Great times in Florida March 29, 2012

We are here at the Manatee Cove FamCamp at Patrick AFB near Melbourne, FL.  It is very convenient to the beautiful beaches, a great fitness center on base, local shopping and Major League Baseball Spring Training.

The weather has been great so we are really enjoying it here.  Plus our campsite is right on the beach with a little bit of sand and some pretty great sunsets.

Viera is the home of the Washington Nationals MLB spring training and only about 10 miles down the road.  We got some mid-day tickets last week and enjoyed a great game between the Nats and the Atlanta Braves.

We also found time last weekend to visit another pretty good flea market.

But mostly we have been settling into a routine and getting some things done.  I washed the RV and am almost half way through putting a coat of Mother’s Wax on it.  Hopefully I will be done in a day or two.

On Tuesday, they had a going away party / happy hour pot luck for the camp hosts that have been here for a number of years.  We didn’t know them that well but decided to go and meet some people anyway. It started at the traditional 4:00 happy hour time.  At 5:00 PM at most bases, they play the Star Spangled Banner.

Pretty cool to see all our fellow campers rise and respectfully face the direction of the music.  We enjoy these get togethers because they continue to be a way we can get to know other people.  We met quite a few that evening and met one couple that had been full timers for eight years.

We are looking forward to some more nice weather and sunshine and plan to be here to be through the end of April.

That is it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

What I like about Key West February 5, 2012

There are a lot of reasons that make Key West one of our favorite places in our almost 3-year full-time adventure:

1. The warm weather/sun.  It is usually warm down here in the winter time but this year it has been above average.
2. The water.  Love having the RV parked 20 feet the water (Gulf of Mexico side) most of the last six weeks.  
3. Interesting town with a lot of history.  We learned a lot about Key West in the early days and about famous people who have been associated with Key West.  Jimmy Buffet, Robert Frost, Thomas Edison, Zachary Taylor, Ernest Hemingway, Harry Truman…
4. Hemingway House.  This was one of my all-time favorite tours of a residence.  I lover the upstairs outside balcony with the balmy breezes.
5. Truman Little White House.  Pretty cool to see where some important decision were made in his presidency.  Reminded me a little of the Gen Eisenhower home in Gettysburg.
6. Bike riding.  Never been anywhere with more local and rental bikes.  Lots of bike paths and the roads are scooter and bike friendly.  Loved taking the 13.0 mile loop around the island in the early morning.
7. Boondocking at Sigsbee U.S. Navy Campground (Military).  Over 200 spaces for boon dockers and 88 full hook ups which we rotate into for two weeks.  
8. Sunsets.  Lots of them here.  And sunrises too.
9. Sunset Celebration.  Every night seems like there is something going on at Mallory Square.
10. Mallory Square.  Talk about a great place to people watch!
11. Harbour Walk.  Great place to meander in the early evening.  Can’t beat the 1/2 price on drinks and appetizers which are a meal in themselves.
12. Boca Chica Marina and Beach – Key West Naval Air Station.  The base has more activity than one would expect.  We liked the waterfront/marina.  Can’t beach watching F-18’s and F-5’s and other aircraft coming in for landings.
13. The Keys.  Nice drive to see some sights.  Key West is a bit isolated but we had plenty of day trips along the keys.
14. Small town atmosphere.  Key West has only about 25,000.  No Wal-Mart and only two Starbucks that I could find.
15. Walking.  Lots of things to walk around and see.  One can walk the whole downtown area and see lots of shops and people.
16. Restaurants/Cafes.  Breakfasts and Happy Hour (4-6 PM) are very reasonable.  Dinner and the rest is a little more but not too bad.  
17. Cuban sandwiches, stone crab, mahi-mahi and shrimp, Cuban coffee…
18. Gardens, parks and museums.  More of them here than one would expect.
19. Habitat for Humanity (Key West and Lower Keys).  We got to spend a couple of Saturdays working on a house with their Brush with Kindness group and it was a lot of fun.
20. Roosters.  See previous post.
21. Flea Market.  The flea market at Big Pine is worth going to.  Only about 30 miles up the Keys and not near Key Deer reserve and No-Name Bar which has great pizza.
22. Friends.  We have gotten together with some great friends here old and new:  Marge and Bill (full-timers whom we met the first few days here); Jim and Betty (Habitat for Humanity friends from our time last summer in South Dakota); and Kirk and Susan (good friends who flew in from Oklahoma City and spent 4 days with us)

