The RV Adventures of Jim & Peg

Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Campfire!

2011-07-26T23:01:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry seems to say it all. I am going to condense the rest of this week since we saw and did a variety of things and I want to highlight the more interesting of those entities.

We had to make a Walmart run and the closest store was in Traverse City. We decided to make a day of it and headed off onto some back roads the GPS lead us down. I guess it was in the mood to see some of the little known sites (and roads) so it finally got us to Traverse City and let me tell you, it was a busy place. We learned that this week was the week of the Traverse City Film Festival. The festival brings an enormous amount of people into that area and the retail stores were in heaven! After going to Walmart, we drove along the shore of Lake Michigan and noticed the small beach areas and numerous parks. After a short cruise, we parked the car downtown behind the stores and walked onto the main street.

The streets were buzzing with activity and most of the stores were open and filled with customers. A large banner stretching across the street proclaimed The Traverse City Film Festival and we were amazed at how many little shops there were with such a variety of unique things for sale. One store caught our eye, since it was cherry season, so we went inside. It is called the Cherry Republic and had everything that could be made from cherries. We sampled the various cherry sodas, chocolate covered cherry pieces, cherry wines and a host of other samples. They even had a Sangria made specifically for cherry soda. Of course we again helped the economy of the area with our purchases.

We traveled around town and was told one of the better places to eat was only a few blocks up town at Bubbas. So we started walking...and walking...and walking some more. I guess the girl in the Cherry Republic store must always take her car there because this was no short walk. We finally found Bubbas and went in. We ended up eating at the bar where the drinks came quick and the the food was also quite fast. I had a burger and Peg had a Chicken Quesadillas. Both were very good. We carbed-up for the lengthy walk back to the car!

The next night we drove to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive up to the top of the dunes. You park and walk about 1/4 mile to the edge of the dune and a view to die for! You look over Lake Michigan from the dunes and the suspended viewing platform/walkway. It was a great sunset that evening as you can see by these two photos. Quite a number of people apparently thought the same thing since the area seemed to be a popular place. I was shooting video while Peg took photos. I got my phone camera out and snapped a few shots as well.

On day three (Thursday) we hung out at the campsite at Indigo Bluffs. I worked on the American RVer show for August and and Peg watched some TV and made some cherry tarts (go figure) and some rice pudding for one of our meals. So, since we had an uneventful day, we decided to have our campfire tonight. One of the things I noticed about this area is the lack of bugs. At night, there were few mosquitos and it was really pleasant to sit out by the fire. The air was cool, just right to watch the flames jump up towards the sky and feel the heat. Of course we had to make some s'mores (a diabetic's nightmare) which we chased down with our newly purchased wine. A nice ending to that day.

Our vacation at Indigo Bluffs was really nice but it ended too soon. I hope to go back up there another summer and check out more of the area and maybe even go swimming in Lake Michigan. Tomorrow we follow RV friends Millie and Jerry Cohen north to Hearthside Grove in Petosky, Michigan. Hearthside is supposed to be a very high end RV Resort and we have heard a lot about it. Since we are this close, and we could get a free night there, we decided to try it out...

The Michigan Experience

2011-07-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

We're on vacation so we get up late and go to bed late. My kind of schedule! Peg awoke earlier than I and began to plan our week long itinerary. We ate breakfast outside on the patio and it was wonderful. The weather was suppose to be beautiful the next few days with temperatures in the 80's and low humidity. I decided to wash the bugs off the front of the motorhome and then we had a simple lunch.

Time got away from us so it was 4:00pm before we headed up to Leland and the Fishtown area. We passed several beautiful blue lakes on the way. A winery came into view so we thought we had better stop and help out the local economy! Good Harbor Winery has been in business since the 80's and they always wanted to make wine that was affordable to the general public. Their prices ranged from about $8-12. We did a wine tasting and then purchased a few of our favorites.

Of course one of those favorites was a cherry wine. The cherries are being harvested this time of year and cherry trees could be seen all along the highways and byways in this area. We stopped at a roadside stand to get some cherries and a couple of ears of corn for dinner. I stopped to take a few photos of a stand of cherry trees along one of our routes.

We drove on to Leland. We parked the car and wondered around the town and found Carlson's, THE place to purchase fish. We got some white fish and smoked trout. This was a quaint little town and the shop keepers were friendly. One told us about a good place to eat north of town called Fischer's Happy Hour Bar. Sounded good to us...So we headed out. We drove quite a while and we almost stopped and turned around but the GPS keep pushing us on. We did finally find it, along with MANY other visitors. We squeezed the car in to a spot and got a table inside. Peg had fried chicken and I had the biggest fried clams I had ever seen. All the food was as good as advertised!

It was getting late so we headed back to Indigo Bluffs. The sun sets late this time of year so it doesn't get dark until after 9:30pm. I stayed outside and read a little but Peg was getting cold (yes cold) and she went in to do some reading. The TV came on after 9:00pm and we retired later that night. A good day!

Finally. . .On Vacation in Empire, Michigan!

2011-07-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Indigo Bluffs just about 3 miles from Empire, Michigan. We took many two lane roads to get here, but most of them were pretty good, even in a motorhome. We had won a week stay at Indigo Bluffs last year and decided to use the stay this year since were were going to be "up in this neck of the woods!"

Indigo Bluffs has two RV parks back to back. One is their "Resort" area where the sites are very large and separated from each other with beautiful wildflowers. The campground consists of much tighter sites and looks more like a typical public campground. We loved the spot we were in and it had pavers for both the coach and for us to sit on. An above ground fire pit is provided and firewood can be purchased for $5/bundle. We got one bundle and figured we would enjoy a fire later this week.

The roads into the resort are paved and make a great bike riding path. We got our bikes out and road throughout the resort and enjoyed the flowers and cooler weather.

The first night we headed over to Glen Arbor and after walking over sand dunes for about 1/2 mile to the shore of Lake Michigan to take some photos at sunset (photo above), we ate at Arts Tavern. We had burgers, onion rings and fried smelt. That hit the spot! When we returned to the motorhome, we left the windows open for a cool nights sleep.

The Lake House at Cold Water, Michigan

2011-07-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

We drove across Indiana on the I80 toll road to the tune of $21.70! We arrived at James and Jennifer's lake house where Patsy was staying at about 2:00pm. We parked across the street from their small cottage in a lot they bought which had a garage on it. They were not allowed to build anything else on the site and it had plenty of room for us to back the motorhome in in front of the garage. They brought out a 120v, 20 amp power cord for us to get a little power into the RV.

We had a lot of company with almost all of Patsy's family there at the cottage as well as some of James and Jennifer's friends. Peg went swimming in the lake with Patsy, James, Jim, Danielle and friends kids Jack and Diana with their dad Brian. Mom Samantha, Jennifer and I stayed on the shore and watched. We had a nice taco dinner and cooked up some s'mores around the camp fire that evening. The sunset was beautiful over the still lake water.

Didn't get back to the motorhome until 11:30pm and it was still a bit warm. We ran the vent fans and keep the covers off for the night.

The following morning we had a big breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes and said our goodbyes to Patsy and the family, hooked up the car and headed off to Empire, Michigan which was about a 5 hour drive. It was great seeing Patsy again and she always makes us feel like we are part of her family. It was sad that her husband, Gary, who passed away last year, was not there to be with us all.

Leisure Lake RV Park - Joliet, Illinois

2011-07-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

The WIT Rally was over and we headed out for Chicago and then to Michigan to see our friend Patsy. We made it to the town of Joliet, Illinois. We found a nice RV "resort" on the shore of a small lake. It was a nice place to rest for the night. They only had a few sites available, so we were lucky to find a place. The price was high at $35 for the night. We also had a scare getting to the resort since the service road looked like it was going to dead end but it continued around a curve and we then saw the park.

Tomorrow we should make it to Patsy's daughters lake house.

We Arrive in Forest City, Iowa

2011-07-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Forest City at about 4:30pm and headed for Pammel Park which is close to the middle of town along a bubbling brook. Because we do not own a Winnebago motorhome, we can not park on the Winnebago grounds, so we are happy to stay about a mile down the road at this park. There is more room between RV's. We stayed here last year as well. We were not facing the creek this time because we could not get satellite reception in the available sites.

Next to us were Don and Kim Greene of Harvest Hosts (see photo), a membership organization that allows you to park overnight at a variety of vineyards and farms across the country. They turned out to be nice folks and we went out to dinner with them later in the week.

Tonight was the celebration of the Puckerbush Festival in Forest City. They have a great fireworks display in the evening at the park, next to where the RV's are parked. We got our chairs out and moved to the edge of the park where the fireworks were directly overhead...Pretty intense! Good thing we had our Thermacell mosquito repellent unit with us because the bugs were terrible! That unit worked great!

Tomorrow we set up for the rally and we will be here all week. The second photo is of our booth here at Winnebago.

On Our Way to WIT Rally in Iowa

2011-07-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

We were on the road again and headed to the Winnebago WIT Rally in Forest City, Iowa. Our first stop was in Oklahoma and an RV park in a small town called Big Cabin. The park was basically a cow pasture that they put a fence around it to keep the cattle out and then they added RV sites with a gravel road. It worked. The sites were quite level but it was out in the open with no shade or anything to block the wind. It did have 50 amp service but the voltage was pretty low.

Peg and I were working on producing a book for one of our clients so we planned on staying late the next morning to catch up on some work for him. Did a couple loads of laundry and then headed out about 11:30am.

Dave and Jan at home

We made it to the Elks Lodge in Blue Springs, Missouri. We had stayed there once before. Everyone is quite friendly and we had a refreshment and then headed over to Peg's sister Jan's house for dinner. Stayed until about 9:30pm and headed back to the Elks Lodge and the RV. This RV area at the side of the Elks Lodge is on a hill and is gravel filled. I am always a little uneasy staying here because of the severe drop off behind the coach, but I always chock the tires so they do not roll back.

We have a long drive to Forest City tomorrow so we will be heading out in the morning.

Visit With Rick and Joanne in Oklahoma City

2011-07-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

We had gone out to dinner with Rick and Joanne Stone during the week of the Fleetwood Rally and they had taken us into the Bricktown area of Oklahoma City. Bricktown is the stockyard area and it shows the old world style of what Oklahoma City used to look like. We ate at the Cattleman's Restaurant. I think everyone was eating there that night! It is THE place to eat in the Bricktown area because, as Rick and Joanne told us, "Their steaks are the best in town." Yes...They were very good!

So after our dinner and short walk around the stockyard area that night mid-week, Peg and I took the Stones' up on their offer to show us more of the city after the rally ended.

Did you know that Oklahoma City has a canal/river walk which takes you through many shops, stores and some very interesting tourist-like areas. We walked past many of the factories and mills that are still part of the landscape, but have been replaced by modern shops and eateries. We had dinner at Zio's Italian Kitchen, which has a very Italian ambience, so much so that it reminded me of some of the places Peg and I dined at while in Italy.

After dinner we walked some more and saw the Devon Mosiac which is along the canal and incorporates a water feature into the mosaic design. There were many artistic areas of the walk along the canal, and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and Rick and Joanne's commentary of the area. At one point of our stroll along the water, we walked by the ballpark where the minor league team, the Oklahoma City Redhawks play. Again there were wonderful bronze statues of baseball players at the neat looking entrance to the stadium.

Rick and Joanne also took us to the Oklahoma Land Run Monument, a series of giant bronze sculptures which depicts the Land Run of April 22nd, 1889 that opened "Oklahoma, Indian Territory" up to homesteading by settlers. The monument, which sits on the banks of the Bricktown Canal in Oklahoma City, depicts dozens of horses, wagons, soldiers, and cowboys in a race to settle the newly opened lands.It is big and impressive and there are boat tours on the canal that eventually end up at the sculptures.

As evening approached, Rick and Joanne had one last thing on the agenda for our city tour. It was the Memorial for the bombing of the Federal Building on April 19, 1995. We arrived at dusk and there were several other people walking around the reflecting pool which is located where the building used to stand. An eerie feeling came over me as we entered that main area of the memorial. There are 168 chairs, lighted at the base, called the "Field of Empty Chairs" which stand in nine rows signifying the nine floors of the building and depicting the lives lost in that bombing. 19 smaller chairs stand for the lives of children lost in the bombing.

The reflecting pool stands between two "Gates of Time", the east gate marked 901 (9:01am-the innocence before the attack) and the west gate 903 (9:03am-the moment we were changed forever), signifying the moment of destruction, in time, of the Federal Building and the people in and around it. There was also a survivor wall on the east side of the memorial made out of the only standing walls of the Murrah Building. More than 600 names are inscribed on salvaged pieces of granite from the building lobby.

Across the street on the corner at a church, a statue stands of Jesus with his back turned toward the memorial and his hand over his face entitled, "Jesus Wept" depicting the sad course of events that played out here at this site. I think seeing all these things at night held a special meaning for us and a solemn reminder that we are all vulnerable at any time during our existence here on this earth!

We said goodbye to Rick and Joanne and thanked them for the eye-opening look at some of what Oklahoma City has to offer. Peg and I really enjoyed our time with our fellow RV friends and we realized how nice it is to have met folks that live all over this country. It is sad to leave friends, but always nice to come together at rallies, events or when passing through their hometowns! Tomorrow we head back to McKinney...

Fleetwood Rally in Shawnee, Oklahoma

2011-06-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

Peg with customers at the MCD display

Finally arrived in Shawnee, OK for the Fleetwood Rally. Set up the MCD booth and prepared for the show. The rally was not terribly busy, sales wise, but we made many good contacts and helped several folks with minor shade repairs or adjustments.

We had some issues with power where we first were parked at the rally. It was a 30 amp service and ofter the first day of the show, we returned to a VERY warm coach since the breaker on the pedestal tripped and the temps were in the high 90's. I reset the breaker and later it tripped again. We decided to move the coach to the vendor parking area where it was not grassy (a dirt/rock parking lot) but it did have two 30 amp connections and, with my cheater box, we now had the equivalent of a 50 amp service so both A/C units could be run.

Of course it rained mid-week and we ended up residing in a lake that surrounded the motorhome! Gee, it looked okay when we first parked there!!

The week moved by fast and before we knew it, we were packing the booth up and getting it loaded into the coach. We decided to hang out near here in the Oklahoma City area for the Fourth of July weekend and have an extended visit with our friends Rick and Joanne Stone...

Tire Blow-out While Heading For Shawnee, OK

2011-06-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

The Fleetwood Rally we were heading to is in Shawnee, Oklahoma this year. We left MCD's parking lot at 3:20pm and headed west on Rt 380 towards Rt. 35, then north. As we crossed the border from Texas into Oklahoma of Interstate 35, we heard a loud "bang"! Peg was on the telephone with Dave, the owner of MCD and she told him we think a tire blew on the motorhome. I pulled the coach over and saw the passenger side rear fender well was blown out at an angle from the coach and I could see the inner dual was blown apart and looking like an afro hair dew from all the steel belts sticking up out of the tire.

Blown Tire - New Tire

We got on the cell phone to Coach Net and they had a heck of a time locating a correct size tire to replace the one we blew. A few hours later, they called back and said they located a tire and company that could come out and mount it. We also had our air ride air line cut in the blow-out, so Coach Net found another company that could come out and replace that line. In the meantime, we were sitting on the side of the northbound lane between exits one and two on I-35.

Wheel Well Damage

I decided to try and get the blown out fender well back into place as we waited for the tire company to come. I was successful getting it back into place and securing it by the time the new tire and crew arrived. Unfortunately, the compressor on the repair truck kept blowing fuses and they could not remove the old rims or change the tire. They headed back to their shop for another truck and, about that time, the air line crew arrived. Their compressor did work and they pulled the two duals off the rear so they could get to the air line.

