11/20/99

Lickdale CG, Jonestown, PA

Departed W. Lebanon 6:45 a.m.. Stopped in Albany, NY, for lunch with Bob and Helen. Enjoyable first day: weather - a little rain and fog, light traffice, PA has paved most of Rts. 88 and 81 which is a great improvement.

11/21

Longs CG, Lexington, VA

7:46 p.m. We are settled at our CG, all cleaned up and have had supper. It's 75 degrees in the van tonight, and we had to open the windows!!!

11/22

Woodsmoke CG, Unico, TN

2:37 PM, just filled up at Flying J Wytheville, (Exit 77 I-81).

Connie got us a nice lunch and we watched the news on the dish in the parking lot...

This life isn't too hard to take, you know?

11/23-25

Arrived Carol and Art Pitman’s home, Franklin, NC.

11/24

Gorgeous, sunny day - visited, walked, relaxed. Carol getting over flu.

11/25

Thanksgiving: 2.5" of rain, fog; fine dinner at Summit Inn, Franklin, with Carol and Art. Visited the rest of day.

11/26

Sequoya Caverns CG (CCA)

Left Franklin; Winding Stair Gap beautiful, then TN through gorge beside Ocoee River.

It's really cooling down tonight, Cal filled up the fresh water tank, not going to leave the hose out...

11/27

Visited Sequoya Caverns and stayed at CG here another night.

11/28-12/4

Arrived Foscue Creek Park, Demopolis, AL

We are parked at the Corp of Engineers park at Demopolis, AL. We had planned to make this a 2 nighter, but it turns out there is a "Christmas on the River" celebration which goes on all week and highlights Saturday with a boat parade. We decided to stay until Sunday AM, then take off for Louisiana. So we will make this a one week stop. It's a great park.

11/29

This evening we parked beside the City Square and waited for the parade to arrive from the Demopolis Landing; then witnessed the lighting of the trees on the Square.

We still like this life!!

11/30

While waiting for something to happen at the live Nativity scene, we were chatting with the manager of the radio station, and he requested that we stop by his booth Friday night for a live interview? Being from NH is our claim to fame!!

12/2

We had a great time at the candlelight tours of 3 ante-bellum homes. Featured were Choral Groups, Hand Bell players, etc. It was really nice.

On the way out of Gainswood, the most elegant of the plantation homes, the property manager who was sitting at the gate, said, "You must be the couple from, NH?" "Yes how did you know?" He replied, "It was on the radio station, and I spotted the Camping World Tours jackets you are wearing!"

12/3

The Alabama State BBQ Cookoff Competition was a new experience for us. There were 33 BBQers set up in Christmas-decorated booths at the Demopolis City Landing. The participants were serving roast pig or chicken, chili, and drinks. We paid a $5 admission and wandered around, sampling wherever we wished.

One of the BBQ units cost $85,000. All of them have sponsors and travel over the south competing every week-end.

Cal was interviewed by the Manager of the radio station!!

Geeez, we are celebrities, and we haven't even had our interview yet, ha!

12/4

The radio manager gave us a tip for the best viewing of the City parade this morning so we were there in place at the appointed time. It was a wonderful 50-minute parade.

We bought our lunch from a vendor at the street fair; the chicken on a stick, brownie and ice cream for Connie/apple dumpling with ice cream for Cal were all delicious.

After a nap in the afternoon, we found a good spot at the City Landing to watch the highlight of the week, the boat parade on the river. It included 20 boats with animated, lighted figures, Christmas music and fireworks for the grand finale.

12/5-7

Land o’ Pines CG, (CCA) Covington, LA

12/5

We left Demopolis this AM and are moving on down to Covington, LA, today. We started out in rain, but the sun is now trying to come out at 11:18 CST.

12/6

We went down to the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Reservation and sat for quite a while in a secluded spot to read our mail. Mail sent last Friday showed up by 10 am Monday, how's that for service?

In the afternoon we toured the Pearl River on a swamp boat which launched at Slidell. It was too cold for ‘gators, 50 degrees, but we saw 6-8 great blue heron, one white egret and one barred owl. Also lots of cypress trees and knees which are quite beautiful in their own way. That green stuff on the water is duck weed, a plant.

12/7

It was about 32 this AM but the water from the spigot didn't freeze.

12/8

New Orleans KOA West, Kenner, LA (stay here next time)

We came across the 23.8 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and drove right into the French Quarter, parked the rig and did a 2-hour bus tour of New Orleans. We had thought about going back tomorrow to do a river cruise but have concluded that we will move on.

We learned this from our bus driver re a statue of horse and rider: If the horse’s right foot is up, the rider died of natural causes; if the left foot is up, the rider died in battle;, if both front feet are up, the rider was victorious; if four feet are up, the horse is dead.

We found that driving in New Orleans is no big deal and the drivers are far more courteous than in many cities that we won't mention.

The gal driving the bus talked non-stop while wheeling that 45 footer around the town and still found time to thumb her ears at the other bus drivers.

We watched the Natchez paddle wheeler leave for a cruise and walked the Riverfront. The next time we come to New Orleans we’ll make plans to do and see more.

At 4:20 when we arrived at the KOA, we found there was a broken water main right out in front of the campground, so we are operating on our own water supply tonight. They say it will be off a couple of hours, but we suspect that may be a bit optimistic. No problem, we have enough on board for cooking and we don't smell too bad yet.

12/9-10

Hideaway Ponds Recreation Resort, Gibson, LA

Stopped at parking lot where we could watch tow boats on Gauche Bayou while we ate lunch.

On the 11th we went to Morgan City and found the International Petroleum Museum where "Mr. Charlie", the first offshore rig, is parked. The museum isn’t open now which was disappointing. Mr. Charlie is the grandfather of all portable rigs and is used for training purposes.

Then to the Century Home Museum and the Mardi Gras Museum. At the latter we learned that many small towns in southern LA have a Mardi Gras. It takes a year to make the costumes which are worn twice, once to crowning ball and then the next year when they are outgoing. A Mardi Gras parade is the greatest free show on earth. The houses were decorated beautifully for Christmas.

Next to the Brownell Memorial Park and Carillon Tower. The Park is only 9.5 acres and is the only true swamp left. Cypress trees with moss and knees are absolutely beautiful here. It’s a lovely, tranquil place and the guide walked the trails with us. The carillons weren’t working.

12/11

Kemper-Williams Parish Park, Patterson, LA

Visited the Wedell-Williams Aviation Museum in Patterson. It is small and well done. There were 20 6-foot Christmas trees scattered among the airplanes. Quite obviously there was a decorating competition for school children - Connie enjoyed this aspect of the museum very much!! Cal thought the planes were fine.

In spite of a train rumbling by every two hours, this was a great place to spend the evening and night. Kemper-Williams Park is a public Parish (county) park and both sides of the mile-long road through the park were beautifully decorated with animated creatures, including up in the trees. Cars were driving through all evening to admire the lights. We were the only campers enjoying the facilities that night.

12/12

Chase RV Park, New Iberia, LA

Rt 128: sugar cane farming country. We watched cane being chopped, transported by tractor w/conveyor which was raised up and dumped into 45 foot semi-trailer w/screened sides. Cane is bright green in field and brown when chopped and dumped.

Centerville: lovely Victorian homes

Franklin: Toured Grevemberg mansion with guide who knew and loved the mansion and all old things; it was beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Then to Oaklawn which is owned and lived in by the current Governor. He and wife live in the house but allow tours of the first floor. The lady giving tour was delightful and great fun, especially while a couple from northern LA were there. He is Marshall in LA - we have name and address. The Christmas decorations were fantastic; the massive lawn, trees, gardens very impressive.

12/13-14

Arcadiana Campsite, Lafayette, LA

We began the day on 13th with a 30-minute walk on a gravel road between sugar cane fields -- cool and windy.

Then to the Sugar Cane Museum in Jeanerette where two videos answered our questions. Cane is planted once every three years, is cut when ready, and then comes up again. They are striving for a 4-5 year planting. They lay the stalks in the ground and cover them up.

Had a very interesting tour at the Konriko Rice Mill and made a purchase at their Country Store.

On the 14th we learned more about the history and culture of the French Acadians, the Cajuns and the Creoles at the Acadian Cultural Center.

