Fort Benning, GA – March 2013

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

Fort Bennning MapFort Benning is the home of the Infantry where I attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Course, and Battalion Pre-Command Course.  I have always joked about being a graduate of the “Fort Benning School for Boys,” so when it looked like our travels would take us near Fort Benning, I was thrilled.  We stayed at the Uchee Creek Campground and consider it the best military campground we have ever visited.  The campsites are spread out and have fire rings for campfires.  This is nice as most military campgrounds and many civilian RV parks do not allow ground fires.  Throughout the day you could hear small arms fire, the impact of mortar rounds, and see C-130 cargo aircraft dropping paratroopers on nearby Fryar Drop Zone.  Most civilians might not think this was very good, but I loved it!

IMG_5391The National Infantry IMG_5386Museum is a relatively new addition to Fort Benning and is well worth seeing.  The museum immerses you into the spirit of the Infantry with the first exhibit called the “Last 100 Yards.” It displayed battles from the Revolutionary War to Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq.  The armor and artillery can fire shells and the Air Force can drop bombs, but it is always up to the Infantry, the Queen of Battle, to close with the enemy in the last 100 yards of close combat to win the battle.  IMG_5392Pat found this to be the most interesting part of the museum.  The museum shows the evolution of the infantry through the years and how it has adapted to the changing world.  The Fort Benning Gallery gives visitors a pictorial history of the post and the Infantry School’s training programs.  The highlight to me, second only to the “Last 100 Yard Ramp,” was the Ranger Hall of Honor.

IMG_5421The next day we drove to Harmony Church to visit the Ranger Training Brigade.  When I was a Ranger student in 1979 we were housed in World War II barracks.  While still Spartan in nature, the current barracks are all new construction.  We toured the IMG_5406Ranger Hall of Fame where I learned some Ranger history that was new to me.  It was quite a trip down memory lane to walk IMG_5410through the physical training area where I suffered over thirty years ago.  I can remember the day I came out of the “Worm Pit” so cold that I couldn’t make  my fingers wouldn’t work like it was yesterday.

From Harmony Church we drove to Building 4.  IMG_5434Fort Benning has been designated as the Maneuver Center of Excellence and is the new home of the Armor School, as well as the Infantry School.  IMG_5427Building 4 is the headquarters for the Maneuver Center of Excellence and used to be called Infantry Hall.  It is now the  McGinnis-Wickam Hall, in honor of two Medal of Honor recipients (one Armor and one Infantry).  Outside is the Ranger Memorial, IMG_5441commemorating the service and sacrifice of Army Rangers since Roger’s Rangers of the French and Indian War to the present.  We also visited the training areas for Ground Week and Tower Week of the IMG_5425Airborne School and the Airborne Walk and Battle Memorial.  It brought back memories from 1972 when I made my first jump from a “perfectly good” airplane.

Our last stop on memory lane was a shopping trip to IMG_5448Ranger Joe’s Army Surplus store, a famous source of equipment for Infantry soldiers for years.  It’s one of those “must do” activities, as a trip to Fort Benning would not be complete without a visit to Ranger Joe’s.

Our last day was spent in the campground doing some maintenance on the trailer and packing for the next day of travel.  We spent a night at a KOA campground and arrived at the Falls Lake Recreation Area near Raleigh, NC on April 30th.

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Mississippi – March 2013

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

Gulfport Map-1We headed for Mississippi to IMG_5236see our three granddaughters.  We had the opportunity to have them stay will us for a week during spring vacation.  We thought taking them to the shore would be a special treat. so we stayed at the Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) Base in Gulfport, MS.  The Seabee Base is a relatively small operation and has a nice sense of community.  We drove to Florence to pick up the girls and were back in time for IMG_5219Seabee Day.  This is an annual celebration that is open to the public and offers military displays, carnival games, and rides.  It was lots of fun to watch the girls ride ponies, go on the train, and other carnival rides.

