Daily Journal 2019
We left Texas in the middle of December 2018 and headed east toward Florida. By New Years we were in Louisiana because we wanted to be in Florida by the end of January. Our first stop in Florida was to visit Solomon's Castle in Ona. What a great museum; and they also have a restaurant so people could eat lunch there.
We also stayed with Bill & Julie in their back yard in Sebastian, Florida for a couple of weeks. Sebastian is a very nice, quiet city just north of Vero Beach, and still has that small town feeling. We visited the Kennedy Space Center, the Navy Seal Museum, and I did a blog on the City of Sebastian as well. While at the Thousand Trails in Orlando, we visited the Fantasy of Flight Museum.
We also stayed a week in Apollo Beach, Florida so we could visit with Jacklyn. Florida also brought the wedding of Lisa & Justin in February, Lisa being Bill & Julie's daughter, whom we have known since she was two years old. We also attended the 100th Anniversary Rally of the Tin Can Tourists in Brooksville which was also held in February. We also met up with our friends Tom & Jenanne who were workamping in the area, to visit the Tampa Bay History Center.
We decided to slowly make our way north up the eastern side of the U.S. this year, stopping in St. Mary's, Georgia to visit with a old co-worker from our law firm in Atlanta. We visited the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Cumberland Island Museum. We did not take a trip to Cumberland Island so only toured the museum on the mainland.
In Charleston, South Carolina we visited The Kazoo Museum, the H.L. Hunley, and the North Carolina Maritime Museum, where we learned about Blackbeard and Queen Anne's Revenge.
We spent a week on the Outer Banks in April (before season) so the park was pretty empty and the roads were not crowded. There is only one road on the Outer Banks covering the over 70 miles from one end to the other. While on the Outer Banks we visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Monument to a Century of Flight, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
From there we headed inland stopping in Fair Play, South Carolina where there is a Thousand Trails RV Park we stay at. While there we visited the Botanical Gardens & Geology Center at Clemson University. Then we spent a week at COE on Lake Lanier to visit friends and family in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
We then went north again and eventually ended up in North Carolina where we met up with my oldest friend Karen (who I have known my entire life as we grew up on the same street in Maple Heights), and then to the Asheville, North Carolina area. While in this area we visited Ana Ruby Falls, the Wheels Through Time Museum, Mingo Falls, and the CCC in the Smoky Mountains National Park. If you ever find yourself in Maggie Valley, please make it a point to stop at the Wheels Through Time Museum and say "Hi" to our friend Andy Norris, who is one of the tour guides of the museum.
We were going to go to Michigan UP but as we were already heading up the eastern coast, we decided to make a trip to Maine instead and visit with Bill & Julie at their China Lake, Maine house, which we had never seen. Both of our children had already been to Maine to visit with them, so now it was our turn. We took our time getting to Maine, going to Pennsylvania to see the Flight 93 Memorial, then heading to eastern Pennsylvania, up to Massachusetts and New York. But, our first stop was in Spencer, North Carolina where we visited the Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures.
Traveling north, we stopped to visit a civil war museum and the Court House in Appomattox, Virginia to see The Civil War & Lee's Surrender. Then we visited Thomas Jefferson's house Monticello in Virginia. We made it to western Pennsylvania to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial. Heading east through Pennsylvania, we stopped in Columbia, where we visited Fort Necessity National Battlefield. This is where George Washington at 21 years old built the fort. We also were able to visit the National Watch & Clock Museum, Haines Shoe House, and Gettysburg National Military Park.
We found a couple of interesting railroad museums to visit ~~ National Toy Train Museum and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. We also took a side trip to visit the No. 9 Mine & Museum. The No. 9 mine was the Lehigh Coal & Company's anthracite mines built during the 1800s.
Making our way into Massachusetts we visited the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield.
We finally made it to Maine for our week visit. We did get to visit a museum while there, which I split into two section: Maine State Museum and Women's Long Road -- 100 Years to the Vote.
We had a great time in Maine and really enjoy our time with Bill & Julie, being our dearest friends who are like family to us. We've watched each other's children grow up, and they call our daughter, their "second daughter." Heading back west we stopped in New Hampshire for the night but got to visit the Telephone Museum. Another stop was in New York where we visited the the National Bottle Museum.
We stopped in Jefferson, Ohio at Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails where we visited the Ashtabula Maritime Museum, most of the covered bridges in Ashtabula County.
We then headed closer to Cleveland, Ohio to Chesterland where I found an RV site at a 55 & older mobile home community. This place was really nice; I just wish I had known about it in 2014 when my Dad passed. Oh well. This time here we came to visit friends and family, and some sights in the area. We took a ride on the Goodtime III which cruised up the Cuyahoga River and then back down. An old friend of Jim's still lives in Cleveland and he drove up to get us and took us on a tour of Cleveland, and a stop at the Christmas House, which was the house in the Christmas Story movie that most people still watch every year.
