How to Love Where You Are and Eat Where the Locals Eat!!

Estrella Mountain Regional Park

2012-01-31T10:34:00.000-06:00

With all the hiking that Rick and Paulette do serving as an incentive we decided to go hiking at the Estrella Mountain Regional Park, a Maricopa County Park in the Phoenix area. We had a free pass at the park thanks to Paws and Friends, thanks guys. We went with our friends Bob and Wilma.

With plenty of water, hats, walking sticks, sunscreen and sturdy shoes we started out on what would be a three mile hike in the desert. We really like the desert, at least in the winter that is. The weather for the hike was perfect with the temps in the low 70's. We know that we are in our winter home area when we start to see the Saguaro cactus, a large, tree-shaped and tree-sized cactus native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, Mexico and a very small part of California. The Saguaro blossom is the State Wildflower of Arizona which only appears after 36-69 years depending on how much water is available. Also very dependent on the amount of water is the growth of the signature arms which appear at age 55-90. The full height of the Saguaro with long arms usually takes about 200 years.

What was neat on this hike is that we saw the carcass of a Saguaro showing the woody spines that support the giant cactus and the fibrous material between the spines that no doubt store water, showing here:

We also saw how the arms attach to the main body, showing here:

After slipping and sliding on the desert trails consisting of sand and rocks and gravel we made it back to the car and it was lunch time. After discussing many options we headed to Dino's Greek and Italian Grill and it was a good choice. Between the four of us we sampled both Greek and Italian fare along with an American entry. Bob had a lamb wrap with a side salad, Jo had a huge calzone that she was only able to eat half, Wilma had a gyro salad that was also huge that she could not finish, and Wilma's Bob had a Bacon Swiss Chicken sandwich and fries. We all commented on how good the food was and how we need to go back. The dipping sauce, the house marinara, for the calzone was excellent so Jo's Bob is already making plans to go back for their pasta.

We went back to the park and sat outside and read the paper and books and worked on the new tablet for awhile. It is so nice to be able to sit outside with our Kindle and Tablet and be able to read the screen. The stiffness and soreness did start to set in so we either have to hike more or less; now which one do you think we will choose? For supper we split the leftover calzone and some leftover pizza from Papa Murphys. That evening we had a pretty sunset.

Although we enjoyed the hike we are not the hikers that Rick and Paulette are so we'd tip our hats to them if we weren't so dang sore.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Full-timing with cats; A Kodak Moment

2012-01-30T09:02:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately without a Kodak. Living with 3 cats is interesting; full-timing with three cats is an adventure. Cats are known to be very inquisitive and an open cabinet door or an open hole in the wall (more on that later) are an invitation they just cannot pass up.

We have tons of photos of our cats getting into the pantry or cabinets or closets but this was a first. Bob was replacing our LP/CO detector and when he pulled out the old one he left a 3" x 6" hole. The connector used was a crimped one and not a removable wire nut so Bob went hunting to see if we had some. Coming back to the doorway where the detector was mounted Bob saw a cat sniffing at the hole and cat hair around the hole. When you live with three cats in 359 sq. ft. seeing cat hair everywhere is not an immediate alarm but we decided to count noses and could only find 2 cat noses. Sure enough Sandra had wedged herself through the hole. Luckily she is a chow kitty so we just had to get the treats and she was ready to come back through. Well what goes through the hole of course does not come back quite as easily. Squalling like a stuck cat for her treats she finally realized both legs had to go through first and then she was back through. We blocked the hole until Bob could finish.

Once we were done we realized we should have taken a picture but we were in a little panic especially when she tried the first couple times and failed. We were not about to let her try again just to get a good photo op. Here are a couple of photos of Sandra's adventures in cabinets.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Day trip to Quartzsite

2012-01-28T10:18:00.000-06:00

Or as it sometimes called, the Q (but not the Q from Star Trek). This was our second day trip to Q with our friends Bob and Wilma. We blogged on our first day trip last year here.

When we were planning on full-timing we thought we would spend some time in Quartzsite and do the boondocking thing. But as we full-timed we got so accustomed to the conveniences of 50a full hookup sites that we now consider 30a full hookup sites to be too much like camping. We have a washer dryer combo so we always have the grey tank valve open and have no idea of how long we could go before we filled the grey tank. Because of this we take long hot showers so we are sure it would only be a couple of days before we had to dump the grey tank. Long story short - boondocking does not appear anywhere near the top of our bucket or todo lists.

Then we thought about just staying in Q for the week of the RV Show but being there and seeing all the nonstop traffic (thanks to Sandie for the pictures, or is it Jeri) we now realize that a day trip is about all we can handle. Our hats go off to the adventurous one who boondock and love it and can handle that traffic all day, every day of the RV Show. We can handle big crowds and traffic but only for a short time. As the day wore on we longed for a place where there was not a person within inches of you or cars backed up to the horizon.

We bought some things of course and had a good lunch this year, chicken on a stick, shrimp on a stick, and a pulled pork sandwich. Homemade ice cream on the way out was a treat. We really wished we had read Jim and Sandie's blog on Q before we left because we might have recognized some of the members of their Q group that was working at the Big Tent. We also somehow missed the cord wrappers booth which Bob was going to investigate further. Well have to save something for next time.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Our Snowbird Code of Conduct

2012-01-24T10:53:00.000-06:00

Arizona loves our money as snowbirders but always seem to work in a complaint or three; bad drivers, too much traffic, not liking the constant smile on our faces, etc.

There is a 'Code of Conduct' for a lot of things; overnight stays in parking lots, pickup after your pets, etc., so we have adopted a 'Snowbird Code of Conduct' that we hope will counter some of this negativity. We always:
- drive during the day during the week; we'll leave rush hour and the weekend to the locals.
- eat out for breakfast or lunch during the day during the week; we'll leave the happy hours to the locals because it is hard to be happier than retired and living in a nice warm place for the winter. We also rarely eat out for the evening meal because we don't like to drive after dark.
- shop at Wal-Mart, Target, and grocery stores during the day during the week and never before a big holiday; we'll leave the big crowds and long lines to the locals in the evening hours and weekends.
- go to movies during the day during the week; a few times we have been the only people in our movie of choice.
- go sightseeing during the day during the week; generally not a problem because the locals never see the sights where they live anyway.

And finally, we always:
- have a smile on our face; it is easy in this lifestyle so what if it is one of their complaints.

We realize that if you are still working and driving in rush hour traffic, waiting in line to eat, suffering long checkup lines at Wal-Mart that you need something to complain about. With our 'Snowbird Code of Conduct' we know they are not complaining about us.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Anniversary and a new tablet

2012-01-22T20:53:00.000-06:00

Four years ago on January 22nd Bob went to work for the last time and it shocks us just how fast the time has flown by. Jo had already retired and we spent about 18 months fixing up the house for sale so we could begin full-timing.

This is also the first blog entry using Bob's new Android tablet, an Asus Eee Pad Transformer. Bob wants the tablet and Android cellphone to completely replace his laptop. So far he has moved his tasks and calendar to his Droid3 and is evaluating a finance app to run on the tablet. The one stumbling block he is not sure of is a good label printing app for the Christmas mailing, but there will probably be more before this effort is over. Getting photos off of the camera and onto the blog will have to be figured out.

We want to try and keep up with technology before it gets too far ahead of us. Jo recently got a Kindle Fire and she really likes it. Bob thought about getting a Kindle but then realized he could use the tablet for reading e-books and quite possibly get rid of a laptop.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

This is why we hesitate to recommend food

2012-01-14T10:03:00.000-06:00

Believe it or not we don't blog about some of the places that we eat at and like because sometimes one visit can be a fluke and not a regular occurrence. That is why we generally have a rule of 3 visits before we blog about food or add to 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)'. We almost blogged about the new Hash Brown Stacks at IHOP after only one visit because we have eaten there before and generally get good food.

The first visit was a dream, crisp hash browns covered with sauteed spinach and mushrooms, melted provolone cheese and an over medium egg and then covered in hollandaise sauce. Jo just got that with pancakes and Bob added ham to the plate and pancakes. The portions were large enough to take the pancakes home for breakfast the next day. A very enjoyable meal that was blog worthy.

The second visit was vastly different for many reasons; Bob's egg looked like a half moon, Jo didn't have any mushrooms at all, the ham was overcooked and a little dry, and the portions were much smaller so we ended up eating the pancakes there. We did mention about the mushrooms to the waiter and he did offer another portion or sauteed mushrooms but Jo does not like to be a bother, she just wanted to let them know about it. We would have felt bad if we recommended this and anybody got the second meal instead of the first, our reputations would have been tarnished, 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)' would be meaningless. :-)

In spite of all that was wrong with the second visit it was good enough, and the memory of the first visit was still there, that we will try the Hash Brown Stacks at IHOP at least one more time.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are famous (sorta)

2012-01-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

Our picture from our stay at Rifle Gap State Park this summer has made the big time, it is the cover photo for the Yahoo Carriage Group. The cover photo changes periodically so here it is but click on the link to see it in all its glory on Yahoo.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Whole lotta eating going on - 2012 edition

2012-01-10T09:21:00.000-06:00

Seems like these days we are celebrating a birthday month instead of a birthday. Jo's birthday is in January and as we have mentioned before we have signed up for a number of frequent diner programs and a few of them offer free meals or desserts during your birthday month. So far Jo has enjoyed a free hash brown stack at IHOP that was pretty good. Yesterday she got a free dessert, which she shared with Bob, at Abuelo's. The meals at Abuelo's were excellent and we highly recommend eating there if you get a chance as they have numerous locations across the country. Jo had the lunch enchiladas (one guacamole and one spinach) and Bob had the Pasta la Paz (shrimp and chicken and veggies in a chile roasted tomato cream sauce). Both entrees and the flan was excellent and we are already talking about our next visit.

Still on the docket for Jo's birthday month is a free entree at Famous Dave's, free breakfast at First Watch, $25 loaded on her Landry's Select Card that we will use at a Claim Jumper, and a free breakfast at Mimi's that we will use today.

If you are going to get older there at least has to be some benefit and eating your way through your birthday month with free food just might qualify as a benefit.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Historic Gifford House in Capitol Reef National Park

2011-12-29T09:58:00.000-06:00

As promised we are catching up on some blog entries, this time on the Historic Gifford House. Located in the historic district of Fruita in the Capitol Reef National Park near Torrey Utah the Gifford House depicts the typical spartan nature of rural Utah farm homes of the early 1900's. The seven room Historic Gifford House serves as a museum, cultural demonstration site and sales outlet. It is the sales outlet that is the purpose of the entry.

You can get the best cherry pie that we have had, along with the best pumpkin pie and one of the best peach pies or strawberry rhubarb pies that you will ever have. They bake a limited number of pies each day so get there early, the first time we were there we went there late in the afternoon and the selection was very limited.

We have updated 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)' with these entries.

We guess you now know why we liked Utah so much!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T18:28:00.000-06:00

We just got back from the potluck at the park where we had great food and a lot of it. A lot of the recipes have been their families for a number of years and some were tried for the first time and they were all wonderful. The park provided the ham and we have some great cooks here so the ham was excellent.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and may the peace of the Savior whose birth we celebrate today be with all of you.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Avoiding the crowds

2011-12-23T14:39:00.000-06:00

We are hanging loose for the next couple of days avoiding the Christmas rush by just staying in the park. We've got enough food and books and DVR'd programs and DVDs so we can avoid the big crowds and long lines.

As promised here is a picture of the truck after the repairs due to us dropping the Cameo onto the truck bed.

Here is a picture of the truck after the accident.

We certainly don't want to go thru this again with the truck so we have revised our hooking up procedures and triple check the connection.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

No longer rationing

2011-12-21T09:31:00.000-06:00

We are using our WiFi Hotspot exclusively this winter since the park does not have free WiFi and we rapidly approached our data limit. Hopefully this will not be the case every month as Bob finished uploading a bunch of Utah pictures to flickr.com and Jo got a new Kindle and downloaded a number of books and apps and games and a couple Readers Digests and TV Guides. With no more pictures to upload and the newness of the Kindle wearing off we should be OK data wise this cycle.

So we now need to catch up on blogging and reading other blogs.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Back in the Saddle Again

2011-12-09T09:13:00.001-06:00

We finally got our truck back and man it sure looks nice. In addition to the LineX bed liner we also had it detailed. We swear it looks better than when we got it brand new over two years ago.

We are now in the land of riding high, wide right turns and parking far, far away.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Note: Bob is using his Droid3 to post this entry to see how that works.

Still waiting on truck

2011-12-03T09:58:00.000-06:00

One of the parts for the truck repair was delivered incorrectly so we are in a holding pattern until it is received and installed. Luckily it is at the end of the repair process with only a couple more things to be done. The shop thought it would be received towards the end of the week but that was not the case, hopefully it will be early next week.

We have slightly mixed emotions; although it will be great to get our truck back it has been fun being able to park anywhere we like and to make easier right turns.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Good news on truck

2011-11-26T09:11:00.000-06:00

We 'should' be getting our truck back next week. But that is not the only good news on the truck. Since there was more damage than originally estimated and since the bed of the truck was also dinged up (we bet you are wondering where the good news is) all the stuff had to come out. That included the auxiliary fuel tank and the fifth wheel hitch and a CO2 tank we had added for filling up tires. With all that out it was now a perfect time to have a LineX lining added. We had originally wanted to do this before we added all the stuff but we picked up the truck at 7p the night before we drove to Michigan to pickup the Cameo so we did not have the time.

We will let you know when we get the truck back,

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Learned something new today (and a great product for RVs)

2011-11-25T18:01:00.000-06:00

Today proves the old adage that you are never too old to learn something new. We had a big housecleaning day today and we washed the insides of the windows since we are getting the 5er washed and waxed on Monday. We have always had dirty windows screens from our days of living in the old sticks and bricks but it is much worse in the RV since a lot of the time you are parked on gravel and the wind kicks up and you get the picture. We have tried attachments on the vacuum and other techniques that just have not cut it.

Just recently we were in Ace Hardware and we noticed a packet of Clean Screen wipes so we figured what the heck. Well we tried them out and they work great. Advertisement says specially formulated to attract dust and it sure does. Our screens have not looked this good since we picked up the Cameo over 2 years ago.

The wipes are not what we learned today; what we learned is that the screens on our RV pop out for easy cleaning. Our previous inspections of the screens showed what we thought were mounting screws but they turned out to be assembly screws for the screen. Bob learned this as he was trying to clean the outside of the screen from the outside and popped the screen inward. Our cat Sandra who always keeps track of what we are doing was right there and was real interested in the opening created so Jo ran inside. Once we learned the screens could be easily removed from the inside it was a 2 person job to remove and clean the screen and watch to make sure a cat did not try to escape.

As you can probably tell by the lack of blog updates we are settled in at our winter location and with our sightseeing reduced so will our blogging, that is until we learn something new.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We ran out of words

2011-11-17T10:40:00.000-06:00

Utah is our favorite state so far while full-timing. The beauty was so overwhelming we ran out of words to describe what we were seeing. We kept using the same words over and over again.

Beautiful

Scenic

Gorgeous

Amazing

Magnificent
Spectacular
Beauteous
Very (as in very scenic, very beautiful, etc.)
Simply (as in simply amazing, simply gorgeous, etc.)

Zion was our favorite National Park, although we did not get a chance to see Bryce Canyon National Park, oh well, must save something for one of our next visits to Utah. We would not hesitate to visit all the National Parks again as they were so amazing and left you wanting to see more. Plus the light at different times of the day impacted the scenery. There were two parts of Zion and we only got to see the lower part so we will see Kolob Canyon next time. The two areas of Zion are a ways from each other that each area has their own visitors center.

