Good Bye, Oregon

 

The following paragraph was written about 2 months ago when we were in the Portland area and I liked it so I decided to leave it in 

6/21/13 - I would like to point out an observation I have made. That is:  the weather in this part of Oregon is subject to change every day about 4 pm. We have been in the “Alaska Drizzle” now off and on for about 2 weeks. We call it the “Alaska Drizzle” because when we were in Alaska that is just what it did a LOT, drizzled. It didn’t rain, you could not really call it sprinkling it was just a fine drizzly mist. But here in Oregon, at about 4 pm the clouds start to break up, the blue sky shows through and then comes the sun. Let me tell you the sun is HOT when it does come out! Once it does come out it is light until almost 9:30 pm. It's wonderful!! But it sure gets to be 10 pm quickly every day!!! We have made it to the top of the state now and are heading to the coast. We are very excited to get there.

And get there we did!!!!

The last 6 weeks of our season were spent on the Oregon Coast, from Astoria to Brookings and everywhere in between. We couldn’t wait to get there and yet we were looking forward to leaving by the time it was over. One thing we realized early on is that the Oregon Coast is NOTHING like the California coast, at least not the Southern California Coast. It is mostly windy, cool, foggy and gray during the summer months. From what we were told the winter months bring horrendous winds, with 70+ mph winds. NO thank you! You know the wind blows consistently when the branches of the trees all face one direction. There were a few days that we had clear skies but still they were never really warm, not like we expected for summer anyway. We wore a light jacket and long pants almost every day. And we never wore shorts the entire summer. When the sun did come out it was beautiful. I loved the huge rocks that dotted the ocean along the coast and that gave refuge to a vast variety of sea birds. One afternoon we were walking on the beach in Cannon Beach and could see a huge black cloud of birds flying and calling out. It turns out that in the middle of the ruckus was a bald eagle. I am sure the eagle was a danger to their nests and or young so they all worked together trying to ward it off. We watched for quite a while until the Eagle finally gave up and went to roost in a tree. It is amazing how once you have seen a bald eagle in a far off tree how well you can then keep picking it out, even after you have looked away for a long period of time. That white head stands out against the green trees. But if you had never seen it before you would never know it was there. We find ourselves looking straight ahead, down or from side to side. When we do look up we are amazed at what we see! Clouds shaped like a silhouette or a poodle, an Osprey carrying a fish in its talons or a Bald Eagle waiting in a distant tree waiting for an opportunity to swoop down on unsuspecting prey. Those are a few of the things that we WILL miss on the Oregon Coast.

Thanks, Elwyn & Judy for meeting us for dinner! We will do it again next year when we are in Brookings again..

 

Downtown Portland

 

Cannon Beach

 



Gold Beach

Gold Beach

 

Bandon - by the Sea, Lighthouse

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting

Flowing Rivers Abound

We have made it through our first month. We have visited over 100 parks driven well over 1500 miles and have seen some beautiful areas. This last week or better we have camped by a beautiful river, visited parks that are nestled right next to some beautiful rivers and driven by lots of beautiful rivers. It may very well be the same river that just keeps going and going. But it looks different at every turn.  We are headed up the I-5 and will make it to the top of the state in about 3 weeks. Our day trips in the Jeep have proven to be some long ones. Some days we leave the comfort of our little box and are away for 8 hours before returning to start catching up on paperwork. It’s a good thing this job is only about a 5 month stint, because it is pretty labor intensive for those 5 months. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining!! We love it! I could do without the bitchy owners that complain about EVERYTHING but as in life you have to take the good with the bad and thankfully the good FAR outweighs the bad.  I miss all my family a LOT and wish there was time I could just get on a plane. But for now this is our life!  We are looking forward to meeting up with some good friends in a day or two. Roger, Sharolyn and Kelly are from Anchorage, AK and are just up the I-5 at a park we have to visit. So while we are there we will get a double dose of visiting.

Until then we have miles to drive and parks to visit… So from Hi Way Haven RV Park in Sutherlin, Oregon, the ONLY RV Park in the country that has a drive-in movie screen THAT works, we hope you are all well and enjoying what has started out to be a beautiful summer (at least here in Oregon anyway)!!

