Dixie & Frank's RV Travels

#11-48 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and New Years 2011 Rancho Mirage, La Quinta and Carlsbad, CA

2012-01-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Three granddaughters, Micaela Martin, Aubrey Martin and Rachel (McBeath) Ivison. On Christmas eve day. Breakfast at Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage.

Micaela and half sister Aubrey having a good time together. Beautiful girls!

Look Grandma and Papa we got a new puppy for Christmas. We are taking turns holding him.

We had dinner with Ray, Nicole, her father and his wife and Frank and I on Christmas Day. The kids were too excited to even eat. Santa was very good to them this year.
We left the next to the last day of year 2011, and drove the RV over to Oceanside and spent New Years Day with Diane and her family in Carlsbad. Renee’, Peter, and family (from San Francisco) were there spending a week going to a California Mission for a project for Katherine (in the pink sweater) and just enjoying visiting with family and friends. It was a fun day for all of us including Mollie the dog and Misdemeanor the cat.

Mollie wants to know what is going on and when do I get to go for a walk?

Meanwhile Misdemeanor, the cat just sits on the cat condo watching everything.

#11-47 December in La Quinta, and Indio

2011-12-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

We spent two weeks at Lake Cahuillia, in La Quinta. It was nice and quiet there, but quite a drive to any of our Dr. Appointments or even to a grocery store. Below is one day trip we took to see our friends Ted and Lois Caine from Canada. They stayed a month at the Outdoor Resorts in Indo and we did get together about three times. They are both golfers and spent their days on the greens!

We attended Aubrey’ first award ceremony at her school. She received two awards and is proudly showing them off. The auditorium was decorated for Christmas and snow was being delivered outside in the playground. Later that day Aubrey went sledding down the snow hill!

December 23—Santa pays an early visit to Ray’s house while all the little kids are there. He said he would be back on Christmas eve, but was checking to see if everyone had been good!

Every one loves Santa.

It was a busy month leading up to Christmas, and the weather was great most of the time. We seem to keep busy when we are near home and there is always something to do and someone to see.

#11-46 Thanksgiving in Lancaster, CA

2011-11-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

Doug Price and his family (his 2 sons and Mom and Dad) came over for Thanksgiving dinner. Doug’s Mom, Diana (Wright), and I graduated from the same high school, so we looked over some year books and found a few pictures of ourselves. It was fun.

Below, the “Granddads” relaxed and watched some football.

Doug and Laurie cut up the Turkeys. We had a cook-off to see whose turkey was the best. Allie, Rachel’s husband smoked their turkey, while Laurie cooked hers on the Weber. Laurie’s turkey was cooked clear through, while Allie and Rachel’s was still raw in the center, but was cooked really had the smoky flavor. I’d say it was a draw!

We had thirteen places set for dinner. Everyone seemed to enjoy and all of us were very full by the end of the day. Even our son, Ray and his wife with Aubrey and Alex drove over from La Quinta.

Kids playing in the yard

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The three kids had a great time playing in the yard. Riding the tractor, checking out the sand box, jumping into the pile of leaves and enjoying the nice weather we had for the day. Thanks, Laurie and Rachel for all the work you put into serving such a wonderful dinner.

Eldon, (our great grandson) isn’t too sure about the talking Christmas tree, while Aubrey, (our granddaughter) shows off a new Christmas dress.
End of the day, and Grandma Dixie is getting a pedicure from daughter Laurie and granddaughter Aubrey. Go girls!

#11-45 Yuma, AZ to Indio, CA and Carlsbad, CA 10-30 thru 11-13.

2011-11-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

We stayed in Yuma for a week, making our reservations at Sundance RV park for this winter, getting some dental work done in Algodones, and enjoying some fresh shrimp tacos. We also picked up some medicine while in Mexico. Yuma also has an In N Out Burger, so we enjoyed our first In N Out since leaving CA months ago.
As we were leaving the KoFa Ko-op campground (an Escapee park) we had a little fire in the wiring between the RV and the tow car. The converter box that converts a 4 wire RV electric system to the 3 wire electric system on the car overheated and caught fire. Dixie ran to the front of the RV, got Frank and the fire extinguisher and we put out the fire with only damage to the converter box under the engine compartment of the RV. Wow, that was frightening! So our plans to go to Carlsbad were changed as we spent the entire afternoon getting the converter box replaced and the wiring corrected so it wouldn't happen again. We ended up spending the night in the Quechan Casino RV parking area just inside the CA border. Then the next day we headed to the Coachella Valley!

We arrived in the Coachella Valley just in time to attend the Palm Desert Country Club Association’s annual Fall Social. We were able to catch up with old friends and enjoy a wonderful turkey dinner with all the fixin’s.
We were greeted by an oversized turkey in the breezeway before we entered the Rec center.

Charlie Ash, and his wonderful crew are carving the birds, fixing the dressing and side dishes. Everything is ready to serve—come and get it!
Everyone enjoyed a wonderful meal, good conversation and even a few door prizes.
We spent six days in Desert Hot Springs, CA and enjoyed calm, warm weather and time in the swimming pools that were filled with the wonderful hot springs water.
We left the “springs” and drove the RV down to the Indio Elks for the weekend. Friday we drove the car, (and took Gidget) over to Carlsbad, CA to attend our grandson’s football game. This is the first of the play-off games.

We were rewarded with nice weather and watching our grandson catch a touchdown pass. Their team won 46 to 7. It was a fun game to watch “our” team win and play so well. Next week’s game will be the day after Thanksgiving. Andrew is a senior this year and this has to be really exciting to be in the play-offs. Hope they do well the rest of the games.
We drove back on Saturday with a stop in Murietta to visit one of Dixie’s girl friends from High School. We had a really nice visit with Cindy, Phil, Summer and daughter Amy who came in with her family. By the time we arrived back in Indio it was dark and we were a couple of tired travelers glad to be back in our RV home. We will take the RV and head up to the high desert and have Thanksgiving with daughter Laurie and family in Lancaster, CA. It will be nice to see our great-grandson, Eldon. It is hard to believe he will be 2 years old in just a couple of months.

#11-44 White Sands National Memorial 11-27-2011

2011-10-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

The visitor center at White Sands National Memorial was rustic and beautiful. The rangers and volunteers were very helpful and we did get to see a 20 minute film about the area.

The sands move constantly, some of them moving a few feet each year. The plants that grow in the area have to adapt to the shifting landscape. The plant above has roots that hold the sand in place enabling it to survive. Many little rodents find refuge in the plants root system.

Lonely little shrubs do survive in the shifting sands, while others only make it in the depressions between the dunes.

The white sands and the blue sky make for a wonderful contrast in the picture above.

As we drive from the visitor center to the center of the park where the large dunes are located we run out of paved road. From now until we arrive at the picnic area it is all compacted white sand that is graded and kept smooth for vehicle traffic.

This is just one of the picnic areas. It had rained the night before and you can see puddles in the foreground. All the picnic areas are sheltered with these sweeping covers. There are 4 or 5 different picnic areas. No overnight camping is allowed, but one of the volunteers told us that Easter weekend there are 5,000 rigs that drive in early in the morning to watch the sunrise and spend the day. They come from Las Cruces, El Paso and even further. Today there were only a few hearty souls picnicking in the area. The weather was nice and the wind was still.

A few of the visitors climbing on the dunes. At the gift shop you can buy or rent saucers to slide down the dunes. You can see in the picture above some of the trails that are left after sliding down. Those get covered and blown away all the time.

White Sands

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A beautiful New Mexico sunset the evening before we head into Arizona.

#11-43 Las Cruces, NM 10-25 thru10-27

2011-10-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

The drive into Las Cruces was nice with wide roads, fewer big trucks and the overpasses were decorated. Makes the trip more interesting. And we had great weather!
After getting set up we took a couple of days to visit some of the sights around the area. Our first stop was the old town of La Mesilla. This was an original stage stop.
Many years ago the building above was used as a Butterfield Stage stop. It now houses a nice restaurant, where we had lunch, and a couple of gift shops.

Above is the old Mission. It sits at the end of the Plaza where many fiestas and activities still take place in La Mesillia.

As we walked around the old town area we came upon this quaint little shop. It sells all sorts of stuff. Bright colored chairs out front, Metal sculptures, knick-knacks and also is a flower shop.
Back to the RV for a little nap and dinner. Tomorrow we will drive out to the White Sands Park.

#11-42 Fredericksburg, TX and heading west 10-22 thru 10-24

2011-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Fredericksburg, TX for the weekend. They were having a wine and cheese tasting in the Plaza, but we arrived too late, so just took a stroll downtown and then went to dinner.
Mmmm good! Red cabbage, German potatoes and wiener schnitzel.

We are a couple of happy “gourmet's.”

