Our site at Bay Bayou RV park is still occupied, but we were able to get another site for tonight. So, we will be leaving Crystal Isles RV Park this morning for a 1:00 pm check in at Bay Bayou..
It was an easy one-and-a-half hour drive to the Bayou RV Park in Oldsmar. When we arrived, the people in our site starting tomorrow were still there so we checked into another site for the night.
We went out for lunch, then Judy did the laundry and I got the truck washed and shopped for groceries. We will not be able to "Build our Nest" until we get into our site so we are still sort of configured for traveling.
Tomorrow, we will be meeting Eileen, Linda and Sharyn at the ball park for the official kick-off of the Phillies Spring Training season with the Tampa Bay Rays After the game, we are all going out for dinner. Sharyn will be staying the night with us in the RV and I'll be driving her to the Tampa Airport early Wednesday morning for her return flight to Sacramento.
No pictures today; we'll catch up after we get settled.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 -Day 22
We decided to drive down to Clearwater today to see the first Phillies spring training game, an exhibition game against the University of Tampa, a very good Division II school that won the national championship in their division last year and is ranked number one this year. it was a 65 mile drive from here to Clearwater but we had the tickets and wanted to get a head start on the season.
It was good to get back to the stadium, see the ushers again we had gotten to know in our previous trips and enjoy the experience of spring baseball. The first official spring training game is on Tuesday, so a lot of the seats were empty today (maybe 5,000 people were there) and many of the fans that were there were locals rooting of their hometown college team. The university also brought their pep band and two cheer teams - a dance team and a cheer leader squad. They also brought their mascot, a Trojan warrior, who the Phillie Phanatic had fun with in his usual way, e.g., giving him a ride on his quad-runner and then abandoning him in center field.
The game was better than the one they played against the same team last year; the Phillies won today, 8-3. Most of the Phillies players playing were rookies and non-roster players looking to earn a spot on the team. Everyone played pretty well and looked like they were playing with a lot more energy and enthusiasm than last year. It is still very early, but hopefully the team will be much better than last year, despite being in the middle of a rebuilding process.
After returning to Crystal River we went over to Eileen and Linda's house and had dinner. My sister Sharyn, visiting from California, helped prepare the meal and we grilled steaks on their grill. We had a great meal and enjoyed meeting with everyone again.
We are hoping we can get into Bay Bayou RV park a day early tomorrow, but won't know until Monday if not, we will have to figure out a "Plan B". The next game is on Tuesday and it would be great to get set-up before the game.
It was good to get back to the stadium, see the ushers again we had gotten to know in our previous trips and enjoy the experience of spring baseball. The first official spring training game is on Tuesday, so a lot of the seats were empty today (maybe 5,000 people were there) and many of the fans that were there were locals rooting of their hometown college team. The university also brought their pep band and two cheer teams - a dance team and a cheer leader squad. They also brought their mascot, a Trojan warrior, who the Phillie Phanatic had fun with in his usual way, e.g., giving him a ride on his quad-runner and then abandoning him in center field.
The game was better than the one they played against the same team last year; the Phillies won today, 8-3. Most of the Phillies players playing were rookies and non-roster players looking to earn a spot on the team. Everyone played pretty well and looked like they were playing with a lot more energy and enthusiasm than last year. It is still very early, but hopefully the team will be much better than last year, despite being in the middle of a rebuilding process.
After returning to Crystal River we went over to Eileen and Linda's house and had dinner. My sister Sharyn, visiting from California, helped prepare the meal and we grilled steaks on their grill. We had a great meal and enjoyed meeting with everyone again.
We are hoping we can get into Bay Bayou RV park a day early tomorrow, but won't know until Monday if not, we will have to figure out a "Plan B". The next game is on Tuesday and it would be great to get set-up before the game.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 21
We got on the road about 9:30 am. The drive was good today. We headed east on I-10, had very little traffic and it was sunny with virtually no wind. Just beyond Tallahassee we left I-10 and headed south on US 27. It was a great road through open country with an occasional small town here and there. Today was our longest segment of the trip, mileage wise at 358 miles. We cranked out the miles without a lot of effort and arrived at the Crystal River RV Park around 5:00 pm. We lost an hour as we changed time zones from the Central to Eastern zone.
We met my sister Eileen, her friend Linda, my sister Sharyn visiting from Grass Valley and Eileen's daughter Amy for dinner at a local restaurant. They had all returned from a cruise from Tampa to Honduras and Mexico this morning. We had a great dinner and it was good to see them again.
We are going to travel to Clearwater tomorrow (without the RV) to see the first Phillies spring training game. It is an exibition game against the University of Tampa, a top-ranked Division II team. In fact, the Phillies lost to them last year, the first major league team to lose to a college team in the last 4 years. That was the start of a long season of frustration for the Phillies that is best forgotten. This year "hope springs eternal," as usual..
We will return to Crystal River after the game to spend another night here and have dinner again with Eileen, Linda and Sharyn.
Our reservation at Bay Bayou RV park in Oldsmar where we will be staying in March does not start until Tuesday, March 1st. We do not have a reservation anywhere else for Monday, February 29th. We are hopeful we can get into our site early or another site for one night, but we won't know until Monday if that is going to work. We may end up in a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot for that night.
No pictures today.
We met my sister Eileen, her friend Linda, my sister Sharyn visiting from Grass Valley and Eileen's daughter Amy for dinner at a local restaurant. They had all returned from a cruise from Tampa to Honduras and Mexico this morning. We had a great dinner and it was good to see them again.
We are going to travel to Clearwater tomorrow (without the RV) to see the first Phillies spring training game. It is an exibition game against the University of Tampa, a top-ranked Division II team. In fact, the Phillies lost to them last year, the first major league team to lose to a college team in the last 4 years. That was the start of a long season of frustration for the Phillies that is best forgotten. This year "hope springs eternal," as usual..
We will return to Crystal River after the game to spend another night here and have dinner again with Eileen, Linda and Sharyn.
Our reservation at Bay Bayou RV park in Oldsmar where we will be staying in March does not start until Tuesday, March 1st. We do not have a reservation anywhere else for Monday, February 29th. We are hopeful we can get into our site early or another site for one night, but we won't know until Monday if that is going to work. We may end up in a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot for that night.
No pictures today.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 20
We are finally in Florida. We left Lafayette, LA around 9:30 am after refueling and headed east on I-10. through Mississippi and Alabama. It was a perfect travel day weather-wise but not so much traffic wise. The traffic was very heavy again - lots of trucks, cars and RVs as well as lots of road construction. In fact we had almost a 30 min delay as 3 lanes of I-10 traffic were compressed into one lane due to construction on the east side of the I-12/I-10 Intersection heading towards New Orleans. We also passed through two major cities (Baton Rouge and Mobile) as well several other Gulf Coast towns such as Gulfport and Biloxi, MS.
When we entered Mississippi, we stopped at the large visitor's center near the border. It looked like a large southern plantation outside - beautiful plantings, large trees, etc. The interior of the "plantation" house was something else. Hard to describe - sort of deep south mixed with Elvis posters and Easter decorations. It was nice to be able to stop and walk around during the long trip. We arrived at our destination for tonight, Avalon Landing RV Park in Milton, FL, just east of Pensacola, around 4 o'clock. We have stayed here before and have a nice waterfront site.
We went out to dinner tonight at a nearby sports, biker, family place called Ollie's. They had six parking places right in front to the door reserved for motorcycles, although none were there. They were playing loud music we have never heard before and probably won't be buying, had at least 20 TV sets with different things on each one, and lots of families, couples and guys who looked like Navy sailors, judging by their haircuts. The food was good, the people were friendly and the beer was cold. Judy didn't want to shoot a round of pool after dinner however, so we headed back to the RV for an early bedtime.
We have another long drive tomorrow to Crystal River, FL. It is about and hour and a half north of where we will be staying in the Tampa area. My sister Eileen lives there in the winter with her friend Linda.. My sister Sharyn in Grass Valley will also be there for a visit having gone on a cruise with Eileen, Linda and Eileen's daughter, Amy. We will spend two nights there before going down to Bay Bayou RV Park in Oldsmar, FL to begin the second part of our vacation - spring training baseball.
When we entered Mississippi, we stopped at the large visitor's center near the border. It looked like a large southern plantation outside - beautiful plantings, large trees, etc. The interior of the "plantation" house was something else. Hard to describe - sort of deep south mixed with Elvis posters and Easter decorations. It was nice to be able to stop and walk around during the long trip. We arrived at our destination for tonight, Avalon Landing RV Park in Milton, FL, just east of Pensacola, around 4 o'clock. We have stayed here before and have a nice waterfront site.
We went out to dinner tonight at a nearby sports, biker, family place called Ollie's. They had six parking places right in front to the door reserved for motorcycles, although none were there. They were playing loud music we have never heard before and probably won't be buying, had at least 20 TV sets with different things on each one, and lots of families, couples and guys who looked like Navy sailors, judging by their haircuts. The food was good, the people were friendly and the beer was cold. Judy didn't want to shoot a round of pool after dinner however, so we headed back to the RV for an early bedtime.
