adventures

Adventures at the Grand Canyon

2010-10-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

We have been told the Grand Canyon is one of the seven wonders of the world. We can only say that we were in awe how massive and beautiful this canyon is. We only saw several miles of this wonder. The Grand Canyon is actually 277 miles long, one mile deep and covers a total of 1,900 square miles. It was discover in 1540 by Spanish explorer Don Lopez de Cardenas, a captain in Coronado's expedition. The colorado River flows west through the canyon and average depth is 100 feet and 300 feet wide. It empties into the Gulf of California in Mexico.

Five different Indian Tribes currently occupy the region and many species of mammal, birds, reptiles and amphibians currently live in the canyon.

We took the free transportation to different points to be able to view some of the more spectacular sights.

The Grand Canyon attracts at least 4.5 million tourists each year.....some from many different countries. It made us proud that the U.S.A. had something so beautiful that it attracted people from afar to view this natural wonder.

Our pictures just do not do the canyon justice. Most of what I took captured a misty appearance and therefore not sharp and distinct colors and shapes. That was disappointing, but hopefully you will get the 'feel' for the grandeur of the Grand Canyon that is gave us. Enjoy!!!

Adventures in Sedona, AZ

2010-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Often called the Red Rock Country, Sedona is full of fun, history and archaeology. All this, with a back ground of some of the most breath taking scenery in the world! This is an artist's paradise.

We did not walk the town, but every turn we took we had to stop and take in the awesome view (and, of course, take some pictures).

Enjoy the pictures......they speak for themselves.!!!!!

Adventures at London Bridge

2010-10-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

In 1962, London Bridge was falling down. (Actually, it was sinking). Built in 1831, the bride couldn't handle the ever increasing flow of traffic across the Thames River. The British government decided to put the bridge up for sale. Robert McCulloch, founder of Lake Havasu City, AZ, submitted a winning bid of $2,460,000.

The bridge was dismantled, each stone numbered and shipped 10,000 miles to Long Beach, CA, then trucked to Lake Havasu, AZ. Reconstuction began on September 23 1968.

London Bridge crosses a narrow boating channel that connects with Thompson Bay on the Arizona side of Lake Havasu.

This is a short blog, but such an important piece of history we wanted to share with you. Hope you enjoy!!!!

Adventures in Oatman, Az.

2010-10-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Jim and I visited Oatman, AZ on our way back to Texas. We stopped at our usual KOA in Needles, Ca. and called our friends, Chuck and Judy Pease. (They were staying at a park in a nearby town.) They talked us into staying an extra day and they would take us sight seeing. Thus Oatman, Az and London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Az. (London Bridge will be a future blog).

Oatman was a gold mining town 100 years ago. The town was named after Olive Oatman, who was kidnapped as a young girl by Mojave Indians and later rescued in 1857 near the current site of the town.

The mining boom was short lived. In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town, and three years later, the main mining company shut down operations for good. After that, Oatman survived by catering to the travelers on old Route 66. In the 1960's, when the road by passed the town it became Route 40 and Oatman almost died.

Today they survive as a "fun place to visit". It is now an authentic old western town with burros roaming the streets and gun fights staged on weekends. The burros are tame and can be hand fed. They are direct descendants of the burros that were originally brought in when mining was active. When the miners left, they turned the burros loose to fend for themselves.

It was so 'neat' to see these animals and be able to feed and pet them. Thanks Chuck and Judy!!!

Hope you enjoy!!!!

Adventures to Lassen Volcanic National Park

2010-09-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

This week Jim and I took a driving tour of Lassen Volcanic Park. If we were 20 years younger we could have done one or more of the hiking tours, but if we would have walked one now, they would have found us dead along the trail. :-)

There was so much to see, such as the cinder cone and the lava beds and many lakes one could only get to by hiking in.....so we had to forgo these. The driving tour was a beautiful, 29 mile drive and reached an elevation of 8,512 feet. The diverse road tour took us to the sulfur active hydrothermal area along with the fantastic panoramic views of the lakes and the mountain, itself. We could not see the last part of the tour because they were doing road construction, so we missed seeing the chaos crags and the devastated area. These areas show the combined mud flow and the avalanche destruction, typical of volcanic eruptions.

In one of the pictures you will see a huge rock (boulder) that appears to be balancing on edge. This boulder is not indigenous to this area and was placed here by glaciers that have carved canyons and dotted the area with lakes and clear water streams.

The last eruption began in 1914 and launched a three year outburst, the largest was in May of 1915 when the peak blew a huge mushroom shaped cloud of ash over 30,000 feet into the air.

We hope you have enjoyed another view of this wonderful earth, through our eyes and photos.

Adventures through Avenue of the Giants

2010-08-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Jim and I took a trip to see the magnificent Avenue of the Giants. These trees are some of the worlds oldest and my pictures just do not measure up to how awesome they really are. In this part of California they can live more than 2,000 years old. The largest surviving stands of ancient coast redwoods and sequoia are located on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada's. The coast redwood is one of the fastest growing conifer, the tallest measuring 360 feet and at chest height, 10-15 feet wide. Fossils have been discovered that verify the trees have been around for about 20 million years. The cones are tiny compared to the tree size....only an inch long. (I was hoping to bring back some giant cones.) Each cone contains 14-24 seeds and in good conditions seedlings grow rapidly...more than a foot a year. The high tannin content of the wood gives the tree remarkable resistance to disease and insect infestation. The thick fibrous bark has even higher tannin content and insulates them from periodic fires that occur naturally over the centuries.

The sequoias are another of the worlds giants, the oldest being 3,200 years old. They can grow to 250 feet tall (about 25 stories) with trunks measuring as wide as 30 feet. The bark of the sequoia can be up to two feet thick, keeping the tree cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Again, the tannins in this tree protects it from rot and fires.

To give you some idea how tall these trees are in comparison to something you are familiar with, (the redwood being the tallest), they are taller than the Statue of Liberty. Amazing, huh?!!!

Some of the pictures are from the base, looking up....some are of Jim standing next to it so you can see just how massive these trees are. We were fortunate to find a cute little cabin, among the giants, to stay in. At night I could hear the hoot owls conversing back and forth to each other and the locals say the bears in the area are more troublesome than a threat, spilling and spreading garbage that needs to be cleaned up each day.

Hope you enjoyed another of our adventures.

Adventures at Stanford University

2010-08-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

While visiting with Sean and Chun Hua we visited the campus where Chun Hua does her studies. It is located on 8,180 acres.....

Leland Stanford was a California railroad tycoon and politician. He founded the university in 1891 in honor of his son, Leland Stanford, Jr. who died of typhoid fever at the age of 16. The university is organized into seven schools including academic schools of Humanities and Sciences, Earth Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Law and Medicine.

While we toured parts of the campus we enjoyed a trip to the top of Hoover Tower. It is 285 feet tall and we were fortunate to go up to the top. (I too several pictures while at the top, which, I am sure you will figure out which one it is). It is named after President Herbert Hoover and is used for library stacks and offices.

We. then, walked over to the museum. On our way we saw sculptures by Rodin, a beautiful church and buildings that are works works of art with sculptured arches, each one different from the other. When we arrived at the museum there were more of Rodin's sculptures. This collection is the third largest in the world. How impressive is that?!!! Inside the museum we saw a sculpture of a horse that appeared to be done with driftwood, but, in fact, it was constructed out of bronze. I had to touch it to believe it!!!

I was in total awe how massive this campus is and I could go on and on....there is so much more.

Our walking tour took several hours and we only covered a fraction of it's enormity !

Thanks Chun Hua and Sean for the wonderful tour!

Adventures at the Winchester Mystery House

2010-08-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

The Winchester House is considered one of the top most haunted places in America. Over two million people pass through the 160 room mansion each year. The mansion was built by Heiress Sarah Winchester. She was convinced that the mansion was haunted by the many that were killed by the Winchester rifle, which bears her name. A spiritual advisor told her that she "should never stop building". Sarah had an enormous amount of money and she thought the appease the spirits she should build the best and most extravagant home to make them "feel comfortable". So, build she did, 24 hours a day for 32 years. Even to this day, after Sarah died in 1922, the house is still being worked on with the up keep on the mansion and the gardens, to keep them in line with what Sarah wanted.

The house covers 24,000 square feet and includes 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces and doors that open to an 8 foot drop to the outside. Also, stairs exist that go no where (except the ceiling). To confuse the spirits, the mansion is an extravagant Victorian maze of rooms put together in no particular order. All the thirteen bathrooms had glass doors.....hmmmmm not much privacy, to you think? Each step on the stairways had a 2" rise to the next step. This was done to make it easier for Mrs. Winchester to move about her home.....she had disabling arthritis and guess what....each stairway had thirteen steps! As you may have noticed, Sarah had a fixation with the number thirteen. Various places throughout the house reflected this.......in one of the closets there were thirteen hooks. In other rooms there were thirteen designs in the wooden flooring or thirteen windows. In her kitchen she had drains that had thirteen holes in the drain covers. These just name a few of the repeated number thirteen.

Some of the extravagance is portrayed in the front doors. The doors are exquisite, European made and very expensive......$3,000.00 At the time her advisers told her that the spirits are saying she is spending too much money on the front of the house. So, once the doors were installed, they were locked and have never been used since. A story was said that President Roosevelt came to visit. He knocked at the front doors and had no answer......a Gardener seeing him there (and not recognizing him) told him he needed to go to the back of the house "like everyone else does". President Roosevelt left...........

Some of the windows in the house are Tiffany of New York and each costing about $1,500.00. They are splendid !!

So much more could be written about this mysterious mansion and woman. I have shared highlights of this pleasurable tour, while enjoying some quality time with my son. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Adventures to California

2010-06-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

This entry will most likely be boring to most, but we want you to know we are in California visiting kids and grandchildren.

Our trip started late because Jim had surgery (all is well) and it delayed our trip, that was scheduled for the 1st of June. We left Rockport on the 11th of June and arrived in Yuba City on June 18.

The first day of the trip was mostly on back roads and we thought we would never find an RV park. Just as desparation set in and over the next hill......we found one. The next few days were just about the same. It took us two days to exit Texas. The next few days were uneventful, as well, until we entered Arizona. We entered the desert and had a tire blowout on the 5th wheel. There we were, in 104 degrees, stuck. After the rescue, with the help of Good Sam Club, we entered California. We stayed two nights in Needles. While there, we stayed at a KOA that had adopted a road runner, which was almost tame. The picture shows him accepting a hamburg ball. After two more days on the road we finally got to our destination.......Yuba City. We hav a really nice site, as the picture will show. We are now settled in for the next three months.

Hope we have more blogs coming your way soon. Until then, much love from the Heverin's.

Adventures at Oakhurst

2009-11-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Fulton Mansion is located in Fulton, Texas and construction began in 1874, over looking Aransas Bay. Jim and I visited the mansion and were amazed at the attention to detail. EVEN the hinges and door knobs had designs in them. The home was built by George and Harriet Fulton and was completed in 1877. It included the latest in modern plumbing, central heating and gas lighting systems. The mansion is surrounded by stately Oaks and palm trees and is a Victorian villa called Oakhurst.
George Ware Fulton was born in 1810 in Philadelphia and orphaned at the age of 16. He, then, trained as a watch maker and throughout his life patented inventions. One of his inventions was a mechanically refrigerated slaughterhouse. He, also, was a talented artist and an entrepreneur.
Harriet Gillette Smith Fulton born on October 22, 1822 was the eldest daughter of Henry Smith, Texas' first provisional governor. In 1840 Harriet met George Fulton, the new local school teacher in Brazoria, Texas and they married the same year. They moved to Baltimore, but later returned to Texas when Harriet inherited 28,000 acres. Gardening was Harriet's passion, but she also governed the mansion and supervised a small farming operation.
In 1893, at the age of 83, George died at Oakhurst. Three years after his death Harriet left Oakhurst to never return..."the charm had fled for all time". She died in 1910.
George and Harriet had 6 children---four boys and two girls. At different times, their two daughters and their families lived at Oakhurst. George and Harriet had many grandchildren and today numerous Fulton descendants live throughout the state and country.

Adventures in Delaware

2009-10-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

I recently flew to the east coast to visit with my daughter, her husband, my grandchildren, family (on Jim's side) and friends. While in the Delaware area I had the opportunity to see the Camden New Jersey Aquarium, visit the campus of Frostburg University and see my grandson, Sam, drive up to Newport, PA with Kathleene and visit Kris (had a great time seeing her and all her wonderful horses), tour the Winterthur museum and go to 6 Flags Great Adventure park in New Jersey. (Shelly does not like roller coasters, but went on them with me....what fun...don't think she would agree). Future blogs will touch on a few highlights of my trip, but this blog will be dedicated to Winterthur Museum in Delaware.
Winterthur is the former home of Henry Francis duPont (1880-1969). He was an avid antique collector and horticulturist.
The house was designed by Henry and his father, Henry Algernon duPont, and is fashioned after the then, 18th-19th century European country homes. Later, Henry Francis added 175 period rooms "to show America as it had been", with the idea of making this mansion a museum to share with the public. The mansion, which is filled with 85,000 priceless antiques, has nine floors, two of which, are below ground and the ninth floor is used for storage. The building sits on 60 green acres of breath taking beauty. The gardens take up 1,000 acres which encompass rolling hills, streams, meadows and forests. They consist of choice plants and trees that were collected by Henry Francis from around the world. In his lifetime he created an extraordinary American country estate on par with English examples that have evolved over centuries.
Touring the many floors took one back in time. It is the ideal place to rediscover America's heritage.
These few words can not do justice to the beauty that Winterthur beholds. I have only visited two floors and did a garden tour. If you live in the area, you need to see the splendor. If you do not live near, you need to make a trip to the see the wonders!
There was a problem uploading the pictures for this blog and I am so sorry that you will not be able to see the few pictures I had to post.

