Saturday 8-30-25 Rainy Day & Minnie Broke Down

 

 Rainy Day

 

It was a rainy day. It rained on and off all day. 

We woke up to rain and no power. The gauge on the battery said it was dead and the refrigerator was off. Larry took the battery out and took the connectors off it. One by one he put them back on the battery. He checked the battery out and everything checked out fine. He was confused on what drained the battery. He needed to charge the battery but it was raining pretty hard. So we sat and waited. 

The rain stopped at 10:30. We left the campground around 11:00 and had lunch while we drove. We had six fabulous days at Matchless Campground even though it rained. We did a couple of hikes and walked a lot.

We took the Minnie off the blocks and put them away. It wasn't raining but the rain was going to be around all day. We drove down the mountain and pulled into a gas station in Frisco, CO, one of the tires was reading low. The tire pressure was fine, Larry simply had to remove and re-seat the sensor. When Larry was checking it out he noticed steam coming from under the hood. He checked it out and thought it was the water pump. He went on the phone and called around and found Goodway Auto Repair Shop to work on it. It was another 15 miles down the road. We put almost two gallons of water in the radiator. We went to Silverthorne to get it looked out.

They found that the timing chain cover is leaking. They will have to take everything off the front end of the motor to fix the problem. They need a new water pump and timing chain cover. They could get the water pump today but due to the holiday they can't get the timing chain cover until Wednesday. So we'll be camping in their parking lot until they get the Minnie fixed. 

So there my not be a blog for a bit. We just wanted to let you know and not to worry. 

Friday 8-29-25 Bodfish Trail, Camping, Reading & Rain

 

Awesome Day

 

We had a awesome day. We woke up to a cool morning of 40 degrees and got up to 58 degrees. The clouds rolled in and out all day. In the evening it sprinkled on and off. 

Larry got up at 6:00 and it was drizzling. I got up at 7:00 and there was no rain. I made pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast Larry checked the forecast and the National Weather Service said that we were going to get rain in the afternoon. We decided to go for a hike.

The last two days we did a lot of walking but due to the rain we did not hike any trails so I was excited that today we could return to the trails. I took my phone with me so I could see how accurate the mileage of my band would be. It was very accurate, we hiked 4.25 miles for two hours and a half. 

We started the hike from our site and walked the road to the trail, which was .25 mile. We hiked the trail to the signage for Fallen Tree Trail and Bodfish Trail, which was another .25 mile. Today we went to the right because we wanted to hike the Bodfish Trail, which is a 3 mile loop. The trail isn't a hard trail. It goes up and down small hills and curves through the forest. We did hike a little bit in the open. As we hiked we saw chipmunks and squirrels. At one point a squirrel ran right up to us, probably was hoping we had food. I couldn't get a picture because it was too fast. The trail for the most part was dry, there were no puddles. We rested on boulders once in awhile. We didn't see anyone or any deer. It was a peaceful hike. 

 

Bodfish trail

 

When we got back we rested for a bit. Then we had soup for lunch. 

 After lunch the clouds looked like we may get rain. We went outside to bring things inside. Larry brought in his solar panel controller. We put the grill away and brought in his chair. Shortly afterwards we got a mountain rain shower. The rain was pretty hard but didn't last but a half hour. The rain stayed around for the rest of the day.

 

Mountain Shower

We spent rest of the day reading. Larry finished reading the book he started yesterday. I finished reading My Name Is Yip. It was a very good book. I asked Larry to choose me a new book. He choosed The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. I started to read it. So far I like it.

 

Reading is fun

 

I played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Easy Street Mini of 15 games. It took me 30 minutes and 53 seconds, which put me in 13th place in my group. 

After dinner I went on a walk to Silver Dollar Campground. Larry decided to give his feet a rest so he stayed in the Minnie. I took the umbrella just in case it rained. I was glad I did because the rain came when I almost finished with the second loop of Silver Dollar Campground. It wasn't hard. While I was walking I saw a couple of bucks in the trees, where we saw the two does and two fawns a couple of nights ago. They were too far away I couldn't get a picture. When I got back to the Minnie I had walked two miles. I had a nice walk.

By the end of the day I had gotten 17,000 steps, which is 7 miles. LIFE IS GOOD!!!  

 

 

    

  

 

Thursday 8-28-25 Overcast Day, Walking & Camping

 

Camping at Matchless

 

Today was the beginning of our second week of our fall trip. 

