Friday – April 30, 2010
Today we got a late start on the road because it was such a pretty morning at the campsite. We just hung out until the heat of the day started at about 11am. Then we headed south and west on Farm Road 170 (not FM as I had thought) through Big Bend Ranch State Park. Access to the state park is only on Rt 170 along the Rio Grande with overlooks and places for camping and trails. It was a very windy road with a 15 percent grade in a few places. We were glad we left our trailer at the campground. The scenery was spectacular, and we stopped at an old movie set that looks more like a ghost town then the one in Terlingua. Most of the buildings are thrown together with minimal structure, strand board for walls, and a thin layer of plaster instead of stucco. They look like real, ruined, once usable dwellings from a distance. Also, there are 2 or 3 buildings that are fairly solid but there was no way to tell if those were built for the movie(s). Quite a few movies were filmed there, but none we remember. One we will rent is The Streets of Laredo. I read the book, but I don't remember the movie. The fake village is right on the banks of the Rio Grande. I put my finger in the river there, Charlie had put his toe in yesterday, and Joey might have tasted it today. Tomorrow we will head to Alpine for supplies and maybe spend the night at an RV park there. Or we may make it a little further north to Fort Davis State Park. Charlie took a lot of pictures today, so look for them in Album 4. It is very windy tonight so we are staying inside our cozy little camper.
Friday, April 30, 2010
April 29, 2010
Thursday – Aprl 29, 2010
Charlie took some nice pictures today and added them to Album 4. We will keep putting pics in that album til it is full, so keep checking that one. I was going to mostly let the pictures speak for themselves today, but Charlie wrote an e-mail to his sisters describing today's adventures. So here it is, edited slightly for content. Charlie wrote: Today I drove ninety miles without towing the trailer for the first time. The Big Bend Resort and RV Park in Terlingua where we are staying is a very nice location right outside the west side of the park. I hiked while Leigh sat under a big shady tree with Joey. She still got hot but not like I did. It was probably a little over 100 degrees down by the river, very dry with a steady breeze blowing through the canyon. There was practically no shade during my two hour hike. I had a big lunch and drank as much as I could hold and set off. Dogs are never allowed on any back trails in national parks, but Joey would have had to be carried most of the way. I will copy in a description of the trail at the end of this email. I took a lot of pictures and I posted some of them on Picasa which you can see on Leigh's blog in album 4. We stopped at some overlooks on our way back to the trailer. As we climbed back up into the mountain area the temperature dropped by over 30 degrees. But at the low altitude where we are camping it hit a hundred degrees yesterday and today. When we got back to camp today, I turned on the air and we went to a funky bar and eatery called La Kiva where they actually had a kiva. That's a holy place for native Americans. They are using it for storage though. Check this out, it is an interesting site: http://lakiva.net/. Be sure to have your sound on, and listen to the Tequila ad. Also, look at some of the pictures Leigh took. It seems we stumbled into a famous place. There wasn't any action when we got there which is just as well for me. I think off season for Terlingua must be at least 8 months of the year. Maybe. They made us sit on the patio where we could have Joey with us. The server says the owner really doesn't want to serve food and we had to get our iced tea at the bar separately. Leigh and I both had barbecue on mesquite wood. I had half a chicken and Leigh had pork spare ribs. The meat was great, the cole slaw tasted as weird as the place looked, and the beans had a good flavor but were tough. Bikers are welcome, or more likely preferred. I thought I might fit in since I badly need a haircut, beard trim, and a shower, but alas no. If you show up in a mini-van with your wife and a little dog, that's it. You're the freak. Anyway the meat was good and the flies were bad. There aren't many choices for dinner in Terlingua. Tomorrow we will go to the Big Bend state park south of here and stay another night at the same campsite. Then we will probably stock up in Alpine again and head north to Fort Davis state park.
Here is a description of where I hiked today: Guidebook: Santa Elena Canyon Trail, 1.7 miles roundtrip, This trail begins at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Although a short trail, it is one of the grandest spectacles in the park. After crossing Terlingua Creek, the trail climbs several short switchbacks and then gradually descends along the banks of the Rio Grande. Hikers are surrounded by lush riparian vegetation and 1,500-foot towering vertical cliffs of solid limestone. The trail ends where canyon walls meet the river. Take a lunch and enjoy the scene.
Leigh again: Once the sun went down we sat outside and enjoyed the cool down and watched the stars come out. It was the first time on this trip we have done that, something we always enjoy when there aren't any bugs around. More later....
Charlie took some nice pictures today and added them to Album 4. We will keep putting pics in that album til it is full, so keep checking that one. I was going to mostly let the pictures speak for themselves today, but Charlie wrote an e-mail to his sisters describing today's adventures. So here it is, edited slightly for content. Charlie wrote: Today I drove ninety miles without towing the trailer for the first time. The Big Bend Resort and RV Park in Terlingua where we are staying is a very nice location right outside the west side of the park. I hiked while Leigh sat under a big shady tree with Joey. She still got hot but not like I did. It was probably a little over 100 degrees down by the river, very dry with a steady breeze blowing through the canyon. There was practically no shade during my two hour hike. I had a big lunch and drank as much as I could hold and set off. Dogs are never allowed on any back trails in national parks, but Joey would have had to be carried most of the way. I will copy in a description of the trail at the end of this email. I took a lot of pictures and I posted some of them on Picasa which you can see on Leigh's blog in album 4. We stopped at some overlooks on our way back to the trailer. As we climbed back up into the mountain area the temperature dropped by over 30 degrees. But at the low altitude where we are camping it hit a hundred degrees yesterday and today. When we got back to camp today, I turned on the air and we went to a funky bar and eatery called La Kiva where they actually had a kiva. That's a holy place for native Americans. They are using it for storage though. Check this out, it is an interesting site: http://lakiva.net/. Be sure to have your sound on, and listen to the Tequila ad. Also, look at some of the pictures Leigh took. It seems we stumbled into a famous place. There wasn't any action when we got there which is just as well for me. I think off season for Terlingua must be at least 8 months of the year. Maybe. They made us sit on the patio where we could have Joey with us. The server says the owner really doesn't want to serve food and we had to get our iced tea at the bar separately. Leigh and I both had barbecue on mesquite wood. I had half a chicken and Leigh had pork spare ribs. The meat was great, the cole slaw tasted as weird as the place looked, and the beans had a good flavor but were tough. Bikers are welcome, or more likely preferred. I thought I might fit in since I badly need a haircut, beard trim, and a shower, but alas no. If you show up in a mini-van with your wife and a little dog, that's it. You're the freak. Anyway the meat was good and the flies were bad. There aren't many choices for dinner in Terlingua. Tomorrow we will go to the Big Bend state park south of here and stay another night at the same campsite. Then we will probably stock up in Alpine again and head north to Fort Davis state park.
Here is a description of where I hiked today: Guidebook: Santa Elena Canyon Trail, 1.7 miles roundtrip, This trail begins at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Although a short trail, it is one of the grandest spectacles in the park. After crossing Terlingua Creek, the trail climbs several short switchbacks and then gradually descends along the banks of the Rio Grande. Hikers are surrounded by lush riparian vegetation and 1,500-foot towering vertical cliffs of solid limestone. The trail ends where canyon walls meet the river. Take a lunch and enjoy the scene.
Leigh again: Once the sun went down we sat outside and enjoyed the cool down and watched the stars come out. It was the first time on this trip we have done that, something we always enjoy when there aren't any bugs around. More later....
