Nov 1, 2019 - the pre-trip

The motor home had been sitting still since Easter, so it was time to give it a little exercise before we head off to Israel. Where to go? We weren’t looking for an epic journey, but wanted something interesting and useful to do. The annual International Newmar Rally being held this year in Syracuse NY fit the bill. Newmar is the manufacturer of our motor home and after its recent sale to the Winnebago company, there was tons of buzz online about whether things would change as a result. The rally was sponsored by Newmar, but much of the...

Oct 22, 2019 - Rainy Trip

Monday was a dreary day for driving. We left Indianapolis in the rain which followed us almost to the Ohio state line. I stopped at the “Class of ’57” in Knightstown, IN and it was closed, again. We’ve been through Knightstown on weekends and weekdays and it’s never open. It appears to be a private collection that contains a ’57 Chevy red hardtop, a ’57 Chevrolet convertible, a ’57 Nash Metropolitan, a ’57 Pontiac 4-door sedan, and a ’57 Ford Fairlane convertible visible in the store front display. We arrived at the Alton RV Park in...

Oct 22, 2019 - Back to WiFi service ...oh, and in Georgia

It has been a while since I updated the journal, not a lack of wanting to do so but a lack of bandwidth to allow me to do so. The wifi at the park left a lot to be desired, but the rv park where we have been staying had all the other features we wanted, so we just learned to live with the wifi limitations. I have some pictures and some stories about our time at Trails End RV Park just outside of Maggie Valley, NC that I will share over the next several days. Leaving a place you have been for a month is always a little time consuming in...

Oct 22, 2019 - On to Alabama and back to the central time zone

Today was a travel day but not a hard one. The first reason is that it was only 160 miles. The second was we had nothing out for a one night stay. The final reason is that we gained an hour when we crossed over into Alabama. All this said, we did not get up until about 8:00 and moved around slowly. We were away just after 11:00 a.m. EDT. We drove on state highways and less than major US highways and a quick 16 miles on an Interstate. We came through Macon and Columbus and crossed over headed for Opelika. We are in the Spring Villa Park. It...

Oct 22, 2019 - Dr. visit and Botanical Garden

Date: October 22, 2019 Weather: sunny, wind Temperature: start 43º High 61º Wildlife count: Year List: 327 Birds: Had to fast for our blood draws today, so it was quiet in our kitchen this morning. We visited our NP Melanie, and it looks like everything is good – we both lost weight and BP is excellent. Also got the mammogram results and all normal. We enjoyed breakfast at Springfield Family Café, the old Ziggies on Campbell, and it was delicious. We drove over to the Botanical Gardens for a walk, and to bird. The wind was blowing way...

Oct 22, 2019 - Trump and Lynching?

Lynching is the practice of murder by a group of people by extrajudicial action. Lynchings in the United States rose in number after the American Civil War in the late 19th century, following the emancipation of slaves; they declined in the 1920s. Most lynchings were of African-American men in the Southern United States, but women and non-blacks were also lynched, not always in the South. White lynchings of blacks also occurred in the midwestern United States and the border states, especially during the 20th-century Great Migration of...

Oct 22, 2019 - Captain's Log - Earthdate 2019.10.22

In my last Log entry, we were parked at Ellsworth AFB FamCamp near Rapid City, South Dakota. We like this area so we decided to do a little more exploring while we had the chance. Our life can be a little bit random and I sometimes tend to make decisions at the last moment, something that can sometimes really annoy Dee Dee. One day, when we got up we decided to go to visit Badlands National Park. Dee Dee was "on-board" with that decision so we bundled up a bit as the weather was starting to get a little cool and the winds only added to the...

Oct 21, 2019 - Burkburnett/Wichita Falls

Monday’s drive on route 287 was a familiar one that we have driven several times in the past. Once again, we shared the drive and listened to an audio book to pass the time. (The book was “Arcadia” in case you were wondering.) The drive was only about 200 miles. We settled in at the Burkburnett/Wichita Falls KOA for our two-day stay. Annie needed dog food. So, we drove the 15 miles into Wichita Falls to Petco and then had dinner at Dickie’s BBQ. Tuesday was a complete day of rest. We did some walking but stayed put at the KOA.

Oct 21, 2019 - Another night in a casino; the plague of the caddisflies

In the morning of October 19 we stopped at the Central Nevada museum In Tonopah. Roger found an old tractor from the 1920s, and we wandered through the mining shacks, outhouses, equipment and other paraphenalia from the early mining days. The previous afternoon I had chatted with one of the museum staff; she and her husband used to farm, but he has passed away and she has leased the land to some young hemp farmers. She says they may know hemp but they don't know farming. After a look around the museum we drove to Laughlin, Nevada, a...

Oct 21, 2019 - Natural Bridge, VA

Another one night KOA! This is tourist country because we have been traveling south on I-81 along the edge of some state forests and park lands. Traffic is steady but not too bad because I-81 is a major north-south truck route but we are far from any cities. The countryside is mountainous and scenic, and we are enjoying the drive. Mack is a great traveler and Holly has settled down.

Oct 21, 2019 - In Mesa; next stop San Juan

We will be in Mesa a few days getting ready to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We stayed in Mesa last winter and had a great time, so we are looking forward to another season of senior camp. I did not write about Mesa last year, so I am hoping to reflect on what we did as well as this year's adventures. The photos with this entry are from past trips, mostly from last year at Venture Out. Last year we made a lot of friends and wandered around on desert hikes. We are looking forward to this season to see what draws our interests after our South...

Oct 21, 2019 - Arrival at Big Bend/Day of Hiking

Let me start with a description of our arrival at our campsite. We traveled deep into the Big Bend National Park before arriving at the Rio Grande Village Visitor Center and campsite. This campsite consisted of a big paved parking lot with full hookups, but with very little room to maneuver. In trying to back in to our spot, the camper and truck was at an angle that caused us to be stuck, and the only way out of it was to back up, pull forward, back up, pull forward etc, doing our best not to hit any other rigs!!! The temperature was 100...