Home Again

We left Colorado Springs June 18th beginning our journey home. We arrived in Russell, Kansas about 3:30 on Sunday got set-up in time to grab supper at a local restaurant. It was all you could eat and we did. The next morning we headed to Oklahoma City where we spent two nights at Tinker AFB Fam Camp. The day we arrived the base was having an air show and Dennis was in hog heaven. Once the airconditioner was plugged in he was reaching for the camera. The Thunderbirds were flying and he got some great pictures. Finally, we headed for Tennessee where we pulled into the driveway about 4:30 in the afternoon on Thursday the 24th.

Now that we're home we have appointments everyday except a few. One appointment was to finish collecting the books for the children in St. Kitts from all those who were helping with the collecting while we were away. Together, we collected between 1,600 and 1,700 books. How awesome is that!

The following day Dennis and I loaded the books in the truck and headed to Nashville where we found a shipping company who would ship the books to St. Kitts. Dennis, Lydia, and I packed the books in two jumbo barrels for shipping. The man at the shippping company had to sit on top of the barrels to close them because they were so full the tops had to mashed down to close them. The books will arrive in St. Kitts about the end of July where the principal of Dieppe Bay Primary School will receive them. When I spoke with her she was so excited to find out that books were coming that she kept saying tell everyone thank you, tell them thank you, please tell everyone thank you. So, if you were one of the people that donated books or helped collect books, or donated money to help with the shipping please know that these children are going to be blessed by your gifts and those in charge of the children are more grateful than you know. Thank you for being a vessel for God's use. I will let you know as soon as the books have arrive. I thank you too.

I am hoping to send a barrel of various school supplies to the school this fall. A company has donated a large box of pens and pencils but they will still need paper, spiral notebooks, glue, colored pencils, crayons, etc. Walmart should have a sale soon on school supplies so I'm hoping to buy several things then. If anyone wants to add to the barrell let me know I will be glad to come by and pick-up your gifts.

Dennis and I are enjoying our journey's but are happy to be home for a short stay. I hope to see as many of you as possible in the next couple of weeks.

At home with the Snow's.

Colorado Springs

We left Santa Rosa, New Mexico and headed for Colorao Springs, Colorado. Becky's mission was to see the place where she was born. Her dad was in the Air Force and scheduled to leave Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO, but was waiting for his third child (Becky) to be born. His leave was nearly over when she was finally born. The family had to hit the road so, at two days old she left her birth place. For many years she has wanted to return to see the place where she came into this world and this was her opportunity.

We arrived in Colorado Springs on June 6th and settled into the campground. We intended to only stay one week and then move on, but fell in love with both the place and weather so we decided to extend another week. Words can't express the beauty of this place, so I would advise each of you reading this blog to make a point to make it a family vacation spot if you can.

We were very fortunate to get a great site at the Air Force Academy campground. Our camper was snuggled beneath the large Ponderosa Pines on a fairly private spot. The weather for both weeks was great with only a couple of days of rain showers. No humidity at all which makes for much easier breathing. I think we both may have just found a summer home, but we'll have to travel more of the country to make sure there's not a better place.

After two weeks of seeing the sites, we left heading back towards Tennessee, but are in no hurry to get there. We both know the weather back home is going to be much hotter and the humidity a whole lot higher. Being the adults that we are, we realize we have responsibilities and need to make the journey home. :( It will be great to see the family again, but I know the open road will be calling us fairly soon.

We traveled through about half the state of Kansas and spent the night at a nice campground in Russell, KS, before heading south towards Oklahoma City, OK. We arrived at Tinker Air Force Base which is located just east of the city and have a very nice site over looking a small lake where a lot of folks fish. We toured the base and sourrounding area and took several pictures, mostly of the planes they have on static display. The Air Force Thunderbirds were here performing both Saturday and Sunday so I was able to get some great shots of them doing their stunts. Most of the time, they were flying right over our camper. It was great!!!! I just love being back on a military base!!

