Well, we are down to our final few days before heading southwest. Looks like we are going to have a full house traveling along with us this winter according to the Sitemeter & Feedjit stats on the website. Our Sitemeter tells us that up till to-day we've had 15,921 hits on our site since Sept of 07 but Sitemeter doesn't log every visit for some unknown reason. Our Feedjit site is more accurate but doesn't give us a final total each day like Sitemeter. However, from watching the live feeds coming in I would estimate we've probably had in access of 40,000 people click on our website this past year. Without these kinds of meters on a blog site the blogger has no way of knowing if anyone out there is even looking at the site, so after awhile it would be easy to just become discouraged & just drop the whole idea. When I look at the numbers each day it always gives me a good feeling knowing people are out there.
Just want to say thanks to the folks in places like Fulton NY, Mountain View California, Imperial Missouri, Walnut Creek California, Brandon Manitoba, Ottawa Ontario, & Kitchener Ontario, to just mention a very few, who have been faithfully following our blog for this past year to see what the Bayfield Bunch is up to. Don't know who most of you folks are but many thanks for giving me the inspiration to get out there with my camera & snap a few pictures again. I had totally lost all interest in photography from 1993 up until a few years ago. I'm happy people are enjoying the photos & the albums.
And thanks to the blog readers who have given me a reason to sit down with the computer most days, put my thinking cap on, & try to come up with something sort of interesting for people to read. And thanks to the fellow down there in New Mexico somewhere for emailing me a few days ago & suggesting I break the blog down into shorter paragraphs to make it more readable. Thanks my friend, every little bit helps.
An easy way to follow our blog or anyone else's blog, or for that matter, any website is to simply put an icon on your desktop. To do that, just open up any website in your browser & look up to the top left of the page & find the word, File. Click that & a menu drops out. Scroll down to the word Send. Another menu with 3 options pops out the side. If you want to send that website's address to anyone, just click on, Link by Email & it will automatically format an email for you to send. If you want to put an icon on the desktop for that website just click on, Shortcut to Desktop. In our case the icon will probably appear as an orange square with a white capital letter B in the center. Now, anytime you want to go to that website just click on that icon & it takes you directly to the site. No more rummaging around looking for the website address:))
I hope to do one or two more posts before we leave this coming Saturday.
To-day's photos are on the beach at Deerpark Lodge along the sullen & sandy shores of Lake Huron about a half mile north of Bayfield Ontario, Canada. Taken Nov. 9th.
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
MORNING WALKS AND TRAVEL TALKS
I've noticed over the years that we sometimes have our best little talks while taking relaxing morning walks. Our serene pine forest trail lends itself to quiet conversations as we hike along with our 3 dogs most every day around 7 or 8 in the a.m. Sometimes it's a 3 dog day & sometimes it's only a 1 one dog day depending on who feels like walking that particular morning. The furry guys are getting a little older & some mornings they just aren't up to walking. Three dog days are best though and it's nice to have the whole gang to-gether. As departure time approaches, our thoughts are more on our upcoming travels these mornings. Have we forgotten to pack something, how far do you think we should drive the first day, will we be stopped at the border for an agriculture check again, should we consider just going to Texas because it would be cheaper, can we really afford to be going this year, should we try & make it to California again, will the tires on the motorhome be ok for one more year, where will we be & what will we be doing a year from now, we lost "how much" on the stock markets yesterday again, do we have enough blankets for the cold desert nights, is Checkers aging hip going to be a problem for getting in & out of the motorhome, is our satellite-internet-TV system going to work once we get down there, because of the poor economy will this be our last winter of traveling south, are we really enjoying our morning walk if we're worrying about all this stuff?? Hmmmmmm!!
Different walks have different squawks. Years ago when I belonged to the Stratford Field Naturalist Club the group walks were very informative. Each person brought along they're own expertise in various fields of interests & hobbies. The bird watchers pointed out & identified the many birds along the way. Other folks drew attention to the abundant wild plants & flowers alongside the trail while others were astute at tree or animal identification. Always an exchange of information & points of interest. I also belonged to the Avon Trail Hiking Club for awhile where the focus was on exercise, wellness, & speed. We would traverse the trails in single file, moving swiftly, keeping the conversations low, & not stopping to look at too much. When I was with the Stratford Camera Club we focused our attentive walks on things like composition, color, shadows & lighting. The eye became trained to look photographically at our surroundings. Conversations revolved around shutter speeds, f-stops, camera brands & lenses. Every outing was an adventure in seeing. All these clubs taught me things that I still remember & use to-day. Many walks & talks with people years ago. Many things learned & many things applied.
And so it is now with our morning walks & travel talks...........................:))
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Different walks have different squawks. Years ago when I belonged to the Stratford Field Naturalist Club the group walks were very informative. Each person brought along they're own expertise in various fields of interests & hobbies. The bird watchers pointed out & identified the many birds along the way. Other folks drew attention to the abundant wild plants & flowers alongside the trail while others were astute at tree or animal identification. Always an exchange of information & points of interest. I also belonged to the Avon Trail Hiking Club for awhile where the focus was on exercise, wellness, & speed. We would traverse the trails in single file, moving swiftly, keeping the conversations low, & not stopping to look at too much. When I was with the Stratford Camera Club we focused our attentive walks on things like composition, color, shadows & lighting. The eye became trained to look photographically at our surroundings. Conversations revolved around shutter speeds, f-stops, camera brands & lenses. Every outing was an adventure in seeing. All these clubs taught me things that I still remember & use to-day. Many walks & talks with people years ago. Many things learned & many things applied.
And so it is now with our morning walks & travel talks...........................:))
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Thursday, November 06, 2008
THE PERILS OF PINE SAP!!
