Cotton, windmills, grasshoppers and hay

Thursday, December 15, 2011
Left Kerrville, TX at about 9:30am with a destination of Sweetwater. The drive from Junction, TX north to Sweetwater was through a very rural part of TX. Mostly large ranches with cattle, or course, but also goats and sheep. We took a break in Paint Rock, a small community that has seen better days.

On the way to Sweetwater, we saw the largest windmill farm we’ve seen anywhere. There were hundreds of them. It’s nice seeing competing energy sources like oil rigs and windmills sharing the same land.

Tonight we’re camped at the Newman City Park in Sweetwater. The camping area is basically the parking lot surrounding the coliseum building complex. $16/night for a site with electricity and shared water connections. There is a dump station on site. Tomorrow there is a stock show in the coliseum. This afternoon, participants are bringing in their animals for the show.
As I had hoped, we drove through a nice rain storm today. It washed off any salt spray and sand I might have missed at the car wash in Port A.

Friday, December 16, 2011
Continued north to the Amarillo “Best” Wonderland RV Resort in Amarillo, TX. That’s a real mouthful for what is a very basic RV park. Ordinarily we go to lengths to avoid commercial campgrounds but tonight the temperature is forecast to be well below freezing so we wanted someplace with electrical hookups. $26/night for a full hookup site; a fair enough price and a great location right off our planned route.

Texas is a huge state; just mile after mile after mile. Today we drove through cotton, oil and cattle country.

Texas has lots of cows!!

There were several cattle feed lots along the road. It’s interesting to see the different ways in which hay is baled. On Amish farms, the small, traditional cube of hay is most common; probably because it’s the easiest to handle manually. The round bale seems to predominate in most areas but the feed lots around here tended to use very large cubes of hay ; most likely because it’s more efficient to stack and store cubes then cylinders.
There were thousands of acres of cotton fields and perhaps a dozen cotton gins. I can’t drive past a cotton farm, I suspect cotton plantation is not a politically correct word, without thinking of the role cotton played in the Civil War. Fatalities from the Civil War are estimated to be from 600,000 to 700,000.
Overall the quality of the roads on the drive from Corpus to Raton was very good. We like Texas; we’ll be back.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Today’s destination was Raton, NM. We topped off the propane tank in preparation for the very cold weather we expect in Longmont. The drive to Raton was pretty. The elevation is increasing, there is snow here and there, and the snow topped mountains are in view. A few days ago we were camped at sea level along the Gulf Coast. Right now we’re at 6,553’.
Tonight we’re staying at the Summerland RV Park. $33.34/night. Once again, a very basic place to just spend the night. We can see the traffic on I-25 but the camper is so well insulated, we can’t hear a sound. The plan is to dump the tanks tonight, put the antifreeze in them and then make minimal use of the tanks until we head south to where it’s warm enough for them to thaw out so they can be dumped. The weather forecast for the Longmont area is for sub-freezing weather every day.
In the morning, we make the drive north on I-25 to Suzanne’s house.

Moving north towards Colorado and Christmas.

We arrived in Port A last Friday. Last night we decided we had stayed here long enough and it was time to move on. The five days of beach camping cost us $4.00.

We really like this part of Texas and will be back. Spending our day’s backed up to the jetty was a nice way to meet other people and see interesting things.

During WW-II there was an artillery battery nearby to protect the inlet from German U-Boats. This survey marker was placed by the War Department during that time period.

A Winter Texan stopped by to admire the camper as people frequently do. We talked about the recent weather and he assured me all the rain and cold weather were certainly not the norm. A Canadian from New Brunswick, of all places,boy is he a long way from home, stopped to chat. They have spent their past winters in the Tampa area but got tired of the congestion. Can’t argue with that. The Tampa/St. Pete area, Orlando and the east coast south of West Palm Beach are terrible any time of the year, but worse in the winter. He told me of another good boondocking place in the area. On our way out of town we drove by and made notes for future use. I sent the coordinates to Ted so he can add it to his camping database. On Monday, a young couple stopped by to ask what it cost to camp on the beach, and what the rules were. They’re traveling all across America in a van for a year. When I told them it was free and there were no particular restrictions their eyes lit up. Then I told them about the bath house in the campground and suggested that they could probably take stealth showers,and they both had big smiles on their face. After that, we would see them strolling along the beach now and then.

This morning, first thing I paid the $4 fee and dumped the tanks and took on water. After that we went to a car wash that has a nice RV/Boat washing area to get the salt spray and sand washed off the camper. The vacuum cleaner did a great job in removing the 5#, or so, of sand from the inside. I hoping for some rain to wash off the roof and underneath real good.

On the drive here, we stopped in Oakville to have lunch at Van’s Bar-B-Que because of a road sign we had seen. As soon as we pulled up, we knew this was a winner. There were semis parked along the right-of-way and the parking lot was filled with pickup trucks and the building had a certain “rustic” look to it; sure signs of a good place to eat. Carol had the beef brisket and I had the sausage plate. The food was served on a heavy white waxed paper. The waitress just picked it up from the tray by holding the ends of the paper, and set it on the table in front of you. Plastic place settings. The brisket might be the best we have ever eaten. Carol could cut it with the side of her plastic fork. The ranch beans and potato salad were just as good. We’ll be back to Van’s. While in Oakville, I walked around the reconstructed old settlement. The Oakville area was settled in the early 1800’s by Irish immigrants. The city of Oakville was chartered in 1856. At one time it prospered because it was at the crossroads of ox-cart caravans and mule trains that traveled from Laredo to Goliad and from the Gulf Coast to San Antonio.

Tonight we’re camped at the Kerrville-Schreiner City Park in Kerrville. Full hookup sites for $26/night. A reasonable price.

Skinny people will get blown away!!

That doesn't apply to us, of course. Way too many bakery stops.

The weather today was terrible. Cold, rainy and very, very windy. The weather guessers said the winds topped 35mph. Most of the day the rain was blowing horizontally. The Gulf and inlet were very rough. We parked by the jetty again, but not too close because the waves were breaking over the seawall. The kite boarders and guys on the sail boards provided the entertainment.

A rough day in the inlet


We got married in 1966. Shortly before that, Carol and I drove from New London, CT where I was attending Navy submarine school, to West Palm Beach so she could meet my parents. In Georgia, and again in Florida, Carol saw her very first roadside chain gangs. She couldn't believe there really were such things. Well, today's equivalent of the chain gang, spent the morning cleaning up our little patch of beach. They really should have the inmates drag around a ball and chain. It will slow them down if they try to make a break for it plus it just might teach them a lesson. Shakin' the bush Boss, shakin' the bush.

Later in the day, a flood watch was issued for the beach areas saying the extra high tide and winds might push the water all the way to the dune. We parked at our usual night camp area and I kept an eye on the tide. High tide today was at 5:39pm. The "flood watch" turned out to be a real Chicken Little event.

There are sea gulls by the zillion.

No weather is too bad for a game of ball.

Kite boards.


The weather forecast is for steady improvement with some sunshine possible by Tuesday. Whoopee!! From the number of almost full RV parks in the area, this is clearly a popular winter resort area. Given that weather is relative, this area may be a good choice if you're from North Dakota or some such place, or you just don't know any better. As for us, we won't be back this way during the winter months.

Another part of the adventure. Sure beats just hanging around the house.

On to Port Aransas (Port "A")

We enjoyed our stay at the Galveston Island SP. The sites are close together and offer no privacy at all but the beach is very nice and located just across the dune from the camping area. Gopher and I were able to take a few nice walks along the beach. Still cold and overcast.

On Thursday we drove to Port Lavaca.

Texas generally leads the fight to shut down the EPA. Wonder why?

All the pollution does come with a cost.



Port Lavaca has a city RV park with a great location on Lavaca Bay. The majority of the guests seemed to be long term. There are eight nice, level pull-through sites set aside for transient guests like us. Full hookups plus wi-fi. for a very reasonable $29/night. There is a small nature preserve that is part of the city park. The path is paved so Carol was able to join in on a nice walk. The first sunny day we've had in a while.

I did wonder just what three plastic palm trees added to the preserve.

Our campsite

Why do people do stuff like this?? It's a nature preserve for Pete's sake.



Today we drove to Port Aransas, locally known as Port "A". On the way, we found the Rockport Bakery which is actually located in Fulton and not Rockport. More of a doughnut shop then what I call a bakery but it was good. Won't make our top ten list but the apple fritters were exceptional.

Port A is our favorite Texas area. We discovered it this past March when we were out this way. It was Spring Break then, and the place was jammed with college kids and vacationing families. In December, it's mostly just old folks like us. We prefer the excitement of the family atmosphere to the geriatric setting.

