Merida Mexico Christmas 2017

We went to Merida, Mexico to visit our friends Matt and Linda for the Christmas holiday season.

Judy and Richard

Linda and Matt

 Monday Dec 18

We decided to take the Narrows Bridge route to the airport because of the train wreck at Dupont on I-5 as the north bound lanes were still backing up. We drove up to Sea-Tac airport and spent the night at the Red Roof Inn which has safe parking at a reasonable price if you spend the night.  Went out to dinner and early to bed as our flight was leaving close to 9 am.

                                                          Tuesday Dec 19
Got up early and took the hotel shuttle at 6:20 am to the airport.  We went through all the check in stuff with no problems in Seattle, Houston or Merida.  Nice flight to Houston.  No problems on our flight to Merida getting in there at 9 pm.  Matt and Linda were there to pick us up.  We were excited to see them again.  Their house is in the Central district and is very nice.

Getting Settled in the bedroom.

We went to bed early.

                                                                   Wednesday Dec 20

Matt and Linda fixed breakfast for us which we ate outside by their pool.  The temperatures during our trip were in the high 80’s to low 90’s during the day and  high 60’s and low 70’s at night.  Linda belongs to the International Women’s Club in Merida.  They had a dinner at one of the member’s houses and invited us to join them.  We met a lot of nice and interesting people.  Lots of food and fun conservation. 

                                                                    Thursday Dec 21

Matt and Linda made reservations at a resort called the Reef on the Gulf of Mexico for two nights.  The resort is east of Progresso which is just north of Merida.   This is an all-inclusive resort which means all meals and drinks, etc.

At Telchac Puerto

On the way we stopped at Telchac Puerto for lunch. The resort is just down the road from the port.  We had a great time there.  Actually, we had been there on one of our previous trips just to look around and the place was deserted.  Our room was ground floor with a view of the sea. 

In the sea after dinner.

Nice views, good food and drinks and great friends.

View from our room.

                                                                        Friday Dec 22
We spent the whole day lounging around, swimming, eating and drinking, talking, reading and the ladies knitting knitting scrubbies and dish cloths.  We had a very relaxing day. 

Matt and Linda in the sea.

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By the pool in the evening.

The staff came around all the time checking to make sure we had enough to drink.  Remember…all inclusive.  Such a beautiful setting.  The beach is white sand mostly made up of shells and coral.

                                                                        Saturday Dec 23

After breakfast, we packed up and lounged around enjoying the morning eating and drinking.  We checked out at noon and headed back to Merida which was about an hour and one half away. 

                                                              Sunday Dec 24  Christmas Eve

We went to the English Catholic mass at a chapel in the cathedral a 5 pm where Matt and Linda and friends were in the choir.

The choir.

   The priest was Fr. Roberto whom we had met before and is well loved by the international English speaking community.  In the chapel is a life sized “replica” of the last supper.  Crazy. Also, only in Mexico, a flashy Nativity scene. Then we had to rush out because Linda was going to play the keyboard to St Lukes Episcopal church at 7 pm for a pre-service round of Christmas songs.  After the sermon, first in Spanish and then English, we skipped out to go to a dinner at Elizabeth’s house, one of Matt and Linda’s friends.  Also present was another Elizabeth, who in her 80’s plays violin with the Merida symphony.  A world famous violinist, Christopher, was also there, and plays in the symphony. Chris opened his huge Colonial home and gave a very impressive concert the last time we were there.  He remembered us and is a special presence at a party.   A really great evening of fun conversation and food.

 Monday Dec 25 Christmas Day.

 We had another party to go to in the evening so we relaxed during the day.  The party was at a place all the ex-pats call Cassini’s Castle.  The house was two houses put together as one and extensively remodeled.  It is elegant.  The owner Greg has gone around Mexico collecting items for his house which is now somewhat like a museum.  Greg gave us a tour of his house.  It is unbelievable what he has put together as his house.  This man is generous with the house, giving lots of events so people can get together.

Dining area with lots of Christmas decorations.

For dinner tonight he had twelve people.  His employee Carlos decorated the house for Christmas and cooked the dinner.  What an experience for us.

Tuesday Dec 26

This is our last day in Merida so of course we had to do some shopping.  First though we went to lunch with Peter, whom we had met before, at the restaurant Local 59.

Judy, Linda, Peter, Matt at brunch

Local 59 Restaurant

To start the shopping, we went to the central district to the Guatemala store where we bought some things and then Mondo Maya.  Matt and Linda know one of the sale persons there and is very helpful in picking out things to buy.  The store has fabulous silver jewelry.  Then we went to a mall called FiestaAmericana (?) where Judy bought some (lots of clothes).  She is set for the next summer season in Washington, Arizona or anywhere the sun shines!   Then off to another place, a hotel, but the gift store was closed so we had something to drink instead.  Then to a Walmart store where Judy bought some medicine at half the price in Shelton. Judy and I invited Matt and Linda to dinner but the first two restaurants we went to were closed.t  We finally went to Poncho’s in the central district where we had a good chicken dinner.   Then home to finish packing and to bed.

Cat in the Creche

Wednesday Dec 27.

Got up early and took an Uber 5:40 am car to the airport.  No problems going through all the check in.   Except they took Judy’s plastic knitting needles again like last time.  We thought plastic ones would not be detected or unacceptable because they were plastic. Flight to Houston was ok.  Except the seats on the planes are getting narrower and less leg room.  No problems with customs and immigration in Houston.  In Seattle, got the Red Roof shuttle back to our car.  We stopped on the way home for food at the Buffalo Wings.  Probably will not go there again.  A bit out of our kind of place to be… it is for the very young.  We were hungry, so we tried the wings. We had a very crowded drive from the mall to the turn off to the Narrows Bridge.  At home all was well and always good to be in our own bed.

Spring Trip 2017

Part 10 June 20 - End June 24

Day 65 Tuesday June 20

After we parked yesterday the front leveler would not go down.  Fuse?  This morning I checked everything and found nothing.  Later tried to put the leveler down and it worked?  One of those things.  Judy and Linda went out shopping for yarn.  I stayed home and cleaned the motorhome, went to ACE hardware to get a few locking cotter pins as spares, and read some on my book.  We took Linda and Matt out to dinner at the Montana Club.  We had a very nice evening.

