tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67779720861896449942024-02-08T11:05:40.198-08:00Rod & Sues Endeavor Flight Blog A location for family and friends to keep up with Rod and Sues travels and experiences.......but only if they want to. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-89556816978767250992015-09-22T18:19:00.001-07:002015-09-22T18:19:11.045-07:009/22/15<br />
The BLOG is back for a few weeks. Sue and I are back on the road completing the trip as was planned this time last year....better late than never.<br />
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We closed down the traveling and BLOG in April of this year due to family health issues. In my last blog I had mentioned that my sister had suffered a stroke. Well the fight is still on for her but as time has passed she has fought the good fight and is doing really well. She is continuing her weekly rehab assignments with noted progress. She is currently getting around on her feet utilizing a hemi-walker and a lift chair in her home. Left arm is still a work in progress and not very useful as of yet, but hope is that as time passes there will be improvement with this limb also.<br />
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The fact that Sue and I had our new home close to our families was an additional blessing when my mom became ill and had emergency surgury. She made an early morning trip to the emergency room with pain and vomiting. She was found to have a twisted colon resulting in removal of a chunk (20%). Was able to be with her during her week long hospital stay and then she stayed a week with us at our new home. Her recovery went well and she is actually doing better than she has in quite some time.<br />
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Now....enough catchup....to the present......<br />
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A shot of Sue with a big ol smile (kind of hard to see, but it's there) in front of the sign coming into our place of stay for a couple of nights. Location is Coeur d" Alene, Idaho. What a beautiful spot next to lake Coeur d" Alene. Enjoyed the lake front and the down town area. Found a street full of antique shops. Did not buy much which is usually the case, but have a great time browsing and reliving the past. Typically we spend enjoyable moments figuring out what the various contraptions are, how they were used and marvel at how our ancestors accomplished the many laborious and intriquite processes with such fantastic results. Living was a little rough back then, but in many ways much simpler than todays technological tangle. Focus was on food and shelter, not worrying about personal ID thieves. </div>
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The Endeavor in it's slip at Blackwell Island </div>
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Waterfall in the park</div>
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This little RV was a blast from the past. Renovated and shiney vintage 1937</div>
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Not sure the year of the boat that was attached to the RV, but it was very shiney also</div>
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A couple of shots of Lake Coeur d Alene</div>
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Well...down for the night after agreat day of travel smooth roads, no traffic and no wind. Beautiful weather to boot. A quick nap at Walmart in Butte Mt and the best that we have encountered. Grass lawn to set our chairs and a nice moutain view...Sue posted a pic on Facebook. </div>
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Will post this for now with more in a couple of days when we have a 2 day layover in Medora ND. Will visiting Roosevelt National Park just north of there.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-76022827352250938002015-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:002015-09-21T18:05:08.457-07:004/17/15.......<br />
Travel and blog will be put on hold for some time. The past 3 weeks have been spent in Nebraska supporting my sister Rose as she recovers from a stroke. She will be 55 this week. Way to young to be fighting thru something such as this. <br />
We came back to the rig just today so that we can pilot it to our Nelson Nebraska house closing on May 1. I guess it was meant to be that we contracted this house close to our families. No way expected Rose to be the one that would need the support.<br />
My sister was released fron ICU this past Tuesday and accepted into a lengthy rehab period in the Madonna unit in Lincoln Nebraska. <br />
The next few weeks/months we will support her in any way and as long as necessary. <br />
We currently still have the July camp host job in Washington state that we hope to keep, but time will tell. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-71143506392662956032015-03-30T06:11:00.000-07:002015-03-30T06:11:06.959-07:00Wife is back and heat is on.<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life........</strong></span><br />
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3/28/15 <br />
Sue flew back from Minden, Nebraska (helping her mom get into her new assisted living unit), great having my partner back.<br />
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We definitely are no longer shaking off winter chill, Phoenix is setting heat records for this time of year. Averaging 15 deg over typical, should be 80 high (nice), hitting 95 (hot). While Nebraska and Colorado are enjoying 60s and 70s. What is the deal with the weather??<br />
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Attended our 2nd spring training game, against SF......win 5 to 2. Met and visited with our old friend and realtor from Littleton. Guila, her daughter, "Tesla" and husband, "Randy". They were at the game as part of a spring break vacation. <br />
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Managed to find a softball game, courtesy of Jim Doerr a team mate from the senior team that I have been playing with the past couple of years. He has wintered in this area for several years, actually turns out to be just a few miles from our park. Had lunch with Jim which got us talking softball and Jim commenting on his playing Tuesdays and Fridays, invited me along for the ride.<br />
Well what I got into turned out being enjoyable, but seemed like past years of youth.......everyone lines up, teams are selected and Rod is the last one to get on a team..no one wanted the new kid. I got in the last swing though, with a couple of sharp singles which set up the out field playing in on me so that the blast that went over their heads wound up being a triple. Nice bat plus some catches and a put out at third. Not a bad day considering I had not touched the gear since the last game of last August. Of course soreness set in the next day and I earned every stiff muscle. <br />
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Jim and I</div>
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Triple coming up....suckers</div>
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This next little adventure is one of those experiences that was not expected but exciting in that the opportunity presented itself and we jumped on it. Did not ever imagine that I would be checking camel racing off the bucket list, but ostrich racing on the same day..........what a score!!!!</div>
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And now.....a quick picture of some desert beauty. Spring blooms are every where.</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.......</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Along with the spring blooms comes the spring pollen and am I suffering. Do not recall struggling this much with scratchy throat and runny nose..........keeping stocked up on kleenex is a must.</span><strong></strong></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-75361987715169145602015-03-20T20:16:00.001-07:002015-03-20T20:16:36.887-07:003/20/15 Have had a pause in the Endeavor journey due to some life changing events (good ones)!!!!<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
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Closed up the ship and took the shuttle (vue) to the outer parameter of space.....Nelson Nebraska. Just a few miles north of Superior (where my mom lives). The new objective.....believe it or not....to look at a home to purchase. I know at the time we were beginning this adventure, we did not have the intentions of having another home for some time, not knowing where we might like to settle. Things change.....Sue and I have felt that we should be near our mothers and spend more time with them as the years seem to be flying by. As I write Sue is still in Minden Nebraska (north of Nelson app 60 miles) helping her mom (Luella) get moved into an assisted living facility. So as the decision was feeling like the right one, I began doing web searches of available properties that would give the following...close to our moms, acreage, nice house, out buildings for storage and wood working shop, low cost. We came across what we feel will satisfy all requirements with some work to be done. The below are pics of the property that we will be closing on come May 1st. With the help of our advisory team (my sisters, mom and brother in-law), we were able to weed through some properties long distance (my brother in-law took a stack of pictures and sent them to us for the long distance review)and finally made the 1200 mile trip to look at and eventually put a contract on this place in Nelson. Has 2 acres, 3 bedroom, 1 and 1/2 bath, ranch style with full walk out basement, 1275 sq ft main, 1275 sq ft basement, built in 1978 and has been fully updated in the past couple of years. Price is 1/4 of what we got for our place in Colorado, so have the extra change to put up the buildings that we desire and make it what we want.....this including an RV storage structure.<br />
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Main upper level door and walk out basement</div>
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Vaulted ceilings in main living area</div>
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New kitchen and hard wood flooring</div>
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Redone main bath</div>
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Nicely finished basement</div>
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We had not considered Nebraska due to the winters, but we feel that we can have our cake and pie and eat them both. This being the piece of property that we were hoping for allowing us to keep the motorhome to continue travels in between the Nebraska springs and falls. We like Phoenix for winter and we still have the Colorado cabin for extended summer stays in the rockies. We feel that we now have everything, including being closer to the family when it is needed. </div>
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So....with the house in work and Luella making her move, we have not been around to pursue further Arizona adventures. Soon to continue though. </div>
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Oh yea......did stop at the Sky City casino (west of Albuquerque) on the way back to Phoenix and walked out with an extra $1100. </div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.....</strong></span></div>
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Have been missing my partner, comrade, team mate, navigator, co-pilot, hiking buddy, etc. She will be flying in this Monday..so I will again be complete.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-89111803484149830492015-03-05T19:19:00.000-08:002015-03-06T12:58:02.393-08:003/5/15 Geeeeeez.....March, it has been nearly a month since I have updated, regretfully......time is flying.<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life.......</strong></span><br />