From Rising River RV Park, Roseburg, So. Umpqua River

 From Casey's Riverside RV Park, Westfir, Or - Middle Fork Willamette River

 Casey's Riverside RV Park, Westfir

 Off the side of the road near Casey's

 From Twin River's Vacation Park, Roseburg, No. Umpqua River

 

 

 

 

 

WORK WORK WORK….

It has been just shy of 1 month since we started working and so far we have had 90 degree weather, rain and even some snow. The snow was a bit of a surprise, but it was pretty! I actually love it when is snows. Have you ever noticed how quiet it is when it is snowing or when you wake up to snow on the ground?  Pretty and peaceful…….

The part of Oregon we are working now is the same area we worked in 2011 so it is familiar territory with familiar faces.  The only difference so far has been the weather and that was to be expected since the last time we were here was in the middle of summer.

On our way through Crane, OR we noticed that we were seeing hawks everywhere. More than we have ever seen in one area before. We learned that the reason was because in that area there are a lot of alfalfa fields which bring in the “sage rats”. That is another name for squirrels. People come from all over to use these little squirrels as target practice. L From what we heard if people didn’t shoot them they would decimate an alfalfa field in a short time. So people come in and shoot them then leave them for the birds to eat. That was why there is such a large population of hawks in that area.

We have been able to do a little sightseeing!  While we were in Burns, OR we drove up to Delintment Lake and did a little hike, I do mean little! Hehehe But we did see an unusual duck. We noticed it had a blue bill. That is what caught our attention. We did get some pictures but they are not real clear because we had to zoon in pretty far.  It was a Ruddy Duck and if you Google it, you will see some great pictures. We also saw, an eagle, osprey, blue jay and several other types of ducks. It was a great day trip!

Of course just driving from area to area the views are beautiful, especially along the Columbia River Gorge and through the vast acres of evergreen trees.  We have seen just about everything so far, rivers, forests, farm lands and desert. We have not yet seen the ocean but are headed that way! J We have seen deer, antelope, eagles, horses and lots of cows. Have any of you ever seen a cow that looks like an Oreo cookie? The Belted Galloway's are from Scotland and were  first seen in Canada in the early 1950’s and they are pretty unique! Big or small they all have a white belt around their middle. I can’t remember ever seeing them before.

From where we are staying now, near Medford, Mt. McLoughlin is visible from almost everywhere in town. The locals like to look at the snow melt at different times of the season and look for shapes. Right now there is an angel. I personally think it looks more like Tinkerbelle. What do you think?  Can you see it? Its a little blurry but I think you will still be able to see it..

Well, there is a lot of summer left for all of us and I hope we all have a GREAT time!!  I for one am ready for the long days, warm nights and plenty of sunshine!!  I hope you all have the same. 

 

ONE KIND WORD CAN CHANGE SOMEONE’S ENTIRE DAY

Mount McLoughlin

Galloway's or Belties as they are called by some!

LET THE FUN BEGIN

Tomorrow will mark the first day of work for 2013. We have a very busy summer ahead of us and I am not sure how often I will be able to write but I am going to try. We hear that Oregon is beautiful and we are looking forward to seeing it for ourselves. We have seen some of Oregon but the coast is supposed to be beautiful and we will get to see it ALL……. We are looking forward to seeing it.

For the past few days we have been in Winnemucca, Nevada. This is an interesting little big town. There is a huge mining operation based out of here. It is a gold mine literally! With gold at such a high price I am sure someone is making money hand over fist. In fact across the street from the RV Park we are in, there is a building project where the mining company is creating a village of homes for the workers. The company is Newmont Mining Company. I had never heard of them before stopping here but I guess they are huge. There are parking lots around town that are full of cars every day. It doesn’t appear unemployment is a problem around here.

Last Saturday we heard about a balloon fiesta in town. We always like watching the balloons fly so we headed to the sports complex to take in the festivities. As soon as we arrived we realized this was not an ordinary “fiesta”. There were only 4 balloons total and the announcer sounded like someone out of high school. When the first balloon took off he announced the name of the balloon, the pilot and then stammered….. “Um I don’t remember the sponsor”. HaHaHa In the next 20 minutes all 4 of the balloons were in the air and we were headed back to the motorhome. This sure isn’t Albuquerque!

