Its Linda. I think this is only the second time I have worked on the blog. Weather is getting nice, and we have spent time exploring quilt shops, and eating New Mexico Mexican food. The food is so good with the green chile peppers and salsa. Yesterday we ate in Mesilla, which is part of Las Cruces, the really old part. We have been there before, three years ago, and knew we had to come back for a visit. Love the area, all the adobe houses and the colors of everything around. I suspect that if we were to come here later in the year, there would be yellows and oranges all around. We may have to do that sometime. Tonight we went to another restaurant which we heard about from one of the quilt shops we went to. Russ says you can always find out about the great places around from the women who work in quilt shops. One woman, and she may have been the owner, said that she wants to visit New Hampshire, so we told her that she should come in the fall, with all our colors. That's her plan. We told her how much we enjoy it here in Las Cruces, as the mountains look like they are right in your backyard. She is originally from Chama, NM, which has the highest narrow gauged railroad in the United States. Also told us we needed to spend some time in Santa Fe. It was an enjoyable.
Tomorrow we travel to Tucson, AZ, where we hope to meet up with Yvonne and Steve, our friends from British Columbia. We met them two years ago in New Orleans, and then this past October, they visited us in Barrington for several days. It will be nice to see them again. Then on Saturday, we arrive at our 'destination', Picacho Peak RV Park. We'll keep you posted on our time there.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Jan 29th ElPaso,TX
Good Morning all,
We have had an interesting trip so far, with weather being the biggest issue. It has been cold from the start and now we are almost far enough west to be warmer.
We decided when outside of Atlanta, GA that we were tired of being cold and having freeze ups in the RV so decided to power westward, which we have done. We are so thankful that we made the right decision to stay on US20 instead of going down to US10 and across thru Biloxi and that route, as they have gotten tons of ice and snow and from what we hear, they actually closed 10 for a couple of days. As of our last post, we traveled to Sweetwater,TX ( a hour west of Abilene) and got setup in a campground for the nite. It wasn't a very nice place, but close to the highway and off the road. It got down to about 15 degrees with 15-20 mph winds. We didn't connect anything but power as we knew water and sewer would freeze. The kitchen sink did freeze again,(third time) but thawed out on the next drive. We left Sweetwater in the early AM and drove all the way to ElPaso. The sun was out and actually warmed up to 50 degrees. A long drive, but good roads and no traffic. At some point I texted my friend Bill Teager(who used to live in Kittery and now lives in Ohio about a mutual freinds passing. Bill texted back and asked where we were and after back and forth we found that he was in Dallas and heading to ElPaso. We had planned to drive thru EP on to LasCruses,NM but decided to stop in EP and try and meet up with Bill. We couldn't get into Ft Bliss military park , as it was full so we stayed in Mission RV just off exit 32 of US10. Bill finished his day of work and we drove to his hotel and had a great visit. What a happenstance to connect with a great friend. Linda and I stopped at Applebees for dinner on the way back to the rv park. weather was in the 50's but cooled down to 27 last nite. we had left the water dripping in the sink and heat up so no freezeup last nite. We have a two day reservation for a park in LasCruses starting tonite. We have been there before and really enjoy the area. We already know that we want to eat in Old Mesilla at a great Mexican place. LC is only and hour from here so we are relaxing, catching up and organizing to kill time, as we can't check in till 1 PM. We have crossed two time zones and are kind of out of sync. We haven't see much to comment on but I will try and upload a couple of pics. The 80 MPH speed limit is cool, but we don't travel at the high speeds. Fuel cosst less here than at home. it's about $3.79 a gallon but we have paid more and less. The propane is expensive but we need that for heat and hot water so we do what we must. We have called and made reservations in the Picacho Peak RV park in Picacho, AZ from Feb 1 thru the rest of the month. It will be good to be settled for a time. We both feel bad that we haven't taken the time to see the sites on our way westward, but it was the right decision for us. We are hoping that we will be able to see more on our way home. We have a list of places and things to see around Phoenix and Tuson and the place we are staying is just about in the middle so we are looking forward to seeing the sites there.
Hope everyone is well and making the best of the winter. i know it's a pain to login this blog to post comments, but feel free to email us or call if interested.
80MPH and some folks do that and more.
Lots of hills like this. This is when I am glad of the high speed limits, as I keep expecting the Indians to come riding down on us. Maybe I have watched to many western movies.
We are hoping to meet up with our British Columbia friends Steve and Yvonne in the next few days and that will be alot of fun.
so much for now, got to travel!
We have had an interesting trip so far, with weather being the biggest issue. It has been cold from the start and now we are almost far enough west to be warmer.
We decided when outside of Atlanta, GA that we were tired of being cold and having freeze ups in the RV so decided to power westward, which we have done. We are so thankful that we made the right decision to stay on US20 instead of going down to US10 and across thru Biloxi and that route, as they have gotten tons of ice and snow and from what we hear, they actually closed 10 for a couple of days. As of our last post, we traveled to Sweetwater,TX ( a hour west of Abilene) and got setup in a campground for the nite. It wasn't a very nice place, but close to the highway and off the road. It got down to about 15 degrees with 15-20 mph winds. We didn't connect anything but power as we knew water and sewer would freeze. The kitchen sink did freeze again,(third time) but thawed out on the next drive. We left Sweetwater in the early AM and drove all the way to ElPaso. The sun was out and actually warmed up to 50 degrees. A long drive, but good roads and no traffic. At some point I texted my friend Bill Teager(who used to live in Kittery and now lives in Ohio about a mutual freinds passing. Bill texted back and asked where we were and after back and forth we found that he was in Dallas and heading to ElPaso. We had planned to drive thru EP on to LasCruses,NM but decided to stop in EP and try and meet up with Bill. We couldn't get into Ft Bliss military park , as it was full so we stayed in Mission RV just off exit 32 of US10. Bill finished his day of work and we drove to his hotel and had a great visit. What a happenstance to connect with a great friend. Linda and I stopped at Applebees for dinner on the way back to the rv park. weather was in the 50's but cooled down to 27 last nite. we had left the water dripping in the sink and heat up so no freezeup last nite. We have a two day reservation for a park in LasCruses starting tonite. We have been there before and really enjoy the area. We already know that we want to eat in Old Mesilla at a great Mexican place. LC is only and hour from here so we are relaxing, catching up and organizing to kill time, as we can't check in till 1 PM. We have crossed two time zones and are kind of out of sync. We haven't see much to comment on but I will try and upload a couple of pics. The 80 MPH speed limit is cool, but we don't travel at the high speeds. Fuel cosst less here than at home. it's about $3.79 a gallon but we have paid more and less. The propane is expensive but we need that for heat and hot water so we do what we must. We have called and made reservations in the Picacho Peak RV park in Picacho, AZ from Feb 1 thru the rest of the month. It will be good to be settled for a time. We both feel bad that we haven't taken the time to see the sites on our way westward, but it was the right decision for us. We are hoping that we will be able to see more on our way home. We have a list of places and things to see around Phoenix and Tuson and the place we are staying is just about in the middle so we are looking forward to seeing the sites there.
Hope everyone is well and making the best of the winter. i know it's a pain to login this blog to post comments, but feel free to email us or call if interested.
We are hoping to meet up with our British Columbia friends Steve and Yvonne in the next few days and that will be alot of fun.
so much for now, got to travel!
Monday, January 27, 2014
Jan27
Well we made a dash from Atlanta to Maridian MI , then from Maridian to Longview TX (west of Shrevesport LA ) and then yesterday we had a short drive to Mineola to Joey and Brenda Paradis's. Brenda is working in San Antonio so we didn't get to see her, but she was with us thru Joey. Had a great day visiting with Joey. he made us lunch and as always was a great host. He left for work this morning very early and we never heard him go. We are getting ready to head out thru Dallas Fort Worth a and on to Sweetwater (west of Aboline). Weather was in the mid to high 60's yesterday and this morning it is 35 and windy. That is why we are making tracks for AZ! Write later smiles the driver
Friday, January 24, 2014
Jan 24th
Real quick tonite as it's been a long day. we got up this morning to frozen pipes in the RV and the outside temp at 12 degrees. We decided that we have had enough of this cold crap. we headed west and after 5 hours we got to Meridian,Mississippi and found a small RV park and have done laundry and planned tomorrows drive to Shreveport Louisiana. about another 5 hours closer to Arizona and warm weather. we feel bad that we are missing alot of sites and probably neat stuff,but we can see it at a later date when it's not so hard to stay unfrozen and can actually get outside and do something in comfort. the RV did thaw out on the way here and hopefully we can keep this warm enough in the undercarriage tonite so it doesn't happen again. it's late , I am tired and with the first time change today I am calling it a nite. Hugs and WARM Smiles to you all.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Jan 22 2014 Stone Mtn GA
We traveled from Columbia,NC to Stone Mountain, Georgia and setup up in the Stone MTN state park campground. Not your average state park, this place has golf courses, steamboat rides on the huge lake, Inn's, conference centers, restaurants huge camping areas, and tons more. pretty quiet this time of year but still huge. We got setup and fully connected with thoughts of a great evening in our home, with a fully functioning hot water heater, plenty of water with good pressure, so thought we would go for a tour of the park. We drove a ways and found the "Skyline" gondola to the top of Stone Mtn . the mtn is a big smooth very round rock the just popped out of the ground millions of years ago. part of the tectonic plate shifts. it has a Confederate war memorial carved into the face of it. there was only six or eight on our ride to the top and the guide said there had only been about 40 people all day, unlike Martin Luther King day when the had over 7000. there were signs along the entrance (zig zag rope lines "cattle shoot" style) that said 2hr waits at one point. glad it was pay and go today. the top was cold and windy but the sun was out and you could see for miles. Downtown Atlanta buildings and lots of other views. the ground on top looked like the moon with indentations that look like small craters. really neat. As we were looking from porch at the arrival center at the top Linda happened to look just over the railing and there was a pickup trucked parked there. we were surprized as it seems to be a really steep and round rock and we couldn't imagine they could get a vehicle up there. I actually talked to the game warden and he said that it was maintenance guys and that the road was very steep but manageable. he thought Ford should use a video of someone driving up as a commercial. We made it back to the parking lot and my cell phone rang and it was the campground office saying someone had driven over a water valve and that our water had been secured but should be back by noon tomorrow. we hope so as we didn't want to move. we feel fortunate that we have a tankfull of freshwater so we will be able to use our systems. we stopped at a couple of more places within the park, most are closed due to the cold and lack of "guests" but we had fun looking around. One spot was intriguing to me, it was the Carillon that is lakeside. the carillon is a gift from Coke company and was originally made and used at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair. If I remember right we say that when we went to that worlds fair when I was a kid. The carillon wasn't playing until the weekend so I won't be able to hear it, but I think it is like bells. Mom will let me know if I am way off or not. The web is very slow so I will have to continue this later.
hello again it's Thursday and we got water back. today we relaxed in the morning then went to Stone Mountain Village, expecting a lot of shops and neat little places to see but it's off season so it's kind of like York beach in February, real quiet and closed up. decided to find Walmart and got a few things and fuel then went and climbed the mountain we rode up in the gondola yesterday. the sun was out all day but it was still cold and quite windy. we cooked hamburgs on our grill for supper and now trying to figure which way to head tomorrow. It will be west but not sure to go south to the coast and see that area or stay on route 20 across towards Birmingham. we have some time before getting to Joey and Brenda's so figure that we might see some country that we haven't been yet. I know you are wondering if we went into Atlanta and the answer is no. We talked and decided that we are not city folks and didn't really care about the aquarium, World of Coke or CNN so we have had a lot of fun in this huge state park and didn't see all of it. by the way we did get to hear the Carillon playing recorded music over the lake this afternoon. I am sure it's the same I hear when I was about 9 at the worlds fair. Linda questions my memory, as do i but won't admit it to her.
carving in the mountain
top of Stone Mtn
our camp site
looking right from our site (the mountain)
the carving larger than a full city block. the riders are 9 stories tall
hello again it's Thursday and we got water back. today we relaxed in the morning then went to Stone Mountain Village, expecting a lot of shops and neat little places to see but it's off season so it's kind of like York beach in February, real quiet and closed up. decided to find Walmart and got a few things and fuel then went and climbed the mountain we rode up in the gondola yesterday. the sun was out all day but it was still cold and quite windy. we cooked hamburgs on our grill for supper and now trying to figure which way to head tomorrow. It will be west but not sure to go south to the coast and see that area or stay on route 20 across towards Birmingham. we have some time before getting to Joey and Brenda's so figure that we might see some country that we haven't been yet. I know you are wondering if we went into Atlanta and the answer is no. We talked and decided that we are not city folks and didn't really care about the aquarium, World of Coke or CNN so we have had a lot of fun in this huge state park and didn't see all of it. by the way we did get to hear the Carillon playing recorded music over the lake this afternoon. I am sure it's the same I hear when I was about 9 at the worlds fair. Linda questions my memory, as do i but won't admit it to her.
carving in the mountain
looking left from our site
hope you can see these pictures.
tomorrow we head southwest
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Tuesday, January 21
This has been a long day. Only because we got up and got going much earlier that we would normally get up. Rise and shine was at 6:00 and we were on the road by 7:00, trying to get ahead of the storm. Well, that was successful as we never saw a flake of snow, and the sun shown all day. The temp, while travelling, was in the seventies, but that was in the sun. Its cooler than that now, and here in the park in Columbia, SC., we were told that the water to the campers was going to be shut off, as a freeze was expected. It is 42 now, but the wind is blowing and the camper is doing a little bit of rocking.
Oh yes, we did have a delay, as we spent approximately four hours at the Camping World in Columbia, but we now have a hot water heater, so no more 'military' showers! It was nice sitting outside while the repair was being done.
Then, this evening, we had dinner with Erin and then a tour of the campus at USC. Guess I have just never been on a campus where there were 30,000 students. It was great to see Erin, hear what she has been up to since classes started, and the new friends she has made. We are proud of our two college granddaughters. Erin here in SC and Alicia at Rivier in Nashua, NH. Can't believe that the two of them will be 20 this year!
Tomorrow we are off to Atlanta, and then further west, but the route is unknown. Anyone with suggestions of where we should head, please let us know.
Talk to you later.....
Oh yes, we did have a delay, as we spent approximately four hours at the Camping World in Columbia, but we now have a hot water heater, so no more 'military' showers! It was nice sitting outside while the repair was being done.
Then, this evening, we had dinner with Erin and then a tour of the campus at USC. Guess I have just never been on a campus where there were 30,000 students. It was great to see Erin, hear what she has been up to since classes started, and the new friends she has made. We are proud of our two college granddaughters. Erin here in SC and Alicia at Rivier in Nashua, NH. Can't believe that the two of them will be 20 this year!
Tomorrow we are off to Atlanta, and then further west, but the route is unknown. Anyone with suggestions of where we should head, please let us know.
Talk to you later.....
Monday, January 20, 2014
January 20, 2014
After 3 very busy day and wonderful days in PA, we travelled south. Our plan was to meet friends for lunch in Staunton, VA, and then go as far as Natural Bridge, VA, and spend the night. Fortunately Rosie and Ron Sprouse told us that weather channels were predicting a lot of snow in the area. We spent several hours over lunch, catching up and laughing. It was fun, and then headed south. We thought we would go as far as Roanoke, but traffic was fairly easy, so we continued on for another 3 hours and are now in Max Meadows, VA. Our plan is now to get up early in the morning, before the snow starts, and head south. All works out, we will be camping just outside of Columbia, SC, and spend some time with our granddaughter, Erin at USC. First semester was in Spain, so now her second semester will be in Columbia. Hopefully, we will be able to make it to one of Guy Fieri's, Diner/Drive-in/and Dives, Pawleys. Always up for a good burger. Russ has plans of getting a few things checked out on the camper, so it may be more than a one night stay. We will let you know. No new places visited yet, but we are 'out of Dodge' as Russ always says, and enjoying ourselves.
