Sunday, May 24, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
We finally moved, but not without incident ☹️
Texas is open again and the shelter in place orders have expired. While we absolutely loved our location in Weslaco, TX, after 8 weeks, it was time to move on.
The picture above is the view from our campsite at Thousand Trails Colorado River. Big trees and a great view of the Colorado River in the background. The property has lots of wildlife (mostly deer ) and is well manicured throughout.
Even though we felt it was too much to hope for, we actually have full 5 bar cell service on both T-Mobile and Verizon. There is no broadcast TV, but we can stream just about anything we need or want. That's perfect for the standard pandemic entertainment needs 😁📺
We made a very minor modification to the RV which is based on our trash can. Yes you read that correctly. We were looking for the most comfortable TV viewing location and Cindy suggested rotating the captains chairs in the cockpit. The only issue we had was that the Mercedes seats only have 1 armrest each, and there are no cupholders reachable.
Honestly we considered many things to address this ranging from replacing the captains chairs all the way to removing the dinette and installing theater seating. Both would have been very expensive and would not have fully addressed the issues.
As we pondered our options, Cindy says "what if we put the trash can between the seats like a table? ". That thought expanded to include a removable table top, cup holders and a basket for remotes.
It is well known that everything in an RV should be multipurpose, and we certainly held to that. Now we have comfortable TV seating, and we can even broadcast the TV audio through the multi-speaker dash radio for surround sound. Wow!
I mentioned that the trip was not without incident. So when you leave the Rio Grande Valley you have to pass through a Border Patrol checkpoint. We have done this for years and always breezed through. "Are you US citizens?" they would ask. When we said yes, they would wave us through. They always have "sniffer" dogs walking up and down the rows of cars lined up waiting. On this day one of them hit on something in our basement. He jumped and tugged on his leash and wouldn't leave the side of the RV.
The border guard asked us a few more questions, "anyone in the back?", "any food in the basement?". When we answered "no", he instructed us to pull out of line, off to the side. Once parked they made us both get out, and they had me put my hands above my head on the side of the RV for a pat down. So here I am, hands up, spread eagle with a bunch of armed border patrol all around. I can only imagine what people going through the checkpoint were thinking. "The must be drug mules", "I bet they are smuggling illegals", "probably got caught eating guacamole without tequila". 😁
Two of the border patrol agents and the dog went in to the RV and gave it the sniff test. I fully expected him to exit with a box of my granola bars in his mouth. 🐶 When they didn't find anything, they instructed us to pull forward into a marked area where the RV would be x-rayed.
We parked on the spot and got out. They drove a nondescript white box truck up and circled the RV. The guard said that's how they x-ray the whole vehicle (example above). Who knew there was such technology. I wish I could have gotten a copy of the x-ray. How cool would that be! My only hope is that the x-rays sterilized the RV and killed any hitchhiking corona bits. Ha!
Speaking of corona, I had the IgG antibody test done. Unfortunately it came back negative meaning there was no indication I had ever had it. Of course I was hoping I was one of the asymptomatic people and had gotten it and gotten over it. No such luck. So our self quarantine will continue for the foreseeable future.
Anyway, it's good to have a change of scenery. Here's a trivia bit. We have walked every day for the past 8 weeks. We did loops around the perimeter of the resort for an average of 5-8 miles daily. That means we walked 👣 over 400 miles, lap after lap, around that park. Whew!
Thanks for reading. Stay safe!
_______________________________________
Cindy and Terry
Wanna see a map of where we have been?
Check out our YouTube channel:
Follow us on Instagram: the_next_hundred_miles
Follow us on Twitter:
@hundrednext
Follow us on Pinterest:
thenexthundredmiles
Questions or comments email us at:
NextHundredMiles@gmail.com
We finally moved, but not without incident ☹️
Texas is open again and the shelter in place orders have expired. While we absolutely loved our location in Weslaco, TX, after 8 weeks, it was time to move on.
The picture above is the view from our campsite at Thousand Trails Colorado River. Big trees and a great view of the Colorado River in the background. The property has lots of wildlife (mostly deer ) and is well manicured throughout.
Even though we felt it was too much to hope for, we actually have full 5 bar cell service on both T-Mobile and Verizon. There is no broadcast TV, but we can stream just about anything we need or want. That's perfect for the standard pandemic entertainment needs 😁📺
We made a very minor modification to the RV which is based on our trash can. Yes you read that correctly. We were looking for the most comfortable TV viewing location and Cindy suggested rotating the captains chairs in the cockpit. The only issue we had was that the Mercedes seats only have 1 armrest each, and there are no cupholders reachable.
Honestly we considered many things to address this ranging from replacing the captains chairs all the way to removing the dinette and installing theater seating. Both would have been very expensive and would not have fully addressed the issues.
