Tincansailor Travels

2010 Winter Trip

2010-02-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

We took off the day after Christmas for a few weeks of wandering down south, trying to escape the cold. It was warmer than New England, but not by much.

Georgia
One of our favorite Georgia state parks is Fort McAllister Historic Park in Richmond Hill. It’s a nice park, on the Ogeechee River. And not far from Savannah, which is great for day trips.

We didn’t stay at our other favorite GA park this trip. That’s Virginia Bryant State Park, closer to Atlanta.

Florida
Want to treat yourself? Try Topsail Hill State Park in Santa Rosa. Large park, large sites, right on the beach. Each site has water, electric, sewer, and cable. Expensive for a state park, though--$42/night this year. We were here a week, and for New Year’s Eve, had dinner out at a great local restaurant, Stinky’s Fish Camp. And while you’re here, take a ride to SR 293 to the Mid-Bay Bridge. It’s a toll ($2.50), but you don’t have to cross. Just watch for the signs for the whaling wall parking. It’s a huge marina building with a whale landscape painted on all four walls. Worth the trip!

The federal campground at Fort Pickens has just re-opened. We took a day trip to see the Fort; didn’t stay at the campground. The road to the Fort had been washed out in 2004 by Hurricane Ivan, and just re-opened this spring.

Louisiana
Visiting New Orleans? Try Bayou Segnette State Park, in Westwego. It's just west of New Orleans, on SR90. Go around the city, and come in from the west, it’s easier. There's a ferry service nearby; you are charged to park for the ferry, but passengers are free, and it drops you 2 blocks from the French Quarter; runs from very early to after midnight. And all the Louisiana state parks accept the Golden Age pass for a full 50% discount, so Bayou Segnette is $10.50/night for water and electric, and it's a nice park, free laundry.

Missouri
If you get as far as Vicksburg, MS, look for Magnolia RV Park. It's just off SR 60, and the office will tell you the short cut from the back of the park into town. It’s easy from there to get to the National Park, or the Coke Museum.

Texas
We wanted to see Galveston, TX, and maybe stay at the state park there, but it was closed. Found a private campground, for one night. Next morning, we did visit the USS Stewart, a destroyer escort and the USS Cavalla, a sub. Both are permanently berthed at Seawolf Park. And we visited the Ocean Star, an oil rig museum.

Next stop, Corpus Christi, where we stayed at the Padre Balli Park, part of the Nueces County Park system on Padre Island. We’ve stayed at Mustand Island (the state park) and at the National Seashore on previous trips. Our favorite would be the National Seashore. It’s dry camping, but you can’t beat the scenery.

And we visited the USS Lexington while we were there. We missed the USS Alabama in Mobile, because it was cold and raining when we drove by, but two ships and a boat should be our nautical fix for this trip.
On to San Antonio, where we stayed at the Alamo KOA. We try to stay at state parks and places where we can use our Golden Age Pass, but the KOA membership came in handy here. They’re on the city bus route, and for $1.10/pp, it was worth it to get into the city and not have to look for RV parking. And we got to see the San Antonio River without water! It was drained for the annual cleaning.

Home after 5 weeks, and guess what? It's still cold!

Aug 13--Leave the UP

2009-08-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

Driving Route 2, and now we're leaving Michigan's Upper Peninsula, going over the Mackinac bridge. What? We can't use our FastPass?
That's the fast ferry to Mackinac Island. Maybe next trip we'll plan a day on the island.

Aug 12--Wanoka

2009-08-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Found a campground in the national forest, just as we were driving along.The campground was a former C C C camp. There are 20 campsites, all quite large, and there's a small lake. Lots of the people there had brought their 4-wheelers, because there were trails in the woods for them.
About all that's left of the CCC camp are 2 hand pumps, which are the water supply for the campground.

Aug 10--Lake Itasca, MN

2009-08-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Met another truck camper at Teddy Roosevelt, a fellow from Arkansas. He recommended Lake Itasca in Minnesota. So, since we're headed that way, we stopped. Lake Itasca is the headwaters of the Mississippi River.This is the starting point for the great river.
It's just a little creek here, and you can walk across on the stones! Imagine--just wade right in.
Mosquitoes were bad, though. The fellow from Arkansas told us he found out what they feed them up here--visitors!

Aug 8--Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

2009-08-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

They told us at the entrance to be very careful around the buffalo--it's rutting season, stay out of their way, keep well back, it's their park first--we're just visiting.
This is the campground, which is in a circle. The buffalo cross from the surrounding woods to the center of the campground to graze. If you are outside, and they're coming close, get inside.
This was taken through our screen door as they passed by our chairs and table.
One even left a gift by our table. Good thing his aim was so good. Few inches closer and that table would have gone in the dumpster!
Great granddaddy Bison--everyone paid attention to him.
So, sometimes you have to wait a little to use the dump station.
And you may have to wait for the showers and bathrooms too!
They're magnificent animals, and we're so glad we stopped to see this park. We drove the entire 14 miles of road in the park, almost of half of which is under construction. The views were wonderful, and the buffalo could show up around any corner. You'd just have to either stop and wait for them, or try to go very, very slowly. The ranger told us that a big bull could tip a small car.

Aug 8--Badlands, ND

2009-08-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Home again, home again, back to the USA. Travelling through Montana and North Dakota, on Route 2, which is just as fast as the interstate highway, but much prettier, and offers more sights.Route 85, off Route 2, is the route to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which has been recommended by friends.
So, we're off to see Teddy's bison.

Aug 6--Glacier

2009-08-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Plan for the day was to take the gondola ride to see the town, the hot springs, the mountains, etc. Weather however didn't cooperate--rain and fog again, so we headed north to the Athabasca Glacier, a 2.5 hour ride from Banff.Above is the view from the parking lot. That's the glacier, descending between the mountains.
Here's one of the vehicles that takes people to see the glacier. The descent down the road is an 18% grade, 33 degrees. Top speed in one of these is 6mph, and going down the hill is at about 2mph.
We're walking around on 1000 feet of ice. Along the edge of the glacier, where it's melting, you can drink the water. It's quite pure, just tastes a little dusty. They say one taste will turn the clock back 9 years. Does that mean if we drink it, we're no longer retired, and have to go back to work?
Oh, and it was about 34F, too.

Aug 5--Banff, AB

2009-08-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

On the road to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Foggy, rainy day, but the scenery is still breath-taking.
And no, that's not a tunnel or a bridge. It's a bear crossing. The Canadian government is making these crossings over the highway, so that wildlife can cross the highway without mixing with auto traffic. The sides of the highway are fenced, right up to the crossings. There were a number of these completed, and a number still under construction all along the way on Rt 1, to Banff.
In town Banff, it looks like pictures of a Swiss village. It was loaded with traffic and people. Again, it looks like all of Canada is on vacation. Those Canadians vacation with a vengeance!

Hey, he may be more expensive, but we're bigger!

Aug 4--Okanagan, BC

2009-08-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Got to British Columbia just in time for the Canadian holiday. Every place is busy; every campground is full. Finally found a spot for the night at an "RV park", between an RV dealer and an 18-wheelers' refuelling site. Quiet? Not. Affordable? Not. ($52.50CA) Very nice fence, though, with remote controlled gates to the place.View of the refuelling site behind us. The owner had fencing with grape vines separating each site. There were about 22 to 25 sites, and we got almost the last site for the night. Nice little income that, at those rates.
And a garden besides.

Aug 3--Oroville, WA

2009-08-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

On our way to British Columbia; stopped to refuel in the small town of Oroville, WA. They had this neat graphic on the wall of the building next to the fuel stop.And look at what was parked next to it! Neat!

Aug 3--Liar's Cove

2009-08-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Found a nice quiet place for the night on a reservoir in Conconully, WA.It's where all the wishermen go--you know who you are! They can tell tall tales to each other of the ones that got away. Most of the RVs here were from Canada, because, remember, it's that holiday weekend up north. Liar's Cove was a nice place, though; very welcoming.

Aug 2--Grand Coulee Dam

2009-08-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

They do everything big out here, or perhaps that's Grand.Really big dam with three generating stations. The Grand Coulee Dam does a laser light show against the walls of the dam nearly every night. We didn't stay to see it, but heard it's quite a show.
And the biggest substation Tincansailor has ever seen!

Aug 1--Roslyn, WA and Cicely, AK

2009-08-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Not that much farther east from Kent, WA, is Alaska. Oops. I mean Roslyn, WA, which was used as the setting for Northern Exposure and Cicely, AK. Remember the picture on the side of the building at the beginning of each episode? It's got Roslyn on it now, but that's about all that's changed.It could still pass for Alaska, even in summer and with horses on Main Street.

July 31--Kent, WA and Torklift

2009-07-31T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, major miscalculation on our part. And we should have figured it out sooner. We live in a seaside resort. It was the Canadian holiday that threw off all our figures. So, seaside resort + summer + tourists + ferries + reservations required all over the place + CANADIAN HOLIDAY = nothing available for campgrounds or ferries in Port Townsend or the San Juan Islands or Victoria. Picked up our marbles, and headed East.Drive through Tacoma, and next is Kent, WA, home of Tork Lift. Knew it was the right place--they've got a picture of a truck and camper on the side of the building. Feeling better. Our kind of place. --til we got to the KOA--most expensive KOA we ever stayed at.

July 30--Port Townsend and Fort Worden State Park

2009-07-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

We want to see the Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Islands, and perhaps go up into Canada from here to Victoria Island in British Columbia, so have headed for Port Townsend, and have a campsite at Fort Worden State Park.The park is right on the ocean, and has 2 camping areas, one on the ocean. We're lucky enough to get a site on the ocean camping area. First, we drive through the center of the park. Look familiar?
Think you may have seen it before?
Or stayed here?
Well, the park was used as the setting for the movie "An officer and a gentleman", so of course it looks familiar!
Next step is to try to get reservations some place for the weekend, and try to get ferry reservations to the San Juan Islands and from there to Victoria.

July 28--Bremerton, WA and the Turner Joy

2009-07-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

Next, heading west to Bremerton. Why? Because Sailorsmate's paternal grandparents used to live there; grandfather worked in the shipyards during the war, and we wanted to see how much the city has changed.As you enter the city, the first thing you encounter is the Naval Base, where there were 3 aircraft carriers being dismantled. Not far from there is the permanent berth of the Turner Joy, the tincan that fired the first shot in Vietnam and the last shot. We toured the ship, of course, and thanks to our membership in Tincan Sailors, admission was free!

The city has changed quite a bit from Sailorsmate's memories--much bigger and busier, but it's still very much a Navy town.

July 24--Heading north to Mt St Helens

2009-07-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

Making our way north, first to Mt St Helens.
We could see the volcanic trail for a long way. Will post just these pictures of the valley.

July 21--Glide

2009-07-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

On the way back to the farm, we stopped in Glide. A glide is a place where two rivers meet and there are very turbulent waters in spring.
The water was low, and pretty peaceful when we were there.

July 20--Wizard Island

2009-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

At the end of our loop from the farm to Hell's Canyon to the coast, we find ourselves at Crater Lake.
The loop around the lake is beautiful, with breath-taking views of the water and Wizard's Island.
Luckily the snow is mostly gone. They can get over 40 ft of snow in some parts of the park. That stick beside the camper is to mark the side of the road for the plows in the spring! Nothing like the little markers we use on our driveway.

July 19--Oregon Dunes

2009-07-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

Continuing down the coast to the Oregon Dunes.The views are magnificent, and the dunes are much bigger than ours! But they have the same problems with storms blowing sand over the local roads that we do.