Since we grew up in the Cleveland area, it had been many, many years since I saw my cousins. I asked one of my cousins if she could manage a get together with all of them since I was in the area and would love to see them all. We had a great reunion with my cousins whom I had not seen since 2005.
After our visit with friends and family in the Cleveland, Ohio area we went to Wapokenata, Ohio where we met up with an old friend of Jim's brother from Kent State. We also went to visit a few interesting sites in the area, such as the Temple of Tolerance, Armstrong Air & Space Museum, we took a tour of the Airstream Factory, and the Bicycle Museum of America.
We headed west again to Indiana to visit with another old friend and co-worker. Along with visiting with them, we made it a point to do some sightseeing. We saw the Mid-America Windmill Museum, the RV/MH Hall of Fame (which we are life-time members of), Old Jail Museum, and the Studebaker National Museum where we learned the history of the Studebaker automobile.
We went south from Indiana with a stop at Mammoth Cave Thousand Trails in Kentucky where we went to visit the Historic Railpark Train Museum and Mammoth Cave National Park.
One more stop before getting back to Texas was in Grand Junction, Tennessee where I went to visit the National Bird Dog Museum.
Now we are back in Texas, a state we really enjoy being in. The people are really nice, the roads are in great shape, and it's home to the resort we spend the winter at, being Tres Rios in Glen Rose. October is when we have our yearly visit to our doctors for check-ups and blood tests. But before heading to our "home" base, we stopped at the Thousand Trails in Point, Texas and visited the Audie Murphy & American Cotton Museum, the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum, the Salt Palace Museum, the Military Heritage Collection of North Texas, and the Southwest Dairy Museum.
One more stop in Waco, Texas before heading home was to visit the Improved Order of Red Men Museum. The Improved Order of Red Men traces its origin to certain secret patriotic societies founded before the American Revolution. It was established to promote liberty and to defy the tyranny of the English crown. The early groups included the Sons of Liberty, Sons of St. Tammany and the Red Men.
We spent Thanksgiving in Houston visiting with our son and his family, which includes our grandchildren. Our daughter also few in from Florida to spent the week with us.
Our last visit of the year was to the Fort Worth Stockyards to watch the bulls run.
January - March 2019
April - June 2019
July - September 2019
October - December 2019
We left Texas in the middle of December 2018 and headed east toward Florida. By New Years we were in Louisiana because we wanted to be in Florida by the end of January. Our first stop in Florida was to visit Solomon's Castle in Ona. What a great museum; and they also have a restaurant so people could eat lunch there.
We also stayed with Bill & Julie in their back yard in Sebastian, Florida for a couple of weeks. Sebastian is a very nice, quiet city just north of Vero Beach, and still has that small town feeling. We visited the Kennedy Space Center, the Navy Seal Museum, and I did a blog on the City of Sebastian as well. While at the Thousand Trails in Orlando, we visited the Fantasy of Flight Museum.
We also stayed a week in Apollo Beach, Florida so we could visit with Jacklyn. Florida also brought the wedding of Lisa & Justin in February, Lisa being Bill & Julie's daughter, whom we have known since she was two years old. We also attended the 100th Anniversary Rally of the Tin Can Tourists in Brooksville which was also held in February. We also met up with our friends Tom & Jenanne who were workamping in the area, to visit the Tampa Bay History Center.
We decided to slowly make our way north up the eastern side of the U.S. this year, stopping in St. Mary's, Georgia to visit with a old co-worker from our law firm in Atlanta. We visited the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Cumberland Island Museum. We did not take a trip to Cumberland Island so only toured the museum on the mainland.
In Charleston, South Carolina we visited The Kazoo Museum, the H.L. Hunley, and the North Carolina Maritime Museum, where we learned about Blackbeard and Queen Anne's Revenge.
We spent a week on the Outer Banks in April (before season) so the park was pretty empty and the roads were not crowded. There is only one road on the Outer Banks covering the over 70 miles from one end to the other. While on the Outer Banks we visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Monument to a Century of Flight, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
From there we headed inland stopping in Fair Play, South Carolina where there is a Thousand Trails RV Park we stay at. While there we visited the Botanical Gardens & Geology Center at Clemson University. Then we spent a week at COE on Lake Lanier to visit friends and family in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
We then went north again and eventually ended up in North Carolina where we met up with my oldest friend Karen (who I have known my entire life as we grew up on the same street in Maple Heights), and then to the Asheville, North Carolina area. While in this area we visited Ana Ruby Falls, the Wheels Through Time Museum, Mingo Falls, and the CCC in the Smoky Mountains National Park. If you ever find yourself in Maggie Valley, please make it a point to stop at the Wheels Through Time Museum and say "Hi" to our friend Andy Norris, who is one of the tour guides of the museum.
We were going to go to Michigan UP but as we were already heading up the eastern coast, we decided to make a trip to Maine instead and visit with Bill & Julie at their China Lake, Maine house, which we had never seen. Both of our children had already been to Maine to visit with them, so now it was our turn. We took our time getting to Maine, going to Pennsylvania to see the Flight 93 Memorial, then heading to eastern Pennsylvania, up to Massachusetts and New York. But, our first stop was in Spencer, North Carolina where we visited the Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures.
Traveling north, we stopped to visit a civil war museum and the Court House in Appomattox, Virginia to see The Civil War & Lee's Surrender. Then we visited Thomas Jefferson's house Monticello in Virginia. We made it to western Pennsylvania to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial. Heading east through Pennsylvania, we stopped in Columbia, where we visited Fort Necessity National Battlefield. This is where George Washington at 21 years old built the fort. We also were able to visit the National Watch & Clock Museum, Haines Shoe House, and Gettysburg National Military Park.
We found a couple of interesting railroad museums to visit ~~ National Toy Train Museum and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. We also took a side trip to visit the No. 9 Mine & Museum. The No. 9 mine was the Lehigh Coal & Company's anthracite mines built during the 1800s.
Making our way into Massachusetts we visited the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield.
We finally made it to Maine for our week visit. We did get to visit a museum while there, which I split into two section: Maine State Museum and Women's Long Road -- 100 Years to the Vote.
We had a great time in Maine and really enjoy our time with Bill & Julie, being our dearest friends who are like family to us. We've watched each other's children grow up, and they call our daughter, their "second daughter." Heading back west we stopped in New Hampshire for the night but got to visit the Telephone Museum. Another stop was in New York where we visited the the National Bottle Museum.
We stopped in Jefferson, Ohio at Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails where we visited the Ashtabula Maritime Museum, most of the covered bridges in Ashtabula County.
We then headed closer to Cleveland, Ohio to Chesterland where I found an RV site at a 55 & older mobile home community. This place was really nice; I just wish I had known about it in 2014 when my Dad passed. Oh well. This time here we came to visit friends and family, and some sights in the area. We took a ride on the Goodtime III which cruised up the Cuyahoga River and then back down. An old friend of Jim's still lives in Cleveland and he drove up to get us and took us on a tour of Cleveland, and a stop at the Christmas House, which was the house in the Christmas Story movie that most people still watch every year.
Since we grew up in the Cleveland area, it had been many, many years since I saw my cousins. I asked one of my cousins if she could manage a get together with all of them since I was in the area and would love to see them all. We had a great reunion with my cousins whom I had not seen since 2005.
After our visit with friends and family in the Cleveland, Ohio area we went to Wapokenata, Ohio where we met up with an old friend of Jim's brother from Kent State. We also went to visit a few interesting sites in the area, such as the Temple of Tolerance, Armstrong Air & Space Museum, we took a tour of the Airstream Factory, and the Bicycle Museum of America.
We headed west again to Indiana to visit with another old friend and co-worker. Along with visiting with them, we made it a point to do some sightseeing. We saw the Mid-America Windmill Museum, the RV/MH Hall of Fame (which we are life-time members of), Old Jail Museum, and the Studebaker National Museum where we learned the history of the Studebaker automobile.
We went south from Indiana with a stop at Mammoth Cave Thousand Trails in Kentucky where we went to visit the Historic Railpark Train Museum and Mammoth Cave National Park.
One more stop before getting back to Texas was in Grand Junction, Tennessee where I went to visit the National Bird Dog Museum.
Now we are back in Texas, a state we really enjoy being in. The people are really nice, the roads are in great shape, and it's home to the resort we spend the winter at, being Tres Rios in Glen Rose. October is when we have our yearly visit to our doctors for check-ups and blood tests. But before heading to our "home" base, we stopped at the Thousand Trails in Point, Texas and visited the Audie Murphy & American Cotton Museum, the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum, the Salt Palace Museum, the Military Heritage Collection of North Texas, and the Southwest Dairy Museum.
One more stop in Waco, Texas before heading home was to visit the Improved Order of Red Men Museum. The Improved Order of Red Men traces its origin to certain secret patriotic societies founded before the American Revolution. It was established to promote liberty and to defy the tyranny of the English crown. The early groups included the Sons of Liberty, Sons of St. Tammany and the Red Men.
We spent Thanksgiving in Houston visiting with our son and his family, which includes our grandchildren. Our daughter also few in from Florida to spent the week with us.
Our last visit of the year was to the Fort Worth Stockyards to watch the bulls run.
January - March 2019
April - June 2019
July - September 2019
October - December 2019