As we pondered our options, Cindy says "what if we put the trash can between the seats like a table? ". That thought expanded to include a removable table top, cup holders and a basket for remotes.
It is well known that everything in an RV should be multipurpose, and we certainly held to that. Now we have comfortable TV seating, and we can even broadcast the TV audio through the multi-speaker dash radio for surround sound. Wow!
I mentioned that the trip was not without incident. So when you leave the Rio Grande Valley you have to pass through a Border Patrol checkpoint. We have done this for years and always breezed through. "Are you US citizens?" they would ask. When we said yes, they would wave us through. They always have "sniffer" dogs walking up and down the rows of cars lined up waiting. On this day one of them hit on something in our basement. He jumped and tugged on his leash and wouldn't leave the side of the RV.
The border guard asked us a few more questions, "anyone in the back?", "any food in the basement?". When we answered "no", he instructed us to pull out of line, off to the side. Once parked they made us both get out, and they had me put my hands above my head on the side of the RV for a pat down. So here I am, hands up, spread eagle with a bunch of armed border patrol all around. I can only imagine what people going through the checkpoint were thinking. "The must be drug mules", "I bet they are smuggling illegals", "probably got caught eating guacamole without tequila". 😁
Two of the border patrol agents and the dog went in to the RV and gave it the sniff test. I fully expected him to exit with a box of my granola bars in his mouth. 🐶 When they didn't find anything, they instructed us to pull forward into a marked area where the RV would be x-rayed.
We parked on the spot and got out. They drove a nondescript white box truck up and circled the RV. The guard said that's how they x-ray the whole vehicle (example above). Who knew there was such technology. I wish I could have gotten a copy of the x-ray. How cool would that be! My only hope is that the x-rays sterilized the RV and killed any hitchhiking corona bits. Ha!
Speaking of corona, I had the IgG antibody test done. Unfortunately it came back negative meaning there was no indication I had ever had it. Of course I was hoping I was one of the asymptomatic people and had gotten it and gotten over it. No such luck. So our self quarantine will continue for the foreseeable future.
Anyway, it's good to have a change of scenery. Here's a trivia bit. We have walked every day for the past 8 weeks. We did loops around the perimeter of the resort for an average of 5-8 miles daily. That means we walked 👣 over 400 miles, lap after lap, around that park. Whew!
Thanks for reading. Stay safe!
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Quarantine Funk
Quarantine Funk? No, it's not a 70s band, and 80s dance or the stuff that comes out of your RV's black tank ☹️. It's what happens after 6 weeks in a 25' RV when you are trying to be socially responsible, maintain appropriate distancing and help flatten the curve.
We are honestly fine, with no symptoms or indicators, but admittedly have a bit of cabin fever. So yesterday we drove just over an hour to change our view while maintaining social distancing.
We packed a picnic lunch, took the tops off the Jeep, and headed to the beach for the day. We just needed a change of scenery, and with gas prices so low, it cost us less than $5 round trip!
Of course we knew it would be, and even had it been open, our self imposed determination to avoid breaking social distancing would have precluded our entry. But it was somehow pleasurable dreaming of the days when we could have sipped a margarita oceanside.
Interestingly, when we arrived we were shocked to see traffic headed to the island backed up for a mile or so. But it turned out to be some utility work that had several lanes blocked and cleared on the other side. But of course we had visions of California beaches in our heads and thought the worst.
If you are following the news (what else is there to do) you know that Texas is in the process of reopening, even though our Corona virus numbers are still growing. If this pandemic has proven anything to me it is that money is valued higher than lives by many in government and elsewhere. Protesting, sans mask or distance, was a surreal scene. I watched a story of a park ranger in Austin who was pushed into a lake when he tried to enforce social distancing. And how about the security guard at a Dollar General store in Michigan who was shot in the head for doing his job and not allowing a lady and her daughter enter the store without a mask. Seriously?
Today we crossed 72,000 Americans who have died from this, and many believe the real number may be twice that.
As for Cindy and I, we are still in South Texas, and continue to walk every day, between 6 and 7 miles. We have not been closer than 6' from any human in almost 8 weeks. We do curbside pickup for groceries and don't otherwise shop. So we feel we are doing our part and wish everyone else would do the same.
I hope that you and yours are safe, healthy and psychologically dealing with isolation. I have no doubt it will pass and with luck we will get to experience life after.
Thanks for reading.
_______________________________________
Cindy and Terry
Wanna see a map of where we have been?
Check out our YouTube channel:
Follow us on Instagram: the_next_hundred_miles
Follow us on Twitter:
@hundrednext
Follow us on Pinterest:
thenexthundredmiles
Questions or comments email us at:
NextHundredMiles@gmail.com
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