Something Besides the Challenge

We arrived in Kanab, Utah on Sunday, April 1^st and began work the next day, the same day the challenge began.  Needless to say that means we have to keep focused in order to learn all we need to learn in our new jobs and at the same time keep up with the challenge.  So far, we have learned a lot and have kept up with our writing too!

We are working at Hollywood Movie Land (it has been renamed and this is the new official name).  It is a museum, gift shop, photography, they do cowboy skits, and the bus tours get fed a meal.  We have nothing to do with the food area, it is a separate entity from the museum, gift shop and photography where we are working. 

 

Our first week entailed a lot of maintenance, inventory, working the gift shop and learning the photography side of the business.  Jerry and I are fitting right into the group and it has been interesting and looks as if it will remain quite exciting.

They provide us with a full hook up site, which is located about 9 blocks away from the store, so we are riding our bikes into work daily.  Some days have been windy and cold but we have found a way to make it work for us.  We are still undecided about getting a tow vehicle and it really feels good to ride our bikes once again.  Hopefully we can get healthier by doing this and not get a tow vehicle.  Sure, we can get one and still ride our bikes into work, but really…do you really think we will?  NOT!

Our days off will be Sunday and Monday and beginning in a few weeks we will be venturing out and visiting the places we have talked about, Bryce Canyon, Zion, North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante, Red Canyon, ATV trails at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes and so much more.

Many of you may know that our first year full time traveling we worked up at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and took thousands of photos of all of our adventures.  Unfortunately, since we just got a new laptop, we did not backup any of it so we lost most of them when there was a manufacture malfunction and it crashed.  We did salvage a few that we put out on our Shutterfly photo account but there were not many in comparative to what we took.  The good news is…we will now be able to replace all those photos and so many more.

We have received many recommendations of places for us to visit while we are in the area, so feel free to let us know your favorite place in this area and we will put it on our long list of places to see.  Small town living will be nice for the next few months.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

G – Gooseberry Falls State Park

Gooseberry Falls State Park is part of the North Shore Drive we took while we were in Minnesota.  It is a fabulous drive that we thought we could accomplish all on one of our two days off visits.  We soon realized on our first trip that it would not be possible to complete it all in one visit.  It actually took a few separate visits. 

Our first visit we stopped and looked in amazement at the Gooseberry Falls State Park and took in the wonderful area.  The drive alone is spectacular, than there are so many different places to stop and check out along the way.

On that same trip we went as far as Split Rock LighthouseState Park where we spent hours listening to a very informative gentleman who was at the lighthouse the night the S. S. Edmond Fitzgerald went down and we were in awe hearing all of his stories.

One of our next visits we made a stop at the TemperanceRiver State Park where we stopped and viewed the area. 

Then drove to Judge Magney State Park where you will find Devil’s Kettle.  This is a long walk through some rough terrain, including hundreds of stairs.  Even though we were not appropriately dressed or prepared, it was worth it.

We made it to the Devil’s Kettle where tons of water goes into this hole to where it comes out is still a mystery.  This is a fascinating gem of a place to do some exploring, but bring your hiking shoes and extra water.

On our last visit there, we made it to the end and stayed at the Grand Portage Casino overnight before getting an early start the next morning and checked out the falls at the Grand Portage State Park. 

These stops that we did are just a few of the many other interesting sights along the way to visit.  Many of the tourist books suggest doing this all in a day, but we absolutely feel it cannot all be totally absorbed in just one visit.  The views are breathtaking and if you are a hiker, you will want to do several hikes along the way.  So if you plan to make this drive, give yourself at least a week to fully enjoy all it has to offer.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.  Our photos are listed by the date we were there, so you will have to go to May of 2006.

F - Frankenmuth, Michigan's Little Bavaria

Sharing my childhood with Jerry is a spectacular part of why we started living this lifestyle so of course we had to go to many of my favorite places while we were in Michigan.

Frankenmuth was at the top of the list, not only because it is Christmas 364 days a year (they are actually closed on Christmas Day), but also the ambiance of some of the restaurants have always been a treasured memory that I just wanted to share. 

The decorations were beautiful, from every color of tree, even black and we even found some NASCAR decorations.

Even though during our visit it rained 99% of the time, we still were able to enjoy Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and some great authentic German food at Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Restaurant.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

E – Excitement Along the Way

Do you ever have that total exhilarating feeling many of us get the night before an event, where sleep is non-existent in anticipation of what is to come?

We are so blessed to get that feeling all the time.

