Round Four - That's All She Wrote!

The last part of this trip has been spent relaxing in the great state of Texas, with side trips to Oklahoma and Arkansas.  As we have visited these areas before, sightseeing was at a minimum.  Instead there was a lot of this........

And twice daily walks in very pleasant surroundings such as these

And the occasional refreshment, sometimes enjoyed sitting around the firepit.

(Ya, I know, it's a rough life)









One new area that we visited was Waco, TX.  While there we visited the Texas Ranger Museum.  Pretty cool!  For those of you who watch Criminal Minds, I suspect the guy in the photo below, Frank A. Hamer, was the original profiler.  By using profiling techniques, he was able to track down the infamous Bonnie & Clyde in Louisiana back in 1934, where the bank robbers were shot and killed, thus ending their spree of murder and mayhem.

Towards the end of March, my Mom and Dad flew down to spend a week with us at Tres Rios RV Resort, part of the Ocean Canyon Properties RV resort network.  While there we took them to Fort Worth where they got rowdy and tangled with Wild Bill Hickok, danced at Billy Bob's Honky Tonk and saw a cattle drive through the center of town.






















We also checked out the Chisholm Trail exhibit in nearby Cleburne.  For those who follow the tornado storm systems, the town of Cleburne was hit by a storm two days after this visit, around the same time as the Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport was being pummeled. 










In Dalls we visited the Sixth Floor Museum which documents the Kennedy assassination and presidency. (no cameras allowed)

With the arrival of our first grandchild this coming September, we decided to leave our RV in Texas so we can spend Christmas with family in Winnipeg and still escape the snow and cold come January.  Not sure what next the next excursion will bring - perhaps another quiet trip like this one, or maybe we'll get adventurous again and head to the New England area.  Only time will tell. That's all for now.  Safe travels!

Coastin' 'Round the Gulf

What a month!  Four weeks of rest and relaxation as we worked our way around the Gulf of Mexico.  After departing the eastern Gulf shores near Dunedin, Fl, we next stopped near the Gulf Shores of Alabama before heading on to the beautiful state of Louisiana.

Life on the coast can be very laid back.  The dogs got right into the swing of it.  Trying to get them mobile in the morning can be a real challenge!

Jim and I took advantage of the nice weather to check out golf courses in Fairhope, AL and Abita Springs, LA.  Because of the droughts that have been experienced over the past year, the courses were a little rough, (kind of like our game (LOL)) but we had fun anyway.

We also deposited some cash at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St Louis, Mississippi (no cameras allowed) and we returned to the Pontchartrain Winery in Abita Springs (and forgot the camera, so again no pictures, but lots of great wine)

No trip to the Gulf Coast is complete without a trip to the beach.  The day was cool but the sun was bright.  The picture is taken at Orange Beach, Alabama.  As you can see, BP kept its promise to clean up the area after the massive oil spill, at least as far as the beaches are concerned.  Not sure what still lies below the surface.

That being said, the threat of oil did not stop folks from casting their line.  When I asked them what they were fishing for, I was told, "Anything that bites!" 

I had visions of Alfred Hitchcock's, "The Birds", as I watched these folks feed the seagulls.  I think the little guy was of the same opinion as he decided to make a break for it!

"SILENCE...... I keel you!"

Yep - the highlight of our trip to Louisiana this year was a Jeff Dunham concert. 

Achmed and all his friends were in fine form. 

Again, no pictures were permitted during the performance.

I snapped a pic of the stage just before the performance started.

With three trips under our belt, we've wondered if it's time to park the RV and stay home for a couple of winters.  Just when you start to lean that way, something happens.  This picture was taken on Friday evening, 24 Jan 2012.  With the windchill factored in at home, I think it was around -35C.  Guess which way we're leaning now (LOL).

That's it from the Gulf Coast.  Next up the Lone Star State.  See ya next month!

