Home again

Thursday November 5 2015

As a light fog was lifting this morning we departed Whitten Lake Corp of Engineers campground in Fulton, Mississippi. Back on route 78 (future I-22) we soon crossed the Alabama border and were on our way to Birmingham. I had an interesting experience there in the 1960's as a pallbearer in a military funeral. It was my first exposure to a black Southern Baptist church service. As if that wasn't cultural shock enough for a white boy from Delaware this funeral service had a reverend very much like Martin Luther King who really fired up the congregation. Who knows, maybe it was MLK?

Today's Birmingham visit was smooth sailing with light traffic and a quick fuel stop at Flying J. We picked up I-20 in Birmingham and continued on it though Alabama and soon crossed into Georgia. Our next obstacle was Atlanta, notorious for heavy traffic. Halfway through the city it started raining, I dropped back waiting for the inevitable traffic jam. The once smooth flowing traffic became a little erratic but we only slowed way down once and never stopped. East of the city the volume diminished and we again were rolling steadily in moderate traffic. The rain slowed to a nuisance drizzle most of the way to our last overnight stop of this trip, A.H. Stephens State Park. The park is named for the last vice president of the confederacy and it is a convenient stop between Atlanta and Augusta Georgia.

 Friday November 6 2015

We woke early and quickly started for home which is only 272 miles away. Having fueled last night we ran all the way to Myrtle Beach without stopping. Back in the city, we disconnected the jeep at a convenient parking lot, Millie took the car to the post office to pick up our mail, Maggie and I drove the motorhome the short distance to our home.

Saturday November 7 2015

This trip was different than all the others we've taken. Even though I like to travel with a loose itinerary and no RV Park Reservations we usually have a general idea which direction we are going. We did have a event filled route for the original summer plan we called the “Middle America Tour”, unfortunately we had to cancel when I needed shoulder surgery. This trip had two hard targets, Los Alamos and Las Vegas, how we got 2300 miles across the country was wide open.

Our meandering path west was planned one day at a time and ended up being a pretty cool trip. We enjoyed it and that's all that really matters. My only regret is not stopping in Branson Missouri for a few days. We had hoped to stop there on the way home but commitments mandated we come straight back.

We did get to mark off some items from our M.A. Tour itinerary like Yellowstone National Park, Durango Colorado, and Big Brutus in Kansas to name a few. We got to spent a total of 16 days with the family in Los Alamos and went to the Special Operations Association Reunion in Las Vegas which I haven't attended since 2005.

Our 15 year old motorhome performed admirably with no major problems. Any RV that bounces down the highways and byways while you're living in it is going to have things fail, we had nothing break that we couldn't fix ourselves. I did make a project list that I would like to complete in the near future, some are improvements, some preventive maintenance. We have a fun filled 2016 planned and don't want any surprises from the bus.

This trip is also the last planned outing for 2015 and I will send the complete blog to the printers soon. This will be our fourth book printed from our yearly blog. Millie and I enjoy looking back at our journeys and we hope you have enjoyed traveling along with us through our dispatches from the road!

Just the facts:

Average miles per gallon=7.1

Total Trip Mileage=6000+/-

Range of fuel cost per gallon= $1.80 to $2.99

Estimated total fuel cost=$2200

Note: Out west a lot of the fuel stations sell 86, 89 and 91 octane gasoline, but no 87 octane. Neither our jeep or motorhome will perform well with 86 octane. In these situations I had to upgrade to the 89 octane fuel.

RV Park cost per night ranged from $10 to $43

We spent a total of 58 nights on the road

We spent 16 nights at Kamp Kolman for free

We spent 12 nights at Thousand Trails for $15 per night

We spent 5 nights at Corp of Engineer CG's for $10-$12 @ night

We spent 4 nights in county or state parks for $16-$27 @ night

We spent 21 nights at commercial campgrounds for $12-$45 @ night

Our total cost for lodging=$1179

I have not kept track of our other expenses; food is about the same as we spend at home, eating most of our meals in the motorhome. Likewise with fuel for the jeep, it's about the same driving we would be doing at home.

