Steve and Cathy: WorldTour Part I -- AMERICA: 2014

12/28-12/31 Crystal River RV Park, Crystal River, FL

We have been at this park before also, and took our time to visit the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. We had a blast.

Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant. The warm water from the cooling ponds attracts the manitees to the river.

The gulf coast

This squirrel just about ran over my foot to get to a cheeto!

Manitee

A safer size of crocodile

Florida panther

Flamingos

Osprey

Red fox taking a snooze

Grey fox checking something out

Gator

12/24-12/27 Tallahassee RV Park, Tallahasse, FL

Very short visit to Tallahassee. We have been in this nice park before, and just hung out.

12/17-12/23 Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, AL

This is an Escapee park, and is very nice. We took the opportunity to do chores around the rig, and didn't tour much. We did take a drive to the gulf coast, but it was cold and windy and no one was on the beach.

We did visit with our friends, Denny and Glenda, from Pensacola. They came over for a visit and we went out to eat.

Steve also went to visit one of his old co-workers, Randy Greiser, while we were here.

12/10-12/16 Ponchartrain Landing, New Orleans, LA

Wow, this park has a lot of stuff! This is a new park since Katrina, and has a store, restaurant, free daily shuttle to the French Quarter, and lots of room on a site.

We toured the French Quarter by day and had a blast. We walked all over the place, including one of the cemetaries. We also took a city sightseeing hop on/hop off tour.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

altar

Basilica pipe organ

Guess what store this is??? (For Gene)

cool balconies

"Corn House" Fence

"Corn House"

Steve's Fave Beer place

Night view

We also toured Bourbon Street by nite, and you can have it. I saw more drunk people spilling drinks and worse than at a frat party! Steve thought it was fun, though.

Pretty Fancy Walgreens!

Tank at the museum

Steve went back one other day to tour the WWII museum.

Here are some of the Mardi Gras floats we saw in the warehouses!

Here are some of the tombs in the graveyard we visited:

This is Nicholas Cage's tomb that he pre-purchased and had erected. It has lipstick kisses all over it from his fans.

This is a wall tomb. Each hole was owned by a family (as long as they paid the rent) and the previous body was just pushed to the back and down the hole to make room for the new one.

single family tomb

Newer wall tomb (only one body per opening.)

much older tomb

12/7-12/19 Nakitosh Campground, Nachitoches, LA

Wow, this is a fun place. The town is pronounced Nackatish, just so you know!

One part of downtown

We toured the historic downtown and the beautiful Bascilica, which is still used. The house where they filmed "Steel Magnolias" is here, and many other beautiful homes

Bascilica

Riverfront view of downtown

We toured the Oakland Plantation, which is on the Cane River, and part of the Cane River Creole National Park. What a beautiful place. There was no one else there, so the ranger gave us a personal tour of the place. What a different kind of life that must have been.

view from the River

Sugar cane pot

recycling their wine bottles as a garden border

House view from the side

What a porch!

cotton bales

12/3-12/6 Red River Ranch RV Resort, Thackerville, OK

This is an OK park, but the town is not very big. We checked it out, and Cathy practiced driving Marvin. We started some heavy brushing of Dottie, as she had gotten a very large winter coat.

12/1-12/2 Chanute, KS City Park

Back to the factory! Why does it cost $1,000 every time we come here?? Just because, I guess.

9/2-11/30 Camp A Way, Lincoln, NE

Well, back to the home park! We had a great time in Europe, but it is fun to be home.

Cathy flew to Denver to visit sister Sharon, while Steve had fun with family and friends.

Cathy spent several weekends with Jackie, driving to and from Denver for Jackie's treatments. They made sure to have dinner with Sharon's family on Sunday nite, and had a fabulous time laughing and carrying on!

Steve shot skeet (blue rocks) one day, and had some big bruises on his arm for weeks.

Cathy broke a tooth, and got a cap. We all went to the Dr., Dentist, and Vet.

Steve helped his brother Randy with farming and construction, although nothing too hard, as he is not the most knowledgeable about machinery. Steve also helped friend Duane scrape and paint his farmhouse.

Thanksgiving was a combined affair again, and although Sharon and Mia came, Jannell and Andre and Daniel were sick, and couldn't. Jon and Rachael were not there either this time.

Steve begged for a motorcycle for months, and could not figure out which one to get or how to mount it on the RV or Truck. He finally decided on a Can-Am Spyder trike. It is beautiful, but looks like a Martian from the front, so it's name is Marvin! I will post a picture when I find out where I put it!

We leave Lincoln after being here for 3 months, and it is very difficult leaving family and friends, but not the weather! It got down to 7 degrees and we were frozen (also the pipes, but that is another story). Can't wait to get to some warmer weather.

6/29-9/2 European Adventure!!!

I am going to have this in a separate blog, because there are many, many pictures. As soon as the blog is finished, I will have the address here for you to follow. Thanks for waiting.

6/1-6/28 Camp A Way, Lincoln, NE

This is our home park, and we are glad to be back. We get to visit with family, celebrate Payton's birthday, Father's Day, and get ready for our big trip at the end of the month.

This Family can go thru some Potato Salad!!!

Gramp on Father's Day

Payton

The Cake!

On the day we were taking our rig to store at Nephew Clint's house, Cathy was burned in a propane flash that sent her to the hospital overnight! We had turned off the propane, thinking we could smell it, but Steve wanted it back on during storage, and sent Cathy in to turn on the stove to make sure it was working??!!?? Of course, we had all the slides in, so she had to reach over the to the side to use the sparker. Good thing she wasn't right in front of it! Of course she came out of the camper in a hurry, her hair gone in front, no eyelashes or brows, and cursing a blue streak! No pain for awhile, but her arm and neck were getting red, so she make Steve take her to the emergency room. She got a painkiller, and was told she had inhaled carbon monoxide, so she had to stay overnight. When she asked how they new she had inhaled, they said, your nose hairs were burnt off. I guess that is a definite sign!

Steve woke her up at 6am, and got her discharged. Sister Jackie drove us to Chicago to meet our plane on Sunday afternoon. What a start to an adventure!!!

5/27-6/1 Elko, Evanston, Cheyenne, and Kearney

Only a one night stay in each place on our way to Lincoln, except for Kearney. We stayed there a couple of nights so we could see the Great Pioneer Archway across the interstate, and Pioneer Village in Minden.