Ed and Claudia's Roadtrip
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We hope you enjoy reading our stories as we share our adventures with you.  Please feel free to browse through some of our photos.

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Family Time 2019 & Return to Texas

11/10/2019

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​With our Canadian crossing completed we arrived back in the United States as planned on 8/23/2019.  We had a relatively easy crossing other than the fact that US customs took our only green pepper and tomato from us.  We felt fortunate since we had also declared more than our allowable quantity of alcohol.  Besides exceeding the beer limit, Claudia has grown fond of some Maple Whiskey that is only sold in Alberta and some Mike’s Hard Lemonade from Canada that’s made with vodka rather than malt liquor as it is in the states.  So of course we needed to stock up before crossing.  Customs didn’t seem to mind.

After a brief one night stop in upstate New York, we arrived at a campground in New Hampshire where we spent a very busy week.  This campground was located within 30 minutes of two of our kids and their families in order to spend as much time as we could with them.
 
Right away we took a drive over to Manchester, NH where we enjoyed the company of Claudia’s daughter Laura, her fiancé and one of our granddaughters and were treated to a BBQ dinner in their yard.  The next day we began with breakfast out with Claudia’s sister and her husband followed by a visit to my son Billy’s home to visit with him, his wife and five more of our grandchildren.  The following day was a Sunday with beautiful weather so we invited everyone over for a BBQ and to enjoy the amenities of our campground.  We had a wonderful day together.

Over the next few days we were joined by Laura and her family as they camped in another campsite within our campground.  During the remainder of that week I was also able to spend a night out with Billy for some one on one time.  We also enjoyed a lunch out with Claudia’s sister and brother as well as one final stop at Billy’s home for another visit with them and the grandkids.  It was a very busy week but one filled with memories.
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Once our week in New Hampshire came to an end we hit the road and arrived at my sister’s home (aka Camp Sawash) in Uxbridge, Massachusetts where we spent a week.  In addition to catching up on news and enjoying time with her and her husband we had several appointments that we had planned so we kept busy with those.  We also took a drive to an Italian Festival about an hour away in order to enjoy watching three of our grandchildren perform in a musical performance.  This is something they’ve been doing for several years now and they really are very good.  It was a fun show to watch and we’re so glad we got the chance to see them. 

Once the weekend arrived we headed off in the RV for a stay at a campground just down the street from my mom’s home on Cape Cod.  Our timing wasn’t the greatest but it could have been worse.  Hurricane Dorian was coming up the coast and although it was being downgraded to a tropical storm, the Nantucket Sound area of the Cape was expected to get some heavy rain and gusty winds.  We arrived at our campground on the beach of Nantucket Sound on Friday, as the storm was approaching but still a few hours away.  After a brief visit with my mom we headed back to the RV and hunkered down.  Once the winds picked up we brought the slides in and rode out the storm with lots of rain and some pretty good gusts but nothing that ever concerned us too much.  On Saturday we spent the day with my mom.  Unfortunately, as I was making some repairs on her garage door, my mom fell on her driveway and we spent the next three hours visiting the ER where we found out for sure that she did indeed break her arm.  For the remainder of our stay we did what we could to make her comfortable and enjoy our visit as much as possible.  On Sunday night my mom, a big Pats fan, and I enjoyed watching the Patriot’s game together.  It was a great game to begin their season as they won in a big way.

Following our visit to my mom on Cape Cod we needed to head back to my sister’s house in Uxbridge.  It turns out I’ve been enjoying the sun just a little too much so I required some surgery to remove some basil cell carcinoma from my neck.  I think it’s time to take the regular application of sun screen more seriously. 

We spent our final weekend at Camp Sawash by spending Saturday enjoying the company of Laura and Billy and their families as well as my sister’s family.  It was a great way to say goodbye to everyone before heading off for the winter.  Our final day in Uxbridge was spent enjoying another win by the Patriots.  Our family members are all big Pats fans and once again it was a lot of fun watching the game together.  In Texas, I’m normally watching the Pats alone or with someone who would rather see them lose.  It’s always fun but it’s nice to hear other cheering when something good happens.

Next we headed out on schedule towards North Carolina.  Our first overnight stay was in Matamoros, Pennsylvania.  It was nice to head out and arrive safe and sound at our first overnight stop without any issues.  We have an unlucky history of having issues on our first day out of Uxbridge.  We’ve had a malfunctioning braking system, a front tire with a bubble that needed replacing, an RV step that fell apart and wouldn’t retract and a blown tire on the NY thruway only an hour down the road.  The campground we decided to stay at turned out to be lovely with a beautiful walking area along the Delaware River.  It was a perfect spot for an overnight stay.

After two more days on the road and an overnight stop in Winchester, Virginia we arrived at the gate of the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.  There we contacted the campground office and they came out to escort us to the campground where we selected our spot for the next 12 nights.
 
We spent our first night by making the first of many trips to Fuquay-Varina, about 40 minutes away to visit our daughter Melissa, her husband and three of our grandkids.  The kids only knew that pizza was being delivered.  They didn’t know that we were going to be the ones doing the delivery.  By the time we sat down to eat the pizza however we had spent a lot of time with hugs, stories and a grand tour of every room in the house including bathrooms and closets.  To say the kids were excited I think would be an understatement.  We of course were thrilled to see everyone ourselves!!

While in Fuquay-Varina we enjoyed lots of family time.  We enjoyed a great soccer game where our grandson Jon scored the first goal of the day and also did a great job as goalie.  We followed that up with a trip for ice cream before heading back to their home.  Once there we were able to enjoy playing around with the kids and give them time to show us all the little things that they wanted to share.  After being treated to a great dinner prepared by our son in law specially for Melissa’s birthday we participated in the family birthday parade complete with the singing of Happy Birthday.

The following day was a Sunday and we returned in time to play with the kids for a while before kickoff time.  At 1pm we sat around and enjoyed watching the Patriot’s win their third game of the season.  Once again it was a lot of fun watching a game where everyone was rooting for the Patriot’s.  It was a gorgeous day in North Carolina so we completed the day by enjoying a nice happy hour on their front lawn while the kids were off playing.  The entire weekend was excellent although I must admit a bit exhausting.  I don’t know how they do it with three kids.  Guess I’m showing my age. 

We spent the remaining week in Fuquay-Varina enjoying some special time with all of them.  On one day we spent two lunch periods at the elementary school, one with Grace and one with Jon.  The school has a program that allows kids to have guests during lunch so we couldn’t pass up the chance for some great one on one time.  We were also able to spend one of the weekdays alone with Melissa while the kids were in school so we had some quality time with her as well.  We spent our final Saturday visiting with them at their home and then babysitting for the kids as we sent their mom and dad off for some alone time that night.  More quality time, and the kids were so good for us.  Our final visit was on a Sunday as we combined some play time with the kids and some football time with the whole family as we enjoyed another Pats game together.  Our twelve day visit to North Carolina was so much fun and we’re already talking about our next visit.  The kids loved having us there and it was hard to hear them tell us how much they were going to miss us.  We sure do miss them!!

Once we headed off from North Carolina our focus was on returning to our winter home in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas.  We planned a six night trip to cover the 1,740 miles.  Our plan was to keep the driving to less than five hours per day and closer to four if possible.  We also included a couple of two night stops in order to enjoy a couple of days off from driving.  Following an overnight stop in Blountville, TN we arrived in Nashville, TN for our first two night stop.

We enjoyed our day off in Nashville by heading downtown where we walked around for some shopping and some visits to a few honky tonk bars to listen to some live music and have some lunch.  Following lunch we hopped aboard a tour trolley to see a lot of famous spots in Nashville we otherwise wouldn’t have known about.

Then it was back on the road for a few days as we made overnight stops in West Memphis, Arkansas, where we camped along the Mississippi River, and Texarkana, Texas which lies along the border of Texas and Arkansas and where we found a great restaurant called Scotties Grill that we’ll be back to visit another time. 

Our next stop was our second two night stop, this time in Waco, Texas.  This was planned more on the fact that our day off the road was going to be on Sunday than anything else.  Or maybe I should say because it was going to be on a Patriot’s game day.  Late Sunday morning we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings where Claudia and I had lunch together before she left me behind and headed off to shop for a few hours while I was able to enjoy watching the Patriot’s win another game.  For those that don’t know, you can watch any football game of any team at Buffalo Wild Wings if you just let them know who you’re looking to see.  When on the road during this time of year, I can become quite a regular and they’re located all over the country.

So on Monday morning we were once again back on the road.  After only one overnight stop in Elmendorf, Texas we finally arrived back at our winter home in Edinburg safe and sound.  When we arrived we spent the next three days unloading the RV and opening up our mobile home.  It’s amazing how much there is to do in order to complete this process but it’s worth the effort.  Each spring we are anxious to hit the open road and each fall we are anxious to return.  As long as that’s the case, we’ll continue to do it.

Now we’re settling in for our winter ahead.  I have a bowling league that is depending on me so I need to get stated on that.  The RV will also require some repairs and maintenance as well as a new windshield that I need to get taken care of.  The list goes on and on but we have lots of time to get it done.  The majority of our time will be spent on fun stuff like water volleyball, tennis and pickle ball as well as more social events than we can keep track of.  We’re looking forward to ending our seventh year of retirement on a high note.  Yup, a relaxing and entertaining season ahead.  Yeah!!

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Canadian Crossing & Houseboat Trip

8/22/2019

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Following our visits to the National Parks in both the United States and Canada we continued with our 3,500 mile trip across Canada.  Our goal was to stay in Canada as much as possible and to travel over the Great Lakes rather than below them.  The trip began near Fort Steele, British Columbia and ended near Kingston, Ontario.  The trip took us sixty days with two side trips into the United States as we travelled up, over and along much of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario shorelines.

We began this portion of our road trip once we left Canmore, Alberta and Banff National Park.  We headed due east for a relatively short drive to Calgary, Alberta for a three night stay.  As we began our drive we noticed that we had left the largest mountains behind us and were seeing more and more prairieland ahead of us.  The view certainly changed but the adventure continued. 

While in Calgary we visited the Calgary Tower and we took the ride to the top where we could view the entire city.  I’m not crazy about heights much anymore but it sure doesn’t bother Claudia.  She stepped right out on those glass floors and took pictures straight down.  Not me!!  Following the tower we walked along a portion of 8th Avenue, about a block from the tower that was full of restaurants and shops with no access for vehicles.  The architecture along the street was fascinating, mostly buildings built mid to late 1800’s.  There we meandered around for a while, bought some souvenirs and enjoyed some lunch along with some local brew.  Now we can say we’ve been to Calgary.

Our next stop took us to Drumheller, Alberta for a two night stay.  We had another short drive to get there so we were able to enjoy our first afternoon touring the area.  Drumheller is considered the Canadian Badlands and is also known as the dinosaur capital of the world.  We began our drive enjoying several areas overlooking the Badlands of Alberta.  It just so happens that the road we were travelling required a ferry ride across the Red Deer River.  Not just any ferry but the old cable run Bleriot Ferry originally built in the early 1900’s that fits only a few vehicles and connects the two sections of the dinosaur trail.  It turns out we were the only vehicle requiring a crossing when we arrived.  Along the way we discovered an area with some Hoodoos (columns of weathered rock in various shapes) to enjoy so we stopped and spent some time hiking around that area.

Following the hike around the Hoodoos we stopped and walked across an old suspension bridge that was built to help miners cross the river to the old coal mines that they worked in.  After the suspension bridge we decided to travel along a road calling itself the eleven bridge road to a small town a few miles away.  It did in fact have eleven bridges.  We know because we counted them and Claudia took a picture of each one.  At the end of the road we discovered the Last Chance Saloon sitting all alone just off the road.  We couldn’t resist so we stopped in for a drink and a snack of poutine.  In case you don’t know, poutine is a dish of French Fries covered in brown gravy and mozzarella cheese.  The Last Chance Saloon was built in 1913 and at one time served as the local post office, and is still a working hotel.  It was filled to the brim with nostalgic collectables.  All in all it was a pleasant drive with some great stops on a beautiful day.

Unfortunately, our only full day in Drumheller ended up with thunderstorms.  We did venture out for a couple of hours and took a hike along the Badlands Interpretive Trail.  It was a nice hike along and through some of the Canadian Badlands.  After that we stopped at the Tourist Information Center in downtown Drumheller.  No, it wasn’t for any information but rather so Claudia could climb up into the massive dinosaur that was built just so that tourists can climb up into its mouth for some views of the area.  I stayed below to take pictures of Claudia in the mouth while she took pictures of me down below. 

Our next stop took us to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for a few nights.  The campground we stayed at was part of a much larger town park named after the famous hockey player Gordie Howe.  Our first full day started out overcast but when the sun finally did come out we decided to drive over to a nearby dog park so Stella could do some running.  Well she did a lot more than that.  This dog park was the largest we’ve ever been to with miles and miles of trails as well as its own shoreline of beaches along the South Saskatchewan River.  Stella not only ran around off leash but enjoyed the company of other dogs and spent a whole lot of time in the water, swimming and running along the shoreline.  The trail we took was over two miles long and we were all exhausted by the time we got back. 

On our second day in Saskatoon we enjoyed a one hour cruise aboard the Prairie Lily, a 118 passenger riverboat along the South Saskatchewan River and through the heart of the city.  It was a beautiful day for a boat ride and a great way to see much of the city we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.  One thing we noticed about Saskatchewan was how much public land they have set aside for recreational use.  There are cycling and walking trails all over, especially along the river.  In Saskatoon alone we noticed dozens of public parks.  And then of course there are the ten or more off leash dog parks set aside especially for the people with dogs.  Everywhere we went there were people walking, lying on the banks of the river, riding bikes or walking with their dogs.  It was an impressive visit to a beautiful area of Canada and we enjoyed our brief stay.

Our next campground after Saskatoon was a one night stop in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.  It was Canada Day (July 1) so we had plans to watch the fireworks celebration in a park next to the campground.  The daughter of some of our friends from Texas was on her way back to Saskatchewan from Manitoba and treated us to a visit.  Our plans were to watch the fireworks together but that fizzled out when a fairly significant storm front moved through the area.  Instead we rode out the storm and enjoyed a wonderful visit with a really nice young woman.

Following Saskatoon we stopped in Dauphin, Manitoba for a one night layover before completing our trip to Winnipeg Beach for the start of our planned houseboat trip.  We arrived at the home of our friends Garry & Carolyn as planned, and on schedule.  Once there we relaxed for a couple of days as we prepared for our week on the houseboat.  We enjoyed some down time together but also did some necessary shopping and packing.  Bright and early on Saturday morning, with everything packed up in Garry and Carolyn’s truck and fishing boat we hit the road for the four hour drive to Sioux Narrows, Ontario.