New Coiled Air Line Installed

These guys replaced the air line with a coiled quick connect line and when I aired up, it began to leak at one of the fittings. They tightened it as the tire crew returned. The new truck and compressor were functioning and they made quick work of getting the new tire mounted and onto the coach. Both crews were paid and left and as I aired up the coach again I heard the airline hissing. We called that crew and they returned and worked on the line again. It looked good, they left and again I heard it leaking. They were called and returned again and finally took their time and used other fittings to get the line secured and stop it from leaking. They were happy and I was happy.

Winstar Casino Sign on I-35

We were now on the side of I-35 for five hours! It was getting dark and too late to continue any farther this day, so we limped to the Winstar Casino Campground at the next exit. They told us if we get a Player's Card from the casino, we can get our money back for the night of camping. We did get Player's Cards and when we returned to the RV Park, we brought them in to get the refund and they refused us. They said we paid with cash and not with a credit card so they could not give us a refund. Of course we were never told that when we paid! A perfect ending to a not so perfect day!! At least we were finally off the road.

Tomorrow we will hopefully travel on to Shawnee...

Middlebury Vermont with Don and Barb

2011-06-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Noonies Deli

It is Saturday and our last day in the Vermont area. We are to meet up with good friends Don and Barb Wood who live in Glens Falls, New York where Peg and I built our broadcast TV station several years ago. It was another delightful drive to Middlebury and we met up with the Wood's in a shopping center.

Falls in the Town of Middlebury

Texas Falls

First order of business was lunch. We found a quaint little sandwich shop called Noonies. It doesn't look like much but it was packed with people and we had some great sandwiches, made to order, there. The deli was located near some falls in town and an area called Marble Square. There were not too many shops open today so we decided to head out of town to look at a National Forest called, of all things, Texas Falls. We drove along some rocky creeks, steep grades and typical Vermont scenery to finally get there. Texas Falls is located in the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Peg, Barb and Don

The falls were very nice and we noticed a bunch of butterflies were hanging around a newly built bridge at the falls. The water looked cool and refreshing and we got some nice photos of the area and our friends. It was really good to see them again. Like with many of our friends, we don't see them as often as we would like.

Little did we know, our flight out of Burlington the next day was cancelled. Do you see any pattern here? This time the airlines did put us up in a hotel for the night and gave us food vouchers (to use at the airport) so we spent another night in Vermont. The next day we got up at 3:30 am, took the shuttle back to the airport and did fly out at 6 am. Made it back to Dallas with no further problems.

End of the Newmar Rally Week-Ben & Jerry's

2011-06-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ben & Jerry's Factory

It is Friday and we began packing up the MCD booth. We drove the packed shipping boxes to the main office at the Expo Center and had them hold the items for Fed-Ex shipping. Since we were then officially done at the rally, we decided to drive to Waterbury, Vermont and to the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory.

The factory is as colorful as Ben and Jerry themselves. We took the tour of the plant and Jim was singled out to ring the bell for the start of the tour. At the end of the tour, we all received a free tasting of that great ice cream. After the tour, we looked around the gift shop and Jim had to buy a tie dyed Ben & Jerry's T-shirt. We also purchased some "half baked" ice cream.

The factory had a lot of memorabilia we looked at and some pretty cool areas with bright colors for kids and adults alike. It is located in a rural area (where else?) in the hills of Vermont. It was such a nice day and the drive through the hills was great after a long week of being inside as vendors.

Tomorrow we meet old friends Barb and Don Woods in Middlebury, Vermont for a quick get together before we leave the area.

Flight to Vermont for the Newmar Rally

2011-06-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

Since it is a long way from Texas to Vermont, MCD decided to fly us to the Newmar Rally in Essex Junction, Vermont. I was kind of familiar with the area since my sister, Phyl, went to college at St. Michael's about a mile or so down the road from the Expo Center. We were booked at the Roadway Inn in South Burlington. It was a 15 minute drive (on a good day) to the Expo Center. Here is a photo of our "home away from home" for the week!

We got the MCD booth set-up in record time (1 hour) since the display was shipped and limited to one display tower instead of our usual three. The display shipment was waiting for us at the MCD booth when we arrived.

One thing I neglected to mention was that it took us 24 hours to get to the Burlington, Vermont airport from Dallas. We arrived in Chicago and less than an hour before our boarding time, the connecting flight was cancelled after several delays. It was about 9 pm and one other plane going to Burlington was totally booked. If we stayed there, there were no other flights out to Vermont until the next night. We chose to fly to Newark, New Jersey as we could get an earlier flight out to Burlington the next day. Of course, when we arrived in New Jersey, we had to get a hotel for the night. Their advertised $59 hotels actually cost $115 for the night. The airlines would not give us vouchers for food or the hotel since they claimed our flight cancellation was "weather related"! We did get a flight out the next morning and finally made it to Burlington. Good thing we left a day early for the event or we would have been in trouble.

View of Lake Champlain

After we set up the MCD booth, we ventured into downtown Burlington in the rain. We found a great place to eat overlooking Lake Champlain called Salty's. We had clam chowder, lobster bisque and for the entré, we had shrimp and scallops. It was so good! We drove around and ended up at the Champlain Valley Chocolate Company for, you guessed it, chocolate. This was on a Sunday.

Downtown Burlington

Monday the show opened and we spent the day in the MCD vendor booth. We talked to a lot of RVer's interested in MCD Shades. After the show, we went to Archie's Burgers, a small place we heard of a little ways out of town. we had an artichoke burger and a portabella mushroom burger. Very good!

The temperature was very nice (compared to Texas) and we looked forward to the rest of the week with the Newmar folks.

The World's Best Fried Chicken...At Gus's-Beale St. and Graceland

2011-05-17T19:43:00.001-07:00

We got out of work at 4:00pm and decided to go back into downtown Memphis for dinner. We were told by our friends, Lew and Dottie, that we have to eat at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. It is one of those hole in the wall places that has great food. It is a real local place to eat and certainly nothing fancy. We walked in, sat down and ordered drinks and our fried chicken meals. The drinks came out and a few minutes later, out came our meals. The pieces of chicken were big and GOOD! Remember, I am not a big fan of chicken either. After dinner, we decided to head back to Beale St. since it was a nice day and we needed to take a short walk to settle our meal.

Things were different downtown today. People were out, musicians were playing and the street was busy. We walked the length of Beale St. and checked out all the restaurants, bars and the Pepsi Cola Pavilion. A band was playing at the outdoor pavilion and we listened to a song or two. We then made our way back up the street and back to the car.

Since we were so close to Graceland and it was still nice out, we headed for the home of Elvis. Of course Graceland was closed for the day but we searched the grounds for a few photos opportunities. We saw the gate to Graceland and even got a shot of one of the houses on the grounds. The Elvis auto museum is also near the grounds (actually across the street) and it would have been fun to go in and see some of the cars on display. Maybe next time.

Peg got into the act as she presents a couple of photos and the neon signature of Elvis on the side of one of the Graceland buildings.

We had a good time as we became "accidental tourists," as Peg commented. We had Graceland all to ourselves, but you know...Elvis had left the building!

The Crystal Shrine Grotto - Memorial Park Cemetary

2011-05-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Monday morning the rally vendors (like us) were starting at 12 noon, so we had a little time to explore Memphis a little. We headed to the Crystal Shrine Grotto. Peg did some research on this grotto and though it would be interesting to see. We used our new GPS sent to us by Rand McNally to test and evaluate for our American RVer show. It is working much better than our old Garmin. It lead us straight to the Crystal Shrine Grotto.

The first thing you see is a small pond and a covered bridge carved out of a large tree. Pretty cool! The grotto or cave was constructed by Memorial Park founder E. Clovis Hinds and Mexican artist Dioñicio Rodriguez in 1935-38. Natural rock and quartz crystal collected from the Ozarks for the background of the nine scenes of the life of Christ. The cave was built of concrete in imitation of rocks, boulders and trees. The entrance is quite impressive and made us feel like we were in a section of "middle earth".

Peg and I checked out all the scenes and I was especially interested in the huge quartz crystals used in the walls of the cave. With the lighting inside the grotto and the reflective crystals the interior looked quite mystic.

Even through the weather was still overcast, this little diversion was a nice departure from work...at least for this morning...

We're Walking in Memphis - Our First Day Here...

2011-05-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

We are on the road and now in Memphis, Tennessee after traveling Rt. 40 near the Mississippi flood waters. We made it to the American Coach Association Rally at the Ag Center just outside of Memphis.

We set up the MCD booth on Sunday morning and had brunch with Peg's nephew, James, who was traveling through Memphis on his way back from a wedding in Nashville with three other people. He lives in Ft. Worth, so it was ironic that we were all up in Memphis together. We ate at The Grove Inn and the food was very good. One of the women that was traveling with James knew the owner/chef and suggested we all meet there. It was a nice time and after the meal, we all headed downtown to check out the river and Beale St. It was cold and windy but Peg and I did walk a little ways on the river walk to see how high the Mississippi river was. There was still evidence of the water that had flooded that area only days before.

We then headed towards Beale St. and took a few photos of the "birthplace of Rock N Roll" in downtown Memphis. Not too many people hanging around on the street because of the weather so we decided to come back here at a later date in better weather.

Back on the Road Again-Monaco Pre-rally in Moultrie, Georgia

2011-03-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

We left McKinney, TX Thursday morning and headed east. We are going to our second rally of this year which is the Monaco Pre-rally being held this year in Moultrie, Georgia. We were here two years ago as participants and this time we are working the MCD Innovations booth at the rally.

We are looking forward to seeing many friends. We arrived about 4:30pm (EST) at the Moultrie RV Park after driving several days in the rain. That in itself is not so bad but having windshield wipers that are stripped and when one uses them while traveling over 40 mph they tend to swing off the windshield and become non-functional. I then have to stop, remove them, tighten them back on, and continue down the road. I used a little Rain-X to try and see a little better on my side of the windshield and that helped. Since we are at the Monaco rally, I will try to buy a couple of wiper arms from them...We'll see if that works out.

Hopefully I will have some photos for the next post. Too tired to shoot anything tonight. Tomorrow we set up the booth. We have to tote all the booth parts to the venue from the coach with the car so that should be fun!!! We'll see how many trips we have to take. I'll report more as the week goes on.

Welcome To Our World!

2011-02-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

With a bunch of new snow on the ground (at least a bunch for Texas), Peg decided it was a beautiful sunny day and the perfect time to make a snowman! Up until this point, the snow was too dry to make a snowball and roll it, but with the temperatures into the 40's, the snowball makin' was perfect.

There were three couples in the MCD lot and Peg got donations of carrots for the snowman's nose and buttons and some rocks for the snowman's eyes and other buttons. Peg added her hat and scarf to perfect the look. A few branches were acquired for the snowman's arms and hands and, voila, a three balled snowman arose...Three balled?!?! Anyway, she had a good time and I stood by for moral support in her endeavor.

Sure can't wait for warmer weather. We will be traveling to Georgia soon for two RV shows and, hopefully, the weather will cooperate!

Winter is Hell in McKinney!!!

2011-02-04T13:09:00.001-08:00

Since January 31st, winter has really descended upon Texas and in particular, McKinney. I know I have not added to the blog for a while but this week is really worth mentioning. On Tuesday, February 1st we were greeted with a nasty storm which rained down sleet and freezing rain. Peg and I thought we would be smart and pulled our motorhome slides in to save the awnings that cover each slide. On Tuesday the temperatures plummeted and we were stuck living in our normally roomy motorhome with all the slides in. As you RVer's know, this is not a wonderful amount of living space. It becomes pretty tough, especially after being closed in for three days. The temperatures did not get above 20 degrees during the day and at night it was in the single digits. I could not get to my jeans in the drawer, so I was stuck in shorts for a couple of days. Now that was a topic of conversation around here!

I tried to open the slides during the day on Wednesday and they opened part way and then I could see the tops bending in as the toppers were so iced up they were keeping the slide from deploying. I also heard a bang and the topper roller actually came out of the center support arm and rollers so it was very difficult to get the topper material to rollback in. I barely opened my jean drawer, got jeans and then I went on the roof and rolled the fabric as Peg brought the slides back in. No way would I do that again until they were thawed out!

On Thursday we decided to try and get the motorhome unstuck from the ice (jack pads, tires and power cord) and make our way across the icy parking lot and into the factory at MCD to try and thaw out the slides and the entire motorhome. MCD has a very large garage door that will accommodate our motorhome. After fighting the ice, chipping out the leveling pads and trying to get the back engine compartment door open so I could plug in the engine block heater (used a hair dryer to melt the ice from the locks), I moved the coach inside and it stayed there the rest of the day. I was able to fix the center roller mount while it was inside. Finally, after a couple of hours, I was able to move the slides out. I left them in that position to dry.

We left the building around 5:30pm with the slides functioning and moved back into our site. This time I put wood blocks under the jack pads and got the slides extended quickly. Ahhhh...room again!

Wouldn't you know it, it began snowing around midnight on Friday and here we sit in about 6" of snow. There are a few other folks stuck here with us waiting to get their shades installed, but the factory has been closed most of the week so work has been slowed to a crawl for the most part.

As you can see, I took my position on top of the coach and began getting rid of the snow. I HATE winter! Hey...Can anyone say snow in Dallas for Super Bowl Weekend!!!!!!

Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

2011-01-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

Peg's nephew James wanted us to experience some of the big events in Texas. He said we had to go see the Ft. Worth Stock Show and especially go to the rodeo there. We said okay and got on the road early today (Sunday) and headed for Ft. Worth where James lives. We arrived around 10:15am and parked our car and climbed into James' vintage Cadillac to ride to the stock show. It was a short trip and since James has been there several times, he knew just where to park for a short walk to the event and no charge to park.

We first saw the livestock barns and went in and out of all of them. We checked out the sheep, goats, rabbits, chicks, ducks and the cows. We even saw a new calf and its mother in one of the stalls (see photo). There were several bulls there as well. Every farmer was continually cleaning up after their animals. That is a big job in itself. Many were grooming their stock so they could be presented for awards and ribbons. We observed a cow judging in the arena near the stock yards.

After we wandered a while, it was time for the rodeo. I am not sure if I had ever been to a rodeo before, so we was looking forward to it. The rodeo lasted about two hours with no break, but the time went by rapidly. I took a few photos, but more video. These cowboys are a tough group and are gluttons for punishment! They even had a Future Farmers of America event where the kids went after cows to try and collect money. It was called Cows for Cash (see photo)! pretty funny watching them try to drop and tie up these calves. They all did pretty well though.

After the stockyard, we went to my favorite place to eat, IHOP. It was getting late, so Peg and I headed back to McKinney and to the motorhome. It was a nice day and we got to see something different and experienced some of the rodeo events that are so popular here in Texas.

November is Birthday Month in the Grich Household

2010-11-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

As the title states, both Peg and I have birthdays in November. My day came first on November 11th, Veteran's Day, with little fanfare. We got up a little early and went to iHop to cash in my birthday certificate for a free breakfast meal...A rootie tuttie fresh and fruity!! Say that fast 10 times! And since I turned 55 today, I am finally a senior citizen and entitled to 10% off the total bill, which amounted to Peg's breakfast.

I did have to work today, but it was nice to see my 55th birthday. After work, Peg made me my requested dinner of homemade lasagna. She made it the way my mother cooked lasagna and it tasted every bit as good. A bottle of wine topped off the meal and the evening. Peg got me a DVD, fresh roasted coffee beans and some great cookies. I also received many e-mails from friends across the country and a call from my sister Phyl and brother Bob wishing me Happy Birthday. It was nice to hear from everyone.

