tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34659131722126862452024-03-19T07:07:20.020-04:00Retirement DreamsHow to live life as a part time RV traveler during your retirement.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-71988098890343838942016-11-21T18:32:00.000-05:002016-11-28T08:32:06.268-05:00My Final Post on Retirement Dreams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's with a very heavy heart that I am writing this. My dear husband Bob passed away suddenly on Thursday, November 17th, 2016. I will be retiring "Retirement Dreams" because this blog was about our travels, and unfortunately our journey together on this earth has come to an end all too soon. I am so glad to have this place where I can look back at the wonderful memories that we made together. I will love you and miss you forever Bob.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-36094683094486274992015-05-22T16:18:00.001-04:002015-05-22T16:18:02.088-04:00The Long Trip Home<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palo Duro Canyon</td></tr>
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We left Meteor Crater on April 24th and pulled into Albuquerque around 3:00. Enchanted Trails RV Resort was a good stop for the night. The weather was a bit stormy, but nothing too bad. The next day we started out towards Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. It started to pour rain about 1 hour after we left, and it quickly deteriorated into a downpour for the rest of the trip with 40 mph winds to boot. I called Palo Duro Canyon and asked them if it was flooding. Indeed it was, so I cancelled our reservation (lost one night's money) and booked us into Amarillo RV Ranch. It was a good thing I did, because there was lots of flooding all over the area. We stayed two nights, relaxed the next day and had a great steak dinner at the Big Texas Roadhouse.<br />
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Our next stop was Red Rock Canyon. This campground was a pleasant surprise, with a spacious pull through right by a stream. We stayed for two nights, and enjoyed the day off from driving walking and reading.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pull Through at Red Rock Canyon, OK</td></tr>
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Our next stop was Heyburn Lake, an Army Corps of Engineer park. It's a bit off the beaten path, and our navigational system took us to Shephard's Point which is on the other side of Heyburn Lake. We finally found the right section of the park, and pulled into a pull through site. It's a beautiful lake and the park is very nice but could use more maintenance, as it's getting a bit run down. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heyburn Lake Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pull Through at Heyburn Park, OK</td></tr>
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After our two night stay at Heyburn Lake, we continued on to Bennett Springs MO. What a find this park was, with an excellent pull through site with sewer, water, electric and even WIFI. The WIFI here was actually better than any that we've had at the private parks we've stayed at.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State Hatchery at Bennett Springs State Park, MO</td></tr>
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Bennett Springs has a state trout hatchery and seems to be a popular fishing spot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trout Fishing at Bennett Springs State Park</td></tr>
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The campsites were beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pull Through Campsite at Bennett Springs State Park</td></tr>
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Redman Creek in Missouri was the next two night stop. The campsites were level and easy to get into, and it was a nice easy setup.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campsite at Redman Creek</td></tr>
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Redman Creek Campground is across from Lake Woppapello. About 1/2 mile down the road there is a complete recreational area with a swimming beach.<br />
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I was anxious to get to Kentucky, since we had always wanted to see more of the state. Our first campground in KY was Canal Campground, another wonderful ACE park. Canal Campground is on a peninsula between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kentucky Dam</td></tr>
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Since we were staying for two nights, we took a drive to see a nearby wildlife preserve on our day off. There were some bison and elk there.<br />
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On Friday May 8th we left for Moutardier Park, our final ACE park. This was Mother's Day weekend, so the park was fairly full. Our campsite was right on Lake Nolan, and made for a nice relaxing two day stay. <br />
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We took a drive out to Nolan River Dam, another impressive Army Corp of Engineer construction.<br />
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Our final campground stop was Carters Caves State Park. We were not impressed at all with this park. It was a bit run down and could really use some better care. We were told that the state was short on funding. There wasn't much to do here, so we just took it easy and prepared for the last leg home. We decided to stay at a Ramada Inn in Morgantown WV for a night, and then head home on May 13th.<br />
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We've been busy getting everything unpacked and trying to get things in order. It was such a great trip, but as usual after being in the trailer for four and a half months we're glad to be home.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-35879285721863498172015-04-25T19:06:00.000-04:002015-04-25T19:07:14.046-04:00Meteor Crater and Standing on the Corner in Winslow Arizona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well here we are at Meteor Crater RV Park for two nights as we head home over Route 40. I'm glad we stopped here. The park is much nicer than I had pictured it, with ample sized sites and a couple of dog runs for Mirra to get some much needed exercise. We arrived yesterday (April 24th), and will be leaving early tomorrow morning for Albuquerque.<br />
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We explored Meteor Crater this morning, and it was well worth the $14.00 admission fee (each). We enjoyed the movie, the museum, and viewing the crater. It's amazing to picture the meteor hitting at 26,000 mph and making a hole in the earth this size - more than a mile across and 550 feet deep.<br />
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The guided tour was canceled because of windy conditions. We have winds gusting up to 40 mph today, and there are some thunder storms expected to come through here this evening. It snowed last night in Flagstaff, and will do so again tonight - but we're at a lower elevation here, so it will just be rain.<br />
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Winslow, Arizona is just 20 minutes away from Meteor Crater, so of course we had to take the ride into town so that we would be "Standing on the Corner in Winslow Arizona" - me with my Eagles sweatshirt, and Bob with his Eagles cap.<br />
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That's all for now - take it easy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-63329073853877549442015-04-25T18:04:00.001-04:002015-04-25T18:05:49.112-04:00Lake Mead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We arrived at Lake Mead RV Village early in the day on Monday April 20th. It was a short drive from Las Vegas RV Resort where we spent three fun days in Las Vegas - didn't win anything, but didn't lose too much either. <br />
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Our lakefront site was awesome - what a view! This is a nice RV park with large concrete sites. We're here for four days.<br />
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It was recently announced that Lake Mead has officially reached the lowest level in 78 years. The drought has really taken its toll on this Lake. The snowfall from the mountains of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming hasn't been enough to keep up with the water that's being drained from this crucial reservoir. The Colorado River, which provides water and power to 40 million people, is predicted to be only at 52 percent of its average flow this summer. If the lake sinks another 185 feet, the water that's being pumped to the Las Vegas valley would stop flowing because the Hoover Dam would no longer release water. A new deep-water intake is being built so that this doesn't happen. In addition, the National Park Service is extending the lake's boat launch ramps at a cost of $2 million.<br />
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This is one of the accessible boat ramps. You can see how far down you have to go now to get into the water. Bob took this picture about where the water used to be when the lake was full.<br />
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The picture below is of an old water intake that's not being used anymore. At one time the water was up this high. It gives you a good perspective of how drastically the water levels have fallen.<br />
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Despite the fact that the water level is declining, Lake Mead is still a beautiful place for boating. Although there are warnings about a toxic algae in the lake, people are still swimming in it. I questioned the ranger about it, and she said that the algae was clear in this part of the lake, but that it was still present in other areas. We went down to look at the beach, but didn't swim - way to rocky for us.<br />
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We took a trip over to Hoover Dam. Again, you can see how low the water level is. Pretty scary.<br />
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Just had to add these pictures of desert beauty. These gorgeous flowers were on a cactus plant across the street.<br />
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Bob caught a picture of these quail as well.<br />
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Next stop is Meteor Crater for two days. Time to relax before the long trek home!<br />
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We couldn't leave California without going back to Sonoma to visit some of our favorite wineries. We pulled into the Petaluma San Francisco North KOA on Sunday April 12th, and on Monday started our wine tour with Valley of the Moon (which has recently changed its name to Medrone). We bought a bottle of Sangiovese and a Barbera that are going home to be enjoyed on special occasions.<br />
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Since we love Cline Zinfandel, we stopped by their winery and enjoyed a compimentary tasting. They had some great deals on Zins, so we picked up two bottles and two bottles of Pinot Noir. Then we stopped by Kenwood where we got a Jack London 2011 cab for $15 (normally $35.00). The next stop was nearby Vianessa Wineries that was recommended by Kenwood. We ended the day with Muscardini Cellars - one of our favorite wineries that we had discovered in 2010. After a wonderful tasting we rejoined their wine club. They have some of the best Sangiovese I've ever had, but all of their wine is really outstanding.<br />
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On Tuesday we fearlessly headed out again - this time to the Healdsburg section where a couple of our favorite wineries are located. We stopped by Pedroncelli Winey first. We had loved Pedroncelli when we visited them in 2010. They didn't ship to New Jersey back then, but now they do so we signed up for their wine club (and walked out with six great bottles as well!).<br />
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Next we headed to Rodney Strong. Originally we had planned on joining Rodney Strong's wine club. We did a wine tasting there, and asked about the club, but they don't ship to New Jersey. Apparently it all depends on the size of the distributor in New Jersey - small wineries can ship, but the larger ones often can't. The whole things seems ridiculous, and I think that New Jersey should really change their laws, but that's just how it is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rodney Strong Vinyards</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rodney Strong Cellars</td></tr>
