White Line Fever

It actually started way back in Texas and is now a full blown case of it! We usually only travel about 200 miles a day, but the last couple of days have been long ones.

We've had a wonderful adventure and feel very blessed to be able to have this life. We're excited to be back home and reconnect with our friends.

We are, however, already planning our trip next year to Shelby's graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in May! :-)

Laughlin Reunion

When Les and I lived in Redondo Beach back in 1983, we lived across the street from the Maguire family. Their oldest daughter, Erin (11) and her younger sister, Shannon, (8 or 9) spent alot of time at our house playing with and entertaining Kyle, who was only 2 1/2 at the time.

The girls came and stayed with us one time after we had moved to Fremont, and then we didn't see each other after that.

Erin and I had reconnected a few years ago by phone and have made an effort to stay in touch by email.

When we pulled in to Laughlin on Thursday, I thought of her because I know that she and her husband have a vacation place there. Well, as luck would have it, Erin and Ken were going to be in town the next day! We had a wonderful evening with them sharing old memories and promising to make new ones. Les and I were so happy to see what a beautiful young woman she has grown up to be.

Amarillo & The Palo Duro Canyon

We were not so impressed with Amarillo. Much of their old downtown has been boarded up and appears to have been abandoned to the homeless. It's such a shame when these wonderful old buildings are just left to decay.

What we did like was just outside of Amarillo. The Palo Duro Canyon; second in size only to the Grand Canyon. It's a really beautiful drive, which we did on the motorcycle.

The canyon is 100 miles long, but only a small portion is owned by the State, the rest is private.

It was fun crossing the water on the bike. We stopped at the top and took this picture of another motorcyclist making the crossing.
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Another thing we did like about Amarillo was the Oasis RV Resort. This is a new park that seems to have been well designed for big rigs. It's close to I-40, but no freeway noise and no train noise! Here's the best part: laundry facilities are FREE! and it's okay to wash your coach (which Les did)! We checked in for 2 nights, (using Passport America) and were told that the 3rd night is free. They have a barbecue every night, for $9.95. There's a nice pool and the spa is reserved for adults only. Somebody did their homework when they designed this park. If you're traveling I-40 through Amarillo, I can highly recommend this park. http://www.myrvoasis.com/

Back to Beaumont

We had originally planned to meet up with Jeff & Deborah again somewhere in the northern part of Texas so that we could do a little more riding together. But, after we left them back on March 1st, they went out and bought themselves a new home! So, we made our way back to Beaumont and spent a great 5 days with them helping them prep for moving in to their new home. They got a great deal on a lovely home with 2 acres on the outskirts of town. Les nicknamed it 'The Park" and the name has stuck.


They had lived in their previous home for 27 years, so this was a major decision for them. We really happy for them and think that they are going to love living here.

We can't wait to see what it looks like after they've added their own personal touch.

Lots of room for them to add that giant 40' x 60' garage/shop building!

Stormy Weather

We had not gotten very far out of Natchez/Vidalia when we came up on this storm. We just don't get this kind of stormy sky in California. We decided it was in our best interest to pull over and let this one pass us by.

For those who have never been to the south, this is Kudzu. "The vine that ate the south". It's everywhere in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and I'm sure other states. When it takes off, it covers everything in it's path. It's very dramatic looking and apparently, it's very hard to get rid of.

Natchez

We spent 4 days across the Mississippi River from Natchez in Vidalia, Louisiana. No, they don't grow the sweet onions there, thats in Vidalia, Georgia. This area in Vidalia is known as Old River, and when the Mississippi rises, this area floods.



If you look closely, you can see a boat at the edge of the water. The residents were having to boat across the flooded area to get to their cars that were parked on top of the levee.

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Les tells me that he's seen quite enough "Historic Districts", so after dragging him along on the carriage ride, I ventured off to tour some of Natchez's antebellum homes on my own.

Stanton Hall

Stanton Hall, circa 1857, is a preservation project of the Pilgrimage Garden Club and contains many original furnishings.

Auburn

Auburn, circa 1812, is owned by the City of Natchez. The most interesting feature of this house was it's freestanding staircase.



Longwood

Longwood was the most interesting of the homes that I toured. Construction began in 1860, using skilled workers from the north. When war broke out in 1861, these workers feared for their safety and headed home, leaving the house unfinished. Using local and slave labor, the owner, Dr. Haller Nutt, was able to complete the basement level. Dr Haller died of pneumonia in 1864, leaving the work incomplete. Of the thirty-two rooms planned for the house, only nine rooms on the basement floor were completed. Longwood is also a project of the Pilgrimage Garden Club.

Notary

We had to take a couple of days out of our busy travel schedule and take care of some home business. Before we left, Les had decided that it would be good to try and refinance to take advantage of the lower interest rates that were becoming available. So, before we left, I scanned copies of every piece of paper I thought we might need and brought it along on a flash drive.

After jumping through several hoops from Florida to North Carolina, a notary was dispatched to our motorhome in Marion, Mississippi, and we were able to sign the new note papers.

It can be quite a challange to accomplish all the paperwork involved while being on the road.