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

After getting our Covid shots, we were able to start moving on with our plans. If we are in the area, we always stop in New Orleans. Cafe DuMonde is a requirement, and we enjoy walking around the French Quarter, hearing the street musicians and appreciating the sidewalk artists. 

Street Art in the French Quarter, New Orleans 

We then headed the rest of the way to Mission, TX. By this time, most of the "winter Texans" had left. We had reservations but after seeing the campground (nothing bad, but a new one and a bit bare for us) we switched to Bentsen Palm RV Park in Mission. This is a bit older campground with a unique layout -circles of spots instead of looking like a parking lot. We also enjoyed the trees and surrounding landscape. From the campground you can see the border wall.

One of many unfinished sections of the border wall 

It is very easy to cross into Mexico from Mission. After realizing my passport had expired, Andy went by himself on the first trip. You pay $2 to park on the US side and then most people walk across the bridge. I was able to join him the next time. When you walk across the bridge, Mexicans both young and old hold up milk jugs on poles asking for money. In Mexico, there is a barrage of street vendors and dental/medical people out hawking their goods and services. 

Along the bridge into Mexico

Andy near the start of the bridge

From Mission, we started heading north for the summer. Another place we like to go is Nashville. We were able to take in an evening at the Grand Ole Opry, which was celebrating it's 50th anniversary.  If you've never been, you should go. We also took the time to take a backstage tour of the Opry, which was very interesting. 

Grand Ole Opry

Part of the Backstage Tour, Mail Boxes for Opry Members

Looking out into the audience

In Kansas City we stopped to see friend Dawn K. and her daughter Elise.  A ballon lift was being held so we took that in.  The hot air balloons are filled but do not take off. As the sun set, the balloons were lighting up the sky. Beautiful!

Balloon Lift In Kansas City 

Dawn & Elise

 

Next up was Amana, IA for a Tiffin Rally. These rallies only allow 300 coaches, and are a bit more tuned into the Tiffin Brand and specifics of each design. These are always a fun time with meeting other Tiffin owners. Entertainment is always on the schedule and we enjoyed seeing an Eagles cover band and an Elvis impersonator.

And then we are back in MN. This will be an annual summer pilgrimage for us since we have made Mayo Clinic in Rochester our medical home. Daughter Sara had finished her chemotherapy in May (yeah!!!) and was due to have her ileostomy reversed. She asked if I would come stay while she was in the hospital. I, of course, agreed, this time only leaving Andy to be a bachelor for one week.

In the midst of this week was my birthday. A big one, 70. Little did I know that Sara and the rest of the family had been planning a surprise party for me. The excuse to get me out of the house was for me to take the kids to their soccer camp, since Sara would be home but not up to taking them. No problem, I said. As we got back and I pulled onto their street, I noticed a car with the same (picture) license plate as our car. Then I saw my son's car. I had just about figured it out when I opened the garage door and everyone was there yelling SURPRISE! I truly was surprised. All of ths took place 2 days after Sara's surgery. It was very heartwarming and fun. I couldn't have asked for a better celebration of 70 years! 

BirthdayParty Family Pics

While in MN we had a family camping weekend at The Old Barn. Andy and I also took off to Austin to see the remodeled SPAM Museum. 

In front of the Spam Museum

Then it was onto Maryland to see the other half of the family. This was Vince's senior year and we wanted to see as much of his football season as we could. On the way there, we went through the Upper Penisula of MI and stopped to see Andy's brother and wife, Jack and Patty. When we went through Chicago, we stopped to see his other brother and wife, Charlie and Yvette.

#4 is our guy!

Jacob at the Frederick County Fair

Jacob 1st day of school

Side Trip to PA to see the sunflowers

We had wanted to take the train to Cumberland for awhile so did that. 

Jean with the conductor - very interesting guy!

Andy sitting in an old Barbershop Car 

After leaving MD, we headed to TN and the Great Smokey Mountains.

Standing under the Lin Cove Viaduct

Beautiful Scenery

Then, we headed to FL. We were due to meet Sara and family at Disneyworld. However, due to one of the kids getting Covid, their trip was cancelled. (Everyone was  disappointed.) I did get in  chance to have lunch with my friend (and former co-worker), Lynn. So we had one week in FL before we start heading west again. We had liked Bentsen Palm and decided this would be out "winter base" for 2021-22. 

Lynn & Jean 

After settling in there, we headed north to MN for Christmas and some medical and dental appointments. One of the things on the way (not too much out of our way) was a stop in Pawhuska, OK. Pawhuska is the home of the "Pioneer Woman", Ree Drummond. After touring the Mercantile and downtown, we headed out to their ranch for a free tour of the lodge where Ree films all of her shows. We were amazed at the access they allowed us! 

Back of the island where Ree cooks

Recognize this?

One of the things you don't see on TV, her pantry.

Who else has this many dishes? 

And that brings us to the end of 2021! A lot to cover in one posting, but I am catching up! :) 

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!