Anticipation! - Sun., Mar. 25

Sparks, NV:

Two weeks until launch on our cross-country trip to Texas Hill Country. This will be our longest trip yet with our 5er AND the cats.

Yesterday we loaded the cats into their car-riding cage, packed up the 5th wheel and towed it over to Les Schwab to have our tires checked (they're from 2003). The kitties caterwauled the whole 1/2 mile to Les Schwab, making it known that they didn't like the trip in the moving vehicle. Stressed out kitties! We have a kitty litter box (clean) in their cage. Even though they had 1/2 of the cage for the two of them, they decided they liked the kitty litter box and were in and out of it, laid down in it and completely covered themselves and the back seat of Bob's truck in kitty litter. Messy. We will have to come up with a shelf above the box so they have more room to relax. We're hoping they will adapt to travel for our long trip. If they don't, we'll be listening to "kitty music" all the way there and back!

Les Schwab checked our 5er tires thoroughly, in the tread and around the backside. No signs of any cracking. They gave our tires a clean bill of health for the trip to Texas. In fact, they said whoever had the 5er before us must have kept it inside because for such old tires they are in really good shape.

Bob and I have been checking out AAA maps and TourBooks, Reader's Digest See the USA the Easy Way, and assorted other books and online sites to plan for our trip. Here's a short list of we plan to do (as of now):

• One night in Las Vegas to visit relatives
• One night in Phoenix to visit relatives on the way to Texas; one night to visit friends in Phoenix on the way back from Texas
• Big Bend National Park--two to three nights
• San Antonio--looks like we need a few days here!
• Riverwalk
• Volkswalk in San Antonio (Fiesta San Antonio, San Antonio Missions National Historic Park)
• Spurs/Blazers basketball game
• Alamo
• Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
• Natural Bridge Caverns
• San Antonio Botanical Garden
• Six Flags Fiesta Texas (??)
• The McNay Art Museum (??)
• Medina River Scenic Drive
• Austin
• New Braunfels
• Fredericksburg
• National Museum of the Pacific War (Really? Here? Seems Admiral Nimitz was raised here!)
• Enchanted Rock
• Pedernales Falls State Park
• Corpus Christi
• U.S.S. Lexington
• Texas State Aquarium
• Padre Island National Seashore

Well that's quite a list people! It doesn't include spontaneous options that crop up along the way. I think we're going to have a blast.

The countdown begins...12 days and counting...

Travel Bug out.