Updated Feb 04, 2023 10:54:59pm

Updated Feb 22, 2023 12:04:10pm

Updated Feb 22, 2023 12:04:52pm

Updated Mar 07, 2023 5:49:30pm

Updated Mar 29, 2023 6:42:32pm

Updated Apr 29, 2023 11:53:28pm

Updated May 19, 2023 12:53:42am

Updated May 23, 2023 11:25:41pm

Updated May 30, 2023 8:43:20pm

Updated Jun 09, 2023 11:51:10pm

Updated Jun 15, 2023 9:29:02pm

Updated Jun 21, 2023 7:06:44pm

Updated Jun 29, 2023 6:21:21pm

Updated Jun 29, 2023 6:21:21pm

Updated Jul 09, 2023 2:10:44pm

Updated Jul 26, 2023 9:02:18am

Updated Jul 26, 2023 9:02:18am

Updated Sep 17, 2023 9:02:21pm

Updated Oct 15, 2023 5:17:59pm

Updated Nov 12, 2023 8:30:22pm

Updated Nov 15, 2023 7:38:55pm

Updated Nov 20, 2023 1:50:07pm

Updated Dec 06, 2023 1:38:22pm

Updated Dec 12, 2023 8:37:38pm

Updated Dec 14, 2023 7:46:53pm

Updated Dec 19, 2023 11:32:34am

Updated Dec 19, 2023 11:35:45am

Updated Dec 24, 2023 11:35:41pm

Updated Dec 25, 2023 3:23:14pm

Updated Dec 26, 2023 10:34:28am

Updated Jan 07, 2024 12:25:09pm

Updated Jan 18, 2024 11:13:08am

Updated Jan 18, 2024 11:19:44am

Updated Jan 18, 2024 11:20:44am

Updated Jan 18, 2024 9:37:58pm

Updated Jan 27, 2024 6:12:15pm

Updated Feb 01, 2024 7:21:53pm

Updated Feb 01, 2024 8:44:15pm

Updated Feb 01, 2024 8:45:15pm

Updated Feb 03, 2024 11:21:02am

Updated Feb 09, 2024 5:04:51pm

Updated Feb 12, 2024 1:06:33pm

Updated Apr 04, 2024 2:12:29pm

Updated Apr 10, 2024 7:23:02pm

Updated Apr 11, 2024 6:09:01pm

Updated May 10, 2024 2:33:01pm

Updated May 31, 2024 12:21:04pm

Newfoundland continues to offer spectacular views and diverse perspectives. Gros-Morne National Park has so many options for hikes, boat rides and just wondering around, wish we had a a couple of more days but time to move towards the east coast of this beautiful island province. A bit of a photo dump, too hard to narrow it down.

Just left Quipron and Saint Lunaire-Griquet, located at the top of the northern peninsula of Newfoundland. Very small communities dot the area but is still lots to see and explore.
We visited L'Anse Aux Meadows Historic Site, the location of the only confirmed Norse site in North America outside Greenland, also the farthest known European exploration and settlement in the New World 500 years before Christopher Columbus’s "discovery" almost 500 years later. Still in Viking or Norse mode, we went to the Norstead Village, it replicates a Norse port of trade as it may have looked during the Viking era, it has several building and customed interpreters, along with a 54 foot replica Viking knarr (boat). We ended our Vikingpalooza with a Viking dinner feast and show.
We also hiked a small portion of the Iceberg Trail, took a Zodiac boat trip, and explored the area to enjoy the scenery and lucked out with some additional moose sightings. We ended our last afternoon with a successful whale watching boat tour. We saw 5 humpback whales, including one calf with its' mom and another that seemed to enjoy coming up closer to the boat.

Wind swept and rugged describes the natural beauty of this small port town on the Northwest coast of Newfoundland. The wind is so fierce that the pine trees grow low and broad. We finally saw some moose, Woo Hoo! There were two bull moose that came out at dusk by the lighthouse and historic site. The photo is a little grainy as we kept our distance, so had to zoom in a bit.

After a long day of hurry up and wait and a 7 hour ferry ride, we arrived in Newfoundland yesterday, and have been rewarded with amazing sunsets steps away from our site. I immediately loved the beautiful and rugged landscape, it reminds me of Ireland. While in the Codroy Valley, we visited an amazing wooden church, Church of the Precious Blood, St Andrew's built in 1912. The inside of the church is reminiscent of a fine wooden sailing ship. From there we visited a local museum before heading to the coastline and the Rose Blanch Lighthouse.
We ended the day being "Screeched In" as honorary Newfoundlanders. Let's just say it involved attempting to repeat some local phrases, a little dancing, partaking of the local "Screech" Rum and kissing a fish.😛

We've spent the last couple of days in the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia. This area was heavily settled by Scottish immigrants beginning in the late 1700's. We loved the beautiful surroundings.

While here we visited the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, with a museum focused on the prolific inventor and his wife, Mabel, that featured models of his work. We also visited the Highland Village Museum, a re-created Gaelic settlement with 11 historic buildings moved from nearby settlements.

Prince Edward Island is charming, both in scenery and the friendly people. Confession, evidently my childhood reading was inadequate. I never read Anne of Green Gables. 😯 But I am now well versed. We started our stay here seeing a fabulous production on Anne of Green Gables, The Musical, followed the next morning with a visit to Green Gables Heritage Site. We also took a drive through PEI National Park, visited North Rustico Harbor for shrimp fishing demo and education. After that, we sampled and I bought local preserves. (I can never pass up good jams and local honey) All that and we still had time to visit the First Credit Union at the Farmers' Bank of Rustico and then we made local Bannock bread and churned some butter at the Doucet House Museum. We ended our stay on PEI today with some rest and then meandered around the Island, visiting a couple of the towns and sampling the local ice cream.

