Hello out there!

    I'm back!
                  I didn't think anyone was reading my blog until we returned to West Virginia and people started asking me what happened to the blog! Well to be honest I just got lazy about doing it. It use to amaze me how friends who were retired would always put things off to tomorrow which never seemed to come. Now I understand, being retired things just don't seem to have the urgency they use to. So with that being said let me catch you all up on where we have been and what we got into.

                  After leaving South Dakota we headed to Flagstaff AZ. There we met up with my sister and brother in-law Sue and Ron who flew in from the east for vacation. Together we toured the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Williams and several other sites in the region. Saying goodbye to them we headed to Zion and Bryce National Parks.

                   From  Arizona it was off to Las Vegas NV. Cathy has been there several times but it was a first for me. In Vegas we did the usual tourist things, walking through the mega casinos, loosing money at the slot machines, going to the Pawn Stars store,Freemont street and the Hoover Dam.
The highlight of the Vegas stop was taking Cathy to see Elton John at Creasers Palace for her birthday. What an awesome two hour show!

                    Leaving Las Vegas we headed to Carson City and visited Lake Tahoe and Silver City while there. Different regions different weather. Out west we noticed signs about extreme winds and found out what they were talking about trying to leave Carson City. The day we started out for California there were high wind warnings for the highways. Several routes we tried were all closed to big trucks and rv's due to the winds and wind gust of 60mph or better.

                    The following day it was off to sunny California. While in California we met back up with our new friends Frank and Judy and toured San Francisco. In SF we rode the cable cars, drove down Lombard St, walked across the Golden Gate bridge and ate in Chinatown. Me and Cathy also toured Napa Valley and Sonoma  visiting several of the wineries.

                      Change of plans. While in South Dakota Cathy had gotten a call from back home that a family member would be needing surgery. We decided when that occurred she would fly back home for several weeks and I would wait in California for the out come before heading east. I spent two weeks in the central valley. Central valley is a huge agriculture region. Miles and miles of fruit and nut trees, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and cotton, lots of cotton. It was interesting to see how the canal system brings water from the northern park of the state to this region.

                     Things went well back home so Cathy flew back after two weeks. I started heading east and picked her up in Vegas. From there we went back through Arizona stopping in Glendale to see an old friend and then on to New Mexico. We stayed in Tucson for a week. While in Tucson we visited Tombstone and Nogales Mexico.

                     From Tucson we turned the motorhome east and headed for West Virginia to be with family and friends for the holidays. Along the way we made three more stops, one in Amarillo Texas, Branson Mo. and the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Amarillo was going to be a rest stop for a couple of days to break up the driving. While there we saw the Cadillac Ranch and ate at a steakhouse where if you eat a 72oz steak, roll, salad, bake potato and shrimp cup its free, Good Luck with that!

                      Branson was a lot of fun. We saw the Osmond Brothers and Lennon Sisters at the Andy Williams Theater. Branson and Silver Dollar city were decorated for Christmas and it was absolutely beautiful. Silver Dollar city is an amusement park decorated in 5 million LED lights. Branson is pure Americana family entertainment with all the theaters and shows. The last stop on our journey was the Creation Museum in Petersburg KY. It a great museum showing the scientific evidence to support creationism.

From there it was on to West Virginia. Our trip was twelve weeks long covering eight thousand and thirteen miles, which Cathy will proudly tell you she drove a whole 165 miles!  In the coming weeks I will post some of the thousands of photos we have taking and fill in some more of the details.

Until then remember, YOLO

Barry

                       

                    
               

Iowa to South Dakota

   Last Tuesday we left Forest City IA. and the Winnebago plant behind.  Heading west we made it into Sioux Falls SD. by night fall. We spend a couple of days in the area site seeing and getting our driver licenses transferred to South Dakota. South Dakota is a great state to base out of if you fulltime like we do. We visited the falls that run through the middle of the city and toured downtown looking at the many sculptures along the streets.

   From Sioux Falls we headed west stopping in Mitchell SD. to see the corn palace, the visitor center at the Missouri river crossing, Wall Drug in Wall SD. and than onto Rapid city SD. We met up with some friends we made in Forest City, Frank and Judy and spent several days together seeing Mount Rushmore and The Badlands.  There is so much to see in this part of the state, Deadwood, Sturgis, Custer State park and many more all with in a few hours drive of Rapid City.

   Below I have posted some pictures of the things we have seen. I will tell you this, the photos may look awesome but they by no means can compare seeing these places in person. You just stand in awe looking at Gods creation and mans contributions.

 

The falls in downtown Sioux Falls SD.

 

 

The Corn Palace, all the murals are created using different colors of corn on the cob!

 

 

Crossing the Missouri River on I-90

 

 

Wall Drug, you can not visit South Dakota

without stopping.

 

 

Mount Rushmore

 

 

 

Mount Rushmore

 

 

 

Needles Hwy and Bison in

Custer State Park

 

 

Mustang rally in Sturgis

 

 

Downtown Deadwood

 

 

Our friends Frank and Judy

 

 

 

Badlands National Park

 

   It's Friday September 6 and we are preparing to head for Arizona this afternoon where we will meet up with some family and friends. We will be in Flagstaff fo two weeks before heading to Nevada and California, until the next time

                                                 YOLO, Barry 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Heading West,
    Last Monday morning we packed up and started heading west. It takes us about an hour to prepare the coach to leave. Cathy puts all the items on the counter tops into a storage chest and drawers. I disconnect the utilities outside and then we bring the slides in and lower the jacks. Last we connect the tow dolly and fasten down the car. Then its one last look around and off we go. Sooner or later though you don't take a long enough look around! Later on what I mean by that.

  We headed west across route 2 in Michigan with many beautiful views of lake Michigan to our left. We stopped in the town of Norway MI and visited an old iron ore mine where they take you 450 feet underground to see how the mine was run when it was in operation. Now about that last look around. Leaving the mine we headed several miles west to Iron Mountain MI. A wonderful gentleman in a pick up truck waved us to the side. The ramps on the car dolly had dropped and were dragging the pavement, if I would have looked around better I would have seen that I hadn't but the pin in that holds them in place. Amazingly we had driven several hundred miles and they stayed in place before this happened.  Fortunately no damage was done, we put the pin in thanked him and were back on our way.

  We spent the night at a WalMart in Iron Mountain. Most Wal-Mart's allow you to stay overnight and we use them when we are driving from one destination to another. If we are in an area for several days we will check into a local campground. Tuesday was a driving day across Wisconsin.  We made it to the Minnesota border and spent another night at the local WalMart.

  Wednesday morning we headed towards Forest City, Iowa where we are having some service work done to the coach at the Winnebago plant. Along the way we stopped at the Mall of America outside of St Paul. What a place! Something like a million plus square feet of retail space with an amusement park in the center to boot.

  Then it was off to Forest City IA, Cathy had not driven the coach up until this time. So the last sixty miles to Forest City she took the wheel and did a great job. She wanted to wait and get west of Chicago where traffic wasn't as bad before learning. When you travel like this its best if both spouse's know how to drive in case of an emergency.

  While at Winnebago we have made friends with several couples waiting to have their motorhomes serviced. We all been here several days waiting on service and or parts and have made the best of it playing games, biking, cook outs, sharing tips and telling stories. Today we went to a local Baptist church and then to a morning brunch with our new friends Judy and Frank.

 

  

 

Me testing the waters of lake Superior

 

 

 

Me and Cathy riding the mine train to the bottom of the mine

 

 

Not a lot of room to walk around 450 ft below ground!

 

 

Even Capon likes traveling

 

 

The amusment park in the center of

The Mall of America

 

 

 

Fresh Alaskan salmon on the grill at the Winnebago plant

 

 

Cookout and games with fellow rv'ers at the Winnebogo plant

 

in Forest City Iowa.

 

 

  Until the next time,

 

                                Barry & Cathy,  Ciao

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family, friends and off again

  August 11th and we are off again. But to catch up on what we have been doing. We spent the month of July back with family and friends in West Virginia. During the month we had a great time with family including celebrating Brielle's first birthday and watching Lydia turn five months. (our first grandchildren) We also made two side trips with family to Natural Bridge Virginia and Williamsport Md. Many great meals were consumed with friends catching up on what we have been doing and with that I'm afraid to look at the scale until we get back on our daily routine of biking and walking!

 Sunday the 11th we started our trip out west. Our first couple of days we spent in Ohio with the intention of going to Indiana next. All that change when we remembered the Worlds largest Christmas store mentioned on the travel channel in Michigan. So off to Bronners in Frankenmuth Mi. we headed. From there we turned north to the upper peninsula of Michigan or the upper as the local refer to it. Michigan turned out to be a great state with many things to see and experience.  Now its off to Wisconsin, Idaho, South Dakota, Arizona and California. Below are some of the places and things we have done in the last month.

