We left Taos for a long day of driving. We climbed into some of the mountains – over 10,000 and saw snow on both sides of the road. Spent the night in Mancos State Park in Colorado – over 6,000 feet, so the generator was a no start. Thank goodness we had propane for some heat and for the cooktop. We did a walk around the beautiful reservoir.
Jackson Gulch Reservoir, Mancos State Park in Colorado.
The next morning we headed to Mesa Verde National Park, also a World Heritage Site. As we approached the park, I could see a mesa ahead of us, but it was SO high up that I couldn’t possibly believe that was where we were headed, but indeed it was. Hundreds of years ago, how did people get up to these places?
The Mesa Verde – way at the top!
We learned a lot about the Ancestral Pueblo People, about how they built homes and villages in the cliffs with sandstone, making a mortar of dirt and water. They planted the “three Sisters” – beans, corn and squash, and hunted on the land. They built kivas – round, in ground rooms that were the community gathering locations for the leaders. They were artistic in the pottery and baskets that they made and were resourceful in making tools and weapons for hunting.
Pithouse -dug into the ground or rock with a roof made of lattice plastered with mud.Square Tower House- 4 stories tall – painted murals on inside walls.
We were able to do a driving tour of the top of the Mesa with several stops with views of the various cliff dwellings. Unfortunately, we were too early in the year for the ranger lead tours of these structures.
Headed to another Casino to “boondock” that night – Ute Mountain Casino.
The next day we drove to the one place in the US in which you can be in one place, but touching four different states – the Four Corners Monument. The four states are Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.
Standing in four states!
We continued on to see Window Rock and the Navajo Code Breakers Memorial. There were several Navajo soldiers who were instrumental in transmitting messages in code during WWII. The Germans were never able to break the code of the Navajo language, thus giving Americans a big advantage during the war.
Navajo code talkers memorial. “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would not have taken Iwo Jima.”- Major Howard M ConnerWindow Rock – a precursor to what we would see in Arches NP.
We headed for Homolovi State Park in Arizona for a couple of nights. On our first night, there was a Pink Moon. One of the other campers got a picture of the moon rising behind Van Go.
Between Santa Fe and Taos is a pilgrimage site called Santuario De Chimayo. The story is that on Good Friday in 1810, Don Bernardo Abeyta saw a light coming from a hill near the Santa Cruz River. When he approached it, he found a crucifix. He left it there and went with some other men to get a priest. The priest came and carried the crucifix to his church in Santa Cruz. The next morning the crucifix was missing and was found in its original location. This happened two more times. A chapel was built over the location of the crucifix and the dirt in the area of the crucifix was believed to have healing powers. Numerous miraculous healings were reported and eventually a larger chapel was built which is present today.
People leave photographs of people who need healing at the shrine.
One entrance to the shrine area has a walkway with stone crosses in arches. Each cross represents one day of the Seven Days of Creation.
A walkway with the seven days of Creation.
Father Casimiro Roca was the priest at the Shrine for over 50 years. A life size statue of him stands on the grounds of the shrine.
Life size statue of Father Casimiro Roca.Three Cultures Monument – Native American, White Cowboy, and Hispanic Vaquero.
There is a Native American Chapel on the grounds. The picture below is of the altar in that chapel. It depicts the Last Supper with all the participants as Native American.
There are pilgrimages made to the shrine each year for people seeking healing. It has been called “The Lourdes” of America.
After leaving the shrine, we continued on the road to Taos and came across another church, San Francisco de Asis – The Shadow of the Holy Cross. This church has a painting of Christ on the Sea of Galilee. We did not see the painting, but we read that when the lights are turned out, the background of the painting glows and a shadow of a cross appears to extend from the shoulder of Christ.
We finally got into Taos and found our spot at the Valley RV Park. We then walked around town for awhile before going to The LaFonda Hotel for dinner. Our server was Maria, the owner, and the food was wonderful. We also enjoyed some live music – turns out the musicians were from Atlanta! Then we headed back to the RV park and did some laundry – running out of clean clothes. 🙂
Dinner in our little alcove – very romantic!The “Weather Station” at the RV Park.
The next day we had a relaxing morning then headed out for some sightseeing. First was the Hotel Luna Mystica – a “hotel” made of old travel trailers which have been reconditioned. Kind of a crazy idea. Then to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge which crosses the Rio Grande River. We were HIGH above it.
