Nearing the End of our Adventures for Season 2026

     Well, this will be almost the last blog for this season. We are slowing heading North still trying to avoid the snow and keeping the chase on for nice weather. After San Antonio, we headed to San Angelo, Texas and stayed at Goodfellow Air Force Base Recreation Camp for a few days. While there we went to downtown San Angelo where there are several large painted sheep. I asked about the significance and was told, this area used to be quite a wool production area, but not so much anymore. We also went to Fort Concho. It was about 75-80 degrees. This is a smaller base, but at the rec area, they have a lake where there were cool breezes and a great place to read a book as there were lots of benches. This was a good stopping point that was about halfway between stops. 

    The next place we stopped at Canyon, Texas. This was one of the places that was recommended by a fellow RVer. This is the Home of Palo Duro Canyon which is the second largest canyon after the Grand Canyon in the US. The major difference is that you can drive to the bottom of this canyon. It was an awesome drive and lots of beauty surrounded us. We saw Big Cave, The Lighthouse Rock, the rim, and wild Texas Longhorns, they have huge horns. This park had loads of trails, that were super long and Mark's back wasn't up to the longer hikes. There are quite a few pull offs to stop and take photos or just enjoy the scenery. There was also a small museum and of course a gift shop available. It is rare to find a place without a designated gift shop. Sometimes, it is nice just to look at the gifts from the local area, but I have been frugal because of limited space in the RV. I have not deprived myself, but I have to really want something to purchase it. My daughter thinks it is funny that I don't really like to shop except when we are traveling. 

    Another day was spent at Cross Ministries in the Panhandle of TX about 50 miles from Amarillo which was one of my favorite stops so far. There is a 190-foot cross that can be seen 20 miles away. This cross has life sized Stations of the Cross around it that were very realistic and moving. It also has a life-sized depiction of the Last Supper and a replica of the tomb where Christ was buried. It was presented very well, and it was moving to experience this especially during Lent. I shed a few tears at the depiction that was presented. They have an incredibly beautiful fountain to represent the Divine Mercy. Watch for the pictures when I do a Facebook post of pictures and look at the detail in the sculptures. 

    While in the Panhandle of Texas, we went to see Big Tex, a huge sculpture to represent the western way of life near Amarillo. This sculpture had jeans made by Levi's. We also took a side trip to Cadillac Ranch. It is more dynamic in movies than in real life. It is a bunch of Cadillacs in the ground and people spray paint this iconic part of Route 66. We walked the streets of Amarillo where nothing was open. We saw at least 3 antique shops and lots of murals on the side of buildings. The wind started while here in Texas and wreaked havoc on our slide toppers. Mark got on top of the roof, had me go up the ladder and try to fix the very twisted awnings over the slide. I was not strong enough to release the handle while unraveling the awnings. We were very fortunate that a couple saw the problem we were having and offered to help. The gentleman and Mark had it corrected in a short time. Thank goodness for good neighbors. 

    Next stop is in Oakley, Kansas where we saw Buffalo Bill Cultural Center. This is the place where he got his name. I had my picture taken with Annie Oakley. I figured she was an expert markswoman, so my face was very serious. That same day we went to Monument Rock which is also known as the chalk pyramids in Kansas. It is a great place to take photos of these Natural Wonders out in the middle of the prairie with the keyhole formation. The same day we went a bit further up the road to a state park and saw a herd of white bison. White bison are said to be very important to the Native Americans, and this was not just one, but a herd of white bison. It was amazing to see! We only stayed in Kansas a few days as we head North.

    Next stop is Sidney Nebraska where we stayed at a Cabelas campground for a few days. This was the site of the first Cabelas, and Nebraska is now home to its world headquarters.  We were the only people in the full-service campground since it is technically still winter. We went to see the Pony Express Monument that we thought was a museum. Of course we had to go through Cabela's. I have seen other Cabela's, and they all have an outdoor scene with lots of animals, this one had a stuffed elephant in the center of the store. It was harvested in Africa somewhere and brought back to the States. Since this town was close, we went to Cheyenne, Wyoming to visit the historical district. We went to the original train depot and the museum associated with it. We also walked around the area to take pictures of the eight-foot-tall boots that are painted to represent different facets of life in Wyoming. I walked to the Capital building, but didn't go in. It is getting us ready for ND weather; the wind didn't stop the whole time we were in Nebraska.

    Next stop is Hart Ranch. SD for about a week, then home. From Nebraska, we ran into a snowstorm and when we arrived in South Dakota, everything was iced up and filthy. My car that was being towed had about 3 inches of crud on it. We had checked the radar and did not see any weather issues prior to leaving Nebraska. We did arrive safely in South Dakota.  Mark got two days of golf in while here. We went to visit a family friend and their children. I brought the pamphlets of places we have been as well as the map of the states we have been to as well as pictures. The kids had a ball looking at the pamphlets. It was a fun visit. We also went to Wall Drug because we hadn't been in many years, in fact Ashley was a young'un, the last time we went. I rode on a giant Jackalope and posed in front of a replica of Mt. Rushmore. It is definitely a tourist trap town. We also went to Deadwood, SD for an afternoon of gambling for Mark while Kim had time to read. 

    Next and final stop for 2026 will be home this week. I will probably do one shorter blog with statistics such as how many miles we have traveled, how many campgrounds we stayed at, how many states we visited and other fun information.  This has been quite an experience; we have learned so much information and will do next year's trip a bit differently. 

    

Taking on Texas National Parks and Historical Areas

                                                                   The Hunt's adventure continues in Texas this month. We started off in Terlingua where Big Bend National Park is located. It was a very curvy mountainous road out in the middle of nowhere. The little town had very limited access to modern convenience. They literally just got a Dollar General in the last year. If you needed a Dr., it was 80 miles away. One of the residents described the life as a simple life, but not an easy life. The majority of ranches on this desert landscape have a water tank and no electricity unless by solar power. We were in one of the many campgrounds with full services. There also are 2 International Dark Sky parks if you are into astronomy or stargazing. We did not do these because of the exorbitant cost for one of these tours. We did a lot of exploring in the area. The picture of us above is on a side-by-side tour with lots of geological sites. I am sorry to say that Earth Science was never my forte in school, but I have learned a great deal of geology on this trip.

     We went into Big Bend National Park which was breathtaking. It was the first National Park that we have seen that has remains of farmsteads and villages. We spent almost all day there on the first visit. We went on some short hikes, did lots of driving and picnicking in the park. They were not kidding when they said have a full tank of gas and drinks available. We drove on the Ross Maxwell scenic drive along the Rio Grande River.  It was really neat to see Mexico on one side of the Rio Grande and USA on the other side. We did not go into Mexico although there were a couple of spots we could have done so. There were SO many places to pull off and enjoy God's creations as we went through desert, mountains and river terrain. There were incredible sites to see and experience. While we there the first day, we discovered a free app called Just Ahead that narrates what you are seeing in and around you. It did not talk the whole time, so you could enjoy the beauty around. This app also encompasses several other National Parks, so it will be useful throughout our travels to other National Parks. We went back another day to take in the Chisos Mountain Basin. This area of the park was a vast difference in the landscape from the rest of the park. Whereas most of the park is desert, when you drive on this trail, as you go higher in altitude the scenery changes from desert to full blown forests that are about 20 degrees colder than the rest of the park. Although this is located in a remote area of Texas, it is well worth going to see it. 

     Another day we went to a ghost town that was a bust. We were done in about 20 minutes, so we decided to drive to Presidio. On this drive, I took a video of the roads that if you like roller coasters this was a road for you. We would crest a hill and could not see where we were going next.  It was a 15% grade with many curves and loops. If you get car sick, this would not be the road to take a drive on for pleasure. A side-by-side tour to Christmas Mountain and the Rainbow mountains was an excursion for one day. We were so dusty by the end, I literally took off my sweatshirt and shook it at the door of the camper. I had to get a broom to clean up my mess. Mark and I were hoping to see some wildlife on this tour but did not see anything other than a couple of birds. We were shown some of the ranches that only have a water tank and solar power. It was fun for a while, but it got to be a long ride. 

     We went to a small town called Sonora, TX for a few days. This was about halfway between Big Bend and San Antonio. On the way, we saw a couple of wild javelinas. A javelina is a wild boar with lots of hair all over.  It was a few days of relaxation in a mobile home park with a few slots open for campers. The first day we drove through the town and then went to the visitor's center to ask about the highlights of the town. There actually was a lot of history, but the tours are only open from Wednesday through Sunday, and we went to the visitor's center on a Monday. Mark got a short round of golf in, and I found a very peaceful park to sit and ponder life. We did a walking tour of the town and went to an ice museum where people got their ice to keep things cold. During this stay was a good time to do chores such as clean all the vents throughout the camper. 

     Next stop is San Antonio for a couple of busy weeks since there is a lot to do in this town. Our campground had a lot of pamphlets of places to visit, and we had a few items we knew we wanted to accomplish and see. We went to Lackland Air Force Base for Mark to get a haircut and to reminisce about Basic Training 44 years ago. This is one of the largest bases, I have ever seen and I have seen a few. (HaHa)We went to a huge church, almost as big as the one near Ashley's house. For Ash Wednesday, there were three masses and 10 communion services throughout the day for distribution of ashes for Lent. Finding a church has been a challenge throughout this journey in many places where there are not a high percentage of Catholics, but San Antonio is not one of those challenges. We have watched mass on-line when necessary. Our faith is an important part of this journey, and we have been blessed to be able to see the world.

     We have made many day trips at this stop. We did the Mission Trail one day. The missions primary focus was to integrate the Native Americans and Spanish into the Catholic Church.  Many of the ancestors still attend church at these places. San Antonio's five missions symbolize an era when the world was expanding, cultures were intertwining and the global landscape was forever changed. The missions were established in the 1700's and some are still used today. These missions are on either side of the San Antonio River with some similarities and some differences in the architecture and the uses of each place such as agriculture, ranches, and technology. All of the missions had a courtyard with one or two wells to serve the entire area. The courtyard was used for play, gatherings, and work. Many of the walls around each mission are still standing. 

     Another highlight was a day at Sea World; Mark has never been to a Sea World. We watched three incredible shows. We saw a Sea Lion Show, the Orcas and a Dolphin/Beluga Whale show. It is amazing what these animals are capable of doing. We learned some facts at each show. One of the Beluga whales was rescued when she was very young and injured, but she seems to be thriving at Sea World. Our lunch at Sea World costs more than our entrance fee and it was only a mediocre meal. Oh, the things you do in the name of tourism. I only was able to ride one roller coaster, it was fun, but no upside loops. The others that I was going to ride were closed temporarily since it is winter season here. It was a great day outside with the temps around 75 that day. 

     Another very long day, we drove to downtown San Antonio, had a trolley tour of the city, as well as touring the Alamo and took a riverwalk cruise around the riverwalk. I had been okay with driving in and around San Antonio until this day, there was a lot of traffic and a few scary moments for me. We rode the trolley around once to see and hear about the facts and folklore of the city. We got back on after lunch and stopped at the areas that interested us and did some exploring. Some interesting facts are there are 1.9 million people in San Antonio, there are 4,600 plus restaurants in the city, there is artwork everywhere, Lyndon B. Johnson was married in the city, Theodore Roosevelt was here and recruited folks from a local saloon, and Barack Obama gave a speech here. I am SO full of information at this point. The Alamo had a lot of construction going on, so we basically saw the outside of the building and part of a church that is being renovated. It was graduation week for the basic trainees at Lackland and there were lots of families out with the young folks. We also went to the first cathedral built in the USA it was built in 1731 and is still used today. The San Fernando Cathedral is much smaller than some we have seen. It was still beautiful to see. This is the second Cathedral where St. John Paul had visited, and a statue was erected in his honor because he did so much for the church. The other stature we saw was in Sydney, Australia. The old pipe organ was awesome!

     We drove to West Cave Discovery Center and met up with a family friend, Cindy for a day of exploring two caves and a canyon. It was a short hike to the bottom of the canyon and the caves.  One would think, we have had enough caves, but they each have been unique.  This one was mostly the walk to the canyon and two smaller caves. The guide fed us more information about the area and the vegetation in and around the area. Bald Cypress trees were in the water, and their roots intertwine with each other as protection. It was a cool site, but I don't think I took any pictures of the entwined roots. We then had lunch in a hole in the wall cafe that served good food. 

     Mark had a day of golf and played with an 84, 85, and a 68-year-old. They were very nice folks. The oldest gentleman only played nine holes and the back nine was much faster. The other two men play three times a week and were very consistent golfers. They gave Mark hints about each hole and tips of what to avoid. That same day Mark took me to Red Lobster for Friday dinner during Lent. I had a baked potato because I can't stand seafood. I did inform Mark next week we will have to go to someplace that serves breakfast food for me. 

     We have about five more weeks until we return to ND and of course, we have to get the car a new windshield. We got a chip and with the heat, it has quickly spread to the passenger side. It is to be expected that maintenance has to be done. Although I don't miss the weather in North Dakota, I truly miss my connections with friends and my volunteer opportunities.  Look for the next blog around end of March timeframe.

Exploring old towns- Shoot-Outs, Copper Mine, Sledding on Sand dunes

After leaving Ashley’s in early January, we ended in a small town called Benson in Arizona. We went to visit Aunt Jean and Red who full time RV and spend the winters in AZ. This place is about 40 minutes from Tucson. Mark really wanted to go to Tombstone for the historical value because of things that actually happened there. We saw one shoot out in a bar that supposedly Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday were involved in. We also saw a shootout at the OK Corral. Tombstone presented a giant diorama that moved on a stage to explain why Tombstone was a town that would never die. Since it was a cold weekend for people in Arizona, it was about 45 degrees, very few of the stores were open. We did have a great lunch at Big Nose Kate's saloon; she was Doc Holiday's girlfriend. The atmosphere was fun with live music and lots of bad jokes about the old west as well as girls dressed up in the time period. One day we went to the PIMA Air and Space Museum as part of Davis Mothan AFB. We spent almost three hours in the first hanger looking at old memorabilia and there were five hangers. Mark was in his glory. He found patches from squadrons he was in through his military career as well as a plane that he probably brought parts to at Upper Heyford, England. This was not my favorite spot, but I was a good sport since it was something Mark really was interested in.  Next stop with Aunt Jean and Red was Bisbee Copper Queen Mine Tour where we were issued hard hats, vests, and lamps to see inside the copper mine. We rode one of the original miners' trains and got to get off and explore the chutes, the equipment, the copper veins, gold and malachite. It was a really cool experience; I was impressed with the reality of what the underground miners did on a daily basis. They no longer do underground mining and do open pit mining now. We also spent a lot of time visiting and playing games. 

         After our visit and lots of games and food, we headed to White Sands, New Mexico. We are in a nice campground that is centrally located to a lot of fun attractions. When we arrived the water hose decided it had enough, so we had to buy a new one that doesn't leak like a river. The first stop after this was to the White Sands National Park to experience an incredible area. It is considered one of the Earth's most stunning natural wonders. We took in two short hikes to see the natural vegetation that grows and another up and around the rim of sand dunes. We also had the opportunity to go sledding down the sand dunes. It was really difficult at first to get the sled moving. It was exhilarating when we found a trail that had been worn down and provided a very quick trip down the hill. It looked like you were on snow, but I had a long-sleeved shirt on was perfectly warm. When I fell off the sled, the sand was cold to the touch, but it was also very fine sand. 

    Another day we went to see the World's largest pistachio and toured the farm. I never knew how pistachios were harvested. It was very informative when the pistachios are ripe, they do a shake and gather method. They shake the individual tree for a very short while and then a net catches the nuts. If a pistachio does not come off during this process, it is called a mummy pistachio. The company we were at packages 15 different flavored pistachios, many goodies made with pistachios to include ice cream, fudge, candy and even some wine since there is a winery also on the property. That same day we drove to 3 Rivers Petroglyph site. We went on a very rocky trail to rocks that were etched with significant images from the Jornada Mogollon people from 900-1400 AD. It was pretty awesome to see so many petroglyphs in a concentrated area. Neither of us knew what a petroglyph was until we went on this adventure. We ended this day at Carino's for dinner which is one of our favorite restaurants. When we were driving in to town, we both saw the billboard at the same time and stated we knew where we were having dinner. 

        Adventures galore in this area included going to Holloman Air Force Base. We could not stay at this base because the Fam Camp has first come first serve policy and we had been told it was usually full this time of year. We have used the commissary on base for groceries more on this trip than we have in the past five years. I don't like to grocery shop, I would go to the base and have to pick up stuff downtown anyhow, so it was easier to just go downtown. The day we went to the base, we also went to the Space Museum since New Mexico has a lot of history with the first nuclear missile launch and many pieces of equipment were tested here before being used by NASA. There was a star trek exhibit where Mark posed in the transport. It was a fun outing and very informative as well.

        Nearby was a Valley of Fire State Park which boasts some of the newest lava flows in the US. It resulted in lava across about 44 miles of landscape. The lava flow provides a habitat for many animals and bird species. This was very interesting to see what mother nature can produce. This day was also when we went to the Smokey the Bear National Museum. Smokey the Bear slogans started in 1940's. There was a wildfire out here in the early 1950's and a small bear cub was rescued with severe burns to his paws. He was named Smokey because of the wildfire, after he healed, the people petitioned to have him become the live real Smokey the bear. He lived his life out at the National Zoo in Washington DC. When he died, they returned his body to Capitain, NM where he has a grave and a plaque dedicated to him. Did you know that the only other character that is more well known than Smokey the Bear is Santa Claus? That was one of the facts, I learned while there.

            The Hunts have been chasing 70 degree days and no snow, but we have failed at both in the last two weeks. The temperature has been about 55 which is still warmer than ND. We have had several freeze warnings. When at a campground with a freeze warning, they ask you to unhook the water hose at night. We had filled our freshwater tank and are okay to use that or use our heated water hose. We woke up this morning to three inches of wet heavy snow. We will be heading to Texas this week and hope the winter storm is done with that area. We have about two more months on the road before we head back north. 

Some scary and fantastic times this month.Christmas in Desert is definitely unique!

Well, our journey continues, to Southern areas so we are able to miss snow which is a goal of this trip. We made a short stop in Austin, Texas to visit a couple we met while in Alaska almost 41 years ago, Anna and Jim. We had a fantastic time visiting and reminiscing. When we went out to dinner, Mark said he would love Italian and they asked if we had ever tried Carino's. Of course, Mark jumped at that chance since it was one of our favorite ND places to eat, but they closed in North Dakota. We used to drive two hours and make a Sam's club run and eat at Carino's. It was a great day and great company.  Being on the road is not for the faint of heart. The drive to get to Austin was quite scary, in Houston, we had two people cut us off and almost cause two accidents. We watched the dash cam  at the end of the day and that made it even more real. Although, we have been through many big cities, it still is not my cup of tea. 

    On the way to Goodfellow, Texas an overnight stop for us, we went through the Pecan capital of the world in San Saba, TX. Shortly after going through this small town, it sounded like it was raining rocks. A truck picked up gravel, and we got three more chips in our huge windshield as well as a big chip on the paint above the windshield. The next day we saw lots of raw cotton on trucks and even got to see it harvested in a couple of places. Now, I am not a farmer, but Mark said it was like a combine with a different attachment. 

    Next stop is Carlsbad, NM for a few days. We stayed at a KOA campground that had a bunch of cool amenities such as giant checkers, giant chess, basketball, sand volleyball, store and rec room. This is definitely one we would probably stay at again. Being this close, we took in the Carlsbad National Park and Caverns, I am not usually a cave dweller, but these were incredible! We took an elevator down 70 stories to the upper cavern. We then took a hike through the cavern which took a couple of hours.  They had to close off the lower cavern because some dropped a Cheeto and it damages the formations. No I am not kidding, it is a real thing that happens and they request nothing, but water gets consumed below ground. There were so many things to see that Mother Nature made so many years ago. There were formations for any imagination to take in: such as the section that looked like a forest, another section where the rocks formed benches and what looked like an altar, trolls, animals. There are sections that are highlighted so maybe it was the power of suggestion. It was easily accessible even for wheelchairs or walkers for most of the path. It was well worth the stop for the views and the experience. We had lunch with Jen and Bedo at an Italian restaurant and caught up with all the happenings of each other's lives. This has been one of the best parts of this trip is catching up with friends and family that we have not seen in a while.

    When we left Carlsbad for a quick stopover before getting to near Ashley's house, we had a frightening episode with the motorhome. We were driving along in NM somewhere and our tire monitoring system started beeping, we were losing tire pressure in one of the tires at a very rapid rate. It took a while to find a safe place to pull off and check out the situation. Mark pulled out his compressor to fill the tire. We got back on the road after I found a tire repair shop and put into the GPS. The directions took us past the shop, and we kept going since there was a Love's truck stop ahead. During the whole process, Mark was worried about having a blow out, so many prayers were said and answered! Thank God, we got to Love's safely. When our new tires were put on in Red Bay, there was a problem with the extension valve. Loves was able to take the extension off and fill the tire properly to get us back on the road. 

    Staying in one place for a while, we are at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona until January 6th. Luke Air Force Base has fighter jets, and it is loud all the time. We are about twenty minutes from Ashley's house. A couple of the advantages to staying in one place is that we can go to the same church weekly, you can find your way around the area and can shop in the same store as needed. 

    When we first got to Phoenix, we went to go to a church that was nearby because the base has limited services. We found one close by and pulled up to this beautiful church that has big signs that say all men must wear suitcoat and tie and all women must wear a dress and a veil. Mark did not have a suitcoat and tie with him, and I did not have a dress or veil.  It did not give me a good feeling, but we went inside. The mass was going to be all in Latin and that made my decision. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, so we found another church. We have done a lot of visiting and sharing meals with Ashley and using her house for laundry since the laundry in the camper is very small and takes super long. Mark has played golf a few times on the base course. I went with him one day and saw my first roadrunner in nature. When I first saw him, he was too far away to get a good picture. When we got closer, he ran much faster than I could get my camera out. These birds are very fast, it was cool to see.

    Some special activities we have done with Ashley are: going to a Medieval Jousting tournament, going to a live show of The Christmas Story, Going to Utopia 2 in a theater, Making cookies with her friend and their family, helping with grout and tile cleaning at her house, going to an Air BNB in Pine Arizona so her dogs won't hear the fireworks for a full week in Phoenix . While in the Air BNB, we have seen a herd of elk almost daily. It is cool to see them so close, just outside the backyard. Other things we have done are getting my haircut and colored and not liking it because it was too blond and she blew out my curls that I like.  I know it is only hair and will grow out. We also got the three chips in the windshield fixed. Mark and I went to Winslow, AZ for an afternoon, so we could stand on the corner like the song. It was a bit bigger than we expected. They had a Christmas tree up that all the ornaments were Route 66 themed with cars, get your kicks and lots of different versions of the road sign Route 66. We have done lots of exploring and visiting to take advantage of every opportunity and live life to the fullest. Look for the next blog around the end of January 2026. 

Visiting and taking in the Mothership- Red Bay, AL

         After Washington DC, we headed to Ft. Bragg, NC for a few days. We stayed at the Smith Lake Fam Camp. It was quite quiet and had lot of room to walk and explore the lake area. They have a great recreation area with playgrounds, sand volleyball, basketball, a beach, disk golf and lots of walking, and bike trails. It was a very windy curvy road to get to our spot, but there was plenty of room. Mark was able to play golf at one of the golf courses. A highlight of this stop was to see my niece Kelsey and meet her husband, Chris. We had a great visit and dinner. We had to make a quick stop to Camping World to pick up a heated water hose since there was a freeze warning forecasted for a couple of days for our next stop. 

    Next stop was a few days in Atlanta, GA. Wow was that a very stressful driving situation. I didn't like the traffic at all. Mark handled it with no major issues. We drove into the city for a tour of the Coca Cola plant. That was very intriguing. We took a guided tour and learned a lot of cool facts about the formula which started off as a medicine to cure all ails. In the plant in Atlanta, there is a display of 6-foot-high coke bottles that each country that participated in the Summer Olympics in 1996 designed to represent their country. These were great to look at and try to match the country. There were SO many things to see and do in there, the tasting room at the end of the tour has multiple flavors from all around the world. They have a huge vault that holds the original recipe, and you can get your photo taken. In my enthusiasm, my arms crossed the line and set off the alarm which made it even more hysterical. The tour guide said he was surprised and thought Mark would be the troublemaker. Just outside of Atlanta, there was an outlet mall where we were going to find some cast iron for friends, but the store closed permanently two weeks prior to our arrival. 

    We have been busy visiting folks and going to the Mothership (Red Bay, AL) where Beauregard was made. The Tiffin Plant and the town are set up to deal with pretty much anything you may need done on your motorhome. Beauregard has had some upgrades done and some new stuff added. We spent eleven days there and did some exploring of the local area. It is an interesting little town with about 3,500 people for the population. We parked the camper and had to get up early many mornings to get work done on Beauregard. We would pack everything up like we were leaving and go to the appointments and then drive back to the campground in the late afternoon or evening to set back up. Several of the stops, had a very nice waiting rooms where we could read, watch tv or play games or pay bills etc. on the computer. The businesses without a waiting room were not a problem because there was a clubhouse at our campground which was only about 5 minutes away from the vendors that had couches, recliners, tv, pool and a shuffleboard as well as board games, cards and a book exchange. Beauregard has new tires, shocks, steering stabilizer, toilet, furniture, as well as the steps are fixed, AC units serviced, tow bar serviced, tanks flushed and cleaned, an interior and exterior spa day. Beauregard looks brand new again. We also took a tour of the Tiffin Plant, and it was fascinating to see how a motorhome starts as a chassis and ends up as a luxury motorhome. They are making five motorhomes each day, and we got to get up close to each section of the plant. We also had our pictures taken with Mr. Bob Tiffin who started the company almost 50 years ago. He has handed the reins over to grandchildren, but he is still very involved in the day-to-day tasks. 

    While in this small town in Alabama, Mark got one game of golf in, and we explored Dismal Canyons while looking for waterfalls. When looking at things to do, we thought we would go and see three waterfalls but only made it to one. We drove over many back roads in Alabama and into Mississippi and could not find anything that looked like a trail for the first one. When we got to Dismal Canyon, there is a trail that we paid a large amount of money to go a mile and a half. During this adventure, we went into caves, over swinging bridges, and into a narrow passage that you could not stand with both feet together. It was a balancing act to walk sideways and get through this area. We had to drive 35 miles to find a Catholic church in this area, yet there were Baptist churches all over. I had to remember where we were in the middle of the Bible Belt. Another observation from this area was that almost everyone had a large front porch on the homes. 

    Next stop, Little Rock Arkansas to visit a friend who we knew in Minot at the base. Linda took time off to show us a bit of Little Rock history. She showed us the Bill Clinton Presidential library from a distance. She then took us to Little Rock Central where the nine black students were integrated into the school. They even had the National Guard called in to help with the transition. They have a really nice museum about the issues these students had to face. The school is still a high school to this day. She also took us to Old Mill which is the site of Gone with the Wind's opening scene. It was a very peaceful place to see and walk around. Of course, we had food and lots of visiting, it was good to catch up. She then took me to a woman's luncheon where they all accepted me as a guest. They had a potluck, ornament exchange and goodie bags for all. Linda wanted us to meet her grandkids, and we met three of the five kids. Her son that lives near her was very little in Minot and didn't particularly remember us. His Mom showed him some pictures and then he sorted of recalled us. 

    Last stop of this part of journey was to Lake Charles, LA to visit some friends from Alaska which was 41 years ago. Their oldest child is about a year older than Ashley.  Char and Bob came to the camper and then took us on a tour of the area. They met at college and showed us their alma mater and some local spots of interest. Mark and I tried Boudin which is a type of sausage that is a specialty in Louisiana. We went to dinner at Steamboat Bills. Again, there was so much visiting and catchy up on the goings on in our lives. Some of the best parts of this trip are reconnecting with friends from the past. I was going to say some old friends, but that would mean we are also old, HaHa! It is different to have Thanksgiving in the camper and to be wearing a short-sleeved shirt. In the campground, we are in, there are lots of trails and swamp land. While I was walking on a trail, I saw two alligators and lots of turtles. When I asked some of my friends in ND if they wanted alligator for Thanksgiving, no one wanted any. I just can't imagine why. 

    As we continue this journey, there is SO much to see and do but since we are only human, we are unable to see everything. We have decided that this year the adventures will focus on connecting with friends. Life is still good, and we would encourage everyone to go out and live your dreams to the fullest. Appreciate what you have around you and make the best of it. Retirement is highly recommended by both of us! Look for the next edition sometime toward the end of December. 

Cruising and Washington DC adventures

 We took our twelve-day cruise from NYC to the Virgin Islands; I celebrated my birthday aboard the ship Venezia. Mark called it the Holy Tour because we were scheduled to go to St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and Tortola. Due to a Tropical storm, we missed the first port of St. Thomas and instead went to Grand Turk.

    During the cruise, we saw some really great shows by the professionals on the ship and some with guests on the ship like a talent show. The shows featured some fantastic acts with talented passengers. Some of the themes of the big shows were: Welcome Aboard, Vintage Era, Color My World, Epic Rock, Dana Monique from the Voice, Viva Variety and Melissa McLaughlin which was my favorite. We also watched shows where the passengers played in games like deal or no deal, hog's wild, walk the plank, trivia and bingo. Another activity that holds a lot of meaning to us is the Military Appreciation Gathering. It was very moving and memorable. Of course, Mark had to give his donation to the casino most nights. He was ahead for several nights and then his luck changed. 

            Our excursions were kind of mellow for us and were mostly sightseeing tours. In Grand Turk and St. Maarten, we did not do any excursions. We only got off the ship and looked at shops at the pier. It was rather hot for us folks from North Dakota. It was almost 90 degrees. We knew we would get some heat in the Virgin Islands, but thought since it was fall, it would be a bit cooler. In St. Kitts, we went to a Batik textile mill that was built on a volcanic mountain. It is kind of a cool technique to get all the colors and designs onto the fabric. Also on this tour, we were taken to a place where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet. It was awesome to see this spot. The only difference I could note was the slightly different color turquoise of the water. At this spot, there were people with live monkey's dressed up and used this as a tourist trap to get your picture taken holding them. Many people in the group didn't realize they had to pay to hold the monkeys. Our excursion in Tortola, was a combo sea and land tour. We rode a ferry to several landmarks and some history about them. The guide on the ferry was very engaging and knew his information. The second part of the trip was up a volcanic mountain road that was very windy and curvy in an open-air taxi that had about 20 folks. It was not very comfortable, and the driver's driving skills were scary to say the least. He would stop and say here is a nice spot to take photos, but we didn't know what we were viewing. It was beautiful scenery despite not knowing what we were looking at each time. 

            Of course, one can't go on a cruise without loads of good food every time you turned around. We ate mostly in the dining room for dinners, but two days we went to specialty restaurants on the ship. One night we went to Bonsai Tappinyaki which is like a hibachi grill where they cook the food in front of you starting with bread, salad, fried rice, veggies, meat, and 6 desserts. Yes, I did say six desserts to try. It was way too much food, but it was great entertainment with lots of songs and finesse. We also went to a Steakhouse the day after my birthday. This was a higher classed restaurant with fabulous food. They even brought out my dessert of fruit with frosting that said Happy Birthday on the bowl and a candle to make a wish. On the Venezia, there are two main areas to have dinner or brunch on sea days, but there was also a buffet, Guy's Burgers, a BBQ place, deli, taco place, pizza joint, seafood place, ice cream, and a dessert bar. If you are hungry on a cruise, it is nobody's fault but your own. They also cater to vegans, gluten, free and any other dietary need you may have. 

    Although we had a good time, we both decided that a 12-day cruise with six sea days is more than we want to do at a time. Mark said the only one he would do at that length would be a Panama Canel cruise. Upon getting off the ship, we were planning one night at my brother's house for one evening but turned into two because of a small hiccup. Mark's meds were sent and did not come in time, so we spent an extra night up North. When we arrived up North, we found signs of mice and threw away some ramen soup, cups of soups, pop tarts and packets of taco seasoning, we had a stowaway mouse that we probably picked up at the last campground. We did catch him and put in more mint oil all around the inside and storage areas of the camper. 

    Our next stop was in Berwick. PA to visit some friends for a very quick visit. We knew them in the military, and they left Minot 29 years ago and we have kept in touch. We spent many hours visiting and catching up as if we had not skipped a beat. They took us to dinner at a restaurant that was recommended by their family. Unbeknownst to both of us, was that there was Trivia every Tuesday evening, so it was loud and almost packed with the exception of one table where we sat. It was great seeing them. 

    Washington DC was the next destination to stay at Andrews Air Force Base and explore the Nation's Capital for about ten days. This was a great plan until the Government Shutdown affected many of the places we wanted to see. Driving that day was quite stressful for me, I am trying to not be a nervous passenger, but I am not meant to be in this much traffic. We did make the best of it and did numerous activities. We were about a 15-minute drive from a Metro station, so we did accomplish navigating where we need to be. I was surprised of how relatively quiet it (the Metro) was even when it was full, people paid attention to their phones or books. It is a color-coded system and was not difficult to use. 

    The Fam Camp on Andrews only has about 30 slots for campers with full hook ups and lots of trees. It overlooks one of the three golf courses on the base. Mark was hoping to get a day or two in on the course, but it was a bit chilly. Our friends in Maryland said it had been about 70 degrees until we showed up and it was a high of 55. It was a quaint place to stay with reveille at 7:00 AM, retreat at 5:00 PM and taps at 9:00 PM every day over the PA system. The campground was almost full, yet no one interacted with the neighbors. 