Brenda, Sue, Peg, Paul, Jim and John

Next up was Peg's Birthday on November 18th. Just to be fair, she had to work on her birthday too. Again we got up and went to iHop to cash in Peg's birthday certificate for, you guessed it...A rootie tuttie fresh and fruity!! It was less crowded today since all the kids that were here on Veteran's Day (because they had the day off) were back in school.

That evening after work, we got together with two couples, both RVing folks. We've known Paul and Sue for several years after we met, of all places, at an RV dump station in Georgia after an FMCA rally. New friends, John and Brenda, were our neighbors here at MCD for the week. We all went to the Genghis Grille in McKinney. It was a really good time and the food was equally as good. Peg had a good time especially when the servers came over and sang for her and she partook of a free desert.

After dinner, we all went over to John and Brenda's coach to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. Glad we had some nice folks to share the day with. Oh and Peg got some black jeans and shoes from me (she shopped for them) and a nice bouquet of flowers from John and Brenda.

Texas State Fair....The Big Tex!

2010-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in this part of Texas and Peg and I had planned on going to the Texas State Fair in Dallas. We had heard so much about it we felt we would be missing something if we did not show our faces there. Peg's nephew James and friend Mark suggested we drive to Mark's house and we could pick them up and head to the train station. We would take the train directly to the entrance to the fairgrounds. Since they wanted $15+ to park a car and only $4.50 each for the train ride, we felt it was more convenient to ride the train. We heard some folks had to wait almost an hour to park once arriving at the grounds because of all the traffic.

The drive down to Dallas was fine and taking the train was a good move. We actually took two trains to get to the State Fairgrounds but you could ride all day for the $4.50 fair. The train was a bit crowded but we managed to squeeze in and found ourselves at the front gate with many other people. The line moved quickly though.

We headed for the car show first since it was the first thing on our route. Mark was looking for a new pick-up truck so we wandered through the massive indoor display. I had my eye on a forest green Viper (pictured) but the $80,000 price tag brought me back down to earth.

It was almost lunchtime so we headed for the food court and the fried everything. Yes, the Texas State Fair is known for its fried food...fried coke, fried moon pies, fried lemonade, fried coffee, fried smores, fried frito pie, fried beer, fried magaritas and almost anything else you might have a hankerin' for fried! We opted for some of the world famous corn dogs on a stick...tastee!

Next it was time for the dog show in one of the arenas. The dogs dove into a pool, caught frizbee's and raced over barriers. We ate our corn dogs and watched the show. Next we visited a John Deere display and Peg standing next to one of the units shows just how big those tractors can be!

We moseyed on over to the horse arena and watched a show performed by a horse whisperer. He trains horses that they take in when no one wants the horse or when a horse can not easily be trained. t was a good show but we were in the direct sun so we were ready for some shade when the show was over.

We headed for the 4-H barns and saw the horses, cows goats and Longhorn cattle, like this one. Pretty wild rack of horns this guy had. Would not want to be in an open field with him!

Another building had model railroad trains running through flowers in a hot house type atmosphere. Also in that building was a pumpkin carver. He was no ordinary carver as you can see by the picture I shot as he was telling his story and carving large pumpkins. Some pretty cool designs!

Next we entered the amusement ride area and James wanted Peg and I to go on the ferris wheel. This is one of the big attractions of the Texas State Fair. We had enough tickets left for one of us so I told Peg she could go. Not a hard decision on my part. By the way, tickets are used to purchase everything at the fair. That way, the merchants do not have actual money to deal with and I am sure that keeps any potential robberies to a minimum.

Here are a couple of shots Peg took from the ferris wheel. I think she and James got one non-stop revolution on the wheel after everyone was loaded and that was it. The entire process of standing in line waiting to get on the ferris wheel to when they got off took about 45 minutes! I guess it was worth it to say you did it. One photo is James and Peg on the ferris wheel and the other is a birds-eye view of the City of Dallas and some of the fairgrounds.

By the way, for those of you not familiar with the fairgrounds, we walked right around the famous Cotton Bowl stadium where the Texas Cowboys play football.

This is an addition to this post I almost forgot about. Actually, it was the highlight of our visit to the fair. We went to the bird show at the amphitheater and it was fantastic! I tried to included a video clip from the show for you to watch, but blogger would not accept it! Sorry about that...They did have some beautiful birds big and small. The Condor had a 10 foot wingspan and if flew into the audience, not by design, and them walked to the stage! Wow, a few people were a bit frightened when it landed. They said that never happened before. I thought it was pretty cool! The show was well worth going to.

It was pretty late by the time we got back home. We went to dinner at Luby's in Dallas and then drove back to McKinney. We can now say we have been to the Texas State Fair!

Octoberfest/Fondu At Dave and Marie's

2010-10-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Dave and Marie came back into town (McKinney) for doctors appointments and we got together a few times for some fun and relaxation. I am combining two events here because I want to get these online and it is a little quicker!

First we traveled to downtown McKinney for the big Octoberfest celebration. The square was filled with music, dancing and of course, drinking! Rain was threatening, but it held off while we were there. Dave and I sampled some of the German beer and Peg and Marie partook of the wine. As you can see, there were German dancers and an umpa band ringing music into the air. Looked like everyone was having a good time. We also walked around, visited a few shops and took in the whole event.

While we were watching the dancing, I noticed a sign on the light pole stating that McKinney was voted the 5th best place to live in the country by Money Magazine. I guess we chose a good area...or did it choose us?

About a week later we were invited to Dave and Marie's motorhome, which was parked at the Lighthouse RV Park in Melissa, TX about 7 minutes from MCD. We were treated to a cheese fondu which Peg and I don't remember ever having! It was tasty and add some wine, sausage and good conversation and it was a really good night. So nice to see Dave and Marie again. Since we are a little off the beaten path, it helps to have friends visit occasionally. We'll see what other trouble we can get into in the next couple of weeks that they are here...

Cruising Through Idaho

2010-07-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

We headed across Idaho on Rt. 90 and that route was a bit mountainous. I do not like cliffs and drop-offs so there were a few spots that were not to my liking! The vistas were something to see, but I was glad when we got down to flatter ground.

Stayed at a KOA for the evening and Peg took advantage of the pool they had by taking a little evening swim. Tomorrow we follow the Columbia River to Portland!

Clinton, Montana. . .Feels Like We Are Home!

2010-07-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

It always feels like we are going home to see family when we pull into our friend Patsy's house. She and her late husband Gary became instant friends of ours several years ago when we met at Buddy Gregg Motorhomes in Knoxville when we all were getting repair work done. At that time we also met our friends Roy (and his dog Snert), Dave and Marie and Hank and Lillie. We have all kept in touch over the years. A great testimonial to the RV lifestyle!

On Rt 212 across Montana it rained and the road became muddy and that mud stuck to our motorhome in places I never knew it had! So when we got to Patsy's house, she was very nice in letting us use her pressure washer to clean off the coach. It took Peg and I a couple of hours to get it reasonably clean.

We had a late dinner and then I thought we should check to see if Patsy's motorhome would start since I had to take it to Missoula to get a few repairs in the morning.

Friday, July 30th...Drove the motorhome to the repair center first thing in the AM and then we decided to run errands and see some of Missoula as we waited for the repair center to make the repairs and call us.

I got my hair cut (which I desperately needed) and we stopped into a few stores for "necessary" items. We met Patsy's daughter, Rachel, for lunch at a nice outdoor deli. The weather was great and being outside was a treat.

We finally received a call about the motorhome at the house around 6pm (the shop was open until 9pm) so we jumped in the car and headed back to Missoula to pick it up. Everything seemed to work fine on the drive home. Got it parked in the storage barn and closed it up and plugged the motorhome in to keep the batteries charged.

We ate around 9:30pm (Peg, Patsy, Rachel and I) and had a nice time reminiscing about our previous visit and about our friend Gary. It felt really sad to me that he was not with us. We do miss him, his humor and his presence! Tomorrow, we are off to the state of Washington. This visit was too short!

A Journey to Custer's Last Stand-Little Big Horn National Park

2010-07-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Since we were taking a different route across Montana, we decided to stop and see the Little Big Horn National Park where Custer's last stand became history. We were not sure we could park the motorhome in the park, but after we entered, we saw a space on the side of the road just big enough for us so we pulled over, parked and began exploring.

We walked up the hill to the monument depicting that final battle. On the monument is listed all the soldiers that fought in the battle. The Indians certainly had the upper hand in this battle. And speaking of Indians, there is a really cool memorial across the road for all the Indian braves that fought and died in this battle. I especially liked the wrought iron images on the top of the monument.

Inside the memorial, which was embedded slightly below ground level, were plaques that told some of the story of the battle and listed the Indians that fought. It was a monument in the round so you were surrounded by native information (sort of like Custer was!).

The cemetery there was quite massive as you can see by the photo. This was only half of the cemetery. You can also see our motorhome in the background beyond the cemetery. I thought the park was laid out well and was easy to walk. There was a driving trail that we did not take since we did not want to unhook the car.

We did sit in on the talk by one of the native rangers. She was born and raised in this area and her relatives fought here as well. She told us where the battles were fought, the background behind the attack and showed some of the weapons that were used in that era. All and all, it was very informative but it was quite hot so we were glad when the hour talk was over.

This was an interesting diversion on our way to Clinton, Montana and our friend Patsy's house...

Renville, MN to Rapid City, SD

2010-07-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Left for Renville, Minnesota to see Peg's brother Clyde. Arrived there about noon and had lunch with Clyde, Niece Nancy, her husband Harry and their son Austin. Saw Clyde's house and neighborhood. Still had to make it to South Dakota so we left there early afternoon.

Made it to Mitchell, SD and stopped for the night...

Sunday, July 25th we finally arrived in Rapid City, SD. We had reservations at Hart Ranch about two sites down from Rod and Jean. Also in the park were Jake and Sherry and they came over for a visit after we called and told them we were there.

Monday...Jean and Peg went to Walmart to restock the RV shelves and Rod and I went to Cabellas. We were looking at ammo and Rod wanted to get a carry pouch. That evening Rod and Jean and Peg and I played two games of Pegs and Jokers. Can't remembered who won though!!!!

Tuesday...We went to Rapid City, our new city and state of residency to get our driver's licenses, voting rights set up and concealed carry gun permits. Took us an entire morning, but we got the drivers license, signed up for voting and applied for our permits.

We also went back to Cabellas to look around (it's becoming one of my favorite stores). When we returned, we visited with Rod and Jean for a while in the evening. They were getting up early to drive the rental truck they had to Iowa to pick up the rest of the stuff from their storage unit and then drive it down to Casa Grande to their house. A long trip was in store for them...

Mahtomedi, Minnesota

2010-07-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Left Winnebago and headed west to Mahtomedi, Minnesota. Why did we stop there? Peg's brother, Ivan and family live there and he said we could stay in their church parking lot while we visited. We arrived just after noon and called Ivan. He came down to pick us up and, along with Peg's other brother Rick and Ivan's son Lomax, we headed to a DQ for lunch.

After lunch we went to a local animal shelter where Ivan's daughter Anna (our Godchild) was finishing up her last day at day camp. She was part of a play all the kids put on for the parents at the center. She did a good job!

We hung out at the house until dinner and then they took us back to the motorhome and we spent the night in the church parking lot.

Tomorrow we are off to Renville, MN to see another of Peg's brothers...

A Week at Winnebago

2010-07-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Winnebago Rally was a VERY busy place for us in the MCD Innovations booth. Most of the new Winnebago coaches had our shades in them, so when people looked at the new coaches and saw the shades, they liked what they saw and wanted them for their coach! This created a lot of traffic in our booth. We met a lot of Winnebago owners and the days went by quickly. Glad there were four of us in the booth. The line-up at the front door on the first day says it all (see photo).

One night we had "dinner" at the rally grounds since they had what they called a "Row Party". The different states that were represented put together foods that each state was known for. You walk around the grounds sampling the soups, deserts and other foods from each area. It was plenty of food and all the folks were proud of their states offerings.

This years theme was A Salute to Hollywood so many of the RV's were decorated in Hollywood fashion. There were many people in costumes as well. Everyone seemed to be having a fun time!

Peg and I did an interview with Marketing Specialist, Kelly Harms for our American RVer show. She is always a very upbeat and informative person to speak with. We had done an interview with her about a year ago when we visited the Winnebago factory, so we already knew each other.

We packed up the MCD booth on Thursday and we were heading to Minnesota on Friday, the first leg of our journey across country to Salem, Oregon for the Monaco Pre-rally!

We Arrive at Forest City, Iowa!

2010-07-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

It was Saturday afternoon and we finally arrived at Pammel Park in Forest City. We are about two miles down the road from the Winnebago rally grounds. Since we own a Monaco motorhome, we were not allowed on the Winnebago rally grounds, not even to unload our vendor booth display. This did work out well since the park was very nice with a creek running in front of us and we had 50 amp power. There was water and a sewer dump available very close if we needed it. We had quite a bit of space between sites in this park, unlike the way they parked the RV's at the Winnebago rally area.

We explored a bit and crossed over the creek on a swing bridge. This led to a golf course across the creek and some other picnic sites.

We loaded the booth display into the car on Sunday and after two trips, began setting up the booth on the Winnebago grounds. Carla and Dave arrived on Sunday with their motorhome and the four of us were here and ready to work this rally.

Monday night we had dinner at a little place Dave knew about on Clear Lake that specialized in Walleye and seafood. The food was great and we had a nice view of the lake.

On the Road to Forest City, Iowa

2010-07-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Headed out from the MCD factory today on our way to our first of three rallies. We were headed to Forest City, Iowa for the Winnebago Annual Grand National Rally. As with all our travels, we try to stop and visit friends and relatives along the way. This time was no exception. We got to Independence, Missouri on the second day of travel and spent the night in the Elks Lodge just outside of the city. That lodge had recently completed building an RV park for members with 50 amp power and water available.

We were invited for dinner at Peg's sister's so we unhooked the car and drove to Jan and Dave's house. Niece Melissa and husband Tom were also joining us for dinner. It was a quick visit because we were on a schedule. The dinner was great and so was the conversation.

Tomorrow, Saturday we should make it to Forest City...

RV Basement "Stuff" to Storage

2010-07-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today we got all our belongings out of the basement of the motorhome and put them in a small (5' x 10') storage unit so everything will be safe while we travel to rallies for the next month or so. We thought this was a better solution than keeping everything in Dave and Carla's motorhome basement as they will be traveling as well.

It was a tight fit with the motorcycle and two bicycles in the storage unit, but we needed the room in the car and RV so it is now a done deal! Only took two trips to get everything there and stored away! Glad that is done...

Independence Day (July 4th weekend) 2010

2010-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

After the Fleetwood Rally, we were able to take a few of days off and drive down to Paducah, Kentucky to see Peg's brother Ray and sister-in-law Jean. We stayed at the Kentucky Dam RV Resort, a small campground located off highway 641, about 12 minutes from Peg's brothers house in Benton. We were happy to have 50 amp power and full hook-ups as the weather was quite warm!

Ray rented a pontoon boat from The Moors, a marina on the Kentucky Lake. We had a boat-full of people including Peg and I, Ray and Jean, their daughter Sandy and her three boys. I was nominated to captain the boat, so we headed up the lake seeing the sights. This was on Thursday the 1st, so the boat traffic was pretty light. I could imagine what this lake would be like on any holiday weekend!

Lunch was on the water. We found a spot near a small island to drop anchor, and pulled out the sandwiches, chips and drinks. After lunch, the hot sun prompted us to take a dip in the water....well most of us. Since I was the captain, I had to stay with my ship (any excuse is a good one). I did find some neat small shells and decided to explore the island we were anchored next to. I walked to the other side and took this photo of the lake.

We had rented the boat for four hours and time was growing short, so we pulled up anchor and headed back to the marina, traveling near the shoreline. All the boys wanted their turn at driving the boat so I tried to teach them some "rules of the road" and they all took a turn, even little Lawton. Michael and Taylor did a good job of piloting the boat, but I took the helm to bring it back into the marina.

That night we went to an outdoor concert in the tiny town of Benton in the square. A local man and his band was playing and it appeared that they were a popular draw in the area. There were well over a hundred people listening and singing along. The band did a good job. When we got back to the RV, that night and for a couple of nights afterwards, the fireworks began to fly and we could enjoy much of the display out the front window of the motorhome!

The last day we were at the campground, Ray and grandson Michael came over with fishin' polls and we all tested our luck in the small pond on the campground property. We stayed for a few hours casting and reeling, casting and reeling and I got two bites. I think it was from a hungry turtle since it let go of the bait before I got it to shore each time. No one else had any luck pulling in a fish so we called it a day.

We hung out five days in Benton and enjoyed spending the Fourth of July with family before traveling back to Texas.

Off To The Fleetwood Rally in Du Quoin, Illinois

2010-06-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

It was time to travel to another rally. This one was in Du Quoin, Illinois and was being held at the Du Quoin Fairgrounds. The facilities are very nice and they hold many rallies here. It is also a horse track and they had trotters running on the track in front of our coach each morning.

We arrived at the fairgrounds and set up the MCD booth a day before we were actually scheduled to get into the convention center. This actually was a good thing and it gave us more time to get things ready.

We enjoyed meeting new folks at the evening dinners and we ended up sitting with a few of the same folks throughout the week. We also shot a couple segments for the July American RVer webisode. It was a good show and we enjoyed meeting all of the attendees and the Fleetwood personnel.

Dinner with James & Mark

2010-06-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Nephew James lives in Fort Worth and he invited Peg and I over for dinner. Peg's brother Clyde was in town and we have not seem him in a few years. So...off we drove to Fort Worth.

It was a nice day for a drive and that was a good thing since our wonderful GPS decided to take us on an extended tour of the city. Why it conjures up the most difficult way to get somewhere is beyond me. Maybe if I quit saying "I hate it", it would have more mercy on us!

We did finally get there and we had a good time swapping stories and seeing James' next door neighbor, Rose, again. She was at the Easter dinner we went to at Mark's house. As you can see, I am smiling a bit and in front of me a little vino...Hey, could there be a connection there?

After a good meal and a quick clean-up effort, we bid farewell to Clyde, James and Mark (Rose had left already) and headed back home. It's nice to have relatives a short distance away to stop in and see every so often!

The Arboretum in Dallas

2010-06-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Nephew James and partner Mark wanted Peg and I to experience a concert at the Arboretum which looks over Dallas from the east. The layout reminded me a little of Saratoga Springs and the SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) concert venue. It is a semi-circular hill overlooking the stage where the musicians perform. You could tell that there were many "locals" here with their picnics, small tables and flowing wine. The view of the lake was really spectacular as well!

We brought food and drink as well and it made the event more enjoyable. We were there to see an Elvis impersonator, one who is supposed to be the best in the business. He hails from, where else, Las Vegas! I think he did a good job and did sound a lot like the King. My vantage point was not that good as you can see here. I had to look through two trees to see the performance, but I didn't mind since the trees were blocking the harsh sun from hitting us directly.

We were at this event for another reason...It was Mark's birthday and we were celebrating. Looks like a few hundred other people were also joining in the celebration! We had a good time and when we walked back to the car, we could not find it at first. We then realized we had walked past it and doubled back a couple of rows and there it was waiting for us....

Hank and Lillie Return to McKinney

2010-06-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

It is always wonderful to be with friends we have met along our journeys and some of those friends become very special to us. Hank and Lillie are two such people. We enjoy their company and when we meet up, it is like we never left each other. A really nice feeling.

Well hank and Lille returned to get new shades installed into their motorhome and they would be with us for a week. It was time to get out and see some things we have not seen before, so we went down to the Plano Mall, not too far from here. This is a really huge mall and it even has an indoor ice rink. Some kids were practicing hockey (my favorite sport) while the four of us looked on. Pretty cool (literally)!

Across from the rink is an Apple Store. Hank and Lillie and Peg and I are all Apple people. Well...Lillie is coming over from the "dark side". She has a new iPad and it was pretty cool. We all had to stop in to the Apple Store and play with all the gadgets. I almost have to leave my wallet at home for fear of using it to purchase some neat stuff. I was good this day!

After wandering around in the mall, we got a bit hungry so we went over to one of Peg's and my favorite eatery's in the area, Joe's Bistro. They have great Italian food and a real nice atmosphere. We enjoyed our meal and of course each others company. We stumbled on Joe's a while back and continue to take friends there.

We had a wonderful week with Hank and Lillie and we hope to see them again, real soon, on the road...

Visiting Southfork with Rod and Jean

2010-06-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Rod and Jean rolled into McKinney with their motorhome to visit us and get a few adjustments done to their shades. We have been blessed with visits from many of our friends. Peg and Jean wanted to visit JR Ewing while in Texas (see photo) so we headed to the ranch!

The famous Southfork Ranch, made popular by the 80's TV show Dallas and the Ewing Family, was about an hour away. Who could ever forget the night we found out "Who killed JR"! This was one of the most watched shows in TV history at the time. The mansion consists of the 4800 sq ft building that was built by the Duncan family.

The TV show ranch shots were filmed only in the summer, as requested by the ranches owners and no filming was done inside the main building where the family lived. The indoor shots were shot on a sound stage in Hollywood, California and the sets matched up to most of the rooms of the house. They used mirrors at the ranch near the pool area to give the appearance of a much larger pool, even though it is a relatively small pool.

The current owner had a decorator redo the interior of the house so it matched the TV sets. It is pretty neat to relive the old show as you enter the house. Since the show, a convention center was added to the property and of course the property was opened up to tours. Many weddings are held there.

While we were wandering about, we saw a couple of newborn longhorn calves in one of the barns with their mother. We also had to take a photo of us "stars" near the pool.

After the tour, we headed for the Spring Creek BBQ in Richardson, TX and had a great meal. We then proceeded to Central Market which Peg refers to as "Trader Joe's on steroids." The market is huge and we got to sample a variety of produce.

That evening, we topped off the day with a few games of Pegs and Jokers. Peg and Rod beat Jean and I but we vowed to beat them the next time!!!

Dog Sitting...

2010-05-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Since we no longer have pets, we got the opportunity to "dog sit" a cock-a-poo named Max for the owners of MCD Innovations.

Max is about 9 years old and he is a great dog. We had fun adapting to his world and he seemed to like living with us. For Memorial weekend, we all stayed at Clear Lake Park and looked out over the water.

We had Max for about 2 weeks and grew close to each other. Guess Max and I "bonded". It was sad to see him return to Dave and Carla but, as with being grandparents, it's nice to have the kids visit and also nice to have them go!!

A Visit With Family

2010-05-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Peg and I drove over to Peg's brother Sam and wife Louise's house in Denton (Valley View) Texas. Their kids, our niece and nephew, were there and we had not seen them for a while. I should say we had not seen Nancy, her husband Harry and her son Austin for a while. Son James lives in Fort Worth and we have visited with him a few times since being in Texas.

We spent the afternoon with them and were treated to a wonderful dinner. Nancy and her family live in Minnesota, so they had a long drive to get down to Texas. They had just purchased property across from their mom and dad so we may be seeing a move south soon??

We had about a 75 minute drive back to the motorhome so we got going before the sun got too low. It was nice seeing everyone again...

Reunion at MCD...Take Two!

2010-04-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Honesty I had thought that when we decided to work for MCD Innovations here in McKinney, Texas, we would rarely get a visit from our friends. Well, I am happy to say that, so far, that has not been the case.

Dave and Marie Ostrander have been next to us in their motorhome for the month and yesterday our travel companions from last year, Lew and Dottie Anderson, came by to get MCD shades installed in their bedroom. It was so nice to see them again. We recently have seen each other in Tucson and Albuquerque but, since we were working the sales booth at both those rallies, we did not have too much time to get together and talk. Here at MCD we are still working during the day but both yesterday and tonight all six of us went out to dinner. It was a really great time both nights.

Here is a photo of our table at Joe's Italian Bistro in Plano, Texas. Good food, good atmosphere and great company! We all ate way too much. This is the second time Peg and I have been to Joe's and both times the food has been great.

By the way, Lew and Dottie came in to get just the bedroom shades done and it looks like they are now getting the Full Monty! They will leave with the entire coach fitted with MCD shades, including the windshield. I think Peg and I will be getting a reputation of having friends come down to visit and having them leave with a lighter wallet! We like to keep the coach weight down to a safe limit!! Hey, I guess the product sells itself.

We're delighted to have Lew and Dottie and Dave and Marie here until Saturday. We will enjoy our time together this week...

A Reunion at MCD

2010-03-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

We got a wonderful surprise here at MCD in McKinney. Hank and Lillie were coming across Texas with their motorhome so they called and said they would like to stop by for a visit. "Come on over", I said "and we'll find a place for you to park!" They were coming off highway 35 and thought MCD was pretty close to that highway but, in reality, it took them about two hours to get to us. It was worth the visit! We were so happy to see them. Dave and Marie were here next to us for the month as well, so all six of us had a wonderful visit and we all went out to dinner together.

I guess we talked Hank and Lillie into staying around for a couple of days with us and, while here, they decided to get their coach measured for MCD shades. The shades will look great in their Dynasty! The day after their windows were measured, they took off down the highway headed for home in Tennessee. They will return at a later date to have the shades installed. We look forward to seeing them again at the end of the summer...

Our First Two Rallies With MCD Are Now History!

2010-03-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have not posted much on this blog since we have been so busy as employees of MCD Innovations (the RV shade people) and doing their marketing, website, graphic design and traveling to rallies to work the MCD booth. We just got done with a "double header" rally. The first in Tucson, Arizona which was the Monaco Pre-rally at Beaudry RV and the second which was in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the FMCA Convention.

At the Tucson rally, we were fortunate to see several of our RVing friends. We were able to eat dinner with Lew and Dottie, Dave and Marie, Ron and Wanda and of course our new bosses, Dave and Carla (not pictured). This was a good rally to get our feet wet in the MCD booth and get to know the product and pricing better. We also learned how to set up the booth and get the materials ready for taking orders and giving out information. The food at the rally was great and Peg and I had a few libations after a hard day at work!

The Albuquerque FMCA rally was much bigger and we were constantly busy talking with folks and taking orders. Many of the new coaches on display had our MCD shades in the Class A motorhomes, Class C and Class B units. The final count on coaches at the rally was 1600, slightly down from previous years, but a rather good turnout for this economy! We were a bit more experienced at this rally and I think we both felt more comfortable quoting prices and helping people at the show.

The two rallies went very well and we sold a lot of MCD products. It has been a tough two weeks and we have been on our feet a lot. I am not used to that, but I survived! We packed up our booth around 5pm yesterday along with MCD owners Dave and Carla and Peg and I headed for a motel since we did not have the coach last night. That was the first time we did not sleep in the coach in a long while!

Peg and I are now just outside of Albuquerque in a small campground (Hidden Valley) staying put for the afternoon/night because of the high winds we are having here. We had to take the motorhome in to the Cummins dealer in Albuquerque for an exhaust manifold gasket repair yesterday, and they didn't get it repaired until just after noon today. We noticed a high pitched whistle coming from the engine when we accelerated, so we knew something was wrong! It's all better now, so if the weather cooperates, we will be on the road heading for McKinney, Texas in the morning.

We look forward to being stationary in McKinney for a month or so and then we head out to the next rally that MCD Innovations is sponsoring a booth at. The good news is that because of the rallies, Peg and I still get to travel through out the year instead of having to be at one place to work and give up the RV lifestyle. A perfect compromise for us!

The Two Fools Tavern!

2010-03-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

After working a long day at the FMCA Convention here in Albuquerque, NM, we met up with our friends Ron and Sandy Jones. We videotaped some back-up signals near a motorhome for Ron's new website and then decided we were hungry and it was time for dinner. Ron and Sandy's friends, Rick and Lana were also at the video shoot and we all jumped into our cars and drove down to a tavern in town that Ron suggested.

We walked into this typical English Pub called the Two Fools Tavern. It is located in a section of town they call Nob Hill. Peg had fish and chips and I had potato pancakes with brown stew on top. Delicious! We also had some wine with dinner and of course the other guys had a few brews.

Could not resist getting a photo of both our group, the bar and the cool looking napkin...

The Last Supper (at Bob and Marlenes)

2010-03-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to Beaudry RV in Tucson today where the Monaco Pre-rally was to be held. We checked in, got the coach set up and jumped into the car and headed for Casa Grande. Bob and Marlene were hosting a dinner for us at their house and invited many of our friends. This was probably the "last supper" we would have with them for quite a while, so it was really special to us.

We had not visited with the Rea's for over a month and in that time they had the backyard of their brick and mortar home re-designed into a wonderful living area complete with fountains, a built in grilling area and even some grass for Scout, their dog. A new wrought iron fence was installed which now means that Scout can be let out into the backyard and he has plenty of room to roam off the leash!

When dinner time rolled around Hank and Lillie, Rod and Jean and Ron and Wanda stopped by so we could all visit and eat another meal together. We had such a good feast and a great time catching up.

One of the best parts of choosing the full-time RVing lifestyle is the people you meet along the journey and those people that become your close friends. This group is one such example. Since we will now be living in Texas, we will really miss these type of get togethers. Hopefully, we will get visits from all our friends down in Texas as they travel!! Ya'all come down, ya hear!

An Evening At The Theatre

2010-03-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

We were invited out to a night "on the town" in Dallas by our nephew James and he wanted us to see a comedy called. "I Love You, Now Change". It was being held at Theatre 3 downtown. The four person cast stages several vignettes about love and marriage. It was quite funny. The actual performance took place in what they call Theatre 2, a renovated basement area that would hold about 40-50 people. It was an intimate setting and you were definitely close to the action.

Before the theatre, we strolled around Central Market, a large indoor market near downtown Dallas. It was amazing the selection of fruit, produce, wine, meats and breads they had there. There were also samples of anything you wanted to try around every corner. We all purchased some food there, took it back to Mark and James' place and had a great dinner before the show. We had a great time with James and Mark and look forward to seeing some other entertainment in the days ahead. By the way, I had to get a photo of me and the "Duck Wall" at Mark's house before we left!

Welcome to Texas....I Think!!

2010-02-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

We have been driving hard for the last three days to get to McKinney Texas to talk to the owners of MCD Innovations about working for them. Our friend Jimmy gave them our names after they heard MCD was looking for a couple to work with. So, we said goodbye to our friends and left Casa Grande on Monday the 8th bound for Texas.

It was a long drive, over 1000 miles, but the coach ran well and we did not get into any bad weather. We got to MCD yesterday (2/10/10) and set up the RV and spoke with owner Dave for an hour or so. Today we will meet again and go through the manufacturing plant.

We awoke about 7:00pm and of course nature called, so in my sleepy vision it looked awfully white outside. Upon further inspection, I realized it was snowing...hard...and there was about 2" of snow on the ground. I believe this is snow since I have not seen it for quite some time. I ventured out to take a few pictures and, indeed, it was snow! I remember that cold, wet stuff! Looks like it will be snowing all day here near Dallas. It was even featured on the Weather Channel, that is until so much snow got on our satellite dish that the feed fuzzed out!

So, as I said in the title of this post....Welcome to Texas!

Quartzsite 2010

2010-01-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

We traveled from Indio to Quartzsite, Arizona for the big RV get together in the desert. This is the third year we have been here. We camped out in the same general area we camped in last year. There were eight coaches together in our group and we enjoyed our time at the campfire and at the RV supply tent. Note our GREAT campfire ring we all built....A masterpiece!