On Sunday we attended IMG_5242services at the Protestant Chapel.  After church we discovered the atrium of the chapel was home to several turtles.  The Chaplain was kind enough to provides us with some strawberries to feed them.  We never knew turtles ate strawberries but they certainly enjoyed them!  Later we took the girls to the Boat and RV Show in Biloxi.  We weren’t sure if they would enjoy it, but they had a great time, climbing on the boats and checking out the RVs.  We weren’t sure we were going to be able get them to leave.

IMG_5276The Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in IMG_5280Gulfport is one of the top 50 children’s museums in the country.  Calling it a museum is really inaccurate.  It allows children to discover how things work by providing them with the opportunity to dress in period clothing, shop in stores, operate restaurants, be a TV news anchor, and more.  It was just fun to watch the girls explore what the facility had to offer.

IMG_5312One afternoon we rented a canoe from the Outdoor Recreation office and went kayaking and canoeing in the back bay at Keesler Air Force near Biloxi.  While the winds were pretty strong, we had a good time paddling around small islands and looking for turtles, ducks, geese, and fish.

We spent our last day in Gulfport at the seashore, IMG_5293playing in the sand, flying kites and playing at the playground.  The girls learned a lot about RVing when they helped us pack up to travel back to Florence.  We arrived at Wendy Oaks RV Resort in Florence and they helped us set up.  We walked around the small lake and explored before we took them back home.

IMG_5319We stayed at Wendy Oaks for a week while seeing the girls off and on.  Wendy Oaks is a nice little place with full hook-ups and we were able to get a site overlooking the small lake.  Several other campers have been there for several years, having taken on short term work in the area.  It is certainly a nice place to return to after a day at work.

One night we took the girls to their karate class and it was entertaining to see them go through their paces under the direction of their instructor.  It will be interesting to see if they continue an interest in martial arts and how far they progress.

IMG_5345Friday they stayed overnight at the trailer where we celebrated Bob’s birthday.  The weather was not very cooperative as it was cold and rainy, so indoor games and dress up were the prime activities.  On Saturday afternoon the skies cleared and it warmed up.  We cooked IMG_5360hot dogs over the campfire and hiked around the lake looking for turtles.  Later we went bowling.  We bowled on a lane with the gutter blocks in place which was a good thing as some of the girls’ balls rolled so slowly they would have gone into the gutter without them.  We had a wonderful time and it was a pleasure watching the girls in action.

IMG_5375Sunday, March 24th, we attended a children’s Easter program at church and all three girls were great.  This was followed by lunch and Easter eggs.  Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  We had a long drive to get to our next stop, so we left that afternoon, spent the night at a Wal-Mart on the way and arrived at the Uchee Creek Campground at Fort Benning, GA on Monday.

 

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Houston, TX – March 2013

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

Houston MapOur big activity in HoustonIMG_5125 was visiting old friends.  Pat had a roommate from college, Susan Ashton, whom she hadn’t seen in forty years and we wanted to take advantage of being in the area to see her.  Also, after making arrangements to stay at the Marina Bay RV Resort, we discovered that we were only a few miles away from one of Bob’s friends from the National Guard, Jim McCrone.

We arrived on Friday, March 1st and met Sue for dinner that night.  We dined at the “Flying Dutchman” on the Kemah Boardwalk.  Apparently the Boardwalk is Houston’s answer to the San Antonio Riverwalk.  It is a fun place with shops, restaurants, and carnival rides.  We had a great visit and are thankful that our RV lifestyle gives us the opportunity to reconnect with people that have moved away from Michigan.

IMG_5130

Astronaut Training Facility

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Model of the International Space Station

You shouldn’t vacation in Houston without going to NASA’s  Johnson Space Center.  We weren’t sure we would see anything different than we saw at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, we pleased to see how different they were.  The Kennedy Space Center is focused on the launch activity, whereas the Johnson Space Center is focused on astronaut training and operations in space, such as Skylab and the International Space Station.  There is a lot to see at the Johnson Space Center and it was a very educational experience.

