Dodge City, KS April 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

How many of you grew up watching “Gunsmoke” on TV?  Marshal Matt Dillon and his sidekick deputy Fetus?  How about Miss Kitty and Doc hanging out at the Long Branch Saloon?DSCN6481

As we were planning our trip from Florida to Washington it was pretty simple to select the major stops along the way.  After that we looked for places to break the rest of the trip up into reasonable drives.  As we planned the route between Branson, MO and Colorado Springs, Dodge City, KS was the perfect distance.  When I saw this I said to myself, “We have to stop at Dodge City, if only to say we visited the site of “Gunsmoke.”

We stayed at the Gunsmoke RV Park on the west side of town.  This is a nice campground with a lot of pull-through sites and trees and grass.  We relaxed after a long drive and did some research on what to see in the area.

The next morning we started by going to the Visitor Center and got a map of the self-guided walking tour around town, as well as some other advice on what to see.  For all of you geocachers, the Visitor Center is a geocache.  Go in and ask for the geocache and they will hand you the container that is kept behind the desk.  This was probably the easiest and most creative geocache I have picked up.  As a bonus I got my picture taken with Marshal Matt Dillon.DSCN6478

We followed the route of the walking tour.  The city has metal “pole art banners” mounted on lampposts that highlight periods of history. Periodically we came across interpretive signs, “story boards,” describing the actions and people involved in the city’s history.  Along the route there are “Trail of Fame Medallions.” Like the stars on the sidewalk in Hollywood these medallions recognize key figures in the history of Dodge City.  The medallions recognized Wyatt Earp – formerly the US Marshal for Dodge City, John Henry “Doc” Holliday and his girlfriend, “Big Nose” Kate Elder, and others.  They also recognized the cast of “Gunsmoke” and other TV westerns that involved Dodge City.DSCN6485

The site of the original Front Street in Dodge City is now occupied by current businesses.  The architecture of the buildings has changed due to fires and urban renewal projects so it has no resemblance to what we all watched on the TV show.  However, it was interesting to see the site of the original Long Branch Saloon and the Dodge House.

We walked up Boot Hill, and although the original cemetery was replaced by a municipal building, we were able to view a commemorative marker of Boot Hill.DSCN6492

Fort Dodge was established to provide security for the area and the trade routes before Dodge City existed.  Because of problems with excessive drinking at Fort Dodge, the Post Commander forbid any alcohol within five miles of the fort.  To remedy this situation George Hoover put a board across two piles of sod exactly five miles west of Fort Dodge to open the first bar in what would become Dodge City. Fort Dodge is now the site of a VA medical facility and a state run Veterans Home.  We toured the Fort dodge complex and the museum.  Between the displays and the volunteer docent we came away with a clear picture of life on the frontier.DSCN6503DSCN6500

The next day was spent taking it easy and practicing the “fine art of doing nothing.”  On Thursday, April 14th we headed for Colorado Springs.20160412_175113

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Sand Springs, OK – A City Built with a Purpose – April 2016

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

Tulsa MapWe decided to camp near Sand Springs, OK because it was the right distance from our last stop in Branson.  We found a Corps of Engineers campground on-line called Washington Irving South that seemed like a nice site to relax, do some kayaking and possibly some hiking.  When we arrived we discover that the campground was tight!  Low branches, tight turns, and trees close to the inside of those tight turns made it a challenge to get into our site.  However, it was worth it.  We had a unobstructed, beautiful view of Keystone Lake from our front yard.20160407_103603

Our first day was a nice relaxing day.  We did our exercise walks in the morning and I relaxed with a book and coffee looking over the lake.  After lunch I did take some time to give the trailer a good wash job.  There were plenty of bugs to clean off the front cap!

The first few days were very windy so when we finally had a calm day we took advantage of it to go kayaking.  It was nice to be able to launch and land our kayaks from the shoreline in front of our campsite.  The shore of Keystone Lake had sandstone and shale cliffs that made it an interesting sight.  We could see evidence of much higher lake levels, piles of fallen trees trunks and branches along the high water mark.  We played “tag” with a blue heron that would take off whenever we got close, but would land a couple hundred feet in front of us.DSCN6444

We heard of a local festival, “Chillin’ and Grillin’,” in nearby Sand Springs.  We drove in to find a huge gathering featuring commercial and individual grillers and smokers.  The entrants were evaluated by a panel of selected judges and by the public.  As we entered the area we purchased a “lunch  kit” for $10 each.  This included a frisbee as a plate holder, two paper plates, plastic utensils, and a ticket.  The ticket was to be placed in the can at the booth that we thought had the best food for the public judging.  What a great way to have lunch!  We were offered pulled pork, pork loin, sausage, BBQ pork and chicken, and there was even a booth for shaved ice!  We just wandered from booth to booth sampling the offerings.  Of course we had to go back for seconds in some cases to re-evaluate our choices.DSCN6461DSCN6465

Sands Springs has an interesting story and we visited the local museum to learn more.  Sand Springs was literally built from nothing by businessman and entrepreneur, Charles Page.