Some of the best sights were in the early evening when the sun was settling on the mountains and the hills had changed color to a red hue. In the desert you can always find some interesting vistas.

We had the chance to visit friends Ken and Joanne Parsons who were parked several miles away from us. We did find them and had a nice visit one afternoon. They just purchased a house in Arizona City and was looking forward to getting back to their new property.

We did an interview with Dan Covington of Truck System Technologies near the RV tent. The interview is online for American RVer show number 45. Dan sells tire pressure monitoring systems. We have one of his units in our coach and it works great.

Glad we had a chance to dry camp with some of our friends in the desert again this year. Lew and Dottie Anderson were missed as Lew had some surgery which prevented them from participating this year. There is always next year!!

Peg's Infamous Hikes in Indio

2010-01-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

Peg decided to do some hiking with some of the folks here at Indian Waters. She took two trips. One to LaQuinta Cove and the other to Pushawalia Palms.

LaQuinta Cove was a four mile hike that traversed both level ground and some hilly climbs. Another woman on the hike, Jeannette, was not in very good shape and lagged behind the group. Peg chose to stay behind and walk with her. She stopped about half way into the hike and Peg continued with the rest. They saw some desert flowers in bloom and some cactus. At the stopping point of the hike was a beautiful golf course. What a little water can do in the desert!

Pushawalia Palms is on the top of a ridge and runs along near the San Andreas Fault. This area was mined for low-grade uranium during WWII. On the south side of the ridge are palm trees that follow the Fault line. They walked to the palm trees and found a stream of fast moving water there. You could also see calcium deposits and red iron deposits. There was even a 1940's truck, or what was left of it. After the palms the climb up a wash filled with boulders began! They saw arrow weed (used by Indians to make arrows), barrel cactus and cow scrapers. Some of the cow scrapers were starting to turn green from the rain we had a few days before.

A short distance from the truck they arrived in, Peg miss-stepped and took a tumble. She yelled "I'm going down" and down she went. She hit her left knee then rolled onto her right cheek and scratched her sunglasses. Everyone came running over to help, but she was okay...except for her ego! Her right eye had a shiner for over a week and she had several bruises! Glad she did not stumble on the ridge. This could have had a different ending!!

Lunch at the Jackalope Ranch

2010-01-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

Apparently one of the renowned spots in Palm Springs is the Jackalope Ranch. It is a beautiful oasis in the desert where many famous actors, musicians and the rich and famous crowd, in general, has visited. Not wanting to be outdone, Peg and I met Sandy, Luther and Bill and Lillian there for lunch. Unfortunately Lillian was not feeling well so they were delayed in getting to the restaurant. No problem...A late lunch it is!

While we were waiting, Peg and I walked the grounds of the ranch and also looked at all the interesting "exhibits" the Jackalope Ranch had on display. One of the first things you see when you come through the front entrance is this unique fountain. Double click on the photo and pay particular attention to the dog! This is hysterical.

Another item you will see in the lobby is this full size replica of a Harley Davidson motorcycle made entirely out of wood. I can not imagine how much time it took to build this! Even the chain drive is made entirely out of carved wood...Amazing!

One other cool thing I will point out is the cascading water in the backyard. We were seated on the patio in the back overlooking the water and it was really pleasant there. They also have several stand-up heaters placed strategically on the outside deck to keep the customers warm and happy.

Sandy, Luther, Bill and Lillian did arrive and we had a great time talking about where we came from in North Carolina as well as how Bill and Lillian liked the southwest. I gathered from their excitement, they liked it a lot and will return at some later date. Before our meal, we had the waitress take a group photo of us in the beautiful backyard.

The delay I mentioned earlier actually worked to our advantage because, we found out later, everything is half price when happy hour starts and we happen to be finished after happy hour had started. So our waitress gave us the discount. This made the afternoon even more enjoyable. The food was really good too! It was nice getting together and I hope we can visit Sandy and Luther the next time we are in the Palm Springs area...

Our Two Weeks in Indio

2010-01-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

There was a lot going on throughout our two weeks in Indio, California. The FMCA Indio Rally was in full swing. FMCA stands for Family Motor Coach Association, of which we are members. We did not stay at the rally but attended for one day with a day pass. We saw quite a few vendors, mostly used motorhomes for sale and the normal activities associated with these type of events.

Lew and Dottie organized a gathering of about 25 fellow RVers at the Lamp Post Restaurant near Palm Springs. We had pizza and met some old friends we have not seen for a while and got to know some new folks. The pizza was pretty good, but it must have been made of gold because it was pricey! I suppose it was worth the price for the fellowship we got to enjoy.

On Sunday, January 10th, Rod & Jean, Bob and Marlene and Peg and I attended the College of the Desert's craft fair. This is held each weekend on the college grounds. There was a lot to look at and they had entertainment as well as FOOD! As you can see, we all can always agree on one thing...Lets get some food! So, we did! This is the second time we have been to this craft fair and it seems to get bigger each year. They do have some hard to find items though.

At the College of the Desert, we heard talk of a new RV park that was having an open house. Rod and Jean were riding with us so we hijacked them and went over to the Desert Shores Resort. What a find we made. They had free food, entertainment, tours of the various RV home sites and a custom car show. Who could ask for anything more! We partook of it all.

I must say that this resort is not for the faint of heart (or those of us lacking in funds). The house I have pictured here was listed for $675,000, but it did have a place to put your RV along side the house. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and we did enjoy walking through it and taking pictures. This resort has its own golf course, clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and a lot of green grass! We called Bob and Marlene to come over and check this place out and they arrived in short order. We had a good time spending our afternoon here.

On Monday, January 11th our friends Ron and Wanda arrived at Indian Waters. They are going to Quartzsite with us, as is Bob and Marlene. Gene and Darlene were also staying at the park and we were all parked in the same row. They too were going to Quartzsite. Here is our happy hour with Ron and Wanda included in the festivities.

Thursday, January 14th Ron and Wanda and Peg and I decided to go to the Palm Springs Street Fair they hold every Thursday evening. We went to this last year. It is a BIG event and the main street in Palm Springs is closed off to traffic and the vendors line the street. We saw some cool and unusual things at this street fair. Plus some unusual musicians as well (see photo)!!

As we were wandering along, Peg saw friends of ours from North Carolina. We knew Sandy and Luther Bell were now living in this area. We also knew one of my website clients, Bill Bright and his wife Lillian, were here visiting, but we did not expect to see them at the fair, especially with so many people around. Bill and Lillian were buying up southwestern items to furnish their home with in Ocean Isle Beach. We set a lunch date for a couple of days before Bill and Lillian went back to the east coast. More on this later! Pretty cool seeing them in this neck of the woods!

Arrival at Indian Waters

2010-01-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

We got to Indian Waters at 10:00am, a good time to arrive since a few folks had left already and we were in line to get their spot. At Indian Waters, they have a grass filled side to the park and a rock filled side. Typically, Western Horizons members are suppose to get the grass side, if available. All three of us got spots on the grass and were fairly close to one another. Rod and Jean played their handicapped card and got the large site Peg and I got last year. Fair is fair. Remember Rod, next year is our turn!

We assembled our bicycles and drove around the park. We knew Lew and Dottie Anderson were there in the gravel side, so we sought them out. We found them and had a nice chat. Lew was looking pretty good after having some brain surgery just a couple of months before.

Later that afternoon, Peg spotted a hot air balloon flying over the park. She ran to get the camera and snapped a photo of the balloon in the evening sun. I remember the days we used to fly in hot air balloons. This picture brought back memories.

We had happy hour at Rod and Jeans site (that's what you get for having the bigger site :-). Lew and Dottie, Bob and Marlene, Rod and Jean (of course) and Peg and I shared some good memories and conversation.

California or Bust...

2010-01-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Today we left Desert Shadows bound for Indio, California. Three coaches (Bob & Marlene, Rod and Jean and us) headed out at about 10am. We got fuel in Ehrenburg and then stayed over for the night at the Western Horizon's park, Colorado River Oasis. We all parked fairly close together.

This is the first time Peg and I had been here. We all decided to take a walk and check out our surroundings. We walked along the Colorado River and enjoyed looking at the water flowing by. We found a picnic table along the river and sat and talked for a while.

That night, the Peg's and Joker's board came out and we had a good time playing. The sunset was pretty intense this evening as you can see by the photo.

Tomorrow we get to one of my favorite places, Indio, and Indian Waters RV Park.

Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T23:44:00.000-08:00

Wow...This year has really gone by fast! We are at Sunscape RV Resort and we were invited to Desert Shadows to spend some time with Rod and Jean at their motorhome for New Years Eve. Bob and Marlene joined us as we drank, ate, played Pegs and Jokers and drank......Did I say that twice? :-)

I think we made it to midnight (at least by east coast standards). It was a fun night. Peg and I are moving over to Desert Shadows tomorrow (January 1st) for a two week stay before we all travel to one of my favorite places, Indio, California.

The Death of a Friend

2009-12-26T21:35:00.000-08:00

As we previously posted, our friend Gary Coleman was in the hospital in Phoenix after undergoing two brain surgeries within 12 hours of each other. He seemed to be doing better and the day before Christmas was transferred to a hospice care facility after being taken off the ventilator at the hospital. About 4:45pm today we received the call I dreaded to hear. Gary had passed away at 4:20pm.

The doctors felt that he had had another stroke within the last 12 hours since his responses to stimuli had sharply decreased and his breathing and heart rhythm had gotten labored. This was not a positive sign and, shortly after 4pm, he was no longer with us.

He and Patsy were/are great friends and we will miss Gary, his sense of humor and his antics very much. This is especially tough since they have always made us feel like we were part of their family. I am glad we could spend a few precious moments with he and Patsy when they first arrived in Casa Grande...

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe another Christmas is here! Peg and I opened our presents to each other a day before Christmas (Christmas Eve Day). I decided to get Peg a new recliner so she would not have to sit sideways on the couch to watch TV. we had talked about new recliners but we did not commit to the furniture. I ordered the chair online in hopes it would get here by Christmas. After several calls to the store I ordered it from and to a trucking company delivering it to UPS for local delivery, I finally located the chair. It was delivered right to our motorhome in Sunscape. I assembled it and when Peg came home from work,she was VERY surprised!

Christmas day we traveled down to Tubac, AZ to cousin Cathy and Marshall Geisy's house. They were having a large gathering of friends and family for the Christmas Holiday. As the cars came rolling in, we gathered outside under the warm sun and began telling tales of our travels as well as where we all were from and how we got there.

Food was a big focus and, as you can see, we had many people around the table enjoying a variation on American and Mexican foods. It was fun to meet and visit with Cathy and Marshall's friends and relatives. The table was barely big enough to accommodate all the guests but we all squeezed in and made it happen. The fixings were really tasty and I think we were all hungry!

After dinner we had a secret santa gift giving where everyone had to bring a gift and we let the kids pick a gift for each person. If you did not want to pick a gift, you could take a gift that was already opened from someone else. It took a while to get all the gifts delivered and opened and some of the presents were quite interesting! I think everyone enjoyed the event and getting together for the holiday.

A Busy Day In Casa Grande

2009-12-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

Today we got up, got dressed and went to church here in the Sunscape RV Park with our friends Rod and Jean who are now parked next to us. After the service we couldn't resist having some birthday cake that was provided and even I grabbed a cup cake for the road. Everything was soooo good!

We decided that Peg and I would take Rod and Jean to Eloy and show them the sky diving facility about three miles away from where we are staying. It was a nice day with little wind, so we figured they would be jumping today.

The training wind tunnel is a very impressive place. This is the second time Peg and I have been there. We were fortunate to see another group of sky divers going through their moves in the encased clear chamber. Another guy that worked at the center was doing some acrobatics in the chamber that almost made me want to join in....I said almost! After we watched the training for a while, we decided to go outside to the landing field and watch several people jump from perfectly good airplanes!

Some of the jumpers were actually folks that paid their $190 to do a tandem jump with an instructor. There was even a lady in her mid 70's who did a jump and lived to tell about it. We enjoyed watching all the colorful shoots open and hear the stories of those who parachuted.

When we got back, we all were invited to Bob and Marlene's house for a mad game or two of Pegs and Jokers. It was the boys (Myself, Bob and Rod) against the girls (Peg, Marlene and Jean). The guys triumphed with a win of the first game which, by the way, was probably the longest single game I have ever played! The second game the girls won, but not without a fight!

We all had a great time but we had to get back home since Rod and Jean were leaving our park tomorrow and driving a whopping 20 miles to Desert Shadows, a park across town, for a two week stay. They needed to get some much needed rest to make that journey!!!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2009-12-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of the most difficult posts to have to write about in all our journeys we've encountered the last couple of years.

Our friends from Montana, Gary and Patsy, who we stayed with at their home near Missoula last august, drove into Casa Grande so we could be near each other for a few weeks and reconnect. They were staying at the Western Horizons Park, Desert Shadows. We got together a couple of days ago (on Friday) and brought them to our RV Park in the evening for the Christmas Dinner here. We visited for a while afterwords and they headed home.

On Saturday, We went out to lunch at a Mexican Restaurant in town and then back to their coach to watch the Montana Grizzleys play a football game. They got interested in the football team this fall when Gary had a shunt put in his head to help the fluid drain from his brain. He was laid up for a while, so football kept him occupied. He recently got the go ahead from the doctor to be able to travel in the motorhome, so they headed out. While at their coach, Peg got a call from work that they needed her to come in, so she left, went to our motorhome to change, and came back. Gary, Patsy and I had a nice visit while the game was on. I stayed into the evening for a while.

We did not see them on Sunday since Peg had to work and I had some work to do for clients as well.

Monday night we got a call from Patsy explaining that Gary was admitted to St. Josephs Hospital in Phoenix and was having brain surgery! What!! She said they had gone to the hospital to see if they could get his shunt adjusted since he was having headaches. The hospital wanted them to call for an appointment and Patsy knew he needed help, so she suggested they walk around the corner to the emergency room. Gary was immediately admitted because it was their policy if a person with a shunt was having headaches, they go to the top of the list!

The doctor at the ER adjusted the shunt electronically and then sent him to have a CT scan. They discovered that the opposite side of his head had pooling blood in the brain. A tube was inserted to try and drain the blood, but it kept clogging up and the doctor decided to open him up and see what was going on and to try to stop the bleeding. That operation took place late at night. Another CT scan was done at 5am the next morning and there was more bleeding so another operation was scheduled for 7:30am. Two surgeries in about 12 hours!!

This time, they did stop the bleeding, but Gary was not responding well to stimuli. We knew this was going to be a long process now.

Since this unexpected trail of events, we have been up to the hospital in Phoenix a few times and each day, and each time, he seems better. He is still having a difficult time waking up, moving his limbs and breathing, but we have faith that he WILL get better. All his family flew into Phoenix, we got the motorhome moved closer to the hospital so everyone has a place to stay, and prayers are being said 24 hours a day.

I hope to look back on this blog entry one day and remember what I felt when I wrote this as the uncertainly of Gary's health loomed over me. I also hope I am sitting with a healthy, happy guy named Gary as we look back in amazement at those days when things were touch and go, but everything turned around and he got back to better than normal. Gary, Patsy and their family are like family to Peg and I. Family needs to look out for family.....What more can I say!

Dinner and a Game!!!

2009-12-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

Bob and Marlene invited Peg and I, Rod and Jean and Hank and Lillie to their house for dinner and a few hands of Pegs and Jokers. I guess this is fast becoming THE GAME for all of us. I guess it is one of the games I understand and like to play (along with dominos).

After a really great meal of Halibut, which Rod caught while he and Jean were in Alaska this summer RVing, and some wonderful side dishes and of course dessert, we all settled in for a night of card playing.

Since there were eight of us, we divided into two groups. After the first game, the losers played the losers and the winners played the winners of the opposite table. It was a challenging night for Jean and I. We won one game (I think)! Peg and Rod did really well and won most of their games.

As usual, we all had a good time. We thank Bob and Marlene for buying a house so we can all congregate there!!!

Climbing To The Top...Picacho Peak!

2009-12-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

I should really ask Peg to write this blog entry but I will try to transfer her excitement to the written page!

Today Peg climbed to the top of Picacho Peak! She has climbed to the "saddle" of the mountain a few times before, but today, she, Chuck, Conrad, Elaine and Ray completed the journey to the summit.

The climb went well except for a few bumps and bruises and at one point Peg and Elaine get stuck on one of the steepest parts of the trail as they were climbing using the provided cables. Pegs fanny pack got hooked into the cable and she could not go forward. Fortunately, Chuck was behind her and managed to unhook the pack so she could continue. Elaine got her backpack stuck between the two cables but managed to dislodge it and kept on climbing!

It was a perfect day for this trek and, as you can see by the photos, a clear day as well. Not sure if Peg will go on up to the pinnacle again, but at least she can now say she did it once! Notice you do not see anywhere in this accounting that I attempted to climb that beast. I know better!!

A Weekend With Our Cousins

2009-12-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

We wanted to visit Peg's cousins Cathy and Marshall last week, but Peg and I were feeling under the weather so we waited until this weekend to drive down to Tubac, Arizona for a visit. It took us about two hours from Casa Grande south, down I-10 and then transferring to I-19 in Tucson.

Cathy and Marshall own a touring company, Fiesta Tours International, and they take folks into Mexico, Central America, South America and several other destinations. They were off this weekend so it was perfect timing.

They live in an adobe style home that they built themselves. It is a really unique house that reminds me of a castle. It is a large home with several rooms. So many things carry the southwest theme as well as some Mexican influence in the house. It is not completed as yet, so I look forward to visiting to see what new portion of the house has been finished since our last meeting. Here is a picture of the kitchen, as an example, to show some of the style.

They have two very large dogs. Luna, who has been with them for several years now and a new comer, Flynn who has been there just a few months. When you drive into the parking area and the dogs run out to meet you, their size will startle you at first. I was used to Luna, but I did not know about Flynn. I thought Flynn was Luna when we arrived and I guess he did not take well to me calling him by the wrong name! I realized what I had done when I went inside and saw Luna. I think they both forgave me!

Saturday evening we got together with several of Cathy and Marshall's friends. It was an evening of food, drink and conversation. There were eight of us there and fortunately, the kitchen table was up to the task. As a matter of fact, we could have fit four to six more people around that huge table, seen in this picture.

After dinner a round of dominoes was started. Little did we know that we would be playing until the late evening hours. I started out doing great and I even won a hand. Let me tell you, it was all down hill after the 5th or 6th round! Peg started out losing with high numbers until about the 5th or 6th round and my luck must have reverted to her, since she began to win. I guess when it was all over, we both came in in the middle of the pack. I think everyone was ready to quit by the time we hit the 12th round and that included me! It was a lot of fun and we got our domino "fix" for a while.

Since we combined two sets of dominoes, we now had to separate the sets and here is a picture of that fiasco. I think it took almost as long to separate the pieces as it did to play the entire game. Well, maybe not quite as long! We said goodnight to our new friends Gwynn and Gunther and Russell and Barbara. We hope we see them again sometime.

On Sunday after a southwestern breakfast, Peg headed out with Cathy, in Cathy's relatively new (to her) Miata (which I got to drive the day before), to the 39th annual La Fiesta de Tumacácori being held on the grounds of the local mission. They had dancers, food, and a Mariachi Band (see photo) playing for the crowds. As Peg and Cathy enjoyed the festival, Marshall and I worked on getting their e-mail program set-up and working for several e-mail accounts. About three hours later when the wives returned, we had just finished the process! At least they brought us back some food.

We had a fun weekend and I even got to watch some TV shows on their new Sony 46" flat screen with surround sound. That was a treat! We'll see them again at Christmas time...

Dinner Theatre at the Arizona Opry

2009-12-03T23:13:00.000-08:00

This evening we went to Apache Junction to see the Arizona Opry. We have heard from several people how good the show was, so when our new friends and neighbors here at Sunscape, Stan and Betty Jo, asked us if we wanted to go see it with them, we said sure! So they made the reservations and around 5pm we jumped in their new diesel Ford truck and headed for the highway.

Stan and Betty Jo just traded in their fifth wheel on a new 2008 fifth wheel. Of course since the RV is bigger and heaver than the previous one, they had to trade in their gas truck for a 2006 diesel pickup. They seem pretty happy with the upgrade to their living quarters as well as with their truck.

The Arizona Opry included a dinner AND a show. We were seated about 6pm and was served a meal of sliced chicken with gravy, potatoes with gravy, mixed vegetables and coleslaw. For desert, there was a large piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting waiting for us! Everything was quite good and, of course, we ate it all.

Around 7:30 the performance began. There were nine performers that played a vast amount of instruments each. Everyone sang and they were all highlighted in different ways. For example, the two women in the picture (above) did an opera duet together...They are also twin sisters. One of the guys dressed up like Willie Nelson and sang a few of his songs. Another one of the performers dressed up like Elvis and gyrated across the stage as he sang! The main performer, George Staerkel, was formally with the Tokens, a 60's recording group. He has a five octave vocal range! He also played most of the 50 or so instruments surrounding the stage. We enjoyed their performance and the company with Stan and Betty Jo.

If you are in the Apache Junction, Arizona area from November to May, check them out!

Rod and Jean Return...

2009-11-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

The end of the month is always busy for me because of producing our American RVer show. I also tend to wait until the last couple of days of the month before I get started on it. Then it becomes a marathon to complete before the first of next month, when it must be online. It is a self imposed deadline! So I was working on the show most of the day.

Peg was getting some new RV insurance squared away. We had contacted several insurance companies to see if we could reduce the price that Progressive now tacked onto our policy for the renewal, since I had the accident with the narrow, one lane bridge a few months back. We changed agents, but we ended up staying with Progressive at a slightly lower cost.

As you can see by the title of this entry, our friends Rod and Jean Bahnson, who we saw briefly a few days ago, have now returned from Yuma and are going to be back in this area (Casa Grande) for a while. Bob and Marlene put together a dinner party so they, Peg and I, Rod and Jean and Hank and Lillie could catch up on what each of us were up to lately. Unfortunately, Rod and Jean did not pick up on the fact we were all getting together and Marlene finally called them to make sure they were on their way. Good thing, since they were not. It all did work out and we all had a great time. Bob cranked up his camera to capture the moment as you can see here!

Thanksgiving Day 2009

2009-11-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

This was a quiet, but really nice Thanksgiving. Peg prepared a pineapple casserole and pumpkin custard for desert and we drove over to Bob and Marlene's house for dinner at 2:30 in the afternoon. We ate, talked, played with their new dog Scout and then they broke out the Peg's and Joker's game board and we got refreshed on just how good Bob and I play together as a team against Peg and Marlene!!

I will admit that the "girls' beat us in the last game, but not without a fight! I do enjoy that game for some reason...Like I do dominoes! Now that several friends that play are together in this area, I am sure we will be playing games more often.

We had a fun time with good food and great company...No pictures though!

A Milestone....Our 25th Wedding Anniversary!

2009-11-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today is our 25th anniversary! How time has flown by. 25 years ago our minister asked Peggy to reconsider getting married to me (just a day before the wedding) because the test we took showed we were not that compatible! I often wonder if that minister is still married..........

As par for the course lately, I had a job interview at Dish Network in Phoenix in the morning and Peg had to work at Michael's Crafts (yes she did get a part time job) in Casa Grande at noon, so we really only saw each other at lunchtime. So we did not celebrate our anniversary....Yet!

I could have photoshoped our faces on another couples body having a great time in the Caribbean, but I chose not to exploit my talent!!!

An Interview with the Churches in Benson

2009-11-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

Peg had scheduled a video shoot with the Churches down at the Escapee Park in Benson, AZ for American RVer. Mike and Terri Church are authors of several travel books including Southwest Camping Destinations, Camping Mexico's Baja and Camping in Alaska, to name a few.

We arrived in the afternoon and met and talked with Mike and Terri for a short while before setting up the camera equipment and starting their interview. They are really nice, laid back folks who have full timed for a lot of years and continue to love it. They travel to Mexico every year for the winter in their truck camper and live at the Escapee park in the spring and fall in their class C RV.

Look for the interview on American RVer beginning February 1st, show number 44. I think you will enjoy it!

We also visited with Dave and Marie Ostrander for a few minutes (since we were running late) and then trucked on back to Casa Grande for a late dinner with Bob and Marlene. Of course we were the reason the dinner was late!! It was a nice get together for a great dinner and we learned more about our two friends and they about us.

Happy Birthday To Peg!

2009-11-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Peggy, happy birthday to you! As you probably guessed, today is Peg's birthday.

Well our day started out by driving to Chandler for a blood test for Jim. From there we drove to Mesa to look at potential RV parks in case Peg or I get a job in the Phoenix area. We drove past a few and went into a couple but none of them were really wonderful. We saw a bunch of Mexican guys waiting on several street corners, I am assuming for a job offer that day. You see these things in the movies but I was not sure that these "work round-ups" existed! Guess so!

Since I had set up a birthday party for Peg as a luncheon, we had to get back to Sunscape RV Park to pick up Stacey and Gail and then head down to the Olive Garden in Casa Grande for lunch. Bob and Marlene was to meet us there. Unfortunately, Hank and Lillie had other commitments that day, so they could not join us. We got there a little late (as usual) and as we were parking, Bob called and asked where we were. Guess we had them worried!

We had a good lunch and I had the wait staff get a cake together and, when they brought it, they sang a good luck song to Peggy that also mentioned that the luck would only last for one year so we would have to come back there for her next birthday to get another year of luck! Very cleaver!

Peg made a wish and blew out her one candle and we all had some cake (which was quite good). This was a nice way to celebrate her birthday since no one had to cook and we could all enjoy being waited on.

Of course Peg received several telephone calls from friends and family wishing her a happy birthday. I think she enjoyed her day (along with her gifts from me...a portable book light and a "shrug" which is a shoulder covering with sleeves!).

Jim's Birthday 2009

2009-11-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my 54th birthday! I only feel like I am 74.....Hey but check out the cool shirt!

Anyway, Peg had planned an evening dinner party here at the motorhome with some of our close friends here in Casa Grande. We were having a cookout with sausage, peppers and onions. Who came you ask? Stacey and Gail, Bob and Marlene and Hank and Lillie. Everyone brought something and Marlene made one of my favorites, carrot cake!

The weather cooperated and the evening was just right. Since we have a nice patio, we put chairs out and turned the rope lights on and had good conversation with good friends. Of course Marlene also brought some party hats and since we are all party animals, we put them on! It was a good day for me and I am glad everyone could share it!

Thanks to Peg for getting everything together (and for my new jeans)...

The First Hike To Piccacho Peak

2009-11-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

Peg was offered a ride to Piccacho Peak to hike to the "saddle" of the mountain. The saddle is about half way to the top and not as physically demanding as the second half of the journey to the top. It is still quite strenuous, especially for those of us who do not exercise as much as we should! Because of my ankle problem, I declined to go but Peg did go with Chuck, Elaine and Conrad, some of our close neighbors.

Apparently on this climb you need to "carb up" before you start your hike. Peg did not, so about half way up she ran out of steam and had to eat a granola bar and rest a short while. She did get her second wind and made it to the saddle. It took an hour to get there. It also took an hour to climb back down.

The weather was just perfect and the view was awesome! There are cables in places so you can pull yourself up and you have to be careful of the loose rock. It is a long way down!! Hopefully, after conquering the saddle a few times, I'll attempt going to the top!

A Trip To Benson-Escapees RV Park

2009-11-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

We had been invited down to the Escapees Park in Benson, AZ by Dave and Marie Ostrander so we decided today, Sunday afternoon, would be a good time to go and check it out. Marie was not in town, visiting with their daughter in Boston, so it was good to give Dave some company.

We have had thoughts of putting our name in to the "pool" for this RV park to try and buy a lot. It normally takes between 5-10 years for your name to come to the top of the list to get an opportunity to get a site. The sites run around $6-8000, so it is really reasonable to buy in and that is why so many people put their name in.

Dave had his Windsor parked in the park and he wanted to show us all the amenities the Saguaro Co-op has to offer. The first thing we noticed is how wide the individual sites were. A pleasant change from many other parks. We saw the club house, the office (pictured), wood working shop, dining room (where a jam session was in progress) and the various sites. Each is on its own tier. This is nice because you can then have a view of the valley below.

We spent a couple of hours there and Dave was a great help in explaining the park. We will have to consider this as a possible winter option for our stays!

On To Casa Grande and Sunscape RV Park

2009-10-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

We packed up the RV and left Beaudry's RV by 11:00am heading north to Casa Grande and the Sunscape RV Park. This will be our new home for the next two months. It is nice to be in a familiar place. We of course have friends here in Casa Grande as well as in the park itself. Topped off our diesel and propane at the Flying J in Eloy, so we are good for a while.

Now, I hate to say it, but it is time to look for jobs to replenish our funds. Peg is looking in town and I am putting in resumes on CareerBuilder.com and on Craig's List. We will see what turns up in the coming weeks.

Beaudry RV Bound-Monaco Rally in Tucson

2009-10-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

Since our windshield was now cracked from top to bottom on the drivers side, we were glad the time had come to go to the Monaco Rally at Beaudry RV in Tucson so we could get the windshield replaced. We had set this up a week earlier and the new windshield was waiting for us.

On our way to Tucson, I got a warning indication on my tire pressure monitoring system that the front tires of the car were getting hot and indicating high pressure. There was no place to pull over, so I slowed down and waited until we got through Phoenix and over to Chandler where we were going to stop for fuel. We stopped and I got out to see what was wrong. Apparently, our car air brake was on too tight causing the car brakes to rub and heat up. One of the front hubcaps was gone and the other severely melted and ready to fall off. As I fueled the coach, Peg unhooked the brake cylinder for the car since we were pretty close to our destination anyway. She also told me the brakes went right to the floor in the car....Not a good thing. We finished fueling and continued on.

Made it to Beaudry's, unhooked the car from the motorhome and, as Peg said, the brakes were almost non-existent. She carefully pulled the car to the side and parked and we got the coach in to the service department for the windshield repair. Glen, the service manager, knew of a place we could get the brakes replaced so he called and set it up and, after checking in to get a spot for the rally (being held at the same place), we carefully traveled about 6 blocks to the repair shop.

By this time it was almost 2pm and I had to eat. We walked down the street a few blocks to a Burger King and had a long awaited lunch. Back to the brake shop and they said they will have to replace all four rotors (they were colored red from heat) as well as the brake pads. I also suggested changing out the brake fluid since it is no good once it is "boiled" as I am sure it was. They called Beaudry and Beaudry sent someone to pick us up and take us to the waiting room for the coach.

After waiting about and hour and a half, the windshield was in and we drove it to our site (after paying our $500 deductible that is). About another hour later, Beaudry called and said the car was ready and they could take us back to the brake shop. That worked out well since we had just completed our set-up of the coach on site #1371 and we were ready to go.

Picked up the car, paid a reasonable $324 for the total brake repair and we were on our way back to the campground. What did we do next.....WE RELAXED! The rally was almost upon us.

