The "last" Dairy Queen

Good morning one & all, especially the McLoud G.T. Classes who have been following our trip! The BIG road trip...3600 miles of driving...ended on February 19th, about 7:00 pm, after a stop in H'ville to visit mom at Heritage Village, and of course, a final DQ stop in Durant for those dip cones. We were up pretty early in friday & on the road toward Dallas, right by Canton, TX and the "First Monday" sights. The Nav system takes us around Dallas, but traffic is pretty bad, even at noon. We stop for lunch in Sherman, at the Olive Garden and some salad, soup & meat balls. Then a TJ's, Texas beer store & on to Oklahoma..the Choctaw Casino is hoppin'! Up hiway 48 to Allen, Atwood & H'ville, with a car wreck thrown in there..not us. Mom was happy to see us and we had a good visit and then on to the cul-de-sac. It was a great trip, despite the weather, with the main reason for the trip..the Shuttle launch,,the BIG highlight, but the entire Kennedy Space Center, the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge,the Ringling Museum of Art, a visit with Joan and camping at new places all highlights too. See ya next trip! mike/kk

Cajun lunch on the bayou

Well, I could be like Lewis & Clark & say that "nothing much happened today", but I suppose it did. We were up at 8:00, had a light breakie of cookies, a "moon-pie" & some fruit. Started packing up our stuff, stowing it away and bringing down the camper for our departure from the KOA. We both slept better last night..must be getting used to the noisy traffic. Down to I-12 & west bound toward Baton Rouge & pick up I-10 for Lafayette. About lunch-time, we arrive at the Breaux Bridge exit & off we go for Mulate's Cajun Restaurant! I had the grilled catfish with shrimp etouffee sauce..WOW! KK had the grilled shrimp & the potatoes were the best! Did I mention the gumbo? Out of sight! We won't have to eat for days, or until a DQ comes along. And some real good Zydeco (swamp rock) & Cajun music playing too. (Dancing every night.) Back on the road & catch I-49 north toward Shreveport. The LA roads are really bad, and toss you up & down, so you can't even sleep or read. A quick stop at the LA Visitors center, in the Alexandria area & some good coffee & maps. On to Shreves & a bypass around the area to pick up I-20 west-bound for Texas. We are looking for RV camps, but decide to press on to a motel for the night & watch the Olympics instead. But first a stop in Longview--HI Dick Simon--for gas, Wally & a DQ! On to the west a little while longer & a stop East Lindale, TX at a Days Inn. Not too far from Canton, but "First Monday" is next week, so we'll head on to Oklahoma tomorrow. A very late supper at Burger King..a short walk from our motel room, but I'm still full from lunch. See ya back on the cul-de-sac on Friday.

LaFonda lunch

Man, at least we stayed warm last night..in our bags & under mountains of covers, but it was noisy. You would think we were camped over I-12 & not 1/2 mile away. I woke up a few times & so did KK & we were up about 8:15 & of course it was chilly..28. A light breakie of coffee, cookies and toast. Then off to the post office to buy stamps & westerly to shop. First there's a super Target, then Marshall's, Steinie, Burlington & since we're hungry by now, we ask our navigation system where the closest Mexican place is, and guess what? It's The LaFonda Mexican Restaurant! How could we pass that one up? It's so-so, but the beer is cold. On to a little more shopping & back to camp by 4:30 & traffic is really bad. I go on a little ride,,8 miles & have to ride in plans just to stay out of traffic. It's too cold anyway, even bundled up. Get dressed and off we go to bass Pro Shops, which is right by us & we get a few items on sale. Just across the lot is a new place, VooDoo BB Que..looks like a good spot & we see TV's in there, so we sit at the bar, eat, drink & watch some of the Olympics..women's downhill & a gold & silver by the USA gals! Back to camp by 9:00 and some texting from Frances that the OSU boys won, but girls lost. Get the coffee ready for tomorrow, as we''ll be pulling out of here & heading west & north..maybe some good Cajun food for lunch!

FAT TUESDAY!