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We ended the day at Matrix winery because the pourer at Muscardini had recommended them. What a find! Their wine was magnificent so we joined their wine club too. We now have too many wine clubs and will have to cancel at least two of them as soon as possible. Usually you can cancel after two shipments. Until then, we'll just be forced to put up with receiving way too much great California wine - damn!<br />
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We took the day off on Wednesday and enjoyed the hot tub and swimming pool at the campground. We're leaving California with some great memories and absolutely superb wine. We love you and will miss you California!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-91049660054053786632015-04-13T11:29:00.000-04:002015-04-21T18:23:28.106-04:00Return to San Francisco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We arrived at San Francisco RV Resort on April 8th. This park is pretty much a parking lot with RVs in it, but it's located on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, and has a spectacular view of the ocean. It is conveniently located in Pacifica which is only 20 minutes away from San Francisco.<br />
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Our first expedition into the city was Golden Gate Park where we wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens. We looked for parking on the street, and after about 15 minutes gave up and parked in the garage ( $15.00 for three hours). The botanical gardens were outstanding, and we strolled around for three hours before heading home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park</td></tr>
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We only ventured into the city one more time, stopping at Giardelli's for 3 huge bags of candy. We ate dinner at Sotto Mare in Little Italy where we got the best cioppino we've ever had - full of crab meat, mussels, shrimp and scallops. Delicious!<br />
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We were going to visit Muir Woods and Point Reyes National Park. We got to Muir Beach Overlook heading towards Point Reyes, and the drive on Route 1 was so tedious and exhausting with its sharply winding roads that we turned around. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muir Overlook</td></tr>
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We'll be in Petaluma (which is near Sonoma and Napa) on April 12th for 4 nights. Although I'm looking forward to tasting some great wines, I'll miss the ocean views.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-48177869527313381932015-04-12T18:33:00.000-04:002015-04-12T18:33:00.211-04:00 New Brighton Beach State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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New Brighton Beach State Park is located in the seaside town of Capitola, and is a few miles away from Santa Cruz. We took a leisurely drive up the coast from Marina Dunes, and arrived at the campground in an hour - around 12:00 P.M on April 3rd. The campground is on a cliff overlooking the beach, and there is a walkway down to the beach that Mirra and I took a couple of times - too many steps for Bob.<br />
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We stayed on campsite #50, and aside from being unlevel, it was great - very spacious and private.<br />
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We took a drive to Natural Bridges State Park and walked along the waterfront in Santa Cruz. What a lovely town with incredible ocean views!<br />
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Another day we drove along route 1 to Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America. They have a hostel there that's part of the international hostel system. <br />
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This is the original Fresnel lens that was used in the lighthouse - it has 1008 prisms, and weights 2000 lbs. Today the lighthouse is still active, and uses a 24 inch aero beacon.<br />
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There were some gorgeous wildflowers bordering the hostel!<br />
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We continued on Route 1 to Half Moon Bay. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful all along the coast. <br />
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We really enjoyed the 5 days that we were in this area. Now on to San Francisco!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-27325172024602954432015-04-02T22:55:00.002-04:002015-04-02T22:55:56.248-04:00Monterey, Carmel By The Sea, and Big SurWe are staying at <b>Marina Dunes RV Park </b>which is about 10 minutes away from Monterey and 15 minutes from Carmel. Our campsite is unlevel, but outside of that we like it here at this park. We have a fireplace and patio, but it's been a little too cool and windy to have a fire. Daytime temperatures have been around 61 but at night it's been dropping down to about 48.<br />
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There is a path to the beach that's 1/3 of a mile. Dogs are allowed on the beach here, so Mirra and I have been making the walk every day.<br />
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Bob and I haven't been in this area for 18 years. It was good to revisit the 17 mile drive ...<br />
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Bob had never seen the Monterey Aquarium, so we went on Monday. It was packed with kids on Easter Break. Nevertheless, we got to see plenty of exhibits and enjoyed our day.<br />
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We caught the penguin feeding at 3:00, and they were lots of fun to watch. Two of the penguins were raiding another penguin's house and moving the rocks into their own little abode.<br />
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On Tuesday we drove down Route 1 to Big Sur. The scenery was even more dramatic than I remember it being when we drove along the coast 18 years ago.<br />
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Wednesday we went out to dinner at the Clint Eastwood's Mission Ranch, and the prime rib was excellent.<br />
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The Mission Ranch has one of the most beautiful settings that you could ever want. Sheep are grazing in the pasture...<br />
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and you get this wonderful view of Point Lobos.<br />
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Tomorrow we head 70 miles north to New Brighton Beach State Park where we'll be able to enjoy more seascapes and ocean sunsets!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Marina Dunes State Beach</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-59364181078437647892015-03-29T11:23:00.003-04:002015-03-29T11:32:54.120-04:00Wine Tasting and Sight Seeing at Paso Robles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We pulled into the Vines RV Park in Paso Robles on Friday March 20th. Little did we know that the annual Zinfest was going on - the park was packed! After setting up, we strolled down to the bar area for some complimentary wine tasting that was offered by some of the local wineries.<br />
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The Zinfest was $60 a person, and if we had been prepared for it we may have gone. There were events going on all over the place, and for the $60 dollars you got complimentary tastings at the participating wineries. However, since we had things to take care of on Saturday and Sunday (wash, food shopping) we decided to wait to do any wine tasting until Monday. It was just as well, since the wineries all seemed pretty busy for the Zinfest.<br />
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By Monday we were ready to sample some of the local wine. Our first stop was J Lohr, one of the wines that we enjoy back east, especially their Cabernet Sauvignon. We had a fabulous complimentary wine tasting there, and bought 3 great bottles - 2 of a delicious Petite Syrah, and a bottle of their Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. <br />
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Our next stop was San Antonio Wineries, mainly because they had offered some of their wines at the campground here on Friday night and we had enjoyed them. We ended up buying a really nice Cab blend, a Zinfindel and a Sangiovese.<br />
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Tuesday we took advantage of the small workout room that the Vines offers. Their equipment is all in good order, offering an 2 elliptical trainers, 2 treadmills and a bike.<br />
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Wednesday we were ready for some more wine tasting, and started off with Tobin James. What a great wine tasting experience that was! All complimentary, and all good stuff. We were really impressed and decided to join their wine club. They offer many of their really fine reserve wines for about a 50% discount for members, and it is by far one of the best deals we've run across.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tobin James Winery</td></tr>
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After Tobin James we headed for two of the wineries that had offered samples at the Vines' Friday night tasting. Pear Valley gave us a complimentary tasting, but we were unimpressed and didn't make any purchases there. We tried to go to Villa San-Julliette. , but when we got there we found that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays they were only open by appointment. What a beautiful setting they have there - sorry we couldn't taste their wine.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villa San-Julliette Winery</td></tr>
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Finally we ended the day with a trip to Peachy Canyon Winery, known for it's wonderful Zinfandels, and sure enough we walked out with two great bottles of Zin that we really love.<br />
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We were going to go to Hearst Castle on Thursday, but it has a hefty $25.00<br />
fee per person, it was crowded, and we were much more interested in going to look at the elephant seals, so this is as close as we got to seeing the castle.<br />
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The rookery for the seals is four miles north of Heart Castle. At this time of the year, it is mostly females and young seals that are practicing their swimming skills before they leave.<br />
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There were still some males hanging around though - and these two got a bit confrontational. <br />
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The male seal that was trying to come out of the water is forced away by the larger male.<br />
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We drove down the coastline a bit more before turning back and returning to the Vines.<br />
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Wildflowers were in abundance!<br />
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On the way back we noticed zebras (of all things). Seems that they are part of the Hearst Zoo.<br />
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More beautiful scenery!<br />
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We left Paso Robles on Friday and are now in Marina Dunes RV Park which is near Carmel and Monterey. We certainly had a great stay at Paso Robles, and left with some excellent wines!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-81026830154500513082015-03-25T12:36:00.001-04:002015-03-25T12:36:10.118-04:00Goodbye Death Valley<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise at Death Valley National Park</td></tr>
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In 1849 the California Gold Rush lured many wagon trains to seek a short cut through this region. Only one wagon train made it out, and according to the story, one of the party said "Goodbye Death Valley" and the name stuck. I said goodbye merely because we're now in Paso Robles doing some wine tasting - not nearly as dramatic!<br />