We have another long drive tomorrow to Crystal River, FL. It is about and hour and a half north of where we will be staying in the Tampa area. My sister Eileen lives there in the winter with her friend Linda.. My sister Sharyn in Grass Valley will also be there for a visit having gone on a cruise with Eileen, Linda and Eileen's daughter, Amy. We will spend two nights there before going down to Bay Bayou RV Park in Oldsmar, FL to begin the second part of our vacation - spring training baseball.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 19
We are now officially in the south: we left Galveston Island this morning and arrived in Lafayette, LA this afternoon.
The extra day in Galveston made a big difference in the drive today. The winds were virtually calm this morning when we got on the road around 9:00 am. We decided to take the ferry at the north end of the island over to the Bolivar Peninsula across the mouth of Galveston Bay. The alternative was to go north on the Interstate from Galveston to Houston and intersect I-10E just east of town. Houston is a not a pleasant city to drive through. It is the poster child for urban sprawl and has at least 6 loops around the city, all usually clogged with traffic.
The ferry option sounded interesting and would totally avoid Houston so we decided to give it a try. As mentioned, the ferry is run by the state and is totally free. Each ferry carries two lanes of cars/trucks/RVs on each side of a center superstructure with a bridge at each end. We had to wait about 45 minutes to get on the ferry, as they mixed large vehicles and cars to get a maximum balanced load on each trip. The trip is about 20 minutes long and was quite enjoyable. Even though we had to wait to get on the ferry, it was worth the wait and we avoided the Houston traffic.
After we got off of the ferry, we headed NE along the Gulf shore of the peninsula then turned north and joined I-10 just west of Beaumont, TX. There were also a lot of houses on stilts near the beach, mostly older and not as nice looking as most of the ones we saw on Galveston Island. We even saw a single-wide trailer up on stilts about 15 feet high. I have no idea how they were able to get it up there, but I guess it was home as the wheels were also off.
The GPS lady suggested taking an alternate route east on Texas, Highway 73, before getting to I-10. This route bypassed Beaumont and instead went through Port Arthur, TX before turning up towards I-10 west of Lake Charles, LA. It turned out to be a good choice as there wasn't much traffic and the road was good.
After we got on I-10, the traffic increased significantly and was almost bumper-to-bumper cars and trucks at 70 miles per hour all the way to Lafayette.
We are staying at the Bayou Wilderness RV Park in Lafayette and arrived about 3:30 pm We have stayed here several times on previous trips. It is off the highway, quiet and has all the amenities we have come to expect at an RV park on a trip.
After resting awhile, we went to dinner at our favorite Cajun restaurant nearby, Prejean's.. The food is excellent and they have live Cajun music every night. After a great meal (not health food), we returned to the RV and are heading for an early bedtime.
It's on to Pensacola, FL tomorrow. It will be another long drive, all along I-10.
The extra day in Galveston made a big difference in the drive today. The winds were virtually calm this morning when we got on the road around 9:00 am. We decided to take the ferry at the north end of the island over to the Bolivar Peninsula across the mouth of Galveston Bay. The alternative was to go north on the Interstate from Galveston to Houston and intersect I-10E just east of town. Houston is a not a pleasant city to drive through. It is the poster child for urban sprawl and has at least 6 loops around the city, all usually clogged with traffic.
The ferry option sounded interesting and would totally avoid Houston so we decided to give it a try. As mentioned, the ferry is run by the state and is totally free. Each ferry carries two lanes of cars/trucks/RVs on each side of a center superstructure with a bridge at each end. We had to wait about 45 minutes to get on the ferry, as they mixed large vehicles and cars to get a maximum balanced load on each trip. The trip is about 20 minutes long and was quite enjoyable. Even though we had to wait to get on the ferry, it was worth the wait and we avoided the Houston traffic.
After we got off of the ferry, we headed NE along the Gulf shore of the peninsula then turned north and joined I-10 just west of Beaumont, TX. There were also a lot of houses on stilts near the beach, mostly older and not as nice looking as most of the ones we saw on Galveston Island. We even saw a single-wide trailer up on stilts about 15 feet high. I have no idea how they were able to get it up there, but I guess it was home as the wheels were also off.
The GPS lady suggested taking an alternate route east on Texas, Highway 73, before getting to I-10. This route bypassed Beaumont and instead went through Port Arthur, TX before turning up towards I-10 west of Lake Charles, LA. It turned out to be a good choice as there wasn't much traffic and the road was good.
After we got on I-10, the traffic increased significantly and was almost bumper-to-bumper cars and trucks at 70 miles per hour all the way to Lafayette.
We are staying at the Bayou Wilderness RV Park in Lafayette and arrived about 3:30 pm We have stayed here several times on previous trips. It is off the highway, quiet and has all the amenities we have come to expect at an RV park on a trip.
After resting awhile, we went to dinner at our favorite Cajun restaurant nearby, Prejean's.. The food is excellent and they have live Cajun music every night. After a great meal (not health food), we returned to the RV and are heading for an early bedtime.
It's on to Pensacola, FL tomorrow. It will be another long drive, all along I-10.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 18
We made it through the night O.K. The winds were very strong all night behind the very powerful cold front that moved through the area yesterday (I am estimating 40 mph + throughout the night). As the wind was out of the west and we are parked facing north, we got the brunt of a direct crosswind. We brought in the RV slideout, went to bed and held-on. The RV rocked quite a bit and the vent covers on top were rattling, but nothing blew away. Perhaps surprisingly, the power never went off and the cable TV and Internet still worked throughout it all.
The winds are still strong this morning, but not as strong as last night. The skies are clear and it is still windy but better than yesterday. We are going to spend another night here and let things east get somewhat back to normal. We are lucky we were here when the storm arrived and not further east. It looks like southern Louisiana, Missisippi, and the Florida panhandle all got hit pretty hard. They got the same wind and rain we did along with damaging tornadoes that didn't develop here.
We're probably not going to do anything special today, but we'll see how the day develops.
As it turned out, we didn't do anything else today. It remained clear and windy, but not as strong as yesterday (maybe 10-15 mph). We just rested, although we did have to move the RV one site over as someone else was coming in that had reserved the site we were in.
We go on to Lafayette, LA tomorrow.
Here a few additional pictures in the RV park:
The winds are still strong this morning, but not as strong as last night. The skies are clear and it is still windy but better than yesterday. We are going to spend another night here and let things east get somewhat back to normal. We are lucky we were here when the storm arrived and not further east. It looks like southern Louisiana, Missisippi, and the Florida panhandle all got hit pretty hard. They got the same wind and rain we did along with damaging tornadoes that didn't develop here.
We're probably not going to do anything special today, but we'll see how the day develops.
As it turned out, we didn't do anything else today. It remained clear and windy, but not as strong as yesterday (maybe 10-15 mph). We just rested, although we did have to move the RV one site over as someone else was coming in that had reserved the site we were in.
We go on to Lafayette, LA tomorrow.
Here a few additional pictures in the RV park:
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 17
Well, today was an interesting day. It started raining really hard about 4:00 am with high winds, thunder and maybe even some lightning. A strong line of thunderstorms was moving through the area and brought some Texas-sized weather along with it.
Most of the heavy rain had passed through by 11:00 am , but there were still some showers, clouds and occasionally a little sunshine. We decide to head into Galveston, about a 15 mile drive into town along the Gulf coast shoreline . Along the way we passed large numbers of multilevel beach houses raised up on 15' stilts. Most of the houses we passed were unoccupied and appeared to be vacation homes.
As we approached the city of Galveston it became apparent the beach area on the Gulf of Mexico side of Galveston Island is a major summer vacation location for probably the Houston area and the surrounding region. The summer season doesn't start until April here but the spring break crowd usually kicks it off in March.
Along the beach front there are several large brand name hotels, condo complexes, motels and a variety of beach commercial activities such as beachware stores, restaurants, tattoo palors, ice cream shops, and bicycle rental stores. The mix is typical of beach towns all along the Florida and Gulf coasts we have visited. We are here too early for the seasonal crowd and the area was virtually deserted.
We drove through town and decided to check out the ferry dock at the east end of the island. There is a free ferry, run by the State, across Galveston Bay to the Bolivar Peninsula. It is a 20-minute trip and takes vehicles of almost any size, as well as passengers on foot. We confirmed the ferry can easily take our RV and towed vehicle. Our plan, depending on the weather, is to take the ferry when we leave Galveston. This will allow us to avoid the heavy traffic in the Houston area and save a little time travelling to Lafayette, LA , our next destination.
After checking out the ferry, we had lunch out on the beachfront at a Cajun restaurant. They also had fresh benignets for dessert that were very good. We then drove through the old part of town (The Strand). It looks like the city is making a valiant effort to restore a downtown in serious need of restoration. There are a few shoppes and bistros but very few people were seen walking around.
Next, we went to the waterfront (Pier 21) which seemed a little more lively with several restaurants and tourist attractions. We decided to see a movie at the Pier 21 theater called "The Great Storm" recalling the hurricane in 1900 that wiped out most of Galveston and killed anywhere from 8,000-12,000 people, the largest natural disaster in U.S. history.
In 1900, Galveston had a population of around 36,000 people and was a thriving port, exporting most of the Texas cotton crop. The island is essentially a large sand dune, and in 1900 was about 8 feet above sea level at most locations. No one knows for sure how powerful the hurricane was, but there is documentation of the lowest pressure ever recorded to date at that time and the few wind measuring devices that survived stopped working at 100 mph. It is estimated the storm surge raised the sea level anywhere from 15 to 20 feet. It swept over the island destroying virtually everything in it's path. Rescue efforts were hindered by lack of communication and limited access to the island as most piers and bridges were destroyed. Many people died while trapped in the rubble.
After the storm, a massive recovery effort was undertaken and a seventeen foot high seawall was built along about 10 miles of Gulf beachfront. The ground behind the sea wall was also raised 10 or more feet using dredged sand. It was a massive engineering effort and the city has survived several hurricanes since 1900 with minimal damage,
After the movie we visited the nearby maritime museum which is very well done. The highlight of the museum is a fully operational 1877 3-masted sailing ship, the Elissa. It has been restored over the years and is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers. It sails once a year to train new crew members and test the ship's systems.
The waterfront is also a working port area. Several oil rigs being refurbished were moored across the harbor along with other ocean-going ships. There is also an adjoining cruise ship terminal that doesn't appear to be very active.. Another tourist attraction nearby is a docked offshore oil rig that has been turned into an offshore drilling rig museum.
After visiting the maritime museum, we spotted a Starbucks across the street and went over for a mocha and relaxed awhile before heading back to the RV park.
As the afternoon progressed, and as forecast, the skies cleared, the sun came out and the wind picked-up considerably. There appears to be a significant pressure gradient behind the front that passed. When we returned to the RV park we were experiencing 30-40 mile per hour winds, and still are as I am writing the blog. The RV is rocking in the wind and the winds are predicted to continue tomorrow. We are going to take another look at the weather tomorrow morning, but right now, we are planning to stay here another day to let to wind subside. Driving an RV in a 20-30 mph cross wind for over 200 miles is not easy and potentially dangerous. The impact on the schedule will be to cancel the second day planned in Pensacola.
So, we are and hunkering down and staying flexible.
Most of the heavy rain had passed through by 11:00 am , but there were still some showers, clouds and occasionally a little sunshine. We decide to head into Galveston, about a 15 mile drive into town along the Gulf coast shoreline . Along the way we passed large numbers of multilevel beach houses raised up on 15' stilts. Most of the houses we passed were unoccupied and appeared to be vacation homes.
As we approached the city of Galveston it became apparent the beach area on the Gulf of Mexico side of Galveston Island is a major summer vacation location for probably the Houston area and the surrounding region. The summer season doesn't start until April here but the spring break crowd usually kicks it off in March.
Along the beach front there are several large brand name hotels, condo complexes, motels and a variety of beach commercial activities such as beachware stores, restaurants, tattoo palors, ice cream shops, and bicycle rental stores. The mix is typical of beach towns all along the Florida and Gulf coasts we have visited. We are here too early for the seasonal crowd and the area was virtually deserted.
We drove through town and decided to check out the ferry dock at the east end of the island. There is a free ferry, run by the State, across Galveston Bay to the Bolivar Peninsula. It is a 20-minute trip and takes vehicles of almost any size, as well as passengers on foot. We confirmed the ferry can easily take our RV and towed vehicle. Our plan, depending on the weather, is to take the ferry when we leave Galveston. This will allow us to avoid the heavy traffic in the Houston area and save a little time travelling to Lafayette, LA , our next destination.
After checking out the ferry, we had lunch out on the beachfront at a Cajun restaurant. They also had fresh benignets for dessert that were very good. We then drove through the old part of town (The Strand). It looks like the city is making a valiant effort to restore a downtown in serious need of restoration. There are a few shoppes and bistros but very few people were seen walking around.
Next, we went to the waterfront (Pier 21) which seemed a little more lively with several restaurants and tourist attractions. We decided to see a movie at the Pier 21 theater called "The Great Storm" recalling the hurricane in 1900 that wiped out most of Galveston and killed anywhere from 8,000-12,000 people, the largest natural disaster in U.S. history.
In 1900, Galveston had a population of around 36,000 people and was a thriving port, exporting most of the Texas cotton crop. The island is essentially a large sand dune, and in 1900 was about 8 feet above sea level at most locations. No one knows for sure how powerful the hurricane was, but there is documentation of the lowest pressure ever recorded to date at that time and the few wind measuring devices that survived stopped working at 100 mph. It is estimated the storm surge raised the sea level anywhere from 15 to 20 feet. It swept over the island destroying virtually everything in it's path. Rescue efforts were hindered by lack of communication and limited access to the island as most piers and bridges were destroyed. Many people died while trapped in the rubble.
After the storm, a massive recovery effort was undertaken and a seventeen foot high seawall was built along about 10 miles of Gulf beachfront. The ground behind the sea wall was also raised 10 or more feet using dredged sand. It was a massive engineering effort and the city has survived several hurricanes since 1900 with minimal damage,
After the movie we visited the nearby maritime museum which is very well done. The highlight of the museum is a fully operational 1877 3-masted sailing ship, the Elissa. It has been restored over the years and is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers. It sails once a year to train new crew members and test the ship's systems.
The waterfront is also a working port area. Several oil rigs being refurbished were moored across the harbor along with other ocean-going ships. There is also an adjoining cruise ship terminal that doesn't appear to be very active.. Another tourist attraction nearby is a docked offshore oil rig that has been turned into an offshore drilling rig museum.
After visiting the maritime museum, we spotted a Starbucks across the street and went over for a mocha and relaxed awhile before heading back to the RV park.
As the afternoon progressed, and as forecast, the skies cleared, the sun came out and the wind picked-up considerably. There appears to be a significant pressure gradient behind the front that passed. When we returned to the RV park we were experiencing 30-40 mile per hour winds, and still are as I am writing the blog. The RV is rocking in the wind and the winds are predicted to continue tomorrow. We are going to take another look at the weather tomorrow morning, but right now, we are planning to stay here another day to let to wind subside. Driving an RV in a 20-30 mph cross wind for over 200 miles is not easy and potentially dangerous. The impact on the schedule will be to cancel the second day planned in Pensacola.
So, we are and hunkering down and staying flexible.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 16
It was raining when we woke-up this morning - not hard but showery. I saw party cloudy in the forecast before going to bed but I guessed I missed the 20% chance of rain in the fine print.
The rain had stopped as we hooked-up and departed the naval base RV park. We did stop for gas and a mocha at the base gas station when leaving and finally got going about 9:45 am. That was not all bad as we missed the Corpus Christi morning rush hour traffic and headed NE along the Gulf Coast to Galveston Island, our destination for the next two nights.
There is no direct route from Corpus Christi to Galveston so we zig-zagged over a mix of Texas Highways, county roads and farm roads (actually some of the farm roads had 70 mph speed limits) along and near the coast. Most of trip was through farm land, some oil refining associated activities, and long stretches of bayou/scrub country somewhat reminiscent of rural Louisiana, central Florida or maybe even Appalachia with Spanish Moss. Some of the rural clusters of dwellings we passed are hard to describe. There were typically old single-wide trailers with lots of "stuff" not just in the back yard but also in the front yard, around the sides, and even on top of the other "stuff". I don't think the neighbors were complaining however as their places all looked about the same. We did pass a nuclear power plant in the middle of nowhere. The sign at the main entrance however, didn't say anything about nuclear. It was just described as a Texas Power Facility.
The weather along the route varied from clear/overcast to showers and heavy rain. None of it lasted very long and didn't affect the road conditions. We were sort of following the front northeast. I actually prefer cloudy/light rain to clear/windy while driving. All-in-all, despite being wary of "death-by-GPS" along roads never travelled called "farm roads", the trip went well and we arrived at the Galveston Island RV Resort about 3:00 pm. It started to rain again while we unhooked, but shortly afterwards the skies cleared and the sun came out.
The RV park is a pleasant surprise. It is about 15 miles sw of the City of Galveston, on Galveston Island. The park is fairly new with wide concrete pads, grass in-between each site, full hook-ups, cable TV and good Internet.
One impression of driving up the island is the noticeable lack of people. There are even lots of spaces available at the RV park. Virtually all of the many vacation homes along the beach appeared to be unoccupied. The lady at the RV park said they are in between seasonal activities and things will pick-up as spring break approaches. Another thing, is that all the houses on the island are on stilts at least 15-20 feet in the air. This is understandable as the island is at sea level and on the main line for potential hurricanes.
We had dinner in the RV again and went to bed early. After sleeping in tomorrow, we'll explore Galveston and see what it has to offer the first-time tourist.
The rain had stopped as we hooked-up and departed the naval base RV park. We did stop for gas and a mocha at the base gas station when leaving and finally got going about 9:45 am. That was not all bad as we missed the Corpus Christi morning rush hour traffic and headed NE along the Gulf Coast to Galveston Island, our destination for the next two nights.
There is no direct route from Corpus Christi to Galveston so we zig-zagged over a mix of Texas Highways, county roads and farm roads (actually some of the farm roads had 70 mph speed limits) along and near the coast. Most of trip was through farm land, some oil refining associated activities, and long stretches of bayou/scrub country somewhat reminiscent of rural Louisiana, central Florida or maybe even Appalachia with Spanish Moss. Some of the rural clusters of dwellings we passed are hard to describe. There were typically old single-wide trailers with lots of "stuff" not just in the back yard but also in the front yard, around the sides, and even on top of the other "stuff". I don't think the neighbors were complaining however as their places all looked about the same. We did pass a nuclear power plant in the middle of nowhere. The sign at the main entrance however, didn't say anything about nuclear. It was just described as a Texas Power Facility.
