Travels Briefly Described March 18-May 7, 2009

My good intentions of blogging soon went by the wayside as we experienced adventures from morning until night.  It came down to spending 1-2 hours a night writing about our experiences or actually spending the time experiencing more.

Tony's launch was incredible.  I hope those of you who were not with us got to see it on nasa.gov TV.  He has been spending most of his time debriefing and visiting places to thank people who worked to make the launch possible.  He is still smiling.  If you go to www.nasa.gov and click on Video Gallery, you can see Tony and the crew with President Obama.

After leaving Cape Canaveral, we spent time in St. Augustine, FL, Savannah, GA, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, VA, Woodbine, MD, Washington, DC where we met our oldest son Brian and watched the Kamiak High School band march in the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 4th, stayed with friends in Woodbine, MD, drove to Hershey and Lancaster, PA to see the Amish, and after checking the weather, decided it was still too snowy and stormy across the midwest to head back home that direction.  So, we went south again and stayed in Williamsburg, St. Augustine, Savannah, and Orlando where the weather was warmer and we could see more history and places we did not see when we were there on our way North.  We originally bought an annual pass to Disney World and have now enjoyed being there 11 or 12 times.

May 4th and 5th, we have been in Chattanooga, TN.  We were only going to stay overnight, but the Best Holiday TRAV-L-PARK owners convinced us to stay to see the sights.  We are glad we did.  We went to Ruby Falls, which is 1120 feet underground.  We began by descending 260 feet in an elevator into Lookout Mountain and then walking in the cave about a half mile through stalagtites and stalagmites and amazing formations.  As we got close to the 145 foot underground natural waterfall in the cavern which is about 1/2 mile in, we could hear the roar of the water.  It was an incredible sight upon seeing it.  We looked way up.  The water fell into about a five foot deep pool at the bottom of the waterfall.  We actually got to walk behind the waterfall, look up at where the water comes out from between a rock formation, and feel the spray as we walked in a bent position under the rock ledge to get back to the front of the waterfall.  From the outside, you would never know this existed in the tree covered mountain.  American Indians and Civil War soldiers had used the cave at one time.  

Before we went to the cave and Ruby Falls, we drove to Lookout Mountain Incline Railway at the base of the mountain and rode a railcar up the tracks of the world's steepest passenger railway.  Giant gears and cables pull it to the top of Lookout Mountain.  The station originated in 1895.  From the top and the observation deck, you can see some 100 miles away.  The mountains and valleys are beautiful and green. Lots of deciduous trees.  We could see the way the Tennessee River winds around like big "S's".  We walked about 3 blocks to Point Park where the famous "Battle Above the Clouds" was fought in 1863.  We walked the historic battlefield areas and stood on the bluff where General Ulysses S. Grant stood.  Over 8,000 men fought on that mountain.  We also drove to Cravens’ House where he had lived peacefully for 7 years before the soldiers took over this house on the hillside overlooking Chattanooga.

CHATTANOOGA HISTORY

 The name comes from a Creek Indian word meaning “rock coming to a point”. 

 It was founded by Chief John Ross, at what is now Ross’s Landing”, in the early 1800’s.  

 It is the home of the first Coca-Cola Bottling plant in the world.

 It is the home of several Civil War battle sites which are located throughout the area. 

 It was first explored by DeSoto in 1540.

Holiday TRAV-L-PARK was a Civil War battlefield site.  Over 100 years ago, men fought and died on the very soil where the park is located.  The North-South streets are named for Civil War officers.  The streets at the north end are named for Union commanders; the streets at the south end are named for Confederate generals.  Most of these officers participated in the combat around Chattanooga.  The other streets are named for Civil War battles.

May 6th, we drove to Nashville, TN and stayed in Two Rivers RV Campground on Music Valley Road.  Right next door is the Nashville Nightlife Theater.  We had a buffet dinner and country singing, instrument playing, ventriloquist show.  The dinner was from 5-6:30 p.m. and the show was from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  It was terrific.  The comedian Steve Hall and his "dummy" Shotgun Red from Hee Haw had us laughing very hard.

One of the singers was named Brenda Best.  We talked to her after the program.  She sang “Golden Years”, a song she wrote.  She gave us her email address and said that when we had our 50th wedding anniversary in two years, she would write to us.