Day 66 Wednesday June 21  Happy Birthday Judy

We went to the Conrad cemetery here in Kalispell where Judy’s mom and dad are buried.  After that we stopped by a man who makes yard art out of metal junk.  He makes some really neat items but the flower Judy was interested in was way too big to bring home.  At 12:30 we went to Norm’s News where Linda and Matt had a birthday lunch for Judy on her 76^th.  Marge and Lorraine who worked with Judy at the Lutheran Home many years ago were there too.  We enjoyed seeing them again.   Matt and Linda came to our motor home for dinner.  Spaghetti and salad and garlic bread.  We said our goodbyes.

Day 67 Thursday June 22.

We left Kalispell and took 93 south to Missoula then I-90 into Idaho.   We spent the night at Wolf RV Campground space 8 just a few miles east of Coeur d’ Alene, ID.

Day 68 Friday June 23 

Left Idaho and continued west on I-90.  Nice weather and very little wind.  Ahhhhh. We spent the night in Ellensburg at an RV park.  We could have made it home but did not want to brave the Friday night traffic.  Also I wanted to go look for some Ellensburg blue.  Judy and I went to a spot which we know is open to the public as it is DNR land.  It was very hot and we did not find any blues but found a few pieces of jasper and rocks with crystals.  Went home and had dinner and showers.

Day 69 Saturday June 24

We left Ellensburg and continued I-90 to highway 18 and followed it to 167 then 512 and I-5 south.  Traffic was somewhat heavy but not too bad.  East bound traffic was very heavy.   Got home in Shelton around noon.  Good to be home, except it is very hot.

Part 9 June 14-June 19

Day 60 Wednesday June 14  Happy Flag Day.

We left Indian Lake and continued west on US 2.  There were a few rain showers which slowly tapered off as we continued west.  Cool with temp around 65 when we left.  For the night we stopped at Alpine Campground just close to the Minnesota border with Michigan.  The temperature got to about 85 by the end of the day but no more rain.

Day 61 Thursday June 15

We left Alpine Campground in Michigan and continued east on US 2.  We stopped in a small town and got some fuel and a few groceries.  Then we continued on US 2 all the way to Bem  I went to check on Goldie and found that the battery was dead.  Apparently, we were using the brakes a lot more than normal driving on the highway with its stopping and slowing then we do on a freeway.  The nice Walmart people came and gave us a jump.  Cool today and still with strong headwinds.

dji, MN where we spent the night at Walmart.

Day 62 Friday June 16

Left Walmart and headed east on US 2 all the way to Grand Rapids, ND.  Then south on I-29 to Fargo and then west on I-94.  Roads were good, not too windy but it was a side wind, and the temperature in the mid-70’s.  Almost perfect.  Spent the night at Jamestown Campground space 20.  The campground was nice with lots of trees.

Day 62 Saturday June 17

We left Jamestown and continued west on I-94.  Rainy most of the morning and then windy in the afternoon.  

Painted Desert in Teddy Roosevelt national park in western North Dakota.  You could see this from the rest stop.

The wind got so strong and gusty hitting the right side of the motorhome we stopped in Glendive, MT at the RV park.  Whew, the wind was pushing us into the other lane.  Had to stop for the night. 

Bunny in the RV park

were parked by the Yellowstone River so of course I had to go see if I could find some Montana agate.   Well I found one small piece and picked up a couple of other rocks also.  At the local motel they had lots of river rocks around the building and I found a nice chuck of dark brown/black agate.

park for the night.

Day 63 Sunday June 18  Happy Fathers Day

We left Glendive and continued west on I-90.  Good traveling all morning.   Then after lunch the wind picked up and became gusty and was blowing on the side of the motorhome.  Stopped for the night at Boseman, MT at the local Walmart.  Lots of rigs here.  I guess they must be tired of driving in the winds.  We had chicken stir-fry for dinner.

Day 64 Monday June 19

We left Boseman and continued west on I-90.  Beautiful day, sunny, hardly any breeze, beautiful scenery as the mountains and valleys were all nice and green.  Stopped in Missoula for lunch.  Took 93 north to Kalispell.  This drive was very pretty too, as Flathead lake was dark blue.  Made it to Spruce park on the River (Flathead, that is) and got spot c-8 with a nice river and mountain view. Going over to Matt and Linda’s for dinner.

 

Part 8 June 9 - June 13

Day 55 Friday June 9

After breakfast we went to the local “Christmas” store and looked around and bought a few things.  They had anything Christmas you would ever want.   Then we went to the local yarn shop to get some size 4 double ended needles so Judy could make some teddy bears with a pattern given her by the lady who owns the store in Hinesburg.   We ate lunch and then headed to Joan and Ron’s.  They volunteered their washer and dryer to do our laundry.  It was only part done then we took them out to dinner at a steak house where we had a nice dinner. 

  When we got there we finished the laundry.  Mike, Lizzie, and Bud came to say good bye.  We had our sad good bye and went home.

Day 56 Saturday June 10

We left Shelburne and headed south on highway 7 to Rutland then highway 4 west to New York and I-87.  Had lunch at a rest stop on I-87 then continued south to the toll road I-90.  We drove east towards Buffalo and got off at exit 33, Oneida. The 120 miles on the toll road cost us $19 and a lot of the road was not very smooth. The RV park we had planned to go to was full (run by native Americans who had a big casino near-by) so we went to the local Walmart to spend the night.  It got up to 91 degrees today and boy was it hot.  Lucky the air-conditioner is working so it helped keep the temperature reasonable.  The outside temp was down to 78 by 9 pm.

Day 57 Sunday June 11

We left Oneida and continued on I-90 toll road to Buffalo.  The toll for us for this leg of the toll road was $35.  We then took I-190 into Canada.  No problems at the border.  We took Canadian 405 to QEW to exit 57.  Problems here is that I took the wrong turn.  Two different people gave me poor directions so I was driving all over.  Finally got on the right road and made it to Jordan Valley Campground.  Very nice and expensive and rustic.  After setting up we headed off to Niagara Fall on the Canadian side.  

Well the place was jammed packed and most people were speaking in languages Judy and I could not understand.  The falls were spectacular.   The sun was shining, the temperature was hot at 90 and the mist from the falls felt good and created a beautiful rainbow (fallsbow?)

 

On the way home we stopped for dinner at an old house on lake Ontario called the Lakehouse Restaurant.  Had salad and pizza for dinner.  At 9pm it was still 80 outside.

  

Day 58 Monday June 12

We left Jordan Valley and headed east to Michigan.  Windy day again.  When we got to the US  border all the lanes said “Closed” or “cars only”.  So I picked a cars only lane as there was no RV lane.  Well, when we got to the border guard he said “What are you doing here, this is for cars only and you will have a hard time getting through”.  I said “The lanes said closed or cars only so I picked a lane.”  He said that “they were supposed to open lane ten for RV”.  As I pulled out of the tight corner I caught the right rear of the motorhome and got yellow paint on the back.  No real damage.  They only checked our passports and car license and never asked about fresh food or anything else.  We drove to Flint on I-69 then north on I-75 to Saginaw where we spent the night in a Walmart parking lot.  It got to 100 degrees today and was still 84 at 10 pm.   Whew.

Day 59 Tuesday June 13

Left Saginaw and continued north on I-75.  Beautiful drive and a very nice road.  We crossed the Mackinaw Bridge over the straight between Lakes Michigan and Huron.  Beautiful.  Ate lunch where highway 2 west exits off I -75.  Drove to Thompson and spent the night at Indian Lake travel resort.  Barely got to 80 degrees today and was it great.

Part 7 June 1- June 8

 Day 45 Thursday June 1

Left Woodland and headed east again on I-80.  We then took I-81 north to Scranton, PA and spent the night at the local Walmart again.   After washing the dishes, Judy noticed water on the floor.  We check it out and the flexible hose from the kitchen sink was kinked and leaking.  Rats, darn.  I will have to replace it when we get to Vermont.

Day 46 Friday June 2

Today was a long day.  We left Scranton and continued north on I-81.  Once in New York state we took I-88 to Albany  then I 87 north to Glen Falls.  There we took highway 4 into Vermont and there Vermont 30 and 7 to Shelburne.   We got to Shelburne Camp and got spot 1.  Called my sister and told them we were here and would make dinner and come over later.  We went over after dinner and had a great time talking.  Sure good to see Joan, Ron and Lara again.

Day 47 Saturday June 3 

After breakfast I started to fix the sink drain.  I got the old hose off fairly easily after taking out drawers and wood panels.  I called a local RV place and they had replacement hose so I went to get it.  I tried heating the tubing and then pushing it on to the male connector but it was not going in.  I went to Home Depot to see if they had a smaller connector to make it easier to slide the tubing on.  Well, they didn’t have one.  I finally figured out a system to enlarge to tubing so that it will slide on more easily.  However, a birthday party for my sister Joan was waiting so we got ready and left.  About 40 some people showed up.  Their son Josh and family surprised Joan by coming from Michigan.  Son Michael and children Bud and Lizzie and daughter Lara and partner were their too. And lots of friends.

Lara and partner

Lizzie

Bud

Birthday girl Joan

An  We had a fun time in spite of the cool temperature and rain off and on.  Stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home.

Day 50 Sunday June4

Cardinal in camp ground

 I got up early and worked to get the drain hose hooked up.  The hose is very stiff and requires heating in hot water to slide on the coupling.  If not done right the hose goes on part way then cools and will not more anymore.  Finally, I got it put together after making sure the tube moved properly when the motorhome slider moves in and out.  At noon we went over to Joan and Ron’s and had lunch with some of the family.  Josh’s family was leaving to go back to Michigan so it was important that we see them before they left.

Sawyer helping Joan open presents

Joan look tired so we did not stay late so she could get some sleep.

Day 51 Monday June 5

We got up and had breakfast.  I started calling around to see if someone would fix the motorhome heat/airconditioner fan.  No one.  So I called Ron an asked if he could come over to help find the exact cause of the fan not working.  He said he could do it tomorrow.  I called another place and they couldn’t but gave me another company to call.  I called them and have an appointment at 8 am not too far from here.  I called Beaver Motorhome and checked on the type of coolant the air conditioner used.  They had emailed me that it was R-135 but when I talked to the guy on the phone he told me it was the common on R-134a.  That was a relief.  We headed to Walmart to get a prescription filled and it will be ready tomorrow.  We then went to Joan and Ron’s for dinner.  Nice beef roast with corn, potatoes, etc.  Very yummy.  Left around nine to go home and get the motorhome ready for tomorrow.

Day 52 Tuesday June 6

We got up early, had breakfast and got the motorhome over to the repair shop by 8 am.  Off we went to Walmart in Williston to get my proscription which they had ready.  Then we went south on Vermont 116 to Hinesburg to Joan and Ron’s.  It was decided to go to the Vermont Country Store in Weston a little over two hours away.   Poured down rain all the way there and back and into the evening.  The store merchandise seemed to us to be poor quality and very expensive.  Had lunch there and bought a few things.  They had lots of cheese and crackers etc to taste test.  After we dropped Joan and Ron back at their home we went to the repair place and took the motorhome back to the camp for the night.  They had to order the blower fan and new shocks and will be putting them on in the morning.  Have to have the motorhome back by 9 am.

Day 53 Wednesday June 7

We took the motorhome over to the truck repair place.  Judy and I found a lake front park and walked around a little admiring the view. Then we went over to Joan and Ron’s for a while. We went with Joan to the Vermont Teddy bear company and looked around. Then we went to a shop in town which is owned by one of Joan’s friends. We got a call from the truck company and said the motorhome was ready. Picked up the motor home and then had dinner.  We went to the local grade school to watch and listen to Lizzie play the saxophone in the jazz band and the advanced band. Fun to listen and be proud.  After the concert we went to Joan and Ron’s as they were having a party for some friends who used to live here and now love in Arizona.  There were 8 of us and 7 played a card game until about 11 pm.  It was late when we got home 

Day 54 Thursday June 8

We went rock hounding today.    We picked up Lizzie and Bud and headed off to the causeway between Grand Isle and North Hero islands in Lake Champlain.  Judy , my sister Joan and I went there some years ago.   Well I took a wrong turn so are trip took a little longer than expected.  We had lunch at t local park and then went across the street to the site.   We found a whole bunch of pyrite in the slate. We got the kids home and we went back to the motorhome.  My allergies were acting up today so I took a couple of antihistamines.  It got hot today so the combination of the heat with my almost constant sneezing and antihistamine made me very tired so we stayed home tonight.

Part 6 May 25 - May 31 

Day 38 Thursday May 25

We got up really early and took the motorhome to the Peterbuilt shop for oil change etc.  They said they would look at the air conditioner.  We went to Daniel’s house and worked on the bathroom doing the spackling of the walls.  Left there and went to pick up the motorhome.  They did not do much looking for the cause of the air conditioner malfunction.  Judy made goulash for dinner, yummm.  We went to bed early.

Day 39 Friday May 26

Slept in and after breakfast went to Kroger’s to do some grocery shopping.  Had lunch and then headed to Daniel’s to do some minor touch ups and the spackle job.   Looking good.   Minh-Thanh made nachos for dinner and they were great.  Daniel and I went to a bike shop to get a new tire for his bike.  He is planning on a 100 mile ride on Saturday with thousands of other crazies.  Went to Home Depot to get paint for the bathroom and trim for the floor.  Well they do not make exactly the same trim anymore.  So they may have to redo the whole room with new.  Found a Dairy Queen on the way home and had a vanilla chocolate swirl.

Day 40 Saturday May 27

Got up early and headed over to Daniel’s.  Daniel went on a 100 mile bike ride and at the end of the day he did the whole 100 miles.  When he came home in the evening he went right to bed.  MT and the kids and Judy and I went to the Cincinnati museum and the “Star Wars Costume” exposition.  The museum had 70 original costumes from the movies. What was really great was their descriptions of why the costumes ended up the way they did.  We all had fun there.  MT and the kids had made lunch for us and we ate at the museum.  Next we went to the Museum of Art and looked around.  The kids went to the children’s area after visiting the Tiffany’s glass lamp shade exhibit.  After looking around for a while, we headed out to see some of the old mansion style houses in the older part of Cincinnati.  Stopped at a yarn shop too.  We stopped at Graeter’s ice cream shop for a scoop.  This is a “must” for visitors to the city.  For dinner, MT made a great curry chicken.

Day 41 Sunday May 28

Daniel, Minh-Thanh, Thanh-Tú, and Thanh-Nhã came to our motorhome for the afternoon.  We went to the pond, the kids (big and small) played on the swings and slide and just relaxed.  We had soft tacos for dinner.  We had a nice afternoon and evening.

Day 42 Monday May 29  Memorial Day

We slept in very late this morning.  After lunch? we headed over to Daniel’s.  I showed TT and TN how to do kumihimo cord making.  They caught on quickly. Minh-Thanh’s brother came from southern Florida and we were happy to meet him. I wanted some more local fossils and we headed to a place on Beechmont where the hill had been cut away.  Lots of good stuff there.  We all had fun collecting.  I got one big piece for a friend who went to school in Ohio.  Minh-Thanh made us a great looking and tasting Vietnamese dinner.  It was wonderful.  Then chocolate dipped strawberries for desert.

Day 43 Tuesday May 30

We left Kentucky and headed east out of Cincinnati on I-275 then I-71 north to I-70.  We spent the night at an RV park in Cambridge, OH.  Pleasant drive, no storms and light winds.

Day 44 Wednesday May 31

We left Cambridge, OH and continued east on I-70 into Pennsylvania then took I-79 north to I-80.  WE went east to exit 123 where we spent the night at a nice woodsy park called Woodland Campground space 25.  We had the left over Vietnamese food Minh-Thanh had sent with us.  It is just a good as when we had it two days ago.  It got windy this afternoon and was starting to get thunderstorms late in the evening.

 

 Part 5 May 18-May 24

Day 31 Thursday May 18

After breakfast, we did our laundry.   Then we headed off to Mammoth Cave NP and signed up for the Domes and Flows tour at 1 pm.  The ranger man at the information counter was black and his great grandfather was a slave and who was a guide at the caves way before the area became a park.  He was very proud to now being a guide today.  We caught the bus and headed to the cave entrance.  There are more than one depending on the tour.  Ours started out with 280 almost spiraling steps going down 250 feet below the ground essentially in a huge tube.  Most of the tour was in an old underground river.  Not a lot of fancy formations in most of the caves here because it is overlayed with an impervious sandstone layer.  Near the end of the tour, the last quarter mile, had some beautiful formations, the most famous was the Niagara falls. The cave system is mostly famous because of the large number of huge rooms and the 405 miles of tunnels in a 7 square mile area.  By the way there are many caves here in the area which are not part of the Mammoth cave system, they think.   The guide says that just about every week or so up to 5 more new miles of tunnels are investigated and added to the system.  Whew.  We went out to dinner.

Day 32 Friday May 19

Left Cave City campground and headed north on I-65.  Rain and thunderstorms predicted in the area and were heading northeast.  We were going to try and out run them and we did.   Drove I-65 to Elizabethtown then east to Lexington and then north on I-75.   At lunch tried calling several RV parks and they were full over the Memorial weekend.  One offered a spot until the weekend so we decided to go there.  When we got to Cincinnati South campground in Kentucky, they gave us a spot with full hookups.  Yeah.   I took a shower and then we headed to Daniel’s house.  Heavy thunderstorms and lots of slow traffic on the way.  We had dinner together and the kids practiced piano which was fun to listen to.  The kids were on their way to bed and so we decided to leave to go home.   Daniel showed us the cicadas  which were coming out of the ground around the big tree in front of their house after 17 years of being in the ground.  They were not chirping yet as it was not hot enough.  Easy drive home.

Day 33 Saturday May 20

We went to Walmart to get some prescriptions.  Well they just closed for lunch so we left and will go back later.   After lunch we headed over to Daniels’s house.  Had fun with the family having dinner and then playing a Star Wars Monopoly game. Of course, ahem, Luke Skywalker overcame Darth Vader.  We drove through a big thunderstorm all the way home.  Lots of lightening and serious downpours.

Day 34 Sunday May 21

Spent the morning relaxing.  After lunch went to Daniels.  We had dinner and then headed to the kid’s Montessori school where Thanh-Tú was in the school orchestra playing his violin.  Yes he plays the violin as well as piano.  He had a small solo part too.  It was fun watching all the small kids play their string instruments.  Thanh-Nhã said she wanted to play the cello next year.  Thanh-Tú plays the piano, violin, swims, and baseball.  Thanh-Nhã plays the piano, swims, and does dance.  Mom and dad are busy.  No rain on the way home.

Day 35 Monday May 22

 We decided to have a relaxing day.  Left home around noon to go to Walmart to get prescriptions.  Then after lunch we went for a walk around the RV park. There was a nice pond with swallows, Canadian geese and a turtle.

Inch worm on Judy's shirt

Daniel called and asked us to come early and help remodel their small bathroom.  That is, take out the toilet and vanity and get the walls ready to paint.  Yeaa, a project. 

Day 36 Tuesday May 23

We went to Daniels and started tearing the bathroom vanity out.   Found out that the nice oak floor did not go all the way back to the wall.  Lucky he had some of the flooring in the basement and we figured out how to get all that fixed.   After dinner we went to watch Thanh-Tú play baseball. His team, the Reds, won.

Thanh-Tu #15

Fun to watch the little kids play.  We all planned what we are going to do over the next few days.

Day 37 Wednesday May 24

Judy and I slept in today.  Then headed over to the kid’s place where I planned on working on the bathroom.  I put in the new molding and then the new flooring (18 inches by 42 inches).  Both went well. I then put another layer of spackle on the holes that were in the wall.  Good day.  We left in time to catch the rush hour and another thunderstorm.  Daniel and the kids went to a school related campout and Minh-Thanh was at work.

Part 4 May 11- May 17

Day 23 Thursday May 11

Well we looked at the forecast for today along I-44 to Missouri and decided to stay put for the day.   Also, after 4 days of fighting the wind I needed a rest.  Severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.  After lunch we went north a ways to a yarn shop so Judy could buy some different yarn needles.  We found out when we got home a tornado had touched down only a few miles from where we were.  The area that is Tulsa metro area was under severe thunderstorm and possible tornados all afternoon.  After dinner, storms had all past by, we went to get a few groceries.   Saw some pretty and unusual clouds in the skies. The day was interesting as well as a little scary as the storm passed right over us.  Lucky no really strong winds or hail here.

Day 24 Friday May 12

We woke up to clouds but very light wind so off we went to Branson, MO.  Well it was not too long into the trip when we were heading east on I-44 towards Joplin, MO that the wind picked up significantly.  Mostly headwinds and gusty.  Rats, I have had enough of that stuff.  Well, in Springfield, we headed south on US 65 to Branson.   We did not realize how hilly the area is.  The roads went straight up and down hills and they were very very steep.  The hills were covered with trees and everything is green.  We turned off in Branson on highway 248 and drove to Americas Best Campground and got space 80.  They gave us a pile of brochures about the current shows.  We picked for tonight “The Magnificent 7” which presented songs from the 40’s to the present.  Before the show we went to a steak house called Charlies which had a woman singing for entertainment.  Fun evening.

Day 25 Saturday May 13

Slept in a bit and after breakfast decided which shows to see today.  At 2pm we went to the Doo-Wop and the Drifters.  The lead singer was with the Drifters in the mid-60’s.  Really fun show.  Lots of good old songs in the two hours.  This evening we went to the Baldknobbers show which was country western with some slap stick comedy.  We were a tad late because the ticket seller did not tell us the place for the show had been moved.  The show was lots of fun too but a little too loud. 

Day 26 Sunday May 14  Happy Mother’s Day

Well we got up after our fun time in Branson and headed back north to Springfield and took US 60 east.  It turned out to be four lanes all the way to Poplar Bluff.  Beautiful rolling hills with lots of green and miles of trees.  Very pretty drive and the wind was behind us so all was well.  Spent the night in Poplar Bluff Walmart.   When we woke up we saw signs that said no overnight RV or truck parking.  Well, they didn’t kick us out.   The lady in the store said it was ok for us to stay there.   Who knows.

Day 27 Monday May 15

Left Poplar Bluff and continued east on US 60.   As soon as we crossed into Illinois it turned to two lanes all the way to I-24, about 30 some miles.   On this route, we crossed the Mississippi river on a old two lane bridge built, I think, for model T cars.  Very narrow.  We didn’t meet any big trucks but did have to meet a school bus.  Scarry.   At this point the Ohio river meets the Mississippi river.   Here at this junction near the city of Cairo, Lewis and Clark spent 6 days before continuing on their journey.   We had to cross the Ohio river also on a very narrow old two lane bridge.   No trucks on this bridge either but one was coming on the bridge just  we were coming off.  Whew.  Once on I-24 we headed south to Nashville, then north of town on I-65.  We went to the Grand Ole RV park just of exit 97. After setting up, we went to the office to see about tickets to the Grand Ole Opry.   Well Gray Line tours said they had only one ticket left for Tuesday night’s performance.   Well we went back home, got on the internet and found tickets at the Grand Ole Opry web site.  We had heard in Branson about a very good Elvis impersonator so we looked him up on the internet too.  Got two tickets for tonight.  We had a quick dinner then headed to the theater on Music Valley Drive.  The performer put on a two hour non-stop show with Elvis songs from the 50’s to the 70’s.  During the show, “Elvis” came down the aisle and shock my hand and gave Judy a kiss. She still has not washed her face.  Great fun to listen and watch.   It was different in that we were allowed to take pictures during the performance.  No video’s though.  Today was a long and fun day.

Day 28 Tuesday May 16

After breakfast we headed out to the local town to check out the many antique malls.  Apparently the area is known for the large number of places.   After looking and looking we headed home and had a early dinner.  We headed off to the Grand Ole Opry, well the GPS did not quite give us the right place.  We were in the balcony middle section (in other words the nose bleed section).  The show is good and the headliner was Ricky Skaggs.   I think we have had enough country-western for a while.

Day 30 Wednesday May 17

Had breakfast, got the motorhome ready, drove a ways to a level spot and hooked up Goldie.  When I put the ignition key in again and turned it, nothing happened.   Well after a few trys it started.  Started to drive out of the park and someone flagged me down.  I was dragging Goldie on the gravel as I forgot to neutralize the transmission.  First time I did that stupid thing.   Went to start the motorhome again and nothing.   Finally after turning the ignition on multiple times it started.  We drove to Bowling Green in Kentucky and tried to find someone to check out the ignition.  Finally after trying a few places we found a shop who as willing and able to help.  Of course the ignition switch worked fine for the mechanic.   Finally, it did not work and the diagnosis was a contact issue.  He took the switch apart, cleaned the contacts, and added dielectric grease.  Hopefully all is done with that issue.   While driving I noticed the heater/defrost fan was not running.   Drat.   Will check it out in the morning.  Very hot today with temperature at 91.  We saw on the news that there were more tornadoes where we had stayed in Oklahoma.

Part 3 May 3-May10

 Day 15 Wednesday May 3

We went to the library which opens at 10 to do the blog.   Computer was slow and we a quite a few days of emails to sort out.   After lunch, we headed off to the White Mountains to the south.   Our plan was to do the loop by Mt. Escudilla.

Mt. Escudilla from Terry flat.

  Driving south on highway 180/191 we saw a herd of elk maybe 30 of them but no place to pull over.  Further down the highway we were surprised by a herd of elk along the road and they decided to jump the fence and cross the highway.   Close to 20 of them and none were bulls with horns.   As we turned off the highway to the mountain, the recent forest fire was evident.  A few miles up the road was a small fishing lake. As we were enjoying the view an osprey dove into the lake and pull out a fish.  All the way up and around the Terry Flat loop the beautiful aspens and pines were gone.  So sad.   There was still lots of grass in the flat and the mountain with its fire lookout was not burned. We came down and decided to go to Big Lake.  The road was now paved all the way which was nice after the rough road going up the mountain.  Sunny and 65 there and only a few fishermen.

Big Lake

It is amazing to see here miles of grass lands high, that is, 7-8000 feet in the mountains. On the way down from the lake to Eager/Springerville we saw a herd of antelope on a ridge and another herd of 40 elk in a meadow (none with horns).  Just before the steep drop down to highway 260 and Eagar there was a lookout where you could see the White Mountains and lots of the cinder cones of the volcanic field. Today we saw 4 herd of elk, pronghorns, a skunk by Judy, lots of little birds, flickers in the mountains and an osprey.   Nachos for dinner. Yum.

Day 16 Thursday May 4

Went out to the property to put us some no trespassing signs around.  Got four of them up in selected places which may deter some people from riding their 4 wheelers all over the place.  I spent some time wandering around just enjoying the place.  Judy was happy just knitting and reading.  Warm today with temp close to 80.  There was hardly any wind most of the day so it felt hot today.

Day 17 Friday May 5 Happy Cinco de Mayo

We went out to the property again today.  Judy and I went to check out some petrified wood to get a nice piece for friends.  Found one that had a pretty look but not tooo heavy.  Picked up a few other rocks also especially some red jasper and chalcedony.  It was getting hot so we sat down under our shelter and had something to drink.  I decided to cut the fence so I measured the fence relative to the property line and went it got close to the 20 foot easement I cut it.  The cut fence is now 450 feet from the east boundary instead of 950 feet. Now according to the law the rancher cannot legally cut the fence as it meets the easement requirements.  I then went back to the shelter picking up more chalcedony on the way and we had lunch.  Getting hot.  I wanted to harvest some more petrified wood with quartz crystals so we packed up and drove to the petrified wood area.   After collecting, we headed back to our air-conditioned home as it was really hot.   Temperature was 86 degrees but felt hotter.  I don’t buy the dry heat theory.  Yummy spicy chicken on a salad.  We are planning to leave here on Sunday.  Feels like we just got here.

Day 18 Saturday May 6

We drove to Springerville to go to Safeway to get prescriptions filled and buy some groceries because we are leaving St. Johns tomorrow.   No pharmacy at Safeway.   It turns out that the only pharmacy in town is at Western Drug.  To transfer Judy’s prescription would take 3-4 hours and mine they did not have.  So we will wait until we get to a bigger city and have a day.  Judy wanted to go to Allreds western clothing store to see about a new denim shirt.  Nothing for her.  Thunderstorms started as we were leaving the store and continued most of the way back to St. Johns.  Very windy but no rain in St. Johns.  We had spaghetti for dinner and a big salad.   Ahh.  Relaxing day. 

Day 19 Sunday May 7

Peridot in basalt from Springerville volcanic field.

We packed up and headed out of St. Johns.   We took 191 north to Sanders and the I-40 junction.  The first half of the 52 mile road was over badlands so the road has shifted and settled making it very hard to drive fast.   Once on I-40 the road into New Mexico was much better.  The wind started to blow from the east and was very gusty.   A few gusts blew us into the left lane several times so we decided to stop early as driving was very difficult. Gusts to 50 mph were reported on the news. We spent the night at Sky City casino spot 121.  The famous sky city Acoma is near by.  Fish for dinner.  Called my sister to wish her a happy birthday.

Day 20 Monday May 8

We got up early and headed out to try to miss the strong storms expected in the afternoon in eastern New Mexico.   The wind started early but not too bad to drive in.  The road conditions were worse.  After lunch we decided to stop for the day.  Spent the night at Mountain Road at space 37 in Tucumcari.  While watching TV a tornado alert come on for the county we are in.  The storm cell was just west of Tucumcari heading northerly but after an hour the tornado watch was canceled and a severe thunderstorm watch was in effect until midnight. 

Lots of thunder and lightning.  We were just outside the effected zone.

Day 21 Tuesday May 9

Got up early again expecting more severe weather.  Windy all day from the SW meaning the wind was hitting the side of the motorhome.  The roads in Texas were much better than in New Mexico.  The Oklahoma roads were pretty good too.  It was not too gusty and the weather forecast said the winds would be in the 20-30 mph.  Spent the night in the El Reno, OK Walmart parking lot.  We go some of our prescriptions refilled, well to be ready in the morning.  The temperature was 85 today and it was very humid.  A big change from Arizona with very low humidity.

Day 22 Wednesday May 10

We went into the Walmart store and picked up our prescriptions.  Yeah they got my pills.  We left and headed east on I-40.  Just before Oklahoma city we turned north on a toll road.  By the time we got to Tulsa we had paid about $18 for 100 miles.  In Tulsa, we went to the Mingo RV park off I-244 and got spot 222.  After showering, we headed off the visit friends who used to live in Shelton and moved here to be close to kids.  Jane and Dan have a very nice house in a smaller town just north of Tulsa. 

We went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant after trying a Chinese place that just happened to be closed for the week.   We had a fun time talking and it was so good to see them again.  One of our air-conditioners was not working and the refrigerator did not automatically switch from gas to electric.   After checking fuses, found out the outside 50 amp plug was not quite in all the way.  Whew.  Thunderstorms and rain during the night and more to come tomorrow.

Part 2  Day 8 to Day 14 April 18-24

Day 8 Tuesday April 25

Cool this morning, in the low 50’5 and did not heat up much today.  Pretty windy too.  After breakfast, we went to Springerville to go to Basha’s grocery store to get some things not available locally.  When we got to town went to the hardware store to get something for the bathroom shower.  Then we stopped at the White Mountain Dinosaur Exploration center to look in as it is closed on Tuesday.  Well one of the paleologist was there named Hazel Wolfe.  Her and her husband Doug and older child Christopher (28 years) will be coming on Wednesday to our property to tell us about the geology of the property and to look at our fossils we have found.  We are excited.   Hazel showed us around their museum and the fossils and rocks they have there. The couple and son have discovered on the Zuni plateau two new dinosaurs.  One is the oldest known “cap” dinosaurs discovered so far.  Can’t wait.  After grocery shopping we stopped at DQ for lunch then back to St. Johns.  Went out to the property to fix the fence and found it had been cut again.  Probably just after we had fixed it two years ago.  On the way back we saw a man with a trailer and the steers were there.  I asked him if he had cut the fence and he said yes.   Really?   He said he had the right to cut a fence if it interfered with the cows getting to water.  Well the cows could walk around if they wanted to.  We stopped at the sheriff’s office in town and filed a report.  A nice sheriff man came to see us at the RV park and he will check to see if it is legal to cut a fence even if it is old. If it not legal he will ask us if we want to press charges.  We will see what happens.

Day 9 Wednesday April 26

We met Hazel and Doug Wolfe (son could not come) at the catholic church in town then headed out the 6040 road also known as the Salt Lake road.  They seemed excited about the property and its varied looking terrain.  Doug said that all the area around St. Johns was part of the Chinle formation which is about 212 million years ago.  The petrified wood area on the property was most likely a result of a log jam with all the logs pushed into one area. He said if I plotted the lay of the logs I could determine the flow of the water.  Might try that sometime. The white layered sandstone was the result of water depositing sand as the waters rose and fell.  They could not find any fossils although 6 miles away at the local dump one could find lots of stuff.  One “rock” we have said had a 50-50 chance of being a fossil.  The darker rock which covers a large area of the property was probably river bottom and Doug said if we looked more closely we could see various channels where the water flowed over time.  After spending several hours, we went back to the motorhome for lunch and talked longer about them and their work.  A very fun and interesting day with a wonderful and energetic young couple (young by our standards).  Most of their dinosaur digs are just east of here in New Mexico in the Cretaceous period layer when the dinosaurs lived 70 million years ago.  They promised us a tour one of these days to their digs and other interesting areas. Too excited and forgot to take pictures.

Day 10 Thursday April 27

Craig and Wanda came around 1 pm.  We were very happy to see them again.  We sat around and talked for a while then headed out to the property for a dinner picnic/barbeque.  The wind was blowing but the food was good.  We cooked steak on sticks over a fire and had potato salad.  Yummy.   Since the wind was blowing harder now and it was cooling down we head back home.   More visiting and then to bed.

Day 11 Friday April 28. 

Raining and storming and cool.  We were going for a drive/picnic into the mountains but changed our minds and just stayed put.  After lunch, we headed to Springerville and the White Mountain Dinosaur Center museum.  Hazel was there and son Christopher who discovered the zuniceratops.  They showed Craig and Wanda around and Judy and I again. 

Craig the zuniceratops rider

 

They are so excited about their work and sharing it with others.  Doug came in later as he had been meeting with another group.  They invited us back any time and wanted to stay in touch.  We headed back and went to the local Mexican restaurant here in St. Johns.    Nice dinner. Snow showers on the way home. Everyone was tired so we went to bed early.

Day 11 Saturday April 29

We had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and toast.   Craig and Wanda left around 9 am to head back to Tucson.  Judy and I went to the local fairgrounds where the local boy scouts were having a jamboree at the invitation of Doug of the White Mt. Dinosaur Center.  We watched the kids with a dunk tank, boys making catapults, visiting Doug’s display, Petrified Forest NP booth, etc.  The most interesting was the boy’s pine block car derby.  The local winner Desmond B. going to state competition in Phoenix.  Well we sat next to the winning boy’s grandparents and they were fun to talk to.  .  The winning car was shaped like a hot dog with bun and wiener.  We had never seen the racing before and did not know how much effort these kids put into their cars. Timing was down to the one thousand of a second. There were three lanes and each car got to race once in each lane and they averaged the three times. They also had a display winner too for the best designed car.  We spent the rest of the afternoon where there were off and on snow snifters reading and crocheting.

Day 12 Sunday April 30

After a leisurely morning, we went to mass at the local Catholic church.  Had lunch and did the laundry.  There was we thought supposed to be a mariachi band at the local park with some kind of religious event but no band.  We went for a drive up 191. Found some nice sheets of selenite along the side of the road. Weather today was better.  Temperature in the mid-60’s but still windy.

Day 13 Monday May 1

Today we took the driving tour of the Springerville Volcanic Field.  It is 1158 square miles and has 405 vents which typically are cones of some type.  One the way we saw several groups of antelopes.  The roads were not too bad and luckily they had a day to dry out.  There still was snow in the forest but not a lot.  Nice drive through the grass lands, juniper forest and pine forests at the upper elevations.

Aspens just beginning to leaf out

he upper elevations.  Most of the dirt road drive was from highway 60 to highway 260.  We were headed for Green Peak, a tall cinder cone, where the view was supposed to be great.  At the base the road up did not look good so we didn’t go up. On the way down to highway 260, we did a three mile side trip to Carnero Lake.  Beautiful place. Heard some frogs but could not find them.  Saw an osprey hover and then dive into the lake but came up empty.  On 260 we headed west through the Indian reservation to Pinetop-Lakeside where we went to Burger King for lunch.   Took highway 60 from Show Low back to Springerville.  We stopped at every road cut on the way because the information said some of them had evidence of peridot (olivine crystals).   Didn’t find any.  We did a little grocery shopping at Safeway then headed back home.  We stopped at some of the road cuts on 180 and found some peridot.  No big crystals, but found some.  Fun day.  Warm and not too windy.