Vermilionville is located a short distance from the Center and is a recreated Acadian town. The tour was conducted by a direct descendant of French Acadians. She had a terrible speech impediment, so we were exhausted, but tour was most informative. Special talks were given by hosts in buildings along the way, e.g., blacksmith shop, sewing house, spinning and quilting house, and a wood carver.

We enjoyed a delicious Cajun buffet in the restaurant and heard Cajun music to which a couple was dancing. Great time.

12/15

Abbeville RV Park, Abbeville, LA

We enjoyed another great experience at Avery Island (south of New Iberia). There is a salt plug 8 miles deep with a 6 mile circumference on the end of the Island which is presently being mined 1600 feet down. Also on this island hot peppers are grown; forty years ago the owner of the island combined those two ingredients and perfected and patented Tabasco Sauce--the only factory for its manufacture is there on the island and we visited it. The fortune which resulted from pepper and salt enabled the owner to acquire plants from all over the world and the resulting 250-acre Jungle Garden is something to behold: there are 64 varieties of exotic bamboo, 750 to 1000 varieties of camellias, over 100 varieties of azaleas (to name just a few) all combined and melded artistically; there are pools, sunken gardens, rock gardens, archways of holly and wisteria. And then there is Bird City where in the spring 20,000 herons and egrets come to nest and raise their families.

12/16

Quiet Oaks CG, Fenton, LA

It was 32 degrees here this morning but warmed into 60's today - the sun is always very warm and pleasant.

Today’s drive took us past miles and acres of rice fields which have replaced sugar cane fields of previous days.

12/17

Tide’s Inn Park, Holly Beach, LA

We went south to the Gulf of Mexico today via the Creole Nature Trail and while cruising along the coast, we found this neat little RV park right on the beach and that's where we anchored! We have a 100 degree span of gulf right in front of us!! Neato!

12/18

Sea Rim State Park, Sabine, TX

We completed our 13-day tour along the Louisiana coast and crossed into Texas. At Sabine Pass we visited a famous Civil War Battleground. Forty-two men under the command of Richard Dowling defeated a large Union invasion force, captured 2 vessels and took numerous prisoners. The battle lasted 45 minutes. MMmmmmmm! This park is also on the Gulf and complete with intolerable mosquitoes.

Saw an off-shore drilling rig up close today; believe it was in the yard for overhaul, gad what a monster.

It rained last night, but we could see the lights on the Texas towers out in the gulf well into the evening.

12/19-20

Gulf Holiday RV Park, Hitchcock, TX

Had to backtrack to Port Arthur and take an inland detour due to 20 miles of closed shore road. Once back on the shore road we continued west along the Bolivar Peninsula to the FREE ferry that took us to Galveston. We went directly to pier 19 to visit the Offshore Rig and Museum. This was most educational and interesting.

Parked right next to the rig was a monstrous hotel mounted on 2 barges. When we saw the name on the towboat, we realized it was the River Explorer that is owned by the same company as the RV Barge cruise of a year ago and is the River Barge Excursion that Carolyn and John Young are booked on for next March.

Sitting on a dock piling, handing out brochures, was the owner of the barge companies, Edie Conrad. We recognized him immediately as he looks so much like his brother Don who was the bargemaster on the RV barge. He was kind enough to give us a tour of the "Floating Hotel", which we found to be very, very elegant.

We also visited a tall ship which is tied up right in the same area. It is a steel-hulled vessel built in 1877. We then saw a documentary film on the great storm of 1900 which destroyed Galveston and killed thousands. We really like Galveston and are planning to go back on a future trip. It's an elegant city.

Sooo, it was a busy day and we didn't get into the campground 30 minutes north of Galveston until 6:15 CST.

12/20

We had planned to go back and do the Galveston Island beach today, but it was raining and cold, so we went shopping, got the oil changed and caught up on all the routine stuff.

Tomorrow we are off to Lake Conroe for a week with RV friends, so you may not be hearing from us for a while.

We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. These electronic greetings will be it for this year, and we trust you'll use the same media. It's fast and the postage is very competitive!!

12/21-27

Thousand Trails Park, Lake Conroe, TX (guests of Pete and Ellie)

This Thousand Trails Park is very beautiful. It is huge - Cal and I walked for 45 min. yest. morning and didn't get all around the perimeter. We're on the highest point and Pete and Ellie are across the road from us. There's a lot of difference in the amenities in parks, i.e., quality of bath houses, sharpness of grounds, etc. This one has an activity center and a welcome center with very nice sofas, TV, etc. There are boats w/motors to rent and paddle boats also. (Too cold to be interesting.) Tonight we used the spa for the first time as it's cold and quite a walk from our RV. We're very close to the bath house, though, and think we're about the only ones using it as all the other rigs are much larger and folks are using their own showers. The terrain in this whole area looks just like New England - trees, vegetation, rolling hills, etc.

Yesterday Pete, Ellie, Cal and Connie went to see Jim and Jean - they live on this same lake but they are 15 miles from here via the road. They are the ones who invited us to join them for Christmas dinner. They are wonderful, warm, down to earth, fun folks. The six of us went to the Golden Corral for lunch. Jim and Jean told us about the rental mobile home which they are trying to get ready and of all the work they have to do. Cal asked what we could do to help. The outcome was that today Jim, Pete, and Cal built a porch and tomorrow will finish it when they add the steps. Of course this help is greatly appreciated, but Cal is delighted to be busy - he really doesn't want to just hang around.

12/28-29

Colorado Landing CG in LaGrange, TX

Our week at Lake Conroe sped by - the 130-acre park was just beautiful and all amenities were 'top drawer'. On Christmas morning we phoned our loved ones back in NH which made the day; but then Christmas dinner and visiting with new friends couldn't have been any better.

On the 29th a walking tour of historic downtown LaGrange introduced us to about 30 buildings constructed by Czechs and Germans in the mid 1800's. They brought their stone masonry skills with them when they immigrated - all buildings are very different one from the other and most interesting. You'd swear the jail was a church!

Cal wrote: We got so homesick today that we went looking at "Painted Churches", ha, ha, ha. Funny thing, they are constructed of wood with steeples and are painted white. Could have been moved here from Vermont. Connie's viewpoint: they're darling little churches - the ones we saw were gothic architecture, very ornate with exceptionally beautiful stained-glass windows. One amazing feature is that to locate the churches, we drove through the rolling countryside with its cattle munching very brown grass, and then, as indicated on our map, there would be a church plunked beside the road in a residential/farming area. Whenever we meet folks walking in town or driving in the country, they speak or wave--very nice.

In perusing the back roads we discovered an armadillo feeding beside the road. First one we ever saw in the wild.

We also visited Monument Hill in La Grange, said to be the most scenic spot in central Texas.

12/30-1/2

River Valley CG, Canyon Lake, TX

This CG borders the Guadalupe River where river rafting and tubing are a big tourist business between Memorial and Labor Days; needless to say, very quiet now.

12/31

We celebrated New Year’s eve in the rec hall with Norma and Ken ?, and Bob and Karen Tozier. Those four played dominoes for a while, then we all played Uno. Around 11 p.m. we dipped into Norma’s pork and sauerkraut and finished up with our pumpkin pie. Watched the ball drop in Times Square and then all were home in their own rig when the New Year arrived in our Central Time zone. Nice folks, enjoyable evening.

1/2

Cal was feeling miserable with a cold and Connie was trying for it, but we perked up and drove to Canyon Lake dam for lunch, then after a nice chat with Gary, we walked half way across the very long and high dam. The view of lake was great to the left and mountains equally so to our right. Marvelous temperature - no breeze for perfect for two folks with colds.

1/3

Lone Star Corral CG, Hondo, TX (SKP)

We had a few scenic vistas and actually reached 1000 ft elevation as we traveled into Texas Hill Country. Bandera, "Cowboy Capital of the World", is in this Hill Country, and we enjoyed more craggy hills before heading south past dude ranches and a return to flat, brown fields that stretched on forever. Elevators beside the railroad tracks indicated that grain is a prominent crop in this area.

1/4-5

American CG, Del Rio, TX.

1/5

Wednesday we visited the San Felipe Springs where 90 million gallons of water per day pours out of the ground. What a sight, that crystal clear water. Next was a visit to the Whitehead Museum in Del Rio where we learned a lot more about the early west.