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Death Valley is a great place to visit. We pulled into the Furnace Creek campground on Monday, March 16th, and spent the next three action packed days taking in some of the sights.<br />
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We set out on Tuesday to see the old ghost town of Rhyolite. Founded in 1904, Rhyolite was a booming mining town with a population of 10,000. However, the financial panic of 1907 took its toll on the town, and by 1912 only a handful of people remained. <br />
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Train Station at Rhyolite</div>
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We decided to go through Titus Canyon on the way back. Wow, what a surprise we were in for! The dirt road that winds through the canyon is narrow and filled with hair pin turns up and down the steep inclines that take you through the canyon. The scenery is beautiful, but Bob had to concentrate on the road so that we didn't go off the edge. I couldn't get any pictures that do the canyon justice as there were no good turn offs and the car was rattling around too much to take good ones out of the window. I did get some good video of Bob white knuckling it through the gorge.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenJZg8cR-tcni3RBmWUauhDmlLpXCLyoV9rIo0gZYesvJG__AX6sAVxM-v_05WS58nM8wjgh1cep5WrRiS5ofXokjtI5ZnGgkVsb3Z-Jlje4l9cAwHE31Lh-FGXuyCAsGdyEDuQCHujpJ/s1600/IMG_6606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenJZg8cR-tcni3RBmWUauhDmlLpXCLyoV9rIo0gZYesvJG__AX6sAVxM-v_05WS58nM8wjgh1cep5WrRiS5ofXokjtI5ZnGgkVsb3Z-Jlje4l9cAwHE31Lh-FGXuyCAsGdyEDuQCHujpJ/s1600/IMG_6606.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Titus Canyon</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9Q_CG25J8KrcPPNSPt072Jt5bMP3CgeOO2ZJ23KA2gugEgIXHVvRaj0i3f8L0z-xK5sjcCzHkt3LHKotUWxCtiI1MbPRl_O2T7Tpb1sOBuq5lW_8zIQ_iHGTBs6C1U3X6vR0H1apMmc7/s1600/IMG_6613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9Q_CG25J8KrcPPNSPt072Jt5bMP3CgeOO2ZJ23KA2gugEgIXHVvRaj0i3f8L0z-xK5sjcCzHkt3LHKotUWxCtiI1MbPRl_O2T7Tpb1sOBuq5lW_8zIQ_iHGTBs6C1U3X6vR0H1apMmc7/s1600/IMG_6613.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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We took a break going through the canyon to stop at Leadfield, another old mining town that dates back to the 1920's.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leadfield</td></tr>
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On Wednesday we headed out to Badwater Basin, the lowest spot in the North America. There is huge span of salt flats there caused by trapped water evaporating and leaving just the salt deposits behind.<br />
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We continued on to Artist's Drive. I never expected all of this beauty in the desert. The pictures don't do justice to the colors in the rocks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QP6pFv8JU4rRF7kn_ry_In_airprXSw-6Ilu1t1qySGVECvOCWQ8GGzNyoD59g3qHma8PZ5sKmwbuW-Ic7JaGNYFUNfltRXcMZSqmPSQtP0YJYU39JUO6veC5guibPS2h9_at_Z91bgo/s1600/IMG_6635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QP6pFv8JU4rRF7kn_ry_In_airprXSw-6Ilu1t1qySGVECvOCWQ8GGzNyoD59g3qHma8PZ5sKmwbuW-Ic7JaGNYFUNfltRXcMZSqmPSQtP0YJYU39JUO6veC5guibPS2h9_at_Z91bgo/s1600/IMG_6635.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I walked up to Zabriski Point to get a couple of pictures - very scenic!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSMnXPg8khBH0pg9p8AxgfAUSGJbG8O1KkY0MdFpb7Rn-09VpWJv9Nr2_snV95F6mAkVOmvESucBFapOiLrQlAkN056iU-q5ysUl5TuZt3Hvl_HzfMcod9nGt_TmMx3l22XGXmJyB3Sb8/s1600/IMG_6649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSMnXPg8khBH0pg9p8AxgfAUSGJbG8O1KkY0MdFpb7Rn-09VpWJv9Nr2_snV95F6mAkVOmvESucBFapOiLrQlAkN056iU-q5ysUl5TuZt3Hvl_HzfMcod9nGt_TmMx3l22XGXmJyB3Sb8/s1600/IMG_6649.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zabriski Point</td></tr>
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Finally we headed up to Dante's Peak which at 5500 ft. has some amazing views.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFliImtnN2iY70_AgYoSgUC1wvwx7X085DR4kj42ylcetHJYRTcAoxnHtooWqhaNBTy-Po79ahUomGkSv1nof36UEWFlywdic6c7lWRTRY2CV4_5ILEBG-6ZG8ykUEqmV2d8JG2G4FXYlE/s1600/IMG_6659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFliImtnN2iY70_AgYoSgUC1wvwx7X085DR4kj42ylcetHJYRTcAoxnHtooWqhaNBTy-Po79ahUomGkSv1nof36UEWFlywdic6c7lWRTRY2CV4_5ILEBG-6ZG8ykUEqmV2d8JG2G4FXYlE/s1600/IMG_6659.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEV0rvI8iJEK7NHw2lbg7UNqUzSYrbFpihgTrUT9blhVRSugNy3AekPzYYcnL_zYdJ1ioIxjgIDnKhRV_MnjYeXrL7nYVrkeLqnVbPycacqBD9hdgJr1u7W9xXkPZqOayCyg81O_5Cw0k/s1600/IMG_6657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEV0rvI8iJEK7NHw2lbg7UNqUzSYrbFpihgTrUT9blhVRSugNy3AekPzYYcnL_zYdJ1ioIxjgIDnKhRV_MnjYeXrL7nYVrkeLqnVbPycacqBD9hdgJr1u7W9xXkPZqOayCyg81O_5Cw0k/s1600/IMG_6657.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dante's Peak</td></tr>
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There were some pretty wildflowers on the way down from the peak. Some Desert Indian Paint brush....<br />
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These delicate little purple flowers are Indigo Bush,<br />
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I think the yellow flower below is a Desert Dandilion, but I don't know what the white ones are.<br />
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Bob no sooner lit a campfire on Wednesday evening when a sudden storm blew in. The wind was pretty strong - probably about 40 mph - and lasted for about 20 minutes. There were a few drops of rain, and then the whole thing blew over, but by then we had doused our campfire and packed it in for the night.<br />
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Here's a good view of our campsite - one of the 26 full hookup sites available at the Furnace Creek campground.<br />
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On Thursday we went to see the old Harmony Borax Works which refined borax from <span style="color: #464646; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5f0dd; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.999979019165px;">1883 to 1889.</span></span><br />
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Here are some of the old wagons, pulled of course by the "20-mule team" made famous in commercials. They hauled 10 tons of borax 165 miles through the desert and mountain passes to the railroad in Mojave. Amazingly, not a single animal was lost nor did a single wagon break down.</div>
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We took a drive on 190 to Panamint Springs. Our navigational system was going to take us on this road to get to Paso Robles, so we through we'd check it out. Good thing that we did, because it was a pretty hairy drive, full of long steep grades and windy roads. We decided to take an alternate route to Paso Robles where we would head back out of the park the way we came in and pick up I15.</div>
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There was a lovely sunset on Thursday evening. We had a campfire and gazed at the stars glittering through a crystal clear sky. The desert can be such a mysterious, beautiful and interesting place. We've really enjoyed our time here.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Death Valley National Park</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-77381581455379731262015-03-13T15:36:00.000-04:002015-03-13T15:36:28.639-04:00Wrapping Up Our Stay in Desert Hot Springs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3YD4_rT227VpjuaoAglh_dIW-6t5GnJuPJ8VoCFxv5qNo07vkDj-DH71Qv3uSwnd4sbDrL9gOP5YvSpZEiGBnYcTwcWluITJr26ZONm6BiQGXIVk4g0KVcZLIJHl-ZCzUMdiA-dCrh4j/s1600/20150208_161028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3YD4_rT227VpjuaoAglh_dIW-6t5GnJuPJ8VoCFxv5qNo07vkDj-DH71Qv3uSwnd4sbDrL9gOP5YvSpZEiGBnYcTwcWluITJr26ZONm6BiQGXIVk4g0KVcZLIJHl-ZCzUMdiA-dCrh4j/s1600/20150208_161028.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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We'll be moving on to Death Valley on Monday March 16, so we're wrapping things up here at the Sands RV Resort. We enjoyed it here so much, and have already signed up for three months next year. We didn't get to see everything that we wanted to while we were here, but we did do some more sight seeing since my last post.<br />
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The Salton Sea Recreation Area was an interesting day trip. 332 feet below sea level, the Salton Sea is California’s largest lake measuring 35 miles long and 15
miles wide. The sea was formed from water flowing from the Rockies to the Gulf of Mexico that became landlocked.<br />
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We visited the Air Museum in Palm Springs and got inside a B17 Flying Fortress. I've never been inside any of the planes that flew in WWII, and the dangerous conditions that they flew in are pretty incredible. Our guide said that her father flew a B17 on 32 missions and came out alive - lucky man!<br />
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Our last trip was to the George Patton Museum, which is in Chiraco Summit (about 50 miles away). The museum is at the site of the Desert Training Center at Camp Young where Patton trained troops for desert warfare during World War II.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Patton Museum</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cathedral at George Patton Museum, Indio CA</td></tr>
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Two of my sons and their families visited us last week, and it was great to see them all. We had a terrific time just relaxing and hanging out. Hopefully we can have a reunion again next year. This is a good meeting point, since one lives in Arizona and one lives in California.<br />
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I'll be sorry to leave the Sands, but look forward to returning next year. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at the Sands</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-525529749246937392015-02-24T16:13:00.000-05:002015-02-24T16:13:03.166-05:00A Wonderful Weekend Visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bob and I just returned from a wonderful visit in Fallbrook, CA with my son Jeff, his wife Marlene and my grandson Chase. Fallbrook is only about an hour and 45 minutes away from our campsite here at the Sands RV Resort. As an extra treat I also got to see my grandson Greg and his fiance Andi, both of whom are in the Navy, and are now in San Diego. Greg took us on a tour of his ship the USS Essex, which is a an amphibious assault carrier. It was a bit rough on Bob, since we had to go up so many flights of steps to get to the bridge, but he persevered, and it was well worth it!<br />