Have not made it to Cave Creek or Sadona quite yet (as I had mentioned in last post), but lots going on to keep us busy.<br />
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On sight......we did a biscuits and gravy breakfast with a couple that all of a sudden had us introduced to everyone. Sue now knows the Monday sewing club gang. She has been invited to come and share her sewing experiences (might wind up teaching the group). <br />
Myself, I simply was asking about some possible tournament activities and now have been throwing horseshoes most mornings with the horse shoe group which includes the past Wisconsin runner up state champ. He throws "V" shaped horse shoes. I commented on them not looking like the game name (horse shoes??). He came back with them being "camel" shoes. Again I mentioned "horse" shoes and I was immediately made aware of the fact that they are legally sanctioned shoes....no matter what a person might want to call them. I think they had magnets in them.......<br />
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The park being named "Pioneer" RV park, of course there had to be a "Pioneer" days celebration. The activities group had several days of happenings. We did a pot luck, poker run, the mentioned breakfast, represent your state parade, Liberty wildlife birds of prey presentation.<br />
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The Nebraska entry was very interesting</div>
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Peregrine Falcon</div>
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I Want a Screech Owl</div>
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The gun range next door (Ben Avery Gun Range) to the park had 3 days of a national shooting competition. Sounded like the 4th of July on the other side of the hill for those days. We went to check it out and found that all competitors were required to dress in historical dress of the old west for the competitions. Was way cool in the way the competition was held. There were several settings of staged old west scenes (as shown below) that had the shooters running from window to window, a couple shotgun blasts, then grab the lever action rifle for a few shots and then finish with pistols. Was way better than what we saw at Tombstone. Cool quick draw contests.</div>
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Thought I had a UFO sighting the other morning. I am generally (OK always) up kinda early (OK really early) so I go out for a "before sunlight" walk. As I was returning, I caught what seemed to be a very bright flash of light in the darkened sky out of the corner of my eye. I gazed at the spot that I thought the light came from and nothing......I guessed that I was delusional (nothing new). Continued walking and after a few minutes thought I saw it repeat, again out of my full vision, but was sure that there was something. Then in the sky at where I was looking this time, a very bright flash, then nothing. At last, this is the real deal. Another flash........cool, only this time I detected an audible kind of roar. Then it dawned on me.....I was experiencing my first night balloon flight. The light and sound was the burner activation as it was maintaining altitude. A little dis-appointed in that the object was no longer "unidentified" but it was another first and still kinda cool. </div>
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Spent 3 days at the PIR (Phoenix International Raceway) to partake in our first RV rally. Another great time and very educational for "still" newbies. To many seminars to be able to attend them all but the ones that we did attend were very helpful and thought provoking. The best was the last when the freightliner manufacturer had some reps to go over our motorhome chassis makeup and some good dos and don'ts. Now know that I have some further maintenance to get done plus some things that I need to stay aware of. Also was able to get some minor pieces/parts at some great discounts. Another first was attending an outdoor concert in February. Temp was 66 deg for Super Diamond, a tribute to Neil Diamond. </div>
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Have never been a NASCAR fan, but I must say that the facility was very impressive. There is the first race of the season here in a couple of weeks, might attend so it can be added to the "done it" list.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.......</strong></span></div>
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Having some issues getting my blood testing done. I had been told by various medical folks that I would be able to go into any lab and get a simple INR (blood coagulation test) as long as I paid out of pocket. Well......not so, I could not get a test without a drs written request. I did get it done finally utilizing a close urgent care unit. Wound up costing me $150. I can get tested over the next couple of months for around $5 so that will not be so bad. I will be on my own if my testing should come back out of whack, which luckily it has not. But.....even if it did, I have been at this long enough to know what I would need to do. Will get through this for now, at least until we get back to Colorado in May to meet up with our new primary care physicians. One of the many things that we are experiencing and learning from as we go.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-62778538457267941902015-02-16T06:53:00.001-08:002015-02-17T06:34:43.930-08:002/16/15 Mid February is on us, our 2nd week in Phoenix and we are enjoying every second. Other than a couple of days of wind (really just a heavy breeze) the weather has been super. Lots of sun, upper 70s and lower 80s with mid 50s at night. I would actually say paradise so far. With the weather news consisting of winter storm after winter storm in the northeast (now cold and ice more south), it really makes us appreciate the sun and 80 as we take our daily walks through the park.<br />
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Sunset</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
Met with my nephew Max and his girl friend Rose for breakfast. They moved here from Nebraska a couple of months ago. They are both very busy as they are successfully carving out their piece of Phoenix. They were able to find jobs and an apartment in a very short amount of time. In fact Rose is working double duty. We have plans to get together and hike Camel Back which is a local peak that is a must do for locals and visitors. Waiting for the go ahead from the youngsters as their free time is much harder to come by.<br />
Used this trip to run by Talking Stick Resort. This is the facility that was constructed a few years ago to accommodate the Rockies spring training. In addition to the practice and game fields there is a casino (seems to be a casino around every corner now days) that we did a quick checkout of. Was there long enough to get our playing cards and loose $20.............maybe 10 minutes. Plan on more casino time (can I afford it??) and a few of the spring training games.<br />
In the mean time Sue and I have had no issues in keeping busy. It is very easy to be content with a chair, book and sunshine, but we do have goals of things more active. We found a peak (Pioneer Peak) that is easily hiked from our RV location. <br />
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Views from Pioneer Peak</div>
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A view of the RV park from Pioneer Peak</div>
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My Sue enjoying the views from Pioneer Peak</div>
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Have been doing bike rides and found a local tennis court. </div>
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Did a day trip to Prescott Arizona. Was a nice drive through some of the back country but was a little dis-appointed in Prescott. Spent a couple of hours in the historic district, but nothing special in our opinions, but hey....that is what we are all about. Checking these things out for ourselves so we know. </div>
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Have plans this week to head east and do Cave Creek and Apache Junction. Again....lots of history and hiking to be found. </div>
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Also planning trips to Pleasant Lake, Sadona and will take a few days to go hike the Grand Canyon. </div>
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In addition to our physical activities have been partaking in some of the weekly activities that are coordinated by the parks activity group. Bingo, ceramics, wood carving...(yea, yea...remember that this is a 55+ plus park and these activities gives us a chance to meet our senior neighbors). Our latest event was what they call "Zingo". A version of bingo that is played with a deck of cards. There are teams of 4 that gets 13 cards as the deck is divided up. Then the caller pulls from the deck so that you can play your cards as they appear. The first one to play all cards yells "Zingo" and wins the pot (as determined by the quarters and dollars contributed by each player for each game). I actually won twice and came away with a $10 profit. Better than I did at bingo.</div>
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Again, this allows us more group time and the chance to meet folks from around the park.</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash........</strong></span></div>
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This is easy this week. Almost incited a riot at bingo this last week. The older crowd did not appreciate the moment that I took in the middle of one of the blackouts and yelled...."stop the game....my dobbers dry"!!!!! For those non bingo folks, you use what they call a dobber that is filled with ink to mark the numbers as they are called. Probably should not show up at bingo night any more. No sense of humor.</div>
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Note.....this story is fictitious.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-22336689574780804362015-02-05T05:00:00.001-08:002015-02-05T05:12:33.776-08:00Jan 27 (update 2/4).......The Endeavor is anchored in Las Cruces for tonight, smooth drive from Fort Stockton. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
A first encounter as we were driving, had never seen an actual Geococcyx Californianus prior to todays experience. Should have guessed it was in the cards, a couple of miles prior to the encounter we had noted a dead wiley coyote on the side of the road. Looked like he had been run over by a truck with APME ablazoned on the side. Do these clues tell you that we saw an actual road runner?? I had never seen one other than the cartoon version prior to this lively fellow darting across the road in front of the RV. <br />
This RV park has the best view of any that we have ported in to date. Sits on a hill with an overview of Las Cruces city with the Organ mountains in the background. Not quite the Rockies, but very nice. I even noted a hint of snow in a few of the upper shaded peaks, inquiring hoping to validate that it was in fact snow, I found the park host all giddy (with pictures) of the 5 inches of snow that fell here last Thursday. Actually the second time that mother nature has dropped the white stuff this winter season.<br />
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Las Cruces stayover</div>
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Same view.....twi-light</div>
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Same view.......morning sunrise</div>
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Picking up blogging on Tuesday Feb 3........location........Pioneer RV Park, Phoenix. But wait...have some catchup to do.</div>
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After Las Cruces, our travels took us to a location 9 miles south of Benson, Arizona..........Kartchner Caverns State Park. Not a bad day traveling, partly sunny, mid 60s. But the weather report had us turning cold and rainey for a couple of days.......imagine that. </div>
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The park is set up really great, plenty of room between sites and very quiet. </div>
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With the weather turning, we took the first day (the projected less dreary of the coming 2) and tripped to Tombstone hoping that we would be able to walk the streets with out the need of rain coats. The 2nd objective is the tour of the cave so we figured if there was to be a day of torrential rain, where better to spend the time than in the bowels of the cave where we would never feel a drop. Our plan worked to perfection, cloudy with an occasional sprinkle temps in the lower 60s for Tombstone.</div>
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Appr 30 miles to Tombstone, enjoyed the history of the various buildings and western antiquties. </div>
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Of course while in Tombstone it is a must that you do the shoot out at OK corral. </div>
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My newly learned history lesson from the Oct 26, 1881 shoot out experience is this.......maybe my heroes the Erps and Doc Holiday (especially the Doc, after Val Kilmer did such a great job of portrayal in the movie....."I've got your huckleberry") were not such good guys after all. It is not totally clear in the history recall if the bad guys (McLaury's and Clanton's) were even armed. So there leaves some doubt in my mind how fair the fight was. Was interesting history and I came away with the below pic for my blog. Checkout the look that Wyatt (to my right) waas giving me. I guess he did not appreciate the home boy stance. </div>
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Sue found a couple of new boy friends.</div>
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The second day of touring the cave was incredible. Carlsbad Caverns may have the size, but the Kartchner Caverns are less busy and great care is taken to preserve the caves. As the group enters, you go through several heavy doors that are in place to keep the inner environment prestine. The tour guides are consantly turning on and off lighting, this to prevent the heat from the lights effecting the inner temp. As you enter you go through a series of misting sprays, this is to dampen the various lints, hairs, dust, etc that could fall from the bodies of the group. Each night cleaning crews go through the caves and clean/vacuum the walk ways. Of course pictures are not allowed inside, in fact you cannot take anything loose into the caves, jackets accepted. </div>
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This creek bed was dry on the day of our arrival. After 2 days of record setting rain fall, it was a rushing river.</div>
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Did one over night (2/1) in the parking lot of the Dessert Diamond Casino on the south side of Tucson. Did not get rich, lost a little......as they say....had fun.</div>
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Arrived in Phoenix at the Pioneer RV Park on the 2nd. The below pictures pretty much say it all. </div>
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I do have one story to tell about a gentlemen that we met not more than 30 minutes after we arrived on site. We were walking to the office to do paper work when this elderly lady (will call her Loraine, because.......that is her name) approached us talking a streak that would not stop. By the time we could seperate ourselves and continue our office trek, we found that Loraine and her husband (will call him Ray, because.....that is his name) have been in the park for 17 years. They will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this year (do not remember when exactly but I am sure that she told us). But what caught my history ear was her bragging about Ray surviving Pearl Harbor. Ray was standing in the back ground tinkering with a plant, Loraine mentioned that he did not talk much about his military experience, but later I was able to set with him and he was very much willing to share his past....and it was very interesting.............</div>
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He joined the Navy as a 17 year old. He tried to enlist at 16 (at that time you had to be 18) but the recruiter knew he was lying so he was turned down. Later the age restiction was changed to 17 which he was by that time, so he was in. Wound up as a 2nd class gunnery mate on the heavy cruiser vessel named the USS Northampton. Well, on Dec 6th of 1941, his ship was heading into Pearl Harbor when thay encountered an issue with some cabling going over board and getting tangled in the props. By the time they had the divers get the cabling cut off, they were not allowed in the harbor because it was under attack. The 5 hours that they got delayed due to the repair probably saved their lives. They were allowed in the harbor the next day and they were witness to the after math of the event, fires and carnage all through the harbor. They resupplied and went back out to hunt japs. Did some research on the Northampton and found that she was sank in Dec of 1942 at Guadal canal in the battle of Tassafaronga. Took 2 torpedoes from a jap sub. Hoping Ray will feel comfortable sharing the further story of the final attack. I am sure that he had to be on board. </div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash........</strong></span></div>
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Too hot, 80 deg tomorrow..........just kidding!!! Loving it!!!!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-45745554253201476772015-01-25T11:36:00.001-08:002015-01-26T04:34:30.366-08:00Sunday 1/25/15<br />
What a glorious day.....sunny and 65 deg. Have not had many of these over the past months. Maybe our weather encounters are changing for the good. Current location is KOA campground in San Antonio Texas.<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
Spent Jan 19 thru 22 in Tomball Texas (NW of Houston appr 15 miles). Reason for Tomball you ask (other than being able to say that I stayed in Tomball), there is a website that I utilize <a href="http://www.freecampgrounds.com/index.aspx">http://www.freecampgrounds.com/index.aspx</a> that gives free (or at least inexpensive, usually around $10) RV campgrounds for all states. It allows you to search within a radius of towns/cities for affordable campgrounds....deleting the walmarts and truckstops. Tomball county park "Harris Spring Creek Park" came up as a result of my Houston trip planning. This throws the old, "there are no free lunches" saying out the window. This place was great, 8 sites....clean, beautiful, quiet, safe, full RV hookups, cement pads for no charge. Unbelievable......we felt like we had stepped up our place on the social ladder while we were there. We actually had a lawn boy (grass had just been cut at our site and then they came around and blew the clippings off the pad) plus it was a gated community (the park gates closed at 10pm and re-opened at 7am. The toilets and showers were fairly new...and just across the street from our spot. <br />
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Harris Spring Creek Park (Tomball) Set Up</div>
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Restroom/shower facilities (right across the street)</div>
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The Tomball location allowed us to trip through Houston to the "Johnson Space Center". Expensive ticket ($23.95 each) but after the day I would say that it was worth every penny, I found myself regressing back to the old work days in a few areas. I guess that is not a bad thing, does not hurt to revisit and recall the glorious and proud days of the past. Was able to share a few details of the early work days with Sue and how they related to what we were looking at. Will I ever be able to share some of the later really cool stuff.......I hope so......some day. </div>
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Space lab training facility</div>
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Space lab module mock ups (for training)</div>
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Had 1 perfect weather day in Tomball (found that we could BBQ and picnic outside that evening). The day we arrived it was mid 60's with lots of sun, but that went to hell really quick. The next day was cloudy, rainy, breezy and cool. Luckily we were inside at the Space Center most of the day so no harm done. Then Thursday was a down pour with wind and cold all day long. Took the day to watch a couple of movies (RV redbox) and get the oil changed in the Vue. Want to share a personal encounter while having oil changed..........</div>
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I was reading when this gentleman approached me....asked what I was reading which lead into one of those religious encounters (the hat that read COP (Christian Officer of Prayer) I guess should have tipped me off....well maybe not) that I actually listened to. The reason being that this particular person had an explanation for the stock market crashes of the past and the one soon to come. It seems, according to this average dressed typical cowboy garb, person....gods word not only says that on the 7th day we are to rest, but every 7 years we are to take a year of reflection. Since no one seems to follow this guidance we have found that God has been making it rough on us....2001 (twin towers) and then 2008 stock market crash. Looking at 2015 as the next 7th year and stock market down turn to come. Although events do not cycle at the beginning of the year, usually towards the end. We chatted a little as I mentioned that was the first time I had ever heard anyone tie religion and stock market together. We were conversing on this when my time came up to pay my bill and checkout.</div>
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When we left Houston Friday morning it was still very cold, wet and windy. Eventually coming towards San Antonio we got out of the rain. Still cloudy and cool though. But.......when we woke up yesterday, we found an orange orb poking us in the eye for the first time in like forever. Great day to check off our San Antonio bucket list items......The Alamo and The Riverwalk. </div>
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Found the Alamo interesting.........</div>
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construction began in 1724, originally named "Mission San Antonio de Valero", home to missionaries and their Indian converts for 70 years. In the early 1800s the Spanish military stationed a Calvary unit there and renamed it the "Alamo" in honor of their home town (Alamo de Parras). Alamo is Spanish for "cottonwood". In 1835 the Texas Revolution found a band of Texas and Mexican volunteers forcing the Spanish from the mission. On Feb 23, 1836, Santa Anna was determined to take back the structure. The defenders held out for 13 days, but reinforcements never arrived....the rest is history.</div>
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............but rather hard to really suck up the history. I think it is simply because the city has been built up around the fort to the point that it will not allow the imagination to get past the many buildings, traffic noise and the touristy aspect. The battle fields of the Little Bighorn allowed a person to get lost in the many stories of the different characters and imagine the ghosts of the soldiers and warriors. Even as I was viewing the old Houston control center at the Space Center, I could go back in time and allow my imagination to take me back to the the point in time that the airwaves carried the "Houston we have a problem" radio signal from Apollo 13. </div>
