RandLAdventures

Baby Bird and Hubby make a new nest

2011-04-11T07:15:00.001-07:00

This lovely couple has just closed on a 4 bedroom, 2 car garage home on a culdusac with a nice wooded lot. We are so proud of them both.

A little brotherly/sisterly time while unloading the moving van.
Their property has a variety of azaleas, dogwood trees, etc. but this particular azalea is such a rich color.
Kitchen - different angle
Kitchen counter
These are new french doors to the patio which is huge with a built in table and a rope two seater swing.
These are the living room book shelves. That middle space looks like it would hold a lovely desk.

That's my girl...loads of energy and ready to make their place a real home.

Corkscrew Woodlands---Home Sweet Home

2011-02-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is where we will be spending our January, February and March of 2012, nice isn't it.
Here are a few pictures of the birds who come to visit every afternoon.

I walked around our block and took some pictures of the beautiful flowers that have been blooming ever since we arrived in January.

I really need to publish some pictures of our trip to visit the Manatees, Corkscrew Sancutary and Shark Valley but this will have to do for now from your Happy Travelersw.

Sanibel Island

2011-02-04T06:09:00.001-08:00

While our daughter was visiting with us, we took a day trip to Sanibel Island. My mom always raved about Sanibel. She collected quite a number of sand dollars that I have now. We had a great time, saw lots of folks hunting shells and kids looking for sand crabs. The weather was wonderful...the water was cold....but we had a great time.

There were lots and lots of birds... this one just happened to stand still long enough for me to get his picture.

The Happy Travelers plus Boo had to head home after a day of fun in the sun. I never get tired of looking at God's handiwork, especially large bodies of water.

Everglades and Naples Beach

2011-01-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

While our daughter was visiting with us, we took a trip down to the Everglades to have a ride on an air boat. It was a blast. So much fun. We saw lots of birds and gators.

Boo had a hand at holding this little cutie!
Isn't he a cutie!
After we left the Everglades, we traveled back to the Naples Pier, a very lovely beach area.

This guy looks like he has a bad hair piece.
After our day in the Everglades and a trip to the Naples Pier, we headed home, tired but very happy travelers.

Lovely Veggies

2011-01-07T08:37:00.001-08:00

We were out on a mission to find a LP gas place and ran across this restaurant/produce stand. Today is January 7th and it's in the 60's here in Florida. At home, it's in the 30's with possible snowshowers tonight. Can you imagen how excited I was to see Florida grown tomatoes, peppers (both green and red), eggplants and strawberries. Plus the flowers are blooming....what can I say. This is like being in paradise.

More later from your very Happy, very grateful Travelers.

Great Snowbird Migration

2011-01-02T12:06:00.001-08:00

We took off December 29th and joined the Great Snowbird Migration to the Sunny State of Florida. We were joined by snowbirds from Canada, Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and, of course, Virginia. We traveled to Florence, South Carolina on our first leg. Then we moved on to Woodbine, Georgia. Zephyrhills, Florida was our third destination where we spent New Year's Weekend. I cannot believe how warm it is---in the high 70's. We immediately had to ditch the sweats and long pants for tees and shorts. It is going to be a blast being this warm for the next 3 months. We have a grapefruit tree in front of our rig and there is an orange grove off to the side of our spot.
I was thrilled to see real flowers blooming in January. I have seen a few hanging baskets just bursting with blooms and it's January.
There are lots and lots of old trees, with Spanish Moss hanging. I am not sure what kind of trees these are but they are big and old. They have a small acorn-like nut that falls off and soundslike a war zone when it hits the top of a trailer. But isn't the moss beautiful---makes you think of Scarlett O'Hara.

This is the land of palm trees. There was a bunch when we entered the state and you see them everywhere, at restaurants, in subdivisions, shopping centers, everywhere.

Do these colors remind you of Florida? They made such a cute community. There were pink, green, yellow and blue homes. Tiny but really cute.

Tomorrow the Happy Travelers journey on to Estero, Florida to our home for the next 3months. More later from your very happy, very warm Virginia Snowbirds.

Final Beach Days

2010-10-06T09:58:00.001-07:00

This was our last day at the beach. We had the pleasure of going out to breakfast with our Roanoke buddies and walking the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach.
Our dear friends, Charlotte and Phil, from Roanoke. We were very fortunate to meet up with them again this year. We first met down here in 2008 and have been able to stay in touch through e-mail. They have a bassett hound named Sadie with the saddest eyes and the biggest feet. She loves to ride on the golf cart and visit the little island here where several goats live.
Isn't the beach and ocean awesome. We took a walk on the new boardwalk---really nice, not as nice as Virginia Beach but very nice.

As we were walking back to the truck, we spotted a "flock" of orange butterflies. I was only able to capture 2 but they were just beautiful.
We come home tomorrow. I look forward to lots of hugs and kisses from our grandkids and children. I do miss them, and my Maryland kids and grandkids....I don't get to see them enough. We have had a wonderful trip, met so many memorable people and seen more of this country of ours. We live in an amazing land...lots to see and the freedom to do it! More later from your Happy Traveler's....coming home but planning the next adventure.

Plantation River Tour

2010-09-27T19:23:00.001-07:00

The Happy Travelers took a tour of the Plantations located on the Waccamaw River, old rice plantations. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the plantations, how much rice was produced, how many slaves were required to plant and harvest the rice, etc, as well as how they dug trenches around the fields and flooded them. Really remarkable.

There were many lovely homes along our tour of the Waccamaw River and the Great Pee Dee. Some you had to peek at through the trees and Spanish Moss but they were all quite impressive.

This area is called Sand Island, you can tell why.
Your Happy Travelers had a relaxing trip on the water ways....more later. Next week is the Greek Festival in Myrtle Beach.

The Man and the Boggie Board

2010-09-17T17:41:00.001-07:00

My dear one just got a new boggie board. The day was beautiful -- surf was up so what better time to try out the new toy.

One done and more to follow.
Well, more later from your Happy Travelers, all wet but smiling ear to ear.

The Beach

2010-09-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

We have been at the beach, Myrtle Beach for one week. The time is slipping by too quickly. The weather has been beautiful. The sand castle was constructed one morning by some young men. It is quite impressive and even more so in person.

More later from very Happy Travelers applying lots of sun screen and floating daily on our noodles, as well as spending time in the Hot Tub!!!

Sycamore Lodge, Jackson Springs, NC

2010-09-06T13:24:00.001-07:00

We arrived at Sycamore Lodge on August 23, our sister camping resort in Jackson Springs, NC. We have had a wonderful 2 weeks, except for the gnats and flies. The weather has been hot but we have also had some delightfully cool nights. We have had campfires, done a good bit of walking, made a number of trips to the local Wal-Mart in Aberdeen, and spent time in the pool, floating on our noodles. We have also done a bit of exploring of Pinehurst and Southern Pines. These 2 pictures of flowers don't do Sycamore Lodge justice. They have lots of Lantana.

This is the Hen House where lots of activities occur. There was Bingo and on Sundays, it transforms into the church complete with a Pastor, deacons and a song leader. The last Sunday of the month, they even have communion, and that is a first in any camp ministry that we have attended.
This is the General Store and the Lodge. The Lodge is a beautiful building with an area just for adults. There is a lovely library with a book/magazine exchange, as well as a flat screen T.V. We were there for a social one Saturday. I also did laundry on afternoon so we could watch T.V. while the clothes got cleaned.

These are the backsides of the Lodge and General Store--very interesting buildings, buildings with character.

Perhaps the very best part of traveling is meeting new people. Dea and Ellie, Carol and Jeff, are couples who were our camping neighbors. We spent countless hours swapping stories and experiences. They enriched our lives and hopefully, we will be able to stay in touch, with the use of e-mail.

Tomorrow we head out to Myrtle Beach, hooray!!!Your Happy Travelers are looking forward to "toes in the sand".

Smokey Mountains

2010-08-18T19:33:00.001-07:00

We stopped in at the Sugarlands Visitors Center at the entrance of the Smokey Mountains that housed a museum, theater and a wonderful display that included this beautiful quilt done by a lady from the nearby town of Sevierville, TN. It was an amazing piece of work with excellent stitches.
Several pics of the mountains....the gorgeous Smokey Mountains....the day we were there is was cloudy, in fact, the higher we got, the cloudier it got until we were in a down pour.

Could not help but take a few pics of the wild flowers we saw on our journey in the mountains.

While we are here in Sevierville, down the road from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, we plan to do a little shopping. More later from your Happy Travelers.

Nashville, TN

2010-08-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

We took a tour of Nashville which is a beautiful city with lots of wonderful buildings. I think we will come back in the Spring or Fall. There are lots of businesses, universities, and, of course, lot of music production companies.

Our tour driver made quite a joke of this sculpture. He said it was supposed to be something dancing or something about ballet but to him, it looked like a broken roller coaster.
We got to go to the Ryman Auditorium which started its life as a church. When the Grand Ole Opry had performances there, people actually brought in their chicken dinners, ate and watched the entertainment.

A couple of views of the State Capital Building, pretty impressive!

This lovely building is a copy of the Parthenon (sp?) because Nashville has the name of the Athens of the South. It definitely has lovely old and new buildings and lots of parks and trees.
Our tour ended at a "beer joint" named Legends. A young man, Craig Curtis, sang for us. He is one of the thousands of people who come to Nashville to make it "BIG". We wish him luck.

This is a picture as we were driving to Sevierville, TN, near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It is hot, hot, hot. More later from your very hot but very Happy Travelers.

Dear Friends

2010-08-09T17:47:00.001-07:00

Last year, when we were in Mesa, Arizona, we met these charming folks, Louise and David. Louise and I have been e-mailing periodically during the year and when we found out we would be near their home, I sent an e-mail and got an immediate invitation to come visit. Not only did we have a lovely time just talking, they took us out for a delightful lunch as well as a bit of sightseeing of their area. God is very good to put wonderful people in our path and David and Louise are a couple of His true treasures.
Louise was kind enough to share some of her mother's handiwork with me. Folks, she was an excellent quilter with a good eye for colors. All her quilts were hand quilted with even stitches. The backside of the quilt was just as lovely as the front. My pictures do not do justice to her work but I can tell you it made my heart skip a beat to see such wonderful work. Louise said that growing up, she played under the quilting frame. Sometimes it resided in the living room, sometimes in the dining room but it was always there. Unfortunately, her mother did not label all her work. Such a shame and a lesson to all of us on the importance of that one little step for history's sake. Louise has 4 granddaughters. I hope they will appreciate their great-grandmother's handiwork.

Tomorrow, we headout to Nashville. More later from your Happy Travelers who are both filled with good food and fond memories.

Tennessee-Shiloh-Mud Island

2010-08-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

As we drove into Tennessee, we stopped at the Welcome Center, which was really a nice one with the most helpful lady who gave us a truck load of information. They even had a room with a fireplace and rockers and a beautiful pie safe.

There must have been a car show going on in the area. This is one of the fine specium that stopped when we did.
This is the Visitors Center at Shiloh National Park where one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War was fought.
One of the many lovely oak trees on the lawn of the Visitors Center.
This is a recreation of the original Shiloh Church.
The new Shiloh Church (Methodist)-- took them nearly 30 years to complete this building because of the lack of funds.
An interesting fact, these are the graves of the Union soldiers. All the soldiers were buried in mass graves. The Union came back and reburied their dead in this cemetry. The Southern soldiers remained in the mass graves.
We came into Memphis on a Friday morning to visit Mud Island. You park and take a monorail over to the island. It has a place for concerts and a large museum dedicated to the Mississippi, paddle boats and such. These are a few pics of the sky line and buildings in the area.

This bridge over the Mississippi connects Memphis with Arkansas.
This is a replica of the Mightly Mississippi. Children actually wade in the water. Made me miss my little people.

A couple of guys associated with Memphis and the Mississippi---Elvis and Mark Twain.

Tuesday, we head out to Nashville. Monday we visit with dear friends in Jackson, TN that we met last year while we were both visiting Arizona. More later from your very hot, but very Happy Travelers.

Missouri Highlights

2010-08-01T15:38:00.001-07:00

When we came into Missouri, we stopped at the first Welcome Center which was not too impressive on the outside but on the inside, there were these two impressive mosaic walls and on the outside were these metal sculptures.

Can you believe that there is a Holt, Missouri. We saw it on the water tower and a road side sign. Holt, Missouri.
We found a Disciples of Christ Church in Montgomery City so we got to worship with Disciples, a really nice bunch of people.
This campground, Lazy Day Campground, has the best looking landscape, flowers and greenery, of any campground that we have been in. Here are a few shots.

The bathroom was a hoot. The lovely ladies decorated the doors. They were also in minature on the front of the cabinets that housed the sinks. Really cute.

Tomorrow we head for southern Missouri for a couple of days and then on to Tennessee. More from your Happy Travelers.

Good times in Iowa

2010-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Iowa and as usual stopped at the first Welcome Center. This one was a large red barn with restrooms in the lower level and a snack bar, gift shop and brochures upstairs. It is really unique, isn't it.
We took a tour of Iowa's Living History Museum that has farms of the 1700's, 1800's, and 1900's, as well as a complete town. This farm of the 1800's made me glad to live now---so much for those good ole days. The work was hard and the people must have been tough to survive.

This was a an example of a farm in the 1900's.

That's my fellow, riding on a John Deere, while we were visiting a museum devoted to farming.
The Village of Walnut Grove is a recreated town of the 1850's complete with a church, drug store, bank, newspaper, general store, lawyer's office, blacksmith shop and a beautiful home with barn.

For my quilting buddies, I was privileged to see a quilt in progress being worked on in the church---lovely, tiny little stitches. There were quilts in the bedrooms, one in a cradle and several in progress, one a lap quilt. Makes me itch to be able to sew again.

After a lovely morning in the Living History Museum, we stopped at this restaurant for an amazing lunch. Our dear waiter, a very attentive young man, gave us a sweet roll that was at least one pound in size. This restaurant is known for its pies and sweetbreads. This was the last one left from this morning's baking and he wanted us to have it. Well, we know what we will be having for breakfast tomorrow.

Tomorrow we head out to Missouri, working our way back east. More later from your very full, very Happy Travelers.

Minnesota Memories

2010-07-24T17:27:00.001-07:00

Mall America was something else. We went in through Norstrom's, one of the four stores that anchor the corners of the mall. It is so large that there is an amusement park in the mall so you can ride the rides summer, winter, fall and spring.

After our visit to the Mall, we took a train and went into downtown Minneapolis.
Athens has its bulldogs, Minneapolis has baseball players. They are on street corners and in front of certain special buildings.
Those overpasses connect the buildings so in the winter folks can go from building to building without going outside.

There she was, standing on the corner, just like her TV program....Mary Tyler Moore, throwing her hat in the air with that wonderful smile.
Well folks, we are on to Grimes, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines, Iowa...working our way back east to end up in Myrtle Beach, SC by September 7.....Your Happy Travelers.

Wisconsin River---another boat ride

2010-07-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Before we left the Wisconsin Dells, we decided to take another boatride to check out the landscape that gave the Dells their name.
A photographer named Henry Hamilton Burnell, loved the Dells so much that he bought up the land on either side of the Wisconsin River. He then replanted trees and did all he could to transform the land back to the way it was before the logging took place. When he died the land went to the state.

Our tour boat stopped at one point for us to get off and walk among the monumental limestone formations.

My beloved takes a minute to confer with this colorful Captain. He is such a good sport.
Well the Happy Travelers will be moving on to Minnesota so more later from your very Happy Travelers.

Wisconsin Dells---Memories

2010-07-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the Wisconsin Dells and were greeted by this tall guy wanting people to come into his restaurant for a pricey meal. Sorry about the scramble in pictures but the whole time we were traveling through Wisconsin, we saw farm country like the second picture. Third picture is of the billboard for Paul's Restaurant and fourth is more farm country. Internet has been a little difficult because the signal keeps fading on me and kicking me out. Hopefully, I will be able to publish more later.

We arrived at the Carr Valley Cheese Factory at 8 a.m. sharp one morning after about a 45 minute ride through the country side and a couple of small towns/villages. They were in the process of making cheddar cheese in the first set of vats and Montery Jack in the second set. They gave us a sample of the cheddar cruds that folks up here are crazy about. To me they were very salty and rubbery but I am from Virginia, what do I know.

Then it was on to the boat ride on the Wisconsin River. More later from the Happy Travelers

Painted Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, MI

2010-07-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

While we were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we stayed in Munising, right on the shoreline of Lake Superior. While there, we took a boatride along the Painted Rocks National Lakeshore. The Captain of our boat explained the coloring of the rocks made by different deposits of copper and other ores and minerals. It gave me an opportunity to take about a zillion pictures but I have tried to pick out a few that would give you a taste of what we experienced.

Can you see the profile of an Indian Face?

This is a very old lighthouse, not in use since the early 1900's. It looks like an old school house or church.
A lovely sunset over Lake Superior and the end of our boat ride. But it is time, my posterior has fallen asleep. (the seats on this craft are not very well padded---even though I am, the seats are still rock hard)
The Happy Travelers go into Wisconsin next so more later.....

Tahquamenon Falls

2010-07-05T07:56:00.001-07:00

We had to go over the Mackinaw Bridge to get to the Upper Peninsula on our way to the Falls. This bridge is 5 miles long and on Labor Day, there is a special event where folks can walk across the bridge.
We stopped at a Scenic Wayside on Lake Superior and enjoyed watching the kids chase the birds around the sandbars. The water is so blue and it was such a beautiful day.

These are pictures of the Upper Falls. The water is so rusty looking because of the tanic acid from the trees decomposing. It is said not to harm the fish, just looks awful to me.

About 4 miles from the Upper Falls, are the Lower Falls.

On our return trip, we stopped in St. Ignace at the Mackinaw Grill and had lunch on the deck overlooking the water. The breeze was blowing, the seagulfs dipping and diving, boats coming and going....lovely.
More later from your Happy Travelers.

Mackinac Island,MI

2010-06-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

The Happy Travelers made several friends, this guy was pretty silent.
New friends, Julian and Joann from Broadway, Virginia....also very good sports to pose with the Big Black Bear.
Beth and Babe, our transportation for the first half of our trip.

Beach scenes from the upper portion of the island.

The rock arch...great picture location.
These are a couple of quick shots of the Grand Hotel, an outstanding resort, very exclusive....$400+ a night, each room decorated differently. They actually charge $10 to take a look in their lobby. Following these 2 pictures are shots taken along our horse draw carriage ride. Beautiful....Beautiful...

This was an amazingly wonderful day shared with new friends. More from your extremely Happy Travelers later.

Petoskey, MI

2010-06-27T11:35:00.001-07:00

We stopped in at the Welcome Center in Mackinaw City and this lovely lady was so kind to spend a good bit of time with us. We left with an armhold of informational booklets and a suggestion to drive down to Petoskey, a beautiful town on the water with a great grocery store, Meijer.

These are a couple of shots from Sturgeon Bay...a very rough drive that went by the water and gave you a view of the water in several places.

We drove down to Petoskey, a beautiful town on a Bay. As we were leaving the city, I saw a block of historical treasures....beautifully restored Victorian homes...unbelievable but no where to stop. Thus no pictures. We did stop at the city park and the following pictures are views of the bay, the ships docked, and the views of the mountains in the distance. Also some beautiful flowers. Actually a lovely park.

Couldn't help but think about my grandchildren. This is a playground with a view. Just lovely.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain again so it will be Monday before we get to Mackinac Island. More later from the Happy Travelers...a little sloggy but still smiling.

New location and new friends

2010-06-24T19:39:00.001-07:00

This is Frank, Barbara and Buddy...new friends who are parked next to us at the KOA in Mackinaw City. We got to share the afternoon together talking about life, politics, education, camping, etc. Afterwards we went to dinner together. It was really good to make new friends with folks from our part of the world...Carolina and Georgia...They are moving on tomorrow, going west but were able to give us the scoop on the places we are planning on visiting in the next few days.
These weren't your usual tee shirts. Thought they would give everyone a laugh. These were in the window of one of the upscale teeshirt shops in the the City of Mackinaw.

We had some really good fish and chips for dinner. Afterwards we took a walk around this scenic village. Lots of tee shirt shops, fudge shops, gift shops, and places to wet your whistle....lots of places to spend your bucks.

I have never seen so many flavors of popcorn. These lovely ladies did their very best to make a sale---real cuties!!!

Everywhere I go I find beautiful flowers. Amazing since it is really pretty chilly here. Barely 70 degrees with some pretty brisk winds.

Well tomorrow or the next day....sometime soon, we will be traveling to the island, the falls, the locks.....more later from your Happy Travelers.

Lake Shore Camping Resort, Davison, MI

2010-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

These are several pictures of our current address. It is a large--very large--campground with cabins. We are outside of Flint, MI, northwest of Detroit. There is an outdoor pool and a beach with a playground. I couldn't help but think about my grandchildren...they would love the beach.

We share this lake with these guys.

Sunset -- isn't it beautiful.
More later from your Happy Travelers.

Home on Wheels

2010-06-21T15:54:00.001-07:00

My camera died today while we were visiting a museum of wonderfully restored old cars. So we headed for Best Buy and picked up a new Canon SD1300IS. I took a few pictures of the inside of our home on wheels to try out my new purchase.

More later from your ever Happy Travelers....meandering through Michigan on the way to the Upper Peninsula.

Wapakoneta, Ohio

2010-06-14T12:16:00.001-07:00

Between the buildings on the main steet, Auglaize Street, is a small park area with this statue by its entrance.
This area is behind the main downtown area. The Farmers Market is held here each Saturday depending on the weather.
In the downtown area, there was an old time barber shop, a lovely old fire station, and old movie theatre, plus container after container of flowers along the side walks.

We took a walking tour of Wapakoneta's historical residential area and I took lots of pictures. Here are a variety of the lovely old homes in various styles--Victorian, Craftsman, bungalows, etc. All of them were beautiful in their own way, some needed a little work but all had such character.

We leave for Davison, Michigan on Thursday. We are holding fast to the motto "Happiness is the journey, not the destination". More later from your very Happy Travelers.

Roscoe Village, Ohio

2010-06-07T13:11:00.001-07:00

We drove to this beautiful little village, once a canal hub, and this lovely quilt was hanging in their Visitors Center.
Mr. and Mrs. Funny Bone....just for your enjoyment.

These are a few of the restored buildings in Roscoe Village as well as a lovely home.

This village was a canal spot. This picture is of a canal boat with 3 suites. The captain and his family actually lived on the boat. It now sits in a garden.

Don't you just love flowers....I do. The following are just a few pictures of some of the lovely flowers in Roscoe Village.

Tomorrow we are off to Wapakoneta, Ohio, outside of Dayton. More later from your Happy Travelers

Lone Pine Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

2010-05-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of attending this lovely, warm, rural Disciples Church. They welcomed us and made us feel at home. It was good to be able to take communion with fellow Christians.

During the worship service, we all got up and walked across the road to a very old cemetry. The local VFW had a Memorial Day Service complete with guns and a bugler playing Taps. It was a touching service, especially with the vets being 80 plus years old. What will happen when they are gone?

More later from your Happy Travelers.

Meadowcroft

2010-05-30T18:19:00.001-07:00

We drove to Avella, PA for the Meadowcroft History Center. In the Visitors' Center, hanging on the wall was a beautiful quilt done by some local ladies for the Center's 30th anniversary. They had an Indian Village and a reconstructed 1870's village. There was also a place where some archeological finds had been made that shattered previous theories. However, my camera malfunctioned and I could not get a picture of the dig site.

These are some pictures of the reconstructed Indian village of the 1500's.

This was a typical garden for the Indians in the 1500's. They planted corn, beans and squash together. They called it the 3 sisters. Once the corn had sprouted up about 12 inches, they planted the beans so the beans could vine up the corn. Then they planted squash. Pretty neat.
During our visit to the museum, these models of barns were on display. Aren't they lovely.

I almost forgot. When we were in the Indian Village, we each got to try and hit a big elk with an arrow thrown with an "atlatl", a piece of wood that held the arrow and helped you project it further and faster than just trying to throw it. There were 7 of us and guess who hit the target----my dear husband was the only one who hit the target. More later from your Happy Travelers.

The Book Exchange and the Trolley Museum

2010-05-28T18:27:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, we found a really neat used book store in Washington, PA. The owner, Jarrod Brooks, could not have been move helpful. He gave us a tour of his shop and introduced us to his two kids, his daughter who will be 3 in June and his son, who will be 5 on August 4. He and his wife have decided that it is very important to be as present as possible in their children's life and thus, his kids go to work with him. He asked about our travels and gave us some tips on places to visit when we get to Michigan and Wisconsin. Jarrod, we wish you the best in your new business and applaud you as a father. On Friday, we traveled to the Trolley Museum for a tour of this form of transportation from the past. There was a film and lots of photographs. Did you know that the first successful trolley system was in our own Richmond, Virginia?
This is Jack. He was our motorman when we took our ride on the trolley. He told us he had worked on the railroad as a teenager/young adult. So when he retired, he felt it was just natural to give of his time to the trolley museum. He was so enthusiastic and such an interesting person. He really made our visit special.
This first picture is a car that works on the rails. These other trolleys have been lovingly restored by a dedicated group of volunteers, yes volunteers. These folks love what they do and they give of their time to work on these old cars.

This car is under restoration at the present time. They hope to get it on the rails by this fall.
Well, tomorrow we are going to the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life. Should be interesting. Then we plan to attend a baseball game of the Washington Wild Things. More later from your Happy Travelers.

Traveling to Washington, PA

2010-05-26T15:15:00.001-07:00

We left Gettysburg, PA this morning, drove south to Maryland, up to PA, over to West Virginia and back into PA. The day was beautiful. We were in and out of the clouds, up as high as 2,880 feet. I took these pictures through the windshield at 60 miles per hour. The vistas got bigger and bigger. Beautiful. We will start exploring tomorrow. We are about 25 miles from Pittsburgh but Washington has some things to offer as well.

Take care my dear friends from your Happy Travelers.

Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Audio Tour

2010-05-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Gettysburg is a pretty special place. It is mindboggling to think about the pain and suffering that occurred in this 3 day battle, especially looking out now on the beautiful countryside. Everywhere you look, there are monuments and cannon, markers and statues. The park service is planting fruit trees to make this area look more like it did during the Gettysburg Campaign. We purchased a CD and guidebook and did an auto tour since we did the bus tour last time. Got lost a couple of times but had a wonderful experience that we would recommend.
These observation towers are in several places throughout the battlefield area. Neat!!
Couldn't help but take a couple of pics of this old beauty. I am not much of a car person but these old ones grab at my heart. It's an old plymouth. I had to take a look at the logo to make sure but isn't it something else?

This is the Pennsylvania Monument, the biggest and most expensive one in the park. But more of the Army of the Potomac was from Pennsylvania than anywhere else.
For you folks who like to ride horses, like my sister-in-law, Gloria, you can visit the battlefields by horse. It was a beautiful day on Thursday and again on Monday when we finished our tour (did it in two parts, not that it lasted that long!)
This is the Virginia Monument, featuring Robert E. Lee at the top. It sits in an area where Lee watched the last two days of battles- July 2 and 3, 1863.
I just can't get enough of the surrounding areas. It is just beautiful to look to the west and see the mountains and countryside.

Tomorrow we are off to Washington, PA, just outside Pittsburgh. We'll be at the KOA over the Memorial Day Weekend and then on to Ohio. More later from your Very Happy Travelers.

Bird in Hand and Baseball

2010-05-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we drove to Bird in Hand to check out the Farmers' Market and the charming shops in the heart of Amish Country. We saw a variety of horse drawn vehicles, farmers in the field with mules and horses, cutting hay and plowing. The farms were the most manicured landscape I have ever seen. After days of rain, everyone had decided to do laundry. We saw clothes lines rigged from a back porch to the barn full of clothing on a pulley system. Every Amish home had one. All the farms had wonderful gardens and beautiful flowers. We ended our day by driving down to New Market, MD for dinner with our kids and grandkids

Saturday, we drove down to Fredrick, MD to see J.T. play ball. He played second base and very well, I may say. We were really proud of him not only how he played but his sportsmanship. He is 10 years old and will have a birthday next month.

More later from your Happy Travelers.

Day 2 and Day 3 Gettysburg

2010-05-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Day 2 and 3 were wet, cold and generally washouts, but we did get a visit from Rob, J.T., Sami and their two fur balls, Chewie and Josie. The rest of the pics are snapshots of the campground that I took between raindrops. But being out and about is still a wonderful experience.

The Beginning

2010-05-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

Our adventure started this morning at 9:36 a.m. We got on the road and traveled to Pennsylvania in a steady downpour. But there was sunshine in our hearts. We are very excited about exploring another part of America. We are going to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as into Canada. Travel with us, will you.
Before we left, we got to celebrate a couple of birthdays for two of our 5 grandchildren. What a fun cake...good old Sponge Bob.
My Zackary will be 5 on May 20. He definitely has stolen my heart. Gives me the best kisses ----all over my face, neck, eyes, nose, ears, forehead, cheeks...love it!
Our Cooper was 2 on May 1st. What a package of joy.
We had the opportunity to have brunch with my dear brother and his wife, as well as their two little balls of fur, Nina and Lexi. What cuties! Well friends, we hit the road tomorrow to see what we can see. More later from your very happy travelers. Know that we carry all of you in our hearts and prayers

Frankfort, KY

2009-10-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

We took a tour of the Capital Building in Frankfort, KY. There were lots of statutes..lots of marble...a lovely old building with an impressive garden from the front steps.

We took a walk in Frankfort, KY---we parked at the Visitors Center and walked to the Capital Building---about 5 blocks and after the tour of the Capital, walked back but one street over. I took about 40 pictures of the lovely homes that had been restored or refurbished. There were a variety of styles---Victorian...Mission...bungalows---more pictures than you would want to see on a blog.

This home is on the National Registry. The Reverend that had it built met Frank Lloyd Wright on a cruise in 1912. He came home, hired a builder and had this home constructed in what is known as the Prairie Style. The second shot is of the side of the house and the porch areas. It actually looks pretty modern in comparison to the homes in the area.
The Happy Travelers received some very sad news...Grandpa Holt fell and will be having surgery so it is imperative that we hurry home. This will be our last blog until next spring when hopefully, we will be on the road again. There is so much to see....so many people to meet...Enjoy and may God bless each of you as He has so graciously blessed us.

George Rogers Clark Memorial

2009-09-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

The George Rogers Clark Memorial in Vincennes, IN was originally constructed in 1932 and just last week was reopened after a major renovation. The Happy Travelers met a very nice park ranger who gave us a private tour of the Memorial.

Just over this bridge is Illinois from the George Rogers Clark Memorial and park in Vincennes.
This was the high school where Carl and Marguerite Holt graduated in the 1930's. It is now a community center.
We met Edward Stewart, the historian at the Blue Jeans Center in Monroe City, IN. He knew the Holts, was able to show us some very interesting pictures, as well as gave us a map to Carl's home place. He was a great resource and very much a gentleman.
The Happy Travelers are off to Frankfort, Kentucky and getting closer and closer to Virginia.

Heritage Trail and its Quilt of Flower Gardens

2009-09-29T15:16:00.001-07:00

The Welcome Center in Elkhart, IN had a very interesting display and advertisement for the Heritage Trail and its quilt of flower gardens. It was about a 90 mile around trip if you took in all of the gardens and murials. It spanned the area of Elkhart including Warsaw, Goshen, Middlebury, a good bit of Northern Indiana. The first picture is the quilt murial on the front of the Visitors' Center and the next two are a couple of the gardens we got to see. It is at the end of the season so the flowers are getting a bit shaggy. It is another sight that is more beautiful and I am able to capture.

Our next stop will be outside of Vincennes, IN, homeland of the other Happy Traveler's parents (actually it is Monroe City, a small town outside of Vincennes). More later from your Happy Travelers as they wing their way back to Virginia.

Amish Acres, Nappanee, IN

2009-09-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Nappanee, IN to a place called Amish Acres. It was a farm owned by 3 generations of Amish and sold in 1962 to a group to become an educational tool to teach people about the Amish. Of course, they have quilts for sale as well as quilts on display. They have a farm house, a grandparents' house, a barn, lots of animals as well as a theater and restaurant. They are relocating buildings from the area and have a relocated a school building as well as a number of outbuildings.

Here are a few of the animals we saw.

Amish Acres is having a scarecrow contest. These are just a few of the cuties hanging around along with lots of pumpkins and gourds.

Tomorrow we are going on a special kind of tour...the Quilt Gardens Tour where folks have actually planted flowers to form quilt blocks. We saw a couple today and tomorrow we will be going to Elkhart and Goshen for a few additional gardens.
More later from your Happy Travelers.

Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana....

2009-09-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we didn't fall off the world....just slipping back to home through Iowa...well, we did have a little blip on the radar screen. The bearing on one of the wheels of the trailer went out while we were traveling from the Badlands into Iowa. We were just a few miles from an exit so help wasn't too far away. On to Sioux Falls, Grimes, Iowa, Colona, Illinois, Joliet, Illinois and now Warsaw, Indiana, Hoffman Lake Campground. We are in the country...lots of corn fields, soybeans, etc. It is very serene, tranquil and we just about have the place to ourselves, probably until the weekend. Know that fall is here because the trees are turning and the corn is ready to be harvested.

While we were waiting for the trailer to be repaired, we met Jun Wang, a trucker from China who now lives in Canada. Unfortunately, he had had an accident, wrecked his rig and needed a ride to Sioux Falls to get a plane home. So he rode with us and we chatted for about 120 miles. Haven't heard from him but we sure hope he made it home okay.

Well today we are going to an Amish Farm for a tour and lunch...more later from your Happy Travelers, on the way home but always enjoying the journey.

Badlands and Wall Drug

2009-09-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Badlands were not bad, they were fabulous. The Indians call them the land of light and stone....that is what they are. I was unable to get a picture of one of the inhabitants...the prairie dog...cute as can be. They have 30 to 40 burrows in an area and pop up and down in those burrows.

We promised that we would stop in at Wall Drug which is South Dakota's answer to South Carolina's South of the Border. There are signs along the highway advertising 5 cent coffee and free ice water 50 miles away....then 45 miles away....40 miles away. It is a real tourist attraction. I just liked the lady and gent that were sitting on the benches. Had to capture them.

Well folks, the Happy Travelers are going to be on the move again, heading east, next stop, Oacoma, SD. Hope to hear from you.

Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument

2009-09-05T20:13:00.001-07:00

We took a scenic route to arrive at Mt. Rushmore. It was a narrow, winding road with 3 tunnels through rock that were so narrow only one vehicle at a time could pass. You had to blow your horn before going through. Once we arrived at the Mt. Rushmore complex, we passed under all the state flags, saw a film about the craving of the monument and took a walk with one of the park rangers for some additional history. It was quite patriotic.

We traveled through Custer State Park to arrive at the Crazy Horse Monument and museum. Below are a couple of pictures of the monument, a plaster sculpture and a small bronze. This was quite the attraction with a museum of Indian artifacts, Indian artists, the sculptor's workshop and a replica of his log cabin.

More later from your Happy Travelers who will travel to the Badlands and Wall Drug tomorrow.

Entering South Dakota

2009-09-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

The South Dakota Welcome Center and red cliffs across the road were our first stop in South Dakota.

We met this amazing couple at the South Dakota Welcome Center. They were delightful. Myrle gave us so much informtion on what to see and how to see it. He was so enthusiastic, probably the best representative at a Welcome Center that we have met all the way across the country. Pat is Myrle's child bride. We will count them among our treasured memories of this super journey.
My beloved bought me a bundle of wood for a wonderful campfire, the first one we have had in a while. The temperatures dropped and the fire felt really good. Do you see the full moon. Tomorrow we begin our adventure in this part of South Dakota...Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Badlands, Custer's State Park....lots to see. More later from your busy Happy Travelers.

Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming

2009-09-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at the Buffalo Bill Museum. What a place! There was an art gallery, a gun museum, a Plains Indian Museum, the Buffalo Bill Museum, plus gardens, lots of sculptures and Buffalo Bill's Boyhood Home. You could actually spend several days touring this location. I took a lot of pictures but I will only publish a few examples for your enjoyment.

These were a few of the items on display in the Buffalo Bill Museum...there were so many wagons, coats, pictures, posters....you name it,,,it was there. Such an amazing place.

This blanket was made of Russian furs--it looks like a quilt done in lots of different kinds of fur.
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These are a couple of sewing machines from the early 1900's plus a beautiful quilt for my quilting sisters.

These are a few of the items on display in the Plains Indian Museum. There were many beautiful pieces of workmanship, many displays and a few movies to enjoy.

There were sculptures everywhere throughout the museum and gardens. These are a few examples of the artwork.

We will moving on to South Dakota. More later from your Happy Travelers.

The Cody Rodeo

2009-09-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

This fellow welcomed us to the Cody Rodeo.
As we were walking in, we passed the pens for the bulls, the broncos, and the riding horses.

This young lady carried the American Flag. There was a prayer, the pledge of allegiance, and a young woman sang the National Anthem to open the rodeo.
This was the group of fellows 12 years old and under...one was 5 years old. They rode young bulls and bucking calves. They did wear helmets when they competed.
I loved this shot of a little fellow talking with a bigger fellow---two competitors discussing the finer points of competition.
I was surprised that this cowboy had on a HOT PINK shirt. He's riding a bucking bronco.
The rodeo was a wonderful experience, one I will treasure. It was the last night of the rodeo season so buckles and awards were given out for each of the events. As we were leaving the stadium, we heard the horses giggling. One said to the others, Well, Bulls=8, Cowboys=0 tonight!!!! Tomorrow, we will be touring the Wild Bill Cody Museum. This life is so much fun from your Happy Travelers.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

2009-09-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

This area of Yellowstone is called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The falls were beautiful and have been painted by many different artists. Our day was cut short by rain. In the higher elevations, they had hail. On our return to camp, we saw a moose and his lady friends. They were too far up in the trees to get a good picture.
From Yellowstone, we will be traveling East to Cody, Wyoming. More later from the very Happy Travelers.

Grand Tetons

2009-09-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

We got up on morning and decided to drive down to the Grand Tetons National Park, just outside of the southern entrance to Yellowstone. The first two pictures were taken in route to the park. The rest are shots of the mountain range which is referred to as the teenagers of the Rocky Mountains. There was snow still on the higher elevations. We took a picnic lunch and had a delightful day. (There was about 10+ miles of road construction that made things slow and messy but then everyone had to slow down and enjoy the view!)

Our next venture will be to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, about 30+ miles from our camping spot at Fishing Bridge Campground. More later from your awe inspired Happy Travelers.

Yellowstone National Park

2009-08-31T17:04:00.001-07:00

These guys blocked the road the day we came into the park. They blocked the road the morning we drove to Old Faithful. They blocked the road the morning we left for Cody. Each time, they took their own precious time getting out of the road. But then this is their turf and they make the rules..
We sat up on the veranda of the Old Faithful Lodge to watch Old Faithful do its thing. Then we drove around to see the other thermal events going on in the area---hot springs, mud pots, etc.

We took a hike to Mystic Falls. It was a mile hike...easy...right? Well, it was hot...no shade...up one hill and down another until we reached the falls. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. But we did and it was beautiful. Plus we made the return trip and I didn't collapse. I'm so glad we made the trip! The mother in me wants to clean up all the trees that are down even though everyone tells me that this is a National Park and the powers that be say it should remain as natural a habitat as possible...I want the debris GONE!

Tomorrow we will go to the Grand Tetons. More later from your tired but happy Happy Travelers.

Virginia City, Montana

2009-08-31T16:43:00.001-07:00

I love Montana. These two shots are going to and coming from Virginia City. What wonderful landscape. What amazing views. God really knows how to take my breath away.

Recycle,,,,recycle...we hear it all the time....interesting flower container.
I had to have a picture of this mode of transportation.
A couple of examples of the buildings in Virginia City.

Don't you just love these wooden figures welcoming you into the shop.
Another city with a mascot--the trout. There was one at each end of the city.

The Happy Traveler is drinking Coffee! But taking a break in front of the Saloon.
Well folks, the Happy Travelers will be off to Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday and there is no phone service or internet service in Yellowstone. So more from your Happy Travelers when we get to Cody.

Traveling to Bozeman, Montana

2009-08-24T16:13:00.000-07:00

We left Missoula, Montana this morning and traveled to Bozeman, Montana. I just had to get some pictures of the mountains but there were few places to stop along the way so I tried taking pictures from the truck while traveling. They are not great quality but just look at the mountains. They go on and on. We will be here for a couple of days and then on into Yellowstone. Enjoy life---every minute of it from your very happy Happy Travelers.

Coeur d'Alene, ID - Lake Tour and Park

2009-08-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

There is a park on the waterfront that is very family friendly. I couldn't help but think about my grandchildren when I saw these boys playing in the fountain just up from the beach. In the second picture, look closely, there is a moose. There are statues of moose throughout the city, just like Athens has their Bulldog.

We took a boat tour today of Lake Coeur d'Alene. This is the resort on the Lake and the boat we took.

There were such a variety of homes along the banks of the river. Some were very elaborate, some log cabin type, houseboats...all of them have a fabulous view of an amazing body of water.

The landscape along the shore line was amazing. I took a lot of pictures and here are just a few.

Along our tour, we saw a golf course with a floating green. It was difficult to get a good shot of the green with the boat rocking but believe me, it is there. You make your shot towards this green. Then you take a boat ride to get to the green to putt. There are lots of balls lost in the water but they are retrieved weekly.

Following our boat tour, we walked along the waterfront and saw some beautiful wooden boats that will be on display this weekend

Special Treasures along the Journey

2009-08-21T20:07:00.001-07:00

I realized that I have been photographing the wonderful sights across this amazing country but I haven't been photographing the wonderful people we have had the priviledge of meeting along the way. Cindy and Rick, a delightful couple that we met in Utah, Louise and David from Tennessee, a special couple we met in Arizona when they were there to visit a new grandbaby. Both of these couples have stayed in touch through e-mail. There was a picture of Lois and Mike that we met at Chinook Campground in Lincoln City, Oregon. There have been people we talked to in parking lots and rest areas when we noticed they were from Virginia, Georgia or Carolina. We chatted with people while floating in pools or shopping in the grocery stores. Every where we have been, there have been helpful, enthusiastic people wanting to make our trip easier or nicer or wanting us to be sure and not miss out on one attraction or another. So periodically this Happy Traveler will publish our new treasures and if somehow I miss someone, forgive me, you are in my data bank.We met Janice and Ron at Tall Chiefs Campground in Fall City, Washington. They have two adorable little pups, CiCi (hope I spelled that right) and Honey. Ron was an angel and moved his car when we had to get into our spot, then he helped with the backup instructions which I seem to have a problem giving correctly. We spent some time just sitting around and chatting about camping, about children, about life on the road. They were a lot of fun.
Carole and Chuck were our next door neighbors in Moses Lake, WA. Chuck helped us get cable for the couple of days we were in the area (he had a splitter so we could use his box since our's wasn't working). He and Carole had us over to see their motor home which was really cute. They were so helpful in giving us information about Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, possible destinations for next year's journey. They also gave us information about another camping organization to check into that offers a mail forwarding service and discounts at certain campgrounds.
Peggy and Bruce were the camp hosts at Riverwalk Campground in Coeur d'Alene. They were more than just the people who checked you in...Bruce helped us get into the site, gave me a tour of the laundry and bath facilities, gave me directions to the grocery store and sent us in the direction of a lovely restaurant for a memorable lunch. They both had a great sense of humor and made our stay here really special.

Moses Lake, WA, and Sandpoint, ID

2009-08-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

After days and days of cool weather, when we got to Moses Lake, on the other side of the Cascades, it was warm----really, really, really warm and we got to take a dip in the pool (first time in lots and lots of days). It wasn't the largest pool but it was well kept and the water was DELIGHTFUL!!!
Our view of Moses Lake from our front door.
These were growing at the edge of Moses Lake. The other 2 pictures were flowers in the pool area.

This is the Sprague River viewed from the edge of a rest stop.
We stopped at a rest stop on our way to Coeur d'Alene and I tried to get a picture of these guys (if you look really close through the slats, you can see there ears). They were riding with an official "COWBOY" according to the sticker on his truck window.
I bet this Sandpoint watering hole hops in the evenings.
I never get tired of the beautiful flowers these folks grow in the cities, in pots, in baskets, in mounds....they are gorgeous!

A view of the Lake Pend Orelle from a shop window in Sandpoint.

As we were leaving Sandpoint, I wanted a shot of the Lake Pend Orelle but there was no place to pull over so I took this picture through the window of the truck going about 50+ miles per hour. The water was unbelievable. Tomorrow the Happy Travelers journey on to Missoula, Montana....Yellowstone, here we come. So more later.

Snoqualmie Falls, WA

2009-08-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

We are camping less than 10 miles from these fabulous falls. Snoqualmie Falls are actually higher than Niagra Falls. There is a hydroelectric plant at Snoqualmie Falls that generates enough electricity for about 16,000 homes. What I think is amazing is that it is underground, underwater, just out of sight. This is a big tourist attraction. Lots of families come to picnic. Tomorrow, the Happy Travelers will be headed to Moses Lake, WA. So more later from your Happy Travelers enjoying the landscape and meeting some incredible folks along the way.

Seattle, WA

2009-08-16T20:30:00.001-07:00

We arranged to take a tour of Seattle and stopped at a lovely garden to view the Columbia River. Water seems to be everywhere.
We met our tour guide at a McDonald's that was just across the street from the famous Space Needle.
This is area in the older part of Seattle near the waterfront. There are hanging baskets and pots of flowers everywhere. It is so beautiful.

Within the city of Seattle, there is a park dedicated to United Parcel Service which was started as a bicycle messenger service back in the days when Seattle was getting started. The water is so powerful coming off the rocks that you cannot hear any of the city's noises. It is a very serene place.
Along our tour, we stopped at a garden area above the city. What a view!!!
I don't believe I have ever seen so many beautiful flowers. There were flowers planted on the top of the overhangs of the market place as well as flowers for sale in the various stalls in the market area. Besides flowers, there were beautiful vegetables and jewelry, tee shirts and various "stuff".

We walked the 10 or 12 or 16 or so blocks back to our parking deck. We walked passed lots of outdoor restaurants and cafes, shops and finally a park with rides for the kids, music and the Space Needle. This lovely fountain was a special feature of the park. Tomorrow the Happy Travelers will go to Snoqualmie Falls so more later.

Depoe Bay and Lincoln City, OR

2009-08-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

We traveled down to Depoe Bay and found a parking spot by the ocean. I thought this was a really good shot of the ocean and surrounding landscape. What a nice day.
Depoe Bay is famous for whale watching. While we were walking by the ocean, we met a couple who lived in Oregon and were very friendly. They pointed out a whale to us that was being followed by a whale watching boat. About all we could see was the spout.
The Pacific Ocean...lots of rocks...low temperatures...but sunshine today.

This lovely couple welcomed folks into a gift shop at Depoe Bay.
This is Captain Mike, acting navigator on our trip up and down the river. Lois and Mike are from Missouri and were a delightful couple. They visited our trailer to check out the diministions of our Prowler. Then they invited us over for hospitality hour with refreshments and great conversation.

This is Lois and the two Happy Travelers cruising up the river on a beautiful day with SunShine, yes folks, SunShine!

Well folks, the Happy Travelers move on to Portland on Monday morning. So more later.

Lakeside, OR

2009-08-07T12:36:00.001-07:00

Here we are at Lakeside, another campground on a river. They tell us we are here at the wrong time of year. We've heard that everywhere we have traveled. Seems like they have a lot of fog in the summer...something about the heat of the enterior pulling the moisture from the ocean....whatever, we didn't see sunshine but one day and that was about 1:30 p.m.
Our campground had lots of cravings...here are a few...fish, an eagle and a little elf.

One of Oregon's lighthouses run by the Coast Guard.
Ifa you look really hard at the inside of the trianagle, those dots are actually oyster farming. Get this, they import the baby oysters from the East Coast because East Coast oysters are BIGGER than West Coast oysters...Who Knew!!! I sampled some of those oysters at a local restaurant at dinnertime.

This was a Humpback Whale bone on display.
Oregon is famous for its dunes(I just learned). It is a 4 wheeler's Heaven. Some of the dunes are 500 ft tall. If you look really closely, you will see one coming down the mountain of sand.

During our exploring, we went into Winchester Bay and had lunch at this little cafe. It was nice but the chowder wasn't the quality of the chowder we had in New England. Or maybe you just can't compete with a memory. Thursday the Happy Travelers move on to Lincoln City, OR. Happy trails and more later.

Trees of Mystery

2009-08-02T17:40:00.001-07:00

Today we explored a tourist area named Trees of Mystery. Paul Bunyan and Babe welcomed the visitors. After paying your fee, you walked up a trail viewing all kinds of wonderful Pacific redwoods, cedars, pines, hemlock....lots of greenery. At one point, you get on a gondola and ride up over the trees to an observation tower. On the return trip back to the starting point, there is some pretty amazing wooden sculptures.
This was a little gift shop/museum...more gift shop than museum but it had really nice hanging baskets as well as flowers blooming out front.
Those are ferns growing on the tree branches...FERNS!!!
If you look closely, there is actually a tree growing out of the branch of this tree named the Family Tree. The Family Tree has 12 different trees growing off its branches. Unbelievable!
Another tree with a passage way in the trunk. A little munchkin had a great time running from one side to the other and exploring the enterior of the tree.
We took a ride on a sky lift. It was really fun riding over the top of the trees. It certainly gave you a different perspective. At one point, we were high enough to see the ocean just over the tree tops. This was the view from the observation post at the top of the mountain. It was a bit foggy or the clouds were low...not sure the difference.

There was a wide variety of wooden sculptures and pictures along the trail on the return trip down the mountain.

After a lovely trip through some gigantic trees as well as a trip over the trees, we drove into Crescent City for some seafood, gasoline, a few groceries, then home again. Well Tuesday we leave for Oregon so more from your Happy Travelers later.

Klamath, CA

2009-08-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

We are staying at the Klamath River RV Resort. This is a view of the bridge that goes over the Klamath River (Route 101). You can see the fog has not yet burned off.
This is the view from the back of our home away from home. That's the Klamath River, very calming.
We took a ride down the Coastal Highway, parked the truck and started walking. Eventually we crossed an expanse of blackish sand and got to the Pacific Ocean. There were several of these big rocks jutting out of the sand on the beach.

The Pacific Ocean....sure isn't Myrtle Beach...been here two days and the fog never goes away. A new experience for the Happy Travelers....trying to stay warm the first of August....who knew. Tomorrow the Happy Travelers will be exploring the Redwood National Park, more very tall Pacific Redwoods, 3 that are large enough to drive through. More later.

Klamath, CA

2009-07-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Klamath, CA today after traveling through the mountains and beside the Pacific Ocean in Northern California. It is so chilly we have on sweat shirts and jeans. We are camped right on the beautiful Klamath River. We drove through more really big trees, Ponderosa Pine, Pacific Redwoods, spruce, cedar, etc. The fog was so thick coming off the ocean that it made visibility difficult in places. We are in a pretty nice campground but our internet signal is very weak....just enough to get on...not enough to upload pictures so no pics until next week. We will be doing some exploring the next 3 days and on to Oregon on Tuesday. Check back then for more from your Happy Travelers.

Outstanding Concert

2009-07-28T16:05:00.001-07:00

The Happy Travelers had the opportunity to go to an outstanding concert with 2 of our California girls and one gent---We got to attend the 20th Anniversary of the Sacramento Taiko Dan, a group of talented performers who play a wide variety of drums. It was just an amazing sight, such energy and enthusiasm. There were some drancers, as well as someone who played flute and a Japanese type guitar (sorry don't know the name of the instrument).

This little lady is in her 70's and what a performer. She was doing a little fund raising at the end of the night...see the money in her headband....what a smile! What a wonderful evening, a great concert with special people---who could ask for more! More later from your very Happy Travelers.

San Francisco Adventure

2009-07-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

The famous Golden Gate Bridge was bathed in fog. I came all the way from Virginia and could not see the top of the bridge tower because of the fog. But I did ride across it.
Aren't these flowers gorgeous. There were hanging baskets along one of the piers. I couldn't believe how many and how full they were.
We took a walk to Fishermen's Wharf and saw these vessels along the way.
I tried to get this fellow to look at me---no go, he was watching the big guys folic on the platforms.
These big guys are very territorial and noisy. But such fun to watch.
They named these Victorian houses the painted ladies. They were really beautiful. We got to tour the large green one on the end. The owner bought in for $65,000---had to get 30people to move out of it and then put over $300,000 into the renovation. I can't remember the value now--$3.5 million or $4.2 million, sorry, it was more than my brain could comprehend. It had a kitchen to die for, a beautiful little patio area, a dining room capable of feeding 12 or more and lots more we didn't get to see.
This stained glass window was in in the parlor. There was another stained glass window over the front door.
One of our stops was at a Japanese tea garden. The landscape was green and serene. We learned that the "fortune cookies" we all get following dinner at a Chinese/Japanese restaurant were actually invented in San Francisco in that garden but no patent was put on them and during WWII, while the Japanese family who owned and operated the garden were interred, the Chinese took over the garden and the making of the fortune cookies. The garden did not do well and after the war, the Japanese again took over the garden. They have a lovely tea house in the park.

Made a stop at an old Episcopal Church, I believe it was Grace Episcopal. It truly was spectacular. My camera could not capture the beauty of thestained glass windows and art work on the walls.

One of our last stops on the tour was a brief walk through ChinaTown. All the businesses had both English and Chinese names and there was a wide variety of "stuff" from clothing and food to herbs, teas, and roots for Chinese medicine. We met an incredible Chinese gentleman who looked about 50 to 55 years old and was actually 77 and still going strong.

It was a pretty long day but quite exciting and educational. Met more folks, saw some wonderful scenery and got back to our home away for home in one piece after a trip on San Francisco's rail transit. More later from the tired but very Happy Travelers.

Napa Valley Trip

2009-07-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

We began our tour of the wine country by stopping in the city of Napa. They have blocked off several streets from motorized traffic and it is nice to walk around the boutiques, restaurants and shops without having to deal with cars. There is a large visitors center with lots of helpful folk to give you ideas of what to see while in the area.
Isn't she cute! There was shop that sold all types of metal garden sculptures like Miss Bee.
As we were leaving the parking lot in the city of Napa, this house caught my eye. There were several on the street that had been restored and turned into businesses. Going out of the city toward the wineries, we saw many Victorian and Craftsmen bungalows lovingly renovated. This is a city that is pleasure to just tour the architecture.
This was the view as you drove into the Robert Mondavi Winery. Can you see the fountain. There were lots of flowers on the far side of the building that don't show in this picture.
This was the garden view outside the wine tasting room.
This is a typical view of the wine country---very green grape vines with the mountains in the background.

On our return trip, I decided I wanted to try and get a picture of this wind mill farm but the road was under construction and we couldn't stop. So I experimented and took the picture in the truck going 50 miles per hour. It is amazing to see these things on the hillside, hundreds of them, generating electricity. Wednesday we will be going to San Francisco. So more later from your Happy Travelers.

Sacramento Cuties/Church in Lodi

2009-07-19T14:23:00.001-07:00

These are our California Girls plus D.J. We had a lovely visit with these wonderful ladies and gent, shared a delicious meal and told lots of stories that made each of laugh and glad we were family.
This one is for my quilting sisters. This was hand pieced and made into a block for a potential quilt. When the quilt was not put together, the blocks were given to the girls by their mother (I believe Greatgrandmother, May Donovan, actually made the blocks) and framed as pictures. I believe each of them has 4 blocks. I have been told that this Greatgrandmother could sew,crochet,knit, embroider --in other words was quite a talented little lady.
Sunday morning we traveled to the United Congregational Christian Church in Lodi, CA, not far from where we are camping in Isleton, CA. The Rev. Jack Dawson is the minister of this blended congregation of Discples and Congregational Christians. It was good to be in church, to experience the music and to pray with like-minded folks. But they only do communion on the first Sunday of the month. I missed not taking communion, especially the way we hold the bread and cup and then take it together.
This is a view of the altar (very Californian, I think).

This is the view on one side of the santuary---a wall of windows that look unto a courtyard---very soothing. Well, tomorrow the Happy Travelers will be exploring Napa Valley, so until then. Happy Trails to all of you. Enjoy wherever you may be.

Yosemite National Park Video Clips

2009-07-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the 12 video clips I took at Yosemite.

Yosemite Video Clips

2009-07-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

I do have some video clips to share of our adventure in Yosemite. However, until we get to a place where the internet is a bit faster, my clips will have to stay with me. Again, we had a great time in Yosemite and I would advise anyone who has the opportunity to visit to do so but I do believe it would be more enjoyable in the fall or early spring. We took a tour and it was so nice for both of us....the other Happy Traveler did not have to contend with traffic or finding a parking place...he could sit back and enjoy the scenery with me. More from your Happy Travelers later.

Yosemite National Park

2009-07-13T20:50:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Yosemite National Park and visited the giant redwoods. It is impossible to capture these trees....they are so tall. Their bark doesn't turn red until they are over 300 years old. It was a beautiful day and another amazing trip.
This tree is named the Old Monarch....that is the root ball. It has been down for several hundred years. People have craved their initials on the trunk from as far back as the 1800's.
Can you see the split in this tree---that is Ron going inside---these trees are so tall that are like lightning rods. They get hit by lightning--it goes down the tree and blows out the bottom but the tree still lives!!! Amazing.
That's me inside the redwood. It is an awesome sight to see 3 or 4 people inside a tree at one time.
This was a grove of young redwoods. There were 5 trees but I don't think you can see but 3.
This was the view we had during our lunch break. I believe this is Vernal and Nevada Falls. You have to look real hard to see the lower fall.
We had to say goodbye and this was our last lookout. So majestic...so amazing....God sure knows how to impress us. More later --- videos I hope-----from your Happy Travelers.

Update on travels

2009-07-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

We left Pahrump, NV Wednesday morning and drove to Barstow, CA. Thursday we traveled to Bakersfield, CA. Coming over the mountains and looking down on the valley was breathtaking. After so much brown---desert and rocks---we looked down on a patchwork of green. Bakersfield has all sorts of orchards of citrus, fruits and nuts. It is amazing what water can accomplish. You know why Jesus used water so much in his teachings. Friday it was on to Bass Lake, CA which is east of Fresno, up in the mountains. It is lovely but the mountains block my Verizon signal so I am using "Linksy" today. We will see if it will allow me to upload pictures. This campground believes in squeezing as many folks in a small amount of space as possible. We were very lucky to get the last spot in a relatively level area. Some folks are parked down in a hollow or up on a bluff. We are here until next Friday. We will need to take a hike to see the actual Bass Lake. From what I saw as we were coming into the area, it is beautiful. Next week we go into Yosemite. More from the Happy Travelers later. Until then, ENJOY EACH AND EVERY MOMENT.

Charleston Peak RV Resort - Pahrump, NV

2009-07-07T21:19:00.001-07:00

This is a view of the mountains that back up to our campground at sunset. This is a view of the mountains in front of our campground. Another wonderful pool that saved our lives. It was the only way to enjoy late afternoons in the desert. This outstanding full moon was saying good bye to us on our last night in Pahrump. This was the first campfire the Happy Travelers have had the privilege of enjoying since leaving Virginia. Our fellow campers at the Charleston Peak RV Resort invited everyone for a campfire complete with marshmallows on our last night in Pahrump. We were treated to some great conversation, a lovely breeze and the moon--a full moon. The Happy Travelers leave for Barstow, CA tomorrow morning. More later.
A little clip of the mountains behind our campground. Unfortunately this video doesn't show just how high the mountains really are.

Pahrump Valley Winery

2009-07-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Pahrump Valley Winery is attached to our campground. It is a really lovely spot in the desert with lots of new grape vines and their own bottling operation.
Gretchen Loken is one of the owners and a very delightful lady, just full of information and very enthusiastic about wine and people. She said, "how can you not enjoy what you are doing when you get to meet people and drink wine all day".
This is an interesting quilted wall hanging that I wanted to share especially with my quilting buddies. (It was machine quilted.)
As well as a good variety of reds and whites, the Winery sells a variety of "things that go with wine". The gift shop adjoins the wine tasting area. I got an education in fruity versus dry. It was fun but after sips of at least 14 different wines, I felt a little fuzzy.

Surrounded by mountains, this is a lovely spot with lots of desert around. If you look hard through the trees, you can see the grapevines. Sunday the Happy Travelers will be traveling to Harrah's in Las Vegas for a new experience. More later.

Preferred RV Resort - Pahrump, NV

2009-07-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

This campground had a mixture of palm trees and pine trees, flowers and cacti, grass and rocks. We enjoyed our stay, met a bunch of nice people from Oregon, Washington, and California, as well as Nevada.
This is where the Happy Travelers spent every afternoon and where I went Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for water aerobics. Met a delightful bunch of ladies who live in the area and belong to this campground just to use the pool.
One area of the campground has this water wheel and a pond with enormous fish. It has benches and picnic tables, a walking path...a really nice place to go and think or relax and it is cool----temperature wise.
Can you tell how big these guys are. The pond was almost not deep enough to support them. You can tell they are used to handouts. As soon as you get close to the pond, they all but jump out of the pond.
Every evening, we were visited by 6 to 8 bunny rabbits. My neighbor and I shared our carrots with these little guys and they faithfully showed up every evening before sunset to see how the carrot supply was holding up.
Some talented person used a stump and craved these two little fellows.

This is the view when leaving the campground. The flag is flying at the Nugget, a local casino. See the mountains in the background. Pahrump is surrounded by mountains. The Happy Travelers left Preferred for Charleston Peak RV Resort just up the road. More later.

China Ranch Date Farm

2009-07-02T05:54:00.001-07:00

We took a ride out into the desert, actually crossing over the state line and into California. We went through Shoshone and stopped at a museum dedicated to the hardy souls who came to this area to mine. They had a pretty extensive collection of material on the women who came to this harsh land and how they endured. Then we journeyed on to the China Ranch Date Farm, famous for its date milkshakes and date bakery items. We left the highway and traveled 2 miles to a graveled one lane road that twisted and turned down between rock cliffs until we reached an oasis at the bottom. A natural spring feeds this area and the imported date palms were quite impressive. The folks that farm this place have made a living from their hard labors and it is quite lovely out in the middle of such stark landscape. By the way, the date milkshake was quite good.
Do you see Mr. Frog. Every time I see a frog, I think of my brother, the collector of frogs.
If you look really hard at the left corner of the fountain, you will see a little bird taking a drink. In the middle of the desert, this oasis is alive with birds.
This is a working farm but they also have a nursery to sell various cacti to the public.
Can you tell this is an old TRUCK...it has lots of character. I am a sucker for old vehicles...love all of them...don't know a darn thing about them but I just like the looks. More later from the Happy Travelers

Zion National Park

2009-06-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

We drove up to Zion National Park, parked the car in Springdale and took a shuttle. We went to the last stop, Riverside Walk and took a hike along the Virgin River. Here are a few of the pictures, I took along the way.
We also went to another part of Zion, as well as a place called Cedar Bluff where the temperature was so cool you had to put on a jacket. It was 10,350 feet up. I had a problem with my video camera and had left the battery back at the campground so no pictures of Cedar Bluff. As sharp as these pictures may be, they don't compare to being here in person. God surely made a wonderful world and put lots of breathtaking beauty in this part of the country. From Utah, the Happy Travelers journey on to Nevada. More later.

St. George and Hurricane, Utah

2009-06-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

These were the mountains in front of our campground name St. George but in Harrisburg, Utah. What a sight...I never get enough...so majestic.

We drove into downtown St. George and they have a lovely park in the historical district where the families come and children play in the water. There is even a shallow concreted river-type basin to play in. There were lots of flowers and benches....just a nice place to hang out.
There was a small museum in Hurricane, Utah dedicated to the pioneers, especially those folks who settled in Hurricane. The wind was really blowing the day we were there and I tried to take a picture of the monument and the flag flying...so you got two pictures of the monument...one you see the flag and one you see the monument.

Can you imagine having to pack up everything you owned and traveling across unknown land in this?

Lake Powell, AZ

2009-06-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't get over the water being so blue...was it the rocks or was it the sky? It was beautiful.
You can see that there were house boats. There were many boats of all types and skidoos. There was a large resort across the road from us and they brought people in by the bus load.

The sites at the campground had the trailers going in with one facing up and one facing down with landscaping separating the two...was nice...you didn't have to face your neighbors sewer hose. They planted draught resistent trees and plants and used a lot of rock.

A couple of videos

2009-06-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Before I try to publish any more pictures/videos of Lake Powell and my Utah visit, I have a couple from Jerome and Sedona I would like to share. The first one is from Jerome....I cut off the Je... and the second one is at the Chapel of the Rocks. You can hear a fountain and lots of wind in the background. Here goes.

Sedona Views

2009-06-26T15:36:00.001-07:00

This is Kat, Ron and me at the Chapel of the Rocks in Sedona. Also several shots of the rock formations in the area.