1/6

Canyon RV Park, Sanderson, TX

Today we saw the highest bridge in Texas which crosses the Pecos river. Also visited the home and saloon of Judge Roy Bean, "The Law West of the Pecos", ca 1880's

Sanderson is a classic little town on route 90, and it's almost dead except for a crew laying fiber-optic cable across Texas. In 1999 the Sanderson legislature designated its town the "Cactus Capital of Texas." Whatever turns you on!!!

It gets down into the 30's at night, but the bright sun warms it up quickly during the day.

1/7-8

Park View RV Park, Fort Stockton, TX

There really is a fort in Fort Stockton, which we visited during our stay in this town. We drove around the downtown, historic area in the pouring rain, having little interest to admire the old buildings more thoroughly under those circumstances. Along with the 32-degree temps all that day, we had a 'lazy' wind--it was too lazy to go around but went right through.

1/9-10

El Campo RV Park, Van Horn, TX -- great park

Hostess, Virginia, greets incoming campers at their vehicle and her warmth continues for entire stay. Pete and Ellie, Karen and Bob Tozier were already here when we arrived.

Today while traveling from Fort Stockton to Van Horn, we were tossed around by the fiercest wind we've ever encountered. About 10:30 we pulled off the interstate and parked on a rancher's dirt road, and we rocked there for a couple of hours. The wind abated some, and we continued on to Van Horn. Must add that the 32-degree day was followed by a bright, sunny one with temps in the 60's - and that was followed by several days in the 70's--now we're back down to 60's.

1/10

We walked down the street for a buffet breakfast at the Sands Restaurant - what a treat - first deviation from oatmeal.

This CG in Van Horn is surrounded by mountains.

We spent the day driving north of town into the Guadalupe National Forest where the Guadalupe Peak, elev. 8751 ft., "dominates one of the highest and least known hinterlands of the old frontier." A very beautiful, fun day and we’d enjoy exploring more of this area another time.

1/11-13

Cotton Valley RV Park, Clint, TX (near El Paso)

While in El Paso for three days, we checked out many of its features. One important item is that it has 3 Golden Corrals, our favorite, buffet-serving restaurant!; it has 4 WalMarts just to give you an idea of its size. We loved driving through the Franklin Mts. State Park where the highway goes over the mountains so we were very close to the rocky contours. We joined the masses of cars zooming over 4-lanes downtown and poked leisurely on the outskirts of this vast city in the desert.

The highlight, though, was the few hours spent at Hueco Tanks State Park 32 miles east of El Paso. The "park encompasses 760 acres which includes caves and rock formations displaying Indian rock art. For centuries Hueco Tanks has been a well-known landmark in this arid region of West Texas. Desert dwellers and travelers have long made use of the supply of rainwater trapped in natural basins or "huecos" among the rocks. We clamored over the rocks and into a couple of caves to see the Indian pictographs but one really needs a guide to find the best caves, and guides aren't around at this time of year. We did see the natural basins, some with water, others empty. There are also remains of the adobe buildings here that were used by the Butterfield Stagecoach line. It was a relay station.

Also of interest in El Paso is the Border Patrol Museum. Lots of items and a live video link to the infra-red cameras that are scanning the border. The action we saw on that baby was too much for this document! We'll just say it was better than any network TV show.

1/14

Wagon Wheel RV Park, Deming, NM

We had breakfast at the Boll Weevil Restaurant next door to our cCG, then were on the road to New Mixico. We traveled secondary roads most of the way, then the final leg was on Rt 10. Saw cotton fields, pecan orchards and one field of red peppers.

Today we ended our 24-day trek across Texas and arrived at Deming, NM, for a couple of days.

1/15, Saturday

An overnight in Deming, and we’re off to Silver City to do some exploring in the mountains, more specifically the Gila Cliff Dwellings in the Nat'l monument 44 miles north of Silver City.

That adventure came to a screeching halt 30 miles up the winding road when our mule decided he wasn't going to go any further. Our van came back to Silver City with the assistance of a tow truck and is now parked in front of the Ford Garage.

1/16

We are comfortably relaxing in the brand new Econo Lodge across the street. There is a Golden Corral a short distance away and a spa in the motel, so we aren't hurting. We did spend Saturday night in the van at the Ford lot but moved over here on Sunday.

The problem with the van appears to be fuel starvation and the fuel pump is a high suspect. With a little more luck, it will get repaired on Monday.

1/17

The garage mechanic wasn’t able to look at our van till 4:30 p.m., it took minutes to diagnose the problem (fuel pump/filter), but it was too late in the day to order a new one and they didn’t have one in the shop. Can’t get one before Wed. - it might be installed Wed. night.

We walked across street to have breakfast in Andrea, then a short walk up the street where we both got haircuts. It was just a bit further to the Golden Corral where we had lunch.

We both puttered in our spacious quarters at Econo Lodge during the afternoon and went back over to Andrea for supper.

1/18

We rented a car and found that the Silver City Food Coop has pero, Eden soy etc. Great!

Drove around the city a bit and to the Santa Clara open pit copper mine where Dick Landrano (father of our wrecker operator) works. The mine is one mile by one and one half miles across, 1800 feet deep, yields a million pounds of copper each year, is operated 365 days a year, and is the oldest operating mine in US.

1/19

We visited the Silver City Museum which is excellent; a great building and most interesting ‘stuff’ well displayed.

Had lunch at Pizza Hut and when we returned to garage found that our van was repaired and ready. It was a few minutes before check-out time at Econo Lodge, so we zoomed across the street, threw our stuff in plastic bags and we out of there!!

Back to Wagon Wheel in Deming as we had left a couple of items there.

Cal has the old fuel pump tied to the rear bumper where he can kick it every time he goes by it!

Heard something funny on the trucker frequency today:

"Get a load of that camper it must be made for midgets!"

1/20-22

Pato Blanco Lakes, Benson, AZ

This is our 2-month anniversary, we left NH on Nov. 20.

On the way to Pato Blanco today we stopped at a railroad ghost town called "Steins". Very interesting and VERY REAL.

This Pato Blanco Lakes CG is one beautiful park, complete with spa, nice big parking spaces, paved roads and surrounded by beautiful mountains. They also seem to have extra friendly people, a large rec room and many planned activities. The only one that jibed with our schedule was a 3-piece country band which proved to be very good and the park hosts served hot pop corn to us 40-or-so guests while we enjoyed the music. We are in site 84, (Sid and Laurel please note).

While at Pato Blanco, we motored south to Old Tombstone where we walked the streets and looked into the old historic buildings jammed with touristy items for sale. Costumed folks were on the streets encouraging us to ride on the stage coach, eat in their restaurant, or take in the gunfight. We obliged on the latter; the 'good' and 'bad' guys were professional actors who encouraged audience involvement so that was fun and quite safe!!

We had plans to visit Connie's Fisher College classmate in Sierra Vista that afternoon so we may return to Tombstone another time. Our stay with Janet and Howie was great; Howie is retired Army and was stationed at Fort Huachacu in Sierra Vista, so we had a first class tour of the Fort with all of its history and points of interest included. It was a treat to have a home-cooked meal, to see the inside of a southwestern home, and to meet Janet and Howie's son and his family.

1/23-25

Hickiwan Trails RV Park, Why, AZ

1/23

Saw our first saguaro cactus soon after traveling through Tucson. There are many interesting things to see and do here, but we have reservations in Ajo so will do them another time.

After Tucson there were many miles in the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Occasionally there was a poor looking dwelling surrounded by grass and cacti. "Business District" sign indicated a few buildings which were larger than the previous shacks but lacked prestige! We were not expecting our RV Park to be much after the long ride through Indian Reservation, but it’s great.

Hickiwan Trails is Indian operated but the Indian, Denis, doesn’t show up very often. If he doesn’t put in an appearance, ‘don’t pay’ is the word around camp!! Fine, new tiled showers and laundry; excellent CG.

1/24

Today we just 'hung out' at this lovely, first class CG in the desert with mountains all around. Connie lay in sun this morn.; it's the second time since we've been out that circumstances and sun permitted it. Cal puttered at things that needed fixing. Then we both went for a walk in the desert. There's a road from the CG that was perfect; we could walk as long as we wanted, admiring cacti 'n stuff, and being amazed at the vast acres of useless land - boy! is it different. The only sounds at night are those of coyotes howling off in the distance, heard only if we are awake anyway.

1/25

Organ Pipe Cactus Monument

Went to Visitor Center where we saw a film and listened to fifteen minute talk. In Sonora Desert there are two rainy seasons: in summer it pours and water runs off; in winter it rains lighter and soaks in.

Lovely ride through Organ Pipe Cactus Park, and then on way back up Rt 85 we stopped at area on left where folks were dry camping. Noticed an Airstream 190 so stopped to visit. The lady-owner lost her husband and has been camping alone ever since in her rig just like ours -- hers is a ‘91. We had a fine chat and then back to RV Park.

Saw two coyotes which are fed here in the park. Love it here and don’t want to leave.

Denise showed up and we paid our dues.

1/26

Stage Stop, Tonopah or Wintersburg, AZ

Left Hickiwan Trails CG and stopped on way out of Why, AZ, at Why Not Travel Store and PO very near our CG . Ajo is a surprise; the center of town is a green oasis, a beautiful little town to be explored: museum, mine, historic area.

We drove through the Barry Goldwater Air Base Range and stopped to watch jets practicing.

Wind was blowing clouds of sand, and we learned later at Quartzsite that it was very bad there that day also.

After a frustrating time trying to find a grocery store and Sun Chips, we arrived at Stage Stop, Tonopah or Wintersburg, AZ--this CG is forever crossed off our list; we were jammed into a tiny area way in the back where Cal had to climb over the neighbor’s jungle jim to connect our water hose; we were frequently serenaded by barking dogs.

1/26 - 2/6

Quartzsite, AZ

We are parked in the desert at Quartzsite with 20 zillion other RVers and having a ball. Went to the RV show Friday and Saturday where there were miles of vehicles and other merchandise to look at. Our limited space kept us from buying too much stuff

Saturday night some folks started making music here at the campsite. To be more specific, a keyboard player, a guitarist, and a lady who stopped in on her way to a fiddler’s competition.

1/30

Connie's Ramblings!!

Quartzsite is described as a dusty, scrub-brush town of a few hundred in the summer that swells to hundreds of thousands during the winter. As we approached Quartzsite, I began to see what folks have been talking about. On both sides of the highway, there were RVs parked in the desert as far as the eye could see. We were following Pete and Ellie (friends from NH), and made our way through the congestion in the center of town; at the 4-way stop signs, it's first man in, first man through the intersection, and you hope that everyone is getting the picture. We turned south on Rt 95, and after gazing in amazement at hundreds more RVs everywhere we looked, we pulled off the highway, onto a dirt road, wound our way through the brush, and parked amongst the radio hams - a destination prearranged and known to Pete.

Our neighbors come and go; the generator chorus begins early in the a.m. and ends late at night. We've used our generator very little, thanks to our batteries and inverter. Our piece of desert floor isn't just sand but is a carpet of little rocks jammed together with larger ones scattered around. This morning I was able to put down a space blanket, then a couple of quilts, and lay happily in the sun. There are no insects either flying or crawling. We later were warned about the sidewinder snakes and all were advised to give the bushes a wide berth.

The first day we left our desert site almost immediately as we had plans to meet Jim and Myrna at MacDonalds back in the center of Quartzsite, and traffic was so heavy that it took us 45 min. to travel 4 miles. Jim and Myrna are Nebraska friends we met on the Barge tour last year, and it was great to chat with them for a couple of hours over cold drinks.

The next two mornings we left early to go into town and were ahead of the crowds so easily found a good parking place.

The winter months turn the desert into a giant flea market tents of all sizes and vendors that defy description. We've spent a portion of two days thus far and have just scratched the surface of all that there is to see and buy. Cal has found lots of fun things in his areas of interest to look at, ask questions about, and get brochures for. I've done quite a bit of treading desert so far, but I'll have my turn. I've started shopping for my kids and will have

fun continuing that. There is everything available that you could name from RVs to T-shirts to jewelry to nail clippers.

The first afternoon we were told that the hams were gathering for happy hour, so we took our drinks and chairs and joined the big circle to sit around and chat - actually, we were in two circles, one for the men and we women moved to the other side of the motor home to be out of the cold wind.

The next aft. the word was that there would be music - so again we took a drink and chair and walked a short distance to another neighbor's RV where the circle was forming. There was a very talented gal who has been playing piano since she was big enough who had a keyboard. She knows how to make that thing talk - let me tell you - with that keyboard she has a full band or orchestra at her command. Another woman played her guitar and sang beautifully. Then someone went to get a woman who just stopped in one night on her way to a fiddler's contest down in Ajo. They took turns starting a song, the others would fiddle around a bit, pick up the tune and we were treated to one great old song after another until it was too cold to sit out any longer.

This afternoon, Sunday, we were entertained by the same guitar, plus another, the keyboard, and a professional marimba player -- what great music!

2/1

We are surviving very well in the desert. Have adjusted our lifestyle to get 4 days out of the tanks. Yesterday we went to Blythe, CA and dumped and filled. The city has a dump station. There was quite a line -- guess it took us about 45 minutes, but it was free. Also grocery shopped and did laundry in Blythe. Picked up the mail in Ehrenburg, AZ, which is the next town east of Blythe and about 20 miles from Quartzsite. Going over again next Friday to get mail and do the same routine.

Wednesday we were treated to a "surprise stew". Every family provided a couple of cans of something to throw in. It came out great!

We learned yesterday that this bowl where Quartzsite is located, which is many miles across, very flat, and surrounded with mountains, is an extinct volcano crater a few million years old. This explains the appearance of some of the rocks laying around here, they look as if they’ve really been cooked.

The Marimba player has been missing for a few days but she and her spouse showed up today with a shiny new Monaco Diplomat. There isn't even any dust on it yet, but that will soon change! Sooo, we were treated to another concert tonight. (Thursday)

Friday about 70 of us will be going to Brenda, AZ, where a function room has been reserved at a seafood buffet.

Time is flying and we will soon be moving on to Yuma.

This desert living could become addictive. The warm sun during the day isn't hard to take and we were in shorts today.

2/5

One never knows what is going to happen in the desert and today, Saturday, was no different.

An Airstream Van Camper just like ours pulled up and the occupants wanted to look at our awning.

The conversation led to the subject of "storage", and Bob casually mentioned that he is a musician and much of the bathroom was taken up with his instrument. "What do you play?" "Accordion/organ", was the response. "How about entertaining the group tonight?". He allowed that he would!

Turns out this gent is Bob Joiner, WB7BIV, of QRP fame, (the hams know what this means), and he also played professionally with the Sons of the Pioneers and Lawrence Welk. Needless to say, we were treated to some great dinner music while the campfire did its thing on supper.

2/7

Riverfront RV Park, Yuma, AZ

When we dusted out of Quartzsite south on Rt. 95, the flat scrubby desert was soon replaced by lumpy terrain, but we continued to be surrounded by beautiful mountains for a while. That was eventually replaced by citrus and date orchards, and it was good to see green for a change. South of the orchards, huge fields of lettuce hugged the highway and then we were in Yuma and our next camp ground with more contrasts to what we'd been living with for quite a while-- green trees and grass and many of the long-term RVers had brilliant pots of petunias and snapdragons beside their rigs.

2/8

We had breakfast in rec hall a few yards from our site. For $2 we had two eggs, hash browns, sausage or ham, hot biscuit, jam and coffee.

We met Pete and Ellie at 9:30 on Rt. 8 as this was to be our 'shopping in Mexico experience!' We parked in California, paid our $3 fee, and walked a short distance across the border where the fun began. In addition to all the expected items such as jewelry, leather goods, home decorations of all kinds, etc., we were surprised to note the number of dentists hanging out their shingles and eager to do all dental work including root canals for a nominal fee. One can get spectacles very inexpensively, and Cal got a fine haircut for $3.00. Connie had fun buying a bit of jewelry and quickly got the hang of bargaining with the natives over price.

2/9

Empire Landing - Bureau of Land Management (BLM) park near Parker Dam on the Colorado River

The four of us (Pete and Ellie) checked out of Yuma and retraced Route 95 north but soon were on secondary roads through the Yuma Proving Ground as we wanted to watch the US Army's parachute team, the Golden Knights, practice. There are signs and a parking lot for visitors to watch them every morning. We could follow the trail of smoke as the parachutists free fell and then the chutes opened and they landed on the "X" in front of us.

The BLM park was a fine place to park that night.

2/10-12

Harrah’s Casino parking low, Laughlin, NV

On our way to Laughlin, we stopped to see the London Bridge at Lake Havasu City. This is the second most visited attraction in Arizona.

