Day 29: Williston, FL - Marathon, FL

Day 29: Williston, FL - Marathon, FL

Our last day in the KeyZRV (at least for a while) and we have mixed feelings about going "home". We were so fortunate that we had this opportunity to travel with Mom/Maye, Brigit and Riley... especially considering the fall that Mom had an hour before we were to depart. After two weeks of TLC, she was looking good... after four weeks on the road... Maye looks great! She wanted everyone to know that she healed.

The "Maye Baggs 2009 North American Tour" was a trip of a lifetime for all of us. There were only a few moments of tension considering the miles we traveled (7,641 miles to be exact) and the close constraints of spending 29 days and nights in a 31' motor home with three adults and two large dogs. We traveled through 22 states and 1 Canadian Provence, climbed many mountain ranges, crossed many rivers, plains and deserts... pictures and words can not capture the beauty of this country... every state and every corner is unique. It is truly spectacular!!!

We saw many different wild and domestic animals including... white tail and mule deer, wild turkeys, antelope, elk, eagles, hawks, owls, coyotes, wild mustangs, llamas, bison, ostrich, mountain goats and too much "road kill". Along with all the natural beauty of our country, there is a tremendous amount of industry... logging, oil and gas production, farming, ranching and interstate commerce. We saw more trains criss-crossing the country then we could count and the highways were busy with 18 wheelers. In almost every state, there was highway, road and bridge construction... with signs indicating that the projects were funded with stimulus money under the American Recovery Act. This is money well spent as the roads were in dire need of repair and improvement. We also saw hundreds and hundreds of giant wind generators in most of the states out west already at work and many more being trucked in pieces on the highways. And even with all of this country's industry, cities and roadways, there is still plenty of open and wild spaces.

But the best part of the trip was seeing all the family and friends... there just wasn't enough time to see everyone we wanted to. The important thing is that Maye got to see people that she hadn't seen in quite a while like her brother Don Lee, his wife Peggy and grandson Austin, her niece Dee, her children and their families in Victoria, BC; Idaho and Utah. A special treat to see Cory & Julie in Utah, High school friends from the class of 75', Spencer in Colorado, Julie's family in New Mexico and Cory in Alabama. Mom enjoyed memories and re-lived her roots in Twin Falls and Ogden. She even spent an afternoon with several of her lady friends in Ogden that she has known for sixty years.

Drew got to see much of the country that he had never seen. He particularly enjoyed the drive along the Columbia River, Arches National Park and Utah and Colorado near the four corners area. We will certainly go back to spend some time exploring and fly-fishing. He also wishes he could have taken more pictures of the beautiful and interesting scenery. If we had stopped at every photo opportunity, we would never have made it through the trip. He loved spending every day with Lieutenant Riley by his side... his trusty co-pilot. And me... well I got to spend precious time with my 89 year old Mom, my sweetie and best friend Drew and one of the best reasons we bought the motor home is so that Brigit and Riley could join us. I would not trade one moment of this trip for another and only hope that we all have another opportunity to spend this kind of time together.

It was a 411 mile drive from Williston to Marathon and it was filled with anticipation of being home. Although we enjoyed so much of the country and wanted another week or two on the road, we were all happy to be in the fabulous Florida Keys and back in Marathon. Brigit and Riley really were surprised when we opened the motor home door and they were home and not at another RV park or visiting new doggie friends. They were both such good dogs and acclimated very well to where ever we were... didn't miss a meal, grateful for a potty break, played with every toy in their RV toy box and slept so peaceful in their home on the road.

It's a big beautiful country out there and the people are fantastic. Don't worry about forgetting anything either, it's America... you can just stop at Wal-Mart. There are millions of RV parks all over our country to suit all lifestyles and ages from casinos in Vegas to Disneyworld in Orlando or State and National Parks and be close to nature.

For all those who have ever thought about going RV'ing... life is too short... go out and do it!!! It was an adventure of a lifetime for us... and our lives have been enriched by the experience.

Photos: Williston Crossing RV Resort, our last RV park on this trip; Brigit sunning on the couch; Drew and his co-pilot Riley; Brigit sleeping in her make shift "kennel" under the dinette; Maye enjoying the last day on the road

Day 28: Hope Hull, AL - Williston, FL

Day 28: Hope Hull, AL - Williston, FL

Today we are planning to drive to the town of Enterprise near Fort Rucker to to see Cory, my Great-Nieces new husband of six months. He is in the Virginia Air National Guard and is at Fort Rucker awaiting helicopter pilot training. He has taken most of his written exams but there are not enough flight instructors so he is patiently waiting with other young men from around the country.

Our drive from from just south of Montgomery, Alabama on I-65 took us through Greenville (home of Forrest Gump) and then on to secondary roads to Enterprise. This was a surprisingly very scenic drive through rolling hills, well kept farms, ranches and large homes... most of them with perfectly mowed lawns. There were also a couple of very large cattle ranches with signs that said "Beef -it's whats for dinner".

We had lunch with Cory and two of his friends, one from Nebraska and the other from South Dakota, who are waiting for the same flight training. Cory looked great and was in good spirits although he misses his cute wife, Ashley. We ate in the boys favorite sub shop called Firehouse Subs, opened and owned by local Firemen. It was very good and a nice break from eating lunch in the motor home while driving. The visit with Cory was short but it was so cool that we had the opportunity to get to see him.

After lunch, we drove through southern Alabama and to I-10 in the panhandle of Florida where we saw many, many more cotton fields. We were all surprised by the amount of cotton grown in north Florida... also corn and cattle. We commented about the "3 C's" - cattle, corn and cotton. Did you know that Florida is the second largest grower of cattle in the United States??? Second only to Texas and California being third.

By the time we got to I-10 it was getting late and we still had to a lot of miles to cover because we wanted to stay at an RV park in Williston near Gainesville. Both I-10 and I-75 are very good roads lined with manicured trees and grass. Although we drove as fast as possible, it was twilight and the sky was fiery red with hues of deep blue. Drew and I both saw the same shooting star just before we arrived the Williston Crossing R.V. Resort. The RV/Resort was gated, with over a 100 acres and probably the nicest RV park of the trip. There were paved roads, small lawns between each cement RV pad and beautifully landscaped with old growth Florida trees... live oaks with Spanish moss... it had that real central Florida feel.

We drove 411 miles today... it was our last stop of the trip... bittersweet. We celebrated a wonderful adventure by opening a bottle of St. Clement Orropas Cabernet Sauvignon that we purchased during our Beringer/St. Clement Meditteranean wine cruise in 2008. We had been saving this bottle for a very special occasion... this was that special occasion.

Photos: Visiting Cory near Ft. Rucker, Alabama; the KeyZRV'ers celebrating the adventure

Day 27: Shreveport, LA - Montgomery, AL

Day 27: Shreveport, LA to Montgomery, AL

We are down to our last few days of driving before home in the Keys. And we about have this RV'ing thing down... Mom knows what she is going to wear the night before, we decide on breakfast, and get as much done to make the morning easy and get on the road. We left the Tall Pines RV Park in Shreveport and drove on I-20 across Louisiana entering Mississippi... driving through bayou country and trees covered with Spanish moss. And of course at this point, we had to cross the mighty Mississippi River. All through our drive in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama we crossed very large, slow moving, muddy rivers... many of them named after Indians or the State they are in.

In Jackson, Mississippi (can you tell I love typing Mississippi) there was a major accident on the interstate at lunch hour and the traffic was diverted to a four lane city road. It took just over an hour to get through Jackson and back on the Interstate... so we lost precious driving time. We continued through Mississippi on I-20 and when we crossed the border in to Alabama near Cuba, we got on Hwy 80 towards Montgomery. We also crossed the Tennessee Tom Bigbee Waterway which takes barges and boats all the way from Mobile (in the Gulf) north to Tennessee via locks, rivers and reservoirs. It's a much safer route for boats then taking the Mississippi River with all the barges.

The drive on Highway 80 was interesting... it was marked with acres of rolling hills and ponds that had once been beautiful plantations. Now many of the homes deserted or with run down pre-fab homes built on them. Some of the little towns thriving from the logging or cardboard and container industry... especially Demopolis. And then on to Selma, the location of the three 1965 Civil Rights Movement marches to Montgomery.

Sunset was upon us and we drove the last hour to about 10 miles south of Montgomery to a little town called Hope Hull. We stayed at the Montgomery South RV Park... it was convenient, new with no shade trees or privacy, and a little too close to the Interstate for us. We drove 473 miles today and would have made it a little farther if we had not had to deal with the accident and delay in Jackson.

Photos: Riley helping Cora write "the KeyZRV Blog"; Crossing the Mississippi River

Day 26: Goodlet, TX - Shreeveport, LA

Day 26: Goodlet, TX - Shreveport, LA

Thursday, November 12th: We woke to the sweet smell of grasses in the air and a layer of fog over the fields. The Old Cotton Gin RV Park serves a continental breakfast in the renovated factory for $1.00. A whole $1.00 that includes biscuits and gravy, pancakes, cereal, fruit, coffee, tea, juice... ahhh... just gotta love the country life. We were all up and dressed to eat at 8am and then once again... on the road.

Our plans today are to finish driving the lone star state of Texas... it's a wide one... and stay somewhere in Louisiana. We also thought we had better get the oil changed for the second time on the trip... which by the way is not an easy thing to do for a 10' wide, 12' tall motorhome. You just can't drive it into the local Wal-Mart Automotive Department. The quick lube places seem to be the best bet if they have big enough doors... so we were able to get this done in Vernon, Texas about 30 minutes into our day.

We drove through lots of small towns with not much going on... and many more cotton fields... where much of the cotton had been baled in big giant blocks that looked like they could fit in a semi-truck. Once we hit Dallas, just before lunch time and wound our way through the maze of interchanges and belt routes, we were on I-20 and making very good time. We started to look in our trusty Trailer Life Directory (lent to us by RV'ers Gay and Jeff) for an RV park somewhere near Monroe (in the middle of Louisiana) but the ratings for those parks were NOT very good.

There was a highly rated park in Shreveport/Bossier City called the Tall Pines RV Park. So we decided not to drive as far as we had hoped so we could stay there. But we still drove 412 miles which is not bad. We were in Shreveport early enough to fill up the gas tank, have daylight to set up camp, and Mom and I did a few loads of laundry. It was owned and run by a nice couple that are into Harleys and have an annual motorcycle rally there... it was a good decision because it was a very nice park.

Photos: RV in front of the Old Country Cotton Gin; Riley helping Drew grill at the Tall Pines RV Park

Day 25: Edgewood, NM - Goodlet, TX

Day 25: Edgewood, NM - Goodlet, TX

Our goal is to drive 2,000 miles over the next five days... so we got up early... Julie made us yummy yogurt pancakes and bacon... took a few pictures... didn't want to go... hugs and we were on the road... making our way to Texas.

We starting driving on I-40 which parallels and winds in and out of the old Route 66 across eastern New Mexico and the panhandle of Texas. There were remnants of an era gone by... abandoned cars, towns, farms and gas stations, that you know were once thriving tourist stops and life on Route 66. Just the scenes that you could imagine of old Americana. These unique places have been replaced by truck stops and fast food chains. Once past Amarillo, we drove peanut growing country and saw the Birdsong Peanut plant in Memphis, Texas. We then headed southeast towards Wichita Falls on Hwy 287, a secondary road which took us through many quaint and some struggling small towns.

It was also our first sighting of cotton fields. We had decided to stop while it was still daylight and stay at the Old Towne Cotton Gin RV Park... now we knew why it's named that... cotton and more cotton. It is still a vital and productive crop all across Texas, Alabama & the panhandle of Florida... and it makes Drew sneeze. The RV park was located in the middle of cotton fields and freshly mowed grasses. Where the office and meeting area is now, used to be a working cotton gin. Inside the old gin was an eclectic collection of country antiques which we all enjoyed. It was a very imaginative way to reuse a cool old building. It was also Veterans Day so Drew made sure to hang the American Flag on the RV in honor of our Veterans which includes our Dads and many, many family members. Riley played ball til after dark... Drew made grilled chicken and Colorado corn on the cob. The temperature was in the 60's... what a lovely evening!

Miles today - 397 to Goodlet, Texas

Photos: 4 of 6 Dogs (Bonnie, Lucy, Riley, Lola); Cora & Julie (she made the address plate on the house); Maye, Cora, Julie w/Lucy & Digger (notice the stylish gate and new stucco wall); Maye, Cora & The Doreys w/Lola & Bonnie; one of many cotton fields; Riley helping with the "blog"; Cora & Maye enjoying the RV; nice flag and campsite

Day 24: Mancos, CO to Albuquerque, NM

Day 24: Mancos, CO - Albuquerque / Edgewood, NM (via Four Corners)

Tuesday, November 10th. It was great to see Spencer... and the best part is that we got to see him in Mancos. We had not planned to go to Denver where he was just two weeks prior. He has only been in Mancos 14 days but has made huge strides in what has to be done on this place. It's got such potential and Spencer, along with the owner, have a really good vision for the motel property. He also seems very happy and settled... so nice to be away from the rat race of Denver... looks like he is in his element.

We drove back through Cortez and stopped at the local grocery store for some provisions and nice vegetables for the trip home. Then down through the Ute Indian reservation to Four Corners Monument that is managed by the Navajo Indians. Hey, we drove in Arizona... all eight miles of it. Then to New Mexico through Shiprock and Gallup to I-40... crossed the Continental Divide again... just passed Albuquerque, and arrived at Julie and Michael Dorey's home in Edgewood. The RV fit perfectly in the circle driveway, with not a foot to spare.

I grew up with Julie (Farnsworth) from the 3rd grade on... we were neighbors in South Ogden, her parents, Karlene & Joe and my parents played golf and were in the same social circle. Julie has two grown daughters, Erin and McKinley and one very handsome son, Kienan who loves and is good at all kinds of sports. We visited Julie and Michael and few years back to attend the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and really love the area. Their three acre home in Edgewood is great and they have really done a lot of work to it over the last few years. They also have four dogs of all sizes and breeds... Lola, Bonnie, Digger & Lucy, their newest border collie puppy... plus a couple of cats and a rabbit. Brigit and Riley really liked playing with all the dogs and running on the three acres of fenced in property. In the past, Julie and I may see or talk once or twice a year but because of our friendship... it seems like it was just yesterday. And now, we love FaceBook... so much easier to see photos and stay in touch.

Julie had prepared a great dinner, we enjoyed the outside fire... but it was a little cold for Maye... OK, me too. So we moved to the inside to sit by the living room pellet stove and told stories and caught up... laughed so hard that Julie... well you know how Julie is. Time to get to bed.

It was a 380 mile day.

Photos: Leaving Spencer in Mancos; view of Mesa Verde; entering Monument Valley area; Four Corners Monument and various shots; Cora in all 4 states; Riley... has to be the first doodle in all 4 corners; Brigit shopping for jewelry with the help of a very nice Navajo salesperson; flags at half mast (Ft. Hood); view of shiprock in New Mexico.

Day 23: Moab, UT - Mancos, CO

Day 23: Moab, UT - Mancos, CO

Monday, November 9th: Now in our 3rd week of the trip and making our way home... darn! Would have loved to stay a little longer and see a few more people... OK, next time... now that we know we like this RV'ing thing. Today, we are going to see my nephew Spencer in Mancos, Colorado. Spencer just recently moved to Mancos from Denver where he is now managing, renovating and cleaning up a small motel for a friend of his.

We made our way south on Hwy. 191 to Monticello with views of Canyonlands National Park and then Hwy. 491 through pinto and red bean farms to Cortez, Colorado which is a nice town in the southwest corner of the state complete with a WalMart and only 16 miles from Mancos. We arrived at Spencer's early enough in the day that we had time to visit Mesa Verde National Park. Spencer had a nice fenced in area next to the Motel office and his place that was perfect for the RV complete with a RV sewer drain and power. We made us a few sandwiches for the road and we were off to Mesa Verde.

The Mesa Verde Park entrance is about 10 miles from Mancos and the mesa with the dwellings are another 26 miles up a steep, windy road. We stopped at the Chapin Mesa Museum and Information Center that was opened when the park opened in 1906. From there you could view and/or walk down to the Spruce Tree House... just can't believe the Puebloans made this their home. Then we drove the Mesa Top Loop where we could take short walks to the Square Tower House (complete with a 4 story dwelling), view Pithouses and Villages and then stopped at the Sun Point view. From there, we could see five different cliff dwellings which included the Cliff Palace and the Sun Temple. Mom did a great job hiking up and down the trails... and persevered with the help of strong arms on both sides.

On our way in and out of the park we saw two small herds of wild mustang, a lonely coyote roaming the upper mesa road and several mule deer. Spencer then took us in to the quaint town of Mancos... founded in 1894, with one stop light, population 1,300 and surrounded by beautiful rangeland and recreational mountains. It was built and platted as a stop for the Rio Grande Southern railroad... today, the growth of Durango has spread to Mancos, making the town something of an art colony.

Back at the Country West Motel, Spencer checked a few messages then started a fire in the living room fireplace and also one off his back porch in a nice pit. He had made his famous crockpot beef chili for us... perfect with warmed tortillas and red wine. What a perfect evening with family by the fire!

Photos: Riley w/ new wind goggles; Drew & Riley; Rubicon, Cora, dogs, RV; Spanish Trails RV park; roaming coyote; view of Spruce Tree House w/ Nana, Spencer & Cora; Square Tower House; Drew, Nana & Spencer at the Cliff Palace; Spencer's Chili, Tortillas & Wine; Cora w/ Riley & Brigit; Nana and Spencer by the fire.