Jim and his wife, Lois, moved to the Houston area nine years ago.  Lois is a counselor and Jim is the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for the suburb of Pasadena.  They took us on a tour of IMG_5166the area and we learned a lot about Houston.  We continued the history lesson that started at the Alamo in San Antonio by visiting the Texas Independence Monument.  This monument celebrates the Battle of San Jacinto where the Texas revolutionary forces under Sam Houston defeated the Mexican dictator, Santa Anna, and won their independence.  Later, Jim showed us the Pasadena Emergency Operations Center and told us how the area dealt with emergencies from the petro-chemical industry and hurricanes – obviously a lot of prior planning and coordination are essential.  Jim is also a professional historian and over lunches and dinners gave us some insight into local and national history that was interesting and intriguing.

On our last day we drove out to Galveston Island.  There is a lot to see in IMG_5173Galveston – Moody Gardens and Aquarium, the Flight Museum, Pleasure Pier, and Seawolf Park.  We visited the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum.  This is a very unique museum in that it is an actual offshore drilling platform that has been turned into a museum.  We learned about the different types of drilling platforms, how oil deposits are discovered, how the well is drilled and then IMG_5179turned into production.  During the tragic 2010 BP oil spill from the drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, we heard a lot about offshore oil drilling that we didn’t fully understand.  What was reported during that disaster became more clear after this visit.

There were very high winds forecast for the next day so we decided to get on the road earlier than normal.  We pulled out of Marina Bay on March 5th at 6:35 am.  We arrived at the Walmart where we had originally planned to spend the night by 1:00.  We called ahead to make sure we could get into our site a day earlier than planned and after a short nap we finished the trip to Gulfport, MS.

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Corpus Christi – February 2013

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

Corpus Christi MapWe had read some reviews of the RV Park at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi that mentioned the strong winds and they were right!  We had strong winds almost every day we were there, but the weather was generally warm and quite comfortable.  The view through our back window was absolutely great!IMG_5066

We celebrated Valentine’s Day by going out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse.  We generally like to eat at local restaurants, but sometimes the old favorites can’t be beat.

We had a generally relaxing time and practiced the fine art of doing nothing.  We read a lot, watched a bit of TV and were just a bit lazy.

IMAG0101While visiting the Padre Island IMAG0103National Seashore, we had lunch on the beach and had fun walking along the seashore.  We were surprised that there were so few sea shells, but found many Portuguese Men of War washed up on the beach.  These can be really nasty if you touch their tentacles which are very poisonous, even if they are on the beach.

IMG_5075Mustang Island State Park onIMG_5068 the upper Padre Island has kayak trails.  We paddled along canals and numerous small islands on the bay side of Padre Island.  It was a warm day with mild winds and we had a pleasant picnic on one of the islands.  We saw ducks, geese, cranes and lots of millets jumping in the water.

The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History is a IMG_5098very unique museum.  There is a mix of displays, some of history, some of the development of technology in the Corpus Christi area, hurricanes and other weather events and their effect on the area.  The history of exploration in the Corpus Christi area by Spanish and French explorers was very interesting.

IMG_5088In 1992 Spain constructed recreations of the Columbus ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.  After touring ports in the US to commemorate Columbus’ voyage, the ships were put on permanent display in Corpus Christi.  They were much smaller than we had imagined them and being able to actually go on board gave us a better idea of how tough the voyage was.

From the museum we drove around the bay and took the ferry across to Padre Island.  We wandered along one of the docks enjoying the view and had a “conversation” with a friendly pelican.  We sampled some of the local fare at Moby IMG_5112Dick’s Restuarant – a great meal!  On our way back to the trailer, we took some IMG_5119time to drive along the beach.  It was quite an experience driving on the beach just a few yards from the ocean, not an experience we are used to in Michigan!

