Day Twelve

When I made the original travel agenda, I overextended our planned drive from Niagara Falls to Boston, so yesterday I found a campground to go to that will break our trip into a better one. Josh is happy because it is at a diamond mine and he can do some prospecting for precious gems!

We drove across New York state to the Crystal Grove Diamond Mine and Campground. This campground is nestled in the Adirondack mountains, and is heavily wooded and very rustic. We purchased some firewood and planned a campfire for the first time. Most of the campgrounds we have stayed at so far have prohibited fires.

Josh asked the owners about what he had to do to go searching for diamonds and they gave him the information. We went to our campsite and got set up. Then Josh went back to the office to pay his day rate for diamond hunting and got a map and the necessary tools to dig. Surprise!  He actually did find some Herkimer diamonds. Unfortunately, they're aren't worth much, but he said it was really fun looking for them.

Once all was set up, we had dinner and then sat around the campfire. It was so peaceful and just what you'd expect from a camping experience. The only things lacking were the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. I had the chocolate, but since we hadn't been able to have a campfire the whole trip thus far, I didn't bring any marshmallows or graham crackers. I guess I'll have to get some at the next grocery trip to keep on hand just in case. They really don't work well over the Coleman stove!

Tomorrow - on to Boston.

Day Eleven

Oh, my gosh!  If you ever wanted to see Niagra Falls, don't delay any longer.  The falls are absolutely stunning in their power and magnitude.  This picture looks like a postcard, doesn't it!  I took this from the bridge overlooking the falls at our last stop. The buildings in the upper right-hand corner are the skyline of Canada.

Josh and I boarded a tour bus right after lunch.  Our tour guide, Robin, was very friendly and interested in hearing about Houston.  We shared some of our trip adventures with her as we made our way towards the town of Niagara Falls were we were to pick up the other members of the tour.

First we went to the Whirlpool State Park where we saw the rapids and whirlpool. These are class 5 rapids (they're class 5 on a scale of 1-5), and no one is allowed to go down them. We went down a series of stairways and paths to the base of the gorge. There is a marked path can be followed along the remnants of the former Great Gorge Route railway to an old observation station overlooking the rapids. This station was used as a way-point for visitors riding the Great Gorge Railway from which to view the Whirlpool Rapids. The natural beauty of this area is majestic.

Next, we traveled to Goat Island where we rode an elevator 175 feet deep into the Niagara Gorge. Then, wearing bright yellow souvenir ponchos and the special sandals that we were provided, we followed a tour guide over a series of wooden walkways to the famous "Hurricane Deck." There, we were a mere 20 feet from the billowing torrents of Bridal Veil Falls. One of the guides told me that they have to rebuild the walkways every year due to the pressures exerted by the thousands of people who climb up and down them and the water that courses over them daily. He also said that one of the staff walks the entire course of the wood walkways every half hour to be sure that everything is as it should be. They don't hesitate to shut down the walkways if there is any potential problem to ensure that all of the visitors are safe at all times. I have to tell you that neither of us kept our wet raingear, but Josh kind of likes his sandals.

Here's a photo Josh up on the Hurricane Deck. Can you pick him out?

Then we went to see the power plant where they divert water from the Niagara River—up to 375,000 gallons a second—and convey it through conduits under the City of Niagara Falls to Lewiston. From there, water flowing through the Robert Moses plant spins turbines that power generators, converting this mechanical energy into electrical energy. I understand from one of the guides that this power plant provides electricity for five of the states in this area and includes the power provided to New York City!

Part of our tour included a stop at the main tour headquarters where we had time to dry out, rest up, and have a snack while we looked at possible souvenir purchases. Then we went into the theater to see a 3-D movie about the history of the falls. Part of the show included a mist falling from the ceiling at the most surprising times. What fun!

And then, finally, we traveled to the waterfront where we boarded the Maid of the Mist for our boat trip to the falls. Before boarding, we were provided with another souvenir rain poncho - this time blue. The Maid of the Mist took us to the base of the American Falls and then to the basin of Horseshoe Falls, through the crashing waters and massive rock formations, allowing us to experience firsthand the power and intensity of the falls. What a trip!

Josh and I were glad to get back on the tour bus and ride back to the RV campground. We were beyond tired and ready to eat dinner and get some rest. John had enjoyed resting and puttering around the camp with Skooter.  He said that made for a great Father's Day for him - no pressure.

Day Ten

Oh, joy!  The rains have returned. What is it about our travel days that have to include lots of heavy precipitation?  But, John has a lot of experience herding the truck and TT down the wet roads, so off we go!

Everything here is green and growing. We've been wondering if people have it in their deed restrictions that they have to  mow their lawns.  Everywhere we look, people are either mowing, have just mowed, or are getting ready to mow.  The majority of them also seem to be expert gardeners. I look at the house along the route and think about my poor little yard that is mostly parched and weedy. Another thing that I've noticed here is the use of a single wind turbine.  We've seen some fairly large wind farms along the route, but apparently several locations are either testing the effectiveness, or don't have a large facility to "electrify." Yes, that is the color of the sky out the window.

New York state is interesting - they are apparently trying to keep their budget under control by making numerous of their roads toll roads.  The good thing is that there are "service areas" where you can buy gas and eat along the route.  Their toll tickets give the mile marker and the name of the gasoline station along with the name of the food establishments - normally one fast food and one sit-down restaurant.  John likes these interstates because there aren't any stops, and the road is wide enough to accommodate any construction without traffic backups like the lesser roads have.  I'd prefer the non-interstate to see some of the countryside along with the buildings and other points of interest.  Since I planned the sightseeing parts of the trip, he gets his way on the highways.  Besides, he says I spend most of my time reading anyway except when he needs directions.  My job each morning is to program the address of the next campground into the GPS, then compare it to my AAA trip route to see if they agree, then we're off.

Michigan and New York have apparently cornered the market on red barn paint. It's a rare barn we see that isn't that lovely dark red color. 

Josh and I are excited about going to Niagra Falls.  My plan is to have one of those tour groups pick us up and take us around to see the sights.  So, once we arrive and get set up, I'll make those arrangements for Sunday morning.

Days Eight and Nine

Thursday is another easy driving day. We're just moving half way across Michigan to a little private rv park that's a couple of hours away.  We drove east on a state highway that took us through some absolutely gorgeous countryside. "Christmas tree" pines flourish here; in fact, there are tree farms all along this road with long rows of baby spruce and pine trees growing up to be decorated trees in the future. Wineries abound here, too, though I can't convince John we need to stop to check them out.

We're on our way to an rv park close to where Cindy and Scott Weaver live. I've planned a brief stop to visit with them after we had talked and I shared with her that we were making this trip. Cindy was the Association's president the year before me, and we became good friends. Scott is a renowned artist in the decorative and handmade tile field. Check out their Web site at www.weavertile.com.

We were lucky enough to get to go through his studio to see works in progress. They moved an old barn onto their property and rebuilt it board by board to use as his studio.  Wouldn't you know that I'd leave my camera behind so didn't get any photos of their beautiful house or the studio. I'm hoping to get Cindy to send me some so I can share those with you. Both of them have worked hard on their landscaping, and if I hadn't known better, I'd have thought we were in paradise. They took us all to dinner at a local restaurant then we returned to their house for dessert. Scot and their son had picked fresh strawberries the day before so Cindy could make fresh strawberry pies.  Josh had never had strawberry pie, so what a way to introduce them to him!

After a bit more visiting, we wended our way through wooded country roads back to the campground where we enjoyed a nice, quiet rest. John and I sat outside enjoying the peace and quiet under the canopy of trees.  This is truly a great way to spend a vacation.

Friday morning, three of us got up early to enjoy some outdoor time before packing up to move on again.  I say three because Josh was still in one of his favorite positions. Once we got him up and going, he's great at helping grandpa get ready to move on. He's got moving the leveling jacks up and down and pulling the slide in and out down to a science. He also makes up his bed every night and puts it back every morning without being told - mostly.

Skooter has become quite the veteran traveler now. He takes guard duty, or is that watch duty as he's quite the little visitor, quite seriously. Check out that stance - he's ready to take on all comers! 

We left the rv park and started east to Ann Arbor. From there we'll go south and around the lower edge of Lake Erie and up to the Erie KOA campground to spend the night.  We stopped in a little town just before crossing into Ohio for lunch. This was Josh's introduction to the Big Boy chain. Apparently they have done away with the statues by the front doors. John said that the restaurant they used to have in Bellaire was constantly on the search for their stolen statue. We got to chat for a few minutes with one of the waitresses. She'd been to Houston last year, so we swapped stories about heat and humidity. We've found that the humidity near the lakes is pretty close to what we endure in Houston even though the temperatures are lower.

Days Six and Seven

Today was our longest drive so far – 364 miles.  Those miles were made even longer due to the heavy rains off and on throughout the day.  The rain kept the temperatures down, though, to the 70s.  We were quite happy about that as we’d been experiencing temperatures in the mid-90s since leaving home.

Skooter has settled down.  He used to start talking excitedly when the speed dropped below 55, but now has become such a blase’ rider that he doesn’t start talking until we’re practically stopped.  He has been doing his absolute best to mark his way across the country – so many trees, so little time, so few stops!

The KOA campground in Michigan is nestled in a wooded area with winding roads and lots of amenities. You can even order hot donuts to be picked up the next morning! We didn’t take advantage of that, though. There are a lot of tent campers here with kids from all ages. Josh was already checking out the kids his age – lots of girls here, too.  We’re about 10 miles from Lake Michigan, so we’ll make that trip tomorrow to check it out.

We had a light dinner then settled down to relax as it is now pouring down rain and we can’t go outside. As I am laying on the couch reading, I noticed drips right next to my head.  Well, now it’s raining inside the TT!  The slide has developed a leak. We quickly closed it to see if there was something like a branch, etc. that had gotten caught when we closed the slide last night.  We did find a small limb, but when we put the slide out again, it started raining inside again.  So back in it comes.  Sigh.  See why we don’t say what else can happen……. So now Josh has to sleep on the couch instead of flattening it out into a bed.  Thankfully he’s a adaptable so this doesn’t seem to be a problem for him.  We had to clear a path from our bedroom to the bathroom which is kind of a wending path around the couch then around the dining table.  It gets really tricky at night when it’s dark. Shoes left in the path can be deadly.  Sometime around 3:00 a.m. it stopped raining, so the slide went out again and everyone crossed their fingers. No new raindrops falling on our heads – is that a song title?

Obviously we overslept the next morning, but we woke to a beautiful clear blue sky and absolutely heavenly temperatures in the very low 70s.  We had a quick breakfast, then everyone piled into the car and we were off to find Wal Mart for some groceries, a new movie for Josh, and silicone to run along the top edge of the slide next to the rubber seal. While we were out, we drove down to St. Joseph to look at one of the light houses on the Lake Michigan coast.  I was somewhat disappointed as the lighthouse wasn’t easily accessible and the area was very “touristy.” Hmmm. Why would I think that we would be the only ones there and it would be an easy thing to take artsy photos with my new camera, etc.  Oh, well.

We did find a roadside fruit stand where we stocked up on Michigan cherries, along with raspberries and peaches. I’m thinking raspberries over vanilla ice cream for dessert tonight.  Maybe I’ll surprise the boys.  John got the supplies he needed at Wal Mart, so it’s back to the TT to fix the leak (hopefully).  Josh found some new friends, so he’s off to ride his bicycle and get to know them.  John did his silicone thing and then we went outside to enjoy the rest of the day.  Our site is back in the corner, so we have a nice view of something other than the RV next to us and can really enjoy the weather when we’re sitting outside.  A couple of men from nearby RVs stopped by for some “technical advice” about satellite dishes. When we bought ours, we got the dish that finds the satellite on its own – we just program in the zip code where we are and it finds the satellite – whir, whine, twist, lock.  They were interested in how ours worked because they weren’t happy with having to manually set theirs. I think John convinced them they needed to make a change!

We noticed that our lights weren’t as bright as they should be when we went inside to fix dinner.  Hmmm. What now….. We had also noticed that the slide was having a hard time last night going in and out.  Double hmmm. They are all 12 volt and dependent on the battery.  When we bought this TT, the battery had to be jumped as it was dead. Could it be dying?  Sigh. Back to Wal Mart for a new 12 volt deep cycle marine battery.  My soul just about belongs to Wal Mart now.  Lets recap: new couch, new dining tabletop, new blinds, new tires (8), new truck bed cover, new brakes, new battery, new cover over refrigerator, new keys. My trip budget is getting slammed!  We keep telling each other that trips are an adventure. I'm looking forward to a little less adventure and more sightseeing!

Days Four and Five

Oh, joy! The rains that had plagued us from Houston to just before we got to Memphis were back. It rained off and on until we got to St. Louis. I thought the campground that I selected was in St. Louis, but it was actually in Granite City, IL, about a 25-minute drive back across the Mississippi River to the Gateway Arch, in an industrial area. Thank goodness the GPS knew where to find it because the directions on the KOA reservation and Web site were less than useful. We were not particularly impressed with the quality of service at this one; it was far less than we have received on the trip thus far. John made sure that everything was locked up securely before we ventured away from the site, just to be sure.

We got up Monday morning and drove back to the Gateway Arch. We lucked out and got a parking spot right next to the elevator in the parking garage that took us right up to the east entrance to the park. It is an absolutely awesome sight to stand below the arch and look up. It’s hard to imagine working on it when looked at from this perspective. Then, down into the lower level where the ticket booths and all other access is located. From the surface, all you can see is the arch surrounded by lovely paths through the grass and trees. Note to everyone: Security here is at least as strict as it is at airports – park rangers work the security scanner and conveyor belt where you have to put all electronic devices, purses, cameras, bracelets, watches, etc. Even stripped of all my bling, I still set off the device. They let me in anyway, after checking my ankles. Hmmm. Was it perhaps the screw in my ankle? The ranger thought so, so I passed through.

We all three go in line to go to the top of the arch. That is accomplished by climbing into a very small, almost round, white capsule with white seats, referred to as the tram. Each capsule holds five people who become very close for the short ride as all knees touched. The trip up is five minutes, and the return trip is four minutes. They told us we could take pictures on the trip up, but all you can really see through the porthole in the door is the support structure and the stairs John wished he was on, going down. The top is very narrow and has a curved floor. (See how happy John is to be up there!) There are carpeted areas you can lean on to look through the windows down on to either the Mississippi River (on the south side) or downtown (on the north side). There is only one very slim section that is flat at the very top of the walkway. You are allowed to stay up there as long as you want to, but there isn’t anything to sit on and it is pretty crowded with all of the visitors that have come up from both the east and west entrances to the arch. It’s really amazing to stand there and look out over the landscape.

We didn’t stay at the top of the arch very long, returning to the lower level to look around at all of the exhibits. In the east base of the arch, there is a movie that shows how the arch was built. In the west base, you can see the show about various areas of the area. On the way to the tram, our photo was taken by one of the employees there. Just before we left the arch, we got our “official” photos of our trip to Gateway Arch.

Then, it was back across the Mississippi River and home to the TT. We opted to not try to see any of the other destinations around downtown St. Louis as we had done a lot of walking to and around the arch and were tired and hot. The temperatures today are 95 degrees and HUMID – just like home! And, it was time to do some laundry before heading out tomorrow. It’s amazing how many clothes one teenager can go through in only THREE days when he had packed enough for a week – and including a trip to Wal Mart to get two more outfits and another swim suit! John and Josh went swimming and came to help me take the clean laundry back.

I kept hearing a clanking noise in one of the dryers while they were running, but couldn’t figure out what it was when I looked. After emptying both dryers, I discovered that it was the original set of keys that couldn’t be found. Apparently they had snuck into someone’s jeans when HE wasn’t looking. Obviously neither one claimed knowledge of how that could have happened, but it is good to know that we now have three sets of keys to the TT door, all of the outside compartments, and the tow bar. I certainly appreciate having my own washer and dryer at home – I don’t think this washateria thing is something I’d like to do on a regular basis. Josh went back swimming with a couple of kids he has met, so we had a pretty quiet afternoon to get our strength back.