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Guess who.......in front of the Alamo</div>
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The Riverwalk was very pleasant. Consists of many eateries and shops. Cannot believe that I am going to say this but, was a little disappointed in that it was not quite the touristy type of area that I was expecting. Thought that maybe there would be sidewalk vendors and have a little more of a circus atmosphere. Will say that it is very clean and well kept. You can tell that the city spends a lot of time keeping it up. Could imagine it being a kick ass place to hangout on those hot summer Texas nights. Lots of lights, atmosphere and coolness (being near the water). Walking/exercise felt great. </div>
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Riverwalk</div>
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Will leave here tomorrow morn heading for Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona.</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.........</strong></span></div>
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Nothing to mention, lifes good </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-37638343255093225892015-01-18T18:23:00.000-08:002015-01-25T09:48:17.309-08:00Hi all.........<br />
Present location is the "Hidden Lake RV Park" just west of Beaumont Texas. Settled in here this past Tuesday (Jan 13), not exactly as we had planned.....things change. Monday the 12th went as planned. Left our many friends at Lowes Creek and arrived at the Beaumont Freightliner truck depot as planned. A quick night of parking lot boondocking so that the service folks could do a quick radiator flush for us on Tuesday morning. Determined that to be some required maintenance that we have been avoiding. With our ship having set for some time prior to our purchase, I thought this something that should be done. Well........a temp sensor test found that the temp gauge was not reading accurately (assuming that the cruddy fluid had corroded the gauge) so it was determined best that the sensors and thermostat should be changed out (a conservative approach to ensuring that we have no issues down the road). It was necessary to order the parts so we found our current park just a block away from the servicing center. Well....after settling in here we decided that we liked it, so we stayed in wait for the parts. Parts are in and final work to be done tomorrow (Mon the 19th). Expecting to be on the road by mid day and settled in "Harris County Spring Creek Park" in Tomball Texas by tomorrow night. Will be there doing a couple of Houston things until Thursday, then heading for San Antonio. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life.......</strong></span><br />
Spent Thursday antiquing the local area. Once again nothing bought but....did come across a very interesting bit of nostalgia with a family twist. Another Rosie Burge, you have got to be kidding....right?? This new Rosie was born locally in 1937 and is known as a folk art painter. Paintings seem some what childish (I guess this is folk art) but very colorful and whimsical. Prices were from $500 to $750 so I guess she has a wealthy following. <br />
With the weather breaking (sun and 60s) we took Saturday as an excursion day and headed towards Galveston. <br />
First stop was "Sea Rim State Park" following highway 87 through Port Arthur. Solved a riddle as we were progressing amongst the nasty oil refining infrastructure of Port Arthur......the stench that we had encountered and wondered about in Beaumont....was actually the same smell that now made our noses wanting to close up. I guess Beaumont is not far enough from the coastal refineries (50 miles) to avoid the pungent fumes as the sea breezes flow inland.<br />
Luckily the park was far enough west that the refinery mess did not effect the sea air or the scenery. <br />
Great little park (with RV electrical and water) that gave us a chance to walk the beach, enjoy the gulf sunshine and collect a couple of sea shells. Just a couple of small ones, have to be careful in what we are collecting, could lead to being over loaded.<br />
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Sue Silhouette</div>
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Looking Up the Coast</div>
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A Pretty Proud Fellow</div>
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Drove the coast (a bit of a detour envolved...ref road rash) with occasional stops to enjoy the day, until we ran out of road (no this is not in reference to the detour). We had reached the tip of the Bolivar Peninsula in which we could see Galveston across the bay. Now what, what's this line of cars for???? How about boarding the auto transport system (I refuse to say, "I rode the ferry"). </div>
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Fairy (???) Line</div>
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Eventually off loaded onto Galveston where we ran the island until we wound up at "Seawolf Park" which is located on "Pelican Island". The park is home to the retired WWII naval vessels, destroyer "USS Stewart" and submarine "USS Cavalla". Toured both.....do not see how anyone was able to allow themselves to be aboard a small metal tube with barely room to move while 300 feet under the ocean. Not only would clastrophobia be an issue, but my head would be nothing but bumps and bruises from the consistent bulkheads getting in the way. </div>
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MySue with the Sub and Galveston Bay in the Background</div>
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Not sure why Sue wanted me to stand here, can't see the bay, only a bush......puzzling!!!</div>
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Then we eventually found parking on Strand street. This is a renovated historical section of Galveston that is now the trendy place to hangout. Kind of the typical touristy thing with the many shops, resturants and entertainment. This day found us in a mass of people as there was an ongoing chile and beer festival underway. We fought the crowd for some time until we found "Fishermans Wharf" where we pigged out on a shrimp poboy and crabcake sandwich....mmmmmmmm!!!!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.......</strong></span></div>
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As we sped down highway 87 towards "Sea Rim State Park", the trusty road atlas was to have us in Glaveston within a 45 minute drive along the coast after our park visit. Little did we know that our intended route as we were to leave the park turned from a 20 mile jaunt to "High Island" into a back track and around route that was in total more like 75 miles and an extra 1 1/2 hours of drive time. Our map lied to us as the rangers informed us that the highway past the park had been closed for several years as a result of past hurricane damage. The result of this was running out of time and daylight that was to allow us a trip to "Galveston State Park".</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-31052582964417747632015-01-07T04:29:00.000-08:002015-01-07T13:49:05.598-08:00Getting close to move on time..........want to share plans ahead and a bit of a 2014 review.<br />
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Happy 2015 to all. Sue and I were fortunate to be able to close out 2014 with family and not so fortunate to once again experience the frigid weather that we have been trying to dodge. 2 deg with minus 21 wind chill in Nebraska, if nothing else gave us a slap of reality in that maybe the mid 30s in Texas are not so bad after all. Although the current Texas forecast has us once again in weather that is not exactly what we were expecting when we dropped anchor here a couple of months ago. This next Arctic blast has us down to 21 deg on Wed night with highs in the upper 30s for Fri and Sat with a possible wintry mix (yea.....snow) on Sat morning. Enjoy today......59 deg. <br />
Christmas day was a very enjoyable 70 degs with the palm trees in Houston at Sue's nieces house where her brother / sister in law and mom were visiting from Minden Nebraska. A great visit and a Christmas dinner that was as always way more than any person needs at one setting. <br />
Then the day after we headed north to Superior Nebraska where my mom and sisters families live. Very much enjoyed the family time, but again.....way to cold. Will venture back that way this spring.....like May, has to warm up by then.............doesn't it?? <br />
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The past couple of months have proven to be valuable in the sense of better knowledge of our house on wheels. A few tid bits....<br />
--A pulsating stabilizing jack does not indicate a problem, simply that we have been setting long enough that it is time to relevel/recycle.<br />
--If the holding tank gauge reads 3/4 full, do not assume that you have a lot of head room left. Luckily this lesson was learned via the grey tank.....backed up shower and dripping drains.<br />
--If leaving the awning out for any length of time, does not hurt to secure/stabilize with rope and tent stakes. Just in case of wild wacky winds.<br />
--In humid environment the fridge will need to be defrosted occasionally. Cooling fins in back tend to accumulate heavy ice which will hinder the cooling capability.<br />
--I actually have an operational mode in the transmission that is tagged as the "economy" mode. Found this thru one of the many RV web sites that I monitor. Was wondering what that extra button was for....have yet to try this new bit of knowledge. Maybe now I can get 20 mpg..........maybe not.<br />
--At times when the tailgater satellite system is not working try relocating/disconnecting/reconnecting and then recalibrating the system "before" setting on the phone for hours with the techs that have no idea what the problem is......and won't admit it.<br />
--Many other lessons learned that I do not recall at this moment in time<br />
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Prepping for a Jan 12 (next Monday) depart from Lowes Creek. Our Nov 1 arrival date seems not that long ago. <br />
The Endeavor flight plan will be here and there as we head further south and eventually west as we pursue the warmer/dryer climate of Arizona. The next extended home port to be the Pioneer RV Park just a few miles north of Phoenix (forecast this week......70 deg days with upper 40s nights, sounds like heaven). Choreographing a route that will allow us to play Texas tourist.<br />
--A couple of nights at Village Creek State Park just north of Beaumont. Planned trip to Galveston coast and beaches. There are coastal beach RV state parks, but was warned of the frigid winter breezes off the water. Did not want to experience that.<br />
--Then move to Harris County Spring Creek Park, located in Tomball Texas (just NE of Houston). Want to take in the NASA Space Center.<br />
--Stone Creek RV Park in San Antonio. Definitely the Alamo and Riverwalk. <br />
Have not scoped out past that at this time. Do know that we want to travel through Carlsbad and Roswell New Mexico in route to Phoenix. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
This is really easy, it is the many people that we have had the great fortune to meet. From quick acquaintances that we have crossed paths with in such places as Camping World that I still exchange emails with in pursuit of advice and experience as we try to figure out this new life style. This blog is a direct result of that helpful info (thank you Sherri).<br />
