Home again

I had the final posting for the road trip almost done, but I lost it when the brand new computer died. When I say died I mean just that, it was running fine and in a second it had a terminal cardiac arrest, lights out and no heartbeat. I sent it back to the company that had customized it for me and they couldn’t resurrect it. They have sent it back to ASUS. I’m writing this on the old ASUS which except for a couple sticky keys is working fairly well; I guess it just needed a rest.

White Sands National Monument

Millie and I both agree this was one of the best trips we’ve had so far, we saw and did all sorts interesting things.  Wintering in Florida was a great start, but this year we didn’t return straight home. In the simplest terms we followed the gulf coast to Mexico, then on to west Texas, and up thru New Mexico before turning east for home. 

Crossing the Pecos river in Texas

Along the way we strolled the French quarter of New Orleans, Biked the beach front promenade in Biloxi, toured the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island, took the motorhome on a ferry boat across Galveston Bay, rode the gondola 700 feet to the top of the St Louis Arch, saw four musical shows in Branson Missouri, Crossed the border and spent a day in Mexico, Climbed to the ruins of an ancient Indian community on top of a mesa in New Mexico, toured the corvette factory in Bowling Green Kentucky, visited big bend National Park in Texas, played the ponies at Churchill downs, went to the Grand Ole Opry, climbed the dunes at the White Sands National Park, explored the caves at Carlsbad Caverns, visited the Angel Fire Vietnam Veterans Memorial in northern New Mexico, in San Antonio we stood in the shadow of greatness at the Alamo.

Biloxi Mississippi

It goes without saying that Los Alamos is an important part of every trip out west and this time we spent two weeks camped in Dave and RaeAnne’s driveway. We got to see the grandkids everyday, Millie got to spend time with her daughter and the dogs and I got to do a lot of hiking in the National Forest that adjoins their house.

Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum

Our 6000 mile road trip lasted four and one half months and took us thru fifteen states. Whenever we could we traveled on secondary roads, that’s were the real America is. It’s the best advice I can give about Rving in the USA, get off the interstate and take the road less traveled. 

On the trolley, New Orleans Louisiana

         

We returned home on the 30^th of May and haven’t slowed down yet. We had the normal transitional duties such as cleaning out the motorhome, putting it in storage and getting settled in at the condo. We have been guests at two dinners given by some of our neighbors here at the Cane Patch and attended the annual owners meeting where I was reelected to the Board of directors for two more years.

International traveler

Millie has resumed her early morning beach walks and I’m enjoying riding my bike around the neighborhood. The girls love their late afternoon walks on the shore. The minnows are starting to travel the swash (creek that empties into the ocean) down the beach from us and the girls chase them around in the shallow water. They have so much fun that I feel guilty on the nights that we leave them home so Millie and I can stroll barefoot in the moon light.

The Riverwalk in San Antonio

Millie has been busy with the garden committee planting summer flowers around the complex and Doug and I have done a couple electrical repairs that were awaiting my return. Our big project for the summer is rebuilding the pool pump house; we have demolished the old one and have the framing up for the new one.

Spanish market in San Antonio

  

We’ve made a technology change here at the condo that we’re excited about. We have been using been using Verizon Wireless both at home and on the road for internet access but it has gotten very expensive. We have added internet service by our cable TV service provider here at the condo and reduced the broadband usage on the Verizon account. I can jack it back up again next time we are traveling. 

Taos Gorge

The exciting part of all this is our big flat screen TV is a smart TV and we now have it connected to the internet. We switched our Netflix account from mail to download and are downloading and watching movies almost every night. It’s such a neat feature that we are going to replace the TV on the veranda with a smart model.  Soon we will be watching movies under the stars with ambiance provided by the twinkling lights of the big hotels and the sound of the surf.

Life is good, it’s very good!

See you down the road.