There is no charge for staying here in Harrah’s parking lot, and the lot is full of RVs; water, dump, and trash facilities are provided ($5 to fill and dump) as the casino is making it easy for folks to park here and spend their money. Pete and Ellie like to play the nickel machines and allow themselves a small amount - the first night they left $15; the second night they walked away with $500.

We prefer to walk along the Colorado River, it's free and the odds are great! :-)

The weather out here is just fabulous.

2/12

We took a ride over a piece of the old Route 66 in Arizona, southeast of Bullhead City. Along that route is a mining ghost town called Oatman. This one is particularly interesting in that the main street is much as it was; however, the shops are now what we would call tourist traps, but it's well done. The streets are narrow and winding and have many burros wandering about looking for handouts. Carrots are their favorite treat. These animals are alleged to be descendants of those brought into the area by the prospectors.

The town doesn't look all that prosperous. For example, they have a new (preowned) firetruck, but it has no hoses on board and it's too big to fit in the firehouse so it sits on the street along with the rescue truck, which wouldn't fit in the garage either. They are both collecting plenty of dust. The tanker is an old military type and that's parked across the street backed in and ready for an instant departure, if it will start!

From here we proceeded northeast over the old Route 66 about 20 miles to Kingman over one of the hilliest and crookedest roads we have ever seen. It was posted "No trailers over 20 feet" and for good reason. Travelers over the old Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles must have loved this stretch of road.

2/13

Jokers Wild Casino parking lot, Las Vegas, NV

We swapped Harrah’s parking lot for Jokers Wild - again, no charge.

2/14-25

Sams Town RV Park, Las Vegas, NV

Sam's Town RV Park in Las Vegas proved to be a fine place to call home for 11 nights. It's one of the nicest parks, and we appreciated the green islands, palm trees, spiffy restrooms/showers, and our site which was by itself, i.e., not crammed in between other rigs. Since we're small, we sometimes are tucked into spaces too small for the big 'uns and that often works to our advantage as it did this time.

Of course Las Vegas has casinos everywhere and they have the reputation of serving good food at reasonable prices. We especially like buffets as we can have more variety of whatever seems enticing that day, and we patronized them quite frequently. For the most part, those eleven days were not worthy of a lengthy report - it was great not to have destinations or be burning up the pavement for a few days.

One day we went to a RV show and had fun looking - the conclusion was that we're most happy with what we have. Remember we spent New Year's eve with a nice couple in TX, and then we were camped at the same park in Benson, AZ? While browsing at the RV show, we met them again. Can't help but be repetitious and say, "What a small world!"

The weather was often quite cool and we had three days when it rained part of the time - that made it much easier to stay inside and prepare the income tax which was on our list of 'must do's'. Cal has worked very hard (because he wanted to) cleaning and polishing our van - it's never looked so good and it’s very rewarding to have it shining and looking newer than its age,

We spent just one day at the strip where the highlights were an excellent buffet (Gregg, Georgett and Connie ate there in '97). Cal especially enjoyed the collection of 200 antique cars at the Imperial Palace. Some examples: a Dusenberg unrestored with 15,000 original miles and it looked like it just came out of the showroom. Value 1.2 Million! Others include, Liberace's custom built, Marilyn Monroe's pink Mercury, Eisenhower and Nixon's inauguration car, and Kruschev’s personal car built on a Mercury frame. They all have a price and are for sale!

If we return to Vegas sometime, we think we'll park in a casino parking lot for a night or two and be serious about seeing more of the unique things that are there for the doing.

2/25

Pair-a-Dice Park, Pahrump, NV (SKP)

That's a nice little gambling town, and we would like to see more of the local attractions at a future date.

2/26-3/2 - Death Valley, CA

2/26

Texas Spring CG

We left Pahrump, NV, and entered Death Valley National Monument on Rt. 190, arriving late in the afternoon. We spent the first night at Texas Spring CG along with many tenters, RVers and some Boy Scouts who had found a marvelous place for an overnight. ‘Saturday’ seemed to be the explanation for all the people as we never saw that many campers in one place during our next five nights.

2/27

Texas Spring CG

Sunday we were off on our first full day of adventure, heading south on Badwater Road. The first stop was Golden Canyon where the walls towering above us as we walked up the narrow canyon were truly the color of gold/ light yellow - the rock formations were indescribable.

We stopped to take a picture of mushroom rock and then jiggled over a gravel road to Devil's Golf Course, "a sharp jumble of rock-hard salt pinnacles created by evaporated brine risen from a deeper layer of mud".

Another gravel road (and Boy! are all of them rough!) followed by a hike up into another canyon and there, sure enough, was a natural bridge.

We continued south over Badwater Road to Badwater (so named because water is saltier than the sea). The small amount of water and adjoining salt flats were interesting, and it was fun to be 282 feet below sea level, the lowest spot in the US.

We then retraced Badwater Rd. and detoured onto Artist's Drive which "winds some 10 miles through terrain streaked with iron oxides (yellow, red, pink) and volcanic minerals (green, purple), then through canyons cut into alluvial fans, common in the valley." One doesn't have to use his imagination to see those colors. There is an artist's palette also which one must see to believe. (If you're wondering what an alluvial fan is, think of a delta where soil builds up and spreads out at the mouth of a river. Soil washes down off the mountains and spreads out over the terrain below in the shape of a fan.)

We returned to the Texas Spring CG as it was convenient and picturesque.

2/28

Mesquite Springs CG, Death Valley

Monday we spent some time at the Visitor Center where we saw a film and cruised the museum--very helpful and interesting.

The Old Harmony Borax Works has the remains of the mill where borax was processed after the raw material was mined by Chinese laborers and hauled across the desert to the mill. The borax was then loaded into wagons and hauled by teams of 20 mules 10 days to a railhead. The loaded wagons and water tank weighted 36.5 tons.

We then drove 55 miles or so to the northern end of the Park and spent the night at Mesquite Springs CG so we'd be near Scotty's Castle which we planned to visit the next morning.

2/29

Scotty's Castle is a 'must see' -- it's a "Mediterranean-style mansion with a 270-foot swimming pool, built in the 1920's on the dreams of prospector-hustler Walter Scott and the funds of Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson."

Nine miles west of Scotty's Castle is the Ubehebe Crater which is 500 ft. deep and half a mile wide created by a volcanic steam explosion. The wind was blowing something fierce, but we hiked up along the side to the top of the crater, sliding back in loose cinders with every step. From this higher vantage point we saw another smaller crater beyond - and maybe there were more but we'd had enough hiking.

This 3.3 million acre desert has only 14 miles of sand dunes. They named the town near them Stovepipe Well, as it was the only source of water at the junction of two Indian trails and a stovepipe was shoved into the ground so the well wouldn't be lost in shifting sands.

2/29-3/2

Stovepipe Well CG, Death Valley

We spent three nights at Stovepipe Well CG as it was handy to things we wanted to do. On Wednesday we drove to Keane Wonder Mill where gold and silver were mined and milled. There are rusting remnants of the mill which Cal had great fun examining and figuring out how it all worked. The mine was one mile up the mountain with a drop of 1300 feet. A tramway, consisting of 11 wooden towers, transported ore from the mine to the mill. The towers and tram cable remain today and Cal hiked about a third of the way to the mine but then there was a ravine between him and the mine at the top of the mountain so he ceased his trek.

Later that day we drove over another gravel road to Salt Creek where the water flows over the desert 2-3 inches deep and there's a 1/2 mile boardwalk following it. There are thousands of tiny pupfish living in this very salty water; they are the only surviving descendants of fish that lived in Lake Manly which dried up 10,000 years ago.

The Mosaic Canyon is very near Stovepipe Wells CG and was our only adventure for Thursday. It was completely different from anything we've seen thus far - the walls are of white marble, very smooth and slippery when we walked over it and through the very narrow passageways.

This gives you an idea of the diversity in Death Valley. We've taken lots of pictures and bought post cards to help us remember the fabulous beauty of this National Monument. The most frequently used word as we traveled about was 'awesome’. February was a great month to be here - the sun was very warm, but we were never too hot as there is usually a breeze. Of course, it was warmer at sea level and cool and windy at the 3000 foot elevation - that's part of the fun - one can move around and enjoy it all.

All of our overnights cost us $5 with the Golden Age Pass; we dry camped but each CG had water and dump station; our electrical needs are met very nicely by our two golf-cart batteries.

3/3

El Salana RV Park, Inyokern, CA (SKP disc.)