The towns we visited were neat too. Moab is a great town with great scenery and stuff to do nearby and great food places. Torrey is remote but very scenic and stuff to do nearby and great food places. Kanab is very scenic and plenty of stuff to do nearby but we struggled mightily to find a good place to eat. To be fair the two best places probably to eat in the town are evening only place and we do not like to be out after dark

We would not hesitate to visit Moab and Torrey again but we might find a different location that is more convenient to visit Bryce Canyon the next time.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Update on truck

2011-11-12T09:19:00.000-06:00

It is going to take longer than originally estimated to complete our truck repair. In fact it is more than double the cost and time. The adjuster felt that the walls could be pulled up and save on buying two new side wall pieces, that did not turn out to be the case. The tailgate damage was also worse than estimated and will require a new one.

So we will be skimming along on the top of the pavement like a two person luge in our rental car until sometime in December. We still occasionally think the truck has been stolen when we cannot find it in the parking lot and when we see the car parked in front of the fifth wheel we sometimes wonder who is visiting. We are sure that once we are totally used to the rental car then the truck will be finished.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Veterans Day - Flag trivia

2011-11-11T08:53:00.000-06:00

We took a tour of Mackinac Island, MI this summer. In this tour you go by the Post Cemetery where the flag is permanently at half staff. In each tour the guide explains that there are only five places where this occurs.

Post Cemetery On Mackinac Island, MI
Arlington National Cemetery
Punchbowl National Cemetery of the Pacific, HI
Gettysburg
Normandy, France

Thanks to all those who have served we are the land of the free because of the brave!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Back into our movie routine

2011-11-09T09:27:00.000-06:00

Now that we are back in our winter spot we hopefully are settling back into our movie routine. As we blogged about last winter we try to go to a movie at least once a week when we are at a location for more than a few days. We have developed a pretty good routine as the Gateway Pavilions where we see the movies has a loyalty t-shirt that you buy and then get a free medium popcorn for all of 2011 and also a loyalty cup where we can pop get refills for $1. Just outside the theater is a Yogurtland where you can get 3 oz free with your movie stub, with about 20 varieties and free sample cups it is an adventure. So we have a weekly routine of a movie with popcorn and a pop and then top it off with frozen yogurt.

We just saw "Tower Heist" and liked it so we would give it a 3. Our total rating system is based a lot on our Netflix watching:

1 - sooooooo bad could not even finish
2 - sooooooo bad but could finish
3 - Liked it
4 - Really liked it
5 - Epic, Must See; worth seeing again in the theatre, worth buying the movie and watching again

We would add another rating of 6 to the Netflix rating system and that would be an all time favorites, which we posted in a previous blog entry. One all time favorite we realized we missed thanks to Bob's sister is "The Notebook" so we have repeated the list here adding it.

So here in no particular order is our list of all time favorite movies, although we are sure we may have missed a few:

The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The Thin Man (1934)
The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Citizen Kane (1941)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Sound of Music (1965)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Secondhand Lions (2003)
Rear Window (1954)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
On the Waterfront (1954)
North by Northwest (1959)
My Favorite Year (1982)
Murphy's Romance (1985)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Gandhi (1982)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The King's Speech (2010)
The Notebook (2004)

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Another weird feeling

2011-11-08T09:32:00.000-06:00

We previously blogged on what a weird feeling it was to spend a few nights in a hotel while our fifth wheel was being worked on. We are now experiencing another weird feeling since for the first time in 2 years and 2 months we are driving a car instead of our Ford F-350.

If you recall we dropped the fifth wheel onto the pickup a few months ago. Except for the sick feeling that we got when we did it and the damage to the truck bed we got off pretty easy. The damage to the fifth wheel was minor, a couple busted screws and some caulking was all that was needed. Our dealer must have felt sorry for us because they did not charge us for the repairs.

We were still able to drive the truck so we continued on our journey until we were going to be at a place long enough to get the truck repaired since it is a 2-3 week job. So yesterday we dropped off the truck and Enterprise Rent-a-Car picked us up. After riding so high in the truck we feel like we are in a go cart we are so low to the ground. It feels like we are falling when we get into our seats and we have to pull ourselves up just to get out. All kidding aside there is a safety issue with the car. We are so used to the gigantic mirrors on the truck and the visibility they provide that the tiny mirrors and visibility with the car will take some getting used to.

Bob has been under the weather the last few days so there are a few blog entries to catch up on so stay tuned. Bob will be blogging while Jo is driving around Goodyear in the rental car since she does not do much driving otherwise.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Sure does not feel like winter

2011-11-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

We arrived in our spot for the winter, Destiny RV Resort in Goodyear Arizona on Tuesday November 1st.

It felt like home as we were pulling into the park. The sunshine was nice when we got here but the temperature was in the mid 80's with a forecast of 5 more days 80 or above which sure does not feel like winter to us. We left from near Winslow and if you recall a previous post it has the nickname 'Windsblow' and today was no exception. The forecast called for 74 mile an hour wind gusts but that was later in the day. We got up earlier than normal and got out of there pretty fast. There is always wind around 'Windsblow' and Flagstaff but we handled it OK and we were way past both these locations before the wind got too strong.

We plan to be here until at least March 1st enjoying the good weather; once it cools down to our new normal winter temperature of 70 degrees.

We are a little behind on our blogging so now we can catch up now that we will be in one spot for awhile.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Kanab Utah

2011-10-30T10:20:00.000-05:00

Kanab is in a great location with access to three National Parks. Kanab is about 90 miles to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, about 40 miles to Zion National Park, and about 80 miles to Bryce Canyon National Park. In town there is the Frontier Movie Town Movie Set Museum and within 20 miles there is the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and the Pipe Spring National Monument. So Kanab is a sightseers paradise but now for the rest of the story.

Kanab is a small town of about 3500 so there are no Wal-Mart locations or any stores you might recognize. When we started out this years journey that was appealing but it has kind of worn out its welcome. What made the other remote locations better was the local dining options. If we could not get to a cheap grocery store like Wal-Mart then we could eat out. Both of us searched multiple times for a good dining option but came up empty. The place most mentioned by other park residents and online was Houston's Trails' End Restaurant and we tried it for lunch and got below average food with above average surliness from the wait staff. Our best dining was the lunch buffet at Lotsa Motsa Pizza and that should tell you all you need to know about Kanab dining.

To be fair probably the two best places to eat in town were open at 5p but you know us full-timers don't like to be out after dark.

So Kanab is a great location just bring your food with you.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are off Daylight Savings Time early

2011-10-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

Since Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time we fell backwards one hour yesterday when we left from Kanab and crossed the border into Arizna. We are back at the Meteor Crater RV Park near Winslow Arizona. It was about 240 miles driving the first part in southern Utah which is gorgeous. But the big highlight of the trip had to be the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. We liked the Page Arizona and Lake Powell area so much that have added it to our list of places to visit.

While here we plan to eat at the Turquoise Room in the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, one of our all time favorite places to eat, and visit Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument near Flagstaff.

After a few days here we are off to Goodyear Arizona where we will spend the winter.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Utah National Parks Tour - Zion National Park

2011-10-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

We have to say that Zion National Park is our favorite National Park so far. It is very hard to compare all these beautiful parks that we have seen but the ruggedness and the red sandstone cliffs and then a lighter sandstone formation behind a red one really makes Zion an amazing place to visit. Since we left from Kanab the east entrance into the park on Highway 9 Scenic Byway was the best option. Here is a scenery shot as you approach from the east.

Since we are a dually truck we had to pay the escort fee through the tunnel so we got the single lane treatment as if we were towing our RV. Bob took this photo of the tunnel while we were waiting.

It is a 1.1 mile tunnel completed in 1930 with only a couple of cutouts to get natural light. Here is a photo of one of those cutouts after we have cleared the tunnel and then spent some time on some winding roads.

We toured the Visitors Center and then boarded the free park shuttle to scenic stops into Zion Canyon. The Weeping Rock stop was neat where you can take a trail up to where the snow on the top of the mountains melts and is absorbed into the rock and then weeps out lower in canyon walls. You can actually get underneath where the weeping occurs. Here are a couple of photos from the Weeping Rock area. First is looking at the weeping rocks.

The next one is Bob underneath the overhang and looking through the water.

We saw some climbers going up steep walls at The Bend stop.

At the end of the line is the Temple of Sinawava where you can walk on the Riverside Walk trail. Ths trail is real neat because you walk near the Virgin River (which shaped Zion Canyon) into an ever narrowing canyon. Here are a couple of photos from the Riverside Walk.

Photos from Zion Canyon have been uploaded to the Kanab Utah set on Flickr.

Utah has been amazing and our favorite State visited so far while full-timing and Zion is our favorite National Park.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Frontier Movietown Movie Set Museum & Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

2011-10-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

The North Rim round trip and hiking at 9.000 feet wore us out so we stayed around Kanab. First we toured the Frontier Movietown Movie Set Museum. Kanab has been called Little Hollywood because a lot of western movies and television series have been filmed in the area. To name a few; Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, Windrunner: A Spirited Journey, Planet of the Apes, El Dorado, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Lone Ranger, Sergeants 3, and Stagecoach. Sergeants 3 and Oceans 11 were the only two films that starred the entire Rat Pack (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford).

Here is the entrance:

Here are some of the movie sets.

Next we journeyed to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, which are the only sand dunes on the Colorado Plateau. One of the unique features is the color of the sand. The sand originates from Navajo Sandstone beds in the area. The color results from a high concentration of iron oxides. Although this type of sand is widespread in southern Utah, no where else has the wind piled the sand into the majestic dunes found here.

Here is a picture of the dunes:

Here is a picture of the consistently fine texture of the sand. The wind is amplified through a nearby gap in the Vermilion Cliffs. The wind is extremely selective; if the particles are too small they blow away as dust, while particles too large cannot be moved the distance from the gap to the resulting dunes.

Photos from this sightseeing day have been added to the Kanab Set on Flickr.

A side note is that we have posted info on Ron's Mobile Service on the Carriage Yahoo Group, Escapees, RV.net and disputed the credit card charge. We have requested assistance from the 'RV Action Line' from Trailer Life magazine. Thanks to tips we will be notifying the park, Norcold and the BBB.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Mobile Service horror story

2011-10-25T16:39:00.000-05:00

And this close to Halloween :-)

Sorry this post is so long. The Executive Summary is that Ron's Mobile RV Service in Colorado Springs CO is unprofessional, rude, overcharges and should be avoided at all costs.

We have utilized RV mobile service companies a number of times and have found all of them to be professional and courteous except one, Ron's Mobile RV Service in Colorado Springs CO. To date the standard practice has been one service call fee per event. If multiple trips are needed there has only been the single service fee and we settle up at the end. Our cooling unit in our Norcold refrigerator failed while in Colorado Springs and Ron's was recommended by the park. Ron himself came out and diagnosed the problem and we were charged a $75 service fee and one hour labor totaling $170 which he said was the minimum charge. Since it was the weekend Norcold could not be contacted.

Bright and early Monday morning we called Norcold to inquire about the warranty since there is a lot of confusion on the length of the warranty. In 2009 Norcold went from a 3 year warranty to a 1 year warranty but since we own a Carriage Cameo that has a two year warranty Norcold gives a 2 year warranty on refrigerators installed in a Carriage. We were less than two weeks past the warranty date. Norcold indicted that they would "probably" provide the cooling unit since it was so close to the end of the warranty but they weren't sure if they would cover the labor. Norcold needed to confirm the diagnosis with Ron's Mobile Service so they asked me to have Ron's call them. Which we did so we talked to Norcold before Ron's ever did.

Norcold did provide the cooling unit free and shipped the unit and Ron's came out and installed it. As they were leaving we were charged another $75 fee which we weren't sure was service or labor. At the time were were not sure if Norcold was going to pay for the labor so we thought it was a reasonable charge of $245 total to install the cooling unit since it took them about 2 hours. Later when we were looking over the Norcold paperwork it indicated that Norcold would cover 4 hours of labor. A lot of times with mobile service companies we pay the provider and then we get reimbursed so we made copies of the receipts and mailed it to Norcold. A few days later Norcold called back and said they already paid Ron's 4 hours labor.

Thinking we were due a partial refund we called Ron's and was treated to the most rude, unprofessional conduct we have ever encountered. First of all according to Ron we should have been happy with Ron forcing Norcold (his words) to give us a free cooling unit, which they already told us that they would do anyway but Ron did not know this. Also since it was a very expensive cooling unit "we got because of him" we should just forget about what money we paid them. He does not know us very well, do he?

We are going to pursue a partial refund from Ron's and make sure that this behavior is made known to the RV'ng community.

Wish us luck,

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

2011-10-23T10:46:00.000-05:00

Our first sightseeing adventure from Kanab was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon located in Arizona about 90 miles away. With the winding roads it took us almost 2 and a half hours but the drive was scenic. We made one stop on the way at the Le Fevre overlook on Highway 89A. Most of the park offices were closed except for the Visitors Information Center and Bookstore but the roads, trails, and scenic overviews were accessible. The weather was perfect, in the mid 60's with sunny, clear skies.

We drove first to the Visitors Information Center and walked on the trail to Bright Angel Point which is a one mile paved trail. But let us tell you that hiking at 9000 ft. is not fun, even the paved trails seemed uphill both ways and this trail was way uphill on the way back. Here are a couple of photos along this trail.

We next drove to Cape Royal stopping at scenic overlooks along the way. We took the paved trail to Angel's Window and Cape Royal. Here are a couple of photos for this portion.

We have to be honest in that we think we liked the Utah National Parks (Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef) just as much or better than the North Rim. It's not that the North Rim was not beautiful, which it was, it is just that Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef were so amazing and much more than we expected.

Photos have been uploaded to the Kanab Utah set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Torrey Utah

2011-10-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Now that we have left Torrey Utah we can reflect on the location which is remote and you may not have heard of Torrey but it is a great place to visit. Located on Highway 24 which is a scenic byway so just getting there is neat. Torrey is the starting point for great tours of the Capitol Reef National Park and Highway 12 scenic byway which was just completed in 1985 turning a 200 mile journey from Boulder to 37 miles. We got great pies at the Gifford House in the park and great food at Capitol Reef Inn and Café (not to be confused with the Capitol Reef Restaurant in the Best Western). We wanted to try the Café Diablo which only serves lunch and supper since it was always busy when we drove by but we never did, oh well, have to save something for next time.

Like we said a very small remote town so no grocery stores, closest is 18 miles away, Chuck Wagon General Store has enough to get you thru the week. The area has better cell phone reception than some areas we have been but still very remote so spotty.

We enjoyed our stay in Torrey and the surrounding area so put this on your list of places to see.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Almost made it to Arizona

2011-10-20T09:23:00.000-05:00

We drove from Torrey to Kanab Utah on Wednesday October 19th. Kanab is very near the Utah-Arizona border. Kanab is convenient to three National Parks but unconvenient to any one of them as it is about 90 minutes to 2 hours to a park.

It was another beautiful scenic drive, we chose not to take Highway 12 which was a little longer and mountain driving but took 24 to 62 to 89 which was more of a gradual change in elevation. We are at the Kanab RV Corral in a 50a FHU site with a great line of sight for our satellite dish and a scenic location even though in the heart of the city. Although it is a nice park we have gotten used to having a little more space between sites or having the park mostly to ourselves. It is kind of neat that we are parked next to another Carriage Cameo.

