October 13 - Days 116 - 120 - The End

We departed New Orleans at 8:15 heading East on I10. We quickly passed through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, then it was onto the Florida Panhandle and a long, long drive to Tallahassee. After 390 miles, we arrived at the Tallahassee RV Park and settled in for a couple of days. Our neighbor was Steve from Ft. Lauderdale driving a 45 foot Neoplan bus that he rebuilt - what a sight! Only 9 were built in the 90s. By the way, Steve also has a rather large yacht and some airplanes.

We spent the two days relaxing and visiting a few interesting spots, including the Tallahassee Antique Auto Museum. The museum is off exit 209 of I10 and includes many old and rare automobiles among other things (including outboard motors, some boats, kids pedal cars and the like).

We left Tallahassee on Monday morning and headed East on I10 to I75, then South to The Villages where we spent a couple of days with some very old friends from Ottawa and Florida, Don and Dianne Rioux. We stayed at the Recreation Plantation in Lady Lake. It is a very large RV park, but most of it has be taken over by manufactured homes.

We spend the afternoons and evenings with Don and Dianne. They gave us the full tour of The Villages, and what a tour it was. There are homes from $120,000 to over $1 million and the entire complex is the home to over 90,000 residents at the present time, and ultimately will house over 120,000 and cover a land area 16 miles by 9 miles. Golf carts are the favored mode of transportation on two lane cart paths, but also on the road with licensed carts that go 35 mph!

There are several town centers, each with myriad shops, restaurants and bars. There is entertainment every night. There are too many golf courses to count and loads of recreation centers. There are apparently hundreds of clubs of all sorts and descriptions - whatever your interest is, there is a club. No excuse for not being active in some way.

Tuesday morning I set about to prepare the coach for storage back home. That included a roof wash to start, then all the rest of the coach. The motorcycle was next, then the car. After 4 hours, everything looked pretty good! Suz was getting the inside ready, then we loaded the first load of "stuff" into the car to be transported to the house upon arrival in Palm City.

After another fun evening with Don and Dianne, we said our goodbyes and went to bed. On Wednesday morning, we departed a campground for the last time (for awhile!) and headed South on US27 to the Florida Turnpike and our home in Martin Downs. We arrived around 12:30 having traveled over 12,000 miles in 4 months to the day. We have had a wonderful trip and Suzanne is now a dyed-in-the-wool RVer, she is even talking "full timing."

By 4:00 we had unloaded the RV, and put it to bed - for a few weeks. But not until having washed the front of the coach to remove the "love bugs" that hit us between Kissimmee and Yeehaw Junction. There is no escaping the little *&%$#@*%! But after looking at the work that needs to be done to get our house and yard back in shape, full-timing, love bugs and all, looks more and more attractive!

We are already planning our next adventure, but this time we will sit in each location a bit longer. Where would we love to go again? We loved Helen, Georgia; Lake Toxaway in North Carolina; Bar Harbor in Maine; Mansfield in Pennsylvania; Sturgis in South Dakota; Eastern Oregon; Bryce and Zion and Southern Utah generally; Monument Valley and the Four Corners area - especially Mesa Verde.

We will pass on California and Las Vegas, but New Orleans will get another visit! We also want to have a look at Tennessee and parts of the Deep South. And there is always Ottawa where we have family and lots of friends. And we have only touched the "tip of the iceberg." There are many places we haven't even heard of yet. In other words, we have a lot of places to visit and visit again.

Looking forward to the next trip! Until then, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog

October 8 - Days 115 - 118 - Beaumont and New Orleans

We left San Antonio around 8:45 heading across I10 to Beaumont, TX. The 279 mile trip was uneventful, and the country, while still relatively flat, was a bit more interesting than it had been in West Texas. We pulled into the Gulf Shores RV Resort around 2:30 and set up for the evening. It is a large park, just off of I10, and was surprisingly nearly full.

Most of the slots were taken up by 5th wheel trailers. Apparently, there is a large construction project in Port Arthur a few miles to the South, and the construction workers, and a few snowbirds, use the park as a semi-permanent home. Some of the folks have been there for more than 2 years. Good for the park owners, but not so good for the general park ambiance.

We found a convenient Chilli's in the late afternoon for happy hour, then it was back to the coach for the night. In the morning, we headed back across I10 around 8:30 on our way to New Orleans. Two things struck us during the trip: first, the highway was full of trucks - I'd say 30 to 40 percent of the vehicles; second, the road is in bad shape in many areas - due to the heavy truck traffic I suppose.

