Howdy! Yes, we are indeed back in Montana and it is 21 degrees!! And to think that just a few days ago we were in Florida complaining about the humidity and the bugs. We turned around from the Florida Keys on November 3rd and seemed to be headed in the wrong direction, judging by the number of RV's we passed. We spent two nights in St. Louis visiting Barb's friends Paul and Isabel. They were generous hosts and it was wonderful to visit with them and their kids (and I use the term loosely) again. We drove downtown to the new Busch Stadium - very retro - the home of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!! We visited the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the Chihully blown glass exhibit. And, of course, we had to buy a bag of "slyders" at White Castle. Greasy, tasty little burgers that are a tradition for Barb when she visits St. Louis.
Then we drove to South Dakota and established residency there - our new address is 3700 S. Westport Ave., #1063, Sioux Falls, SD 57106-6360. Things go around in circles - Barb's father was born and raised in South Dakota. We woke up in an RV park in the Badlands on Friday Morning to 4" of snow - we gotta get going and get where it's warm!! We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD and at Wall Drug - what a hoot! We visited Mt. Rushmore and the as yetunfinished Crazy Horse Monument. Then it was on to Rapid City for a visit with Barb's Aunt Audrey and cousins Linda, Rodger and his family. It was a nice visit, but too short. Next time we will stay longer, when there is no snow on the ground!
We have had a wonderful trip and have seen just a few of the beautiful regions of this country. We have made some new friends and have re-acquainted with some old ones. When we do this again, we will allow more time in each locale and less time on the road. Now it is on to Plains, MT, Florence, OR, Redding, CA, Death Valley, and Phoenix! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Barb and Bill

Florida!!

Flooded street in Key West

Barb with cousins Jim and Olga A nice sunset at Bahia Honda State Park

Roosting white ibis









With cousins Jim and Marisa Alligator!!

After we left Bill's sister Kathy and her husband Ron, we headed south to Naples on the gulf coast. My friend Ann was visiting her mother and brothers and we dropped by for a brief visit. Ann and Barb have been friends for 30 years and Barb had never met any of Ann's family - time to fix that! We had a nice visit at Mrs. Goetten's house and Ann gave us a tour of the beach and pier in Naples. Bill was blown away by the growth in the Naples area since he was there last (47 years ago). We visited the Big Cypress National Reserve and Everglades National Park. We viewed many species of wading birds never seen by Barb before - wood stork, tri-colored heron, little blue heron, great white heron, and a couple that I can't remember right now. Also saw several red-shouldered hawk and a peregrine falcon. We saw at least three dozen alligators - from the safety of the truck! They ranged in length from 6-12 feet. We also had the opportunity to watch the final game of the World Series at a neighbor's camper. He didn't have room for us inside, so we watched through the window while being bitten by mosquitoes! It was worth it - hooray for the Cardinals!!!
We visited Bill's cousin Jim and his wife Marissa in Ft. Lauderdale. These are relatives that Bill has never met, but contacted via e-mail after learning about them through a Google search. Great folks who treated us to a wonderful seafood dinner and a selection of good red wines. Now we have another reason to return to Florida - spend more time with these cousins!
We headed for John Pennecamp State Park on Sunday, October 29. Barb took a snorkeling tour of the Florida Underwater Preserve (part of it anyway). Saw many species of reef fish - just beautiful! She also did some snorkeling over the seagrass flats along one of the keys and saw a sting ray - gave it a wide berth! Bill went fishing and caught a black grouper and a jack crevalle - what a fighter! We had a great time, except for the "no-see-ums". They ate us up on our first night. Bill bought some mosquito coils and we lit one in the camper - got rid of those little devils, so we could get some sleep. Nevertheless, we both look like we have the measles!
We spent two nights at Bahia Honda state park in the lower keys - a beautiful park, but the weather was not condusive to good snorkeling. We went to Key West in the middle of a thunderstorm! Walked along Duval Street and had lunch at Sloppy Joe's - a Key West tradition. The next day, we met Bill's other cousin Jim and his wife Olga. They just happened to be in Key West for the "Meeting of the Minds", an annual Parrothead reunion. These folks are REAL Jimmy Buffett fans! They and their friends are so much fun! It poured down rain all afternoon, so what were we to do but sit on the porch of their B&B drinking beer and shark piss. Shark piss is a mix of equal parts mango, coconut, and pineapple rums - Yikes! Then we made our way through the flooded streets to a Cuban restaurant for dinner. We had never eaten Cuban food and it was very flavorful and yummy. Great time with some fun new friends! Too bad about the weather, but we had a great time anyway.
Today we made the turn and are headed north to Montana with a stop in St. Louis to see Barb's friends Paul and Isabel Allen. More later...

October travels

Bill and his sister Kathy Bill at the old fort in St. Augustine

On the beach at St. Augustine Charleston, SC


Smokey Mountain fall colors Old grist mill at Smokey Mt. Nat'l. Park

Barb at Marine Corps Memorial Tomb of the Unknowns
Wow! We have covered so much territory since our last post!! It has been difficult to find an internet connection and we have been sooo busy! We spent a few hours with my aunt Edna in Laurelton, PA. She is 93 years od and is sharp as a tack. Her son Raymond and his wife Ruth also came over for a visit ( along with a lemon sponge pie - a real treat). Barb had not seen these relatives since she was a teenager, so it was good to renew acquaintance with them. We spent a day at Gettysburg, driving around the battlefield and reviewing the history of the area.
After that, we camped in Maryland and rode the Metro into Washington, DC for three days. Barb had not been to DC since she was 15 and Bill had never been there, so we had a lot to see. We went to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural Hisory, and the Art Museum. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Women in Military History Memorial, and the WW II Memorial. We also saw the Arlington Naitonal Cemetary and the Iwo Jima Memorial. There is so much to see, we could have spent a week there, but on we went...
We drove to the Smokey Mountains and again were in time for the beautiful fall foliage. Barb ate boiled peanuts for the first time and they were O.K., but she still prefers the roasted variety. We met up with our friends from Van Wert, OH, Ray and Linda, in Pigeon Forge, TN. The home of Dollywood - what a tourist trap!! We had never seen so many gift shops, junk shops, and dinner show places before! Seems like a great place to avoid in the future!
We drove to Charleston, SC and Barb took a bus tour around this beautiful old city. So much history here and a place that she would like to visit again. Last night we spent in St. Augustine, FL - another beautiful historic town and are now in Ft. White, FL visiting Bill's sister Kathy and her husband Ron.
We are enjoying seeing new birds, Spanish moss on the HUGE live oaks, and the Florida weather. We will try to post some photos in the next few days. We have been having a great time and have enjoyed seeing new parts of this beautiful country. If you need some tips on what to see or where to stay, drop us a line and we would be happy to share our experiences.
Stay tuned...

Pennsylvania

West Quoddy Head Light house, Campobello Island,
New Brunswick with a BIG tide rip
Atlantic salmon pens
Lubec, ME harbor at sunset


East Quoddy lighthouse, ME







During the past week, we spent three days at Acadia National Park - what a beautiful place!
We drove to the top of Cadillac Mt., the tallest mountain on the eastern seaboard and enjoyed a 360 degree view of the Atlantic, islands, bays, and lakes in the immediate area. Most of the land in the park was donated by wealthy people, including the Rockefeller family, who owned summer "cottages" on the island. Rockefellers built miles and miles of carriage roads which are now open for hiking and biking - no traffic! We had a couple of great rides. Then we ventured northeast to Lubec, ME which is the easternmost town in the USA. We had coffee with a couple of local guys who filled us in on some of the history and commercial fishing operations in the Bay of Fundy. We drove across the international bridge to Campobello Island, New Brunswick and saw FDR's summer cottage as well as several lighthouses. The tide swings were 21' last week!
Monday, we turned south back through Maine, NH, and VT. We drove through New York and dropped down into north central Pennsylvania. We are here to visit my 93-year-old aunt before we head to Gettysburg and Washington, DC. Enjoy the photos!

New England Colors

Barb and Pogo at Bar Harbor, ME On Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park


A Vermont covered bridge


We are now in Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine. The weather has cleared and it is colder, but sunny! We have included some photos taken in Vermont and New Hampshire - the "leaf peeping" as they call it here, is wonderful. We ate the obligatory fresh Maine lobster dinner last night - Oh, boy! So sweet and tasty! I guess we are eating our way through New England, having stopped at Ben & Jerry's creamery as well as the Cabot Cheddar Cheese factory. Well, the weather was crummy - whadda ya gonna do? We have seen some beautifully maintained old homes and farms. The economy seems to be much better in Vermont and New Hampshire than it is in Maine. We have run into some "Mainiacs" speaking "Maine - ese". No r's in their vocabulary. We will be staying in this area until Sunday and will head up the coast a bit further before heading to Pennsylvania to visit Barb's mother's hometown of Lewisburg and her 93-year-old aunt in Laurelton. Then on to Washington, D.C.