Once we arrived at the dock we transferred all our stuff onto the houseboat and hitched up the fishing boat to the back.  Garry and I then took a crash course on navigation.  Lake of the Woods is over 70 miles long and wide, and contains more than 14,000 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline so it would be easy to get lost.  With that said, we selected our destination off the map which indicated possible beaches to stay on.  With some help from the owner of the houseboat we selected what he described as one of the best spots on the lake with good walleye fishing nearby.  So off we went, hoping it wasn’t already occupied.  With Garry at the helm and me at the map we headed off in our 40’ houseboat to areas unknown.  It didn’t take long for us to get the hang of navigating the islands and inlets by paying attention to the map, the GPS and keeping a watchful eye out for buoys and rocks.  After about 4 hours we arrived at our destination and were thrilled to see that it was unoccupied.  So with me at the helm, I made my first beach landing since my Navy days over 45 years ago. 
  
Once we were tied up we took a look around and discovered just how beautiful our spot was.  We were in a secluded cove, surrounded by forest which kept the boat protected from the wind.  We were on the backside of a spit of land sticking out into the bay with the quiet cove behind us and a beautiful view of the bay in front of us.  To top it off, we had our own personal gorgeous sand beach to swim at just a few feet away.  We all decided right then that we wouldn’t be moving from this spot until it was time to leave.

For the next five days we enjoyed ourselves more than we ever expected.  The weather was great most of the time although we did have a storm or two come by to add to our excitement.  Our daily routine normally began with three or four of us heading out for some fishing.  It turns out the coves behind us were great places to fish.  Claudia and I were the rookie fishermen on this trip but with help from Garry and Carolyn we both caught our first walleyes.  All in all we enjoyed two dinners of fresh fish and we still have more in our freezer now.  I’m sure we were funny to watch as both Claudia and I hooked our live minnows as bait for the first time.  I also held my first fish and removed it from the hook, an accomplishment I am now quite proud of.  Luckily, Garry did all the cleaning of the fish so we were spared that task.

Our afternoons were normally spent walking over to the beach for a swim or sunning on the upper deck.  While up there we usually enjoyed a cocktail or two (ok, maybe more).  As entertainment we were treated to views of all sorts of wildlife including a friendly snapping turtle who lived under our boat, a group of pelicans that enjoyed the treats we gave them after the fish cleanings, a few deer including a fawn, a couple of bald eagles, lots of seagulls and a variety of other birds and turtles.  And as a grand finale each evening we enjoyed some delicious dinners and desserts. 

Eventually our week came to an end and we packed the boat up and backed off the beach.  The weather was beautiful and the return trip to the boatyard was uneventful.  We were after all, experienced seamen by now.  The plan was to stay in the boat and eat at a local pub that evening but Stella ended up getting sick the night before and she was still quite sick when we arrived back at the dock.  So we decided to pack everything up and head back to Winnipeg Beach.

Once we returned to Winnipeg Beach we kept busy unpacking and reorganizing.  Stella was finally beginning to feel back to her normal self and I kept busy working on some minor repairs to the motor home.  Garry had the tools I needed (not to mention his expertise) in order to make some of the repairs.
 
On July 17th, Claudia and I celebrated our fifteenth wedding anniversary.  We are still in awe at how fortunate we are to not only have found each other but to have ended up enjoying our lives together as much as we do now.  We were lucky that Garry and Carolyn were able to join us this year as we enjoyed a wonderful meal and an excellent night together dining in style at a great Italian Restaurant in Winnipeg Beach.

Two mornings later, we headed out as planned and enjoyed four days at the Manitoba Stampede.  Our campsite was just outside the gate so we were able to come and go as we pleased, making it easy to take care of Stella throughout the day.  The only admission cost was for the rodeo events so walking around the midway, exhibitions and vendor stands was easy.  We enjoyed each day at the rodeo which included bucking broncos, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and bucking bulls.  There were also chariot and chuck wagon racing which we found especially exciting.  On one day, the town of Morris hosted a parade dedicated to the Stampede that we were able to enjoy as well.  There were also many competitions throughout the weekend that involved horses, steers and even dogs that kept us entertained.  Garry and Carolyn had the site next to us so we were also able to enjoy each other’s company as we relaxed outside at our sites as well as at the Scratching River Saloon within the Stampede grounds where we enjoyed several musical groups. 

On July 22nd we crossed back into the United States for the first time since June 11th.  We settled in at our campground located in Itasca State Park in Park Rapids, Minnesota.  Itasca State Park contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River so we headed off for a couple of short hikes and a visit to the trickle of water that flows in from Itasca Lake and begins what we all know as the mighty Mississippi River.  We only had one night to enjoy there but we plan to return another time in order to enjoy more of the trails that exist within this 32,690 acre park.

Next we spent a week with some of our Texas friends at Avatan, a resort in Minnesota.  We had a great week of sunshine and a whole lot of friends from Texas to share it with.  In addition to plenty of  time at the pool and frequent happy hours we also headed out a couple of times for dinner over at Moonshine Whiskey’s, a nice little pub down the street that has a great menu and a whole lot of local beer to choose from.  We also enjoyed a fish fry put on by the resort and a private party of “Sandpeeps” (those of us from Sandpipers) put on by our hosts who just so happen to also live at Sandpipers during the winter.  The entire week was wonderful.

Once we left Avatan we began making stops with two to three night layovers as we worked our way towards St Ignace, Michigan to enjoy the Mackinac Island area.  This always allowed us a full day or two to explore and enjoy whatever area we were in.  We selected a trip this year that included a major portion of the Lake Superior Circle Tour that ran up, over and around Lake Superior.  All along the way we were treated to some gorgeous views of the lake and some beautiful countryside.

Our first overnight stop was in Grand Marais, Minnesota, only about thirty miles from the Canadian border.  There we enjoyed the quaint shops and lakeside atmosphere along the banks of Lake Superior.  Two of our friends from Texas who were at Avatan with us decided to join us for a couple of days in Grand Marais and as we were helping them get set up we recognized another couple we know very well from Sandpipers.  Seventeen hundred miles from home and we had no idea they were anywhere near us.  What a great surprise!!  So the six of us headed off and had a great dinner together.

Our next travel day took us back into Canada.  We’ve crossed the borders many times but for the first time we were questioned more seriously than usual.  The main focus was about guns but in the end they only decided we had too much beer and wine on board.  We’ve carried more liquor on other crossings but for this trip we had just picked up a couple of cases of beer and a few bottles of wine in Minnesota since it’s so expensive in Canada.  It turns out if you add the $46 duty put on us by Canadian Customs it’s quite expensive regardless.  The worst thing was, once we spent five days in St Ignace, we would be returning to Canada and they could charge us that same duty again unless we could drink it all by then and that didn’t happen.  Oh well, lesson learned.  It’s all just part of the adventure.

Once in Canada we spent the next three nights in Rossport, Ontario at a campground within Rainbow Falls Provincial Park.  We had a gorgeous campsite only a few feet from the beach with a beautiful view overlooking Lake Superior.  In addition to enjoying the fantastic weather and the wonderful views we headed off and did some hiking.  This time we took Stella with us since she is welcome in Canada’s provincial parks and we took a hike along a trail to view the Rainbow Falls.  We also enjoyed a picnic lunch with a great view of the falls and Stella enjoyed a swim.  On our final full day there, a couple more of our friends from Texas stopped by to say hi.  They were making the entire Lake Superior Circle Tour trip on their motorcycles with friends and we had been keeping tabs on each other.  Another real treat!!

Our final Canadian campground before once again crossing back into the United States was in Wawa, Ontario and it turned out to be a real gem.  There we enjoyed a beautiful wooded site, surrounded by pine trees in a quiet setting.  On our one full day in Wawa the three of us headed off to do some exploring.  Along our path we stopped at multiple locations including a couple of beautiful waterfalls, a scenic overlook of Lake Superior, a historic graveyard where about twenty frontier men and women are buried and to downtown Wawa for some history.  It was a nice day to be out and about.

When we arrived in St Ignace, Michigan, it was a little later than planned.  We headed off early that morning but after only 30 minutes of travelling on a quite foggy road, we came to a standstill.  Up until 1960, there was no way to reach Wawa by road.  It was only accessible by boat, air or a long and difficult horseback ride.  In 1960, the one and only road to and from the town was finally completed.  The problem is, there is only the one road and today wasn’t a good day for that road.  We learned while waiting that there had been a fatal traffic accident about a mile ahead of us several hours earlier.  Both sides of the road had been shut down until the wreckage was cleared and the investigation completed.  There was nothing we could do but wait and be happy we were safe and sound.  After a little more than an hour the road finally opened and we were back on our way.  Our next delay came as we entered Sault Ste. Marie and prepared to cross into the United States.  We were told to expect a ten minute delay.  It turned out to be close to another hour to get through customs.  However you look at it, we arrived safe and sound so we had nothing to complain about.  We ended up with a beautiful campsite overlooking Lake Huron.

Our visit to St. Ignace, Michigan was a return trip for us because of some terrible weather we had while there two years ago.  It was so bad that we couldn’t get to Mackinac Island.  This trip was the complete opposite.  Every day was beautiful with fabulous weather. 

We spent our first day by taking a four mile walk downtown and back to check out the ferry schedule and to do a little shopping.  We ended up buying our ferry tickets for the following day and then spent time poking around the shops where Claudia bought a sweatshirt and shoes while I bought some fudge.  It’s all about the priorities with me.  On the way back to the campground we stopped in to a local restaurant and pub for some lunch before relaxing by the campsite to enjoy a great happy hour overlooking Lake Huron.

Early the following morning we headed off and caught the 9am ferry to Mackinac Island.  The water was calm and because we caught one of the “Mighty Mac” ferries, we began our trip to the island by travelling over to and under the Mackinac Bridge.  This meant that our ferry trip actually travelled across both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan since the bridge separates the two.  We were also treated to a nice lesson about the bridge itself.

Once we arrived on Mackinac Island we headed directly to the Carriage Tours booth since we purchased a combo package which included the ferry, carriage tour and the fort.  Once aboard our carriage we travelled across about six miles of the island enjoying the sights, stories and lessons from our tour guides about the island.  We traded one carriage for another about half way through when we left the town and headed through Mackinac State Park.  Our final stop of the tour was at Fort Mackinac that was active from 1780 till 1895.  We enjoyed our time walking around the fort and eventually stopped by the Fort Mackinac Tea Room where we enjoyed a great lunch with an unbelievable view overlooking the town and harbor.  Following lunch it was time to begin our walk down from the fort and back into town for more sightseeing and shopping.  Eventually we decided it was time to head back to the campground so we caught the next ferry to St. Ignace and headed home to Stella.

The next morning we once again headed off early, this time in the car.  We had wanted to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point in Michigan since our last visit, so off we went.  The drive took over an hour and a half to get there but it turned out to be well worth the trip.  We spent a couple of hours touring the museum, looking at the exhibits and reading about many of the thousands of shipwrecks that have occurred on the lakes over the years.  We also watched a video detailing a project that was undertaken to remove the bell from one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time, the Edmund Fitzgerald which sunk during a violent storm just 15 miles from Whitefish Point.  With no bodies recovered from the shipwreck that killed all twenty nine crew members on board in 1975, the families hoped to save the bell as a memorial.  The video was a great way of telling the story of how this was accomplished and an example of just how violent the Great Lakes can become.  Last but not least, Claudia and I decided to take a tour of the lighthouse that was built in 1861 (under Abraham Lincoln’s administration) for a view from the top.  After a climb up the narrow, spiral staircase we were rewarded with a gorgeous 360 degree view.  It was quite blustery and cool up there but well worth it.

Once we left the museum, we stopped by Tahquamenon Falls State Park that was nearby in order to visit the Upper Falls there.  Once we were in the park we took a pretty good hike to the falls which turned out to be quite beautiful.  After some picture taking we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park before heading back to Stella who was waiting back at the campground for us.

With one remaining day left in St. Ignace we decided to relax a bit.  We headed off to Castle Rock, a high area of St. Ignace that offered us a beautiful, towering view of the surrounding area.  Then we headed off for some lunch at Moo Moo’s Ice Cream.  I had Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!!  Claudia had chocolate – of course.  It was definitely a great way to end our visit.
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The following morning started out the same as most mornings we would get ready to leave a campground except that this time I discovered a nail in one of the RV tires as I was putting things away.  After having two blowouts in our past I knew there was no way I would attempt to drive in this situation.  I headed to the office to discuss our situation and they were a great help.  They told me they would move people around if necessary so that I wouldn’t have to leave our site and they gave me the name of the only auto service company in the area.  Lucky for us they turned out to be a great contact.  I gave them a call, they sent out a service truck, they removed the tire, returned to the shop to repair the tire and returned to remount the tire in less than two hours.  And to top it off, the price was fair and reasonable, especially for a Sunday service call.  We’re finally beginning to realize that there are a lot more honest companies out there than there are rip-offs.  We’ve been very lucky over the years and have never felt ripped off on any of our emergency repairs.

With our repair completed we continued our travels and crossed into Canada for the third time in 2019 to begin the final leg of our travels across Canada.  Fortunately the border crossing went a little easier than the last time although these guys have become quite serious about their business and the questioning has become more intense.  With what’s going on in the world recently, I can’t say I blame them.  By mid-afternoon, we were all settled in at our nice wooded campsite in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

We took advantage of two days of very nice weather to explore the area around the historic Sault Ste. Marie canal.  On our first day, just as we arrived at the canal we were lucky enough to watch the locks in operation as a pilot boat approached from Lake Superior in order to continue on to Lake Huron.  The Sault Ste. Marie Canal, built in 1895, was the world’s longest lock, the first to operate using electricity and the last link in an all-Canadian navigational chain from the Atlantic to Lake Superior.  It was fun to watch as the lock lowered the boat from the level of Lake Superior to the level of Lake Huron before the doors opened and the pilot boat continued on its way.  Once the pilot boat headed off we continued to an area along the canal that headed off to some great hiking areas.  We took a hike out to Whitefish Island along some scenic trails.  Whitefish Island is an uninhabited island that was formed more than 2,000 years ago.  It was an Aboriginal settlement where trading was done and was a major source of food due to the abundance of fish.  The area was so beautiful and the trails so nice that we had wished we brought Stella along.

On the following day in Sault Ste. Marie we returned to the canal for another hike and this time brought Stella along to join us.  We chose a trail that went all around South St. Mary’s Island, located between Whitefish Island and the Sault Ste. Marie canal.  This was a trail that wandered through some beautiful area set aside as a wildlife sanctuary and migration stop.  Along the way we were able to see Whitefish Island, International Bridge that separates Lake Superior from Lake Huron and the entire length of the canal.  As we were finishing our hike, we were once again surprised and thrilled to see more boats arriving in the canal.  This time it was a large tour boat and two sailboats.  Once again we stuck around to watch the locks in operation and it was a lot of fun to see.  We ended our day by walking out to the very end of the concrete pier that stuck out into Lake Huron for some picture taking.

