Home for Christmas

Monday, December 15, Beverly, MA - Home for Christmas!

Our youngest has returned home for the Christmas Holiday from California, and we are all so very excited about that. We didn't think he would be able to be home this year, but, as luck would have it, he is here. Not only is he here, he is also working for his oldest brother at Enzymatics, doing a few marketing projects. We are hoping that things go so well that he will be retained as their (Enzymatics) west coast sales rep.

The weather here in New England has been quite nasty of late. For those who are unaware, there was a major ice storm last week, which left hundreds of thousands of New Englanders without power, and, therefore, without heat! Fortunately, those of us who live on the coast were not affected. Our weather consisted mainly of rain with moderate temperatures. By the time the mercury fell to bone-chilling cold, we were dry, so, no ice! The best news came today, with temperatures nearing 60 degrees in most areas. This will prove to be a boon to those who lost their heat and electricity.

In other news, I received the following pictures from cousin Lol, which she received from her daughter, Sandy, in California. Seems they went on a fishing trip this past weekend on the Sacramento River and Sandy had quite a "catch".

Imagine cleaning and fileting that "puppy"! Nice job, Sandy! Must have been quite a battle landing that beauty. You'll have to promise that, if we come back out to California in the not-to-distant future, you'll take us on a fishing trip. We LOVE fresh salmon!

Things are progressing rapidly for Chris and Jen. They put in an offer on the Ipswich house last week, and had the home inspection last Saturday afternoon, which went very well. We are in the process of getting our house "ready for market", which we will do right after the first of the year. We are rearranging rooms and furniture to make it show better. We spent most of yesterday packing and moving Aaron's toys into the basement. Jen had to make space in the basement in order to move the toys down. Today, we moved the couch and chairs into the living room. Tomorrow, we will move the table back into the dining room, along with a few other pieces.

That's all I have for today. It's been a succession of "slow news days" since my last post, but I will try to do more over the next couple of weeks, before we head south once again.

Sunday, December 7 (Pearl Harbor Day!) - The Squirrel!


This morning, while I was out giving driving lessons, Jen noticed this squirrel atop the bulkhead roof, gnawing away on a pumpkin. As you can see, it was snowing out today. Well, at least it is December, and not November. We can handle a little snow in December. I just hope that the snow isn't too deep by the time we are ready to head back to Florida after Christmas.

As I mentioned, I was out doing driving instruction in the snow. Actually, it worked out very well, as the roads were not very snow-covered (the Main roads, anyway). I had the chance to teach the students I had today how to drive in snowy conditions. We did hit a couple of slippery side roads, which worked in their favor. They got to experience what it feels like when the wheels start to spin on slippery surfaces, and how to control the vehicle when that happens.

Yesterday afternoon, late, K and I went to the Wilkins' house for their annual "Trim-a-Tree" party, which was very nice. We got to see some old friends and make some new ones, and share some great food and libations! There were lots of hors d'ouvres already out when we arrived, so naturally we dug right in! Unfortunately, I was not aware that they were also going to be serving a regular "dinner" at about 7PM. We had planned to leave the party before then, since it was a long drive home, and it was dark out. As we were preparing to leave, "AJ" mentioned that dinner was coming out of the oven, and we couldn't leave just then. However, since I had already filled up on the hors d'ouvres, thinking that was the only food we would get, I had absolutely no more room for food! So, we left as planned, at about 6:45PM.

Back to the squirrel! This poor guy must have been starving, since he did quite a number on the pumpkin we left out on the bulkhead roof. Apparently, once he had made a couple of holes in the rind, he climbed right into the pumpkin and began to extract the seeds to bring back to his nest. It was funny to watch, so I heard, because, as he would be digging for the seeds, you could see him tossing out stuf he didn't want. There are pieces of pumpkin all over the top of the bulkhead roof. Be sure to check the web album for the rest of the pictures of this little guy foraging.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/Squirrel?authkey=G8KIGCPEEPI#

Decorating the Tree

Thursday, December 4 - The Tree!

I don't know about anyone else, but we picked up our tree last weekend (Saturday afternoon), and brought it home. It stood out on the front porch until Wednesday night, when we brought it into the house and set it into its stand. Prior to bringing the tree in, we had to soak it in the "special solution", which is supposed to keep the tree fresh through the holidays.

What? You never heard of the "special solution"? Well, I'll pass it on to you here, and you will, hopefully, have a tree which will maintain its needles and color past Christmas. Here it is:

In a container large enough to be able to set the tree into, mix the following ingredients:

1/2 cup chlorine bleach
1/2 tsp. "20 Mule Team" borax
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup woolite

To this mixture, pour in 1 gallon WARM water, then 1 16-oz. bottle of clear Karo Syrup. Cut about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the tree, and place the trunk into the solution and let stand outside for 12 to 24 hours, no more, no less.

It is important that you make a FRESH cut off the trunk before placing the tree into the solution so that it will be able to "suck up" this mixture. If you have the trunk cut at the place where you purchase the tree, the sap may solidify at the bottom before you can get it into the solution, then the tree will not be able to take any of the mixture in.

When you are ready to remove the tree from the mixture, rinse off the trunk, or place it into some clear water and swirl it around to rinse it before you put it into your stand.

OK! So we brought the tree into the house on Wednesday evening and set it into its stand. We let it stand for 24 hours before beginning to decorate it. This allows the branches to "spread". This year, we had the special pleasure of watching Aaron while all this was going on. This is the first year he has expressed any interest in helping to decorate the tree (according to his mom). The look of sheer anticipation on his face since the tree went up, waiting to start decorating it, was priceless! His biggest thrill was to be the first one to put an ornament on the tree.

By Thursday afternoon, his anticipation was growing and he was hardly able to contain himself waiting for Thursday evening, when we would begin decorating. However, as soon as "mimi" got home from her luncheon date, Aaron prevailed upon her, and so the decorating began early. I went into the basement to retrieve the lights and ornaments, then Mimi, mom (Jen) and I began to string the lights around the tree as Aaron watched. We used the tiny, clear lights on the tree. After the lights were strung and checked, Aaron was ready to place the first ornament on the tree, which was a "Teddy Bear" ornament, I believe. From there, with mimi and mom helping, the rest of the ornaments were hung in no time. When all the decorating was finished, Aaron sat on the floor, in front of the tree, staring at it in wonder (see the web album, last photo).

Here's the link to the web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/ChristmasPrep?authkey=IZW7GYXv5BE#

Random Thoughts

Tuesday, December 2.

I was just thinking that, come March, the last member of the "Roy Gang" will turn 65! Yikes!!! It's true! Uncle Rich will hit the "golden" milestone on March 6th. As Harry Caray would say, "Holy Cow!".

In other earth-shattering news, Uncle Don turns the "golden" number this Friday, December 5th. We are all joining in his celebration(?) with a "congratulatory dinner" this Friday evening at Turner's Seafood Grill and Market (Don's favorite seafood place - at least, according to Toni!). And speaking of Toni, we just found out today that she is now a member of the "retired" club, having been notified late yesterday that her job of 17 years has been eliminated. In celebration, she is cooking a sumptuous meal of fried eggplant for Don tonight. Welcome to the "club", Toni!

Friday evening should be a "hoot", since we have all (almost) recently returned from a trip of some kind, and should have plenty of notes to compare. Add to that the fact that we have not all seen each other since last summer, there will be plenty of catching-up to do. I hope we have time for dinner! I can't wait for Friday!

I mentioned "the Roy Gang" above for good reason. When you think about what I am about to share with you, you will be amazed, awe-struck, bedazzled, or something like that (take your pick). The original "Roy Gang", who are all grandparents now, have grandsons who are all within about 1 month of each other in age, all having been born in 2003. My grandson, Aaron, was born at the end of September; Don's grandson, Ryan, was born mid-October; and Rich's grandson, Luis, was born in early November. (Are you awe-struck?) What you may not realize is that they were born in the same, EXACT order as their grandfathers!!! (Are you dumb-founded yet?). Told ya!!

I think that is truly amazing, that they were born in the exact order as their grandfathers, don't you? That is why I mentioned it today.

Stay tuned for further ramblings as I get the urge!

Retirement

Monday, December 1 - our first full day of actual retirement, hence the title!

I know, I know, we've been retired since last July 1st. However, there has always been something pressing to do every day until we departed on our trip cross-country. During the trip, we always felt as if we were on vacation, and that it would end soon enough, as vacations always do. After returning to Beverly for the holidays, we never really got into "retirement mode", because there were menus to prepare, food to buy and prepare, et cetera and so forth, ad nauseum! Once the Thanksgiving day feast was over, then we had to think about putting up some Christmas decorations around the house, inside and out.

So, all of that is finally behind us, and this morning we awoke to our first real Monday as a "retired" couple. What to do? Actually, we spent the morning puttering around the house; K was busy with laundry, while I worked on determining why the tub was draining so slowly, and why the fan in the bathroom was so noisy. Both problems were resolved by noon, so now we had to figure out what to do with the remainder of the day until dinner time. Can you guess what we did?

Correctomundo, senor! We went SHOPPING!!! Since K hasn't spent very much time behind the wheel of the new vehicle, she decided that she would drive us to Portsmouth, NH for a bit of Christmas shopping! Loverly! I brought along the Sunday Globe crossword puzzle to keep me busy during the 40 minutes, or so, that it took to get up there. Have you ever spent much time (any time?) sitting in the passenger seat while someone else drives? Try it! I have spent lots of time in the passenger seat as a Driving School Instructor, so I'm used to it. However, there are lots of people out there who NEVER sit in the passenger seat. I'm thinking, now, about husbands who, for some inexplicable reason, always grab the keys when going out with the wife. They never even entertain thoughts of letting HER drive! In fact, I'm betting that if a husband ever lets his wife drive, he is either too tired, or too drunk, to drive. Either way, odds are that he doesn't get the true feel of sitting in the passenger seat, since he is probably passed out during the trip.

Anyway, the reason I mention this, at all, is because you get a very different perspective sitting in the passenger seat than you get in the driver's seat. For some reason, the vehicle always seems to be going much faster than it actually is. Perhaps this is why passengers in vehicles seem to criticize the driver's abilities, I don't know.

Jeez! I just went back and read what I have written and it appears that I'm rambling! I guess that's what full-blown retirement does to a person. Too much time on our hands. I've got to get a hobby, but blogging isn't it!

Tune in again for another exciting episode of "Retirement and Its Effects on the Human Condition" (I just made that up - that's exciting, isn't it?)!

Thanksgiving Day - Beverly, MA

Friday, November 28 - the day after the "big meal".

Thanksgiving Day is always a big holiday here in Beverly. We always have lots of family, and occasionally some friends, at the dinner table. This year was no exception. The honeymooners (us) have returned for the holidays, and our eldest hosted the T-day dinner. Unfortunately I forgot to pack the cable which allows me to upload the pictures from our camera to the computer, so there will be no pictures to show you. Instead, I'll have to paint them verbally. Bear with me.

Robin and Roy stopped by on their way to Saugus to be with Roy's family. Aunt Gloria was the first dinner guest to arrive, bearing the spirits for the day (beer and wine). Mike and Lisa were next to arrive, and they brought a nice loaf of bread from a bakery in New York. Next, I believe, was Wendy and Jeff. Wendy brought her "famous" Jack Daniels candied yams, along with a nice bottle of Cotourri (?) Merlot, which was very good, and a wonderful bread she had made. Finally, Michelle and Scott arrived with their two adorable children, Anna Jane and "AJ". Michelle brought her "famous" squash soup, by popular demand.

After much socializing and "catching up", the turkey was just about ready. We sat down to soup and salad, with bread, while the "bird" was cooling. Chris and Jen provided the turkey and cooked it. Mom made the bread stuffing and her fantastic apple pie. Aunt Joanie made several dishes, including her "famous" cheese potatoes, meat stuffing, waldorf salad and a custard pie. While everyone was sitting around the table, Chris and mom went about carving the bird and getting the serving dishes ready for the table. Finally, it was time to get down to the business of eating this sumptuous meal. Wine flowed freely, though everyone remained sober, and quite able to drive, as some had a long drive home. The children had a wonderful time playing and running around the house. Just as we were finishing dessert, Grandma Linda dropped by and shared it with us.

After relaxing a bit, the guests began leaving for home while we showed films of our trip on the TV set. I never realized just how much filming I/we had done during our trip because we also took so many photographs.

All in all, this was a memorable Thanksgiving day, not only because it may have been the last one to be celebrated here in Beverly, but because of the absence of one guest - our youngest - who was celebrating out on the west coast. He was sorely missed by all, and we toasted him our best wishes this Thanksgiving day. I hope everyone had a nice a Thanksgiving as we did, and always do. I think that the closeness of our family is what makes every holiday special. Here's hoping that it continues for many years to come.

Back in Beverly, Massachusetts

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. So, it is with a bit of sadness that I write today's entry. Our 2-1/2 month long journey has finally been completed; we have come full-circle.

Here is the final tally for "the Trip":

We covered just under 9000 miles in the motor home, and an additional 4000+ miles in the car, for a grand total of almost 13,000 miles. Both the motor home and the car ended the journey in Florida, at Port St. Lucie. We were "on the road" for a total of 71 days, from the 2nd of September thru November 13th.

The "final leg" of the trip, from Port. St. Lucie to Beverly, MA, was driven in a brand new 2008 Honda Odyssey, which we purchased in Florida last Monday, Nov. 17th. We traded in the 2001 Honda Accord, which had just over 97K miles on it after the trip, and got a very sweet deal on the Odyssey. This was due to the fact that they only had 4 left on the lot (2008s, that is), and they really wanted to be able to say that they "sold" every last one of them. I put the word SOLD in quotes, because they really didn't SELL it to us, they practically PAID us to buy it! What with "factory incentives" and "dealer special pricing", it was a deal we really couldn't pass up.

So, sadly, our "adventure" is over. However, I will continue to post blog entries from time to time, just to let everyone know what we are up to. We will try to include photos as often as we can, just to make it more interesting. So be sure to keep checking in. I can't tell you exactly when, or how often, I will post, so check back often.

In Florida

Tuesday, November 18 - Port St. Lucie, Florida.

It's been several days since our last post, but nothing much is going on here. About the only thing worth mentioning is the weather. Last week, when we arrived at Port St. Lucie, the weather was hot and humid, and stayed that way through Sunday. However, yesterday the high temp for the day was about 71, and today we didn't see the temperature rise above 70 all day. It was sunny, though. In fact, we haven't seen a cloud since last weekend.

