty close to the ground. Here, it just climbs up tree trunks. There are no leaves on this poison ivy as it is winter. I am not sure that I would have recognized it as a vine even if there were leaves on it.
The guide talked about how many trees in the area we were walking in were downed during Hurricane Katrina and about how the boardwalks in the park were taken out. We decide to go back over there tomorrow and look around some more.
I go to bed early. It is chilly but I am able to sleep except for the people who seem to continually start their vehicles to get warm. ;
Happy Trails, Marty
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Baton Rouge, whooohooo 32
Tonight I got a chance to just present, the first opportunity the trip. Everyone was great. It was a fun group and a fun presentation. I need to buy a card reader so I can get the pic off of my camera.
When I was trying to lighten and refine my load, I left a number of things that weren't working out electronically at Teri's house, but have not had time to get replacements. So until I get the card reader, there will be no pics on here.
I wanted to start keeping track of the number of people I have presented to this trip, but I am not sure who to count and who not to count. I had a great group of people in that training in Memphis, but do I count them? It was a training, not a presentation so I kind of don't know.
Well, I am interested in the numbers so I am going to count them. I will keep the tab, when it goes up in the title line. So tonight makes it 18 (from Memphis) plus 14 (I think, I really have to start counting up people) which brings the total to 32.
Hmm I really need to get out and present more. Add more later.
I wanted to start keeping track of the number of people I have presented to this trip, but I am not sure who to count and who not to count. I had a great group of people in that training in Memphis, but do I count them? It was a training, not a presentation so I kind of don't know.
Well, I am interested in the numbers so I am going to count them. I will keep the tab, when it goes up in the title line. So tonight makes it 18 (from Memphis) plus 14 (I think, I really have to start counting up people) which brings the total to 32.
Hmm I really need to get out and present more. Add more later.
Yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day. I got to stay with overnight with someone who knows the area. That is always great as the locals can tell you so much more about where to go. Also, I got an invite to the Mardi Gras Parade in Baton Rouge. A front row seat. Woohoo. Who knew that I had scheduled myself to be in New Orleans during Mardi Gras time? How cool is that? (Actually, it occurred to me that if I don't actually know when Mardi Gras is, I probably need to get out more.)
Here are the pics that Wendy sent me from when we were on the Natchez Trace. I am afraid that if I don't put them here, you might not scroll down and enjoy them. The tent is classic. Well, that didn't work, let me try something different.
Above, Paul and I are standing on the Old Trace. Not the Sunken Old Trace, but the Old Trace by Grindstone Ford.
Here is a pic of Paul and Wendy. And as you can see in the next picture, Wendy and I are showing you where to go. 
MS to Hammond, LA
I lost a post taht I had inserted. IT rally ticked me off. I am headed over to Tickfaw as it got slick and extrememly hard to see last night so I pulled over.
I'll post more later.
I'll post more later.
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