The weather along the route varied from clear/overcast to showers and heavy rain. None of it lasted very long and didn't affect the road conditions. We were sort of following the front northeast. I actually prefer cloudy/light rain to clear/windy while driving. All-in-all, despite being wary of "death-by-GPS" along roads never travelled called "farm roads", the trip went well and we arrived at the Galveston Island RV Resort about 3:00 pm. It started to rain again while we unhooked, but shortly afterwards the skies cleared and the sun came out.
The RV park is a pleasant surprise. It is about 15 miles sw of the City of Galveston, on Galveston Island. The park is fairly new with wide concrete pads, grass in-between each site, full hook-ups, cable TV and good Internet.
One impression of driving up the island is the noticeable lack of people. There are even lots of spaces available at the RV park. Virtually all of the many vacation homes along the beach appeared to be unoccupied. The lady at the RV park said they are in between seasonal activities and things will pick-up as spring break approaches. Another thing, is that all the houses on the island are on stilts at least 15-20 feet in the air. This is understandable as the island is at sea level and on the main line for potential hurricanes.
We had dinner in the RV again and went to bed early. After sleeping in tomorrow, we'll explore Galveston and see what it has to offer the first-time tourist.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 15
We decided to go to the Padre Island National Seashore today. The entrance, about 30 minutes away from the RV park, is at the north end of Padre Island. The National Seashore extends 60 miles south along a narrow strip of sand that is Padre Island. At the south end of the National Seashore, the island is split by a channel, separating the northern part from the southern portion of the island that extends further south to the Mexican border. The southern part of the Island is not part of the National Seashore but also remains undeveloped.
The park visitor's center is 4 miles south of the park boundry and you can only drive another mile after that on paved road. From there on, it is only beach driving for 55 miles. Only 4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. There are no facilities and the Park Service says you are on your own; If you get stuck, that's your problem. They said a tow out of the sand from a company in Corpus Christie might cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. I am not sure AAA would cover that. Interestingly, Texas beaches are considered public highways and only street legal and registered vehicles are allowed on the beach. They also don't allow metal detectors anywhere in the park to protect artifacts.
The visitor's center was small, but had some nice exhibits and, of course, a gift shop. It is part of what is called the "Malaquite Pavillion". The complex includes picnic tables, an auditorium, two observation decks, restrooms and a walkway to the beach. There is also a small RV park adjacent to the complex (20 sites, no hook-ups).
Activities in the park include swimming and sunbathing, picnicking, fishing, beach combing, boating, windsurfing, birding, and kayaking. The park is also home to the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, which comes ashore to nest from April to mid-July. More than half of the Kemp's ridley nests found in the U.S. are located here.
We took a short walk along the beach, got our feet wet and found a few shells. The good shells are found at two beaches down around the 25 mile road marker. We decided we didn't want to go there however, and were content with our modest collection.
Padre Island is quite a place - 60 miles of remote, undeveloped beach. In fact, the park service says it is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world.
After our beach walk, we headed back towards town and stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant on the Laguna Madre, the large lagoon on the other side of Padre Island.
After lunch we decided to take a look at the USS Lexington, a WW II aircraft carrier berthed at the Port of Corpus Christie about 10 miles north of the RV park. The set-up is similar to that of the USS Midway in San Diego, but the setting is not nearly as nice and the area around the location is a little "skuzzy". We didn't take the tour, although Judy said she would if I really wanted to do so.
We traveled back to the naval base along the waterfront (Shoreline Drive) passing a lot of beachfront houses/mansions that, in our opinion, displayed more money than good taste.
On the way back we passed a large and impressive college campus along the waterfront, Texas A&M at Corpus Christi. It is a very nice looking campus and very well done.
When we reached the north gate of the base, alas, it was closed. It is a weekday gate and closed on weekends. So, we had to backtrack a little, but it all worked out as we found a CVS/Pharmacy where Judy needed a few things and a grocery store where we got ice and a take-out dinner (a deli chicken).
We go on to Galveston, TX tomorrow. We will be travelling along back roads and along the coast. The weather looks good - no rain but wind can always be a factor.
The park visitor's center is 4 miles south of the park boundry and you can only drive another mile after that on paved road. From there on, it is only beach driving for 55 miles. Only 4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. There are no facilities and the Park Service says you are on your own; If you get stuck, that's your problem. They said a tow out of the sand from a company in Corpus Christie might cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. I am not sure AAA would cover that. Interestingly, Texas beaches are considered public highways and only street legal and registered vehicles are allowed on the beach. They also don't allow metal detectors anywhere in the park to protect artifacts.
The visitor's center was small, but had some nice exhibits and, of course, a gift shop. It is part of what is called the "Malaquite Pavillion". The complex includes picnic tables, an auditorium, two observation decks, restrooms and a walkway to the beach. There is also a small RV park adjacent to the complex (20 sites, no hook-ups).
Activities in the park include swimming and sunbathing, picnicking, fishing, beach combing, boating, windsurfing, birding, and kayaking. The park is also home to the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, which comes ashore to nest from April to mid-July. More than half of the Kemp's ridley nests found in the U.S. are located here.
We took a short walk along the beach, got our feet wet and found a few shells. The good shells are found at two beaches down around the 25 mile road marker. We decided we didn't want to go there however, and were content with our modest collection.
Padre Island is quite a place - 60 miles of remote, undeveloped beach. In fact, the park service says it is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world.
After our beach walk, we headed back towards town and stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant on the Laguna Madre, the large lagoon on the other side of Padre Island.
After lunch we decided to take a look at the USS Lexington, a WW II aircraft carrier berthed at the Port of Corpus Christie about 10 miles north of the RV park. The set-up is similar to that of the USS Midway in San Diego, but the setting is not nearly as nice and the area around the location is a little "skuzzy". We didn't take the tour, although Judy said she would if I really wanted to do so.
We traveled back to the naval base along the waterfront (Shoreline Drive) passing a lot of beachfront houses/mansions that, in our opinion, displayed more money than good taste.
On the way back we passed a large and impressive college campus along the waterfront, Texas A&M at Corpus Christi. It is a very nice looking campus and very well done.
When we reached the north gate of the base, alas, it was closed. It is a weekday gate and closed on weekends. So, we had to backtrack a little, but it all worked out as we found a CVS/Pharmacy where Judy needed a few things and a grocery store where we got ice and a take-out dinner (a deli chicken).
We go on to Galveston, TX tomorrow. We will be travelling along back roads and along the coast. The weather looks good - no rain but wind can always be a factor.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 14
Before we left the RV park this morning we had a cooked-to-order breakfast at the park recreation center. It looked like it was all prepared by volunteers/park residents. It was very good - eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, biscuits and gravy and coffee - hard to beat for $5.95.
We got on the road about 9:30 am under cloudy skies. It was only a couple of miles to I-37S and from there, it was pretty much a straight shot south to Corpus Christie. It was only 150 miles to the Corpus Christie Naval Air Station where we are staying for the next two nights. The skies cleared as we approached the coast but the wind picked up quite a bit.
The base RV park where we are staying is out on a point of land in the bay and the wind remained strong and gusty (probably around 20 mph). during the afternoon and evening. The park is O.K., near the water, with full hook-ups and plenty of room in each site. There is no Internet or TV in the park however (not even anything on the antenna) , but we are only paying $18.00 per night.
Corpus Christie NAS is a big-time Naval Aviation base. It is the home to all primary flight training for the Navy where all the Navy pilot candidates receive their first flight training and solo before moving on to advanced training in specific Navy aircraft. All was quiet on base when we arrived however, as I guess everything pretty much shuts down for the weekend. There is also a fairly large Army depot on base where helicopters are repaired and refurbished as well as a Marine detachment and a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facility.
After we got settled-in, I went to the Navy Exchange (NEX) and Commissary for a few supplies and groceries. Judy did the laundry and we had dinner in the RV and plan on going to bed early. We are not sure what we are planning to do tomorrow other than sleep-in and go from there.
No pictures today; due to a spotty Internet connection through my iPhone. I'll try and post some tomorrow.
We got on the road about 9:30 am under cloudy skies. It was only a couple of miles to I-37S and from there, it was pretty much a straight shot south to Corpus Christie. It was only 150 miles to the Corpus Christie Naval Air Station where we are staying for the next two nights. The skies cleared as we approached the coast but the wind picked up quite a bit.
The base RV park where we are staying is out on a point of land in the bay and the wind remained strong and gusty (probably around 20 mph). during the afternoon and evening. The park is O.K., near the water, with full hook-ups and plenty of room in each site. There is no Internet or TV in the park however (not even anything on the antenna) , but we are only paying $18.00 per night.
Corpus Christie NAS is a big-time Naval Aviation base. It is the home to all primary flight training for the Navy where all the Navy pilot candidates receive their first flight training and solo before moving on to advanced training in specific Navy aircraft. All was quiet on base when we arrived however, as I guess everything pretty much shuts down for the weekend. There is also a fairly large Army depot on base where helicopters are repaired and refurbished as well as a Marine detachment and a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facility.