May 7th, we saw the live radio show Grand Opry Classics which included singing and instrument playing by famous artists and verbal commercials in the Grand Ole Opry theater.  It was an interesting experience.  The famous people sang, including Riders in the Sky, and then everything would stop while the announcer read commercials and the products were on screens.  After the commercials, the artists would be introduced again and the show would go on until the next commercial.  The show was from 7-9 p.m.

Tomorrow, we will go to downtown Nashville, TN, to see the old Grand Ole Opry building called the Ryman Auditorium.  We hope to visit the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Saturday, we plan to leave for Branson, Missouri, before heading home. 

Friday News

Wednesday, we were at our motorhome getting ready to leave to go board the bus taking us to the viewing site for the launch.  We turned the TV on at 3:30 p.m. and saw the report that the launch had been scrubbed.  Some of our family and friends were at Kennedy Space Center waiting to board buses to their viewing sites.  The high level of excitement turned to disbelief, then to relief that the shuttle was not going to be flown when there was still a problem.  It had been an emotional day for us.  At 1 a.m., 10 of our family had driven to a sight to be taken by bus to the launch pad by 2 a.m.  There, we stood near the fence at the pad.  The shuttle scaffolding had been removed, the shuttle was visible as it is seen in pictures, and the whole area was lit.  We were able to take many pictures and video.  We watched the arm and cap come down on the top of the large orange fuel tank.  It was all amazing.  Official cars were driving up the ramp to the shuttle and "little ant size" people compared to the shuttle were working.  We got back to our motorhome about 3:30 a.m. 

Skipping ahead to Friday - We took a deep breathe.  After breakfast with family and friends, Phil, Jim, and I went to Disney World where we met Janeen and boys and their escort.  We had a wonderful day relaxing and having fun together.  Tony is still in quarantine.  Janeen and the boys talk to him on the phone.  We are praying for a safe, successful launch on Sunday at 7:43 p.m.

Changes

Please check the blogspot at www.sts119pilot.blogspot.com.  More to follow.

Go for Launch Set for March 11th at 9:20 p.m. EDT

Our life from January until now has been filled with adventure and anticipation.  We have seen many sights, experienced a wide variety of activities, visited with family and friends along the way, and shared in the disappointment of those who came to see the launch but had to leave before it takes place.  We are now in count down.  Today, we visited Kennedy Space Center, got our tickets to the launch, and enjoyed a dinner with many of our friends and family who were able to come or who come back for the launch.  Tomorrow, we will return to KSC for a family briefing and then a special 2 hour bus tour.  Janeen and the boys arrived safely and are tucked away with security.  We will see them tomorrow evening at her reception for family and friends.  Tony flew in with the crew in T-38 (2 man) planes.  He was on the news here in Cape Canaveral.  Everywhere we go, we see pictures of the crew.  It is very special and exciting.  We are praying for a safe launch, a successful mission, and a smooth landing.  

Quick Update- New Orleans to Orlando

1/25-27/09  New Orleans, LA

1/28/09  Drove across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to Milton, Florida

1/29/09  Tallahassee, Florida

1/30-2/7/09 Clermont, Florida near Orlando

2/3/09  Learned the launch will not occur on the 12th.  It may go on the 19th, but we will not know until after a NASA decision is made on the 12th.

Comments and pictures to come.

Second Try at Pictures

The internet shut off, so I missed sending the pictures.  Here is another try.

Additional Plantation Pictures

The rooms were heated by fireplaces.  A restored bedroom with different size beds is shown.

The table in the parlor is one of four in existence.  The other three are in major museums.

The laundry building is in yellow.  Each function had a separate building.

The cooking demonstration had a chicken in one pot and kidney beans in the other.

The cistern which collects fresh rainwater was made of lead which may have contributed to early deaths through lead poisoning.

Destrehan Plantation

Monday, January 26, 2009, began with sunshine which soon turned to gray, cool weather.  In front of the KOA is a county two lane river road, a grassy levee, and then the wide Mississippi River.  We can see the tops of the ships go by.  At the suggestion of the manager, we drove to Destrehan Plantation.  (See pictures).  It was very educational.  We toured the main house, the cook house, the slave quarters, the laundry building, the above ground lead cisterns, saw the mule barn large enough to hold 22 mules, and shopped in the Plantation Visitor's Center.