Florida Fancy

Happy New Year to Everyone.  Since our last entry, we have spent the better part of three weeks basking in the warm Florida sunshine. 

First stop was Grand Lakes Golf & RV Resort in north central Florida, halfway between Ocala and Gainsville.   Finally a chance to dust off  "the sticks" and get in a few rounds of golf.  We often say it's a small world.  The saying held true here.  The second night we were there, there was a spaghetti dinner and dance in the clubhouse.  Lo and behold, the folks sitting next to us were fellow Canadians and one couple were retired from the CF.  Turns out both he and his wife had worked with Jim's brother Dave when he was posted to Petawawa.  Like I said - small world! 















From Grand Lake it was on to Tampa and visits with family and friends.  Jim got to spend Christmas Day with his sister Tish - first time since 1965.  We had a wonderful dinner, with all the trimmings and a good time was had by all.  (So good in fact that I forgot to take the camera out and snap a few photos (LOL)).


You know how you always get tired of eating after the big day and never know what to cook.  Well, my Aunt Anne had the solution for that - moose stew!!!  Here she is getting it ready........

...and here we are eating it!  Yum, yum, yum.  Thanks for sharing your Newfoundland grub!

When we're parked in a major center, it's always nice for Benji and Zoe when we find an off-leash park for them to run and stretch their legs and meet other pups.  Palm Harbor had a really nice park that they took full advantage of.

Last time we were in Tampa, our focus was on attending various sporting events.  This time round, with Tish as our guide, we decided to check out Busch Gardens: Africa Adventure. 

I discovered that Tish is as fearless as Jim when it comes to amusement park rides.  While they took a ride on the wildest roller coaster in the park, I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground and held on to purses and hats and other sundry items that tend to fall off or out of the car when you're being whipped around upside down!!! 

They humored me with a more sane ride - a trip around the park on a train.  You can see one of the roller coaster tracks in the background.

From the train we could see all kinds of animals native to Africa....

New Year's Eve was a quiet event.  Dinner included a BBQ'd steak, accompanied by the odd bottle of vino.  On New Year's Day, our friends, Jan & Dave Thomas, drove up from their winter haven for a visit.  It was good to see them and catch up on their news.

From Florida, we're off to the Gulf Coast.  Take care everyone.

On the Road Again - Round Four

On the road again! Out of the gates a little later than usual but we've made it to the land of sun and warmth without too much ado.

We departed Winnipeg on American Thanksgiving and headed to Fargo, ND for a little Black Friday shopping. We did not set the alarm to get up at 3:oo am and go stand in line with the thousands of those who did, but we did manage to find a few good deals when we did finally make it to the stores.

With temperatures a little too cool for sleeping in the RV, we pushed our way to Goshin, IN as quickly as we could. Once there we handed the RV over to the structural experts so they could work their magic and fix our frame. They worked quickly but not quite fast enough. On the day they gave the rig back to us, Old Man Winter decided to pay Goshen a call and dropped a few inches of snow on us. Needless to say, we stayed put for a couple of extra days and allowed the white stuff to melt.

The first "stop" on this excursion was Nashville. A trip to the Grand Ole Opry was in order. This time round the performance was at the old Ryman Auditorium. The headliners included Terri Clark, Suzy Boggess and Mel Tillis, as well as the regulars like Little Jimmie Dickens, who turned 91 on 17 Dec (and still mows his own lawn and performs at the Opry every week).

Next up was.......

And a trip to

where the Predators took on the Coyotes. Unfortunately the home town team was not successful as the Coyotes won 3-2.

When in Nashville, we stay at Nashville's Jellystone RV Resort. we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived this time to see the park covered in lights. What a show! You travel through the park with your car radio tuned to a specific frequency and the lights move in sync with the Christmas music.

Next up was Sevierville (pronounced 'severe' ville) in the Great Smokey Mountains. What a beautiful area. And so much to see and do that we'll have to come back this way again and spend a week or two. We did manage to take in dinner show. The local talent was outstanding and the food delicious.