Last Saturday, we went down to visit an old friend in Jupiter. When we called her on Friday, we found out that a drunk driver had crashed into her condo - right into her kitchen - about a week before. When we got there, the workmen were busy closing the hole in her kitchen wall. In fact, by the time we left, it was just about closed up. However, her kitchen was not, and probably will not be usable for quite some time.

We spent Sunday and Monday working on our lot here. We mulched the plant beds and put in a couple of new plants to add some color. On Monday, I had the motor home washed to get the road grime off from the trip. It's looking pretty good now. We had planned on having our concrete pad power-washed and painted/sealed to keep it from getting mildewed from the weather, but we found out that there is a moratorium on doing any work in the park until some issues have been worked out with the City of Port St. Lucie. Apparently, when the permit was issued to Outdoor Resorts of America to build the park, the covenants approved by the city only included the concrete pads, water sewer and electrical hookups. Since then, many owners have made enhancements on their lots, such as adding outdoor kitchens with water, refrigerators, stoves/grills, and lighting. None of the enhancements were completed with permits from the city, so the city has deemed them to be illegal!! We will have to wait until the city sees fit to allow the owners to go forward, but with legal work permits in the future.

So, we leave Port St. Lucie on Thursday morning for Massachusetts. We should be home by Friday night, if all goes well. We will remain in Massachusetts for the holidays, returning to Florida sometime after Christmas. Hope to see everyone over the holidays to catch up.

Movin' East - Day 71 & 72

Friday, November 14, Day 72 - at Port St. Lucie, Florida.

We finally arrived in Port St. Lucie yesterday at about 5:30PM. We made a stop in Tampa at Lazydays RV Superstore to have the body shop and our insurance adjuster look at the damage to the motor home (minor) for estimates to repair same. We left Tampa at about 2:45PM, headed east to Port St. Lucie., where we finally arrived at about 5:30PM, and got settled on our lot.

In all of our travels, I guess we never really found anyplace that rivals Outdoor Resorts at St. Lucie West. This resort is just gorgeous. Be sure to check the web album for pictures of this "garden of Eden" in Florida. We took these pictures today, since it was too late last night to do justice to any pictures we might have taken.

We will be leaving here next week, either Thursday or Friday, to return to Beverly for the holidays. Until then, be sure to check back daily, as we will probably have more postings before we leave.

I just came in from watching the space shuttle launch. Beautiful! I've never before seen the launch live - only on TV. Spectacular, is all I can say!

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDays7172FloridaFinallyPortStLucie?authkey=6YZiGzDjtQI#

Movin' East - Day 70

Wednesday, November 12, Day 70 (wow! day 70!) - travel day, not much to report.

We left the Walmart lot in Callaway, FL, this morning and headed north, back to I-10. After seeing what travel was like going down Rte. 98 along the Gulf Coast, we decided to opt for speed, rather than scenery. One thing we have found out during our trip is that, whenever we arrive at a destination after dark, we are far better off staying at a local Walmart than trying to get into a campground. Last night was only the 2nd time we arrived at our destination after dark. This time, it was the delays along Rte. 98 (lights, traffic, unfamiliarity with area) which caused us to arrive later than expected. The campground we had selected, another Passport America campground, in Mexico Beach, FL, was about a mile off of Rte. 98, in a wooded setting, and the sites were on very soft sand, even though we were almost 1-1/2 miles from any beach. So, rather than having another near-disaster here, we opted to go to Walmart.

Anyway, tonight, we are in Ocala, FL, in another Passport America campground. We arrived here before 4:20PM, and in daylight. This campground is quite nice - small, but nice, with grassy sites and paved roads. We have full-hookups AND cable TV!, all for $17.50/night! We are about 95 miles north of Tampa, FL, where we will be tomorrow noon. If all goes well, we will head over to Port St. Lucie tomorrow afternoon. If not, we will head over on Friday morning.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out what happens!

Sorry to say, there are NO PICTURES today.

Movin' East - Day 69

Tuesday, November 11 (Veteran's Day), Day 69 - driving from Louisiana to Florida.

First of all, I want to apologize for some of the pictures last night. I inadvertently posted unedited pictures, so some of them were dark and unrecognizable. So, to make up for that, I am posting the edited pictures which you were probably not able to see last night. For the pictures we took today, see today's web album.

This photo shows the center aisle and altar at St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square, New Orleans.
This is a close-up shot of the Altar in St. Louis Cathedral.


This is me, standing at the corner of St. Louis Street and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, LA - aka, "The Big Easy".

Today was a "travel day", driving from New Orleans to Callaway, FL, which is just south of Panama City. We actually made it further south, about 20 miles, to Mexico Beach, where we had reservations at Rustic Sands Campground. However, it was dark when we got there, so we decided to find a Walmart to overnight at. So, we turned back north to Callaway and are now in the parking lot of Walmart.

After we arrived, we fed the pooches, then walked over to a Papa John's Pizza shop and ordered a pie. While we waited for the pizza (25 mins), we went next door to the Guadalajara Mexican Grill and ordered Margaritas. As luck would have it, it was "Hapy Hour", and small Margaritas were 2 for 1! We drank and had tortilla chips and salsa (free), and when we got the check, it was for $3.98!!! We really felt bad (for about 2 seconds), then we paid the check and went to get our pizza. The pizza was just "OK", nothing to write home about (although we ate "the whole thing"!).

Tomorrow, we will continue our journey south toward Tampa, FL, and Lazydays RV Supercenter. I doubt we will get there tomorrow, as we seem to be "dragging our feet" at this point, sad to believe that our journey is coming to an end.

Tune in tomorrow for details on our progress.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay69LouisianaToFlorida?authkey=3ZTNr4ROag8#

Movin' East - Day 68

Monday, November 10, Day 68 - driving to New Orleans.

We awoke early (6AM) so that we could get to New Orleans in daylight, and have a little time to sightsee before the place got too crazy after dark. The above photo shows the sunrise in Ajax, LA this morning. We took several pictures on the road to New Orleans, so b sure to check out the web album.

This photo was taken at the entrance to the RV Resort we are staying at tonight. We have received several mailings from this resort in the past couple of years. They built this park in 2006, just after Hurricane Katrina. In fact, the day before Katrina is when they broke ground to begin building the resort. It is small, about 52 lots (sites), but each site is paved with paver bricks, with grass between the pads. There are NO trees anywhere on the property, so shade is a problem. However, it is only two blocks from the French Quarter, which makes up for the lack of some amenities. Walking from the resort into the French Quarter is easy, and, since there is not much parking , except for lots @ megabucks, recommended.

Here I am, at the corner of St. Louis and Bourbon Streets in the French Quarter. I have never been to New Orleans, so I really didn't know what to expect. All I can say is, this has to be the Honky Tonk Capital of the World! If you can't find it here, it doesn't exist!

Our walking tour began with looking for a yarn shop Kathy found on-line. They carry the yarn she is looking for, so we HAD to find it! Fortunatlely for me, it was on Chartres Street, right off of Jackson Square. After making her purchases there, we headed over to St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square for photographs. Next, we were both a bit hungry, so we decided to have dinner in the Quarter. Kathy had asked the woman in the yarn shop for a recommendation, and she directed us to a little restaurant called "The Gumbo Shop", where, she explained, "all the locals go" because it's not expensive and the food is excellent. Based upon her recommendation, we went there for dinner and we both enjoyed the food very much, and we didn't "break the bank" for dinner, either. Kathy had the "blackened catfish", with creamed spinach, and I had the "combination platter", which consisted of creole shrimp, jambalaya, and I substituted the crawfish etouffee instead of the "red beans and sausage". I was a bit worried, since I had never eaten crawfish before. However, the food was delicious. I tasted Kathy's catfish dish, and that was excellent. My combo platter was even better, if that's possible. The dish was not too heavy on the cajun spices, but was spicy enough to give it that extra little "kick". I will not be downing any TUMS tonight, if that gives you any indication. Kathy wanted to go to "Brennan's" for breakfast tomorrow morning, but I don't think my pocketbook can afford it, not to mention that we have to be out of here by 11AM, and Brennan's doesn't start serving until 9AM. Still, she says I have to take her somewhere for breakfast, soooo, looks like an IHOP morning!

Check back tomorrow for further details, as we head eastward into Florida (finally!).

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay68DrivingToNewOrleans?authkey=wYSFxk5tdO4#

Movin' East - Day 67

Sunday, November 9, Day 67 - eastward into Louisiana.

We left Lewisville this morning at 8:30AM, driving south through Dallas to I-20 East and a fuel stop on I-20, before heading into Louisiana. We did take a few photos of the Dallas skyline as we passed through on I-35E South. Check the web album for those shots. The trip into Louisiana was uneventful, although the scenery along the way was very much different than the parts of Texas we had already driven through. No more flat, wide-open spaces, but, rather, lots of trees, evergreen, mostly, and rolling hills. In all, a nice, easy-on-the-eyes type of drive.

As we crossed into Louisiana (above), we had planned on stopping at the Visitor Center at the first Rest Area, however, it was closed for renovations - they were completely rebuilding it! So, we got off at the next exit, where there were two truck stops, a Love's and a Flying J. We normally stop at the Flying J, but, since Love's had a "Sonic" Drive-up/Eat-in restaurant, we decided to stop in there for lunch, and to walk the dogs. After lunch, since we would not see another Flying J until Baton Rouge, I decided to go across the street to "top off" the tank before continuing.

We arrived at our destination, the "Country Livin' RV Park, in Ajax (or, as our GPS has it, "Marthasville"), LA, at approximately 3:30PM. After getting settled, we immediately got down to doing the laundry, since this WAS a LAUNDRY STOP!! This is a very nice, quite campground, with full hook-ups, free WiFi, laundromat, for only $15.05/nite (Passport America), including tax. We paid $9/nite in Lewisville, but only had water/electric hook-ups.

Tomorrow morning we will continue southward to Baton Rouge and I-10 East. From there, we will head for New Orleans, where we will stay two blocks from Bourbon Street, at the French Quarter RV Resort (another Passport America campground). We have received mailings from the French Quarter RV Resort, and it looks quite beautiful in the photographs, so we are anxious to see it "in person". Also, I have NEVER been to "N'awlins", so I'm anxious to see that city.

Check back tomorrow for any possible photos of our trip to, and landing in New Orleans.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/ThrTripDay67DrivingIntoLouisiana?authkey=54eD1HzsfIg#

Movin' East - Day 66

Saturday, November 8, Day 66 - enjoying f amily.

The above picture is the sign at the entrance to the campground where we are staying in Lewisville, TX, which is the next town to the east of Flower Mound, where Brian and Kara live.

Our Saturday began with a visit to Brian and Kara's home in Flower Mound. Their home is located in a development of beautiful homes with meticulously landscaped and manicured grounds. Brian met us outside and invited us in, where Kara was waiting. We were also greeted by Holly, their golden retriever. After some "catching up", they took us on a tour of the house, which was as beautiful inside as it was outside, and very spacious.

Next, we all got into Brian's car and drove into Dallas for some sightseeing. Our first stop was at the JFK Memorial, which is described by the architect as a place for "quiet contemplation". It is a concrete structure, 50 X 50 feet square, with 30 foot high walls, with openings in both the North and South walls. See the web album for photos.

From here, we walked west to Dealey Plaza, where the assassination of JFK took place 45 years ago this month. The Plaza, itself, is undergoing some repair work, so we did not shoot any photos of it. To the immediate north of the plaza stands the former "Texas Book Depository" building, from where the fatal shots were fired. The building is no longer a book depository, but the 6th floor has now been preserved as a museum. We toured the museum, and found it to be a very sobering reminder of that day in history. Brian and Kara had not been born when the assassination took place, nor had they visited the museum prior to today. They were both quite moved by the exhibit. From the museum, we walked down Elm Street to the spots where the shots hit, and fatally wounded JFK. In the web album, some of the photos show the spots on Elm Street, marked with an "X", where bullets struck and killed him. The spot of the fatal shot is about 50 yards from the spot of the first wound. The next shot, after the "X"s, is of the 6th floor window, from where the shots were fired.

After a "Texas BBQ" lunch, Brian and Kara took us to Grapevine, TX, which is a quaint town, with antique shops, eateries, and several wine tasting shops. We walked a bit, then stopped in at the "D Vine Winery" tasting shop, where we sampled some of their wines (at a very reasonable price, I might add - California, take a lesson from Texas). We did purchase a bottle of wine there, "Lone Star Blanc", a variety of Sauvignon Blanc, which we liked very much.

Finally, we returned to Brian and Kara's to meet with Kelsey and Tyler, before all going out to dinner.

This is a photo of the Fugere family, including Holly, their beautiful golden retriever. When we arrived at Brian and Kara's this morning, both Kelsey and Tyler had already left, Tyler to a math and science competition, Kelsey to swimming practice, then to her "volunteer" job at the local animal shelter. Time out here, for a hearty "congratulations" to Tyler for coming home with two trophies from the competition. Way to go, Tyler! Kelsey and Tyler were a delight to talk with. We totally enjoyed having dinner at Cristina's (Mexican cuisine) and we all had the chance for more conversation. Thank you family.

Brian asked us what, during our trip, was most impressive, and I answered "Yellowstone National Park". However, both Kathy and I agree that our favorite memories of this trip will be the time spent with "family" along the way.

Tomorrow morning we begin seriously making our way back to Florida. When we leave the Dallas area, we will head east into Louisiana. We will target Shreveport, but we hope that we might be able to get a bit further south, toward Alexandria. Our goal is to get to Tampa by Thursday or Friday, to get estimates on repairs to the motor home. I'm not sure what, if any, pictures we might have tomorrow, but be sure to check back anyway. You never know.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay66TheFugereS?authkey=IIXLBM6EycQ#

Movin' East - Day 65

Friday, November 7, Day 65 - Wichita Falls to Lewisville, Texas

Once again, I have to apologize, since we have no pictures to post again today. The trip was quite uneventful along Rte. 287. We passed through a few smal towns, and a couple of bigger ones, but, all-in-all, nothing worth photographing.

