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Friday, February 1

Today was such a beautiful day.  We snorkeled and enjoyed seeing the fish again.  We each got to snorkel twice today.  We snorkeled once together and then Mac had a call to make so I snorkeled by myself in the shallow water until I got too cold.  It’s hard to snorkel when your teeth are chattering.  Even though the water is in the 70’s and we wear wetsuits our bodies still get cold after a long while in the water.  Mac snorkeled later in the afternoon with a couple of other guys.  They had fun going out into the deep water, I think they were out in the middle of the channel.  They saw some really big fish and other interesting creatures of the deep.
 
Off and on all day we’ve been getting things put away.  We’re leaving Saturday heading out on new adventures.  We’re excited to go but we’ll miss Key West too.  We’ll be back next year.
 
Saturday, February 02:
 
Today is Ground Hog day but we didn’t see any so it must be spring here in Florida.  It feels like it too with highs in the upper 70’s and the humidity is higher too.
 
We took our time getting ready to leave this morning.  After getting everything stowed away Mac drove the RV over to dump the tanks, fill with fresh water and he filled up the gas tank too.  I went to the commissary while he was doing all of that and picked up a few groceries.  We then hooked up the car and we left Key West around 10 today. 
 
The traffic is pretty heavy at times but no accidents to hold up the flow.  The water is incredibly beautiful as we drive up the keys, each time it’s just so awesome to see.  We stopped for lunch at one of the many pull offs along the way and enjoyed the view while having lunch.
 
We’ve stopped for the night in the Everglades at the Long Pine Key campground.  .  We’ve never been to this section of the Everglades before and are looking forward to seeing some wildlife.  This is a nice big campground with large primitive sites.  There are no hookups or showers at this campground.  There is fresh water and a dump station though if needed.  We knew we’d have to unhook the car to park on the site but we need it anyway to drive to the trail we want to visit.  We had heard about the Anhinga Trail and this is the closest campground to it. 
 
We drove over to the Anhinga Trail this afternoon and it was really interesting to see the alligators, herons, anhinga, turtles, and etc. up so close.  We even saw baby anhingas in the nest, so awesome to see.

Photos below left to right -- Click for larger view:  1. Anhinga about 5 feet from me!  2. The obligatory alligator photo.  3. Cormorant.  4. Another gator - they were everywhere!  5. Great Blue Heron - a really nice photo   -Mac   

The past few nights I haven’t been comfortable sleeping.  I kept waking up during the night and woke up sore and sleepy.  I complained about it to Mac and discovered that while adjusting his side of the bed he accidentally adjusted mine too.  It was much harder than what I’m comfortable sleeping on.  So today he adjusted my side of the bed to a softer setting and I had a very comfortable nap.  It’s amazing that such a small thing can affect our sleep but it does.

Sunday, February 3 -- Wednesday February 6

Sunday we left the Everglades and headed to Tampa.  We took highway 41 the Tamiami Trail across and got on the interstate around Naples.  The interstate is kind of boring but it beats the stop and go traffic that we would have had on highway 41 up through all the cities on the way to Tampa.  We stopped for lunch in a rest area and we stopped again at the south rest area near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  We love stopping at this rest area, the water is pretty and the view of the bridge is great.  We had a full day of driving and we made it to MacDill AFB late in the afternoon. 
 
I now have to take back what I said back in January about there being less RVs in Key West or Tampa.  When we arrived at MacDill FamCamp we were told this is the most campers they’ve ever had.  We are in the dry camping area.  We’ve never stayed in this area before.  It’s pretty nice too, a huge grassy field.  We may stay in this area more often.  We don’t need the hookups so why pay for them?
 
On Monday after working some, Mac tackled the job of organizing the bays under the RV.  He sorted and pulled out items to go into storage and some stuff that we decided we no longer needed or items that needed to be disposed of.  We made a trip to our storage unit and put a lot of items away till fall when we return. 
 
While Mac was doing the great job he did of cleaning out the bins I made a run to my favorite thrift store.  I needed a thrift store fix since I’d only been once while we were in the keys.  I found a few items and was now a happy camper.  So back to the RV to do some sorting of my own. 
 
Later in the afternoon daughter Nicole, her husband Aaron, and grandson Austin came to visit.  We all went to the beach here and enjoyed looking at the water, watching the birds and seeing the sun setting.  Of course, Austin had to get his feet wet and then his legs, and then his pants so back to the RV to wash all the sand off of Austin before we went out to dinner.  We went to The Ranch House Grill again and everyone’s food was very good.  I ordered fried grouper and it was wonderful and quite a large portion too.
 
Tuesday after working some we went to visit Mac’s mom.  We stopped for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes Buffet for lunch.  Wow, it was good too.  Mac did his mom's taxes.  We then made a stop at both our banks, made another thrift store shopping stop, went to Wal-Mart, and other errands that we needed to do. 
 
Wednesday afternoon Nicole and Austin came for a visit and we all went to the beach again.  We stayed down there for quite a while.  Austin really loves to play on the beach.  He has toys to play in the sand and when he’s tired of that he loves to run around chasing the birds, run through the water and of course getting all wet and sandy.  So another shower was in order once we got back to the RV.  After shower and snacks we had a good visit.  Then it was time to say goodbye till we see each other again.
 
We’ll be leaving Tampa on Saturday and heading towards Biloxi.  Well, Biloxi is just a stop along the way.  We have to be in California in early April but we want to be in Vegas in very early March to meet up with some people so that’s what we’re going to try and get done in the next few weeks.  We want to stop in Biloxi, Texas to see my parents, New Mexico to see some friends, Tucson to pick up something for the swamp cooler and then on to Vegas baby!
 
I haven’t mentioned my work in a while.  Last year I worked as a contractor for the same company that Mac works for.  They are such great people to work with too.  This year I started as an employee to start putting money away in a 401K.  So now I have to get up and face that long commute from the bed to the front of the RV where I crank up my computer and get to work.  I have items that I have to do every day (5 days a week) and there will be special projects also that I’ll work on.  So I get to do interesting work, I get paid for it, I don’t have to buy a wardrobe for work and the view out the window changes all the time!

Thursday, February 7 -- Sunday, February 10:

Since a lot of Mac’s work is with people on the west coast we take a break during the middle of the day and do something, lots of times it’s just relaxing and enjoying being quiet.  Other times we go somewhere, run errands, etc.  Thursday when we took a break we ran a few errands here on MacDill, Mac got a haircut, we looked around the BX, had some lunch, etc.  After we got back to the RV we decided to walk down to the beach and enjoy it.  We had a nice walk on the beach.  It’s windy and the water is churned up but it was still nice to walk on.  This is one of the best beaches that we have access to.  It’s a very large soft sandy beach; it’s so enjoyable to walk along the water’s edge too. 
 
On the walk back to the RV we stopped at our friends Al and Shelby’s RV and visited for a bit.  They’re such nice people.  I didn’t mention on Wednesday they’d stopped by and brought Mac some pumpkin pie she’d baked.  They’re always doing nice stuff like that.
 
After enjoying the lazy afternoon it was back to work.  In the evening we watched the start of a new season of Survivor.  It’s about the only TV show that we watch.  We’re not big TV watchers anymore.  If TV doesn’t appeal to us we have plenty of interesting stuff to do.  Why should we waste an evening on watching TV unless it’s something we enjoy watching.  Most evenings for our relaxation we surf the internet finding lots of interesting stuff to read and learn.  Or we’ll read a book, I love to read.  Sometimes we’ll sit outside and enjoy the weather. 
 
Friday we worked at our jobs and on getting things ready to hit the road on Saturday.  Mac finished up organizing the bays of the RV.  We had another load of stuff we decided to leave in storage too.  Some items are to be sold next year when we come back.  We’ve determined that there are many items we just don’t need.  Why pay gas to carry this stuff around if we’re not going to use it?  I think one of our goals this year is to minimize even further the amount of stuff that we have.  So when we come back in the fall we’ll pull the stuff out of storage and start selling it off and what doesn’t sell we’ll donate. 
 
Mac changed the oil in the RV too.  He also helped me get the laundry loaded in the washing machines and walked back over to the laundry in time to help finish up the folding and loading the laundry into the car. 
 
We went to our storage unit and left some items, ran over to the thrift store and donated some items, went to Lowe’s to pick up a few things and went to dinner at The Ranch House Grill again.  We ordered fried grouper and fried shrimp and shared.  Wow, it was good and we ate too much.  I’m going to miss having fried grouper but the choice is clear, I’d rather travel than stay and have good grouper whenever I want it.
 
We’re so excited about getting on the road again.  It’s been nice being here in Florida, wonderful to see our family and enjoy the great winter weather in Florida but we are so ready to hit the road!  This is the earliest that we’ve ever left to start our western travels.  We know that it will be chilly in many places, especially at night but we have our quilt and each other, what more do we need to keep warm?
 
Saturday morning we got everything done and were on the road by 9:00.  We had a leisurely drive up to Tallahassee and stopped again at Wal-Mart store # 1077.  My friend Susan came over and she and I went shopping at a couple of thrift stores.  We had a great time talking and shopping.  Later Susan and her husband Keith picked us up and we all went to dinner at Applebee’s.  We had a great time talking, laughing and having good food. 
 
After they dropped us off at the RV Mac and I went into Wal-Mart and did some shopping.  We needed a few supplies to get us through the week.  When we get to Biloxi we aren’t going to want to waste time shopping.  We’ll want to get in the casino.  We’ve been practicing quite a bit but nothing is like the real thing.  We’re also looking forward to some of the good food that we plan on eating.
 
Sunday we got up and left Tallahassee at about 8:00.  We had great weather for driving, clear skies and no wind.  While I drove Mac went through all our comp mailings and we decided to go to the Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis first.  We have 2 free buffet dinners and free play for each of us that expires today.  So to get full advantage of all our comps we’ll go there first and then drive back to Biloxi and utilize the comps from casinos there tomorrow and the next day. 
 
We got to Hollywood around 3:00 and parked out in the large main lot.  There are a few other RVs parked out here too.  It’s such beautiful sunny weather.  Our solar panels are cranking out the juice and we’ll have wonderful sleeping weather tonight. 
 
I got to play for quite a while on my free play money and the money I put in.  Unfortunately I was not a big winner today.  We had a great dinner using our free buffet coupons.  Later we came back to the RV and goofed off on the internet.

Monday, February 11 - Saturday February 16:

Monday:  We worked for a few hours this morning and then left the Hollywood Casino.  We drove East down Highway 90 and there was a lot of road construction going on.  Traffic was moving so it wasn’t too bad of a drive.  Right after Hurricane Katrina they did repair the highway but it was a temporary fix.  Now they are doing a major repair job and it looks like it will be a very nice road.  I love driving down the beach; it is so pretty to see the water.
 
We drove to Keesler AFB FamCamp and got set up on our site.  We’re parked right in front of the showers and very near the laundry room.  We could have gone to one of the casinos and drycamped but we had ordered our mail to be sent here.  Once we receive our mail we do plan on moving to a casino and parking for free.
 
After lunch and working some more we went to 2 casinos.  We went to the Grand Casino Biloxi first.  I needed to play some on my card before March 1 to keep my points and player status.  We had fun but again didn’t win anything.
 
We then went to the Imperial Palace Casino and used one of our free dinner coupons.  We had the buffet; there was no line tonight so we had no problem getting right in.  The buffet was good and we were wise and didn’t eat too much.  After dinner we played our free play and a little bit more, didn’t win either. 
 
We left and were home before 7:00 tonight.  I wanted to go play some more but I agreed that I need to play only where my play adds to the value of the comps we receive or/and the pay tables are good.  The IP has changed the pay tables and no longer have good pay tables.  So it is not smart to play there until they hopefully put in good pay tables again. 
 
This evening after goofing off on the internet I read some of my book and then fell right to sleep.  I love our new bed now that it’s adjusted to my body.  I’ve noticed that my hip and shoulder has stopped bothering me.  That’s great, now I get a good nights sleep and wake up refreshed, with no aches to start the day.
 
Tuesday, February 12:
 
We were working away this morning when there was a knock knock on the door.  It was Dave and Rebecca from Reno!  We’d had dinner with them at the Peppermill back in June 2006.  It was good to see them and catch up on what they’ve been up to.  We’ve been reading of their journeys in their blog/journal.  Here’s a link to it for you: http://mytripjournal.com/FullersBigAdventure. 
 
We knocked off work early today and headed to the Beau Rivage Casino.  We split a sandwich and then had fun playing for a few hours.  We went to the player’s club to see if we had enough comp points for dinner and we did!  We also had played enough to get the free gift of the month a nice garment bag.  We enjoyed our dinner at the Memphis Q restaurant.  We both love the ribs there.  We weren’t as hungry as we thought we were either because we took a lot of the ribs home for lunch tomorrow. 
 
After dinner we drove back to the RV.  It had stormed while we were in the casino and all the rain seems to be over with, but there is still some wind.  It’s supposed to be pretty chilly tonight.  I guess this wind is bringing the cold in with it.
 
Wednesday, February 13:
 
It dawned nice and chilly today, still windy too.  After Mac went to the FamCamp office and picked up our mail, we packed up and left.  Mac drove the RV to the Island View Casino and parked and I went to do a little shopping. 
 
After joining up with Mac at the casino I decided to go inside and check it out.  It’s pretty like most casinos are.  We’d seen the billboards around advertising that the Island View would double your coupons for new members so Mac had called them and checked it out.  They double your free play coupons.  So since I had a coupon from another casino for free play I joined the players club and got my free play.  I played for a while at the bar on video poker and would check to see if my free play was loaded on my card yet.  After quite a while went back to the desk and saw a sign that said the free play was for slots only.  When I talked to the customer service person I told her that I didn’t know it wasn’t for video poker too and she said that they had to stop it.  “The video poker was killing us” were her exact words.  Would someone like to tell me again that slots are the best game in the house?  I think not.
 
After we played for a while we drove on over to the Hollywood Casino RV park to spend the night.  We decided to take advantage of our coupon for a free night’s stay there since it’s supposed to be pretty chilly tonight.  We can use our electric heater to stay warm.  So we played for a while and then had another free dinner buffet for the two of us. 
 
At some point this evening I started feeling like I had a cold but I was hoping it was just the weather making me feel yucky.  You know coming from pretty warm weather to this sudden chilliness.  But it turned into a real cold pretty fast.  After dinner I went to bed and huddled up under my blankets and quilt.  Mac started me on Zicam right away.
 
Thursday February 14:  
 
Happy Valentines Day honey!  After working some this morning we drove over to the main parking lot and hooked up the car.  We filled up with gas in town and then hit I-10 heading west.  Mac drove and I suffered with my new cold.  We drove to Jennings LA and stopped at Wal-Mart store # 386 to spend the night.  We went in and shopped a bit. Watched a little TV and it was early to bed for me tonight. 
 
Friday, February 15:
 
After working a bit this morning we headed on down the interstate and stopped in Beaumont Texas at the nursing home my dad is in.  We had called yesterday to find out if there is a place nearby to park the RV and fortunately there is.  Right in front of the nursing home is a closed restaurant with a nice large parking lot.  We parked there, locked up the RV and walked over to the nursing home.
 
We visited with my dad for a while and then headed out to the Escapee’s RV Park in Livingston Texas.  We arrived around 3 in the afternoon and of course on the way here it started raining.  I don’t think I can remember when it hasn’t rained while we were here.  I visited with my mom some this evening and then it was early to bed for me again.  It rained off and on all night long.
 
Saturday February 16:
 
I went down and visited my mom some this morning.  But I feel pretty yucky today.  So I went back home and slept.  I took several naps today.  It’s been a good day to stay in bed.  I got up for a few hours and then took another nap.  I think I’m finally getting rid of this cold too; by late evening I’m feeling somewhat better.  Again it’s early to bed again for me tonight.

Saturday February 16, 8:30 PM

Have I ever mentioned that I don't like rain?

For some reason it seems to rain every time we visit Livingston Texas.  Do they really have rain here twice a week, every week, all year long?  And I'm not talking about showers, I'm talking about gully washers.  Yesterday we arrived in Livingston and within about 4 hours the sky opened up and we enjoyed our first downpour and thunderstorm.  Now one night later and as you can see from the radar image the marching line of thunderstorms is treating us to what they call a "train" of storms. 
 
This is one reason we find ourselves leaving Florida -- another rainy state -- earlier in the year for our western trips and wanting to come back later.  We love being in the dry climates of the Western USA.
 
And while I'm complaining about the rain, what's up with RV manufacturers that can't seem to keep the inside of an RV dry?

Let's compare an RV to a car.  Has your car ever leaked during a thunderstorm?  I can't say that mine has, and I've owned some 20 year old beat up junkers.  I don't even think my MG Midget convertible leaked very much, just a drop or two.  How about windows in a conversion van?  I've had one of those, and I can't recall them leaking.

So that's my gripe for the month, leaky RV's.  Thanks for listening. :-)

Sunday February 17 – Sunday, February 24:

We had plenty of chores to do for my folks including the roof, new battery, shelves, etc.  But we also had time for some fun.  Mac and I went out one evening to Shrimp Boat Manny’s Restaurant and had some great fried shrimp.  My mom and I had gone shopping and ran some errands and we had lunch at City Grille.  We enjoyed our meals at both places.  Both restaurants have some beautiful stained glass in them.  The City Grille has some of their stained glass for sale but Manny’s has their glass as part of the décor.  I love stained glass, especially with light shining through it.
 
I got an email from a friend that she and husband were at the same park in Livingston and to so stop in and say hello if we had a chance.  One evening Mac and I stopped by their RV and sat for a while and talked to the Slusser’s, Gary and Ethne.  Ethne and I have corresponded for quite a while by email so it was good to finally meet her.  They’ll be leaving Livingston soon and heading west also so hopefully we’ll meet up again this summer.
 
I took my mom to see my dad down in Beaumont at the nursing home.  I had to cry some and they did too.  When we got there my dad was so happy to see my mom, they haven’t seen each other in about 3 months.  He slowly got up from his wheelchair and my mom is trying to stay balanced with her walker but they manage to hug and kiss.  Over 55 years of marriage and they aren’t together right now.  Mac and I started the process to get my dad into a nursing home closer to Livingston so that they can see each other more often.  I felt so bad that we hadn’t done this yet for them.  I still have a hard time realizing that I need to step in and do things for them.  In my head they’re still the adults and I’m the kid.  But then I get with them and realize again that I need to be the adult and ensure they are taken care of. 
 
Chores are done; we have places to be so we headed out Saturday morning about 9:30.  We drove to Abilene Texas and stopped for the night at Wal-Mart Store # 536.  It was a pretty good driving day.  We did have some gusty wind this afternoon and had to slow down but we still made good time and the wind stopped after dark. 
 
Sunday morning (2/24) we headed out around 7:30.  We stopped for gas and it was $3.05, sure is expensive compared to further east in Texas where it was around $2.99 when we filled up yesterday. 
 
We left the interstate around Big Spring and took Highway 87 to Highway 180 heading to Carlsbad New Mexico.  We arrived safely at our destination in Lakewood NM at The Ranch, an Escapee Park. 
 
From the interstate and driving up highway 87 we saw many fields that had grown cotton.  I would have never thought of west Texas as cotton country but it is.  There were many cotton gins and fields.  Driving up Highway 87 I saw many flocks of birds in the fields.  We pulled over and got out our binoculars to look at these birds.  We looked them up and found out that they are Greater Sandhill Cranes.  They were quite pretty with feathers that look solid bluish gray.  They’re also a rather large bird too, about 4-5 feet tall.
 
After we got on our campsite in the dry camping area I took a much needed nap.  Mac went visiting our friends, Neil and Jo who we usually see in Key West.  We’ve made a date to go see Carlsbad Caverns on Tuesday.
 
This evening after dinner we went to the club house and celebrated the February birthdays with the rest of the campers here.  It was lots of fun, we enjoyed ice cream and various other goodies. 

Monday, February 25 – Tuesday February 26:

Monday was another work day.  But we managed to see a video we’d borrowed on Carlsbad Caverns.  We’re excited about going there tomorrow.
 
Later in the afternoon we washed a load of clothes and a load of rugs.  All our rugs were dirty with mud from the rain in Livingston.  After doing the laundry we attended the social hour here at The Ranch.  We met some other campers and had some great conversation about places seen and things done.  I also traded a few books at the book exchange here too.
 
Monday evening Mac was asleep before 9:00.  Around 9 I heard several coyotes singing but when I went outside they had stopped and all that I could hear were dogs barking.
 
It got pretty chilly overnight but it was tolerable with a blanket and a quilt on the bed.  Tuesday morning Mac had to turn on the heater because it was about 30 degrees when we got up.
 
Tuesday, a little after noon we headed out for Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  www.nps.gov/cave/  Neil and his son Chance were our tour guides for this adventure.  Jolieanne wasn’t feeling very well today so she stayed home to rest.
 
After arriving at the park and getting our tickets we decided to take the Natural Entrance route into the caverns.  Originally we had thought to take the elevator down but the natural entrance is very impressive so that’s the way we went.  The Natural Entrance route descends more than 750 feet into the earth following steep and narrow trails down and around and down and around till finally it ends near the underground rest area, near the elevators and the Big Room route starting point.  I think it took us about an hour to walk down the trail.  We kept stopping and admiring the beauty.  It is a totally awesome place to see! 
 
After we descended we went to the rest area and had some snacks and rested up for the walk around the Big Room.  It was incredible to see all the natural beauty of the place.  It was tiring also to walk so much and stand and admire the many natural wonders there. 
 
We finished the Big Room and rode the elevator back up to the surface.  We then stopped in the gift shop, of course, and bought our token souvenirs to remember our visit.  This place is definitely on our list of places to see again and explore further.  There is so much to see that we didn’t see today that we’ll have to come back.
 
This evening Mac has worked some and we enjoyed a light quick warm dinner of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  The rest of the evening is spent relaxing and getting ready for tomorrows adventures. 

Mac and Chris at the entrance to Carlsbad Cavern

Winding walkway descending into Carlsbad Cavern

Inside the cavern - photo doesn't do it justice

Wednesday, February 27:

After work today we headed out to a lunch buffet at a local Chinese restaurant in Carlsbad.  There were 7 of us and we had a good time eating and talking.  After lunch we all visited the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.  We spent 3 hours at the park, and we saw animals, birds, reptiles, and plants native to the Chihuahuan desert.  It was a great place to visit and learn more about the desert.
 
We returned home and rested some before dinner. The rest of the evening has been spent planning our future adventures and goofing off.

Chris mentioned the Chinese buffet.  I noticed a few interesting dishes in addition to the typical fare.  You've heard of Tex-Mex cooking?  Well, they had some Chin-Mex here -- two or three spicy dishes were made with Jalapeno peppers!  I should have taken a photo -- and speaking of photos, we have quite a few from the Museum/Zoo at THIS LINK.  

Here's a photo from a few days ago, early morning, Chris hard at work, with a great view of the desert sunrise out our front window.  If you have to work, this isn't a bad way to do it -- dressed in pajamas, in a recliner, and with a great view that we can change with the turn of a key.

Thursday, February 28 – Friday February 29:
 
We didn’t do much these two days; lots of work to do with our day jobs.  Friday we got everything put away, the tanks dumped, the fresh water filled and the car hooked up.  We’re leaving Saturday morning heading for Tucson AZ. 
 
This area is really interesting.  We plan on coming back here again and exploring further.  We want to see the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, explore the Carlsbad Caverns more because we didn’t see all of it.  We’d also like to visit Roswell and other places nearby. 
 
It’s been very peaceful here, it’s far enough off the highway and the highway isn’t heavily traveled that it’s very quiet.  We loved it.  The social hour in the park is fun and the people are very friendly.  We’ll be back to visit again.
 
Another crop that is grown around here that I wouldn’t think of growing this far west is pecans.  There are thousands of acres of pecans trees.  I’d never have thought of pecans growing anywhere but the Deep South.  New Mexico and west Texas just don’t enter my mind as a place where cotton and pecans would grow but they do quite well.

February End of Month Camping Expense Report

We've made a great start for nightly average camping expense this year.  One reason is 77% dry camping so far.  With gas costs up nearly 50% since we started fulltiming it's good that we're saving somewhere!  Notice that our average per "paid night" is lower than ever for this date.  Many of our paid nights have been dry camping at $5, to $12 a night.  So far we've been able to reduce total costs per night each year, and we hope to do so again in 2008!

Continue to March 2008

What did we do in Februaries past?  Take a look at:

February 2007

February 2006

February 2005