As full time travelers we change our backyards often.  At times we move daily, weekly or monthly so there are days that our excitement level is so hard to contain just looking forward to our next adventure. 

Even if we are stationed for a month or longer, we will take Maggie (our RV) for an overnight drive weekly and hook up elsewhere while visiting the area sights.  

It has been such a great lifestyle for us and the excitement level of starting a new job sometimes weekly, meeting new people daily, and of course seeing things we never thought we would ever see is such an exciting way to live our lives.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

D - Duluth, Minnesota

Minnesota was never one of those states where we thought we would ever spend much time in, but as we soon learned that when we allow life to show us where we should go, instead of fighting it all the way, it works out so much better.  Spending time in Minnesota was one of those times. 

We managed a campground in Aitkin, Minnesota for a few summers which meant we were able to go exploring every week on our days off and Duluth was one of our many favorite places to see.

The streets were inclined worse than in San Francisco but from the top of the town, there were amazing views and worth the climb.  The gates opened for ships to come in and unload their cargo and the bridges were like looking at a wonderful piece of art.

The town had a warm and fuzzy feel to it, it felt like home.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums and be sure to check out the other bloggers that are doing the A to Z Challenge.

C - Casino Hopping Along the Way

One of our favorite things to do while we travel is to visit casinos.  We love having our play days where we are able to have our play time in our playground.  Many of the casinos offer a good inexpensive meal and a cheap place to overnight either in their parking lot or at a very reasonable rate at their RV Park.

We learned early on in our travels that casinos cater to folks like us, they want our business so when we overnight in their parking lot they have the best security and safety is always one of our top priorities.   

Many of them offer some perks by signing up for their player cards.  You can get cash, play money, discounts and so much more.  The perks in years past were much better but many places are still offering some good ones.

Dependent on which state you are in makes a difference as well.  Many of these casinos are located on tribal land, while others will have to be out in the water which makes them all unique in their own ways.  The casinos that are located on the water have an ambiance that is so much fun, they are actually a river boat but once you get on it, you can hardly notice it.

We do have our special games, we love playing the slots and yes, we have won some pretty substantial jackpots.  

At the same time we never lose more than we are willing to lose, we work too hard for our money and if we get on a losing streak…we leave!  As we do with our work and so many other situations in our lives, if we are not having fun…we leave!

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums and don't forget to check out the other bloggers in the A to Z Challenge.

B - Bridges Along the Way!

In the beginning of our travels, we mapped our route and went over all the details, especially if there were any bridges to be crossed.  Jerry would go online and research each and every one of them to see exactly what he was in store for the next day and then lost almost an entire night’s sleep just worrying about crossing the bridge.

Crossing some of the bridges have been intimidating, others not so much, but most have been a great part of our adventures and learning experience.  After a few years of crossing them with only a few incidents, we began to calm down.  It was then we began to understand that even when there were scary things ahead of us, all we had to do is hold on tight and keep moving forward.  There is not a bridge we cannot cross, nor is there a problem we cannot move through when we set our sights ahead.

For more photos of many other bridges we have crossed, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers that are involved in the A to Z Challenge, each have such a different outline of achieving this goal.

A – Where It All Began

Our subject for the A to Z Challenge will be All about our travels and what better way to begin it then to start where it All began.

As children we both had dreams of traveling the country, but as life would have it, life got in the way. We put our dream on hold several times throughout our lives but finally after losing my baby brother, my mother and Jerry’s dad all within just a few years, we knew it was time to begin living our dream.

We are too young to retire and with no other income but what we make from work, we have found such interesting jobs along the way. Life has been exceptional to us as we continue to travel and work.   There are times we are living well, what we call our lobster days and then there are other times when we are counting every penny, our Ramen Noodle days. Whichever days we are living, we are having the time of our lives.

We are able to visit places we never would have been able to if we were still living the stationary lifestyle. With this lifestyle it is almost as if we are constantly on vacation, even though we have to work, we are still able to take our time off and see all the things that have been on our “Life List” (Bucket List). From east to west, from north to the south and every breathtaking mile in between, we are grateful to have all these special experiences to share with our readers. 

That is how it all began…for our future writings in this challenge, we will take you on some of our travels and share with you the many lessons of life we have learned along the way!

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Wine Tasting - March 2012

Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Riesling 2010 - From Acampo, California with a 12% alocohol that we paid $4.97 per bottle that we gave a 7.3 rating. A distinctive fruity and spice flavor that was sweet but not too sweet, with a slight dry finish. Light and airy with a clean taste. One on our list for future purchases.