Weather has been unbelievably nice these past few days so figured it was a good time to work on getting the pine sap off the motorhome roof. It's one of the few disadvantages of living in a pine forest. Pine pollen in June, pine sap all summer long & pine needles in the fall. Pine sap is by far the worst. Our motorhome sits beneath pine trees & up till now there has been no way of getting away from the sap, but that will be remedied shortly after we leave for the south this year when the local tree cutter stops by!! In the meantime we've had enough sap drippings on top of the motorhome to start our own Pine-Sol factory. There are products on the market for dealing with this miserable stuff but I noticed that if you work on the sap in cooler temperatures it comes off much easier. Fortunately the roof of our rig is not a paint finish like a car so using a putty scraper on the rubber roof in cool temps basically lifts about 90% of the sap off on the first light scrape. Even so, you still end up with pine sap stuck to your shoes, your pants, your hands, or any other part of you that comes in contact with the icky sticky stuff. Just over a week before departure so we've been scurrying around like little pack rats loading the rig with last minute things for 5 months on the road. With each year the packing smarts get a little better but I'm sure we've probably already got some stuff on board we'll never use. Just seems to be the norm.Nasty weather coming in for the week-end so that will just heighten my impatience for getting this show on the road!!!!
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Monday, November 03, 2008
THUNDER IN THE NOVEMBER SKY
Rained all night bringing in warmer temps & a light fog this morning. Thunder rolled in over the lake around 5 a.m. & stayed long enough to scare Checkers & the little Motormouse so no morning walk for those two critters. But Max was raring to go so off we went. Managed to take a few photos between raindrops while heading around the pond near our house. It's deer hunting season here so the sporadic gun shots out in the forest scared the guys as well. Good thing for the deer there is no snow on the ground making it much harder for the hunter's to track them. I would bring all the deer home & hide them under my bed if I could. Received a few comments on my blog earlier about not being the brightest crayon in the box & that got me thinking of another dumb thing I did two winters ago down in Arizona. Worst part about this dumb thing was that I did it twice within a couple days. We were at the Hickiwan Trails RV Park near Why in the southwest part of Arizona. This is the blog I posted on January 8th, 2007. We had a truck & fifth wheel at the time............................. JANUARY 8TH, 2007 HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK, WHY, AZ.
Boy oh boy oh boy, did I ever do something dumb yesterday. I had been re-organizing my wallet in the afternoon & had laid it on a table outside. Max bumped the table & my wallet fell off into the dog's water dish. No problem as I quickly lifted it out, but then I made the first part of a big mistake. Laid the contents of my wallet on the tonneau cover of the pick-up truck to dry. All my credit cards, driver's license, CAA card, etc. The tonneau cover is black & felt warm from the sun so figured everything would dry quick. Well, you probably know what's coming, Yep, a couple of hours later just after supper I decided to head down the road to update the website so out I went, jumped in the truck, & took off out of the park & down the highway. When I reached the wi-fi site at Coyote Howls I stopped, got out of the truck, walked around to the passenger side to move the computer, glanced at the back of the truck & "OH OH!!" I remembered my wallet & cards and..........they were all gone. Raced back to the trailer, rushed in & told Kelly what had happened. I knew the only hope I had of ever finding anything lying on the ground was to get an expert ground scanning person involved & with Kelly's recent rock hounding interest I knew she was the right person for the job. She quickly headed out the driveway to the highway in full scan mode. I took the truck & started driving the highway shoulder & immediately found my Scotia debit card lying in the middle of the road. Continued up the road aways & turned around. By the time I got back to the area where I found the debit card I saw Kelly busily scooping things off the highway & alongside the road. Oblivious to traffic, she was on the job!! By the time I got the truck stopped she had already retrieved my wallet which had been lying open upside down in the westbound lane. She had also found what was left of my driver's license. It was the only thing damaged. In my panic to find things, I later realized I had driven over my own stuff 3 times!! I found one more card on the southbound shoulder & that completed everything. We were only moments away from complete nightfall but the eagle eyed rock hound had saved the day once again. Nothing missing from inside the wallet either. Both American & Canadian money were intact. It sure would have put an unfavorable dent in our vacation plans if all had been lost. Now, you would think that a normal person under these circumstances would have learned their lesson. Key word there was "normal." Well, would you believe a couple of days later I practically did the same thing all over again. I was cleaning the truck cab & found my black cowboy hat getting in the way so reached up, took it off & tossed it around the corner onto the tonneau cover of the truck. For me, as soon as something is out of sight it's ancient history. Finished the cleaning & came inside the trailer & started working on the blog. Kelly said, "I'm going in to Ajo to get some groceries so won't be long." "Ok," I said & off she went. About 10 minutes later I decided to head back outside. Now, where the heck is my hat!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhh!!!!!
My most favorite hat of all time was gone & I instantly realized the huge mistake I had made. Raced across the parking lot, out the driveway & onto the highway desperately looking for some tell tale sign of my hat on the road or in the ditch. Walked about a quarter mile up the road & back down the other side again but no hat. I was just about jumping out of my skin because of the anger & frustration with myself. How could I have made the same mistake twice in a row. Over the next hour or so I beat myself up pretty bad as I sat dejectedly in the trailer mourning the loss of my favorite hat. I was convinced it was gone forever & probably perched on top of somebody else's head by now.
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Boy oh boy oh boy, did I ever do something dumb yesterday. I had been re-organizing my wallet in the afternoon & had laid it on a table outside. Max bumped the table & my wallet fell off into the dog's water dish. No problem as I quickly lifted it out, but then I made the first part of a big mistake. Laid the contents of my wallet on the tonneau cover of the pick-up truck to dry. All my credit cards, driver's license, CAA card, etc. The tonneau cover is black & felt warm from the sun so figured everything would dry quick. Well, you probably know what's coming, Yep, a couple of hours later just after supper I decided to head down the road to update the website so out I went, jumped in the truck, & took off out of the park & down the highway. When I reached the wi-fi site at Coyote Howls I stopped, got out of the truck, walked around to the passenger side to move the computer, glanced at the back of the truck & "OH OH!!" I remembered my wallet & cards and..........they were all gone. Raced back to the trailer, rushed in & told Kelly what had happened. I knew the only hope I had of ever finding anything lying on the ground was to get an expert ground scanning person involved & with Kelly's recent rock hounding interest I knew she was the right person for the job. She quickly headed out the driveway to the highway in full scan mode. I took the truck & started driving the highway shoulder & immediately found my Scotia debit card lying in the middle of the road. Continued up the road aways & turned around. By the time I got back to the area where I found the debit card I saw Kelly busily scooping things off the highway & alongside the road. Oblivious to traffic, she was on the job!! By the time I got the truck stopped she had already retrieved my wallet which had been lying open upside down in the westbound lane. She had also found what was left of my driver's license. It was the only thing damaged. In my panic to find things, I later realized I had driven over my own stuff 3 times!! I found one more card on the southbound shoulder & that completed everything. We were only moments away from complete nightfall but the eagle eyed rock hound had saved the day once again. Nothing missing from inside the wallet either. Both American & Canadian money were intact. It sure would have put an unfavorable dent in our vacation plans if all had been lost. Now, you would think that a normal person under these circumstances would have learned their lesson. Key word there was "normal." Well, would you believe a couple of days later I practically did the same thing all over again. I was cleaning the truck cab & found my black cowboy hat getting in the way so reached up, took it off & tossed it around the corner onto the tonneau cover of the truck. For me, as soon as something is out of sight it's ancient history. Finished the cleaning & came inside the trailer & started working on the blog. Kelly said, "I'm going in to Ajo to get some groceries so won't be long." "Ok," I said & off she went. About 10 minutes later I decided to head back outside. Now, where the heck is my hat!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhh!!!!!
My most favorite hat of all time was gone & I instantly realized the huge mistake I had made. Raced across the parking lot, out the driveway & onto the highway desperately looking for some tell tale sign of my hat on the road or in the ditch. Walked about a quarter mile up the road & back down the other side again but no hat. I was just about jumping out of my skin because of the anger & frustration with myself. How could I have made the same mistake twice in a row. Over the next hour or so I beat myself up pretty bad as I sat dejectedly in the trailer mourning the loss of my favorite hat. I was convinced it was gone forever & probably perched on top of somebody else's head by now.
I heard the truck pull in beside the trailer but I didn't even feel like going outside to help bring the groceries in. I was in a total funk. The screen door opened, I heard the rustle of plastic grocery bags & Kelly stepped through the door..............and there it was, my black cowboy hat perched atop her head. Yaaaaaaaaay Kelly:))))) Almost enough to make a grown man cry I'd say. She said she hadn't noticed the hat when she left but after she had pulled out onto the highway she glanced in the rear view mirror & saw my had dancing across the tonneau cover about to take flight into Arizona's wild blue yonder. She slowed the truck down & the hat aborted it's take off roll. Pulling off to the side of the road, Kelly retrieved the hat & proceeded on her way. She had once again saved the day:)) As for me, well the only thing I was able to save, was the memory of an old saying........... "sometimes we get too soon old & too late smart:(("
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Sunday, November 02, 2008
ONE YEAR AGO TO-DAY ON NOV. 2nd, 2007
I'm a little short on blogging ideas at the moment but here's where we were & what was happening to us one year ago to-day on Nov. 2, 2007.
FRIDAY NOV. 2/07....LIMON, COLORADO
It was about 3 a.m. Friday morning when the first stirrings of pain in my lower abdomen woke me. It radiated from my lower back around my right side to the front. I had a similar pain a few days back but it wasn't as bad as this & only lasted about an hour & it was gone so figured it was something I ate & would go away shortly, but, it didn't go away. It got worse!! About 8 a.m. the pain was too much to take anymore so Kelly got on the computer & looked up the nearest hospital. Fortunately there was one nearby in the little town of Hugo about 15 miles southwest of Limon. I was able to un-hook the car, (did I mention the high winds & totally freezing temperatures) climbed inside, & Kelly drove me quickly to the hospital. The pain by now was extreme & I figured it was my appendix for sure....it wasn't. Also thought more about food poisoning....but nope, it wasn't that either. My Dad died of a large abdominal cancerous tumor in his late 60's so I had that on my mind as well as we rolled up to the emergency room. I was quite a looking sight as I hobbled, doubled over, into the emergency entrance. Hair all over the place, old clothes, jacket hanging over my shoulders & looking like I had just crawled out of a dumpster. I was well aware of how gruesome I looked so the first words out of my mouth to the attendant was, "no, I'm not a drunk & I am not on drugs!!" They had me on the table right away. No forms to fill out, no silly questions & no delays. What a relief it was when they put the IV in (ouch!!) & got some morphine started. Wasn't long & the pain was gone & I floated off briefly to some nice green valley far away. A complete blood work-up later showed elevated white blood cell counts. Blood in the urine as well. The Doctor (nice fellow) was stumped though at the total absence of pain all of a sudden even after the morphine wore off. The only thing they could figure was that I had a kidney stone & it had passed at the hospital. I sure hope so because I wouldn't want to have to go through that pain again. The Doctor prescribed some meds & we headed back to the motorhome around noon. The rest of the day I spent resting. We'll see how things are in the morning & then make a decision whether to head off for Denver & the Rocky mountains or wait for a bit. (we headed west first thing next morning & I've been fine ever since)
FRIDAY NOV. 2/07....LIMON, COLORADO
