Farris' Journey Across the USA

Yes, we are still traveling

2011-03-21T08:14:00.001-05:00

We just have been to many of the same places that we have been before.

Great Jeep Rally in Durango

2010-09-27T23:09:00.004-05:00

We had a great rally in Durango. Lots of fun and food was enjoyed by all.

New TV

2010-09-10T01:09:00.003-05:00

When we were in Bend OR, we got our front cabinets rebuilt to hold a new 40" HD TV.

Before and after:

Happy plants on the dashboard

2010-09-09T02:10:00.002-05:00

This guy went nuts this summer. It had 19 blooms.

July 2010 - Oregon Coast

2010-07-22T18:16:00.021-05:00

In July, it stopped raining. The highs are still in the 60's with a cool breeze off the icy water.

This is a lovely flower that we have seen blooming all along the coast.

We went to McMinnville to the Evergreen Aviation Museum to see the Spruce Goose. It was pretty neat! Gerald really enjoyed all of the planes and the space museum, too.

This picture was from the upper level. The Spruce Goose is so big, you can't get it in one frame. I waited and waited for this guy to get out of the way, but gave up and took it anyway.

Here's Gerald reading one of the plaques.

He was really impressed with this Blackbird.

I was impressed with this corvette...looked just like the one I used to drive.

.....prior to digital.......

Gerald really enjoyed the museum. I enjoyed the gift shop and got some souvenir ice cream in the cafe.

Some of my cactus have been blooming.

This little guy bloomed in May.....

And has a bunch of buds that will be popping out any day. Pic taken today.

My African Violets.

My Orchids.

I also have live lavender that smells so nice!

May June 2010 - Oregon Coast

2010-07-22T17:33:00.010-05:00

During May and June, it rained 90% of the days, so when it was sunny, we went to the beach to get some pictures.

In this picture, they were fascinated by a kite someone was flying.

In June, the Rhodo's were blooming and they are beautiful. Click on pictures to enlarge them.

Spring 2010

2010-07-22T17:05:00.007-05:00

When we got to Dallas, we had several days enjoying visiting with the grand kids. We stayed at Hickory Creek COE campground, near Lewisville, TX and right on Lewisville Lake. These geese visited us daily.

Traveling again, we stopped in Dumas, TX for the night. A hailstorm had just passed over before we arrived and these were on the ground. Now, they were probably 30-40 minutes old!

During the night, another hailstorm came through and our motorhome shower skylight and both fantastic vent covers were broken. The Jeep has multiple dings on it.

Our next stop was Durango, CO where we are planning an off-road Jeep rally in September.

Then, onto Oregon. A few days in Bend, OR to plan our HDTV upgrade* and then onto the coast.

While in Bend, we also picked up a new camera - so I've been learning all the features. Nikon D5000. They sure aren't like they used to be!

We arrived on the coast May 28.

* We are going to have the front cabinets replaced with a 40" HD tv. They are going to take out the cabinets that go across the top/front and build a frame to hold the tv in place. RV Outfitters in Bend does an excellent job.

Update for 2010

2010-05-02T11:31:00.003-05:00

We spent November and December in Texas, visiting family for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Then we headed to southern California to Indio to the Western Area FMCA rally held at the Date Festival grounds. It was a great rally and we got to see a lot of friends.

From there we went to Quartzsite to another BAC rally and spent a couple of weeks dry camping in the desert and loving the shopping at the hundreds of vendors in town. It rained a couple of times, which is unusual for the desert and one storm came through where we recorded 66 mph wind on our Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station. There were quite a few damaged tents in town from that storm.

When we left Quartzsite, we headed northward to Bullhead City, AZ for a few days. From there, we went to the Thousand Trails park in Las Vegas, where we stayed for 2 weeks. We really enjoy the area and the shopping and the buffets! It's nice to be in a big city for a while, and being 6 miles from the strip means less traffic, but close enough to visit it.

We spent one week in Pahrump NV at Charleston Peak RV Resort. Our view was nice and we were able to see Mt. Charleston a lot of the time. It is usually covered with clouds and you don't see the crest very often.

Then, back to Las Vegas for 3 weeks. We were preparing for the BAC Int'l Rally in Albuquerque where I was teaching a couple of craft classes and we were co-rally masters for that rally and had a good bit of things to do to get ready for it.

When we drove to Albuquerque, we went through a snow storm that wasn't fun at all. Several hours of driving on ice and sand on I-40 west of Flagstaff. We were going 15-20 mph a lot of the way.

In Albuquerque, the park was great, tents were set up for our rally and we had about 60 motorhomes attending. The rv park had a fenced dog park that our dogs loved to run around in.
We were there for a week and it snowed twice!

After the rally, we stayed at an rv park east of Albuquerque and attended the FMCA convention in town to shop at the vendors there.

Then, we headed to Texas, stopping at TT Lake Whitney, which we love. We drove to Dallas a few times to visit the girls and grandkids before heading to Farris Ranch in Midway TX.

We got to Midway March 30 and enjoyed spending April there. The flowers are blooming and the weather is beautiful... sunny, cool and breezy.

We are leaving on May 9th to head to Dallas for a week and then onwards to spend the summer in Oregon.

BAC Rally at Amarillo TX

2009-10-24T20:21:00.001-05:00

We had a great rally in Amarillo, TX. There were 12 motorhomes in the group. This picture was taken by dear friend Ann Sair while we were on a short hike at Palo Duro Canyon.

Click on the photo to enlarge.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

2009-10-18T14:18:00.005-05:00

After the Balloon Fiesta, we drove up to the crest of Sandia Mountain.

This is overlooking Albuquerque.

Leaving North Carolina heading towards Albuquerque

2009-09-24T11:33:00.005-05:00

When we left Atlantic City, we went up into New York state to visit some friends. Had a wonderful time, and while we were there, went to the Rhinebeck Air Show.
http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/

After New York, we went back through Pennsylvania for a few days - really enjoyed the farmer's markets and fresh fruits and vegetables. From there, we went to an RV park east of Richmond, Virginia. We drove around in Williamsburg and Glocester.

Then, to a park near Lynchburg, Virginia. We spent one day at Appomattox and enjoyed the National Park.

This is a photo of Gerald on the porch of the McLean house, where Lee & Grant agreed to the surrender.

Next, was an RV park in North Carolina. We have just been driving through the area and enjoying the small towns nearby.

Here are some recent photos of the dogs.

We are leaving tomorrow, heading towards Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta with a stopover for a few days in Amarillo.

Near Atlantic City for a few days

2009-08-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

We are at Thousand Trails Chestnut Lake park, a few miles from Atlantic City, NJ. There are lots of mosquitoes here and we have to spray every time we walk outside.

We drove to Atlantic City on Friday to see the casinos and on Saturday, spent some time with some new Greyhound friends who were having a Meet N Greet at a Petsmart in a town north of here.

The weather has been good and we are enjoying the area - first time for both of us to visit New Jersey.

Milton Hershey Museum

2009-08-09T07:01:00.002-05:00

We visited the Hershey Museum downtown and it was very interesting. I recommend it to everyone.

Chocolate World is an amusement park and we didn't go there. We also didn't go to the $10 tasting - something both of us didn't need!!

We are near Hershey, PA

2009-08-04T08:24:00.002-05:00

We are now near Hershey, PA at a nice Thousand Trails RV park. There are lots of Canadian Geese here. It has rained some and is very humid here; nice rolling hills and lots of agriculture in the area.

Gerald has hurt his back and we are taking it easy for a few days, but hope to do some sightseeing next week.

A Visit to the Erie Canal in Lockport NY

2009-07-30T08:39:00.002-05:00

We drove over to Lockport NY and visited Locks 34 & 35. It was really interesting and we got to see them open and close twice for boats coming through.

Niagara Falls

2009-07-28T08:34:00.002-05:00

Visiting the Henry Ford Museum

2009-07-23T19:24:00.003-05:00

Today we went to the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.

This is an Allegheny locomotive. It was huge!! and weighed 603 tons.

My highlight was seeing the Weinermobile! LOL

We're enjoying the cooler weather

2009-07-21T08:29:00.005-05:00

It's so nice and much cooler here in Michigan.

This is a picture of Baron curling up in the 'coveted corner' at the foot of the bed to stay warm. There is always a contest to see whether Marquis or Baron gets to sleep in the corner at night.

We are in Michigan!

2009-07-18T17:45:00.002-05:00

The Beaver Ambassador Club rally in Lima, OH was great. There were 68 motorhomes there and we got to see a lot of friends.

We are now in Michigan for a couple of weeks. Hope to do some sightseeing in the area.

On our way to Lima, OH

2009-07-04T17:26:00.002-05:00

Well, we have left the ranch and are on our way to Lima, Ohio to the Beaver Ambassador Club rally. There should be about 70 motorhomes there and an opportunity to see old friends and make some new ones!

Prickly Pear Blooming

2009-05-21T11:20:00.001-05:00

Indigo Bunting at our bird feeder

2009-05-05T13:18:00.002-05:00

This is the first Indigo Bunting we have seen at our bird feeder. We have Cardinals and Sparrows also.

Back in Texas!

2009-03-26T10:03:00.002-05:00

We are back in Texas for a couple of months. Texas is so beautiful in the Spring time!!

Moultrie GA, Music & Memories Lead-In Rally-BAC

2009-03-15T11:04:00.004-05:00

The Music & Memories BAC Rally was a wonderful success. There were about 75 motorhomes and we had a great time visiting and enjoying the great food.

This is a photo of 60 motorhomes staging to caravan to Perry GA, to the FMCA Convention. What a sight it was!

Enjoying Vicksburg, MS

2009-03-06T07:39:00.003-06:00

We are now in Vicksburg, MS and enjoying the area. Last night we had a wonderful Southern Style Dinner, served family style, of Fried Chicken, Sausage, purple hulled peas, cabbage, squash, red beans and rice, macaroni & cheese, carrots, banana pudding and yeast rolls!!

Here is our group. Click on the photo to enlarge.

On our way across Texas

2009-03-04T15:50:00.001-06:00

The last two nights were in Ft Worth and we got to see the kids and grandkids and spent the day at the Ft Worth Zoo. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

We are now in Gladewater TX for one night.

The Rolling Rally is on it's way!

2009-03-01T20:54:00.003-06:00

The rally is going great. We had a nice night in Deming, NM and also in Fabens, TX. The steaks at Cattleman's Steakhouse were wonderful!

We are now in Midland, TX and will be in Ft Worth tomorrow.