DSCN6471Charles Page had never forgotten how his mother had struggled in poverty to keep her family together after her husband died. There were few resources in the 19th and early 20th century to help either widows or orphans. He knew first-hand how fatherless children often had to forgo a school education to help support themselves or their families by working full-time in menial jobs. Now that Page had begun to prosper, he thought about how he could help others caught in the same situation. He created a planned community where widows and orphans could live and become productive members of society.

In 1908, he purchased a quarter section of land to the west of Tulsa and later, other adjoining properties. On this land, he founded a town that he named Sand Springs. In 1909, Page rescued 21 orphans from a bankrupt orphanage in Tulsa and legally adopted them.  He referred to the orphans as his “kids” and they referred to him as “Daddy.”  He used part of his land for the Sand Springs Home to house them.  Page formed a close relationship with Tulsa Salvation Army Captain, Brinton F. Breeding, and convinced him to be in charge of the Sand Springs Home.DSCN6467

In 1912, Page began the construction of a widows colony for widowed and divorced women with children to support. The colony originally consisted of forty three-room shotgun houses that were eventually replaced with new two-bedroom brick cottages. The colony grounds came complete with a chapel and a nursery. Each house was provided with free water, free gas, free electricity, free rent, and a quart of milk per child per day. In order for a woman and her family to live in the colony, she had to have at least one child still in school, including college, her children had to maintain a “C” average in school and they had to observe all the colony rules of behavior.  The Sand Springs Home for Widows and Children still exists today.

DSCN6466Page used his keen business instincts to facilitate every resource available. In his drilling operation, he found an abundance of natural gas, and there was more than enough pure spring water available.  After constructing an electric light and power plant, owned by the Sand Springs Home for Widows and Children, he began offering free building sites to industries, with the added inducement of cheap gas, water and electric rates. Sand Springs quickly became a major industrial and manufacturing town. Some of the earliest industries were the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company; Commander Mills; Southwest Box Company; Sinclair Prairie Refineries; U.S. Zinc Company; and Pedrick Laboratories.  In 1927, Sand Springs was known as the leading industrial city in Oklahoma. Page also donated the land for most of the original churches.

The story of Charles Page and Sand Springs is a true testimony to a great philanthropist.

After another relaxing day, we left Sand Springs on Monday, April 11th we began our drive to Dodge City, KS.  Look out Marshall Dillon, here we come!

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Shows, Shows, and More Shows – Branson, MO April 2016

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

Branson MapAs we were planning our route from Florida to Washington State I noticed that we would be traveling close to Branson, MO.  I had heard stories from my dad about his visits to Branson and we decided that would be a great place to spend some time.

We often select campgrounds by going to Google Maps and searching for campgrounds in the area.  One of the first campgrounds we spotted was the Branson Lakeside RV Park.  After looking at several others we decided Branson Lakeside was the one for us.  I don’t think we could have made a better choice.  Lakeside RV Park is right on Taneycomo Lake which gave us a lovely view through our picture window every morning.  The Branson Landing Shopping area was a short walk along a paved path from the campground.  They offer free WIFI and free coffee every morning.

Before we arrived in Branson we had researched the shows we wanted to see and made our reservations through the Branson Travel Office.  There are more places to buy tickets in Branson than you can count and it’s possible we could have gotten better prices elsewhere; however, they were great to work with and it was nice to do “one stop shopping.”

Based on the weather forecast we expected to pack up in the rain when we left Little Rock, but we managed to beat the storm.  We drove through some rainy weather but it was dry when we arrived in Branson.  When we checked in, we were advised that a storm was on its way so we wasted no time in getting set up.  It was a good thing because just as we finished it started to rain.  It rained hard but it didn’t last very long.  After dinner we wandered through Branson Landing, exploring the shops.  One of the places we stopped was Missouri Mountain Moonshine and we did some sampling.  They had a variety of flavors and it was probably a good thing we weren’t driving back to our trailer!20160403_153707

Thursday morning our first show was “A Tribute to John Denver” at the Lil Opry Theater.  James Garrett did a great job.  As he said in his introduction, he doesn’t look or sound like John Denver, but he knew John Denver personally.  As a longtime John Denver fan I loved the show and the audience was invited to sing along.  What I enjoyed the most was hearing to back story on many of John’s songs – how they were inspired and written.  Hearing the personal stories about John Denver, what guitars he played, how he played, was just great.DSCN6317

Our next show that afternoon was the “Carpenters Once More,” a tribute to Richard and Karen Carpenter, at the Owens Theater.  This brother and sister team was another one of my favorites while growing up.  The Carpenters career was cut short when Karen Carpenter died at 32 years old.  Diana Lynn filled the role of Karen Carpenter in the performance.  She looked as I imagine Karen would have looked later in life and she sounded so much like Karen that we could have been listening to a recording.  As with the Tribute to John Denver, we were treated to the inspiration for their songs and how the songs were developed.  An interesting fact was that Karen Carpenter started out as a drummer and became the lead singer as a result of the desires of her fans.DSCN6320