Part of Hotel Luna Mystica.The Rio Grande River beneath the bridge.
Then we had a tour of Earthship Biotecture. Yes, you are reading that correctly. Started by Mike Reynolds, this is a community of autonomous homes built with recycled materials. Each structure is self sustaining regarding water, electric, and sewage. The tour was really very interesting and we saw several structures, and pictures of many more. They are quite beautiful and creatively designed. Something to think about.
We left the Visitors Center and headed to Santa Fe, just a short distance away. We parked in the Old Town area in front of an Art Gallery. With a little time to spend, we went into the gallery and saw some exquisite pieces of art. The Segmented Wood bowl pictured below has the same pattern inside as outside.
Segmented Wood Turning Bowl.Beaded Bowl.
Time to head to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. This is a huge collection of her works, and we enjoyed the outlay of the museum which started with her early days and showed the development of her work. It was such a delightful morning. The picture of the Bella Donna intrigued me – such a beautiful picture of such a deadly plant.
Bella DonnaO’Keeffe collected items on her travels and then used their form for her art.She did several crosses which she saw as the Spanish influence in NM.
Time for lunch. An employee at the gallery suggested Tia Sophia’s and directed us to Burro Alley. It was a GREAT suggestion. Lunch was delicious.
Had to go thru Burro Alley to get to Tia Sophia’s. Rub the head for good luck!
We then went to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis. Beautiful inside and out.
The picture behind the altar is of many different Saints of the Church.
A short distance down the street is the Loretto Chapel. We are told that when the church was built, there were no stairs to the choir loft, only a ladder, which was difficult for the nuns to climb. Many builders were consulted, but no one could come up with a way to build the stairs because of space constraints. The nuns prayed a novena to St. Joseph – the carpenter. On the 9th day, a stranger came and offered to build the staircase. Using only a few simple tools, he created a 20 foot spiral staircase (33 stairs) with no visible means of support. He disappeared when he was finished and never asked for payment.
The handrail was added in later years for safety.
A friend had recommended that we go in to see the La Fonda on the Plaza hotel which is on the site of the town’s first inn. The property is the oldest hotel corner in America. The southwest decor is beautiful.
Outside of hotel.Dining room looks like a Spanish courtyard.
Next stop was to find a place to stay for the night. We headed to Hyde Memorial State Park. We scored a free spot for the night as someone else had left before their reservation was complete. We were next to the camp host Ken – we spent a lot of time talking with him and his very friendly dog. Ken was helpful in offering suggestions as to why our generator wasn’t working.
The next day we left the park and saw a herd of deer on our way out. They didn’t even move as we drove by – obviously not bothered by people! We headed back to town, today to the Botanical Gardens. Obviously, the plants of the southwest are considerably different than what we have back east. We enjoyed learning about many of the plants out here – and appreciate them for their own beauty.
In our “free” spot at the Park.These guys didn’t even move as we drove by.A small amphitheater in the gardens. Can’t you just imagine a concert in the evening light? This lady played her flute and the music added to the beauty of the gardens.Even the prickly cactus have beauty.
We then headed to the Capitol Building. The great thing about this building is that they have fabulous exhibits of art done by people in the state. Legislators were not in session, so we were able to roam about the building.
Outside of Capitol Building.First art exhibit we saw in the building.One of the Legislative Chambers. Rotunda of the building which displays 33 county flags. The skylight represents an Indian basket weave.Walkway to one of the Capitol North building.Loved this quirky sculpture entitled “Mental Floss.”
Not done yet today. Went to the San Miquel Mission – the oldest church in the US. Then we walked up the Cross of the Martyrs – which commemorates the deaths of 21 Catholic Clergy during the Pueblo Revolt. Along the way there were plaques that gave the history of the Santa Fe area. Then to the Santuario De Guadalupe Church. We couldn’t go inside as there was a long line to see the relic of St. Jude – which had been at our home church earlier this year.
Cross of the Martyrs.San Miguel Mission.Inside the Mission.If you ring the Mission bell, it is said you will return.Our Lady of Guadalupe.Outside of the church is a rosary made into the pavement.
And THEN…we went to the House of Eternal Return – Meow Wolf. How to explain this??? The advertising literature says that it is an immersive experience. That it is. It’s so strange, that I can hardly explain…you walk through this “house” that artists have created. There is actually a mystery that you can try to solve about the family that “lived” there, but we were too engrossed in what we were seeing. I’ll just show a few pictures.
Outside of Meow Wolf.INSIDE Meow Wolf.Laying in a room of recycled materials made into Art.There are all kinds of secret passages that take a person from room to room.
That was all we could take in one day. Off to Buffalo Thunder Casino to spend the night in their parking lot.
After returning to the National Museum of Nuclear Science in the morning to complete looking at the exhibits, we headed north. We drove to the Jemez area in search of hot springs. On the way we saw Soda Dam. The sign said “This spectacular formation has built up over the centuries by deposits of calcium carbonate from a spring that bubbles to the surface at this point, The river flows under a dome that is still building. The dam is 300 feet long, 50 feet high and 50 feet wide at the bottom.”
A short distance away, we found the turn off for Spence Springs. The view of the surrounding area was beautiful. We changed into bathing suits with clothing over them, and headed on our hike. The early trail was easy, but soon became less than obvious. It took some searching, but we finally found it up on a hillside. There was a girl sitting in the outside pool, which looked rather green and slimy, not really appealing to us. Then someone came out of the cave behind her – and someone else, and someone else…in all, 9 teenagers came out of the cave! They said it was great inside – warm and clear. We decided to give it a try. We ducked down, crawled thru and found a space about the size of a large car. Indeed the water was clear and warm. There we sat, Ed with 5 women!
After leaving the cave, it was more than a bit cool in the outside wind. We quickly dried off and headed back to the car. Just a few minutes later, after driving up a high hillside, we found ourselves looking at snow! Anyone ready for a snowball fight?
Continuing our drive, we came upon the Valles Caldera National Preserve. From the road, we could see the flat land ahead of us, and way far away we could see a building. That was the Visitor Center. We drove about 3-4 miles and finally arrived there. Upon entering we met a Park Ranger and started asking questions. We got the best talk about how the Caldera was formed – the eruption of volcanos, the collapse of the magma creating the bowl-like depression, then the isolated resurgence of part of the land causing the creation of Redondo Peak. Some people have a real knack for condensing over million years of activity! After that talk, we went to see some of the historic cabins on the property, then got out of the gate before closing time.
We were staying that night at American Spring Dispersed Camp Area. These are designated areas that are free camping, no designated spots, no services, but FREE. We pulled in and found a spot, got level and settled in for night. The wind started blowing , the trees were swaying, the temp dropping to about 30 and we were ready to turn on the generator and heat some hot soup. Uh oh, the generator wouldn’t start. Ed had tested that generator every month under a full load – why wouldn’t it start? Well, we still had a propane stove. We did heat some dinner, then put on long johns, additional layers and crawled under all the blankets we had. All night long we heard the wind howling and feared what might fall from the trees and hit the van. Not a great night’s sleep. The next morning we had a quick breakfast and took off – turning on the heat!
Trying hard to stay warm!
On to Bandelier National Monument. This is a site of the Ancestral Pueblo people. They built their homes in the walls of the hillsides. We hiked to the home sites and climbed the ladders into the carved out areas where they lived. We also explored the Long House where community meetings were held. Can’t imagine carrying water, food and all of life’s necessities up and down those ladders every day.
Petroglyph on the hillside.Climbing up to our little condo in the cave.Climbing to the Long House.
Time to move on. After learning about the development of the nuclear bomb at the Nuclear Science Museum, we HAD to stop at Los Alamos. Went to the Visitor Center where we were directed to several places that were associated with the Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheimer, and the filming of the movie. We spent the afternoon exploring the Fuller Lodge – which hosted community activities for the lab employees and housed some of the employees, and the Los Alamos History Museum. This is such a learning experience!
Ed consults with Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves.Fuller Lodge.
Always searching for new and different places to stay, we headed to White Rock Visitors Center to spend the night. They actually have hookups for RVs – it was a great place. There was a library across the street where we worked on a blog entry using their wi-fi. Gotta use it when we can find it!
The title may sound odd, but how many times has someone said you need a passport to go to New Mexico? Many Americans need geography lessons.
We couldn’t leave Texas without stopping at Cadillac Ranch. This is an “art project” regarding the progressive development of the outlandish tail fins of Cadillacs. Some rich guy sponsored this – we think to tick off some neighbors. Anyway, people stop there and use spray paint to “decorate” the cars or write their names on the cars. There are layers and layers of paint. We considered writing Van Go on a car, but earlier rains had created a muddy mess around the cars, so we just came and looked. I guess people have left over paint in their cans, so the road barriers, street and even dumpsters near the site are also “decorated.”
We then headed to Santa Rosa Lake, NM which is a Corps of Engineer lake/park. When we arrived we were surprised to see the low water levels. One of the rangers indicated that it is at about 14% of full pool. He also indicated that once they get the snow melt waters, it will be around 100%. That’s quite incredible. Our campsite there was not what one would call “level” or even near level. Time to use one of Ed’s new gizmos – the flatjack. This round rubber gizmo goes under the van tire, you pump in air, and it raises the van to make it more level. OK – I’ll believe this when I see it. By golly, it really works. Dinner was delicious – grilled chicken with cherry sauce, rice and corn on the cob. We’re not starving on this trip.
The water level is really low.Check out the lift on that back tire!Not gourmet, but definitely not rehydrated stuff!
Left for Albuquerque early the next morning so that we could get to Mass at San Felipe de Neri church in Old Town. Ed met some fellow Knights of Columbus outside of the church and we got some ideas from them of places to go. The Church is old – originally built in 1706 and rebuilt in 1793 after the original church collapsed after a very rainy season. The walls are 5 feet thick – sturdy for many years. It has a simple interior, but very beautiful.
There was a car show outside of church – the cars were parked around the square. Took a picture of a rather interesting “license plate” car! We also went to one of the quirky places in town – the Giant Red Arrow. Sometimes you just have to do it!
There is art EVERYwhere in Albuquerque. In the yard of the church, there is a Madonna painted in the crevice of a tree. Driving down a street, we saw a car adorning the top of an arch.
Madonna painted in a tree crevice.
Upon the recommendation of a friend from home, we went to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. It was a really interesting place – so much so, that we returned the next day. Couldn’t get it all done in one visit. Learned a lot about the development of the nuclear bomb, which set us up for the later visit to Los Alamos. Exhibits also addressed nuclear medicine, nuclear power, and the race with Germany to develop the nuclear bomb. Found out that Hitler wasn’t so bright to get rid of the Jewish German scientists – many of them ended up working on the Manhattan Project and helped America to create the first nuclear bomb. There was also a great exhibit on DaVinci and his mechanical inventions.
Entrance to the DaVinci Exhibit.Van Go outside of the Museum.For Back to the Future fans, here is the “Flux Capacitor.”
We finally entered Palo Dura Canyon in Texas, just south of Amarillo in the NW corner of the Texas Panhandle. We parked in the Visitors’ Center and our mouths sort of dropped open! We read that this is the second largest canyon in the US – second only to the Grand Canyon. The views were awesome, the day was beautiful, and we were headed to the floor of the Canyon where the campgrounds were. It’s a 10% grade as vehicles descend – testing Van Go to see how she’d handle it.
Our initial view of Palo Duro Canyon.
We headed towards the Mesquite Camp Area – the very farthest camp area – but we got to see the whole park as a result. SO different from Augusta, GA! We were so excited to be here, with the exception that the trails were all closed due to all that rain that had come through a couple of days ago. Oh well, roads are good for walking, too.
Here we are, tucked into our campsite.The view from our campsite.
The first day we just walked the roads and talked with other campers. Part of the fun of camping is talking with other campers. We never seem to encounter any grumpy people – everyone seems to be pretty happy when they are relaxing out in nature. The second day, we got word that the trails had been opened. But first, we had to change campsites – we couldn’t get reservations for any one campsite for two nights in a row. Yes, even in April the parks are busy, busy. We moved to Hackberry Camp Area – views were not as thrilling, but it was close to some of the trails. After settling in, we headed out on the Paseo Del Rio trail, which followed along a river – well, this time of year it was a creek – and went past a cowboy dugout – an example of what many of the cowboys lived in when they were handling herds of Bison that used to be in the Canyon.
Could use a little HGTV home improvement.
At one location we were able to see a juvenile burrowing owl. It just sat still as people took pictures. Then one morning we awoke and found a rabbit looking around our campsite. Then when we were driving to our new location, we saw this Flood Gauge next to a bridge. I guess those creeks can turn into rivers pretty quickly when it DOES rain.
A burrowing owl.This little fella was outside our van one morning,Seeing this water gauge at the side of the road made me wonder!
We took one final hike before we left the park to continue the journey. Along the road we saw a sign that said CAVE – didn’t want to miss out on anything. We pulled over and headed UP. Some of the climb was on hands and knees, but we made it to the top.
We’ve seen lots of other RV’s on our trip, but occasionally we come across some that are unique. We spotted these two in the park, one from days gone by and the other a former ambulance that a California girl was converting to a home. Probably the cheapest thing she could find in California.
This is color coordination to the extreme.Don’t expect any medical care from this RV.
We left Dallas under dark clouds. It didn’t take long for the rain and winds to pelt Van Go. In Georgia, we’re used to rains moving quickly through the area, but this rain lasted for a few hours. Plans were to stop in Memphis, TX at a Harvest Host location that was out in a field. Before we arrived, we got a message from the Host that the field was all mud. OK – need to find other accommodations. The Host suggested we might try a city park in Memphis. When we finally found it, it was perfect for a night – even had electric hookup. There were about 8 spots, and by evening, they were all filled. Wonder how people find out about these places???
Heavy rains were creating little rivers next to the road.We found the city park!All tucked in to the town park RV spot.
On Thursday, we headed towards Palo Dura Canyon, the 2nd largest canyon in the US. Made a few stops along the way. The first stop was the Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch. The Goodnights were ranchers in the Canyon area and were responsible for restoring bison in Texas after there had been mass killings of bison due to hunters. The official Bison Herd of Texas, descendents of Goodnight’s herd, is located a short distance from the house in Capstone State Park. Charles Goodnight had a long and interesting life and Mary Ann was an able partner.
Charles GoodnightGoodnight created the “chuckbox” later known as a Chuckwagon.Mary Ann was the impetus to restore the bison.
On to St. Mary’s Church in Umbarger, TX. Interesting history of this Catholic Church. It was built as a very plain church – no adornment on the interior. A new priest came to the parish and very much wanted to do something to improve the church. This was during WWII and there was a POW camp nearby. Some of the prisoners were Italian artisans. He made a deal with the commanding officer to have 9 of the prisoners come to work at the church. He could not pay for their work, but the church ladies were happy to feed the men. They came for 6 weeks and created something incredible.
The interior of St. Mary’s painted by the Italian POWs.A carving of the last supper on the front of the altar.
One of the POWs created this incredible painting of the Assumption of Mary. Many years after the war, a trip was arranged for some of the POW’s and their families to return to Umbarger to see the remains of the camp and to see the church that some of them had painted. The creator of this painting had died, but his daughter came on the trip. When she saw the painting, tears streamed down her face. She later told one of the church ladies that the face of Mary was her mother and the cherub at the bottom with her arm raised was herself as a child.
Painting of the Assumption of Mary.The POWs painted the background behind the statue of Mary.A closer look at the background revealed the “signatures.”
The painters spoke with some of the church members during their return trip and mentioned that they had left their “signatures” at the church. The members were puzzled and said they didn’t understand. One of the men went up to the background of the statue of Mary and outlined the swastikas that were part of the painting. No one had ever noticed.
War time was horrible, but something beautiful was created. It was not only the church that was created, but there were many friendships developed between the POW artisans and church members. Many of these relationships continued with written letters and visits after the war. God can create something good even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Our primary objective for the start of the trip was to make it to Dallas to see the Total Eclipse that would occur on April 8. Trying not to drive too many miles on any given day, we headed for a stop east of Dallas at Brushy Creek Park – a Corps of Engineers park. Beautiful park adjacent to a large lake. We attended Mass that evening at the nearby town of Jefferson and got to view the new Parish Center for the church that was just about finished. The small town churches always notice visitors, and generally they make us feel very welcomed and want to talk about what brought us there.
On the 7th, we headed to Ed’s brother’s house north of Dallas in Corinth. Ugh – Dallas traffic is atrocious! it probably didn’t help that a half million extra people were coming to the city for the eclipse.
Which road? Take your pick.
It was great to visit with Rob, his wife Bliss, and his son Wolfgang. We were treated to extra visitors – two doctor friends of Bliss’s – Susan from Montana and Jill from Washington State. We had some very good conversations over the next few days.
Ed and Wolfgang work on a puzzle.Dinners were a group effort. This night was Susan’s Mushroom Risotto – YUM.
The big day had arrived. Corinth was expecting about 97% totality, but Plano was expecting 100%. Bliss’s mother Camille lives in Plano and we all headed to her house, about 40 minutes away. The weather reports were anything but promising – but one must keep a positive attitude. Camille does a lot of art – different media. It was a treat to see her house which was filled with much of her work.
This is what you do with old shirts and ties!
Behind Camille’s house is a large Nature Preserve. The fields had been mowed and provided a perfect place to view the eclipse. Lots of neighbors were all headed out there. As the time approached 1:40 – totality, the clouds split apart and gave us a perfect view as the eclipse darkened the sky. Sometimes it’s a good thing when the weather reports are wrong. We were so enthralled with WATCHING the eclipse, that we forgot to take pictures. Oh well – we’ve all seen plenty of them on line. After the event, as the sun started to reappear, the clouds did come in, but by then we were all headed back to the house to eat and party.
…and just in time, the clouds parted.Bliss had a special celestial dress for the event.
Sometimes our travels give us the opportunity to reconnect with friends. A college friend of Ed’s lives in Mississippi and works at Mississippi State University, so off we went to Starkville, MS – locally known as “StarkVegas!” We met Bob in the Student Bookstore where we had a beverage and they reminisced about Miami U days and caught up on the last 40+ years of their lives. From there, we left for a brief tour of campus which led us to a surprising treasure.
Bob works in the University Library. He asked us if we were interested in seeing the Grant Presidential Library. Well SURE – we didn’t even know it was here. The story goes that the University acquired a multitude of Grant’s writings and memorabilia, primarily because of the interest of one of the staff members at the university who had tracked this collection for years. When it became available, a proposal was made to bring everything to Mississippi State University where they would build a suitable place in the library to house it. They have the collection in their main library, but plans are now underway to build a separate Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library adjacent to the University where it will be more easily accessible to the public. We wished we had more time to view everything – we only had time for a brief run through. There is also a hallway of Lincoln Memorabilia. Across the hall from these Presidential libraries is a Music Library that houses a collection of historical phonographs and sheet music.
Entrance to the Grant Library.Ed next to a life-size Statue of Grant while at West Point.Phonograph player with overhead lamp.Outside of the Main Library.Part of the Lincoln Memorabilia.
Would have loved to have stayed longer, but reservations at Legion State Park had been made. We said our goodbyes and traveled a short 29 miles away. Turns out we hadn’t needed to be in a hurry, we were the ONLY campers staying in the park that night – not even any staff people there when we arrived!
The next morning we traveled down to Jackson, MS to Le Fleur State Park. On the grounds there is the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, a Children’s Museum and a giant playground. We skipped the latter two, but enjoyed the Natural Science Museum. There was a special exhibit about Bloodsuckers – AKA mosquitoes! Kathy’s nemesis every time she walks outside! After looking inside, we took advantage of the walking paths behind the museum to discover a beautiful swamp. Stayed that night at the park.
Entrance to the Museum.BABY alligators are kind of cute.HUGE Bloodsucker attacks Ed!Beautiful Swamp behind the Museum.
We headed to the Southern Museum of Flight. Ed suggested that we could try to see every aviation museum along the way of our trip. I suggested that maybe 1 a week was sufficient!
On to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The exhibits were very well done. They made us somewhat ashamed of some of our country’s history, but we much admired those who stood up for change.
Civil Rights Institute Building
Moved on to the Botanical Gardens. We had previously visited here, but such gardens are always a pleasure to revisit. We saw an azalea color with which we were unfamiliar. One of the staff identified the orange color as General Sands or Marmalade.
General Sands or Marmalade Azalea
On to our accommodations for the evening. We planned to “moochdock” with relatives, or more specifically relatives of Ed’s brother-in-law Mitch. Mitch’s sister and husband live just south of the city, and they were so gracious to offer us their driveway. When we got there, Doug was surprised to see our Travato – turns out he also has one. That lead to long discussions between “the boys” about this and that regarding the vans. Sandy and I found other topics of discussion. Had a wonderful dinner and hot, indoor showers!