Each night after dinner when we walk it is always a nice experience. We usually see something that is interesting, beautiful or heartwarming. Tonight for me it was the later! As we walked down the street we passed several little league fields full of kids playing ball. The sight and sound of little league brings back such good memories of when Josh used to play. I remember when the season started it always turned cold! It didn’t matter if the weather had been beautiful the weeks before when practice started it was cold. It is not cold here, that is not what made me think of that but it is just what always comes to mind. The memory of when the kids were young always brings such “heartwarming” thoughts.

ANYONE STILL OUT THERE???

I have neglected my little blog!  I don’t think it’s that I don’t have the time or anything to write about; it’s more I am just not making the time to do it. You know as well as I do there is a difference between having time and making time! I wouldn’t say I have gotten lazy because we are very busy most days. I think it is a matter of priorities! My priorities have shifted and I’m not sure I like the direction they are going! Instead of sitting outside to eat dinner we sit inside and watch TV while we eat dinner, instead of going sightseeing we are working our files for Good Sam preparing for the start of our season on May 1st, instead of looking forward to a new city where we want to go bird watching or stop by a brewery to have a local beer we are planning our route to accommodate getting to our territory for work. This is going to have to change!! Once this becomes a “lifestyle” of normalcy then it is time to stir things up. And trust me I am looking for a HUGE spoon!!! Some unexpected life changes have taken place around us that have given pause to how we have started viewing life. It is time to start having fun again! With unexpected deaths, strokes, cancer diagnosis and the like it brings home the fact that you never know what tomorrow will bring! It has been 7 years since we retired and hit the road in our little “home” on wheels. In those 7 years we have been blessed with 3 beautiful grandchildren and have been to just about every state, but have not spent a lot of time in each, except for a few, like Ohio (where are grandbabies are), Florida and Alaska. Awe……. Alaska, now THAT is one state we want to go back to, and we will someday. Alaska is where our retired lives took a right turn. We met a wonderful couple in Valdez, AK who would eventually introduce us to the life of advertising sales for Good Sam. That was in 2011 and for the last 2 years we have been working for Good Sam during the summer months, first in Minnesota then Washington State and now Oregon. We love the work and meeting all the different RV Park owners is great. Our dream when we retired and started this lifestyle was to zig zag every state until we felt we had seen everything there was to see, well with Good Sam that is what we are doing. The only thing is we are not doing it on a sightseeing trek. But we are getting to see area’s we most likely would never have seen and let me tell you there are some beautiful area’s in this country where the air is clean, the water fresh and people friendly! We are visiting campgrounds across the states, evaluating them and trying to sell advertising for the campground directory that Good Sam publishes. Our job has to be completed by the end of August so it doesn’t leave much time for fun but the job in itself is fun. Will we do this forever? Probably not! If we ever want to fulfill our dream of going back to Alaska we will have to give this up at some point. For now the people we are working for and with are wonderful, so until this isn’t fun anymore or we decide life is passing us by, we are employed again. Presently we are staying in St. George, Utah working our way up north to Oregon. It is that time of year where one day you wear a coat the next you are in shorts.  When we arrived here last Wed. there was a fresh blanket of snow on the mountain tops around us, the temp was in the high 50’s to low 60’s and it was rainy. Today the temperature is going to get up to the mid to high 70’s with an abundance of sunshine. Gotta go out and get my allotment of vitamin D today!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, full of sunshine and fun things to do! Until next time ~ 'If YOU live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.' - Winnie the Pooh.

Summer may finally be here!

The weather here in Minnesota is so sporadic. One day it rains with thunder & lightening, the next day it's 80 with 95% humidity, the next day it's sunny and cool... OMGoodness I wish it would make up it's mind! At least we have not had any tornado scares, yet! I KNOW once the weather settles down and it actually becomes summer we will be regretting it. We hear it is hot and humid. We are headed North so maybe it won't be so bad up there. I have not idea what to expect in Manitoba, weather wise or bugs. We hear the bugs are bad up North. NOT looking forward to that!!!