The day was overcast but we still got some solar. Larry setup the solar panels and they were out all day. When the sun was shining the panels were pulling 11 amps. The batteries were fully charged before I played my games. By the end of playing my games I had used 5% of the battery. 

I woke up at 7:15 and made pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. We were going to hike the trails but the weather forecast said we may get rain between 9:00 and 10:00. The clouds were pretty dark. We decided to walk the roads. We walked to the dam. Once at the dam we walked over it. The lake was gorgeous and very flat. The mountain range around us was beautiful. We saw farmland, buildings and homes. There was a group of five people skipping stones on the lake. We also saw a gentleman put in his stand up paddle board. If he had done it at the boat ramp it would have cost him $11.00 for the day.

 

Farmland

  

Turquoise Lake

 

 

Paddle boarding down the lake 

 

From where we were it looked like they were trying to teach a kid how to skip stones. I can still remember when Larry tried to teach me. It's been years and I don't know if I can still do it. 

After resting we turned around and went back to Matchless Campground. We didn't stop at the campground we continued going up to Sliver Dollar Campground (next one up the road). As we were walking past a little meadow Larry saw a critter, that looked like red-tail fox but it was too small. Then we thought maybe it was a weasel except it was reddish color. It had caught chipmunk for breakfast. The site calls them a ground squirrel. In the same meadow we saw the four deer (two does and two fawns) we saw the other night. One of the fawns was laying down. When we got to Silver Dollar we walked around both loops. Then we went back to the Minnie. By the time we got back we had walked a couple of hours. My band said we went 3.75 miles and Larry's watch said 4.5 miles. It was a great walk.

A doe and a fawn laying down

 

A fawn and doe

 

Larry had setup the solar panels before our walk. When we got back he moved them around. Every few hours he would move them to face the sun. He is reading another book. 

 

 

Relaxing with a book

 

Before lunch I went and paid for another two nights. Larry made lunch because I was busy talking to another camper on the way home from paying. When I got back to the Minnie lunch was ready. Thank you honey. 

After lunch I played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Hard Road Mini of 5 games. It took me 54 minutes and 9 seconds, which put me in 23rd place in my group. Then I continued reading My Name Is Yip.

After dinner we went on our night walk to Silver Dollar Campground. Larry had done research on why my band was not calculating distance correctly. Based on what he found he made an adjustment to the GPS settings. So we did an experiment, we started my band and a GPS application on my phone and his watch to see how close they were to each other. We walked around for 50 minutes. We looked at the three trackers and found my band, the GPS tracker on my phone and Larry's watch were almost exactly the same. Thank, you again honey for fixing this.

By the end of the day I had done 18,000 steps, which was 7.1 miles. I'm a happy camper.    

 

       

Wednesday 8-27-25 Rainy Day, Walking & Camping

 

Rainy Day

 

The rain came in at 11:00 pm and stayed around all day. When the front came in we were in bed and rain came down hard. It rained steady for an hour or so. 

 

Camping at Matchless Campground

 

When Larry got up at 6:15 am it was still sprinkling. I got up at 7:00 and made french toast sticks for breakfast.

After breakfast the rain had stopped but rain was still in the area so we decided to walk the roads for our morning walk/hike. Today we brought the umbrella because there were dark clouds hanging overhead. We walked the road to Molly Brown Campground, which was about 2 miles. We stopped at the old dump station to rest before getting to the campground (.25 mile). As we walked the road we saw a couple of kids on the Fallen Tree Trail. We took a bathroom break at Molly Brown. We walked through the campground until we met up with Turquoise Lake Trail. While hiking the trail we met a couple and said hi. We hiked the trail back to our campground for about 1.5 miles. We walked/hiked for a couple of hours We left at 8:15 and got back by 10:15. We hiked for 4 miles. We had a great walk/hike.

We got back right in time because a few minutes later the rain came in. Larry brought his solar panels in. It rained hard for a little bit and stopped. The rain came in and out all day. The rain would be around a half hour to an hour and leave. But the clouds stayed around.

For lunch we had sandwiches and for dinner Larry barbecued hamburger patties.

We spent the day reading. Larry finished a book and started another one. I continued reading My Name Is Yip. I'm about half way through it.

I played my Daily Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Pyramid Adventure of 20 games. It took me 2 hours, 3 minutes and 25 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group.

After dinner we went for a walk. We didn't go too far because there were dark clouds and it looked like rain. We walked the road towards the dam. We walked about half a mile to a stop sign and came back. Larry went inside and I continued another 2 miles. By the end of the day I had done 18,500 steps.

I have been tracking how far our hikes have been on my new band. We found out, that the mileage is a little off because Larry's fitness watch said we went further. The steps are correct because his watch and my band says the same amount of steps. When we went on our evening walk we compared the distance and found my band gives a bit less mileage. We will have to check it over a longer distance to see how far off it is. 

Larry did some research and found, that some of the devices use GPS for the distance and others use steps. He also found out each device is different. Some people say if they walk with other people that each device my have different amount of steps. We thought maybe it's because of the length of your strides. But we're not sure. We'll continue to play with the miles. It give us something to do.          

Tuesday 8-26-25 Larry's Birthday, Hiking, Camping & More

 

Happy Birthday Honey

 

Today is Larry's birthday. Happy Birthday, honey. 

We woke up to another cool morning of 50 degrees. Larry turned on the Wave3 heater to get the chill out of the air so when I got up it was very nice. Larry slept in until 6:15 and I got up at 7:30. I made cinnamon french toast sticks for breakfast and we shared a meal replacement shake. 

After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. We went on a 3.75 mile hike on three different trails, which were Turquoise Lake, Fallen Tree and a Nature. Last year when we were here we did the same hike.

We started from Matchless campground and walked the road for a half mile to where we picked up a short trail for .10 of mile. to a trail sign for Fallen Tree Trail and Bod Fish Trail. Below the sign there was a trail map of all the trails at Matchless. We went to the left, that put us on Bod Fish. The trail took us out in the open, where we saw new growth coming up and a couple of retaining ponds. Years ago they use to have a dump station, the ponds hold the sewage. Now they hold the sewage from the park administration employees and the hosts. We had to cross a marshy area via a bridge. The scenery of the mountains was beautiful. We hiked to the amphitheater, where we picked up the Nature Trail until it met up with Turquoises Lake Trail. The trail went back into the trees. We hiked the lake trail to the dam and back to our site. While hiking the shores of Turquoise Lake we didn't see anyone on the shores or in the lake. Yesterday, there were people along the shores fishing, playing with their dogs, kayaking and just sitting there enjoying the lake. When we got back to the boat ramp area at Matchless we continued on the lake trail to the dam. While hiking to the dam we met a lady riding her bicycle and we let her go by. We said our hellos. When we got to the dam we turned around to go back to the Minnie. We found a rock to sit on to rest before going back. While resting we saw a lady playing with her two dogs on the lake. One dog saw another dog so it ran off to met it. She ended up having three dogs just saying hi. The third dog was with two other women. Each women had a baby, one in the front and the other one on the back. We said hi to them and their dog. We rested a few minutes and continued our hike back. While resting Larry pointed out an eagle flying over the lake. I saw it. We figured it was hunting for breakfast. We saw it land in a tree on the other side of the lake. When we got close to our site we hiked up a hill to get to the site. By the time we got to our site our hearts were beating fast, it was a great workout. We had a super hike.

 

Trailhead sign for Fallen Tree and Bodfish

 

One of the ponds

 

New growth from fallen trees

 

Larry on the bridge over the marshy area

 

Turquoise Lake at the dam

 

After lunch I played my games of the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Spider and 3 Free Cell). It took me 16 minutes and 18 seconds, which put me in 13th place in my group.

The rain was predicted to come in at 1:00 and it came in at 1:30. It stayed around for the rest of the day. At times it poured. 

 

 

We spent the rest of the day reading. Larry started a new book and I continued reading My Name Is YIP.  

 

Relaxing with a book

I took a nap for a couple of hours before dinner. 

At 5:00 the rain went away for a bit and was suppose to come back at 7:00. So after we had dinner we went on a walk around the campground. We took the umbrella just in case we got rain. We walked to the next campground up from us. We walked both loops. We saw a few deer (two does and two fawns) in the trees and crossing the road in between Matchless campground and the other campground. Larry walked with me for 50 minutes (1.75 miles). I walked another 1.25 miles to 3 miles. By the end of the day I had walked 6.5 miles and a total of 17,500 steps.

 

A doe watching us from the trees

 

A doe walking across the road to join the other three deer

 

Mom and one of her fawns eating in the trees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Monday 8-25-25 Hiking, Camping & Rain

 

Camping at Matchless Campground

 

We woke up to a cool morning with the temperature of 51 degrees, our high was 66. We had a rain front come in at 10:00 am. It rained hard and steady for an hour and a half. It was overcast most of the day. 