At any rate. In order to park on the beach you need a $12 annual parking permit so I stopped in the office at the I.B. Magee County Park/Campground to buy the permit. They were all out of 2011 permits and the 2012 permits were not due in until the 19th. So, until the 19th, no permit is required. Saved a whole $12!! During the day, we stay next to the inlet which is actually a part of the county park. The inlet is very busy with ships of all types heading to Corpus Cristi. Fun to watch the activity.

If you stay after dark in the park proper, you must buy a $12/night camping permit. As the day wears on, we just move south of the fishing pier about a hundred yards and now we're not in the county park. That's where we spend the night. The night camp, as some call it, is very nice. The beach is clean, there are trash cans and the police patrol on a regular basis. As needed, the county campground has a dump/water fill for $4. With the $12 I saved on the permit, I had dinner (next paragraph) plus enough left over for one dump/fill. Life is good!!

About 4:00 a guy,a dog and a rusty pickup stopped by. The guy was selling tamales that his wife made. Twelve for $7. That was my dinner. Carol doesn't like tamales so I heated her up some leftover fish.

Just looked it up on the internet. Only says it's a cargo ship; not what kind. Just left the port of Corpus Christi headed for Grundartangi, Iceland. Due to arrive on 12/22. The internet is an amazing place.

The plan is to stay around here until the 15th then begin the 1,100+ mile drive north to Suzannes house in Longmont,CO.

Continuing west along the TX Gulf Coast

Monday, December 5, 2011

Today we drove to Rollover Pass at Gilcrest, TX. On the way, we had a great lunch at Al-T’s restaurant in Winnie, TX. We stumbled across Al-T’s last year when we stayed in the city campground in Winnie. Carol had the crab cakes, which had big chunks of real crab, not Krab. I had a crawfish Po-Boy on a fresh baked roll. We shared the very good onion rings. Tonight we’re camped on the Rollover Pass which is a channel through the Bolivar Peninsula.  It’s a cold, grey, windy day. We walked the beach and Gopher wanted to go swimming but I said “no”.   It’s too cold plus I don’t want a soaking wet , sandy dog in the camper.
Once again, it’s just the three of us.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Continued south to Galveston. There is a short ferry ride from the Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston.  On Yelp! I read about a great bakery in Galveston; Patty Cakes Bakery. Now one of our top 10 bakeries. Besides the typical baked goods, they had fresh croissant breakfast sandwiches. I got one bacon/cheddar. We ate it where we were parked by the bakery and it was so good,  Carol sent me back in to get some for lunch. Carol had a turkey and I got another bacon/cheddar. It’s another cold and dreary day so we thought a campsite with electricity was in order. The high temp. so far, is 44*.  That’s nothing compared to the blizzard conditions throughout most of NM. Drifting along the TX coast turned out to be an excellent choice, all things considered.

We’re staying the next two days at the Galveston  Island State Park. The website lists the camping rate as $25/night but when you register, they charge an additional $5/person/day park access fee bringing the real camping fee to $35/day.  It is very nice being warm and toasty.

                                                  Three lazy birds
                                              

Heading west and the Birthday Girl

December 2

We left home just before 10am. Filled up with gas at the Pilot station; $3.13/gallon after our 2 cent/gallon discount.  Stopped for the night about 3pm at the Suwannee River State Park near Live Oak, FL. $12.10 for a full hookup site with the Florida Senior 50% discount.  Compared to this summers travels in NY, PA, & MI, the full rate of $22/night + tax, is very reasonable. This summer we generally paid from $30 to $35/night for a state park campsite with electric only, or perhaps water.

We’ve camped here before. The Withlacoochee River joins the Suwannee River at this location.  A good number of the campers had canoes or kayaks with them. A little park history. Native Americans used this area about 12,000 years ago. In 1540 DeSoto passed through the park area. In 1818 Andrew Jackson was sent through the area with orders to kill all the Indians he could find. There are some earthworks from the Civil War that were built to protect the bridge that crossed the river.  We didn’t do any exploring today but have on past visits. Mostly Gopher and I just walked along the river trail to stretch our legs.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

