San Antonio, TX: Friday, March 9, 2007

San Antonio skyline holds a lot of memories for Sharon. It was at Fort Sam Houston that Sharon received her basic training when she went on active duty with the Army Nurse Corps.

It was getting late in the afternoon when we passed thru San Antonio and we did not take time to stop. We had been to Fort Sam Houston just a couple of years ago so we did not seen a need to stop this trip.

We were headed to Junction, TX for our camp site for tonight.

NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

The Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX is the administrative, mission control and astronaut training center for the United States manned spaceflight program.

We spent most of today at the center touring the facilities and visitor center.

The original Mission Control Center handled all of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. The oringinal two IBM computers had only 400 KB of memory which is one reason all of the engineers during those early flights kept their sliderules handy. Most of the math calculations were done the old fashioned way with a sliderule, something that is hard to find today.

The Saturn Rocket was last used on the Apollo
17 flight. The next Saturn Rocket would have been used for Apollo 18 but that program ended once the Space Shuttle became available. The Saturn Rocket is now on display. It was originally out in the open but NASA has built a building around it to protect it.

The current program deals with the International Space Station and a mockup of each of the space station modules is housed in a special building used for training and mission problem solving. Sixteen nations are participating in the International Space Station Program.Tomorrow we travel approximately 300 miles to Junction, TX. We hope to stop in San Antonio for lunch at the River Walk (Sharon's old stomping grounds while she was in basic training at Fort Sam Houston). Type to you tomorrow.

Houston, TX

We arrived in Houston, TX on Wednesday, March 7th. After finding our camp site, we set up camp, fixed dinner and got a good night's rest. We plan to visit the NASA Johnson Space Center tomorrow.

Itinerary for the next few days!

Thanks to Michael B. for the suggestion. Here is our itinerary for the rest of our trip. If anyone has any recommendations for things to see we would appreciate hearing about it. Don't forget to look ahead a few days because I might not see your comment before we get to the destination.

Thu, Mar 8: All day in Houston, TX. Visit Johnson NASA Space Agency.
Fri, Mar 9: Travel to Junction, TX.
Sat, Mar 10: Travel to Carlsbad, NM.
Sun, Mar 11: Visit Carlsbad Caverns.
Mon, Mar 12: Travel to Las Cruces, NM. Visit Fay+Snookie Cox in Cabello (Alamogorda).
Tue, Mar 13: Travel to Benson, AZ. Visit Tombstone.
Wed, Mar 14: Visit Saguaro National Park.
Thu, Mar 15: Travel to Tucson, AZ. Visit James+Anna Baker.
Fri, Mar 16: Travel to San Diego, CA.
Sat, Mar 17: Visit San Diego all day.
Sun, Mar 18: Visit David Jeremiah's Church in El Cajon, CA.
Mon, Mar 19: Travel to LA, CA. Visit George P.
Tue, Mar 20: Visit with George P.
Wed, Mar 21: Visit "The Price is Right". Sharon has a Camouflage shirt that reads; "Vietnam Nurses Love Bob Barker."
Thu, Mar 22: Visit with George P.
Fri, Mar 23: Travel to Las Vegas, NV. Visit Hoover Dam.
Sat, Mar 24: Travel to Flagstaff, AZ. Visit Sedona, AZ.
Sun, Mar 25: Travel to Holbrook, AZ. Visit Meteor Crater.
Mon, Mar 26: Travel to Santa Fe, NM.
Tue, Mar 27: Travel to Amarillo, TX.
Wed, Mar 28: Travel to Oklahoma City, OK.
Thu, Mar 29: Travel to Little Rock, AR.
Fri, Mar 30: Travel to Nashville, TN.
Sat, Mar 30: Travel to Galax, VA.

Looking forward to receiving your recommendations for places to visit.

Pappadeaux in Beaumont, TX

We knew we would be traveling thru Beaumont, TX, so we asked our good friends Lamar and Margo Hebert where we should stop for lunch. Lamar recommended Pappadeaux on I-10 west of Beaumont.

We stopped for lunch and had our second Cajun meal in two days. The gumbo was excellent and the french bread was the most authentic that I remember having since I went to high school in Orleans, France in the late 50's.

We hit the restrauant about 1:30 p.m. after the main lunch crowd, and had most of the place to ourselves. Wonderful table next to the plate glass windows with all of the flowers in bloom. It was 71 degrees today in Beaumont.

After lunch we drove on to Houston, TX. We plan to visit the Johnson NASA Space Center on Thursday and perhaps see some more of Houston as well.

Thanks for that old Army Training!

When we got up this morning I had several items in the camper that were not working: Water Heater igniter, the stove hood light, the LP detector and the water tank level monitor.

Checked thru the camper book and could not find anything until I looked at the wiring diagram for the camper electrical system. Each of these items is on the same circuit. When I traced down the circuit on the fuse panel, I found a 5 amp fuse that was blown. Went to the campground store and purchased a pack of 5 each 5 amp fuses for $1.42. I only needed one so the total repair cost was just $0.28, tax included.

We are packing up and heading to Houston, TX today. Will write more this evening.

La Cuisine et la Musique Cajun!

We ended our day at Randol's, Salle de Danse. A typical Cajun restaurant with live music located in Lafayette, LA.

I tasted my first crawfish, gumbo and the crab and corn soup and it was outstanding. If I wasn't already full I would have ordered another serving. We finished the meal with a great bread pudding.

The music was there also. Great Cajun band!

The dancers did their version of the Cajun Square Dance. It looked like a slow waltz or two-step walk, at least until they stepped up the beat and the music played faster. Then they really started to swing.

Spring is in the air!

Among all of the debris and construction, someone still found time to plant some flowers. They are beautiful. A glimmer of hope that things will be made right again. At least in this small part of the world someone is still able to smell the flowers.

9th Ward, New Orleans, LA

The large national chains like Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and some of the chain restrauants are up and running and doing a booming business. Their parking lots are full. It looks like Christmas shopping except that all of the vehicles are pickup trucks buying building materials.

The local "mom and pop" business don't seem to be doing as well. Many of them are still in need of much help.

9th Ward, New Orleans, LA

Some of the home situations would make you want to cry. Here it is, two years later and folks are still digging out.

Some of the buildings still need to be torn down because many of them look as if they are beyond repair.

On other blocks you can still see folks cleaning up and rebuilding. There were several locations were there were Church vans parked and a half-dozen folks were working on a single house.

9th Ward, New Orleans, LA

Here it is two years after Katrina and things are moving ahead.

As we drove thru the 9th Ward, there was a great deal of construction activity on both private homes as well as commercial property. Trucks with building materials and constructions crews coming and going in every direction.

New Orleans, LA via Ferry

We stopped at the Louisiana's Welcome Center to ask if the roads were open enough to drive thru the 9th Ward. They gave me directions and a map. Since I usually navigate better than Sharon, Sharon drove the truck and I gave her directions.

I missed the turn on Paris Street and we ended up on a very narrow entrance ramp to a ferry.

That's right; we still had the camper in tow.

There was nowhere to go except to get on the ferry and ride across the river.

I wasn't sure if they would let us on the ferry. But there was no alternative. There was no way that I was going to be able to back up the camper the 800+ yards around several sharp hairpin turns, on the very narrow road, to go back where we came from.

I never saw a sign saying that there was a ferry ahead.

After we crossed the river, we drove around a block and got back on the ferry to get back to the side of the river where the 9th Ward was located. They didn't charge us to go across but we had to pay $1.00 to get back were we started.

When we go site seeing, we see all the sites.

To Lafayette, LA via New Orleans

We changed our route this morning to swing by New Orleans. Since we were this close, we decided to see what the city looked like after two years since Katrina.

On the way, Max had to be right up front checking out everything on the road. He doesn't miss a thing and if it is alive, then he wants to go play. You have not seen anyone or anything concentrate so much on the road ahead of him.

John Schneider of "Dukes of Hazzard"

We spent last night in Meridan, MS. Our drive was uneventfull. After arriving at the campground and settling in for the night we went to bed. At about 3:30 a.m. we were awakened by someone pulling in to the camp site next to us. When I looked out the window all I saw was a monster of an RV that must have been 50 feet long pulling a 20 foot trailer.

The next morning at 7:00 a.m. our new neighbor was up and about getting ready to pull out. He didn't get much sleep but I guess if you are John Schneider of the "Dukes of Hazzard" and are used to running around in the General Lee, jumping over creeks and whatever, then you don't need much sleep. Here are two pictures.

Although we didn't get to talk with him since he was on the road before we were up and dressed, he was right outside our window. Sharon had her fill of looking "up close and personal" at a movie star. She thinks he is even better looking now than on the old TV show. Sharon mentioned that she thought he was cute with his blond currly hair.

I guess I'll have to get a perm and bleach my hair blond to keep up.

Go West "Young" Man, Woman and Dog

Here we go again!

Frank and Sharon departed Sunday afternoon for the start of our westward adventure. Of course we couldn't forget Max. He loves to ride in the truck. All you have to say is "Let's go for a ride in the truck", and he is at the door ready to go. He doesn't know it yet, but this trip is going to take 28 days.

That is Sharon with Max sticking his head out of the back window of our new Dodge 2500. Thanks to Robert Worrell for closing the deal at Jeff Johnson Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge. The truck did great on our first towing trip of 262 miles today. Didn't even know that the 27 foot camper was behind us. Thanks Robert.

Max kept watching out the window for something to chase. He didn't spot any deer but a dead groundhog on the side of the road got his attention.

He likes getting up between us and laying down on the arm rest between the front seats. Just like a child he has to be in the middle of the action.

At days end we arrived at our KOA campground

in Anderson, SC. I think Max was tired after all the excitement.

Sharon is busy writing in her journal. As you can see the camper is quite cozy and comfortable. We need "cozy" tonight, since it is 30 degrees here in South Carolina!

Tomorrow we should find warmer weather on our trek south.

Monday, February 5, 2007 Guyton, GA

Monday evening we arrived at Dave and Carol Seitz's log cabin home in Guyton, GA. Dave lives in a natural setting that he has tried to preserve the way that nature intended for it to be. This is Sharon with Max and Dave and Carol holding Holly.But, Dave did make a concession since he knew that we were towing a camper. He cut a few branches on some of the trees so that we would drive into an space near the house. When we arrived and he saw how high the camper was, he had to trim a few more branches. Dave and Carol have a beautiful log home in the woods which is Dave's retirement home. Located on 22 acres he is surrounded with nature. Dave has photographs of various snakes, birds and a fox that come to the house on a regular basis. While walking in the woods after breakfast on Tuesday, we did not see much wildlife other than a few birds but later in the day did see several large hawks and buzzards.Tuesday afternoon we also went to the historical society building in Springfield and saw where the society is reconstructing an old turn of the century farm building complete with a smokehouse that was in operation smoking meats. I tried to take Sharon's picture in the smokehouse but it was too smoky.

Monday, February 5, 2007

This morning, Sharon and Frank broke camp to travel South to Savannah, Georgia. We planned to visit with Dave and Carol Seitz at their log cabin home in Guyton, Georgia. But before we departed the campground we have a few camper problems. While we were in the camp site, we were using city water and everything went well. Before we departed, I tried to put some water in our storage tank so that we would have a supply of water in case we could not hook up to water in the next couple of days. I started to fill the tank and noticed water dripping from under the camper. When I went inside the camper I noticed that the camper floor was wet in the bathroom. I stopped the water and then we spent some time trying to mop up the water. I guess we have a leak somewhere and we will have to deal with that at a later time. It is a good thing that we are not headed to California right now.

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Sunday morning Jill and Grayson left to return home. The had to get back home to go to School on Monday. Frank and Sharon met John and Diane Kost and we went to the First Baptist Church of Surfside to attend Church with Pops and Irene Traxcler. After the Sunday Church service, the four of us went to lunch and later rejoined Pops and Irene at their condo to watch the Super Bowl Football game. You know how much of a sports fan Frank is so I can't event tell you what the score was now that it is two days later.

Paul and Irene Traxcler 50th Anniversary

Saturday morning, February 3, 2007, Sharon and Jill with Grayson went shopping. Frank went to a flea marker to find something for Max who traveled well.

Saturday afternoon we drove down to the Royal Garden apartments in Surfside City, SC. Paul and Irene Traxcler were celebrating their 50th anniversary and were going to exchange vows at the beach. About 170 family and friends gathered for the celebration. It was cold and windy but the we didn't really notice the weather. After exchanging vowes on the beach everyone went to the reception to celebrate with a "pig picking" dinner and dancing. I have a short video clip of the two of them dancing which I tried to post but the blog web site did not like the file. Email me privately and I will email the dance to you.

Arrived at Mrytle Beach, South Carolina

Sharon and I arrived at Mrytle Beach, South Carolina on Friday, February 2, 2007. The trip from Galax was uneventfull and an easy drive. I wasn't able to connect to the internet while there so I did not post information earlier. This is a late post about our experiences without photo's. I'll have to add the photos later. We found the KOA Campground and set up our camper without problem. Jill and Grayson joined us for the weekend and the celebration of Pops and Irene Traxcler's 50th Wedding Anniversary. Irene was Jill's Missouri "granny" when we first adopted Jill.

Jill drove her car following the camper and they stayed thru Sunday morning. Jill and Grayson returned via Durham, NC to visit a friend there.