We're baaaack!!! Here is a quick synopsis of our adventures since our last entry, Yellowstone September 2012. First stop is Mount Rushmore. Michael was so excited to use his new Golden Age pass since turning 62. Free entry to National Parks and half price at National campgrounds. Admission was free, unfortunately parking cost $20!! We highly recommend going back to the park for the evening program. Very moving. 2 days in the area then on to the next stop.   We had an unscheduled stop in South Dakota because of a flat tire on the car. I took a lovely picture of Michael with the ear of corn statue in front of the Corn Palace but couldn't find it anywhere. Hmmmm. On to Austin, Minnesota. Home of Spam and a surprisingly nice museum. Very interesting and lots of free Spam samples. Still spam but it was free!!   Next destination was Forest City, Iowa and the Winnebago factory for some scheduled repairs. The windshield had been leaking since we got it and Winnebago was going to fix it for free. There was a better than 50% chance that the windshield would break during the removal. Since we had acquired some chips and dings during our trip to Alaska both of us were hoping for a brand new windshield. Good luck for us, they broke it and we got a brand new one. We were at the factory for 9 days. Yikes. Nothing to do all day out in the middle of nowhere but visit with other RV owners. We did make some new friends and take a day trip to Clearlake which was the last place Buddy Holly played before he died in the plane crash.   Repairs completed. Continuing on to Massachusetts. We made a quick 2 hour stop in Elkhart, Indiana to see the RV Hall of Fame. Definitely worth the stop. From the first RV which was almost a covered wagon to modern day vehicles and a lot in between. Sorry no pictures. Niagra Falls here we come.   Massachusetts/Connecticut from the middle of September to the end of October 2012. Lots of family to catch up with. Went on a college field trip with Samantha. Helped take water samples and then separate and catalog the bugs and stuff (technical term).  November to December 2012 was spent in the Dallas, TX area visiting our beautiful grandchildren (our son and daughter-in-law too) and lots of friends!!! Had a lovely Thanksgiving with Jack, Jada, Janice and Jonathan.   Quick stop in Austin on the way out of Texas and on our way to Florida. A nice visit with Myron and Kathie. Fit in the Texas History Museum. Cool mosaic in the entryway.  Have to find someplace warm to spend the winter. From Jan. to mid Feb 2013 we went to Ft Myers, Ft. Pierce, Lake Worth, Miami, day trip to Key West, Everglades, Sarasota and Tallahassee. Sunset cruise in Key West. Thank you Dave and Esther for meeting us in Miami.  If you are ever in South Florida and the Everglades make sure to stop at "Shark Valley". There is a 15 mile loop that you can walk, bike ride, or take the tram to see. There are alligators laying around everywhere. When we stopped to take pictures we had to make sure to check the grass right on the side of the road so you don't step on a gator!!!!! Lots of birds too. We used our folding bikes for the loop. Very hard on the butt!!!    Too humid in Florida even in the winter. We tried!! Let's head west to Arizona. Side trip to Alamogordo, New Mexico to visit White Sands National Monument. Wouldn't want to get hit by a stray missile I guess.  White Sands IS a good name for this place. Took a nice hike on the dunes.   Arrive in Tucson mid March for a 1 month stay. Visited this mission not far from our RV park  A must see is the Sonoran Desert Museum. Lots of outside stuff but also a small aquarium. Can you find the fish in this tank??  So cute. Look at that little face.  We left Tucson the end of April for Grand Junction, Colorado. I've been charged with making Hunter and Jax's birthday cakes for the last many years. This years theme was a Nascar Track and Monster Trucks. Happy Birthday Hunter  Happy Birthday Jax  Headed out of Grand Junction in June 2013 for a 3 month trip up the west coast. On the way we made a stop in Las Vegas to meet up with our friends Dave and Esther with a side day trip to Hoover Dam. Boy was it hot...  and cool.  No big wins in Vegas! Westward bound. Sequoia National Park in southern California. The park road was so winding and had so many switchbacks it took an hour to get from the entrance to the top of the mountain. Beautiful views and if no one else was on the road it was FUN to drive! In the car not the RV. There I am at the base of the tree. I feel positively dainty!!!    Sad news from Massachusetts. Michael's Dad was not well so we decided to change our travel plans and spend the summer in Mass. One of the benefits of full timing. We lost him in June. We miss him every day.  Lunch at Bills in Saybrook  It had been a long time since we saw the sights in New England so we took a week long trip in July with Samantha up the coast of Maine. Beautiful Pemequid Lighthouse. Right after this we drove to a dockside restaurant and had lobster and seafood right off the fishing boat.   August 2013 New motorhome adventure - Tampa, Florida Just had to have a king sized bed!!!  Mid September we arrive back in Massachusetts and up to Cap Cod to visit our friends John and Joyce. Remember we made new friends while we were waiting for RV repairs at Winnebago in Forest City, Iowa?? This is them. They were great tour guides. The cranberry bogs were so pretty.  Hyannisport - We didn't run into any Kennedys  One of the best things this summer was getting to spend so much time with my wonderful sister and her family. Miss you Lisa. Wish Anne was there.  Barkhampstead CT Reservoir. This was on the way from our campground to my sisters house.  Samm lives about 35 minutes from the campground so we got to see her a lot as well. Got to share her passion for horseback riding and go to one of her lessons.    Mid October. Just about time to leave. Here comes Michael  November 2013 Sunnyvale, TX As close to Jonathan and family as we could find. Ahhh, grandchildren!!  We have also discovered Facebook so you'll see some updates there. |
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