We left the campground at about 9:30. It was a very long driving day. About 5:30 we arrived at the Louisiana State Welcome Center, initially to get some New Orleans information and maps.  We decided to just stay here for the night. It’s an exceptionally nice rest area. Dump station, level parking area, well lighted, 24 hour security, and free wi-fi.  Only 40 minutes from the French Quarter. The women at the Visitor Center was very knowledgeable. She even told me about two parking lots that could accommodate over-sized vehicles so if my first plan, i.e. parking on the street near the market area, doesn’t work, I’ll try the parking lots.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

A major event. Today is Carol’s birthday!!   On the way to the French Quarter we stopped by WalMart to pick up a few odds and ends but mostly to buy Carol a birthday present. While packing, she forgot to put her pajamas in the camper. For $14 I bought Carol a nice fuzzy pajama set. Just what she needed. Filled the tank with $2.959 gas at WalMart. First <$3/gal gas we've seen.
We arrived at the French Quarter about 9:45 and found a perfect parking spot only about two blocks from the French Market. I had previously looked at Google Earth and identified some areas that had parking possibilities.  The two spots were metered but parking on Sunday is free. We poked around the market area for a while then I got in the very long line at Café Du Monde. When my turn finally came, I got two orders of beignets and a cup of coffee.  Later in the morning we took a drive along St. Charles Avenue past the mansions and Loyola University when Jennifer and Suzanne both attended college. As best we can recall, it’s been about twenty years since we’ve been in NOLA. We had lunch at La Madeleine Country French Café at the far end of St. Charles Ave.

About 2pm we headed out of NO. Tonight’s “campground” is the  Atchafalaya Welcome Center on I-10 just east of Henderson, LA. We’ve stayed here before. Nice level parking area, well lighted, 24 hour security.

Change of travel plans. We were going to drive to New Mexico and stay there until we headed north to Suzanne’s house but the weather is just too cold for our liking. We decided to drift along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast then drive from Corpus Christi  to Longmont.  That’s why we never travel with reservations and keep the waste tanks empty and the water filled.  We like the flexibility and just don’t like being tied to a schedule.

We leave in the morning

The two of us are chomping at the bit to get traveling again. We've been home since Friday, October 7th; not even 60 days.
The odometer reads 64,207.4 miles.
Our first stop will be the Suwanee River State Park which is not far from where I-75 crosses I-10.  We've stayed there before on trips like this. It's about a five hour drive from home. After that we head west towards NOLA. The plan is to drive into NOLA early Sunday, spend the day, then head out in the afternoon.
After that?  No plans. Don't know where we're going, when we'll get there or where we'll stay when we do.  We do know we will  be at Suzanne's house in Longmont, CO on 12/20. Chris installed a 30 amp/RV type plug in the front yard. Now we will be able to sleep on the street rather than stay in a campground.   Much more convenient, plus we were going to rent a car while we were there. Won't have to do that either. Suzanne has room for us to stay in the house but we prefer the camper. After a day of the joyful noise of  Izzy and Oliver, the quiet is nice.

I'm really hoping the weather in Longmont won't be really, really cold. The plan is to put a three gallons of RV antifreeze in each holding tank and hope that suffices until we can move south to warmer climes.

This morning at breakfast, we were talking about the camping trips we used to take many, many years ago with the girls. Carol and the girls would sing the Ballad of The Hobbit as we left the house.  Here are the lyrics.

The Ballad of The Hobbit

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

The greatest adventure is there if you're bold.
Let go of the moment that life makes you hold.
To measure the meaning can make you delay;
It's time you stop thinkin' and wasting the day.

The man who's a dreamer and never takes leave
Who thinks of a world that is just make-believe
Will never know passion, will never know pain.
Who sits by the window will one day see rain.

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.
 Today we finish the final packing, household chores, grocery shopping, Mom's trip to the dentist and such things.  In the morning the adventure begins once again.

About ready for our winter trip.

In preparation for this winters trip, I took the camper to Hickman’s Brakes & Alignment to get the brakes inspected, slide calipers lubed, chassis greased, and to have the Bilstein shock bushings inspected. The brakes have about 65% remaining on the pads; I thought that was OK for a 64,000+ mile camper.  Replaced one shock bushing. While doing an inspection, they noticed the ball joints were worn well past tolerance and that the axle pivot bushing, whatever that is, was in need of replacement soon.  The ball joints and axle pivot bushing failure comes from hard use. When I ordered the ’08 Lazy Daze I went with the 4WD option.  ;-) We frequently drive mile after mile on some pretty bad roads to get to one or our very special camping spots.  No plans to change that either. Our favorite camp sites are frequently in the middle of nowhere with only the three of us around.  The repairs didn’t require me to fund *all* of the Hickman’s 2011 retirement account, just $800 worth.  

