Well, we are home again. Got home on Thursday around 3:30 p.m. I think I'm happy to be home. Not quite sure yet.
We left Silverdale, WA Tuesday morning around 9:30 a.m. One of the hardest things we have done is say "goodbye" to our sweet little granddaughter. She is just too sweet and cute. We so enjoyed our stay with Hana and Larry. Don't know if this time together was that much fun for Larry however. Poor guy had dental appointments three of the six days that we were there. We were just happy that we could help him out by being babysitters for Hana while he was away at the dentist.
As we left Silverdale we discussed the next lag of our trip. We just were kind of burned out and decided, ya know, let's just head home. So that's what we did.
We made it as far as Grant's Pass, OR the first night of our trip back. And you guessed it, we stayed in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. I went into WalMart to do a little food shopping and when I came out Mike was pointing out some of the interesting people who were staying in the parking lot as well. As things would have it, as we were sitting at the table eating dinner a police cruiser pulled up to a couple of cars on the far side of the lot. The police officer got out and started talking to the occupant of one of the cars. After a bit, the car and its occupant left and the police officer went over to talk to the occupant of a mini motorhome that was parked near the car that left. Just then, another police cruiser arrived and that police officer got out and went over to the mini motorhome where the other officer already was. The conversation lasted for about 20 more minutes and then the police officers left the premises. Sure would have liked to know what was going on, but alas it shall remain a secret until the end of time. Boo hoo!
Got up early Wednesday morning and headed out on our southbound trip through California. Traffic wasn't all that bad, and for once the roads in northern California were not bad either. It was interesting going through the California Inspection facility. We let them know that we had grapes and peaches in our refrigerator that we had purchased a week earlier in Montana. They didn't show any concern about that. Their next questions were quite interesting to say the least. They asked us if we had any Mango's, Avocado's, or (get this) firewood. Last I checked firewood didn't pose a threat to the fruit crops in California. Maybe it contains some sort of fruit fly that we are unaware of. Hmmmmmm. Anyway, we made it as far as Stockton and looked for another WalMart Supercenter. GPS's are wonderful tools! They help one locate these parking facilities quite readily. When we pulled in we were a bit concerned as we were the only RV in sight. This is not usually the case. There are usually three to four RV's already parked when we arrive. Not so this time. But once the security truck came around and Mike talked to the guard, we were no longer worried. All was OK. All that is, except for the heat!!!!!! It was 106 outside. Needless to say, we needed to cool the RV down. So we fired up the generator and turned on the roof air conditioners. The only concern we had was, do we have enough propane left in the tanks to get this place cooled down adequately. No worries, we got it comfy enough to sleep and then hit the sack ready to get up early Thursday morning heading for home.
DO NOT TRAVEL ON THE 99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess if you want to beat your vehicle to death, then you should travel this wonderful highway! OMG California, you should truly be embarrassed!!!!!! I was never more grateful than when we finally were able to meet up with Interstate 5. But guess what? Interstate 5 is no better! OUCH!!
Got home and pulled the motorhome in to the back yard. Unhooked the car and then proceeded to unpack the motorhome. I truly hate this part of our trips.
Well, we are home safe and sound. Looking forward to planning our next outing. Hmmmmmmm, can we leave next week please?????????????????????????????????????
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
In Washington State
Well, we left Dickinson, ND on July 21st. Said goodbye to my Dad and headed on out west. We arrived in Billings, MT at our friends' Pam and Rick's house the evening of the 21st. It was so nice seeing them. They have done soooooo much work on their house and yard. What a difference one year makes! Wow! We were able to spend a full day with them and then headed out on July 23rd.
OK Montana, could you please hold the wind??????? We stayed the night in Missoula, MT in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. The winds we were fighting were soooooo bad. There were times when we were going uphill that the speedometer read 25 mph. Yup, that is as fast as we could get the motorhome to go, with the gas pedal all the way to the floor!!!!!! Needless to say Mike was absolutely exhausted when we finally stopped.
We spent the next night in Moses Lake, WA. Yup another night in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. What would we ever do in this great country of ours without WalMart????? While I was inside doing some shopping, Mike met another camper in the parking lot. His name is Larry Glass from Colorado. He is a photography artist who retired from his regular job and is now pursuing his love and interest. He travels around the country to art shows and sells his photography. From what Mike was telling me, this guy is a real interesting person.