It was about 3 a.m. Friday morning when the first stirrings of pain in my lower abdomen woke me. It radiated from my lower back around my right side to the front. I had a similar pain a few days back but it wasn't as bad as this & only lasted about an hour & it was gone so figured it was something I ate & would go away shortly, but, it didn't go away. It got worse!! About 8 a.m. the pain was too much to take anymore so Kelly got on the computer & looked up the nearest hospital. Fortunately there was one nearby in the little town of Hugo about 15 miles southwest of Limon. I was able to un-hook the car, (did I mention the high winds & totally freezing temperatures) climbed inside, & Kelly drove me quickly to the hospital. The pain by now was extreme & I figured it was my appendix for sure....it wasn't. Also thought more about food poisoning....but nope, it wasn't that either. My Dad died of a large abdominal cancerous tumor in his late 60's so I had that on my mind as well as we rolled up to the emergency room. I was quite a looking sight as I hobbled, doubled over, into the emergency entrance. Hair all over the place, old clothes, jacket hanging over my shoulders & looking like I had just crawled out of a dumpster. I was well aware of how gruesome I looked so the first words out of my mouth to the attendant was, "no, I'm not a drunk & I am not on drugs!!" They had me on the table right away. No forms to fill out, no silly questions & no delays. What a relief it was when they put the IV in (ouch!!) & got some morphine started. Wasn't long & the pain was gone & I floated off briefly to some nice green valley far away. A complete blood work-up later showed elevated white blood cell counts. Blood in the urine as well. The Doctor (nice fellow) was stumped though at the total absence of pain all of a sudden even after the morphine wore off. The only thing they could figure was that I had a kidney stone & it had passed at the hospital. I sure hope so because I wouldn't want to have to go through that pain again. The Doctor prescribed some meds & we headed back to the motorhome around noon. The rest of the day I spent resting. We'll see how things are in the morning & then make a decision whether to head off for Denver & the Rocky mountains or wait for a bit. (we headed west first thing next morning & I've been fine ever since)
Too complicate all this, I had discovered Thursday afternoon that I had a tick imbedded in my left leg behind my knee. Figure I picked it up back in Benton Harbor, Michigan a few days before. Leg had been really sore in that area for a couple of days & Thursday while rubbing the back of my leg I felt something & we spotted the tick. He was alive because I saw his legs wiggling. He had his jaws into me pretty good because I had to really pull hard to detach him. Grabbed my camera & took a picture of the tick & also the wound it left just in case someone out there runs across the same thing sometime. Doctor said to keep an eye on the bite & watch for symptoms of Lime disease...... Geeezzzz, it's been quite a trip so far!! (UPDATE....It's a year later now & the last Lyme disease test I had done a couple of months ago showed everything still clear) Remember, the above blog was a year ago in 2007.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
HOPE YOU SNOWBIRDS ARE ENJOYING YOUR WARM WEATHER!!!!
Somehow I have a feeling it's going to be an early winter. Weather has been yukky for the last few days with rain & snow showers & I think they had a bit of a winter storm go through last night to the south of us near London. Temps have been down around & slightly below the freezing mark at nights. We are really hoping to get out of here before the really bad stuff starts happening which looks like it could be anytime now. A year ago temps were in the 50's & low 60's around here. A year ago right now we were also on our way south & were about to have our big side awning on the rig ripped right out by a big Kansas wind on I-70 just west of Salina. You can see that misadventure at this Picasa Web Album site. Scroll about two thirds of the way down the album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ALBUM1THEBAYFIELDBUNCHHEADSWESTOCT27NOV3#
We later had a new awning put on in Quartzite, Az. Down there the awning company comes right out into the desert to do that for people. That installation can be seen here........
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/54BEEHIVEOFMORNINGACTIVITY#
Well, better get back to our winter weather like conditions. Good thing I sold the snow blower last month just in case we get a lot of snow in the next 2 weeks.........
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ALBUM1THEBAYFIELDBUNCHHEADSWESTOCT27NOV3#
We later had a new awning put on in Quartzite, Az. Down there the awning company comes right out into the desert to do that for people. That installation can be seen here........
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/54BEEHIVEOFMORNINGACTIVITY#
Well, better get back to our winter weather like conditions. Good thing I sold the snow blower last month just in case we get a lot of snow in the next 2 weeks.........
Sunday, October 26, 2008
NOT THE BRIGHTEST CRAYON IN THE BOX
Well, my brain did it to me again just a few days ago!! The hose connection on the side of the motorhome has always been a pain in the butt for attaching or detaching the water hose. Usually end up having to use the vice grips. Figured there must be a better way of doing things & wondered about some kind of hose quick disconnect apparatus. I don't use that system at home here but remembered seeing a couple of plastic dis-connect pieces laying in a box somewhere. Rounded them up, grabbed the rigs water hose, & had a look at hooking everything up. No problem getting the larger piece threaded onto the rig but then the hose end didn't seem to match either one of the plastic fittings. Figured there must be a piece missing or something or maybe it's some kind of special RV device that is needed. At no point did my brain step up to help me figure out this problem. A few years ago it would have said, "hey dummy, try the other end of the hose!!" But, oh no, it was gonna keep that little tidbit of information to itself. Sometimes brains do not like to share things with their owners. Especially in these later years & I'm convinced my brain derives great pleasure in driving me right round the bend whenever it sees a golden opportunity. So, with the 2 plastic pieces in my pocket, Kelly & I head down to Stormrunners, our local RV dealer. Well, it didn't take Harry long to size up the situation & realize he's obviously dealing with someone as thick as a brick here. He quietly pointed out I was trying to connect the wrong end of the hose to the right end of the coupler!! So embarrassing:(( I made a comment about not being the brightest crayon in the package & I heard Harry's wife over at the main counter give out a little chuckle. "Hey," she said, "at least you do a good job with your blog & we enjoy reading it." Hey, I thought to myself, now there's a kind person who understands the thickness of a human brick & the failings of an aging male brain. Harry, on the other hand was probably considering submitting my name for the annual dunce cap Darwin awards:(( Needless to say, I felt pretty stupid for the rest of the day.............again:((
I took the above photo using a tri-pod & self timer on the camera. Do you suppose my brain reminded me how to use the self timer?? Not a chance!! Had to go in the house & get out the camera manual, but hey, the old hippy brain must have taken a little pity on me because it gave me a break & told me right where to find the camera manual. Now, how's that for some rare co-operation:))
Stormrunner RV Sales & Service is located at the south end of Bayfield right on highway 21. They specialize in 5th wheel trailers. Open Spring, Summer, & Fall...............
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
I took the above photo using a tri-pod & self timer on the camera. Do you suppose my brain reminded me how to use the self timer?? Not a chance!! Had to go in the house & get out the camera manual, but hey, the old hippy brain must have taken a little pity on me because it gave me a break & told me right where to find the camera manual. Now, how's that for some rare co-operation:))
Stormrunner RV Sales & Service is located at the south end of Bayfield right on highway 21. They specialize in 5th wheel trailers. Open Spring, Summer, & Fall...............
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Thursday, October 23, 2008
LUCKILY, WE STILL HAVE OUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE
We are members of several on-line RV sites & one of my favorites is the RV Net Open Roads forum. http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm Lots of helpful RV related topics & just about something for everyone. A lot of people are either on the road at the moment heading south, are already there, or are packing their RV's & heading out shortly. I would say most of the snowbirds are heading for the same destinations they go every year & probably 80% of those places are RV parks. The main attraction of course is the warm weather followed closely by the availability of golf courses, restaurants, shopping malls, park amenities, friends & neighbors. Some people even convoy down to-gether & then stay side by side for the winter. And side by side in an RV park is really what it means. You are generally very closely packed in with not much room to spare.
Kelly & I have stayed in State Parks, BLM lands, & various RV parks. We even stayed in Slab City California for 3 nights last year. We like the State Parks because there is generally far more room & the Park is usually centered around some kind of an outdoor theme so they are always very interesting . Hiking paths, caves, forests, rivers, waterfalls, rock scrambling, etc. BLM lands (Bureau of Land Management) are our favorite of course. They are free in California for as long as you want to stay. Arizona has a loosely governed 14 day limit before moving to a different location. And then we come to RV parks. Even at the end of a long tiring day on the road I have been known to pull into an RV park, drive through, & roll right back out onto the highway again. Sooooo many units in sooooo little space!!
I just can't imagine living in such crowded conditions for 5 or 6 months of the year. We stayed in an RV park in Yuma last winter for one night on our way to Borrego Springs & we couldn't wait to get out of there in the morning. Maybe we are both claustrophobic or something but we felt like a couple of sardines. The park owner actually came out & had me move the right front wheels of the rig over about 4 inches because apparently we were not perfectly square on the cement pad. We walked around the park that night looking at all the Christmas lights people had out. Very pretty of course but we just couldn't get over how crowded to-gether all the units were.
And, that brings me back to the blogs title....Luckily, We Still Have A Sense Of Adventure!! I have thought about this a lot over the past 4 years as we have traveled here & there to various locations in different States. How really fortunate Kelly & I are that we share the same interests & ideas about traveling. We're convinced that there must be some wayfaring explorers in our past. Maybe a little gypsy blood & I'm sure I've got some cowboy in me from somewhere long ago too. Was always fascinated with old western movies as a kid & always paid particular interest to the majestic scenery in the backgrounds. I think right from the first day Kelly & I met, we recognized those adventurous qualities in each other & from then to now our goals have been the same. To travel free with no confining time limits, to wander at our leisure with no hard & fast destination at the end of the day. To wake up in the mornings, step out of the rig & watch the sunrise creep over the mountains casting long saguaro cactus shadows across the desert floor. Listening to the Gila woodpeckers & house wrens close by & the distant calling of coyotes. No crowding here, no human sounds, no pressure & no commitments. Stay for a couple of days, weeks, or months. Hike & explore all the areas near by & take short day trips by car to other points of interest. So many mountain trails to walk & so many canyons to venture into. The American Southwest is a fascinating place with all it's history & tales to tell. Beautiful scenery all day, every day, & to really appreciate it you have to get right out there & live right in it. No neighbors a few feet away, no shopping malls down the street, & no fancy restaurants around the corner. No traffic, no pollution, & best of all...........no crowds of people!!
We don't know how many years we have left to enjoy this way of life that we have missed for so many years but while we still have our health & a couple extra dollars in our pockets we fully intend to make the most of it while we can.
Now, lets hurry up & get this show on the road............puleeeeeeeeeeeeze!!
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Kelly & I have stayed in State Parks, BLM lands, & various RV parks. We even stayed in Slab City California for 3 nights last year. We like the State Parks because there is generally far more room & the Park is usually centered around some kind of an outdoor theme so they are always very interesting . Hiking paths, caves, forests, rivers, waterfalls, rock scrambling, etc. BLM lands (Bureau of Land Management) are our favorite of course. They are free in California for as long as you want to stay. Arizona has a loosely governed 14 day limit before moving to a different location. And then we come to RV parks. Even at the end of a long tiring day on the road I have been known to pull into an RV park, drive through, & roll right back out onto the highway again. Sooooo many units in sooooo little space!!
I just can't imagine living in such crowded conditions for 5 or 6 months of the year. We stayed in an RV park in Yuma last winter for one night on our way to Borrego Springs & we couldn't wait to get out of there in the morning. Maybe we are both claustrophobic or something but we felt like a couple of sardines. The park owner actually came out & had me move the right front wheels of the rig over about 4 inches because apparently we were not perfectly square on the cement pad. We walked around the park that night looking at all the Christmas lights people had out. Very pretty of course but we just couldn't get over how crowded to-gether all the units were.
