Blog 2011
Dec. 2010
After spending October, November and December at home with family and friends we left Ft. Myers to spend a couple of days with Linda’s sister near Lake Placid, it was windy and cold. Caught up on family news, it is always good to see loved ones that we haven’t seen in a year. Then headed back across the state towards Ruskin to visit with Jerry & Mary Ann, who we met in Quartzite, AZ. last January and traveled with for a while last winter. Our friend Betsy came up from Sarasota to visit for a day and catch up. We’re off again to Live Oak visit Linda’s brother’s family before we head west for the winter and summer months.
Jan. 2011 Don and Jill have decided to join us on our way to Quartzsite. Caught up with them in Fredericksburg, Texas, and spent the afternoon touring the LBJ Ranch or as it was once called the Texas White House. Stopped in Benson, Az. at a SKP park and took a side trip to Bisbee, near the Mexico border walking around old town, talking with the locals, having lunch, and just being tourists. Went through Tucson and had a great steak supper with Jerry & Jeri, out in the middle of the Arizona desert, at Fred’s Arena and Steakhouse. From there a short lay over in Casa Grande SKP park to do housekeeping and laundry.
On to Quartzsite, I cannot describe the awesome sight when we top the hill just before Quartzite and see a sea of white, knowing that you are looking down on the roofs of thousands of RVers that seems to go on for miles and miles, oh yes, they go on for miles! We have come for the desert and the annual RV lifestyle show. Stayed there for 9 or 10 days boondocking in the desert, taking off road trips into mountains. Soon it’s off to the “Slabs” in California, which hasn’t changed since last year, still makes me remember the 60’s and Love & Peace.
Feb. & Mar. 2011
Borrego Springs, California is on the west side of Salton Sea. We dry camp for 7 or 8 days just relaxing and doing more 4 X 4 off road trips. Then were headed back east thru Yuma, Az. to Ajo, Az. where the Escapee’s (SKP) boondocking group is having a 10 day Rendezvous. Donny & Jill spend 2 days in camp and then head towards Tucson so he can fly back to Jacksonville. We go back to Yuma for a couple of weeks and stay at one of our favorite campgrounds, Cocopah Casino parking lot, where we see Dale & Gerri from Idaho. Soon it’s north to Casa Grand to do housekeeping and meet Donny and Jill again. Then north of Phoenix to Wickenburg, Az., dry camping on BLM land. After a week and some off road trips in the Jeep, we leave Wickenburg heading east towards Safford with a short side trip in the Jeep to Apache Jct. & Tortilla Flats. We arrive in Safford March 16 for another rendezvous. After a couple of days Donny & Jill headed to Texas for their grand kids birthday, we’ll catch up with them later in the summer. Went to the small town of Wilcox, Az. and wandered thru the Rex Allen museum and did a little wine tasting. We left Safford going west to meet with Dale and Gerrie in Laughlin, NV. and go to the annual Laughlin Rodeo.
Apr. & May 2011
Heading to Death Valley by way of Las Vegas, arriving on Apr. 6. Death Valley is not only below sea level, it is surrounded by mountains. We went for a ride and it ended up snowing on us as we tried to drive to the top of one mountain range. Toured Scotty’s Castle, Bottle House in Mosaic Canyon and drove the 26 mile one way gravel road through Titus Canyon. We spent a week in Death Valley. Then on to the California’s Serria Nevada mountains, stopping in Lone Pine to tour the old movie lot where westerns were made in the 30’s & 40’s. With such great stars as Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autry, John Wayne and hundreds of movies were filmed here, even parts of Star Wars. We camped on the old movie lot for 3 days. Picked up US395 on the east side of the mountains thru Bishop, stopping every several days sightseeing, on to Carson City, Lake Tahoe, and finished out the month in Reno, where Donny caught up with us while Jill was in Fla. And it snowed in May in Reno.
