Back in Arizona!!

We left Niagara Falls on the 27th of July and headed west. We spent one night in Ohio and one night in Indiana and then went into Illinois. We have friends who own a campground in Knoxville, Illinois so decided to spend a couple of nights with them. We took a day and went into Moline to see the John Deere Pavilion and World Headquarters. We had hoped to take a factory tour but they were all booked up.

We decided since we were so close to Kansas City to go back through Missouri and spend a few days. When we had been there in April we froze to death and now on the first of August we were roasting. While in MO we did make it to a couple of soccer games to see the grandkids play and also a couple of fish frys. We stayed about 10 days and then continued on west.

We stopped for a couple of days in LaVeta, Colorado. It was a beautiful area and we definitely found some cooler weather which was nice. We went on to an area just outside Dolores, Colorado on the west fork of the Dolores River. Our friends Bill and Edith were there. We had found the spot together many years ago. We stayed a few days there and did some fishing. At least we didn't have to clean any fish. We came on to Flagstaff yesterday and will stay a few days before heading to Yuma for one night on our way to San Diego.

15 Miles on the Erie Canal

Yesterday was a long tiring day but it was so worth it. We started the morning by driving to Lockport, NY to ride a boat thru some locks on the Erie Canal. We always sang about the Erie Canal in grade school so really wanted to see it. We had a very nice 2 hour trip and really enjoyed the history of the area. Also in Lockport the First Presbyterian Church has Stained glass windows actually made by Louis Comfort Tiffany. They let you take a tour and even provide wands to listen to a description of each window. Very awe inspiring.

We came back to Niagara Falls and drove across Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian side. You can really on see the water "fall" from that side. It is so amazing!!! We stayed to see the falls lit up after dark which was well worth staying for. At 10pm on Friday and Saturday night they have fireworks over the falls. What an incredible evening. Our visit here was wonderful!

Niagara Falls

Sunday the 20th we left PA and headed in to New York. Monday we finally went to the falls, how AWESOME! We rode the Maid of the Mist right up to the falls. It was everything we had imagined. We loved it!! We walked around and saw the falls from several different angles, all of them are fantastic. Tuesday we were back and did the Cave of the Winds. You don't actually go behind the falls anymore but you still get plenty wet. It is amazing to look up at the falls from the bottom of the gorge. Today we drove north along the river and stopped at the Power Vista. It is a visitor center for the USA power plant. They have a very nice display and quite a view as well. We also made a stop at the Whirlpool State Park. That area is something to see. The water really does "whirl" around. We drove on up so we could see Lake Ontario and then came back to Old Fort Niagara. They have restored it very nicely and have very interesting exhibits. They also have the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

Still in Pennsylvania

You can see we were busy during our 2 weeks in PA. We did move on to the Scranton area. We came here to see Steamtown. The largest collection of Steam locomotives in the country. They have a great museum. We spent most of 2 days there. Another day we drove out and around in the country around to see some of the amazing viaducts the railroad built. Next to Steamtown the county has a very nice Trolley museum and we spent some time there and took a 10 mile ride on a restored trolley-very nice! This part of PA also has a lot of coal mining history and they have a very nice museum and trip down into an underground mine.

Another day we drove to Allentown. Most of you know Gary likes to do stained glass projects and the supplier we always ordered from is there so we had to go look around in their studio and store--Amazing! Our last day in Scranton we took a ride on a steam train to Tobyhanna, PA. It was only a 4 hour trip and 2hrs we were off the train. It was hot and sooty--can you even imagine riding for days in those conditions? It was fun and at the end of the day we could go back to the motorhome and have a much needed shower.

Pennsylvania continued...

Wow, hard to believe how much we did in the 2 weeks since I posted! We really kept busy. It did rain all evening on the 4th and we had to settle for fireworks on TV. Not quite the same, but at least we were dry. Saturday we went to the National Toy Train museum in Strasburg. They have some wonderful displays. Gary finally saw his engine there on display and found out a little more about it. Sunday we drove in to Philadelphia to look around a little. We went to the historic area and lined up to see the Liberty Bell. The crack is much bigger than it looks in the pictures. It was really neat to see it for real. We walked around the area and had authentic "philly cheese steaks" for lunch. Yummm!! We didn't like Philly. We thought it was very dirty and not friendly at all. (Brotherly love??) The traffic was also terrible even on Sunday. We had tickets for Wednesday for Freedom Hall but decided not to make the trip back.







Monday we did laundry in the morning and then spent the afternoon in a big antique shop. We didn't buy anything but it was fun to look.







Tuesday we drove to Antietam battlefield. We decided we couldn't be in this area and not go there since Rons' ship is the Antietam. It was quite impressive. Hard to believe how many men died that day. It was the bloodiest day of the war and the beginning of the end for the South.







Wednesday we drove in to York and took a tour of the Harley Davidson Factory. We were a little disappointed because they had just switched to the '09 model and they can't let anyone look at them until they have their dealers come and see them. We got to see the lines where they make parts but couldn't see any assembly. It was still interesting.







Thursday we had to take the motorhome in for its' 45,000 mile check up. We had to stop and think of all the things we have seen in those miles. Wow!! We called the Ford Motorhome Division to find out where in the area they could do the service and they sent us to New Holland, PA. We were dreading spending the day there but were quite surprised at how efficient they were. We arrived about 6:30am and they started on it at 7 and we were leaving there by 10am. They really know what they are doing. We found that the town of New Holland is where they make New Holland farm equipment. We were able to go back that afternoon and take a tour of the plant. They gave us a really nice tour. They have some very impressive machinery to make the parts for their equipment. We also saw a round hay baler from start to finish. On our tour was one of the engineers that had helped develop one of the first round balers. He had some extra info that was very interesting.







Friday we drove to Harrisburg to see the state capitol building. We have been to quite a few capitol buildings but this one was way over the top. It was so beautiful! If you are ever in the area you should really see this one.







Saturday we decided to drive to Wilmington, Delaware. Right down the road from our campground we saw a sign that said it was only 31 miles so thought we should go. Neither one of us had ever been to Delaware. It was a pretty drive and we even found the Wilmington and Western railroad depot on the way. It was just another "city". We did find their 100 year old depot down by the waterfront.

Back in a service area

Hello everyone. Sorry we haven't been posting. We got a little behind and then hit an area where our air card barely worked. That was the first time it has failed us. We were able to check our email most days but could not upload anything. We arrived in Niagara Falls late yesterday and our service is really good so will try to get things caught up soon.

Pennsylvania

We had a great trip from Maryland to Kinzers, PA. We are in the middle of the Amish country. The farms all around us are so beautiful. The roads all have buggies and wagons on them. It is amazing to see the farmers in the fields with the horse pulled implements. Most of the businesses are not genuine and the area is overly commercialized but it is still amazing country. Strasburg is about 10 miles away and has the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. They have some wonderful displays and most of it is indoors. One day we made a trip to Hershey. They don't give actual factory tours anymore but do have a nice museum and a little ride that shows you some of the manufacturing process. We have spent a couple of days just riding around enjoying the wonderful countryside. We hope to go see fireworks tonight but it has been raining off and on all day so not sure if that will work out or not.

Another Busy week in DC

We are still in DC and have been on the run all week. Monday we went to the National Zoo. It is a really nice zoo and hard to believe it is free. We were able to see the Pandas as well as watch the orangutans cross over from their outside place to their inside place on ropes above our heads. It was really something to see. Tuesday we took a bus tour to Mt Vernon. We didn't have a lot of time there but were able to tour the house and see the family crypt. What a beautiful place. We could see why George Washington wanted to be there. That evening the bus took us back to DC for a night time tour. The city is truly beautiful at night. Wednesday we drove to Annapolis. We took a walking tour of the Naval Academy grounds and toured the chapel. It was quite an impressive visit. We also took a boat tour of the harbor so we could see the grounds from the water. Thursday we drove to Baltimore. We found a wonderful Railroad Museum. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum. It is where the first mile of track in the US was laid. The roundhouse was an unbelievable building. We drove to the inner harbor to look around. Guess it is quite an improvement from what the area used to be. It was pretty but parking was impossible and very expensive restaurants all around. Friday we headed to the Dulles airport area for the other part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was amazing! A huge air conditioned building with incredible displays. Coming back to the RV we sat in 6 lanes of traffic bumper to bumper for about 1 hour. We finally made it home and we were really glad to be off the beltway. Tomorrow we will do laundry and get ready to move on Sunday.

Lots to do in DC

We have been going at a steady pace since we arrived in DC and still think we will leave after 2 weeks with things we would have liked to do. Wednesday we had arranged a Capitol building tour with our Senator's office. It was packed because there was a history fair this week and thousands of kids were in town. We still enjoyed the tour and the building was beautiful. We were able to go into the Senate gallery and watch for awhile. There wasn't much going on but it was still interesting. Thursday we decided to give our feet a rest and drove down to Patuxent River Naval Air station where Gary was stationed in the 60's. We couldn't get on base but it was a nice drive. Things had changed a bit in the last 40 years. Friday we were back in the subway and headed downtown to the Air and Space museum. We were there from 10 to 5 and didn't have time to see everything. It was quite interesting and we did see the original Wright flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis. Saturday we went to Arlington National Cemetery. We took the bus ride and stopped at President Kennedy's grave and were able to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns as well as a wreath laying. It was quite impressive. Sunday we were back downtown. We walked over to see the White House and then spent the rest of the day at the Museum of Natural History. I think you could spend weeks in there and not see everything. We mainly looked at the Dinosaur exhibits and the geology, gem and mineral section. We have been here 1 week and have 1 more to go.

A quick stop in Virginia and then on to Maryland

We only spent 2 nights in Virginia and quickly realized we should have planned for a longer stop. There is so much history in the area. We already had reservations in College Park, Maryland so had to go on. That is why we usually don't make reservations more than a day or two ahead. Anyway, we couldn't stay so we were on to Cherry Hill RV park. We have always seen this park on all the RV shows so had to stay here. They are really serious about helping you see the DC area. They have a daily seminar to show you how to use the Metro system and the Metro bus comes right into the Park to pick up. We took one day to do laundry and catch up a little and then on Tuesday we were ready to try our luck at going into the city. We made it to the first subway station and after a few trys finally had our pass and we were on the train. We got off at the stop for the Navy memorial and just as we came out of the station the Navy color guard was practicing for the concert that night. That was an unexpected treat to see them. We spent the day in town and we were able to see the Washington monument, Lincoln Memorial, the World War II memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We didn't have tickets to go up into the Washington Monument so will have to go back early one day and hope to get in. We did arrange to have a tour of the capitol tomorrow. We found our way to a subway stop and after getting on the train heading the wrong way first we made it back to the campground to rest for tomorrow.

We're in Virginia now

We had a great time with Tom and Carolyn. We made it up to Wilmington one day to tour the Battleship North Carolina. They have an excellent self guided tour. Gary and I also took a couple of hours one day to walk on Holden Beach. It is beautiful but like so much of the area is being over built and nothing but rental houses. We did quite a bit of driving around the area. On the 5th we were able to help Carolyn celebrate her birthday. It has been nice to spend time with them since so much of the last 30 plus years we have been on opposite sides of the country. They are still dealing with the workers finishing their remodeling and building the new deck. Sure hope they take some time to relax before starting any new projects.

Tuesday the 10th we headed for the northern part of the state so we could spend some time on the Outer Banks. Gary had been there when he was in the Navy and stationed at Patuxent River Naval Station but it has changed a bit in the last 40 years. It is a beautiful area and we should have allowed more time there. We spent 2 long days and saw a lot but could have spent several more. On Wednesday we went to the Wright Brothers National Monument and Fort Raleigh and looked around on Roanoke Island. On the way home we even saw a black bear on the side of the road. There were red wolves in the area but we didn't see one of those.
Thursday was our lighthouse day. We saw Bodie Island Lighthouse and then walked to the top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It was awesome! Then we drove on down and took the ferry to Ocracoke Island to see the Ocracoke Lighthouse. The ferry ride was highlight of the trip. There was no directions to the lighthouse and when we did find it there was no place to park. Gary finally let me out and I took a few pictures. The people in the shops were rude as well. We were glad to get back on the ferry and off the island. It was a long, tiring day but a wonderful day.

Friday were were headed north again and into Virginia. We are headed on to DC on Sunday. We keep hoping we will find some cooler weather.

North Carolina

Our week in Asheville flew by. We did make it to the Biltmore House one day-talk about excessive! It was great though and not to be missed if in the area. We also took a downtown walking tour with Cathy. It was very interesting. There are lots of historic buildings and the downtown area is being revitalized.

When we left Asheville we headed for the coast. Ellen's brother Tom and his wife Carolyn live in Shallotte. It was an all day trip since we were traveling on Friday of Memorial Day week end. (What were we thinking?) Also, you have to go out of North Carolina into South Carolina (near Myrtle Beach) and then back into North Carolina. We had to make a fuel stop for the motorhome and paid the highest price yet-$3.77 per gallon.

We made it to Shallotte found their house and promptly had the motorhome stuck in the sand beside their driveway. After several futile attempts to get out we finally called our Good Sam road service for a tow truck. We made it out and eventually were settled for the night.

We have been busy seeing the sights in this area. Again there is so much to do we hardly know where to start. We took the ferry to Bald Head Island and saw the island by golf cart. We climbed to the top of the lighthouse affectionately known as "Old Baldy". What a great day.

Another day we drove to Myrtle Beach to go to Alligator Adventure. It is known as the reptile capital of the world and we could see why. You cannot believe how many alligators we saw as well as the snakes and other critters on display.

Friday we were off again past Myrtle Beach to Brookgreen Gardens. What an amazing place! It is acres of fabulous gardens and world-renowned sculptures. You are amazed at what you see at every turn. It was definitely worth the drive. We are taking a couple of days to re energize and then who knows what we will do next.

We arrived in Asheville on Friday afternoon and have a beautiful campsite on the side of a mountain. We are at the very top of the campground and what a view we have. Saturday we spent the day with CC and Cathy (Ellen's niece) We drove up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and took a short (according to CC) hike. Then drove into Brevard and had lunch at Dugan's Pub and back to camp. That evening we went to their house and had a good visit and some local BBQ. We will be here a week and that won't be nearly enough time to see and do all the things we would like to do. We will have to pick and choose and hope the weather cooperates a little. Saturday was a beautiful clear day, one of the few we have had in quite awhile.

We have been on our way to the east coast for a while but just decided to start a blog. Hopefully everyone can keep up with us a little this way. Will try to add some pictures now and then. We made it to Pigeon Forge, TN today. We have been missing all the storms, but just barely. We have had lots of wind and rain. Plan to stay here until Friday and then head to Ashville, NC.