 We took my mom and dad and two of my nephews Camden and Ethan to Natural Bridge, below are some of the things we did.

                                     
                                                Natural Bridge with my nephew Ethan

                                            Me feeding an elk at the Natural Bridge Safari.

 

Sitting by the river that runs under the bridge.

 The park takes about an hour and a half to drive through and the animals come right up to the car to eat. There must be several hundred animals you can feed including zebras, camels, elk, rain deer, ostrich, kangaroo's and lamas to name a few.

  Our next outing was to Williamsport Md. with Cathy's niece and nephew Ben and Greta,

                                         Here we are preparing to canoe for the first time!

      
                                          Cathy and Greta leaving shore, we had a great time
                                           and no one fell in!

 

Me ready to blast off!

 

                                         Cathy checking out a space capsule at the Neil
                                          Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Ohio.

 

                
                                         Bronners Christmas store in Frankenmunth MI.
                                         Over five football fields of Christmas items!!!!!

 

We watched this awesome lumberjack show in

Mackinac city, these guys participate on the ESPN

show.

 

 

Crossing the Mackinac bridge to

the upper peninsula.

 

 

We visited Mackinac Island where the are three

modes of transportation, foot, bikes or horse and

wagon. No personal autos are permitted on the island.

Everything comes over by ferry and is delivered by

horse and wagon, we even seen the UPS guy riding one!

 

 

   These are just some of the adventures we have experienced so far on our second trip out. There are many more and I will continuing to post photos in future blogs. Cathy and I have been very blessed to live this lifestyle and we thank God everyday for it. I will say it is bittersweet sometime because of leaving family and friends. But todays technology makes it easier with Facebook, Facetime and Skype. Plus we plan on being home late November for the holidays to spend  with the ones we love.

  

                           Until then remember life is the journey not the destination.  

 

                                

July 4th, 2013

Back Home,

    Well our first trip out full-timing has come to a close. We are back home in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia for several weeks to hug and spoil the grandkids, visit family, friends and take care of some business.
We spent three weeks in Myrtle Beach SC, several days in Savannah Ga., three weeks in Tampa Fl. and several days in Panama City Beach Fl.
   We can't believe how quickly the time has past. Below are some photos of the things we did.

 

The view out our windshield in Savannah,

 

Fried green tomato's at Paula Deen's

 

Waterfront street in Savannah,

 

 

Disney's Magic Kingdom

 

St Pete beach, Fl

 

Thomas Edison's summer home,

 

 

Sunset, Panama City Beach Fl.

 

Panama City Beach,

 

 

Our campground in Panama City Beach

 

     Some of the other adventures we had not shown were, ghost hunting in Savannah, dolphin watching in Panama City Beach and visiting friends and the Natural Bridge in Virginia. These are a few of the things we did and we are looking forward to our journey out west starting this August. We live in a great nation with many wonderful places to go and see. I would encourage all who are able to get out and see it.

 

  Happy 4th of July

 

   Barry and Cathy

May 27, 2013

We are still in Myrtle Beach until the 31st when we will be headed to Savannah Georgia. After I started writing the first blog I realized this may be like work! I forgot to mention the first week we were here was bike week. I would guess the number of bikers to be in the tens of thousands. We would ride our bikes out to the campground entrance at night and join the golf cart crowd to watch them parade by, what an awesome site some of the bikes were. Here's where the work part takes place, I need to remember to take pictures to post. Below are some of the photo's I have taken,

                  
                    This is the entrance to our campground. It was wall to wall RV's this weekend.

                                                                
                                                                       Our camp site

                                    A night out with our friends John and Mary, we went to the dueling piano bar at Broadway by the Beach, have you every seen a 44oz Margarita!

                                               The sun rises are worth getting up for.

I will try to write at least once a week and hopefully daily  at some point. Till the next time,

Barry

May 20th, 2013

Monday morning finds us at the Pirate Land Campground in Myrtle Beach SC. But let me back up a little. This is our first time out as fulltimers. We hit the road on Sunday the 12th heading from Martinsburg  to Myrtle Beach. Leaving late in the day we made it as far as Emporia Virginia spending our first night at a WalMart.

What a trill it was to wake up at WalMart on our second wedding anniversary! Monday we continued on to M-B with a short stop at South of the Border to stretch our legs and take some photos,

 

Then it was on to Myrtle Beach and Pirate Land. Since arriving we have been to the beach, enjoying the lazy river in the campground and adjusting to retirement!