That is all today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  We move on toward Fort Meyers Tuesday morning.  Thanks VERY much for joining us!  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Plenty of Things to Do in Tucson March 22, 2011

Now and then some friends ask if we have enough to do? I guess that is a fair question to ask a retiree.  The answer is Yes!  And sometimes we feel like we do too much ~ like we should ‘pace ourselves’.  Like our former life before retirement though, sometimes we are busier than other times.

La Mesa RV in Tucson had a big RV show last week.  La Mesa is such a large company with 6 or 7 dealers in Arizona and California and were the only sponsor for the show.  They brought hundreds of Class A’s, Class C’s, trailers and fifth wheels from a number of their dealerships.

Its been a while since we have been to one so we went out to the Pima County Fairgrounds and walked around.  They had a free lunch and that was actually a highlight because we sat down at a table and met a nice couple from Alberta. They were in town for a few weeks and are planning for retirement and the RV life in a couple of years.   They are considering a fifth wheel but like the motor coaches.

We walked around a took a look at Tiffin Phaetons and an Allegro Bus.  They are really looking good but we didn’t see anything that made us feel like our 2007 Roadrunner needed to be replaced.

We also took a look at a Winnebago Tour model which has a humongous slide out that goes all the way down the DS.  It really gave the place a lot of room.  Full slide slide outs appear to be one of the more common innovations in the last couple of years.

One thing I haven’t seen too much is front galleys.  We liked the idea of the refrigerator up front when we were first looking a couple of years ago but that idea may have come and gone…

We saw a couple of Carri-Lite Cameo fifth wheels and took a look.  That model was high on our list when we were thinking we were going to go that route instead of with the Class A.

Next we looked at a few Class C’s.

It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

Since we were on the east side of town, we went over to the Saguaro East National Park Visitor Center to pick up a good trail map for future hikes in the park.

The Tucson area has a few swap meets and we have been to the one at Tanque Verde which is not too far from Davis-Monthan AFB where we are staying.  On Saturday we went out to the one at Tohono O’Odham on the Indian reservation.

It has a different clientele and feel to it compared to the Tanque Verde swap meet.  There was a lot more used stuff here and a lot more food stands.

The little goat and chickens were cute.

After the swap meet we went over to Sabino Canyon for a hike.

It has a lot of great trails that are well marked and not difficult.  Toward the end of the hike, we saw some RVs that belonged to volunteers at the Park.  I believe they have 4 or 5 sites.

We have been talking about going to Nogales, Arizona for a while, so we decided to do that on Sunday after church at Calvary Chapel in Tucson.  The drive was a pleasant one and an easy 75 miles to the border town.

I had been here in 1975 with some buddies on our way to Guaymas, Mexico for a few days.  But it was nothing like I remembered.  It was a lot more built up and the border crossing like all of them is very substantial.
It is a beautiful Sunday and after we found a $4 parking place we went across the border.  One thing we immediately noticed was that were not a lot of Americans shopping.

And the shops were basically empty.

We didn’t need any pottery or blankets or jewelry.  Or anything for that matter… We only spent about 25 minutes and walked down a couple of streets before we decided it was time to head back.  It was quite different than our trip across the border in Nuevo Progresso in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.  Here –  the economy is in bad shape and were were pestered by shop owners to come in and buy things.  We are okay with a little bit of that but here it bordered on desperation.  We felt uncomfortable saying no so much that we left.  It was not what we had hoped it might be.

I guess at night, the border guards have issues but we saw no evidence of unsafe places or drug violence.  There were no police sandbags with weapons like we had seen at other places.  Still ~ 25 minutes was enough and it was time to go.  The long lines back at 98% Mexicans who were going to shop in Nogales.  It took about 20 minutes to get through the long line.

Coming across the border to the U.S. back into Nogales was a different story.  Nogales was bustling and the shopping was brisk.  We found a handbag and a golf shirt ($3.97) and a hardware store with lots of inventory and good prices.

It was a little over an hour drive back to Tucson and we passed by Tubac and Green Valley, two places we have heard about and we may want to visit.

That’s what we have been up to the last few days…hope you all have a great week.  And thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.

Until next time ~

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

San Antonio Sights February 13, 2011

We went downtown to see another famous mission church in San Antonio – the Alamo.  It is specifically known as Mission San Antonio de Valero.  I have been there four or five times and I love seeing it every time.

It was built in 1724 and later became a legendary focal point of American history with the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.  An overwhelmed number of Texians and Tejanos (about 200) and volunteers held out 13 days before Santa Anna and his forces (about 1800) overcame them.

Jim Bowie, Davie Crockett and Lt Col William Travis were among the causalities.   Not surprisingly the details and accounts of the battle do not all agree.  It is likely the Walt Disney and John Wayne movies of the Alamo have some legend intertwined with the facts.  But then what historical account doesn’t?

Compared to the large San Jose Mission, the Alamo mission grounds downtown are considerable smaller and have been overtaken by commercial development.  But it was spectacular none the less.

A highlight was being able to talk to a conservator named Pam.  She is doing research on the interior walls of the building and documenting the types of mortar, paint, stucco and coverings.

It is meticulous and slow work but she loves what she does and is able to detect small changes and match them to earlier findings.  She can tell when the walls were repaired and who might have done it (e.g. military, church members).

After time at the Alamo, we walked across to the Hyatt hotel and went past this glass gift shop.  It reminded us of the glass artwork we saw in Grand Rapids Michigan last year.

 Very unique, beautiful and expensive.

Then we strolled along the Riverwalk.  It was conceived in the 1920’s, built in the 1930’s and really expanded with improvements in the 1960’s.  Today, it it might be the U.S.’s closest equivalent to the canals of Venice, Italy.  I know it is really completely different but you catch my drift…,

It continues to get a lot of traffic and is one Texas’ and San Antonio’s most visited attractions.  It was a little cool but a spectacularly gorgeous day for a walk.

Yesterday we found a couple of flea markets in the area.  It was not hard to do – they some big ones and lots of little ones all over the San Antonio area.

Lots of produce and about everything you could image.  Some vendors had specific things (boots and hats, car parts, clothes) ~ while others were more of the garage sale variety.

I am looking for some work boots.  These were not it…

This outdoor market had a little more variety of tools.

We did not find anything we had to have but enjoyed walking around.  It was a beautiful day.

We have enjoyed our time in San Antonio and will be heading south toward Del Rio Texas.  Friends have a RV lot at Bracketville and we are looking forward to seeing what that is all about.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Glad you stopped by!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

New Orleans February 6, 2011

We left our soggy spot at Caswell Springs UMC in Moss Point, MS about 7:30 AM on Friday.  There was a break in the rain so we decided to hitch up and go.  We drove the Roadrunner over from the RV spaces to the big parking lot and hooked up.  It was nice of our NOMADS friends to come over in the drizzle and say goodbye again with some hugs and handshakes.

Then we were off.  It was an easy drive to the Louisiana border where we stopped at the Visitor Center. We talked with Gwen who was very helpful and gave us information, maps and brochures so that we could develop a plan for our add on trip to see New Orleans.  We were originally planning to drive to Houston but ice storms made us think twice and we stayed away, not wanting to take that risk.

We found a decent campground in Slidell, LA.  It is only 30 miles from New Orleans so we figured we would park the coach there and just drive the Honda in to New Orleans.

Instead of continuing west on I-12, we headed south on I-10 a few miles and took the exit for Slidell, LA.

The campground lost 1500 trees in Katrina.  The campsites were small but adequate.

I took a couple of pictures when we arrived and some more the next day when the sun came out.

We got set up and drove into New Orleans.  Our plan was to find some lunch, see the World War II museum, and take a windshield tour of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.  And that is what we did.

We decided to eat lunch in the museum restaurant (The American Sector) and it was a great choice!

We had a great waitress, enjoyed the atmosphere and had a terrific bowl of gumbo and a shrimp poboy sandwich.
After lunch we walked around the building and went to the Victory Theater to see the Tom Hanks -produced-movie “Beyond All Boundaries”.  It is a 30 minute documentary and has footage of the war on two fronts:  Europe and the Pacific.  It notes that 65 million people died and is a very good history lesson.

The museum was created with the support and interest of some famous people: Dr. Stephen Ambrose, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.  The museum is really two buildings which cover over 70,000 sq feet of interesting displays and information.  It was very very well done and worth seeing.

After a couple hours in the museum, we drove around New Orleans to get a feel for where things were.  We drove from the Central Business District (CBD) near the museum over to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street.

That was enough excitement for one day and we returned to our campground.  We watched a little golf ate dinner and called it a day.

On Saturday, we drove into New Orleans again and were a little early for our 11:00 A.M. bus tour.

We had some time before the bus tour so we walked down to the St. Louis Cathedral, saw the statute of Andrew Jackson.  Later we walked inside and took pictures of the beautiful interior.

We got underway for the Katrina/City Tour and our driver was great.  The tour was about 2 1/2 hours and we went through New Orleans and also out to the Ninth Ward to see some of the effects of Katrina.

My overall impression of the Ninth Ward and New Orleans is that it is up and running.  The area is fully functional and not the devastation and hopelessness that I remember from the Katrina aftermath.  I have a completely changed view of the area.

We saw evidence of the damage and can not fathom what actually happened.  My imagination is not that big–.  I expected a whole lot worse.  I am sure there remains countless stories of people who were impacted and that will never get their lives or homes back.  But I saw an area and a city that was vibrant, restored and back in business.

 We only saw a few houses that still had the markings with X’s.

This is where Fats Domino (yep – the one and only) used to live.  The long building was his house and recording studio next his other house.  The blue display of poles shows how deep the water got in the ninth ward.  Brad Pitt is building some energy efficient homes nearby.

From the ninth ward, we went over to the northern end of New Orleans, past some canals and bayous and to an above ground cemetery.  There are three more well know ones in town.

This is St. Louis Cemetery and we drove by the Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery.  These are sometimes referred to as “Cities of the Dead”.

We drove by Lake Pontchartrain which is immense.  We also saw a couple levees that had been repaired.

On our way back, we went through some very picturesque neighborhoods before we approached the Central Business District.

After our tour it continued to be a beautiful (but cool) day and we saw the famous Cafe Du Monde and the French Market and the Flea Market.

It has been a good two days in New Orleans and we are ready to head west.  Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  We are glad you stopped by!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Last Sunday in Tobermory July 19, 2010

The Tobermory Village Campground has been home for the last 10 days.  It is a nice place to stay with some wonderful sights.  The owners have a Belgian which they ride daily and hitch up for wagon rides through the campground weather permitting.

Last year when we were here, I remembered going to a flea market along the side of the road near Wiarton.  I thought it was closer but, it is actually 43 miles away.  

We left about 9:00 AM and found it.  It didn’t seem to be as busy as last year, but then the whole peninsula seems to be suffering from the effects of a down economy.  At least that is what the shop keepers were saying in Tobermory.

Pam and Kelly headed for the craft and pottery store.

I went over to the area where the books were.

Like any book seller, he knew exactly where different authors were located and he showed me the section where I could look over Canadian history and historical novels.  Among my finds was The National Dream – The Great Railroad 1871-1881 by Pierre Berton.

Across the isle, a man with his knives was sharpening one for a potential customer.

Outside the covered area there were more tables.  It was drizzly and rained slightly but they stayed at it hoping for a sale.

In the parking lot I saw a man wearing a bike jersey of my alma mater:  Arizona State University.  That was unusual! I spoke with him for a few moments and he agreed to a picture.  His daughter was a teacher and had gotten her credential at ASU before returning to Canada.  He was an a bike trip from Labrador to Vancouver and still had a long way to go!

We went back to the cottage in time to catch Bill before he left for Petrolia and another week of work.  After that we went back to the Roadrunner, got things packed up and put away for our departure.  I went for a good run and we watched the finish of the British Open.  Then we and went back over to the cottage to have dinner with Marg and her mother.

I grilled a pork tenderloin and flank steak to go along with the green beans and baked potatoes.  We also had some of Pam’s legendary potato salad.  After topping it off with maple cookies and ice cream we were stuffed!

We said our goodbyes and returned to the Roadrunner.  It has been a nice time here in Tobermory and we will likely be back.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com