Yesterday, we spent time on the water front of Caraquet, enjoying the scene and good ice cream. They have painted seagulls throughout the area that were vibrant and fun to spot.

Today we visited the Historic Acadien Village, that demonstrates life in Acadia during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.. Enjoyed learning about the Acadians, the ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia. This was probably the best living history museum, I have visited. The interaction with the individuals and the obvious love of their culture and history was a great experience.

A few sites along the Restigouche River Esplanade in Campbellton, New Brunswick.

We are wrapping up our visit to the Province of Quebec with a stay in Perce, located on the southern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula. It is a hopping little tourist town with good restaurants and cafes. The boat ride around Perce Rock was great. The seal picture is from someone in our group, all my seal pictures just looked like fuzzy mini-Loch Ness heads. 😄 The hikes above town offered nice views and a very interesting "Magical Forest" loop.

We are staying on the northeast coast of the Gaspé Peninsula, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while visiting Forillon National Park. Enjoyed all three areas of the park, including the old fort, the historic village buildings, dramatic cliffs and hidden coves.

Beautiful Sunday to visit the lovely Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens and the Historic Pointe-au-Père Maritime Museum and Lighthouse on the banks of the St Lawrence River. The museum was interesting, learned the fate of the passengers on the Empress of Ireland. It sank just a few weeks after the Titanic, killing over 1000 passengers and crew, and yet we've never heard about it. We also toured a decommsioned submarine from the Canadian Navy.

So thankful to still be on this amazing journey.

Yesterday, Ed and I explored Parc de la Jacques-Cartier, just North of Quebec City. We had a great hike through the forest along a small river with an occasional waterfall. Afterwards a picnic lunch with spectacular views of the valley the mountains beyond.

Two more days of touring Quebec City with some amazing historic buildings and beautiful views.

Arrived in Quebec City yesterday and had some spare time to explore. Spent the afternoon at the Quebec Citadel and then a private tour of the Governor General's Second Residence. She is not in residence right now, so we were able to see some of the private areas. The views and artwork were amazing. (It was private, since we were the only two for the English tour at 3:30.😄)

Yesterday was the first touring day of our 61 day Fantasy RV Ultimate Eastern Provinces. It was a very full day but we were able to see some amazing views, visit the beautiful Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral (enjoyed an impromptu concert) and the stunning Notre-Dame Basilica, see the islands and some of the buildings created for the 1967 Expo (Worlds Fair), sneak a lap on the Formula One race track, visit Old Town, enjoy a picnic lunch and great views at Mount Royal Park, spot some public art in the Museum district and end the day at Marche Bon Secours (great fresh produce and bakery).

Yes, that was a very long list, but worth it.

I love when a city blends the historic buildings with modern life. We have spent the first part of the long Canada Day Holiday weekend in the nation's capital of Ottawa. There is lots to see and do, too much for three days but we tried to see the highlights. Started with a cruise on the historic Rideau Canal and walked the 7 locks at the entrance from the Ottawa River. Enjoyed touring Parliament Hill and the historic buildings of the national government From there we walked the river front to the Royal Canadian Mint. The mint in Ottawa was built in 1908 and is still in operation, producing investment and collection coins. Along our walks, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral and admired the architecture of the National Gallery of Canada. Ended our time in Ottawa with a visit to the Diefenbunker, the 4 story below ground bunker in operation from the 1960's until the mid-1990's, and is now a Cold War Museum.

We spent the last few days in the Central Adirondacks. We were mostly off grid, unless we went into the little town of Inlet that was close by. In between the rain, we had one sunny day to explore the area and enjoy the natural beauty of all the local lakes. We also spent a rainy day at the Adirondack Experience Museum, which provides and very thorough overview of the history and culture of the Adirondacks.

One night stop over at Fort Drum, outside of Watertown, NY before we head back to Canada.

Simply Beautiful and Amazing Waterfalls at Watkins Glen State Park. It was a great walk down the gorge, but what goes down must come back up.😄

While staying in the Finger Lakes Region close to Seneca Lake, we also visited Ithaca, NY, home of Cornell University and Taughannock Falls State Park. Taughannock Falls is over 215 feet tall, quite a site.

Last day in the upper Niagara area with a visit to the Whirlpools and a sunset over Lake Ontario.

Two fun days exploring Niagara Falls from both the Canadian and US side. So many beautiful perspectives of the rapids leading to the falls. The highlight for both of us was at the Niagara Power Station, coming out of the old discharge tunnel at the base on Horseshoe Falls.

Need a ponch just to watch the 4D movie on the creation of Niagra Falls.

We had a full day of sightseeing around Toronto and out to the Toronto Islands.

Travel day picnic lunches might be elementary school worthy but the views are five star.

The drive along the North Shore of Lake Superior was full of spectacular views, definitely on the list to visit again to further explore. Finished the North Shore drive with a couple of days in Sault Ste. Marie.

We had a lovely stop over in Marathon, Ontario, with a beautiful spot overlooking Penn Lake. Enjoyed the natural beauty and the sounds of the waves on their Pebble Beach. (Big Pebbles).

Stopped in White River to view the Winnie the Pooh Memorial. As a Winnie the Pooh lover, enjoyed learning about the origin of the black bear that inspired the stories.

I'm back tracking a bit. We spent the past weekend in Thunder Bay, Ontario. While there, we went to Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park. It is a impressive waterfall. We also visited Fort William Historical Park. It is a living history park that explores the history of Fort William as an outpost of the North West Company in the early 1800's and the roles of the native First Nations and the Voyageurs.

We did not make it to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park due to a cold and rainy second day. I guess we will just need to plan on coming back to the area. 😀

Lunch with a view on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

I guess we are in Eastern Canada now.