Leaving Los Alamos

Monday November 2 2015

We said our goodbyes this morning and departed Los Alamos. Millie will fly out occasionally to see her New Mexico family, I don't know when we will be back out in the motorhome. I like visiting the western states but our travel calendar is filled for the next year. We will spend winter in Florida, spring and early summer at home in Myrtle Beach, In July we head north to Canada.

Today we drove across New Mexico and Texas, stopping overnight at a small campground just over the Oklahoma border. $12 for a water/elec/sewer hookup, plus it was a pull thru site so I didn't have to unhook the jeep. Zero TV reception and weak 3g broadband signal on my phone, this place is out in the middle of nowhere.

Tuesday November 3 2015

As we continued on our journey eastward on I-40 we started listening to Bill O'Reilly's book, “Killing Kennedy”, it is very interesting. We stopped at a Loves Travel Center today for fuel and bought lunch at the Subway store there. They are having a bogo sale so our lunch only cost us $5.

After our break we continued driving, stopping around 4pm at Russellville Arkansas. We are camped for the night at a Corp of Engineers campground on the Arkansas River just south of town. With our America the Beautiful Senior Access Pass it only cost us $10 for the night.

After setting up the motorhome and feeding and walking Maggie we drove the jeep to a nearby Pizza Hut for Dinner. They were having a sale, two medium pizzas for $6.99 so we bought two, one chicken supreme in a deep dish crust and one chicken pineapple on hand tossed. Tasting from both of them for dinner we still have plenty for lunch tomorrow. We also ran into Walmart for a few items.

Wednesday November 4 2015

We stopped for fuel at Flying J before getting on the interstate and heading east across Arkansas. If we didn't have the audio book the ride would be getting boring, but the Kennedy story is occupying our minds as we roll along. Shortly after crossing the Mississippi river we stopped at another Flying J for lunch and to top off the fuel tank. Lunch was left over pizza, it tasted just as good today.

We arrived at our destination for the day early in the afternoon, We decided on a short run (300+ miles) today because once we cross the Alabama border there are no RV parks until you get to Birmingham and the ones there are not convenient to our route. We are parked for the night in another Corp of Engineers Park in Fulton Mississippi. As most all of the COE parks are, this is another very nice campground offering Electric and water for $10 with our senior pass. We are in a pull thru site and did not have to disconnect the jeep, dinner was left over pizza again. Like all COE parks this one is adjacient to a body of water, todays scenic view is of the Tennesse Tom Bigbee Waterway.

Halloween

Friday October 30 2015

We had rain all last night and today it is a drizzling 46 degree day. Millie and Rae Anne are on a mother daughter outing to Santa Fe, I had a few chores planned on the motorhome but it's just too damp and cold outside so I postponed most of them. I did have to go out to fill the motorhome water tank and Maggie went outside with me, she got her feet wet and now shes curled up in my lap.

I'll be ready to head home to myrtle beach on Monday, I just don't do cold very well. I'm reminded of a skinny old man who lived in one of my friend, George Smith's apartments. One day upon entering the little guys unit we were hit with a wave of hot air. It must have been 100 degrees in the apartment, when asked why he had the thermostat set to maximum heat the little guy replied “but Mr Smitty, I just can't be cold” ….....I think I'm becoming that guy.

It cleared a bit after lunch and I ventured outside again. I was installing Super Bright LED elements in the tail lights when I noticed there are no reflectors in the housing. I have a roll of aluminum tape in my supplies and used it to line the back of the housing, making it a reflector for the bulbs. It's amazing how much brighter they are now.

In the afternoon the family took the kids, who were in costume, to town for trick or treating at the main street businesses. I've never seen anything like it, the street was closed and the whole center city participated in the Halloween festival. Many grown ups were in costume, a lot of them families dressed in the same theme. Star Wars was very popular.

Saturday October 31 2015

Millie and I taught Marcus and Evan to play Mahjong this morning on our computers. Over the last few days I have been teaching Evan (4 ½) to play all the Microsoft solitaire games, he's very smart and picks things up right away.