Chip had an experience with some biting flies or gnats or something about 2 weeks ago. WE were at a park doing our inspection when he felt the bites (I never did get one, thank goodness). One behind his ear really hurt so he reached up to rub it and when he took his hand away his fingers were bloody. That little bite bled quite a bit. Another on his fore arm left a welt and a hickey looking spot, AND they itched like crazy, worse than a mosquito. You know we never did see what they were except that they were black.

For the last couple days we have had sunshine and very little humidity. ~sigh~ The days just seem to be better under sunshine. For the first time in months we were able to wear shorts. We probably should not have. It is so foreign to see WHITE sticks protruding from under our shorts. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS WHITE, well maybe when we were born but since then NEVER!!!! It's pretty ugly! I know some wise person (not a dermatologist of course)has said "Skin looks better tan!" It was probably my sister-in-law, CeCe. NOW that woman knows how to tan! Maybe next year we will be tan again! ~SIGH~

Well, the camping "season" is officially underway here in Minnesota so we will probably not be working on Friday's or Saturday's anymore. I hope to be able to go sightseeing and get some shots and stories to share.





WE thought we were going to get stuck for sure here!! Our wheels actually spun in the mud! Luckily the rain held for the 2 nights we were here and we did get out without any problems.



Canadian Geese Family



This was taken in Monticello,MN at a park we were visiting.




Did you ever imagine they would have a musuem dedicated to Spam???

O H I O

Our time in Ohio was AWESOME, as always. WE stayed very busy between driving back and forth from our campground to Skye's house, running Colin to school,taking the kids to tumbling class, going to lunch (Skye's and My, favorite thing to do), telling stories and playing bad guys with Colin. Colin has such an imagination! The first thing Colin wants to do when we get in the car is tell stories. They can't just be any story they have to be about super hero's. If you try to tell a story that doesn't involve a super hero Colin will stop you and say "Noooooo, about a super hero". I can hear his sweet little voice as I type this. ~sigh~ Your super hero has to fly, jump tall buildings, save a princess or fight bad guys, OH and it has to start with "Once upon a time". It is so much fun to watch his expressions and see him listen so intently. And when he tells HIS stories they are great! He gets all the super hero elements in, flying, jumping, saving, it's amazing. AND of course Rylee has to tell her stories too. Colin doesn't like them because Rylee's stories involve "Once upon a time,(pause, pause, pause) then....... THE END!! So cute!!!

The kids came out and spent the night with us in the motor home one night. We had so much fun. We played at the play ground, threw rocks in the river and started on a hay ride. Rylee didn't like that! The tractor that was pulling the hay wagon was very loud and we were right behind it. So as soon as we stopped to pick up some other riders Rylee and I got off. Chip and Colin stayed on and had a blast.

On another occasion Skye brought the kids out to the campground and we had a "cook out", that is what they call a Bar-B-Que in the mid-west. We had so much fun. We skipped rocks, played baseball and ate hot dogs.

With Jason's schedule of working 7pm to 7am we didn't get to see him very much. But we did and the times we did were great. Skye is very blessed to have such a devoted husband. Jason is not afraid of work that's for sure. He has really put in his time and it has paid off. He was starting his "dream" job in the ER just before we left. That is what he has wanted since staring nursing school. His next stop will be a Physicians assistant or Nurse Practitioner. We are very proud of him!

I could go on and on but I think I will add some pictures and be done. The pictures are so much more fun anyway.

Working Minnesota

Once we left the Everglades we started preparing for our newest adventure “working”. By the time we reached Minnesota we were ready to hit the road runnin’. Little did we know we would soon be coming to a screeching halt of realization..

That we didn’t know what the heck we were doing?

Chip planned our route so that the first week or so we had no advertisers so all we had to do was try to sell them on advertising and do the inspection. Because we started so early in May most of the campgrounds had just opened so we found ourselves faced with the daunting task of distinguishing between what was and what was to be…. NOT easy!