June 2011
Still on US395N, it’s on to Eagle Lake, Ca. for a week, then over to Orland, Ca. staying at Black Butte Rec. area a Corp of Engineers park waiting for Jill to fly in from Fla. Next Lassen Natl. Forrest for a week cruising gravel roads with Donny and Jill in the the Jeeps, found some snow on the trails and our friends who grew up in snow said they would show us how to drive through snow. Ah, they got stuck and the Floridians’ had to pull them out.
July 2011
Over to US 101, Fortuna, Ca. along the Pacific Coast, spent the 4th of July week, sightseeing the Redwood National Forest in northern California. Awesome, overwhelming huge trees you have to see them up close to appreciate just how big. With every turn thru the “grove” they just got bigger and taller and older. After the holiday weekend it’s over to Oregon and Crater Lake, arriving at a “snow park” to stay a few days. Saw a lot of snow that hasn't melted at the visitor center (7000’ alt.) and only one side of the lake road was open for travel. Leaving Crater Lake and back to the Pacific Coast into Oregon, it’s north on the coast highway. Gold Beach, Rogue River area, we find a gravel bed along the river to spend a week, took a jet boat ride up the river for 52 miles one way. Saw deer & black bear, and had a great boat ride, lots of action. At the mouth of the Rogue River and the Pacific, the Sea Lions prey on game fish, Marine Patrols launch cherry bombs into the water to drive them back out to sea. Sea fog in the morning along the coast “burns off” off for some spectacular sights as we drive the coast stopping at small coastal towns and enjoy walking and window shopping, eating lunch, deserts of Marion berry, huckleberry, blueberry pies and lots of ice cream. The Harbor Seals are now molting on the beaches.
August 2011
On to Coos Bay,Or. for a few days then north to Winchester Bay and 500’ Sand Dunes right on the beach! Just couldn’t pass up renting ATV’s, and running on the Oregon dunes in this recreation area. A beautiful beach and harbor. After a few more stops in the next 2 weeks we pass through Tillamook, take the factory tour and sample cheese and ice cream. We stay a few nights free at the Tillamook Air Museum, a WW2 blimp base and the largest wood frame structure. Almost all the planes are still flown. It’s now time to leave the coast we’ve enjoyed the last 9 weeks. What a great area of the Country, As we turn east along the Columbia River Gorge I know this part of our summer is drawing to a close, we’ll miss the Pacific and the Oregon Coast.
Sept. 2011
East along the Columbia River toward Mount Hood. The weather is good and we finish August in a vacant sno-park northeast of Mt. Hood Natl. Forest. We spend a day touring the Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood and later camp in a free Corp of Engineers Park near the John Day Dam on the Columbia. Donny and Jill will soon be making their way to see her family in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We travel east to Walulla, Wa. on the Walla Walla River near where it flows into the Columbia. Our last camp is set-up in a free Fish and Game Park. This week we’ll each go our own way till next year. Linda and I move on to Pendleton, Or. for the Labor Day weekend, and take the underground tour. Then over to Coeur d’ Alene, Id. to visit with Dale and Gerrie for a week. The next few weeks we’ll go east on old US2 and visit Waterton Glacier Natl. Park, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The park is beautiful, but one of the biggest surprises of our 3 week drive east through the Bakken Oil Fields. Williston, North Dakota is a BOOMTOWN! With permits now being issued to drill, the area is controlled chaos, no shortages of jobs. We head south into Michigan and visit with Jerry and Mary Ann Nugent in Grand Rapids, spending 8 days in their back yard.
October 2011
The color of leaves turning from Lake Superior east into the Upper Peninsula was gorgeous and we watch as they start turning in Grand Rapids. The annual Artprise celebration is in full swing and the city is buzzing. A busy week cleaning up our muddy coach and Jeep, then helping Jerry install a new flatscreen TV in his coach. We take old US27 south from Michigan into Indiana farm country and join Interstate 75 in Kentucky, not often were on super highways. We’re in Franklin, NC. in 4 days at my sisters, really fast compared to our usual slow pace. We’ll spend a week or more here then slowly return to Florida, stopping in Georgia and with family and friends in Florida.
The year seems like it went by fast until we take time to look at hundreds of pictures, and think of all the places we stayed, and friends we made…..More next year…Skip and Linda