Friday morning we were back at the Owns Theater.  The Owens Theater is the oldest theater in Branson.  This time we were entertained by the “Neil Diamond Tribute.”  Keith Allynn looked like a young Neil Diamond and, like the Carpenters, it was like listening to a recording.  He was a great entertainer and I was reminded of the Neil Diamond performances I had seen when I was younger.  Again, one of the best parts of the show was hearing the back story of the music.DSCN6334

Later that day we attended the show at the Steamboat Branson Belle.  As opposed to everything we had seen so far, this was not a tribute to any singer, but an original show featuring a variety of performers.  The Branson Belle traveled around Table Rock Lake during the show.  If we had to do it again, we would have attended an earlier show – because it was night we couldn’t see anything of the sights along the shore.DSCN6342

In between acts we were served a very good meal.  I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meal.  Mass produced meals are typically not great, but this was a definite exception to that rule.  The emcee was an entertaining comedian and magician.  The acts included singers and dancers, including some clog dancers (a sort of Irish dancing).  We had a great evening!

Saturday was a day for exploring.  We found a hiking trail the City of Branson had established near the Westgate Resort.  It was a nice change of pace to hike a short trail instead of sitting in a theater.DSCN6370  We also checked out a couple of wineries in the area.  After tours and tastings we had added to our wine collection.  An interesting fact that many don’t know is that Missouri was once the largest producer of wine in the country.  However Prohibition destroyed the industry and it never recovered.20160401_154954

Sunday afternoon we went kayaking on Taneycomo Lake.  They call it a lake because it is the headwaters for the Powersite Dam, but it is downstream from the Table Rock Dam and has a steady current.  The current is even faster when the Table Rock Dam releases water to run the turbines to generate electrical power.  It looks like a river, acts like a river, so I’m going to call it a river.  We arranged with White River Kayaking to ferry us, with our kayaks, upstream so we could paddle downstream to the campground.  They were wonderful.  They picked us up at our trailer, helped load our kayaks, and dropped us off at a perfect spot.  If you’re visiting the Branson area and want to do something other than attend shows, I suggest you consider White River Kayaking as an option.  Along the river we saw many small resorts with their own marinas.  There were some really awesome homes on the cliffs above the river.  We stopped on a small, sandy beach for a light lunch, then paddled to the campground and beached our kayaks within an easy walk from our trailer.  What a great way to enjoy the river!DSCN6381DSCN6384

DSCN6382Monday morning we saw the Best of Neil Sedaka at the God and Country Theater.  I thought the other tribute shows were better, but then I was more of fan of the others than Neil Sedaka, and that may have affected my opinion.

Late that afternoon we went to the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede.  This is a great show!  The preshow featured a juggler/magician/comedian who didn’t need to use foul language to make us laugh.  In the main theater we were entertained with a show of horsemanship that was fabulous.  The theater is divided into North and South and our “teams” on the stage competed against each other with everyone cheering them on.  Dinner was served during the performance.  We had soup, Cornish hens, pork loin, baked potato, corn on the cob, and apple turnovers.  The trick was we had no utensils and had to eat everything with our bare hands!  The food was delicious and they did distribute wipes to clean our hands before we left.DSCN6407DSCN6417

Tuesday was spent relaxing and packing to travel.  Wednesday, April 6th we left Branson en-route to the Tulsa, OK area.

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Pinnacle Mountain and the Arkansas River Trail – March 2016

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

With an elevation 1,011 feet, Pinnacle Mountain rises over 750 feet above the nearby Arkansas River. The mountain’s cone-shaped peak has long been a central Arkansas landmark and attraction for outdoor enthusiasts. We saw hordes of picnickers, cyclists, and hikers.  Two of the park’s hiking trails lead hikers to the mountain’s summit.  We climbed using the West Summit Trail and descended using the East Summit Trail.DSCN6268  The view from the summit is awesome.  Click on the our picture at the summit to see a panoramic video from the summit.  Both trails are rugged, but the East Summit Trail is a lot more like rock climbing than hiking and is a rough climb up or down.  We hiked back to the parking lot on the Base Trail that circles the base of the mountain.DSCN6276

After climbing the mountain we drove to the Visitor Center for some great views of the river and learned about the history of the area, the Corps of Engineers flood damage reduction dam, and its impact.  We also drove through the Corps of Engineer Maumelle Park campground.  This is one of the nicest Corps campgrounds I have seen.  If we return to the area again, I would certainly consider staying here instead of Camp Robinson.

A couple of days later we rode the Arkansas River Trail.DSCN6303 This bicycle trail extends 34 miles from the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge to Pinnacle Mountain State Park.  We rode from Clinton Park to the Two Rivers Park Bridge.  With the exception of a couple of small sections that were closed due to construction projects, the trail was an easy, paved path along the Arkansas River.  It was a beautiful day and we rode along the north side of the river to the Big Dam Bridge.  The Big Dam Bridge spans 4,226 feet over the Murray Lock and Dam and is the largest bridge in the country built specifically for cyclists.DSCN6296

After we crossed the Big Dam Bridge to the south side of the river, we rode to the Two Rivers Bridge.  We crossed to the Two Rivers Park and rested on the point where we could see the river and the Murray Lock and Dam while we had lunch.

It was a great way to spend an afternoon and we ended our ride in front of the William Clinton Presidential Library.20160328_152707

On Wednesday, March 30th, we left Little Rock for Branson, MO.

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Bill Clinton Presidential Library, March 2016

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

We arrived at the RV park at Camp Robinson early in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 23rd.  Camp Robinson essentially has  two campgrounds, the older one, designed for smaller RVs and tent sites, and a new one with long pull-through sites for large RVs.  Unfortunately all of the pull-through sites were taken, but we were able to get into one of the older sites.  It was a tight fit to back into the site, but the view of the small lake made the effort worth it.  It was interesting to came back to Camp Robinson.  This is the home of the National Guard Professional Education Center and I had been here many times for training and conferences.DSCN6238

At the top of our list of places to see was the Clinton Presidential Library.  In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you liked a president or not, we always visit a presidential library if we are camping nearby.  To date we have visited the libraries of Presidents Kennedy, Ford, G. W. Bush, and Clinton.  Each library has its own unique way of memorializing their president.

The Clinton Library began with a short video that described President Clinton’s early life and his campaign for President.  The main gallery is a timeline of his Presidency in a center aisle with alcoves off to the side that provide greater detail of some of the key elements of that segment of time.DSCN6248 The display, “Life in the White House,” described state dinners, holidays, and family celebrations.  There are also replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as they appeared during Clinton’s time in office.

DSCN6244After touring the Clinton Library, we walked through a part of the River Market District.  We ran into a local TV reporter who gave us a great recommendation for lunch at Gus’s Fried Chicken. DSCN6253  Good food, good prices – check it out!  Along the River Market is the Witt Stephens Jr. Nature Center.  I thought it was unusual to find a nature center in a downtown area, but it was a nice and informative place to visit.  Judging by the crowds we experienced, it must be a popular place for groups.DSCN6257

Our last stop of the day was the Little Rock Central High School.  This was the site of the first significant test of the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown versus Board of Education.  In 1958, Governor Orval Fabius undercut a local effort to begin a gradual integration of Little Rock schools.  Governor Fabius ordered the National Guard to block the entry of nine students, who would later be known as the “Little Rock Nine,” from Little Rock’s Central High School.  A court ordered the National Guard to be withdrawn and President Eisenhower ordered soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students to school and between classes.  This was the first act to put an end to the concept of “separate but equal” schools and facilities for blacks.DSCN6261

Today even young adults may have a difficult time understanding the public attitudes of that time.  This is one of those times that America is not proud of, but history is history and we have learned from this and made changes that have benefited many – it all began with the Little Rock Nine.

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Destin and Pensacola, FL – March 2016

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

Blue Angel RA MapAs spring approached and the weather grew warmer, we began our trip across the country, traveling to Washington State.  We had stayed in the Emerald Shores area of Florida before, but normally in Pensacola.  Fort Benning maintains a site called the “Destin Army Recreation Area” in Destin, Fl.  We had heard very positive comments about this park and we decided it was time to check it out.

Located on the shore of Choctawhatchee Bay, the Destin Army Recreation Area has a number of cottages and guest rooms, as well as a small RV park.  The reviews had indicated the sites were “kind of tight” for large rigs and they were right.  However, they weren’t so tight that we had  difficulty backing into our site and we had a half dozen guys offering to help guide us in.  I have never seen so many people offer to help us anywhere else.  The park had some of the friendliest campers we have ever met.  There was one couple from Michigan, one couple were new fulltime RVers, and even a former Ranger School instructor (Not one I knew, he was in another assignment at the time I went through Ranger School).

The park has playground equipment, a pool, and a splash pad for kids.  There are BBQ grills in the RV park and around the cottages, and a good sized marina with boats for rent.  The campers meet in the community room on Wednesday nights for potluck dinners.

We checked out some of the local sites – the Harbor Walk where we strolled through many shops and the harbor.  We stopped at a local SCUBA shop to see about diving and snorkeling in the area.  Unfortunately the recent storms had washed a lot of silt into the Choctawhatchee  Bay and that was drastically reducing the underwater visibility.20160314_122001

We drove across to Okaloosa Island for a nice lunch at AJ’s Oyster Shanty.  This is a nice lunch stop with good food and great service.

The winds were pretty high most of the time we were there, but we launched our kayaks from the marina and paddled up wind to check out the homes along the shore.  We found a small cove that offered some shelter and saw a lot of contrast in the homes there.  Some were quite modest, one looked like they had turned the land between the house and the shore into a junk yard, and one looked like a home Donald Trump could have built.  Tied up to one of the docks was the aquatic version of a food truck to take advantage of the crowds that drive their boats to nearby Crab Island on the weekends.DSCN6211DSCN6213

The area surrounding the Recreation Area is a residential area so it was very easy to walk or bike for exercise there.  I discovered there were a large number a geocaches in the area and, of course,  I rode my bike one day and located a number of them.