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On Sunday we toured the wineries at Temecula after doing an olive oil tasting. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures since it was a rainy day out. It was lots of fun though, and we came home with a couple of good bottles of wine from the South Coast Winery as well as some tasty basil olive oil and pomegranate vinegar from the Temecula Olive Oil Company. What a great weekend!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0Fallbrook, CA 92028, USA33.3764196 -117.2511465999999733.2703281 -117.41250809999997 33.482511099999996 -117.08978509999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-24242342741781965502015-02-09T16:45:00.000-05:002015-02-09T16:45:39.103-05:00Enjoying Our Time at Desert Hot Springs, CAWell, we finally made it to California for our winter trip, but it certainly wasn't easy. When we left New Jersey on December 27th Bob had a slight cough and thought he was coming down with something. By the next day he had full blown bronchitis and was wheezing horribly. I was coughing as well. We decided to change our plans and stay in South Carolina an extra day so that we could see a doctor. We were both on antibiotics, but neither one of us seemed to be getting much better. I helped out with the driving for the first time, which gave poor Bob a break - he was so sick! We continued on to a campground outside of Tallahassee for one night, then pulled into the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis MS. Our New Years Eve celebration was a pretty sad affair, but we tried to make the best of it. Bob was getting NO sleep since he was wheezing so heavily. On New Years day we figured it was time for him to go to the hospital. There's a large hospital in nearby Gulf Port, so we figured that was the safest place. The doctor in the emergency room thought that it was best that Bob be admitted because of his heart condition (he has a defibrillator/pacemaker because of a low ejection fraction). After receiving multiple breathing treatments for two days Bob was released. He seemed to be doing OK so we continued on. It was a rough trip the rest of the way due to freezing cold temperatures all across Texas and New Mexico. We finally arrived in Mesa AZ and stayed at Viewpoint RV Park for a week. My youngest son lives in Gilbert, so we enjoyed visiting with him and his family during the week. We took a day trip and drove on the Apache Trail into the Superstition Mountains, and it was as beautiful as we remembered it from our trip in 2010.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBVtDGLyg72zI-NF_vOngiQWKJ01YDeKxpFNp_r7B_Vbc3ftOo7exQwNL1_1xMPeVJn8kMPiFy1gRSO1SVDwuPXfNKgSHtPeU270nVDFkTM0UAVicvlo_t8OOV-ZXNmSpMZa6MusnEqOn/s1600/IMG_6452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBVtDGLyg72zI-NF_vOngiQWKJ01YDeKxpFNp_r7B_Vbc3ftOo7exQwNL1_1xMPeVJn8kMPiFy1gRSO1SVDwuPXfNKgSHtPeU270nVDFkTM0UAVicvlo_t8OOV-ZXNmSpMZa6MusnEqOn/s1600/IMG_6452.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from an outlook on the Apache Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon Lake<br /></td></tr>
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We arrived on January 18th at Sands RV and Golf Resort in Desert Hot Springs, CA. We're going to be here for two months, and we couldn't be happier!<br />
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We love this park and we <i><b>really</b></i> love the weather in this part of the country. We had a couple of rainy days, but for the most part it's been sunny and in the mid to high 70's. This week it's been in the 80's, which is just fine with us. Time for golf, the swimming pool and hot tub!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golf Course at Sands RV and Golf Resort</td></tr>
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We played golf once so far on the 9 hole executive course. We're going to try to play at least once a week. It's a great little course which is perfect for us to try to get our game back since we haven't played for almost two years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZ2jaeLXeSlMBNjW02b2QsLgK7k9xgpr2msb1VsjPbIkWiUubMgX1z19GT_9_vpE8-6aa5w1wPha786-MlUvRy4wAsbz9Gya_6kCossD9mFW8mDAhYh5e5sbXZiidLzhDHDBfgzkcV4S2/s1600/20150208_150936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZ2jaeLXeSlMBNjW02b2QsLgK7k9xgpr2msb1VsjPbIkWiUubMgX1z19GT_9_vpE8-6aa5w1wPha786-MlUvRy4wAsbz9Gya_6kCossD9mFW8mDAhYh5e5sbXZiidLzhDHDBfgzkcV4S2/s1600/20150208_150936.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heated pool at Sands RV and Golf Resort</td></tr>
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As far as the pool and hot tubs are concerned, we've been enjoying them nearly every day! There's a gym in the building behind the hot tubs that we've been working out in. Perfect!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7VNoFo-A2pXpiEKcbAUU70asSW5XXqb0L7sQPZGv4ptQauwjkUhTxupFIq0Lpzp8JvrKAXOYGmOn1j2gURAT_Uutz2RAA6QdHKC4Ngxo16jBcvTzoKUYTT4R-livDOfMKLLkfJK67QTz/s1600/20150208_150904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7VNoFo-A2pXpiEKcbAUU70asSW5XXqb0L7sQPZGv4ptQauwjkUhTxupFIq0Lpzp8JvrKAXOYGmOn1j2gURAT_Uutz2RAA6QdHKC4Ngxo16jBcvTzoKUYTT4R-livDOfMKLLkfJK67QTz/s1600/20150208_150904.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hut tubs at Sands RV and Golf Resort</td></tr>
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Our campsite has plenty of room, and best of all we have lots of privacy. All of the sites here have hedges bordering each side, and our site has a great view of the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeH13EZBSkCZqxIBYx4hEtu46kGHtmVDc8IGx3qciKJjUWPW6rw2tpjkXtuzW5Ee7KNsB4dihtVauVD31L9mjh3aw5a9zqDlYpwwD-fb8do17nRtopyMR20yAyf9eM5N3EaiHCh1jOm_E/s1600/IMG_6516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeH13EZBSkCZqxIBYx4hEtu46kGHtmVDc8IGx3qciKJjUWPW6rw2tpjkXtuzW5Ee7KNsB4dihtVauVD31L9mjh3aw5a9zqDlYpwwD-fb8do17nRtopyMR20yAyf9eM5N3EaiHCh1jOm_E/s1600/IMG_6516.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campsite 142 at Sands RV and Golf Resort</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4Fuo3WhDNlQE6Zk8nVYSP5b2CzJNJ3n6u0uSVfR5GJgI5odQWWm1F4a9z4SB1VTKZerdKx34yNMwWn4DonaKGGmsLKKjBdDfSmcWspmhMSFvQ2iw9bTCn_QYgPMqfCGJAJ2GwbBZM0ep/s1600/IMG_6520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4Fuo3WhDNlQE6Zk8nVYSP5b2CzJNJ3n6u0uSVfR5GJgI5odQWWm1F4a9z4SB1VTKZerdKx34yNMwWn4DonaKGGmsLKKjBdDfSmcWspmhMSFvQ2iw9bTCn_QYgPMqfCGJAJ2GwbBZM0ep/s1600/IMG_6520.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob enjoying the perfect weather!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOja-dHpHlu3VaKXT57tO6U29wCTUBppGlaWUjZ5LIQfDFoMj_TCYk8DFEB4TIUyUi6nUJCPLiVm2kW0nZqaKB4KXHvwhiDFG0l8rKfuG0CQA-RNXl5je-chE3NsA9ZrpSaVHSvP0UZlYs/s1600/IMG_6483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOja-dHpHlu3VaKXT57tO6U29wCTUBppGlaWUjZ5LIQfDFoMj_TCYk8DFEB4TIUyUi6nUJCPLiVm2kW0nZqaKB4KXHvwhiDFG0l8rKfuG0CQA-RNXl5je-chE3NsA9ZrpSaVHSvP0UZlYs/s1600/IMG_6483.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the back of our campsite at Sands RV and Golf Resort</td></tr>
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We've seen some of the sights around here, but we need to do some more exploring. Here's what we've done so far:<br />
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<b>Joshua Tree National Park i</b>s only about 45 miles from here, so we spent a day revisiting it. I love this park - it has its on special beauty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIaZDsq9c7I_5qEiGcGJyDmn9b-paq2IS5wdjmd9MfbDXnJwuEarnfs3HGTs_6im3pMEtgyiE-S-rW1IoEO79korPtqLczhLEvqfq9fpUZIQZxsrbctPC-w-IECnA2hILG-qaI3oycHih/s1600/IMG_6470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIaZDsq9c7I_5qEiGcGJyDmn9b-paq2IS5wdjmd9MfbDXnJwuEarnfs3HGTs_6im3pMEtgyiE-S-rW1IoEO79korPtqLczhLEvqfq9fpUZIQZxsrbctPC-w-IECnA2hILG-qaI3oycHih/s1600/IMG_6470.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree National Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9ip7A4gUxJ42cBhWwAYLE3a6_ODaMu97Hm9KgiGadjcDx8L177bNo0nFsNe7r5_Y1vF577yfXTIxtSUWU9hmZEZhuaEfrfhHwR50qJzi7lqgbANPLWNXFwIYydUxjxGJdpB_RWvq7MKV/s1600/IMG_6469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9ip7A4gUxJ42cBhWwAYLE3a6_ODaMu97Hm9KgiGadjcDx8L177bNo0nFsNe7r5_Y1vF577yfXTIxtSUWU9hmZEZhuaEfrfhHwR50qJzi7lqgbANPLWNXFwIYydUxjxGJdpB_RWvq7MKV/s1600/IMG_6469.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Big Bear Mountain from Joshua Tree National Park</td></tr>
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We took a walk down the <b>Butler-Abrams Trail </b>which starts from Michale F. Wolfson Park in Rancho Mirage. The walk borders the Whitewater Wash, and then runs along the Morningside Country Club.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVVjvWAtDr1AOy24MBlB0wbntl_Gj3W7scZmVM9980fxzmWz77nyAFWCLyGb53wFTmnAD3Is6w8mH4ieoF7pohtM3pGqtMSVC0elBLvmxk1o7b0TyBVJJ8_-wURZltbD-N6vbaY9hM06n/s1600/20150128_113004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVVjvWAtDr1AOy24MBlB0wbntl_Gj3W7scZmVM9980fxzmWz77nyAFWCLyGb53wFTmnAD3Is6w8mH4ieoF7pohtM3pGqtMSVC0elBLvmxk1o7b0TyBVJJ8_-wURZltbD-N6vbaY9hM06n/s1600/20150128_113004.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michale F. Wolfson Park, Rancho Mirage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzPdpev48V08rZ6vvHoCvsE47V8QdO6KOwvEHYLs1DB_aBODpAJlKTwq4oZk87qlzqQgJoINS1yRRfRP0Dm1-CYIr6mtEeXrlIqbyIJ9XJp9d3a3ZZxBJxchxuNEAXf2FNBLN2X6IrCTU/s1600/20150128_114744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzPdpev48V08rZ6vvHoCvsE47V8QdO6KOwvEHYLs1DB_aBODpAJlKTwq4oZk87qlzqQgJoINS1yRRfRP0Dm1-CYIr6mtEeXrlIqbyIJ9XJp9d3a3ZZxBJxchxuNEAXf2FNBLN2X6IrCTU/s1600/20150128_114744.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butler Abrams Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXxN-1xs9S5bxPp8JTXrBWY2DWNLvfx6gFVmwi30LlmTnRMojzo7lo7ugYi046zB9zkZ0WhMYEq33043JA61Qsok-niNrk39LhbQ1A8axpNCBwo2IXC7EfVkZuzbWeQ1lfkWNu3gbQOxv/s1600/20150128_115506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXxN-1xs9S5bxPp8JTXrBWY2DWNLvfx6gFVmwi30LlmTnRMojzo7lo7ugYi046zB9zkZ0WhMYEq33043JA61Qsok-niNrk39LhbQ1A8axpNCBwo2IXC7EfVkZuzbWeQ1lfkWNu3gbQOxv/s1600/20150128_115506.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butler Abrams Trail in Rancho Mirage</td></tr>
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Another interesting side trip we took was to Whitewater Preserve. The preserve includes a trout farm and some nice hiking trails. We walked around the paved trail, and enjoyed a lunch by the trout pond.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lmAEjXTgei9aMJzGKOm7c_pnfy5N-ijt1UFjDhanxbgPbMs_mzPb_Cb8I4BVrn7VY0-BX_7lpJUiVve9cmG2O74N0V621aXkEcyddc6Z9WgRT0kERZVxpfYBvM2xodAPfJN_FzHVe3jd/s1600/IMG_6500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lmAEjXTgei9aMJzGKOm7c_pnfy5N-ijt1UFjDhanxbgPbMs_mzPb_Cb8I4BVrn7VY0-BX_7lpJUiVve9cmG2O74N0V621aXkEcyddc6Z9WgRT0kERZVxpfYBvM2xodAPfJN_FzHVe3jd/s1600/IMG_6500.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trout Pond at Whitewater Preserve</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfybGvfmDDfONeF8u4hXe6uyY6NJHkPxXkDO64MDs_GfeQ33VY8_awpmtR4B0pQFTmlpXTFrVi5c9jGylrrfeKyU2BqWJY1BdmcmgeVWNN_ThDJ63h1nyiR0G5MjsxhKqHfi7M6E8nPg9/s1600/IMG_6486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfybGvfmDDfONeF8u4hXe6uyY6NJHkPxXkDO64MDs_GfeQ33VY8_awpmtR4B0pQFTmlpXTFrVi5c9jGylrrfeKyU2BqWJY1BdmcmgeVWNN_ThDJ63h1nyiR0G5MjsxhKqHfi7M6E8nPg9/s1600/IMG_6486.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trout at Whitewater Preserve</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paved trail at Whitewater Preserve</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob and Mirra at Whitewater Preserve</td></tr>
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There's plenty more to see and do in this area, but I think for the most part we'll just be relaxing and enjoying this gorgeous weather!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com4Desert Hot Springs, CA, USA33.961124 -116.501678433.8557645 -116.6630399 34.0664835 -116.3403169tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-47101629172931410502014-05-29T15:31:00.000-04:002014-05-29T15:31:05.560-04:00Skidaway Island State ParkWe stayed at Skidaway Island State Park from Sunday May 4th until Friday May 9th. I reserved a premium site with full hook-ups. This park allows reservations for a type of site but not an exact site, so after we registered we drove around for awhile to pick out which site we wanted. There were not all that many premium sites left, but we found a nice big site to our liking, and set up camp.<div>
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The beauty of Skidaway is that it's only about 20 minutes away from Savannah and it's about 30 minutes away from Tybee Island. This made it a perfect spot for us since we wanted to see both points of interest.</div>
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It was very hot and steamy during our stay here. The temperature was up into the 90's, with bright sunshine all five days. What a welcome change after the dreary weather we had been having.</div>
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Monday we took a walk on one of the nature trails with Mirra. </div>
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We decided to check out Tybee Island on Tuesday since it was a perfect beach day. We got there around 1:00 PM, easily found public parking, and sat ourselves on the beach for a couple of hours. We finally got to go swimming - the water felt really good on such a hot day.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach at Tybee Island</td></tr>
