1st Year Travel Summary: Closing the Great Circle

What a wonderful adventure this last year has been!  We've made some great friends, and seen a lot of "new road."  In our 1st full year of RV'ing, we've travelled almost 10,000 miles, either pulling the 5th wheel or traveling in the Motorhome.  This doesn't count the side trips we took in the pickup or the Jeep!  We also went on an Alaskan Cruise to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary.  What a year, and full of blessings.

For a graphic of our 1st year's 'Great Circle", click on the following link:  http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?user=peandbb.

After Vermont, we headed southwest diagonally down the Appalachian Mountains and back to Texas to visit family an friends, then "closed the loop" by heading back to Tombstone Territories RV Resort, near Huachuca City, AZ to spend the Winter.

We had a few issues with the motorhome slide, so scheduled some repair work at a RV dealer in Amsterdam, NY.  While in the area, we stayed adjacent to the Erie Canal on the Mohawk River at Arrowhead Marina and RV.

We also spent a few days at the Pine Valley KOA in White River Junction VT.  

We toured the beautiful Queeche Gorge as well and enjoyed the Fall colors:

Then to Herkimer, NY waiting for parts to come in for the RV:

From there, we visited a very nice RV park in Pine Grove Pennsylvania.  Interestingly, the ladybugs were swarming when we arrived and at least a million got into our coach.  For months, it has been "catch and release" as we distributed the Pennsylvania ladybugs into Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas and Arizona.  

We toured the Gettysburg battlefield.  A very impressive piece of our Nation's history, although the myriad of monuments to the various units that fought here clutter the battlefield in my opinion.

Next, we stopped in Tennessee at Two Rivers RV.  The Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area is beautiful, but way to "touristy" for my taste.  If you like lots and lots of folks, a pancake house and a miniature golf course on every corner, this is the place for you.  

In Mississippi we stopped in Rivertown RV in Gadsden.

From there, we stopped in Livingston, TX for an overnight, then drove onto Georgetown TX for a couple of weeks visiting family and friends, and cleaning out our last remaining storeroom.  

That done, we moved to San Antonio, TX to spend Thanksgiving with Kathy, Tina, Taki, Shelly, Blake, Lydia and Grant. 

Heading West, we stopped in Camp Wood to visit family and stayed at Big Oak River Camp.  Then we stopped in Ft Stockton at the Hilltop RV for a night, before staying one night at the Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces.

To end the Great Circle, we returned to Tombstone Territories RV Resort to spend the Winter of 2014-2015.  Arizona is as beautiful as we remember and our slot has a great view of the Dragoon and Whetstone Mountains.  We'll stay here until early March 2014.  From here, who knows?  I doubt it will be another "Great Circle", but it will be wonderful to see new roads and meet new folks.  

Stay tuned.   

Vermont: September-October 2014

Following up on a promise we made to good friends Fred, Mary Anne and Gibson Hoff, our next stop was to see the Fall colors in the beautiful State of Vermont.  Fred, Mary Anne and Gibson live in Bristol, VT.

Canada: September 2014

After Montana, BB, Henri and me headed North into a whole 'nother country; Canada.  We were worried that we would be given a thorough inspection at the Canadian checkpoint to insure that we were not bringing in guns, un-vaccinated doggies, or conservative leanings into this vast country, but our crossing at Coutts (Sweetgrass on the  American side) was uneventful and anticlimatic.

Montana: August 2014

After completing our cruise, BB, Henri and me headed for Montana to visit friends.

In her younger years, BB, Fount and Fran lived in Bozeman, Montana, and were involved in activities with church friends in that area.  It was great to see old friends and to refresh memories.

Cruise: Seattle to Alaska - Aug 10-17, 2014

For our 30th wedding anniversary, BB and I booked a cruise (my first) leaving Seattle Washington, then heading up Puget Sound, then out to sea for a day toward Alaska, then cruising the Tracy Arm, then onto Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan AK, then to Victoria BC, then back to Seattle.  See the graphic below for our cruise map.

Grant's Visit: Seattle - August 2014

Piling up frequent flyer miles, BB flew Lydia back to Austin, and picked up our Grandson Grant Hewett on the return trip for a week in the Seattle area.

Like Lydia, this was Grant's first airplane ride and he thought it was a grand experience.  Once at the RV, Grant claimed one of the recliners, a box of Cheez-its, kicked his shoes off and said "Ahhhh!."

Flying is Hard Work!

Lydia's Visit and Anacortes Vacation with KP and Family: 7/13 - 7/29/14

Following the 4th of July festivities with Kelly Paul (KP), Tammy and Devon, we moved the RV up to Portland, into the Portland Fairview RV Park.  This is a nice, large park, within the Portland metroplex, and convenient to the Portland Airport.  While the park is well maintained, it apparently does not come equipped with sufficient electrical service to meet the needs of the newer big rigs.  It was unusually hot in Portland, and the electrical circuit for our string of RVs kept clicking off.  Upon inspection by one of the park employees, I was told that I could only run one AC.  We managed, but it was an inconvenience.