Long Island Bound

Hello and greetings from western New Jersey.


We're en route to Long Island for the month of August and have stopped overnight just off Route 80 in Columbia, N. J. about 65 miles from NYC. We'll navigate the bridges and Cross Bronx Expressway tomorrow. We should hit the city mid day and hopefully not too much traffic. A lot will depend on the "orange cones"..............how much stimulus money is being used on the NYC roadway system.


We've been inundated with road work since we left the motor coach factory last Saturday. Ohio and PA are running through the "obama dollars" quicker than a Friday night paycheck in certain bars. Huge stretches of roadway are being repaved and bridge abutments replaced. Some roads in central PA don't seem to have enough traffic to warrant the work, but hey it's "free" federal money, right ?


Oh well, off my soapbox. We stopped in the central part of PA in Indiana County and the village of Brush Valley for a few days to research Laurie's relatives. Her great, great Grandfather, John C. Dick was born here and there are lots of people here who have the same last name. While we couldn't find a certified direct connection, we are 97% sure that this is where he was born and we know he moved onto New York shortly after 1850. He was in a Civil War regiment in New York.



John C. Dick, born 1833, died ????


We have more research to do and the exploring is fun. Ancestry.com sure helps and makes it easier. The picture is the only one we have and he is in his Grand Army of the Republic uniform. The GAR was/is a veterans organization for those that served in the Union Army during the Civil War.



So we'll be on Long Island beginning tomorrow and plan to have some fun with our family, especially our 3 grandchildren. We have a big surprise for them...........watch these pages to find out...........and we're hoping to see many of our friends as well.



I still have some more pics to post from the earlier blog and I hope to get to them later tonight.





Till next time,





Gene & Laurie

Better Late Than Never

Hello & Greetings from Northern Indiana. We're at the Newmar factory in Nappanee and have some repair work scheduled for Monday. Free camping, with full hookups while we are here too !
So, it has been awhile since I last posted something and lots has happened. I'll fill you in on the last 3 months and let you see some of the great places we've visited (and some of the not so great too) while we've criss-crossed this great country of ours.

We visited Page, Arizona and Lake Powell along with some beautiful slot canyons and a relaxing float ride down the Colorado River...........no rapids in this section just deep canyon walls and wonderful scenery.

Glenn Canyon Dam

Colorado River, south of the Dam and bridge

Lake Powell in northern Arizona

"Cruzin' down the River"

Spectacular scenery

"potty-break"

From there we headed east. As most of you know I was diagnosed with some medical issues this winter and the best place to get treated was in Baltimore, Maryland at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We had a month to get there and started a slow trek east after Lake Powell. We also had to dodge the spring storms that plague the mid section of the country. We were fortunate and were either a day ahead or a day behind some really bad weather.

A quick stop in Albuquerque for a round of golf and to wait out a passing storm then onto Oklahoma and a visit to Weatherford. In the 1980's there was a big boom in oil exploration in this part of the state and Laurie's brother found work, friends and a good life for many years. After his passing in November we felt it appropriate to leave his ashes in some the parks and places he loved most.

Bruce was a biker and worked hard, played hard and lived a full life, especially here in Oklahoma. We actually found some folks who remembered him; found the places he partied at and left some of him there. An emotional farewell.

On to Memphis and the home of the Blues and Elvis ! We were fortunate to see Elvis live in 1969 on our honeymoon in Las Vegas and had always wanted to stop at Graceland. It's quite the tourist attraction, nee "trap" but he was a fabulous entertainer and musician and it was great to see his home and all the memento's of his life.

In her best "Vanna White" imitation !

Graceland

The "Lisa Marie"

Downtown Memphis and Beale Street also gave birth to the Blues and music is king in this city. The Gibson guitar factory is in the middle of downtown and we had a great tour of how they are made. Every Wednesday night is "Bike Nite" and Beale Street plays host to hundreds of "Bikers and Babes"; from Harleys to Honda's and Crotch Rockets to Scooters they all come to party and display their machines. Quite a site.

Bike Night on Beale Street, Memphis

A truly amazing creation

Beale Street

From there we were off to Jacksonville, Florida and a mini family gathering. My nephew is stationed there in the Navy along with his wife and newborn daughter and her baptism was scheduled for May 2nd. What better way to see family and celebrate a fabulous occasion. Chief Bryan was able to get us a site on base and we also got in a round of golf at Mayport Navel Station. Our campsite overlooked the lagoon and we enjoyed seeing the ships traverse the channel.

Kennedy O'Hagen's baptism

Ships lagoon at Mayport Navel Station

Bryan's ship

USS Philippine Sea

Plenty of family members joined in and it was good to visit with them. We even got to play some Bocce ball and enjoy a cookout at the campground.

Cousins: Bryan & Katy - Christian & Vanessa

We headed north to Baltimore and set-up in a small campground just outside the city. Expensive but it was right on the upper Chesapeake Bay and was the closest facility to JHH. Before my surgery we spent a week in PA near our old home and visited with friends, played some golf and traveled to LI for a much anticipated visit with daughters, grandchildren and son-in-law. My operation was on May 28th and everything went as planned. I spent 3 weeks recuperating and the time went by very fast. We did get in one day of sightseeing at the Inner Harbor and before we left took a side trip to St. Michaels for a night in a B & B and some good seafood. Love the soft-shell crabs !

We've belonged to a family camping organization for 35 years and they host a "campvention" each July. We've been to many (13) and this year it was on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, just above South Bend in small town called Berrien Springs.

From Baltimore we headed west, but we had lot's of time.

We stopped in Altoona, PA and visited the old PRR shops and toured a spectacular railroad memorabilia museum; we went to the famous Horseshoe Curve and "train-spotted" and it bought back many memories of my 32 year career in railroading.

A pair of NS haulers eastbound on the curve

Altoona Shops

A GG-1

PRR museum in Altoona

We've always driven by, through or around Pittsburgh but never stopped. This time we spent 4 days exploring this old steel city and the 3 rivers that surround it. Pittsburgh has a great art museum which we enjoyed exploring it and the downtown full of bridges. We took the Duck Boat Tour and actually got to go down the Ohio River in it.

River juncture, downtown Pittsburgh

The Ohio River

Overlooking the Rivers

A city of bridges and rivers.

We moved on to Dayton, Ohio and the home of the USAF Museum. Another stop on our "bucket list" and a fabulous display of aircraft and all things air force. We spent a full day exploring the exhibits and the Imax theatre and except for a really bad campground we enjoyed our stop.

Off to Indiana and some visits with friends. We met Mary & Roger on our way out of Alaska in '09 and have stayed in touch. They live in a small town in north west Indiana and we toured the area and enjoyed talking about our respective adventures.

Steve & his wife Linda lived on LI for 25 years and we worked on the RR together. He retired and returned to the family homestead in north central Indiana. They're campers too and we joined them at their lakeside campsite and enjoyed a great 4th of July and some really good fireworks.

We met Pat & Walter in eastern Indiana and backtracked to Berrien Springs and the 50th Reunion of Family Campers and RV'ers. We camped with folks from New York state and got to see many of our old friends from our years in the organization. It was hot, but we had 30 amp electric and water (no sewer) and we made the best of it. the entertainment was great; I played in a golf scramble and my team tied for 1st place.

That brings us to Nappanee and the factory. About a week here and then east. That also brings you up-to-date on our travels. We're having fun. We enjoy our lifestyle and look forward to many more sights and adventures.

Till next time,

Gene & Laurie

More Pics to come..............stay tuned !

On the Road, Again !

Hello & greetings from Tucson and our last nite here in Voyager RV Resort. Wow, it's been over 4 months in the Arizona dessert and the weather is getting much warmer, a lot drier and the sun stronger. Time to move on.

Our time here has had many ups and downs. We lost Laurie's brother suddenly in November and after dealing with his affairs we headed here to recoup and deal with the sorrow. While we got to see our girls, son-in-law and grandkids when we were back in Massachusetts, we missed not seeing them during the holidays. We celebrated Christmas with our Voyager "family" and Laurie's cousin and her husband live here in Tucson and we have spent time with them too over the past months.

We got to spend New Years in a remote dessert area west of here near Gila Bend and joined 15 other families in an old fashioned campout complete with roaring campfire, pot luck dinners and good plain fun. Long time friends and fellow co-worker Ray Anderson and his wife Becky invited us to join their group campout and we bought along Bob & Betty (fellow campers, travel companions and good friends) and enjoyed a few great days in the dessert.

Back at Voyager we settled into our winter activities of golf, fun band, painting and staying out of the cold and snow. We had visits from Gene & Lynn (our partners from the Alaska adventure); Jim & Jodi (fellow lot owners from Emerald Pointe); Walter & Pat (friends from PA, Mallards & LIRR) and long time friends for 30+ years, Jack and Gail flew out from Florida and visited for a few days of fun and golf and catch-up.

We made some new friends this year as well and did lots of exploring again in the local area. Laurie again competed in the talent show and her guitar playing is much improved and has become a serious pastime for her. My golf handicap still hovers around 18 and I enjoy the company of a great group of golfers from varying walks of life who have fun playing and being together.

The local air base has a fabulous air show and we were fascinated by the many daring aerial feats of the USAF Thunderbirds and the Academy students who jumped out of a C-17 at over 5,000 feet and free fall to 2,500' before pulling the parachute cord. The reach speeds of over 200 mph.

We caught up on some doctor and dentist visits, got the dent fixed on the Honda and a recall done on the coach. We visited way too many restaurants, ate way too much food but did manage to keep up our exercise routines. For the most part the weather this winter cooperated with moderate temps and none of the white stuff the east coast experienced. There was a lot more rain and the dessert now blooms with fabulous colors and great expanses of green.

We head out tomorrow morning and will continue exploring this great land of ours. We actually have no special route planned like Alaska last year. We will stop in Mesa, AZ this weekend for a big flea market and the Organ Stop Pizza, then onto Page and Lake Powell for some exploring. Beyond that we plan to be on Long Island by late July for an extended visit with family.

We'll wander the USA. Watch these pages for reports on our exploits.

Till we talk again,

Gene & Laurie

Our 50th State - Hawaii

As promised here a few pics from our trip over to Oahu and Maui.


We got a fabulous package deal from Hawaiian Airlines and flew from San Francisco to Honolulu. We stayed at the Hilton on Waikiki Beach with a view of Diamond Head and the ocean. The view was great, the hotel was ok.


downtown Honolulu

The view from our hotel in Waikiki, Diamond head

Luau.....the Pig !

From Here to Eternity.....beach scene !

The Waikiki beach area is very crowded and very upscale. There is also a huge Japanese population and it is a favorite vacation destination for them. It reminded me a lot of Tokyo. We toured the Island, saw Pearl Harbor and the Arizona monument and climbed Diamond Head. It was 4 days and very expensive. Although a highlight not to be missed is the Polynesian Cultural Center run by the Mormon Church. Everything you could possibly want to learn about south pacific island nations is presented in a fun and exciting format capped off by a huge luau feast and dazzling stage show.

On top of Diamond Head

the view from Diamond Head toward Waikiki Beach

On the Arizona Memorial

Arizona Memorial

Spectacular Hawaiian sunset

We then flew over to Maui and met friends Bob & Betty Sobeck in Lahaina. We stayed at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel next door to their family condo at Whaler's Village. Maui is spectacular and very casual and relaxing. We enjoyed the fabulous weather (80's) and abundant sunshine along with some great dinners, some fun sightseeing, a Cirque performance and golf at Kapalua's Plantation course, home to the PGA Mercedes Championship.

An outrigger at Mama's Fish House

Surfin'

Cirque

Golf at McKenna in Maui

On top of Haleakala, with Bob & Betty

the 605 yd. 18th at Kapalua

Great vistas at Kapalua

More great views

Lefty Bob at Kapalua

Number 1 at Kapalua


Enjoy the pics.

Gene & Laurie

Long Time Betwen Posts.....

Hello & Holiday Greetings.


It's been a month since my last update and much has happened in our lives during that time. First off, we are now in Tucson, Arizona at our winter RV site in the Voyager RV Resort.


Voyager is a full service, active adult resort with every imaginable amenity from pools and hot tubs to hotel, restaurant, beauty parlor, health clinic and golf course. We were here all last winter and have made many friends in the complex and surrounding area. There are about 20+ guys I play golf with twice a week and Laurie has her fun band, Red Hats and painting. This is a fun place to spend the winter and Laurie's cousin and husband live in Tucson as well.



Last tine we spoke our travels had us in northern California and we spent 15 glorious days in Hawaii. I'll post pics from there shortly, but after returning from our 50th state we did some sightseeing around San Francisco and Sausalito and headed south to Monterey for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We figured that since we could not be with family for the Day, we would find a beautiful locale, a great restaurant and enjoy a quiet, relaxing dinner overlooking the ocean. Which we did at the Intercontinental Hotel's bay front restaurant.

Unfortunately, the day before Thanksgiving we received a call from the Marlborough, MA police that Laurie's brother had passed away suddenly. He was 67 and it was unexpected.

Air travel on the holiday weekend is chaos and we were forced to wait until the following Tuesday to get a flight back east. We relocated to just outside Los Angeles and spent 6 days handling the affairs and cleaning out his apartment. Our daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren came up from Long Island and we could not have done it without their help and support.

After returning from Massachusetts, we headed for Tucson and have set up here for the winter.

Christmas is here and we exchanged some gifts with grandkids while back east but we won't get to see them for the holiday.

We're meeting friends in the desert, near Gila Bend for New Years Eve at a BLM campground. Should be fun to have a pot luck dinner, campfire and a group campout again.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we wish each of you a healthy, prosperous and safe 2010.

Gene & Laurie

Sunny California......well almost !

So we bade farewell to the wet, wild and windy Oregon coast and headed south to Crescent City, California and lo and behold the sun came out, the temps came up and we said Yea ! Unfortunately it was short lived since we woke up the the next morning to a rainy and cold sky.

Crescent City Lighthouse

But Crescent City is the start of the impressive Redwood forest and we were certainly impressed with their size and magnificent beauty. But you can only look at trees for so long and the weather situation was really getting to us so, we headed south toward San Francisco and better weather.

Small car......BIG tree

They really are impressive !

............Even in the rain !

An overnight stop at an Indian casino netted us a free night of camping, $10 each of free gaming monies and some good food. Plus we met another couple who were traveling in their motor home and enjoyed some great conversation.

We've found an Elks Lodge in the wine country of Napa & Sonoma and will stop there for a while. Reasonably priced, safe, secure and convenient. Our plan is to leave the coach for 2 weeks while we visit our 50th state and find the warm sunshine of Hawaii.

Last minute packages from the airlines are offering some great deals and we took advantage of it. Plus it's less flying time from the west coast !

Enjoy the pics of the redwoods and we'll talk again soon.