Thursday, April 29, 2010
April 27 to April 28, 2010
Oops! I lost the link to the pics for a couple of days. I created a link for each of our albums so you don't have to work so hard to see the pics. Charlie wrote some of the captions and I wrote some....
Tuesday – April 27, 2010, continued
We drove from our campsite in Marathon back 30 miles to Alpine to get groceries. Charlie really liked their small store and bought himself a souvenir, a cloth bag with Porter's Thriftway logo on it. We headed back to Marathon and then south on 385. We drove about 70 miles into Big Bend and took a quick look at the Visitors Center. We were told that there is only one campground in the National Park with hookups, and only seven spots left. So we drove on for twenty miles hoping we would get a space at the Rio Grande camp. We got lucky, but maybe not so lucky. Charlie is unhappy in the extreme. It isn't what we would consider a campground. It is a parking lot with numbered spaces and hookups. There is green space behind each site, but today it happens to be flooded. The picnic tables and grills are in a big swampy puddle. Mostly there are big rigs here and they are managing just fine. But we have all these crates and coolers and really need some outdoor space. So we have to stay on the pavement between the camper and the van, which is also the only shady spot. We ate there and then washed dishes out of a spigot behind the camper, while all the rich people stared at us during their evening walk. At least that is what it seemed like. We don't have a view from where we are, and there are no facilities nearby. We have never paid so much for so little, $30 for the night. We didn't realize how it would be until we had paid and we had come too far too late to do anything else. It is just so unexpected for a national park with such wide open space to have such poor RV campsites. We do have wifi though! We had hoped to leave the trailer here and to drive around tomorrow, but we are going to have to find another place.
Wednesday – April 28, 2010
We headed back to the Visitor's Center this morning and I got a couple of magnets and some other stuff. I cannot seem to only buy one magnet at each place anymore. They are so small and don't cost much.... We went west on FM 170. I have been waiting to travel on an FM road again. Charlie asked, and Jeanne told us, that FM means it is a Farm to Market road. Charlie wanted to know: “What if we wanted to go to market but ended up at the farm instead?” Jeanne supposed you would be back home. I guess you had to be there.....We stopped at a couple of overlooks including Boquillas, and we got pictures of the Rio Grande as we headed west out of the park. It was very shallow, less than 2 feet deep and we saw someone on horseback cross the river from Mexico. It could have been an illegal maneuver. We ate lunch at the Rio Bravo, a tiny restaurant with a big porch. We ate on the porch while Joey laid on his blanket next to us. It was a good meal, mexican, but a little different than we have had before. We drove a little ways west to a ghost town called Terlingua. It isn't llke the stereotypical ghost town you see on tv. It seemed like over half the dwellings that still stood were occupied and should be condemned. Not exactly a ghost town but interesting. There is a nice gift store. We had to take turns going inside because Joey was not allowed and it was very hot. We both bought stuff. I would like to go back when it is not so hot and I can take my time looking around. Now we are camped at the Big Bend Motel and RV Park which is between the national and state Big Bend parks, about 45 miles from where we were yesterday. What a difference. We are in the pop-up section of the park, and we are the only ones here. So we have over an acre of space to ourselves including facilities. But, it costs $2 for 5 minutes in the shower. I take a lot longer than 5 minutes, but that is okay, I have lots of quarters. There is a laundry here too, so I may do that if we stay a day or two. It was very hot when we got here and so we took a siesta. Our little A/C could not really keep up and we could feel the heat radiating through the walls and ceiling. It must have been over 100 degrees here today. Joey seemed perfectly comfortable, so that was good. There is a gas at $3.209 which is better than in the park by 20 cents or so. The gas at Walmart in Del Rio was $2.649, and after that every place was higher. We paid $3.299 in Marathon and the next day in Alpine one station was $2.949. It would have taken 2 more gallons to make it. Charlie feels our safe range is 250 miles pulling the trailer and it has been over 70 miles between stations sometimes. Gasbuddy.com doesn't list the stations in this part of the world, but on their color coded map, it shows the average gas price in the $2.75 range. We are going to leave the trailer here for the day tomorrow while we tour the park.
Tuesday – April 27, 2010, continued
We drove from our campsite in Marathon back 30 miles to Alpine to get groceries. Charlie really liked their small store and bought himself a souvenir, a cloth bag with Porter's Thriftway logo on it. We headed back to Marathon and then south on 385. We drove about 70 miles into Big Bend and took a quick look at the Visitors Center. We were told that there is only one campground in the National Park with hookups, and only seven spots left. So we drove on for twenty miles hoping we would get a space at the Rio Grande camp. We got lucky, but maybe not so lucky. Charlie is unhappy in the extreme. It isn't what we would consider a campground. It is a parking lot with numbered spaces and hookups. There is green space behind each site, but today it happens to be flooded. The picnic tables and grills are in a big swampy puddle. Mostly there are big rigs here and they are managing just fine. But we have all these crates and coolers and really need some outdoor space. So we have to stay on the pavement between the camper and the van, which is also the only shady spot. We ate there and then washed dishes out of a spigot behind the camper, while all the rich people stared at us during their evening walk. At least that is what it seemed like. We don't have a view from where we are, and there are no facilities nearby. We have never paid so much for so little, $30 for the night. We didn't realize how it would be until we had paid and we had come too far too late to do anything else. It is just so unexpected for a national park with such wide open space to have such poor RV campsites. We do have wifi though! We had hoped to leave the trailer here and to drive around tomorrow, but we are going to have to find another place.
