Oh the Places We've Been and the People We've Met - Our 5 Years On The Road!

Rainbow over the hills near Capitol Reef

June 30^th of this year marked the official 5^th anniversary of our mutual retirements.  Elaine and I  had decided earlier that year (2013) to retire on the same day, a decision made in part by the fact that our eldest daughter, Sara, was expecting our first grandchild in early July in Colorado.  And we wanted to be there and not have to go back to work in a week or two after that... or really at all!  Bingo, Bango, Bongo, solution was easy in hindsight; sell our house in Eugene (did that soon enough in the Spring of 2013); turn in our retirement paperwork; hang around the Eugene area that both of us called home for most of our lives (well, ALL of Elaine’s life to that point) long enough to say our many goodbyes to so many good friends and co-workers;  then HIT the road! 

Food Samplings from the Home State:

Breakfast at Off the Waffle, a Must stop whenever we return to Eugene

Fresh Oregon Seafood from the Central Coast

We set off pretty much right after our last days of work in our trusty Chevy Diesel, “Bertha”, hauling “the Beast”, our Cougar 5^th Wheel, up and down the Oregon passes, then on through Idaho, Wyoming and on down into the Denver Colorado Area.  We arrived a few days before first Grandson, Jonah’s, birth on the 4^th of July; a great way to start off our retirement travels!  I think they even had fireworks nationwide on that day to celebrate Jonah's birth!

Random Shot #1 from the (Retirement) Road

King of the Road! - No, not Roger Miller, but our very own (late) Tiger Kitty, Briscoe - He hated the Traveling (ie moving) part, but loved hanging out when parked!

Two months later, in early September, we hitched up again and headed out on our first extended grand tour of this Great Country, with a few side trips into Canada along the way.  The rest, as they say, is history, and a grand one at that in my humble opinion; one we’re still building on even now.  For the record, here are the raw numbers during our first 5 years on the road after retirement, Can you tell I'm a frickin Acountant by education and training?...(spreadsheets become me)...don't even try to answer that question!  a Nerd cannot be re-programmed!

Random Shot #2 - This may have been the Highest Point reached in our retirement travels - Pictured are daughter Sara with our new,  and first, Grandson, Jonah, Summer 2013, Colorado Rockies

Grandkids added: 4 (our first 4); all of them precious, and we’ve been present at each of their births (in Colorado, Colorado, Arizona, and Iowa, respectively), and most all of their birthdays since.

Miles Traveled with the 5^th Wheel: almost 56,000, or about 11,200 per year

Total days on the road in those 5 years (with our 5^th): 989, or an avg of 198 per year

Number of times we’ve set up camp with the Beast in that time: 169 times in 129 different parks (we stayed in some favorites more than once)

Number of States visited with the Beast in tow:  39… plus 2 Canadian Provinces. 

And, oh yeah, along the way we traded in a somewhat worn out Bertha, our Chevy Diesel, for a bigger, beefier, Ford Diesel; we call this one Beulah!

States visited during our retirement travels - blank (white) un-visited States are few, a couple around the Great Lakes, several in the New England Mid-Atlantic area, and Mid-South VA, NC & SC

In the following section, I’d like to look at some particularly memorable folks we’ve encountered during our 5 years of retirement travel; many of them helpful, others a bit quirky, all of them leaving a lasting impression for various reasons, on me at least.  So here’s the lineup, in no particular chronological order, or importance, or otherwise… in other words a totally random selection and listing.  After that, I’ll touch on some of the most special places we’ve visited in the last 5 years. But  first, here are some of those folks we’ve come across during our retirement travels:

Random Shot #3- A Big Boy from our Bayou tour near Breaux Bridge, LA

1  A “Good Samaritan” traveling, as we were, along  I35 in NW Missouri.  We had suffered a first ever ‘blowout” on the 5^th Wheel as we left Iowa heading South, and had then limped into a virtually deserted exit (used to have a restaurant and service station there, both closed by that point).  Anyhow, this “Good Samaritan” happened to have taken the same exit, saw us with blown tire in the deserted service station, and promptly offered to call on our behalf a tire shop in a rural Missouri town called Cameron about 10 miles North of there. He not only called the shop, but gave them our tire size and all the details they needed to be ready for us as we crawled up the back roads on a severely under-inflated spare tire (really never entered our minds, to that point at least, that we'd ever need to use such a thing as a spare tire!). The tire shop took care of our needs, and we were soon on our way again headed South.

Random Road Shot #4 - Bighorn Sheep lording over their "peak", near Colorado Springs!

2 “Cuzzin Eddie” (not his real name), residing at an RV Park in Loveland, CO.  He was in the site next to us the first time we stayed in Loveland, he staying in an old, small 5^th wheel trailer.  His pickup was equally old and small (compared to Big Bertha at least), and it’s bed was crammed with junk, a portable BBQ, a couple spare tires, odd tools strewn here and there, etc, etc. One of the back windows of the extended cab pickup was a plastic sheet taped as tight as he could get it.  I talked to him briefly a few times; he told me he was an oil rig worker up near Cheyenne, Wyoming; but he stayed down there in Loveland, about 80 miles south as I recall, because there weren’t any RV spaces available up there, particularly during the Cheyenne Rodeo.  So "Cuzzin Eddie" commuted between 150 and 200 miles round trip every work day; returning each evening to hang out by his pickup swigging beer; part of what makes America at least interesting, if not “textbook” GREAT.

3 Verdi, a real sweetheart of a woman, who manages the family RV Park, “Poche’s Fish and Camp” in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (she’s a Poche by birth).  This lady is the ultimate in Southern hospitality, always gracious and accommodating, and honest. She doesn’t take VISA down payments to hold a reservation, her word and ours are good enough.  

Sunrise over the lake at Poche's Fish N Camp

4 Diane, manager, with her husband, of Tempe Travel Trailer Village.  She, like Verdi, is a real “sweetheart”.  Her RV park was our Tempe home until we moved into a real house in 2014; but we still used it as our arrival/departure/staging area before and after our RV wanderings away and back to Arizona over the past few years.  Diane was about as nice a person as you could meet, always accommodating and gracious.  Sadly, the park was closed down a couple years ago, leveled for urban redevelopment, and Diane and her husband moved to join their family in the Eastern States. We miss her!

Random Shot #5 -Mt Rushmore - George, Tom, Teddy & Abe solemnly contemplating the present state of Presidential politics!

5 Waitress in Texhoma, OK/TX – We stayed overnight in this little town on the Oklahoma/Texas border only because Bertha decided to pretty much quit running on a quick return trip from Iowa to Arizona; Happened at a stoplight in the middle of the town, the motel was just a half block away on the left; so we limped there until we could figure out things.  This was probably the only (decent) motel in town; and we went next door to one of the few restaurants in town for dinner, a place called LeAnn's Restaurant..  The chatty waitress, who looked to be in her early to mid 20’s at most, filled us in a little on her life; 2 or 3 kids… can’t remember how many, the oldest being about 7 years old as I recall… it was probable, I figured then, that she may have had the oldest kid while still in high school, or soon thereafter.  But the most amazing thing about this young lady was that, in her entire lifetime, as she related to us that night, she had only traveled maybe 200 or so miles FROM her small, isolated hometown, which was out in the middle of nowhere… that LONG SOJOURN (for her at least) being a trip to Dallas. As she said (paraphrasing), she was "born in Texhoma, and would likely be there the rest of her life"!

Okay, this was IT! " Paradise" in Middle America (or possibly Not!)... But the food was decent and the home-grown waitress was, well, "priceless"!

6 During a visit to probably our favorite RV Park on the beautiful Oregon Coast named Sea & Sand, near Depoe Bay, we came upon a fellow named Larry... or rather he "came upon us"... who was wandering through the park talking to pretty much everyone he found.   Larry, a distinguished looking elderly gent, seemed to be the unofficial greeter in the Park.  I had observed him making his rounds earlier, talking with other campers; and when he came our way, he told me his name, and a few tidbits about himself; and then asked what our names were, where we were from… all that routine stuff.  What I learned about him and his wife was that he was a retired doctor from the Palouse Country of Eastern Washington (little town called Garfield); they owned about a thousand acres there, most of which I believe he said they leased out to local farmers/ranchers, presumably giving them the freedom to roam as they wished. The Oregon Coast seems to be a favorite getaway destination for them.   They were about ready to head home to help celebrate the 13th birthday of their oldest grandson that coming weekend.

The "Beast" (our Cougar 5th Wheel) at Sea & Sand RV Park

7 Worker – Discount Tire & Wheel, Broken Bow, OK -  Somewhere along the way you’re going to have mechanical and other issues with your RV, or tow vehicle, when you travel as much as we have (For other examples, See notation #1 previously, OR, #8 Or #9... or maybe also #'s 11/12 to follow... Well, you'll probably fully appreciate the point by then! ).  One of these occasions occurred as we pulled into a State Park near Broken Bow, driving slowly through the campground to find the best campsite.  At that point another camper flagged us down to tell us we were missing a wheel; go figure!  Found it soon enough lying by the road just inside the campground entrance.  Things got a little complicated then, since we were out of cell phone coverage down in the park and the nearest town, Broken Bow, was some 20 miles away. 

Where Did IT (the front wheel) Go?

 But I was able to call from the Park headquarters, getting azhold of Discount Tire & Wheel there; and they immediately sent somebody out.  This young man took our wheel and tire… the bearings were burnt up… back to the shop, returning a couple hours later with tire re-mounted on the wheel with new bearings now inside; but he had to return to the shop a 2^nd time for some other parts before finishing the job.  He must have spent 6 hours on our project, but the shop just charged us for 1!  God Bless Oklahoma, and most especially this young man and his Company!

We three-wheeled it into  this beautiful State Park near Broken Bow!

8 Joey – owner, Big Rig Truck & Trailer shop in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.  We were stuck about 20 miles East of Santa Rosa along I40 a few years back when I noticed smoke coming up from one of the left wheels on the Beast as we were hotfooting it down the freeway.  Uh Oh!.   I pulled off at the next exit and discovered that the wheel was barely attached to it’s axle… NOT a good thing!  Good Sam Roadside Service called out Joey from Santa Rosa to help us out.  He quickly told us our wheel was shot, the bearings burned up.  Now what?  The WHAT was that Joey told us he’d rig the axle on our trailer so we could pull it on 3 wheels back to his shop.  Said he did this all the time with the Semis.  I wanted to believe him; and lo and behold that’s exactly what he did, propping the axle up so the side without a wheel wouldn’t drop down and drag on the pavement at 50 miles an hour; and we limped back to the Big Rig shop.  It took him most of that day, but Joey got us on our way that same afternoon, with new wheel bearings and tire (the tire had some issues as well). He's a hero in my book!

Random Shot #6- Snow in Louisiana?  It could happen!,, and Did!, Lafayette, Jan. 2014

9 Woman driver in Texarkana who flagged us down  - This marked the third time we had  burnt up bearings in a wheel… note, we’ve since put on new, heavier duty axles on the trailer to mitigate a belatedly diagnosed problem of excessive weight on our factory issued axles.  Anyhow, we were cruising along a 4 lane highway in Texarkana, Arkansas when a lady in a sedan pulled up alongside us and started gesturing at me, pointing to the rear (ie the left side of our trailer).  Puzzled, I immediately pulled over to the shoulder and took a look, immediately noticing that one of the wheels on that side had partially pulled away from its axle…. Not a good thing!   As luck would have it, a quick Google search on our IPhone (God Bless Google!) revealed there was a Tire Shop less than a quarter mile away.  We called them, slowly wobbled on 3 steady wheels the few hundred yards to the shop; and had the wheel bearings replaced with no further damage.  I cannot thank this mystery woman enough in hindsight.

Random Shot #7 - At Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, TX; yukking it up with Austin Honky Tonk Legend, Dale Watson!

10 William and William (for short, Will and Will) from Seguin, Texas – These guys, a Father and Son team who run a Mobile RV Company  called Lone Star Services out of Seguin, which is  NE of San Antonio, are something special as RV Service folks go, being Professional, Personable, and Responsive all at once; admirable qualities for any small business, particularly so if all 3 qualities are apparent in abundance, as is the case with these guys!  Since we spend a lot of time on the road with our RV, in effect “living” in it for long spells at a time, we can’t just pull everything in that easily and take it to the nearest fixed RV shop when a problem arises, where, as we've come to know, wait times are sometimes several weeks. 

 

We've stayed at Pecan Park several times during our Texas trips

 So usually we call the Mobile guys; some communities have them, a lot do not.  Anyhow, one of our regular stops in Texas is at Pecan Park RV Park near San Marcos.  And twice we’ve called on Will and Will for expert service there (some 25 miles or so from their base in Seguin), the most recent request being to fix broken RV steps; and before that, I believe there was a Water Heater problem/change-out, among a few other things. And they've delivered with commendable service on each occasion!

A River Runs Along It, The San Marcos at Pecan Park

11 “Cuzzin Bruce” (The first name is real, I added the “Cuzzin” part) – We parked next to this character in an older RV Park, "Tinsley's", in Weatherford, Oklahoma, an emergency stop for us when the transfer case on Bertha, our Chevy Diesel, went kaput (as we later discovered).  Bruce, a small, skinny guy always with a cigarette in his hand, tried to help, really he did; claimed he was a mechanic and could maybe figure out what was wrong with my pickup; he couldn’t. It seemed like his mechanic skills were a little rusty. But he sincerely tried to be helpful, and that effort was sincerely appreciated in return. 

Cuzzin Bruce's R V!  Shade provided courtesy of the Beast and her awning

Spaces were close together there, and our awning, when extended out, almost touched Bruce's old motor home.  Once Bruce popped out of his front door and thanked us for providing shade for him (with our awning).  Later, before we left Weatherford, he told me he’d been there a couple years, his “old” motorhome had broken down, the engine shot.  So he’d parked it there, didn’t have the money to repair it, or to go elsewhere it seems; and had no air conditioning; a scary thought in Oklahoma most times.  I often wonder if he’s still there even now a couple years after we spent that day or two parked next to each other.

Random Shot #8 - Home Away From (today's) home in (still our real Home) Eugene, Deerwood RV Park

12 Owner & maintenance guy at Tinsley’s  -  “Cuzzin” Bruce (see #11 above) provided moral support of sorts when we were stranded overnight in  Weatherford, OK; but Mr. Tinsley (can’t remember his First Name), owner of the RV Park, and his maintenance man (name unknown) actually provided the expert guidance we needed at the time.  They inspected our transmission, quickly deduced that the Transfer Case on Bertha was shot, specks of ground up bearings even brought out for my uninformed eye to stare dumbly at, as proof thereof.  Then Mr. Tinsley, who seemed to know everybody in town (and vice versa) arranged for us to go into a nearby transmission shop the very next morning to put a newly reconditioned transfer case in old Bertha; reassuring me as well that, if I drove real slow to the shop, I should make it without the transmission totally locking up.  He was right, a new transfer case was soon in place, and we were on our way by mid-day the next day.

Random Shot #9 - Sunset over the Gulf Coast of Florida

13 Miss Betty,Waitress at Blow-Fly Inn, Gulfport, MS -  Miss Betty had heavy Blue eye shade, that detail I remember clearly… and she liked to talk. This was a day or so after the Super bowl (Feb 2017)…  She said she was very happy that the Patriots won… I asked her why a Southern Gal like her could possibly like the Patriots, particularly since they were playing Atlanta.  Miss Betty responded, in kind, by saying she was born and raised in Massachusetts… She also said you’d never hear her saying “y’all”… We didn’t!

Ms. Betty, Super Patriot Fan, holds court here!

14 Deerwood family- Deerwood RV Park, on the outskirts of Eugene, was our first “home” after selling our previous home (the kind that has a foundation and lot) in SW Eugene in the Spring of 2013.  We moved our 5^th Wheel there and practiced living full-time in our “small apartment on wheels” as we prepared to head out for real at the end of that June.  And all during that first stay, and in pretty much yearly return visits since, we have been totally impressed by the friendly extended family that owns and operates this wonderful park.  We’ve made special requests for particular spots we favor on each return; and in nearly every case the staff has found a way to accommodate us.  They are a first rate, welcoming Park... and Family... for sure!

