Copper Canyon -- Day 3, Driving Back to Creel

After a lovely breakfast (they make the best sweet breads!) we departed on Mexican time (30 minutes late). The drive back was dreaded due to the bumpy, curvy, narrow road. We were also unsure if our van would make it back without stalling out. Our van never quit, and we made fewer stops along the road so we got back faster and earlier than expected. The views coming up out of the canyon were more awe inspiring, seeing the canyon walls towering over us. We also experienced the narrowness of the canyons. We had expected something similar to the Grand Canyon, but these are narrow, covered with trees and shrubs and paths. They are somewhat smoother, less dramatic walls than the Grand Canyon but they are much deeper and there are more of them concentrated in this area.

There was no sleeping or reading in the van as it was just too bumpy and curvy. John and I took a fast walk into town, visited with new friends and had a great grilled pork chop dinner.

Copper Canyon - Day 2 Touring the Area

We got to sleep in, but coffee was ready at 7 AM, breakfast at 8 and off we went to visit the area at 9. Our first stop was just one block away to a parochial boarding school run by the Sacred Heart nuns. There were 150 students but only 30 girls were boarded there and they were mostly Tarahumara natives who walk for miles to get there. On the weekends the parents would come to get their children and then walk them back on Sunday, and a few were full time. The place was clean and well run. We saw the dorm, the kitchen, a couple of class rooms and the playground. A few of us left them some school supplies that we had brought.

We then rode the vans (yes, it was fixed) to The Lost Cathedral which was about 30 minutes past Batopilas down a very bumpy road! Along the way we stopped at the home of some Tarahumara where we got to listen to one of the little girls play the harmonica and another young girl danced for us. There were 9 children altogether. They tend to have very large families. Then we stopped at a small school with about 50 students and 2 teachers. It is a very poor school for the Tarahumara. A lot of us had brought school supplies, some toys and candy. The teacher decided to had out some of the stuff while we were there. The joy on the students faces was priceless. The Lost Cathedral was built by Jesuit missionaries in the mid 1700's for the 220 Tarahumara Indians. Later it was taken over by the Franciscan missionaries and construction was completed around 1780. Today they are refurbishing it inside and out so it looks almost new.

Lunch was on the square at the Carolina Restaurant with a local recipe of beef and cabbage served cold on a tostada. I loved it! On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped at a small museum that recounted the history of the area with its beginnings as a silver mining community.

After a short nap the 3 Canadians and I got a ride over to the ruins of the very huge Hacienda San Miguel located across the river from the town. This gentleman was one of the first silver mine owners in the area and he spent a lot of money on his home which included a swimming pool! Today it is in ruins and has squatters living in it along with their cows and goats. The Canadians and I were surprised that our driver left us there but he then returned with a few more from our group. At that point we were ready to go back to the hotel but he had left AGAIN! So we climbed down to the river, crossed it by walking across a make shift bridge of boards and walked back. Meanwhile, John was enjoying some 'muy frio cerveza' !

I forgot to mention that our first night here we had entertainment from two Tarahumara who played the violin and guitar. Tonight our entertainment is a Mexican band consisting of a tuba, snare drum, singer/guitar player, accordion and violin/singer. It was a wild bunch. A lot of their music had a very German, oompah feel to it. It is a shame that we cannot understand the words -- I have a feeling that some of the songs were very funny or risque! And since we had a fair amount of margaritas it was a wild and fun evening!

Copper Canyon -- Day 1, Going Down

We have a standing joke about what time we are going to start a journey and that is we do them on Mexico time. Meaning that we were scheduled to leave at 8 AM but didn't get away until after 8:30 AM. They figured it was a 5 hour drive to the town of Batopilas (Baht-o-PEE-lahs) at the bottom of one of the many canyons that make up Copper Canyon. The first half of the trip was on a paved highway but it was very curvy and always going up & down.

We stopped on the roadside to look and buy wares made by Tarahumara Indians. These native peoples live in the canyon, for many centuries they have lived in caves but more and more of them are moving into adobe houses. We spotted some of the cave homes and many more of the adobe. These people walk everywhere and for many, many miles. Their civilization is changing and becoming more modern, donated clothing is changing the way they dress, paved and new gravel roads is changing the way they walk, and schools are changing the expectations of the children growing up. Not all change is good!

Back to the drive -- once we hit the dirt road it became an adventure! Our group was traveling in two white 15 passenger vans and one SUV with 9 passengers in each van and 5 passengers in the SUV. Our guide had included 3 Canadians who joined our group. John and I, being the youngest in the group, chose to ride at the very back of the van and boy was it bumpy! The scenery was beautiful but the road kept us alert because not only was it bumpy but very narrow and steep. If we met another automobile, we had to find a pull off to let them by. At times it felt like we should have been driving our Jeep instead of being in a van. We stopped several times for photo opportunities and potty breaks so we did not get to our lunch break until 2 PM. We stopped at someone's home whose front yard was a lovely orange grove where tables and chairs were prepared for us. Then the van drivers and our guide prepared a hot lunch by cooking over an open fire on a large iron wok style pan. They fried chopped bacon, ham, hamburger and hot dogs with onions and green peppers and other seasonings. They also prepared fresh guacamole and tortillas filled with cheese. The tables were covered with white clothes and white cloth napkins. Wine, cerveza and soft drinks were on the side. It was a lovely setting and a great meal!

Onward! But our van wouldn't start, so the men pushed it down the hill to level ground and it seemed fine. Then about an hour down the road our van died! It just quit running in the middle of the road. Lots of roadside mechanics in the van (i.e.. the guys all had an opinion about what was wrong.) They finally got it started and we went about 2 KM and it died again. This time we put as many people as we could in the other two vehicles and sent them on with a request to come back and get the rest of us which was John and I, our wagon masters and the driver. Shortly after the others pulled away they got the van going again and we made it all the way Batopilas and it was only 6:30 PM in time for dinner at 7!

Our hotel was lovely! It was built as a hacienda in the late 1800's and refurbished into the Riverside Hotel about 10 years ago. It was built on the side of a hill so lots of steps to get to some of the rooms, and it was pretty long. The rooms were quaint and charming, the beds comfortable (mostly) and the claw-foot tubs were unique. I think everyone was pleasantly surprised and delighted with our accommodations.

Creel, Mexico

We left Cuauhtemoc and drove only 104 miles to Creel which is located on the edge of Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) in the Sierra Tarahumara. The trip took us to an elevation of over 8,000 ft., thru logging country and back down to about 7,000 ft in 4 hours. It was nice to see all the green evergreens and fir trees.

