Van Horn Texas and a stay at Monahans State Park…

We enjoyed our first visit to the city of El Paso, the Gateway to Juarez., and will surely return someday. We actually left a few days ago and drove about 130 miles to spend one night at the Desert Willow RV Park in Van Horn, Texas. It is the westernmost town in the U.S. Central Time Zone so it was time to change the clocks.

Since every town, no matter how small or remote, has a story we headed into town and discovered the recently renovated historic hotel called the Hotel El Capitan which was built in the 1930's and designed by famed architect Henry Trost. What a cool place it was with its southwestern decor and charm.  It is a hotel I would love to stay at (if we didn’t have a RV). We walked around the small town and took in the rest of the sights. Van Horn has seen better days but we had a good time there.  The elderly lady who manages the park was a hoot and recommended Papa's Pantry for lunch.  I had a red chili smothered ground beef burrito whereas Sharon had shredded beef and grilled chili, onion and tomato burrito.  Sharon's was better once again (sigh).  Other than a cranky waitress at the restaurant, the townspeople were very friendly and welcoming so we see no reason to pass it by next time we are driving through on Interstate 10.

 

Our next stop was about 160 miles east where we pulled into a pull thru site (number 5) at Monahans State Park, a place we have been to before but simply had to revisit. The weather was about to become stormy and wet so we booked two days to let it all pass through. Our first day at the park the weather was perfect and we thankfully were able to do a lot of hiking in the dunes. The trek over the dunes was lots of work but well  worth the effort for the amazing vistas… Friday the rains came along with some thunder and lightening so we were only able to do short excursions between rain events. This morning it is still raining (with more to come) so we will extend our stay another day before moving on to San Angelo, Texas.

We feel the beauty of this place, come rain or shine, is a perfect place to wait for the weather to clear… I will let the photos speak for themselves…

Spring Wildflowers in Texas…

Being from Texas we know that the best things about Texas are the Tex-Mex food, the Bar-B-Que  and the spring wildflowers. That is the main reason  we always try to enter Texas just before wildflower season and stay long enough for them to fade into early summer. As mother nature has her thumb in the mix some years are better than other years when it comes to the abundance and diversity of wildflowers.

 

This year is about an average year on abundance but the diversity is above average. We did however find a few nice fields of Indian Paintbrush and Bluebonnets (the Texas state flower). There really isn’t much to say about the beauty they offer to the visitors of this great state  to let the pictures speak for themselves. Pictures are from aorund the Bryan and College Station area. The ones with the donkeys are in front of a good friend's house just outside of Bryan, Texas.

Enjoy!!!

Pittsburgh Universities and Mt. Washington…

By now most readers know that if we are near a college or university we will likely visit them and The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon were two that we wanted to visit while near the city. Founded in 1787 the University of Pittsburgh is among the nation's oldest universities and often simply referred to as Pitt. However in the 1800’s it was known as the Western University of Pennsylvania or WUP. Much of the early campus was destroyed by fire in the mid-1800’s and it wasn’t until it was rebuilt that it took the name of Pitt in the early 1900’s.

      

Carnegie Mellon is a much newer school of higher learning and was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1900. It is adjacent to Pitt and both are right beside the main branch of the Carnegie Public Library, the Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, and the Carnegie Music Hall. Several of the Pitt professors also hold adjunct professorships at Carnegie Mellon and vice-versa.

   

What we liked most about touring these two fine campuses was the exquisite architecture found mostly at Pitt. but it was the beauty of these urban campuses that was totally unexpected by both of us. Most urban Universities we have visited are not near as nice as these two are. The coolest building by far was the very tall Cathedral of Learning with its bright red doors inviting us in… It’s 42 stories are impressive and makes it the centerpiece of the campus. The Carnegie Complex and Museums in this area made walking around all the more pleasurable. It was cool when we came around one corner and saw a life sized replica of a Brontosaurus erected in front of a park.

After touring this area by walking a few miles around the campuses we headed over to the south side of town where no visit is complete in Pittsburgh until you take in the vista that can only be seen from Mount Washington. This steep hill overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline was voted the the best urban vista by USA Weekend. Upon leaving Pittsburgh there is a right turn bypassing entrance to a tunnel and ascends to Mount Washington.

A very steep drive up to the crest where once we parked we found a public observation deck (free to use) adjacent to the famous the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines, which are the oldest continuous inclines in the world. These inclines can be ridden to the bottom and back up to the top of Mount Washington for a measly $5.00. Since Sharon is a bit averse to any heights we decided instead to take in the sights from the observation deck. USA Weekend is spot on with this being an absolutely beautiful view of the skyline of Pittsburgh with its reborn fountain and the confluence of the three rivers near the Professional Sports Facilities. The header and bottom photos we taken from this vantage point. Pretty cool indeed…

2012 Year in Review–Part 2…

Editor’s Note: No pictures today since the Mrs. is rather wordy and the blog was long enough as it was…

As the Mrs I was delegated to outline the best/worst of our travel perhaps because of the two of us I tend to offer the most opinions along the way (smile).  Starting with our favorite places visited John was very concise and of course listed his 5 favorite places whereas I offered a much larger list because they are all places I could enjoy again and again.

John’s favorite places we visited:

• Key West - There will be no better place to be than Key West especially in the winter months
• Crater Lake – There are only a handful of places that will completely take your breath away and Crater Lake is one of them
• Portland, Oregon – Never thought a big city would show up on my list but the Portland Oregon area is full of life and energy and a fantastic place to spend a summer month
• San Diego – Yet another city on the list but the area around Mission Bay has got to be one the top locales to spend time at with all the things to do in and around the area
• Anywhere there are Saguaros as I simply love the Sonoran desert and all that it has to offer

Sharon’s favorite places we visited:

• 1. San Diego/Mission Bay/Coronado Island-beautiful, fun, perfect weather
• Key West-beautiful and I always have the most fun there than anywhere I have ever had in my life
• Portland Oregon-best crafted beer and best city to hike around finding quirky fun bars with an amazing forest and rose park right inside the city
• Crater Lake-A must-see…words can’t express the majestic beauty
• Bonita Springs/Naples, Fl- possible retirement home…love the beaches and markets
• Yuma/Phoenix- Great weather, beautiful sunsets, unreal desert sights to savor and FANTASTIC RESORTS
• Las Vegas great resort there and amazing man made adult playground
• Lake Tahoe offers such splendid beauty and would be a wonderful vacation spot.

John also offered some 2012  facts about our Travels:

• We traveled through 12 states and drove the motorhome some 7,679 miles
• We visited all four deserts in the USA (Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, Great Basin Desert and the Mojave Desert)
• My contribution is our highest priced diesel was in California (4.89) and the best roadways are in Texas

We were surprised to be able to meet some wonderful bloggers along the way:

• Merikay's Dream Has Ten Wheels:  what a great lunch date we had
• The Oasis of My Soul: what a pleasure it was to finally meet Ara and Spirit since we have followed their blog long before we started our travels. His oasis in the desert offers such wonderful place for solitude.
• R-V Crazy Travel Journal: One of my favorite happy hour gatherings ever. I was blown away that they recognized me from blog pics when unbelievably we pulled into a space right next door to them in NM
• Travel With Whippets What a gorgeous and cozy winter haven they have created and they are so welcoming!
• Travelin' In The Big EZ - we have been fortunate to forge a great friendship with this ultra fun couple and luckily have visited in three different states to share great food, wine and laughter. Pam is the most amazing cook and hostess!
• Dunn Gone Travels- super fun couple from Arkansas...Mrs. is super fun to shop with!
• Carolyn's and Wally's Journal- graciously showed John birds, butterflies and their favorite sites in the RG-

Reconnections made:

Our friends in Washington from college days and before kids Marshall and Debbie (picked up right where we left off...fantastic!), John's professor friend Merrill and his wife Sonia in New Mexico (like family) and Martin in California (delightful and so interesting). CeCe and Bret (friends from our hometown who live in Portland Oregon---they were the best travel guides EVER! My dear friend Vicki in Albuquerque who is like a sister to me. We always love to see her and her large loving Italian family. We have been lucky to stay in touch with friends from last year BJ and Mike, Diane and Steve, Sabra and Mark, and last but not least Jerry and Kathleen who will be lifelong friends we will cherish forever. Our son, his wife and the grandkids we were able to visit twice this year. We also saw Katie twice, once in Florida and happily she came to spend her Christmas holiday with us this year in Texas. Visiting John’s mom, sister and our nephew makes us feel happy when we see them doing well (my parents are deceased). These family visits fill my cup and sustain us while we depart to new sights often very far away from family. Beth and Eduardo of Texas that we spent Thanksgiving with having fun 24-7 playing new games, eating great food amongst old and new friends. Lastly, my favorite reconnect was with my cousin John and his wife Penny. We enjoyed a fantastic lunch and conversation in San Diego. It was such a delight to finally see him in person after all these years and we to see them again this summer.

New friends:

Blake and Dawnderee: Had to add this energetic and always funny couple from California who we are already making plans with to meet up again either in California or Arizona next year.

My year was blessed by the sights we’ve seen and by the people we visited who made the experiences even more fun. I feel the year 2012 very joyful indeed.

The worst of 2012 (thankfully it is a short list)

• · The fateful fall, the broken wrist and the huge bills as a result of surgical repair
• Travel days still stress me out, especially back in sites. I still struggle with guiding us in perfectly the first try (ie: reading John’s mind…we think so differently) . However I will say at least I seem to have stopped leaving things behind like the 50/30 amp cord and the doubler to the outside water faucet
• The steps not retracting properly was a royal pain, but are now fixed
• Unexpected cold weather this winter and underestimating the fact that for long stays we should be closer to the ocean

Gosh…since this is a really wordy blog I will pass the buck back to John for the next blog ……

Charleston SC…

A few days ago after a leisurely breakfast of coffee and breakfast tacos, we read about Charleston on the internet and began to plan our day. Parking was free along Battery Park and we found a parking place with ease. After exploring the park we followed our plan to walk the neighborhoods between Battery Park and Broad Street. What a treat it was to see the old, restored well-kept homes and read the history on their historical markers. We also saw that most of the homeowners created an oasis in their small yards and entry ways. It gave us opportunities for many a fascinating peek into Charleston City Life.
   
Broad Street was bustling with shoppers. A Carnival Cruise ship was docked so tourists were browsing wares at the Central Market such as locally hand woven sweet-grass baskets and other artisan wares. Along the side streets were ice cream and gelato stores, seafood restaurants and other lures for the masses. It had a very happy and busy vibe. The walk back through the neighborhoods offered the sight of preschool children in their purple uniforms lining up to cross the street and a family dog peering longingly outside through the fence. We had the best time losing ourselves through the neighborhood sidewalks and alley ways.
We enjoy touring colleges so since the Citadel was close by we ventured over to take a look. Immediately we noticed that we had stumbled upon an event as the main quad was sectioned off with cones and guards. We circled around looking for a parking spot and chuckled when we saw a warning in one lot that it floods sometimes in High Tides. We elected not to park in that lot! After parking in a place near the quad, we asked a fellow walker what was happening and he explained that every Friday is Parade Day for the cadets. He explained that even “way back when” he was a student, they marched every Friday all four years he attended there. He also said that as a result often the spectators enjoy it so much more than do the cadets!

 
The Citadel band marched out first. What a treat it was to see the band led by bagpipers in kilts as well as the two showy drum majors exaggerating each movement in sync with one another. The band marched across the length of the field to the far left hand corner of the parade field while playing military march tunes. In turn thereafter each and every cadet marched in from the middle and corners of the parade field led by flag bearers marking their particular battalion. The female cadets wore their hair in buns so they blended in with the male cadets quite well. There were also cadet uniforms adorned with sashes of different colors. We did not know what the colors signified but it made for an interesting look. The marching tunes gave a patriotic feel and we were more than glad we happened there on parade day.
The architecture of the school is castle-like and crisp creamy white especially against the blue sunny sky. Flags flew atop every building and many of the flagpoles sported a golden eagle adornment. The practice fields and athletic venues looked great. We noticed there would be a football game the next day (Saturday) at 1pm against VMI. We toyed with the idea of purchasing a ticket but our beloved Texas A&M Aggies were to play at the same time and we already planned to watch that game against Missouri at home on our computer.
We had such a great time in Savannah that we kind of overlooked Charleston the last time we were in the area. We are so glad we decided to take a closer look at Charming Charleston and would not hesitate to visit again one day. Maybe next time we will even catch a sporting event at the Citadel!
Note: Sharon also wrote this blog as can be told by her distinctly different style of prose. Today was a travel day as we headed further south to the state of Georgia…

Myrtle Beach…

Our 200 mile drive onto South Carolina was fairly uneventful… well there were those roads with absolutely no shoulders and semis coming from the other direction… However, we made it to Briarcliffe RV Resort a Passport America park we had heard good things about. Our initial perception is that it is a really nice park and it is right in the middle of the town of North Myrtle Beach… however, the sites are really close together and fairly tight. Good that a nice fellow moved his jeep so I could make the tight turn around the tree when I was backing into the site. Given all that… this park seems to be a nice and friendly park and it is nice to have full hookups for a change…
The beach is less than one and quarter miles from our rig and everything we could possibly need is within five miles. We will stay here for then next five days and then head over to Myrtle Beach State Park which I hope won’t be as tight and I am pretty sure we wont be parked as close to our neighbors as we are now.
With an 80 percent chance of rain tomorrow and a high today predicted in the 80’s, we chose today as a beach day. I was a bit concerned about the beach being crowded since the last time we were here the traffic was horrible along the beach front. What a difference several months makes as there is virtually no traffic and only a few people on the beach this glorious Monday.
We got to the beach in ideal weather and as a result we stayed for the entire afternoon… lounging… sunning… relaxing… walking along the beach. We were not only treated to great weather but while there we say an osprey flying overhead with a fish in his/hers talons, a bald eagle flying in towards the shore after a tough day of fishing, and two dolphins frolicking in the surf…

Yes, I think we are going to enjoy our stay in Myrtle Beach even with the rain on the horizon… good thing we need to do laundry!!!