CRITCH & LINDA 2008 TRAVELS

summer trip complete

2008-08-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

5,331 miles and 93 days

CROSSING MIDDLE AMERICA

2008-08-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous country we have and so beautiful to see:

We left Elkhart Indiana to cross Interstate 80 taking about 3 days to get to Nebraska. We seem to bring with us along the way, thunder, lightening and even some tornado warnings.
I truly enjoy seeing our country and only wish we could spend more time seeing more as we pass through different areas. The above pictures were at a roadside historical monument showing the layers of granite there for hundreds of years. It was beautiful to look across the flat dry land to see such beautiful colors in the mountains. As we crossed Indiana and Iowa, we really saw what they mean about it being the Iowa corn state. Lots of small towns, large farms and beautiful crops.

As we traveled across Nebraska the change was very dramatic. Obviously near Iowa is all dark green corn. Nebraska is also a large farming area, beautiful green crops, Alfalfa, wheat, corn etc. As you start nearing Sidney they farm more wheat and have lots of oil wells.

We really enjoyed visiting our friends, Bruce and Darla Evertson in Kimball. They have a nice KOA right in town so it was great to be right near them. Darla and I played golf and we had 3 nights of dinner at their home. It was fun with their friends and just being able to visit. On Sunday, Bono, (Critch’s grandson) drove up from Boulder, CO and spent the night with us. He also enjoyed meeting Dar and Bruce and we had a great visit and birthday celebration with him too. (pictures too).

As we left Kimball we headed to Rock Springs, WY for the night and started seeing more oil wells and dry land as it is considered high desert. We only spent the night then drove on to Utah to Charlie’s RV service to see Vicki and Charlie. Both Critch and I truly enjoyed some of the spots we saw.

We arrived in Sunset, UT on Tuesday the 28th of July to have a few items fixed that we still hadn’t gotten resolved. We had a great time with Vicki and Charlie, went out to dinner twice and one night spent a great evening at their home. Evertson’s had given us some Alaskan King Salmon that Bruce had caught, so I thawed that out and we bar be qued at their home. Vicki and I enjoyed a great swim in the pool. Their home is beautiful as they continue to finish with their landscaping and yard. I spent the first day running around like a chicken as I wanted to get all our clothes laundered, marketing done, had the girls groomed etc., etc. Vicki and I decided we both wanted to see “Mamma Mia” and we so enjoyed the next afternoon at the movie; and what a great show.

We left there on August 1st and I drove all the way to St. George to spend 3 days there. I really like St. George as it’s such a clean and pretty city. The scenery there is fantastic with all the red mountains. It is a very growing area and has anything you could possibly want, close to Bryce Canyon, Zion etc. It’s also only 30 + miles to Mesquite. I ended up going to the movies on Sunday and saw “Step Brothers” and it was a waste of money. Don’t bother with that one.

We are now parked for 10 days at Outdoor resorts in Las Vegas, staying in Larry and Sandy’s lot until we can take the coach back to California. Will continue this blog as we enjoy our time here in Vegas.

TRAVELING JULY 19TH TO 24TH

2008-07-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Life is great: Here we are heading West on Highway 80 thinking this is going to be a long hard drive - But, as usual we stopped the first night and met the nicest couple, Dave and Linda from Connecticut. Who would have thought that we would end up spending the next couple nights together and have such a great visit with them. This new puppy attracts everyone and when Dave and Linda saw me out with her they decided it was time to take a walk. Needless to say, we had to have cocktail time together for the next couple of nights. Not only that, they had to stop for a day and I had told them we were going to stop in Sidney, NE and on their way through, stopped just to visit and see us for the last time on this trip. What a fun and great couple they are.

We stopped in Sidney to see our friends, Mark and Deanna Jensen. We got here on Tuesday and I found it very interesting to go out with Deanna to take dinners to their crews. They have severay combines that were busy with cutting so I wanted to see what it was all about. I have shown some pictures of the cutting process which I found very intesting.

We enjoyed going to dinner with Deanna as Mark had to travel to MN, etc., I guess about 2200 miles in 2 days. We only got to say hello to him this morning (7/23/08) before he headed out to work again. Unfortunately, they are so busy we ended up not getting to see them for dinner. But, as usual, we went to the Buffulo Point for dinner and met the nicest couple from Chicago - westward and were farmers. Fun couple and I got so carried away that Critch started walking back to the RV!!!!! I couldn't believe by the time I ended my conversation he was half way to the RV park at Cabela's???? He is feeling pretty spunky tonight so that is a great sign.

SUPREME RV SERVICE

2008-07-18T09:32:00.002-07:00

We are feeling very lucky to have arrived here to have our X-bracing done on this coach. These guys were tech's from Travel Supreme and I can't tell you what a great job they are doing and how nice they are in helping out. They had to weld in bracing in certain spots then the two front windows had to be reset - this was the biggest job of all and needed the full 3 days we are here. They were great in getting our insurance company to take care of some paint problems we had and repair some scratches so that also was a 3 day job to get that done and dried. Along with those major problems, there were several small issues to get done and they kept their schedule so all is getting done right on time. We have had 4-6 guys in and out taking care of things all three days. It has been really tiring but so happy to have this done.

We will be leaving here tomorrow morning (7/19) and heading to Kimball, NE to visit friends for a couple of days. We do plan to head to Vegas and I think my kids will come and get Critch and the grandkids and daughter-in-law will stay with me for a few days before we can go back into California on 8/16.

This has been a great trip, lots of fun things we have done and hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure. I really hate to go back to the desert in August but being gone 3 months is a little hard on Critch. I think I could be gone 4-5 months but also anxious to get back to the resort and see our friends in the fall.

Up to July 18th:

2008-07-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

ELKHART, IN

2008-07-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

We arrived here on Monday and the Elkhart Campground is spacious with lots of grass. We are glad to be settled again for a couple of weeks. We did part of the Heritage Trail which takes you through the Amish country. This year they have 12 quilt patterns done in flowers along the trail and they are beautiful. The one above was at Essenhaus.

Doug and Susan, our friends from WV, arrived on Wednesday afternoon. I had fixed dinner for that night so we had a great visit with nice weather, then had dinner in the coach. The next day Doug had an appointment with Gulf Stream to see the new "constellation". They brought the coach up and we were able to look it over very carefully. Susan is determined before they purchase they will have to make some changes in the bathroom. Otherwise, it is really a nice coach, has a lot of features taken from the Alfa with a long slide on one side and small one on the other. The bedroom has 2 beautiful lounging chairs to watch a large TV which is under the murphy bed. Doug was really drawn to that feature. It was fun to see some new ideas.

We then stopped at the "Country Store" which is a large barn divided into several stores with all kinds of baked goods, Amish breads and meats etc. We were able to find some goodies and some Xmas gifts. Doug decided to fix "flatsteak" which I had never had and spiced it with wasabe seasoning. I was surprised that it wasn't hot and was very good.

Friday the girls decided to drive to Middlebury and Shipshewana to see what the Amish country is really like. We stopped in Middlebury to have lunch at the Das Dutchman Essenhaus restaurant and bakery. It is all food prepared by the Amish and boy do they know how to bake. Obviously there was lots of shopping with the handmade quilts and other shops with goods made by the Amish. I found it very interesting to see how the Amish live. There are lots of farms and they bake everything from scratch. The roads have horse and carriages which is their way of transportation and you have to give them the right of way. Sometimes you can sit behind them going 5 miles an hour. We went into Shipshewana and actually decided the goods were all the same.

That town though is very populated with the Amish more so than the other town. I have enclosed some pictures of this area.

Along the ride from Elkhart you can see several different trailer and RV manufactures as this area is considered the RV capitol of the World. On Saturday we went to the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum, which was built by the RV industry. It is a beautiful building with so many past and present RV vehicles and trailers. We really enjoyed that museum and spent over an hour viewing the different old campers, and RV's. More pictures of included of those.

We decided that since Notre Dame is such a big name we drove and drove and drove so we could see the campus. When we finally found it - due to Doug's directions!!!!! we could not get near the campus as it is a "walking campus" only and no cars aloud. At that point we decided they lost out that we could not get excited about their school.

We got back in time for Doug to fix his "famous ribs". Now, remember I had made a point of finding the best ribs on this trip so I had to tell Doug that I would really doubt if he could make ribs to beet what I had tasted. As usual, we all had a great time having a few drinks and prepared dinner to eat outside in the beautiful weather. I was so concerned as Doug said he only cooks his ribs for 45 minutes - well, I cook them for 7-9 hrs with sauce on them so how could he bar b que them for 45 minutes?????

I gave him ********* stars!!!! He actually covers them with thyme, rosemary and his secret seasoning and cooks them on the bar be que. I have never had such great ribs in my life, they were excellant. Thanks Doug, can't wait until next summer so we can have those again. Had to say goodby on Sunday morning and so thankful that they could come and meet us from West Virginia. RV friends are so great.

We are now waiting for our appt to go to Supreme RV service on Wednesday as they will start the Xbracing on Wednesday afternoon and we will be done on Friday. We plan to leave there and head west for home. Will keep you updated on our progress.

Critch is not feeling to great and wants to get home. We will see how he does as we get closer but might send him home before I can take the coach into California. Time will tell but we will be home by the 16th of August.

LAST WEEK IN BRANSON-July 6th

2008-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The last week in Branson was very exciting and lots of fun. Our neighbors and I decided to try the boat trip on Lake Taneycomo and really enjoyed the scenery and the information about the lake. We first had another try at Ribs and at at Shorty Small's, noted for the best and I have to agree. Right at the Branson Landing they also have Joe's Crab Shack and another restaurant called "Louie's". Branson Landing is definitely a place to visit with restaurants and shopping.

Our trip along the river was interesting as we were told it never gets above 45 to 50 degrees. No wonder there is no water skiing or swimming people out there. It comes from the damn on a continual run therefore keeping the temperature at that degree all winter and summer. There is a beautiful fountain and fire that goes off every hour at the Landing and in the evening they play music to go with the water show.

On Wednesday I decided to go see Moe Bandy and what a great show he puts on. Again, between the Comets and Moe Bandi, those were the best two shows I saw. There is so much entertainment in Branson and lots of fun to see several. Like I said, 1 week in Branson does not do it justice.

Thursday was the day we had to drive to Springfield to have Critch's two teeth pulled and his new plate put in. I decided to get my nails done while he was in the dentist and low and behold I fell in love with our new little "Tina". I went to a beauty salon and there she was, an image of Tara when she was a puppy. I took Critch over to see her and all he could do was shake his head (yes was the word). This picture is her on the table next to my glass of wine - not a big glass. I think she must be 1/2 lb.!!!!
Since she was only 7 weeks we left her and the owners were going to give her the last shots and have her ready for us on Saturday as we headed out of town. I was able to have second thoughts but both Critch and I were excited to get her.
When we got ready to leave on Saturday morning we had a huge thunder and lightening storm. Was all I could do to get the car hooked up and go to meet Tina at Wal Mart in Ozark, MO. "Thank goodness, we drove about 15 miles and the sun came out and we continue to have great weather since then. When I told Joe and Kay Demarte, Joe was convinced I wasn't this crazy- and it was a stuffed animal!!! When he finally realized I was serious he said we have "oodles of Poodles". Sorry Chastain's, I guess we are up to you in the number of poodles we have!!! Tessie and Tara are not to thrilled but think they will warm up as time goes on.

Our first night was anything but easy. Tina is up every hour but when I take her out she does go. I know it will take awhile but hopefully, by the time we get home she will learn to be a traveler and sleep a little longer!!!!

We stopped the 5th at Red Barn Rendezvous RV park and it was delightful for an evening. We then drove to Crawfordsville, IN and enjoying an easy in and out to get us to Elkhart tomorrow. Only 155 miles to our destination for awhile. So looking forward to seeing Doug and Susan on Wednesday so will update after next week.

BRANSON CONTINUE - JUNE 30TH

2008-06-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Going back over the last few days, I have several things I did, but mostly have to tell you about my lust for finding the best ribs in Branson!!!! As I said in my other post, the Famous Dave's ribs were excellent but then decided to try some that were recommended by the tour books. One is Danna's on Hwy 165 - went there for lunch and although the books and reviews say they were great, I was disappointed. It is just a small cafe and order your food at the counter. The ribs were to well done for me and a little tough. Critch and I then decided to try the steak and rib house on Hwy 165 right across the street from our resort. It is called Odees. They sell ribs for $11.99 all you can eat. Very interesting as the spare ribs were $14.99 and these were the baby back ribs. I decided to go for the baby backs and they were fabulous, very tender, great flavor and you can have as much as you can eat. Our waitress was determined that the spare ribs were better so she kept bringing me one of those and they were very fatty and in my opinion not as good. Maybe we are just more used to baby back ribs in California.

On Friday night I decided to go see "Country Tonight" and really enjoyed the show. I had been wanting to see some country music and this was a wonderful evening of all kinds of country music.

More on food: We went to two other restaurants that we thought were great, One was the "Lone Star" which is located on the Yellow Route right behind the Andy Williams theatre. Critch and I had the best steaks - honestly felt they were as good as our Costco filet's. I would give that a 5* for flavor and excellent service. Another great spot is the "Pasta House" which is also on the yellow route about a block away. I had an artichoke which was stuffed with Italian stuffing and it was wonderful. We weren't to hungry so had that and a salad and was a great dinner. Critch had pasta and said it was also excellent.

On Friday, I decided to take a ride to silver Dollar City to see what that was all about. When I saw 60,000 cars and trolley's taking people from the parking lots, I changed my mind. It is also over $50.00 to get in and all I knew is they have rides so I didn't go in. I drove down past Indian Point and it is a beautiful area along the lake. There are lots of condo's and motels along there and a very growing area. I had lunch at this little floating cafe - not like Coeur d'Alene!! The lake right now is 14 ft above normal level. They have had so much rain here this year and we are sure feeling it. I have never been anywhere where it rains 4-5 inches in a day. In the 3 weeks we have been here there have been anywhere from 7-8 severe thunder and rain storms.

BRANSON CONTINUED - JUNE 22ND

2008-06-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

As we said, there is so much to see and do here and each day is a new adventure. We decided to go see a show that Denis and Joe went to called "Bill Haley and The Comets" and also see the 57' Heaven museum at the same time.

The 57 museum is owned by a neighbor at MCC, Glenn Patch. I can't tell you how fabulous this place is, especially if you remember the years from 1953 to 1960's. There were almost every kind of 1957 car you can imagine, each one so perfect. The museum also had memorabilia from that era of all kinds of items. Critch walked through the museum for over 1 1/2 hrs just viewing the cars. It was amazing to see the prices of the cars at the time they were sold. I enjoyed it also as there was a "Texaco" service station which looked like my dad's that he had back in the early 50's. This Dodge was just like my 1st husband when we were dating!!!! Only it was blue!

The Comet show was one of the best we have seen with lots of oldies. There were 3 of the original "Comets" there, the drummer being 84 years old, the two other are 74 and 76! Both Critch and I really enjoyed this and had front row seats so really got into the mood. The drummer brought the house down with his solo performance. For those of you at MCC, I had to take a picture of the piano player as he looked like Herb Easley on the piano!!! Maybe he started a new career?

For anyone that has not visited Branson, I highly recommend it. There is so much more here than I realized, and actually very pretty country, lakes and beautiful trees. We have had some wild thunder and lightening storms with a little hail, but the dogs and I just cover up and hold on!

We are spending this week trying to get things caught up. Have the RV guy coming back to fix my electric reel and today we have a dentist appointment to see what we can do about Critch's 2 teeth he broke! Oh well, it just takes time and this 2 weeks is giving us the chance to get everything done.

BRANSON, JUNE 14TH

2008-06-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Branson, MO: What can I say, this is a much prettier place than I expected and found there is so much to do here. It was great to pull in with Joe and Kay Demarte and see Denis and Pat Hollwedel again as they had been over to Nashville. We were also greeted by Ron and Linda Schuetz and Paul and Lucreta Wooten, and then pulled in Karen and Ted Zigan – all from MCC. We started out by having dinner Saturday evening at a fabulous fine dining restaurant called the “Candlestick” which overlooks Lake Taneycomo and also views to Branson’s new boardwalk shopping area and the bass shop.

We ended up seeing 5 shows in 3 days but had a ball. Each show was great and all different. First show was Bill Medley and Paul Revere and the Raiders, we saw Shoji Tabuchi and if you have never seen that show -it is a must when you come here. The talent and costumes and his playing the violin was great. Kay and I were the only ones to go see the Twelve Tenors but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of us then went on the showboat, had a great lunch and enjoyed not only the beautiful day we had, but they also had a great show on the paddle wheel boat. Again that night, we went to see Andy Williams and Ann Margaret with Denis and Pat. That was Critch’s night and he loved seeing that show. Ann Margaret looks great and the show was excellent – which surprised me as I am not an Andy Williams fan.

Some of the guys went fishing – ask Paul about his 32 fish he caught!!!!! A couple people went on the “Duck” which is an army amphibian car/boat that takes you on Table Lake and through the town. The girls took a day and went to “Eureka Springs” for some shopping but my favorite spot was seeing “Christ of the Ozarks”. It is the largest statue of Jesus and it was really awesome as shown in the picture. We did shop until we dropped and my feet hurt so badly, but I made it through the day.

On Wednesday evening we all had heavy appetizers as the Zigen’s and Hollodell’s left on Thursday (1day early). Everyone else is leaving Friday and Critch and I have decided to move over to the KOA which is right in town and stay another 2 weeks. The pace has been a little hectic for us so decided to stay here and get caught up and enjoy the area. The Ozarks is beautiful scenery, very green, and we would like to explore a little more. One week in this area is not enough as there is so much to do.

Thursday everyone spent the day preparing for departure and then we all had dinner together at a great Italian restaurant – only to find out they couldn’t serve alcohol! Was tough to say good by, but will look forward to seeing our friends again in October.

We pulled out of our spot on Friday morning (6/20) with beautiful blue skies – 5 minutes later we had a great rain and hopefully washed off the coach – but low and behold the sun was shining 20 minutes later when we got ready to hook up to our new spot in KOA Branson. (Picture’s included). After spending most of the day cleaning up we decided to go to the Branson landing to have an early dinner at “Famous Dave’s” for their noted great ribs – and boy they were the best I have ever had!!!! While in that area we went to the St. Louis Club shop and they had a great shirt I wanted Critch to have. (He played for St. Louis in 1941 and they won the pennant while he was overseas). Needless to say, the guys that worked in the store enjoyed talking to Critch and asked him to sign a couple of the baseballs. It was fun for Critch as he so enjoys talking of his baseball days.

More on our Branson adventure as we spend the next 2 weeks here.

LAKE LAVON, TX

2008-06-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Talk about the life - Joe is watching the golf match from his favorite place.

June 9th to 13th:We were delightfully pleased with our “Corp of Engineers” park at Lake Lavon. We had 50/amp service and really nice spots with camp tables covered and beautiful view of the lake. Joe and Kay went to dinner the first night with his cousin and Critch and I stayed home to re-group again!

On Tuesday, Kay, Margaret and I went shopping and had a great day of fun and shopping. David and Margaret (Joe’s cousin) invited us all to go to a great restaurant – The Silver Fox – in Plano, TX for dinner. By the time we came back to camp and changed it was time to head over to pick them up for dinner. The restaurant was fabulous and we had such a fun time with our “aussie” friends. What a delightful couple they are and look forward to spending the next few days with them.

On Wednesday David took the day off and took Joe, Kay and I down to downtown Dallas to see the JFK Memorial. It was such a strange feeling to be right where he was shot as we walked around the block where the memorial stood, then over to where the book depository is and then on the grassy knoll where we met up with a man that had been right there when Kennedy was assassinated when he was 14 years old. I was very interested and surprised that there is still such controversy over how many shots were fired and how he died. We also toured the Museum which was very informative. As you left there, you really question to yourself, what is the truth. There have been millions of books written on all of this but our friend told us to get “6 seconds in Dallas".

We then went to Landry’s for a great crab cake sandwich and followed that with going to the large Farmers Market in downtown. It was great and we loaded up with all kids of vegetable and fruits.

Thursday night Kay and Joe had a bar b que with all of us there for our last night. It was really fun as Margaret and David had never seen such large motorhomes and truly realized how fun we all have.

PROUD MEADOWS RANCH

2008-06-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Critch and Jim Mosebrook. Abiligal -4wks

Thursday morning Jack and Evelyn had to go for doctor appointments so we took our time and left there about 10AM for another easy day of about 166 miles to Waxahachie to visit our friends at Proud Meadows Ranch, Jim and Larry.

We got to the area and as usual I got us lost – for some reason I can never get to this place without going the wrong way and not finding it until I get 10 phone calls to get me there. We did arrive about 3PM and Russell was great in getting us to a place where we thought we would have sewer, electric and water! Low and behold, the electric plug would not work so I immediately thought, oh well, we can use the generator. Since it was Critch's b'day we gathered at Jim's for dinner with Larry, Susan and David and Critch and I - and Jim. Had a fun evening and so enjoyed visiting with everyone. They had quite a storm that night and everyone thought we were lucky to be on the generator as they all lost electricity!!! Ha ha, our generator didn't work either!!!

By the time we woke up in the morning all our batteries were totally dead, including the chassis batteries. Our friend Jim said why don’t you just go where you were last year and hook up to the 30 amp. (No sewer but oh well, I had just dumped) Well by the time we could get the battery charge (after about 5 calls to Supreme RV service) we were able to start the engine (1/2 day gone). The ranch was preparing for a large breeding show so everyone was so busy getting ready for that. In the meantime, our toilet would not work (great to have electric toilets!) and had no idea how to fix that but again after 3 more calls to Supreme RV they explained that it was a fuse – great, not only I couldn’t get cell service in the RV (had to run to Jim’s house each phone call), Russell was busy so I dug in and decided I better figure this out or we were not going to stay in the coach. Supreme told me to get needle nose pliers (I knew I had those, thanks to Mike Rogers), got a flashlight cause I couldn’t see the writing as to which fuse was which. I even had to get a stool as it was too high to see. I got really brave, pulled with my pliers the fuse and stuck one in that place and low and behold, the toilet worked!!! I was so excited that I accomplished that all by myself. Just about that time, Russell came over to say he had some time and would help me. Isn’t Rv’ing fun? Needless to say, we still had all kinds of problems with being able to run the generator and also using 30 amps. I kept blowing circuit backers but when I turned the electric off I could only get 1 air conditioner to work. Needless to say it was the day from hell and I worked on the coach for 12 hours.
Just about the time Critch and decided that we should probably go get a hotel room, it was hot and miserable but Russell and David said go get some dinner then they would watch the dogs and if the generator went off again by that time we would go get a room.

We ran into town and had dinner and when we came back the air was still on and so was the generator. I got Critch to bed as he was tired for me so I joined a whole group of people that were here with the breeding show over at the ranch house. Had a really fun evening and took a lot of teasing – but in my mind I was sure my RV’ing was coming to an end. In fact Jim decided that I should buy a double wide with no engine in it!!!

The breeding show was very interesting and we were waiting for Joe and Kay to arrive on Saturday afternoon. Obviously, Joe as cool as he is, couldn’t understand why I was having so much trouble – everything should be so easy. We got them settled in right next to us behind the arena and watched the Belmont horse race before we headed for the arena for a party. It was very nice and the caterer was also the caterer that did Jena Bush’s reception dinner. The food was excellent and so was the service. They had a DJ for dancing. Critch left pretty early then Kay and I and then Joe left after awhile and saw quite a show – you can ask him about that!!! Apparently, a gal there with quite large breasts, used to be a stripper – she married an executive from Enron that sold all his stock for 300 mil before Enron came down – she put on quite a show, but was really there showing her 3 horses!!!

We got up in the morning to watch the rest of the breeding show. It was very similar to a dog show but obviously these horses were absolutely beautiful. The show ended early and most people retired to rest after a very busy 2 days.

Monday, we needed to wait until the oxygen was delivered to Critch and by noon we all congreated at the arena and had some lunch to just watch some of the horses being worked with. Larry just purchased “James” a beautiful Friesian and he practiced with him. For a 5 yr old he was fantastic. We also saw “Becall” being rid by Susan and she was a fabulous rider with great talent on Becall. We finally got out of there about 3:30Pm to drive over to Lake Lavon where Joe’s cousin lives to visit here for 4 days.

SOMMERVILLE, TX

2008-06-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

June 2nd, 2008

We stayed an extra day in San Antonio to catch up with laundry, house cleaning etc., and a little relaxing then headed for an easy day of 168 miles to Somerville, TX to visit friends from my stock Broker days. Jack and Evelyn Naley were waiting for us and thank the lord that Jack met us out on the road to get to their house. I ended up having to go under a rail track that measured 13.4” but I had great faith that I was only 13/1” – we entered and exited very slooooowly and all was okay. When Jack met us we still had 12 miles to go on a single lane road with low overhead trees so it was quite an experience getting to their place. They were so hospitable as they had us parked right next to their house with 50 amp electric service. We didn’t have water or sewer but we had prepared for that and had both the water and emptied the sewer before we got there.

We had such a great time visiting with them, the first night we sat in our coach and had a few drinks and Evelyn made great lasagna for dinner. Tuesday we relaxed all day, Evelyn took me for a ride around the Somerville Lake which is quite large. Although it was very windy, it was a beautiful looking lake and I am sure had some great fish in it. Their home is actually only a block from the water but we took a ride to the damn. That night Jack decided to bar be que steak and lobster and was that excellent – he should start his new career and become a restaurant owner!!!! Sorry Jack, enjoy your retirement, you deserve it.

On Wednesday we decided to drive to College Station and see the George Bush library at Texas A&M. I am so glad we did that as it really was interesting. Best of all for Critch was all the baseball memorabilia and he spent a lot of time reviewing and recollecting some of the players he played with and also knew. I truly enjoyed seeing the family and life of George Herbert Walker and Barbara Bush and their years in the White House. I actually had my picture taken behind his desk in the oval office and a picture with me sitting next to George and Barbara at a baseball game!!! Obviously, I truly enjoyed the gift shop as there was so much to see and was able to get some things for the family.

Thursday morning Jack and Evelyn had to go for doctor appointments so we took our time and left there about 10AM for another easy day of about 166 miles to Waxahachie to visit our friends at Proud Meadows Ranch, Jim and Larry.

SAN ANTONIO, TX

2008-05-31T14:00:00.001-07:00

We arrived in San Antonio and are parked right near Sea World in a great RV resort called Admirality RV Park. We highly recommend it. We all headed again for the pool and had a nice cooling swim.

Second day, Denis, Pat, Joe, Kay and I headed for the River Walk. Enjoyed a great lunch on the river at Tex Mex restaurant as we sat along the river watching the people, the boats go by and the ducks. It’s a beautiful setting along the river walk. After lunch we decided we all wanted to take the river boat ride and learn more about the area of San Antonio and how the river walk got started. It was due to a large flood many years back that the river was created to keep the area from ever flooding again. There are many beautiful old buildings and lots of restaurants along the river. We then decided to take the trolley ride which was a waste of time. We thought it would be narrated but it was just a bus ride around the city to get where you want to go.

We then spent the rest of our time at the Alamo to learn the thirteen fateful days in 1836. It was very interesting as this was the not only where it was home to the missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years in the 1700’s but in the early 1800’s the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the Alamo. This place also played a critical role in the Texas Revolution in December of 1835 to 1836. The Alamo is a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason the Alamo remains hollowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty. I read a quote from Daniel Cloud, Dec 26th 1835 that said, “If we succeed, the Country is ours. It is immense in extent and fertile in its soil and will amply reward all our toil. If we fail, death in the cause of liberty and humanity is not cause for shuddering. Our rifles are by our side, and choice guns they are, we know what awaits us, and are prepared to meet it”. Isn’t it amazing that over 200 years ago they had such wisdom? On Friday we all went to Sea World for the day and so enjoyed the Shamu show, the penguins and seal shows. Even though we had all been to San Diego Sea World we really enjoyed the day.

Friday night we decided to make reservations to sit right on the river walk so Critch could join us and not have to walk too far. We went to Landry’s Seafood and had a beautiful table for 6 on the river and a great dinner with such great friends.

Denis and Pat left on Saturday, Joe and Kay are leaving Sunday and we head for Lyons on Monday. More later.

FORT CLARK SPRINGS,

2008-05-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

As we left Memorial Day from Big Bend National Park, we drove right through the park and enjoyed the scenery. It was a long day of driving, some curves, hills, cactus etc., and a lot of long 2 lane highway. We decided that we would go almost 300 miles to a recommended spot called Fort Clark Springs RV resort.

It was such a welcome surprise to see lots of trees and grass and a VERY historical community. Fort Clark was established on the banks of Las Moras Creek by the US Army in 1852. Virtually all US Calvalry units and many infantry lived, trained or visited Fort Clark while patrolling West Texas and the US – Mexico border. Generals George Patton & Jonathan Wainwright were among the notables who served at Fort Clark. The Fort was closed in 1946, and has since become a haven for those who seek peaceful recreation, resort and residential surroundings.

There are about 300 homes here, some expensive homes and very low income homes. It is an association and all homeowners pay $70.00 a month for the facilities including a wonderful natural spring pool, a 9 hole course and an 18 hole golf course. There is a motel and RV resort with beautiful trees and grass. Our biggest surprise as we entered the resort section is the beautiful deer that live in the area. With more than 1600 acres of wilderness and the Las Moras Creek, it is a natural bird sanctuary. The pool is a consistant 68 degrees temperature, maintained by nature all year around. The 100’ by 300’ pool is the 3rd largest spring-fed pool in Texas.

Needless to say, we hooked up about 4PM and went straight to the pool. My first jump in was a real surprise and very “cool” – took my breath away. But after a couple of minutes it was really refreshing and wonderful. In talking to a resident here, she was telling me that it was a natural mineral pool. We stayed there about an hour and really enjoyed the
Peaceful surroundings.

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK - TERLINGUA, TX

2008-05-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Our drive from El Paso to Terlingua was uneventful but a long drive. They do have "big" roadrunners here!!

As we arrived through lots of wind and dirt, we settled into the "best" RV resort there is there. We decided to try a "recommended" restaurant and it was so funny as it was down in a cave with rock surrounding us. Actually, the food was good and you had to go to the bar and wait on yourself for drinks!

Next day, Kay, Joe, Denis and Pat and I took a ride to a little resort called Lajita. It was purchased by some guy and looks like in the winter time could be very active. There is a beautiful golf course and one hole you can hit the ball to Mexico over the Rio Grande River - obviously, it stays there as there is not way to recover that one. We had lunch at the cafe there and it was very nice, the main street is dirt with motel rooms and shops along the road. We also went to a movie set where they made a Western movie. The Rio Grande river is very dirty looking and it was so low that we could not do any river rafting. We bar be qued steaks but had to move in due to the flies (they were awful!!!) and then the last night ate at the Starlight theatre - when the electricity went out several time, it took us 1/2 hr to get our bills paid by credit card. This 3 day event was fun but between the flies and wind, I was glad to leave that area. Joe and Denis and Pat did some hiking and said they enjoyed the National Park historian who took them. I think they learned more about cactus and birds but since I have lived in the desert 35 years, I know enough about cactus!!!!

BENSON, TOMBSTONE AND BISBEE, AZ

2008-05-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Benson, AZ about 1 hr before the Demarte's and Hollowdell's got here. Decided that any day we travel we should eat out so headed for a little Italian place in Benson. On Wednesday we split up and Joe, Denis and Pat went to the Karchner Caverns, Kay and I went to see Bisbee. (We were very disappointed in that town, not worth the trip). I did get a picture of the baseball field that Critch played in when he was with the farm team for Pittsburg in 1940. He enjoyed seeing those pictures.

We then met up with Joe, Denis and Pat in Tombstone, had a fun lunch in a wild west saloon, took a stagecoach ride and walked up and down the streets. It is well worth the trip there and enjoyed the history of the town.

The wind starting coming up while we were in Tombstone and got pretty tired of getting dust in our eyes etc. BUT, getting back to the RV in Benson, I have never been in such a terrible wind storm. They actually have High wind warnings out for traveling so we have decided to see what it is like in the early morning to get out and head for El Paso. We plan on about 270 miles tomorrow but the wind is supposed to be bad again by 10AM. They are saying the winds are gusting at 60 mph and this coach is rocking like crazy. I ended up putting the bedroom slide in so hopefully I can get some sleep tonight without to much noise. (sleeping pill tonight!) More when we get to El Paso!!!

YUMA AND TUCSON

2008-05-19T07:33:00.001-07:00

Had a really nice visit with the Klossners and the Valley's from Yuma. Our trip was very uneventful which made me very happy. Kay made a great dinner for us the first night then we went to Mexico on Thursday so I could get some eye glasses. Can't believe when I walked out of the eye doctor that everything became so clear!!!! I knew my eyes had gotten worse but now I don't have to strain to see. Since then, I am now wearing glasses to use the computer and even watch TV - I can actually read the wording on the tv now - and can see the freeway signs much better. While waiting for the glasses to be made I stopped in a dentist office and had my teeth cleaned for $20.00 -- what a deal that is!!!!
Bob and Carolyn invited us to their new home on Thursday and we all enjoyed a few drinks and pizza.

Left Friday morning for Tucson and had a very nice drive to Beaudry RV. Seem to be getting a lot of air noise in the front so will have that checked while we are here. Other than that the coach is doing good and so am I!

Saturday, I played in a golf tournament with my son Scott. We had to get up at 5:30 AM so he spent the night on Friday night so we could get to the tournament on time. It was a 40 minute drive and we wanted to hit some balls before the shotgun start!!! We had lots of fun but what a wild course that was. Strickly target golf with the men's tees sometimes over 200 yards just to the fairway. I definately would not want to play that course (Vistoso Golf Course, in Oro Valley) if I had to play my own game. There were many ladies tees that I couldn't get to he fairway. Lots of sand traps and desert landscaping. It was Scott's first time on the golf course, first tournament and he really did quite well. He ended up "loving" my 3 wood so you know how that goes!!! It ended up in his bag. We had such a fun day and played with two of his friends that were much better golfers than we were. We didn't end up last anyway, but we sure weren't in first place. The Cruise Place was giving away a free cruise for a hole in one - no one won that prise!!! Hopefully, will have a picture of our foursome soon.

On Monday I decided to visit with some of the folks at Freedom RV and ran into Dave & Kati. After a quick visit decided to have breakfast with them on Tuesday morning at Denny's.

Scott helped me fix the noise problem and our trip to Benson was great and we didn't have hardly any noise at all.

MAY 13TH WHAT A GREAT SEND OFF

2008-05-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our adventure was with a fun send off with friends from MCC getting together for dinner. We are so lucky to have so many great friends and look forward to sharing this experience with everyone. Today we head for Yuma.

MOTHERS DAY - MAY 10TH 2008

2008-05-12T17:19:00.001-07:00

We had such a great day with family and friends. As you can see from the pictures, we all had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed our relaxing visit. Will sure miss those little kids and as Jeffrey celebrated his 7 mo birthday, he will sure be a different baby by the time we get back.

MIKE ROGERS VISIT

2008-04-16T10:57:00.001-07:00

We have spent the last 10 days having our friend Mike Rogers here from Seattle. Mike was delighted to get out of the rain in Seattle but I have kept him so busy helping me get the coach ready to travel this summer. Unfortunately, we would get one problem fixed and 2 others went wrong. Needless to say, Mike leaves tomorrow which leaves me to continue to figure out all these issues. Our friends, Joe and Kay Demarte, left this morning, so was sad to say goodby to them until next month.

I am still waiting for a call from the awning company as a gust of wind came up and blew the awning right up over the top of the coach!!! The washing machine quit working last week so have to wait until Friday until they can fix that problem and now trying to get the 12 volt system working - can't even use the toilet!!!

Oh, supposed to have company for dinner tonight too - so we will see about that!

More on our trama's later. (Wed 11:30am)

EASTER WEEKEND

2008-04-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Just to get started with our new blog site I wanted to share with you our Easter weekend.

We had our CPA and his family here with 2 children that are about the same age and Julia and Justin. The kids all got along so well we spent a lot of time at the pool and had a fun bar b que with both families.

On Sunday, we went to church and Justin and Julia we asked to sing and did they do a wonderful job. I am going to see if I can download their song so you can see it.