Wednesday – April 28, 2010
We headed back to the Visitor's Center this morning and I got a couple of magnets and some other stuff. I cannot seem to only buy one magnet at each place anymore. They are so small and don't cost much.... We went west on FM 170. I have been waiting to travel on an FM road again. Charlie asked, and Jeanne told us, that FM means it is a Farm to Market road. Charlie wanted to know: “What if we wanted to go to market but ended up at the farm instead?” Jeanne supposed you would be back home. I guess you had to be there.....We stopped at a couple of overlooks including Boquillas, and we got pictures of the Rio Grande as we headed west out of the park. It was very shallow, less than 2 feet deep and we saw someone on horseback cross the river from Mexico. It could have been an illegal maneuver. We ate lunch at the Rio Bravo, a tiny restaurant with a big porch. We ate on the porch while Joey laid on his blanket next to us. It was a good meal, mexican, but a little different than we have had before. We drove a little ways west to a ghost town called Terlingua. It isn't llke the stereotypical ghost town you see on tv. It seemed like over half the dwellings that still stood were occupied and should be condemned. Not exactly a ghost town but interesting. There is a nice gift store. We had to take turns going inside because Joey was not allowed and it was very hot. We both bought stuff. I would like to go back when it is not so hot and I can take my time looking around. Now we are camped at the Big Bend Motel and RV Park which is between the national and state Big Bend parks, about 45 miles from where we were yesterday. What a difference. We are in the pop-up section of the park, and we are the only ones here. So we have over an acre of space to ourselves including facilities. But, it costs $2 for 5 minutes in the shower. I take a lot longer than 5 minutes, but that is okay, I have lots of quarters. There is a laundry here too, so I may do that if we stay a day or two. It was very hot when we got here and so we took a siesta. Our little A/C could not really keep up and we could feel the heat radiating through the walls and ceiling. It must have been over 100 degrees here today. Joey seemed perfectly comfortable, so that was good. There is a gas at $3.209 which is better than in the park by 20 cents or so. The gas at Walmart in Del Rio was $2.649, and after that every place was higher. We paid $3.299 in Marathon and the next day in Alpine one station was $2.949. It would have taken 2 more gallons to make it. Charlie feels our safe range is 250 miles pulling the trailer and it has been over 70 miles between stations sometimes. Gasbuddy.com doesn't list the stations in this part of the world, but on their color coded map, it shows the average gas price in the $2.75 range. We are going to leave the trailer here for the day tomorrow while we tour the park.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
April 26 to April 27, 2010
Monday – April 26, 2010
I had a relaxing morning and it was nice and cool in the shade. We were the only campers in the tent section so we had a quiet night. Sonora Caverns is in the middle of a working ranch so we saw and heard sheep on the hillside this morning. Earlier Joey spotted some deer. Charlie took the cave tour and he really enjoyed it. The cave is warm unlike others we have visited, 71 degrees and 92 percent humidity! It was a two mile trip with 250 some steps and lots of formations. He took a bunch of pics that he has already posted on Picasa. He was the only guest doing the tour; there was a guide and two new employees. So it was all for him and he liked that! After reading and walking most of the time he was in the cave, I got a head start on packing up the camper so we were ready to go when Charlie got back. I had eaten a yogurt and Charlie had some cereal earlier. Even though it was getting close to lunch time we headed out thinking we would go to a Subway. Big mistake. We headed south, but very soon the road took a turn slightly west and then north. Worse, the road is not on the map. On the Garmin the road was being created as we went along, so we didn't know where we were going and there were no roads to turn onto. About this time I am having fun, and Charlie is thinking about how much gas we have and all sorts of practical matters. We crossed cattle guards, met burros in the road, went into many dips with flood gauges next to them measuring up to 6 feet. All was dry though fortunately. We thought we must be on someone's ranch but then we passed gates to different ranches that were secured. We even passed the 'Happy Trails Ranch'. Perhaps Roy Rogers old place? Eventually, to my disappointment, and to Charlie's relief we went under I-10 and then on-ramped and headed west again. We quickly got to Rt 163 heading south and travelled about 80 miles back to Rt 90. Still all open country. We arrived in Comstock thinking something would be there. And there was: The Seminole Inn Cafe looking dusty and dirty. The Quick Stop (Beer – Ice 24-7 fuel) where we got gas and ice. A big Border Patrol facility. But we were back on Rt 90 at last. So the wreck on the bridge on Rt 90 that closed the road near Del Rio, the closed road to the west due to high water, and the road not on the map going north, all caused us to drive an additional 200 miles on our way to Langtry. But we didn't give up, and we enjoyed our visit to Sonora. Next we crossed the Pecos River over a canyon. When we got to Langtry there was still nowhere to eat, for Charlie at least. They only had hamburgers and BBQ down the street. Plus it was about 90 degrees there and Joey was not allowed inside the visitors center which we had to go through to get to the exhibits. So we opened up the camper on the side of the road and ate some string cheese and fruit cups. It was amazing how much better we felt after that. We put Joey in the camper with the windows and roof vents open and he was very comfortable. We saw Judge Roy Bean's courthouse and saloon. It is the original building in the original location. There is a billiard room attached to it, which is where he died. He also had built a home for himself that he named the Opera house. It is thought that he hoped to entice the famous actress, Lily Langtry, to come there to see the Opera house and the town named after her. She finally did come, but not until after he died. I know the story from the Paul Newman movie, but I should read about it one of these days. Thanks to Glenda for recommending we visit the cactus garden there. We probably would have missed it. Glenda was right, most of the cactus are in bloom now. There were many varieties and all were beautiful. Charlie took lots of pics. He posted a few but I am going to go back and post more of the garden and other things, and add captions, when I get a chance. The visitor center there is part ot the Texas Pecos Trail, as is Rt 90, and they provide lots of local information. As Jeanne suggested, we got the big Texas guidebook. All the info and the exhibits were free. There is a store across the street where I got my magnet and a few other things. Our long detour to get here was well worth the trip. From there we continued on Rt 90 to Marathon to spend the night. It was about a 2 hour drive through more open country. We are staying at the Marathon Motel and RV Park, right next to the railroad track! The track is even closer, but the trains are not so loud for some reason. Getting used to them? We got a few things at the 'French Grocery'. Only store in town, and everything cost three times as much as we are used to. We settled for lunch meat and bread and chips, and ate some other stuff we already had. We have wifi so Charlie got on the computer and stayed on it most of the night I think. I was tired out so went to bed early after watching a beautiful sunset over the hills. The temperature was dropping all evening so we kept the camper buttoned up all night.
Tuesday – April 27, 2010
Happy Birthday little sister! I miss you. We woke up to a cold and windy morning. Didn't turn on the heater, but I got up during the night and put on a sweater and an extra blanket on Joey. I put his fleece sweater on him to take him out. It warmed up later and it is a beautiful clear day. I took a shower and I was so taken with the bathroom I considered taking a picture of it. It is a single bathroom, like in a house. Like a master bath, with mexican tile, brass fixtures, little guest soaps, a heater, and a lock on the door so I had it all to myself. There is nothing like camping for two weeks to make you appreciate the little things in life....like indoor plumbing! Well I am going to post these notes and we will be leaving soon for Big Bend. We will be there at least a couple of days. Since it is mostly state and national parkland, I don't know if we will have wifi or cell phone service again for awhile. Talked to Sarah, and it was good to hear her voice. I miss everyone and the pups and kitties at the SPCA!