Here is a couple of views of the Cameo in the park with the scenery all around us.

While here we plan on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Although a lot of the stuff at the North Rim closes in mid-October the roads to the scenic overlooks are still open so we are heading there today.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Utah National Park Tour: Capitol Reef National Park

2011-10-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect the grand and colorful geologic feature, the Waterpocket Fold, a nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth’s crust. The most scenic portion of the Fold, found near the Fremont River, is known as Capitol Reef: capitol for the white domes of Navajo sandstone that resemble building domes, and reef for the rocky cliffs which are a barrier to travel. When we drove thru Capitol Reef National Park on our way from Moab and did not see many cars and when we had the RV park mostly to ourselves we thought we pretty much would have Capitol Reef National Park all to ourselves as well. So Thursday we did chores.

Friday we went to the visitors center and although there were more cars we thought it wouldn't be too bad. We toured the visitors center and then watched the film. At the start of the film we were among two couples that were there. By the end of the film the theater was full and the visitors center was jam packed and the parking lot was too. We changed our minds and did the short day on Saturday and the long day on Monday.

One thing you notice here is how far you can see, the air is so clear that there is 267 mile visibility on a clear day. That contributes to the awesome scenery being able to see up close then the rocky cliffs and then the mountains in the distance all so very clear.

Here are some photos from our tours. The first is our drive from Torrey to the Park.

Panorama Point on the way to the Park

Cassidy Arch on the Grand Wash unpaved road.

Hiking in the Capitol Gorge

Another arch, the Hickman Natural Bridge at the end of a 1 mile moderate trail

Here is our Highway 12 Scenic Byway tour where you can see the clarity and part of the Waterpocket Fold in the left part of the photo.

Photos have been uploaded to the Torrey Utah set on Flickr.com

This park is remote and has not gotten the visibility of other parks but it is sure worth a visit.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Full-timing with 3 cats - life on the road with an OCD cat

2011-10-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while we blog on how it is full-timing in a 359 sq. ft. 5th Wheel with 3 cats.

We suspect that all cats are a little OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but Tiger is full blown OCD. It took us a while to realize this but once we did and once Bob started doing the same going to bed routine it has gotten easier to live with Tiger. A couple of recent events just highlight Tiger's OCD condition. Every night Bob gives Tiger dental and hairball treats, giving the dental treats first because Tiger likes the hairball treats best. One night Bob put the hairball treats in first and Tiger gave him quite a look. Luckily she didn't make Bob take the hairball treats out and ate both treats after the dental ones were added.

The other event concerns the closet doors. Even though Tiger may not want in the closet if the two doors are not in the middle she will paw and cry at the door that is too close after eating her treats. Once it is slid to the middle she is OK with it and jumps up on the bed to go to sleep.

Life is sure interesting with 3 cats on the road but we frequently make comments as to how nice it is to have them with us, wait we have to go break up a fight, darn cats!!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Canyonlands National Park

2011-10-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

While in Utah we visited Canyonlands National Park near Moab. If you do not have much time the trip to the visitor center and the views within walking distance of the visitor center are worth the drive.

You know you are in a remote National Park when you see a sign as you are entering says "No Gas, No Lodging, No Groceries" among other things. All the toilets in the park are of the outhouse variety even at the Visitor Center. The remoteness just adds to the scenic beauty. Even though close to Arches National Park the scenery is vastly different. Canyonlands was formed by the workings of the better known Colorado River and the lesser known Green River.

Canyonlands preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes. Although this is a primitive desert the landscape has been shaped by water.

The colors of the canyon are amazing

Canyonlands also has an arch called the Mesa Arch.

Looking through the arch you can see the canyon below and the snow capped mountains in the distance.

We did not know much about Canyonlands when we started our Utah National Parks Tour so were were pleasantly surprised how scenic and how different from Arches National Park that it was.

Photos from Canyonlands have been uploaded to the Moab Utah set on Flickr.com.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Moab Utah dining

2011-10-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

The first thing you notice about Moab dining is that the "Moab Dining Guide" is everywhere. This free publication lists most of the restaurants with menus which helped us a lot in deciding where to eat. We wish that more places would offer this type of publication.

The second thing you notice about Moab dining is that there are a lot of breakfast only places and a lot of places that are open only at 5 p.m. This is due to the vast amount of recreation activities in the area with 2 National Parks, countless 4x4 trails, mountain climbing and bicycling. There was a bike race while we were in Moab so there were bikers everywhere.

The hit of Moab dining had to be the Jailhouse Café, which is in the historic Moab Jailhouse. Open only for breakfast until 1 p.m. the Jailhouse Café serves excellent food including old fashioned ginger pancakes which were to die for. Soul food bacon and a spinach and mushroom and feta omelet were also good. Try this place out if you are ever in Moab except on Tuesdays because it is closed.

You know we like our Diners so we had to try the Moab Diner which is open all day and serves breakfast all day. Outside of New Mexico Bob had one of the best green chile omelets he has had. Jo had great blueberry pancakes so add this place to your list if in the area. We also ate at the Pancake Haus which is another breakfast only place that is good and got carryout pizza from Paradox Pizza which we also recommend.

Moab is a great place for scenery and for places to eat.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Yet another scenic campground

2011-10-13T16:49:00.000-05:00

We left Moab yesterday and journeyed to Torrey Utah. The drive started out near the colors of Arches National Park then we hit the rugged desert and then the beauty of Capitol Reef National Park as we drove through the park on Scenic Byway Utah 24 to get to Torrey.

We are at Sand Creek RV Park (50a FHU sites) and it sure is scenic. The parks out west are some of the most scenic that we have stayed at and the drives between parks are very scenic also. One thing that we have noticed in our travels in Utah is that we have seen more rental RVs than at any other location that we have been in a little over 2 years of full-timing.

We plan to visit Capitol Reef National Park while here but we also plan to catch up on some housecleaning and laundry and some relaxing. Even folks that full-time need a vacation now and then. The weather forecast looks promising with sunny skies and highs in the low 70's and lows in the low 40's so we can pick and choose which days to go to Capitol Reef carefully avoiding the weekend.

Here are a couple of photos of the Cameo at Sand Creek RV Park.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Arches National Park

2011-10-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

Our first stop on our National Parks tour took us to Arches National Park near Moab Utah. Arches is known for over 2000 natural sandstone arches including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to vibrant and varying sandstone colors and formations. Delicate Arch is the most photographed arch in the world and is Utah's State Symbol.

This is a living park as 43 arches have collapsed since 1970. The most fragile arch is probably Landscape Arch, which since 1991 three slabs of sandstone measuring 30, 47, and 70 feet long have fallen from the thinnest section prompting the Park Service to close the trail that once passed beneath it. The Visitors Center has an introductory film that includes amateur footage taken when the 70' section collapsed. Landscape Arch is one of the world's longest arches.

Just entering the park at the Visitors Center is scenic and incidentally the lowest elevation of the park. As we drive along the many paved roads and walk the trails to the many arches two thoughts came to mind; all Politicians should be required to view our beautiful country at least once a year so maybe they wouldn't screw things up so much, and gazing upon these wonders the only conclusion that you can make is that there has to be a creator to come up with this amazing landscape. We generally try to avoid Politics and Religion in our blog and hope we have not offended anyone but we also try to report on what we see and what we were thinking (and on food of course!!).

Along the way you will see the Windows area

Balanced Rock

And other arches

Photos from Arches National Park have been uploaded to the Moab Utah set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Another scenic campground

2011-10-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

We are currently at the OK RV Park in Moab Utah. While here we have visited Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park which were wonderful and which we will blog about shortly. The next National Parks that we will be visiting; Capitol Reef, Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon have there work cut out for them as Arches and Canyonlands have been amazing.

Here are some photos of the campground we are staying at. This is the view from our back window.

This is the view from the front of our RV.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Rifle Falls State Park near Rifle CO

2011-10-08T12:49:00.000-05:00

WOW what a neat area! Besides sitting outside and enjoying the scenery and reading and trips into Rifle for shopping and eating we also did some sightseeing while in western Colorado. Just a short drive from our campsite in the Rifle Gap State Park is Rifle Falls State Park. Rifle Falls is a triple falls that is about 70' tall.

There is an easy trail to the top of the falls that takes you past some caves.

The view from the top of the water cascading over the falls and the valley below is breathtaking.

Even though it was a cloudy day and we got sprinkled on at first and then rained on at the end it was still incredible scenery. We are now in Utah to see the five National Parks there which we have never seen and understand has great scenery but it will be tough to beat what we have seen here in western Colorado.

The trail takes your right over the falls and then you can take a steeper trail back to the parking lot. The tip is to go see the falls first and then take the easy trail up and the steep trail down.

Before we conclude our blogging on western Colorado we have to mention the Creekbend Bistro in Rifle. We had one lunch and one breakfast there and wish we had eaten more times. The food was fresh and tasty and we highly recommend this place. We are already talking about our return visit in two years to Colorado and how we must visit this area again.

Photos from Rifle Falls have been uploaded to the Rifle Gap State Park set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Rifle Gap State Park near Rifle CO

2011-10-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

We already have blogged on how Rifle Gap State Park is a dead zone for phone, internet and even local television but it is worth it. The drive from Denver is very scenic, maybe the most scenic we have been on so far. The aspens were in full fall glory and the other colors were tremendous. The highlight of the drive though had to be Glenwood Canyon which was amazing. We do have to say that the rest stops west of Denver are not very big rig friendly, there was even one that stated no trucks allowed. The two that we stopped at were doable but barely enough room to get in and out but not comfortably.

Once we got close to the destination our GPS took us on some back roads off of the Interstate; when you see 'livestock on road' signs you know you are probably off the beaten path. This path was shorter that is for certain but not sure if it was faster since it was narrow county roads with lots of intersections and 15 mph curves.

Rifle Gap State Park is very scenic with a reservoir nestled near mountains. We had a spot backed in with a view out our back window of both.

We had a great patio area with great views of the gap, reservoir, and mountains while we were outside reading.

The interior of the park is asphalt roads with a concrete pad at each site. There is lots of room between sites and our satellite dish got a signal so for us this is a great park and one we will definitely visit again. The only downer is that the water pressure was a little low.

Photos from this area and more from Colorado Springs have been uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are now in Utah

2011-10-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

About 200 miles from Rifle Gap State Park is Moab Utah which we drove on Wednesday October 5th. The scenery on this drive in Colorado was beautiful. With ragged cliffs and the Colorado River darting in and out of sight it was another great drive. Not only have we added another state to our 'States Visited' map but we are also in another picturesque campground, the OK RV Park in Moab, it is raining now so we cannot take a picture.

We wondered if western Colorado's scenery would carry over into Utah and it did not. Eastern Utah along I-70 was rugged desert terrain but then we started seeing the colorful mountains which have drawn us to Utah.

We don't appear to be in a dead zone so will be catching up on our blogging and phone calls and email while we are here along with seeing Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are in a dead zone

2011-09-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

We traveled on Thursday the 29th to Rifle Gap State Park and we are in the worst dead zone we have encountered in our more than 2 years of full-timing. We have Verizon and usually have some service no matter where we go but here we mostly have no bars on phone service but sometimes better, our internet is also very spotty. Every once in awhile Bob gets an email on his phone but by the time he picks up the phone there is no connectivity. We raised the TV antenna last night just to check and see if there was any local televisions and there were none. So there will be no more blog entries for a week or so or email or phone or local television. Luckily we have our GPS for whats that worth and a road atlas so we could at least navigate to town : - )

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Touring Colorado Springs

2011-09-22T09:43:00.002-05:00

At first when something goes wrong with the RV we tend to overreact. When we realize that in our old sticks and bricks the refrigerator broke or we needed new tires we get over it pretty quickly, maybe it is because the size of the RV compared to the house and the closeness of everything.

Most of the time when you are in Colorado Springs it is mostly clear and the mountains dominate the view. Pikes Peak is a good navigation tool as you always know which direction is west.

While Jo's brother and sister-in-law were visiting we toured the Olympic Training Center, which is at the former home of ENT Air Force Base and the headquarters of the North American Defense Command, Jo's brother was in the Air Force in the 60's and he reported to ENT for his time at Cheyenne Mountain. In July 1978 this site officially became USOC administrative headquarters and provides housing, dining, recreational facilities and other services for up to 557 coaches and athletes at one time on the complex.

Entering the complex there is an interesting sculpture. We first toured the Visitors Center and the Hall of Fame while waiting for our free tour to begin. The tour began with an inspiring 12 minute film about the Olympics.and then a 45 minute walking tour where you tour the grounds and see some of the training facilities. After the tour we of course walked through the gift shop but being full-timers with no space to spare we were able to avoid buying anything.

Next we visited the Air Force Academy concentrating on the Visitors Center and Chapel. We have not toured the other military academies but we cannot imagine a more scenic location than this one. The drive from the gate to the Visitors Center is picturesque and enjoyable. The Barry Goldwater Visitors Center had displays on the history of the academy which was opened in 1958. Construction began in 1955 and a temporary location at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver was utilized until 1958.

From the Visitors Center you can take a 1/3 mile trail to the Chapel which houses 4 Chapels; Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant. The Chapel is near the dorms and although we never saw formations we saw a lot of cadets heading for athletics and other activities while we were there. The Academy houses 4,000 cadets and upon graduation they become First Lieutenants in the United States Air Force.

We have good news on the refrigerator, the cooling unit has been delivered and it will be installed today but we did not let not having a refrigerator stop us from enjoying the beautiful Colorado Springs area.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Update on our refrigerator

2011-09-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

After a weekend of troubleshooting it was determined that our cooling unit was the culprit for the problems on our Norcold 1210 refrigerator. Over the weekend Bob researched the length of the warranty and it was confusing; Good Sam's Extended Service Plan believes it is 3 years, while our paperwork showed 1 year. When Monday morning rolled around Bob called Norcold and asked about the warranty. Norcold said that any units built after 2009 had the 1 year warranty while prior to 2009 had 3 years but since it was a Carriage Cameo the warranty was 2 years to match the Carriage warranty.

So the good news is that it is a 2 year warranty but the bad news is that our 2 year warranty expired 2 weeks before. The great news is that since we were so close to being under warranty Norcold will provide the cooling unit at no charge we just have to pay for labor. The part has been ordered and has shipped. In the meantime we are enjoying the Colorado Springs area while our refrigerated stuff is in Styrofoam coolers and our frozen stuff in the freezer with dry ice. A side effect of this is that we are eating at home more often as we eat the stuff we had on hand.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Why does it always happen on weekends?

2011-09-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

We have had a string of adventures from the tires to the ladder and now our refrigerator has quit working. Here it is Saturday and we cannot call Norcold the refrigerator manufacturer or Good Sams for our extended warranty. We won't say it always happens on a weekend or when you can't call anybody but it seems that it happens more often than not.

We are now in Colorado Springs and hopefully we will be here long enough to get the refrigrator fixed but we won't find that out until Monday. We plan to visit Jo's aunt and cousins while we are here. An unexpected treat is that Jo's brother and sister-in-law drove from Overland Park KS to see her and her aunt. We also need to deliver a printer and other supplies to Jo's great niece and her family that we picked up in Joliet from Jo's nephew.

A little bit of dry ice and some food lost and even the trauma of a possible expensive refrigerator repair cannot dampen our enthusiasm for the scenery, family, and great food that we expect in Colorado. We are thankful that we just signed up for an extended warranty.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

South Dakota in our rear view mirror

2011-09-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

We did not do much blogging in South Dakota as we were on the go so much so this is intended to catch up on our South Dakota fun.

Our first stop was Chamberlain which was really a brief stopover. There is a can't miss sight to see nonetheless, the Rest Stop near Chamberlain which houses a free museum to Lewis and Clark who camped here on the way west and the way home. This is a very good museum and would be worth an admission fee. We had a very good burger and pie at Al's Oasis while in the area.

We next journeyed to Custer which gave us a good locale to visit both Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. We camped at a really nice park, Broken Arrow Campground and Horse Camp, which is outside of Custer. With the remoteness and the views of the Black Hills and the horses this is one of our favorite campgrounds.

We were so excited to see Mount Rushmore which has been a wish for us for years but we were a little nervous thinking that no way could it live up to our expectations. Not to worry Mount Rushmore was amazing. From Custer we took the Iron Mountain Road through Custer State Park. The Iron Mountain road is known for single lane tunnels cut into the rock that provide dramatic views of Mount Rushmore.

Entering Mount Rushmore is breathtaking.

The visitors center had a film and the exhibits were neat. We walked on the Presidents Trail which took you to the base where you look right up George's nose.

We next visited the Crazy Horse Memorial. The scale of which is amazing, the four Presidents could fit on what will be Crazy Horse's hair just to the left of the finished face.

When finished Crazy Horse will be taller than the Washington Monument. It is interesting to see the sculpture of what it will look like when finished.

Another interesting fact is that this is all private funding, no government funding has been accepted or ever will be accepted. Korczak Ziolkowski who started sculpting in 1948 had previously worked on Mount Rushmore. A lot of people may not know that Mount Rushmore is an unfinished work since government funding ended and Korczak did not want that fate for the Crazy Horse Memorial. Since his death his wife and children have continued the work and have maintained that philosophy. There is more than just a mountain carving as the site has a great visitors center and museums and sculptors studio, etc.

We took a bus tour which allowed us to get even closer. Plan on spending a whole day here as this site is amazing.

Custer also has some great places to eat; Our Place and the Baker's Bakery and Cafe were excellent for breakfast. The highlight eating wise though had to be the Purple Pie Place which has the best Strawberry Rhubarb pie we have ever had, this may be the best pie place ever.

After much to short a time in South Dakota we are now in Wyoming, adding yet another state to our states visited map.

Photos have been uploaded to the Chamberlain and Custer photo sets on http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobandjotravel/sets/

We will definitely have to return to South Dakota and the Black Hills. With such a short time we barely scratched the surface of things to see. Someone told us that you could spend a month in the Black Hills and still not see everything and we now believe that.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Excited to be in South Dakota

2011-09-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

We drove yesterday from Minnesota to South Dakota and have added another state to our map. We are heading towards Mount Rushmore tomorrow and with that will add another time zone moving into Mountain Time. On this trip we will have one more time change and that will be when we get back to Arizona since they do not observe Daylight Savings Time.

Mount Rushmore has been at the top of both of our lists since before we got married so we are excited to finally get to see the Presidents. We plan to see Crazy Horse while there but this is a short stay as we are hotfooting it to Denver for Bob's tests later this month. We will not be able to see all that we want to see n the area so we will just have to come back. We were talking with another couple recently who have been fulltiming about the same time we have and we agreed that there really has not been a place that we would not want to go back to if we get the chance. This country is so amazing from the little towns to the big cities, to the scenery and the historical places you can visit, and the food which has been incredible.

We plan to bum around Chamberlain SD today which is a Missour River community that looks neat and we will explore that today and then it is off to Mount Rushmore tomorrow. Traveling this much we always keep an eye on the weather and try to travel on good weather days but a sunny forecast turns rainy and a rainy forecast turns sunny so you just can't trust the forecasts. We swear the only folks that can be wrong as often as they are and keep their jobs are the weather forecasters and politicians :-)

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Hotfooting it (another State, another Time Zone)

2011-09-06T11:11:00.000-05:00

A little bit of housekeeping, we lost 2 days from our planned schedule due to the new tires and then 3 days due the ladder damage so we decided to hotfoot for a few trips to make up some time. Well hotfooting at least for us which is about 250 miles and staying one night. Doing this we added another State for a stopover in Joliet Illinois which put us in the Central Time Zone after being in the Eastern Time Zone since early July.

After one night stops in IL, IA and then the next day to our current location of Welcome MN we know why we don't particularly like that type of travel. We like to take it easy traveling and if Bob did not have medical tests in Denver scheduled later in September we would be taking this a lot easier.

With that type of traveling we have not had time for sightseeing, we will save that for when we have a few days near Mount Rushmore. We did add a few photos from our trip to the RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart IN to Flickr.com. Studebaker fans should take note of the 1 ton Studebaker truck on display. We forgot our camera in the mad dash to be ready at 7a for Carriage to pick up our Cameo so Bob took photos with his new Droid3, and yes we said 7a :-(

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

If life gives you lemons, Part 2

2011-08-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

You just go out to eat, and then to the RV Hall of Fame in nearby Elkhart.

Carriage came by a little after 7a this morning and picked up the Cameo. Since we were already up we went to our new favorite place to eat, the Lux Cafe, for breakfast. Jo got the baked apple pancakes which are now her new favorite pancakes,

One benefit of extra time in the area is seeing places that we had on our list and that included the RV Hall of Fame and Museum. This museum has the oldest known RV, the 1913 Earl Trailer and Model T Ford believed to be the oldest non-tent travel trailer in existence that was custom built for a Cal Tech professor. The rest of the collection deals chronologically with RVs as they progressed through the 1920's to the present. It was amazing to see how the features we take for granted in modern RVs developed over the years.

Also included is an area where a new model of each type of RV (motor home, fifth wheel, travel trailer, etc.) s available for viewing. There also is a major vendor area where the vendors that provide the refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. have displays. Finally the Hall of Fame is on the upper level of the museum.

Regardless of the circumstances we are happy that we got to see the RV Hall of Fame and Museum. There is still some work for Carriage to do so we repeat it all again tomorrow at 7a. We are still hoping to head for IL after Carriage completes their work if it is early enough in the day.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

If life gives you lemons,

2011-08-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

You just go out to eat!!

While prepping the inside for our departure to Joliet this morning we heard a terrible noise and our fifth wheel rocked. Another couple up earlier than us was leaving and left their awning out and ripped our ladder to shreds. Since we went on a tour of the Carriage factory we are in the RV park right next to Carriage so the men headed to the Parts Building. Jordan, the Customer Service rep, followed us back to the park and we first looked at the awning damage, it was a total loss. We then looked at our shredded ladder and although a total loss there appeared to be only minor damage to the fiberglass gelcoat but we did not get a good look at the roof. Again the great news is that no one got hurt and the really great news is that it was not our fault, hey we were just sitting there.

Jordan checked a few things out and was able to get us into the factory for repairs tomorrow morning. That's the good news since they usually are very buy, the bad news is that they come and pickup the RVs at 7;00 a.m., which is earlier than Bob gets up and a whole lot earlier than when Jo gets up. Fiberglass repair takes some time to cure so it may be a 2 day job for us while the awning repair should take a couple of hours. We will see our home again probably about 3:00 p.m. The really bad news is that the cats will be locked in the bedroom with the slides in from 7a-3p maybe two days in a row and then we have a travel day. We don't think the cats are living the dream right now.

When life gives you lemons you just go out to eat. Since we were here for only a short time we did not get to eat at a place recommended as a good place to eat, that being the Lux Cafe in nearby Goshen. After we got it all settled it was getting close to lunch time so we went to the Lux Cafe. As we are prone to do we got breakfast; Jo got the 'A Taste of France French Toast' which was french toast covered in a sautied sauce of applies, Cinnamon and raisins, while Bob got the gyro scrambler which was gyro meat, feta, tomatoes, onions and potatoes scrambled with eggs. It was very tasty and this will be our breakfast place after the 7a pickup tomorrow morning and some of the lunch and dinner entrees look downright appealing.

After lunch we went to our home away from home, Wal-Mart, for some shopping and then hit a farmer's market on the way back. We need to sample some Indiana sweet corn to compare with Michigan and Wisconsin and Iowa and Missouri and Nebraska sweet corn.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Das Dutchman Essenhaus

2011-08-29T19:11:00.000-05:00

We are currently in Millersburg Indiana for a brief stopover as we work our way to Mount Rushmore and then to Denver for some medical tests for Bob. We went on the Carriage factory tour today to see where they made our Cameo. It was real interesting and exciting to see the changes they have made. One of note is that they no longer put Duros, or the "Chinese Tire Bombs" on the Cameos, it is now the Goodyear G614s which we just changed our Duros out for.

Driving around Amish country has been a hoot with all the buggys and bicycles. We tried to eat at Das Dutchman Essenhaus in nearby Middlebury yesterday because both the Carriage Yahoo Group and Escapees members highly recommended this place but yesterday was SUNDAY and anything Amish related is closed on Sunday. Well after the tour this morning we ate there and everybody is dead on. This is a great place to eat with everything served family style and the Amish families must like to eat because we were overwhelmed with food and you know that is hard to do :-) We could not even finish the first batch of food they brought out.

What amazed us the most was probably the side dishes, the absolute best noodles we have ever had with great mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and dressing. You also get a salad and bread with homemade dressings for the salad and homemade apple butter or peanut butter for the bread. Plus the meal includes dessert, can you say homemade pies also, and the meal includes a drink. For the meat we had broasted chicken which was also very good. We walked away stuffed and we highly recommend this place to anyone who likes to eat, just come hungry..

We are off tomorrow to our next stopover in Joliet IL where we will get the chance to see Jo's nephew while there. We wished we had more time here but this is one of the few times we actually have to be somewhere at a set time so we will just have to make plans to come back.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Hey, it's good to be back home again

2011-08-28T20:56:00.001-05:00

What was supposed to be a couple of nights in a hotel and a couple good hotel showers turned into 4 nights since it took a while to get the new tires. We are so thankful that we have those new tires so it was worth it. Bob drove the RV from our dealer to the hotel parking lot and we left the next morning.

We first had to put the cats in the bedroom and then all of our hotel baggage in the Cameo for our trip to Millersburg Indiana (yeah, another state). When we arrived we did our normal arrival tasks and then we had to unpack all the baggage that we took to the hotel. It took us a while but we got everything back where it should be and started getting that comfortable feeling that comes with being back home and settling into your old routine.

We are taking a tour of the Carriage plant where they built our Cameo on Monday and then eating some good Amish food and then heading to Joliet Illinois to visit Jo's nephew.

Sometimes this old Cameo feels like a long lost friend,

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Like having a heart attack in an ER

2011-08-25T16:25:00.000-05:00

We had planned on picking up our RV today and heading for Indiana. Our dealer pulled the tires to inspect the brakes this morning. Bob took advantage of this to take the tires to a tire dealer to have them checked for leaks since one tire was losing air slightly faster than the others and to do a visual inspection. Our Cameo came with Duro tires, or what some have called 'Chinese Tire Bombs'. We used these tires for two years and consider ourselves lucky, especially after what happened today.

Our RV dealer did a visual inspection for bubbles or defects and found nothing. The tire dealer also did an inspection in front of Bob on the inside and outside of all four tires and none of us saw anything. The tires were pumped up to operating pressure and put in a tank to check for leaks. One tire had a nail in the side wall that was causing the leak. So now we needed 1 tire. After all the tires had been dunked one of them developed a bubble right in front of us just liking having a heart attack in an ER. We are so blessed that it happened at the tire dealer and not on the road.

So now we needed 2 tires and we decided it was time to dump the Duros and get Goodyears, we got the G614 based on what Bob has read online, talking with other Carriage owners, and after talking with our RV dealer. The tire dealer did not have those in stock, who keeps an inventory anymore, but they should be available tomorrow morning so we are staying another night in the Hotel.

Oh boy another good hotel shower!!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

What a weird feeling

2011-08-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

We are writing this entry from a hotel room. For the first time in almost 2 years we are not sleeping in our RV. We brought our Cameo to our dealer, M&M Camping Center in Trenton MI, to add an awning, for some minor warranty work before our 2 year warranty expires, and some yearly maintenance stuff. With three cats and the technicians being in and out of the unit we were afraid that the cats might get out and that was too much burden to place on M&M.

We had blogged earlier on how nice it is not to have to worry about what to pack on our next adventure because everything we own is with us. Spending a night or two in a hotel has already been an adventure and has given us a weird feeling as we obsessed with what to pack since we were out of practice and the logistices of getting three cats from the RV to the hotel room.

As we are now semi-settled in we got to thinking about the differences our similarities between full-timing and staying in a hotel beyond the packing issue:
- it is not only RV parks that are situated right near a noisy freeway
- hotel toilet paper makes RV toilet paper seem luxurious
- the exhaust fan in our RV bathroom is much better than most hotel exhaust fans
- for 2 nights stay at a hotel that accepts pets we spent about what we would spend for a week of camping

After all this we cannot wait to get back to our home on wheels,

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Howell Melon Festival (almost)

2011-08-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

Howell Michigan is a short drive from the RV Park so yesterday we decided to go to the Howell Melon Fest. After all the weather forecast was for rain in the early morning and we were going in the afternoon. The "Howell" melon is claimed to be found only in this area and is a very good tasting hybrid cantaloupe. The first Howell melons were grown by August "Gus" Smith, a local farmer, who was given the original seeds by an itinerant hobo during the Great Depression. The taste of the melon soon won over other farmers who soon planted the distinctive melon elsewhere in Livingston County. The Howell Melon Festival has been held each year in mid-August since 1960.

As we were driving towards the Festival a big storm was heading towards us and Howell. Discretion is the better part of valor so we turned around and headed back to the park. We luckily got far enough that a tent on the outskirts of town run by the Jaycees who put on the Festival was selling Howell Melons so we stopped and got one. By now it was sprinkling and it stayed that way luckily all the way back to the park. A scant few moments after we got safely inside it rained heavily. We cut open the melon and had a very good melon so we are glad that we at least attempted to go. We also got tomatoes at the stand so we had BLTs and Michigan sweet corn for lunch while it was pouring outside.

Nice to know you can depend on the weather forecast no matter where you are!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Resuts of our great Pasty Tour

2011-08-20T07:33:00.000-05:00

We left the UP on Friday and drove to Hartland on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and with that we leave the land of pasties. Ever since we arrived on Lake Superior in June we have been on a great pasty (pronounced pass-tee) tour. A pasty is a pastry crust filled with meat, potatoes, carrots and rutabaga folded into a hand held configuration and baked. Traditionally eaten with no topping or with ketchup in the UP a lot of tourists requested gravy so most places offer a gravy option but we found no topping or ketchup preferable to gravy.

Here is a pasty cut in two just out of the oven.

Head and shoulders above all other that we tried is Muldoons in Munising. We always tried to eat at a place that just won a competition or recommended to us. Most of the places won area competitions but Muldoons won a UP-wide competition voted best pasty on the UP. The crust was flaky and not chewy, the meat tender, the potatoes firm, all that you can ask for in a pasty. They serve beef, chicken and veggie (Jo's favorite) pasties in their regular category but their dessert category is what really sets Muldoons apart with blueberry or cherry filling that we sampled. They also offer apple and pumpkin and maybe others. The dessert offering changes daily so we are unsure of the total menu..

The next major grouping are a lot of places that have very good pasties led by Suomi of Houghton, Dobbers in Escanaba which had the best veggie pasty, and Connie's Kitchen of Calumet. Lawry's in Ishpeming, the Gourmet Garage in Bayfield WI and the Taste of the UP in St. Ignace were also very good. Without the experience of Muldoons any of these could easily have been our best.

As mentioned previously our very first pasty was a frozen one bought at a Wal-Mart that was recommended to us in Wisconsin. For a mass produced store bought pasty it was darn good and told us that we had to continue our pasty tour.

We only found one pasty that we would not recommend, or to put it bluntly, avoid at all costs, and that is Sherri's in Ishpeming. Everything you have heard that is wrong about pasties was evidenced in our sampling; the dough was thick and very chewy and not flaky, the potatoes were mush, and the meat was tough. We had great meals at Sherrys from a very good fried perch at their Friday Fish Fry to a couple of very good breakfasts which led us to try their Wednesday pasty special. The lesson learned from this debacle is that it probably best to buy from pasty-only shops.

Our ranking of every pasty that we have had is as follows with their ranking:

WINNER
Muldoons - Munising MI (best beef and chicken, best pasty pie made with fruit filling)

VERY GOOD (won't go wrong with any of these in order of our preference)
Suomi - Houghton MI
Dobbers - Escanaba MI (best veggie)
Connie's Kitchen - Calumet MI
Lawry's - Ishpeming MI
Gourmet Garage - Bayfield WI
Taste of the UP - St. Ignace MI

GOOD
Wal-Mart frozen (made by a gal in Florence WI)

AVOID
Sherri's - Ishpeming MI

If you are ever in the UP do not hesitate to do your own pasty tour because they are available everywhere.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Soo Locks

2011-08-19T07:23:00.000-05:00

We recently drove to Sault Ste Marie to visit the Soo Locks. Arriving in town we had lunch at The Antlers which is decorated with you guessed it, antlers and also some stuffed animals like lions, bears, etc. We had grouper and Gouda sandwiches that were great.

The Soo Locks was created to aid large ships and freighters to navigate from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. The St. Marys Rivers is the only water connection from Lake Superior to Lake Huron but a series of rapids are the result of the 21 foot difference between the lake levels. Before the locks a large ship was laid on planks and then slowly moved across the rapids taking 3 months to move from lake to lake. Even smaller ships and boats had to portage around the rapids. The first locks were built in 1797 on the Canadian side and in the 1850's on the US side. To this day the locks operate toll free for any ships or boats and takes about 15 minutes to change levels.

We took the Soo Locks Boat Tour which is a two hour tour taking you first through the American locks, then explore the Canadaian side, and then back through the Canadian locks. It really was interesting and a great time seeing the locks operating firsthand.

Photos from this day have been uploaded to the St. Ignace set on Flickr.com

Here we are entering the locks from Lake Huron, 21 feet below Lake Superior.

The Lake Huron gates closing behind us.

Water flowing from Lake Superior to the locks raising the level.

Water rising raising the tour boat.

Gates open at Lake Superior level.

Another great day on the UP.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Another first

2011-08-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

We think we may have done something for the first time definitely as full-timers and maybe even as a married couple of 21 years. Before your dirty minds get moving too fast we had breakfast for all three meals yesterday.

We are in blueberry country here in the Upper Peninsula so yesterday we had leftover wild blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Our plan for the day was to go over Da' Bridge to Mackinaw City and tour Fort Michilimackinac, which the French built in 1715, and the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. We puttered around the place and headed for lunch at the Pancake Chef in Mackinaw City.

At the Pancake Chef we could not decide on breakfast or lunch and we noticed their breakfast buffet was still operating which surprised us since it was almost Noon. The buffet was cheaper than anything else on the menu plus it had french toast which Jo was leaning to. That is how we ended up with our 2nd breakfast meal of the day.

After the Pancake Chef we decided to walk to a shop in the Mackinac Crossing area where we bought 'No Sugar Added' Wild Blueberry Syrup, we did mention this was blueberry country didn't we? There was no breeze and no clouds so it turned out to be a little hotter than we like so we decided to go back and get our chairs and read in the shade overlooking the lake.

By the time supper rolled around we realized that some of the blueberries were getting a little long in the tooth so we decided to make blueberry pancakes and that is how we ended up with our 3rd breakfast meal of the day.

Seriously, the blueberries up here are the best we have ever had. We are at the end of the season so whenever anybody has some we buy them as fast as we can. We have had oatmeal or cereal covered in so many luscious blueberries all you see is blueberries. The same goes for ice cream covered in blueberries. We have frozen a lot of blueberries but with our small freezer not as much as we would like. We just could not eat the blueberries fast enough which is why we had to have the blueberry pancakes for supper, or as we like to say we like to have a little pancake batter with our blueberries.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

"400 miles north of everywhere"

2011-08-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

"400 miles north of everywhere" is how Lilian Jackson Braun described the setting for her series of "Cat Who": books. We were sad to hear that she recently passed away at the age of 97 after writing 29 books and 3 short stories. The location was never formally stated but we believe it has to be somewhere on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The books describe the obsession with pasties and man they are everywhere. Also mentioned are the sand dunes which you have to see to believe. When there are signs to watch for sand on the road the state of Michigan is probably not the first state that comes to mind but there are some of the nicest sandy beaches you will find anywhere.

Lighthouses are also part of the stories and Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state. A resort island is the setting for a couple of the books and you have Mackinac Island among others. Winter weather and large amounts of snow figured in the plots of a number of books and you have the city of Hancock which the Weather Channel recently dubbed the 3rd snowiest town in America. Hancock is also the northernmost 'town' in Michigan with only villages and townships above Hancock on the Keweenaw Peninsula.

There are a few other things that we have noticed that we are "north of everywhere":

- cell towers are not to be seen
- 55 mph speed limits because there are no Interstates until you get to the eastern part of the UP and I-75 goes from St. Ignace to Sault Ste. Marie
- very small non-commercial towns everywhere
- signs for snowmobile routes and no snowmobiles on sidewalk
- Little League dominates local sports, there even was a multi-part news story about a turf battle between two towns and where the Little League boundary was
- have to know that it is north of everywhere when a common navigation tip is the only working stoplight in town
- gets dark real late, this picture taken at 9p

It may or may not be the setting for the "Cat Who" books but the Upper Peninsula is sure a great place to visit.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Life goes on - Mackinac Island

2011-08-12T18:41:00.002-05:00

A day after we dropped our fifth wheel onto our truck we went to Mackinac Island. We figured the best way to get the sour taste out of our mouths was to enjoy the area. Mackinac Island has long been on our list of things to see. The only way to get to the island is to take a ferry. Unlike other areas where we have been that only had one ferry option but here there are at least three options. Luckily they all cost the same and take about the same time to get there. We took the one ferry a day that took a small detour to go under the Mackinac Bridge which was really neat.

We got to the island and walked around downtown for awhile looking at the shops and reading menus. There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island except for emergency vehicles so we are in for a day of walking and riding in house drawn carriages. We ate lunch and signed up for a carriage tour of the entire island. There was some time to kill so we walked around downtown and we have never seen so many places that sell fudge. Mackinac Island is known for fudge and we sampled some of the best fudge we have ever had, can you say sugar coma?

The carriage tour was about 2 hours and went by the landmarks of the island including the Biddle House, the Grand Hotel, Arch Rock, and ending at Fort Mackinac. Fort Mackinac was built in 1780 by the British, and remained a US Fort until 1895. A posting at the fort on a resort island was highly sought after. The Fort has maintained the old buildings, one from when it was first built. Combined with reenactors to give it that 1800's feel it was pretty cool. The view from the fort walls giving a commanding view of the surrounding area showed why the fort was placed here. Originally this area was under the control of the French who built Fort Michilimackinac where modern day Mackinaw City is located. That fort has also been restored and is available for touring which we may do before we leave.

After our tour of Fort Mackinac we walked to the Grand Hotel which is the world's largest summer hotel and has the world's longest covered porch. We took the elevator to the Cupola Bar for the great view and an iced tea after the walk. We then walked around the hotel and on the front porch. By now we were ready for some relaxation so we took the hotel shuttle to downtown and of course bought some fudge, pumpkin pie and chocolate peanut butter, and then took the ferry back to St. Ignace.

It may take awhile for all the photos to upload to Flickr.com since we have a slow WiFi connection but here are a few samples:

Mackinac Bridge from the ferry

Grand Hotel

Arch Rock

Fort Mackinac

As we said earlier, life goes on. We had a great day and although until we get the truck fixed every time we walk towards the truck there is a constant reminder of what we did we are determined to continue enjoying life. We try to keep our focus on the future and not the past and maybe the constant reminder may help us be more conscientious when hooking up.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Not living the dream today

2011-08-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

We have blogged about all the great places we have been, the great food that we have eaten, and the cool temperatures. We have truly been living the dream but it all came crashing down, literally, today.

We decided to move to a different spot today in the park since the tripod and satellite dish setup just wasn't working, the wind kept blowing it down and it was getting harder and not easier to set it up.

After we hooked up we raised the front jacks an inch or so and pulled forward a little bit. Thinking we were secure we raised the front jacks and headed for the other site when we heard CRASH or was it THUNK? Yes, we had dropped the Fifth Wheel onto the truck bed.

The great news is that nobody was hurt. The good news is that the truck appears to be drivable, although not very attractive. There was no apparent damage to the Fifth Wheel so we are planning to drive it this way until we get to our RV dealer later this month and probably wait to get the truck fixed when we get to Arizona for the winter.

All it will take to fix this is money and time and we learned a valuable lesson; that we need to lock the dang hitch and drive forward further than we did. And the best thing is nobody got hurt, except maybe our egos. Jo did say she was going to sue Bob for whiplash : - )

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Fayette Historic Townsite

2011-08-08T07:56:00.000-05:00

Fayette Historic Townsite is located within the Fayette Historic State Park on the Lake Michigan, or southern side, of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was the site of one of the most productive iron-smelting operations in the UP that manufactured charcoal pig iron between 1867 and 1891 producing a total of 229,288 tons of iron. The town has been reconstructed into a living museum showing what life was lke in this tow in the late 19th century.

There is a neat diorama in the visitors center that shows the layout of the town as it was. About 500 people lived here, mostly immigrants from Canada, Great Britain and northern Europe. The town prospered during its 24 years of operation but then the use of hardwoods in the purifying the iron became too expensive and instead of converting the facility it was just shut down. The town survived for awhile as a farming, fishing and resort community but by the 1950's it was abandoned. The State purchased the land in 1959.

Today the Fayette Historic Townsite is a living museum with many restored buildings. Visitors may walk through the buildings to learn about life in Fayette during the late 19th century. Over 20 buildings are open, with restoration continuing on other parts of the town.

Here is the restored dual blast furnace used for making pig iron.

Here is a picture of the town.

Along with the town there is also a very scenic beach area and harbor. We stopped in Garden on the way to townsite and bought chili dogs that we ate on a picnic table overlooking the harbor and shoreline opposite.

Photos from this visit have been added to the Rapid River set on Flickr.com.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Good News on the satellite dish setup

2011-08-06T17:46:00.000-05:00

Dawn of a new day and Bob decided to go through the tripod setup and dish pointing again from the beginning. He used the recommended setting from the DirecTV receiver and shock of all shocks, for Bob and especially for Jo, he was able to successfully align and get a good signal.

So now we can watch TV shows when we want to and not have to catch them live, that would be too much liking camping.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Frustrating day yesterday

2011-08-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

We are now in St. Ignace Michigan but boy it was not an easy day yesterday. It was a longer trip of 120 miles which with the small towns and some road construction took about 2 and 1/2 hours. This was not the frustrating part.

The adventure began when we tried to back into the site with a view of Lake Michigan. Bob wanted to stay the last couple weeks on the Upper Peninsula side of Mackinac Bridge so he called Lakeshore Park Campground first with his usual list; 50 amps, satellite dish on roof, etc. We were told the lake view sites were full but that she would try and work us in for maybe a week so we got a pull thru where we were assured the dish on the roof would work. Well a couple of hours later she called back and was able to get us 2 weeks with a lake view. 50 amps was raised as a question but dish on the roof slipped by.

Anyway when we pulled in we were told that no one has mentioned problems with satellite reception at that site and the only discount they offered was FMCA. There was also a FMCA rally going on and those were clues as to what was coming next. This park is setup for motorhomes primarily especially the lake view sites. What this means to the novice is that the hookups are opposite of what we have on our fifth wheel since our lake view is from the rear of the fifth wheel and a motorhome lake view is from the front windows. All hookups are on the driver side. It was a nice wide site which caused some communication problems at first. Let's begin this part of the story by stating that Jo was right, she was directing towards the pedestal with our site number on it. Bob was certain she meant the 'other right' when she said right and was backing towards the normal hookup area so at first we ended up at a strange angle. Bob knew he was in trouble when Jo said the 'other right' a couple of times. In these types of sites we get our sewer and water from our normal side but power from the other.

Wait, there is even more in our adventure.Once we were both on the same page regarding hookup locations and positioning ourselves so that we might get satellite reception. Bob checked other dishes in the park for their orientation and a compass. We needed to be at the very back of the site but then our 50 amp power cable would not reach. We also had to dodge a telephone cable that was about 13'6" above ground or just barely above the fifth wheel. We could not be near that when the dish got into position. So we went as far back as we could to raise the antenna and see if we could get reception. If needed we could pull forward with the dish up and move closer to the telephone cable. We used our 50 amp to 30 amp adapter to get power but there was no reception. So we tried to pull forward just a little and hopefully get a better angle. One good thing that came out of this is that Jo drove, actually she just pulled forward while Bob watched the dish and telephone cable, but she did some towing. She figured that would be the least harmful if something went wrong.

Unfortunately pulling forward did not get us better satellite reception so we just gave up on that and finished setting up. Pulling forward did allow us, however, to use the 50 amp power cord. After getting everything setup, what usually takes less than an hour was now three hours, we had a very late lunch and took a break. Another fun fact about this place, Jo tested the water as she always and it tested at 523 on our meter which is above the safe drinking limit of 500 so we will be getting bottled water for sure. It will be good practice for Canada next year.

After the break Bob decided to try and setup the tripod with dish for the first time ever when we needed it for reception. He looked for the signal meter but it was not where he thought it would be or the two or three other places that it could be. Bob was not too worried since a DirecTV guy told him it was better to use the signal meters on the receiver anyway. We carry the dish and tripod in the truck bed so Bob has wrapped them in trash bags in case it rained on travel days. So the time it takes for a seasoned tripod setter to be finished Bob had just got them out of their trash bag cocoons and did we mention that this was the FIRST time Bob had setup the tripod under a pressure situation. He had set it up and put on the now missing meter but never connected to a TV before.

After getting the tripod and dish out it was time to setup the tripod and get it level. The ground up here is about 3 inches of sandy dirt on top of a limestone bed as hard as concrete, so the long stakes and the auger anchors would not work. A milk jug full of water and a bungee cord is all that he could find to stabilize it. With the tripod level Bob then went to attach the lnb arm to the dish. It was taken apart so it would fit into the box in the truck bed and of course the four bolts needed for securing the arm to the dish were missing. Even though we have only 359 sq. ft. we still have that dreaded place where we put things so we know we can find it again. Right now that place has those bolts and the signal meter and probably a few other things.

No frustrating day would be complete without a trip to the hardware store so Bob headed off to True Value. He took the lnb arm into the store so he would get the right sized bolts. There was a guy in line who saw the lnb arm and said his brother free lanced on satellite installation problems so Bob got his number just in case. With the bolts in hand Bob drove back and installed the arm on the dish and mounted it to the tripod. He pointed it approximately in the right direction and using our cellphones Jo monitored the signal meters and if "0" was a good number we were golden. So Bob moved it slightly left and right and nothing either way.

Bob gave up and called the troubleshooter who will hopefully come out today. After awhile Bob remembered that at the last park a fellow camper was having trouble with his setup and wanted to check the settings from our automatic dish. They were vastly different than the ones he got from dishpointer.com. So Bob went out again with the new settings and "0" was our lucky number again. Luckily you can still watch your playlist without satellite reception so we relaxed and caught up on some of our shows and enjoyed an ice cream dish with hot fudge and Michigan cherries and blueberries.

We certainly hope it will be worth it, here is our view of the lake, a little foggy so hopefully will have better pictures later.

While here we plan to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum (Edmund Fitzgerald anyone), Soo Locks, Mackinac Island, and of course lighthouses, waterfalls, and just reading by the lake.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Taking it easy in Rapid River Michigan

2011-08-05T06:57:00.001-05:00

After all the trails to get to the scenery we saw in the Munising area we took it a little easier in the Rapid River area. We mostly drove to Escanaba which is about 15 miles away and visited Ludington Park which has benches along the water. There also is a lighthouse to tour so you know we did that. We did take a day trip to the Fayette Historic Town Site that we will blog about later.

A typical trip to Escanaba involved eating at the Swedish Pantry which is great for either breakfast or lunch. Also involved was walking along the waterfront and then sitting on a bench looking at the water and reading. One day we toured the Sand Point Lighthouse and Delta County Historical Museum which are adjacent and covered in the same admission charge.

We also made it a point each time we were in Escanaba to hit a roadside fruit stand or even a grocery store. Believe it or not we bought blueberries at Elmer's Market in Escanaba that were better than any we purchased at the Berry Patch in the Kansas City area. The blueberries were from Michigan and we could hardly believe it ourselves how good they were. We went to the Escanaba Farmer's Market and got the best blueberries we have ever had and the best cherries this side of Wenatchee Washington. The sweet corn is also terrific and the tomatoes are just starting to come in. Last night we had BLTs and corn followed by blueberries and cherries and hot fudge and ice cream.

Here is a picture of the park we spent most of our time at.

Here are a couple pictures of the Sand Point Light House.

The campground that we are staying at in Rapid River has done a lot of landscaping in the park giving it a nice homey feel.

Pictures have been uploaded to the Rapid River set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Enhanced blog welcome photo

2011-08-01T06:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our friend Mike we now have an enhanced welcome photo on our blog. It sure brightens up the neighborhood, thanks again Mike.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Cool weather, waterfalls, and a farmers market

2011-07-30T13:50:00.000-05:00

As promised here is an entry on a great day we had in the Munising area with cool weather, waterfalls and a farmers market. On the way to breakfast we took a picture of Alger Falls which you can see from the highway. There is a small pullout area where you will usually see somebody stopping and taking a picture, today it was us.

After a great breakfast at The Navigator we just had to take a picture of this Bank sign. For those that know us breakfast for us is later than most and about the time most are thinking of an early lunch.

First on our waterfalls tour was Memorial Falls and Tannery Falls in the city of Munising. Of all the waterfalls in the area this had the worst sign indicating the location of the trail and the most undeveloped trail. We almost drove by the trail, in fact we did but Bob saw the sign between two cars in the rearview mirror. Memorial Falls trail takes you first to the top of the falls and then across and down to the base. The undeveloped trail is sloped downhill of course with only the steepest areas having a railing. The really cool thing is that the trail takes you underneath the falls and past the falls for some incredible shots. The trail past the falls took us to what may be Tannery Falls but since this is a spring time only falls we were not sure if what we saw was Tannery Falls. Here is Jo underneath Memorial Falls. Our photo album on Flickr.com has pictures of the trail and many more of the falls from all angles.

Next up was Horseshoe Falls which is the only falls in the area privately owned. The area around the falls includes other trails and a botanical garden and a trout pond, plus they have ice cream in the gift shop so we decided to pay the admission and we are glad that we did. We walked on well groomed trails and saw flowers and trees that had signs that told you what you were looking at. But the reason for going is Horseshoe Falls, named for the horseshoe shaped 2nd level of the falls. Over 1 million gallons of water flows over the falls each day fed by an underground spring.

For those that remember the fun we had with the GPS on our arrival to Munising Wagner Falls is near where we pulled over and called the park for directions. A well groomed trail and a wooden landing with stairs near the falls is just a short walk away.

Being so much further north the season for fresh fruit is noticeably later than we are used to. Strawberries were late and were just in a couple of weeks ago. Raspberries are just now coming in as are wild blueberries. Blueberries and cherries in the UP are a week or so away but are available from the lower peninsula or what the Yoopers call Da' Mitt. We have had great blueberries from roadside markets and from super markets making sure that they are from Michigan. We ended the day at a Farmer's and Artisan Market near the marina. We bought the best raspberries either one of us have ever had. Jo said she didn't know that fresh raspberries tasted the way that they did. We also got some farm fresh eggs and are hoping that blueberries and cherries come in soon.

As we were driving back to the park we passed the same bank sign and took another picture to show the evening temperature. Another great day in the UP!!!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are now in Rapid River Michigan

2011-07-29T15:06:00.000-05:00

We left this morning from Munising and headed to Rapid River. This was also a very short trip of 50 miles or so which allowed us to get a slightly later start of 10:55a. We went through some small towns and there was the obligatory road construction so the trip ended up taking about 60 minutes. We are now on the Lake Michigan side of the UP so we will see how things are on this side. We plan to see a couple of lighthouses and explore the shoreline of Lake Michigan

We got here and setup and then had lunch in the RV. We have heard that the Swallow Inn has a very good fish fry on Friday nights and that they serve perch so we are going to give that a whirl for supper.

Munising had great scenery in the immediate vicinity and great restaurants like the Dogpatch, Sydneys and Navigator.The Greek Skillet and sweet potato fries at Sydneys and the northwood skillet at Navigator and the burgers at Dogpatch were the highlights. Main Street Pizza also serves a great pizza and this was the first pizza for Jo since her dental surgery. We do have one more day of sightseeing to blog about so expect that soon.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Scenic Tour east of Munising

2011-07-29T07:31:00.000-05:00

Next we took the scenic tour east of Munising. Our first stop was Munising Falls where an easy trail takes you to the falls.

Great beaches was not something that we expected in the UP. We knew about the lighthouses, waterfalls, and Pictured Rocks but we never expected to find one of the top beaches in America per the Weather Channel, Sand Point Beach. The sand is so fine here it is unbelievable. With more time in the area on our next visit we plan to bring our chairs and a picnic lunch and just enjoy the view.

Miner's Falls was a little more challenging than Munising Falls. There was almost a mile long trail that leads you to a platform where you can get a glimpse of the falls. To fully appreciate the falls though there are wooden steps, 77 in total, that take you to a better viewing area.

With all the great scenery that we have had until now the best was yet to come. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has to be one of the most scenic areas that we have visited. After Miner's Falls we drove to the Miner's Castle overlook. Miner's Castle is not a castle but an interesting rock formation in the Pictured Rocks area. What amazed us was the many shades of colors in the water and rocks and how clear the water was. It looked like an artist ran a brush with blues, greens, and other colors across the water. Pictures just do not do justice to the beauty that we saw.

We are doing more hiking this week than we have done in a very long time. A trail leads from the overlook to just above Miner's Castle. We took this photo at the platform directly above. The shades of blue and green are amazing in this photo.

This is an area we will visit again for the scenery and the good food. We wanted to do a cruise where you can get a better view of the Pictured Rocks from the water but the wind kicked up and it started to rain on the day we had planned so we will do that and revisit some of the scenic areas again on our next visit.

Many more very scenic pictures have been uploaded to the Munising set on Flickr.com.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Scenic Tour west of Munising

2011-07-28T07:52:00.000-05:00

We got a great book at the Interagency Visitor Center in Munising which detailed a day trip either east or west of Munising. We chose west for this adventure. We did not have to go far as the Munising Harbor Range Lights are right in downtown Munising. There are also Range Lights in nearby Christmas, yeah that's the name of the town.

After the Range Lights in Munising and in Christmas we drove by a great sand beach. One thing that surprised us on the Upper Peninsula is how nice the beaches are on Lake Superior. We have plans to see a beach that is regularly listed as one of the top beaches in America.

We then drove to a scenic overlook of Lake Autrain and had plans to walk on a songbird birdwatching trail but it turned a little hot so we decided to save something for next visit to the area. It was back to the sand beach for a picnic lunch with a lake breeze and scenic views.

Next on our scenic tour was the Bay Furnace Historic Site where we walked a trail that circles around the recently stabilized ruins of a Blast Furnace where iron was made between 1870 and 1877. One of the last remaining structures of its kind in the U.P., it is also a good place to view Lake Superior and Grand Island. Interpretive Signs show how the furnace operated and explain its unique history, including its construction, damage by fire, and partial preservation. Melted iron flowed out the arched area in channels to cool. There were branches off of the channel where iron cooled into bars. It looked like piglets suckling on a sow so the bars became known as 'pig iron'.

A scenic view, one of many, from the Bay Furnace Historic Site.looking across to the Pictured Rocks.

Pictures from another great day on he U.P. have been uploaded to the Munising set on Flickr.com.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Finally a cool day!

2011-07-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

We spent yesterday getting acclimated to the Munising area. Looks like the bad heat wave has broke here, when Jo was talking with her brother just before lunch it was 64 degrees here but already 94 in Kansas City.

After lunch we went to the Interagency Welcome Center which covers Hiawatha National Forest, Pictured Rocks and Grand Island. There was a short film about the area that was neat. We then went to a City Park right on Lake Superior and we know we will get no sympathy but it was too cold with the breeze coming in off of the lake so we sat in the truck and just watched the water.

We parked near a very nice Veterans Memorial. We did not have our act together so Bob took these pictures with his new Droid 3. Other pictures are in the Munising set on Flickr.com

We also realized there was some photos on an old phone from a trip to Marquette and the scenic overlook at a City Park there. A few other photos of this overlook have been added to the Ishpeming set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are now in Munising Michigan

2011-07-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

We left this morning from Ishpeming and headed to Munising, some day we may visit Manistique, didn't know that we would be on a pronunciation tour this summer. This was a very short trip of 60 miles or so which allowed us to get a slightly later start of 10:30a. We went through some small towns and there was the obligatory road construction so the trip ended up taking about 90 minutes.

This is one trip where the GPS caused us some fits. We have the truckers model from Garmin so we were pleased when the route taken was bypassing Marquette and other cities including our destination of Munising. That being said we always are comforted when we see a big Semi on the same road, especially when it is a back road. But when we were about 10 miles from our location we get the following eerie message, 'PREPARE TO GO OFF ROAD". Well you can believe we did not go off road but we should have known there were bigger problems when Jill, that is what we call our GPS, really didn't object to our route and not going off road. But when we got further down the road our next right turn would have been straight into the forest. By this time we decided to pull over and call the campground. By then Jill had another option and that was to turn left at the upcoming intersection. Luckily we got a hold of the campground and we were told to take a right and guided the rest of the way to the park.

We got here and setup and then went out to lunch. The motto of Munising is that it is the UP's best kept secret and we have to say we like this town. After lunch we drove around and saw a city park right on Lake Superior, a marina where we can take a cruise and tour the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. On the drive here we actually saw signs indicating where the waterfalls are, unlike Marquette County where you rarely if ever saw a sign. We have a jam packed week with lighthouses, waterfalls, Pictured Rocks, and just relaxing by the lake.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Waterfalls, Lighthouse and scenic view

2011-07-22T07:50:00.000-05:00

We went with our friends Jim and Sharon on a whirlwind sightseeing tour. Ishpeming is in Marquette County and there are a dozen waterfalls in the area. There may be a dozen but they sure don't make it easy to find them. The map that we got had horrible directions and there was rarely any road signs to help. To top it off the very first one we tried to find the access road to it was closed. So our tally for the day was 1 closed, 2 we found and 4 we could not find. Of the two we found though the Yellow Dog River 510 Falls was the best. There was a group there in helmets that were riding the falls down. We took our shoes off and walked into the water and it sure was cold.

Luckily we had more to see than waterfalls that day. We climbed to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain which was an adventure in itself. We took the 'moderate' trail and it still involved numerous, too many to count, wooden stairways. Although it is supposed to be about 1/2 mile it seems that it is all uphill. There were benches along the way which helped but this is one of those been there, done that, no desire to repeat it kind of deals. Well we all made it and the view was tremendous from the decks built up there. From the summit looking north and east is Lake Superior, looking south is the city of Marquette with its steeples and the green forests beyond.

It just wouldn't be a sightseeing day in Michigan if you did not see a Lighthouse since Michigan has more Lighthouses than any other state. We drove to Big Bay and saw the Big Bay Lighthouse which is now a B&B with tours only a couple of days a week and of course it was not one of those days. We were still able to walk on the grounds and get some great photos.

Although the difficulty in finding the waterfalls was disappointing all in all it was still a great day in the UP.

Photos have been added to the Ishpeming set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are now in Ishpeming Michigan

2011-07-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

Our next leg of our Upper Peninsula tour was a short 90 miles from Houghton to Ishpeming which is just west of Marquette. Our friends Jim and Sharon arrived the day before we did and are parked right next to us. They will be here for a few days before they head back to the heat of the Kansas City area. We plan to tour this part of Michigan from waterfalls to lighthouses to places in Marquette.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Keweenaw Peninsula scenic drive

2011-07-14T14:46:00.000-05:00

The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and therefore of all of Michigan. Houghton is about half way up the Peninsula and where we started our tour northward. The hosts at the City of Houghton RV Park have a sheet with a suggested tour and we used that with great success. There is so much to see and once is just not enough to see it all. We will be back to this area and we will do this tour again.

We stopped in Lake Linden for some ice cream and then continued on to the Keweenaw Peninsula snow gauge which has documented snowfall for the last 50+ years. The record low is 161.1 inches in one winter, the average is 240.8 inches per winter and the record high is 390.4 inches in the winter of 1978-1979. Here we are in front of the gauge and the snowfall totals per month for that record.

We arrived in Copper Harbor about lunch time so we tried to find the Harbor Haus which Bob had read great things about. Our GPS was useless and we drove around a little, stopped at the Marina for directions and finally found it only to find out it was closed. The Harbor Haus used to be open all day and then Michigan passed a minimum wage law and now is only open for supper. Nearby was the Tamarick Inn where we had the best whitefish we have had since we hit Lake Superior.

Leaving Copper Harbor we took Brockway Mountain Drive towards Eagle Harbor. This is a must for scenic views of Lake Superior and the mountains nearby.

In Eagle Harbor we visited the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse which was built in 1871 replacing the old lighthouse. The Fresnel lens has been replaced by an aviation beacon that rotates so the tower was closed to visitors. The lighthouse grounds, maritime museum and keeper quarters were well worth the visit.

After the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse we drove through a sand dune area. The sand dunes here are not as large as the dunes near Pictured Rock National Lakeshore which we will be visiting in a couple of weeks but it was cool to see a beach similar to what you might see in California.

Just after the sand dunes was Eagle River and the Jampot, a bakery run by the Monks of the Society of St. John. Best known for their many jams and jellies they also have bread, fruitcake, muffins and candy. Right next door to Jampot is Jacob Falls.

Another great day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Many more photos of this scenic drive have been added to the Houghton set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Houghton Waterfront Trail

2011-07-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

The City of Houghton RV Park sits at one end of the Houghton Waterfront Trail, a 4 and 1/2 mile paved trail which runs along the waterfront. The trail, which is paved and barrier free, accommodates walkers, joggers and bikers. Along with the RV Park at our end of the trail lies the Waterfront Recreation area that includes a beach and "chutes and ladders", a climbing and sliding playground. At the other end you will find the Nara Nature Park. In between you will find the smaller Princess Point Beach area, as well as numerous picnic areas, a dock and boat launch, and seating areas throughout the trail. Downtown Houghton is also accessible from the trail.

Along the way you cannot miss the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, officially the Houghton-Hancock Bridge, which connects the two cities across the Portage River. As its name states, the bridge is a lift bridge with the middle section capable of being lifted from its low point of four feet clearance over the water to a clearance of 100 feet to allow the Great Lakes freighters to pass underneath. The Bridge is the world's heaviest and widest double-decked vertical lift bridge. Big ships can travel across the Keweenaw Peninsula saving 100 miles if the peninsula was circumnavigated.

We spent the day walking the trail and just watching the boats in the river from the many seating areas. We walked to downtown Houghton and got lunch to go and walked back and had it on our picnic table at our camp site. We then spent the afternoon reading and if truth be told a little nap too. A great day full-timing with a temperature of 68 degrees!

Photos of the trail along with a trip we took to Calumet for pasties have been uploaded to the Houghton folder on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We finally made it to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

2011-07-09T14:22:00.000-05:00

A year in the making we arrived in the Upper Peninsula (UP) yesterday. We originally planned on arriving last year but medical issues delayed us a year. The wait was worth it, we have a great site right on the Portage River that runs from Lake Superior to Portage Lake. We have a permanent grin on our face right now and Jo said now that she has seen this site she understands why people like RV'ng : - )

Here is the view from our back window.

Here is our outdoor area which is the nicest that we have had to date.

Bob already has a big list to see while here so we will not lack for things to do. While in the UP we are temporary "Yoopers" which is what residents of the UP are called. We plan to be Yoopers for a month or so until we cross the Mackinac Bridge (Da Bridge per the Yoopers) to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

It was a relatively short trip of 168 miles so we got up and left a little later than usual. We were a little shocked when the GPS arrival time was an hour later than we thought it would be. Turns out we crossed over into the Eastern Time Zone. We knew we would eventually it was just a little sooner than we thought.

Except for three work areas where we had to stop for a one lane road the drive was nice. After spending all of our towing time on Interstates driving through small towns has been kinda neat. With a posted speed limit of 55 mph and going through towns it certainly is a slower pace than the interstate. We had cell reception all the way but don't ever recall seeing a cell tower. How is that possible?

We have updated our 'Current Location', 'States Visited' and 'Current Trip' gadgets on the blog.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Bayfield Wisconsin

2011-07-07T08:54:00.001-05:00

We have to say that we love this little town, it is what we imagine the smaller towns of Maine will look like when we get there. We were surprised when we saw that Bayfield has a population of only 611 but we are really liking the small town feel. Ashland is the big town in the area since it has a Super Wal-Mart but at a little over 8000 it is still real small in comparison to some of the places we have been.

What really gets us about this town though is just driving through offers great scenic views of Lake Superior.

Here is a picture of the Church with the lake in the background we went to and the view we get when leaving Mass.

When you drive anywhere it does not take long and you are on a two lane road with forest on both sides. We took a drive to Cornucopia which is the northernmost community in Wisconsin and hardly saw anybody else on the road and there was an occasional really small town like Finnsville population 2 but usually just a scenic drive through the trees with a glance now and then at Lake Superior.

For such a small town you would not expect the high quality eating establishments but the Egg Toss Cafe for breakfast and Maggies for lunch and the Portside at the Port Superior Marina for supper are all good. We had our first Whitefish Livers and we were very pleasantly surprised at how good they were so give them a try if in the area. Also give the Gourmet Garage a try as they make incredible pie and the best pasties we have had to date.

Walking around downtown and all the neat shops is also a treat. Be sure and get some ice cream at the Candy Shoppe and smell what they are baking. We are getting a Croatian Wine Bread before we leave because it smells so good. Being in a place where there are no chain stores or restaurants and everything is locally owned was kind of refreshing. We have already blogged about how we liked just walking by the Pier, Marina and East Dock Park.

We highly recommend the Bayfield area to anybody that wants to come here in an RV or a car.We are already talking about how long we will stay the next time.

Photos have been uploaded to Flickr.com and added to the Bayfield 2011 set.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Ashland Waterfront Trail at Bayview Park

2011-07-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

We had a great day in Ashland Wisconsin which is near Bayfield where we are staying. In these parts Ashland is the big city with slightly over 8,000 in population. But big enough for a Wal-Mart Supercenter which was the reason for our trip.

It may be only 20 miles to Ashland but we decided to make a day of it since we had seen a couple of really nice parks by the lake when we were here earlier in our stay. We first had lunch at the Breakwater which is a really good place to eat and the prices are very reasonable. Their bread pudding is very good.

Right across the street from the Breakwater is Bayview Park so we headed there after lunch with our books. One thing we really like to do is just sit and look at the water and read our books. When our backsides got sore we went for a walk, then we read some more. We did not realize it but there is a trail that goes for a 10 mile loop along Lake Superior called the Waterfront Trail that runs through Bayview Park and through about 6 more parks and beaches in Ashland. We spent a few hours just relaxing reading our books and walking the trail.

Here is the Ashland Breakwater Lighthouse which you can see from Bayview Park.

After Bayview Park we headed to Wal-Mart for some shopping and then headed back to Bayfield. We really enjoyed our time in Ashland and would visit there even if there wasn't a Wal-Mart.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

4th at Bayfield East Dock Park

2011-07-05T09:31:00.001-05:00

July 4th was the hottest day we have seen while in Bayfield at 86 degrees in the park. There have been a couple of warmer 'official' days for Bayfield but the closeness to the lake helped moderate our temperatures. We are really roughing it here in the park as this is our first stay with 30 amp electrical service which means we can only run one air conditioner at a time. Our site is situated where the morning sun to afternoon sun just beats down on us so eventually the one air conditioner has trouble keeping up.

So we went to have lunch, actually breakfast, at the Egg Toss Cafe in Bayfield, which is a great place to eat. After our meal we decided to walk down to the water to see if it was cooler there and yes it was. We spent the afternoon near the marina and in the East Dock Park. We found a great place to sit which was benches in a gazebo but the entire base of the gazebo was a swing. Two benches on a 8' by 8' platform opposite each other and the whole thing swung back and forth, one of the weirdest things we have seen and definitely interesting when you stood up to walk off the swing. The gazebo was in the shade and the cool lake breeze kept us quite comfortable.

We can sit and look at water and hear it lapping against the rocks all day but we were in for a treat today. There were sailboats everywhere and some of them were involved in a race. It was so relaxing to just sit there and enjoy the great scenery.

We headed back to the park because we had some Brats to grill. We watched the Capitol 4th and the Boston Pops until it was time to head back to the park for fireworks. We took our Strongback Chairs and found a nice spot in the East Town Park in time to see the fireworks at Madeline Island which is about 2.5 miles away. We waited a few minutes after the fireworks at Madeline Island was done and to be honest we were thinking about leaving when the fireworks started. It was a good show and with the exception of a Kansas City Royals game where the fireworks are exploding right above you it was the closest we have been to a professional fireworks show.

It was a great 4th celebrating the 235th anniversary of the reading of the Declaration of Independence to the troops.

Photos have been added to our Bayfield set and uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Madeline Island, Wisconsin

2011-06-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

With the potential for rain in the next couple of days we decided to do a couple of things that we really like to do, in addition to eating that is. Ever since our first ride on a ferry in Washington we have enjoyed them. Bayfield is near the tip of the Bayfield Peninsula and right next to the Apostle Islands archipelago. We took the ferry from Bayfield to La Pointe on Madeline Island.

Madeline Island has a rich history, and is the largest of the twenty-two islands making up the Apostle Islands, and the only island accessible by ferry. The Island is named after Madeleine Cadotte, daughter of Chief White Crane and wife of fur trader Michael Cadotte. Madeline Island has flown the flags of three nations and has been the site of some civilization for about 400 years. The first European contact.was Etienne Brule, a French explorer, who visited Madeline Island about the same time as the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Ferries have run from Bayfield to La Pointe for nearly a century and a half.

After breakfast we boarded the ferry and then took a driving tour of Madeline Island. We could not have asked for a better day, starting out a little cloudy but clearing up and a temperature of 70 degrees, although about half way there and back it got real chilly on the ferry. There are paved roads and dirt road that were in pretty good shape. Driving we were able to walk on the beach at the end of the paved Big Bay Road and visit Big Bay Town Park and Big Bay State Park, but for the most part the drive was a two lane road through a forest with just a glimpse here and there of the water. If you ever wanted a cabin in the woods right on the water of a nice clear lake this is the place. We saw waterfront lots for sale along with spots with cabins.

Big Bay Town Park is about 7 miles from the ferry and features a nice sandy beach and rustic camping.

Big Bay State Park is about 5 miles from the ferry and is a 2,350-acre park that has a 1.5-mile beach and more than seven miles of hiking and nature trails with incredible views of Lake Superior. If you have followed our journey so far this year you may have noticed that we have encountered a lot of rain and this area is no different. We walked along the trails about as far as we could until we reached a spot that was water and mud as far as you could walk either to the left or right so we turned back. We still got some incredible photos of the scenery.

By now it is time for lunch so we drove to La Pointe. We stopped at the Chamber and the gal there recommended The Pub. So we walked down to The Pub and got a table with a nice water view. Jo got the Garden Brie Sandwich which is marinated tomatoes & peppers, garlic aioli, brie cheese and fresh basil. Bob got the fresh Whitefish Sandwich which was lightly breaded & sautéed. For side dishes we both got their version of a pasta salad which added broccoli and bacon and diced tomatoes with a cole slaw like dressing. Everything was wonderful.

We then walked around downtown La Pointe until we took the ferry back to Bayfield. This is such a great place to visit we will probably go again but this time just walk on, visit the Museum which is supposed to be real cool and see more of downtown La Pointe and of course get a good meal.

Photos have been uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Minnesota Zoo

2011-06-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

As promised here is our entry on our visit to the Minnesota Zoo in the Twin Cities in Apple Valley. Founded in 1978 the locals still call the Minnesota Zoo the "new" Zoo. The Como Park Zoo is the "old" Zoo but unlike the Minnesota Zoo which charges for admission the Como Park Zoo is free. Luckily we were able to use our Kansas City Zoo card for a reduced price on the admission since the Minnesota Zoo is reciprocal with the KC Zoo.

The Minnesota Zoo cares for 504 different species of animals on six trails. Most of the animals are in large open spaces with room for them to roam which sometimes makes the viewing difficult but it is better for the animals. Our favorite, besides the big cats which are always our favorites, had to be Wolf Woods on the Minnesota Trail. The Zoo is home to northern gray wolves, viewed in their native woodland setting from a variety of perspectives, including a rustic log cabin set right in the center of the exhibit. The red panda was also neat lounging on a tree branch.

We liked this Zoo and the weather we had was gorgeous, one of the few days that it did not rain or threaten to rain while we were in the Twin Cities. The temperature was in the low 70's and mostly sunny with a nice gentle breeze. The only downside had to be that every child under 5 years old within 100 miles was there. We made a point to avoid the Family Farm and to watch where we were walking and it was alright.

Photos have been uploaded to Flickr.com.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We had our first Pasty today

2011-06-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

Although we are not yet in the Upper Peninsula where the Pasty is better known we are on the Bayfield Peninsula in Wisconsin just a stones throw from the UP. We were talking with another couple about food of course and they said be sure to try a Pasty here because they are good here but even better in the UP.

Surprisingly they told us that the best Pasties in the area are in the frozen food section of a grocery store or Wal-Mart. They are made by a gal in Florence WI and since we were at our home away from home today shopping, Wal-Mart that is, we bought a couple to try.

Just what is a pasty you ask? A pasty is a roll of pastry filled with meat and potatoes and then rolled over so it could be carried into the mines and ate for lunch. The one we tried tonight had beef, pork and rutabaga and we have to say it was quite good. The convection oven did a good job and the pastry was really good. If the pasties are better in the UP then we are in for a treat!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Jensen's Cafe in Burnsville Minnesota

2011-06-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

We have stumbled across another great place to eat, Jensen's Cafe in Burnsville Minnesota. We were going to the Minnesota Zoo (which we will blog on shortly) and were looking for a place for breakfast nearby. Bob didn't have any breakfast places close by so we took a chance on Jensen's.

Two items have been added to 'Our Favorite Things (Food)' list, the lemon ricotta pancakes and their pancake syrup. We have had lemon pancakes before but adding the ricotta kicks them up a couple of notches. They are huge, thick and fluffy. The pancake syrup is also unique and wonderful. They start out with their homemade maple syrup and add caramel and brown sugar.

Jensen's Cafe has more than pancakes, Bob had a great spinach and mushroom and goat cheese omelet but they bake them and call them Ome-Alots. Either the breakfast potatoes or the cheesy hashbrowns are also good along with the french toast and swedish pancakes. The breakfast sausage is also very good.

If you are looking for a great breakfast place in the Twin Cities area you cannot go wrong with Jensen's Cafe.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Now in Bayfield Wisconsin

2011-06-24T19:40:00.000-05:00

We made it to the Apostle Islands Area Campground in Bayfield Wisconsin today. But it was not easy, there was about a dozen "Road Work Ahead" areas on I-35 that slowed us down, a couple of times to a dead stop.

Then we drove through Duluth to get to I-535 and this was the worst. There was construction everywhere and a couple of places we were just inside Jersey Barriers on both sides. Then we had a nice highway in Wisconsin that ran through some small towns where we reduced to 25 mph a couple of times. So it was a longer day than we are normally used to but we got here safe and sound. Bob just updated the blog gadgets for 'Current Location', 'Current Trip' and 'States Visited'.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Going old school (not by choice) and an old Church

2011-06-23T09:37:00.003-05:00

Forgot the gps so we went a little old school using an Atlas that was given to Bob as a gift as we undertook this full-timing adventure. It worked ok from breakfast to JC Penneys, but from Penneys to our intended destination of the James J Hill House, not so good.

Since we knew the general area we headed off to Hill House and soon discovered that Hill House is the only historical place that we know of that does not have some sort of sign. So we drove past it of course and called them on the phone for directions. We would have been late for the 1p tour so we went to the Cathedral of St. Paul which is set dramatically on Summit Hill a short walking distance from the Hill House.

We are so glad that we did. The Cathedral, the fourth largest in the USA and the fourth Cathedral of Saint Paul in the area was impressive. One of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture, the Cathedral was designed by Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and they made sure the Cathedral was higher than the nearby Capitol Building which was completed in 1905. It was placed on the National Register of Historical Buildings in 1974. The Cathedral is also designated as the National Shrine to St. Paul, the patron Saint of the Diocese.

The tour of the Cathedral was just starting so we joined the group. An energetic tour guide described the history of the Cathedral and the interior with all the statues, stained glass, chapels, etc. We really enjoy touring the old churches and this one now tops our list. The pictures do not do justice, you just have to see it yourself.

Photos of the Cathedral have been added to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Old Spaghetti Factory and Minnehaha Falls

2011-06-21T15:21:00.001-05:00

While waiting for our food we discussed how much we like the Old Spaghetti Factory and kidded that we might have full-timed just so we could drive around the country to all the locations. It certainly is an advantage of full-timing to be able to eat at your favorite places no matter where they are located.

