I just have to wonder!!

How did 1 and 1/2 retirees, and I say 1/2 because Bruce worked longer than I did. Oh!!! but wait, I worked longer as a domestic engineer than he did. So how did 2 1/2 retirees. LOL I get an extra 1/2 , deserve a "semi" carefree life style that we have. I say "semi" because we still have children, parents, family and friends to think of and worry about. Not to mention getting back to the Starlight Theartre for our 2 dollar margaritas by 5 pm. We are driving along the Rio Grande River, on the Mexican border in our convertible mustang, Bruce in his Tilley style hat, me in my baseball cap, with the top down, wearing our old lady fitover sunglasses. I just have to laugh!!!

I guess it's a dirty job and someone has to do it!!

Big Bend National Park

Maderas Del Carmen /Rio Grande River

Bruce and I have been in the park for almost a week now and plan to stay another week or so. We've hiked miles, had a snow storm and saw lots of wild life. Luckily, we didn't see the mountain lion that a fellow camper ran across, while they were bike riding. Needless to say they turned around and rode the other way. They told us that a friend of theirs was attacked by a lion while they visited the park.

The park is the size of Rhode Island so we moved from one campground to another to hike other trails. One hike we've gone on took us from a mile high down to 4000 ft. This was the hike to see the Window. That was a hike that we obviously went down, that is until we had to hike back up. It sounds harder than it was but it was a gradual incline. Along the way we came upon a paisano as the Mexicans call them. It's a roadrunner to us. The guy thought he was hid by his camo. He would walk ahead then stand dead still. We would walk a little closer and he would walk ahead and stand dead still again. That went on for awhile until he decided to scurry into the brush. I managed to get a few pictures. When we see them on the road they are moving quite fast to get across the street. Driving along the roads in the park we saw javelinas. They resemble pigs but are not related. Another hike we took was 8 miles round trip to Hot Springs. When we got there several people were sitting or had their feet in the hot pool of water. Of course I had to put my feet in. The water is 108 degrees and felt so good after the hike to get there.

We are so close to Mexico we can see it across the Rio Grande River. In the tourist info stations there are figures of roadrunners, plants, scorpions and walking sticks (made of a sotol plant) that the Mexicans make out of copper and beads to sell. The money goes towards a school in the town of Boquillas Del Carmen. Along the trail, we see they leave some to sell. It is illegal and I wonder how they get across and leave the things there. I didn't see any money in any of the containers. We went to an overlook to see the town of Boquillas and were looking at the items there. We left and Bruce saw a guy looking up over some rocks. He then went over to see if we had left anything for him. He even waved to us. I only know of two towns where it is legal to cross to and from Mexico in this area. Presidio and Del Rio. I think the town is desperate. There wasn't much to it that we could see.

We found a really funky restaurant here in the town of Terlingua TX. It's called Starlight Theatre because it was an old theatre. Monday night is buy one get one free hamburger and fries. Home made and very delicious. Margaritas for 2 bucks everynight from 5-7 pm. 1 dollar tacos which we have yet to try. How can you go wrong!!!

PS We tried the tacos tonight and they were yummy!!

I love Christmas Decorations

Gaylord Texan

Everything here is made of ice. It took twelve hour days for about five weeks to complete the sculptures. Even the ice was sculpted to look like ice. It was nine degrees in the room and the hotel gave us blue parkas to wear.

TEXAS The Lone Star State

Just meandering through small towns, heading to Dallas to meet the kids for Thanksgiving. Stopped in Paris TX for a night and found the Eiffel Tower Texas style. I love it!!!

Arrowhead Mines

Today we went to Arrowhead mines to find some more quartz crystal. When we got there we were given all kinds of instructions concerning safety, where to dig and what to look for. The guy noticed that I was wearing Bruce's army shirt and asked if I was in the service or Bruce. It was Bruce of course. He then went on about how he admires all the men who serve the country and thanked Bruce. He handed Bruce this cluster of quartz as a thank you. We spent four hours digging around and didn't find anything as big as this but did find some smaller quartz. Maybe I'll make some jewelry out of it.

Hot Springs

Hot Springs has a lot of history behind it. It was almost "Vegas" untill Roosevelt came in and cleaned up the sex, drugs, crime and illegal gambling.
Hot Springs National Park is surrounded by city in some areas. It was the first park type federal reservation in 1832, the smallest National Park and will be the first on a new series of quarters that will be minted. We took a walk along Bathhouse Row and went for a tour of the Fordyce Bathhouse.

There are 47 springs in the park and the water rises from the ground at 143 degrees. We saw people filling jugs from a fountain for that purpose. Most of the springs are capped to prevent contamination. The hot waters were used for medicinal purposes until medication was developed.

You cannot come to Hot Springs without the experience of a mineral bath. So yesterday I went to Buckstaff Bathhouse www.buckstaffbaths.com for my mineral bath. When you check in they lock your valuables up and hand you the key. Next you are taken to a dressing room where you undress and are wrapped in a sheet Roman Style. The first step is the hot whirlpool bath. The water is kept at 100 degrees and the whirlpool is started. After 20 minutes your attendant comes in and scrubs your legs and back. She then wraps the sheet around you and you go sit in a sitz bath for 10 minutes. Of course the sheet is just covering the front of you. Next step is the vapor cabinet. It is literally a box you sit in with your head out. The attendant wraps a sheet around the opening so the steam doesn't get out. After five minutes of dripping sweat and vapors you are taken out. Next stop is where the attendant wraps extremely hot towels around your shoulders, back, and legs. She also puts an ice cold towel around your face. I felt like a mummy and once the towels cooled down I think I figured out why babies cry to get their diapers changed. You lay there on a lounge for about ten minutes. Some people fall asleep at this point. Each step was more awesome then the one before!!! Finally the last step was a needle shower. Just a rinse off, I guess. All the equipment here is from 1912. I couldn't help but wonder what famous person sat in the same tub as I did.
The attendents have 100 hours of training which includes CPR. She told me some people pass out.

After my mineral bath Bruce and I hiked up to the observation tower, took the elevator up and got a birds eye veiw of Hot Springs.
"I think I could live here"

It's a Small World!!!

What are the chances of climbing a mile up a mountain to go rock- hounding for quartz crystals and who should be sitting there, but a young man from Rocky Point LI NY. One town away from where I came from. When we said hi and asked how they were doing, I thought I heard the LI accent. He said he almost moved to Ithaca for awhile but didn't. His parents fought to keep the power plant in Shoreham from going on line and said he liked North Country Road. A friend of his has a gem shop on Broadway in Rocky Point.

Mt Ida, Arkansas is the quartz crystal capitol of the world. Today we went to the reclaimed mine of Crystal Vista to try our hand at rock hounding. A local miner and the Forest Service worked together and instead of rehabilitating the old mine site they made it into a recreational area for the public. They stabilized the slopes and planted grass seed to prevent erosion. Anything you find is yours to keep but you cannot sell it. Tomorrow we are going to a commercial mine to dig around some more.

Pinnacle Mountain State Park Arkansas

This is Pinnacle Mountain that we hiked up yesterday (Nov.8 09). We started at 300 ft above sea level and hiked up to 1011 ft above sea level. Some of it was a challenge. I had to get on my hands and knees to get up over some boulders because my legs are to short. It sounds scarier than it was. We hiked up the east side and hiked down the west side which was easier to do. Then we had to hike 2 miles around the base trail to get to our car.

Today we did an easier hike of about three miles round trip on mostly level ground. We started playing around with the camera and took close ups of nature. It was fun getting really close to get a pictures of the different textures.

Tomorrow we are heading to Hot Springs. There are therapeutic springs here. Maybe I'll get in one, to ease my aches from all the hiking we did.

William J.Clinton Presidential Center Little Rock AR

Today we visited Little Rock AR and spent about two hours in Clinton's Presidential Center on the Arkansas River. It isn't the prettiest but it was bright and very interesting. Presidents have quite the challenge being in office. There is a special exhibit of gifts about 12 Presidents have received during their term in office. Art work, sculpturs, sneakers and cowboy boots with the Presidential seal on them, ivory carvings, jewelry, and a pin John Jr left at the grave of his dad. There was even a drawing of the map of the United States from the 1700's painted in Hungary

I've never been in a Presidential library. I think I'll go whenever we are near one of them. They are very educational.

Hiking and Biking in Arkansas

Big Dam Pedestrian and Bike Bridge

Bruce and I took an 18 mile bike ride today that included this bridge. It is the second largest pedestrian and bike bridge in the US. It challenged my fear of heights only slightly. I stayed in the center. The bridge is spectacular!! It crosses the Arkansas River from Little Rock to North Little Rock over the Murray Lock and Dam.

Bruce and I also did some hiking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. It took us 30 minutes to hike up .75 of a mile only to find some guys who had done it in 15 minutes. They live in the area and hike the trail every other day.

Arkansas The Natural State

Our first stop in Arkansas was West Memphis. It's on the west side of the Mississippi River, across from Memphis TN. We stayed at a campground 200 feet from the Mississippi River. There were huge barges passing and it reminded me of our cruising days when we did Americas Great Loop. "One whistle or two whistles". When we met a barge we needed to call and ask which side he wanted us to be on. One whistle was starboard or right side, two whistles was port side or left side. It was their choice usually, because they had to get around the corners and are less maneuverable than our catamaran. Trust me we went where we were told.
In the morning we were awakened by torrential rain and wind. The wind was making the motorhome move and that reminded me of some rough anchorages we had experienced, hoping that the anchor would hold through the storm.

The next three days we stayed at the Ozark RV Park in Mountain View. Mountain View is the Folk Music Capitol of the world. Every where you go around town someone is picking or strumming on a guitar, violin, bass and other string instruments I didn't recognize. This was especially true during the Beanfest. The reason we came here was to visit the Beanfest and Outhouse Races. This was a hoot!!! or should I say "toot". It has been going on for 27 years to get tourists in the town. On Saturday morning they have 20 or more kettles started with 1800 pounds of pinto beans. Different groups in costumes prepare their recipe to be judged. Some costumes there were Elvis, Hippies, Mickey Mouse, Nurses, An Indian, and Squirrel Hunters. After the judging everyone gets as many beans as they can eat or want.

We learned that the Foodnetwork channel was there. Adam Gertler was there during the races and he rode in an outhouse. His show is "Will Work for Food". After the races he interviewed the winners using a plunger as a mic. He is pretty funny. He is from Commack LI and went to Syracuse University.

The courthouse front steps had lots of Folk Music groups and we watched the Ozark River Cloggers.
It was sunny beautiful day for a Beanfest and Outhouse Race.

Frog Legs!

OK, so Bruce and I are in Mississippi now at Harrah's Casino Mid-South RV Park. We decided to go over and check out the casino for the fun of it. We are not big gamblers, especially Bruce. Wandering around the casino we came across Paula Dean's Buffet. We hadn't planned on eating there but a women tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a buy one get one free coupon. We avoid buffets for obvious reasons, but this was our chance to try Paula Dean's food. Mississippi has the highest rate of obesity in the country and now I know why. I tried to choose the least toxic food. So much of it was fried from chicken to fish to okra to dill pickles and even fried green tomatoes, which I love, but scrape off the coating. If it wasn't fried it was swimming in butter. Speaking of swimming or should I say leaping, they had frog legs on the buffet. I saw a man fill his plate and had to ask what they taste like. He said chicken and I would be surprised at how good they are. They aren't fishy. Bruce proceeded to put one on my plate. I walked around adding a few other items, looking at those frog legs. They were kind of grossing me out. I didn't let any other food touch the frog legs. By the time I got to my table I was totally grossed out and told Bruce I cannot eat those. He took them off my plate and put them on a pile of plates on the table next to us. I know I said I wanted to try different foods around the country, but I guess I draw the line at amphibians that croak in the night and leap during the day.
Ribbitt!!! Ribbitt!!!

Mississippi is the Hospitality State

Things I like to learn

I've decided it would be fun to learn something regional as far as food is concerned in each state we visit. If it's all natural the better. I try to avoid as much processed food with all those toxic chemicals added as possible.

In Kentucky it was the bourbon they produce and especially the American Honey Bourbon. I know alcohol is toxic, but all they add to bourbon is water.

In Tennessee I have discovered a wild grape. They are called scuppermong or muscedine. These grapes are native to southeastern US. Bruce and I had gone to a Music and Molasses Festival at the Tennessee Agricultural Museum, where I had a chance to try some. They are much bigger than the grapes we get in the grocery store. The skins are very tough but the meat is so sweet.

At the festival I also learned about sorhgum syrup. In some regions people call it " sorhgum molasses" but molasses refers to a sweetener made from sugarcane or sugar beet cane production not sorghum cane. It's used on biscuits in the morning.

Tennessee The Volunteer State

Tennessee got its motto Volunteer State, from the fact that the state provided the most volunteers for the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.

We arrived in TN on the 17th of Oct. and the first place we went was The Grand Ole Opry. I didn't know it is the country's oldest running live radio show. They haven't missed a radio program since 1925. The radio announcer stood to the side and every ten or fifteen minutes he had to read a commercial. The sponsers were Dollar General, Humana, Bass Pro Shops and Cracker Barrel.

I expected the theater to be more glamourous then it was, but it was nice anyway. The show was in four 1/2 hour sections with each having a host. The only performers I knew where Rider's in The Sky and Vince Gill. We enjoyed all of them.

