2011 BLOG REVIEW PART 1
In order not to overload the 2011 Blog Reviews with photos I've split it into PART 1, 2 and 3
If you missed the 2010 Blog Review go to the header at the top of the page
After our return to Victoria, BC for Christmas with family and friends our adventures continued in Florida. Without any real plans on a travel route when we first started out we've ended up on the east coast of the continent and only have 3 months left before our 6 month limit in the US is up to get back to the west coast of BC where we started. That may sound like lots of time but when you spend a few days here and a week there the time really flies by.
The size of the 52 story Vehicle Assembly Building is deceiving. Our tour bus would fit within one of the stripes in the flag!
One of several launch pads...
We learned that the fuel tanks and solid fuel rockets are the "Space Shuttle" and this is an "Orbiter" the Explorer. We were hoping to watch one of the last launches before the Shuttle program was ended but it was delayed due to cracks in the external fuel tank...
Late last year while camped at Laura S. Walker State Park in Georgia new friends Roy and Sandy insisted we contact them when we got to Florida. They were very gracious treating us to lunch at the Olive Garden and showing us around their area.
We climbed the 203 steps to the top of the lighthouse where we got a great view of the area...
We made a pit stop at the Daytona 500 Race Track...
We wanted to attend the Florida RV Super Show in Tampa. It's billed as the largest consumer RV Show in the US covering 18 acres! We stayed nearby at Hillsborough River State Park, Thonotosassa.
Another reason to attend the show was to meet Howard and Linda Payne of RV-Dreams.com I had been following their website and living vicariously through them for 4 years, and their experiences convinced Dianne that this full time lifestyle was doable. I have to admit we were just a little star struck finally meeting them. We joined them and a few others for dinner later that night. They started the lifestyle in 2005 and eventually got back into the sticks and bricks I believe in 2018 at The Villages in Sumter County, FL. Although Howard is no longer blogging there is a lot of great info on their website for anyone interested in the RV lifestyle...
The show is so big it's a lot to take in in one day but sure had some nice rigs...
Back at the campground we hiked some of the trails in this beautiful park...
Fellow RV Dreamers Bill and Nancy that we met at the RV Show were also staying at the park and joined us for a happy hour. Just a start to many more lifelong friends we will meet over the years...
We explored a little bit of Tampa...
Channelside Bay Plaza...
In front of the Tampa Bay History Center...
Finally got to see the Manatees...
Alligators...
We were excited to finally do an airboat tour. We dressed warmly in our long johns, rain gear for a wind break and our toques (beanie in the US). Many of the overnight temps in Florida had dipped below freezing...it was much warmer back home in Victoria, BC!!
We went with River Safaris...
We passed by a small island...
...that was home to a colony of Spider Monkeys...
We saw Flipper feeding on shrimp...
Our driver scared the crap out of us in the beginning when he would side slip across the mud flats but what a blast!!
On our way back to camp we checked out an old sugar mill built in 1849 that supplied Confederates during the Civil War with sugar, syrup, and molasses...
As we drove along the Florida coast to our next destination, St. George Island State Park, we could see smoke in the distance for miles. On our arrival we found that they were doing a controlled burn at the campground...right to the road! As I was disconnecting from the trailer I heard a horrendous roar that had me concerned as more foliage went up in flames.
Fort Pickens, (1816) Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola FL...
Davis Bayou, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Surprisingly the Gulf Coast still showed many signs of damage and desolation from hurricane Katrina in 2005. Empty yards with foundations, sidewalks and concrete stairs going nowhere, commercial parking lots with no buildings, very eerie...
I donated $20 and Dianne managed to keep hers at the Boomtown Casino...
Bayou Segnette State Park, New Orleans, Louisiana
We drove to a parking area and took the free to foot passengers ferry to the French Quarter. We had delicious beignets at Cafe Du Monde, then took a horse drawn carriage tour...
As we were there a week before Mardi Gras, Dianne had to try on a few things...
We stopped for a beer at the old Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop built in 1722, reputed to be the oldest structure used as a bar in the US...
Dianne at the table...
We listened to some of the local entertainment...
You can do a dinner cruise on this paddle wheeler...
We toured the National WWII Museum...
The bayou across from our site...
Braunig Lake RV Resort, near San Antonio, Texas
We took a bus tour from the campground into San Antonio and started off with a boat tour along the San Antonio River Walk...
Lunch at Buckhorn Saloon and Museum built in 1881.
This place is really cool and a must see...
