Dale & Mary Lynn's Travels

Tri-Cities, Washington: Hood Park, COE Campground

2011-08-15T17:23:00.000-04:00

The tri-cities area of Washington is in the southeast corner of the state. We found a great Corps of Engineers Campground here called Hood Park. It’s on the Snake River just above the point the Snake River empties into the Columbia River.

In fact its only two miles above the point Lewis & Clark camped during their epic exploration of the ‘wilderness’ west of St Louis, looking for the highly hoped for but non-existent Northwest Passage.

There was a grain storage facility on the far bank that became a nice focal point for several spectacular sunsets.

We almost always enjoy COE campgrounds and Hood Park is no exception. Peaceful, quiet, clean and well maintained, Hood Park was a little slice of heaven.

Just a little fun at night with the river and barge lights…

Loved the geese in the sky and in the water.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Hood Park,Washington,Tri-Cities,Pasco,COE Campground

Crater Lake, Oregon: 56 Feet of Snow Last Winter

2011-08-10T01:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read that right. They had 56 FEET of snow at Crater Lake last winter! Throughout the Sierra Nevada’s they had a lot of snow last year. Around 2X as much snow as usual.

And Crater Lake gets a lot of snow in a normal year. It ‘normally’ takes them 3+ months to clear the road that circumnavigates the lake. This year however, the road was not completely opened until mid-July.

Didn’t stop the flowers from blooming magnificently...

The blue color is intense; hard to tell from the photos just how clear the water is. It’s all snow melt. No rivers flow into or out of Crater Lake. Precipitation, snowmelt and evaporation are in a constant battle with the outcome declared a tie. The lake level stays relatively the same year after year.

The lake is roughly 6 miles across and 1,949 feet at its deepest point. Wow. Simply amazing.

See Ya!

Dale & Mary Lynn

Technorati Tags: Crater Lake,snowmelt,deep blue,clear,56 feet,snow

Mt. Shasta California: America’s Mt. Fuji ?

2011-08-02T02:40:00.000-04:00

We left Reno travelling on the back roads thru the Sierra Nevada’s until we arrived in Mt Shasta, California. The mountain is beautiful and is visible, in some places for over 50 miles.

In fact, when approaching Mt Shasta from the North, it has been given the nickname of “America’s Mt Fuji”, because it resembles the famous Japanese mountain in both shape and visibility from afar. I look forward to seeing Mt Fuji in person someday so I can judge for myself…

This steep sided cinder cone is located just to the Northwest of Mt Shasta; in fact this photo was taken from the lower flank of Mt Shasta. This is called Black Butte cinder cone.

Love it when I can get an insect or two crawling around on a flower…

This was a far up Mt Shasta as we could drive; the road was closed from here on up due to snow. Remember this is in late July.

We went to a festival in Weed, California, complete with music, hippies and this cool 1923 Fire Engine. For some reason the town of Weed smells just like it’s name sake – it seemed everyone around us was smoking a joint or a bowl. The police seemed to concentrate on people who were drinking too much…

Everywhere you went around Mt Shasta, the views of the mountain were spectacular.

These conifers grew wild along the road up Mt Shasta, looking for all the world like they were sheared into shape on a regular basis, but of course they are not.

While exploring around Mt Shasta we found a cool reservoir that had only a few small boats out water skiing. Not packed with people like the lakes back East.

See Ya!

Dale & Mary Lynn

Technorati Tags: Mt Shasta,Weed,California,Rose,Fire Engine,1923,Cinder Cone,Black Butte

Family Vacation Fun In Outer Banks, NC & Ocean City, MD

2011-07-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

We took a vacation in July -- don’t laugh, full time RV’ers need to ‘get away’ from all the stress of travelling full time, going anywhere you want, when you want… Ok, Ok, we didn’t ‘need’ a vacation, we ‘wanted’ to see family & friends. Soooo, we flew from Reno, NV to Baltimore-Washington International in Maryland where we rented a car and began an 18 day frenzy of family, friends, and food – not necessarily in that order.

Most of Mary Lynn’s side of the family was able to get together in the Outer Banks, NC for a sun and fun filled week by the sea.

Mary Lynn and her sisters, Carol and Debbie --

enjoying the sun, sand and surf. And no, the water was not as cold as Mary Lynn’s expression would have you believe.

Something about the beach brings out the ‘beast’ in guys…

Debbie & Richard’s family looking cool, calm, and collected.

A great looking three generations – I mean ‘sisters’…

My son Christopher & his wife Rachael. The Atlantic Ocean is just a little different venue compared to Oklahoma…

Carol’s daughter Kelly in the midst of relaxing and a great water balloon fight with Chance.

Carol’s son Jeremy, his wife Danielle and their photo loving daughter Rachael.

These canal homes are in Ocean City, MD across from relatives we were visiting.

All in all 18 days flew by and all too soon we were flying back to Reno to resume our six month West Coast adventure. Next up: We drive through the Sierra Nevada's to Mount Shasta in Northern California and then launch ourselves through Central Oregon.

C Ya!

Technorati Tags: East Coast,OC,OBX,NC,MD,Ocean City,Outer Banks,Carol,Debbie,Family,vacation,Ocean,Sand,Surf,Sun,beast,Christopher,Rachael,Jeremy,Danielle,Kelly

Reno, Nevada: Biggest Little City in the World & Gateway to Lake Tahoe

2011-07-01T15:13:00.000-04:00

Lake Tahoe is undoubtedly one of the prettiest places on earth. A beautiful blue, crystal clear lake located at an elevation of 6000 feet, surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains, many of them snow covered most of the year. Lots of gorgeous scenery. And of course lots of spectacular multi-million dollar homes.

In any case our friends Terry & Marci live in Reno and we decided to visit them in Reno while we travelled back home for a family get together in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

“Biggest Little City in the World” is Reno’s self-proclaimed sub-title. And the is more than a little truth in Reno’s advertising slogan. It has a great combination of typical city problems plus the distinct challenges associated with legalized gambling, all inside an incredibly small footprint (for a western city; eastern cities lack the choices that plenty of available land presents).

Lots of great motorcycle riding. We went all over the Sierra Nevada’s around Lake Tahoe and the surrounding counties. Beautiful is both over-used and under stated in describe the rugged mountains, alpine forests, and lakes still frozen in late June…

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Reno,Nevada,Biggest Little City In The World,Sierra Nevadas,Lake Tahoe,Terry,Marci

Yosemite, California: Waterfall Lover’s Nirvana

2011-06-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yosemite National Park is one of those places almost everyone dreams about seeing. Mary Lynn and I left San Francisco in mid-June and drove to Yosemite. The Sierra Nevada’s had 1.8x times the average snowfall during the winter of 2011. Put that together with a late spring and Yosemite becomes even more amazing than usual.

Within 5 minutes of seeing our first waterfall we had seen at least a dozen more. Lots of smaller waterfalls that normally last only a few weeks were in full force. The amount of water pouring over the falls and into Yosemite Valley staggers belief.

Above is Yosemite Falls. The combined height of the upper falls, the middle cascades and lower falls is 2425 feet, fifth highest waterfall in the world and the tallest in the US. Wow!

We had an unbelievable time hiking to the base of several falls, especially Bridal veil Falls pictured above. The sound is deafening and the earth trembles beneath your feet; the spray drenches everything within a few hundred feet, and yet, everyone around you is smiling and laughing like school children at recess. That’s Half Dome peaking out of the background in the upper left of the photo.

Also pictured in the photo above, Bridalveil Falls is one of the first waterfalls you see as you enter the valley from the west and, after leaping 620 spectacular feet, the water from Bridalveil Falls joins the Merced River which flows through Yosemite Valley.

Above is Sentinel Rock which overlooks Sentinel Falls and the entire valley.

This is Upper Yosemite Falls and if you look closely, just to the left of the waterfall, you can see a helicopter searching for a missing hiker who was last seen at the top of this waterfall. Despite lots of warning from park rangers about staying away from the streams and rivers due to strong currents and slippery conditions, some people insist on seeing how close they can get to the water, especially at the top of waterfalls.

Several weeks later three young adults waded into a fast flowing stream and, in full view of a number of people, were swept over the falls. Very sad…

Above is another picture of Half Dome in the middle and El Capitan on the left.

Half Dome looks as if someone split the mountain in two with a giant axe, leaving exactly half of a huge mountain behind.

Another part of Yosemite, Mariposa Grove is home to giant sequoias. For a tree that soars several hundred feet into the sky, the root system is fairly shallow.

This sunset photo was taken from an overlook near Hetch Hetchy, another glacial valley that supposedly rivaled Yosemite in beauty although it’s not quite as large. Regardless, a dam was built and it’s now completely filled with water. There is a strong movement to remove the dam and allow Hetch Hetchy to regain it’s former glory.

One last photo of Half Dome. It’s an amazing sight from any angle. It rises straight up from the valley floor and is home to the park’s toughest hike/climb: depending on your route, it’s at least a 15 mile hike round trip where you ascend a total of 4800 vertical feet above the valley floor. The final 400 feet can only be accomplished because cables have been installed. Once you have soaked up the incredible views, you have to descend. Some people claim the descending the cable system is tougher than ascending.

Needless to say, I enjoyed watching others make the trek from the safety of the valley floor.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Yosemite,Hetch Hetchy,Half Dome,El Capitan,Merced River,Bridalveil Falls,Yosemite Falls,Sentinel Rock,Sentinel Falls

Napa & Sonoma: California’s Premier Grape Growing Regions.

2011-06-11T00:45:00.000-04:00

California wines have come a long way. When Robert Mondavi split with his brother and started Robert Mondavi Vineyards (original huh?) in the mid-60’s, there were only 30-40 vineyards in the Sonoma/Napa Valley region and California wines were seen as distinctly second class.

Within ten years, Robert Mondavi wines had won numerous awards, including blind taste test competitions in France. With French judges. Against French wines. There was no looking back.

Fifty years later there are an estimated 400 vineyards in the Sonoma & Napa valleys. Plus California wines have become better & better; they are increasingly judged ‘best in class’ in world wide competitions.

We took the Robert Mondavi winery tour which included a taste of three different wines. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour plus two out of three of us really enjoyed the wine tasting. Mary Lynn, who does not like the taste of wine, was a real trooper. She tasted all three wines and hardly ‘scrunched up her face’. Regardless, Jenna and I enjoyed all three tastings plus we finished MLA’s glasses of wine.

Gotta love the ‘factory floor’ of a winery.

It’s hard to tell however just how large these casks really are….

The grounds of the vineyard are beautiful. In fact, most of the vineyards we saw were decorated with lots of flowers, especially roses.

Aging casks stored on the lower level created a stunning vista…

Like any good tour you end up in the vineyard’s gift shop… which Jenna really enjoyed.

Jenna managed to ‘snag’ a great bottle of wine AND a beautiful hat -- complements her own beauty.

Very cool 16th century wine press…

Afterwards we went to a restaurant recommended by my brother-in-law Joe. He’s president of a huge wine importer/distributor in Virginia and has toured vineyards all over the world. He recommended we have lunch at a restaurant called Mustards, which is only a mile or two from the Mondavi vineyards. It was incredibly good.

See Ya!

Dale

Technorati Tags: Robert Mondavi Vineyards,Sonoma,Napa,Wine,casks,Jenna,Hat,Mustards,16th Century Wine Press

San Francisco, CA: Beauty Everywhere You Look

2011-06-10T00:30:00.000-04:00

Our tour of San Francisco covered a lot of ground. Personally I love these one day tours that use open top buses although they are not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’. You can get on and off all day long at any of the planned stops. It’s a relatively quick and cost effective means of getting your bearings in a new location. After one of these tours we go back and explore the areas that piqued our interest on the tour.

The Golden Gate Bridge never ceases to capture your attention no matter where you are in San Francisco.

San Francisco’s version of Central Park features a Japanese Tea Garden.

Of course, for all the hippies out there, no visit to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Haight – Ashbury. That’s a mural of Jimmie Hendrix who owned a house in the Haight…

Fans of the Olsen twins and the TV series “Full House” will recognize the yellow house above and the park across the street, both featured in the opening credits of the show.

Californians insist that everything is ‘bigger & better’ in California. In this case, the California State Capitol dome is 1 foot taller than the US Capitol Dome in Washington, DC. No easy way to measure so I’ll take the guides word for it…

The Stinking Rose Restaurant is famous world-wide, as is their byline: “We season our garlic with food”.

I surprised Mary Lynn and Jenna by driving down the ‘curviest street in the world’ – Lombard Street. It was fun although as the driver you have to really pay attention because the street is both crowded and narrow. You can see everyone gather at the bottom trying to get a shot of all the action.

I took this shot several blocks away and was really pleased to get all of the action plus the three people crossing the street at the top of the hill…

This was the view from the restaurant on Pier 39 where we had lunch. Of course that’s Alcatraz in the background. If you look closely you can see a few of the hundreds of people who were Kite Surfing on the bay.

Another view from Pier 39. Every where you look, San Francisco is a beautiful.

See Ya!
Dale

Technorati Tags: San Francisco,Lombard Street,Golden Gate Bridge,Japanese Tea Garden,Pier 39,Haight - Ashbury,Jimi Hendrix,Kite Surfing,Full House,Olsen Twins,Alcatraz,The Stinking Rose Restaurant,California State Capitol Dome

San Francisco: Winchester Mystery House in San Jose

2011-06-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

For years I travelled to Silicon Valley: Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, San Jose, etc. Often I saw advertisements for the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose yet I never went on the tour. That is, until now. Mary Lynn wanted to see the house and we thought Jenna might enjoy it as well.

No pictures allowed inside so All I can share is the outside views…

Sarah Winchester was the heiress to the Winchester Gun company. Plagued by guilt over the many people who lost their lives by being on the wrong side of a Winchester gun, she consulted psychics and mediums.

She convinced herself she was in danger from ‘the victims’ and one psychic in particular was only too happy to reinforce the danger she was in from the spirits. This psychic convinced her she would be ok as long as her house was under construction.

So she bought an old farm house in San Jose, hired a team of carpenters, and began building. And building. And building some more – over 150 rooms. Stairways that lead nowhere. Multiple doors in a room with only one leading out. She didn’t stop building until she died some 30 years later.

To heighten the appeal (and increase the number of tourists who shell out $35/person) the current owners hint the house might be haunted. It’s not of course. And it’s unfinished. Construction was left just like it was when she died. And oh by the way, none of the furniture, pictures, artwork, etc are original to the house.

Afterwards we drove over to Half Moon Bay. On the ocean side of the foothills it was cool, gray and foggy however Jenna was able to dip her toes in the Pacific Ocean. Another item on her bucket list completed.

And of course we had to stop at the Golden Gate overlook on the Marin side to get a few photos.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Winchester House,Jenna,Spirits,gun,Half Moon Bay,Pacific Ocean,Golden Gate

San Francisco: Alcatraz and Pier 39

2011-06-07T16:27:00.000-04:00

At first we were not going to visit Alcatraz. Then several friends and acquaintances highly recommended the trip. Turns out its one of the top attractions in San Francisco.

The thought of seeing a crumbling concrete structure on a small island in the middle of San Francisco Bay just didn’t seem that appealing however we figured there must be a reason so many people said it was a ‘must see’. Plus I knew there would be some great shots of the San Francisco skyline.

The grounds had a number of gardens, first installed when Alcatraz was an military fort and then later by inmate trustees.

And did you notice how small the cells are??? No wonder men went ‘stir crazy’. Not to mention they could often hear the sounds of women laughing, music, and ‘the good life’ wafting over the waters from nearby San Francisco clubs and bars.

Alcatraz prison itself turned out to be pretty interesting, especially the information on the various escape attempts over the years. At least two of the prison escapes resulted in the prisoners never being captured or seen again. The official party line is they are ‘presumed dead’ but you’ll never convince me some of them didn’t make it shore.

Especially the threesome that, over a period of months, drilled thru the concrete wall in their cells (see the hole in the picture above), built a raft out of rubber raincoats, and then escaped one foggy night. The raft was later found deflated on a nearby island but authorities claim the men drowned.

I don’t buy it…. In fact MythBusters, one of my favorite shows since they feature the practical application of science to prove/disprove various myths and urban legends, recreated the entire escape, including making a raft with home-made glue and paddling to an island. Result: totally plausible.

We had beautiful weather for our trip over; the San Francisco Bay can get very windy, cold and foggy but our weather was close to perfect.

We saw several boats in the bay getting ready for America’s Cup races but we didn’t see the newer catamaran design being used by Larry Ellison, Oracle’s founder.

We also explored Pier 39: live entertainment, restaurants and shopping galore! The ultimate tourist trap but we had fun.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: San Francisco,Alcatraz,prison,escapes,raft,Pier 39,live entertainment,tourist trap,America's Cup

San Francisco: Golden Gate at Night and Muir Woods

2011-06-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

We moved from Felton, CA in the Santa Cruz area to Novato, California. Novato is located about 20 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is of course, the gateway to San Francisco. Our youngest daughter Jenna is here for a week and we picked her up around 11 pm.

Of course, I couldn’t resist trying to get a few photo’s of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco’s skyline at night. The skyline actually had fewer lights on than I would have liked since it was so late when we picked Jenna up and made our way out of the city.

The Bay Bridge is also very visible due to the white lights strung along it’s suspension wires. Two beautiful bridges in one city – wow! At least at night – during the day the Bay Bridge is not near as impressive as the Golden Gate.

We took Jenna to Muir Woods National Monument to see the Redwoods.

The size and majesty of 2000 year old redwoods never fails to impress. The peacefulness in these woods is so relaxing and enjoyable. You feel your inner soul throwing off any and all thoughts except for enjoying the surrounding warmth.

Then along the coast via Muir Beach and Stinson Beach into Point Reyes Park.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Muir Woods,Golden Gate,San Francisco,Bay Bridge,Night,Point Reyes,Jenna

Santa Cruz, California: Camped Among The Redwoods

2011-05-23T00:57:00.000-04:00

Mary Lynn and I moved from Morris Bay to the Santa Cruz area. We are camped among the redwoods in Felten, California which is 6 mile outside of Santa Cruz, but you would never know that from our campsite.

Santa Cruz is a sun drenched stretch of California beach about an hour south of San Francisco. Home to the more ‘free spirited’ members of California’s eclectic citizens. Beach volleyball, wind surfing, surfing, and biking are the normal pastimes from Santa Cruz’s residents.

And yet, just a few mile north of town, the Redwood giants have unimaginably large bases and climb to impossible heights.

Not too far from our campground is Roaring Camp Railroad, which take you thru virgins stands of California Redwoods. Up until 100 years ago or so all of the mountains in this area were covered in Redwoods. Once logging began they clear cut everything in sight. San Francisco has an unquenchable need for wood, which exploded after the 1906 earthquake and fire.

Another day we drove down route 1 thru Big Sur. Spectacular coastal scenery although the weather did not cooperate much that day.

Most of the vistas are breathtaking although always challenging to capture when overcast.

Nevertheless MLA & I had a long relaxing drive along Big Sur.

Beautiful!

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Big Sur,Big Basin,Redwoods,Roaring Camp Railroad,Bixby Bridge,Santa Cruz,volleyball,Monterey Bay,Felten

San Simeon, California: Hearst Castle – Over The Top

2011-05-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

While staying in Morro Bay, Mary Lynn and I drove north on Highway 1 to San Simeon and toured Hearst Castle. Built by William Randolph Hearst starting in 1919, the mansion sits 1600 feet above and 5 miles from the Pacific. It has a commanding view over a huge section of California’s Central Coast and the Pacific Ocean.

W.R. Hearst fell in love with this countryside as a boy while visiting the mega-ranch owned by his father. When he inherited the 250,000 acre property in 1919 (including 14 miles of coastline), he approached Julia Morgan, a highly acclaimed and classically trained architect. Supposedly the conversation started as follows:

“I would like to build ‘a little something’ upon the hill at San Simeon. I get tired of going up there and camping in tents. I'm getting a little too old for that. I'd like to get something that would be a little more comfortable.”

“A little something’ indeed. This conversation began the collaboration between Morgan and Hearst that spanned 25+ years of design and construction. The Hearst Castle estate includes 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and what was at the time, the world's largest private zoo.

Hearst travelled extensively and was an avid collector with wide and varied tastes. He bought entire rooms, buildings full of furniture, highly decorative ceilings, etc. His castle was really a means of getting his treasures out of his warehouses and on display.

The Neptune pool is a perfect example. He purchased the Roman Temple in Europe, dismantled it, shipped it to California, and had it reconstructed as a focal point of the pool. He had the pool built and re-built three times before he was happy with the outcome. This was typical of Hearst throughout the design/build process. He and Morgan were constantly re-doing portions of the castle.

The Hearst family donated the estate to the State of California in 1959. Located almost exactly 250 miles from both San Francisco and Los Angeles, Hearst Castle is not the easiest place to visit yet over one million visitors per year make the trip.

Mary Lynn and I took the tour, which was good but not great. It did not compare to the tour we took of the Biltmore estate located just outside of Ashville, NC. That said, it’s a pretty good tour and the estate is definitely a ‘must see’. I would have liked a little more background on the life and times of WR Hearst and will read a couple of books to get that info.

Tapestries, fireplace, ceiling, and much of the furniture in the room above were all collected by Hearst and sent to his architect to be incorporated into the Castle’s design.

The indoor pool was incredibly ornate. And Hearst’s fortune included silver & gold mines, soooo, when you see the color gold, most likely it’s real gold/gold leaf. Amazing what a little money can do…

The estate included an airport. Hearst owned several newspapers and had the newspapers flown in daily from LA on his personal DC-3. This plane also ferried the constant stream of visitors to & from the estate.

Harry Potter fans might feel a sense of déjà vu from the Hearst Castle dining room pictured above. The film crew visited Hearst Castle and took numerous pictures that were used as inspiration for the large dining room at Hogwarts.

When you stayed at Hearst Castle you were expected to dine with WR Hearst and all the other guests. At first you would be seated next to/near WR Hearst however the longer you stayed the further away from him you would be seated. Subtle hint not to overstay your welcome…

That’s always good advice – so we’ll be moving North to the Santa Cruz/Monterey area.

See Ya !

Technorati Tags: Hearst Castle,WR Hearst,San Simeon,State of California,Roman Temple,Julia Morgan,Hogwarts,Harry Potter

Morro Bay, California: Ragged Point & The Bellowing at Elephant Seal Beach is a Blast

2011-05-17T01:31:00.000-04:00

While staying in Morro Bay, Mary Lynn and I drove north to Ragged Point. Ragged Point is the beginning of the Big Sur area, which stretches 100 mile north to Monterey. Along the way we stopped at Elephant Seal Beach.

Ragged Point provides a beautiful overlook of the Pacific Ocean. About 10 miles before you get to Ragged Point you slowly start ascending as Highway 1 (the Coastal Highway) gets really ‘twisty’. Great road for a motorcycle, fun road for a car and an unusable road for an RV. At least for our 42 foot combination of RV & motorcycle carrier. Every where you look the view is spectacular.

Highway 1 is closed about five (5) miles past Ragged Point due to an earth slide. Repairs are underway however money is tight in California so it will be a while before you can continue all the way into the Big Sur area using Route 1.

Actually California’s current fiscal roads have reduced highway repairs to buying a sign (Road Out 5 miles ahead or Round Roads Next 20 miles) and hope for the best. No money to repair the roads so they just plant a sign.

The good news? Not much time wasted sitting in construction back-ups! Seriously, sections of the road in California have been worse than what we experienced in Alaska.

Elephant Seal Beach is a couple of miles of sandy beach where hundreds and hundreds of Elephant Seals can bask in the sun, protected from us. The beach is closed to us humans however there is an overlook where you can see the Elephants Seals close up without disturbing them.

Look closely at the dunes in the picture immediately above. It shows a small section of the beach where you can clearly see the beach littered with basking females and bellowing males. OK – you can’t ‘see’ the bellowing males but you can hear them load and clear when you are there…

This time of year (late spring) is when the seals are molting and replenishing their fat deposits. They shed the outer layer of skin in preparation for the mating season. Not always pretty but necessary. Check out the look of contentment on the females above: Good friends, a warm sun and a full belly. Not to mention the “fella’s” fighting over you – life is good.

The males, mostly juveniles, practicing for the ‘fight for females’ that occurs once mating season begins. A pretty big deal when only the winner gets to mate and pass on his genes.

Lots of bellowing, posturing, and body slams. From the scars visible on the older males it’s apparent the fighting gets much rougher when the mating season begins.

For now, the biting seems to be held in check but the aggression is very real. Real, except at this time of year the females largely ignore all of the ruckus. Just like a female: get the males all ‘in a frenzy’ and then ignore them...

Last rays of the day warm (mostly) sleeping elephant seals.

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse in the far distance.

Another view from Ragged Point looking South. Pictures hardly do justice to the beauty of the area.

A last look at Elephant Seal Beach…

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Elephant Seals,Piedras Blancas Lighthouse,Bellos,Ragged Point,Morro Bay,California Central Coast

Morro Bay, California: Scenic & Quaint Morro Bay

2011-05-15T02:55:00.000-04:00

We moved from the beautiful Central California Solvang area to the scenic Morro Bay area. We are living on a fixed budget and Mary Lynn found a relatively inexpensive RV park: Bay Pines RV Park. The key word here is ‘relatively’ because everything is expensive in California…

At first I was disappointed with the spot they gave us; basically it was a connecting driveway however once we got set up we realized we overlooked an estuary. It was full of wildlife that we enjoyed watching all week. A family of wild pigs, deer, tons of birds, etc.

The picturesque harbor in Morro Bay connects to the large tidal estuary.

Morro Bay is anchored by Morro Rock, which is actually the remains of a volcanic plug. After a volcano erupts the lava cools and a ‘plug’ forms in the fissure. Eventually the seas dropped and the earth around the plug was eroded leaving, in this case, Morro Rock.

The whole area is designated a protected bird sanctuary so there are birds everywhere, including the ubiquitous seagulls. They are everywhere however we also saw large numbers of pelicans, egrets, blue herons, great white herons, sandpipers, etc. One of my favorites is the red-winged black bird which is fairly common throughout the central coast of California.

The port is home to a small fishing fleet that unloads it catch daily at the Morro Bay Fish Company. The picture above is the view from our table in what became our favorite restaurant: Tognazzini's Dockside Restaurant & Fish Market. Great food and incredibly fresh.

MLA is not a big seafood fan however she lets me indulge my seafood habit. She did say the fish and chips here were the best she’s ever had.

These folks seemed to be having a great time paddling around the harbor on paddleboards.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Morro Bay,Seafood,Paddleboards,Seagulls,Bird Sanctuary,Bay Pines RV Park,Tognazzini's Dockside Restaurant

Solvang, California: Awesome Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum

2011-05-11T00:06:00.000-04:00

While in Solvang I went to the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum and highly recommend you do the same if you have any interest at all in motorcycles.

I used to race motorcycles when I was younger, mostly motocross although I did get to race in a TT race and a road race. I loved the one time I went road racing but I didn’t have the money to keep racing.

I don’t have the skill either --not enough to go fast, you have to win-- but I prefer to blame the lack of $$$$. In any case, there is a world class motorcycle museum in Solvang with lots of old and in some cases, unusual bikes plus couple of very cool road racing motorcycles. I was told the owner is a former college Physics professor; this guy really knows his bikes, his engineering and his racing history. Truly a great collection.

1914 Indian “V” Twin. Indian was the largest motorcycle company in the US (world?) in 1914. When WWI broke out the US government bought all of their 1916 motorcycle production leaving the large Indian dealer network with nothing to sell. Harley Davidson took advantage of the situation and passed Indian as the largest manufacturer a few years later.

Hopefully you can read the story above about how the museum’s 1914 Indian was discovered….

1921 Mars 1000. Horizontally opposed twin cylinders but mounted in line with the frame rather than transversely like BMW made famous and still uses today. Check out the complete spare tire mounted on the rear – a testament to the poor quality of the roads at that time.

1933 Matchless – check out the double ‘fishtail’ exhaust pipe.

No kidding. I got to spend several hours at the museum while staying in Solvang. Of course, Mary Lynn went shopping so I could browse to my heart’s content. Darn – I missed going shopping with her for several hours – in & out of similar shops selling almost identical ‘trinkets & trash’ – really sorry I missed that.

Harley Davidson ruled dirt track racing in the 70’s at places like Ascot Park in Southern California. Not so much in road racing….

Road racing legend Giacomo (Jock-o-mo) Agostini signed the tank of this Yamaha TZ 700. Yamaha made a small number of production racers that anyone could buy.

A friend of mine bought and raced a TZ 350, which he was kind enough to let me do the test rides when we were ‘jetting’ the bike. We gave two six packs of beer to a bike-friendly cop and he would block off the end of a long, well lit straightaway out in the middle of no where. That’s the fastest I have ever gone on a motorcycle – roughly 130 mph. The bike would go faster but when the street lights started to look like a picket fence and you could see the end of the street I decided the ‘jetting’ test was done.

Yamaha’s TZ 700 is basically two TZ 350 motors stuck together. Giacomo won the Daytona 200 in 1974 on a Yamaha like the one in the museum. Fast and loud is a real understatement for this motorcycle.

1957 Maico Typhoon. Maico dominated motocross however they were never very successful with street bikes – despite styling way ahead of other manufacturers. Note how the transmission cases ‘flow’ into the bodywork – pretty advanced for 1957. I think Honda took styling cues from this bike for the “Honda Dream” series of bikes it introduced in the 60’s.

Really cool 1932 Brough Superior. Check out the exhaust on this v-twin.

John Britten designed what is arguably the fastest 4 stroke motorcycle in the early 90’s, reported able to do wheel stands at 150 mph. Only 10 Brittens (+ a prototype) were built before John Britten died in 1995. His bikes made extensive use of Carbon fibre body work including the rims, front suspension fork, and the swingarm.

Other design highlight included a hand cast, 4 valves per head alloy engine; frame-less chassis with engine acting as a stressed member; radiator located under the riders seat; carbon fibre fasteners (joining body work together); engine data logging and the rear suspension shock located in front of the engine.

Supposedly the Britten 1000 in the museum was the only Britten that was never raced. In fact it was in its original packing case until 2004. The bike is an engineering marvel.

Actually, that was one of my main take-aways. Engineering marvels abound throughout the early 1900’s. Many of the designs introduced today that we think are so revolutionary were actually designed, implemented and sold to the public at the turn of the last century. Although almost all of the companies represented by the vintage motorcycles in this museum are long gone, the brilliant engineering and beautiful designs live on in special places like this.

There are only a few special motorcycle museums however the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum is one of them. If you love motorcycles like I do, you need to add this place to your bucket list.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Solvang,Vintage Motorcycle Museum,Britten,Matchless,Indian,Harley Davidson,Mars,Yamaha,Maico,TZ 350,TZ 700

Solvang, California: Central Coast is a Gem

2011-05-03T23:48:00.000-04:00

We moved from Malibu to Solvang, which is about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara and slightly inland, just over the coastal mountains. Let me just say that the Central Coast of California is one of the most beautiful places we have been in California.

Of course, the winter rains have left the hills lushly covered in green and gold grasses. Plus the hills are pretty rugged.

Solvang is a ‘Danish’ village. Lots of stores and restaurants that are a major draw with tourists. Its small, picturesque, and full of good places to eat.

