Would you care to guess?-December 31, 2011

Would you care to guess what happened today? IT RAINED!! So, our jinx continues. No rain was predicted in the next week. So much for capable (?) weathermen. We woke up this morning to fog so dense we could barely see this side of the lake. Early afternoon it appeared to be clearing and instead the sky opened up and the rain poured down for a very long time. When it finally let up a little everybody, except us, got on their golf carts and we had a parade right in front of our coach. We just sat and laughed ourselves silly. Sometimes it takes so little to entertain some people. We can hardly wait to hear the weathermen make an excuse for this unpredicted rain on tonight's news. We got some miscellaneous household tasks completed but we would have preferred to go someplace special today. We don't know the roads well enough to go out in dense fog. The rain slowed enough to allow the personal fireworks to begin about 7:00 PM. If we had half the money these people spent on fireworks we would be very comfortable. It's shocking. We do not anticipate a good night of sleep as we are sure the quiet time rules have been suspended for tonight. Happy New Year to all!

Crazy about Crawfish-December 30, 2011

Louisiana Satsuma Trees in Breaux Bridge

Today we accidentally stumbled upon an orchard of Louisiana satsumas. This time of year we always get satsumas from Fairhope, Alabama but since we are not there, we had to settle for Louisians sats. Oh my what a wonderful and delicious way to settle! They are fabulous. The sad part is that they had such a bumper crop the fruit is dying on the trees. After we left there we continued on our journey to the Crazy About Crawfish Cafe. What a delightful cafe, full of locals, some of whom we had an ongoing conversation with throughout the meal. You do not meet strangers in Acadiana. Zydeco music was playing and people were smiling. Jerry had a crawfish burger with sweet potato fries. I had a grilled catfish poboy. Then we split a homemade bread pudding that we would not have wanted to miss. It had the usual raisins but also had pineapple in it. It was just fabulous, like no other that we have ever had. The entire meal was an experience we will not forget for a long time. Now we are back trying to plan our next stop. We have noticed an odd trend. Everybody coming in here today has a golf cart. After they connect then they pile into the cart and drive 'round and 'round the lakes. Some have music blaring. Some have LSU hats and flags and beads. It has become hysterical to us that this seems to be a form of local entertainment.  I think these are the people the owner warned us about when we checked in. She said some people would be coming in to party on New Year's Eve and they like to have fun. We are invited to the party. No thanks, we stick out like sore thumbs. When we walk in any place, people stop and stare like we are from a strange country. So, we'll celebrate here. My biggest concern right now is that if all of these carts plug in to charge them at the same time, we will loose all electrical power in this park. I bet tomorrow we do not have to go anywhere. The entertainment will be here and it will be free.

Coyote Blues-December 29, 2011

We made our first venture into Lafayette today. We stopped at a pecan and gift shop where we encountered another local character. People know we are not local so they want to tell us what we need to see and where to eat. We were not going to be swayed today. We went over there to eat at Coyote Blues and we did just that. I was disappointed. Jerry really liked his meal. Such is life. Through the shop owners we have heard of more places than we can possibly see in the time alloted. So, Lafayette will be a return trip in the future. We have both talked about how different people are here, but it's actually a good kind of different. Everybody is so happy. It is easy to see there are people with lots of money here and some who have not so much. But both have the same Cajun spirit. This whole area is called Acadiana which is where the word Cajun evolved from. After doing some research we found that 78% of the people born in Louisiana never leave. That's the highest percentage in the entire US. So, they are happy to be here. We like the friendliness and the joy. It is contagious. We will probably go back to Lafayette tomorrow to try one of the other restaurants we have on our bucket list. It was 70° today and not a drop of rain, only nice sunshine. It is supposed to be like that for at least another week. What a treat!

Mulate's-December 28, 2011

I cannot tell you how many trips we have made through Breaux Bridge and how many times we wanted to eat at Mulate's. Today we finally made it!! We both ordered gumbo though we ate two different types. It is such a unique place. The posts holding up the ceiling above the dance floor are the trunks of cypress trees, all gnarly and crooked. Everybody in there knew we were not local. The owner must have thanked us a dozen times for coming in. Hey, it was our treat. Then we went to a farmer's market. We went for a long walk around a 5 acre lake which we are parked beside. Quite a tricky walk on small round pebbles, but it is such a pretty day (WITH NO RAIN!) we just had to take in some fresh air. The little red cardinal won't leave us alone. He made a mess of our car. So now we have an adorable WalMart bag flying like a flag so perhaps he will go away. If he bashed his pointed beak into our window once this morning he did it a hundred times. I thought he would at least knock himself out. No such luck. Now I have to share a picture with you. Until we walked around the lake today we did not realize that the object in the water is the top of a car. So, here's the picture and the caption Jerry put on it.

THE LAST YANKEE SEEN IN THESE PARTS!



Jerry is now trying his best to speak Southern so he will not meet this fate. Yes, that's a big old ugly heron on top of the car. Every day is a hoot in this coach!!

Where we are-Dec 27, 2011

This is the lake we are parked beside in Breaux Bridge, LA. It's very nice. I took this after I posted my blog for today. So today we
have two blogs instead of one. See how peaceful it is. Nice.

Breaux Bridge, LA-December 27, 2011

Wow, is this ever a different place. We checked the reviews on this park and they were very good, so we made a reservation here. We found it, but did wonder where on earth we were headed about half way here. We are in the boonies of Louisiana. It is a fishing camp that added space to become an RV park. We know we are new here as every person in here has driven past us at least half a dozen times. First they look at the license plates, then down the side to see how we are connected, then the height of the coach. They do not see us inside looking at them! We think they are trying to see if we are little green men with big round black eyes or maybe we are kissing cousins married to each other. We did hear banjo music when we drove in here. However, we are here to eat! There are countless wonderful highly rated restaurants in nearby Lafayette. We are having a standoff with a gorgeous red Cardinal (bird). He hopped on the car and tried to peck his likeness in the mirror on the driver's side of the cute red vehicle. We do know birds will peck at an RV mirror til they break it. So, first thing, I covered all mirrors with plastic bags, Target on the coach and WalMart on the cute red vehicle. Still that silly bird roosts on top of the coach mirror and looks in the window. I wish he was not so pretty. He'd be easier to get rid of if he were an ugly creature! I can promise you that he will not get our mirrors. Anybody want to take that bet? This promises to be one of the most interesting weeks we have spent on this trip so far. If you don't hear from us in 2-3 weeks, drain the swamps!!

After Christmas-December 26, 2011

I was surprised to log in tonight and discover I have a couple of blogs missing. There is no way I can recreate them, so I'll just pick up from here. When we arrived in Kinder, they were 20 inches below normal on their rainfall for the year. Now they are less than 15 inches behind. We woke up this morning and looked out to see if we had floated into the lake. Oh my goodness, it rained. The weatherman says the sun will come out tomorrow (good song title, huh?). We'll move on down the road toward the east and warn the office staff when we check in that we are sure the rain is following us. I'm not saying we are living under a dark cloud because we are happy and contented people, but it is starting to make us feel weird that everywhere we go it rains. I sure hope Rocky doesn't rust! In spite of the rain we hopped on the shuttle and went out for a late lunch at the Grande Cafe. It was very good. We are looking forward to our next stop as it is next door to the city that's in the running for the top culinary spot in the south per Southern Living Magazine. I shall be blogging about great food if nothing else. Are you making your list of New Year's resolutions?

Sunlight!-December 23, 2011

We just got a glimpse of sunlight, not a big ball of sun, but the clouds are moving away slowly. We went to a zydeco concert last night. It was so much fun. That is the happiest music in the world and just makes everyone feel good and happy. It was a real treat for us just to sit and listen. However, we are not late night people anymore, so we are kind of dragging today. In fact, we took the day off. We have not carved out Christmas Eve plans yet. That's the beauty of being geriatric gypsies! For those of you spending time with your families, have fun and enjoy every moment. Merry Christmas. And please remember Jesus is the reason for the season.

Rain and more-December 22, 2011

We were awakened by a whale of a storm about 5:00 this morning. I think we were waiting on the tornado sirens to go off. We turned on local television and we were under a tornado watch, not warning. In time it passed, but it was really something. We are waiting on the rain to stop so we can hop on the shuttle and go somewhere. While we are waiting we have been doing research on liquid chicken. Yes, I said liquid chicken. We passed several trucks on our way here (I forgot to tell you) that had that on the back of the tanker. And they were named Poultry In Motion. Cute pun, huh? Finally we may have gotten to the bottom of the mystery. Possibly liquid chicken is fat and other liquids used in dog food. That's the explanation I can handle. It just was not pleasant to think liquid chicken is being hauled on our interstates. We saw the trucks on the Texas /Louisiana border but blogs on the internet say they drive in a few other states, too. What I thought about was the fact it would make a terrible mess for one of those trucks to be in a wreck. Every wild animal in the area would decend on the spot for a fabulous free buffet! I think I will stop here and get ready to catch that cute little shuttle. It is just misty outside right now. No more thoughts about liquid chicken!

Exploring the area-December 21, 2011

WE SAW THE SUN TODAY!!!  We've only seen it twice in the past 12 days. We were rather skeptical it would stick around, but it did and we saw sunset this evening. It is supposed to start raining tonight and continue tomorrow. We are beginning to suspect this rain is following us. If anybody needs rain in their area, let me know and we'll schedule a visit. Ok, just kidding. We did go north out of Kinder today, just to see what was there. Well, not much. Oberlin and Oakdale are directly north of here and believe me, neither is something to write about. Walmart and a car wash. That's it. One is left to wonder why anybody lives there. We saw pictures of the destruction from a tornado that hit DeQuincy yesterday. We were a bit surprised to see how close it is to Kinder. It obviously hit while we were on the road. We only saw rain and had no idea there was a minor tornado not very far away. It tore 3/4 of the roof off of their 19 bed hospital and that's about all. No one was hurt, thankfully. Several more RVs moved in today. It might get busy this weekend. I did catch the lady next door trying to look at Rocky while she was walking her dog. I think I caught her laughing. Not a nice thing to do. We are rather enjoying being more relaxed this week so we are not complaining that there is little to do but walk and relax.

Kinder, Louisiana-December 20, 2011

I did not post a blog yesterday. I was certain you did not want to hear about more rain. It is still raining today but we moved on down the road anyway. We are on the Cushatta Indian Reservation in Kinder. If there is one thing we have learned for sure, it is that Native Americans (Indians) know how to build and run an RV Park. They think of everything and go out of their way to make you welcome and comfortable. We could just travel the country going from one reservation to another. They provide a free shuttle to the buffet or any of their restaurants. They have all sorts of sports available including tennis and horseshoes (not good in the rain however). And there's a huge lake to overlook. It's just so nice. We will celebrate Christmas here and are happy to do so. Right after we arrived another visitor in the park was walking his dog. He looked up in the front window and saw Rocky. He did a double take before he realized it was not a real dog. So, I picked Rocky up and went outside and introduced the two. He laughed and laughed before he admitted that he thought it was the smallest dog he had ever seen before he realized that it did not move. The 13 year old dog he was walking did not find the introduction one bit humorous. I did though.

Baytown, TX-December 18, 2011

Baytown is east of Houston. It was actually a blessing we traveled through Houston today. The traffic tomorrow would have overwhelmed us. At one point there were 6 lanes of traffic going in each direction with a 4 tier flyover. It was something to see. Jerry did not have time to enjoy that or the gorgeous skyline of Houston. He was just trying to keep us on the road and safe. I'll have to study but it appeared to us that Houston has surpassed Dallas for volume of traffic and number of lanes at any given point. We arrived here to bright sunshine. It was an odd thing to see after 8 straight days of clouds and rain, but it is nice! We opened all the windows and just breathed in the fresh air. A storm is due in here tonight. We hope it will be light and not last 8 more days! We have traveled 797 miles across Texas and we're not out of the state yet. We should be out by the end of the week, hopefully.

Painted Churches-December 17, 2011

St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsville, TX

St Cyrils & Methodius Catholic Church in Dubina, TX

Schulenburg, Texas--The City of Painted Churches

Little did we know that painted churches does not describe the outside of the churches, but rather the inside. We went inside 4 different churches and it was unbelievable what we saw. These churches were hand painted with artwork as elaborate as the stained glass windows. These are the original churches of the settlers in this area who were either German or Czech. We are very familiar with German churches in Colorado and they are not Catholic churches. That's all there is here in the area of Schulenburg. So, we learned something new today in addition to seeing such beauty. It was a fun and interesting and actually very relaxing afternnoon in an extremely unique part of Texas. We also saw antelope being raised on a ranch. That was a first. We saw lots and lots of Longhorn cattle. We drove past some beautiful ranches, all with locked entry gates. The grass is still green here and that was a treat. We are so glad we took the time to take the self guided tour of these churches. What few parishoners are left living here are working very hard to keep these houses of worship updated and in excellent shape. We are glad they were open for us to enjoy. Almost all homes in this are have signs in front that say "Pray for our country. II Chronicles 7:14".  We do not normally travel on Sunday as it is our day of rest, but we must move tomorrow to sandwich us in between fairly big storms. We'll be on the other side of Houston before the storm hits, hopefully. Please enjoy your day of rest.



Schulenburg, TX-December 16, 2011

As much as we enjoyed Kerrville, we just had to leave. The gloominess got to us. So, we are in Schulenburg, Texas, on the road toward Houston. But, guess what? It's still dreary!! No rain, but the wind is outrageous. There is a museum we could have seen this afternoon but we decided we'd stay in and stay warm. Maybe tomorrow. Schulenburg is known as the town of painted churches. They are open to go inside of as well as take pictures of the outside. So, tomorrow we will do that. Hopefully lots of pictures will be coming your way. Meanwhile we pray for sunshine!

No sun-December 15, 2011

This was the 6th straight day of rain in this area and that means no sunshine. One weatherman said that it is going to start affecting people if the sun does not shine pretty soon but no one can come close to predicting when this rain will stop. The odd part is that it is finally affecting the aquifer in a positive way which means they can now water their lawns, but they don't need to because of the rain. What a situation. A fifth wheel came in next to us late this afternoon and got stuck in the mud. So, the park had to use a truck to pull the truck pulling the fifth wheel. I believe I would have backed out and left. We hope and pray we will not have problems in the morning. We do not anticipate seeing the sun as we move down the road because this huge front is covering the entire state, but we don't need to sit here unable to visit any of the sights. We did take the second recommendation of the Kerrville couple and ate at Grape Juice today. It was wonderful. We were able to park across the street so we did not get too wet walking to the restaurant. It was worth it even if we had. It's not a hard rain so we do not mind driving in it tomorrow. We do not have a destination in mind, so it will be interesting to see where we end up.

Not more rain-December 14, 2011

We thought the weatherman was kidding when he said it would rain for a lot longer. Rain indeed. We think our feet are starting to look webbed, sort of like a duck's. Alarming. A couple who lives here in Kerrville posted a suggestion on my blog for places that we should try if we wanted good food here. We took them up on it. Today we went to Rails Cafe at the Depot. It is the old train depot turned into a nice restaurant. The furnishings and Christmas decorations were gorgeous. And lunch was wonderful! So we thank them for the suggestions. There was not much else to do today. We just did not want to drive to Johnson City and try to tour there in the rain. Maybe tomorrow. We did stop and buy Rocky a little collar for him to wear. He is in the Christmas mood now and sends his Christmas wishes. Since the weather has turned so nasty we are ready to move on and see if we can find nice enough weather to see the sights in the area. We really like to explore where we are.

Dreary Tuesday-December 13, 2011

It has rained since Saturday, off and on. It was also windy and cool. Today was a tad warmer but still rainy. We knew our 2 1/2 pound box of mail would be delivered today so we did not want to leave town. We went downtown for lunch and for a walk in the rain. We saw some really cute shops and enjoyed the friendly people inside. Yesterday after lunch we stopped at a huge H.E.B. grocery store. I thought maybe that was the initials of the man who started the store. Hope, it stands for Here Everything's Better. And trust me, it is. I think Jerry was more stunned at what was in that store than I was. Nothing but big wide rows of food, a wonderful meat counter and a fish display with everything labeled exactly as required which seldom happens. But the produce is what was so wonderful. The fruit and veggies were displayed sort of like a farmer's market. So, while we were filling bags we did not feel like we were in a store. It was great. We are going to try to get to Johnson City tomorrow in between rains. Tomorrow night is supposed to be rough, so we want to be home before that hits. I forgot to tell you that this area has been in such a drought the weather reports on TV include a report on the level of the aquifer. Can you imagine? Even after all this rain the level dropped a foot today. Lack of water is a very serious issue here. Maybe tomorrow's rain will help them out. I wanted to include a picture of Fredericksburg's official Christmas tree because, well, because....................it's that time of year!

Dreary Sunday-December 11, 2011

It rained most of the day yesterday. We were getting ready to go to town when we realized it was just too cold to go out and get wet. It is overcast, chilly and very dreary today. So, we will become home bodies again. People here are so glad to see the rain that we will not complain in any way. I just wanted to wish you a very blessed and restful Sunday. The adventures begin again tomorrow.

Boerne, TX-December 9, 2011

(This city is pronounced like Bernie).
We journeyed down the road a few miles today for only one reason. Well, no, there were really two reasons. First, it is supposed to rain tomorrow and we might not want to get out in it. And, secondly, we wanted to look at a new motor home. We spent a couple of hours climbing in and out of a number of them. Thankfully, the salesman had great patience. We did not buy one, but we found one we like. Now if we could win the lotto, we could buy it!! On another topic, the deer are finally out tonight. We were concerned since we did not see them while it was raining. And yet another topic, I can share a picture of the Guadalupe River which we are beside in this park. It's very nice. It was much warmer today and slightly overcast. Very pleasant

Nat'l Museum of Pacific War Day 2-Dec 8, 2011

We returned to the museum today to finish seeing it. Today was the Nimitz Gallery, the Japanese Peace Garden, the Pacific Combat Zone and the Memorial Courtyard. I'm not kidding when I say this is a most impressive museum. It is worth a trip here just to see it. Fleet Admiral Nimitz was born here. His house is now a gift shop which has not been altered on the outside. An aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Nimitz was named after him so Fredericksburg is quite proud of their native son. The Peace Garden, a gift from Japan, looks a bit drab this time of year, but you can visualize what it must look like in the spring. The Combat Zone has a restored PT boat, number 309. There is only one other in the country and it is being restored now. JFK was on PT 109, remember? It was something to see. We had lunch, then went to the city park to see the city Christmas tree as well as the Christmas pyramid which was built in Germany and installed in the park in 2009. It's a wonderful work of art. It's one of those things that just makes you smile and feel happy. There's also a huge Nativity scene on display in the city park. Good for Fredericksburg! There's still so much to see we are going to stay here a little longer.

National Museum of the Pacific War-Dec 7, 2011

What a special day to visit the Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. Today is the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We counted at least 8 busloads of veterans from out of town visiting the museum along with us. We were surprised that so many are still in such good health. The ticket gives you a 48 hour pass and believe me, it will take us that long to get through this museum. It cannot be described in words. Pictures were not allowed. There was a fly over of 5 WWII planes as we walked in. That was so impressive. We walked for over 2 hours and only saw one portion of it. The displays are items that were found during the war, as well as memorabilia from those who fought. There were 5 airplanes, a boat and a submarine, all indoors. The George H.W. Bush gallery which is all we could get through today actually started with WWI. We both realized that what we were taught in school was not a dent in what actually happened. There were countries that we bombed as well as some the Japanese attacked that neither of us had ever heard of. I wish I could tell you about this place as it was the most massive and impressive display we have ever seen. In size it makes the Naval Air Station in Pensacola look like a public rest room. Seriously. There were videos which gave us a few minutes to let our tired feet rest. There were speeches of people we have never heard. We saw a video of the Japanese emporer surrendering and signing the agreement. It was unbelievable. We are going to go back tomorrow to try to finish what we missed today. This is a must see for anybody in this area. I'm sorry I don't have pictures to share. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who have served and defended this country.

Dreary day-December 6, 2011

Today is a copy of yesterday. It is very dismal, damp, windy and way too cold to visit any museums. It has rained a lot in the past couple of days. Everybody here is so happy to see moisture and we share that joy. We have, however, missed seeing the deer roam through the park. Do they not like cold either? We are using our time wisely to plan our continuing trip. Hopefully tomorrow will be nice so we can visit either the Museum of the Pacific War or Lyndon Johnson's western White House. Both sound interesting. Stay warm!

Bandera, TX-December 3, 2011

It was still rainy this morning, so we were slow getting started on our day. We had to go to Home Depot first. Then on a whim we headed down the road to Bandera. We were told that every day at lunch all of the ranchers come into town on their horses. They tie their horses to hitching posts in front of the restaurants and stores. Well, it is true. What a sight! They don't look like the dusty old cowboys in those old western movies. They wear very nice clothes and boots along with good looking cowboy (or girl) hats. It did not take us long to realize that this is a tradition in this very, very old town. The stores look like they came out of a movie, very old and unpainted. But what a charming town. As we drove around we realized this is not a place that would be welcoming to a newcomer. The ranches are massive. Call it miles or 100s of acres, it's all the same size. And the gates to each ranch are clearly marked NO TRESPASSING. It is possible that their social time is meeting in town for lunch. Otherwise they keep to themselves and take care of their ranches. It was some really pretty countryside to see and the horse riding ranchers added such character to the scene. We are certainly glad we saw it. But we do think that being that remote might be a bit too much for us. No doubt they live a very interesting life out in the country. Good for them!

Christmas Parade-December 2, 2011

I hope I can keep this brief. First, it is really raining and we are not complaining. The Hill Country is in such a drought that this rain is a real blessing to them. We are glad for them. The park we are in is fully decorated for Christmas. I wanted to share one of their outdoor decorations. It's a cute little Airstream model. Very clever. We went to St Nikolausmarkt (spelled correctly) in Fredericksburg today. It rained on and off for most of the afternoon. We had a great German lunch, the first of its kind in years. Then high school friends of mine, Linda and Burtis, drove from Temple, TX to meet us. We all watched the Christmas parade together. It was incredibly long for such a small town. But what was so unique was the fact that the parade went in opposite directions on Main Street at the same time. It was just as cars drive the streets but it was floats, tractors, ambulances, cars, trucks, vans, school bands, etc marching on both sides. They were spaced so you could see both sides at the same time. Every float was full of people. It was almost as if the entire town of Fredericksburg was marching in the parade. There was music coming out of most floats. Tons of bright lights. It was so festive and so much fun that the rain did not matter. No one in the parade looked unhappy to be getting rained on. It is really hard to explain this parade as we have never seen anything like it. We are happy we went there to see it. And we were delighted to spend some time with good friends. We hope to meet them again in the future in another city.

Busy day-December 1, 2011

I know you'd be disappointed if I did not ask where did November go? Like silly kids we got up at 4:30 AM to watch the deer outside our front window. Then we went back to bed only to be awakened an hour later by the wild turkeys. They were noisy. So, by the time we settled down again, we got a very late start on the day. Jerry cleaned outside while I cleaned inside. Then we took the Cute Red Vehicle to get it washed. It was not even possible to drive it safely after we went through all that road construction yesterday. It is supposed to rain tomorrow and we thought that might make the dirt turn to mud and then we would be driving blind. It looks nice now. Then on a whim we stopped at a local restaurant, Billy Gene's. It's right on the banks of the river. Our waitress, Bobbie, was an absolute riot. I ordered the chicken salad and she shook her head "no". She said "You don't really want that. It's not good". I asked if she was serious? She said "Of course, they don't pay me enough to lie!" So, I told her to choose for me. She did. I had a fabulous Cajun chicken salad. That is only part of our conversation. We laughed the whole time we were there. As we were leaving I handed her a very generous tip and told her to have a plate of chicken salad on us. Then we all laughed! That has been part of the fun of this trip, the unusual and unique people we have meet. And no doubt we will meet more. It's good to end the day with laughter. We are going to the Christmas celebration in Fredericksburg tomorrow, unless it is raining bullfrogs.

Kerrville, TX-November 30, 2011

We had a tiring day today but arrived safely in Kerrville this afternoon. We happened upon an accident with a pick-up truck pulling a travel trailer crossing to our side of the road and flipping over taking up both lanes of I-10. That meant we had to drive down the dirt median to go around it. That was not a safe feeling, but we were far better off than the couple standing on the side of the road looking at their trailer on its side. Then we had to drive through some heavy duty road construction here in town. But we pulled in here and were greeted with open arms. We are so glad we were not later because we got the last 50 amp space they had. A man who appeared to be the manager told us all that there is to do here and then had us sit in a Gator while he drove us around the entire place. This park is beside the Guadalupe River but they have a bridge across it so that tent campers stay on the other side on a little island in the middle of the river. We walked over there tonight and it is very serene. The water is so clear and clean and it sounds wonderful. They tell us we will wake up to deer and turkeys eating outside our coach. We would enjoy seeing that. Things are still green here because they have not had lots of freezing temps yet. It is such a welcome change for us. There's a fun Christmas thing happening in Fredericksburg on Friday, so we may stick around for that. It is a German celebration and Jerry being full blooded German will really enjoy that. I will like it as well.

Fort Stockton, Texas-November 29, 2011

We arrived in Fort Stockton, TX late this afternoon. This is merely a place to sleep tonight. It is in the middle of nowhere. We will put in a longer day tomorrow to get closer to a nice park in the middle of civilization with lots of fun things to do.

"Dog" and Farm Museum-November 27, 2011

For three days we thought about a "dog" we saw in Old Town Mesilla. We went back and got it today. Please see picture. So why did we do this? Everywhere we stay, people in coaches have lots of dogs. We always have to say we do not have one. Well, now we do. Meet Pepe Rocky Las Cruses Coseo-Hoffman de Mesilla. We'll call him Rocky for short. We do not have to house break him, take him for a walk or buy him food. He's solid as a rock. Isn't he cute? Now for our first stop this morning. We went to the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. It was the story of farming and ranching in New Mexico for all of its history. The museum is on 47 acres. We walked all we could handle. It is very spread out so we got more than our fair share of exercise today. The story of how chiles were started here was the most interesting. Christopher Columbus thought he had found pimento when he saw these plants. Pimento is Spanish for pepper. Peppers and chiles are not the same. Confused? Don't worry. We didn't know the difference either. They serve everything with green chiles and they are delicious. I am not a pepper eater but I love the chiles. Great flavor and not hot. Oh, the museum. They demonstrated how the early Indians managed to irrigate their crops without wasting a drop of water. They were extremely intelligent with water. We were able to see their homes on the inside. They looked a bit like an igloo but covered with mud. The museum traced every group of people who moved in here and what they contributed to make New Mexico what it is today. Parts of New Mexico are very impoverished and depressing. Not here. This is a vibrant area. They raise some beautiful cotton. We have seen pecan trees, pistachio trees, alfalfa and dairy farming in addition to the cotton. Being married to a retired farmer helped me enjoy all of the antique farm equipment on display. We also saw a century plant in full bloom. We have not see that before. We drove past New Mexico State University and were very impressed with the beauty of the campus. It is growing, too, and construction was in process. It was a very interesting day. We ended it with a pizza from a local baker. We found out about him while we were in the middle of the candy aisle (at Wal Mart) listening to a man get on his soapbox about prices. Don't ask. The story is too long but it was wild while it was happening. This is long and I apologize for that. It was a busy day! And a fun day. We move on down the road tomorrow. I'll report where we landed tomorrow night.

Shopping-November 26, 2011

After lots of rain and some wind, we decided to do some Christmas shopping today. We slept too late to get to the Farmer's Market downtown. We still did a lot of walking which we always enjoy. We did find some neat things, but the best of all was lunch. We ate at Double Eagle Steakhouse. It is a 150+ year old adobe home with original oil paintings and Baccarat crystal chandeliers. It had an open courtyard in the middle. It was so pretty. The food was delicious. I forgot to say the house is haunted by two ghosts. Neither of them visited our table. It was so crowded I doubt the ghosts were interested in roaming around. I suspect they prefer for it to be empty. Tomorrow is our day of rest. I wish you a peaceful and pleasant Sunday.

Rain and more rain-November 25, 2011

It started raining at midnight last night and continued until late this afternoon. In this part of the country people go completely ape over 1/10th of an inch of rain. At 1/2 inch everything floods. We waited til it cleared a bit and then just went out for a few minutes. We were going in Sam's when the car door closed on Jerry's thumb. He smashed his finger and I cried. That's teamwork! We have spent some time this afternoon looking up all the things we have overlooked so we have our list ready for tomorrow. It's only supposed to be a few degrees cooler but no more rain. We'll see what adventure appears in front of us tomorrow.

Alamagordo and White Sands-November 23, 2011

What a fun but exhausting day! We headed for Alamagordo to the space museum and a highly recommended pistachio store. We found both. But before we got there, we drove through the White Sands Missile Range and past Holloman AFB. It was intriguing. We also had to go through one of those illegal alien check points. We passed and were allowed back on the road! Then we stopped at the White Sands National Monument. Neither of us was prepared for what we saw. In the middle of the desert was miles and miles of sugar white sand, almost identical to what you see on the Gulf Coast. When the pavement runs out, the road is then packed sand which resembles snow packed roads in Colorado. It was absolutely fascinating. We both are sorry that we did not know about this place when Derrick was little. He would have really had fun there. We just parked and watched the kids sledding down the mountains of sand. The sand is very cold and very dry. It is only a little coarser than coastal sand. Gulf Coast sand is made of quartz. This sand is gypsum.  Pictures make it look like snow but there are cacti growing out of it. If we had been a little braver, we would have hopped on a sled and screamed down a sand mountain. In Alamagordo the space museum taught us what an immense role New Mexico played in the growth of our missile and space program. New Mexico's terrain is so similar to the moon that Neil Armstrong spent time on a ranch here learning to walk on the sandy soil and rocks. And we learned that the Space Port I questioned yesterday is very real. It was built during the race to build a private aircraft to go into space and back with private passengers. The $10 million contest was won in 2004 by a group from California. The Space Port is still being used but not for the same purpose right now. There is so much more that we saw and did today, but this is already long enough. I could write pages for just today's adventure. It was so interesting. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Las Cruses, New Mexico-November 22, 2011

Not a word has been said, but I think on this date in 1963, Pres. Kennedy was assasinated. That was quite a while ago. Ok, we had a good trip from Elephant Butte. This park in Las Cruses is very nice though a bit dusty. Las Cruses is a very busy city. It's clean, too. And it is not depressing like E.Butte. We will be here at least a week. The mountains east of here are quite jagged and very unique. That means they are young, comparatively speaking. We've not seen any quite like these. They look blurry through the front window. We went to walk around Old Mesilla Village and found so many fun items. But we don't have room to store them. We ate dinner at La Posta de Mesilla. It was just delicious. We may go back there again before we leave. On the way here we passed an exit for the New Mexico Spaceport. Have you ever heard of that? Were they going to launch people into space from there? That was a surprise to us. We also saw, on the other side of the road, Border Patrol agents going through every car, truck, van, motorhome, anything on the road. Might we assume they were looking for illegals? That really caused a backup. We are glad they were not on our side of the interstate. We have so many places we could hide somebody, but would not. I think we will find some very interesting things to do here. Stay tuned..............

Elephant Butte Lake-November 21, 2011

For two days we have had horrendous wind. During the night the wind quit and first thing this morning, the rain started. I think this was a stop to simply provide us with rest. It was not an adventure to see what's here. So, we will head on down the road tomorrow morning. We did go out today for lunch and drove to the dam at the end of the lake. We were stunned at how low the lake is. And it is not because lakes downstream are always lower in the winter. It is because this area is in a drought. The weeds in the picture were once water. It's depressed and depressing enough here even in good times, but to look at that gigantic hole just makes this a really sad place to live. How I hope these people find better times in the future. We did meet our "next door neighbor". He is from Maryland. We enjoyed our talk until the rain increased and we all ran indoors. We will be to see another part of New Mexico tomorrow. For the record: Jerry was right. This is not Elephant Butte, it is Elephant Butt!

Elephant Butte, New Mexico-November 19, 2011

Jerry has called this city Elephant Butt all day long. I just can't handle staying at a Butt. It does end in "e"! Butte. It is very close to Truth or Consequences. It is fortunately off the beaten path in a town of 7000 people at about 4000 ft in elevation. So far so good. But the wind is blowing terribly hard and has for most of the day. That's why we stopped early. We have not even put out our left side slides yet because of the wind. The terrain between Albuquerque and here is hard to describe because I can't choose which word is more accurate: drab, brown, boring, barren, uninhabitable. You choose which you prefer because it is actually all of them. It is not fit for rocks, much less humans. How sad. However, around this little city there is so much history rich with silver mining. We had planned to stay here only 2 days but we may have to stay a few days longer just to see it all, or at least part of it. As we typcially do, we take Sunday off. So, tomorrow will be a day of rest for us. I hope it is for you, too. Monday will either begin our adventure in this area or we will be on the move again. We reach a point in Las Cruces where we have to go east through El Paso and on into Texas or go east and head toward Tuscon, AZ. We enjoyed AZ so much farther north that we may go east. We'll see which way we are lead.

Great dinner-November 18, 2011

We had dinner tonight with the girlfriend of one of Derrick's close friends. Beth is attending the Univ. of New Mexico on a golf scholarship. We went to Little Anita's in old town Albuquerque. Let me back up a bit. We left mid-afternoon so we could drive Route 66 into town and to also have time to walk as much of old town as we could. I will tell you I have looked at more turquoise jewelry than I needed to see or ever will need to see again. And I suspect it was not all native made. It is sad to see what has become of Route 66. It was really something in its hayday. Anyway, we stopped in at the Candy Lady shop to see what candy she had. We were waited on by the owner. Before we got out of there we had a map of New Mexico with several routes we can take and sights to see, all highlighted! We have met some of the most unique people on this journey. This was one more to add to the list. She was a riot. Dinner with Beth was a delight. The food was good, the company was terrific and our waiter was a complete dimwit. Overlooking him, it was a fun evening. We have decided not to go north. We do not want to try to figure out how to wrap pipes to get through nights that are in the 20s. Sadly, that means no Thanksgiving with Derrick this year. We still don't know where we will go tomorrow, but we will be on the road again.

Albuquerque, NM-November 17, 2011

We arrived in Albuquerque this afternoon after a drive through so many terrain changes we lost count. About every 30 miles or so the scenery drastically changed. When we crossed into New Mexico (our 21st state on this trip) we were facing the painted cliffs. We almost squealed with surprise. They were just fabulous. I tried taking pictures but through the front windshield they were blurry. We also went through about 20 miles of solid lava rock on both sides of the road. In fact, they had to blast through it to build the road. See picture above. It is so easy to see the rolling turbulence that took place while this planet Earth was being formed. It is just written on the face of the land. And we are so thrilled to have been able to see all of this. We did venture into the hectic world of the city of Albuquerque for dinner tonight. We successfully found a great Mexican restaurant. We have been looking for such a restaurant for weeks. We never did find one in Arizona anywhere. So we are truly happy campers. We planned to stay here for two days and then decide whether to go north or not. The Colorado weather is iffy right now. We'll see. Oh I forgot to mention the goats. Outside Gallup, we stopped for a break. Thankfully we do not have to go into a rest area, but we still sometimes walk around outside. So, we did today. In the field next to the rest area there appeared a herd of goats, all white except for one big black one. He was the leader. Those goats all marched like a marching band. Left, left, left-right-left. I'm not kidding. They were in complete lockstep with each other. Two broke away to eat some weeds. They quickly joined the group and fell right back into perfect step with the rest. We just stood there and watched in awe. It was such a sight to see and we were having so much fun I forgot to take out my cell phone and video it. You would have enjoyed the sight as much as we did.

Painted Desert/Petrified Forest-November 16, 2011

We made it to Holbrook, Arizona today, connected everything quickly and jumped in the car to go to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. The Painted Desert was beautiful and reminded us of the badlands of South Dakota with more red color. The Petrified Forest just blew us away. It was so spectacular. Looking at tree trunks that were 200 million years old was just stunning. They have crystalized with many different colors yet still contain some small pieces of wood. A petrified log has an incredible feel to it. There were places where the volcanic ash was mixed with tiny pieces of petrified wood. Such a sight. Jerry said this was one place he always wanted to see and had never had the opportunity. So, today was a special day for him. I honestly don't think I ever thought about the desert or forest when I was growing up but I am always happy to go see anything pretty and awe inspiring. I loved the forest. It was positively breathtaking. We have been so blessed to have so many days on this trip that left us speechless with the beauty of this country. How I wish everyone could see what we have seen so far. What a a trip!

An RV that sparkles!-November 16, 2011

We were delayed in going out today by two guys who came to wax the land barge. They used a wax that was developed in Arizona for this climate. It is fabulous. They did a terrific job and we are very pleased. Now we can see the glittery finish like we never have before. How delightful to have such a clean coach. Poor little Cute Red Vehicle needs cleaning now. It's against the rules to wash the car in this park. We did make a quick trip into Cottonwood this afternoon for a Christmas gift. Yes, it's just around the corner. We will be moving down the road tomorrow. Not sure exactly where we will end up yet. Will let you know tomorrow. We're going back through Flagstaff so we will be climbing some wild and crazy mountains. We do think we will come back here again next year. It's just a great place to stay. The scenery is so pretty, people are nice and the weather is great.

A clean RV!-November 14, 2011

We stayed here today to have our coach professionally cleaned on the outside. It surely does look nice. The top of it was dirty and everytime it rained, the dirt ran down the sides. Neither one of us felt the urge to climb up on top and scrub it with a brush and hose. So we paid someone to do it. It was worth every penny. Then we decided it looked so nice that we would have the guy come back tomorrow and wax it. We walked around it and thought he had made us a deal at twice the price. It would take us at least two or three days to do what he can do in part of one day. So tomorrow may not be a wild and exciting day. We'll see. We're studying where to go next. Happy Birthday to my mother!!

Tuzigoot Monument-November 12, 2011

We have seen more dwellings of so many different Indian tribes that I do not think we'd pass a test on all of them. Today was a pueblo dwelling of the Sinagua ("without water") Indians just outside of old town Cottonwood called Tuzigoot ("crooked water"). These Indians built 120 feet above the Verde River on a very tall hill (called a mountain here). Each family that moved in built a room attached to the others. So, at one time there were 77 complete rooms in this pueblo. They were built in the 1100s and abandoned very mysteriously in the 1400s. Some believe they are ancestors of the Anasazis in the Four Corners area which mysteriously disappeared in the 1600s. I'll stop with all the facts and tell you this valley was so gorgeous, but today was very windy. We walked every place we could and tried to imagine how ingenious these Indians were. They used every available resourse to make a way of life. Their fulltime jobs were simply surviving from one day to another. We are amazed at what they could do and how strong they were. This southwestern part of our trip has taught us so much history and so much compassion for what difficult lives these people lived. It is truly amazing. Tomorrow is Sunday so I wish you a restful and enjoyable day.

Sedona-November 11, 2011

Yesterday was consumed by a sewing project I was determined to complete. I did and it feels good. Today we decided we wanted to see the movie, J Edgar. It took some time to find a theater. The only one we found was in Sedona. So, we made our first trip there. We are both so glad we had to go there. We would not have wanted to miss Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. I can't begin to describe it. It was beautiful, too beautiful. It came close to looking like someone carved the mountains and then painted the layers. Then somebody else had to plant all the dark green trees. The houses are a lot like Santa Fe. Few colors are allowed. All buildings, residential and commercial, were of the adobe style. However, the way they situate the buildings into the hills is very unique and very appealing. As you go through the valley to get to Oak Creek and Sedona, it's just typical desert. Then suddenly you are "slapped" in the face, figuratively with this spectacular scenery. It was another one of those days where we ran out of adjectives. This area saves money on traffic lights by putting in roundabouts. The theater was at the 9th roundabout!! We were dizzy by the time we found it.  Now a word about the movie. The theater was packed with old folks like us. And that's because you have to be this age to understand what a devious and powerful man J Edgar Hoover was. And the rumors that surrounded him were true. The acting was great and the makeup was incredible. It is definitely a must see. Like all Clint Eastwood directed movies, it is long, but well worth sitting through.

Alcantara-November 9, 2011

I did not post a blog yesterday. I assumed you would not want to hear about housecleaning! Today we went to the Alcantara winery in between where we are in Camp Verde and Cottonwood. It was way off the beaten path, down a long dirt road all the way to the Verde River. It was a beautiful location. We met the owner who also calls herself a farmer. In fact she was on her way to an Arizona Farm Bureau meeting. It was fun to listen to how she takes care of the plants which today are brittle and brown from the past few nights of very low temps. We enjoyed the stop but did not buy anything.  If it were not for the intense summer heat in this area we both can see how someone would want to live here. It's really a great place. The scenery is not just beautiful, it is also soothing. We'll stay a little longer and then check the weather to see if we can go back to Derrick's for Thanksgiving. An interesting note: Alcantara is the owner's mother's family name and it means "the bridge". I really like that.   

Montezuma's Well-November 7, 2011



It makes sense that after we saw Montezuma's Castle we would also need to see Montezuma's Well. It is what it sounds like. It is a naturally occuring, continously refreshed open pit well that stays at 76° year round. The Sinagua Indians found where the water could be taken from the bottom of the well and run through an irrigation ditch to their crops which included beans and cotton. The construction of the mile long, 3 foot deep canal was way ahead of its time. These Indians lived in three different kinds of homes around this well. There were cliff dwellings, homes on top of the cliff and pit dwellings which were houses built only half way into the ground. All of these houses were built to stay naturally warm in winter and cool in summer. All of the native plants provided food, dyes, fiber for clothing and baskets and medicines. It is amazing to see how they carved out a way of life using all of the natural things around them. And they did it without cell phones!! Seriously, it is really an amazing sight and the well is beautiful. The trail around it was fun to walk. But before we made our way back to the parking lot, it started raining with grauple mixed in it. It was a cold rain, but the temperature actually rose 13° while it was falling. No, I cannot explain that. As soon as it quit, the temperature dropped again and we were ready to leave. The sun is out now and it's another nice day. We are so glad that Arizona has gone to such great pains to save all of this history so that we can see it and enjoy it.

Jerome, AZ-November 5, 2011

Today we went to Jerome, a very old copper mining town that sits high on a mountain 3000 feet above the Verde Valley floor. There was a fresh dusting of snow on the higher peaks, but the weather was still tolerable. Cool but windy, 49°. The State Museum was the best museum we have seen so far. First of all we knew very little about copper mining, but we know alot now. Zinc, silver and gold were also mined here but the lifeblood of the economy was copper. The mines are closed now so only about 50 people still live there. And they are all hippies. However, town was crowded today. We had to wait for a table at the Mile High Grill at lunch. There was some fabulous copper jewelry in the local jewelry store. One store had nothing but kaliedescopes. They were fabulous with price tags to match. I can just see us trying to protect a $1500 kaliedescope as we bounce down the road. That would be a hoot! Jerome sits on top of two fault lines that are quiet for now. However in the early 1900s there was a quake that moved the city jail 225 feet down the mountain side. It's still there but definitely not in use. Jerome has as rich a history as any gold mining town, but is not as well known because copper was not the bright shiny stuff the 49ers were looking for. A walk through the museum and then through town shows us what incredibly strong people lived in this city over 100 years ago. The museum did have a video to watch showing the history of Jerome. It was 27 minutes long. We thought we'd watch about 5 or 6 minutes of it and then leave. We sat for the entire 27 minutes and enjoyed every minute of it. The story was told by a "ghost" who walked us through history with an indepth look at many buildings and all the purposes they served. It was such a unique perspective we just had to see it all. This was a wonderful experience completed with breathtaking views from the top of the city. It was a bit cloudy for most of the day so the pictures did not turn out as well as we would have liked. But we have great memories.

NOTE: Don't forget to change your clocks tonight before you go to bed! We don't change here in Arizona and we love that.  

Montezuma Castle-november 3, 2011

Montezuma was never in this area. However, his descendants and followers moved here from Mexico. Therefore this castle has his name. It is not a castle in the sense we know. These Indians (or Native Americans), the Hopi, lived just as the Anasazi Indians in Mesa Verde, Colorado. They built their homes into the side of the mountain. This one is slightly different in that it is 5 stories high, all of it inside the mountain. They built walls on the outside which made it look like an adobe house. This dwelling was so large and so elaborate they call it a castle. So, of course all we can see is the outside wall and holes in the side of the mountain. It is incredible to think these people figured out how to engineer their dwellings in the sides of a sandstone mountain. They used every plant and tree in the area for every conceivable use including food, tools, shelter and fabric. Some trees are a harder wood than others. Those were used for tools. The river below was used for irrigating their crops by means of canals that moved the water out of the river into the fields, basically the same way farmers irrigate today if they lack sprinklers. This dwellling faces south which gave this castle solar heating all year round. These people left this area in the 1400s. It is easy to say they were way ahead of their time. We had no idea when we drove in that Montezuma's Castle was actually a cliff dwelling. It is a beautiful area that is very well maintained by the National Park Service. It was an interesting and informative day.

Verde Valley-November 3, 2011

Today was one of those unfun days. We had to go grocery shopping, something neither of us likes to do, but it is quite necessary. As we drive around and study maps and websites we find we are in the middle of a number of cities and sites. We are very close to Cottonwood, Sedona, Jerome, Dewey, Prescott, not to mention the city of Camp Verde. We are close to Montezuma National Monument, two national forests, two ranches that are open to the public and more! We may be here a while or we will come back next year to see what we miss this year. We did grocery shop in Cottonwood, just a few short miles down the road. This is certainly nothing to blog about, but we are excited to have access to all of this and eventually be able to share it with you. We have not a clue what we will choose to do tomorrow. Today was an absolutely beautiful day. For the last two days we have had nothing but clear blue skies, not a cloud in sight. Today we had those wonderful ice crystal clouds. It was such a treat. No wind today. Our pomegranate bush/tree is once again very happy and has put on a little tiny pomegranate. It's so cute. Hopefully we will not knock it off before it matures.

Camp Verde, AZ-November 2, 2011

It was quite a ride from Williams to Camp Verde. The wind came up just after we left Williams and it really got strong. We just had to slow down and take it easy. We went up from 6700 feet in Williams to 7000 feet at the Arizona Divide. Then we came down to 3200 feet  here over some very steep grades. They even have runaway truck ramps here. When we went through Flagstaff, we came through a forest. Now we are in the high desert. It is quite unique. We both agreed we may stay here for an extended length of time. This is so peaceful and it is really hard to describe. It is on an Indian Reservation. We loved the last one we stayed on. People are friendly. The wind has died down. It is wonderfully warm, but not hot. Very, very nice. And we have a tiny little lizard who seems to be annoyed with us because we disturbed his home. He's about 2-3 inches long. No problem. We will study the internet to see what things we can find to enjoy while we are here. The pictures I took along the way are not nice enough to share. Sorry.

Bearizona-November 1, 2011

I say it every month-where did last month go? It is extremely windy today. We are so happy we were lead to stick around here another day. Traveling in this would not have been pleasant. And I suspect it will not be a fun night of sleep. However, these days happen now and then. We will just hang in there and travel tomorrow. Today we went to Bearizona. It's a wild life park that you drive through. I believe there are a number of these around the country. This one is being vastly upgraded so down the road it will be fantastic. It was fun and we did enjoy the animals. We did not open our windows in the bear exhibits and we did not feed any of the animals. We saw white bison, Dall sheep, black bears, bighorn sheep, wolves, and American bison. They had an area that we could walk through with baby animals in exhibits. The bear cubs were great entertainment. Then we went to a raptor show. The birds were beautiful. They were allowed to fly across the audience. I was brushed on the head twice and Jerry was hit once by the feathers at the end of the bird's wings. We were asked not to duck because it decreases the amount of wind the birds fly on, so we sat very still. It was so unique. Susan who conducted the presentation was excellent. She made every moment extremely interesting. It was such a beautiful day, if you ignore the wind, that it felt great to get outside. I'm having a hard time deciding what picture to attach. There are so many. What a nice day!

Williams, AZ-October 31, 2011

We spent a big portion of today walking the streets of Williams. It does not seem like a big city until you start walking one block after another and going from one shop to another. It was such a beautiful day we could not have stayed in. We did encounter a shop owner who said she was in costume for Halloween. I did not realize it. I thought she was just dressed like Annie Oakley because it fits in with this part of the country. She was also carrying an antique rifle! We ate at Pine Country Inn and it was delicious. The main road in town is still a part of Route 66, so most businesses have that in their title. We still have several more things to do so we can't leave yet. If we could bottle this daytime weather and carry it with us, we'd be happy campers. I know we could sell it. It's wonderful. The nights are another matter. It gets a bit chilly at night, low 30s or sometimes lower. That's not a complaint. It could be much worse. Tomorrow may be a visit to Bearizona or back to the Grand Canyon. We'll decide over coffee in the morning.

The Grand Canyon-October 29, 2011



Of all the sights we have seen so far, and there have been many, this is absolutely, hands-down, the most spectacular. We rode the train to the rim and we all got up the 47 steps within minutes of each other. There was not a word spoken. It was so beautiful that not one of several hundred riders could speak. We all just stood. The first view bordered on being emotional. About every 20-30 feet we walked the landscape changed. As the sun moved the colors changed, too. It is not possible to see the Colorado River from this spot and we knew that ahead of time. At some point in the future we'd like to see the top as viewed from the bottom. The weather was absolutely perfect today. We did not even need jackets. I'm not going to spend this entire blog trying to think of words to describe this scenic wonder. You must see it for yourself. I want to spend a few words on the train ride. Each car has an attendent who puts out the food and soft drinks and coffee. He also trys to see to it that everybody is happy and having fun. He locks the train when everybody gets off at the top. Then he is there when we all board again. The rest of the time was spent riding and looking at scenery. It's a 65 mile trip, one way, and takes about 2 hours. It all starts with a wild west shoot-out, the kind you see everywhere. It was so corny we did not stick around. On the way up we had a nice young man who traveled between cars singing country songs. He sang very softly. He is what Simon Cowell would call a lounge singer. Coming back this afternoon we had a harmonica player/accordian player/comic. He was just way too funny. We were all so tired we needed the singer so we could fall asleep. A little farther down the tracks we had to stop the train to allow 3 train robbers to board. As it turned out they were the ones who had done the wild west shoot-out this morning. And the Marshall (clearly stated he was not a sheriff) followed and chased them off the train. He was also a comic. So, it was quite a day with lots of different activities. We walked for 3 hours while at the top. At the rate we are going we will need a 3rd pair of tennis shoes before this summer is over! Today was another reminder that "God's handiwork is the embroidery of the earth".  I also want to share that Derrick arrived safely home this afternoon. He is tired and suffering from jet lag but I suspect he is glad to be home. He only lost one tree in the snow storm and it was one that needed to be cut down anyway. All is well.

Williams, Arizona-October 28, 2011

We arrived in Williams, AZ this afternoon. The wind was not a problem but the interstate was really rough with lots of holes. That can mean lots of really bad weather or way too many heavy trucks. Who knows? Willliams is the "gateway to the Grand Canyon". It's a cute little town that relies solely on tourism to exist. We have booked seats on the train going to the Grand Canyon tomorrow morning. We'll be in the observatory car. We are not early risers anymore so it will be an interesting morning getting ready. As much as the tickets cost we definitely will not miss this train! It's an all day trip. Much to our annoyance we left our winter clothes in a storage unit in Colorado so if it gets too cold tomorrow we will just have to bite the bullet and buy sweatshirts or freeze. If it's only in the mid 50s we will be fine and love every minute of it. Care to guess how many pictures we will probably take tomorrow? Derrick has landed in Hong Kong and is close to boarding his flight to San Francisco. This is not good on a mother's nervous system.  Can you imagine what our Thanksgiving will be like with all of the pictures we both have taken? It should be fabulous fun sharing our experiences.

Lunch in Kingman-October 27, 2011

You know lunch had to be good and/or fun to put it in a blog. It was both. The restaurant was recommended to us so today we made it a point to stop at the Bar Steakhouse on Route 66 (aka Andy Devine Blvd). It almost felt like we had entered a really nice barn. There was sawdust on the floor. All around the ceiling were plaques with different cattle brands and who they belonged to. That was very interesting. Our waitress was fun and the food was good. There was a large board on one white wall that said "Don't squat with your spurs on"! I think I will be able to remember that for future reference but I hope I am never in that position. Pardon the pun. There was a room devoted to Andy Devine who lived in Kingman for most of his life. That tells my age if I know who Andy Devine is. I did not know his character's name (Jingles) and I did not remember whose side kick he was (Wild Bill Hickock). And truthfully it did strain my brain to think about all of this. We all need a challenge. We also went to mail a package to Alabama. We went to one of those private postal places because we needed a box. We had a blast in that place. The two ladies working in there were like stand up comics. They thrived on each other's humor. What fun! It warmed up nicely today to a wonderful 65° with pretty sunshine. What a great day! Oh, I must share that Derrick skyped tonight from China. When technology works correctly it is wonderful. What a treat to think neither of us is at home but we talked like it was local.  He's only 8000+ miles away. We could clearly see each other. What a delight! He leaves tomorrow which is Saturday there and gets back home on Saturday. He is gaining back the day he lost flying over there. I'll feel better when his feet are back on solid ground. Prayers for safe travel for all of us will be appreciated.

D3 and Hualapai Mountain-October 26, 2011

Over coffee, we were not sure what we wanted to do today. First we stopped at the office to tell them we want to stay an extra day. It is so terribly windy to be in the land barge, so we will ride out the wind here and then move on. On the way into town we could clearly see bright yellow airplanes off in the distance. Who had yellow planes? DHL, remember them? They are out of business. So we found our way there and realized it is part of a museum. It's a hangar and today is quite chilly, so we did not stop. On our way out of the airport complex we passed Desert Diamond Distillery. It is a medium sized building surrounded by a big fence. I drove past it and Jerry wanted to turn around. I did. Just as we were about to reach for the door handle, the door opened and we were invited in. As it turns out this is a family operated distillery making Gold Miner brand spirits. We entered through the retail/gift shop and were greeted with warm hand shakes. Then we got a private tour. After having seen the breweries at Coors and Anheiser-Bush, this distillery appeared to be a small operation. Wrong! They are working very hard to produce quality products and get them distributed. Name recognition is big in this industry so they have their work cut out for them. But you can tell they are industrious and determined. I predict they will be a great success. They have already won awards for all four of their products. After the tour, if you like, you can sample all of their delicious liquors. We really enjoyed this stop and recommend if you are ever in Kingman, you stop in, too. We left there and drove up Hualapai Mountain. What a fantastic view with a panorama that goes on for miles. Jerry spotted two deer so I put the car in reverse and he took pictures. That's why I have included the picture you see. If you look closely you will see that the two deer were clearly watching us. We left them alone and came home to get warm. It was a great day especially to have had no plans at all when it started.

Kingman, AZ-October 25, 2011

What a day. The wind was not supposed to arrive until tomorrow. It came in this morning as soon as we were on the road out of Las Vegas. We did not want to be in LV tomorrow as they had already posted high wind warnings. We also did not want to have to cross that new interstate "in the sky" across Hoover Dam. But, there were no options. What we did not know is that there were 3 of those bridges and we did not want to cross one! Oh, my. We were just onto the second bridge when a flashing sign said "High profile vehicles not recommended" because of high crosswinds. Well, good grief, we were on a bridge. It's not like we could exit off the thing. I asked Jerry what they thought they were doing telling people not to go when there was no place to get off? We both got a good laugh at the stupidity of that sign. We kept going forward since there was no choice. It was very windy. When there was a strong crosswind it really slowed us down. But prayers and faith helped push us up the hill. Into Arizona the terrain turned a very ugly shade of brownish black. We cannot see why anybody would live here. We felt the same way about Idaho and Utah, but they were lighter shades of brown. Then we got to Kingman and I said if it were not windy we would keep on going to Flagstaff. This is a very unattractive area. Yet, Kingman brags about being the "heart of route 66". Jerry said it will not get better from here. So, I will have to get used to brown. It's never been my favorite color. This is a cute little park. We have the windows open and it is cooling down a bit. Feels great. We'll see what we find tomorrow but we do not have high hopes of seeing any beautiful landscapes. The picture is the last view of the Colorado River on this trip. Look closely. It's at the bottom of the gorge. I just stuck my hand out the window and snapped.

Valley of Fire-October 24, 2011

We thought Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston were beautiful. They paled in comparison to the Valley of Fire. It was just spectacular. It is not necessary to try to imagine how this earth was formed by the powerful force of water. It is clearly visible in every inch of the landscape. It is an unbelievable sight. Layer after layer of so many colors, each representing a different type of rock. We did study at the visitor/education center and find out that this area is only 4000 years old. It was formed when limestone platelets in the earth's crust off the coast of southern California shifted and pushed the lighter weight and softer sandstone to the surface. Looking at all of this beauty makes that so easy to grasp. We really enjoyed this valley. It is still desert but it does support more animal life than other places we have been. We saw longhorn sheep, ground squirrels that begged us for food (we did not feed them), tiny birds that preferred the ground over the air, and a jack rabbit. We had a hard time getting pictures of the sheep as they were always walking away from us. Their south end is not their best side! I do hope that each and every one of you will one day get the opportunity to see this incredible valley. We came back by Lake Mead. The lake is so far down that the pictures were not pretty. No one is concerned about the level because it is actually up over what it has been in past years. It is a massive lake so it must take years to see any change at all in the level of the water. We are heading on down the road tomorrow. We want to be situated elsewhere before the high winds hit here. We'll see what this huge windshield reveals tomorrow.

On The Border-October 22, 2011

No, this picture is not On The Border restaurant. We did eat there but it was in another part of town. This is Fremont St in downtown Las Vegas. I mentioned a week ago that there was a canopy over the whole area so you could walk downtown and the weather would not bother you. We went back tonight so I could take a picture to see if you can understand what I meant. I was standing between Binion's and the Golden Nugget looking straight up. That's the canopy. It is really nice. Tonight on the street was Big Bird, Elvis in a red suit (awful) and Elvis in a white suit, two members from KISS, an angel (not really), Pee Wee Herman, and some more we forgot about. Oh, there was a guy with 3 very well worn orange construction cones on his head, but he was not one of those people who are paid to be there. I'm not even sure he knew where he was! These costumed people just walk around so you can have friends or family members take pictures of you with them. It goes without saying they will accept a tip! Big Bird had a bucket that said "Tips accepted for bird seed and I eat a lot!". It is hard to imagine that just walking and looking is complete outdoor entertainment. But it is a fun time. I told Jerry I wanted to play a slot machine, so we went into the Mermaids casino. I found a cute machine and put $10 in. It was a penny machine so I played a 25 cent spin. I decided I'd just take my ticket and cash it in. Well, wouldn't you know that casino is so old, they pay in real coins? Do you know how heavy a plastic cup with $9.75 in nickels is? It's heavy, trust me! I was quite annoyed that I did not notice that before I put my money in. But you can walk to the cashier in the back and get money in the place of the nickels. So, all was not lost or wasted. What a great evening we had. We will take tomorrow as a day of rest. Hope you can do the same.

Not leaving yet-October 21, 2011

We have decided to stay here a few more days. We are not in a hurry to be anywhere else, so we will enjoy this area a little longer. We do know they have an On The Border restaurant here somewhere. Having told you in previous blogs that it's our favorite restaurant, we will search for it tomorrow. We went to the Galleria today, to Kohl's. So it was more like we lived here instead of being tourists. Sorry there is nothing exciting to write about tonight. Maybe tomorrow there will be. We never plan our day. We just get up in the morning, have our coffee and decide what we will do. It's actually a great way of life. More tomorrow...................

Bellagio, etc-October 20, 2011

Where do I begin today? If we are going to leave tomorrow we had errands we had to run today. We got all of that done plus going to the post office. Then we decided that we should see the Bellagio show again plus the Treasure Island show, just in case we leave tomorrow. So we saw the Bellagio show first. See picture above. Every show is slightly different and is played to different music. Then we headed toward Treasure Island. On the way we ran into an Occupy Las Vegas march. We both were so annoyed we could have slapped a few of those people. Along with some absolutely stupid signs, including quotes from Ronald Reagan that do not pertain to their cause, there were signs about paying the dealers at Caesars more money. Those people did not know what they were marching for. Bless their tiny little cold hearts. But they had an enormouse police escourt with full lights flashing. We went on and found us a spot at Treasure Island for the sinking of the pirate ship. Again we were a tad too close and the heat was pretty intense. But it was a great show. Neither of us had seen that one before. We got a bite to eat at Gilley's. It's not like the one that started in Pasadena, TX, but it was still really good food. And our wait staff was great. We decided that if this park has room for us we will stay a few more days. If not, we will move on. We still have things left to see and do. So if we have to leave tomorrow we will have to come back again to finish up what we did not get done on this trip. Las Vegas is a great city for lots of reasons. If you are a gambler, there are countless casinos to visit. If you like beautiful scenery the city is surrounded. And if you just want to people watch you can be entertained for hours. Plus if you want to spend an arm and a leg for a show, you can do that, too. I need to make a couple more notes. First of all, sit down for this one, Las Vegas had more churches per capita than any other city in the entire country. The public transportation system has articulating buses that go so fast they make your head spin. The amount of interstate construction rivals Utah. Again, look at what a powerful Senator they have. The lanes in the streets are not marked by painted stripes. No, they use round metal delineators that are not visible at night. It is a real hoot to drive here at night. One must pretend they are a taxi cab on a tight schedule!  And, finally, Nellis AFB is home to the flying team known as the Thunderbirds. We can hear all the engine noise here in this park. We are more familiar with the Blue Angels so if we stay here much longer we will have to learn about the Thunderbirds. And lastly, for those of you on the coast, the oleanders are blooming here and they are taller than most houses. Unbelievable! I'm sorry I made you read so much! It was a full and busy day. And fun.