On to Colorado

Late summer 2018.  As we leave the Texas August heat behind us (it was 100+ degrees when our Alaska flight landed yesterday) and head toward Colorado, we make a couple of stops along the way to avoid driving straight through and to mark some things off the bucket list.  We met back up with our Alaska traveling companions in Amarillo.  They are heading to the next TBM (Texas Baptist Men) Camp Builder project with us in Durango, Colorado.

One thing about a bucket list I have observed is that it seems to grow instead of shrink.  As you go about exploring and going on adventures to check off things on the list, you invariably find more things to add to the list.  There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day or even enough days to see and do everything.

David and I do not like to drive too long at a time; and now that we are retired, try to plan our trips with some built in recovery time.  So we spent a few days in Amarillo after a couple of days driving.  We took in the outdoor drama, "Texas Our Texas", in Palo Duro Canyon along with the BBQ dinner available prior to showtime.  It was quite the production with live animals, laser lighting features, water features, set changes and fireworks during the finale.  Everyone enjoyed the whole evening immensely.

The outdoor amphitheatre at Palo Duro Canyon

Two lovelies at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo

The next stop was in Albuquerque, NM.  We have been here before for the hot air balloon fiesta and wanted to revisit some favorite spots plus do some additional exploring.  One trip was to ride the tram to Sandia Peak.  Sandia is a ski resort adjacent to Albuquerque and the temperature difference between the base of the tram (6,500 feet) and the peak (10,700 feet) is quite remarkable.

What a view of Albuquerque in the distance.

After our adventure up the mountain, some good ‘ole red chili sauce or if you prefer green chili sauce is in order to warm us back up.  El Pinto restaurant is a great place to sample the New Mexico version of Mexican food.  Each weekday there is a lunch buffet which allows a diner to sample the various types of cuisine and sauces available.  Oh yeah, there is a nap in your future if you indulge.

Those are chilis hanging in the entrance

On another day, we visited the Unser Racing Museum.  The Unser family is well known in racing circles and in particular the NASCAR folks.  I did not know they had lived in the area and called Albuquerque home.  We also did not realize the Pike’s Peak run was where they first tested their racing abilities, both driving and building the cars used for the run.  Even non-racing fans would enjoy the museum and history shared with the exhibits and cars on display.

Even the girls enjoyed these cars and exhibits

Here's David trying his skills at racing - it's harder than it looks!

Having exhausted our free time, it is now time to move onto our ultimate location in Durango, CO.  We are volunteering for a few weeks to help rebuild some unsafe stairs on a bunkhouse and build a freestanding bathroom facility.  When we show up for these jobs, all materials and tools are at the job site.  We merely provide the labor to accomplish the desired renovation or complete a building project.  It is always great fun to reconnect with our peeps and have something to show for our efforts.

View from our vantage point

Some neighbors that dropped by frequently

The rest of the neighbor family - they are a little stand offish

Before demolition

During demolition

After rebuild and the end result

Our crew for the two jobs at Durango

The Siding Crew for the free standing bathroom - not too bad guys!

We were blessed with this double rainbow complete from end to end on final days in Durango

While at the camp, we had time to visit a Texas (yes in CO) BBQ joint, a home cooking café with great chicken fried steak (yes in CO too), the Bar D Chuckwagon Show, ride the Durango and Silverton train and visit Mesa Verde National Park.  So you see, it is not all work.  There is a lot of play involved too.

The Bar D Chuckwagon Show is an outdoor dinner theatre (located at the old Dalton gang hideout) with old west cowboy music as the entertainment.  We really enjoyed the food and the show.  It is an amazing feat to feed the number of folks that show up and in such an orderly, efficient manner.  The musicians are some of the finest on their instruments I have heard with a wonderful mix of comedy and singing.

Mesa Verde National Park is where some of the best preserved cliff dwellings are located.  The vistas and views are spectacular.  We only spent a day there but easily could have spent several days exploring in detail the various areas located in the park.  It is amazing to learn about the daily lives of the humans using their skills to survive and prosper in seemingly hostile terrain.