Creel is a small town that used to be the center of the logging industry but tourism is the primary job source the past 20 years. But due to the scare of coming to Mexico, tourism has really fallen off and is hurting this part of the country. Our caravan are the only RVs in this beautiful park. It used to be a KOA so has lots of amenities -- even working electricity!

Since it is Sunday, the downtown area was pretty quiet with lots of shops closed. John and I walked the 5 blocks to the center of town and then wondered around the city some. We had a nice cocktail party with music provided by local musicians who were really pretty good. Tonight we have to pack a suitcase for our trip to the bottom of the canyon where we'll stay for 2 nights. We'll have no cell service, nor wi-fi.

Cuauhtemoc

Today we went to the Mennonite Museum which was set up like a Traditional Mennonite home from the early part of this century and learned about the Mennonite culture and their journey to this country. We had lunch at a Mennonite home after learning about the religious part of their life. We also had the opportunity to purchase some of their locally famous cheese, eggs and butter.

The rest of the day was spent walking, resting, reading and visiting.

Mennonite Country

Today was a travel day thru some beautiful farm country. We left Casas Grande early and drove slowly (this is the hardest part of these caravans for John -- we never got over 45 mph.) We had some good roads but mostly narrow, bumpy roads. Our destination was Cuauhtemoc (quow-tay-moke, accent on tay, soft moke). This area is home to over 40,000 Mennonites, most who are refuges from Canada. There are over 70,000 Minnonites in all of Mexico. We are about an hour west of Cuidad Chihuahua in the state of Chihuahua.

The fields extend to over 75 miles north of Cuauhtemoc. The soil was very black and rich looking. This is not the growing season so most fields were empty. It was really pretty with low mountains surrounding the valley. The apple industry contributed to much of the growth in this area. They have very hard rains in the summer with lots of hail, so we saw many black nets rolled in an inverted 'V' among the apple trees. These will be pulled over the trees to protect them from the hail.

The RV park is run by Peter Lowean and his family and is located in front of his grain elevators. Electricity was an issue! We set us camp THREE times before finding a site with good electric. We had hoped to be able to shower here but because of a freeze earlier this winter there is no hot water! I will NOT take a cold shower, so we will be showering in the RV!

Our next adventure was the bus ride to the restaurant for dinner. We all got in the bus, drove for 1 block and the bus died! So Peter rounded up 3 cars to get 20 people to dinner. By the time we finished eating, the bus was fixed.

Casas Grande aka Paquime

A typical Mexican buffet breakfast started off our day. We had scrambled eggs with ham, refried beans, potatoes with peppers and sausage, tortilla and cheese casserole, fruit and rolls. We were stuffed! And its a good thing because we didn't get to eat lunch until after 2 PM!

We rode in a Trolley Car to tour some of Nueve (new) Casas Grande and then Casas Grande - the original, historic part of town. Then we went out to Paquime (pronounced pah-kee-may'). When the Spaniards invade this area they ask the Indians what this place was called and they said, "Paquime." Legend has it that this word means "I don't know!" in the Indian language but the Spaniards thought it meant "Big House". The ruins we see today are just the foundations of what were believed to be two and three story buildings. They had a system of running water going thru the town and into the buildings, there were two ball courts such as seen in the pyramids of southern Mexico, and many other architectural details that makes this a World Heritage site.

Not far from this site was a new church built in a style similar to those that Franciscan monks built in the 1800's. But inside the walls were covered in a mural painted by a local artist depicting Jesus resurrection and the angels in the clouds surrounding him. It was very pastoral.

On our way to Mata Ortiz, we stopped at a hacienda built in 1902 -1904. It was the site of several battles with Poncho Villa. It was owned by a very rich landowner so there are vestiges of opulence in the building as well as bullet holes from the battles. Only half of the hacienda is being lived in while the other half is very slowly being restored.

From there we drove into Mata Ortiz, a small village that is full of artisans, most of whom have studied pottery making from the originator of this style -- Juan Quezada. We stopped at Juan's house just as they were ready to demonstrate how they fire this style of pottery. The pots themselves are hand formed without the use of a wheel. They are then painted in the style of the native Paquima using a very fine, human hair brush. When they are fired, they are placed on a stand on the ground. A large bucket is placed over the pots and sealed with dirt. The men placed firewood all around the bucket as well as on top. This was lit and left to burn into ash while we ate our lunch. When the fire had died, the ash was very gently pushed away from the bucket and after it had cooled somewhat, the bucket was slowly lifted off of the pots. They had changed from red clay to a beautiful black and white pot. Of course, they had a shop where we could purchase pottery.

On our way out of town we stopped by another artist who works with wood. Then we went thru the Mormon settlement before returning to our campground. It was a VERY long day.

On The Road to Mexico

Last night we had a meeting of the caravan participants and went over our trip log and expectations for this trip. Today we thru out the trip log (for today) and had to wing it! It's an adventure!

The Mexicans have changed all their procedures at the border since the last Fantasy Tour went thru the gate. We left Las Cruces at 7 AM and drove to the border crossing at Santa Teresa where 6 couples got their Visa's and holograms for their RV's. But when we tried to go thru the crossing, the roof over the drive was too low for several rigs and the Mexicans would not let them go thru on any other drive. Fantasy Tours has a policy that they do not split up the group, so we all turned around and waited in the US Customs line for about 45 minutes and then drove 60 miles west to another border crossing at Columbus, NM. The Mexicans would not let us cross without a thorough inspection of the inside of all the coaches so we waited there another hour before moving on. We had to go through two more Mexican Military inspections along our route. We arrived in Nuevo Casas Grande at 4:45 PM and had to hurry to our evening entertainment and dinner.

We had a speaker who told of his discovery of the pottery maker from Mata Ortiz, a small village in Chihuahua. The pottery here is all hand made and formed only by hands that do not use wheels or other forms to shape the pottery. They use brushes made of human hair to paint the pottery. We'll learn more about the art tomorrow. We had a great dinner of steak and chicken cooked in lava pots which kept the food bubbling the whole time we were eating. A couple entertained us with dances from 4 different regions of Mexico and a musician who sang and played the guitar.

Las Cruces, NM

We arrived in Las Cruces, NM on Sunday afternoon in time to do some major grocery shopping. This morning found Pam at the pharmacy and John getting the oil changed in the RV & the propane tank filled. We then rode with the Fantasy Caravan staff to the Mexican border at Santa Teresa which is about 20 miles west of Juarez. We got our tourist visas and the hologram for the RV. The rest of the afternoon was spent resting and relaxing in the RV since the wind was gusting to over 50mph. We had a pretty good sushi meal this evening. Tomorrow we will meet the rest of the caravaners and finish prepping the RV for the trip to Mexico on Wednesday.