The long road out of the “hill country” of Texas heading west.
As wet and flooded as the Dakota’s were, Texas is burning up. In this picture you can see beyond the bushes along the road side all the dying vegetation. No rain and very hot summer. Crazy weather this summer all over.
Very few oil wells on this route. Above is an active oil pump and behind it on the hill are the wind turbines. A changing time for energy distribution.
On to New Mexico. We were going to stop at an RV park in Junction, TX, but it was closed, so we drove on to the east side of El Paso for our overnight stop. Next stop Las Cruces, where we will spend a few days and visit some of the sites around there.

#11-41 Granbury, TX 10-15 thru 10-21-2011

2011-10-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Granbury, TX on Saturday and immediately called our friends Roger and Anna Brown. The campground where we parked was only about 2 miles from their house. They came over and picked us up and we all went out for a yummy steak dinner. Anna said she gave up cooking when she turned 70 and hasn’t cooked for 7 years. So they eat out a lot and know where the great places to eat are located.
They live on Lake Granbury in a two story 800 sq ft house they built next to their RV. Usually the RV is parked under the cover next to the house, but it was in the “hospital” getting some body work done.

Sunday Roger got their boat out (not the yellow kyak) and we went for a ride on the lake. Of course I left my camera, phone and everything in the house so in case we got wet it wouldn’t! So no pictures. It is a big lake and took us an hour to go from one end to the other. This was the first time this summer they got the boat out. The Texas drought had affected the water level of the lake and they couldn’t get the boat on the lake until the rain came a week before we arrived. Good luck for us.

Their dock in front of the house. The lake is still too low to bright their boat here. We had to go to the boat house where they store the boat for the winter and get in where the water is deeper.

Frank, Roger and Anna sitting on the patio enjoying the nice weather and visiting.

#11-40 Accident on I-40 Conway exit 10-10-2011

2011-10-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

After we left the BGHS Round-up we decided to stop in Hot Springs, AR and get Frank a mineral bath and massage.
As we were driving on I-40, right in front of us a minivan came across the median and hit another car head on. A 3rd car was also involved. We were the second rig behind the accident and barely got stopped. Thank goodness Frank does not speed on the interstates.

Above is the mini van that came across the median. There was a family of four in the van. The two babies, one about 2 years old and one just a few months old, were in the back seat strapped into their car seats. I ran and got the hammer out of the tool bag and a young fellow that was at the scene went through the back window and he got the babies out. We laid the older one down on a towel on the grass and kept him still. The baby we kept in the car seat until the paramedics came. The mother was upside down in the front of the seat and couldn’t move. The father, who was the driver died at the scene.

This was the car that the mini-van hit head on. When they hit the car was smoking, but the driver hobbled out the drivers door and made it to the grass in the median. He ended up with a broken leg at least. Both of his air bags deployed.

The third car involved ended up in the median. I didn’t see who came out of that car or if anyone did. They might have just stayed put as they were in a safe area. The man sitting on the grass came out of car #2. A witness is talking to him. Both sides of the freeway were closed and no traffic moved for almost 45 minutes.

They sent two helicopters to air lift the babies. I don’t know where they took them. The paramedics managed to get the mother out of the mini-van and she was transported by ambulance. The news that night on the TV was very sketchy and we will probably never know how the babies and mother came out of it.
This was so horrific to see that I had nightmares for days. Even though we were at the scene, there were enough other witnesses that we were not questioned at all. I hope we never have to witness anything like this again.
We made it into Hot Springs about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and called Linda. We had dinner together and had a nice visit. I was still shook up and forgot to take any pictures.
The next day Frank and I went downtown and he did get his mineral bath and massage. The day was rainy and Linda stayed home while I walked around town and did some shopping. By the time Frank got out of the baths it was close to 4 pm and we just went home and stayed dry. The next day was clear, so we packed up and headed for Texas.

#11-39 BGHS Roundup- Petit Jean State Park, AR 10-5 thru 10-10

2011-10-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Again this year, we attended the Bell Gardens High School Roundup at Petit Jean State Park in AR. The campground has pull through spots for big rigs with full hook-ups and includes a pad for a screen tent if you wish. The charge for these spots is a little over $20.00 a night when tax is added. Great views of a lake and nice big sites. This was the 10th year for the round-up, our 3rd time, and it was well attended. Thursday evening we all met at the Motel and had a BBQ hamburger cook-out.

At the motel waiting for hamburgers! Fred Fabricus the chef!

Fred’s wife JoAnn telling him to hurry up, we’re hungry!

The next evening brought more people and a cook-out at the RV park.

Frank holding Dixie, Sharon and Roger Spicer, Paula Kettlehut and Charlie Cape Friday night dinner at campground.

Sandy (Smith) and husband Jack, Friday night

Saturday afternoon we all met at the Catholic church for a catered dinner. This is where lots of visiting and eating goes on. Some of those who did not get to the outdoor events made it on Saturday.

Class of 1960 (Always a good turn-out)

Class of 1961, Larry Quatlebaum, Ron Wilson (Hobson), Dixie (Cape) Proulx and Richard Ford

Class of 1963

There were more classes attending, but these are the only one’s I took pictures of. A great time was had by everyone.
We stayed one more day and left on Monday. We are headed south and west. Weather is staying nice.

#11-37 Springfield and Branson, MO 10-1 thru 1-5, 2011

2011-10-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Springfield, MO on our way to Branson. I’d been in contact with my friend and schoolmate, Carol and made it a point to stop and visit. We met them at the Elk’s lodge that evening for dinner with Carol and her husband Rick and some of their friends. It was nice to see her, but all too short, so we made arrangements for them to drive down to Branson on Sunday and spend some time with just the four of us.
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Sunday, we went to “Mel’s” diner and had lunch.

All the servers sing, the one in the picture above is singing to the girl at the table next to us, and our server had even been on American Idol.

Carol and I with our server, Matt Kester.

After lunch, Rick drove us around to places in Branson we had never seen. There is a beautiful golf course near the airport. Rick loves to golf and wanted us to see this place because it has such a beautiful view of the valley. It is called Murder Rock!

We stopped at the clubhouse and had a cocktail. We were able to sit outside on the deck and look over the valley. What a treat. Thanks, Rick and Carol for a great afternoon and visit!
We managed to see 4 shows during the time we spent in Branson. We really liked the 12 Irish Tenors and was wishing for our friend, Linda Phillips when they were singing Irish folk songs. We also saw the group Six, which are six brothers that sing without any instruments. All the sounds they make are human, but, boy do they sound like drums and horns while they sing. They were quite amazing. The last show we saw the night before we left for AR was the Osmond Brothers. They put on a wonderful performance and are so personable. One of the things that Jimmy Osmond said about the difference between performing in Vegas and in Branson really says it all. He said it is the reason they have been performing in Branson for 26 years, and why they love it here. “You can talk about Jesus Christ, be patriotic about our country and sing gospel.” I think that is why Frank and I love it so much and keep coming back. This is our 4th trip.

During intermission the Osmond’s come down into the audience and talk to the audience. No restrictions on photographs.

Jay, Jimmy and Wayne Osmond

Our picture to remember the night we were with the Osmond Brothers.

#11-36 Springfield, IL, St. Louis, MO–Sept 28 thru Sept 30

2011-09-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

After leaving Elgin, we headed south and west. Our first overnight stop was in Springfield IL Todd and Rachael had raved about the new Lincoln Museum, so we made a point of visiting. We could only take pictures out in the lobby, but there was much more to see.

You go through the log cabin where Lincoln was raised and back into the display rooms telling about his life before he became president.

Statues of the Lincoln Family. They were in the middle of the lobby.

Inside the “rotunda” were replicas of many of the dresses that Mary Todd Lincoln wore during their time in the white house. Then on into the presidential years and many displays showing the Civil war soldiers and then the assignation of Lincoln.
By the time we viewed the displays in those two areas, it was time to leave. The museum was closing.
The next day we headed south and west toward St. Louis.

It was a beautiful day and as we drove through St. Louis I snapped a few pictures of the Arch. We are on our way to Branson and decided to just drive straight through. As you can see, the Arch can be seen even before you see St. Louis.

#11-35 Elgin, IL–9-14 thru 9-28, 2011

2011-09-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Paul Wolff campground in Elgin on the 14th of Sept. This campground has been enlarged since we were here two years ago. We have a nice large camp site with 50 amp and water at the site. There is a new dump site with much easier approach. We paid $25.00 a night. We like this campground because it is so close to our son and daughter-in-law.

Lots of spaces during the week and on weekends people come in to camp and it fills up, even now after school has started.
We got together with Todd and Rachael as soon as we could. They are busy people. Rachael is auditioning for a play, Todd is putting together a business plan and doing some remodel work. But, Todd found time in his busy schedule to build us a roll around cabinet for the kitchen and to put some electric lights in the dark cabinets we had in the bedroom. He even found a broken board under our bed that the repair shop didn’t fix. He rebuilt the broken frame and now it is better than new!

Broken board and base under the bed where the slide comes in and out!

New roll around cabinet for kitchen. Thank you, Todd!