To get a flavor of local food, we drove to Kenner and had a seafood dinner at Johnny Trauth's Seafood Bistro.  To us, it seemed like a cross between Skipper's and Red Lobster.

Leaving Janeen, Tony, Michael, and Danny on Sunday, Jan. 25th was very hard to do.  Tony showed us a shortcut to I-10E which took us across a huge bridge with big A shaped supports. We had a great view of Galveston Bay.  Between Houston and Beaumont, we saw lots of destruction from the hurricane - driveways to nothing, downed trees by the acre, and businesses trying to function under destroyed roofs.

In Louisiana, "America's Wetland" state, we drove on miles and miles of elevated roads (bridges) over swamps, bayous, lakes, and rivers.  Some of Louisiana roads are asphalt and relatively smooth, but most are concrete with black expansion "goo" between them which jars our teeth and rattles everything in the RV.  Interestingly, each direction of road is separated by water on which boats speed up and down.  Some people fish and others seem to be out for fun.

We drove over the Mississippi River and stopped in New Orleans West KOA for the next three nights.

Colorado River TTN Park to Houston, Texas

Colorado River RV Park was a very peaceful place with many deer walking right up to our RV.  We would definitely stay there again.  

We arrived at Tony, Janeen, Michael, and Danny's a little after 4 p.m.  They graciously invited us to park our RV and car in their driveway.  We have had a marvelous four days!  Highlights were being together; visiting the boys in their schools (Michael = 2nd grade and Danny = preschool); playing table games; seeing Michael race his car in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby; eating Texas shaped waffles from their new waffle maker; dining out as well as eating in; driving around Kemah and seeing the destruction from the hurricane; and learning more about the launch.

Pictures Related to Last Entry

After waiting 40 minutes for the pictures to load, I gave up.  We now have Verizon WiFi in our RV.  It was too frustrating being in parks that said it was available, only to find it wasn't functioning properly or speedily.

Additional pictures are San Xavier Mission; Phil eating frybread at the Mission; Mary and Max Sink with us in Boerne, Texas; Colorado River Thousand Trails Park near Columbus, Texas; and Barack Obama on our TV on Inauguration Day.

Update 1/13-1/20/09

Time is flying by.  We've enjoyed visits with people we have not seen for a long time.  Driving has not been the easiest.  Wind at a variety speeds has been with us from California to Colorado River, Texas.  Here the wind blows fiercely and sends the leaves rolling across the ground.

Highlights :

1/13/09  Enjoyable potluck with Anna Schmidt in Tucson, AZ.  Went to her home afterwards and played Yahtzee and visited.

1/14/09  Called our youngest son, Douglas, to wish him a Happy Birthday.  Got our $376 Verizon bill corrected after much time on the phone explaining that they did not switch us to 1400 minutes from 400.  We had implemented the change before we left home.  Yikes!  

Anna and we toured San Xavier Mission with its beautiful architecture inside and out.  Outside the mission, under mesquite roofs, Native Americans were selling frybread.  Of couse, we could not resist and had to buy some,  It was delicious!

1/15/09 Left Voyager RV Resort and drove all day, making it to El Paso, Texas before dark.  Yeah to the before dark!  Not much to see, except brush, sand, unusual rock formations, and, occasionally, pecan and walnut tree farms.

1/16/09  A long day of driving with side winds, sagebrush, dead deer, rocky hills, and a time change.  At the border, the patrols and dogs were checking for drugs and people being smuggled in from Mexico.  We started to stop and they waved us through.  Guess we didn't look dangerous.  Drove as far as we could before dark and stopped in Ozona, Texas.

1/17/09  Today was a windy one again.  Stopped in Boerne, Texas just outside of San Antonio and stayed at Alamo Fiesta RV Resort.  Mary Sink worked as a counselor at Spinning Elementary where I was teaching.  She and her family moved to San Antonio a few years ago.  Mary, Max (her husband) and we connected and went to dinner at The Tin Roof Steakhouse where we chatted and caught up on each other's lives.  A most enjoyable evening!