We discovered there was a winery in the area and we stopped in to taste their wines and left with a few bottles to add to the wine cellar in my closet.  The grapes are from their own vineyard, north of the bay and were very unique.

Spring Break was in full swing and there were college students all over town and on the beaches.  Some Florida cities have had major problems with spring breakers getting intoxicated and causing trouble.  Some of the cities in this area have passed ordinances prohibiting drinking alcoholic beverages on the beach and this story was on the news every night.  Our own experiences were very undramatic.  We decided to enjoy the sunshine on the beach at Okaloosa Island.  There were a lot of spring breakers on the beach and, yes, some were drinking, but I didn’t see any disorderly behavior.DSCN6218

On our last night in town we went out for dinner to Floyd’s Shrimp House.  It’s a bit of a cliché that senior citizens are always looking for buffets and “all you can eat” specials, but the “All You Can Eat” fish and shrimp at Floyd’s was great.  Good fish and good shrimp, and as much as you wanted.  It’s a good thing we don’t do things like this very often!20160317_181228

On Friday, March 18, we left Destin and made the short drive to the Blue Angel Recreation Area in Pensacola.  This is one of the two RV parks operated by Naval Air Station Pensacola.  Blue Angel used to be a seaplane base and is now a recreation area, off-base, and open to the public.  One of the reasons we chose to stay here was to have a short drive on Monday morning when we planned to take our trailer to a local RV dealer, Carpenter’s Campers.

Blue Angel has two campgrounds.  Battleship Row is a newer location, designed for large RVs and offers full-service hookups.  Anchor Bay is the older location, currently offers only 30 amp electrical hookups and water, but no sewer.  It is in the process of being upgraded.  Anchor Bay is the preferred location for tenters and small RVs.  We stayed in Anchor Bay and were able to get a site with plenty of space and a nice view of Perdido Bay.DSCN6233

Blue Angel offers a variety of services from camping (groups and individuals), picnic pavilions, boat rentals, paintball, disc golf, and RV storage.  The weather wasn’t as nice as the campground.  We had heavy rains on Friday night, but the weather cleared up on Saturday and we went kayaking in the bay.  After we got back and secured our kayaks, I searched for some geocaches in the area and was able to find six of the seven geocaches hidden in Blue Angel.DSCN6230

Monday morning we were up early and drove to Carpenter’s Campers.  This shop had performed work for us in the past so we wanted them to do a thorough preventive maintenance check on our systems.  Not only do they do good work, but they have a small campground with water and electrical hookups for repairs that take more than one day.  They did a great job, whenever they encountered a problem the technician called me to authorize the additional work.  While the shop performed their work we took the truck to Discount Tire to replace two tires that were worn out.  By Tuesday afternoon, March 22nd, the work was complete and we were on our way to our next stop, Little Rock, AR.20160322_132402

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Tampa, FL -2016

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

It seems like we often start the new year in Tampa, FL. Normally it is our last stop before we travel to Key West for the winter. This year we planned to leave the trailer in Tampa while we took our side trip to SCUBA dive in Bonaire. So it would be early February before we headed to the Keys. However, we heard from some friends that the RV Park in Key West was full and they were turning people away. We called down and verified that this was definitely the case. As a result we decided to stay in Tampa.DSCN6188

Spending time with our niece, Robin, and her kids was the highlight of our time in Tampa and we had a lot of fun with them. Jeremiah was always wanting to throw a Frisbee or football. MacDill AFB has a nice bowling alley and bowling was a fun time. I don’t think they had ever been taught how to bowl, but they got better with every frame. Destiny had just received her learners permit and I rode with around the base on Sundays so she could practice.DSCN6057

One of Tampa’s best natural areas is the Weedon Island Preserve. We have always enjoyed paddling the kayak trails and we spent the better part of a day paddling in the mangroves of Weedon Island.

The RV Park at MacDill AFB gets free passes to the RV Show in Tampa. This is reportedly the largest RV show in the country. Even if it isn’t, it is certainly the largest one that we have ever attended. This is the third year we have attended and we enjoyed it every time. In addition to RVs to tour, there are seminars, and exhibits from suppliers and vendors of RV equipment and supplies. One good thing that comes out of each visit is that we validate that we really like our own fifth wheel trailer.

Near the end of January we flew to the island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean for two weeks of SCUBA diving and snorkeling. Bonaire is my favorite place for diving and this trip was special because our daughter, Elisabeth, was able to join us.

