Kjell and Luanne's Travel Blog

SUNNYSIDE to LUMMI ISLAND, WA. (APR. 28, 2010), and a surprise visit for ANNE’s birthday (April 30, 2010)

2010-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

The final leg of a ten month journey, and an odometer showing we had put 26,900 miles on the truck, came to an end as we arrived home on Wednesday, April 28... Two days before Anne’s big day…
We left Sunnyside around 7:30 AM, and began our trek toward the Cascade Mountains…
This country (from Sunnyside to the Cascade foothills) is eye-pleasing, to say the least…
Valleys are filled with vineyards, berries and apple orchards, and farms of all sort and sizes… Small, quaint towns cluster the freeway here and there, but you also come across bigger cities, like Yakima and Ellensburg…
Hopefully, if you come for a visit, the skies will be clear, and the sun will be out, because the vistas are breathtaking, and you can almost see forever…
Talking about the sun… As we neared the mountains, the Big Orb began its hide and seek behind layers of clouds: At first, flimsy little wisps, but then, as we got closer to Snoqualmie Summit, they gathered strength and purpose, and, before we knew it, we were in a light mist…
Of course, that turned into rain as we began our descent toward Puget Sound…
Welcome to the Evergreen State!
Backtracking for a sec…
A couple of weeks ago, we ordered an electric “kromkake” iron (from “Scandinavian Specialties,” in Ballard - a suburb of Seattle) for Anne’s birthday…
Luanne’s sister (“Gede”) was kind enough to pick it up for us, so we didn’t have to take the trailer into Seattle proper, so, today, for our first stop in Western Washington, we stopped at her house (in Mountlake Terrace) to fetch the little goodie…
Thanks, “Gede” for doing us that favor… We really appreciate it!
The clouds began to part, as we headed North on I-5, and by the time we reached Mount Vernon, we could see Lummi Island (in the distance) having no cloud cover at all… Nice welcoming sign!
We‘re dependent on a fairly high tide to take the trailer onto our little ferry, and, since high tide was at 7:00 PM, we had a few hours to kill before driving to the ferry terminal… Hence, we headed over to Costco, where we picked up some needed food stuff, and then walked over to Billy McHale’s for dinner: Prawns for me, nachos for the missus…
That done, we headed to the ferry, and lucked out… The tide was up enough so we got on the 5 o’clock, which was totally awesome… Saved a couple of hours, and that’s always good…
Home, sweet home!
It was good to be back…
Of course, as you all know, there are always some tumultuous days after you get home, especially after such a long trip…
All kinds of things need be addressed… Hook up water; call the appropriate authorities about TV and garbage, and, of course, you have all that stuff to put away…
Luanne wanted everything done in a day, which was virtually impossible, so I reminded her she’s now officially retired, but she only slowed down a bit… It’ll take a while to get her mind set to retirement… It took me a couple of years…
Anyway, we’re glad we came home early, so we got some stuff done…
From one thing to another…
It was a good thing we talked to Anne on the phone on Thursday and Friday mornings, because it was a bit hard to keep a straight face when we lied about where we were… But, hey, the end (in this case) justified the goal…
Of course, on Friday, our “Little White Lies” were revealed…
We drove down to Burlington, where we entered SAKURA, a Japanese restaurant, a half hour ahead of the appointed time…
Had the camera out, and took pictures as Anne and Dan entered, but Anne spotted us right off the bat, and moved so fast that none of them turned out… She dashed around folks eating, cooks cooking, tables aflame, and waiters wondering where the fire was… Tears in her eyes… Huge Bear hugs… Laughter…
Ah, what a joyous occasion!
Took her completely by surprise!
Our ruse worked…
She had no idea…
Our “Little White Lies” paid off…
Happy ending….
And that brings me to the end of my Blog…
We’ve had an incredible journey… One which we wish every person in America (the entire world, actually) would have the opportunity to experience…
This country is vast and diverse, and when it comes to beauty… Well… There can’t be many places that can compare… This country has it all: From prairies to snowcapped peaks; from sun baked deserts to rugged shores… Farmland, stretched from horizon to horizon… Forests and Swamps… There’s enough to cover everyone’s taste…
We’ve walked beaches, strolled along famous (and infamous) buildings, streets, and parks…
We’ve gazed upon some of this country’s celebrated statues and sculptures, and immersed ourselves in the history that made this country (in my mind) the best country in the world to live in and be a part of…
We’ve met some amazing and remarkable people, and we’ve eaten everything from gastronomic wonders to hot dogs…
I could go on and on, but you get the idea…
So, in closing, I would like to convey to those of you who looked in on our trip, and wished us well along the way, our sincerest and warmest THANK YOU… We’re grateful - to no end - for your friendship, your encouraging words, and your love…
A special thanks to “Gede” and Terry, who crossed the country (horizontally and vertically) to be with us for just a few days here and there… How cool is that?
And, of course, our most heartfelt and sincerest thanks to our kids and grandkids, Stein & Tina (Reese, Hailey, and Hannah); Anne & Dan (Hunter, Morgan, and little Holly); and our bachelor son, Erik, and his dog (Samson?), who kept an eye and an ear on our trip at all time, and who welcomed us with open arms when we arrived… Love you guys!
THE END
Oh, yeah… Here’s the last picture show: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SUNNYSIDE%20to%20LUMMI%20ISLAND%5EJ%20WA.%20%5E5APR.%2028%5EJ%202010%5E6%5EJ%20and%20a%20surprise%20visit%20for%20ANNE%e2%80%99s%20%20birthday%20%5E5April%2030%5EJ%202010%5E6

ELY to JACKPOT, NEVADA, and then on to SUNNYSIDE, WASHINGTON (APR. 26 & 27, 2010)

2010-05-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have an apology to make to my Blog readers…
Our daughter’s birthday (Anne) is April 30, so about a month ago, as we were contemplating our return home (which we had tentatively set for may 1), we decided to surprise her, by trying to make it home on or before her day…
To that end, we contacted Dan (her husband), and asked him to include us in whatever he had planned for her birthday…
Anne’s been an avid follower of the Blog (of course), and over the ten months we’ve been away, we’ve kept contact every day by either Email, Facebook, phone, or through SKYPE…
So, in order to surprise her, we had to cover up our intentions, which, in turn, had us dishing out “Little White Lies” the last week of our trip…
Dan let us know he had reservations at the SAKURA Japanese Restaurant, in Burlington, WA. (on Friday, April 30), and we, in turn, kept telling Anne we were in the desert, and a long way from home; Sorry, no chance to get home before your birthday…
The troubles we had (the tire blow-out, and the breaking of the power chord receptacle) were real, but we embellished on the truth a bit, on the Blog, Facebook, and phone, so we could explain not coming home before her day… I actually fixed the power chord thing the day we got to Ely, but wrote that it would take a couple of days to get the part sent there…
Of course, we embellished the weather angle, as well…
We had pretty much decent weather all the way home, but told Anne (and you) that we were stuck in snow, or the wind was blowing too hard to go any further…
What it all boils down to is that all this nonsense provided the excuse we needed to keep Anne in the dark…
Tuesday was a very long driving day (from Ely all the way to Sunnyside, in Washington), and we took a lot of pictures (I split them into two Blogs - this one and the next)…
They’re taken in Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Southeastern Washington, and I believe I put enough captions in to give you an idea of where we are and what it looks like…
So that’s it for this Blog… Take a look at the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ELY%20to%20JACKPOT%5EJ%20NEVADA%5EJ%20and%20then%20on%20to%20SUNNYSIDE%5EJ%20WASHINGTON%20%5E5APR.%2026%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202010%5E6

LAS VEGAS to ELY, NEVADA (APR. 25, 2010)

2010-04-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

We were ready to leave “Sin City” at 7:30 today…
After a while you get tired of all the hustle and bustle, and you’re ready to leave it behind… Far behind…
Well, that was the plan, but it didn’t turn out that way…
Remember when I told you about the first horrible night we had, with all the highway construction right outside our door?
Well, when I moved the trailer the next day, I didn’t realize I ripped the “umbilical” (read: power) chord out of the trailer receptacle, and, in so doing, I broke the lid off the receptacle… That would not have been a problem if the umbilical chord would stay put, but the lid is spring loaded, and it has a little lip on it, which holds the chord in place while you’re driving… Without a lip to hold the chord, there’s no power to the trailer, and the turn signals, the power break, and other electrical “stuff” needed for a safe trip is out the window…
There’s nothing open at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, and we would have to wait until 10:00 (at least) to get a replacement receptacle, so I made the decision to take off… Thinking: Since we’re going to drive the GREAT BASIN Highway (as desolate and as empty a stretch of road you‘ll ever find), we wouldn’t encounter all that many vehicles, and we could pick up the part in Ely…
I jury-rigged the chord with a bungee, but it didn’t work… I left it in place anyway…
All went well for the first hour…
I decided to trust Jill (our GPS), who guided us Northeast onto Nellis Boulevard (which I’d never thought of taking before), and that turned out to be great… It took us away from all the freeway traffic in town, and hooked us up with I-15 East of Las Vegas International Speedway and Nellis Air Force Base…
We stopped to check the power chord situation, and, of course, nothing worked… As we did that, Lu noticed that the right rear tire on the trailer was showing a bit of steel belt… I looked at it… The area in question was on the edge of the tire, and it didn’t look like much of a deal… I thought we’d be OK until we got to a big town where we could replace it…. WRONG!
A mile after we got onto I-15, and about two miles before we would turn off this main artery, a truck passed and honked… Then a pick-up truck passed… The passenger had his window down and looked at me while pointing dramatically down toward Terra Firma… I got the message!
Funny, but there was no notice of the problem inside the cab… No vibration, no nothing… We slowed and pulled over to the shoulder, and as we did, Lu said she saw our tire take a detour into the desert… Benedict Arnold!
After coming to a full and legal stop, we found only the rim and a few remnants left of the tire…
Thank goodness, the rim was OK…
As I realized our early start had come to a screeching halt, I steamed for a bit, said a few cuss words (which I’m sure made Luanne blush), but collected myself nicely (Luanne was proud of me), and then called Good Sam Platinum Road Service… Within 1 1/2 hour we had a new tire, and were on our way again…
The road to Ely, as the pictures show, is long and lonesome, and located, for the most part, in the center of two mountain ranges (don’t feel like looking it up, so, don’t know their names), but this time (we’ve lost count of all the times we’ve driven this route), we were totally amazed (blown away) by how green everything is… Usually, when we’re here, it’s as brown as only a desert can be…
Anyway, we got to Ely, and we hooked up, and I went to the town’s main RV parts store to get a new receptacle… No go…
Had to ship it here by Pony Express, which might be here in a day or a month… Who knows?
We’re in High Heaven here (as you can see on the pictures)… I mean, we’re at an elevation somewhere between 6 and 7 thousand feet, and my oxygen intake has escalated to a wheezing 4,000 breaths a second, so the sooner we’re out of here, the happier my lungs are gonna feel, so… Let’s get the show on the road…
To celebrate my lack of breathable air (and after the wonderful news about the umbilical chord), we decided to head over to the Old Nevada Hotel (it has a colorful story, but look it up yourself… I‘m too tired to elaborate), where we bellied up to the bar for a celebratory drink, and found out that there was a free dinner buffet being served for people who might have popped in, or who had trouble breathing the thin air around here…
Wonderful food… Even though it was Mexican, and I couldn’t pronounce the names if I tried…
That was it for this magnificent day… Now the waiting for the Pony Express starts…
I’m afraid this will be my last Blogs until we get home… I’m taking a break, and I deserve it… Any questions, please write me at kjelljohnsen$@msn.com, or on my Facebook… Take care until then…
Oh, Anne, we’re trying to get home on the 1st, but they’re calling for snow, so it might be a few days after that… Love you all!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20VEGAS%20to%20ELY%5EJ%20NEVADA%20%5E5APR.%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=72&isFromRichUpload=1

LAS VEGAS - ALBUM 2 (APR. 23 - APR. 24, 2010)

2010-04-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

Here’s the second half of the Las Vegas pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20VEGAS%20-%20ALBUM%202%20%5E5APR.%2023%20-%20APR.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=94&isFromRichUpload=1

LAS VEGAS - ALBUM 1 (APR. 23 - APR. 24, 2010)

2010-04-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Friday, Apr. 23...
If one picture tells a thousand words, then I have about 186,000 words to tell you, because we took about 260 pictures in Las Vegas over the past two days, which I have now managed to squeeze down to 186…
Since there are so many, I decided to break them into two Blogs…
There’s not much to say about Las Vegas that you probably don’t already know, so, I’m gonna make this short and sweet…
As I understand it (from personal experiences, and talking to people living here), Las Vegas is still recuperating from the “depression.” There are a lot of commercial buildings and homes empty when you drive around town, and there is a lot of new construction which has simply stopped in mid-stride, but, when you drive, or stroll down “The Strip” (Las Vegas Boulevard), you’d be hard pressed to think this town is hard up…
Tourists are here by the thousands, and traffic is awful whether you‘re driving The Strip or Freeways…
Luanne and I’ve been here many, many times over the years, and we really don’t like going into town any more… To us, Las Vegas has become so “impersonal,” and so big, so “stretched” out that it’s almost impossible to “take it all in” and enjoy it any more… Of course, the prices of everything has skyrocketed, which doesn’t help either…
Anyway, now-a-days, we usually drive through town just to check out the new casinos, and then go to “people friendly” places (like Laughlin) instead of fighting the crowds…
As I said, I’ve split our two-day venture here into two Blogs: This one consists of (for the most part) pictures taken while driving, and the following contains pictures we shot while walking…
Most of the pictures will be self explanatory, so I haven’t bothered writing anything on them…
I think it’s true when I say that Las Vegas has gone over the top when it comes to everything, and that’s only been a good thing (to me) when it comes to the architectural designs of new buildings… They are sleek, and right down fabulous, and that’s the only comment I will make… See the pictures for yourself: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20VEGAS%20-%20ALBUM%201%20%5E5APR.%2023%20-%20APR.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?uc=96&isFromRichUpload=1

LAUGHLIN to HENDERSON and LAS VEGAS (APR. 19 - APR. 22, 2010)

2010-04-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

Monday, Apr. 19... Happy birthday to me…
Can’t believe how old I’m getting, but I don’t feel old, and, as mom always told me: “You’re only as old as you think you are,” so, I guess I’m at the tail end of puberty… I’ve been told I act like that at times… Of course, my bones and muscles tell a different story…
Ah, shucks… Let’s get into something less dramatic…
The day started poorly, because my cell phone was totally dead, so I missed calls from kids, grandkids, friends, and relatives…
The Internet Service was iffy at it’s best, but I managed to see all the greetings on my Facebook and Email, so, thanks to all of you for taking the time to write and for remembering this Old Fart…
The rest of the day was fine…
We did some shopping, visited some slot machines, had dinner at the River Palms, and between us, Lu and I actually managed to win over a hundred bucks before calling it a day… All in all, I’d say that’s a good day…
Tuesday, Apr. 20...
Got fed up with lack of phone service, so we piled into the truck and drove a hundred miles, to Costco, in Henderson, to get it taken care of… That’s where I bought the thing, and they’re always good in taking care of their customers…
OK… You’re gonna laugh now, but it really wasn’t all that funny… Well, I guess it was… The little Oriental girl, at the Cell Phone Kiosk in Costco (I swear she couldn’t be more than 13), took the phone out of my hand…
Looked at it… Opened the battery cover… Took out the battery…
Put back the battery… Put back the cover… Gave me back the phone… Once again: Fully operational! Thank you very big!
That’s all I’m gonna say about that…
Just so the trip wasn’t totally wasted, we stopped by Sam’s Town to check on the RV Park… Got home around 1:30, and took a nap…
Won a little at the slot machines, and celebrated by going to Joe’s Crab Shack for Nachos… Home fairly early, where I worked on my Blog until 10:30…
Wednesday, Apr. 21...
Up early, to go and get my truck filled up, then back to Ridgeview to hook up…
Left at 8:30, and arrived at Sam’s Town RV Park, in Las Vegas, two hours later…
Spent some time uploading pictures and writing on my Blog, then went and had a fantastic lunch buffet at the Casino…
We spent some more time in the Casino in the evening, and I was up another hundred bucks at one time, but Lu was loosing, so we ended up with a total winning of six dollars… Now, there’s success for you…
Thursday, Apr. 22...
What a horrible night!
Didn’t sleep a wink!
Boulder Highway is located about 50 feet away (on the other side of a concrete block fence) from where we planted the trailer…
We noticed there was road construction going on as we arrived, but thought nothing of it… Didn’t realize it was night work…
At precisely 9:00PM the backhoes, dozers and trucks fired up, and it was a constant racket, with ear-piercing backup horns screaming, and heavy duty buckets and blades grinding rocks to a pulp…
There was a lull at exactly 2:00AM (probably “lunch” time), but it all started up again a half hour later, and it kept on going until 5:30AM…
I went to the office, when I finally got my senses back, and complained to the manager…
She gave us another site - at the very back of the park - and also gave us an extra free day’s stay, so that was nice… Of course, I had to unhook everything, and re-hook in order to move, but it was worth it…
We actually got everything done before the sky opened up and we got drenched, so even the timing was good…
Took a long needed nap, after which we visited Joe’s Crab Shack for a drink, stopped at Lee’s Liquor Store to get a bottle of Bombay Sapphire for Uncle Terry (for when they come to visit), and wasted a half hour in the Rainbow, and Fiesta Casinos (in Henderson) while waiting for our good friends, Larry and Lori to get home from work (at 6:15)… They live across the street from where Stein and Tina used to live, and we’ve been good friends from the time we met, back in whatever year that was… In fact, they’ve visited us on Lummi Island, and just about every time we’re through Las Vegas, we stop to have some fun…
Went to the Fiesta Casino, where we all had Mexican food…
Good time… And good to see you guys again…
Got home around ten, and went straight to bed, where we got a good night’s sleep… Barely noticing the road noise across the park and over the fence…
That’s it… I’m caught up… And so are you…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAUGHLIN%20to%20HENDERSON%20and%20LAS%20VEGAS%20%5E5APR.%2019%20-%20APR.%2022%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=90&isFromRichUpload=1

A visit from family, and some time spent in LAUGHLIN, LAKE HAVASU CITY, and OATMAN (APR. 15 - APR. 18, 2010)

2010-04-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Apr. 15...
When “Gede” and Terry visited us on Cape Cod (whenever that was), we discussed the possibility of them meeting up with us again somewhere in Arizona; the premise being they’d get out of some cold NW weather…
Lo and behold, they were as good as their word, and, even though I spent some of the morning in the prone position, suffering from some mental instability and lower abdomen upheavals from the previous night’s bash (see last Blog), we managed to greet them at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (a pretty large title for a strip of asphalt a hundred feet long) at approximately 12:20PM…
It was a joyous reunion, which lasted about five minutes, since they were on a “Flight and Hotel Gambling Jaunt”… In other words, they had to take a bus from the airport to their hotel (Don Laughlin’s Riverside) to check in, which was good for me, since it gave me an additional half hour to lay down (at home), while they got themselves checked in, and all that…
Turned out their room wasn’t ready, so, when we got there, they were deep into the magic of loosing money…
Of course, somehow, we got our directional signals mixed up, so we all spent some time cruising the casino grounds (both inside and out) before we finally caught up with each other…
The intrusion and confusion didn’t seem to matter, and, even though we’d interrupted their fun time, a second Happy Reunion took place with hugs and love all around…
We dropped a few coins ourselves just for the practice (actually, it’s not coins any more, it’s bills and paper vouchers), and then took a stroll on the Riverwalk… Lovely afternoon (80-some degrees)…
Stopped at a few of the other casinos, and had a late lunch at Joe‘s Crab Shack, where we discussed what to do and see while they were here… They’d never been here before…
After some running around trying to find a rental car place in town (and not succeeding), Terry and I left the girls, and ended up back at the Airport, where we reserved a vehicle for the next day…
It was getting late (7:30PM), and they’d been up since before extremely early, and, needless to say, I was ready for the sack as well (not mentioning Lu, ‘cause she’s always ready for the sack)…
Anyway, we parted ways with the promise of meeting up fairly early the next morning…
Friday, Apr. 16...
Got up early… Big sightseeing day planned… But before anything could be accomplished, Lu and I had to get ourselves a Starbucks fix, so we parked at the Riverside, and walked over to the Aquarius before meeting up with the McCanns back at the Riverside…
Terry and I the drove over to the Airport, parked my truck and rented a Mazda (zoom, zoom) from Hertz…
Picked up the girls (who had fun with the machines while the boys were away), and headed down to Lake Havasu City, to check out the London Bridge, which some fool brought (block by block) over from London…
Guess he wasn’t such a fool after all, ‘cause it put place on the map…
We stopped in Needles to get some literature from a Land Management Office, and arrived in LHC all rearing to mingle with the crowds… The problem: No crowds… Matter of fact, there were hardly anybody there… The place was dead! Found out this is the “in-between-season”…
The snowbirds have trekked North, and nothing of importance will happen until the summer crowd comes on Memorial Day, at the end of May…
We sauntered around taking a few pictures, and then decided to vacate to a more promising tourist trap: Oatman…
Oatman is an Old Mining Town nestled in the hills (Southeast of Bullhead City), on “famous” Route 66...
It’s claim to fame these days are “wild” burros (donkeys, or asses, if you’d rather call them that), and a couple of staged gunfights… The one we watched was totally botched by the participants (guns which didn‘t fire, poor acting, and missed dialog), but no-one seemed to care… It was fun to see anyway…
It’s been about ten years since we were here, and things have changed…
There are now dozens of souvenir shops and eateries, but the Old Oatman Hotel is still the main attraction, if you get tired of looking at, buying for, or petting the ever-increasing burro population…
We had a fantastic lunch at the Hotel, and, so not to leave the poor critters hungry, “Gede” bought carrots which she and Lu doled out to the herd…
After the good time in Oatman, Lu and I were dropped off at home, to get ourselves ready for the evening session, which consisted of some slot playing, a walk on the Riverwalk, some more visits to some more slots, having dinner at the Gourmet Room (Riverside), and just a little bit more play, before getting home around 9:30... Very good day!
Saturday, Apr. 17...
The day started with a trip to Starbucks with “Gede” and Terry; then a trip up and down the Riverwalk to various casinos to try our luck… Surprising thing is, we’re about even fund-wise (a few bucks to the good, actually), so that’s a good thing…
Had lunch again at Joe’s Crab Shack, after which Lu and I went home for a rest, and to let “Gede” and Terry have some private time by themselves… Found out they took the river taxi up to Harrah’s (which is a bit out of the way from the other casinos), where they planted themselves on the beach for a couple of hours…
We hooked up again around 4ish, and since Tuesday is my birthday (and Terry and “Gede” would’ve left by then), they wanted to take us out for dinner tonight… So, after some time messing around with the odds at the Riverside, we piled into the water taxi and went over to the River Palms, where we had great food, and a very good time at the Lodge Steak House…
Thanks heaps you guys! That was a wonderful birthday gift, one I’ll remember for the rest of my life…
Oh, and thanks, “Gede” for telling me that Dee is one of my Blog readers…
How fun is that?! Now there’s a lady with high spirits… Always a great, big smile on her face…
F.Y.I.: She used to be a neighbor many years ago, but, unfortunately, we lost touch over the years, but “Gede” and Dee have retained their friendship, and I’m really thrilled that she has found some interest in my Blog…
I don’t know why the heck I’m writing like this, since Dee obviously reads this mess, so, let’s just say,
Hi, Dee, it’s a great pleasure to hear you’re doing good… We miss seeing your happy face like we did, but, maybe we can all get together one of these days? Hope so…
Sunday, Apr. 18...
Had breakfast with “Gede” and Terry this morning, after which we gambled at the Riverside…
Both Lu and I had a good morning, since I won 55 and Lu won 70 bucks after breakfast… Not too shabby, huh?
Around 10:30, or so, it was time for “Gede” and Terry to say farewell… They had to go and pack, and be ready to take off for the airport by 11:00...
It was kind of sad to see them take off, but that’s the way it goes…
We really enjoyed having you guys visit, and appreciate it very, very much…
Not too many people would’ve taken the time, and paid the cost, to fly from one end of the continent to the other, just to visit in-laws for a few days…
We love you for it, and so grateful for your kindheartedness… Thanks, guys, from the bottom of our hearts! Let’s sit down and reminisce one of these days when we get home…
That’s about all there is to tell, so, I’ll quit for now, and get this Blog and the pictures posted…
More later…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20visit%20from%20family%5EJ%20and%20some%20time%20spent%20in%20LAUGHLIN%5EJ%20LAKE%20HAVASU%20CITY%5EJ%20and%20OATMAN%20%5E5APR.%2015%20-%20APR.%2018%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=123&isFromRichUpload=1

YUMA, and the trip to BULLHEAD CITY, AZ (APR. 10 - APR. 14, 2010)

2010-04-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting here (on our 8th (and last) night in Bullhead City, AZ., contemplating whether to work on the Blog or not…
It’s 8:30 and Lu is in bed watching some “favorite “ TV shows, so there isn’t much of a choice, really… She likes to be horizontal when watching shows… That way she knows I’ll turn off the TV when I come to bed… You get it?
Nah, I’m kidding… Not about Lu being in bed, but about the TV…
Anyway, if I’m going to take the time to do something constructive here, I better get with it… It’s late, and we‘re moving up to Las Vegas tomorrow…
So, did I tell you that both Lu and I love our favorite bartender, Kari (at the Parrish’s Bar and Grill)… She’s the cutest thing since Hermit the Frog (or something like that), and has the personality to go with it… Not only that, but she looks a lot like Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lu wanted her hair, so, as I’ve said in a previous Blog, Kari introduces us to Ken (her hair dresser), who came to our trailer and cut both of our manes…
We showed up at Parrish’s the following day, and Kari took one look at Lu - whose hair now is really, really short - and says (so the whole bar can hear), “You need PRODUCTS girl!”
We come back for more abuse the following evening, and, as soon as Kari is done working, she sits Lu down at one of the tables and proceeds to indoctrinate her into the finer things of hair styling… Even some of the customers got involved, and Lu took it all in stride… Bravo for her!
From one mess to another:
We went SCRAMBLE golfing on Sunday (Apr. 10), at the Westwind, and had a blast… I think we were paired up in four or five foursomes, and the idea is to only use the best ball as we proceed through each hole… Could tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you, as the saying goes…
The people we met golfing are all very friendly and jovial, and I believe we’re fitting right in, so both Lu and I are looking forward to spending next Winter down here…
Talking about friendly people… We’ve been passing this elderly lady’s place, on our way to and from the pool, and noticed her rear license plate was from Everett, WA… Then one day she had backed the car up, and the front plate said: UFF DA… Of course, I had to talk to her…
Matter of fact, she stopped me and invited us over, because she had a letter from Norway she needed some translation for… We had a great time yakking about Norway, and this and that, but the funny thing is that when we stood up to leave - after an hour - she says, “My… I forgot to offer you something to eat and drink… I even have cold beer in the fridge for you!” Well… We’ll take her up on that offer when we get back…
On Tuesday (Apr. 13) we left Westwind at 8:30 in the morning… We only had about 200 miles to drive, and they were easy miles, so we took our time… Stopped at Parker and had a pretty good breakfast, and then, after a short stretch through California, we pulled into Ridgeview RV Park (on the North end of Bullhead City, AZ) a little after 1:00...
Bullhead City stretches for miles and miles along the Eastern shore of the Colorado River (which is the border between Arizona and Nevada), and the bridge across the river is located just a hop and a skip from our Park… On the Nevada side lies the City of Laughlin, which basically consists of 7 or 8 casinos that are (for the most part) connected by a Riverwalk… We’ve always liked Laughlin, and would take it over Las Vegas any time of the day… The casinos are big, yet the city is small and manageable…
The Riverwalk is about a mile long, and provides a very comfortable stroll - if you’re not out there when it’s 120 degrees…
We got ourselves situated at the Park, and then went for a taste of the slot machines…
You win some… You loose some… The main thing to remember is to use your head… If you do that, you’ll have a great time… Guaranteed!
Over to some other stuff…
To my dismay, we found our cell phone service (Verizon) here absolutely lousy, and the internet service (also Verizon) twice as bad… Seems like a place like this, with all the casinos and all the people who either live here or visits here, should have decent services, but, unfortunately, not so…
Maybe, some day, things will be better?
On our first full day here (Apr. 14) we drove ten miles back South (on Hwy 95) to check out AVI Casino and Resort… An Indian place we visited back in 2000... They have a very nice RV Park, and, to our surprise, they still have a very cheap breakfast ($6.08 for two: Eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and milk)…
In the evening, we went to a few casinos…
Lost some… Won some…
Became “best friends” with a very nice and cheerful couple, Bob and Jeri, whom we had drinks with at the Lodge Steakhouse…
I might’ve imbibed a little too much of the merriment, ‘cause Lu insisted on driving home, but what the hey… You only go around once, so why not enjoy it?
As I said earlier, this is our last night here in Laughlin/Bullhead City, but I’m going to cut this Blog short, because I have around 90 pictures for this segment, and somewhere around 150 pictures for the rest of the time we spent here… Since I don’t have internet service, I have to wait until tomorrow, when we get to Vegas, to upload everything, and, I think, it’ll be easier for me to split things into two Blogs… We’ll see…
Best regards from the Vagabonds…
Have a great rest of the week…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20and%20the%20trip%20to%20BULLHEAD%20CITY%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5APR.%2010%20-%20APR.%2014%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=92&isFromRichUpload=1

YUMA & ALGODONES… Side trips, county fairs, and friendly visits (MAR. 28 - APR. 9, 2010)

2010-04-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Can’t believe it’s almost two weeks since I updated my Blog…
(Sorry, Gede, you’re gonna have to get used to not having my stories put you to sleep at night… There‘s still some time, though, to get weaned, since I intend to keep plugging along until we’re home)…
Let me see…
What to tell you…
We were at Yuma Lakes until April 3...
OK place, but that’s about it…
I’m almost sure I’ve told you that Yuma Lakes is located on the outskirts of hundreds (or maybe thousands) of acres of agricultural fields, so there’s a dust problem when the farmers plow and there’s a wind…
Thank goodness, we didn’t have too much wind while there, so, I guess, I can’t complain too much about that…
Actually, of the fourteen days we were at Yuma Lakes, we didn’t spend all that much time in the park itself… It seems we were always on the go to see or do things…
Yuma County Fair was happening, and we were kind of excited about going there, but it turned out it was just like any other Fair: Lots to occupy kids, but not so much for us Old-timers…
Ever since we arrived in Yuma, we’ve been pretty religious about spending our mornings in either the hot tub or pool, or both…
At Yuma Lakes they didn’t want you in there until 8 AM, but here at Westwind, we can use the “swimming holes” any time we want, so that was a deciding factor in choosing this place for ”Snow birding” next Fall…
We like to get up around 6:30 - 7:00 to wash away the night, and at that time of the morning, there are very seldom anybody else around, so we have the facilities all to ourselves… Pretty nice!
One of the pastimes here is to visit Flee Markets…
There are two…
One is fairly large, and is located West of town, and the other is humongous, and located a few miles from where we’re staying (at Westwind), in what they call the Foothills…
It takes both stamina and fortitude to walk through it all without blowing a hole in your wallet…
As I said, we moved back to Westwind on April 3, and absolutely love the place…
The people are incredibly friendly, and the Park is beautifully maintained…
The pool is of fair size, but the hot tub is the biggest one we’ve ever seen…
It’s kidney shaped, and, though I haven’t measured it, I bet it’s at least 30 feet long and about 8 feet wide…
To top that off, Westwind offers a fabulous 9-hole golf course, a Pro Shop, and a restaurant and bar, which are all factors in us choosing this place for our future Winter getaways…
On April 4, we had a 7.2 earthquake, which was something to behold… It “only” lasted 45 seconds (I hear), but it seemed like it would never end… You should’ve seen the trailer and the truck do the Boogie…
For that matter, you should’ve seen Luanne’s face (she’d been in taking a nap) when she waddled out from the bedroom, hanging on to whatever was handy… “What do I do,” she yelled, all panicky and scared to death… Macho me offered: “Hang on to your pantyhose, Baby, and ride it out!”
Hey, I figured the trailer was the best place to be, since it’s used to twists, turns, and shakes…
I was probably right, but it was quite a ride… One we’ll remember for a long, long time…
We’ve been to Los Algodones quite a few times these past few weeks…
The first time was to get our teeth cleaned…
Had an appointment at 2:00 one day, but when we got there, we found the dentist was running 3 to 4 hours late, so we rescheduled for an early appointment on the 5th.
I got the best cleaning I’ve had in many years, and it only set me back $50.00 for the two of us…
Made an appointment for next August to get a gold crown… The cost… $190.00... Can’t get that in the States for that price, that’s for sure…
Other than that, and going shopping at a brand new Walmart Supercenter (a couple of miles away from us), and at Fry’s grocery store, we’ve taken some long rides around the countryside… Took our bikes in to get them tuned up the other day, so we’re now all over the place without clanks or squeaks… It’s fairly flat around here (in the Foothills), so it’s easy riding…
What else?
Oh, yeah…
For 100 bucks, I had some little Mexicans wash and wax the trailer the other day (they tossed in washing the car)… Both vehicles needed it badly, and since I refuse to do things like that in nearly 90 degree weather, I thought it was a good deal…
So, here’s a good one:
We met the cutest little bartender at the local hangout for Snow birders…
Luanne was taken by her hair (I was taken by the whole package), and, through her, we met her hairdresser/stylist (or whatever you want to call these folks), who works at the Marine Base three days of the week… His name is Ken, and the days he’s not working at the Base, he goes around cutting people’s hair at their home… Hence, for the first time in our lives, we had a professional come to our Wagon Wheel and cut our manes… Are we catching up with the Jet set, or what?
Last Thursday (around 10:30am), our very good friend, Mavis, arrived from Arizona City (about a 3½ hr drive) for an overnight visit…
We spent a few minutes sitting around shooting the breeze, then headed over to Algodones, where she bought all kinds of medicines for her friends back home…
I tell you… Algodones would cease to exist if it wasn’t for Americans coming over the border to get their teeth fixed, get new glasses, or buy medicine…
Why does everything in the States cost so much more than here? Another conundrum, huh?
We stopped at the Quechan Casino on the way back, but didn’t win anything… Not that we expected to, you understand… But it’s fun now and again…
Anyway, when we got home we stopped at Westwind’s Restaurant and Bar for dinner and drinks…
At home, afterwards, a new friend, Earl, came by to invite us over to a party, but Mavis didn’t want to go, but said Lu and I should, so we did for about half an hour…
We’ve now met a great bunch of people around here, but don’t ask me what their names are (hopefully, that’ll change with time)… The thing is, they’re all so very, very friendly and accommodating… We even got an invitation to go golfing tomorrow morning (Sunday, 11th), at 8:30, which will be kind of challenging since neither Lu nor I have touched a golf club in more than what? four years?
Oh, well… Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
We had a great time visiting with Mavis after we got home… Always nice to see dear friends, that’s for sure…
She left yesterday morning after we had a wonderful farewell breakfast at the Daybreaker restaurant (up the street)…
I think that’s all I have to tell you for now…
Like I said up at the top, I’m planning to keep the Blog up until we get home, so check back again one of these days to see if I’ve gotten the lead out and posted some new stuff…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%20%5E0%20ALGODONES%e2%80%a6%20Side%20trips%5EJ%20county%20fairs%5EJ%20and%20friendly%20visits%20%5E5MAR.%2028%20-%20APR.%209%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=56&isFromRichUpload=1

