AmericanRoads-2008

THE BIG ROUNDABOUT

    Traveling anticlockwise around the USA
    Beginning and ending in University Place, Washington State
    From 4/2/2008 to 6/21/2008

    11,400 miles (23,175 km) by RV plus another 2,200 (3,540 km) in our tow car

    Laveta and I drove a 31ft Class-C Motorhome towing a "Honda CRV"
    Total length ~ 49ft (15 m) and ~17000 lbs. (7711 kg)
    Jim and Carol pulled a 33ft 5th-wheel trailer with their "Dodge Ram" (diesel).
    Total length ~ 50 ft (15.2 m) and ~17500 lbs. (7938 kg)

    Click on a thumbnail for a larger photo.    Underlined text indicates a hyperlink


(1) The day before departure (2 &3) At the Four-Feathers RV in Oregon    (4) In Corning CA

The now deactivated Castle AFB in Atwater CA, where I worked for Boeing as a Flight-line Mechanic
on B52's back in the mid 1960's.   Back then- it was a vital, around-the-clock operation. It was sad to
see it so bedraggled looking.


Castle Museum RV Park was nice and quiet

Airplane photo's below were taken at The Castle Air Museum (This is just a few of many planes)

(1) British Vulcan (2) Blackbird (3) C-47

(1) B-17      (2) B-24      (3) B-25     (4) B-29

       B-36

B-52

-------------------------------------

At the Shady Lane RV Park, Barstow CA

Blooming Cactus at the Needles Marina, Needles, CA

In Phoenix, AZ

Visiting with Roger & Della, Goodyear, AZ

At the Owl Bar, San Antonio, NM

Carol and Laveta, Albuquerque, NM at the Isleta Lakes RV park

Isleta Lakes RV park and view from our window

With my big sucker Laveta- Cribbage

The High Noon Restaurant and Bar (built in 1785) in Old Town, Albuquerque

San Felipe de Neri church, Old Town, Albuquerque

Old Town Square

Buying hats and things

Below: Acoma Pueblo, NM. Founded in the 12th century-
The oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA
The church is Mission San Esteban Rey built in 1629-1641

----------------------------------------------------------

Sign at Fort Amarillo RV, Amarillo Texas

Storm's a coming, Chickasha, Oklahoma. (-The town where Laveta was born).

Breakfast at the J&W Grill. Laveta, Carol and Jim- Chickasha, OK.

Bowen #1, the Bowen family oil well since 1954 (mineral rights only).
"Bowen" is Laveta's maiden name, but it's a big family and
royalties- such as they are (it's not a big producer) don't extend to her.
Uncle Andy is holding sign.

Crowley's Ridge State Park, Arkansas

Graceland RV, Memphis Tennessee

The legendary Sun Recording Studio in Memphis (a national historic monument) .
The birthplace of Rock and Roll- this is the studio that first recorded Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins,
Jonny Cash, B.B, King, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Our tour guide at Sun, original studio microphone... and Elvis Presley's Social Security Card.

----------------------------------------------------------

Elvis's Graceland- mansion and property

Graceland residence: Living Room, Dining Room and TV room.

Graceland residence: Pool Room, The "Jungle Room" (a large den) and Costume display building.

Family graves, Elvis's Grave, Carol in museum, Laveta and Carol with the Pink Cadillac.

The "TCB" Taking Care of Business logo on Elvis's jet.

----------------------------------------------------------

East New Orleans RV park, Slidell Louisiana. Laundry day at the park-
in an ISO shipping container no less!

Love bugs. There were zillions if them. And in a strange evolutionary twist- they live their short lives lives in a state of perpetual copulation- even flying together!

Pine Terrace apartments in Slidell, Louisiana.
The four of us stayed there awhile bck in 1964. We shared the second floor middle apt. until Jim bought a 10-wide trailer.

Downtown (old town) Slidell

Waiting out the "Tornado Watch" in our motor home, Slidell 5/3/2008

Jim- using the rain from the storm to wash his trailer

NASA's Michoud Operations, where Jim and I worked on the Saturn S1-C (Apollo first stage) back in '64. I inspected the fin assemblies (which are visible in the photo) and the Thrust Structure- that the engines attach to.

The French Quarter- New Orleans

Eating (and drinking) lunch at Pat Obrien's on Bourbon Street.
The last time we here together was in 1964

Carol & Laveta - at our RV park, Panama City Beach, Florida

At the Blue Heaven restaurant, Key West, Florida. Neat Place and great Key-Lime Pie!

At the Miami Everglades Campground RV Park

Hot and humid in Miami. Carol and Laveta with "Gatroman"

At the Versailles Cuban restaurant- Miami

Saint Augustine, Florida - Castillo de San Marcos

Saint Augustine - Flagler College, Lightener Museum, Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in the US.

                         ----------------------------------------------------------


Savannah, Georgia- would have enjoyed staying a few more days.

   Me... with hair!

More views of Savannah- a beautiful old city with great ambiance and class.


Savannah: Eating at Paula Deen's Lady and Sons restaurant.

Our RV park in Cherokee, North Carolina

A foggy day in Great Smokey Mountain National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee

Laveta & Carol: Natural Bridge, Virginia

----------------------------------------------------------

Jim at the Gettysburg Museum, brand new and wonderful.

Gettysburg: Lee's headquarters and a bullet marked private home.

Gettysburg town square and a barn that was used as a confederate field hospital July,1st 1863

Gettysburg Military Park, Pennsylvania, is an extraordinary place. A must see for every American.

----------------------------------------------------------

Amish farmland and farmhouse's. Horsepower in the fields. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

With an Amish buggy

Inside a "typical" (actually they vary a lot) Amish home. Intercourse Pennsylvania.

Hat-rack and mirror (with my reflection)

----------------------------------------------------------

(1) Entering Niagara Falls State Park, New York.   (2) Lunch at the Top of The Falls Restaurant.
(3) Laveta and Carol waiting in line.   (4) The four of us at Horseshoe Falls.

Hidden Valley RV Park, Middleburgh, NY - a quiet and pretty place to stay..

Jim and Joe (Laveta's brother-in-law) with Joe's boat, Warwick, Rhode Island

New Bedford, Massachusetts- a beautiful little town with lots of history

The New Bedford Whaling Museum - a great place to see.

Gloucester, Massachusetts

Man at the Wheel fishermen's memorial, Gloucester waterfront

At the small - but very impressive Cape Ann Historical Museum, Gloucester

Dinner at Jasper's restaurant, Ellsworth Maine.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine

Eating Ice Cream- Maple Lane RV Park, Cuba New York

Laveta at Big Sandy Campground, Swanton Ohio

Welcome to Interstate RV Park, Davenport, Iowa

After the storm at our RV park in Davenport. This was a rather strong thunderstorm, a flood warning... and a tornado warning (with Doppler Radar showing cloud rotation directly over our location). Lightening and thunder were close and nearly continuous for about 10 minutes! A tornado from lhis same storm front killed four Boy Scouts the day before.

"Valiant Vineyards" at the Buffalo Run Winery and Resort - Vermillion, South Dakota. Owned by Laveta's
cousin and husband. It's also a B&B. Vine is one of the "wild grape" vines that they're working with.