Florida

We finally did get finished in Red Bay and headed south to our site at Deer Creek in Davenport FL. Great to arrive Sunday and start setting up our new home for the next 7 mos. John's been busy spraying red ants and has those pests under control. Went to Downtown Disney Wed nite for dessert, wander around and to Skype the kids. It was dark when we got home but did see two racoons scampering out of our way when we arrived. John and Chiko have spotted a possom a couple of times while out for their walk at nite. I (Sheila) went to a seminar at the club house on Medicare and am now more confused than before. So will use a rainy day to see if I can figure that out. Will make a list of questions and then find a Medicare office to get them answered. John has John W's golf cart up and running and is having fun with it. Took Chiko to his first of six obedience classes and John and I did really well. Went to a murder mystery dinner in Frostproof Fri.nite and that was fun. Lots of live theatre near here so look forward to enjoying many performances over the winter.

Red Bay Alabama

When we got to Red Bay, without an appointment, we were advised we could be

here until into November. This was pretty discouraging as this is the 3rd time we need to have the rotting floor replaced on the driver's front slide. John talked to them and they worked some things around so we were able to get in Friday. The service techs will finish up Mon or Tues. Such a relief as we have doctor appointments Nov 3rd in Florida to check a couple of spots for skin cancer. While here we have met some more friends for life. I had heard at the rally that my gungy microwave could be cleaned with Bartenders Friend. Peggy told me not to buy it as she had and it didn't work. She gave me hers, I boiled a lemon in it and then used the Bartenders Friend. Could not believe the results. It looked band new! So Peggy tried the same process, using the lemon, and her microwave looks great too. We are passing around the BF, scouring pad and the lemon for others to clean their microwaves. Awesome. I had two couples over for dinner Wed as trying to learn to use the foreign buttons on my microwave. Made the Mexican Potatoes and Pineapple Pork Roast according to the Sharp Convecton Microwave instructions. I was so proud of the dinner. Everyone was impressed. I'll keep trying receipes using CompuRoast, High Mix, Sensor Cook etc. VERY pleased with how this microwave cooks. Can't believe I've had one for 10 years and just starting to learn. Peggy had invited all the Canadians over for the Canadian Thanksgiving dinner and served turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes etc. Awesome dinner. Life is good.

Alabama

We left the rally on Friday morning and drove 495N to 90W to 84S to bypass the New York traffic and we were able to make it to a Walmart in Chambersburg,PA. Worked out great as was tucked back in from traffic and quiet. We were up early then next morning and made it to a Walmart in Kimball, Tenn., just outside the Alabama State line. This Walmart is used by a lot of transports who leave the truck running all night and tend to be really noisy. Won't do that one again. It was an easy drive into Red Bay to have Tiffin work on our coach. We had set the month of Oct aside to get some major warranty repairs done. Took Chiko to vet Tues to be neutered and have his dew claws removed. He's doing just fine with his little bright green bandages on. We take him back Monday to have the stitches for the dew claws taken out. No stitches for the neutering. Pleased with the job the vet did. Went to Mr.J's for pizza last night with neighbors and food was excellent. Going to Rattlesnake Saloon tonight.

New England

Monday, Sept. 26 we left and drove I-95 north to the rally. We weren't there 10 minutes when we got a knock on the door. Free generator oil and filter change compliments of Bob Tiffin. We were given a sheet when we registered and asked to write down 3 items we would like the Tiffin Service Techs to look at and possibly repair for us. The list was put under the windshield wiper and the reps looked after everything. What they couldn't fix, we will get done at Red Bay next week. Tues we attended seminars and picked up some great tips. The Cumins rep advised us that 2,000 rpms is the sweet spot for the Cumins 360 that we have in our rv. When climbing, downshift and keep the tak as close to 2,000 as possible. Will make climbing hills much easier. Letting the coach lug up a hill is hard on the engine. John has been doing this and notices a big difference. Michelin put on a tire presentation and then visited each coach to tell the owners about their wear patterns and how to make corrections, if needed. Lucky for us our tires are wearing perfectly. Air pressure and alignment are right on. I (Sheila) had made a committment about a month ago to start learning about and using all the bells and whistles on my convection microwave. It was great to learn more about it at this seminar. The dog park at Normandy Farms is the biggest, nicest and most amazing one we have ever seen.