And, that brings me back to the blogs title....Luckily, We Still Have A Sense Of Adventure!! I have thought about this a lot over the past 4 years as we have traveled here & there to various locations in different States. How really fortunate Kelly & I are that we share the same interests & ideas about traveling. We're convinced that there must be some wayfaring explorers in our past. Maybe a little gypsy blood & I'm sure I've got some cowboy in me from somewhere long ago too. Was always fascinated with old western movies as a kid & always paid particular interest to the majestic scenery in the backgrounds. I think right from the first day Kelly & I met, we recognized those adventurous qualities in each other & from then to now our goals have been the same. To travel free with no confining time limits, to wander at our leisure with no hard & fast destination at the end of the day. To wake up in the mornings, step out of the rig & watch the sunrise creep over the mountains casting long saguaro cactus shadows across the desert floor. Listening to the Gila woodpeckers & house wrens close by & the distant calling of coyotes. No crowding here, no human sounds, no pressure & no commitments. Stay for a couple of days, weeks, or months. Hike & explore all the areas near by & take short day trips by car to other points of interest. So many mountain trails to walk & so many canyons to venture into. The American Southwest is a fascinating place with all it's history & tales to tell. Beautiful scenery all day, every day, & to really appreciate it you have to get right out there & live right in it. No neighbors a few feet away, no shopping malls down the street, & no fancy restaurants around the corner. No traffic, no pollution, & best of all...........no crowds of people!!
We don't know how many years we have left to enjoy this way of life that we have missed for so many years but while we still have our health & a couple extra dollars in our pockets we fully intend to make the most of it while we can.
Now, lets hurry up & get this show on the road............puleeeeeeeeeeeeze!!
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Sunday, October 19, 2008
SO, WHICH ONE IS THE REAL WORLD??
That question came up last spring when I was having an over the fence back yard chat with my neighbor Bert. He said something to the effect, "well, it's nice to get away for awhile but then you have to come back to the real world." That statement stuck with me all summer as I pondered those words. Yes, it's true, right now here at home it is the real world, but I also remember thinking to myself while traveling, this too is the real world. In my last post I referred to our travels as a vacation but I am wrong about referring to it as that. In my mind, a typical vacation scenario is 2 weeks away somewhere relaxing, & doing things you like. And, if that's the case, we haven't had a vacation in years. Took a travel trailer up to Killbear Provincial Park near Parry Sound, Ontario about 10 years ago for a couple weeks & that was about it. No, our travels are much more than a vacation. They are a very real way of life while on the road for 4 or 5 months. The days & events are every bit as real as when we are living in our stick house in Bayfield. In fact, I noticed while traveling that I rarely thought of our life in Ontario & when I did, the memory seemed so far away that it just didn't matter. And the same can be said now as I think back to our travels the past few winters. That world seems so far away at the moment, but we know our two reality worlds will soon be switching places once again as we head off for our land of deserts & mountains. That other lifestyle. That other reality........................................
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Photos: Packing the motorhome:))
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Photos: Packing the motorhome:))
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Just Wanna......GET GOING!!
Waiting to go somewhere has always bugged me. I have one of those brains that always wants to do something 5 minutes before I even think of it in the first place. Patience has never been one of my strong points & so it is once again that time of year for waiting, & waiting, & waiting!! It's always the same, whether your waiting to go on vacation or waiting to come home from vacation. Once the decision is made to do either, it's time to get the wheels rolling & get on with it. Because of a work commitment for Kelly our departure time this year is delayed to mid November. I'm always ready to rumble by the first week-end after Thanksgiving so it's a long patient wait for a short patience guy like myself. By mid November we could be into snow & ice here plus salt laden roads & I really don't want the motorhome & car encrusted in that horrible road salt all the way down south & it's not like you can just pull into any old car wash with a nearly 12' high, 33' long motorhome. Our Canadian dollar is taking a pounding again but at least the gas prices are continuing to drop. Well, until November 14th that is.....................................
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OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Monday, October 13, 2008
A COVERT OPERATION UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS
Under the cover of darkness I quietly moved my darkened van into position at the side of the street & shut off the motor. In the back were 3 large boxes containing 50 objects that had to be hastily deployed before drawing any attention from the nearby houses. This was not an easy mission because 2 metal rods had to be affixed to each object & the holes for the rods did not match. The rods then had to be carefully pushed into the ground. But, there was no turning back. Two days earlier I had received a telephone call from a shadowy figure in Nova Scotia who was in need of help. She outlined her plan & said it was imperative that this mission be executed late Sunday night. She said, "this is your mission Al, can you handle it?" I ran it through my cranium & immediately thought, no this is not something I can do, so, I quickly said to her, "yes, I'm the right guy for the job!!" I code named the mission, Kayakattack, after the person who had called. Took me 40 minutes to deploy all objects, one at a time, being careful not to leave any metal rods laying on the ground. Didn't want anyone injured if possible!! Turns out not all the rods had been shipped so I had to carefully place some of the objects in trees & shrubs. At one point I detected cigarette smoke in the air so quickly launched a night vision scan (I have excellent night vision) & immediately detected a dark figure standing beside a vehicle about two hundred yards away. I deployed 2 objects into the ground & re-scanned. The figure was gone but I knew it was not a threat. Someone down the street had just slipped outside for a smoke & then wisely slipped back into their house. Minutes later I hooked the wires to the last object & strategically placed it near a darkened window. Within seconds I was back in the van & rolling with lights out. Two minutes after that I was home & silently slipped into the driveway. Well, not silently enough for our 3 super watch dog guys because they immediately sensed an intruder & let out a big barking uproar which probably woke up every neighbor for about a mile around. So much for my super stealthy covert operation....................................
Now, here's the rest of the story:))
The phone call from Nova Scotia was from my friend Bruce's daughter. Bruce's Birthday was Monday & she wondered if I could pick up 50 pink Flamingos at a store in Goderich (Balloons To You) Saturday afternoon & put them all over Bruce's lawn late Sunday night. Kelly swung around that way this afternoon & took a few drive by pictures of my shenanigans the night before. I would have gone down & took the pictures myself but I didn't want Bruce chasing me down the street shouting loud obscenities & throwing pink Flamingos at me. Could have been most embarrassing seeing two old guys running down the road under duress with pink Flamingos flying through the air!!
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Now, here's the rest of the story:))
The phone call from Nova Scotia was from my friend Bruce's daughter. Bruce's Birthday was Monday & she wondered if I could pick up 50 pink Flamingos at a store in Goderich (Balloons To You) Saturday afternoon & put them all over Bruce's lawn late Sunday night. Kelly swung around that way this afternoon & took a few drive by pictures of my shenanigans the night before. I would have gone down & took the pictures myself but I didn't want Bruce chasing me down the street shouting loud obscenities & throwing pink Flamingos at me. Could have been most embarrassing seeing two old guys running down the road under duress with pink Flamingos flying through the air!!
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
TRYING TO REMAIN POSITIVE IN A WORLD OF FINANCIAL INSANITY
The day started out with a cold rain falling from dark overcast & gray skies. Figured it was a fitting day to go talk to our financial advisor. With the last few weeks & especially these past few days of economic insanity & the fact that our money is disappearing faster than a cold case of beer amongst a sweaty gang of construction workers on a hot summer day we figured we might as well hear about our own financial demise from a man who occassionally deals in such matters. Our money guy advisor spent an hour & half with us answering concerned questions & taking the time to explain everything. Lots of charts & graphs, lots of optimism on his part & of course, lots of pessimism on my part. Good news confirmed that two thirds of our investments are insured, although it may take until 2017 to recover that in a worse case scenario. I understood the words, "worse case scenario" because now he was talking about the world I generally live in. My mind normally gravitates to that geographic area whenever in doubt. Kelly had done her homework well & of course had all the right questions to ask. I'm glad she understands all that financial mumbo jumbo because the only question I probably would have had for the man was, "got any doughnuts?"
We did leave his office feeling better than when we went in & if we're careful we just might make it to the end of this wild roller coaster adventure & step off this whacky ride on the positive side of things.....eventually. In the meantime we're still hoping to continue with our Nov. 15 travel plans to the southwest. Wish us luck...............and send doughnuts:))
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
We did leave his office feeling better than when we went in & if we're careful we just might make it to the end of this wild roller coaster adventure & step off this whacky ride on the positive side of things.....eventually. In the meantime we're still hoping to continue with our Nov. 15 travel plans to the southwest. Wish us luck...............and send doughnuts:))
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Monday, October 06, 2008
FINALLY GOT ME SOME GOOD GRIPTION!!
In the photo above you see the soles of 2 different pieces of footwear. The worn tread of my favorite Rockport's & the cool super tread design of my new Merrell hikers. I bought those Rockport's in the Ellenton Mall just north of Sarasota Florida back in the late 90's. Most comfortable shoes I have ever owned so have worn them absolutely everywhere for years. The shoes are still in good shape except for the worn tread. Well, it was in those Rockport's that I did all our hiking & rock scrambling last winter in the Southwest. Despite a bunch of slips & slides on the rocky mountain trails I was stubborn about not giving up my very much most favorite pair of shoes regardless of the obvious perils they presented. Have you ever had that happen to you? Get something you really like, such as a pair of jeans, type of shirt or jacket, maybe a favorite coat. Doesn't matter how cold it is out, you just gotta wear your favorite coat despite freezing your shorts off. Well, same thing with footwear. A good old pair of shoes or boots is like a couple of good old buddies you've had forever. Just not going to toss those old pals over for some fancy new upstarts. Nossireee!! Well, so it was with my old Rockports. Figured I'd get another 10 years out of them I guess. But, even old stubborn cursmudgeons like myself sometimes reach the point where ya just gotta give yer "smarts" a shake. It was only a question of time before I was going to take a big header down a rocky slope somewhere & end up with some busted stuff. Don't care much for that pain feeling so said to Kelly last week, "dya think maybe I should think about getting some better footwear before we head south this year." Well, she had me in the car so fast & on the way to Wuerth's shoe store in Goderich, that I'm still suffering whiplash 5 days later!! Now, that gal knows her footwear & within about 5 minutes Kelly & the clerk had a pair of Merrell Vibram Polartec mid-size lite hiking boots strapped to my feet & convinced me that with all the gription on these boots I could walk right straight up the wall, across the ceiling, & right down the other side......which of course I proceeded to do:)) Yep, that gal knows her footwear alright.
Ok, lets go find us a rocky mountain trail............Ya-hooey Louie!! Our handyman friend Bruce finished up the final stage of our television renovation project in the motorhome last week. Pictures show where the last section was fitted in place to cover the hole where the old heavy analog television used to be. Much better view out the front now with that big blonky television cabinet out of the way. Gives us some extra storage up there too.
We'll put a push on this week for getting the rig loaded despite our departure date being well over a month away. Want to get the bulk of everything loaded while the sunny days are still with us. By mid to late October things will begin to fall apart very quickly in the weather department as we move towards November. November can easily be the most miserable month of the entire year. Prolonged cold, gray, & rainy days. All of the vegetation is off the trees as their stark, bleak, branches twist in the frigid gusting winds of sullen & somber November skies. There is nothing nice about November.......NOTHING!!
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Ok, lets go find us a rocky mountain trail............Ya-hooey Louie!! Our handyman friend Bruce finished up the final stage of our television renovation project in the motorhome last week. Pictures show where the last section was fitted in place to cover the hole where the old heavy analog television used to be. Much better view out the front now with that big blonky television cabinet out of the way. Gives us some extra storage up there too.
We'll put a push on this week for getting the rig loaded despite our departure date being well over a month away. Want to get the bulk of everything loaded while the sunny days are still with us. By mid to late October things will begin to fall apart very quickly in the weather department as we move towards November. November can easily be the most miserable month of the entire year. Prolonged cold, gray, & rainy days. All of the vegetation is off the trees as their stark, bleak, branches twist in the frigid gusting winds of sullen & somber November skies. There is nothing nice about November.......NOTHING!!