When we arrived here at Kamp Kolman instead of going around the block the long way so I would be more lined up with the angled driveway, I tried to back into the tight turn. I backed to the curb which pinned the mudflap between the tire and concrete. When I tried to hop the curb it spun the mudflap right off. Today I re installed the mudflap.

After lunch I walked Maggie to the cemetery and let her play in the grass. As a puppy she had her own yard with grass and she loves to run, roll and sniff around in it. It has to be some type of fescue or bluegrass, she doesn't play in the weeds they try to pass off as grass in the south. There is no grass out here in the west unless someone makes a conscious effort to care for and water it, that means golf courses, cemeteries and the occasional town park. Small town parks are almost always dog friendly, cemeteries and golf courses, not so much. The one we frequent here is posted no dogs, but I figure a lot of the folks buried there were probably dog lovers and welcome the canine company. As an excuse of last resort, I can play the dumb old guy, which isn't a stretch for me!

 

After taking Maggie home I was on my way back out with my camera to take some snow capped mountain photos when I met Millie and Marcus who were out for a walk, we all went together and as always with Marcus we ended up at the abandoned bull dozer which is in the forest about ½ mile down the trail. I know some of you modern parents are cringing at the sight of such a small boy playing on construction equipment, but we're from a different time when kids could be kids.......I think I'll let him drink out of the garden hose next!

Los Alamos revisited

Los Alamos, New Mexico is located on the eroded crown of an ancient volcano called Valles Caldera. Most of the nuclear research lab is on the mesa to the left, the original town is on the mesa to the right of the lab. Over time the area has grown and development now stretches to the two mesa's to the right of the picture. Dave and Rae Anne's house (Kamp Kolman) is under the point of the arrow. 

Tuesday October 27 2015

We departed Sky City hotel/RVPark/Casino this morning, taking the interstate (I-40) east to Albuquerque. We refueled at Flying J and grocery shopped at Costco before driving north to Los Alamos. 

Motorhome at Kamp Kolman on the edge of Los Alamos National Forest.

We have set the motorhome up at Kamp Kolman (Dave and Rae Anne's driveway) and will stay through the weekend. This is a familiar place for Maggie so we let her off leach as long as one of us is with her. We are bordering the Los Alamos National Forest so we are always on the alert for predators. In addition to coyotes there are mountain lions nearby, I doubt the big cats would come close to the houses, but the coyotes will. Maggie paced back and forth between the motorhome and the house looking for the family, when Rae Anne arrived with the kids Mags went running to greet them, she was very excited and happy to see them. 

 Millie, Marcus (5yrs old), Evan (4 1/2 yrs old)

The kids are drawn to the motorhome and played inside for several hours, they're very good about taking turns in the drivers seat. They ate dinner with us before going to the house. We'll see them everyday, for a minute before school and for a couple hours in the afternoon.

Wednesday October 28 2015

Day two at Kamp Kolman, Millie did some sewing and I installed a new grill on Rae Anne's BMW Z3 roadster. I also installed a new battery in the motorhome, it has not been holding a charge when we sit for a few days, so I took advantage of our stop at Costco the other day and picked up a new one. Millie made a Chicken Enchilada casserole, which the family will have for dinner tonight.

Millie in the Z a couple years ago.

Thursday October 29 2015

Millie and I drove the Z down to Espanola where we had lunch at Angelina's Mexican restaurant. Millie had a bean and cheese burrito and I had Chicken enchilada's We both requested green chili sauce and the waitress seeing us as gringo tourists warned that the green sauce was very hot. We said OK serve it on the side. We've eaten the green chili sauce at the Horseman's Haven in Santa Fe and their green sauce is “HOT HOT HOT” so we had no problemo with the mildish sauce at this restaurant. For the uninitiated just about every entree in a Mexican restaurant out here in the west is served with your choice of green or red chili sauce. Doesn't matter whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, you always are asked, green or red?

Angelina's Mexican Restaurant in Espanola, New Mexico.

We saw it snowing in the mountains on our way back to Los Alamos, We're at 6600 feet elevation at Kamp Kolman so it is possible we will see snow before we leave. I haven't shoveled snow in a long while so that would be a novelty.......one time! Daytime temperatures have only been in the 60's here but up until today the sun has been shining brightly so I've dealt with the temps very well, if I do say so myself.