It's hot in Casa Grande, AZ

2009-02-24T12:59:00.002-06:00

We got to Casa Grande, AZ yesterday and turned on the A/C. It was in the 80's!!

We will only be here for a few days and then we are leading a 10 day caravan of 10 Beaver motorhomes from here to Moultrie, GA to a big rally we are having there.

Weather is great in Las Vegas

2009-01-31T16:10:00.002-06:00

The weather has been wonderful here in Las Vegas. We are at Thousand Trails RV Park and enjoying the meal specials that many of the casinos have brought back.

I've been hitting the thrift shops, too, looking for those treasures we all love to collect!

It was a great rally!

2009-01-17T15:08:00.005-06:00

Well, "Circle the Wagons Again" is over and it was a great rally. We had 53 motorhomes parked in a huge circle in the desert and enjoyed great breakfasts each morning, a super salad bar in the afternoon before dinner and a great time around the campfire each night.

Happy New Year and we are ready for 2009!

2008-12-29T16:48:00.005-06:00

We left Midway for Dallas Dec 22 to visit with the grand kids for Christmas. We had a wonderful few days. This is a photo of us decorating Christmas cookies.

Then we left, heading towards California. Our first night was in Pecos, TX and then our next night was Deming NM. When we woke up, it was 12 degrees!!! This is the frost on the INSIDE of our window when I raised up the curtains!

Then, we made it to Quartzsite, AZ and spent a few hours visiting the Chamber of Commerce and a few stores to get ready for our big rally on Jan 13.

We are now in Palm Desert, CA until Jan 11, when we will head back to Quartzsite, AZ.

Snow on the Datastorm

2008-12-11T10:03:00.000-06:00

No internet signal today!!

It's snowing in East Texas

2008-12-10T17:25:00.004-06:00

It started snowing about 4 pm.

These were taken around 8 pm

Santa Fe and then onto Texas

2008-10-24T20:03:00.003-05:00

After Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, we spent a few days in Santa Fe and then drove on to Texas. We stopped in Dallas for a few days to visit with the grandkids and it was great seeing them.

We are now in Midway at Farris Ranch and are enjoying catching up on chores and relaxing and planning next year!

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

2008-10-08T19:35:00.007-05:00

These were many 'special shapes' balloons.

These two bees would lift off, with their hands connected and then they would separate.

Mesa Verde National Park

2008-10-05T19:32:00.001-05:00

We spent one day at Mesa Verde National Park.

Canyonlands National Park

2008-10-02T19:16:00.000-05:00

We drove through Canyonlands National Parks today. It was a bit hazy and hard to get good photos, but it was really a neat place.

Then, we took a jeep trail back to town. Glenda didn't enjoy it as much as Gerald did.

Salt Lake City and Moab, Utah

2008-10-01T10:49:00.004-05:00

We spent two nights in Salt Lake City and were able to spend all day at Temple Square. It was really interesting and we were lucky to get there in time for the Pipe Organ rehearsal at the Tabernacle. Glenda spent some time in the Family History Library on the genealogy computers.

Then, we drove down to Moab and arrived last evening. Today we plan to visit Arches National Park.

It was truly a beautiful area.

We've had a great time in Oregon

2008-09-25T23:37:00.002-05:00

We spent a few days in Seaside and then moved down the beach to Pacific City for a few days before heading to Salem to the Monaco combined rally (Beaver, Monaco, Holiday Rambler & Safari).

We have had a great time at the rally and are heading out tomorrow to go to the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque and then onto Texas.

While in Salem, we went to the Homes for Hounds annual picnic and got to see a lot of greyhounds and had a great time.

This was the group.

This is Marquis' half sister. Can you see the resemblance?

Chehalis, WA

2008-09-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

We are now at TT Chehalis, near Chehlalis, WA. It is a huge park and is very hilly - great for walking. It has lots of trees, but we got a full hookup site with a break in the trees for our Datastorm.

We'll be heading to Seaside, OR on Friday.

Ocean City, WA

2008-08-28T10:56:00.004-05:00

We are now at TT Oceana, near Aberdeen, WA. It has rained some every day, but we have been able to walk on the beach a few times. Marquis loves running in the sand and makes big circles around us.

We will be here till Labor day.

TT La Conner is beautiful!

2008-08-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

La Conner, WA
We really like TT La Conner. It is a great park; there are lots of trees, but several sites that allow a satellite signal. The blackberries are ripening and walking in the park was great.

These are the berries that were growing in our site.

We are having blackberry cobbler and blackberry pancakes!

Now near Mt Vernon, WA

2008-08-15T00:59:00.003-05:00

We also visited TT Mt Vernon, but it had too many trees for a satellite signal, so we moved to TT Grandy Creek.

This was TT Mt Vernon. A datastormer nightmare!!

At TT Grandy Creek, we can get internet, but not TV.

We drove through North Cascades National Park one day and really enjoyed the scenery.

We are just hanging out and enjoying the area. Will be going to TT La Conner next week.

We made it to cooler temps!!

2008-07-31T20:11:00.003-05:00

We left South Dakota and drove along I-90 through Montana, Idaho and into Washington. We are in Thousand Trails Birch Bay, just south of Blaine, WA. The high today was 58!!

We will be here for a week or so enjoying the area.

Needles Hwy and Wind Cave

2008-07-26T19:09:00.001-05:00

We drove along Needles Highway today and really enjoyed seeing the rock formations. We got another chance to see Mt Rushmore from a side angle.

We saw a herd of buffalo coming down from the hills and walk through the meadow and across the road.

Next was a prairie dog town. That was a real treat to hear them squeaking to each other.

These are the same buffalo that we saw earlier-major jam.

Wind Cave National Park.
Click on the photos to enlarge.

Bear Country and Crazy Horse

2008-07-25T20:34:00.000-05:00

Today, we went over to Bear Country, a drive-through wildlife safari near Hart Ranch. It was a lot of fun and we saw lots of animals.

This is a 4 month old wolf.

Here's Mr Beaver.

We got to the cub area at feeding time. They have 14 cubs that are about 6 months old.

There were a couple of otters.

Some of the bears.

Badger, one sniffing a sleeping friend.

Then, we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial and it was striking. This is a work-in-progress. The Indian Artifacts Museum was amazing and we really enjoyed it.

Jewel Cave and Custer State Park

2008-07-24T11:12:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday, we went to Jewel Cave and went on the Scenic Tour. It was lovely and I got a few good photos.

This photo was taken in the visitor's center. We didn't actually see this formation on our tour.

These photos were taken driving through Custer State Park.

A burro and pronghorn.

Bighorn sheep ewe.

Buffalo bull (through the windshield) and a herd at a distance.

What a special treat! Two pronghorn mothers with their young.

As the moms separated, one walked off with her twins. They were the youngest pronghorn I have ever seen.

On to Wall Drug and Mt Rushmore

2008-07-23T10:56:00.001-05:00

Well, the landscape finally changed from corn and soybeans to hay meadows and cattle pasture on beautiful rolling hills.

For miles, the roadside is dotted with signs for Wall Drug, so we had to stop and check it out. It's in Wall, SD and is the largest drug store in the world. It is a block long and filled with souvenirs, a cafe and a drug store.

We got our free water and bought a couple of tee shirts and post cards.

We are now at Hart Ranch, south of Rapid City, SD.

The next day, we drove to Mr Rushmore. Awesome. Breathtaking. I've seen it in pictures all of my life, but in person, it brought me to tears.

All of the flags are represented with a note of when the state was added.

Here is Gerald under the Texas Flag.

Mitchell, SD Home of the Corn Palace

2008-07-21T10:41:00.001-05:00

We stopped in Mitchell, SD to see the Corn Palace. It is an auditorium that has corn cobs attached to the outside and inside in murals. Truly amazing!

These are the different colors of corn that are used.

Here are some of the murals. Click on them to enlarge.

A month of busy rallies!

2008-07-18T19:15:00.007-05:00

We stopped in Kentucky to visit with several of Glenda's cousins and her Aunt Virginia, meeting some family at Bowling Green and also some in Louisville. It was a very nice visit, seeing everyone again after several years.

Then, we drove up through Indiana and stopped at TT Horseshoe Lakes. The sites are spacious and there were lots of Canadian Geese and there are 11 lakes at the park.

From there, we drove up through Illinois to the CAT RV Engine Club rally in Bloomington. Gerald went on a tour of the Caterpillar Engine Plant near Peoria and he really enjoyed it. This the group photo.

Click on the photo to enlarge. Gerald is near the center at the edge of the bulldozer blade.

We picked up with our Beaver Club group and caravaned with them to the next rally in Amana, Iowa. The Amana Colonies are a really interesting group of villages of German descent. We highly recommend a stop here if you are in the area. There is a 150 year old Woolen Mill that makes blankets, throws and scarves, a bakery, wineries, restaurants, furniture makers and more!
http://www.amanacolonies.org/

We have seen more corn fields than we could have ever imagined!

From there, we caravaned to Owatonna, MN. Here we are taking a break at a rest area. We were so lucky that no other vehicles were there and all of us got to park together.

This is a photo of the typical landscape, corn fields, barns and silos.

This is a old barn we were told was about 100 years old.

The Beaver Ambassador Club Lead-In rally was at the fairgrounds at Owatonna, MN. We were treated to a trip to the host's commercial pig farm. They raise 300,000 pigs a year and grow 2000 acres of corn for a portion of their feed. It was truly an amazing operation, very technical and scientific. They sell their pigs when they get to 260 lb because that's the size of pork chops that the consumer prefers.

This is Gerald standing by their combine. It was huge!

Gerald also went on a tour of an ethanol plant that he found very interesting.

While in Owatonna, there was a severe thunderstorm with hail that went by just north of us, so we were happy that it missed us!

Next, we continued up to St. Paul to the FMCA convention. There were 2400 motorhomes there and the fairgrounds were very nice. We did have a couple of severe thunderstorms and one included a tornado watch where we were evacuated to one of the buildings for safety as they were expecting very high winds and hail. Our weather station registered the highest wind at 42 mph, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Gerald took a tour of the Cummins-Onan generator plant while in St. Paul. Glenda found a great bead shop and visited there with some crafting friends. There are lots of seminars and vendors at the convention as well as there were 600 new motorhomes for sale to walk through.

We met another greyhound the evening of the evacuation and during the week, we saw a couple from Tennessee several times who own two brindle girlie greyhounds, Libby and Trixie. Trixie is Marquis' 2nd cousin!! We really enjoyed visiting with them.

