Goodbye…Hello!

Just by saying goodbye to one year does not guarantee that all the bad stuff will go with it and the good stuff will come with the New Year but people do it all the time. We, not so much this year, 2016 was not that bad of a year, not the greatest but certainly not the worse, somewhere in the middle of greatness.

We got to live this lifestyle a lot closer to how we love to live it then we have in the past 12 years of us traveling. We found work that allowed us to continue to travel and we have held on to some of them and plan to continue the extensive travel again this year with more to add in between.

Our New Year’s Eve plan is to hang out with one another, sip champagne and do some chatting with a slim chance of being able to FINALLY use our fire pit. We like to come to the desert during the winter and this year we chose Bullhead City. Since we arrived the first of December there has been wind…lots of WIND…rain…lots of RAIN…frigid temperatures…lots of FRIGID temps which has not allowed us to enjoy a few new toys we bought, a propane fire pit and a new BBQ. Yesterday we smoked some ribs and BBQ them but as far as the fire pit, it has been way too cold, or too windy, or too wet from rain for us to sit out and enjoy it but we hope tonight the wind and the rain stays away and we might be able to dress up warm and enjoy the fire for a little while.

From here our plan is to head to Palm Desert, California and work at the Sam’s Club for Lt. Blender. We will then head to Quartzsite and either work the show or just hang out, not sure which yet. Then in February we have nothing planned so we may hang out in Lake Havasu City, Arizona before we head back to California to work some of PepWear events in March and April. Then we added a new adventure…we are going to be working in either Michigan or Indiana at a Firework store for two months, May through July. For August, we have a few NASCAR races planned to attend before we head to once again work with PepWear at the BOA events. Should be a fun and adventurous year.

For now, we would just love to wish all of you the most fantastic New Year ever and we hope that all your dreams come to light this year. We hope you all focus on everything good in your lives and work on the not so good things without allowing them to take over and overpower the good choices you have made. Life is way too short to sit and ponder about the things that you cannot change, be the change and make the best of the life you have been given, and always be kind to others for we never know exactly how bad they have it since many are great pretenders and hide the hurt.

HAPPY NEW YEAR…MAKE IT THE BEST YEAR EVER!

WOW…Just WOW!

Time is really flying by, it is already December and 2016 will be over soon and our last post was back in the beginning of September…WOW!

What a ride the BOA was this year…

We had our week off break in the early part of our adventures and when we needed the time off the most during the Super Regionals we were traveling and working so we had no time for writing. The only writing we had been keeping up with has been our reviews.

The great news for this year is we are both still walking, no wheelchair for either one of us, but we were very tired when it all ended the mid part of November. Then without any rest we went into personal travel time to get us back out west to begin our next adventure in Bullhead City where we find ourselves already almost over with it. This time is very different then the last time we were here…the bags were flying off the shelf and this time not so much. The drinking, boating people are not here, only the locals and they are too much into the holidays and not enough into drinking frozen concoctions. But, we will muddle through and see what happens next.

We have decided that we will hold on to Maggie for a little longer but at this time, we are ready to purchase a tow vehicle but just haven’t found the right one for us yet. If anybody has a tow vehicle for sale or knows of one nearby us, please let us know.

The plan is to hang out in Bullhead City until the first of the year, then head to Desert Hot Springs for a few weeks working at Sam's Club, then to Quartzsite for the Big Tent Show, possibly working or maybe just hanging out. Then since this year again, we hope to NOT have to take a few months’ position at any resort who knows what comes next. We have our feelers out and we are open to most possibilities, so we will see what doors open!

SplitRail RV Park

1258 N Central Blvd

Quartzsite, AZ 85346

928-927-5296

12/2-12/4/2016

Using our Passport America 50% off membership we stayed 2 nights for the price of 1, a mandatory minimum stay required. We paid $12.50 per night for a flat, level, water, electric and sewer pull through site on gravel that included free WiFi.

It was a typical park in Quartzsite, no frills but the hosts were very accommodating and they did have laundry facilities. 

The road noise was apparent as it is in most of the parks here since they are mostly on the main highway in town. This one is the first one when you arrive in town on the right coming from Lake Havasu.

When passing through, we would stay again.