Snowing in the mountains.

I bought some new design LED light bulbs for the motorhome while we were in Espanola. I have led's in the tail lights now but they still aren't as bright as I would like them to be. The new ones I purchased today are supposed to be so bright they are only to be used behind red lenses so I'm hoping they'll do what I want. If they work to my satisfaction I will take the current LED elements and transfer them to the JEEP tail lights.

Leaving Las Vegas

Friday October 23 2015

The reunion is over but we hadn't planned on leaving Las Vegas until Saturday so today we rode over to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The cool thing about Red Rocks is you can see a great deal of it from the comfort of your car. They have a scenic road that follows a giant curve in the mountain range. There are several trail heads and overlook parking areas were you can hike out onto the rocks as much or as little as you like.

Saturday October 24 2015

After our eleven day stay in Las Vegas Millie and I are ready to move on. Our desire to hit the road is partially because this is a gritty rundown city, save for the immediate area around Las Vegas Blvd. There are some newer nice neighborhoods, they are mostly on the west side around Summerlin. Our RV Park is on Boulder highway on the east side and the reunion was across town at the Orleans Hotel. We tried several different routes to get across town and everyone took us through a less than desirable neighborhood.

Don't take the impression that we didn't enjoy our stay in Las Vegas, because we did have fun. Primarily here for the reunion we rounded out our Vegas experience with a variety of activities. We saw live theater, movies, the Strip, Fremont Street, Hoover Dam, Red Rocks and Boulder City, not to mention our many miles of driving around town. 

We drove from Vegas to Tusayan the little village at the entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park, a distance of =/- 275 miles. The RV campground in the National Park was full so we are parked for two nights at Grand Canyon Village RV Park. It's an OK campground just a mile outside of the Park entrance. Maggie likes it because there are ground squirrel burrows all over the Park, she's constantly wanting to go out and hunt for squirrels. The most notable thing about Tusayan is there is no TV or radio signals.

In the afternoon we went to the IMAX theater here in the village to see the National Geographic movie about the Canyon. It was impressive but on Sunday we will see a different documentary about the big ditch that I liked better. 

Sunday October 25 2015

Leaving Maggie and the motorhome at the campground we drove the jeep into the park and walked the rim trail from Mather's Point to the the historic district. It's an easy paved trail, with all three miles within a few feet of the canyon's southern edge. There are endless spectacular views all along the rim with several rock outcroppings perfect for taking people pictures. There are many Elk that wander around the tourist areas of the park, They apparently have no fear of humans, on the rim trail we saw several laying in the brush not 30 feet away. 

Upon leaving the park we had dinner at The Big E steakhouse where we saw the second Grand Canyon documentary. Afterwards we strolled the gift stores, buying only a T shirt.

Monday October 26 2016

Today we drove 340 miles to Casa Blanca in New Mexico. We stopped twice, once for lunch at a Subway store again for fuel at a flying J travel center. Our overnight stay is at an RV Park adjacent to the Sky City Hotel/Casino. The entire complex is owned by the Native American Acoma Pueblo. We had planned on visiting the casino, but I think spoiled it for Millie. I walked through it after registering for the campground and reported that it was populated by the same sad broken down patrons that we see in casinos everywhere. Of course it wasn't all my fault, we have 30 cable TV channels and after two days of no TV we've been watching it nonstop since we got here.

SOAR

Tuesday October 20 2015

The week was all about the Special Operation Association Reunion. During the week there are many activities such as a symposium by former A-1 Skyraider pilots, poker tournament, group outings to various events and a MIA remains recovery update, but for most men hanging out in the hospitality room is what we're here for. A lot of the guys arrive on Tuesday and immediately after registering, stop in the room. We had a steady flow of comrades coming and going throughout the day. 

Wednesday October 21 2015

First thing this morning we had the Southern Brotherhood Breakfast. An explanation is in order, The Southern brotherhood is all of the forces that worked for Command and Control South. CCS ran all the clandestine activities in Cambodia and Southern Laos during the Vietnam War.

