The Great Hermit Crab Escape

Hermie in his habitat

We have a hermit crab, Hermie, that has been traveling with us. When we lived in Albuquerque his habitat was a big fish tank (at one time there were 6 hermit crabs). We never saw him! He stayed buried in the dirt all the time. When we got ready to travel, I bought a good size plastic habitat for him. He seems to be a lot more active now... he plays in his water, climbs, and crawls around everywhere.


He has a "crab hotel" that is shaped like a big shell. He sleeps in it, and he uses it for climbing. When he climbs to the top, he can reach the plastic mesh lid. He will then proceed to climb around upside down on the plastic lid. Skyler jokingly has said that he is planning his escape.




Hermie climbing on his crab hotel


Yesterday we were running around all day. When we left, Hermie was climbing around upside down on the lid. When we came back, I checked to see if he was still climbing around upside down. I looked... no Hermie. I checked in his hotel... still no Hermie. I moved the dirt around and checked everywhere... no Hermie anywhere! I looked at the lid and found that the plastic square door that opens to access the habitat for feeding was not latched!!


HERMIT CRAB ON THE LOOSE!!!


The habitat was sitting on Liam's bunk, so we started the search there. On the bunk, Liam keeps a mesh collapsible bin with all his stuffed animals in it (to keep them from getting chewed up by a puppy). Down in the bottom of the mesh bag, was Hermie. He was hiding amoung the stuffed animals.




Hermie is in the mesh bag among the stuffed animals


So... back in the habitat he went. Now we will be more careful about making sure the access door is closed. We don't want any more great hermit crab escapes!

Aunty Em, Aunty Em... make that mean old tornado go back to Kansas!

Seriously... this tornado thing is getting old! I would love to know who hooked up the tornado to my motorhome bumper??? It's been following us ever since Kansas.

I know I have been known to do a crazy thing once or twice (OK, maybe a FEW more times than that) but storm chasing is NOT high on my list of things to do before I die.

So the tornado hits in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, and now New York. I think it's about time to GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!

About the Motorhome issues...

I went to an RV place yesterday and got a new battery. They tested the electrical system and everthing seemed to be fine except the battery. I hope this remedies the situation. I also got the black water valve replaced. For those who don't have campers or motorhomes... the grey water is the water in the holding tank for the showers and sinks, the black water is the water in the holding tank from the toilet.

We went to our campground and got hooked up. Spent a wet evening in a thunderstorm and went to bed. Now, both tanks got emptied (grey and black) at the RV place before they did the valve repair. I got up at 6:00 in the morning to let the dogs out and went to use the bathroom. I open the toilet lid and the bowl is completely filled with clear water???? I think maybe one of the boys got up in the night and forgot to flush, so I flush. BIG MISTAKE! More water comes out, flooding the bathroom. That is when I notice the rather strong trickle of water coming out of the bathroom sink faucet. The faucet did not get shut off properly last night. TECHNICALLY the water in the sink is supposed to go into the grey water tank.... but since the grey water tank was still empty and the black water was full, I think that this one is hooked up to the black water tank.

So at 6:00 in the morning I am pumping out the toilet and cleaning up a flood. Thank goodness it was only fresh water from the water supply and not actually black water! That could have been REALLY NASTY!! EEEEWWW!

On a nicer note... the sun came out today and things are starting to dry up. We even had a campfire and made s'mores!

Back on American soil....

Since we were in Niagara Falls, we had to do something as a tourist! The boys chose to see "Brick City"... a big display made out of Legos. We walked down the main street planning what we will see on our next trip.

I chose to go up on the Sky Wheel... to show the kids the falls from the air. It was great. I pointed out the falls and the Maid Of The Mists, which we are going to visit next time. We had the dogs in the motorhome and it was hard to park pulling the car... next visit will be in the car!

After our quick tourist adventure, we drove the last three hours to my moms. S0 2,400 miles and 6 days after leaving... our trial run to New York was complete!

Heading into Canada............

We went through the upper part of Michigan and into Ontario. The kids were really excited to go into another country, they thought it was very cool. They especially liked the Canadian flags flying at all the houses along the route.

I started out on one of the major highways but the wind left-over from the storm was so strong that I went off on a smaller side road to travel. I enjoyed seeing all the farms and the small towns. I travel to enjoy the journey, and not just the destination.

We traveled as far as Niagara Falls and decided to find a campground to stay at. I saw a sign for a campground along the highway. I found a family campground called Shangri-la in my Woodalls book. It had good reviews, so we decided to stop. After driving around among the vineyards and getting lost, we finally found the campground. It was really frustrating - the roads were narrow and I could not find anywhere to turn around. (When you are towing a car on a tow-bar, you cannot back up... you need to turn around.) We ended up going around 10 miles out of our way. We got to the campground and they were closed. A sign said to press the call button to sign in, and to speak into the intercom. We buzzed and waited, and buzzed and waited. No-one ever came... so we turned around and left.

We drove further into Niagara and found a Jellystone Campground to stay at.




It was great. The kids got to play miniature gold. They had a pool and a HUGE playground. It all worked out great.