Believe it or not, we did not take any still pictures of the rally, just video. Look for the rally video on American RVer show #42, December 2009. We became reacquainted with Rosalie and Mike Mahr (parked in the next row behind us), Les and Letha Lollar, Lee and Vicky Dillard and John and Christine Fraiser. Bob and Marlene Rea and Hank and Lillie Corbitt drove down from Casa Grande to see the vendors and to visit with us for a while on Wednesday and we all went out to a Mexican lunch...See Photo.

Lunch with the Gentiles

2009-10-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

As luck would have it, Peg had met Carol Gentile back in Shallotte, NC (where our house is) and Carol had mentioned that she was going to be in Camp Verde/Cottonwood area once again this fall with her husband Sal. They made a pact to get together when we got there. Peg called and Carol and Sal came over and we all went to lunch.

We tried to get into the restaurant at the local golf course but it was closed. We later found out that it had gone bankrupt and someone else had bought it and would open it soon. That did not help us today for lunch, so we went to a little sandwich place near there called Cricket's. Sal and Carol had eaten there once before and enjoyed it, so we thought we would try it.

It was a quaint, rustic kind of place with sandwiches and great deserts. The manager told us that she actually owned the Taco Bell in town and just liked working here! She was also a big fan of the TV show One Tree Hill seen on the WB network. I told her we lived about 35 miles away from where the show was filmed, in Wilmington, NC. She really wanted to go there and see her favorite stars in the show. I said she should go sometime. I think she just might!

After lunch we stopped at a flee market on our way back to the coach and I finally found a used 4 cup coffee pot so I could use my coffee maker once again. I was thrilled and it only cost a couple of dollars!!

The Hill Town of Jerome, AZ

2009-10-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

While camped at Camp Verde, good friends of ours from Casa Grande, Stacey and Gail, were staying at the Thousand Trails park a few miles away. We got together today and decided to take a short ride to the hill town of Jerome on Rt. 89A. We took our car and I drove up the winding road into the mountains where Jerome is found. As you know, I love driving the roads with steep drop-offs and so this white knuckled adventure was just my cup of tea! (NOT).

Anyway, we parked the car (on a hill) and proceeded to walk the town. It is located near an abandoned gold mine and the locals say the mine is haunted! Makes for a good story I suppose. This town was also known for its bordello's and houses of the ill repute. With all those miners, business was certainly good! Here we see a sign to that effect where you can "get a piece" at Belgian Jennies.

We were quite high up into the mountain so the view was pretty fantastic. The town is actually built on the side of the mountain and speaking with a few of the merchants here, I was told that they have to drive the road up the mountain to their shops each day. No Thanks! They also told us that the real estate was extremely high here (no pun intended). I guess you pay for the view.

I took this photo of a yard at a house in town. Apparently, this guy is a collector....of everything! With all the "stuff" and the colorful items, it looked kind of cool. There are other "collectors" here as well. We went into one winery shop and they were perched on the edge of the hill. They have large windows overlooking the valley. I must say it was pretty spectacular.

To end our day in Jerome, Peg and I and Stacey and Gail decided to eat at the Jerome Palace, home of the haunted hamburger. It was Wednesday and each Wednesday they have a special 2 for 1 burger price. Gee, could it be we knew that? We ate on the top floor and again had a view. By the way, the jail in this town used to be on an upper street and in the 1800's the rain came and washed it from its foundation down the mountain to its current resting place, about 250 feet from its original location! Can you imagine being a prisoner in the jail that day???

Montezuma Castle, Camp Verde, AZ

2009-10-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a clean up day for us. The motorhome was a real dust bowl, so we paid our $5 fee at the Camp Verde Western Horizons Park and went to work to clean things by 8am! We washed the motorhome, the motorcycle and the car. I used my deionizer tank, since I know how hard the water is here, and my little pressure washer. I started with the roof and ended up with the tires and wheels. At least we do not have to be embarrassed with any of our vehicles any longer!

We have heard good things about Montezuma Castle and it was quite close to this park, so we decided to go there a little after 3pm. The signs in the park said the gate closes off the road at 5pm, sharp, so we lost no time in getting into the 1/3 mile paved walkway to see the castle.This national monument was a five story, twenty room pueblo, sheltered within a cave, high on a limestone cliff overlooking Beaver Creek. It was the home of the Sinagua people for many years. It was abandoned after A.D. 1400.

Next to Montezuma Castle was what they call Castle A, which the Sinagua also occupied and that was a six story dwelling, although it is quite deteriorated.

President Roosevelt declared this site a national monument in 1906, one of the first of such sites in the country to be designated a national monument. I enjoyed this monument since the walk was quite easy, it had paved walkways and there were no ledges to walk around or look over!!!!!!

Monument Valley

2009-10-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

Day two in the Bluff, Utah area and we decided to drive the opposite direction from yesterday's trip and go to Monument Valley. We took highway 191 to Rt 163 and that took us into Monument Valley. As you can see by the sign, we made it!

We decided to head for the local museum and trading post called, appropriately enough, the Goulding Museum and Trading Post (and hotel, restaurant, car wash, grocery store, etc. etc.). It was a small museum but it was neat to look around and see what the area looked like many years ago. "Harry" and husband Mike Goulding made this area come alive with their foresight and hard work, developing the ground we stood on. There is a memorial to the couple for all they did in this valley. A cabin John Wayne stayed in was also on the premises with several movies of his playing on a large screen TV.

We noticed that there was an RV Park (Good Sam rated) up the road a mile or so, so we decided to see if it was busy and if it was a good place to stay. When we arrived at the entrance, there were 3 large RV's waiting to get in and the place was filling up quickly for the middle of October! It was a decent park and the sites were fairly well thought out. The view was excellent there! When we turned around and started heading back towards Gouldings, Peg took this cool shot, a real postcard view of the valley!

We Traveled To The Four Corners!

2009-10-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today we left Moab and traveled about 100 miles to the small town of Bluff, Utah. We are staying at the Cadillac Ranch RV Park for a couple of nights as we see some of the sights on our bucket list close to here. By the way, this is a nice, full hook-up park surrounded by the Red Bluffs seen in this part of the state. It has easy access in and out and fairly wide pull through sites.

We arrived around 2pm so, after getting the motorhome set up, we headed for the Four Corners, the place where four states meet (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah). Both Peg and I did the usual routine of standing at the corner of all four states at once. I did one better by doing a "crab walk" with a foot or hand on each state and my butt above all four! How's that for a split personality!

While there we also checked out the Navaho and Ute Indian "trinkets" that were available all around the four state marker. They had some pretty pottery and good looking jewelery. We came away with a hat pin (which I collect) and some fried Navaho dough, a rather nice treat since it was late in the day and near suppertime.

Your Are Now Entering Moab!

2009-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

We traveled from Salt Lake City to Moab, Utah. The first thing you see are towering cliffs of red rock! Very impressive. Moab is home to the Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

We stayed at the OK RV Park off Spanish Trail Rd. The park is fairly big rig friendly although we happened to get a rather tight (front to back) RV site, #25. The park was full so we are glad we called ahead. This is Columbus Day weekend so that did not help.

The day we arrived, Sunday the 11th, there was the tail end of a gem and mineral show going on at a rodeo arena just behind the park. We drove over the "back way" and had about 1/2 hour to look around before it closed. There was some pretty interesting "stuff" there and it was good to be out of the motorhome and milling around.

On Monday, we decided to visit the more famous Arches National Park and take a couple of days to drive through the park and take a few hikes. We saw a several rock outcroppings on our windy drive and finally came to the trail for the Delicate Arch, one of the most photographed arches in this park. We got our backpack, cameras and survival gear ready and headed down the 1.5 mile (one way) trail. Or.....Should I say.....Headed UP the trail. This trail is rated as a moderate climb and for a couple that has not had a to of exercise over the past few weeks, this was a tough one! Good thing we had our walking sticks because some of the terrain was really tough to maneuver. We first checked out the petroglyphs just off the path. Very cool!

We continued to walk. Usually I need a sugar "fix" when walking this far but this time, Peg got light headed and needed to stop and eat about 3/4 of the way to the arch. After about 15 minutes, she was ready to go and we did make it to the arch. Unfortunately, the last 100 yards was a walkway on a narrow ledge around a large boulder with a 500-750ft. drop off. As many of you know, I do not like heights like that so I could not go around the corner to see the arch! Peg did and took pictures. I did manage to see the arch the following day (Tuesday) from below, so I had to be satisfied with that. The total hike took us 3 hours and we were pretty tired that night.

The following day we again went to Arches National park and saw many of the things we missed the first time around including the window arches and the campground at the very end of the drive. That night we met folks we met in Salt Lake City, Marcie and Rusty, who had parked their motorhome at a friends house. They took us around the town and up into the hills and gave us a wonderful tour. We then went to a local Mexican Restaurant for dinner.

On Wednesday, we went for a drive on Rt. 128, the Colorado Riverway Road through the Gateway Valley. We stopped at a local winery and the Red Cliffs lodge which had a Cowboy Movie Museum. They mainly has pictures and posters of many of the movies shot in Moab and surrounding areas. Movies that were not only cowboy films but other popular flicks you would know like Raiders of the Lost Arch, Back to the Future and many John Wayne movies. Pretty interesting.

Our friends Marcie and Rusty told us about some dinosaur footprints up on a cliff off Gateway Road so we decided to try and find them. After driving up a very high cliff (oh was that fun!) we came to an area that looked like what they described. Out we went and about 100 feet off the road we found the tracks! Take a look at the size of the footprints embedded in the stone on the top of the bluff. Amazing! Here is a shot I took from the edge of the cliff to show how high we were. Going down the way we came up was another adventure!!!!!

Today, we leave for the Four Corners!

Salt Lake City

2009-10-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

We traveled down the mountain range called the two sisters mountains which led us down into Salt Lake City. We were staying at the KOA which was located in the middle of town. A nice park with fairly large sites. We were scheduled to shoot an American RVer webisode at MotoSat which is located on the other side of town. They were nice enough to pay for our stay at the KOA.

Motosat makes satellite dishes and associated equipment. What I did not know was that they actually manufacture almost all of their products in house! Royal Lamb, one of the partners of MotoSat and VP of Sales gave us a tour of the facility and did the interview with us for the show. He is a wealth of knowledge and we learned a lot about the MotoSat operation. This will be a very interesting show! Check it out when it is done....It will be show #43.

The following day we went back to MotoSat to interview the man with the "green" RV, Brian Brawdy. He is well known in the RV circles for his survival knowledge and for his Jayco truck camper being equipped with solar and wind power as well as other self sustaining products. He and his publicist, Ashley were very nice folks and we enjoyed meeting them and doing an interview with Brian.

On Saturday, we drove to Temple Square and did our tourist thing. We walked in through the west gate and into the Tabernacle. There was a group of students there from the University getting a lesson on the altar/stage and we heard a student playing a violin and the sound was perfect! I can imagine what the choir would sound like.

We then went into the visitor center and learned how the Temple was built. There were many students around the visitor center and two young ladies gave us a nice tour in the center. Outside, students were replacing flowers in the flower beds. Also outside were nearly 60 weddings going on today! Yes I said six zero! Amazing.

We next went to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The building was beautiful, full of gold leaf, chandeliers and huge columns. We were told we must go up to the 10th floor and look down upon the city, which we did. What a view point! It was the perfect ending to our visit to Salt Lake City.

Leaving Knoxville...Finally!

2009-09-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

We are back on the road again....All the issues with the accident were completed yesterday (Friday) and we headed out from our home of 10 days, Buddy Gregg's Motorhomes. We are heading to Paducah, Kentucky to visit with Peg's brother and sister-in-law, Ray and Jean.

As par for the course, it is a rainy and miserable day but we are happy to be traveling again.

As you can see by the photo, Scott and the guys at the Buddy Gregg body shop did an excellent job of repairing the damage the bridge caused to our driver side basement doors. I say the bridge caused because, gee, it wasn't MY fault they put a bridge there!!!!

The Fun Begins at Buddy Gregg's Shop

2009-09-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

The trip from Hendersonville to Knoxville over the mountains was uneventful (it's about time). We got there at 4:45pm and Scott, the Body Shop Manager, called my name and greeted me from across the fence line between when we had parked and where the body shop was. He had remembered me from work he had done for us when we first bought this coach here. I was glad to see a familiar face.

The service writer come over and looked at the situation after Peg sought him out. He made notes of the damage and then went back to get us in the "cue" for the next day. We originally had thought about coming here tomorrow, Thursday, but we are glad we made the trip on Wednesday so we would be ready for the morning.

When Thursday morning rolled around, Scott and his crew were busy getting the damaged doors and panels off the coach and then using a plastic wrap, waterproofed the basement since it had been raining since we left Hendersonville. They have a company that makes the "skins" locally. Skins are the outer aluminum door coverings that you see painted on a motorhome. The frames for the doors need to be made and the water heater surround had to be ordered along with the door. Our representative from Progressive Insurance also called and wanted to tell us he would stop by at some point today.

Our friend Roy and dog Snert drove down from Virginia to spend the day with us. It was nice seeing both of them again. We had a lot of good conversation, went to lunch and finally Peg made dinner for us all before Roy and Snert headed home. It was a long day, but it was nice to visit with a good RVing friend.

Hendersonville, NC and the Bridge from Hell

2009-09-15T11:37:00.001-07:00

As the title states, we encountered a concrete bridge on a back road just outside of Hendersonville, NC. Let me explain further as you look at our basement door pictures....

Our wonderful GPS took us on another joy ride as we approached Hendersonville. Peg had checked the routing on the GPS the morning we left and it was showing the correct directions to get to the Elks Lodge in Hendersonville. When we exited off the main highway there, the GPS told us to take a right onto Upward Road. Peg thought that odd since she was expecting a left turn. We followed the GPS anyway and it lead us out into the countryside onto some small, narrow and curvy roads. I started into my panic mode when we began going down into a small valley away from town.

I saw a man pull out of his driveway and I stopped and asked how to get back to town without having to unhook the car, if possible. He said he was going into town and would lead us there through some back roads. So...Down we went into this valley along these small roads. I was really not happy when I saw a sign stating that there were no more truck turnarounds after this point. Onward we pushed following our leader. At the bottom of the windy road appeared a one lane bridge with a left hand curve going into it. I noticed the bridge was rated at 15 tons and we weighed about 18.5 tons! NOT good. I also knew I could not get a good enough angle to tackle the bridge straight on, but there was no way to back up and no where left to go. The gentleman leading us stopped just after the bridge, apparently realizing where he had lead us. He waited and watched.

I made the turn as wide as I could and made haste across the bridge. We were about half way across the bridge when we heard a disturbing noise. At the time, Peg thought the bridge was collapsing and we were headed into the canyon below. I knew it was the cement attacking my basement doors since I could not get a straight enough angle to clear the sides of the span. When I looked back in the mirror, I saw the fender well pointing out away from the coach and I just caught a glimpse of our towed vehicle barely missing the same abutment. As I have said a few times before, I was NOT a happy camper!

The guy leading us continued on and I felt I could not stop or I would again be lost, so I followed. Several up and downs, curves and turns later, we made it back to town. The GPS now changed its mind again and it looked like its brain fart had cleared up and was now leading us correctly to the Elks Lodge.

Oh, one other note. This Elks Lodge is in the middle of town off a very narrow main road to a very narrow secondary road. I could barely make the turn onto the secondary road and then into their parking lot. I believe my stress level had reached an all time peak today!

I got out and accessed the damage. It was raining fairly hard (of course it was) and I got out some screws to fasten the fiberglass wheel well back to the frame. I could do nothing about the basement doors, but I did secure the water heater panel so it would not fall off.

Peg made a call to Buddy Gregg's RV in Knoxville, TN (I was too irritated) to tell them we needed their body shop for repairs and they said to bring it in and they will get right on it. That would be tomorrow. Today we parked the coach and took the car to our friends house in Tryon, NC. They had called wondering where we were since we had made plans to have dinner with them. Don and Gloria now understood why we were late! Can anyone say "Libation"......