One of the cave dwelling sites

A close up view of the dwellings, notice the multi story aspect too

The train ride to Silverton and back was filled with rugged mountain scenery.  We chose to ride in an open car so we could take pictures and hang out the windows to get a full view of everything we passed.

What vistas and scenery we saw

So happy to be alive and blessed to see what I am seeing

Our traveling buddies needed to repair the slide mechanism on their rig so we spent an extra week in Durango after the building project to make sure the slide was operating smoothly before moving on.  Our next route is westward.  We were within 60 miles of seeing the Grand Canyon the last time we were in Arizona but an emergency family situation interrupted that trip.  Since we are so close, we decided to go back.  More on that adventure in the next posting.

Doctors and Alaska

It is now the fall of 2017.  We made it back to Longview, TX (our home base) just fine and we begin the seemingly never ending doctor appointments.  That is one thing you can count on as you age, the almost constant contact with doctors.  I really don’t have anything against going to the doctor but it is a hassle to schedule, make the trip and listen to what they have to say (usually the same thing every time) and then wash, rinse and repeat again next year.

This time proved me totally wrong as God wanted to throw me yet another curve ball.  I have been in more hospitals and had more contact with the medical community since turning 55 than I ever dreamed possible.

 

A routine (btw - love that they call it routine) colonoscopy proved to be not so routine.  The doctor comes out and tells me that normally these polyps stand up at 90 degrees to the wall of the colon and he snips them and goes to the next one but I happen to have one parallel to the wall and he could not snip it out.  So he recommends (pretty strongly) that I visit a surgeon to have it removed surgically (along with about a foot or so of the colon).  Oh my!!!!

Long story, short; two weeks later I am recovering in the hospital from this latest encounter with a doctor and surgery.  Good news, all is well and the offending polyp is gone as well as tested benign.  Bad news, strength has to be built back up and my lifting of any kind of weight is temporarily on hold.

Pretty sad looking patient.

Everything has a way of working out for the good.  These weeks of recovery allowed us to reconnect with loved ones, enjoy the holidays and make some plans for the upcoming year with some great friends.

2017 Christmas gathering

As we enter 2018 it is an exciting time.  Our oldest grandson is graduating from high school and during his baseball season pitched a no-hitter which garnered a lot of attention from college baseball recruiters.  Our only granddaughter began playing club volleyball and her team won a qualifying tournament allowing them to compete in the National Finals held in Detroit, MI.

All of our grands make us extremely proud and we are so thankful they are all good kids and seem to enjoy our company.  Our spring and summer was very special in that we were able to spend a lot of time with them and enjoying their participation in activities they love.

We spent part of the spring working with Texas Baptist Men Camp Builders again.  We have made so many new friends and feel so thankful that we have an opportunity to volunteer.  This provides us an extended family/friends group to work, share, worship and pray with as we go about helping these camps with repairs, renovations and building projects to further the ministry of the camps.  It is very gratifying and satisfies a need to feel useful as well as give of our time and service.  This is not to mention the new skills both Bibi and I have learned from the great people we get to share the work alongside.

Earned our green jackets at this camp

Crew we were with when earning our jackets.

During this time off, we planned a special anniversary trip with our good friends, David and Sophie.  They reached the wonderful milestone of 50 years and we celebrate our 25 years together as husband and wife.   Since Alaska is on our bucket list of places to visit, we decided to visit via a cruisetour (both sea and land tour) in July/August.  It is such a long way to travel to and through using a RV; we thought this would be a good alternative.

..and this is how it went.

Having no idea about where and what to do, it seemed the prudent alternative to use a travel agent and rely on their guidance to help make decisions.  Turns out that was the best decision for us since we had a ball, got to see a ton of things, experienced Alaska and its indescribable beauty without any worries or headaches.

In July 2018, we flew to Vancouver, boarded Princess Cruises’ ship Island Princess and headed out to voyage the inside passage the next seven days.  We had stops in Icy Point Strait, Juneau, Skagway, disembarking at Whittier then by train to Talkeetna then by bus to Denali National Park and finally to Fairbanks.  Even though this is just a snapshot view of Alaska, we had a marvelous time and saw some spectacular sights.

All Aboard

You too, David and Sophie

Icy Point Strait was the site of a former Salmon canning factory and now the tourist industry has reinvigorated the local population.  We glimpsed the backside of a bear that had been fishing for salmon in a river as it was leaving.  One of these days we will actually see all of a bear in its entirety in a natural habitat.

Someone was petrified of the bear!!!

We also stopped over in Juneau the state capitol.  Did you know the only way to get to Juneau is by air or water?  There are no highways over land because of a huge glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier at Juneau

Whales in a pod fishing and feeding together, pretty unusual to see, we were lucky!

All humpbacks have unique designs on flukes, like our fingerprints.

Skagway was an interesting stop with a bus ride up and a train ride back through the White Pass.  The trip carried us from Alaska into Canada and back again.  The trip to and from was filled with wonderful breathtaking views of mountains, valleys and forests.

Massive, expansive country

That stripe around the mountain is our rail line.

What a beautiful day to go take a bus and train ride through the country.

Before disembarking at Whittier, we cruised by a lot of glaciers and got up close to several.  Close enough to hear the ice moving, creaking and breaking away into the water.

Long days but pretty sunsets

These are huge walls of ice

Closer even yet, you can hear the movement as it slides against the rocks and ice

Beautiful, what else can I say?

The train ride from Whittier to Talkeetna went through lots of wild areas as well as through many towns including Wasilla (ala former Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin’s hometown).  In fact, the lady providing commentary on our train voyage was neighbors with the Palin’s as their children grew up together.

Train ride time to Talkeetna, goodbye trusty ship

Arriving at Talkeetna, we had just a short time before moving on to the Wilderness Lodge.  This is where we were fortunate on our last day in the area to actually see Mt. Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley) the highest point in North America.  We are now part of the fortunate 30% club to actually view the mountain without any clouds obscuring the peak.  According to the locals, only about 30% of visitors to the area get to see the mountain because the elevations in the area are usually wrapped in the clouds and you cannot see the majestic mountain and its peaks.

Cloudy with a chance at not seeing the mountain.

There it is, highest peak in North America.

...and we were there to see it!

Next stop is Denali National Park and a tour down through part of the park.  There was a lot of scenery and wildlife to view including a stop at an old cabin used by the crews that built the first roads into the park.  It even had a place for the sled dogs to shelter from the weather in their own little cabins.

Cabin in the wilderness

Moose or Mooses, what is plural of moose?

Moose cow (female)

Little bunny foo foo, no that's probably not, just a rabbit - name unknown

Alaska's state bird- Willow Ptarmigan

Final stop before leaving was in Fairbanks where we tried our hands at panning gold.  It was fun and educational but not very lucrative.  A trip upriver proved very educational about modern day living in this Alaska northern city and provided a stop to see how the residents lived pre-settlement days.

Notice the authentic native footwear.

Tried our hand at panning for gold.  Not much success here.

After our two week excursion, we now fly back to good ol' Texas and familiar places, only to pack up and leave for Colorado the next day.  It is too hot to stay in Texas during August, time to move on.  More in the next posting.

R & R on trip back to Texas

During our stay at Midway Campground the much anticipated solar eclipse occurred.  If we had been just a few miles west, we would have been at the optimum place for viewing.  However, the traffic jam created by people flocking to the location would not have been worth it, in my opinion.  We enjoyed the eclipse just fine where we were and did not have to wait hours to move either.

The visit to Magne Shade was fantastic.  Got to meet the owner and family while waiting on shades to be made and fitted.  I was super pleased with the service and the end result.  Here is a picture of Winnie’s new sunglasses after returning to Midway.

These sunglasses should really help the inside temperatures!

Next stop is look at the rear A/C unit.  After inspection and assessment, the repairman pronounced the unit to be beyond help.  Time to replace the unit.  Ouch!  This involved a delay while the replacement is found and shipped to this location.  After a couple of days, the new unit is in and another trip to the service bay for an all-day session.  Good news is we now have two fully functioning A/C units without the extra noises of a jet airliner landing on the roof of the RV.