Our next stop was a one night stop in Sudbury, Ontario as we drove around Lake Huron.  It was just a place to sleep for the night so we didn’t even disconnect the car.  The following morning we headed off to the small town of Tiny, Ontario for a three night stay.  On our first day in Tiny we headed over to the town of Midland, known as a tourist community with a large harbor.  After enjoying lunch at a restaurant overlooking one of the marinas we took a walk around.  We discovered that “Tug Fest”, a festival of converted tug boats was to take place the following day so there were all sorts of unique boats to walk around and see.  Some were very large boats while others were more modest.  Most of these boats were quite old and had been transformed into some very nice yachts. 

We decided to make our next overnight stop in North Wellington, Ontario, just a few miles from our friends Jim & Liz.  We needed to head off early from Tiny and they weren’t going to be back at their home till later in the day so the easiest thing to do was spend a night nearby.  Just about happy hour time, Jim & Liz came by and we enjoyed a few hours together at our campsite.  The following morning we headed off early and arrived at their farm in Palmerston where we set up the camper, complete with electricity and water.

The four of us spent the day touring the countryside.  They live in the heart of farming country, full of family farms and so much of what we were seeing was all new to us.  In addition to growing crops such as wheat, soybeans and corn, Jim & Liz raise chickens from the time they are just hatched until they are ready for market.  They had just shipped off all their chickens and their barn was currently empty so we swung by their son’s farm where we could see for ourselves what a barn with more than 40,000 chickens in it looks like.  This was a new barn with all the latest farming technologies and was quite impressive.  We spent some great time with their son and his wife while enjoying a few beverages outside in some gorgeous weather.  When we left we crossed the road and took a drive around a piece of land that they recently purchased and plan to cultivate that covers 100 acres.  Having grown up and lived on a lot of land that was approximately ¼ acre, 100 acres seemed incredible.  Next we headed off to drive around and see many different farms and we got a real feel of what it must be like to live in a family farming community in Ontario.  It was such a great time and we really enjoyed the tour.  On our way back to the farm we stopped in to see their daughter and family for a while and had another great visit.  Once back at Jim & Liz’s house we enjoyed beverages, dinner and some great time together.  So much off the beaten track but so worth the trip!!

Our final Canadian stop was in Kingston, Ontario.   Our plan had been to take a three hour boat tour on Lake Huron to explore the Thousand Islands area but unfortunately, once again, weather changed those plans.  It’s unusual for us to miss out on stops due to weather but it seemed to be more of the norm this year.  So with thunderstorms and heavy rains predicted for the area we headed off to see what we could visit by car.  We decided to make a stop at Fort Henry, originally built in 1812 and located on a high bluff overlooking the city of Kingston.  The fort was used to monitor maritime traffic on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario and was considered to be a good location as a defensive fortification.  The fort was active up until the end of the Second World War when it served as a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers.  For us it offered a great view of the area surrounding us as we wandered the grounds and explored the various levels including tunnels and underground bunkers.  We were also treated to reenactments and drills performed for our benefit.  The weather turned out to be very nice and we were happy to enjoy our final day in Canada at this historic location.
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We really enjoyed these past nine weeks as we traveled across Canada.  Not only were we able to share time with some great friends and enjoy a week on a house boat but along the way we were able to enjoy the ride as we drove around or over magnificent snow covered mountains, through isolated forests, across wide open prairies and along roads completely surrounded by farm and ranch lands.  The landscape was always beautiful and the roads were well maintained for the most part although rarely more than one or two lanes wide in each direction.  There was very little congestion on the roads unless we were near cities and even then, they weren’t nearly as congested as we see in the states.  Most of the campgrounds’ electric and sewer hookups were not quite as modern as what we’d hoped for, but the beauty and the solitude made up for it.  This was a drive that had been on our bucket list since our first year on the road seven years ago.  It was worth the wait, and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

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The Glaciers, Revelstoke, Yoho & Banff

6/22/2019

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On June 4th we began the next phase of our 2019 road trip with visits to several US and Canadian National Parks.  Our first stop was in Coram, Montana, just outside of the US Glacier National Park.  Our first full day there was gorgeous so we were able to enjoy it on the western side of the park which was close to us.  We began as usual at the visitor center where we discussed what we wanted to see with a ranger who pointed us in the direction we were looking for and suggested several trails for us to enjoy.  Following that we stuck around for a talk by another ranger who described the wildlife in the park as well as how to deal with the animals, particularly the bears and mountain lions we may encounter.  We had heard much of this before but Claudia decided a refresher course was a good idea.  We also learned that the Going-to-the-Sun Road that we had been looking forward to traveling was currently impassable and wouldn’t be open for a few more weeks.  The Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1932 and is a spectacular 50 mile, paved two-lane highway that bisects the park east and west.  It spans the width of Glacier National Park, crossing the Continental Divide at the 6,646 foot high Logan Pass.  It crosses through almost every type of terrain in the park, from large glacial lakes and cedar forests in the lower valleys to windswept alpine tundra atop the pass.  Although it was a disappointment that we would miss it, we made plans to enjoy the portions of the park we could get to.

We decided to start things off by driving up the first 16 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road that is open on the western side.  We could see right off we were still in for a treat with the beautiful and crystal clear Lake McDonald off to our left and gorgeous mountain ranges ahead of us.  We discovered many beautiful places we were able to pull over and enjoy including a portion of Lake McDonald, some great mountain views, a raging river and a few waterfalls.  We also found ourselves a quiet little spot on the side of a river with a view of the mountains where we were able to enjoy our picnic lunch.
 

Unfortunately, the week we stayed in Coram, MT turned out to be rainy on most days so our traveling was limited.  On one of the days when we had a break we decided to take a drive over to the Hungry Horse Dam a short drive away.  It was a really interesting visit with some nice views in a very remote area.

We did have one additional day that started out beautiful and the forecast looked great so early that morning we packed our stuff into the car including jackets and hats since the forecast also predicted cooler temps.  With the Going-to-the-Sun Road closed in the middle, we made the two hour drive around to the Saint Mary entrance on the eastern side of Glacier National park.  It turned out to be a beautiful drive with some stunning scenery.  More snow covered mountains than we could count but also gorgeous meadows, many filled with flowers of all colors.
 

Once we arrived we began our drive along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, but this time heading east to west.  We enjoyed many scenic stops along the way including one spectacular stop in particular that overlooked Saint Mary Lake with the snow covered mountains surrounding it.  As we were getting close to the section where the road was closed we found a parking spot and walked to a trailhead leading to several waterfalls.  We decided on a hike over to Saint Mary Falls, a trail that meanders through the forest for about a mile and a half before we reached the falls.  While at the falls we wandered around to several viewpoints enjoying the beauty and taking as many pictures as we could.  There were bear warnings at the trailhead so we stayed aware of our surroundings and I had my bear spray but we had no bear sightings on this day although we did see signs on the trail. 

After we returned to the car we completed the drive to the closed portion of the road before turning around and heading back.  At this point we drove a short distance to a picnic area and decided to enjoy lunch outdoors.  The sun was out and up to this point the weather was beautiful but cool.  Just as we finished lunch however, the wind picked up and the rain came.  It really didn’t matter to us since we had completed what we came to see so we were happy.  Once we left the mountains, the sunshine returned and the rain stopped so that we could enjoy our two hour return trip back to the campsite and of course, to Stella.

On the day we left Montana we enjoyed exceptional weather and lovely roads that were beautiful although narrow and rolling at times.  Our cross into Canada was routine with no problems.  They still have a problem believing that we’re from Texas and don’t have any guns until we admit we’re transplants from Massachusetts.

That first night’s stay in Fort Steele, British Columbia turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.  Not only was the weather gorgeous with sunny skies and temps in the 80’s but the campsite we were in had spectacular views of the snow covered Rockies.  We enjoyed an extended happy hour followed by a grilled dinner outside.  Obviously this was their first warm sunny day in a while because the snow covered mountains had a lot less snow by the end of the evening.  Having a sunset at 9:47 and a last light at 11:30 certainly helps.  Our next stop in Golden, BC sunset occurred at 10:03 with a last light at 12:02.  Good thing we have nice shades.

We arrived in Golden the following day and headed downtown that night to enjoy a dinner at one of the local pub & grills.  After dinner we took a stroll over to Spirit Square, a popular area of town where the locals get together for community fun.  A live band was playing so we pulled out the folding chairs from our car, set them up, sat down and enjoyed the music while watching the locals all having a great time.

The next day we headed off early and drove over to Canada’s Glacier National Park.  It took about an hour to get to the visitor center where we got some ideas on how to spend the day.  We decided to continue further along the highway for another hour until we got to Revelstoke National Park for a drive along the Meadows in the Sky Parkway.  It turned out most of the day would be in the car as there weren’t too many short hikes in either parks that we were interested in and we were limited to a seven or eight hour day due to Stella being left behind at the RV.  The drive along the Meadows in the Sky Parkway was well worth the trip since it gave us the views and vistas we were looking forward to.  The Parkway climbs about 5,250 feet along about 16 miles of roadway with many scenic viewpoints to enjoy along the way.  As a bonus, on our way back down the parkway we were treated to a mother black bear and her cub who was just strolling along the side of the road before the cub scampered back into the woods followed by mom.  It’s about as close as we’ve ever been to a black bear and definitely closer than we’ve ever been to a young cub in the wild.  We also decided we had enough time for one hike before completing our day out so we enjoyed a mile long hike along an interpretive boardwalk through rare Columbia Mountain wetland.

After taking our next day to relax and enjoy a walk downtown for some lunch, we headed off early on our third and final day to another national park we hadn’t heard about before.  Yolo National Park is just east of Golden and sits between Golden and Banff National Park.  After a relatively short drive we stopped at our first hiking trail.  This trail would take us over to Wapta Falls.  It turned out to be a 3 mile hike through dense forest until we reached the Kicking Horse River.  After about a mile or so we could begin to hear the roar of the falls.  After a fairly steep descent we reached the river and gazed at this beautiful waterfall right in front of us.  It’s the largest waterfall of the Kicking Horse River, at about 100 feet high and 500 feet wide.  It was well worth the descent we had to make to get to it.  After taking our time and enjoying the area for a while and of course taking many pictures we began the inevitable ascent back up the mountain until we reached the main trailhead where we completed our return to the parking area.  Once again we were very conscious of our surroundings as we knew the area was well populated with bears but once again, thankfully, no encounters.
 

After Wapta Falls we continued our drive through Yoho National Park, enjoying the scenery all around us.  Snow covered mountains were the norm with a thick growth of green forests below the snowy peaks.  The signs of past avalanche activity were clearly evident with large patches of trees just driven down the sides of the mountains.  The mountain peaks that were not covered in snow were just as gorgeous with rock faced cliffs in all imaginable shapes.
 

Our plan was to stop at a place called Emerald Lake but unfortunately there were no parking spaces available so we moved on from there and stopped at another spot nearby called Natural Bridge for our picnic lunch.  Natural Bridge is a beautiful natural rock formation that spans the flow of the Kicking Horse River, where the slower-moving waters from the valley flats begin their descent through a canyon to be joined by the Amiskwi River.  This was another impressive stop that we didn’t expect but won’t be forgetting.  Following our visit to Natural Bridge we began the return drive back to our campground ending our trip into Yoho National Park.
 

I’ve said this before but I want to say it again.  One of the best things about traveling as we do is discovering and exploring spots we have never even heard of before.  We came to Golden, BC to visit Canada’s Glacier National Park and ended up discovering both Yoho National Park and Revelstoke National Park that each fit into that category.  All three of these parks were gorgeous in their own way and all three were well worth the time we spent at them.

Our next stop took us to Canmore, Alberta where we intended to enjoy six full days exploring Banff National Park and its surrounding area.  Unfortunately, most of the week was cool and wet so our sightseeing opportunities were limited.  On the first nice day we did have we took advantage of it and headed off early to downtown Banff.  There we located a parking spot we could stay at for the day before catching a shuttle over to the Banff Gondola.  The weather was quite overcast early but the hourly forecast called for clearing so we took the chance and bought our tickets for the scenic gondola ride to viewing decks & hiking trails at the summit of Sulphur Mountain.

Once we arrived at the summit we were greeted by the sight of six stunning mountain ranges and the sweep of the Bow Valley below.  There we enjoyed the views from the Sulphur Mountain summit at 7,510 feet and they were breathtaking.  It was raining as we arrived and quite overcast but as we had hoped, the sky cleared quickly and we were able to explore the area.  We started by taking a walk along the Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk to learn more about Canada’s first national park and climbed to their first weather station at the peak.  Following our return to the Gondola Summit Building we enjoyed the exhibits in the interpretive center as well as more views from the Rooftop Observation Deck.  After we returned to the gondola base and caught a shuttle back into Banff we walked around downtown for a bit before finding a place for lunch and for Claudia to do a bit of shopping.
Over the next few days the rain was steady and the temps remained cold.  We woke up to fresh snow on the mountains around us a couple of times.  We did enjoy one afternoon in downtown Canmore as we explored the area and enjoyed a nice lunch at the Grizzly Pub.  We took our time and explored lots of shops as well as an open air market.  Unfortunately, on one of the coldest nights when the temp was about 38 degrees outside our heat decided to stop working.  For whatever reason the furnace just won’t ignite so we pulled out the infrared quartz heater that we keep underneath the motor home and we’ll that use until we figure out what’s going on.  Of course that might not be till we get back to Texas.  We’re actually hoping that it just won’t be needed.

On our final full day in the Banff area we awoke to beautiful weather with bright blue skies and temps in the 60’s.  We were happy to have for one more day like this so we headed off for a one hour cruise on Lake Minnewanka, the largest lake in Banff National Park.  The cruise began at the western end of the lake and we enjoyed views of  towering peaks and emerald green water surrounded by forested slopes and rocky shorelines.  The boat was great with comfortable seats and awesome views for everyone.  I particular liked sitting next to a window that opened allowing me to take some great pictures.
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On the following morning we once again headed back on the road, this time to Calgary, Alberta, officially ending the National Park portion of our 2019 road trip.  Although the weather didn’t cooperate as well as we hoped at times, we had wonderful visits to each of the five national parks with great sights, wonderful hikes and views of some spectacular scenery.

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Heading Towards Canada

6/4/2019

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We started our 2019 road trip on 5/11/2019.  It was a drizzly start but we ended up having a nice ride before the day was over.  We decided on a backroads route along the Rio Grande River and through many old border towns.   Our first day was uneventful and we stopped overnight in Crystal City, Texas.  It felt good to be back on the road.

Reality set in on our next day after we prepared to leave a Walmart parking lot that we had stopped at for a quick break.  As we got ready to leave, I turned the ignition key of the motor home and nothing happened.  Fortunately our motor home comes with an emergency start switch that allows the coach to be started by the house batteries.  I gave it a shot and sure enough, the RV started fine.  We completed our trip to our next one night stop in Fort Stockton without turning the engine off in fear that it might not start again.  However this didn’t keep us from stopping along the way at one of our all-time favorite rest stops overlooking Seminole Canyon along the Pecos River.  It was an overcast day but the views were still amazing.  Once we arrived at the campground in Fort Stockton I checked the battery and discovered that it did indeed have a dead cell.  So off we went to purchase a new battery at the local auto parts store.  We haven’t had a problem with the battery since I installed the replacement.  The truth of the matter is, I was a bit hesitant to do the job myself due to the confined area and number of connections that were attached to the old battery but it turned out to be a fairly easy job. 



Our next day of travel to Carlsbad, New Mexico was a tough day of driving.  Even though we only had a 2 ½ hour drive we decided to leave early due to some dangerous storms that were going to be passing through the route we planned to be driving.  Although we beat the worst of the weather we still hit a lot of rain along 60 or 70 miles of roads that were under construction and very muddy.  When we arrived at our campground in Carlsbad, New Mexico our motor home and car were both covered in mud.
 
We enjoyed our first multiple night stay in Carlsbad.  We spent our only full day there celebrating Claudia’s birthday at one of the best BBQ restaurants we’ve ever been to.  Then, that night we headed over to Carlsbad Caverns National Park for the main reason we returned here.  In 2014 we came through this area in March and the bats hadn’t arrived yet.  This year the bats were supposed to have arrived from their migration grounds in Mexico by now.  We arrived at the amphitheater where we were reminded by the ranger that there is never a guarantee that any bats would fly out of the caves on a given night, even in mid-May.  After over an hour of waiting and learning all about bats from the park ranger and right at dusk, we were treated to a spectacular sight.  Tens of thousands of bats exited the cave entrance, circling like a tornado and filling the sky as they headed off for their dinner.  The exodus took over 15 full minutes to complete.  This was an unreal experience that we’ll never forget.  It was definitely worth the trip back there.

As we drove out of Carlsbad, New Mexico we headed west towards Arizona.  Our first travel day was a day that you can only dream about when you’re on the road.  The weather was gorgeous with a bright blue sky and the views along our route were spectacular.  The road changed back and forth between a one lane and a two lane highway and there was very little traffic.  Along the way we drove along the edge of Guadalupe Mountains National Park and stopped at several viewing areas including one next to the beautiful El Capitan.  Next we drove for miles across the Salt Flats with more amazing views.  We had to cross the Franklin Mountains through El Paso but a six thousand foot climb in a motor home towing a vehicle is no issue as long as you take your time.  We spent one night in Las Cruces, New Mexico before arriving in Tucson, Arizona for a four night stay.  At this point we were ready for a break and looked forward to some relaxation.
  
We spent our first bright and sunny day in Tucson visiting the Pima Air & Space Museum.  The museum features displays of over 300 aircraft spread out over more than 80 acres.  We spent a good part of the day viewing various aircraft both outside and through many hangers, all full of aircraft that have existed since the birth of flight.  There were several hangers designed for specific time periods or geographic areas such as WWII in Europe, WWII in Japan and Vietnam.  There were also a couple of museums for specific subjects.  One was for Space Flight, detailing the history of space flight from the beginning and into the future including replicas of many vehicles such as the Apollo capsule and the Mars rover.   Another museum was dedicated to the 390th Bombardment Group, many of whom died while flying B17 “Flying Fortress” bombers in WWII.  This museum gave you a great idea of just what it was like to belong to this group and others like it during WWII.  This was definitely one of the best air and space museums we have ever visited.

The weather on our second day turned out to be just as gorgeous as our first with temps hovering in the low 80’s.  We spent the day visiting with an old childhood friend of Claudia’s.  We spent most of the day enjoying the company of her friend Donna and Donna’s son Tim.  After being treated to a home cooked meal at her home we headed over to our campground in order to give a tour of our home on wheels.  There we spent several hours outside just enjoying each other’s company.  We are so fortunate to have a lifestyle that allows us to meet up with both old and new friends as we travel.  During this year’s road trip, we’ll be doing a lot of that.

On our final day in Tucson we decided to stick around the campground and get some errands taken care of.  We had planned to take a drive or a hike out in the desert but once in a while when you’re on the road like we are you just have to take a day off to get stuff done and to relax so that’s what we did.  We’ve been to Tucson before and due to its proximity to Texas, we’ll be back again.  There are still a few places in that area we want to see.

We made the short two hour drive from Tucson to Phoenix for another four night stay.  Once we settled in to our campsite we immediately contacted a Glass Company in order to get an enormous chip in our windshield repaired that we received courtesy of an Arizona dump truck.  Even the glass guy was surprised at the size of it but he repaired it the best he could and hopes, as we do that a crack across the entire windshield doesn’t appear off one of the spines.  There’s nothing more we can do about it.  We just accept it as part of life on the road.  At this point we’re just hoping it’ll hold off until we get back to Texas.

One of the perks of traveling around the country every year is getting together with friends from long ago.  Our first full day in Phoenix was extra special when I broke a record for the longest period between separation and a reunion.  A few months ago on Facebook, I found Pam, a friend of mine I hadn’t seen since we were teenagers over 45 years ago.  Claudia and I met up with her and her husband Stephen for a visit at their home followed by a tour of their area in the northeastern portion of Phoenix.  We had a great lunch at a local Western Bar and Grill in Cave Creek, a gorgeous area of Arizona.  We had such a wonderful day together.  I just couldn’t believe it had been 45 years.  The reunion was special and we’ll be back to see them again.

On our second day in Phoenix we got together with Harriet, a longtime close friend of Claudia’s who now lives there.  Claudia hasn’t seen Harriet in about three years while it’s been five years for me so we definitely had some catching up to do.  We enjoyed time at her home before heading off for a walk along the canal and over to a nice little Café for lunch.  Once we arrived we were joined by Harriet’s daughter Karen who lives in the area as well.  Although Claudia has seen Karen on rare occasions, I hadn’t seen her since we flew out for her wedding back in 2004.  Claudia and I were newlyweds ourselves at that time.  It was another great day full of memories and great conversation with wonderful people.

On our final day in Phoenix we enjoyed the day with my cousin Richard and his wife who I hadn’t seen in five years.  He grew up in Virginia while I grew up in Massachusetts but it’s amazing how many similar memories we share of those times we did get together.  We also had many similar memories of the time with our grandparents so he played a video for me about some of his time with them, originally taken with a Super 8 movie camera.  Our Grandpa had his own candy business and it was so much fun watching that video of him making candy so many years ago.  The video also included clips of many family members as well as mutual friends which made us laugh but also reminded us of how long ago these clips were taken.  It was another wonderful day full of great memories.

Our next stop took us to Las Vegas, Nevada for a three night stay over Memorial Day weekend.  The day of our six hour trip was sunny and beautiful and began in busy traffic along the highways leading out of Phoenix.  Shortly however we were driving on a two lane highway with gorgeous views just about all the way to Vegas.  We drove along as well as up and over the Vulture Mountains, the Aquarius Mountains, the Hualapai Mountains and the Black Mountains just to name a few.  We also drove through the Mojave Desert and the Joshua Tree Forest.  It turned out to be another beautiful drive.

We began our first full day in Vegas by catching a shuttle to the Vegas strip.  Once on the strip we walked around and did a little gambling in a couple of the casino’s before the Chocolate Bar at the New York New York Casino caught Claudia’s eye.  So while I sat and enjoyed a cold beer, Claudia sat and enjoyed a Death by Chocolate Martini.  Fortunately it didn’t kill her but she needed a meal right afterwards because although that martini was delicious, she sure did feel it.  Luckily, right next to us was the restaurant we planned to enjoy dinner at anyway, Nine Fine Irishmen.  About six years ago our niece told us about their Chicken Pot Pies.  This is our third trip to Vegas since then and today I had my Chicken Pot Pie at Nine Fine Irishmen for the third time.  I just can’t help it.  It’s so good I had to pass on all the other good looking items they had on their menu.  Following lunch we decided to take an Uber back to the campground where we spent the rest of the evening.  It was our first experience with Uber and it turned out to be quite a positive eye opener.
  
On our second and final full day in Vegas we enjoyed a slow start before we eventually got going and headed over to the Omelet House a couple miles from the campground.  We’ve been there before and no other place makes a six egg omelet quite like this place.  What we didn’t finish we saved for dinner.
  
Mid-afternoon we once again called Uber and headed back to the Vegas strip.  I had purchased tickets the previous night for a popular show called The Bronx Wanderers and we were off to see it.  We arrived early so we played a few slots before heading over to see the show at a beautiful stage at the Linq Hotel & Casino.  This was a spectacular live musical production of some good old rock and roll, some classic rock and some current hits.  The Bronx Wanderers is the true story of a father and his two sons who have made it their life’s dream to perform and they provided us some excellent music as well as a great story to tell along with it.

The following morning we began our trek north towards Spokane, Washington.  This is our sixth year on the road and even after six years we’re still amazed at how beautiful this country is.  As we headed north out of Vegas it didn’t take long to get off the interstate and head north on a single lane highway through parts of this country we’ve never seen before.  We spent the next 200 miles traveling along roads that were in very good shape and had very little traffic.  At times we could see many miles ahead of us and many miles behind us with no other vehicles in view.  We travelled along the baselines of several mountain ranges, all with gradual ascents and descents.  We did eventually climb to over 8,000 feet but it was a slow and steady drive.  We saw many snow covered mountains as well as miles of desert through the Desert National Wildlife Range.  All we could say was “Wow”!!  All good things had to come to an end however as we spent the last 50 miles going in and out of some terrible weather.  We hit severe downpours as well as sleet and hail as we were descending from our higher altitudes.  As always, we took our time and did just fine.
  
We spent the next two nights in Ely, Nevada and Filer, Idaho before arriving in Baker City, Oregon for a two night stay.  I’m sounding like a broken record but the roads we traveled continued to be beautiful.  As has been our luck this trip, traffic was fairly light and the roads in great shape.  For a good portion of our trip we traveled along the Snake River.  As we were leaving Twin Falls, Idaho, just outside of Filer we came across a rest area with some gorgeous views of one of the canyons and the river.  We enjoyed taking a walk along the canyon wall for some picture taking.  We’ve decided that a return trip to Idaho is in our future.  It’s a beautiful part of our country that we hadn’t previously appreciated.
  
On our day off in Baker City, Oregon we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at home before heading off for some sightseeing.  We headed over to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center to learn what we could about the Oregon Trail which ran right through what is now Baker City.  The center offered living history demonstrations, exhibits, films and some well-preserved wagon ruts that we were able to see for ourselves.  We began our visit with a conversation with a “living pioneer” who was describing her trip that she had already made across most of the 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri on her way to Willamette Valley, Oregon.  The presentation described what it was like for women in particular to make such a difficult journey.  It was a fascinating performance.  We then made our way through the exhibit area before enjoying a film that highlighted many of the trials and tribulations that the more than 300,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers and their families decided to make.  We ended our visit with a walk over to the actual ruts made by those wagons so many years ago and have been preserved.  It was a strange feeling knowing that we were standing exactly where those pioneers stood over a hundred and fifty years ago.
  
Once we headed out of Baker City we started off early for our six hour drive to Spokane, Washington.  We arrived late afternoon and parked our motor home in the driveway of our friends, Larry & Donna for our four night visit.  We began our weekend together by relaxing on the deck of their beautiful home overlooking acres and acres of gorgeous countryside.  After a few hours enjoying each other’s company we were treated to a wonderful home cooked dinner.  All the while, Stella just loved the green grass and the air conditioned home with soft carpet to lie on.

We spent the weekend going in different directions.  While Claudia and Donna headed off a couple of times for some local wine tasting, Larry and I decided on checking out a couple of the local breweries.  Our friend Loretta joined the girls on Sunday for their excursion before we all headed off for an Italian dinner that evening where we met up with more friends of ours, Jim & Anna Maya.

On our final full day in Spokane, we took a ride over to Jim & Anna Maya’s home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  They have a gorgeous home on a cliff overlooking Coeur d’Alene Lake.  There we enjoyed another wonderful home cooked meal as well as the company of some special people.

That brings us to the morning of our departure from Spokane.  I failed to mention that we had a bit of difficulty getting up Larry & Donna’s driveway when we arrived.  It was a sharp turn into their driveway and rose uphill quite steeply and quickly.  Even though we had removed the car from the tow bar I failed to take the hitch off.  The hitch dug into the gravel road quite deeply at the base of the driveway but luckily we got past it with minimal damage.  I soon realized however that getting down was going to be much harder even without the hitch.  That’s because my wheel base is closer together than most and I have a long section behind the back axle that I was sure would hit the ground.  It turned out I was correct but I had a plan.  As I descended the end of the driveway very slowly, I’d stop and build a bridge of sorts using my RV leveling blocks.  Basically, just as the rear end of the motor home began to bottom out on the gravel, I’d add leveling blocks in front of my rear tires to raise the rear axle and kept inching forward until I was clear.  It took a while but was worth the effort.  No damage at all.  These things are all just part of the adventure.

Our final route for now was the 300 mile trip through three states as we made our way out of Washington, through Idaho and into Montana.  Most of those miles were on state highways with more spectacular views.  We arrived at a campground just outside the west entrance to Glacier National park.  This will be the first of three National Parks that we’ll be visiting over the next 20 days.  We’re very excited about some of the special places we’ll soon be visiting.  Keep an eye on our web site as we’ll do our best to keep you posted.  Have I mentioned how much we love this life?

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Winter in Texas 2018

5/10/2019

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Well we’ve just finished spending our sixth winter as retirees.  It’s hard to believe how quickly the past six years have gone since hitting the road full time back in May 2013.  We’ve seen so much of this country already and there is still so much more to see.

This past winter in the Rio Grande Valley started out hard for us with rain being our focus.  For the second time in 2018 our park was flooded due to extreme amounts of heavy rain.  We arrived just in time for the worst flooding on record.  A few times the water came within an inch of reaching the sliding door to our Texas Room where we have carpeting, furniture and electronics including our beautiful 92” TV but we were fortunate and escaped any damage with only our yard and driveway being flooded.

This season we moved along with additional improvements to the mobile.  We now have some new furniture for our living room and Texas Room as well as a new desk for the office.  We converted our guest room to a sewing room for Claudia and have installed new carpeting in both the office and the sewing room.  We replaced our bedroom and office windows as well as our ancient sliding door to the Texas Room that most people have had a very hard time opening.  We also renovated our bedroom and master bathroom but decided to hire a contractor for that due to the necessary electrical and plumbing issues.  He completed the demolition quickly but slowed down significantly with the new construction and installation of the cabinets and fixtures including the new shower unit.  Once he did complete his final tasks we realized how unprofessional he was in many areas.  We had to repair a leak under the sink, patch and repair many areas of the wall and most significantly, repair leaks in our new shower.  After replacing the caulk ourselves once, we realized that the real problem was that he had never leveled the base unit which caused the caulking to crack as you moved around on the base.  We ended up cutting a hole behind the shower unit in our closet in order to access and level the base.  Once we re-caulked the shower base we had no additional problems.  We also decided to pick up where we left off last year in the living room and kitchen and continue our laminate floor through to the bedroom area.  What a difference a nice floor makes.  And just recently we finally completed the new linen closet in the bathroom that used to be a shower stall.  Claudia is thrilled with all the new storage space.

Stella gave us a scare this year after we noticed some lumps that were growing inside of her.  One of them was fairly large and needed to be removed before it started causing her real issues.  She ended up with two major incisions on her side that they stapled and another on her neck that ended up in stitches.  Once those were removed she quickly got back to being her old self.  It was heartbreaking to watch her for the first few days after the surgery.  We were even having doubts about our decision to have the surgery performed but now we’re glad it’s done and behind us.  By the way, the lumps were all benign so we were able to rule out cancer.

Our band, the “Nudie Bluez” was a great success again this year.  We added two new members bringing the total to seven of us.  Ray, our mentor joined us full time to give us a great lead guitar and his wife Win joined us on keyboard.  It brought a whole new dimension to the group and we had so much fun jamming together.  In addition to five performances this season we brought in the New Year in style.  Roy, one of our park DJ’s and a great friend of ours hosted the evening and the band played for over an hour about mid-way through.  The party went from 8pm till after 1am and everyone commented on how great the evening went.  Having both a DJ and a live band turned out to be an excellent mix.  It was nice to be able to enjoy most of the evening with Claudia as we spent lots of time on the dance floor.  The night of our final performance of this season however turned out to be a bittersweet night for me as I had informed my fellow band members earlier in the day that I would be leaving the band at the end of the night.  As one of the three original members of the band, it was a difficult decision for me but it’s time to retire.  The band was taking more of my time than I wanted to put in.  Like anything else, it takes a lot of time and work to make anything successful and this band was no different.  Five years ago we had just begun learning how to play our guitars and had a list of maybe 8 to 10 songs.  On our last night we played 32 out of our list of 90 songs.  The band has come a long way and it will continue without me.  I’m looking forward to spending next year’s performances dancing the night away.

And speaking of dancing the night away, yes, we continued our weekly dance lessons at another RV park nearby.  I’m finally beginning to feel like I “get it”.  We’re really having a lot of fun as we learn more and more movements to the Texas Two Step and the Waltz.  On one night this season, a bunch of us returned to the same park where we take our lessons and danced the night away to a wonderful country band with more than enough songs we could dance to.  There are about ten of us now from Sandpipers who make the journey each week for the lessons.

As anyone who has read any of my previous blogs know, I’m known around here as the obnoxious Pats fan for a reason.  In truth, I’m just about the ONLY Pats fan down here so I have to be sure everyone understands where my loyalties lie.  It really isn’t any secret considering that my golf cart is covered in Pats decals and until recently, displayed a 5X Super Bowl Champions flag.  That flag has since been replaced by a 6X Super Bowl Champions flag following this year’s Super Bowl win.  We have many football fans of many different teams down here and although I receive the teasing I deserve, they are all great sports and I always have someone to watch a game with.  Our Texas Room is known as NFL Central during football season and I was able to enjoy both the AFC Championship game between the Pats and the Chiefs and the Super Bowl between the Pats and the Rams with our Texas Room full of friends and fans.  During this year’s Super Bowl we hosted over 20 people watching the game with another 8 to 10 inside the house with Claudia hosting card and board games for the football widows.

During this year’s winter stay, Claudia and I decided it was time to finally go out and get that new car we’ve been talking about.  So the HHR is history and we’re now owners of a 2019 Chevy Equinox.  We had decided on the Equinox not only because we liked the look & feel of it but because it was designed to be flat towed behind a motor home without any modifications.  We decided on red because, well because Claudia wanted red.  After purchasing the car we had a tow bar installed, the lights were wired for towing and a new braking system was added for towing.
 
Now that we had a new car, it was time to take a road trip so we headed out for a three day trip to South Padre Island this year.  We were able to test out the new car tow and brake system between the motor home and the Equinox and everything worked great.  While out on South Padre Island we spent a lot of time walking, enjoying the beach and spending time with about a dozen of our friends.

Claudia once again demonstrated some of her theatrical skills this season.  She began by performing in a skit during our annual variety show, this year titled the “Follies”.  She was one of the eight witches in a dance number titled “The Sand Witches of Sandpipers”.  The show was a hit as always and the witches did great.  She then performed in our annual theatrical production, this year titled Beautiful Beulah Belle or, Virtue's Various Vicissitudes with Claudia playing Beulah herself.  She spent well over a month practicing and memorizing her lines and she played the part perfectly.  It’s always a great time watching our friends as they present a wide variety of plays.  Each year it’s something different and can be quite surprising and always entertaining.  They work hard to give us a great performance and they never disappoint us.

Once again we were part of the Sandpiper Bowling League.  Each Friday we head out early and 14 teams of four people each, all from here at Sandpipers meet up at the bowling alley for some great fun.  Our season normally lasts about 14 weeks.  This year our Secretary/Treasurer, the person we all rely on to lead our league, announced that he would be retiring from his position.  During our final meeting all members were asked for nominees and much to my surprise, my name and my name alone was nominated.  I wasn’t expecting it or planning on it but with no other nominations being made, I accepted the position.  I’m sure I’ll have lots of help and Claudia will make a great treasurer.

Our Olympic games were once again a blast and we had gorgeous weather for the entire week.  Claudia and I both won our share of medals but surprisingly some of them were in events we didn’t do well in before.  On the flip side of that, we didn’t do too well in the events we’ve previously done well in.  That just adds to the fun of participating in all the events, even ones we know we aren’t good at or hadn’t participated in before.

All in all it was another great winter season here at Sandpipers.  We had many dances to attend, each with varying themes including Halloween, a Western Roundup, a couple of outdoor Street Dances, a Beach Party, Mardi Gras and several more.  We also celebrated National Margarita Day and Mardi Gras with our very own Bourbon Street complete with food, beverages and our own parade.  For the second year in a row I lead the parade playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” on the clarinet.  We socialized at many of our regular Pub Nights at Cheerz, our very own on-site “pub” and we enjoyed plenty of tennis, pickle ball, pool time and happy hours just about every single day including many potluck super happy hours with themes that included hot dogs, baked potatoes, tacos and other good stuff.

As our season began to come to an end and our friends began to head off in all different directions, we spent some time cleaning the inside and outside of the mobile home and staining the porches.  We also redesigned our outside trellis area by removing some old vines and replacing rotting lattice work with new vinyl ones.  While I was busy doing the woodwork, Claudia stayed busy extending the garden around the house.  The result has turned out really nice.  

Our final three weeks at Sandpipers was dusty and noisy.  The pothole ridden road that runs in front of our house is being replaced by a very nice new one, complete with drainage ditches.  Between this new road and the work the county has been doing to develop a much better drainage system outside the park we’re hoping our flooding days are behind us.  Transferring our stuff from the mobile home to the RV located in another part of the resort presented some challenges this year but we made it happen, thanks largely to having a golf cart.
 
The 2018/2019 winter season has been great for us.  We’ve visited new places, hiked new trails, made new friends and best of all have stayed healthy.  We couldn’t ask for more.  Our families are all doing well and we’re looking forward to seeing them once again this summer as we do each year.  Be sure to check out our web page regularly as we begin our seventh year on the road.  We hope you’ll enjoy following our adventures.  We’ll do our best to keep our web page updated as frequently as possible.


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Indy, Missouri, OKC & Texas

9/4/2018

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We had a few bumps in the road on our return to Texas just prior to, and following our departure from Camp Sawash.  As we were testing our tow connections and electrical hookups to the car we discovered that we had no headlights and no front turn signals.  This had happened once before a couple of years ago that turned out to be a broken ground wire.  I spent several hours on that Sunday, mostly in the rain crawling from the front to the rear of the RV looking for the ground wire but found nothing.  At this point all I could hope for was a quick response from the truck service guy I use while in Massachusetts.  Claudia kept saying don’t worry about it, they’ll work on it right away; it’ll be an easy fix, etc.  I never believed it was going to be that easy.  Two years ago I had to wait a week and a half for an appointment and it took 5 hours to find the problem.  Anyway, I called Monday morning at 7:45, over an hour before they were supposed to open.  I told them my problem and was told to come right in.  When I got there, this guy Rob comes out to greet me, I tell him my story and he says, “I was here when they were trouble shooting this issue two years ago, I think I know where the wire is”.  I’m thinking no way, but we open the hood and he points to the wire, barely hanging on to a bolt that’s almost falling off.  Five minutes and $20 later I’m on my way, good as new.  I hate it when Claudia’s right but I’m ok with it this time.

So at about 6:30am on Tuesday morning we headed off right on schedule, planning for an early arrival in Phelps, New York for our first night back on the road.  All was going as planned until just after we had driven along a single narrow lane through a construction project along the New York Turnpike.  Unbeknownst to us, we had picked up a screw along the way in our front driver side tire.  As soon as the lanes opened up this tire blew.  Fortunately we were in the right lane and I was able to get over into a narrow breakdown lane to evaluate what had just happened.  Once I realized we had blown the tire we contacted Good Sam Roadside Assistance where they eventually told us they had contacted a guy to replace our tire.  They told us he’d be arriving in 2 ½ to 3 hours.  In the meantime, a New York Turnpike officer pulled over and told us we weren’t allowed to stay on the turnpike so he called for a tow.  Within about an hour we were towed to a nearby truck stop where our tire guy was waiting for us.  Shortly afterwards we were once again on our way with a new tire and only a few hours behind schedule. 

Over the next few days we spent our days on the road as we camped at one night layovers in Phelps, New York, Conneaut, Ohio and Marengo, Ohio.  As usual we kept our traveling down to between 4 and 6 hours per day and for the most part the weather was good although we did have our periods of rain as well.  The rain turned out to be more of a problem than anticipated when our passenger wiper broke during the heavy rain (not the first time this has happened) which meant the remainder of our trip to Texas would be with only one wiper.  Our afternoons remained quite pleasant however so we were able to enjoy our daily happy hours.  It was a chance for both of us to unwind and chat about what was ahead.  It also gave Stella a chance to relax.

On that following Friday afternoon we arrived at our first three night stay at a campground in Indianapolis, Indiana.  While there we headed off to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  We decided to enjoy a two hour VIP tour with access not only into the Indy 500 Museum but also a behind-the-scenes tour to the Media Center, Victory Podium, Panasonic Pagoda (Timing & Scoring, Master Control Room), and a corporate suite.  This tour also included a drive through Gasoline Alley and the Garage Area before driving out onto the track and making one full lap around the oval on a tram.  Our final stop was at the finish line to give us the chance to “kiss the bricks”.  We’ve never been real race car fans but as our tour guide reminded us, you don’t have to be a geologist to enjoy the Grand Canyon.  It was a wonderful tour.

Our next stop and campground was in East St. Louis, Illinois, right along the Mississippi River and just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri.  The weather was beautiful so we headed out and caught a metro train that took us over the Mississippi and near the Gateway Arch.  We arrived early enough that there was no waiting and we were able to catch a tram to the top of the arch very quickly.  It really was a great ride with some wonderful views but if you’re claustrophobic at all, the ride up and down would be a challenge.  I wasn’t crazy about the ride myself but we rode up with another couple which left us one empty seat and some good conversation to help make the four minute ride more tolerable.  The ride up takes place in a small capsule, just big enough to squeeze five people in with very little room to spare.  The four minute ride takes place with no view other than an occasional glimpse of the emergency stairs that run along beside the tram as you make your way up to the top of the arch.  Once the ride is over, you walk up a steep set of stairs to the top and lean over to look out the windows to the ground 630 feet below.  As I mentioned, we had a gorgeous day so we were able to enjoy some beautiful views.  The ride down only took three minutes.  Now we can say we did it and check that one off our bucket list.

While in St. Louis, we took a ride over to Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a few miles from our campground.  Cahokia Mounds is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city.  The remains of this most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico are preserved there.  We enjoyed visiting the museum, watching a film and walking around the grounds including a walk up to Monks Mound, home of the chief and the largest earthen prehistoric structure in the Americas.  It was a fun and educational take on a very hot day. 

On our final day in St. Louis we decided to take a ride to “The Hill”, an area of St. Louis that is a long-established Italian-American neighborhood with family-owned delis, sandwich shops and bakeries as well as old homes and churches.  It was interesting to walk along an area that still has that old fashioned feel to it.  You could imagine life here a hundred years ago not being much different.  During our walk we stopped into an old Italian grocery store that has probably been in the family for generations and picked up some pasta, sauce and of course some wine.  While there we stopped at historic Amighetti’s for lunch where we both enjoyed some old time Italian sandwiches before Claudia headed to the dessert counter to order some cannoli’s and cookies for a treat later.

After a short drive the following day we set up camp in Hannibal, Missouri, the location of Mark Twain’s boyhood home.  The surrounding area as well as the Mark Twain cave complex which was located right in our campground served as inspiration for his novels. 

We started our first day there by enjoying a delicious breakfast at Becky Thatcher’s Diner.  Following breakfast we began our walk around the town and visited many of the places that were part of Sam Clemens, aka Mark Twain’s childhood.  We began by taking a tour of the Mark Twain Museum where we learned all about his life, including his childhood and teenage years that molded the person he was to become and how his environment and people he knew would become the inspiration for his Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn novels.  The museum tour was followed by visits to his home and the home of his first love, Laura Hawkins, who became the inspiration for his well-known character Becky Thatcher.  We also toured the office his father worked in as Justice of the Peace as well as the Norman Rockwell Mark Twain Museum containing most of the original prints used in the original publications of his Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn novels.  Along the way we stopped at several gift shops so that Claudia could look for stuff.  I never know what she’s looking for but she sure does have fun doing it.  There was a corvette show going on along the main street so I walked around looking at some of the 250 plus corvettes that were on display.

On our way back we decided to take a stroll over to the edge of town to see the Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn statues.  Next to the statues there was a staircase up to the Mark Twain Lighthouse so we went to go check it out.  After about two or three hundred stairs we arrived at the top and enjoyed a view down into the town and across the Mississippi River.  The walk down certainly was a lot easier and the air conditioning felt very nice once we arrived at the car.  Last but not least, we decided to take a detour on the way back to the campground and drove up to Lovers Leap with another beautiful view into town and along the Mississippi.

On our second full day in Hannibal we took a tour of the Mark Twain Cave.  This cave complex is massive and unlike any others that we’ve been in.  The passageways were narrow and the ceilings were tall.  They were formed by massive cracks in the earth millions of years ago and that’s exactly what it felt like.  Sam Clemons spent many days exploring these caves with his friends and eventually used them as a setting in his novels.

That evening we headed out on the Mississippi for a dinner cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat.  The boat was an old paddle wheeler and we were lucky enough to land a private table along the windows.  A live three piece jazz band was playing as we enjoyed a very nice dinner.  There was a fully stocked bar on board and we were able to walk around the boat and enjoy the atmosphere as we floated along the Mississippi.  There was a beautiful sunset that evening as we returned to our dock, finishing our trip off on a beautiful note.

Our next stop took us down to Edwards, Missouri where friends of ours lived along the banks of the Lake of the Ozarks.  After traveling along some winding roads, along a gravel road and then backing up a few hundred yards to our camping spot in front of our friends home, we settled in for what we knew was going to be a great visit with wonderful people.

We realized quickly that we were definitely “off the grid” with no internet and no cell service so we settled in and enjoyed every minute of it.  We spent the next few days enjoying the company of our hosts as well as four other of our friends from Texas, two of whom own a house in another cove about a mile away.  We spent time on the boats, did some tubing, played some card games out on the deck and just sat around and relaxed.  And as always with our Texas group we enjoyed some delicious meals together including a fish fry, smoked ribs and a smoked ham along with loads of wonderful side dishes.

Our final full day at the lake turned out beautiful and we took full advantage of it.  After a cup of coffee out on the dock with a beautiful view overlooking the lake we headed out on the boat.  Once we were out on the lake we took a leisurely cruise along more than 10 miles of shoreline.  Along the way we found a nice quiet cove where we dropped anchor and enjoyed some swim time.  Once we were again underway we enjoyed more of the lake as we made our way over to the Red Fox Bar and Grill for some lunch and drinks.  Following lunch we continued our cruise across the lake as we sipped cocktails while sunbathing on the boat until we returned to the home of our friends.  Claudia and I just looked at each other at one point on the lake and just smiled.  Yeah, this was very nice!!

On our last night on the lake we decided it was time for a night out with all our friends so we headed out on the boat to the Redneck Yot Club, a local grill and bar.  There we enjoyed some drinks, great pizza and a wonderful final visit.

The next morning we said our goodbyes and headed back out on the road, this time to Branson, Missouri.  We started our first full day in Branson with a ride around town to pick up show tickets we had reserved in two separate locations so it gave us a chance to get a lay of the land.  Our first impression was as expected.  There was just so much we could do and so much money we could spend.  We decided we’d just pace ourselves and take in the five shows along with the Branson Belle Dinner Show and Cruise we had reserved ahead of time.  With that said, we knew we would also have some in between times so we started off with an afternoon at Branson Landing, an area along the waterfront where shopping, dining, and entertainment take center stage with over 100 specialty shops and restaurants.  We walked along for a couple of hours taking in the sights before calling it a day and heading back to the campground to grill some dinner.

On our second day in Branson we realized we were in for a rainy week.  Luckily for us, that didn’t affect our plans for the shows we planned to see although we’d have to skip some of the outdoor activities that looked interesting.  That evening we headed out early and enjoyed dinner at Shorty Small’s, a popular BBQ restaurant just next door to the King’s Castle Theatre where our first show was being performed.  Following dinner we walked over to the theatre and enjoyed an excellent live performance tribute show to Frank Sinatra and Friends.  The show featured the music Sinatra loved the best, with a special salute to the showbiz friends he loved the most.  It also had some great film footage of the highlights of his career.  The musicians, singers and dancers were all excellent.

Our third day started with a matinee performance highlighting the sounds of Motown.  This was a performance consisting of recorded music with three excellent veteran singers singing and beautifully harmonizing two hours of Motown hits.  For the second performance in a row, we bought the CD and met the performers.

Our fourth day was our only day that we enjoyed two separate shows.  We began with a matinee performance with another excellent group of musicians, singers & dancers.  This time it was a tribute to the music of the 50’s and 60’s and we were bopping along with the music the entire time.  Our seats were front row center so it couldn’t have been any better.  The lighting for this show was exceptional as well.  Once again we bought the CD and once again we met the performers after the show. 

That evening we headed out to attend a show that was advertised as Branson’s “most popular show”.  The Haygood family consisting of four brothers and one sister entertained us with some excellent harmonies, energetic choreography, incredible special effects and amazing performances on over 20 different instruments.  It was their 26th year performing together here in Branson and was the first “variety” show of our visit.  We were not disappointed.

The following evening we enjoyed a riverboat dinner show aboard the Branson Belle that turned out to be a great time.  It was worth the extra money for VIP treatment.  We were allowed priority boarding and we had some of the best seats in the theatre.  The food was good and the show was excellent.  The biggest downside was that no alcohol was served on board.  We didn’t know about that until just before we boarded.  Although a beer or two would have been nice with dinner and the show, I was glad I hadn’t had any because we had to travel some narrow winding roads on our return trip to the campground.
Our final show on our final day in Branson was a tribute to the Irish Tenors and the Celtic Ladies.  We loved most of the music they performed and the singers were great with some very nice harmony.  We stayed busy in Branson by enjoying five shows and a dinner aboard a showboat over five days.  We also ate out at several very nice restaurants and did some shopping but still felt we could have done so much more.  We really did enjoy Branson and will probably return another time.

Our next stop was in Depew, Oklahoma so we headed west as planned.  At the last minute however we decided on taking a more northern route which was about 40 miles longer rather than our planned more scenic route to the south due to weather forecasts.  It turned out to be our best decision of the year as we watched the weather radar show us some significant weather passing over where we would have been.  Later we learned that there were many serious accidents along that route.  We definitely made the right decision.

We arrived to some great weather at our camping resort in Depew, Oklahoma.  They had a beautiful pool and that’s exactly where we spent most of the next day.  Early on our second morning however, that changed when we were awoken by some serious Oklahoma style thunder and lightning.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen so much lightning at one time.  Poor Stella was terrified by all the thunder as she huddled in bed with us.

Next it was on to Oklahoma City for a four night stay.  We began by heading over to the Oklahoma National Stockyards section of the city where we walked around for some sightseeing and shopping before having  a couple of outstanding filet mignons at the Cattlemen’s Steakhouse which opened its doors to hungry cowboys, ranchers, cattle haulers and the like in 1910.  Following lunch we headed over to the stockyards themselves where we watched a truckload of cattle being unloaded.  Knowing they were destined to be slaughtered shortly, Claudia felt bad for them.  I had to laugh since we had just enjoyed those delicious steaks.

Our following day started on a more somber note as we spent a couple of hours over at the Oklahoma City National Museum and Memorial.  There we learned all about the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995.  After walking through the museum, we strolled around the grounds where the memorial to the 168 people killed, some of whom were children, now stands.

Next it was a trip over to Bricktown.  Bricktown has become Oklahoma City’s premiere entertainment district. For several decades, the warehouse district sat dilapidated and underused.  In 1993, the City of Oklahoma City constructed the Bricktown Ballpark and a one-mile canal through the area along with many shops and restaurants.  It was an enjoyable walk and we ate lunch at the Bourbon Street Café at a table within a couple of feet of the canal.  The day was beautiful and the ducks loved our company.

On our last full day in OKC we visited and explored the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.  It was an excellent museum and it took several hours to see everything we wanted.  The museum included more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts.  The museum was also broken up into many separate sections, each containing a variety of collections focusing on preserving and interpreting the heritage of the American West.  We particularly enjoyed the Western Performers Gallery, a 4,000 square-foot exhibit that explored the various ways the west has been interpreted in literature and film.  Honoring western performers who have contributed to the making and preservation of the stories and legends of the west, the gallery also displayed an extensive collection of memorabilia.  While there, Claudia and I took a quiz matching various TV shows with their theme songs and scored 12 out of 12.  Not sure if we should be proud of that or not.  In either case, it was fun.

The next morning we headed south to Arlington, Texas, situated between Fort Worth and Dallas.  On our first morning there things started off on a sour note.  As bad as the news was, thank goodness Claudia noticed the unraveling of the two top cables on our large dining room/bedroom slide out.  This was another repeat of a problem we had two years ago except that they actually broke last time causing us to have them replaced while parked in the campground.  We have since had them inspected and realigned but obviously the problem remains.

It was at this point, with the issue heavy on my mind that we headed over to the Fort Worth Stockyards historic district for some fun with our friends Gary and Vivian who live nearby.  This is an area that was once home to cowboys, cattlemen and outlaws.  Today the Stockyards National Historic District is one of the most popular attractions in Texas.  Day and night, visitors come to the Stockyards to get a taste of the true American West where the weathered brick streets are lined with historic buildings, restaurants, shops, saloons and other attractions.  Gary grew up in this area and knew the stockyards well, long before they were a tourist stop.  He was a great tour guide as we explored the town and the girls did a bit of shopping.  As we returned to the original area of the stockyards we watched as cowboys on horseback drove a few dozen longhorns through the streets and off to the pasture for the day.  These steers were enormous and it was a thrill to watch them being herded past us.  Following the cattle drive we headed over to Riscky’s BBQ for lunch where we all enjoyed some very good brisket.  After lunch the girls engaged in some more retail therapy while Gary and I hung out and chatted about the area.

By the time we returned to the campground I had made up my mind that we were going to get the slide back in one way or another.  Being a Saturday, I figured if we were unsuccessful I could begin to make plans for someone to come out and replace the cables for us on Monday.  If we were successful, we’d leave the slide in and just live without that area of the RV until after we reached Sandpipers where we could make arrangements for permanent repairs.  With a little extra muscle from Claudia and me, the slide came back in without any more broken cable.  We placed a block behind the slide to stabilize it and we decided to enjoy the last ten days of our trip as planned although a bit more confining than we’d like.

On Sunday we headed into Dallas and visited the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza where we took an audio tour.  Here on the sixth floor, the exhibit: John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation, provided us with a historical context for the events of November 22, 1963, and the aftermath of President John F Kennedy’s assassination. The sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository was the primary crime scene for the JFK assassination and now contains historic images, news footage, artifacts and original areas that were once primary evidence.  The museum contains a history of the early 1960s, an outline of JFK’s trip to Texas and the corner window where shots were fired, striking the president and Texas Governor John Connally.  The exhibits then move on to discuss the crisis hours including the arrest and killing of Lee Harvey Oswald and the investigations that followed.  Although this tour was a somber reminder of what happened that day, it was a powerful and very interesting visit that we enjoyed.

We spent the next week enjoying a lot of rest and relaxation (and a bit of partying) with our friends at their summer home, Star Ranch in McDade, Texas.  They were great hosts, we had a lot of fun and we made a lot of new friends.  We spent our last night together enjoying a farewell dinner at a very nice BBQ restaurant near the resort.

The final leg of our journey was uneventful as we arrived back at Sandpiper’s to begin our winter stay.  Yes, we had several bumps along the road this year but we also visited some very interesting places and had a lot of fun in the process.  Next we’ll settle in for our winter off the road but we’ll stay busy.  We have plans for several improvements to the mobile home, we’ll take care of necessary repairs to the RV and we’ll spend our winter once again having a wonderful time with all our great friends.  For us, it’s like coming home.


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Back to Mass, then Family Time

7/29/2018

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After enjoying another fantastic winter at Sandpipers in the Rio Grande Valley, we headed off on our 2018 adventure.  That officially began our sixth summer on the road since retirement.  We planned this trip as a shorter than usual one by leaving later than normal and with plans to return sooner than normal.  We decided to take a break before beginning the second half of our first decade on the road, especially with some big plans over the next few years.

Our first day on the road was uneventful during our drive in beautiful but very hot weather.  Once we arrived at our campsite however we discovered our car battery was dead.  Luckily we had purchased a portable car charger (about the size of a large cell phone) earlier this year and it jump started the car perfectly.  I guess we’ll be removing that fuse in the car we’re supposed to remove from now on.

Our first stop on this year’s adventure took us to Galveston, Texas.  There we boarded a ferry to Port Bolivar and crossed Galveston Bay.  Several people had mentioned we should try this at least once while a couple of others said it’s the best way around Houston.  In the end, Claudia loved her boat ride while I remained unconvinced that it saved us much of anything but definitely added to our adventure.  With retirement comes the advantage of trying new things without feeling rushed.  This was one of those things.

Our first official stop of 2018 was a return trip to Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Once again we had a beautiful day for a drive as we got off the highway in Natchez, Mississippi and began traveling on the 444 mile Natchez Trace National Parkway.  We had been on this route before up until Tuscumbia, Alabama when we had to get off of it a couple of years ago due to weather.  This year we intended to make it all the way to Nashville.

Once settled in Vicksburg we headed off early and visited the Old Depot Museum down on the waterfront.  It contained exhibits that examined earlier modes of transportation, the Siege of Vicksburg and many other elements of the city’s history. It included railroad memorabilia, a collection of model Civil War gunboats, a detailed diorama of the Siege of Vicksburg and models of architecture styles employed throughout Vicksburg’s past.  Following our visit to the museum we crossed the street to enjoy lunch at Rusty’s Riverfront Grill.  This was the same waterfront restaurant we had dinner at two years ago following a win I had of over $200 at the casino across the street from our campground.  After lunch we decided to see if our luck would continue and stopped in at the same casino.  Unfortunately I didn’t have the same luck and lost my $100 fairly quickly.  Here’s where the story takes a funny turn though.  Claudia, who hates to gamble, decided to try her luck and played her $20 (her personal limit) on a dollar machine.  That’s quite unusual since she prefers quarter machines only and hates losing her $20.  Right away she hit for over $30.  At this point she usually heads for the door.  Not this time.  Instead she went to the two dollar machines and hits for over $50.  Ok, so now she’s feeling rich and lucky.  She tells me she’s heading to the five dollar slots and I laugh as I tell her just to go have fun.  Off she goes and a few minutes later comes back with $290!!  At this point we called it quits and headed to the door $170 richer than we walked in.  I really enjoyed watching Claudia win instead of me for a change.   She was so excited.  I guess Vicksburg is a lucky stop for us.

The next day we returned to the Natchez Trace and traveled to Tuscumbia, Alabama where we ended our Natchez Trace travels two years ago.  From there we completed our 440 mile journey along the trace as we arrived in Nashville.  Along the way we stopped at many of the interesting historic spots including several stops where we could walk along the original trace as well as a couple of scenic viewing areas we were able to enjoy.  The best part of driving the trace is how relaxing and peaceful it is.  This is the route to take if you’re not in a rush and just want to enjoy your surroundings.

Our original plan was to spend a couple of nights in Nashville but it turned out the CMA Festival was taking place at the same time as our arrival so all campgrounds had been booked solid for quite some time.  Instead we traveled about ninety miles further and stopped in Cave City, Kentucky for a couple of nights.  Cave City is home to Mammoth Cave National Park, home of the world's longest known cave system, with more than 400 miles explored.  We took a tour of the Mammoth Cave, the largest and most popular of the caves with access through the historic entrance.  It was a tour of a little more than an hour and covered less than a mile underground.  The ranger who led the tour was great as he described just how enormous the cave system is, along with much of its history.  We followed that tour up with a self-guided tour to another cave before calling it a day.  It was a gorgeous day so we really loved just taking a nice hike through the woods and enjoying the outdoors.

Following overnight stops in Walton, Kentucky, Seville, Ohio and Akron, New York we arrived safe and sound at Camp Sawash, home of my sister and her husband in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.  Our entire 2,400 mile drive over ten days was uneventful with no RV problems or weather issues and was quite enjoyable.

We started our six week visit off right away with an impromptu “happy hour” at 4pm.  We had neighbors joining us along with many of our family members including a bunch of our kids.  Stella had a blast as she was welcomed into the pack of six other dogs.  She was so exhausted by bedtime that we had to check if she was still breathing.  It was a great way to start our visit.

The next day began with us taking care of our 5 year old granddaughter Grace.  We took her to her gymnastics class and watched as she showed us how much she’s improved.  Then we headed off to do some shopping before stopping for lunch at whatever restaurant she wanted.  We were hoping for clam strips or scallops.  She selected McDonalds.  That evening we all headed off to Tony’s, a great Italian restaurant for pizza with my daughter and her whole family.  To finish the evening off we enjoyed our 7 year old grandson’s final baseball game of the season.  It was an exhausting but totally awesome day.

Next we enjoyed a lunch visit with Claudia’s sister followed by a few hours at Claudia’s dad’s home reminiscing and selecting items that we wanted to keep.  Her dad was a cabinet maker by trade so he had many tools that were just too interesting not to put aside for our trip back to Texas.  I probably added about 50 or 60 pounds of tools in our storage area under the RV. 

Later that day we took a drive over to my son’s house followed by dinner out with just my son and his wife.  Three of our granddaughters were not there and they found a sitter for our other two grandkids and for the first time ever, the four of us had some alone time.  It was a great visit.

The following day was Father’s Day.  To celebrate my daughter hosted a pool party at her house.  Claudia and I enjoyed a beautiful, wonderful day together with all three of our kids, along with their spouses, her daughter’s fiancé and all nine grandchildren.  It was an awesome way for all of us to just enjoy each other.

Over the next week we took care of some business appointments before I headed to Cape Cod for a two day visit with my mom.  It’s always great to see her but this was special since it was just the two of us and we could catch up on all our news and I could help her with some chores and computer issues at the same time.  My mom is the greatest fan of our website and is responsible for much of what you see on it.  I don’t get to see her often but it’s always a highlight of our trip back “home”.

Our next excursion came when we babysat for our seven year old grandson, Jon.  This kid is a bundle of energy so we decided to take him to PinZ, an entertainment complex with bowling, arcade games and a place to eat.  The three of us had a wonderful time.  By the way, Claudia beat both of us in the two strings we played.

During a few down days, I washed and waxed the RV as I try to do a couple of times each year.  It always looks great but as we’ve learned over and over, that doesn’t last long.  It’s still nice to see what it looks like without all the bugs and road dirt all over it.

Over the next couple of weeks we made a few visits with family and friends.  With stops in Manchester, NH to visit Claudia’s daughter and family, Plaistow, NH to visit my son and family and a visit to Rockland, MA to visit my uncle we covered hundreds of miles.  We had great visits with all of them and wish we could have had more time with each of them.

We also spent a day at our old campground in Connecticut where we spent every summer weekend for ten years.  Many of our old friends were there and it was really nice seeing them again.  The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful day.

As our visit was coming to a close, Claudia spent two days on Cape Cod where she and my sister enjoyed a visit with my mom.  Claudia made a point of sharing a picture of her Lobster Roll that she enjoyed on her first night there while the three of them ate out in Sesuit Harbor along the waterfront.  Since I stayed behind to take care of Stella while she enjoyed her visit, I decided to share a picture of my brats with Mac & Cheese to get even.  It didn’t work.  On the second day of their visit, my niece and her two kids joined them and they all enjoyed a picture perfect day at the beach.  Within hours of Claudia’s return to Camp Sawash, she was off again - this time for an overnight stay with her daughter and granddaughter.  It was quality time that she loves to have each trip home.

Before our visit concluded, we enjoyed a great brunch at a historic landmark in Sturbridge, Massachusetts with some good friends.  We also enjoyed a day with our youngest grandson as the three of us visited a local zoo.  It was quality time that this 3 year old will probably soon forget but that we never will.

Last but not least we held a farewell party at Camp Sawash where just about everyone showed up and gave us a chance to say our goodbyes.  It’s always difficult but we have the greatest families that all seem to understand how happy Claudia and I are as we tour the country and spend our winters in our Texas home.  Leaving them is the hardest part of every trip.  Arriving back to them is always the best part.  If our current plans hold true, we’ll be returning in September, 2019.  Our thoughts however, are with them every single day.


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Winter in Texas 2017

6/2/2018

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It’s hard to believe that we have just completed our fifth winter since retiring and hitting the road full time back in May 2013.  At that time our plans were to travel full time, all year round.  Little did we know how cold this country can really be, even in the south during the winter months.  Fortunately for us we found our little slice of heaven down in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas where we can ride the winter out in a mostly dry and warmer climate.

It’s been a busy winter since arriving here back in October.  We started off with a few problems that we had to deal with including a leaky toilet in the guest bath, a refrigerator that was barely keeping our food cold and a giant hole underneath our pack porch.  A quick call to the plumber, a visit to Lowes to select a new refrigerator and a live trap that caught the rabbit living under our mobile resolved all these issues.

Right away we began staying busy with our normal winter activities such as tennis, pickle ball, daily happy hours, etc.  I enjoyed the weekly football games with several of the other NFL fans around here.  Our Texas room (and our 92” TV) is considered NFL Central around here and all NFL fans are welcome.  Claudia began enjoying yoga sessions, Mexican bingo, dominos and Shanghai as well as her monthly book club meetings.

The band got together right away in order to get ready for five performances we had scheduled for the winter.  Our bass player had to leave this year but we were able to recruit a new one and our lead guitar player returned after a two year absence.  We also discovered we had a drummer in our park who has joined us replacing our drum machine.  What a difference!!

This year we decided to make some upgrades to our living room and kitchen in the mobile home.  We painted both rooms and performed some serious plumbing updates that were required under our sink.  I upgraded some of the electrical outlets embedded into some of the tiles around the sink, thanks to some good training from my dad.  We installed a new laminate floor in both rooms and it looks beautiful. I also completed all the trim work and baseboards while Claudia followed close behind with all the finishing touches to patch and paint any blemishes.  We are both excited about the results and agree that our mobile now has the look and feel of a real home.  In each of our projects we received and in most cases accepted offers to help from our friends here.  It turned tedious tasks into much more enjoyable ones and allowed us to complete them much quicker.  Whenever there was a question about plumbing, electrical or how to lay a laminate floor, there was always someone wanting to step up and in some cases, lead the way.  It’s one of the reasons we love it down here so much.  We have more rooms to complete but they’ll wait until another year. 

We had a nice quiet Christmas morning together this year followed by a wonderful Christmas dinner and social time with about a dozen of our friends.  The weather was cool but nice enough for us to enjoy dinner outside.  We also enjoyed a great Christmas Party that was hosted by our resort owners where we enjoyed good food, drinks and a performance of Christmas songs by one of our members on her piano. 

On New Year’s Eve we brought in the New Year at a dance where one of our resident DJ’s entertained us with some great music.  We celebrated the New Year with a toast to our family back home at 11pm (their midnight) and another to bring in our new year with our Texas friends at midnight.  2017 was a great year and we toasted to what we hope will be another incredible year ahead.  Every year just seems to get better and better for us. 

In January I drove the RV up to a service center in San Antonio that we’ve used before for some maintenance.  It was a four hour trip to drop it off and a four hour drive home but when you find a repair center that you can trust and rely on it’s definitely worth it.  They were able to determine why we were having problems opening our storage doors on the passenger side of the vehicle.  It turns out the wall had actually separated from the floor.  They repaired the wall better than new, replaced our missing ladder, performed some routine maintenance and now it’s as road ready as ever.  It sure is nice to be living in the mobile which allows us the luxury of leaving the RV for a period of time for repairs.

This year a good friend of ours arrived to visit for a couple of weeks.  It was a first time return visit for her since she lost her husband and a great friend of ours late last year.  She stayed in our guest room as we enjoyed her company and kept busy with lots of social events around the park.  We loved having her here and Stella enjoyed the extra attention as well.

We also took a refresher course in CPR this winter.  We became certified two years ago but thought a refresher course was due.  Since the primary benefactors for knowing CPR or Choking Relief might very well be ourselves, it’s a good thing to know as we travel around the country on our own.

Claudia and I also decided to join some friends of ours for some weekly Texas Two Step and Waltz lessons at another nearby RV Park.  It was a lot of fun and we were able to practice at dances here at Sandpipers as well as when we visited neighboring RV parks to dance with other bands. 

On Valentine’s Day we enjoyed a performance by a friend of ours, William Florian who entertains around the Rio Grande Valley each winter.  He used to be a member of the New Christie Minstrels back in the 70’s and is a great singer and guitar player as well as an excellent entertainer. 

Next we celebrated Mardi gras.  Once again the 400 row was blocked off and turned into Bourbon Street for the day complete with all sorts of food and beverages (more like concoctions) at multiple stations along the road with some great themes.  Claudia dressed the part of a pirate as she worked with other friends at the station named “Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar” where she served her “shark bites”, aka... fish sticks.  There were also many street performers including myself since I decided to pull out my clarinet that I haven’t played in 45 years.  I ended up leading a couple of parades up and down “Bourbon Street” while playing “When the Saints Go Marching In”.  It turned out to be a hit with many people joining in, all dressed in costume and lots of beads.

The members of our theater group performed again this year to a full house in two separate plays.  They were both quite entertaining.  Claudia played the part of a male train conductor in the first play.  She looked and played the part perfectly.  You’ll have to take a look at the pictures in our photo album.

This was another year of many Super Happy Hours which always include various themes, food and beverages.  One of these was a combined Margarita & Taco Happy Hour complete with DJ music.  Not only were plenty of tacos and margaritas consumed but under a full moon and with gorgeous temperatures we spent the evening dancing under the stars.  It was one of those evenings that only comes along once or twice a year and will definitely be a night to remember.

We did return to bowling again this year and our team came in fifth this season out of twelve teams.  Not as good as our second place finish last season but just as much fun.

In March, Claudia and I along with another couple headed off for a two night camping trip in our RV’s.  We camped at Falcon State Park that sits along the Rio Grande River near Rio Grande City in southwestern Texas.  We had beautiful weather and hiked seven miles on our one full day there.  We also took some time to just relax and enjoy our surroundings.  It was nice to get away for a few days.

The Olympics were a great hit again this year.  There were over forty events and over a hundred participants.  Claudia and I helped run several events and we both earned our share of medals.  I once again walked away with the gold in basketball (thanks Billy for all those hours of playing HORSE) and Claudia was proud of her second place ribbon in the chili cook off that had 18 entries.  Our proudest moment came when we regained our gold medal in the Charmin Plunge.  You’d have to see it to believe it.

The band met just about three times a week this season for rehearsals.  At all five dances we performed at, we played to a full house, once with more than 140 people.  We kept the place hopping for three hours and the dance floor stayed crazy all night.  As a treat to the band as well as to the audience, our musician friend William joined us on stage at one of our performances for our final set as we rocked the house. We ended the season on a high note as everyone on the dance floor joined us for a very enthusiastic version of Proud Mary. It sure made all that practicing worthwhile.

Claudia had to return to New Hampshire this year for three weeks in April.  Unfortunately her dad passed away shortly after her arrival so she had a lot to take care of.  She was however able to spend some quality time with her family as well as with all our kids and grandkids while she was there.  Three weeks seemed like a very long time for both of us and we were very happy to be together again.

While Claudia was away I kept busy on several projects.  In addition to building a new back porch (thanks for the help Randy), I was able to build new shelves in both the RV and the mobile home.  I was also able to take care of several housekeeping chores such as power washing the mobile, replacing one of our storm doors, grouting some kitchen tiles and laying some new patio blocks in our side garden.  If it wasn’t for the chores I would have definitely gone stir crazy.

Once Claudia returned we began preparing our itinerary for this summer’s road trip.  Although this year’s trip will only last a little more than three months, we’ve got some exciting stops to make.  We’ll be revisiting the Natchez Trace on our way back to Massachusetts, spending some quality time with our families and then enjoying some sightseeing and visiting friends in Missouri and Oklahoma as we return to Texas for the winter.  In 2019 we’ll be returning to our normal travel schedule of six to seven months on the road and have already been discussing some great places to visit.

So it’s on the road again for us.  We’ve moved our living quarters from the mobile home to the RV, we’ve covered much of our furniture with sheets, electronics have been unplugged, batteries have been removed, etc.  We’ve also moved all of our food into the RV and we’ve shut off the water, lowered the thermostat, covered our windows and shut off the necessary breakers.  Finally we stored the golf cart, the BBQ, our bikes and we’ve locked the place up.  It sounds like a lot to do, and it is if you don’t want to forget anything, but we’re pretty organized and we’re pretty good at it.  Everything we forgot to bring last year made it to the list for this year.  Worst case, we can usually buy whatever we forgot.

So off we go.  We’re ready for another adventure!!


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Albuquerque, then Back to Texas

10/21/2017

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If you ever wanted to choose a specific way to end a road trip on a high note, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta would be one of those ways.  It was such a great atmosphere with breathtaking views that everyone needs to experience at least once.  This is one of those places that pictures just can’t do it justice.

We started our visit to the fiesta by attending the evening session on a Saturday night.  In order to get to the fiesta park we purchased tickets online that included a bus ride into the park from a nearby mall.  Our evening included a chance to explore the 78 acre park, listen to some live country music, grab a bite to eat and enjoy a few events.  The main events we were able to enjoy included the Twilight Twinkle Glow when at twilight; the burners of dozens of tethered balloons were ignited, illuminating the night with colorfully glowing balloons.  Following that we sat back and watched the Laser Light and Afterglow Fireworks shows.

The next morning we headed out early and caught a 4:30am bus back to the fiesta.  The events we watched on this day included a Dawn Patrol Show that displayed eight balloons taking off in a celestial predawn dance, illuminating the sky in brilliant colors.  Following the Dawn Patrol Show the real activity began as close to six hundred enormous hot air balloons prepared to ascend as the sun began to rise over the mountains behind us.  Over the next hour and a half we witnessed the mass ascension of balloons of every shape and color imaginable.  The beauty of it all was incredible.  On any given day during the festival, up to 100,000 spectators may be on the launch field.  There we were provided the rare opportunity to observe the inflation and take off procedures.  It was fascinating to be so close.

On our next day, Bruce, Sue, Claudia and I headed in a completely different direction.  We started off by taking a drive out to old Rt. 66 to visit a section called the Musical Highway.  On this quarter-mile stretch of the highway, the rumble strips have been engineered to sound like the song “America the Beautiful”.  You have to be going exactly the speed limit of 45 miles per hour in order to hear the vibrations in action and it does actually work.  I know, because we did it three times.  Only on route 66!!
 
Next, the four of us headed over to the New Mexico State Fairgrounds to attend the Chinese Lantern Festival being held there.  The festival featured over thirty larger-than-life illuminated displays crafted by Chinese artisans.  In addition it featured performances by dancers and acrobats.  The festival also included Chinese handicraft on display as well as some Chinese food to enjoy.

On our final full day in Albuquerque we ended up having to take Stella to the vet.  She had a couple of hot spots on her paw that needed treatment and it couldn’t wait till Texas.  For the rest of the trip back to Edinburg she had to keep her paw bandaged and/or had to wear her cone.
 
