OK, we took over 170 pictures on the ride from Durango to Silverton and back. Instead of trying to select 3-5 for the previous blog, I opted to do a separate one of mostly pictures. But no picture, not even video, would be able to capture the smell of the coal burning car, the feel of cinders in the eye, the spray of steam as the engine released pressure, nor the bounce, sway, and rocking we experienced for 3.5 hours up and then 3.5 hours back. We sat in a "cattle" car, open sided, but facing out. Yes, colder; but, more leg room, wider butt room and better views. When we got back, we definitely needed a shower for the coal dust and to warm up. But what a wonderful experience!! When we got to Silverton, ... read more

The drive from Bent's Old Fort to the US Air Force Academy was easy. We had advance warning of construction at the North Gate, so went in South Gate, and after a cursory glance at the sticker on the window of the RV and my Retired Civilian Marine card, got waved in. We got to the campground and the staff had everything ready for us. We had a lovely pull through site at the back with trees around us and a great view of the mountains. Check in was very smooth, except for a bit of consternation on my part. I was asked if we had pets....Yes, a cat.....Oh, well I guess she stays inside?...No, she goes out, but usually stays under the coach or close by. Why?....Well, we have coyotes in the area.....That's OK, we ... read more

Leaving our friends Carol and Judy at Venice, we were headed for an overnight at Lazydays RV center, camping and looking at used RVs. But first we had to strike camp and get out of the park. We had the scooter loaded and strapped in, awnings rolled up and Trish, as usual, stowed the inside gear quickly and efficiently. Then it was time to dump the waste. We had a sewer connection at the camp site, but it was down in the ground and I could not get the top unscrewed. I tried tapping with a rubber mallet, twisting with pliers, but no good. So we drove a big circle in the campground and came back to the dump station. Upon opening that sewer, I noticed it had ground water about 12-18" down from the top. ... read more

Florida in August is not a destination taken lightly. We have been in spring, winter and fall. Last time we went in summer was for our son's wedding in 2005. But now our son was asking us to come since his wife had a two week business trip to the west coast and coping with two young boys looked overwhelming. We readily agreed and started preparing. First item was to transport Trish's motorscooter down to him. Trish's knee is getting funky and she finally decided driving the motorscooter was not safe nor fun any longer. We took the scooter to our mechanic and he tuned it up and made sure it was safe and sound. Next we had to get a trailer to transport it. We looked at U-Haul but it was going to be over ... read more

We left Ohio and the next stop was about a week's stay with Carol and Ned Gatzke in Wisconsin. John and Carol had taught together at West Geauga....a long time ago....and had sponsored the first Earth Day at the junior high with skits, a multimedia slide show, and a community clean up. (If you know your eco-history, you can figure out HOW long ago.) We left Chesterland and after skirting south of Cleveland, picked up the Ohio Turnpike near Elyria and took it to the Indiana line. There we dropped off to US-20 around South Bend, then south to US-30. This saved money and allowed us to overnight in Indiana, adding another state to our map of where we have camped. The next day we took US-30 south of Chicago (ugh) and finally to I-80 before ... read more