Thanksgiving in Florida

Found a great location to spend some time.  It's located in Northern Nevada near the California border.  I think it's called Reno.  Seems like a good spot to relax and let the Red Baron (and us) relax before venturing back out on the road again. Left Las Vegas early and gassed up at Costco and bagelled up at Einstein's.  The gas lasted us until we got near Reno, the bagels - not so much.  Not far out of Las Vegas, we passed Creech AFB (formerly Indian Wells AFB).  It's the main training ground for the Air Force's drone program. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Predator drone landing and taking off as we were going by.  The Predator is a little larger than the drones which Tom III flies - close to the size of a fighter, but without the pilot. Started at 2000' in Las Vegas and gradually climbed to our altitude of 5000'.  Nice to be back in the Pacific time zone to stay for a while.  Clouds built up as we drove north, but we only...

We're on the final stop on our trip home from Florida.  Had a rather short trip from Flagstaff to Las Vegas this morning.  It was made even shorter by the fact that we are now back in our home time zone - now we don't have to add any hours to our Fitbits for the correct time. Trip from Flagstaff was uneventful.  The countryside outside Flagstaff reminded us of the Reno-Tahoe area.  A little higher elevation, but the same mountains and pine trees.  I-40 out of Flagstaff is coincident with the old Route 66 going over to Kingman.  As I think I've mentioned before, the only casualty were the small towns on the old 66 - they got by passed by the interstate and so the local motels and cafes died off.  They're now replaced by some gas stations and motels at the interstate exits. We had breakfast in Kingman and decided to try a different way to US 93.  I think we missed a turn somewhere because we ended up in the desert north of Kingman.  Looking...

We had an easy navigational trip today.  Leave hotel, get on I-40, get off I-40, have breakfast, get back on I-40, get off I-40, get gas, get back on I-40, get off I-40, check into Best Western.  Didn't have much troubles with directions! The trip across the top of Texas, New Mexico and part of Arizona was interesting.  Mostly flat country with I-40 stretching out in the distance ahead of us.  Got our wildlife fix with a herd of antelope north of the highway.  Didn't see quite as many as we did crossing Wyoming, but it was fun watching them. The area was full of oil rigs, cattle and windmills (again).  Not a very populous area as compared to I-10 which we took going to Pensacola.  Didn't miss the traffic in El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston!  However, I don't think we saw any locations worthy of consideration for future retirement. Arrived in Flagstaff in the late afternoon.  Checked in, talked to Char for a while, and then went to the ...

We didn't make it all the way through Texas, although we gave it a valiant try.  Around 600 miles and still couldn't get through.  When we left Shreveport (on the Louisiana border), we took I-20 toward Dallas, but then cut north on US 69 and headed northwest, then cut across US 380 to US 281 up to I-40 and into Amarillo. Flat land around this part of Texas - I mean North Dakota flat.  Lots of cattle, windmills, oil wells and construction to keep everyone productively employed. The wind came up late in the afternoon and it's supposed to be really windy tomorrow.  Hopefully, the wind will be behind us and we'll have a tail wind.  I like these gas prices - we filled up this evening for $1.97 a gallon.  We were going to go to the Big Texan for dinner this evening, but there was over an hour wait, so we opted for another steak house.  Vi said I had enough chicken, pasta, and turkey - I was due for a steak.  Good idea!  Big Texan is famous for...

All good things must come to an end, so we are now on our way back to Reno after spending a great Thanksgiving in Pensacola, FL.  Char did an excellent job of organizing the Thanksgiving event with plenty of help from the family.  Everyone did their share and it was a great time.  Danny took a panoramic photo of the family sitting around the table (see below). Doing it as a panoramic shot, it looked like we were all up against the wall when in reality, we were seated around the table.  Modern photo techniques are terrific. On Wednesday, most of the group went to Pensacola Beach, but it was too cold for much swimming, However, the water was beautiful and the beaches were bright white.  Vi and I opted for a tour of Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach and made a round robin trip along the Gulf.  Thursday was spent preparing the turkey and all the trimmings, mixed in with some walks and various activities.  The evening was spent watching several footba...

Another cool day in Pensacola.  Started out very cloudy with a hint of moisture in the air, but it later turned sunny with a little wind.  Didn't stop JT and I from playing nine holes at "his" golf course - Cypress Lakes.  He mostly parred the course while I admired his playing ability.  He has great form and excellent club head speed.  Fun playing while Char and Vi did a little shopping. Puttered around the house waiting for Tom III et al to arrive later in the afternoon. They stopped at Biloxi enroute to Pensacola, but arrive safe and sound around four in the afternoon.  Great seeing them all.  All are well and were in great spirits after spending several days in New Orleans. Dinner was excellent and fun having everyone (well, almost everyone) around the dining room table.  Missing were Tim & Kathy, George Jr, and Trevor.  Maybe one day everyone will be able to make a get-together, but it's difficult with all the varying circumstanc...

Another beautiful day in Pensacola.  Cool weather is starting to turn a little warmer.  We sat outside in the morning and enjoyed the sunshine while watching Cousteau (Char's Blue Merle Australian Sheepdog puppy) tear around the yard.  He must be teething because he chews everything in sight! Quiet day at home in the morning while Char and JT went to their church and George III volunteered at another local church to help with the sound system.  In the afternoon, JT, Vi and I went over to NAS Pensacola to play nine holes on their executive golf course.  Man, can JT hit the ball - he has great form and does well.  He's on a local golf team and recently won recognition from his local Congressman because of his sports ability.  Kind of neat. In the evening, we drove from the golf course to the waterfront and met Char and George III for dinner at Jacko's.  Great restaurant on a pier surrounded by yachts of the type you dream about.  I'd hate t...

After leaving Port Allen, we crossed the Mississippi into Baton Rouge (quick, what's the capital of Louisiana?).  I must say that the Mississippi is a little wider down here than it is up in Itasca.  When we visited there, we were able to step across the Mississippi - wouldn't want to try that at Baton Rouge :-). Certainly don't have to worry about hills and mountains on this part of the trip.  I think the highest hill on I-10 in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida is a highway interchange and even most of those aren't elevated.  Lots of water and trees, however.  Stretches of I-10 are built on stilts/pilings over the bayous and waterways.  We came the closest to an accident that we ever had on our recent trips when we hit a wet roadway/construction zone.  Traffic was heavy and someone up ahead lost control and started a heavy braking episode with cars sliding across lanes.  Thankfully, Vi did an excellent job of maintaining control and...

We ended up in Port Allen because I-10 eastbound turned into a huge parking lot just before crossing the Mississippi River.  We weren't making any progress and decided it wasn't worth it to try to get through Baton Rouge this evening. Started out from Houston along some back roads before hooking up with I-10.  Once again, there really isn't any alternative route out of Houston heading east - I think it was something to do with all the water around Houston.  Crossed a river named after me - Old and Lost River!  What a name for a river - there's just no respect.  Stopped at the Nugget Casino in Lake Charles for a little gaming and lunch.  Huge casino, more like a Las Vegas style one. When taking I-10 from Lake Charles to Baton Rouge, we crossed a huge bayou - more than thirty miles across.  I-10 is built on concrete pilings for the entire trip.  We had originally planned to get on the east side of Baton Rouge or a little farther, but it just was...

Well, to those in the Northeast, Deer Park might be more reminiscent of a New England locale; however, we did not make a wrong turn (too much snow up there).  We are actually just east of Houston. After playing eighteen holes of golf at Gateway Hills at Lackland, we got in the car and headed east.  Thought we would get through Houston, so we won't have to fight the morning rush hour.  What we didn't figure on was the heavy traffic into, through and out of Houston in the evening..  Everyone must have decided to get on the road at the same time.  As you know, Vi is not particularly fond of interstates anyway, so twelve lanes of crowded traffic wasn't looked at with much favor. We thought El Paso, Tucson, and San Antonio were bad, but Houston beat them all hands down. The good thing was that we had a fun time playing golf at Lackland.  On a per stroke cost basis, we played some pretty cheap golf.  It wasn't crowded until the very end, so it played nic...

We thought it only appropriate to be in San Antonio, TX on Tom III's birthday since he was born here some years ago.  We looked for the plaque memorializing his birth, but it seems to have gotten lost with all the renovations over the years :-).  Brooke Army Medical Center is still here, but it looks a lot different than it did back in those days.  At the time I was going through Officer Candidate School and was due to graduate in December.  The inscription on my challenge coin reads - Silver Stripes to Gold Bars. We arrived in mid-afternoon after an early start from Van Horn.  Night life in Van Horn wasn't that exciting, so we went to bed early.  Woke at the break of dawn and drove east into the sunrise!  Not a very challenging drive (especially since Vi does all of the driving), although the country side did change from the desert and chaparral to the hill country around San Antonio.  We're staying at the Kelly Inn on the old Kelly AFB.  ...

Greetings from the huge metropolis of Van Horn!  Usually we stay at Fort Stockton, another 120 miles down the road; however, when we checked hotels there, they were all booked solid.   We left Tucson early this morning and headed down I-10.  There really is no alternative to the interstate going through Arizona and New Mexico, so we bit the bullet and travelled at 75 mph across both states. Had breakfast in Benson at the Farm House Restaurant.  If you're ever in Benson, AZ, do stop there - food is terrific.  Small café with good service and excellent food.   Stopped in El Paso for gas at Costco - Vi really enjoyed driving through El Paso on six lanes of interstate and heavy traffic - NOT!  Van Horn is exactly the opposite - 1690 people (on a good day).  This is where US 90 splits off from I-10 and heads over to San Antonio.  We were going to take US 90 and explore the countryside, but we  opted to head for San Antonio tomorrow....

Well, the weather turned a little cool and windy in Laughlin, so we decided to cut our visit short by a day and left Sunday morning to head to Tucson.  Originally, we had planned on heading over to Phoenix to meet up with Dave and Wanda, but their plans changed also.  So we cancelled our reservations at Luke AFB and made a reservation at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson. Drove south out of Laughlin and into Arizona and made our way down south along the Colorado River. Who knew they grew cotton as well as alfalfa along the river.  Made a brief crossing into California at Needles and then took I-40 for a few miles until we could get back on AZ 95 heading south to Lake Havazu.  It was an interesting drive as we drove through retirement areas, RV parks, and farm areas, as well as a lot of desert and rocky mountains.  Fun seeing the green water of the Colorado when we could spot it contrasted to the desolate countryside.   The cotton looked like it was about ready ...

Had a great trip down through Nevada to Laughlin.  We're almost at the tip of Nevada and just across the Colorado River from Arizona.  Have to be careful of what time we make appointments, as Bullhead City is on Mountain Time and we're on Pacific Time.  Makes it a little tricky when meeting tee times :-). Friday Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts made our trip go quickly as we traversed the mountain ranges and valleys through Nevada.  Got our wildlife fix with mustangs near Reno, mountain goats on the slopes of Mt Grant in Hawthorne and wild burros around Goldfield.  Always fun to travel through the desert - not much habitation.  You can crest a ridge, see ten miles in the distance and not a house or any sign of life around.  As I have always said, in order to be an artist in Nevada, you have to appreciate the s ubtleties  of brown! We're staying at the Golden Nugget in Laughlin.  When we left Las Vegas, we had the benefit of a beautiful fo...