Left Moses Lake this morning headed to Poulsbo, WA. Our son-in-law Larry and our granddaughter Hana live in Silverdale which is only 12 miles south of Poulsbo. We arrived at Eagle Tree RV Park around 3:30 this afternoon. Called Larry to let him know we were in town. (Wendy is at sea currently, so we aren't able to catch a visit with her during this trip) Made arrangements to go to Larry and Wendy's in the evening once we got settled in the campground and got some dinner.
Arrived at Wendy and Larry's around 7:00 p.m. He was still at Bible Study so we waited about a half an hour till he and Hana got home. Our little granddaughter is just the cutest little girl on the planet!!!!!!! We haven't seen them since last July. It is unreal how much this little girl changed in a year. Of course she was shy at first, but then she let Grandma pick her up. Before you knew it, she let Grandpa pick her up too. Daddy told her it was time to get ready for bed and when it was time to go to bed she came in the living room and grabbed my finger and led me to her room. She wanted Grandma to tuck her in her bed. OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This little girl has completely stole my heart!!!!!!!!
We unloaded all of the stuff that we brought for Larry and Wendy from our car and then visited with Larry for a couple of hours. Mike and I are exhausted so we decided to say goodnight and head back to the campground. We will be heading back to Silverdale to the Godin residence in the morning.
So glad that we are here. Love these kids of ours!!!!!!!!
OK Montana, could you please hold the wind??????? We stayed the night in Missoula, MT in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. The winds we were fighting were soooooo bad. There were times when we were going uphill that the speedometer read 25 mph. Yup, that is as fast as we could get the motorhome to go, with the gas pedal all the way to the floor!!!!!! Needless to say Mike was absolutely exhausted when we finally stopped.
We spent the next night in Moses Lake, WA. Yup another night in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. What would we ever do in this great country of ours without WalMart????? While I was inside doing some shopping, Mike met another camper in the parking lot. His name is Larry Glass from Colorado. He is a photography artist who retired from his regular job and is now pursuing his love and interest. He travels around the country to art shows and sells his photography. From what Mike was telling me, this guy is a real interesting person.
Left Moses Lake this morning headed to Poulsbo, WA. Our son-in-law Larry and our granddaughter Hana live in Silverdale which is only 12 miles south of Poulsbo. We arrived at Eagle Tree RV Park around 3:30 this afternoon. Called Larry to let him know we were in town. (Wendy is at sea currently, so we aren't able to catch a visit with her during this trip) Made arrangements to go to Larry and Wendy's in the evening once we got settled in the campground and got some dinner.
Arrived at Wendy and Larry's around 7:00 p.m. He was still at Bible Study so we waited about a half an hour till he and Hana got home. Our little granddaughter is just the cutest little girl on the planet!!!!!!! We haven't seen them since last July. It is unreal how much this little girl changed in a year. Of course she was shy at first, but then she let Grandma pick her up. Before you knew it, she let Grandpa pick her up too. Daddy told her it was time to get ready for bed and when it was time to go to bed she came in the living room and grabbed my finger and led me to her room. She wanted Grandma to tuck her in her bed. OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This little girl has completely stole my heart!!!!!!!!
We unloaded all of the stuff that we brought for Larry and Wendy from our car and then visited with Larry for a couple of hours. Mike and I are exhausted so we decided to say goodnight and head back to the campground. We will be heading back to Silverdale to the Godin residence in the morning.
So glad that we are here. Love these kids of ours!!!!!!!!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Hello From Dickinson, ND
Well, we left Bismarck yesterday around 10:30 a.m. and arrived in Dickinson at about 11:30 a.m. Bismarck is on Central Standard Time which is an hour later than Dickinson, so even though it looks like we made it in an hour, it really was two hours. The motorhome cannot fly people! Really!!!!!
Spent the remaining half day with my dad yesterday. He looks fantastic!! I am so relieved to see that he is still very healthy after this winters' scare. Took him to Burger King for dinner and loaded him up with the healthiest of meals. Yup, double cheeseburger, fries and a strawberry shake! No I am NOT trying to kill my dad. Treats every now and then are necessary in life!
Headed to dad's this morning around 9:30. Mike started ticking off some of his chores right off the get go. Headed out to the lumber yard to get a replacement metal basement window well and then dug out the old one and put in the new one. Really nice work when it is in full sun, muggier than heck, and hot enough to fry eggs on the cement! Poor guy was pouring sweat off of his forehead!
I went with my dad to his dermatology appointment in the afternoon. Yup, another possible skin cancer area on his belly. The doc took a biopsy. We can only pray that it is easily removed and treated! Thus far we have been blessed with all of the skin cancers they have found. They have all been easily removed and treated. After the appointment we headed over to WalMart to get some groceries and other little items that we both needed. From there we headed back to his house and just spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing on his patio in his back yard.
Headed back to the motorhome a little after 9:00 p.m. and now it is check the Internet, blog and relax time.
Spent the remaining half day with my dad yesterday. He looks fantastic!! I am so relieved to see that he is still very healthy after this winters' scare. Took him to Burger King for dinner and loaded him up with the healthiest of meals. Yup, double cheeseburger, fries and a strawberry shake! No I am NOT trying to kill my dad. Treats every now and then are necessary in life!
Headed to dad's this morning around 9:30. Mike started ticking off some of his chores right off the get go. Headed out to the lumber yard to get a replacement metal basement window well and then dug out the old one and put in the new one. Really nice work when it is in full sun, muggier than heck, and hot enough to fry eggs on the cement! Poor guy was pouring sweat off of his forehead!
I went with my dad to his dermatology appointment in the afternoon. Yup, another possible skin cancer area on his belly. The doc took a biopsy. We can only pray that it is easily removed and treated! Thus far we have been blessed with all of the skin cancers they have found. They have all been easily removed and treated. After the appointment we headed over to WalMart to get some groceries and other little items that we both needed. From there we headed back to his house and just spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing on his patio in his back yard.
Headed back to the motorhome a little after 9:00 p.m. and now it is check the Internet, blog and relax time.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy 4th of July!
Today is the 4th of July! Our wonderful nation's birthday!
We were supposed to meet Mike's mom at her house and then go to the Art in the Park in Mandan. This is held annually during the July 4th festivities. When we got to her house, she was not feeling well at all. She overdid it yesterday in the heat and got overly tired and heated. So today her body was telling her she was going to pay the price. So Mike and I told her to relax and take a nap and he and I went out to sit on her deck. This is pretty much the way the day went until about 2:00 p.m. She got up and I fixed the three of us some sandwiches for lunch. After mom ate, we told her to go to bed once again to rest and we went into the living room and watched TV. About 5:00 p.m. the phone rang and it was Mike's brother-in-law Leroy asking us if he and Valerie were supposed to come for dinner tonight or tomorrow night. Valerie couldn't remember which day they were to come over. Mom told him it was tonight and Leroy said they would be over shortly.
Mike and I got busy putting together our 4th of July barbecue we planned. We made bacon wrapped hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and strawberry/blueberry shortcake for desert. OK, so the salads, beans, and cole slaw were all store bought and not homemade. Who cares? It all turned out really good. Quite delicious if we do say so ourselves.
At 8:00 p.m. Mike and I bid our goodbyes to everyone and headed to the motorhome to get changed and pick up another lawn chair. We were heading to the state capital grounds for the July 4th program and fireworks. When we arrived and set up our lawn chairs on the grass corridor in front of the capital building, a Jamaican band was playing on the stage. After they finished, many of the states' political dignitaries spoke and then the Mandan/Bismarck Symphony began to play. Totally awesome. The fireworks began at about 10:30 and were totally spectacular!!!!! We couldn't believe it, where else can you go and listen to a live symphony orchestra playing during a fireworks display, and not have to pay a single penny for it?????? North Dakota, that's where. And ya'll wonder why Mike and I want to move back here permanently! Our night was perfect!!!!!!!!!
Happy 4th of July Everyone!!!!!!!!!
We were supposed to meet Mike's mom at her house and then go to the Art in the Park in Mandan. This is held annually during the July 4th festivities. When we got to her house, she was not feeling well at all. She overdid it yesterday in the heat and got overly tired and heated. So today her body was telling her she was going to pay the price. So Mike and I told her to relax and take a nap and he and I went out to sit on her deck. This is pretty much the way the day went until about 2:00 p.m. She got up and I fixed the three of us some sandwiches for lunch. After mom ate, we told her to go to bed once again to rest and we went into the living room and watched TV. About 5:00 p.m. the phone rang and it was Mike's brother-in-law Leroy asking us if he and Valerie were supposed to come for dinner tonight or tomorrow night. Valerie couldn't remember which day they were to come over. Mom told him it was tonight and Leroy said they would be over shortly.
Mike and I got busy putting together our 4th of July barbecue we planned. We made bacon wrapped hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and strawberry/blueberry shortcake for desert. OK, so the salads, beans, and cole slaw were all store bought and not homemade. Who cares? It all turned out really good. Quite delicious if we do say so ourselves.
At 8:00 p.m. Mike and I bid our goodbyes to everyone and headed to the motorhome to get changed and pick up another lawn chair. We were heading to the state capital grounds for the July 4th program and fireworks. When we arrived and set up our lawn chairs on the grass corridor in front of the capital building, a Jamaican band was playing on the stage. After they finished, many of the states' political dignitaries spoke and then the Mandan/Bismarck Symphony began to play. Totally awesome. The fireworks began at about 10:30 and were totally spectacular!!!!! We couldn't believe it, where else can you go and listen to a live symphony orchestra playing during a fireworks display, and not have to pay a single penny for it?????? North Dakota, that's where. And ya'll wonder why Mike and I want to move back here permanently! Our night was perfect!!!!!!!!!
Happy 4th of July Everyone!!!!!!!!!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Still in Bismarck, North Dakota
The past couple of days here in Bismarck have been very busy. Mike and I headed to his mom's house on Saturday to wash our new car that we bought right before our trip. What a wonderful tow car. It is great, but oh so dirty from being towed behind a diesel vehicle! Once we finished washing our car we decided to wash Mike's mom's car. Oh man, what a job! She doesn't have a garage or a car port, so she parks it under her trees . Do you know how hard it is to get tree sap off of a car once it has been sitting there drying and baking for weeks??????? Not fun. But we did our best.
Yesterday we went back over to Mike's mom's house to get her yard in shape. We spent over 5 hours working straight through without a break. Mike cut her grass with a weed whacker because she gave away her lawn mower years ago. I spent my time weeding all of ther flower gardens and her vegetable garden. I also pruned her peony bushes and pulled all of the grass and weeds out of the patch. I think I pulled about 10,000 volunteer Chinese Elm trees!
Today was a little bit more relaxing. I headed out to get my nails done since it has been 3 1/2 weeks since I had them done. Wow did they need it! I then did a bit of shopping for things we needed and things I wanted. What is the difference you might ask? What Patty wants, Patty needs. LOL! Mike and his mom did a little bit of shopping on their own. She has a couple of projects for Mike to do around her house, so they got the supplies that Mike needs to accomplish this.
Valerie and Leroy joined mom, Mike and me for dinner at mom's house. We had such a nice visit. Came back to the motorhome kind of early tonight so we could shower and relax. Quite hot and muggy today. Almost felt like the east coast.
Well, till the next time. Enjoy life all!
Yesterday we went back over to Mike's mom's house to get her yard in shape. We spent over 5 hours working straight through without a break. Mike cut her grass with a weed whacker because she gave away her lawn mower years ago. I spent my time weeding all of ther flower gardens and her vegetable garden. I also pruned her peony bushes and pulled all of the grass and weeds out of the patch. I think I pulled about 10,000 volunteer Chinese Elm trees!
Today was a little bit more relaxing. I headed out to get my nails done since it has been 3 1/2 weeks since I had them done. Wow did they need it! I then did a bit of shopping for things we needed and things I wanted. What is the difference you might ask? What Patty wants, Patty needs. LOL! Mike and his mom did a little bit of shopping on their own. She has a couple of projects for Mike to do around her house, so they got the supplies that Mike needs to accomplish this.
Valerie and Leroy joined mom, Mike and me for dinner at mom's house. We had such a nice visit. Came back to the motorhome kind of early tonight so we could shower and relax. Quite hot and muggy today. Almost felt like the east coast.
Well, till the next time. Enjoy life all!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Bismarck, North Dakota
Well, we arrived a day earlier than we originally scheduled. Called the campground we had reservations with to see if we could check in a day early and unfortunately they were booked solid for the night. So we stayed on the street outside of Mike's mom's place for the night.
Had dinner with Mike's mom, his sister Valerie, and his brother-in-law Leroy. It was so nice seeing them again. Spent a few hours visiting with them and then headed back to Mike's moms' house to help her pack up a small overnight bag so she could head out today (Saturday) to the Haas Family Reunion. Mike and I chose not to go since we had so much to get done here in Bismarck. So Mike's sister Katherine and his brother-in-law Bob came up and took mom with them to the family reunion.
Today we were able to check in to the campground we have reservations with. This is the first time we are trying this campground. We have stayed at the KOA here in Bismarck each year for the past 10 years. They are getting a bit pricey, so we checked out Hillcrest Acres last year and discovered that they are half the price. Checked in to Hillcrest Acres this afternoon. Thus far, the place is really nice. Nice long pull thru RV sites with nice trees and grass. What more can one ask for when all they are doing is using their motorhome for is a hotel room at this point in time!
After we got all checked in and everything hooked up, we took our little car back to Mike's mom's house to give it a bath. Wow did it need it! We washed Mike's mom's car too. Two cars in two hours! This created two very tired people!
Mike's sister Valerie and his brother-in-law Leroy stopped over to bring us caramel rolls for breakfast in the morning. We all sat and visited for a couple of hours and then we all headed our separate ways. Valeie and Leroy back to their house, and Mike and I to Arby's for dinner.
Now back in the motorhome listening to fireworks being set off in the distance. Don't these people know it's not the 4th of July yet???????????
Had dinner with Mike's mom, his sister Valerie, and his brother-in-law Leroy. It was so nice seeing them again. Spent a few hours visiting with them and then headed back to Mike's moms' house to help her pack up a small overnight bag so she could head out today (Saturday) to the Haas Family Reunion. Mike and I chose not to go since we had so much to get done here in Bismarck. So Mike's sister Katherine and his brother-in-law Bob came up and took mom with them to the family reunion.
Today we were able to check in to the campground we have reservations with. This is the first time we are trying this campground. We have stayed at the KOA here in Bismarck each year for the past 10 years. They are getting a bit pricey, so we checked out Hillcrest Acres last year and discovered that they are half the price. Checked in to Hillcrest Acres this afternoon. Thus far, the place is really nice. Nice long pull thru RV sites with nice trees and grass. What more can one ask for when all they are doing is using their motorhome for is a hotel room at this point in time!
After we got all checked in and everything hooked up, we took our little car back to Mike's mom's house to give it a bath. Wow did it need it! We washed Mike's mom's car too. Two cars in two hours! This created two very tired people!
Mike's sister Valerie and his brother-in-law Leroy stopped over to bring us caramel rolls for breakfast in the morning. We all sat and visited for a couple of hours and then we all headed our separate ways. Valeie and Leroy back to their house, and Mike and I to Arby's for dinner.
Now back in the motorhome listening to fireworks being set off in the distance. Don't these people know it's not the 4th of July yet???????????
Sightseeing in Colorado
After we left Colorado Springs, we packed Mike's mom up with her belongings and headed to Colette's in Lone Tree. Lone Tree is a suburb of Denver. We stayed outside of Colette's in our motorhome from Monday, June 25th through Thursday, June 28th.
Tuesday, Colette played the part of the perfect tour guide. She took us to see Red Rock. Wow! Yes, indeed it is red rocks, but the formations that Mother Nature created are phenomenal. We couldn't drive in to see the amphitheatre because they were getting it set up for a concert that evening. So we opted for the git shop instead. From there she drove us to Mother Cabrini's Shrine. Mother Cabrini was a Catholic nun who opened an orphanage outside of Denver. The shrine is really something else. Mike and I climbed the 373 steps to the top. One really finds out that they are in very bad shape when they attempt something such as this on a day that is 105 degrees in addition to the Denver altitude!!!!!! We made it and we highly recommend this as a site to see when you are in the Denver area. The views from the top are spectacular!!!
Just as we were coming out of the gift shop it began to rain. So we decided to skip going to Buffalo Bills' gravesite. After we made our decision Colette let us know that we would have had more climbing on winding trails to get up to his gravesite. Boy were we glad we made to decision to wait and see it the next time we come through the area! Phew!!!! Someone might have had to call the paramedics to come to the aid of these two old retirees!
Wednesday we went to the Hammond Candy Factory and toured the facility. This was so fascinating because Mike and I have seen a few episodes on television programs (Unwrapped on the Food Channel and How's It Made on the Science Channel) where this factory has been featured. Hammonds' specialties are candy canes, the large candy swirled Christmas trees, the hard candies with the flowers, flags, and other designs in the middle of the candy, and the traditional ribbon candy. They also make many other candies, but they specialize in these areas. Of course we couldn't leave without buying some candy, even though they had plenty of free samples all over the place. From the candy factory we went to the Denver Cathedral. Mom Hoerner really wanted to see it. So we went and she was lucky enough to be able to attend mass there as well. The cathedral is just beautiful! The stained glass windows are truly breathtaking.
Thursday morning we packed up the motorhome, hooked up the car to the back to be towed and headed out for North Dakota. We drove north out of Denver to Cheyenne, Wyoming and then on to Gillette, Wyoming where we stopped for the night. Talk about hot and muggy!!!!! One could almost imagine that they were in Florida and not in the middle of a northern plains state! It was a bit uncomfortable for sleeping for a bit and then cooled off quite nicely.
Friday morning we headed out to complete the last lag of our trip with Mike's mom on board with us. Bismarck, North Dakota here we come.
Tuesday, Colette played the part of the perfect tour guide. She took us to see Red Rock. Wow! Yes, indeed it is red rocks, but the formations that Mother Nature created are phenomenal. We couldn't drive in to see the amphitheatre because they were getting it set up for a concert that evening. So we opted for the git shop instead. From there she drove us to Mother Cabrini's Shrine. Mother Cabrini was a Catholic nun who opened an orphanage outside of Denver. The shrine is really something else. Mike and I climbed the 373 steps to the top. One really finds out that they are in very bad shape when they attempt something such as this on a day that is 105 degrees in addition to the Denver altitude!!!!!! We made it and we highly recommend this as a site to see when you are in the Denver area. The views from the top are spectacular!!!
Just as we were coming out of the gift shop it began to rain. So we decided to skip going to Buffalo Bills' gravesite. After we made our decision Colette let us know that we would have had more climbing on winding trails to get up to his gravesite. Boy were we glad we made to decision to wait and see it the next time we come through the area! Phew!!!! Someone might have had to call the paramedics to come to the aid of these two old retirees!
Wednesday we went to the Hammond Candy Factory and toured the facility. This was so fascinating because Mike and I have seen a few episodes on television programs (Unwrapped on the Food Channel and How's It Made on the Science Channel) where this factory has been featured. Hammonds' specialties are candy canes, the large candy swirled Christmas trees, the hard candies with the flowers, flags, and other designs in the middle of the candy, and the traditional ribbon candy. They also make many other candies, but they specialize in these areas. Of course we couldn't leave without buying some candy, even though they had plenty of free samples all over the place. From the candy factory we went to the Denver Cathedral. Mom Hoerner really wanted to see it. So we went and she was lucky enough to be able to attend mass there as well. The cathedral is just beautiful! The stained glass windows are truly breathtaking.
Thursday morning we packed up the motorhome, hooked up the car to the back to be towed and headed out for North Dakota. We drove north out of Denver to Cheyenne, Wyoming and then on to Gillette, Wyoming where we stopped for the night. Talk about hot and muggy!!!!! One could almost imagine that they were in Florida and not in the middle of a northern plains state! It was a bit uncomfortable for sleeping for a bit and then cooled off quite nicely.
Friday morning we headed out to complete the last lag of our trip with Mike's mom on board with us. Bismarck, North Dakota here we come.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Colorado Springs, CO
Well, here we are in Colorado Springs. We left Sierra Vista, AZ on Wednesday and began heading north. It of course was very hot and we decided to head out early to attempt to beat the heat of the day. Yeah, what do they say about best plans not meeting expectations? It was HOT!!!!!!!!!
I forgot to mention in my earlier blog that when we were driving through Albuquerque we spotted a brush fire starting and heading east toward the highway. By the time we noticed emergency vehicles heading toward the fire, it was well underway. I guess some fire departments just don't realize how quickly these things can spread and move.
We arrived in Colorado Springs a day earlier than anticipated. Mike's sister Joan was home to greet us. Her neighbors were so funny! They kept telling us we could park our RV anywhere near their places. It won't bother us! Funny!!!!! Of course we had to give them a little tour of our home away from home.
When Bob got home from work, he and Joan took us out to a delicious Mexican restaurant in Monument. Mike's niece Tiffany, her husband Dave and their two little boys, Luke and Kyle joined us for dinner. It was so nice. We really enjoyed ourselves. Then we drove over to Tiffany and Dave's house so we could see the new Star Wars decor in the boys' bedrooms. Very cute!!!!!!!!
Friday after Joan got home from work, she drove us to the Air Force Academy. We toured the visitor center and the chapel. So very beautiful as well as extremely interesting. One of the many events we will never forget. That evening two of Bob and Joan's friends Michelle and Jeff joined us for dinner. What a fun and cute couple!! We really enjoyed ourselves.
Saturday Joan, Bob, Mike and I drove to Littleton (just outside of Denver) to go to Mike's other sister Colette's house. We met her boyfriend Bob. Such a nice guy!!!!! Absolutely awesome! We had a really great lunch with them, a nice visit, and then collected Mike's mom and her stuff and all piled back into Joan and Bob's car and headed south to Colorado Springs.
As we were driving back to Colorado Springs, Bob noticed what appeared to be smoke from a brush fire on the mountain ridge just to the west of Colorado Springs. Once we got back to Joan and Bob's and ate dinner we spent the rest of the evening on their deck watching the fire and listening to the news. Pretty darn devastating. By the time we went to bed, the fire had grown to 2000 acres and was 0% contained.
This morning we woke up to the smell of smoke in the air and some ash falling on our RV and car. They are still battling this fire. There have been mandatory evacuations and highway closures going on all day long/
Mike's nephew Brian, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army has been on bivouac near Pueblo all week. He wasn't due to come back until after we left and it looked like we weren't going to be able to see him./ All of a sudden this afternoon, Bob got a telephone call from Brian saying that he was going to be able to come in for about two hours to take a shower and do laundry and then had to report back. So we were able to see Brian after all. It meant so much to us that he made that much of an effort to see us. Unbelievable! After Brian left to head back, his wife TK stayed, Dave and the boys came, and we all had a barbecue. When Tiffany got off work, she came over, so Mike, Me and Mike's mom got to see all of the kids and spend a little bit of time with them before we head out to Littleton tomorrow.
Here I am, signing off. Futures travels ahead!
I forgot to mention in my earlier blog that when we were driving through Albuquerque we spotted a brush fire starting and heading east toward the highway. By the time we noticed emergency vehicles heading toward the fire, it was well underway. I guess some fire departments just don't realize how quickly these things can spread and move.
We arrived in Colorado Springs a day earlier than anticipated. Mike's sister Joan was home to greet us. Her neighbors were so funny! They kept telling us we could park our RV anywhere near their places. It won't bother us! Funny!!!!! Of course we had to give them a little tour of our home away from home.
When Bob got home from work, he and Joan took us out to a delicious Mexican restaurant in Monument. Mike's niece Tiffany, her husband Dave and their two little boys, Luke and Kyle joined us for dinner. It was so nice. We really enjoyed ourselves. Then we drove over to Tiffany and Dave's house so we could see the new Star Wars decor in the boys' bedrooms. Very cute!!!!!!!!
Friday after Joan got home from work, she drove us to the Air Force Academy. We toured the visitor center and the chapel. So very beautiful as well as extremely interesting. One of the many events we will never forget. That evening two of Bob and Joan's friends Michelle and Jeff joined us for dinner. What a fun and cute couple!! We really enjoyed ourselves.
Saturday Joan, Bob, Mike and I drove to Littleton (just outside of Denver) to go to Mike's other sister Colette's house. We met her boyfriend Bob. Such a nice guy!!!!! Absolutely awesome! We had a really great lunch with them, a nice visit, and then collected Mike's mom and her stuff and all piled back into Joan and Bob's car and headed south to Colorado Springs.
As we were driving back to Colorado Springs, Bob noticed what appeared to be smoke from a brush fire on the mountain ridge just to the west of Colorado Springs. Once we got back to Joan and Bob's and ate dinner we spent the rest of the evening on their deck watching the fire and listening to the news. Pretty darn devastating. By the time we went to bed, the fire had grown to 2000 acres and was 0% contained.
This morning we woke up to the smell of smoke in the air and some ash falling on our RV and car. They are still battling this fire. There have been mandatory evacuations and highway closures going on all day long/
Mike's nephew Brian, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army has been on bivouac near Pueblo all week. He wasn't due to come back until after we left and it looked like we weren't going to be able to see him./ All of a sudden this afternoon, Bob got a telephone call from Brian saying that he was going to be able to come in for about two hours to take a shower and do laundry and then had to report back. So we were able to see Brian after all. It meant so much to us that he made that much of an effort to see us. Unbelievable! After Brian left to head back, his wife TK stayed, Dave and the boys came, and we all had a barbecue. When Tiffany got off work, she came over, so Mike, Me and Mike's mom got to see all of the kids and spend a little bit of time with them before we head out to Littleton tomorrow.
Here I am, signing off. Futures travels ahead!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Road Trip 2012 - The Beginning
Here it is, our 2012 Road Trip. We started out from Rialto on Monday, June 18th, the day after Father's Day. We were on our way!
Drove to Sierra Vista, AZ to visit with Mike's friend from work, Walt and his wife Bea. This was the first time that I got to see their place in Sierra Vista. Very nice. Bea, I can't believe the scrapbooking supplies you have!!!! Wow!!!! We arrived in Sierra Vista around 4:00 in the afternoon. Talk about HOT! Even coming from So Cal can't prepare you for that heat. 116 going through Phoenix and about 113 in Sierra Vista. Mike kept telling me that it would be cooler in Sierra Vista because they are at a higher elevation. Liar!!!!!! I don't think the three degree difference was all that much and you sure as heck couldn't feel it!
Tuesday the 19th Mike and I went to Tombstone to see the historical sites. Guess what folks, you can't even see the OK Corral unless you pay to go inside. Yup, they have about a 10 foot high fence all around it. Wow, people let's all pay to see history. Very interesting to say the least. Although Tombstone was really a neat place to visit. Loved the shops as well as the actors walking the streets playing the part of cowboys, western ladies and saloon girls. After we went through old Tombstone we decided to go visit the Boothill Cemetery. That is where the Clayton brothers and their friends are buried. It was fascinating to see that the majority of the cowboys and women who are buried there died between 1881 and 1886. A tough life for sure. After Tombstone and the cemetery we drove over to Bisby, AZ to tour the Queen Copper Mine. The mine closed its mining operations in 1945. With the price of copper now you would think that the mining company would reopen and start mining again. Nope. Guess they don't think it is fiscally sound quite yet. Interesting to say the very least!
We left Walt and Bea's house early this morning heading north. Thank you Walt and Bea for being such fantastic hosts! We had such a great time seeing you and spending time with you.
Yet another hot day of driving. Decided to spend the night at a KOA in Bernalillo, NM. This little town is a suburb of Albuquerque. We hit the pool as soon as we got the motorhome parked, leveled and hooked up. Of course the pool isn't heated. Shiver time!!!!!! Even though it was well over 110 when we went in.
Didn't do much or see much today. Just what we could see from the windows of the motorhome as we were driving.
Looking forward to getting to bed and having a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is another day of driving. Heading to Mike's sister's house in Colorado Springs, CO.
Till tomorrow. Enjoy life, we only get one chance to do it right!
Drove to Sierra Vista, AZ to visit with Mike's friend from work, Walt and his wife Bea. This was the first time that I got to see their place in Sierra Vista. Very nice. Bea, I can't believe the scrapbooking supplies you have!!!! Wow!!!! We arrived in Sierra Vista around 4:00 in the afternoon. Talk about HOT! Even coming from So Cal can't prepare you for that heat. 116 going through Phoenix and about 113 in Sierra Vista. Mike kept telling me that it would be cooler in Sierra Vista because they are at a higher elevation. Liar!!!!!! I don't think the three degree difference was all that much and you sure as heck couldn't feel it!
Tuesday the 19th Mike and I went to Tombstone to see the historical sites. Guess what folks, you can't even see the OK Corral unless you pay to go inside. Yup, they have about a 10 foot high fence all around it. Wow, people let's all pay to see history. Very interesting to say the least. Although Tombstone was really a neat place to visit. Loved the shops as well as the actors walking the streets playing the part of cowboys, western ladies and saloon girls. After we went through old Tombstone we decided to go visit the Boothill Cemetery. That is where the Clayton brothers and their friends are buried. It was fascinating to see that the majority of the cowboys and women who are buried there died between 1881 and 1886. A tough life for sure. After Tombstone and the cemetery we drove over to Bisby, AZ to tour the Queen Copper Mine. The mine closed its mining operations in 1945. With the price of copper now you would think that the mining company would reopen and start mining again. Nope. Guess they don't think it is fiscally sound quite yet. Interesting to say the very least!
We left Walt and Bea's house early this morning heading north. Thank you Walt and Bea for being such fantastic hosts! We had such a great time seeing you and spending time with you.
Yet another hot day of driving. Decided to spend the night at a KOA in Bernalillo, NM. This little town is a suburb of Albuquerque. We hit the pool as soon as we got the motorhome parked, leveled and hooked up. Of course the pool isn't heated. Shiver time!!!!!! Even though it was well over 110 when we went in.
Didn't do much or see much today. Just what we could see from the windows of the motorhome as we were driving.
Looking forward to getting to bed and having a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is another day of driving. Heading to Mike's sister's house in Colorado Springs, CO.
Till tomorrow. Enjoy life, we only get one chance to do it right!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)