To what we hope to be long term relationships from now and forever. This has resulted in a Texas family that we can not thank enough for all of the enrichment that we have soaked up over the past couple of months. Will always have so many memories......<br />
--The 5:00 happy hours around the fire<br />
--Never winning a single game of dominoes (playing for money...I plan on claiming Sheila as a dependant on my income taxes this year)<br />
--The Margaritaville casino stay<br />
--The Mardigras style Xmas parade<br />
--Holding the gator...eating the gator<br />
--The boat rides on the lake courtesy of Dale<br />
--Kristina's cookie delivery on Christmas eve<br />
--Lisa's Texas drawl. I love hearing that girl talk. <br />
--Saturday night jamborees<br />
--Looooooooong talks with Roger<br />
--Larry's Bronco parties<br />
--Larry's burn piles<br />
--Miss B's always cheery personality (hope to see her and Sham in Salina Kansas some day)<br />
--Helping build Aunt Sandi and Uncle Jerry's deck<br />
--So many, many, many more!!!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash......</strong></span><br />
This is also easy, found that Arctic blasts can extend farther south than I realized. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-86253662217165735322014-12-22T06:32:00.001-08:002014-12-22T06:32:21.334-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Motorhome Christmas</div>
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Today being Dec 22nd, Christmas is like...........right there, ready or not. The holidays keep even us gypsies very occupied in cheerful celebrations and Walmart shopping (closest Walmart 31 miles in Many, Louisiana). </div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span></div>
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Feel very fortunate in being able to share the season with our newly discovered Texas family. Not only enjoying the park residents light displays, but also partaking in Christmas parties by the sleigh full. I am sooooooooo full of great food and the season spirit (spirits??). </div>
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We will also be enjoying the Nebraska family spirit as we take to the road for a trip to Houston and then Cornhusker country. Sue's mom, brother and sister in law will be visiting her nieces in Houston for Christmas day. So our plan is to leave the mother ship stationed at it's current location as we maneuver the satellite transporter (otherwise known as the "Vue") for a week long trip first to Houston and then venturing to the northern frozen tundra of Nebraska, returning after New Years day. Hope the travel weather holds.</div>
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Have been planning on the next leg of the Endeavor flight plan. Planning on spending the months of Feb, Mar and Apr in what we are hoping to be the warmer and sunnier environment of Arizona. More specifically Pioneer rv park a few miles north of Phoenix. This will all be wrapped around the Rockies cactus league spring training period. They typically report in mid Feb and have games through Mar. </div>
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A sad goodbye to Lowes Creek on Jan 12th expecting to report in at Pioneer Park sometime during the first week of Feb. Not sure of the exact date as we want to meander our way through Texas and take in a few of the states attractions. Planned.......Galveston ocean/beach time, NASA Space Center in Houston, Alamo and San Antonio river walk. </div>
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Unplanned, well........... I hope that will keep you coming back for more.</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.....</strong></span></div>
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My only complaint would be the lack of fish on hook. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-55893067705395865772014-12-08T19:15:00.000-08:002014-12-09T04:46:44.812-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a week end. Our good friends Sue and Larry stopped in with their 5th wheel for a couple of nights stay on their way back to Vancouver Wash. We did some antiquing on Friday (no treasures found this excursion....still looking). Then on Saturday we headed towards Natchitoches, Louisiana to partake in their Christmas Festival weekend. It was also the 300th anniversary (tri-centennial) of the city. What we experienced was a Christmas / Madri Gras / 4th of July combo celebration. <br />
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What a blast............</div>
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Held my first (and probably last) gator.......then ate him.</div>
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Do not believe the "tastes like chicken" line, much better.</div>
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Kind of a combo chicken pork flavor, very scrumptious.</div>
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All waiting for the parade to start. Sue and Larry standing.....</div>
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Lisa (closest) and Sheila setting.</div>
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Even Riley was full of anticipation (Sue and Larry's favorite dog)</div>
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Parade started at 1pm was not over until 3:30. That is right, a 2 and 1/2 hour Christmas parade. But wait......beads, candy, stuffed animals, other misc toys thrown into the crowd....a Xmas parade with a heavy Mardi Gras flavor.</div>
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The local police lead the way with a choreographed motorcycle </div>
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riding exhibit. Nice!!!!!!</div>
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The crowds lined the parade route from the air and on the ground.</div>
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Looks like the French Quarter for sure.</div>
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Even the Grinch was there!!!!!</div>
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Santa seemed to be everywhere...and appeared to be not to happy about it!!!!!</div>
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But finally he declared the parade over and wished everyone a Merry Christmas.</div>
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The day concluded with fireworks and a light display over the river. </div>
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Bridge on fire !!!!!!</div>
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Sue enjoying the festivities and showing off her Mardi Gras bead collection.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-25762511789090032432014-12-04T04:53:00.000-08:002014-12-04T04:53:29.450-08:00I am back.............<br />
Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Brian, Jamie, Grant, Wyatt and the Hebert family (thankyou Val and Kelly for feeding the homeless). <br />
Also need to thank Sue's nieces Shawna, Taresa and Taresa's husband Mark. Stayed in their beautiful Pearland Texas home the night before we flew from Houston to Denver and then as we came back into Houston so that we would not be driving in the dark. Was treated to a wonderful meal of steak, maui maui, crab legs along with all the sides......mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! Thanks again, see you at Christmas.<br />
Successful Drs/Dentist visits along with get togethers with some old friends/neighbors (Bob, Marilyn and Tracey).<br />
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This wild and crazy adventure has already paid off in giving us the opportunity to visit with family members that for some reason was never pursued prior to. Grateful for the visit that we had in Kansas City with my Aunt and Uncle (Pat and Wayne) and their son's (Phillip) wonderful family. They have lived at their current location for years but we never seemed to get that way. Then the bonus of the visit with Shawna, Taresa and Mark in Houston. All such gracious hosts.<br />
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I am calling this part of our new lives the "Family Reunion Tour". <br />
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<strong><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">High Life............</span></strong><br />
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Continuing in the relax mode. Other than catching up on some minor maintenance items (noisy air conditioner, weak awning spring, seeping grey tank valve, etc) and cleaning of the exterior (bugs from previous travels and continual removal of pine needles) enjoying the day to day activities of walks, dominoes, 5 o'clock happy hours, music and movie nights with our Texas family, antiquing at the close local towns and some fishing (need to work on this more). Plus catching up on some reading and plotting out our course once we complete this phase of our travels. Thinking of heading South with an eventual western swing from here to experience the various Texas locations (Galveston beaches, Alamo at San Antonio...so far). <br />
Recent temps have been more what we had expected for this area, 60s and 70s thru the day, 40s and 50s at night, very comfortable. Not quite as much sun as I had hoped for, days tend to be early morning fog and cloudy, but still not a snow flake to be seen.............nice!!!!!<br />
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A few pics of local area. Fall colors (yep....still) and the morning fog.</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash........</strong></span></div>
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Geeeeeeez....can't think of a thing.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-42534579868898185052014-11-22T07:41:00.001-08:002014-12-04T03:55:45.511-08:00Not a lot new to blog, in fact will be very sparse for a few days as we are flying to Colorado for Thanksgiving. The grandkids (oh....and their parents) will be visiting so we want to take the opportunity to spend some time with them, plus catch up on things like dental, doctor appointments, visit some friends and make a trip up to the cabin for a check out. Flying out of Houston Hobby airport on Monday, then back here on Friday. <br />
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Do want to share some info about the Toledo Bend Lake that is outside of our front door. It is a rather unique lake in the way it is put together (so to speak). The lake is a monster in regards to size, it is 69 miles long, 10 miles wide crating a total surface area of 185,000 acres. Shore line of 1264 miles with average depth of 60 ft (max depth 110). It was built complete in 1969 with total state funding (between Texas and Louisina)....not a federal dollar involved. 3 objectives satisfied....electrical generation, water and recreation. The thing that I find very unique is that the entire lake (as far as what I am told, so far have not personally explored past this little corner) is populated with trees sticking out of the water. That is the first thing that you notice as you cross any of the bridges spanning the enormous land gap, the trees that are sticking out of the water in any direction that you look. Something else noticed rather quickly is the many buoys and water markers that snake as a line through the water. These have been identified to me as water lane markers. There are so many submerged tress (above and below the water line) that the lake actually contains what I refer to as a boat highway. You can safely travel the marked route, other wise you are on your own in avoiding hidden debri. This strange in what you would typically expect to see on a body of water this size.......speed boats, water skiing, jet skis.........not so much. But this is what makes the lake famous for bass fishing. Perfect bass environment. Boats do go off the path of least obstruction obviously, but what I learned forn the boat ride with Dale the other day is that once out side of the markers, slow is the key and if you feel a bump....do not distress, the bost slides off as you continue fishing. Oh.....and no one runs aluminum props......steel baby.<br />
The explination for this is simply that at the time of construction, there was not the time taken to remove the brush prior to filling the lake. It just occurred to me that maybe this is a direct result of state funding vs federal funding????? It does seem rather strange to me that afetr all these years that the water had not cleared of wood through the natural process of decaying. Could it be that submerged items do not rot as quickly due to the lack of oxygen.......that is my theory.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-20118821402807522452014-11-19T06:28:00.001-08:002014-11-19T19:38:16.927-08:00Time to catch up on a few things. <br />
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Still enjoying the day to day laid back atmosphere that allows us to remain in the relax mode. Has been chilly for this area (friggen artic blast has it at or near freezing here over the past few nights. 40s through the day) so we at times wonder if we did not go far enough south, but there is not much more "south" to navigate. Thinking Florida or Arizona might ensure warmth. Need to think about that. Still.....as I write while watching weather report, those poor folks north are digging out from 6 feet of snow. They show that 50% of the US is snow covered. Hmmmmm.....we have not had to dodge a single snow flake. Maybe near freezing is not so bad after all. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life.....</strong></span><br />
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Continuing the process of getting to know our new friends while broadening our knowledge base. Simple things being part of relaxing. Things such as setting with the guys for afternoon coffee allowing me the opportunity to listen to local stories and news while popping in with occasional questions. Along with dominoes playing, Tuesday movie night and just setting around the campfire.<br />
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The park office/meeting area is pretty much your typical fishing/ice supply store which would not be complete with out the many mounted fish exhibits and catch pictures. As I was viewing fishing history, I noted a theme in what is displayed......a fisherman named "Ralph" seemed to be mentioned in/on many of the exhibits. In asking about this individual I found him to be a bit of a local legend. It seems that Ralph took on fishing like it was a job. His daily routine was to be in the park office/store at 4:30 every morning, make the coffee and at first light be on the lake until late afternoon......like I said, this was everyday. He was the local expert on where to fish, when to fish, how to fish, what to fish........Nothing but stories of not only being an expert fisherman, but how well liked he was and how he is missed. He lived in the far corner of the park in a very nicely laid out modular home that (with Ralph's passing) is now occupied by his son Dale and his wife Kristina. <br />
I have now found that Dale seems to be every bit his dads son. He may not take fishing as more than a hobby (not a job), but I found that my time on the lake with him and his boat, he knows the lake and fishing as you would expect for someone that has grown up in the area with a legendary dad. Gave us (myself and Uncle Jerry) a guided tour of this part of the lake (lake is 69 miles long so "this part" is enough for now) pointing out various landmarks, fish stories and stories of the drought of 2012. Once we found a good spot and started fishing, Dale was quick to point out my poor choice of bass bait. He corrected my error from his assortment of tackle (every bit of tackle in its proper place, such a well organized floating vessel) and soon I was throwing the rubber watermelon worm rig that is favored by the local bass. This just prior to the cold front coming in so conditions were not the best, clouds with eventual wind and rain. Dale was successful in a non-keeper and a hog that broke his line. Uncle Jerry pulled in a turtle and yes....even I had a bit of action. Wrestled with one on, wound up losing half of my watermelon worm to the whopper (that is my story and I am sticking to it). Was exciting for about 45 seconds. <br />
As mentioned Sue and I have become domino experts, well not so much me, but Sue won her first game yesterday. As in everything that I do poorly in...........it all amounts to luck.....and mine of course is bad. That is all it amounts to.....luck.<br />
So.........even though my blogging has suffered from lack of frequency, things are happening just not quickly. please be patient and hope that you enjoy my "occasional" updates.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash......</strong></span><br />
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Has to be the colder than expected cold temps. But could be worse.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-21182577313027820112014-11-10T06:22:00.002-08:002014-12-07T09:24:40.243-08:00One full week at our new home location....Lowes Creek Texas. This past week found us busy with visiting a local museum, helping Uncle Jerry build a deck around his trailer, getting in the routine of morning walks (trying to get some excercise) and working in some occasional fishing.<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life.......</strong></span><br />
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This past Thursday found us in Hemphill visiting the "Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum". In February 2003, Hemphill and its vicinity were one of the key search areas for wreckage from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia" title="Space Shuttle Columbia">Space Shuttle Columbia</a> after it broke up over Texas. Search teams recovered some of the remains of the shuttle and crew members and the Orbiter Experiment Support System recorder (OEX) was found nearby.<br />
A memorial has been erected in Hemphill commemorating the deceased <i>Columbia</i> astronauts. The memorial is located at the intersection of Hwy 87 North and Hwy 83 East.<br />
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The Museum opened February 1, 2011 commemorating the 8 year anniverssary of the disaster. The museum features the permanent "NASA Remembering Columbia" exhibit.<br />
Patricia Huffman Smith was key in the location and construction of the facility. The museum shows a video that is post incident interviews with various community members. It captures the emotional effects of the tragedy to each individual. Even after these several years the video makes one realize how the community came together and supported each other and more importantly the strangers that were also now a part of their day to day activities and for a short time, members of the community.<br />
The evening after the museum visit, we were setting around a camp fire with Larry and Sheila. These 2 folks are to be thanked for their many efforts in keeping the park neat and tidy. They have been in the area for 30+ years. We were talking about our visit and asking about their experiences. The morning of the incident (shortly after 8am) there was a loud sound that went on forever. It is hard to describe but Larry was very clear with the verbal reproduction of what he heard and the only thing that he could figure had happened was that the local natural gas high pressure pipe line had ruptured and had a continuous leak. He got very emotional and had to take a couple of minutes as he recalled his feelings about the fact that those astronauts lost their lives at that moment of break up. Sheila shared the bread making story which is a good example of how the locals came together to house and feed the thousands that were in the area carrying on the wreckage search that went on for several days. She was consistently mixing bread dough in her fifth wheel, after raising, the hundersds of loafs were spread through out the park to various campers ovens to be baked. The flour from the process had spread through out their home and took forever to cleanup. Very moving.<br />
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Aunt Sandi</div>
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Posted in Front of Museum</div>
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Crew</div>
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Previous blog entry mentioned the Saturday night jamboree. Would like to share some pictures of this past Saturdays get together.<br />
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The Ladies Table</div>
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Left to right......Brandon, Ron and Sheila</div>
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Joe</div>
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Cham (You Might also Recognize the Lady in Purple.....photo bomb)</div>
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Uncle Gerry</div>
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Will leave with one last photo for this posting.........<br />
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Morning Fog Near the Boat Dock....Still Working on the Fish</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash..........</strong></span><br />
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Might freeze one night this next week at 31 Deg. BrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-81949015162865077172014-11-04T09:44:00.000-08:002014-11-04T09:44:32.841-08:00Endeavor has landed......<br />
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Well, here it is Tuesday Nov 4 (election day) and we are setting comfortably in our coach which is located in Lowes Creek RV Park, 7 miles from Hemphill Texas. We actually arrived here on Nov 1, but due to setup, getting to know the area and the challenge of internet connection (not to mention cell phone service) have not been able to post in a very timely manner. Am now using a neighbors wifi connection, seems to work OK with only occasional outages. Strange in the fact that the system tells me that our AT&T signal is "excellent" while the borrowed connection is "poor" but our connection does not stay up long enough to get anything done. Oh well.......we are up for the moment, but if my updates are few and far between you will know why. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
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Park is nothing fancy but very comfortable (and affordable). The couple that own the park (Roger and Terri) have made us feel very welcome and they are very laid back. The trust amongst the natives is very refreshing after city life. Everything has a lock but we have been entrusted with knowing where the keys are if we should need anything and they are not around. From the store to even borrowing the Corvette if we want to go for a ride (yes seriously).<br />
The first night we were here, we were invited to the Saturday Jamboree which was a sandwich meal including entertainment......locals strumming the guitars and vocalizing to the best of their abilities. The only down side was that it seems most everyone smokes, getting a dose of second hand smoke was not a problem. <br />
The next day we continued setting up, then later in the day we were invited to a football party that was also very homie....inclusive of Broncos decorations and Broncos fans. Seems there are many relocated Coloradans and if they are not Coloradans......everyone is a Broncos fan now days, or at least a Payton fan.<br />
Made our first trip into Hemphill for supplies. Small town of appr 1200 but they seem to have all that we require. Have a hardware store, grocery, ALCO, lumber yard and not just 1 but 2 Dollar stores. <br />
Got my fishing license so that I can get after those fish. <br />
Temps for the first couple of nights were cooler than we expected, got to 39 one night, but 70s during the day. Low of 58 last night so hope that is more typical.<br />
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Couple of camp setup shots. Notice the nice deck and picnic table. </div>
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Newly built and I think readied for us.</div>
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View from or location, lake in the back ground</div>
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Checking out a possible (probable) fishing spot</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash....</strong></span><br />
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A bit of sadness in that Roger is a cancer victim and in poor health. His life has been determined to be short termed (maybe a year) but that does not keep him from smoking like a chimney. I guess a person can always second guess life style choices, if I was looking at a short term existence, I might simply say "the hell with it" and do what makes me the happiest also.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-70516192783894250452014-10-29T19:58:00.000-07:002014-10-29T19:58:16.547-07:00<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life.....</strong></span><br />
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Cozied up in front of the world series game 7 after a day of KC touring. My uncle Wayne took the day off to take us to lunch and show us a few local sights. One stop was the renovated Union Station which is referred to as the "gem" attraction in the city. In addition to the principal purpose of train depot, there is now exclusive restaurants, children's science museum, cinema and shopping inside. A special bug exhibit currently underway.....explaining the below giant bees. Notice the crown.....everything is Royals, even giant bugs.<br />
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Union Station</div>
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This is a real killer bee<br />
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Wayne and Sue with bee looking on<br />
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Me with bee and.........Sue B</div>
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After a couple of KC days, will be back on the road tomorrow. Appr 650 miles from Hemphill Texas which will be our hangout locations for a few months. </div>
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Coach has been resupplied....ready to roll.</div>
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Thank you to Wayne and Pat for being such gracious hosts. From smoked ribs and game 6 on Tuesday night, to the city tour today which included exclusive banjo playing courtesy of my uncle. </div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash......</strong></span></div>
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Yesterday was spent doing some further maintenance. This time not to the motorhome, but to our tow vehicle. Sue and I had been noticing a loud rumble from the rear during our Little Big Horn visit. My suspicion of a rear bearing was confirmed. Replaced and all is quiet again. Sure did not want a bad bearing seizing up while in tow. Probably would not have known there was a problem until we saw the smoke rolling from burning tire rubber. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-53740703377587088482014-10-26T18:13:00.001-07:002014-10-26T18:13:32.427-07:00Current (Sunday Oct 26) Endeavor docking location..........Tea, South Dakota (Red Barn RV park)<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
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Things just keep rolling. I might be getting my confidence back in this whole scheme of ours. Did our first night at a "Flying "J"" last night in Rapid City, South Dakota, this is important because if this plan is to be affordable meaning more long term than short, the free nights of sleep overs will be most important. Will not be able to afford every night costing $30 to $40. There will need to be some Walmart, Flying J or I understand Cracker Barrel allows over nighters in their parking lot. This be the course as we relocate adventures. Once we get located we will be surviving off the grid ("boon" or "dry" docking as it is referred to). Our chosen locations will be the various national/state parks or historical monuments. We have become email friends with a couple that are of similar age with the same type of setup (34 ft motorhome with tow). They have been touring the US for the past five years and only spend a few days a month in a paid RV park. Sherry maintains a log and it is kept with stories and pictures of their many adventures (hiking, biking and kayaking). <br />
The important part of the Flying J stay was not that it was cost free, but we found that we could spend a night utilizing minimal battery power. The most important part of boondocking (in my opinion) is keeping the fridge going so that perishables can be kept with out continually buying expensive (and sometimes hard to get) ice. When we are not plugged into a paid power source that runs the fridge, it runs on propane but the electronics of the system obviously needs some voltage source. Either AC or DC (battery) when on the road (unplugged). If your battery power is depleted your fridge will shut down. What I am hoping to do is use minimal power at night and then rig up a solar panel that will recharge the system through the day. If that can become a reoccurring cycle we will have AC Independence, but most of all maintain our food source for minimal cost. The Endeavor has a huge 7500 watt generator built in and it works great but it is obnoxiously noisy and eats up 1 gal of diesel fuel every hour. Great if needed but would rather not.So the experiment last night has proven that we can get through an evening and wake up with 3/4 of power still in the batteries. Very nice.<br />
But enough of that....as I noted in the early stages of this wind storm, we are located for tonight and all is going great. As noticed in the below pix, we are enjoying the farm setting this evening, but the leaves are mostly off the trees. 70's today and 40's tonight....but we need to get out of here. We have adjusted our course to a direct southern route....Texas here we come.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.......</strong></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-27563434012494518052014-10-24T16:24:00.001-07:002014-10-24T16:24:32.805-07:00The Endeavor crew is currently docked in Hardin, Montana (appr 40 miles se of Billings). We pulled in here yesterday coming in from Missoula, Montana. A very pleasurable drive, actually put in almost 400 miles (the most that I will want to do) but as we were leaving Missoula there was a rain storm coming for the day so got ourselves rousted and on the road by 8 am (yawn) to avoid the bad weather. Was some talk of snow in the passes, did not want to encounter these conditions and were successful in staying ahead of the storm. Some drizzle but pretty much clear roads.<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
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Decided to stay over a day to take in the Little Bighorn Battlefield experience (what the hey, we can do that if we wish.....but am watching the weather). <br />
I really enjoy American history and to be able to look over the same grounds that this famous battle of June 25, 1876 actually happened on was incredible. Let your imagination take you back and you can almost hear the gun blasts, Calvary bugles and primal Indian screams coming from the hills. Kind of spooky. <br />
I debate in my mind the right and wrong of this historical event and which side to feel sad or happy for. I tend to side with the native Indians because I have always felt that the white man and US government bullied these people out of their homes and ways of life. No matter what considerations they were granted through treaty signings, the soldiers eventually made an appearance in which they were to run the Indian off what they thought was theirs simply because of the government reacting to American greed. It was always that the Indian reservation was continually containing what was wanted so they had to go. This was the one victory that the Indians had in all of the years of fighting the white aggressors and it would seem that Custer came in a little cocky in thinking it would be an easy battle. I always tend to root for the underdog in sporting events, so this is right up my alley in cheering........go braves!!!! <br />
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Oil Painting Depicting the Battle</div>
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Memorial with a Listing of the Casualties</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Road Rash.......</span><br />
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NONEAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-22985771598700027612014-10-21T19:59:00.000-07:002014-10-21T19:59:40.192-07:00We are on the road as of yesterday morning. Was tough leaving Jamie, Brian and the boys behind. Even after almost 6 weeks you would expect that it would be time to leave but many tears fell to the ground as we said good bye for now. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
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Had a last outing with the Hebert family. One of the local farms had a very nice pumpkin patch for the kids. But not just pumpkins of course.....petting farm, pony rides, corn maze, tractors and wagon rides to where you could each pick your favorite pumpkin to take home and turn into your favorite jack-o-lantern.<br />
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Tractor Buddies<br />
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Those boys.....it is so hard to get a picture that one of them is not clowning around. Some times you are lucky and get dual clowns.<br />
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What a Nice Family</div>
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Gma in the pumpkin patch<br />
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The Beautiful Corn Maiden</div>
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Our efforts of pumpkins turned jack-o-lanterns</div>
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Presently setting with my MotorHomie (Sue of course) at "Jim and Mary's RV Park" in Missoula Montana. Not missing the drama of the World Series though....kind of cozy. Yea rough camping but it is actually pretty chilly outside low 40's. Low tonight is to be just above freezing. I do not...repeat do not want to attempt scraping frost, snow or whatever from the huge glass shield that adorns the front of our coach. Gotta get out of here...almost waited to long.<br />
Made it to Spokane Washington after the sad good bye last night. So tough to leave that we did not get on the road as early as hoping for. Was waaaaaay dark as we cruised into town (getting dark at 6 pm so sucks). If not for the GPS we would have never found the RV park. Not only did the darkness make getting around in an unknown suburban terrain a real challenge, the park was buried deep in the bowels of a neighborhood. Finally got to sleep.....woke up in a dump. Another lesson learned (not to say I have not had this lesson previously, but a great memory stimulator) never drive past sundown to arrive in an unknown city and an unknown over nighter. <br />
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Lots of rain and.....yes did see some snow flakes in the mountain passes. More passes tomorrow, hope it warms a little. Have not determined our destination for tomorrow as of yet. Thinking Billings Montana but still have to pull the maps (computer and paper....still like the feel of an atlas). Can't beat determining times and mileage with the electronics though.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-78713201436960751052014-10-13T22:12:00.000-07:002014-10-13T22:12:58.857-07:00<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life......</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Things are finally getting back to where we were expecting to be a couple of weeks ago (we fully expected to be on the road heading east exactly two weeks ago).</span><br />
We got the Endeavor back this past Wednesday complete with a shiny new drive shaft. After a quick over nighter a few miles west of Pendleton and very pleasurable drive, we arrived in Jamie's driveway......only about 5 weeks late. Have spent the days since on simple maintenance items that we had uncovered during the drive here and wanted to complete while we had a port that allowed us the luxury of a garage and tooling. Things like.....a sticky bay door hatch, TV cable routing / hookups for DVD player and satellite dish, some drawer latches that were not holding securely, loose door handle, check of items like belts and hoses....those types of things. Hoping to get in a wash and polish before heading out next Monday but incoming rains could put a kibosh to that plan.<br />
Our exit route is a little up in the air. With it being later into October and the northern temps maybe heading to winter levels a couple of weeks early, there is a chance we may head south down the coast from here instead of staying north and heading east. Having done a lot of California in the past that isn't as appealing to us as the route east into areas that we have never ventured into. Will monitor the weather and if it looks like it will still be fall warm and none of the winter air, we will trip as previously planned with a slight shortening of the journey. Head south from around the Chicago region, through Tennessee and eventually into Hemphill Texas where we have a Nov 1 date with a resort that we plan on wintering in. It is appr 250 miles northeast of Houston. <br />
So......in a few days this BLOG will contain the things that were intended and make for some livelier reading.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.......</strong></span><br />
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Again...nothing to report. Yaaaaaaay!!!!!!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-7935912971312175012014-10-03T10:01:00.000-07:002014-10-03T10:01:55.659-07:00<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life.......</strong></span><br />
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Lots to catch up on and all under "High Life".<br />
Motor Home..actually visited our tranny since it was being serviced a few short miles from where we set. It turns out that the servicing center (Pacific Power Services) is located in Ridgefield Washington, just up I5 a few miles. So I made a personal appearance to check out the situation. The service manager (Brad) was really great in humoring my request to visit my transmission. It had just been reassembled and was waiting to be attached to the dyno for functional testing. This was all this past Tuesday, Brad was pretty sure that the timeline would be testing complete and shipped back to Woodpecker by Thursday. Since that time I have found that all came together as planned, testing was fully successful and the unit was in transit as of my call to them yesterday (Thursday) morning. In turn called Woodpecker and they were expecting the tranny this morn (Friday) with assembly back into the motor home by this afternoon. Excited to pick it up but did not want to push them to hard so at this time the plan is to leave here mid day Monday, make a pickup that afternoon and head back this way. Do not really want to do a turn around trip all in one day so planning to do an RV over nighter and then come back here on Tuesday. Yeeeeeees!!!!<br />
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Sue and I used yesterday to do a little road trip. Mt St Helens is a few miles north of here so we took a back road through the hills to the Johnston Observatory. Quite a bit of driving (a couple of hundred miles each way) so did not get much hiking in, but a very enjoyable trip. The observatory was built in honor of a scientist (David Johnston) that lost his life the morning of the eruption (May 18, 1980...seems like yesterday). He was monitoring the volcano from where the observatory is located when it blew. Not sure what he was thinking, the location is 6 miles from the mountain but as you can see by the below pictures, seems obvious that you would be in harms way in the event of the eruption that was sure to come. I guess he loved volcanoes so much that he was willing to sacrifice himself for the opportunity that was presented to him.<br />
Pretty incredible to think about what came at him that morning. The films that we viewed have footage capturing the blow out along with the flow of destruction that was carried 14 miles down the valley. Plus for those that might recall, the ash cloud actually circled the globe. I remember in Nebraska, the ash particles that we found on our cars wind shields.<br />
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6 miles away....but much too close to watch an eruption!!!</div>
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Can't complete a BLOG entry with out a grandson picture. Gpa and Gma found some slick looking knight out fits that we knew they would love. Nice.....<br />
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Looks like they might be ready for Halloween....Knight!!!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash.....</strong></span></div>
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Nothing to report</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-81914032578236409782014-09-26T15:40:00.000-07:002014-09-26T15:40:21.691-07:00<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">High Life.......</span><br />
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Yes I am including a motor home story in the "high life" section<br />
BLOG might gain some interest in a few days and actually contain some road warrior stories instead of road worryer stories. <br />
Returned from Pendelton yesterday with another story of woe, "Woodpecker Trucking" had no sense of urgency in getting the repairs to our ride completed. They were simply waiting for the service bay that had the transmission (supposedly in Portland....more on that later) to get what they termed an "end cap" to the tranny. Were not able to find one quickly and was on back order. Had no idea what the time was to completion. <br />
After returning to Jamie's, I stewed on this most of the night (after attending lego night at the library with the boys, a much needed distraction and enjoyment) and got up this morning with a determination to do something about the situation. <br />
After 3 cups of coffee, sat down with my laptop and phone with somewhat of an idea (and a sharp coffee edge) of what my objective was. I felt that if "I" could find the part in need, then I could contact those putting us on hold with something concrete that would get them over the hump and push them along.....whether willing or unwilling, if I was to solve what appeared to be their problem they would have no choice.<br />
Well.....after 4 hours of computer research, several phone calls and help from several great freight liner and allison folks, I was able to get the model and serial #s of the transmission using the VIN (by utilizing the freightliner hot line number that I was graciously supplied by "dwolfe" from Texas in reply to asking for help on an RV question and answer website that I have book marked). This in turn allowed me to successfully pursue the needed parts actual name and part number from the folks after calling the allison transmission hot line. Then.......I found an allison parts house on line and after several transfers and suggested contacts found the "rear flange cover...PN 29503089" in TKT Sales (specializing in allison parts) in North Carolina. <br />
Then.....called the service center in Pendelton to let them know that the problem was solved and I needed the number to the transmission servicing center so that they can get the part. As a result of this I found that the tranny is not in Portland but in Ridge Field Washington. Oh well, the rest of the story is that the part is expected to be delivered on Monday, tranny on Dyno on Tuesday and shipped back to Woodpecker on Wed of next week. This should result in getting the rig back either late next week or early the following week. Hurrah!!!!!<br />
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This is the rig that towed us in........3 weeks ago!!!!!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389757750362482601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6777972086189644994.post-54422555091367809782014-09-22T08:52:00.000-07:002014-09-22T08:52:15.960-07:00<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>High Life........</strong></span><br />
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Very enjoyable week end with Brian, Jamie and the kiddos.<br />
Went to the Portland OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). Great educational hall that is set up for kids to learn thru interacting with the many exhibits. <br />
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Wyatt and his mom are deeply involved</div>
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Brothers sharing an experience</div>
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Quite the chipmunk costume Grant has on</div>
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Grandpa was able to sneek some time outside to take in the Portland scenery across the Columbia river. </div>
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Portland, the land of many bridges. Old ones......</div>
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......and new ones. Little hard to see but in the back ground is the new span currently under construction. Pretty remarkable and eye appealing.</div>
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Then was able to get a bit of a softball fix as Jamie was part of a team that was entered in a tournament benefitting the Susan G. Komen breast cancer awareness funding. Won their first game 20 to 10, but the other 2 were not as favorable. Great day with great weather.</div>
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Jamie's team prior to the first game</div>
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Jamie at bat.......</div>
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......and in the field</div>
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Grant with moms old (from high school old) batting helmet on </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzIKJH8kVNE/VCBC2AK7aMI/AAAAAAAAAFI/z2IVzHfBsvI/s1600/P9200082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzIKJH8kVNE/VCBC2AK7aMI/AAAAAAAAAFI/z2IVzHfBsvI/s1600/P9200082.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now its Wyatts turn</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Road Rash........</strong></span></div>
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Not much to comment on, still waiting for our home with the motor. Last we heard the transmission was pulled and sent into Portland for repair. Will get it back eventually. </div>
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