Hey, did you know there was neat city in Nevada that has great accommodations and excellent rates? We found it by accident after driving all day from Laughlin through Las Vegas to Reno. We started out in intermittent rain and expected that to be the case all day. However, when we got to Las Vegas, it cleared up and by the time we got to Reno, it was blue skies and sunshine.
Alas, that is not to last. Tomorrow the snow is supposed to start falling and it'll continue through the weekend. Guess we'll have to stop driving and stay here for a while!
Good trip and we had a lot of fun, especially seeing Char and the boys (all three of them) in Florida. Looking forward to a little rest and relaxation.
See you on the next blog adventure!
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Laughlin, NV
Here we are back in our home state and our normal time zone. Kind of cool and windy along the Colorado, but it was clear as we came down the hill from Kingman.
We left Globe this morning and had a terrific drive through some beautiful country. Started out with the mining country around Globe and Miami and then gradually made our way downhill to Phoenix. Even though we hit Phoenix after morning rush hour, it was still crazy. Took a beltway around the metropolitan area and then drove north to get out in the country. It was all backroads until we got just outside Kingman and then we took I-40 for ten or twelve miles.
Sure is some deserted country along US 93 north of Phoenix. It's the route of the proposed I-11 from Phoenix north to the Canadian border, coming through Las Vegas and Reno before heading north. I think it will be quite a while before that interstate gets built. Some of US 93 is four lane already, but not quite interstate quality.
We really enjoyed the mountains, canyons, and washes along the way. I can just imagine what this area must look like when the monsoon rains hit. In some of the low spots, there were depth gauges so you would know exactly what the depth of water was over the road. They were all dry - thank goodness.
We stopped in Kingman and played nine holes of golf at Cerbat Cliffs golf course, which is where we played when we down here in November. It was one of the craziest layouts I have ever seen for a golf course. We played the back nine because the front was crowded and we had played the front nine when we were here before. We only got lost once or twice and had to ask for directions to get from 11 to 12 and then again to get from 15 to 16. Fun course, though even though it was a little cool. Hard swinging a golf club with three or four layers of clothing!
Our present plan is to leave tomorrow morning and head home. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for our trip north.
We left Globe this morning and had a terrific drive through some beautiful country. Started out with the mining country around Globe and Miami and then gradually made our way downhill to Phoenix. Even though we hit Phoenix after morning rush hour, it was still crazy. Took a beltway around the metropolitan area and then drove north to get out in the country. It was all backroads until we got just outside Kingman and then we took I-40 for ten or twelve miles.
Sure is some deserted country along US 93 north of Phoenix. It's the route of the proposed I-11 from Phoenix north to the Canadian border, coming through Las Vegas and Reno before heading north. I think it will be quite a while before that interstate gets built. Some of US 93 is four lane already, but not quite interstate quality.
We really enjoyed the mountains, canyons, and washes along the way. I can just imagine what this area must look like when the monsoon rains hit. In some of the low spots, there were depth gauges so you would know exactly what the depth of water was over the road. They were all dry - thank goodness.
We stopped in Kingman and played nine holes of golf at Cerbat Cliffs golf course, which is where we played when we down here in November. It was one of the craziest layouts I have ever seen for a golf course. We played the back nine because the front was crowded and we had played the front nine when we were here before. We only got lost once or twice and had to ask for directions to get from 11 to 12 and then again to get from 15 to 16. Fun course, though even though it was a little cool. Hard swinging a golf club with three or four layers of clothing!
Our present plan is to leave tomorrow morning and head home. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for our trip north.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Globe, AZ
If you look at a map (and why would you do that?), you would see that we did not go through NM and AZ as planned in the last post. The route we planned up through Albuquerque looked like it had too much bad weather - even snow, so we decided to cut across the southern part of both states. Shortly after we left Fort Stockton this morning, we headed north off I-10 to check out Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Thought it would be kind of cool to add another National Park to our collection. It's just a little south of Carlsbad Caverns, but we had been there some time ago. Guadalupe is mountain range rising out of the prairie in western Texas. It's one of those parks which you can't drive through, just around. If you want to do any exploring of the Park, you hike it. Needless to say, that ain't in our plans! Neat visitor center and beautiful view of Guadalupe Mountain - elevation somewhere around 8500'.
After we left the Park, we headed west to El Paso on state highways and took another one to bypass the metropolitan area. The bypass - Route 375 - went past Fort Bliss and then went through some interesting passes to get us back on I-10 north of El Paso. Headed out on I-10 and close to the western border of New Mexico, we headed diagonally northwest toward Phoenix. We figured since we weren't going to Tucson, there was no sense in taking I-10 because it dips south through Tucson. Hwy 70 had no traffic and is a pretty straight road through farming country, cattle ranches and cotton fields. The good thing is the lack of traffic. We gained an hour since we went from the Central Time Zone to Mountain Time Zone.
Globe is a mining town - some copper and some silver. Tomorrow we head over to Phoenix and then up to Kingman. We're staying at Laughlin for a couple of days before heading home. Maybe we'll get a chance to play some golf. Today the weather was rainy off and on until almost the end of the day when the sun came out and the temperature soared to 55 degrees (eat your hearts out in North Dakota, New York, and New England.
After we left the Park, we headed west to El Paso on state highways and took another one to bypass the metropolitan area. The bypass - Route 375 - went past Fort Bliss and then went through some interesting passes to get us back on I-10 north of El Paso. Headed out on I-10 and close to the western border of New Mexico, we headed diagonally northwest toward Phoenix. We figured since we weren't going to Tucson, there was no sense in taking I-10 because it dips south through Tucson. Hwy 70 had no traffic and is a pretty straight road through farming country, cattle ranches and cotton fields. The good thing is the lack of traffic. We gained an hour since we went from the Central Time Zone to Mountain Time Zone.
Globe is a mining town - some copper and some silver. Tomorrow we head over to Phoenix and then up to Kingman. We're staying at Laughlin for a couple of days before heading home. Maybe we'll get a chance to play some golf. Today the weather was rainy off and on until almost the end of the day when the sun came out and the temperature soared to 55 degrees (eat your hearts out in North Dakota, New York, and New England.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Fort Stockton, TX
Does that title sound familiar? Well, it should since we were here less than two weeks ago. It's difficult to find different ways to go home from Florida.
This morning we awoke to our TV out because of inclement weather - well, I guess it was inclement. There were tornado warnings in Houston and the rain was coming down in sheets. We're just not used to any type of rainfall, let alone the downpour which was going through Houston. Thankfully, the tornado warning was lifted (or it moved to the Northeast - at least it was out of our way).
After breakfast, it cleared up some so we got back on I-10 heading west. Ran into some spotty squalls which made for interesting driving on Vi's part. Since our original plan was to go to San Antonio to play golf, we scrapped that idea. Somewhere east of San Antonio, we took a county road which went around and ended up on I-10 north of San Antonio. Took us through the Texas hill country around New Braunfels (another German migration site). Pretty country side - rolling, tree-covered hills. Pretty well populated - not sure whether it's because of local work or commuters going to San Antonio.
Stayed on I-10 and ended up here in Fort Stockton (again). After we checked in, we drove around town (which didn't take long) and checked out the local historical sites.
Tomorrow, we're going to head north up to Carlsbad, Albuquerque, and perhaps spend the night in Gallup. Hopefully, I-40 won't be snow-covered and the weather will be nice. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow night.
This morning we awoke to our TV out because of inclement weather - well, I guess it was inclement. There were tornado warnings in Houston and the rain was coming down in sheets. We're just not used to any type of rainfall, let alone the downpour which was going through Houston. Thankfully, the tornado warning was lifted (or it moved to the Northeast - at least it was out of our way).
After breakfast, it cleared up some so we got back on I-10 heading west. Ran into some spotty squalls which made for interesting driving on Vi's part. Since our original plan was to go to San Antonio to play golf, we scrapped that idea. Somewhere east of San Antonio, we took a county road which went around and ended up on I-10 north of San Antonio. Took us through the Texas hill country around New Braunfels (another German migration site). Pretty country side - rolling, tree-covered hills. Pretty well populated - not sure whether it's because of local work or commuters going to San Antonio.
Stayed on I-10 and ended up here in Fort Stockton (again). After we checked in, we drove around town (which didn't take long) and checked out the local historical sites.
Tomorrow, we're going to head north up to Carlsbad, Albuquerque, and perhaps spend the night in Gallup. Hopefully, I-40 won't be snow-covered and the weather will be nice. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow night.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Katy, TX
No, I didn't forget how to spell my grand-daughter's name. This is where we ended up today after leaving Char's home in Pensacola. George III was on a camping trip and JT was sound asleep when we left, so we had to settle for bidding a fond adieu to Char. Left the Florida panhandle, crossed AL, MS, and LA before hitting the Texas border. It's kind of disheartening when you cross the border and see a mileage marker of 873. Boy, it's a long way across Texas!!!!
Good day of driving - no real challenges, it was just I-10, get off, eat, get on I-10, get off, gas up, get on I-10, eat, get on I-10, get off I-10, gas up, get back on I-10, get off I-10, check into hotel. Somehow I think we're going to be doing that for the next three days :-).
Hit a few sprinkles as we ended the day, but the rest of the day was just clear sailing with only a few clouds in the sky. Not much exciting in the way of scenery. When you stay on the Interstate, you could be anywhere USA - two lanes with trees on either side. Occasionally, you do see some of the countryside, but it could be anywhere in the US. Coming through Mississippi, we traveled a long distance on elevated highways over the swamps (except they call them bayous down here). Not much elevation - the only high spots are where the Interstate crosses another road, river, or railroad.
Our plans are pretty much dependent on the weather. If it's nice tomorrow, we'll stop at San Antonio, play golf, and then head out the next day. Otherwise, we'll just continue on through Texas until we get tired and see where we are.
Good day of driving - no real challenges, it was just I-10, get off, eat, get on I-10, get off, gas up, get on I-10, eat, get on I-10, get off I-10, gas up, get back on I-10, get off I-10, check into hotel. Somehow I think we're going to be doing that for the next three days :-).
Hit a few sprinkles as we ended the day, but the rest of the day was just clear sailing with only a few clouds in the sky. Not much exciting in the way of scenery. When you stay on the Interstate, you could be anywhere USA - two lanes with trees on either side. Occasionally, you do see some of the countryside, but it could be anywhere in the US. Coming through Mississippi, we traveled a long distance on elevated highways over the swamps (except they call them bayous down here). Not much elevation - the only high spots are where the Interstate crosses another road, river, or railroad.
Our plans are pretty much dependent on the weather. If it's nice tomorrow, we'll stop at San Antonio, play golf, and then head out the next day. Otherwise, we'll just continue on through Texas until we get tired and see where we are.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Chillin' in Florida
Well, not really because the weather has turned really nice. In fact, yesterday, they had a record temperature for Pensacola of 78 degrees. Now that's the kind of weather we came East to find! Yesterday we played golf and took JT out with us. He had his cast changed in the morning and then Char let him take the rest of the day off from school. There were three of us on the golf cart and we let JT drive with his left foot and we took turns riding with him, although there were times when all three of us rode. Just too bad that he couldn't play with us, but maybe next trip.
We've just been relaxing - not sure whether it's the southern hospitality, the weather, or just plain laziness. It's great being with Char and the boys. George goes on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend (JT was supposed to go, but that ain't gonna happen with crutches). They're going on a trip to Tennessee to a cave where they are going to spend the night. It's a three-day weekend, so it should be fun for them.
Today, Char, Vi and I went to downtown Pensacola on the waterfront and had lunch at Jaco's.
It was really nice being able to sit out on the patio and enjoy the sunshine and beautiful waterfront views. Saw a couple of yachts that it would be nice to take out for a spin. Alas, the owners seem to get picky about that sort of thing. Afterward, Char went to do some shopping and get the boys from school while we went for a drive along the barrier islands east of Pensacola. Beautiful white, sandy beaches. As you might imagine, there are not many people on the beach. A few hardy souls out surfing and some sunbathing on the beach. Bet it's different at Spring Break and during the summer.
On the way back we crossed the Sound and drove east on US 98. We managed to check off another National Park when we visited the Gulf Beaches National Seashore. It dates back to the early 1800's when they wanted to preserve the live oaks for ship building. It's called the Naval Live Oak Preserve because it was used as a tree farm for building wooden ships. Live oak is much denser than regular oak, so it made for really strong timbers.
Tomorrow we're going to do some more sightseeing and then Sunday we'll head back home. Still plan on uploading some pictures, so don't despair!
We've just been relaxing - not sure whether it's the southern hospitality, the weather, or just plain laziness. It's great being with Char and the boys. George goes on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend (JT was supposed to go, but that ain't gonna happen with crutches). They're going on a trip to Tennessee to a cave where they are going to spend the night. It's a three-day weekend, so it should be fun for them.
Today, Char, Vi and I went to downtown Pensacola on the waterfront and had lunch at Jaco's.
It was really nice being able to sit out on the patio and enjoy the sunshine and beautiful waterfront views. Saw a couple of yachts that it would be nice to take out for a spin. Alas, the owners seem to get picky about that sort of thing. Afterward, Char went to do some shopping and get the boys from school while we went for a drive along the barrier islands east of Pensacola. Beautiful white, sandy beaches. As you might imagine, there are not many people on the beach. A few hardy souls out surfing and some sunbathing on the beach. Bet it's different at Spring Break and during the summer.
On the way back we crossed the Sound and drove east on US 98. We managed to check off another National Park when we visited the Gulf Beaches National Seashore. It dates back to the early 1800's when they wanted to preserve the live oaks for ship building. It's called the Naval Live Oak Preserve because it was used as a tree farm for building wooden ships. Live oak is much denser than regular oak, so it made for really strong timbers.
Tomorrow we're going to do some more sightseeing and then Sunday we'll head back home. Still plan on uploading some pictures, so don't despair!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Eagle Scout
Thought I'd better catch everyone up on what's happening before I forget the events. After arriving in Pensacola and being greeted by the Semples, we settled in. They have a beautiful home in the northern part of Pensacola - it's a little more than 3400 square feet with a enormous lot. They have all kinds of plants and trees surrounding their home, highlighted by a huge live oak in the front yard. In the back are various fruit trees - lemon, kumquat, lemon, banana, and some I'm not sure of. It's kind of neat to be able to go out to the back yard and pick the fruit. It's been a little cool to use the swimming pool, but it certainly looks inviting.
The reason for the title of this post is that George Semple III completed his requirements for Eagle Scout while they were finishing up their tour. The end result is that he did his project and completed all the paperwork in Okinawa, but had to wait until getting settled here in Pensacola before receiving the official paperwork. As luck would have it, the ceremony was Monday evening and we were able to attend his local Scout Troop meeting. JT (his brother) had put together a slide show showing not only the project, but also some of their activities on Okinawa. It really took me back to be at a Boy Scout troop meeting. Actually, not much has changed either in the uniforms or the ceremonies, but the outside activities have since they now have computer programming, and other modern merit badges. The old tried and true hiking, bicycling, woodworking, etc. are still the mainstays.
On Sunday evening, the family had dinner at a local Tokyo hibachi restaurant to celebrate George's achievement. It was a fun evening and the chef really made a show out of preparing the meal - lots of fun and enough food so that we all left with carry-out boxes! Made for a good meal the following day. Monday was the regular troop meeting and George was presented with not only his Eagle Scout badge, but various other awards. It's quite an achievement, especially for a fourteen-year old. Vi and I were pleased that we could be here for the occasion. George and Char provided refreshments for the boys and their parents. Nothing like giving teenagers lots of cake and then sending them home to their parents wired with sugar :-).
George was home on leave from the US Navy, so it was doubly nice that he could also be there for the ceremony. He's currently stationed up at Norfolk as the Chief Medical Officer for the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and the associated battle group which accompanies it on deployment. Since he was leaving today, Vi and I thought we would give them some time to themselves and spend the day roaming around Pensacola. Eventually, we ended up at the Naval Air Station and found the golf course. Since the weather has gradually warmed up (it was up to 65 today), we decided to play at their Executive golf course which is a combination of par three's and par four's. It wasn't very crowded since the majority of people seemed to want to play the Championship course. Different type golf course as it had a lot of sand and live oak trees; however, it was in good shape (better than our golf games).
George left earlier today, so now it's us, Char, George III, and JT. JT broke his leg over Christmas holiday while they were up in Virginia (as Char said, it gives a whole new meaning to Christmas Break). JT's in a cast and will be for six to eight weeks. He was trying to do a back flip on a trampoline. He gets around well on crutches, but a lot of activities are curtailed - no swimming, boy scout trips, etc. Needless to say, he tries to take full advantage of being an "invalid". Char doesn't let him get away with too much.
I may try to put together some of the pictures and use either OneDrive or Dropbox to send them out so you can get a flavor of what we're going.
From the news reports, it looks like we're missing the horrendous rain storms and mountain snows which are going through Reno. We picked a good time to leave - just hope it's all still there when we return.
The reason for the title of this post is that George Semple III completed his requirements for Eagle Scout while they were finishing up their tour. The end result is that he did his project and completed all the paperwork in Okinawa, but had to wait until getting settled here in Pensacola before receiving the official paperwork. As luck would have it, the ceremony was Monday evening and we were able to attend his local Scout Troop meeting. JT (his brother) had put together a slide show showing not only the project, but also some of their activities on Okinawa. It really took me back to be at a Boy Scout troop meeting. Actually, not much has changed either in the uniforms or the ceremonies, but the outside activities have since they now have computer programming, and other modern merit badges. The old tried and true hiking, bicycling, woodworking, etc. are still the mainstays.
On Sunday evening, the family had dinner at a local Tokyo hibachi restaurant to celebrate George's achievement. It was a fun evening and the chef really made a show out of preparing the meal - lots of fun and enough food so that we all left with carry-out boxes! Made for a good meal the following day. Monday was the regular troop meeting and George was presented with not only his Eagle Scout badge, but various other awards. It's quite an achievement, especially for a fourteen-year old. Vi and I were pleased that we could be here for the occasion. George and Char provided refreshments for the boys and their parents. Nothing like giving teenagers lots of cake and then sending them home to their parents wired with sugar :-).
George was home on leave from the US Navy, so it was doubly nice that he could also be there for the ceremony. He's currently stationed up at Norfolk as the Chief Medical Officer for the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and the associated battle group which accompanies it on deployment. Since he was leaving today, Vi and I thought we would give them some time to themselves and spend the day roaming around Pensacola. Eventually, we ended up at the Naval Air Station and found the golf course. Since the weather has gradually warmed up (it was up to 65 today), we decided to play at their Executive golf course which is a combination of par three's and par four's. It wasn't very crowded since the majority of people seemed to want to play the Championship course. Different type golf course as it had a lot of sand and live oak trees; however, it was in good shape (better than our golf games).
George left earlier today, so now it's us, Char, George III, and JT. JT broke his leg over Christmas holiday while they were up in Virginia (as Char said, it gives a whole new meaning to Christmas Break). JT's in a cast and will be for six to eight weeks. He was trying to do a back flip on a trampoline. He gets around well on crutches, but a lot of activities are curtailed - no swimming, boy scout trips, etc. Needless to say, he tries to take full advantage of being an "invalid". Char doesn't let him get away with too much.
I may try to put together some of the pictures and use either OneDrive or Dropbox to send them out so you can get a flavor of what we're going.
From the news reports, it looks like we're missing the horrendous rain storms and mountain snows which are going through Reno. We picked a good time to leave - just hope it's all still there when we return.
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