We left Wichita Falls at 9:30AM and headed southeast toward the Dallas area. Our destination was Lewisville, Texas. This town is the next town east of Flower Mound, Texas, which is where the Fugere's live. We are about 20 minutes from their home. We arrived in Lewisville, and made our way to the campground we will be staying at for the next two nights. This is quite a nice campground, located on Lewisville Lake. This lake is quite large, and this is a gorgeous spot on the lake. We are located in a City Park and are surrounded by: the Lake, a golf course, and several athletic fields, which are ALL lighted! There are soccer fields (8), a football field, and two baseball diamonds. The campground sites are all paved pads, with shade trees to shade the motor home from the sun.

Tonight, we just chilled at the motor home. Tomorrow we will spend the day with the Fugere's. Since we will see some of the more interesting Dallas sites, there will be pictures. So, be sure to check back tomorrow.

Movin' East - Day 64

Thursday, November 6, Day 64 - Wichita Falls, Texas.

Sorry, no pictures today. We left Amarillo this morning around 9:30AM, and headed southeast on Rte. 287 for Wichita Falls. The trip was uneventful, and there really wasn't anything to photograph along the way. All we saw were wide-open spaces, a few cows and horses, and what we guessed might have been wheat fields. We also saw lots of cotton fields along the way. About the only thing we might have photographed, but couldn't because they were too far off the road, were camels, yes, I said camels!! I believe there were actually 3 of them grazing about 200 yards off the road.

So, anyway, we arrived in Wichita Falls at around 3:30PM, and immediately found another Wal-Mart parking lot to stay in tonight. We are actually less than 150 miles from Flower Mound, Texas, and we will travel that way tomorrow. After we arrived, we drove the car around Wichita Falls to see if there was anything interesting to see here. Around 4:45PM, we found an "On The Border" restaurant in a mall. We decided to stop in for a margarita and some nachos. On the way back to the motor home, the GPS was guiding us, but the roads here were so confusing because of construction (not the margaritas), that we had to make several course corrections before we finally got onto the correct roadway to get us back to the Wal-Mart lot. Good thing too, 'cause the dogs were waiting for their dinner when we finally made it back.

Check back tomorrow, as we might have some pictures to show you. Sorry, again, for the lack of photos today.

Movin' East - Day 63

Wednesday, November 5, Day 63 - traveling to Amarillo, Texas.

The photo above shows (somewhat) the decorative design of the overpasses in New Mexico. We thought it was limited to Albuquerque, but as we traveled eastward through New Mexico, we realized that all of the overpasses are decorated this way. Some of them are painted to match the RED dirt, with either a green or a blue stripe across the bridge of the overpass. Others are decorated like the one above. This makes for an enjoyable trip through the state by enhancing the visual beauty of the landscape.


Here we are, entering the "Great State of Texas". Interestingly enough, as we crossed into Texas, the odometer on the motor home turned 60,000 miles! I started to calculate the miles we have traveled since we left Beverly on September 2. We have traveled approximately 7000 miles (a bit over that, actually). In addition, we have put over 4,000 miles on the car! That means that our Honda has actually traveled OVER 11,000 miles! Speaking of the car, I had the oil changed in Flagstaff, AZ, since we had put on about 3,500 miles since the last oil change.

We arrived in Amarillo at about 3:45PM today. I made contact with Brian Fugere, and we will see Brian and Kara and the kids on Friday. We are planning on spending the day on Saturday in the Dallas area, leaving on Sunday AM. Tomorrow morning, we will leave Amarillo and head east to the Wichita Falls area tomorrow night. That will put us about 150 miles from Dallas, so we should be able to get to the campground and get settled by early afternoon on Friday, leaving plenty of time to spend with Brian and Kara on Friday evening.

The weather in New Mexico, when we left, was just beginning to turn colder and wetter. It had sprinkled a bit in the morning, before we left. However, the trip into Texas was dry, and we did get into sunny skies once we hit the Texas State Line. However, we have been helped (?) by a quite strong tail-wind since we left New Mexico. Tonight, here in Amarillo, in a Wal-Mart parking lot, the wind is really blowing hard. I'm not sure how hard it is blowing, but when I walk the dogs, Beasley almost takes flight, like a kite!

Don't know what kind of photos we might have for the trip tomorrow, but check back for the details of our trip. I promise we will have something to report! Hasta la vista!

Here's the link to today's web album (not much to see today!):

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay63TravelingToAmarilloTX?authkey=6ONcC-nJDcE#

Movin' East - Day 62

Tuesday, November 4 (Election Day), Day 62 - Petroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque, NM.

We awakened to another beautiful day. I know, you folks back in New England don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. We have not seen any rain since we were in northern California (Klamath, CA, to be exact). We began the day with a trip to Old Town Albuquerque, again, to walk around and visit the many shops there. We did purchase a few Christmas gifts while we were there. We also met some very interesting people in Old Town. In all, our morning and early afternoon could be described as, in a word, delightful!

Next, we headed back to the motor home for a quick lunch, and to attend to the doggies. In case I have not mentioned this before, they would much rather be in the motor home than being dragged along in the car with us! Afterward, we headed out to explore the Petroglyph National Monument, just to the west of the city.

I have to say, to begin here, that I/we have never seen anything like what we were about to discover. Petroglyphs, for those of you who may not have any idea what they are, are etchings in the stones which represent what is believed to be religious symbols of the various tribes that inhabited the area. The stone surfaces here appear very dark, called "varnish". The indians who etched the drawings, discovered that, by using tools, they could carve images in the stone. Under the "varnish" coating on the stone, the color is much lighter. Petroglyph National Monument contains over 20,000 of these images pecked in stone - some recognizable as animals, people, and crosses, others more mysterious. Only the carvers know the petroglyphs' true meanings. Be sure to check the web album, as we took lots of pictures of these carvings, along with some pictures of modern graffiti, which, in some cases, has disparaged the petroglyphs.

Finally, we sign off tonight with a magnificent shot of the New Mexico sky at twilight! See the web album for more shots of the New Mexico sunset here in Albuquerque.

Tomorrow, we once again pull up stakes and head east into Texas. Hopefully, we'll make Amarillo before sunset tomorrow (Wednesday). If we find anything to photograph along the way, be assured that it will be in the album tomorrow night.

One more thought before I sign off tonight: we would really appreciate ANY comments regarding the blog, the photographs, anything. Just to let us know that you are reading and enjoying our daily entries, or even if you are not enjoying following our adventures. Simply click on "Anonymous", if you do not wish to identify yourself. Otherwise, click on "Name/ID", and put your name in. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let us know you are reading and following.

Thanks!

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay62AlbuquerqueNM?authkeyf=cSz7j9Xlhok#

Movin' East - Day 61

Monday, November 3, Day 61 - Albuquerque, New Mexico (and the start of month #3 "on the road"!). We left Gallup at 10AM, destination Albuquerque, about two hours east on I-40. We did take some photos on the road to Albuquerque, so be sure to check the web album.

The above photo was taken as we crested a rather long uphill grade on I-40 East. We are about 7 miles outside of the downtown area of Albuquerque, but you can see how the city sprawls out in the valley below us. Just above and to the right of the highway, you can see the tall buildings of the downtown area.

Our first stop is at Enchanted Trails RV park, on Route 66, about 7 miles west of the city. After we got settled and had lunch, we drove into the city to visit the Museum of Natural History. This was a very good take. There is a fee to go into the museum, but it was well worth the money, as the exhibits are fascinating. We took pictures of some of the exhibits (mostly for Aaron, as he is "into" dinosaurs) in the museum, so check the web album.

Next, we drove to "Old Town" to walk around and take in the "local culture". The photo, above, was taken at Old Town Plaza, right across the street from San Filipe de Neri Church. There are photos of the church in the web album, as well.

From here, we went to see about taking a hot air balloon ride in the morning. I had made a couple of calls to different places, but one did not answer the phone, and the other one wanted $199/person for the balloon ride! We had one other brochure, for a business right there off the Plaza, so we walked over to inquire about balloon rides there. The girl behind the counter phoned the "pilot", but they would only take up a group of 6 people, since the balloon basket was a 6-passenger basket, and the balloon was extra large. Their fee, though, was $160/person. So, I guess we won't be taking a hot air balloon ride this time around.

As we walked around the Plaza area, we noticed that the shops were beginning to close for the day, as it was about 5PM. We decided to return tomorrow and spend the day. Next, we both felt like having a Margarita here, since the restaurants were all Mexican. We went into the bar at Casa de Fiesta (see pictures in web album), and ordered their "Fiesta Original" margarita - delicioso! We were informed that, in order to have just drinks, we HAD to order at least one appetizer, so we ordered the Chili con Queso, which was also delicious.

Tomorrow, back to Old Town, and whatever! Check back for the exciting details!

Here's the link to today's album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay61AlbuquerqueNM?authkey=oKvVSxnE57I#

Movin' East - Day 60

Sunday, November 2 (Happy Anniversary to Don & Toni - who forgot it was their 1st anniversary since renewing their vows at Sacred Heart Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea last year!) - driving to New Mexico.

The drive was quite uneventful for us! We left Williams, Arizona at 11:30AM, destination Gallup, New Mexico, about 20 miles into NM. Along the way, we had hoped to stop at the Painted Desert in eastern Arizona. However, when we got to where we thought the exit WAS, there was nothing there but wilderness! According to our atlas, it should have been around Exit 311 in Arizona, but there was nothing there. Soooo, we continued along and finally stopped at the Visitor Center in New Mexico. I have to say that, as Visitors' Centers go, this one was very good. There was so much information available there that it was hard to decide what to take. And the people, all Native Americans, were very helpful to me, answering every question I asked. I think that the Center was brand new, because eveything was in such good condition.

We left the Visitor Center headed for Gallup, which was about 18 miles further east. We had targeted the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Gallup as our stop for the night. We are now parked in the Wal-Mart lot for the night. Since we got here early (4PM), we decided to take a trip into Gallup, since there seem to be a lot of interesting places to visit here. As luck would have it, everything is closed here on Sunday, so we just drove down "Historic Route 66" thru Gallup. If you've never driven on Route 66, you are missing something. We have had the opportunity to drive on parts of Route 66 in Flagstaff and Williams, Arizona, and now in Gallup, NM. We will be staying a couple of nights in Albuquerque, also on Route 66!!

Tomorrow, we will make the last few miles into Albuquerque, where we will spend the next two nights (Monday and Tuesday), before heading east again, toward Dallas, TX, and Brian and Kara Fugere's, where we hope to be able to spend a little time visiting before going on to Florida.

Tune in again tomorrow, as we hope to have lots of pictures of Albuquerque.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay60DrivingToNewMexico?authkey=Z5Di6eZ0vMs#

Movin' East - Day 59

Saturday, November 1, Day 59. A special "Happy Birthday" to Jeff Wilkins!


Jerome, Arizona....what can I say about Jerome? This is a quaint little town nestled on the side of a hill, located about 27 miles south of Sedona. Jerome was a copper mining town back in the 1800's, with a population of about 15,000 in its heyday. A walk down the main street in town will give you a sense that you are back in the 1800's, since some of the buildings do date back to when the town was built. Unfortunately, we didn't spend very much time in Jerome, for a couple of reasons. First, parking in this town is at a premium, and all the GOOD spaces were taken. Secondly, in order to get anywhere, it involves walking UPHILL, unless you go downhill first, but then you have to get back UP! If you happen to visit Jerome in the future, make sure to bring water, and good walking shoes, and be prepared to do some climbing.

We much preferred Sedona. There's plenty of FREE parking, and you don't have to do very much UPHILL walking. Also, the streets are wider, and less crowded. Also, Sedona has the ONLY McDonald's Restaurant which does not have "GOLDEN" arches.
This is a picture of the McDonald's in Sedona. Notice that the "Arch" is TEAL, not GOLD. The reason why the sign at this McDonald's has teal arches is that the "town fathers" thought that the GOLDEN arches would clash with the RED rocks which surround the town. As a result, the McDonald's Corporation suggested using TEAL arches. The "townies" bought it, so.... Anyway, now you know a bit of trivia which, perhaps, you can use to impress your company at your next gathering.

We spent the rest of our day wandering through the shops in Sedona, making a few purchases, having lunch, and talking with people who work there. A lot of the people who own shops there are transplants from other places. One woman we met, the owner of the "Dream Catchers" jewelry shop, hailed originally from Long Island. She and her husband relocated here about 5 years ago. She said the only thing she misses is the ocean!

After returning to the motor home to tend to the doggies, we drove into Williams in time for the 5:30 Mass at St. Joseph's Church. In contrast to some of the other churches we visited out here, this Mass actually started at 5:30PM!! We have noticed that, when we visit churches out here, they all do things differently. Back at home, in Beverly and the surrounding area, when you attend a Mass, no matter which Church you visit, everything is the same.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we will pull up stakes here in Arizona and head east toward Albuquerque, NM. I doubt that we will get to Albuquerque tomorrow night, as the distance is over 350 miles. Instead, we will try to make it to Gallup, which is about 30 miles into New Mexico, and spend tomorrow night there. On Monday, we will head on into Albuquerque for a couple of days before seriously heading east to Florida. We hope to be in Florida on, or about, the 15th of November.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay59JeromeAndSedona?authkey=nTd9kh9R_2w#

Movin' East - Day 58

Friday, October 31 (Happy Birthday, "AJ"), Day 58 - The Grand Canyon, South Rim.

As you can see by the photo, we finally did make it to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This was truly worth the trip. The scenery from the South Rim was fantastic. The only unfortunate thing about today is that the sky was not as clear blue as we have seen the past few weeks. Today, the sky was partly sunny, with lots of big, white, puffy clouds, which cast shadows over the scenery, making it difficult to see the detail in the shots. In addition, it was a bit hazy, which also contributed to the limited visibility today. Anyway, check out the album, as most of the photos came out pretty well.

After visiting the South Rim (we used the free shuttle buses here, also), we returned to the motor home and picked up the dogs, then we drove into the town of Williams, Arizona. This is a neat little town, with a flavor of the "old west". Lots of "saloons" and cafes, and they all looked pretty inviting. We were scouting out the location of the only Catholic Church in town, St. Joseph's, which is way out in the far end of town. We will attend the 8AM Mass on Sunday, then we will have breakfast at the "Route 66 Diner" in town before pulling out and heading east for Albuquerque, NM.

Tomorrow, we will head down into Sedona (again), and on to Jerome for a visit there. I don't know what we'll have for pictures tomorrow, probably shots of Sedona and Jerome, but be sure to check back tomorrow for details and photos of that trip.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay58GrandCanyonTheSouthRim?authkey=hMqvcQNlCyg#

Movin' East - Day 57

Thursday, October 30, Day 57 - Sedona, Arizona.

