Hi All: We are now back home in Floral City. Got here Saturday at about 1130. Brenda and Dave were here, and he had just finished mowing the lawn. Looked real good. Donnie and Brenda Jo came over to say hi also. As well as Ken and Kate, and Jerry from across the street.

It was a tough trip from Phoenix. We just drove and stopped to sleep and drove some more. Hit the Love Bugs just outside of Houston, TX, and they stayed with us all the way home.

I spent the morning scrubbing the front of the motor home to get the bugs off before they ate the paint off. Think I got them off. Also found that I am not used to working out in the sun like I was before we went on this trip. Had to come in and work in the den hooking up the computers etc.

Amy will have a final report of our trip soon, and I'll have the final post for this trip. It was fun traveling and also fun letting you all know what we were doing.

Pharaoh is sure happy to be home also. As are we.... Amy is gone to the grocery store as Brenda and Dave must have eaten all our food while we were gone. hee hee.

Semper Fi

Don, Amy and Pharaoh...

Hi All: Had a great day again with Jack And Yoli. We got on the road early this morning for an 1 1/2 hour drive to the lake in the mountains East of Phoenix. Found our boat with plenty of time. Boat left the dock at 1030 sharp and we headed up the river behind the dam that made the lake. It was very strange to see the water right up to desert with cactus etc. There were only 26 folks on the boat, so we had plenty of room to move and look around. Had one beer on board and got back to the dock at exactly 1200. Glad we didn't decide to take the 1230 ride, as it was warm enough at 1030. Beautiful ride and very eye pleasing... It was the boat on the left that we took, not the little one.

Looks like they are ready for the trip????

Beautiful sights all along the trip. Strange to see the water run right up to the desert with all the cactus....

Lots of other small ski boats etc on the lake. It was a beautiful ride..

We will be on the road again in the morning heading East for Floral City, FL.. Will miss our times with Jack and Yoli. They were super hosts, and it was wonderful spending the time with them. Will miss them a lot....

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh..

Hi All: Hope you all didn't think we drove over the edge of the world?? We left 29 Palms, and went to Williams, AZ for one night, then drove to Verde Valley to stay a week at the 1000 Trails campground there. It was a nice lazy, restful time there. Didn't do hardly anything but eat, sleep and read books. Left there and headed South toward Phoenix and the photo above is where the saguaro Cactus started growing as we got closer to Phoenix

Got to Jack and Yoli's house after we got the Motor Home set up at the Cotton Lane Resort there. Photo above is Jack and Yoli's beautiful home. We have had a great time here with them. Haven't done anything really out of the ordinary. Played Wii about each evening and have had so much fun with it that We went to Luke Air Force Base here and bought one for our selves to take back home and keep playing. Maybe with enough practice we can get as good as Jack and Yoli.

Above, Jack is showing us how to do something on the Wii.. I think we may have been playing darts this time. We mostly played the bowling game.. Kept getting better and better at it as we played it. But not as good as Jack.. YET!!!!

We took Jack and Yoli out to dinner for their Anniversary.. They selected the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant.. It was a super place with the peanuts on the table. Could not throw the shells on the floor though. They did give you an empty can to put the shells in. Told the waitress it was their anniversary so they brought a saddle over and Jack and Yoli got on it as they sang happy Anniversary to them. Great evening. Food was super also....

Here's another couple that was there with Jack and Yoli. hee hee.

Looks like Jack is having a good time I would think??? Margaritas were good also...

Today Jack and Yoli took us to the College of Chef's for lunch. The students prepare the food and serve it. WE had been there on one other visit here and it was grand. This time was no different. The food was superb, and filling also...Grand time.

Amy and I went tot he grocery store to stock up for our trip back to Florida. Leaving here on Sunday morning and should be home in about 6 days.

We have reservations to take a boat cruise on a lake about 1 1/2 hours from here tomorrow. Should be another great day With Jack and Yoli. Not sure what we have in mind for after the cruise. We had talked about going back to the Mexican restaurant we went to the other night for dinner. Food was excellent. But if we do I will not order such a large portion. Could not eat all of it before....

Well, Won't be long till the blog will be shut down. Hope all have enjoyed our trip along with us..

Semper Fi.

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

Hi All: We left 29 Palms and made it to Williams, AZ in one trip. 317 miles, and there are no rest areas open in Arizona, so we did it without any rests.. Long trip. It was hot also. Had to crank up the generator on the motor home and turn on the big air conditioner. Camp ground in Williams was one we had been on our way up to Alaska. Nice place, but we only needed a one night stand. Country views were a lot different than what we had in Canada and Alaska, but still beautiful.

Got up a little in altitude and the trees started to look good. And the temp was a little better also. It was 113 in 29 while we were there. That's hot.

Still pretty country, but different that up North...A little warmer also.

This is our thermometer on the dash of the motor home on our way up from 29 Palms till we got height enough to cool down some.

Crossing the Colorado River in Arizona. Beautiful river here. Cannot see it when your in the Grand Canyon. It's a little muddy creek. Looks like that from the rim of the canyon??

We are now camped at the Verde Valley campground in Arizona. It's still warm here. It was 102 here today. A little cooler than 29 Palms, but not near as cool as Williams was last night. It was 58 when we got up this morning up there. It was at 7000+ feet. We are much lower than that now. But not as low as we will be in Phoenix when we leave here in a week. Above photo is a strange camper we have next to us here.

We plan to stay here for a week to recharge, and clean the motor home inside and out, and do laundry etc. Also it's one of our campgrounds we belong to, so it cost us nothing to stay here. Except the big yearly maintenance fee we have to pay to belong to the 1000 Trails Campground system...

Harry, I remember the palm trees they planted and told us that there was really 29 of them. I don't think they were still there this time. Must have moved them in town, as they had a lot of them around in there this time....

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh.

Hi All: Well, we finally made it to 29 Palms. Could not believe the changes that 30+ years have had on this area. The base has just about been completely rebuilt. All the housing areas have been rebuilt. New houses everywhere. Real nice too. Went to the PX which is a LARGE on now compared to the one we remember. Also went to the Commissary and it is in a different place and it also is LARGE. Very nice.... They also had a "Package Store" as part of the PX. Did not get to any of the Clubs on base. Photo above is going down the road toward the base that you can see out on the base of the mountains....


Above is the water tank on the base that they have painted. Most of the large building in town are also painted with pictures of things. Beautiful

Another mural that was on a building on the base. Someone sure is talented. Have you been out here Harry????

These are some of the 29 Palms at the 29 Palms Inn in town. We did drive by the place, and it hasn't changed all that much since we were here before....

We leave in the morning for Williams, AZ. It's 316 miles, and will leave us a short drive down to Verde Valley where we will be for a while before going on south to Jack and Yoli's. Amy has reservations at all the places so we have a place to stay when we get there. Will be nice to get in North Arizona where it will be a little cooler. It is 113 here today. A/C is working like mad to keep it in the 80's in the motor home.....

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

Hi All: We made it to Mohave, CA with no problems. Found a gas station we could get in and out of easy and the gas was only $2.95 a gallon. Continuing down the road we NEVER saw it that cheap again. All about $3.30 a gallon. Welcome to California. We also saw it above $4 at places. Same as Alaska. Welcome to California....Above photo is one of the beautiful shots of the mountains on the way down to the desert... It was 38 when we got up in Bridgeport this morning, and it was 95 when we got to the campground here in Mohave...Several feet lower in altitude also.

We found a sign for "Tom's Place" along the ride here, and then we came upon what May have been "Tom's Place. Tom, did you leave here for Delaware??? hee hee.. Just kidding...

