Nov 26th - Mon - Amado
Checked out nearby golf courses and rates online so we can golf when cousin Pat & Rick join us here tomorrow. Most are pretty expensive but I found one in Sahuarita that is $12 for 9 holes so we will check it out.
It has cooled down a lot so we were lazy until we left around 2:30 to meet Pat & Rick at the Desert Diamond Casino where they are staying overnight before coming here. Our timing was perfect. We drove around the casino looking for them, parked where they would see our truck when they drove in and did not even have time to get out when they drove in. We joined them for a drink and some catching up and then went to the casino. Pat was her usual lucky self on some slot machines so she used her winnings to treat us to the seafood buffet. Gambled a little more after dinner and then we headed for “home”.
Nov 27th - Tues - Amado
Pat & Rick arrived early (long, 20 minute drive for them today!) and got set up. After lunch we left for the golf course. The course has a deal after 1:00 where you can play as many holes as you can get in before dark for the 9 hole price of $12. It was a nice course and we played 13 holes (Pat & I played 14) before heading back. We had a long walk back as the course winds through houses and we took the long route.
Stopped at WalMart and a grocery store for Rick to stock up on wine, then to our place for dinner. I got to use the pork/chile mix for stew and Pat made a salad so dinner prep was a snap. Then we all watched the last episode of Dancing with the Stars and Rick enjoyed the wifi connection by giving Claude a bad time!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Nov 23rd to 25th - Amado, AZ
Nov 23rd - Fri - to Amado
We got a fairly early start and headed to Amado which is on Hwy 19 about halfway between Tucson and Nogales. Wanda sent us on a non-freeway route which was great. The roads were still fine and we got to see different areas from Hwy 10 which we have driven previously. I will generously describe the RV park as “basic”. But the rate is reasonable and we do have to cut back on some things so we can keep going to casinos!!
We had selected a spot and registered before we asked about the wifi access that was mentioned in Trailer Life and on their web site. Turns out they had problems with wifi and had gone to Verizon cards that you have to rent for $35 a week. We said (truthfully) that one of the main reasons that we chose this park was for the wifi and we were prepared to get our money back and leave. So they gave us a Verizon card to use for the week that we will be here. It works very well and is so nice to have right in our rig.
Nov 24th - Sat - Amado
We went to Tubac this morning. It is a small town with many “southwest” shops - a lot of pottery, patio art, jewelry and home furnishings/décor. We walked and shopped for a few hours before stopping for a nice lunch. Then we continued on to Nogales as we needed fuel and wanted to check it out so we would know where we were going when we leave here. Ended up at WalMart and stocked up on some items that I thought we might not easily find in Mexico. Back “home” for drinks and dessert - didn’t need dinner after our large, late lunch.
I did get more pictures on the internet so check it out.
Nov 25th - Sun - Amado
Lazed around and had a late breakfast today. Then we went to the Desert Diamond Casino (!!) which is back towards Tucson. Signed up for the player’s club to add a card to our collection and we each received an insulated lunch bag which is great as we left ours in a golf cart back on Vancouver Island. The casino allowed us to play for several hours before finally taking our allotted money so it was fun.
On the way back we drove through Green Valley and stopped at Safeway for a couple of items that we could not find at WalMart. I picked up a large package of boneless country style ribs which I trimmed, browned and simmered. Added gravy to part for dinner tonight and added green chilies to the rest to which I will add corn, potatoes and black beans for a stew.
Made use of the internet connection to surf the web and clean up emails.
We got a fairly early start and headed to Amado which is on Hwy 19 about halfway between Tucson and Nogales. Wanda sent us on a non-freeway route which was great. The roads were still fine and we got to see different areas from Hwy 10 which we have driven previously. I will generously describe the RV park as “basic”. But the rate is reasonable and we do have to cut back on some things so we can keep going to casinos!!
We had selected a spot and registered before we asked about the wifi access that was mentioned in Trailer Life and on their web site. Turns out they had problems with wifi and had gone to Verizon cards that you have to rent for $35 a week. We said (truthfully) that one of the main reasons that we chose this park was for the wifi and we were prepared to get our money back and leave. So they gave us a Verizon card to use for the week that we will be here. It works very well and is so nice to have right in our rig.
Nov 24th - Sat - Amado
We went to Tubac this morning. It is a small town with many “southwest” shops - a lot of pottery, patio art, jewelry and home furnishings/décor. We walked and shopped for a few hours before stopping for a nice lunch. Then we continued on to Nogales as we needed fuel and wanted to check it out so we would know where we were going when we leave here. Ended up at WalMart and stocked up on some items that I thought we might not easily find in Mexico. Back “home” for drinks and dessert - didn’t need dinner after our large, late lunch.
I did get more pictures on the internet so check it out.
Nov 25th - Sun - Amado
Lazed around and had a late breakfast today. Then we went to the Desert Diamond Casino (!!) which is back towards Tucson. Signed up for the player’s club to add a card to our collection and we each received an insulated lunch bag which is great as we left ours in a golf cart back on Vancouver Island. The casino allowed us to play for several hours before finally taking our allotted money so it was fun.
On the way back we drove through Green Valley and stopped at Safeway for a couple of items that we could not find at WalMart. I picked up a large package of boneless country style ribs which I trimmed, browned and simmered. Added gravy to part for dinner tonight and added green chilies to the rest to which I will add corn, potatoes and black beans for a stew.
Made use of the internet connection to surf the web and clean up emails.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Nov 21st & 22nd - Mesa - HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Nov 21st - Wed - Mesa
Our friend Chuck Kambouroff who lives in Phoenix came to visit today. He came to see us last year in Quartzite. It is so nice to be able to see old friends - and new friends - as we travel.
While we were having lunch with Chuck, I lost a large filling and the side of a molar. I managed to get into a dentist. He said it could not be refilled as there was not enough tooth and a crown would be $841. He had equipment where he can make a crown in his office in about half an hour - and it still costs that much!! We were already planning on getting some dental work done in Mexico. I’m not sure I can go that long with this broken tooth but we decided to wait until next week and check with another dentist. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a lot of offices are closed Friday as well, there won’t be much we can do until Monday.
Nov 22nd - Thurs - Mesa
Started our Thanksgiving day with an unusual activity for this day - laundry!!
There was a Thanksgiving dinner (part provided by the park, part potluck) here at the park but we decided to go to the Gila River Casino instead. We prefer penny slots so we can slow the losses when we are not doing well. This casino had very few one cent machines and the 2 cent ones where not very nice to us! The buffet had a huge line and I did not want to pay $14.95 when I could only eat a few different items. So we left, licking our wounds, and went to Denny’s for an adequate turkey dinner.
Our neighbor Eileen told us about a lighting event at the Phoenix zoo so we waited until dark and went there. The display is great. It is called “Zoolights”. There are lights everywhere - trees, shrubs, buildings and freestanding animals. You do not see any zoo animals as they are all asleep - except for some zebra. There is Christmas music everywhere and a lot of the figures are “animated”. I did take a lot of pictures so will try to get them posted tomorrow.
Our friend Chuck Kambouroff who lives in Phoenix came to visit today. He came to see us last year in Quartzite. It is so nice to be able to see old friends - and new friends - as we travel.
While we were having lunch with Chuck, I lost a large filling and the side of a molar. I managed to get into a dentist. He said it could not be refilled as there was not enough tooth and a crown would be $841. He had equipment where he can make a crown in his office in about half an hour - and it still costs that much!! We were already planning on getting some dental work done in Mexico. I’m not sure I can go that long with this broken tooth but we decided to wait until next week and check with another dentist. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a lot of offices are closed Friday as well, there won’t be much we can do until Monday.
Nov 22nd - Thurs - Mesa
Started our Thanksgiving day with an unusual activity for this day - laundry!!
There was a Thanksgiving dinner (part provided by the park, part potluck) here at the park but we decided to go to the Gila River Casino instead. We prefer penny slots so we can slow the losses when we are not doing well. This casino had very few one cent machines and the 2 cent ones where not very nice to us! The buffet had a huge line and I did not want to pay $14.95 when I could only eat a few different items. So we left, licking our wounds, and went to Denny’s for an adequate turkey dinner.
Our neighbor Eileen told us about a lighting event at the Phoenix zoo so we waited until dark and went there. The display is great. It is called “Zoolights”. There are lights everywhere - trees, shrubs, buildings and freestanding animals. You do not see any zoo animals as they are all asleep - except for some zebra. There is Christmas music everywhere and a lot of the figures are “animated”. I did take a lot of pictures so will try to get them posted tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Nov 18th to 20th - Mesa
Nov 18th - Sun - Mesa
We made breakfast for Barry & Yvonne before they left for home this morning. And then we kind of felt at loose ends with the empty spot beside us!
We rode our bikes around the park looking at park models that were advertised for sale on a bulletin board. There wasn’t anything that made us think that we would like to come back here each winter.
After spending some time on the computer/internet, we returned to the swap meet. There was only a little over an hour until vendors started closing down - supposed to be open until 4 but vendors were closing at 3 - so we didn’t buy anything else. Spent a quiet evening after dinner watching TV and making phone calls.
Nov 19th - Mon - Mesa
Terry spent a lot of time cleaning the 5th wheel today while I did fun things like shorten some jeans, cut Dolly’s toe nails and misc inside cleaning. Spent some time on the internet and visiting with some neighbors. Not too exciting but good to get things done.
Nov 20th - Tues - Mesa
Finished cleaning the 5th wheel and then finally completed Terry’s internet application for social security benefits. We found out that we could go to a local office with the necessary documents rather than having to mail an original birth certificate. So after taking advantage of the lunch offerings here at the park, we spent a couple of hours at the social security office getting everything done. Terry is SO happy that it is done.
Made a stop at Home Depot for some supplies and did some little fix-it items on the 5th wheel. Then Dolly drove our neighbor’s dog (Mindy) crazy with her “ignore all dogs routine” while we sat and had a drink with her owners Merle & Eileen.
We made breakfast for Barry & Yvonne before they left for home this morning. And then we kind of felt at loose ends with the empty spot beside us!
