Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Gulf Shores, AL

We are now in Gulf State Park located in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Left Ft Walton Beach this morning. This was a very nice drive with lots of interesting and pretty scenery. The is a very nice park located on a lake about 1/2 mile from the beaches. Very nice camp sites with concrete pads and patios. Located close to lots of things to do, like going to see the Blue Angels practice. Charley has already discovered that and we are planning to go either tomorrow or Thursday.

Charley also found a Lambert's Cafe (home of the throwed rolls) nearby. He has been wanting to try it so we will probably do that also.

Cheyenne likes it too. Lots of water and maybe we will even be able to take her to the beach. We will have to check to see if they allow pets or not.

Planning to be here at least until Saturday but may extend.

Will post some pictures as soon as we get them uploaded.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Our Last Day in FT Walton Beach

Charley went to see the planes that the Marine base has on display on Saturday and took lots of pictures. He enjoyed this very much. Other than that we hung around the campground. We did discover that there is a tick problem here. Cheyenne has picked up several and one actually got to me before we realized there was a problem. This may be a drawback to any future visits to this campground.

The only thing we did yesterday (Sunday) was go out to lunch for a change of pace. Went to Olive Garden and had their never ending salad bowl with a bruschetta appetizer. Yum!

We plan to leave here today and head for either Pensacola FL or Gulf Shores AL. Will be calling two places today to see if they have available sites.

More to come tomorrow.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Panama City Beach

We drove over to Panama City Beach yesterday to see more beaches and see if there was anywhere that would allow Cheyenne to go on the beach. Good news is that the beaches are beautiful. Bad news is that Cheyenne cannot try it out. Pets appear to be off limits everywhere. Will have to wait until we get back to a SC beach I guess. Until then we will have to find other water for her to play in.

Panama City Beach and Destin (which is between FT Walton Beach and Panama City) are more tourist oriented than FT Walton Beach. Lots of shopping, including large centers and outlets as well as small specialty shops. Destin has a lot to offer in the way of restaurants so if we decide to eat out again before we leave that is probably where we will go.

Charley is still not feeling all that great so we will probably stay close to the campground today. He does plan to go look those planes over sometime today and I know he will enjoy that!!

I have attached some pictures from New Orleans (promised several days ago) and others from Florida. Will update again later today or in the morning.

New Orleans - Steamboat on the Mississippi River, Superdome, French Quarter




























FT Walton Beach




















Panama City Beach


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Rainy Day

Today was rainy until late this afternoon with temperatures in the mid-sixties. Good thing we had planned to stay in for the day.

Charley is feeling a little better and we did get the 5er cleaned up today. Not before it needed it though!! It looks so much better.

We both had a nap this afternoon, much needed I must say....

Cheyenne had limited walks due to the rain so she had a lot of energy this evening. But she finally played with her toys until she tired herself out. Oh to be young again!!

We went out to a local seafood restaurant for dinner tonight. Had fish and shrimp and it was very good. This was a really small place that has been in Ft Walton Beach for a long, long time.

We may drive down to Panama City tomorrow and look around. We'll see how Charley is feeling in the morning and then decide.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Another Quiet Day

Charley is still not feeling well (caught a cold) and we stayed pretty quiet today. We did ride to the beach to see if we could find a place to let Cheyenne run in the ocean but pets are not allowed on any of the beaches here. So she had to come back to the campground to get wet. And she did.....

Planning to clean the camper up top to bottom tomorrow and have dinner out.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

First Day in Ft Walton Beach

Today we were busy trying to get a few things taken care of. Had to do laundry before we ran out of clothes!! Also, had to get into a somewhat heated discussion with Walmart about my prescriptions. Somehow they have lost some of them and even when I got on the phone and found the store number where they were last filled and the phone number, they contacted the wrong store!! We finally got that straight but my refills are still missing in action from the online pharmacy where I order..... Planning to check over the next few days and see if they show up again. Have not had a problem up until now. I am suspicious that the store in Livingston, Texas may have messed something up.

Cheyenne got into trouble last night, just like a child!! Someone complained that she ran up to the edge of the road barking at them and caused them to almost fall off their bicycle. They called the office and complained and someone stopped by to let us know. Cannot imagine being afraid of a dog as small as she is. And her bark is really just a squeak, nothing ferocious!! Oh well, some folks just don't like animals and I guess this was one of those..... Anyway, we are leashing her so that she cannot get all the way to the edge of the road now.

We like Ft Walton Beach so far. We are planning to go to the beach tomorrow for a short visit and not do much of anything else but rest. Charley has a cold and is feeling really worn out right now so he needs some R&R time. We have to get rested up because we have to have a big camper cleaning day this week, top to bottom....

The air force base here has a bunch of different airplanes on display that Charley is anxious to go see up close. We will do that sometime this week also. Most of these are the older planes that the air force has used.

We do like this campground. The biggest drawback is that they don't have some of the amenities that public campgrounds have, like a dining room/restaurant, pool that sort of thing. But that is not a big deal for us. The laundry facilities could be better. We did our laundry at a laundromat in town. More expensive but much quicker than it would have been here.

Still more to come.....

Monday, March 22, 2010

Ft Walton Beach FL

We are now at the military campground at Hurlburt Field in Ft Walton Beach, FL. Left DeFuniak Springs at about 8:30 this morning and arrived here around 10:30. This is a nice, inexpensive way to go.

Got all set up and then went on base to set up General Delivery at the Post Office so our mail can be sent to us. Then made a quick run for a few groceries needed for dinner tonight.

Charley has the DirecTV satellite set up and working. Cable TV is not an option at this campground. Actually we have the best picture we have had since we left SC.

Have to make a big grocery run tomorrow and a trip to Walmart for prescription refills. And we HAVE TO do some laundry!!

Then we can start seeing the sights. Anxious to take Cheyenne to the beach and see how she likes the salt water and sand!!

Will try to send more pictures soon. Will include a couple from New Orleans since I never did that.

More to come......

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Travel to Florida

Well, we have arrived in Defuniak Springs, Florida at the Sunset King Lake RV Resort and we are disappointed with the location. The campground is very nice but it is located very, very far away from where we wanted to be (Ft Walton Beach or Panama City). So, we have registered for only two nights and will be checking tomorrow to see if we can find another place.

We are going into Defuniak Springs tonight to Walmart and to see what the town looks like. Otherwise not planning much while here.

Cheyenne has already been to the lake with Charley and went swimming!! That puppy loves the water. We are going to have to buy her a kid's swimming pool to carry with us!!

More tomorrow.....

Friday, March 19, 2010

New Orleans

Yesterday we did not do much. Went to Best Buy and out to breakfast. Other than that just hung around the campground.

Today we had breakfast at home and went into New Orleans in the afternoon and had dinner out. Campground provides shuttle service into the city and back so we did not have to drive.

Walked around the French Quarter, saw the Mississippi River and a steamboat, saw some very crazy people, and had dinner at Pat O'Brien's. Charley had Jambalaya and I had Lemon-Vodka Shrimp pasta. Both were very, very good. Also had Hurricanes and they were very large. I did not like the Hurricane very much so gave that to Charley and ordered my old standby, a Bloody Mary. We also had cheese cake and pecan pie for dessert!! Yum!!

We are off to Florida in the morning early. Will be staying two weeks at Sunset King Lake RV Resort in Defuniak Springs which is near Pensacola. I will post some of our New Orleans pictures tomorrow. Too tired to fool with it tonight......

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Pontchartrain Landing - New Orleans

We left Betty's RV Park at about 9:00 this morning and arrived at Pontchartrain Landing in New Orleans at 12:30. Only a couple of stops on the way, one for breakfast and one for..... you know....

The roads were awful. We bounced for half of the trip!! But we arrived safely. Found that things had moved around a little more than they usually do when we are on the road. Nothing broken though.

Pontchartrain Landing is on the river but it is in the city and in an industrial area. If you can overlook that it is very nice. Large campsites with full hookups.

The campground has a shuttle that will take you into New Orleans, to the French Quarter. We are planning to check into that and try it out while we are here.

Cheyenne has already started making friends, but then she always does.

Will report more on New Orleans in the next couple of days.

Still in one piece!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Betty's RV Park

We got a replacement for the HDMI cable but we have decided not to hook up the satellite until we get to Florida. We will use cable until then. Charley is going to see if he can get the procedure down but if it continues to take a long time to do we will order a 'bird dog' to help.

Now Betty's RV Park is the place to really meet people!! She has a happy hour every day at 4:30 and everyone comes. Some bring munchies and you bring your own drink. It is enjoyable to share travel experiences with others and see what they have learned and where they have been. Most of the folks here this week have been full timing for a while and are much more experienced than we are so we listen a lot!!

We did go out to dinner to a local seafood restaurant, the Riverfront, last night with about 10 others from the park. Very good food and excellent company.

We are planning to have pork chops for dinner tonight but not sure how we are going to prepare them yet. First time we have cooked since we arrived here.

We will be pulling up stakes and moving on to New Orleans in the morning.

Happy Hour



Dinner at the Riverfront Restaurant

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Another Travel Day - Mostly

We had breakfast at Gulf Coast RV Resort before we left this morning around 10:00 (new time). This was a very nice park, we will probably visit again someday.

Today's trip was uneventful and that is good. We arrived at Betty's RV Park at around 1:00. Very small place that is run by a lady about our age.

We went to the 4:30 happy hour that Betty has every day. She and some of the campers provided munchies and it is bring your own drink. She told us about a couple of outings that may take place before we leave so we may have to try this out.

We went into Abbeville to try to find a place for dinner. All of the restaurants were closed so we had to settle for fast food. Oh well, at least we got something to eat....

When trying to get our satellite working we found that our HDMI cable got cut when the TV was lowered into the cabinet for travel. Will have to try to find a place to get one tomorrow. Just watching movies tonight (no cable and no antenna channels).

More to come on Betty's RV Park in the next couple of days.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Travel Day

We left Braunig Lake in San Antonio at about 8:40 this morning and arrived in Beaumont, TX at around 1:30. Staying at Gulf Coast RV Park and it is very nice. Plus they are a Passport America park (always welcome).

Our travel was uneventful. The most exciting thing during the trip was our drive through/around Houston (big city, big traffic).

Tomorrow morning we leave for Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, Louisiana. Supposed to be a fun place to visit.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Last Night and Today

Well, obviously I did not get back into our blog to update on our evening out yesterday. No excuse other than I just konked out when we got in.

Charley took me to the Texas and and Cattle restaurant for dinner. It was absolutely delicious!! We had a very attentive waiter who helped me celebrate my birthday quietly.... Had a wonderful filet mignon that could be cut with a fork and all the trimmings. Charley had a NY strip. We had appetizers and dessert which is unusual for us but it was so good. I definitely ate too much!!

Today will be spent starting to get the 5er ready for travel tomorrow. Plus Charley is taking me shopping for my birthday today. Hope I can find something to wear that will fit!! (I did find a couple of shirts but no pants/jeans. Charley got a western shirt to go with his other cowboy attire.)

Then tomorrow we are up early and trying to get on the road as early as we can. Headed for a one night stay in Beaumont, TX.

Charley suggested that I include a couple of pictures of our evening so here you go....




Thursday, March 11, 2010

3/10 and 3/11 Activities

March 10

We spent the day at the campground yesterday and Charley finished washing the camper. It looks so much better!!

Last night we went to Riverwalk. Walked around some and then had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (very good food and reasonably priced). Then we went on the boat ride. Took a lot of pictures and video. It was beautiful at night. Some pictures are attached. Columbia, SC should consider doing something like this around the Vista or somewhere. What a money maker!!






















March 11

Today we plan to stay at the campground and then go out to dinner for a BIG Texas steak to celebrate my birthday. This is my 60th and I am very proud of them all!! I am letting Charley decide where we should go. Will report on this later today. So far this morning he is spoiling me!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

A Long Sightseeing Day

We went to Corpus Christi, Padre Island and the King Ranch today. It took us almost 9 hours start to finish and we are both exhausted.

It was an interesting day. Even though we did not actually tour the King Ranch we got to see enough to get an idea. It was very warm today and we had Cheyenne with us and decided it was too risky to leave her in the truck long enough to do the tour. We also visited the King Ranch Saddle Shop and the King Ranch museum.

We saw the Gulf coast at Padre Island. The water was very rough today and the tide was in so we didn't drive on the beach.

And Corpus Christi is a fairly big city. Lots of oil refineries in the area.

We have both decided that day trips this long will not be in our future unless they cannot be avoided for some reason.....

We had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and went out for dinner tonight at a Mexican restaurant that was recommended to us. Both were very good.

We plan to go for our boat ride at Riverwalk tomorrow evening.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rainy, Rainy Day

Spent today at the campground. Rainy and cloudy/windy all day. Not a good day for sightseeing, that's for sure.

We did make all of our reservations for the remainder of this trip and that makes us feel better.

We are planning to go to King Ranch, Galveston and Padre Island tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be really nice for the next few days. Then we will probably go for our Riverwalk boat ride Wednesday night.

I think Charley is planning to take me out to dinner Thursday night for my birthday. I think steak would be in order.....

Cooked a big breakfast this morning, bacon, eggs, grits and toast and it was so good. Been a while since we have cooked a large breakfast. Had BBQ pork chops tonight with salad, rice and bread and that was good too.

Cheyenne continues to enjoy her walks and romps in the puddles, rain and tall grass. She is going to miss this when we get back to SC.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Doing Almost Nothing

We spent today at the campground. Ate "all you can eat" pancakes with the ladies this morning which was very good. Planning to grill burgers tonight.

I worked on our income taxes and Charley watched the race. And we got a little bit of laundry done.

And that is all that there is......

Not sure about tomorrow. Rain is supposed to be on the way. We may have to wait until Tuesday to venture out again. But, then, that is all right too.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Another R&R Day

Today was just another day spent at the campground relaxing. We had breakfast tacos this morning at the campground and they were pretty good. Better than cooking our own for sure!!

Rest of the day was just relaxing, straightening up a little and cooking dinner after a nap in the afternoon. And we had Charley's favorite for dinner tonight, fried chicken!!

Cheyenne did have to say goodbye this morning to Tigger, a friend she made this week from Kansas.

This was about it for today......

Friday, March 5, 2010

Fredericksburg, LBJ Ranch, and Luckenbach

Another road trip today to Fredericksburg, the LBJ Ranch, and Luckenbach. Well worth the trip!!

In Fredericksburg we visited the Pacific War Museum and it was awesome. They have done a magnificent job of putting this together and showing all that happened. Huge number of items on display from that period in our history. Also ate lunch at an authentic German restaurant and it was so good. Been a long time since we have had German food. Main Street was a lot of shops and restaurants but the architecture was beautiful. This is definitely a place that we may visit again.

The LBJ Ranch was nice too. The ranch that this former president grew up on has been well preserved but yet it is still a working ranch. Again, well worth the visit.

Luckenbach now is another story. This little town, and I do mean little, really consisted of only one store and the post office.

It was a long day but again well worth it. We will probably take tomorrow off and rest. It is supposed to rain anyway and sightseeing in the rain is no fun!!

Below are some pictures of all three places from today.

Fredericksburg (Pacific War Museum and Main Street)




























LBJ Ranch








Luckenbach



Thursday, March 4, 2010

A Work Day

We stayed at the campground today and did a few chores. Cleaned up inside the 5er, did laundry and Charley started washing the outside. Got about a third of it done today. Planning to do the rest later.

Cheyenne had an interesting day. Charley took her for a walk this morning down by the small lake that is in the campground and she jumped in!! Jumped right back out though, was a little chilly.... Guess we know now that she is not afraid of the water but we should have known that already, she loves mud puddles!!

And she absolutely loves to be outside. You cannot go to the door without her.....

Planning to go to Fredericksburg tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

A Road Trip Today

Well, we went to Boerne, Guadalupe River State Park and Bandera today. Guadalupe State Park is very nice and very secluded. We got some good pictures of the river. Boerne and Bandera were sort of a disappointment. Charley had read about these on some of the blogs from other RV'ers and all indications were that we should go. Maybe it just wasn't the right time of year to visit. Our impression was that they were just little tourist towns with lots of shops, especially Bandera.

We may be taking the day off tomorrow but plan to visit Fredericksburg and Luckenbach next. Fredericksburg's website makes it look like a very interesting place. And we still have to decide when we are going for our evening boat ride at Riverwalk.

We were both very tired when we got back so not planning anything big for dinner tonight, just some leftovers.

Below are some pictures that you may enjoy. None worth taking in Boerne.

Guadalupe State Park











Bandera











Charley in his new black cowboy hat!!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Hat and Shoe Shopping!

We did not make it to the little towns today. Decided to wait because it was really cold and windy this morning.

And, I was wrong!! We did not wait until we got to the little towns for the cowboy hat. We went to Herb's Hat Shop and he got two!! One for winter and one for summer wear. He has to stay in fashion you know..... The summer one is straw but my favorite is the black felt one he got. Needless to say he is happy!! Now all we have to do is figure out how and where we are going to store them so they will not get smushed!!

We also bought new sneakers for both of us. The ones we had were about to fall apart!!

Then just a quick grocery run and hanging around the campsite.

Planning to do steaks and potatoes and salad tonight. Yum again!!

Going to some of the little towns tomorrow. Anxious to see whether or not those that are proclaimed to be real western towns really are or not. Also looking forward to Fredericksburg, it is supposed to be a neat place (German town). If we get good pictures we will share a couple.

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Alamo and Buckhorn Saloon

We went to downtown San Antonio today and visited the Alamo and the Buckhorn Saloon. The day turned out to be pretty nice with the biggest issue being the strong winds. Nevertheless it was awesome to visit the Alamo again. We took lots of pictures and attached are a couple of the Alamo and one of the Buckhorn.

We also stopped at a couple of places and looked at cowboy hats for Charley. We are not going to buy until we see what the small towns we plan to visit have to offer.

Cheyenne went with us and stayed in the truck while we were sightseeing. She was an angel and did not bother anything!! We hated to leave her cooped up in the fifth wheel for half the day. If she continues to be good we will do this all of the time until it gets too hot.

We are planning to go to visit a couple of the small western towns tomorrow to see what they are all about. We are really hoping that they are real old time western towns. Not sure but maybe we will go to Fredericksburg too. It is an old German town near San Antonio.

We plan to wait until later this week to take our boat ride on the Riverwalk. The weather is supposed to warm up. We are planning to do this at night so a little warmer would be nice.

Fixed a quick dinner of BBQ pork chops, rice and salad tonight. That hit the spot!!

Maybe we will report that we found Charley's cowboy hat tomorrow. Who knows??