Lindeman's 2010 Bin 90 Series Moscato - From South Eastern Australia with a 9.5% alcohol, we paid $5.47 per bottle and gave it one of our highest ratings of a 9.8. The citrus flavor was smooth and had a fresh taste with a clear succulent finish. This is at the top of our list when purchasing wine in our future


Livingston Cellars Sangria - This wine with natural flavors and 10% alcohol that we paid $5.47 per bottle, we gave it an 8.2 rating. Sweet & smooth like a Sangria should be, we will purchase this one again


HRM~Rex~Goliath Free Range Red - Acampo, California gave us this deep, dark, bold flavored wine with a 13.5% alcohol that we paid $4.97 per bottle. Not as sweet as we expected since the label stated it was a jammy red fruit flavor. We had to doctor it up with our "Kit", sprite, sweet & sour and grenadine before we were able to somewhat enjoy it. We will not be purchasing in the future.


HRM~Rex~Goliath Free Range Moscato - A Moscato from Acampo, California that has a 10.5% alcohol that we gave an 8 out of 10 and paid $4.97 per bottle. Crisp, light & very refreshing with a slight floral flavor, almost like a brisk walk in the morning during a light snowfall. This will be one of our future purchases.


Sutter Home Gewürztraminer 2010 - A white wine out of Napa Valley with a 13% alcohol and costing $4.97 per bottle, we gave it a 7 our of 10 rating. Since this is our first taste of any Gewürztraminer we will have to wait for any comparison. For now we will say this one is light, fresh & delightfully delicious. It has just the right amount of sweet and dry to compliment one another.


Sutter Home Pink Moscato - A Rose Wine - With 10% alcohol, we paid $4.97 per bottle and we gave it a 7.6 rating. With a slight taste of honeydew melon and passion fruit it has a light, sweet, crisp and clean refreshing taste. One sip the sweetness of the Moscato can be tasted, then the next sip the Rose can be tasted. We would buy it again.


Casella Wines Yellow Tail Riesling - We gave it a 3 out of 10 with a 12% alcohol and paid $4.97 per bottle. It has a dry and flat flavor, nothing like our other tastes of Riesling wine. This will not on our list to buy again.


Boones Farm Sangria Flavored Grape Wine - Gave it a rating of 5.0 out of 10 with a 7.5% alcohol and paid $2.97 per bottle. Fruity, citrus, grape flavor brought back memories of our first taste of wine. Good Sangria's are hard to find so we would probably buy this one again since it has a nice taste.


Casella Wines Yellow Tail Moscato - We gave this a rating of 7.1, has 7.5% alcohol and we paid $4.97 per bottle. Has a sparkly, zingy tropical fruit flavor with the first sip, then refreshes in the mouth, but then a very disappointing end. Really hard to explain since it just left us dry and waiting for something more.


Beringer 2010 California Collection Moscato - 9.5% alcohol from Napa Valley that we paid $5.28 a bottle. Had a floral aroma and a slight fruity taste. A sweet flavor with a magnificently clean, crisp finish. It is definitely on our to buy again list.


Folie A Deux 2010 Menage a Trois Moscato - 11% alcohol, we gave it a 7.2 rating and we paid $8.97 per bottle. Even with a hint of apricot and peach it is not one of the sweeter tasting wines, and even had a dry ending to it. The floral flavor was dominant and gave it a peculiarly taste. From Napa Valley it is a Moscato mingle wine from three separate growing areas, each crafted by a different winemaker. We had different opinions, I would not purchase again, but Jerry said he would drink it if someone gifted it to us and I would not.


Riunite Moscato Movendo Moscato-Puglia - Alcohol content is 8.0%, we paid $7.97 per bottle and gave it a 9.2 out of 10 rating. With a hint of citrus, honey and pear flavorings it has a sparkly, light and fresh taste! It will be at the top of our list to purchase again!



Cupcake Vineyards 2010 Piemonte Moscato DOC - Has a 5.5% alcohol, cost was $7.97 per bottle and gave it a rating of 9.9 out of 10. It has a fresh taste with a sweet and sparkly texture. It is definitely on our list for future purchases. It would go great with any meal!


Bartenura 2010 Piemonte Moscato - Produced in Italy with 5.5% alcohol. One of the highest ($15) we paid for a bottle and was the sweetest, almost too sweet tasting wine. We would probably drink it again but would not go out of our way to buy it. We also had a terrible time getting the cork out, it was dry, the cork not the wine and yes, we do store our bottles lying down.