Wifi service in Mexico will be spotty (if even available) so I will blog when I can. Don't worry if you don't see a blog for a week -- this will be a very safe trip in safe part of Mexico.

Patagonia Lake State Park

Thursday we drove to Patagonia Lake State Park, about a 70 mile drive. It is a beautiful, small lake and campground. It is situated at the bottom of a canyon with steep sides and desert all around. We were able to get a site fairly close to the lake so John got out his inflatable kayak and did some fishing (no luck). This is the first time this whole trip that he has used the kayak. While he fished, I hiked. I scared up some white tail deer and watched the ducks and grebes diving in the lake. Another hike took me around a small hill in desert washes and thru the scrub -- about a 5 mile walk.

Friday afternoon a Hispanic family and their friends camped in the site next to us. At first we thought we wouldn't mind having them next to us but as the evening wore on, more people showed up and the conversations got louder. Quiet time (10 PM) came and went and the noise kept on. Bedtime, middle of the night then 3:45 AM and they were still partying!!! I could hardly believe my eyes when at 8 AM they were all up and the men had a Bud Light in their hands! All of that combined with a very windy day led us to break camp and pull out around noon a day earlier than planned. We complained to the park rangers (who had already been by their campsite) and they refunded our fee for one day. We were happy to be gone!

We only drove a short distance to Benson AZ and found a really nice campground where we spent the night. We rode our bikes and rented a movie and talked with our family for a pleasant evening!

Tucson AZ

We stayed in Tucson a couple of extra days since it was a very nice campground. Tuesday I spent the whole afternoon getting my hair cut and colored while John hung out at the RV park, rode his bike and computered. On Wednesday we rode our bikes to a shopping area in downtown Tucson - about a 16 mile round trip ride. 4th Avenue borders on the university campus so we saw lots of tattoo parlors, new age shops and coffee cafes.

We departed Tucson late morning and as we were leaving the congestion of the city, we saw this beautiful white Spanish Mission just off the highway. It is called the Mission San Xavier Del Bac and is located on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation. It was built in 1783-1797 by Franciscan missionaries and today is still run by them as a church and school.

Called the "White Dove of the Desert" the inside is sometimes referred to as the Sistine Chapel of the Southwest. The exterior is all white with domes, carvings, arches and flying buttresses. The inside has many paintings, murals and frescos while the altar and apses are covered in gold leaf. The gardens are typical desert designs with lots of cacti and other desert plants. It was very pretty -- an unusual stop and well worth our time there.

Kitt Peak Observatory

Oh WOW! This was really cool! Kitt Peak is a 6800 foot mountain about 45 miles west of Tucson and has 26 telescopes located on it. They offer a nightly program where one can go up and actually observe the stars. John and I signed up for this about a week and a half ago and have been looking forward to it ever since. We arrived shortly before 5 PM on Monday night. There was still a lot of snow up there and the temp hovered around 40°. We received a box lunch and preliminary information about the mountain top -- like no lights! As a large group, we watched the sun set and learned about some of the telescopes located up there. Most are university owned and operated. We went inside one dome that has a remotely operated telescope. The folks in FL were watching us while we watch them maneuver the telescope.

They divided the large group into 3 smaller groups of 12. I think we had the best! Our guide, Bob, was very knowledgeable about the universe and was able to explain a lot of it to us as well as pointing out constellations, nebulas, stars, planets etc. We learned how to use a star chart and then located the actual constellations like Orion, the big dipper, little dipper, Gemini, Polaris, Leo, and more! Using the telescope we watched Jupiter and 3 of its moons. We were given binoculars and star gazed with them and then we spent over an hour looking at the wonders of the universe. Telescopes have to be at the same temperature as the air around them to prevent distortions, so we were out doors or in a roofless room for a good part of the evening. We did have some warm classroom time as well. We were on the mountain for over 5 hours and never got bored.

In order to keep the lights from our cars from bothering the telescopes, we all departed en-mass with no headlights for about a mile down the hill.

This will be an event we won't soon forget! I would recommend it to anyone coming out to Tucson! You have to make reservations about 2 weeks in advance but it is really worth it!

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

I think John and I have had about all we can take of cactus and deserts! This is a nice park with a great campground (all pull thru sites) only 4 miles from the Mexican border. We hiked up to the Victoria Silver Mine on Saturday afternoon. It was an easy 4.5 mile hike. As we were headed back to the campground, the wind started to blow in the promised rain storm. And it did blow and rain most of the night.

Today dawned bright and sunny but not warm (high of only 55)! We had a very lazy morning and then took off to hike up into the Ajo Mountains (pronounced ah-ho). The 4 mile loop trail climbed 800 feet up to Bull Pasture overlook before dropping back down into Estes Canyon. It was a fairly steep climb with lots of loose and fairly large rocks to walk on. The trail was well marked and maintained but still only about 3-4 feet wide. We did not get to the very top of the Ajo and happy not to since they were covered with a dusting of snow! The view was spectacular from here with snowy mountains on one side and a very wide plain leading to Mexico on the other.

Once we got into the canyon we were walking thru a forest of Saguaro cacti, organ pipe cacti, large cholla cacti, ocotillo, mesquite, jojoba and creosote bushes, and Palo Verde trees. For a desert, there was a lot of vegetation and a very lush feel to the canyon. Too bad we are here in the winter as I understand that the cactus blossoms are beautiful in late March and April.

Resort Golf?

Today dawned cloudy and cool -- a good day for chores. Our tee time on the Cocopah RV Resort Golf course is at 2:37 pm due to a couples golf tournament. There was a 2-some in front of us and a 4-some behind. It was a hurry up and wait game on a very poor course that twined thru the RV park and then out into the surrounding lettuce fields. Besides having little grass and narrow fairways, it was a short course and we both really struggled with our games. We did finish before sunset and that was a plus.

Since we got off so late, we decided to dine at a sushi bar we had seen on our way into town. Oh, that was soooo good! We certainly enjoy our fish!

Saturday we will leave early and head to our next adventure.

