Home Sweet Arizona

We arrived at Kartchner Caverns State Park on Thursday afternoon, the 15th.  To say the least we were excited and thrilled to be in Arizona!  Wide open spaces, blue skies and wonderful sunshine.  The temperature is running in the low 70 to mid 70's with cool nights.

We, of course saw Brian, Kelly & Sammy the day we arrived and had Thanksgiving dinner with them.

The day after we arrived they had a volunteer potluck dinner. It was great meeting everyone and enjoying food, fellowship and a few drinks by the fire.  As yet, we haven't made a connection with a few people to have our "5 o'clock" cocktails with, but that will come in time.

Last Sunday we were in class all day to learn how to be "trail guides".  Basically that is how to follow a group and be there to handle emergencies or take someone out of the cave if necessary.  T wasn't thrilled about having to trail, but he got himself trained to drive a tram and he loves that.  We've been here a little over a week and are still trying to get into the swing of things.  There is a great deal to learn and schedules "must be adhered to".  That's a new thing for the both of us.  We haven't been on a schedule in over a year.  I'm even having to wear a watch to be sure I meet the tours on time.  I haven't worn a watch in 10 years!  At the end of the day we are exhausted.  Most of you are thinking, "Working 6 hours! How can you be tired?"  I know it seems crazy.  Remember, we are "old" LOL.

The nearest town, Benson, is about 15 minutes away and it's quite small.  That's also an adjustment.  We are hoping to find a little coffee shop or cafe to visit once a week, like we did up in Maine.  We have the next three days off, so we'll be scouting out the area for a coffee shop, special place to dine and to see  the sites.

Maybe next week I'll have some pictures to post.

San Antonio and Westward

Nov 7 - 9 San Antonio, TX

I'm going to try to tell you more about the places we visit in the hopes that you find that a bit more interesting and possibly learn a more than you did about where ever it is we were.  I would love to get your feedback as to wether you find this boring or informative.

We stayed at Fort Sam Houston FAM Camp.  Most military facilities have an RV park, commonly called FAM CAmp, which is open to active duty & retired military, as well as other government workers.  

Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston. Fort Sam covers 400 acres and was established in 1845.

This on-base museum traces the history of the U.S. Army post from 1845 to the present. The base is a living landmark itself, with over 900 historic structures including the Quadrangle (where Geronimo was once held), the Pershing House and the Eisenhower House (both named after the renowned generals that lived there). 

Shame on us for not visiting the museum!  Next time.

The Alamo

There is so much to see and do in this city.  We didn't even come close to taking it all in.  We started our visit at the Alamo, which is where every visit to San Antonio begins.  If you've never been to the Alamo and are going through San Antonio, it is a "must see".  You'll be surprised to find it in the middle of the city amongst the hustle and bustle.  We did a self guided walking tour that brought us  to the Menger Hotel.  This hotel was built in 1859 and eventually expanded to cover an entire city block.  Walking into the hotel is like walking back in time.  The three story victorian lobby is a sight to see.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church

We then visited ST. Joseph's Catholic Church, built in 1876.  The stain class was exquisite.  From there we walked over to La Villita, which means little village.  We wandered through the  village and watched them make scented wax at ScentChips USA.  I had seen their catalogs and thought it was a huge company.  It's a small little shop where the scents are made on site.  We walked along the River Walk for several hours and enjoyed a late lunch at Cafe Rio.   

The River Walk is an unusual urban sanctuary that winds along the San Antonio river in central San Antonio, one story below the bustling street level.  The lush landscapes, quaint pathways, tinkling waterfalls, quiet pools, outdoor art and relaxing outdoor patios evoke the renowned public spaces of Europe.  It started as the vision of a young architect, in 1929, has grown, over the decades, into one of the world's most distinctive meeting places.

The River Walk

Nov 10 -11 - Lakehills, TX

Where the hell is Lakehills, TX you might ask.  It's about an hour and a half west of San Antonio.  We stayed at Medina Lakes Thousand Trails RV Resort.  It's back off the freeway out in the desert hills.  I was excited to be staying here because it was right on the lake and I could go fishing.  Boy was I surprised when we got there and found the lake was dry and had been for 3 years.  It was sad to see.  We didn't get to see the dam and of course didn't go fishing.  We did meet a nice couple from Panorama Village, TX, Nancy & Bill.

Medina Lake is a reservoir on the Medina River in the Texas Hill Country of the United States.  Medina Dam was completed in 1913.  It is a crescent-shaped reservoir running west to east. It is 18 miles (29 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide at its broadest point. It is contained by the Medina Dam at the lake's south end. At the time of the dam's construction, it was the largest concrete dam in the country and the fourth largest dam overall. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nov 12 - Sonora, TX

You know you've been married a long time when you both forget your anniversary!  Today T & I were  married 45 Years.  We didn't even think about it until we were on the road headed to Sonora TX.  

We stayed at the Caverns of Sonora RV Park. As RV parks go it isn't much to talk about.  However, the reason we stayed here was to see the caverns and they were worth the drive.  The only thing at this location is the caverns and a gift shop.  We did get to see a lot of wild turkeys roaming around and if you've never seen wild turkeys....

Nov 13 - Balmorhea, TX

We stayed at Saddleback Mountain RV Park out on I-10.  It was a place to stop.  There is a state park down the road, but T sprung an oil leak in the truck and spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to repair it.  Molly and I went for a walk. 

Nov 14 - Vado, NM

What possessed me to pick this place?  Well I was trying to pick RV parks about 200 miles apart on I-10.  This just happened to be about 200 miles west of Balmorhea.  After getting the rig setup, we realized we were only about 15 miles out of Los Cruces.  The Western Skys RV Park is a dump!  We definitely would not stay here again.   There were several much nicer places to stay in Los Cruces.  We'll know for next time.

Just outside of Los Cruces is a little town called Mesilla.  I found this place with my iPhone app, Roadside America.   There were several "things of interest" in this area.  One is  the place where Billy the Kid was placed in jail. Now a gift shop.  Another was the "Stabbed Lovers Haunted Restaurant",  Off we went to Mesilla to see what it was all about.  We found the quaint town square and several little shops around the square:  The Billy the Kid gift shop, a place called "Pastashios and Wine" and  place that sold fresh fudge. We stumbled upon the Basilica of San Albino.

It has the distinction of being established in Mexico, and is now located in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1852; the current structure was built in 1906, and is one of the oldest churches in the region. 

Basilica of San Albino

We also found the "Stabbed Lovers Haunted Restaurant", though the real name is Double Eagle.  The building is on the National Historic Registry. We celebrated our anniversary here with a nice meal.  The restaurant was beautiful inside and the area where we were seated was quite romantic.

The outing was a success and kept us away from "the dump" RV park.  We got home after dark so we couldn't see how dumpy it was.  I forgot to take my camera! Can you believe it?!  So the pics were taken with my phone.

Bassfield, New Orleans, Houston

Oct 28 - Nov 6

Time just keeps flying by, here it is almost the middle of November.

We were in Bassfield, MS visiting our friends Chuck & Anita for a week.  As many of you know and some do not, when we are in Bassfield, getting on the Internet is a real challenge and most of the time we just don't try.  It is always great to visit Chuck and Anita though being so far removed from communications can be challenging.  In Bassfield you create your own entertainment.  T had a great time driving a Bob Cat helping Chuck clear the woods behind the house.  He was like a kid playing with a Tonka truck.

The first part of the week, we went over to New Orleans for a couple of days.  Heather was there for a trade show and we got to see her along with taking in a few of the sites.  We had dinner at K Paul's.  Excellent restaurant!

One interesting thing was the Jean Lafitte National Park is located within the French Quarter. Every National Park we've visited up to this one was some what out in the wilderness.  We took a walking tour with a NPS ranger through the French Quarter and a carriage ride to the famous St. Louis Cemetery, which was the first cemetery in New Orleans.  It was at one time twice it's current size.  Due to flooding through the years, many graves had to be moved.
 
We even went to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee.   We loved everything about New Orleans except the visit to Cafe Du Monde.  The service was awful and the beignets we'd heard so much about were like sopaipillas though not near as good.  The four of us declared not to visit Cafe Du Monde again.  We also had lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company.   As you can tell New Orleans was about food.  I would definitely go back to New Orleans when I have more time.

Carriage Tour in French Quarter

French Quarter

We left Bassfield on Monday and spent the night outside of Lafayette, LA, in an RV Park called Frog City RV Park. If you were traveling on I-10 and went by the park it would be an okay place to spend the night.  Unfortunately, we were exhausted when we got there so we didn't get out and see anything in the area.

Nov 6

We arrived in Houston, TX and stayed at the All Star RV Resort.  Very pricey and  too close to the freeway.   T napped while I went exploring and found a few off the wall things to see in the 3 hours that I was out.

50 ft Saxophone made out of VW parts

Beer Can House

We had dinner with friends Heidi & Don.  Talked about good times and promised to stop the next time we come through.