Happy Mardi Gras everyone..where's the party? Actually, it's just south of here in the French Quarter, but it's noisy enough here at the KOA..maybe some ear-plugs tonight. But back to the morning & our get away from the KOA in Chattahoochee. I get up about 8, fix coffee & check e-mails before KK gets up..and her coke is in the freezer..outside, where it's 28 degrees! I go up to the KOA office & have their breakie,waffles & sausage & get a egg-biscuit for KK. Break down the camper & exit by 11:00, EST, but only 10 minutes down the road & it's CST! We get an hour back! A stop for gas & some shopping in the Pensacola area, where the Navagition System leads us to a mall & KK's Clinique,a TJ Maxx & lunch at WhatAburger! This puts us behind schedule & maybe not Lafayette tonight, but hey, who cares? Plus , a very large fire on I-10, as truck is engulfed in flames on our side of the road! So KK looks in the KOA book & calls the one near Baton Rouge and they have a spot, so away we go to Denham Springs, LA, only 30 minutes from where we are. We pull in about 6:30, setup, start the heater, check e-mails & go to eat at a local restaurant, La Grange. It's so-so..a chicken fry, and mashed potatoes for me & broiled shrimp for KK. Lots of LSU & Saints stuff in this place. We cruise around for a little while & then head back to shower, blog & pay some bills. No Olympics tonight, but we heard that some of the skiing was postponed anyway. Goodnight.

A "Joan" McMuffin

Up at 8:00 and prepare to leave southern Florida, where it won't be 70 until Saturday. A sunny 45 this am , as we load up the auto, have some coffee & go over to get the camper at the storage spot. Joan & I preform this duty. Then back for a nice breakfast of a Joan McMuffin..uuummm, good! Joan has a tennis party & we're heading out, so we say goodbye & off we go on the 41 bypass & then I-75 north to Tampa, Ocala & I-10 west. It was a good time at Joan's place & we saw a lot of her friends & had a great time, despite the weather. Joan has even fixed us sandwiches, but we still manage to stop for a DQ! We roll into our KOA in west Tallahassee, actually Chattahoochee, Fl by 5:00 & set up & get our heater goin'..it's supposed to be 26 here overnight! (In sunny Florida.) I go ride 1 mile & then we go into town..25 miles away to Marianna, FL & have supper at Ruby Tuesday's, as the bar has some TV's so we can watch the Olympics,,at least the Downhill. Food is ok,,a "premium" burger & talapia for KK. We did check on the KOA in Lafayette, La & they have room for us, and a Mardi Gras parade at 6:00, if we can make it. When we get back, I shower and write in my journal, before e-mails & such. Now I need to go to bed to warm it up a little, although our heater is working ok. See ya on Fat Tuesday!

It's much later & I've been frozen waiting for the pics to upload. We really didn't have anything from today so these are the last day before we left Venice (not Italy!) Hope we make it thru without frostbite, lol.

Sunshine! but cool

Happy Valentine's Day! We stayed up late last night, so we all slept in, but Joan was first up & made the coffee. I got up & got KK's card & gift ready..a bird ornament! We all have breakfast by Joan & as the girls get ready to watch Syracuse play Louisville, I suit up & go for a spin into Venice & find the Legacy Trail along the Intercoastal Waterway..all paved & very nice. Despite the 57 degrees I stay warm & even visit the beach. There were more people there than you might guess, but the sun was out. Back to the condo & a sandwich & see the last of the BB game (The 'cuse lost.) I check out Joan's bike & it needs a new tube, but ok other than that. The girls go for a walk & I shower and watch the Olympics. Then, as the girls return, I am summoned to fix another gal's bike.(It's good to be needed.) Off to the beach with Joan & then the Audubon Rookery for a nightcap & lots of waterfowl, and even a gator or two. (Great Blue Herons, Anhingas,Great Egrets & White Ibis). Now Joan is preparing supper-fish, potatoes & salad. We'll be hitting the road tomorrow, heading for Tallahassee and the west KOA. Hope it's quieter than the east KOA. see ya in the "panhandle"!

It's a Circus out there!