Hanging with some of Our Own Family at the Family run Deerwood

Lastly, we’re sometimes asked, "which place (or places) do you like best; or which would you recommend visiting"?  At the risk of going on and on and on… for 1. That’s often my style; and 2. There are so many great places in this country…. I’m going to list, in no particular order, MY OWN Top 5 picks for pure scenic splendor that we’ve visited during our retirement travels.  But first a pictorial summary of  a few Good Eats from around this Great Country (No need to "Make it Great"... It always has been so, and this is part of the proof!)

 Great Food across the USA -  Here are a few prime examples:

Lobster on the Claw - At a Lobster Pound in Maine

         

Crawfish Boil, at Poche's, Breaux Bridge, LA

 Slow smoked Texas BBQ at Kreuz Market, Lockhart - Just the basics - butcher paper, plastic utensils, NO SAUCE! - Simply the Best BBQ in the World comes out of Central Texas in my humble view! 


Now, after a delicious food break, here are those TOP 5 picks for places visited. Keep in mind, these are places in the Continental United States we’ve visited AFTER retirement AND while towing our 5^th Wheel Trailer.  Thus, they do not include air travel to places in Mexico, Europe and the Caribbean during that time, for instance, as well as other places in the USA visited before (but, so far, not after) retirement, such as the Grand Canyon, for a prime example. But, alas, we have another commercial interruption  from your Host before we get to that Top 5 listing!

Random Shots #10 & #11 -    On "Golden Streams" - Two scenes from possibly (NO, not possibly) the Greatest State in this country!  Okay, my Bias is real... Deal with It!

Sweet Creek, in the Oregon Coast Range, near Mapleton

In Central Oregon, near the Deschutes River and LaPine; I believe this was Fall River!

Oregon Coast – Elaine and I have each been going here, with our own families in younger years, and then together, often with our two daughters early on, for, well, pretty much our whole lives.  In a word, we never get tired of its rugged beauty!    Oh by the way, Great Seafood (duh!)

Oregon Coast, near Depoe Bay

Niagara Falls -  Many people would no doubt have this natural wonder on the border between New York and it’s Canadian neighbor, Ontario, on their “bucket list”.  It was on ours too; and we were not disappointed in the least when we  visited in 2013 on our first trip out East after retirement.  We will definitely be back, maybe as early as this year.  The Falls are simply STUNNING!.

On a lot of Folks' "Bucket List", including ours, until then!

 

Yes, it's that good!

Bryce Canyon, Utah -  Utah is a funny state, socially and religiously conservative… not my personal style… but physically blessed with some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in this country, if not the entire planet.  Count Bryce Canyon right up there at or near the top of most any natural splendor.  We’ve made several trips over the years (including pre-retirement ventures); enjoying the spectacular rock displays each time.

From down on a trail beneath the spires... a spectacular view!

With our good friends, and frequent traveling companions, Connie and Addison

Capitol Reef, Utah -  For me, this is the oft-times overlooked jewel amongst the splendor of so many Natural Wonders in this great State.  But, again in my opinion, it may well be the best that Utah  has to offer.  Elaine and I first visited this unspoiled gem on a slightly delayed honeymoon trip way back in 1981, that trip involving a rutted, quasi jeep trail (since improved to a regular 2 lane highway) over a spectacularly autumn bedecked (with Yellow Aspens) pass to get there; and we’ve returned several times since, including a special 30^th anniversary trip pre-retirement; plus two visits since retiring.  It is, to me, in a word (or two or three) stunning, fascinating, enticing!

Hiking thru a Narrow Canyon- Capitol Reef

As the Critters (baby sheep!) watch us go by!

Hickman Natural Bridge - Capitol Reef

Oregon Cascade Mountains -  Okay, two from Utah, now two from Oregon, our home state; maybe I’ll admit by now to a Western USA bias…. Only natural since I, and Elaine, have spent our entire lives residing in that Western Part of the United States.  But these mountains earn my vote, Oregon/Western USA bias notwithstanding, hands down, on their merit alone.  Like the Oregon Coast, Elaine and I have each spent, individually and together, most of our lives traveling through, camping and exploring these beautiful mountains.  And, like the Oregon Coast, we never get tired of them.

Mt Hood.... from the Air on this particular occasion!... But always spectacular from the Road as Well!

The 3 Sisters - Oregon Cascades




So that's about IT from our  last 5 years - Cue in old Willie: "On The Road Again, Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again!"