After we got settled-in, I went to the Navy Exchange (NEX) and Commissary for a few supplies and groceries. Judy did the laundry and we had dinner in the RV and plan on going to bed early. We are not sure what we are planning to do tomorrow other than sleep-in and go from there.
No pictures today; due to a spotty Internet connection through my iPhone. I'll try and post some tomorrow.
Friday, February 19, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 13
We slept in today, had a light breakfast and decided to take the bus downtown to the San Antonio Riverwalk, walk around and have a late lunch/dinner at one of the many restaurants along the water. There is a bus stop right in front of the RV park and it is about a mile or so from here to a Riverwalk entrance. It was very convenient and beat driving to the heart of the city and finding a place to park.
The San Antonio Riverwalk (also known as Paseo del Rio) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of downtown San Antonio. The riverwalk is lined with restaurants, shops and bars. Riverboat tours and a water taxi service are also offered along the river. Many of the downtown hotels connect to the walkway and major shopping malls as well as tourist attractions such as the Alamo are nearby. The Riverwalk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a major tourist attraction. During our stop here last year we took the city tour and had the boat ride. It was nice this time just to walk around and enjoy the experience in a leisurely way.
Here is some more information about the Riverwalk and its history from Wikipedia
The San Antonio Riverwalk (also known as Paseo del Rio) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of downtown San Antonio. The riverwalk is lined with restaurants, shops and bars. Riverboat tours and a water taxi service are also offered along the river. Many of the downtown hotels connect to the walkway and major shopping malls as well as tourist attractions such as the Alamo are nearby. The Riverwalk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a major tourist attraction. During our stop here last year we took the city tour and had the boat ride. It was nice this time just to walk around and enjoy the experience in a leisurely way.
Here is some more information about the Riverwalk and its history from Wikipedia
After we arrived downtown, we found a Starbucks (the first one we've seen since leaving home), had a mocha and a snack before starting our walk along the river.The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded.
There was also an Air Force basic training graduation at Lackland AFB nearby today. A lot of the new Airman in uniform (men and women), their parents, relatives, girl/boy friends and other friends were also present all along the walk. It was good to see such a bunch of good looking young people ready to bring new blood into to the Air Force.
There was also an Air Force basic training graduation at Lackland AFB nearby today. A lot of the new Airman in uniform (men and women), their parents, relatives, girl/boy friends and other friends were also present all along the walk. It was good to see such a bunch of good looking young people ready to bring new blood into to the Air Force.
After walking for awhile, we had a great lunch at a BBQ restaurant (The County Line) and took the bus back to the RV Park around 4:00 pm. We leave for Corpus Christi, TX tomorrow where we stay for two nights then on to Galveston, TX.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Arizona Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 12
We left Marathon about 9:15 am and as we drove by the Gage Hotel heading east, we noticed at least a dozen Shelby Cobra sports cars parked at the hotel along the frontage road. People were milling around them getting ready to head out after apparently spending the night at the hotel. Again, you are never sure what you are going to see in the desert.
We stopped for gas on the way out of town and headed east on a virtually deserted Higthway 90. There was more of "nothing", actually lots of it, all the way to Del Rio, Texas. During the almost 175 miles to Del Rio we probably saw a half-dozen cars, maybe three trucks and a couple of RVs. One thing we did see were a lot of were Border Patrol vehicles patrolling the dirt frontage road next to the highway. We also saw Border Patrol vehicles towing 3 large truck tires connected in a triangular way with chains. I suspect they were keeping the dirt road fairly level and maybe preventing washboarding that can be common on dirt roads. Actually, we saw several other groups of tires connected to each other sitting at frontage road intersections. I suspect when Border Patrol vehicles patrol a road segment they periodically need to tow tires to the next intersection. We did not see them catch anyone. We went through one border check ourselves in all the distance we drove today. They asked if we were U. S. citizens and sent us on.
The road out of marathon was fairly straight and level and then we started through a long stretch of rolling hills and curved roads, almost all the way to Del Rio. We also started experiencing a quartering head wind from the southeast. It also became very cloudy, the first real clouds we have seen since leaving home. We also passed through several "barely alive" little towns with most everything run down and/or closed. It was sad to see the failure of the local inhabitants being unable to "make a go of it". When we got to Del Rio, which is right at the border and home to a USAF pilot training base (Laughlin AFB) things began to change.
There were more people and structures after Del Rio and and we started passing through several towns/cities such as Bracketville, Uvalde, Sabinal, Hondo, and Castroville along Highway 90 on the way to San Antonio. There was also more traffic and It felt that we had left the prairie/desert and entered perhaps what could be called "rural" Texas. The clouds also cleared and it was sunny (and a little windy) the rest of the way to San Antonio.
We arrived in San Antonio, approaching from the south of town about 4:30 pm. The RV park where we are staying, Traveller's RV Park and Resort, is only a couple of miles off the freeway and just south of center city. It is a nice park; we stayed here last year. We will be here two nights. We are not sure what we will be doing tomorrow, but we will sleep in and go from there.
It was a long day today. We are doing dinner in the RV and it will be early to bed tonight.
No pictures today; I'll post some tomorrow.
We stopped for gas on the way out of town and headed east on a virtually deserted Higthway 90. There was more of "nothing", actually lots of it, all the way to Del Rio, Texas. During the almost 175 miles to Del Rio we probably saw a half-dozen cars, maybe three trucks and a couple of RVs. One thing we did see were a lot of were Border Patrol vehicles patrolling the dirt frontage road next to the highway. We also saw Border Patrol vehicles towing 3 large truck tires connected in a triangular way with chains. I suspect they were keeping the dirt road fairly level and maybe preventing washboarding that can be common on dirt roads. Actually, we saw several other groups of tires connected to each other sitting at frontage road intersections. I suspect when Border Patrol vehicles patrol a road segment they periodically need to tow tires to the next intersection. We did not see them catch anyone. We went through one border check ourselves in all the distance we drove today. They asked if we were U. S. citizens and sent us on.
The road out of marathon was fairly straight and level and then we started through a long stretch of rolling hills and curved roads, almost all the way to Del Rio. We also started experiencing a quartering head wind from the southeast. It also became very cloudy, the first real clouds we have seen since leaving home. We also passed through several "barely alive" little towns with most everything run down and/or closed. It was sad to see the failure of the local inhabitants being unable to "make a go of it". When we got to Del Rio, which is right at the border and home to a USAF pilot training base (Laughlin AFB) things began to change.
There were more people and structures after Del Rio and and we started passing through several towns/cities such as Bracketville, Uvalde, Sabinal, Hondo, and Castroville along Highway 90 on the way to San Antonio. There was also more traffic and It felt that we had left the prairie/desert and entered perhaps what could be called "rural" Texas. The clouds also cleared and it was sunny (and a little windy) the rest of the way to San Antonio.
We arrived in San Antonio, approaching from the south of town about 4:30 pm. The RV park where we are staying, Traveller's RV Park and Resort, is only a couple of miles off the freeway and just south of center city. It is a nice park; we stayed here last year. We will be here two nights. We are not sure what we will be doing tomorrow, but we will sleep in and go from there.
It was a long day today. We are doing dinner in the RV and it will be early to bed tonight.
No pictures today; I'll post some tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 11
We left the RV park around 9:30 am for Big Bend National Park. It is 70 miles due south of here on US Highway 385. The road is mostly straight with a 70 mph speed limit. There is nothing along the road although we spotted a few ranches set back here-and-there. We had the road virtually all to ourselves. I think we saw less than half-a-dozen cars until we reached the Persimmon Gap park entrance. After entering the park, we still had 28 miles to go to reach park headquarters and the visitor's center.
We started to slowly increase elevation until we reached the visitor's center at 3800 ft. We watched the orientation film about the park, looked around the center and took a short walk on a desert garden patch.
After that, we drove another 10 miles up a steep and winding road up the Chisos Mountains to Chisos Basin at 5400 ft. The basin contains a lodge with motel-style cottages a small tent/trailer campground with water hook-ups, a country store and a restaurant where we had a great lunch. The basin is surrounded by spectacular mountain formations and views; several park trailheads are nearby.
Big Bend is one of the largest, most remote, and least-visited national parks in the lower 48 United States. In recent years, only 300,000–350,000 visitors have entered the park annually. Here is a little more information about the park:
The park was formed in 1944 after the land was donated by the State of Texas as Texas’s “gift to the nation”. It is larger than the State of Rhode Island and is the only national park to contain an entire mountain range (The Chisos Mountains)."
After lunch we looked around a little more then started the trip back to the RV park and arrived about 4:30 pm. It was a long drive, but we are glad we visited the park. It might even be worth a trip back some day.
We started to slowly increase elevation until we reached the visitor's center at 3800 ft. We watched the orientation film about the park, looked around the center and took a short walk on a desert garden patch.
After that, we drove another 10 miles up a steep and winding road up the Chisos Mountains to Chisos Basin at 5400 ft. The basin contains a lodge with motel-style cottages a small tent/trailer campground with water hook-ups, a country store and a restaurant where we had a great lunch. The basin is surrounded by spectacular mountain formations and views; several park trailheads are nearby.
