Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, May 3, 2010
Who Says Nebraska is Boring??????
Well, let me tell you. Things here are just a hoppin! Our rig is parked at Nan's nephew's farmette about 12 miles from town. We go about 1 or 2x a week to pet her and let her know she isn't being abandoned. She did show a bit of ire a few times. We couldn't get the generator to run. Then we found that the refrigerator wasn't working. I finally got the generator running by plugging her in to the garage about
50' away. The refrigerator was just a bit of ornriness cause when I turned it off and then back on, she is working fine. She just doesn't like to be left too long alone. We also go to Nebraska City 1 or 2x a week. It is 20 miles north of town. An exciting time shopping in the big city! Another really exciting time was watching a moma cardinal have her babies. 3 of them. I was surprised when she took them to the next yard about 50' from her current nest. The little one's were a trip to watch jumping out of the nest and follow her across the yard. They didn't even have feathers on their wings yet! They beat their little wings and hopped along in the grass, which was no easy task since the grass was taller than they were! One of them came across a large bush and didn't know what to do. Momma kept trying to get him to go around, but he was so confused, he decided to go thru the middle of it. Momma had a hard time trying to get him out and go the rest of the way, but after a few hours, he finally decided to follow momma. It was quite interesting. Took him all day to get to his destination. Now we have a momma robin on the front porch with 3 eggs. We check on them every day to find out when they hatch. So far, nothing. But we are expecting little ones soon. Next week, we go to Lincoln. It's a large town in the middle of Nebraska. Said to be quite exotic! Nan is going to the dermatologist to have the skin tags removed from her eyelids. She is somewhat nervous about it, but being able to go to Lincoln makes up for the apprehension. Her mom is doing great, being the big winner in our continuing competition of Skip-Bo. So far, we are doing just fine. Her sister and brother-in-law will be back on the 12th and we will be excited to get back to our Thelma. We'll stay a few days then head to Michigan. I have registered to play in a pickleball tournament in Kalamazoo. It is only a one day tournament, but am looking forward to some activity!!! We'll visit a college friend of mine and then go to my sisters place in Pinckney for the rest of the summer. There are a number of places to play in the area, so i'm looking forward to playing a lot of pickleball. I'm also excited to play in the Michigan Senior Olympics with my brother! That should be a really fun time. He is, after all, perfect!! And a pretty awesome athlete!!
Sooo, have to go and do something. I just don't know what yet! I guess watching grass grow could be a local activity. I'll have to check to see if there is a club for that here!
Hope you all are doing well. Have a fantastic summer. We'll be back!!
50' away. The refrigerator was just a bit of ornriness cause when I turned it off and then back on, she is working fine. She just doesn't like to be left too long alone. We also go to Nebraska City 1 or 2x a week. It is 20 miles north of town. An exciting time shopping in the big city! Another really exciting time was watching a moma cardinal have her babies. 3 of them. I was surprised when she took them to the next yard about 50' from her current nest. The little one's were a trip to watch jumping out of the nest and follow her across the yard. They didn't even have feathers on their wings yet! They beat their little wings and hopped along in the grass, which was no easy task since the grass was taller than they were! One of them came across a large bush and didn't know what to do. Momma kept trying to get him to go around, but he was so confused, he decided to go thru the middle of it. Momma had a hard time trying to get him out and go the rest of the way, but after a few hours, he finally decided to follow momma. It was quite interesting. Took him all day to get to his destination. Now we have a momma robin on the front porch with 3 eggs. We check on them every day to find out when they hatch. So far, nothing. But we are expecting little ones soon. Next week, we go to Lincoln. It's a large town in the middle of Nebraska. Said to be quite exotic! Nan is going to the dermatologist to have the skin tags removed from her eyelids. She is somewhat nervous about it, but being able to go to Lincoln makes up for the apprehension. Her mom is doing great, being the big winner in our continuing competition of Skip-Bo. So far, we are doing just fine. Her sister and brother-in-law will be back on the 12th and we will be excited to get back to our Thelma. We'll stay a few days then head to Michigan. I have registered to play in a pickleball tournament in Kalamazoo. It is only a one day tournament, but am looking forward to some activity!!! We'll visit a college friend of mine and then go to my sisters place in Pinckney for the rest of the summer. There are a number of places to play in the area, so i'm looking forward to playing a lot of pickleball. I'm also excited to play in the Michigan Senior Olympics with my brother! That should be a really fun time. He is, after all, perfect!! And a pretty awesome athlete!!
Sooo, have to go and do something. I just don't know what yet! I guess watching grass grow could be a local activity. I'll have to check to see if there is a club for that here!
Hope you all are doing well. Have a fantastic summer. We'll be back!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Weeee're Baaaaack....or should i say We Left?
We are back on the road! After getting last minute things done to the rig and making sure Nan's eye was on it's way to healing, we left the park in AJ on the 26th of March. We headed to Las Cruces to visit our good friends SueLyn and Jayne along with Sharon and Vicky. We had a very short but great visit. We owe our life on the road to SueLyn and Jayne. They got us so envious of them, we just couldn't stand it anymore and up and followed them into the life of a fulltimer. They are no longer on the road be we maintain a great friendship and always enjoy our visits with them. We left Las Cruces and headed to Katie and Nan's in Bastrop, TX. They are always fun to see. We missed them at the park this winter, so we decided to make a stop on our way to Nebraska to see what they were up to. We were treated with Katie's special macaroni and cheese bake. It was fantastic as always. We were sorry we couldn't have stayed longer. When we left there, we stopped at Fort Worth, TX to have our exhaust brake looked at. They weren't able to do anything for us, but a serviceman told me how to try some things to see if they would work. The brake was sticking and when i used the pac brake it wouldn't release. so we had to slow all the way down and stop before it would release. He told us we could drive without any problems, just don't use it!! oh well, we got here just fine. I figured out how to release it with the brake pedal, but it will have to be fixed before we head back west.
Nan's eye is healing very well. She has had problems in the past with internal stitches and some of them are popping out. We are in the process of pulling them out with tweezers! But she is fine and doing well. Nebraska is as it always is. Green. The town nan is from is very tiny and there isn't much to do here. our rig is parked about 15 miles from town at her nephew's little farmlet. We go out there once in a while to pet our stuff!! Dang, i sure miss my stuff. I've been going to the wellness center and working out on the weights and treadmill and elliptical machine. carol, nan's sister, has an exercise bike at the house, so i use that when I'm here. nan has already made a run to the casino with her mom. Corkie, Nan's mom, loves the casino and loves it when Nan comes home so she can take her. she also loves to go to Walmart, so we've been to Nebraska city to go to the Walmart. It's about 20 miles north of here. That's the closest town. we'll be here until the 15th or 16th of may then we'll be heading to michigan. this is a family summer and we'll be spending most of the summer in Michigan with my family. I've already scheduled a bunch of pickleball tournaments. I'm hoping i can get my sister interested in playing and talking my brother into playing mixed doubles with me. it should be fun. there is also a place not far from my sisters place in Pinckney, MI where they play on outdoor courts. I'm looking forward to playing while i'm there. it will be the first time I'll have a chance to play pb during the summer. Well, I'm sorry this took so long to get started, but you know, things just get in the way sometime. Hope all of you have a great summer. be safe, and be well.
will update as something happens!!!