We rode our bikes around the park looking at park models that were advertised for sale on a bulletin board. There wasn’t anything that made us think that we would like to come back here each winter.
After spending some time on the computer/internet, we returned to the swap meet. There was only a little over an hour until vendors started closing down - supposed to be open until 4 but vendors were closing at 3 - so we didn’t buy anything else. Spent a quiet evening after dinner watching TV and making phone calls.
Nov 19th - Mon - Mesa
Terry spent a lot of time cleaning the 5th wheel today while I did fun things like shorten some jeans, cut Dolly’s toe nails and misc inside cleaning. Spent some time on the internet and visiting with some neighbors. Not too exciting but good to get things done.
Nov 20th - Tues - Mesa
Finished cleaning the 5th wheel and then finally completed Terry’s internet application for social security benefits. We found out that we could go to a local office with the necessary documents rather than having to mail an original birth certificate. So after taking advantage of the lunch offerings here at the park, we spent a couple of hours at the social security office getting everything done. Terry is SO happy that it is done.
Made a stop at Home Depot for some supplies and did some little fix-it items on the 5th wheel. Then Dolly drove our neighbor’s dog (Mindy) crazy with her “ignore all dogs routine” while we sat and had a drink with her owners Merle & Eileen.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Nov 16th & 17th - Mesa
Nov 16th - Fri - Mesa
The weather was back to beautiful so we cleaned the truck and then played golf at the same 9 hole executive course - Sunland Village East. I did terrible, Yvonne good, Terry not so bad and Barry was not happy with his game.
When we returned from golf we drove to the office to see if our forwarded mail had arrived. It was not there so we decided to stay a few more days to be sure we are here when it arrives. We were going to stay 4 more days until the lady at the desk thought we wouldn’t want to be moving on Thanksgiving Day so we said we would stay until the 23rd. When we got back to our site, our forwarded mail package was on the table by our door!
So then we had a lazy remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th - Sat - Mesa
Today was “patio sale” day here at the RV park so we took a quick drive around to see if there was anything we “needed”! Then we went with Barry & Yvonne to the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet. It is a large, covered sale that is open Fri/Sat/Sun in the winter. We had breakfast there and then walked and walked and walked. And did some buying - but not as much as Barry & Yvonne. We always see that they get into trouble when they are with us.
Terry worked on my squeaky bicycle brakes so we took a ride to check out the repair - not so much squeaking but not so much braking power either! We went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne. While we were waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we walked to Target and Yvonne found her double-boiler so she can make covered pretzels.
We all went to the dance at the park tonight - country band which was very good. Had to wear off dinner somehow!
The weather was back to beautiful so we cleaned the truck and then played golf at the same 9 hole executive course - Sunland Village East. I did terrible, Yvonne good, Terry not so bad and Barry was not happy with his game.
When we returned from golf we drove to the office to see if our forwarded mail had arrived. It was not there so we decided to stay a few more days to be sure we are here when it arrives. We were going to stay 4 more days until the lady at the desk thought we wouldn’t want to be moving on Thanksgiving Day so we said we would stay until the 23rd. When we got back to our site, our forwarded mail package was on the table by our door!
So then we had a lazy remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th - Sat - Mesa
Today was “patio sale” day here at the RV park so we took a quick drive around to see if there was anything we “needed”! Then we went with Barry & Yvonne to the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet. It is a large, covered sale that is open Fri/Sat/Sun in the winter. We had breakfast there and then walked and walked and walked. And did some buying - but not as much as Barry & Yvonne. We always see that they get into trouble when they are with us.
Terry worked on my squeaky bicycle brakes so we took a ride to check out the repair - not so much squeaking but not so much braking power either! We went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne. While we were waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we walked to Target and Yvonne found her double-boiler so she can make covered pretzels.
We all went to the dance at the park tonight - country band which was very good. Had to wear off dinner somehow!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Nov 13th to 15th - Mesa, AZ
Nov 13th - Tues - Mesa
Quiet day today. We do not get wifi at our site so we have to go to the office. Posted to the blog, arranged for our mail to be forwarded and checked out the women’s clothing sale at the “patio”. We went to the pool & spa with Barry & Yvonne in the afternoon.
We had baby back ribs with Barry & Yvonne for dinner today. Yvonne & I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items including white candy coating and pretzels. After dinner, I showed Yvonne how to make coated pretzels.
Nov 14th - Wed - Mesa
We finally got the satellite dish set up. We will be shopping for a new compass!! Terry had a hard time finding south again so we spent way too long trying to get it set up but finally got it done. Of course we then had to go to the office to get new decryption keys from the internet. After we had been watching TV for an hour or so, the signal was scrambled again (!?) so we drove to the office area to search for more keys which did work but only for some channels. This sounds like a pain, doesn’t it?
Barbequed steaks with Barry & Yvonne. They mostly go out to eat so it is nice to have their company while we are here.
Nov 15th - Thurs - Mesa
When we went to the office to access the internet for a new program for our satellite receiver, we also had to wander through the weekly “Country Store” sale here at the park. The new program totally fixed our satellite TV so Terry is a happy camper - literally!
We were scheduled to play golf today but it rained and was very windy so we canceled. Barry & Yvonne came over and we watched the movie “Happy Feet” on TV. It is the animated movie about penguins. Terry thought I was crazy wanting to watch it but it was fun.
Barry bought new golf clubs which he was dying to try so he & Yvonne went to the driving range (in the continuing wind and showers). Terry & I made a trip to the grocery store and then I started the pork chop dinner which we were all sharing tonight. Yvonne wrote out some recipes from my recipe box but Barry said he “will believe it when he eats it” about Yvonne doing more cooking.
Quiet day today. We do not get wifi at our site so we have to go to the office. Posted to the blog, arranged for our mail to be forwarded and checked out the women’s clothing sale at the “patio”. We went to the pool & spa with Barry & Yvonne in the afternoon.
We had baby back ribs with Barry & Yvonne for dinner today. Yvonne & I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items including white candy coating and pretzels. After dinner, I showed Yvonne how to make coated pretzels.
Nov 14th - Wed - Mesa
We finally got the satellite dish set up. We will be shopping for a new compass!! Terry had a hard time finding south again so we spent way too long trying to get it set up but finally got it done. Of course we then had to go to the office to get new decryption keys from the internet. After we had been watching TV for an hour or so, the signal was scrambled again (!?) so we drove to the office area to search for more keys which did work but only for some channels. This sounds like a pain, doesn’t it?
Barbequed steaks with Barry & Yvonne. They mostly go out to eat so it is nice to have their company while we are here.
Nov 15th - Thurs - Mesa
When we went to the office to access the internet for a new program for our satellite receiver, we also had to wander through the weekly “Country Store” sale here at the park. The new program totally fixed our satellite TV so Terry is a happy camper - literally!
We were scheduled to play golf today but it rained and was very windy so we canceled. Barry & Yvonne came over and we watched the movie “Happy Feet” on TV. It is the animated movie about penguins. Terry thought I was crazy wanting to watch it but it was fun.
Barry bought new golf clubs which he was dying to try so he & Yvonne went to the driving range (in the continuing wind and showers). Terry & I made a trip to the grocery store and then I started the pork chop dinner which we were all sharing tonight. Yvonne wrote out some recipes from my recipe box but Barry said he “will believe it when he eats it” about Yvonne doing more cooking.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Nov 10th to 12th - CA to Mesa, AZ
Nov 10th - Sat - Desert Hot Springs, CA
We played golf in the wind again. Not quite as windy as yesterday and still warm. We stopped for some lunch and then went to the Coachella Valley Preserve which is a couple of oases. The first oasis has an old cabin that is now a visitor center. The ground is muddy in some spots with boards for walkways. The palm trees are untrimmed which makes them very shaggy and “jungle-like”. We took a mile walk through the desert to the second oasis. There is actually a lake surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. There are tiny fish called pupfish and very small crawdads in the lake.
We received a free dinner at the RV dining room with our sales presentation so Claude & Val joined us. We were still talking with others at our table when a karaoke session started so we stayed to listen. We couldn’t talk Val into getting up to sing!
Nov 11th - Sun - to Mesa, AZ
We said farewell to Claude & Val and headed to Mesa. We were to meet Barry and Yvonne from Hemet, CA for a week. Against all odds, we actually passed them on the freeway heading to Mesa! We both stopped for fuel at the AZ border - diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Arizona than in California. We didn’t follow Wanda’s instructions correctly but after a couple of goofs we arrived at the RV park. Barry had a prepaid reservation through Coast-to-Coast but the gate guard wanted him to pay for one night. Barry managed to convince the guy that he had already paid and would check in at the office in the morning since the office was not open on Sunday. Then it was our turn. We did not have a reservation as I was told when I called that there was lots of room in the pet section and we wouldn’t need a reservation. We finally were able to pay for one night and get a site. We were escorted to our spots to find that they were occupied! So we were assigned spots on the other side of the park and got settled in just in time for “happy hour”. Then we all went out for pizza.
It was brother Bob’s birthday today so I spent the rest of the evening talking to him and to Marg & Dad on the phone.
Nov 12th - Mon - Mesa
We walked to the office this morning to pay for our stay without knowing how large the park is. We are at the opposite end from the office buildings so it is quite a hike. There are about 1700 sites in the park - Valle del Oro. We started to walk back and a lady in a golf cart offered us a ride so we took her up on it. We needed to find the garbage so this time we took the bicycles and continued to ride all around the park. It is 2 miles around the perimeter roads.
We went golfing with Barry and Yvonne this afternoon at an 18 hole executive course. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back and threw some chicken on the barbeque. Barry & Yvonne came over and then some neighbors stopped by to see what the heck our “buddy burner” was. I wanted to catch “Dancing with the Stars” but we ended up seeing only the last half hour as some TV shows appear at the Central time which means they are an hour earlier than usual here.
We played golf in the wind again. Not quite as windy as yesterday and still warm. We stopped for some lunch and then went to the Coachella Valley Preserve which is a couple of oases. The first oasis has an old cabin that is now a visitor center. The ground is muddy in some spots with boards for walkways. The palm trees are untrimmed which makes them very shaggy and “jungle-like”. We took a mile walk through the desert to the second oasis. There is actually a lake surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. There are tiny fish called pupfish and very small crawdads in the lake.
We received a free dinner at the RV dining room with our sales presentation so Claude & Val joined us. We were still talking with others at our table when a karaoke session started so we stayed to listen. We couldn’t talk Val into getting up to sing!
Nov 11th - Sun - to Mesa, AZ
We said farewell to Claude & Val and headed to Mesa. We were to meet Barry and Yvonne from Hemet, CA for a week. Against all odds, we actually passed them on the freeway heading to Mesa! We both stopped for fuel at the AZ border - diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Arizona than in California. We didn’t follow Wanda’s instructions correctly but after a couple of goofs we arrived at the RV park. Barry had a prepaid reservation through Coast-to-Coast but the gate guard wanted him to pay for one night. Barry managed to convince the guy that he had already paid and would check in at the office in the morning since the office was not open on Sunday. Then it was our turn. We did not have a reservation as I was told when I called that there was lots of room in the pet section and we wouldn’t need a reservation. We finally were able to pay for one night and get a site. We were escorted to our spots to find that they were occupied! So we were assigned spots on the other side of the park and got settled in just in time for “happy hour”. Then we all went out for pizza.
It was brother Bob’s birthday today so I spent the rest of the evening talking to him and to Marg & Dad on the phone.
Nov 12th - Mon - Mesa
We walked to the office this morning to pay for our stay without knowing how large the park is. We are at the opposite end from the office buildings so it is quite a hike. There are about 1700 sites in the park - Valle del Oro. We started to walk back and a lady in a golf cart offered us a ride so we took her up on it. We needed to find the garbage so this time we took the bicycles and continued to ride all around the park. It is 2 miles around the perimeter roads.
We went golfing with Barry and Yvonne this afternoon at an 18 hole executive course. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back and threw some chicken on the barbeque. Barry & Yvonne came over and then some neighbors stopped by to see what the heck our “buddy burner” was. I wanted to catch “Dancing with the Stars” but we ended up seeing only the last half hour as some TV shows appear at the Central time which means they are an hour earlier than usual here.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Nove 7th to 9th - Yuma & Desert Hot Springs
Nov 7th - Wed - Yuma
Another beautiful sunny day on the golf course. We played the same 9 hole par 3 - Joanne & I bettered out scores from the time before but the guys struggled a bit. We all stopped for breakfast on the way back to the RV park. Then we took a little trip to Mexico - just over the border from Yuma to Algodones. We parked and walked across the border. Joanne & George had been there yesterday to get new glasses but there was something wrong with Joanne’s sunglasses so they had to go back and asked if we wanted to ride along. We went to the optical store first and there was still a problem with the glasses so we had to go back in 2 hours. So we wandered through stores and Joanne haggled on loose “dresses”/bathing suit cover-ups for her & me. It was very hot so we passed the rest of the waiting time in a cooler bar drinking beer and margaritas. There was quite a line to go back across the border but it moved quickly.
Since we are leaving tomorrow, I asked George & Joanne to come over for hamburgers for dinner. This necessitated a quick trip to the grocery store and then we enjoyed our evening and the good company.
Nov 8th - Thurs - to Desert Hot Springs
We are joining Canadian friends Claude & Val at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. It took about 3 ½ hours to drive. It is a Western Horizon park so we agreed to attend a sales presentation in exchange for staying here “rent free” for 3 nights. We have been wanting to find out about camping associations so this is a good place to start.
Claude & Val came over after lunch and we caught up on news. Then we all cooled off in the pool and enjoyed the mineral water hot pools. Val cooked dinner so we continued our gab fest all evening.
Nov 9th - Fri - Desert Hot Springs
We attended the sales presentation this morning and then went to talk it over with Claude & Val and between ourselves. Decided that this is not the right time to join but it looks like a possible option.
After lunch, we played golf at The Sands, a 9 hole executive course. It was extremely windy but we played anyhow as it wasn’t cold. Tonight was our turn to cook. It gets dark here at 6 so Terry barbequed the ribs in the dark again. Managed to talk our way through too much scotch & wine for another great evening.
Another beautiful sunny day on the golf course. We played the same 9 hole par 3 - Joanne & I bettered out scores from the time before but the guys struggled a bit. We all stopped for breakfast on the way back to the RV park. Then we took a little trip to Mexico - just over the border from Yuma to Algodones. We parked and walked across the border. Joanne & George had been there yesterday to get new glasses but there was something wrong with Joanne’s sunglasses so they had to go back and asked if we wanted to ride along. We went to the optical store first and there was still a problem with the glasses so we had to go back in 2 hours. So we wandered through stores and Joanne haggled on loose “dresses”/bathing suit cover-ups for her & me. It was very hot so we passed the rest of the waiting time in a cooler bar drinking beer and margaritas. There was quite a line to go back across the border but it moved quickly.
Since we are leaving tomorrow, I asked George & Joanne to come over for hamburgers for dinner. This necessitated a quick trip to the grocery store and then we enjoyed our evening and the good company.
Nov 8th - Thurs - to Desert Hot Springs
We are joining Canadian friends Claude & Val at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. It took about 3 ½ hours to drive. It is a Western Horizon park so we agreed to attend a sales presentation in exchange for staying here “rent free” for 3 nights. We have been wanting to find out about camping associations so this is a good place to start.
Claude & Val came over after lunch and we caught up on news. Then we all cooled off in the pool and enjoyed the mineral water hot pools. Val cooked dinner so we continued our gab fest all evening.
Nov 9th - Fri - Desert Hot Springs
We attended the sales presentation this morning and then went to talk it over with Claude & Val and between ourselves. Decided that this is not the right time to join but it looks like a possible option.
After lunch, we played golf at The Sands, a 9 hole executive course. It was extremely windy but we played anyhow as it wasn’t cold. Tonight was our turn to cook. It gets dark here at 6 so Terry barbequed the ribs in the dark again. Managed to talk our way through too much scotch & wine for another great evening.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Nov 5th & 6th - Yuma, AZ
NOTE - new pictures have been posted!!
Nov 5th - Mon - Yuma
Another lovely morning for our golf game. Actually seemed warmer than yesterday as there was no breeze. We all did better today.
We stopped for diesel and propane on the way back to the park. Yesterday, one station had diesel for $3.28 and this morning it was $3.39. Across the street it was $3.l5 so we thought we would top up before it changed too. By the time we got there after golf, it was $3.17.
It was our anniversary today so we treated ourselves to a trip to the casino. Actually hit two casinos - Cocopah and Paradise. Did not hurt the profits at either one!!
Nov 6th - Tues - Yuma
“Puttering around” type day today. Cleaning, laundry, getting bulbs & wiper blades for the truck, haircut for me. Had a late breakfast so stopped at DQ to have a Blizzard for lunch!!
Cooled off in the pool and visited with others in the pool this afternoon. There was bingo this evening but someone said it starts at 6:00 which is way too early to have dinner done. Later I found out it was at 7 so we could have gone. Oh well, better that I took the time to add captions to pictures and finally get some more posted to the internet.
Nov 5th - Mon - Yuma
Another lovely morning for our golf game. Actually seemed warmer than yesterday as there was no breeze. We all did better today.
We stopped for diesel and propane on the way back to the park. Yesterday, one station had diesel for $3.28 and this morning it was $3.39. Across the street it was $3.l5 so we thought we would top up before it changed too. By the time we got there after golf, it was $3.17.
It was our anniversary today so we treated ourselves to a trip to the casino. Actually hit two casinos - Cocopah and Paradise. Did not hurt the profits at either one!!
Nov 6th - Tues - Yuma
“Puttering around” type day today. Cleaning, laundry, getting bulbs & wiper blades for the truck, haircut for me. Had a late breakfast so stopped at DQ to have a Blizzard for lunch!!
Cooled off in the pool and visited with others in the pool this afternoon. There was bingo this evening but someone said it starts at 6:00 which is way too early to have dinner done. Later I found out it was at 7 so we could have gone. Oh well, better that I took the time to add captions to pictures and finally get some more posted to the internet.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Nov 3rd - 4th - Yuma
Nov 3rd - Sat - Yuma
Terry got the truck serviced (oil, transmission fluid, etc) while I caught up the blog and gave Dolly a haircut.
Took some measurements, made a short list and returned to the Swap Meet. We met George & Joanne (from the park beside us) there and spoke with them a bit. George was going to check out a couple of golf courses so we said we would come by and see what he found out.
Stopped at a grocery store (frequent occurrence when you have limited space and practice “just in time” shopping!) then took a dip in the pool. We rode our bicycles over to see George & Joanne and had a drink & BS’d with them for a while.
Talked to sister Marg today and she said it was snowing in 100 Mile House. Don’t miss that weather much!
Nov 4th - Sun - Yuma
We went golfing with George & Joanne this morning. Joanne has not played much - she started and then was sidelined by a bad back. She was going to go to the driving range while George golfed but we talked her into playing with us. It was a 9 hole par 3 course so a good one for her to start on. She had a rocky start but ended up doing just fine. We all stopped for lunch after our game.
I did a load of laundry and swam and read by the pool while it was washing & drying. Makes laundry pretty much painless! George came by while we were waiting for our ribs to cook and said that Joanne wanted to play golf again tomorrow and asked if we wanted to join them. Since we can always use practice on the short game, we said yes.
Terry got the truck serviced (oil, transmission fluid, etc) while I caught up the blog and gave Dolly a haircut.
Took some measurements, made a short list and returned to the Swap Meet. We met George & Joanne (from the park beside us) there and spoke with them a bit. George was going to check out a couple of golf courses so we said we would come by and see what he found out.
Stopped at a grocery store (frequent occurrence when you have limited space and practice “just in time” shopping!) then took a dip in the pool. We rode our bicycles over to see George & Joanne and had a drink & BS’d with them for a while.
Talked to sister Marg today and she said it was snowing in 100 Mile House. Don’t miss that weather much!
Nov 4th - Sun - Yuma
We went golfing with George & Joanne this morning. Joanne has not played much - she started and then was sidelined by a bad back. She was going to go to the driving range while George golfed but we talked her into playing with us. It was a 9 hole par 3 course so a good one for her to start on. She had a rocky start but ended up doing just fine. We all stopped for lunch after our game.
I did a load of laundry and swam and read by the pool while it was washing & drying. Makes laundry pretty much painless! George came by while we were waiting for our ribs to cook and said that Joanne wanted to play golf again tomorrow and asked if we wanted to join them. Since we can always use practice on the short game, we said yes.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Oct 31st to Nov 2nd - Arizona
Oct 31st - Wed - Salome - HAPPY HALLOWEEN
We played golf today. I would call it a semi-desert golf course. We actually played it last year - grass tee boxes and greens, dirt/sand/gravel fairways. This time we had plastic tees so we could tee up the fairway shots and not worry so much about messing up clubs by hitting rocks. I told Terry when we finished that we could have saved the $16 and just gone for a long walk in the desert - but it was nice to get out & golf.
We stopped at the best stocked (1 of 2 stores!) grocery store to find something to put on the barbeque tonight. I don’t thing we will ever be spending a winter here with such a small selection of meat unless we had another freezer and stocked up. The nearest large grocery store is in Parker which is 60 miles away.
The golf game also made a long soak in the pool very enjoyable. We actually had 6 trick-or-treaters this evening - good thing that we had some small candy bars in the goody tin.
Nov 1st - Thurs - to Yuma AZ
Short drive again today - 107 miles. Stopped for diesel in Quartzite - $3.14. We are actually going to stay here for a week - we may grow roots! Had a little trouble with Wanda. I spelled the name of the park to find the address but did not notice when it came up that the address number was different from the PA book. So Wanda took us to the North Frontage road instead of the South Frontage road and announced that we were “arriving at destination” in a residential area. But I was able to quickly figure out where we were and how to get back across the freeway to the park.
I had heard an ad clearance sales at Kohls department store so we did a little shopping this afternoon. The shopping center is so huge that you drive from one area to another as it is too far to walk.
We went bike riding around the park and around the neighboring park. There are many Washington & Oregon license plates. We spoke with a guy from Spokane and with a couple that had Washington plates but were actually from California (George & Joanne). They just have an address in Rochester (where son Dean lives!) as they are full timers.
Nov 2nd - Friday - Yuma
More shopping today - this time at the Swap Meet. We went to the Swap Meet last year with friends Francis & Nicole. It is very large & all under cover. But it got very warm in the afternoon as the canvas walls stop the breeze. You would think that we wouldn’t have need/room for more stuff but it is surprising how many little items that you pick up. Some of the things that we got are geared towards staying in one place for a longer time (Mexico!) - stronger tablecloth clips, rebar with a loop to secure the awning, a collapsible garbage container for outside and more of the multi-purpose large washers with a small center hole that we discovered in Quartzite. While we were wandering around, we ran into a couple (Ed & Joanne) that we knew from the RV park last year in Quartzite - small world. They are back in Quartzite for the winter.
When we got back, we relaxed our weary feet and legs in the swimming pool and chatted with a couple from the Seattle area.
We played golf today. I would call it a semi-desert golf course. We actually played it last year - grass tee boxes and greens, dirt/sand/gravel fairways. This time we had plastic tees so we could tee up the fairway shots and not worry so much about messing up clubs by hitting rocks. I told Terry when we finished that we could have saved the $16 and just gone for a long walk in the desert - but it was nice to get out & golf.
We stopped at the best stocked (1 of 2 stores!) grocery store to find something to put on the barbeque tonight. I don’t thing we will ever be spending a winter here with such a small selection of meat unless we had another freezer and stocked up. The nearest large grocery store is in Parker which is 60 miles away.
The golf game also made a long soak in the pool very enjoyable. We actually had 6 trick-or-treaters this evening - good thing that we had some small candy bars in the goody tin.
Nov 1st - Thurs - to Yuma AZ
Short drive again today - 107 miles. Stopped for diesel in Quartzite - $3.14. We are actually going to stay here for a week - we may grow roots! Had a little trouble with Wanda. I spelled the name of the park to find the address but did not notice when it came up that the address number was different from the PA book. So Wanda took us to the North Frontage road instead of the South Frontage road and announced that we were “arriving at destination” in a residential area. But I was able to quickly figure out where we were and how to get back across the freeway to the park.
I had heard an ad clearance sales at Kohls department store so we did a little shopping this afternoon. The shopping center is so huge that you drive from one area to another as it is too far to walk.
We went bike riding around the park and around the neighboring park. There are many Washington & Oregon license plates. We spoke with a guy from Spokane and with a couple that had Washington plates but were actually from California (George & Joanne). They just have an address in Rochester (where son Dean lives!) as they are full timers.
Nov 2nd - Friday - Yuma
More shopping today - this time at the Swap Meet. We went to the Swap Meet last year with friends Francis & Nicole. It is very large & all under cover. But it got very warm in the afternoon as the canvas walls stop the breeze. You would think that we wouldn’t have need/room for more stuff but it is surprising how many little items that you pick up. Some of the things that we got are geared towards staying in one place for a longer time (Mexico!) - stronger tablecloth clips, rebar with a loop to secure the awning, a collapsible garbage container for outside and more of the multi-purpose large washers with a small center hole that we discovered in Quartzite. While we were wandering around, we ran into a couple (Ed & Joanne) that we knew from the RV park last year in Quartzite - small world. They are back in Quartzite for the winter.
When we got back, we relaxed our weary feet and legs in the swimming pool and chatted with a couple from the Seattle area.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Oct 26th to 29th - Albuqueque to Salome, AZ
Oct 26th - Fri - to Albuquerque, NM
We took a long way around to get to Albuquerque to avoid going all the way through town and the big hill that we drove the first day we were here. The RV park that we chose happened to be ½ a mile from a Camping World store so we had to browse there for a while and picked up a couple of small items - cheapest we ever got out of a Camping World store. Fueled up and found a grocery store and then kicked back.
Oct 27th - Sat - Albuquerque, NM
Had to make another trip to Camping World to buy some lights for the awning - not such a cheap visit this time! Went driving/exploring and ended up at a big casino. This time we received T-shirts without having to “earn” them by getting points on the player’s club cards. Unfortunately, we got large shirts and we both would have been more comfortable in x-large - better lay off the food and get some exercise. The machines allowed us to play for hours before finally saying “that’s enough”. We tried to get Wanda to find us a visitor’s center but she sent us to the center of town and we never did find it.
We met a couple in the park from Vernon, BC (John & Carol). We stood and chatted while our dinner was burning and then invited them over to visit some more. They sold their house and put stuff in storage to try traveling for 6 months. They think they will fulltime longer but they have to figure out the BC medical restrictions to do so. We really enjoyed them and hope to meet up with them again sometime.
Oct 28th - Sun - to Meteor Crater, Arizona
Easy drive today. Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff and consists of a service station and an RV park a few miles from the actual crater. We set up and then went to see the crater. Terry is still kicking himself for paying $28 to look at a hole in the ground!! There was a 10 minute film and a museum but I guess we are just not into meteors enough to appreciate this attraction.
Not much else to do except sit out and enjoy the sunshine (hard to take!) and visit with campers who moved in next to us.
Oct 29th - Mon - to Salome, AZ
Yes, Claude, we are on the move again! A longer drive today that was made even longer as you will see by the story below.
We drove without incident to Prescott, AZ - freeway and nice 4/2 lane all the way. Diesel was a little more expensive - $3.24 - but we just pay and move on. At Prescott we were to take highway 89 south to join Hwy 60 and then to Salome. As we hit 89, there was a sign that said no trucks over 40 feet. 4 miles further we were into a windy, narrow road and another sign saying no trucks over 40 feet. Terry decided to believe the second sign and turned around. We looked at the map and figured we would have to go around nearly to Phoenix which would add a lot of miles to the trip. As we approached Prescott again, we saw a sign for Visitor Information which of course was right in town with no RV parking. So Terry pulled halfway off the street and I ran back to the building. A guy there said “you didn’t hear it from me” but as long as we were comfortable with very windy roads and drove slow we would have no trouble on 89 - or we could take another road out of Prescott that joined 89 about halfway through and was also a longer route.
We decided to give 89 a try and headed out again. It was indeed very windy and narrow but the road surface was very good and there were a lot of pullouts so you could let cars pass. I probably enjoyed the drive more than Terry did. It leveled off for a bit and then there was another very steep windy section as we dropped off the Mogollon Rim that is the edge of the section of Arizona that is higher in elevation. Finally we were back on level ground and arrived at Salome in 88 degree weather. We planned to play golf here but apparently most Arizona golf courses have been over-seeded right now and are closed!
The pool was open (and heated) so we joined a couple from Westbank, BC (George & Liz) to enjoy the pool and non-stop talk for about an hour. Terry tried to set up our satellite dish but could not get it to work. We now think that maybe it was damaged when it fell over back in Yellowstone.
We took a long way around to get to Albuquerque to avoid going all the way through town and the big hill that we drove the first day we were here. The RV park that we chose happened to be ½ a mile from a Camping World store so we had to browse there for a while and picked up a couple of small items - cheapest we ever got out of a Camping World store. Fueled up and found a grocery store and then kicked back.
Oct 27th - Sat - Albuquerque, NM
Had to make another trip to Camping World to buy some lights for the awning - not such a cheap visit this time! Went driving/exploring and ended up at a big casino. This time we received T-shirts without having to “earn” them by getting points on the player’s club cards. Unfortunately, we got large shirts and we both would have been more comfortable in x-large - better lay off the food and get some exercise. The machines allowed us to play for hours before finally saying “that’s enough”. We tried to get Wanda to find us a visitor’s center but she sent us to the center of town and we never did find it.
We met a couple in the park from Vernon, BC (John & Carol). We stood and chatted while our dinner was burning and then invited them over to visit some more. They sold their house and put stuff in storage to try traveling for 6 months. They think they will fulltime longer but they have to figure out the BC medical restrictions to do so. We really enjoyed them and hope to meet up with them again sometime.
Oct 28th - Sun - to Meteor Crater, Arizona
Easy drive today. Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff and consists of a service station and an RV park a few miles from the actual crater. We set up and then went to see the crater. Terry is still kicking himself for paying $28 to look at a hole in the ground!! There was a 10 minute film and a museum but I guess we are just not into meteors enough to appreciate this attraction.
Not much else to do except sit out and enjoy the sunshine (hard to take!) and visit with campers who moved in next to us.
Oct 29th - Mon - to Salome, AZ
Yes, Claude, we are on the move again! A longer drive today that was made even longer as you will see by the story below.
We drove without incident to Prescott, AZ - freeway and nice 4/2 lane all the way. Diesel was a little more expensive - $3.24 - but we just pay and move on. At Prescott we were to take highway 89 south to join Hwy 60 and then to Salome. As we hit 89, there was a sign that said no trucks over 40 feet. 4 miles further we were into a windy, narrow road and another sign saying no trucks over 40 feet. Terry decided to believe the second sign and turned around. We looked at the map and figured we would have to go around nearly to Phoenix which would add a lot of miles to the trip. As we approached Prescott again, we saw a sign for Visitor Information which of course was right in town with no RV parking. So Terry pulled halfway off the street and I ran back to the building. A guy there said “you didn’t hear it from me” but as long as we were comfortable with very windy roads and drove slow we would have no trouble on 89 - or we could take another road out of Prescott that joined 89 about halfway through and was also a longer route.
We decided to give 89 a try and headed out again. It was indeed very windy and narrow but the road surface was very good and there were a lot of pullouts so you could let cars pass. I probably enjoyed the drive more than Terry did. It leveled off for a bit and then there was another very steep windy section as we dropped off the Mogollon Rim that is the edge of the section of Arizona that is higher in elevation. Finally we were back on level ground and arrived at Salome in 88 degree weather. We planned to play golf here but apparently most Arizona golf courses have been over-seeded right now and are closed!
The pool was open (and heated) so we joined a couple from Westbank, BC (George & Liz) to enjoy the pool and non-stop talk for about an hour. Terry tried to set up our satellite dish but could not get it to work. We now think that maybe it was damaged when it fell over back in Yellowstone.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Oct 24th & 25th - Ruidoso, New Mexico
Oct 24th - Wed - to Ruidoso, NM
Just over 150 miles today but it took us almost as long to find an RV park as it did to get here. I had found a park in the PA book which was not in our GPS system. But I could see on a general map the junction of 2 highways that were in the driving instructions in the PA book so I figured we could find it. Well, the roads did not exactly look like the map so we made a guess and ended up on a narrow street and having to turn around in a motel parking lot by backing out onto the street. A lady at the motel gave us a map of the town and stopped traffic while we backed out. The new map was a “touristy picture map” which wasn’t to scale so we ended up driving forever - it seemed - and went up and then down a steep hill/mountain. We did find the RV park and said “no way”, turned around and went back up and down the mountain. Then Terry drove into a park that he saw and it turned out to be all permanent tenants. The internal roads were very narrow and lined with trees so it took all of Terry’s driving skill to exit successfully. In the meantime, I was making phone calls to find a park with wifi. I saw one park on the map, directed Terry to turn on a road that he did not really like but which turned out to be correct and we finally got a spot. It is very nice.
By this time it was after 2 so we set up and I settled Terry’s nerves with a Scotch with his lunch!
Ruidoso is hilly and spread out along ravines and rivers. We went to a nearby area of shops and wandered around in the lovely sunshine. After dinner we had to make a small donation to the local casino! It is a large hotel/convention center/casino/golf course - Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Oct 25th - Thurs - Ruidoso, NM
We woke to see the truck covered in frost this morning. But the sky was clear and it warmed up quickly once the sun hit.
We drove to Alamogordo (50 miles) and went to the White Sands National Monument. The white sands are gypsum sand dunes stretching about 275 miles. There is an 8 mile road into the dunes with several trails that you can walk. Near the end there are some picnic areas with covered tables and restrooms. The road is paved most of the way and then is dirt/sand. The roads have to be plowed to keep them clear of drifting sand. There are large parking areas that are also kept cleared. You can climb and play on the dunes to your heart’s content. The visitor center sells sand sleds for kids to climb up the dunes and slide down. I had to climb a dune to see what was on the other side. It was tough climbing with about a foot of soft sand on top of a firmer layer. But the view was great!
We came back through a little town called Cloudcroft with an elevation of 8940 feet. (Ruidoso is about 6400). Nice drive but not too much to see besides cows and horses on really tough pasture. We went through some type of insect “hatch” which just peppered the windshield. So Terry had to clean the truck and the front of the 5th wheel when we got back while I did a little cleaning inside the rig.
Just over 150 miles today but it took us almost as long to find an RV park as it did to get here. I had found a park in the PA book which was not in our GPS system. But I could see on a general map the junction of 2 highways that were in the driving instructions in the PA book so I figured we could find it. Well, the roads did not exactly look like the map so we made a guess and ended up on a narrow street and having to turn around in a motel parking lot by backing out onto the street. A lady at the motel gave us a map of the town and stopped traffic while we backed out. The new map was a “touristy picture map” which wasn’t to scale so we ended up driving forever - it seemed - and went up and then down a steep hill/mountain. We did find the RV park and said “no way”, turned around and went back up and down the mountain. Then Terry drove into a park that he saw and it turned out to be all permanent tenants. The internal roads were very narrow and lined with trees so it took all of Terry’s driving skill to exit successfully. In the meantime, I was making phone calls to find a park with wifi. I saw one park on the map, directed Terry to turn on a road that he did not really like but which turned out to be correct and we finally got a spot. It is very nice.
By this time it was after 2 so we set up and I settled Terry’s nerves with a Scotch with his lunch!
Ruidoso is hilly and spread out along ravines and rivers. We went to a nearby area of shops and wandered around in the lovely sunshine. After dinner we had to make a small donation to the local casino! It is a large hotel/convention center/casino/golf course - Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Oct 25th - Thurs - Ruidoso, NM
We woke to see the truck covered in frost this morning. But the sky was clear and it warmed up quickly once the sun hit.
We drove to Alamogordo (50 miles) and went to the White Sands National Monument. The white sands are gypsum sand dunes stretching about 275 miles. There is an 8 mile road into the dunes with several trails that you can walk. Near the end there are some picnic areas with covered tables and restrooms. The road is paved most of the way and then is dirt/sand. The roads have to be plowed to keep them clear of drifting sand. There are large parking areas that are also kept cleared. You can climb and play on the dunes to your heart’s content. The visitor center sells sand sleds for kids to climb up the dunes and slide down. I had to climb a dune to see what was on the other side. It was tough climbing with about a foot of soft sand on top of a firmer layer. But the view was great!
We came back through a little town called Cloudcroft with an elevation of 8940 feet. (Ruidoso is about 6400). Nice drive but not too much to see besides cows and horses on really tough pasture. We went through some type of insect “hatch” which just peppered the windshield. So Terry had to clean the truck and the front of the 5th wheel when we got back while I did a little cleaning inside the rig.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Oct 19th to 23rd - Texas, New Mexico
Oct 19th - Friday - Grand Prairie (Ft Worth) TX
We took a tour of a federal printing and engraving facility today. They print money, stamps and other “controlled” items. The tour takes place on glassed-in elevated walkways looking over the production floor. There are 2 museums - past and present. Very interesting.
We were then going to check out the downtown stockyards area but just ended up driving through as we didn’t really feel like doing any shopping and did not see anything else and parking at the same time.
Oct 20th - Sat - Grand Prairie TX
Next door to the RV park is a huge weekend market area - some literature says 120 acres and some 154 acres, including parking I‘m sure. Vendor counts range from 2800 to 3500. Either way, it is huge! There are buildings with walls & doors, large covered areas and open areas. We wandered in the morning and bought a tripod for our satellite dish. So we went back to the rig for lunch and to rest our feet. Then we went back, bought a couple more small items and then it was just too hot and our feet were tired. It got to 92 degrees - just perfect to pull out the big recliner lawn chairs and relax in the shade.
Oct 21st - Sun - to Lubbock, TX
We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up today. We have a tire on the 5th wheel that is wearing badly. We actually replaced it before going to Alaska and then of course never found the underlying cause of the problem. Terry figured we needed to stop at an RV repair place but kind of forgot that today is Sunday so that wouldn’t happen. He looked online for tires matching the ones on the other side that we had to replace when we had the blowout but they are sold by Les Schwab which is only in west coast states. So we just kept going and ended up in Lubbock.
We are in cotton country now. Miles and miles of enormous cotton fields. Some are being harvested and others are still green. Just before Lubbock it was 95 degrees and ½ hour later it was 75 degrees. We hit the cold front that has been in the weather forecast for a couple of days.
Oct 22nd - Mon - to Carlsbad, New Mexico
If anyone is following our trip on a map, it appears that Lubbock was out of the way to get to Carlsbad. You are correct! I was looking in the PA book for a campsite and saw one at Post which is about 40 miles from Lubbock. I asked Terry if that was where he had wanted to go and he said yes without actually looking at the map again. It wasn’t exactly the right direction but we didn’t figure that out soon enough. Then we thought we could find an RV repair place in Lubbock so carried on.
This morning Terry decided to replace the worn tire with the new spare which should get us to a Les Schwab to get matching tires. So we packed everything up and then changed the tire in the RV site - much better than trying to do it on the side of a highway!
The landscape is very flat and dry. More cotton and then the addition of oil pumps, hay and some cattle. We arrived in Carlsbad a little too late to go to the caverns so hit a grocery store and kicked back. Later we realized that we were in a different time zone so could have squeezed in a visit to some attraction.
Oct 23rd - Tues - Carlsbad, NM
Busy day today. I entered four days in my word processing file for my blog but we do not have wifi so I will have to wait to post it. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens just a few miles away. Having been to the Desert Museum in Tucson, we were not overly impressed with this one. Even though animals were in “natural” environments, I felt sorry for them being in captivity as they did not have acres to roam in. The weather was nice though so I enjoyed the walk.
Next we went to Carlsbad Caverns. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the extra mile by using the Natural entrance so we rode the elevator down and toured the Big Room - it was amazing. Unfortunately, you cannot capture the immense size with a camera as it is dimly lit with highlights on certain features. We rented an audio “tour guide” so, along with guide boards, we had quite a bit of information as we walked for about 1 ½ hours. We were going to stay and watch the bats fly out of the Bat Cave but they were guessing that they would leave about 5:30 and we didn’t want to stick around that long. Last night they estimated 4:30 and the bats did not fly until 5:30 so we could have had a long wait.
We found a visitor information site and picked up booklets for other New Mexico areas as we will take off tomorrow.
We took a tour of a federal printing and engraving facility today. They print money, stamps and other “controlled” items. The tour takes place on glassed-in elevated walkways looking over the production floor. There are 2 museums - past and present. Very interesting.
We were then going to check out the downtown stockyards area but just ended up driving through as we didn’t really feel like doing any shopping and did not see anything else and parking at the same time.
Oct 20th - Sat - Grand Prairie TX
Next door to the RV park is a huge weekend market area - some literature says 120 acres and some 154 acres, including parking I‘m sure. Vendor counts range from 2800 to 3500. Either way, it is huge! There are buildings with walls & doors, large covered areas and open areas. We wandered in the morning and bought a tripod for our satellite dish. So we went back to the rig for lunch and to rest our feet. Then we went back, bought a couple more small items and then it was just too hot and our feet were tired. It got to 92 degrees - just perfect to pull out the big recliner lawn chairs and relax in the shade.
Oct 21st - Sun - to Lubbock, TX
We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up today. We have a tire on the 5th wheel that is wearing badly. We actually replaced it before going to Alaska and then of course never found the underlying cause of the problem. Terry figured we needed to stop at an RV repair place but kind of forgot that today is Sunday so that wouldn’t happen. He looked online for tires matching the ones on the other side that we had to replace when we had the blowout but they are sold by Les Schwab which is only in west coast states. So we just kept going and ended up in Lubbock.
We are in cotton country now. Miles and miles of enormous cotton fields. Some are being harvested and others are still green. Just before Lubbock it was 95 degrees and ½ hour later it was 75 degrees. We hit the cold front that has been in the weather forecast for a couple of days.
Oct 22nd - Mon - to Carlsbad, New Mexico
If anyone is following our trip on a map, it appears that Lubbock was out of the way to get to Carlsbad. You are correct! I was looking in the PA book for a campsite and saw one at Post which is about 40 miles from Lubbock. I asked Terry if that was where he had wanted to go and he said yes without actually looking at the map again. It wasn’t exactly the right direction but we didn’t figure that out soon enough. Then we thought we could find an RV repair place in Lubbock so carried on.
This morning Terry decided to replace the worn tire with the new spare which should get us to a Les Schwab to get matching tires. So we packed everything up and then changed the tire in the RV site - much better than trying to do it on the side of a highway!
The landscape is very flat and dry. More cotton and then the addition of oil pumps, hay and some cattle. We arrived in Carlsbad a little too late to go to the caverns so hit a grocery store and kicked back. Later we realized that we were in a different time zone so could have squeezed in a visit to some attraction.
Oct 23rd - Tues - Carlsbad, NM
Busy day today. I entered four days in my word processing file for my blog but we do not have wifi so I will have to wait to post it. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens just a few miles away. Having been to the Desert Museum in Tucson, we were not overly impressed with this one. Even though animals were in “natural” environments, I felt sorry for them being in captivity as they did not have acres to roam in. The weather was nice though so I enjoyed the walk.
Next we went to Carlsbad Caverns. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the extra mile by using the Natural entrance so we rode the elevator down and toured the Big Room - it was amazing. Unfortunately, you cannot capture the immense size with a camera as it is dimly lit with highlights on certain features. We rented an audio “tour guide” so, along with guide boards, we had quite a bit of information as we walked for about 1 ½ hours. We were going to stay and watch the bats fly out of the Bat Cave but they were guessing that they would leave about 5:30 and we didn’t want to stick around that long. Last night they estimated 4:30 and the bats did not fly until 5:30 so we could have had a long wait.
We found a visitor information site and picked up booklets for other New Mexico areas as we will take off tomorrow.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Oct 15th to 18th - AR, OK, TX
Oct 15th - Mon - to Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Very short trip today - we took the long way and it was only about 1 ½ hours. Checked into a PA park, made some lunch and then went for a drive into town. Eureka Springs is built on hills and almost the entire town is on the National Historic register. There are no two streets on the same level and no right angle intersections. We drove the “historic district” loop - talk about narrow and windy. We looked for a parking spot but the couple that we saw were not big enough for our truck. We took another drive out of town, across a dam and back to town in a big circle. This corner of Arkansas is hilly and treed - very pretty. The town has a trolley system to take people into and around the town since there is not much parking so I went to the RV office to get some info when we got back. They quit running at 5 so we decided that if tomorrow is nice we will stay another day and take the trolley into town.
Oct 16th - Tues - Eureka Springs, AR
The weather forecast is for thunderstorms but not until late tomorrow so we took the trolley into town and walked uphill and back down the main shopping street, taking pictures and wandering through shops. Had lunch and then took the trolley on the historic loop so I could get some pictures. You get a pass for the whole day on the trolleys so can get on and off as often as you wish on 5 routes. Back to the park and enjoyed sitting in the sun for about 4 minutes and then had to move into the shade!!
Took another drive to a retirement community just north of Eureka Springs (Holiday Island). Nice golf course through one subdivision, pretty big houses for retirement in another subdivision - 2000 sq ft minimum.
Oct 17th - Wed - to Thackerville, Oklahoma
We were pretty worried about the weather as possible tornados were added to the mix. We both woke up very early and had the TV on at 5 to check the weather. We got an early start (had to wait until a decent time -7:00 - to get our neighbor to move her car so we could get out) to head south and west to get around the storm front before it developed into ugly stuff. We hit some pretty good winds but otherwise the 6 hour drive to another PA park was uneventful. Thackerville is only a few miles from the Texas border.
The landscape continues to be hilly and treed. The only natural flat spots seem to be rivers & lakes. The highways must be costly to build as they have a lot of long “bridges” over gullies. Oklahoma has quite a few toll highways which we were able to avoid but I think drivers are encouraged to use the toll highways by the lack of maintenance on other highways - pretty rough.
There is a HUGE casino just a couple of miles away so of course we had to go check it out. Not much else to do here especially since it is still windy and very muggy. I am about ready to quit gambling - I just cannot win on anything any more. Luckily, Terry is still picking up some of my losses!
Oct 18th - Thurs - to Grand Prairie (Fort Worth), Texas
Another short drive today. I wanted to see some sights in Fort Worth so we found an RV park in Grand Prairie which is between Ft. Worth and Dallas. Hard to tell you are in a different town, they all kind of run together. Wanda did a fine job of guiding us in on several freeways while not going right through Ft. Worth.
We decided to use a lovely afternoon to get some chores done - including cleaning up the 5th wheel and truck. The park does not allow vehicle washing but we just used wet micro fiber clothes to clean the 5th wheel and then took the truck to a nearby car wash. Then it was great to relax in the sun (in shorts, 82 degrees) and read the mountain of info on Texas that we got at a tourist information center.
Very short trip today - we took the long way and it was only about 1 ½ hours. Checked into a PA park, made some lunch and then went for a drive into town. Eureka Springs is built on hills and almost the entire town is on the National Historic register. There are no two streets on the same level and no right angle intersections. We drove the “historic district” loop - talk about narrow and windy. We looked for a parking spot but the couple that we saw were not big enough for our truck. We took another drive out of town, across a dam and back to town in a big circle. This corner of Arkansas is hilly and treed - very pretty. The town has a trolley system to take people into and around the town since there is not much parking so I went to the RV office to get some info when we got back. They quit running at 5 so we decided that if tomorrow is nice we will stay another day and take the trolley into town.
Oct 16th - Tues - Eureka Springs, AR
The weather forecast is for thunderstorms but not until late tomorrow so we took the trolley into town and walked uphill and back down the main shopping street, taking pictures and wandering through shops. Had lunch and then took the trolley on the historic loop so I could get some pictures. You get a pass for the whole day on the trolleys so can get on and off as often as you wish on 5 routes. Back to the park and enjoyed sitting in the sun for about 4 minutes and then had to move into the shade!!
Took another drive to a retirement community just north of Eureka Springs (Holiday Island). Nice golf course through one subdivision, pretty big houses for retirement in another subdivision - 2000 sq ft minimum.
Oct 17th - Wed - to Thackerville, Oklahoma
We were pretty worried about the weather as possible tornados were added to the mix. We both woke up very early and had the TV on at 5 to check the weather. We got an early start (had to wait until a decent time -7:00 - to get our neighbor to move her car so we could get out) to head south and west to get around the storm front before it developed into ugly stuff. We hit some pretty good winds but otherwise the 6 hour drive to another PA park was uneventful. Thackerville is only a few miles from the Texas border.
The landscape continues to be hilly and treed. The only natural flat spots seem to be rivers & lakes. The highways must be costly to build as they have a lot of long “bridges” over gullies. Oklahoma has quite a few toll highways which we were able to avoid but I think drivers are encouraged to use the toll highways by the lack of maintenance on other highways - pretty rough.
There is a HUGE casino just a couple of miles away so of course we had to go check it out. Not much else to do here especially since it is still windy and very muggy. I am about ready to quit gambling - I just cannot win on anything any more. Luckily, Terry is still picking up some of my losses!
Oct 18th - Thurs - to Grand Prairie (Fort Worth), Texas
Another short drive today. I wanted to see some sights in Fort Worth so we found an RV park in Grand Prairie which is between Ft. Worth and Dallas. Hard to tell you are in a different town, they all kind of run together. Wanda did a fine job of guiding us in on several freeways while not going right through Ft. Worth.
We decided to use a lovely afternoon to get some chores done - including cleaning up the 5th wheel and truck. The park does not allow vehicle washing but we just used wet micro fiber clothes to clean the 5th wheel and then took the truck to a nearby car wash. Then it was great to relax in the sun (in shorts, 82 degrees) and read the mountain of info on Texas that we got at a tourist information center.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Oct 12th to 14th - Branson
Oct 12th - Fri - Branson
We went to the one show with a known country artist this afternoon - Moe Bandy. It was again very enjoyable. One cast member played a couple of comedic characters which added a fun touch. The band was good and looked like they were enjoying the show as well. Female dancers rounded out the show.
A little bit of shopping before going back to the rig for dinner and to visit Dolly. Then to an 8:00 pm show - Country Tonite. Another variety show with singers, dancers and a little comedy. The band definitely did not look like they were having as good a time as others. I wondered if we were getting burned out on shows.
Oct 13th - Sat - Branson
Another day with 2 shows. At 2:00 we went to see Kirby Van Burch, a magician. He and his wife Bambi have both been voted “Magician of the Year” by some national magicians’ organization. Terry really wanted to see this show so we bought tickets - full priced! - here. Kirby & Bambi were both very good and it was mostly a fast paced show that kept your full attention. But we were both somehow a little disappointed and we are not sure why. I felt like Kirby was somewhat arrogant.
Back to the rig again for dinner before the evening show - Bart Rockett. Bart is also a magician but he says he is a “comedian with props”. The show is not as slick - especially since his light & sound person had the night off and the replacement got sick so the lead dancer took over the music & lights. He includes a lot of current news events in his jokes and one-liners. He also does a fun ventriloquist number - and is a respectable magician. We actually enjoyed this show more than the earlier one today.
Oct 14th - Sun - Branson
The lovely sunny, warm weather continues. No show until this evening so we did some laundry, chatted with a couple that we met the first night we were here, cleaned up some stuff on the computer and talked to sister Marg on the phone for quite a while. For everyone who has asked in the past - Dad is doing fine.
After lunch we went to Branson Landing which is a new shopping area on the Taneycomo River that runs past old Branson. There are also a lot of what appear to be apartments and/or hotels above the shops. There is a central plaza area with “fountains” that are used in a water and music show every hour. There are also huge metal upright tubes behind the fountain nozzles that belch fire along with the water shooting up. Quite different.
The trees above our rig are oak trees and the squirrels cause most of the acorns to fall on our roof. The dog next door looks up at the trees when he comes out and barks at the squirrels. Luckily, Dolly has not seen a squirrel or figured out what is causing the noise.
Our last show was tonight at 7 pm - Ozark Mountain Jubilee. It was a family singing group - the Max Bacons (Dad, Mom, 3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and a couple of songs by grandkids) - and a band. The pianist was the “announcer” and goof-ball / comic relief. It was another very enjoyable couple of hours.
We went to the one show with a known country artist this afternoon - Moe Bandy. It was again very enjoyable. One cast member played a couple of comedic characters which added a fun touch. The band was good and looked like they were enjoying the show as well. Female dancers rounded out the show.
A little bit of shopping before going back to the rig for dinner and to visit Dolly. Then to an 8:00 pm show - Country Tonite. Another variety show with singers, dancers and a little comedy. The band definitely did not look like they were having as good a time as others. I wondered if we were getting burned out on shows.
Oct 13th - Sat - Branson
Another day with 2 shows. At 2:00 we went to see Kirby Van Burch, a magician. He and his wife Bambi have both been voted “Magician of the Year” by some national magicians’ organization. Terry really wanted to see this show so we bought tickets - full priced! - here. Kirby & Bambi were both very good and it was mostly a fast paced show that kept your full attention. But we were both somehow a little disappointed and we are not sure why. I felt like Kirby was somewhat arrogant.
Back to the rig again for dinner before the evening show - Bart Rockett. Bart is also a magician but he says he is a “comedian with props”. The show is not as slick - especially since his light & sound person had the night off and the replacement got sick so the lead dancer took over the music & lights. He includes a lot of current news events in his jokes and one-liners. He also does a fun ventriloquist number - and is a respectable magician. We actually enjoyed this show more than the earlier one today.
Oct 14th - Sun - Branson
The lovely sunny, warm weather continues. No show until this evening so we did some laundry, chatted with a couple that we met the first night we were here, cleaned up some stuff on the computer and talked to sister Marg on the phone for quite a while. For everyone who has asked in the past - Dad is doing fine.
After lunch we went to Branson Landing which is a new shopping area on the Taneycomo River that runs past old Branson. There are also a lot of what appear to be apartments and/or hotels above the shops. There is a central plaza area with “fountains” that are used in a water and music show every hour. There are also huge metal upright tubes behind the fountain nozzles that belch fire along with the water shooting up. Quite different.
The trees above our rig are oak trees and the squirrels cause most of the acorns to fall on our roof. The dog next door looks up at the trees when he comes out and barks at the squirrels. Luckily, Dolly has not seen a squirrel or figured out what is causing the noise.
Our last show was tonight at 7 pm - Ozark Mountain Jubilee. It was a family singing group - the Max Bacons (Dad, Mom, 3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and a couple of songs by grandkids) - and a band. The pianist was the “announcer” and goof-ball / comic relief. It was another very enjoyable couple of hours.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Oct 9th to 11th - Branson, MO
Oct 9th - Tues - to Branson, MO
Another beautiful sunny day for driving to Branson. We stopped at a visitor info site in Nevada (with a long “a”) not far across the border in Missouri. They gave us the usual books & pamphlets and then told us that the local radio station had show tickets for sale at very low prices. They are given the tickets in exchange for advertising and then have a auction on Friday evenings. You can then go and buy tickets at the highest auction bid price. Of course this was a small town and the radio station was downtown on narrow streets so Terry was nearly ready to bag it when we found the station and a place to park. We ended up with 6 shows - no big names - for $90. Most of the shows were normally $25 to $35 per person.
Stopped at grocery store just out of Springfield and then started calling the RV parks in the PA book. To our surprise and dismay, Sept & Oct are busy months here and places were full. We found one PA park that could give us a space for Wed, Thurs & Fri and then said they could put us in a pull through (normally reserved for very long rigs) tonight. So even though we would have to move and also wanted Saturday, we said fine. By the time we got to the park I realized that one show was only on Sunday night so we would need Sunday as well. When Terry went to register, the owner said she had switched some rigs around and could give us a spot through Sunday. At $15 per night we were happy!
When we were setting up, the large slide started to go out crooked. Thanks to friends having this problem, Terry knew what to look for (missing bolt) and thanks to a neighbor with a box of misc parts, he was able to replace the bolt and all is well.
Oct 10th - Wed - Branson, MO
Branson is set in/on hills with a lot of trees - quite pretty. We waited until our new site was vacated and then moved before exploring a bit and finding the theaters for our shows.
We went to a show called “Comedy Jamboree” this afternoon. A variety type show with dancers, singers and comedy. The pianist in the band was incredible. They were filming the show and showing it on two large screens at the same time. The pianist’s hands were moving so fast that they blurred on the screen.
There was an group of 3 men playing guitars & drums and singing in the covered picnic area in the RV park so we walked over and listened to them for a while.
We are parked in the trees and one of the trees is a hazelnut tree. So we get nuts hitting the roof. We will have to sweep the slides before we leave.
Oct 11th - Thurs - Branson
Cooled down a bit today but still sunny. We went to the “Buck Trent Morning Show” at 9:30 today. He is a banjo/guitar player who has played for 50 years with various artists including Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark and on shows such as Hee Haw. There was a band (of course), 2 excellent fiddle players and a guitar player who sang a lot. After asking the audience about birthdays and anniversaries, they played Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago (Somewhere My Love) that was absolutely wonderful. The entire cast sang on some songs and they had to throw in some jokes and one-liners. Very enjoyable. The shows yesterday and today were both 2 hours with a 15 minute intermissions so they could sell some CDs.
Drove around some and had lunch before going to another show at 2. It was “Island Fire” and not country at all. It was a group of 14 dancers from Samoa who performed Polynesian dances. There were also a couple of guys who twirled flaming torches. The male dancers had amazing energy and speed while the women performed traditional “Hawaiian”, graceful dances with storytelling hands and swivel hips.
Another beautiful sunny day for driving to Branson. We stopped at a visitor info site in Nevada (with a long “a”) not far across the border in Missouri. They gave us the usual books & pamphlets and then told us that the local radio station had show tickets for sale at very low prices. They are given the tickets in exchange for advertising and then have a auction on Friday evenings. You can then go and buy tickets at the highest auction bid price. Of course this was a small town and the radio station was downtown on narrow streets so Terry was nearly ready to bag it when we found the station and a place to park. We ended up with 6 shows - no big names - for $90. Most of the shows were normally $25 to $35 per person.
Stopped at grocery store just out of Springfield and then started calling the RV parks in the PA book. To our surprise and dismay, Sept & Oct are busy months here and places were full. We found one PA park that could give us a space for Wed, Thurs & Fri and then said they could put us in a pull through (normally reserved for very long rigs) tonight. So even though we would have to move and also wanted Saturday, we said fine. By the time we got to the park I realized that one show was only on Sunday night so we would need Sunday as well. When Terry went to register, the owner said she had switched some rigs around and could give us a spot through Sunday. At $15 per night we were happy!
When we were setting up, the large slide started to go out crooked. Thanks to friends having this problem, Terry knew what to look for (missing bolt) and thanks to a neighbor with a box of misc parts, he was able to replace the bolt and all is well.
Oct 10th - Wed - Branson, MO
Branson is set in/on hills with a lot of trees - quite pretty. We waited until our new site was vacated and then moved before exploring a bit and finding the theaters for our shows.
We went to a show called “Comedy Jamboree” this afternoon. A variety type show with dancers, singers and comedy. The pianist in the band was incredible. They were filming the show and showing it on two large screens at the same time. The pianist’s hands were moving so fast that they blurred on the screen.
There was an group of 3 men playing guitars & drums and singing in the covered picnic area in the RV park so we walked over and listened to them for a while.
We are parked in the trees and one of the trees is a hazelnut tree. So we get nuts hitting the roof. We will have to sweep the slides before we leave.
Oct 11th - Thurs - Branson
Cooled down a bit today but still sunny. We went to the “Buck Trent Morning Show” at 9:30 today. He is a banjo/guitar player who has played for 50 years with various artists including Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark and on shows such as Hee Haw. There was a band (of course), 2 excellent fiddle players and a guitar player who sang a lot. After asking the audience about birthdays and anniversaries, they played Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago (Somewhere My Love) that was absolutely wonderful. The entire cast sang on some songs and they had to throw in some jokes and one-liners. Very enjoyable. The shows yesterday and today were both 2 hours with a 15 minute intermissions so they could sell some CDs.
Drove around some and had lunch before going to another show at 2. It was “Island Fire” and not country at all. It was a group of 14 dancers from Samoa who performed Polynesian dances. There were also a couple of guys who twirled flaming torches. The male dancers had amazing energy and speed while the women performed traditional “Hawaiian”, graceful dances with storytelling hands and swivel hips.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Oct 6th to 8th - IA, NE, KS!!
Oct 6th - Sat - Emmetsburg, Iowa
On to the Spam Museum at Austin, MN. It was a fun stop and we had to buy a couple of cans of Spam at the gift shop as it has been so long since we have eaten any. There was more information in the museum than we had time to read - very well done and a worthwhile stop for anyone.
Then we finally headed to Iowa as we had intended to since we left South Dakota. We found out why one of the state’s nicknames is “The Corn State”. There are miles of corn fields, most not yet combined.
We went to the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, IA. It is a “shrine” constructed of rocks, petrified wood, crystals and semi-precious stones. It was one man’s vision and was built by him and 2 friends. Since we are not church-goers, we did not relate to the religious aspects of the Grotto but you can still appreciate the immense task.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the Grotto so we were looking for a place to stay. And what should appear in our path but another casino - with an RV park for $15 a night. Seemed like fate! It was so warm when we set up that we both put shorts on and turned on the air conditioner. A bit of gambling when we went to register and then drinks & dinner.
Oct 7th - Sun - Beatrice, Nebraska
Another huge rain storm last night but dry and hot this morning.
We had a food coupon for the buffet at the casino so we had breakfast before we left. And then we drove south - imagine! Lots of corn fields here too. We ended up in Beatrice, NE at a great park that is owned by the city. It has a 20 site RV park with full hookups, a huge covered barbeque/picnic area, an 18 “hole” disc golf course, paved trails and acres of mowed grass. We spoke with a couple who were “golfing” and the guy gave us a quick lesson which was very interesting. We will put this spot in our file for a return visit.
About 9 the lighting and thunder started and once again a downpour of rain. At least the days are nice.
Oct 8th - Mon - Lyndon, Kansas
We visited the Homestead National Monument just out of Beatrice this morning. It is a new building that has the residents of Kansas complaining about the cost. It has well done displays about every facet of homesteading but really not much that we have not seen in other forms in other places.
We are really moving through the states. We left the corn fields for a while but then got into them again as we got a little further south. A lot more trees and hills than in the parts of Iowa & Nebraska that we saw. We went through Lincoln on freeways to Lyndon about 22 miles south of Lincoln. It is a nice PA park. We have been surprised by the number of long-term residents in RV parks lately. In Beatrice, there were a lot of people working on a pipeline.
Arrived here mid afternoon so had time to give Terry a haircut and do some laundry. Also spent quite a bit of time digging around the internet since we have wifi at the site.
On to the Spam Museum at Austin, MN. It was a fun stop and we had to buy a couple of cans of Spam at the gift shop as it has been so long since we have eaten any. There was more information in the museum than we had time to read - very well done and a worthwhile stop for anyone.
Then we finally headed to Iowa as we had intended to since we left South Dakota. We found out why one of the state’s nicknames is “The Corn State”. There are miles of corn fields, most not yet combined.
We went to the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, IA. It is a “shrine” constructed of rocks, petrified wood, crystals and semi-precious stones. It was one man’s vision and was built by him and 2 friends. Since we are not church-goers, we did not relate to the religious aspects of the Grotto but you can still appreciate the immense task.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the Grotto so we were looking for a place to stay. And what should appear in our path but another casino - with an RV park for $15 a night. Seemed like fate! It was so warm when we set up that we both put shorts on and turned on the air conditioner. A bit of gambling when we went to register and then drinks & dinner.
Oct 7th - Sun - Beatrice, Nebraska
Another huge rain storm last night but dry and hot this morning.
We had a food coupon for the buffet at the casino so we had breakfast before we left. And then we drove south - imagine! Lots of corn fields here too. We ended up in Beatrice, NE at a great park that is owned by the city. It has a 20 site RV park with full hookups, a huge covered barbeque/picnic area, an 18 “hole” disc golf course, paved trails and acres of mowed grass. We spoke with a couple who were “golfing” and the guy gave us a quick lesson which was very interesting. We will put this spot in our file for a return visit.
About 9 the lighting and thunder started and once again a downpour of rain. At least the days are nice.
Oct 8th - Mon - Lyndon, Kansas
We visited the Homestead National Monument just out of Beatrice this morning. It is a new building that has the residents of Kansas complaining about the cost. It has well done displays about every facet of homesteading but really not much that we have not seen in other forms in other places.
We are really moving through the states. We left the corn fields for a while but then got into them again as we got a little further south. A lot more trees and hills than in the parts of Iowa & Nebraska that we saw. We went through Lincoln on freeways to Lyndon about 22 miles south of Lincoln. It is a nice PA park. We have been surprised by the number of long-term residents in RV parks lately. In Beatrice, there were a lot of people working on a pipeline.
Arrived here mid afternoon so had time to give Terry a haircut and do some laundry. Also spent quite a bit of time digging around the internet since we have wifi at the site.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Oct 4th & 5th - Mystic Lake, MN
Oct 4th - Thurs - Mystic Lake, MN
I updated the blog while we waited (hopefully) for the rush hour traffic to clear out so we could go to the Mall of America. It is in Bloomington which is a southern portion of Minneapolis. Wanda took us directly there on a route that did not occur to us when we looked at a map. We wandered, went to the aquarium, had lunch - and bought nothing except lunch!
We made use of the lovely, warm, sunny weather (79 degrees) by washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and washing the truck in a car wash in the RV park. Then, what else could we do but visit the casino.
It is a huge casino. It seems even larger because it has been added on to over the years so it is kind of broken up and confusing inside. We weren’t doing too well so we headed for the exit. Only problem was, we couldn’t find the right exit. On the way across the casino to the right spot, Terry spotted some slot machines that he likes but hadn’t seen earlier. Luckily he tried one, and then another and I ended up dragging him out just after 9 as I was starving - but he was still winning.
A forecast rainstorm hit at midnight just as we were trying to go to sleep. Lightning, thunder and torrential rains made for a very broken night’s sleep. Dolly barks at thunder so that added to the disturbance. The storm lasted on & off all night and we saw lots of flood watches when we turned on the morning news.
Oct 5th - Fri - Mystic Lake
Terry thought yesterday morning that we should stay another night so we wouldn’t be packing up in a rainstorm - good decision as the rain did not stop for good until late morning Also, it gave me a chance to finish putting comments on a lot of pictures and get them loaded to the internet. It is a very time consuming process which took longer when I answered email and read other blogs first. But all our pictures are posted now and I hope not to get so far behind in the future.
Terry said he would “get out of my hair” this morning and went to the casino while I was on the computer. Talk about a flimsy excuse to go to the casino! He was back about 12:30 which meant he didn’t do well. Spent the amount we were ahead from yesterday. I rustled up some lunch and then we found a grocery store. The roast in the crock pot needed a couple more hours so we visited the casino again. And again, didn’t do so well until suddenly Terry hit on a couple of machines and we came out ahead again.
By the time I made potatoes, carrots and gravy to go with the roast, we were eating after 9 o’clock again. And now Terry is napping on the couch while I do the blog. What a domestic scene!
I updated the blog while we waited (hopefully) for the rush hour traffic to clear out so we could go to the Mall of America. It is in Bloomington which is a southern portion of Minneapolis. Wanda took us directly there on a route that did not occur to us when we looked at a map. We wandered, went to the aquarium, had lunch - and bought nothing except lunch!
We made use of the lovely, warm, sunny weather (79 degrees) by washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and washing the truck in a car wash in the RV park. Then, what else could we do but visit the casino.
It is a huge casino. It seems even larger because it has been added on to over the years so it is kind of broken up and confusing inside. We weren’t doing too well so we headed for the exit. Only problem was, we couldn’t find the right exit. On the way across the casino to the right spot, Terry spotted some slot machines that he likes but hadn’t seen earlier. Luckily he tried one, and then another and I ended up dragging him out just after 9 as I was starving - but he was still winning.
A forecast rainstorm hit at midnight just as we were trying to go to sleep. Lightning, thunder and torrential rains made for a very broken night’s sleep. Dolly barks at thunder so that added to the disturbance. The storm lasted on & off all night and we saw lots of flood watches when we turned on the morning news.
Oct 5th - Fri - Mystic Lake
Terry thought yesterday morning that we should stay another night so we wouldn’t be packing up in a rainstorm - good decision as the rain did not stop for good until late morning Also, it gave me a chance to finish putting comments on a lot of pictures and get them loaded to the internet. It is a very time consuming process which took longer when I answered email and read other blogs first. But all our pictures are posted now and I hope not to get so far behind in the future.
Terry said he would “get out of my hair” this morning and went to the casino while I was on the computer. Talk about a flimsy excuse to go to the casino! He was back about 12:30 which meant he didn’t do well. Spent the amount we were ahead from yesterday. I rustled up some lunch and then we found a grocery store. The roast in the crock pot needed a couple more hours so we visited the casino again. And again, didn’t do so well until suddenly Terry hit on a couple of machines and we came out ahead again.
By the time I made potatoes, carrots and gravy to go with the roast, we were eating after 9 o’clock again. And now Terry is napping on the couch while I do the blog. What a domestic scene!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Sept 29th to Oct 3rd - SD, Minnesota
Sept 29th - Sat - Hermosa
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………
Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.
Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.
Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!
Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………
Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.
Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.
Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!
Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.
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