Across the street was the Alamo, established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio De Valero and was the first of five missions built along the river. Pictures weren't allowed inside so that was very disappointing!
We camped at the Caverns of Sonora, TX. We have since visited several other caverns and this one is still one of my favourites. A must see if you're in the area...
Here we swam in the worlds largest spring fed swimming pool and got a pedicure from the fish...which was a very weird feeling!
It tickles!
Hacienda RV Resort, Las Cruces, New Mexico
A mile away we explored the old town of La Mesilla. Billy the Kid stood trial and was sentenced to death for murder in this building but later escaped...
Tombstone Territories RV Park, A great place to stay if your going to explore historic Tombstone...
The Earp brothers and Doc Holliday heading to the OK Corral...
Gunfight at the OK Corral with the Clanton's and McLaury's...
Boot Hill...
We finally got out of the quads again. The RV Park has a guided ride so we joined them on a ride through the Dragoon Mountains to Cochise Stronghold where Chiricahua Apache Chief Cochise and about a 1000 of his followers were located here. That was a great historical scenic ride!
We visited our previous neighbours from the RV Park in Victoria who were wintering in
Apache Junction. They gave us a tour of Theodore Roosevelt Lake...
And Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River...
We had lunch in Fountain Hills. The fountain is the fourth tallest in the world at 562 feet!
Fortuna de Oro RV Resort, Yuma, Arizona
We visited with friends of my parents, Doreen and Gerry, that were wintering in Yuma. They were neighbours of ours in 1967/68 when we lived up island in Courtenay and Gerry was stationed there with the RCMP. They showed us around the Yuma area, had our first date shakes, and our very first visit walking into Los Algodones, Mexico, checked out the vendors, and later on an ATV ride with Gerry from our campsite.
This is a really nice park on the Colorado River. The only negative at that time was no cell/Internet...
So Dianne had to do the blog at a lookout overlooking Lake Havasu near the Parker Dam where we had a good signal...
Awesome views from the trails...
Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area in Laughlin Nevada just across the Colorado River from Bullhead City Arizona.
Laughlin Casinos in the distance. We did some hiking, Dianne left $30 and I left a $.075 donation with the Casinos...
JWG RV Park, Redding,CA
We had several mountain passes to cross as we continued north and with winter weather warnings, decided to wait out the weather for a few days. When we checked in the lady at the office warned us not to be alarmed if we eventually see this concrete picnic table disappear under the quickly rising Sacramento River. Thought maybe we should wear our lifejackets to bed...LOL!
We did a little exploring...
We checked out the 700' long Sundial Bridge that crosses the Sacramento River that has 200 tons of glass and granite inset and at night the bridge glows with thousands of lights gleaming thru the glass deck...
The River continued to rise...
Then the table was gone!
We finally took a chance on the weather, had a little snowfall but we made it!
Champoeg State Park, Oregon, on the Willamette River
We finally got a new mattress for our bed and had it delivered to the park which drew a few looks from other campers...LOL!
The sign near the top of the piling says "FEB. 1996 Flood Crest"...Yikes!
The visitor center had a great display on the history of the area which was previously under control of the Hudson Bay Co. and was explored and settled by mostly French Canadian fur traders.
Back in Canada at Fort Camping on Brae Island, Fort Langley, BC
We toured the Fort Langley National Historic Site with our son Chris. The fort has people in period clothing of the 1800's where Hudson's Bay Company fur traders mingled with California gold prospectors and First Nations people. Very well done!
Back on Vancouver Island we joined our Cowichan Valley ATV Club for a ride and ended up in the snow...
Camping with our son Rob and daughter-in-law Angie at Heather Campground on Cowichan Lake...
We rode...
We caught fish...
We had a couple of more rides with the Cowichan ATV Club...
That's a wrap for my 2011 Blog Review PART 1 of 3
More great memories, for us too when you landed in AZ.
ReplyDeleteWe have certainly made lots of great memories together!
DeleteThat was a fun read. As I was reading I was thinking "Been there", "Been there", "Need to get there". My favorites were the caverns and the manatees.
ReplyDeleteThat’s what I like about blogs from others...a preview of places to see. We’ve been to a few Caverns and they are always a favourite.
DeleteI remember reading as many of these blogs as I could while I was at work! Great recap. So cool to go back and revisit all those places. You guys have seen so much of North America and still rollin'....awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It’s been fun reliving the past. I had forgotten how much we had done over the years which has made the blog reviews a lot of work, but hope it’s of interest to others.
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