Two of our Lazy Daze friends are Ray & Joan Webb from Georgia.  They are the most well traveled RV’ers I know. Ray guesses they have put over 250,000 miles on three different RV’s. When they had a 4WD truck camper, Joan joked that Ray never saw a dirt road he didn’t like.  Once they drove from Montreal all the way to Labrador. I recall Ray saying that trip involved about 400 miles of dirt roads.  We’re not going to do that, but I admire their spirit.  They are about 80 years old and going strong last I heard. We can only hope.

We picked the camper up on April 25, 2008 with 41 miles on it. After 64,189 miles and 3 years, 7 months, this recent suspension/front end work was the only Ford repairs required. This does not include preventative, or routine, maintenance costs like changing fluids, filters and such.  The only non-Ford repair was the replacement of the toilet bowl seal.  I’m very, very pleased with Ford and Lazy Daze.  .

Our travel plans are firming up. My mother has a doctors appointment on December 1^st. We plan on heading out on the 2^nd.

One of our stops on the way west will be NOLA.  Jennifer & Alex , and a lot of our money, went to college at Loyola University in NOLA.  Beignets at Café du Monde, a muffuletta at Central Grocery, a Ferdi Special at Mothers. Never had a bad meal in New Orleans. The plan is to drive to the French Quarter early on Sunday morning. Should be easy enough to find someplace to park. While I’m not wild about leaving the camper parked in NO, the French Quarter is well policed plus Gopher will be inside. She’s a very good watchdog. Anyone who gets close will see some very large teeth growling at them.

After that it’s a slow, and generally unplanned, drift west to NM then north to Longmont to arrive on December 20.

Carols new toy, the Kindle Fire, showed up the other day. She’s been playing with it ever since.   It won’t put the Apple iPad out of business, but it’s an interesting device. 

We have a full load of ‘stuff” heading to Suzanne’s house in Longmont. Last year when the three girls were down for Christmas, we told them to go through the house and take anything they wanted home with them. Suzanne was flying so she just boxed up things for us to haul out to her the next time we were headed that way. The camper is overflowing with boxes. We’ve got my mothers china, our sterling silver place settings, my Lionel trains that my father bought for me in 1948, and boxes of assorted treasures. The big item is the platform for the train. My father made it. It’s a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood hinged in the middle. For the trip, it’s going to live between the rear couches while driving and on the floor up front when parked.

We’ve only been home from our summer trip for about six weeks and already we’re anxious to get going.

 We'll end this trip with the Lazy Daze Spring Fling at Hanna Park in March.

Free phone & video calls

A few weeks ago I discovered a great app. for the iPhone/Pad. Called Tango.

Tango

It allows for absolutely free ,no strings attached, no advertising, voice/video calls to any other Tango subscriber any where in the world. Both parties must have the Tango app. installed on a smart phone or a computer with a camera/speaker and have a wi-fi connection. That's all there is to it. My sister called her son in Toyko the other day. Got to see her grandchildren for the first time this year.
Tango has become out primary calling plan to the kids. Last week Suzanne called to show us the snow storm they had in CO. Oliver was in the back yard building a snowman. Then we saw Finn and Teagan carving pumpkins in Virginia. 

For years Carol & I rejected this new technology as being interesting but of no particular value to us.  Now we're addicted. Have a Kindle Fire on order!!

Southeast Lazy Daze Group GTG, Williston, FL

Carol & I attended the SELD Williston, FL GTG. We arrived on Sunday and will head out in the morning. The rally continues until Friday morning but we had a prior commitment we could not change.
There were twelve rigs here; a pretty good turnout for the newest and smallest of the regional groups. Jeanne Gaffney will be the next Wagon Master, Mistress I suppose. Jeanne is a real ball of fire and will do a wonderful job.

On Tuesday we tried something new, a 6:30 desert social. It was very well received. Everyone brought the most wonderful homemade goodies. Tedd & Mary Lou Lester were here. We met them at the very first SE Lazy Daze GTG held in January, 2006. They are a very interesting couple. Years ago they through hiked the A.T. Tedd's a great singer and guitar player with four CD's to his credit. He provided the entertainment.

Carol & her friends by the old train.