I know, I know, I promised that we would do the South Rim of the Grand Canyon today. However, because we stayed in a Wal-Mart parking lot last night, we had to move the motor home to a campground today. We had made arrangements, on line, to stay at a KOA in Williams, AZ for the next few days, and Williams is about 30 miles west of Flagstaff. By the time we got there, it was after noon, so we didn't have enough time to do the South Rim today. Instead, we decided to drive down to Sedona, about 50 minutes south, and walk around for the afternoon. We decided that one two-hour stint was not nearly enough time to spend in Sedona, so, we will return for the day on Saturday to spend more time there, and maybe do a "Jeep Tour". The web album has photos of the drive down to, in, and returning from, Sedona. Be sure to check out, as the scenery is amazing.

Tomorrow, we hope to get out early and get up to the South Rim for a few hours, or so. Check back tomorrow for all the details.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay57SedonaArizona?authkey=whvrnIHt8Oo#

Movin' East - Day 56

Wednesday, October 29, (Happy Birthday to John Borsetti) Day 56 - the Grand Canyon, North Rim. Another beautiful day out here in Arizona for driving out to the Grand Canyon. We departed Page, AZ shortly after 10AM, destination, Bitter Springs, AZ. Our plan was to park the motor home somewhere in Bitter Springs, but when we got there, we discovered that there was no place to park this behemoth! So, we drove the motor home as far as Jacob Lake, where we found a place to park. We loaded the doggies into the car (against their wishes), and made the drive, some 45 miles, into the National Park. As the sign below will attest, we made it!

As we drove the last few miles into the park, we decided that it reminded us of Yellowstone, because of all the trees and open meadows we passed on the way in. However, once we arrived at the North Rim Visitor Center, and began to walk out to the Bright Angels viewpoint, we knew we weren't in Yellowstone. Be sure to check out the web album to see what I mean.

After leaving the North Rim, we headed south toward Flagstaff, AZ. We hoped to find a campground along the way, before we got to Flagstaff, which was still 110 miles south from Bitter Springs. We began calling several different campgrounds, but they were either full, or closed for the season. We could not find a campground along the road, so we had to settle for one in Flagstaff. We found the Woodlands RV Park, just west of Flagstaff, on "Route 66!". We programmed the GPS to take us there, knowing that it would probably be dark when we got there. The manager told us that he would leave the information on the door if we arrived after 6PM. We finally arrived at 7:15, and it was pitch dark. There were no lights in the park, so finding our site was going to be a chore. I got the information (a map of the park, showing where our site was) off the office door when we arrived, and we entered the campground. After trying, for at least 30 minutes, to find the site we were assigned, we both decided that even Wal-Mart would be a better choice than this place, because it was all DIRT! There was NO GRASS, nothing but DIRT! So, we reprogrammed the GPS to find us the nearest Wal-Mart, which she did. It was only 1.7 miles from the campground. So, we are camping out at Wal-Mart in Flagstaff, AZ tonight. Tomorrow, we'll find a better campground and head out to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the photos and details of our trip out to the South Rim. We actually took 97 pictures today, but I only uploaded the best 28. Enjoy!

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay56TheGrandCanyonNorthRim?authkey=in43FMjyQns#

Movin' East - Day 55

Tuesday, October 28, Day 55 - beautiful Lake Powell at Page, Arizona. As the photo, above, shows, this is truly a beautiful, majestic lake. "Impounded behind the Bureau of Reclamation's Glen Canyon Dam, waters of the Colorado River and tributaries are backed up about 185 miles, forming Lake Powell." The only unfortunate thing about being here is that we can only see a very small portion of this lake. The only way to truly explore the wonders of Lake Powell is by boat, since there are no roads which completely surround the area. We happened to visit the area during the "off season", so we were unable to take a boat tour. Of course, the tours only give you a small taste of the beauty of this area, since they only last four hours (1/2 day tour), or over 8 hours on the all-day tour. Since the lake stretches 185 miles between Arizona and Utah, with many smaller "fingers" protruding into the landscape all along the way, it would take many weeks by boat to truly explore the whole area. That is why houseboat rentals here are so popular. Just in the area we are in, alone, there must be about one thousand houseboats available to rent, ranging in size from small boats to huge "mansions on water". Be sure to view the web album for more pictures of the lake and surrounding sights.

Tomorrow, we will be heading south, and west, to the north rim of the Grand Canyon for our first look. We hope to have some pictures of the Canyon from the North Rim for you in the next web album. Until then....

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay55LakePowellAZ?authkey=mq_cgj5Cc-8#

Movin' East - Day 54

Monday, October 27, Day 54 - leaving Hurricane, Utah for Page, Arizona. As usual, another beautiful day in Utah, with clear blue, sunny skies. A great day to travel.

The picture above is the site we were staying on in Hurricane, UT, at the Willow Wind RV Park. Except for the palm trees, this place reminded us of Outdoor Resorts in Port St. Lucie, FL, as it had concrete pads to park on, with grass on each side. This has been one of the best parks we have had the pleasure to stay at since we left. And leave we did, driving east to Page, Arizona, in the Lake Powell area. Again, the scenery along the way was fantastic (see the web album).

We arrived in Page, AZ in time for lunch, which gave us the opportunity to pinpoint the directions to the RV park we will be staying at, since our GPS didn't recognize the address. A quick call got us the exact directions, so we finished our lunch and proceeded to the park.

The picture, above, will give you an idea of what this park is like. Although the sites are not paved, the roads are, and we have a nice shade-tree on our site. The motor home is looking great, as we had it washed in Las Vegas (it was FILTHY!). And the rates here are very reasonable, even though it's not a Passport America (1/2 price) member park.

After getting settled here, we drove back to the Glen Canyon Dam, which we passed on our way into Page. This dam was finished in 1963, and its completion formed Lake Powell, which is fed by the Colorado River, which continues from here into the Grand Canyon. The water level in Lake Powell is down at this time, due to the lack of rainfall in the area. The distance from the dam to the Hite Marina, where the Colorado empties into Lake Powell, is 127 miles! This is, to say the least, a very impressive lake. Tomorrow we will try to take a cruise on the lake to take some photographs and videos, as the scenery surrounding this lake is, in a word, breathtaking.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the details of our cruise on Lake Powell.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay54DrivingFromHurricaneUTToPageAZ?authkey=Vv1Dl8ak2kQ#

Movin' East - Day 53

Sunday, October 25, another gorgeous day for sightseeing in Utah! The picture above is the entrance to Zion National Park from the east. We took a scenic drive around Zion, through Colorado City and Fredonia, AZ, into Kanab, UT, and finally into Zion on Rt. 9. The first 40 pictures were taken just on the way to Zion, on Rt. 59, then Rt. 89A. I will apologize before-hand, for all of the pictures (165) in the web album, but we just couldn't help ourselves, the scenerey was just so beautiful. I only captioned a few of the pictures, just for reference. The rest will speak for themselves, because this place is just soooo majestic! As you will see, in some of the pictures, the sky was clear blue. The temperatures today reached the mid-80s by mid-afternoon, with just enough of a breeze to keep it comfortable.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but, as this was Sunday, we did not begin the day at Mass. That is because the only churches within reach from here are Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Keep in mind that we are in Utah, where the Mormon Church pervades every walk of life. Here, if you are not Mormon, you are in the minority.