We took time to go out to dinner. It was almost October and all around the town they were advertising Octoberfest dinners. We first went to an English Pub (first picture), but it wasn’t very authentic German food, so we left—we ended up eating Italian! The next time we did find a real German restaurant (2nd picture), but ended up driving about half hour. Good thing Todd knows his way around! The food was great and we all had a wonderful time.
Rachael put together a dinner party one evening, and we were able to meet some of their friends. It was a lot of fun. Everyone brought something, so food was delicious.

While we were out running around one afternoon, we ended up at the little restaurant right around the corner from their house. Rachael was home so she rode her bike and met us for lunch!

The picture above is from another ride she went on, but it shows her and her bike!

We finally left Elgin on Sept. 28. We could only stay 2 weeks at the campground, and our time was up! We will miss you kids, and we had a wonderful time.

#11-34 Cutty’s, Grimes, IA 9-10, 11-2011

2011-09-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Above is a map of the route we took once we left our friends in Missoula, MT. It took us 3 days to get across MT. North Dakota was cool to us. Had to get out the sweat shirts! North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska along the Missouri River are still dealing with the floods.

Floods along the Missouri

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Almost all of these pictures were taken as we are driving down the highway.

The sandbags were big gravel bags all tied together for miles along the road. Trees and fences are all still standing in water. One of the highways was closed due to the fact that the river undermined the highway and it looked like big pieces of concrete just thrown down every which way. Thank goodness it wasn’t one of the roads we had to drive on. We saw the picture of it in the paper. We turned onto a different highway just before the closed section.
We stopped near Des Moines, IA in a little town of Grimes and stayed at Cutty’s. It was a big park, lots of campers (it was the weekend) with a store, band stand, lake and plenty of ducks!

We only had to step out our door and this was our view! The weather was beautiful. Warm and sunny. Below is a view of the moon rising the first night we were there.

That evening we decided to drive to the little town of Muscatine, IA and have a Maid Rite hamburger. Our neighbors at the previous campground told us about these hamburgers. The meat is just ground meat, not a patty. It was interesting to eat and to find out that Mark Twain had lived there at one time. He is quoted on the menu as saying “I’ve never seen a sunset as beautiful on either coast as they are here in Muscatine over the Missouri River.”
Below is a couple of shots of the sunset we saw as we drove the 15 miles back to the campground.

We left on a Monday after spending two nights at Cutty’s. The drive through the Midwest is really pretty. Miles and miles of corn, soybeans and other crops. Farm houses with big silos behind in picture perfect spots. The picture below was taken from the window, the tree hides the three big silos in back of the farm house. A nice flat drive through the prairie's.

On to Elgin, IL to visit son, Todd and wife Rachael. We will spend some time there. At least a week!

#11-33 Nebraska, Iowa 9-9 thru 9-10

2011-09-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

We had to go through a small part of Iowa to get to Fremont, NE. I found a State park for us to say at near Sioux City, IA. Thinking that the State Parks would be like those we have on the West Coast, we headed to Stone State Park. I had called to find out if the campsites were big enough for a 40’ RV. They told me that all the sites were back in, so we knew we would have to un-hook the car. The road into the campground was very narrow, covered with trees, and going up hill most of the way! We were very happy that we did not meet any cars coming down!
The campground was all grass and only had 30 amp electric. No water hook-up. We were back in the woods and were the only ones there until later in the evening. We were the only one hooked to electric. Most of the campsites were primitive. We found probably the only site in the campground where we could get satellite service, but no internet reception. We were surrounded by hills and trees! It was a beautiful campground, but getting into and out of it was a real challenge. Only $16.00 a night!

Nebraska, number 48 out of 50 states that we have visited!

The next night we drove into Nebraska and again stayed at a state park. This was a huge campground surrounding a big lake. The people at the park were so helpful and put us in a pull through spot in a quiet part of the campground. Because it is a Friday night, there are a lot of weekend campers. It was a very well used campground with over 250 sites. We had a space with 30 amp electric, but no water hook-up. There was a fresh water fill station right across the road from us, so if we needed water we could get it. Getting in and out of this park, Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area, was easy, but it is located right beside the railroad track. We think there must have been a train every 30 minutes. One other camper told us that this was a main line and there would be trains all day and night, and, of, course, there were RR crossing that the trains have to blow there whistle for. At least 3 of them for each train! We only spent one night! This campground was $22.00 a night. Not bad.

#11-32 Aberdeen, SD Wylie City Park–9-7-2011

2011-09-09T20:17:00.001-07:00

Wylie City Park was an amazing place to stay. Nice campground with full hook-ups and a big park surrounding it. It is the home of Storybook land and we were wishing for our great grandson, Eldon and grandchildren Aubrey and Alex to share this experience with. Below are just some of the sights that we saw.

The Yellow Brick road leads us right into the Storybook Land!

Storybook Land

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Can you name the nursery rhymes that go with the pictures? I remembered most of them.
In case you can’t remember, I took pictures of some of the plaques by the displays. This park was all done by volunteer donations.

The three little pigs. Look on top of the house built of bricks—it’s the big bad wolf!

For an hour or so, Frank and I were kids again. We went through the castle and saw Jack and the Beanstalk with the Giant climbing down.

As we left Storybook Land, there was a unique drinking fountain and a fountain of storybooks.

What a cool place to take your kids for a day of fun. Even grandparents enjoy it. We were fortunate to be able to go on a weekday after school had started and just stroll along looking and enjoying our selves.
Back on the road headed to Nebraska we had to go through Iowa. Lots and lots of corn, and big rolls of hay right along the road side.

That’s a lot of corn!

#11-31 Badlands, Bismarck, and Jamestown, ND 9-1 thru 9-6-2011

2011-09-09T19:11:00.001-07:00

We are headed into North Dakota and our first view of the badlands while driving.

We stopped at a view point and just were amazed at the colors and shapes of the formations. I hope you can read the information plaque. Double click to enlarge, Esc to return, The badlands are ever changing and big!

Bismarck, ND after the floods

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We spent the night at the Elks Lodge in Bismarck, ND. It is right near the Missouri River. As we were leaving I took these pictures of what is sill left after the floods crested. Thousands of sandbags everywhere you look, and water still standing along side of the road and any low spots. As we are driving east and south we can still see so much water everywhere.
We have had to fill up the diesel tank three times so far since we left Yakima. Prices range from a high of $3.99.9 to a low of $3.85.9. Not a lot of difference! Campgrounds have been running from a low of $19.00 at a Passport America to a high of $38.00 at a KOA.
We are now headed into the Labor Day Weekend. Normally this is a very busy weekend for camping. But we are in ND! The campground was over half empty. We spent the weekend at Jamestown, home of the white buffalo. They have the mother, White Cloud and her calf, Dakota Miracle living on the 250 acre preserve. We only saw the back side of the mother from a distance. They were hiding in the trees.
There is a nice museum and “The worlds largest” buffalo and a “Pioneer town” all there for us to view. The weather was windy, cold (60 degrees), but no rain! So we just hung out, did laundry, bought groceries, hair cuts and nails! It was a much needed stop.

Worlds Largest Buffalo—from a distance. This was taken from the viewing porch at the museum. The photos show just how it was constructed.

Up close to the big guy!

Frank inside the museum by the stuffed buffalo. Looking good! Weather is cool enough for long sleeve shirts and light jackets. The wind blew the entire time we were in Jamestown. 60 degree weather!

#11-30 Hardin, MT–Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument 8-29 thru 8-31-2011

2011-09-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Little Big Horn River, where the Indians were camped. The far away hilltop where the Union Army first spotted the Indian camp.

Where the bodies were moved from the battlefield into a memorial cemetery.

The warriors that fell were marked with a red marker. The soldiers who were killed were burred right on the field and their markers are white.
Many soldiers died together in groups, and their markers are placed approximately where they fell.
On our drive up to the battlefield we went onto open range. This is still a reservation and each year the battle is reinacted. The Crow Indians that live on the land raise horses that are used in the reinactment. We say some that were crossing the road right in front of us. They had the “right of way.”

A Memorial was also built for the Indians who lost their lives and below is the picture of the sculpture. We didn’t walk down to it as it was warm and a long walk for Frank.

#11-29 Richmond, WA–Missoula, MT 8-25 thru 29-2011

2011-09-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Our first stop in our continuing journey (after “bump in the road” broken hip) was Richland, WA. Only 60+ miles from Yakima. We didn’t want to push it too fast! We had to see just how much driving Frank could do and how it affected him. He did great. So to celebrate we went out to dinner. I had read about this restaurant in a brochure. It is an old dining car from a train that has been converted into a stationary place to eat. Monterosso’s served very good Italian food. Probably the best marinara sauce I’ve ever had. We were impressed.

Above is the story of the restaurant. If you double click on the picture it will make it larger and then hit escape to get back to the blog.

On our way to MT we drove through Couer d’alene, ID. Above is the lake.It is beautiful and big. These pictures were taken through the passenger side window as we drove by.
On to Missoula MT to visit our Palm Desert neighbors, Rick and Tish Slavens. Boy was this de ja vue. Reminded us of the time that Rick broke his leg and we got together and just had a good time in Palm Desert in our garage! Thanks Rick and Tish for the tour and the good food and good company we really enjoyed our two day visit.

#11-28 Miss outstanding Teen Pageant, Yakima, WA 8-21-11

2011-08-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

On the 20th of Aug, Frank will have been home two weeks from Rehab. He is using a cane and has given up the walker except when we are in crowds. He is now driving, although he likes me to drive around Yakima because I’ve figured out where most places are that we want to go. He doesn’t mind being a passenger!

We wanted to stay over this weekend because Bernie and Ava’s daughter, Tamara (Tammy) has entered the Miss Yakima contest as a 16 year old teen. Which is a younger category than Miss Yakima. The pageant is affiliated with the Miss America pageant and has to follow the same rules. This is the first pageant that Tammy has ever been in. She decided just one month ago to try out—will look good on her resume!

Her (Allard Family) Uncles and her Aunt all came over for a pot luck dinner the day before the pageant. She Has 5 uncles and one aunt just on Bernie’s side of the family. Only two uncles were missing! Lots of family support.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather. A great time for visiting and telling stories. Tomorrow is the big day!

Inside the old Capital Theater where the pageant was held. Beautifully restored after a devastating fire.

There was an opening number with all the teens in their active wear attire. In the younger group, there isn’t a swimsuit portion, so they did a short dance routine to introduce each of the contestants. Then came the talent portion and Tammy, who is an excellent gymnast, did a dance with many of her gym moves. It was totally awesome to watch her walk across the stage on her hands and to do cartwheels without hands. She is very graceful.

Then the girls were introduced in their formal wear.

And each girl had to answer a different question that was pulled out of the bowl.

There was a “dash for cash” to help support the pageant, and to fund the scholarship money that the winners get. Team Tammy was her cousin. Tammy decorated his shirt with her name and number on it so we knew which bucket to put cash into!

Each contestant had representative dash around the auditorium and collect as much cash as they could in 90 seconds.

All the girls together waiting for the results. They all voted for who they thought was Miss Congeniality and it was Tammy! Then they had to wait for the judges votes to be tabulated on who had the most points in the different categories.

She Won!!!!

Here she is being crowned “Miss Outstanding Teen of Yakima!” The judges liked what they saw! We were all going crazy out in the audience. Tammy was very cool, excited but poised. What an exciting day!

The next day her picture was in the paper, and she was still really excited. Now she has to co-ordinate her gymnastic tournaments along with the events that she will have to go to and represent Miss Outstanding Teen. She is going to be one busy girl this coming year! She is home schooled and maintains an A average. Pretty smart young lady.

Frank did great at the pageant, We used the walker to keep people from bumping into him, but he gets around mostly with the cane. Now he is driving the car and doing almost everything he normally does. So it is time to pack up and leave!!

#11-27 Frank home to RV 8-6-2011

2011-08-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

We are still parked at Frank’s nephew’s home in Terrace Heights just outside of Yakima. We have been here over a month now. Thank goodness for special relatives.

While I stay in the RV, Frank has a large room at the rehab center. His view isn’t the greatest, but he spends as much time as he can doing his exercises. When I come to visit I work jig saw puzzles. In the evening we watch TV together.

Frank’s home away from RV

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The two puzzles above were in the same box. There wasn’t any picture to go with the first one. But I got them together!! Even with missing pieces.

Good-by Good Samaritan Rehab Center. You did a good job for Frank!

I brought Frank back to the RV on Saturday Aug. 6th. It is really nice to have him back with me. The next day we had a bar-b-que out by Bernie and Ava’s pool. Frank was able to get there using the walker that we borrowed from our nephew’s mother-in-law.

Frank is really good about doing his exercises!

He is still using the walker to get around and being really careful to not fall again. The Dr. told us that it will really take about 3 months for everything to heal and it has only been 6 weeks since he was operated on.

We are happy right where we are until he feels like heading out. Because this is close to where he grew up, there are lots of people to visit and we get many invitations for events and outings.

Our parking facilities at nephew, Bernie and Ava Allard’s. Their RV is an 86 Beaver and is parked right next to ours. Looks like an RV park!

Their pool is right in back of the RV, but we have to go around through a gate. They have a beautiful yard and great view. Couldn’t ask for more!

We ended up staying a little over seven weeks. Frank graduated from the walker to a cane in just 2 weeks. He is quite amazing! Thank you so much Bernie and Ava for putting up with us and our RV home!

#11-26 Goldendale and Yakima, WA July 6, 2011 until ??

2011-07-25T10:46:00.001-07:00

We left Keizer, OR about 11 am and headed north and east towards Goldendale, WA. The drive along the Columbia River was beautiful, the weather couldn’t have been better. We arrived at Brooks State Park about 10 miles northeast of Goldendale. Frank’s HS buddy, Walt and his wife, Donna had invited us to their home in Goldendale for a B-B-Q steak dinner, so we hopped in the car and drove back to their home.

While Walt, was cooking the steaks, Frank decided he was going to get out of his chair and walk around. Well, his foot stuck to the carpet on the patio and over he went, right onto his right hip. He could not get up by himself, so I helped him back into the chair, we ate dinner—wonderful steaks from Belted Galloway steers. (Oreo Cookie Cows) Frank was semi comfortable as long as he didn’t move. He enjoyed the steak dinner and then realized there was no way he could get up. So we called an ambulance to take him to the local ER. They did x-rays and found that his had broken his hip and would need surgery. The little town of Goldendale does not have an orthopedic surgeon, so we decided to send him to Yakima for surgery. Back into the ambulance and he went to Yakima, and I went back to the RV.

The next day, with the help of another of Frank’s HS friends, Earl and wife Barb, we moved the RV to the Sportsman State Park near Yakima. They only had space available for two days, but I took it anyway. By the time we got set up and headed to the hospital, Frank’s surgery was over and he was in the recovery room. When we arrived at the waiting room, Frank’s god-nephew, Paul was there from Seattle, another friend, Stan and wife, Alice, from Toppenish were there and then Earl, Barb and I came in. So he had six of us waiting to see how he did. By the time he got to his room it was late afternoon. He was very groggy from the surgery and of course, he was hurting. We got to give him a hug and then left so he could get some sleep.

Believe it or not, the next day they had Frank get out of bed and he walked with a walker around his room. That tired him out and it was all that he wanted to do. I took pictures with my phone and kept all the kids informed via texting with photos. Impressive what modern technology can do.

Three days after surgery the hospital released him to a rehab center, where he will learn to walk again with his new titanium alloy ball. The first 3-4 weeks he can only put about 50 lbs of weight on that leg. All the ligaments were cut and stitched back together, the muscles were spread apart and moved around, so he has to retrain them. He is a real trooper and the PT people say he is one of their favorites because he doesn’t complain, does his exercises and then does “homework” exercise in his room.

Frank has had visitors every day. Nieces, nephews, HS friends, former in-laws and me! His attitude is amazing and I see improvement every day. He said the food is good, the staff is helpful and he has a nice room—overlooking an alley and the side of a building with no windows. But, he can go outside to the patio areas, and he made friends with a number of other men, so has someone to share mealtime with.

After the two days at the Sportsman state park were over, Frank’s nephew, Bernie, came and helped me move the RV to his home. He has a full hook-up RV space right outside his home. So I am now a semi-permanent guest. His home Is about 10 minutes from the rehab center, so I’m close enough to visit every day and sometimes twice a day.

He is now using the walker and can go from his room to the dining room as long as someone is walking with him. There are two long hallways he has to negotiate and that is part of his therapy.

You go Frank, next you will be running!

#11-25 Keizer, OR and Silver Creek Falls–July 1 thru July 5, 2011

2011-07-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

We drove as far as Keizer, OR, a little over 60 miles north of Coburg, and stayed at the Elks Lodge. This is a nice park, that even has a laundry room and all full hook-ups except two. About 50 spaces. We thought it would be full over the 4th of July holiday, but we were able to pick our spot.

Frank’s nephew, Dan Proulx and his family live here and we called them so we could visit. We did get to see the entire family, each a different times during the weekend. With teenagers and grade school twins, it is a bit difficult to get them all together at one time!

On the 3rd of July we took a drive up to Silver Creek Park and Falls. On the way up (about 30 miles) we passed mountains of Christmas tree farms. I took pictures as it is hard to believe there are that many Christmas trees grown in one area.

The first falls we visited and walked behind

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We arrived at the park about 11 am. Because it is a holiday, this is a well used park and we did see a lot of people on the trails. The shortest trail is about 2 1/2 miles around and goes by two falls. It rises about 1000 feet in elevation, so if you go down to the creek to see the falls, you have to hike back up the mountain to get to the park and your car. (We did it)

Along the rail you can see these big rocks and the holes in them.

The second falls, still lower down the creek

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Frank is standing behind the falls. Both of the falls we were able to walk behind and feel the spray. Well worth the hike!

The ferns and forest flowers were so beautiful, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to take pictures. So enjoy them with me.