The undeveloped area behind the campground is full of old vehicles. Trains, trolly cars, autos, trucks, etc. It's a fun place to explore.

From here we head home to work on the plans for our Winter trip and to give the Lazy Daze its annual checkup at the garage. Seems I can never get the LD out of the garage for much less then $500. I always tell Jerry the same thing, go from bumper to bumper. If a piece or part needs replacing, do it. I'd much rather head off a problem at home then deal with it in at a strange garage in the middle of nowhere.

Next trip: Christmas in Longmont,CO with our daughters family, then south to Arizona to join up with some of our Lazy Daze friends, then back to Florida in time for the big Southeast Group GTG in Hanna Park in early March. Jeanne Gaffney is the hostess for this GTG so it's bound to be a great event.

We're home once again.

We left Fort Pierce on June 9th and got home yesterday, October the 6th. Just under four wonderful months and 6,904 miles. The odometer now reads 63,761 miles. We've owned this LD since 04/08; 42 months. That's an average of just over 1,500 miles/month. We put about 65,000 miles on the 2000 LD we owned before this one. That's in the neighborhood of 130,000 Lazy Daze miles in about seven years. We talk about this often and wonder how we managed to travel this many miles in the Lower 48. From Bangor, Maine to Los Angles,CA is right at 3,200 miles. We could drive that 40 times for the 130,000 miles.
During this time, we have never experienced a Ford mechanical problem while traveling and only minor problems with the different on-board mechanical systems like A/C, ref., and such. The Lazy Daze components have, with a few minor exceptions, proven to be equally reliable.

The last stop on our trip was the Lazy Daze GTG in Mountain View, AR. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we always do when camped with a group of LD owners. We were there from Saturday through Wednesday.

The first stop on the way home was a Wal-Mart in Chelsea, AL which is just south of Birmingham. I wanted to avoid the morning rush hour by getting through Birmingham on Wednesday.

After that we planned to stop at a state park in Florida for one night then finish the 1,100+ mile drive on Friday. We got near the campground about 2pm. The weather forecast for Friday was rain all the way home so we decided to just get the drive out of the way. We got home about 7:30pm on Thursday.

We're always thankful when we get home safe and sound,and with no trips to the ER :-), from such a long trip.

Our next trip is a short one to the Southeast Lazy Daze GTG in Florida.

One more perfect day

We had a decent night at the Wal-Mart campground. About midnight, the guy with the vacuum cleaner truck drove up and down all the aisles. It only took him about thirty minutes. :-)

In the morning we decided to drive by the Ozark R.V. Park just in case there was an opening for the night. There was, plus there were vacant sites for Thursday night as well. When I inquired about vacancies on Thursday, the guy behind the counter was very involved with his iPad. I sensed that I was disturbing something more important then generating income for his boss and saying "We're full" was quicker then registering us. Turns out that was true. On Friday, the manager said there were indeed sites available for last night as well. It turned out well.  The free night at Wal-Mart paid for the admission to the Folk Center.
This RV park has a paved path leading into the Folk Center which was the only practical way for us to gain access. There are shuttle buses that run from the main parking lot into the Crafts Village but,strangely enough,they are not handicap accessible, and even if Carol could get into the bus, there was no place to carry her scooter.

The Ozark Dulcimer Gathering is taking place for the next two weeks, at the campground we're in. Each day there lessons, demonstrations and entertainment.

Some of the entertainment.

Look at the tall guy playing the washtub.

A number of years ago when we were touring Ontario, we heard about an event called The Fiddlers on the Trent. It was a gathering of fiddlers that was being held in a campground east of Toronto. We called and managed to get the very last spot. We were the only Yanks there and had a most wonderful time. Neither of us have any musical skills of any type. We just say we're professional listeners.


The Ozark Folk Center is a state park. There is Crafts Village with areas demonstrating Ozark crafts like candle making, gun smithing, weaving, basket making and such,as well as buildings transferred from around the region. There was a cooper shop. It never occurred to me just how complex the process of making a barrel by hand really was.

The old one room school house.

Two relocated homes.


There is an on-site restaurant; the Iron Skillet. On Friday night they have a seafood buffet for $11. Now for $11 you don't get New England lobster, Clams Casino and Oysters Rockefeller, but it was very good. The fried shrimp and hush-puppies were excellent.

On Saturday morning we made one last Wal-Mart stop before heading over to the Regional Lazy Daze GTG.