As we approached New Orleans, we crossed many miles of swampy territory, most of which required a many miles long bridge to traverse. Quite an engineering feat. Closer to New Orleans, a similar bridging was required to circumvent Lake Pontchartrain. We arrived in New Orleans around 2:30 and checked into the French Quarter RV Resort. It is located about 200 yards South of an elevated portion of I10, and less than a quarter of a mile from the French Quarter - an ideal location for touring the French Quarter, but not so ideal for sleeping with all the truck traffic on I10!

The RV park is small, with only 50 or so sites, and surrounded by a high wall with a version of razor wire on top for security (the park is not situated in the best part of town with a large housing project next door - and a police station also). It is a relatively expensive RV park, but the location so close to the French Quarter is ideal for touring.

Suz and I decided to take a cab to a remote part of the French Quarter to a restaurant that served local food and jazz. When we got there, it was closed for renovation - just our luck - so the cab dropped us off on Bourbon Street, what a place! We found a local bar, the Tropical Isle, that offered great music and enjoyed the evening. Given that it was still light as we headed home, walking. No incidents to report, but I'm glad it wasn't dark.

Thursday, I did some work around the coach - wash the front, clean the motorcycle - then we headed back into the French Quarter for lunch at the Chartres House Restaurant on, what else, Chartres and Toulouse streets. I had Jambalaya; Suz had, what else, a roast beef Po-Boy- can't get her to try anything!

From the Chartres House, we toured Decatur Street where there are lots of shops. We found a wonderful Christmas shop with myriad decorations. We have decided to get one small tree decoration in each memorable spot we visit from now on (so far we have two - one from Four Corners, and one from New Orleans), now we just have to find a small Christmas tree for the coach!

We walked around the French Quarter for a few hours, learning about New Orleans and visiting various interesting sites. One was the site on the Mississippi River where the Natchez stern wheeler docks (the tide is obviously out). We also visited the St. Louis Cathedral just off Jackson Square. It is a beautiful church. We also had a peek into Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Bar, viewed the statue of Joan of Arc presented to New Orleans by France, and passed by Preservation Hall, where they have nightly jazz sessions. They start at 8:00 pm - so much for that.

One thing you can count on in the French Quarter is a lot of buskers and bands. We passed several buskers doing the statue routine, on Toulouse Street one in particular was worth a photo. He stood like this, motionless for as long as he was in our view. While we were having lunch, he came into the same cafe and visited the bar with the proceeds from his work. Jazz and other bands also are common. One in particular caught out eye just off St. Peter street.

One thing we noticed during our walks in the French Quarter was the vast amount of renovation that is going on. It seems like there is a reno project on every block and the results are very attractive.

Thursday evening, Suz and I headed back into the French Quarter for happy hour and to enjoy a meal at the Gumbo Shop (not to be confused with the more commercial "Gumbo Pot"). The Gumbo Shop on St. Peter is a small, excellent restaurant that specializes in Cajun cuisine. It has a casual atmosphere, and the food is good and inexpensive.

After a great meal of Jambalaya, shrimp Creole and crayfish (John only with a few tastes by Suz), we headed back to the coach to get home before dark. On the way, we saw a rather unusual apartment with a definite voodoo flair. Back at the coach, Suz took the Wonderdog for a walk and we settled in to watch some college football.

Friday morning we took a van tour of New Orleans to see what we hadn't seen on foot and also to see the area devastated by hurricane Katrina. The threee hour tour was quite comprehensive, visiting the French Quarter, Ward 9 (the area hardest hit by the hurricane), the Garden District (where the wealthy live), the largest cemetery in New Orleans (where the wealthiest are buried), the business district, and various other places. After the tour, we returned to the coach and did a few chores in preparation for our departure tomorrow, then headed back into the French Quarter for happy hour and dinner.

Our happy hour stop was Bourbon Street Cowboy, where they have a mechanical bull that attracted a number of ladies who had been alcoholically "lubricated" shall I say. From there, Suz and I headed for the Oceana Grill for another great New Orleans meal. Then it was back to the coach to walk the dog and get ready for our departure.

Tomorrow, we will head across I10 to Tallahassee for two nights, then down to The Villages to visit with Don and Dianne Rioux for a couple of nights, then home to Palm City. It doesn't seem like we have been gone for four months, ans Suz would prefer that we were still on the road. Oh, well, there is always next summer!

We will make one more posting as the completion of our odyssey. Until then, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog

October 4 - Days 110 - 114 Fabens and San Antonio

We left the Albuquerque KOA Thursday around 9:00 and headed South on I 25 toward I 10 East and El Paso, Texas. Just East of El Paso was our destination, Fabens, Texas and the Cattleman's Steakhouse. The trip down I 25 was uneventful and somewhat scenic with mountains on both sides and the Rio Grande River running down the middle. After 317 miles of good road, we arrived at the Ranch Road exit and headed 5 miles North into the bush to the Cattleman's Restaurant.