On Wed. we took a cruise to view 10 Lighthouses and take a complete tour of Newport Harbor. Cool but sunny and just beautiful. We ate lunch at the Quonset Officer's Club at the U.S.Naval Complex and it was (actually a dinner) one of the best John and I have enjoyed. On the way to the cruise, our bus (one of 4) toured Providence RI when we learned the effects that the Gaspee Affair, the Great Depression, the Civil War and the New England Hurricane of 1938 had on this capital city. Thursday was "Sports Day' and, although it rained a lot of the day, we had great fun socializing. And lastly but most important, we met some new friends for life.

New England States

We headed east on Hwy 2 to take the scenic route thru upper New York State. It was pretty but before the end of the day we had switched to I-90 east. It was much faster and the toll cost was minimal. We called Normandy Farms in Foxboro, Mass. to see if we could get in early and do our sightseeing from there. Turns out they had a 25 % off for Mass. campers so were full. We called a member of the Nutmeg Allegro Club (Connecticut) and Jennie recommended Aces High RV Park in Easy Lyme (Flanders/New London area). It turned out to be an excellent referral. We are getting rain off and on but have managed to enjoy the Mystic Seaport area and Jamestown RI area along with the Foxboro Casino. The park is not big but clean with nice sites and walking trails along the water. We even have a Five Guys just down the street. Took Chiko to the vet in Groton Tues as he has been licking and scratching his one leg where we believe he was stung by a wasp the first of Aug. Turns out the vet, her assistant and the second vet at the clinic are Canadian. The Dr. believes Chiko was stung by something and, because he has been at it, he has a bacterial infection on the leg. So he is on antibiotics for 12 days to clear it up. We are so relieved it is not allergies. We had been giving him a half dose of children's Benedryl but she said to increase it to the full dose of 12.5 mg per day. The half dose had been the Canadian Benedryl which is only 6.5 mg strength. So we really increased it but she says it won't hurt him and will stop the urge to scratch more quickly. Will be happy to see him healthy again and will pay closer attention to where we walk him. Other than that, he is doing great. Turning out to be an excellent breed as a housepet. Still not barking and still no interest in people food.

Back in the U.S.of A.!

After leaving Ontario, Canada, we travelled southeast thru Fort Erie to Holley NY to visit Skip and Lana. They recommended we stay at the Hickery Ridge Golf and RV Park just down the road and it turned out to be an excellent choice. They very graciously took us sightseeing in the area and we were pleasantly surprised at how scenic it is. Easy to see why they love living where they do. They took us to the Dinosaur BBQ where we had the best ribs ever! Apparently Airforce 1 gets their bbq here when in the area. Awesome food. Skip and John golfed at Hickery Ridge Wed. for $18/18 holes incl cart. Both liked the course. Thurs. Skip took John out on the Erie Canal boating with friends. We didn't realize the canal came this far inland and it is beautiful. It was cold out but John enjoyed himself. Lana and I shopped both days. Good friends and we enjoyed the visit. We hated to leave but it was time to move on. We are booked into the Allegro Rally on Sept 26th so will spend time touring New England States before we get there.

Summer with the Kids

We stayed long enough to see our last grandchild go to school for her first day. Sarah, who turned 4 on Aug 31st, said it was a good day at Jr. Kindergarten as she didn't get sent to the office of principal at all. We had taken all 6 granchildren on our traditional 'back to school' shopping trip. We were really successful in buying outfits that they all liked and were happy to wear to class. It's another fun event for John, myself and each of the childen. They enjoy trying on clothes and then presenting a fashion show for ours and their parents enjoyment.
We then took Michelle, Tim, Bob and Dione to the Elm Hurst Inn in Ingersoll for a goodbye dinner Sunday evening. Food and ambiance were excellent.
Then early monday morning on Sept 12th, we were packed up and on the road again, heading south. First stop. Holley, NY.