A trip to EL CENTRO, CA, and the 2010 YUMA AIR SHOW (MAR. 26 & 27, 2010)

2010-03-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

We were going to take it easy today (Mar. 26), but before the morning was into its prime, we buckled up and headed for El Centro, in California…
There’s a Costco there, and, evidently, our brains told us we needed a Costco fix…
It’s a 140-mile round trip, so we must’ve needed a fix pretty bad, huh?
Anyway, it was a nice ride, which took us through The Imperial Dunes Recreation Area…
A humongous sandbox where hundreds of four-wheelers gather to eat dust and sand… Must be fun…
We visited El Centro in 2000, but it seemed much smaller then…
Don’t know how many inhabitants there are, but it sure is a big town now, with huge boulevards leading to who knows where, and homes and businesses all over the place…
We had Jill take us straight to the Holy Grail (Costco)...
Oh… Backtrack…
I did tell you about Jack’s sex change, didn‘t I?
Our GPS has now gone from Molly to Jack to Jill in a matter of 9 months, and, hopefully, this’ll be the end of it… Those little people inside that gadget has ticked me off to no end over these months, but they are (for the most part) invaluable to our travels, so we put up with their idiosyncrasies and hope for the best…
My next item of importance, though, is to upgrade the little suckers, so, maybe, that‘ll get both them and me on the same track…
Only time will tell…
I had my tires rotated at Costco (actually, that was the reason we went there in the first place… Yeah, right!), and we shopped for food and got new thongs for the both of us… Lu got a new bathing suit, and I bought ink cartridges for my printer… That’s about it… Oh… Almost forgot… We had Polish Sausages for lunch… Yum, yum…
Yesterday brought the Yuma Air Show into the area…
We took off around 9:30...
After jockeying around to find a parking spot, we pulled in behind a young couple, and,
as we both climbed out of our respective cars, I put on the Coast Guard cap Nephew Mike, gave me...
Walking to the gate, they both looked at my cap and smiled, nodding their heads, saying "hello,"
which, of course, Luanne and I returned...
Nothing more was said, and we went our own ways as soon as we got through the gate...
We hadn't walked very far, however, before we noticed they were heading straight for us again...
The girl (or should I say woman) stretched out her hand, and in it were four tickets, which she explained
were tickets to get into the VIP section of the Air Show...
Since they saw my cap - they explained - and since the guy was in the Coast Guard, we were more than
welcome to join them...
Nothing else was said, except that they'd gotten the tickets from a friend of his brother (or something
like that), so, of course, we thanked them, and went our separate ways again...
At the VIP entrance (a huge area enclosed by chain link fences, right in front of the tarmac and the announcer) they took our tickets, gave us wrist bands, and we were allowed to enter...
Two long tables (probably at least 24 ft long) were set up with catered food of all kinds, and there were
soft drinks, water, and even a keg of beer, but the best part were the chairs...
Not having to stand for hours on end, is a blessing to us old folks, you know...
Anyway... Long story short...
After an hour or so, the couple happened to come by, and we struck up a conversation...
Of course, they were curious about where I'd served in the Coast Guard, and, even though I was tempted
to lie a little, I told them I'd gotten the cap from Mike...
Told them he was down in Lockport, Louisiana, and they said they were on their way there, to Eric’s new station, which I believe he said was on the North side of Lake Pontchartrain (not the Post where Mike is)...
Anyway, I dropped Mike’s name, and the guy asked me if Mike had served on the "Hamilton," in San Diego...
Can you believe that?
He then told me that Mike had been his commanding officer back when...
Is that fluky, or what?
Small world, huh?
Their names are Eric and Amy Pruitt, and we can’t begin to say how much we appreciate their kindness... Thank you, guys!
Needless to say, due to Eric and Amy, we had a fantastic experience…
We got fed very well…
We loved the show (but had troubles with the camera, which, for some reason, didn’t want to focus when planes flew by, so there’s not very many good pictures of that)…
And we found some new friends…
What more could you ask for?
That’s all for to today… Here are some of the pictures we did take:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20trip%20to%20EL%20CENTRO%5EJ%20CA%5EJ%20and%20the%202010%20YUMA%20AIR%20SHOW%20%5E5MAR.%2026%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=80&isFromRichUpload=1

YUMA, ARIZONA, AND LOS ALGODONES, MEXICO (from MAR. 18 to 25, 2010)

2010-03-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, guess it’s time to update the Blog again…
Let’s see… Where did I leave off…
Believe it’s been about a week… Nice break!
As I’ve said, there isn’t all that much to write about once you’re in a place like this, because you get into somewhat of a routine, where you tend to do the same things over and over:
Like hitting the hot tub and the pool first thing in the morning - before the “Chicken Coup” invades for their morning exercises…
You go shopping at Walmart for food (or whatever), or you spend half a day browsing one of many “flea markets” where you can buy everything from needles to haystacks…
You lay out in the sun (just long enough not to burn), then spend half an hour “cooling” off in the pool, yapping up a storm with people you meet…
Some times you take a drive in and around the neighborhood, just to check things out, and some times you luck out and find new things to do or see…
We’ve visited the old Yuma prison as well as the Pea Patch, and we’ve taken a trip into Los Algodones, Mexico (only about 40 minutes away)…
We’ve stopped by the roadway just to watch migrant Mexican workers pick lettuce, cabbage, and all kinds of other crops…
Totally amazing how they can handle working in such hot weather day in and day out - from dawn to dusk - and, probably, not at a very decent wage…
We moved (after our five days at Westwind RV and Golf Resort) to Yuma Lakes Resort for a fourteen night stay, after which, we’ll go back to Westwind again for a ten night stand…
I told you (some time back) that we had trouble with the hot water tank, and, sure enough, last Friday, it bit the dust…
Funny way it did it, too… Must’ve been a short, ’cause the electric breaker went off, and when I tried to turn it back on, there was a puff, and, all of a sudden, the alarm of the car next door started bleeping… The people came out and couldn’t figure out the problem… Sensitive thing, huh?
Of course, I didn’t tell them…
We spent some time locating a repair service, and when we finally did, we couldn’t get them to come to our site before yesterday, and yesterday we had dental appointments at 2:00, in Algodones, so there was the potential for a small conflict, but it was avoided… The repair guy finished up just in time for us to hightail it down to Mexico…
We got to our appointment with 5 minutes to spare, only to find six other customers waiting in line…
The dentist was hours delayed…
We mulled it over for a bit, then made arrangements to come back at ten o’clock, Monday, April 5...
Spent a couple of hours strolling through the town, which is nothing but a Super Flee Market, where you get bombarded by hawkers, selling everything you can buy across the border, but with the exotic twist of having to bargain in broken Spanish…
There must be a hundred dentists (and the same amount of drugstores) across the Mexican border…
Why, you ask… Well, prices are just a fraction of what we pay at home, so this is definitely a draw for us living in the U.S…
I think, though, that OUR biggest draw to this place are the Shrimp Tacos… They’re fabulous, and they’re served at a “hotdog” stand (sorry, can’t call it anything else) on a busy corner…
The waiting line is always long, but always worth the wait…
We had our first ones here in 2000, and, Luanne just told me, she saw an add that they’re celebrating their tenth anniversary… There’s a reason for them staying in business this long…
Needless to say, we had two of them yesterday, and that took care of our dinner for last night…
Unfortunately, I’ve had to spend some time working on our taxes, which only means we’re closing in on the end of our trip…
Sad but true…
Well, that’s about all for now… Just an update to let you know we’re still breathing, still having fun, and still have a bit over a month left before we get home…
Y’all have a great day, and keep an eye out for us on my Blog…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20ARIZONA%5EJ%20AND%20LOS%20ALGODONES%5EJ%20MEXICO%20%5E5from%20MAR.%2018%20to%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=74&isFromRichUpload=1

YUMA, AZ (MAR. 16 & 17, 2010)

2010-03-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Went to the pool (yesterday morning, Mar, 16) with the intent of going for some laps, but, unfortunately, I was a bit late…
A pod of ladies were in the process of doing water aerobics, so I relegated myself to the Hot tub - which is huge!
Found out the ladies (or anybody, really) has the pool set aside from 8 to 10,
so no need to hang around after I started steaming…
Went RV Park-hunting after I cooled down…
We’ve decided that Yuma is the place we want to spend our Winters, at least for the next few years…
We’ve done research, and found this area to have the warmest temps from about November to April, and we like it down here, so there you go…
The only problem is to find a decent place, with activities we’d be inclined to partake in… Hence, Park-hunting…
Actually, we absolutely love the place we‘re in, the “Westwind RV and Golf Resort,” and, so far, have not been able to find another place that compares (and we‘ve been to a dozen so far, I think)…
They have a full-time restaurant, and the Cheers Bar is located right next to the Pro Shop for the 9-hole Golf Course, which is immaculate…
Of course, there are more arts and crafts areas than you can shake a stick at (there’s even a wood shop!), and the Recreation Hall is huge enough to sport Live Entertainment from some of America’s known and unknown acts…
What more could you ask for?
So far, our stay here (two nights out of five) have been blessed with day-temps in the 80s, and nights in the high 50s… No complaints!
By the way, since we made reservations long ago (and didn’t know what we’d “run” into here), we’re moving to Yuma Lakes next Saturday for a two-week stay, and then on to Bullhead City and Laughlin for a couple of weeks before heading home…
After some soul-searching and deliberation of pros and cons, we’ve decided to make this (Westwind Resort) our Winter home-away-from-home, starting next November (more than likely)… That should get us away from the cold and snow for a few years anyway…
Enough of that…
I’m not going to elaborate too much on what we’re doing here, because the topic will more than likely be about spending time in and around the pool…
We both have appointments with a dentist, in Los Algodones, Mexico, to get our teeth cleaned, so we’ll be going there at least a couple of times over the next few weeks… Other than that, there’s no real plan, so I’m letting you know now that, henceforth (at least while we’re in Yuma) there might be some small installments on my Blog from time to time, but I’m going on “vacation” for a while, so check back, but don’t expect too much…
Sorry, but we haven’t taken too many pictures lately, so there’s not much to look at…
We did take some of the agricultural fields as we drove over to Yuma Lakes, but I’m not sure they show the immensity of the area… No wonder they call this place the vegetable garden of the U.S.
Unbelievable how big they are…
Well, that’s it for now…
To all, thank you very much for following us, and please don’t get discouraged if you don’t see an update on my Blog for a bit… I’m sure the writing-bug will catch up with me sooner than later, and you’ll get your doze of ho-hum again…
Until then, take care…
Here are the few pix we’ve taken while in Yuma: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2016%20%5E0%2017%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=17&isFromRichUpload=1

SIERRA VISTA, and from BENSON to YUMA, AZ (MAR. 14 & 15, 2010)

2010-03-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Mar. 14...
Didn’t have too much on the agenda today, so we did a load of laundry while pondering what to do…
The truck needed an oil change, so we finally decided to forego another trip into Tucson, and, instead, get that done (even though we would’ve loved to have another stab at this great city)…
Because Benson‘s Walmart didn‘t have a “Tire and Lube Center,“ we had to drive over to Sierra Vista (about 30 miles West of Benson)…
NOTE: There’s a military base around here somewhere, ‘cause we ran into a fair share of guys (and gals) with military haircuts and demeanor (did I cover myself?), and some of the people we talked to had that special military way of talking…
You know: Yes, Sir… No, Sir… Ma’am… That kind of crap… (you know what I mean)… Hell, the last time I was addressed as Sir was when I gave this guy a few bucks for parking my car in a sleazy part of some town somewhere (I didn’t like it then, and I just can’t get used to it… Even though I got my car back)…
No matter… We hightailed it to Sierra Vista, and then spent the next two hours waiting around… There’s only so much you can see and do at a Walmart, so the time spent went excruciatingly slow, but we managed… Read that as: The BOSS didn‘t spend too much out of the ordinary, so we got out of there without going broke… There’s something to be said about that…
Filled the truck up on the way home (cost me an arm and a leg, and half a mortgage, but we‘re good to go in the morning…
Stopped by our favorite watering hole (The Arena Bar, on the outskirts of Benson), and watched a couple of cowpokes practice roping a few cows from our window seats, while nourishing some refreshments…
Now tell me - honestly - where can you find another bar like that?
Don’t we live a charmed life?
Mar. 15...
Another blue sky… Another wonderful morning…
Up at 7:00, and on the road a little after 8:00...
All went quite well until we were stopped by a “pissant” officer (of the State Patrol type)…
Evidently, I didn’t “move over” to the left lane, when I passed him, but, obviously, he didn’t have much to do this morning, so he set his sights on innocent “foreign” travelers (I am Norwegian… OK?!)…
Now… He did have his Christmas Tree Lights going, but the guy he had stopped (before me) was pulling out and was long gone by the time I caught up with the Trooper and his flashing lights, and…
Wait for this…
There was a semi truck in the left lane beside me, so I couldn’t move over…
We spent about 15 - 20 minutes (at the side of the road) while waiting for him to go back to his vehicle, and come back with the verdict…
NOT GUILTY!
Of course, he didn’t quite think I was innocent, so he gave me a Warning Ticket…
Life in Arizona is so unfair for us foreigners!
Wonder if illegal Mexicans cause that kind of reaction?
Probably not… But who knows?
As a result of this mishandling of personal rights, we were about 20 minutes late for our meeting with our wonderful friend, Mavis Fey, which was to take place at the Iron Skillet (Exit 200 off I-10)...
Since she’s such a good personage, she forgave us, and even bought us breakfast, which was totally uncalled for, but tremendously appreciated…
We‘ll make up for it when you come to Yuma for a visit… OK?
After getting our bellies saturated, and bidding Mavis “adjø” (Norwegian for adjø… Learn it, or die!)
we headed West on I-8...
I programmed “Jack” last night to take us to the address of our new RV Park (the Westwind), in Yuma…
I didn’t check with any of our paper maps, because, as soon as I put the address in, he came right up with “Drive to… etc… etc…”
Figured he had it down pat…
WRONG!
When we got to Yuma, he had us leave I-8 at Exit 2 (that‘s 2 miles from the California border), then one turn after another lead us into the toolies…
When we finally arrived at the place he thought was our RV Park, we were, in fact, in the middle of the
“American Lettuce Basket” (look at the pictures)…
We headed South (BIG mistake!), thinking we’d be able to make a left (back to the freeway), but the lettuce fields (or whatever they were) were so huge, and there were no cross streets for miles, so it seemed like we were half way to Belize before we could finally turn…
Please remember I’m hauling a 30-foot trailer behind me, so it’s not all that easy to make a turn, if you know what I‘m saying…
Well, long story short… We spent at least an hour, and drove probably more than 30 extra miles, because “Jack” had fun steering us astray…
I was not pleased, and Luanne must’ve been more so, because she yelled at me when I vented my frustration in a not-so-gentlemanly-way…
We had a quiet time (while I contemplated my outburst - and hers), and then I spoke out loud: “That bastard is done for! He’s gonna be a girl from now on! Good bye Jack! Hello Molly!”
Lu called the RV Park and got directions…
Found I-8, and headed back East to Exit 12, and entered a fine-looking RV Park, where we’ll spend the next five nights…
Everything we could possibly want for in recreation is here… Swimming Pool… Hot tub… Library… Shuffle Board… Cafeteria… Bar…
Oh, I could go on, but I’ll let the pictures tell the story as the days go by… How’s that?
Will say that we met some very friendly people already, and Luanne is absolutely giddy with delight of finding a place like this right off the bat…
That’s it for tonight…
We have a bunch of things to do and see around here in the next four weeks (among them is a visit to the dentist for some cleaning), so we’ll see how the Blog comes into play… Not going to promise an update every night, but we’ll see…
Until we meet again, then… Safe travels to all…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SIERRA%20VISTA%5EJ%20and%20from%20BENSON%20to%20YUMA%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2014%20%5E0%2015%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=67&isFromRichUpload=1

TUCSON, ARIZONA (MAR. 13, 2010)

2010-03-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

Since it was “only” about 40-some miles, we decided (at 9:00AM) to take a drive into Tucson, and - let me tell you - we found a new favorite place!
The City is nestled between the Tucson and the Santa Catalina Mountains, and it’s idyllic, beautiful, and all those great words that describes peace and quiet…
Not knowing what to do and what to see, we asked “Jack” to take us to a Visitors Center, which he gladly did (now that we have an understanding - See previous Blogs), and that happened to land us smack in the middle of an incredible complex called the Convention and Visitors Bureau…
Please see pictures, because it is very tastefully done, and very colorful…
Found out there are all kinds of things to see and do in town (and the surrounding area) all year round, but there were several things going on this weekend, which we thought we’d take a look at, and, so, we started out by visiting The Old Town Artisans Plaza…
Very unique in that you walk in at any one of the four corners (it takes up a whole block), and then stroll through shops, boutiques, and art galleries by interconnected doors… In other words, you don’t have to go outdoors at all, unless you want to sit and relax in the inner courtyard, where you’ll find the Cocina Restaurant…
We were told there were going to be Aztec entertainers at noon, 2:00, and 4:00, so, since we had a lot of time on our hands, we decided to drive down to San Xavier del Bac Mission, a Mission that goes way back to when those Spaniards were running things around here…
We had no idea we would run right into the 28th Annual “WA:K POWWOW”
(a conglomeration of Indian Tribes from all over the Nation), which was to take place at the “back” lot of the Mission, starting a half hour after we arrived…
We’ve never been to a powwow, so we had no idea of what to expect, but we thought, what the hey, and paid the $3 for parking, and the $18 to get in…
Not going to say anything other than we had a fabulous time; we had two home-made beef tacos each, which an older Indian lady took ten minutes to make from scratch (and it was the best tacos I‘ve ever had), and we watched a most vibrant and colorful pageant saturated in tradition and history…
Look at the pictures, and you’ll see what I mean…
We didn’t leave until after 3:00, when we scooted back to Old Town Artisans - to catch the Aztecs - and to have dinner at the Cocina Restaurant…
We got ourselves a table out in the courtyard, and, for about half an hour, we listened to Tom Short play fabulous Jazz and Blues on his guitar… He was so good, I broke down and got his CD…
After dinner we went home via a quick trip to Costco, where Lu needed to get a couple of slabs of ham…
Don’t know why she had to go to Costco for that, but mine is not to question why… Etcetera…
Stopped by the Arena Bar (in Benson) for a nightcap, then home to get this Blog and pictures posted, so we can start all over again tomorrow…
Don’t actually know if we’re heading back to Tucson tomorrow (‘cause Lu’s in bed), but we talked about it earlier, so there’s a chance we’ll make a return trip…
There’s a Jazz Festival up in some canyon, and all sorts of other things (like a movie lot - where a lot of Westerns were shot), but who knows, we’ll see tomorrow…
Until then, then…
Take a look at today’s pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/TUCSON%5EJ%20ARIZONA%20%5E5MAR.%2013%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=166&isFromRichUpload=1

COCHISE STRONGHOLD, CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT, FORT BOWIE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE (MAR 12, 2010)

2010-03-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Very tired after a long day (somewhere close to 9 hours and about 220 miles of travel), so this Blog is going to be fairly short…
I’m taking some time now, while I’m waiting for my photos to upload, to give you a brief update on some of the stuff we did today…
Maybe some of it will interest you?
Took well over 300 pictures, but cut them down to 182, which is still a lot to look at, but I just couldn‘t see dropping any more than that…
I added text to quite a few of them, so you should have no problem figuring out what you’re seeing…
You can get an idea of how vast this territory is by looking at the map (the first picture)… It literally takes hours and hours to drive the “short” distance we did today, and when you take into account stopping and hiking, you soon have a full day on your hand…
I took quite a few pictures of plaques (posted here, there, and everywhere) at the sites we visited… They’re a great source of information, and they help me remember whatever I need to remember, if I ever should need it…
I hope that information will help you as well…
I think both Luanne and I got the most pleasure of visiting the Stronghold of the Apache Chief, Cochise, and Fort Bowie, but the Chiricahua National Monument is totally awesome also… Mother Nature has been very busy here, and it’s a must-see if you’re ever in this area…
We had a spectacular day today, by the way… No wind, clear, blue skies, and an abundance of sun… It looks like the weather is finally going to straighten up and behave for the foreseeable future, and it’s about time… We need to get some tan before venturing back to the Northwest…
My pictures just finished uploading, and I’m going to end this mess and go to bed… Later, Y’all…….
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/COCHISE%20STRONGHOLD%5EJ%20CHIRICAHUA%20NATIONAL%20MONUMENT%5EJ%20FORT%20BOWIE%20NATIONAL%20HISTORIC%20SITE%20%5E5MAR%2012%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=182&isFromRichUpload=1

BENSON, TOMBSTONE & BISBEE, AZ (MAR. 10, 2010)

2010-03-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, this area literally bristles with Old West history, and should I take the time to write about all of it, I’d be here ‘till Doomsday, and that’s only if a gaggle of historians did the research for me, ’cause I sure don’t know much about any of it, except for maybe some highlights here and there…
Guess what I’m saying is that I don’t want to add my meager scribbles (about the cowboy era) to the millions of volumes already on the shelves…
Did that make sense?
What it boils down to is that I’m trying get out of writing a long and tedious essay, so, then, in the interest of brevity here on the Blog, I took a slug of pictures, which, hopefully, will give you a feel for “things” from days of yore, and, maybe, guide you in your own exploration of interesting facts about some of the historic characters and the times they lived…
Can you see yourself a hundred-and-some years ago, riding into Tombstone (on an incredibly hot day in August), bellying up to the bar, next to Wyatt Earp and his brothers, at the Bird Cage Theatre, of course, since that was one of their favorite hangouts, or sitting down at the table (in the basement) playing a hand of poker with Doc Holiday?
Since you’re dreaming, why not picture yourself being an eyewitness to the gunfight at the OK Corral… Can you smell the gunpowder?
How about spending months and months, year in and year out, in the Queen copper mines of Bisbee, at an elevation of 5,300 feet… Wow, what hardship that must’ve been…
There are so many stories here…
Some are true…
A lot are fictitious…
Some are a little of both, but embellished to no end, just for the literary market, so legends will live on forever…
I’ve only touched on the “cowboy” side of things today, but I’ll give equal time to the Indians later - once we venture over to check out Fort Bowie…
Have you heard of Cochise and Geronimo, the Buffalo Soldiers, and the Indian Wars?
Our learning curve was enticed the last time we were here, and we hope to refresh some of those numb brain cells in a day or so…
So, without further ado, I leave you to your own exploration… Have fun…
Here are today’s crop: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BENSON%5EJ%20TOMBSTONE%20%5E0%20BISBEE%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%2010%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=118&isFromRichUpload=1

LAS CRUCES, NM to BENSON, AZ (MAR. 9, 2010)

2010-03-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

For some ungodly reason Luanne got out of bed before 6:00 this morning, but she had second thoughts five minutes later, when she plumped back into bed, turned on the light to read, and was asked (very gently by yours truly) what the heck she was doing bouncing all over the place…
She didn’t take lightly to that, and got back up…
Well… My beauty sleep was shot, as you can imagine, so I crawled out of the sack myself…
Maybe because I wasn’t quite awake and didn’t fully understand what she’d said, I peaked out (as I came to the door to the “head”), and found her standing at the kitchen sink - with her back to me…
Unfortunately, I asked again (in a most gentle and unobtrusive way, you understand) what she was thinking getting up at this time of the night…
When she slowly turned my way (dead giveaway), I knew I was in trouble… Those warm, blue eyes had turned arctic, and (being the diplomat I am) I piled into the bathroom before I could hear what she said…
Moments later, however, she yells that the heater is not working, and the propane tank is probably empty…
I’m standing here stark-raving “nekked” woman! Whazza matter with you?
Go and turn the switch to the other tank yourself!
Needless to say, we had a quiet (and peaceful) road trip today…
Thought I’d share that little episode with you to let you know that we do have “spats” from time to time, but doesn’t that make life interesting?
Now… Over to something dramatic…
I mentioned, yesterday, that I might carry out a sex-change operation on “Jack” and bring “Molly” back, because he became deaf-mute on me again, and would not acknowledge anything I tried to do to make him speak…
Well, last night, I took him into the trailer (to program him for our trip today), and when I placed him in his cradle (in the truck) this morning, he started singing like a damn canary…
Can you believe that?
Amazing what a little “tough love” will get you, huh?
How and why the sudden (and unexpected) turn-around happened is beyond me, but I have a sneaking suspicion… I’m just saying…
Wow! This issue of my Blog has become a little on the weird side, huh? Sorry about that…
Guess today’s travel wasn’t very exciting, and I don’t have much to add to the description I “planted” on the pictures, so there you go… Time to write silly stuff…
Anyway, as you can see by the headline, we made it to Benson, Arizona… All on Interstate 10...
Stopped in Deming (at a Denny’s) for breakfast, and then, at a Rest Area, just a few miles from Benson, because Lu had to get rid of some water… Hey! When you gotta go, you gotta go!
And, besides, after this morning’s debacle, I wasn’t about to mention we were within minutes of our destination… I know my place in the hierarchy…
So, we got settled… Took a nap, and went out to get propane, order medicine at Walmart, and stopped at the local wet-spot for some thirst quenchers…
A note about the weather:
We were lucky today… Had clear, blue, skies and no wind all the way here.
Right after our nap, however, huge, black clouds rolled in from the West, along with strong winds that sent dust flying everywhere… Then came torrential rain, but it only lasted a short while, and they’re saying tomorrow will be great, so we’ll see…
I’m done for today, and don’t know when I’ll get back to the Blog…
Probably be a couple of days, because this is one of our all-time favorite places, with a lot of history from the “cowboy” era, and we plan to do and see a lot this coming week…
Just about every day I do put notes on my Facebook, so, if you don’t see any action here, you might want to check there…
Take care until next time…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20CRUCES%5EJ%20NM%20to%20BENSON%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5MAR.%209%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=57&isFromRichUpload=1

Architectural Gems found in LAS CRUCES & OLD MESILLA, N.M. (MAR. 8, 2010)

2010-03-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

We got up early, mainly because we were used to the old time zone, but also because I needed to get printer ink (in order to get the check book and bank statements taken care of), so off to Walmart I went…
Programmed my good friend “Jack” and he gave me directions to a Supercenter about 3.5 miles away…
Got there, only to find they’d run out of my type…
Reprogrammed “Jack,” and he took me to another Supercenter, only a mile from the trailer… Now, why didn’t he get me there first? Conundrum…
Anyway, no ink there either…
Guide me home “Jack“…
You wouldn’t believe the route he took me… In and around neighborhoods, at least 3 miles out of my way, and to top it off, the jerk quit speaking to me before I got to our RV Park, so, of course, I didn’t pay attention (since I was used to hearing his warnings), and drove right on by…
Realized what I’d done a mile down the road… Made a U-turn, and am now in the progress of debating whether I should perform a sex-change operation on the little turd…
Maybe get Molly back?
My word, I do go on, don’t I?
Long story short: Called ahead to a couple of places (why didn’t I think about that before?), fetched my Better Half, and picked up the ink cartridge at a Office Max…
It was blowing very hard this morning (all day, actually), so, once we’d gotten the ink, we decided to take a short drive around some of the neighborhoods in Mesilla, on the way home… Took lots of pictures of wonderful Southwest Architecture…
Have to apologize for the lack of diversity in our pictures this time, but that’s because this “Adobe” design turns me on… Almost makes me want to start designing again…
Oh, well… got home and ended up taking a nap before taking off to check out the Historic District of Las Cruces… Then back to Old Mesilla again (which certainly rates among one of our favorite spots), where we strolled from shop to shop, and even found a couple of small gifts for some special people…
The evening was still early, and, since I’ve been on the vocal side about not having had a Texas steak in Texas for a few days, the Boss allowed me to take her to the “Texas Roadhouse“ (read that as STEAKHOUSE), where we indulged in some of the most fabulous animal protein we’ve ever had…
Which, of course, could only come from an authentic Texas restaurant in New Mexico…
Well stuffed, we headed home for a last night in Las Cruces…
We’re heading into Arizona tomorrow morning, and should be in Benson around 1:00, or 2:00, where we’ll be staying 6 nights, I believe (have to check the itinerary)…
Until further notice, then, we’re gone…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Architectural%20Gems%20found%20in%20LAS%20CRUCES%20%5E0%20OLD%20MESILLA%5EJ%20N.M.%20%5E5MAR.%208%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1

FORT STOCKTON, TX. to LAS CRUCES, N.M. (MAR. 7, 2010)

2010-03-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

We had another 300-miler ahead of us today, so we were out of Fort Stockton by 7:45...
Talking about Ft. Stockton, here’s an interesting tidbit I found out yesterday:
The town is sitting at 3,000 feet above sea level…
That, in itself, may not turn you on, but for me, driving from sea level (in Rockport) to here, it was an eye-opener… You see, I had no idea we climbed that high, because it’s so gradual, you think you’re driving on the flat the whole way… I thought we’d climbed a couple of hundred feet, or so… But 3,000! No way!
Now, wasn’t that interesting?
Anyway…
Today (except for the long drive), there really isn’t much to comment on…
The trip was uneventful, and almost as boring as spending a full day in Fort Stockton (with the exception of finally driving in, over, and around some real mountains… Even though they’re as bald as a baby’s derrière)…
As you can see from the pictures, there’s no real change in the landscape, until you get to the mountains, and once over them, you’re back to wide open spaces, which - oddly enough - reminds you of the Arizona desert…
We got into some traffic in El Paso, but nothing hair-raising… Got a few pictures of Juarez, Mexico, which we could see across the Rio Grande River (the border between the U.S. and Mexico)…
Amazing to look right and see prosperity, then look left and find poverty and squalor…
From El Paso it only took a little over half an hour to drive up to Las Cruces, where “Jack” almost sent us on a wild goose chase, but, thanks to the observant driver of our little convoy (does one vehicle and one trailer constitute a convoy), we managed to avoid that traumatic event, and arrived at Coachlight RV Park safe and sound…
It seems that this park spares no expense, because we were greeted by a Welcoming Committee just as we’d gotten ourselves situated…
As we always do when we arrive at a place, we spend a few restful minutes (letting the road dust settle, so to speak), and go over some of the info we have, so we can plan on what to do and see…
Well, when we opened the door (to a wonderful 75 degree warmth, I might add), we were met by an incredibly colorful rooster standing a half dozen feet away… Looking at us and making sure we were comfortable, I’m sure… Got his welcoming act on a digital image, and added that to this day’s pictures…
We’re only staying here two nights, so we took a quick trip into town - just to familiarize ourselves - and then drove to Old Mesilla (part of Las Cruces, and one of the oldest settlements in the U.S. - sometime in 1598, I believe), where we strolled around the square… We caught the end of Sunday’s “Arts and Crafts Fair,” and then had Taco dinners at “La Posta de Mesilla,” the same restaurant, and the same FABULOUS food we remember we had ten years ago…
Can’t get more authentic Mexican food than that, unless, of course, you’re in Mexico…
Well, that’s it for tonight… Getting late, and tomorrow is another day, so, until then…
Bye for now…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TX.%20to%20LAS%20CRUCES%5EJ%20N.M.%20%5E5MAR.%207%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=80&isFromRichUpload=1

FORT STOCKTON, TEXAS (MAR. 6. 2010)

2010-03-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

What to do when you’re in a sandbox…
That was the dilemma this morning, and we solved it by staying in bed a bit longer than usual…
Found my monthly bank statements were on-line, so I figured I’d spend some “quality” time with that before noon, but, when I went to print out the statements, there was a message on the printer saying I had neglected to heed four (count them: 4) other warnings about running out of ink…
Well, cheeeeeezzzz…
These electronic devices are beginning to scare me!
Next, they’ll tell me I forgot to wipe…
Ugh… That’s too much of an image…
Lu gave me permission to go and find a printer cartridge at Walmart (very convenient, since she was going to color her hair), so that’s what I did…
Of course, Walmart (the smallest Walmart we’ve ever been to) didn’t have the cartridge I needed, and having investigated numerous other “suggestions” (for where I might find the elusive container), I came up empty, and headed home…
Too soon!
I opened the door to our fine abode, and found a strange phenomenon:
Sitting on the sofa was a bizarre-looking woman with some kind of wrapper covering her upper body… There was a profusion of copper-colored hair on top of her head (last I heard, she was going “Dirty Blond”), and I took a double-take…
Well, of course, after some close scrutiny, I finally recognized her as my dearly beloved, and apologized for whatever shock and awe I may have showed…
Peace is paramount in a trailer of a mere 200-plus square feet!
Since “nothing” had worked out for us (so far) today, we decided to go for a sightseeing tour of this Godforsaken place…
Found the town to be larger than what we’d anticipated (there are just over 7,000 souls calling this home), but didn’t find more than a dozen homes larger than a stamp… Nah, that’s not fair… Most of the houses were probably 600 square feet (at least!)…
We found a huge (and I mean HUGE) town park… Swimming pool, Barbecues, and all…
There are a profusion of Mexican restaurants, and quite a few gas stations, but not much else…
Oh… Almost forgot… There’s the Historic Fort… Took us five minutes to take pictures and learn everything there’s to know about it…
Sorry… (Probably stepping on footsies here, but…) That’s all the info I have about this dirt pile…
After our outing, we took a long siesta (gotta talk the local lingo here, you know)… Reading chapter after chapter of our respective books… Snoozing in-between… And overall taking it easy the rest of the day, getting ready for tomorrow…
Can’t wait to head on out of here tomorrow morning, actually… Hopefully, to an exciting Las Cruces, New Mexico…
As you can probably guess, we’re spending the evening on the computer, and watching TV…
Time to stop this madness, and publish the Blog and pictures, which you can find here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5MAR.%206.%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1

THE ALAMO, RIVERWALK, and off to FORT STOCKTON, TX (MAR. 4 & 5, 2010)

2010-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

Mar. 4...
It’s wonderful waking up to sunshine every day… Kind of gets your day going at the right beat, if you get my drift…
Oh, the wind is still persistent, and it’s still cool in the AM, but one has to take the good with the bad, I say…
We left at 8:00AM, having plans to “take in” the Alamo, and not much else today, but we found there really isn’t all that much to look at (and absorb) once you’ve walked in and around the ruins, and listened to the narrations of well versed guides…
Very interesting stuff if you’re into American Frontier History, and, especially, if you’re curious about the Texas connection… Actually, if you are, you should read James Michener‘s “TEXAS” (a very good chronicle of the early days in Texas)…
I took some pictures of plaques (placed strategically around the compound), which describes the history of the fighting here, and with that, I leave you to do your own research…
As I said, once you’ve spent a couple of hours soaking in the ambiance of this battlefield, you’re pretty much looking for a way out… And, for us, that what as easy as stepping across the street, walking down a few steps, and finding ourselves in the middle of the Riverwalk…
This place is amazing… No, really! It has everything… You don’t have to try very hard to find a place for peace and quiet, or, if you choose, find hubbub in the congregation of partygoers…
There are every conceivable eatery - from fine restaurants (playing Wolfgang or Ludwig, or some other classic dudes), to rowdy canteens with mariachi bands belching out foot stomping castanet music…
We heard the Walk is about three miles long, but they’re adding to it, and it sounds like it’ll be about 13 miles when all is said and done… Well, good for them, I say… The attraction is certainly a tourist trap, but well worth coming to San Antonio to experience…
Had lunch at “The Texas Republic,” and then headed home, thinking the almost five hours we’d spent today was enough, but, lo and behold, around 4:30, after resting our weary bones, and finding not having anything to do, we jumped in the truck and went back to the Riverwalk…
Yes, we strolled almost the whole thing once again… Amazing how many people show up after work!
It was crowded, but still fun…
Stopped at Joe’s Crab Shack before finally calling it a day…
Mar. 5...
Up early (very overcast, but not too cold), and got under way at 7:50...
Not much to talk about, really… Just a long and boring drive through the heart of Texas…
Got caught in rush hour traffic, on the South side of San Antonio, and that slowed the progress down some for about half an hour, but it eased soon after we hit I-10, so can’t complain too much…
My goodness gracious, but Texas is huge!
I believe I saw a sign, at the border with Louisiana, showing Mile Post 800-something (on Interstate 10)… Since the East-West mile posts start at the Western borders of each State, that means there’s a distance from New Mexico to Louisiana of 800-something miles…
That’s a long way, folks… Especially, if you take into consideration that Washington State is about 275 miles from the Canadian border to Oregon… Guess they’re right when they say EVERYTHING IS BIG IN TEXAS…
The terrain we drove through today ran from flat to hilly to flat… And that’s about all you can say about that…
We saw a few cows (no longhorns), and some sheep, and we passed through some “communes” which made you wonder what the heck they were thinking settling down in places like that…
The map showed a few “wide-spots” in the road between San Antonio and Fort Stockton, and since we filled up the truck yesterday, we thought we’d be good for the whole trip, but the map doesn’t show you that those “wide-spots” don’t all have gasoline for sale… My fuel gauge has been on the blink for a good while now, so I’ve had to rely on the odometer to figure out fuel mileage… Well, that’s all good and well when you’re driving on flat ground without hauling a 30-foot fully loaded trailer behind you, but today we were up and down hills (even had a headwind for a good spell), and to top that off, the “wide-spots” we were counting on for fuel were miles and miles apart, and, of course, the last one we thought would save us didn’t have any gas stations at all…
The gas gauge was stationary well below E(empty), and we had about 350 miles on the tank, with still almost 50 miles to go…
What could you do besides crossing fingers and toes… And keep on trucking…
That must’ve helped, because a mere 20 miles from Ft. Stockton, we spotted a lone station with a Diesel sign showing… Got gouged for $3.09/gal… Almost 50 cents per gallon more than most other places we’ve come across… Oh, well… When you gotta have it you gotta have it…
Anyway, that was the most traumatic experience we encountered today, so, I suppose, we’re doing OK…
Found a sand trap of an RV Park (Parkview RV Park), on the Southeastern outskirts of Fort Stockton, and had the trailer hooked up by 3:15... Laid down for a bit, then took a drive around town (if you want to call it that) to get the lay of the land, so to speak…
I can tell you this, what we saw of this town, makes us wonder where we got our information when we booked the reservation… We didn’t notice anything worth talking about, but we’ll give it another try tomorrow, since we have two nights here…
With that, I’ll bid you all a good night…
Maybe I’ll be able to add something worth while tomorrow?
Here are the latest pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/THE%20ALAMO%5EJ%20RIVERWALK%5EJ%20and%20off%20to%20FORT%20STOCKTON%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5MAR.%204%20%5E0%205%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=54&isFromRichUpload=1

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (MAR. 3, 2010)

2010-03-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

Another sunny day! Oh, I like this…
Now, having said that… I would like it to be just a bit warmer in the morning so Lu doesn’t have to turn the furnace on…
We decided to hang around this morning, and go into town a bit later in the day, since I had to catch up on some writing, and Lu had some washing to do…
Got done with our chores around 11:00, and since that was still a bit early, we took a trip up to Walmart (only about 4 miles up the road), and got an armful of fruit: Bananas, apples, pears… You name it, we can now start our own fruit stand!
Home for a little R and R, then off to the big city to see what it had to offer…
It’s really nice to be so close to “things” here (only about 15 minutes away from where we’re staying)… Dropped the truck off at a parking garage, and then proceeded to “take in” the Riverwalk Mall and, of course, the walk around the San Antonio River, as well…
Totally amazing what they’ve done to this area…
I mean… Just look at the pictures…
It’s absolutely a wonderful place to spend any kind of time - from minutes to hours… And that’s what we did…
I think we walked both sides of the river at least twice, and I’m not sure we caught everything… Guess we have to go back tomorrow?
Again, we found a Joe’s Crab Shack, and had dinner there…
Can you believe it, salads for both of us… Lu chomped down on some chicken fare, while I devoured some green stuff with crab in it…
Most delicious, and truly stuffed tourists!
Got out of there around 7:00, which was probably beyond Lu’s bedtime, but live dangerously, I say…
Anyway, that was the end of a pretty nice day in San Antonio, and tomorrow we’ll more than likely repeat some of the Riverwalk experience, but also spend some time trying to understand why Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett gave their lives at the Alamo… Should be interesting!
Here are today’s pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SAN%20ANTONIO%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5MAR.%203%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=72&isFromRichUpload=1

Last days in PORT ARANSAS and ROCKPORT… Off to SAN ANTONIO, TX (FEB. 28 to MAR.2, 2010)

2010-03-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

Feb. 28...
Oh, how we’ve waited for these sunny days…
We’ve had quite a few of them lately, and we certainly count our blessings…
Spent the morning getting the pictures organized, and writing three Blogs…
Too bad the internet and cell phone services were so dreadful down here, because (other than that) we really enjoyed our week-long stay…
Had to stand in one place, and not move a muscle, while talking on the phone, otherwise we’d loose the signal (some times we lost it anyway), and it took 10 to 15 minutes just to log on to the internet, so I was not a very happy camper…
But… It’s all in the rear view mirror now, and we move on…
Found out we can’t spend too much time at Erik’s (when we get to Phoenix, AZ), since we can’t park on the street (in front of his house) for more than a couple of nights, so we spent some time reshuffling our schedule and made a couple of reservations, which will take us through March, and well into April…
Went into Fulton and had dinner at the Pickled Pelican, then watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics…
Mar. 1...
It rained overnight, but woke to clear, blue skies, so that was OK…
Luanne cleaned house, and managed to get pissed off about it, but that was soon forgotten when we drove out to Port Aransas, for a last stab at the beach…
We parked the truck on the beach (so it blocked the fairly strong wind), and enjoyed a couple of hours of solitude and at peace with the world…
On our way home we stopped at a fish shack and bought 2 pounds of prawns, which we’ll have for dinner once we’re in San Antonio…
Took a short nap, then headed over to Key Allegro to have dinner at the Paradise Key Restaurant… And that took care of the last day in Rockport and the Gulf Coast…
Mar. 2...
Another sunny morning, but very cool… Gonna be nice to get into some warmer weather, which it should be once we drive into the interior of the state…
Left our RV Park at 9:00, and drove through some incredibly vast stretches of farmland… Lu saw a sign showing a small farm of 1,100 acres for sale, if anyone’s interested… Didn’t get the price, but it shows everything is big in Texas…
The closer we got to San Antonio, the taller the trees became, and, to our amazement, we found ourselves driving up and down some hilly terrain (of course, these undulations are bunny hills compared to the ones in the West, but it was a nice change of scenery anyway)…
Arrived at Brauning Lake RV Resort, just about ten miles South of San Antonio, on Highway 37, at noon…
Very nice place with concrete pads, and drive-through spaces (so, no backing), which always makes for a good day for Lu…
Got everything hooked up…
Rested for about half an hour, and then headed into town to find Costco… Haven’t been to a Costco since Fort Lauderdale, and we were going through withdrawals…
Saw the “Quarry Market” (a huge shopping center Lu had read about) as we drove by, on our way to Costco, and, of course, we had to go back there on our way home…
Wouldn’t you know it, there was a Joe’s Crab Shack nestled in among all the buildings…
Had to stop there, of course… They have the best Happy Hours around!
We celebrated the end our day with the prawns we got yesterday… Oh, were they ever good!
And now I’m up to date, and so are you…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Last%20days%20in%20PORT%20ARANSAS%20and%20ROCKPORT%e2%80%a6%20Off%20to%20SAN%20ANTONIO%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2028%20to%20MAR.2%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=39&isFromRichUpload=1

ROCKPORT, FULTON & PORT ARANSAS (FEB. 26, & 27, 2010)

2010-03-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

Feb. 26...
Got to dress in shorts and T-shirt for the first time in months, folks!
Nice to be able to shed long pants and socks…
Now, if the weather will only stay this way… That is the question…
Very windy today, so we spent the morning working on the Blog and pictures, and then went to the Club House where we played a couple of games of pool… Browsed through the exchange “library,” where I found a couple of books of interest…
Took a trip down to Walmart, for some juicy steaks, and then to a local fish market (down on the docks), where we picked up a pound of prawns…
Drove around the waterfront and took pictures before heading home for a nap… Drove over to Key Allegro in the afternoon, and had a couple of drinks at the Paradise Key Bar & Restaurant …
Home for a superb dinner!
Feb. 27...
Slept in until 9:00, but then hustled and headed over to Port Aransas Beach, where we spent four (or was it five?) wonderful hours licking up the sun…
No wonder we love it here… Fabulous place!
Stopped, on the way home, and bought two pounds of prawns, then visited the local watering hole to quench some pent-up thirst from a day in the sun and sand…
Found our way home, where we devoured the prawns for dinner…
All in all, I’d say this was a perfect day!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ROCKPORT%5EJ%20FULTON%20%5E0%20PORT%20ARANSAS%20%5E5FEB.%2026%5EJ%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=47&isFromRichUpload=1

PORT ARANSAS, MUSTANG ISLAND, PADRE ISLAND & CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (FEB. 25, 2010)

2010-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Up at 8:00 today… Getting lazy…
Worked on the Blog and pictures for a while, then headed out for some exploration…
Drove down to Aransas Pass and took the ferry over to Port Aransas…
This free service just blows me away, but anyway…
Headed down Mustang Island, which is just as flat as all the rest of the barrier islands we’ve visited…
There’s not much to block a hurricane surge, I don’t think, so, I’m wondering, are all these islands totally cover with water at such times? I suppose there aren’t many (if any) people who could answer that…
Anyway, we stopped at the State Park - down the island a ways - and checked out their facilities… There’s a fee for just going into the park, and another for camping there, and it didn’t look all that inviting, so we decided to drive down to the Malaquite National Park, on Padre Island, instead…
There’s a fee here also, but, since I have the Senior Pass, which allows me (and whoever drives with me) into any and all National Parks for free, we didn’t have to pay anything… By the way, the Senior Pass cost me ten dollars when I turned 62, and is good for as long as I live, so quite the bargain…
Beautiful facilities, with an endless white sand beach… Bought a new pair of flip-flops, and off we went on a shell hunt… Spent a peaceful couple of hours just roaming the beach, and loved every moment…
Gosh, life is good when the sun and sand cooperates…
We had more to see, and off to Corpus Christi we went…
This city has changed tremendously since last we were here in 2000... And all for the better…
Not going to describe things here, ‘cause you can check the pictures and see for yourself…
We ended up on the waterfront, at Joe’s Crab Shack, for a great lunch, then, instead of going the “mainland” route home, we returned the same way we came… The barrier islands are just too beautiful to skip…
Took the ferry back to Aransas Pass… Stopped for cocktails at a local bar, then home to work a bit on all the pictures we took today…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/PORT%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20MUSTANG%20ISLAND%5EJ%20PADRE%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20CORPUS%20CHRISTI%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6

ROCKPORT, FULTON, ARANSAS, and PORT ARANSAS, TEXAS (FEB. 24, 2010)

2010-03-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

As you know, we’ve been to a few RV Resorts over the years, and it’s funny, in a sad kind of way, that some of the finer ones have given us fits for one reason or another… Be it from gravel interior roads (turning to mud in a rain), broken sewer lines, or simple things, like bad cyber space stuff: I’m talking bad cell phone, internet service, and satellite TV reception…
The last one is a MUST HAVE (if I want to stay married), so we always make sure we have a good, open spot for that… Have to mention that some times we have to plug into cable TV service, but that’s as a last resort, if there’s absolutely no chance of satellite coverage…
The cell phone I can live without, because we can move about the area where we’re at, and - usually - find fairly good reception… At least enough to keep in touch with friends and relatives…
Internet service, on the other hand, is a “Norse” of a different color…
Once we’re settled in a place (at an RV Park), it’s tricky to get good service if the Park is in a poor reception area… That means (I think) that the “Transfer Hub” (or whatever it’s called), between my MiFi and the satellite, is located too far from the park… Probably a host of other reasons for this, but I’m mostly uneducated about these things, so I’m guessing that location is of paramount importance…
No matter… Not having internet service really sucks, and is very frustrating for me, since I have all these pictures to upload, and this Blog to keep up to date…
And, guess what…
The internet service here in Rockport is almost non-existent… The trailer is under a canopy of Oak trees, and we’re miles away from any “large” city…
I think it’s a miracle we have satellite TV…
The Sybergods must be trying to save me from someone’s scorn?
Anyway, I’ve decided to keep on writing Blogs (for the week we’re here), transfer my pictures (from camera to PC), and then upload everything once we’re in San Antonio, next week…
So, there you have it… The reason for not seeing anything “constructive” from this corner of the world for a while…
Now, back to yesterday… Feb. 24...
It was a cool morning, but the sun was out, and the temps soon climbed into the 60s…
Oh, what a difference a day makes!
I spent the morning transferring pictures and catching up on the Blog…
Then we were off to explore Rockport, Fulton, Aransas Pass, and the beach at Port Aransas…
We were here in 2000, and loved the area, and, even though things have changed some, the beauty is still here, and the changes are all for the good, as far as we can tell…
We spent a couple of hours on the beach, watching dolphins, pelicans, and other bird life…
Fishermen cast their lines from the shoreline, and from the mile-long breakwater; and ships, of all sorts and sizes, moved in and out of this main channel between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway…
Life is good when the sun shines!
We spent some time checking out the local eateries in Port “A” (as the locals call their town) before heading back to the Mainland on one of the five (yes, I said FIVE) ferries running the three minute crossing of the channel… They are on the go constantly, so there’s hardly ever a longer wait than about ten minutes, and the beauty of the whole thing is that it’s totally FREE!!!
Don’t know how they pay for running five ferries year in and year out, but this is Texas, so…
Went home for a little siesta, around 3:00, then went “barhopping” around Rockport…
When I say barhopping, I mean we check out the local eateries - be they bars, taverns, cafés, or regular restaurants, for their fares and prices… We usually do this the first and/or second day, so we have a good idea of what is served and where these places are… Some times we stop in for a drink, but for the most part, we just walk in, look at the menu, and leave…
What we do depends on the mood we’re in, our thirst and hunger… Just like any other tourist, I’m sure…
Anyway, that’s it for today…
Catch you tomorrow…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ROCKPORT%5EJ%20FULTON%5EJ%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20and%20PORT%20ARANSAS%5EJ%20TEXAS%20%5E5FEB.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=1&isFromRichUpload=1

Last day in NEW ORLEANS… On to BEAUMONT and then to ROCKPORT, TX (FEB. 19 through 23, 2010)

2010-03-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Feb. 19...
Worked on the Blog until 10:00, while Lu did a load of wash…
Took off, after a short nap, to get the truck filled up, then headed for the French Quarter for a last fling…
Walked everywhere once again… Trying to imprint the ambiance of this special place on our memories…
We had a great time here, and both Lu and I are very happy we toughed it out and waited for Mardi Gras… An experience we’ll cherish as long as we live…
Had and excellent dinner at the Crescent City Brew House, and went home to watch a bit of the Olympics…
Feb. 20...
Said our farewells to New Orleans at 8:00, as we headed West to Gulf Coast RV Resort, in Beaumont, Texas… A five hour trip which was very uneventful and quite boring…
The terrain is (as it has been all around the Gulf Coast) flat as a pancake, with hardly an undulation or a ripple breaking the view to the horizon, other than the occasional bridge or overpass, of course…
Anyway, we got hooked up and then went for a ride around Beaumont…
Evidently, the “famous” Crockett Street Square doesn’t get started until about 8 at night (according to a “stray” person we found there), because it was totally desolate, but we got to see it, so that was probably worth something?
You might think we’re not late night owls, and you’d be right…
Unless it’s something special, we like to be home at a decent time…
Don’t know why I brought that up, actually… But there it is…
We went to a Mexican restaurant, Café Del Rio, for taco salads, and then went home to watch some more of the Olympics…
Feb. 21...
And the rain came in buckets!
Thunder and lightning!
Sad day, but a good day to stay inside…
The Olympics was on TV, and so was a NASCAR race, so the day wasn’t a complete waste (like today’s narrative)…
Feb. 22...
We’ve had a leak (a drip, actually) around the hot water tank for a while, but because of the almost impossible location (inside a counter), we’ve kept up with it by putting a “drip” pan and towels under it until we can get someone to take a look at it…
I called ahead to a RV Repair Service, in Rockport (where we‘ll be for one week), to find out what they thought about it, and got an estimated cost of about a thousand bucks to replace the tank…
Ouch!
That’s a fairly significant amount in my book, so I thought: If I have to replace the tank, why not try to patch the leak myself while waiting to get to Rockport…
I got some epoxy and went to work… And guess what? It’s not dripping any more… Did I fix it? Probably not, but as long as the floor is dry, I’m willing to wait until water proves me wrong…
Keep your fingers and toes crossed… I do!
After all that, we took off to explored a bit of the area…
Visited Barns and Nobles (for a new book), and then had a drink at Joe’s Crab Shack, before settling down to a fantastic steak dinner at the Brazos Cattle Company Restaurant…
A wonderful ending to a ho-hum day…
Feb. 23...
Woke up to dark skies and cool temps…
Forecast for some snow as far South as Houston… Not good!
We got everything ready, and then stopped at the Club House for their (every day) free breakfast: Waffles, doughnuts, muffins, toast, fruits, and drinks… Pretty awesome service!
Departed with (full bellies) at 8:45... Had about a 250-mile drive today, which brought us right through downtown Houston… What an enormous City! And the traffic… My word… Thank goodness we drove through during off-rush hour… Some of the freeways had 6 to 8 lanes in each direction, and I can only imagine what that’s like during morning and evening high volumes…
The rain caught up with us just outside Rockport, which we reached at 1:20...
Our new place (for a week) is called Bay View RV Resort, and I would’ve loved to come here on a dry day, but that was not to be… I was totally soaked by the time I had the trailer hooked up…
Nice to have a heater on days like this… Not to mention having an electric blanket, which coddles you very comfortably during naps…
Took a short reconnaissance trip around town before settling in for the evening to watch the Olympics…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Last%20day%20in%20NEW%20ORLEANS%e2%80%a6%20On%20to%20BEAUMONT%20and%20then%20to%20ROCKPORT%5EJ%20TX%20%5E5FEB.%2019%20through%2023%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=85&isFromRichUpload=1

MARDI GRAS, PLANTATIONS & FRENCH QUARTER (FEB. 16, 17, 18, 2010)

2010-02-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

Feb. 16...
I probably have mentioned it earlier, but what the hey…
One of the services they have here at “Pontchartrain Landing” is a free shuttle to and from the French Quarter (running three times daily), which we took advantage of today, since a parking spot is virtually impossible to find, and if you’d be lucky enough to find one, the cost for a day pass ranges from $30 to $50... A bit on the pricy side for us…
Lots of words to explain how we got into town this morning, huh?
Anyway, the shuttle dropped us off on Toulouse Street, half a block down from Rampart…
F.Y.I.:
The French Quarter is basically a 13 blocks x 7 blocks square, bordered by the Mississippi River to the South; Rampart Street, which runs SW to NE; Esplanade Avenue and Canal Streets, which runs NW to SE… Bourbon Street is parallel to Rampart, and is pretty much in the center of the Quarter…
You got all that?
The reason I’m telling you all this is so that, if you have a map of New Orleans, you’ll see how far we walked today…
Our Fat Tuesday experience involved crisscrossing the French Quarter and making our way up St. Charles Avenue (in the Arts District) in search of a decent place to view the parades… That’s plural, because there is a parade after a parade all week long during Mardi Gras (especially on Fat Tuesday)…
There are thousands and thousands of people, not only lining the parade routes at any given time, but, in the French Quarter, you’d be hard pressed to go a foot without bumping into someone, so it’s truly a job to get from point A to point B…
With that, I will leave the rest of my narrative to the pictures, which, I believe, will give you a pretty good idea of what Mardi Gras is all about… PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MARDI%20GRAS%5EJ%20PLANTATIONS%5EJ%20%5E0%20FRENCH%20QUARTER%20%5E5FEB.%2016%5EJ%2017%5EJ%2018%5EJ%202010%5E6
Feb. 17...
Left around 9:00, and drove about 60 miles out of town for a visit to some of the famous Plantations dotting the river banks from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and into Mississippi…
The plantations around here basically deals in sugar cane, while the ones further up the river grow cotton…
We spent a few hours roaming around “Oak Alley” (our favorite plantation), and took a tour of the “Big House”… Very interesting and informative tour…
Went home for a nap, then took the shuttle in to the French Quarter, where we had dinner at Masparo’s…
It’s absolutely amazing how clean the Quarter was… Evidently, at the stroke of midnight (last night), the cops cleared out everyone… You better be in a bar, or on your way home, because no-one is allowed on the streets… The Sanitation Department and street sweepers move in, and by morning everything is spic and span… Very efficient!!
We made contact with nephew Mike, and since he’s going to Houston, Texas, tomorrow, we made plans for him to join us for pizza before he flies off in the evening…
Feb. 18...
Drove in to check out the Superdome this morning, but found out that they cancelled all tours after the 9/11 attacks, so we went back to the French Quarter, and spent a few hours strolling in and out of shops in the French Market… Had a snack for lunch, at Café Beignet, then headed home, where we ordered pizza for delivery at 5:30... Mike showed up at 5:00, and we had a great visit until he had to leave , just after 6:00... Short visit, but always fun to hang out with Mike…
That’s about it… We watched some of the Olympics, while I uploaded a slug of pictures, before heading for the sack at 11:00...

PONTCHARTRAIN LANDING RV RESORT, FRENCH QUARTER and MARDI GRAS FESTIVITIES (FEB. 15, 2010)

2010-02-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

Didn’t plan on doing another Blog so soon, but what the hey…
There’s a free shuttle service here, which leaves the Resort 3 times a day, and we took advantage of that yesterday afternoon…
Went into see one of the major parades, but found out it didn’t start until after we were supposed to be back to the shuttle, at 7:00PM, so we missed that one, but, boy, it really didn’t matter…
Guess what I’m saying is that if you’ve seen one parade here, you’ve seen them all, and, frankly, I don’t have any idea of how many we’ve seen so far, so missing the one last night didn’t matter too much… Besides, we watched a parade (it might’ve been two, or three?) after we got there yesterday afternoon, and by the time seven rolled around, we were pretty much beat…
The merriment is out of this world, and we had a fantastic time, as did thousands of other folks, as you can see by the pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/PONTCHARTRAIN%20LANDING%20RV%20RESORT%5EJ%20FRENCH%20QUARTER%20and%20MARDI%20GRAS%20FESTIVITIES%20%5E5FEB.%2014%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=63&isFromRichUpload=1
We’re taking it easy today (15th), but are planning to spend the whole day in and around the French Quarter tomorrow, which is Fat Tuesday, and the end of Mardi Gras…
Have to mention that all the time we’ve spent down here in the Gulf area has been worth it… The sun’s shining, and all that rain and those gloomy days are, if not forgotten, at least put on the back burner…
This has been an experience both Luanne and I have enjoyed to the utmost, and we’re really glad we stuck around to live it!
That’s it for now… Have a great day, and check back…

RAINY MANDEVILLE and SUNNY NEW ORLEANS, LA (FEB. 9 - 14, 2010)

2010-02-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

Feb. 9...
Not much to report on today, except to say I worked on my Blog all morning, even though the sun was out (pretty dedicated, if you ask me), and to mention that the cell phone and satellite internet service in this place sucks… Usually, it only takes a few minutes to upload pictures, but here… Well, it takes what seems like hours…
Oh well, enough complaining…
We managed to get another trip in to Walmart, and I found some real “cheap” diesel ($2.59/gal.), so I filled up the truck, and that’s about the only things worth mentioning from today…
Feb. 10...
Woke up to a sunny, but a really cold morning…
We only had about ten miles to go from Abita Springs to Fontainebleau State Park, so we took our time getting out of there, which was probably not good, because, when we arrived I tried to empty the black water tank, and found it plugged! Ugh… Nothing worse than sewer problems!
We had to wait until 1:00 to get into our site, because the previous occupant had vehicle problems and couldn’t get out before then…
Guess we’re not the only ones with troubles…
As soon as we got settled, I called a hundred (maybe?) places trying to find someone to come out and pump us out… Finally got hold of “United Site Services,” who said they’d be out tomorrow.
With that taken care of, we headed into Mandeville (which I’ve described before), where we had dinner (German sausages for me, cheese plate for Lu)…
Feb. 11...
Not a pretty day… Overcast and very cool in the morning, and rain the rest of the day…
Because of our sewer problem, we did our showering in the park’s restrooms… Very clean, but a very cold hike to and from the trailer…
Turned out we waited in vane (all day long) for the sewer guy to come…
Called them a couple of times, but to no avail…
The excuse was the weather… Snow somewhere, but they will be there tomorrow! Yeah, OK…….
Other than a trip around the camp ground, to look at the layout and take a few shots, we stayed home and watched TV… Not very exciting, but at least it didn’t cost anything…
Feb. 12...
Rained cats and dogs all night long, but it had basically stopped by the time I headed for the shower…
Ran out of propane, so we drove over to a hardware store and filled the tank up, and when we got back it started to snow… Thought for sure the sewer guy wouldn’t come around again today, but, to our delight, he showed up at 1:30, and was done in ten minutes…
We were so happy, we bar-hopped in Mandeville, and then drove over to our fave spot, in Covington (The Tap Root) and had a fantastic dinner once again…
Watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, and went to bed around 11:00...
A good day after all…
Feb. 13...
Sunny and warm! FINALLY!
Headed over to New Orleans early, and spent the whole day watching parades and hoofing it through the French Quarter and along the Waterfront… Must’ve walked 20 miles today, and it was all fun!
You wouldn’t believe the crowds, and the merriment that goes on in this city at this time of the year…
Mardi Gras is truly something everyone should experience once in their lives…
Feb. 14...
Arrived at Pontchartrain Landing, in New Orleans, at noon today…
What a great place! All’s clean… We have a fantastic spot almost on the river, and the sun is out…
Perfect day to update my Blog…
Fortunately, I don’t have to sit at the computer very long, because we’re ready to go into town for some more parades and fun… Unfortunately, my priorities are right, and I don’t have time to go into all the stuff we did yesterday, but look at our pictures, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what a good time we had…
That’s it for now… I’ll see what I can do in a day or two…
Have a fantastic Sunday, and a fabulous week ahead…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/RAINY%20MANDEVILLE%20and%20SUNNY%20NEW%20ORLEANS%5EJ%20LA%20%5E5FEB.%209%20-%2014%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=83&isFromRichUpload=1

NEW ORLEANS, LA (FEB. 5 THRU 8, 2010)

2010-02-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

Feb. 5...
Took a drive over to Hammond today to return a fitting I bought at “Campingworld” about 3 or 4 months ago… That’s how long it’s been since we’ve been to one of those stores…
Anyway, Hammond is about 30 miles away, so it was a long trip for very little return, but we needed to get out and away for a while, so it was worth it…
All this rain and gloominess has taken it’s toll on Luanne… She’s been very moody and stressed out for a couple of days, but with the sun today, things are looking up…
Had breakfast at one of the thousands of Waffle Houses that are on every corner down here, and then drove around a bit to look at things…
Hammond is like every other town around here… Couldn’t find anything that set it apart from any other populated area, so not much to write about…
Feb. 6...
Took the morning and did paperwork, then, after a short nap, we drove down to Mandeville and explored some of the establishments along the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain…
From there we made it over to Covington, where we had dinner at the Tap Root, while waiting for the town’s Mardi Gras Parade, which started at 6:00...
Fabulous!
As they do in these parades, beads, toys, masks, and… and… and… rained down on the spectators from two story floats… The participants were decked out in incredible costumes, and all wore intricate and colorful masks…
Someone gave Lu a plastic shopping bag, which she had filled to the rim by the time the tail end of the parade showed up in front of us… And, unlike the New Orleans parades, she didn’t have to flash at all, which was probably a good thing???
Feb. 7...
Lu wasn’t quite up to par this morning (too much celebration last night, maybe?), so we stayed home all day, with the exception of a quick trip to Walmart, in the late afternoon, for some snacks for the Superbowl, which we thoroughly enjoyed in the evening… Of course, it was sweet to win the 20 buck bet from Stein (whom, by the way, I haven’t heard from since the Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints)…
Feb. 8...
Sunny day! Got up early and drove over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (longest bridge in the U.S. I think I read somewhere) to New Orleans…
Stopped at the Visitor’s Center and got directions to the Lower 9th Ward (where most of the devastation took place after the levy broke during Katrina), and to the Garden District, where we haven’t been yet…
Drove on the outskirts of the French Quarter, and headed east, across the river and the very same levy that gave way on that faithful day…
What we saw was heart wrenching, to say the least… Here we are five years after the fact, and the sores of the wreckage are still stunningly present…
I know the disaster in Haiti is well deserved of all the aid they can get, but, you know what? and I’m probably stepping out of bounds here, but…
Everyone knows our government missed the boat (by an ocean) in regards to our own catastrophe, and the world knows that Americans are incredibly generous when it comes to just about anything, so my little mind wonders: Did WE, as a people, miss the boat, as well, when it came to helping our own people… And why is that! A conundrum, to be sure…
Anyway, we took lots of pictures as we drove slowly through the lower 9th…
We talked to a few people, and are in wonder of their resilience and determination of getting back to normal… We are in awe of Harry Connick, Jr. and Brad Pitt (among many, many others) who have given generously both of their time and money in aide to this community…
From there we went to the French Quarter…
Parked, and spent the next few hours hoofing just about every street and alley…
It's so much fun down here… I think, maybe, it's the music...
Music comes from every nook and cranny, and street performers and artists, of every kind, hawks for your attention…
And, of course, there’s the food…
Heavenly aromas… Out of this world tastes… My mouth waters just thinking about the fantastic Cajun shrimp I had yesterday…
We walked through the French Market (something we’ve not done until now), and found it teaming with all kinds of fantastic stuff (for lack of a better word)… Food and vegetable stands, intertwined with hundreds of small boutiques and shops… If you get to N.O. you have to visit the French Market!
Off to the Garden District…
It was getting fairly late, so we drove through some parts of this beautiful area, where some of the more affluent residents of New Orleans reside…
We took a bunch of pictures, but didn’t get a chance to walk the area, so we have that to look forward to, when we finally drive over for our stay at the Pontchartrain Landing, in about a week…
That’s all for now…
Take care, and we hope you enjoy the pictures here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/NEW%20ORLEANS%5EJ%20LA%20%5E5FEB.%208%5EJ%202010%5E6

MANDEVILLE and LEWISBURG, LA (JAN. 31 to FEB. 4, 2010)