The restaurant is a sprawling structure that has been expanded many times over the years by the sole owner, a wealthy Texan who owns thousands of surrounding acres of cattle land. We located the RV parking area and were set up by 4:30 - without water, sewer or electricity - dry camping! More concerning was the fact that there was no WiFi, Verizon or AT&T coverage, and I had to work on Friday morning. The restaurant opened at 5:00 so we headed down and learned that Fabens, 5 miles away, had good Verizon coverage. This meant we would have to get up at 2:30 local time and move the coach to a location in Fabens. Suz and Dixie could sleep while I worked.

With that in mind, we found the lounge and explored the structure. It is full of sculptures, mounted animals, and other memorabilia and has a delightful gift and souvenir shop. When we arrived, there were three other couples, when we left, there were a couple of hundred people.

Our table was next to a window, and as the sun set, three coyotes came to the wall not ten feet from the window to retrieve meat scraps put out by the staff. Suzanne was delighted to be able to see the animals this close up. the meal was, as expected, excellent, and we left the restaurant fully satisfied. We would highly recommend it to anyone who loves steaks.

Suz was a trooper and was ready to go at the appointed hour on Friday morning and we headed out of the labyrinthine parking lot in the dark. Much to our amazement, the staff, who knew we were going to have to depart early, had the night watchman open the gates and lead us to the main road in his car. What service!!

We stopped at a spot overlooking Fabens where we found a large gravel turnaround area adjacent to the I 10 on ramp. Verizon coverage was excellent and I went to work. Finished at 4:15, I decided to simply take off for San Antonio - 536 miles away. I thought Suz and Dixie could sleep in the back while I drove - not a chance. The hum of the tires and the diesel engine noise made it impossible to sleep, so here we were, the three of us in the dark driving East on I 10.

As the hours wore on, we realized just what a mistake it had been to try to cover this much territory in one day, and agreed that we would never schedule more than 300 or so miles in a day, unless it was an absolute necessity! Texas is BIG, but the terrain is boring. Flat dry semi-desert in the West changing to rolling hills covered with sage and scrub trees then changing to rolling hills covered with Live Oaks and more vegetation as you approach San Antonio. the road is very good, but it is easy to lose your focus.

We arrived at the Admiralty RV Resort in West San Antonio at 3:30 after 11 hard hours of driving. The campground is adequate, but not as nice as the advertising had led us to believe it would be. Nonetheless, we relaxed and looked for the local Applebee's. Five were listed on the Garmin, which has the latest maps. We went to the closest one - closed; the next closest one - closed as well, but it had been replaced by sports bar called Bikinis. As the name implies ..... we had our happy hour and took in the sights .....

Saturday we took the opportunity to do the chores and watch college football, which I love and Suzanne has taken a fancy to. Our afternoon location was Chili's, which was much closer and had an ambiance more in tune with Suzanne's liking ...

Sunday, we headed into San Antonio to visit the Alamo and Riverwalk. Both are located in the heart of the city. The Alamo is something I have always wanted to see and learn more about. It was quite fascinating and we learned a great deal from the automated audio tour system. One thing I became aware of was that Texas, California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado where Spanish, then Mexican until the mid- 1800's. Texas became an independent state from Mexico, with a mixed population of Mexicans and American settlers, and joined the U.S. after a decade or so. The rest of the states territories were ceded to the U.S. by Mexico after the Mexican-American War.

The Riverwalk is a fascinating structure. The San Antonio River runs right through the heart of the city and after a disastrous flood in 1921, a 2 mile side arm was cut into the area around the Alamo with walkways and landscaping on both sides as part of the flood control system and redevelopment of the downtown. Foot bridges cross the canal in places and roadways cross in others for both foot and vehicular traffic. The canal is surrounded by restaurants, shops, hotels and other commercial establishments and is a most delightful place to visit. We had lunch, then took the boat tour, which makes the canal-river circle in about 35 minutes. It is a beautiful addition to the city and a definite "must see" if you are in the area.

Today, I headed off to find a Harbor Freight store and a Sears to get a tool I needed to work on the coach. Harbor Freight didn't have the tool - surprisingly - so I headed to Sears - closed. What a surprise! It looks as though the recession has hit San Antonio harder than initial appearances would suggest. There are a lot of closed stores when one looks closely.

This afternoon, we will clean up the coach and get ready for an early departure to Beaumont, Texas on route to New Orleans on Wednesday. Until then, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog

September 29 - Days 106 - 109 Mesa Verde

We departed Monument Valley about 8:15 and headed East on US 163, then onto US 191, US 162, CO 41 and finally US 160 East. The trip was short, only 126 miles through very scenic territory. We arrived at Cortez, CO just after noon and were set up on a totally gravel site, but the view was quite nice. We spent the afternoon cleaning the outside of the coach, the car and the bike to rid ourselves of the red sand and dust from Monument Valley. We also hit the WalMart Super Center to resupply. Then we found the local pub and watched the Sunday football games. Without "local channels" we couldn't watch them on DirecTV in our coach - but that's another story!

Monday morning we finished up some work then headed up to Mesa Verde for our afternoon tour of the most impressive and largest cliff dwelling sites on the planet. The trip from Cortez (at 6,200 feet) is 8 miles on US 160, then 25 miles South up onto the mesa. At its highest point, the road reaches over 8,000 feet and the view of the surrounding territory is spectacular. The cliff dwellings are at 7,000 feet.

We ate lunch at the Far View Visitors Center. I had a Navajo Taco, and it was enough for the entire day! Probably would have fed both Suz and I! Our tour departed at 1:00 on a bus with 20 other folks and Clyde, a Navajo Guide. We started by visiting the sites of the earliest Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi). The natives prefer that we call the ancients Ancestral Puebloans since we do not know how to pronounce Anasazi - although our guide Clyde gently instructed us in the language and how to say words properly.

The first sites were Pit Houses, excavations with timber and clay roofs. The earliest such house dates back 1400 years when the first agriculture began in the area. The ancients had lived in the area much longer as nomadic hunter/gatherers but had not established physical dwellings. The ancients believed that they emerged from deep within the earth, and the pit had great religious significance. Even after the residences moved above ground, there was always at least one pit or "Kiva" where it is thought religious ceremonies were held.

Later, the homes emerged from the ground with clay and sandstone brick walls and timber and clay roofs, much like the current Hogans of the Navajo. Later still, the ancients developed refined masonry skills and built elaborate multi-story dwellings – all on top of the mesas.

Archeologists cannot explain what caused the people to abandon the mesas and begin building residences in the many alcoves in the cliffs below the mesa. Some say it was to free up agricultural land, others say for protection from the elements or enemies, but no on really knows. Nonetheless, the first cliff dwellings in the area, and there are many, date back to around the year 1150. The cliff dwelling period lasted about 100 or so years, and then the people vanished, abandoning their homes.

Speculation has it that the drought in the late 1200s drove the people away. Others say it was disease, or deforestation, or depletion of the soil making it unfit for agricultural use. Whatever, by 1300 or so, Mesa Verde was uninhabited. Clyde the Guide speculates that the people simply moved on and assimilated into tribes to the South and West.

The highlight of our tour was the descent to the Cliff Palace, the largest and most elaborate of all the cliff dwellings with upward of 150 rooms and many Kivas. Suz had great trepidations about making the descent down and up ladders and narrow, steep stone staircases, but with some prodding, she made the trip – and was very glad she did (her legs were sore the next day though).

It is awe inspiring to be among the dwellings, and the guides description of the lives of the ancients added greatly to our enjoyment. If you visit Mesa Verde, be sure to take a guided tour. It is well worth the money!

On Tuesday, Suz and I headed South and West to visit the “Four Corners.” It is a bit of a tourist trap, in that it costs $3 per person to get in and the site is surrounded by native crafts sellers (yes, we bought some – as we did in Monument Valley). With the mandatory pictures taken – our toes in New Mexico and Arizona and our heels in Colorado and Utah – we headed back to the coach where a thorough inside cleaning job awaited. Laundry, vacuuming, washing to the floor and dusting (the red dust from Monument Valley again!). Then it was off to our local pub for our final happy hour with the locals.

Today, we departed Cortez on our way to Albuquerque (Bernalillo actually), where we are having dinner with my cousin Susan Siebert. We arrived at the KOA Bernalillo at 1:00 and got setup. Then it was Blog time and that is what I have been doing for the past hour or so. Tomorrow we head for Fabens, TX and a steak house that is said to be the best. We hope to camp in the restaurants parking lot, then head out for San Antonio on Thursday morning. Until then, Cheers!

As an aside, I should mention that we have had the greatest good luck with the weather so far. Out of the three-and-a-half months, we have had no more than 7 days with rain, and most of those were at night. The rest of the time has been sun and brilliant blue skies.

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog