Looking Back

I usually don't do this ... but because I've been a little lazy I'm finally getting around to a little trip my son-in-law took last October.  A fierce storm was ravaging Lake Michigan with high winds and lots of rain.  We decided to grab our cameras and head across state to the town of Grand Haven to see what it was all about.  Two lighthouses ... wild water ... high winds ... and those wild and crazy guys in the water.  What could be better!

The rain had stopped, the sun was shining but the wind was still howling. Blowing sand on our faces felt like little needles and our equipment was slowly getting sand blasted.  We ventured out on the pier with some of the other crazy onlookers and began shooting.  The winds were a fairly steady 40mph with an occasional gusts even higher.  The waters were angry and no place for mortals ... but wait!  Who was that daredevil trying to kite surf? And who were those two guys on jet skis?  Where was that guy walking to on the pier? And take a close look at the last photo and do you see the outline a someone out at the end of the pier?  The game is played like this ... see if you can run out to the end of the pier and back  in between surf surges without getting washed into the water and dashed against the pier walls.  And I used to think playing marbles was exciting.

So here's a little photo essay of that exciting day.  Check out my son-in-laws website too for probably the best shot of the day (http://scottlaforestphoto.photoshelter.com)

Grand Haven Lighthouse

Go fly a kite

Whoosh

Hang on

Does this guy know the hot dog stand is the other way?

See the guy leaning against the building on the far right?
  On your mark ... get ready ...  Go!

There you have it.  Another look at the drama Mother Nature can conjure up.
 It was great to have witnessed it

 so  you know

 I'm still livin' the dream.

Phil

Thanks

Another Thanksgiving Day has almost passed and here we sit.  A little bloated, a little sleepy, and maybe a little too much football but a good day to reflect on all the things in our lives to be thankful for.

Sharon and I certainly have had our share of good fortune in our lives.  We have each other ... and our family;

our most important assets.  We have many dear friends who have been at our side and we treasure each and every one of them.  And we have relatively good health. A commodity we sometimes take for granted. 

All in all life continues to be exciting  and fulfilling. We look forward to each upcoming day.  We hope that each of you are as blessed in your own way as we have been.

We hope all of you have had a great day and be sure ... we're still livin' the dream.

Phil

New Flash ... News Flash ...

We have learned through inside sources that two 'closet' cooks have emerged from the shadows this holiday season.  Our Jenny has dipped her toe into the cauldron of cookery and has discovered that she is really quite good at it.  Adventuresome, but not bold, she has already mastered the delicacy of pork tenderloin with une pomme' sauce and reduction.  And our friend Micki has stepped to the plate and hit a grand slam as she served up her first turkey.  Stealing the honors from husband Corky (better known as the Wolfgang Puck of South Haven) she created a sumptuous feast that will surely install her into the Cousin's Hall of Cooking Fame  (a little known but highly prized accolade in the RV world). 

Reporting from the land of grits and crawdads ... cub reporter Phil

    

Flashback

All words and no pictures make for a dull blog I say so I thought I'd toss in a few images I took along our path south.

We'll start in Battle Creek.  Not known in most RV circles as a camping mecca but we did find a spot as a result of the kindness of Sharon's cousin Marsha and her husband John.  They allowed us to stay overnight in the parking lot of their first class auto repair facility.  Pretty nice treatment I'd say.  Now if we could only get them to add cable TV service, picnic tables, WIFI, and a hot tub they might get a steady stream of campers.  Anyway it was very thoughtful of them and if any of you are ever in the Battle Creek area and need a little work on that toad you're dragging behind that coach, stop in at Double E Auto Service ... they're very friendly and really know what they are doing.

Our next stop was near Effingham Illinois at Camp Lakewood located off I55/70 on Lake Pauline. (www.camplakewoodcampground.com)  Now this is one nice campground.  You can fit any legal size rig and whatever it is towing, with room to spare.  Located on a wooded hillside next to the lake it is very well maintained and professionally operated by hosts Brian and Vanessa Caton.  Level, clean  gravel lots offer full hook-up, a solid WIFI signal at our site, and a small convenience shop.  We even had a pizza (one of the best we've had) from Joe's Pizza and Pasta delivered to our site.  Be sure to stop by this park if you're in the area.

Moving southward our next stop along the way was in Caruthersville Missouri.  Why Caruthersville you might ask?  Well it was only about 250  miles from Effingham so we'd reached my endurance level for driving.  Oh ... did I forget?  There was a casino there.  The LadyLuck Casino (www.ladyluckcaruthersville.com). We got off the freeway and meandered into the small town.  Not exactly designed for about 65 feet of motor coach and tow car but none-the-less we squeezed through to find the brightly lit (surprise) casino.  A new building all adorned with neon.  As it turned out that fancy new building was really not the casino but led to the casino located on the Mississippi river.  The RV park was located  inside the flood wall (oops) so if we had to leave in a hurry we'd need to get out before they closed the gate.

The park was new with concrete pads, paved streets and full hook-ups. But NO WIFI and the sites were very tight.  Some of these parks still just don't get it.  Internet to many of us is as important as a sewer or water hook-up. Anyway it was only going to be a one nighter and some of that time would be spent in the casino ... so we got over it.  

Now getting to the casino was not for the weak hearted.  Leaving that fancy little neon lit building you walked some 400 feet down this steep inclined, covered ramp to the floating casino barge.  Not very clean and not very anything.  Maybe 15 others gamblers were in there with us and that didn't make us feel all that comfortable either.  Best part was be got out without losing much.  It would have been nice however if they had oxygen available on the way up. We did get a good night sleep though ... so not all was bad.

Our next stop was going to be special as we were going to meet up with our Iowa friends Jim and Carol.  Not surprisingly, for those who know us, we were meeting in the mid-south's gambling mecca of Tunica Mississippi.  With 8 or 9 of those money grabbing establishment within only a mile or two radius, it has grown into quite a destination for those who like to place a bet or two, or three, or four, or .......

We booked in at the Mid-South RV Park located on Harrahs Casino property (www.harrahstunica.com).  Nice big lots, paved, with full -hook-ups.  Shuttle service to and from the casinos and priced very reasonably at around $18/night.  But what really torqued me off was what they offered as WIFI service.  Yes it might be available at your lot if you were close enough (we weren't) to the clubhouse or if you really wanted a good signal you could come into the clubhouse, if someone was there, and get a great signal.  Wherever you got the signal the price was the same. $12 DOLLARS A DAY.  Unbelievable!  Yes I know they would rather have you gambling than hanging out on the internet but this is simple case of price gouging and not having a clue what the needs of the RV community are.  Enough ranting ... we had a good time seeing our friends and did get some solace as Sharon did win a little.

Here's Jim and Carol Winnebago next to our rig.  Notice how much room we had.

Our next leg of the trip took us to New Orleans.  Our second trip there (the first just prior to Katrina) and Jim and Carols first visit.  After traversing some of the worst (bone jarring) interstate highways on planet earth, we arrived at the French Quarter RV Resort (www.fqrv.com).  Not the cheapest place to park but very , very nice and close to downtown.  If there was a major shortcoming it would be the noise.  We were situated in an area near the highway (I10) and there was a steady drone of trucks, police sirens, and diesels with their Jake-brakes on all night.  Our remedy was to turn on the air conditioning and that pretty much drowned out the racket.  

We stayed two nights in the Crescent City and took in some of the sights. Our first night out we stopped at  Landry's Seafood House (www.landrysseafood.com).  We all had good meals then headed off for a drive around town in my TrailBlazer.  The French Quarter is not exactly the best, or easiest place to drive in at night but interesting anyway.  We even looked up Emerils restaurant (www.emerils.com),  though it took a little extra GPS work to find the place.   

We kind of goofed off in the morning and really didn't get a early start but did manage to book an afternoon tour of the sights of New Orleans on a small tour bus.  A great trip through the city.  Everything from the Garden District, to the French Quarter to the lower 9th Ward where much of the Katrina damage occurred.  I wouldn't want to live here (too hot, too humid) but a great place to visit.

Here's our park at night.

Bourbon Street 

Now this following image was taken at Mr B's resturant in the French Quarter (www.mrbsbistro.com). Our final night out on the town needed to be special so the four of us went to this nice place in the heart of the Quarter.  After being seated I noticed a small plaque over Sharon's shoulder.  Apparently our seat had a former president as a guest a couple of times in the past.  Pretty neat eh?

After our meal our waiter suggested dessert.  'Oh we shouldn't', we all said.  Then ordered.  Sharon and I chose to share something (unusual) ... which turned out to be outstanding (see below).  Jim and Carol picked the same thing.  As it turned out it was something that I can neither pronounce or spell but I know we all liked it (Actually it was 'Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce';  A cream puff filled with rich vanilla bean ice cream; topped with chocolate sauce).  Good stuff.

We waddled out of the place and took a short walk around the area to hasten the digestive process.  There was a slight chill in the air so we hailed a cab and headed back to the park for a good night rest prior to the last leg of our trip to Bella Terra RV Resort (www.bellaterrarvresort.com). 

So now you're sort of caught up.  We're settled in and enjoying the great weather and meeting up with friends at the park.  Thanks for tagging along.

Still livin' the dream in Alabama.

Phil

We're Backkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Back on the road again ... with a hope and a prayer we're again meandering southward looking to avoid another Michigan winter. Snow is not our friend and with any kind of luck this winter, we will find much more temperate weather.

But what a great summer!  Cousins RV Park, near the shores of Lake Michigan, was again our summer resting place.  Hard not to return as we've got so many good friends there, the park is always well run and maintained, and did I mention those fantastic sunsets in South Haven?  We'll be returning this coming Spring to a newly improved patio and parking pad as well.  We'll be adding some new plantings as well so it should be extra nice.

Just before leaving my kids threw me a nice birthday party.  All the grand kids were there too so it was extra special.  It's always a bittersweet time for us as we are leaving our family for a time but also enjoying the fruits of many years of labor.  I'm sure there will come a time when we either do not want to travel or can't but right now we're enjoying each day.

We started our trip with a quick two day stop-over in Battle Creek visiting with friends and family.  I've often said you cannot have too many friends.  But if we never acquired new ones, the ones we now have are simply the best; probably better than we deserve.  To a person, they've treated us like members of their own family and  it's really tough to leave them all behind for the winter.  But somebody has to test the warm winds of the Gulf Coast ... sample the fresh shrimp at the dock or sit down to one of those Texas steaks so tender and juicy.  So childhood friends, high school friends, college friends, rv friends, neighborhood friends ... they're all very important to us.

Needing a fuel stop before leaving Michigan, I stopped by a Flying J station and was pleasantly surprised that I could pull right up to a pump with no waiting.  The wind was kicking up outside and snow started to fall.  I was thinking my timing for leaving the state was right on the money.  I started putting the necessary credit card and customer discount fuel card in only to receive a message on the pump that I needed to see the cashier.  Once you see that message there is no chance things will go well.  So I stood by the pump and Sharon went into the station (some 250 feet away) to find out what was the problem.  She soon returned joining me again in the cold, blowing snow.  I started pumping fuel but it promptly stopped after spending only $75.  I re-inserted the credit card and discount card and started over.  Another $75 rolled up and it stopped again.  Now I needed about $350-$400 in fuel and all I can think is that I'll be pumping fuel here till spring.  Not only was the pump stopping every 24 gallons but I could have filled the tank with a turkey baster faster.  Absolutely the slowest pumping I've ever run across.  Maybe this was Michigan's way of punishing me for leaving the state but I was thinking there ought to be a law for such a poor operation.  Sharon made an additional trip into the station only to learn that we could pre-charge a large amount of money on the card and it wouldn't stop so often.  She then put $300 on the card and was assured that the pump would stop at that amount. The coach soon gobbled up the $300 but the pump ran over 5 cents and the dreaded "see chasier' message re-appeared. The thought of driving off without paying crossed my mind but the idea of being sprawled across the hood of some state police car for 5 cents quickly quenched that notion.  So back in she went with the nickle to pay off the bill.  I will never know why I continue to go back to this outfit for fuel but for some reason I do.  They are usually clean and their prices are competitive but certainly not friendly to this rv'er.

With a stop or two along the way we finally met up with our Iowa friends Jim and Carol in Tunica Mississippi.  Tunica, for the uninformed, happens to be the mid-south's answer to Las Vegas.  With 8 or 9 casinos/hotel complexes it's quite the place.  We parked our coach at Harrah's park for about $18/night.  A very nice park though few campers were there this time of year.  We spent three nights there supporting the locals but in the end, actually came out ahead.

Before leaving Tunica the four of us decided that it would be fun to go down to New Orleans for a day or two so we booked a couple of nights at the French Quarter RV Resort ( http://www.fqrv.com) in downtown New Orleans.  A little pricey but safe and very near all the neat spots in this dynamic city.  The city is really an assault on ones senses.  The smells, sights, food, the many cultures and its people all push the extreme.  Mid westerners like us, should have a little coaching before entering the city as the unexpected is really the norm here.  We enjoyed a couple of great meals in the 'Quarter', listened to a little jazz music, and wandered a bit around.  It was Jim and Carol's first trip to the Crescent City so rather than me stumbling around town in our truck, we all decided to take one of the city bus tours offered.  During the three hour trip we hit all the hot spots from the Garden District to the French Quarter to the famous above-ground cemeteries.  But the eye-opener was the tour of the lower 9th ward where the devastation from hurricane Katrina was still very prevalent.  Abandoned homes and businesses were everywhere.  High water marks could best be seen by how high the mold had grown on the building.  A family here and there had re-claimed their property but most were still gone.  The nine generation New Orleans tour guide took us through some of the roughest areas you could imagine.  I think she was making sure we understood what went on here.  She places the blame on government.  Federal, state and local all shared the blame but most she said belong to ex-mayor Ray Nagan.  Obviously the wounds are still raw even after 5 years.

A rain storm greeting us this morning as we prepared to head for our next stop ... Bella Terra RV Resort in Foley Alabama.  A driving rain followed us the entire trip making the 200 mile trip seem like 400.  Anyway we're here and are looking forward to kicking back and taking it easy for a few months.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil