Bozeman Montana 2009

I have to say my summer in Bozeman Montana was really special.  I love the managers at the Bozeman KOA and will always treasure my time there.  I learned to really love the town of Bozeman also.  One of the reasons I had chosen to work in Bozeman is the proximity to Yellowstone National Park.  While it is about 90 miles to the the west entrance to the park it is a beautiful drive.
One of my first visits to the park was with my friends Bob and Vicki. They were passing through the area on their way to visit Alaska!  

Bob and Vicki and I seem to run into each other often in our travels.  It is always great to visit with them!  Vicki had fixed us a yummy lunch and after we ate we decided to go into Yellowstone.  It was a fantastic day for me.  I was excited for them and the great adventure they were heading out on to Alaska.  
One of my jobs at the Bozeman KOA other than the usual of working the front desk was doing Tye Dye on Saturday mornings.  I loved working with the kids however it sure was hot some days out in the sun!  One of my first projects was to make Tye Dye shirts for all of the workampers.  I grabbed a bunch of old shirts and turned them into works of art!

We had a fun crew and most everyone was willing to wear their shirts on the weekend to promote our Tye Dye craft time.  It was the first time I had ever done any Tye Dye and I must admit it was fun to see how each shirt turned out!
I discovered another natural treasure in the area.  Hyalite canyon is a few miles south of Bozeman.  While it is not a really huge place it is a really pretty little canyon.  There are several hiking trails you can take up to really pretty waterfalls.  My new workamper buddies Nancy and John and I took a hike up to Grotto falls one beautiful summer day.

I was also able to see my friend Shirley from my winter job in Arizona as she lives in Bozeman.  We decided to take a day trip together and went to the ghost towns of Virginia and Nevada City.  When we went it was the off season so there were not many people around.  We had a great lunch at a little hole in the wall place in Nevada City and also discovered a two story outhouse...hmmm.  Not too sure that was a bright idea!

After visiting the ghost towns we went up to Lewis and Clark Caverns.  While I was not sure about visiting yet another cave in my lifetime Shirley assured me that this one was different.  We had to climb about a 3/4 mile pretty steep trail to get up to the Cavern.  There was one guy in our group that I was not sure would make it but he did!  I was glad it was a fairly cool day!  I must admit the climb was worth the trip as this is a unique cavern.  The story of how it was discovered is also interesting.  While it is named after Lewis and Clark there is no evidence they ever were in it!  There are lots of stairs inside and several places where you have to get down to go under low ceilings so I do not advise this trip for everyone.  However if you are in fairly good shape and like caves this one is special.  It was also great fun to spend the day sight seeing with Shirley.
I really enjoyed my summer in Bozeman.  It is a great place to live and work in the summer....not sure I would survive a winter there!  I managed to get out of town 3 days before the first snowfall!

Road to Bozeman 2009

I have to say the trip to Bozeman Montana from Florence Arizona remains to this day one of my favorite!  It was packed with fun days of sightseeing and a great traveling buddy.  I picked up my friend Bo on April 26th from her home near Phoenix. We had not travelled together so were not sure how things would go.  We soon found out that we make great traveling buddies!  I arrived at her home around 9 a.m. and we shoved her suitcase under the dinette table that I had made down into a bed for her.  Stuffed the refrigerator with more food that she thought we might need and hit the road.  Because I am a big chicken when it comes to driving in big cities we took loop 101 North to Interstate 17 around and out of Phoenix!  I must say it was an easy drive on the weekend.  It is always fun heading out to new places but this time was even better because I had a friend with me.  Our destination for the night was The Flagstaff KOA.  This was only my second trip in the motorhome so I was still getting use to driving it.  To give Bo credit I did not seem to make her too nervous.  She is a brave woman!  We were to have a fairly short day as it was only about 140 miles from her house to Flagstaff.  I had a driven about 35 miles to her house.  It was a pretty drive up out of Poenix to Flagstaff.  Very different from other parts of Arizona.  We arrived at the Flagstaff KOA with no troubles.  To my dismay this KOA is very tight!  It had a short entrance and then very narrow roads and sites.  The staff was friendly and I made it to our site and we got set up with no trouble.  Since we had time we decided to drive down to Sedona through Oak Creek Canyon to do a little sightseeing.  I had never been to Sedona before so Bo was the tour guide!  The canyon was very pretty.  We enjoyed a meal while in Sedona then drove around looking at the sights.  When we got back to Flagstaff we went to the grocery store for a few more groceries.  We didn't know when we would have time again!  The next morning Bo had to stand out in the street and guide me out of the tight site we were in.  Not sure I would have gotten out without her help.  There was a tree on one side and a boulder on the other. 
We topped off the gas at a station across the street from the RV park then headed north on US 89.  We were headed to Lake Powell to spend the night. The drive was fairly easy for most of the trip.  We did climb one steep hill with 6% grades.  I was really proud of the way the motorhome climbed without any really slowing.  We parked at the top and perused the wares the Indian vendors had out. Ellie (my dog) enjoyed the little walk as did Bo and I.  The view from the top was also spectacular.  We could see for miles and miles!  Then on to Lake Powell.  We got there fairly early in the day and I must say the place is beautiful.  We had a great view of the lake from the campsite! The site was also really easy to get in and out of another bonus!  On this trip Bo had a little stuffed Gorilla that was named Buddy...he belonged to a first grade class in New York State and was traveling as part of learning geography.
So we took pictures of Buddy and Bo would email them to the class each night!  What a fun way to learn about our country! 

Buddy at Lake Powell



It was great that we got there early enough in the day to do some sightseeing.  Bo had told me that Lake Powell was beautiful and she was right.  I wish we had more time to spend there but it was on to see more beauty.

The next day we went all the way to Glendale Utah....I believe it was about 100 miles!  We spent the night at Bauer's Ranch RV Park, a tiny RV park.  The folks there were great!  We had a comfortable stay there.  After we got set up we headed off to see Zion National Park.  As we entered we stopped to take a picture of the entrance sign.  Some people there offered to take our picture!

Now we could prove we were travelling together!  Zion National Park is a very unusual place.  Bo and I really enjoyed touring it!  One of the unique features of the park is the tunnel that runs about 6 miles through a mountain.  I was glad we were not in the motorhome!  If you take an RV through you have to have an escort and travel down the center of the tunnel as it is too short otherwise!  That would not be a fun trip!  After we made it through the tunnel the road was real twisty...also would not be good for and RV.  We went to the visitor center and took a tour of the park on the west side.  We were able to get off the bus and walk up a trail to the weeping rocks.  They were really neat and worth the hike.

It was really neat seeing water coming out of the rocks!  Never saw anything like that before!  I guess that was my favorite part of Zion.  It was fun standing under the overhanging rock and feeling like it was raining on you!

The next day we drove a long long long way....44 miles!  All the way to Panguitch Utah.  We checked in at the Hitch-N-Post Campground.  We both felt a little uncomfortable in this park but it was ok for an over night stay.

After setting up and walking Ellie we took off in the car to see Bryce Canyon National Park.  I have to say I did not know what to expect but it was awesome.  I want to return there again and walk down in to the canyon. It is a very unique place!

The pictures of this place just do not do it justice. In my humble opinion everyone should see Bryce Canyon.  Bo and I enjoyed every minute of viewing this wonderful place.  When we got to the far end there was still snow.  It was a very pleasant day. 
The next day it was on to Salt Lake City to the KOA.  This KOA is located near downtown only 5 blocks from Temple Square.  Bo wanted to go hear the Morman Tabernacle Choir practice.....I thought that would be neat too.  We had planned the trip so we got there on the night of choir practice.  What we did not know was that they were putting on a mini concert that night also!  So we got more than we had hoped for!  Wow are they good!  I deserved a good night after having to drive through Salt Lake City!  The traffic was intense!  We made it safely and the RV park there is great so all was good!  That was our longest day on the road so far...we travelled about 240 miles! 
The next day we went on to Pocatello Idaho.  A drive of about 160 miles.  We were not real impressed with the campground but we were able to do our laundry and then go to Wal Mart for a few things we needed. 
They were working on I-15 at Pocatello so getting the RV back on the interstate was a little challenging but we made it!  We were headed to West Yellowstone to the Grizzly RV Park.  It was a trip of only about 160 miles but oh what a difference those miles made!  The temperature dropped dramatically.  When we got to West Yellowstone we discovered there was still a lot of snow on the ground!

Picnic anyone?  Well maybe not there at that time!  Wow it was pretty but glad we had not arrived earlier in the year!  We were glad to get there but the real reason for that stop was so I could show Bo Yellowstone!  One of my favorite places on the earth!  She had not seen it so it was a real joy taking her to the park.  The first thing we did in Yellowstone was go see some of the hot springs. 

We ran across this sign while walking around one of the pools and sure hoped the Bears could read!  Trust me we did not go beyond the sign and were thankful that we saw no bears in the area!
After that our next stop was Old Faithful. A must see for anyone visiting the park!

I have seen Old Faithful soooo many times that I am not as thrilled as I was the first time but it is still pretty neat!

The next day we went back to the park and visited the Canyon and Lake areas.  There were still parts of the park where we could not go because the roads were not open yet.  It was a fun trip because so much snow was still on the ground!  Yellowstone is Awesome any time of the year but my favorite time is Spring!

Everywhere you look is another awe inspiring view.  Of course it is always a bonus to see wildlife.  We managed to see 2 bears on one day!

Wow how cool is that!  Of course we also saw our share of Bison!

The next day we made it into Bozeman.  It was awesome taking that drive as it had snowed during the night and there was about 8 inches added to the landscape.  Thankfully the roads were clear!

I was delighted to make it to my summer home!

I went on to have a delightful season in Bozeman and was really thrilled to find the managers to be great to work for!  It was kind of sad to send Bo off to fly home the day after we arrived but we went on to travel together again!

Winter in Arizona

Desert Gardens RV Oasis is a 55 + RV Park.  Some of the lots are owned by the residents.  I must say it was not a real enjoyable experience.  I had a lot of daily contact with the lot owners and the people that were on site for the winter.  I did not socialize much because I did not want to appear to take sides in the constant bickering between the different sections of the park.  I tried my best to stay neutral!  We also had 3 different managers while I was there.  All I could do was stay out of the politics of the park and do the best job possible in the office.  I was determined not to get in the middle of the ongoing disputes.  The park is beautiful, for a desert RV Park.  A lot of money had been spent in recent years to upgrade the sites and facilities.  I had a really good site with a concrete patio.

My site # was D32, a corner lot with a drive thru parking spot.  You just could not get much better than that.

I also had really good neighbors.  Every evening after work I would take Ellie for a walk and she had to go by Butch and Marlys's for her daily massage from Butch.  On days they were not home when I got off work she was disappointed.  There was a hiking trail all the way around the perimeter of the park and we enjoyed the part nearest our site.  Ellie was a little old to go for long hikes and the desert has a lot of stickers that were not kind to her paws.

We also had a great crew working at the park.  I really enjoyed all the other workampers. Even though it was a difficult park to work, I still have fond memories of my time there.  I made a lot of good friends and I was able to do a lot of sight seeing in the area.   Desert Gardens is near Florence Arizona which is a very small town with a lot of prisons as it's main source of revenue. There is a Wal Mart in Coolidge Arizona which was only 11 miles from the RV park. This is where I did most of my shopping.  I did go into Mesa Arizona a couple of times.  My friends Wanda and Robert from my days in Yellowstone live in Mesa.  It sure was good to get to visit with them.  Also while I was there my friends Rosalee and Larry from my Adventureland days came through for a visit.  They spend the winter in Tucson every year.  It is always nice to reconnect with workamper friends.  One of my new friends at Desert Gardens was another lady that was there alone.  She is married and I got to meet her husband who came to visit several times.  Betty spends the winter in Arizona because the weather where she is from is just too harsh in the winter.  We took a number of day trips together.  It is always more fun to have someone to run around with.  We visited the Sonora Desert Museum on one of our trips and Bisbee Arizona on another.  We also visited a copper mine near Superior Arizona as well as the Casa Grande Ruins.  I really enjoyed getting to know Betty and had planned to go back so we could take in some more of the sights together but that just did not work out.  By the time I was suppose to return the park had been returned to the the original owners and they do not pay workampers.  Johnny and Carol came to see me in February.  They had just purchased a new 5th wheel and I was excited to see it as well as them.

Here they come!  I was so excited!  I got them the site right next to mine so all I had to do while they were there is look out the window and there they were.  It is always a blessing to have family close.  That is the one down side to my lifestyle....I love my family and just do not get to see them often enough.  But I do appreciate our times together more because of the distance most of the time.  We were going to have an adventure packed few days to explore.  That afternoon we managed to go to Coolidge to see the Casa Grande Ruins. 

I had been there before and knew they would find it interesting.  It is amazing that anyone could live out in this desert years ago...and Casa Grande was a thriving community of Indians.   There was an owl nest in the rafters of the cover over the ruins.  I found that interesting too.  I never did get a picture of the nest but I managed to get a good one of the owl.  I tend to take lots of pictures of wildlife and scenery when I travel. 
While Johnny and Carol were there my friend Bo came for a visit and then joined us on a sight seeing tour of Hwy 88 and the Tortilla Flat Area.  We stopped at a ghost town on the way to Tortilla Flat. 

 It was interesting, but then I love all things old!  That is good since I am getting older by the minute!  It was a pretty drive up to Tortilla Flat.  I had been told by a number of people that the drive was spectacular.  So far I had found it pretty but nothing really special.  We stopped at Tortilla Flat and looked around a little then returned to the car.  Hmmm there was water over a low spot in the road just ahead.  What to do!  I am not much of a risk taker and was a little concerned about driving through the water.  After watching several cars go through we decided to go for it.  I eased into the water and across with no trouble.  Well, the road turned into a dirt road in short order.  I was prepared for this as I had been told it was dirt but well worth it.  What no one had told me was that it was a high road with lots of curves!  I enjoyed it(well as much as I could).  Carol was freaked out!  She does not like high roads and the fact that it was dirt just made it worse.  Bless her heart I would never have taken her there if I knew it was that high!  The views were wonderful but I did not stop to take pictures because I did not want to cause Carol any more distress!  After we got out of the canyon we stopped for a picnic lunch near the Roosevelt Dam.  The rest of the day was beautiful and Carol forgave me! 

We also took a trip down to Tucson to the Saguaro National Park and Davis Monthian AFB to the bone yard.  We managed to take in both parts of the National Park (East and West) and the Bone yard all in one day.  Wow, it is amazing the number and different kinds of aircraft that are parked out in the desert!  We took a very informative bus tour that began at the Pima Air and Space Museum. 

We all enjoyed the tour.  Johnny and Carol were also fascinated by the Saguaro in the National Park.  Well, I must admit I find them pretty myself! 

It had been another beautiful day in the desert and we enjoyed the trip to Tucson.  It is always fun seeing the sights where ever I am.  I appreciate God's handiwork the most!  I sure did enjoy Johnny and Carol's visit and look forward to them visiting me again!  It was sad to see them head out headed home.

I had another visitor before my time at Desert Gardens was over.  My cousin Janice came an spent a couple of days with me.  We also were able to do a little sight seeing.  I also had several friends I had made on the Internet visit. Susan and Waylon were at Desert Gardens for the winter.  They were really nice to include me in some of their sightseeing trips. 

All in all it was not a bad winter.  Arizona is not my favorite place but it was nice to see things I would never have seen just passing through!  I am still searching for the best place to spend my winters.

I was thrilled that before I left Arizona some of the Saguaro were beginning to bloom!  It was a little early for them so I enjoyed the few I got to see!

The sun was setting on my time at Desert Gardens but the memories go with me!



Arizona here I come!

I headed out on a Sunday morning for Arizona.  It was my first trip with the motor home and to say I faced it with a lot of prayer is putting it mildly!  It was a beautiful fall day!  Johnny and Carol were there to see me off.  They were dressed for church so I had to do the dirty work without help but I appreciated the moral support!  They checked to make sure all my lights were working properly after I hooked up the car! I eased away from the curb and off we went!  My little dog Ellie was not sure about this new home on wheels.  That was okay I was not too confident with it either!  I had planned my route to avoid any heavy traffic, until I at least had some serious practice behind me.  I had also planned to take a route that I was fairly familiar with.  I hoped to get beyond Abilene on my first day.  As it was Sunday traffic was pretty light.  I took highway 84 west out of Mexia.  When I got to Waco I took the loop around it and hit highway 6 heading north west!  So far so good!  It was a little windy but not too bad!  About 60 miles out of Waco an alarm started going off!  My heart nearly jumped out of my chest!  Whoa, what in the world was that?  Everything seemed to be running okay!  It turned out to be my jack alarm going off!  I had to pull over to the shoulder of the road, put the gear shift in Park, set the emergency brake and then turn on the Jacks.  All I had to do then was hit the store button and the alarm immediately went off.  Whew, nothing major but still scary!  I was back on the road in short order. I hit interstate 20 at Eastland.  Shortly after that Ellie and I stopped for a break at a roadside park.  She enjoyed the walk and I needed the down time! I took the loop north around Abilene.  Traffic was not too heavy and I was beginning to get a little more comfortable with the drive.  By keeping the car in the middle of the lane I knew I was keeping the motor home in the lane!  I love my rear view camera!  I was planning to look for a campground on the west side of Abilene.  I did not want to push too hard on my first day.  Besides when you get out into west Texas those RV parks get fewer and farther between.  I stopped at the Rolling Plains RV park in Sweetwater.  As I turned on my turn signal to get off the interstate I noticed that my indicator was not working!  Hmmm...if it is not working most likely my turn signal is not working either.  I went ahead and continued to the RV park.  This is not an RV park that I would recommend for Class A motor homes.  The trees make it a little hard to negotiate.  I found the person running it very friendly and helpful but I probably won't return because I don't want to risk scratching my motor home.  It is handy to the interstate and should be great for anything smaller than a Class A. After I pulled in to my site I checked and sure enough my turn signals were not working.  I raised the dash to get to the fuse panel and replaced the blown fuse.  I was glad I had those extra fuses!  Ellie and I had a good night after a busy day! 
The next morning I got ready early for another day of driving.  After I unhooked and got ready to go I checked my turn signals and they blew again!  I knew I could not continue with out some help fixing the problem.  I went up to the office and asked if there was a place nearby where I could get some assistance.  The lady suggested the RV dealer back down the interstate about a mile.  They had a nice big parking lot so it was easy to get in.  I asked them if they could help me and they said no that they did not work on Motor homes.  They suggested I try the Chevrolet dealer across the interstate.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised that the Chevrolet dealer was willing to work me in on a Monday morning.   They were great!  before 9 o'clock they had my RV pulled around to a back door and were working on tracing the problem.  After much head scratching and even checking the wiring on the car all the way back to the tail lights they discovered the short!  It was right where the wiring connector is on the back of the motor home!  At 11 o'clock I was back on the interstate headed west!  I felt the dealership in Sweetwater was more than fair.  They only charged me for one hour of service! 
Ellie and I had a delay in the start of our trip that day but things were looking up!  Not much traffic on interstate 20 west of Sweetwater!  I was pretty much able to put the cruise on and sit back and keep it between the lines!  I had almost 300 miles ahead of me and a late start!  Ellie and I pulled over once so she could have a short walk and I could grab a snack.  We managed to pull into the Van Horn KOA before dark.  I was tired after a long day but it was not too bad. I discovered that they have a little cafe on site!  I was thrilled to be able to get something to eat and not have to cook!  All was good in my world!  I was a little nervous about going through El Paso the next day but I was not going to let it ruin my evening!  I try to take things as they come and not borrow trouble!  Believe me if i was going to let worries of what could happen enter my mind and spirit I would never leave my brother's driveway! 
Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear!  A beautiful day for a new challenge. I was on interstate 10 and would be on it all the way to Tucson. I stopped and filled my gas tank just as i got into the edge of El Paso at a Flying  J I grabbed the lane next to the center and stayed there all the way through El Paso.  Traffic was heavy in El Paso, as it always is, but I stayed calm and set the cruise to the speed limit and let everyone go around me.  I was so proud to get through!  New Mexico here I am!  On this trip I got to add New Mexico and Arizona to my map!  Just south of Las Cruses my jack alarm went off again!  This time I was not as shocked!  I pulled over and went through the store route and it went off! Both times it did this on the trip I had gone over some really rough road.  Not a fun thing but it could be worse!  I made Lordsburg early in the afternoon.  It was a little over 300 miles and while it was not a difficult drive I was ready to stop.  This is a nice RV park in a very bad neighborhood!  The site I was assigned was very spacious and easy to get in and out of.  As a new class A owner towing a car I was thrilled!  My next stop would be Desert Gardens RV park near Florence Arizona my home for the winter. 
Traffic as I left Lordsburg was not bad.  The closer I got to Tucson the heavier it got.  I was concerned about going into Tucson because I knew there was construction in the area.  A lot of the exits were closed!  Oh dear!  Of course the exit I had planned to take was one of the closed ones!  I ended up taking Orange Grove over to highway 77.  North of town I turned left onto highway 79. It was a very pretty drive with lots of Saguaro cactus.  Wow, what a change of scenery.  I arrived at Desert Gardens and was welcomed with open arms.  Carolin, one of the ladies from the office went with me to help guide me into my back in site!  She was great and I was able to back into my winter home easily with her guidance.
Ellie and I had made our first trip with the motor home! 

The Adventure of buying a used Motor home

I had been looking at purchasing a different RV for over a year and doing lots of research.  I had also asked questions of everyone I know.  Decisions decisions decisions.  Nearly everyone I talked to said "Joy you need a class A motor home".  Well, after much thought, prayer and troubles with the Travel trailer I decided it was time to do some serious looking. It was late September and because I only had a few weeks before I had to travel out to my winter job in Arizona I had to either find something quick or forget it for another year.  I had stopped for a night near Lori and Brad on my way to Mexia and they took me to look at the Tyler RV dealers.  I did not fall in love with any of the RVs we saw there.  So I made a trip up to Lisa's house in the Fort Worth area!  Lots and lots of RV dealers up there.  We looked at a bunch but the only one I found that I really liked sold before I could get back to Mexia to talk to the loan officer at my bank.  That was just as well because I would not have been able to trade my travel trailer in there and would have had to sell it myself!  I had been doing online research and had found several down at PPL in Houston I thought might work. Johnny and Carol decided to take me down there to look.  It was an interesting trip as it had only been a short time since Ike had hit the area!  We saw lots of Hurricane damage.  The RV dealership did not even have full power.  They were running off of generators. We had a good time looking but nothing there was up to my standards!  It is not that I am that picky but I don't want my home to stink or have serious damage to the sidewall!  I don't expect perfection in a used RV but no major repair problems either!  When we were traveling back from PPL we stopped at several other RV dealers along the way but still nothing.  I mentioned to Johnny that I had seen a motor home sitting on a used auto dealership lot in Fairfield on my way to Mexia from Lori's house.  Johnny and Carol said they did not mind going a little out of the way to check it out.  When we arrived the dealership was closed for the day.  We walked all around it and other than a few scratches and small dents it looked good.  Of course we tried the door and found it locked.  We discovered that the driver's door was not locked.  So we hauled ourselves up and walked through.  It had possibilities.  Carol told me she would be happy to return on Monday with me. So that is what we did!  We did another walk through with the dealer then went on a test drive!  I was nervous because I had never driven a Class A before.  We took a left out of the dealership with the dealer driving.  A few miles out of town he pulled over and said it was my turn.  I must admit I was scared but it was not as hard as I feared!  We traveled the 8 miles or so to Teague then turned around and I drove back to the dealership.  I could do this!  I got the dealer to work up the details so I could take it to the bank loan officer.  The price was right and he was willing to give me what I had hoped for my travel trailer. Well in a few days I found myself the owner of a 2003 Itasca Motor Home!

Bless her heart Carol helped me make the move! It was not easy and the motor home just does not have the storage my travel trailer did!  So I had to do some clearing out!  I would take stuff to the motor home and Carol would put it away.  She did a great job!

The next step was to find a towable car!  One problem solved but I could not tow my F250!  Once again I was a little ahead of the game as I had been doing research on which cars could be flat towed. Alas no Ford could be flat towed easily. No way was I going to add towing a dolly to my learning curve!  After talking to Johnny and Carol they decided to buy my F250 and that we would trade their truck in on my car. Well it turned out that Johnny had to buy my car then we did a swap after the title came in!  I got online and looked at cars that could be towed in the area.  It was not fun searching for a car!  I don't like dealing with car dealers!  Some are pushy and some won't give a woman any serious attention!  Maybe the fact that I don't look like I have a bag full of money has something to do with it!  After diligently looking and making several trips to Waco I finally found a 2007 Chevy Malibu. We made the deal and Johnny paid the difference between the value of my truck and his. I ended up only having to pay $250 for my car!
My next problem was getting a base plate installed on the car and a tow bar for the motor home!  I found an RV dealership in Waco that could do the job. Once again Carol helped me out.  I drove the motor home over and Carol followed me with the car.  It took about 5 hours for the base plate to be installed! We hung out at the dealership and walked down to the nearby Dairy Queen for lunch!  It was not a fun way to spend the day but we got through it together.  They matched the wiring up with the wiring on the motor home so the lights would work on the car while in tow.  I did not tow the car back to Mexia.  Carol drove it home and I drove the motor home. I wanted to stop and get my propane tank filled. So when we got to Mexia I took a little side trip to get propane.  I wanted to have a full tank when I headed out to Arizona. I also stopped and filled up the gas tank!  Finally after several weeks I was ready for my next trip!

Wow, what a change in my life!  I would later decide whether it was better or not.  Sometimes you just don't know until you live with your decisions for awhile.



Home from New York

On the 6th of September I pulled out of the Niagara Falls Grand Island KOA!  It was bitter sweet.  I sure hated to leave those beautiful water falls behind!  Maybe some day I will get back there!  I planned my first day to be short because I wanted to go through Cleveland on a Sunday!  I only drove about 136 miles that day.  I always prefer my first day on the road to be short!  I spent the night at the Evergreen Lake Park.  I discovered after I arrived that most of the sites were permanent. It was an okay park but the entrance was narrow and I had to take a tour down some narrow streets to get to my site which was near the office.  The main reason for the tour was it was too tight a turn to make from the office area. 

This was our site!  Ellie and enjoyed a good walk after I set up!  It was a pretty level site so I did not have to put the jacks down!  It is always nice when I don't have to do all that work for just one night!

The next morning Ellie and I got up and headed out early because I was worried about driving through Cleveland.  I was really shocked at how easy the drive was!  I got on Interstate 90 and followed it all the way to the Elkhart Co/Middlebury KOA in Indiana.  I drove a large part of the way on the toll road.  It was nice because the traffic was not too heavy on a Sunday!  I went around 300 miles that day.  I got into the KOA early in the afternoon.  It was nice to get settled in for a few days.  Uncle Elmer and Aunt Betty live near Sturgis Michigan which was only a few miles up the road.  The next day I drove over to visit with them and they took me on a tour around the area and out to eat.  It sure was nice to see them.  One of the good things about my on the move lifestyle is that eventually my travels will take me near people I really want to see.  While I was in the area I also was able to go to the Shipshewana flea market.  There are a lot of Amish in the area and it was neat seeing some of the unique items at the flea market.  I could also hear the clip clop of the horses passing near the campground.  It is such a neat area and I loved visiting.  I will have to return one of these days.  One evening while I was there Uncle Elmer, Aunt Betty and Shirley came over and took me out to eat at Essenhaus a well known Amish restaurant in the area. The food was great and the atmosphere was wonderful.  I am so glad I got to spend a few days in the area.

I had planned to take Highway 13 down to Highway 24 however because of construction I ended up going over to highway 15 and taking it down to highway 24.  It was a little congested going through Goshen but after that these roads were pretty much mine to enjoy!  I hit Interstate 57 in Illinois.  I spent the night at a little private campground on a small lake just off of the interstate.  It had been a long day of pretty slow driving but I did not have any troubles so it was a good day!  It was interesting when I stopped for gas and pulled in behind a Fleetwood Motorhome.  The gas cap was in the very back of the motorhome!  Hmm...interesting placement I thought! 
The next day I took Interstate 57 down to Decatur where I hit Interstate 72. From there I hit Us 54 and headed into Missouri.  I made it through Osage Beach Missouri and stopped for the night at The Ozark Trails Family Campground.  It was really nice and right off of the Highway! I was on my way to Branson.  After several days of travel I was looking forward to spending a few days  in Branson.  I took Highway 54 down to US 65 which took me all the way to Branson.  Of course I planned to stay at ABC.  It felt like coming home when I pulled in!  It was great to see everyone again.  While I was in Branson Hurricane Ike decided to make landfall.  I stayed a few extra days so I would not hit it while on the road!  The night Ike came through Branson was pretty wild.  There were several tress knocked down in the park!  Including a small one in my site.

I got out and pretended I still worked there and helped clean up the mess!  It was great working with the gang again even if it was cleaning up all the debris. I was amazed at how fast we managed to get things back to normal.  Other than a few trees down there was no other major damage and no one was hurt in the park so things were great! I also managed to go to my favorite places to eat and shop while I was in Branson.  I went to one show Clay Coopers Country Music Express.  I don't think I could go to Branson without seeing that show!  Clay and his family are really neat people and the show is great.  It was kind of sad to leave Branson but I was looking forward to seeing my family. So on to Texas I went.  I headed south out of Branson on 65 and followed it all the way to Interstate 40 where I headed into Little Rock.  From there I took Interstate 30. I stopped for the night at the Arkadelphia Campground.  It was a nice park and had easy access to the Interstate.  I enjoyed the night and then the next day hit the interstate again.  The next night I spent in Texas!  It is always nice to get back "home"! 

Next will be adventure of buying a used motorhome!

Niagara Falls Grand Island KOA

I was really excited to get to the Niagara Falls  Grand Island KOA.  I had never worked at a KOA even though I have stayed at plenty of them over the years.  I found the KOA computer system a little bit of a challenge to learn but Ginny was very patient with my questions.  Ellie really seemed to enjoy her walks there.  It is a really big RV park and until we got really busy we enjoyed some great walks!  For a few weeks we were the only ones in the RV park at night.  Ginny the manager lived off site.  We opened on April 1st but there were not many campers yet. Since I arrived early I got to help get things ready for the season.  We cleaned cabins, the laundry, game room, store and a couple of the restrooms.  We also moved canoes out of the laundry room where they were stored for the winter.  We also checked in a lot of new inventory for the store. 

It sure was neat to be somewhere I had never been before for the season.  I was able to visit Niagara Falls before everything totally thawed out!  When I crossed the river going to Niagara Falls I noticed that there were big chunks of ice floating in it.  It was a beautiful day and as it was early April I almost had the place to myself!  I love seeing the sights in the off season!  This was just the first of many times I would visit the falls.

Sometimes work was challenging but that is the way I prefer it.  I never got bored while working at the Niagara falls Grand Island KOA.  This KOA is located on Grand Island which is between Buffalo New York and Niagara Falls.  You have to cross a bridge and pay a toll whenever you return to the island.  The island itself is very pretty and has some shopping so I did not have to leave the island often. 

We really had a good staff that year.  Everyone worked hard to make sure the guest had a wonderful experience. 

My cousin Nancy flew in to visit me for about 10 days in late June.  We had a wonderful time doing all the tourist things!  It took us two days to "do" Niagara Falls one on the US side and the other on the Canadian side.  Both have their appeal.  The US side is much more natural however the Canadian side has the best views of the falls. 

Nancy took this picture of me the morning we visited the US side.  The rainbow is right over the horseshoe falls.  It was a beautiful day and we made a full day of it.  After this we did the Cave of the winds.  They even give you disposable shoes!  We had to take an elevator down to the river then walk along a trail to the base of the American Falls.  We were glad to have the disposable shoes and ponchos!

Bridal Veil falls is the falls on the right. The American Falls is on the left.  You really appreciate the power of the falls when you see them from this view point.  I would say that Nancy and I saw the falls from just about any view point other than going over them in a barrel!  You really have to be a nut case to do that.  A few have done it and lived to tell the tale but not many. 

After doing the Cave of the winds we had lunch there in the park then hopped the trolley over to the visitors center. There we watched a movie about the falls and then we took the Maid of the Mist tour!  Wow talk about fun and wet!

The Maid of the Mist goes right to the base of the Horseshoe falls where it sits until just about everyone has had a chance to get good and wet. It also passes right in front of the American Falls.  It is well worth the time!  I think everyone needs to do it at least once. 

The next day we pulled out our passports and went over to Canada.  We walked across the bridge and walked down to the first visitor center and bought ourselves a pass that included the people mover.  Then we hopped a bus down to the Horseshoe Falls and the Journey behind the falls.  Wow, we had to schedule the time to go behind the falls.  Once again we were given ponchos to wear.   You know when you are given a poncho that you are going to get wet!  Nancy behind the Falls!  Gee, look at that view and we walked all the way down there for this!

 This is my drowned rat look!  We were on the deck right beside the Horseshoe Falls!  From here we took the people mover and went up to see the flower clock.  We had to stop at the botanical gardens first and catch a different people mover to get up to the clock.  There was only us and a couple on the bus so when we got off the driver told us he would wait for us if all we wanted to do was take a few pictures!  That way we did not have to wait for another bus to come along!

The clock was interesting but we enjoyed the views from the people movers and the people movers themselves just as much!

We ate at a little cafe with a beautiful view of the Falls.  It was neat to sit out on the patio and watch the falls. The food was good too!  We even managed to stay late enough to see the falls at night. 

Nancy planned her trip around my days off so we were able to take advantage of as many as possible. 

Our next trip was to take a cruise on the Erie Canal.  We went over to Lockport and took an interesting cruise on the Erie.  Wow, how great was that!

This was taken from the top deck of our boat as we were in the lock.  It was amazing how fast the lock filled!  The gates are operated by gravity! 

From the boat we saw a couple of interesting bridges. This was a road bridge.  It raised straight up so the boats could pass under it!  It was not very big.

This is an upside train bridge.  It was built this way so the taller boats could not go under it.  The trains were losing business to the boats on the Erie Canal and this was their way of fighting back!

After the Cruise we ate lunch at a picnic table near the river and watched the boats.  Then we took what they called the cave tour.  We ended up walking along the path that you see on the right side of the picture.  The "cave" was actually a conduit that was built to divert water to make power for the factories that stood above the river.  We were told that in the hay days of the canal that there was a seven story building at street level.  It was an interesting tour but you better be in pretty good shape to make the walk down to river level!

From there we went up to see lake Ontario!  It was the last of the five great lakes for me to see!  We went to Olcott  to the end of the road where we discovered a neat little light house and shopping area. 

From there we traveled on to Fort Niagara.  We were happy to find that it was still open and not very busy.  This was a very impressive fort!  I am glad we were able to see it on such a beautiful day. 

Other than dodging a red coat here we had a great visit to the fort! The fort is in a great location and we enjoyed walking the grounds and looking out over the water!

I wish I could share all of the pictures Nancy and I took.  We had a great visit and a wonderful time seeing some of the sights in the area.  One day we even went down to Jamestown and visited the Lucille Ball museums.  While it rained a lot that day we still had a good day.  I look forward to cousin Nancy visiting with me again one of these days.  We can have fun doing nothing and if you throw in a little sight seeing we have a great time.  I appreciate her family letting me borrow her for a few days!  I hated to see her leave. 

My friend Bo also visited one day while I was in New York.  She had traveled across the country to go to a Hi-Low rally in New York.  We visited the Power Vista.  It is a great display that explains how the power of the river is harnessed to make electricity.  The view of the river from up there is great.

I really enjoyed Bo's visit. She wanted to eat at the Anchor Bar in downtown Buffalo.  Home of the buffalo wings.  So I said sure if she could find it.  I know everyone who knows me is gasping right now!  Me in a bar!  Well, hey it was on her bucket list!  Besides we did not eat in the bar itself we passed through it into the dining area. I must say I was pretty disappointed the wings were not as good as I had at a local place on Grand Island.  It was an interesting trip driving to the Anchor Bar.  We went through what looked like a ghetto.  The GPS got us there but we were a little uncomfortable for awhile. We took another route home!  I enjoyed Bo's visit even though it was brief.  She was able to park her trailer right next to mine in the Workamper area of the KOA.   I appreciated Ginny letting her stay there. 

I made a lot of friends working at the KOA in New York state.  I must say I still miss them.  I have made a lot of great friends workamping and plan to continue as long as the good Lord lets me keep traveling. 

My next blog will be about my trip to Mexia from New York.