Let the Good Times ROLL!
NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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Tues. Nov. 27-28, 2006
Left Maxie’s RV Park, Lafayette, LA and drove to Bay City, TX to the Lighthouse RV Park is in the middle of cow pastures. The park was a 2 at most. Very small and not lit up at night. We had some fun running across the field to see the cows and donkey before it got dark. They were behind a fence so Mitzy and I felt safe.
Drove down to the beach area of Bay City. Not much of a town, but the Gulf side was pretty and Ray walked out on the pier.
Matagorda county was the early home of the Karankawa Indians. From 1582 to 1535 several expeditions from Spain traveled through Matagorda County and the most were slaughtered by these Indians. LaSalle landed there in 1685 and founded Ft. St. Louis after he became lost on his second voyage from France searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. LaSalle met his fate at the hands of one of his own men. The Indians destroyed Ft. St. Louis and the French were captured. Spain sent De Leon to drive the French out but ended up rescuing the prisoners and returned them to their countrymen. 53 families received land grants in Matagorda County from 1824 to 1827 under Austin's first contract known as “ The Old Three Hundred” with Spanish permission. They arrived on the schooner “Only Son”. They too faced the Indians and other hardships.
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FULL TIMING
FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.
It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!
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