Michigan to Arkansas

We entered Port Huron, Michigan from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on July 21st. It’s been two very enjoyable months in MI. Last night we were talking about past travels and Carol thought this might just be the most enjoyable trip to date.
We spent last night, the 25th, at the Holland State Park. On the 26th, we “camped” in the Truck/Bus/RV parking lot at the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI. We treated ourselves to an excellent buffet dinner. It was among the very best casino dinners we can recall.

Heading to Mountain View, AR

Tuesday the 27th.
It was raining when we got up and it rained steadily until after noon. After that it turned into a grey and chilly day. We’re missing our Florida sunshine.
We drove south through Indiana, around the Gary, Indiana- Chicago area then south on I-55. The truck traffic was heavy as expected. Tonight we’re at the Riverside Campground just north of Springfield, IL. It’s a nice community campground set in a wooded area. $15/night for a water/elect site.

Wednesday:
First thing we went to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville,IL. We had been there before on a previous trip. They have an 11:30 am mass.

After that we continued west into Missouri to the Meramec State Park near Sullivan. $19/night for a nice site with electricity. As a comparison, Michigan SP’s cost from $27 to $29/night plus an $8/day park admission charge.
Right near our campsite is a Burr Oak tree that was a sapling in about 1700. I think this is the oldest tree we have ever seen except for some redwoods and sequoias.

Thursday:
We decided to just finish the drive to Mountain View rather then spending another night someplace. Plus we wanted two days to explore Mountain View before the Lazy Daze GTG began. The plan was to stay at an RV park that is adjacent to the Ozark Folk Center then just walk over in the morning but they were full. Seems there was a dulcimer convention going on in the immediate neighborhood. We drove to a nice city park for the afternoon then went out to dinner at a bar-b-que place. The restaurant was OK but nothing remarkable. After dinner we went to the downtown area. Rather disappointing. We were expecting a fairly high quality, well kept area. Mostly junk stores. Not really worth a visit in our opinion. They do have a Farmers Market on Saturday morning.

Tonight’s “campground” is Wal-Mart. Tomorrow we’ll spend the day at the Ozark Folk Center. There is a restaurant associated with the Folk Center; the Skillet. On Friday night they have a seafood buffet. We’ll be there.

We were talking about some weight issues last night. :-)
As soon as we get home, it's diet and exercise. In the mean time
Laissez les bons temps rouler.

Grand Haven

We arrived at the Grand Haven State Park on Tuesday, the 20th. We got a very nice site directly on the beach overlooking the jetty and lighthouse.
Saw Pam Summers Lazy Daze as soon as we pulled in. Later in the day, Pam stopped by for a nice visit.
We’ve been to Grand Haven before but during July when the place was packed. This time, we had our choice of campsites. This is our favorite MI state park. There is a 2 mile long paved multi-use trail running along the waterfront to the downtown area; that was our daily walk.
On Wednesday we walked down to the Farmers Market for some fresh veggies.
Our initial plan was to stay here for two days then continue south. It’s just so nice, we’re staying until Sunday.

On Friday we went downtown and had lunch and stopped by the very nice bakery once again. We’ll be home by about October 7th. Back to our standard meals which do not include frequent stops by the bakery. Incidentally, Fort Pierce has a wonderful bakery, the Sunrise City Bakery. Each Saturday we go walking downtown to the Green Market and buy one sticky bun to split three ways. That’s our sole weekly treat.
The downtown area in Grand Haven was having a contest to see who could build the most beautiful “rocket fish”. Over the years, we’ve seen other communities with a mascot of sorts. Fort Pierce has the manatee, Burlington, VT has the cow. Other mascots we’ve seen are moose, pigs, salmon and hodags. A hodag is a creature that is said to live in the swamps near Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Here are some pictures of rocket fish and one of a hodag.

An angle rocket fish

Hodag sculpture made from several verified eyewitness accounts.

Friday was a very windy day. We were entertained by a group of sailboarders and kite flyers. The stunt kites were especially interesting.

Sunday was a grey and rainy day. We did the laundry then went grocery shopping winding up for the night at the Holland State Park campground. Filled the gas tank at "only" $3.55/gal. About the cheapest gas of this trip.

We built one last fire from some wood we scrounged from here and there.

Tomorrow we continue south towards Mountain View, Arkansas with the plan of arriving on Saturday, October 1st.