Day 14 Tuesday May 2

Today we went out to the property just to enjoy being there.   I spent some time fixing a part of the road where there is a culver (8 inch pipe).  Water had eroded part of the road probably because of heavy rain.  Got it taken care of but someday I will want to put in a bigger culvert.  We had lunch at our shelter.  It was warm with very little wind until later in the day.  I checked out the fence on the north property line and found that most of the fence in further than 20 feet from the property line which is the required amount.  The eastern end of the fence however is on the line.  Legally the cows need toc get through. I someday may put up a regulation fence.  However, I think I will cut the fence where is gets closer than 20 feet.  That way the cows will cross our property nearer the eastern end instead of in the middle.  There should be less damage.  We had stir fry for dinner.

 Part 1.  Day 1 to Day 7 April 18-April 14

Day1  April 18 Tuesday

We spent time after breakfast at 7 am getting our last minute stuff into the motorhome.  Took off and head to Les Schwab to have the tire pressure adjusted.  Then we were finally on our way about 10:15 am.  We headed south on 101 to I-5 and then south.  Lunch was at a rest stop just before to merge to I-205.  Traffic was light and we encountered a few thunder showers.  Took I-84 east along the Columbia gorge.  Beautiful today with lots of green on the hills and very little wind and sun.  We drove to Boardman exit 164 off I-84 and got spot 15 with a nice view of the river.  Good day and the motor home is doing well.  R

Columbia River

After spending a long Lenten season the celebration of Easter Sunday was welcome.  We were graced with the company of Molly and her two darling boys.  We had a birthday to celebrate, too.  Sunshine was sooo welcome.  Lots of cake, jelly eggs and chocolate bunnies too. 

We have been looking forward to a return trip to the east coast, and to once again attempt to visit the Country Music spots.  We had to delete them years ago when a series of tornados sent us away… it is just one of those things we want to do… We will start our tour with a visit to our favorite place in Arizona, checking for dinosaur bones… so stay tuned.    ( Judy)

Day 2 Wednesday April 19

We slept in today as the first day is usually the hardest, especially for the driver getting used to driving again.  We continued driving east on I-84.  We ate lunch at a rest stop just before Baker, Oregon.  Last time we were there a colony of prairie dogs were there.  Did not see a one today.  Spent the night in Caldwell, ID and the Canyon RV park space 120.  No rain today but more windy at times than yesterday.  The hot water tank is acting up.  The temperature at the tank is 122 degree F, but the water never gets hot at any of the faucets.  Darn.

Day 3 Thursday April 20

After breakfast headed towards Boise and stopped at the Camping World in Meridian to see about the hot water.  The tech said, just as I suspected, that there was somewhere cold water diluting the hot water.   So I checked the valves around the hot water tank.  No valve suggested by the tech.  But I did open and close the exit valve out of the hot water tank, and that did the trick.  The valves may be getting bad after all these years and need replacement.  We drove I-84 just in into Utah to Snowville (no snow) and stayed at the old Lottie-Del RV park now called Earp and Wyatt Hitching Post.  The old guy who used to own this place finally sold it after trying for many year.  No rain today except when hooking up for the night. 

Day 4 Friday April 21

Woke up this morning to frost.  But mostly sunny.  Continued on I-84 south until I-15.  Drove through Salt Lake area and the traffic was not too bad.  A few windy spots but otherwise the trip down to Cedar City exit 57 was good.   Spent the night at the Walmart parking lot.  We bought a few groceries here.  I tried the local Home Depot, which was in walking distance, for the valve and piping I need to change out the hot water distribution system.  When we get to St Johns, I will forget about changing the valves and plug off the cold water bypass.  Fix the rest when we get home.  I called Craig and Wanda in Tucson and made arrangements for them to come and visit us in St. John on Thursday.   We will enjoy seeing them again.

Day 5 Saturday April 22

Cold again this morning.  We left Cedar City and headed south on I-15 to exit 27 to Hurricane, UT.  We then took highway 59 to Fredonia and then to Kanab, UT where we took US 89 South to Flagstaff, AZ. We stopped at the Glen Canyon dam with lake? Powell behind it for a break.  Not very much water behind the dam.  It was 74 in Flagstaff with some gusty winds along the way there.  We went on to I-40 stopping at Meteor Crater RV park for the night taking space.  Long day driving but will be in St. Johns tomorrow. 

Flowers are blooming.

It is so great to see the beautiful red rock country.  Breathtaking.   I love it here.  J

Wow… We are really on the road.  We were pleased to find the cleanest shower ever at this park.  J

Day 6 Sunday April 23

Left Meteor Crater Rv and headed east again on I-40.   Stopped for diesel just before Holbrook.  Exited at Holbrook and took highway 180 to St. Johns.   The road was terribly bumpy especially around the turnoff to Petrified Forest NP.  In St. Johns, we went to Moon Meadows RV park where we usually stay and got space 115.  Set up and went into town to get some groceries and parts to fix the hot water problem.  I plugged the cold water bypass and that solved the problem.  The hot water comes out hot again.

Thanks to my handy husband…J

Day 7 Monday April 24

After breakfast we went to town to the post office to send a few things.  Then we headed out to the property to check it out.  It appears there was some 4-wheel ATV activity on the property as well as fresh steer tracks.  There was a hole in the section line fence and will check it out tomorrow to see if it was cut again and to fix it.  A cactus near our shelter was blooming and was beautiful. 

Don't laugh, it protects us from the sun.  View from the shelter.  Very beautiful.

The shelter was still standing after two years. There also were a few yellow flowers which were about a quarter inch (1 cm) in diameter. 

 

Stopped at the grocery store and got some 2% milk which they did not have yesterday.  Windy today and temperature in the mid-70’s.  We are happy to be back here again. 

All is well, we spent time just giving thanks for such a wonderful place… now to spend some very peaceful time.  J