We started preparing for this trip about a week and a half ago. Al knew we had a flat tire on the RV in storage, and so we went over to take it off and get it fixed. Sounds simple. We found a Discount Tire Store about a mile from the storage lot and unfortunately they discovered the leak was a puncture on the inside sidewall and unfixable. They didn’t have our size of RV tire in stock (in all of the Denver area) and so they had to place an order with a promise of delivery in one week. Fortunately, we had given ourselves plenty of time to get this little matter resolved.
We came up with Plan B which was put the spare on and drive home so we could begin to prep. This worked well. Unfortunately, the tire didn’t come in as advertised. On Saturday we paid them a visit to check on status. FedEx tracking said it was on the truck and should be in on Monday (the day we planned to hit the road). Incidently, the Goodyear Warehouse had two in stock, but there was no licensed courier available due to “truck failure” so it couldn’t be delivered until Monday.
Plan C. We called very early Monday AM and were advised that it should be in by 10 and they would call. The call came, and Al went to pick it up. They had the tire, but couldn’t find the rim we left with them way back when. Finally, Al left with the new tire and a new wheel at no cost to him. Discount Tire came through in the end and did the right thing.
We did get on the road on Monday as planned, but our start was a little late…almost 1 P.M. Along the way, I saw an unusual site on top of Monument Hill heading south on I-25. It took a minute to comprehend, but there were two relay towers that were camoflaged to look like lodgepole pines. Wonder who thought to do that. They should get an award for aesthetics.
We were able to make it to Clayton, N.M. for the night. The next day we drove to Wichita Falls, TX, and on day three we made it to Frisco, TX and our base at Lake Lewisville in the Hidden Cove Campground. 
Unfortunately, the cold weather has followed us (although it was warmer in Colorado when we left), and has been a challenge. We didn’t hook up our water hose, and have watched as our neighbors have ice cicles and puddles around theirs. Guess there’s been an increase in hose purchases!!
We’re in Frisco to visit with our kids Bret and Wendy Harp and the girls Jodie and Katherine. Jodie has been involved in a two day Academic Decathalon as a representative from her school…Frisco High where she is a Jr. She is one of seven on the team and they are tested on various subjects over the 2 days. We watched the final session, where the kids answered questions about the Civil War. Her team did very well and will be going to the state finals at the end of Feb.
We were also able to meet up with Karen’s second cousin Marge Anderson and her husband Gary. They live in McKinney, TX which is the next town over from Frisco. We met them in our early days of genealogical exploration (Karen’s paternal line) and have kept in touch over the years. They always take us to interesting restaurants.
A lot of our trip has been planned around Genelogical research…mostly Al’s. On Tuesday we will head to Crockett, TX so he can do some record checking.