Summer with the Kids

We had planned on spending our 'in between time' camping at Spring Lake RV Resort in Mount Elgin as we have done previous years. We really enjoy this park, it has the lake and splash pad for the kids, lots of kids activities and good friends we have made after camping there for the past 5 years while visiting Canada in the summer. When we first arrived there in July, we realized that the electrical power was going to be another struggle for us. We knew we could run our generator to run the air conditioner on hot days but this was not something we like to do. So we gave up on Spring Lake and moved to Willow Lake Park on the north edge of Woodstock. It turned out to be a good move. We were able to get a 75 ft pull thru with full service including 50 amp power. It's a smaller park but very friendly, clean and with a nice pool and hot tub. So this became our home base and will be again next summer. It is close to Woodstock for shopping, half way between both Michelle and Dione and close to Stratford. I was able to enjoy a Shakespeare play, Twelth Night. We tried to buy tickets to 'Jesus Christ Super Star' but it was sold out the entire time we were in Ontario. Early in Sept. we were awakened at 4 am to pounding on the door. It was the man next door and he wanted to warn us to get up and out of the way as his motorhome was on fire. We threw dog, clothes, purse, passports and laptop in the car and drove a distance from the rv. The fire dept was there quickly and did an awesome job containing the fire but were unable to save the coach. The man had purchaed it new last year and this was his first time using it. His dog woke him up to fire and smoke in the front area of the coach. The smoke detector did not wake him so not sure it went off. He was able to drop the dog and then himself out the bedroom exit window. We haven't heard the results of the investigation but wonder if he knew to check the furnace for a nest made by wasps or mice before starting it up for the first time. Good reminder to all of us to check our smoke detectors, furnaces and exit windows. It was a pretty scary situation for everyone watching.

Summer with the Kids

While we enjoyed our time at Sauble, the rest of the family enjoys a 'Smart Family Reunion' at Sprey Lake nearby. The resort is owned by good friends who generously let us use the cabins, grounds for tenting and all the many amenities that any kid could ask for. It is a great week for our family to creating many awesome memories with parents, grandparents and children. In this picture some of our family have successfuly (after an hour of trying) set up a large dining tent that Bob purchased on sale for $25. The kids swim, boat, fish, play games and enjoy a campfire at night along with much more.

Summer with the Kids

Each year we begin the month of August spending two weeks with our friends, Bill and Gail. Bill and John hung out through high school and Bill was best man at our wedding. We have been friends for a long time and look forward to camping together at Woodland RV Park, Sauble Beach, Ontario. Top rated park and the sandy beach is one of the nicest in Ontario. This year we spent more time with Bill and Angie from Chatham. We spent the rain days playing Jokers and Marbles, a game that Bill and Angie taught us. Bill gave us the 10 boards that he had made of wood. This was so generous of them and John and I look forward to enjoying games with new friends in Florida this winter. Great time, lot of laughs and good memories. The 6 of us are booked in again for Aug 1st 2012 and we're looking forward to our 'adult time' being silly kids.

Summer with the Kids

Our road trip with the kids this summer included all 6 of them. It was wonderful to have Jack well enough to join us. We went to Cedar Beach CG in Stouville, Ontario for the week. It was a perfect park for us as it had a sandy beach on Lake Musselman, two pools and a splash pad. We took the kids to the Ontario Science Center in Toronto on Monday and Thursday. Ty was a little bored the second day but was a trooper enjoying the younger kids having fun. Tuesday we went to Canada's Wonderland for the day. Both attractions were only 30 min from where we were camping. The kids loved Wonderland. It rained late in the day so we left to go to the car to eat snacks and what was left of our lunch. As the rain subsided and the sun came out, the kids voted to return to the park. We ended up being there from 10 am to 11 pm with lots to do for all ages. Sarah (age 3) and I shut down the SpongeBob 3D ride as poor Sarah had to go to the bathroom. Security met us at the exit, took our glasses and marched us out. It was so funny. When Tate and Abby came out of the ride, they said that there was an announcement that, if anyone else got up and stopped the movie part of the ride, they would shut it down and not restart it for the children who where in the theatre. We did not expect that at a children's fun park. We celebrated Ty's 12th birthday that day and the day after. His wish was to have strawberry cheesecake which we all enjoyed. By the time we took them home, we were all happily exhausted.

Summer with the Kids

We had a great time with the kids this summer. A month at Green Acres included John and I having all of them over for a July 1st Mystery Dinner. It was a big hit with parents and kids. Lots of pajama parties with the grandchildren provided loads of fun. Then, at the end of June, John and I moved on to the Holstein Rodeo for a weekend. We met up with Rick and Bonnie as well as met friends of theirs, Bob and Nancy. Cowboy hats and boots were the attire for the weekend while we enjoyed lots of country and western artists and music.

