Trod Bogs Sadly – Oddstray's Blog

We treated ourselves to a really good breakfast at Little Suzie’s cafe. This is just the place to come to if you want to be shouted at by Suzie! In not a nasty way, though. 🙂

Then, just because they were nearby, we visited Myrtle Creek’s two covered bridges.

It was still early, so we went hunting for a bookstore since we were out of reading material.  We’d read it all waiting out the rain.

There are no bookstores left in Roseburg!  So we headed north to the Costco there for books, samples, and gas.

Later, we swabbed down the trailer and tow vehicle, to make them seem less shabby after all this rain, for when we meet the other Lancers tomorrow.

We had thought about staying at the Yolo Fairgrounds while visiting with family in Woodland.  But, no toilets/showers. No bueno.  Dixon Fairgrounds seemed to have toilets.  But it still was just a fairground parking lot.

So we decided to sacrifice nearness for a better place.  And found what is so far the best campsite of this trip, at Solano Lake County Park.  The campground stretches along Putah Creek (bro-in-law shared chuckles over the Creek’s name).

There were many peacocks and peahens wandering throughout the park, and a peahen with two peababies decided to explore our camp site. Aww, cute!

We took some really windy and wiggly roads today over the hills past Berryessa, Clear and Mendocino Lakes. S hasn’t seen any of this part of California before, and was in awe.

Tonight we’re overnighting at Willits KOA having failed to find our first-choice of Golden Rule RV Park.  We’d stay another night to ride the Skunk Train, but the entire KOA has been reserved for some beer company’s weekend outing (shame we can’t stay for it).

May 17, 2016

Our site at Hueco Tanks Campground, near El Paso, TX

‘Pictographs’ overlooking our campsite, near El Paso, TX

Sunset with moon, Yuma, AZ

Tight quarters at Yuma State Prison, Yuma, AZ

Solitary, at Yuma State Prison, Yuma, AZ

Frolicking in the Colorado, Yuma, AZ

May 15, 2016

Santa Elena Canyon, from Big Bend National Park, TX

Those huge cliffs are in Mexico.  The grassy foreground is in the US.  Not visible at the base of the cliffs is the Rio Grande.  The Santa Elena River runs through that gorge.

Boat ramp into the Rio Grande, Big Bend National Park, TX

The “border” referred to is an imaginary line that runs up the middle of the Rio Grande.

We need a wall!!!!! </sarcasm>

The mule’s ears, Big Bend National Park, TX

😮   in a parking lot in Big Bend National Park, TX

Slot canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park, near Big Bend National Park, TX

The bugs are huge in Terlingua, TX

Moody skies at Study Butte, TX

May 13, 2016

Enter a caption competition

Fate Bell Shelter, Seminole Canyon State Park, Comstock, TX

Pictographs at the Fate Bell Shelter site

Pictograph or vandalism?  At the Fate Bell Shelter site.

May 10, 2016

Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX

We started here since this mission was just around the corner from where we were staying.

Mission Concepcion, San Antonio, TX

Mission San Antonio de Valero (yes, it’s the Alamo), San Antonio, TX

Who the heck put that mission in the center of town? It wasn’t that way in the movie!!!

Detail of a tile/stone arch (don’t remember which mission had this), San Antonio, TX

Mission Espada, San Antonio, TX

Mission Espada, San Antonio, TX

The Espada aquaduct, San Antonio, TX

Still in use, all these years later.

Mission San Juan, San Antonio, TX

Mission San Juan, San Antonio, TX

Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX

Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX

Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX

May 7, 2016

Lake Martin,  near Atchafalaya, LA

Here we watched as an overweight couple climbed into a canoe and launched themselves into the lake.

Only to immediately capsize. The fella was most eager to retrieve their supplies, the gal was most eager to avoid being eaten by an alligator!. Anyhow, we helped her out of there and carried on with our hike. As we ambled back, they were just re-launching. More grit than we.

On the trail around Lake Martin, near Atchafalaya, LA

Louisiana is a swamp.

A typical cabin of the cajuns at Vermillionville, Lafayette, LA

From  here, we decided to stay south and head westward towards Big Bend National Park.

May 5, 2016

No pics here.  We stayed overnight at the RV park of one of the many casinos built along the river in Mississippi.

May 4, 2016

Beale Street turned into a movie set, Memphis, TN

This was particularly wild as we had just shown up on Beale Street, and there was a ’30’s’ movie set right there. We ambled around out of camera shot for a while listening to tires screeching and gunshots. Then had lunch.

Self-declared ‘institution’ on Beale Street, Memphis, TN

Waiting impatiently to tour Sun Studios, Memphis, TN

My, that was coolio. Going around the studio where all my favorite childhood performers got their start. From Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Feathers, Ray Harris, Warren Smith and Charlie Rich to Jerry Lee Lewis. We even got to behold the very microphone that Elvis was purported to use on his very first recording. It was the classic Shure ribbon microphone that made your voice sound deeper.

Then we went to the Stax studio museum. Performers there  included Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas, William Bell, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Eddie Floyd, the Bar-Kays and  Albert King. A very different mix than Sun. Refreshingly different.

Archeological mound (Mississippi Mound Builder) at Chuckalissa Indian Village, near Memphis, TN

We stayed at T O Fuller State Park, which has an interesting history. It was the first African American campground in TN (and even to this day seems to have African American Rangers) created under  ‘Jim Crow’ era stuff. We don’t know whether this was the case when it was created, but the local sewage plant makes it stink to high deities. Other than the odor, it’s a lovely park.

May 2, 2016

Covered bridge at Bollinger Mill State Historic Park, near Cape Girardeau, MO

The lovely ranger/park attendant gal was sitting in a window corner in the sun’s rays as it was cold inside that mill. But she was vibrant and helpful as all heck.

Bollinger Mill, near Cape Girardeau, MO

Finally got my Steak N Shake.  What a disappointment!  They used to be as good as In N Out.  Not any more.  They’ve given themselves delusions of being a fancy sit-down restaurant, and cheaped out on quality to do it.

Bridge back over the Mississippi, Cape Girardeau, MO

Another view of the bridge, Cape Girardeau, MO

A different bridge – this one crossing the Ohio from Cairo, IL