We had a great stay at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.  It is a small base, but very pleasant.  The RV sites are spacious, there is a good fitness center and nothing is too far away.  After a couple more relaxing days we headed northeast to Houston.

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San Antonio, TX – Jan/Feb 2013

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

San Antonio MapThe RV park at Fort Sam Houston is a wonderful location IMG_4822to camp for easy access to San Antonio.  The most historical landmark in San Antonio is the Alamo.  It is one thing to read and watch movies about this critical event in Texas’ bid for freedom from a Mexican dictatorship, it is completely different to see it for yourself and be able to stand in the actual locations where the defenders made  their last stand.

San Antonio is famous for its River Walk.  Below street level and bordered by lush gardens and trees, the San Antonio River winds its way through downtown, creating the River Walk.  What started as the vision of a young architect, Robert Hugman, in 1929, has grown, over the decades, into one of the world’s most distinctive meeting places — old and new friends meet up, travelers pause, families congregate, lovers gaze; and weddings and reunions spill over into the River Walk.

IMG_4824We liked the River Walk so much we went there twice!  The second time we took one of the river cruises.  Our guide was both informative and humorous and gave us a full description of the history of the River Walk.  We had dinner at the Casa Rio, the oldest restaurant on the River Walk.  IMG_4841It was a delicious meal and if you eat here, make sure you bring your appetite because the portions are huge.  As we were leaving, we ran into a friend from Lansing, Lori Mason, who was in town for a conference.  As Bob often says, this world is getting way too small!

We continue to meet old friends in our travels.  We had dinner with one of Bob’s friends from his National Guard days, former Command Sergeant Major of the Army, Jerry Alley and his wife Deborah.  He now works for USAA in San Antonio.  It’s always fun to meet with old friends to talk about the “old days.”

IMG_5034One of the reasons we chose to visit San Antonio was to have a place where we could leave our trailer while we flew to Bonaire for a SCUBA diving and snorkeling vacation.  When we returned to San Antonio we attended the San Antonio Rodeo, the largest indoor rodeo in the US.  The events were just great!  IMG_5004We especially enjoyed the kids Mutton Riding event, with kids ages 4-7 riding sheep bareback.  These kids would wrap themselves around a sheep and hold on for dear life while the sheep ran across the arena until the kids slid off.  Other events included bucking broncos, bull riding, cow roping, and barrel racing.  It was a terrific show!

IMG_5052Following the rodeo, we were entertained with a concert by Reba McEntire.  She was great!  She sang without any interruption for the whole concert – what energy!

Friday, February 15th, we took off for a few weeks in Corpus Christi.

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Bonaire – Jan/Feb 2013

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

The Caribbean island of Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles is known as the Divers’ Paradise and is considered to be the best shore SCUBA diving in the world.  This was our third trip to Bonaire.  It is the place where Bob says he can dive until he is sick of it.  We picked up our rental truck (by the way, all trucks rented in Bonaire have wooden racks for air tanks as standard equipment because half the people that visit here are divers) and headed for the Black Durgon Inn.

Some of our friends often describe the Black Durgon as the best 1/2 star resort on the island.  Bob describes it as “an adult youth hostel.”  The Black Durgon is a small, family owned inn with ten rooms, and is a very basic bed and breakfast divers’ resort.  The best aspects of the inn are its location, (right on the shore near the Small Wall, a favorite dive site) and the family feeling you get as you meet other guests at breakfast.  Our friends from Lansing, Stan and Betsy Pash stayed at the same time, as well as Al and Maureen Pigeon from Vermont, whom we had met on previous trips.  Other guests included two doctors who meet there every year (one from England and the other from Slovakia), a couple from Kansas, a couple from Massachusetts, and another from Denmark just to list a few.  There is a breakfast every morning and a small kitchen in an open air porch for fixing lunch and dinner if you choose to eat in.  One of the first things we did was purchase food from local markets for snacks and meals.  It’s interesting to go shopping in a grocery store where the signs are only in Dutch.