Here we are with our hiking sticks. Frank is coming down the path, and I’m taking a short break. It was a great hike and by the time we left the park, the cars were lined up for almost 1/2 a mile waiting to get into the park. We came at just the right time and left before it got too crowded.

On our way back to Keizer we made a short trip through the little town of Silverton. Rachel—we found your place! It even has your name on it.

It was getting late, and time for “cocktail hour” so we didn’t stop, just a short drive-thru.

The next night was the 4th of July. We talked about going down to Salem and watching the fireworks, but instead we just walked outside and could see them from the parking lot. It doesn’t get dark until well after 9 p.m., it gets cold in the evening, and neither one of us likes to drive after dark and fight traffic. So it worked out very well. Besides we are heading north tomorrow to visit friends and relatives in and near Toppenish, WA where Frank grew up.

#11-24 Coburg, OR 6-18 thru 6-30-2011

2011-07-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

It is only about a three hour drive from Medford, OR straight up I-5 to Coburg, but on the way I was reading about a RV park in the town of Sutherlin, OR that was built in an old drive in theater. They left the screen and on the weekends they show classic movies. So we decided to stop and check it out. We had driven about 75 miles and it was early afternoon. The park is very easy to get to.

The name of the park is Hi-Way Haven. The RV’s are all parked in pull through spaces, but the front window does not face the screen, so we had to look out the driver side window and the window above the couch.

Once it got dark outside, which is after 9 pm in the pacific northwest, we were able to watch the movie and listen to it on our radio. Very cool set-up and unique. The movie was Grumpy Old Men. A classic!

Below the screen is the projection room—they forgot to turn out the light!

We left the next morning for Coburg. The RV has an appointment on the 22nd to have the slides looked at and checked. We don’t want to go into Canada and have something go wrong with them. We are also having an issue with the front door sticking and not opening easily. Afraid we will get locked out one day!

We arrived in Coburg a few days before our appointment, but there were plenty of parking spots out in the RV parking area. There is water and electric supplied and a dump site right there, so it’s a good place to be. While we were setting up we met a really nice couple from Texas and ended up going out to lunch with them.

On the way back to the coaches it started to rain enough that we had to use our wipers. We stopped at a nice fruit stand and picked up some fresh veggies and fruit. Roger (our new friend) and Anna had never had a rhubarb pie, so Roger bought the rhubarb, I made thee pie, and that night we all had rhubarb pie and ice cream.

We took off the next day and drove to Albany to visit Don and Mary and family. Melly had a Father’s day dinner planned for Curt, but she stopped by and we were able to visit for a short time. Brandi and Family were all at the house and we gathered everyone up and had a nice dinner out at Izzey’s. It is a great pizza place with a really nice buffet. Below is Brandi and her family.

Brandy is Don and Mary’s granddaughter so the kids are great grand children, and do they love their great grand parents. Nice to see.

Back to Coburg and the next evening we got together with 3 other couples that were having work done on their RV’s. It was happy hour after all. While the RV’s are in the shop, we have no home to go back to, so a trip to the wineries was planned by three of us. Off we go to the tasting rooms.

This was the first one we visited. It was in an old restored barn. The winemaker liked to do exotic blends, and none of the wine drinkers really liked them very well. So on to the next stop.

This place was overlooking a beautiful water way with lots of trees and flowers. A beautiful place to have a wedding or a party with a large outside deck. The road leading up the hill was part gravel and would be awful during the winter.

The tasting and the comparing. I drive and cannot drink wine (boo-hoo) but love the settings these wineries have. Above two of the couples we met at the RV repair in Coburg.

The last place we went was the Kings Ranch Winery where we did the tasting, bought a bottle to take home, and had a wonderful dinner. The views were spectacular over the valley as you can see below.

Before dinner tastings, and then a trip back to the RV’s where the technicians that worked on our homes had parked them again outside where we could live in them. It was a wonderful day and made the time at the repair facility a lot of fun.

During the time we had our RV in for repairs, the parent company decided to have a surprise inventory, so we ended up there 3 days longer than necessary while we had to wait for parts to arrive. Our slides now have new rubber seals and the rivets that hold the slide awning covers to the RV have all been replaced by screws. Our slides now work great and we are on our way north.

#11-23 Medford, OR 5-29 thru 6-17-2011

2011-06-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

We headed to Medford on May 29th, I thought that was when I had made our reservations for Valley of the Rogue Park. When we arrived I found out we weren’t supposed to be there until the next day. So they put us in a space that was available until we could move to our reserved space the next day. I was not feeling very well—thought I had food poisoning. We went to son, Jeff’s and family for dinner that night, but I didn’t eat too much. He made BBQ tri-tip. It was good and I was feeling a little better.

The next day was moving day, so we moved one space! I was still hurting and took a vicadin to get through the move and then went to bed. By Monday morning I knew it wasn’t any thing I had eaten. So, Frank took me into Immediate Care in Medford. I was in such pain I couldn’t sit still and had to keep pacing. They put me into a room and started running tests. First thought I might have a urinary track infection, and ruled that out, then they did blood tests and we had to wait for those results. Then she did an exam on the table and pushed in on my right side. WOW, did that hurt!!!! Maybe it was my appendix, so over to Providence Hospital for at CT scan. By that time it was 5:30 and we hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast. So while we waited for the results of the CT scan we ate something in the cafeteria. All I could get down was a little soup and crackers, and those of you who have had meals with me know that I love my food!

The tests finally came back and I did not have a bad appendix. It was my gall bladder and they said it was “hot,” meaning it was really infected. So immediately they admitted me and called a surgeon. Thank goodness the Dr. at immediate care had given me something for the pain. I would not have been able to get through the CT scan and all the prep for surgery without it. The Dr. got there about 7 p.m.

We called Jeff and Kirsten and they came over and took care of Frank—by this time it was dark outside. Gidget hadn’t been fed or out of the RV since morning and I was worried about her, and about Frank driving alone at night, and anything else except my upcoming surgery. The RV is parked about 12-15 miles away from the hospital, Jeff and Kirsten are about 4 miles away. They were wonderful. Every thing is happening so fast. My surgeon is a little oriental lady and couldn’t have been a nicer Dr. I was in surgery by 9 p.m. and out by 10:30. The removal of the gall bladder was all done arthroscopically. She told us it was very infected and full of tiny gall stones. She said there must have been a hundred of them. By midnight everyone was home. So I missed grand daughter, Marissa’s 16th birthday.

The next day was Hunter’s graduation. I kept telling the Dr. that I wanted to go see him graduate and she worked it out so I could be released from the hospital by noon. I went back to the RV, took a nap and by 5 pm we were at Jeff and Kirsten’s for dinner and then on to the graduation. Below is Grandson, Hunter, ready for graduation.

I brought the pain pills, Percocet, and off we went. It rained while we were having dinner, and we said a little prayer that it would stop for graduation because all the graduates were seated on the football field! We were in the bleachers under the roof, but still outside. Even in June it can get cold, and wet in Medford, OR. We had our stadium seats and a blanket to wrap around our legs as well as heavy jackets. We made it through all the speeches and watched Hunter receive his diploma. By then both of us were cold and we left just before they turned their tassels. Below are some pictures we took from the bleachers.

Hunter’s class, his announcement program and ready to walk across the stage to receive his diploma. The rain stopped, the sun came out and it was a beautiful commencement program. And we didn’t have to miss it!!! Thanks Doc.

The next couple of days we stayed put and I rested a lot. The weekend was coming up and we had lots planned. Linda, my friend from the Oregon coast, drove over (about a 3 hour drive) and we went out for pizza with son Mark and family on Sat night, then Sunday we all went to Mark’s uncle’s retirement party. (I’m still not feeling 100 per cent and forgot to take any pictures) There were lots of the Martin family (my first marriage’s family) there and we were able to visit with them. It was good. Linda has known the Martin family for over 30 years. Her youngest daughter and my youngest son were best friends at 2 and 3 years old.

The next day Linda had to leave and get back to Depoe Bay, OR. We have to stay around until Wednesday for my Dr. appointment. For some reason, when we are in Medford we really stay busy. At the Oregon State Park you can only stay 14 days in a row in each month, so because of the surgery and Dr. appointment we had to find another place to park the RV until we were ready to leave. We found a nice park, right across the river from Valley of the Rogue State Park where we stayed for the extra 5 days. It worked out perfect.

Then we are on to Coburg,OR where the RV has an appointment to have a check-up.

#11-22 Napa and San Francisco 5-19 thru 5-21

2011-05-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

We drove from Reno to Sacramento and had dinner with Kirsten’s grandfather and now our friend, Carl Rynerson. Finally we have some nice weather again.

We left the next day and headed to Napa Valley Elks Lodge. It is a good thing we left fairly early and didn’t have far to drive. The lodge only has about 14 sites and they are in high demand. We pulled into the last site available and I noticed two or three rigs out in the parking lot after we got set up. This is a really nice RV park with full hook-ups and behind a locked gate. We had to push a key code to get in.

We spent a couple of days relaxing and enjoying the little town of Napa. This was our view from the deck of the restaurant where we had lunch. There are ducks in the foreground and under the bridge is a boat. Along the river is a paved walkway and there were many people just walking along enjoying the nice weather and view.

That evening we came back to town for their Thursday night street fair. Lots of good food, vendors selling things, chefs demonstrating their recipes on a stage and even music. We sat and watched these “chefs” play for the crowd.

In order to get to San Francisco—without driving the car in SF, we drove to Vallejo (about 20 miles) and parked in a free parking lot across the street from the Ferry. Because we are seniors, we could ride the ferry for $6.00 each.

Our ferry, above, took us right to the embarcadero where Renee’ picked us up. She said this was great because the big farmers market was right across the street and she went there before we landed.

It was a little foggy as we arrived in San Francisco, but there were clear blue skies above. The Golden Gate Bridge above as seen through the window of the ferry, and arriving in San Francisco at about 11:00 am. Great way to visit!

Renee’ and Peter had plans for Saturday night, so we were able to have the kids to ourselves for a few hours. We ended up playing “Mexican Train” and completely lost track of time. When they came home at midnight we were still playing and having a great time. Then we all had to go to bed!

Sunday the kids had a piano recital. So we all hopped in the car and headed to the recital. Even Peter’s Mom, Deena came to see the kids perform.

Katherine, Lauren and Bray performing on the piano.

Then back to the house where we had to work on a project for the next day at school for the kids. It was Decade day on Monday and each one of the kids had picked a decade to dress up in the clothes that were worn during that time. Bray’s class was able to dress up as super heros and he did his own thing. All we did was decorate a hat with the emblem of his super hero. I didn’t know who that was—guess I’m a little out of touch. Katherine was a 70’s girl complete with peace symbols, and Lauren was my generation of the 50’s with poodle skirt and ponytail. She is 12 years old and we spent the day making her skirt. I helped make a pattern and she did all the sewing.

Here is Grandpa Frank with the dressed up kids before school Monday morning.

Our little models, the 70’s girl with her mini skirt and peace symbols and our 50’s girl with her poodle skirt! Awesome.

We headed back to Napa that morning after the kids went to school. Renee dropped us off at the Ferry Terminal on her way to work. Had a nice ferry ride back and arrived at our car, which wouldn’t start. So had to call AAA to get a jump. We must have left something on in the car, because the battery is still good. We arrived back at the coach and spent one more night there and then headed on to Redding, CA to their Elks Lodge.

We spent a couple of nights there and then on to Medford for granddaughter Marissa’s 16th birthday and grandson Hunter’s HS graduation.

#11-21 Death Valley and Meadowcliff, CA

2011-05-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

After we left Boulder City, NV we headed through Death Valley towards Hwy 395. We stopped at Stovepipe Wells. There is a campground there, but it was closed for upgrading to 50 amps, so we went across the street to an empty campground. For a while we were the only RV there. Only one other camper pulled in. The day was dry and hot. It was 108 degrees!

Thank goodness for the generator. We ran the air conditioner all evening then it cooled off to the 80 degree level for sleeping at night.

Once we pulled out of Death Valley and the heat, we started seeing snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada. That’s about as close as we wanted to get to the snow. It was still on the side of the road as you can see in the picture below.

This is a picture of the Walker river we drove beside. It is full of melting snow and running at full force.

The first stop was at Bishop, CA and we only stopped for one night and then on to a little town of Coleville at a campground called Medowcliff. The campground is a Passport America campground, but even at half price it still costs us $25.00 a night. Camping prices have really increased in the last couple of years. It had a big cliff in back of it and on the other side of the road there is a big meadow. Thus the name Meadowcliff! We stayed a couple of nights.

Below is the reason we stayed the second night! We watched the weather channel and knew there was a storm coming in, but didn’t expect the amount of snow that we received. Christmas in May!! The snow only lasted a few hours, but it got cold! Just two days ago it was 108!!

We attended church in the little town of Coleville (Population 400), Sunday morning. A very nice bunch of people. Then hibernated inside the RV while the weather did it’s worst! By Monday our mail had arrived and we headed up the road 77 miles to Reno. At Meadowcliff we did not have phone service and had to use the WiFi at the campground and the cable TV. So it is nice to get to a bigger town. We stayed in Reno for a couple of nights as there is another storm coming in on Tuesday. We also purchased diesel in Reno—Nevada prices are a lot less then CA! Diesel was $3.99.9 at a Texaco station near where we parked the RV. Wednesday, May 18 is supposed to be only cloudy and warming up to the 60’s. We’ve been hearing about freezing nights for the past couple of storms. We head to Sacramento on Wednesday, May 18th.

#11-20 Boulder, CO and the Dam

2011-05-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Charlie came up to the Elks Lodge in Boulder, NV, where we were parked. The lodge has a great area for RVs with full hook-ups and 30 amps for $18.00 a night. Boulder is a cute little town and has a Railroad train ride that goes on a 7 mile ride. We all took the ride and I took this neat picture of a hole in the rock. I hope you can see it.

Charlie has a friend that works at the Boulder Dam and has been telling him for years that any time he wants to have a private tour he would take him. So early Sunday morning, before all the tourists arrived, we went down inside the dam for a up close private tour to places that most people never get to see.

Inside the Dam

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We were so close to the turbines that I took a video of the water bubbling in the view window. How cool is that!

Above I took a picture of the design in the floor of one of the hallways and of the mode of transportation use by some of the employees. I thought you would like it!

If you look at this picture above you can see where the normal water level is supposed to be. It was down almost 100 feet because of the last 8 years of “drought.” This year it has already come up 20 feet and expected to rise another 10 feet because of the abundance of snow pack in the mountains. Hooray!

Two shots of the new bridge. We didn’t go up on the walking path. That is a little high for both of us!. It is a beautiful sight though.

By the time we left the tourists had arrived and we headed back to the RV. It was nap time and Charlie went home for the afternoon after a wonderful day at the Dam. Thanks to Charlie and Larry for the great tour!

#11-19 Ridgecrest, CA with Rick and Pam Post

2011-05-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

As we are driving to Ridgecrest, CA, we see these beautiful rock formations. I couldn’t pass them by without taking a few shots through the front window of the RV.

We arrived in town in the afternoon, and went out to dinner after Rick got home from work. Rick has checked out all the local restaurants. After dinner they joined us in the RV to play Phase 10!

Rick had the day off before they left for a couple of weeks for a vacation in Thailand. He took us on the base at China Lake and to the museum of rockets. He is standing in front of the “fat bomb.” Beside him is the plaque explaining it all.

The rocket museum

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Pam in front of one of the big rockets and the guys in front of the F-18 Hornet airplane.

After another nice dinner out we headed back to the RV and played our last game of Phase 10. It is always so much fun to be with them.

We left Ridgecrest and headed to Las Vegas. So far our weather has held up and we are enjoying being on the road again.

#11-18 DHS, Indio, to Lancaster, CA

2011-05-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

We spent a week in Desert Hot Springs at the Caliente Hot Springs RV Park. The weather was warm enough to enjoy the hot pools and we met some very nice people. As usual in DHS the wind blew a lot. That’s why they put the windmills there!

Right outside our window was an olive tree, and in the morning we could watch the birds and the squirrels scampering around under the tree. I caught this picture of the back end of this squirrel through the window one morning.

We had beautiful sunsets at the park as you can see. The desert does have its own kind of beauty!

We spent a week in Indio tying up our last visits to Doctors and getting ready to leave for the summer.

While we were in Indio we were able to attend granddaughter Aubrey’s Ballet lesson.

Above, she is trying to do the spits!

Aubrey is following her teacher's instructions--she now wants to be a teacher when she grows up!

Then on to Lancaster in our first leg of the journey north!

We all had dinner at Laurie’s home the first night we were there and we gave Eldon his Hoppy bunny. It sings the “At the Hop” song when you squeeze his foot.

Eldon likes to dance to the bunny’s song!

We spent four days in Lancaster, Helped Allie and Rachel in their back yard and just visited a lot with all Laurie’s family.

On Sunday Laurie, Rachel, Eldon, Colin and Dixie all went to China Town down in LA and to Griffith Park. The Chinese restaurant we went to was really different. As you can see in the picture below, all the food was brought on big wheeled trays and put on the table. I didn’t know what I was eating!

Eldon liked to feet his Granny!

After Lunch we went shopping in a couple of the little shops nearby.

Eldon was more interested in the bubble drink than buying a hat!

On to Griffith Park and a ride on the little train. Eldon didn’t want anything to do with the ponies. He’s a little too young.

The train and the train ride with mommy, Rachel. Awe!

Our last night in Lancaster we went out to dinner with Laurie and her friend from work. Found out that his mother and I both went to the same high school in Bell Gardens. She graduated in 1959, and me in 1961. It is a small world!

We drove north on Tuesday, May 3 to visit our friends Rick and Pam Past at their temporary home in Ridgecrest, CA.

#11-17 Aubrey’s 5th birthday, Rachel and Eldon visit, Rick Post birthday dinner 4-9-11

2011-04-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Aubrey’s 5th birthday party was a tea party. She had the neighbor girls all over for the party. Four was just enough girls. They decorated hats with flowers first to get ready for the tea party.

Then they all played a game of croquet. The winners got prizes.

Meanwhile, the boys are in the house playing on the computer, having some thing to drink and staying away from the girls.

AJ let Eldon play in his room with all the boy toys. He had a great time with the tool bench!

Aubrey’s Birthday cupcakes and opening presents

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After the cake and before the presents we all tried the hula hoop. Aubrey did really well, and even Grandma Dixie kept it going for a while. The girls that didn’t get prizes for croquet got a prize for the hula hoop. Grandma’s and Mom’s didn’t get any prizes.

We left as the party was breaking up and went from La Quinta to Bermuda Dunes to our friend, Rick Post’s birthday party. So we were able to touch base with friends here in the desert again. By the time we got there, it was getting colder and the party moved inside. Frank’s daughter and husband drove over from Carlsbad, CA and met us at the party. Both of them were students of Rick’s when he taught at College of the Desert, so it was a big surprise for him.

Wow, two parties in one day. Rachel and Eldon stayed in the RV with us, and the next morning we met Diane and Mark for breakfast. Eldon did really well and it was so great to see him and Rachel. Eldon’s dad had lots of homework to do for his classes, so did not come to the desert with them. The weather was cool, and lots of wind.

Eldon enjoyed his breakfast, and is such a big boy he wants to eat with a fork. He is 14 months old now. Diane and Mark stayed in Lake La Quinta, but met us for breakfast before they had to leave to go back to Carlsbad.

We drove to the outlet mall and walked around with Rachel and Eldon before they had to leave for Lancaster. By the time we got back to the RV in Desert Hot Springs we were tired and both of us napped!!!!

The next few days were busy with Dr. appointments—follow up’s before we leave for northern climates. But, we did find time to enjoy the hot spring pools here at Caliente Springs RV Park.

We will be moving the RV down to Indio next week and finish up our check-ups with the Dr.’s and hopefully be out of here by the end of April.

#11-16 Holiday Rambler Rally in Hemet 4-1 thru 4-8-11

2011-04-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Eating at the Rally

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There were about 90 RV’s that attended the rally. The first day we met some of the people and then walked around to familiarize ourselves with the park. We stayed at Golden Palms RV Park in Hemet, CA. We were on the list of people to attend “The Price is Right” show in LA, so we attended the orientation meeting. And we did get to go. Had to be on the bus by 6:30 am the following morning. UGH. I made it, with a lot of help from Frank. There is a lot of waiting around in lines, and they group interview you as well as taking a picture. ($20.00 for one print!) We all pitched in and only bought one print, then made copies for whoever wanted one.

Below is the picture at the studio, and beside it is when we returned from the show and showed up for dinner.

One of the members from our group did get selected and even won a mountain bike and a new stainless steel stove. Steve is in front of the group with his cue sign for when they called him down from the audience. The show will air on April 25th.

The rally includes breakfasts and dinners as well as some entertainment each night. Below is Bernie and Red doing their RV show act. They do a lot of entertaining for the RVer’s and are quite funny.

We had a really nice time at the HR rally, and had all kinds of weather. Warm and sunny, rain, wind and cold. Below are the pictures of the mountains with their snow capped peaks, as we left Hemet and headed to Desert Hot Springs for a week.

#11-15 Dixie and, Dalye’s birthday, Algodones with Linda and Anniversary Lunch at Jullianna’s 3-27 thru 3-31-11

2011-03-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

When there is no house to decorate for a birthday party, you use the back of the RV!!!!

Frank did a nice job of keeping the party a secret. We had moved from the RV park to a private lot in the foothills, and I thought we were going to a good-by party for the street (Prickly Pear) that we parked on. But, it was a surprise birthday party, for me, but also for Dayle who’s birthday was 3 days later.

Dayle and I each had hair bands to wear for our birthday’s. Barb is showing us the cake and we had to blow out the candles! Dayle is fun and funny, so we had a great time.

What a great group of friends to go to all this preparation for us. Maude and Ian were packing to leave the next day, and many others had already headed back to their northern homes. But, if there is a party—everyone shows up with their chairs and drinks. Gidget loved happy hour!

The B’day Party 3-27-11

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A great picture of Linda (wearing one of my beaded projects) at the party. By the time she had met and enjoyed our RVing friends, I think she had a better idea of what fun is all about. We even took her to look at some small class B rigs! Retirement is great!

Monday the 28th of March, Linda had a dentist appointment in Algodones to have a new crown fitted. Frank came with us and we had lunch there and did some shopping.

Linda remembers her Spanish from high school and we finally found out what Algodones means. It is cotton and the area used to grow a lot of it. On the sign welcoming us to Algodones you can see the cotton bolls up in the top right hand corner.

We encountered this dancer on the street. From what we were told they do this on the 40 days of Lent. There were a number of the dancers on the streets where we walked.

The next day we went out to lunch at Julianna’s. The restaurant is tucked away among a lot of Dr. offices and near the hospital. Julianna’s husband is a Dr. and she runs the restaurant. We sat outside in the Patio area.

All the patio table tops are done in mosiac patterns. We walked around and looked at them. Most are birds and fish or sea life and really fun to see. I should have taken more pictures. The weather again was beautiful and not too hot!

Tomorrow Linda leaves for Oregon. The time has gone by so fast. It was really nice to have her visit and share some of our experiences with us. Thanks, Sis for making the trip!

#11-14 Linda Arrives, Dinner at Mia Fajita and a lunch at Lutes with a visit to prison. 3-21 & 3-23-11

2011-03-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Linda Phillips finally arrived in Yuma for her winter visit with us. We wanted to introduce her to all our new friends, so arranged a small dinner party of 20 at the local Mexican Restaurant, Mia Fajita.

Let’s see how many I can name, starting from the left. Wilma and her husband (can't think of his name), Jim and Marianne, Marg and Ron, John and Barb Perry, Frank and Dixie, Linda and Mike, Ian and Maude, Barb and John Parent, Mike and Heather (John and Barb’s cousins), Judy and Don . Not too bad. Only forgot one husband's name!

It was a good time and a good meal.

Our next outing with Linda was one we had been saving until she arrived. We went to Lute’s for lunch and then visited the Yuma historical Prison!

Outside Lute’s is a cardboard prisoner without a head. So Linda gets to be the prisoner today! She really enjoyed looking at all the wall art, and even found a picture of the Mayor of Portland!

The Territorial Prison is now a historical site and we were able to catch up with a group on tour to learn a little about the prison. It had quite a history, and was considered by the town folk to be a “country club” because it had electricity and air conditioning before many of the local people did.

Frank and Linda at the Prison

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The sign above tells a little about the prison. If you double click on the picture you can view it full screen. Press the escape key to go back to the blog.

Inside the cells you can read the writings on the walls. They have been preserved and some have dates in the early years of the 1900’s.

The entry into the prison State Park is really pretty.

These are the views from the top of the water tank. As you can see we had beautiful blue skies and pleasantly warm weather.

#11-13 Los Algodones good-by party 3-19-11

2011-03-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the 19th of March the town of Los Algodoes threw “good-by” party for all the visitors who were leaving for the summer. The town closes off two blocks of streets, sets up a stage, serves food, beer, margaritas, and advertises itself. It is quite a production.

Above is the plates of food served, and you have to just sit where you can find a chair and eat off your lap—no tables. The city provides the plastic chairs and as you can see above, you sit is the street and enjoy!

This table above is where a dentist is advertising his services. Complete with a set of teeth!. The music act above is a father and daughter. They encouraged people to dance in front of the stage and also pitched their next performance locations.

Ladies above were dancing with the Lion and with the Mime. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time. Free beer and margaritas will do that!

Dixie found the lion near the free Margarita stand out in front of the Purple Pharmacy and Liquor store. Or maybe, the Lion found her.

Time to go home, the margarita mix is all gone, and the trash box is filled. I had only one margarita, but two shrimp tacos, so no problem driving the 20 miles back to our RV park. It was a great day with perfect weather!

#11-12 Lute’s Casino and Pool Hall 3-14 and St Patrick’s Day 3-17-2011

2011-03-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

After we left the Peanut Patch we headed to Old Town Yuma. When I went on the Garden tour with the ladies, they showed me “Lute’s Casino,” which is an eating establishment now. I wanted to take Frank there for lunch because it is so unique.

Our first stop in Old town was the old Post Office. It was open and we could look inside at the lobby. Below is a couple of pictures of inside. It is just beautiful, and had been restored and is now an office building.

Then on to lunch! Frank is in front of the entrance to the casino. There isn’t any gambling inside!

Below are just some of the stuff hanging around on the walls, from the ceiling, on the posts and any other place that can be covered.

The gentleman at the piano has been there every time I’ve been in. He will play requests while you eat.

The old days of the Casino date back to 1901. It has not always been a restaurant, but for many years it has been the local pool hall, and still has the billiard tables in the back corner. They serve a very good corned beef sandwich!

On March 16, the first rattlesnake of the season was captured and put to death. We were gone, but Ron and John sent me pictures. It’s a big un.

The snake catcher just lops the head off with a pair of garden loppers. The snake was about 4 foot long I’m told.

St. Patrick’s Day started out with a bang. Jim and Marion were both dressed up in their finest green. With shamrocks and hats and beads.

Jim, in his leprechaun hat with his vest. John from Washington state with Barb from Canada.

Happy hour and toasts to us all. A beautiful day and a fun group.

St. Patrick’s day dinner

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After an Irish corn beef and cabbage dinner, we were all still sitting outside enjoying the warm night and great company.

I even brought out the lamp so we could see each other!

While the men were inside—doing dishes and drinking whiskey, four of us ladies went for a walk. There were parties every where. Maude invited them all to come swimming with us. Barb, from Canada, found her cousins, Mike and Heather who were parked on a different street. So we grabbed them and brought them back to the party!

And along comes Jim, trying to get us to go skinny dipping in the pool with him (he had shorts on under his towel!)

It ended up with four of us down at the pool having a great time cooling off (and sobering up) in the warm water until we were asked to leave so the pool could be closed for the night. We were out by 10 p.m.

It’s a St. Patrick’s day we will never forget! ! !

#11-11 Dinner at Marg & Ron’s 3-12, Garden tour 3-13 & Peanut Patch 3-14-2011

2011-03-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here we are again at Happy Hour. Marg and Ron invited us over for dinner—we are using some of the vegetables we brought home from Lettuce days!

After dinner toast. Left to right, Frank, Dixie, Barb from Ohio, Big John from Canada, John from Ohio, Barb from Canada, Ron and Marg, both from Canada. Marg made a delicious Caesar Salad and Ron Bar-b-qued some pork loins. Yummy!

Sunday afternoon four of us ladies from the “street” in the park decided to go on the Garden Tour. After church we met at Judy’s RV and she drove. Marion had her GPS and we used it to drive to the different locations of the home gardens on the tour. Wilma was a real trooper, she stayed right up with us even tough she has COPD and gets out of breath.

Our first stop was the old Post Office building in Old Town Yuma. The building was closed, so all we were able to see was the garden outside. It had a beautiful bottle brush tree in front.

Then we walked to a couple old homes in the old town area. One was an unique two story adobe home. It even has a porch off the upstairs room.

Back in the car and driving to the rest of the homes on the tour. Some were really lush, and others used desert-scape to decorate their yards

The fountains and art work in the yards made them unique. My Mom would have loved the elephant fountain. She would say he was a happy elephant because his trunk is up in the air.

The tractor below is all made out of pop/beer cans. It was very cool.

Of course our favorite was the home owned by the Dr. and his wife who owns Juliana’s Restaurant. They have almost an acre of back yard and a view of Mexico, California and Arizona from one of the many seating areas. An infinity pool graces the back yard along with a pool with water cascading over rocks with lots of tropical plants. All this is terraced down to an area where there are live chickens in their own enclosure. The citrus trees on the grounds provide the lemons and oranges used in the restaurant. We were fortunate enough to talk to the owner and she explained a lot of the plants to us. Below are just a few of the pictures I took of this fantastic garden.

Garden tour Feinberg home

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The next day Frank and I took off early (had to be there by 10:00 am) and visited The Peanut Patch. It used to be a peanut growing farm, but now it is just a gift and candy shop. They sell all kinds of products made from peanuts, but the peanuts are shipped in from Oklahoma and Virginia. Because the weather here in Yuma is so temperate, no freezing, the bugs got into the ground and couldn’t be frozen away, so no more peanut crops.

Above is the owner of the Peanut patch showing one young man how fresh peanut butter is made.

#11-10 Picnic with Cactus Wren’s HR Club 3-9 & Lettuce Days Festival 3-11-2011

2011-03-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

This Is the picnic with the Holiday Rambler Cactus Wren’s Club. It was a pot luck as well as a general meeting.

The weather was great and you can see we all sat out in the sun!

We took a day off and rested before we headed off to the Lettuce Days Festival. During the winter months Yuma grows 90% of the lettuce consumed in this country. So they have a weekend of demonstrations and exhibits. It was held at the Battery Park—where we went to the Civil War reenactment. Boy, was it crowded and not very level. It got a little warm, but we really had a nice time.

Below is a picture of a food sculpture. We watched the man doing the work. He was quite amazing.

We were also treated to some delicious hand dipped chocolate covered strawberries.

At the farmer’s market booth we stocked up on really fresh vegetables. Lots of lettuce, but also green and yellow peppers, asparagus and other yummy things. When it got too hot, we headed back to Sundance RV Camp for a little afternoon nap!

#11-9 Broken tree branch, 3-7 and Boat tour up the Colorado 3-8-2011.

2011-03-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

On March 7, we had quite an exciting morning. The tree outside our RV made a loud cracking sound. A big limb on the opposite side of our RV broke and fell onto the empty park model beside us. Someone called the office and before you know it, the maintenance guys were swarming all over and had the mess cleaned up in no time. They even raked up all the leaves. It was an exciting way to start the day! It was a really windy day and we weren’t the only ones that lost part of their tree.

The following day the wind died down—thank goodness—and 13 of us went on a boat tour up the Colorado River. We drove to Martinez Lake with Ian and Maud Snow. It is about 20 miles from the park. I didn’t even realize that there was a lake. The Gila River and The Colorado river form a lake. During the summer I guess, it is full of boaters and fishermen. We went on a guided tour boat.

Here we are headed up the Colorado River. We made a few stops where we could get off the boat and see an old miner’s cabin and get a beautiful view of the river.

Old Miner’s cabin

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View of the river, the tullies along the banks and the mountains in the background. Very picturesque.

Our next stop was the petro graphs. Our boat captain tried to explain the Indian way of choosing a chief or leader, but it was very confusing. Something about a gray area!

He told us how old the rocks have to be to have the patina on them in order to show the markings, it was many thousands of hears, but I’ve forgotten how many.

While we were looking at the rocks we were treated to a fly-over by one of the jets from the Marine base in Yuma. A little dot in a big blue sky, with lots of jet noise.

Our last stop and turn around place was Norton’s Landing, where we had our box lunches. This is also a boy scout camping area. It was fixed up pretty nice, but primitive. Although we did get to use the flush toilets!

Check out all the old wood stoves. I guess the boy scouts that use this camp for overnight camping get to use these to keep warm. They also have to use the primitive out houses!

Ian, Ron and big John on our way back to the landing. Weather was slightly windy, but clear and beautiful.

Below is one of the houses that surround the marina and lake. Of course, it is the most beautiful!

This was a five hour trip and it cost us $75.00 each. There were more people on the boat than the 13 of us from Sundance. It was a very enjoyable trip, the lunch was good and the boat crew kept us entertained with jokes.

Thanks to everyone who emailed me photos, because this was a day I forgot my camera!

A very nice day was had by all.

#11-8 Craft show, Texas Tenors, Classic car and broken tree. 3-2 thru 3-7-2011

2011-03-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Frank has been busy making walking sticks. Some of these limbs are from Missouri where we cut at our friends, Allan and Dee Sanders, three years ago. Our space in the RV park is great for sitting outside and working on the sticks. We have a nice large area with plenty of space to work.

Dixie is always working on something crafty, so she signed up for a table at the craft fair on March 2. Below is a few pictures of her table and set up. Frank put out a few of his walking sticks, too.

Some of the jewelry and pins that I’ve made. Sold a few ear rings and a set of the wire wrapped serving sets.

Plastic bag place mats, plates of almond Roca candy, folded paper greeting cards and beaded lanyards. Two of the place mats sold and one plate of candy.

Frank’s walking sticks and a plastic bag wind sock. The wind sock sold!

Some of Frank’s walking sticks have been sold, but not at the show. From other RVer’s that saw them and wanted to buy them.

THE TEXAS TENORS

The next afternoon we went to The Palms RV Resort and enjoyed the music of the Texas Tenors. We saw them in Redmond, OR and enjoyed then so much that when we found out that they were going to be doing a show here in “the foothills,” we bought our tickets to the afternoon show. They are so good. We didn’t have the best of seats, but I did get some fairly good pictures.

Serenading a lady member of the audience.

Singing in harmony. Awesome.

From their face book page—touring in AZ 2011

It’s nice to be a senior and have so much great entertainment available to us.

I’ve mentioned to many people how we see lots of RV’s on the road coming and going here in Yuma. What a surprise for us to see the above classic car pulling a classic trailer! Very cool.

Above I mentioned how nice our space in the park was to sit outside and enjoy, and on this windy morning we hear a commotion outside our dining room window. Our tree broke! The limb cracked and fell on the park model next door to us. Below is the clean up crew and neighbors all “helping” to get rid of the broken limb.

Fallen tree limb

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A very exciting week for the start of March 2011!