That night, Bruce, Sue, Claudia and I enjoyed a final farewell night out for dinner and drinks to celebrate our ten weeks together and to wish each other safe travels.  We had such a great time with them but as we began our return to Edinburg, they began their trip east for the holidays.  We knew we’d be meeting up again at Sandpipers in December.

With only five nights left on the road before returning to Sandpiper, we began our trip south to Lubbock, Texas where we spent our first two nights.  I wish I could say our trip from Albuquerque was uneventful but as we were heading out on the interstate we witnessed a very scary event.  With the glare from the sun shining right on us, I thought I saw a blown truck tire right in front of us until Claudia yelled “it’s moving”.  It turned out a motorcycle went down right in front of us and the guy was lying in our lane!  It was a good thing we were going slow enough to stop in time.  We stopped about 15 feet away from him.  I’m not sure he was aware enough to know I was closing in on him.  He was definitely going into shock as we watched a person place the 911 call and people began to stop and help him. He was lying in the second lane of a four lane highway during rush hour traffic and his motorcycle was about 200 feet further down the highway in a ditch smoking, with very little left of it.  We have no idea how he ended up that way but we’re thinking a car either hit him or cut him off.  We stayed there to block traffic until police arrived.  He was hurt pretty bad, but we’re hopeful he made it.  I told the cop I was glad it was me behind him.  Being a large motor coach towing a car I had to go slower to allow for all the nuts who were cutting in and out of traffic right in front of me.  This made it easier for me to stop in time.  Once the scene was secure, the police stopped traffic to let us get past the accident and be on our way.

We started our only full day in Lubbock with a visit to the center honoring Lubbock’s favorite son, Buddy Holly.  There we were able to see some great memorabilia and learn more about his life and the influence he had on the rock ‘n’ roll scene.  Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the center but we enjoyed the visit.  Our next stop took us to the American Wind Power Center, a museum of windmills and their use for power in Texas.  Unfortunately the museum was hosting a function that night so many of the exhibits were unavailable for viewing.  Regardless, we were able to see many of the different types of windmills that have been used over the decades.  Our final stop of the day was to the Silent Wings Museum, a museum dedicated to the lives of the World War II glider pilots.  The museum is located on the site of a World War II Army Air Field where glider pilots were trained between 1942 and 1945 and houses a restored WWII glider as well as many other historical artifacts related to these pilots and their actions.

On the following morning we headed off to our final campground before arriving back at Sandpipers in Edinburg.  At this point we were definitely looking forward to getting home but we were still determined to take our time and enjoy our last few days on the road.

When we first arrived in Fredericksburg we were hesitant to commit to our planned three night stay.  This was due to the fact that the hot spot on Stella’s paw was looking worse since our vet visit rather than better.  After cleaning and redressing it a couple of times however, it appeared that her hot spots were getting better so we were less worried about infection.  Unfortunately she was still in discomfort, especially with the bandage and/or cone on all the time.  With that worry behind us, we made the decision to stay the full three nights and just keep a close eye on her paw.

We started our first day in Fredericksburg with a brief stroll through the quaint little town.  It was a Sunday and after noticing that many of the gift shops were closed on Sundays we decided to take a drive down the road to Luckenbach instead.  Luckenbach, Texas (population: 5!) became "famous" when Waylon and Willie sang about it back in the 70's.  It’s considered part of Fredericksburg, but is about as far away in attitude from Fredericksburg as you can get.  Luckenbach isn’t so much a town as it is a gathering place.  It maintains a ghost-town feel with its small population and strong western atmosphere.  One of its two main buildings houses the remnants of a post office, a working saloon, and a general store.  The other main building is nothing more than an outdoor stage which is known as a popular venue for country music.  While we were there we strolled around, enjoyed the atmosphere, had some lunch and heard a little country music.

On our second full and final day in Fredericksburg we returned downtown early for breakfast at the Old German Bakery.  It’s obvious from the look and feel of Fredericksburg that this place has a strong German heritage.  It was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia.  The town is notable as the home of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who initially refused to learn English.  Following breakfast we returned to the campground so that Claudia could drop me off.  This allowed her to return downtown for some browsing without me having to wait on a bench somewhere.  She sure does love to browse the shops.  I spent my time catching up on some computer and web site work.  When Claudia returned we sat outside and enjoyed our final happy hour of this road trip together.  It was a beautiful day and the best way to end this year’s journey.

On Tuesday, 10/17 we arrived at Sandpipers, officially ending our 2017 road trip.  Our first few days were busy, and we had a few minor problems, but nothing that stopped us from relaxing and enjoying our time back home.  The refrigerator in the mobile home wouldn’t start up.  For the very first time ever the car wouldn’t start after being towed all day.  And then, when I reconnected the battery cables on the golf cart, that wouldn’t start either.  The good news is we were able to get everything transferred from the motor home to the mobile on our first day.  We were able to get the car started back up after a brief charge and it’s still starting fine and the refrigerator finally did start up on its own and is now working great.  The only remaining problem was the golf cart and that was picked up by a golf cart repair service.  In the meantime we have a cart that was loaned to us for as long as we need it.  And oh yeah, our satellite TV was reconnected and I now have the NFL Ticket back up and ready for some football!  Go Pats!!

So life is very good right now.  In a few months we’ll start getting that itch again to return to the road and we’ll begin making plans for next year.  In the meantime, it’s back to spending time with our fellow Sandpeeps and enjoying some tennis, water volleyball, playing with the band, Zumba, etc.  Yes, life is very good right now.


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Great Stops Enroute to Albuquerque

10/3/2017

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Once we completed our month long visit to the Yellowstone area it was time to begin heading towards Albuquerque, New Mexico in order to attend the International Balloon Fiesta.  We had two and a half weeks to get there so we made the most of our time. 

Our first stop was a brief one near Salt Lake City, Utah.  I will remember Salt Lake City as a place packed with people.  Many of them were always in a rush, especially the drivers.  It reminded me of driving in Boston where yellow lights mean step on it and merge means step on it faster than the guy next to you.  Claudia took a visit to the Mormon Tabernacle with Bruce & Sue to hear an organ rehearsal while I went out in search of a power cord for our jetpack.  Without that cord we were without Wi-Fi.  They told me that the organ rehearsal was quite entertaining and other than the traffic it was well worth the trip.  Claudia told me later that it was biggest organ she has ever seen.  Hmmm…..

For the next couple of days we enjoyed a return trip to Zion National Park.  We started the first day off by taking a ride into the park for some hiking.  Unfortunately we left too late and there were no parking spots left when we arrived.  Zion is one place where you cannot drive into the park beyond the visitor center and the only way around within the park is by bus.  Rather than park outside the gate and then walk to the buses, Claudia suggested a drive down a road that was near our campground.  It was a 22 mile drive to the Kolob Reservoir and it turned out to be a gorgeous drive along an area of Zion we hadn’t seen before.  And to top it off, we had the entire area to ourselves.  No traffic and no obstructed views.  Absolutely lovely!!
 
We did return to Zion earlier on the following day and found a parking spot right away.  This allowed us to travel by bus to the Temple of Sinawava, the last stop on the Zion Canyon shuttle, in order to hike a trail to view some of the best "narrows" sections of the North Fork of the Virgin River.  Many people rent water shoes and continue hiking through the river once the trail ends but we turned around at that point and headed back.  We boarded the bus for our return trip but got off after a couple of stops in order to hike one of our favorite Zion trails.  This was the trail to Weeping Rock, a large bowl-shaped alcove where the “weeping walls” form a beautifully lush hanging garden with a little flowing stream below.

The following morning we headed off and arrived at Sam’s Town Campground for a weeklong stay in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Our first full day began with a short walk over to Sam’s Town Casino for breakfast.  After breakfast we located the free Sam’s Town Shuttle that took us over to Harrah’s Casino on the strip.  This turned out to be the first of many trips on the shuttle.  Once at Harrah’s we purchased five day passes for the Monorail which we then took to Bally’s Casino, further south along the strip.  From there we took the fairly lengthy walk over to Planet Hollywood Casino.  Along the way of course we stopped to enjoy the sites and do a little gambling. 

After a bite to eat we headed over to Planet Hollywood’s Saxe Theatre where we enjoyed our first show of the trip, a tribute to the Beatles.  Beatleshow Orchestra took everything you love about the Beatles and presented it just as if John, Paul, George and Ringo were on stage together again. These guys re-created some of the most memorable Beatle moments from every era of their career.  It was a really great show.

Our next day took us over to the old area of Vegas where we spent a couple of hours visiting the Mob Museum, officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement.  The Museum presented an authentic view of organized crime’s impact on Las Vegas history, as well as its unique imprint on America and the world. The real stories and actual events of Mob history were revealed through the exhibits to tell the story about the role of organized crime in the U.S.

Following our visit to the Mob Museum we took a short walk over to the old Vegas strip called the Fremont Experience.  We grabbed a bite to eat before enjoying the sights and sounds of a completely different side of Vegas.  We watched as characters of all kinds came out while music and light shows played all around and above us.  Before the development of pretend volcanoes, or dancing fountains, or the highest Ferris wheel in the world, there was this five block area in downtown Las Vegas that was the center of gambling in the United States.  Here we found cheaper drinks, a zip line, street performers, and a constant party atmosphere all under a 1,500 foot long video screen/canopy that contains 12.5 million LED lights.  This five block stretch is home to ten casinos and six hotels.  Notable resorts included the Golden Nugget, Binions, Four Queens and the Fremont.

At this point we were ready for a day off but there just wasn’t any time for that in Vegas.  We had another show to enjoy on our next day so it was back to the strip, once again via the shuttle and the monorail but this time to the MGM Casino.  After spending some time at MGM we took the long walk over to the New York-New York Casino.  On the map it was “just across the street” but the walk turned out to be well over a mile due to construction on the pedestrian overpasses in the area.  Following more gambling at the New York-New York Casino, we headed over to the theatre where we enjoyed the show Zumanity.  This show was an adult oriented version of Cirque du Soleil with a seductive twist on reality.  It was part burlesque and part cabaret and was a show that we’ll never forget.  This show ended later than our previous show so it took a 30 minute marathon run to Harrah’s in order to make it to the last shuttle bus of the evening but we made it with zero time to spare.

The next day was a Sunday so we did take the day off.  Not so much because it was Sunday but because the Pats game was on.  The game started at 10am Vegas time so I headed off early to Sam’s Town Casino where I found a seat at the Sports Book where I was able to place my bet and enjoy the game.  Patriots won by 3 with 23 seconds left but I lost my $20 bet since I needed a Pats win by 9.  We then enjoyed a quiet afternoon relaxing.

On our following day we started the day off with breakfast at the Omelet House for one of their famous four egg omelets.  Some of our friends had recommended this so we had to give it a try.  It was worth the stop and we had plenty left over for the next day.  Next it was back to the shuttle, monorail & another walk back to Planet Hollywood Casino for our final show.  This time it was for an Elvis Tribute at Planet Hollywood’s V Theatre.  The show was titled All Shook Up and was the only All-Elvis show on the Las Vegas strip.   It was backed by an awesome live band and we heard many of the hits from his entire career.  In my opinion it was the best show of the week.  This show ended a bit earlier than our last one so we were able to enjoy a leisurely return to the campground via the monorail & shuttle.  We arrived at the shuttle with ten minutes to spare.

So yes, all in all we had a fabulous time in Vegas.  With all that said and done however, it was an exhausting visit and neither of us are in any real rush to return.  The city is so spread out that getting around is a chore and we were on our feet just about all the time.  It’s also a lot more expensive than our usual stops, especially since we find ourselves eating out a lot and paying a lot of money to enjoy many of the shows and activities in the city.  I think we’ll enjoy sticking to our scenic routes and stops for a while… but not until after the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque of course.

Our next campground took us to Holbrook, Arizona where we were able to re-visit the Petrified Forest National Park.  While there we made several stops along the 20 mile park road for some beautiful scenic views.  Along the way we also took a couple of great hikes.  The first one was the Blue Mesa Trail, a favorite trail from our first visit that began with a steep descent from a beautiful mesa.  It then continued along a one mile loop that offered the unique experience of hiking among badland hills of bluish bentonite clay as well as petrified wood.  Our second hike was the Painted Desert Rim Trail, a one mile round trip hike that led us on a winding trail through the rim woodland, and gave us some spectacular views of the Painted Desert.  This was a short but excellent visit with some very nice weather and it was just as awesome seeing it the second time as it was the first time we were here.

Our final campground before heading off to Albuquerque was to Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a six night stay.  I started our visit off in Santa Fe with only one event in mind and that was to head over to Buffalo Wild Wings in Santa Fe to watch the Pats game.  Unfortunately they lost a close one but it was still great to see them play.  Claudia stopped by for lunch while I was watching the game (it started at 11am Santa Fe time) but spent most her time shopping nearby.

We started our next day off by taking a 200 mile scenic drive along the Jemez Mountain Trail.  The trail began in the high desert through small villages then proceeded through canyons and lush forests and led eventually to the peaks of the mountain range, several thousand feet higher in elevation than where we started.  The region is steeped in Spanish and Native American history.  We stopped along the way to enjoy a couple of short hikes for some spectacular views. 

Since we didn’t get to see everything we wanted on our drive, we returned to a portion of the Jemez Mountain Trail on the following day to visit what we missed.  We started off at the Puye Cliff Dwellings, the ruins of an abandoned pueblo, first settled in the late 10th century and where up to 1,500 pueblo Indians once lived, hunted game and cultivated food.  We had an excellent private tour by an ancestor of the tribe that used to live there and the tour was fascinating.  We also visited Bandelier National Monument, an area containing some of the most unusual and interesting ancient ruins of a pueblo in the Southwest including petroglyphs, pictographs and steep narrow canyons with mountains rising to 10,200 feet.  While there we hiked over two miles and climbed ladders 140 feet high to an area where some of the pueblo Indians once lived in the sides of the mesa cliffs.

Our next day took us to downtown Santa Fe with Bruce and Sue to enjoy lunch at “The Shed”, a cafe housed in a circa-1692 hacienda with a cantina-style bar.  They served a classic Southwestern menu including its signature red chile enchiladas made with blue corn tortillas.  This was a place that was recommended to us by some friends of ours from Texas so we had to give it a try.  I wish I could say that the meal was delicious, but wow!!  We all agreed that the “red chile” on our enchiladas was much spicier than anything we had ever eaten.  It was too spicy for my taste and WAY too spicy for Claudia.  Now we know to always ask about how spicy the sauce is when eating out somewhere with a “Southwestern” menu.

On our final day in Santa Fe we had a very rare rainy day so we spent it relaxing at the campsite.  That night I was able to watch the Patriots win a close game on Thursday Night Football from the comfort of our own motor home.  I really enjoyed that!!

It’s been a busy two and half weeks since leaving the Yellowstone area but we’ve finally arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the International Balloon Fiesta.  The weather is looking perfect and we’re very excited.


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    Ed and Claudia always dreamed of retiring and travelling the country in their motorhome.  They retired in 2013 and this is the continuing story of their adventures on the road.

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