Friday, July 17, 2009
STAND BY FOR BLAST OFF!!!!
It is TOO HOT in Tampa.....
We are off again in "Road House"......The Blue Ridge.
We depart July 20th and return end of July. Gotta find some cool air!
We love the Blue Ridge as followers know. This time near Boone to begin...then who knows where......Cool nights, a fire, and a nice swimmin hole are ideals.
COOL is 1st.
Duke
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We are off again in "Road House"......The Blue Ridge.
We depart July 20th and return end of July. Gotta find some cool air!
We love the Blue Ridge as followers know. This time near Boone to begin...then who knows where......Cool nights, a fire, and a nice swimmin hole are ideals.
COOL is 1st.
Duke
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
So, Where'd Ya Go?
Several friends have inquired about our actual 9,750 mile trip and where we went.
Let me list it in nice neat order.....if I can:
Tampa
Terre Haute, IN (Friends)
Rockford, IL (Kids/Grands)
Madison, WI (New awning)
Albert Lea, MN (Great Elks Lodge)
Badlands of SD (Two great days)
Hill City, SD (Custer Park, Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Bear Country, Bumpin-Buffalo Bar)
Billings, MT
Spokane, WA (Great Elks Lodge!)
Grand Coulee Dam
Bremerton, WA (Stayed at Elks Lodge RV Park - Beautiful View!)
Sequim, WA (On Olympic Peninsula)
Hoquiam, WA (On Peninsula)
Portland, OR (With friends for 5 days)
Pocatello, ID (Stayed to avoid Memorial Day crush!)
Yellowstone (ALL we or anybody else ever imagined!)
Grand Tetons/Jackson, WY (Three magnificent days of sights, rafting, food, etc.)
Rocky Mt. Natl. Park ("Roadhouse" cleared 12,200 ft - with huge effort)
Las Vegas, NM (NOT Nevada)
Dickinson, TX (Kids/Grands for a week)
Jacksonville, FL (Son for two days)
H-O-M-E!
April 20th til June 17th
Marvelous time.....wish we had taken 4-5 months.....we had plenty more to see/do!
Duke
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Let me list it in nice neat order.....if I can:
Tampa
Terre Haute, IN (Friends)
Rockford, IL (Kids/Grands)
Madison, WI (New awning)
Albert Lea, MN (Great Elks Lodge)
Badlands of SD (Two great days)
Hill City, SD (Custer Park, Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Bear Country, Bumpin-Buffalo Bar)
Billings, MT
Spokane, WA (Great Elks Lodge!)
Grand Coulee Dam
Bremerton, WA (Stayed at Elks Lodge RV Park - Beautiful View!)
Sequim, WA (On Olympic Peninsula)
Hoquiam, WA (On Peninsula)
Portland, OR (With friends for 5 days)
Pocatello, ID (Stayed to avoid Memorial Day crush!)
Yellowstone (ALL we or anybody else ever imagined!)
Grand Tetons/Jackson, WY (Three magnificent days of sights, rafting, food, etc.)
Rocky Mt. Natl. Park ("Roadhouse" cleared 12,200 ft - with huge effort)
Las Vegas, NM (NOT Nevada)
Dickinson, TX (Kids/Grands for a week)
Jacksonville, FL (Son for two days)
H-O-M-E!
April 20th til June 17th
Marvelous time.....wish we had taken 4-5 months.....we had plenty more to see/do!
Duke
Exam Done; Surgery Scheduled....Ready for Blue Ridge!
The "C" on my face even concerned the surgeon ( whom I trust implicitly) and is probably stage 2... that is Squamous cell....not simply Basel cell as are most of mine. The next level after Squamous is Melanoma......YOU (& I) Do NOT want to go there!
At any rate....I get another round of doc visits to say I am OK for the anesthesia....and then after our return from Blue Ridge, off to dreamland August 13th.
That should allow enough time for recovery before the Sept. 11th trip to Grand Cayman!
Love it!
Duke
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At any rate....I get another round of doc visits to say I am OK for the anesthesia....and then after our return from Blue Ridge, off to dreamland August 13th.
That should allow enough time for recovery before the Sept. 11th trip to Grand Cayman!
Love it!
Duke
Friday, July 03, 2009
ROADHOUSE READY!
Duchess and I are suffering from a similar malady......."Lack-a-Travel"....
The 10,000 mile trip has worn off.....Roadhouse is ready and so are we!
BUT there is "cancer-cutting" on my face, neck, etc. The cancers are not serious (one would hope), but need to be eliminated, and Duke has a system which flushes local anesthetic in 15-20 minutes....Thus I get to be off in dreamland while they excise the "C"....
Actually that is not all bad.....I go to sleep and wake up done. Exam this next week or two....then surgery in August. Recovery and off to Grand Cayman in September (Lord willing and the Hurricanes Stay AWAY!) Meanwhile, in the last part of July we'll be in the Blue Ridge! COOLER there than in Tampa.
Duke
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The 10,000 mile trip has worn off.....Roadhouse is ready and so are we!
BUT there is "cancer-cutting" on my face, neck, etc. The cancers are not serious (one would hope), but need to be eliminated, and Duke has a system which flushes local anesthetic in 15-20 minutes....Thus I get to be off in dreamland while they excise the "C"....
Actually that is not all bad.....I go to sleep and wake up done. Exam this next week or two....then surgery in August. Recovery and off to Grand Cayman in September (Lord willing and the Hurricanes Stay AWAY!) Meanwhile, in the last part of July we'll be in the Blue Ridge! COOLER there than in Tampa.
Duke
Monday, June 29, 2009
R & R.....
That can mean lots of things.
Here it does.....We are recovering from the many, many miles and "Roadhouse" has been in the "RV Hospital"....our fave mechanical team here in Tampa....a small garage owned and operated by a fine couple who, along with their fantastic mechanic, have helped us with vehicle repairs, maintenance, etc for 20 years.
If you are ever in Tampa and need some work....See "Butch's" on W. Hillsborough. They are fantastic.
"Roadhouse" now sports a repaired grill, new front brakes (The Rockies took their toll) and new oil and filter...plus some smaller jobs.
Ready to go again? YOU BET!
In fact the last half of July seems good. Last Doc appointment is July 14th for both of us. Then we will be off on our next adventure.....finding COOL!
This, for a short trip, means Blue Ridge time. Probably Fancy Gap (at the NC/Virginia state line, and alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway). Cool nights, several good restaurants nearby, and a cool pool. Nights here in July still mean a fire alongside "Roadhouse".....In fact last Summer in July I remember well Duchess in sweat jacket, and blanket beside the fire....& Mornings bring the chance for deer in the woods adjacent.
Tampa heat is de-press-ing in the Summer. Speaking of which I need to arise early tomorrow and mow before the yard reverts to a complete jungle.
Duke
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Here it does.....We are recovering from the many, many miles and "Roadhouse" has been in the "RV Hospital"....our fave mechanical team here in Tampa....a small garage owned and operated by a fine couple who, along with their fantastic mechanic, have helped us with vehicle repairs, maintenance, etc for 20 years.
If you are ever in Tampa and need some work....See "Butch's" on W. Hillsborough. They are fantastic.
"Roadhouse" now sports a repaired grill, new front brakes (The Rockies took their toll) and new oil and filter...plus some smaller jobs.
Ready to go again? YOU BET!
In fact the last half of July seems good. Last Doc appointment is July 14th for both of us. Then we will be off on our next adventure.....finding COOL!
This, for a short trip, means Blue Ridge time. Probably Fancy Gap (at the NC/Virginia state line, and alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway). Cool nights, several good restaurants nearby, and a cool pool. Nights here in July still mean a fire alongside "Roadhouse".....In fact last Summer in July I remember well Duchess in sweat jacket, and blanket beside the fire....& Mornings bring the chance for deer in the woods adjacent.
Tampa heat is de-press-ing in the Summer. Speaking of which I need to arise early tomorrow and mow before the yard reverts to a complete jungle.
Duke
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
More On Grand Cayman!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I surprised Duchess with a week in Grand Cayman in September for our 15th anniversary.
Now the fun begins......airlines.....This is possibly the most stupid use of computers I can imagine. The engines some of these sites use must be Model-Ts. I have so-far found Cayman Airlines most reasonable at about $430 per person, round-trip and non-stop from Tampa! I checked American airlines as a comparison and one of the options was a two-stop out of Tampa to Dallas Fort Worth, then back to Miami and then to Grand Cayman.....three airplanes and a total of 9 hours with a ticket price about $30 higher than the Cayman Air tickets. The Cayman flight is about an hour plus.
Also, must rent a car, and of course drive it on the LEFT side of the road. I am sure the driving part will be little trouble. However, the turning part is going to tax me for a few turns at least. Finding nice restaurant suggestions from several folks.
Trips are fun.....particularly flying. I prefer the motor home, but the bridge to Grand Cayman, over Cuba, has not been completed as of this writing.
Duke
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Now the fun begins......airlines.....This is possibly the most stupid use of computers I can imagine. The engines some of these sites use must be Model-Ts. I have so-far found Cayman Airlines most reasonable at about $430 per person, round-trip and non-stop from Tampa! I checked American airlines as a comparison and one of the options was a two-stop out of Tampa to Dallas Fort Worth, then back to Miami and then to Grand Cayman.....three airplanes and a total of 9 hours with a ticket price about $30 higher than the Cayman Air tickets. The Cayman flight is about an hour plus.
Also, must rent a car, and of course drive it on the LEFT side of the road. I am sure the driving part will be little trouble. However, the turning part is going to tax me for a few turns at least. Finding nice restaurant suggestions from several folks.
Trips are fun.....particularly flying. I prefer the motor home, but the bridge to Grand Cayman, over Cuba, has not been completed as of this writing.
Duke
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
HOME!
9,750
That is our odometer mileage total as Roadhouse backs into its home port. Our trip is finished (while the posts, pics are not!).....
There is a lot more to post....a lot to discuss, and now plans for work on the tired bus and rest for its tired occupants.....however, there was a sadness about seeing our trip end. It would have taken little to turn us around and send us into the Blue Ridge or Northeast!
More on that later. For now....collecting my pics and thoughts for final posts. Great night's sleep last night which had been much needed as our last two road days were in Jacksonville with Little Duke and we partied a bit too much.
Diet time kiddies!
Duchess off to water aerobics this morning, which she missed perhaps as much as anything here at home. I'm unloading.
Cats CJ & Jackie have returned to normal in the house in a matter of minutes.
More later folks!
Duke
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That is our odometer mileage total as Roadhouse backs into its home port. Our trip is finished (while the posts, pics are not!).....
There is a lot more to post....a lot to discuss, and now plans for work on the tired bus and rest for its tired occupants.....however, there was a sadness about seeing our trip end. It would have taken little to turn us around and send us into the Blue Ridge or Northeast!
More on that later. For now....collecting my pics and thoughts for final posts. Great night's sleep last night which had been much needed as our last two road days were in Jacksonville with Little Duke and we partied a bit too much.
Diet time kiddies!
Duchess off to water aerobics this morning, which she missed perhaps as much as anything here at home. I'm unloading.
Cats CJ & Jackie have returned to normal in the house in a matter of minutes.
More later folks!
Duke
Friday, June 12, 2009
Happy Anniversary......Happy Anniversary......
One tries to surprise one's m ate for major anniversary events.....
Sometimes One FAILS!
I have been working to surprise Duchess for our 15th anniversary for MONTHS!
We both loved Grand Caymen......
Then when the return call of an availability came it was at lunch with Duchess, and entire Texas family......I had to reserve with her watching.
Oh Well!!!!!!!
Sometimes one cannot surprise another......We are booked, and I am now planning flights.......Love it...
Happy, Happy Anniversary my beloved Duchess!
Duke
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Sometimes One FAILS!
I have been working to surprise Duchess for our 15th anniversary for MONTHS!
We both loved Grand Caymen......
Then when the return call of an availability came it was at lunch with Duchess, and entire Texas family......I had to reserve with her watching.
Oh Well!!!!!!!
Sometimes one cannot surprise another......We are booked, and I am now planning flights.......Love it...
Happy, Happy Anniversary my beloved Duchess!
Duke