A stopover back at Tom Johnson’s campground for a couple of days and to pass the Labor Day holiday weekend before traveling to our next adventure was required as people had booked up all the 'camping' spots including our Midway spot for the holiday.

The next adventure is at a small privately owned oasis in the mountains.  Our newest full-time friends, John and Sandi, told us about the place when we were in South Carolina.  What a great place to R&R away from the tourist crowds.  This is our view from the rig and patio area adjacent to the front door.  This is just what the doctor ordered.

Not a bad view from the rig - right?

Perfect relaxation place

Such punishment of having to enjoy these sunsets.

While there we met several people that came from Florida to escape the hurricane that threatened Florida.  It felt strange to be there with them when the remnants of that storm blew right over the top of us.  There was no damage where we were but there was plenty of wind and rain.  Just down the road a ways, multiple trees were blown over and onto the highways creating quite a mess.

What a waterfall and you can walk behind it too.

Our view from behind the waterfall

After a week it was time for us to move on into Northern Georgia to another bluegrass festival.  This is one we actually planned for in advance before we began this trip.  It is Dailey and Vincent’s Land Fest and is an annual event.  It is held in the mountains and on the lake at Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, Georgia approximately one hour’s drive north of Atlanta.  Mountains in Georgia?  Who knew and how pretty they are too.  Definitely a return trip is in order for this place.  Great music, great venue, super RV parking and I could not have wanted anything more.

 

After the festival, it was time to move on and start making our way back to Texas.  Doctor’s appointments were looming along with the holidays.  As we started the journey back to home base, we stopped along the way.  First stop was Chattanooga, TN.  The last time we were here, the government had a shutdown and closed the national parks which included the battlegrounds from the Civil War around Chattanooga.  This time we were able to visit.

We chose to visit the Chickamauga battlefield.  I have a keen interest in the Civil War and World War II as key points in history.  It is especially interesting to be able to read about the people involved and the circumstances around the events involving them.  As we walked over some of the ground and reading the plaques, it really struck me as to how many people were killed and wounded in these battles and the chaos that surrounded the soldiers during the battles.  It is incomprehensible to me that they would line up (standing shoulder to shoulder) in a straight line to charge a fortified position that contained rifles and cannons shooting straight at them.  There is no wonder there was such carnage during this war.  And yet, most of the casualties were due to unsanitary conditions and lack of nutrition in the camps between battles.

It is truly sobering to walk over the ground where so much blood was shed by both sides of the conflict.  There are no words to describe the feelings as you contemplate what happened in each location and realize that this war was truly a pivotal moment in American history.  As it turned out it saved the Union of the individual states and allowed America to become a world leader for individual freedoms.  As horrible and devastating as it was, it allowed a strengthening of the nation to become an example of how precious freedom is to the rest of the world.

After the trip to Chattanooga and the Chickamauga battlefield, we moved to Savannah, TN following US 64 across the state.  It was such a pleasant, scenic and relaxing drive we will not use I-40 anymore unless we have a deadline.  We chose here because the Shiloh Battlefield National Park is just across the Tennessee River and east of Corinth, MS.  The park we stayed at was Green Acres RV Park and is located just outside Savannah.  It was quiet, clean and definitely well maintained and contained lots of references to the old TV show of the same name.

We experienced the same feelings touring this battlefield as before during our visit to Chickamauga.  The plaque in the picture below explains how these battlegrounds were established.  I found it very interesting that both North and South veterans cooperated to help preserve the history and locations associated with battles fought and it was all riding on a wave of American nationalism.

Both sides wanted to preserve these battlefields.

Cannon lined up ready to kill

This line had over 40 cannon lined up.

In addition to touring the battlefield, we ate at one of the oldest established hotel/restaurants in the area.  The name is Hagy’s Catfish Hotel Restaurant.  It is located right outside the battlefield and is situated on the Tennessee River.  Its origins started as a private residence of a settler that would feed and house travelers as they traveled the river through the wilderness.  Over the years, the number of folks stopping by increased to a point where the enterprising family decided to open a full time dining facility.  As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of catfish, I declare this to be a definite destination for hungry travelers.

After a few days, we finished this adventure by returning to our home base park and the previously mentioned doctor appointments.  More next time.