After the breakfast Millie and Beth Crosby went shopping and left the boys to do reunion stuff and before you know it lunch was served. After some light dining Millie and I said our goodbyes for the day and went back to the motorhome. 

Thursday October 22 2015

Thursday morning Millie stayed with Maggie and I went to the Orleans. Once again our group of old aviators gathered in the hospitality room. Topics of conversation covered all subjects you'd expect in a group that meets infrequently; family, careers, illnesses, the VA health system and those that have passed away. The open bar was busy as it has been all week so thrilling tales of daring and spectacular lying....I mean.... flying filled the air. Sometimes under hushed voices story's of tragedy were told, as if the subdued speaking somehow lessened the sadness of death and lives never lived to their fullest. 

195th AHC pilot Larry Little reads the names of our KIA. Each of the gentlemen behind him read the names of their units fallen. Sadly it was a long recital.

Lt General Hal Moore and journalist Joe Galloway wrote an epic account of their true Vietnam experience called “We were soldiers once....and young”. So too, the men here this week recounting the days of long ago, they were young brave soldiers and aviators who never wavered as they fought one of the most challenging and dangerous missions of the war. A mission for which they received no recognition and in fact remained classified for 30 years.

Very rarely in life, an experience is so poignant it becomes a part of you. The bond between the participants is as strong as any created in all of your time on earth. I feel privileged to be a part of it and honored to join these chosen few as we once again become brothers. We gather not for accolades or glory, but simply to stand again among such extraordinary men.

Twelve noon we reluctantly closed the room, there were a few goodbyes but most would be back this evening with wives for the Banquet. The evening event was properly done with honor guard, the empty POW/MIA table, speeches, toasts, awards, entertainment, dinner and everyone dressed in their finery.

Last minute phone numbers and email exchanges, handshakes, hugs and promises to stay in touch ended the evening and the reunion.

Las Vegas , continued

Friday October 16 2015

We drove to the Hoover Dam today. There was a long line and a $30 per person charge to take the complete tour of the dam and we opted not to do that. We walked out on dam and took in the sights and the obligatory pictures at the Arizona/Nevada border at the midpoint of the dam. I was surprised to see that they still allow vehicles to cross the dam top roadway. After 9/11 we the people funded a bypass bridge just downstream of the dam, it is used but a lot of people chose to ride over the dam, mostly tourist I suppose. 

 Notice how low the water level is, that can't be good.

On the way to Hoover we took the business route through Boulder City, which by the way has it's origin as a construction camp for the dam workers. The main street is an active mix of shops, restaurants and businesses. We plan on returning before we leave Vegas.

 Lake Mead above the dam

Saturday October 17 2015

First thing we did this morning was move to a new site in the campground. As I said in the last post we are packed in here tightly. Yesterday we got a new neighbor and when he put his slides out there was barely enough room to walk between our RV's. We selected a 50 amp site which is much wider and gladly paid the $3 a day extra charge for it. 

We are still close enough to the adjacent RV's to notice whats going on and our new neighbor is a bit intriguing. She wears revealing clothing, sans brassiere, and has visitors come and go at all hours of the night. She seems like a nice lady. ;-}

We went to the movies and saw the new Tom Hanks movie “Bridge of Spies” We both liked it, but anything Tom Hanks is in is going to be good. He is one of our great American actors.

After the movie we drove the length of Las Vegas Blvd aka the strip. About half way between the newer lower part and the old part of town (Fremont Street) we passed the Gold and Silver Pawn shop, the setting for the reality (or more accurately, absence of reality) shop called Pawn Stars.

We parked at Fremont street and walked its length taking in the sights. No gambling for us here, but we did enjoy a good lunch at Denny's.

 The zip lines are new since I was last here.

Sunday October 18 2015

We did our normal Sunday routine, read the newspaper and relaxed.

Monday October 19 2015

First day of SOAR, the Special Operations Association Reunion. Millie elected to stay home and read while I went to the Orleans Hotel. Besides registering and getting our reunion credentials the only activity on the first day is the hospitality room. This is mostly occupied by us old guys doing guy stuff; reminiscing of days long ago, ragging on one another for most any reason that will get a laugh, telling lies and some truths, comradery at it's finest. 