Homeward Bound

We left the UP and proceeded south. Our plan was to visit a couple of RV Resorts along the way but, as we were getting closer to seeing the kids, we bypassed those stops and headed straight to Frankenmuth where we stayed at the Jellystone CG (which was really nice) downtown and toured one of our favorite German/Christmas towns. We ate at Zehnder's and John was able to pick up his Cheddar Bacon flavored cheese spread. Of course we visited Bronners, the largest Christmas Store in the U.S.
Then moving on to the Farmington Hills area so we could visit with our very good friends, Nat and Candy for a few days. We stayed at Haas Lake RV Resort in New Hudson. This is central to our doctor for annual checkups and only 15 min from Nat and Candy. Great time with them. All is good with doctor and then on our way east into Canada. Yeah!!! So looking forward to seeing the kids. We called Green Acres CG in Waterloo, booked in early and, when we arrived, we were able to have kids onboard. We pulled into Green Acres Park to find our 08 Phaeton was pictured on their park map. What a pleasant surprise. It does look good.

MacKinac Island

We travelled east from Minot ND on highway 2 which we thought was more interesting than what we had seen of the prairies in Canada. It was nice to be on our 'home turf' as we went thru Minnesota to Duluth and on into Wisconsin, along the south shore of Lake Superior and into Michigan. The cg at Iron Mountain was nice. When we arrived at St.Ignace MI, we decided to spend a few days at Summer Breeze CG overlooking Lake Michigan. Full hookup and only $25 with our Good Sam discount. Really a pretty spot to tour the Upper Peninsula. We spent a day at MacKinac Island and were pleasantly surprised at how big the island is, how interesting and pretty, and at how many people live there. The only way to the island is by ferry. We took the Shepler's Ferry trip which included a tour under the Mackinac Bridge.
We took the Mackinac Island Carriage Tours (world's largest horse & buggy livery) to experience the history, legends and beauty of the island. Although we took a horse and carriage tour, we could have rented our own horse and buggy, our own horses to ride around the island or rented bicycles. We would def recommend this stop to anyone. Can't believe we lived in Michigan for so many years and never went there.

Flooding in Saskatchewan and North Dakota

We left Lake Louise Friday and joined our friends, Marv and Donna, at their rv park in Okotos, AB. Really nice rv park. However, they have a stream running thru their park that was now a raging river and threatening to overflow it's banks. The water would have flowed in to Marv and Donna's site as well as the one next door that they had borrowed for our use. Donna had just had surgery on her foot and was immobile. Fortunately the river stayed and then went down. It stopped raining to further ensure safety at this time. Marv showed us around Calgary even tho there wasn't much to see at this time of year. We did have a great visit with Marv and Donna. Then Monday we started out again heading east to Ontario. The rain, the mud and the wet combined with the boring scenery of the Prairies prompted us to again change our plans and we headed south east on hwy 39 at Moose Jaw. We crossed the border at Portal into North Dakota. What an experience that was. We could not believe the water sitting in the fields both in southern Saskatchewan and in North Dakota. We expected to stay the nite in Minot, ND but when we called campgrounds, they were closed due to flooding. We called Walmart to find that they were not in the flood zone and were allowing rvs to stay there. We spent the night, safe and dry, along with about 40 other rigs. The National Guard, Core of Engineers, Contractors and many volunteers were filling over a million sand bags. Ten Thousand of the town's residents had to manditarily evacuate their homes. It will take months to clean up the mess in this and other North Dakota areas. The flooding going east along #2 highway is just amazing.

Banff National Park

The drive going east on TCC-1 was breathtaking. Smooth road, surrounded by trees in various shades of green and many waterfalls coming off the mountains around us. OMG,,,,, just the other side of Hope, BC on hwy 5 and we saw a big brown bear in the field beside the road, hunting for food in the grass.WOW! Beautiful drive thru the mountains and around the lake before settling into the Elks Park in Salmon Arm, BC.There is more than one rv park in Banff National Park that can accommodate our length of rv. We ended up at the Lake Louise Trailer Park with electric only. Excellent 30 amp. Well built rv dumps. Good choice as we toured to Jasper and Banff.
Athabasca Glacier,Jasper National ParkThe Athabasca Glacier and the Columbia Icefield once formed part of an enormous ice sheet that ground and carved the landforms that we see today throughout the Rocky Mountains.The most recent Ice Age ended only 10,000 years ago. Most glaciers in North America are still in retreat, as the summer's melt is greater than the winters' accumulation. As the glacier flows downhill, it carries a tremendous amount of rock and debris with it. Lateral moraine and terminal moraines are left at the toe of the glacier. As the glacier has paused in its retreat up the valley, distinct ridges of large terminal moraines are clearly visible.Columbia Icefield is the largest body of ice in the Rocky Mountains. Highest point is Mount Columbia at 12,284 ft. Average depth is 1200 ft. Average snowfall is 23 ft per yr. Drains to the Pacific, Artic and Atlantic Oceans.Athabasca Glacier is an outlet valley glacier covering 2.5 sq miles. length is 3.75 miles. depth 270 - 1000 ft. Surface speed is: icefall 400 ft/yr, turn around 80ft/yr, toe 50 ft.
We had lunch in Jasper,a pretty and quaint ski town. The drive on Hwy 93 thru Banff NP from Lake Louise to Jasper opened up the beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains as well as some of the local wildlife. Great day. We were lucky that it did not rain much during the day, the sun was out at times and the temperature was in the low 60s.
The next day we toured the town of Banff. Another quaint and pretty ski area. We took in the Banff Springs Hotel which was amazing. The Tunnel Mountain RV Park could hold an rv our size and offered full hook ups. All pull thrus the same as Lake Louise Trailer Park. Lake Louise was a pleasant walk even tho the lake was still frozen. The Fairmont Hotel looks like a pretty nice to stay if in the area. We drove on hwy 1A to and from Banff and we're lucky to spot white tail deer and a large wolf.

Vancouver BC

We travelled north on I-5 toward Canada. Beautiful countryside unfolded around us as we wound between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. The crossing at the Pacific bordfer crossing was painless as BC welcomed us to warm sunshine. It was a narrow miss as we drove thru customs but the young office came out to watch that we didn't scrape the sides of our coach.As good a driver as John is, no problem. Our site at Burnaby Cariboo RV Resort was another test to John's driving and he passed with high marks. Not after some testy attempts tho. We ended up on site 134 which worked out just fine. Very private and not busy likely because of how expensive it is to stay here. It was fun when the train passed behind us. We could hear the roar and feel the vibrations long before the train arrived near us. And when it did arrive,it felt like an earthquake the way the coach rattled and shook. Too fun. Worked out great tho for touring the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park and Downtown Vancouver. It is impressive to note the time, effort and cost that this Province has put into the suspension bridge. Very impressive and we were glad we took the time to tour this attraction. Stanley Park is a big park and beautiful. Would be great to spend time on a warm summer day. We had a lot of rain during this stop but that was to be expected. Planned on going to Whistler Monday but changed our minds and moved on.

Seattle (Puget Sound)

While in Washington,we checked out the Space Needle. Beautiful view of Seattle. Then off to the Underground Tour. This story was really interesting. Seattle (originally know as Puget Sound) was built on a tidal plain. It is said that when you went to the bathroom, you had to stand up when the tide came in as it would swoosh the sewer back up the toilet and end up all over you. The sewer from the folks living in the mountainside also travelled down to the town streets and then into the ocean. Only to be washed up again when the tide came in. Seattle was a smelly, dirty town. The term 'Skid Row' came from Seattle. The first toilets were built by a company owned by a man named Crapper. Many crappers were shipped to Seattle. It was advertised as the gateway to the gold mines and many came to Seattle to stay and sell to the wannabe miners. The city decided to raise the streets to escape the sewer problems. Eight foot walls were build on each side of the streets to give a waffle effect. To go shopping, one would walk down the street, climb down the ladder to the store, shop and then carry the goods back up the ladder to the street where the donkey and cart were parked. To cross the street, one would climb up the ladder to the top of the eight ft wall, cross the street and then climb down the ladder on the other side. As coverings were built from street to street, the original stores remained under the new streets. Sewer pipes were made of wood with small passage ways. The great fire burned the downtown Seattle. It was only in the 1970s the Pioneer Square became a Historic Site. Awesome tour.

Washington

We just left Willsonville, OR where we spent the weekend. It was good to see our friends, Don and Pat, who graciously toured us around the Portland area. We went to the Arts and Crafts Festival Saturday morning where we enjoyed the sights and sounds of many cultures. I (Sheila) enjoyed a Falafel for lunch which was soooo good. Then off to Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge. We walked up to the bridge close to the fall, enjoyed the beauty and then returned to the car just as it started to rain. Lots of hiking trails but weather not in our favor to enjoy any distance. We could see Mount Hood and Mount St. Helen off in the distance. Lot of snow on both. We woke up Sunday to pouring rain but Don and Pat planned on taking us to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum. Very interesting place. We had our pictures taken in the cockpit of the Spruce Goose. This was a prototype built by Howard Huges in 1947. A huge cargo boat that flew. http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/ . Interesting story. The Imax of the Fighter Pilots was a good show and we were proud to see the Canadian participation. Now (Monday morning) we are heading north again to see what Washington has to offer.

Oregon

John, Sheila and 'the dog' moved on up the road and are now at Seven Feathers Casino and RV Park in Oregon for a few days attending to the transition of 'the dog' from the litter he is familiar with to his new home on our coach.We thought Jackson had one of the nicest rv parks we have stayed in, until we got here. This place is amazing. We left Chico alone in his cage while we went swimming and hot tubbing in the indoor pool. We could hear him howling as we walked away but there was no sound as we arrived back at the coach. This is such a pretty time of year as everything is in bloom. Nice to smell the lilacs and enjoy the Rhododendrons and Azalea blooms. Sunny and warm with no rain in site.

California

Once on the road again, we detoured off CA-99 to Jackson Racheria and Casino. Beautiful rv park and extremely clean. Really nice pool area; lounge with outdoor bbq and tables/chairs; really nice dog park and regular shuttle thru the park to the casino with fresh Dungeness crabs legs on the buffet. We were pretty impressed with this stop. Full hook up with 50 amp and price was $34 a nite for back in.
Our next stop was the Elks Lodge in Red Bluff. Uh huh,,,, we stopped there so John could go to Chico and look at the pups that Cornerstone Kennels had available. Surprise! We are now the proud parents of a 3 mos old Havanese. So our 42 ft rv is even smaller now! He is a little green with the travelling but we're sure he will adjust easily over the next few days.

California

After leaving Visilia, we travelled north to the Elks in Fresno for a few days. Decent rv spots, on grass, overlooking a small lake. Enjoyed the sunshine and downtime. Did attend a class at the Apple Store on using the Ipad2. We were pleasantly surprised with how much we learned. After Fresno, we moved the the Elks in Oakhurst. Not a lot of spots there that could accommodate our coach but they weren't busy so we were able to make ourselves at home.While there we toured the Bass Lake area. Then we spent an entire day at Yosemite National Park. The lady at the Visitor Center advised us to travel on CA-49 up to CA-120 and take120 into the park. Excellent advise as 120 winds along the river. The scenery was breathtaking before we even got to the park. Yosemite had a record snow fall this winter and, now that it is melting, the water falling off the mountain tops is more beautiful than ever. There were roads that were still closed for winter but we were able to tour and enjoy the valley. Pictures in Picasa Stream.

Sequoia National Park and King Canyon NP

We had moved from Santa Maria to Atascadaro Elks Lodge to visit Hearst Castle and to see the Elephant Seals. Now we moved to the Visilia Elks Lodge so we could spend the day at Sequoia National Park and the Kings Canyon NP. As we were visiting in the winter months, the hiking trails were closed but we were still able to feel the beauty of both parks while driving along the General Highway. We learned a lot about the Sequoia tree and the difference between it and the Redwood tree. We are looking forward to seeing the Rocky Mountains in Canada as we hear they are awesome. It is hard to believe anything could be more beautiful than what we saw today. Every mile on this journey, which took from 9 am to 5 pm, was breathtaking.

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle is built on the ranch, Rancho Piedro Blanca, which was purchased by George Hearst in 1865. His only child, William R. Hearst, started construction in the 1920s and spent the next 18+ years building and changing what resulted today in a 90,000 sq ft "Casa Grande". William's mother, a school teacher, took William, at age 10, on an 18 mos world tour. It is believed that his impressions of homes, churches, palaces and castles in Germany, Sweden, Italy, England and the Mediteranian played a part in the artitecture of this home in California. This 'moorish' castle has 165 rooms incl 56 bedrooms and 61 bathrooms. The castle has 3 guest houses that hosted such guests as Pres. Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Charlie Chaplin, David Niven and Cary Grant to name just a few. During times that Wm. Hearst lived here the grounds included a zoo with many exotic animals (incl polar bears, giraffes, zebras and tigers). William lived here with his girlfriend, Marion Davies, an actress who stared in many movies produced by a production company owned by Hearst.

It is said that movies such as Citizen Kane and The Cat's Meow are based on his life. Although the castle has been donated to the State of California, the Hearst family has maintained rights to some areas of the castle. The Hearst family ranches the land around the castle.

When you arrive at the Visitor Center, your guided tour begins with a bus ride for 5 miles up the hill to the castle.

The oldest artifact is the 18th Egyptian statue of Sekhmet, one of the oldest known deities at 3,600 years and from the time of King Tut.

California

After leaving the Madonna Inn, we moved on to the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. When we were in California a few years ago, I had wanted to check out some of the old missions but it didn't work out. I enjoyed this stop. This mission was founded by Father Juniper Serra September 1, 1772. It is named after Saint Louis Bishop of Toulouse France. In 1769, Fr. Serra, a member of the Order of Franciscan Minors received orders from Spain to bring the Catholic Faith to the Natives of Alto California. This area had an abundance of Grizzly Bear meat in the 'Valley of the Bears" and Fr. Serra decided to make 'La Canada de Los Osos" the ideal place for a fifth mission.

California

While in Santa Maria we drove up
to San Luis Obispo to do some touring. Tony and Barb had suggested that we stop at the Madonna Inn. Barb said it had been built by Mrs. Madonna and is approx. 50 years old. She said to def go in to the restrooms. This Inn was well worth the stop. Hot pink is the main color, but tasteful. The Inn is know for it's cakes (which we avoided looking at) and has an interesting restaurant as well as a beautiful formal dining room. Think if we hadn't been in the the rv, we would have stayed there for a night. Check it out at www.madonnainn.com

California

On the 18th, we left the Indio, Palm Springs area and drove over to the Elks Lodge at Garden Grove to be near our friends, Barb and Tony. Barb has been sick with the flu and Tony got called up to Jury Duty plus they were busy with plans for the Easter weekend. We were able to spend Wednesday with them before moving on north. We enjoy their company and it was a good visit. Ate at the Five Guys Burger joint. We really like In N Out and think their burgers are just as good for half the price. Fried mushrooms and onions on the Five Guys burgers are good tho. Fries at Five Guys are better. We left the area Thurs morning and drove up the coast to the Elks Lodge at Santa Maria. We were pretty impressed with the rv parking at this lodge. Full hook up, very clean and good 50 amp service at only $25 per nite. We understand the parking at Santa Barbara is nice too but didn't see it.

California

We went to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram with every intention of going up the 8500 feet to the top but,,,,,, John has had an ear problem since returning from Florida (and I'm afraid of heights) so we opted to just take a couple of pictures in the parking lot. Maybe I'll start with a ski lift at Collingwood. Beautiful countryside tho and it's obvious why poeple fall in love with California.

California

Yesterday, after the Nascar race of course, we toured Joshua Tree National Park. What a difference to what we have see before in our travels. Because it was 100F here, we didn't dress to hike. As we drove up the mountains into the park, we watched the temperature drop to a comfortable 79. Def could have hiked but saw a lot of the park which was breathtaking. John is standing in the Cholla Cactus Garden and Sheila with the Joshua Tree forest behind her.

California

We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Indio, CA on April 15th to some VERY hot weather. Has been up in the high 90s during the day and high 60s at night. But we are still touring. We went to the Palm Desert street market Sat. morning and sweat off some lbs. More of a designer type flea market. All new. While driving there we were on hwy 111 going west thru Indian Wells. What a beautiful area. It was actually 100 degrees F (40 C) but we could see the snow on the mountains. These mountains are between us and the California coast. It is beautiful here and John thinks now he may like California better than Florida. Still going to FL for the winter and will decide from there.