July 18--Oregon Coast

2009-07-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

From McMinnville, we headed to the Oregon Coast for a few days. Got a campsite at Cape Perpetua, and Saturday morning we started out with a nice breakfast at the Drift Inn Cafe in Yachats. Neat place with an umbrella over evey table. You just don't know when (or where) it will rain in Oregon! The bar had parasols over the seats.

On to exploring Cape Perpetua!
Breathtaking views of cliffs and ocean.

Lots and lots of viewing areas to just pull over and enjoy the scenary. And lots of campgrounds too, federal, state and private. We like the federal ones that take the Grumpy Card.
This tunnel was a little scary--the height at the sides was posted as 11ft 6in, and we're 11ft 10in! So, if no one is coming the other way, we can hug the middle, but...

July 16--McMinnville

2009-07-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

We went to McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, which houses the Spruce Goose.
This is looking at the inside of the plane.
And it mostly birch, not spruce at all!
Looking out towards the rear of the hanger.

It's so big, they park other planes under the wings.
And did I mention that the Evergreen Museum has its own winery?

July 14--Lunch with Cousin

2009-07-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

Had lunch today at the King Estate Winery in Eugene. What a beautiful place.
Got a picture of the picture taker!

July 12--Family Time

2009-07-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Family cookout time, with Uncle Mike officiating. Semper Fi!
We managed to get 7 of the 12 cousins in the same place at the same time, and I still didn't manage to get pictures of everyone!
And what do we talk about? How much we all look or talk or act like our parents! And the good old days on Grandpa's farm or at Gramma's house. But it was good to be together, and the location was perfect.

July 11--Library dedication

2009-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is Sailorsmate's second library dedication in 15 months. But this one was special. The former Lebanon Public Library was a very, very small building, with a lot of problems.
If you look closely under the window behind the flagpole, there's a cornerstone. There's a picture below, but the stone is so worn, it's hard to read. It says "Lebanon General Hospital and Library." This building started as the general hospital in Lebanon, and then became the library building.
It needs a lot of work, and here's hoping the town fathers choose to keep it as an historic landmark. When it came time for a new library, the old high school building and community pool, a few blocks away and closer to Main Street, were razed, and in their place, there is now a new senior center, and a brand new, much needed library.

Below is the meeting room, which is accessible even when the library is closed, so groups can use it.
This is the main section of the library. There are huge glass panels separating the adult section from the children's and young adult sections.

The glass panels are 2 sheets of glass with grass between them, constructed in much the same way as Sydenstricker Glass on Cape Cod.

Appropriate, as Lebanon is in Linn County, and Linn County produces more grass seed than any one else!

July 10--back to base camp, the farm in Eugene

2009-07-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Went with family Friday night to Sweet Cheeks Winery, for a picnic supper. Bring your picnic and get your wine directly at the winery. And what a view!

July 8--Eagle Cap

2009-07-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Stopped to tour the Eagle Cap Camper factory in La Grande, and got to see a camper under construction.

July 7--Baker, OR to Hell's Canyon

2009-07-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Heading to Baker and then on to Hell's Canyon. Hell's Canyon is a deep river gorge on the Snake River, bordering Oregon and Idaho.

On the way, from the Metolius to Baker, we stopped at John Day, to see the fossil beds.

In Baker, we stopped to see the Oregon Trail Intepretive Center.

From Baker to the dam in Hell's Canyon is almost 90 miles, along a river. Half way to the dam is the town of Halfway, where we encountered a great sign, and just had to stop and take a picture. We know everyone will understand the significance.
The canyon is only 30 miles, and what a ride, along side the canyon!

July 6--Camping on the Metolius River

2009-07-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Took a couple of days and camped along side the Metolius River with cousins. What a beautiful spot. Elder grandson will be very jealous, because he's the flyfisher person in the family, and this is the spot for flyfishing.
Got a visit from a chipmunk who was either very brave or very hungry. Maybe he was planning on finishing dinner with a little wine!

River Bend Farm, Oregon

2009-07-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Arrived at family's, just before the 4th of July. We'll make this our base camp for a little bit, and travel around Oregon to see a few sights.

June 30--California

2009-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Spending a few days in California, and went to lunch on the Sacremento River, at the Virgin Sturgeon, a waterfront restaurant with a very unique entrance.

June 27--The California Trail

2009-06-27T11:48:00.001-07:00

Heading to California to see relatives, and came across this. So far, we've been on the Sante Fe Trail (Route 56 in Colorado and Kansas) and the Oregon Trail in Nebraska, and now we're on the California Trail. We've now hit all the western trails!

June 27--The California Trail

2009-06-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

June 26--Rockport State Park, UT

2009-06-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Found a nice state park just off the highway, at the foot of a dam. We pulled in a little late, so we were first in the overflow area--overflow for the campground as well as the dam!

June 25--Medicine Bow

2009-06-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

Spent the night at Vedauwoo Campground in the Medicine Bow National Forest. The rock formations are amazing!

North Platte and the Oregon Trail

2009-06-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

Found a marker in North Platte for the Oregon Trail, erected in 1914. It's so badly weathered, it's almost impossible to read it. But that's ok, because it's right in front of the Nebraska CSI building, so they'll be able to find it again!

June 24--North Platte, NE

2009-06-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

On the way to the quilt museum, we crossed Interstate 6, called the Cornhusker Highway here. This is the same Route 6 that starts in Provincetown, MA. It ends in California!

June 24--Iowa to Nebraska

2009-06-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Did the blue highways through some of Iowa, to Interstate 80, and along to Nebraska today. Lots and lots of cornfields. Stopped for the night at Mahoney State Park. Like Iowa State Parks, these sites had electric, but no water. Saw people lugging jugs of water from the bath house. It's a beautiful park, on the river, and has a lodge and theater!

Went in to Lincoln, NE, this morning and toured the International Quilt Study Center & Museum. The old quilts on display were really beautiful. Currently they have a Japanese quilt display going on also; those are really unusual. Some are like our traditional quilts, and some are very different. All took a lot of skill and time.
This is the sculpture at the entrance to the museum.

Caught this on I80 today. What a landmark!

It's the arch in Kearney, NE.

June 22--Kansas to Iowa

2009-06-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

Off Monday morning to Iowa, to find the area where Sailorsmate's father originated. Dad always said "Washington, Iowa", but we found out later that actually meant "the family farm, in an unincorporated area of Washington County, Iowa". "Washington, Iowa" is a lot easier to explain in boot camp.

We toured the town of Washington, because we decided it was as close as we could get. Main Street was being torn up on one end, so we had to get out picture from a side street.

And this is the park, across the intersection.

Drove through lots and lots of farming areas and spent the night at Lake Darling State Park; just us and one other camper--had the place to ourselves. What we couldn't figure out was that most sites had electric, but no water. Is this an Iowa thing?

2009-06-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

Found family in Kansas and stayed the week. Tincansailor finished his honeydew list for his sister (house and motorhome), so we went out to Pomona Lake's Outlet Park for the weekend. It's a COE site, so we got our half price discount. Hot again, in the 90'sF, so evening were spent inside, waiting for it to cool off.

ElderNephew and family came out to visit us and took us for a boat ride on the lake on Friday. Niece came out too, later, and stayed the night. Nice to connect with everyone again, and see how much the little ones have grown since last we saw them.

2009-06-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Looking for Auntie Em, but there's nothing on Route 56 but dotted lines...

Route 56 in KS, to Spearville

2009-06-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Came across another wind farm, this one in Spearville, KS.

Actually stopped to take a few pictures this time. This one feeds the grid for Kansas City Power and Light, which includes the little burg where Auntie Em lives.

That's us, with the wind farm behind.

Route 56 Kansas--Midway across the USA!

2009-06-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Came across this in the little town of Kinsley, KS. Here we are in the middle!On to Overbrook, KS.

Route 56 through Colorado and Kansas

2009-06-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Off to Kansas to visit Auntie Em. Got caught in traffic for miles and miles behind this pickup and piece of farm equipment. Then there was the train...

And it kept coming and coming...
Finally, it went past. Seemed to take forever. We Easterner's don't see many trains this long, so it's a big thing for us.

Santa Fe, June 11

2009-06-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Went to the State Capital in Santa Fe. There are 4 floors in the building and 3 of them house a very impressive art collection, open to the public. We really liked the buffalo by Holly Hughes.

If you go, the Buffalo is on the fourth floor.

Santa Fe, June 10

2009-06-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Santa Fe is a welcome relief after the heat of Texas. Not so hot days (80'sF) and cool nights (40's and 50'sF) and very dry, and wow! the altitude--7200 feet high! But Santa Fe is a really nice city.

We toured the city first thing. The city center is small enough that you can walk around and pretty much do everything.The San Miguel Church, reported to be the oldest church in the US.
Across from the Mission is the oldest house.
This was a hotel in the city center.
And around the corner from the hotel is the Church of San Francisco.

Bottomless Lake, NM (June 9)

2009-06-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Heading north, into New Mexico, out of the heat. We're stopping at a state park for the night, Bottomless Lake.
Pretty sunset as we pulled in, and we had to wait for morning to get a better look at the campground.

Nice tower for viewing the lake at the campground, but unfortunately, you can no longer go up in the tower. Makes a great picture, though, and people love to come and paint it.
Here's the campground and the edge of the lake from the road, as we left the next morning.

Pecos, TX (June 9)

2009-06-09T20:24:00.001-07:00

On the way to Pecos, we drove by the Desert Sky Wind Project, outside of Fort Stockton, TX. Then on to Pecos.

Stopped at the Museum and looked around.
Then on our way back to the camper, we heard a train coming. The parking lot backs up to the train tracks, so we got some good pix of the train coming through, a thrill for us Easterners.
And there it went!

Balmorhea June 8

2009-06-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Found another Texas State Park, this time Balmorhea. It was originally a CCC project and it's most famous feature is a huge swimming pool, with two wings.

As you approach the pool, it almost looks like Roman baths, it's so big. There is a wing on either side of the central pool, and a walkway all around it. It's spring fed, at a rate of a milion gallons an hour or more. That's right--24,000,000 gallons of water a day go through it! It's a steady temperature of 76 to 77F, and on a 98F day, that felt good. And contains fish, lots and lots of little fish.

The lighter colored water is the left wing, where the pool bottom is concrete and the pool is 5 feet deep. The darker water has a natural bottom, and is 25 feet deep. That's why there's a difference in water color. On the right wing, the bottom is also natural, and the water is about 20 feet deep, and has a diving board. Scuba diving is also allowed here, but no fishing.

It's not often you see a pool with the depth labeled for 20 feet!

Heading North, out of the heat (we hope)!

2009-06-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Temperatures on South Padre were in the high 90's, and going up. Our plan had been to head to Big Bend National Park, but the weather there is predicted to be over 100 for the remainder of the week, so we decide to just head north, and hope we can get out of this low pressure system that's holding the temps so high. On the road north today, it did indeed hit over 100.
Stopped for the night at another Texas State Park, this time Garner, on the Frio River. On the road early, heading north. Seven a.m. it was a cool 78F.

South Padre Island, TX

2009-06-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

After a day on Mustang Island, we're headed south again. This time, to South Padre Island. We've read there's a county park on the island, but it's full, so we're headed for the KOA.

Regal Row at the KOA on South Padre. We took the standard site, which wasn't bad either. This KOA is right at the end of the bridge, on the water, and within walking distance to a fishing pier and touring boats, beaches, and a restaurant/bar. What more could you ask?

Then a Jeep ride out to the beach. Just take the main drag out of town, and follow one of the six Beach Access signs to get onto the beach. We took Access 6, and rode for about 25 miles, to the jetty that separates South Padre from the Padre Island National Park.

So, we finally made it to the end of the beach, and could see across to the other side. Only took 8 years, 2 trips, and 2 retirements.

In search of Padre Island--North or South?

2009-06-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

We're headed south, to find Padre Island, on the Texas Coast. First, we're going through Corpus Christi, and out to Mustang Island, which is just north of Padre Island National Park.
Mustang Island has a state park, where we're headed for the night. We hope to stay on the beach.

No luck camping on the beach. The office ranger really discouraged us; said the sand is very soft and the beach is very narrow, and we wouldn't be able to turn around.
So we decided to camp in the state campground and take a Jeep ride out to the beach.

We got to the beach and discovered people driving in cars and camping in tents, all over the place.
And they provide trash barrels, port-a-potties, and showers all along the beach! The beach was as wide as what we're used to at home, much less soft, fewer rocks, and very flat. We think they just didn't want to deal with RV's on the beach.

Canyon Lake, TX

2009-06-06T08:14:00.001-07:00

On the road south, again.
Decided to try Bar-b-que for lunch, and found a nice place. And they do mail order!

Headed south, to the Texas Coast. Stopped for the night at Canyon Lake, a COE campground outside of New Braunfels. Their greeting staff is unique. Park is nice, with lots of space between sights. Thunderstorm overnight wasn't bad either.

Lake Palestine, TX

2009-06-06T07:51:00.001-07:00

Stopped at Lake Palestine for a few days to visit family and a shipmate, who took us fishing on the lake. This lake is over 25,000 square acres in size! We've lived in towns that aren't that big. We stayed at the lake, in an RV resort. Beware of places labeling themselves "resort". It can mean many things, to many people.

From here, we head south.

2009-06-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Lake Fort Smith State Park is just north of the city of Fort Smith, AR. The park is so new, the GPS had us off roading! This was a beautiful mountainside park, with a marina and a pool, and a landslide on the road to get to it!
We went in town to see the old fort. And found the visitors center is called Miss Laura's Social Club and Visitors' Center. (It used to be a brothel!) Then, on to the local library, to check email and some other things. The statue looks like an axe head, with water flowing out of the center. The library is very new, nicely arranged, with very helpful staff.

Next, on to Lake Palestine, to meet up with an old shipmate.

Arkansas! Not what we expected.

2009-06-02T17:52:00.001-07:00

We met up with our friends iiifortheroad in Arkansas, just west of Little Rock at Petit Jean State Park. What a beautiful spot. Petit Jean was built by the CCC, and is a marvelous treasure. Lots of space, with hiking trails and a lodge.And the waterfalls were worth the trip!
Next stop, Fort Smith, AR.

On the road again...

2009-06-01T06:59:00.001-07:00

After the truck camper rally in Virginia, we headed back to port for a few weeks, so that Sailorsmate could see the medics and be run through a gamut of tests. Our mate is now cleared for travel, and we're on the road again. Our first stop was a quick overnight in the Blue Ridge Mountains to visit old friends on their farm, then off to Arkansas to meet up with another truck camper.

Tall Pines Harbor Campground, Part One

2009-04-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Now we’re settled at Tall Pines Harbor Campground, awaiting the start of the annual Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Jamboree tomorrow. It rained yesterday, and we had a little water around our camper in the morning. Well, maybe it was more than a little, because this is what greeted us yesterday when we tried to go outside.

Went into Pocomoke City, MD, yesterday to do a little shopping, and of course, stopped at the local library for directions and advice: http://www.worcesterlibrary.org/. And performed my duties for my local library. TA: a package is on it's way.

Assateague Island National Seashore

2009-04-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Assateague Island National Seashore entrance--long drive, because you have to go past the state park first.

We chose the Bayside Camping area. A beautiful camping area, across from the ocean-side, but it was cold and windy, in the 40’s with some showers.

Too cold and windy to be outside for walking or biking, which is what we wanted to do while here. We did get some pictures of the wild ponies, though.

And had a few visitors—seems not too many people have seen a truck camper with both a side entrance and a slideout. Lots of looks from passersby, too.

Chincoteague Island National Seashore

2009-04-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

After Assateague, we drove south, hoping for a little warmer weather. Drove through Chincoteague Island National Seashore. Too cold and windy there too. Guess the Atlantic Coast is the Atlantic Coast, and April is going to be like this when you’re on the coast.

We did have a nice lunch at a restaurant we’d been to before, and found a lovely wine and cheese shop nearby, which carried both of my favorite Virginia wineries products, Chateau Morrissette and Rockbridge Vineyard.

Stop one--DelMarVa

2009-04-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Stop 1 on our journey south was at Berlin, MD, as we noticed a sign on our way to Assateague Island National Seashore directing us to the Stephen Decatur Memorial. We had to stop and at least take a picture.

The Decatur (DD963) was the last tincan the Sailorsmate’s dad was on, before his Navy retirement in 1967. This Decatur, the Navy’s fourth, was named for Stephen Decatur, who was born in Berlin, MD. See http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Stephen_Decatur for more information on him, or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Decatur_(DD-936) for information on the tincan. Berlin, MD is a nice little town, with lots and lots of Civil War era buildings, mostly in brick. There was a street fair while we were there, with preparations underway for the afternoon’s pig race, but we didn’t wait for that.

We hastened to Assateague to claim our campsite.

Finished the "recliner".

2009-04-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Every man needs his recliner, even in his TC. So, the Sailorsmate just this morning finished the cushions for the Tincansailor's favorite spot at the dinette. He can now pull out his foot rest, slip in a cushion for his feet, and have 2 extra cushions for his back.

2009-03-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

Went out today and took a few pictures of the inside upgrades to the TC. Most were accomplished for this trip, some were from previous projects.

First, one of Tincansailor's early projects: adding a small light just inside the door. Our side entry has a touch pad on the outside that very conveniently turns on the light near the door for a few minutes. Tincansailor added a license plate light just inside the door, and wired it to the touch pad, so when we turn on lights with the touch pad, that small light hits the 2 interior steps. Very convenient and safer too.

Next, Tincansailor add a blow dryer in the bath. I've had a blow dryer for years, that was stored under the sink in the bath, but we decided try the wall-mounted model. I plug it in only when I need it, and yes, it has a GFCI.

Then, we were remembering how nice it was in our previous TC when we could pull out a small extension under the dinette cushions, and put our feet up when watching TV at night. So, Tincansailor decided to recreate the slide.

Just slip on a pillow, and get comfortable. Push it in when you're done, and it's totally out of the way.

Sailorsmate projects were to make a new bed quilt, a room-darkening shade, and curtains to replace the wardrobe mirror doors. Check these out:

19 Days and counting ...

2009-03-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

The truck and camper are almost ready for the first leg of the great road trip. So far, the truck has been readied by changing from regular to synthetic oil, and having a through mechanical check at the dealership. And the rear hitch has been upgraded to a Class 5, to better carry the bike rack. The front hitch has a new extension lift bar, so the front basket will be 10 inches higher. The front basket will carry the gas grill. The folding steps on the camper have been cleaned, lubricated and painted.

We're finishing cleaning and re-arranging the inside of the camper--sorting through everything in every cabinet, drawer and cubby so we only take what we need, and finding all kinds of things we've forgotten we put in the camper. Tincansailor converted one storage cabinet back to a wardrobe, for hanging clothes, then he built three drawers for the larger wardrobe in the cabover. Next came creating slide extensions at the dinette so that we have foot rests when we're watching TV. Now we can sit with our backs against the window and not have our feet hang over the seats. Sailorsmate has been working on a new bed quilt, larger and in brighter colors than the old one, and on a room-darkening curtain for one window of the cabover. Our camper came with light-filtering shades on all but one window; that one window in the cabover had a room darkening shade, but the second window needed a room darkening shade too, so, one was created to match the quilt.

We've got 19 days to finish all our projects, which doesn't leave much time for test drives!