 

Playing in the rain

 

There was enough sun, that Larry put out the solar panels. 

Larry woke up at 6:00 and decided to sleep a little longer he wasn't in any hurry to get up. He slept in until 6:15. I got up at 6:20 because I had slept long enough. I had gone to bed at 8:45 last night. I got up and made pancakes for breakfast. When I got up Larry was taping up his feet so he wouldn't get blisters. 

After breakfast we got ready to go for a hike. We left on the hike at 7:45 and got back by 10:00. We hiked for four miles on the Turquoise Lake Trail. It was an out and back hike. While hiking we saw a standup paddle boarder, a few kayaks getting ready to go in the lake, people sitting on chairs fishing and dogs enjoying the lake. On the trail we met a gentleman walking his dogs and a couple of runners running the trail. When we were coming back on the trail we met a couple just starting their hike. The lake was very flat. We hiked by a few campgrounds, one was first come first serve the others are reservation only. While hiking we hiked by a memorial for a beloved pet. It was very well maintained with flowers, balls, sticks and a picture of the dog. We saw a salamander, which was walking on the trail. We made sure we didn't step on it. We had a super hike. When we got back to the Minnie it started to rain.

 

Salamander on the trail

 

Turquoise Lake

  

 

Memorial for beloved dog

After relaxing for about an hour we had Campbell's Cheesy Jalapeno Burger soup for lunch. Then we spent the afternoon relaxing. I took a two hour nap. Larry worked on the switch for the refrigerator that had quit working, he hoped he could get it working but was unsuccessful. He will have to wait until we get home to replace it. Then he sat outside and read. He read until it started to sprinkle.

 

For dinner we barbecued hamburgers. After dinner we walked around for 35 minutes and did 1.5 miles. We walked to the other campground above us like yesterday. Today we decided to walk the second loop first. While walking the loop it started to rain so we shorten our walk. By the time we got back it was raining harder. When it slowed down Larry brought in the solar panels. 

 

We spent the evening reading. Larry finished his book. I started a book last night and continued reading it. The book is My Name Is Yip by Paddy Crewe. So far It's a good book. The writing is great.

 

 

 

 

 

Relaxing with a book
 

 

I also played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 45 minutes and 43 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. 

 

By the end of the day I had done 17,500 steps.

 

 

  

 

 

Sunday 8-24-25 Matchless Campground & Buena Vista

 

Turquoise Lake

 

We had a wonderful day. 

We woke up to a cool temperature of 50 degrees. It was perfect weather to sleep in. We even had to use a quilt. We weren't going too far so we took our time getting ready. Once everything was put away and secured we were on the road by 7:30 am. 

Before leaving Salida we stopped by Crossroads Visitor Center to top off our fresh water tank. Larry had read the visitor center had a dump station with non-potable water and on the side of a build had a fresh water spicket. We're going to Matchless Campground in Pike-San Isabel National Forest in Leadville and they don't have any water or power. We really didn't need any water but it was better to fill the tank than wish we had. Crossroads Visitor Center is a very nice facility.

After getting water we were on the road going to Buena Vista to take showers at their city park. It's about 25 miles from Salida and it's on the way to Leadville. Buena Vista is a beautiful town with shops and restaurants. The park has a lot of sport activities to do. It has small bicycle course, skate board park, dog park, hiking trail along the river and nice restrooms with showers ($1.00 for two minutes quarters only). We arrived at Buena Vista a little after 8:00 and the restrooms were open and clean. Last year we had to wait. We parked in a big parking lot and walked across the street to the bathhouse. We took turns taking showers and they were excellent showers. The only problem is when your two minutes are up to have to get out of the shower and put another dollar in the machine. I had to do this but Larry was able to shower and wash his hair in two minutes.

 

The mountain range that surround Buena Vista

 

Playground

 

Bathhouse

 

After taking showers we had breakfast. Then we decided to get back on the road. On the way to Matchless Campground we were going to go to Leadville National Fish Hatchery and do a short hike, this would allow us to arrive at the campground a bit later. However, the road was closed due to a bridge being out so we had to turn around and go to the campground. We got to Matchless a little after 10:00, we parked the Minnie and waited until some people left. They have until 12:00 and check-in isn't until 2:00. While we were waiting I made pancakes for lunch. A car was in the site we like and left around 11:00 so we moved over there. The site is #7 and it's by the hiking trails. The site is a bit unlevel so we had to block passenger side of the Minnie.

Once we set up for our stay we tried to turn on the refrigerator. Larry had turned it off in Buena Vista because we weren't level. It wouldn't turn on. Larry had a project to do. It took him a bit but he found the temperature limit switch had gone bad. This switch is required to be put in from the manufacture because there were cases where the refrigerator would over heat and the RV caught fire. He bypassed the switch and now the refrigerator works. 

After the project he went on the web and found the part has been discontinued. While doing research on the switch he learned a lot about the refrigerator. He enjoys learning about different stuff.

We were going to pay for our site online but decided to pay by check because it was cheaper. Online they charge you $28 per night plus a $10 reservation fee and taxes. If we pay with cash or check it's $27 per night and there is no reservation fee nor taxes. Because we have the Senor Pass camping is half price. We paid for four nights, the cost was $54 dollars.  

About 2:30 a front came through. We got a little rain but not much. The weather forecast predicted the rain would be here by then. It sprinkled on and off until 6:00. Larry read and I played games.    

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Klondike and 5 Tri Peaks). It took me 2 hours, 44 minutes and 40 seconds, which put me in 23rd place in my group.

For dinner I made Campbell's chili with Fritos in it. After dinner we went for a walk Larry walked with me for 45 minutes for 2 miles. We walked to the other campground to get some steps. I continued walking for another 40 minutes. By the time I finished I had walked 3.25 miles total of 8,500 steps. The total of steps I for the day was 14,000 steps. While walking I met a couple with two dogs in the overflow lot. I said hi to the dogs and every time I walk by they would watch me. I talked to our neighbors they also have a couple of dogs. We had a great walk.

 

My new friends
 

 

 

     

Saturday 8-23-25 Driving From Texas to Colorado

 

Fall trip continues

 

We had an awesome day. Larry drove 375 miles from Dumas, TX to Salida, CO. 

We had a pleasant night in Dumas. We heard a few trains but had no problem sleeping through the whistles. I got up at 6:00 and we finished up the bagels we brought with us. We're not going to have power for awhile and we toast the bagels in the toaster. After breakfast we finished getting ready to leave.

We were on the road by 6:45 am (Central Time) and stopped at 2:45 pm (Mountain Time). We gained an hour when we entered New Mexico, where it changed to Mountain Time. I slept most of the way. We drove two lane divided highways and interstates. While driving through New Mexico we saw a lot of ranches with horses and cattle. We saw one Pronghorn, we usually see more.

 

New Mexico welcome sign from the web
 

We stopped twice to fill the Minnie with gas. We stopped a few times for bathroom breaks. We stopped at a rest area during one of the bathroom breaks. There was some rain in area so we sat in the Minnie for awhile until the rain went away. We only had sprinkles. We stopped for another bathroom break and Larry decided to change our routine. He decided we hadn't gone through Pueblo, CO in a very long time. From Pueblo to Salida you drive a gorgeous scenic route through the mountains and by the river. It was an extra 40 miles.We stopped in Pueblo to fill the Minnie with gas. Then Larry parked the Minnie and we had sandwiches for lunch. We were 94 miles from Salida. 

 

Colorado welcome sign from the web

The highway went through a beautiful mountain range following a river. The river was beautiful, at places we saw kayaks, huge rafts being put in the river, fishing boats and fishermen fly fishing. It wasn't as busy as we thought it would be considering it's Saturday. It was worth going an extra 40 miles because the scenery was outstanding. The skies had some clouds but they were clear, no smoke. The road was two lanes and curvy but once in awhile they had a passing lane. It was an awesome route to take. We drove through a few tourist towns. One we drove through was Canyon City and it was having a street fair. We didn't stop.

 

Driving through Canyon City

 

Part of the mountain range we took to Salida

 

 We got to Salida by 2:30. We parked the Minnie and set it up for the night. You can stay at this Walmart for 24 hours. After setting the Minnie up we went to Walmart. I forgot my camera at home. Our cell phones have cameras but sometimes it's easier with a camera. Larry had my old Canon camera stored in the Minnie. He charged up the batteries and it works great. It didn't have a case so while we were in Walmart we looked for a case. They no longer carry small camera cases. They had a big one but I can't carry it while I hike. I guess I'll have to carry it in front pocket of my hiking pants or in the small pack I wear while hiking. I'll figure it out.

