There is something new on the site.  It is called Trip Picture Book. You will see it listed on the right side index. Wayne has been working on this to make the picture viewing a bit more enjoyable and you can see more of the detail in the photos. He has divided it into two books as well, so it isn’t so lengthy, start to finish.

It is best seen in full screen, so click on the icon in the lower left corner and the picture is bigger. You can then flip the pages as you would those in a book with your mouse (click on the right  or left side to turn the page forward or back), or click on the  (>) in the middle of the lower screen and it will turn the pages for you in a slide show format.  You can also make the picture larger by clicking on the the magnifying glass in the left corner. (click on the magnifying glass again to return toyour place in the book.) Reduce the full screen format  by clicking on the square in the lower left corner, or press the Esc button.

You will need to have Adobe Flash Player on your system (most people do), but if you don’t already have it, it will ask you to install it.  It is OK and perfectly safe to do that.  Hope you like this new feature.

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Alas, all good things must come to an end, so with this we conclude our little vacation adventure.  As I said before, we left Memphis, and headed down through Mississippi. Gulf State park had been recommended to us previously, so what better time to try it out.  After all, it is on the way.

In the words of my BFF, Linda, we Love, love, love this park.  It appears they have done a renovation since perhaps the hurricane.  Not sure why, but all the sites are paved, but have nice vegetation, and all services.  There are plenty of restrooms and bath houses that are kept spotlessly clean. And the new amenities include tennis courts, swimming pool, meeting and picnic pavilions, and fishing and boat launch areas.  We haven’t seen many state parks that look near this good.  Of course, it is large, so plenty of room for riding bikes or just walking.  We enjoyed a couple of days of relaxing here and decide that it is a place we will see again.

The final road home was uneventful and we came in to a nicely mowed lawn, compliments of our wonderful neighbors, Richard and Rosie.  We will continue to talk about, remember and reflect on this experience.  When we do, we won’t forget to be grateful for the opportunities we have as Americans to travel at will across this continent and to taste and share in all the cultural differences and similarities that make this the great country that it is.

It has been our pleasure to share this little experience with you and we hope that you have also found a little pleasure in that sharing.  Thanks to all of you who have also posted your comments along the way. It was always fun for us to log on and see some of your reactions, too.

In the words of Louis Armstrong, I THINK TO MYSELF, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD.

Ciao

And we have left Memphis. We had but a short time in Memphis, but we feel like we made the most of our time here.  While we did not go to Graceland, we stayed at the RV Park and Campground right across the street.

 We got into the jeep and drove to our lunch choice for Bar B Q, Neely’s Interstate Barbecue.  According to them, this is where Memphis barbecue got started back in 1979, and this place has won numerous awards for its style of cooking.  The wall is lined with the numerous pictures of stars that have enjoyed their meals in this place.  Certainly the portion is large enough (see the picture), but we have to say, we would not have given any awards for this sandwich.  The meat had a nice smoky flavor, but the sauce was unremarkable, and if you wanted more, there was an extra charge. What?

The traffic is about what you would expect in a good size city, and the roads continue to amaze us with how bad they are.  Guess we don’t get out enough, huh?  We journeyed on down to the famous Beale Street for some site seeing.  The area is not very large so we walk around with ease.  The Blues sounds are everywhere, and it is the middle of the day.  Of course, there are plenty of sites of Elvis everywhere.

Back at the park, we decide to take the offer for the free ride in the pink Cadillac limousine to yet another famous barbecue restaurant, Marlow’s.  It has been featured on Food Network, Travel Channel, and other food awards shows.   Marlow’s was apparently Elvis’ favorite place as his character is everywhere as are the other celebrity photos.  Wayne had a slab of ribs and I ordered the famous barbecue spaghetti.  Sorry, we just can’t be pleased.  The ribs tasted like they had been boiled first, and then put on the grill for heating up, and the sauce was sweet and greasy.  Maybe North Carolina Barbecue is what we need.  I think that may be our next food trip.

Anyway, we headed out on I-55, south through Mississippi and ended up at the Gulf Coast, so we came on over to Gulf State Park in Orange Beach, Alabama. We’ll be here in some familiar surrounding for a couple of days to relax, and then we’ll be on our way home.

We are on the road again, heading toward the east.  As we leave Albuquerque and move on across New Mexico, we see even more rocks.  To spare us all, we decided not to take any more rock pictures.  The road continues up and up and sometimes down.  We had not expected so much of the mountainous areas, so I guess that shows you how much we really know about our country and its geography.Texas was pretty much as it was in the south, just more hills.  Getting into Oklahoma, we are surprised at how much it looks like Georgia.  We have always heard about our “Georgia Red Clay”, but let me tell you, Oklahoma has plenty of its own.

We stay the night at the Flying J at Yukon, OK, just west of Oklahoma City.  Now to be fair to Louisiana, we need to mention that Oklahoma’s roads are pretty awful, too. There were some areas where we thought the television would crash right down off the front of the coach and into our laps.  We were about to be more generous to Arkansas as they did have more and nicer road stops, but they have road issues, too.  Now, come to think of it, every state, including our own (Florida and Georgia), seems to have problems with the highways.  I guess it is just more noticeable when you can feel your teeth rattle as you are riding down the road.  So, no more complaining about the roads.

Some things that we did notice are the BIG windmills in Texas and Oklahoma. We wonder if these belong to T. Boone Pickens.  Seems a perfect place because the winds are so strong on that prairie.

We have just pulled in to Memphis and we are looking forward to some quite time before getting out in the morning to look for Elvis. First we have to get the Rib tips as advertised by Guy Fieri again. I guess he is our food guru on this trip. We skipped lunch today, so I hope it’s good.

Albuquerque is a town of contrasts. Driving into town, it looks as though you are descending into a valley. There is lots of new growth mixed in with the historic past. They have done a very good job of integrating the modern structures of today’s Albuquerque with the historic old town section and keeping it a viable economic center as well.  It is situated easily on the old Route 66, and there is plenty of parking so you can get right into the pedestrian traffic that is Old Town.

There are many shops that hold the usual tourist souvenirs, but also an abundance of the art and culture that represent the Indian and New Mexican heritage. There is a beautiful center park where a group of musicians had gathered and played and sang for the pleasure of us all.  That was right across the street from the oldest church in this area.  This area is surprisingly clean and all the shops are well cared for.

In another piazza the soothing sounds of a flute called to us and we couldn’t resist sitting at a table there in the courtyard and listening for a while. These appear to be local musicians and their main instruments are pan flutes.  They also have CD’s for sale; so naturally, we are now owners of said CD’s.

We cannot leave without lunch and there were so many places to choose from.  Our selection is a place called Little Anita.  The portions were anything but little, and the flavors were just as big. We chose the fajitas for two, but it turned out to be more like for four.  We also enjoyed this for dinner; need I say more?

Saying goodbye to the Grand Canyon, we head back to New Mexico.  Today should be an easy day since we have only about 350 miles to go.  The scenery continues to be the awesome rock formations for as far as the eye can see.  When we arrived at the New Mexico Welcome Center/DOT stop, we noticed a herd of goats on the rock ledge above.  Wayne was able to get pictures of them, so check it out.

Our RV Park is called Enchanted Trails.  Not sure about that, but it is full of nostalgia as Albuquerque really capitalizes on the Route 66 history.  Also see the pictures of the park.

One quest while in Albuquerque is to visit at least one of the restaurants from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives we have seen on the Food Network. The first one we went to was closed.  We found out later that it is only open until 2 PM each day.  So we did find another, a steak house that Guy Fieri featured.  It had all the atmosphere of a dive, as it is also a liquor store in the front.  The food was so-so.  Wayne’s chile cheeseburger was much better than my rib eye steak, but we still enjoyed being there.

We still have tomorrow to explore Albuquerque.  There is always tomorrow.

Finally, the day for the Grand Canyon is here. We cannot believe the winds that were here all night long. It sounded like they would rip the awnings right off the coach. From the weather report we hear that they were blowing at around 35 miles per hour and gusting even higher.  BRRR, the temperature has dropped to 37 degrees; so needless to say, we will be wearing our sweatshirts today. It is supposed to warm up to around 75 in the canyon today.

The trip starts at 9:00 with a little “wild west show” geared mainly to make sure everyone has arrived and ready to board by 9:30. Cute and corny, but it makes us all laugh a little while we are trying to warm up.  The Railroad Company also provides a bit of commentary and entertainment on the ride since it takes a surprising 2 hours to go 63 miles. 

We are a little more than half way there when the train suddenly stopped.  No explanations or warnings right away, but our attendants shook his head and said we are going to be here for a while.  Seems like this has happened before.  To make a long story short, another locomotive and crew had been summoned when the conductor came through and said they had just discovered it was a fuse on the fuel pump that had blown and we would be on our way in a few minutes.  Because of the delay, they would extend our return train time by one hour so we would have ample time to explore.

The terrain we traveled was a virtual no man’s land for most of the way.  We are told that there are no services, including water, in this area, so you would have to be self sufficient and also haul in your water. Because of the altitude and the solid rock, the well would require drilling for up to 5000 feet with no guarantee of hitting water.  The cost would be prohibitive. There are a few free range cattle, but the ranches there are few and far between.  We did see some antelope and elk in the fields beside the track.

Arriving at the Train Depot, we are instructed to climb the 47 steps to the top and we are on our own till boarding time at 4:30. Any of you who have visited the Grand Canyon know that words cannot describe your feelings the first time you gaze out over the vast beauty in front of you.  We have many pictures, but it seems near impossible to capture the magnificence of these structures in mere photos. 

We managed to walk the rim trail for about 2.5 miles before having to turn around and come back. Each time he looked, Wayne would find another view he wanted to shoot. I hope you enjoy our offering at trying to share this day with you.

By the way, the train broke down again on the way back. A seemingly minor problem, but big enough to stop a locomotive.  We finally got back about 7:30 PM, tired and ready for a hot shower.

Our day starts here at the RV Park with dark clouds and rain. Not only that, it is getting cold outside. Of course, we cannot let that deter us, so we take off on our way to Sedona.  It is only about 55 miles from here, so it should be an easy ride. We decided to take the scenic route (seems like that is getting to be a pattern) so we get off at 89A which should take us right into the town.  The road become winding pretty soon after we get on it and it is narrow, naturally, so low gear and caution is the order of the day.  You will see what we mean as you look at the pictures.

By the time we get to town, the weather is improving and the clouds finally pass on over.  I was in Sedona a number of years ago when it was just being “discovered”.  I must say that it has suffered the same fate as many other of the lovely destinations, and it looks more like any other tourist trap than the beautiful village I remember.  If it weren’t for the views that only nature can provide, I would almost have called it a disappointment.  But alas, it is just full of beauty from all around, so we enjoy the walking tour.

The restaurant I had picked from my research on the internet was not open, so we browsed about for a good place for lunch.  Since this place is full of the usual pricey tourist destinations, it was difficult to find just what we wanted.  You won’t see any pictures of our lunch today as it lacked the pizzazz we had hoped for.

We get back to the park and make a quick trip to the grocery store for some supplies.  I cook dinner in the RV tonight.  There is a brisk wind coming up outside and the temperatures are dropping.  The low tonight is supposed to be 37 degrees.

Tomorrow is the Grand Canyon.

It is time to say good bye to Las Cruces and make our way over to Williams, AZ for the big “sight-see” at the Grand Canyon.  We head up I-25 again through the Border Patrol and look at the mountains ahead in the distance.  We did not know what to expect on the roads so we were kinda surprised at the changes in elevation and the cross winds.  Wayne had to use some of his “flying” skills to keep us on the ground.

Into Arizona we are noticing the subtle changes in the rocks, noting that they are becoming a bit more colorful, some are black from volcanic rock, then varying shades of gray and red. The rest of the trip is pretty unremarkable, just long.  We finally made it to The Grand Canyon Railway and RV Park around 4:30 local time (they do not observe daylight savings time).

The Park is beautiful and very resort-like; lots of amenities and pavement, but no trees.  Still, it is right next to the train station, so we are well positioned for our trip on Thursday.  A walk around town finds us a recommended restaurant called Poncho Mcgillicuddy’s.  There was a special on the margaritas and some live music, so we said, “Let’s go”.  We had some really good sonoran tacos, but the margarita was the best.

We have a nice walk home (thank goodness) and get our plans in order for tomorrow’s trip to
Sedona.

Today is the day for reorganizing, laundry, cleaning out the fridge, and watching a little NASCAR. We had planned to drive back to Hatch, but we felt like we have seen all that is necessary there, and we really do need to get some of the necessities taken care of. The park here has a nice laundry room and nobody was there this morning, so we got all that done; now we are clean once again.

Have I mentioned how beautiful the weather is here? In the mornings there is a nice breeze which keeps it cool for the early part of the day. The humidity is low so when it does heat up, it is does not feel oppressive. The sky is clear and blue. Not much to complain about, so far.

I will enjoy taking some time to do some devotional, reflecting and just laying back.  I woke up with a “sniffle” and I am hoping it is just allergies.  Sometimes it is hard to tell, but a day of rest will not hurt.

Yes, as it turns out, we do go back to Pepe’s on Monday. We had waited for it for a late lunch.  We walked down to the restaurant only to find out they were closing because they had no customers on this holiday.  Another couple was there and spoke to the waitress.  They told her they had a group of 25 coming.  Right away, they motioned us to come back so we got to eat. Wayne couldn’t bring himself to order anything else, so he got the Bisteck Ranchero again. I order the Carne Asada and was again not disappointed.  The restaurant was full when we left.

I can’t believe we ate the whole thing!!!   No dinner tonight.

We prepped the coach and got everything ready to pull out by 7AM on Tuesday morning.  We will be traveling about 550 miles which should take about 10 hours, but we are ready to roll.