From here we ventured into South Carolina and a visit to Charleston. It was here that we finally got ahead of the cooler temperatures. Charleston is steeped in history, particularly as it pertains to both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. We learned that the state was the first to secede from the Union and the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, a garrision built by the United States to protect Charleston harbor so off we went to get a view of the fort.

And it didn't hurt that the fort is built on an island which meant a trip out in the harbour. The day was beautiful, with dolphins swimming close by.

At the start of the war, the fort was manned by a very small contingent of Union soldiers, and was no match for the arsenal the Confederates through at it, so it fell quickly. The fort remained a Confederate stronghold until 1865, when Union troops marching north from Savannah, captured Charleston and the US flag was once again hoisted above Fort Sumter.

The Fort as we approached from Charleston

Guess the gunner who was manning th cannon at this point got quite the fright when this shell landed!

From South Carolina, we're off to Florida for the holidays. Jim and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that 2012 brings you health and happiness. 'Til next time.......

Home!

The trip is done! Excursion #3 nothing but a memory! And I must admit it's good to be home. The trip home took us to British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The weather improved somewhat while we were in the Vancouver area but the threat of rain (and snow in the mountains) was always there.

Arena # 11 is in the books. We took in a game at Rogers Arena and watched the Canucks beat the Coyotes.












And no trip to the Greater Vancouver area is complete without a visit to Stanley Park. We walked along the beach, checked out the totem poles and had a great lunch at a cafe in the park. Jim was going to walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge (it was going to be a lonely walk as there was no way I was stepping out on it!), but opted out when he found out the price. Guess we've become quite frugal in our pension years.

We avoided having to call the Good Sam Emergency Road Assistance folks on this excursion but we could not avoid the Ford mechanics. An extra week was spent in Surrey while they tore the truck apart, (demolishing our savings account in the process), and fixed just about every major component under the hood.








But every cloud has a silver lining, and because we had to stay in Surrey for an extra week for the truck repairs, we were able to catch a WHL playoff game between the Vancouver Giants and the TriCity Americans. What's so special about that you might wonder, well our friend Chris Driedger is the backup goaltender for the Americans!

We've decided that late March and early April is not the time to travel home, especially if you're travelling through the Rockies. The worry of snow and ice was always in the back of your mind, which makes for stressful travelling. For example, we had to spend a few extra days in Kamloops, BC as a result of a spring snowstorm in western Alberta. We did get to visit with our friends in Calgary for a few days but had to cancel the portion of the trip that would take us to Wainwright to visit with Jim's brother John and his wife Nancy. The snow just wasn't melting and the temperatures were still just a little too cold for our liking. Hopefully, we'll catch up with them in the fall. So we're home and settled back into the condo. The RV is parked in a temporary storage facility as our seasonal site was too wet and muddy to get to. Gotta love that old Prairie gumbo! Hopefully, we'll be set up at Stephenfield before the Victoria Day weekend.

Jim and Lesley signing off until Excursion #4. Take care.

Rusting in Washington

As we left the Tsunami warning road signs behind, we were greeted with new road signs that advised where we could get volcano activity information! Oh, what I`d give for the simplicity of floods and mosquitos (LOL).

Our time in the home state of Mount St Helens was split between Seattle and Blaine.

In Seattle the rain continued. The day after we arrived, this is what we awoke to. Thank goodness we picked a site that was on slightly higher ground.

On the first clear day we hopped in the truck and toured the downtown, starting with the Space Needle.

From the top of the Needle we were able to get a great view of the city, including

the skyline

Quest and Safeco sports fields, and

house boat city!!!

From Seattle, we headed further north to the recreation area of Birch Bay, near the town of Blaine just south of the Canadian border. Again the rain, wind and cool temperatures continued, which left little to do and see. Jim and friends hung out......

until it was time to head for home and our next NHL game at Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks. Hopefully we`ll have clearer skies.