    One of the first places we went to was: The Holocaust Museum which was open for a few more days during the shutdown. This was a very intense museum and very moving. We spent almost four hours going through the exhibits that were presented very realistically. It was kind of like the movie, The Passion, it was so awful to see and yet was very riveting to see. It made me think of how the hatred of Hitler was so widespread. We learned that he went to prison before he had power and wrote a book. I thought that experience would have made him feel for the people more, but that is not what happened. Our next big encounter was driving to our friend's house in Maryland where she would play tour guide and chauffeur for the day. She drove us and her daughter to Arlington National Cemetery, which was mostly open, a few exhibits were not open. We took a tour that made many stops to include Eternal Flame of JFK, Tomb of Unknown Soldier, the changing of the guard, the amphitheater, and the Space Shuttle Memorial to name a few. There are 639 acres of history and reverence on this bit of land. The changing of the guard ceremony was very touching to see in person. This day we were there was an honor flight of veterans from Indiana who were visibly moved, it made me proud to be an American. We were then taken to Old Ebbets's saloon which is the oldest saloon in DC for a late lunch. They handed us a paper with information on both sides of a paper regarding the history. Our friend then took us to places where we could get out quickly and take pictures of some of the monuments. 

    Another day we took the metro to near the White House for a segway tour around the city. Since we arrived very early, we asked what was near that we could see or do. The people suggested going to The People's House just down the street. The People's House is fairly new and is privately owned interactive model of the White House. It was really superbly done display. They had a model of the front of the White House with a short video at the beginning with Melania Trump welcoming people to experience this unique place. The first room you go into has a model of the rooms in the White House such as the red room, green room and the ballroom. If you touch a pad, it describes and shows what happens in each room. The next room was one of my favorites, it was a replica of the Oval Office. It is the same size as the actual Oval Office with lights to tap on to read about the significance of the furniture in the room. They also have a replica of the President's desk that you can take photos at.  I must have been trying to solve the world problems at that desk since I looked like I was deep in thought. Upstairs is a simulation of a cabinet meeting and Mark interacted with Abe Lincoln's cabinet, a ballroom simulation, and then a room where you can interact with objects found at the White House or Camp David. It was especially interesting since we could not take a tour of the actual White House. The segway tour brought us near many monuments and historical information about DC. Our tour guide Brandon was great fun and made sure we were safe. We were on information overload by the end of the tour, but we love segway adventures!

    Another day, we walked to get up closer to the monuments and memorials that we saw on the tour. We just took our sweet time and enjoyed where we are in life. Retirement is great and we are trying to see and do as much as we are able with the time we have- I guess you could say we are really living life to its fullest. The last big event we went to was more for my sake than Mark's. We took the Metro, then a bus to the National Cathedral. I have a fascination with Cathedrals, the beauty, architecture, history, the chapels and the stained-glass features and this one did not disappoint. This cathedral is where funerals for heads of state are held to include Eisenhower, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and GW Bush. Martin Luther King Jr gave his last public address here shortly before he was assassinated. The funeral of Jane Goodall will be held here in November. The newest stain glass is the Space Window. The main pulpit is called the Canterbury Pulpit and was given to us by England. This cathedral took almost 90 years to complete. They have a new fundraiser going on right now, it is to build a replica of the cathedral with lego bricks sold for a dollar a piece. This project when it is done will be as tall as the large room it is in. We listened to one of the guys in charge of this project and it is manned by volunteers only a couple of days a week.

    Even amid the government shutdown, we did a lot of awesome happenings. After this will be short trip to NC to visit my niece, a stop near Altana Georgia to see the Coke factory and then to Red Bay to get some updates done to Beauregard. That will take us into Mid November. We are putting a lot of miles on the RV, but so far it is so worth the traveling! I love exploring places we have not been before and we have been given a gift to be able to do this long trip. 

 

Three weeks of learning, visiting and numerous adventures in the motorhome!

 We left in Mid-September from Minot, ND and had a timeline to get to NY for family commitments. The beginning of the trip was a whirlwind of long days on the road. When we started this journey, we had agreed on traveling six hours in the RV, well we surpassed that a few days. 

First stop Bemidji, Minneseota which was just the right amount of time on the road. We were in a campground that was small, unfortunately our site was not very level. We even left the car hooked up because we were only going to be one night here.It is a good thing we have a menu and we were able to make dinner. We certainly won’t starve on this trip. Second stop was a short jaunt to Webster, Wisconsin for a couple of days to visit some friends from the Air Force. We were in a campground that is wooded and a river runs through it. It had only about 40 wooded sites, but it was beautiful . We had dinner out with them the first night and did lots of catching up. We caught up quite quickly as if no time had gone by and it had been over 20 years since we had seen them. During the morning, of the second day, I was outside and watching the river with a group of ducks playing their own games of tag. They were the quietest ducks, I have ever seen. This place was very tranquil and peaceful. We then spent time at our friends house for the majority of the day. We had spaghetti and meatballs with homemade bread and brownies for dessert. We are blessed beyond measure to have good friends to visit, a beautiful country to see and the ability to travel.  Third stop was after a long day on the road. We hit some very heavy traffic while going around Chicago. We had a route planned so we would not have to go through this huge city. We did take one wrong turn and added a out 40 minutes to our trip. We stopped in Sandwich, IL at the fairgrounds. It was a big field with electric and water access, but it was great for one night. We knew we had a long day of traveling ahead,so we again did not unhook the car. It was okay, but we had to catch up with the caretaker to pay for the evening. We got up and left before the sun was up for our long day to Vermillion, Ohio. There was a lot of constuction and too much traffic for my taste.The first two hours of this day were very stressful. The steps on the motorhome were moving in and out rather than staying in place, the traffic was horrible  and we bumped the mirror so Mark felt like he was driving blindly on his side. It took a while to find a rest area to correct the mirror situation. We stayed in a travel plaza on the toll highway with electrical service only and had dinner at the travel plaza’s restaurants. It was quieter than I thought it would be with all the truck traffic. Last stop before meeting up with family was another long day on the road, almost eight hours with traffic and construction. We have learned that when we set our route up after this, we will not travel three long days in a row. We will add an extra day and just make a pit stop even if we are not planning to see anything special. We also learned that after the six hours are up we both get cranky and short with each other. 