Greetings from Winnipeg, Canada, Eh. Love the dual language signs, maybe I'll get a little better at French this summer...... but with the influence of a Texas accent. 😀

Winnipeg is the provincial capital of Manitoba, so of course we had to stop be the Manitoba Legislation building. We aren't here on the days they offer tours but the grounds and sculptures are nice. We also took a walk about in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and the English Gardens in Assiniboine Park.

We took a tour of the Royal Canadian Mint, it was very interesting. We learned how the Loon came to be on the $1 coin (Loonie) and that they produce coins for over 80 other countries.

Great museums including the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada and the Canada Museum for Human Rights.

Great start to our Canadian adventure.

Sometimes I am in awe of the natural beauty that we are so fortunate to experience.
We spent three days at Voyageurs National Park. It is one of the least visited National Parks, with over a third of it being made up of three major lakes and over 25 smaller lakes. We enjoyed sometime on the water with an afternoon boat tour of Lake Rainey. The water is still 53 degrees, so no swimming for me. We spent the rest of the time taking the hikes out to some amazing overlooks, places that just call for you to sit and relax for awhile.

History factoid: The park was named for the French Canadian Voyageurs of the 1700 and 1800's, who navigated long distances through the waterways by canoe during the westward expansion as part of the fur trade. They provided goods to the West and returned with furs to be sold in the East and Europe. Most of their days consisted of 16 hours of paddling or portaging the canoes and cargo when they needed to cross land. Not an easy profession.

Yesterday was full stops on our way to Silver Bay. Before enjoying the picturesque view of Split Rock Lighthouse and the waterfalls at Gooseberry Falls, we stopped and picked up multiple pieces of pie. There are two places along Highway 61 that are known for pie. Rather than decide between the two, we stopped at both. We are conducting a taste comparison. However, we are spreading the tasting out over a few days, we can't eat 6 slices of pie in a single day. 😃

Thanks for our friends Dale and Diane Dybing Kleinman for all the suggestions for our drive up to Silver Bay. It was great to see you and have a wonder dinner together .

Stopped by Gooseberry Falls to enjoy the natural beauty and a short hike.

Beautiful sunset and calm waters this evening in Duluth.

Added some additional pictures from Duluth.

Really enjoyed the Des Moines area. We toured the state capitol, which was lovely. I also appreciated the public art in the sculpture garden and the Des Moines Art Center.

We spent a day visiting Winterset the county seat of Madison County and the six Covered Bridges in the county. Winterset is a cute small town that celebrates being the birthplace of John Wayne. It is also the birthplace of George Stout, one of the Art Historians that helped recover artwork after the Nazi's ravaged and pillaged Europe.

Despite having tornado warnings 2 of the 3 nights we were there, the days were amazing. We were fortunate, nothing hit the immediate area where we were staying. This morning just a few miles away we saw numerous larges trees that had been downed last night and poor Greenfield, Iowa was leveled on Tuesday evening. In the 17 months we've been on this vagabond journey, we've encountered high winds and storms but this was the first time we had to leave Rocco and shelter in place in a more secure location.

Anyone for some gardening?

In between the stormy nights, we have a had a couple of beautiful days to explore Cedar Rapids and the Historic Amana Colonies.

We are wandering around Eastern Iowa, today it was Iowa City and West Branch. Walked around the University of Iowa, had a great burger for lunch and toured the Old Capitol Museum. It was the original capitol for the Iowa Territory and when it became a state. It has a magnificent reverse spiral staircase. The building was given to the university when the capital was moved to Des Moines.

Visited the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Historic park that contains the two room cottage where he was born, other buildings from the small town of his early childhood and the his burial site. He was the first US President born West of the Mississippi.

On the way home, we found the "World's Largest Wooden Nickel". Who knew?

A whirlwind two days in Springfield, Illinois. The Land of Lincoln and the state's capital city.
We did just about all things Lincoln, starting with a tour of the Lincoln's Springfield home. We also visited the Presidential Library and Museum. The museum does a good job separating the man during his time and the icon that exists now. Ended the Lincoln trail with a visit to the Lincoln Tomb. It is always sobering to reflect back on an individual's life. Throughout all of these venues were amazing sculptures.

We also took a tour of the State Capitol building, it is a very beautiful building. Interesting fact, it is the tallest domed capitol building in the US. We walked by the Old Capitol Building, where Lincoln served as a State Legislator, and the current Governor's Mansion.

During all this we, still had time for an in-depth tour of the Dana-Thomas House, a Frank Lloyd Wright design from 1902.

That's all, just a quick day and half in our journey. 😄

Continuing our quest to visit all the National Parks, we spent the past two days in St Louis. This morning, we rode to the top of the Gateway Arch to enjoy the view. The little pod that takes you to the top is quite small, not the most enjoyable ride for a claustrophobic 6'2" guy but he did great. We also spent an afternoon at the zoo, until a downpour left us as wet as the hippos in the picture.

Our home base has been a small county park, on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, that recently added a few RV camping sites. While exploring, we found the charming historic section of St Charles with a small but informative Lewis and Clark Museum.

We were fortunate to spend the weekend with my cousin Dave and wife, Erika. We really enjoyed catching up and visiting Cataract Falls. Cataract Falls is the largest by volume waterfall in Indiana, and has an upper and lower falls. Right down the road is the Cataract General Store, open since 1860 and has a very eclectic mix of goods.

Okay, this is my third attempt to post this. Facebook removed the first two for potential trademark or other infringement but don't tell you what. So, I have striped down the details and removed all plane names, etc...

We spent the last two days visiting the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Wow, what a fantastic museum, with over 350 planes in hangers covering 20 acres. There is also a lovely and large Memorial Garden. The museum covers the beginning of flight into the modern era, including space exploration. Not only were the planes well preserved, the storytelling and educational exhibits were very engaging. I also appreciated the exhibits highlighting women throughout the museum, and the acknowledgement that these Americans played vital roles and were not recognized or treated fairly.

This was the most comprehensive and well-presented aviation museum we have visited.

We spent a couple of days south of Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River. While there, we went to the American Sign Museum, walked around the Findlay Market and visited Ulysses S Grant's birthplace.
We had a beautiful site with the Ohio River behind us and could enjoy sitting outside watching the tug boats going up and down the river. Can't believe I forgot to take pictures. A reminder of how small the world can be, we had the pleasure of meeting Trent and Yvonne McKinney Mills, another set of near neighbors from the Houston area.

Visited the Forest Giants, a pregnant Mama Loumari, Little Elina and Little Nis, all made from recycled wood from the region.

Bright green foliage, blue skies with warm & breezy days, spring is in full swing in South Central Kentucky. Visited Bowling Green, home of Western Kentucky University and found Lost River Cave. (I know, cheesy.😀) Enjoyed their nature trails and then a boat ride into the cave, not quite the Blue Grotto but very interesting. In the 1930s, there was a jazz nightclub in the cave opening.

Spent a day at Mammoth Cave National Park hiking and taking the Domes and Dripstones cave tour. The park is beautiful, both above and below ground. They have multiple tours, would come back again to see other sections of the cave.

The sun has set on our last day in Nashville. We've done a lot and still had time to enjoy our great view on Ole Hickory Lake. A neat find was the Lane Motor Museum, it is primarily filled with vintage European cars but includes some other eclectic vehicles. One of those is a LARC-LX military multi-terrain amphibious vehicle. Even Ed looks short next to it.

We spent time in exploring the state capitol and the Tennessee State Museum, before visiting Centennial Park to see a full size replica of the Parthenon and a very impressive sculpture of Athena.

Walked around Belmont University and toured the Belmont Mansion, with an interesting history of the woman who owned it.

Of course we had to visit downtown, where the tourist heartbeat of Nashville lives. A band in every bar and a bachelorette party to match. We enjoyed a "jamgrass" concert at the iconic Ryman Auditorium.

This is our last stop in our spring tour of Tennessee, on to Kentucky.

We've been enjoying our stay in Chattanooga and the fantastic views from Outlook Mountain. Took in a baseball game on Sunday afternoon to see the Chattanooga Outlooks beat the Tennessee Smokies with a rally in the bottom of the 9th. It was fun to live like a local for a bit.

We visited Rock City, amazing views and an interesting stroll through the mountain side with natural features along with art features and whimsical gnomes and fairy tale features. Further down the mountain, went on the cavern tour to see Ruby Falls.

You never know what you will see on any given day. While we were walking to Ruby Falls, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile pulled into the parking lot. Not necessarily a natural wonder, but fun to see.

While here we also spent time along the Downtown Riverwalk and took a train ride while visiting the Tennessee Valley RR Museum.

Definitely worth visiting Chattanooga.

Our last day in Knoxville turned out beautiful, we explored the Old City section, watched the UT (no, not Texas) fans come out for the Orange and White game, and sampled local fare. After 5 days of heavy rain, the sun felt like a long lost friend. 🌞 Knoxville is working to revitalize the downtown area, while supporting the arts with murals and statues.

There is a great Eastern Tennessee History Center that provides a thorough look at the region, with a nice focus on the Revolutionary War and the impact of the Civil War. While Tennessee was the last state to secede, most Eastern Tennesseans were Union supporters and voted against secession. Thus, creating a great divide often within families and grudges that lasted long past the war.

Earlier in the week, we visited Oak Ridge, TN, site of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and one of the "secret cities" that made up the Manhattan Project.

We stayed at Melton Hill Lake and enjoyed a great view from our site. Between the rain, we enjoyed the calm reflections off the lake.

Beautiful sunrise this morning with the Smoky Mountains in the background. A few other pics from our day at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A few pics from our second day at Biltmore and the Chihuly exhibit. We enjoyed the less manicured trails and the small museum in Antler Village on the family history.

Don't know when, but know we will be back in Asheville sometime.😊

Looking Glass Waterfall April 2018 and now.

Great day one visiting Biltmore. We got there early to enjoy the gardens before our Backstairs tour, which we followed up with the Rooftop tour. After enjoying the beautiful weather in the courtyard for lunch, we toured the house using the audio guide. We then strolled back through the tulips and to the conservatory. The architecture reminds me of the chateaus in France, which were the inspiration and the grounds are magnificent. We are going back tomorrow for the Chihuly exhibit and a bike ride.

I truly love being back in Asheville, the amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains just adds a sense of tranquility.

We spent a few days in the Raleigh/Durham area, beautiful country, before heading back south to Charlotte.
In Raleigh/Durham the rain kept us from the hikes but we still enjoyed the state history museum, drive by the state capitol building (it is closed for refurbishment) and a purely divine chicken and waffle. In Durham, drove around Duke university campus, took a brisk walk through in Tobacco Road area around the stadium where the Durham Bulls play.

The weather gods were happier in Charlotte, it was nice to see the sun. Enjoyed a great tour through uptown Charlotte. I even posed with a the life size statue of Queen Charlotte, very different than the Bridgerton version. 😊 While in the area, we visited the Raptor Center. In addition to the trail and educational programs, they operate the Raptor Hospital that treat and rehabilitates sick, orphaned and injured birds.

Our tour of the Southeast continued in Charleston. We've both been there before but still found new places. We walked the hidden little alleys and truly enjoyed the architecture and gardens. Such an old city (by U.S. standards) that you can walk amazing sites from the American Revolution, that continued to be important through the civil war. We visited the several historical sites including the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, Charleston Slave Mart Museum, Fort Moultrie, Old Santee Canal and Fort Fair Lawn. We were impressed with the quality of the docents at the H.L. Hunley Museum, the history, perspectives and the science of raising and preserving the submarine were worth the drive to find it.

Last but not least, Charleston is an amazing gastronomical place to visit. Too easy to eat too much but it was so good.

We love Savannah, the history, the beautiful squares and buildings, and the arts. Not to mention, all the amazing food options. We were here two years ago for our anniversary and lucked into having dinner at The Olde Pink House's historic vault. This time we planned ahead and reserved it to recognize our anniversary (a few weeks early) but I'm always glad to celebrate our love.🥰

Savannah has one of the largest St Patrick's Day celebrations, the town and houses are already decked out for the party.

We still haven't been everywhere we would like to see...... Savannah is definitely on the return trip list.

Spent a couple of days in Augusta. The area is scenic, we stayed just north of the city on Strom Thurmond Lake, right on the Georgia and South Carolina state line.

The mountains in North Georgia are beautiful, even if we were a few weeks early for the spring colors. Between rain storms, we managed to make it to a couple of the waterfalls in the area.
Anna Ruby Falls is a twin waterfall over 150 feet tall, where two creeks rivers meet up to form Smith Creek. It was an easy but scenic half mile path along Smith Creek.
Helton Creek Falls is hidden a bit deeper in the National Forest. Let's just say driving a 22 ft truck up a small curvy mountain trail is slow going. It was worth the drive. Like all waterfalls, it breathtaking to watch and enjoy nature in action.

Rome, Georgia is a neat place to spend a couple of days. We visited the Martha Berry Museum and Oak Hill Mansion. It is amazing what one person can do. Martha Berry was born in 1865 into privilege and wealth but saw a great need to educate the local mountain kids that had no access to any formal education. Through a series of day schools and boarding schools, she went on to form what is now Berry College. She was quite a networker in the early 1900's gaining support from Henry Ford, Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Carnegie. It was a great way to spend a drizzly day.

Fun Fact: Oak Hill was featured in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama" as the Carmichael Mansion where several scenes were shot including Melanie (Reece Witherspoon) hiding in the closet with the fake reporter, the anvil through the gazebo roof, and the wedding that doesn't happen. I love that movie.

We spent a few low key days at West Point Lake, the rain made it difficult to get out and enjoy the trails. We did make it to the FDR Little White House in Warm Springs. Very interesting and well done museum, glad we took the ranger led tour. History factoid of the day; FDR came to the area for the therapeutic benefits of the warm springs after he had polio and bought the house prior to becoming President. This is also where he died while having a portrait painted shortly after the Yalta trip.

Spent the last four days with Eastbank Campground as our home base. It is located south of Bainbridge, Georgia and just a stone's throw across the Florida state line. Enjoyed two great sunsets, unfortunately not everyday had sun.

In addition to the road trip to Ft. Novosel, we took the opportunity to visit a couple more of Florida State Parks, Falling Waters and Torreya State Park. Falling Waters State Park is home to Florida's tallest waterfall at 73 feet. It actually falls into a natural sinkhole, the water then travels into a small underground cave and the final destination is unknown.

So glad we changed our plans and arrived a day early, gave us a chance to meet some neighbors David and Karen Abbott, literal near neighbors from the Magnolia area. It is a small world.

We decided to take a road trip to Ft. Novosel, formerly Ft. Rucker, to visit the Army Aviation Museum and so my wonderful husband could revisit his time there for flight school.

A little behind on posting this, we left St Augustine yesterday. It was a low key stay there, partly due to cold, rainy and windy days and we partly we wanted to relax a bit. St Augustine is the oldest continually inhabited city in the U.S. We really enjoyed the Castillo de San Marcos (forgot to take pictures and Fort Matanzas National Monuments. While the historic district has some interesting old buildings, it was just a bit too touristy for us.

Even after all these years, I'm still a Winnie the Pooh lover.
We had a great two days at Epcot. We liked the Guardians of the Galaxy so much, that we went back for a second ride. The band in the Canadaian pavilion was amazing.
Bodh'akten, they are a blend of rock, Canadian traditional, Celtic, Irish folk and punk. Sounds odd but it "rocked".

Yes, we are tired........ but worh it.

Day 1 at Disney World's Magic Kingdom was great, despite being busier than I expected on a Tuesday in February.

We managed to see and ride everything we wanted, including the new Tron coaster which was an awesome ride worth the early morning virtual queue sign-in.

We had a great time in Little Havana on Saturday, experiencing the vibrant culture, delicious food, and best mojito ever!

No, we did not eat at McDonalds. I just like that the sign reflected the neighborhood culture.

Wow, can't believe it has been a year since we were at Davis Mountain. What an incredible year we've had. We are so fortunate to be able to see all the beauty around the country.

Updated Feb 12, 2024 1:06:33pm

Before we leave South Florida, had to take the obligatory air boat ride. It was fun with lots of alligators, interesting weekend "camp" and a Purple Gallinule that strutted across the boat.

We completed our trifecta of visiting all three National Parks located in Florida with our trip to Biscayne National Park today. The winds were calmer, so we were able to enjoy a boat ride to Adams Key and Boca Chita Key. Biscayne National Park protects Biscayne Bay and the surrounding barrier islands. It is beautiful.

May not be a beach view but very happy with our home base for the next 10 days. Canal view to the right and sunset to the left. Can't beat the location, we are on the western edge of Ft Lauderdale metro area backed up to Everglades Wildlife Management Area. The park is huge with bike trails, lakes and a remote control air plane field that was very active this Friday afternoon. Fun to watch.
Hard to see him in the photo but we have our own Iguana that greeted us as we set up.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

For our last two days in Key West, we were able to move to a waterfront site with an awesome view from our front bedroom window. Great sunshine, even if the winds kept it brisk. Tomorrow we say good-bye to the Florida Keys.

Today was our trip to Dry Tortugas National Park, approximately 70 miles west of Key West. It is remote with no fresh water. We opted to take a seaplane versus the 2 1/2 hour ferry ride. Our plane arrived in 30 minutes and we had the park to ourself (well 20 of us) for over 2 hours. The park is 100-square miles but less than 10% of that is on land. The land portion is dominated by Fort Jefferson which is surrounded shimmering blue waters.

Unfortunately the weather gods were fickle this morning, it was in the 60's, overcast and windy, so we opted not to snorkle. The sun came out just as we were leaving providing for some beautiful pictures of the fort as we left.

Enjoying the sun in Key West. So glad we have the bikes with us. No way would I want to drive or park the truck around here.

Good Saturday Morning. Sunrise from Trumbo Point Key West.

Finally found the "Florida Weather", including the high nighttime humidity.
Coming to the end of our stay in Everglades National Park. We've been fortunate to see some unique and lovely animals and sites while here. The Purple Gallinule bird is beautiful but also so fun to watch walk on the lily pads. We were fortunate to see a Roseate Spoonbill and a couple of pairs of wild Flamingos. The Everglades is the only place that alligators and crocodiles share a habitat. We had a pod of dolphins this morning that were quite curious and came out to greet the boat before going off to continue feeding. This morning's sunrise over 8 Mile Pond was so serene, only wished it lasted a little longer.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. I will add the rest of the pictures to www.edbelcher.com once we bring the server back up in a few days. In the meantime, all the pictures from other locations are available.

Our first couple of day in the Everglades has not disappointed. Yesterday we took a 3 hour boat tour of 10000 Islands, walked the Marsh Trail in the 10000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and hiked in the Fakahatchee (say that 3 times fast) Strand Preserve State Park. Ed had to try the local Stone Crab, so ended the day in Everglades City at a Seafood market and grill on the waterfront.

Today we enjoyed a sunny but windy afternoon riding the bikes at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park. The 15 mile loop to the observation tower was a great ride. But I admit, I was thankful for the pedal assist of the e-bike on the way back when the headwinds picked up. 😃

Heading to the southern part of Everglades National Park tomorrow for the next few days.

Saying good-bye to St Pete today. The area is definitely worth a visit. Great art museums of a wide variety, historic areas and natural beauty.

I'm a couple of days late posting this one. The Dali Museum was very interesting and covers the broad spectrum of Salvador Dali's career. He experimented with futurism, impressionism and cubism, before becoming well known as a surrealist. Later he was involved in films, classical and religious themed art but continued to push into new mediums. There is a great Dali and the Impressionist exhibit talking place, that also includes a few post-impressionism and fauvism paintings.

Let me know if you find the Bullfighter in the large painting with the Venus de Milos.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

Beautiful view this afternoon.

Not sure if Ed is commanding the SS American Victory or waiting to try his hand on the gun.

The SS American Victory was built late in WWII and continued in service through Vietnam. It is one of only four 4 merchant ships from WWII still operational. They take it out twice a year in the bay as a fundraising event. I learned a lot about the merchant marines and their role supporting the armed services.

The Ringling was a great way to spend the afternoon. It is located on the Sarasota Bayfront estate of John and Mable Ringling, of Ringling Bros fame. It has a very nice Circus Museum, you can tour their "winter" home, wander a voluminous art museum and enjoy a large garden.

The Circus Museum was interesting, especially the 3800 sq ft circus in miniature. The detail and all encompassing view of the circus coming to town was impressive.

The 36,000 square feet, 56 room mansion, Ca’ d’Zan, was built to impress and for entertaining. Completed in 1926, it is a well preserved snapshot into the life of socialites in the roaring 20's. The architecture is Venetian Gothic and was just beautiful.

I can never pass up a chance to see Chihuly Glass. Amazing.

We spent the last 4 days in Salt Springs and the Ocala area. Despite the severe weather on Tuesday, we still enjoyed a little sight seeing. We were under tornado warnings most of the afternoon but we were fortunate that the high winds went around us and only had strong thunderstorms with lots of rain.

We stayed in the Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest. The park has a natural springs and swimming area. The springs stay a constant 72 degrees but with outside temps in the low 60's, we did not venture in. The water is crystal clear and enjoyed watching the blue crabs. Around the bend in the river, there were manatees but we could only see them from a distance when they came up for air.

We visited Silver Springs State Park, were the manatees are hanging out for the winter and much easier to spot. A mama and her calf (although, not so little) spent a lot of time close to the shore. It was very serene to just sit and watch.

I also visited the Appleton Art Museum, that has an Art Deco exhibit in progress. Ocala is horse farm country, I had planned a tour of several farms but it was canceled due to the weather on Tuesday. I was able to visit the World Equestrian Center and see some of the jumpers.

We found some sunshine and some rain in North Central Florida. The park is fairly remote, so we enjoyed several rambles around the park. The park has a small museum and a bell tower built in the 1950's to recognize Stephen Foster, who wrote the Florida State Song. He also wrote Old Susanna, Camptown Races and Swanee River. There is a small town next to the park that was a resort town in the late 1800 and early 1900's for the healing powers of the springs.

The park still has some of the decorations from their Christmas Light Festival up, so I played human snow globe. 😀

I have also spent the past few days in work mode, researching and planning our spring itinerary, lots to still see and do.

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year. We spent the last week roving the Emerald Coast of Florida, from Pensacola to Rosemary Beach. Our home base was a nice state park right on Rocky Bayou with several walking trails. Enjoyed the tranquil water along the estuary.

The beaches along the coast are beautiful but the wind was too chilly for us to stay long at any one time.

We visited both the Air Force Armament Museum and the National Naval Aviation Museum. What can I say, being married to a former pilot, it's a given an aviation museum is usually a yes on the things to do list. Both museums were worth the time. The National Naval Aviation Museum is quite impressive both in the quality and the variety of their displays. They have George H.W. Bush's training plane from when he enlisted and went through his aviation training, along with many other historic planes and helicopters.

Onward deeper into Florida, maybe we will find the warm weather yet.

Yesterday marked 11 months to the day that we began our full-time RV adventure. Our arrival in Florida marks the 20th state in those 11 months. Whew......................what a spectacular journey. A few bumps along the way, but that's expected. We still count our blessings that we are able to have this experience.

Looking forward to our next two months, as we traipse around Florida, exploring the state and trying to avoid cold weather. 🥶

Thought I'd share a snapshot of our 2023 travel map, with a photo of our arrival here yesterday compared to a day 1 photo.

Our last sunset on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay was another display of stunning colors.

So thankful to spend this gorgeous day with my wonderful husband.

Merry Christmas from Mobile. What a week, I think we tried to hit all the highlights of this old city and beautiful bay area. If you like history and historical buildings, nature and good gulf coast food; this is a great place to visit.

Wishing everyone a joyful and Happy Christmas.

Our new home for the next week, on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Looking forward to exploring the area and enjoying great sunsets from our porch.

As the sign says, Greetings from Biloxi! We've spent the last 6 days in the Biloxi area, giving Ed multiple opportunities to enjoy some seafood. The white sand is as pretty as I remember from a day here long ago.

We stayed at the Gulf Islands National Seashore campground and enjoyed almost daily walks to check in on our resident alligator and to watch the various birds; the brown pelican was the most captivating to watch, as he circled and then dove into the water.

The architecture of the old homes is beautiful, although many are now gone and all that remains are the historical plaques, thanks to Hurricane Katrina. We did tour the Charnley-Norwood House, designed by Louis Sullivan. Sullivan was famous in his time as the "Father of Skyscrapers" but also leading the way on modern American architecture. He was a mentor to Frank Llyod Wright, who worked for his firm in the 1890's. You can see in the photo of the house, definitely linear in form and beautiful use of wood on the interior.

Cheers to all! Hope you are enjoying your holiday season.

May not be the sunny weather we hoped for but still a great view

A sunny but cold day on the banks of the Mississippi River. We only had one afternoon to explore the historic town of Natchez. Definitely worth another stop next time we're in the area.

A short stay in Shreveport at Barksdale AFB. Had a beautiful afternoon to walk the static display of planes throughout the history of aviation. The timing of our arrival on Friday, gave us an opportunity to watch two B-52s land. What massive, amazing flying machines.

Thanks to Kerry Lynn Smith and Burt Smith for a wonderful dinner. It was great to see you'll and spend the evening together.

Wrapped up our week in the DFW area.

While on the Fort Worth side, spent one day visiting the art museums and the Water Gardens (the stop at the Water Gardens was not worth the cost of the parking ticket I got there ). The next day we visited one of the aviation museums by Meacham Field, took a drive through on the Stockyards (it was manic busy) and then ate a late lunch at a Fort Worth Icon, Joe T Garcia's, for more Tex-Mex before we left Texas.

On to the Dallas side, we stayed on the shore of Lake Lewisville. We caught up with Rosalind Juko on a beautiful afternoon. In Dallas, we visited SMU and the George W Bush Presidential Library. It is well done and we've now been to all three Presidential Libraries in Texas. Part of the reason for our trip to Dallas was to meet up with Elizabeth Potter and see her niece in a production of White Christmas at the Campus Theater in Denton. Great show, the cast did a fantastic job. Bonus, Elizabeth finally got to meet Rocco.

It is always interesting to go back to somewhere you lived to see the changes but to also revisit some of your favorites that are still there.

This is just one of the many reasons I've always loved Winnie the Pooh.

Updated Dec 06, 2023 1:38:22pm

So fortunate to still be traveling.

One of the many amazing things about traveling across this beautiful and diverse country is having a new view from our "home" every few days. After a rainy afternoon followed by bright sunshine, a fog settled over the lake. The effect was magical and created some amazing reflections off the water.

Awesome couple of days in Waco. We have a great sight to call home, right on the shore of Lake Waco. It came with a beautiful sunset last night.

Yesterday we visited Waco Mammoth National Monument and found it very interesting. These remains are the only known nursery herd of ice age Columbian mammoths, with over 23 remains found. Adult males were 14 feet tall and weighed in at 20,000 pounds. Columbian mammoths roamed across what is now Texas, thousands of years ago.

Today, we played tourist all day starting by visiting the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, which provides a very detailed history of the Texas Rangers from their inception in the 1830's. We also went to the Dr. Pepper museum and enjoyed the history and a true fountain Dr. Pepper and Root Beer. While in Waco, had to make a stop by The Silos. It was a little too chilly to sit outside and enjoy the great open space but the we did get our annual picture with a Christmas Tree taken in the restored church. We also made a quick stop to see the Waco Suspension bridge, which first opened to traffic in 1870. An unexpected find was Homestead Craft Village with some amazing artisans.

A quick stay in Georgetown, the weather was a bit brisker than we prefer but still got on a couple of walks around the lakeshore. Both evenings we had deer on all sides of us. What a nice relaxing way to end the day.
Best part was having an opportunity to have lunch and catch up with Dave and Cindy Reed Morgan.

What a beautiful day to enjoy fall on the Guadalupe River. So thankful to have this as our back porch view this week.