Tomorrow, we will leave Utah for Arizona and Lake Powell. We have been told that this is another gorgeous area, so we will probably be there for a couple of days. Be sure to check the blog again tomorrow night, as we will probably have pictures of the drive to Lake Powell.

Here's the link to today's voluminous web album (165 pictures):

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay53DrivingIntoAndInZionNationalParkUT?authkey=zNTCtBu7ybw#

Movin' East - Day 52

Saturday, October 25, Day 52 - Leaving Las Vegas, destination Hurricane, UT. Another beautiful day out west, a great day to travel. Although we hated to leave Vegas (Kathy wanted to stay another night and try to get into the Donny and Marie Osmond show at the Flamingo), we decided to head east into Utah. As we traveled east into Arizona, the scenery changed from desert landscape to mountains, canyons and mesas, as captured in the photo below.

As we crossed into Arizona from Nevada, we were amazed at how much the scenery changes at almost every turn. The trip through Arizona was short, but beautiful. We can hardly wait to get to the Grand Canyon.

The picture, above, was supposed to be the sign reading "Utah State Line", but I think I grabbed the wrong one. I think this one is when we entered St. George, UT, a few miles beyond the state line. Anyway, it shows the contrast between the cities and the wide-open spaces out here. We are simply awe-struck with all the beautiful places we have seen, so far. The best part of all of this is that we have been able to take the time to appreciate all the places we have seen so far on our trip.

The photo, above, shows the entrance to the park where we will be staying for the next two days (or more, should we decide to stay longer). This park is a lot like our Resort Park at Port St. Lucie, in that the sites are all concrete pads, surrounded by grass and shade trees, and the roads are all paved. We have already met several new people here who spend the winter at this park. All the sites are rentals, only. Nothing here is for sale. The rates here are quite reasonable for such a beautiful park. The monthly rate is $300, and the daily rate is $30. From the information I have been able to gather in speaking with our next-door neighbor, there are other places which have even lower monthly rates! I suggested to Kathy that perhaps we should sell our lot in Florida and come out here for the winter. She was not very receptive to that idea.

Tomorrow, we will explore Zion National Park and Kolob Canyon. We will travel south into Arizona, through Colorado City (a mormon community), and Fredonia, before heading north into Kanab, UT, and finally into Zion from the East Entrance to the park. This will a 75 mile loop, returning to Hurricane. Later, we will travel north to Kolob Canyon to explore that park. Be sure to check back tomorrow for pictures of that adventure.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay52DrivingToUtah?authkey=FUjQTlbwtGE#

Movin' East - Day 51

Friday, October 24, Day 51 - still in Las Vegas. Actually, the title of this blog should be "Still in Vegas", because we have not left yet.

Today we awoke to another beautiful day in Las Vegas. The sky was as clear as the large intestine just before the colonoscopy! But seriously, folks, it was a beautiful day out here, with temperatures in the low to mid-80's by afternoon. We spent the morning and afternoon on the strip. We bought 24-hour passes on "The Deuce", which is a transit system (bus) that cruises up and down the strip, stopping at all the major Hotel/Casinos along the way. The 24-hour pass is just $5/person - the best deal on the strip. These buses are great, because they are "double-decker" buses, so one can sit on the 2nd level and see everything along the route. See the web album for pictures of these beauties. We had lunch in New York, New York at Greenburg's Deli. We shared a Corned Beef Reuben on Rye, which was more than enough for both of us. Next, we crossed the strip to the MGM Hotel/Casino, where we visited the African Lion exhibit (pictures in the web album). From here, we caught "The Deuce" back to Circus Circus and the motor home to attend to the doggies, who, by the way, have been absolutely wonderful so far. We also needed to take a nap before going out to see Danny Gans tonight.

The above picture is the ad in front of the Mirage Hotel/Casino for Danny's show. We drove to the Mirage and parked in the garage to save time. Some of the pictures in the album were taken from atop the garage, the view was so good. From here, we made our way into the theater to see the show. If you have never seen, or heard of, Danny Gans, then you are missing out on a truly GREAT performer. It's no wonder he has won so many awards since he began appearing here in Vegas 14 years ago. This has to be THE BEST SHOW I/we have EVER seen! Danny does impersonations of famous people, but he does it is such a way that you would swear the person was actually there, on the stage! In addition, he is a marvelous singer in his own right. He captures the subtle gestures of each of the personalities he imitates as he does their voices and material. If you ever come to Vegas, be sure to put the Danny Gans show on your agenda. Make your ticket purchase ahead of time, because EVERY SHOW is SOLD OUT!

After the show, we cruised up and down the strip taking pictures of the glitz and glamour offered here. Lots of them are in the album.

Tomorrow we will leave Las Vegas for Utah and Zion/Bryce National Parks (I think! Kathy is thinking about staying another night to go and see Donny and Marie at the Flamingo!). Be sure to check back tomorrow to see how this plays out.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay51LasVegas?authkey=M9kxTc4toOc#

Movin' East - Day 50

Thursday, October 23, we finally leave California for Nevada on our way east. This day is another beauty. Our destination was to be Zion National Park, however, as we continued east toward Las Vegas, we decided to spend a couple of days here, then continue toward Zion on Saturday.

Here we are, entering the GLITZ capital of the world. We have reservations to stay at the Las Vegas KOA, which is directly behind Circus Circus on the Strip. The day is perfect, 77 degrees at noon, with a nice breeze. First, we have to do a bit of grocery shopping, and we will try to get tickets to a show.
As we prepare to enjoy our stay in Las Vegas, here is Wilson, living life "in the fast lane". C'mon Willy, this is the city that never sleeps! Get up, man, let's go for a walk! Nothing doing! He's on the couch to stay. Oh, well!

After our grocery run, we decide to take a trip into "Downtown" Vegas, the "old" part of town. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that we did score two tickets to see Danny Gans at the Mirage tomorrow (Friday) night at 8PM. Downtown Vegas is not a glamourous as "the Strip", but it has its own character. We decided to return this evening for dinner and a walk down Fremont Street to see first-hand "the Fremont Experience" that everyone talks about here.

We had dinner at the Bay City Diner in the Golden Gate Casino at #1 Fremont Street. This is the oldest hotel/casino in Vegas. It opened in 1906 at its present location. In 1951, it was sold to the family who owns it today, an Italian family from San Francisco, hence "The Golden Gate Hotel". After dinner, we began walking down Fremont Street, which, to the uninformed, is like a pedestrian mall, no vehicles allowed. As we walked, we passed Binion's Hotel/Casino and the Fremont Hotel/Casino, where we discovered that there was a Dunkin' Donuts inside, so we had to go in and get a cup of coffee. It was the same as the coffee we got at DD on Elliott St., in Bevely!!! Imagine that! Mmmm! Delish! Be sure to check out the web album for all the pictures of Fremont Street. Of course, seeing it in pictures is nothing like the experience of being there, with the music playing and the pictures on the ceiling - fantastic!

Tomorrow, we will do "the Strip". Stay tuned for pictures of that adventure.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay50LasVegas?authkey=nNaMzqC6FFQ#