We both like the Mizithra cheese which you can get "ala Homer", simply browned butter and the Mizithra cheese. This is what Jo got this time and Bob got the Manager's Favorite which is 1/2 Mizithra and 1/2 meat sauce. They also have a creamy pesto salad dressing that is really good. The Old Spaghetti Factory is one of our favorite places to eat and if there is one in the area where we are staying you know we will eat there at least once.

After lunch we went to Minnehaha Falls immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Song of Hiawatha" where Hiawatha and Minnehaha, the characters from the poem:

Over wide and rushing rivers

In his arms he bore the maiden.

Minnehaha Falls is in Minnehaha Park which is a city park in Minneapolis Minnesota. There has been a lot of rain recently so the 53-foot waterfall looked really impressive and the creek was roaring. We were talking with some friends who tried to lessen our expectations because during droughts the flow can slow to a trickle to nothing at all. But this was no drought time and to hear the water crashing down and to get hit with the spray on the walkway left both of us glad that we drove to this park.

There are walking trails in this 193 acre park along with the Stevens House, the Minnehaha Depot, and the Longfellow House where you can get a history of the park. A neat city park and a very nice waterfall.

Photos from this visit have been uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Slight change of plans

2011-06-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

We had planned to leave yesterday for the Duluth area but when we called our first couple of choices for RV Parks we found they were both full. Turns out there is a huge event in Duluth this weekend, the 35th running of Grandma's Marathon. So we decided to stay another week at the Dakotah Meadows RV Park.

This will delay our first exposure "to the big lake they call Gitche Gumee" or better known as Lake Superior a week as our next stop is Bayfield Wisconsin near the Apostle Islands and then in July we will head to Houghton Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula. We will work our way across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the remainder of July and most of August.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

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Catching up

2011-06-13T08:12:00.000-05:00

We left the Des Moines area last Friday and now are in the Twin Cities area. While in Des Moines we experienced extremes of weather; for two days we had record heat and you know how we like the heat, and for two days we had record rainfall. The heavy amount of rain turned our site into a muddy mess which made our departure more of an adventure than it should have been. We really like the park, Cutty's Camping Club, but if we stay there again we just have to get a better site.

While in Des Moines we ate at a great place, so great in fact that it added a new item to 'Our Favorite Things (Food)' list and that is the pumpkin pancakes. So we know have two items under best specialty pancakes; the sweet potato pancakes at eggtc in Kansas City and the pumpkin pancakes at the Drake Diner in Des Moines. Everything else we had there was great also so this is a highly recommended place even if you do not like pumpkin pancakes.

As mentioned previously we are in the Twin Cities area and plan to be in the area for a week with our next stop at Duluth. We are at the Dakotah Meadows RV Park near the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake in the SW corner of the metro area. After the less than level gravel site that did not have much gravel we are on a concrete level pad. This is a nice park we would not hesitate to stay at again. We plan to relax, do some sightseeing, see some old friends and of course eat at some of the places that Bob has on his list for the area.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Bosnian Food

2011-06-09T09:11:00.003-05:00

How do you eat where the locals eat? Well you ask the locals. Luckily while in Des Moines an old friend of ours Sam now lives there and he recommended the Saraj Restaurant and Bakery in West Des Moines Iowa. So we went there with Bob's sister and our friend Sam.

When he described Bosnian food it just sounded so good and we were not disappointed. Similar to Greek cuisine but different of course. The meat in the Bosnian gyro is all beef while in the United States it is usually a combination of beef and lamb. Instead of the normal pita bread this gyro is served like a big sandwich with Bosnian bread on the bottom and top. Served along with lettuce, tomatoes and onions and of course tzatziki which is a cucumber based sauce. The Bosnian tzatziki was different than the Greek version we are used to but very good. Bob and Sam both got the Bosnian gyro which was excellent. The gyro meat was superb. The portions are also huge and there is some gyro in our refrigerator right now.

Pita in Bosnian food is also different. It is stuffed filo dough made into a roll. Jo got the Zeljanica Pita which was stuffed with spinach and cheese, a Bosnian spinach pie, which is good but Jo agreed the gyro was better. The Pita comes with a Bosnian mixed salad which is tomatoes, cucumber slices and onions with a sour cream sauce. This salad was also very good. The picture is of a gyro and mixed salad.

Bob's sister got the traditional Greek gyro with chicken which she said was one of the best she has ever had.

We just had to sample a Bosnian dessert so we shared a Sampita, sponge cake with a meringue topping. In this case it was a chocolate sponge cake and a raspberry meringue but it traditionally is a yellow sponge cake with lemon meringue. Saraj offers both types of Sampita. The meringue is also something different, it is more of a marshmallow texture instead of the meringue you may be used to but the dessert was very good.

Sometimes the locals eat at places you may never have tried but give them a chance, like we did at Saraj Restaurant and Bakery. We really liked it and would definitely eat there again.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Full-timing with Cats; Cat Feeder

2011-06-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

As promised another edition of full-timing in our Fifth Wheel with three cats. We have an automatic cat feeder that dispenses dry food to two of our three cats, JJ and Sandra. Tiger, the third cat, eats when she wants so she has her own bowl in the bedroom.

Shortly after we got the feeders we noticed that we had a scientist and an engineer. Sandra the scientist figured out how to get the food still in the chute by sticking her paw in palm side down.

JJ the engineer watched Sandra for awhile and then improved on her method by getting on his side and reaching way up palm side up achieving much greater distance up the chute.

This just proves that scientists are only needed to occasionally point engineers in the right direction in the rare instances that they need it.

If you cannot tell or did not know Bob is an Engineer, Mechanical Engineer!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Visiting family and friends on our way to the Upper Peninsula

2011-06-06T15:51:00.001-05:00

We left the Kansas City area last Friday and journeyed to Cutty's Des Moines Camping Club in Grimes Iowa in the Greater Des Moines area. Bob is from Iowa so we will be seeing family and friends which we have not seen since September of last year and some even longer. So far the get togethers have involved food (shocking we know) and a tour of our new home. We have found a great place we plan to hit again and if it is as good as it was the first couple of times we plan to blog on it later.

After our sprint from the Phoenix area to the Kansas City area we are staying at least one week at a time on our way to the Upper Peninsula. We plan to leave this Friday to our next stop in the Minneapolis area.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tip - Perfect Trash Bag for RVs

2011-05-31T08:19:00.000-05:00

With the full-timing RV lifestyle of being on the go a lot and eating out a lot we certainly generate a lot less trash than we used to in our old sticks and bricks. But with cleaning the litter boxes for three cats that join us on our adventure one thing you do not want is a trash bag that breaks or leaks.

We have found the perfect trash bag that fits the small trash container found in most RVs. A bag that is thick and stretchable, the Glad ForceFlex Medium Garbage Bags (8 Gallon). The unique diamond structure in the bag stretches around objects to prevent rips and tears. This is good because some days are just big trash days, usually the day the mail arrives. We have jammed things into these bags and been amazed that they never rip.

We occasionally have found these bags at a Wal-Mart but have consistently found them at Target. This is one of the rare items that we have a small stockpile in storage in case we are in areas that we might not be able to get them so you know how much we like them. We ran out once and used a different brand and you guessed it we had a rip but thankfully it was outside. So now we keep a few in storage just in case.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tip - We have new portable chairs

2011-05-21T09:47:00.001-05:00

When we were in Arizona our friends, Paws and Friends, showed us their new chairs, the Strongback Chair. The timing was pretty good as one of the rockers that we bought from Camping World the fabric had started to rip. The problem with most Camping World chairs is that the fabric is sewn around the frame so you need to find a good reupholstering place, or do as we did for a short term fix, duct tape. Or should I say Gorilla Tape, which is duct tape on steroids and our new favorite tape.

The timing on seeing these chairs was not so good as we were about to leave Arizona so we couldn't order them right away like we wanted to. We waited until we got to the KC area and ordered them and they recently arrived.

These chairs fold up nicely and fit into a canvas bag for easy storage when traveling. But the best part of these chairs are that they are SOOOOO comfortable. A great day for us is to just sit outside and read. While the Camping World chairs are nice you got a little sore after a while and had to get up and stretch. With these chairs the back is supported, hence the name strongback, and we don't get the stiffness and soreness that we did with the old chairs, which are now our guest chairs, so sorry guests :-)

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

eggtc in Kansas City

2011-05-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

We have a new favorite breakfast place in the Kansas City area, eggtc.

We discovered eggtc during our last visit to the KC area and were very impressed. We made a point to visit there again when we came back into town. Everything that we have had has been of very high quality, the eggs taste farm fresh and the sausage patties may be the best we have ever had, but there is one thing there that is so good it has bumped an item from 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)' list for the first time ever. Our new favorite specialty pancake is the sweet potato pancakes from eggtc. We like everything else there we usually just get a regular menu item and then upgrade the bread to a single sweet potato pancake.

There are two locations in the greater KC area; 51st and Main (original) in KCMO and 71st and Renner Road in Shawnee KS. If you live in the area or are visiting you owe it to yourself to try eggtc, you will not be disappointed.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tidbits from our trip from Phoenix area to KC area - Wichita KS

2011-05-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

We confess that we are creatures of habit and if you travel the same roads from one place to another you are likely to stop at the same places. So we stopped in Amarillo again this time. There is not too much to blog about here as we just ate at places we have before, Rudy's Country BBQ, Famous Dave's, and Red Lobster. The weather cleared so we were able to stay three nights and take advantage of the free night offer at Oasis RV Resort where you stay two nights and the third night is free. We like this park as has been mentioned before.

While in Wichita KS we at at the Egg Crate Cafe. While researching a place to eat breakfast Bob found this tidbit that the owners of the Egg Crate Cafe were looking for a good place to eat breakfast in Wichita and could not find one so they started one. Bob had the ham steak, eggs, hashbrowns and a side of gravy while Jo had pancakes and eggs. This is a good, but not great place, for breakfast.

We then went to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita which we were surprised to find out is the 18th largest Zoo in the Country that is looking to expand and their plans look great. They have recently added the tiger trek and penguin areas and of course we had to see the gorillas and lions. It is also the state's most popular tourist attraction.

We were able to use our Zoo membership to get a discount since this is a reciprocal zoo which is always nice. The weather was perfect in the low 70's although there were about a dozen bus loads of kids to deal with but for the most part it was OK. We did not take either one of these but there is a free Tram Tour and a Boat Tour that you have to pay for but it was reasonably priced at $3 per person.

It was a great day at the Zoo after which we headed back to the park to do our departure tasks for our early morning departure the next morning.

Photos from the Zoo are located here.

Till next time

Bob and Jo

Tidbits from our trip from Phoenix area to KC area - New Mexico

2011-05-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

Here are some tidbits from our recent trip from Goodyear AZ to Peculiar MO that we did not blog about. We blogged on our stay in Winslow and then we headed to Grants NM which turned out to just be a stopover for us. We got out of Winslow before the winds got too bad, rode out the winds in Grants, and then left before the winds got to bad again staying two nights. We visited the Kiva Cafe which was pretty good, filled our tanks with diesel and went to Mass which was the extent of our time in Grants. If we ever go there again we will visit the mining museum and the ice caves and volcano caldera nearby so there are things to see there we just did not have the time this trip.

Our next stop was Santa Rosa NM and we got some really good food at the Silver Moon Cafe and the Santa Fe Grill. The breakfast burrito and green chile at the Silver Moon Cafe are as good as any we have had. The Silver Moon Cafe also had pina colada coconut cake that has the potential to be our favorite cake it was so good. We were able to get in some sightseeing as we stopped at the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa. It is a small museum but it is jammed with neat stuff from a cash register made from the front of a car to a 1957 Chevy that you could buy for $150,000. We also liked the Route 66 map that they had. Frank and Mike from 'American Pickers' would love this place with pedal cars, antique visible gas pumps, signs and oil cans. We enjoyed this museum. Photos from Santa Rosa are located here

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Moving Day (sorta)

2011-05-13T15:17:00.000-05:00

When we called Peculiar Park Place RV Park in Peculiar Missouri a couple of weeks ago we were surprised to be put on a waiting list. Turns out there was a lot of hail damage in the area thankfully before we got in the area and the park was loaded with insurance adjusters and contractors, at one time there were 18 rigs in line for check-in. Since we were 7th on the waiting list we began to make other arrangements. So we were surprised when a couple of days later we got a call from the Park saying they would make room for us since we are regular customers.

We ended up in a pull thru site close to 71 Highway and it was a lot of road noise but when a back-in site became available we would be first in line. Well a back-in site became available today so we changed sites. Funny thing is that you have pretty much the same routine for 200 miles or for 1/10th of a mile. We are all settled in now and will be here for at least 3 more weeks. We are on a cul-de-sac shaped area with some open ground behind us right up to the edge of some woods. It already has been great for the bird feeders with chickadees, cardinals, titmouse, red headed woodpecker and a hummingbird already visiting. The cats love this spot, the girls are all tuckered out from bird watching and are taking naps so JJ has the birds all to himself right now.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Dubious Milestone Reached (Diesel)

2011-05-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

On our trip from the Phoenix area to the Kansas City area we reached a dubious milestone as we paid over $4 for Diesel for the first time. Our last fill up before we left was $3.95 in Goodyear AZ. We knew it was coming but it was still a shock to pay $4.17 in Winslow AZ and then $4.09 in Grants NM and $4.23 in Santa Rosa NM. But as we journeyed further the prices came down a bit to $3.95 in TX and OK and $3.99 in Wichita KS. We just got our first fill up in the KC area and paid $3.92.

High diesel prices won't scare us, we figure as long as we are having fun we will continue to full-time.We may stay longer at places but we were starting to feel this way before the recent price hikes. But as big government becomes more and more communistic we may reach a time where we are told how much we can drive but until then we will live our lives as we see fit.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We made it to the KC area

2011-05-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

We got to Peculiar Missouri on Friday April 29th. It was a windy day forecast so we left earlier by getting up earlier and by having breakfast in the rig along with our usual lunch. There was a wide variety of the forecasts for the wind gusts all the way up to 70 mph but they all agreed that it would not start until about 11:00 a.m. With our early start we were on the road two hours before the high winds hit Wichita.

It was one of our better travel days again with 216 miles per Google Maps. We were at the tail end of rush hour in Wichita and it was not bad at all. I-435 in Kansas and Missouri had more traffic than we have seen for awhile but we moved at a good pace. As we travel more we find we want to have shorter travel days and stay longer once we get there. We plan to be in the KC area about a month seeing friends, family, Doctors, and of course eating at some of our favorite places.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

On our way back to the KC area - in Wichita KS

2011-04-27T09:26:00.000-05:00

Well we ended up staying 3 nights in Oklahoma which gave us a chance to eat at Sid's Diner in El Reno again for an onion burger. This is another place that is as good or better than you remember. It is so good we have added a 'Best Burger' to 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)' listing.

There were no severe storms where we were but we either did not want to drive in the rain or prepare for departure in the rain. The nice thing about this lifestyle is the flexibility to stay an extra day or two or leave a day earlier if need be.

Maybe we are getting used to travel days, or maybe because it was only 180 miles with no clock changing or demonic plastic storage box to deal with, but yesterday was a good travel day from OK to Wichita. Started out partly cloudy and then cleared up and then cloudy and sprinkles of rain as we were finishing setting up.

Looks like it will be three nights here in Wichita and then off to Peculiar MO for a few weeks for friends, family, doctors and dare I say good BBQ!!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo