Just rec'd a wonderful tutorial on how to use Facebook and post pictures. I'm gonna quit using the blog now, and use Facebook instead. You can keep up with me there!!
Hugs,
Carleen
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Zion National Park, Utah May 13-18, 2012
Finally caught up with the WINs near Zion on Mother's day. I took so many pictures of our adventures that I am overwhelmed about which ones to choose for my blog. Plus I don't want to bore my readers!! So I'll just have to choose a few.
Today is really July 10 and I'm actually 2 months late posting to my blog. As I go thru so many pictures I'm getting confused as to actually WHERE they were taken!! I could keep it all straight if I could post more often rather than let it all pile up. We've been traveling in places where cell phone and internet coverage don't even exist, so that's my excuse!
While in the Zion area we also took other side trips including one to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Here's a group of WIN hikers. We may be "senior citizens" but are still quite the adventurers!
Another side trip was to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes:
We also visited a very old site called Grafton, UT where Mormons had once settled and eventually been killed by Indians.
Another side trip to the Moqui Cave.
And everywhere we travel we see this warning.
While in the Zion area we also took other side trips including one to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Here's a group of WIN hikers. We may be "senior citizens" but are still quite the adventurers!
Another side trip was to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes:
We also visited a very old site called Grafton, UT where Mormons had once settled and eventually been killed by Indians.
Another side trip to the Moqui Cave.
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| Poor Rover, his aim was worse than his owner. |
And everywhere we travel we see this warning.
May 2012 - A New Lifestyle Begins
I was still a little weak from the surgery and was not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for 2 more weeks but the doctors had given the OK for me to DRIVE the motorhome! That "10 pound" limit meant I couldn't hook up my car or complete many other chores that come with traveling in a motorhome. One of my RVer friends, Tom Voyles, who had helped in Bandera during my recovery had graciously offered to accompany me while traveling to catch up with the group. I was thrilled to have someone "looking out for me" by doing those chores I was not yet able to do. Thank you, Tom. My first week "on the road again" was at a leisurely pace; with stops in Ft. Stockton TX, Deming NM, Apache Junction AZ and Page AZ.
There's much to see near Page AZ and I definitely hope to return when I can spend more time exploring, but I was anxious to catch up with the group known as the WINs (Wandering Individuals Network) many of whom were already good friends.
There's much to see near Page AZ and I definitely hope to return when I can spend more time exploring, but I was anxious to catch up with the group known as the WINs (Wandering Individuals Network) many of whom were already good friends.
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| Glen Canyon Damn |
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| Lake Powell Beach |
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| Yep! "Life Elevated" |
April 2012- So Very Sick
Left Red Bay, AL and drove to Bandera, TX arriving on April 1. Couldn't understand why my "bronchitis" was still affecting me so I immediately found another "walk-in-clinic-doctor" in Bandera and began yet another regimen of high-powered meds.
My reason for being in Bandera was to attend an RV Rally for single RV'ers. This rally consisted of twice-daily country western dance lessons, eating out, pot luck suppers, exploring the surrounding beautiful Texas Hill Country, kayaking the Medina River, Trail Rides, and lots of other fun entertainment.
By this time my illness kept me from attending 95% of the Rally activities. For 7 of the 10 Rally days I just stayed in bed, taking my meds like a good girl. But stubbornly I went on the Kayak adventure which eventually turned out to be a very bad decision. I was now more than ever, having major trouble catching my breath and returned to the doctor. Finally, a chest x-ray was taken which showed that my lungs were healthy and totally cleared of any infection, BUT that my heart was so EXTREMELY enlarged that my lungs were being compressed.
Immediately, my RV friends rallied to my side! Rocky was lovingly cared for, and my RV was watched over. They drove me to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio where a pace-maker/defibrillator was implanted. I awakened from the surgery feeling better than ever!! It was determined that my heart problems were most likely due to DNA from my father's family who had multiple instances of heart problems. My father had received a heart transplant at age 59 and his mother had died from heart failure at age 52.
After being discharged I was driven home and received wonderful TLC from my friends during my recovery. I returned to the doctors on May 3 for follow-up and was released from their care.