Nan's eye is healing very well. She has had problems in the past with internal stitches and some of them are popping out. We are in the process of pulling them out with tweezers! But she is fine and doing well. Nebraska is as it always is. Green. The town nan is from is very tiny and there isn't much to do here. our rig is parked about 15 miles from town at her nephew's little farmlet. We go out there once in a while to pet our stuff!! Dang, i sure miss my stuff. I've been going to the wellness center and working out on the weights and treadmill and elliptical machine. carol, nan's sister, has an exercise bike at the house, so i use that when I'm here. nan has already made a run to the casino with her mom. Corkie, Nan's mom, loves the casino and loves it when Nan comes home so she can take her. she also loves to go to Walmart, so we've been to Nebraska city to go to the Walmart. It's about 20 miles north of here. That's the closest town. we'll be here until the 15th or 16th of may then we'll be heading to michigan. this is a family summer and we'll be spending most of the summer in Michigan with my family. I've already scheduled a bunch of pickleball tournaments. I'm hoping i can get my sister interested in playing and talking my brother into playing mixed doubles with me. it should be fun. there is also a place not far from my sisters place in Pinckney, MI where they play on outdoor courts. I'm looking forward to playing while i'm there. it will be the first time I'll have a chance to play pb during the summer. Well, I'm sorry this took so long to get started, but you know, things just get in the way sometime. Hope all of you have a great summer. be safe, and be well.
will update as something happens!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
OMG!!! WHERE ARE WE NOW????
August 20, 2009
Today is the 19th of August. Where have we been since last i posted???? dang, trying to remember. Well, we found a campground right at the entrance to the island and decided to splurge and stay there. There were only 6 other rigs in the campground, and it was the 4th of July weekend!!!! Don't know where everyone was, but it was great! We spent 3 days there, and went all over Bar Harbor. The drive up Cadillac Mtn was really pretty. It did rain the whole time we were there, except for a few hours. When we got to the top of the mtn, we were able to take pics of the harbor before the fog rolled in around us. I took a video and you could watch the fog come in all around. Was pretty neat. Not the rain however. We had a few hours to walk around town, and that was on July 4th. We just happened to catch the last bus back to the campground until after the fireworks. We didn't want to leave trav alone during fireworks,so we headed back to the cg. We had planned on going thru Canada on our way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to meet my family, but it was so cold and rainy, we decided to hunt for sun. We headed south along the coast and came to the mother of all outlet malls!!! Just north of Portland in Kittery, ME. The whole town is nothing but outlet stores! We spent about an hour going thru Cabella's and a few others, then took off cause it was raining. Headed south and west toward a COE park where we stayed before. Had a great site and loved every minute of it. We stopped again at the casino Nan played at on our trip out and lost again, but she did enjoy herself and that's the main thing. Off to another COE park. Many of the parks were half full because of all the rain which was a good thing for us because we didn't make any reservations and were able to get some prime spots just as walk-ins. One of the parks, St. Ives Run, in PA was just fantastic. Our spot was right on the water and it was a huge spot. We did some investigating in the area and had a great time seeing all the ..........GREEN!!!!! 
A small town just south of there had some very interesting decorations along the main drag.....Lots of back roads and beautiful areas. Our next stop was at a small COE in PA called East Branch Lake. 
It's a very little known campground that is away from it all. The first nite, I awoke smelling something aweful. I thought Nan was in a very bad way with the gas department. Went into the front to sleep and looked out the windows. Couldn't see anything, and I mean ANYTHING! It was pitch black. The next morning, Trav was out behind the rig and I was walking with him. Color me surprised when I almost stepped in BEAR SHIT! Now I know, a bear DOES shit in the woods! Up went my antennae and it was now time to hunt for bear. The ranger at the park took a shining to us and offered to take us over the damn (which was closed to the public) and into the tower that controlled the gates and into the out-run. It was really interesting and we enjoyed her and our private tour!! She also told us about a mother bear with 2 cubs in a state park about 3/4 of a mile away. So, in the car we went to find out wil
dlife!! YES!! we found her and her cubs!! They weren't any bigger than Trav and were so cute and full of fun and games. We watched for a while and the Ranger came by a couple of times to see if we'd seen anything. He was in charge of keepin mama and babies OUT of the dumpsters!! He and mama had this game they played every nite
. How soon could mama get into a dumpster before the ranger caught her and her kids. It was quite a fun time to watch. We talked at length to the ranger and he told us it was a daily ragime with her and him. It was quite exciting to see the kids so young and precocious and full of fun. We eventually had to leave this little part of heaven and head to the next piece of paradise. We headed to another COE in Ohio. It was the first COE park we weren't all that excited about and only stayed a few days. Still raining, so we headed up to Michigan to visit my family in the Detroit area. My sister and her husband have a place in Pinckney, MI. They have 15 acres, so we parked the rig there and stayed for about 3 weeks while we visited all the kids and folks. We took advantage of the time there to do a few repairs on the rig. First, we took up the floor and did some re-allignment so it would lay better. Fixed the air conditioner. Found that there was a duct that was never blocked off and went from the front of the rig to the back. It should have been blocked off at the kitched so the back conditioner did the bedroom and bathroom and the front air did only the front room. Now it works much much better and much more efficiently. We did some adjustments on the door, and various other little things to fix up. I have a brother (who is perfect!) and 2 sisters in the area (who are also pretty special!) My mom is also there and i was able to spend some time with them all. Nan was very welcomed and she had a pretty good time with them. While I was home last august, we all decided to get together at my sisters place in Paradise, MI. It's just this side of heaven!!! We also planned to celebrate my little bro's 50th bd!! I have another sister who isn't in the area and she flew home to be with all of us at the Paradise house. 
Margo's place is a little 3,000 sq ft "cabin"
right on 
Whitefish Bay. We watched the freighters come and go from Sault Ste. Marie past Whitefish Point into Lake Superior and on down to Lake Michigan and Chicago, etc. Except for the bugs! it was a fantastic time with my family and we hope to do it every year! 
While we were in the Detroit area, we decided to take advantage of the "Cash for Clunkers" deals and purchased a new car. You know, Nan has always wanted a car to match the rig and that looks good with the kayaks, so, we decided on silver (that's the only color they had of our list of requirements) instead of charcoal or black. We were very happy with the car and decided that it would work perfectly. This is the first year it is capable of being towed 4 down and we were happy to get something 1,000 lbs lighter and wayyyyy better gas mileage (28mpg). We were concerned that we weren't going to be able to get a tow plate put on it before we left and they made special arrangements so we could do that. However, at the last minute, they told us the part hadn't come in and it would be another week. DANG!!! We figured out a way to come back down with family after the week up north, and pick up the car and drive back to Paradise. It is a 6 hour drive, but I figured if Margo (sis) could do it EVERY weekend, I could do it in one day!! Well,we did it, but it took us about 8 hours. We do stop a lot, and don't go too fast. Especially since the wind was pretty stiff and the kayaks didn't want to stay put. We stopped about 4 times on the way to re-adjust them, then got to a wal-mart and bought tie-downs and strapped those suckers down so well, they'll NEVER come off without taking about an hour to undo all the straps!!!! Anyway, we made it! Oh, guess i should tell you what the car is........FORD ESCAPE XLT!!! We really like it. Got the 4 cyl automatic. Rides great! We arrived at Paradise and it was fantastically clear. We could see the windmills all along the Canadian Coast across the bay. The stars were magnificent! With all the rain, it's been a while since we were able to see so many. It was breathtaking. I stood outside just staring at the stars at about 2am. What a site! We left Paradise, after making sure everything worked with the car and rig, (which was a bit frustrating in that the wiring was wrong and
our left blinker on the car co-insided with the right blinker on the rig! Try and follow THAT down the road!!) and headed west again. We went by the Upper Falls of Taquamanon State Park and naturally had to stop!! The falls are root beer colored from the tannin in the water. It is from the iron from all the iron mining in the upper peninsula. Makes for beautiful waterfalls tho!! When we got to Munising, we stopped at the parking lot for the Munising Falls and Nan and I re-wired the car and got it working correctly. We found a campground right on the water in Munising, MI. We had been here on our last trip thru he
re in 2002, but wanted to be on 
the water one more 
time. So we stopped for a couple of days and took the cruise out to Pictured Rocks National Seashore. 
It was very very pretty. And it was really calm, thank goddess! The day was overcast so it made for some pretty cool pics. Not washed out with the bright sunshine. And besides, it isn't like we aren't very used to rain by now!! When we got back, we sat on our chairs right about 4' from the shoreline. Had some coffee and just listened to the gentle waves and watched the water. Our last water til we stop at Lake Powell after the Huntsman games. Tomorrow we are headed to Rockford, IL to visit with Jennifer and Sherri. We'll stay there a few days then head to NE to see Nan's family. After that, we head to Colorado for Dr.'s appts and on to St. George. I just hope I'll be able to play, it's been a terrific, but lazy, summer and I'm not in very good shape. So I'll kill myself the week before the Huntsman and be exhausted by the time I play in the tournament! What a plan! Something about it just doesn't seem right! Hmmmmmmmm. Anyway, we have had a fantastic summer and we have enjoyed each other every day. Oh, by the way, Trav finally went into the water tonite! The first time in all the times we were right on the water! What a brave little boy he's becoming.....NOT!!!!!!!!!
Well, family and friends, we will be back in Arizona before we know it. Seems like it has all been a dream, but a really, really terrific one.
We'll talk to all of you again as we go along. Take care and HUGS from all of us!
A small town just south of there had some very interesting decorations along the main drag.....Lots of back roads and beautiful areas. Our next stop was at a small COE in PA called East Branch Lake. 
It's a very little known campground that is away from it all. The first nite, I awoke smelling something aweful. I thought Nan was in a very bad way with the gas department. Went into the front to sleep and looked out the windows. Couldn't see anything, and I mean ANYTHING! It was pitch black. The next morning, Trav was out behind the rig and I was walking with him. Color me surprised when I almost stepped in BEAR SHIT! Now I know, a bear DOES shit in the woods! Up went my antennae and it was now time to hunt for bear. The ranger at the park took a shining to us and offered to take us over the damn (which was closed to the public) and into the tower that controlled the gates and into the out-run. It was really interesting and we enjoyed her and our private tour!! She also told us about a mother bear with 2 cubs in a state park about 3/4 of a mile away. So, in the car we went to find out wil
dlife!! YES!! we found her and her cubs!! They weren't any bigger than Trav and were so cute and full of fun and games. We watched for a while and the Ranger came by a couple of times to see if we'd seen anything. He was in charge of keepin mama and babies OUT of the dumpsters!! He and mama had this game they played every nite
. How soon could mama get into a dumpster before the ranger caught her and her kids. It was quite a fun time to watch. We talked at length to the ranger and he told us it was a daily ragime with her and him. It was quite exciting to see the kids so young and precocious and full of fun. We eventually had to leave this little part of heaven and head to the next piece of paradise. We headed to another COE in Ohio. It was the first COE park we weren't all that excited about and only stayed a few days. Still raining, so we headed up to Michigan to visit my family in the Detroit area. My sister and her husband have a place in Pinckney, MI. They have 15 acres, so we parked the rig there and stayed for about 3 weeks while we visited all the kids and folks. We took advantage of the time there to do a few repairs on the rig. First, we took up the floor and did some re-allignment so it would lay better. Fixed the air conditioner. Found that there was a duct that was never blocked off and went from the front of the rig to the back. It should have been blocked off at the kitched so the back conditioner did the bedroom and bathroom and the front air did only the front room. Now it works much much better and much more efficiently. We did some adjustments on the door, and various other little things to fix up. I have a brother (who is perfect!) and 2 sisters in the area (who are also pretty special!) My mom is also there and i was able to spend some time with them all. Nan was very welcomed and she had a pretty good time with them. While I was home last august, we all decided to get together at my sisters place in Paradise, MI. It's just this side of heaven!!! We also planned to celebrate my little bro's 50th bd!! I have another sister who isn't in the area and she flew home to be with all of us at the Paradise house. 
Margo's place is a little 3,000 sq ft "cabin"
right on 
Whitefish Bay. We watched the freighters come and go from Sault Ste. Marie past Whitefish Point into Lake Superior and on down to Lake Michigan and Chicago, etc. Except for the bugs! it was a fantastic time with my family and we hope to do it every year! 
While we were in the Detroit area, we decided to take advantage of the "Cash for Clunkers" deals and purchased a new car. You know, Nan has always wanted a car to match the rig and that looks good with the kayaks, so, we decided on silver (that's the only color they had of our list of requirements) instead of charcoal or black. We were very happy with the car and decided that it would work perfectly. This is the first year it is capable of being towed 4 down and we were happy to get something 1,000 lbs lighter and wayyyyy better gas mileage (28mpg). We were concerned that we weren't going to be able to get a tow plate put on it before we left and they made special arrangements so we could do that. However, at the last minute, they told us the part hadn't come in and it would be another week. DANG!!! We figured out a way to come back down with family after the week up north, and pick up the car and drive back to Paradise. It is a 6 hour drive, but I figured if Margo (sis) could do it EVERY weekend, I could do it in one day!! Well,we did it, but it took us about 8 hours. We do stop a lot, and don't go too fast. Especially since the wind was pretty stiff and the kayaks didn't want to stay put. We stopped about 4 times on the way to re-adjust them, then got to a wal-mart and bought tie-downs and strapped those suckers down so well, they'll NEVER come off without taking about an hour to undo all the straps!!!! Anyway, we made it! Oh, guess i should tell you what the car is........FORD ESCAPE XLT!!! We really like it. Got the 4 cyl automatic. Rides great! We arrived at Paradise and it was fantastically clear. We could see the windmills all along the Canadian Coast across the bay. The stars were magnificent! With all the rain, it's been a while since we were able to see so many. It was breathtaking. I stood outside just staring at the stars at about 2am. What a site! We left Paradise, after making sure everything worked with the car and rig, (which was a bit frustrating in that the wiring was wrong and
our left blinker on the car co-insided with the right blinker on the rig! Try and follow THAT down the road!!) and headed west again. We went by the Upper Falls of Taquamanon State Park and naturally had to stop!! The falls are root beer colored from the tannin in the water. It is from the iron from all the iron mining in the upper peninsula. Makes for beautiful waterfalls tho!! When we got to Munising, we stopped at the parking lot for the Munising Falls and Nan and I re-wired the car and got it working correctly. We found a campground right on the water in Munising, MI. We had been here on our last trip thru he
re in 2002, but wanted to be on 
the water one more 
time. So we stopped for a couple of days and took the cruise out to Pictured Rocks National Seashore. 
It was very very pretty. And it was really calm, thank goddess! The day was overcast so it made for some pretty cool pics. Not washed out with the bright sunshine. And besides, it isn't like we aren't very used to rain by now!! When we got back, we sat on our chairs right about 4' from the shoreline. Had some coffee and just listened to the gentle waves and watched the water. Our last water til we stop at Lake Powell after the Huntsman games. Tomorrow we are headed to Rockford, IL to visit with Jennifer and Sherri. We'll stay there a few days then head to NE to see Nan's family. After that, we head to Colorado for Dr.'s appts and on to St. George. I just hope I'll be able to play, it's been a terrific, but lazy, summer and I'm not in very good shape. So I'll kill myself the week before the Huntsman and be exhausted by the time I play in the tournament! What a plan! Something about it just doesn't seem right! Hmmmmmmmm. Anyway, we have had a fantastic summer and we have enjoyed each other every day. Oh, by the way, Trav finally went into the water tonite! The first time in all the times we were right on the water! What a brave little boy he's becoming.....NOT!!!!!!!!! Well, family and friends, we will be back in Arizona before we know it. Seems like it has all been a dream, but a really, really terrific one.
We'll talk to all of you again as we go along. Take care and HUGS from all of us!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
What fun it is.....
6/13/09
left Tionesta and headed for Niagara Falls.
Went over the bridge and tried to find the casino. It wasn't in a very good part of town and the parking lot was fenced in. however, it was pretty full and Nan didn't want to try to stay there. So we headed back over the bridge, to a passport park on the island. It was interesting that on our way over the first time it was $3.00 with the car and rig. On the return over the bridge, it was $2.75. hmmmmmm, wonder if the bridge shrunk on the way back over!!!??? We decided that we just weren't very good tourists. We were impressed with the volume of water flowing, we were not impressed with the area. I guess we felt that they just weren't REAL waterfalls. Our idea of waterfalls were those that were in the midst of the forest and were surrounded by natural beauty and awe. Niagara was very very touristy and surrounded by industry and buildings and large population. It was good to see it, but our impressions were “been there, done that, don't need to go back”! Sorry, New Yorkers, we weren't blown away by this wonder of the world!
12' clearance on way to the falls, DUCK!!!! on our way to the falls, we found ourselves truckin under a 12' overpass, OMG! DUCK NAN! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, just made it. We had just measured the height of the rig a few days ago because we knew we were going to be around some low clearances. This one wasn't marked!! caught us by surprise. What we had measured was 12'3”. whew, somehow, either the clearance wasn't correctly marked, or we somehow measured wrong!! but we were again protected by MOM! My higher power!! She has taken care of us for years, and hasn't abandoned us on this trip.
6/14/09
Since we were not enthused with the area, we decided to head east again, and left Niagara falls. We headed to Finger Lakes and Seneca Falls. We intended to stay at a casino, but it wasn't there! We also thought that there was a passport park ½ way down the lake, so we headed to that, well, it was very small and not great, so we kept on going and ended up at our favorite cg, Wal-Mart in Ithaca, NY.
6/15/09
Nan was getting the itch, so we left the Wal-Mart and went to a casino that was just 35 miles south. It was in Tioga, NY. The casino was Tioga Downs. We got a bit lost and missed the driveway which I was sure said it was a racetrack. Nan said that NY was a state that allowed off track betting, so we thought there wasn't a regular casino there. I looked on my trusty map with casino's marked, and we decided to head to another casino back up north along the other side of Seneca Lake. Dang, on our way out of town, we passed a huge dome, a real casino, right alongside the racetrack!! turn around, go back, and found a HUGE parking area. We parked at the back of the lot, along some nicely own lawn and with not a single vehicle or anything anywhere within 500' of us. It was perfect! We stayed for a couple of days, that's all we could afford!!! but Nan had a great time (didn't pay for our trip) but next time!! and we had a really relaxing time. And it was sunny!!!!
6/17/09
We finished having fun and relaxing in the sun, on to the next place!! where was that???? we didn't know, so we started driving again. On our way, we found another COE park in Jamaica, VT. Well, my trusty mapping program got it wrong again. But just a little bit. I guess they have a lot of people come in and tell them their gps directions were way off. We went to where we thought the park was, and ended up on the top of a hill, at a dead end, at the dam for the lake. Oh what fun it is to try to turn around!! we disconnected the car and I sent Nan on a search for the cg. I got the rig turned around and headed after her. We finally found the cg and it was well worth the search. It was quite small but it was pretty nice. We had electric, but no phone service and no Internet! There was a very very large challenge to get to the campground. From the entrance, there was a road that was about 1 ½ lane road, making a sharp left had turn into the camp area. The bridge itself was slightly wider than the rig. We had about 6” on each side of the mirrors. SO, we attempted to swing wide, or as wide as the rock wall next to the road would let us, and turned sharp to get to the bridge without taking out either side of the rig. OK, back up, try again, ooops, that didn't work, how about this way? Nope that didn't work either. Out comes the old geezers to tell us how!! thank Mom, we backed up, went slightly past the bridge and turned sharp again, back up a bit, then go ahead, whew, finally, we got lined up and were able to get across. Dang, don't want to do that again. What was really interesting, it was a piece of cake getting out again!! ???? While here, we took drives into the Allegheny National Forrest. Back roads are us!! we loved it. One of the sights we found was little walls all along the roads, not necessarily in front of private property, they were hand placed boulders, for miles along gravel roads, slightly hidden by undergrowth. Huge homes tucked back into truly wilderness areas. What the hell did these people do for a living around here? No obvious commerce, no obvious large cities nearby, but very very ornate and large homes. hmmmmmm. Quite a dilema! The country surrounding the campground was gorgeous, we thoroughly enjoyed the drives and sights. One of the unique things we found on our wanderings was a large rock outcropping which someone, or many someone's, placed a large quantity of those little rock people, 3 rocks piled on top of each other. It was quite cute. There must have been more than a hundred of these little people all over the large boulders in this little area of boulders. That was quite the find.
6/23/09
Winhall Brook to Elmore state park. Headed out to visit Anne and Susan in Elmore, VT. On the way, we stopped at Ben and Jerry's headquarters. We did the tour and got free ice cream and then went and bought some more. It was pretty interesting to hear the process of how the business got started and that both of the guys who started it weren't even involved in the business anymore. They were off in the world of the rich and famous enjoying their windfall!! We met Anne and Susan there and then planned on meeting at Elmore State Park. After we got set up at the park, they stopped by and we set a plan to go kayaking at another state park nearby. The next morning, we got our stuff together and thanked Mom for the sun. Anne decided not to go, so Susan came by to pick us up. We went to this back country lake and found many other kayaks and canoers on the lake. It is a lake that is closed to any type of motored boats and left for only kayakers and canoers. It was fantastic, huge and many places to go to see all kinds of beautiful areas. Susan knew of a small island where it was marked off to protect the loons nesting areas. We went up to the edge of the marked off area and were able to observe a couple of loons hunting for food and sitting on nests.
left Tionesta and headed for Niagara Falls.
Went over the bridge and tried to find the casino. It wasn't in a very good part of town and the parking lot was fenced in. however, it was pretty full and Nan didn't want to try to stay there. So we headed back over the bridge, to a passport park on the island. It was interesting that on our way over the first time it was $3.00 with the car and rig. On the return over the bridge, it was $2.75. hmmmmmm, wonder if the bridge shrunk on the way back over!!!??? We decided that we just weren't very good tourists. We were impressed with the volume of water flowing, we were not impressed with the area. I guess we felt that they just weren't REAL waterfalls. Our idea of waterfalls were those that were in the midst of the forest and were surrounded by natural beauty and awe. Niagara was very very touristy and surrounded by industry and buildings and large population. It was good to see it, but our impressions were “been there, done that, don't need to go back”! Sorry, New Yorkers, we weren't blown away by this wonder of the world!
12' clearance on way to the falls, DUCK!!!! on our way to the falls, we found ourselves truckin under a 12' overpass, OMG! DUCK NAN! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, just made it. We had just measured the height of the rig a few days ago because we knew we were going to be around some low clearances. This one wasn't marked!! caught us by surprise. What we had measured was 12'3”. whew, somehow, either the clearance wasn't correctly marked, or we somehow measured wrong!! but we were again protected by MOM! My higher power!! She has taken care of us for years, and hasn't abandoned us on this trip.
6/14/09
Since we were not enthused with the area, we decided to head east again, and left Niagara falls. We headed to Finger Lakes and Seneca Falls. We intended to stay at a casino, but it wasn't there! We also thought that there was a passport park ½ way down the lake, so we headed to that, well, it was very small and not great, so we kept on going and ended up at our favorite cg, Wal-Mart in Ithaca, NY.
6/15/09
Nan was getting the itch, so we left the Wal-Mart and went to a casino that was just 35 miles south. It was in Tioga, NY. The casino was Tioga Downs. We got a bit lost and missed the driveway which I was sure said it was a racetrack. Nan said that NY was a state that allowed off track betting, so we thought there wasn't a regular casino there. I looked on my trusty map with casino's marked, and we decided to head to another casino back up north along the other side of Seneca Lake. Dang, on our way out of town, we passed a huge dome, a real casino, right alongside the racetrack!! turn around, go back, and found a HUGE parking area. We parked at the back of the lot, along some nicely own lawn and with not a single vehicle or anything anywhere within 500' of us. It was perfect! We stayed for a couple of days, that's all we could afford!!! but Nan had a great time (didn't pay for our trip) but next time!! and we had a really relaxing time. And it was sunny!!!!
6/17/09
We finished having fun and relaxing in the sun, on to the next place!! where was that???? we didn't know, so we started driving again. On our way, we found another COE park in Jamaica, VT. Well, my trusty mapping program got it wrong again. But just a little bit. I guess they have a lot of people come in and tell them their gps directions were way off. We went to where we thought the park was, and ended up on the top of a hill, at a dead end, at the dam for the lake. Oh what fun it is to try to turn around!! we disconnected the car and I sent Nan on a search for the cg. I got the rig turned around and headed after her. We finally found the cg and it was well worth the search. It was quite small but it was pretty nice. We had electric, but no phone service and no Internet! There was a very very large challenge to get to the campground. From the entrance, there was a road that was about 1 ½ lane road, making a sharp left had turn into the camp area. The bridge itself was slightly wider than the rig. We had about 6” on each side of the mirrors. SO, we attempted to swing wide, or as wide as the rock wall next to the road would let us, and turned sharp to get to the bridge without taking out either side of the rig. OK, back up, try again, ooops, that didn't work, how about this way? Nope that didn't work either. Out comes the old geezers to tell us how!! thank Mom, we backed up, went slightly past the bridge and turned sharp again, back up a bit, then go ahead, whew, finally, we got lined up and were able to get across. Dang, don't want to do that again. What was really interesting, it was a piece of cake getting out again!! ???? While here, we took drives into the Allegheny National Forrest. Back roads are us!! we loved it. One of the sights we found was little walls all along the roads, not necessarily in front of private property, they were hand placed boulders, for miles along gravel roads, slightly hidden by undergrowth. Huge homes tucked back into truly wilderness areas. What the hell did these people do for a living around here? No obvious commerce, no obvious large cities nearby, but very very ornate and large homes. hmmmmmm. Quite a dilema! The country surrounding the campground was gorgeous, we thoroughly enjoyed the drives and sights. One of the unique things we found on our wanderings was a large rock outcropping which someone, or many someone's, placed a large quantity of those little rock people, 3 rocks piled on top of each other. It was quite cute. There must have been more than a hundred of these little people all over the large boulders in this little area of boulders. That was quite the find.
6/23/09
Winhall Brook to Elmore state park. Headed out to visit Anne and Susan in Elmore, VT. On the way, we stopped at Ben and Jerry's headquarters. We did the tour and got free ice cream and then went and bought some more. It was pretty interesting to hear the process of how the business got started and that both of the guys who started it weren't even involved in the business anymore. They were off in the world of the rich and famous enjoying their windfall!! We met Anne and Susan there and then planned on meeting at Elmore State Park. After we got set up at the park, they stopped by and we set a plan to go kayaking at another state park nearby. The next morning, we got our stuff together and thanked Mom for the sun. Anne decided not to go, so Susan came by to pick us up. We went to this back country lake and found many other kayaks and canoers on the lake. It is a lake that is closed to any type of motored boats and left for only kayakers and canoers. It was fantastic, huge and many places to go to see all kinds of beautiful areas. Susan knew of a small island where it was marked off to protect the loons nesting areas. We went up to the edge of the marked off area and were able to observe a couple of loons hunting for food and sitting on nests.
They are wonderfully beautiful birds. We docked on a small island and had lunch and then headed out again for more paddling. It was a bit warm and I had a scarf on Trav's head to protect him from the sun. It was pretty cute. The paddle was a complete success and we had a terrific time. Later that day, we drove up to Trina and Susan's house way off the beaten path. What a fantastically beautiful place they have. Anne made a beautiful dinner and we had a great time with all of them. You don't get away with visiting Ann and Susan without playing the game of Sequence! We played 3 games and had a really fun time. Nan and I just enjoyed reading and sitting in the sun the following day, little knowing that we wouldn't see the sun for another couple of weeks! Actually, we have not seen the sun for more than about 10 days in the last 2 ½ months!!! Now we know why it is so green here! But enuff is enuff, and we decided to try to head out to find more sun.
6/27/09
We were having a difficult time with our door and it seemed to get worse. So I found an RV service place in auburn, me. They were also a certified repair place for the Allison transmissions. We had a gauge that wasn't working for the transmission temperature. I was getting a bit nervous, so decided to have it looked at. On our way to auburn, we drove thru the white mountain national forest. We drove the scenic byway called Kancamangus Hwy. This was really a beautiful drive. As we were driving, we decided to stop at a campground in the national forest for a day or 2. we didn't have to be in Auburn for another 4 days. We pulled in and there were HUGE spaces, and it was almost empty! We went for other drives and found some great gravel roads to follow and see the back country a bit.
6/27/09
We were having a difficult time with our door and it seemed to get worse. So I found an RV service place in auburn, me. They were also a certified repair place for the Allison transmissions. We had a gauge that wasn't working for the transmission temperature. I was getting a bit nervous, so decided to have it looked at. On our way to auburn, we drove thru the white mountain national forest. We drove the scenic byway called Kancamangus Hwy. This was really a beautiful drive. As we were driving, we decided to stop at a campground in the national forest for a day or 2. we didn't have to be in Auburn for another 4 days. We pulled in and there were HUGE spaces, and it was almost empty! We went for other drives and found some great gravel roads to follow and see the back country a bit.
which came first, the rock or the tree????MOOSE!!! where were the moose!! didn't find any as we drove around, but we weren't discouraged yet. I drove out at sunset to see if I could find any at some of the places we found during the earlier drive. Went to a prime moose spot and sat for about an hour and a half but no luck. Next day we took some other back roads and tried to keep dry, yes, it was still raining and it was a gully washer that didn't quit!! that evening I went out again to a different place to sit and wait. Didn't have to wait long, there was a truck sitting right in front of a sign that read “no parking or sitting”! He was parked and so I pulled up behind him a ways and sat for a bit. As I was getting ready to pull out, I was the rear end of a large moose crossing the road. I got out, in the rain, and grabbed my video camera. At least it wasn't raining so hard I couldn't see, as it was earlier. As I was looking to find where he went, I saw some cars pulling off the road about 100' up the road. Low and behold, there he was, in all his glory. Fabulous!! he was HUGE! A bull with a rack that was the largest I'd ever seen on any wall mounted moose. I sat down in the wet grass and watched and watched and took some pics. I couldn't quite get any stills because it was so dark, it wasn't quite sundown, but it was so overcast and the rain made it really hard to get many good stills. But my video was running!! it was great!! he started moving away and I followed along the road and he went to the area he first headed into from the other side of the road. He was very close and there were many people stopped to see. It was like Yellowstone and seeing a bear along the road. Anyway, he did his obligatory poses for the people, ate a bit, and then turned around and faded into the forest away from all the excitement!! ahhhhhhhhhh, it was terrific!! hopefully, I'll get to see another before we leave Maine!!
6/29/09
The rain was starting to get to us, so we decided to go ahead and head for the Wal-mart in auburn to get to the repair facility early the next morning. No let up of wet and we sat at WM and waited for tomorrow.
6/30/09
I had them check a few things on the rig and was hoping they would be able to fix the door and the temp gauge. They took the rig in and ran a diagnostic and found a sensor was bad. It was ordered and would be in the next day. They didn't have time to do the door, so they were going to wait for the sensor and do the door the next day at the same time. Well, yours truly got bored and decided to try the door again. I got brave and took off the outside frame. I was able to reach into the lower mechanism and found a bolt that could be tightened in order for the rod to pull a bit more and trigger the mechanism shorter. It worked!!! I fixed it myself!!! oh, how I love it when something works!!! so, all we had to do was wait for the sensor. What I didn't expect was that they charged to talk to them, and it ended up costing much more than we expected. But at least our minds were eased as to all of our concerns. It was still raining, and we were getting more and more frustrated. We took off headed east again.
7/1/09
we found a passport park near bar harbor and stopped to spend a few nites. The woman at the desk was quite the bitch!! she complained about passport members and how they didn't want to pay. She said she had 7 kids to feed!!! HA! Not our fault she had 7 kids, which I HIGHLY DOUBTED, didn't she know what caused that?? we didn't know why she even accepted passport if she felt so negatively about them. When we pulled into our spot, we saw there were only 6 other rigs in the whole place. My, my, wonder what her problem is? Isn't it better to get something than nothing!!!??? she was a pretty pissy rep of her slogan on her sign, “EVERYONE IS TREATED LIKE FAMILY”. Ha, wouldn't have stayed except we were tired of the rain and figured we'd get water, dump, and get Internet before we went to WM again to be a lower class citizen. We are going to leave the rig at WM for the day to go to Bar Harbor and see the island and the Acadia National Park. After we set up we took off to check out the area and found a crowded place to eat, always look for crowded for good food!! it was a BBQ Pit and Lobster Luau??? we sat at picnic tables outside, thankfully it wasn't quite raining, just misting!! but a bit cool. We had lobster and loved it. Our hands were covered in butter and wonderful fresh lobster. It was fun and we loved the FRESH fare.
We are headed out for bar harbor shortly, so if we ever get another Internet connection, we'll fill you in on what we found there and beyond!!!!
take care everyone. HUGS TO ALL!!!
6/29/09
The rain was starting to get to us, so we decided to go ahead and head for the Wal-mart in auburn to get to the repair facility early the next morning. No let up of wet and we sat at WM and waited for tomorrow.
6/30/09
I had them check a few things on the rig and was hoping they would be able to fix the door and the temp gauge. They took the rig in and ran a diagnostic and found a sensor was bad. It was ordered and would be in the next day. They didn't have time to do the door, so they were going to wait for the sensor and do the door the next day at the same time. Well, yours truly got bored and decided to try the door again. I got brave and took off the outside frame. I was able to reach into the lower mechanism and found a bolt that could be tightened in order for the rod to pull a bit more and trigger the mechanism shorter. It worked!!! I fixed it myself!!! oh, how I love it when something works!!! so, all we had to do was wait for the sensor. What I didn't expect was that they charged to talk to them, and it ended up costing much more than we expected. But at least our minds were eased as to all of our concerns. It was still raining, and we were getting more and more frustrated. We took off headed east again.
7/1/09
we found a passport park near bar harbor and stopped to spend a few nites. The woman at the desk was quite the bitch!! she complained about passport members and how they didn't want to pay. She said she had 7 kids to feed!!! HA! Not our fault she had 7 kids, which I HIGHLY DOUBTED, didn't she know what caused that?? we didn't know why she even accepted passport if she felt so negatively about them. When we pulled into our spot, we saw there were only 6 other rigs in the whole place. My, my, wonder what her problem is? Isn't it better to get something than nothing!!!??? she was a pretty pissy rep of her slogan on her sign, “EVERYONE IS TREATED LIKE FAMILY”. Ha, wouldn't have stayed except we were tired of the rain and figured we'd get water, dump, and get Internet before we went to WM again to be a lower class citizen. We are going to leave the rig at WM for the day to go to Bar Harbor and see the island and the Acadia National Park. After we set up we took off to check out the area and found a crowded place to eat, always look for crowded for good food!! it was a BBQ Pit and Lobster Luau??? we sat at picnic tables outside, thankfully it wasn't quite raining, just misting!! but a bit cool. We had lobster and loved it. Our hands were covered in butter and wonderful fresh lobster. It was fun and we loved the FRESH fare.
We are headed out for bar harbor shortly, so if we ever get another Internet connection, we'll fill you in on what we found there and beyond!!!!
take care everyone. HUGS TO ALL!!!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Green is a HAPPY color!
06/10/09
What a wonderful time we had at Shenango. It was really quiet and beautiful, as is all the COE parks. We went into town and got Nan a fishin license and a pole and worms. She fished all day on Wednesday and caught a few catfish. Well, I helped, but as usual I just sat there and told her what to do!!!! Sound familiar??? LOL. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to troll so I hooked up her kayak to the back of mine, she got her pole set up and I paddled her around the lake and she fished!! What a site. Wished I could have gotten a pic, however, it was a bit difficult for me to get a pic of me AND her AND Trav in the kayaks. But we had a ball, and I got a lot of exercise in while she sat back and enjoyed being catered to! It was quite a site too! She did catch a catfish, course, all she had were worms to fish with, but it was fun and it was great to be out on the water in the sun surrounded by trees and water and happy! We decided to stay there til it rained again, which wasn't too long after that, but there were a bunch of kids and rug rats that camped next to us, which wasn't all that close, but the crying got to us pretty quick. So we took off for another COE campground which was only 1 ½ hours away. HA! It took us 3 ½ hours to get there cause we had to cross a railroad track and every time we came up on it, we couldn't get across because the bridges were too low! Good thing we had a gps because we were zigzagging all over the place, got onto some pretty questionable roads, and saw places we never would have seen even if we were on back roads!!! finally, we found a bridge over instead of a tunnel, so we held our breath and went across. It had a weight limit and we weren't sure about it. But we made it safely and headed to the campground. Another wonderful place to be. Teeny town in northern PA that is on the Allegheny River.
Tionesta, PA 
We will stay here til we get our mail and then head to Niagara Falls. Nan is really excited about staying there, we will stay at a casino parking lot. Those are her favorite campgrounds. We took a long drive thru the Allegheny National Forrest yesterday and it was fantastic, gorgeous, beautiful, I keep running out of words to describe everywhere we have been and are going. I have found that inner peace again, something I had when I was in the mountains when we lived in Colorado. Didn't think I'd feel that again, but it's back and I am sooooooooo content, I just can't get over it. Nan and I are having a great time together and we are enjoying every minute of this trip. It's something we both have dreamed of forever. We keep looking at each other and saying we can't believe it. Our dream trip! It's been perfect!!! except for a few little glitches in the beginning, nothing could beat this. Anyway, back to the blog. On our ride yesterday, we found a couple of campgrounds that were really perfect. One of them only had about 25 spaces, only pit toilets and fire rings, but $5/nite and in the middle of NOWHERE!!! big spaces for the rig, in the trees. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Then further on, we found another small campground. The kind we always dreamed of. Large spaces, a creek running right thru some of the spaces, no civilization around, the kind of place I could spend a long time at. Well, I kept figuring and figuring and plotting, and thinking, and finally decided I could get the rig into it if we went str8 into the cg to a space that was large and right on the creek, but I'd have to cut down a tree to do it. If the trees weren't quite so low, I could do it. Course, I'd have to back out cause there ain't no way to turn that sucker around. One of the spots was also on the creek, but it was quite a turn to get into it and I don't think we could have done it within a few hours of backing and going forward an inch at a time to finagle into it. Getting out would have been worse. So, I just dreamed of us being there and gave up the idea of trying it. Nan wasn't all too sure I'd give up the idea at all! Last nite, for some reason, I was able to get a great fire going and sat out by the fire til late last nite. Why don't you join us and close your eyes.....oh, wait, don't close them, then you can't watch the video, close your mind, imagine total quite, serene atmosphere, the beauty of the outdoors, sit back and relax and have a moment with us as we share this moment with you.......
I took video's of it and plan on looping the video for a 30 min video to put on the TV when we want to camp back in Arizona. That will go along with the transparency pictures I intend on printing and putting on each of the windows in the rig to have the forest feel in AJ. Well, you all, that is enuf happiness for one post. I'm sure there will be much much more happy as we continue on our trek thru this fabulous country.
What a wonderful time we had at Shenango. It was really quiet and beautiful, as is all the COE parks. We went into town and got Nan a fishin license and a pole and worms. She fished all day on Wednesday and caught a few catfish. Well, I helped, but as usual I just sat there and told her what to do!!!! Sound familiar??? LOL. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to troll so I hooked up her kayak to the back of mine, she got her pole set up and I paddled her around the lake and she fished!! What a site. Wished I could have gotten a pic, however, it was a bit difficult for me to get a pic of me AND her AND Trav in the kayaks. But we had a ball, and I got a lot of exercise in while she sat back and enjoyed being catered to! It was quite a site too! She did catch a catfish, course, all she had were worms to fish with, but it was fun and it was great to be out on the water in the sun surrounded by trees and water and happy! We decided to stay there til it rained again, which wasn't too long after that, but there were a bunch of kids and rug rats that camped next to us, which wasn't all that close, but the crying got to us pretty quick. So we took off for another COE campground which was only 1 ½ hours away. HA! It took us 3 ½ hours to get there cause we had to cross a railroad track and every time we came up on it, we couldn't get across because the bridges were too low! Good thing we had a gps because we were zigzagging all over the place, got onto some pretty questionable roads, and saw places we never would have seen even if we were on back roads!!! finally, we found a bridge over instead of a tunnel, so we held our breath and went across. It had a weight limit and we weren't sure about it. But we made it safely and headed to the campground. Another wonderful place to be. Teeny town in northern PA that is on the Allegheny River.
Tionesta, PA 
We will stay here til we get our mail and then head to Niagara Falls. Nan is really excited about staying there, we will stay at a casino parking lot. Those are her favorite campgrounds. We took a long drive thru the Allegheny National Forrest yesterday and it was fantastic, gorgeous, beautiful, I keep running out of words to describe everywhere we have been and are going. I have found that inner peace again, something I had when I was in the mountains when we lived in Colorado. Didn't think I'd feel that again, but it's back and I am sooooooooo content, I just can't get over it. Nan and I are having a great time together and we are enjoying every minute of this trip. It's something we both have dreamed of forever. We keep looking at each other and saying we can't believe it. Our dream trip! It's been perfect!!! except for a few little glitches in the beginning, nothing could beat this. Anyway, back to the blog. On our ride yesterday, we found a couple of campgrounds that were really perfect. One of them only had about 25 spaces, only pit toilets and fire rings, but $5/nite and in the middle of NOWHERE!!! big spaces for the rig, in the trees. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Then further on, we found another small campground. The kind we always dreamed of. Large spaces, a creek running right thru some of the spaces, no civilization around, the kind of place I could spend a long time at. Well, I kept figuring and figuring and plotting, and thinking, and finally decided I could get the rig into it if we went str8 into the cg to a space that was large and right on the creek, but I'd have to cut down a tree to do it. If the trees weren't quite so low, I could do it. Course, I'd have to back out cause there ain't no way to turn that sucker around. One of the spots was also on the creek, but it was quite a turn to get into it and I don't think we could have done it within a few hours of backing and going forward an inch at a time to finagle into it. Getting out would have been worse. So, I just dreamed of us being there and gave up the idea of trying it. Nan wasn't all too sure I'd give up the idea at all! Last nite, for some reason, I was able to get a great fire going and sat out by the fire til late last nite. Why don't you join us and close your eyes.....oh, wait, don't close them, then you can't watch the video, close your mind, imagine total quite, serene atmosphere, the beauty of the outdoors, sit back and relax and have a moment with us as we share this moment with you.......
I took video's of it and plan on looping the video for a 30 min video to put on the TV when we want to camp back in Arizona. That will go along with the transparency pictures I intend on printing and putting on each of the windows in the rig to have the forest feel in AJ. Well, you all, that is enuf happiness for one post. I'm sure there will be much much more happy as we continue on our trek thru this fabulous country.
Monday, June 1, 2009
GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN SMILES!!!
05/20/09
Today, we picked a road and headed west. Nan didn't want to go any further north because it is still a bit cool and we wanted to wait a bit so it would warm up. So we headed for West Virginia. Everyone kept telling us how beautiful it was so we decided to check it out. We came to a Costco, oh, how wonderful, Nan was soooooo happy, she was ecstatic about shopping for meat there. We went in and she had her fill, quite enuf as far as I was concerned. Anyway, we got back on the road and again headed west.
Today, we picked a road and headed west. Nan didn't want to go any further north because it is still a bit cool and we wanted to wait a bit so it would warm up. So we headed for West Virginia. Everyone kept telling us how beautiful it was so we decided to check it out. We came to a Costco, oh, how wonderful, Nan was soooooo happy, she was ecstatic about shopping for meat there. We went in and she had her fill, quite enuf as far as I was concerned. Anyway, we got back on the road and again headed west.
When we got to Shenandoah National Park, I was interested to see if there was a visitors center where we could park the rig and drive the car over the Skyline Drive. We had planned on staying at a Wal Mart but when we got to the gate, they had room for us in the campground and they said we could stay for a few days. We were concerned about taking the rig on the parkway, but the ranger said it was no problem as long as we were under 12'8”. YEAHHHHHH! We are 12', so we headed south along the parkway. How fantastic! It is absolutely gorgeous. The trees look like it's a woolly blanket lying over the hills and meadows. We got to the campground and found us a spot that is truly magnificent. It's so quiet here, you don't even want to talk. I immediately gathered kindling and wood for a fire, but alas, my pyro nature has abandoned me and it went out as soon as the kindling burned. Guess the logs were either too big, too little, too wet or something, cause it sure wasn't MY fault it didn't burn!!!
Took Trav for a long walk thru the campground and the views are fabulous. We are going to lay back and slug tomorrow, then drive the parkway for another 30 miles before we get off and head west again to a Corps of Engineers park at Sutton Lake. We'll stop at a few Wal-marts on the way so we don't get there before Monday. All the weekender's will be gone by then and we should be able to get a good spot. Hopefully we will be able to stay for a week or so and get to kayak some. Being a Corps park, we will be able to camp for half price.
Well, enuf for today, more later........
05/21/09
What an awesome day. We got up this morning to absolute quite and only the birds. After our coffee, we changed and headed out to find a waterfall. When we found the trail, we started out. Str8 down!! we kept thinking we could make it, after all, it was only a mile. We came across a ranger about half way and he told us it wasn't too far from there. So, we decided to go ahead. It was still str8 down. We started wondering if we would make it back up. There were more and more rocks in the path and it was getting a bit hard to keep our footing. After all, we are neither one of us in shape. Any shape!! After another while we decided to turn around and head back. Guess what! It was str8 UP!! all the way back, no break, str8 up!!!!
Took Trav for a long walk thru the campground and the views are fabulous. We are going to lay back and slug tomorrow, then drive the parkway for another 30 miles before we get off and head west again to a Corps of Engineers park at Sutton Lake. We'll stop at a few Wal-marts on the way so we don't get there before Monday. All the weekender's will be gone by then and we should be able to get a good spot. Hopefully we will be able to stay for a week or so and get to kayak some. Being a Corps park, we will be able to camp for half price.
Well, enuf for today, more later........
