Farewell & Safe Travels

Mark and I have been living the full-time RV life for a hair over eight years now, but we've decided it's time for a change. Well, I've decided... and Mark is going along with it. We're getting old. Not decrepit old, but too old to mess with all the necessary activities that accompany life in an RV. 

We've thoroughly enjoyed our time on the road. We've had some misadventures, but most of our eight-year journey has been a wonderful experience. 

As I write this, we are sitting in a lovely spot in the Lake Tawakoni Thousand Trails Park in Point, Texas, which is about an hour east of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Mark has listed our Alfa on RV Trader, and we are busy cleaning it up and preparing to move out.  If we don't sell it while we're here, we'll be relocating to Shreveport, Louisiana, where we'll stay until we sell.  

Our next adventure will start with a 56-day cruise in the Caribbean, mid-January through early March.  After that, we'll be contemplating where we want to settle down for the duration. Right now, it's looking like Tucson, but nothing is settled, nor will it be until we've had time to think on the matter and do some research.

I wanted to make this last post to my blog to say "Thank you" to all our devoted followers and to the occasional readers that come and go. I intend to keep the blog active for a while for anyone who may be interested enough to look back at our history.

The world is a crazy place, and we don't know what lies ahead, but an old hymn comes to mind, a few lines of which I'll share....

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

There is great peace in knowing the One who holds tomorrow. I wish that for all of you. May God bless you and give you safe travels through the coming years.

See Ya!

Mark & Cathy

Welcome 2025!

December surprise!

Twenty-five years into the 21st century, and still... no flying cars. Talk about slow growth! On the other hand, we have cell phones with cameras and an app for nearly every conceivable thing. And the ability to talk to anyone pretty much anywhere in the world. I suppose that's worth acknowledging. I'm still waiting for the flying cars, though ... it would make traveling around the country a heck of a lot easier.

But until then, we'll be doing our traveling in a motorhome--for this year at least. And 2025 is shaping up to be a busy year. 

Before I get into that, guess who got to go on a last-minute cruise in December? Sadly, Mark wasn't invited. His long-time friend, Tina (from his working days) had a cruise booked with one of her friends, and that friend had to cancel at the last minute because of a family emergency. So she put out feelers to find someone who would be able to cruise at the drop of a hat...and found me. I had three days to get ready, which is of course plenty of time when one is retired with nothing important to do. We left on the 14th and got back right before Christmas. It was a 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta, and we had a great time. 

Mark and I spent Christmas Day with my son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Alicia. They cooked us a delicious dinner, complete with pumpkin pie. We watched a Christmas movie and visited for a few hours. It's always such a blessing to be with family at Christmas time. 

On New Year's Day, we left Acton, California, and headed for Leisure Coachworks in Fontana, where we're currently sitting, to finish up the repairs that had to be rescheduled from November. They'll be putting a new topper on our living room slide-out and repairing the gouge Mark put in the fiberglass earlier this year while backing into a spot. He was focusing on the rear of the coach and didn't see the speed limit sign, which slashed the front right corner of the coach.

Things happen. Fortunately, insurance will cover most of the cost to fix it.

We'll be here for a week or so and then we'll be heading to Palm Desert before the Quartzsite Rally.

Until next time, safe travels to all and have a happy & blessed new year.

Here are a few pictures from my cruise...

Christmas gingerbread house display on
the Norwegian Joy

Gingerbread house display

What it took to make that beautiful display

Gingerbread port of call

Teppanyaki dinner

Tina and I found a good deal on tacos in 
Cabo San Lucas. The "Pink Taco" - and they
are really pink, and quite delicious.

Ice cream tacos for dessert. Yum!

Sea lions in the harbor at Cabo

Sea lion saying hello

Tina and I riding the tender back to the ship

The view of Cabo from our balcony cabin

This Beatles tribute band was so bad it was fun to 
watch. Two of them are Hispanic and the accent of a
Hispanic trying to sound British is hilarious. 

Puerto Vallarta

Native costumes

Mazatlán Fiesta Show

Puerto Vallarta dance demo with native costumes
from different regions

Same as above

Time Flies!

Here it is December already. Where has the time gone? When last I wrote, Mark and I had just returned from a cruise to Alaska. Much has happened since then, but nothing very interesting.

We spent six weeks along the Washington/Oregon coast. The weather was chilly and foggy and generally unpleasant-- if one is hoping for warm air, that is. We weren't able to get a spot at our favorite campground in Seaside, Oregon, because we waited too long to book. But we did take a daytrip there. Near Seaside is a place called The Sea Lion Caves, which we decided to visit since we hadn't stopped there on our last trip through. The sea lions weren't home, so that was a disappointment. They offered a discount price to look at the caves, but it was the sea lions I was interested in seeing, so we declined.

A persistent issue with the campgrounds along the coast is the unavailability of sewer service, which makes washing clothes (in my RV, that is) problematic. I was happy to say goodbye to that part of the country.

After the coast, we headed inland on our way to Acton where we would be spending most of our winter. We found an interesting little campground called "Railroad Park" where we stayed one night. (They have sewer, and I got some washing done.) Besides their camping area, they rent out railroad cabooses that are renovated into cabins-- a museum motel, you might say. And they have a nice little cafe with great food. Of course we had to try it out. 

Two weeks later we pulled into Soledad Canyon RV Park in Acton, California for a four-week stay. 

Over these past three months, Mark and I have made some life-changing plans. Primarily, we have decided to end our full-time RV traveling at the end of 2025 and settle down somewhere. We don't know where yet, other than it must be someplace mostly warm. We've both decided hot is better than cold if we must choose, and the only other consideration is how far away from our widely dispersed offspring we want to be. Close is better, but close to whom? Closer to one or another, or in the middle somewhere between them all? Decisions, decisions. We have a year to figure it out.

We'll be putting our motor home up for sale next October in hopes that we'll find a buyer by the end of the year. In January we'll be setting sail on a Carnival cruise ship for eight weeks of back-to-back cruises around the Caribbean. 

That said, this will be our last trip across the U. S. in our home-on-wheels. Next week we head to Leisure Coachworks to get some repairs taken care of while we're in the neighborhood. In January we'll be hitting Quartzsite for the RV Rally. Next we'll be stopping in Phoenix to visit our two grandsons who are students at Grand Canyon College. After that, another visit to Carlsbad Caverns. Then a few weeks in south Texas and on to Louisiana to get a new ceiling installed by Ronnie Wolfe (covering up the horrific carpet). From there we go north to Iowa where Mark will work-camp at Adventureland. Once we're done there, we'll make one more visit to Door County in Wisconsin, and then back to Shreveport to finish our journey and sell the RV. It's a little bit exciting and a little bit scary, but the future is always a little bit that way, isn't it?

That's all for now. Stay tuned for the last "leg" of our journey.

Merry Christmas and God Bless us every one!

At Seaside, Oregon

The Oregon coastline is stunning

More of the Oregon coastline

Downtown Florence, Oregon

At Railroad Park

The English Tea House in Florence, Oregon. 
We ate there twice.

The Last Frontier

I finally badgered Mark into an Alaska cruise. It was a hard-won compromise, which he traded me for the Caribbean cruise we took last February. I was sure he would love it once he experienced it, but he's not about to admit it if he did, after making such a fuss about not wanting to go. It wasn't a total bust for him, though, as he got two new Harley shirts out of the deal.

Alaska weather was typically chilly, and several days were shrouded in fog, especially in the morning. The cruise up Tracy Arm Fjord started out obscured in fog, but about halfway along it cleared up and the scenery was beautiful. We didn't get up close to the glacier, however, which was disappointing since that is, after all, the crowning glory of Tracy Arm Fjord. Too much ice in the water.

This is as close as we got to the glacier. You'll
probably need to zoom in on the picture
to see it.

Our port stops were Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Victoria. We didn't do but one excursion-- the White Pass train ride from Skagway and back. Otherwise (with the exception of Victoria) we just walked around the towns, took pictures, and bought a few mementoes. 

Mark loves trains, so the train ride was a must. It was a little scary at times, especially knowing about the recent rockslide that blocked the tracks a short two weeks prior to our visit. We so often take our safety for granted and trust that everything will be as it should. But the truth is, "...thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8). I have to admit that more than once I whispered a silent prayer for that divine safety during that beautiful ride.

Victoria was a late evening stop from about 8 p.m. to 11:30, and we'd have had to pay for a bus ride into town to see anything worthwhile. Neither of us had much energy left by then to get out and about so we opted to stay aboard for Canada.

Mitchell, Mark's son (who lives in Olympia), offered to let us park the motorhome in his driveway and shuttle us back and forth to the Port of Seattle. That was a saving grace. We were having a lot of trouble finding an RV park that would store the rig for a week. We needed to plug into power while we were gone, so leaving it in the Port parking lot was not going to work. As an added bonus, we got a little extra family visiting before and after. Dylan and Alana (the grandchildren) have grown so much since the last time we saw them. It was a joy to spend time with them.

Mark, Dylan, Mitch, Alana & Sammy

Now we're on our slow and steady way to California for the winter via the coast of Washington and Oregon. 

That's all for now

White Pass train ride pictures--

This was the original White Pass trail during the gold rush.

The old wooden bridge on which the train used to run.

Another view of the broken bridge

The front of the train from the back of the train.

Skagway River

Skagway...

Mark had to have his crab dinner

Juneau

Juneau

The famed "Creek Street" from afar

I had to have my clam chowder. I was solo at this meal.

Creative marketing

Ketchikan...

Aboard Ship...

Foggy day

Kinda creepy

Chilling out with a cup of coffee

Last meal of the cruise... Flaming Baked Alaska for dessert

Victoria from the ship

Our inside cabin

Hanging out with the animals

Tracy Arm Fjord...

Foggy start

Lots of ice in the water

Up close and personal with the mountain