Along Highway 60 - Pawhuska, OK

When we left New Mexico, we had a brief stint in Texas where the roads through there are as bad as the politicians from there. Then we were in Oklahoma and it was Sunday and the engine light was still on...

We were just outside Pawhuska, OK (north of Tulsa) and the engine began to loose power. Mike found a safe place to pull over and the calls began - first to Workhorse (for a dealer in the area), Coachnet (for towing service) and then to Good Sam (extended warranty).

Bottom line, nothing could really happen until the next day, Monday.

We encountered the friendliest people imaginable in Pawhuska. When we were pulled over along the road, a man in a neighboring house drove into town to check on a campground for us and then came back and reported.

Once we got to town, we found the campground, but no one was available at the phone number given. Another fellow stopped and he drove to their home and reported back that they had sold the place and the new owner lived in another town. He offered to give us a ride to a campground a few miles south of town.

I mean these people really went out of their way to be friendly. And then, our friends Bonnie and Barry also offered to stay with us and do what they could. We all went to an RV Park south of town where Bonnie and I took pictures and we enjoyed a picnic meal. You see, we could drive the motorhome, it just wasn't recommended!

Don't you love this face...

The next day, we drove into town and waited and waited for the tow truck. (I gotta tell you that I really hated to see my home being towed down the road in front of us!)
We finally got to Speedway Chev in Tulsa at 3:00 in the afternoon and got into the shop at 3:30. These people went out of their way to get us fixed (Oxygen Sensor was not working) and get us on our way - which we were by 6pm on Monday.

Since we had lost some time, we diverted from Highway 60 and took the freeway to Springfield, MO where we met up with our friends. We spent Monday in the Bass Pro parking lot and headed for a couple of days in Branson. Last night we saw The Presley's and today the guys went fishing.

This needs to be the end of the Highway 60 Saga as we will be traveling by interstate from here to INDY - it was a very peaceful and interesting route to travel and for the most part the road was a very good two-lane with very little traffic.

We may need to downsize to this one if we have anymore motorhome problems!

Along Highway 60 - Bosque Redondo Memorial

As we traveled east along this highway, the engine light came on. Of course, I thought the worst but Mike kept his head and called Workhorse and checked the manual. He also consulted a dealer and was told that it probably meant nothing since the engine was running good and all the fluids were full and not leaking... so we kept going and even stopped at another one of my "fieldtrip" spots.
We saw many towns with signs of past travelers like this motel sign - wow, tubs!

Many "fixer uppers" like this were in evidence along this stretch of road. And then we got to the fieldtrip stop.

The Bosque Redondo Memorial is located by Fort Sumner and is where 6000 Apache and Navajo Indians were rounded up and "kept" for a period of time in the 1860's. The idea of Eminent Domain was the basis for this treatment. I'm beginning to believe that the history books really are very lopsided and President Lincoln may not have been the person he is portrayed as in the books. There is not much there to look at, but the impact of the history that took place there is astounding.

Oh yea, Billy the Kid was shot here - different story.



Anyway, we were lucky enough to visit when an Apache storyteller was visiting and the guys really enjoyed that part of the visit as us girls toured the grounds.



I like this picture of two Caucasions who tell stories chatting with the Apache Storyteller.


It was a good stop.

Along Highway 60 - Mountainair, New Mexico

When you leave Arizona, the towns thin out and the ones that are there look desolate. We passed through Pie Town and Datil and Magdalena and finally made it to Socorro where we briefly joined interstate 25. Then we were back on two-lane highway 60. We visited the Salinas Pueblo Missions at Abo and then spent the night in Mountainair.

We never paid this much for gas, but in some small towns, this was the price.
We stopped for lunch at a wayside and Mike quickly spotted this sign ... we didn't stay long.

Our motorhomes with ancient ruins in the foreground. This church was built in the 1600's. The tall part is the bell tower.
We are standing in the area of the church that was used for baptism.
A look at the whole church - in the front is where the priests lived.
When we stopped for the night, it was at a most appropriate place. This was the view from our front window at the campground in Mountainair, NM.
The other three had things to do or naps to take or something, so I took off by myself to see another mission that wasn't too far away. It was much the same in size and structure. Since the facility was actually closed for the day, I could only view from a distance (although I did go over a gate to get a better view...)
A small burg called Punta de Aqua is close to this mission and houses a 1860's Spanish Catholic Church and cemetary and the area pictured below. There was no sign, but I think it may be used for burial or marriage ceremonies... Yes, it was getting late when I was there.

Along Highway 60 - Show Low, AZ

The trip from Globe to Show Low on Highway 60 is an amazing look at mountains and streams and forests... and cactus. This was a side of Arizona I had never seen.

We didn't make it very far our first day; only about a hundred miles. The Lyons and us are traveling together to INDY and we decided to take our time and see what Highway 60 had to show us. Since they knew of a wonderful lakeside campground in Show Low, we stayed there.

The Indian Paintbrush was in bloom and we saw much of it along the highway and in the park.

The view from our campsite reminded both of us of a park in LA where we stayed when visiting our friends, Richard and Debbie. (He is getting treatment now so be sure to keep them both in your prayers.)
It was a relaxing place and the fishing the boys did was just what Mike needed.

ALONG HIGHWAY 60 - Globe, Arizona

This three foot high globe sits along the highway as you enter the old town of Globe, Arizona.

While there, I visited the Besh Ba Gowah Archaelogical Park. (Mike was recovering from the MH trama.) The Hohokam established residence in the area around 900 AD and then the Salado Indians lived here in the 13th century. Today, some of the original pottery and foundations of structures have been unearthed. As with all ancient ruins, it makes me feel very humble to walk where centuries ago others lived.

Implements used at the time are displayed throughout the pueblos.

This pueblo is two stories high - I actually climbed a rope ladder to the second story (and my thighs ached for days as I am not used to stretching like that).

This handsome fellow lives in a cactus on the site and was busy building (or rebuilding) a nest the day I was there.

This pic shows how the ceiling/floor was constructed - I took it from the second story.
These beautiful flowers adorn the wall of the garden that is adjacent to the ruins.
The museum has the largest collection of Solada pottery in the world -it is amazing when you think how very old they are. It must have been a painstaking process to unearth and reassemble all of them. There were actually some pretty much intact after 600 years...
This museum and archaeological park is just off of hiway 60 and really would be worthwhile for anyone to visit when in this park of Arizona.

Also, while in Globe, Mike and I visited the local Catholic Church. This mission church is on the Historic Register and has interesting architecture inside and out. From the street, it almost looks lopsided with only one pilar.

Upon close examination and with a good telephoto lens, you can see the detail on that pilar.
The altar has entry ways on both sides. They are very predominant and is something we have not seen in other churches. (Although a day later we were in Miami, AZ and that church also had the arched entries on each side of the altar - perhaps the idea of an architect in the area.)


From Globe, it is only a short drive to Tonto National Monument where we saw cliff dwellings and the very rare saquaro cactus with a crown.
From Globe, we headed east on highway 60.

Around The Next Curve...

Sometimes, in this lifestyle we lead, you just cannot and don't even want to guess what is "around the next curve". Let me tell you the story of our last few days.


While at the rally in Tucson, Mike had the spark plugs and wires replaced. Evidently, this is something that needs to be done periodically and we had never had it done... so when we knew that Keith from Redlands Truck Service was going to be there, Mike decided to have them do it. It only took about 30 minutes and it cost way more than the Bingo winnings!

Since we have known Keith for a couple of years now and we really trust him, Mike was talked into having them do something to the computerized system, Ultra Power, that's suppose to give us better gas mileage and increase horsepower... It, too, was going to cost half an arm, but we didn't need to pay for a year and if we didn't see any improvement, there would be no cost - how could we go wrong... (now don't jump ahead in the story, even though I know it is tempting because I am giving so many hints). Mike and I and Keith even talked about putting it on the weekly payment plan with 52 self-addressed envelopes supplied by RTS.


On Saturday morning, we said our good-byes to everyone we had met at the rally and headed down the road, actually up the hill, towards Globe, Arizona for a days of crappie fishing on San Carlos Lake.


When we were just a few miles out, I thought I heard something "pinging" but kept my mouth shut, cuz what do I know about motors and stuff. A few miles later, Mike said something about a noise and mentioned that one of the new plugs or wires may not be connected right. So, being the problem solver that he is, he formulates a plan...



We pull into a very new Frys Food Market parking lot; seems the lot was too new and there was still a bit of a dropoff by the turn. Sure enough, the back wheels catch, coach shifts and there is a hell of a crash in the kitchen. After I was midway through the clean up, I realize what had happened - a glass tipped over and opened the cupboard door and out slid the butter dish and three plates and they came with such velocity that the sink covers also ended up on the floor.





Meanwhile, Mike has found his insulated coveralls (it was 85 degrees and sunny so you can imagine how they felt) and has crawled under the engine of the motorhome. Actually, he is more like wedged between the wheel and the body of the MH and he is busy pulling the wires, putting them back, pulling the plugs, putting them back - well, you get the idea... Thank God the brakes hold and the jacks gave some stability. So, assuming the problem is solved, he sheds the coveralls and crawls back in the driver's seat. I assume my passenger position and all is well, we are just minus a few dishes!

Once again, we head for Globe (took a different driveway out of the parking lot). We are only a very short distance down the road when we both hear "the noise" again. Now, Mike is really concerned and finds a place to pull over along the roadway. He calls Keith from RTS and is actually able to reach him even though it is a Saturday and Keith is on his way home to Redlands, CA. Keith suggests it could be a plug or wire so, once again Mike checks - foregoing the coveralls this time - I'm sure glad there is OxyClean! Keith contacts the mechanic who did the work and Mike takes a call from Jason while under the front end. Again, he checks everything while Jason directs his actions, from 400 miles away. OK, now, it has to be good!


We are off! And, you guessed it, we are stopped within a few miles because of "THE NOISE". Another call to Keith has him deciding to turn around... Yes, this fellow who owns Redlands Truck Service is so dedicated that he actually turned around and came back 200+ miles - on a Saturday after having been away from home all week! We find the nearest empty lot and wait for him. I did a little shopping and organized some files; Mike was just nervous. When Keith arrived, it was after 6 pm. He had been in contact with the computer programmer who created Ultra Power and has found out that sometimes there is a problem with the particular engine model we have. Within 30 minutes, Keith has re or de programmed the computer and we take it for a drive... ALL IS WELL! We all go for dinner and several drinks; afterwhich Keith decides to stay the night in the lot (all these extra miles have been put on his motorhome).


The next morning, Mike and I leave the lot at 6:30 - there is no movement from Keith's MH. After several miles, we breathe a collective sigh of relief, there is no unusual noise - all is really well...


UNTIL, halfway up a particularly steep climb, we begin to sound like a Harley or a street rod... so, Mike finds a spot to pull over and out come the coveralls - yep, cracked crossover pipe - won't impede our travel, but sounds terrible. So, out comes the aluminum foil and duct tape. We at least made less noise.



When we finally reach Globe, we park at the Apache Gold Casino, unhook the car and go in search of a repair place we can call in the morning - it's Sunday, remember. It is at this point that we realize Globe is not exactly a thriving community and repair places do not appear easy to find. So, being the problem solver he is, Mike heads to the ACE Hardware store, buys a welding kit, puts on the coveralls once again and gets the welding job done in short order.



OK, now we are parked, all is well on the coach, so let's go to the casino...


This picture tells that story.

That should be the end of the story, but alas, it is not. In all his crawling around by the front tires, Mike has realized the sidewalls are really in bad shape. He was concerned before, but now... We have two tires ordered from the Michelin dealer in town and they should be on within a day or two.

Then we will be looking for a trouble free cruise to Indy... where we will be asking for overtime...





You just never know what is around the next curve!

Mikey's Lucky Day

Nope, I am not writing a children's book, although that is what the title sounds like...

We are currently at Beaudry's RV Park in Tucson, AZ attending an FMCA Workhorse Chapter Rally. When we checked in a few days back, Mike noticed a sign that said there would be a Bass Tournament on Thursday from 7am to 9am. We both filed the information away... At 6:20 when I woke up, I woke Mike up and asked if he was going to enter the tournament... after a bit of indecision, he rolled out of bed and within 10minutes was outside getting his equipment ready. I decided I might as well go with him and see what this "Bass Pond" was all about.





When we got to the Pond, there were several people there that all seemed to know one another. We found out later that some were employees and others were seasonal residents at the park. It is the only pond that we have ever been to that is "protected" with coiled wire and has wild iris growing... interesting place.

Anyway, Mike went over to the side of the pond away from the people and was quickly told that if we wanted to have his fish counted in the tournament, he needed to go to the other side, closer to the weigh in area. So, he took the 2 pounder he had just caught and did just that.

That first fish was quickly followed by EIGHT MORE BASS and TWO CATFISH! Needless to say, by this time he had alienated the rest of the fisherman and HE HAD WON THE TOURNAMENT! All of this by 8:50 am! He quickly received his prize and we made it to breakfast at the Rally before 9:00! Of course, he showed off his "trophy" and award ribbon. His prize, a very cool fish sun catcher, now adorns the motorhome!

( This was the picture that ran every few minutes on the local resort TV station. Yes, he did take some ribbing...)

After going back to the MH that morning and cleaning up, we participated in an infomative session on FMCA benefits, had some lunch, looked at a few new coaches, and then... MIKE WON AT BINGO! Yep, it was definitely Mikey's Lucky Day!