05/21/09
What an awesome day. We got up this morning to absolute quite and only the birds. After our coffee, we changed and headed out to find a waterfall. When we found the trail, we started out. Str8 down!! we kept thinking we could make it, after all, it was only a mile. We came across a ranger about half way and he told us it wasn't too far from there. So, we decided to go ahead. It was still str8 down. We started wondering if we would make it back up. There were more and more rocks in the path and it was getting a bit hard to keep our footing. After all, we are neither one of us in shape. Any shape!! After another while we decided to turn around and head back. Guess what! It was str8 UP!! all the way back, no break, str8 up!!!!
we stopped and stopped and stopped and finally made it back to the car. We were both ex 'HILL' erated!! We decided to try a drive along the skyway for a bit, just to see what we already went past without stopping. It was magnificent! After our drive, we came back to the rig and I started picking up kindling again. I'm gonna have a fire tonite if I have to hold a lighter in the ring!! We're leaving tomorrow, :( but just to find another road. I'm hoping we end up near a lake and a Corps park. Will stay in Wal-mart for a couple of nites tho til after the weekend.
Oh how sweet the quiet!!!
5/25/09
We left Big Meadows CG and picked a road and headed west! Didn't have much of a destination in mind but knew there was a Corps of Engineers park west of us. We drove thru George Washington National Forrest. Isn't GREEN a wonderful color??
Oh how sweet the quiet!!!
5/25/09
We left Big Meadows CG and picked a road and headed west! Didn't have much of a destination in mind but knew there was a Corps of Engineers park west of us. We drove thru George Washington National Forrest. Isn't GREEN a wonderful color??
We just kept smiling all the way, that is, until I pulled out to let some other cars go by and started sliding sideways, HOLY SHIT!!! Thank Goddess we had a bit of room so I was able to turn into the slide and got us level again. Dang, was that a scary thing. I could feel us going. Didn't know if I could get us out of it or not. Whew. Nan almost wet her pants, but she's a woos anyway, I on the other hand, was quite cool and collected----HA!!! We sat there for a bit and caught our breath and let our hearts get back to normal. When I pulled out, we were kicking gravel the whole way. I didn't realize that the surface had just been graveled and it wasn't packed down, AT ALL!! And there was quite a slope. I could see the slope but tried to stay just off the road and not get into the steep stuff. NOT! Didn't have a choice where we went. Thankfully, we made it thru and were able to enjoy the rest of the drive thru the National Forrest. A bit later, we pulled out onto a large pullout and ate lunch along a lazy flowing river. It was fantastic!
We were just lazing it and came to a Wal-mart and decided to stay for the nite. It was still early, but Nan needed to refill a Rx so we just decided to hang out there. It was still Memorial Day weekend and we weren't in any hurry.
We rose the next morning and slugged around for a while then decided to again head west. We knew there were at least 3 Wal-marts along the path, so we just took our time and enjoyed the scenery. We went thru the Monongahela National Forrest and a number of mountain passes. There wasn't much traffic, so we went slow and enjoyed the ride. When we came to the first Wal-mart, it was way too early to stop, so we kept on going. The next Wal-mart was just a half hour away from there, so we kept on. I have a database that escapees puts out that people write in where there are places to boondock. When I looked up one that was on the way to the COE park, it said that the cg was small but that if it was full, we might be able to stay in the parking lot. So we headed there. Little did we know it was on a lake, small but beautiful. When I went to ask about spots, lo and behold, they had an open space! We were able to pull in and with Nan's card, it was only $10 a nite. We were amazed at how pretty the campground was and how quiet it was with all the people around. We decided to take a drive to see what the COE cg was like on the lake we were going to try to get into after the weekend. It was quite a lot farther than we thought and it was pretty, but very large, right on a river that was about 50yds across. When we returned to Rivers Run cg, we decided that we were very happy where we were and loved the space we were in. We are staying here for at least a week and maybe 2.
We were just lazing it and came to a Wal-mart and decided to stay for the nite. It was still early, but Nan needed to refill a Rx so we just decided to hang out there. It was still Memorial Day weekend and we weren't in any hurry.
We rose the next morning and slugged around for a while then decided to again head west. We knew there were at least 3 Wal-marts along the path, so we just took our time and enjoyed the scenery. We went thru the Monongahela National Forrest and a number of mountain passes. There wasn't much traffic, so we went slow and enjoyed the ride. When we came to the first Wal-mart, it was way too early to stop, so we kept on going. The next Wal-mart was just a half hour away from there, so we kept on. I have a database that escapees puts out that people write in where there are places to boondock. When I looked up one that was on the way to the COE park, it said that the cg was small but that if it was full, we might be able to stay in the parking lot. So we headed there. Little did we know it was on a lake, small but beautiful. When I went to ask about spots, lo and behold, they had an open space! We were able to pull in and with Nan's card, it was only $10 a nite. We were amazed at how pretty the campground was and how quiet it was with all the people around. We decided to take a drive to see what the COE cg was like on the lake we were going to try to get into after the weekend. It was quite a lot farther than we thought and it was pretty, but very large, right on a river that was about 50yds across. When we returned to Rivers Run cg, we decided that we were very happy where we were and loved the space we were in. We are staying here for at least a week and maybe 2.
We don't want to push it too much to get north if it is going to still be cold and rainy. We were given a whole load of wood by a guy who was leaving so we collected that, and now we can even have fires, that is if I can remember how to build one. After 3 tries, I finally got flame, and it is so sweet! We tried to get some fishing licenses, but the cost is pretty prohibitive for an non-resident so we'll have to think about it a bit more. Maybe we can get one for Nan. She really likes to fish and I can play in the kayak while she fishes. We'll just sit back and do whatever comes to mind. Oh, how I love retirement! Debi, just a few more days and you are with the elite crowd!!
06/01/09
The campground was great, but the rain made for a pretty soggy time. We didn't get a chance to get out and kayak because every time the sun came out, it only took about 5 or 10 minutes before it started raining again. Needless to say, both of us were pretty tired of the rain and gave up and headed north. We found another corps park at another lake, north of Pittsburgh and south of Erie. We got here and decided to give it a week. If the sun comes out, we'll stay another week, if not, we're outta here! Dang, does it rain like this ALL THE TIME???? everyone says no, but I'm beginning to wonder.
We are in a camp spot that has it's own little beach. A great place to leave the kayaks down by the water instead of carrying them on the car somewhere to put in or take out. I LOVE it. Now if the Goddess does her part, we'll be in hog heaven. As of right now, we can't get satellite, but maybe when it clears up. It started raining just after we set up! I'm hoping it will clear up by tomorrow. Actually I'm PRAYING it clears up!
Still no Internet, but am going into Hermitage to try to get a signal in order to load the blog and pics, maybe pay some bills. Hopefully, I can get it all done today. Will give it a try anyway.
Everyone take care, hugs to all.............
P.S. i can't upload any pics right now, not sure why, but I will put some pics on next time I can.
06/01/09
The campground was great, but the rain made for a pretty soggy time. We didn't get a chance to get out and kayak because every time the sun came out, it only took about 5 or 10 minutes before it started raining again. Needless to say, both of us were pretty tired of the rain and gave up and headed north. We found another corps park at another lake, north of Pittsburgh and south of Erie. We got here and decided to give it a week. If the sun comes out, we'll stay another week, if not, we're outta here! Dang, does it rain like this ALL THE TIME???? everyone says no, but I'm beginning to wonder.
We are in a camp spot that has it's own little beach. A great place to leave the kayaks down by the water instead of carrying them on the car somewhere to put in or take out. I LOVE it. Now if the Goddess does her part, we'll be in hog heaven. As of right now, we can't get satellite, but maybe when it clears up. It started raining just after we set up! I'm hoping it will clear up by tomorrow. Actually I'm PRAYING it clears up!
Still no Internet, but am going into Hermitage to try to get a signal in order to load the blog and pics, maybe pay some bills. Hopefully, I can get it all done today. Will give it a try anyway.
Everyone take care, hugs to all.............
P.S. i can't upload any pics right now, not sure why, but I will put some pics on next time I can.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