2010-02-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Jan 31...
Mike had work to do, so he scooted out around 8:30, which left us the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted to do, but without a vehicle the choices weren‘t many…
Turned out we spent the majority of our morning playing pool…
The weather was fairly warm, so we got a couple of walks in (around the park), and that was about it… The rest of our time was spent reading and watching TV… Very exciting!
Monday, Feb. 1...
Happy birthday mom! She would’ve been 97 today, if she’d lived…
Can’t believe it’s almost 2 years since you left us… Still miss you!
Bugged the Rainbow Chrysler dealer a half dozen times during the day, trying to find out news about the truck…
The service manager told me yesterday that my problem was more than likely a broken pin in the ignition cylinder, but, he warned, the worst scenario would be that they might have to replace the whole steering column…
I saw dollar signs fluttering by my eyelids…
So, today, I called Kelly (“my” mechanic at home) to get his take on what might have happened… He explained things, and didn’t think I had to worry… Nice to know someone you trust, I tell you! Thanks, Kelly!
Between phone calls, we spent a lot of time shooting pool and taking walks around the park… Had a nap, of course, and just waited around to hear news about the truck…
Finally, around 4:30, they called and said it was fixed, and John (our neighbor) drove me over to pick it up… Thanks, John! Really appreciate your generosity!
As you can imagine, it was truly wonderful to have wheels again…
But in spite of being able to move around “freely,” we decided to stay home the rest of the evening, which was a novelty in and by itself…
Tuesday, Feb 2...
Since we had transportation once more, we headed over to explore Mandeville, by Lake Pontchatrain…
Old Town is quaint, with shops and businesses located in remodeled homes, so there’s really no “downtown” core, so to speak… Just long, narrow roads flanked by these “homes.”
Had breakfast at the “Broken Egg,” which was very good, but on the pricy side…
Stopped at Walmart, in Mandeville, on the way home, and did some shopping, and also stopped at a True Value hardware store to get one of my propane tanks filled…
After our customary nap (which really isn’t a nap at all, but more like a quiet time for reading and contemplating the mysteries of the universe), we went to a hair salon (John and Sharon’s recommendation) a mile up the road from our park, where we both got very good hair cuts from Pat (the owner), for the grand total of $11.00... I was so delighted I almost gave her that much in tips!
We polished off the evening by having dinner at “New Orleans Food and Spirits.” Another excellent choice if you’re in the mood for Cajun cuisine…
Wednesday, Feb. 3...
Started the day on the right side: by going to Starbuck for a Mocha and a Latte…
Thanks, Gede and Terry!!! Your gift keeps on giving!
Made plans, last Wednesday, to go back to the Tap Root, in Covington, for dinner tonight, so we spent the morning and afternoon just horsing around the park… Playing pool… You know… The usual…
After our siesta, we drove down to explore Old Covington…
Walked several streets, and poked our noses into all sorts of boutiques, shops, and interesting art galleries… Very interesting place to visit…
Found it fascinating that there’s an attorney office just about on every corner and in every building…
Wonder why?
Well, once again, we had a great dinner at the Tap Root…
Lu indulged in buffalo wings while I diminished the Cajun shrimp population by a ton…
Oh, it’s so good… Makes my mouth water, just thinking about it…
OK… You’re up to date…
Today, Thursday, Feb. 4, finds us in another deluge…
It started fairly early, and I don’t know when it’ll stop, but it gave me the opportunity to sit down and get this Blog updated, so I guess I can’t complain too much…
Time for some reading, and maybe even a little shut-eye…
Take care, and we’ll talk soon…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MANDEVILLE%20and%20LEWISBURG%5EJ%20LA%20%5E5JAN.%2031%20to%20FEB.%204%5EJ%202010%5E6?uc=41&isFromRichUpload=1

ABITA SPRINGS, LA. (JAN. 30, 2010)

2010-01-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

Woke up to a cold morning, but at least it didn’t rain, so that was good…
Got an email from nephew Mike last night, saying he was back in Lockport (after a trip to Germany), and would love to come up for a visit…
It’s about a two hour drive from Lockport to Abita Springs, so I wrote back and invited him to spend the night - if he wanted to… He was gonna think about it…
So… This morning, we took it easy for a while, then decided to head over to Walmart, but when I tried to start the truck, the key turned all the way clockwise… All the lights came on, and the glow plug light turned off, but that was all the life it could muster…. Tried everything I could think of, but no luck, so I called “Good Sam Roadside Assistance,” and they dispatched a tow truck, which showed up about an hour later…
Our “next door” neighbor, John, came out to see what was going on when the tow truck showed up, and offered me his car, if we needed it…
RVers are like boaters… If someone is in need of help, people will come out of the woodwork to help any way they can… Gives you a good feeling!
Anyway, I went with the tower to a Dodge dealership, about 12 miles away, where I found out the truck wouldn’t be worked on until Monday, at the earliest… The trouble was probably caused by a broken pin in the lock cylinder, but they wouldn’t know for sure, of course, until they checked it out…
Too bad this happened on a Saturday (or at all, actually), but good that it happened while we were at our RV Park, instead of somewhere on the road, or in a dangerous situation, if you know what I mean…
John and Luanne came to pick me up…
Our sincerest thanks goes to John and Sharon (John’s wife) for your help and assistance… We truly appreciate it…
Mike showed up a little after 2:00...
He‘d read (on the internet) that the Abita Brewing Company was a fabulous place to visit, so we moseyed down there (in his Toyota Tundra) around 2:45…
Unfortunately, he’d read that the last tour was at 3:00, when it turned out to be 2:00...
However, after I whined to the Brew Master (or whatever they call themselves), we were allowed to go in for the tasting part…
Not a bad deal, if you ask me…
And let me tell you, this place beats any brewery we’ve ever been to…
As you go in, you get an empty 12 ounce cup, and then you go behind the bar, and fill it up from one or all of 15 taps…
I’ve heard people have left quite sauced…
We, of course, didn’t have the time to fully enjoy the gifts from Heaven, since they closed down at 3:00, but I’m willing to bet we’ll visit the place again, before we leave this area… Maybe even take the tour???
From the brewery we headed down to Covington, and had dinner at the Tap Root… Then stopped, on the way home, for a “nightcap” at the Abita Brew Pub, where we saw the strangest thing ever…
We sat at the bar, so we could see when people ordered drinks… OK?
Well, as many do, they used a jigger for booze, but this was the first time we’d seen any bartender actually measured out the wine in a little juice glass before dumping it into a wine glass…
How weird is that?
We couldn’t believe our eyes, and swore never to order wine in that place…
To end everything on a happy note, we made it home without being arrested, and had a very nice evening chatting with, and enjoying, Mike’s company…
He spent the night, since it wasn’t a good idea to be driving after all the “tasting,” and that was that….
Not a good start to the day, but a very good ending…
I’ll try to keep you posted on what’s happening with us, but won’t promise anything for a few days…
Have a great rest of the weekend, and a fabulous next week…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ABITA%20SPRINGS%5EJ%20LA.%20%5E5JAN.%2030%5EJ%202010%5E6

BILOXI, MS. to ABITA SPRINGS, LA. (JAN. 25 to JAN. 29, 2010)

2010-01-29T13:05:00.001-08:00

After five weeks in Mississippi, we were pretty happy to leave the State behind… Not that we didn’t enjoy our stay, which we did (for the most part), but because we encountered the strangest weather they’ve seen around here for ages…
Cold… Rain… Flooding… Thunder… Lightning… Thank goodness, no snow!
Our grand visions of the Gulf Coast baking in sunshine at this time of year, was - shall I say (to be kind) - faulty…
Oh, well… You live and learn…
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we didn’t get to meet up with Diane and Carrie last Tuesday, but maybe we’ll meet again in New Orleans… Only time will tell…
Anyway, along with Diane and Carrie, we met some very nice people in Mississippi (Brian, Dave, Rick, Russell, and all the rest who know who you are), and we owe them our gratitude and thanks for making our stay not only tolerable, but enjoyable… Thanks, guys!
By the way, for those who keeps score, Russell, at the “Back Bay” wins the price for best bartender!
Forget what day it was, but I have to mention our trip to the IP Casino one night… Spent five hours there, playing and eating… Left after paying a total bill of $2.00, which made it a very cheap and affordable evening…
OK… Enough of that…
We left Martin Lake Resort late Wednesday morning, and arrived at Abita Springs Resort at 12:30, so not a very long drive…
After getting things organized, we took a drive to check out the town…
Downtown is so small that only a couple of buildings constitute the core of the town… We poked our noses into Rosie’s Tavern to see if they could give us hints about what to do and where to go…
Got input from just about all the clientele… Very friendly, indeed!
So… Since it was still early, we drove down to Covington (a couple of miles away from A.S.)…
This town is a bit larger, but not too much bigger… At least the Old town isn’t…
We strolled around for a while, then stopped at a very inviting place called “The Tap Root,” where I finally had a Cajun shrimp salad, which blew my mind… It was that good!
I’m telling you, and I don’t know why, but I love Cajun food!
Like everything else, it’s probably not good for me, but do I care?
Yesterday, Jan. 28, I finally got hold of my childhood buddy, Hans, and found out that he, his wife, Kristin, and my other buddy, Trygve, and his wife, will be coming over to visit in August…
Can’t tell you how excited I am about that… Haven’t seen them since we were in Norway, in 2008, so this will be one heck of a reunion!
After that, we drove about 12 miles, down to Fontainebleau State Park (on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain), to check out our next destination…
Looks like a pretty nice place to spend the four nights before we head over to New Orleans (Feb. 14)…
Friday, January 29...
I’m now - basically - up to date, except to say that today I got hold of my cousin, Grethe, in Norway, so my friends and relatives are once more informed about the travels of us vagabonds…
We have rain coming down at the moment, but it’s only supposed to last a couple of days, so this was a perfect time to work on my Blog and pictures…
Hope you think so too…
Have a fantastic weekend, and keep looking for new things on the Blog…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BILOXI%5EJ%20MS.%20to%20ABITA%20SPRINGS%5EJ%20LA.%20%5E5JAN.%2025%20to%20JAN.%2029%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1

WINTER IN BILOXI, MS (JAN 14 - 24, 2010)

2010-01-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here’s a synopsis of the last ten days spent in the Biloxi area of Mississippi:
Exciting stuff, I tell ya!
Jan. 14...
Laundry day for Luanne…
I spent the entire morning working on my Blog and pictures…
Went to “Salute” and “Snapper’s” for hors d’oeuvres, late in the afternoon, which turned out to be our dinner…
Jan. 15...
Cold and overcast…
Paperwork (bills, checkbook, etc.) in the morning…
Shopping at Walmart…
Another trip to Snapper’s…
Jan. 16...
Rain! Thunder and lightning…
Good morning to go to the Isle Casino for Starbucks (Thanks! Terry and Gede!)…
Played on the machines for a bit, but soon found Lady Luck to be somewhere else…
Rounded off the afternoon at Snapper’s watching the football game between the New Orleans Saints and whoever the opponent was… The Saints won, so who cares around here…
Jan. 17...
Another miserable day, which turned a little brighter by the fact I got to see and talk to uncle Olav (in Sandefjord, Norway) on SKYPE…
Shopped at Walmart, and then watched San Diego Chargers loose their bid for the Super bowl…
Also managed to watch some of the Golden Globe Awards…
Just a wonderful day huddled around the TV…
Jan. 18...
Still cold and fairly windy…
Did some research on the computer, and found the hinge I needed (to repair my refrigerator) at a RV parts store, over in Gulfport…
Went there, and then stopped at the Grand Casino for their buffet, and ate myself silly!
Quiet evening watching TV…
Jan. 19...
Finally a beautiful day, and what happened?
Well, I opened the sewer valve for our weekly dump, and - wouldn’t you know it - the darn thing popped up from the septic fitting and crap (literally) floated all over before I could shut it off…
Oh, yeah… Talk about aroma…
Let me backtrack…
RV parks almost always provide a female screw fitting to which we fasten the male counterpart on our sewer hoses…
I always hook up when we first arrive… Keeping the two “brown water” storage tanks for the kitchen and bathroom open, while keeping the “black water” valve closed, so there‘s water down there to prevent “things” from getting stuck…
It was pretty obvious to me that there was some kind of blockage in their sewer system which caused a backup, and that, in turn, “blew! my hose off…
I notified the office, and they sent out a couple of guys to get things fixed…
Lu and I let them have at it, and drove down to the beach, where we managed to get a 2½ miles walk in…
Back home, we found the working stiffs still hard at it… The problem: tree roots had bored into the sewer line…
Unfortunately, they didn’t have the parts to fix it, but promised to get it done tomorrow…
After a short nap, we headed over to Gulfport, where we met up with Diane and Carrie (the dance academy people), and had a wonderful dinner at The Oyster House…
Didn’t get home until 10:00 - and ungodly hour for my better half!
Jan. 20...
Thunder… Lightning… Pouring rain! All day!
Needless to say, nobody showed up to fix the sewer…
The hole they dug, and most of the park, is overflowing with water…
You might say the park is awash, actually, but that‘d be corny, huh?
As you might imagine, we stayed home all day…
I worked on getting Blog and pictures combined and saved to my J-drive, while Lu did her thing: Knitting, reading, and what-have-you…
Jan. 21...
They got the sewer fixed, but left a total mess, including an open hole…
Because of all the rain and the sludge, the concrete pad, around the trailer, was nothing but a mud pit…
I went to the office to see if I could get someone to clean it up, but was met with total disregard…
Never been treated in a park like that before, and I will report it to RPI…
Anyway, I spent an hour and washed the mud off myself…
Jan. 22...
Bad morning for Lu…
All that rain, muck, and lack of sunshine, finally got to her…
She was ready to split…
Leave the South to the Southerners…
Fortunately, though, as if beckoned by her willpower alone, the sun came out, so things have a way to clear themselves up, don‘t they?
We didn’t waste a moment…
Headed for the beach, where we let the sun recharge our bodies and souls…
Jan. 23...
Went to the Waffle House and had breakfast… Ate like a pig again… When will I ever learn?
Just for something to do, we went to the IP Casino and spent a few bucks on the machines… Visited Snapper’s and then went to dinner at a new place, The Back Bay Seafood Restaurant…
I tell you what… The crawfish Po’Boy I had, and the oyster one Lu devoured, were the biggest and best we’ve ever encountered!
The crawfish and oysters were piled onto a huge bun so the bun was almost invisible…
The sad thing is that we didn’t have the camera with us, and I doubt very much that I will order another one, since neither of us had room to take one bite out of the bun after stuffing ourselves with crawfish and oysters!
Jan. 24...
Decided to stay home all day, since it’s gray and misty outside..
Been sitting at the computer all morning doing “clean-up” work for the Blog and pictures, so now it’s time to watch some football…
I might be able to get another Blog going when we get into Louisiana (next Wednesday)…
Until then,
Hasta la bye bye, Baby!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BLOG%20122%5E2.%20%20%20WINTER%20IN%20BILOXI%5EJ%20MS%20%5E5JAN%2014%20-%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6

PASS CHRISTIAN, BAY ST. LOUIS, MS… NEW ORLEANS, AND LOCKPORT, LA (JAN. 8 THRU 13, 2010)

2010-01-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Except for yesterday (Wednesday, Jan. 12), the time we stayed in Pass Christian was cold…
So cold, as a matter of fact, that our water hose froze solid a couple of nights…
Of course, we finally had the bright idea of letting the water run at the kitchen sink, so that took care of that problem…
We also had a few other problems, which I managed to nip in the bud…
The key to our door broke off inside the lock one day…
Had to take the whole darn thing to a locksmith, which wasn’t all that expensive, but very time consuming…
I finally took care of the propane problem by buying a new distribution hose…
Again, not very expensive, but very time consuming…
Somehow, I manage to make a five minute job last hours, if not days…
Wonder if that’s age or stupidity? Or maybe clumsiness?
Oh, well, you gotta work with what you have, and what I have has become a bit on the rusty side, I’m afraid… Oh, to be young again…
Nah, who am I kidding? I love the age I’m at… Always have… Always will…
OK… Enough of that crap…
We did some casino hopping while in Pass Christian… Actually had to drive over to Bay St. Louis (the name of both the bay and the city), and we partook in a couple of buffets, which were pretty darn good…
Problem with buffets: You eat way too much!
On Saturday (9th) we drove to New Orleans (or N’AWLINS, as the locals say), where we met up with nephew Mike, who’s now commander of the Coast Guard Station, in Lockport (about 35 miles South of New Orleans)…
Very happy reunion!
Mike is funny, and blessed with a good sense of humor, so, time spent with him is always bordering on hilarious…
We stopped to check out the Mardi Gras RV Park (where we have reservations), and found it lacking in many things, so we had a dilemma of what to do, but more about that later…
We followed Mike down to Lockport, where he took us out for lunch at one of his favorite spots, a little dive called Vic’s Touchdown Grill…
Love Southern cooking, and this place did a masterful job on the Po Boy Lu and I split…
Then it was off to see his townhouse (which he’s renting while stationed here), and from there to the Coast Guard Station, where we checked out his office and the Shipyard where they’re building new Cutters…
Very interesting stuff… But thirsty work…
So Mike took us to a Daiquiri drive-through joint, where we had margaritas served to us in the car…
Can you believe that?
I think something is really screwed up with the laws around here, but who am I to complain… Both Luanne and I enjoyed the experience, and I think Mike got a kick out of watching our faces when we drove in to order…
Unfortunately, time went too fast, and we had to say good bye… But we’ll meet again when we get to N. O. in the middle of February…
Until then, thanks, Mike, for your hospitality and generosity… You’re a great guy, and we love you!
Sunday (10th) afternoon was finally warm enough to take a beach walk…
Great to have the sun on your back again…
Since Luanne didn’t want to stay at the Mardi Gras RV Park we had reservations for, she checked out other Parks on the internet, which led to another drive into N.O. on Monday (11th)…
Got reservations at the Pontchartrain Landing, and then went to the French Quarters, where we walked and walked, and walked… Tried to find the place we had Po Boys in 2000, but couldn’t, so we ended up at Bubba Gump’s… Which was OK…
The French Quarter… What can you say? It has to be one of our favorite places to visit… It’s vibrant with life (all kinds of life, if you get my drift)…
And the music…
Ah… Music oozes out from dark (but inviting) “dives” everywhere… There is incredible jazz performed right there in the middle of the street, and it’s accompanied by street performers doing the weirdest things…
One guy had stopped in mid-stride, stuffed puppet dog on a leash in front of him… Both frozen in stride and time, in the middle of an intersection… The amazing thing was that he didn’t move for hours!
How could he do that?
I mean, there are dozens of these “artists” all over the French Quarter, so there’s plenty to feast your eyes on…
I love people-watching down there!
Tuesday (12th) was spent on fixing the aforementioned problems, but we also managed to get another walk in on the beach, and, since it was our last day in Pass Christian, we went out for dinner…
Met a wonderful lady dance teacher, Diane, and her protégé, Carrie, at the Old Cuevas Bistro, and had a great time swapping stories…
She owns and runs the “Desporte Diane Dance Academy” in Long Beach, MS, and was born and raised in New Orleans, so she has the inside track on what to do, what to see, and where to go, which will be priceless once we get there… Thanks Diane… For the drinks, for the info, and for the good time we had…
Yesterday (13th) we moved back to Martin Lake Resort, in Biloxi, where we went back to “Slammin’ Sam” sports bar to confront the owner with a fraudulent bill (we got the last time we were here)…
I discovered the fraud when I got my last bank statement…
The waitress had added an extra “0” to the 40 dollar bill, which made it 48 dollars…
Long story short: Got my money back, and a promise of setting the waitress straight…
Can you believe there are people who have the nerve to do things like that? Pretty sick, if you ask me…
After that little outing, we went to Snapper’s for a drink, and then to Hooters for dinner… I was in the mood for some Cajun shrimp.
That’s that…. You’re up to date, and so am I…
This thing has taken me all morning, so I think it’s time for a nap… Hard work wears you out!
Take care, and keep in touch!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/PASS%20CHRISTIAN%5EJ%20BAY%20ST.%20LOUIS%5EJ%20MS%e2%80%a6%20NEW%20ORLEANS%5EJ%20AND%20LOCKPORT%5EJ%20LA%20%5E5JAN.%208%20THRU%2013%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=84&isFromRichUpload=1

PASS CHRISTIAN, GULFPORT, and BAY ST. LOUIS (JAN. 4 thru 7, 2010)

2010-01-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

This Blog is dedicated to our good friend, Bob Bowman, who passed away today at his home on Lummi Island…
Your good humor, bright smile, and friendship will forever be with us…
Rest in peace, Bob… You will be missed!

Not much to report on since I wrote last… Believe that was on the 4th, when I had a rewrite to do, which I spent the morning on…
We took off in the afternoon to visit our favorite spot (Snapper Restaurant) for some seafood gumbo, and then drove over to the IP Casino (don’t know what the IP stands for), where Lady Luck smiled on us, and we came home winners instead of losers… Nice feeling!
Debated (when we got home) whether to disconnect the waterline, but, for some unclear (and in retrospect, stupid) reason, decided against it, even though the forecast was for freezing temps…
You know what’s next, right?
Oh yeah…
Had to get up around 4 am for a visit to the privy…
No water!
And…
Cold air blowing from the furnace…
The water problem I could understand…
Figured the “active” propane tank was empty, so I got dressed and went outside to switch tanks… Just a 180° turn of a dial… No big deal…
My goodness gracious! It was cold out there… No wonder the water had frozen…
I turned the switch and headed inside…
The furnace didn’t want to cooperate… Only cold air flowed through the ducts…
Very puzzling…
Couldn’t be out of propane, ‘cause I’d just filled the “new” tank…
Must be something with the tank itself, or maybe the tank valve?
Long story short…
Told Lu to stay in bed, while I drove to a little Country Store (about five miles up the road), to fill the “old” tank…
The little guy running the store turned out to be Vietnamese, and quite a character… Talked to himself the whole time I was there, in Vietnamese, I presume, ‘cause I couldn‘t understand a word he said… Every other word was BRRRRRRR, so I take it he didn’t like me getting him outside in subzero temps…
Oh, well… I suffer… Everybody suffers!
Back home I switched tanks, and, sure enough, we got heat!
Couldn’t do anything about the water until around noon, when it finally thawed out…
After normal people got up (at a normal time) to open their businesses, I called Blossman Propane Company and took my tank there (only 10 miles up the freeway)…
The guy told me, showed me (what my problem was), and sold me the appropriate parts, which I went home to install…
Got both tanks out… Got the “splitter” valve disconnected… Took the “bad” distribution line off, unscrewed nuts, bolts, and the “bad” hose, and assembled the new stuff, only to find the fitting I bought didn’t fit existing stuff…
Off to Blossman…
“Sorry… Don’t have the right fittings”…
Back to the trailer for reassembly of “existing“ parts…
Are we having fun yet?
At least I know that the one tank works, so we’re OK… All I have to do is to keep an eye on the setup until I can get the right assembly somewhere else…
End of that little trauma (or should I say intermission?)…
As usual, we took a little nap in the afternoon, and, while in slumber land, I had a vision, which led to a trip to Walmart and the purchase of an electric blanket…
Not as dumb as I look, huh?
We also visited Snappers, and, because of pretty good luck lately, we went back to IP for some “gaming.”
Had some residual free cash from there, so why not?
Hot dog! Lu came home with $85...
Pretty good ending to our last day in Biloxi, wouldn’t you say…
Last act of the day: Unhook the waterline…
Wednesday, Jan. 6...
Got going around 9 am…
Stopped at a tire place to check on the trailer tires… A couple of pounds light, otherwise OK…
Pulled into “5 Flags RV Park” a half hour later… It’s only a 25 miles, or so, drive…
Spending a week here, then back to Lake Martin Resort for another 14 night’s stay…
Just stalling while waiting for Mardi Gras, as you know…
We took a drive into Pass Christian, and then over Bay St. Louis to the town of Bay St. Louis…
Stopped at the Hollywood Casino, where we got free money, and made around 50 bucks each, which we, foolishly, spent a good portion of at the Island View Casino, in Gulfport…
At least we’re playing with “their” money, which makes it easier, somehow, to justify spending time in these establishments…
Oh, well… Easy come, easy go…
Today, Thursday, Jan. 7, we took off fairly early - around 10, I believe - and drove around looking at some more of the devastation Katrina left behind…
Look at our pictures and judge for yourself what this area must’ve gone through…
It’s really unbelievable…
The thing is, you can’t get the full picture from the pictures… You have to see it for yourself to understand the mayhem that must’ve been unleashed around here…
We’ve seen it, and we’re five years after the fact!
Can’t imagine how it must’ve been the day after…
But enough of that…
We went to a new casino, The Silver Slipper, where we got ten bucks free slot-play money each, which we multiplied into over one hundred by the time we left, and also managed to inhale most of the goodies in a very scrumptious all-you-can-eat buffet…
It was raining pretty hard when we left the casino, but it has abated, and, hopefully, will stop altogether by tomorrow morning…
Would it be too much to hope for some sun, so we can spend some quality time on the beach?
Don’t know when I’ll be back on the Blog, but probably not for a few days, so, in the meanwhile, take care of yourselves, and always keep an eye open for new adventures from the vagabonds…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/PASS%20CHRISTIAN%5EJ%20GULFPORT%5EJ%20and%20BAY%20ST.%20LOUIS%20%5E5JAN.%204%20thru%207%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=87&isFromRichUpload=1

BILOXI, GULF PORT, PASS CHRISTIAN, MS (DEC. 30, ’09 through JAN. 3, 2010)

2010-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
OK… So I’ve been lacking…
Not much to write about when you’ve covered all your bases, so to speak, describing your surroundings in Blog after Blog, and day after day…
Guess that’s what happens when you’re in a place too long… It’s harder and harder to find something to write about…
Fortunately, for me, though, it’s been nice not to sit in front of the computer…
Actually, that’s been the silver lining to all this… Taking a break…
There are those of you out there, of course (and you know who you are) who demands - if not minute to minute updates - at least day by day posts, and to you I apologize, but I won‘t go so far as to say it‘ll never happen again…
So… On to other things…
We had a wonderful last day of 2009, with enough warmth from the sun to allow us to stroll the beach (the first time since we arrived, if you don‘t count the first day, when we darn near froze to death those five minutes we were out in the elements), but that was it…
Winter has set in here on the Mississippi coast… The temp drops down into the high 20s at night, and doesn’t break the 50s during daylight hours, so we definitely miscalculated when we signed up for RV parks around here…
The locals all say the weather this year is plain (and disgustedly) weird, with which I fully concur… But why did it happen the one time we’re here?????
Our problem is Mardi Gras, in New Orleans…
We missed it by one day (in 2000), and, since I don’t want to miss Mardi Gras again, we had to plan ahead of where to spend our time waiting for February 16... A couple of months ago, we figured Florida, Alabama, and/or Mississippi were prime spots, with lots of beaches, sun and warm weather…
Well… Maybe next week will improve… Certainly hope so!
Anyway… To catch you up on our doings since last I wrote, we’ve been taking long drives, both along the coastline and through many neighborhoods…
As I’ve mentioned before, the devastation from Katrina was extensive, but they’re really working hard to bring life back to a resemblance of the past…
We’ve been taking pictures just about every day, and, as always, I’m attaching them to this Blog so you have a chance to see what we do:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BILOXI%5EJ%20GULF%20PORT%5EJ%20PASS%20CHRISTIAN%5EJ%20MS%20%5E5DEC.%2030%5EJ%20%e2%80%9909%20through%20%20JAN.%203%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=61&isFromRichUpload=1
Quite a few of the pictures I’ve put together today are of some of the homes that are still standing, or have been remodeled, or of the “empty” lots that previously were occupied… There isn’t really that much else to shoot, so it might be a bit boring to look at, but, hopefully, you’ll get a better idea of what’s “up” and what’s “down“…
We’re not big gamblers, but, while here, we’ve hit the casinos from time to time…
Up until now, we’ve been playing mostly on their “free” money…
We’ve won a little and lost a little…
After I won a 50-buck jackpot yesterday, we might be a few dollars up, but that probably won’t last…
We still have 3 weeks to go here in cold but beautiful Mississippi…
Until I find it in myself to buckle down again, we wish you the very best for the new year, and, of course, please keep an eye out for future exciting episodes of our Blog.

GULFPORT and BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI (DEC. 28 & 29, 2009)

2009-12-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well… As you know, I spent Monday morning rewriting my Blog, because I got things screwed up somehow…
Not a fun experience when you think about the time spent on these things, but I should quit whining…
Whining bugs people (bugs me!!!), and, besides, no-one listens, so, who cares…
All that counts is that it got done, and I should move on…
Went on another exploration trip in the afternoon…
Drove down to Ocean Springs, hooked a right on Hwy 90, and drove over to Gulfport…
In my previous Blogs from here, I’ve tried to describe (and shown in pictures) the disaster which took place here when Hurricane Katrina visited, in August, 2005...
There’s not much I can add to that, except to say: The further West you go (from Biloxi), the worse the damage…
They’re doing an incredible job cleaning up, and if you’ve never been to this area before, you’d only know that “something” happened here, but not the extent of it…
For us, who drove this very road in 2000, it’s another story…
We have memories of the most exquisite homes lining the shores of Mississippi, from Louisiana to Alabama… I remember how awestruck we were over the beauty of the place, so, seeing it today is like salt in a sore…
Those magnificent homes are all but gone…
The ones which survived are either remodeled (or in the process), or, if the damage was too severe, been replaced with new ones…
What a shame!
On to other things:
There are some ten or eleven casinos around here, and all of them have those PLAYER*S CARD, which Lu and I have found fun to pursue…
We’re in the process of “hitting” a casino per day, because that gets us out, and it gives us a chance to “play” with their promotional money - usually between 5 and 20 bucks (depending on what kind of promotion they’re running on any given day)…
We’ve been fairly lucky… Well, I should say, Lu’s been lucky… She’s been winning more than her fair share (to my way of thinking), but that’s OK… We share the same wallet, if you know what I mean…
That’s about all we’ve been doing these past few days: Driving around and stopping - ever so briefly - at different casinos…
The weather has actually been OK… COLD in the mornings, but OK… It warms up into the low 60s, so that’s not too bad, but the wind keeps us from strolling on the beach… And that we really miss!
It’s raining today, and is supposed to keep on for a few more days, so we sure picked the wrong place to wait for Marti Gras, in New Orleans, but wait we will, because we’re not going to miss that little party!
OK… That’s all I have for now…
We’re heading out for a “All you can eat buffet” at the IP Casino… Should help us get properly stuffed for the end of the year, I would think…
Talking about the end of the year…
We want to wish every one of you the HAPPIEST NEW YEAR EVER, and hope you’ll continue to keep an eye open for us in 2010...
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/GULFPORT%20and%20BILOXI%5EJ%20MISSISSIPPI%20%5E5DEC.%2028%20%5E0%2029%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=40&isFromRichUpload=1

CHRISTMAS IN BILOXI (DEC. 25 & 26, & 27, 2009)

2009-12-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS IN BILOXI (DEC. 25 & 26, and 27, 2009)
First off, let me recap what happened yesterday morning (Dec. 27):
Worked on the Blog and pictures for over two hours, Then, in the process of uploading my writing from Microsoft Works Word Processor to the Blog, it got lost…
Where it went I have no idea…
I tried everything I could possibly think of to find it, but to no avail…
So… Here I am trying to remember what the heck we did once more…
Oh, the agony, anguish, and suffering one has to contend with…
Thank goodness I didn’t loose the pictures…
That would’ve been disastrous!
Having “vented,” I will now proceed with caution…
Christmas morning arrived chilly, but with clear skies…
Looked like a promising day, so we headed down to Biloxi, for our first walk on the beach…
There was a very cold breeze coming off the Gulf, so we were (except for another family - tourists, probably) the only humans out there…
No wonder…
Spent maybe five minutes walking with the wind, but then realized we had to walk into it on the way back (duh), so we turned around and, let me tell you, by the time we got to the truck, we were two stiffs: Bones creaking with every step; faces frozen in a perpetual scowl…
Took the heater forever to thaw us out!
I’m thinking… Did we screw up when we planned this trip?
The gulf coast of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi is supposed to be warm and inviting at this time of year… That’s why we’re here!
Oh, well… Things will get better… I hope!
Once we defrosted, we headed over to Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino, just to look…
And, man, they spared no expense in decorating for Christmas…
Look at the pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CHRISTMAS%20IN%20BILOXI%20%5E5DEC.%2025%20%5E0%2026%5EJ%20%5E0%2027%5EJ%202009%5E6Went home for a nap, and then, around 4:00, we headed over to the BOOMTOWN Hotel and Casino, where we had a 6 o’clock dinner reservation.
All casinos have “Player’s Cards,” which (for those of you who don’t know) gives you incentives and compensations ranging from free money to free food…
We stood in line for a couple of minutes… Received our cards, and got ten bucks to play with, which we did until dinner time at the Steakhouse…
Prime Rib with all the trimmings, and a bottle of fine wine…
Wonderful Christmas dinner (sans family)!
Saturday, December 26...
Luanne made a fabulous omelet breakfast this morning (see pictures), and then went to the laundry, where she spent a couple of hours while I messed with pictures and Blog…
We departed for a look-see of the neighborhood in the early afternoon…
Drove West on Hwy 90 for a while, just shaking our heads in wonderment of how bad Katrina treated this area… It’s really mind-blowing…
Turned around a few miles East of Gulfport, went to Old Town Biloxi (which is more new than old), and then stopped at the Katrina Memorial before driving over to Ocean Springs, which is a thriving artist town… Spent some time poking around a few shops and stores, but it was really too cold to be out, so we headed home…
Sunday, December 27... The fatal day!
Spent the whole morning on the Blog, and you know what happened with that, so let’s move on…
Had a nap (to sleep off the Blog disaster), then headed out to check out some casinos…
Figured, if they’re willing to give us free money by signing up for Player’s cards, we might as well give it a go…
First (and it turned out to be our last and only casino stop today) we went to the I.P. Casino, where I got 15 bucks, and Lu netted 25 (luck of the draw)... Turned out (unlike other casinos) the “free” money was for comps other than gambling…
You have to spend your own money on every machine, and when you ran out of your own, the casino money doesn‘t show up… Haven’t really figured this one out yet, but at other casinos, when you get free money, you can spend it…
Didn’t matter though… Luanne made a “killing.”
Oh, yeah, Babe! She hauled 35 bucks out of one machine without even knowing how she did it…
That’s my girl!
We quit while ahead…
Went to Snapper’s Seafood Restaurant (our favorite here), and spent the “moolah” on dinner…
That’s it…
I’ve brought you up to date (for the second time, he said in disgust), and we’re off to see the world…
Have a great week, and keep in touch…

FOUNTAIN, FL to BILOXI, MS (DEC. 23, 24, 2009)

2009-12-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

Our final trek in Florida took us across the panhandle, then across Alabama to Biloxi, Mississippi…
Uneventful, to say the least…
Got a fairly early start, and basically stayed on I-10 the whole way…
Scooted right through Alabama, but stopped in Mississippi, where we visited the most beautiful Welcoming Center anywhere, I think…
The weather cooperated (even though they forecasted rain today), and I didn’t get wet either when we left, or when we arrived at Martin Lake Resort, in Biloxi…
Since we’re spending two weeks here, I took the time to set the trailer up on a more “permanent” basis… Just involves taking a bit more care, and adding the tripod to the front (for stability)…
Anyway, we felt we deserved a nap, so that’s what we did, but it was short-lived… The ants-in-the-pants got to roaming, and we were curious about what Biloxi was all about, so, what can I say? Off we went…
Can’t remember what hurricane took a bite out of this area, but I believe it was Katrina (sp?)… And didn’t they get nicked again not too long ago?
No matter, the telltale signs are all around…
We drove through here in 2000, and the beach was lined with fantastically gorgeous homes…
There are still some fabulous homes, but there are also way too many empty lots…
Here and there, rubble of what once was someone’s home can still be seen, but construction is going on, and they’ve done one heck of a good job on the beach… Can hardly wait to get some nice weather, so we can go for walks…
We’d only driven a couple of miles along the beach when the rain started, so we didn’t get much of a chance to see, or do anything, but… We’re gonna be in and around Biloxi for a total of five weeks, so we’ll have plenty of time to explore… For instance: Found out Willy Nelson’s going to perform on Jan. 15 (or 16?), and I think we’ll try to get tickets for that…
Had chicken wings and Cajun shrimp for dinner at a local joint, and then went home to spend the rest of the evening all snuggled up watching TV and listening to the rain… Very cozy!
We went to Walmart this morning, stocked up on foodstuff (having dinner at home tonight, but a big dinner out tomorrow), and Lu did some laundry while I’ve been messing with the Blog and pictures…
That’s it for now…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FOUNTAIN%5EJ%20FL%20to%20BILOXI%5EJ%20MS%20%5E5DEC.%2023%5EJ%2024%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=51&isFromRichUpload=1
We do want to wish everyone who follow our adventure the VERY BEST CHRISTMAS EVER, and a RICH AND REWARDING NEW YEAR…
Thanks for your emails and comments along our way, and all your love and support…
We appreciate it dearly!
Take care and keep in touch.
Christmas hugs and kisses to every one of you!
Kjell and Luanne

KEATON BEACH to FOUNTAIN, FL… and PANAMA CITY (DEC. 20, 21, & 22, 2009)

2009-12-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

Very uneventful day traveling (Sun. Dec. 20) from Keaton Beach to Fountain…
Hardly anything alongside the road worth mentioning…
Nothing but trees blocking your wish for a view… Nothing but flat countryside…
Oh, there are a few ranches here and there, a few “wide spots” now and again, but that’s about it… Very boring!
We got to PINE LAKE RV PARK around 1:00, which turned out to be 12:00, since we had, unconsciously, passed from Eastern to Central time zones…
“Houston, we have a problem“:
When hooking up the umbilical chords, I found the Black Water (sewer) valve to be stuck… Not a pleasant problem, to say the least…
Tried all sorts of things, but to no avail…
Being Sunday, and being we’re in the “Bible Belt,“ we decided to wait until tomorrow to get help…
Unfortunately, we have picked some very desolate spots to squat lately…
The sole cause for that is that we’re cheap…
Our plans usually involves picking RV parks and resorts belonging to “RPI,” “Coast to Coast,” “Passport America,” or “Enjoy America” (in that order), because we are members of these organizations, and because the daily cost ranges from $10 to around $20-something (in that order).
When you travel for a long time, the cost of parks definitely must be considered, unless, of course, you’re made of money (which we’re not)…
Anyway, we try to get a spot at a “RPI” or “C2C” park whenever we can, but, even though they have parks in quite a few places, they are not everywhere, and some of them (like the last two, or is it three?) are “out of the way,” with no interesting places or activities around them…
From the provided descriptions of the parks/resorts we look into, we really can’t figure out whether we’ll be in “no-man’s land,” so we take our chances…
Most of the time we luck out, but there are times (like this) when we’re 25 miles away from anything… In either direction…
Oh well… We’re only here for 3 nights, so what the hey….
Took a short nap, then, just for something to do, we headed down to Panama City… A mere 30 miles down Hwy 231 and I-98...
We were looking for the beach (Lu needed more shells), but ended up down at a marina, where we spent some time walking around and talking to yachtsmen and fishermen alike…
Over the next few hours (as recommended by an Old Salt), we visited the WATERSHED and the NO NAME lounges… Two watering holes which turned out to be little dives, but just the type of places that ooze personality… And good drinks!
Of course, we were good kids since we had that 30 mile drive home…
So, that brings us to yesterday (Monday)…
Called a mobile RV repair service, and told him about our sewer problem… He didn’t seem too interested (and who could blame him), but I talked him into coming over to give me an estimate…
He didn’t show up until about 1:00, and it was 4:30 by the time he left…
Turned out the valve stem had broken, so a new valve was installed…
Easier said than done: There were all kinds of panels (and a million screws) to be remove in order to get things fixed, but it got done, and I didn’t have to mess with it, so I’m happier than a fly on a horse turd… Or something like that…
That took care of yesterday… A day we wanted to spend on the beach, but what can you do?
After he left, we decided to splurge (and drive 30 miles up to Marianna to have dinner)…
We programmed Jack to take us to eateries here, there, and everywhere, but, unfortunately, every place he took us had either closed for the winter, or were not in existence any more…
Bad times, I guess?
We ended up back at the trailer, where Luanne fixed us a superb dinner…
Could’ve saved both time and money, but sometimes you learn the hard way…
Let me backtrack for a sec…
We’ve had three mornings now when we’ve awakened to almost freezing temperatures…
Have had to keep the furnace on over night two nights in a row, and I’m kind of pissed about it, if you pardon my French…
This is Florida - THE SUNSHINE STATE, right?
What’s going on?
Could’ve had this kind of weather at home…
Then again, Billy and Donna (up in Plymouth, Mass) had to shovel 20 inches of snow recently, so I guess we’re OK with a bit of frost…
But…
Really hoping for warmth soon, though!
Hear that weather gods!
This morning was as cold as yesterday’s, but it was clear skies, and it warmed up nicely fairly soon…
I worked on my pictures and Blog (half of this Blog was done this morning), and Luanne washed and carried on with whatever she does when she carries on…
Anyway, the ants in the pants took over, and we headed down to Panama City Beach around nine-ish…
Not counting the drive, we had a wonderful time strolling the powdery sand, and listening to the swoosh of waves as they lapped at our bare feet…
Ahhh… There’s something about the beach that lulls your soul, isn’t there?
Properly saturated with inner peace, we soon needed sustenance of another sort: Food!
You’d think this would be easy to find, but not so…
We found most decent places closed…
McDonalds and Burgerkings can be found every half mile, but, according to Lu, we’re not into that kind of thing…
Took us a while, but we discovered a wonderful restaurant (which I can’t for the life of me remember the name of), where we had an incredible bowl of seafood bisque and clam chowder soup…
Stopped at the WATERSHED for one quick slurp, and then home…
It’s now time to quit this madness, and head for bed…
Moving on to Biloxi, Mississippi, in the morning… Gonna be there for 14 nights, so, we’re hoping it’ll be as nice as the brochure says it is…
With that, we wish you the Merriest of Christmases, and a Wonderful and prosperous New Year!
Take care, and keep in touch…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/KEATON%20BEACH%20to%20FOUNTAIN%5EJ%20FL%e2%80%a6%20and%20PANAMA%20CITY%20%5E5DEC.%2020%5EJ%2021%5EJ%20%5E0%2022%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=67&isFromRichUpload=1

KEATON BEACH, PERRY, and STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA (DEC. 19, 2009)

2009-12-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

Woke to wind, but no rain…
Good omen, even though it was too cold for shorts and tee shirts…
After a lazy morning (I did get my last Blog and pictures posted, so that was good), we managed to creak our bods down to the end of our street, where there’s a small park (that must’ve looked promising for shells to Luanne)…
No such luck (there are millions of more shells right below our trailer), so, after a quick look-see, we headed to the town of Perry (only twenty miles up the road), where there is a Walmart… What the heck… Only a short drive, and we needed bottled water…
As soon as we entered town, a roadside café beckoned, and, of course, we stopped for a greasy, but heavenly, breakfast!
Off to “Wallyworld” for water, then a quick trip through the “Historic Town,”
which turned out to involve about four minutes of drive-by shooting (camera - not gun!)…
That’s about all there is to tell about Perry… Typical small town U.S.A.
Still early, so we went right back the way we came, and kept on going until we found Steinahatchee (twenty miles the other way from where we live)…
Same story…
A little more quaint than Perry, but that’s about it… I think the pictures will tell you more than I can, so I’ll leave it at that…
Spent a few minutes cruising Main Street, then back to the trailer, where Lu began fixing dinner: Norwegian meatballs with Swedish gravy…
Oh, yeah, Babe… International cuisine onboard this home-on-wheels…
Had a fabulous dinner (of course), and watched a glorious sunset, and are now settled in for some Saturday night TV…
Oh…. There’s no such thing, is there?
That’s probably why I’m hunting and pecking on this stupid keyboard…
Had enough of that already, so… Auf Wiedersehn, adios, and adjø for now…
Off to Fountain tomorrow…
Pictures here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/KEATON%20BEACH%5EJ%20PERRY%5EJ%20and%20STEINHATCHEE%5EJ%20FLORIDA%20%5E5DEC.%2019%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=68&isFromRichUpload=1

THE VILLAGES, and from WILDWOOD to KEATON BEACH, FL. (DEC. 16, 17, & 18, 2009)

2009-12-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

As you can probably guess, from our pictures and Blog, this past week, we spent every afternoon, while in Wildwood, at The Villages…
It’s just a fantastic place, with every amenity one could ever want, and, if it wasn’t for the distance to Washington, it would be awfully tempting to retire here….
But we’re not… We’ll be home in May…
Oh, we found Spanish Springs Square on Thursday (our last full day here), which competes with Sumter Landing when it comes to entertainment and things to do and see…
As the name implies, the theme is Spanish, while Sumter Square is more modern, but take a look for yourself… The pictures speak volumes without me messing with narrations…
We lucked out with the weather until yesterday morning, when, just before I went out to unhook the umbilical chords, it started raining…
Got soaked, but not hurt, so can’t complain, I guess…
Wish the timing had been better, though…
Anyway, we had rain off and on all day, and that was too bad, because we drove through some very fine country…
Horse country!
The ranches (is that what they call them here?) are huge, and partitioned off with what seems like miles of rail fences… Either painted white or black… Gorgeous!
“Jack” didn’t make a fool of himself yesterday, but got us right to our destination, OLD PAVILION RV PARK, here in Keaton Beach, Florida…
We backed the trailer up to within a few feet of the shoreline, so, now, when we sit in the trailer and look out, we only see the Gulf of Mexico to the South and West… The closest we’ve ever been to any waterfront… Pretty cool!
And, as I’m sitting here hunting and pecking, the sun started shining again…
Lu went out to hunt for shells… Millions of them right below us, and it’s time for me to quit and join her outside…
Hope you enjoy the pictures, and forgive my descriptive briefness…
Things to do and see, folks!
Have a great weekend!
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/THE%20VILLAGES%5EJ%20and%20from%20WILDWOOD%20to%20KEATON%20BEACH%5EJ%20FL.%20%5E5DEC.%2016%5EJ%2017%5EJ%20%5E0%2018%5EJ%202009%5E6

WILDWOOD and THE VILLAGES, FL ( DEC. 12, 13, 14, & 15, 2009)

2009-12-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

There are times when blogging and picture taking should be put on the back burner, and that’s what happened when we arrived in Wildwood, Florida…
We’re staying at “3 Flags RV Resort” (on Hwy 44), a couple of miles West of Wildwood’s Main Street…
On the way into (or out of) town we have to pass Russell Stover Chocolate Factory, and that’s become somewhat of a tug of war…
So far (after our first day’s “discovery“ tour), I’ve managed to close my eyes every time I’ve driven by (which Lu - for some reason - frowns upon)… Of course, we bought certain delicacies that first day, so the need isn’t there yet, but we’ll see what the next few days brings…
We discovered “The Villages,” which is a conglomeration of small communities clustered together in a 5.6 square mile area… The 2008 population was 75,000, and there’s gotta be at least a half dozen 36-hole golf courses… Everything is manicured and wonderfully landscaped…
The buildings have the Florida touch: Lots of pastel colors…
And then there’s the lake and the town square… SUMTER LANDING.
Wow! What an absolutely idyllic place!
I’m afraid I’m not capable of describing it, so you’ll have to look at the pictures…
Suffice it to say, we’ve enjoyed it so much that we’ve been there every night…
The square is the hub of a half dozen streets, and there are all kinds of designer (and non-designer) boutiques, shops and stores to suit anyone’s taste…
Restaurants and bars are everywhere, and there’s a dock/boardwalk along the waterfront, which is a fabulous gathering place for folks who wants to walk, sit, or do absolutely nothing but take in the ambiance…
The whole thing is designed specifically for retired folks, so the over-50 crowd is dominant, but do they ever enjoy their lives here…
There’s a covered stage in the middle of the square, where they have live entertainment throughout the year (different bands every night), and people dance all around the stage… From line-dance to swing… You name it… These old geezers know how to move them bones, I tell you… It’s a delight just watching them!
There are chairs set out in a semi-circle in front of the stage, and we usually settle in for an hour or two, to enjoy some fine music…
Witnessed a heart warming episode last night:
This very distinguished (and well dressed) couple arrived a little after 5:00...
He was rolling his mother in a wheelchair, and they settled down just in front of Luanne and me…
The mother was very frail (her legs were just tiny little sticks, poor thing)…
Couldn’t have been more than 85 pounds, and, I think, she must have suffered a stroke (or something), because she was sitting kind of slumped over…
We noticed, however, that she sang along to every song, and clapped enthusiastically at the end, so she could’ve been 100 and in poor health, but she certainly had her wits about her…
The son danced with his wife from time to time, and then - to our amazement - he came over to his mom;
lifted her up out of her wheelchair, wrapped her in his arms, and danced slowly… around and around… She couldn’t move much, but her legs touched the floor, and she was smiling when her face was turned our way…
Luanne hardly ever show emotion, but when I glanced at her (to make sure she didn’t miss this little show of kindness), I saw tears had welled up, and that got me going…
I have no control over my tears (a well meaning fart could get me bawling), so, I choked up and my vision got blurry immediately… The phenomena comes and goes every time I think about it…
The song wasn’t over, but (I suppose) it didn’t take much to tire the little lady, so he gently put her back in her wheelchair…
Luanne and I were not the only folks who noticed this incredibly tender moment, because, as soon as the dance was over, we joined in the applause this gentle man so well deserved.
How is that for a good Christmas Story?
Couldn’t have imagined one any better, could you?
With that, I will say good bye for now… Probably won’t write any more while we’re here, but we’ll take some pictures, and we’ll post them eventually…
Take care, and keep an eye open for another thrilling episode from the Vagabonds…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WILDWOOD%20and%20THE%20VILLAGES%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5%20DEC.%2012%5EJ%2013%5EJ%2014%5EJ%20%5E0%2015%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=66&isFromRichUpload=1

CLEWISTON, MOORE HAVEN to WILDWOOD, FL (DEC. 9, 10, & 11, 2009)

2009-12-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

Our two last days at “M RV Resort,” in Moore Haven, turned out to be nice and warm, and, even though we had to drive down to Clewiston for shopping and activities, we enjoyed some bike rides, some walks (basically Lu), and a few games of pool here… As I’ve told you before, the resort went “belly up” last year, but the new owner is pouring money into upgrading and fixing the place, so, eventually, it’ll be very nice… Unfortunately for us, the new billiards table and shuffle board didn’t come until Thursday evening, and the pool will be completed either today or tomorrow, so we didn’t get to use those, but what the hey…
We visited the TIKI Bar, in Clewiston, a couple of evenings, and had the good fortune to meet up with John and Gillian Rowe, who had docked (the PERIWINKLE II) right below the bar… They’re sailing the Great Loop (Intracoastal Waterway, canals, and rivers) from Canada to Florida and the Bahamas, so, of course, we hit it off right away…
Man! What I would give to do exactly what they’re doing!
But, I’m afraid, I’d be doing it solo…
There’s no way Lulubelle would assent to something like that, even though we have eleven-some years of sailing experience…
Guess I have to be satisfied with my land yacht…
Anyway, if you’re in the mood for a sailing story, or two… Go check out John and Gill’s Blog: www.periwinkletwo.blogspot.com
I’ve read a couple of month’s worth, and find it good reading…
OK… So we left Moore Haven yesterday morning, after saying good byes to Larry and Dan, and headed back up Hwy 27 (same road we took down to Homestead a lifetime ago), and since you’ve already seen photos of the lack of scenery along this route, suffice it to say that it’s still flat…
Stopped at the Walmart we used to shop at while staying at Bee‘s Resort, where we gassed up and got a few necessities…
By the way, diesel prices, down here in Florida, ranges from $2.65 to almost $3.00 (more expensive the further South you go)…
“Jack” didn’t recognize the address to “3 Flags RV Resort” (where we’ll be staying for seven nights), so we had to call in to get directions…
Bad interpretation and guesswork, resulted in us driving through some tiny neighborhoods and making a few U-turns, but all’s well that ends well, and, eventually, we managed to find the place…
Got hooked up, and had a short nap, after which we headed down the road a couple of miles to “Russell Stover” Candies…
My goodness gracious! That’s entirely way too close to have a chocolate factory!
You should see (and taste) the samples! A chocoholic, like me, could happily die here!
Of course we bought some! Did you need to ask?
After that indulgence, we drove down into town, programmed Jack to take us to a “fish company” (figuring that that would take us to a waterfront), and ended up at THE VILLAGES…
The area involves planned communities (villages) along a wide and beautifully landscaped boulevard with a dozen or more roundabouts…
I’m not sure, but I believe the roundabouts designates the boundaries of these villages…
Anyway, it’s superbly done, and at the end you’re rewarded by coming into a “shopping village” (for lack of better words), which has everything you’d possibly want: Coldwater Creek, for instance (since Lu pointed it out to me)…
There are other well known boutiques and shops, of course, and there are a myriad of restaurants and bars to please anyone’s taste…
It was “terribly” cold (probably upper 40s), and the wind was blowing pretty hard, so we didn’t walk around much, but what we saw was enough to make us want to really explore this place when it’s nice and warm outside… Looked like the area is crisscrossed by quite a few streets, so we have plenty to look forward to…
We woke to a cold morning…
Had to get the furnace going… First time in a long while…
Don’t know what today will bring, but always looking forward to something happy, and with that, it’s time to wish you all a great weekend…
Keep in touch!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CLEWISTON%5EJ%20MOORE%20HAVEN%20to%20WILDWOOD%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5DEC.%209%5EJ%2010%5EJ%20%5E0%2011%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=77&isFromRichUpload=1

LA BELLE, IMMOKALEE, FORT MYERS, SANIBEL ISLAND (DEC 6, 7, & 8, 2009)

2009-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Guess we’re not dead yet, ‘cause we don’t feel like sitting around the trailer doing nothing, like some of these geriatrics occupying this park…
Some mornings we tell ourselves we’ll take it easy that day, but, invariably, we get antsy in the afternoon, and take off for places unknown…
And so it goes…
The only problem here is that “things” are literally tens of miles away, except Moore Haven (8 miles away), which only have three cows, four farmers, a Dairy Queen, and a John Deere tractor… Oh, almost forgot the sugar cane fields)…
Not much to offer a marauding Viking and his gypsy wife, if you ask me…
There you are… What to do, what to do…
Sunday… After walking, biking, shooting pool, and lounging around all morning long, we’d had enough, and took off to see if we could find the Seminole Casino, in Immokalee…
Had a time with “Jack,” but don’t want to go into that right now… Might get pissed off all over again, and that’ll ruin my day…
Long story short: We drove about 150-60 miles that day…
Visited the Casino (lost five bucks apiece)…
Ended up at the TIKI Bar and Grill, in Clewiston, where we ordered the “world-known” Burger for me, and a Taco Salad for Lu…
Had a drink before the food came, and that relaxed us from the hot, humid, and harrowing drive…
Two baskets of sumptuous grub was placed in front of us, and, wiping away the drool, we got set to devour everything in sight…
“Ah, not so fast,” the mosquito king said to his tribe…
Within second, there were 3,468,704 skeeters attacking everyone in the establishment…
What the hell!
My legs and arms (remember this is no-shirt-no-shoes-no-problem country) were swelling as fast as I could slap the little buggers…
Lu was yelling “not-nice-things,” as she did some dance steps I didn’t think she was capable of…
The bartender shrugged (as she casually skewered 14 vermins with one swipe of a toothpick that held a small cocktail onion, and two sherries), and revealed, “This happens at this time of night all the time“…
Duh… Could’ve told us about it!
After only one or two bites without “extra meat” in them, we capitulated to an indoor café: A battlefield away!
Sat by a window that was covered (on the outside, thank goodness) by the rest of the mosquito king’s relatives from around the globe…
Needless to say, we didn’t finish our meals…
We went home where I scratched the bites, and Lu tried to recapture those amazing dance steps…
Monday… Stayed home and played dead…
Until late afternoon, when we thought it in our marriage’s best interest to drive in and do some shopping…
That’s about all I have to say about that… Exciting? No, not really, but you do have off days once in a while, and you deal with it as best you can… Shopping seems to do the trick…
Tuesday…
I was set on buying my tires at COSTCO… Good brands… Good service, and great prices, but looking at the Website‘s “Store Locator,” we found Fort Myers to be the only location we’d be close to for quite a while, so we took off (after checking with the store that they had my tires), and drove the 60 miles out to the Gulf Coast.
Waited almost 2 hours for the job to be done (spent the time strolling Costco, and the surrounding Mall), then drove over to Sanibel Island, which, we read, had some amazing shell beaches…
Cost us six bucks to drive across to the island, and found it to be a bargain…
Stopped at the Welcome Center… Got the required maps and info, and headed out to the Lighthouse…
That done, we drove over to Tarpon Beach, parked (there’s a $2.00 fee for all day parking anywhere), and walked onto a most serene and fantastic beach…
Shells are everywhere…
All kinds (but no conchs)…
Luanne was in Heaven!
All I could hear (from a standing fetal position, is there such a thing?) was, “Oh my gosh… Oh my Gosh… Oh my gosh!”
I could’ve left, gone to another country, had dinner, come back, and she would never have known I’d been gone…
Ahhh, the life of the innocents…
I could go on for a while about Sanibel, because it’s truly a wonderful place to visit, but look at the pictures, and then look the island up on the internet, and you can probably figure out if I’m missing or neglecting things to tell you…
We had to go back to Costco to finish up shopping (perishable stuff), so we didn’t have all that much time to spend on the island, but what we saw was enough to want us to come back… Hopefully some day?!
Long drive home…
Another sunny day today, and I’m in here hunting and pecking…
Just not fair…
So I’m quitting!
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LA%20BELLE%5EJ%20IMMOKALEE%5EJ%20FORT%20MYERS%5EJ%20SANIBEL%20ISLAND%20%5E5DEC%206%5EJ%207%5EJ%20%5E0%208%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=81&isFromRichUpload=1

MARATHON KEY and our travel to MOORE HAVEN, FL (DEC. 2 - 5, 2009)

2009-12-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

It’s been a few days since I touched base with my Blog, and the reason is simple: Not much to write about…
As you know, it rained when we left Marathon, and that lasted most of the way up Hwy 1 to Florida City, where we branched off onto Hwy 997...
We drove through the Historic Town of Homestead, all decked out in holiday stuff, and then passed nurseries of every size and shape, growing fully grown palm trees, orange trees, and everything in between…
Some of these nurseries must’ve been hundreds of acres in size, because you could barely make out the “back” end of them on the horizon…
Skirted the Everglades National Park along Hwy 997, but couldn’t see much, since most of your view is blocked by levies…
By the time we reached Clewiston, the rain had begun again, so it was a miserable drive over to Moore Haven…
Thankfully, it stopped as we pulled into our RV Park, which is simply called “M.”
They were in the process of paving the entry road as we came in…
Just one of many improvements the new owners are doing…
Evidently, the park “went under” last year, and the place had gone to the dogs…
Another victim of the economic mess we‘re slowly getting ourselves out of…
Anyway, the people welcomed us with open arms, and are the most friendly RV Park Staff we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting…
One problem here, regrettably, is that there’s absolutely nothing to do if you’re not a fisher…
You can’t see Lake Okeechobee (because of levies), and there’s nothing but sugar cane fields wherever you look… Everything is as flat as a pancake, and the RV Park is almost empty (because the “season” doesn’t really start until after Christmas).
The rain kept us inside the trailer most of yesterday, although, yesterday evening, we managed to make a short trip very long, thanks to “Jack.”
By about 4:30. we’d had enough of rain, and decided to drive into town to find a place for an evening meal and a drink…
We programmed whatshisface, and, couldn’t believe it when he said we’d reached our destination…
We were in the middle of a sugar cane field, with not the slightest hint of a building anywhere…
We messed with the jerk a couple of times more, but finally got fed up and stopped and asked for direction… What should’ve taken us 15 minutes ended up taking us 45...
No matter, we found the TIKI Bar and Grill, and had fish and chips, which was a bit on the greasy side, but absolutely wonderful nonetheless…
Today was a total washout (literally!), and we spent most of the day inside…
Took a trip back to Clewiston, this afternoon, to get some shopping done at Walmart, and there you have it… Things are VERY QUIET, and it’s kind of nice…
Sometimes it’s good to have a few days just to take it easy and do nothing…
Unfortunately (or fortunately), we have a whole week here, so we’ll see how that goes…
One thing for sure…
I’m going to take a few days off from picture-taking and Blog-writing, so that’ll give you a chance to go back and read up on my Blogs, if you want… Or not!
Until then, take care and keep an eye open for new things from the Vagabonds…
Sorry, the pictures are as boring as the landscape… Can’t help it…
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MARATHON%20KEY%20and%20our%20travel%20to%20MOORE%20HEAVEN%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5DEC.%202%20-%205%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=66&isFromRichUpload=1

MARATHON KEY, FLORIDA (DEC. 1, 2009)

2009-12-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

Just a short note to let everyone know we stayed home (on Marathon Key) yesterday…
Had some repair stuff to do on the trailer (sewer valve wasn’t working as it should), so I took care of that in the cool of the morning, and then spent hours on the pictures and Blog from Monday’s venture into Key West…
Can’t believe we took so many pictures…
Took almost 300, and ended up with what? 180? Something like that…
While I concentrated on that, Lu took a lawn chair with her and went down to the docks…
Later, in the early evening, we decided to see what the town of Marathon had to offer…
Parked in different places…
Walked and gawked…
Fairly large town, actually, with all kinds of things to do and see…
We stopped at a resort (“Tranquility” I believe it was called)…
Their restaurant wasn’t open, but was told to check out “CHAPPY’S” if we were looking for good food and cheap drinks, so that’s what we did…
It’s located at the beginning (or end) of the Seven Mile Bridge…
Very Island-ish… Very cozy, and it has a view to die over…
We enjoyed ourselves right through sunset…
Unfortunately, the clouds were low on the horizon, which blocked some of the view, but it was all right anyway…
That’s it…
Fewer pictures, and shorter Blog today…
Take care, and keep an eye out for us…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MARATHON%20KEY%5EJ%20FLORIDA%20%5E5DEC.%201%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=21&isFromRichUpload=1

KEY WEST, FL (NOV. 30, 2009)

2009-12-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

We had a 57-mile drive down to Key West yesterday (a drive we’ve done a couple of times before), which took us (on Highway 1) through a bunch of Keys…
We stopped at a couple of State Parks (just to check out the beach situation), and we took picture after picture of landscapes, buildings, homes, roadways and bridges nestled along the shoreline of some of the most colorful and incredible waters you’ll ever find…
Yep… There’s something to be said about spending quality time down here the Keys…
We found an all day parking spot in Key West, and began our adventure by strolling the boardwalk along the waterfront…
You pass by restaurants, bars, hotels, boats and yachts of every size and shape, and there are hundreds (if not thousands) of people doing the same thing you are… Ogling into boutiques and shops…
People watching, and basking in the Key West atmosphere…
You listen to hawkers try to sell you everything from T-shirts, parasailing, diving, snorkeling, and cruises on “Old World” sailing vessels, as well as on catamarans, huge yachts, and small boat sailing, …
What a place!
We couldn’t turn down an offer for a two hour sail on the 98-foot APPLEDORE, which included free drinks (beer and wine), and a troubadour who sang old sea chants, accompanying himself on one of those round, little-bitty “push organs,” guitar, and castanet’s (or whatever they‘re called)…
It was the best 39 dollars (each) we’ve ever spent on a cruise…
I even got to help raise the sails (which, I was surprised to find out, was not an easy job), and I got to man the helm for 10-15 minutes…
Bragging rights: I can now officially say I’ve sailed on the Atlantic Ocean!
The sail started at 2:00, so we had a scrumptious lunch at the “Conch Republic and Seafood Bar,” while waiting…
After our sail, we walked down to the SOUTHERNMOST POINT, where someone took our picture (for the 4th time), then hightailed it back to Mallory Square, where we joined hundreds of “sun worshipers,” who gather here every night for the sunset…
It’s a ritual, I guess, because all the “artisans” of the town gather to either sell or show off their “things.”
Very festive…
One of the deckhands on board the APPLEDORE told us to visit the ALAMO BAR, so we went there for a quick (and cheap) drink before driving the 57 miles home… Where we crashed…
Long day, but, boy! was it ever a good one!
Here are lots of pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/KEY%20WEST%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5NOV.%2030%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=186&isFromRichUpload=1

FORT LAUDERDALE, and going to MARATHON, FLORIDA (NOV. 28 & 29, 2009)

2009-11-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

We spent our last day in Fort Lauderdale sitting around the pool in the morning, and enjoying dinner and live music in “Lauderdale by the Sea.”
The pool was cool (to my way of thinking), but both Lu and I managed to spend fourteen seconds in the water before dashing out to the welcoming warmth of the sun…
We’ve been at the pool just about every day, and every day the French Canadians have been there yakking up a storm…
You can’t convince me that they know how to speak quietly…
Full blast all the time…
Maybe they’re all deaf…
Thanksgiving Day they cranked up a music box so people in Paris (that would be in France) could hear… It went on all day and most of the night, with hardly a solitary minute of quiet…
Needless to say, I’m not fond of French Canadians…
So be it…
As I said, we took off for the beach (Lauderdale by the Sea) in the afternoon, and went on a long, leisurely walk along miles of uninhabited sand…
After that we went to “101 Ocean” restaurant, where we had spare ribs (me) and buffalo wings (Lu)…
Very good, and very filling…
As we enjoyed our meals, we heard Elvis sing very old and dear ballads from the 50s and 60s…
He (well, his impersonator) was on a stage, set up in the middle of the street, right in front of our restaurant…
We finished dining, then joined a sing-along and dancing crowd for an hour or more…
Tons of fun for our last night here, that’s for sure…
This morning (Nov. 29) we got ourselves ready fairly early, and spent the next
3½ hours going down I-95 and Hwy 1, to Marathon (one of the Florida Keys, about 60 miles North of Key West)…
Not much to report on, except for the colors of the ocean, since it’s all flat terrain…
But, I tell you, we never tire of the azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico (and the Atlantic Ocean here, as well)…
Simply gorgeous!
Well, look at the pictures and see for yourself: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20LAUDERDALE%5EJ%20and%20going%20to%20MARATHON%5EJ%20FLORIDA%20%5E5NOV.%2028%20%5E0%2029%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=84&isFromRichUpload=1
We were welcomed with warm smiles and open arms…
The location is superb, but the Park doesn’t have a pool, and we found the water in the Gulf a lot colder than we had anticipated, so, probably no swimming here…
We’ll try the Atlantic side later to see if that’s any better…
Went exploring a little bit after a short nap and a bike ride…
Found some pelicans resting down by the dock, which made Luanne’s day, and we had spare ribs for dinner at the “Hurricane Grill” (down the road a bit)…
I think the plan is to head down to Key West tomorrow, but not sure…
Guess you’ll have to wait and find out along with me…
Take care and keep an eye on our Blog…

MIAMI, MIAMI BEACH, FT. LAUDERDALE, FL (NOV. 27, 2009)

2009-11-28T09:29:00.000-08:00

Took a road trip yesterday…
I-95 South to Miami, then I-195 over to Miami Beach, and A1A back home...
We were here in 2000, and expected to see those funky Art Deco buildings again, but, either we missed them entirely, or they’ve been torn down, renovated, or rebuilt… Maybe even repainted… Don’t know, but was kind of disappointed in not finding them along A1A…
I’m thinking… Maybe we didn’t drive by the right “district” and missed them somehow, ‘cause they wouldn’t tear something so unique down, would they?
Anyway, our excursion yesterday was (basically) to check out the beaches between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and that we did…
Stopped in several places, parked, and strolled along the surf line…
It’s so amazing to be able to wade in the ocean, and feel the warm water slosh up your legs…
When we first strolled onto the beach (yesterday morning), the water temp was warmer than the air temp, and we were barefoot and in shorts…
How “cool” is that at the end of November?
We spotted a “Bubba Gump” restaurant, somewhere, and, of course, we had to stop and have lunch:
Cajun shrimp sautéed in butter and garlic, accompanied with French bread…
Oh, yeah, Babe… Spicy, but oh, so delicious!
Farted “firecrackers” for hours afterward…
We had another hiatus at some other beach, and were strolling along picking up shells and enjoying the sun, sand and water, when we came upon a rickety fence a hundred feet away…
It wasn’t very high… Maybe 2 feet, and it hadn’t been built for privacy, ‘cause you could see right through it…
What it was was a demarcation between “our” beach, and one used by nudists…
Oh, yeah, Babe!
Waaaaaaay too much information for this couple…
We made a 180 and headed back…
After that encounter, we found it prudent to head home…
Had a nap and some quality time around the pool, then headed out for the nightlife…
Went to “101 Ocean” and “Aruba” restaurants…
At the Aruba, with the purchase of any kind of drink, they offered free food (barbequed pork with gravy and vegetables; hot dogs, salads, and fruits), so we had a fabulous dinner there…
Didn’t feel like writing after we got home last night, so that task was left for today…
We just came back from a shopping spree at Walmart (have to stock up for our trip down to Marathon tomorrow, since we don‘t know what kinds of stores they have down there)…
Luanne just walked over to the pool, and as soon as I get done here, I’m joining her…
There’s the clue to the end of another Blog…
Take care, and keep an eye out for us…
Here are the pix: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MIAMI%5EJ%20MIAMI%20BEACH%5EJ%20FT.%20LAUDERDALE%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5NOV.%2027%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=67&isFromRichUpload=1

