Road Trip 2015 - #1 Pecan Island

August 28, 2015 - Pecan Island

Our first stop was a much anticipated return trip to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in South Louisiana.  Our friends Gene and Vicki accompanied us to Crawfish Haven RV park just outside of Pecan Island.  It was a bit of a hole-in-the-wall kinda place but as is the custom, the people were friendly and the location was convenient.

While the shrimping and crabbing were not as abundant as we hoped, we certainly captured enough of both to feed us well.

 On Sunday we went to the Gueydan Duck Festival, a hopping place for sure.  I ate my first BBQ duck-covered boiled quail egg while Gene ran into some old friends-of-friends.  After a quick side trip to their house, we ended up with a freezer full of frog legs and shrimp.  Winner! Winner!  Chicken Dinner!

The first three days went by very quick and we had to decide on our next destination.  Leaving Crawfish Haven, we fully planned on going to Palmetto Island State Park which was just a short hour away, but as we're wont to do, our plans went awry about halfway there.

Road Trip 2015 - Cabin Fever and Planning

The last couple of months have been an exercise in fortitude.  It's been awhile since we've been home for this long of a stretch - a whole two months! But we've enjoyed the opportunity to hang with our friends and ride the new-to-us scooter while getting the firewood racks filled up and completing honey-dos around the house. Our next excursion involves time in South Louisiana followed by a gaunt to the southwest US of A. While we did this same region last year, this year's loop will be farther from the border and for the most part in higher elevation.

We're excited that we have our Renogy solar panel which will help us reduce our reliance on the gennie when boondocking. Totally stoked about that. We've also replaced the most-used bulbs in the camper with LEDs which will help extend battery life. It looks like our first test of this system will be on the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston. Hopefully we can find an awesome place to camp on the beach. 

Of course, as with Road Trip 2014, nothing is set in stone except our first stop at Pecan Island, LA to do some shrimping and our last stop in Colorado to hang with our Bonanza buds.  We expect to boondock most of the way as our budget is more limited this time but we will surely utilize our renewed Passport America campground discount card when a great deal is available and recharging/dumping is needed.  

Bond Family Reunion - Oct 3 - Oct 10

For the first time this year, David elected to stay home while his mom, sister and I hit the road for the annual Bond Family Reunion.  We started in Jay, Florida where the reunion was then moved a couple of hours east to Ashford, Alabama.  After a couple days, we ended our visiting north in Georgetown, Georgia.  David's mom was elated to visit with her brother and sister and many cousins (some who are close to her age as she was the baby Bond girl.)

The original Bond Girls

Beatrice, Belma, Delitha, Estean, Nadine and Minnie Jo

Minnie Jo, Mary Ann and Kathy

Linda, Lisa, Jo and Jolene

Kathy, Jo, Ovie and Tammy

Amy, Shane, Tammy, Jeff, Bryan, Kathy, Pam & Leslie

Gene, Ruth, Kathy, Jo and Tammy

Ruth and Kathy

Mary, Linda, Donnie, Jolene, Jo, Carolyn, Betty and Jane

Kathy, Johnny and Mary

There were lots more people but I have orientation problems when uploading the additional pictures.  When fixed, I'll add.  It was a great family visiting trip.

One more out of state trip this year.  I'm headed back to Alabama.  We are Talladega bound!

Colorado - Sep 7 - Sep 23

We left the KOA in Dallas hoping to make Amarillo by the end of the day. Unfortunately we had a wheel bearing failure just a few miles outside of Childress Texas. Luckily we were able to limp into town and find an abandoned lot to survey the damage. With no help available on a Sunday evening we resigned ourselves to wait until morning to find a solution. Note : Good Sam Riadside Assitance is worthless. 

Notice the missing wheel

Miraculously with the help of an auto repair shop across the street and a tiny tire shop across town we were able to get back on the road by noon the following day. 

We decided to stop at Capulin RV park in New Mexico (found using our Passport America app - $14.50/night full hookups).  We had a camping neighbor with a quirky sense of humor. 

Last Supermoon

We visited the Capulin Volcano National Monument which we had driven by many times before. What a beautiful vista from above. 

 

Next we arrive at the Edrington Ranch in Bonanza and spend the next two weeks enjoying friends, family, riding, Aspens, Joyful Journeys spa and good food and drink. 

Fishing at Mosquito Lake

Relaxing in a mineral pool

The Arkansas River in Salida

It's no wonder this is one of our favorite places. Can't wait to return again next year, but there are more adventures to come between now and then!

Rangers game - Sep 5 - 7

After a few days rest (catching up on honey-dos) we pull the camper to the Dallas KOA to hang with friends and catch some b-ball. 

But Mother Nature had other ideas about the b-ball

After a three hour rain delay in which all nineteen of us headed back to the campground and then reloaded and returned to te ballpark, we finally had the sound of balls hitting bats and gloves. 

 But along the way we had fun

The game ended around 130am with the Rangers losing to the Mariners 4-2. By noon the next day we're heading west...

Labor Day - Aug 29 - Sept 1

The LiARS annual Labor Day trip to Eunice was eventful as ever with plenty of games and frivolity. 

Lots of lying going on...

New England - Aug 19 - 26

My Grammie who was 93 years young passed away in July. She was in Florida at the time but was a lifelong resident of Vermont. Thus the family had the memorial service in Vermont. Her three children and four grandchildren were there. It's very possible that this is the last time that all of these folks will be together in one place. 

We flew into Boston, rented a car ( think "recalculating" many times), and headed to Maine where our nephew Kyle lives. We had a great time catching up and doing a little but if site seeing along the Maine coast. 

We then headed across New Hampshire to Vermont where we stayed with my cousin Laurie and family in her 125-year old house that used to house a gambling hall. 

*still need to download photos from other camera

My Grammie service was slightly unconventional, but she loved Pastor Ernest. 

After several days of visiting with family David and I drove back to Boston for a day of sightseeing. 

Hiked the Quechee Gorge along the way 

Old State House in Boston. The subway station in the the basement. 

New State House

Took in a speedboat ride in Boston harbor

Lots of history here

The flight back was long. Glad our upcoming trips are once again in the camper. We get to relax at home for two days before we hit the road again.