Lake Osprey RV Resort

We made it to Elberta, Alabama!  We will be workkamping at the Lake Osprey RV Resort from January 15th to April 15th as Activities Directors.  We had planned on leaving the coach here and leaving for Minnesota to spend Christmas with all of our family on Monday; however; the power steering went out on our car today.  The Ford dealer here in Foley was able to order the part and it should be here by Monday.  Once the part is installed, we plan to leave on Tuesday.

Our lot

A view of the lake in front of our site

More of the lake in front of our site

Big Bend National Park

Well, we're done at the Pumpkin Patch for the season and back on the road.  Last summer, we decided that we didn't want to manage the Christmas Tree lot this year and only manage the Pumpkin Patch.  We left the lot just before Thanksgiving and headed to Blythe to visit for a week with our friends Christine and Bob.  After relaxing with them, we left for Elberta, Alabama.  On our way, we decided to make a stop at Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Old Maverick Road

Santa Elena Canyon Approach

Santa Elena Canyon & Rio Grande

Javelina's in the wash

 

Mule Ears Peaks

Burro Mesa

Chisos Mountains with a low ceiling

Bobcat near Cottonwood Campground

Soltol Vista

Chisos Basin

Chisos Mountains

Alvino House in Cottonwood

Swallow Nests on the Hot Springs Trail

Pictographs on the Hot Springs Trail

Rio Grande at Boquillas Canyon

Boquillas Canyon

Boquillas Mexico

Big Bend National Park is a destination park.  It is not near any Interstates but it is well worth the drive.

Buffalo Wyoming

Buffalo Wyoming is a historic 1880's town where we are camping at tonight.  We had the opportunity to tour the town and primarily the Occidental Hotel.  Some of the notables who've stayed at the hotel are Teddy Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Earnest Hemmingway, and Tom Horn to name just a few.  This is a beautiful hotel preserved just as it was in the 1880's and is still a functioning hotel to this day.

Lobby

Lobby

Lobby

Kitchen

 

Parlor

 

Parlor

 

Parlor

 

Game Room

Saloon including bullet holes

Dining Room

Registration Area

Registration Area

Some of the old buildings have beautiful art work on the outside walls.

Clear Creek runs right through the middle of the town.

Yesterday in Rapid City, SD we hit a high temperature of 94.  Today in Buffalo, WY we hit a high temperature of 42. Who knows what to expect tomorrow.  Till then!

We're On The Road Again

After a little more than a month helping out at the Northwest Minneapolis KOA, visiting the kids, grand kids, and friends; we're on the road again.  We had a whirl wind month trying to fit it all in, but we did it!  We're now on our way to Simi Valley, CA to set-up and manage the Pumpkin Patch during the month of October. 

We left yesterday and stayed our first night at the Walmart in Mitchell, SD.    Tonight we're staying at the Rapid City, SD KOA where our good friends, Harold and Barb Adams are workkamping.  We met them and worked with them at the Augusta/Gardiner Maine KOA.

We spotted about 20 Pronghorn Antelope on our way here today and the beautiful rolling hills of the prairie and the harsh hills of the Badlands.  Till tomorrow, enjoy your evening.

It's Been A While

Well, it's been a while since my last post.  I guess I've been too busy traveling! Since my last post we have been to Binghamton, NY; Sutton, Mass; Maine (I'll list more detail for this state later); the White Mountains of New Hampshire; Lake Champlain, Vermont; and the Adirondack Mountains of New York including Lake Placid.

It's been a great ride being able to visit with old friends, see new sights, go on boat tours, make new friends, and even have friends from Minnesota come and stay with us in Maine at the "Harju Hilton".

Oh, and did I tell you, I ate a whole lot of lobstah!!  I'm not going to post any pictures tonight because the internet is not the best.  I'll organize them and post soon.

Niagara Falls Canada

Well, after being denied access to Canada at the Minnesota border, or as Roger says "we were kicked out of Canada", we went to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side with my dear friends Art and Linda.  This time we rode with them in their car; crossing the border without any problem.  It was a spectacular day and wasn't very busy, like it could be in the summer.  The first thing we did was to go on the Hornblower to view both the American and Canadian sides of the Falls.  The Hornblower is the Canadian version of the Maid of the Mist, which is the American tour boat.

We all looked so nice and dry before our tours.

 

The Hornblower

American Falls from the Hornblower

American Falls from the Hornblower

Roger, Linda & Art in our Hornblower designer rain gear

Viewing platform of the American Falls

Maid of the Mist American Falls side tour boat

After our tour on the Hornblower, we were very very wet.  They did not recommend taking pictures from the Hornblower of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls because the water would ruin my camera.

We went for a short bus ride to the White Water Walk.  It's a Category 6 white water, below the falls, portion of the Niagara River. No white water rafting is allowed in this area because it is so dangerous.

Sue looking like a drown rat after the Hornblower tour

Some of the beautiful wild flowers along the White Water Walk

Some of the beautiful wild flowers along the White Water Walk

Some of the beautiful wild flowers along the White Water Walk

We then went to the Table Rock Centre where we watched the movie Niagara's Fury.  It was a really good movie about the falls where we were again give designer rain poncho's and again were soaked during the movie with water spray.

Our last portion of our tour took us to Journey Behind the Falls.  We were once again given designer rain poncho's, staying dry while going to see Niagara Falls is not an option, and taken on a short elevator ride down to tunnels under the falls.  Here we literally could view the falls from underneath them.

American Falls from behind the Canadian Falls

Maid of the Mist in front of the Canadian Falls

Part of the Canadian Falls

Hornblower on her way from the American Falls to the Canadian Falls

Canadian Falls

Hornblower up close to the Canadian Falls

The old generation plant on the Canadian side

Art, Linda and Sue in our designer ponchos

Art, Linda, Sue and Roger posing from behind the Canadian Falls

Behind the edge of the Canadian Falls

Great Falls Portal - we were literally behind the Canadian falls

Cartarac Falls Portal

 

Building the tunnels

 Again, wet and wild, we went for a nice walk along the walkway for some more beautiful views of both the Canadian and American Falls and up the Niagara River.

Canadian Horseshoe Falls from Table Rock Centre walkway

Canadian Horseshoe Falls from Table Rock Centre walkway

American Falls from Table Rock Centre walkway

We walked farther up the Niagara River.  Here are some views of the river before it comes to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

One of the old power company buildings on the Canadian side

Small falls just before the Horseshoe Falls

Looking up the Niagara River

An old barge that has been caught in the rocks for many many years

The edge of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls

City of Niagara Falls Canada

Down River from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls

We left Art and Linda for Binghamton NY to visit friends Pat Harder, Joe Martinichio and Angal Hyde.  Roger plans to wash and wax the coach and we both plan to rest some while here.