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.
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Pensacola, FL
Don't ever let anyone tell you that the South is the place to go in January to get out of the cold! We watched the gauge on the dashboard all morning and it didn't get up to freezing until about 2 p.m. The good thing was that the rain from yesterday stopped and the sun was shining and the sky was clear. However, the wind was still blowing straight out of the north. You know those huge American flags which are in front ofcar dealers. Well, I had never seen them fly straight out until today :-).
We took US 90 out of Lafayette. It kind of curves around in the delta country south of I-10 and was much more interesting than miles of the same Interstate scenery. Passed through a lot of country where the main industry seemed to be associated with offshore drilling - drilling equipment, pipe suppliers, refineries, etc. Combined with that, we passed a lot of fields planted with a different crop which we didn't recognize. After consulting our handy AAA guidebook for the area, we figured out that this is big sugar cane country. The fields were in various stages - some being plowed, some in furrows, and some with mature plants. To provide some confirmation to that, we saw various pieces of farm equipment which were used for harvesting the sugar cane. I guess people with machetes are passe' these days. The equipment looked like the harvesters used for corn except they were only big enough to handle two rows at a time - same principle though. We also passed one or two sugar refineries - kind of looked like the factories up in North Dakota.
The other main industry in this area (other than tourism) is shrimping. Think Bubba Gump! Have to try one of those shrimp po'boys while we're down here. US 90 finally curled back up to New Orleans and we got back into traffic full time. Got back on I-10 right by the New Orleans Dome and stayed on it over to the Mississippi line. Passed through the area where I had been during the aftermath of Katrina in December and January of 2005/2006.
When we crossed Lake Pontchartrain (had to look that one up, never can remember how to spell it), we got off I-10 and back on to US 90 along the gulf coast. Always a fun drive, it's a beautiful road with white, sandy beaches on one side and magnificent homes on the other. A lot of the homes were destroyed during Katrina, but some have been rebuilt. There are still a lot of vacant lots where the homes were demolished. Casinos have been rebuilt and look like they are doing a thriving business. I felt sorry for the poor folks walking the beach (there weren't many) who planned on vacationing the first week in January because the weather would be nice and warm - WRONG!
Swung back up to I-10 because it was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to get to Char's. It took us to Mobile and between a tunnel and a long bridge, we got across Mobile Bay. Pensacola is not far from the Florida line, so it didn't take long to get to Char and George's. The warmest part of our day was the greeting we got when we pulled into the driveway. More on the Semple family and their newest home in the next post.
We took US 90 out of Lafayette. It kind of curves around in the delta country south of I-10 and was much more interesting than miles of the same Interstate scenery. Passed through a lot of country where the main industry seemed to be associated with offshore drilling - drilling equipment, pipe suppliers, refineries, etc. Combined with that, we passed a lot of fields planted with a different crop which we didn't recognize. After consulting our handy AAA guidebook for the area, we figured out that this is big sugar cane country. The fields were in various stages - some being plowed, some in furrows, and some with mature plants. To provide some confirmation to that, we saw various pieces of farm equipment which were used for harvesting the sugar cane. I guess people with machetes are passe' these days. The equipment looked like the harvesters used for corn except they were only big enough to handle two rows at a time - same principle though. We also passed one or two sugar refineries - kind of looked like the factories up in North Dakota.
The other main industry in this area (other than tourism) is shrimping. Think Bubba Gump! Have to try one of those shrimp po'boys while we're down here. US 90 finally curled back up to New Orleans and we got back into traffic full time. Got back on I-10 right by the New Orleans Dome and stayed on it over to the Mississippi line. Passed through the area where I had been during the aftermath of Katrina in December and January of 2005/2006.
When we crossed Lake Pontchartrain (had to look that one up, never can remember how to spell it), we got off I-10 and back on to US 90 along the gulf coast. Always a fun drive, it's a beautiful road with white, sandy beaches on one side and magnificent homes on the other. A lot of the homes were destroyed during Katrina, but some have been rebuilt. There are still a lot of vacant lots where the homes were demolished. Casinos have been rebuilt and look like they are doing a thriving business. I felt sorry for the poor folks walking the beach (there weren't many) who planned on vacationing the first week in January because the weather would be nice and warm - WRONG!
Swung back up to I-10 because it was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to get to Char's. It took us to Mobile and between a tunnel and a long bridge, we got across Mobile Bay. Pensacola is not far from the Florida line, so it didn't take long to get to Char and George's. The warmest part of our day was the greeting we got when we pulled into the driveway. More on the Semple family and their newest home in the next post.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Lafayette, LA
Here we are in the heart of the oil and gas operations in coastal Louisiana. Left San Antonio cold, windy and damp. Guess we are just not used to this humidity. Normally, 32 degrees would be a nice Reno day!
The area east of San Antonio and west of Houston was originally settled (except for the Comanches) by Germans and Austrians, so there are a lot of Germanic names on the towns. We stopped for lunch in Schulenburg and had wurst and German potato salad. Good thing Vi didn't order it, because everything had bacon mixed in. Hit more rain in Houston - always fun driving through a strange city with ice warnings and rain coming down. Glad Vi was doing the driving :-). From Houston on, there were huge oil refineries along I-10 all the way to Lake Charles and toward Lafayette. Lots of rice paddies judging by the flooded fields.
Went to dinner this evening at Randol's which is a combination Cajun restaurant and dance hall. Good old live country music and lots of folks on the dance floor. This area was settled by French Canadians who were kicked out of Nova Scotia. Not sure how you get from Nova Scotia to Louisiana, but they managed to do it.
Tomorrow we head to New Orleans and then on to Pensacola. Should be our last day on the road until we reverse the process later in the month.s
The area east of San Antonio and west of Houston was originally settled (except for the Comanches) by Germans and Austrians, so there are a lot of Germanic names on the towns. We stopped for lunch in Schulenburg and had wurst and German potato salad. Good thing Vi didn't order it, because everything had bacon mixed in. Hit more rain in Houston - always fun driving through a strange city with ice warnings and rain coming down. Glad Vi was doing the driving :-). From Houston on, there were huge oil refineries along I-10 all the way to Lake Charles and toward Lafayette. Lots of rice paddies judging by the flooded fields.
Went to dinner this evening at Randol's which is a combination Cajun restaurant and dance hall. Good old live country music and lots of folks on the dance floor. This area was settled by French Canadians who were kicked out of Nova Scotia. Not sure how you get from Nova Scotia to Louisiana, but they managed to do it.
Tomorrow we head to New Orleans and then on to Pensacola. Should be our last day on the road until we reverse the process later in the month.s
Frost on the Ground
I'm sure we won't get any sympathy from folks in North Dakota, New York or Vermont, but it sure is cold here in San Antonio. They even closed some of the highway flyovers because of the danger of ice on the road. It's below freezing this morning, so we're in no hurry to get on the road during rush hour traffic. Sounds like the Sierra is getting a lot of snow - we had an e-mail this morning from Tahoe saying they had a new five feet of snow. That's got to be good for our snowpack!
Thursday, January 5, 2017
San Antonio, TX
Well, here we are in Tom III's hometown (well, at least the town where he was born many moons ago). I was here going through OCS from July 1962 to December 1962 and Tom took the opportunity to be born in November of that year. In case you need help with your math, that means he hits double nickels this year!
While we're on the subject of past years, I checked my records last night and found that we are retracing the steps we took in 2013 when we travelled cross-country to see Char in Pensacola. It's almost day for day the same!
As we left Fort Stockton this morning, we had the smell of oil in the air from all the gas and oil wells in the area. We went from the wide open prairie to rolling tree-covered land. The hill country around San Antonio is really pretty.
We are staying at Lackland AFB for the first time in a long time. Good quarters, but in the true Air Force way of doing things, they had really warm weather last week (up in the 80's) and now it's close to mid-forties. So, last week they turned off the heat in the buildings and it hasn't kicked back in yet! Brrrrr. Added to the cold is a really brisk wind bringing the temperature down to around freezing. I thought we came south and east to get away from the cold, but instead we seem to be bringing it with us.
The buildings here have really changed - mostly new multi-story huge basic military training buildings, but in some respects it hasn't changed at all. There are still hundreds of basic trainees doing PT, marching, etc. in the open areas. It was fun going through the BX and seeing some of the basic trainees who had their families visiting them. The mothers and fathers proudly wore their Air Force Mom and Air Force Dad sweatshirts and their girlfriends were busy catching up. Fun to watch!
One of the nice touches is the familiar bugle calls - the Colors in the evening followed by the National Anthem and I'm sure we'll hear Taps sometime this evening. Just hope they don't play Reveille too loud in the morning :-).
Obviously, we didn't get to play golf today because of the weather, but the golf course looks really nice. Perhaps, we'll get a chance on our way back home. We sure ain't going further north on our return trip.
I think we have one more night on the road before we get to Pensacola. Not sure where we'll spend tomorrow night, but it'll probably be either Lake Charles or New Orleans. We'll keep you posted.
While we're on the subject of past years, I checked my records last night and found that we are retracing the steps we took in 2013 when we travelled cross-country to see Char in Pensacola. It's almost day for day the same!
As we left Fort Stockton this morning, we had the smell of oil in the air from all the gas and oil wells in the area. We went from the wide open prairie to rolling tree-covered land. The hill country around San Antonio is really pretty.
We are staying at Lackland AFB for the first time in a long time. Good quarters, but in the true Air Force way of doing things, they had really warm weather last week (up in the 80's) and now it's close to mid-forties. So, last week they turned off the heat in the buildings and it hasn't kicked back in yet! Brrrrr. Added to the cold is a really brisk wind bringing the temperature down to around freezing. I thought we came south and east to get away from the cold, but instead we seem to be bringing it with us.
The buildings here have really changed - mostly new multi-story huge basic military training buildings, but in some respects it hasn't changed at all. There are still hundreds of basic trainees doing PT, marching, etc. in the open areas. It was fun going through the BX and seeing some of the basic trainees who had their families visiting them. The mothers and fathers proudly wore their Air Force Mom and Air Force Dad sweatshirts and their girlfriends were busy catching up. Fun to watch!
One of the nice touches is the familiar bugle calls - the Colors in the evening followed by the National Anthem and I'm sure we'll hear Taps sometime this evening. Just hope they don't play Reveille too loud in the morning :-).
Obviously, we didn't get to play golf today because of the weather, but the golf course looks really nice. Perhaps, we'll get a chance on our way back home. We sure ain't going further north on our return trip.
I think we have one more night on the road before we get to Pensacola. Not sure where we'll spend tomorrow night, but it'll probably be either Lake Charles or New Orleans. We'll keep you posted.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Fort Stockton, TX
Travelled from Arizona through New Mexico and ended up here in Fort Stockton. On the way we passed through cotton fields and one beautiful, desolate view after another as we drove down US 70 to I-10. Hit I-10 at Lordsburg, NM and crossed the continental divide (but it's not in a mountainous area as it is in other locations). From Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX, we passed several huge stockyards (even if we couldn't see them, we could sure smell them).
Hit El Paso a little after noon, gassed up at Costco and then headed cross-country to Fort Stockton. It's mostly flat prairie land with some mesas in the distance. Lost another hour as now we are in the Central Standard time zone. Tomorrow we head to San Antonio and see if we can play golf there. Weather is cool and clear, but we're hoping for warmer weather tomorrow.
Hit El Paso a little after noon, gassed up at Costco and then headed cross-country to Fort Stockton. It's mostly flat prairie land with some mesas in the distance. Lost another hour as now we are in the Central Standard time zone. Tomorrow we head to San Antonio and see if we can play golf there. Weather is cool and clear, but we're hoping for warmer weather tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Safford, AZ
Bet you thought you were going to see a post from Tucson, didn't you! We were on the outskirts of Phoenix in the middle of their traffic rush (which I think is every day at any time) and we checked the map to see exactly where we were. The end result is that we cancelled our reservations in Tucson at Davis-Monthan and headed east out of Phoenix over to Globe and Safford - which is where we are tonight. It kind of fit in with our plans to travel on blue roads rather than the Interstates (although Ik-10 is the road of choice going over to Florida, but we'll deviate as it suits our purpose. Would have been a really scenic drive except the last two hours were in the dark. A lot of the territory around here is mining related - huge open copper pits in Globe, AZ. Guess they started looking for silver and then turned to copper.
It was funny because it was a day of extremes. When we left Laughlin (elevation 558' - one of the lowest spots in Nevada), we headed to Kingman - straight up hill for a little less than an hour to an elevation of 3558'. The other extreme was in Phoenix when we went from a six lane highway (one way) to a one lane highway (scenic road). Also quite a bit of difference in the amount of traffic, as you can imagine.
As we driving down US 93 from Kingman (whose main claim to fame is as the start of the longest stretch of the old Route 66) toward Phoenix, we passed through Wickenburg. We stopped at the Hassayampa River rest area. Hassayampa is an old Indian word which means Upside Down River because the Hassayampa River runs underground through the town. Neat riparian area with lots of explanatory signs. Passed through the Sonoran desert on the way to Phoenix - a real contrast to the mountains we had been travelling through.
Safford looks like a neat town - we'll let you know more when we get to see it in daylight :-). Tomorrow we're heading over to El Paso but will probably get further than that unless we find a golf course we want to play.
Take care.
It was funny because it was a day of extremes. When we left Laughlin (elevation 558' - one of the lowest spots in Nevada), we headed to Kingman - straight up hill for a little less than an hour to an elevation of 3558'. The other extreme was in Phoenix when we went from a six lane highway (one way) to a one lane highway (scenic road). Also quite a bit of difference in the amount of traffic, as you can imagine.
As we driving down US 93 from Kingman (whose main claim to fame is as the start of the longest stretch of the old Route 66) toward Phoenix, we passed through Wickenburg. We stopped at the Hassayampa River rest area. Hassayampa is an old Indian word which means Upside Down River because the Hassayampa River runs underground through the town. Neat riparian area with lots of explanatory signs. Passed through the Sonoran desert on the way to Phoenix - a real contrast to the mountains we had been travelling through.
Safford looks like a neat town - we'll let you know more when we get to see it in daylight :-). Tomorrow we're heading over to El Paso but will probably get further than that unless we find a golf course we want to play.
Take care.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Leaving Laughlin
Well, not right now, but in the morning we head across the Colorado River into Arizona. Today we played golf at Huukan Golf Course - weather was in the mid-50's and the high winds they forecast never did materialize. Fun day, not crowded and we were able to play at our own pace. Came back to the Golden Nugget and relaxed with a little football and a little gaming. We enjoyed dinner at the Claim Jumper in the Nugget.
Tomorrow, we're traveling to Tucson by way of Kingman and then on thru Phoenix. We have reservations at Davis-Monthan AFB just outside of Tucson. From there, it looks like we'll continue on Wednesday to El Paso, TX. Although we prefer not to travel on Interstates, we may be forced to stay on I-10 - something about the mountains through AZ, NM and TX. No good shortcuts. Should be good weather, although it sounds like Pensacola has been getting quite a storm. Perhaps it will clear out before we get there.
Tomorrow, we're traveling to Tucson by way of Kingman and then on thru Phoenix. We have reservations at Davis-Monthan AFB just outside of Tucson. From there, it looks like we'll continue on Wednesday to El Paso, TX. Although we prefer not to travel on Interstates, we may be forced to stay on I-10 - something about the mountains through AZ, NM and TX. No good shortcuts. Should be good weather, although it sounds like Pensacola has been getting quite a storm. Perhaps it will clear out before we get there.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Laughlin, NV
Welcome to the New Year! We had a quiet celebration last night, although the Strip was crowded and noisy. Because I'm still not walking all that much, we watched the fireworks from our room. Pretty impressive - tried to take some pictures, but got too much glare and reflection from the window. Left early this morning and headed south to Laughlin. Our books on disc made the trip go by quickly.
Arrived in Laughlin mid-morning and met up with Hank and Diane for breakfast. They're leaving tomorrow to take up residence in Parker, CA for the winter months, but we had fun getting together for breakfast and then again for dinner. Tomorrow we're going to play golf at Huukan Golf Course over in Arizona - have to remember about the difference in time zones for our tee time. We're on PST here in Nevada, but across the Colorado, they are on MST.
It is supposed to be windy tomorrow - hopefully it won't be as bad as it was when we were down here in November. Will let you know how that turns out.
Hope you all had a safe and happy new year!
Arrived in Laughlin mid-morning and met up with Hank and Diane for breakfast. They're leaving tomorrow to take up residence in Parker, CA for the winter months, but we had fun getting together for breakfast and then again for dinner. Tomorrow we're going to play golf at Huukan Golf Course over in Arizona - have to remember about the difference in time zones for our tee time. We're on PST here in Nevada, but across the Colorado, they are on MST.
It is supposed to be windy tomorrow - hopefully it won't be as bad as it was when we were down here in November. Will let you know how that turns out.
Hope you all had a safe and happy new year!
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