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (NOV. 26, 2009 - THANKSGIVING)

2009-11-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

It’s late (here), but probably about time to serve the “BIRD” at home, so we figured we’d take the opportunity to wish everyone a happy Turkey Day…
This has been, by far, the most unusual Thanksgiving Luanne and I have ever had…
Not counting the weather, there’s the occasional call from daughter, asking how to manipulate things in the oven, but that wonderful aroma (which envelopes you when you’re cooking at home) is all but a memory…
Not that we mind, mind you…
We’re having an excellent Thanksgiving…
Yesterday was in the “what-the-hell-is-going-on” category (when we didn’t know if we needed to hire Noah for another Arc), but - thankfully - the downpour ended, and we survived to celebrate another Pilgrim thing…
Today dawned with sunshine galore, and we headed out to the beach as soon as our “peepers” were able to focus…
Wanted to drive down to Miami (on A1A), but only made it about half way… Things looked very “commercial” “down that way,” so we made a U-ie…
Found a parking area that charged $1.75 an hour, and went strolling on the beach…
Gosh… That water is unreal… Warmer than our pool… Oh, did I tell you that already?
Unfortunately, we didn’t plan ahead, so we didn’t have our swim wear with us, but we walked a few miles in the surf, and swore we’d bring them tomorrow!
After being properly browned on both sides for a couple of hours, we headed home for a siesta at the pool, and then got ourselves ready for a new experience: Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant!
Lu went on-line to researched the eateries on the beach, and found all kinds of accolades for THE ARUBA BEACH CAFÉ, so that’s where we headed, around 4:30…
Had a couple of drinks, and then had a feast of (hold your breath) seafood!
Yep… Since this was our first outing away for Thanksgiving, we opted for “Surf Food,” and, I’m pretty sure, the turkey we saved was very thankful!
That’s it…
We made it home, and we’re stuffed to the gills (oh, no… I didn’t say that, did I?)…
I’m ready for bed (it’s almost 10pm)…
Lu is already snoring, and I’m giving up on a perfectly wonderful day…
All that’s left to say is,
Thanks y’all for following our Blog…
For all your valuable comments…
For your friendship, and your good wishes…
We appreciate every one of you, and wish you the best holiday season ever!
Take care…
Lots of love,
Kjell and Luanne
Oh… Here are some pix: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20LAUDERDALE%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5NOV.%2026%5EJ%202009%20-%20THANKSGIVING%5E6?nl=1&uc=57&isFromRichUpload=1

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (NOV. 23 and 24, 2009)

2009-11-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

Just so you don’t think I’ve forgotten how to write, I will make the supreme effort to put a few words together, in order to dispel rumors of me having had a sunstroke, or whatever…
Sometimes it’s tough to muster up the energy needed for this task, especially in this heat and humidity…
One would think we should’ve gotten used to this climate by now, but, no…
No such luck…
Don’t know if any of you out there have encountered 90 degree weather, and 98 percent humidity…
If you have, then you know what I’m talking about…
You go from air-conditioned room to air-conditioned car, and on the way from one to the other, you become soaked… Literally… From your own sweat…
Not much enjoyment in that, let me tell you…
But enough whining…
As I’ve already stated, we’re in Fort Lauderdale, at the "Sunshine Holiday RV Park"...
This place is overrun by French Canadians (Quebec), who have shown themselves to be loud and boisterous…
Some are very arrogant, and some are unfriendly (there are, of course, exceptions), but you’d be hard pressed to hear an English word all day long.
They get away from the frigid North, and come to Florida to spend their Winters…
Can‘t say I blame them for that, but some of them could sure use some lessons in manners… Just my humble opinion…
When we arrived here, we took (to Jack’s consternation) a wrong turn on the freeway, but happened to drive by an IKEA, which we found was only a few miles up the road, so the detour was well worth Jack’s unrelenting recalculations…
Lots of good Scandinavian grub to be had at IKEA, so we spent yesterday going for breakfast there, and stocking up on a bunch of stuff (who knows when we’ll see another IKEA?).
From there we programmed Jack to take us to COSTCO, which is also just a couple of miles from us… Of course, he took us to the one that was about 20 miles away to begin with (some glitch in the programming, I think), but, anyway, we finally found the right one, and did our thing there…
Then off to WALMART…
Can you believe it? All three within spending distance! How lucky can one be?
We also took a quick trip over to the beach (six miles away) to check and see if the Atlantic was still there…
I had some stomach problems, so we had to cut the stay short, but we got a few pictures, and Lu got some shells, so everything wasn’t a total waste…
Today was spent on walks, bike rides, and the swimming pool…
Safe to stick close to home when you’re a walking puddle and not fully up to par…
Tomorrow… Who knows?
We’ll see what the Boss feels up to…
Until further notice, I will plug along as best I can, and keep you up to speed whenever “Hunt and Peck” (my two typing fingers) feel they need practice…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20LAUDERDALE%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5NOV.%2023%20and%2024%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=24&isFromRichUpload=1

CLEARMONT to FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA (NOV. 22, 2009)

2009-11-22T18:54:00.001-08:00

I know I’ve been lax in my writing lately, but, there really hasn’t been anything worth writing about…
The last three days have been virtually excitement free…
We went on a boardwalk-like walk (asphalt path) along the lake where Clermont sits (don’t know the name, and I’m too lazy to look it up)…
Went shopping at Walmart a couple of times…
Filled up the truck there (cheapest diesel around: $2.72/gal)…
Drove around a couple of neighborhoods, just to get the feel for the place…
Took the bikes and rode around our RV Park quite a few times…
Lu walked around the perimeter three times every day…
A guy came and asked if he could wash my trailer and truck, and I couldn’t turn him down, since he only charged $50...
And we had a wonderful seafood dinner at Cody Jack’s Restaurant Saturday night…
That’s about it…
Didn’t take any pictures, because you’ve already seen most of the places we’ve visited here…
So… Really boring from that standpoint…
But it was nice to catch our breath from five straight days at DisneyWorld…
We debated whether to go back for a 6th and 7th day, but reason and sanity prevailed, and, instead, enjoyed some “quiet” time close to home…
We got out of Clermont around 8:30 this morning (Nov. 22), and took Hwy 27 South for most of our ride to Fort Lauderdale…
It seems to me that the trip today has the flattest (and most boring) terrain we’ve encountered so far…
Remember when I grumbled about acres and acres of corn fields in the Mid-West?
You should see this place!
Actually, you are… If you peek at my pictures…
The Mid-West has rolling hills…
Florida has them, too, but the country we drove through today is just FLAT…
Hence… Very few pictures to share… I’m sure you understand…
Maybe tomorrow, when we explore some of the beaches around Fort Lauderdale, I can get some shots of other things besides sugar cane and highway signs…
Until then, take care and keep an eye on the Blog… You just don’t know when I’ll surprise you with another installment…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CLEARMONT%20to%20FORT%20LAUDERDALE%5EJ%20FLORIDA%20%5E5NOV.%2022%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=32&isFromRichUpload=1

BACK TO EPCOT (NOV. 18, 2009)

2009-11-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Wed. Nov. 18...
We’ve been talking about what to do with our 5th day (five day pass for four Theme Parks), and thought we’d better go back and watch the firework show at EPCOT…
So, yesterday, we took it easy…
Went to a small joint (we’ve been driving by for over a week now), and had a great breakfast…
Took off on a couple of bike rides…
Spent some time trying to fix my front bike break… Couldn’t…
Read…
Lounged in the sun, until it got too hot, then took a nap…
Pointed the truck down Hwy 27 (it knows the route now), and walked into EPCOT a bit after 4:00...
We missed a few attractions the last time we were here, so we went straight to “THE LAND,” which turned out to be very interesting.
Went to the “CIRCLE OF LIFE” movie, starring The Lion King, then took a boat ride through LIVING WITH THE LAND‘s amazing greenhouses and fish farms…
Had a half hour to wait to go on “SOARIN, so we got a couple of “FastPasses” and went over to THE SEAS WITH NEMO AND FRIENDS, where we climbed aboard a “clamobile” for a ride to search for Nemo…
Back to THE LAND, where we climbed aboard a “people-holding” contraption, and went on a “free-flying hang gliding” adventure from sea to shining sea…
I found out I’m still not over my fear of heights, but after the initial shock (and telling myself that I was only a few feet above the ground), I relaxed somewhat, and actually began to enjoy the ride, but then it was over…
It was dark when we got out from that venture, and, let me tell you, EPCOT is very pretty in the dark…
The Christmas Trees are all aglitter…
Fountains are aglow with a rainbow of colors, and there’s a wonderful feeling of tranquility that settles over you as you stroll along the shoreline of the lagoon…
Music is everywhere…
Live bands, and piped-in…
We went looking for a place to eat…
Found you had to have reservations to most of the finer dining establishments, but we lucked out and got in at the NINE DRAGONS RESTAURANT, where we enjoyed a very good Chinese dinner…
That took us almost up to the Fireworks Showtime (9pm start)…
Walked over to where we got a couple of good viewing spots, and, as you’d expect from a Disney Production, enjoyed an excellent show…
There you have it…
Take care, and remember to check back from time to time…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BACK%20TO%20EPCOT%20%5E5NOV.%2018%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=73&isFromRichUpload=1

DISNEY WORLD - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS (NOV. 17, 2009)

2009-11-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

First, let me let you in on what we did yesterday (Nov. 16)…
Nothing much…
Did some minor things that had to do with the trailer…
Did some bike riding, reading, napping, and we stopped (on our way back from shopping), by Lakewood Winery, which is just down the road from where we’re staying, and is the biggest winery in Florida…
Thought it’d be nice to see what Washington State’s competition was up to, you see…
We’ve been on Winery Tours in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and all over the States, but this one gets the “Oscar“ for overall best performance…
The guide made the almost two hours we spent with him seem like minutes…
The tour was exceptionally informative (even a square-head like me could understand what he said), and executed superbly with comic relief where needed…
Of course, the tasting wasn’t bad either…
Ended up buying two bottles, which we’ll save for something special…
Maybe a Thursday or Friday? Who knows?
That brings us to:
We left moderately early this morning, expecting HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS not to keep us as busy as the other Theme Parks…
Gossip had this Park on a lower scale than the other three, and, studying some of the literature (we‘ve picked up over the past week), we pretty much thought we’d be leaving fairly early…
Luanne picked up a guide map as soon as we walked through the Entry Portals, and set course for the Wizard’s Hat, over there by the Main Square…
I had no idea she was on a mission, but, evidently, she’d been thinking overnight (that’s scary, now that I put it on paper ¬ figuratively speaking)…
Without knowing it, I was secretly being steered down Hollywood Boulevard, around the corner to Sunset Boulevard, all the while taking shot after shot of storefronts and buildings I actually saw in Hollywood some forty years ago…
Boy! That dates me, huh?
Oh, well… You’re only as old as you think you are…
As we turned onto Sunset, the upper stories of the HOLLYWOOD TOWER loomed above the treetops…
We could hear intermittent screaming, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it, since I was busy eyeballing attractions on either side of me…
Besides…
We talked it over last night, and we agreed that the sensible act here was not to even contemplate going on THE TWILIGHT ZONE TOWER OF TERROR…
The brochure says: You go up in an elevator (about a hundred thousand feet), which (without notice, mind you!) drops 13 stories, then does all kinds of weird, unkind things to ordinary people (like me)…
It’s just not natural to hang around like that, and besides it frightens the peewee out of you… Well, me…
13 stories!
Even our friends, Billy and Donna, who have been here several times, have not gone on this stupid ride… They are sane and rational folks!
So why was the mother of my three children steering me into the Tower?
She’d thought it over, she said…
She would like to see what was inside the Hotel…
Don’t have to take the ride, she said…
Just look…
OK… Just look…
We climbed some stairs…
Got into a very dark room…
Spooky stuff…
Lasers and lights blinking and scanning the surfaces, and things blowing in your face…
Gosh, I hate that!
Doors open to the elevator…
She says, “Best to do these things first thing in the morning… Get it over with!”
“Are you out of your mind, woman!”
A little kid snickers…
Ah, shoot….
The doors close…
We’re told to buckle in… Tug on the strap to make sure you’re fastened!
Oh, God!
Swoosh…
Were going to the stars!
Sudden Stop…
Oh, God!
We drop so fast my heart said hello to my brain as they pass each other!
Oh, God!
Have no idea of how long this torture lasted…
All I know is that I’m hoarse, and my head is now completely gray…
But hold on…
There’s a gilded hem to this yarn…
As we descended to our final resting place, I heard Luanne apologize to the man sitting to her right…
Evidently, my brave woman forgot which side of her I was sitting, because, when we dropped the first time, she had locked on to the man’s leg…
He appeased her by saying everything was OK, but I saw him later, and he was limping!
I never lie!
So… If that wasn’t enough for my Stunt Woman, she immediately hauled me over to the ROCK ‘N ROLLER COASTER, which turned out to be a “road trip” to Hell!
I honestly don’t know why I let her talk me into these things…
I must be stupid!
Anyway, this rollercoaster twists, turns, and loops (yes! I said loops… that means upside down, folks!), and it does that at the speed of sound, and in almost total darkness…
You get tossed and turned in so many ways that you’re totally incapable of following a straight line for an hour after they let you out of the cage…
I’m not even going to mention they have to use crowbars to pry your fingers from the handholds!
I hate things like this, so, why then, do I go on them?
Have no idea… Must be stupidity!
Since I’ve been going on for way too long about rides tonight, I better shorten the rest of my tirade…
All in all, Hollywood Studios is pretty cool…
There are not as many rides as there are in the other Theme Parks, but they make up for that in restaurants, delis, cafes, and other roadside eateries…
It must be hundreds of them!
The attractions and shows are more for the “Little Ones,” but they are flawlessly shown and performed, and, of course, they have the Walt Disney Flair: Elegant Costumes, and faultless talents!
We enjoyed our visit to HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS very much, but our vote goes to EPCOT and MAGIC KINGDOM…
OK… That’s it for now…
I will probably take a break again tomorrow, so no Blog or pictures for a few days… Can you handle it?
Take care and keep an eye out for us when you serf the Internet…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/DISNEY%20WORLD%20-%20HOLLYWOOD%20STUDIOS%20%5E5NOV.%2017%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=121&isFromRichUpload=1

DISNEY WORLD - ANIMAL KINGDOM (NOV. 15, 2009)

2009-11-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a Blog (and pictures) for Reese, Hunter, Hailey, Morgan, Hannah, and Holly (from the oldest to the youngest)... The greatest grandchildren in the world!
All day yesterday, we contemplated whether to take in the “night” show at EPCOT, or skip it and see it another night…
As I’ve stated in prior Blogs, we have five days to take in four of the Theme Parks… We can only visit one park a day (in a fourteen day span), so we’ll spend the “extra” day at whatever Park tickles our fancy… So far, I think we’re leaning toward EPCOT…
Anyway, skip it won…
Must’ve been in a gambling mode, ‘cause we also flipped over what to see today…
ANIMAL KINGDOM got the nod…
Since we’d heard that AK was more for the younger set, we got a little later start than normal, which turned out OK…
Guess what I’m saying is that, yes, AK is geared more for the youngsters, but us old-timers had a great time anyway…
We put in our five hundred miles of walking again, but, for some unfathomable reason, it seemed like a stroll through a park…
I’ll let you know, though, in a day or two, if that’s a true statement, since my legs aren’t particularly in a conversational state of mind right at the moment…
Most of the paths in AK is shaded, and therefore much cooler than if you’re out in the sunshine… And sunshine we had!
Don’t know for sure what the temp was, but it had to be in the high 80s - low 90s… And not a cloud in the sky!
I hear Washington had some snow this weekend?
Ohhhhhhh….
As usual, I have a million pictures (don’t fret, I’ve whittled them down to a manageable size), but, again, I’m sorry I can’t show you more from the Musical Productions we went to, because the camera just will not cooperate…
I’ve tried all kinds of settings… Flash… No flash… Out of all I take, I end up with just a few…
I suppose I should be happy, ‘cause the fewer pictures I have to edit and comment on, the easier it is for me, but…
Today’s shows, “FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING” and “FINDING NEMO - THE MUSICAL” were magnificent!
We saw the “FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING” this morning, and, by the way, the sets, costumes, and music were beyond description, and we enjoyed both shows just as thoroughly as the little ones assembled all around us…
We did go on all the rides but one, and, oh yes, as advertised, we did get soaked on our “KALI RIVER RAPIDS” white-water rafting trip…
That’s one heck of a drop over those falls, folks!
Thought I left my drawers behind when that happened, but when we sloshed off the raft, I felt them… Albeit a bit soggy…
Whether from… Well… No need to go there…
There are all kinds of trails, which we must’ve walked every mile of, and, of course, we saw all kinds of animals from… Well, you name them, and we must‘ve seen them…
We visited almost every attraction before lunch, and went back to where we left off after…
By the way, everything (food wise, and otherwise) is outrageously expensive at DisneyWorld, so come with lots of cash, or bring your own food…
Unfortunately (Yeah, right…), we missed taking the rollercoaster ride “EXPEDITION EVEREST“ since we took in the “FINDING NEMO” show right after lunch… Which made us late for the ride…
Truth be told, we whimped out…
Yep…
Had second thoughts when we heard all those screams from people dropping off the mountain, and were never seen again…
Maybe it was the full tummy speaking?
Would hate to spoil the fun for all those in front of me, if you get my drift…
Anyway, we were kind of relieved when we found out we were late for the ride…
And that was that…
We did manage to see the tail end of THE ANIMAL KINGDOM PARADE, which basically brought our day to an end…
Take care, and check in on us again, when you have time…
Oh, by the way, we’re taking another day off tomorrow, so no Blog, no pictures…
Unless something happens…
Here are the pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/DISNEY%20WORLD%20-%20ANIMAL%20KINGDOM%20%5E5NOV.%2015%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=177&isFromRichUpload=1

DISNEYWORLD - EPCOT (NOV. 13, 2009)

2009-11-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

It’s so nice to have “Jack” on our side…
Of course, I finally figured out how to get him to do what I want him to do…
By putting in “intermediate points,” he has no choice but to follow orders!
That said, we got to EPCOT just as they opened at 9:00am (it’s a 45 minute drive, from our RV Park, by the way), and we walked right into SPACESHIP EARTH…
Had no idea of what that big ball was about, but found out that it’s actually a ride… Here’s what Disney says: “ See yourself in the future (literally) as you ride, play, create, compete and explore inside the Park’s amazing icon.”
It was amazing, all right!
Took all kinds of pictures, but hardly any came out…
I’m thinking, since you’re not allowed to use flash at most of the attractions, that it must be the interior lighting that screws up the camera???
Anyhoo… The ride was fantastic (what else can you expect from Disney, right?), and the added enjoyment of looking at ourselves (up on the big wall) in cartoon form was certainly a surprise…
You have to look at the pictures to get more out of it, ‘cause I don’t have time to write about it…
Gotta get this puppy out on the internet, ‘cause people are a bit disappointed in my less than stellar performance lately…
From SPACESHIP EARTH we sauntered over to MISSION: SPACE…
Was asked if we wanted to join the Orange Team (INTENSE JOURNEY) or the Green Team (a “tame,” “milder mission“)…
Before I could utter a word, Lovely Lu nailed down the Orange Team…
Asked if she’d read up on it, the answer was “maybe”…
I dropped it at that… No use arguing about small things…
Personally, I loved the ride…
It’s amazing to me how they can make you feel like you’re about to drop your stomach one minute; then, within seconds, you vacillate between weightlessness and a G-Force that threatens to shrink you by four feet (and all done while you move maybe a couple of inches)…
Lovely Lu, on the other hand… Not so much…
She came out green (Editor’s note: Probably should’ve been the team she opted for)…
I didn’t notice, because, in my exhilaration, as I was dragging her out of there, I was going on and on about how cool I thought that ride was…
When she suddenly stopped and yanked my hand, I finally noticed a not-so-healthy complexion…
Ahhh… Honey!
My little Daredevil… Maybe we should read about these rides before tackling them from now on?
Yep… Good idea!
We got some fresh air…
Matter of fact, we got a lot of fresh air as we meandered around the lagoon, stopping at every Country Pavilion along the way…
Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada… Did I miss any?
We went on a bunch of rides, and stopped at almost all the exhibits, and still didn’t get to experience it all…
By the time the Sun was setting, we were pretty tired, and decided we’d come back another day to “finish” up EPCOT…
Again, look at the pictures, and fill in the blanks here in our Blog… That should give you something to do for a while… After all, why should I be the only one to waste my time… I’ve been working on this for almost four hours now, and that’s enough…
Take care, and keep hoping for another installment…
Phone calls and emails don’t count, I’m afraid… The Blogger does things on his own time…
PICTURES:
It’s so nice to have “Jack” on our side…
Of course, I finally figured out how to get him to do what I want him to do…
By putting in “intermediate points,” he has no choice but to follow orders!
That said, we got to EPCOT just as they opened at 9:00am (it’s a 45 minute drive, from our RV Park, by the way), and we walked right into SPACESHIP EARTH…
Had no idea of what that big ball was about, but found out that it’s actually a ride… Here’s what Disney says: “ See yourself in the future (literally) as you ride, play, create, compete and explore inside the Park’s amazing icon.”
It was amazing, all right!
Took all kinds of pictures, but hardly any came out…
I’m thinking, since you’re not allowed to use flash at most of the attractions, that it must be the interior lighting that screws up the camera???
Anyhoo… The ride was fantastic (what else can you expect from Disney, right?), and the added enjoyment of looking at ourselves (up on the big wall) in cartoon form was certainly a surprise…
You have to look at the pictures to get more out of it, ‘cause I don’t have time to write about it…
Gotta get this puppy out on the internet, ‘cause people are a bit disappointed in my less than stellar performance lately…
From SPACESHIP EARTH we sauntered over to MISSION: SPACE…
Was asked if we wanted to join the Orange Team (INTENSE JOURNEY) or the Green Team (a “tame,” “milder mission“)…
Before I could utter a word, Lovely Lu nailed down the Orange Team…
Asked if she’d read up on it, the answer was “maybe”…
I dropped it at that… No use arguing about small things…
Personally, I loved the ride…
It’s amazing to me how they can make you feel like you’re about to drop your stomach one minute; then, within seconds, you vacillate between weightlessness and a G-Force that threatens to shrink you by four feet (and all done while you move maybe a couple of inches)…
Lovely Lu, on the other hand… Not so much…
She came out green (Editor’s note: Probably should’ve been the team she opted for)…
I didn’t notice, because, in my exhilaration, as I was dragging her out of there, I was going on and on about how cool I thought that ride was…
When she suddenly stopped and yanked my hand, I finally noticed a not-so-healthy complexion…
Ahhh… Honey!
My little Daredevil… Maybe we should read about these rides before tackling them from now on?
Yep… Good idea!
We got some fresh air…
Matter of fact, we got a lot of fresh air as we meandered around the lagoon, stopping at every Country Pavilion along the way…
Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada… Did I miss any?
We went on a bunch of rides, and stopped at almost all the exhibits, and still didn’t get to experience it all…
By the time the Sun was setting, we were pretty tired, and decided we’d come back another day to “finish” up EPCOT…
Again, look at the pictures, and fill in the blanks here in our Blog… That should give you something to do for a while… After all, why should I be the only one to waste my time… I’ve been working on this for almost four hours now, and that’s enough…
Take care, and keep hoping for another installment…
Phone calls and emails don’t count, I’m afraid… The Blogger does things on his own time…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/DISNEYWORLD%20-%20%20EPCOT%20%5E5NOV.%2013%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=150&isFromRichUpload=1

DISNEY WORLD - MAGIC KINGDOM (NOV. 12, 2009)

2009-11-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

In spite of a nasty and cold drizzle, we were as giddy as little kids at Christmas as we walked through the portals of the Magic Kingdom this morning…
Haven’t felt that way since I don’t know when, and I know my Better Half felt the same way by the way she squeezed my hand (she does that when she’s excited)...
Too bad the weather wasn’t cooperating, but we were committed to five days of Disney Magic, so…
Got a bit wet as we walked from the parking lot to the Main Entrance, but I held my sweater over my head, and Lu had a coat on… We survived…
Coming through the Main Gate, we saw Main Street bedecked in Holiday dress…
Garlands and wreaths…
Candy cane gardens…
Happy Christmas music…
WOW!
Christmas comes early to Florida!
We got a map, and decided to discover the Magic Kingdom counter clockwise…
Please note…
I took a lot of pictures today…
Unfortunately, I had to throw out almost half of them…
Main cause: I (or something I was in) was moving too fast to get a focus (blurry), or the subject lighting screwed the camera up somehow (washout)…
I have no idea what causes what, so I take a bunch of shots, and hope for the best…
Anyway, I commented on most of the pictures, so I’m not going into any kind of detail about things in tonight’s Blog… Just gonna do a kind of recap, if you will…
After meandering through Main Street, U.S.A., we found ourselves in Adventureland, and climbing the Swiss Family Treehouse.
That was followed by a Jungle Cruise, and the long-awaited “sail” with The Pirates of the Caribbean…
We were just like kids in a candy store… Holding hands…
Ohhing and ahhing…
Nudging each other in order to focus attention to amazing things…
Bloody great, Mate, to be a kid in a grownup body…
Twists and turns took us to Frontierland, where we thought it’d be nice to take a ride on SPLASH Mountain (the name alone should’ve been a clue)…
I suppose we’ve heard about these things before, but, for some reason, we didn’t pay much attention to signs, until we were seated in a holed out log, and the darn thing began to climb, and there was a sign staring us in the face, proclaiming hazards ahead!…
My goodness…
It was exhilarating, to say the least…
We got wet (whether from the water splashing over us, as we plunged 4,325 feet to our deaths, or from natural bodily reactions, is hard to say)…
We staggered off the log…
Breath: Shallow and quick…
Body: Limp…
Mind: Mush!
And that’s probably why we meandered right over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad…
Figured we would take a slow and easy train ride for a while, just to slow our heartbeats, and give us a breather…
Should’ve seen the problem when we boarded some kind of railroad car with “LOCK-DOWN” equipment
(that’s padded steel bars which lowers automatically over your body - when you least expect it - and locks you down in such a way that the only thing moving are your eyeballs)…
Of course, we should’ve known something was up when the “car” took off into water at a pretty good clip (almost got a whiplash, but why bother with bagatelles?)
Oh… If we didn’t have any idea of what we were in for by this time, we sure should’ve when the “railroad car” hauled ass up a steep incline, and then proceeded to hurl our old bodies every which way…
If only our eyeballs could scream!
But, at least, we finally figured it out:
A ROLLERCOASTER, for crying out loud!
Haven’t been in one of those since I was frightened to within an inch of oblivion (At a Seaside, Oregon, “coaster”) the first year we were married…
That one only had five turns and dropped four an a half feet!
After the miracle (I must call it that, since we found ourselves alive after “Monster Arms” let go of us),
Lu told me she couldn’t remember much of the episode…
Probably had her eyes closed and passed out…
Lucky girl!
But I have the proof that she was with me…
I’m now the proud owner of a nice tattoo showing five very frightened fingers on my right arm…
How she got away from “Monster Arm” is anybody’s guess…
Thank goodness, things slowed down for the rest of our stay…
We visited Fantasyland and Tomorrowland…
Had hot dogs at four bucks apiece, and took in the “Presidents Show” at Liberty Square (that was awe inspiring, by the way).
Finally, we took the ferry back to the parking area…
Programmed “Jack,” who was a very good boy and got us home.
Now it’s time for bed…
Gotta get some shut-eye before tomorrow’s Disney adventure…
Here are the pictures that survived: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/DISNEY%20WORLD%20-%20MAGIC%20KINGDOME%20%5E5NOV.%2012%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=118&isFromRichUpload=1

BEE’S RV RESORT, CLERMONT, FL and a prelude to DISNEY WORLD (NOV. 9, 10 & 11, 2009)

2009-11-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Haven’t felt like writing for a few days…
Some have called to see if I’m alive, some have checked my Facebook (where I manage to scribble a few lines every day), and - as far as I can tell - I’m still kicking…
There are a couple of reasons for this lack of enthusiasm, of course, and the main one is the weather…
The humidity bombarded us from the moment we entered Florida…
I’m not used to it, and my old “bod” has been repelling water faster than I’ve been drinking it…
Consequence: Dehydration…
Got a little worried…
Called my doctor…
Inhaled a bunch of liquids, and am almost back to normal…
Back to the weather…
The forecast called for rain and strong winds (from hurricane IDA) on Monday, Tuesday and today, so, since we’re here for 14 nights, we decided to stay put until things lightened up…
Here in Florida, evidently, they are as good to predict weather as at home…
We did get some wind, but the rain decided to wait until last night to make its appearance...
All this gave me a couple of days off, and a couple of days to get back to my fun-loving self…
There you have it… Two good reasons, don’t you think?
Of course, we didn’t just sit and wait this out on our tiny little tushes (or is that tushii for plural?)…
We’ve been busy little beavers, doing this and that…
Oops… “This and that” doesn’t come to mind right at the moment…
Give me a few moments…
I cheated…
Conferred with the Boss, and “we” did laundry, “we” did repair work on the awning, “we” got our bikes down from their perch (at the back of the trailer) and ready for long rides, “we” went shopping, and even took some walks…
What more is there to life, you might add…
This morning (Wed. Nov. 11) we thought we’d take a dry run to Disney World, just to check things out…
Am I glad we did!
Had absolutely no idea of how huge this place is…
First, I figured DisneyWorld had about the same layout as Disneyland, in California…
Not so… The whole Disneyland complex could be placed inside the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom!
That should give you an idea…
We programmed “Jack,” and he didn’t disappoint!
The trip should’ve taken 40-45 minutes…
Took us an hour and a half!
However, that took us everywhere but New York, and it got us right to the BACK “door” (the service area) of the “Magic Kingdom”…
Love that guy!
After some asking, we found a parking lot (at the FRONT of the complex), and took a trolley about a half mile to the ticket booths…
We’re now ready for a five day “tour” of DisneyWorld, starting tomorrow morning…
I will try to keep text and pictures coming every day, but no promise!
I’m up to date, and so are you…
Take care, and keep an eye out for us on my Blog.
PICTURES (Sorry… Not many today): http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BEE%e2%80%99S%20RV%20RESORT%5EJ%20CLERMONT%5EJ%20FL%20and%20a%20prelude%20to%20DISNEY%20WORLD%20%5E5NOV.%209%5EJ%2010%20%5E0%2011%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=10&isFromRichUpload=1

WOODBINE, GA to CLERMONT, FL via DAYTONA BEACH (NOV. 8, 2009)

2009-11-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Left Woodbine at 8:45 this morning, heading down I-95...
Tried to program “Jack” to get us to our next RV Resort, but he wouldn’t have any of it… I mean, I gave him the address, and everything, but that didn’t impress him in the least…
After many attempts last night and a few this morning, I gave up and put Daytona Beach in, since that was on the way…
This he liked…
And I liked it, too, since I’m a NASCAR fan from way back when…
Hmmm… My better half wondered if this might’ve been a ruse to go to the Speedway… Good question, I suppose, but I can tell you that by the excitement in her face; as we drove into the Speedway, and we heard the incredible noise of race cars on the track, that she didn’t mind at all…
That’s my gal! We do have things in comment after all… Nice to know in a pinch!
The parking lot (in front of the complex) is empty, so I place the Awesome Duo (Big Boy and Big Daddy) in the perfect place for a Photo Op…
Walked over to two guys at the entrance to Tunnel 4, and find out that the owner of the Race track, and the President of NASCAR is sitting in the car right in front of us… Didn’t have the camera, of course, so one Photo Op missed…
We did get BB and BD, so not all was lost…
Spent some time inside the “Welcome Center” (where I had to buy a T-shirt), and then walked up into the Grandstand in Turn Four…
(They didn’t let us do anything free in Indianapolis… What’s with that?).
Found out that there was going to be a VINTAGE car race this afternoon, and that’s the noise we’d heard earlier…
Lucked out (while we were in the Grandstand), and watched three cars practice…
Shot a bunch of pictures, but none were clear enough to catch the action…
Hard to focus when the cars zoom by at close to 200 MPH…
We finally had to tear ourselves away from all the merriment…
Had a RV Park to find, you see…
Wouldn’t you know it… Jack still didn’t recognize the address, so we improvised… Told him about a female GARMIN GPS in the closest town to where we were going, and that did the trick… It got us on the “North Florida’s Turnpike” (just North of Orlando), and from there we had directions from the RV Park’s brochure…
After signing in, we had to jockey around a bit to get the satellite TV focused (there’s always a tree in the way, it seems), and to make Lulubelle happy…
Have to make that happen, of course…
We took a little trip into Clermont (late this afternoon), to check it out, but found it deserted (Sunday), so we came home, where we’ve now watched a couple of shows, and are about ready to hit the sack…
That’s it for another Blog…
Take care and keep an eye open for us on the Net…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WOODBINE%5EJ%20GA%20to%20CLERMONT%5EJ%20FL%20via%20DAYTONA%20BEACH%20%5E5NOV.%208%5EJ%202009%5E6?uc=30&isFromRichUpload=1

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP, GA and AMELIA ISLAND, FL (NOV. 7, 2009)

2009-11-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Didn’t know what to do this morning until we started the truck (at 9:00)…
Flipped a coin and drove to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Swamp), where we stayed until about 2:30...
The Entrance Road is about 2½ miles long, which winds it’s way through a very “open” forest of longleaf pine trees… The forest floor is covered in a carpet of palms, and Lu took picture after picture, of which some survived my editing…
The park measures almost 402,000 acres (about 163,000 hectares), and we “covered” maybe a fraction of a fraction of that…
They were just opening up when we arrived, so we spent some time in the Visitor’s Center, getting as much info as we could… Even took in a 20-minute movie, which was well worth the cost…
Oh, that’s right… No cost… And no cost for entering the park either, since I’m a “Golden Member”
(One who gets in free at all National Parks)…
Picked the brain of the young Ranger who greeted us… Got some brochures, and moseyed over to the “Okefenokee Adventures” concession building, where we inquired about a boat tour…
One had just left, and we had an hour to do things on our own…
Jumped in the truck and took a nine mile trip into the heart of the beast on Swamp Island Drive…
Parked at the Chesser Island Homestead, and, after having chatted with the Ranger Guide (who was comfortably settled into a rocker on the front porch), we took a self guided tour of the place…
It’s a big house, unlike the one and two room shacks you usually find in the Swamp…
Evidently, Mr. Chesser did quite well for himself, his wife and seven children, and made a living making and selling sugar and turpentine…
You can probably find out more about them on the internet…
We left the truck, and hiked out to “The Owls Roost” observation tower, on a wooden boardwalk…
Spotted a gator basking in the sun, just feet away from the path…
Lu went gaga…
Took lots of pictures… Some survived the editing process…
Got a beautiful view from the top of the tower, and spotted a couple of alligators through the telescope (fastened to a stand at one corner of the top platform), but, unfortunately, they were too far away for my camera to pick up, so we had to settle for the one along the boardwalk, and the BIG one we encountered when we got back to the Visitor’s center…
By that time, we were pretty well pooped form all the walking, and decided not to take the boat ride, but to get in the truck and head out to Emelia Island for a last “quality” time with the Beach…
We’re heading to Clermont (a few miles away from Orlando) tomorrow morning, where we’ll be staying for two weeks… I don’t think the Beach is in the picture when Disney World is beckoning, do you?
Anyway, we were starving when we got to the beach, so we parked in front of the “Sandy Bottoms Beach Bar and Grill,” walked in and had an early dinner…
Then hiked the beach for an hour…
My poor “sticks” is getting a workout, I tell you…
Don’t think I’ll have any trouble sleeping tonight…
And that’s your clue that this conversation is over…
Night all…
Take care and keep an eye on us, will you…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/OKEFENOKEE%20SWAMP%5EJ%20GA%20and%20EMELIA%20ISLAND%5EJ%20FL%20%5E5NOV.%207%5EJ%202009%5E6

WOODBINE and KINGSLAND, GA (NOV. 5, 2009) and AMELIA ISLAND and FERNANDINA BEACH. FL (NOV. 6, 2009)

2009-11-06T18:04:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Nov. 5, 2009...
House cleaning in the morning, then off to check what the City of Woodbine had to offer…
Heard it was a “historic” town, and looked forward to a long stroll on the “River Walk” (which was highly touted by the Welcome Center when we first arrived)…
We found the “River Walk” right off, but it was not what we’d expected…
The raised deck starts at Satilla River Waterfront Park, hugs the shoreline for maybe an eight of a mile,
and then peters out at a path heading inland…
That’s it…
There’s nothing to look at, along the short span, except for “The River” and marsh grass… Oh, and a tall bridge…
Took a couple of pictures, then searched high and low for something “historic.”
Found City Hall (which is fairly old), and hailed a police officer, who told us, “There’s nothing in Woodbine. You can drive around the city three times in three minutes“…
We left for Kingsland, another small town, a few miles down the freeway, to see if there was anything there to write home about…
Sorry… Same story (except no “River Walk” here)…
Gave up…
Stopped at Applebee’s…
Went home to plan for more fun tomorrow…
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009...
Left “Home, sweet Trailer” about 9:00...
Lu had read up on the area’s attractions, and decided that a trip into Florida was in order…
She was hungry for a beach, after yesterday’s failure, and I was totally in tune with that…
Don’t remember if I mentioned it before, but our RV Park is located 3 miles North of the Border…
Taking I-95, Hwy 17, and SR 200/A1A, we crossed the bridge over to Amelia Island in just over half an hour…
Found a parking spot at the waterfront, in the town of Fernandina Beach (by the way, all parking is free here), and because we were a little early for places to be open, we proceeded to walk “the neighborhood.”
We’d probably “covered” a half dozen blocks, when the smell of bacon beckoned us to this little “dive” named, BRIGHT MORNINGS.”
Had a choice of dining in or out, and, being that the temp was 72 degrees F., we opted for the “terrace” treatment.
Met a couple of friendly Geckos, who kept us company while we stuffed ourselves…
Wonderful place, and great food! Highly recommended!
Finished eating, we wobbled around a few more blocks… Looking, and poking our noses into this and that…
Ended up at a gift store (located at the waterfront, by our truck) where we purchased a wind chime Lu couldn’t live without…
Took Centre Street (A1A) East, to the beach…
Parked a few feet from the sand…
Shed sandals and shirt…
Spent the next three hours splashing the surf…
(Using Google Earth, I figure we walked about 2½ miles one way, so that was a good stroll today)…
Luanne got herself another bagful of shells, so I don’t know how this is going to end…
We still have a couple of months on (or near) a beach, so this is not boding well from a transportation standpoint, if you know what I mean…
Had a wonderful steak and chicken stir-fry this evening, which brings me to this moment…
I’m stuffed, tired, and wonderfully worn out… Time to bid you adieu, and hit the sack…
Take care and keep us in mind…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WOODBINE%20and%20KINGSLAND%5EJ%20GA%20%5E5NOV.%205%5EJ%202009%5E6%20and%20AMELIA%20ISLAND%20and%20FERNANDINA%20BEACH.%20FL%20%5E5NOV.%206%5EJ%202009%5E6

BRUNSWICK, JEKYLL and ST.SIMON ISLANDS, GA (NOV. 4, 2009)

2009-11-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Didn’t really know what to see and do first today, but then read the comments from Terry (on last night’s Blog), and decided to take a trip out to Jekyll Island…
From our RV Park, it’s about a 30 mile drive North on I-95, and East on Hwy 520, which is nothing when you’re not hauling a big “thing” behind you…
Just like the scenery… Not much to take pictures of…
Nothing but flatness wherever you look, with the exception of the occasional bridge, and a few squat trees here and there…
But we took pictures anyway… Lots of them today… I’ve spent the last couple of hours editing and commenting, so I’m not all that ready for a lengthy Blog, if you know what I mean…
Thanks, Terry, for steering us to Jekyll Island… It’s a jewel!
We were forewarned about an entrance fee of $5.00 to get on the island, but that’s it… No other parking fees anywhere, which turned out to be a good deal, I feel…
Luanne read somewhere that by law, 65 percent of the island must remain undeveloped, so that leaves a lot of terrain for all kinds of creatures, including golfers, who gather on their annual migration route here (on a fantastic 36-hole course) to participate in the Georgia-Florida Golf Classic…
I don’t know enough to comment on the origin of these so-called island “cottages” that were built a long, long time ago, only that “big shots,” of yesteryear, tried to surpass the splendor of their neighbor’s home when they built, and, by all accounts (look at the pictures), they succeeded…
(Suggestion: Read the comments from Terry, or go on-line to find out more)
We drove around the whole island to begin with, just to get a perspective of what else it had to offer…
Stopped at the North end, where there’s a wonderful park and fishing pier… It’s also the termini for paved asphalt paths, which wrap around shoreline and marsh… Very walk and bicycle friendly…
Luanne went “gaga” over Spanish Moss hanging from every branch of bush and tree…
Picturesque, for sure, but there are limits…
Sorry, Honey… Hate to break this to you, but there is now a forest of deleted Spanish Moss in Cyberspace…
So… On our way around the island, we stop here and there to check on things, and, of course, to take pictures…
Shedding our shoes, we go for a couple of miles hike, up and down an almost deserted beach…
I mean… There’s not a soul around!
We stopped at Blackbeard’s for shrimp Po’Boys and clam chowder, and then back out to the beach for another stroll…
Tough life!
Anyway, time was running away from us, like it usually does…
We had other destinations to conquer today, and, besides, it was a bit cool on the beach (caused by a fairly strong wind), so it was time to move on…
Stopped in Brunswick, where we just drove around the Old Town for a while, then over to St. Simons Island to get some shots of the St. Simon Lighthouse…
While there we observed fishing boats drag netting only feet away from where we stood on shore… Very interesting stuff, especially when I was sure one of them was going to run aground (I could almost have jumped over to the boat), but those guys knew what they were doing, and I kept my feet dry.
That’s all I’m going to tell you about today’s activities, because I’m tired, and I’m going to bed.
Take care, and always keep an eye or an ear open for life signs from the Vagabonds…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BRUNSWICK%5EJ%20JEKYLL%20and%20ST.SIMON%20ISLANDS%5EJ%20GA%20%5E5NOV.%204%5EJ%202009%5E6

HARDEEVILLE, SC to WOODBINE, GA, and a visit to ST. MARYS (NOV. 3, 2009)

2009-11-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

We took our sweet time again this morning…
It’s nice to be able to get up and not have to worry about having a long haul ahead of you…
Figured we’d take a trip out to Walmart (in Hardeeville) to get gas, before we left, but “Jack” had other plans (even though we programmed in the actual address)…
Can’t figure out why he‘s having such a hard time, but it‘s frustrating!
We drove around in circles for a while, but had to give up and get gas at a high-priced station instead…
[We’ve been able to pay between $2.54 and $2.65 for diesel, but have encountered $2.99... Around Hardeeville it’s about $2.79, on and average…]
Anyway, it was time to head back before we overstayed our check out time…
Took only minutes to hook up the trailer, and we were on our way…
If you look at today’s pictures, there’s not much here in Northeastern Georgia to focus a camera on…
Just flat, flat, flat, and swamp, swamp, swamp…
Of course, with all this flatness, the drive is easy, and since we only had about a hundred and some miles to drive to get to Woodbine, it was also a short trip…
Stopped a couple of places to kill time… Once at a “Burgerking”…
Can you believe it?
Lu actually allowed me to have two double cheeseburgers (a buck a piece!), which I haven’t had in ages, and which I cherished to the very last bite…
Probably be another ten years before she allows me near such a place again?
So… We get here to “King George RV Resort,” in Woodbine, GA, and check in…
There aren’t all that many spaces available here (small park), but they’re all “pull-throughs,” which is fantastic, because I don’t have to back into any of them…
Most of the time (in other words: not only when I have to back into a space), Luanne goes into what I call “Irrational Phobia.”
Usually, she gets into a frenzy about a mile or two before we approach a new RV Park…
I admit, she tries to help me, but she has not yet realized that if she CANNOT see me in my rear view mirrors, I CANNOT see her!
The result is that I have to get out of the truck to check on things (time and time, and time again)…
At which time I tell her (in so many words) that she’s no help at all…
Of course, I’m always tactful in these situations, so I don’t understand why she starts sulking, and why we don’t talk for a couple of hours…
Conundrum!
Anyway… Today we had a “drive through,” so I thought things would be a lot better than usual…
Not so…
The RV Park is very nice, but the allotted parking spaces are quite narrow, resulting in RVs being “uncomfortably” close together… Especially after the “slide-outs” are extended…
After setting up once (that means unhooking from the truck, and getting the umbilicals hooked up), we found we were so close to our neighbor that we couldn’t put our awning out…
The second try ended in the same result, but slightly better, but I’d had enough…
You see, this hour of my life took place in 94 degree heat… My nerves were a bit on edge, you might say…
Well, heck… Let’s cut to the chase… When she acted like this was not good enough (after I had lost 15 pounds in sweat), I was ready to put her on a plane to Seattle…
Instead we took about an hour’s nap, and then drove down to a little town called St. Marys, where we spent an hour, or so, being tourists…
And that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! (Heard that line in a song, I think)…
Don’t know what we’ll do tomorrow, but I think we’ll be OK if I get her away from the trailer… So… That’s the plan…
Take care and keep us in mind…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/HARDEEVILLE%5EJ%20SC%20to%20WOODBINE%5EJ%20GA%5EJ%20and%20a%20visit%20to%20ST.%20MARYS%20%5E5NOV.%203%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=35&isFromRichUpload=1

HARDEEVILLE, SC, and SAVANNAH, GA (NOV. 1 & 2, 2009)

2009-11-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

Took a day off yesterday…
Sometimes you have to do that in order to gather your wits about you…
Actually, I just took a day off from the Blog…
Now………… That‘s not quite true…
Let me explain…
If you follow my Blog (as you obviously do if you read this), you can appreciate all the gigabytes I’m using - both for the Blog and the pictures…
Well… Here’s the chain of events, in order to get “things” “published.”
First… Download pictures from camera to computer…
In the process of doing that, I make comments (on the pictures) where I think it’s necessary for clarification of where we are, or what you‘re seeing (a very long process if there are a lot of pictures)…
When that’s done, I save the picture file to my “WD Passport,” a 50 GB External Hard drive (bought at Costco before we left)…
Next, I write my Blog using “Microsoft Word Processor“…
If it’s an “eventful” day, it may take hours… Words (at times) do not come easy for this “transplant,” you see)…
The Blog then gets uploaded to “BLOGGER.COM,” where I have unlimited space (almost) for whatever I want to post…
I’ve been saving a copy of my Blog on my computer, but woke up the other night thinking: What’ll happen if my computer and “Blogger.com” crashes at the same time? Will I loose everything?
Yeah… No doubt… And what a nightmare that would be!
So… Yesterday, I began the tedious task of saving all my Blogs to the Albums (on “WD Passport Hard Drive”) where they’ll match up with my pictures…
Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Not so…
You wouldn’t believe the intricacies you have to go through to get this simple task accomplished, but… That’s for me to battle, so we don’t need to go there…
Anyway, is that’s a reasons for taking a day “off?“
By the way, I’ve only accomplished the transfer to 20 Albums so far, and I just saw that this album is my 90th…
Got a ways to go…
Hmmm… Might have to take some more time “off” here…
Let’s get on with today’s stuff…
Went (without Lu) for a ride around Hardeeville this morning, just for a break…
Drove a bunch of back roads, but, unfortunately, a lot of traffic prevented me from taking pictures of some of the homes I would’ve liked to show you…
Oh, oh… Feels like my conscience is going to take over for a bit:
So far, most of the pictures we’ve taken of homes and buildings have been in the “WOW“ and “INCREDIBLE” variety…
The abandoned, neglected, and derelict places we’ve seen, have not been addressed, I’m afraid…
There are shabby homes (or should I call them shacks?) in every State, of course, but we’ve just not focused on them at all…
Unconscious decision?
Rather concentrate on “pretty” than “ugly“?
Pride?
Ashamed of showing how “bad” some neighborhoods are in America?
Don’t know…
Lots of questions, though…
I guess my trepidation comes from seeing - for lack of a better word - “squalor” here on the back roads in South Carolina…
Sorry if it sounds like I’m focusing exclusively on South Carolina… I’m not… It’s just that what I saw today
made me realize how one sided we’ve been…
We’ll try to see things without rose colored glasses from now on… How’s that?
After my solo adventure out this morning, we went into Savannah to check out some of the places we haven’t had a chance to see yet…
That took us to the “Well-to-do” section…
(Gasp! This may’ve been the trigger for the previous paragraphs?).
Look at the pictures… Not a shack in sight!
I rest my case against myself!
Happened to walk by the set of “The Conspirators” (or whatever the movie title is), and happened to catch Robert Redford, and a few “extras” in action…
Luanne was actually swooning!
Went home for a rest, then back to town for a “Last Supper” (in Savannah), and a final walk on the Waterfront…
A very nice ending to our visit here, don’t you think?
Tomorrow, it’s on the road again… To Southern Georgia…
Catch us there…
Take care, and keep us in mind…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/HARDEEVILLE%5EJ%20SC%5EJ%20and%20SAVANNAH%5EJ%20GA%20%5E5NOV.%201%20%5E0%202%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=67&isFromRichUpload=1

HARDEEVILLE, SC, and SAVANNAH, GA (HALLOWEEN) (OCT. 31, 2009)

2009-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Lu had it on her mind to do laundry in the trailer today…
Don’t know why, since she could’ve used the Laundromat in the Park, but “Mine is not to reason why; Mine is to do or die,” as somebody once said…
Anyway, we had a fairly uneventful morning, and were ready for some serious fun in town this evening.
When we first arrived here, we found out that this one restaurant had “Po’Boys,” and we were determined to have that for dinner Halloween Night… Especially after we were told they were as good as the ones in New Orleans…
For those who don’t know what a “Po’Boy“ is… Well, they’re “sandwiches” (or should I say Big Hot Dog Buns (if I knew how to spell “Hoagy Buns,” I would’ve called it that), stuffed with oysters, or shrimp, or other “goodies“ (all kinds of fish, for instance), and garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, and other ingredients… And the coup d’état: Some kind of “Cajun” sauce, which has imprinted itself on my mind ever since we had them in New Orleans, in 2000…
I know my description doesn’t measure up to the taste here, but suffice it to say, Luanne loves her oyster, and I love my shrimp “Po’Boy.”
So… We spent the morning just waiting (or should I say drooling) for the evening to arrive…
Couldn’t wait that long, of course (we can hardly wait any length of time for anything, truth be told), and left about 3:00…
Just to make the “evening” go a little faster, we let “Jack” steer us to a Walmart, located South of Savannah… He’s still not speaking to us, but he managed to get us there without any fuss (maybe because we programmed an actual address in, who knows? Sure wish he‘d get over that laryngitis, though)…
Got a case of bottled water (the RV Parks’ supply doesn’t taste good), then spent some time around the streets of Savannah trying to find a parking spot…
Not successful…
We ended up in a parking garage, and found (to our surprise) that it was only three bucks, after 5:00 on Fridays, and all weekend long… Pretty good!).
While walking down to the Waterfront, we called Luanne’s sister to gloat about the weather (86 degrees, and sunny skies… 56 in Seattle, and cloudy… Ahhh.. Chucks!), and they ended up talking for as long as it took us to get down to River Street, and take a leisurely tour of that big sailing vessel tied to the dock…
Must‘ve had a lot to talk about…
We stopped and had a drink at the “joint” we were going to have dinner (making sure they weren’t going to run out of either oysters or shrimp), then started a long stroll up and down just about every avenue in Savannah proper…
It’s a very neat town, with all kinds of Public Squares (shaded by Spanish Moss-covered Oaks), incredible mansions, and a Public Market that’s to die for, and, of course, the Waterfront…
But (I’m almost afraid to say), Luanne and I both feel that Charleston is “one up” on Savannah…
Haven’t figured out why that is, but there you have it… Just a feeling, I guess…
So… Stepping gingerly away from that subject…
Somehow, we stumbled onto the “Red Carpet” treatment for The Savannah Film Festival…
Stopped right in front of the ”Media Center” (where all the interviews were going to take place), and stepped on a few paparazzi toes as “celebrities” showed up… Lots of fun!
In reality, Luanne and I only knew (of) Woody Heraldson, whom I got a few shots of, as he stood a few feet from us, but we heard this couple next to us exclaiming, “There’s So and So,” so, I suppose, there were other known personalities present… We just didn’t recognize any…
After gawking for so long, I finally had to tear Luanne away from there without seeing Robert Redford, whom we’d hoped would show up, but no such luck this time…
We took a leisurely walk over to The Public Market…
Stopped here and there to look at art (and all kinds of junk); had a drink at “Jen’s and Friends,” and, finally, ended up at Huey’s for our encounter with two Po’Boys…
Very good, but, unfortunately, no cigar… The Cajun sauce was missing… Guess we have to go to New Orleans for the “Real Thing.”
We did another lap around the Waterfront, then decided we’d had enough… Time to head home and let the Younger Set have their merrymaking…
We’re not much into Halloween these days…
Used to be fun when the kids were kids, but now… Not so much… Getting old, I guess…
Anyway, we made it home without any mishap…
Lu went to bed, and here I am again: Hunting and pecking my way around the keyboard (should’ve taken typing!)
That’s it… Finished with another segment…
Take care, and look out for some more tomorrow…… Maybe?
Today's Pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/HARDEEVILLE%5EJ%20SC%5EJ%20and%20SAVANNAH%5EJ%20GA%20%5E5HALLOWEEN%5E6%20%5E5OCT.%2031%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1

TYBEE ISLAND, FORT SCREVEN, and FORT PULASKI, GA (OCT. 30, 2009)

2009-10-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Best news first!
I got my glasses back this morning! The ones I broke a half dozen times (using superglue to keep together)…
If you remember from my past Blogs, after countless (and fruitless) attempts to have them fixed (all across the country), I finally called my optometrist, Dave, in Bellingham, WA, and, upon his request, mailed him the pieces, so he could check them out…
I am delighted to inform you, folks, my glasses look brand new, which is a minor miracle, since (when I last saw them) there were streaks of superglue all over the lenses…
My sincerest thanks, Dave… I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your effort and speedy return of my glasses…
You truly know how to take care of your customers!
It will be my pleasure to recommend “EVERYTHING IN SIGHT OPTOMETRY” to everyone I know…
That was a good start to the day, wasn‘t it?
The rest of the day didn’t turn out too bad either…
We heard about Tybee Island Lighthouse yesterday, and thought it’d be worth our while taking the 30 (or so) miles out there…
With the exception of Fort Screven and Fort Pulaski, the trip really wasn’t what we had expected…
From Savannah, the road takes you across flat-as-a-pancake marshes, with no discernible features, except for a bridge or two, a building here and there, and some decks resting high on precarious wooden posts…
The town of Tybee Island is so commercialized, that we couldn’t even find a place to park without having to pay an arm and a leg…
Parking meters are everywhere, even on side streets!
In pursuit of the Tybee Lighthouse, we drove down to the Southern tip of the island, but homes along the shoreline are built so close to each other that there isn’t much of a chance to see anything beyond them…
We managed to find a public access point, but because warning signs about parking illegally are everywhere, we were more than a little hesitant to leave the truck for any length of time, so we parked in a handicap spot, and dashed over a dune where we took two pictures of the “hallowed ground,“ only to find no lighthouse!
Disappointed, we got the truck out of the “danger zone,” and began our trek back… Stopped, and asked a couple (out in their yard) where the lighthouse was, and the lady said, “Oh that’s up North, at the other end of the island.” She was pointing SOUTH as she was speaking…
Her husband came over, and in a thick, movie-script, Southern accent informed us (and her), as he pointed North: “Sorry, but she gets a bit confused with her directions.“
That was almost worth the trip out there!
We did find the lighthouse (which is the tallest one we’ve seen yet) at the defunct Fort Screven, but didn’t linger for long, since we were greeted by a cold wind as we got out of the truck…
On the way over to Tybee, we passed Fort Pulaski (National Monument), so we stopped there on the way back…
Very impressive! Even has a moat filled with water… The first I‘ve ever seen…
Of course, there’s some history here, which could take a day (or maybe more) to investigate…
However (unless you go on-line to find out more on your own), your history lesson from me today will consist of a few shots of some of the plaques posted around the premises…
After a lesson of musket firing, by a young “Union” “soldier-girl,” we drove home, where we took it easy for an hour, before programming “Jack” to take us to Walmart, which was supposed to be only 6.3 miles away.
After about 16 miles, and having arrived at our “destination,” we found ourselves in the parking lot of a gas station…
What’s with these GP(a)Sses? There’s no doubt someone has messed with Jack’s mind (probably Molly) when it comes to finding Walmarts…
I turned him off!
Felt good!
Then had to turn him back on… Didn’t know where we were…
Wouldn’t you know it… He is now MUTE!
Won’t say a word!
Tried all kinds of settings, threats, and kind words, but he has refused all attempts!
I give up…
Maybe he’ll come to his senses in the morning?
Sure hope so…
And with that good thought, have a great night, day, or whatever, wherever you are…
As always, take care, and keep us in mind.
PS… Forgot to mention we went into town, after we got home from Walmart (which we eventually found after asking people for directions), and walked a lot of the “famous” streets…
Fascinating place…
Unfortunately, we forgot the camera, so you’ll have to wait for pictures…
Here are the pictures we did take: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/TYBEE%20ISLAND%5EJ%20FORT%20SCREVEN%5EJ%20and%20FORT%20PULASKI%5EJ%20GA%20%5E5OCT.%2030%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1

CHARLESTON to HARDEEVILLE, SC and SAVANNAH, GA (OCT. 29, 2009)

2009-10-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

Happy anniversary to us!
Can you believe it? We just finished our fourth month on the road…
Where does the time go when you’re having fun?
I’m not kidding…
We’re having a lot of fun…
Oh, we’ve had a couple of ups and downs along the way, but they’ve been few and far between, and quickly forgotten, so, I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we’ve had a fantastic time exploring some of the nooks and crannies of these United States, and it’s been a fun experience…
Thanks, Honey, for being my steadfast partner, for taking this trip with me, and for putting up with me all these years…
(F.Y.I., we’re working on our 40th year of wedded bliss… Not a record, by any means, but quite an accomplishment, don‘t you think?)
OK… Enough mush, already…
Since we only had some 70 miles to drive today, we took our sweet time waking up and getting ready…
Matter of fact, a little after 9:00, we decided to head on over to Walmart to get some gas (I would dearly love for “our” Walmart to offer diesel), and to get some cash, since our next stop (in Hardeeville) required either “greenbacks” or checks…
Somewhere, we passed Walmart the first day we were in Charleston, but since it was pouring down that day, we didn’t pay much attention to location, so I programmed “Jack” (our GPS “mascot“) to take us there…
He stated quite seriously (I think) that it was only 6 miles away, which seemed about right, and off we went…
Can you see where this is going?
Oh, yeah…
When Good Ol’ Jack informed us that we had arrived at our destination, we looked at the odometer, the surroundings, and each other…
Eight miles driven…
We were sitting in the parking lot of some small and desolate shopping center…
The look on our faces said it all…
Total disbelief!
That little jerk! (Sorry… Must clean up my language one of these days)…
Thankfully, a “stray” lady (who probably used Molly, Jack‘s worse half) gave us the right directions, and we managed to get to Walmart, get back to the RV Park, and get ourselves on the road before the 11 o’clock checkout time…
Ahhh, life on the road…
And, talking about the road…
There’s really nothing “striking” to take pictures of…
There is the occasional swamp, bridge, and building, but that’s about it…
No hills (unless you count overpasses)…
The road snakes through thick woods, with hardly any view beyond the roadway shoulder…
To put it simply, nothing worth taking pictures of, or talk about…
So, that brings us to the Georgia border…
Our “Homestead” (for five nights) is in Hardeeville, SC (about 5 miles North of the border), and the closest RV Park we could find to Savannah.
Shortly after the “umbilicals” were hooked up, we were on our way to this legendary city…
Crossed the Savannah River on a bridge much like the one in Charleston, and stopped at the Visitor’s center for directions…
Lucked out with parking, and soon found ourselves strolling along East River Street…
Interesting place, to say the least…
Multi-storied (and interconnected) buildings (containing every type of eatery, boutique, and shop you can imagine) provide the backdrop to the “promenade,” which terminates at the river’s edge…
Sailing up and down the river, you can see tugboats, river paddleboats, huge ocean-going ships, and every other floatable vessel invented, I believe…
Very busy!
Some of the streets are made of cobblestones (probably authentic from way back when)…
Over the years, they‘ve been let to contract and expand at their own pace, resulting in a chaotic and uneven surface, which might be a bit dangerous for anybody who’s wearing high heels, or has had one too many…
Quaint, though!
Like I said, we wandered back and forth on the “promenade” a couple of times, then headed up to Bay, and a couple of other streets, just so we could to get a feel for the layout…
What we saw left us wanting for more, and that’s just what we’ll be doing over the next few days…
Gotta see it all, or, at least, quite a bit of it, before we depart…
And, talking about departing…
Adios my friends… Take care, and keep your eyes open for new Blogs…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CHARLESTON%20to%20HARDEEVILLE%5EJ%20SC%20and%20SAVANNAH%5EJ%20GA%20%5E5OCT.%2029%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1

CHARLESTON, SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, and ISLE OF PALMS, SC (OCT 28, 2009)

2009-10-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Man was it ever muggy this morning…
Have you had one of those days when it takes forever to cool down after taking a shower?
Honestly, I was seriously thinking about taking another shower, but a cold one, when I realized I could turn the AC on… My morning was saved…
After a languid period of cooling down, and some serious pondering, we finally got ourselves motivated to go and explore Charleston and the surrounding areas…
We were here a couple of years ago, when we went on a cruise to the Caribbean… Had a rental car then, and managed to see and do quite a lot, so (long story short) we had a few places where we wanted to revisit…
Headed back North on Hwy 17 (about 10, or so, miles from our RV Park), and
drove straight down, on Murray Blvd., to “The Battery“ (which covers the Southern area of Old Charleston)…
Ahhh, the homes here are something to behold…
Can’t possibly describe them, so take some time and look at my pictures…
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CHARLESTON%5EJ%20SULLIVAN%e2%80%99S%20ISLAND%5EJ%20and%20ISLE%20OF%20PALMS%5EJ%20SC%20%5E5OCT%2028%5EJ%202009%5E6?uc=30&isFromRichUpload=1
After some Oh-ing and Ah-ing, we put the truck in a parking garage, and proceeded to walk… Must’ve been a hundred blocks…
Well, maybe not…
Would you buy fifty?
No…
How ‘bout a dozen?
Thank you!
Charleston is very fascinating in more ways than one…
Did you know that the first shots of the Civil War took place here?
And what about the slave trade? This is one of the “hot spots” for that dark segment of our history…
There are several very famous plantations around the area, but since we visited some of those the last time, we didn’t bother this time (with the exception of yesterday, when we didn’t know what we were doing, and got lost in the rain, and drove by four of them… Could barely see the front gates, let alone the buildings, so, I guess it doesn‘t count).
Anyway, we did our thing in down town, then headed over Cooper River (on the fancy Ravenel Bridge), and stopped short of Fort Moultrie, at a place (Vickery’s, I believe it‘s called) where we had a fantastic lunch two years ago…
Had another marvelous lunch (Healthy today: Soup and Salad, with water to drink!).
After stuffing ourselves, we crossed some very flat land over to Sullivan’s Island, and from there over to the Isle of Palms, where we had an hour, or so, walking the beach… Very comfortable temperature, a slight breeze, no rain… What more could you ask for?
After all that, we went home for an hour’s siesta, then, around 4:00, we headed back to Old Town to have dinner at Bubba Gump’s…
We ordered two buckets:
Oysters, clams, and bread in one, and 1½ pounds of Cajun shrimp in the other… Top that off with soup, and you’re guaranteed not to leave hungry!
We had to walk some of that fat off, of course, so we strolled around “The Market” for a while, before heading home to get ready for tomorrow’s very short trip down to the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia.
That’s the end of another day, so take care, and always remember to check up on us Vagabonds…

RAINY MYRTLE BEACH, and MYRTLE BEACH to CHARLESTON, SC (OCT 26 and 27, 2009)

2009-10-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

I would say that, for us Washingtonians, temperatures in the mid-sixties is just plain wonderful, and we’d delight in days like that, but, on Monday (Oct.26... That was yesterday, folks…), 64° F was right down cold and miserable!
The cause?
Well, we dropped 20 degrees from Sunday, and to make matters worse, it rained all day long…
It was one of those days when sky and horizon melt into one…
You know what I mean…
Gray and gloomy…
The rain pelted down so hard at times, that neither sky nor ground could be seen…
Good day to stay in and take it easy…
That’s what we did…
Read a lot… Snoozed… Called our loved ones… Complained about the weather… Read some more…
Didn’t feel like posting any new comments on the Blog… (Sorry, Gede…)
And didn’t get “cabin” fever until about 4:00...
We had reservations at the Hillside Restaurant (just up the road from us) for 6:30, but decided to risk the elements and venture out for a bit prior to that…
One of the reasons for this craziness (besides “cabin” fever), was that I happened to look at the pictures on Sunday evening, and to my surprise, I found a surprise…
Look at the next to the last picture…
See those clumps down at the bottom?
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/RAINY%20MYRTLE%20BEACH%5EJ%20and%20MYRTLE%20BEACH%20to%20CHARLESTON%5EJ%20SC%20%5E5OCT%2027%5EJ%202009%5E6
I must’ve thought they were rocks when I was uploading, but those rocks are actually turtles!
Seven of’em! Goodness gracious… How could I have missed something like that?
Well, that gave us an excellent excuse to risk the wrath of the weather gods…
Just had to find out about this little conundrum, you see…
Drove around the lake at least a couple of times, but couldn’t find, see, or hear anything resembling a turtle… (Can you hear these creatures?)
However, we did find out that there are turtles in the lake, so, at least, we were not hallucinating…
After this unsuccessful outing, we splashed our way over to the Hillside Restaurant, where both Luanne and I ordered the Prime Rib dinner… Fabulous! (Also… My wallet was very happy that it only cost a buck per ounce, which is something of a rarity these days).
We had just over 120 miles to drive today (Oct. 27), so we pulled out from Myrtle Beach around 10:00...
No rain, but, like yesterday, there was no discernable break between heaven and earth at the horizon…
Matter of fact it got darker the further South we drove, and I just knew I was going to be drenched when I was setting the trailer up, but, no… No rain…
Got the truck unhooked, the “umbilical chords” fastened, and the trailer leveled, and my first wife tells me that she cannot receive Satellite TV…
There are two trees in this whole area, and I (without thinking about it) managed to plant us right between them…
Oh, yeah… I’m good!
You know the rule, right? “If wife not happy, no-one happy!”
I re-hooked… Un-fastened… Un-this and un-that…
Then moved the whole shebang to a clear-shot-at-the-sky-spot…
Happy wife, happy everybody!
Just as I crawled (totally exhausted, mind you) into the trailer, the rain came…
Am I lucky, or what?
I sprawled out for a while, then decided, since we only have 2 nights here, to take a quick trip into Charleston-town…
Stopped at a Walmart on the way, and from there got totally lost, taking a 20-some mile tour through the countryside, all the while having the windshield wipers do the Charleston (Oh… That’s good! I must be on a roll)…
It was coming down so hard, it was almost impossible to see more than a few feet at times…
Something Wife #1 didn‘t appreciate… Poor thing…
We finally got ourselves down to Meeting Street; found a parking space, and, just as the Heavens opened up the flood gates, we sprinted across the street into an open store front…
We got a bit wet, but nothing serious…
Lu spotted a restaurant across the street (where we came from, of course), and as soon as the rain abated, we made dash for it…
Of course, I dashed the wrong way (thinking, for some reason, that the door into the place was there), and by the time we turned around, another million gallons of “Angel Bathwater” poured down upon us… We got a bit wetter…
I do believe my Better Half was slightly put out by my side trip, but she calmed down after I bought us some fluids and some very yummy hors d’oeuvres…
Here’s how bad it rained: We tried to walk around after eating, but couldn’t get more than half a block from our truck, because the roads were flooded… Decided to head home, and try again tomorrow.
So there you have it….
Another tale completed from some wet gypsies…
Take care, and keep an eye out for updates…

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA (OCT. 25, 2009)

2009-10-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

It was a bit on the cooler side this morning, so Luanne did a bit of washing and house cleaning before we drove to Costco to replenish depleted stores…
It’s been a while since we dropped in on one of our favorite stores, but, even so, we managed to get out of there without busting our budget…
It’s a temporary setback, ‘cause we decided to wait until tomorrow (Monday) to purchase needed goods, since the meat department will probably be in a “fresher” state then…
Anyway, from there, we went straight to the beach…
The Old Myrtle Beach, that is…
Found out that the beach we were at yesterday was North Myrtle Beach…
They are two different areas, except, of course, they share a sixty mile stretch of sand…
SIXTY miles!!! Can you get your brain around that?
Even though it’s an easy-walking, wide and wonderful, fine sandy beach, that’s still a long walk…
Well, you know the story by now…
We spent a couple of hours splashing our way along the surf line, looking for that perfect shell…
Don’t know if we found it, but Lu had another bagful by the time we got back to the truck…
I swear, Per Arne, you might be right: I’ll have to buy another truck (or trailer) by the time we leave the beaches in Florida…
We had overcast when we started out this morning, so we didn’t take any sun block with us, which made us abandoned the beach by about 2:00, when the sun was beginning to take it’s toll on us…
Home to rest, then off to explore some more…
Stopped at quite a few souvenir shops (looking for another T-shirt and some beach chairs), but didn’t find anything suitable, so we just drove around… Looking at anything and everything…
You can probably get an idea of what we did by looking at our pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MYRTLE%20BEACH%5EJ%20SOUTH%20CAROLINA%20%5E5OCT.%2025%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=52&isFromRichUpload=1
Stopped at Chestnut Hill Restaurant and made reservations for tomorrow, then home to have dinner and to watch news on TV (something we haven’t done for a while)…
It’s 9:30, and Lu just went to bed, while I’m here sweating out a Blog… Life’s just not fair!
Well… Maybe it ain’t so bad, after all… I’m done, and so are you!
Take care, and please keep an eye out for us…

NEWPORT, NC to MYRTLE BEACH, SC (Oct. 24, 2009)

2009-10-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

We were a little apprehensive this morning, ‘cause the forecast called for rain and wind, but then, that forecast was for New York, which, of course, is a few miles North of where we are… That’s DirecTV for you… You take what you get, and interpolate… And I interpolated blue skies and warmth…
I almost got it… We had a few raindrops (must’ve been about 14 or 15) splatter the windshield somewhere (can’t remember where), but that was it… There’s really nothing to write about regarding our 140 miles drive South from Newport, NC.
Quite boring, really… Here and there you’ll see something or other (like a marina, or some lonely dilapidated barn... or something like that), but nothing to stir the imagination, or to backtrack for, just to get a picture…
If truth be told, I like drives like this once in a while… It makes for an easy day, and that’s good.
Now that I think about it, it seems like today’s trip involved driving through an endless Strip Mall… There were exceptions, to be sure, but, by and by, it seemed like driving along Aurora Avenue, in Seattle, passing an endless array of every conceivable retail business there is…
Oh, well…
We made it to Briarcliffe RV Resort, in Myrtle Beach, by about 12:30, and by the time I had the trailer situated, I was drenched!
A roadside sign (close to here) showed 86° F, and the humidity must’ve been very close to that… The prudent thing to do was to take a short nap, then explore the beach a little later, when things cooled down…
That’s what happened…
We strolled onto Myrtle Beach beach around 3:00, and spent the next couple of hours strolling the surf line - Luanne searching for shells, and I… Looking for any way to get my feet wet…
After that, we decided we deserved a dinner out, so we programmed “Jack” to take us to this one place (I forget the name, but it doesn’t matter)… It had gone belly up, so we re-programmed you-know-who, and sure enough we got lost…
Now… Hold on a minute… It wasn’t all Jack’s fault…
We came to this humongous freeway intersection, and, unfortunately, I didn’t listen to the “Jackman“… Instead, I heeded Lu’s advice, and turned onto this one ramp (before I should‘ve turned), which took us North for seven miles before we were able to turn around…
Somehow, we got back on track, but were driving home - since we’d given up on finding a decent place to eat - when we spotted the sign for “Chestnut Hill” restaurant…
Squealed to a stop, and had a fantastic dinner consisting of scallops, shrimp, and portabella mushrooms…
Doesn’t that sound yummy? It was.
Think we’ll go back on Monday, when their prime rib is a dollar per ounce! That’s pretty darn reasonable!
So, that’s it for tonight…
We’re safe and sound in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and will be here for three nights… Then off to a place real close to Charleston…
Take care, and keep in touch!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/NEWPORT%5EJ%20NC%20to%20MYRTLE%20BEACH%5EJ%20SC%20%5E5Oct.%2024%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=29&isFromRichUpload=1

FORT MACON STATE PARK, NC (OCT. 23, 2009)

2009-10-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Up fairly early, but squandered the early part away on nothing very important.
I got a call from our optometrist in Bellingham, WA., saying he had fixed my glasses (I broke both stems when I sat on them at the beginning of our trip, and, having no spare, I’ve superglued them at least a half dozen times…
Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do…
The strange thing is, I‘ve been told, from Idaho to Maine, the glasses could not be fixed… One optometrist even went as far as saying it’d cost six to seven hundred bucks to repair them…
Well… Bully on them!
My guy, Dave, at “Everything in Sight” (catchy name, huh?) did the job for fifty dollars, and he’s sending them to a RV Park down the road, where we’ll get them in a few days… So… Is that cool, or what?
Thanks, Dave! I truly appreciate your time and effort on this…
I’ll certainly recommend “Everything in Sight” to everyone I meet.
Other than that, I verified our reservation in Biloxi, MS, for over Christmas and New Year’s… There’s a 60-day “lead window” when you can make reservations to most “RPI” and “Coast to Coast” RV Parks, so we couldn’t do that until today (since we’re arriving on Dec. 23), but we got it done, so we are now good to go until January 6, 2010...
Don’t know where we’ll be between Jan. 6 and the middle of February, when we’ll be in New Orleans for Marti Gras, but we’ll figure something out…
I’m just rambling on here today, aren‘t I?
Oh, well…
Since it didn’t rain this morning, we decided to take one last trip out to Fort Macon State Park (at the Northern end of Emerald Isle), since we‘re moving on tomorrow…
If you look at the pictures, you’ll see the same “quiet” (except for crashing waves) landscape we waded through last time…
Not many people today?
Just a few fishers trying their luck here and there…
Even the bird population was taking it easy, until I came a bit too close, and most took flight…
Saw two black-looking pelicans for the first time, by the way…
Thought they liked it better further down South?
Lu picked another bag of shells…
If this goes on everywhere we’ll be on a beach, I’ll certainly have to figure out how to carry all the extra weight… A distribution problem, for sure…
Well… The sky slowly, but surely, turned gray as the morning waned and afternoon took hold…
It was time to say adios to the State Park… But, before we left, we spent an hour going through Fort Macon… The new (and very impressive) Visitor’s Center is almost finished, but not open yet, so we took a stroll through the old battle station… Quite some history here, as you probably know…
Anyway, it was time to scoot… Black clouds dominated the sky, and before we got home, we got dumped on!
Was going to fill up the truck, but decided to wait a while, which was a good thing, ‘cause it cleared up after a couple of hours… Hence, I didn’t get wet when I did go to fill up...
The bathroom hatch had been left open, but no serious problem… And that’s it, that’s the end of another segment… Another day in the life of the Vagabonds…
Take care and remember to check in on us once in a while… PICTURES:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FORT%20MACON%20STATE%20PARK%5EJ%20NC%20%5E5OCT.%2023%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=33&isFromRichUpload=1

SWANSBORO and EMERALD ISLE, NC (OCT. 22, 2009)

2009-10-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining once again, as we muddle our way through the early morning hours…
Well… That might’ve been a bit on the poetic side, but a bit distant from the truth…
Suffice it to say, we were on the road by 10... Heading to Swansboro, a town, Luanne read, was on the historic side (like most of these towns around here), and looked like it had some “cute” things to offer “cute-starving” tourists…
We piled in to the Visitor’s Center…
Grabbed a handful of brochures…
Were properly informed by the on-site “proprietor” on what to see and where to go, and proceeded to spend an hour, or so, doing what we’ve been doing for four months now: Looking at art, “wanna-be-art,” antiques, pottery, junk, and more junk, and, of course, some fairly old buildings in various stages of disrepair…
Not really impressed with Swansboro, but not totally disenchanted either, if you know what I mean…
We decided to head over to the Emerald Isle (where we went when we first arrived), and, since we’ve been to the far Northern tip of the island, we thought it prudent to visit the Southernmost point as well…
Took the Coast Guard Road, and spotted some very exclusive “settlements” on the way… Unfortunately, the views only teased your senses, since they almost all were hidden from the road…
So… We get down to the end, and find the access to the beach closed, and there’s no parking anywhere… What a bummer!
Backtracked, and went to the “Western Ocean Regional Access” parking lot, at the end of Island Drive (or is it Boardwalk Drive?)…
Spent the next two and a half hours walking the surf, picking up shells, and having the time of our lives, drifting slowly over to the Bogue Fishing Pier… The map shows a distance of 2 miles from where we parked to the pier, so that’s 4 miles, for you mathematicians, and for us old folks? Well, that’s a good walk!
After having properly been tanned on both sides, we drove back to Swansboro, and indulged ourselves in Taco Salads at the Buena Vista Restaurant…
Nice (once in a while) to satisfy that little “Chihuahua” inside all of us…
Left there “stuffed,” but a little thirsty (must be the salt?), so we stopped at a tavern across the bridge from Swansboro (Luanne says it’s name is Swansboro Yacht Club, but since it’s in the town of Cedar Point, I’m not so sure about that)… Anyway, we were greeted by a very friendly bartender, Jonna, who became interested in our travels, so, of course, we gave her our Blog address, so she can follow us as we move on…
That’s the end of a perfect day, and the end of another segment of THE BLOG… Take care, and keep watching our travels…
Here are today's pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SWANSBORO%20and%20EMERALD%20ISLE%5EJ%20NC%20%5E5OCT.%2022%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=44&isFromRichUpload=1

HISTORIC BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA (OCT. 21, 2009)

2009-10-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Another great day laid ahead of us as we drove North to Historic Beaufort (pronounced: Bofurt), after a leisurely morning taking care of some paperwork…
I don’t know why it is, but we seem to be sleeping in later these days…
Sometimes even until after 8:00...
Maybe it’s the sun, sand, and salt air? Who knows, and who cares? If it feels good… Do it!
So… That was off the beaten path…
E X C U S E me… I do carry on some times… Don’t I?
Anyway, I was talking about Beaufort…
What a quaint, old town… We’re talking incorporation in 1709 (I know that doesn‘t impress our European followers, but here… Well, it‘s pretty old), and quite a few of the homes built in the early to mid-1700s are still standing… Don’t rightly know how that happened, ‘cause, I’m sure there must’ve been a hurricane, or two, or three? sweeping the area from then to now… No matter, they (the homes) are still here, and stand as a testament to good construction, if nothing else… (Maybe some good luck?)…
We were “greeted” with free parking, right at the water’s edge, and strolled the town’s Boardwalk (which runs the length of the downtown “core” (maybe a quarter mile long)…
There are small shops, boutiques, and eateries everywhere… We explored it all… I think…
Shot a lot of pictures, of course… Some which didn’t turn out, but most will show you what we experienced today…
We love little places like this!
Not much more you can add to that…
Lu tried to get a haircut in one of those wonderful salons (situated up on the second floor of some rickety building), but was unable “get in” today… Guess she’ll have to stay hairy a bit longer…
We stopped in at “Clawson’s” restaurant (Lu had read about this place on the internet), but it was located on the “wrong” side of the street, and when we poked our heads in, we found it too dark for our taste, so we “skipped“ across to the Boardwalk, found the DOCK HOUSE, climbed the stairs to the open balcony, where we found a table in the corner… There’s just no way you can beat having the sun warm you while you eat…
Don’t rightly know how long we spent here in Beaufort, but it was time for a short nap when we got home, after which we sauntered around the RV Park for a while… Found it to be enormous… Has it’s own boat launch, a fish cleaning station, a couple of swimming pools, a couple of man-made lakes, and hundreds of “park model” homes, along with hundreds of open places for tourists like us… Very impressive!
We’re now about to partake in a delicious shrimp salad, which Lu just finished fixing, so my time is up…
Going to Swansboro (founded in 1783) tomorrow… Will let you know how that goes…
In the meanwhile, take care, and keep an eye on our Blog…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/HISTORIC%20BEAUFORT%5EJ%20NORTH%20CAROLINA%20%5E5OCT.%2021%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=56&isFromRichUpload=1

ATLANTIC BEACH and FORT MACON STATE PARK, NC (OCT. 20, 2009)

2009-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

How glorious it is to wake up and find the sun shining…
And know it’ll shine all day long!
Those cold and rainy days in Virginia are but a faded memory, and we’re (once again) in our elements, and loving every minute…
We’ve spent quite some time (off and on this last week) trying to focus on getting our reservations for Christmas and New Year’s made, and have had some trouble “nailing” things down, so, this morning we sat down in earnest: Checked the computer; made all the calls, and are now in custody of some firm dates…
We leave Marathon, FL, on Dec. 4, and drive to “Marina RV Resort,” Moore Heaven, FL, where we’ll spend 7 nights.
We’ll arrive at “3 Flags RV Resort,” in Wildwood, FL, on Dec. 11, for another 7 nights stand, then head over to “The Old Pavilion RV Park,” in Keaton Beach, FL, where we’ll stay 2 nights.
On Dec. 20, we’ll pull into “Pine Lake RV Park,” in Fountain, FL, for a 3-night stand,
and, finally, we’ll reach “Martin Lake Resort,” in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Dec. 23, where we’ll spend 14 nights…
That’s the plan, which shouldn’t change, unless the RV parks change them for us…
With that done, we got our shorts and sandals on and headed for the beach…
Since we took a trip to the South end of the Barrier Island yesterday, we drove North (about 10 miles), and took the causeway over to Atlantic Beach, then moseyed Northbound to Fort Macon State Park (at the very tip of the island)… There’s a good sized parking lot in the park, so no problem parking…
A few steps later, we lost the sandals and got sand between our toes… Wonderful to be able to do that again!
Encountered another wonderful (and surprising) feeling as we tested the waters of the Atlantic Ocean…
It was almost tepid!
Not kidding!
We strolled the beach, along the water’s edge, for a long while… Sometimes dodging fishing lines, stretched hopefully out into the sea, from fixed rods planted firmly in the sand…
Fishers watching expectantly… Hoping for the catch their day…
The whole scene was totally poetic, and we relished every moment… Even found some interesting shells…
All good things must come to an end, they say, so we headed home…
Drove slowly past some very colorful houses, which Lu couldn’t resist taking pictures of, and stopped at the Boardwalk, in “down town” Atlantic Beach, only to check it out…
Had a marvelous steak dinner at home (with all the trimmings), and that’s about all she wrote… (or I wrote)…
Have to mention that our very good friend, Mavis, had her birthday last Sunday (I thought it was today… Sorry, I was late, girl!), anyway, Happy belated Birthday, Mavis!
My cousin, Harald, in Norway, has his birthday today, so Happy Birthday, Harald! At least I got that one right.
Take care, and keep an eye out for us…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/ATLANTIC%20BEACH%20and%20FORT%20MACON%20STATE%20PARK%5EJ%20NC%20%5E5OCT.%2020%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=44&isFromRichUpload=1

INDIAN COVE RV RESORT, VA to GOOSE CREEK RESORT, NC (OCT. 19, 2009)

2009-10-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

So, here we are again… Back to writing and showing pictures…
I should probably apologize for not writing yesterday, but that’s because it was a total washout (literally!)
It poured down all morning long, and well into the afternoon…
Matter of fact, we didn’t step outside the trailer until after 4pm, and that was to fill up the gas tank, so there were no pictures taken, and nothing to write about…
The weather was crappy the whole time we were at Indian Cove RV Resort, especially yesterday, but we can count our blessings, I guess, that we didn’t get rained out those two days when we went to explore Virginia Beach, and then Williamsburg, and Jamestown…
It really was too bad the weather acted up on us, but there isn’t much one can do about things like that…
Anyway, we woke up to clear, blue skies this morning…
It was a bit nippy for our tastes, but that’s the reason we keep on moving South, isn’t it?
And South we traveled… Over the flattest terrain we’ve encountered in a long while…
Of course, it’s very nice for us who haul things like trailers and such, because a tank of gas lasts a lot longer when you don’t have hills or mountains to contend with…
Talking about gas (or diesel in my case)… We’re averaging around 14 mpg when hauling, and up to 22mpg driving without the trailer… That’s pretty darn good… Those Cummins engines are something else!
After getting out from the Virginia Beach traffic, we took Hwy 13 down to Williamston, where we hooked up to Hwy 17, which took us down to New Bern, and from there we drove Hwy 70 to our destination, Goose Creek Resort, in Newport, North Carolina.
This is a beautiful RV park (probably one of the better ones we’ve been to)… It is well landscaped and maintained, and that‘s probably because there are quite a few full time residents…
We got the trailer situated, laid down for short snooze, then took off to check out Emerald Isle - a long (20 or 30-mile) strip of land - protecting the Intracoastal Waterway from the fury of the Atlantic Ocean.
Most of the homes here are elevated 8 or 10 feet above the ground, so as to not be flooded in a hurricane, and they vary in height from single stories to four or five stories tall… Some are right down monstrous, but all have that “beach” feel to them, and, maybe, that‘s because they’re painted in every pastel color you can imagine… Very eye-catching!
We drove maybe two-thirds of the island before turning around, and we stopped here and there to look at the beach, but didn’t go onto the beach today… We’re hoping the weather will stay like it is, and that’ll give us plenty of chances (the four days we have left here) before moving on…
Let me backtrack a little…
Since we’ve been to The Outer Banks, seen Nags Head, Kill Devil Hill, and Kitty Hawk (you’ve heard of the Wright Brothers, right?), we didn’t think it was worth going out there this time…
In hindsight, that might have been a mistake, but what’s done is done, so there you are…
We’re here, and here we’re going to enjoy every day, while having fun and building memories…
With that, this chapter is closed…
You take care, and keep an eye out for us Vagabonds…
TODAYS PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/INDIAN%20COVE%20RV%20RESORT%5EJ%20VA%20to%20GOOSE%20CREEK%20RESORT%5EJ%20NC%20%5E5OCT.%2019%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=58&isFromRichUpload=1

WILLIAMSBURG and JAMESTOWN, VA (OCT. 17, 2009)

2009-10-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Drizzle… Gray skies… Cold!
That about sums it up…
That’s what we woke up to…
Would like to use some expletives here, but children are present…
Suffice it to say, we’re not very impressed with Mother Nature here in Virginia…
Is it too much to ask for ONE nice day while we‘re here?
For crying out loud… I mean… We’re darn near on the beach… We’re visiting very important places in American history… Is one day of decent weather too much to ask for???
Well, there you are…
Question ignored!
Didn’t deter us, though…
We’re made of strong stuff…
Took off on the 100 mile trip (to and fro Colonial Williamsburg) around 8:30 this am…
Not bad traffic, but “Mr. Jack” wasn’t quick enough to get us onto the right freeway ramp, so we ended up driving North instead of South for a few miles, before correcting the matter with a U-ie…
Noticed that our gas gauge showed empty, but did a quick calculation, and figured that, even if we only got 5 miles per gallon, we had oodles of fuel to get us there and back…
What’s wrong with the world this morning?
Personally, I love great beginnings… Don‘t you?
We did make it to Colonial Williamsburg, and found a decent parking spot not too far from the Visitor’s Center…
Donned our rain jackets and moseyed on down to check in (we got our tickets on line last night)…
Took a shuttle down to the Governor’s Palace, then proceeded to spend the next umpteen hours strolling in and out of shops, buildings, and exhibits…
Colonial Williamsburg is quite large in area, but not so bad that you have to worry about not being able to walk it (unless you have a peg leg, or such handicap, of course), and it’s pretty interesting meeting and greeting the “employees” of the various establishments (who are all dressed in authentic clothing from the seventeen hundreds)…
Here’s an eye opener (which we discovered later):
If you’re cheap, you don’t have to pay the entry fee ($36 per person without discounts)…
You can walk the whole site, and see most everything without having to pay…
However, if that’s your choice, you will not be able to go into some of the more important buildings, and you won’t hear informative commentaries by people who (obviously) have spent time studying their subjects and the situations they‘re portraying…
However, I have to say, although I found some interpretations very well done, I also found others very tedious, and not worth listening to… Your choice!
Enough of that…
Except for dashing into a building here and there, we were out in the “elements” most of the time we were in C.W…
The “elements” were not good to us, and we were fairly miserable (spell: cold) while there…
Hence, we cut our stay short (after three hours)…
Went to the truck, where we warmed up, and where we had a wonderful “lunch,” consisting of all kinds of little goodies Luanne fixed for us this morning…
Is there a wonder why I love this woman?
We debated whether to head down to Jamestown (where everyone knows America “began”), or go back home…
We choose to drive down there, look the situation over, then decide whether to turn tale, or not…
Entering the parking area of the Visitor’s Center, we thought: This is way too commercialized…
There’s this huge brick structure, and as soon as you enter, you see roped-off “lanes” for the purchase of tickets… There’s a souvenir store (of course), a cafeteria, and a small theater (which shows a five minute looped infomercial), and that’s about it…
We were not impressed, and were about to leave, but then, Lu thought we should ask someone if there was anything else to see…
She went to the souvenir shop to find out, while I went to one of those sit-behind-the-counter-people, and the results were:
(Lu): No, sorry, there’s no such place…
(Me): Yes, take a right as soon as you get out of the parking lot, etc., etc., etc…
And, WOW!
We found what I dreamed of finding: The actual spot where Captain John Smith and “his” pioneers established what became America’s first permanent settlement…
It’s mind-boggling to think of what these people had to endure here over 400 years ago…
And it’s mind-boggling to think that if we hadn’t asked about this place, we would not have found it…
Makes you wonder why, doesn’t it?
Oh, well… Mine is not to wonder why….
We spent a cold, but very informative and interesting hour and a half going through the church, museum, ruins, and grounds, and (to us) it was more interesting than Colonial Williamsburg…
There you go… That’s our day in so many words…
Once again, it’s past 11 pm, and I’m ready for bed… Probably sleep in tomorrow?
Take care, have a great day, and, like always, keep an eye on us…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WILLIAMSBURG%20and%20JAMESTOWN%5EJ%20VA%20%5E5OCT.%2017%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=91&isFromRichUpload=1

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (OCT. 16, 2009)

2009-10-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Awoke to another drizzly day, so we took our time getting ready for today’s exploration…
Had a choice of going to Williamsburg, or the beach, and decided on the beach…
First, we hooked a right (as we left Indian Cove Resort) onto Sandbridge Road, which took us down to the Sandbridge Beach (funny coincidence, huh?) … There was really nothing there to check out, so we backtracked, and headed to Virginia Beach (located about 6 or 7 miles from where we’re staying)…
Mr. Jack GPS was quite cooperative, and, for a change, helped us find the way…
I wonder sometimes….
Nahhh.. Don’t want to go there…
As we turned onto Atlantic Boulevard, in Virginia Beach, we were met by hotels, motels, inns, and B and Bs of every sort and every style…
I can’t remember having seen so many assortments of “roof-over-your-head” establishments since we were in Las Vegas…
Of course, at this time of year it’s pretty well deserted, but I can imagine how busy this place must be in the High Season… Glad I’m here now… Wouldn’t like to look for a parking spot during August, that’s for sure…
We drove the whole length of the “coastal” road up to Fort Story (it splits from Atlantic Blvd. to something else in the North end), where we were stopped by armed guards at the gate to the shared military base (The guard told me which branches of the service shared this spot, but since the Air Force wasn’t included, I chose to ignore it… Sorry)…
Anyway, we had to get out of the truck… Open tailgate, glove compartment, the hood, and get out of the vehicle…
Didn’t take long… And it was under cover, so we’re cool…
Took a leisurely 20 mph drive (about half a mile) out to the lighthouses (yes there are two - the old one is kaput)…
Got some shots of both…
Visited the souvenir boutique… Didn’t buy anything, and headed back South on Atlantic Blvd.
Tried to find a free parking spot, but everything was either metered, or costly parking garages, so we hooked a right, drove down one block, and ran smack into “Murphy’s Tavern,” where we absolutely had to stop, and where we had a marvelous fish and chips lunch…
Left the truck in their parking lot (oh, yeah, we got permission), and walked out (in the light drizzle), to the “Boardwalk.”
Luanne read it’s a 3 miles long path, and, sorry to say, it’s not made of timbers…
This baby is solid concrete, and is far superior to the one in Atlantic City (our opinion!).
We strolled down a quarter of a mile to get a shot at the sculpture Neptune, then back to the truck and home… Time to get out of the elements!
Got on the internet and bought tickets for tomorrow at Old Williamsburg… Read for a while, then had a nice nap, and, finally, went to Walmart to ge some medicine… Stopped at the same Irish Pub we went to yesterday to grab dinner (great food!), and then home to work on this stuff…
There you have it… Another day in the life of the Vagabonds…
As you can see, we didn’t take many pictures, but we hope you enjoy the ones we took….
Here they are: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/VIRGINIA%20BEACH%5EJ%20VA%20%5E5OCT.%2016%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=34&isFromRichUpload=1
PS... I have to mention that it's soooo nice to be in a place like this, and be able to upload pictures in minutes rather than hours (like some of the places we've been in lately).
Take care, and keep an eye out for us...

FREDRICKSBURG to VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. (OCT. 15, 2009)

2009-10-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

So, the rain caught up with us…
Got a bit wet this morning, as I unhooked the water, sewer, and electrical chords, but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been…
It poured down earlier, when we were still in bed, and I was wondering if I was going to get soaked, but, like I said, it eased up, and was only a drizzle when I had to get going.
Lucky me, huh?
Before I forget, I must’ve made a mistake in yesterday’s Blog, because I’ve had inquiries about the link to my photos… If you didn’t get a chance to see the pix, you might want to try again… I think I fixed it… If not, let me know.
We only had about 170 miles to drive today, so we took our time this morning… Didn’t get rolling until about 9am, and, because of the rain, we drove very conservatively the whole way… Even stopped at a Visitor’s Center, where Luanne fixed us an eggs and ham breakfast… Yummy!
I programmed “Jack” last night (made sure he corresponded with Google Earth), and, sure enough, he obliged us with a “direct hit” today…
Those GPSes are wonderful when they don’t go off on their own…
As we entered Indian Cove Resort, at Virginia Beach, the rain eased off, and I was lucky enough to get the trailer hooked up without getting too wet…
We decided to catch up on some very late nights, and took a nap, after which we headed over to Walmart (only three miles away) to stock upon fruit and food products…
That’s about it for today… Kind of blah, huh? Sorry…
Blame it on the weather gods…
Talking about the weather… We’re hoping it’ll ease up so we can see Williamsburg and Jamestown one of these days…
And we’d love to get out to the ocean…
Maybe hang out on the beach for a while, but the weather forecast doesn’t look promising…
Just have to take it as it comes, I guess…
We do have three days, four nights here, so maybe we’ll get lucky?
Have to mention that satellite TV, and the cell phone and internet service is great here… Finally!
After waiting for hours, back there at the Wilderness campground, to connect (one way or the other), it’s nice to be able to turn things on and have immediate response… Thought you’d like to know…
Bye for now… Take care and keep in touch.
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FREDRICKSBURG%20to%20VIRGINIA%20BEACH%5EJ%20VA.%20%5E5OCT.%2015%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=14&isFromRichUpload=1

SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS, WASHINGTON, DC 8OCT. 14, 2009)

2009-10-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today’s Blog is dedicated to our six grandchildren (in order of age):
Reese, Hunter, Hailey, Morgan, Hannah, and Holly…
We miss you guys tremendously, and think about you all the time…
Love every one of you with all our hearts!
Have a great Halloween, and be kind to one another, and to mom and dad…
So… We spent another day in Washington, DC…
Got the van at 7:00 this morning, and got home about 6:00, and that’s a full day!
Our company today were our "old" friends (from the last trip up here, Monday): Russel and Judy, plus we had a couple of lively California ladies, Lilly and daughter, Michelle; and we had a fellow Washingtonian, Harold, from Orcas Island (one island West from where we live)...
Can't forget to mention our very able and funny driver/guide, Leila... She was superb!
What a motley crew, or as Leila called us: Her Dumpling Gang...
It took about 1½ hour to drive each way, so that leaves 8 hours of going through the Smithsonian Museum Buildings, which we had decided to see as much of as we could…
Our guide, Leila, dropped us off in front of the Smithsonian Castle, and promised to pick us up there at 4:00...
Since some of our group were going to the White House, and others wanted to see things Luanne and I had seen before, or were not interest in, we split from the group and took off on our own…
If you look at the 7th picture (map)… The buildings in red are the ones we visited), we had a lot of walking to do...
(PICTURE LINK:) http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SMITHSONIAN%20MUSEUMS%5EJ%20WASHINGTON%5EJ%20DC%208OCT.%2014%5EJ%202009%5E6
Since we have a driving day tomorrow, and I’ve commented on most of the pictures, I need to get my body to bed, so please click on the link to our pictures, and see how our day went… Thanks! My body appreciate your kind support.
With that… Take care… Have a great day… We’ll make contact from Virginia City!

OLD FREDRICKSBURG, VIRGINIA (OCT. 13, 2009)

2009-10-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

After yesterday’s fiasco (clothing-wise), when we spent the day in DC wearing
T-shirts and sandals (no socks), and it was colder than an Eskimo’s swim in the Arctic Ocean, we decided to dress a bit warmer this morning: Socks, regular shoes, and sweaters…
Of course, once we got away from our tree-covered RV Park, the sunshine was unbridled, and the temperature climbed steadily as the day wore on…
Go figure…
At any rate, we spent about four hours strolling around the streets of Old Town Fredericksburg… Popped our heads into shops and galleries, and sat and had lunch in an old (redundant, huh?) and quaint tavern/eatery… Good food…
As everywhere here in the East, we passed plaque after plaque denoting one Civil War battle after another… Must be money to be made rehashing all these battles… If the abundance of souvenir shops is an indication…
I do believe I told you we’re in a wooded area, and we receive satellite TV by the skin of our teeth, but can’t remember if I touched on the topic of our Verizon Network…
I looked at a coverage map a short while back (at Costco), and, sure enough, the place we are now has very limited coverage, so we have a hard time with our phone service, as well as our internet service…
Don’t really care about the phone, but the internet service is another story…
I was up until after midnight last night, trying to get all those pictures we took (in DC) uploaded…
Time and again, I had to quit (because of error messages), and start all over… All the while listening to my better half snore up in the bedroom…
Life’s just not fair…
Anyway, I didn’t want to have to face the trouble this morning, so I pressed on, and finally got it done…
Hopefully, y’all (how ‘bout that, huh? a Southern word with a Norwegian accent) got to see the pictures, and I’m hoping we’ll be in a better location for both TV and internet at our next location, so I don't have to sit in front of this screen half a day...
Maybe the best solution is not to take as many pictures, but what’s the fun in that?
We have another big day tomorrow… Going back to DC to spend the day at some of the Smithsonian museums… Should be interesting, to say the least…
Our Tour Guide (from yesterday) is taking us in her van, so I won’t have to drive, nor park (which we saw was very expensive), so, if the weather holds, we should have a great day…
Take care, and keep checking on us...
PICTURES:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/OLD%20FREDRICKSBURG%5EJ%20VIRGINIA%20%5E5OCT.%2013%5EJ%202009%5E6?uc=30&isFromRichUpload=1

WASHINGTON, DC (OCTOBER 12, 2009)

2009-10-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

We had a 12 hour “on-the-road-day” today, which started at 7:00...
It was spent “doing” Washington, DC… America’s Capitol…
Unfortunately, we didn’t think about the weather before boarding our tour bus (14-seat van, actually), so we got a bit cold this morning, but we managed, and that’s what counts…
There’s so much to see and do in DC that our day here only scratched the surface…
To sum it up, we touched base with all the major monuments and memorials, but, of course, there are so many of them, that we could only spend a short time at each… Regrettable, but true…
Anyway, we had a great day, and, even though we had a cold start, it didn’t rain, so that was a blessing…
I spent 2 hours putting descriptions on my photos, and I’ve just about spent another 2 hours trying to upload them to Windows Live (we’re in the middle of a forest, which doesn’t help, and this is one of the very few places in the contiguous States which has iffy Verizon coverage) so, sorry, but there’ll be precious little to read here on the Blog this time…
I suggest (if you have nothing better to do) that you look at our pictures and read the descriptions… That’ll get you up to speed on our day…
Have fun… Take care, and keep in touch…
PICTURES:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WASHINGTON%5EJ%20DC%20%5E5OCTOBER%2012%5EJ%202009%5E6?uc=7&isFromRichUpload=1