We returned to Tampa in early February and were able to spend more time with Robin, and her family. Pat’s sister and her husband, Mary Lee and Welton, flew down from Milwaukee and we had a great time together. We spent time at the State Fair (this is the fifth state where we have attended the state fair). It was interesting to see how much the kids enjoyed the animal exhibits. They seemed to get a big thrill watching the chickens and roosters.DSCN6138

When Robin joined us after work, she insisted that we watch the pig races. I had never seen a pig race and it was really funny, probably the highlight of the visit. Of course one thing I have learned is you just can’t go to a state fair without having a funnel cake!DSCN6187

One of the last things we did before Mary Lee and Welton flew back home was spend some time at the beach on Honeymoon Island. This is a very popular spot, but even with hundreds of families on the beach we didn’t feel crowded. We sunbathed, tossed a football around, and went kayaking. The highlight of the day was seeing a couple of pods of dolphins playing just off shore. Here’s a video of the dolphins.

One of our daily activities was our exercise walk every morning. We discovered a nature area just north of the campground. There is a nice pond with a group campsite. It’s a relaxing place, away from the traffic providing a nice, quiet place to walk. There is plenty of wildlife in the area.DSCN6019

We had an unexpected surprise when our sister-in-law, Maureen, called to say she was in Orlando for a conference and did we want to meet her that afternoon? Of course Robin was up for this, so we piled into her car and off we went. We met Maureen and a colleague at Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) and had a great time wandering through the area, sampling Ghirardelli chocolates, watching Jeremiah build and race a Lego block car, watching the Amphicar at the Boathouse, some street performances, and dinner at the Earl of Sandwich.20160305_17253520160305_18090820160305_193751

On Saturday morning, March 12th we bid farewell to southern Florida and began our journey to Washington State. We plan to arrive by May 25th, taking our time and seeing interesting sites along the way.

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SCUBA Diving in Bonaire, Feb 2016

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

Bonaire Map-2Bonaire is my favorite place for SCUBA diving. It is known as the “Divers Paradise,” and half of the tourists that visit Bonaire are SCUBA divers. In fact, every truck that is rented comes with a rack made of 2×4 lumber to hold air tanks. The beauty of diving in Bonaire is that it has the best shore diving in the world. You don’t have to go out in a boat to get to a dive site. The reef that surrounds the island is only about 25 yards off shore and 25 feet underwater.  All you need to do is throw a couple of rented SCUBA tanks and your dive gear in your truck, and drive down the main road until you see a large yellow-painted rock with the name of the dive site. Then you pull in, park, get into your gear and wade into the water to swim out to the edge of the reef. Diving couldn’t be easier!

This trip was special because our daughter, Elisabeth, joined us for the first week of the trip. She was certified as an Open Water Diver a couple of years ago and has heard all of our stories about our great times in Bonaire. When we asked if she wanted to join us, she jumped at the chance.

We rented our truck through Car Rental Bonaire. We had never rented from them before and you can imagine our pleasant surprise when their representative greeted us outside baggage claim to take us to our truck. What a great way to start a trip! DSCN6082We stayed at the Divers Paradise Apartments. What a nice place! We had our own kitchen, reliable cable TV and wireless internet, and our own, secure locker to store our diving gear. John, the owner was a wonderful host, giving us great service as well as good tips to make our stay special. We got our air tanks through the Good Dive SCUBA Center and received great customer service. I recommend these businesses to anyone going to Bonaire.

We started the first day by doing a buoyancy check. This makes sure that you have the proper amount of lead weights to counter the buoyancy of your body and dive gear. The goal is to achieve neutral buoyancy where you “float” underwater and can change your depth by breathing in and out. This makes it easier to dive and protects the coral reef from you slamming into it by bouncing off the bottom as you would if you are too heavy. After establishing good buoyancy we continued our dive along a site called the “Small Wall.” There were all kinds of fish along the wall. Elisabeth had never dived below 45 feet and was concerned about diving deeper than that. She was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to drop down to 70 feet.

We spent the rest of the week diving at some of my favorite sites. We started with Bari Reef for a nice open water dive along the reef wall and later dove among a number of moored boats at “Yellow Submarine.” With each dive Elisabeth became more comfortable and was able to truly enjoy exploring the underwater world. Diving in Bonaire is a world away from diving in the abandoned rock quarry called “Fantasy Lake” near her home in Raleigh, NC.

One of my favorite dive sites is the Hilma Hooker. This is an old tramp steamer that was seized by the Coast Guard because it was used in drug smuggling and sunk near the shore on the south end of the island. We got an early start and were on the wreck before 9:00 in the morning. There was another truck on the shore, but we never saw any other divers. The Hilma Hooker is not the best wreck to dive on, but it is an easy one.  Here is a video I shot on the way back to the shore – Hilma Hooker Video

Of all of the dive sites on Bonaire my favorite is called La Dania’s Leap. For the entry you jump off a cliff that is about three feet above the water. You’d better have everything ready because there is no exit here. Once in the water we dropped down to about 70 feet and drifted with the current to another site called Karpata for the exit. [Drift Dive Video] The underwater environment here is the most diverse on the island. The hard coral is in good shape. We saw all kinds of fish as well as turtles, lobster, eagle and manta rays, and moray eels. [Hawksbill Turtle Video] As you get closer to the exit you swim into a landscape of soft coral, waving back and forth in the current. The exit at Karpata can be a bit exciting, especially in heavy surf, but not a problem after you have done it a couple of times. After we unloaded our gear at La Dania’s Leap, we had spotted the truck at Karpata so it was waiting for us when we exited.

The road to Karpata is a one-way road, so we had to drive through the town of Rincon, around the other side of the island to get back to our room. We stopped on the eastern side of the island to show Elisabeth the “wild side.” The prevailing wind comes from the east and the surf is always rough. The rock surface has been eroded by the wind and waves and looks like I would imagine the surface of the moon. Seru Largu is the highest point on the island (about 370 feet above sea level), so we stopped there to see the monument and enjoy the view.

DSCN6072In the 1700’s the Spanish brought goats and donkeys to Bonaire. These animals now run wild around the island. We saw small groups of them almost every day. In fact, one day a few donkeys showed up outside our apartment and we had fun petting and feeding them.

We enjoyed snorkeling as well. Our favorite spot was the entry for Bari Reef. There is a building foundation in the water that has become the home to many fish – angel fish, spotted horn, butterfly fish, trumpet fish, and parrot fish to name a few. The visibility was great and on a sunny day, as clear as on dry land.DSCN6085

There are other things to do in Bonaire than SCUBA diving. We enjoyed a few restaurants for dinner and had lunch at Lac Bay which is the prime wind surfing site on the island.   Most evenings we walked over for “cocktail hour” with friends that were staying at the nearby Black Durgon Inn, where we watched the sunset.

Unfortunately the date arrived for Elisabeth to go home. We had a picnic lunch on the waterfront downtown and drove her to the airport.

Diving did not stop with Elisabeth’s departure. My long time dive buddy, Stan Pash, had been diving with us all week and we teamed up with some other divers that were also at the Black Durgon. In addition to La Dania’s Leap we dove a site called the Oil Slick which has a nice jump to the water below and a ladder for an exit. We spotted a good sized lobster that would have made my lobster-hunting friends from Key West jealous.

The highlight of the second week was when John Burns guided us to see SIX sea horses. Sea horses are hard to spot as they are so small and anchor themselves to pieces of coral. John and his wife had been diving this area for a couple of months and know where every kind of sea life is located. I had only seen one sea horse before (John showed me that one too!), so this was a real treat!

Another highlight was when our host, John Schwind, took me Lionfish hunting. Even though the sea around Bonaire is a protected marine preserve, Lionfish hunting is allowed. You have to have special training or accompany someone who has, so John fit the bill.

If you are unfamiliar with Lionfish, they are an invasive specifies from the Indian Ocean. They were released into the Caribbean when Hurricane Andrew destroyed an aquarium in southern Florida and washed the Lionfish exhibit into the sea. Lionfish are voracious eaters and multiply in great numbers. They have no natural predators in the western hemisphere and are destroying the native fish. Fortunately they are also great to eat and there is a movement to to hunt them as a game fish to thin their numbers. Lionfish are dangerous to hunt as they have poisonous spines that fan out like a lion’s mane (hence the name), but with the right training and gear they can be hunted safely. We used to see a lot more of them than we have this trip so the hunting appears to be working. However, some of that may be due to the fact that they have gone to greater depths to avoid their hunters. John and I were able to spot three of them as deep as 100 feet below the surface, and each of us were able to spear one.

We did a final dive at Salt Pier where I got some great pictures. The water was clear as tap water and with a sunny day the visibility was some of the best we have had. What a wonderful way to end a diving vacation! That afternoon we started our packing for the trip home.

We celebrated our last night on Bonaire by going to Donna and Gorgio’s, a delightful Italian restaurant, with our friends from Michigan, Stan and Betsy Pash.

After a relaxing morning and lunch with friends, we turned in our truck and flew back to the U.S., concluding our trip to the “Divers Paradise.”

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Paddling the Weedon Island Preserve, January 2016

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

The Weedon Island Preserve is an expansive 3,190 acre natural area located on Tampa Bay. This coastal system, comprised of aquatic and upland ecosystems, is home to numerous species of native plants and animals, and has a rich cultural history. Indigenous peoples occupied this site for thousands of years. Today, the preserve protects this wide diversity of natural and cultural resources for current and future generations, and is also a well-known birding and fishing site.

DSCN6031Our enjoyment of Weedon Island has been focused on the Paddling Trails. These trails were our first exposure to canoe/kayak trails. Someone invested a lot of time to layout these trails, and even more to mark them. The South Paddling Trail is a unique combination of open water, channels, and mangroves. The trail is marked by numbered stakes that will lead you along the trail in a loop that brings you back to the launch. You are certainly not limited to following the trail as there are a whole network of islands, channels, and bays to explore. The trail allows you to sample them all and not get lost! If you don’t have your own, there is a kayak rental concession just up the road from the launch site.

DSCN6028Because Weedon Island is in Tampa Bay you have to plan your trip around high and low tide. Some of the area is very shallow. In fact, there is a sandbar in the middle of the Bayou Grande that is completely above water at low tide. It is not unusual to see boats grounded and people playing volley ball on the sandbar at low tide. We believe the best time to paddle the trail is starting at about 1-2 hours prior to high tide so you are back in deep water, headed back to the launch point as the tide flows out. However, this time we started our paddling a little too early and ran aground as we exited one channel. So we just sat there, and ate lunch, until the tide rose enough to float us free. Some of the channels are really narrow – narrow enough that we took our paddles apart and used only one half to paddle through the narrowest spots.

DSCN6025We had a great time, saw lots of herons and cranes. At the launch point there are racks and a fresh water source we used to hose the salt water off our kayaks. Florida has done a real nice job in protecting and developing this natural resource.

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Tampa and Home for Christmas, Dec 2015

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Michigan Traveler

MacDill MapWe stayed in the Raleigh area longer than we planned, and had to revise our trip south. The RV park where we wanted to stay in the Jacksonville, FL area was full so we spent a couple of days at the Navy Submarine Base in Kings Bay, GA. cropped-dscn4916.jpgIt was a fortunate choice because we discovered some friends from Key West were camped there as well. We brought each other up on our adventures since last winter. They were headed straight to Key West and we were going to Tampa so we planned to see each other after the first of the year. While at Kings Bay I discovered my sister and her husband were vacationing in Cocoa Beach and made plans to see them.

The best place to stay in the Cocoa Beach area is the Manatee Cove RV Park at Patrick AFB. They are undergoing a lot of construction and they only had room for us in their overflow parking lot. As we were only staying overnight, that worked fine for us. We met Gerry and Susan for dinner and a short walk on the beach. What a fortunate occasion to be able to see them so far from Michigan!

DSCN5931On December 2nd, we pulled DSCN5941into Raccoon Creek RV Park at MacDill AFB. MacDill is a very popular campground for snowbirds and we were only able to get a site in dry camp (no water, sewer, or electric hookups). This isn’t a problem for us as we are prepared for dry camping and expected that only dry camp would be available. We met up with some friends from Michigan, Dick and Marti. Dick had been one of my NCOs when I was a company commander back in Michigan and a few years ago we discovered that they spend the winter at MacDill.  Even though we were dry camping we still decorated for Christmas, including our “Christmas Tree” of lights.

DSCN5948The volunteers at Raccoon Creek are a busy group and schedule a weekly potluck on Friday nights, Sunday worship service, Tuesday dinner trips and more. It makes it very easy to get involved with our temporary community. There was a “Welcome Back” party to kick off the winter season that was a lot of fun.DSCN5930

Our niece, Robin, and her kids live in the Tampa area and we always look forward to spending time with them. They enjoy joining us at the trailer and we joined them for worship at their church. It is a large church featuring a contemporary worship and is growing in multiple locations around Tampa.

DSCN5954For the past few years we have volunteered with “Wreaths Across America” to place wreaths on graves of veterans, making sure that they are not forgotten during the holiday season.  This year we found a small cemetery run by the American Legion and joined a large group of volunteers to place the wreaths.  On Dec 16th we flew back to Michigan for Christmas with our family. Our first stop was in the Lansing area for our annual doctor appointments. We met our son, Dave, for dinner at DeLuca’s, our favorite pizza place. We are all convinced that there isn’t a better place for pizza in the whole country!

Our longtime friends, Susan and Gary Aten, again opened their home to us while we were in town. We finished our Christmas shopping, had dinner with Roger and Darcy, friends from Grand Ledge, and joined Susan and Gary for church.

DSCN5964Susan and Gary have a Christmas tradition of decorating Christmas cookies with their extended family. We had a great time helping the grandkids decorating cookies. It was lots of fun to see how focused they were and the different ways they approached the task. When we were done, there were dozens of cookies that were shared across the family – what a nice tradition!

Monday, we finished our appointments and drove to Bad Axe. We usually look forward to a white Christmas, but that was not to be this year. The temperatures were higher than normal and we were treated to rain and fog, instead of snow.DSCN5995

Visiting with Pat’s family at Christmas has been a tradition for years. The extended family is so large that we rent the small civic center, “commonly referred to as the ‘Hall,'” in the town of Elkton. With a potluck dinner involving that many families there is always plenty of food. This is often the only time that we have to see some of our relatives and it makes a great time for visiting and catching up with the latest developments in the family.

After the dinner at the hall we returned to Pat’s brother’s house for the family gift exchange. We had a wonderful time exchanging gifts, eating, and playing games well into the night. With people sleeping in almost every room in the house, it is a testament to the hospitality of Geri and Marcia.

On December 28th we went back to the Lansing area for one last medical appointment, had a final lunch with Dave, then drove to Detroit for an early flight the next morning. After more than a week of mild temperatures, we had snow and freezing rain on our last day. Fortunately our flight was on time and without any incidents, and we returned to the warmth and sunshine of Florida.

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