On the Road Again

We were sure lucky on our return to the Foothills. Cool (high 60s) and rain. It was great weather to get our Spring cleaning done and get ready to roll. We got back Thurs and on Fri morning John wanted to go to Best Buy just in case they had received any Ipad2s. Well they had just gotten two. Both were sold immediately with John getting one of them. He loves it. It is much easier to take with us when we go somewhere and we can Skype the kids anytime. We just take our little Mifi with us for internet access. Before leaving the Foothills, we stopped in at the In & Out for one last burger. Because of the rain, the trees were in bloom at the mall. It was beautiful. Then on the 15th we hit the road traveling west.

Disneyworld Florida

We just had time to get ready when the kids started to arrive at DisneyWorld. Michelle, Tim, Ty and Tate arrived on the 28th. Dione, Bob, Abby, Grace, Jack and Sarah arrived on the 29th. We celebrated John's 65th birthday on the 29th (whoo hoo,,,, now we got Medicare). On April 1st, we all went to Magic Kingdom and celebrated Jack's 6th birthday. He has been cancer free for almost a year now and it was wonderful to celebrate this birthday in the most fun place in the world. It was great that Ty and Tate spent the day at Magic Kingdom with us as a family even tho they would probably have enjoyed another theme park that offered rides for the older kids. Of course, we did 'it's a small world' that has been a tradition since Michelle and Dione were little. We stayed at the Disney resort 'Old Key West' and we were treated royally. You can't beat the friendly service that the Disney Cast Members offer their guests. The kids loved the water slide there along with all the daily pool activities. 'Just the best place for the magic to begin'. Michelle and her gang went home on the 4th followed by Dione and her gang on the 5th. Laura, her daughter Stacy, her sister Lynne, sister in law Dee and our mutual friend Barb all landed in at OKW on the 6th for a fast tour of Disneyworld. We took them to a few of the resorts followed by shopping Downtown Disney and then dinner at Planet Hollywood. We enjoyed some downtime before flying home to Yuma on the 7th. As you can see by the Picasa steam on photos, we all had an awesome time. We are so very fortunate that we invested in Disney Vacation Club when we first moved to the States in 97. Otherwise we would not be able to afford to show our family and friends the quality of vacation time at Disney that DVC allows us to do. Someday Michelle and Dione will be bringing their grandchildren to Disney to watch them grow up with the same 'magic' that these kids are enjoying. Life is good. When we get back to Yuma, we'll chill (right ! at a temp of 105) for a few days before moving on to Huntington Beach, CA to visit Tony and Barb as we start our trip North. Looking forward to some more sightseeing in California and to visiting Oregon and Washington for the first time.

Foothills, Yuma AZ

Buss and Jane dropped in for a visit and we did some major touring so they could see as much as possible. We were able to rent a trailer across the road that offered them their own space. Worked out really well. We took them to Mexico to enjoy the festivities, to the desert to see the 'Big Squeeze' and the 'Desert Graffiti', to the Yuma Territorial Prison and,,,, to the Casino (even tho they are not gamblers). Packed a lot into a short period of time. They left on Thurs for San Diego and we packed for Disney. Drove to Phoenix Friday and then flew into Orlando Saturday.

Yuma AZ

We are having a great time in the foothills with our friends. Kids cut our supply of Geritol as Sheriff was called to settle down our 'roudy' parties on more than one occasionl. Happy hours here include 'jamming' sessions with as many as 9 musicians strumming guitars, banjos and drums. Trips to Mexico are very different to crossing the border from Texas. We enjoy partying at the outside restaurants to the music of local bands (and Wally). Went out partying for St. Paddy's day but not as much going on here. John and Wally dressed for the part and we did drink lots of beer. Hot during the days but evenings cool off for great sleeping at nights. Enjoying the desert, casinos and friendships.

Yuma AZ

We are having a great time. Have updated photos in the Picasa Stream below. John went ATVing in the desert today and had a great time. We went to Mexico the other day and had a great time. Been to the flea market. Stopped in to visit Bill and Doris tonight. Hot here but cool breeze helps