Tra-Park RV Park
3100 Moore Street

Pecos, TX  79772

432-447-2137

2/25/2014, 11/22/2016

2016 UPDATE - It's as if 2 years never passed, everything was the same...EXCEPT the price. We paid $28 for the exact same site as we had two years ago. Customer service was exceptional once again but the only reason we stopped here was the wind was awful and we were not making it another mile so we pulled off and found this place and then realized we stayed here a few years ago.

We paid $20.50 using our EscapeesRV Club Membership for a pull through/back in water, electric, sewer site on level gravel with a concrete pad.  The sites were really close to one another and were set up a bit strange.

They do have laundry facilities that are located in the office area and look as if they were maintained.  We did not check out the restrooms but they were available with a combination lock given to guests at check in time.

This area of Texas has been taken over by oil workers and this park is no different.  The area is a bit rundown and they have no amenities to offer. They only thing they were at the top was their customer service.  We were treated wonderfully and we felt safe but that alone would not be enough to bring us back to this park again.

Midland RV Campground
2134 S Midland Drive

Midland, TX  79703

432-697-0801

2/25/2014, 11/21/2016

2016 - We stopped in for just one night while traveling through Texas and things remained the same at this campground, no upgrades but just maintained. The entire area seems even more run down then it was a few years ago when we passed through then. The host was friendly and this time we actually got into the pull through sites but the way the posts are setup you are sharing so you are right next to your neighbor which we do not care for that type of setup. We paid $31.50 using our 10% Good Sam discount for a water, electric, sewer site on fairly level gravel.

2014 - The weather took a huge turn for us and it was frigid, wet and icy so unfortunately we did not take any photos…we were just relieved that they were able to squeeze us into a site.

We paid $27.20 using our Escapees RV Club Membership 15% discount for an electric, water, sewer, (which we did not hook up either due to freezing temperatures) back in site on a fairly level gravel surface.  Sites were backed into one another but were fairly wide so it did not feel like we were on top of one another.

This area as well is inundated with oil workers but we felt safe and were so relieved that they were able to find us a site since when we first walked in they said they were booked but this site was reserved for a long termer who just had not made it in yet.

The only amenities they have were laundry and restrooms that we did not take the time to check out at all.

We were greeted by very accommodating hosts that helped us to our site and were just as nice as could be.  But again this alone would not be enough of a reason for us to return again but if we were to find ourselves in the area again we would stay here.

Let Our VACATION Begin…

Not as if this all doesn’t feel all like a vacation already, we get a week off in between Toledo, Ohio and heading to Newark, Delaware where we plan to do much more sight-seeing.

For now, let us share with you the past week…

We were hoping to spend some down time on Lake Erie and the plan was to first visit, Huron, Ohio. A very small town located on the channel where ships go in and out of but that did not happen. We made our reservation to hang out at the Comfort Inn River’s Edge for two nights but when we arrived on Monday afternoon we seen that the place was locked up tight. They are closed for the season during the week but our reservation went through…since we were only 25 miles from our next location right on Lake Erie we were able to change up our reservation to Monday and Tuesday instead of Wednesday and Thursday, thank goodness. The strange thing is that when I attempted to cancel the original one where they were closed we were within the 24 cancellation policy and they were charging us…so I got all the information and sent it to our main office and letting them handle it. How crazy is that?

Instead we stayed at the Quality Inn in Port Clinton right on Lake Erie for two nights and had some great needed R&R. The water is our sanctuary and puts us into our happy places so it was great. 

They even gave us a room with a Jacuzzi, but it had a strange setup…no privacy and even after over 20 years of marriage, there are a few things we just do not do in front of one another so it was a bit uncomfortable.

The early morning as we were leaving Port Clinton, as I went to check the trailer lights lo and behold they were not working so we tried troubleshooting them ourselves checking connections, fuses and wires but found nothing so we checked around and there are only a few shops in this area and the first few we called were not taking any more business until early next week…ugh! We did not want to drive without our trailer lights since first it was raining and then to complicate the matter our trailer plates are expired, they are current but the tag was not put on the plate and we are waiting for it to be shipped to us by the main office. We finally found a place that would take us now but it definitely cost us but they were able to find the issue in just over an hour and we were once again on our way.

We stopped at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo and hit all sorts of jackpots, one major one so we are doing well. 

Life is grand and things are falling into place for us and all we hope is it continues so we can make our next phase in our lives a smooth one, whatever that next transition turns out to be...we still have no clue.

We had a GREAT event in Toledo, not only surpassing our goal but by bunches…KACHING!

Left Toledo and made it to Geneva on the Lake in Ohio for a few days of rest and adventures. We had such a marvelous time, hanging out on our patio meditating on Lake Erie, taking a Wine Tour and had a blast, we will write a separate blog on the wineries and our stay at the Lodge.

Things were going so well and we were really enjoying ourselves, all awhile we were keeping an eye on Matthew who if predictions were correct was going to be in our path for our upcoming adventures. Unfortunately, we listened to the initial predictions and began to change and even cancel some of our plans and that is when all hell began breaking loose for us. It always seems to happen to us that when we make decisions out of fear the Universe kicks us around, so it’s time to get back into the flow of our lives and get back on the happy train!

Lodge at Geneva Lake & Our Wine Tour

Lodge at Geneva on the Lake

4800 North Broadway

Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH 44041

440-466-7100

10/3-10/6/16

Our original plan was to just stay and relax for 2 days but added an extra night while we readjusted our plans to head to the east coast since the uncertainty of Matthew still existed. Could not have picked a better place to stay. A bit costly but thank goodness the company picked up more than half of our costs or it would have been about $200 per night which is definitely out of our budget range.

Our view was spectacular and we were up on the 3^rd floor so we slept with our sliding glass door open all night so we could hear the sounds of the water, the wind and the geese…it was glorious.

We ate a few meals at Horizon’s which is located in the hotel…

Since we were not driving we chose to have some wine, one Sangria and a nice, sweet, fresh Riesling from the local wineries...

We started with Popcorn Walleye...How we missed good Walleye...

For dinner Jerry had the Beer Battered Fish & Chips…

And I ate the Asparagus Ravioli…

Both were good but neither were spectacular, but the Popcorn Walleye was fabulous.

We also had the Breakfast Buffet one morning that had some good choices, especially the Potato Pancakes and the French Toast…

We took the Wine Tour which Frank, our shuttle driver and guide picked us up at the hotel and we went to several wineries, Jerry was patiently waiting to load the shuttle...

Our first stop was at Kosicek Vineyards, where we tasted the best Slushy Wines, one was a Riesling and the other was Dam Red, both had the uniqueness of being frozen but they both had a sweet and yummy frozen delight to them. 

We also tasted several others, including a Vidal Blanc, Niagara, 534, Blush, and El Nino’ Concord Iced Wine. Most were good but we didn’t purchase any bottles but would have if the slushies could be bottled.

Our next stop was at Ferrante Winery, since coming into the area we had already purchased a few bottles of their brand at local stores. They have Flights which gives you several tastes for a reasonable price…our Flight included Riesling American, Riesling Finger Lakes Signature Series, Vidal Blanc, Bianco, Rosato, Jester’s Blush, Rosso, White and Pink Catawba’s. We enjoyed many of the tastes but since we had already bought the Catawba’s before we bought the Vidal Blanc to take home. I also purchased a grape necklace that I fell in love with.

By this time the shuttle bus had become a singing, laughing ride while Frank took us through some of the great scenic roads, including over a few of the covered bridges in the area.

When we arrived at Debonne Vineyards we were all ready for more shopping and tastings which we did…this time our Flight included, Vidal Blanc and Iced Wine, White and Pink Catawba’s, Moscato-Riesling, Classic Rose and 3 very fruity, very sweet wines…Peach Tree Grigio, Strawberry Rose, Blueberry Noir. They all were good, some better than others but the one that stood out and was worthy of a bottle purchase was the Moscato-Riesling and I also purchased earrings and a ring to go with the necklace we purchased at the last stop.

Our final stop was at church, the South River Vineyard where they were working on the steeple. This was the most unique place of all, it had been years since I have sat in a pew and the years of Catholic school returned to me immediately when I sat on that most uncomfortable pew ever. At the same time, we loved the place and its uniqueness…our Flight included Creation, Temptation, Riesling Reserve and the Blush Ice Wine. They were good blends but nothing stood out for us so we finished our flight and walked the grounds which were so inviting and comforting.

The drive back was much calmer than the other drives, we all seemed to have had enough tastes and we all had bottles to take back with us.

Our stay here was FANTASTIC and we would highly recommend it to everyone and if we ever have the opportunity again, we would definitely stay here and do another wine tour.