Great week in Corpus Christi. We had a perfect beach day at the Padre Island National Seashore and toured the entire Coastal Bend area. We also visited the USS Lexington memorial, the Texas State Aquarium and the South Texas Botanical Gardens. Ed also was able to partake of some fresh seafood.

We stayed at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and enjoyed the views. An added perk for Ed, we were right by the Corpus Christi Army Depot and their flight path for test flights of Black Hawks coming out of maintenance.

After a week in Houston taking care of necessary life items, including lots of tex-mex food, we are back on the road. Just a quick stop in Shiner for the night. The BBQ at the brewery was excellent.

This pretty boy was just enjoying looking at himself this morning, until I got a little too close. The look I received, guess I interrupted his self affirmations for the day.🤩

Our back porch view tonight, zoom in to see our neighbor swimming by. Spending one night on the shore of Steinhagen Reservoir.

Like many others around the country, had a bit of rain and then cold weather. Can't have warm temps and sunshine all the time (much to Ed's displeasure). 🌞 We still got out a bit to enjoy the natural beauty of central Arkansas.

Headed back to Texas today and then "home" to The Woodlands on Sunday.

I really wanted to see some fall colors before we head back South Texas in a couple of weeks. So, we are making our way through Northwest Arkansas before we hit the Ouachita National Forest West of Hot Springs.

First we visited Fayetteville, enjoyed the college town vibes, saw a great play; The Band's Visit, at their local theater and visited the World Peace Fountain.

Couldn't be in the area and not go to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville. The building and grounds are amazing and we also visited the Frank Lloyd Wright house that was moved to the property. Took a quick spin through the Wal-Mart Museum.

I have really enjoyed the hilly area that offers beautiful views and fall colors as you drive along the road. Must admit though, my hair has forgotten how to behave in the humidity. 😁

Enjoyed a couple of quiet nights to recharge and take in the beginning of fall colors. Also, completed an item off the "to do" list; reupholstered the dining room chairs - check. 😃

The journey east continues.......with a quick 2 night stop in Tulsa. We stayed just outside Tulsa with a spot overlooking the Keystone Dam and great sunsets. Took advantage of two beautiful days to enjoy the Philbrook Museum and Gardens, Gathering Place Park, and walking the Art Deco District. Definitely come back through again to more of this great area.

Stayed busy, had some great food and saw a lot of the "things to do" in Oklahoma City list but still didn't make it to everything. 🙂

We started at the Oklahoma City National Monument, it is always somber to revisit the inhumane acts people commit but important to remember.

We took advantage of the great weather and visited Bricktown, the Boathouse District, Centennial Land Run Monument, the Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park.

I couldn't miss an opportunity to visit some of the museums and Oklahoma State Capitol. We also squeezed in a play on Saturday afternoon at the Contemporary Arts Center.

Our home for the next few days at Arcadia Lake. It is nice to be able to enjoy the view and a peaceful sunset.

On the road again........
Our last day in Albuquerque included a great eclipse watching party with John and Elizabeth Potter. Love you guys.

On Sunday, we left Albuquerque headed east to experience some of the old Rt 66 memories. Spent a couple of nights in Tucumcari, NM.

Yesterday we crossed back into Texas for the first time since Mid-February. Just a quick skip across the Panhandle, on our way to Oklahoma. We were fortunate to touch base with friends for diinner while in Amarillo.

Thought I'd share a few more pics from Balloon Fiesta over the past few days. We went out to the field this morning as pure spectators for the special shapes rodeo. It was a beautiful morning for enjoying the event. We even saw a few of the remote control balloons, so cute. Tomorrow evening's glow will be our last day at this year's event. It has been a great Fiesta.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is underway and we have been blessed with amazing balloon weather the first few days.

Ed and I helped to crew at Albuquerque Aloft on Friday before the official kick of of Fiesta. Albuquerque Aloft is an event where balloon pilots go to local elementary schools, to set up their balloons, and if conditions allow, launch from the school. The kids love it. We were treated to a surprise ride. It was a beautiful morning for it. Thanks to Frankie for a great ride in the RAKS Building Supply Balloon.

We helped to crew at the evening glows for the first two evenings of Fiesta. Following that there is an amazing drone light show and fireworks.

I took so many photos, it was hard to narrow down which ones to post, so it is a large photo dump today. All of the pics are on the website @ www.edbelcher.com

Tomorrow we are crewing in the morning, so it will be an early start but worth it. More photos to come over the next few days.

Our hearts are heavy, as we had to say goodbye to our sweet Gracie yesterday. Every life has a beginning and an ending but the parting is still heartbreaking. Even knowing this, I would not miss having these companions in our life.

At 19, Gracie still just wanted to be with us and believed our purpose was to ensure she had a lap to lay in. Even as her crazy humans cleared out the house and decided home would move every few days, she adapted quickly to the RV, even learning to tolerate riding in the truck.

We miss you sweet Gracie girl.

We rode the tram up to Sandia Peak, catching some views of the early fall foliage along the way. At an elevation of 10,378, it was about 64 degrees and a little gusty. That was 25 degree cooler than it was at the base, so it felt wonderful. It was a perfect afternoon to walk around some of the trail heads and just sit to soak in the views.

We visited Bandelier National Monument just outside of Los Alamos to see the remains of a pueblo and cliff dwellings. It also includes a cliff dwelling further up the Frijoles Canyon, called Alcove House, that can only be reached by climbing up 144 feet via a series of steep ladders and old stone steps. Yes, we did it. 😀

Good Vibrations are in the air and we are ready to go Surfin USA.

It was suppose to be a weekend of retro concerts but the Kansas concert sceduled for last night was postponed. Luckily, the Beach Boys are a go.

A little practice before the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.