But we managed to keep almost everyone happy with ratings. The people of Minnesota have been very friendly. That so far has been the best part of this job. Meeting the campground owners. AS of today we have finished our territory from east to west below Minneapolis. And we have been in the Minneapolis area a couple days. One nice thing about being here is the parks are closer together. Last week we drove over 100 miles one way to get to a park. So it will be nice to be within 20 of several parks.

With Memorial Day weekend here we are just hanging out. This weekend marks the beginning of the "season" here in Minnesota. So the parks are hopefully very busy.

The terrain here in Minnesota is different than we imagined. We pictured a lot of trees and lakes. What we have seen down here in the So. East is farm land. LOTS of farm land. The crops have not been planted yet so the fields are being tilled and prepared. It is so pretty to see an old farm house with silo’s, a huge red barn and trees in the middle of a black rich looking dirt field. It makes the farm house stand out. In the fields also are ribbons of the greenest grass you have ever seen. These must be natural water ways there so they leave them alone. It really is pretty. We are amazed at how green the grasses are here. Some of the yards look like the best greens of a golf course. And it doesn’t appear they even try except to mow. I would bet there isn’t a household in this area that does not have a riding mower.



(This is just an OLD farm house we thought was cool!)


Our highlight so far has been the sighting of a Pheasant. We were on a gravel road heading to a campground when Chip spotted something in the grass. We stopped just in time to see it run/fly through the grass away from us. After our inspection of the campground we were leaving and saw a second one. THIS time we got a couple pictures. They are such a beautiful bird. I can’t imagine shooting one. But Pheasant hunting is big around here.



This picture was taken from our site in a campground on a day where the sun actually shone. When the sun is out it is very hot and humid. In fact the day before this was taken we were wearing jackets. On this day we were running our AC... Then the next day we were wearing sweatshirts again! Its no wonder they have tornado's around here.



At one of the parks we visited they escort you to your site riding a Segway. We got to know them in the couple days we were there and the last morning before we left they let us try it out! It was fun. I would not mind having one of those!





We are approximately 1/2 way through Minnesota and we are doing better every day! Not breaking any sales records but having fun! After all THAT is why we are doing it, to have FUN..... I have to admit the days are longer than I imagined (everyone was not kidding when they told us the paperwork is unbelievable), the weather isn't what we hoped for but the people have exceeded our expectations!

Good Bye Florida - Hello Alabama

While we were in Alabama we stopped and had dinner at Monnette and Paul's house (my cousin's). My Aunt Ree moved to Alabama last year from Calif. where she had lived at "Grandmother's house", since her husband passed, many, many, many years ago.. Ree moved to Alabama to live with Monnette and her family after realizing it was time, she is close to 88, and needed some companionship and assistance that living alone with her younger sister, Nellie (my Dad's twin) could not provide. Plus it was time to fix up "Grandmothers house" and sell it before it was to far gone! Monnette and her brother Rick, have been like the children Ree never had. The lived in the same house with Monnette and Ricks' Mom, my Aunt Lorene, all their lives. "Grandmother's house" at 295 Farley St, Mt. View, CA has been sold. It now belongs to a Asian family that can start their own traditions. ~sigh~ I miss going to Grandmothers house, or is it the age I miss? Probably BOTH! After some 50+ years my "Grandmother's house" has been sold! How sad that these things must change. BUT......... "THE ONLY THING CERTAIN IN LIFE IS CHANGE"
We had a great time visiting with our Alabama family. Even if their dog, Milly kept barking at me! hahaha Getting to know Monnette's son, Scott and his family was great. Scott and his brother Jeff were a lot younger than me. When we were kids we were not around each other very much or at least I don't remember being. I was in my own little world when they lived in Ca and never really got to know them. It is nice to get to know them now! It is so awesome to be able to be around family that you rarely see but still feel so comfortable being around! I love my family!!


L to R - Lisa,Aunt Ree,Paul,Monnette,Courtney,Scott


Milly

When we left Hoover, AL our next stop like always when we get to Alabama was in Red Bay. Stopping in Red Bay seems to be a staple in our stops since buying our Phaeton in '08. But, you know, we like it there. We have gotten to know a lot of the tech's and ALWAYS meet new owners! This time was not exception. Our time in the bays is always fun. We get to know the techs we have and go around talking to the tech's we have had in the past. One in particular Roger. We spent weeks in his bay when we went in or our 1 yr, fix everything you can think of, visit. We both enjoy seeing him every time we go. We met Buz and Judy from Ft. Worth, TX. They own a newer Allegro Bus. Unfortunately they are having so many issues with it they are considering selling it. We really enjoyed our visits with them and their cats. They have 4. I hope we can keep in touch with them and possibly see them again in Red Bay or on the road. This scenario repeats itself every time we are there... How could anyone not like going there... It's like a reunion every time we go!

From Alabama we headed to Columbus, Ohio! NOW that will take a post all it's own sooooooo Until next time! May the sun always shine on your face!


Just a preview of our time in O H I O........(Chip wasn't mad, he just missed the "cheeeeeese" cue!

The Florida Everglades

When we were in Florida in 2006 we went to the Florida Everglades and loved it. So we decided to do it again. Of course as it goes the first time for everything is so special that the second time doesn’t usually compare but it was very close. We had a great time! We did what we have come to enjoy doing and that is bird watching but we also took our our sea eagle paddle ski (inflatable kayak) and paddled through the mangroves. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of a Mangrove Cuckoo but we only saw the tail feathers of birds as they flew away before we could get close. And none of them were Mangrove Cuckoo’s because they don't fly or at least not far. We did see quite a few mosquitoes up close and personal though. I HATE MOSQUITOES!!! The area we went to was called the Noble Hammock. Why the name we are not sure but the paddle was not what I thought it was going to be. The water had a rotting vegetation smell and was very shallow in some areas to the point where we had to use the mangrove roots to pull ourselves through. Thankfully our inflatable is tough! THAT is when the mosquitoes feasted on our rich red blood. We always forget to ask the right questions when inquiring at the ranger stations about things to do. The last time we did that was in Utah and we were sent on a “mountain biking” trail that was way over our heads. A trail that should have taken 1 ½ hours took us 4 because we had to walk more than we could ride. But that is for another time! This time we didn’t ask, how long the watery trail was or what it was like. We did however ask if the trial was clearly marked because you could really get turned around in those mangroves. Our first indication should have been where we put the boat in the water. It was very narrow and we had to do a 10 point turn to get pointed the right direction. We thought we would be on the water an hour but after 1 ½ hours and not knowing where we were in conjunction to where we had to go we had no idea how long it would be. The markers were made of 3” pvc pipe anchored to the bottom somehow and were numbered. We started guessing what the final number would be but after passing all our guesses we had no idea and with all the twists and turns we could not even tell where we came from. So we stopped and ate our lunch, wondering as we ate our ½ sandwiches, “should we conserve it in case we did get lost”, hahahahaha. We honestly never thought we would get lost! But we did think it would be a prettier paddle. If you have never seen the Florida waters in the swamps, it is brown like tea and doesn’t smell all that great. I wonder if the natives from Florida go home after an extended stay away and smell the air and think “ah home”! By the time we ended our little adventure we were at 153 on the markers and were not in the same spot where we put in. As we walked to the road to see where our car was we saw it about 1/10th of a mile to the right. After 3+ hours on our inflatable kayak I was ready to move around so I sprinted to get the car while Chip started deflating our inflatable. It was not an easy paddle but it was exclusive to the Everglades and that made it special. AND I use the term “special” in a somewhat sarcastic way.  A dozen or more mosquito bites between the two of us later and we were on our way back to camp and the serenity of bird watching.


The "put in" spot!


Picnic area, Lunch is served!

No he did not loose the second 1/2 of his paddle, the area was too tight we had to just use on half each!

Not your usual Thanksgiving (2010)

After we left Lake City we headed to St. Augustine. Our nation’s oldest city! It was discovered in 1513 by Ponce De Leon and founded in 1656 by Pedro Menendez. St. Augustine is a beach front community of quaint shops, restaurants, horse drawn carriages and even some street performers (I use that term lightly). The first Catholic Parish in the Nation was established in St. Augustine and we were there. Awesome! We had been in St Augustine once before in ’06 but it was really rainy and cold so we didn’t go into town. The weekend we were there they were having their Christmas lights lighting ceremony, yes it was not yet Thanksgiving. Don’t you hate THAT! I think everyone that lives in or around St. Augustine was there. I was amazed at the number of people.