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Friday, October 03, 2008
DEPARTURE DATE.....NOVEMBER 15/08
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Looks like November 15th will be our launch date for this year. Kelly's place of employment, Deerpark Lodge, will be closing for the winter during the week of November 10th to 14th. Deerpark will be open the previous week-end for Bayfield's annual & final big event of the season, called, Christmas In Bayfield. It's a popular week-end with people coming from near & far. All the shops are open & there is a Saturday morning parade through town. We will head out of town the following week-end. I generally like to leave early on a Saturday morning because it gives us a 2 day head start on a lot of rush hour traffic nonsense south of the border. We'll cross into the States at Port Huron (& probably get pulled over for an agriculture check again) & follow I-69 down through Flint & Lansing. Into the State of Indiana & through Fort Wayne stopping somewhere north of Indianapolis for the first night. We'll do Indy bright & early Sunday morning & then head southwest on I-70 to Effingham. From there it's I-57 south to Missouri where we'll pick up I-55 into Arkansas. Just west of Memphis, Tennessee we'll pick up I-40 & that begins our true journey west, sliding through places like Little Rock & Texarkana. Texarkana launches us into the big State of Texas & from there we'll pick our way north of Dallas through Sherman & Gainesville until we pick up highway # 380 somewhere around Jacksboro. Once we're on # 380 it's a quiet straight line level drive to just west of Roswell, New Mexico whereupon we'll slip up & over the southern end of the Rocky mountains. We came home this way last year & found it an easy mountain drive compared to Denver for example. No big scary stuff!! Would like to stop at White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo this time & have a look around. Over another small mountain range & we'll be in Las Cruces, New Mexico. From here it's anybody's guess where we'll go because the rush is over & we'll just go wherever feels right, whenever we feel were ready. Most likely will head up into the Silver City area for starters. As I read this all over, it looks good on paper but as some reader's already know, we don't always stick to the paper. I remember one time near Joplin, Missouri we were heading west with a rough travel plan in mind & at the last minute I decided to take a different route & wheeled us off the Interstate heading south & that little venture eventually landed us lost on some twisting back roads in the Ozark mountains. That was an interesting afternoon to say the least. We were driving a small Class C on that trip. Another time I figured out another quick last minute short cut in my head & landed us in the Boston Mountain range in Arkansas huffing & puffing our truck & fifth wheel at the time up & over the long graded mountain tops. Another nail biter for awhile but did get to see some great scenery again. Every twist & turn is a new adventure & if we keep that foremost in our minds we sort of get along just fine in our travels.
I will call the above, travel Plan A. Depending on what happens with the screwy economy right now, we may be forced to revert to Plan B in the end. That would be a gas saving shorter trip into Texas & the Big Hill Country or Big Bend National Park area. YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT PLAN C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The photos I've included to-day are mushrooms growing all around us in our little pine forest here. It's been a damp year & we've had a lot of rain lately so I figure that is why there are so many this year. Don't know what kind they are but they sure do look pretty. Some of the them are sorta like Pizza's on stems.........
Looks like November 15th will be our launch date for this year. Kelly's place of employment, Deerpark Lodge, will be closing for the winter during the week of November 10th to 14th. Deerpark will be open the previous week-end for Bayfield's annual & final big event of the season, called, Christmas In Bayfield. It's a popular week-end with people coming from near & far. All the shops are open & there is a Saturday morning parade through town. We will head out of town the following week-end. I generally like to leave early on a Saturday morning because it gives us a 2 day head start on a lot of rush hour traffic nonsense south of the border. We'll cross into the States at Port Huron (& probably get pulled over for an agriculture check again) & follow I-69 down through Flint & Lansing. Into the State of Indiana & through Fort Wayne stopping somewhere north of Indianapolis for the first night. We'll do Indy bright & early Sunday morning & then head southwest on I-70 to Effingham. From there it's I-57 south to Missouri where we'll pick up I-55 into Arkansas. Just west of Memphis, Tennessee we'll pick up I-40 & that begins our true journey west, sliding through places like Little Rock & Texarkana. Texarkana launches us into the big State of Texas & from there we'll pick our way north of Dallas through Sherman & Gainesville until we pick up highway # 380 somewhere around Jacksboro. Once we're on # 380 it's a quiet straight line level drive to just west of Roswell, New Mexico whereupon we'll slip up & over the southern end of the Rocky mountains. We came home this way last year & found it an easy mountain drive compared to Denver for example. No big scary stuff!! Would like to stop at White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo this time & have a look around. Over another small mountain range & we'll be in Las Cruces, New Mexico. From here it's anybody's guess where we'll go because the rush is over & we'll just go wherever feels right, whenever we feel were ready. Most likely will head up into the Silver City area for starters. As I read this all over, it looks good on paper but as some reader's already know, we don't always stick to the paper. I remember one time near Joplin, Missouri we were heading west with a rough travel plan in mind & at the last minute I decided to take a different route & wheeled us off the Interstate heading south & that little venture eventually landed us lost on some twisting back roads in the Ozark mountains. That was an interesting afternoon to say the least. We were driving a small Class C on that trip. Another time I figured out another quick last minute short cut in my head & landed us in the Boston Mountain range in Arkansas huffing & puffing our truck & fifth wheel at the time up & over the long graded mountain tops. Another nail biter for awhile but did get to see some great scenery again. Every twist & turn is a new adventure & if we keep that foremost in our minds we sort of get along just fine in our travels.
I will call the above, travel Plan A. Depending on what happens with the screwy economy right now, we may be forced to revert to Plan B in the end. That would be a gas saving shorter trip into Texas & the Big Hill Country or Big Bend National Park area. YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT PLAN C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The photos I've included to-day are mushrooms growing all around us in our little pine forest here. It's been a damp year & we've had a lot of rain lately so I figure that is why there are so many this year. Don't know what kind they are but they sure do look pretty. Some of the them are sorta like Pizza's on stems.........
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