It was interesting that surrounding our large round table we had representatives of every aspect of our mission; pilots, aircrew, recon team members, even the launch site commander and there were no hero's, no inflated ego's, just mutual respect for all those who had a difficult job to do and did it well.

For the curious, google MACV-SOG 

In the evening Millie and I went to the Mirage Hotel/Casino to see Terry Fator the Ventriloquist. The theater was fully attended and judging by the laughter and applause, the audience enjoyed the show as much as we did. 

Afterwards we walked the strip, enjoying all the lights and sights. The night brings out all kinds of people, you have to experience it yourself, it's beyond description.  

Las Vegas

Tuesday October 13 2015

We left our storage lot campsite and St George Utah today for a relatively short ride of 125+/- miles. Our destination is a Thousand Trails RV Park in Las Vegas, Nevada. What a surprise we had on I-15 as it passes from Utah to Arizona and then Nevada. The road snakes its way through a spectacular mountain pass, it's a scenic wonder to rival any National Park. 

We arrived at Thousand Trails early in the day, check in went smoothly and we set up on our assigned site. The sites are narrow, our RV pretty much goes from one side to the other with our slides out. If someone parks next to us there's no way we could put our awning out. The whole park is gravel with the exception of the paved roads and a few little patches of grass at the end of the rows.

Thousands Trails is like a RV timeshare, they have about 80 parks scattered around the country. They are all old and vary greatly in quality. You can't give this TT demerits for the gravel and lack of grass, this is the desert southwest and the other RV parks we've visited here in Vegas have the same ground surface and shortage of grass. 

The biggest detrimental feature is the narrow sites, that and the barbed wire topped block wall that surrounds the park. The security wire varies from straight barbed wire to razor wire to Concertina (coiled) wire. The neighborhood outside the wire doesn't look threatening to me, but they didn't install it without reason. On the other hand, this park has one of the nicest adult lounges we've seen in any park.

We went to the lounge to watch the Democratic presidential debate on CNN as there is no cable TV supplied at the sites. We got to see the first hour before the nights scheduled entertainment started. The performer Dick Woolbridge is unique in that he is deaf. He had a 40 year career as a professional musician before losing his hearing. He now performs opposite of the standard form of singing to the music. He sings from memory and plays guitar to the music. He has a portfolio of almost 400 songs that he has learned to perform this way. The neat thing about it is he hands out his list to the audience and performs any request from it.

Wednesday October 14 2015

Today we drove across town to find the Orleans Hotel which is the location of the reunion we are going to attend next week. We drove through part of the lower strip before eating lunch at a Jason's Deli. I was surprised to learn the Jason's franchise is not headquartered in California, but is from Beaumont Texas. I mean a Texas sandwich shop should have things like “Big chunk of cow on Texas toast with slab of mesquite smoked bacon and smothered with BBQ sauce”, Right? Jason's has sandwiches with all those strange contents nobody ever heard of, or ever imagined they would see on a sandwich. My sandwich had antibiotic free chicken smothered in fresh Basil Pesto and I think spinich leaves! Can somebody please tell me, what exactly is pesto? It sure sounds to me like something invented in California! Do you think I'm exaggerating, below is the listing for Millie's lunch.

After lunch we ran some errands at the post office and Walmart before driving through several of the RV Parks on this side of town. There are four or five of them along this section of Boulder highway. They are all about the same, straight rows of gravel RV sites with asphalt roads.

In the evening we watched Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in Last Chance Harvey on DVD.

Thursday October 15 2015

We went to a big casino/hotel complex called Boulder Station which is just up the street from the RV Park. Money wagered in slot machine= $1, winnings= $0, we didn't come to gamble, there is a movie theater in the complex. We got it right this time and saw the movie, “A walk in the woods” starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte and Emma Thompson. This is the movie we intended to see in St George when we mistakenly saw “The Walk”. It was OK, Millie gave it an 8, my rating was 6.5. Scenery was excellent, as was the acting, I just thought the plot was kind of weak.