Kentucky Unbridled Spirit

How could we spend three days in Lexington KY, "The Horse Capital of the World" and get nothing but these photos of fake horses. Not to mention I took them in Louisville KY not Lexington!! Oh well, at least we saw lots of horses. In fact we spent three days at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground. We hadn't planned on three days but were told an Endurance Race was going on. This race was in preparation for the 2010 ALLTECH FEI World Equestrian Games. We've never been to a horse race so we thought here is our chance. Unfortunately, we woke to pouring rain and decided to leave. We headed to Elizabethtown KY. Kentucky is known for their bourbon distilleries. The limestone that filters the water as it seeps through is suppose to make nice bourbon. Our first distillery was Wild Turkey. We had an extensive tour of the distillery and learned the process of bourbon making. We were able to stick our fingers in the fermenting tubs and taste the mash at different stages of fermentation. They went from sweet to sour. We also got to sample the high wine(moonshine) about 130 proof. At the end of the tour we got to sample a smidgen of Derby Pie with honey bourbon on it. Yummy!! I love honey, so just had to get myself a bottle of American Honey Bourbon. It's sweeter and goes down real smooth. The photos alongside are of Wild Turkey Distillery. Next day we toured Jim Beam. All we got to see was a seven minute video and did get two shots of their bourbon and a piece of bourbon chocolate. My favorite way to get a taste of bourbon!!!
Our next stop was Louisville KY. Here I found The Little Loomhouse. This is a group of three 19th century board and batten cabins. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Kentucky State Historical Site, and Louisville Landmark. They teach weaving here and preserve the work, research and collection of master weaver and author Lou Tate Bousman. I went in and had a private tour by one of the ladies. I told her my story of the Little Spinning Wheel I wanted when I was a kid, for Christmas. You know how TV makes stuff look real. It turned out to be plastic, of course, and mom just didn't know what to do, because that's all I wanted for Christmas. I don't think I ever made anything on it. She had me repeat my story to another woman who came in. The Esta house was the first place that the Happy Birthday song was sung.
Bruce decided we should go to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. Out side the museum is a 120 ft, 68,000 pound steel bat. It is a replica of the bat Babe Ruth used.
Our last stop in Louisville was at Glassworks. We watched some glass blowing and wandered around the shop. Very pretty things.
Today we are in Park City where Mammoth Caves are. We took a 4 mile 41/2 and hour tour of the cave. It's not pretty but is the biggest cave in the world. Tomorrow we are going on Lantern tour which is 3 miles and takes 31/2 hours. We haven't seen the sun in days and it is chilly if not cold, so going down 270 ft below the ground is nice. It's warmer and dry.

Tamarack The Best of West Virginia

Every state should have a place like this. Just off of I-64/77 at exit 45 is this wonderful place. It is a showcase for West Virginia's cultural heritage and traditions. It has West Virginia made juried arts, foods and agricultural products. Bruce and I bought a yummy BBQ sauce and had a delicious lunch. I had to have their green fried tomatoes with swiss and bacon and Bruce had a bowl of chilli. There was anything you could want from quilts, wooden kitchen utensils, furniture, art, clothes, ornaments, wine, food stuff, pottery and coal figurines.

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Bridge was completed in 1977. It is the longest single arch bridge in the world. At 876 feet above the river it is America's 2nd highest bridge. Once a year, the third week of October, the bridge is closed for six hours. Extreme sport fanatics gather in Fayetteville. Hundreds of BASE jumpers, rappel teams and highline riders leap, jump and descend from the bridge while 200,00 spectators watch. Yikes!! Bruce and I hiked and drove around this park and saw beautiful views of this bridge.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!!!

Bruce and I have spent several days camping in West Virginia. We've hiked, biked, walked and drove visiting the sights. The trees are beginnning to change and are beautiful. Tonight we are camped in Milton WV and had severe storms passing through. There were tornado warnings for this county. I couldn't decide if I liked it better on a boat or in a motorhome if a tornado passed through. Luckily I didn't have to experience one in a motorhome because the warning had expired.

Heading south

My bus is prettier than your bus!!!

After the Special Olympics State Games yesterday Bruce and I headed out for parts unknown. Our first stop was Attica, to check on his mom's house. We couldn't get into the driveway so I called the neighbor and asked if we could park there for the night. Ray used to own the bus company for the schools but now leases the property to another company. Bruce and I were getting settled when someone knocked on the door. It was the manager of the buses. He used to be the chief of police in Attica. How do you go from the chief of police to managing a bus garage? Anyway, someone had called him and told him we were there. The Robbins name has pretty big clout in Attica, so we were good to go. It saved me a couple of speeding tickets years ago. Oh! You're Al Robbins daughter -in -law? OK slow down.

Next morning Bruce went to pick some beets from the field behind the bus garage. When I saw he had picked two full grocery bags I thought we were going to start our own farmers market from the motorhome. He gave one bag to Pat and Ray. Thank goodness!!!

Tonight we are at Keystone State Park in PA.

Medals Awarded

Keith, Paul and I don't know the other guys name receiving their medals!!

It's not only about the athletes!! Janet,Barb and I had fun making pennants and decorating hats with foam stickers at the Olympic Village. Hey!! Why not. The athletes weren't playing with them so we did.

Special Olympic Fall Games 2009

My son Keith participated in the Special Olympics Fall Games in Seneca Falls NY. The weather was perfect for a cycling competition. Keith came home with two silver medals. The 1st was the 15k road race and the 2nd was a 5K road race. He said he just couldn't catch Paul. Paul trains by riding 90 miles a week and participated in a fund raiser for his training club where he rode 200 miles in a couple of days. Lance Armstrong may have had a hard time catching him!!! NOT!! But Paul is good.

Our new dinghy

I learned that people on motor homes call the vehicle they have either a dinghy or a towed. Well, today I, Bruce, Jordan, and her friend Nicole, drove to PA to pick up our new dinghy. Since we've been on a boat I think I will call our vehicle a dinghy. It's a 2001 convertible Mustang GT. It looks gray but is a pretty brown color. Not a color I would have normally chosen but I really do love it. It's a good color for fogey's like us. Troopers won't notice us as much as they notice red or yellow sports cars. When we stopped for lunch the young waitress asked if that was our Mustang and asked what size engine it had. I have a feeling teenage kids are going to be our best friends now!!! It sure is fun to drive but I am very careful about the speed I drive. Not to mention I had two teenage girls in the car with me and all they think about is driving fast.

We spent a night at a truck stop with the big boys. I feel very save surrounded by these rigs.

A view from the top

We did some hiking in the badlands and had to climb this ladder.

The Badlands South Dakota

Mount Rushmore

This is what Crazy Horse will look like when finished.
Bruce and I feel this is a very ambitious project
The sculptor died in 1982 ans 7 of his 10 children and his wife are completing it.
It is being sculpted in Black Hills South Dakota.
Sculptor Korczak Zionlkowski was asked to sculpt it by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear.
"My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too."

Snow caps in Wyoming

Chillaxing after a hard day driving

June 8th Bruce and I celebrate 35 years. It's official, Arcadia is sold. We got a decent price and as it stands now, we will bring her down to NYC in the fall where they will take her back to FL. They are changing her name to Betty Lou. I get to keep the rug with Arcadia on it. I cried!! But time to move on to new adventures.

On June 15 th Bruce and I flew to Whidbey Island Washington to pick up our new motor home.
I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the coach is. We bought it sight unseen, except for photos on E Bay, I was still a little nervous. I know pictures are worth a thousand words but I was anxious to see for myself.

Our first camp ground was in Ellensburg WA. Along the way we saw this Wild Horses Monument. The Wild Horses Monument is a piece of roadside art along I-90 in the deserts of Central Washington on a bluff above the East side of the Columbia River. The monument pays tribute to the wild mustangs who roamed these areas in days past. The wild horses, which are made of welded steel plates, are the work of Spokane artist David Govedare.

Interesting thought

Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Home Sweet Home!!!

Arcadia arrived back in Ithaca on May 5th 2009. After 4812 and almost 10 months. We've been as far north as Machinaw Island Michigan and as the far south as La Belle Florida. Completing America's Great Loop was really cool. We had crossed our own wake in the Gulf, but making it back to Ithaca where we had started last year on July 19th 2008, turned out to be even more exciting.

We'll be here now for the summer, enjoying all that I love about Ithaca and being with my kids and granddaughters.

Who knows what will happen in the fall. As Bruce always says," that's too far away to worry about now".

May 5, 2009 Arriving Home

This is the inlet to Cayuga Lake from Ithaca and the Treman Marina. The two towers on the hill are dorms at Ithaca College.



This is Mud Lock or Lock 1 on the Cayuga Seneca Canal System. There are only four locks that get you from Cayuga Lake to Seneca Lake. We've gone over there a couple of times. This time we just kept heading south down Cayuga Lake to Treman Marina where Arcadia lives in the summer.

These are remains of the original canal system.

This is some of the debris that we need to watch out for in the canal. Luckily this was off to the side. Sometimes it collects either at the entrance to the lock chamber or as we are exiting the chamber. Not good for props!!!