The daily routine is pretty simple.  We exercise before breakfast, decide during breakfast where we are going to dive in the morning, go diving, relax and have lunch.  Then decide where we will dive in the afternoon, go diving, relax and have some wine and snacks during our informal “cocktail hour,” go to dinner or prepare a meal to eat at the inn.  Some nights we do a night dive off the pier at the inn, and after a night’s sleep repeat the process – what could be easier?!

The entire island is a maritime preserve and as a result there is abundant aquatic life, it is like swimming in an aquarium!  Even though Pat does not dive, she will normally go snorkeling at the same site where Bob is diving.  The weather was beautiful for our entire stay with daily temperatures around 840 and water temperatures around 800.  When it did rain, it normally rained at night and was clear during the day.  SCUBA diving in Bonaire is simple.  You get an air tank from the resort (you get an unlimited number of tanks), get your gear from the storage cage where is has been drying since your last dive, and load it in your truck.  Then drive down the road to your dive site which is marked by a large rock, painted yellow with the name of the site on it.  As there are over 80 dive sites accessible from shore, you never run out of places to dive.  Once you enter the water the top of the reef is typically 25-35 yards offshore and 20-30 feet underwater.  The shallow water above the reef allows you to be underwater for close to an hour on every dive – a true diver’s paradise!

While diving occupied most of our time, we did do other things.  One afternoon a group of us drove to the little town of Rincon and visited the local distillery.  This is run by a Dutch couple who moved to Bonaire three years ago, renovated the property, and now make liqueurs unique to the Dutch Antilles.  They are also renovating the old cinema (movie theater) in Rincon.  Another afternoon we borrowed one of the  Black Durgon’s kayaks and paddled to Klein Bonaire (literally “Little Bonaire), an island offshore for snorkeling.

One of Bob’s favorite dive sites include the Hilma Hooker, a local steamer that sunk off the southwest coast of the island.  At 90 feet underwater and about 100 yards off shore, it is an easy dive.  The Hilma Hooker has no covers over her hatches which allows divers to swim inside the hull without fear of getting trapped in a confined space.

LaDania’s Leap is another favorite – on this dive you jump from a cliff about three feet above the water and drift dive to Karpata, another dive site for your exit from the water.  The hard coral formations are in great shape and there is a good chance of seeing turtles in addition to the normal selection of fish.

We dove a lot on sites on the southwest shore and were able to see some very healthy hard coral formations and bountiful soft coral. Other favorites include Red Slave, Angel’s City, Thousand Steps, and Oil Slick.

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Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and on February 9th we flew back to San Antonio, TX.

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Z Method for Backing a 5th Wheel

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

You have been traveling all day and now comes the hardest part of your day – backing a fifth wheel trailer into a camping spot can be a challenge.  Fifth wheel trailers are different than travel trailers in many ways.  When backing a travel trailer, the response of the trailer to the movement of the tow vehicle is quicker and more dramatic, fifth wheel respond slower, and respond in a different manner.

There are a few of things you should always do when backing a fifth wheel.

#1 – Do everything possible to insure that you will be turning on the driver side. Even if it means driving around the campground and up/down a few roads to get yourself turned around. The passenger’s side is your blind side and should be last resort.

#2 – You have to learn how long the reaction time is for your trailer to react. Go to a parking lot and practice. Always use your trailer’s rear axle as the reference point. The reaction time is the time it takes from the time you turn the tow vehicle steering wheel until the time the trailer starts turning.

#3 – There are three terms you need to know. Neutral, Jack, and Chase.

  • Neutral position is when the tow vehicle steering wheel is at the position where the truck is going in a straight line.
  • When you Jack the trailer you are causing it to turn the opposite direction that the truck is turning. Such as in jack-knife.
  • Chase is when you are trying to straighten out the truck and trailer, thus the term chasing the trailer.

#4 – Get out and survey the parking area (with your spotter) for obstructions. Determine where you want the trailer to end up and pick a reference point, which will act as the “edge of the parking area”.

#5 – Your spouse is normally the one who will guide you into your site.  Having the same person assisting you allows the two of you to have a better understanding of each other information needs and directions.  Your guide should never say “turn left or right.”  It is better to say “driver’s side” or “passenger’s side.”

#6 – Your guide should tell you which way the rear of the trailer needs to go.  You decide what you need what you need to do with the truck to move the rear of the trailer in the proper direction.  Place your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel.  If you want to the rear of the trailer to go to the left, move your hand to the left.

The Z Method –

It’s a way to set up the turn before backing in. If backing to the left, pull up (and stop) on left side of the road, with the rear wheels of the tow vehicle lined up with the left side of the campsite. Z-Method-1

Then turn hard right, and pull forward. Go as far as possible to the right of the road. Z-Method-2

Then turn hard left, and pull forward until the trailer rear is pointed at the entrance of the camp site. Z-Method-3

Stop and turn the steering wheel to the right, to begin backing in.Z-Method-4

This maneuver gets the rear of the trailer pointed in the right direction before starting to back in. And it gives the front end of your truck room on the left side to swing the front end around. Z-Method-5

Jack the trailer until it get to about 15-20 degree angle of the space you are going to park it then start chasing it.

If you’re running out of space to get the truck & trailer running straight, don’t be afraid to pull forward to help straighten it out.

If you need to back in on the blind side, just do the opposite as above. Some drivers try to never back in from the blind side. Even if it means going down the wrong way of a C/G access road. But get permission first, from C/G owners. And get someone to help control traffic, if needed.

We learned early on to use two way radios or cell phones rather than hand signals.  If you are going to use hand signals make sure that whoever is backing the trailer doesn’t move it unless they can spot the guide in the rear view mirror. In addition to being able to see the signals, it prevents accidents, like backing over your guide.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and never backup without a spotter.

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El Paso, TX – January 2012

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

El Paso MapOur stay in the El Paso area started with our arrival at Fort Bliss which is just north of downtown.  It was a great location because it put us close to everything.  The campground is very close to the expressway and we were thankful that our site was in the inner area and therefore a little quieter than other areas.  The campground itself is very pleasant and well organized.  The weather wasn’t the best for sightseeing—it was chilly and windy during most of our visit.

We started playing tourist with a walking tour of IMAG0145historic downtown El Paso.  The tour takes you on  a stroll to historic architectural landmarks and sites dating back to 1881.  Many of the old buildings are now being used for businesses that do not show them to advantage—somewhat disappointing.   As we were leaving the downtown area we visited “the IMAG0160Murals of Lincoln Park”.  These are murals painted on freeway columns at what is known as the “Spaghetti Bowl”, the area where many freeways intersect creating numerous bridges.  The murals are painted by local groups of artists in honor of, or in memory of people or events which have affected the local area.  The first was painted in 1981 and several are very recent.  The pictures were very impressive!  Another area of interest near downtown is the Chamizal National IMAG0164Memorial which celebrates the peaceful settlement of a dispute over the international boundary at El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. On August 29, 1963, after decades of arguing about who owned a piece of land shaped and reshaped by the meandering Rio Grande river, the question was finally settled by diplomacy and technology.  The river was constrained within a concrete channel four and a half miles long, forming a permanent border between two nations.  The monument includes a museum with all the related historical information as well as extensive grounds for a park.  The building has a mural which incorporates U.S. and Mexico culture.  Our last stop was much more commercial—a visit to a store called “Saddleblanket”.  We had seen billboards advertising this place all along the road from Phoenix so we had to visit to see what it was.  Lots and lots of southwest souvenirs but not a lot that we needed.  We did buy two placemats!

