14 October 2009

Hi All: This may be the next to last blog for this trip. We made it to Florida yesterday about 5 PM and are at a campground near Chattahoochee, FL. It is also close to the state Insane facility?? Hope they don't realize we are this close to it.

Weather for our trip yesterday was pretty good. No wind to talk about, No rain to amount to much, and it was cloudy and cool. Pretty good traveling weather. We got to this KOA campground and got set up and had a menu with the paper work they give you. They have a restaurant here at the campground, so we ordered hamburgers and french fries and they delivered them to the motor home. "I love this Campground"...Will miss it when we leave this morning.

Have about 250 miles to get home. A little anxious to get there, but will miss the traveling. We have had a super time on this trip, and are looking forward to our next trip. We are thinking of going back to Alaska next year. Would like to be in Alaska during July this time, rather than June. Right now it's just thinking, not planned in concrete yet.

Hope all enjoyed our trip this year, I have enjoyed putting as much as I could on this blog.. Thanks for your comments, and thanks for staying with us..

Top photo is a ship sitting on the Mississippi river in New Orleans. There were a lot of them along the river there. Glad the river was out there and not IN the city this time. Next photo is Ours and Bob's motor Homes sitting at the campground in New Orleans.. Had to back the rigs in our spaces here. Then this is some damaged piers along the damaged part of the river from the Hurricane of 2005. Still a lot of damage from the storm that has not been repaired. Lots of tarps on roofs, and lots of buildings still not repaired. Just sitting empty and ugly.. Sad.. Then Bob and I standing if front of a tank from WW II at the museum for WW II. Great museum. If your ever in the area it is a good place to go.. Then Amy got us standing in front of Emeril's restaurant waiting on our car. The dinner was outstanding, and very up town. I had "Redfish" which we cannot order in Florida. It is my favorite fish, and the one I go fishing for when I do go fishing. It is a game fish in Florida so they can't sell it in restaurants etc, but not in New Orleans or Texas as I found out...The meal was an exciting trip....Thanks to Bob for that dinner. I'll owe him for years.... Then the photo of the Battle Ship Alabama as we came in to Alabama....

That's about it for this trip. We leave here about 0900 and should be home at around 2 or 3 PM this afternoon. Will be nice, but then we have several days of work to get the motor home unloaded and ready for storage for a few weeks...

Love you all.

Semper Fi

Don Amy & Pharaoh

11 October 2009

Hi All: We made it finally to New Orleans. Had 3 tough driving days in the rain to get here, and it continues to rain off and on here. Bob and Dorene were already parked at the campground and we got hooked up and started visiting. Went to dinner down the road from the campground a ways, then came back to the campground for an early night....

Got up and on the road at 0900 to go downtown and get hooked up with a tour of the city. It was a great trip, and the weather was pretty good to us. No rain, cloudy and fairly cool.

Photo's above are 1st, Bourbon Street, 2- Local transportation in French Quarter. 3-one of the newly renewed houses from the 2005 hurricane. 4-same as photo 2. Opps. 5- Red building is "Bubba Gumps Shrimp Company", 6- Photo of Bob and Dorene with a local bum waiting on the tour bus.

Going to Emeril's restaurant for dinner tonight. Bob had made reservations for 6:15 tonight. It's a little ways to town, and tough finding the streets we need, so we are leaving an hour early. Bob and Dorene had a couple extra days looking around before we got here, so they have the route down pretty good.

Staying an extra day to go to the National WW II museum tomorrow. Should be another good day with Bob and Dorene. It's great seeing them again...Bob has just retired so Amy got him a box or crayons and color books for him to have something to do in his retirement. He is a super artist in his own right. He should do more with it...

Better go get ready. Have only half hour to get ready, and Amy is taking up most of the dressing room. hee hee..

Semper Fi

Don Amy & Pharaoh

9 October 2009

Hi All: This is about the toughest day Amy and I have ever had on the road. It started raining this morning at 0500 at the campground. Had to go out with my raincoat and get ready for the trip today. Not to bad... Then we got in around San Antonio and needed to get on the loop around the city when a sign was noticed that that loop was closed due to a "Major Accident", So Amy had to find another route thru the city at 1030 in the morning. She did a super job and we got out of that city. Still in the heavy rain. Continued along I-10 raining all the way and got to Houston and had another "Major Accident" where we had to sit for about 45 minutes till they got it cleared up. Truckers on CB said traffic was backed up almost 10 miles, so it took a while for the traffic to start moving even after the 18 wheeler was removed from the highway. Got going again in FULL RAIN along I-10. Stopped for gas at $2.19, and it slacked up some on the rain for me. Didn't get soaked to the skin, and had cheap gas. We made it to the Louisiana line and the rain stopped, sky got a little brighter, but heavy clouds. Got checked in to the campground and hooked up before the rain started, but it did start, so I guess we got a little ahead of the storm front here. It will probably be raining all night. I have a couple water leaks that need attention when I get home. One over the right windshield, another over my head on the drivers side. Thought I had that one fixed. Will have to continue the search. Hard to fix while it is raining..

Well, just wanted to drop all a note to let ya know we are still alive and kicking. Will meed Bob and Dorene in New Orleans tomorrow. We're about 200 miles from the KOA campground we will meet them at....See ya tomorrow Bob and Dorene..

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

6 October 2009

Hi All: Still in Tombstone area. We got away about 0800 for Tombstone which is about 10 miles from the campground. We had picked out a restaurant for breakfast in Tombstone so we headed there. The Longhorn Restaurant. Pretty good breakfast, but a slow waitress. Had to hunt her down for my ticket. Then we started walking around the town. Noticed a lot of places were not open till 1000, and some are not open on "Tuesdays, and Wednesdays". This is Tuesday of course. We got there for their Weekend I guess. Enough places were open and we enjoyed the looking, and going to the OK Coral. Didn't pay to see the actual gunfight, but walked around where it supposedly happened??. Also went to a gunfight at Helldarado, just down the street. Kinda funny. Worth the time....We then drove farther South to Bisbee, AZ the County seat. It is on the side of a mountain, and they are still digging for copper there. A hole about 2 miles deep attests to the fact they are still mining.. Nothing much to see in Bisbee, so we had a Dairy Queen cone and went back to Tombstone and visited Boot Hill, which is a little out of town...

Photos' above are of Amy in a buggy in Tombstone, and Amy standing by an Ocotillo Plant next to our motor home. Not a plant to be hugged???. Another photo of a couple Indians. One of them is Geronimo. Not sure who the one on the left is... Also a picture of the men who fight in the same area the real fight is supposed to have taken place. They are robots, and do their thing at the push of a button. Not bad.. The tombstones are of the guys who LOST the fight at the OK Coral. Was a nice day, and the wind was really tough, but the temperature was very nice. In the 80's. Looks like rain, but none yet.

We will get on the road early tomorrow and have a pretty long trip of almost 400 miles, and we lose two hours of time zone differences, so that will make it feel like a longer day...

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

5 October 2009

Hi All: We're back on the road again. Left Phoenix this morning for Tombstone, AZ. Had a wonderful time in Phoenix with Jack and Yoli. We did something every day there, and it was just great there. They were such super host and hostess to us. We miss them already.

When we were setting up to leave I had to replace the electric plug on my electric cord again. Last time it melted and left Pharaoh in 115 degree heat. This time it just welded to the adapter cord I used to plug in to the 50 amp service. I did have a replacement and it took about an hour to solder it to the wires of the new plug, but we got on the road about 1000, rather than 0900. Drove the 200 miles to the Tombstone area. Had a LOT of wind blowing sideways to the motor home, and it is still blowing pretty hard here at the campground. Nice campground, has cable TV, Satellite works great also. No WiFi as advertised, but by Verizon Thingy works great here, so we are all set for a couple nights. This is the first campground we have stopped at that has electric meters at each site and they charge 13 cents per kilowatt your use of their electricity. Just another way to get money out of the traveler. The charge they charge is not cheap either, it is comparable to other campgrounds that do not charge extra for electricity?? We're here now, but may not ever be back here. It's the "Tombstone Territory Campground" Real nice sites, all pull thru, lot of empty ones also, so the electric meter may be the reason??

We will tour tombstone tomorrow and look around the area, then back on the road towards New Orleans. Will have some long days on the way, and we loose two hours due to time zones. Plan to be in New Orleans on 10 October to meet Bob and Dorene Boardman for a couple days.. Looking forward to that....

Photo's above are" 1. Jack and I in Cabala's buying something. I was looking for a set of pistol grips for my pistol with no luck. Jack bought a bunch of bullets. He's worried about our commander and chief?? hee hee. #2 Jack and I beside a painting on the wall of the Arizona Mining museum. Looks like we are next to real folks? #3 Amy and Yoli with hair nets on that were required head gear at Snyders Pretzel factory. Jack set it up so we could have a tour of the place. It was a super tour. Have some more photos of the pretzels being made etc for another blog. #4 Amy and Yoli inside a shovel for one of the mining shovels at the mining museum.. Big scoops.... #5 All of us at a restaurant in Cave Creek we went to. This was an old west area they keep in the old ways. Jack and I spent most of our time in the bar while the gals shopped at all the little shops and stores. Had "Lupper" there. Hamburgers. Pretty good too.. #6 Guess who "Waitin On Women" I spend about 80% of my life doing that. Think most guys do. When it comes time to pass along the woman will not be ready I'm sure, So I'll just go over and find a bench and sit and wait there????

Hope to have some nice photo's of Tombstone tomorrow.

Will be doing the blog each day I hope from now on. Sorry for the missing days. It's Jack's fault. hee hee.

Semper Fi

Don Amy & Pharaoh....

26 September 2009

Hi All: Bet you all thought we fell of the end of the world. Have been here in Phoenix all week having a good time with Jack and Yoli. Even had to much fun one evening and didn't feel to well the next day. Not bad, just a little slower getting started. Not much to write about is the reason no Blog for a while. Amy is getting in her shopping, and Jack and I did some hunting for a pair of pistol grips for one of my pistols. Couldn't find any though. Will have to make a pair when I get home I guess. That's what I get for having a strange made gun....

Heat is pretty good here. Supposed to 106 today. Not as hot as it was last year though. Next week is supposed to be in a cold snap. Won't get any higher than 95 they say??? Freezing up North of here though, where we stayed before we came down south. What a difference a few miles make. I guess it's the Altitude rather than the Miles though, Ya Guess

Sgt Van and his wife are supposed to come visit us today at around 1300. Looking forward to seeing them. Haven't seen him in over 35 years I guess....

Just wanted to let ya all know we are still out here and having fun.

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

17,18 & 19 September 2009

Hi All: Sorry I'm late with the blog. Jack and Yoli got here the 17th around noon and we visited and all that day and evening. Cooked a couple burgers for dinner and hit the rack fairly early. Got up the next day, went to breakfast at Denny's and then headed for the railroad depot for out train trip around the Verde Valley. It was a super ride of about 4 hours to places that no one can get to or see unless your on the train. Real nice trip. Then we went to a ranch house for a dinner and show. Dinner was pretty good ranch beans, BBQ chicken or beef with all the trimmings, then a music shoe that was fair. Biggest problem was someone right behind us had a little baby who was really squealing. I told them I did not pay my money to listen to their kid scream and they just looked at me. Amy finally told them to get gone from there as she cannot even hear the music. They did move farther back in the room, but kept the little kid yelling during most of the show. They should have a sign up that says rowdy kids will be "Sold" or some such thing. Was a good day with Jack and Yoli any way.

Got up early again this morning and went to breakfast at a local restaurant where the breakfast was better than Denny's, then we headed for Sedona to check out a outside mall type place that showed local talent of sculpture, painting and what ever. It was great, As you can see in one of the photo's above I was "Waitin' on two women" Jack was to most of the time, but Amy didn't get both of our photo's. Did see some nice stuff there, and did enjoy the time there. We then drove to Prescot, AZ, about 60 miles from there thru Jerome where we visited last time we were here with Jack and Yoli. We visited a friend of Jack and Yoli's in Prescot. They have a great house and a super view of the area they live. It was a great visit. Would like to have spent more time with them, They are also Marines, so they are good folks.

Got back here thru a really bad rain storm. As strong as I've seen. Must have been some more flash floods around somewhere. It rained most of the way back to the Motor Home where we found I had left the roof vent open in the bathroom and the rain really came in with a vengeance. Didn't ruin anything, just wetted things up in there.

WE sat around and had a couple drinks and a bite to eat and decided we all were really tired from the super day. Jack and Yoli will leave in the morning for Phoenix. WE will stay one more day, get the rig ready and leave Monday for Phoenix where we will be for a couple weeks having fun, and missing JoAnn. Hi Jo!!! We won't have to much fun without ya...

The photo's above are of me waiting of course, then the band at the dinner show, A photo of Jack and I in jail at the dinner show place, A photo of Jack and I on the train ride, and one of Yoli and Amy on the train also...We have had a great time with Jack and Yoli here in Verde Valley and look forward to more days of fun in Phoenix.

Thanks to Jack and Eileen in Prescot for having us in there home today. Such a beautiful Home.

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh.