Some things you can't retire from

Like laundry. Remember when you first moved out of your parent's house and you either had to take your laundry home (to their house) or to the laundromat? Living in an RV is kind of like that. We do have a combination washer/dryer in this motorhome and it's nice to have. Some stuff just has to go into a big machine tho'. You meet some nice people in RV park laundry rooms so it's a good trade off. When the conversation gets going, the usual 'starter' is something like 'you just can't retire from laundry'.

We are just east of Nashville in The Bean Pot Campground. We've stayed here before but didn't realise it until we turned off the freeway. It is a campground near the route of the "World's Longest Yard Sale" so of course we had to check it out. (back in 2005) What we didn't realise at the time was the Longest Yard Sale is such a BIG DEAL, that people make reservations here up to a year in advance. We had to move on.

Pivot Rock and (not) The Big Biscuit

We are suckers for roadside attractions. The Biggest Bottle of Ketchup, Meteor Crater.... The World's Biggest Biscuit.... we will go see just about anything. So the sign for Pivot Rock was like a red flag to a bull. I couldn't not go. I ended up following the road for what seemed like more than the 2 1/2 miles and came upon the gift shop and ticket 'booth' just about the time I was ready to turn around. I was the only one there who wasn't an employee. It was a weekday but still kind of creepy. The walk to the rock turned out to be a pretty one down a winding path and there were dogwoods in bloom and a rushing creek. Now I can say I've been. I have more pictures but haven't figured out how to put them in the blog the way I want to . The Big Biscuit will have to wait.
Tomorrow morning we will begin the final leg of the trip to Maryland. Four days of one night stops after 300+ miles each day. We don't know for sure if we will have internet until we get the power plug in and the computer turned on.

Three Years On the Road

It was three years ago today we ran away from home. We had spent the previous 6 weeks cleaning out about 20 years of living. My dad called it good valuable stuff or 'gvs' for short. Some of it was just junk but it all had to be gone thru. I'm not sure we ever really finished, we just got tired and off we went. Neither one of us had "rv'd' before. We had camped, boated, and minivan'd across country. The picture shows just how little we knew about rv travel and how tired we were. Needless to say, the first time Dave stepped on the brakes, everything went flying.
We've learned alot in the last 3 years and several thousand miles. We've seen some wonderful sights and met some great folks. We haven't seen it all by any stretch of the imagination so we are going to keep on.

Repairs, we all need them sometimes.

A week or so ago I heard a noise (sounded like an air leak). Only happened when the rig was up on it's air bags. Finally tracked it down to the right front air-ride level control valve. So the day before yesterday while we were riding motorcycles we stopped at a dealership for the chassis marker and found that a replacement was available just 60 miles further down the road. So adding 120 miles to an already excellent ride got us into the daily thunderstorms and back to camp after 5PM. Good news is yesterday I got under the rig and changed out the valve in only 30-40 min. Looking closely you may be able to see me in the wheel well. I owe my friend Scott a "big thank you" for making the ride (that turned rainy) with me that turned into an extended parts run.

Where we have come from

After spending the winter in AZ this year we have traveled through NM, TX, LA and now AR and while the yarn and fiber opportunities have been limited so far the motorcycle riding has been top gear. Prior to departing AZ we got the chance to ride from the west valley to Prescott, through Skull Valley and Bagdad, a route that provides some of the best AZ has to offer in a day trip. Then we got three days to ride in the "Texas Hill Country", Hill country will dispel any preconceived notion you may have regarding Texas. Everything we experienced there reinforces our desire to return and say longer. Now Northwest Arkansas (Ozarks) has awed us again and this area is worthy of another visit. That said both Texas Hill Country and Arkansas's Ozarks are not well suited to large RV travel. We reached both without incident but due to the terrain it was not without it's stress.

Frog Strangler

I think that's what they're called in these parts. While we are no strangers to rain - WOW, is it coming down! I'm glad the campground we are in is on the high ground. The thunder and lightening in this part of the country is louder and closer than we are used to in the Pacific Northwest. I wanted to put a copy of the weather map in here showing the dark green, yellow and red waves that are currently washing over us. I am still new enough to this that I can't figure out how to do it so you will just have to take my word for it.
Then there is the added bonus of being in the motor home. Kind of like being in a tin can under a sprinkler!
I had hoped to get Scott to help us with some tech support on the blog- like adding a link to his blog. He and Dave went on an extended bike ride today and they are both tuckered out. Maybe tomorrow.
I hope to get out and get some pictures of the town.... everything will look nice and clean when I get out there!

Our First Post

Greetings from Eureka Springs, Arkansas!
We are here so Dave and his friend Scott can ride motorcycles through the beautiful countryside. Unfortunately the weather didn't get the memo! They got two days of dry nearly sunny riding and today the rain, thunder and lightening arrived.
I will leave the description of motorcycle rides to Dave. My offerings to this blog will be about all things fiber-y. I try to visit local yarn shops when I can. I hoped to visit a shop here that I thought might have fiber for spinning, but no. It's probably for the best. We are on our way to Maryland and will arrive in time for the gigantic Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It is a two day fiber frenzy and I need to pace myself!
There will also be references to the Food Network Show 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We try to watch for likely places to stop and then Dave puts them on a map. If we can, we stop and check it out. There is a place here in town that boasts 'The World's Biggest Biscuits' and we were hoping to try them out but they don't seem to be open.
So, fiber, yarn, food, motor cycle riding.... and an occaisional picture of really cute weener dogs...