Still here, but what happened to the last year and a half? Part One

Since it had been so long since posting, I needed to go back and do a review. (I'd forgotten that I had posted about the first half of 2020.) Part of the reason I quit blogging was because I felt guilty that we could travel while others were stuck at home. Our life during the pandemic did not change much. Andy was already working remotely from the RV, and because our home is on wheels, we could travel and remain fairly self contained. Of course, we limited contact with others. (Indeed, many people figured out they could still travel in an RV, which caused record sales in the industry in 2020.)  I was also overwhelmed by everything that was going on, like everyone else. 

After all my medical woes in MD, it seemed that Andy was due for his share of trouble also. While we were in IN getting our Lambright recliners Andy got sick. He had a fever and very little appetite. Of course, our first thought was Covid, so we went and got him tested right away. He continued to get worse while we waited for the results. Long story short, I ended up taking him to the ER of the local hospital in Elkart. That same day I found out the results were negative (it took 6 days to get the results!) and the hospital test also was negative. Turns out he had pneumonia. Oh, and also found out he had a-fib while he was in the hospital. 

From there we went to Rochester, MN for our annual medical appointments.  (Mayo Rochester became our new medical home in 2020.)  We were able to get in a weekend with the kids at the Old Barn Resort near Lanesboro, MN. We felt we could be together since we were outside most of the time. Things had just started to open up a bit with Covid.

From Rochester we headed to the UP of Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie. Watching the ships go through the locks was amazing. We even did a locks tour and got to experience the locks ourselves. 

Next stop was Traverse City, MI. I had been there many years ago for a work trip, and loved the area. Plus, we had heard from many other RV'ers that it was a great place to be. It did not disappoint. While there, we were able to reconnect with fellow RV'ers James and Connie R. 

August 2020 brought us back to Red Bay for service again. Our lists of tasks are much less than what they used to be. Despite the distance to get there, we still feel it is the best place to get our coach taken care of. September took us to Pigeon Forge, TN. This was our first time there. I was not expecting the commercialization of the area-it compares to Branson, MO and Wisconsin Dells, WI. One of the main attractions is the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, where, unfortunately, we got skunked by the bears again. This despite a good bear population in the park and things like bear proof garbage cans in nearby Gatlinburg, TN. 

Next up was Mama Gertie's, a famous campground near Asheville, NC. We were lucky to snag a campsite on their top level. It was worth it, because we had fantastic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from our spot. As usual, the pictures don't do it justice. 

Also on our bucket list was the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Lin Cove Viaduct. We'd known that we would have to do it by car because of bridges that are too low. The views here were great also, and fall colors were just starting to pop. It's a popular place and all of the pull offs were full of cars so we couldn't stop to take pictures.  While we were in the Asheville area we decided to take in the famous Biltmore Estate. 

From TN we went to Florida. During that time we embarked on the journey of getting ourselves E-bikes. We first tried the RAD brand, decided they weren't for us, and then settled on the Vee Go brand. (Try re-packaging the bikes back into the boxes they arrived in so they could be returned-thank goodness Andy had taken pictures of things!) In order to accomodate the new foldable bikes, we purchased a different car that holds them (in tubs) while we are traveling. 

We also had a few mishaps in FL. While we were driving the RV (out to exercise the engine after sitting for  a month) we were hit by another RV while stopped at a stop light. The guy came up so fast and so close he broke our drivers side mirror. The day that we were supposed to go and get the replacement done, our slide wouldn't come in. More waiting. (I'm really trying to give you the Cliff notes here.) Finally got the mirror replaced, only to fail in the first trip out. Thankfully we were going to Red Bay (yes, again) where they discovered the wires had been pulled too tight and gotten pinched. Related saga-getting paid for the repairs, but that's another story for another time.

We had reservations for Bella Terra RV Resort in Foley, AL. However, our medical saga was not over. This time it was daughter Sara who was diagnosed with cancer. Surgery was set for early December. Of course, I wanted to be there to help out. Not willing to fly, Andy drove me to MN, where I stayed in a hotel for 14 days to quarantine. Kudos to Andy for being a bachelor while I was gone for 5 weeks. He drove back to MN to pick me up, and take me back to AL. (Fast forward, she is now cancer free!) 