Photos

Parking at Sam's Club in Niagara Falls, Barb on the upper Hudson River in the Adirondaks.

Bill at Niagara Falls, the crowd in our blue bags on the Maid of the Mist approaching Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls.


Pogo and me at Niagara Falls, Barb and Scott Belknap at the start of the Masabi Trail in Grand Rapids, MN, and new friends Ray and Linda St. Clair at Van Wert, OH.
O.K., here are some photos from our past week...

Beautiful New York State

Here we are in beautiful Lake George, NY! The day started out badly - we boondocked on the grass at a boat ramp access site and it rained most of the night. You guessed it - we couldn't even get out of the mud in 4-wheel drive - AAAARRGGGHHH! A tow truck came to the rescue and we were off, if a bit later than we planned. The skies have cleared and the rest of the day has been great! We toured the Sarasota National Historic Park and saw battle sites from the revolutionary war. Beautiful scenery and a history lesson, to boot.
Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown - fascinating stuff for an old baseball fan like me! If you have never been and you are even a "sort-of" baseball fan, it is worth the time. The town is full of beautifully restored and maintained homes and stores. The Otesega Hotel and clubhouse at the Leatherstocking Golf Club is stunning! A beautiful 4-storey brick mansion with over 100 rooms.
Prior to that, we spent a day and evening at Niagara Falls and were very glad we did - the ride on the "Maid of the Mist" was awesome! They take you right to the base of Horseshoe Falls; the falls are on three sides of the boat and it feels as though you are nearly under the water. Very wet ride, but spectacular! We had a New York-style deli lunch, that even my New York-born brother-in-law would have approved! MMMMMmmm! We waited and waited for them to illuminate the falls in the evening and it was worth the wait - very dramatic!
Tomorrow we will drive into the Adirondack State Park before heading to Vermont and New Hampshire. Will post photos when we locate the card reader ;(

Escapade

Greetings from Van Wert, OH! Where?!? We are at an Escapee's rally called an Escapade and we were relieved to learn that we are NOT the youngest ones here. We are attending seminars on many useful topic such as "Improving your WiFi Experience" and "RVing in Alaska" and "Solar Panels and Electrical Circuits", etc., etc. We have experienced our first rain since we started our tri on 9/1. Otherwise, we are having a great time and learning a lot. We have met some fun folks and have seem some eople who can barely walk, yet they are full-time RVing !!! We will be here until Monday morning and will then be headed to Niagara Falls, searching that part of the country for Lebanon bologna. Hope that all is well with you...

We're back in the USA after a wonderful trip to Canadian parks and the Royal Tyrell Museum. The museum has an elaborate display of dinosaur skeletons and a tremendous amount of information about paleontology - we spent three hours there and could have spent even longer, but info overload took effect! We are currently visiting a former Missoula All-Maggot friend of mine, Scott Belknap and his wife Jeanne in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Having a wonderful visit and remembering our misspent youth. Beautiful part of Minnesota - everyone lives on a lake or across the street from one. Here are some photos from Jasper and Banff parks and one of Bill and T. rex -

Canadian Travels

Greetings from Jasper National Park! What can we say - incredible, spectacular mountains all around!! We heard the elk bugling from our camp site last night and saw "mouflons sur la route" (bighorn sheep on the road) today. Bill spotted a big, fat black bear eating grain under the rail cars in the town of Jasper.
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Wells Gray Provincial Park in B.C. We watched chinook salmon jumping in the falls and waled to several towering waterfalls. We camped by the river and enjoyed the sound of the water as we slept.
So far, the weather has been beautiful and tomorrow we are heading to Lake Louise and Banff National Park. I can't believe we don't have to go back to work next week!!
Love to you all - Barb and Bill

Getting Ready

Bill and I are getting ready to leave Plains, MT after having spent a productive and fun two months here. We have gotten to know our neighbors and they are the BEST! Bill improved the shallow well and installed an electric pump - no more handpumping water to the 5th wheel! Whew! He cleaned up some buildings, burned two big piles of old debris, cleared some brush, built stairs down to the river, etc., etc. I waged war on weeds by hand-to-hand combat and chemical warfare. We have several piles of debris ready to burn next spring when we get the O.K. from the Forest Service.
On Friday, we will head for White Salmon, WA to attend my friend Ayme's wedding and on Sunday we will take off on our tour to Jasper and Banff National Parks in Canada and on to Minnesota, Ohio, New England, The east coast, Florida, and back here from there.
Stay tuned...