In May 2010, only two months into “The Great Adventure,” I made a one-week stop in Hot Springs AR and made a day trip to Little Rock to see three attractions: the Central High School National Historic Site, the Clinton Presidential Center and the Old Statehouse Museum. The Arkansas State Capitol and the Arkansas State Vietnam War Memorial remained on my “Must-See-In-Every-State-If-At-All-Practical” List. That list had developed after I had been on the road for several months and both those attractions had escaped me in that newbie foray into Arkansas. I utilize numerous mapping tools from my computer and hope *()&^#%$% the results coincide with Irene’s (my GPS’) analysis of my route; but I have my trusty Rand-McNally at my side – just in case. ‘Twas a very good thing I had followed my (some would ... read more

The drive from Bentsen Grove Resort in Mission TX to South Main RV Park in Houston TX on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 retraced the southern portion of my journey to Mission on US 281. When I reached Falfurrias TX, Irene (my GPS) directed me eastward on TX 285 until I reached Riviera TX where I turned north on US 77. In Victoria TX, I veered northeastward to Houston metro on US 59. The roads were in average condition and, for the most part, four lanes – some divided, some not. Since this part of Texas is much more populated that the stretch I drove on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 from El Paso TX to Junction TX, finding refueling stops was not as great a concern. The entire trip went without any glitches and found me arriving ... read more

From my retirement in 1998 until I began “The Great Adventure” in March 2010, I lived 2-1/2 hours from El Paso TX, whose literal translation means “The Passage,” and have been to the city many times to shop and to retrieve or to deposit passengers at the airport but have never actually SEEN the historic city. As an adolescent, El Paso’s namesake song by Marty Robbins offered a certain mystique to the city. Stories related by my relatives and my father’s friends who had been stationed at nearby Fort Bliss TX fueled my fascination. Having travelled through western Texas and southeastern New Mexico many times, I often wondered what factors caused such a vibrant, thriving city of almost ¾ million people (22nd largest in the U.S.) to develop HERE – amid such stark desolation. The short ... read more

I had taken a look at the MapQuest data for the drive from Riverside CA to my winter base in Apache Junction AZ and didn’t really like what I found – it would be a much longer drive than I fancy. Drawing upon some shorter options, I remembered friends of mine from Illinois winter in Winterhaven CA, just across the Colorado River from Yuma AZ. A quick phone call informed me they already had arrived at their winter home, so Plan B went into full swing. ‘Twas another fine southern California day as I departed Rancho Jurupa Park. Irene, my GPS, guided me through Riverside and onto eastbound I-10. Near Indio CA, I exited onto CA 86 which took me to I-8 near El Centro CA. There I headed eastbound until I reached Winterhaven. I arrived ... read more

Wednesday, November 5, 2014 dawned another blue sky day and had me geared up for the drive from Cal Expo RV Park in Sacramento CA to the Country Manor Mobile Home Community in Visalia CA. The drive south on CA 99 is generally flat with an abundance of agricultural endeavors dotting the landscape. CA 99 is about as close to being an interstate highway as one can get without having the “I” in front of the route designation. By the time I arrived, the office was closed (shortened hours during the off season is a common encounter), but the manager saw me pull in, led me to my assigned site and told me we could settle the business in the morning. As I had noted in a previous blog, my southbound itinerary for the 2014 Chapter ... read more