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Thursday was our sight seeing day in Savannah. We decided to do the Old Savannah Bus Tour, and took the one where you can get on and off at any stop. We got off to have lunch when we got to the river, then hopped back onto the bus figuring that we could go through the circuit again and get off at the points of interest. That was a big mistake. We got off to see the fountain, and by the time we got back on it was too late to get off at any of the other stops. Still, we enjoyed the tour, and got to see lots of interesting things. Savannah is probably one of the prettiest cities I've ever seen, and so full of history. It's really worth a visit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Waving Girl Statue</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain in Forsyth Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist</td></tr>
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One of the mansions that we saw was owned by the Mercer family. Johnny Mercer wrote the famous "Moon River" - a river that we got to cross many times coming out of the campground.</div>
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We intended to go back to Savannah and go touring on our own for another day, but never got there - we just simply ran out of time. Perhaps sometime in the future we'll be able to return and get to visit this lovely city again.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA 31411, USA31.9556232 -81.05363829999998931.9286782 -81.093978799999988 31.982568200000003 -81.013297799999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-28172637960264138582014-05-28T15:18:00.000-04:002014-05-28T15:18:02.897-04:00Henderson Beach State Park, Destin FL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We stayed at Henderson Beach State Park May 1-3. This was our third visit to this wonderful campground. The extremely large and private campsites and the beautiful beach make Henderson State Park really very special. Our campsite was a giant pull-thru which offered nearly complete privacy. </div>
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I wish that we could have stayed here longer, but we were on our way home, so I only booked us for two nights. The weather wasn't all that great - a bit cool and cloudy, so even though the water looked inviting, it was really too cold to swim.</div>
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Henderson Beach has paved paths leading to a boardwalk that goes down to the beach. </div>
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It's a pretty walk down to the beach. The magnolias were out, and brightened things up a bit.</div>
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Bob and I actually prefer Henderson Beach State Park to some of the other parks on the Florida Panhandle. Even though you don't have sewer hookups as you do at Topsail Beach, the park offers much larger and nicer campsites. We'd love to return and spend a couple of weeks here if we get the chance. It would be especially nice to stay here in the summer and get to swim in that beautiful emerald water.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0Henderson Beach State Park, 17000 Emerald Coast Parkway, Destin, FL 32541, USA30.386851 -86.44755399999996830.373153 -86.467723999999961 30.400549 -86.427383999999975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-50306073612205232692014-04-30T09:26:00.000-04:002014-06-28T17:18:15.368-04:00Bayou Segnette State Park, New Orleans and the 2014 New Orleans Jazz Fest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campsite 14 at Bayou Segnette State Park</td></tr>
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We arrived here at Bayou Segnette on April 19th. We stayed in this park 10 years ago when we visited New Orleans for our 10th anniversary. Our 20th anniversary is coming up this June, so we thought is was a great time to re-visit New Orleans.<br />
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Bayou Segnette is located in Westwego, LA which is about 15 minutes away from downtown New Orleans (on the West bank of the Mississippi). The sites are very large and well spaced. There's no sewer, but the sites have electric and water, and the campground has free wifi. The bonus feature is that the campground has <b>free</b> laundry rooms. I think that all of Louisiana state campgrounds offer this - what a nice feature!<br />
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Everything in this park is about flood control. There are concrete levees all along the road where the Bayou runs, and it looks as if they've built new gates. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The levee wall at Bayou Segnette State Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levee Gate at Bayou Segnette State Park</td></tr>
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The Bayou is very pretty, with lots of wild flowers growing along it - wild Iris and I think the pink ones are Mexican Primrose.<br />
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There used to be 20 cabins along the Bayou, but Katrina took them all out, and all that's left are pilings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remains of cabins after Katrina - Bayou Segnette State Park</td></tr>
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On Monday, Mirra had an appointment for an "interview" at Camp Bow Wow where we would be boarding her for two separate nights - one when we went out to dinner, and another when we went to the Jazz Festival. She got a few hours of free play time so that they could see how she behaved with other dogs. We took the opportunity to walk around Lafayette Cemetery Number I in the Garden District.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lafayette Cemetery Number 1 New Orleans</td></tr>
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On Tuesday we decided to take the drive to "the end of the world" as they call the town of Venice. It's pretty much as far as you can go on Highway 23 (the Great River Road), which is the only road that runs that far into the Mississippi Delta. Hurricane Katrina devastated this area, and you can see that by how many mobile and manufactured homes there are. Most homes were underwater, and only one school survived. Most people lost their homes and simply couldn't rebuild. Here's a picture of what Venice looked like after Katrina..<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wikipedia Commons - Venice after Katrina</td></tr>
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It's not hard to image the place flooding so badly when you see how close the water is to the road. This picture was taken from the truck, and the water comes pretty much right up to the highway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrimp boats at Venice, Louisiana</td></tr>
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This whole area is about fishing - sport fishing and shrimping - and OIL! The oil and gas companies are down here in force, with refineries, natural gas plants, storage facilities - you name it.<br />
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Bob got a great picture of a Spider Lily while we were on our way back to the campsite.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spider Lily</td></tr>
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On Wednesday we dropped Mirra off at Camp Bow Wow and after touring the WWII Museum, enjoyed a delicious pre-anniversary meal at Emeril's Delmonico Restaurant. Bob and I both got a cup of Gumbo, followed by the Shrimp Clemenceau , which was excellent. After that we went gambling at Harrah's on the waterfront. Neither of us won, but we managed to gamble for a few hours without spending much money.<br />
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Thursday we made an excursion to get andouille and boudin sausage. We found excellent andouille sausage not too far away at Jacob's Smokehouse in LaPlace, but we had to drive another 65 miles into Cajun country to get boudin sausage. Boudin is a combination of cooked rice, pork and onions. We finally ended up at Don's Specialty Meat Market in Scott, got our Boudin, and headed home to have it for dinner. What a treat!<br />
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On Friday we took a hike in John Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. We walked about two miles through some interesting swamp land with beautiful cypress trees.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHMiDeWcIAdlutDVU8_gMolwtOpUKbFogK6yKbjhIFSlMORro6JJBgwLntvK77ZUIpzMgB0DcakVNyltpfVWsksmVtWhVjcnvTc8EYzHMN-1xs7Sk0l_rmGBBxlbk48AFpUGzlWd-dYjj/s1600/IMG_6303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHMiDeWcIAdlutDVU8_gMolwtOpUKbFogK6yKbjhIFSlMORro6JJBgwLntvK77ZUIpzMgB0DcakVNyltpfVWsksmVtWhVjcnvTc8EYzHMN-1xs7Sk0l_rmGBBxlbk48AFpUGzlWd-dYjj/s1600/IMG_6303.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve</td></tr>
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This cypress must be hundreds of years old - a real giant!<br />
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On Saturday we took the drive down River Road to see the plantations. We decided to take a tour of Laura, a Creole sugar plantation dating back to 1804. Laura was owned by the French Duparc family. You can tell immediately that it's a Creole plantation because of its bright colors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82rUxnGtgslmCgBzY7j-5A56L9FU7ZVZ-18kxb46d_6AUMX78PYLmKXlh4zvr1ApsDOqeetId61QMrFioBDTEutUVNS1a4mN7jE5vkE_LQ_xR7M5hQc8Rawjp2dY84w2AZSIZfu4ZcbeL/s1600/IMG_6319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82rUxnGtgslmCgBzY7j-5A56L9FU7ZVZ-18kxb46d_6AUMX78PYLmKXlh4zvr1ApsDOqeetId61QMrFioBDTEutUVNS1a4mN7jE5vkE_LQ_xR7M5hQc8Rawjp2dY84w2AZSIZfu4ZcbeL/s1600/IMG_6319.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Plantation</td></tr>
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What made this tour so interesting to me was that the guide (who was a Creole, and whose family had also owned a plantation) placed a huge emphasis on how horrible slavery was. You got a feel for the suffering that the slaves must have gone through. This tiny cabin actually housed two extended families, one on each side - possibly as many as 16 people crammed into this small space.<br />
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Sunday arrived, and Bob and I headed out for the main event of our Louisiana stay - the New Orleans Jazz Festival. We were lucky to get perfect weather - partly cloudy and about 84 degrees with a nice breeze. If the sun had been out all day we would have really felt the heat, but the sun hid behind the clouds most of the day.<br />
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We saw some great acts as we walked around and visited the different tents. One of them was John Boutte who sings the theme song from HBO's show "Treme". There was lots of dancing going on around the Sheraton tent, featuring the Cajun band Fais Doo Doo.<br />
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We had a great time just roaming through the Fairgrounds.<br />
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I caught a parade going through the Fairgrounds:<br />
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At 5:15 the headliner, Eric Clapton came on, and blew the crowd away. <br />
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Here's a picture that I got from the Jazz Fest's Facebook page:<br />
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But here's all that we could see being so far back in the crowd:<br />
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What an outstanding performance. Even though I could only see him on the screens, it was still great hearing him. He's as good as ever, and hasn't lost anything.<br />
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It's been a great time in Louisiana, and I feel that we really got to see and do a lot while we were here. It's one of my favorite states to visit.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com4Bayou Segnette State Park, Westwego, LA 7009429.8918444 -90.16259709999997129.8367789 -90.243278099999969 29.9469099 -90.081916099999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-35225821482797146642014-04-29T12:05:00.001-04:002014-04-29T12:06:07.586-04:00Return to Gulf State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1FQbcvMgtDx4zFZgxdhxragrv7-YvDAUD2QzKq5nG8gU_ptiYX7iuKR7azXZK3HeotultnWbqZ2jyMTmxwt9zobsFbAHdMlzK1WjCvQ-8yaoVdrpKVto2evMgDlEtpX2GELIqF8APE9M/s1600/IMG_6280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1FQbcvMgtDx4zFZgxdhxragrv7-YvDAUD2QzKq5nG8gU_ptiYX7iuKR7azXZK3HeotultnWbqZ2jyMTmxwt9zobsFbAHdMlzK1WjCvQ-8yaoVdrpKVto2evMgDlEtpX2GELIqF8APE9M/s1600/IMG_6280.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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We pulled into Alabama's Gulf State Park on April 5th. We camped here last year, and were really looking forward to our two week stay. Things went a bit sour when we checked in, however. Last year the policy was that you could rent the the Canal campsites on a first-come first-serve basis. This year it ends up that you can only get those sites if you reserved them ahead of time. Unfortunately when I reserved our campsite, you couldn't reserve the Canal sites - they changed their policy in mid-stream. Much to my chagrin we were assigned a site on Quail Road.<br />
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I was pleasantly surprised to find that our pull-through site was absolutely wonderful, so my grumpiness about the whole thing quickly abated. We set up camp and settled in for two weeks of beach and biking.<br />
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Unfortunately, neither the weather nor our health cooperated. Bob and I both came down with some kind of upper respiratory infection that had us both under the weather for the entire stay. Bob ended up going to a doctor to get antibiotics, and both of us took it pretty easy for the whole two weeks. We did get to the beach a couple of days, but it was too cool to go into the water. We didn't bike at all since neither one of us really felt up to it. We did get to do a few things that really needed attending to - grooming Mirra and washing the RV. Both were getting a bit dirty!<br />
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We went out to get a bird feeder since there were so many birds in the park. Most of our days were spent sitting in our chairs reading and enjoying the many birds that were at the feeder - lots of cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, finches and even a red-headed woodpecker.<br />
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Although I was disappointed that we didn't get to do more, I have to say that if we were going to be under the weather, at least we had a pretty site and a beautiful park to recover in. Gulf State Park is still one of our favorites.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-43987099300795238482014-04-21T19:12:00.000-04:002014-05-28T15:25:01.378-04:00Fort Pickens Campground - Gulf Shores National Seashore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBhLICKnoew9-LNoYTfXmwWvLpRZi9ceEj3rVSn-HLkHeXw2lBGjHyyqTYNm6l0iHzyVltvRA0zkRpuImZ_-NbzrEyRdcdCvmaAzngsVh1TmGuko4frIfSR_g61sOtv0gHLt_nJ6rAKFg/s1600/IMG_6098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBhLICKnoew9-LNoYTfXmwWvLpRZi9ceEj3rVSn-HLkHeXw2lBGjHyyqTYNm6l0iHzyVltvRA0zkRpuImZ_-NbzrEyRdcdCvmaAzngsVh1TmGuko4frIfSR_g61sOtv0gHLt_nJ6rAKFg/s1600/IMG_6098.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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We stayed at Fort Pickens Campground from March 22nd to April 5th. As you can see from the above picture, we had some storms come through that temporarily flooded the campground. Our campsite was one of the better ones. Some of the sites across the street were really under water.<br />
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Fort Pickens is a wonderful campground, but often times the road coming into the park floods over, so whenever there is a storm you need to check with the park office to see if the road has flooded or if it's still open. They evacuate the island if the flooding is going to get too bad. In fact, they were talking about evacuating before this storm came through. I'm sure glad that they didn't have to.<br />
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I took this picture from the truck as we were going off of the island. Normally the water from the Gulf comes up pretty close to the road, so it's doesn't take much to flood the road out.<br />
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We got to explore the Fort while we were at the park. Fort Pickens is the largest of four forts that were built to defend Pensacola Bay. Completed in 1834, it was one of the only forts never occupied by Confederate troops. It was abandoned by the army at the end of World War II.<br />
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There were an abundance of osprey at Fort Pickens. Hurricane Ivan pretty much devastated this area, and the saltwater killed many trees. The osprey love to nest in these trees, though!<br />
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One of the biggest treats of our stay at Fort Pickens was that we got to watch the Blue Angels practicing. They took off from the Pensacola Naval Air Station and flew right over Fort Pickens. We had also seen them practicing when we visited the National Naval Aviation Museum. It was more exciting though watching them from Fort Pickens - they came so close!<br />
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We didn't get into the water at all. It was really too cool and windy, and there weren't many good beach days. Still, we enjoyed our stay here and would love to come back some day.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0Fort Pickens, Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561, USA30.328206299999991 -87.29256809999998330.321353299999991 -87.302653099999986 30.33505929999999 -87.282483099999979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-12023234155409866802014-03-31T09:21:00.000-04:002014-03-31T09:21:40.343-04:00Suwannee River State Park<div>
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On our way to Fort Pickens campground in Gulf Island National Seashore, we stayed at Suwannee River State Park for one night (on March 21st). I was pleasantly surprised at how pretty this lovely little state park is. Bob and I got a chance to walk down by the river in the evening. The Suwannee River was running very fast because there has been some flooding and the river is very high. In fact, rangers were telling people not to put canoes or kayaks in the river. <br />
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There are 30 campsites in the park, all of which have electric, water and sewer. Our campsite was large and fairly easy to get into. It was a great place for a one night stay. We'll be staying here again on the way back home.<br />
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We really enjoyed our visit with my son Jim and his family while we were at Hillsborough State Park. I'm sure that Mirra misses Jim - as you can see, he has a special way with her.<br />
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I'm being very careful with my Internet usage since we used almost 10 GB last month. I use my Verizon phone's hot spot, and the data usage can really add up! We've been at Fort Pickens since March 22nd, but I'll catch up with that blog another day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-7614835271778659902014-03-18T09:03:00.000-04:002014-03-18T09:03:11.382-04:00Hillsborough River State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We said goodbye to Salt Springs on Friday, March 14th, and headed out to Hillsborough River State Park. My son Jim lives about 20 minutes away from the park, so it's a good place to stay while we visit with Jim and his family. </div>
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We reserved campsite #18, which is conveniently located right across from the bathroom. We have electric and water, but no sewer. It was nice to be able to put out our solar lights. Salt Springs has a new ranger managing the area, and he has forbidden putting anything in the ground there except stakes for your tent. Nothing else is allowed in the ground, not even our small sheepdog flag. He has even made campers take their American flags out of the ground. This angered some people to the point that they actually left the park. We still love Salt Springs, but it certainly had a much nicer atmosphere before the rules became so restrictive. Anyhow, it's nice to be able to put our stuff out without being hassled.<br />
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Hillsborough has lots of nice nature trails and a bike path that circles the park, so we have plenty to do while we're here. We took a hike down the River Rapid Trail on Sunday.<br />
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The rapids weren't the roaring rapids type, but fairly mild. We stopped for awhile and enjoyed the view.<br />
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The Hillsborough River is perfect for kayaking. The water is really calm once you get past the rapids. <br />
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We had lots of rain come through here all day yesterday and through the night. Fortunately it should clear today, so if it looks OK we'll inflate the Sea Eagle and go for a ride. There are plenty of alligators in the river, but I'm told that they won't bother us. Let's hope that the people that told us that know what they're talking about. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-6791854790085481122014-02-22T12:52:00.000-05:002014-08-05T09:26:38.343-04:00A Great Day at Blue Springs State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_405480558"></span><span id="goog_405480559"></span>Bob and I spent an absolutely terrific day at Blue Springs State Park last Saturday. We figured we better get over there before the bulk of the manatees made there way further up the Saint Johns River. I guess lots of people were thinking the same thing, because when we got there, there were plenty of people waiting to get in. The line was about 12 cars long, and we had to wait for about 20 minutes, but it was well worth it.<br />
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When we got out of the car, we heard some pretty nice jazz coming out of the pavilion. Three young guys were giving a performance, so we sat down and listened for awhile. We love good jazz, so it was quite a treat, and a nice way to start our day. Blue Skies, 80 degree temperatures, good music - who could ask for more?<br />
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Luckily, there were plenty of manatees to see. Many of them looked like mothers with babies.<br />
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We saw an alligator that was a pretty good size. It might have been the same one we saw last year, just about in the same spot.<br />
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As we were leaving, we also saw an armadillo.<br />
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We checked out the campground again, and it sure is nice. I'd like to stay there sometime when we get a chance. Blue Springs is a great place to visit.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-79410207526641120312014-02-13T13:26:00.000-05:002014-02-22T12:53:37.401-05:00A Very Cold January and February So Far at Salt Springs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDCnOHUCk-MjcvweiIXvbeOABXG-_6cGhyiBQ9JZQTmhGrgMyP3iVC64oJos4Vxqob5QntX-fpoUKRXqfOg0MaY2FnAvmr7TR1gCXyIWpKnM94nB50IYx7R1fXSl5VrmcJpK_GchSns_U/s1600/IMG_5986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDCnOHUCk-MjcvweiIXvbeOABXG-_6cGhyiBQ9JZQTmhGrgMyP3iVC64oJos4Vxqob5QntX-fpoUKRXqfOg0MaY2FnAvmr7TR1gCXyIWpKnM94nB50IYx7R1fXSl5VrmcJpK_GchSns_U/s1600/IMG_5986.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our campsite at Salt Springs Recreational Area</td></tr>
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We arrived for our 21/2 month stay at Salt Springs Recreation Area on January 3rd this year. When we first arrived we were lucky and got a couple of really nice 75-80 degree days, but since then the weather pattern has been exceptionally cold and rainy for this area. Whereas last year we were able to wear shorts and tee shirts for most of January and February, this year has been mostly jeans, long sleeved shirts, and sweaters or sweat shirts. Still, it's so much better than the weather that's been going on in New Jersey. Today there's a winter storm warning in my home town of Pennsauken, and they're expecting another 8 to possibly as much as 14 inches of snow along with some ice. This is on top of the 40+ inches they've already gotten this year. Needless to say, whenever I get grumpy about the weather I just look at what's going on at home, and feel extremely thankful that we're here. Out of the six weeks that we've been here, we've had about 7 really great days in the 70's-80's, so we were able to get out twice on our new Sea Eagle Kayak.<br />