Big Bend is one of the largest, most remote, and least-visited national parks in the lower 48 United States. In recent years, only 300,000–350,000 visitors have entered the park annually. Here is a little more information about the park:
"Big Bend National Park in
the U.S. state of Texas has national significance as the largest protected
area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in
the United States. It contains more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450
species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals.
The national park covers
801,163 acres. A variety of Cretaceous and Cenozoic fossil organisms
exist in abundance, and the park has artifacts estimated to be 9,000 years old.
Historic buildings and landscapes offer graphic illustration of life along the
international border in the 19th century.
For more than 1,000 miles
(1,600 km), the Rio Grande/RÃo Bravo forms the
international boundary between Mexico and
the United States, and Big Bend National Park administers approximately 118
miles (190 km) along that boundary. The park was named after the area,
which is bounded by a large bend in the river andTexas-Mexico border.
The park was formed in 1944 after the land was donated by the State of Texas as Texas’s “gift to the nation”. It is larger than the State of Rhode Island and is the only national park to contain an entire mountain range (The Chisos Mountains)."
After lunch we looked around a little more then started the trip back to the RV park and arrived about 4:30 pm. It was a long drive, but we are glad we visited the park. It might even be worth a trip back some day.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 10
We left Las Cruces about 9:15 am and missed most of the El Paso morning rush hour traffic but not the road construction. There is a lot of it going on and it doesn't appear New Mexico and Texas are skimping on infrastructure upkeep and improvements.
It was another good travel day with good weather and little wind. As we entered west Texas we continued to experience the "wide open spaces". This year, we decided to deviate from the normal I-10 east itinerary through Texas (850 miles) and head southeast on the old east/west route along US Highway 90. So, we turned southeast at Van Horn, Texas and traveled through several towns along the way to our destination today in Marathon, Texas "Where the Big Bend Begins".
As we learned from our previous travels there is always something to see in the desert if you look for it. We happened to see three actual desert junkyards. I am not sure they are active "parts dealers" but rather convenient places to park old cars that nobody wants any more. Actually, one of them seemed to consist solely of old pick-up trucks. We also passed through a couple of small "used-to-be towns" that for whatever reason seem to be mostly abandoned.
We also saw at least 25 Texas Highway Patrol cars, more-or-less in formation, heading west. It seemed strange, so we asked the Border Patrol agent at the next inspection check point about the troopers. He said they were on the way to El Paso to help provide security along the U.S. side of the border while the Pope was saying mass at the border fence in Juarez, Mexico on Wednesday.
On the way to Marfa, Texas, the first town of note we were coming to, we saw a strange sight ahead of us in the sky. It sort of looked like a smaller version of the Goodyear Blimp without the advertising. As we came closer we noticed a facility back off the road that had what appeared to be a tether tower and several buildings behind a wire fence. When we stopped in Marfa for lunch and were ordering Subway sandwiches, there was a Border Patrol agent also in line. I asked him about the blimp and he said it was a surveillance radar platform operated by a contractor for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency.
Further research discovered it is one of a series of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems (TARS) deployed in various locations along the southwest border of the United States and Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Caribbean in support of federal agencies involved in the nation's drug interdiction program. The primary mission is to provide low-level radar surveillance.
I remembered Marfa as a navigation check point when I was flying navigation training missions from Harlingen, TX in 1959. Marfa, an interesting town, was founded in the early 1880's as a railroad water stop. The Marfa Army Airfield also served as a training
facility for several thousand pilots during World War II before closing in 1945. The area around the town is now known as a cultural center
for contemporary artists and artisans focused on minimalist art. We didn't stop to check it all out but we did see an example of this type of art on the way into town. We did a double-take as we drove by a small concrete building along the side of the road depicting a Prada showroom with shoes and handbags displayed. As it turns out, this was an art project. It is described by an art critic on the Internet as follows:
"The Prada store stands in the middle of the desert, full of handbags and shoes chosen by Miuccia Prada. The store is perpetually closed, yet there it sits waiting for the art world to drive by and think, maybe for a second, it is real and one could stop off in the desert for a handbag, a successful comment on our conspicuous consumption mentality."
We also saw a snowman made from old tires painted white (sort of like the Michelin Man), but we don't think it was part of the west Texas avante garde art scene.
Another thing we saw on the way out of town was the "Marfa Lights Viewing Station", a way side stop not unlike a rest stop. Not knowing anything about the Marfa Lights, I looked it up and found out that:
"The Marfa lights, also known as the Marfa ghost lights, have been observed near U.S. Route 67 on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas, in the United States. They have gained some fame as onlookers have ascribed them to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, UFOs, or will-o'-the-wisp, etc. However, scientific research suggests that most, if not all, are atmospheric reflections of automobile headlights and campfires."
Maybe we will go back and check it out sometime.
The next town along the way was Alpine. Alpine is much bigger than Marfa and home to Sul Ross State University. It seemed like a nice town and the gateway to Ft. Davis National Historic Site and the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains.
On our way to Marathon, Texas (our destination) we also saw a shabby concrete structure, much like a bus stop shelter surrounded by dead grass in the middle of nowhere with the Target symbol and name on it. Further research indicated it was built and placed along the road by the Marathon Volunteer Fire Department in response to the Marfa Prada. As they said on Facebook:
"Someone needs to tell Marfa Prada we have a Marathon Target that sells more stuff"
As we said, you never know what you are going to see in the desert.
We arrived at the Marathon Motel and RV Park about 4:30 pm (we are now in the Central Time Zone) and were pleasantly surprised. I was thinking Bates Motel and RV Park but it is really quite nice. We have a pull through site, WiFi and 64 cable TV channels . The park is right off the highway but there is not a lot of highway noise. Highway 90 parallals the main east/west railroad down here however, and long Union Pacific trains frequently pass close by. And, as they come through town they sound their horn at the railroad crossings. You cannot miss them, but they didn't wake us up last night.
After resting awhile we went into town and had a great dinner at the Gage Hotel. It is truly an Oasis in the desert. We are not quite sure how they make a go of it here but it is definitely upscale and very well done.
It was another good travel day with good weather and little wind. As we entered west Texas we continued to experience the "wide open spaces". This year, we decided to deviate from the normal I-10 east itinerary through Texas (850 miles) and head southeast on the old east/west route along US Highway 90. So, we turned southeast at Van Horn, Texas and traveled through several towns along the way to our destination today in Marathon, Texas "Where the Big Bend Begins".
As we learned from our previous travels there is always something to see in the desert if you look for it. We happened to see three actual desert junkyards. I am not sure they are active "parts dealers" but rather convenient places to park old cars that nobody wants any more. Actually, one of them seemed to consist solely of old pick-up trucks. We also passed through a couple of small "used-to-be towns" that for whatever reason seem to be mostly abandoned.
We also saw at least 25 Texas Highway Patrol cars, more-or-less in formation, heading west. It seemed strange, so we asked the Border Patrol agent at the next inspection check point about the troopers. He said they were on the way to El Paso to help provide security along the U.S. side of the border while the Pope was saying mass at the border fence in Juarez, Mexico on Wednesday.
On the way to Marfa, Texas, the first town of note we were coming to, we saw a strange sight ahead of us in the sky. It sort of looked like a smaller version of the Goodyear Blimp without the advertising. As we came closer we noticed a facility back off the road that had what appeared to be a tether tower and several buildings behind a wire fence. When we stopped in Marfa for lunch and were ordering Subway sandwiches, there was a Border Patrol agent also in line. I asked him about the blimp and he said it was a surveillance radar platform operated by a contractor for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency.
Further research discovered it is one of a series of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems (TARS) deployed in various locations along the southwest border of the United States and Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Caribbean in support of federal agencies involved in the nation's drug interdiction program. The primary mission is to provide low-level radar surveillance.
"The Prada store stands in the middle of the desert, full of handbags and shoes chosen by Miuccia Prada. The store is perpetually closed, yet there it sits waiting for the art world to drive by and think, maybe for a second, it is real and one could stop off in the desert for a handbag, a successful comment on our conspicuous consumption mentality."
We also saw a snowman made from old tires painted white (sort of like the Michelin Man), but we don't think it was part of the west Texas avante garde art scene.
Another thing we saw on the way out of town was the "Marfa Lights Viewing Station", a way side stop not unlike a rest stop. Not knowing anything about the Marfa Lights, I looked it up and found out that:
"The Marfa lights, also known as the Marfa ghost lights, have been observed near U.S. Route 67 on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas, in the United States. They have gained some fame as onlookers have ascribed them to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, UFOs, or will-o'-the-wisp, etc. However, scientific research suggests that most, if not all, are atmospheric reflections of automobile headlights and campfires."
Maybe we will go back and check it out sometime.
The next town along the way was Alpine. Alpine is much bigger than Marfa and home to Sul Ross State University. It seemed like a nice town and the gateway to Ft. Davis National Historic Site and the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains.
On our way to Marathon, Texas (our destination) we also saw a shabby concrete structure, much like a bus stop shelter surrounded by dead grass in the middle of nowhere with the Target symbol and name on it. Further research indicated it was built and placed along the road by the Marathon Volunteer Fire Department in response to the Marfa Prada. As they said on Facebook:
"Someone needs to tell Marfa Prada we have a Marathon Target that sells more stuff"
We arrived at the Marathon Motel and RV Park about 4:30 pm (we are now in the Central Time Zone) and were pleasantly surprised. I was thinking Bates Motel and RV Park but it is really quite nice. We have a pull through site, WiFi and 64 cable TV channels . The park is right off the highway but there is not a lot of highway noise. Highway 90 parallals the main east/west railroad down here however, and long Union Pacific trains frequently pass close by. And, as they come through town they sound their horn at the railroad crossings. You cannot miss them, but they didn't wake us up last night.
After resting awhile we went into town and had a great dinner at the Gage Hotel. It is truly an Oasis in the desert. We are not quite sure how they make a go of it here but it is definitely upscale and very well done.
Tomorrow we will take a road trip down to Big Bend National Park about 60 miles south of here.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 9
It was a great travel day today. We filled-up the RV with $1.37 per gallon gas and headed east on I-10 under sunny skies, mild temperature and little wind.
Traffic was light and the road was mostly straight and level. The scenery could be described as "open space with an occasional gas station". We stopped for lunch at a rest stop, stretched a little, and got back on the road.
We arrived at the Hacienda RV and Rally Resort in Las Cruces, NM where we had stayed several times in the past. In fact, they didn't charge us for the site as we are apparently frequent visitors. It a great place to stop along the way east or west, just short of El Paso, TX. We are also planning to stay here on the way home in April.
After resting awhile in the RV we went to the local Cracker Barrel Restaurant for dinner. It is a great road trip restaurant - comfort food, generous portions and reasonable prices. There aren't any in California or maybe Arizona but they are just off the Interstates in the south just about everywhere east of here.
We are on the way to west Texas tomorrow for a 2-night stay in Marathon, TX and a day trip to Big Bend National Park.
Traffic was light and the road was mostly straight and level. The scenery could be described as "open space with an occasional gas station". We stopped for lunch at a rest stop, stretched a little, and got back on the road.
We arrived at the Hacienda RV and Rally Resort in Las Cruces, NM where we had stayed several times in the past. In fact, they didn't charge us for the site as we are apparently frequent visitors. It a great place to stop along the way east or west, just short of El Paso, TX. We are also planning to stay here on the way home in April.
After resting awhile in the RV we went to the local Cracker Barrel Restaurant for dinner. It is a great road trip restaurant - comfort food, generous portions and reasonable prices. There aren't any in California or maybe Arizona but they are just off the Interstates in the south just about everywhere east of here.
We are on the way to west Texas tomorrow for a 2-night stay in Marathon, TX and a day trip to Big Bend National Park.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 8
When we got up this morning we decided we didn't feel like driving 70 miles to Tombstone and another 25 miles further to Bisbee - and then drive back after a day of sightseeing. And, we had to do the laundry when we got back. As we get a little older it is becoming more apparent we need to pace ourselves a little more than we used to have to do in the past. So, we went back to bed for awhile had a leisurely breakfast and did the laundry. We'll save Tombstone and Bisbee for another trip.
It turned out to be a very relaxing day. While Judy was waiting for the washer/dryers, I went to a nearby shopping mall and brought back lunch from a taco shop (real Mexican food!). After lunch poolside and after the clothes were put away, I drove over to the nearby Camping World for a few things and stopped for some supplies at the grocery store (Fry's). I thought Fry's only sold electronic stuff but it appears they have a big grocery store presence down here along with Safeway. I also noted a cluster of gas stations selling gas for $1.25 per gallon. It will be interesting to see how the prices fluctuate as we continue east.
We had dinner in the RV tonight and will go to bed early. After some consideration (minimal) we decided to skip the Valentine's Day sock hop at the recreation center tonight.
We have a 5-hour drive to Las Cruces, NM tomorrow. The 10-day weather forecast ahead still looks good - dry roads and manageable wind.
We are also beginning to like the occasional R&R day concept as we travel.
It turned out to be a very relaxing day. While Judy was waiting for the washer/dryers, I went to a nearby shopping mall and brought back lunch from a taco shop (real Mexican food!). After lunch poolside and after the clothes were put away, I drove over to the nearby Camping World for a few things and stopped for some supplies at the grocery store (Fry's). I thought Fry's only sold electronic stuff but it appears they have a big grocery store presence down here along with Safeway. I also noted a cluster of gas stations selling gas for $1.25 per gallon. It will be interesting to see how the prices fluctuate as we continue east.
We had dinner in the RV tonight and will go to bed early. After some consideration (minimal) we decided to skip the Valentine's Day sock hop at the recreation center tonight.
We have a 5-hour drive to Las Cruces, NM tomorrow. The 10-day weather forecast ahead still looks good - dry roads and manageable wind.
We are also beginning to like the occasional R&R day concept as we travel.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 7
On the way out of the RV park this morning heading for Tubac, we noticed a miniature model train layout near the office, so we stopped to check it out. It is an exquisite miniature village with an extensive model railroad running through and around its area. In talking to a few of the guys working on and controlling it (mostly Canadians wearing railroad hats) they said it is the work of the Rincon West Railroad Club. There are about 25 current members in the club; the club has been working on the set-up for the last 10 years. It is a G-Scale railroad with village buildings, people, cars, etc. all to scale. It is truly a piece of work and a labor of love for the people involved.
We then drove down to Tubac, about 45 minutes south on I-19. As it turned out when we got there, the annual Tubac Festival of the Arts was in progress. The whole town that is not very big and seemed to consist mainly of art galleries, sculptor studios, jewelry, metal working and curio ships all featuring Southwestern and Indian motif fine arts and other things (I didn't see any scalps for sale however). It had been turned into a street fair for the festival with booths lining virtually every street. We couldn't begin to see it all, but a lot of it we were not interested in anyway (e.g. Mexican metal lawn art and decorated pottery). So, we walked around awhile and had a nice lunch after a 30 minute wait at a highly rated local restaurant.
After lunch we visited the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park in the old part of town. The original buildings are all gone but the site has a lot of historical significance in Arizona history. It is the site of one of the original Spanish missions and the site of the first European settlement in Arizona.
It is also the site where, in 1775-1776, the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza led some 240 men, women, and children on a 1200 mile journey to establish the first non-Native settlement at San Francisco Bay. His route has since been established as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail connecting history, culture, and outdoor recreation from Nogales, Mexico to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Over the years the town has had its ups-and-downs but is now an established artists colony and the home to what appear to be a significant number of retirees. I am not sure what a retiree would actually do there, but there did appear to be a golf course and shoveling snow is definitely not a wintertime experience.
On the way back we stopped at the Titian Missile Museum abut 15 miles south of Tucson. The museum is at the last existing Titian II Missile site and is now a National Historic Landmark. The Titian II Missiles were deployed in the early 1960s in the teeth of the Cold War. They were the biggest missiles the US ever deployed and each missile had a 9 megaton hydrogen bomb as a warhead. There were 54 Titian II missile sites at three bases (Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas and Little Rock AFB in Little Rock, Arkansas) each with 18 missile sites. When the Tucson missile wing deactivated in 1982, it was decided to keep and preserve one of the sites as a museum and a memorial to the time and the people involved. Since then, hundreds of volunteers, former missillers and donors have kept the museum going and it is now a thriving attraction in the area.
The visit brought back a lot of memories for me as we were stationed at Little Rock, Arkansas from 1981-1985 in the 308th Strategic Missile Wing, the last of the Titian II Missile wings which deactivated in 1987. We had a great tour of the missile site and museum and are pleased it has been preserved as a part of our nation's history.
After stopping for a few groceries and gas ($1.39 per gallon) we had dinner in the RV and early to bed. We have a long road trip tomorrow to Tombstone and maybe Bisbee if we feel up to it.
We then drove down to Tubac, about 45 minutes south on I-19. As it turned out when we got there, the annual Tubac Festival of the Arts was in progress. The whole town that is not very big and seemed to consist mainly of art galleries, sculptor studios, jewelry, metal working and curio ships all featuring Southwestern and Indian motif fine arts and other things (I didn't see any scalps for sale however). It had been turned into a street fair for the festival with booths lining virtually every street. We couldn't begin to see it all, but a lot of it we were not interested in anyway (e.g. Mexican metal lawn art and decorated pottery). So, we walked around awhile and had a nice lunch after a 30 minute wait at a highly rated local restaurant.
After lunch we visited the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park in the old part of town. The original buildings are all gone but the site has a lot of historical significance in Arizona history. It is the site of one of the original Spanish missions and the site of the first European settlement in Arizona.
It is also the site where, in 1775-1776, the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza led some 240 men, women, and children on a 1200 mile journey to establish the first non-Native settlement at San Francisco Bay. His route has since been established as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail connecting history, culture, and outdoor recreation from Nogales, Mexico to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Over the years the town has had its ups-and-downs but is now an established artists colony and the home to what appear to be a significant number of retirees. I am not sure what a retiree would actually do there, but there did appear to be a golf course and shoveling snow is definitely not a wintertime experience.
On the way back we stopped at the Titian Missile Museum abut 15 miles south of Tucson. The museum is at the last existing Titian II Missile site and is now a National Historic Landmark. The Titian II Missiles were deployed in the early 1960s in the teeth of the Cold War. They were the biggest missiles the US ever deployed and each missile had a 9 megaton hydrogen bomb as a warhead. There were 54 Titian II missile sites at three bases (Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas and Little Rock AFB in Little Rock, Arkansas) each with 18 missile sites. When the Tucson missile wing deactivated in 1982, it was decided to keep and preserve one of the sites as a museum and a memorial to the time and the people involved. Since then, hundreds of volunteers, former missillers and donors have kept the museum going and it is now a thriving attraction in the area.
The visit brought back a lot of memories for me as we were stationed at Little Rock, Arkansas from 1981-1985 in the 308th Strategic Missile Wing, the last of the Titian II Missile wings which deactivated in 1987. We had a great tour of the missile site and museum and are pleased it has been preserved as a part of our nation's history.
After stopping for a few groceries and gas ($1.39 per gallon) we had dinner in the RV and early to bed. We have a long road trip tomorrow to Tombstone and maybe Bisbee if we feel up to it.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 6
We did sleep in this morning. Judy is feeling a little better today but we didn't rush to leave the RV park. Traffic is heavy here during rush hour so we decided to try and get out of town after the morning rush hour. We got on the road about 11:30 am and the traffic was still heavy but was moving for the most part. After we cleared the Phoenix metro area, it was an easy 2-hour ride to Tucson. The weather remains good, no wind and the roads are dry. There was still a lot of traffic on I-10 E but again, it kept moving.
We arrived at our destination, Rincon West RV Resort, just south of town. It is another mega Snowbird resort with lots of things to do that we will not be doing. The plan tomorrow is a road trip to Tubac, an artisty/crafty sort of town about 45 minutes south of Tucson. We are are planning to revisit a restored Titan II missile complex nearby if we have time and enough energy.
We'll be here three nights with another road trip planned the day after tomorrow to Tombstone and Bisbee, AZ
.
We arrived at our destination, Rincon West RV Resort, just south of town. It is another mega Snowbird resort with lots of things to do that we will not be doing. The plan tomorrow is a road trip to Tubac, an artisty/crafty sort of town about 45 minutes south of Tucson. We are are planning to revisit a restored Titan II missile complex nearby if we have time and enough energy.
We'll be here three nights with another road trip planned the day after tomorrow to Tombstone and Bisbee, AZ
.Thursday, February 11, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 5
We slept in this morning after a tiring day yesterday. Our plan was to just relax before visiting our friends this evening for dinner. Judy's cough did not seem to be getting better however, so she decided to go to Urgent Care to get checked out and get some medicine before it got worse. She saw a PA, got an X-Ray, antibiotics, cough medicine and a different nasal inhaler.
We did go to Rich and Sylvia Aungers for dinner and had an enjoyable visit with them. They live in Nevada City, but now are spending more time during the winter at their second home In Sun City Grand in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise.
We have a short drive to Tucson tomorrow so the plan again is to sleep in and leave after rush hour in Phoenix.
We did go to Rich and Sylvia Aungers for dinner and had an enjoyable visit with them. They live in Nevada City, but now are spending more time during the winter at their second home In Sun City Grand in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise.
We have a short drive to Tucson tomorrow so the plan again is to sleep in and leave after rush hour in Phoenix.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 4
We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise in the park.
The botanical garden goes back to 1939 and has grown ever since. It has every species of plant life growing in the Sonoran Desert and more from other deserts around the world. The main trail is a 1/3 of a mile Desert Discovery Loop Trail with several other loop trails branching out from the main trail. Everything in the garden is very well done and visually attractive. I took over 70 pictures and will post a few of the best after I get them sorted.
After spending most of the afternoon walking (and resting) in the garden, we drove up to the Musical Instrument Museum in the north end of Scottsdale. We were able to get tickets to a concert at the museum for that evening. They have a really nice auditorium, not too big but with wide aisles, comfortable seats and elevated sight lines. We have been to two other concerts here during previous visits and enjoyed both of them. They have an extensive and varied concert schedule with over 70 concerts scheduled for the summer.
Since we had some time to kill before the concert we relaxed in the museum area and had a light dinner and drinks at a nearby restaurant. When we arrived back at the museum for the concert we were greeted to another beautiful Arizona sunset.
We went to the Desert Botanical Garden today. We got a little bit of a late start and arrived around noon. We had a great lunch at their restaurant, outside with perfect weather. After lunch we walked around the extensive grounds. We had been here two years ago and wanted to see it again.
The botanical garden goes back to 1939 and has grown ever since. It has every species of plant life growing in the Sonoran Desert and more from other deserts around the world. The main trail is a 1/3 of a mile Desert Discovery Loop Trail with several other loop trails branching out from the main trail. Everything in the garden is very well done and visually attractive. I took over 70 pictures and will post a few of the best after I get them sorted.
After spending most of the afternoon walking (and resting) in the garden, we drove up to the Musical Instrument Museum in the north end of Scottsdale. We were able to get tickets to a concert at the museum for that evening. They have a really nice auditorium, not too big but with wide aisles, comfortable seats and elevated sight lines. We have been to two other concerts here during previous visits and enjoyed both of them. They have an extensive and varied concert schedule with over 70 concerts scheduled for the summer.
Since we had some time to kill before the concert we relaxed in the museum area and had a light dinner and drinks at a nearby restaurant. When we arrived back at the museum for the concert we were greeted to another beautiful Arizona sunset.
The concert tonight was by a group we had never heard of but sounded interesting. It was the Nicole Pesce Quartet. They are a group of local Phoenix Area musicians who are apparently very popular in town. The leader of the group, Nicole Pesce is an amazing pianist and has been a fixture at major hotel piano bars in Phoenix for at least the last 15 years. They played a mixture of jazz, blues and contemporary selections and during intermission she asked people to text any song title they would like her to play. After the break, she announced she received 87 song requests then went on to play most of them, woven into a seamless piano solo played from memory. She is apparently known as the "Human iPod" and is said to have memorized over 12,000 musical selections. Here is a sample of her work from You Tube:
After the concert, we arrived back at the RV park about 10:30 pm after a long and tiring, but enjoyable day.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Florida Spring Training Trip 2016 - Day 3
We had an easy ride to Phoenix today with a little wind en route in spots but it was mostly one-hand-on-the wheel driving with cruise control on. We lost an hour as we crossed into Arizona but the gas dropped $0.50 a gallon. Most gas is going anywhere from $1.69 -$1.79 per gallon all the way into Phoenix, even out on the highway.
We are now entering the part of the country where some rugged individuals try and make a go of it in sparse high desert country with limited water supplies and few economic opportunities. Every now-and-then you see an isolated house in the middle of nowhere or in some hard scrabble desert "town". One thing that seems to stand out however is the apparently common theme that when residents are through with their "stuff", they don't have many opportunities to dispose or get rid of it. Consequently, a lot of it seems to be just put "out back", except for things that maybe they can sit in or on. In that case they may end up on the front porch.
We are staying at the Pueblo El Mirage RV and Gulf Resort in El Mirage a NW Phoenix suburb. We stayed here for a week last year on the way east. It is a mega snowbird resort with a lot of park model RVs and trailers/fifth wheels that apparently stay here all year with seasonal residents. Others from the northern tier arrive usually after Thanksgiving with their rigs and stay until March/April after the snow melts back home. The facilities are excellent with just about everything a snow bird would like to do from golf to bingo, line dancing and pickle ball. We are not into any of that (at least not yet) but it is a good place to stay if you are going somewhere else.
We will be here three nights. We will do some things tomorrow, probably visiting places we have been before to see what is new or maybe what we forgot about and think we are seeing for the first time. We are having dinner Thursday night with friends from Nevada City, Rich and Sylvia Aunger who spend the winter in their house in one of the Sun City communities nearby. We will drive to Tucson on Friday and spend 3 days there with several side trips planned.
The excitement begins.
We are now entering the part of the country where some rugged individuals try and make a go of it in sparse high desert country with limited water supplies and few economic opportunities. Every now-and-then you see an isolated house in the middle of nowhere or in some hard scrabble desert "town". One thing that seems to stand out however is the apparently common theme that when residents are through with their "stuff", they don't have many opportunities to dispose or get rid of it. Consequently, a lot of it seems to be just put "out back", except for things that maybe they can sit in or on. In that case they may end up on the front porch.
We are staying at the Pueblo El Mirage RV and Gulf Resort in El Mirage a NW Phoenix suburb. We stayed here for a week last year on the way east. It is a mega snowbird resort with a lot of park model RVs and trailers/fifth wheels that apparently stay here all year with seasonal residents. Others from the northern tier arrive usually after Thanksgiving with their rigs and stay until March/April after the snow melts back home. The facilities are excellent with just about everything a snow bird would like to do from golf to bingo, line dancing and pickle ball. We are not into any of that (at least not yet) but it is a good place to stay if you are going somewhere else.
We will be here three nights. We will do some things tomorrow, probably visiting places we have been before to see what is new or maybe what we forgot about and think we are seeing for the first time. We are having dinner Thursday night with friends from Nevada City, Rich and Sylvia Aunger who spend the winter in their house in one of the Sun City communities nearby. We will drive to Tucson on Friday and spend 3 days there with several side trips planned.
The excitement begins.
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