Blog Posts

Winter in Texas 2018

5/10/2019

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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Jackson Hole & Grand Teton National Park

9/14/2017

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For the past seven days we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Jackson Hole region. We started things off with Bruce, Sue, Claudia and I heading into Jackson where we walked around and took pictures in the historic square. Next we headed over to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for some drinks while sitting on the saddle stools they had along the bar. The atmosphere there displayed the true Wild West and the decor alone was fascinating. While we were there we met up with friends of ours from Texas who live in the area and the six of us had a great visit. Following drinks, we all headed off to enjoy dinner together at Sidewinders, a local grill where five out of the six of us selected their “famous” chicken pot pie. It was good but not as good as the one I’ll be ordering once again when we return to the Nine Fine Irishmen Pub when we’re in Vegas. Bruce is already teasing me about how I’ve raised the bar for chicken pot pies so he’s expecting the very best.

On the following day, Claudia and I needed to head back to our previous campground in West Yellowstone in order to pick up a package that contained replacement springs for the shade in our dining room window. The package was supposed to arrive while we were in West Yellowstone but was delayed during shipping. Rather than try forwarding the package to another campground we decided to make a day of it and head back to West Yellowstone by way of the much longer South Entrance route that also took us along a drive through Grand Teton National Park. We were fortunate that we had no smoke clouding our view along with bright sunshine so we were able to get some great pictures and enjoyed stopping at many of the overlooks along the way. After about five hours, we did arrive back in West Yellowstone to pick up the package. We then began the trip back to our campground in Victor, Idaho, this time taking the more direct route. The entire drive took 7 ½ hours and covered 255 miles. It was a long drive for sure but the views and the fact that we got our package made the trip worthwhile.

We spent a good part of the next day repairing and reinstalling the dining room shade. It turned out to be a bigger project than planned but we were able to complete it and the shade is now as good as new.

Claudia and I spent the next two days traveling into Grand Teton National Park. On the first day our intention was to take a hike around Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake's green forest vegetation along the shores and nearly two square miles of pristine mountain water make it a popular destination for hikers so we were looking forward to it. Unfortunately the parking area was full so we chose instead to take a drive through and around the park along a different route from our previous trip stopping at many scenic spots we hadn’t been to before. We also took a drive up Signal Mountain for a beautiful view of Jackson Hole from 7,727 feet.

We headed out at 8am the next day, an hour earlier than the day before but still barely found a parking spot in the Jenny Lake parking area. We did find one however and took the two mile hike around the left side of Jenny Lake (through bear country) stopping at many of the beautiful spots that overlook the lake, the valley and the mountains. We heard that hiking around Jenny Lake gives you unique views of the Tetons without the demanding climbs typically required to explore the backcountry. Nevertheless, we did have plenty of climbing on this hike and lucky for us, no bears. We also took another short hike to Hidden Falls, a gorgeous area along a cascading creek before heading down to the boat launch for a ride back to the parking area. Following our hike we stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch sitting in an overlook with a grand view of the mountains before us.

Although the quaint little town of Jackson itself had lots of traffic and you couldn’t really get anywhere without taking a drive through there, the Jackson Hole valley was quite beautiful. The highlight of the area however was the Grand Tetons. It was a wonderful visit and Grand Teton National park will remain one of our favorite parks.

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Yellowstone National Park

9/10/2017

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Yellowstone National Park and the area around it has become one of the best stops we’ve made in the more than four years we’ve been on the road. We had such a great visit while we were there. The weather was fantastic with daytime temperatures mostly in the 70’s and even into the 80’s at times. The night time temps however did dip down to the lower 30’s but it was plenty warm enough in the RV and we slept great. Our campground in West Yellowstone, Montana, just outside the west entrance to YNP was a fantastic stop and our timing was great. YNP is one of the busiest national parks in the country but we managed to avoid most of the traffic and the crowds. When we first drove through the park in our RV after leaving Cody and heading to West Yellowstone, we saw miles of long lines of traffic coming in as we were heading out. We decided then that early or late starts would be a good idea and they worked out perfectly.

We started things off with a visit to the IMAX Theater in downtown West Yellowstone to enjoy a movie describing the history of Yellowstone National Park. That afternoon the girls headed out to get their shopping fix while I stayed behind to wash the bugs off the RV.

The next day we slept in and then enjoyed a pancake breakfast hosted by our traveling companions Bruce & Sue. We also kept an eye on the news and were relieved to learn that our winter home in Edinburg had been spared any damage from hurricane Harvey. At 4pm we headed into the park with absolutely no traffic and only small crowds. Our first visit included hikes to some beautiful waterfalls, erupting and steaming geysers as well as boiling paint pots (pools of colorful bubbling mud) near the Norris section of YNP. To end the day we watched the sun set over the gorgeous Midway Geyser Basin, home to Grand Prismatic, a beautiful and colorful hot spring that happens to be the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. We followed that visit up with a picnic dinner along the Yellowstone River.

The following day was Sunday and we decided to work on the broken day/night shade over our dining room table. We took it down and opened it up, which was no small job, and determined the problem was a couple of broken springs. We then rehung it until we could get new springs. Claudia wasn’t feeling too well that day so we spent the rest of the day relaxing.

On Monday morning I contacted the manufacturer of our shade and they promised that new springs would be in the mail to our campground and that we should get them within a week. That was great news for us and to top it off, no charge.

That afternoon we headed back into the park at about 3pm and once again we had little traffic and small crowds. On this trip we decided to visit the Upper Geyser Basin, home to Old Faithful. Yellowstone, as a whole, possesses close to 60 percent of the world's geysers. The Upper Geyser Basin is home to the largest numbers of these fragile thermal features found in the park. Within one square mile there are at least 150 of these wonders. We spent about an hour hiking around the area before taking our seats to view the next eruption of Old Faithful that was scheduled for 6:11 pm, give or take ten minutes. It may not be as faithful as it used to be but it sure didn’t disappoint us, giving us a show that lasted several minutes and an eruption that shot up close to 100 feet. We were not able to see everything we wanted to in this area on this trip so we decided we’d be returning. After watching Old Faithful, we enjoyed a picnic dinner at a picnic area in the forest nearby.

The following day we decided to take a drive along a scenic loop outside of YNP. Claudia had found out about this in a visitor guide and the loop was supposed to contain lots of wildlife. The drive took us west from YNP and into Idaho, then around Earthquake Lake and Hebgen Lake before returning to West Yellowstone. During the 65 mile drive we didn’t see any wildlife but as is typical with these types of drives, we made a new discovery. This time it was at a visitor center overlooking Earthquake Lake that explained its name. It turns out that the lake was created after an earthquake struck on August 17, 1959, killing 28 people who were camping at the very spot where the visitor center now stood. It was a fascinating piece of history that none of us had heard before and we enjoyed the stop very much as we hiked around the area. These are the types of discoveries that enhance our travels as we visit the more popular areas. Once we returned to our campsite we enjoyed a barbeque together with Bruce and Sue.

For the next couple of days we visited the Yellowstone Historic Center where we enjoyed viewing many of the historical artifacts that have been collected over the years. The center exists in the old train station in the town of West Yellowstone where thousands of visitors arrived to see Yellowstone in the days when it was toured in stagecoaches and early buses. While we were there we watched the films “Above Yellowstone”, a tour of YNP from the air & “Yellowstone Earthquake”, the detailed story of the earthquake we had just learned about the day before. We started the next day with a great breakfast that Claudia had prepared for the four of us. Then we returned to the Historic Center to watch the film “Yellowstone Aflame”, the story of the Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988 that burned nearly a million acres of trees. Following that film, I returned to the campsite while Claudia stayed behind and watched one more film. This one was a Ken Burns film named “Horatio’s Drive: America’s First Road Trip” and described the first cross-country automobile journey in the United States, which occurred during the summer of 1903.

Our next adventure took the four of us out on a 196 mile trip that we had planned for several days. We lined up a dog walker for Stella and left the campsite at 4am. Our first stop was in the Lamar Valley, 70 miles into YNP where we watched the sunrise. We chose this spot because of the abundant wildlife that we might see there. Before we arrived, and in the pitch dark we did see a magnificent bull elk standing in the road right in front of us, just looking at us for several seconds. It was the biggest elk any of us had ever seen – and so close! Unfortunately my camera wasn’t ready for the shot but we’ll all remember it forever and for me it’ll always be “the one that got away”. During sunrise we didn’t see much other wildlife in the valley other than the always present buffalo but we did see several black wolves moving along the river bank quite a ways off. Everyone around us was extremely excited since we understand these viewings are rare. They were too far away for good pictures but it's another viewing we won’t forget. The scenic views all around us were incredible and we were all happy we got up early to make the trip. As we left Lamar Valley we headed northwest where we visited Mammoth Hot Springs, known for its terraces formed over centuries of hot water bubbling up from the ground, cooling and depositing calcium carbonate and creating thousands of natural sculptures. Next it was time for a visit to Gardiner, Montana. Gardiner was officially founded in 1880, but the area has served as a main entrance to Yellowstone National Park since the park’s creation in 1872. We couldn’t visit Yellowstone without seeing the iconic Roosevelt arch which stands as a symbol to the national and international importance of America’s first national park. We enjoyed our homemade lunch at a nice little picnic area looking up at this beautiful monument. Following lunch we completed the final two hours of our drive and arrived back at the campsite about 2:30, completing our 10 ½ hour trip. It was a trip to remember for sure.

The next two days were the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We decided to spend these two days just relaxing at the campsite due to all the Labor Day sightseers that were around. It was nice to just relax and enjoy each other’s company and it gave me a chance to take out the guitar and do a little entertaining.

On that Monday however, we made up for the lost time. The four of us headed out at 8am for an 8 ½ hour drive inside Yellowstone National Park. We visited many sites along the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This included several hikes, a couple of them quite strenuous, to areas along and into the Upper & Lower Falls. We were rewarded with some absolutely gorgeous views of the falls and of the canyon. On our way back from one of our hikes we were surprised and happy to bump into some friends of ours from Texas who are traveling a similar route as ours. It can be such a small world sometimes. We then made a stop at Sulphur Caldron, one of the park’s most acidic hot springs, with yellow and turbulent water that is as acidic as battery acid. From there we proceeded to the Mud Volcano, an area that offers some of the most unique thermal features in Yellowstone including bubbling mud pots and lakes of acid. After all that hiking we decided to treat ourselves to a night out at the Slippery Otter Pub in West Yellowstone for some great pizza and brew.

The next morning we decided to head out for breakfast before visiting the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center located a short walk from our campground. It’s a not-for-profit wildlife park that provides a sanctuary for Bears, Wolves and Birds of Prey that would otherwise have to be put down because of either injury or behavioral issues. Although the wolves were beautiful to see, the bear exhibit was the highlight. About every hour they would release anywhere from one to four grizzly bears into an open enclosure where we could watch as they hunted for hidden food and interacted with each other. It was addicting to just watch these huge and powerful animals. We also learned how to avoid a negative encounter with a bear in the wild and saw a demonstration on how to use our bear spray if we ever needed to. Following our visit there we returned to the campsite where Claudia and Sue prepared a great spaghetti dinner for the four of us.

Our next day was our final day in West Yellowstone so we made one final trip into the park for hikes along the Lower and Upper Geyser Basins that boasts the largest concentration of geysers in the world, many of which erupted as we watched. We also made a return trip to Old Faithful in order to view one more eruption from her. Next we made a visit to Biscuit Basin that contains Sapphire Pool, one of the most beautiful blue pools in the park and Mustard Spring which provides a bright color contrast as well as Jewel Geyser that erupts every 7-10 minutes. Our final stop was at Great Fountain Geyser, one of the largest geysers in the park and one that is surrounded by beautiful pools.

Our next stop takes us to Victor, Idaho, a short drive from Jackson, Wyoming and an easy drive to Grand Teton National Park. The excitement and the adventure just keep going and we love it.

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Cody, Wyoming

8/23/2017

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Once we arrived in Cody, Wyoming we started things off right away with an anniversary celebration for our friends Bruce and Sue. We enjoyed a great dinner and drinks at Wyoming’s Rib & Chophouse followed by an after dinner trip to the Silver Dollar Bar for more drinks.

The atmosphere in Cody gives you the feeling that you really are in an area that truly was part of the old west. On our first full day in Cody we took the Trolley Tour. This tour taught us a lot about the history of Cody and gave us some insight on all that we still have left to see around here before we leave.

Later that day we took a trip to Old Trail Town. This "town" consists of 27 buildings which date from 1879 to 1901, all authentic and brought here to be put on display along with a description of its history. It is also home to an extensive collection of memorabilia from the Wyoming frontier as well as authentic Indian artifacts. In addition, it contains the grave sites for several notable frontiersmen including the famous frontiersman Jeremiah Johnson and one of the great buffalo hunters, Jim White. It was a fun visit.

Our next stop began our two day visit to the enormous and beautiful Buffalo Bill Center. The center consists of five separate museums that we had two days to enjoy. We were able to visit the Natural History Museum that displayed examples of the power and beauty of the Yellowstone region including an extensive display of many of the native animals. We also visited the Buffalo Bill Museum where the life of Buffalo Bill as well as the Wild West Show that was so much a part of his life was on display. The final visit on our first day at the Buffalo Bill Center was to the Plains Indian Museum that displayed the lives and legends of the Plains Indian people.

The day wasn’t over yet though. That night the four of us headed out to the Cody Cattle Company for an evening consisting of a “chuck wagon” dinner, live country music and finally a rodeo, complete with calf roping, barrel racing as well as both bucking broncos and bulls. It was another great night.

The next day we returned to the Buffalo Bill Center to visit the remaining two museums. We visited the Cody Firearms Museum that displayed firearms of every sort beginning with the earliest firearms right up until the current ones. This museum also described how firearms shaped the history of the west. Our final visit in the center was to the Western Art Museum that pictured the West through the eyes of its artists. It was like going through a photo album of early history and being able to visualize how life really was during that period.

Monday, 8/21 was eclipse day. Everyone knew it and there was a buzz in the air. We decided to start the day with breakfast at the Irma, the hotel that Buffalo Bill built in 1902. It’s a gorgeous old building that obviously was a high class, state of the art hotel in its day. After breakfast we returned to our campsite to enjoy the eclipse. In Cody the eclipse was at 98% so although we didn’t enjoy totality, we sure did get pretty close. A neighbor at our campground handed the four of us eclipse glasses shortly before it began so we were able to enjoy it in style. The cereal box viewers we made were cute, but no comparison to the glasses.

That afternoon we ended up waiting around for an appointment we had made to have our RV windshield repaired. The glass repair guy arrived to our campsite at 4:00 for our 12:30 appointment! The good news was that the two chips that we received coming through South Dakota were both repaired so we should be all set for a while. We wanted to be proactive in order to prevent the entire windshield from cracking.

With two days still to go in Cody, Bruce, Sue, Claudia and I took a ride around the East Yellowstone Loop, a 221 mile drive through the scenic Wapiti Valley and through the northeastern portion of Yellowstone. It was a beautiful drive where we were able to see herds of buffalo and all kinds of gorgeous landscape and scenery. We stopped for a late lunch in Cooke City, Montana, an old mining town with a current population of 140 and with an elevation of 7,608 feet, the seventh-highest US city by altitude.

On our final day in Cody, Claudia and I took the short drive over to the Buffalo Bill Dam for a tour. When completed on Wyoming’s Shoshone River in 1910, the Buffalo Bill Dam was one of the first concrete arch dams built in the United States. At 325 feet high, it also was the highest dam in the world at the time. It was an enjoyable and informative visit.

Our next stop takes us 132 miles down the road to West Yellowstone, Montana through Yellowstone National Park where we’ll spend two weeks enjoying a whole lot more of Yellowstone National Park.

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Heading West to Yellowstone

8/21/2017

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Once we met up with our friends Bruce and Sue, it was time to begin our trek west towards Yellowstone. Our first stop along the way took us to Mitchell, South Dakota to visit the famous Corn Palace. The "palace" is decorated annually with ears of corn and can be quite beautiful. The palace was decorated with a musical theme this year and we were able to watch as some of the workers added some fresh hay to the structure around some of the murals made of ears of corn in various colors. We toured inside and learned about the history of the palace that goes back to 1892. The girls also had a chance to do some shopping which of course they thoroughly enjoyed. After the palace we enjoyed a nice lunch before heading over to the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village. This is a registered historic landmark that consists of a very nice museum as well as an ongoing excavation that has gone on for over 20 years now. A dome was built around the spot where the excavation is taking place so that it can be worked on year round. This spot was once populated by members of the Mandan tribe over 1000 years ago.

Following Mitchell, we parted ways with Bruce & Sue for a few days as they headed to Rapid City and we enjoyed the area around the Badlands. On our way to the Badlands, Claudia insisted we stop at what I thought would be just another tourist trap we had seen advertised on multiple billboards along the road. 1880 Town did allow us to stretch our legs as we walked down the main street that contained more than 30 original buildings furnished with thousands of unique relics from the 1880 era. It also contained a great museum containing many of the props used in the movie “Dancing with Wolves”. It turned out to be a very nice attraction and Stella was allowed to accompany us as we walked around.

We began our return visit to the Badlands by hiking an area that we missed the last time we were here. It was in the eastern edge of the Badlands that we only saw as we were driving out. In addition to some beautiful scenery we also stopped and visited the Prairie Homestead, a site that was originally established as a homestead of 160 acres back in 1909. It included the original sodbuster home, a cave or food cellar, a chicken house and a barn. It was amazing to see how people struggled to survive back then in an area of the country that was extremely isolated. We also took a day to visit Wall Drug, a tourist area since 1931 that featured all sorts of shops and dining options where we enjoyed a great breakfast. Then it was back to the Badlands where we enjoyed more views and hiked a few of our favorite trails.

Our next stop took us to Spearfish, South Dakota where we were reunited with Bruce and Sue for a four night stay. On our first day the four of us took a ride and explored Spearfish Canyon and some of the local waterfalls. It was a beautiful area and we enjoyed several short hikes. We also drove out to and visited the area used in the final winter scene of the movie Dances with Wolves. It was a nice area but hard to envision it as the area for that scene with so much new growth. Our next day took the four of us on a drive through the Black Hills and down to Hill City. After a beautiful drive we spent our time there with the girls browsing the shops until they got hungry and then we had lunch at the Bumpin Buffalo Bar & Grill, a great old place with lots of charm including a bar built around 1890. On our final day in Spearfish, Claudia and I headed off to visit Devils Tower. The weather was a bit iffy but we decided we just didn’t want to miss it again since we missed it in 2014 when we were returning from Alaska. We arrived and hiked around the tower even though there was a steady rain the entire time. The tower was magnificent as we expected and we didn’t mind getting wet. Really wet. We took our time hiking around the tower until about the half way point when a bolt of lightning followed immediately but an extremely loud clap of thunder brought some life into our legs and we finished the hike quite quickly. It’s all just part of the adventure. And in case you’re wondering, no we weren’t the only fools out there. The place was packed.

The next four weeks take us to the Yellowstone National Park area. There we’ll be enjoying Cody, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole before heading south. And yes, the fun continues!!

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Our Travels

Winter in Texas 2018

Indy, Missouri, OKC & Texas

Back to Mass, then Family Time

Winter in Texas 2017

Albuquerque, then Back to Texas

Great Stops Enroute to Albuquerque

Jackson Hole & Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Cody, Wyoming

Heading West to Yellowstone

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