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We bought the Sea Eagle while we were down here and had it shipped to our campsite. It's a great alternative to the fishing canoe that we previously hauled with us. In December, Bob got a pacemaker/defibrillator because his heart wasn't pumping as hard as it should be (low ejection fraction). Since he acquired the device, he's unable to lift anything heavy, especially over his head, so it looks as if the canoe is no longer an option for us since it weights about 120 pounds. The kayak is perfect at only about 34 pounds and it packs up neatly when we're ready to travel. We love it so far and look forward to taking it out at least a couple of times a week. We need some practice on synchronizing our paddle strokes, but we're getting there.<br />
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On our last trip out the manatees were surrounding us, and were so close that I was slightly worried that they'd come up underneath us, but fortunately no such catastrophe occurred. Bob and I floundering around it the water and trying to get back into the kayak is an ugly thought.<br />
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We'll be enjoying the beauty of Salt Springs for another month before moving on to Hillsborough River State Park on March 14th. We plan on spending most of our time reading, taking walks, kayaking, and building up Bob's strength with some bike riding. I'm hoping the weather cooperates, but if it doesn't, I'll just look at the weather back home and smile!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-88944233683102234612013-10-21T07:32:00.000-04:002013-10-21T07:32:13.437-04:00Delaware Seashore State Park<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2PyEobzZDxze-ofluPEMN_jxTvmNC80FEG914Bt6IR0PVZZ6k8pPwJaiuGbfb8gUnHou9l26_CKpB9ggkjuOIlQ13Eoqb4t9oEfuqLCG4bvh9vPl7RkQpshVYOEBaNa6rOPRdt6m30kn/s1600/IMG_5900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2PyEobzZDxze-ofluPEMN_jxTvmNC80FEG914Bt6IR0PVZZ6k8pPwJaiuGbfb8gUnHou9l26_CKpB9ggkjuOIlQ13Eoqb4t9oEfuqLCG4bvh9vPl7RkQpshVYOEBaNa6rOPRdt6m30kn/s640/IMG_5900.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delaware Seashore State Park</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We just spent two weeks in Delaware Seashore State Park, and had a great time. I was at this state park many years ago, but this was my first visit with Bob. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xuHtUagKKAKsksfPzRMBxsNqFPRlkwD6srUBMgGO-Io6_9okoM5RMbEyy0UqxTY0YJ-N8-jLZrK3cgAZN9mnIjBexGeijlvY7YPsKncF-AhGcqPUWnnuk_1o6FJjzvo2QdU6CVlP-Ukr/s1600/IMG_5911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xuHtUagKKAKsksfPzRMBxsNqFPRlkwD6srUBMgGO-Io6_9okoM5RMbEyy0UqxTY0YJ-N8-jLZrK3cgAZN9mnIjBexGeijlvY7YPsKncF-AhGcqPUWnnuk_1o6FJjzvo2QdU6CVlP-Ukr/s640/IMG_5911.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our Campsite at Delaware Seashore State Park</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's nothing special about the campground. It's basically just a huge parking lot - no trees or anything - but all in all it's fine. The park has full hookups, and is in a wonderful location - in between Bethany Beach and Dewey Beach. The campground borders the Indian River Inlet, and it's a short walk to the beach. We got really lucky, and hit a span of five days of summertime weather in October. The daytime temperatures were in the 80s, and the water was warm enough to swim in - about 69-70 degrees. Although the water was a little chilly, Bob and I were determined to get a few last swims in before the real fall weather hits. They let dogs on the beach on October 1st, so Mirra got to go on the beach with us. She seemed to enjoy the whole experience!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30VD0kbucazMv1JBrdcnDF2Lx4-GGTQo3E9-ueQoNiksQjzEQNZmfnqUKUnNT3za6z1gHj1N9N5fQwL-EdaVMSkLMM9MOJXy3xck6oE_DN-syON7E69idHtMX-RTu5pxrVHNcoteKGqJv/s1600/IMG_5910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30VD0kbucazMv1JBrdcnDF2Lx4-GGTQo3E9-ueQoNiksQjzEQNZmfnqUKUnNT3za6z1gHj1N9N5fQwL-EdaVMSkLMM9MOJXy3xck6oE_DN-syON7E69idHtMX-RTu5pxrVHNcoteKGqJv/s640/IMG_5910.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bob and Mirra at Delaware Seashore State Park</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jete412DBmfQ543Wj7EZAV1xRU9Cm0TYkHA0FLl3BhAQzJcM-PGX9VEuhsO8toVpF0KgYNsVCH5cYR0ov6fy6gml_pBM6f1-jt6Lx1jcmfyrtsNoqgT9rELW38g5OegF4o4ZfSonroOt/s1600/IMG_5894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jete412DBmfQ543Wj7EZAV1xRU9Cm0TYkHA0FLl3BhAQzJcM-PGX9VEuhsO8toVpF0KgYNsVCH5cYR0ov6fy6gml_pBM6f1-jt6Lx1jcmfyrtsNoqgT9rELW38g5OegF4o4ZfSonroOt/s640/IMG_5894.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mirra and me at the Indian River Inlet</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This bridge is beautiful at night - it's all lit up with blue lights.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhc_rb_X7Lwy6yy17mQNdx-MpMJImBEQv4C5a6a3DKzdQch9LNW3UcMfKiKW-NTqDRd6UaXfuVqF6115ZjWsNsXeP6Wj5pSGMCIIB7CXR9Y23cfjj3qC9r__lZY8g4ZaRC3IPIjTuvjiy/s1600/IMG_5895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhc_rb_X7Lwy6yy17mQNdx-MpMJImBEQv4C5a6a3DKzdQch9LNW3UcMfKiKW-NTqDRd6UaXfuVqF6115ZjWsNsXeP6Wj5pSGMCIIB7CXR9Y23cfjj3qC9r__lZY8g4ZaRC3IPIjTuvjiy/s640/IMG_5895.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bridge at Indian River Inlet at Delaware Seashore State Park</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fishing seems to be a big thing here, especially on the Indian River Inlet. They were catching rockfish, blues and togs. I was told that the togs are really good fish to eat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1an9pnr58a4aEKeYNPBCmz73R_rLJkQ9gqhHHEJt0UsQpLWD2enUkaq3WiaVkSjBer71rATsiBKarV3BeTkO36EDU8XohymI3xiNB91fpL_YnJyk8-krELFUDPDjBzhmYH-sPgCkhsGa/s1600/IMG_5898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1an9pnr58a4aEKeYNPBCmz73R_rLJkQ9gqhHHEJt0UsQpLWD2enUkaq3WiaVkSjBer71rATsiBKarV3BeTkO36EDU8XohymI3xiNB91fpL_YnJyk8-krELFUDPDjBzhmYH-sPgCkhsGa/s640/IMG_5898.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tog caught at Delaware Seashore State Park - not a keeper!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a good thing that we enjoyed the magnificent summer weather, because on October 9th, a wicked Nor'easter blew in, and rocked the trailer for three days solid. Our last few days down here were filled with howling wind and buckets of rain. Take a look at the video - it was pretty wild!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com4Delaware Seashore State Park, Inlet Road, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971, USA38.6447545 -75.069875438.545541 -75.2312369 38.743967999999995 -74.9085139tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-35669498808255314952013-07-21T17:08:00.000-04:002013-07-25T14:50:45.510-04:00Carlisle Chrysler Nationals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG_g6RyR8ryqmfAem4TKhwzx7J4SemoMnozjU2XEn_U4RdLKgVQ4SvIKLZKWxB0gas5EuGfXRjKVFoka8ns3iLTHkA9SkU7haVBV5gf6zVaWw0RYvw0FkSdEmrgHdvLRcUs5SzdTruyLq/s1600/IMG_5830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG_g6RyR8ryqmfAem4TKhwzx7J4SemoMnozjU2XEn_U4RdLKgVQ4SvIKLZKWxB0gas5EuGfXRjKVFoka8ns3iLTHkA9SkU7haVBV5gf6zVaWw0RYvw0FkSdEmrgHdvLRcUs5SzdTruyLq/s640/IMG_5830.JPG" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1968 Road Runner just like the one Bob owned (and misses to this day)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bob and I spent last weekend at the Chrysler Nationals Car Show in Carlisle, and it was great. Bob owned a maroon 1968 Roadrunner back in the day. He used to race it as well as drive it on the street. His love of Chrysler cars has continued to this day, so one of the things on his "bucket list" was to go to the Chrysler Nationals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are a few of the many excellent cars that we saw.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhD1t0CoijBRz6B0ZHpnXR-kBcqsxUMljM76j0sHlD2iMp2fQpwT4IAaXxToCADgrueb9IBFIMka3rk44YxfgaXkAZZCKWMYFtSWbrJkIhvTB_DfzS_fuATYqRGKHeoOtbLukZp_jZeS1q/s1600/IMG_5756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhD1t0CoijBRz6B0ZHpnXR-kBcqsxUMljM76j0sHlD2iMp2fQpwT4IAaXxToCADgrueb9IBFIMka3rk44YxfgaXkAZZCKWMYFtSWbrJkIhvTB_DfzS_fuATYqRGKHeoOtbLukZp_jZeS1q/s640/IMG_5756.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi in Vitamin C</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFKZR3lXOS1rZRjn2FVHHjM96uigDxlIA2t_wtolgKArHVs_kKoi7KYZAvqOQNMe1SjU7wn806z_42MNDd5U3Vp8njhDZsOAHInh9jewhoXz4aoRY3U9YNMx6e7CNUilP9HbERTkt6YjM/s1600/IMG_5757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFKZR3lXOS1rZRjn2FVHHjM96uigDxlIA2t_wtolgKArHVs_kKoi7KYZAvqOQNMe1SjU7wn806z_42MNDd5U3Vp8njhDZsOAHInh9jewhoXz4aoRY3U9YNMx6e7CNUilP9HbERTkt6YjM/s640/IMG_5757.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1970 Dodge Challenger R/T rag top - Plum Crazy</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnc4PI5fVL9EP1quYSE63VQdBIszZzn5UqnqgEEFdegiNfnrFXzEoL035r_mmfuHB_U87Ed9IFLKmYKX8fZ6lwqXk9uvPORTPM5VT2jYlcKnLDtZIAAhyAz-uJyWaMVm7LYaAQYsTyJyO/s1600/IMG_5758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnc4PI5fVL9EP1quYSE63VQdBIszZzn5UqnqgEEFdegiNfnrFXzEoL035r_mmfuHB_U87Ed9IFLKmYKX8fZ6lwqXk9uvPORTPM5VT2jYlcKnLDtZIAAhyAz-uJyWaMVm7LYaAQYsTyJyO/s640/IMG_5758.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1970 Dodge Challenger in Panther Pink - I want it - it matches my top!</span><br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5-sfjka7KCkyi3YcK5J0W62mfeM9H7fcKTJP4q1eLLVYirON9piIIKoaLFCwELiBVtzMo0I5xrong4oPEi3R_UoeLuDCCCPvKn5UMiwgXjdwC__-xCTXt-HCkyYCSpnJ4ONzgV3tQVPC/s1600/IMG_5763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5-sfjka7KCkyi3YcK5J0W62mfeM9H7fcKTJP4q1eLLVYirON9piIIKoaLFCwELiBVtzMo0I5xrong4oPEi3R_UoeLuDCCCPvKn5UMiwgXjdwC__-xCTXt-HCkyYCSpnJ4ONzgV3tQVPC/s640/IMG_5763.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1970 Panther Pink Plymouth Barracuda AAR - I want this too!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtRS_5WbjprhYCvYs276s6O3ZnEjaY99llEXXtyzFvSZvn5uPVlt1ZjmAxfFmfGcpCCn8pGAss4hv_d8gfhKLH6tor7yZGOYoe6Alh4lM1_TCFDE-PTctjSYvnty_P0XXnVG3b_BTPetM/s1600/IMG_5781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtRS_5WbjprhYCvYs276s6O3ZnEjaY99llEXXtyzFvSZvn5uPVlt1ZjmAxfFmfGcpCCn8pGAss4hv_d8gfhKLH6tor7yZGOYoe6Alh4lM1_TCFDE-PTctjSYvnty_P0XXnVG3b_BTPetM/s640/IMG_5781.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1950 Chrysler New Yorker</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJkS8uaxZb0qd0W8tyxBXM03pwvJAuyGrGRi9VQKk0KL4xmHJFdtsRmlbdfsVEP0ybxzxUMWt-6rxZ7gM7cC_sNUuu9Phtcl3U9Cn0k6836xRhiRFIwQ2tS_Asdi7uvFjbFMC50qH6oK-/s1600/IMG_5789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJkS8uaxZb0qd0W8tyxBXM03pwvJAuyGrGRi9VQKk0KL4xmHJFdtsRmlbdfsVEP0ybxzxUMWt-6rxZ7gM7cC_sNUuu9Phtcl3U9Cn0k6836xRhiRFIwQ2tS_Asdi7uvFjbFMC50qH6oK-/s640/IMG_5789.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1970 Plymouth Superbird</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiaE66-ElW9ZC-6diKxI5hVaBnn6X2BAWFboeWo2lHQECwRG9-J2ckK7Lsjs9CRrK0s3p3HOwyUDhxMX2I50V1yR99GANnBI1Hx4EIeJp-5brOxkziHRyPr4KKL92UD9qHzjZg5sieVsp/s1600/IMG_5790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiaE66-ElW9ZC-6diKxI5hVaBnn6X2BAWFboeWo2lHQECwRG9-J2ckK7Lsjs9CRrK0s3p3HOwyUDhxMX2I50V1yR99GANnBI1Hx4EIeJp-5brOxkziHRyPr4KKL92UD9qHzjZg5sieVsp/s640/IMG_5790.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A whole row of Dodge Charger General Lees - Yee Hah!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfj3XttcAQ5ezPz3dK_GCLDnjPA39yBRKQpzs98TqqsOTuSM6QBuDQXb64smohdWzZcCZz3NgNp062IIRL15bDBkuOCWkhKbEDpwH85SJnxqLj61z7z8oWohcTrZD7qgMOsCanK_CftFO/s1600/IMG_5784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfj3XttcAQ5ezPz3dK_GCLDnjPA39yBRKQpzs98TqqsOTuSM6QBuDQXb64smohdWzZcCZz3NgNp062IIRL15bDBkuOCWkhKbEDpwH85SJnxqLj61z7z8oWohcTrZD7qgMOsCanK_CftFO/s640/IMG_5784.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1948 Chrysler</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rr_Y2wiHCjlr91787PahZ0K2uhj-J0EXn6D62CVI4am5cB5CgczjjCNVXgxf_hCxbdutaJpgDVypYruYzXNrhWE6XXr4pE40SlUiz6vatGGqPwTbcM4gJ6JIquMftlw18RQ4IVjmdC5X/s1600/IMG_5779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rr_Y2wiHCjlr91787PahZ0K2uhj-J0EXn6D62CVI4am5cB5CgczjjCNVXgxf_hCxbdutaJpgDVypYruYzXNrhWE6XXr4pE40SlUiz6vatGGqPwTbcM4gJ6JIquMftlw18RQ4IVjmdC5X/s640/IMG_5779.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beautiful Chrysler 300 - one of many in the show</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiffAYRQvq47wnHHniaoBp7yXliN2Se46QWyi7XW4Ef_JTntDMi4VGjo-JRnDGVPn0628N_JKRGOPFp180G-c0GjzK6EM-Dz5DkNSdFdHOzirbFGNyFwZbWwubp9RiyKrJD4wfG9a-GSLt/s1600/IMG_5802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiffAYRQvq47wnHHniaoBp7yXliN2Se46QWyi7XW4Ef_JTntDMi4VGjo-JRnDGVPn0628N_JKRGOPFp180G-c0GjzK6EM-Dz5DkNSdFdHOzirbFGNyFwZbWwubp9RiyKrJD4wfG9a-GSLt/s640/IMG_5802.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1957 Plymouth Fury with every option - even a record player!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hOTbb0soiQkPzyL-CoXkFyjb1s3zrYFLBbCJHIkuY_u6EoEQBIVNYC_VU_8TxCwY3IdfXoRU8KrW8B4pJjn2Q0b47lRr0T9aUfjRZ1WFNjyxPTnBxoGfUjEp0dzQb3cMxTRAzwexbec0/s1600/IMG_5807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hOTbb0soiQkPzyL-CoXkFyjb1s3zrYFLBbCJHIkuY_u6EoEQBIVNYC_VU_8TxCwY3IdfXoRU8KrW8B4pJjn2Q0b47lRr0T9aUfjRZ1WFNjyxPTnBxoGfUjEp0dzQb3cMxTRAzwexbec0/s640/IMG_5807.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1952 Chrysler Imperial 331 Hemi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkxE3mAOb1w1bjIDRhH6FMdemS0ELv2M7IgdwxHTOkvYr0keu1w_upw8CniBwg6MvMwkEcL6tZBiVhJS_OYa_7Smi5uKGRSe0BuLg-TmoE8f9RdIXuI-yEgPYGC59oRT2EujhzwipB4Rl/s1600/IMG_5813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkxE3mAOb1w1bjIDRhH6FMdemS0ELv2M7IgdwxHTOkvYr0keu1w_upw8CniBwg6MvMwkEcL6tZBiVhJS_OYa_7Smi5uKGRSe0BuLg-TmoE8f9RdIXuI-yEgPYGC59oRT2EujhzwipB4Rl/s640/IMG_5813.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two Sheepdogs were at the show - Mirra would have like them. We left her back at the trailer.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbnlqqjFEJRmvxebP1o2Yb4_j1h-Txs4uZKMdKl75-_LIIPoRWhj3PDAH6vaIjJ7-myBJvL3Go194eUK16NzJcTbp8f_SRzFitCmbJRj8EnH998hkOc3yaonThHBn2ZH5EsUxJ3gOCnm4/s1600/IMG_5818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbnlqqjFEJRmvxebP1o2Yb4_j1h-Txs4uZKMdKl75-_LIIPoRWhj3PDAH6vaIjJ7-myBJvL3Go194eUK16NzJcTbp8f_SRzFitCmbJRj8EnH998hkOc3yaonThHBn2ZH5EsUxJ3gOCnm4/s640/IMG_5818.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1963 Dodge 426 Max Wedge factory race car</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIS6h2l-kor5OpLAzFZOb16zKmq0jZ_cMikHYqy0e2maJUTrCxA_1qOPZn3ysHYTyyhvvsm6FJlAB_1rAnLpiJMfYdnWXSLMw3R8MYg76J05-HyHxBMiUAhaMmJlyayuZgiE5fzu01mFfc/s1600/IMG_5799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIS6h2l-kor5OpLAzFZOb16zKmq0jZ_cMikHYqy0e2maJUTrCxA_1qOPZn3ysHYTyyhvvsm6FJlAB_1rAnLpiJMfYdnWXSLMw3R8MYg76J05-HyHxBMiUAhaMmJlyayuZgiE5fzu01mFfc/s640/IMG_5799.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Plum Crazy 1970 Plymouth GTX</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzm2iBr252x25yBeNlwFB0G8s6_cLdC_ychlRVER_YwcuU6jovKBLrDA9nyoTuGbsvYXWMMh46bg3-qg38MLg8X7LD7CY43RDcFdpIGImkAQeqz_YkCZf7RcW8cQhdrpEnEQndePmOJyA/s1600/IMG_5844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzm2iBr252x25yBeNlwFB0G8s6_cLdC_ychlRVER_YwcuU6jovKBLrDA9nyoTuGbsvYXWMMh46bg3-qg38MLg8X7LD7CY43RDcFdpIGImkAQeqz_YkCZf7RcW8cQhdrpEnEQndePmOJyA/s640/IMG_5844.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1968 Plymouth Road Runner - every option and the premium interior - just gorgeous!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oSJOj10hcarh9opYmn2Z-5E0Eof__PYqizxwaw2f9CJH580vd83MT8zkstcXPGp8MCsip6x7gyzf6hIk_0t-GxL5ts0zgQSqdci-C_dnipjy7-pIVpPs3Uz3gW4zxeHeFMPSa6UDmYoM/s1600/IMG_5878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oSJOj10hcarh9opYmn2Z-5E0Eof__PYqizxwaw2f9CJH580vd83MT8zkstcXPGp8MCsip6x7gyzf6hIk_0t-GxL5ts0zgQSqdci-C_dnipjy7-pIVpPs3Uz3gW4zxeHeFMPSa6UDmYoM/s640/IMG_5878.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1964 Dodge factory 426 Max Wed judged best in the world </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z7NSdPw3HYJ0XDvZ4-cLVZZbsK8377ZtnuW_as8UoajgpuhciZ0svnNdqcZi8H1DGmSOv5Bac4yaPI4cJ3mnDeQjkp5ypXSq0uS0nGOVCt2A__j0g3AnYXTnrP-OLyCa5IoxJUSs_8bD/s1600/IMG_5877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z7NSdPw3HYJ0XDvZ4-cLVZZbsK8377ZtnuW_as8UoajgpuhciZ0svnNdqcZi8H1DGmSOv5Bac4yaPI4cJ3mnDeQjkp5ypXSq0uS0nGOVCt2A__j0g3AnYXTnrP-OLyCa5IoxJUSs_8bD/s640/IMG_5877.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1969 Dodge Charger - one of 500 made for NASCAR racing</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj9mRaoymAyI4XgAr-9XPm5fDPZpVxr7jRJvNflOlj6nXUC3tM5e6bbXiwUVSqJQb-IjoQKF9s7XoFBi5BXi0TvnVcLldZdaODdZzd0OgdvtK3lidyMqwdl-cJPahLMgPSUiK168mObZm/s1600/IMG_5834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj9mRaoymAyI4XgAr-9XPm5fDPZpVxr7jRJvNflOlj6nXUC3tM5e6bbXiwUVSqJQb-IjoQKF9s7XoFBi5BXi0TvnVcLldZdaODdZzd0OgdvtK3lidyMqwdl-cJPahLMgPSUiK168mObZm/s640/IMG_5834.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1967 GTX - Best car of the show in Bob's opinion - perfect!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5sm9sozUPgvuYukxIi0_NjWm5x6eXAho1_kAwZFysIFAFYY5GiXOkyTWGjogNydJ-XM1EaocDV99LMtKeUEDMFYck68KniGfiJRRcjtJ5u27yyMxlFpZ865Ri6lw8YLpUaKnEyzf-0f5/s1600/IMG_5839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5sm9sozUPgvuYukxIi0_NjWm5x6eXAho1_kAwZFysIFAFYY5GiXOkyTWGjogNydJ-XM1EaocDV99LMtKeUEDMFYck68KniGfiJRRcjtJ5u27yyMxlFpZ865Ri6lw8YLpUaKnEyzf-0f5/s640/IMG_5839.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 383 convertible</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We really enjoyed the show, and may go back again some other year. Bob and I both love old cars, as you can see from our restoration project - a 1993 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - the last year they were made.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04249430185922369811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3465913172212686245.post-59060860921737908642013-05-06T16:09:00.000-04:002013-07-20T08:29:46.730-04:00Chattanooga - Some History, and LOTS of rain<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We left Vicksburg on May 2nd, and headed towards Chattanooga taking the Natchez Trace Parkway. It was a good thing that we took this route, because we drove in heavy rain all day, and fortunately the Parkway was practically deserted. We decided to stop after about 5 hours, and stay at Tishomingo State Park in Mississippi. I had reserved a site, but it wasn't really necessary - when we pulled in we practically had the place to ourselves. Our closest neighbor was a pair of Canadian geese who seemed to highly resent our presence and loudly let us know about it. At first we didn't realize why they were so upset, but then we saw that they had babies and were just being protective.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY2qNSzliBzAJTfeVDucZ2JxuedPT1xUSlJBpQoghr42DKbFUsQPcESmnn4ZElYAH6SV26Nt4NEI9XcluEK3R1REo5AbmDLgawlVgwtpuriPeyVFNuyxbGgW3ObV0b2p2XW12xltkoQjs/s1600/IMG_5608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY2qNSzliBzAJTfeVDucZ2JxuedPT1xUSlJBpQoghr42DKbFUsQPcESmnn4ZElYAH6SV26Nt4NEI9XcluEK3R1REo5AbmDLgawlVgwtpuriPeyVFNuyxbGgW3ObV0b2p2XW12xltkoQjs/s640/IMG_5608.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Geese at Tishomingo State Park</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQmwAkYL-d_f9_PdS5mw1KxO_JYNEqLUAW7ZE4TsE5UyEYMjVWmVgE-8e29jigvBwiukddrmgfN4zNOb_4IR0j15LetcRFq_xwsa005FjOKv3qb87lNwP-6IEM8D1hhCEb4zGV0_70PQn/s1600/IMG_5602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQmwAkYL-d_f9_PdS5mw1KxO_JYNEqLUAW7ZE4TsE5UyEYMjVWmVgE-8e29jigvBwiukddrmgfN4zNOb_4IR0j15LetcRFq_xwsa005FjOKv3qb87lNwP-6IEM8D1hhCEb4zGV0_70PQn/s640/IMG_5602.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tishomingo State Park, MS</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAXMVmncj5AcAdvns9_W-OduR5vxpbbuXPynHNn-6T6nJCGlfX-iAMJ7JB1zBjJJ4geCfyVsHPAmf21uVN2idd1WrZ-bQnCEiZ9SJBOlLtZiQGAwoVtLG6rZfmSvWk8jPORDV9pDS9TJh/s1600/IMG_5605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAXMVmncj5AcAdvns9_W-OduR5vxpbbuXPynHNn-6T6nJCGlfX-iAMJ7JB1zBjJJ4geCfyVsHPAmf21uVN2idd1WrZ-bQnCEiZ9SJBOlLtZiQGAwoVtLG6rZfmSvWk8jPORDV9pDS9TJh/s640/IMG_5605.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Campsite 14 at Tishomingo State Park</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We headed out for Chattanooga the next day (Thursday), and fortunately the rain had stopped. When we got to our destination - Holiday Trav-L-Park in Chattanooga - we checked the weather forecast. It was horrible - heavy rain every day starting on Saturday. That left us one day to do some sightseeing. We got up early on Friday, and headed over to Point Park on Lookout Mountain. Although it was a cloudy, cold and windy day, at least the rain hadn't set in yet. What a view!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">View From Lookout Mountain</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">New York Peace Memorial at Point Park</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Point Park</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the afternoon, we headed over the the Chickamauga Battlefield and did the Auto tour. It was interesting, but we found that it wasn't as easy to envision the battles that took place as it was in Vicksburg. There were monuments put up by the states that were involved, as there were in Vicksburg.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJWVpJ-R2H-gcmkeO8_J94hOp1fFxtTr1JWhsVmoxCYarysMObchgAEv4d6vMVADauqSvQ9Azxht5dpHkW61PW_YM47tgyc07epTbMUCMjUUHiz1rCK8Pk1z1r17rZqjogK5sfoVrn2V0/s1600/IMG_5621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJWVpJ-R2H-gcmkeO8_J94hOp1fFxtTr1JWhsVmoxCYarysMObchgAEv4d6vMVADauqSvQ9Azxht5dpHkW61PW_YM47tgyc07epTbMUCMjUUHiz1rCK8Pk1z1r17rZqjogK5sfoVrn2V0/s640/IMG_5621.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Snodgrass Cabin - served as a Union Hospital</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The battles at Chattanooga, fought in the fall of 1863, were some of the hardest fought battles of the Civil War. Chattanooga was a key rail center and gateway to the Confederacy. The battle of Chickamauga began on September 19th. The Union army under Major General William S. Rosecrans fought General Braxton Bragg's Confederate troops, and the Federal troops were forced to retreat into Chattanooga. The Confederates pursued them, occupying Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga Valley. The Confederates were successful in preventing the Union Army from getting supplies, and Rosecrans army was in a desperate position. Lincoln sent reinforcements through Major General Joseph Hooker, who brought 20,000 men and Gen. William T. Sherman, who added 16,000 in November. Thomas replaced Rosecrans, Grant assumed overall command of the army, and things changed drastically. On November 24th Hooker's men drove the Confederates out of their defenses around the Cravens House in the "Battle of the Clouds". On November 25th, Sherman's troops attacked the Confederate right flank, and Hooker attacked the Confederate left. Hooker was delayed crossing Chattanooga Creek, and Sherman's attack was blocked. To aid Sherman, Grant ordered Thomas' army (that had been held in reserve at Orchard Knob) to attack Missionary Ridge, and Thomas' men scaled Missionary Ridge in one of the great charges of the war. The Confederate line collapsed, Bragg's troops fled that night into Georgia, and the Union had control of Chattanooga and nearly all of Tennessee. Later, Chattanooga was used as Sherman's base for his march to Atlanta.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Enough history....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The rain started here on Friday night and it hasn't stopped since. The heaviest rain was all day and all night Saturday. There was a reprieve on Sunday for awhile, then it started to come down again, and has been off and on all day today. I think we've gotten over 5 inches so far. There's been enough to put out flood watches, and the Tennessee River is really high. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we head towards Virginia Beach, and will be stopping in Wytheville VA overnight. We'll check into First Landing State Park on Wednesday. We may be going back into the rain, but let's hope not. We could sure use some sunshine!</span></div>
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