Daily Journal 2018
We hung around Glen Rose, Texas for most of the winter of 2017, getting Jim's cataract surgery done and other doctor appointments. In early February, we decided to check out Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose. We had to leave Lucy at home (no pets allowed, even in cars) as we drove through the park the animals were loose and wandered all around us.
We also noticed that Chuck and Nancy were now the managers at Yogi Bear and that they were looking for people to work. Kathleen talked to us about going back there, so we talked with Chuck about heading up the golf cart rental facility. In the meantime, we took a trip to Big Bend National Park in the southern end of Texas, before heading back to Waller to work at Jellystone.
There are several sections to the park, so I put the trips together in a couple of posts: Boquillas Canyon & Chisos Mountains, and Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive & Santa Elena Canyon.
We did not make the season at Jellystone as Chuck and Nancy (as well as Gary) wanted us to change the way the rentals were handled and Jim did not like it nor think it would work. Even Gary in golf cart maintenance did not think their idea would work. So, Jim decided that we were going to leave and continue our traveling.
In April we decided to head to Houston to visit with our son and grandchildren. On the way, we went to College Station to get my bike worked on. We were going to take a ride on a greenway, but instead went to visit George H.W. ("41") Bush Presidential Library, which was also hosting an exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion.
While in Houston, we visited the Lone Star Flight Museum, which is at Ellington Air Force Base, right across the street from the RV Park. From there we headed west, stopping in Columbus, Texas at the Thousand Trails. We visited the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge while there.
This time we headed northwest through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Our next stop was at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. Since we do like to shoot, we did a little rifle and pistol shooting while there. The Center sits right in the center of the Santa Fe Historic Trail, which is very interesting. They also have quite an exhibit inside of the main building. We drove into Colorado and visited the Ludlow Massacre Memorial Site, and then to Cimarron, New Mexico for a tour of the famous St. James Hotel, which at one time housed the likes of Jessie James, Billy the Kid, Pat Garret, Bat Masterson, and others.
We headed north into Colorado from New Mexico and then west, stopping at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We had visited there many years previous, but stopped again as it is now a National Park. There is an abandoned cemetery on the grounds of the RV Park we stayed at, which I found quite interesting. I tried finding out more info on the men buried there, but there was not much to be found.
We headed west again, stopping in Del Norte for the night. I found something called the Natural Arch, so we ended up driving on 12 miles in the RIo Grande National Forest on a bumpy dirt road to find the arch. Was it worth it? Not really. From there we headed west on Hwy 149 to Creede, Colorado where we visited the Underground Mining Museum. We finally made it to our final destination in Colorado -- Mesa Verde National Park. I broke our travels of the park into three sections: Chapin Mesa; Far View Community; and Wetherill Mesa. While in Mesa Verde, we drove to Dolores to visit the Galloping Goose and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Right across the border from Colorado is Blanding, Utah. Interesting little city which houses the best Dinosaur Museum I've ever seen. The owners are archeologists who travel the world to find artifacts for the museum. Our next stop was to visit the Natural Bridges National Monument, and then Valley of the Gods in Bluff, Utah.
We stopped in Moab, Utah on our way north for a couple of days to visit Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. From there we stopped outside of Salt Lake City to visit The Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Heading north into Wyoming, we stopped at a club campground in Boulder so it does not cost us any money to stay there. We made a long trip to the Grand Teton National Park before heading north to Cody. We got to see a few things in Cody, both of which were at the William F. Cody Museum -- Draper Natural History Museum, before Gayle's brother Bill called to say that his wife Cindy had passed away in her sleep. That was September 11, one week after her 59th birthday. So, as the arrangements would take a few days, we decided to leave and drive to Colorado Heights, Colorado to a Coast to Coast park where we were able to stay for two weeks (at no charge) so Gayle could fly to Ohio to be with her brother. We arrived at the park on Friday and on Saturday morning Gayle took off. Gayle returned on Thursday and we stayed another week before heading back to Texas.
During our time in Colorado Springs, we visited the Garden of the Gods and The Money Museum. I also did a blog on Gamblers, Gunmen and Gun-Toting Ladies of the Wild West in the 1800s from information I got while we were in Cody.
We got back to Texas at the end of October and stayed there until we headed to Houston for Thanksgiving with our family. In Houston we went to the San Jacinto Monument as they were hosting an exhibit on Big Energy: A Texas Tale of People Powering Progress.
From Houston we headed east again towards Florida so we could attend the 100th Anniversary of the Tin Can Tourists in February 2019. We stopped at Abita Springs RV Park in Louisiana and while there went on the Honey Island Swamp Tour.
January - March 2018
April - June 2018
July - September 2018
October - December 2018
We hung around Glen Rose, Texas for most of the winter of 2017, getting Jim's cataract surgery done and other doctor appointments. In early February, we decided to check out Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose. We had to leave Lucy at home (no pets allowed, even in cars) as we drove through the park the animals were loose and wandered all around us.
We also noticed that Chuck and Nancy were now the managers at Yogi Bear and that they were looking for people to work. Kathleen talked to us about going back there, so we talked with Chuck about heading up the golf cart rental facility. In the meantime, we took a trip to Big Bend National Park in the southern end of Texas, before heading back to Waller to work at Jellystone.
There are several sections to the park, so I put the trips together in a couple of posts: Boquillas Canyon & Chisos Mountains, and Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive & Santa Elena Canyon.
We did not make the season at Jellystone as Chuck and Nancy (as well as Gary) wanted us to change the way the rentals were handled and Jim did not like it nor think it would work. Even Gary in golf cart maintenance did not think their idea would work. So, Jim decided that we were going to leave and continue our traveling.
In April we decided to head to Houston to visit with our son and grandchildren. On the way, we went to College Station to get my bike worked on. We were going to take a ride on a greenway, but instead went to visit George H.W. ("41") Bush Presidential Library, which was also hosting an exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion.
While in Houston, we visited the Lone Star Flight Museum, which is at Ellington Air Force Base, right across the street from the RV Park. From there we headed west, stopping in Columbus, Texas at the Thousand Trails. We visited the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge while there.
This time we headed northwest through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Our next stop was at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. Since we do like to shoot, we did a little rifle and pistol shooting while there. The Center sits right in the center of the Santa Fe Historic Trail, which is very interesting. They also have quite an exhibit inside of the main building. We drove into Colorado and visited the Ludlow Massacre Memorial Site, and then to Cimarron, New Mexico for a tour of the famous St. James Hotel, which at one time housed the likes of Jessie James, Billy the Kid, Pat Garret, Bat Masterson, and others.
We headed north into Colorado from New Mexico and then west, stopping at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We had visited there many years previous, but stopped again as it is now a National Park. There is an abandoned cemetery on the grounds of the RV Park we stayed at, which I found quite interesting. I tried finding out more info on the men buried there, but there was not much to be found.
We headed west again, stopping in Del Norte for the night. I found something called the Natural Arch, so we ended up driving on 12 miles in the RIo Grande National Forest on a bumpy dirt road to find the arch. Was it worth it? Not really. From there we headed west on Hwy 149 to Creede, Colorado where we visited the Underground Mining Museum. We finally made it to our final destination in Colorado -- Mesa Verde National Park. I broke our travels of the park into three sections: Chapin Mesa; Far View Community; and Wetherill Mesa. While in Mesa Verde, we drove to Dolores to visit the Galloping Goose and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Right across the border from Colorado is Blanding, Utah. Interesting little city which houses the best Dinosaur Museum I've ever seen. The owners are archeologists who travel the world to find artifacts for the museum. Our next stop was to visit the Natural Bridges National Monument, and then Valley of the Gods in Bluff, Utah.
We stopped in Moab, Utah on our way north for a couple of days to visit Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. From there we stopped outside of Salt Lake City to visit The Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Heading north into Wyoming, we stopped at a club campground in Boulder so it does not cost us any money to stay there. We made a long trip to the Grand Teton National Park before heading north to Cody. We got to see a few things in Cody, both of which were at the William F. Cody Museum -- Draper Natural History Museum, before Gayle's brother Bill called to say that his wife Cindy had passed away in her sleep. That was September 11, one week after her 59th birthday. So, as the arrangements would take a few days, we decided to leave and drive to Colorado Heights, Colorado to a Coast to Coast park where we were able to stay for two weeks (at no charge) so Gayle could fly to Ohio to be with her brother. We arrived at the park on Friday and on Saturday morning Gayle took off. Gayle returned on Thursday and we stayed another week before heading back to Texas.
During our time in Colorado Springs, we visited the Garden of the Gods and The Money Museum. I also did a blog on Gamblers, Gunmen and Gun-Toting Ladies of the Wild West in the 1800s from information I got while we were in Cody.
We got back to Texas at the end of October and stayed there until we headed to Houston for Thanksgiving with our family. In Houston we went to the San Jacinto Monument as they were hosting an exhibit on Big Energy: A Texas Tale of People Powering Progress.
From Houston we headed east again towards Florida so we could attend the 100th Anniversary of the Tin Can Tourists in February 2019. We stopped at Abita Springs RV Park in Louisiana and while there went on the Honey Island Swamp Tour.
January - March 2018
April - June 2018
July - September 2018
October - December 2018