Yuma, AZ

I didn't mention that we drove into Yuma on Tuesday morning to explore the town and visit the Farmer's Market in Old Town. It was much smaller than those in Palm Springs but it still draws many people. One of the biggest attractions in Old Town is a place called "Lutes Casino". Evidently this place has been around a long time and it is not a casino but a restaurant. The people standing in line told us that you cannot visit Yuma and not have lunch at Lutes. Their special sandwich is a cheeseburger with a hotdog and all the fixins'. It had a very eclectic Southwest, western, Vegas look on the inside.

Wednesday we hopped into the Jeep and drove out to Ferguson Lake. It was an easy drive but the road seemed to go so deep into the desert that we didn't believe we would really find water! Then, over the ridge, there it was. An oasis of blue water, palm trees and tall reeds and cattails. It was so inviting that John literally jumped out of the Jeep and readied a line to fish! Didn't catch anything but it felt good to try. I enjoyed hiking the hills around our fishing spot. It appears to be a very large lake like you would find in a delta in the south. I half expected to see a gator peering up out of the shallows. The road dead-ended at a fishing and hunting camp.

Later in the day we hiked about a mile a half into the desert -- saw nothing special. Then the wind picked up big time and drove us into the RV.

Today we moved to an RV resort in Yuma. It is on a golf course so we have a tee time for Friday. This evening we joined a group of Canadians for cocktails on the berm in front of our RV's. Seems this is a nightly ritual. They were a lot of fun!

Mesa

We spent the weekend of Feb. 18-20 in Mesa, staying at John's Mom's RV park and spending a lot of time with John's mom. But also we spent time with our friends from CO who were also camped in the RV park. They came over to John's mom's place and we had fun sharing rving stories and reminiscing about our past lives in Detroit. We did a lot of skiing and dinners together with this couple when we were first married and living in Detroit. Thru the years we lost touch and then reconnected (thru Facebook) a few years ago.

Monday morning we headed to Yuma and I got to put my RV driving lessons to good use - I drove! We found a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campground but no one was manning the check-in booth since it was Presidents Day so we just parked in a spot out in the desert. Tuesday morning we found out we had paid for a day-use area at the self check-in which is not where we parked and if we wanted to stay where we were, we had to pay an additional fee. Live and learn!

Today we also explored the hills around us in the Jeep, needing to gear down to go up and down the hills! We also found out that the town of Yuma is at the narrowest part of the Colorado River so almost all routes west came thru here -- gold miners, wagon trains, stagecoach runs and railroads. It was also the best place in the US to train our soldiers for WWI and WWII.

So Much to Do, So Little Time!

Sunday, the 13th, our friends and us drove out to Fountain Hills and played golf at Wi-Ko-Pa Golf Course. It is part of a resort and casino on an indian reservation. It was a lovely course but very difficult with lots of hills, deep sand traps, and desert washes. The girls decided that we were there to have fun so we picked up balls, scrambled a few holes and even just skipped a hole. The guys took it more seriously (we think). It was a beautiful day so we all enjoyed ourselves.

Monday, Valentines Day, one couple had to head home and John and I hung out at the campground. For dinner we joined our friends at a nice French restaurant for a delicious meal and lots of wine. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent hiking, biking and doing some small repairs on the RV. The bike ride was a 19 mile round trip into Carefree, around Black Mtn. to Cave Creek and home. The hike was a 5.8 mile trek up into the hills around our campground, strenuous enough that we both took a nap this afternoon! Tonight we will have dinner with our friends before they head back to MO. Tomorrow we head to Mesa to spend a couple days with John's Mom.

The weather has been just about perfect! Low 50's at night and 70 or higher during the day. Some clouds were moving through last night so the sunset was spectacular! It's about to end with rain on Saturday along with cooler weather (60's).

Busy, Busy!

Wow! It's been a whole week since I last blogged! Where has all this time gone?

Pam did not see the female impersonators as the show they wanted to see had ended. John got back to Palm Springs after his ski trip all in one piece. He had a good time with his friends but the skiing itself was not too good -- no snow.

We left Palm Springs on Wednesday and drove to Cave Creek, AZ to stay near friends who have rented a house here. The campground was full so we parked in the overflow parking lot for 3 days until a site became available today. We didn't mind as we were not in the campground much anyway. We have golfed three times this week -- we both have had some pretty good games which is unusual for us! Friday and Saturday mornings we woke to find hot air balloons taking off not too far from the campground. That is such an awesome site. Today the temps rose to near 80 so the guys lounged around and the girls went shopping. We have cooked the last two meals so tonight we ate out and it was really good. It's surprising how many good places there are to eat in Cave Creek. More golf tomorrow.

Seperation Anxiety?

This is the week when Pam stays in the RV in Palm Springs and John flies away to go skiing. We needed this break! So, no, there is no anxiety!

John flew out to Sun Valley Idaho on Thursday morning. (We'll tell you about that trip when he gets back.) Pam is staying in the same park as some dear friends and she is very busy! She goes hiking or walking every morning. She and her friend have shopped at a huge golf store, a wig shop, at an outlet mall and at two different street fairs. Of course there is golfing -- twice so far. There are so many dinning establishments in the area that she is eating out a lot! Maybe they'll even go to a female impersonator show one evening. The weather has been chilly until today when it will reach 80! Yeah!

Golf vs Snow

It was a beautiful day in Palm Springs today. We played a nice round of Golf, enjoyed a couple of beers and a nice seafood dinner. But the best part was missing all the snow our friends and family were having to endure back home. It has been fun looking at snowy pictures from numerous friends and reading exciting reports on the number of inches of snow that has fallen, roads closed and events canceled. We're sorry they have to endure all that snow, wind and cold!

Hiking, Hiking, Hiking

We have done a lot of walking the past two days. I told you about Ryan Mtn. hike, then on Saturday morning we took the Lost Horse Mine hike which was a 6.2 mile loop over and around a small mountain. Lost Horse mine got its name when a man who was looking for a lost horse came across the mine and bought it. It was a very pretty hike and no body else was on the trail once we left the mine and stamp mill. We skirted the back of the mountain and then started down thru a small canyon. As we were making our way thru the rocks, I heard a noise right behind me, turned around to see what it was and screamed! It was another person almost on top of me! This caused John to turn and he, too, yelled out! Then we laughed. A young man was running the trail and came up on us very quietly and fast! He apologized and ran on. We saw him again in the parking lot where he was waiting for his buddies and playing a guitar. He was from New Hampshire and headed to the Naval Station in the Great Lakes for training camp. Nice kid! After lunch at Keyes View (overlooking Palm Springs) we hung out at the campground around a nice warm fire.

Sunday found us exploring several areas of the park -- the Desert Queen Mine (1 mile walk), Wall Street stamping mill (one of the riches gold producers ever -- 2 mile walk), Barker Dam (1 mile walk), Hidden Valley (1 mile loop), Ryan Ranch (1 mile walk) and Arch Rock (.3 mile walk). Around Hidden Valley there were a lot of rock climbers. This area is popular for training and recreational climbing. Many learn to climb here before tackling El Capitan in Yosemite N.P. All were easy walks but wore us out. The day was cool and very windy but with the sunshine it was comfortable. But the evening was miserable! The high winds and temperature in the low 40's drove us inside the RV all night.

Today we drove the short distance to Catherdral City where we will park while John goes skiing this weekend. Laundry, grocery shopping and visiting our friends rounded out the day.

Joshua Tree National Park

We are happy to be out of Quartzsite. We drove to 2 different dump stations with over 1 hour waits before finding one that had only a 15 min. wait to dump and fill the water tank. One line had 16 RV's waiting for 2 dump stations!

We found a nice spot in the Belle Campground at Joshua Tree N.P. A desert trail goes right past the campground that is 16 miles long -- I don't think we'll walk that far! We built a roaring fire after supper and then as we were enjoying it, we saw 4 bright yellow lights hanging on the northern horizon! They didn't move up or down and they didn't get any closer. We could hear no noise from that direction. Then, one by one, they blinked out. UFOs!!! Maybe or maybe something from the military base north of here!

Today, we hiked up Ryan Mountain. The summit is at 5,500 ft but I'm not sure where we started -- maybe around 3,000 ft. It was a moderately strenuous climb with an awesome view of the valleys surrounding us. We picnicked at Hidden Valley then drove a 4-wheel road across Pleasant Valley and partially into the Little San Bernardino Mountains. This area is full of Joshua Trees which are actually Yucca trees, a member of the agave family. They grow straight until it blooms and then it grows a branch where the bloom was located. Scientist think that the tree only blooms after the tip has been frozen.

The night sky is so full of stars that is almost takes your breath away. I found the big dipper and Orion's belt but that is all I know of constellations. We looked at the sky through binoculars and saw even more stars than can be seen with the naked eye! God has created a most wondrous universe!

Enough of Quartzsite

Last night the hippies gave us quite a show even though we watched it from a distance. One of the guys plays with fire! He twirled a fire baton for over half an hour and even at one point blew fire from his mouth (or at least that is what it looked like from a distance!). They had a very rowdy evening.

Today we listened to a presentation by Fantasy Tours about their caravan into the Copper Canyon region of Mexico. They do not think there is any danger in that region from drug dealers and are very confident that it will be a safe trip. So we signed up to go. We leave Las Cruces, NM on March 8 and return on March 22. That gives us 36 hours to drive to Austin for a convention. Our winter is now almost all full. We have three weeks from mid Feb. with nothing planned. Tomorrow we will pull out and head to Joshua Tree National Park.

Quartzsite, AZ

This place is crazy! There are so many people and they are all old like us (mostly older!) and they all drive RV's. We rode our bikes past all the vendors, crossed over I-10 and then thru town before coming back. The gas stations are lined up, the grocery stores have long lines, the Post Office is crazy, and all the RV dealers have "The Sale of the Century!" Oh, yeah, don't forget The Yacht Club Bar and Grill! (no boats!?)

The big white 'mid-way' tent is full of vendors and thousands of people. We poked along at a crawl checking out the booths but not really stopping at any of them. Our friends who have been to the Missouri State Fair will know the feeling. We had a terrible fried lunch and then visited the vendors not under the tent and there are even more of them. There are gems, dresses, tools, kitchen gadgets, geodes, carvings, discounted stuff, leather purses, gadgets, goo-gaws and junk! And that is only along one aisle! There must be 200-300 booths, tents and backs of cars. The guy who fixed our window shade was working out of his pickup truck.

Thankfully the weather is fair -- starts out at about 40 warms up to 70 and then by supper its 60 and cooling fast. We bought some wood and have built a fire every night. It is beautiful. We moved to a different site so don't have all the traffic. Our neighbors down the road are hippies singing songs and playing the bongos. The sky is full of stars, more than you have ever seen. Cocktails at 5 to watch the sun set around 6 and then supper by the firelight. Aaahhh.

Prepping for Quartzsite

Saturday was spent doing laundry, washing the Jeep, and grocery shopping all to get ready to head for Quartzsite on Sunday. We also filled as many extra jugs and jars as we could with water. Then on Saturday night we had dinner with our friends at The Jackalope Ranch -- good food. Is a jackalope real?? Then we attended a Bonnie Raitt concert.

Sunday we got going pretty early and arrived in Quartzsite around noon. The desert for 3-5 miles around this small town is dotted with thousands of RV's. We unhitched the Jeep so we could easily scout out a camping spot. We opted to stay in the Long-Term Visitor Area which costs money but we will have access to water and a dump station at no extra cost. We have a nice spot but it seems to be on a major thoroughfare, with cars kicking up LOTS of dust. We may move tomorrow. The good thing is we are just a short one mile bike ride through the desert to all the activity in town.

Mountain Climbing

The campground and lake abut some low mountains so today we hiked them. My legs are still stiff! Very narrow trails and lots of loose gravel define this trail. But we did enjoy the exercise. Now we are taking it easy, getting a sunburn and enjoying the rest of the day with nothing to do. I'm planning a fancy dinner for us tonight! The picture shows the lake where we are camped. If you look look close you can see some RVs, one of them is ours.

Busy, Busy

We can't seem to get going in the mornings until 10 even though the alarm goes off at 6:30 AM. Thursday we got on our bikes and rode into Old Town La Quinta -- about a 10 mile ride one way. It's not a hard ride - no hills but it is along a busy road. Old Town is just a small shopping district where we found a nice deli for lunch. After we got home, we turned around and drove to our friends RV park and then had dinner at a great restaurant called 'Zin - An American Bistro'. Their mushroom soup is to die for!!! Then we went to the "Follies" This is a song and dance production that is like a Las Vegas Style show only all the participants are over the age of 58, some even in their 80's!! We had a really good time -- even John!

Thursday dawned windy so we had to change golf courses to one in the valley where the wind is not as strong. It turned into a nice day and most of us enjoyed our game. Then for the evening we spent a couple of hours strolling thru the street fair in down town Palm Springs, stopping to shop, eat, and listen to street musicians. I got some really sweet strawberries and a HUGE $1 head of lettuce.

Palm Springs

On Sunday we decided to take advantage of the driving range on the 9-hole golf course and hit a couple of buckets of balls before we pulled up camp and moved. During one walk around the resort we saw that someone named Lindstrom also was staying here and during a visit with the golf pro I found out that he was a minister who led services at the resort. So as we were leaving the driving range I ran into the minister and asked if he was Rev. Lindstrom. When I told him our name was Lindstrom, you would have thought we were long lost cousins! Just kidding but we did have an interesting conversation. His parents, as well as John's grandparents were from Rockford, IL. Lots of coincidences but no relation.

We moved down to Lake Cahuilla County Park and then drove back to our friend's RV resort in Cathedral City for supper. Had a great evening.

Monday we went back to Cathedral City (a 45 min. drive) and a friend of our friend gave us haircuts. Then we went for a hike in Palm Canyon and had supper at "Babe's", a restaurant that has everything pig to eat -- just what John loves!

Tuesday (today) we hiked up the hills near the campground and then played golf at Desert Dunes C.C. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! Perfect temp. of 83°, little wind and clear blue skies! We thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.

Driving Lesson Continued

Day two of my driving lesson was intense! We reviewed making turns before heading out to the freeway. We also reviewed how to slow down on a steep downhill grade and I learned how downshifts hold the speed down. We practiced getting off and on the interstate, pulling into a rest area and a gas station. I also learned how to negotiate a large dip in the road so that we don't scrape the hitch or bumper. After going back up the steep grade we headed to an empty lot and I learned 4 different ways to back the RV into a camping area. This involved distance, timing and proper use of the mirrors. John and I will need to coordinate hand signals but I actually caught on fairly well. At least the instructor thought so. In fact, he thought I did so well, that he set up a slalom course. Going forward I went around 4 cones. It took a few times to get the cones spaced far enough apart so that I didn't smash one! Ha! THEN, I negotiated the same course going BACKWARD! The only way to do that is by using the mirrors. That was hard work! But I did it! We then hitched the Jeep to the RV and I practiced driving while towing.

After I got my certificate, John drove us down to Desert Hot Springs where we'll spend two nights before moving on. The RV park is more of a resort than campground. They have a 9 hole golf course, a pool and two spas, tennis courts and all kinds of activities. Our golf games have deteriorated in the 3 months since we last played (that's a nice way of saying we sucked!). But we did relax in the hot tub afterward and that was good for the aching muscles.

RV Driving Lessons

Yesterday we left Dana Point on a day when the temps were finally going to be in the 70's. We drove up to Yucca Valley which is just north of Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park. It is a small town built into the side of a mountain at about 3800 feet. So it is high desert, not warm and windy although the weather is supposed to improve by the weekend. We explored the area and did some grocery shopping before supper. It got so cold during the night that our water hose froze!

Today is driving day. My instructor is a veteran truck driver so he really knows his stuff. Jerry patiently told me how to make a correct turn at corners using my mirrors to keep off the curbs (right turns) and crowding the white/center lines for left turns. More right turns than left as that is more of a blind turn. I guess I must drive too fast as a consistent instruction was "Slow Down!" We also practiced driving up a curvy mountain road and down then up a steep grade. The last thing we did was practice backing up into a parking space. John always makes that look so easy, but its NOT! Tomorrow we practice freeway driving!

Biking Along the Coast

When you look for us on the map, you will find we are near San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Laguna Niguel, all of which we reached on our bicycles. Yesterday morning we took off south along the beach on a bicycle trail. We went about 6.5 miles to San Clemente Pier, stopping to watch dolphins cruising just off shore. The day was sunny but not real warm. We saw lots of surfer's as this is one of the best spots in the area. Using the binoculars, we were able to see Richard Nixon's western White House (well, sort of). Then yesterday evening we had supper with friends whom we jeeped with this past summer at their house. A wonderful evening.

Today we road our bikes inland to San Juan Capistrano Mission, built in 1776 by Father Junipero Serra. This is the 7th in a chain of 21 missions. Most of the rooms and buildings in the mission were built around a a central plaza, the industrial areas on the outside. The had gardens, vats for dying wool,for making wine, and for tanning hides. They made their own tallow used in soap, tanning, and candles. A small chapel is still used every morning for mass. The Great Stone Church was begun in 1797 and took 9 years to construct. Then on Dec. 8, 1812 an earthquake struck during morning mass toppling all 7 domes and killing 42 people. It was never rebuilt.

We left the mission after lunch and went in search of fresh fish for supper. This took us into Laguna Niguel, up a very LONG and HIGH HILL!! The grocery produced no fresh fish so we coasted down hill to the Dana Point Marina and got some salmon steaks at the fish market. YUMMY! We rode about 12 miles today. We had appetizers while basking in a glorious red sunset. A great ending to a very nice day.

Los Angeles

I don't know what we would do without a GPS -- probably get lost or just not go anywhere! We left Friday morning to drive to our friends home in Lake Forest, CA near Irvine. We had to negotiate several freeways. Our GPS was invaluable as it shows us which lane we need to be in to make the transition from one freeway to the next. We also discovered that Friday is a light travel days on LA freeways so we did not have to contend with stop & go traffic - just a lot of cars!

We had a nice visit with our friends and reluctantly left after the Chief's football game -- darn shame they lost! It was a very short drive to Dana Point, CA to the Doheny State Park. We are right on the beach again. We rode our bikes to Dana Point to watch the sun set into the . . . clouds! (Thought I was going to say ocean, didn't you?) The weather prediction is sunny and warmer this whole week -- finally!

Los Olivos, CA

We explored more of the Santa Ynez Valley by going to Los Olivos. It is a quaint, small village with over 20 tasting rooms from various wineries in the area. There were also some art galleries, small cafe's, miscellaneous shops and two olive oil tasting rooms. We tried one of the olive oil tasting and found the oils to have levels of green, earthy tastes with hints of pepper. We also tasted Balsamic vinegars and found one with hints of fig to our liking. We liked the wines from Alexander & Wayne which is Fess Parker's son's winery and purchased a couple more bottles. Don't know where we will store them unless we finish off a couple of wines we brought from home. The picture is Solvang which we drove through on our way to Los Olivos.

The weather today was much warmer than it has been the last few days -- 66° but that was only when the sun was shining thru the clouds. We had an enjoyable walk along the beach late afternoon then John showed off his woodsman skills by building a nice fire.

Off-Roading In Wine Country

The road leading into the Refugio State Park also goes the other direction toward Solvang. On the map it looks like it might be a shortcut but boy is that ever wrong! A sign at the beginning of the road states that the road is closed 7 miles up and for local traffic only. John and I looked at each other, smiled and said "Let's go!" It was a good thing we were in the Jeep! The narrow and winding road went up the canyon thru some pasture land and lots of forest. We passed a ranch where you could rent cabins, ride horses and attend the theatre. As we climbed further up the scenery behind us became more interesting. We were better able to see the ocean and the Channel Islands off shore. No vineyards on this side of the 'mountain'. There are several fairly large houses, ranches and even an RV off this road and then at the top the sign that says the road is closed. Now comes the fun part! It seems like it takes longer going down because the road is so narrow, winding, and unpaved. There is evidence of mud and rock slides but the way is open. Some curves are so narrow and wet that we feel a regular car would have trouble getting around them and a bubbling brook follows us down most of the way. There are no homes in evidence until we near the bottom. We emerge into civilization after about 15 miles and 1-1/4 hours of travel. Who knew we would be off-roading in wine country! We later learned from a local that we had driven right by the Ronald Regan ranch but it is so well hidden we never saw it.

We then spent 2 hours in a coffee shop catching up on computer work. Then lunch and some wine tasting. As we were leaving one vineyard, a gentleman saw our MO license plates and started talking with us. He was from St. Louis but owned 3 vineyards just down the road here in Lompoc. His name was so familiar but we couldn't place him. We decided to go to his vineyard for a tasting and there we found out that he owns grocery stores in St. Louis and also owns the Hermanoff Winery in Herman, MO! His name -- Jim Dierberg! And yes we bought some of his wine.

Time To Move On

We left the RV park in Santa Clarita on Monday morning and drove just a short way up the coast to just north of Santa Barbara. It is warmer on the coast and there is NO snow here. We are staying in Refugio State Park right on the beach. The weather is some warmer during the day but still gets pretty cold at night. We drove into Solvang which is in the heart of the Santa Ynez wine valley and were surprised to find it is a copy of a Danish town including the foods of that country.

On Tuesday, we drove to another park on the coast but it was a very long drive from the wineries so we enjoyed the scenery and then headed back inland. We explored the La Purisima Mission, one of 12 in the area that California is famous for. It was built by the Spanish in 1787, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1812 and then restored to its 1820 splendor by the CCC in 1941. After a good Danish lunch we tasted a few wines, but the day was so nice we didn't want to waste it drinking, so we headed back to the RV and sat by the beach until sunset.

Floats Up Close

Today I went to see all the Rose Parade floats up close. John didn't want to see any more floats and even volunteered to do the laundry instead. The floats are lined up along a divided street at the end of the parade route. Then all afternoon on the 1st and all day on the 2nd you can inspect them and see all the wonderful detail on each one. There were docents at each float that could help with descriptions and names of flowers, seeds, etc.

The best way to describe what the floats are decorated with is to imagine you are in a bulk seed store. All you see can be used to decorate -- seeds, beans, grass seed and grasses, herbs - dried and fresh, rices. Then go to the grocery produce department and everything there is used and then wander down the spice aisle and everything there is used! Plus all the wonderful fresh flowers, especially roses. Cinnamon was used to darken crushed rice, cayenne was blush on a girls face, the horses manes were pampas grass, the shade on a lamp was onion skin, the warriors chest plate was made of cumquats and cranberries, the shiny black tires were from sea weed, the 'wool' on the teddy bears was from a type of palm tree. Lots of button mums, red, white, pink and yellow mums, daisies, and blue stasis filled in the larger pictures. Roses of all sizes and colors decorated the skirting of each float.

By the time I left to go back to the RV, the rain that had threatened all day finally fell and turned into snow! Just 5 miles north of the RV, they had to shut down the freeway due to 5" of the white stuff on the road. Talk about a California traffic jam! Snow in this area was last seen 17 years ago.

Rose Parade

We were on the bus at 6 AM! And once we hit Pasadena, we understood why we had to leave so early. There must have been 60 or more buses unloading passengers and all parking spots were taken along the street, in driveways, and in the garages. Bleachers 15 rows tall lined the 5 mile long parade route on one side and were filled to the brim! More people in blankets and chairs were 5-6 rows deep on all the sidewalks. The whole area was a festive affair of vendors selling seat cushions and hand warmers, brats wrapped in bacon, silly hats and noise makers. The floats started moving at 8 AM but we did not see or hear any signs of the parade until after 9 AM. If you had a ticket for a bleacher seat, you had your own private port-o-potty, otherwise it was LONG lines.

We'll let the pictures tell the story of the floats. It was neat to see again the bands and horses we had watched the previous few days.

Getty Villa

We had most of Friday free to do whatever we wanted so John and I took off in the Jeep to see Nethercutt Museum (he is the co-founder of Merle Norman) but they were closed for the holidays so we then went to the Getty Villa in Malibu. It was a great place to spend the day. The museum is a replica of a villa from first century Rome. It houses over 1200 Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities. It had several gardens, fountains, lots of statues, busts and other items of interest. When we left, we decided to go up the Pacific Coast Highway and then cut over to Santa Clarita where we are staying. Our GPS did not like our choice! She complained all the way! But we only got so far and then had to turn around due to mud slides. This route took us thru 2 canyons with steep, twisty roads.

We got back just in time for happy hour, dinner and New Years Eve party. The minute the ball fell in New York City, we yelled Happy New Year in CA, the hosts packed up the goodies and we were back in the RV at 9:15 PM! Luckily friends from home called to wish us a Happy New Year so the evening was extended somewhat!

Bandfest and West Side Story

Today we traveled to Pasadena City College stadium to watch 7 of the 20 marching units in the Rose Parade perform their field shows. We saw high school bands from Wyoming, Alabama, and 2 from Georgia along with the TCU and West Carolina Univ. bands. What an outstanding event! These high school bands are so creative, high energy and wonderfully sounding. We hated to leave! Other performances were to go on later in the afternoon and we missed ones from yesterday.

We then traveled to Hollywood to attend the production of "West Side Story". Since we had some time to kill before the show, we walked the walk of stars along Hollywood Blvd. As long as you are looking down at the stars you don't see the very seedy side of what should be a glamorous area. So many sex stores, costumes and liquor establishments. Not what I expected! On the other hand the Pantages Theatre was fabulous. They had restored the interior a few years ago to its original 50's Art Deco decor. And the musical was really good! The female performer who played the part of Maria was also the voice of Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin.

Pasadena CA

We took off early on Tuesday to drive to Pasadena CA. It was an uneventful drive, thankfully, other than dealing with LA traffic. John discovered that if you just pick a lane, look straight ahead and don't worry about other cars passing you on both sides, that we will get where we want to go stress free! Now, you and I know that fact but this is something new for John. He didn't realize that it is okay for people to pass him!

The Escapee's RV club that we will be with for our Rose Parade experience are an early bunch. Early cocktail hour (4 PM), early dinner (5:30 PM) and early to bed (we were back in the RV by 7 PM). We also found out that the New Years Eve party will be based on the eastern time zone -- 3 hours early!!!! Not a bad idea since we have to be on the bus at 6 AM New Year's Day to attend the parade. Also, when they say to be on the bus by 2:45, everybody except us were there at 2:30!

Today we got to see some of the floats being decorated with flowers and organic substances such as seed, moss, lichen, corn husks, leaves, rice etc. This is quite an engineering feat as well as labor intensive. There were scores of volunteers for each float.

This afternoon we went to Equifest -- a horse show of performers who will be in the parade. Now John and I are not real horse fans but this was a lot of fun and very interesting. There were circus performers, Calvary soldiers, Mexican caballeros, Cowgirls Chics and many more.

An AZ Xmas

John's Mom's home was well decorated for Xmas and so is the park where she lives. Lots of lights outlining RV's and covering the cacti. Christmas Day was spent video chatting with our kids and grandkids or talking on the phone with other family. The afternoon was very warm and sunny so John and I spent a couple of hours by the pool and then bike riding.

Today we drove up to Cave Creek where we will spend some time in February. We wanted to check out the county park camping and recreation area and then see if we could find any good places to eat. ( you must think that is all we can think about!) We also scoped out some golf courses. John is biking while I'm here blogging and paying bills but it is nice to have the windows open!

Good Bye NO

We got really lucky and were seated at the food preparation bar at NOLA (Emeril's restaurant). We had a very good meal, a nice visit with the folks sitting next to us, and it was fun watching the chefs at work.

As we walked around the Quarter after dinner we came across a bar showing a movie. They were at intermission and showing the old clips from drive-in movies (where they tell you to go to the concession stand for popcorn etc.) on the wall of the building outside. We decided to stop for a drink and to watch "Home Alone" inside. Shortly after the movie came back on John and I made a simultaneous discovery -- this was a GAY bar!!!! John saw the bartender kiss another on the cheek and I watched two male customers tenderly feed each other a bite of food. We quickly finished our drinks and departed! I laughed all the way back to the RV! How do we get ourselves into these situations?!!

Tuesday morning we left NO around 8 AM and headed for San Antonio where we were met by some friends for dinner and breakfast the next day. We parked in the Walmart parking lot for the night. Wed and Thurs. we drove towards Phoenix. It took us all day on Wed. to get the rest of the way across Texas. That's 22 hours to drive across that state. Thursday night we stayed in the Lost Dutchman State Park. Luckily we got in early enough to take an invigorating hike thru the desert before supper.

It was only a 1 hour drive to John's Mom's RV resort where we will stay until after Christmas. It is so nice to be with family on this special day!

Pam's New Orleans Christmas

Sunday was sunny and warmer than Sat. but still on the cool side. A friend's son and his girlfriend came by about noon to get his packages from home. We then made a beeline to the Jagerhaus. They have really good German food. We then wandered around the French Quarter for a couple of hours until the Christmas Concert at the St. Louis Cathedral. The choirs and orchestra perfomed a J.S. Bach contata, then a collection of songs accompanied by a harp. The last number was a moving number performed on the pipe organ. Oh yeah, pretty much the whole concert was in German, go figure.

When we left the church, we joined 8000 people in Jackson Square with candles and sang Christmas carols. I loved every minute and John was very good to go along with me.

Today we hopped on the trolley and rode out to the Garden District and had lunch at this little corner bar/restaurant called Parasols. John said his Po'Boy was better than Johnnie's. After lunch we walked around the old mansions. One of them is the home of novelist Anne Rice who writes vampire novels. We rode the trolley back to the Quarter so we could prepare to leave in the morning. Tonight we have reservations at NOLA Restaurant. This is an Emeril dining experience.

More NOLA

Dinner at GW Finns was pretty good although we've have had better. It is still a great place to eat and we would recommend it. We had a really good Muffalatta at Franks in the Quarter for lunch. Boy they are filling but good -- lots of olives and olive oil!

Saturday morning dawned cloudy, cold and rainy. But we don't let that slow us down. We walked down Canal St. to the River Walk which is really a long covered shopping mall. Since we were going in the wrong direction from Cafe du Monde, we stopped at their mall shop and got beignets and coffee. Being fortified, we set out in the rain to walk toward the Warehouse District and then along Magazine St. towards the Garden District. We found a neat area to window shop and then had lunch at Jackson's. John's hamburger was a full 1/2 lb and slathered with hollandaise sauce and caramelized onions. It was, literally, finger-licking good!

The sun came out as we walked back along Charles St. We decided that we had had enough seafood so we chose to go to Mr. B's Bistro and shared a rack of lamb that was REALLY good. It had this sweet wine reduction sauce that complimented the lamb to a 'T'. Saturday night on Bourbon Street was hopping but we had walked to much, we turned in early.

New Orleans

We left Sedalia on Wednesday morning and it was still pretty cold (in the 20's). We spent the night on a Walmart parking lot in Jacksonville MS and arrived at the French Quarter in time to set up the RV and then have a Johnnie's Po-Boy for lunch -- best ever! The weather in NOLA was in the mid-70's so we washed the RV before heading back into town to find a place for supper. We ended up at K-Paul's Kitchen after having a martini at our favorite corner bar/restaurant Napoleons.

Today dawned cloudy and never got over 60°. In fact it rained part of the afternoon. Tomorrow will start at 45° and not get any warmer! But it is still better than MO (that will be our motto this winter! LOL) We explored several historic houses and museums and I was disappointed that none of them were decorated for Christmas. In fact, not much of the French Quarter has decorations -- a few lights and garlands, a smattering of trees and wreaths and that's about it! We are having supper tonight at G.W. Finns -- one of our favorite places.

Two Days to New Adventure

It's 9° outside, snow on the ground, and the wind chill is -8°. What are we doing here? Good news for us we are leaving Wednesday on our next RV Adventure. Off to New Orleans to warm up and eat some of that good Nawlins' food. Then we haul it all the way to Phoenix to spend Christmas with my Mother. Next up is the Rose Parade in Anaheim. Keep up with us because we plan to blog this entire trip which is scheduled to end around April 1, 2011.