linda
After 3 very busy day and wonderful days in PA, we travelled south. Our plan was to meet friends for lunch in Staunton, VA, and then go as far as Natural Bridge, VA, and spend the night. Fortunately Rosie and Ron Sprouse told us that weather channels were predicting a lot of snow in the area. We spent several hours over lunch, catching up and laughing. It was fun, and then headed south. We thought we would go as far as Roanoke, but traffic was fairly easy, so we continued on for another 3 hours and are now in Max Meadows, VA. Our plan is now to get up early in the morning, before the snow starts, and head south. All works out, we will be camping just outside of Columbia, SC, and spend some time with our granddaughter, Erin at USC. First semester was in Spain, so now her second semester will be in Columbia. Hopefully, we will be able to make it to one of Guy Fieri's, Diner/Drive-in/and Dives, Pawleys. Always up for a good burger. Russ has plans of getting a few things checked out on the camper, so it may be more than a one night stay. We will let you know. No new places visited yet, but we are 'out of Dodge' as Russ always says, and enjoying ourselves.
linda
Sunday, January 19, 2014
We are back to the RV after another
filled day. This AM we drove to East Pennsboro to a Gavin
basketball game and as soon as that was over we made it to
Elizabethtown and met Bart and Kelly for a great visit and wonderful
lunch. It was fun seeing and chatting with them both. It will be mid
summer before we see them again. I feel fortunate that we stay
connected thru Facebook. Thanks for a nice visit B&K! We then
found our way back to Tim's and had our Christmas with the Beans of
Palmyra. We plan on leaving in the early morning to make it to
Staunton,VA to meet up with friends, Ron and Rosie Sprouse for
lunch. They drive the back roads and meet us just off the highway at
a restaurant so we don't have to haul the RV on the narrow roads.
Then on to Natural Bridge,VA for a nite.
The camper is bugging me with little
issues and hopefully when we get a little further south we will have
a day to spare we can get the Hot water heater fixed. We do have hot
water but no quick recovery so very quick “Navy” showers. The
furnace thermostat isn't accurate at all and I am in fear that it may
just give up and I don't like being cold. The temps to day were in
the 20's and it doesn't look like it's going to warm up in this area
for a week. I am glad we are heading south. I did see on the weather
that we must have gotten snow at home. I guess that I am kind of
venting, but until we have things running smoothly, I keep thinking
about them. Well I am writing this offline and when Linda reviews
and adds her say we will try and post this. Pictures will come when
I find time to upload from the camera.
The Driver.
Nothing more to add. It was a very
full, busy, wonderful weekend here in eastern PA. The campground is
perfect for what we are using it for, to park the camper and sleep.
It will be nice to get further south.
The Navigator!
January 19
Good morning,
It is Sunday and before we head out wanted to tell you what we have been up to. Basketball! Oh yes, a little field hockey thrown in there also. Awoke yesterday morning to a few inches of snow. We knew it was going to snow, but I never really expect it. Have water connected to the camper, but Friday night, Russ disconnected that as we were also expecting freezing temperatures. Yesterday morning, after quick showers, the frozen hose spent the day in the shower. Friday night, Tim (my son) had a basketball game, in some town I have never heard of. We did not go to that one, but his team won. (Tim is the high school coach at East Pennsboro, PA). That night we took Peyton to field hockey practice. There is a huge facility here in Palmyra, (where they live) which that night had field hockey, and baseball practices going on. In The Net, which it is called, has a regulation soccer field in it. Girls field hockey is apparently a big sport in PA. Then we were off to take Gavin to play on one of his teams, at the Palmyra High boys game, half time. Tried to take pictures, but kids that age don't stay in the same place long enough for our camera to take a flash. I know Gavin is in the pic, but no one else would.
Saturday morning, Peyton had two basketball games. They play 5 minutes quarters and there are 3 teams, so each team plays two games a weekend. No score keeping, but mostly just for learning. And then a game with Gavin on another team. Score keeping here, and Gav's team won, but it was very close. Tim left to head to his high school basketball game, and we had some time to spare. Russ and I had lunch at Red Robin, which was good. Nice change from the chains we have up north, plus we had a gift card! Trying to figure out what to do after that, so we went over to Chocolate World, since we were in Hershey anyways. We have been to Chocolate world so many times, and I have been even more with all my additional trips to this area, but we can never remember the names of the cows that sing on the Chocolate World ride. Olympia, we remember, but took pictures of them this time. They are Gabby, Olympia, and Harmony. Letting you know that, just in case you are on Jeopardy and this question comes up. Gavin and Peyton won't go with us as apparently they have out grown that excitement, but I still enjoy. Texted the oldest granddaughters (Alicia, 19, in NH and Erin, 19, in SC) to let them know where we were. They were my travelling buddies when younger, and we spent a number of vacations in this area visiting their cousins.
Today, we will be having our 'Christmas' with the Beans, and then meet up with friends in Lancaster. Tomorrow, we will leave here and head to VA. Meet friends for lunch in Staunton, then a night in Natural High, VA.
Busy weekend with the Beans, but their's will be getting busier, as their will be a new addition to the family in April. A little boy, Griffin, who is 17 inches long right now and the size of a cantaloupe!
It is Sunday and before we head out wanted to tell you what we have been up to. Basketball! Oh yes, a little field hockey thrown in there also. Awoke yesterday morning to a few inches of snow. We knew it was going to snow, but I never really expect it. Have water connected to the camper, but Friday night, Russ disconnected that as we were also expecting freezing temperatures. Yesterday morning, after quick showers, the frozen hose spent the day in the shower. Friday night, Tim (my son) had a basketball game, in some town I have never heard of. We did not go to that one, but his team won. (Tim is the high school coach at East Pennsboro, PA). That night we took Peyton to field hockey practice. There is a huge facility here in Palmyra, (where they live) which that night had field hockey, and baseball practices going on. In The Net, which it is called, has a regulation soccer field in it. Girls field hockey is apparently a big sport in PA. Then we were off to take Gavin to play on one of his teams, at the Palmyra High boys game, half time. Tried to take pictures, but kids that age don't stay in the same place long enough for our camera to take a flash. I know Gavin is in the pic, but no one else would.
Saturday morning, Peyton had two basketball games. They play 5 minutes quarters and there are 3 teams, so each team plays two games a weekend. No score keeping, but mostly just for learning. And then a game with Gavin on another team. Score keeping here, and Gav's team won, but it was very close. Tim left to head to his high school basketball game, and we had some time to spare. Russ and I had lunch at Red Robin, which was good. Nice change from the chains we have up north, plus we had a gift card! Trying to figure out what to do after that, so we went over to Chocolate World, since we were in Hershey anyways. We have been to Chocolate world so many times, and I have been even more with all my additional trips to this area, but we can never remember the names of the cows that sing on the Chocolate World ride. Olympia, we remember, but took pictures of them this time. They are Gabby, Olympia, and Harmony. Letting you know that, just in case you are on Jeopardy and this question comes up. Gavin and Peyton won't go with us as apparently they have out grown that excitement, but I still enjoy. Texted the oldest granddaughters (Alicia, 19, in NH and Erin, 19, in SC) to let them know where we were. They were my travelling buddies when younger, and we spent a number of vacations in this area visiting their cousins.
Today, we will be having our 'Christmas' with the Beans, and then meet up with friends in Lancaster. Tomorrow, we will leave here and head to VA. Meet friends for lunch in Staunton, then a night in Natural High, VA.
Busy weekend with the Beans, but their's will be getting busier, as their will be a new addition to the family in April. A little boy, Griffin, who is 17 inches long right now and the size of a cantaloupe!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
First day jan 16 2014
We left home this morning and arrived at Sussex,new jersey about 2pm. Good travelling and not much traffic. We loaded water into outrank at the campground office as the water at the sites is shut down for the winter. Flushed out the lines and setup on our site. Tried to get the hot water heater working butit didn't work. Found a unconnected wire and hooked it up but that wasn't it. Tore things apart and nothing seemed to help. A while later it came on. Must be magic. We had gotten a mobile satellite dish and we set it up but couldn't get a signal,called and spend an hour on the phone with Dish and now have a great signal and tons of TV to keep us happy. We plan on travelling to palmyra, PA in the AM and setup in a campground that is close to the kids place. Already much to do there for the weekend. Hope to get together with Bart and Kelly Conner while we are in the area. I am using the IPad
For the first time, so bare with the spelling,spacing, and all that.
For the first time, so bare with the spelling,spacing, and all that.
Friday, January 10, 2014
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