WillowTree RV Resort - Longs, SC

2009-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Moving on from the Shallotte KOA we decided to take a short journey (about 40 miles) to the 5 star WillowTree RV Resort. It is one of four campgrounds in the country to get a perfect 10/10/10 rating in the Trailer Life Camping book. It is a really well maintained and spacious campground with paved sites and a concrete pad with picnic table. We had site #9 right along side their lake. The lake is used for boating (with their boat rentals), fishing and swimming. To see more info about this wonderful campground near Myrtle Beach, check out our American RVer webisode #38.

The weather had turned just cool enough at night for the lake to take on its own mystic qualities in the morning. I watched the lake in anticipation of a Lochness like monster rearing its ugly head through the mist. Alas, the only thing I saw was an occasional Egret swooping close to the still water.

We enjoyed being here for five nights away from the house in Shallotte and the workkamping we had been doing for many months. This also gave us an opportunity to see if we had forgotten anything vital to our survival in the motorhome for our trip west!

Near Our Home at the Shallotte KOA-April-Sept '09

2009-09-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

First, I must apologize that I have been very bad on keeping up with our blog. I still have some previous entries to get in, but I wanted to start out at a more current time since we are beginning our trip back to the west coast from the coast of North Carolina. I am going to try and condense five and a half months into this one entry! All this time was spent at the Shallotte KOA near Sunset Beach, NC. We workkamped there from April 1st until the end of the season, Sept 10th.

I would like to say our stay in the South Brunswick Islands was a totally pleasant experience, but that would really be stretching the truth! We came back to this area to try and sell or lease our home that has been on the market, on and off, for over 3 years now. I have put it on every website I can think of and even created one specifically for the house to try and sell it. It is on several European websites in as many as eight different languages. We had a woman come down from Virginia who used to work for Marriott and also had a B & B before. She was interested in a lease/purchase of the house since she really liked it and was happy it was on the water with a pier. To make an extremely long story short, about five days before she was to sign the paperwork, her mother in Canada had a stroke and three weeks or so later, she died. The lady was in Toronto attending to her mother's affairs but kept telling us she was still interested in the house (via e-mail). About a week before we left the area, a few e-mails I sent to her bounced back and communication was cut off by her. Peg and I were very disappointed, to say the least.

So our goal of selling the house while there in the area did not materialize. We left the house sale in the hands of a realtor we knew with the hopes that she can move it soon, as we authorized aggressive price reductions every 10 days or so....We will see what happens. If you know of anyone looking for a great price on a beautiful house on the water, call us. You can see the house at our house website.

Enough of that situation...We did get to see many of our friends and my sister in the months we were in the Shallotte, NC area. Let me try to recall some of the places we went and people we saw...

We had visits from two RVing couples that came to the KOA to visit with us. The first couple was Dave and Marie. Dave is not a KOA fan so we do appreciate both of them seeking us out. We met Dave and Marie when we were at Buddy Gregg's for some minor repairs just a few months after we purchased our coach. The week or so we spent there created some really good friends we still keep in touch with!

Shortly after Dave and Marie's visit to the campground, Another couple we met this past year in Quartzsite, Arizona came by on their way down the coast. Retha and Les drove their 42' Monaco Camelot to the KOA and it was really nice to see them. We had a great visit and re-lived some of the interesting time we spent in the desert. When we get visits from friends, it is tough to say goodbye, but we hope we will meet up again at another place and another time.

We were also visited from our good friends from Glens Falls, NY (where we used to live), Don and Barb. They have a fifth wheel and decided to get their grand kids and make the trip south. They were taking their passengers on an "educational" journey which means they visited battlefields, the Battleship North Carolina and other historic sights. The kids had a really good time and learned something about our country and history in the process. We all had fun too. Putt putt golf can be challenging! I'm glad Don and Barb could get away and come down for a visit.

Our friends Bill and Jack (short for Jacqueline), who live in Sunset Beach, came over to the motorhome a few times and we also went to their house. They have a motorhome too (no influence from us of course). We spent some evenings eating, drinking, talking, drinking, discussing everything under the sun and ....drinking! Jack is the co-author with Peg on the "Running" series of books they collaborate on. Book number three will be in the works shortly for all you fans out there!!

We also spent time with our friends Dennis and Diane. We met them when they stayed at our B & B several times over the 10 years we ran it. They liked the small development the B & B was in so much, they ended up buying two side-by-side lots there! They completed their new house about three years ago and are now our neighbors. They moved from Spartanburg, SC and Dennis decided to learn how to cut hair for a living. He now owns his own barber shop in Holden Beach, the next beach up from where we are in Ocean Isle Beach. Dennis sometimes gives haircuts on the go...as he did for me, here in his garage, just before we hit the road in September.

One of my best buddies is Chris. He and I are kind of a two man geek squad. Both love our Macintosh computers and all the cool things that go with them. He was probably one of the first guys I met when we moved into the Shallotte area I could call a friend. Here we are sitting outside The Purple Onion, an eating establishment in downtown Shallotte. Peg was on the other side of the camera this time!

That brings me to our friend Ken. Ken is a free spirit. He has been an artist and photographer for many years. He first used his artistic abilities as a print ad designer/illustrator on Madison Avenue in NY. Since then, he moved to Brunswick County, NC and began shooting nature photos. His work is known around the world and he does very well selling his photos. This picture was taken outside his new home he had just moved into. It is on a 13 acre parcel he has had for years and finally decided to put his house in the woods and commune with nature. Check out his photos at his Doe Creek Gallery website, which I designed of course!

Finally, a photo of our motorhome and one of the sky on one summer evening. The weather at the KOA was hot and humid, typical for the summers in North Carolina. In early summer, our A/C unit in the rear of the coach failed and I could not get another one since the company who makes them, Dometic, had a major fire in their Mexican assembly plant several weeks before. Because of this, none were available. I finally found a man who could fix the unit in Wilmington NC, so I drove the coach to him for the repair. So far, so good!

So...There you have it. A quick synopsis of our five plus months on the NC coast. Oh, did I tell you we also packed all our remaining "stuff" from the house and transported that to storage? Of course, that is another long story......

On to WillowTree RV Resort in Longs, SC.

The Elephant Bar

2009-02-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from Bob Rea's blog which pertains to our visit to the Elephant Bar...Hope you don't mind that I used this.........

We had a little Monaco mini-rally at the Elephant Bar in Palm Desert this evening. John & Kristen Fraser (our token Canadian friends) have bought a winter RV lot at Outdoor Resorts in the Palm Springs area (well, our token "rich" Canadian friends), John suggested that we all meet for dinner. Us poor Americans pooled together enough money (for gas) to get out of our inexpensive membership RV park to drive to one of John's favorite restaurants. $$ sign's danced in my head. Palm Springs....rich Canadian....Elephant Bar....it has to equal $$. Elephant Bar's are a franchised restaurant, very moderately priced with a nice atmosphere. We had a great evening, catching up. Thanks John for the 20% discount. Pic top right, closes to back: Rod & Jean Bahnson, Jim & Peggy Grich, Bob & Marlene, Kristen & John Fraser.

It was a great fun filled evening and even the restaurant manager came to our table to, well, we'll let John explain that, but maybe it pertained to the 20% discount and evening specials.

Peg's Hike To The Painted Canyon

2009-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Indian Waters was offering a hike today for anyone who wanted to see the Painted Canyon 25 miles southeast of Indio at Mecca Hills. Peg along with 6 others and the guide ventured out for an entire day to see the sights in the canyon.

The canyon is part of the San Andreas Fault system. She climbed up a steep incline at one point and at the top, there was a view of the Salton Sea. To get down, almost everyone had to slide down on their butts in one area. The hike was suppose to be moderate, but Peg thought it was a bit tougher than they had said.

Check out all the photos she came up with...

Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, Slab City, Mud Pots

2009-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

This is an exploring day. Ron and Wanda and Peg and I decided to go to several places we have heard about but have never been to. First, Ron and Wanda had to go to Niland to look at some investment property they were thinking of buying. After checking out that town and having lunch, we ventured to the Salton Sea. A beautiful body of water that is 376 Sq. miles of salt water lake not connected to the ocean. A dike broke on the Colorado River in 1905 and the intense flow of water formed the Salton Sea. We pulled over into a park along the water and got some great photos.

Next we were headed for a place called Slab City. Sounds kind of morbid but what it is is an area that used to be owned by the military and it was used for housing for Marines. That was many years ago and the homes that were located on concrete "slabs" have long since been removed or deteriorated. This 640 acre area is now over-run by RV's of all kinds. Many, I'm sure, are permanent residents. Some RVs are on the concrete slabs and some are just parked on the dirt in this desert area.

When you first enter Slab City, you see Salvation Mountain. Lenard Knight, 77 years old, broke down at this place 24 years ago and ended up staying for life creating something to convey the message that God loves everyone. Lenard led us on a tour of the mountain taking us back into the mountain which is built with hay bales, adobe, tires, tree limbs, etc. and not to mention over 100,000 gallons of paint! Pretty cool! In the slabs are a church, library, singles club, night club, the Range (an outdoor performance arena), murals and a golf course. Amazing!

To finish up the day we headed for the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge and we were in search for some active mud pots we heard about. We finally found them on the corner of Schrimph and Davis roads. We were able to actually walk up to these geothermal, boiling mud pots for a really close look. Peg and Wanda were laughing hysterically when they heard the blub, blub sound the mud was making.

Check out our video and hear and see for yourself!!

Back to the Indian Waters RV Resort....Our Home Park

2009-01-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

We left the campground at Quartzsite this morning at 8:30. Ron and Wanda left with us. We headed for a close-by Flying J to fuel up. We also met Rod and Jean and Bob and Marlene there in Ehrenberg, AZ. We were all going to Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio together.

Peg and I ended up in one of the handicapped sites since we have a handicapped sticker. It seemed to be one of the nicest and biggest sites in the entire park. The park was quite full. Ron and Wanda ended up in the rock area with no grass, since they came in under ROD.

At happy hour, we were discussing the battery fill system I purchased in Quartzsite for the chassis batteries. Since we got the batteries new in December, Interstate Battery had changed the caps on the new batteries and the system I bought would not go on. After several calls and e-mails I found that nothing would work for these batteries. Rod wanted to get the filler for his batteries and we worked it out so he bought my system.

Last Days at Quartzsite

2009-01-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

Our last days in Quartzsite were going by quickly. Peg, Lew and Ray (and sometimes Ron) would walk each early morning for a few miles for some exercise. We had happy hours each evening and sat around the campfire talking for many of the nights. The stars were so bright out in the desert and you could see constellations protruding through the evening sky that you would normally not notice. Here is a photo of a morning gathering around the campfire ring!

We went back into Quartzsite for the show a few times as well as videotaped the interview with John from Truck System Technologies. We also bought a few necessities.

On one of the excursions, Peg bought some beads to make a necklace. Glenda who was part of our group told Peg she needed spacers and different wire to put it together. The next day Glenda, Jerry and Pam got together and got the necklace together after a broken clasp and wire. It came out nice.

Bob was talking to Rod and I about where he stores his sewer hose supports, back by the engine in a tube. I asked if I could see how he has it in the engine compartment and, upon opening the engine access door, was shocked because everything was gone! I happen to catch the look on his face with this photo when he realized it had worked itself out of the compartment and probably ended up on the road somewhere! Guess I won't utilize that spot as storage!!

We all were leaving tomorrow and we got a final picture of most of the Quartzsite crew for 2009. Hope we can make it back next year...

The RV Show Opens in Quartzsite

2009-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

Today we took a trip into Quartzsite to check out the vendors at the big tent. I was suppose to meet John Friend from Truck System Technologies and he was going to replace the bad sensors for my tire monitoring system. Come to find out, the system I had was not their system! So I offered to do a segment on American RVer with him telling about their TPMS system for a replacement tire monitoring system for our coach. He agreed.

The tent with the vendors was very crowded. Wall to wall people. Note to self: Don't venture to the tent on opening day! We looked at a lot of RV "stuff" and decided on what we would buy before the show was over. So many vendors....So little time!!

For dinner tonight, Ron and Wanda made homemade spaghetti sauce and Lew came up with a new bib for he and I. Funny...Our bibs look more like toilet seat covers! Well. they worked good anyway!!

That night Bob and I got on our motorhome roofs and began shooting the sunset again. Here is Bob silhouetted against the sunset...

Off to Quartzsite

2009-01-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

We left Pilot Knob in Yuma, AZ and traveled north to the small town of Quartzsite, Arizona. It's small until the RV show comes to town! We were meeting a bunch of our friends to the north and east of town as we all were dry-camping in the desert.

Lew's directions to the spot in the desert were good. We pulled in and were greeted by Lew and Dottie, Linda and Andy, Bob and Maribel, Glenda and Ray, Ron and Wanda, Pat and Mel and Darlene and Gene. About a half hour later, Bob and Marlene and Rod and Jean pulled in next to us. Our group was nearly complete.

Lew went into Quartzsite and bought all of us $1 hamburgers and we all brought one other food item to share.

By then it was time to light the campfire, check out the beautiful sunset and settle into some travel talk!

The Center of the World - Felicity, CA

2009-01-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

The Center of the World...Do YOU know where it is? It is located in the very small town (2 residents) of Felicity, California. The town is named for the founder's wife of the Center of the World. Jacques-Andres Istel founded Felicity and serves as its mayor. French-born, he is considered the father of skydiving in America. He also wrote a children’s book “Coe the Good Dragon at the Center of the World,” which gave rise to him creating this space. In addition, he has a portion of the original steps to the Eiffel Tower. Go to http://www.felicity.us/center for details. It is quite interesting.

Peg and I actually met Jacques and his wife at the center. He did an interview with us for our American RVer show that will air in March. He showed us many interesting things including his current project, all of the History of the World he is having carved in granite. One of his artists was on hand working on a slab as we were videotaping the show. Very cool to see!

Jacques is passionate about his work there and he was an interesting man to speak with!

Algodonas, Mexico - Revisited!

2009-01-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

It was time to go back into Mexico and get our dental work done. After we walked across the border, we went to the SANI Dental Group in Algodonas for two dental cleanings. It was a first come, first served type of office. We waited a while and then Peg was called in. I sat outside for a while longer, then I was called in. My cleaning was done by a male dental assistant and Peg had a female. My cleaning went fine but Peg's did not go as smoothly!

The female assistant found that Peg had two small cavities and a filling that was cracked. When she drilled Pegs cavity out, she slipped, twice, and drilled into the underside of Peg's tongue. Ouch! She also did a poor job of filling the cracked filling and did not smooth it out. Peg was NOT a happy camper! Looks like she will have a couple of things redone when we get back to North Carolina.

The rest of the time in Algodonas, we shopped around for gifts for friends. We found some neat items. Of course we were on a liquor run as well! For lunch we ate shrimp tacos at a place several people recommended. They were quite good. We also walked in several marketplaces. They were very colorful areas and we enjoyed hanging out there and watching the people.

We were back in the walk line to get across the border by about 12:15pm and it was already long. It took us 45 minutes to cross and get to where we parked the car.

A Visit With Friends

2009-01-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

After a rousing church service this morning, we contacted RVing friends of ours who we haven't seen in a year since we were at Desert Shadows in Casa Grande. Jim and Dot Throne were staying at the Sun Vista resort with their motorhome for the winter and Peg and I drove over there to say "Hi" and go out to lunch.

We all had lunch at Famous Dave's. We had ribs and they were great! It was a nice time and we caught up on what has been happening with each other during our long lunch. Jim and Dot have been fulltimers for over eight years now....We hope to see them down the road at some point!