The pacemaker came with a high-tech external monitoring device for sending quarterly reports to my doctors. Every 3 months I will hook up the device to a telephone line, hover a small attached gizmo right over the implanted pacemaker and press a button. It will automatically dial a special number and transmit a report to the doctors for evaluation. The report shows battery life, and other heart related technical stuff. I only have to see the doctors in person once a year!!
On May 5, only 16 days after the pacemaker implant, I cranked up my motorhome, left Bandera, TX and headed west to catch up with my RV friends. I felt wonderfully healthy!!!!!!!
My reason for being in Bandera was to attend an RV Rally for single RV'ers. This rally consisted of twice-daily country western dance lessons, eating out, pot luck suppers, exploring the surrounding beautiful Texas Hill Country, kayaking the Medina River, Trail Rides, and lots of other fun entertainment.
By this time my illness kept me from attending 95% of the Rally activities. For 7 of the 10 Rally days I just stayed in bed, taking my meds like a good girl. But stubbornly I went on the Kayak adventure which eventually turned out to be a very bad decision. I was now more than ever, having major trouble catching my breath and returned to the doctor. Finally, a chest x-ray was taken which showed that my lungs were healthy and totally cleared of any infection, BUT that my heart was so EXTREMELY enlarged that my lungs were being compressed.
Immediately, my RV friends rallied to my side! Rocky was lovingly cared for, and my RV was watched over. They drove me to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio where a pace-maker/defibrillator was implanted. I awakened from the surgery feeling better than ever!! It was determined that my heart problems were most likely due to DNA from my father's family who had multiple instances of heart problems. My father had received a heart transplant at age 59 and his mother had died from heart failure at age 52.
After being discharged I was driven home and received wonderful TLC from my friends during my recovery. I returned to the doctors on May 3 for follow-up and was released from their care.
The pacemaker came with a high-tech external monitoring device for sending quarterly reports to my doctors. Every 3 months I will hook up the device to a telephone line, hover a small attached gizmo right over the implanted pacemaker and press a button. It will automatically dial a special number and transmit a report to the doctors for evaluation. The report shows battery life, and other heart related technical stuff. I only have to see the doctors in person once a year!!
On May 5, only 16 days after the pacemaker implant, I cranked up my motorhome, left Bandera, TX and headed west to catch up with my RV friends. I felt wonderfully healthy!!!!!!!
Begin Blog Catch-up, March 2012
I arrived at Betty's RV Park already quite ill with bronchitis, which worsened enough to make me seek medical attention. A local "walk-in-clinic" doctor prescribed meds to aggressively killl the infection.
Left Louisiana on March 14 and headed to Red Bay, AL where I stayed for 2 weeks. Red Bay is the home of Tiffin Motorhomes where I had lot of warranty work done on my RV While there I finished taking my meds but still felt very very sick.
Left Louisiana on March 14 and headed to Red Bay, AL where I stayed for 2 weeks. Red Bay is the home of Tiffin Motorhomes where I had lot of warranty work done on my RV While there I finished taking my meds but still felt very very sick.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Betty's RV Park, Abbeville, Louisiana
On Monday I packed up and went to get my heater fixed. Thank goodness I had bought an Extended Warranty from The Good Sam Club!!
Then drove to Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, LA. where I'll be till sometime next week. Betty's is a very unusual RV Park. There are only about 17 sites all around her yard, grass and gravel, with hookups, no showers, no pool, no laundry facility, no putt-putt, but without a doubt the BEST place you could ever stay! Check out the testimonials on her website: www.bettysrvpark.com.
The first day I arrived Betty had invited a very talented musician (Judy Bailey) to entertain us. She has recorded in Nashville, and with Moe Bandy, and was nominated in the Top 5 New Female Vocalists in 1981.
Just about everyday there is something to go see and do around Cajun Country, and Betty knows about all that's happening. She takes folks out on field trips within about a 50 mile area, and out to eat at the most wonderful little "hole-in-the-wall" diners. Then she herself is always cooking up some fabulous Cajun food for us. I'm caught in the web!!