We will head out tomorrow morning for somewhere in Arkansas and will stay there for a couple of days. I want to try and get back on Little Rock AFB, because the Base Exchange has something I want to purchase. We stayed there on our way out west and enjoyed the campground so thought we'd go back through that area.

Well folks, I'll sign off for now and until we meet again on the blog it's On The Road With The Snow's

Stop Five and Six

We left San Antonio heading for Abilene where we spent a couple of nights visiting with a special friend. Abilene is a nice size town and the traffic doesn't overwhelm you, but you swap the lack of traffic for heat. The temperature was 98 the first day and 100 the second. It reminded me of a warm tropical breeze, but without the ocean to jump in to cool off.

The highlight of Abilene was our visit with Pam. We really enjoyed talking and laughing and the time we got to spend with her. Put her father on your prayer lists, he is in the hospital with pneumonia. We love you Pam!

A couple told us about a place in Santa Rosa called the Blue Hole and said is we got a chance to take time to see it. That it was pretty interesting. So we thought if we have time we will check it out. On to Santa Rosa.

Our next stop was a stop over in Santa Rosa, New Mexico which is a very small town connected with the interstate. It too was hot and no ocean in sight. The themometer read a 100 degrees as we pulled into the campground. Once we settled into our camping spot we decided to see if we could find the Blue Hole. We saw the sign for it as we were coming into town and since it was only a mile down the road we would check it out. It is a big hole with sandstone walls, 80 feet deep and is feed with an underground stream at 3000 gallons a minute. The water temperature stays 61 degrees year round and the city allows you to swim if you dare. Someone will always dare.

It was only a mile down the road but without a sign showing us where to turn so we missed the turn. We continued down the road until we found ourselves at the end of the road where we had to decide to go right or straight. We started to turn right onto the interstate then suddenly decided to go straight hoping there would be somewhere to turn around." So, Dennis at the last minute pulled to the left and had to stop to let the cars that were right behind him pass, one being a policeman. Yep, he turned on his lights and requested to see his license, registration and proof of insurance. We were blessed with a warning and told to be more careful.

Now back to the Blue Hole. Divers are allowed to explore the Blue Hole but since they were going down and not coming back they put a net across the hole about 20 feet deep to keep them from going any deeper. It is a pretty amazing place. You can see by the picture that the water is crystal clear but at it gets deeper it takes on a beautiful rich blue thus giving it it's name.

We are now on our way to Colorado Springs and have traveled about 100 miles since leaving this morning. We have been fortunate enough to see georgous scenery along the miles and miles of mountains and land as far as the eye can see. There are antelopes, rattle snakes three so far this morning), fences and cross fences, cattle and windmills pumping water for them to drink. We saw a little house at the bottom of a hill and one of those old fashioned antennas at the top of the hill all by it's self with the wires feeding down the hill. Too funny. You do what you have to do.

Today we will reach Colorado Springs where we will spend a week while we venture off sightseeing. So once again, on the road with the Snow's.

Stop 4

We arrived at San Antonio, TX on Tuesday afternoon around 4:00 pm. We were planning on staying in Waco for the night, but got there around noon and decided to continue on for the remaining 120 or so miles we needed to reach San Antonio.

We are staying on Fort Sam Houston Army Installation at their rec camp. It's a really nice place with full hookups and close to everything we wanted to see while in the area. This is a very large installation and there's a tremendous amount of construction going on all over base. One lady told us that they have approximately 2billion dollars worth of work going on here. That's a lot!!!!

We just returned for seeing the Alamo and took a tour boat down the riverwalk in downtown. It was pretty hot, but we both had a good time. We love seeing the history that made this country what it is today and the scrafice that those men and women gave is remarkable.

One of the things I wanted to do while here was go to a good Mexican resturant with spicy food. We went to one today, but I don't think it was near as good as the one we have there in Murfreesboro on Broad Street. I wanted some spicy food and would you believe they didn't have any! They had to bring us some jalapenos on the side. That was okay, but just wasn't want I expected. I'm sure they've got some good ones around, but probably off the beaten path and I don't think I'll be doing that this trip.

Needless to say, it's hot here!!! I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else being in Southern Texas, but I'll still take it over the cold weather. It's not near as humid here as in Tennessee which makes it very nice for the allergies. Abby is doing good too and staying in the air conditioned camper. :)

I'll sign off for now and until the next time, "On the Road With the Snow's".

3rd Stop Hot Springs, AR

We arrived at Hot Springs National Park Wednesday and will be leaving tomorrow for Texarkana, TX to spend the night at a base near by. Once we leave there, we'll head on down to Waco and spend 1 or 2 days seeing that area before going on to San Antonio where we'll spend at least a week.

This is a great quiet park with a lot of camping room. The campground hasn't been very full the whole time we've been here, but I'm sure Memorial Day weekend it will be filled to capacity. It has a nice clear water creek running right through the campground and sits between two small mountains. Abby loves getting to play in the water!!! She's a mess! Several of the local kids come here to swim and seem to have a ball! It's great just sitting out under the big trees in my lawn chair reading a good book while being fed grapes by Becky (oh wake me up I think I was dreaming there for a second). This place has been a very good resting place for us and I'm sure we'll be returning in the future.

We went to Bath House Row the other day and toured all the bath houses where the gangsters went for their hot springs bath and massage in the early 1900's. It was pretty amazing how every bath house seems to be in as good of shape if not better than it was when built. We were planning on taking a dip and a massage, but Becky was under the weather and we had to cancel that thought. Maybe next time we visit this area we'll be able to take the plunge.

There's a lot of shops on both sides of the street should anyone want to do some shopping. It's kind of like Gatlinburg if you've ever been there. Of course we had to tour the local Wally World, there's always something that's needed from that place. :) There's also some good eating places and we had to try some of them as well.

Until the next time, On the Road With the Snow's!

Second Stop - Little Rock AFB (The Rock)

We departed Dyersburg, TN yesterday morning at around 8:00 am and arrived at Little Rock AFB, AR at 1:00 pm. It was a good trip except for some of the rough roads we encountered. I thought parts of Georgia had about the roughest roads I've ever been on, but now I'm putting Arkansas at the top of the list. That will probably change as we continue with our travels.

We had a good time in Dyersburg and got caught up on all the family happenings from my aunt. Everyone there seems to be doing pretty well, just getting old like the rest of us. :) Of course with age comes the aches and pains that we all have to endure. There were a few things around the place that was getting hard for them to do so I did what I could to help. It definately looks a lot better too! My aunt loves to go to yard sales, so we went Friday morning. There weren't many bargains to be found, but of course Becky and Barbara managed to find something to bring home. One thing about yard sales, you can always find a bargin.

I parked the RV in their back yard and managed to get stuck (no bad though) due to the rain we had. It made the grass very slick and I just couldn't get any traction. You'd think with something weighing in at over 18,000 I could just pull right out. My cousin came over with his 4-wheel drive truck and between the two trucks it came right out. I then took the rig over to his house where the ground is a lot harder. Hopefully this will be my first and only time to get stuck. Maybe I should have gotten a 4-wheel drive truck (nah).

Anyway, we're here at the base and I'm loving it!! Being retired Air Force I enjoy visiting any base I can. Hopefully on this trip we'll be able to visit several. It's like going home to me since I'm pretty well military through and through and I'm not likely to change anytime in this lifetime. :)

We took a trip down to Little Rock and surrounding areas to do some shopping. It's pretty easy to find things around here, but if you use the GPS like we did you probably will get lost. We went to Kohls, PetSmart, Camping World, and on the way back stopped and ate at Golden Corral. It was a very good day!

Tomorrow we will be heading back to Little Rock to the Arts Center. They have an exhibit there with a few hundred Egyptian artifacts and we're going to check it out. I'll let you know how it goes on our next update. Until then, On The Road With The Snows.

1st Stop - Dyersburg, Tennessee

We left home (Murfreesboro, TN) this morning at around 9:00 am and arrived at my aunt and uncle's home in Dyersburg, TN safe and sound at about 1:00 pm.

This is the first adventure with our new and improved camper. Traveling down the road with a little over 18,000 pounds (truck & camper combined weight) was much better than I had expected. The Dodge diesel truck performed very well. We averaged around 15 miles per gallon which isn't too bad. Maybe it was all that weight Becky put in the camper that was pushing us along. :)

We will spend 4 days here catching up on all the family happenings and will leave Sunday morning heading for Hot Springs, Arkansas. Of course we will do our share of eating, because my aunt is a wonderful cook. Tonight we had a big pot of homemade beef vegatable soup and cornbread (yummy). Boy was it ever good!!! I'm as full as a tick. :)

Tomorrow it's on to Wally World to get a new Travel Atlas since ours is a 2005 model. Of course I'm sure we'll pick up a few other things we just can't live without while there.

We'll give you another update sometime next week. Until then, on the road with the Snow's.

Getting Ready to Hit the Road Again

Wintering for three months in our fifth-wheel has made us realize how spoiled we have become. I noted in my last blog that we were on our way to look at new campers. We found by spending months in our camper that we longed for comfortable chairs while reading a book, watching the news, or just a short rest. We also struggled when preparing meals with not enough counter space. The living room chairs were at the entrance door of the camper proving awkward for visitors who would have to walk past our legs to enter. The couch sat low and was hard to get off of and the bench seats at the kitchen table were cramped. Wow, are we spoiled or what? So.....you guessed it .....we found a new home to winter in, a 34 foot fifth-wheel with four slide outs and a center entrance. We now have recliners, lots of kitchen counter space, a standard table and chairs, a desk for the laptop, and more dresser drawers in the bedroom. Yippee!

It sure was a job emptying the old camper and reloading the new one. You can't imagine how much stuff accumulates in one of those. I don't know how the weight could be legal. Dennis weighed the truck and is going to take the camper one day this week to have it weighed. I guess we will know soon enough if I have to start taking things back out. :).

Time goes by very fast when you retire. I can't believe we have been home almost a month and have much to get done before leaving again in a couple of weeks. We are looking forward to our new adventures. I am still hoping some of you have suggestions of places for us to see and visit. I'm sure you have been to places I have never been and could give us some good ideas.

Soon to be on the road again.

Home

Hello everyone. We enjoyed our time in Florida during the winter and are now enjoying Tennessee. We decided to spend a few days at mom and dad's farm in Rockvale before heading home. They have a place to hook up our camper so we stayed through Easter weekend and a few days past. We loved having some quality time with them before going home.

It was amazing to drive up our street and see everything blooming. I have to admit, Tennessee is a beautiful state with her green trees, grass, and with flowers that bloom throughout the year. Since pulling into the drive we have been busy with doctor appointments, Abby appointments, and cleaning out the camper. The water heater had to be fixed and a new kitchen faucet installed. So, we have been busy since getting back.

The next few weeks will be spent getting the camper repacked to head west. I would love suggestions of places to see or visit. We are leaving again about the tenth of May and will be returning the first week in July to be home for my parents 60th wedding anniversary.

We are on our way to Newby's to see what new style campers they have on the lot. We are hoping to find the perfect home on wheels, knowing it is impossible we may be able to get close. We will either trade ours in or sell it straight out so if you know anyone looking for a fifthwheel in excellent condition just let us know.

I'll try to blog again soon. We are on the road.

Another Day

Our time in Florida is nearing an end. In a couple of weeks we will be back in Tennessee but in the meantime we are spending as much time as possible in the sun. Today the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Atlanta Braves at their winter camp in Dunedin Statium where the Braves were able to get a win over the Jays 8-5. Wow, what a good game.

Florida offers a lot to do such as the ocean where you can spend hours walking on the beach searching for different shells that wash up on the shore. There is golf courses everywhere with lots of driving ranges for hours of practice. There are festivals and craft fairs everywhere and three major league baseball fields within 30 minutes of us. There is a bike trail that runs 40 miles where you can bike, skate, walk or skate board.

I guess one of the best things is the friends you meet and the warm weather. We are thankful for the time we have spent in Florida thus far.

Back from the Island

I spent seven days with friends on the island of St. Kitts and expected a wonderful time on a beautiful island filled with most things you would expect on a vacation, but was amazed to find myself changed by the trip.

A few days after arriving on the island, we were invited to a primary school in the village where we stayed. They were having a ribbon cutting for the school's new library. After two hours the ceremony was complete and it was time to tour the library. I enter a room not much bigger than my walk in closet at home. There were about five bookshelves around the room with a handful of childrens books on the shelves. I thought to myself, my grandchildren have more books than this. I didn't say anything, they were so proud that the library had been completed after two years of raising money for it and having a book drive to put the handful of books that were on the shelves.

I can only tell you how my heart ached for their need and our abundance. We are a blessed people. I am hoping that Dennis and I will be able to gather a lot of books to ship to the little school when we get back home and am also hoping each of you will go through your children's books to see if there are any they have out grown. Or, maybe you have a women's ministry that would like to do a book drive to stock this little library. They are in such need and anything you could do would be greatly appreciated.

The post office charges $200 to mail 50 pounds of books and as you know, it doesn't take many books to weigh 50 pounds. Once all the books have been gathered, Dennis and I will take them in our camper to one of the ports that ship to St. Kitts. We found out that we can purchase a barrel, fill it with the books, and send it out for around $60. By doing this rather than trying to send through the Post Office we can send many more books for a lot less money.

Let us know if you are going to have books so we can plan on how many barrels we will be shipping. We will be glad to come to you to pick up any books you might have.

I have been forever touched by this little island.

Where have the days gone?

While on the road it seems we had so much time to post our adventures but now that we are here we don't seem to get a chance to post as often.

The first week we were here, Palm Harbor was cloudy and cold. They even broke a record low. Because of the long cold spell the farmers had to coat their produce with water at night so ice would form on the fruit to keep from loosing their crops. Since the cold lasted a little longer than normal they pumped a lot of water from the underground streams which lead to quite a few sink holes. Interstate 4 was closed a about a week while they pumped 86 trucks of concrete into a hole that had formed under the interstate. Wow!

We spent yesterday with friends at Honeymoon Island, which is a state park. While there we saw dolphins passing by in front of us going north. I took pictures but there is only ocean in the pictures. You know how those digital cameras are....you click...they hesitate...and your dolphin is under water again. :)

We excercise at the gym two to three days a week, go to art class and bingo on Monday. On Tuesday we start the day at the gym then at night is darts. Wednesday is golf and bowling for most of the folks here but we don't usually go to those but at night it's to the horse race. Thursday is Texas Holdem' for Dennis and I spend time with Abby. We go to line dancing on Friday morning and at night is game night. We have learned a new game called Pokeno which we enjoy, especially when we are winning.

Today it has been windy but 78 degrees so I can't complain. Another nice day. I will try to post more often. God Bless and keep you.

Arrived at BayAire RV Park

Hello from BayAire RV Park here in the cool or should I say cold Palm Harbor, Florida. Yes it even gets cold down this far in the sunny state, but there's one thing about it, it's not near as cold here as it is back home or most other parts of the country either.

We arrived about midday Friday and proceeded to get the camper setup for the next three months. It was still raining a bit, but quit shortly after our arrival which was a blessing. Becky made her nest and put everything where she wanted it inside and I did the same outside. Of course as time goes on things will be moved again (probably many times). :)

The day after we arrived, several couples we know left on a week long cruise to the Bahamas and points south where hopefully the weather is much warmer. It was good getting to see our old friends again. We've also met several first-timers to the park and look forward to their friendship in the future. Hopefully they will be returning and will become part of the "hometown" crowd. Coming here each year is just like going to a family reunion. It's great!!

We joined LA Fitness Club today and will start working out as often as possible. You know when you get our age you've got to work hard to keep these machines in good working order. It's getting harder with each passing year!!! :)

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.