Day Three

Note from John:

Tennessee is home of daredevil drivers, too. Yesterday a kamikaze driver drove in front of us to cross four lanes of traffic and nearly caused a wreck in the heavy traffic. Thank goodness John was paying attention and has a lot of practice in defensive driving!

Before we went to the RV parts store, which had become a group trip, Josh climbed up the ladder and took a picture of what was left of the refrigerator cover so we could match it. Then, it was off to the parts store to the parts store to see what we can find. We didn’t have measurements, of course, so had to guess which size to get. Then ask the lady checking us out where we could get keys made because the keys to the TT had mysteriously disappeared and were not to be found. Both guys “searched” their pockets but couldn’t find them. She sent us to a hardware store a couple of miles away. There we were told that we’d have to back to the RV parts store to purchase a blank for the TT key because Fleetwood won’t sell him the blanks.  The other two missing keys were cut and paid for and we were on our way back to the RV parts store for the blank, then back to the hardware store to have that key made.  Aren’t we glad that I had a second set of keys in my purse!!! All of this had to be accomplished between 11:00 a.m. and noon because both stores were only open until noon on Saturdays and not at all on Sunday.  Where is a Lowe's when you need one????

Once this mission was accomplished, we drove downtown to Bealle Street, the heart of the music scene in Memphis. There, John and Josh toured the Gibson Guitar Factory. They really enjoyed seeing how the guitars were made. Apparently Gibson's main factory was damaged in the recent flooding, so all of those orders were transferred to the Memphis factory to complete.

Then, since all of the morning’s hard work made us hungry, we headed back toward Graceland. We spied the sign for a Kettle, so decided to make that our lunch stop. What an experience. We were the only patrons other than a fairly large group of people from one of the black churches in the area who were enjoying a group lunch celebration after finishing teaching Bible school.

Then it was back to the RV park to install the refrigerator cover and plan the afternoon’s activities. John was voting for a nap. It was hot up there on the roof.  It was another successful use of duct tape since the cover wasn’t the right size. It is attached at the front end as it should be, but the back end is taped down. Another thing on the list for Camping World when we return to Houston.

We had to make a grocery run, so checked out what was going on at the Graceland ticket area. The lines were over a block long in the sun, so we thought we’d wait a while before trying again. By the time we got through at the store, the lines hadn’t gotten much shorter, so we voted to just look around (from the car) and forego the tours. John and Josh didn’t think seeing the cars and the planes were worth standing in line for.  Josh had seen what he came to Memphis to see – the guitar factory.

So, back to the TT for a nap for John and Pat and swimming for Josh. He got to check out both the pool at the RV park and the pool at the Heartbreak Hotel. Both were pretty good for swimming, but the hotel’s pool “had more chicks,” he said.

Sunday we got up and packed up, then drove down the street to get gas before hooking up the TT to the truck. We did stop for a few minutes outside Graceland (the mansion) so we could have a group photo in front of the gates. Then it was back to the RV park to hook up, walk Skooter one last time in Memphis, and start the northward trek.

Day Two

Last night we parked at an RV park in Texarkana and experienced thunderstorms all night long. Several of our friends called today to be sure that we were okay as they had heard that there was street flooding, torrential rains, power outages, and nickle-size hail. Luckily, our experience was just on the rain and wind side, and we never lost power.

Before we left the park, we decided we needed a group photo so you could see us at the beginning of our trip.   As you can see, everything looked pretty neat after the storm. We had a leisurely breakfast and stowed some things that we hadn't yesterday, then took off for Memphis.

I-30 in Arkansas is one of the two main highways for interstate travel. I've never seen so many trucks traveling east and west at one time. The interstate isn't as good as the interstate highways in Texas, and we were bounced around regularly - especially when crossing bridges.  It felt like we were riding a roller coaster at times!

We saw some interesting sights, too.  See the houseboat traveling down the highway.  Even more interesting was the motorhome acting as an escort vehicle. The company escorting the houseboat is in that business, so they apparently don't leave them unprotected when they park overnight on long transports. John said he could have used that last week when he escorted a wide load and wound up sleeping in his truck because the closest motel to where they were stopped was 30 miles away.

We failed to include Skooter in our group photo this morning as he was already in his designated spot in the truck. Here's what he looks like while supervising our trip. In case you can't tell, he's sound asleep with his head propped on the window ledge. He took some time getting his pillow and pad in just the right spots. He's given up on trying to mark all of the trees on our route. When he really, truly needs to stop, though, he doesn't hesitate to lean over the front seat and lick John's ear to get his attention, then talks to us to let us know it's time!

We made good time getting into Memphis. Our updated GPS has been good so far and taken us right to our destination. My assignment each morning is to input the address of our next destination. Tonight and tomorrow we're staying at Graceland RV park, right across the street from the mansion. Tomorrow we'll take the tour - well, at least Josh and I will.  John has some work to do. Little did we know that during the storm last night, one of the covers on the roof was damaged - well, actually pretty much destroyed.  So, I searched out an RV supply store in Memphis and John will go pick up a replacement cover and get it installed. So, now we have new tires, new brakes, new rotors, and a new vent cover.

On the Road - Finally

We did it! We planned and talked and researched and planned some more. We looked at maps and travel books. And then we planned some more. We packed and sorted and packed and sorted and unpacked... You get the idea. My plan was to leave on Thursday by 9:00 a.m., but we didn't actually start rolling down the road until 10:30 a.m. - not too bad for the first day considering I didn't have all of the refrigerator items transferred to the RV. We had compiled a lengthy list of things to do before starting the truck engine, and it just kept growing. Once I checked off all of the items, we were off. One thing not on the list was a flare-up for me of gout, if you can believe it! That's something out of the history books, I thought - something old men who drank to excess got. Apparently I'm not eating right, so... new diet and lots of pain pills. Sigh.

We've been experiencing thunderstorms in Houston for the past week or so on a daily basis, and we're holding out hope that they won't plague us for the entire trip. John is keeping a close watch on the weather channels to see what's ahead for the next couple of days.

Josh requested a trip through Shreveport so he could see the city where he was born. We arrived there around 3:00 and showed him some of the sights as we drove through. We didn't spend any "sightseeing" time though, as the sky was looking darker as the day progressed. In case you can't tell, I took the photo through the truck window. I've traveled many, many miles and taken many, many photos this way. I might actually be considered a semi-pro at this! I cleaned up the photo some in Photoshop, so it doesn't look quite as dark as it actually was. Hmmm. Perhaps that's not such a good idea for the rest of the trip.

We found the campground in Texarkana around 5:45 p.m. without too much trouble. Of course, there is construction all around it on I-30 which added a level of difficulty pulling a 30' trailer around hairpin curves in narrow lanes with concrete barriers in the middle of 5:00 traffic!

Josh had his first taste of helping grandpa get the trailer situated in the site just so. We need a minimum of 4' of space for the slideout. This site is sized to exactly accommodate the TT and the truck, without an inch to spare in the length, so it was quite tricky getting parked. To make it even more interesting, it was starting to rain. Oh, happy day! By the time everything was set up (you know, satellite dish out and connected, shore power plugged in, water lines secured, A/C on, dog walked), it was time to dry off and settle down and figure out what's for dinner. We'd had a big, late lunch, so dinner was very light. By 8:00 p.m., the thunder storms had arrived, and we had the opportunity to sleep with the sound of raindrops on the roof. Nothing is quite like it for sleeping if you don't have to worry about the waters rising to flood state like we do in the house in a heavy rain.

Friday's plan is to travel to Memphis. I'm looking forward to seeing Graceland, and Josh has his sites set on the Gibson Guitar Factory tour. Hopefully the weather will improve, but it's not looking good. I'll keep you posted.