Bob landing the Space Shuttle

Bob landing the Space Shuttle

IMG_4753At daylong trip to the north took us to Alamogordo, the home of the New Mexico Museum of Space History and to White Sands National Monument.  The Museum had a wide variety of space memorabilia as well as a worldwide astronaut hall of fame.  White Sands is a gigantic area (300 square miles) of sparkling white gypsum and is known as one of the world’s natural wonders.  It just didn’t seem right though, that all of those beautiful sand dunes didn’t lead to a lake!  We also found a New Mexico winery to visit and where we sampled the wines and the pistachios.  The wines were pretty good and we bought a few bottles!

IMG_4774There were still more museums to visit.  We toured the National Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library just north of the campground.  It contained exhibits covering the history of the Border Patrol from the Old West, Prohibition and WWII right up to current operations.  Did you know that the Border Patrol was established along the southern border initially to keep out  the Chinese?  Fort Bliss itself has two museums—Old Fort Bliss, and Old Ironsides.  IMG_4787Old Fort Bliss gives the history of Fort Bliss and has buildings representing Fort Bliss as it was around 1880.  Bob also visited the Old Ironsides Museum while Pat explored and shopped at the amazingly large PX/Commissary complex.

On Saturday we set off early on the Old Mission Trail.  IMG_4810We visited three missions that were originally established by the Spanish and are still active today.  All are small parishes today but the old buildings are maintained and two of the three were open for us to see.  The third had a very interesting museum giving the history of the presidio (Spanish for fort or military post) and the area that the mission originally served.

Our final activity in the area was a ride on the IMAG0171Wyler Aerial Tramway to Ranger Peak in the Franklin Mountains.  The tramway takes riders to an elevation of 5,632 feet from where you can view up to 7,000 square miles including two countries and three states.  The view was truly amazing but the cold temperature and the wind made the visit shorter than we would have liked.

By Monday morning we were packed and ready to leave (after we thawed out the water hose)—on the road to San Antonio.  Hope it’s warmer!

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Kartchner Caverns, AZ – January 2013

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

Kartchner MapIt was time to leave El Mirage and we were looking for a location for an overnight stop enroute to Fort Bliss near El Paso.  There was not a convenient Walmart whose parking lot we could use, but as we checked out local campgrounds we discovered Kartchner Caverns and decided we should spend a few days instead of just an overnight.

We arrived on January 5th, IMG_4689early enough to ride our bikes to the visitor center to check out the area.  Our friends, the Astroths, had told us that we should visit Tombstone, the “Town Too Tough to Die,” while in the area, and we put that first on our agenda.

IMG_4696Cochise County is a high desert and we thought we would be in warm temperatures traveling through the south in the winter, but it was pretty cold when the sun went down.  We woke up to a brisk morning, and after some exercise and breakfast were on our way to Tombstone.IMG_4694  On our way we stopped in the town of Fairbank, a deserted town that existed during the 1880’s as a transportation hub.  The buildings and the museum were interesting; the qualifications to be a teacher on the frontier were especially interesting.

The first stop in Tombstone was the town cemetery, better known as “Boot Hill.”  As we walked through the headstones we could remember some of those buried there, such as Billy Clayton and the McLaury brothers, shot by the Earp Brothers at the OK Corral.  The number of people that died violent deaths as opposed to natural causes was impressive.

IMG_4707There are two Tombstones, IMG_4705the modern one with citizens that do normal work, go to school and church and live normal lives.  The other is the “Town Too Tough to Die.”  The old main street with wooden sidewalks and horse hitching rails are intact, although the buildings now serve different purposes.  There are stagecoach rides, gunfight re-enactments, and museums all over town.  It was a very interesting place to visit.

The next day we went on a tour of Kartchner Cavern.  This is probably the most unique cavern we have ever visited.  The story behind the caverns is almost as interesting as the caverns.  It was discovered by two cavers who kept it a IMG_4728secret for six years before telling even the Kartchner family who owned the land.  All of them realized they had something special so they sold the property to the State of Arizona.  It was developed into a state park that provides a marvelous experience.  We like to share our pictures, but cameras are not allowed in the caverns. We recommend this to anyone traveling to this part of the country as a “must do” on your trip.

That afternoon we hiked into the Coronado National Forest IMG_4712on the Guindani Trail.  We followed a wash up a valley (you had to keep a smart look out for trail markers or cairns to stay on the right trail) to the summit and returned on the outer slope.  The views were just outstanding!

The next morning we were on our way to El Paso, TX.

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Phoenix – November/December – 2012

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Michigan Traveler

Phoenix Map After our sightseeing through the west we were ready to find a place to just “hangout” for awhile.  We thought Phoenix, AZ would be a good place to stay and we would be close to an airport for Bob’s last trip to Pittsburgh and to fly back IMG_4510to Michigan for Christmas.  We decided to stay at the Pueblo El Mirage RV Park.  This was our first stay at an “RV resort” and we weren’t sure what to expect.  We were met by a guide in a golf cart that led us to our site and assisted us in backing into it.  Once we were set up we rode our bikes to the office to complete the registration.  We were given maps of the facility and the local area, told where grocery and drug stores were located, and given a list of the activities available to us.  These included a full wood IMG_4449working shop; two swimming pools and a huge hot tub; an exercise room with treadmills, elliptical machines, weight machine and free weights; lawn bowling; and tennis and pickle ball courts.  A couple of days into our stay there was an outdoor concert and we met some new friends, one of the couples was from Michigan!

The resort sponsored an opportunity to join a group for Thanksgiving dinner, another chance to make new friends.IMG_4458

We decided to try pickle ball.  This is a sport we had never heard of.  It is a combination of tennis and ping-pong.  The court is like a small tennis court, the racket is like a large ping-pong paddle, and the ball was a softball-sized wiffle ball.  We took a couple lessons and then started practicing almost every afternoon.  We got IMG_4453pretty good at it, but wonder if we will ever have the opportunity to play again as we travel farther east.

We made contact with some friends from Michigan who had moved to Phoenix years ago, Louis and Marilyn Astroth, and had them over for dinner one evening. We had a LOT to catch up on and it was a lot of fun to see old friends.

An interesting feature of Phoenix is that there are IMG_4486mountains in the middle of town.  We took a morning for a short hike in North Mountain Park, which is in the center of the metropolitan area.  It is a tribute to the vision of community leaders that they took action to protect areas like this from development.

IMG_4459We made a tree from Christmas lights in our “yard” and decorated the inside of the trailer.  Our inside Christmas tree is the small tree that Bob’s mother sent him while he was in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield.  We may not have a house, but we can still decorate for the Christmas holidays.  IMG_4474It was interesting to travel around the RV park and see what everyone had done for decorations, we have some new ideas for next year!

Bob had more work than normal this month.  He was off to Pittsburgh for the Corps of Engineers and then spent a week on the road for SkillPath Seminars in Louisville and Cincinnati presenting training in project management. We can’t remember the last time he was traveling for business this much. Pat enjoyed the opportunity to relax and do some Christmas shopping.

IMG_4490Louis and Marilyn are active IMG_4492in their church choir and have even traveled overseas for choir performances.  They invited us over to their house for dinner and then we joined them at their church for a marvelous Christmas concert.

On December 19th we headed for Michigan to celebrate Christmas with our own family. See Home for the Holidays for the details.

We were back home on January 2nd, and it was great to be home again.  We know some people have a hard time understanding how a trailer can be a home, but it is our “Home Sweet Home.”

IMG_4548Bob has a friend, John Voreis, from his National Guard days who lives in Phoenix, but had been back in Michigan for most of our time here.  He and his wife, Fran, joined us for dinner, and John and Bob had a wonderful time sharing stories of good times together.

On Saturday, January 5th we were on our way again.  Next stop – Kartchner Caverns.

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