By this time, the first vaccines were becoming available and we wanted to get ours as soon as possible. The question was where? Every state was different and we weren't sure if we had to go back to FL because that was where our residency is, or if we could get them somewhere else. Once again, we shelved our west coast plans deciding getting vaccinated was more important. We scored appointments in MS, so decided to move to Biloxi for a month while waiting for them. Then we found appointments in a close by county of FL (an 1.5 hour drive) so we ended up going there for our vaccines. 

Stay tuned for Part Two. 

Finding Good Help

(Editors Note: Usuallly it's me (Jean) that's in charge of the blog. This time, Andy is taking a turn.)

We decided to replace our Tiffin theater recliners with theater seats from Lambright. We were lucky to find a buyer for our Tiffin recliners. That's good news since we could save the charge for taking out the old recliners. 

Now I have to remove them. And, I am thinking I may need a special tool to reach the mounting bolts.

Fortunately grandson Jacob came to the rescue. :) 

With all the freed up space we’re considering converting it to critical Covid19 related storage.

The Cruise Director nixed that idea.

Already nap tested. We love these new recliners. One of our best enhancements!

GSA 2020 - So Far

There is really no excuse, except maybe for Covid-19. In a normal year, I would have already posted several times about our adventures. This year, because of our traveling and staying several different places, I put the blog off until we arrived in Tucson, AZ. We were going to be there for a month and I would have had plenty of time to devote to the blog. However, 2 days after we arrived all activities at the park were cancelled, and well, you know the rest.

However, in looking over the pictures to choose ones I want to share, I realized that we actually had done quite a bit in our travels on the way to Tucson. So here goes, a recap of what we've done so far this year.

One of our first stops was Jackson, MS. Brent's Diner was recommended to us by a friend of Andy's. The diner, which is a Jackson landmark, looks much like it did in the 50's and 60's. Look closely at the top picture and you will see a sign for cheeseburgers at 85 cents! Recently I re-watched the movie "The Help". I had forgotten it was set in Jackson, and that trips to Brent's Diner were prominent in the movie. 

We then landed in TX, staying first in Coldspring, then Freeport, and then San Antonio.

Sunset picture from Freeport Campground 

Since we were close to Houston, we added Johnson Space Center to our list of space agencies. (We've now done all three-Huntsville, Cape Canaveral and Houston.)  

Sally Ride display (taken for granddaughter Kirsten) 

In San Antonio, we took the city bus tour and also did the boat ride on the San Antonio Riverwalk. 

Texas sculpture in front of the art museum 

From San Antonio we headed south to Big Bend National Park. 

Rio Grande River -one side is USA, one is Mexico 

Big Bend National Park

As you can see, we were moving around a lot. Our next stop would be Las Cruces, New Mexico. While there we took in White Sands National Monument. 

Snow? No, this is sand. 

You can rent sleds to go down the hills here

In Las Cruces our park was very near the village of Old Mesilla. The village is preserved and much as it was 100 years ago. There are great restaurants and fun shops to browse there. 

One of the many shops in Old Mesilla

And then we're in Arizona!! I had been looking forward to being there for various reasons. After moving so much, we would finally be in one place and at a place that had a pool and activities. But, as I mentioned earlier, 2 days after we arrived the park closed the pools and all activities due to the virus. 

The handwriting had been on the wall - South by Southwest (big TX music festival) had already been cancelled, and soon after the FMCA Rally in Tucson would be cancelled as well. However, we did fit in a couple of things in Tucson before the complete shutdown. We went to Tombstone and took in the re-enactment of the fight at the OK Corral. We also explored (by car) Catalina State Park and observed all the different kinds of cacti. 

Me with the Tombstone Guys 

Saguro Cacti at Catalina State Park

Should we stay or should we go? 