3/4

Mojave River Forks RV Park

3/5

Stagecoach RV Park, Banning, CA

3/6

Golden Lantern MHP, Desert Hot Springs, CA

3/7-9

Desert Pools, Desert Hot Springs, CA

Will be in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. This area is noted for it's natural mineral springs. Forty resorts here capitalize on this by dumping the 120 degree water right into their spas and then adjusting it from there. We can’t wait to get into them.

3/10-18

The Horizon Village Mobile Home Park, Palm Springs, CA

After leaving Desert Pools, we visited The Living Desert which is very large and requires lots of walking to see the desert plants and trees and quite a few caged birds and animals.

3/11

This park is really great!! We had a pancake breakfast this AM that turned out to be 3 delicious pancakes, 4 sausages, scrambled eggs and coffee for $2.00, plus live music!

At breakfast we met John Denny from Albany, NY, and we made a date with him for 8 AM tomorrow to go hiking up the hill to see Bob Hope's house and the surrounding scenery. There's a hiking trail right out of the park and John goes every other AM, so we'll have a guided tour. He's been renting a mobile here all winter.

Nice friendly atmosphere at Horizon Village, and the dining hall is sharper than anything we have seen, very tastefully decorated and squeaky clean. The 2 RV parks we checked out were full, but they did us a favor, this mobile home park is better and cheaper. The mobile homes are packed in pretty tight, but our little 20 footer is lost in a site made for a mobile home. Much more room than the RV parks around here.

There is a street fair at the College of the Desert Campus every week end. It's a good second to Quartzsite and much better quality stuff. Connie found several items that she has been looking for, so she is pretty happy tonight. We spent about 3 hours there and barely scratched the surface.

Then went to hometown buffet at 3 PM and Cal overate as usual.

Stopped in at a Western store that was advertising Stetson hats at 20% off. All the stands were marked Stetson, but we only found 3 hats in the whole place that were marked Stetson inside the hat. What a rip-off!

Attended dance in our dining room at Horizon Village. Sat with three couples from Canada, all very friendly and included us in their circle although they all knew each other previously. That is special and doesn’t often happen.

3/12

Met John Denny at 8 a.m. as planned. It was about a one and a half mile hike to see Bob Hope and Arnold Schwartznagger’s homes. Glad we went early as it got hot. Hiked up high enough to look down into canyon on other side.

Showers, pool, and lunch upon our return to the park.

At 1:30 we attended the Fabulous Follies show in Palm Springs. All participants were with the 52 to 87 year range but you’d never know it. MC Riff Markowitz was hilarious and quick witted.

On 3/13

We took a windmill tour. There is a whole valley full of wind turbines here, the exact number escapes me but there are acres and acres of them around North Palm Springs and they generate 950 million megawatts of electricity annually. Why here? Nature provides a combination of natural elements which make this work. The sun heats the desert air to the east, the heated air rises causing a natural low pressure. The cooler air over the Pacific Ocean to the west is more dense, thus higher pressure. The high pressure air over the ocean tries to rush east and replace the low pressure over the desert. Two mountain ranges block its progress; however, there is a nice gap in the mountains just northwest of Palm Springs. So what would naturally be an 8 mph wind is accelerated to 18 mph by the venturi effect of the gap in the mountains.

There you have it, harnessing the wind works here. They claim it costs about 1.25 cents per KWH to operate not counting the investment and they are getting 2.5 cents per KWH for the product.

They are on what's called 4th generation equipment. Most of the first generation machines have been taken out of service. We saw on display, samples of all generations of gear. Be assured it's massive stuff.

On 3/14

We took a Celebrity Tour. It was excellent and we couldn't do it justice by trying to describe it all here. I think we passed all the homes of the past present and future celebrities. The tour driver is a retired lady from Rochester, NY, and she can drive a bus and talk non-stop for 3 hours. Incredible.

She pointed out the sculptured olive trees - it costs $2000 for the first sculpture and $20 every other month after that to keep olives from growing and dropping on the ground. Olives tracked into the house stain and will not come out.

Forty to sixty year old palm trees are easy to transplant; tie fonds, tip into place, and water

3/15

We visited with Darby Grossman at their pickup camper and had a long visit with Donna Darby at pool. Nice hot day to enjoy the pool. Home Town Buffet for lunch. Enjoyed pool and spa again at end of day.

3/16

We decided to take the day off and get in some pool time. We like it here so much that we have extended our stay till Sunday the 19th. Great weather!

3/17

We have been hearing that General Patton ran a training program for his troops in this area to gain desert experience before going across the pond in WW II. Today we learned that the 2 buildings by the pool at this park were his headquarters. Cal is planning to find someone who knows more about this.

3/18

Temperature has hit 90 yest. and today but it's not like NH 90's, and it cools down very fast as soon as the sun sets. That is all fine with us and makes the pool and spa very inviting. Between that and all the gorgeous flowers and fragrance of blooming things and the mocking birds enthusiastic singing, we're putting up with this life OK.

Dave and Linda came to Andrea for a long visit. They’re escaping the Oregon rain.

Attended St. Pat’s dinner and dance at dining hall - great food, company, and music.

3/19

San Jacinto State Park, Stone Creek, CA

Palms to Pines:

Our wanderlust kicked in again, and we were happy to be off for different parts.

It's hard to imagine the transformation that has occurred today. Minutes after we left route 111 east of Palm Springs, we started to climb gradually, then steeply. It was up, up, up, switching back and forth with steep drop-offs, first on one side, then the other, always surrounded by barren, desert mountains. As we climbed, green vegetation started appearing and by 5000 feet brown had been replaced by total green. The terrain flattened out and there were quite a number of horse ranches on both sides of Rt. 74, and then a meadow with cows grazing. Amazing that it could happen so quickly.

Our destination was Idyllwild, a little piece of heaven with a population of 2500 people a mere 43 miles from Palm Springs; twelve miles as the crow flies. There are many quaint shops, art galleries, inns and restaurants up here -- more on that another time - we've just glimpsed them as we drove through town on our way to this campground.

We took Rt 243 from Rt. 74 after reaching Idyllwild and tonight are the only campers in the Mt. San Jacinto State Park, in Stone Creek. Of course, it is much cooler up here (elev. 6000 ft.) and so beautiful with tall pine trees and total green vegetation such as we haven't seen since New Mexico. There are traces of snow under the trees left over from two weeks ago. Cal saw a coyote at the edge of our campsite soon after we arrived.

3/20

Stagecoach RVP, Banning, CA, Again

This morning we had fog on the upwind side of the mountain and at 40 degrees F with the wind blowing, it was a drastic change from Palm Springs, but we were ready for cooler temps.

We browsed the shops in Idyllwild the better part of the day. It's a gift shoppers paradise, and we had fun looking. The journey from this quaint town nestled in the hills among the Ponderosa pines was dramatic and spectacular as we wound back and forth and down to Banning.

We are now at the Good Sam park at Banning which is at 1800' msl, and it is somewhat milder down here. This is the park where we began our stay in the area two weeks ago.

We will be heading east tomorrow, but the specifics are unknown at this time.

3/21

WalMart Parking Lot, Cathedral City, CA

Cal relaxed while Connie browsed the Desert Hills Shopping Mall - no purchases! Then stopped at Pipe Dream factory outlet in North Palm Springs where they had just the pair of black shorts Connie was looking for.

We drove to the Palm Springs tram but weren’t interested in riding up - $24 for dinner and tram ride--going up into snow country didn’t excite us.

3/22

Bob’s RVP, Indio, CA

Because we wanted to enjoy more gorgeous weather, we decided to return to Palm Springs and visit Indian Canyons.

Centuries ago ancestors of the Aqua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the Palm Springs area. We visited a couple of the canyons where they lived. There is still water here so we saw a true oasis in one canyon. We were treated to a tour led by Tribal Ranger Chuck in the Andreas Canyon. As we hiked through the Canyon, Chuck showed us the plants that were used for food and medications, and explained history and ceremonies.

3/23

Imperial Hot Mineral Spa, Niland, CA

The Salton Sea intrigued us so we elected to check it out. The Sea is surrounded by desert, much of it desolate, but the Sea itself is quite interesting. It was originally a dry lake bed from prehistoric times, but it was flooded in 1907 by the Colorado River. This took place due to a screwup when a headgate failed in the aquaduct. It took 16 months and the help of the railroad to close the resulting gap and stop the flood. The Salton Sea today is 35 miles long, 15 miles wide with an average depth of 20 feet and its surface is 227 feet below sea level. The salinity is slightly higher than the Pacific and rising.

We found a great campground in the area that had 2 pools 5 spas and 3 Roman baths. Water here comes out of the ground at 300 gallons per minute and 170 degrees. Needless to say, it gets adjusted to fit.

3/24

Spotlight 29 Casino Parking Lot

After leaving Imperial Hot Mineral Spa Park, we checked out Slab City nearby in Niland as it is well known among RVers as a free place to camp.

Then on way north, enjoyed a free date shake (with coupon) at the Oasis Date Garden.

After some more touring, we parked at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Indio for the night. Had a great dinner that evening and a huge, $1.29 breakfast the next morning in the casino restaurant.

3/25

Cottonwood Spring CG, Joshua Tree, CA

Started off the day with a visit to the General Patton Museum 30 miles east of Indio, then headed north into the Joshua Tree National Park, for 2 days of touring, hiking and camping.

At 1:15 p.m. we secured a campsite at Cottonwood Spring since sites were being taken early in the day, and then we joined the Ranger program, "Build, burrow or steal". We walked through the desert learning about homes and food for insects, animals and birds.

At 7 p.m. we were at the amphitheater where Ranger Elizabeth showed slides and told us the history of Joshua Tree; highlighted were three women who were instrumental in getting the area designated as a National Park.

3/26

Hidden Valley CG, Joshua Tree, CA

We stopped to look at the Ocotillo Patch (O-ko=tee-yo) The Ocotillo is not a cactus but a leafy shrub, a member of the Ocotillo family.

Next stop was the Cholla Garden Nature Trail (teddy bear cactus) where we just looked - didn’t take the trail.

The White Tank CG was most impressive with boulders the size of houses - would be a good place to spend the night another time.

Then there are the Jumbo Rocks - more boulders, all different and immense--amazing. We ate our lunch among them.

The Queen Ranch Tour at Keys Point was most interesting. As we toured Bill and Frances Key’s ranch where they homesteaded, Jamie related that they bore 7 children, the first and last died young. They raised a huge garden, canned 300 jars, built dams, every 14 days did laundry with a gas-powered washer. Did laundry for all guests (they always had guests as Frances was a great cook) and everyone helped with that project. The tools, farm machinery, and mining equipment Bill used were still lined up around the ranch, not rusting in the dry desert.

.

3/27-31

Empire Landing, Earp, CA

We watched desert rats and squirrels scamper around our campsite in Hidden Valley while we ate breakfast, then

headed east out of Joshua Tree for 163 miles.

We returned to Empire Landing Campground, in Earp, CA, (This is BLM park where we stopped 2/9 on way to Laughlin, NV); we’re right on the Colorado River. This one is also run by the Feds. There are some advantages to having gray hair, these places cost $5 per night for seniors.

The combination of a spacious site with expansive view of the Colorado River made it easy to remain at Empire Landing, Earp, CA, for 5 nights. Add to that 80-degree days with a breeze and cool nights for sleeping. We were rocked for a couple of days by the Santa Ana winds, but they were no problem. The wild burros visited us one night to munch on the tender grass near our site.

4/1

London Bridge RVP, Lake Havasu City, AZ

We finally were ready to leave our very nice spot on the Colorado River. River is clean, clear, sometimes green, sometimes blue; the park was quiet and nice, the price was right - $5/nt, sun was hot (just right) but cool nights.

We both had the desire to move along at the same time which is always the case. We needed essentials so drove up to Lake Havasu City where there is a K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc., and checked into a campground there.

In the afternoon we drove to the London Bridge; it was spring break so young people were everywhere. It was a real zoo, but fun to watch.

4/2

Burro Creek Camp, Wickenburg, AZ (BLM)

This morning we spent a couple of hours at another flea market - a real good one where they have everything, some of it antique, but mostly new and decent quality--vegies and fruit too. Lots of old dishes and vases at this one but good looking.

We then went north on Rt. 95 to 40 east to 93 south. Delorme told us about a shortcut which looked good; it turned out to be dirt though, and dirt roads out here bear much resemblance to grandma's washboard so we turned around and took the longer route just mentioned.

It was 149 miles from Lake Havasu to Burro Creek Campground half way between Kingman and Wickenburg. It's a BLM park in the boonies; just what we like;

$5 a night and we're parked in a nice CG, very quiet with just a few other campers, a picnic table, otherwise just sitting in the desert with some shrubs nearby and mountains all around.

4/3

Fairhaven RVP, Aguila (A-gee-la), AZ

On our way to Aguila, AZ, we stopped at Robson's Mining World, supposedly the world's largest collection of mining equipment, print shop, barber/dentist/doctor's office, and mercantile store. All original equipment but some was moved in from other locations. Many antique engines and vehicles are on display, most in running condition.

4/4

Point of Rocks CG, Prescott, AZ

Left Aguila and wound our way to Prescott where the frequent turns and sheer drops made the trip to Idyllwild seem like a walk in the park. Point of Rocks Campground is rightly named with towering boulders all around the park. Nice place.

4/5

Camelot RVP, Cottonwood, AZ

This morning we visited the Sharlot Hall museum in Prescott, and something really funny happened. We were visiting the Governor Fremont home, part of the museum, and when we went to leave, all the doors were locked and we couldn't get out. We realized that the hostess didn't know we were still in there and locked the place and went off to lunch. After puzzling for a bit, we figured out how to call the front desk from her phone and explained the situation. After the gal regained her composure, (she went into hysterics), she advised she would send someone over to let us out. The gal who rescued us later thanked us for being good sports.

We wound over another roller coaster road to the town of Jerome. Jerome buildings were made of concrete to withstand the blasting in the mine underneath so they have lasted well. After having been completely abandoned in the 50's, it was resettled by hippies in the late 60's and is now a thriving artists' colony with a population of about 500. This town is indescribable. The entire town has been declared a National Historic Landmark.

4/6-7

Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, AZ

Our first project after leaving Camelot RV Park in Cottonwood was the Gold King Mine Museum just west of Jerome. There is a recreated assay office, shoe shop, Chinese laundry, replica mine shaft, and a marvelous collection of old vehicles, some restored and some not. There is also a real mine shaft on the property which leads to 8 miles of tunnels but is fenced off. Cal had a great time looking at the old machinery.

After lunch the history of Jerome's mining era was brought to life at the old Douglas Mansion in Jerome State Historic Park. A three dimensional model of Jerome showing the underground shafts and tunnels was most interesting. We heard about the jail sliding down the hill and coming to rest some 250 feet from where it started. That event and damage to other buildings in town was triggered by some confusion about how large a charge to set in one of the many tunnels under the town, some of which are 4600 feet below the surface.

4/7

Went to the Tuzigoot National Monument. It contains the remnants of the Sinagua Indians' 110-room, 2-story fieldstone pueblo.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a 40-mile round trip excursion on the Verde River Canyon Railroad from Clarkdale to Perkinsville. The train winds along sheer, red limestone cliffs in curve after curve high above the Verde River. We were treated to a bald headed eagle soaring high over the canyon.

4/8

Coconino/Pine Flat East, Sedona, AZ (Nat’l Park)

We continued our northward trek on route 89A to Sedona. Now we know why everyone has told us we MUST see Sedona. The red rock formations defy description.

We quit early and are parked at the Pine Flat Campground 12 miles north of Sedona.

4/9 (Sunday)

Flagstaff KOA, Flagstaff, AZ

We decided to leave Sedona to the week-end tourists and spent the day in Flagstaff which had the big city stores and facilities we needed to do some catch-up errands.

4/10

Happy Jack Lodge and RV Resort, Happy Jack, AZ

By Monday noon we had completed such things as oil change, haircut, food shopping and were in the mood for an adventure on a less-traveled road. We took St. Mary's Rd south out of Flagstaff. We found that very long and skinny Lower Mary Lake had a little stream of water down the middle and Upper Mary Lake was only a little wetter. We were very surprised that this road through the beautiful ponderosa wilderness was wide, smooth, and straight with very little traffic - a pure delight. Next was Mormon Lake, the largest lake in Arizona covering over 2000 acres and, when full, is ten feet deep. The lake now is mostly meadow with a puddle in the middle and the cottage owners around it have very little need for a boat.

We had been noting the lack of life; scarcely a vehicle or moving person to be seen, so when we came upon the large and prosperous Happy Jack Lodge and RV Resort with an "Open" sign, we wheeled in. It was, indeed, resort quality - the lodge was large, new and most attractive. The rental cabins looked fine and the shower facilities were the shiniest we've seen yet. Our hostess told us we were in the middle of the largest stand of Ponderosa pines in the world; later she advised that those large foot prints all around our campsite were elk tracks and at 5:30 in the morning we'd see them everywhere. We were looking and saw them no where. Disappointing. We were the only occupants in this large campground, and since we were at 7000 ft. elevation, the temperature the next morning was 26 degrees. The sun was warm and bright though, and Happy Jack proved to be a CG to keep on the list.

4/11

Hawkeye Red Rock RVP, Sedona, AZ

Visited Montezuma Castle, a very interesting 800-year old cliff dwelling of the Sinagua Indians; also Montezuma Well, a huge sink hole where 1.5 million gallons of water flow in a day. This resource was used by the Indians for irrigation and is still being used for this purpose.

4/12

Grand Canyon Camper Village, Tusayan/Grand Canyon, AZ

We returned to Sedona and walked along the wide, smooth, 2-mile path to Bell Rock; then drove to Chapel of Holy Cross where Connie visited the Chapel and gift shop. Then north to Flagstaff.

Had a delicious steak dinner within walking distance of our site at Grand Canyon Camper Village.

4/13-15

Mather CG, Grand Canyon Nat’l Park, AZ

Mather CG inside Grand Canyon Nat'l Park (southern entrance) was the perfect home base while we leisurely experienced the enormity and grandeur of the Grand Canyon.

The West Rim is closed to vehicles but the Park's shuttle bus system works just great. On Thursday we confirmed that visitors can hop off a bus at any viewpoint and be assured another bus will arrive in a few minutes to take them to the next viewpoint. We chose to hike from one point to another for a while and decided to finish this rim another day.

Friday a.m. we arose early and took a bus to the "best sunrise viewpoint" on the East Rim. When we arrived at 5:45, the Canyon was a black abyss and there were dark clouds above. As the sun rose, the walls were lighted deeper and deeper into the canyon and the dark clouds were highlighted with pink tinges.

After lunch on Friday we drove out to the East Rim so we could stop at all the points of interest on our own. We were grateful for winter jackets, hats, and gloves as the wind was very strong and at times sleet and snow mixed in. This natural wonder is awesome under all conditions.

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful - we returned to the West Rim and picked up our viewing where we had left off on Thursday.

4/16

Wahweap CG, Page, AZ

We departed Grand Canyon via the East Rim on Rt. 64 and then to Rt. 89. The entire ride to Page, AZ, was interesting and beautiful. Our site at Wahweap CG in Page had a fine view of Lake Powell, and what a beautiful and interesting lake that is. As a result of the Glen Canyon Dam (where we stopped for lunch), Lake Powell is the second largest reservoir in the US with over 1900 miles of shoreline.

4/17

Watchman CG, Zion Nat’l Park, UT

Today we had another perfectly gorgeous ride north from Page, AZ, and into Utah. We're in Watchman CG inside the southern entrance, and tomorrow we'll see more stunning scenery and the "geologic showpiece with sandstone cliffs among the highest in the world."

4/18

Hitch-n-Post, Panguitch, UT

We are in Panguitch, UT, waiting for our mail. We are at 6500 feet, the wind is blowing, and it's 46 degrees. This is a very neat little town.

Cal went into a building that looked like a Post Office, and commented to a gentleman that it looked like a PO, and he said "It was built by the WPA as a Community Center and I worked on it!" I still don't know what it's used for now! He gave me detailed directions to the Post Office.

We stared in awe at the sheer, multicolored rock walls towering 2000 to 3000 feet above the Virgin River in Zion National Park. The monoliths and cliff faces of red and beige are magnificent and overwhelming.

We think that the Mount Carmel Hwy over which we entered and exited the Park offers some of the most dramatic scenery to be enjoyed in Zion. The enormity and grandeur is difficult to explain.

4/19

Bryce Pioneer Village, Tropic, UT

Driving through Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest is a stunning prelude to Bryce Canyon. Then as we gazed down into Bryce Canyon from numerous viewpoints, we were thrilled and amazed at the diversity of hoodoos that were formed by water and wind millions of years ago and are ever changing. The hoodoos or pillars, spires, and domes of red and beige limestone and sandstone create cathedrals and temples to capture the imagination of all who come to admire them.

We were eager to descend to the town of Tropic after our Bryce visit as the elevation was 2000 feet lower. Both at Zion, 7 000 ft altitude, and Bryce--8000 ft alt., we really noticed the skimpy oxygen. Of course it was noticeably warmer down in Tropic also.

4/20

Shady Acres, Green River, UT

We traveled from Tropic on Scenic Byway 12, most appropriately named. Much of the Byway is spectacular, but when it ceases to be outstanding, it is always interesting. It would take too long to describe all the changing scenery we enjoyed this day; one highlight was when the road passed between two canyons. The road was two lanes wide with a bit of shoulder on both sides, no guard rails, but a sheer, steep drop into the canyons below. Cal said he felt as if he were standing on a chimney.

From the scenic byway, we took Rt. 24 that cuts across the middle of Capitol Reef National Park. This Park was not familiar to us, but it's a great one and, in our opinion, ranks right up there with Zion and Bryce.

Our campground in Green River was most acceptable, and this day marks our anniversary of 5 wonderful months exploring beyond New England.

4/21 & 22

Moab Valley RV & Campark, Moab, UT

Next trek was south so we could check out the Arches in Moab. We found two full CG's but Moab Valley RV Campark had room for us and that turned out to be an excellent park and was near the Arches Nat'l Park.

We visited the Arches on both days, enjoying "more examples of erosion in the shape of gigantic arches, windows, spires, balanced rocks and other unique sandstone formation."

We learned that the reason for crowded campgrounds was that it was time for the annual Jeep Safari which is held every year (for 35 yrs.) the week before Easter. We never saw so many jeeps in our lives.

4/23

Barr Lake RVP, Brighton, CO

On Easter Sunday we got an early start on Rt 128 which twisted and turned along the Colorado River through steep-walled, red rock canyons--another terrific, scenic byway.

After we crossed into Colorado on I-70, we were in for another special treat--the high mountain peaks were snow covered. As we approached ski country--Aspen, Edwards, Vail--all terrain was white except for the highway. Then at 10 and 11,000 feet, the snow was really deep. There was a snowstorm the night before that closed the highway and Eisenhower Tunnel for a while, but the truckers on CB radios advised that the roads had now been opened and were just wet.

We finally found Barr Lake CG in Brighton, CO, on Rt. 76 to anchor for the night. Another great day with fantastic contrasts.

4/24

302 Beattie St., Sterling, CO (Norm & Pat Berry)

Our time visiting in Sterling, CO, was most enjoyable as expected.

4/25

Napanee, NE (Jim & Myrna Sykes)

Then it was on to friends in Nebraska, Jim and Myrna whom we met on our barge tour in '98. We received a warm welcome from them, and the next morning they showed us around their home town.

We were all delighted with a coincidence at the Harlan County Dam. It was tour-the-dam-day for several bus loads of school kids so we tagged along behind them and got to see the irrigation control gate mechanism deep in the bowels of the dam, and then walked along the cat walk on top of the dam where we got a good look at the resulting second largest lake in Nebraska.

4/26

Chautaugua Park, Beatrice, NE (City Park)

4/27

Leon Motel and RVP, Leon, IA

Very interesting and informative visit at Homestead Nat’l Monument in Beatrice before we got into the business of clicking off the miles.

Buffet lunch at the Tecumseh, NE, Pizza Hut.

Crossed a bit of Missouri.

4/28

Shindler CG, E. Peoria, IL

4/29

Mississinewa Lake CG, Peru,

4/30

Indian Trail CG, Fitchville/New London, OH

5/1

Wal*Mart, Oneida, NY

Cal phoned Lon Williams but he and Elizabeth both have colds so agreed we wouldn’t pay them a visit.

Cal is really on a roll and we’re both anxious to get home.

5/2

11 Gilson Road, W. Lebanon, NH

Lunch at Panda House in Hanover and who should be there but Hilda and Don Clarke. What a nice surprise to have a nice visit with special friends during our first hour back home.