I had a relaxing morning and it was nice and cool in the shade. We were the only campers in the tent section so we had a quiet night. Sonora Caverns is in the middle of a working ranch so we saw and heard sheep on the hillside this morning. Earlier Joey spotted some deer. Charlie took the cave tour and he really enjoyed it. The cave is warm unlike others we have visited, 71 degrees and 92 percent humidity! It was a two mile trip with 250 some steps and lots of formations. He took a bunch of pics that he has already posted on Picasa. He was the only guest doing the tour; there was a guide and two new employees. So it was all for him and he liked that! After reading and walking most of the time he was in the cave, I got a head start on packing up the camper so we were ready to go when Charlie got back. I had eaten a yogurt and Charlie had some cereal earlier. Even though it was getting close to lunch time we headed out thinking we would go to a Subway. Big mistake. We headed south, but very soon the road took a turn slightly west and then north. Worse, the road is not on the map. On the Garmin the road was being created as we went along, so we didn't know where we were going and there were no roads to turn onto. About this time I am having fun, and Charlie is thinking about how much gas we have and all sorts of practical matters. We crossed cattle guards, met burros in the road, went into many dips with flood gauges next to them measuring up to 6 feet. All was dry though fortunately. We thought we must be on someone's ranch but then we passed gates to different ranches that were secured. We even passed the 'Happy Trails Ranch'. Perhaps Roy Rogers old place? Eventually, to my disappointment, and to Charlie's relief we went under I-10 and then on-ramped and headed west again. We quickly got to Rt 163 heading south and travelled about 80 miles back to Rt 90. Still all open country. We arrived in Comstock thinking something would be there. And there was: The Seminole Inn Cafe looking dusty and dirty. The Quick Stop (Beer – Ice 24-7 fuel) where we got gas and ice. A big Border Patrol facility. But we were back on Rt 90 at last. So the wreck on the bridge on Rt 90 that closed the road near Del Rio, the closed road to the west due to high water, and the road not on the map going north, all caused us to drive an additional 200 miles on our way to Langtry. But we didn't give up, and we enjoyed our visit to Sonora. Next we crossed the Pecos River over a canyon. When we got to Langtry there was still nowhere to eat, for Charlie at least. They only had hamburgers and BBQ down the street. Plus it was about 90 degrees there and Joey was not allowed inside the visitors center which we had to go through to get to the exhibits. So we opened up the camper on the side of the road and ate some string cheese and fruit cups. It was amazing how much better we felt after that. We put Joey in the camper with the windows and roof vents open and he was very comfortable. We saw Judge Roy Bean's courthouse and saloon. It is the original building in the original location. There is a billiard room attached to it, which is where he died. He also had built a home for himself that he named the Opera house. It is thought that he hoped to entice the famous actress, Lily Langtry, to come there to see the Opera house and the town named after her. She finally did come, but not until after he died. I know the story from the Paul Newman movie, but I should read about it one of these days. Thanks to Glenda for recommending we visit the cactus garden there. We probably would have missed it. Glenda was right, most of the cactus are in bloom now. There were many varieties and all were beautiful. Charlie took lots of pics. He posted a few but I am going to go back and post more of the garden and other things, and add captions, when I get a chance. The visitor center there is part ot the Texas Pecos Trail, as is Rt 90, and they provide lots of local information. As Jeanne suggested, we got the big Texas guidebook. All the info and the exhibits were free. There is a store across the street where I got my magnet and a few other things. Our long detour to get here was well worth the trip. From there we continued on Rt 90 to Marathon to spend the night. It was about a 2 hour drive through more open country. We are staying at the Marathon Motel and RV Park, right next to the railroad track! The track is even closer, but the trains are not so loud for some reason. Getting used to them? We got a few things at the 'French Grocery'. Only store in town, and everything cost three times as much as we are used to. We settled for lunch meat and bread and chips, and ate some other stuff we already had. We have wifi so Charlie got on the computer and stayed on it most of the night I think. I was tired out so went to bed early after watching a beautiful sunset over the hills. The temperature was dropping all evening so we kept the camper buttoned up all night.
Tuesday – April 27, 2010
Happy Birthday little sister! I miss you. We woke up to a cold and windy morning. Didn't turn on the heater, but I got up during the night and put on a sweater and an extra blanket on Joey. I put his fleece sweater on him to take him out. It warmed up later and it is a beautiful clear day. I took a shower and I was so taken with the bathroom I considered taking a picture of it. It is a single bathroom, like in a house. Like a master bath, with mexican tile, brass fixtures, little guest soaps, a heater, and a lock on the door so I had it all to myself. There is nothing like camping for two weeks to make you appreciate the little things in life....like indoor plumbing! Well I am going to post these notes and we will be leaving soon for Big Bend. We will be there at least a couple of days. Since it is mostly state and national parkland, I don't know if we will have wifi or cell phone service again for awhile. Talked to Sarah, and it was good to hear her voice. I miss everyone and the pups and kitties at the SPCA!
Monday, April 26, 2010
April 19 to April 25, 2010
I am not uploading pics for our RV 2010 trip the same way I did in the past. Instead I linked this blog to Charlie's Picasa account where he is uploading our pics. Please double click on the RV 2010 slideshow. Some pics will come up immediately, then double click on the tab for 'Will's Gallery' in order to get to his albums.
Monday – April 19, 2010
We left Rustic Sands RV Park early and drove along the coast most of the day. Very pretty pure white sandy beaches. We went through the Gulf Islands National Seashore and Fort Pickens in Pensacola Beach. At Fort Pickens Joey was not allowed inside (such as it was), and we didn't go inside either. On a previous RV trip we took Toby all through Fort Morgan in Alabama, and this was the same kind of place...just ruins. Oh well, we climbed on part of the fort outside the gate and got a picture. We went to the Panama City Wal-Mart, and Joey was not allowed! The nerve! This is a bad day for dogs. We picked up some supplies including a dirt devil because we have been sleeping in sandy beds and the floor is a mess. Our wisk broom just wasn't doing the job. The first thing Joey does is jump on a bed when we go inside the camper. I also got a new water bowl for him. The metal one we had was rusting....so you know how damp everything has been. His new bowl is white with black tiger stripes. It is really a bowl for a cat, but he does not know that. We camped at the Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola, a campground where we had stayed before. Again, Joey was not allowed on the boardwalk. He wanted to get an armadillo that was hanging out on the edge of our campsite, but no luck. The armadillo did not run so the torture went on and on. I thought Joey was going to slip his collar he was so freaked out. So he is going to have to wear his harness more often, though he does not like it. Charlie fixed a pasta dinner and we had to go inside early because it was very buggy. Don't remember all this dampness and bugs from last time. We need to get into some dry weather.
Tuesday – April 20, 2010
This morning we woke up to a small mess in our campsite. We had put all our stuff away, but left the dirt devil box with some trash in it on the bench of the picnic table. There was no food in it, but it was torn apart and there were little footprints all over our tablecloth...eeewww! Still buggy, so we bugged out. We wanted to cross Mobile Bay on the ferry but missed it, and didn't want to wait for the next one so we headed out to the interstate. The bicycles and chairs are secure on the back of the trailer, but they were really bouncing around. We got on I-10 at Loxley, Alabama, and all seemed to get steadier. Today we drove out of Florida and across Alabama and Mississippi and into Louisanna. Even though I sleep good at night I have been sleeping alot during the day while riding in the car. I couldn't keep my eyes open when we were going through Pensacola Beach yesterday, and I really didn't want to sleep then. It is a typical coastline with colorful beach houses in the dunes. Pretty. We stopped at another Passport America RV park called 'Maxey Care' in Morganza, LA. It is a new park and I thought it was nice since there was grass and gravel, not sand and stickers. We checked in using a kind of vending machine. They have nice facilities, and I got a shower behind a locked door. I always like that instead of locker room style. Behind the RV park is a big hill with very vocal cows wandering around. In front of the park is a 24 hour car/truck wash. We got a wash there. Across the street is a train track. At least three trains went through while we were there, and two woke us up. The train blasted it's whistle repeatedly, and it seemed like it was right in the campground. I like trains...but Charlie was not too happy. He drove many miles out of our way to get to this park because of the Passport America discount, and I guess he was disappointed. After a train went by, he said...”I sure can pick 'em'. Oh well....Sometimes we have days like that on these trips. But we did have a great dinner just down the road from the RV Park at “It's not your Mama's Cafe'. It was a rough looking place with a giant, stuffed, gape mouthed snapping turtle by the front door. Rustic and old timey, but we had wonderful fried oysters and onion rings. Joey came in with us too. I am supposed to be losing weight on this trip, but I am sure I must be going the other way. Well maybe we will do better soon, and I can still hope to at least break even. Our main problem with fixing meals is we are having to use a cooler in the back of the van. Our fridge is small and does not work unless we are plugged in, so we can't keep food in there. We just store stuff in it. If we don't get a different RV during this trip, we definitely will before we head out again. Charlie is enjoying having his Segway this trip. So far he has ridden it during our visits, and some of our friends and family have given it a try. He also rode it all over Manatee Springs. What we really need is a toy hauler....maybe not.
Wednesday – April 21, 2010
We drove 490 miles today through wide open country to my cousin's ranch near Karnes City, Texas. On the way we stopped in Nixon, TX for a nice meal at El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant. Joey joined us at the table in his stroller. We arrived at Jeanne's an hour later, and parked in our spot under the hangin tree. It is good to see Jeanne and John again and look forward to a relaxing visit. Our timing is good because they have had a lot of rain here and the dirt roads in and out of here were all bogged down last weekend. All is dry now, and the place looks good with wild flowers everywhere. It is such a nice quiet place out here.
Thursday – April 22, 2010
I caught up on our laundry and we have been visiting most of the day. Charlie and I went to the store and left our boy with Jeanne. While we were gone Joey got out the door and kept on running, giving Jeanne a scare. He stopped at her truck and jumped all around it as if he thought we were in it. That is the only thing that saved him. There are a few big critters in the area that could mean the end of him. I enjoy hearing the coyotes at night, but I don't really want any one of us to meet one. We had steaks on the grill and chicken for Charlie. It was all good. Never even got to the ice cream for dessert, we ate so well. Jeanne told us about her photography project that relates to our own family history.
Friday – April 23, 2010
It is overcast here and a little windy but not too hot. I have been walking Joey a lot and doing my notes today. Charlie has been doing some housekeeping on the RV and van. Jeanne and John had to make an unexpected trip into San Antonio so we are hanging out making ourselves at home. Went to dinner at a local mexican restaurant, one of three in a row in tiny Karnes City. Most of the restaurants we see are mexican, and all the ones we have tried are good. We went to this one last year, and Charlie wanted to go again. He likes to stick with what he knows is good. We took Joey too, and Jeanne got a kick out of that. I was a little worried we would all get kicked out and Jeanne would be banned for life, but we got away with it. We had ice cream when we got back and headed back to our RV and to bed early.
Saturday – April 24, 2010
We took a two and one-half mile walk this morning down Jeanne's practically private road. It is an unpaved county road but hardly anyone travels on it. We did not see a vehicle on our walk to a huge live oak tree and back again. Actually Charlie and I took turns on the Segway, so we cheated a little bit. More than half way through Joey wanted to be carried, so I did that for awhile. Very pretty wildflowers, and I think Charlie got some good pics. We saw a long horn whose horns twisted around and around, and seemed to go on forever. Jeanne says that type of long horn had become rare but they are bringing them back. I had never seen one, but I would love to see more of them. I hope Charlie got a good picture, he didn't come too close to us. We saw hog trails and turkey tracks too. We had to say goodbye to Jeanne, and it was hard to do. We took Rt 37 to San Antonio and then west on 90. We hit some kind of bugs that covered the whole windshield. It was one sudden splat, and we never knew what they were. It was a mess driving the rest of the 220 miles to Del Rio though! After some misguidance from the Garmin looking for Three Rivers Campground, we gave up and stayed instead at Governor's Landing on Amistad Lake. It is part of the National Park Service, Amistad National Recreation Area. It was our first night without electricity, but there was potable water. We are very close to the Mexican border. Our campsite overlooked the lake and there was a jetty of flat rocks, wildflowers, and cactus that we explored. After we set up and had dinner, some of the people in the other campsites left because they were only having a cookout. So we moved to another site to get away from some noisy neighbors. Joey and I rode in the trailer while we moved. That was fun... During the night some guys pulled in and went fishing for a couple of hours and then left making a racket. Joey didn't complain much, Charlie did though. It got very cool and windy during the night so we closed the windows on one side of the camper. Otherwise it was a very comfortable night.
Sunday – April 25, 2010
When we got up this morning we could see police car after police car headed across the bridge and then stopping at the other end to the west where we were planning to go. There was a huge accident involving at least one tractor trailer, and a couple of hours later, the road was still not cleared. So we drove north on Rt 277. We went through an imigration checkpoint and got by the border patrol and their dogs. We intended to take Rt 189 west but it was closed due to high water. So we continued north to I-10. We want to go to Langtry to see Judge Roy Bean's place, but we were worried we were not going to be able to get there from here! Finally, Charlie found a road going south, no route number, but we should be able to get there. The road led us to the Sonora Caverns and RV Park. Very cool. So here we are and it is a very quiet place. We are in the tent section since we are small enough, and it is great because of the shade over here. So we really like our little camper tonight. We have electricity, water, and bugs (oh no, not again). There are peacocks here too. A very nice store with gems and other rocks. I like to look at them, but they are not something I would buy. I caught up with some of my reading tonight and Charlie was able to get on the internet by sitting on the porch of the store. I will try to upload these notes in the morning and do some reading, and Charlie will take the cavern tour. I don't think he has any new pics uploaded yet. Will do as soon as he can. More later....
Monday – April 19, 2010
We left Rustic Sands RV Park early and drove along the coast most of the day. Very pretty pure white sandy beaches. We went through the Gulf Islands National Seashore and Fort Pickens in Pensacola Beach. At Fort Pickens Joey was not allowed inside (such as it was), and we didn't go inside either. On a previous RV trip we took Toby all through Fort Morgan in Alabama, and this was the same kind of place...just ruins. Oh well, we climbed on part of the fort outside the gate and got a picture. We went to the Panama City Wal-Mart, and Joey was not allowed! The nerve! This is a bad day for dogs. We picked up some supplies including a dirt devil because we have been sleeping in sandy beds and the floor is a mess. Our wisk broom just wasn't doing the job. The first thing Joey does is jump on a bed when we go inside the camper. I also got a new water bowl for him. The metal one we had was rusting....so you know how damp everything has been. His new bowl is white with black tiger stripes. It is really a bowl for a cat, but he does not know that. We camped at the Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola, a campground where we had stayed before. Again, Joey was not allowed on the boardwalk. He wanted to get an armadillo that was hanging out on the edge of our campsite, but no luck. The armadillo did not run so the torture went on and on. I thought Joey was going to slip his collar he was so freaked out. So he is going to have to wear his harness more often, though he does not like it. Charlie fixed a pasta dinner and we had to go inside early because it was very buggy. Don't remember all this dampness and bugs from last time. We need to get into some dry weather.
Tuesday – April 20, 2010
This morning we woke up to a small mess in our campsite. We had put all our stuff away, but left the dirt devil box with some trash in it on the bench of the picnic table. There was no food in it, but it was torn apart and there were little footprints all over our tablecloth...eeewww! Still buggy, so we bugged out. We wanted to cross Mobile Bay on the ferry but missed it, and didn't want to wait for the next one so we headed out to the interstate. The bicycles and chairs are secure on the back of the trailer, but they were really bouncing around. We got on I-10 at Loxley, Alabama, and all seemed to get steadier. Today we drove out of Florida and across Alabama and Mississippi and into Louisanna. Even though I sleep good at night I have been sleeping alot during the day while riding in the car. I couldn't keep my eyes open when we were going through Pensacola Beach yesterday, and I really didn't want to sleep then. It is a typical coastline with colorful beach houses in the dunes. Pretty. We stopped at another Passport America RV park called 'Maxey Care' in Morganza, LA. It is a new park and I thought it was nice since there was grass and gravel, not sand and stickers. We checked in using a kind of vending machine. They have nice facilities, and I got a shower behind a locked door. I always like that instead of locker room style. Behind the RV park is a big hill with very vocal cows wandering around. In front of the park is a 24 hour car/truck wash. We got a wash there. Across the street is a train track. At least three trains went through while we were there, and two woke us up. The train blasted it's whistle repeatedly, and it seemed like it was right in the campground. I like trains...but Charlie was not too happy. He drove many miles out of our way to get to this park because of the Passport America discount, and I guess he was disappointed. After a train went by, he said...”I sure can pick 'em'. Oh well....Sometimes we have days like that on these trips. But we did have a great dinner just down the road from the RV Park at “It's not your Mama's Cafe'. It was a rough looking place with a giant, stuffed, gape mouthed snapping turtle by the front door. Rustic and old timey, but we had wonderful fried oysters and onion rings. Joey came in with us too. I am supposed to be losing weight on this trip, but I am sure I must be going the other way. Well maybe we will do better soon, and I can still hope to at least break even. Our main problem with fixing meals is we are having to use a cooler in the back of the van. Our fridge is small and does not work unless we are plugged in, so we can't keep food in there. We just store stuff in it. If we don't get a different RV during this trip, we definitely will before we head out again. Charlie is enjoying having his Segway this trip. So far he has ridden it during our visits, and some of our friends and family have given it a try. He also rode it all over Manatee Springs. What we really need is a toy hauler....maybe not.
Wednesday – April 21, 2010
We drove 490 miles today through wide open country to my cousin's ranch near Karnes City, Texas. On the way we stopped in Nixon, TX for a nice meal at El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant. Joey joined us at the table in his stroller. We arrived at Jeanne's an hour later, and parked in our spot under the hangin tree. It is good to see Jeanne and John again and look forward to a relaxing visit. Our timing is good because they have had a lot of rain here and the dirt roads in and out of here were all bogged down last weekend. All is dry now, and the place looks good with wild flowers everywhere. It is such a nice quiet place out here.
Thursday – April 22, 2010
I caught up on our laundry and we have been visiting most of the day. Charlie and I went to the store and left our boy with Jeanne. While we were gone Joey got out the door and kept on running, giving Jeanne a scare. He stopped at her truck and jumped all around it as if he thought we were in it. That is the only thing that saved him. There are a few big critters in the area that could mean the end of him. I enjoy hearing the coyotes at night, but I don't really want any one of us to meet one. We had steaks on the grill and chicken for Charlie. It was all good. Never even got to the ice cream for dessert, we ate so well. Jeanne told us about her photography project that relates to our own family history.
Friday – April 23, 2010
It is overcast here and a little windy but not too hot. I have been walking Joey a lot and doing my notes today. Charlie has been doing some housekeeping on the RV and van. Jeanne and John had to make an unexpected trip into San Antonio so we are hanging out making ourselves at home. Went to dinner at a local mexican restaurant, one of three in a row in tiny Karnes City. Most of the restaurants we see are mexican, and all the ones we have tried are good. We went to this one last year, and Charlie wanted to go again. He likes to stick with what he knows is good. We took Joey too, and Jeanne got a kick out of that. I was a little worried we would all get kicked out and Jeanne would be banned for life, but we got away with it. We had ice cream when we got back and headed back to our RV and to bed early.
Saturday – April 24, 2010
We took a two and one-half mile walk this morning down Jeanne's practically private road. It is an unpaved county road but hardly anyone travels on it. We did not see a vehicle on our walk to a huge live oak tree and back again. Actually Charlie and I took turns on the Segway, so we cheated a little bit. More than half way through Joey wanted to be carried, so I did that for awhile. Very pretty wildflowers, and I think Charlie got some good pics. We saw a long horn whose horns twisted around and around, and seemed to go on forever. Jeanne says that type of long horn had become rare but they are bringing them back. I had never seen one, but I would love to see more of them. I hope Charlie got a good picture, he didn't come too close to us. We saw hog trails and turkey tracks too. We had to say goodbye to Jeanne, and it was hard to do. We took Rt 37 to San Antonio and then west on 90. We hit some kind of bugs that covered the whole windshield. It was one sudden splat, and we never knew what they were. It was a mess driving the rest of the 220 miles to Del Rio though! After some misguidance from the Garmin looking for Three Rivers Campground, we gave up and stayed instead at Governor's Landing on Amistad Lake. It is part of the National Park Service, Amistad National Recreation Area. It was our first night without electricity, but there was potable water. We are very close to the Mexican border. Our campsite overlooked the lake and there was a jetty of flat rocks, wildflowers, and cactus that we explored. After we set up and had dinner, some of the people in the other campsites left because they were only having a cookout. So we moved to another site to get away from some noisy neighbors. Joey and I rode in the trailer while we moved. That was fun... During the night some guys pulled in and went fishing for a couple of hours and then left making a racket. Joey didn't complain much, Charlie did though. It got very cool and windy during the night so we closed the windows on one side of the camper. Otherwise it was a very comfortable night.
Sunday – April 25, 2010
When we got up this morning we could see police car after police car headed across the bridge and then stopping at the other end to the west where we were planning to go. There was a huge accident involving at least one tractor trailer, and a couple of hours later, the road was still not cleared. So we drove north on Rt 277. We went through an imigration checkpoint and got by the border patrol and their dogs. We intended to take Rt 189 west but it was closed due to high water. So we continued north to I-10. We want to go to Langtry to see Judge Roy Bean's place, but we were worried we were not going to be able to get there from here! Finally, Charlie found a road going south, no route number, but we should be able to get there. The road led us to the Sonora Caverns and RV Park. Very cool. So here we are and it is a very quiet place. We are in the tent section since we are small enough, and it is great because of the shade over here. So we really like our little camper tonight. We have electricity, water, and bugs (oh no, not again). There are peacocks here too. A very nice store with gems and other rocks. I like to look at them, but they are not something I would buy. I caught up with some of my reading tonight and Charlie was able to get on the internet by sitting on the porch of the store. I will try to upload these notes in the morning and do some reading, and Charlie will take the cavern tour. I don't think he has any new pics uploaded yet. Will do as soon as he can. More later....
Sunday, April 18, 2010
April 12 to April 18, 2010
Monday – April 12, 2010
Our plan to leave this morning was delayed a little bit. Charlie discovered that the Honda Mini-Van and my Avalon had tag stickers that expired in July 2009! We have both been driving for nearly a year on expired tags. Two trips to Maryland in the van, and all the rest and we never knew! Oh well, we actually bought the 2010 tags, they just somehow didn't make it onto the vehicles. So this morning I took a little trip to the tag store and got our 2011 stickers. No one will ever know...except everyone who reads this of course. Becky was at the house this morning and we are so glad that she and Rick are there for us. We don't have to worry about the house at all. We got started at 1pm and headed straight over to Lecanto to visit Floyd and Jo, arriving at about 4:30. They have a nice place and plenty of room for all the stuff they are into. They are very busy but they took time out for us and showed us a wonderful time. In the past they owned a large motor home so they even had an RV pad with hookups that we could use. When we arrived we realized that Charlie would need to back in to the parking spot. Not his forte. So he struggled back and forth and side to side and finally got that trailer straight down the driveway. That is when we noticed that Floyd and Jo's mailbox and paperbox were ripped out of the ground and laying on their lawn. So the first thing we had to do was apologize. Fortunately the poles were not broken or even bent, just pushed over. So Floyd got his post hole digger out and stuck them back in the ground. They were very gracious about it. We had a nice dinner and Joey was as good as he could be. We are a little worried about his not being totally housebroken, so he wore a doggie diaper while he was in their house, though I gave him a break a couple of times and held him in my lap instead. We spent our first night ever in our A-liner camper and it was very comfortable. We are having a little trouble figuring out where to put things and then finding them again. We had this problem at first on our other RV trips, Each rig is different so we have to figure it out all over again. It usually takes a few days. We slept good and Joey seemed right at home since he has his own bed. For a week before we left home his bed was in our bed so he could get used to that. There is no room on the floor for his bed in the RV.
Tuesday – April 13, 2010
We were up early and Jo served us homemade coffee cake and fruit and cereal. Then we took a ride (Joey included) over to Rainbow State Park. Well behaved dogs are allowed. They have springs, waterfalls, a beach, and swimming. Also, lots of azaleas and some very tall trees. Floyd especially liked the variety of trees. I got my first magnets of the trip, and we all had a good time just walking around enjoying the very pretty day. We went back to the house, had lunch, and then headed out again in Floyd's big truck. They have a Lot on Crystal River that they will be building on soon. They already keep their Carolina Skiff on a lift there. So we went out onto the river and collected crabs from their crab pots. Did you know that when you are 65 or older in Florida that you can put out as many crab pots as you want for free? We didn't know that. We got lots of crabs and an up close look at three manatees. Joey was nervous when we were moving fast but he was better by the time we got back. Floyd cooked up the crabs as soon as we got back. He has a neat cooker on his porch. The pot is huge and he made it from an old pool filter, and it sits on a burner on top of a wood frame that he also made. Inside the frame is the propane tank. All very efficient. Delicious crabs cooked right, Maryland style! Jo made some crab cakes, also Maryland style, and we just ate and ate. We relaxed in the evening and watched some videos of their vacation and of their grandchildren. It was a good visit and we really had a good time.
Wednesday – April 14, 2010
We left Jo and Floyd's around 9am and drove to Cedar Key. We stopped at the Sunset RV Park as soon as we got here. They let us check in and set up even though it was way before checkin time. The park is on the river and there are a number of docks that are available for use by all the guests. Nice place with nice facilities. We went into Cedar Key and had lunch at Frog's Landing. I had a soft shell crab sandwich and Charlie had grouper. Yum yum! Then we shopped around a little bit and went to the Cedar Key Museum Park. It is closed today but we could still walk around the grounds and we took a path out to the water. After that we went to the park at the beach and people watched for awhile. Then we found the fishing pier and so Charlie and Joey hung out there while I peeked into some more shops. I went into a little place and tried to order a couple of smoothies to take back to the pier. But the young man only knew how to make two kinds, cause he was new. They were not the kinds I wanted. Then, oops he only had ingredients for one of the kinds. So I ordered one smoothie since I was really thirsty, and don't really mind strawberry banana. Then, oops he only managed to get it three quarters full, so he gave it to me half price. Oh well, it was good. I did buy a magnet that Charlie picked out earlier, but I didn't find anything else to buy today. We got back to the campground early and ate sweet potatoes and a few other things we had. Not a real meal and Charlie was not satisfied. Need to get some food tomorrow. Charlie went to bed when the sun went down. The wifi wasn't working. When I finish my notes I will go to bed too. On our other RV trips we often rose and went to bed with the sun. Getting back to our old routine....
Thursday – April 15, 2010
We left Cedar Key and went to Manatee Springs State Park where we camped. We didn't see any manatee but saw quite a few deer. No dogs are allowed on the boardwalk out to the river, so I got out the stroller for Joey. It was a nice long walk through bald cypress and spanish moss. Charlie went out on the floating pier at the end but Joey and I stayed on the dock. There is a large spring for swimming and it was tempting, but we didn't do it. We had dinner at the camp. We went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and I decided to try taking Joey into the store in the stroller. I figured the worst that could happen is they would kick us out. Instead we got very little attention from anyone and the checker even asked about him as if it is perfectly normal to bring a dog into the store in a stroller. Maybe it is...I just never knew that.
Friday – April 16, 2010
We arrived at Ann, David, and Becky's home a couple of hours earlier than expected. Charlie went to the store with David, while Ann and I visited on their back porch. Joey was as friendly as ever. Such a good dog, as long as he is wearing his diaper. This weekend, like our last visit, is the Tallahassee Orchid Show and Becky was working hard at the show including preparing for the judging on Saturday. We had a nice dinner and met Raphael again, a friend of Becky's, he is a grower from Sarasota. Becky almost has her greenhouse completed and they have done a lot of landscaping since we were here last year. They put in a large fish pond with flowers, and quite a few new trees.
Saturday – April 17, 2010
Raphael and Becky left early for the show, and we got an early start too. David took us to the Tallahassee Auto Museum. There were a lot of cool cars including batmobiles and antiques. There were mustangs and cameros and thunderbirds and everything else you can think of, all beautifully restored. There was a giant yellow baby duck too, though we are not sure why. I pushed Joey in the stroller all around the museum, and he never made a peep till we got back to the front door. He barked just once at a man coming in. The lady at the admissions desk was surprised, but she did not object. We went to lunch at a seafood place, and we plopped Joey in the stroller and took him in there too. I really am so glad, but I can't get over it either. We parked him next to the table and that was it. From there we went to the orchid show, including Joey. Raphael had the best display, I think. We really enjoyed his company this weekend. After we looked around awhile Becky was ready to go, so we headed home and rested up til we went out to dinner. Raphael went with us, but this time we left Joey in the camper. We had a great dinner at a restaurant we went to last year and so Charlie wanted to go back. Spent the evening visiting and we were all tired out at the end of the day. It was so nice to visit with them all again. I can hardly believe a whole year has gone by since the last time we were here. They showed us a wonderful time and I hope they will come visit us soon. Hint hint!
Sunday – April 18, 2010
We got on the road fairly early and headed to St George Island. Very white sandy beaches but the campground in the state park was full. Also not dog friendly! So, we went to a Passport America RV park in Mexico Beach. As soon as we parked we were greeted by a couple from Michigan who were happy to see another pop up trailer in the park. We had to tell them that ours is not a pop up but an A-liner. So they watched us, mostly Charlie, set up and invited us to visit them. We went over later and they showed us their popup. Boy! They have more than twice as much room. They have places to put stuff! They have 2 refrigerators and both are bigger than our one fridge. Still it is a lot of work to set up one of those. When they set up they like to stay at least 3 nights. That really is not what we want. Still, Charlie is always looking, even now. We might come home with something different than we started with! We went out to dinner, it is just not as convenient cooking in this rig as it was in the motor homes we had before. We ate at Mango Marley's, and both had a good dinner while Joey watched us from his stroller. Now we are settled in for the night and enjoying finally having wifi. We had access to wifi while we were visiting, but wanted to mostly visit instead. Joey is sleeping already. He is not used to being awake all day like he has been for the last week. We watched the sunset over the gulf this evening but had to do it from the car because dogs are not allowed on the beach, and I did not want to leave him. I am getting used to keeping him with us all the time now! More later....
Our plan to leave this morning was delayed a little bit. Charlie discovered that the Honda Mini-Van and my Avalon had tag stickers that expired in July 2009! We have both been driving for nearly a year on expired tags. Two trips to Maryland in the van, and all the rest and we never knew! Oh well, we actually bought the 2010 tags, they just somehow didn't make it onto the vehicles. So this morning I took a little trip to the tag store and got our 2011 stickers. No one will ever know...except everyone who reads this of course. Becky was at the house this morning and we are so glad that she and Rick are there for us. We don't have to worry about the house at all. We got started at 1pm and headed straight over to Lecanto to visit Floyd and Jo, arriving at about 4:30. They have a nice place and plenty of room for all the stuff they are into. They are very busy but they took time out for us and showed us a wonderful time. In the past they owned a large motor home so they even had an RV pad with hookups that we could use. When we arrived we realized that Charlie would need to back in to the parking spot. Not his forte. So he struggled back and forth and side to side and finally got that trailer straight down the driveway. That is when we noticed that Floyd and Jo's mailbox and paperbox were ripped out of the ground and laying on their lawn. So the first thing we had to do was apologize. Fortunately the poles were not broken or even bent, just pushed over. So Floyd got his post hole digger out and stuck them back in the ground. They were very gracious about it. We had a nice dinner and Joey was as good as he could be. We are a little worried about his not being totally housebroken, so he wore a doggie diaper while he was in their house, though I gave him a break a couple of times and held him in my lap instead. We spent our first night ever in our A-liner camper and it was very comfortable. We are having a little trouble figuring out where to put things and then finding them again. We had this problem at first on our other RV trips, Each rig is different so we have to figure it out all over again. It usually takes a few days. We slept good and Joey seemed right at home since he has his own bed. For a week before we left home his bed was in our bed so he could get used to that. There is no room on the floor for his bed in the RV.
Tuesday – April 13, 2010
We were up early and Jo served us homemade coffee cake and fruit and cereal. Then we took a ride (Joey included) over to Rainbow State Park. Well behaved dogs are allowed. They have springs, waterfalls, a beach, and swimming. Also, lots of azaleas and some very tall trees. Floyd especially liked the variety of trees. I got my first magnets of the trip, and we all had a good time just walking around enjoying the very pretty day. We went back to the house, had lunch, and then headed out again in Floyd's big truck. They have a Lot on Crystal River that they will be building on soon. They already keep their Carolina Skiff on a lift there. So we went out onto the river and collected crabs from their crab pots. Did you know that when you are 65 or older in Florida that you can put out as many crab pots as you want for free? We didn't know that. We got lots of crabs and an up close look at three manatees. Joey was nervous when we were moving fast but he was better by the time we got back. Floyd cooked up the crabs as soon as we got back. He has a neat cooker on his porch. The pot is huge and he made it from an old pool filter, and it sits on a burner on top of a wood frame that he also made. Inside the frame is the propane tank. All very efficient. Delicious crabs cooked right, Maryland style! Jo made some crab cakes, also Maryland style, and we just ate and ate. We relaxed in the evening and watched some videos of their vacation and of their grandchildren. It was a good visit and we really had a good time.
Wednesday – April 14, 2010
We left Jo and Floyd's around 9am and drove to Cedar Key. We stopped at the Sunset RV Park as soon as we got here. They let us check in and set up even though it was way before checkin time. The park is on the river and there are a number of docks that are available for use by all the guests. Nice place with nice facilities. We went into Cedar Key and had lunch at Frog's Landing. I had a soft shell crab sandwich and Charlie had grouper. Yum yum! Then we shopped around a little bit and went to the Cedar Key Museum Park. It is closed today but we could still walk around the grounds and we took a path out to the water. After that we went to the park at the beach and people watched for awhile. Then we found the fishing pier and so Charlie and Joey hung out there while I peeked into some more shops. I went into a little place and tried to order a couple of smoothies to take back to the pier. But the young man only knew how to make two kinds, cause he was new. They were not the kinds I wanted. Then, oops he only had ingredients for one of the kinds. So I ordered one smoothie since I was really thirsty, and don't really mind strawberry banana. Then, oops he only managed to get it three quarters full, so he gave it to me half price. Oh well, it was good. I did buy a magnet that Charlie picked out earlier, but I didn't find anything else to buy today. We got back to the campground early and ate sweet potatoes and a few other things we had. Not a real meal and Charlie was not satisfied. Need to get some food tomorrow. Charlie went to bed when the sun went down. The wifi wasn't working. When I finish my notes I will go to bed too. On our other RV trips we often rose and went to bed with the sun. Getting back to our old routine....
Thursday – April 15, 2010
We left Cedar Key and went to Manatee Springs State Park where we camped. We didn't see any manatee but saw quite a few deer. No dogs are allowed on the boardwalk out to the river, so I got out the stroller for Joey. It was a nice long walk through bald cypress and spanish moss. Charlie went out on the floating pier at the end but Joey and I stayed on the dock. There is a large spring for swimming and it was tempting, but we didn't do it. We had dinner at the camp. We went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and I decided to try taking Joey into the store in the stroller. I figured the worst that could happen is they would kick us out. Instead we got very little attention from anyone and the checker even asked about him as if it is perfectly normal to bring a dog into the store in a stroller. Maybe it is...I just never knew that.
Friday – April 16, 2010
We arrived at Ann, David, and Becky's home a couple of hours earlier than expected. Charlie went to the store with David, while Ann and I visited on their back porch. Joey was as friendly as ever. Such a good dog, as long as he is wearing his diaper. This weekend, like our last visit, is the Tallahassee Orchid Show and Becky was working hard at the show including preparing for the judging on Saturday. We had a nice dinner and met Raphael again, a friend of Becky's, he is a grower from Sarasota. Becky almost has her greenhouse completed and they have done a lot of landscaping since we were here last year. They put in a large fish pond with flowers, and quite a few new trees.
Saturday – April 17, 2010
Raphael and Becky left early for the show, and we got an early start too. David took us to the Tallahassee Auto Museum. There were a lot of cool cars including batmobiles and antiques. There were mustangs and cameros and thunderbirds and everything else you can think of, all beautifully restored. There was a giant yellow baby duck too, though we are not sure why. I pushed Joey in the stroller all around the museum, and he never made a peep till we got back to the front door. He barked just once at a man coming in. The lady at the admissions desk was surprised, but she did not object. We went to lunch at a seafood place, and we plopped Joey in the stroller and took him in there too. I really am so glad, but I can't get over it either. We parked him next to the table and that was it. From there we went to the orchid show, including Joey. Raphael had the best display, I think. We really enjoyed his company this weekend. After we looked around awhile Becky was ready to go, so we headed home and rested up til we went out to dinner. Raphael went with us, but this time we left Joey in the camper. We had a great dinner at a restaurant we went to last year and so Charlie wanted to go back. Spent the evening visiting and we were all tired out at the end of the day. It was so nice to visit with them all again. I can hardly believe a whole year has gone by since the last time we were here. They showed us a wonderful time and I hope they will come visit us soon. Hint hint!
Sunday – April 18, 2010
We got on the road fairly early and headed to St George Island. Very white sandy beaches but the campground in the state park was full. Also not dog friendly! So, we went to a Passport America RV park in Mexico Beach. As soon as we parked we were greeted by a couple from Michigan who were happy to see another pop up trailer in the park. We had to tell them that ours is not a pop up but an A-liner. So they watched us, mostly Charlie, set up and invited us to visit them. We went over later and they showed us their popup. Boy! They have more than twice as much room. They have places to put stuff! They have 2 refrigerators and both are bigger than our one fridge. Still it is a lot of work to set up one of those. When they set up they like to stay at least 3 nights. That really is not what we want. Still, Charlie is always looking, even now. We might come home with something different than we started with! We went out to dinner, it is just not as convenient cooking in this rig as it was in the motor homes we had before. We ate at Mango Marley's, and both had a good dinner while Joey watched us from his stroller. Now we are settled in for the night and enjoying finally having wifi. We had access to wifi while we were visiting, but wanted to mostly visit instead. Joey is sleeping already. He is not used to being awake all day like he has been for the last week. We watched the sunset over the gulf this evening but had to do it from the car because dogs are not allowed on the beach, and I did not want to leave him. I am getting used to keeping him with us all the time now! More later....
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