Then drove to Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, LA. where I'll be till sometime next week. Betty's is a very unusual RV Park. There are only about 17 sites all around her yard, grass and gravel, with hookups, no showers, no pool, no laundry facility, no putt-putt, but without a doubt the BEST place you could ever stay! Check out the testimonials on her website: www.bettysrvpark.com.
The first day I arrived Betty had invited a very talented musician (Judy Bailey) to entertain us. She has recorded in Nashville, and with Moe Bandy, and was nominated in the Top 5 New Female Vocalists in 1981.
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| Judy Bailey, so very talented! |
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| Our Canadian friends with Betty and Judy. |
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| Betty's house and very large covered patio where we gather each afternoon to share snacks and plans for sight seeing and going out to EAT!! Gonna gain lots of weight if I don't get out of here soon!! |
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| Who needs fancy? |
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| They stay even though all the full hook-up sites are taken. And then move when someone leaves, which is just about never. It's mighty hard to escape from "Betty's Web"!! |
WIN friends in Breaux Bridge, LA
While in New Orleans I had arranged to meet up with a new group of single RVers called the WINS (Wandering Individuals Network) who were staying at another campground north of Lake Pontchartrain. They had been highly recommended to me by Robert and Tiziana Ruff. Found out about a large group who will be traveling together in their individual rigs for 3-4 months this summer traveling through Colorado and Utah. Lots of research goes into planning one of these caravans, including an extensive itinerary of the historical and interesting sights we'll see along the route, RV parking reservations are made in advance, no real long drives, campfires, most all have kayaks (guess I see one in my future soon!!), lots of bicycles too, potluck dinners, fun, laughs, and plenty of company. I do hope to join them if possible!!!
After Claudia left, my new WIN friends invited me to join them bright and early Saturday morning (7:00am) in Breaux Bridge, LA at the Cafe des Amis for a Zydeco omelet and Zydeco music!! This is a very old eatery I had never even heard of, and I was raised here!
I invited the group to a Cajun boucherie (pig butchering and cooking) being held that afternoon in the Cajun Palms RV Park where I was staying. Had lots of fun, plus food was delicious and free!!
After Claudia left, my new WIN friends invited me to join them bright and early Saturday morning (7:00am) in Breaux Bridge, LA at the Cafe des Amis for a Zydeco omelet and Zydeco music!! This is a very old eatery I had never even heard of, and I was raised here!
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| Max, Judy, Nancy, Tom |
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| Judy and Max doing a little Cajun 2-step!!!! And VERY good at it!! |
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| Pork was cooked all day long, tender and very tasty! |
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| Making cracklings! In french they're called "Gratons"!! |
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| Listening to the great band, waiting to line up to eat! |
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| Could this be the largest "Graton" in history? Quick, call Guinness!! |
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| A fun time was had by all. |
Post #6
There is a family of roadrunners who live at the Lo-Hi RV Park. My good friend Judy D. has been hand feeding them raw ground meat for quite a while now. It's amazing to watch as each one runs in one at a time to grab a snack right out of her hand! Was afraid to scare them away if I got too close since I had Rocky on a leash. Wish I had a zoom on my iPhone... Next time I'm in Deming feeding the roadrunners will be high on my priority list!!
Left Conroe---wow, lot's of memories there. And headed to Kingwood, TX to pick up my wonderful friend Claudia Foley. She had been needing a break from stress and was able to take 10 days off work from Continental. We traveled to Lafayette, stopped and visited with my mother, then headed on to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. My son Ben joined us on Friday afternoon and we headed to the French Quarter. Had a wonderful meal, watched a couple of little walking-by (no floats) type parades, caught some beads, watched a magician on the street, popped in and out of little interesting shops and headed back to the bus. And that was all the "Mardi Grasing" we did!!! The weather wasn't so great, lots of rain, and we just mostly hung around the Bus cooking fabulous meals, taking naps, and generally loafing around. Did a LOT of laughing too!!! It was wonderful having my best friend with me.
| On Canal Street waiting for the trolley. |
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| My son, Ben, the dental student "chaperoned" us gals!!! |
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| Mississippi River Paddlewheeler |
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| Since this was the Friday BEFORE "Fat Tuesday" the crowds were minimal. |
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| Beads and trinkets were thrown from festively decorated apartments throughout the French Quarter. |
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| Ben's wife Shawna and kids came to join us in New Orleans where we all spent a rainy day together in the bus. Watching movies and of course cooking up a pot of delicious chicken & sausage gumbo! The kids, Noah and Audrey, spent the night with Claudia and me on the bus giving Ben and Shawna some "quiet" time together on his sailboat. |
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| Rocky and Audrey, both precious!! |
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| And this is pretty much ALL we did for the next few days in New Orleans!! Claudia fell in love with Rocky, and he with her!! |
Friday, January 27, 2012
POST #5
JANUARY, 2012
The first trips were huge learning experiences. Found my limits for driving distances to be around 250 miles. But once I did drive 500 miles, exhausting. There's a huge stress difference between driving a car for 300 miles and driving an RV towing a car (total of 64' long, and weighing over 21 tons). In a car, you have a lot of space to drift either left or right in your lane. Not so in a much wider RV since there's only about 6 inches of lane on each side. No drifting. Since I have to do all of the driving, I have to make stops pretty regularly to stretch, eat, potty, and take Rocky out. Don't want to risk being overly tired which might affect safety. Plus, without a navigator or companion other than Rocky, I have to pre-plan the entire days' travels (GPS) so I can stop with enough daylight for setting up. I found out the hard way that I will not drive after dark. No exceptions.
Overnight stops along the route have to be planned as best as I can. If I haven't found a nearby campground or I'm just too tired to look, most Walmart stores allow free overnight parking for weary travelers, and are readily available in most towns. I always check with management for their approval, and of course, can get supplies easily, without unhooking the car. Then I'm up early and on the road again. My generator is quite handy when I need air conditioning and don't have campground hook-ups.
When I left Lafayette on January 6 my final destination was to be Quartzsite, AZ to attend a HUGE RV Show and Rally. The main thing about Quartzsite is that few stay in campgrounds with full hook-ups, most all camp for 1-2 weeks in the desert on BLM lands WITHOUT hook-ups. This is called "boondocking". You need to know how and when to crank up your generator to keep your batteries charged. Plus I have a residential refrigerator which requires an inverter, and all I know about that is how to spell it. I have an Automatic Gen Start thingy which I had no idea how to use. Since I had never done this before (stopping for a few hours in a Walmart doesn't count) I was super non-confident in my ability to boondock. I had discovered there were many groups scheduled to be there and had done a lot of research. The group that I was most interested in was the Tiffin (manufacturer of my coach) group. Other interesting groups were the Escapees Solos and the LoWs (Loners On Wheels). These are not dating groups, thankfully, because I'm never gonna do that again. Most are elderly women with lots of RVing experience. I was inclined to camp with the solos, but I needed to learn about MY coach systems first, so I camped with 47 other Tiffin coaches for 6 days on BLM land; cost, $40 for 2 weeks. I lasted 6 days!! To me, that's progress!
As each coach arrived you would just pull up right next in line to the last coach parked. By one hour after I had arrived I had been shown exactly how to configure the systems for boondocking. Piece of cake! So I was sitting outside chatting with my next door neighbor Chris Torrance, telling her about what happened to Paul. And out of the blue she asks, "Paul Terhune, from Kingsville Naval Air Station?". OMG! She told me that Paul and her husband, Alex aka "Skull", were pilots together almost 35 years ago. A hurricane had threatened the coast and all pilots had to fly the jets to a safer inland base away from the coast. Married pilots had to leave their wives behind to face the hurricane alone. For their safety the military opened up the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) for the wives. Chris and others stayed safely in Paul's BOQ room for 6 days. His room was on the corner on the 2nd floor. The first floor totally flooded. And the 3rd (top) floor lost the roof. I still get goose-bumps when I think about the chances of me parking right next to them in that huge desert. And the blessings just keep happening!!
After the 6 days of boondocking sadly ended I spent 2 days and nights in a very nice campground in Quartzsite WITH FULL HOOK-UPS (Quail Run RV Resort), dumping fully loaded tanks, and washing ALL of my clothes, towels, and sheets. Took a well-earned heavenly HOT shower; and had 2 guys wash my coach and car of all of the desert dust and sand. After the dust/sand was gone I figured I'd get better gas mileage!!!!
Left Quartzsite, AZ on January 26 (yesterday) with lots of happy memories, tons of "boondocking" experience, and a wealth of new Tiffin friends and acquaintances. I can honestly say that I will never fear being without "full hook-ups" again. (A lot of the National and State parks have no hook-ups so my opportunities for travel and camping have just expanded!) Now I have begun to really feel the freedom of this lifestyle, and I love it. I have made such wonderful friends with invites to join them in various parts of the country that I can now pick and choose "feel safe" places to go. Paul would have loved this lifestyle.
After leaving "Q" today I drove about 3-4 hours East and have ended up in Apache Junction, AZ in a fantastic campground where Robert & Tiziana Ruff (who were the hosts of the desert Tiffin rally) have a home base. They invited me and I felt very welcomed. I arrived here and Robert helped me park the Bus (just 2 sites away from them); had dinner with them and crashed (exhausted) for the night before 8:30PM!! I will be here for one week, enjoying the wonderful AZ weather. Will take pictures tomorrow. On Sunday morning I'll be meeting with Mary Hammond who is a member of "RVing Women". We are planning to scout out the Fairgrounds in Casa Grande and attend the Bluegrass Festival. Coincidentally, RVW (RVing Women) is having a rally from Feb 2-5 there at the Fairgrounds for a Gourds Festival. When I leave here (Apache Junction) I will go join the RVW for their rally. Looks like I'll spend my 60th birthday (Feb 5) surrounded by 40+ "RVing Women". Sweet. Life is good.
The first trips were huge learning experiences. Found my limits for driving distances to be around 250 miles. But once I did drive 500 miles, exhausting. There's a huge stress difference between driving a car for 300 miles and driving an RV towing a car (total of 64' long, and weighing over 21 tons). In a car, you have a lot of space to drift either left or right in your lane. Not so in a much wider RV since there's only about 6 inches of lane on each side. No drifting. Since I have to do all of the driving, I have to make stops pretty regularly to stretch, eat, potty, and take Rocky out. Don't want to risk being overly tired which might affect safety. Plus, without a navigator or companion other than Rocky, I have to pre-plan the entire days' travels (GPS) so I can stop with enough daylight for setting up. I found out the hard way that I will not drive after dark. No exceptions.
Overnight stops along the route have to be planned as best as I can. If I haven't found a nearby campground or I'm just too tired to look, most Walmart stores allow free overnight parking for weary travelers, and are readily available in most towns. I always check with management for their approval, and of course, can get supplies easily, without unhooking the car. Then I'm up early and on the road again. My generator is quite handy when I need air conditioning and don't have campground hook-ups.
When I left Lafayette on January 6 my final destination was to be Quartzsite, AZ to attend a HUGE RV Show and Rally. The main thing about Quartzsite is that few stay in campgrounds with full hook-ups, most all camp for 1-2 weeks in the desert on BLM lands WITHOUT hook-ups. This is called "boondocking". You need to know how and when to crank up your generator to keep your batteries charged. Plus I have a residential refrigerator which requires an inverter, and all I know about that is how to spell it. I have an Automatic Gen Start thingy which I had no idea how to use. Since I had never done this before (stopping for a few hours in a Walmart doesn't count) I was super non-confident in my ability to boondock. I had discovered there were many groups scheduled to be there and had done a lot of research. The group that I was most interested in was the Tiffin (manufacturer of my coach) group. Other interesting groups were the Escapees Solos and the LoWs (Loners On Wheels). These are not dating groups, thankfully, because I'm never gonna do that again. Most are elderly women with lots of RVing experience. I was inclined to camp with the solos, but I needed to learn about MY coach systems first, so I camped with 47 other Tiffin coaches for 6 days on BLM land; cost, $40 for 2 weeks. I lasted 6 days!! To me, that's progress!
As each coach arrived you would just pull up right next in line to the last coach parked. By one hour after I had arrived I had been shown exactly how to configure the systems for boondocking. Piece of cake! So I was sitting outside chatting with my next door neighbor Chris Torrance, telling her about what happened to Paul. And out of the blue she asks, "Paul Terhune, from Kingsville Naval Air Station?". OMG! She told me that Paul and her husband, Alex aka "Skull", were pilots together almost 35 years ago. A hurricane had threatened the coast and all pilots had to fly the jets to a safer inland base away from the coast. Married pilots had to leave their wives behind to face the hurricane alone. For their safety the military opened up the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) for the wives. Chris and others stayed safely in Paul's BOQ room for 6 days. His room was on the corner on the 2nd floor. The first floor totally flooded. And the 3rd (top) floor lost the roof. I still get goose-bumps when I think about the chances of me parking right next to them in that huge desert. And the blessings just keep happening!!
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| Everyone brought firewood which was enjoyed each night. We also shared pot-lucks (I brought my Taco Soup/Dip, a big hit), had a raffle (won a candle), a seminar on fire safety, and an all around great time. |
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| 47 coaches gathered in a wagon train circle surrounding the campfire, meeting area, and eating area. |
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| Wonderful weather! Great folks! Lots of fun! |
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| "Mac The Fire Guy" gave a seminar on fire safety. He taught us how to use our emergency escape windows in case of a fire plus how to correctly fight a fire. |
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| Most everyone there had 4-wheelers and I was invited one day to go up into the hills to an old abandoned mine. Wonder what was mined here? Gold, silver? The ride was super scary but fun. I asked Chris (driver) if he had ever flipped the 4-wheeler. His response, "Oh sure, lots of times". WRONG ANSWER, DUDE!! Wish he'd have lied. But it didn't flip over and I did have fun! Thanks, Chris! |
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| Another view of the mining operation. |
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| Typical desert sunset! Each night, a moment of feeling so very close to what's really real. |
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| Good Samaritan Tiffin men gathered together and fixed several items for me. Here the electric water hose reel gets repaired! Can't thank you enough! |
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| John and Theresa "do" lettering on my bus! "Elegantly Homeless" |
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| And here John applies a "Carleen & Rocky" decal on the inside of the slide which only shows when I'm parked in a campground. |
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| Ain't it purty???? |
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| My Aunt Ginny (and others) suggested I go to a Salvation Army or Goodwill store and buy a pair of worn-out size 14 mens boots to leave right outside my front door for safety. Rocky could easily fit inside just ONE of them!! |
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| Daredevils on the roof washing my 42' coach and car for only $60. Such a great deal!!!! Old cactus watches. |
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| Hear Willie Nelson song playing on my FREE Sirius Radio , "On The Road Again"!!! Guess the previous owners bought a lifetime subscription for Sirius Radio so I'm REALLY enjoying those benefits!! |
After leaving "Q" today I drove about 3-4 hours East and have ended up in Apache Junction, AZ in a fantastic campground where Robert & Tiziana Ruff (who were the hosts of the desert Tiffin rally) have a home base. They invited me and I felt very welcomed. I arrived here and Robert helped me park the Bus (just 2 sites away from them); had dinner with them and crashed (exhausted) for the night before 8:30PM!! I will be here for one week, enjoying the wonderful AZ weather. Will take pictures tomorrow. On Sunday morning I'll be meeting with Mary Hammond who is a member of "RVing Women". We are planning to scout out the Fairgrounds in Casa Grande and attend the Bluegrass Festival. Coincidentally, RVW (RVing Women) is having a rally from Feb 2-5 there at the Fairgrounds for a Gourds Festival. When I leave here (Apache Junction) I will go join the RVW for their rally. Looks like I'll spend my 60th birthday (Feb 5) surrounded by 40+ "RVing Women". Sweet. Life is good.
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