MOBILE, ALABAMA Aug. 30, 2008

We became acquainted with downtown Mobile by driving around a lot looking for old southern homes. We wandered in to a section where people are restoring and living in the old homes (like Seattle does). It was on the edge of a sketchy neighborhood. We stopped and talked with a man who was outside with his wife and kid and asked him how to get to the mansion Ernie mentioned. We must have talked with this guy for 15 minutes - chatty and friendly - coincidentally he is going to Seattle with his family next week to take an Alaska cruise - it's a small world.

Going thru that mansion we toured was like stepping back in tme - it was located in the same neighborhood I mentioned above in a real quiet area with huge very old oak trees that had twisted branches going every way. I realized that even people with money in the 1800's spent most of their time tending to daily necessities of their life. They just made it seem more refined. Learned some interesting tidbits about life in the 1830's - for instance, when a man came to 'call' on a woman her father would sit in a chair and watch them. Since they didn't have much to talk about, the woman used her hand fan to send 'signals' to the suitor...hmmm. Also, men only took a bath 1x a week, so they smelled so bad that the woman had to hold flowers in a bouquet to smother the smell. Everyone in a family took a bath in the same bathwater, with the baby in last, thus the saying 'don't throw the baby out with the bath water'. Joyce

08/30/08 Theodore Alabama again

It is now 8:30 p.m., and the news on Gus is looking better for us. Latest predictions has it coming in a little bit farther to the west than yesterday.

We went into Mobile and took a tour of a mansion that was built in 1833.

It was in two families for over 150 years before it was donated to the city of Mobile. It still has all of it's original furnishings, dishes, etc.

After that we went to a seafood place for lunch. I had a crawdad dish and Joyce had some sort of fish. (I made the better choice!)

We took a drive around the Mobile Bay area this evening. I stuck my foot in the water, and it is warm. Speaking of warm, it is still in the low to mid 90's with matching humidity.

Tomorrow we head to Fountain Florida which is 200 miles from here and outside of the hurricane watch zone (assuming Gus dosen't change course).

Woo Hoo!!! I added pictures! Hopefully in the future I will be able to continue this feature. (the pelicans sitting on the poles were outside of our window where we had lunch)

Ernie

08/29/08 Theodore(Beaver) Alabama

Left Louisiana at 9:00 this morning, crossed Mississippi and entered Alabama at 12:00 p.m.
Temperatures still running in the mid 90's. We continue to monitor Gustav and Hannah. Gustav is still predicted to hit just west of New Orleans, with the outer edge brushing the Mobile area.
We will be moving further east Sunday morning, then down to the Tampa area on Tuesday morning. That is assuming that nothing changes in the storm path. But if it does we will head north. With that said, we shouldn't see anything other than possibly some of the residual rain.
Tomorrow we will probably tour one or two of the old plantations/mansions in the Mobile area.
Ernie

08/28/08 Louisiana

We took a 2 hour swamp tour this evening, then went to a Cajun restaurant for food and music. The swamp tour was quite interesting. Lots of alligators, and birds. The cypress trees are really cool.
We learned the difference between a swamp and a bayou.
I had catfish for dinner, and Joyce had seafood gumbo. We had hush puppies for our appetizer. We wish we had more time here. Gail and Randy, you guys would like it here.
We continue to keep an eye on Gustav, and now Hannah is forming next.
At this point, the projection is for Gustav to come in at New Orleans or further west on tuesday. By then we will be about 450 miles east of New Orleans. Right now Hannah is projected to hit the east coast of Florida/Carolinas. If she does, that may happen while we are on our cruise. So with a little bit of luck, we could avoid the entire mess.
We will continue to monitor the situation, and are prepared to move north if need be.
Tomorrow we head to Mobile Alabama, and we'll see what happens from there.
Ernie

8/28/08 Duson Louisiana 9:45 a.m.

It must be close to 90 degrees already, with at least 90% humidity.
I'm wondering why I wasted time taking a shower this morning!
Took a walk around 7:30 a.m. Pretty nice out then. Did a little cleanup inside the coach this morning, and we will be heading out to see what there is to see shortly.
Had chicen and sausage gumbo, seafood gumbo, and crawdad bisque for dinner last night at a Cajun restaurant. Also had an eggplant with shrimp sauce appetizer and a couple of beers. Very good food. This was the first restaurant dinner of the trip.
We are keeping an eye on Gustav, and this morning it sounds better for the direction we are heading. I filled the tank on the motorhome when we got here yesterday, just in case we need to head back up north.
Tomorrow we head for Mobile Alabama which is about 250 miles east of our present location. I will continue this saga later.
Ernie

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Traveled all day 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Left Dallas and drove to Duson, Louisiana (over 400 miles). At least I get to lie down on the sofa when I want to - it's good to stretch out. It's helped improve my back problem.

Today was mostly all the same scenery, lots of trees and green grass. There were hardly any small towns or anything of interest on the Interstate, so I slept and read. Ernie just drove and drove........

I thought it was hot in Dallas, but it's even hotter and more humid here. After all, we are in the South - humid central. So now we are watching the newest hurricane potential - Gustav - we may have to detour our route depending on what happens in the next few days.

We decided to eat out tonite and wanted to try some real Louisiana cookin' - we ate at a local Cajun style restaurant - Ernie had some different gumbo soups (crawfish, shrimp, crab). I had crab cakes with shrimp sauce - it was delicious and very rich, so I ended up taking half of it back to the Rv.

We finally found a grocery store afterwards "Winn-Dixie" - made me appreciate all the variety and good food we have back in the big city. The store had a very limited selection and some of the food items we take for granted aren't sold much out here.

There are a LOT of pickup trucks out here and people who say y'all!

Ernie's asleep in the chair (gee, just like home) - he had a long day driving and got tired out.

Tomorrow we explore the area - the next town over (Rayne) is the frog capital of the world. Thus, the name of the RV park we are in - "Frog City RV Park" - Joyce

8/26/8 A Day in Dallas

This morning we had 2 repairmen at our site - one to patch the crack in the window and one to fix the slide wall.
In the afternoon, we went to what's called 'The 6th Foor Museum' in the Texas book depository building(downtown Dallas). The museum is located on the same floor from where the shots were fired that killed the President in 1963.
Afterwards, we went back to the Boyers and had a delicious dinner. Driving back to the RV - we got a little lost downtown but found the road we needed to return us to Arlington.
Not too much else - the day went by very fast. It's off to Louisiana tomorrow morning. - Joyce

08/25/08 Dallas Texas

Made it in to Arlington Texas about 4:30 p.m. Right in the middle of rush hour of course. People drive very fast and aggresive!
Made an appointment with a mobile mechanic to get the bedroom slide fixed tomorrow. Also have somebody comming out to repair the crack in the windshield. After that we will not have any more issues other than trying to post pictures on the blog.
Temperature in the mid 90's but cooling off to the mid 70's overnight.
Went to Craig and Wendy's for dinner tonight. Had a couple of beers and some "real Texas barbecue". It was great!!
Tomorrow we want to get to Dealy Plaza to see the place where the world started on it's downhill spiral on 11/22/63.
We have been checking the weather for our foray into the deep south, with our next stop in Duson Louisiana, then Mobile Alabama. It appears from the weather forcasts that Fay has departed, with only scattered thunderstorms left in the area. We will check with the resorts there to make sure that they didn't have any major flooding issues.
Gail & Randy, it's good to see y'all on here. We've been waiting!
Sheila, I'll call you tomorrow about the picture thing.
Ernie
:) :) :)
Amarillo to Arlington/Dallas area - not very eventful - here's what we saw: lots of sagebrush, open land and rolling hills and a herd of camels! Lots of small towns with old buildings that were what small town America used to look like and are now abandoned but still have the charm of a time gone by. Rest areas with shelters provided in case of tornadoes - just in case you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time....I could imagine a tornado roaring thru those flat plains real easily.

We enjoyed our visit with Craig and Wendy and their girls - they lived across the street from us in Seattle before moving to the Admiral area and then to Dallas, Texas. Actually, they were West Seattle Y members and now go to the Y near their neighborhood. They used to stop by to visit me after the girl's swim lessons. We will be getting together with them again tomorrow.

That's all for now - tomorrow will be a busy day. -Joyce

08/24/08 Amarillo again

After spending about two hours trying to download pictures from the camera to the computer tonight, we are almost ready to return to a 35mm. Thanks for trying Keith & Sheila, but I think the pictures on the computer is just beyond our capabilities. So, for now there will be a pictureless blog. Maybe I can get back into it in a couple of days, but for now it is creating STRESS!!! and that is not what a vacation is for. Besides, our motorhome follies are creating enough stress. Did I mention that we now have a cracked windshield? Took a rock coming into Colorado on Thursday, and the wonderful roads on the way to Amarillo created an 10" crack on the passenger side.
In the morning we head for Dallas. Joyce is getting concerned about the weather in the gulf. After looking at several weather web sites, there does not appear to be anything to worry about for the next couple of days. We will be keeping an eye on Louisiana, Alabama, & Florida as we go, but by the time we get there Fay should be gone!
We went to the Caddilac Ranch today and took some great pictures. Too bad you wont be able to see them. We also went to a really neat canyon in a otherwise extremely flat landscape. Joyce says it's flatter than Chicago!
We also went over and dinked around in a section of old Route 66.
It's after midnight, and I want to be on the road by 9:00 a.m. So, to all a good night.
Ernie

Sunday 08/24/08 Amarillo Texas

Arrived Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (Texas Time). Campground is a little more "rustic" than the past ones, but we have water/sewer/& power.
We are about 2 miles from the Caddilac Ranch, and are going there today as well into Amarillo. It will be about 90 degrees today with 80% humidity.
Took a walk last night, and came across a dead snake 3-4' long. Don't know much about snakes, but it sure looked like a rattle snake to me. (it didn't have any rattles tho)
We are having technical difficulties downloading our pictures to the computer, and thus to the web page. Please stand by. We will be seeking technical advice later today.
You can leave comments by clicking on the "comments" at the bottom of the post. Be nice!!
Ernie

8/22/08 Pagosa Springs Colorado

Getting ready to head out tomorrow morning for Amarillo Texas. Discovered it was "Operator Error" on the leveling jacks and the main slide out. Bedroom slide does have an issue tho, but we can/will live with that until we get to Arlington Texas Monday evening. There is a Camping World facility 15 miles from where we are staying.

Joyce is feeling better today. We spent a good part of the day in Pagosa Springs. Watched RV after dinner. Pretty good movie.

With a little bit of luck and a better internet connection, we will get some new pictures posted.
Ernie

Pagosa Springs Colorado 08/21/08

And the beat goes on! Air conditioners fixed and working great.
But now, on arrival at the camp ground in Colorado, an electrical gremlin has popped up. We are unable to deploy the leveling jacks or the slide outs! All I hear is a click in the dashboard when trying to run the jacks.
Oh well. I assume we can get a mechanic out here to make repairs tomorrow.
The drive here was spectacular, particularly in the vicinity of Arches National Park. Unfortunately, Joyce has been having issues with her back, and has had a headache all day. We did take a lot of pictures today, and with a little bit of "good luck", we will get them posted tomorrow.
Ernie

Salt Lake City 08/20/08

Made it in to Cedar Hills Utah (about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City) at about 5:00 p.m., so we got to drive in the rush hour traffic. We are staying with freinds here for two nights, then it will be on to Colorado.

Experienced another issue as we prepared to leave Eden Idaho. When I went to start the coach, I had no power to the starter motor. Thank God for the roadside service plan. One phone call and a mechanic arrived and diagnosed the problem as a bad starter selenoid. About an hour and a half later we were on the road with a new starter! We hope that any other problems that may pop up down the road are resolved this smoothly. And since we have a service contract, the entire expense is taken care of.

The coach goes in today to get the rear air conditioner fixed, and we will be sight seeing with Tom and Jandora for most of the day. Ernie

:) :) :)

Having af great time visiting with an old high school friend. She has a beautiful home in the hills a ways out of Salt Lake. The mountains in the back of their home are stunning - Robert Redford's home is on the other side of the mountain.

We're going for a drive, then lunch and will have a picnic dinner at a nearby park to meet the rest of her family.

Once again, pictures forthcoming...it takes us a long time for us to get them on the blog, but it adds a lot to the blog to have pictures, so we're persisting! - Joyce

Eden Idaho 08/18/08

Made it to Eden Idaho Sunday evening at approximately 6:30 mountain time. Temperatures in the upper 90's,which felt pretty good after the last 2 days! Late Monday morning we set out to see the sights. Detected a vibration in the car, and thinking that maybe the rough interstate we were on yesterday damaged a tire or caused one to become unbalanced. We proceded to Les Schwab for a diagnosis. It turns out that the Brake Pro locked up the brakes on the tow car at some point, and created a flat spot on all 4 tires. So we now have a brand new set of Toyo's on the car, and we will not be using the suplemental breaking system until we find out if it malfunctioned, or if I malfunctioned. The car would have been due for new tires by the time we got back anyway, so at least now I don't need to worry about them.

We set up an appointment at Camping World in Salt Lake City on Wenesday to get the rear air conditioner fixed. With a little bit of luck, that will be the last mishap. After Les Schwab, we went to Shoshone Falls on the Snake River.

This is in the vicinity of Evel Kenevel's ill fated motorcycle jump in 1974. We will get some pictures up soon.

After that we went to Kimberly Idaho for groceries and returned to our home on wheels. Fixed a Rum and Coke (Thanks Don!), and barbecued ribs for dinner. We figured out how to operate the Washer/Dryer, and it is running as we speak (kind of slow though). But that's enough out of me, I'm done for the day!! --Ernie



:) :) :)

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Drove to Eden, Idaho - miles and miles of 'not much'!!

Attempting to add pictures to this blog - please be patient with us - it's our first time :)

Stop #1 Hermiston Oregon

We made it to Hermiston about 5:30 p.m. 107 degrees!
Got set up and went to Wal Mart for a few neccesities. Toasty warm in the coach. Rear air conditioner pooped out, so we only have one functioning unit. Coach cooled down to a comfortable level at about midnight.
Saturday morning, it is warming up fast. Took a drive around the area, and took a few pictures. Getting HOT by noon. Went to a local fruit stand and picked up some local melons and vegetables.
Spent a couple hours trying to figure out the computer, downloading pictures, and accessing the blog site.
Thanks to Sheila and Keith (and a lot of phone time),we got up and running. 107 degrees again at about 5:00
Tomorrow we head for Eden Idaho, which is about 360 miles.
The next time we update this blog, we will ATTEMPT to post some new pictures. Ernie
:) :) :)
Looks like the highlight of Hermiston is WATERMELONS....this is farm country- we saw cows, buffalo, goats & horses. Lots of corn fields, even in the middle of this desert country. Irrigation is big out here - huge sprinklers going all over the place - mostly all green lawns too.
Have to reluctantly admit it was even too hot for ME!
So we went to the walmart to get a fan to circulate what air there was in the RV - we did not inhabit the parking lot with the RV, however!

Thanks to Sheila and Keith for all your help in setting this up and helping us today!
Thanks to all our friends for your positive enthusiasm and good wishes for our adventure. To Molly, Cindy and Lela for your sendoff get together at Cactus last week, Lisa and Don for a fun dinner and good bottle of rum, Pat for dropping by to see Ernie and loan him the movie RV, the gang who came over for our BBQ last week.

Wow, the pressure is on to make this interesting....So here's a totally unrelated little tidbit for all you old enuf to remember...what happened in Aug. 1977? Yes, it's true, Elvis left the building....

On to 'the garden of 'Eden' (Idaho, that is) Pictures forthcoming soon.
-Joyce

Were Out of Here