1/18/09  Another day of driving brought us to Colorado River Thousand Trails RV Park near Columbus, Texas where we will stay until the 21st.  SUNSHINE!  Warmth.  Chilly at night.

1/19/09  Phil cleaned the outside of the RV and car, while I cleaned the inside.  A day of catching up.

1/20/09  Watched the inauguration of Barack Obama on TV, visited with other RVers in the park, and prepared to leave for Houston and Janeen and Tony's home tomorrow.  The days are short sleeve weather, but the nights are cool.

Additional Pictures to Go with Seven Day Update

Tony being interviewed on NASA TV.  Wind Turbines and train across I-10 before Palm Springs.

Acres of wind turbines.  The end of the dust storm.

Seven Day Update

January 6th saw us waiting until the hazy fog lifted before heading south on I-5.  About 3:15 p.m., the sky started to get dark.  The fog was rolling in.  Soon, flashing warning signs were over the road - DENSE FOG.  We were going to try to continue toward Harris Ranch near Coalinga, but it was getting hard to see and night was descending.  We were thankful that we found San Luis, an older RV park, in Santa Nella, CA.  We settled in for the night.  No WiFi, but good TV reception.

January 7th, the fog lifted enough by 1o:30 a.m., so we could see about 1 1/2 miles. Soon after we began traveling, I got a call from the Puyallup School District saying that after school activities were canceled and there would probably be no school on Thursday due to rain and flooding.  I am still on their substitute list.  The valley and the Puyallup River flood on occasion.

Phil had good momentum going as we began our climb up the "Grapevine", but in a short distance, we saw quite a sight.  A large 18 wheel truck hauling portable potties on its flatbed had the front disconnect from the flatbed which scraped to a halt at an angle across at least the middle two and a half lanes.  Everyone in the 5 lanes had to shift to the far left lane. (Not easy with an RV towing a car.).  Needless to say, we lost some of our momentum.  The rest of the pass was navigated ok and great joy came upon us at the sight of SUN  and blue sky at the Tejon Pass summit.  As we entered the LA area, our teeth were jarred with the horrible washboard roads.  It was a hair raising experience driving in the narrow, narrow lanes and stop and go traffic, especially after dark as we tried to get on the correct freeways connecting us to Long Beach and Golden Shores RV Resort.   

After registering, we disconnected the car from the RV to drive to our back-in spot.  SURPRISE!  The car had a dead battery.  Fortunately, we carry a battery pack and Phil jumped it.  We were relieved, when we finally got backed in and settled.  

By then we were starving, so called our friends, the Herz, in Los Alamitos and together we went to a late dinner at Hof's Hut Restaurant.  Ended the night by taking Hershee for a walk after returning to the park.

January 8th  On our way down, I got a call from Dawn Arrowsmith, a friend from grade and high school, who lives in LA.  We made arrangements to see the artist studio and living space she and her husband, Roland Reiss, have in the old Pabst Brewery that has been converted to an artist area.  What a wonderful visit!  We got to see the fabulous art created by each of them, had lunch together in the cafe in the building, and enjoyed talking about art, family, awards, and the future.  Roland had just won a 2009 prestigious award connected to teaching and art.

In the evening, Rick, Lynnette (who formerly substituted in my kindergarten class) , and Courtney (one of my former kindergartners who is now in college) Herz picked us up at the RV Resort and we went together to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Newport Beach, CA.  We ate a delicious meal punctuated by conversation and laughter.  A most enjoyable evening!

January 9th  Talked to Janeen briefly and discovered Tony and the crew were going to be interviewed by the media.  We finally got WiFi, so stayed at Golden Shores long enough to see the interview and glow as we listened to our son-in-law answer questions.  Took a picture of him on the computer on NASA TV.  

Finally, started driving by 1 p.m.  Going across I-10, Santa Ana winds convinced us to stop at our Thousand Trails Park in Indio, CA.  Once again, we were glad we did.  We had encountered fierce winds and blowing dust which buffeted the RV.  Just before Palm Springs, the huge wind farm turbines (generate electricity) were whirling furiously.  See picture.