Today, we left and we are now headed west to cooler temperatures, planning to stop next at Mt. Rushmore and then onto Washington and Oregon.

Traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway

2008-06-19T22:30:00.005-05:00

When we left Texas, we stopped to visit Glenda's mother in south Louisiana. The dogs really enjoyed running around in her back yard and loved the soft green grass.

Then, we headed northward and when we got to Jackson, MS, we started along the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is a National Park and is a beautiful drive and I recommend it to everyone.

We stopped one night at a campground along the Pearl River and that evening, the frog chorus was unbelievably loud. I also got a photo of the water hyacinth's that were blooming.

Another day, we stopped at one of the visitor's center near Tupelo, MS was had a real treat hearing the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association in Concert. 19 Dulcimers all playing together; what a wonderful sensory treat!

We are now at TT Natchez Trace for a few days. We drove to Holenwald, TN to get our mail and visit the local Wal-Mart. It is a neat little town that has some interesting inhabitants.

This is the home of a 2700 acre elephant sanctuary. (for retired circus and zoo elephants, and old or sick ones)
http://www.elephants.com/

It's not open to the public, but they do have a webcam:
http://www.tappedintoelephants.com/asp/index.php

Monday, we are heading to Louisville for a couple of nights and a visit with Glenda's aunt.

April & May 2008

2008-06-05T08:57:00.012-05:00

When we left Las Vegas, we spent a week at SKP North Ranch near Congress, AZ because it was BEAD WEEK 2008!! Glenda beaded her heart out for 5 days and met lots of wonderful beaders from SKP North Ranch and SKP Benson.

The cactus were starting to bloom and were beautiful.

This was a really old saguaro cactus. Click on the photos to enlarge.

This cactus had one bloom and a million buds!

This is a Easter Cactus. The bloom was about 10" across.

This was taken at a rest area somewhere on our trip from Arizona to Texas.

Arriving in Texas, we stopped at TT Medina Lake for a few days. The wildlife is abundant, with deer. ducks, geese and rabbits.

When we arrived in Midway, TX there were lots of flowers blooming. The rose bush bloomed on Fannie's birthday.

We also got a newer Jeep to tow with us.

We spent Mothers Day in Dallas and had a great day with the grandkids.

We have spent a few weeks doing maintenance on the motorhome and getting the new jeep ready to tow. We had dr's visits and got new glasses.

It's getting hot, so we are leaving Farris Ranch and heading northward next week.

The house is on the left and the motorhome is on the far right behind the jeeps. The daylillies are starting to bloom and are beautiful.

Photo of the dogs

2008-03-31T10:03:00.003-05:00

Goofing around in Las Vegas

2008-03-23T21:57:00.005-05:00

Well, we have been to one buffet, rode around some, did a little gambling, got our mail, did our taxes, cleaned up and relaxed and have been enjoying the wonderful weather here. Gerald did a couple of repair jobs on the motorhome, so our chores are done. We will be here till April 5.

Glenda took this picture today when we were goofing around.

Yesterday was Marquis' birthday. She is 4 years old. We had a fun day and she got special treats all day.

This is a cactus I bought last month at the dollar store. It's very happy on our dashboard.

This picture was taken when in Quartzsite last week. We stopped for a couple of nights at High Jolly 14 day area.

When we headed north towards Las Vegas, it was raining and we could see fresh snow on the mountains from the overnight and early morning rains.

These clouds are an unusual sight in Arizona/Nevada.

Palm Desert CA

2008-03-13T11:31:00.009-05:00

We have been at Palm Desert for a couple of weeks and are leaving tomorrow. We have been relaxing and enjoying the nice sunny weather.

On Wednesday, we drove to "The Slabs" over near Niland, CA. On the way, we stopped at one of the state parks on the Salton Sea.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

This was the first time I have seen a beach made of barnacles!

Just before The Slabs is Salvation Mountain.

Then we got to Slab City or 'The Slabs'.

This is the Welcome guard shack.

This is a couple of decorated vehicles and a decorated trailer.

This is the community bulletin board.

This is The Oasis, note the patio chairs.

Some areas were clean and very much like Quartzsite...

But others were unbelievably junky.

It was truly an interesting day!

Acouple of photos

2008-02-27T22:08:00.003-06:00

This was taken at the CAT RV Engine Club rally in Hemet, CA.

This is the row of Beavers parked at FMCA convention in Pomona, CA.

We have been soooo busy!

2008-02-27T09:19:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We went to the CAT RV Engine Club rally in Hemet, CA and from there, went to the Beaver Ambassador Club (BAC) rally in San Diego, CA, and then to Pomona, Ca to the national FMCA convention, where we are now. We are (the BAC) volunteering security at this convention.

I'll try to get some photos and post them.

Beautiful weather in So California!

2008-02-08T13:00:00.002-06:00

When we left Quartzsite and after a couple of days at Menifee, near Hemet, both of us got the flu. The first week we were both very sick, but are better now, but seem to still have a cough hanging on.

It was pretty cool the first few days only getting into the 50's in the daytime and 30's at night. It rained on and off for the first few days also, but now has been sunny and just beautiful. Highs in the 60's and perfect.

The campground (TT Wilderness Lakes) is nice and quiet with lots of ducks and Canadian geese around. Both dogs were a bit alarmed at first at the honking, but got used to it after a day or so.

The Anheuser Busch "Budweiser" Clydesdale Breeding Farm is near here and we drove by one day to see if the horses were out. It was a sunny day and we got to see a few of them.

We are leaving here on the 11th to go into Hemet to the CAT rally.

About to Leave Quartzsite

2008-01-26T15:52:00.001-06:00

Well, it's been a delighful 2 weeks, and we are leaving tomorrow to go to TT Wilderness Lakes for a couple of weeks and then to Hemet to the CAT rally. Should be fun!!

Her's a new plaque Gerald got for the back of the motorhome.

Quartzsite Rally-Arizona

2008-01-23T09:35:00.000-06:00

We have been in Quartzsite since the 13th. There were almost 70 motorhomes here at the BAC Rally. It has been a great time. There are still about a dozen here and we are enjoying shopping in Quartzsite and the RV show.

We are at Indio, CA at the Western Area FMCA Rally

2008-01-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

We are volunteering security with our club, the Beaver Ambassador Club at the Western Area FMCA Rally here in Indio, CA. The weather has been beautiful and the festival grounds are packed.

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T13:46:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

We took a walk outside of the rv park today (Thousand Trails Palm Springs) and it was clear and beautiful!

The palm trees are really lovely and we bought some of the dates that had been harvested from them. Mmmm....good!

Windy day today

2007-12-28T08:39:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, we drove through west Texas and into New Mexico. The wind was blowing 25-35 mph so it was slow going and dusty. We stopped at Deming NM for one night - at Dreamcatcher RV Park, one of our favorite Escapee Parks. It was cold and we jumped into the jeep and went into town to eat at Irma's, a Mexican restaurant we really like.

This morning the temp was 17 degrees!! We are heading towards Quartzsite today.

On our way to our 2008 adventures

2007-12-26T20:37:00.000-06:00

At 6:01 a.m. it started raining. We quickly got up and moved the motorhome to the asphalt and then started packing up to leave and make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything.

We drove through Austin and Fredericksburg (one of my most favorite towns) and made it to MM 349 on I-10 for the night.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2007-12-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

Our trip to Louisiana to see Glenda's mother and sister and brother-in-law was nice. Everyone is in good health and doing well. The weather was good and the dogs enjoyed the fenced back yard a lot.

We drove to Dallas Dec 22 and had Christmas with the grandkids. They are leaving today for a ski trip. It was great and everyone had a wonderful time. We received our favorite fulltimer gift--a Walmart Gift card!

Here's Baron & Marquis wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

We are leaving on Wednesday, heading to Palm Springs.

2007-12-04T13:56:00.001-06:00

We had a great week in Dallas with the kids and grandkids for Thanksgiving and are now in Midway for a few weeks.

We've been doing maintenance on the motorhome and Jeep and just generally hanging out and cleaning up. We have ordered a new Davis weather station so that should be fun to play with!

Happy Holidays to all of our friends and family!!

Back in Texas

2007-11-18T22:11:00.001-06:00

We left Death Valley on Nov 11 and went with some friends to Las Vegas for a few days. We had a great time trying out several buffets and doing a little gambling. We decided to watch the Frontier Casino implosion on the news as none of us wanted to stay up until 2:30 am to witness it.

On Friday, Nov 16, we headed east. We made it to Winslow, Az the first night and Amarillo, TX the next. We arrived here in Dallas this afternoon and will be here for a week. Hope to have lots of fun with the grandkids and enjoy Thanksgiving with them.

The Wagon Train and Trail Riders arrived-Death Valley

2007-11-10T12:59:00.001-06:00

On Friday, we walked over to the Western Art booths. Our biggest surprise was to find an artist with a greyhound. Satin looked so much like Marquis, so we looked up her stats on the greyhound database to find that they have the same father!! No wonder they looked alike!!

The wagon trains arrived at 1:00 pm followed by the trail riders.

Today,we also drove to Stovepipe Wells to the woodcarving, needlework and photography competition.

There's music and entertainment during the day and evening.

Scotty's Castle-Death Valley

2007-11-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, we went to Scotty's Castle, a large home built in the 1920's.
This was a coyote that was near entrance drive.

Road trip to the Racetrack-Death Valley

2007-11-06T12:04:00.001-06:00

On Monday, Gerald went with some of our friends to the "Racetrack". This is where they believe that when it rains and the lake bed is wet and slick, that winds push these rocks around, leaving the tracks you see in these photos.

Here are some other photos he took along the way.

This is a volcanic crater.

Beautiful scenery and Teakettle Junction.

Death Valley National Park

2007-11-05T11:52:00.000-06:00

We arrived at Death Valley National Park and found a spot in the overflow of Sunset Campground. We are expecting 14 motorhomes to join us for a week of festivities at the Death Valley 49'ers Encampment.

This is a coyote that walks along the perimeter of the campground a couple of times a day.

We drove to Rhyolite, a ghost town. This is the 'Bottle House'.

Beautiful hills all around us!

Then, 7 cars from our group drove through Titus Canyon. It was really spectacular.

In Las Vegas for a few days.

2007-10-28T23:34:00.000-05:00

We left Tucson on Saturday and spent one night in Quartzsite. We arrived in Las Vegas today and are at Thousand Trails. We will be here for 5 nights and then head to Death Valley for a rally and enjoy the 49'ers Encampment.

We are at the Datastorm Rally in Tucson

2007-10-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

We are really enjoying the Datastorm Rally in Tucson. There are over 120 rv's here with datastorm dishes on them. It is truly the 'city of blue lights'.

It's Windy in Palm Springs!

2007-10-17T20:42:00.000-05:00

On Oct. 15th, we left Yosemite Lakes and drove down to TT Soledad Canyon for a couple of nights. That's near Palmdale, CA. The park is huge and nice. We found a dog park in Lancaster and got to let the dogs run for a while. They loved chasing tennis balls.

Today, we drove to TT Palm Springs. The wind is blowing at 35mph with gusts in some areas up to 50 mph!! It's supposed to die down tonight. We are heading to Apache Junction, AZ tomorrow and then to Tucson to the Datastorm Rally there.

In Awe of the Giant Sequoias

2007-10-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, we drove to the Mariposa Grove and took the tram ride around the grove. It was just awesome.

We couldn't get too close to the trees; they have determined that walking too close will damage their roots, so it was hard to get a photo with any perspective.

This was taken on the way back to the motorhome as the sun was setting.

Yesterday, we hiked to the Tuolumne Grove. There are about 20 sequoias there and it was a beautiful day and nice to be out.

This is one of the 'tunnel' trees. That's me standing in it.

The colors are starting to change. This is Gerald standing next to a sequoia that fell in 1983.

Visiting Manteca and Almond groves

2007-10-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

On Oct 1, we went to TT Turtle Beach in Manteca, CA. This was a nice park and we got a great site. We have some friends with an almond grove and enjoyed visiting them and watching the harvesting of the almonds.

On Oct 5, we drove to TT Yosemite Lakes. It was raining and sleeting when we arrived so we didn't do much the first day. Yesterday, we drove into the park and went to the visitor's center.

Wildlife: so far, we have only seen several deer.

On to California

2007-09-29T15:47:00.000-05:00

On Friday, we left Oregon and headed down Hwy 101 towards California. We stopped along the way to enjoy the view and spent one night in Klamath. Then, onto Thousand Trails Russian River Park near Cloverdale, CA.

We drove through the redwoods and they were beautiful, although hard to get a good photo through the windshield. The road was really narrow and we had to go really slow!

Here we are at TT Russian River.

Last few days on the Oregon Coast

2007-09-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken north of Florence along the coast.

South Jetty for a few days (Florence, OR)

2007-09-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

After the Monaco Corp combined rally, we drove over to the coast to the Thousand Trails South Jetty park near Florence, OR. There are sand dunes for miles along the coast. Lots of dune buggies are active going up and down them and it was fun to watch.

We drove along the dunes and found a beach access and took a walk down to watch the sunset.

This is Gerald with the dogs.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Our new dog, Baron, loves Marquis' toys and takes them all back to the bedroom to nap with them.

Monaco combined rally in Salem

2007-09-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

We drove to Salem on Monday to attend the Monaco combined homecoming rally (Beaver, Holiday Rambler, Safari, Monaco). There are about 500 motorhomes here at the Expo center and the facilities are very nice.

More photos from the Beach

2007-09-16T10:47:00.000-05:00

Bothe of these are of Baron. He is fitting in right at home with us.

Here we are back at the motorhome.

A Nice Walk on the Beach

2007-09-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

This morning, we took a nice walk on the beach. We are still at TT Whaler's Rest park, South Beach, OR, just south of Newport. It was very foggy. This looks like a rainbow, but we called it a fogbow!

Here are some photos of our new dog. He's a bit bigger than Marquis. Click on photos to enlarge.

There's a new addition to our family

2007-09-09T23:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we drove down Hwy 101 along the coast to Bandon, OR. It was so beautiful. Here's one spot we stopped at along the way in awe of the view.

There was a Cranberry Festival going on and the area Greyhound adoption agency, Homes for Hounds were having a 'Meet N Greet' and we wanted to see how Marquis liked being around other greyhounds. She ignored a couple and some ignored her. Then, we saw one that was so friendly and sweet and had such a gentle spirit. We decided to bring him home and they are getting along fine.

I'll try to get some good photos of them tomorrow.

Now visiting South Beach, OR

2007-09-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we moved to TT Whaler's Rest park in South Beach, OR. It's a beautiful area. We will be here till the 17th and then head to Salem to the Monaco combined Rally (Beaver, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Safari).

Enjoying the Pacific City area

2007-08-31T12:02:00.001-05:00

This area is very pretty with wonderful views of the ocean.

At the Thousand Trails RV Park, there are domestic bunnies just everywhere. Marquis is very interested, so we keep her on a short leash!

Our friends, Larry & Carolyn are here also and we are enjoying spending time with them.

I picked huckleberries one day and Gerald fixed huckleberry pancakes one morning.

From Seaside to Pacific City, OR

2007-08-28T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today we drove down the coast to Pacific City and stopped along the way several times to enjoy the view and take pictures.

We are at Thousand Trails Pacific City. It is a beautiful park.

OK, I have photos now!

2007-08-23T16:42:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, we drove to the beach and then up to Astoria and across the Columbia River to Washington up to Long Beach, WA.

This crane was at our campground.

Next, we stopped at the beach in Gearhart where we could drive the Jeep out onto the sand. We walked on the beach and Marquis got a little exercise in the sand.