Adventures aboard the U.S.S. Lexington C V 16

2009-04-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Before I venture into this blog, I need to make a correction on the last blog I made. My daughter and Son in laws house is not 150 years old......it is 250 plus years old!
The carrier USS Lexington (CV16) was built in 1942 at Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, Mass. and commissioned 17 February 1943. She took part in many major and minor campaigns during WWII receiving a presidential unit citation and two battle stars. In 1944 she was struck by a Japanese Kamikaze plane on the aft portion of the island, killing and wounding many sailors. A Picture is included depicting where, by a Japanese flag.
She is 872 feet in length and has a beam (width) of 93 feet with an extreme of 192 feet including the angled flight deck added in 1953 during an overhaul. She carries 103 aircraft including fighter, bombers and torpedo planes. Her speed is 32.7 knots. She was decommissioned in 23 April 1947 and recommissioned on 15 August 1955. Her last 22 years of service was as a training carrier home ported at Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, TX. She was finally decommissioned on 8 November 1991 and given to the city of Corpus Christi for display as a floating museum.
As a museum, the Lexington is an interesting place to visit. Having many old and modern air craft on display, both on the hanger (lower) deck and flight deck. The rest of the displays cover the Lex's WWII action and a general history of the war. There are also an IMAX theatre and flight simulator on board.
It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon and we will have to go back at another date to finish up two more tours and take a ride in the flight simulator. It is a VERY LARGE SHIP !!!
Hope you enjoy the pictures.....

Adventures in Williamsburg, Va

2009-03-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Well, here is another posting that is out of sequence. This one is just as important as the one I did earlier on Malakoff Diggins. On this adventure I went with Shelly, my daughter. This was a trip that I had wanted to do for quite some time. We finally went and enjoyed some together time and learned quite a few historical facts in the process.
While we were there we managed to get lost in the pottery parking lot and the attendant sure gave us some strange looks as we passed by him for the umpteenth time. Other than getting lost (and it was funny...you had to be there) we had a great time exploring Colonial Williamsburg.
The Historic Area is meant to be an interpretation of a Colonial American city, with exhibits including dozens of authentic or accurately recreated colonial houses relating to American Revolutionary War history.
We toured the Governors palace, watched brick making procedures and went to a furniture construction business. The Governors palace was spectacular and learned that the original building had been destroyed by fire in 1781 and with little construction history, they managed to rebuild a likeness by 1830. The brick making was done with bare feet, mixing the clay and straw to a consistency for making bricks. Then the bricks are hand made and dried.
We walked through many historic homes that were very interesting. We looked at it with learning eyes. Shelly and her husband, Chip, have a home that was built over 150 years ago. They are in the process of refurbishing their home close to original, so our interest was in looking at the construction and furnishings.
Enclosed with this posting is a picture of their home along with pictures of Colonial Williamsburg.
Because I am not sure what order the pictures will post, the large white L shaped house belongs to Chip and Shelly.

Adventures at Malakoff Diggins

2009-03-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

This writing is a bit out of sequence. I visited this area with Sean several years ago and never got it posted to this blog. Mainly, because I could not find the pictures that I had saved. I finally found them and decided to write about this adventure.
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is located in the northern part of California's Mother Lode country. Gold was discovered here in 1851 and hydraulic mining began in 1853. As the North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company grew, so did the town of North Bloomfield. By 1884, when the Sawyer Decision made large scale hydraulic mining difficult, people began to move away and the town slowly died. A picture of one of the hydraulic 'cannons' is included.
Malakoff Diggins had become the largest and richest hydraulic gold mine in the world. Millions of dollars worth of gold had been recovered, and 41 million cubic yards of earth had been excavated, leaving an open pit well over a mile in length and as much as 600 feet deep. You will see part of that in several of the pictures.
Sean and I stayed over night in what we believe was one of the miners cabins. (picture included) If it was not the original cabin it may certainly be fashioned like one. It was very rustic and Sean did everything to make me comfortable. I really did enjoy the stay there. We even did some panning for gold....no luck, but we did try.

Adventures in Mission, TX

2009-03-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

The city of Mission, Tx is known for it's citrus trees, bird watching and for the La Lomita Mission among other things. The mission still stands today and was built in 1865 for the Spanish priests. The original site was built on the Brownsville-Roma trail and has been rebuilt or restored at least two times and relocated at its present site in 1899. The city of Mission was named for this significant landmark and means 'the little hill'. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit the mission because we were short on time visiting with our friends, the DeSotels. We did, however, get to view some unusual birds and see some very tame Javelinas (wild pigs) at the Bentsen State Park. Normally Javelinas are shy, but that was not the case with these animals. Due to constant human exposure, they roam among the people looking for hand outs.
During our visit with the DeSotels, we traveled to Port Isabel. Port Isabels lighthouse is very similar to the Turkey Point lighthouse in Northeast, Md. From Port Isabel we went to the southern tip of South Padre Island. We enjoyed a nice picnic with our friends and then Shari and I went on the beach to gather some shells. Unfortunately, the wind and high tides won and we gave up.
Padre Island and South Padre Island were connected at one time. Years ago they made a channel for ships to get to the inter coastal waterway. So now they are two separate islands. Padre Island is approximately 120 miles long and South Padre Island is about 34 miles long. Most of Padre Island is uninhabited, with miles of drivable beaches and wild life. While South Padre Island is mostly a tourist attraction.
The birds pictured here, are the green jays and Altimira Oriole.
Hope you enjoy their beauty as much as we did.

Adventures in Rockport, Texas

2008-11-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

It has been too long since I have added to this blog. For the last month we have been busy trying to learn the procedures and 'job' responsibilities of being a camp host. The park we are in is called Palm Harbor RV Park. It is owned and operated by Steve and Dee Wampler. Wonderful people!!!!
We arrived here the beginning of September and hit the ground running. I didn't have time to unpack as soon as I wanted and just as I did get unpacked, along came Ike. So, I repacked and we evacuated. We went to Fredericksburg, Texas and stayed about four days and then headed back to Rockport. As we all know.....Ike turned north and missed us completely. We are thankful for that!
Prior to our return to Texas was not without some great travel times, scenery and great RV parks. One in particular park was a working long horn ranch. We got up close and personal with these grand animals, as you will see by the picture.
Since we returned to Palm Harbor, I have been getting up early to catch the early spikes of sun coming up over the perfectly still waters at the front edge of the park. It was very hard for me to pick one picture of a sunrise......I have so many good shots. Hope you enjoy the one I am posting.
Approximately, three to four weeks ago Jim had an accident with the scooter. He broke his right collar bone and cracked several ribs. He is healing nicely and will soon be back in action. He also has a left shoulder that has a severe tear in his rotator cuff. According to some Doctors he has no rotator cuff left. We are still trying to find a Doctor that can help him for that shoulder. We will keep you posted on that as we are informed.
Jim has purchased a new boat. We should be taking possession of the boat some time this week. We are looking forward to lots of good times on the new boat.
The picture of the park is taken from the water while we were on an familiarization run on the new boat.

Adventures in South Haven, Michigan

2008-07-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Haven't made and addition to the blog in a while.....must be I am having fun....
It is beautiful here and I would like to give you a little history of South Haven. The founder of South Haven was J.R. Monroe. He was granted a land patent from the U.S. government in 1833 for 65 acres along the lake Michigan shore. It wasn't until the 1850's that permanent pioneer families started settling at this location.
A sawmill was constructed which made it possible for a hotel, school, homes, stores and many other buildings to be built.
As the land was being cleared of lumber, the pioneers quickly put the land to use by planting fruit trees. This brought progress to South Haven. New factories and businesses were established that related to the lucrative business of fruit growing.
The resort business took hold in the mid 1850's and brought thousands of visitors, including the infamous Al Capone. They came from Chicago arriving by steamer and train to enjoy a memorable vacation.
Although the resort business and fruit industry was a tremendous boom to South Haven, its impact was felt for only a few months of the year. To remedy the situation the board of trade (Chamber of Commerce) worked to improve conditions. They brought several major industries to the city. These included Cable Nelson Piano, S.E. Overton, Casavant Organ and Marshall Casting Companies.
In the 1930's a professor, director of South Havens Experimental Station, was already involved in peach breeding and blueberry culture that eventually brought world prominence to South Haven. The 40's marked the end of steamer service to South Haven and was open to the growing interest in pleasure yachts that would later make dramatic changes in the harbor scene. The resort business slowly declined, but several resort business kept with the pace of the times offering deluxe accommodations, gormet food and quality entertainment. The city hosts a marina today and during the summer South Haven comes alive.
At one time.....long ago.....the state of Michigan was not here. It was covered by sea water. Michigan was created by the Wisconsin ice sheet, the last of the great ice sheets to move out of the north. As a result this area is rich with fossils and beautiful stones that are used in many jewelery settings.
I enjoy walks on the beach and finding such treasures. Jim is limiting me to 100 pounds of rocks and fossils. I had to laugh....don't think I will come any where near that amount.
We enjoy many beautiful sunsets, great walks about town and the pier lighthouse.
One of the pictures posted is of one of the original light house keepers homes. The other pictures are self explanatory. Enjoy.!!!!

Adventures at Little House on the Prairie

2008-05-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

The last time we were in this area we discovered where the Little House on the Prairie was, but we were already on our way to Texas and didn't stop. This time we took the opportunity to visit. The 'House' is located just south of Independence, KS.
Along the route to the site, we saw fields populated with dozens of cows and beautiful multi colored horses called paints. We could just imagine what it was like back in time of the pioneers.....the rolling hills, small lakes and streams were everywhere. While standing by the little cabin I could almost see 'pa' of little house on the prairie coming over the ridge.......
Two women of the Kansas historical society researched and found the original site of the building. The house we viewed was a well worn replica. It was built by volunteers who went by Laura Ingalls description provided in her books.
The family moved here in 1870 from Wisconsin. They had lived here only a short time (a year) when they discovered that they had mistakenly settled on the Osage Indian Diminished Reservation. After hearing this they decided to move back to Wisconsin. About six months after they left the Osage tribe was moved to Oklahoma and the Ingalls family would have been able to homestead the land. (Unfortunately, they knew nothing about this at the time)
Behind the house is a well that was hand dug by Charles, Laura's father. Many other landmarks can be viewed that are mentioned in her books....Walnut Creek, the bluffs to the north of the house and the letters she wrote mentioning the trips to Independence for supplies, authenticates the site.
I feel fortunate to have had the chance to see this and feel the history that abounds in this area. As you may have discovered from these paragraphs, Little House on the Prairie was one of my favorite programs.

Adventures in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas

2008-05-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

The first leg of our trip takes us through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. We stopped at a small campground just south of Waco, TX. The next day we ventured on to Ardmore, OK. just south of Oklahoma City where we stayed at a RV friendly Flying J. Then onto Beggs, OK staying at another small campground because of pending severe storms. All clear and on to Chanute, KS. the following day. Both campgrounds we stayed at were inexpensive ($20.00) and wonderfully quiet.
We decided, instead of taking major free ways, we would travel the less busy secondary roads. Not sorry we did because the views out our windows were spectacular. We saw many varieties of wild flowers. Two, in particular, were the Indian Paintbrush (picture) and the Indian blankets. Another flower that was abundant were the fields of daisies along the picturesque hi-ways. The wide open spaces, flowing grasses and meadows with horses, cows and brahma bulls filled our senses with wonderful feelings of peace and history.
In Chanute we are staying at a city owned RV park. The first two days are free and the remaining days are $10.00 a day. Our purpose for staying in Chanute, KS. is to get a few warranty repairs done to our 5th wheel at the factory where it was born.
We should be starting our next 'leg' by next Tuesday. We will spend about a week in Peru, Indiana visiting with Jim's daughter Debbie, John, Sarah and Lindsay. Then on to South Haven, Michigan to stay for two months visiting with my sisters and brother.
Lovin' every minute of this trip!! We are lucky indeed to have selected this lifestyle. Also, lucky is our cat, Charity (although she doesn't think so) who has traveled to more places than most of you reading this.
Hope you enjoy the pictures and feel free to add a comment or two.

Adventures on the Texas Treasure

2008-04-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, at long last, I am finally getting around to posting a blog on the casino ship Texas Treasure. We took this tour about two months ago. I guess it is about time that I post this one.

She is 420 feet long and is now a casino & day cruise ship. She is 38 years old and cruises at 21 knots. The Texas Treasure has quite a history and not always was she used for her current purpose or had the same name. In fact she has had at least seven names prior to her current moniker. She was built on the River Tyne in the UK in 1968 and was known then as St. George. Her position then was to carry cars and passengers and was later renamed The Sea Link. She ran under the British flag for approximately 15 years and was then purchased by Greece and renamed The Patra Express. She sailed under the Greek flag for 7 years and was purchased by a company called Sea Escape and renamed again. Her new title was Scandinavian Sky II. She was remodeled by this company, which eventually went bankrupt and sold her to Discover........ her new name then was Discover Cruise Line......renamed again by the same owner, Discover Dawn. Finally, she was purchased again and named Island Dawn and to her present name.......The Texas Treasure.

The day we took our trip was a cold cloudy day. Once on board the gambling cannot commence until at least 12 miles off the Texas coast. I am not sure how far out they actually go until they turn around and head back, but the trip took approximately 6 hours from what I can recollect. Once you enter the ship you are directed to the dining area and if you can't find what you want to eat.....then you just are not hungry. There is also entertainment in the form of audience participitory karaoke, singing and dancing. This is how you while away your time until the proper position is obtained by the ship to enable opening of the slots and blackjack tables. You may also spend time out on deck, but being cold and blustery on this day, time outside was kept to a minimum. Not to worry as no large sums of money were won by anyone but a few in our party broke even. All in all a cheap ($7.00 tickets) fun way to spend a day without going too broke.

Adventures at the Sandfest

2008-04-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Texas Sand Sculpture Festival was on again. This was our first time visiting the sculptures. According to information we received, it was the 12th year this event has taken place and it is one of the largest beach festivals in Texas.
Walking on the sun-soaked beach we observed many artistic creations from the very young and inexperienced to the masters of this skill.
The sand fest stretches about a half mile (it sure seemed longer) and is located on the Port Aransas Beach on Mustang Island.
This year the sand fest is boasting 24 Master sculptors and according to a write up is now the largest sand sculpting competition in the USA. The attraction brings as many as 100,000 people. The day we were there it seemed all 100,000 were in attendance.
The three day sandfest starts on Friday when the sculpting begins and ends on Sunday when they are judged.
Our good friends, Mike and Rose, invited us to go with them to enjoy the sights. Thanks to you both for a great day.!!!!

Adventures with the Nina, Pinta & the Santa Maria

2008-03-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day in Corpus Christi today. We viewed replicas of the ships shown in this blog. The top left is the Pinta, the top right is the Santa Maria and the bottom left is the Nina.
Here is a little information on the history of these ships:
Christopher Columbus departed from Spain on August 3rd, 1492 with a fleet of three ships. The Nina (no mention of this ships dimensions, but we do know it was the smallest), The Pinta, which is 74.5 feel long and 22 feet wide, and the Santa Maria, which is 97 feet long and 28 feet wide. All three ships were working ships and carried approximately 120 men and boys, equipment and supplies.
The goal of the voyage was to find a new passage to Asia. After a few 'wrong turns' the crew landed the new world on one of the Bahama's Islands on October 12, 1492. In November the Pinta disappeared in a strong wind and on December 25th, 1492 the Santa Maria ran aground and was completely destroyed. Later in January the Pinta rejoined the Nina and Columbus returned to Spain on the Nina in March 1493, with the Pinta arriving shortly afterward.
Replicas were built and sailed into Corpus Christi in 1992, after a long cruise across the seas and stopping at many ports along the way. The government of Spain built the replicas to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Columbus voyages. In 1993 Corpus Christi won the privilege of a 50 year lease agreement with Spain to exhibit the ships. The ships were then moored at a cargo dock in the port of Corpus Christi. Disaster struck when an empty barge broke loose and rammed the Pinta, which in turn rammed the Santa Maria. They are now dry docked, where they were repaired and tourists could watch while the repairs where being done. The Nina is still in the water, but not safe enough for any tourist to board her.
The city of Corpus Christi has run into problems raising enough money to maintain these ships. The hope is that somehow the money will be raised to accomodate the maintenance of these three beautiful works of history.
Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed being able to see them first hand.

Adventures at the National Wildlife Refuge

2008-02-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful day today. The weather co-operated and we saw many unusual animals that we normally do not get to see in the wild.
The first mammal we saw was a really cute Armadillo. He (or she) was really busy nosing for insects and seemed oblivious to us.
Next we saw a really BIG crocodillian......actually known as the American Alligator. We saw quite a few just basking on the banks of the marshes we were walking through. Quite and amazing creature!!
We then continued our auto tour and came upon a huge wild boar. This mammal was really busy eating what appeared to be roots and vegetation. The refuge has tried to remove them, but with no luck. They are a cross between domestic hogs and imported wild boar. We continued on and walking across the road in front of us was a Javelina or also known as Collared Peccary. According to the brochure they usually travel in groups of 4 to 12, but this one was by himself. Unfortunately, he was too quick and we couldn't get a picture.

Adventures in Rockport, TX

2007-12-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

We moved to Rockport, TX about a week ago. We found this RV Park (Watersedge RV Park) on one of our trips to explore the surrounding areas and were not actively looking for a place to stay because we had found one just outside the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. We both loved this place and decided on the spot to reserve a spot. Fortunately, they had one available. So, here we are. The second picture is on the pier looking back towards the RV Park.
This area is one of the areas in the United States that is loaded with either migrating birds or ones that remain here year around. Bird watchers come from far and wide to view the rare birds such as the whooping crane. We have yet to see one, but plan on taking a tour soon to be able to see these marvelous birds.
We are lucky to be able to have the Brown Pelican, which were on the endangered list until just recently. Also, we can see the American White Pelican and the Great Blue Heron, to name a few. The third picture is of the two different kinds of Pelicans posing for a picture.
We went fishing today. Jim caught a really small fish and of course threw it back and I had a huge crab on my line but lost it when brought it to the surface. While out there we saw some Dolphins and got some great shots of the Pelicans.
The first picture is of Pelicans flying overhead.
Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Adventures in Corpus Christi, TX

2007-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

The second picture is of the view out our dining room window when we were on the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, TX. A million dollar view. The first picture is the beach in front of our 5th wheel that we walked and hunted for shells. We stayed at NAS for about three weeks. Enjoyed the company of many RVer's, some part time and some full time.
While we were there we took many trips to the adjacent islands. Padre Island and Mustang Island. The third picture with the horses is one taken on Padre Island. Cars can drive on the beach because it is hard packed sand. It seemed like I was doing something wrong when we were driving on the beach........like I was getting by with something, but it is a normal occurrence and we saw many other cars just flying down the beach. What a wonderful place to experience tropical beauty.

Adventures through the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

2007-11-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Petrified Forest is quite unique. It is coupled with the painted desert and each turn we took was more breath taking than the last.

We saw Newspaper Rock, which with binoculars, we could see petroglyph's. Researchers working with current American Indians theorize that some petroglyph's could be ceremonial, territorial or commemorative. The exact meaning has been lost in time.

Next we saw the 'teepees' as you see with the attached picture. The layers are created by iron, carbon, mangonese and other minerals that stand in cone shaped formations.

We went on to see the logs that were strewn all over the area. We are puzzled at how they became in the sate they are, which appears to be trees cut into various sizes of logs. According to the information we gathered the trees fell and swollen streams washed them into adjacent flood plains. A mix of silt, mud and volcanic ash buried the trees. This then shut off the oxygen and slowed the logs decay. Silica-laden ground water then seeped through the logs and replaced the wood tissue with silica deposits. Eventually it crystallized into quartz and the logs were preserved as petrified wood.

Over 225 million years ago these trees live, the continents moved to their present positions, and this region was up lifted. As a result the climate changed and the once tropical environment became todays grasslands.

Adventures through the Salt River Canyon

2007-11-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Driving through the Salt River Canyon offered some dramtic views through our windows. It is some times called the mini-Grand Canyon with its stark sweeping vistas carved by millions of years of erosion.

There were many hairpin turns and it takes a lot of concentration to the road when there is so much to see at the same time. Not many places to pull off with the 5th wheel to get a chance to take some of the spectacular views, so I just pointed the camera and shot the pictures. These pictures are nothing compared to what we saw and couldn't capture with our camera.

This area contains a wealth of history and was used by the Apache warriors during th 1800's as a refuge from pursuing U.S. Calvary troops.

Now days the river provides a border between the San Carlos Apache reservation to the south and the White Mountain Apaches to the north.

Adventures in Phoenix, Arizona

2007-11-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

This entry is mostly about the Saguaro cactus, which we saw hundreds of them along the road.

This cactus grows slowly, about an inch a year, but grows to heights of 15-50 feet. The older the cactus the more arms it has. With more than 5 arms they are estimated to be at least 200 years old. Pretty amazing!!

They flower from may to June and have 3 inch blooms. The native americans used the flesh and seeds from the fruit, which comes from the flower. As many as 4000 seeds comes from one single fruit.

We took this route because the northern route was very cold and they were calling for rain and freezing rain. I am glad to have had the oportunity to see these magnificant cactus.

Adventures at Big Sur

2007-11-24T08:21:00.001-08:00

Big Sur is a sparsley populated area of Central California on the coast where Santa Lucia Mountains rise abuptly form the Pacific Ocean.

A little history about the first people tho inhabit the area are three tribes of Aboriginal Americans. They lived in the area for thousands of years.

The first Europeans to see Big Sur were spanish mariners led by Juan Cabrillo in 1542 without landing. Two centuries past before the Spanish attempted to colonize the area in 1769.

Today Big Sur has attracted a different kind of pioneer.......artists, poets and film makers, to name a few.

The day we visited the surf was not up, so we didn't get a chance to see the action, but all in all it was a spectacular view. Out past the power of being able to capture a picture, the whales were passing by on their yearly migration.

We also had a good time visiting Carmel again. We went down to the beach and got a shot of the sunset..........which was almost gone, as you can see from the picture.

Adventures in Truckee, Ca

2007-11-24T08:06:00.001-08:00

Truckee, California has an elevation of 7500 feet and is known to be the coldest spot in the United States in the winter months.

It got it's name from a friendly Palute Indian by the name of 'Tro-Kay' and the white man thought it sounded like Truckee, thus the name. This Indian assisted thousands of immigrants in their migration west across the Humbolt Sink through forty mile desert.

Today it is mostly a tourist attraction type city.

On the way to Truckee we passed Donner Pass and the Donner Lake. The Donner party followed the Truckee route to California and I am sure you all know what happened to them.

Adventures in the Grass Valley Loop.

2007-03-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

I took a short trip today, to try to find some small towns that are considered Ghost towns. Along the way I was able to enjoy the sight of the longest single span covered bridge in our country. It is 232 feet long! Getting there was an exciting twisty, turny, hairpin curves type road that was very narrow. Good thing I couldn't look down because I would have been extremely nervous.

The next "town" I went through had one building in it that appeared to be historic in the little "town" of French Corral. I later looked up the building you see featured, and found out it was the Wells Fargo Office built in 1853.

Also, on this trip I wanted to see the Malakoff Diggins. I finally found them, but I couldn't get a good picture of them to send along to you because I would have had to hike in a bit, was alone and didn't have good shoes to hike in with. I will return with better shoes and post that at another time. A fantastic sight to behold, I am told. What I could see, I know that I do want to go back. From what I have read it resembles Utah's Bryce Cannon.

I then went to Nevada City. It is a bustling small town that is much like North East, Md. Mostly tourist attractions and stores. I did get a picture of the hydraulic cannon like contraption that was used in the Malakoff Diggins that propelled water with incredible force to expose the gold. Also, in Nevada City is a Hotel that is still in use, built back in 1857 along with a saloon called the Mine Shaft, (picture not included) a theatre (also, not included) and the town fire department.(this picture is laying on its side). The maintainence of the buildings was quite impressive. It doesn't appear that much new construction is being done in the immediate town, which is a good thing.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

adventures at Fort Sutter

2007-02-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Fort Sutter is one of many ventures of Johann Augustus Sutter. He was born in 1803 in Germany, but eventually called his home Switzerland. He had a rather unsuccessful business life, but managed to become quite well known. Could be because he did everything on credit and never paid up....or at least it appears that way. Eventually, he built the fort with the help of his growing work force and local Indians. It is an adobe fort. The walls were 2 1/2 feet thick and 15-18 feet high. The compound was 320 feet long. In the fort had various means to make themselves self sufficient. They had a bakery, gunsmith, blacksmith and weavers mill to name a few. By the late 1850's about all that was left of the fort was the central building. Reconstruction began in 1891 and is what exists today.
Fort Sutter was a refuge for Pioneers between 1841 and 1849. Sutter provided free shelter and supplies to weary settlers. He recruited settlers for his settlement not only in this country, but also in Switzerland and Germany. One such group helped was the Donner Party. During the winter of 1846-1847, eighty nine of the party were trapped in high snows at Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sutter sent rescuers, who brough back forty-seven survivors.
Fort Sutter is located in Sacramento, California.

Adventures in the Sutter Buttes

2007-02-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

I took a short trip around the worlds smallest mountain range. It is located right out side Yuba City. They are called the "Sutter Buttes". The "U" in Buttes is pronounced with a long "U", for those who are not from around here.
It took me about an hour to completely circle the mountain range and I came away with a sense of peace and relaxation. As you will see in some of the pictures, the land is used for raising fruit or nuts. Also, they support ranchers raising cattle, sheep or horses. The land is mostly privately owned and therefore I could not get to some of the places I would have liked to have gone.
Silence abounds and only broken with the sound of a meadow larks song, wind swirling through the tall grasses and being warmed by the sun on my back. It doesn't get any better than this.!! I get to see this sight every day!!
I hope you enjoy the pictures and get the same feeling I got when I was there.

adventures in the Sierra's

2007-01-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year. We just haven't been any where for me to update this blog. But yesterday, we went to the Sierra's. It is so beautiful up in the mountains.....I just wanted to stay there for at least another day. So much to see.
We followed the Feather River into the mountains and did a loop. Sean had given us a set of maps and this is one of the loops that can be taken to have an adventure. I would have liked to do some metal detecting while we were up there, but maybe next time. Our weather was good..... a little cold up in them thar hills, but it was sunny the whole day, which made for a terrific day all around.
We visited Lake Almanor and upon leaving there we had this terrific view of Mount Lassen, which is 10,000 feet high. Unfortunately, I can not find the picture I took of Mt Lassen.
As we were leaving the Sierra's I had gotten some terrific shots of the mountains in mist.
Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

adventures at Bodega Bay

2006-12-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

We started out on a rainy, dreary day. But our goal was to see Anna, for those who do not know who Anna is, she is my niece. As we got closer the sky seemed to be getting brighter and the temperature was warmer. Hmmmmm, I thought, looks like the sun is going to come out. What a break. When we got there....the sun, indeed was out and Jim and I saw three smiling faces greeting us. Anna, Jon,(Anna's boyfriend)and Sean. Sadly, Sook could not be with us....she had a very bad cold. We all missed her.
We bought some JUMBO crabs (live ones) and brought them home to cook and eat. Yummm they were good. Different than the Maryland Crabs, but just as good.
Bodega Bay is beautiful. Very quaint. Lots of dunes and just beyond the dunes is the ocean. Now, Your probably saying, not more ocean pictures....yup at least one. But this one has some people in it with the ocean behind us.
We were lucky to be able to see Anna and Jon's camper. It is perfect for them. It is a Chinook Pop up Camper on a Toyota truck. I am so happy for them. It was good to be able to see Anna again and to meet Jon.
This is the town that the film "The Birds" was filmed.
We saw seals, pelicans and lots of birds. What a wonderful day!

adventures in San Francisco

2006-11-30T21:37:00.000-08:00

The trip to San Francisco was a good time. We traveled there mainly to be with Sean at his reading and book signing. It was a good time meeting his collegues and friends. Many people turned out for this occasion It made me so proud to be able to hear Sean read and see him interact on this occasion. Many years have gone by and not be able to see what is happening in my sons life and I am happy to be here to be able to be with him during these times. Sean and Sook, his fiancee, received some good news today....they are now in the process of purchasing a home in the area. They just need to sell Sook's home and the deal can go through.
Also, added to my happiness is my daughter and her fiance have just acquired a new home. Their home is a 200+ year old home. Shelly has a love of old homes and I am happy that her dream has come true. The soonest I will be able to see her home will be next June, when Sam, my grandson, will be graduating.
Lots of work to be done by all of them in the near future both in moving in and any renovations that may need to be done.
While we were in San Francisco, Sean took us to see a beautiful light house. It is on Pigeon Point. My camera was low on battery power, but I did manage to get a few shots of the lighthouse and surrounding waters.

adventures in Yuba City

2006-11-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since we have last added to this site. Sorry ! We haven't done any sight seeing since Monterey Bay, but we wanted you all to see where we are now parked and fill you in on what has been happenin'.
We both hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our's is still going on. Today we will be having ANOTHER dinner at friends. We have had dinner in San Jose with Sook's family and at Charina and Matt's home with family. Both dinners were superb. Jim and I are now growing feathers and our voices are a little on the gobbly side.
On our way home from San Jose last night we saw a beautiful sunset, which you will see along with where we are now parked. Our new address is: 1257 Live Oak Blvd.,
B-3, Yuba City, CA 95991. We are close to almost anything one could want or need.
We will be going down to San Franciso on Wednesday to watch and hear Sean at one of his readings. Looking forward to that !! Then on Thursday doing some sight seeing in the area with Sean and Sook.

adventures at Monterey

2006-11-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 1st, we decided to take a day trip to Monterey Bay. We left relatively early....and got there four hours later. The view was worth the drive. Breath taking scenes and glorious smells. We also took time to take the 17 Mile drive, located in Pebble Beach. It is a drive through one of the most affluent 'neighborhoods' in the area. I don't believe the homes would be something you would like to view, but the view they have is phenominal, so I will include some of those with this posting. Their homes are settled in amoungst the Cypress trees that are hundreds of years old. Very impressive trees.
The water was calm, so I could not get the pictures I wanted to get.......splashing over the rocks, but I am sure you will enjoy the view, as we did.
We ended the tour at Carmel, home of the 'Hogs Breath Inn', whose proprietor is Clint Eastwood. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures at Carmel, but it is mostly a tourist town with shop after shop. Nice quaint little town and we did enjoy walking the streets and taking in the sights. We met this nice couple sitting on a bench.......as you will see. Jim was getting a little friendly, don't you think?

adventures in California

2006-10-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have last added to this post. We have been busy. Lots of things to get done and trying to find a place to park the RV while we are here has not been an easy task. We are at the Famcamp at Beale Air Force Base. A nice place and quite secure......wish we could stay here the whole time in California, but the policy is only two weeks with a chance to extend for another two weeks. So, we are hunting for a spot close to this area.
We have had some great visits with Lani and her family and Charina and her family.....so good to see them again. Sean came to visit us and we had a good visit with him. Sook could not make it due to her father falling and hurting himself. We were disappointed that we did not see her, but we will soon, I hope.
On the way here we saw a tree called the Joshua Tree. What is remarkable about this tree is it is only found in four states in the US, mostly in the Mojave Desert, and nowhere else in the world. Funny looking tree.....as you can see.
We carved a pumpkin in celebration of the up and coming Halloween. Sean brought us the pumpkin when he came to visit. We did have a good time doing that.
We plan on going to Big Sur this week and I hope to have some really good pictures to post.
Until then....

adventures in Arizona

2006-10-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

The last posting did not include the pictures I attached. Don't know why, but here they are.
Just a note.....the picture of one of the sinks, you will see a small shadow in the very middle.....that is me. That illustrates the enormity of the sink hole.

adventures in Arizona

2006-10-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

We are now in California and I am just now getting the Arizona and New Mexico pictures posted. We have decided to cut the trip short. We are getting low on funds and don't want to get stuck without money to put down for our California stay. So, we had to forgo the sights that we planned on seeing in Arizona.
Arizona is, by far, the most dramatic state we have traveled through. We also, enjoyed New Mexico. We saw some pretty neat things there, too! I will include those with this posting.
In Grants, New Mexico we went to see the El Malpais National Monument. There, we visited the El Calderon Area. As you will see, Jim is standing at the mouth of a cave. The cave is considered a lava tube. Then we walked a little further and saw 'double sinks'. They both are cause by lava flows from a volcano that is in the area. The double sinks are 80 feet deep. According to the park ranger, the volcano is still considered active, even though nothing has happened since these marvels were created some 115,000 years ago. In order to be considered inactive, 200,000 years needs to pass with no activity.
Next you will see the barren land in Arizona and onto the lush forest with the snow covered mountain in the back ground. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to stop anywhere to get any history on Arizona, but we hope to next time around.
We should arrive at Beale Air Force base on Wednesday. Between here, (Needles, Ca) and there we will be going through the Mojave desert.
While in California we plan on doing some sight seeing and of course, I will post those happenings as they occur.
And yes, I agree with you, he is kind of wierd and a Dork, but I humor him.......:-)

adventures in New Mexico

2006-10-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

A few miles after entering New Mexico, we spent two days in Santa Rosa. We saw so many beautiful sites it is really hard to limit the pictures we want to display. This part of the U.S. is so drastically different from the east coast. Breathtaking is one of the words that best describes the landscape. There are lots of beautiful scenery between Santa Rosa and Grants, which is just west of Albuquerque. Low mountains of many different configurations, flat mesa type to conical to rocky textures with colors varying from grays, yellows and reds.
This area of New Mexico is known as the high desert with altitudes varying from 4,000 to 7,000 feet. It is very hot in the summer and cold enough to snow in the winter. This area is populated by many different plants amoung them being small cacti appearing as small stunted trees. The whole area gives the impression of desolation and grandeur at the same time. Between Santa Rosa and Grant we both noticed that there were many numerous small ' settlements ' that had a forlorn look. Most of the buildings were either abondoned or lived in and looked abandoned many included trailers. Lots of dusty roads and very few were paved.
We have decided to change our travel plans and are heading south and then west again. The reason being is that it is getting very cold and a chance of snow. The temperature tonight is going down to 28 degrees......burrrrrrrrrr !!!!
Hope you enjoy the pictures.

adventures in New Mexico

2006-10-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

As you can see here, we have a man eating dinosour. Now, is it a dinosour that eats man? Or is it a man eating a dinosour? You figure it out!!! Comment if you please. :-)

adventures in Texas

2006-10-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Since I have last written we were in St. Louis, Mo. We have since been to Wichita, Ks. and stayed at the McConnell Air Force Base. The stay there was uneventful and not a whole lot to see. We basically went there to get my prescriptions filled. We then traveled to El Reno, Oklahoma and again not too much to write home about. Each ' camping' experience was nice and very restful. We left El Reno this a.m. and arrived in Amarillo, Tx about 3:30 today. Amarillo is a very depressed area.....at least what we have seen so far. On our way here we saw some awesome sites. Some of you know about the first picture you will see....it is a ' wind farm '. These windmills are about 60 feet in diameter and I really don't know how tall. Their purpose is to generate power. Not much can grow in these areas, but the wind is almost always present. So.........wind farms. They have these in California, too!
The second picture is of the 2nd largest canyon in the US. It is called Palo Doro Canyons. Though they are not as deep as the Grand Canyons, they go on for miles and miles. From the area we were in, I am sure, we could not really get the best view......that could only come from above. I was in total awe, so I can imagine what I will think of the Grand Canyons. We don't think we will be able to see the Grand canyons when we go to Arizona.....we will catch them the next time through, but we plan on going to the petrified forest, Sedona and Meteor Crater. I should get some great pictures and will be sure to share them with you at that time.

adventures in missouri

2006-10-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken from the top of the Arch. We were 630 feet up. I thought this was an excellent picture to post because you can see the shadow of the arch and then below is a barge. Looks tiny, huh? Across the Mississippi River is a river boat casino, so that can give you some idea how big both are in comparison to how high we were.
We are in Oak Grove, Mo tonight and plan on leaving tomorrow in the am and heading for the McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Ks. We plan on staying there for two nights and then heading on to El Reno, OK. just on the west side of Oklahoma City. Probably stay one or two nights there, also. We hope to be in Arizona in about a week. We will be doing some site seeing there and expect some more pictures from there. The Grand Canyon and Sedona, my brother and his wife, Sue, visited Sedona and said that was a place to visit. Both are not far from Route 40, which is the route we are taking to California.
Charity has been the best.....she complains (still) when I put her harness on, but after that she is OK and travels like she has done it all her life.
Jim and I are enjoying this life and see lots of people just like us doing the same thing. Haven't met anyone that we could talk to for a while...most people are on the run. We are parked next to a couple that would have been fun to exchange some stories with, but the wife had to go see her ailing mother in Minnesota and won't be back until after we are gone. Oh well..........
That is it for now......hope to have lots to tell you in the next posting.
Thanks to Sean for watching out for my mistakes and correcting them. This is all new to me and it is amazing that I found this site again and am posting. :-)
Much love to all
Diane and Jim

October 6th, 2006

2006-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just arrived in St. Louis, Mo. after spending a week with the Weisenbergers. Had a great time with them and did a little site seeing in Peru. We got some history lessons in the museum. Saw lots of Indian artifacts and learned a lot about the Circus City.......very interesting!!!!
Just as a preview.......we spent about two weeks at Dave and Susies and got a chance to see all my siblings and was even fortunate to see some of my nephews and my niece, Stephanie and her husband. Unfortunately, I did not get to see my other nieces or nephews.
We plan on a day in St. Louis tomorrow and will keep you all informed as the time permits or as the signal permits, I should say........