Joan is up early to play tennis & it's 51 out there-too cold to ride, at least for me, but the coffee's ready. A cookie & I'm good. Scan the lappy for e-mails, before KK gets up. Joan gets back and we have breakie before getting ready to go up to Sarasota to the Ringling Museum of Art. It's not just a circus place but some fabulous works of art. It's pretty crowded, but we get in and head for the BIG works of art.. Renaissance & Baroque works by Rubens, Titian & many more, and a special showing of Norman Rockwell prints. On to the Circus area, with actual wagons, railcars & history of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus. But in the next building was the BEST exhibit..for me anyway..a 3800 sq ft display of a circus, in miniature (3/4" =1 foot) and believe me, it is unreal! One man, Howard Tibbals has been working on this for 50 years & it is done in the most intricate detail-like 7,000 folding chairs that actually work. I bought the book if ya want to know more. He did meet an Okie, Harold Dunn, from Jet, that influenced him early on. Then a short walk up to the ocean and the Ringlings home,-Ca'd'Zan- and a tour at 3:00. A very lavish home for 1926 and a nice docent tour of this Venetian Gothic palace. Back to the condo to get ready for dinner at the Saltwater Cafe. Believe me, this is no cafe. It's a nice restaurant & great seafood..caught fresh daily. I get the fillet, with shrimp & scallops scampi & KK gets the crusted sea bass..GREAT! A family next to us gets the "all you can eat" crab legs & I think they're still eating them. The cafe even had a band (one-man) playing and we danced a little as we left. Back to watch some of the Olympics & book a KOA for Monday night in Tallahassee. A good day & our COWBOYS beat the boofers today! No biking today but a great day!

A shoppin' Day

A nice warm place to sleep & we wake up to potatoes cookin' & the coffee ready..thanks Joan! A big breakfast & then I go out for a quick spin before it rains and now I have 100 miles for the trip. Back to shower & then we all go to downtown Venice to shop. Some really neat shops in the area & we hit 'em hard..yes, a few flamingos, post cards & other gifts. Then the rain hits, the wind blows & we run for the car & off to see the beach & Wally World. Back to the condo & a light lunch, before writing some post cards, visiting & just lounging around. It's still raining, so we have some wine & relax. We're getting ready for tonight's opening ceremonies for the 21st Winter Olympic Games. (And, it turns out, a very exciting Pitt/WVU BB game!) It's late, see ya Saturday..GO POKES! Thanks Joan for another great meal! We actually ate in the entire day.

South to the Gulf

A very chilly night last night, but we stayed warm & toasty, buried under mountains of blankets. A little coffee, cookies & pack up the stuff for our trip southerly to Venice. We get it all packed up & taken down & exit by 11:00 am, get a small refund from the KOA. Over to US 1 & a great breakfast at Steve's Family Restaurant. Plug in Joan's address into the Acura's Navigation System & off we go. About 3 hours later, we pull into her plan & there she is! Unload the camper & take it over to a storage facility & bring our stuff into her condo. She's here for 3 months & likes it very much. Tennis courts, swimming pools, golf course & the beach right here. After a beer & some snacks, I go out for a spin..10 miles..and KK & Joan walk & visit. Then we all, plus Jenny, John & another Joan go out for dinner at Robbi's Seafood House. Great local place with good Food & cold beer! I get the combo platter-blackened, KK the grilled Salmon & Joan the fish tacos. Back to the condo for a night cap, some more visiting , blogging & to bed. Still cool--58 today--and rain for tomorrow afternoon.

The Eagle has landed

Yep, we saw an Eagle, but that was later in the day. First, another good sleep & up at 9ish, put of the coffee & who wants to go out? (it's 45 out there!) Cook some breakie, wash dishes & suit up for a ride,,I layer up & even wear earmuffs. KK stays at the camper to read & walk..too cold for a ride for her. I make it back after 14 grueling miles & 200' of "climb" & I was dressed just right. We decide to go to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, just north of the Shuttle launch complex. Down rt 46 , US 1 & over a "swinging bridge" to the island. We had to wait a little for the bridge to open & let a boat go thru..KK didn't like that. On to the visitor center & a nice elevated trail around some freshwater ponds and marsh areas. A pretty cool Osprey nest, with one perched on the edge, but no gators. Of all things an armadillo waddles thru the parking lot as we leave. The docent at the visitor center tells us where we might see some eagle action , so off we go to the Black Point Wildlife Drive-a 7-mile loop thru wetlands at 15mph & thousands of birds, waterfowl, alligators--one 14' long!--no flamingos, but a pretty pink, Roseate Spoonbill. There is lots of activity here! As we exit this area, we spot a Bald Eagle perched high up in a pine tree & stop to get his pic! Then off to Playlinda Beach & the Canaveral National Seashore. We have our senior card for a Free entrance but no one is there, as it's pretty late & the park will close in one hour. No problem, we make it in time & see the ocean, seashore & some great views of the launch pads. Back over the bridge & the Intercoastal to US 1 & where's a good place to eat? How about "David's Family Restaurant"? A blend of American, Chinese, Japanese & you name it food. (It's ok.) On to get gas & of course, a DQ! Back to camp to start getting ready for our departure tomorrow. Take down the canopy, shower, and blog! We better bundle up tonight, as a low of 33-34 is predicted. On my ride today there were a lot of locals covering up their plants, as is the KOA. see ya in Venice.

Rain drops & no roses

Ok, sleep in 'till 8:30 and it was a great sleep! Put on the coffee, have a couple of cookies, and I go out for a ride before the predicted rain arrives. There was supposed to be a launch of a satellite today, but if it went, we didn't hear it. I make a nice loop and get in 12 miles with a massive 200' of climb. KK stayed back at camp and read, facebooked & walked. Just as I get back , it starts to sprinkle, so I eat a sandwich, shower & off we go toward New Smyrna Beach. We were there years ago (25 to be exact) and got burned real bad, but probly not today, as it's raining pretty hard. We chose to take US 1, instead of I-95 & we see a lot of interesting places and things..parks, RV parks, old motels, the inter coastal waterway, birds. We make it to the beach & drive out Flagler Street & it is a downpour & windy. The surf is massive but no surfers are partaking. The bar across the street looks inviting, so over we go to The Breakers Bar for the "best burgers in central Florida!" A great view of the ocean & good drinks-a Mai Tai for KK & a cold draft beer for me,,at least. The burgers are FAB! We stay for quite a while and migrate into Happy Hour, just enjoying the afternoon. Then we head down the street to hit some of the little shops and sure enough, we find a "bird" or two (Flamingos!). At two different shops and even some chocolate wine. Back south to the camp & a purchase of a bigger blanket for the incoming cold night..supposed to be 35 wed night! Now we need to do some washing, so we load up the clothes and go to the KOA laundry & it takes a lot of quarters-$2 each load to wash. While we wait , KK reads and I am blogging..that's about it for the day..not too exciting but a good day for us travelers.

We have LIFTOFF!

All I (we) can say is WOW! What a spectacular sight! It's all you can do to take pictures and not just watch it blast off. The weird thing about it--SCIENCE!--is the rocket blast lights up the sky and no sound, as we were 11 miles from the site. Then all of a sudden, here comes the roar, and the Shuttle is gone. Endeavour, it's crew of six and the payload left on time at 4:14 am & by the time we got to our car..8 minutes..the spaceship was 680 miles downrange and 46 miles high. It reaches orbit in just over 11 minutes at 17,500 MPH! We also made some adjustments to our viewing. We slept in the camper until 2am & then drove to the beach and stayed in the car until 15 minutes before launch. This also enabled us to get out faster & back to the KOA in 25 minutes, but it may be tough to go to sleep. more later..and pics! OK, we slept in until 10:45 & 11:00, respectively, and lounged around for awhile, before cooking breakfast..at 12:30 & ate on the patio as it was a nice 65 degrees and sunny. Then we decide to go on a little bike ride, but long sleeves feel good. Off on a nice little loop toward the Salt Lake Mgmt Area & KK ends up with 12 miles & me, 17 and a massive 300' of climb! Hit the showers & decide to have leftovers for supper..pizza, fish, ribs. Jump in the MDX and off to historic Titusville, Chop's Restaurant & Wally World & finally, DQ! Then up I-95 to camp & some blogging, facebook & e-mails. We also call Joan and get info for our trip down to Venice & a visit with her & her friends. Maybe it'll be warmer down there, but first we may have too get an electric blanket! (It's supposed to be a low of 36 on wed night!) What a Day! And the Shuttle is scheduled to hook up with ISS on Wednesday.