The central coast mountains were alive with wildflowers, especially in areas that had caught fire in the last few years. All part of the reseeding transformation.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Solvang,California Central Coast,Danish,Wildflowers

Hollywood, California: The Price Is Right Show

2011-04-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

While based in Malibu we took the time to take a few side trips: one to Hollywood and one to Oxnard/Ventura.

Mary Lynn and our daughter Kasey Lynn are huge fans of “The Price Is Right” show. MLA reserved tickets on-line and bright & early the next morning we drove into Los Angeles. Traffic at 6:30 am was amazingly light and we arrived at CBS’ studios well before the 8:30am requirement.

After that, you do a lot of waiting. As I said, you had to arrive before 8:30 am however the show did not begin taping until 12:30 pm. No photos (or phones, etc) allowed in studio so all I can show you is a picture of the outside of the CBS studio. And of course the Hollywood sign was visible up on the hill….

All in all it was a good experience even though we did not get picked to go up on stage. Not a big surprise since we were in regular ‘street clothes’ and most of the people who were picked had dressed up in all kinds of crazy clothes, most with lots of writing on them, like “Pick Me” or “I love Drew”, etc., etc. Very cool to see Drew…

After that we drove up to Oxnard and Ventura…

See YA!

Technorati Tags: CBS,Price is Right,Malibu,Oxnard,Ventura,Wind Surfing

Malibu, California: Home of “California Dreaming”

2011-04-25T17:40:00.000-04:00

Malibu beach stretches for some 27 miles along an amazingly beautiful coastline. Pockets of sun drenched sandy beaches interspersed with rugged, ocean bashed rocks, all combine to create some of the best vista’s southern California has to offer.

Home to more Beach Boy’s style and 60’s era music than you can count, I think Malibu personifies the image most folks have when they are “California Dreaming”.

We stayed for a week perched over the Pacific Ocean where we had an incredible view of Pelicans, Sea Lions, dozens of Dolphins (two pictured above), even a couple of migrating whales.

We had a distant view of Los Angeles which you can see if you look closely at the picture above. We also had a view of Cher’s estate located about half a mile from where we were camped. Cher’s estate sits high on a bluff overlooking the Pacific just behind and above these homes on the beach in the picture above. We were going to ‘drop in’ and say ‘hi’ but the week just flew by… maybe next time.

We stayed at Malibu Beach RV Park and although pricey, it has without a doubt the best ocean views of any RV Park we have stayed in so far. The park sits up on a bluff; we were on the first level perhaps 100 feet above the ocean. Some of their sites are located even higher although further back from the ocean itself. We pulled the RV in so that our front window had a panoramic view of the ocean.

Mary Lynn and I spent hours sitting outside watching the ocean with its constantly changing light as well as a never ending procession of wildlife. Pelicans at this time of year are extremely plentiful, with large squadrons of them flying in formation. They use the winds uplifts created by the bluffs or flying just above the crest of the wave, again using the uplifts created by the waves themselves to glide almost effortlessly. In the evening, wave after wave would pass by only feet from our RV.

The kite surfers above were close by and fascinating to watch as they flew over incoming waves, sometimes letting the kite pull them completely into the air. Soaring above the ocean before splashing down looked like a lot of fun however try as I might, MLA declined my offer to rent a kite and board for the afternoon…

We attended Easter services at the church started by our son Christopher’s friends from ‘GUTS” church in Tulsa Oklahoma. Waveside Church uses an incredible facility located on the beach just south of the famous Zuma Beach.

Malibu is home to many of Hollywood’s elite for a reason. It really is a spectacular and special place. We were going to stay another week however the RV Park would not honor their discount for staying another week so we voted with our pocketbook and are leaving after only one week. An RV park this beautiful should be full nearly all the time. It still amazes me to see some businesses so poorly run. Oh well, I have better things to spend my time (and money) on these days.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Malibu,California,Dolphins,Whales,Pelicans

Anaheim: Disneyland – Walt’s First Fantasy Park

2011-04-20T01:34:00.000-04:00

Anaheim, California is a suburb of LA. It’s also the home of Walt Disney’s first theme park: Disneyland. Not to be confused with Disneyworld, which is located in Orlando Florida.

Since we have been to Disneyworld many times I was afraid Mary Lynn would be disappointed with Disneyland however she insisted she wanted to see Disneyland for herself.

We went early in the day for several hours and then returned to the park in the evening for the great fireworks display.

A shot of Buzz Light Year for the youngest members of our former neighbors in Maryland: Dominick, Claire & John.

In fact, Dominic dressed up as Buzz Light Year for Halloween a few years ago – as you can see, he was terrific.

Disney’s fireworks display is a lot better than my ability to capture fireworks photos…

MLA loved the aquatic show held late at night in Frontier Land. Overall we had a terrific time.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Disneyland,Disneyworld,Anaheim,California,LA,Buzz Lightyear

San Diego Zoo: World Famous For All The Right Reasons

2011-04-12T22:20:00.000-04:00

I’m not really a fan of zoo’s. I used to enjoy taking my kids to the zoo however I always left feeling incredibly sorry for the animals. They usually seemed to be in areas that are fake and much too small for them. Seeing all of the fencing and cages is depressing.

That said, the San Diego Zoo is one of, if not the best zoo in the country. They do a terrific job of providing natural settings, lots of companionship and a large amount of space for most animals.

And they do a lot of research into protecting and maintaining species that are threatened with extinction.

This butterfly was for sale in the Zoo’s gift shop.

Rick really got into the exhibits….

This boy’s mom allowed me to take his photo right after he had his face painted. I wonder how many days he went before washing the paint off…

Mary Lynn has never met a gift shop she didn’t like (and explore). Good thing space is limited in the RV.

As you can probably tell, I love to take photo’s of birds. The incredible colors combined with the patterns of the feathers really appeal to me. Not to mention the connection to ancient forms of life (think dinosaurs). And some of them seem fairly intelligent, more so than many animals.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: San Diego,Zoo,Flamingo,Duck,Peacock

San Diego: Old Town Trolley Tour of San Diego

2011-04-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

We have found one of the best ways to get oriented in a new city/location is to take a ‘trolley’ tour. Here in San Diego we took the Old Town Trolley tour which goes all over San Diego including Balboa Park, Old Town, the Waterfront, Coronado Island (Hotel Coronado), etc.

The best part is you get to ride all day, getting on and off whenever you want. And occasionally the trolley driver is both knowledgeable and funny, but not always.

This painting was available for sale in Old Town. I loved the colors and would have bought it is we had room for any art in our RV, but we don’t.

The San Diego skyline taken from the trolley while going across Coronado Bridge. Shots from moving vehicles never have sharp details but I like the shot none the less.

Our friend Rick couldn’t stand all the excitement, which Anne found amusing….

This frog reminded all of us of Larry, our friend from Palm Creek…

A fun kite shop on the San Diego waterfront and a cool looking bird with an old-fashioned ‘rat’s tail’.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: San Diego,Old Town Trolley,Rat's Tail,Coronado Bridge,Skyline

Balboa Park – San Diego’s Answer to New York’s Central Park

2011-04-10T20:41:00.000-04:00

After spending the winter (5 months) at Palm Creek in Casa Grande, Arizona we have hit the road to begin our West Coast Tour. Our plan is to follow the west coast north through California, Oregon, and Washington State and then head over to Idaho’s Coeur D’Alene and then head south thru Idaho, Nevada, and the western portion of California , including Yosemite and Death Valley. Who knows what will actually happen but that is the ‘plan’.

We are staying at the Santee Lakes Regional Park about 20 minutes from downtown San Diego. Great park with excellent access to the sights and activities of San Diego.

For the next week or so we are travelling with Anne & Rick, our friends from Palm Creek. All too soon they will go their separate way as they have a commitment in Canada. We have had a great time with them and will miss their company. No worries though – we will meet them back in Palm Creek next fall.

Here are some pictures from San Diego’s Balboa Park, a great park created by the founder of San Diego patterned after New York’s Central Park. It has a number of museums and exhibits plus a spectacular rose garden.

The painted ‘skull’ is from a very good Mexican restaurant (I forget the name, sorry) located at 5th & Maple. The Carousel is a restored antique located between Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo complete with hand carved animals.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: San Diego,Balboa Park,Rose Garden,Carousel,Skull

Chincoteague, VA to Charlotte, NC: Headed West At Last !

2010-10-23T00:50:00.000-04:00

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks in Maryland and Virginia leading up to our departure ‘Out West’. We plan to spend the winter in Arizona again this year. In fact, we will be staying at Palm Creek Golf & Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona for four months. Last year we stayed three months however Palm Creek was running a special and offered a discount if you stayed one more month this year than you did last year…. well twist my arm – I’m in!

We have been at the Rambling Pines Campground for the last month or so, tucked into a very nice & fairly secluded wooded site. Over our last weekend in Maryland we enjoyed taking the girls to Medieval Times, which is located in the Arundel Mills Mall. This is an indoor Renaissance Dinner Theatre where you enjoy watching knights on horseback joust and ‘do battle’ while you eat dinner. The lighting is a little tricky however I was able to get a shot or two.

Mary Lynn and the girls have wanted to do this for awhile however I’ve always balked at paying $63 a person for a ‘chicken dinner covered in sawdust’ from the arena.

Wouldn’t you know Medieval Times offered tickets at only $25 dollars per person & promised to keep the sawdust to a minimum… In any case, we all enjoyed ourselves. They even have a small display of medieval torture devices which I found interesting although troubling. You can’t help contemplating man’s inhumanity to his fellow man.

MLA & the girls had no such problems – they quickly skipped out of the dungeon display and went off to enjoy shopping at one of Maryland’s largest malls – leaving me to ponder how we humans could at times be so cruel to each other.

Mary Lynn’s mom’s surgery went well and we moved her back to her own house on Tuesday, October 19. We drove the motor home across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to her home in Greenbackville, Virginia. This is located just outside of Chincoteague, Virginia where our good friends Patty & Craig live. As always, it was great seeing them last night before we ‘headed west’ this morning.

Today we left MLA’s mom’s house and headed south across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. This 27 mile long bridge crosses the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay with two short a tunnels that burrow under the bay to allow ships in and out of the bay.

Quite an unusual feeling to drive down into a tunnel knowing there is enough water above you for an aircraft carrier and/or cruise ship to pass over you heads. I’m not kidding – Newport News is home to several ship building companies and a naval base or two. Lots of destroyers, submarines and an occasional aircraft carrier are stationed here.

The tunnels are narrow with one lane of traffic in each direction. Very exciting when the oncoming traffic includes a large percentage of semi trucks. All the drivers of big rigs ‘hug the center double line’ to keep away from the tunnel walls & railings which in turn means our driver’s side mirrors end up competing for the same ‘air space’. As I said, very exciting. Thankfully the tunnels are short and we managed to pass a number of oncoming semi’s & other RV’s without incident. Not difficult just took a lot of concentration.

We skirted along the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Area on Virginia State Road 58 and then stopped to buy a Virginia Country ham. Virginia Country Hams, sometimes called Smithfield Hams, are famous in these parts. They are salt cured – and come to find out – need a fair amount of preparation and cooking. But that is a story for another time.

Not knowing what was required to properly prepare and cook the ham we thought buying one of these hams was a great idea…

When we left Mary Lynn’s mom’s house early in the day we had planned to stop in Greensboro, NC to visit with our good friends Jack and Kathy. Well it turns out there was some special event happening in the Greensboro area that weekend and there were no RV campsites within 100 miles. Regrettably we passed through Greensboro and ended up in Charlotte, NC. We’ll have to catch up with Jack and Kathy next time…

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Medieval Times,Jousting,Dinner Theatre,Virginia,Cheasapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel,Virginia Country Ham

Frederick, MD: The Great Frederick Fair

2010-09-25T17:45:00.000-04:00

Frederick is the 2nd largest city in Maryland and The Great Frederick Fair is a long standing tradition. Jenna coordinated a time for several of us, including Sean and his niece, Melanie to meet on the last day of the fair.

Events like this are always more fun when you get to see them through the eyes of a little one.

Here are a couple of pictures from our day at the fair.

I especially like taking pictures of the rides with all of their decorative lights as they spin and rotate.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Great Frederick Fair

Potomac, MD: Scott & Diana’s Wedding

2010-09-18T17:29:00.000-04:00

Our son Scott was married on Saturday, September 18th during a wonderful outside service right across from Rock Creek Park in Potomac, MD. Everything about the event went perfectly, including the weather, which is always a concern for an outside wedding.

We are very excited for Scott & Diana. They seem so happy and we are incredibly happy for them. As many of you know, the process of planning and getting married can add a lot of stress to your life. Well, not to my life -- certainly to Scott & Dianna’s life. That said, they did a great job and managed to stay pretty sane throughout the whole process.

A special treat for us was that our oldest son Christopher was both the Minister and the Best Man. When Scott asked Christopher if he would perform the marriage ceremony Christopher said he would be delighted to as long as it didn’t interfere with his Best Man responsibilities.

And of course, having Kasey & Jenna in the wedding just made it all the more special. Truly a wonderful day. It was a real thrill for Mary Lynn and I to enjoy the ceremony in such a unique way.

Diana’s parents are terrific and treat Scott as their own son. You can’t ask for anything more than that.

We are very lucky to have Diana as our daughter-in-law; she & Scott make an excellent couple and we feel blessed to have the two of them together. The two of them recently ran a half marathon and seem in perfect shape to chase each other around for the next 60 years and beyond…

And of course, Diana’s surprise Harley cake for Scott was a huge success!

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Scott & Diana's Wedding,Christopher,Minister,daughter-in-law,marathon,Rock Creek Park,Potomac,MD

Newport, Rhode Island: Summer Cottages

2010-09-05T16:54:00.000-04:00

Mary Lynn and I drove down to Newport, RI, which is a beautiful seaside community with several spectacular rivers. It was also home to the “summer cottages” where society’s richest families escaped from the summer heat and sickness that hit New York City. At least half a dozen of these ‘cottages’ have been lovingly restored by the Newport Preservation Society, and are available to tour. Most are located in the same section of Newport however be forewarned, it’s hard to visit more than two in a day. If you do it easy to rush through and miss some of the spectacular architecture and history.

In fact, there is a famous path behind the mansions called Cliff Walk, where you can get a view of the mansion’s backyard and rear elevation. The path is, as the name implies, along the top of a cliff overlooking one of Newport's most spectacular bays. Beautiful views in all directions.

We toured the Breakers, the summer home of one of the many Vanderbilt's. The Breakers is considered by many the most opulent example of these ‘summer cottages’, most of which were built in the early 1900’s.

I was a little disappointed to find that no photography was allowed inside the mansions. Usually museums restrict the use of flash photography but here it was no photography, flash or otherwise. What a shame. the interiors of these mansions are truly unbelievable and photos would help convey just how over the top the mansions interiors are.

So I had to settle for pictures of the outside of The Breakers, which hopefully gives you an idea of just how lavish these cottages could be. The small house with the red roof in the picture below is actually the children’s play house.

All in all I highly recommend a trip to Newport, RI. The traffic can be a real bear however the views and the architecture make the trip worthwhile.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Newport,Rhode Island,Newport Mansions,Cliff Walk

Middleboro, Mass: Cape Cod and Sandwich Glass Museum

2010-09-04T16:23:00.000-04:00

We drove from Middleboro to Cape Cod to explore a bit of that famous territory. Cape Cod is home to lots of famous communities (Sandwich, Woods Hole, Hyannis Port, Provincetown,etc.) as well as several ferries that provide access to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

We spent some time at the Sandwich Glass Museum: fascinating. Sandwich was home of several large glass making factories. It is also where glass making went from a highly specialized skill that took a minimum of seven years as an intern/assistant to develop to a mass production business.