We pondered this question for at least a week. We were hearing that the parks in Tucson were not admitting any one new, even those wanting to stop over for a night. We didn't know what we would find if we got on the road. Would be be denied entrance to other states? By now, our reservations for a train trip to the south rim of the Grand Canyon had been cancelled, and the park would close soon after. CA was shutting down, so that cancelled our trip to CA. 

In the end, we decided to come to MD to hang out with daughter Allison and family. Here we would not have to be worried about being asked to leave a campground and we could wait out the shut down with little or no hassle. So, we left AZ (seeing some friends in Phoenix before we left) and headed east. We did the drive in 5 days. Along the way we stayed overnight in Kentucky, thereby earning the right to add the KY state sticker to our map. 

No longer a hole there!

These painted horses were at a KY rest stop

So now it is June, and we are getting ready to head out once again. In between April and June, I've broken  my shoulder (recovering nicely) and been treated for a blood clot. So, we are ready to get on the road and have some fun! In addition, we need to start planning for next winter and what we will do since so many of our spring plans got cancelled. As we say in the RV world, there is always Plan B!

GSA 2019 - It's a Wrap!

Our summer (and fall) travels have ended as we are back in the St. Augustine, FL area so we can get in our medical appts. before the end of the year. Here's a recap -

5 months, 26 days 

7,712 total miles 

288 avg. miles per traveling day

3 new states, UT, AZ & DE

9 National Parks 

1 bridge/tunnel 

0 bears 

This was a bit shorter than last year due to Andy recovering from minor surgeries. Nevertheless, we made good use of our time.  Utah was new for us, and we enjoyed the 5 "rock" national parks, each unique in their own way. Despite our valiant (including buying bear spray) efforts, we still got skunked on seeing bears - again!

After spending time in MD seeing family and taking in high school football games for grandson Vince, we decided to go to Delaware so we could add that to our list of states. We stayed at Masseys' Landing, and went sightseeing in Lewes (the first city in the first state), and Dover. 

The bridge/tunnel is the Chesapeake Bay tunnel bridge. The tunnels are listed as 13'6" high. Our antennas did brush the ceiling of the tunnels a few times. We were both glad when we were done with those and very glad we didn't have any bad problems. After getting through the tunnel it was on to Charleston, SC. This is where we got married and a trip there wasn't complete without a trip to the gazebo at White Point Garden where we had our wedding ceremony. 

A bit older and grayer but still in love!

A good shot of the gazebo, site of many weddings!

In fact, there was a couple waiting to get married while we were there. Of course, we had to go over and tell them this was where we got married and wish them good luck.

On the way to FL. we stayed in the Wilmington, NC KOA. There we met John and Trish, fellow Tiffin owners. They are originally from England and it was a delight to meet them. Seems wherever we go, the Tiffin "family" is present. 

St. Augustine is familiar to us, and there is comfort being in a place you've been before. We'll be here until the end of the year. 

GSA 2019 MT Part 2 Glacier National Park

Zion, Bryce, North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Glacier National Park is our 9th national park of the summer! With switching campgrounds, we knew we wouldn't have a full day for sightseeing on Sunday, so we opted for a boat tour on Lake McDonald.

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

The tours are done with wooden boats that have been in service since the late 1930's. (Don't worry, they meet all current safety standards.) The tour offered beautiful views of the mountains from the lake. 

Hanging Lights inside Lake McDonald Lodge

The boat tour leaves from Lake McDonald Lodge. The swiss chalet type lodge was built in 1913. It is rustic with no TV's available.

Monday we did the Going to the Sun road, one of the most famous drives there is. 50 miles long, it runs from the west to east entrances of the park (or east to west, depending on where you start). 

One of the many curves on Going to the Sun Road

Edge of the road on the left with a spectacular view!

Another view

River in the valley between the mountains 

Flowers near Logan Pass

Close up of flowers

One of the remaining glaciers 

BEARS. We thought, that if we were to see bears anywhere, it would be at Glacier National Park. Next to our campground was a general store. The manager there not only sold bear spray, but advised campers such as us good places to go where we might see bears. (You know where this story is going, right?) So we bought bear spray. We were up early and late, when bears are the most active, in order to see them. We searched near huckleberry bushes, which were in season and supposedly are a favorite snack of bears. We manged to see some incredible views with early morning fog, but NO bears. 

