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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Surfside RV Park, Port Aransas, TX


Wed. Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2006
We like Surfside RV Park with 45 Full Hookups and pull-through sites,
concrete pads & streets. Front office staff and owner are very friendly.
Arrival via Aransas Pass Ferry System - It was a new experience to drive the RV up the ramp on the Ferry to get to Port Aransas and our RV Park. Port Aransas is a quaint fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico. It is situated on the northern tip of a barrier island, lying 18 miles northeast of Corpus Christi on Mustang Island. This 18-mile stretch of clean, sandy beach offers visitors birding, shelling, fishing, beach combing, surf fishing, or just plain relaxation. The weather turned bad the day we arrived and hasn’t improved much since. The winds are what make it so cold and we woke up to 39 degrees and wind chill of 29.

Thursday, November 30, 2006
Second day at Surfside and a front moved in with extreme winds and gusts up to 50 mph. We pulled in the two slides on our driver’s side for the day. Dropped from the 70+ degrees in the morning to 50 by mid afternoon. Nothing to stop the winds and cold off the water. A day to stay indoors and catch up with our reading, internet, etc.
Padre Island - We went to Corpus Christi for some shopping and I wanted to take a drive to Padre Island. I was here as a child with my parents and remember them fishing off the beach. It is so desolate and yet it is so beautiful. Miles and miles of sand dunes layered with a lot of sea grasses waving in the wind.
Ray's Reflections: Deserted beaches. We know with better weather, this area would be very enjoyable.
The fishing here is really the best according to locals and my dad. The National Seashore is the longest stretch of primitive, undeveloped ocean beach in the nation. Just wish that the weather was more conducive to exploration. It was quite windy and very cold.

Saturday, December 2, 2006
We left home around 11 am to go to see the Lexington, a retired aircraft carrier, in Corpus Christi. The weather had turned bad again with clouds, high winds and 20 mph gusts. We decided to go anyway as we would be on the inside most of the time. The history and exhibits were well worth seeing. The sights and sounds are so real and so intense you feel like you've been transported back in time. They have a movie in the Mega Theater and we enjoyed the breathtaking views from the flight deck.


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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!