January 10th  Needed to head out because we had made reservations and a deposit in Tucson, AZ, even though there were warnings of  high winds.  They were right.  23 miles west of Blythe was the worst with wind, dust, and side winds which pushed the RV left and right.  Phil is a very good driver - thank heavens!  Driving through Phoenix after dark was like driving through LA.  Ugh!  Lots of traffic, many lane changes to get to the correct freeway lanes, and accidents that made us stop and go.  Arrived at Voyager RV Park in Tucson, AZ at 7:30 p.m.  Full moon was beautiful.  Called and talked to Anna Schmidt, a friend from church who lives in the park, but we were too tired to visit.

January 11th  Up in time to go to church with Anna at the park.  After, we drove to a favorite restaurant of Anna's called Millie's Pancake Haus where we enjoyed a yummy breakfast.  Stopped at WalMart for necessities, including newspapers for news, TV and Hershee, our paper trained dog.  Upon returning to the park, Anna took us on a walking tour of the "city".  It has just about every facility and activity you could think of right on the grounds.  It is cool at night (43 degrees), but quickly is sunny and warm during the days (7o's).  

January 12th  Believe it or not, we met Anna at the pool for an hour of aquatic exercises at 9 a.m.  About 30 of us lifted water jug weights, did Charlie Chaplin moves across the pool, and other interesting exercises.  

Finally, have WiFi again, but we have to go to a specific room which is some distance from our RV.  Read our emails and more info about Tony and his mission.  Did not have time to blog.  My bluetooth lost a part, so we had to find a Circuit City to exchange it.  Also, we found that Verizon did not change our plan to 1400 minutes, so we got a bill for $376 + .  Yike!  We hope to remedy that tomorrow.

We are in Tucson until Thursday, when we head East again.

January 13th  Slept in and had a regular day.  Came to the computer center and did this blog.  Tonight, we will join Anna at a potluck here at the park.  

Just had a huge scare trying to put pictures on this. Lost the blog I have been working on for 2 1/2 hours.  Finally found it.  The pictures above are of Phil and Hershee taking it easy.  Herz family and us at OSF.  Dawn and Virginia.  RV at Golden Shores, Long Beach.  Hershee sleeping in Phil's arms.  Will send more in the next blog to show what I was talking about above.

Over the Siskiyou Pass

The rains came and washed all of the snow away.  We were able to leave Tualatin by 9:25 a.m.  (The picture is us in front of D/S/J/L's home.)  We had rain off and on all day, but the passes were dry, wet, or minimal ice that could be avoided.  Mt. Shasta was beautiful in it's snow covered state.  (See the photo.)  As darkness came, we decided to forge ahead and drive to Red Bluff, California, arriving at Red Bluff RV Park by 6:07 p.m.  Once again, we are blessed to be enjoying our retirement travels.  Our license surround reflects our feelings.  (Picture) 

Delays

Saturday morning, we enjoyed a visit from our son, Douglas, who came up from Portland, OR.  After having brunch together, we prepared to head South.  Due to last minute packing and runs to stores to complete needed items, Phil attached the car to the RV and we left Puyallup in the dark at 6:50 p.m.  Thankfully, the drive down was steady and uneventful.  We arrived at David, Sonja, Johanna, and Linnea's in Tualatin, OR. about 10 p.m. 

 It was very cold (33 degrees) as we parked on the street in front of their home.  After visiting, we all crashed about midnight.

We planned to leave this Sunday AM, but once again after checking the weather, the snow on the Siskiyou Pass stopped us because chains were required.  It was a good thing we stayed.  The snow began falling in Tualatin.  We are now hoping to head South tomorrow, Monday.   

     

Snow, Hail, and Ice

We woke up this morning to 1 1/2 inches of snow.  This afternoon, it changed to hail.  Tonight, the snow remains on the ground and the blacktop is covered with ice. Phil spread rock salt to help us navigate from the house to the RV as we attempt to finish packing.  We do so hope we can leave in the AM.

Happy New Year!

The Christmas tree and decorations are put away.  The storage under the RV is packed full with our folding bikes and other "necessities".  Inside, the cabinets are loaded with food (although, Phil thinks we can buy food along the way) and the closets are waiting for clothes.  Tomorrow, we will tie up loose ends and hope to be on the road by Saturday.  Hershee is taking her last trek around the yard, surveying the area from the waterfall rock, before being confined to an RV for weeks.

Wishing each of you a very Happy New Year filled with many blessings!!