I heated up leftover taco meat on the stove and we had tacos for dinner. After dinner I did a 3.8 mile hike for an hour and half using the Monarch Trail. I walked all the way to where you cross the street to go to Safeway, which was 1.8 miles. While walking the trail I said hi to people and their dogs and saw a lot of cattle and horses. There were wildflowers along the trail., There was a sign, that said don't feed the animals and had figurines of a bear, a big horn sheep, a mountain lion and a fish. There was a nice dog park called Loyal Duke's Dog Park. On the way back to Larry I met a young cat. It said hello and followed me for a little while. I had a very nice walk and it was nice to see the locals using the trail. 

 

Salida Mountain

 

Sunflowers

The sign for don't feed the animals

 

Loyal Duke's Dog Park

 

My new friend

By the end of the night I had done 12,000 steps, which is my personal daily goal. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 44 minutes and 55 seconds, which put me in 18th place in my group.

 

           

  

8-22-25 Texmona City Park in Dumas Texas

 

Sunflowers at a picnic area in Texas

 

We had another day of driving. Larry drove from Hamlin to Dumas, which was 275 miles. We started at 6:30 am and stopped at 12:30 pm. We wanted to beat the heat. The temperature was 73 degrees in Hamlin and 95 degrees in Dumas at 5:00 pm. 

We drove four lane highways most of the way. We stopped a few times to stretch our legs and to fill the Minnie with gas. First stop was in Hamlin at their local donut shop. Last year it was closed but today we were happy it was open. Larry asked for 1/2 dozen mixed donuts. The price was less than most donut places we have been to lately. I opened the box and had a pleasant surprise, the gentleman had put in an extra donut (three glazed, two chocolate frosting and 2 blueberry). It looked like it was a one man shop and the service was excellent. The donuts were large, fresh and tasty.

Next stop was in Guthrie, TX where they have a great sculpture of a cattle drive. Other stop was an old rest area, where they had beautiful sunflowers and a couple of covered picnic tables with tree growing over the roof. We stopped a couple other times for bathroom breaks. We stopped in Claude,TX to fill the Minnie with gas. 

Cowboys keep the cattle together in Guthrie

 

Cowboys keeping the cattle moving

 

 About three miles from Texmona City Park in Dumas we stopped at Braum's for lunch. We shared a meal deal, which was a  crispy chicken club sandwich (chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese and bacon on a bun), small fries and a small chocolate shake. When you order a meal deal you have a choice of either a drink or shake. The service was excellent and food was good.

 

Our meal deal

What the sandwich looked like from the web

 

 

When we got to Texhoma City Park we had no problem finding a spot we were the only ones there. We parked the Minnie and set it up for the night. It is another free site with power. They do accept donations. They have a dump, water, playground, dog park and dumpsters. The park has a merry-go-around, swings, climbing bars, a spider to climb on, an old bathroom and covered ramada. It's a very nice park. Everytime we haven been here we see a lot of the locals use the park (kids playing in the playground area, people sitting in their cars, people walking, people picnicking under the ramada and the picnic tables). I walk around the park for an hour and half to get some steps. 

 

 

 

Swing set and slides

 

 

 

Climbing bars and spider

 

 

 

Camping at Texmona City Park

 

We spent the afternoon and evening relaxing. Larry is reading another book. I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Klondike Mini of 10 games. It took me 1 hour, 6 minutes and 33 seconds, which put me in 28th in my group. I played Angry Birds and Friends and Angry Birds 2.

 

The other day when we were celebrating our birthdays at Louise's she asked me why I don't do as many steps as I use to. I have a new fitness band and it's not a Garmin. The Garmin band automatically syncs your steps and they will ask if you want to do a challenge. For example: It you do 10K steps they will put you in a group of people who do 10K steps. This will motivate you to get up and do the steps. I used to look at the challenge and see where I was, and if I needed to do more steps to move up I would do them. Larry did some research while I was walking to see if my new band has challenges. They don't, but you can manually make your own challenge with your family. But they don't automatically put you in a challenge you have manually enter the data. Today I was very pleased with myself because I ended up doing 11,500 steps. 

 

While I was walking Larry also did a couple of reviews on the computer. One was on Good Reads about the book he just finished. The other one was about the donut shop in Hamlin. He is very good about doing reviews on books he reads. Sometimes the author may give a thumbs up. Once in a great while someone will comment on one of his reviews. Most of the comments are on books he gives poor reviews. I don't do reviews, I should because it helps other people decide if they want to read the book or not.

 

  Relax with a book