We will leave here in the morning for 29 Palms. Haven't seen the base since we left there in 1972 I think. I bet there will be some changes there as well as at Pickle Meadows... Plan to be there for two nights, and check to see if there is still a PX, and a Commissary...Might try to find where we lived also and take some photo's to remind the kids about their past...

Above, Pharaoh is watching for Floral City. He has a ways to go to see it come around the bend..

All is well, and having a great time yet...

Semper Fi

Don, Amy, & Pharaoh

Hi All: Still in Bridgeport, CA. John and Diane Van Duesen got here yesterday from over by Fresno across the Sierra mountains. We had a couple drinks here at the motor home and then went in to town for dinner. Had a super time. Met then again this morning for breakfast at the same restaurant. Good food... We then went to the USMC Mountain Training Center up the highway a ways. Was not sure we could even get in, but the guard waved us right in. I was there for Escape and Evasion School in 1963 I think, but what I saw this time was NOT even close to what I remembered the Quonset huts etc of "Yesteryear". They must have invested Millions of dollars in that place. It was a beautiful base. It is a place they train the Marines on Mountain Warfare and how to survive in places like Afghanistan. Enjoyed seeing that place a lot.

Above is a photo of the little museum in Bodie, CA. It's a Ghost Gold Town they have tried to maintain in natural conditions. They took a lot of gold out during the late 1800's, and is now a state park. Altitude is about 9200 feet... The ranger said it was 20 degrees there this morning. Down in Bridgeport at the Motor home it was 39.. Still to cold for me to breath...


This is one of the building they have allowed to go natural without any help over the years. I think this is the Ranger Home there. Would not like to be here in the winter when it gets to 30-40 degrees below zero. No big heaters, just the wood stove like they had in the late 1800's They don't pay them enough...

Photo of Diane and Amy at the parking lot at Bodie State Park Gold Mine.

Photo Of Diane Van Deusern with her new truck at Bodie, CA. A 1929 Dodge as I remember..

Ranger at the gate to Bodie, CA Gold mine State Park. When it gets to 30 below zero I would think the beard would help some..

Van and I at the gate of the of the U. S. Marine Corps, Mountain Warfare Training Center, Pickle Meadows, CA.

I am so glad we decided to stop here and visit with Van and Diane. We had a great time with them..

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

Hi All: Sorry, have not been on the Blog for a few days. Have been real busy. Stopped in Seattle for a visit with Amy's Cousin's, Joe and Judy Harrison. We had a wonderful time with them. They were so gracious and fun to be with. They took us to Pike Place Market that is the biggest and best Farmers market I have ever seen. I did get some good fruit, and some peanuts there. Amy got I'm not sure what, but It looked like a lot.????Above is the Space Needle there in Seattle. We didn't go up in it, but we did drive by it. Neat....

Here I am "Waitin' on a woman in Pike's Place Market. Not sure what the name of the shop she is in, but she was in there for about 4 hours. (Just seemed like it). I was lucky, she came out with just one small bag....hee hee.

Above is the campground we are in here in Susanville, CA. We got here today, 29 Aug. We left the Interstate highway system today and headed down the East side of California. It is beautiful along this route. Would have put more photo's on the Blog, but the Internet is real slow here. Takes about 5 minutes to load each photo on the blog. This campground is one of the nicest places we've been so far. All concrete slabs for each site. Our rig is down about two on the left. Beautiful area. Well taken care of. Susanville RV Park, in Susanville, CA. Will be leaving for Bridgeport CA in the morning to meet with a great guy I was in the USMC with. John Van Deursan. Think I misspelled his last name. Always called him Van... They are driving 3 1/2 hours away to meet us there in Bridgeport to visit with us while we are there. Looking forward to seeing him and His Wife Diane.. We will be there two nights. The last time I was in Bridgeport was at the "Escape and Evasion" school of the USMC. They beat the crap out of me then. That was back in 1962 I think....

Well, all is going great yet, and we are still having a great time. Area here is beautiful, and the temp is around 56 here today. We are at about 4300 feet elevation.... Will be going down a little going to 29 Palms.

Semper Fi.

Don, Amy & Pharaoh.

Hi All: We are now in the good ole' USA.. WE got here in Mount Vernon, WA about 1400. Trip down was interesting. We came down an 8% grade for about 8 miles. Had to go to gear 2 to keep me slow enough that I didn't have to burn up my brakes to keep me within the speed limit. Beautiful country. All mountains covered with pine trees. A lot of them have the Pine Bark Beetle damage. Sad to see a full grown Lodge Pole Pine "Brown". Dead....Coming down the hill there was an area that was covered over the road as on the picture above, making a tunnel, as shown in the yellow colored photo. It is where they have a lot of avalanche trouble, so they built the cover over the road and the snow just roles off the side of the road, and the road is saved. Pretty interesting to see that, AND drive thru it.

Me made it to the border, and it was good to see a sign saying we were going the right way.??

When we got to the border crossing they were already a line of vehicles waiting to get thru the gate. We got there at 1130 and we got thru at 1230. It was almost as bad this time as last time. Of course our line had all the RV's in it and it was the slowest, as there was only one lane for them, and about 5 lanes for everyone else. took an hour this time. Took 1 1/2 hours last time. All he asked me is when I retired from the USMC??? then we were gone in to the USA.

Above is the one lane for RV's that caused the long wait. Also, there was a entrance gate for the RV's that gave me about a foot on each side of the rig to line myself up to get in to. Had to do that from a turn also, and other cars in the way. A Customs agent was out there telling me how to line up to enter the area. It was clear to me what I had to do, but I'm sure he has found a lot of folks that need instructions....

We are now at the Mount Vernon campground in Washington State. Beautiful campground, AND the allow me to wash my motor home. Amy has been washing clothes since we got there. She says it's the cheapest laundry since Tom and Judy's where she washed clothes in Delaware. I think it is $1.25 per washer load here. We were paying $2.50 per washer load in Canada.. Not sure what Tom charged Amy to wash there???? hee hee.

We will be here tomorrow and tomorrow night, then on to the Seattle area to visit with Joe and Judy for a couple days.....

Semper Fi.

Don, Amy & Pharoah..

Hi All: Still in Clinton, BC. Started out a little cooler this morning, then progressed in to a full blown rain. We drove up town this morning and I turned to where I thought the WalMart I could see was and ended up on the big Interstate 5 going North. The way we came in. Could not get turned around for about 15 miles. The cloud that I made over my head was probably the cause for the rain...

We went to a restaurant in town the campground recommended. We both had a open faced turkey sandwich. It was huge, with french fries. Could not finish it all. The campground even gave us a coupon that got half off for the second meal. I am stuffed now. Glad we had a real good meal for our last meal in Canada..

Photo above is of Alan Jackson painted on the side of one of the buildings. Amy had to stand out in the rain to take the picture. We had planned on walking around town today, but did not want to do it in the rain. They had lots of buildings with photo's painted of Country Music folks. Lots of them must be Canadians, as I never heard of them. Nice little town...


A close up of Alan Jackson on the building. The painter didn't do to bad a job..

Here's a Mammoth tusk they had in the museum we visited. It felt and looked like it was petrified. Sure is a big tooth.

Here's our muddy Motor Home. The rain has not cleaned it up at all. Will have to load the car in the morning hoping the rain has stopped by then. Guess I could get a bucket of soapy water and clean the motor home in the rain??? NOT...

We will leave in the morning heading for Washington State. About 150 miles and we'll be back in the USA. Stopping in Mount Vernon for two days, as Amy has to do laundry. Haven't done any since we left Alaska, and running low on stuff.. Will be there for two days, then on to Seattle area for 3 days. Getting closer to getting home now...

Fires still burning up here. Not enough rain yet I guess. Saw on news the fire got to within 12 kilometers of Prince George, where we were before we got here. They are still under smoke there. Clear here except for rain clouds...

Later..

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh...

Hi All: We are in Merritt, BC now. Made it here with no problems in all the forest fire smoke from Clinton. It was a beautiful trip had we been able to see more of the country hidden by the smoke. Went over some large mountains and came down in to Merritt, the Country Music Capital of BC. Not sure why it is called that as there is NOTHING going on here now, However the weather is great. It got warm here and the smoke is not here at all. Got up in the 80's with a nice breeze and lots of sun. One of the best nicest days we've had in a long time.
The Photo above is of me at the diner we ate at last nite in Clinton. Pretty rustic. Just a tent next to a mobile home. The cook used a propane BBQ grill to do the cooking on, and had a buffet set up of vegetable etc. Amy had a Open face steak sandwich, and I had a Chicken fried Steak. Both were very good...


Above is a photo out our front window at the campground in Merritt. Beautiful campground, very well kept, and lots of campers....

Not sure how this will show up, but it is meant to try to show you how the smoke is filling the area all over British Columbia. Sure smelled also. So glad we are out of that at last..Radio said they had 1400 fires this year so far around here. That's unbelievable....

Here's Amy waiting on her dinner last night at the campground diner in Clinton....

We plan one more day here, then will leave for the USA. Will spend a few days around the Seattle area, and have a couple days with Joe & Judy Harrison in Seattle. Amy's cousin. Will be nice to get back to the USA..

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh

Hi All: It's been a couple days since I've been on the Blog. Not much to say about traveling down the road. We are now in Prince George, British Columbia. Got here yesterday and have had no real trouble on the trips. The photo shows above a little of the smoke we are contending with now. Have several forest fires Southwest of us and the wind is bringing the smoke up here. Supposed to get even worse in the days to come. We plan to leave in the morning for Clinton, BC. Not anything to do with one of our Presidents for one night, then on to Merritt, BC that is supposed to be the Country Music capitol of British Columbia?? Think it is for Canadian Country Music. Will be there for two nights.

As you can see, my travel mate is tired from all the work she has done during the day and is relaxing. She deserves the rest. Couldn't be doing this trip without all she does..

Here is what the poor Saturn looked like when we got here yesterday. I didn't ask about washing vehicles when we checked in so I started washing it when we got here. Had to wash off the cover first, then did a wash on the car. Looked pretty good while it was wet, but didn't look as good the next morning. Thought of taking it to a car wash, but decided to just clean the windows and cover it up again for our trip South. There are a few forest fires where we are heading, but they say the roads are open so far. Hope they keep the fire under control so we can get South of them... Smoke here is awful bad, and is supposed to be worse as we go South.

This is a photo of one of the Chain Saw art work they do in Chetwynd, BC every June. They are all over the city. The work and art are AWESOME. I'm sure the photo's do not lend to them as they are a work of ART. This is a Japanese Warrior he cut out of a hunk of wood.

Here are a couple works of art. AMY being one. and the other is another chain saw work of art.

This may be hard to see, but we got a big rock hit on our windshield. It is on the right side, and had it hit one inch higher it would have missed the windshield. It started out as a BIG rock chip, but is now sneaking down the window. This will require me to put a new windshield there when we get home....

Bob... Do your remember this place. We walked around in it for some time looking at all the neat stuff it had. Well, it is still here, and we spent some time in there today. I just picked up a couple things. The Surplus area is not as large as it was when we were here in 2008. Still a neat place to walk around a OGLE... Amy even found some things in there this time.

Well, that's about it for today. We are close to the Good Ole USA, and will be in Seattle area on the 25th for 3 days with a visit with Amy's cousin Joe Harrison and his wife Judy. Hope to make another trip to Pike Market. It was a grand trip last time.

Semper Fi

Don, Amy & Pharaoh.