Wow... those states went by FAST!

We drove through Iowa, across Illinois and Indiana in record time!! We went into Michigan and got hit by the storm that had been following us since Kansas. We stopped at a gas station for gas. I had just finished walking the dogs when the downpour hit! WOW!

We ran into the McDonalds for shelter and waited it out with a bunch of other travelers. The powere went on and off a number of times. When it let up a bit, we went out to check on the dogs. I decided to try to drive for a while to see if we could get out of the storm. 20 minutes and 5 accidents later... including a flipped 18 wheeler and a car floating in a swollen creek, I decided to stop at a rest area and stop for the night. Crashing in a rest area sounded better than CRASHING on the road!

Another hot and humid day on the road!

Sigh... I got up at 6 :30 to get ready and it was already hot and humid. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

We headed out early and hit the road north. After going through Russell Stover's birthplace in Kansas, I couldn't resist stopping at one of the stores we have seen. They also have some factories that you can visit... although we didn't make it to one this time. We bought some discounted chocolate for the trip.

We headed into Iowa and then east. We decided to do a full day of driving and stop later for our fun thing. The kids chose the Iowa Children's Museum. GREAT CHOICE! It was fun and... FREE! For all you military families out there... make sure you tak advantage of the Blue Star Museum program this summer. We got into the museum for free because of this program! There are free museums all over the US.

Check them out here:

http://arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index.php

The Iowa childrens museum is located in a mall in Coralville, Iowa. The kids had fun playing. There is an area of "businesses" where they can pretend... grocery store, pizzaria, bank, post office, and a medical center. They got to dress up and play.

There were a lot of things about air and flight. The kids got to play on flight simulators, dress up and climb in planes, and build rockets to fly.

There was a huge castle puppet stage, a construction area, and a lego room.

This one is definately worth visiting. I would allow at least 2 hours for fun and frolicking!

You can check out the museum here:

http://www.theicm.org/

We're off to see the Wizard...

.... the Wizard of Oz museum that is! In Wamego, Kansas.

The kids chose this one. I wanted to see the Psychiatric museum but was out-voted. Oh well... I almost had them convinced with the straight jacket exhibits and the shock treatment demonstrations. Another one to add to my ever-growing bucket list.






It was a cute museum of memoribilia that took about 20 minutes to walk through. I got a military discount so it cost all of us a total of $9 to see. The town is very nice. You can check out the museum here:

http://www.ozmuseum.com

Then I had to stop in and get a bottle of "Yellow Brick Road" table wine from the Oz winery. Liam then asked me if they had to drive so that I could drink my wine. Ummmm... I think we'll open the bottle and share it with my mom in New York!



Then we headed up north and over into Missouri. It has been really hot, and of course we are not at all used to the humidity! Spending the last 8 years in dry climates really spoils you! So we looked for a campground in Missouri where we could get some water time in... we went to Wallace State Park.

The state parks are usually very nice, and this one was no exception. There is usually only electric hook-ups, although sometimes they have water. This one has only electric. There is a dump station as well. The shower houses were really nice and new.

We hooked up the motorhome, and unhooked the car. We then drove down to the lake and went swimming. It was pretty and clean, and just the right thing for a hot, humid evening.

And I KNEW that the clothes line I installed in the camper would be a good idea!!! I got to try it out... works great!

After swimming we had dinner and, staying in the spirit of the day, watched the Muppets "Wizard of Oz". Then off to bed to hit the road again in the morning.

Road Side Attractions

After taking off early from the rest area on Colorado, we headed into Kansas.



In case you have never been in Kansas, let me tell you ...


1 - It's very windy!





2- They have GREAT rest areas!!!





They have all kinds of literature and the people that work there are very helpful. They have free coffee, free WiFi, AND they have RV dump stations! They also let you camp for a 24 hour period at the rest area. WOW!



So right inside the border we stopped in for free coffee and a map. I spotted some literature for a cool roadside attraction. I have always wanted to stop at "the world's largest" whatever... so we headed out! Instead of traveling east on I-70, we went a little north and then went east on Hwy 24.


The road itself was very scenic and, except for when you went through the little towns that were along the route, the speed limit kept you truckin' along at 65 MPH. There were historical monuments and markers all along the route. We didn't stop at everything, but did catch a few of them.


In Studley, KS we saw the Cottonwood Ranch. Very cool looking building and a nice piece of history. For more info -


http://www.kshs.org/places/cottonwood/index.htm


We stopped at a historical site and park in Nicodemus, KS. Nicodemus was extolled as "the largest colored colony in America". It is very rich in African American history. There was also the St. Francis hotel. More information can be found here -

http://www.kshs.org/portraits/nicodemus.htm







They also had a very nice park that both the boys and the dogs enjoyed!






We went through Alton, KS... which is a tiny "blink and you miss it" town where Russell Stover (of Russell Stover Candies) was born.



Then we hit the purpose of our detour, Cawker City. Cawker City hosts... are you ready?????????????








THE WORLD'S LARGEST BALL OF SISAL TWINE




Woo Hoo!! I was so excited! It was pretty cool. We of course had to take all kinds of photos!





Check it out here (a site I hope I can find more things on) -http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8543



The stores weren't open on Main Street (it was Sunday) but they have a twine path painted on the sidewalk for you to follow. All the shops and public buildings in Cawker City have copies of famous paintings... and each of them has a ball of twine "hidden" somewhere in the painting. We walked around and saw the painting (and took photos of our favorites) before leaving town and heading back to I-70







With all the excitement of seeing "The World's Largest Ball of Sisal Twine", I decided to call it a day and find a campground.

One more note before ending the blog on our first day in Kansas... the campground manager came around letting us know of a tornado watch in the area.

WELCOME TO KANSAS!

Officially on the road again...........

After saying goodbye to my dad, and a quick stop in Moriarty at a dump station to empty our holding tanks, we are officially "on the road again" (and yes... I am singing the song as I type)!

We left at about 10:00 Saturday morning, June 19th. I was hoping for 9:00, but we were pretty darn close. We got delayed a little when I hooked the tow car up to the motor home because one of the lights was being temperamental.

We chose to head out on a scenic route (something I plan on doing throughout the trip) and instead of taking one of the larger highways, we went on Old Route 66 (Hwy 84) from outside of Clines Corners, NM to Las Vegas, NM. It was very scenic and a nice drive.

We then took I- 25 over the border into Colorado. You should have heard the celebrating in the car when we crossed THAT border!! We stopped at a scenic view turn-off in Trinity Colorado and just enjoyed the green and trees.

We stopped a couple of times... gas, walking the dogs, stretching, etc... Then we ate dinner in a rest area in Colorado. The kids had a good time playing and getting some much needed exercise.

We reached Colorado Springs at a little after 8:00 pm, and because I was running strong (on adrenalin, I am sure) I decided to put a movie into the portable DVD player and keep on truckin'! We ended up stopping at a rest area near the Kansas border at about 11:00 PM. It was a good day of driving.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Ready to hit the road....

We ended up staying in Edgewood, NM for a few extra days to help a little with dad's packing. With the extra time that we stayed at dad's, I have been able to finish everything that needed to be done in the motor home. Everything is stowed, stored, Velcro"ed" (see previous post) and in it's place.

The maps came out the other night and we have our route planned. Everyone keep asking if I have a GPS. No... I don't. I have a really good sense of direction, and I can read maps really well. We plan out routes ahead of time and research on the computer if necessary. I may eventually get a GPS, but not at this time. My thoughts on that??? People depend on them too much, and they should know basic skills on how to get around WITHOUT a GPS.

One thing I did before heading out was to do basic maintenance on the vehicles. The car (which we will be towing) had an oil change. The tires were checked and rotated, fluids checked and topped off. The motor home had an oil change. It also had a coolant flush and a new thermostat installed. We recently had all new tires put on, and an alignment done.

I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to Don and the guys at East Mountain Auto and RV here in Edgewood, NM. They installed the Blue Ox tow plate on my car, and helped me get the tow bar onto the Motor home. We went over everything step-by-step so I could do it on my own... towing a car is all new to me. Last trip I towed a trailer, not a car! It will take getting used to, but I know I can handle it.

Stay tuned... the next blog should be from the road!

Adios New Mexico!

As we get ready to say good bye to New Mexico, I wanted to share some of the highlights of our time here:

The kids went to an awesome Charter School that was brand new to Albuquerque. The International School at Mesa Del Sol. It was an amazing wexperience with great faculty and teachers. They have a Facebook page and a website.
http://www.tisnm.org/

A cool sculpture, Mesa Del Sol.

We went camping outside of Sante Fe, at the Hyde Memorial State Park.
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/Hyde.htm

We spent time walking around Sante Fe. We visited the plaza, the Palace Of The Govenors, the Cathedral Basilica, and the Loretto Chapel.

Loretto Chapel

Cathedral Basilica

Palace of the Governors

We took an RV trip to southern New Mexico visiting the Valley Of Fires, Roswell, Lincoln National Forest, Cloudcroft, Carlsbad Caverns, and White sands. It was an amazing and I highly recommend the trip.

Valley of Fires

Lincoln National Forest

Roswell

Cloudcroft

Carlsbad Caverns

White Sands

We went to the Balloon Fiesta each year. We enjoyed getting up for the dawn patrol and the Balloon glow. The shape balloons were my personal favorite. I was lucky to have worked at the Citi collection center which was right on the balloon fiesta field. Citi sponsored some family events during the fiesta and we were able to park our RV in the parking lot.

Shaped balloons

We also enjoyed Old Town Albuquerque... with the shops and the plaza. We also enjoyed the food in the restaurants and the Mariachi bands in the plaza.

Old Town Albuquerque Plaza

The Sandia Peak had a gorgeous view, and the tram ride was a lot of fun.

View from Sandia Peak

We saw a lot more around Albuquerque, and made some really great friends. We may be happy to be moving on to the next adventure... but we have some great memories of Albuquerque, New Mexico!