This is North Head lighthouse in Washington, near Ilwaco. Gerald is standing in the lower left of the photo.

The view of the Pacific was just beautiful!

The water was swirling all around the rocks.

The ferns were growing everywhere, like a rainforest!

Yesterday, in our campsite, we saw the biggest slug we have ever seen! It's a banana slug and was 7" long.

On the Beach at Seaside, OR

2007-08-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

When FMCA was over, we drove to Bend to get new tires put on our motorhome and then headed to the coast. This is Marquis lounging next to my seat while traveling.

This is Mt Hood. We took Hwy 26 and it was a beautiful drive.

We are at Thousand Trails Seaside campground. It has been raining the last couple of days. We have been cleaning up from the dusty conditions at Redmond and doing some shopping. There is an outlet mall there and also a great yarn shop.

We took Marquis to the beach and she loves it.

Back to Redmond for the FMCA Convention

2007-08-13T00:32:00.000-05:00

After the Beaver rally, we went back to Thousand Trails Bend/Sunriver for 4 days and are now at Redmond at the FMCA Convention. They are expecting 2500 motorhomes to attend.

We are volunteering security with the Beaver Ambassador Club. Mostly we check to make sure everyone has on their badges and things like that. The weather is great, high 70's to low 80's in the daytime with a nice breeze and 40's at night.

We will be here till Friday.

Beaver Rally in Prineville

2007-08-03T11:08:00.001-05:00

Here we are at the Beaver Ambassador Club (BAC) Rally in Prineville, OR. There are 200 Beaver coaches here, what a beautiful sight!!

I took a few photos of the coaches parked near the tent; others are in the adjacent campground and some are under the barn covers (one photo). We are parked near the arena. So, we are scattered all over, but the tent is close to all.

It's been great to see our friends and catch up on where everyone has been. We will be here till Monday.

Relaxing at TT Bend/Sunriver

2007-07-26T13:48:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at The Rally in Redmond, and are glad to get to a spot to relax and clean up and get our mail. The park here is wonderful, with great sites and friendly folks. We have least chipmunks, huge grey squirrels and lots of birds that frequent our site.

Does anyone notice what's different about the back of our coach?

We will be here till we leave to go to the Beaver Ambassador Club Lead-In rally on the 30th.

We are at THE RALLY

2007-07-19T10:43:00.001-05:00

We got to The Rally and got parked easily. It's a huge complex with about a dozen parking lots. We met up with some friends for dinner and catching up and that was fun.

Wednesday, the new coach display opened and we checked out the 2008 Beavers. Wow, I found one I really liked, a teal color.

Today, Misty and 2 grandkids are going to spend the day with us. Here are some pix of the rv's here.

Heading to Oregon tomorrow

2007-07-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

Well, our relaxing time on the Columbia River is over and we are heading out tomorrow to Oregon, first to Bend to TT Bend/Sunriver for one night and then to Redmond to The Rally for 6 days. It should be fun and is our first time at this rally.

What a great fireworks show!

2007-07-08T01:48:00.001-05:00

Trying to stay cool

2007-07-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

It has been over 100 for the last few days, so we have stayed inside to beat the heat. We were lucky to get one of the few 50 amp sites. There is a wonderful breeze here and we sit out in the evenings and enjoy the water and the view.

There are going to be fireworks tonight, and I'll try to get some photos of that.

The camera I use

2007-07-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

I've had several questions about the camera I use. it is a Sony CyberShot DSC-H5. I bought it last year and the current model is the H7 and H9. Here is a link to the H7:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=20005009

It’s small and lightweight, but has a great zoom lens. It has a large lcd and the option to use the viewfinder instead of the LCD to save on batteries. It uses 2 AA rechargeable batteries.

It is deceivingly small and easy to handle and use.

Quincy, WA at TT/LT Crescent Bar

2007-07-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

We moved over to TT/LT Crescent Bar today near Quincy, WA. What a beautiful place, right on the Columbia River. This shot was taken from our campsite.

The sun is shining and the breeze is really going. We put our big flag out and it is beautiful in the breeze. We have no cell signal, so email us if you want to contact us.

Back in the States!!

2007-06-25T19:06:00.000-05:00

We arrived back in the States Sunday afternoon and had to stop at the first Wal-Mart Supercenter we saw!! We are at Thousand Trails park - Leavenworth in Washington. We will be here till Sunday and then going over to Crescent Bar in Quincy, WA. Misty and the girls have been spending time over on the coast and met us here, so they are parked next door. It was great to see them again.

Relaxing in British Columbia

2007-06-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

On Friday, we walked the nature trail around the park and up the hill.
This picture is the campground and the lake and Marquis on the trail.

Then we went into Vernon to shop some and look around.

We believe our little friends are a litter of marmots. We have seen 5 little ones playing together in the campsite next to us. Here is an adult.

This is one of the young ones, taking a nap under a tree in the cool recently watered grass. He's about as flat as he can get!

This is a different litter on the row down from us.

While walking in the park, we saw this little one, we think it's a weasel.

Thurdsay camped at Provincial Park on Lake

2007-06-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

We drove from Field to Kekuli Bay Provincial Park south of Vernon, BC. It is on Kalamaika Lake and is beautiful. This photo is taken from our site.

Here are some friends at the campsite next to us.