Using a “Glass Press”, anyone who could ‘dip glass’ could place the molten glass under the press and, with the pull of a lever, turn that molten glass into almost any type of decorated item: cups, saucers, plates, bowls. You name it and an unskilled worker could produce it with the glass press and the appropriate molds. Truly revolutionized the glass business.

The Sandwich Glass Museum has a demonstration of traditional glass blowing as well as a demonstration of the glass press. Plus lots & lots of colorful glass displays. And you know I can’t resist taking pictures of collections of colorful items.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Sandwich,Cape Cod,Massacusetts,MA,Glass Museum

Middleboro, Mass: Rocking In Plymouth

2010-09-02T15:31:00.000-04:00

We moved from Newburgh, NY to Middleboro, Massachusetts. Middleboro gets its name from the fact it is just that: in the middle of everything. Easy access to Boston, Cape Cod (Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Sandwich, etc.), Plymouth, New Bedford, Newport, RI, etc. You name it and you can get there pretty easily from Middleboro.

We went to Plymouth to see Plymouth Rock, which turned out to be a large rock under an open-to-the-air gazebo. Not a lot to see, IMHO. There is controversy about whether or not the ‘Pilgrims’ actually stepped off of the Mayflower onto Plymouth Rock at all; the first mention of the famous rock was over 100 years after the pilgrims landed.

Regardless, there is no controversy about the Pilgrims landing right in this bay and Plymouth still holds a lot of history and interest. There is a replica of the Mayflower as well as a re-enactment of what life was like for the early settlers at Plimoth Plantation. And yes, “Plimoth” is how the first pilgrim’s originally spelled Plymouth. Lots to see and do in a very scenic area.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Plymouth,Plimoth Plantation,Massachusetts,Plymouth Rock,Mayflower

Newburgh, NY: New York City Bus Tour

2010-08-29T23:10:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Mary Lynn and I took the train into New York City. Actually it’s was the NYC metro from Beacon into Grand Central Station. Grand Central Station is a beautiful old building with a rich history. As I’m sure you know, New York is filled with beautiful architecture and many interesting stories.

From Grand Central Station we walked up 42nd street to Times Square. No visit to New York is complete with at least spending a few minutes there. Years ago Times Square was pretty run down but not these days. Mayor Giuliani cleaned it up and offered incentives for companies to move back into the area.

There are almost always a tremendous number of people in Times Square. It starts early in the morning and build throughout the afternoon and into the early evening, when the crowds are at there peak. That’s also when the sounds and sights of Times Square are at their peak. The electronic billboards are overwhelming these days and in the evening they are a sight to behold.

Plus Broadway’s theater district is right next to Times Square and of course the discount ticket kiosk, which has discount tickets for all but the latest shows, is located right at the foot of Times Square.

MLA and I took the Graylines City Bus tour; the weather was perfect and we grabbed two seats upstairs. All the tour bus companies use special buses that have seating upstairs, no roof and allow you to hop on/hop off all day long. Our narrated tour started in Times Square and included a ton of sights including Broadway Theater District, Macy’s, Empire State Building, Penn Station, Madison Square Gardens, the Flat Iron building, Greenwich, Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy, City Hall, World Trade Center site, Battery Park, the South Street Seaport, United Nations, Central Park, Waldorf Astoria… this is just a partial list. A great way to get oriented to New York City.

Lots to see and do. Make sure you wear your sneakers; you will do a lot of walking as well.

We also saw several items related to 9/11 and the World Trade Center. The most impactful to me personally was the Engine 55 firehouse, which lost several firefighters when the building collapsed. We also saw the remains from a piece of artwork that sat on the plaza between the two World Trade Center buildings.

This artwork, a large ball, has been moved to Battery park just as it was found. Well almost. When it was uncovered two weeks after the buildings collapsed, it was too hot to handle because of the beams and fires that surrounded the artwork. We also saw the constructions sites where the buildings are being rebuilt.

We had a terrific time in New York and late in the day we collapsed on the metro which motored back out to Beacon and then across the Hudson to our campground in Plattekill. About two hours from Grand Central to our doorstep however its the only way to travel. Driving in New York is no way to enjoy yourself plus parking is non-existent at many of the sites you will want to visit.

I almost forgot to mention MLA was in heaven. Her favorite TV show is Project Runway and she saw the Parsons: The New School for Design building where the show is filmed and the fashion designers ‘work their magic’.

Today we drove to Pete and Jeannine’s house about an hour south, where we spent most of the afternoon and evening getting caught up with each other. Pete & Jeannine were one of the couples we would go camping with back when both of our families were just getting started. And of course we all camped in tent and slept on the ground. Didn’t take too many years for that to get old and then MLA and I bought a pop-up.

We had a great time this weekend and plan to visit some local (to Newburgh) sites tomorrow. maybe West Point and some of the estates along the Hudson River that are now open to the public.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: New York City,Metro,NYC,Times Square,Pete,Jeannine,tour bus,Grayline,Empire State Building,World Trade Center site,Rockefeller Center,Radio Music Hall,Engine 55 Fire House,Project Runway

Newburgh, NY: Hey-a Wait-a Minute! Sooo-a Whoooz-a Mary?

2010-08-27T22:11:00.001-04:00

Before I tell you about this afternoons move from Verona, NY to Newburgh, NY and my visit to Orange County Choppers, let me tell you a little about what happened last night and early today.

Yesterday, after taking some late afternoon pictures of the Turning Stone Campground, Mary Lynn settled down to watch three episodes in-a-row of her favorite show (Project Runway). Then she informs me that each show has been increased from one hour to an hour and a half. Well three hours of Project Runway would have put me into a comma but watching 4.5 hours of Project Runway would have killed me.

The previous evening MLA went gambling at the casino and still had a few bucks on her card so I decided to leave her in peace to watch her TV show while I went to the casino and ‘cashed out’ her card. She gave me her ‘pin’ for the casino card and off I went to seek fame & fortune, that is if you can seek a fortune playing on the nickel slot machines.

As luck would have it, after a couple hours of playing I managed to add a few more nickels to her card. So I marched up to the cashiers cage and stood waiting in line for at least 15 minutes before my cashier asked for my card.

He swipes the card, I enter the pin#, he counts out the $$$ and then, just before he hands me the cash he says ‘Heyyyyy-a, wait-a minute. Sooo-a whoooz-a Mary? You-a notta Mary.” Apparently he’s from strange parallel universe where an ‘a’ is appended to every word.

Maybe it was the language barrier or the fact he didn’t want to count out all those nickels, but in the end he insisted Mary had to cash out the card. So this am I drove the RV to the casino while MLA drove the toad. She pulled up behind the RV and I hooked the toad to the RV while she hiked into the casino.

So all day I have been driving the RV down the road and and every time MLA thinks I’ve forgotten about what happened I shout out “Sooo-a whoooz-a Mary? Whooz-a Mary?”. It’s just . That’s just the kind of sophomoric humor I get a kick out of. A kick that is right up until MLA threatens me with ‘bodily harm’. Even now I can hardly keep from yelling it out although I know I must, because I know MLA is serious about the whole bodily harm threat. And she is smart enough to make sure not to leave any marks…. I tell you, my life is tough!

So the next time you speak to MLA just shout out “ Sooo-a, whoooz-a Mary?”. Just be sure to be at least an arms length away…

Once we arrived in Newburgh, NY we found out there are a ton of things to do around here. There’s bus service into New York City every day during the week and train service to NYC is just down the road, lots of Hudson River Valley mansions and historical sites. Plus we are going to our friends house for dinner on Sunday. They live about 45 minutes away and we have not seen them in a couple of years. The fact that Jeannine is a great cook has nothing to do with my looking forward to Sunday…

Newburgh is also the home of Orange County Choppers; their showroom/TV studio/t-shirt factory is a 10-15 minute drive from the campground. This evening I drove over to check it out.

On display, OCC had several of the custom bikes built on the show, including the New York Yankees bike and the New York Jets bike. One of my favorites was not there: the Fire bike, built in honor of the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11. The picture above shows the spot where the bike is usually displayed which has been turned into a memorial by firefighters around the country. In addition to all of the badges on the wall the floor is littered with clothing, axes, and especially helmets brought by fellow fire fighters from all over the country for their fallen comrades. Truly a touching memorial.

I want to give a special birthday wish to my Grandmother’s sister, Aunt Edna, who turned 100 years old today. She’s as sharp as a tack; may we all be so lucky whatever our years ahead. We Love You Aunt Edna!

MLA and I are excited about exploring this area and New York City for the next couple of days. That’s all for now…..

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Firefighter,911,Hudson River Valley,Verona,Casino,Turning Stone,firefighter memorial,New York City

Verona, NY: Officially RV Full Timers On The Road Again

2010-08-26T16:58:00.001-04:00

Before I give you an update on our travels to Gettysburg, PA, Conwanesque Lake, PA, and Niagara Falls, NY, let me bring you up to date on our activities of the last several months.

You may know we have travelled all over the US in our RV for the last 2 and a half years, all the while trying to sell our home in Maryland -- without any success. No activity at all unless you count the number of times we reduced the price at the urging of our realtor. In the end we realized there were too many foreclosures on the market for us to compete with. Too many foreclosure and too many short sales. Too many people just walking away from their mortgages.

Not to mention the banks have stopped giving mortgages for all but the lowest end of the market. So much for all of the ‘bailout’ tax dollars provided to the financial community by the US Government. And, we now find out, our government leaders gave the economic stimulus/bailout money without any ‘strings attached’. That is, no requirement that the banks actually ‘stimulate’ the economy by providing loans. It seems the banks have kept the vast majority of the funds to themselves. The only economy stimulated so far has been the personal economies of the financial companies executives via nice fat bonuses.

Oh well, I digress.

Since we couldn’t sell, we decided to rent our home so we might return to our RV travels full time. Amazingly enough, the rental market is doing quite well. We had several prospective renters for our house within two weeks. We spent a hectic month getting the house cleared and cleaned so the new family could move in; they seem very nice family and hopefully it works out for all of us.

I mention all the above (except for the economic stimulus rant) just to explain where Mary Lynn and I have been for the last few months. I didn’t update the blog since we were not travelling in the RV.

However, we are once again happily ensconced in our little RV and ‘on the road again’. Yes, once again on the open road with the freedom to turn in almost any direction. RV Full-timers. Our only boundaries are the oceans surrounding North America.

Well, almost. Our son Scott & his lovely fiancé get married in mid-September so we will not wander too far away from Maryland.

We left in early August and spent our first week in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg is a favorite location of ours and we were able to visit the entire battlefield in depth plus it allowed us to have our family join us for MLA’s birthday. The landscape in Gettysburg today is so peaceful and serene it is hard to imagine the unbelievable hardship & suffering that occurred there for three days during America's Civil War. The saying “All Gave Some, Some Gave All” strikes you everywhere you go in Gettysburg.

Although we toured the entire battlefield, I was especially interested in Little Roundtop where the 20th Maine and Alabamians fought each other so valiantly. I found a small, recently prepared memoriam left for several of the Alabama soldiers who gave their all almost 150 years ago right next to the 20th Maine memorial in what is today one of the most peaceful and tranquil areas you will find anywhere.

MLA and I also took the “Church Tour” held every Wednesday evening where you visit 4 churches that played a significant role in the Battle of Gettysburg. One of the best $5 we have spent on any tour.

The National Park is beautifully maintained and the new visitor center is one of the best in the country. The Cyclorama is well worth the few dollars entrance fee. It is a painting 40 feet tall and ~360 feet in length (circumference actually). You enter from below and the painting completely surrounds you. A short narration of the battle, complete with special lighting & sound effects completes your experience. Afterwards there’s a museum with more information on the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg than you can comprehend in one visit.

After Gettysburg we spent a few days in an Army Corps of Engineers campground near the Pennsylvania/New York border. Very peaceful. Throughout the US, the Corps of Engineers build dams to control flooding and they almost always build one or more campgrounds on the lake that is created. They receive a miniscule amount of the US budget and, IMHO, is one of the best uses of our tax dollars. Of course, I may be biased…

We then travelled to Niagara Falls located on the US/Canadian border. Actually we stayed at Four Mile Creek State Park in Youngstown, NY. This campground is located on the shores of Lake Ontario about 15 minutes from downtown Niagara.

We visited both the Canadian side of the falls and the American side of the falls. Our favorite was the US side which is located in the Niagara Falls State Park. It is celebrating it’s 125th year of existence. Both sides of the Niagara Falls are commercialized however the Canadian side’s commercialization are much more visible. Regardless, the natural beauty and the power of the water is amazing.

The Niagara River water levels, and hence the amount of water that flows over the falls, is regulated. It must have been really something to see when ‘all’ of the water draining from Lake Erie flowed over Niagara Falls on it’s way to Lake Ontario. Regardless, this is definitely something to have on you bucket list.

From Niagara Falls we travelled to Rome. Rome, NY that is. We are staying at the Turning Stone RV resort which is a part of the Turning Stone Casino which is owned and operated by the Oneida Native American tribe. The casino is a full fledged resort with first class facilities, activities and entertainment. Think Las Vegas Casino minus the neon and the rat pack. It is very nice. Best integration of RV camping of any casino we have seen so far.

That’s all for now.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Gettysburg,Army Corps of Engineers,Niagara Falls,NY,New York,Turning Stone,Verona,Cowanesque Lake,memorium,church tour,Little Roundtop,20th Maine,Casino,rental

Sutton, WV: Mountain Lakes Region of West Virginia

2010-05-07T23:04:00.000-04:00

Last night we were unsure if we would spend a day in Lexington, Kentucky or keep travelling towards our destination in Maryland. This morning we decided to split the remaining distance into two easy days, each about 5 hours in length.

That brought us to Sutton, West Virginia, located in the heart of West Virginia’s Mountain Lakes Region. West Virginia has over 20,000 miles (that’s not a typo, 20,000 miles) of waterways: rivers, creeks, streams, etc.

The Army Corps of Engineers has built a number of dams in this area creating some beautiful lakes. Mountain lakes are unlike any other; lots of twists and turn, each vista more impressive than the last, especially when seen from the water. And West Virginia is known for it’s outdoor activities. Their Motto: West Virginia, Wild & Wonderful.

We are in one of the nicest KOA’s I’ve seen, called Flatwoods KOA. If you come here request a space in the woods. The sites are on tops of some hills and nicely integrated into the woodlands. Otherwise you’ll end up in a typical ‘open field’ RV park.

We were originally assigned a space in the ‘open field’ however when we went for a walk we found these terrific wooded sites. As soon as we arrived back at the RV I started packing up the RV while Mary Lynn called the office; 15 minutes later our RV was once again leveled, slides out, and connections made.

Definitely worth the time (and the small amount of effort). A shaded site with a beautiful breeze and a great view to boot.

Our agent is having an open house at our Maryland house that is up for sale. We plan to arrive there after the open house is completed so we’ll get to sleep late and enjoy a leisurely morning before driving about 5 hours.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: West Virgina,KOA,Sutton,Flatwoods,Lexington,Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

2010-05-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

Lexington, Kentucky & the surrounding communities is the self proclaimed Horse Capitol of the World, and I believe it. Unbelievably beautiful pastures meticulously maintained and divided by mile upon mile of fencing.

We left Poplar Bluff, Missouri this morning about half an hour later than we had planned.

I’m not going to mention any names but someone left her purse at the restaurant last night. I’ll leave you guessing as to whom I’m talking about…..

No big deal, it did give me a chance to install the new sensors for our TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System) which monitor the tire pressure and temperature of the RV’s tires. Cool little devices attach to the end of your valve stem and send their data wirelessly to a small receiver I mounted on the dash.

Lets me know the minute we have any trouble with the tires. Hopefully these new sensors work better than the last ones, which gave false trouble signals so frequently I had to turn the system off. We’ll see.

We are staying a 1200 acre Horse Farm operated by the state that includes an RV park. Nice huh? Only $24/night for water and electricity; no septic connection at the site. Have to hit the septic dump on the way out.

Not sure if we are leaving tomorrow or on Saturday. Both Mary Lynn and I are tired from a couple of long days of driving. No hurry to get to Maryland before Monday so we might stay here in Lexington for another day. We’ll decide tomorrow am.

I would like to stay and get some horse pictures; couldn’t get close to any tonight but there is always tomorrow.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Lexington,Kentucky,horses,TPMS,Poplar Bluff

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Family Celebrations

2010-05-04T22:39:00.000-04:00

Mary Lynn and I had a great time visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Christopher just started at a new church as the Youth Minister. He has doubled attendance at the youth events in just a few short months so both he and the leadership team are excited about him joining Faith Church.

MLA & I are always happy to see Christopher and Rachael however this time we got to attend a Sunday service at his new church. Wow -- what a great service and the pastor is terrific.

Arriving in Tulsa on Friday, we had originally planned to leave on Monday am however Rachael's birthday was on Tuesday so we accepted the kids invitation to Rachael’s party. Just the family and a few close friends but it was a lot of fun. Rachael’s sister Tara has three girls and a baby boy who just turned 5 months.

The girls went swimming (or splashing might be a better term) in a giant inflatable that had three spray nozzles. It was warm outside but that water was ice cold. They didn’t mind as you can see from the pictures. They would get wet and then go dry off to get warm. As soon as they had warmed up a bit they were back in the ‘splash’. Too funny – they even named one of the areas as their hot tub.

Sure beats running through the lawn sprinkler like we used to do when I was young…

Christopher and I also spent some time shooting some pictures of flowers and I shoot some photos of Christopher & Rachael down by the River Walk Park.

All in all another fantastic visit in Tulsa. Sad to leave knowing we will not see them until Scott’s wedding in September.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma,Christopher,Rachael,Birthday,Inflatible,Splash,CJ,Sophia,Isabella

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Flower Power

2010-05-03T01:27:00.000-04:00

Just a few photo’s of flowers. Christopher and I were playing around with different settings and flashes to see what produced the best results. Here are some of my favorites that I shot (maybe CDA will donate a pic or two…)

Technorati Tags: Flowers,Christopher,Tulsa

Amarillo Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma: Toll Roads Are How Much????

2010-05-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

I going to rant & rave in just a minute – first I need to cool off a little.

We left Amarillo, TX this am knowing we had a seven hour drive ahead of us before we would arrive in Tulsa. Down the road from our campground in Amarillo was a place that I had seen on TV and in pictures but had never seen in person. I’m just not sure what to call it. Some guy ‘planted’ ten Cadillac's in a field just off of I-40. People come and bring cans of spray paint with them and they ‘decorate’ the Cadillac's. Some people cal it interactive art; I just call it fun and weird all at the same time. Definitely worth seeing though… even the President thinks its cool…

Google maps said it would take about six hours and I usually add 30 minutes if we need diesel and another 30 minutes for lunch/pit stops.

We can only buy diesel at truck stops. Not because you can’t buy diesel at normal gas stations (you can at many of them) and not because it’s better diesel (although with all of their volume for trucks they do a better job at keeping water out of the storage tanks). Nor is it because you get a better price at truck stops (although usually you do get it for a few cents cheaper.

Nope, the reason we MUST get our diesel at truck stops is because we don’t fit in normal gas stations. Our motor home is 38 feet long plus the motorcycle carrier plus the tow bar plus the CR-V. All in all it brings us in around 62 feet in length. But the real kicker is the opening for adding fuel is located on the very back of the RV. I have to pull all they way thru the pumping area until the back of the RV is even with the fuel hose.

Most stations do not have enough room for me to pull through and then still be able to make a turn back to the roadway. Poor design if you ask me (or even if you don’t ask I’ll still tell you it’s a poor design).

That said we try to be careful not to hold up any truckers. After all, they are working and usually get paid by the mile. So today, some trucker pumps his diesel and then goes inside and doesn’t return for over 20 minutes. Usually, after you pump, most people pull their rig up far enough to let the next person pump their fuel while the first party goes inside and pays, etc.

Not this guy. I try not to buy into stereotypes (especially the obvious ones) however I couldn’t help notice this rude and inconsiderate guy’s truck had NJ plates. I’m just saying….

I guess you thought I had started my ranting and raving however that was just a pet peeve.

My real rant is about toll roads and the state of Oklahoma. Just before you get to Oklahoma City we had to get on a toll way that would take us the last 70 miles to Tulsa. And how much do you pay for the privilege of driving on this road? How about just under $15! And at the first of three toll booths we had to come up with $2.30 in exact change since the booth is unattended.

Of course my fee with an RV towing a car was 2X what a car would pay. But still, even $7.50 is outrageous, especially is you are one of the poor citizens of OK who are forced to pay this on a regular basis. To be fair, the road is in much better shape than the other highways/interstates that I’ve driven on in OK.

Oh well, I’m done. I’m sure the elected officials here in OK have only the best interest of their citizens at heart. In fact, I’ll bet as soon as the road is paid for they will lower the tolls….

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Amarillo,Texas,Cadallac's,Tulsa,Oklahoma,Toll Roads,Tolls

Amarillo, Texas:

2010-04-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

Well the winds died down overnight to their ‘normal’ levels. Normal for this part of the country is breezy and gusty. Wednesday & Thursday were way above normal but today, Friday was pretty pleasant. Sooo, we were able to leave the small town of Socorro, New Mexico and head towards Amarillo, Texas; taking the scenic us 60 route of course.

The weather was still a little strange for this time of year. The same front that brought the high winds brought in much cooler temperatures; all the way down into the 40’s & 50’s during the day. Didn’t feel that cold since the sun was shining however at one point we drove through very light snow. So light it hardly left any water on the windshield; instead the flakes evaporated almost as soon as they hit the glass. Still, pretty strange to see snow flakes with the temperature around 42.

The drive itself was uneventful. We stayed on US-60 for about 170 miles and then jumped on Interstate 40. US 60 is just a two lane road that tracks west to east almost all the time. It wanders through some of the prettiest high desert country you can find. New Mexico is a beautiful state and Mary Lynn and I want to spend some more time exploring it’s incredible history.

Plus the road itself is in much better shape than Interstate 40. It’s a shame really. With all the money spent on improving the Interstates you would think the roads would be in much better shape. After driving the smooth surface of US 60, I-40 felt like a test track for off-road suspensions.

We hit the New Mexico – Texas border about 70 miles west of Amarillo. Everyone knows Texas is big but it’s hard to remember how big. Usually when you enter a new state they have a visitor’s information center to welcome you and provide tourism oriented information. In fact, on the other side of the interstate, for those people headed west and just entering New Mexico, there was a very nice visitor’s center within the first mile.

Well, when we saw the sign for the Texas Information we just started laughing because it told us the information center was 76 mile away. We hit Amarillo and we have yet to pass the information center – however I’m sure it’s excellent!.

Tonight we are at the Oasis RV Park in Amarillo Texas. Of course we had to go into Amarillo to The Steak Barn – not much of a name but the steaks and onion rings are so good you’ll want to cry for your mama (or at least order more onion rings).

Tomorrow we’ll travel the rest of the way to Tulsa. I can’t wait to see our son Christopher and Daughter-in-law Rachael. Plus we get to visit their new church where Christopher took over as the youth minister. Christopher is also into photography and he wants to go out and shoot some photo’s after church. Should be a lot of fun. He sent me a link to some of his work and it’s really good. As they say in the photo biz: “He has a great eye”.

I’ll see if he’ll let me post a link/some of his pictures.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: New Mexico,Texas,Visitor's Center,I-40,US 60

Socorro, New Mexico: High Wind Advisory = NO GO (at least for today)

2010-04-29T23:10:00.000-04:00

Well, we are still in Socorro New Mexico. We left Casa Grande yesterday morning and arrived in Socorro around 6 pm. We had planned to leave first thing this am however yesterday’s high wind advisory carried over to today, with winds in the sustained 30-40 mph winds and gusts to 70 mph. This warning included a special mention for ‘high profile vehicles’ which is code for RV’s and tractor trailers. Any vehicle with a large flat surface that the wind can push against (and push over) is told to be careful, whatever that means.

In any case, since we are in no hurry we decided to stay another day in Socorro until the wind dies down late this evening. As I write this update on Thursday evening the wind is still blowing strong. Supposedly the winds will be down to their normal level, about 10-15 mph in this high mountain desert environment.

We spent some time exploring this small community which loosely translates to “Mary Lynn spent the afternoon shopping at the various gift shops and a variety of local stores that specialize in the ‘Southwest style’. Lots of great architecture here as well. Socorro is also home to the annual Festival of the Cranes held in mid-November.

The local news is reporting on all of the dust storms, accidents, felled trees and power lines that were caused by today’s high winds. Some of the gusts reported were over 70 mph. Absolutely the right decision to keep the RV parked for another day.

If the weather cooperates and the wind dies down we will resume our trip tomorrow. We expect to be in Amarillo, Texas where I plan to enjoy a great big steak. We ate at a great steakhouse in Amarillo last year and I remember two things about that steakhouse. One; the steak was delicious. Two, they had the skin of the largest rattlesnake I have ever seen up on the wall. maybe I can get a picture for you.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Socorro,New Mexico,High Winds,Amarillo,Texas,steakhouse,rattlesnake

Casa Grande, AZ: Leaving Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort Headed To Maryland (Eventually)

2010-04-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

After staying the winter in Arizona at the Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort we are headed back to the east coast, specifically to Maryland. Mary Lynn’s mom is having surgery in mid-May and we want to be there before that happens so we will spend the next ten days driving from Arizona to Maryland. By way of Tulsa, Oklahoma of course so we can spend a few days with our son & daughter-in-law.

Early this am, after spending the last few days getting everything packed, loaded, lubed, filled, checked, cleaned, tested, washed, etc., etc., etc, we hit the open road.

I wanted to avoid driving the same roads to Tulsa that we had used previously so I mapped out a course that has us travelling over US 60, basically from Globe, Arizona to Socorro, New Mexico.

I was a little concerned about the route based on conflicting reports from fellow RV’ers. Some said the route was fine: the road was good, beautiful scenery, some twisting roads but overall a very good route. A few others said it was way too mountainous with too many switchbacks for a long RV, and certainly not if you are driving a long RV and towing a car (which we always do).

In any event, the road was not a problem. Yes, you do descend into a great canyon carved by the Salt River and yes there are some switchbacks however the road is very doable. Just don’t take your eyes off the road to view the spectacular scenery. Take advantage of the many pull-outs to enjoy the breathtaking heights and panorama.

Oh, and the high wind advisory that was broadcast on Tuesday evening had me a little concerned as well. Turns out we did OK, just had to be prepared for sudden gusts trying to push you off the road. Actually not too bad when you are down in the canyon but very strong once you reach the high desert plateau on the other side. We battled those winds for about 160 miles.

We also passed the Very Large Array site located along US 60 about 40 miles before you arrive in Socorro, New Mexico. Very cool. There is a visitor’s center however we arrived after closing time so I can’t personally comment about the VLA visitors center although I’ve heard good things about the display. Actually, the visitors center is open till sunset however the gift shop closes at 4 pm, and you know Mary Lynn’s rule: No gift shop, no can do.

The VLA is a part of the National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Radio Astronomy is the study of celestial objects via invisible radio waves. The images they produce of the universe are nothing short of spectacular.

As you can see from the pictures, the VLA site itself is, while impressive in its own way, not too exciting. Lots of big radio receivers pointed into the sky. Here is a connection to the VLA web site.

In any case, tomorrow, if the winds allow, we head off via US60 & I-40 to Amarillo, Texas. Should take about 7 hours. Another 7 hours on Friday puts us into Tulsa Friday afternoon.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Salt River,Canyon,New Mexico,US-60,High Winds,Socorro,Very Large Array,VLA

Casa Grande, Arizona: Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort Rocks

2010-02-15T01:07:00.001-05:00

First of all, let me say Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. I hope you were able to spend time with the one you love -- I know I did.

Wow! I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post. Normally when Mary Lynn and I are travelling I post every two or three days. In this case it’s been over two weeks since I last posted.

We originally left Maryland just after New Year’s Day, travelling south through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. When we camped just outside of Atlanta there ground was frozen and covered with snow. In Atlanta! We had some work done on the RV at Tiffin’s service center in Red Bay, Alabama, and during a brief break in the weather decided to head north to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we visited our son and daughter-in-law.

After leaving Oklahoma we travelled across Texas, New Mexico and half of Arizona before MLA and I arrived at Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort around the beginning of February. And boy, have we been busy. We are having too much fun.

I hesitate to mention just how nice the weather has been. With most of the country suffering through one of the worst winters on record, we have been enjoying lots of Arizona sunshine. A little cooler than normal for southern Arizona but still in the 60’s and now the forecast is for mid to high 70’s for the next week or so. And like I said, lots of blindingly bright Arizona sunshine. It’s hard to describe just how wonderful it feels.

Our family and friends back in Maryland have been inundated with snow. Lots and lots of snow. In fact our friends John and Liz in Deep Creek, Maryland shared some pictures with us from last week, when they received 5 feet of snow. That brings the total snow in Deep Creek for this season to 190 inches (for those of you struggling to do the math that’s two inches short of 16 feet). Wow! Plus there are at least two more months of winter before the final tally is complete.

I’m hoping to convince John and Liz to dig out and then join us in Arizona for a week or two. It will take them that long to thaw out!

Pulling into Palm Creek was great. There’s a huge sign at the main entrance that screams “Welcome Home” and you know, after spending three months here last winter, it does feel like home. It’s great seeing all of the people we met last year, renewing friendships and making new friends.

We arrived at our site around 1:00pm and before I had completed making the water and electric connections, a friend of mine was dragging me off to play water volleyball. I was in the pool by 2pm, laughing and playing as if I had never left. Well, not quite – after spending last summer in Alaska and then spending the fall in Maryland, I had no tan what so ever. Fortunately I have since resolved that problem but not before I blinded a few water volleyball players with my ‘whiteness’. It wasn’t pretty…

We started playing Pickleball again (that’s always a blast) and we ride our bikes everywhere.

Did I tell you about our little bicycle adventure? Well, it started when MLA asked for a bike carrier for Christmas that would fit on top of the CR-V. So I ordered the carrier and, as a surprise, I bought her a new bike (come on, she had to have a least one gift that was a surprise). So I purchased a cruiser that had seven speeds and was hot pink in color. She loved it.

When we left Maryland (during a break in the snow storms), we strapped that new bike to the top of the CR-V on our new bike carrier and proceeded to travel all across America with that brand new pink bike hanging out on top of the toad. Only problem was when you drove the CR-V, -- you could not see the bike up there and one could easily forget there was a bike on top of the car. Not only could one forget, one did forget. Me (You see where this is going –right?).

Sure enough, when we went to dinner in Pecos, Texas I went to park the car and didn’t realize the overhang on the restaurant was a couple of inches lower the the top of the bike. Wham! Boom! Bang! As soon as it happened I looked at MLA and told her I had just destroyed her new bike. She hadn’t even had a chance to ride it yet.

Turns out it was not destroyed. In fact, there was no damage to the bike at all. It broke the straps that hold the bike on top of the carrier and shot it off off the car’s roof. However, other than the two bike carrier straps, no damage to the bike or to the car. I really felt like we dodged a bullet.

Oh, and of course, when we arrived at Palm Creek MLA finally had a chance to ride her new bike – and immediately told me she prefers her old bike – the one without gears and with coaster brakes.

Oh well, anyone interested in a brand new bike that’s travelled 2000 miles from home and has only been ridden around the block?

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Palm Creek,bike,Arizona

Ft Worth, TX: Look, Another Red Tailed Hawk!

2010-01-26T00:33:00.000-05:00

After spending almost a week with Christopher & Rachael we left Tulsa today and headed south towards Texas. We had such a great time with them, with Chano’s family and with Caleb & Jody. Even though we miss seeing Christopher & Rachael as often as we would like it gives us great joy & comfort to see them surrounded by people that love them and that they love.

Whoa! (Like that? it seemed appropriate as I sit here camped just outside of Ft Worth Texas). Whoa! That first paragraph started to sound like one of those sappy birthday cards your spouse buys for you occasionally. I prefer the funny ones. I mean, I know what to do when a read a funny card – laugh and then give the card giver a hug and kiss. Simple huh?

But what do you do when you get a real sappy card from your spouse? I mean one of those really sappy ones: I’d swim the widest oceans; I’d climb the highest mountains and dive the deepest seas, etc. etc. What do you say (and do) after receiving one of them? I mean, saying “Yeah, Me too” sounds just a little weak…

Regardless, we left Christopher & Rachael tucked into their new home this morning and arrived in Ft Worth around 5 pm. The winds were pretty bad; several times the wind blew hard enough to push our RV around. Came in strong gusts and then died off to nothing. After five hours of driving, I was exhausted from waiting for the next big gust & then fighting the wheel to keep from being pushed into the next lane. That didn’t happen to us however I saw more than one vehicle get pushed halfway out of their lane – always fun to pass or be passed by one of those vehicles!

Plus the wind wrecked my plans of enjoying all of the hawks along Oklahoma highways. I don’t know what it is but for some reason the hawk population in Oklahoma is huge. Lots and lots of hawks along its highways. Not unusual to see at least a hawk almost every mile. Have to look closely at the fence posts and occasionally up in the branches of a strong tree. Beautiful bird – very powerful and always alert -- makes them look intelligent and regal somehow. I guess that’s why falconry was called the “Sport of Kings”.

Of course my knowledge of the various types of hawks is pretty limited (pretty limited being code for no knowledge of hawks), not to mention the fact that most sightings are brief glimpses of birds as you sail down the highway at 65 mph. Knowing that Red-tailed Hawks are among the most numerous, and the fact that once I saw what might be a reddish brown tail on a hawk, I tend to refer to all hawks as red-tailed Hawks. A great injustice to the other types of hawks but there you have it. That’s my verdict.

In fact, my ‘verdict’ after catching a glimpse lasting less than half a second of a bird like blob sitting atop an Oklahoma fence post sounds something like: “Look, a red-tailed hawk, an old juvenile, male if I’m not mistaken”. If I say this loudly enough and with a deep authoritative tone, people undoubtedly believe what I have said. Even if they don’t quite believe me, the hawk is now half mile behind us and no one else in the vehicle will be able to dispute me… well, they might dispute me but they’ll never be able to prove my ‘verdict’ was wrong.

In any case, the wind wrecked my plans to show MLA just what a great outdoorsman I am by calling every large bird a hawk. I keep telling her that when she married me she lucked out and got ‘the whole package’. Wit, intelligence, strong outdoorsman skills, dashing good looks, etc. – the whole package. For some unknown reason she just laughs.. and then calls one of her girlfriends and laughs some more….

Now that we are hitting what most people consider to be “The West” distances are getting much greater, not to mention the size of the ranches. Some of them appear to have their own exit off of the Interstate – probably their own zip code -- now that’s big. Texas sized. And the high school stadiums are just huge – the one pictured is in Broken Arrow, Ok for a six A high school – and it’s not the largest in the area.

Just outside of Oklahoma City, OK we saw something we hadn’t seen before -- a Horse Shoeing School. All I know is the horses waiting in the pens outside of the school looked very nervous – I guess I would be too if a bunch novices wanted to nail a steel rod to the bottom of my feet (or anywhere else for that matter).

Now that we have come south by several hundred miles our route will turn westward towards Arizona (we still have to traverse two thirds of Texas, all of New Mexico and part of Arizona before we arrive in Palm Creek.

It’s still not warm. Not here in Ft Worth or in Arizona. Warmer than Maryland for sure but not warm. Although this evening’s sunset appears to support a much warmer future. That’s my verdict anyhow – lots of color equates to warmer temperatures -- and I say that with great authority and forcefulness so people will believe me (don’t tell anyone but technically the amount of color in a sunset has no correlation to future temperatures).

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Texas,Oklahoma,Hawks,Cards

Tulsa, OK: Thunderstorms Rock Our World - In Winter?

2010-01-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

With the last of the repairs to our RV completed, we left Tiffin’s Red Bay, Alabama Service Center on Tuesday around 10 am.

Once again Tiffin stood behind their RV, fixing any item that would normally be covered by warranty even though the one year warranty period is over. Tiffin appears to have survived the same economic downturn that has put dozens of RV manufacturers out of business; I’m convinced it’s because of how well they treat their customers ‘after the sale’.

Face it, RV’s are complex assemblies of vastly different systems: 2 wiring systems (110v as in your house & 12v as in your vehicle) 3 ways of powering the RV (diesel generator, shore-power, and via a battery/Inverter combination) a plumbing system with 3 separate components (fresh water, grey water and black water), an entertainment system containing 3 TV’s, a CD/DVD multiplayer, satellite TV receiver, HD TV receiver, and a satellite radio system plus a myriad of other system complex systems: diesel power, truck chassis/suspension, automatic leveling system, mechanisms to fill/flush various tanks, monitors for determining when to fill/flush various tanks, fridge, microwave, etc. etc, etc. The list goes on & on.

To top it all off, RV owners drive these big conglomeration of systems down our deteriorated highways at 65 mph, on bumpy and dusty back roads and, when we get to our destination, onto less than perfect fields, deserts and campgrounds. After all that, is it any wonder RV’s need on-going maintenance and repairs? I figured all RV’s regardless of manufacturer would need quality after sale support and that was how I evaluated RV vendors and ultimately led me to select Tiffin. They stand behind their product.

Sorry, I just realized I sound like a commercial for Tiffin – Just to be clear, I get nothing if any of you buy a Tiffin RV.

This leg of our trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma took us north through Mississippi into Memphis, Tennessee, and west across most of Arkansas, where we stopped for the night in Russellville, Arkansas. Of all the states we’ve been to so far, Arkansas has been the biggest surprise. It is a beautiful state, especially the western portion. It is also home to some of the worst stretches of I-40 we’ve driven on so far, especially east of Little Rock.

The couple in the fifth-wheel had just retired and this was their first night camping in their new RV. You should have seen how excited they were. Russellville is about an hour east of the Arkansas/Oklahoma border so we knew we had about a three hour drive to reach Tulsa.

What’s that you say Dale? Tulsa?

Yeah, yeah, I know. We said we were going to go south and stay south to avoid the cold. Originally we planned to go to New Orleans when we left Red Bay, Alabama however there was a huge break in the weather, with temperatures in the 60’s in Arkansas and mid-50’s in Oklahoma. We wanted the opportunity to see our son Christopher and Rachael and their new house however Tulsa’s freezing temperatures and ice/snow storms had us thinking we would have to wait for spring…

Welcome to the beauty of traveling by RV! Changes in the schedule are easy, especially when your schedule is a ‘loose’ as ours. We are headed to Palm Creek in Arizona however we have no specific time/requirement to be there on a specific date (or week or month for that matter). We get there when we get there. And so, with a huge warming trend predicted to last a week or more we shot North to Tulsa..

Last night in Arkansas we experienced some incredible thunderstorms, complete with thunder, lightning and incredibly hard downpours that made the RV’s roof sing. We awoke to sunshine and by the time we left around 9 am the temperature was already 67 degrees. It was a glorious day, at least for most of us. The guy getting the ticket pictured above probably didn’t think the day was quite as wonderful as the rest of us.

We arrived in Tulsa around lunchtime and, after getting the RV set-up at the campground, spent the afternoon with Christopher, Rachael and their three nieces. The girls are beautiful, full of energy, spirit & life and growing up way too fast.

And again tonight, as I write this around 1 am, we are being hit with an incredibly hard thunderstorm. Good thing the temperatures are well above freezing; I wouldn’t want to see all this rain as snow; we’d never get out of Oklahoma…

So we’ll stay in Tulsa for a few days visiting Christopher and Rachael, probably leaving sometime this weekend (or at the first sign of freezing temperatures).

When we do leave we’ll head due south into Texas towards Fort Worth where we’ll turn west on I-20 towards Casa Grande, Arizona. Along the way we hope to spend some time at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Our good friend John recommended we see Carlsbad last year however the weather didn’t cooperate. Hopefully this year the weather will stay nice enough for us to spend a day or two in Carlsbad.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Tulsa,Arkansas,Oklahoma,thunderstorms,Tiffin Service Center,Carlsbad,Christopher,Rachael

Red Bay, AL: A Romp In The Park

2010-01-14T19:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we took the RV to the Tiffin service bay at 7 am sharp to begin the repairs/warranty work on our ‘punch list’. Turns out the repair process to fix the kitchen slide is more extensive than everyone thought, which means it is taking much longer than planned. Oh well.

The techs at Tiffin worked on the kitchen slide all day yesterday and again all day today, finishing the repairs just as the service center closed at 3:30 pm. That said, our repair tech Terry did a terrific job of fixing the slide.

So we ‘danced with the elephants’ (all the other RV’s move from the service center to the campground at the same time) and plan to be back at the service center at 7 am tomorrow. Let’s hope they can knock off the rest of the items pretty quickly.

Actually I think the repair of the combo washer/dryer will require them to tear apart another cabinet, replace the unit and then re-build the cabinet. RV’s are built on an assembly line and everything big and bulky is loaded onto the chassis/floor and then the RV’s walls are built around them. Great for manufacturing efficiency – bad for serviceability.

I’ve always thought engineers/designers of most products, especially complex products with lots of technology imbedded, should be required to work in the service department for a month or so when they first start a new job. They would quickly see that a few small changes/design improvements would allow better serviceability without compromising style, etc. If I ran the zoo… In any case we’ll be spending another day in Red Bay, Alabama.

For those of you wondering, Red Bay, Alabama is not exactly a hot spot of civilization. It’s a very small town in the rural south smack up against the Mississippi/Alabama state border. There are only two stop lights and they only really need one; I think the other light was installed so they have ‘bragging rights’ over other small towns. And just so you know, there is no Bay in Red Bay. Or any body of water for that matter. The town was named after a large Red Bay tree that is still alive and well. Oh the things you learn when you travel…

So what do you do while waiting for your RV to be repaired? Tiffin has a nice customer lounge where everyone hangs out with their pets, reads, watches a little CNN., etc. But mostly people sit around and talk to each other. The pets perform the ‘breaking the ice’ role. Everyone makes over the various animals (mostly dogs) and then introduces themselves and serious conversation begins.

Number one topic (after discussing which animals/breeds you have/had) is what repairs are being performed on your RV, what funny/frustrating experience(s) you had because of the needed repair and whether or not Tiffin will make the repairs under warranty.

Then the serious discussions begin. “Where have you been?” & “Where are you going?” are two questions everyone asks and gets asked. RV’ers love to share information about where to stay, what to see, where to eat, crossing borders/clearing customs, etc.

Having spent all day yesterday exhausting these topics, Mary Lynn and I decided to take off and explore the Alabama/Mississippi countryside. In doing so we found a nice Corps of Engineers park. After all the cold weather, temperatures around 50 degrees felt pretty darn good. And Dobbie enjoyed romping through the park, and exploring every interesting smell in the air. Or I should say “in the air within 12 inches of the ground” since she is a little, shall we say, “height challenged”.

Really nice day out and the lake was perfectly still creating some great reflections. Tomorrow is Friday and we hope to have everything completed by the close of business however you never know. At least the weather is much improved although it still gets into the low 30’s at night.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Red Bay,Alabama,Tiffin Service Center,techs,Mississippi,Corps of Engineers,repairs,warranty,lake,reflections

Searching For The Heat

2010-01-12T22:42:00.001-05:00

I am happy to tell you that last week, in sub-freezing weather with wind chills in the single digits, Mary Lynn and I spent two days packing the RV with clothes, food and great expectations of finding warm weather. Too cold to un-winterize the RV, we left Maryland with both heaters cranked up on high and the plumbing system still full of anti-freeze. Of course, MLA’s Christmas present was proudly attached to the top of the CR-V. Now if I can only remember it’s up there when approaching parking garages/low overhangs, etc. She loves that hot pink beach cruiser…

Regardless, we took off from our Maryland home (still for sale if you are interested) and as always, the joy of hitting the road in an RV descended on us like the ball in Times Square on New Years Eve. Within minutes we were cruising on down the road, laughing and having a great time. We must have looked like a couple of fools to everyone else stuck in a typical Washington DC beltway traffic jam. We were surrounded by frustrated drivers anxious to get home after a long day at work – and all the while MLA and I are laughing and grinning like a couple of kids cutting school. Even two cars broken down in the middle lanes of I-95 south of DC didn’t put a dent in our attitude.

I am somewhat sad to tell you there is no warmth to be found along the Atlantic coast – even Florida temperatures were in the 20’s. Heck, so far we have not made it out of the 30’s. All across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and now Alabama, freezing cold weather has been our travelling companion.

No worries though – we know it will get better. Our destination is Casa Grande, Arizona, which is currently experiencing temperatures in the low 70’s (doesn’t that make your mouth water?") -- So it will get better.

When we left Maryland we travelled straight to Oak Ridge, NC to see our good friends Jack and Cathy. We had a terrific time with them however given the cold temperatures (and our frozen water pipes), we left the Greensboro area pretty quickly.

In Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, we stayed at the Stone Mountain resort and campground. Normally a beautiful, heavily forested resort, this trip it looked a little bit more like frozen tundra. You could tell,, even in this cold weather, that the views out of our front window would be spectacular once spring rolls around.

As I said, we are now in Red Bay, Alabama, home of Tiffin Motor Homes, where we are having some warranty work done on the RV. We were tempted to put the work off until warmer weather but who knows when we will be coming back this way. Our work is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning at 7 am sharp and should be completed by the end of the day or early the next day. And the local weather here in Red Bay is expected to hit the high 40’s/low 50’s by the end of the week. Yee Haa!

Today MLA and I took (re-took) the Tiffin factory tour and then crawled in and out of the new 2010 RV’s. Wow are they impressive – and each has an impressive price tag to keep it company. We love our current Tiffin however it would be nice to have a little more storage. Not sure I’m willing to pay for that extra storage but its nice to dream a little.

It’s always a sight to see all the huge RV’s (most are 40-45 feet long) move from the campground (really an old airport runway) into the service center. Diesels growling, big bodies swaying side-to-side, spinning in circles to navigate their way into one of the 50 service bays. I call it the Dance of the Elephants…

As soon as work on our RV is completed MLA and I will head to New Orleans to visit her sister Debbie and husband Richard assuming of course the weather warms up a little in New Orleans; it has been cold and freezing there for the last two weeks as well.

In any case, Arizona will soon thaw whatever & whomever needs thawing.

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Red Bay,Stone Mountain,GA,Oak Ridge,Greensboro,NC,Alabama,AL,Tiffin Factory,Dancing Elephants

Ho Ho, Whoa – It’s Going To Get How Cold?

2010-01-06T06:23:00.001-05:00

Mary Lynn and I have really enjoyed our time back in Maryland visiting family and friends over the holidays, so don’t take this the wrong way: “We can’t wait to leave”.

Just before the holidays we had two feet of snow – beautiful to look at although not nearly as beautiful when you are shoveling the snow. A few days ago temperatures tumbled into the deep freeze zone. Along with strong winds we are seeing temperatures in the mid-teens with wind chill numbers well below zero – unseasonably cold for this region of Maryland.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and an even better Christmas. All of our children were together with us this year so we felt extremely blessed. Once your kids start getting married, many times they will alternate which set of parents they will spend Christmas with each year, especially if the parents live pretty far apart.

In any case, all of our family was together for a week and a half at Christmas. Christopher & Rachael flew back to Oklahoma on New Year’s Day. Scott and Diana became engaged to be married next fall so we (finally) met her parents – and her parents are terrific. Jenna is transferring to Towson University so we moved her into Kasey’s apartment as she completes her remaining two years of college. Kasey will graduate next December and Jenna the following December – yeah haw!

Since then we have been preparing the RV and toad for departure.

We had planned to get back on the road in the RV after the holidays and this cold weather has been a powerful incentive. We are pretty well prepared and should get underway later today, barring any surprises. And travelling by RV is full of surprises so you never know…

Once underway we will head south although we won’t soon see any warmer temperatures. They are calling for below freezing temperatures far into Florida.

As we head south we plan to visit our good friends Jack and Cathy in North Carolina before heading over to Red Bay, Alabama for some warranty work on the RV. Then a few days later we should pull into New Orleans to visit MLA’s sister Debbie and her husband Richard. By then the Arctic jet stream should have retreated back into it’s rightful place (Canada) and the weather/temperature will improve.

After visiting Debbie and Richard we’ll work our way across Texas and New Mexico before settling into our winter ‘home’ just outside of Phoenix in Casa Grande.

Where ever you are, stay safe and stay warm….

See Ya!

Technorati Tags: Christmas,Christmas 2009,Snow,December 2009,Cold,Family,Leaving

2009 Abbott Family Christmas Letter

2009-12-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

As 2009 draws to a close, many of us take time to reflect on our accomplishments and happenings of the past year, to take stock of our many blessings, and to take a quick peek at what the New Year may have in store for us. Mary Lynn and I have been blessed many times over this year as we traveled around North America in our RV. We left Maryland in early January, taking time to visit MLA’s sister in New Orleans before slowly working our way west. After attending the largest gathering of RV’s in the US held in Quartzsite, Arizona, we moved to Casa Grande, Arizona, which is about 45 minutes south of Phoenix.

And that’s where we spent the winter, enjoying the bright Arizona sunshine and warm weather. One highlight during our ‘winter’ stay was rafting through the Grand Canyon on the mighty Colorado River. After a wild day of rafting in 47 degree water, we were whisked to the top of the Grand Canyon in a helicopter. Truly amazing.

We decided to spend our summer traveling through Alaska with our good friends Mary Anne and Dave as our travel buddies. We began moving north in mid-April, taking almost a month to explore the beautiful state of Utah. Utah is home to some of the most spectacular desert scenery in the country including Zion, Bryce, Moab, and Arches National Parks.

We joined Mary Anne and Dave in Montana, crossed in Canada, and after briefly visiting Banff & Jasper we headed for the southern-most tip of the Alaska panhandle, where we boarded an Alaska Maritime Ferry in Prince Rupert. The inside passage of Alaska is truly breath taking in it’s scenic beauty and wildlife displays. Seeing the islands and towns from the deck of a ship is a great way to take it all in. After the ferry trip north we drove almost 4000 miles in Alaska, making a huge loop and driving on almost every paved road in the state.

During our Alaska adventure, Christopher, his wife Rachael, and Scott flew into Anchorage and stayed with us for a week. Most of the time was on the Kenai Peninsula, where we enjoyed hiking, fishing, rafting, and sight seeing. What a great time, made even better by having some of our children join us.

The week flew by and, after everyone returned home to the ‘lower 48’, Mary Lynn and I spent another month working our way out of Alaska, eventually driving the RV down through the Yukon Territories, a small part of Alberta and most of British Columbia before emerging back into Montana. We arrived back in Maryland in late August having driven ~ 15,000 miles and after being gone for 9 months… Wow!

We worked like crazy to get the house back on the market however I’m not sure why we were in such a rush. It seems there are very few serious buyers – little wonder since half of the homes on the market in Maryland are foreclosures, which has driven prices down substantially. Oh well, hopefully it will sell in the spring

Christopher & Rachael, after getting married in July of 2008 have been busy with work and the church. They bought a new house over the summer and it was finally ready for them to move into in early October. We can’t wait to take the RV to Oklahoma and see their new digs.

Scott & Diana are engaged to be married in September of 2010. Both are working long hours, saving up in order to buy a home together. We are so happy for the two of them.

Kasey Lynn is at Towson University and is doing great. She is maintaining a high GPA and has one year left ; she should graduate in December of 2010. We are so proud of all she has accomplished this year.

Jenna Kate has just transferred to Towson University for the Spring 2010 semester where she will complete the last two years of her degree. She has been battling health issues for many years and has finally been diagnosed with narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder. While it means a tough battle ahead of her, at least we finally know the cause of her health issues. She is doing a terrific job of coping with the many medicines required while balancing a demanding school schedule.

All in all, our family has had another wonderful year with lots of activity, adventure and excitement. Despite a challenging year for the economy and our wallets, our family is doing well and we are fortunate to be in good health. We have many, many friends and relatives who love and care for us, our health is good and our blessings are many. We are looking forward to another year of travel and hope to see many of you along the way. Send us an e-mail. Pick up the phone and call. Heck, throw a rock with a note tied to it if you have to but please, please stay in touch.

Love to all!
Dale, Mary Lynn, Christopher & Rachael, Scott & Diana, Kasey Lynn, Jenna Kate, and Dobbie the Wonder Dog

PS: If you want you can go to www.daleandmarylynn.blogspot.com to read about our travels in 2008 & 2009. Or follow along with us as we start another RV adventure in January 2010 after the new year. Also our new mailing address is:

110 E Center Street #605
Madison, SD 57042

Monrovia, Maryland: Peak Fall Color Peaks Our RV Travel Urge

2009-10-30T18:36:00.001-04:00

Mary Lynn and I have been enjoying our time back in Maryland. We have the house up for sale and are awaiting a buyer so we can get back on the road.

Unfortunately there are not a lot of buyers in our price range at this time. Most of the people who have looked at our house recently still have a home they need to sell. Actually the entry level part of the market is moving pretty well as first time buyers take advantage of the First Time Buyer Tax Credit of $8,000.

That has the $300,000 and under market moving and shaking however homes priced over $500,000 are moving pretty slowly.

Oh well. We have decided to stay here in Maryland through Christmas, and then, whether the house is sold or not, we are hitting the road again.

The weather here has turned cool as it does every year in the fall. The leaves have reached the maximum color change and have been rapidly falling from the trees. The temps during the day are usually in the low 60’s and the lows in the low 40’s. As nice as it has been Mary Lynn and I have been feeling the urge to head south.

Most of our time and attention have gone into getting the house in shape for showing to prospective buyers. Mostly this is a process of removing any decorating character and/or style, removing any personal effects, removing any color, removing furniture, removing clutter – basically the ‘experts’ have you remove any sign that people actually live in the home. Place looks great even if a little sterile.

While back in Maryland we have been connecting with our many friends and family members. We are so busy I joke with MLA that I don’t know how I found time to work.

Sooo, while we are home we plan to work in a few trips – mostly day trips although a few locations may allow us to stay away for a few days. Place we want to see are Monticello, Mt Vernon, Deep Creek and Hampton House; plus we want to see Williamsburg and New York City decorated for Christmas. I might even take a photography course or two.

Most of these pictures are from our trip to Chincoteague Island in Virginia, truly a beautiful and relaxing place. Our friends Patty & Craig live on Chincoteague in a beautiful turn of the century (last century, not this one) home that they have restored with loving care. Plus MLA’s mom lives on the mainland just across from the island so it’s a place we love to visit.

In any case, enjoy yourself and be safe. Be sure to join us in late December/early January when we fire up the RV and head south.

See Ya!

Daytona Beach, Florida: Biketoberfest -- What a Week!

2009-10-20T20:54:00.009-04:00

I'm writing this from the comfort of my home in Maryland. Yesterday, my buddy Skip & I drove back to Maryland from Daytona Beach, Florida, after a fantastic week of motorcycles, parties, great rides, motorcycle races and more motorcycles.

Total attendance seemed to be lower according to vendors and traffic enforcement officers, maybe 100,000 bikers, although the local tourist boards claimed much higher attendance of 175,000.

I don't think so -- and the vendors I spoke with told me repeatedly that, whatever the number of Biketoberfest attendees, bikers were not spending as much money this year as they had in previous years.

Still, even if it was 'only' 100,000

bikers, that's still a lot of bikers in one place. Lots of crowds, plenty of beautiful motorcycles and beautiful women, tons of motorcycle gear and accessories; it is an incredible sight to see. Spending appeared to be down on everything except for food and beer; I've never seen so many beer trucks making multiple deliveries during the same day.

Skip and I took a number of rides throughout the greater Daytona area, however, no matter where we went riding, somehow Skip always managed to work a cruise down Daytona Beach's Main Street into our agenda.

Main Street is where a number of restaurants and bars are turned into wild party spots with throngs of motorcyclists crowded together into a crazy patchwork of food, drink, motorcycle accessories, body painting, sexy lingerie, music, leather, roaring motorcycles, flashing police lights, sparking chrome, beautiful paint jobs and of course the ubiquitous t-shirt shops.

Lots and lots of t-shirts. At least 75% of all t-shirts at a bike rally are black t-shirts. WHile ther are lots of other colorful options, motorcyclists seem to be drawn to black t-shirts. Every imaginable style, size, pithy quote and/or manufacturer's logo can be found, but always tons of black t-shirts.

Yep, Main Street in Daytona is like no other place around. It's where everyone goes to see and be seen.

As far as I'm concerned cruising main street is a pain. It's basically an incredibly noisy, eight block long traffic jam with constant stop and go traffic, all under the watchful eyes of dozens of police. However Skip loved the fact that thousands of people were all watching the bikes go by.

Of course, almost every motorcycle rider thinks their bike is one of the best looking bikes around and Skip is no exception; he had special lights installed on his Harley that change colors and he was convinced everyone in Daytona needed a chance to admire his ride floating along on a cloud of colored light.

And, now that Skip has shaved his head, he looks like an incredible bad ass. He's not but he sure has the 'bad ass look' nailed.

I'd rather park my bike and walk through the bars and venues than drive through on a motorcycle. For me, Main Street is people watching heaven. First of all, almost all of the bartenders are female and, working on commission, each one does their best to attract as many motorcyclists to their bar as possible. It's the ultimate use of clothing (or lack thereof) as a weapon. And what can I say -- it works.

And motorcyclists themselves are a fantastic subject if you enjoy people watching. You'll see every size, shape and color -- and that's just the hair. The guy in the picture above was not the only person rocking a mow hawk, even if he did have to resort to a stick-on version. Many motorcyclists revel in being seen as a unique individual and are willing to wear, say and do just about anything.

Over the weekend the weather took took a 15 degree dive; the high for the day was only 65. After a week of hot and humid weather the cool weather was actually pretty refreshing. Great for riding and even better for watching the motorcycle races at Daytona International Speedway. Saturday was an 8 hour endurance race and on Sunday they held the finals for all pro and semi-pro classes.

I was finally able to get the pin stripping done on Scott's motorcycle and it looks fantastic to see the Road King back in full fighting trim.

Sunday night we took our last ride around 'the loop' (and of course down Main Street for Skip) before loading the motorcycles into the trailer. Another great meal at Billy's Tap Room and we got to bed early knowing full well that the 5 am alarm would be a shock to the system.

We were on the road by 6 am and flew up Interstate 95: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and finally Maryland rolled under our tires. Even though we had a fantastic time at Biketoberfest it was great to be back home. And a whole lotta fun to show Scott his bike was in great shape.

I would definitely go again. Sturgis, Bike Week and Biketoberfest -- you can't go wrong if you like to party -- or even just like to observe a party.

See Ya!

Daytona Beach, FL: Bike Races @ Daytona International Speedway

2009-10-18T22:13:00.003-04:00

Daytona Beach, FL: Custom Motorcycles

2009-10-17T22:10:00.001-04:00

Daytona Beach, FL: Bikers Stream Into Daytona

2009-10-15T17:25:00.007-04:00

Today, Thursday, is the first official day of Biketoberfest this year. It is scheduled to go from Thursday am to Sunday evening. The number of bikers has been pretty low for the last two days however today the number of riders has swelled dramatically.

Still too soon to declare this years event a success but it's starting to look a lot better. Hopefully bikers will continue to flood into Daytona Beach -- the local economy could sure use a good jolt.

I did see a couple of good looking RV parks right on the ocean. Well, the parks didn't look all that great but the view of the Atlantic Ocean through your front windshield/living room window is killer.

Skip caused a bit of a stir back at his house in Maryland. Yesterday he went to a barber shop for a haircut and had his head shaved. Then he sent a picture of his newly naked head to his family back in Maryland.

Yep, quite a stir, quite a stir.

Truthfully, Skip's shaved head looks pretty good on him. He tried to get me to shave my head but I told him no way.

Actually I told him if I had a receding hairline like he did I would have shaved my head long ago. However I'll save shaving my head for the time when my full head of hair goes away.

Early this morning Skip and I went for a walk several miles down the beach. I'm always amazed at how may people are up and about in seaside communities. I was also amazed at how hot it was so early in the am.

On the way back we stopped for breakfast. Skip had to drag me out of the air conditioning to walk back to the condo.

Then we got cleaned up and took a nice ride north to Flagler's Beach and beyond. Great ride and wonderful scenery of the Atlantic Ocean.

See Ya!

Daytona Beach, Florida: Daytona Beach Rocks! (& Rumbles)

2009-10-14T11:22:00.002-04:00

I'm in sunny, warm (& humid) Daytona Beach Florida. Twice a year Daytona is home to a large motorcycle event where hordes of motorcyclists descend like locusts. Just like locusts they arrive suddenly, in large numbers, eat & drink everything in sight,and then quickly vanish, only to be seen at the same time next year.

Unlike locust they leave a lot of money behind so local businesses are always glad to have bikers attend in large numbers.

Daytona Beach has been home to Bike Week, one of the largest motorcycle events in the country for decades. Held in late February/early March, Bike Week has arguably been the most popular motorcycle event in the world. Only the rally held in Sturgis, SD comes close in size and popularity.

Of course there are lots of motorcycle races at Daytona International Speedway that I hope to attend and get some pictures of the racers. I also plan to go to some of the custom bike shows and get pictures there.

So what do you do when you own the most popular motorcycle event held in the spring? You start a similar event in the fall -- which brings us to Biketoberfest, held in mid-October. Started in 1992, the event is now the third largest motorcycle festival in the country, just behind Sturgis and Bike Week.

My buddy Skip and I drove down on Monday, hauling our bikes instead of riding. I prefer to ride to events like I did with Harley's 100th anniversary party in Wisconsin, however Skip needs to bring some furniture back so we brought his trailer. Drive takes about 12 hours, slightly more when your travelling with Skip, the original 'tiny tanks'.

In any case, the weather has been mostly sunny with a few clouds and a even fewer showers. We are enjoying lots of riding as well as seeing the sights. Lots and lots of great sights.

We take rides during the day, take a swim and get cleaned up at the condo in the late afternoon, before heading out for an evening ride and dinner. Last night was at the famous (or infamous) Iron Horse Saloon, one of several 'must do' locations here in Daytona. Lots of food, beer, music and of course, motorcycle riders of every type, size and description. all enjoying a huge, non-stop party.

Skip had special lighting installed on his Harley. These lights provide a really special look at night. The kit allows different colors to be displayed and the lights can be set to blink or randomly change colors, etc. If you ride with red or blue lights, especially if you have them blinking on and off, the police will give you a ticket for impersonating a policeman. Wow!

I have tried to get my hands on the remote so I can change Skip's lighting as he's going down the road but so far he has kept the remote locked away! You never know, I may yet get a chance to get him pulled over.... only time will tell.

See ya!

Monrovia, MD: Home At Last -- Another Trip In The Record Books

2009-08-21T13:42:00.007-04:00

At last! After an incredible trip we are back in Maryland, our starting point almost 9 months ago. Actually we were gone for 226 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes and 36 seconds. Ok, Ok, I'm guessing on the minutes and second however the number of days and hours are correct.

We arrived back in Maryland last Wednesday and what a great feeling to see our children after all this time.

What an incredible trip! Mary Lynn and I went through 21 states including Alaska, 2 Canadian Providences and 1 Canadian Territory. Along the way we visited countless communities, monuments and parks, including more National Parks than I can count (unless I take my shoes & socks off). We saw numerous mountain ranges, some of which have so many mountains and are in such remote areas that many of the mountains have not been named.

Of course who could forget our flight around Denali National Park and landing on Ruth Glacier, which is located on the flanks of the largest mountain in North America, Mt McKinley.

We put 10,000 miles on the RV, all the while towing the CR-V. Plus, once we parked the RV, we put another 2500 miles on the CR-V exploring the local area/communities. That's roughly 1430 gallons of diesel. Using an average of $3/gallon (we paid much more than that in Canada) that works out to ~$4300 in diesel fuel, just for the RV. Just don't tell my financial advisor...

As you may know we tried to sell our house in Maryland two years ago just as the market was disintegrating. We took the home off the market after two months. We decided to try out living in our RV full time to see if we liked it as much as we thought we would.

If you have followed much of the blog you know we love traveling in the RV. Therefore, despite the incredible decline in housing prices we are putting our house back on the market.

So far we have been immersed in getting the house ready to go on the market. Life the last few days has been a blur of arranging landscaping, house staging, cleaning, movers, car repairs, insurance agents, car rentals, etc.

Hopefully we'll be able to list the house within two weeks.

Know anyone who wants a beautiful house about 45 minutes outside of Washington, DC at the bargain price of $625K? If so, have them contact me. It's a lot less than it was worth two years ago but we no longer need the house.

Meanwhile Mary Lynn and I are cleaning, packing, and planning a few short RV trips. We will mostly be in Maryland until the house sells or until after the holidays. In any case, it sure is good to be back with so many family and friends.

See Ya!

Davenport, Iowa: Escape From Iowa

2009-08-19T02:10:00.002-04:00

You know our dilemma. This was our third day stuck in Davenport, Iowa, as we waited to get the wiring on our RV repaired and the AC fixed. Sunday we arrived at the Freightliner dealer only to be told they couldn't get to us that afternoon however, they said, if we made an appointment for Monday at 8 am the dealer would be working on resolving the issues by 9 or 10 at the latest.

Monday morning we arrived at the designated hour, filled out the paperwork, and were told the next available mechanic would be working on our RV. Excited? yes we were. Only the next available mechanic didn't get started until 1:30 pm, and he turned out to be the least experienced guy working.

He got the lights working (more on that in a minute) and then started trouble shooting the AC problem. Around 4 pm he was hopelessly lost and they pulled him off, telling us another 'more knowledgeable' mechanic was just finishing a job and would be with us shortly, certainly within the hour.

Well, by now you can see where this is going. The 'new' mechanic didn't start working on our RV until well after dinner, however he did finally determine the problem was a bad dryer. Didn't even know I had a dryer for the AC but I do and it was no good.

They could have one shipped normally and it would arrive in a week or so or I could have it overnighted for $35. They told me I would have to pay the shipping because Freightliner warranty did not cover expedited shipping. It was now around 9 pm and, having been stuck for two days, I said I would gladly pay shipping.

They spent two hours putting everything back together and at 11 pm, Mary Lynn and I pulled the RV out of the garage and onto the parking lot where we hatched our escape plan. No way were we going to spend another night. We got everything else ready to roll so that once the dryer was installed we could boogie out of town and head for the Illinois border, which was only a few short miles away....

Long story short, even though the part arrived by 11 am, we had to wait for a mechanic until 1 pm, and we discovered the lights were still not working correctly.

Finally, finally, the work was completed around 4 pm. As I was hooking the car to the RV the service manager comes out and says 'BY the way, the AC repair is not covered by warranty'. If I had been sitting in a chair I would have fallen out of said chair.

He goes on to tell me Freightliner will pay $550 and I'll have to pay the other $550. I was flabbergasted (love that word if not the feeling) and immediately called Freightliner Custom Chassis, spoke to a young man who said he would take care of it, and he did. Within 10 minutes the dealer was saying the AC WAS covered by warranty.

I quickly paid for the wiring and RAN to my RV, yelling all the way for MLA to start up the diesel. I climbed up the stairs, sat in the drivers seat, put her in gear, released the emergency brake and high tailed in off the dealer's lot. We didn't slow down yet alone stop until we had crossed the mighty Mississippi river and found ourselves in Illinois.

Yep, we had finally escaped the Iowa vortex.

That was at 415 pm; it's now around 2:30 am. We're parked at a Walmart in Ohio. We went all the way through both Illinois and Indiana just to make sure we didn't get pulled back into the Iowa force field.

I'll add pictures later; if you are nice maybe I'll show you my new dryer...

See Ya!

Davenport, Iowa: Out Like A Lamb.....

2009-08-16T22:01:00.005-04:00

Ever heard the saying "In like a lion; out like a lamb"?

I'm beginning to think that saying is an apt metaphor for our Alaska trip.

I mean, this trip started off with a bang and just got stronger over time. IN April we started in Arizona heading quickly into the various national parks of Utah. Lake Mead, Zion, Bryce, Moab, etc. etc.

Each experience building on the previous experience. Wow!

Then we headed up into Montana, where the scenery is beautiful. Then into Canada's British Columbia, where we spent time in Canada's Banff and Jasper national parks. again, simply spectacular scenery. A quick trip along the Yellowhead Highway (which is infested with bears, moose, deer, etc) to Prince Rupert followed by the trip north through Alaska's Inside Passage.

OMG! The Inside Passage has to be one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth.

And so it went. Alaska unfolding before us and sharing it's beauty and grandeur at every turn.

After two and a half months however, Mary Lynn and I were experiencing sensory overload. Too much beautiful and expansive wilderness. Mountain range after mountain range, all bejeweled with cascading streams and rivers. At some point you realize you have reached your limit when you know longer grab the camera at every turn for yet another spectacular vista or amazing wildlife.

And ever since our tow bar broke in Minnesota it seems as if we are moving in slow motion. First we had to wait for a replacement tow bar to be sent to us and then we had to wait another two days for MLA to start feeling better.

We left on Saturday only to discover that the tow lights are not working correctly. I spent about four hours trouble shooting the problem, tracing the problem to a couple of blown fuses and thought I had it solved. Well, it's still blowing fuses so I need to take it into a Freightliner dealer and have them find and fix whatever is blowing the fuse.

So we spent another day in Davenport, Iowa, waiting for the Freightliner dealer to open on Monday. Why Davenport? Well, that's as far as we were able to get on Saturday before not having brake lights/turn signals on the tow car went from an intermittent problem to totally not working. Or flashing. Or whatever it is that you want the lights to do...

In any case, we now have an appointment at 8 am tomorrow and hopefully the dealer should have us on the road by mid-day. At that time I hope to put a lot of miles under us so we can (finally) get back to Maryland. We expected to be there last Thursday and now it's probably closer to this Thursday.

Normally a delay of a few days is no problem for MLA and I however at this point MLA is pretty homesick and wants to see our kids, as do I. So once this problem is fixed we'll put in a few more hours driving than our normal 4-5 hours at the wheel.

See Ya!

Faribault, Minnesota: Headed Back To Maryland (Soon)

2009-08-11T20:46:00.006-04:00

We left Missoula, Montana on Saturday. We were originally leaving on Friday however our 'overnight' mail from the post office turned into 'over two nights mail". For some reason the post office couldn't get our package there in the allotted time.

It finally arrived Saturday at noon and we hit the road. We drove until dark and spent the night in a Walmart. In the year and half we have been on the road in an RV we

have stayed in a Walmart parking lot four times. Some people do it more frequently however we only use it when we need a couple of hours of sleep before taking off early the next day.

And that's exactly what we did; we were on the road by 8 am the next morning. We drove across the rest of Montana, all of North Dakota and into

Minnesota. All of it beautiful country. And the amount of open space in Montana and North Dakota is incredible.

Minnesota is called the land of 10,000 lakes and sure seems to be true -- lakes everywhere. Some big, some small, but lots of beautiful, fish filled lakes.

We were making pretty good time

until Mary Lynn saw a sign advertising "The Mall of America", the largest mall in the US. Of course we had to stop, if only for a few hours.

So we stayed in St Cloud on Sunday night and drove to the Mall of America Monday morning. The mall is really something, complete with an amusement park, underwater aquarium, and of course tons of stores. It's said that if you spent only 10 minutes in each store it would take you 86 hours to visit all of them. Over 4.5 miles of storefronts. Wow.

We left the mall, headed south, intending to drive until dark. And then it happened.

Just as we were going through a highway construction zone, I heard a loud bang, looked in the rear view camera and saw our tow car swinging wildly from side to side. Obviously not good.

Turns out our tow bar broke. And at the worst possible time although to be accurate, there is no 'good time' for your tow bar to break. And thank goodness for safety cables. That was all that kept the tow vehicle from taking off on its own. All in all, a real mess.

That said, nobody was hurt or hit by our toad. We finally got stopped and surveyed the damage. The car hit the motorcycle carrier several times and has a lot of damage on the hood and both sides of the hood.

The tow bar company is sending a replacement unit so we are camped beside a small lake is a peaceful little campground waiting for it to arrive.

It shook both of us up however we quickly realized just how fortunate we were in that no one else was involved and no one was hurt. All the other 'things' can be repaired.

It's Mary Lynn's birthday on Friday and I had hoped to get her back to Maryland in time to celebrate with the kids. That probably won't happen however we should be back in Maryland in the next week or so.

Can't wait to get back to Maryland and enjoy some steamed crabs!

See Ya!

Missoula, Montana: Pinball Wizard

2009-08-05T22:58:00.004-04:00

Well, after over two months travelling in and around Alaska, Mary Lynn and I made a mad dash through the Yukon, Alberta, and British Columbia, crossing over the border back into the USA on Sunday night. We dropped down through Canada so quickly it reminded me of a pinball machine where the ball is fired from side to side, bouncing off of everything it touches even faster than before, until it zips between the flippers and is gone.

That's about what Canada looked like to us, especially the area around Banff and Jasper,

Turns out it was another long Canadian holiday and all of the RV parks wee completely full. We ended up at a rest stop one night, arriving about 4 am after searching for an open campsite and then finally driving through the night. At least Canada has large rest stops with plenty of parking for cars, trucks, and RV's.

Canada is a beautiful country, especially in Alberta and British Columbia. we did not spend nearly enough time there -- there is so much more to explore. Lots of small campgrounds along lakes and streams. Canadians flock to out of doors venues so be prepared for crowds on big weekend.

Oh yeah, we did stop for dinner in a small town where the "Deathfest" was being hosted. When we asked what the heck was Deathfest we were told it was a 24 hour marathon on a mountain course. The objective (in addition to surviving) is to run up and down the mountain as many times as you can in twenty four hours. We saw quite a few runners and many did indeed look like they were embracing the 'death' part of the festival.

We stayed in Missoula long enough to have the RV's oil and air filter changed. The conditions in Alaska and Canada were incredibly dusty and the roads were rough in spots so having the RV serviced seemed prudent. They also (supposedly) fixed the air conditioning. I should say they

charged me for fixing the AC. We later found out it was still not working correctly. (When I called the Missoula, Montana dealer from Minnesota they said if I came back they would take a look at it! -- gee, thanks).

See Ya!

Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada: Falling Out Of Alaska

2009-07-30T20:42:00.006-04:00

After spending two months in Alaska, our trip south feels as if we are falling out of Alaska through the Yukon and into British Columbia.

We left Valdez, Alaska last week and drove to Tok, Alaska. In Tok we washed the RV (finally, it was a mess), re-visited a favorite restaurant (Fast Eddy's) and spent the night in the Tok RV Campground.

The next day we took off for Chicken Alaska, a small outpost 80 miles off of the 'beaten path' that consists of two campgrounds and a couple of small stores. Chicken got its name from the miner's that were working on gold claims in the early 1900's. They wanted to name it ptarmigan, after the many chicken-like birds that inhabited the area.

No one was sure of how ptarmigan was spelled so they finally settled on a name where they could agree on the spelling: Chicken. So that became the town's name: Chicken, Alaska.

We did see a moose just outside of Chicken. She was standing in a pond and eating the vegetation that grows there, about 30 feet from the road. We watched her for a few minutes before leaving her to her business. Mary Lynn also saw a Lynx however I was too busy driving the RV - go figure. Did I mention the roads, even the mountain roads, did not have guardrails?

We had heard a lot about Chicken and wanted to visit however, if you go to chicken you have to make a decision. Do you back-track the 80 miles and then take the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory or do you proceed on the Taylor Highway and take the Top Of The

World Highway to Dawson City and then (eventually) to Whitehorse?

We had heard a lot, good and bad, about the Top Of The World Highway. Everyone talks about how beautiful the scenery is and about how bad the highway is. Eventually we decided we would take The Top Of The World Highway and just take our time traveling through the last bit of Alaska, through Canadian customs and down into Whitehorse.

Let me tell you; taking an RV over this highway is quite an adventure, especially a class A RV. See, in a class A RV you are in the RV and can hear every bump, sway, bounce, and bang that occurs. In other RV's you ride in your tow vehicle and are (somewhat) isolated from the bouncing and jostling.

In any case, none of the RV's were making record time although the class A's definitely went the slowest. We averaged 25-30 miles-per-hour on this highway and many times, when we hit gravel washboard surfaces we were only able to travel between 5 & 10 miles per hour.

After crossing Canadian customs the road was paved and smooth (you don't always get both) and it felt like we were flying (especially without guardrails). Flying that is for about 10 kilometers. Just as I was remarking about how good the road was and how much faster we were able to travel we hit, you guessed it, gravel roads with washboard surfaces. Some of the worst roads of our trip.

It was pretty cool as we eventually neared Dawson City. From high up on the mountain you suddenly get a glimpse of the Mighty Yukon River and Dawson City. Then you notice Dawson City is on the other side of the Yukon River and there is no bridge.

Turns out the city of Dawson City runs a free ferry across the Yukon - very cool. Especially the free part because at that point you would be willing to pay almost any amount of $$$ to get to civilization rather than backtrack 100's of miles of poor roads. And yes, you can call a town with only 2800 inhabitants 'civilization'....

Dawson City is the town established when gold was discovered on Rabbit Creek. Don't recognize Rabbit Creek? Well the gold miner's didn't feel the name Rabbit Creek didn't quite capture the magnitude of this gold discovery. So they renamed it Bonanza Creek. And the creek above was named Eureka Creek.

Still not sure? How about the Klondike Gold Rush of '98.

The town has done a great job of keeping the look and feel of Dawson City close to the original; not one fast food business in town or along the highway.

After exploring Dawson City for a few days we headed south again with the town of Whitehorse in our sights. Saw a couple of grizzlies along the way although both were some distance away.

Whitehorse is a town of ~ 28,00 so it's quite a bit bigger. We spent two nights there, resting and stocking up before leaving this morning for Watson Lake. We arrived here in Watson Lake around 4 pm and are just getting settled.

Tomorrow we need to choose between staying on the Alcan Highway or taking the Cassiar Highway. Cassiar is again a little more scenic and has section of road that are poor. Not as poor as the Top Of The World Highway but poorer none the less.

Not sure which one we'll take. May ask around to see if any of the fellow RVers here at the campground have just come north on the Cassiar to get a 'real time' update.

I'll give another update when we get to an RV park with Internet.

See Ya!