Our next stop was one of our favorites. We stayed at a state park in Flagler Beach, Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area. This may have been our favorite because the park was right on the beach. We could see the ocean from our windshield and smell the salt air. The high light was we were there for a full moon and WOW……….. We got some awesome shots. It was like something out of a movie. The drive from the pier to the campground reminded Chip of Carlsbad when he was growing up. It had that small beach town feel. We would have liked to stay there a lot longer but the only space that was open we had and it was only open for 3 days. One of the down sides to not making reservations!


Ever wonder what makes all those little holes on the beach? Here it is!


There is that "Man in the Moon"





When we left there and headed to Daytona Beach. We were there for Thanksgiving and the big HUGE car show that is held every Thanksgiving, the Daytona Turkey Run. You cannot imagine the number of old cars that are in town for this long weekend event. Chip was so excited to find a 65 GTO just like the one he drove in HS (or at least close enough to count). It was amazing how many cars we went by that he said, “Michael had a car just like that” or “Cantarini had a car just like”.. It was fun (for a while) but Chip loved it! I can only imagine what memories it brought back for him. ~sigh~


Chip and his car!


If I am going to dream this is MY dream car!!


This is just a small part of what was here!


Thanksgiving last year was not your usual Thanksgiving, we didn’t have turkey and dressing, we didn’t have sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows or pumpkin pie. Most of all we didn’t have FAMILY around. For that reason it didn’t feel at all like Thanksgiving. So we chose to do something most people don’t do on Thanksgiving (or not on the west coast anyway) and that was to sit on the beach and soak up the sun. We had a great day enjoying the warm weather. Being able to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving on the phone was “almost” like being there, ALMOST! The beaches in this part of Florida are pretty with white sand, very little rocks or shells (at least on the east coast, the gulf coast is a totally different story) and when you walk on the dry sand it sometimes squeaks. A really cool thing is you can drive on the beaches. I don’t know if you can all of them but in Daytona Beach you can. On this day we did not take the Jeep out on the sand. We spent 4 days in Daytona and did take our Jeep out once. If for nothing else but to say we did it! Plus it was actually a little breezy that day so the Jeep came in handy to block the wind. We had a great time! But we are not finished with Florida yet!!! Until next time…..


Enjoying the sunshine in November!


Our Thanksgiving day guest! (Snowy Egret)


A fashion conscience bird, yellow feet to go with it's yellow beak

Florida: A destination for 29 million visitors each winter

This year in Florida there were 29 million and 2 visitors. We arrived in Northern Florida in November and our first stop was in Lake City. We had never heard of it and probably never would have had it not been on our way. But I am glad we stopped because if we hadn't we would never have seen, Ichetucknee State Park. Ichetucknee (itch-tuck-knee) State Park has a natural spring, unfortunately not a warm spring that you could get in and soak but it was very pretty. The water was crystal clear and the actual hole where the spring water flows in from was large enough that people could actually scuba dive down into it. At the beginning of the ¼ mile walk that let to spring there was a picture that showed someone in the opening of the spring from below, it was pretty cool. Picture watching National Geographic and seeing a diver from underneath looking up towards the sky. That is what it looked like but instead of a vast openness above there is a hole in the ceiling of the spring that is maybe 10' X 10'. If you don’t scuba dive you can still snorkel around in the pool or just swim. We didn't go there with that intention and it wasn't that warm anyway. Once we got to the pool we stood around and enjoyed it's beauty. While watched an older woman feeding the fish, she stopped and pointed out that she was also feeding turtles. She and her son used to live in the area and he told us as a kid he used to go there all the time to swim. We did get to see some small Leather Neck Turtles and even got a couple pictures. They were all pretty small but you could see them perfectly through the clear blue water. Leather Neck Turtle Ichetucknee Spring More on Florida next time!!