We started our big bus adventure on Saturday, October 17, 1998. We went to a campground in Bonner Springs KS, where we stayed until the 19th. The Wilson's threw us a bon voyage barbecue Saturday night and we used Sunday to visit parents.
We drove to Wichita where we stayed 2 days. Not much was going on in Wichita. We decided that 2 days at any location were not enough, but we fled Wichita with a forecast of below freezing temperatures. We could not get the crankcase in the pickup to go into neutral so Susie drove behind the bus to Wichita. We beat that into submission and towed the jeep to Oklahoma City. The Jeep weighs 4500 pounds. The performance of the bus was affected, but only upon acceleration from a stop or up steep hills.
Here we are in Oklahoma City. We have found a pleasant campground and plan to spend a week here. The campground was not as pleasant as first appeared, but we got some work done on the bus.
We are now in Dallas for two weeks. The camp ground here is nice. Lots of old west stuff here in Dallas. We rolled in at rush hour. That was special.
October 29, 1998 After a full day of looking at neat cowboy stuff, we headed to the bus. We are at a campground south of Dallas. Stopped at Kroger and got a couple of meals(all the fridge will hold). Asked a stocker where the liquor aisle was. He did not understand the question. He got aisle, it was liquor that he did not recognize. Oh-oh a dry county. More sober journal updates to follow.
October 30, 1998 We are on the art and gem and mineral trail today. We went to the Intergem show and spent all day. Did not buy a thing but could have spent $10,000 easily. It was three times bigger than the gem and mineral shows in KC.
October 31, 1998 We went to an art show put on by the local art and craft guild. Bernadette Fuentes was there with her beads. She agreed to give me a lesson after she returns from a show next week. I get my lesson on the 10th and am really excited.
No trick-or-treaters
November 1,1998 Visited Susie's cousin Harry Ingram and his wife Susan( and Harry IV). Got a sample of southern hospitality which included a nice meal and pleasant conversation. Came home and watched a little football. Sounds like the Chief's are self-destructing. Did not get to see the Chief's game, but Terry Bradshaw was talking about Grbac like a dog. Sounds like Grbac has gone stupid.
November 2,1998 A lazy day in the bus. Susie is painting a desert scene on the bathroom window with stained glass paint. I am working up the energy to install the VCR's in the bus. I have several tapes on lampworking I want to watch.
November 10, 1998 Had the lampwork lesson from Bernadette Fuentes. It was a great day of bead making. I learned quite a bit. I was doing several things wrong. Now I have to get the torch out and melt some glass.
We decided to spend another week in Dallas. There were monsoon rains at out next destination.
We spent a rainy weekend making some wire wrap jewelry and trying to find a phone line to make an Internet connection. No luck. No one would let us use their phone lines, not even the two libraries that we tried. When we get to Livingston, the campground is supposed to have a phone room that is available for computer use.
November 16, 1998 We went to the Fort Worth zoo. It is supposed to be one of the top zoos in the country. It was a great place. Lots of bamboo growing everywhere.
On Texas: This is an interesting place. Dallas has a real newspaper. Three pages of comics and a whole 8 to 10 page section on high school football every day. They have an interesting crossword puzzle. They give the puzzle dimensions and all the clues, but you construct the puzzle yourself as you go.
They don't have starlings here, they have grackles. They are twice as big as starlings but about 4 times louder. They hang in flock of 10 to 100 and argue constantly.
Dallas Cowboys football is a religion. The pregame shows start Saturday. You can get 24-hour interviews.
The driving is pretty intense here. You don't want to be the first to stop for a red light, because the guy behind you is going to run it. Driving here is all acceleration and braking. The freeway system in downtown Dallas is called the Mixmaster. What a mess.
There are two PBS stations here. One of them runs painting shows. Jim Alexander, Bob Ross and two others. You can watch people paint almost all day. Late at night the other channel runs British sitcoms. There are 4 or 5 of them.
Our First Month on the Road---- The bus is a nice fit. It is not too small. We are quite comfortable. The release of actually getting on the road full time is having an affect similar to when I retired. My body clock is messed up. I could easily stay up all night and sleep all day. I have been up until 2 or 3am every day for a couple of weeks. Susie is also experiencing the same release. She has been sleeping like a baby.
The bed in the bus runs from side to side. My side of the bed is at the rear of the bus. To get out of bed I have to climb over Susie. She thought she had the good side. A couple of elbow mammograms (accidental of course) later she is rethinking that. Now when she feels me move she turtle's up.
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