Reflections on a year well spent!

As always at this time of the year, I like to look back and see what we have done, where we've traveled and "tally up the year".  Each year is different (yea!) adding it's own adventures and it's own challenges into the mix.  This was "year 4" for us, so a bit more experienced, and a bit more wear & tear on the coach, (and us) as we found out.

I love flipping the calendar backward, looking at all the places we've gone, revisiting them, so to speak.  It's an extra little reminder of what a wonderful life we have...this vagabond adventure of ours.  Seeing this incredible country, visiting great landmarks, National Parks, fabulous beauty, meeting interesting people and seeing old friends... all of it. 

When I do my "tallies" at the end of the year, I'm always amazed at the numbers...they are never as low, or as high as I imagined them to be.  Keeping track of our campground receipts is done by "stuffing" them into a small plastic bag that I keep up at the front 'Co-Pilot's' seat with me.  I don't pay to much attention to it all year, just making sure to carefully add each receipt to the bag so that at the end of the year I have them all in one safe place for my year-end calculation and blog.  Additionally, I mark our calendar with each campground we stay at, so I know how many campgrounds/nights we've paid vs nights we've stayed with family or friends, or at our time share.

Jack keeps track of mileage, gasoline, propane and maintenance costs.  Having a 2007 RV, she has started "showing her age" a bit, so this year's maintenance and repair bills were higher than ever - but, I kept reminding myself, if we had a sticks and bricks house, it wouldn't be much different!

This year's travels took us from 'coast to coast' as we wanted to see our eastern grandchildren and spend some time with them.  We also had a nephew getting married in Baltimore MD, so what better time to check off one of my bucket list items: Washington DC, while we were so close!  That was something I had wanted to do for most my life, and was not disappointed one bit!  I had high expectations, and they were even exceeded!  Such a thrill to go up into the Washington Monument!  I love our country, and to spend days visiting so many of the Smithsonian Museums was truly a dream come true.  I even had one of my pictures published in the Humanities Magazine and got to meet their Art Director while I was there.  So cool.

Another change this year was meeting up with special friends.  Usually we travel pretty solo.  Not that this is our preference, it's just that this is the way it just seems to be.  In February, we were able to snag a large two-bedroom suite in Orlando in our time share, so we invited some friends to join us.  It turned out one couple could make it the first week, and another the second week!  Yea!  Then, later in March, we joined some friends in Arizona for a couple of days, then were able to meet up with others in Vegas in April, and visit with Colorado friends in May & then they joined us in NM in Oct for a few days!  We made a quick stop at our friends in Utah before heading to family in WA for the holiday.  That's more "company" than we've ever had, but not nearly enough!  Here's hoping 2016 brings even more!

The ups & downs of the year...I have to say that the ups have mostly been the people and the places we visited (I guess no surprise there) and the downs have been the amount of repairs to the RV (& to me).  We've also not had the best weather this year as well as we've run into some really nasty spots along the way, from freezing slush to flooding!

Besides what I've already shared, I'd say some of the highlights this year have been the Great Smoky Mountains and Tennessee in general.  I loved Chattanooga and visiting Ruby Falls and Rock City and even seeing Dollywood!  We love train trips, and taking the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR through NM was an absolute delight.  We stayed a month in Albuquerque NM, traveling all over the area, really enjoying our stay there.  Of course, starting the year off taking a Caribbean cruise is pretty wonderful, then coming back and discovering the two great towns of Ft Pierce and St Augustine FL was fun lead-in to meeting up with our friends.

Here's our stats for the year:

We stayed at 58 campgrounds, for a total of 302 nights
Total campground fees: $11,293.36
(That averages about $37.39 a night, which is about right...some places were really low,  but overall, most places averaged around $40 a night with discounts)
Mileage for the RV: 13,984
Mileage for the toad: 12,268
Gasoline for the RV: $5,427
Gasoline for the toad: $1,210
Propane: $338
Maintenance & Repairs RV: (oil change, roof sealing, skylight replacement, waste connector replacement, wind shield wipers & motors(twice), slideout fix,  2 tires, hot water heater, water pump) $6,822
Maintenance on the toad: (4 tires, wheel bearings, brakes, 60,000 mile check-up) $4,055

Well, here's to next year!  This will be year number 5 for us, and another exciting one, I'm sure!  I know we are looking forward to it, so hopefully we will see you...down the road!

...on the road in California,  Marie

Fun and Friendship in Florida! - Week two...

With a "down day" in between to have the condo cleaned and restock the kitchen, Jack and I prepared ourselves for our next couple of friends flying in from San Diego.  Lew and Lupita wanted a more laid back, easy going week.  Lupita had to work part-time so she would be tied to her computer part of the time as well, and was just happy to be getting away for a few days. 

The weather had turned cooler, so we decided to wait a day for it to be a bit warmer, filling in with an indoor visit to the Titanic Museum.  Lupita is a big fan of anything having to do with the famed ship, and after checking it out, it seemed pretty authentic, so we ventured forth.  They actually did a pretty decent job, showing over 250 authentic artifacts recovered from the wreck site of Titanic, as well as extensive recreations of some of the most famous rooms from the Ship. 

The "big thing" on their agenda was EPCOT!  So, once the sun decided to show it's face, we took advantage of it, and raced our little bodies right over!  Jack and I had been three years before, so kind of had the "lay of the land", and we have a brother-in-law who is a big fan, who I had contacted and asked his advise on the best way to tackle the park.  He said "to go through the international exhibits first, clockwise as most people tend to go counter-clockwise"...so, that's what we did.  It was perfect, just what everyone wanted to see and experience.  We walked and ate and took lots of pictures...well, this time they took more than I did (I had taken so many the time I was there before, I didn't need to take quite as many this time).  I did have to chuckle, every time I turned around, I'd loose one or both of them as they were off (mostly in different directions) taking pictures!  Now I know what it's like traveling with me!  Somehow we did manage to catch almost all of the shows the various countries put on before collapsing by the end of the day.

Lupita and I did manage a day to ourselves...a fun day getting all our nails done!  I just love those chairs where they vibrate all up and down your back, and after a long day at EPCOT, it sure felt great!  Plus, sparkle pink toes afterward, who could ask for anything more?  Lupita and I used to work together, way, way, way back, so it's always fun to play "catch up" on who's where doing what now...

Our last night together was a planned "Cuban" affair.  She had some research for me.  Jack is a plain meat and potatoes kind of guy, so whenever I can get some company to experience some fun food, I love it!  I knew my friends would be up for it, so I put them on the search.  She found Cuba Libre Restaurant in Orlando, and it just fit the bill!  They started with traditional Mojitos, while I had a Sangria.  Then came the Mariquiatas Cubanas (appetisers): Guacamole Cubano (they add pineapple & roasted jalapeños and serve with crispy plantain chips) and Tropical Chips and a Trio of Dips: Plantain and malanga chips. Black bean hummus, Haitian eggplant salad and Cuba Libre salsa.  All YUM!  Then...dinner came!  I don't remember what anyone else had, but I had the Vaca Frita: Tender braised and crisped-shredded flank steak, roasted onions and citrus-garlic sauce. White rice and Cuban black beans.  Delicious!  ...and I ate the whole thing!

All good things come to an end...and so did our second week.  The four of us packed up our things, cleared up the condo, gave each other lots of hugs and made arrangements to see each other again soon...in San Diego.

We drove them off to the airport, then returned the car to the rental office and hooked up our little Toyota to our "home" and drove out of Orlando and headed west...off to see family in Texas!

...on the road,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

The Adventure Begins...

These were the words scribed above the entrance to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as Jack and I stepped across the much anticipated threshold of Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando Florida. I admit it, I am a big Harry Potter fan. No getting around it, I was hooked with the first book and feverishly anticipated each book and movie as it came out. I have been looking forward to visiting "Harry Potter Land" as Jack kept calling it, ever since I knew we were going on this trip! It's taken all my patience to wait this long, but we finally made it!

...and all I've got to say is, WOW! Entering Hogsmeade, you came right up to the Hogwarts Express Steam Engine at 9 3/4, with all the hustle and bustle you would expect. Muggles everywhere! It was crowded, it was crazy and it was fun! We joined right in on the madness of the shopping and the picture taking and the laughter. Kids of all ages, little ones and old ones just like me! We all were enthralled. It was great!


















































Moving on, the "Islands of Adventure" really had a lot to offer! We had a blast at each one of them. It was fun to go to a theme park you've never been to before; each thing you come to is new and a fun surprise! Super heros like Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk were there, then over at Toon Lagoon we got to see Popeye & Olive Oil and even Betty Boop came out for picture taking (all the Dad's got in line for that one!). We got soaked on the Jurassic Park River Adventure (thinking it was a "calm" ride) but laughed it off as we goofed off at Seuss Landing with all their adorable characters. At the Lost Continent we watched The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Stunt Show and the Poseidon's Fury show to rest up a bit.

































































It was a full, long day as we pulled our tired bodies home...boy, having fun is exhausting!

As the day ended, our bodies might have felt "old", but our spirits sure felt like a "kid" again!


If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/


..kicking back in Florida, Marie