Early morning fog over the meadow

Moon over the campground trees

We had to go to the MN Zoo to see bears!

Wild horses in the middle of the road as we left Glacier National Park

Doing the most popular part of the park, we did not cross the border into Waterton. We're tentatively planning a trip to Banff next summer so may catch the rest of the park on our way there. Again, a plug for our wonderful national parks and the beauty they provide us. And do we have a favorite? No, they are each unique and beautiful in their own ways, and it's hard to make a comparison, let alone choose a favorite. 

Once we were done at Glacier, it was time to head towards Minot, MD for my 50th high school reunion. The class of 69 partied hard for three days, catching up with classmates and reminiscing. 

Band on Friday Night (former classmates) 

Our class had a unique senior year, with a flood and a teachers strike that had us out of school for the month of April that year. (The governor had to approve us graduating because of all the lost days.) Then it was on to Minneapolis to spend time with kids and grandkids before heading east to see the rest of the family in MD. We still have some time to explore this fall before getting to FL on Nov. 1st, so our adventures may not be done yet. 

GSA 2109 Montana Part I

Our next stop was the Fairmont RV Park in Anaconda, MT. This would be our base for exploring the neighboring city of Butte and the rest of the area around it. We had no idea of the mining history of Butte and Anaconda. 

Mines were known as 1 mile high and 1 mile deep

Butte was known for its mining of copper and Anaconda, for the smelter plant it had for processing the waste from the copper mines. Railroad cars transferred the waste from Butte to Anaconda. 

View of the Smelter from the road, it can be seen from 20 miles away

The brick smokestack was built in 1918 as part of the Washoe Smelter. When the smelter itself was built at the turn of the century, it was the largest nonferrous metallurgical plant in the world. The stack is still the largest free standing masonry structure. The facility was shut down in 1980. Anacondans saved the stack from demolition in 1985. It stands as a monument to the thousands of men and women who worked at the smelter, as a symbol of the complex industrial history of this one company city, and as a towering remembrance to the people of Montana of the power of the Anaconda Co. in the state's history. 

Butte was once known as the "richest hill on earth". Originally prospectors came there looking for gold. But what they found was rich deposits of iron and manganese and also copper. With the advent of electricity, pioneers Marcus Daly and W.A. Clark opened mines to provide copper for the increasing electrical industry. In 1882 the district produce over nine million pounds of copper.

These towers dot the landscape of Butte

One of the mines

Hardhats required for our tour at the World Museum of Mining

A tour at the World Museum of Mining gave us a chance to see an abandoned mine. The temperature changed quickly as we descended. We got a first hand look at the conditions the miners endured. 

We also attended the Butte Folk Festival, held every year in July. For the second year in a row(!) we met up with good (college) friends Jan and Jim F. Montana has it's share of natural hot springs, and we were fortunate to have one next to our campground. We made good use of it while we were there. 

From Anaconda we went to Polson, MT to stay at the Polson Motorcoach & RV Resort. This had been on our bucket list of places to stay as we had heard many great things about it. It did not disappoint us. The location is near the beautiful Flathead Lake in MT. This is a place I could come back to every year!

Flathead Lake in MT 

Polson is a small resort town without a whole lot of things to do, but there is the Miracle of America Museum. It was started by a gentleman who decided that certain things, like military items, needed to be preserved for future generations to see. Thousands of artifacts are housed in multiple buildings. 

Aliens?

While in Polson, we also drove around the area, going up to Whitefish, MT. There I revisited the Great Northern train station that I had been at years ago on a ski trip to Big Mountain, MT. 

Today's waiting room at the train station 

Our goal for the rest of our time was to get to Glacier National Park. Since Polson was an hour and a half away, we decided to move the RV closer to the park so we didn't have the extra driving at the beginning and ending of our day trips to Glacier. We were able to find a spot at North American RV Park near the west entrance of the park.