Opps, back to Feb 6th

(Sorry, with my body not knowing what day it is, I skipped over Saturday.) A great sleep for me!and I needed it. A clear cool morning and the coffee tastes great! It's an 80% GO for launch sunday am. The temp warms a little..62 & we go out for a nice 14 mile ride and find some interesting places..a salt lake wildlife mgmt area with a bike trail and pretty nice, until high water turns us back. We return to camp, shower & head for Cocoa Beach, looking for Major A. Nelson. On our way south, we stop at the Moonlight Diner for a couple of burgers..good, but not Tasty Burger Good! On south on A1A toward Port Canaveral, where some huge cruise ships are docked and getting ready to head out. Into Cocoa Beach and guess what? A Dairy Queen! It is very crowded at this beach area & difficult to get to the beach, but we manage to find a public spot and take a few pics. Kinda reminds me of Myrtle Beach, but it is chilly. Now we head back up 95 to camp & get our "tailgating" stuff for the launch tonight. We decide to go back to Paul's Seafood, have dinner & stay is their lot to watch the event. Dinner was good! I had the seafood platter & the scallops were FAB! KK had the broiled shrimp & scarfed 'em down. Now we have to leave the lot & come back at 1 am, pay $10 and then sleep until 4:00 . We do get to use the restroom in the joint so that makes it ok, and with around 200 autos in the lot, somebody is doing ok. We just love helping out the economy! It's pretty chilly out-about 45-so we are bundled up & sit on the beach as the countdown continues, but at T minus 8 minutes, NASA scrubs the launch..too many clouds in the area, so back to camp we go..see tomorrow, when ever that is.

Armadillo, but no pillow

Feb 7th..it was a long night, and the parking lot at Paul's Seafood Restaurant was packed, but at 8 minutes to go for launch, NASA called off the "countdown" due to weather. Too many clouds in the area, so it is now set for 4:14am, Monday morning. So back we go to the KOA & believe me, traffic is bad-no blizzard however-but it takes us one hour to get back and only 15 miles. We sleep in 'till 11:00, make coffee, cook a good breakie-eggs, sausage, toast & potatoes. It's only 58 today, but sunny so I go out for a 12 mile ride & KK stays here and walks..and what do I see? lots of waterfowl & an armadillo rooting in a ditch. Back to camp & shower, before going to supper at Valentino's Pizza--PDG!(and home-made Italian dressing!) We watch the start of the Super Bowl there & then go back to the KOA clubhouse to watch the rest with some Indiana folks, who I met today-they have a camper like ours. The Saints prevail over the Colts 31-17..poor Payton. Now we need to get some zzz's before we go back to the beach for the launch time..it's a 60% go right now, but a little cloudy. Hope we can deliver a launch in a few hours.

Stormy Weather

A nice day to start out & I even got in a short 12 mile ride..man, is it flat here! This was after breakie & the usual coffee..my own blend!..and cookies. Then a shower & off we go for the Space Center again. The temp is ok..74, but it looks like rain at any moment. The first stop is the Astronaut Hall of Fame, included in yesterday's ticket price. A very good setup about all of the Astronauts, starting with the original seven. Lots of memorabilia, films & actual items from the trips to space and back. Now back to the Center & seeing some of the things we missed yesterday..the "Garden of Rockets" & an Encounter with an Astronaut. To be specific, Al Worden, who was the pilot on the command module for the Apollo 15 mission. It was a good presentation & he told a lot of personal stories connected with the mission & being an astronaut. We even got a picture op with him, with our camera! Now home thru the rain & downpour across the channel, but it let up as we got to Titusville and some shopping. Back to camp & supper here..mackies, sandwiches & a cold Dundee. See ya tomorrow..it's almost launch time!

OOPS

Well I messed up the picture posting last nite, but think I figured out why they were being put over the top of the text. So I wont do that again. I think I'll try out my theory. MXA is just going out for a ride & I have some free time!