The next part of the trip was go, go go  to see all the relatives and friends we were able to fit in. Once we got settled at Herkimer Diamond Mine campground we contacted family to see what days we could get together. We tried to have a big family gathering here, but it ended up being lots of small gatherings at this section of the state. We had friends who were in our wedding party 41 years ago come to  visit us on the first  day we were there. That day was also a day to do some laundry, and  wash the car since it was filthy. The next day another member of the wedding party drove down from New Hampshire to visit in the morning and the afternoon was spent meeting my great nephew and visiting with one of my sisters, a niece and her husband. On the way home from this visit, it was pitch black on winding, curvy roads and we almost hit an Amish Buggy. Thank God, he was in the other lane, but it was really scary. We came around a corner and there was another buggy that had no caution triangle or any kind of light. The third day of being here and it has not stopped raining out, so everything is inside. This was also busy with a brother in law coming to visit and go through old photos during the day. In the evening, we had a full camper with Mark’s brother, his three grown children, Mark’s nephew and his little boy plus two foster kids. We had set up the awning and a table outside, but it was too wet to have dinner outside. We had a lot of laughs and chaos that evening. The following day Mark’s Aunt came over during the day and visited and caught up for a few hours.We went out to an Italian place for dinner and got up the next morning to head further North in NY state. We arrived at Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Dept in the late afternoon. If you know me at all, you know I Love Fall in the Adirondacks. The colors were peaking about two weeks earlier than usual, but I was in my own glory. It was so incredibly beautiful to see the mountains, trees and the colors! We set up and I was relaxing when this gentleman pulled in and asked if I had seen the bear. I asked what bear and he told me there was fresh  bear scat by his camper. I had not seen any bear. My sister met us and we walked on a section of the  Rail Trail. There were some incredible views and lots of people riding bike or walking this evening. We just kind of chilled the rest of the evening, since we had a huge family reunion the next day. The O ‘Neil, Howard , Woodruff family reunion was on Saturday with lots of folks showing up. I had asked my siblings to come early for a new family photo with all eight of us  since it has been a lot of years without a picture. Six of the eight showed up and I had to be of the mindset that I get what I get and I am happy with it.There was lots of food,photos and visiting. It was nice visiting with members of the extended family that I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was a fantastic day for indoor or outdoor activities. That evening, my sisters came out to the camper and we ate more and visited for quite a while. It was a success as far as I am concerned. The following day was church in Lake Placid and there was a baptism during mass. I haven’t ever been in this particular church and it was decorated with woven pack baskets with fall colors. I had a gathering of friends from high school and college in a local park by the lake. We had tons of laughter, and reminiscing as well as a few photos. When we were finished visiting, I decided to play tourist and went leaf peeping in a couple of spots where I knew the views would be great! After driving around the area and making a few stops to take photos, I headed back to the motorhome. Mark’s medicine went to Ashley’s house and she mailed them to an Aunt’s house and it required a signature, so we went to her house and waited for the Fed Ex driver. We were given a four hour window of when it would arrive.We went up and did stuff on the computer and checked the bills and the bank.We were surprised that it came within the first ten minutes of the scheduled time.We then went out to lunch with Kim’s Aunt. The following day was for nostalgia’s sake, We went to Plattsburgh to get a Michigan hot dog, to Banker’s Orchard to get some Macintosh apples that you can’t find in North Dakota. After the trip to the burg, I went up the gondola at the Olympic Ski Jump to see if I could get some good pictures of the fall colors, but they were already fading due to lack of moisture in the area. While there I met a couple from Oxford England which was about twenty minutes from where we were stationed for four years. I gave them some insight as a local who grew up there. I wanted to start singing It’s a small world! The next day was very slow pace, did some bills, reading and enjoying the beauty around here. The last day before we head to the big Apple was very busy. We went to lunch with three Aunts, packed the camper to move to a brothers yard,moved the camper to my brothers , went for another walk on the Rail Trail and then brought pizza back and had a campfire. It was a fabulous way to end my time with family. 

We got up early and started the almost three hour trip in the jeep to New York City. The RV was at one brother’s and the jeep was going to another brothers house. As we were almost at my brothers, I realized we didn’t have our passports to get on the cruise. We were scheduled to ride an Amtrak train another three hours to NYC. We changed our train reservation and headed back up North to get passports. What should have been a 3 hour car ride ended up almost nine hours because of my error. We got there and back safely and my brother took us to dinner and then to the train depot.We got into NYC about 11:00 PM, got a taxi for two miles and finally got to stretch out in the hotel. There is so much to do in NYC and we woke up and decided to do the Intreped Museum Tour. There was a lot of interesting things to see on this aircraft carrier.  We went to a diner for lunch, but it was a bit upscale from what we think of diners. The food was good, but it was too much. We made  plans to meet up with a niece for dinner.I put the address in my GPS and it said it was a 17 minute walk, but we goofed because there were multiple locations for this restaurant. My niece ended up coming to us and we had a great Detroit style pizza in NY. It was awesome to visit with more family. The next morning we got up and went to Church at St. Malachy’s The Actor’s Chapel near  Times Square. It was a lovely church, but the organ over powered the cantor’s voice. We then decided to walk where our tour would be and find lunch near Central Park. We did a two hour walking tour of Central Park. Although it is popular to see Central Park in a horse and buggy or pedal carriages where the one person pedals the machine, we chose to see it at a more reasonable price. I was amazed at the features in this place. There is serenity and peacefulness amongst the city. It is huge and is the home to two zoos, two ice skating rinks, a boathouse, carousel, baseball fields, a mall that is a walking path with vendors, trails, a castle, a military field for practicing marching and lots of statues. It was quite impressive! We saw the place where part of Home Alone was filmed. We walked almost seven miles today. What an opportunity to experience!

Wow, a lot has been crammed into a short time. We will be takng a 12 day cruise from here. I will write again in about a month. Enjoy each moment in your life and see all you can or are intersted in. We live in a pretty awesome world, find the good.