Land Yacht

Ottawa ON to Ocala FL

Since we left so late in the year, most of the campgrounds in Ontario and New York were either closed or closing. The cold weather we experienced would have made dry camping in parking lots a bit uncomfortable unless the generator were run all night long. Thus, we did not stop much along the way to see the sights and smell the roses...frozen roses probably don't smell anyway.

Our border crossing, for which we had girded our loins, crossed our fingers and invoked the power of various talisman, was a non-event. There was no second-degree, no searching of the RV...no drama at all. Let's hope our return to Canada in the spring is as easy.

We had a major problem at Weedsport, where we stayed in a motel. When we went to breakfast in the morning, Louise-Ann noticed that she had lost the diamond from her engagement ring. What a shock! We combed the room and walked and re-walked the areas we had traversed...no diamond. So, we boarded the motorhome and after a few tears resigned ourselves to the loss. The next morning, LA noticed a sparkle in the carpet near the galley; lo and behold, it was her diamond. All smiles, she put the ring and diamond in an envelope for eventual rebuilding.

At Berea KY we had our first mishap with the motorhome, entirely due to our inexperience. As we were leaving we made a right turn onto the highway too sharply, to avoid oncoming traffic. The right rear wheel went off the pavement into a pothole and then over a high curb. Although we were barely moving, the sudden drop off the curb brought the left front wheel of the RV well off the ground. A passing motorcyclist that stopped to assist said that he was sure we were going to roll into the ditch. The sweeper (wide mud flap thing) was torn loose, the bottom of a body panel on the right side of the coach hit the curb and the bottom of it was badly dented, and the battery hangers were bent backwards. We went back to the resort for another night, where we were able to straighten and reattach the sweeper. A few days later, we had a mechanic prise the battery hangers back into position. The only damage remaining is cosmetic, not counting the damage to our pride.

We really liked Tennessee and Benton Tennessee was a really nice stop. We drove our Saturn along “the Skyway” and all over the Cherokee Forest. We got lost several times, despite having the GPS. Driving the mountain roads was cool...that thunder road song kept running through our heads...and over every crest and around every curve there were beautiful sights, not just the leaves, but also waterfalls.

At Benton we ran out of wine, gasp! This is the heart of the backwoods and bottle shops are scarce. We found a winery at Delano and picked out a few bottles. Alas, it was not very good and was over-priced. Of course we drank it anyway!

We also went shopping at nearby Etowah, where we found a genuine, old-fashioned hardware store. The clerks working there were the genuine item, not kids with no experience. They helped us sort out several little jobs.

At Juliette GA (www.juliettega.com) we strolled the streets where the movie Fried Green Tomatoes was made. Inside most of the buildings we found a few crafts, but mostly typical tourist junk. Still it was worth the visit.

Ocala is a major city with everything one could need. We decided to take a ride on one of those air boats. We spotted a billboard for Wild Bill's Airboat Rides near Inverness FL. In addition to experiencing Wild Bill's sometimes wild driving we saw turtles, birds and alligators in their native habitat.

It is a short drive to Orlando, home of Disney World. We drove there to take in Cirque du Soleil. We were very lucky with ticketing and ended up with perfect seating. Seeing the show up close and personal is way better than seeing it on television!

Communication has been much easier than it was aboard our trawler in Asia. We have had good luck finding Wi-fi in most campgrounds. Our Rogers cell phone seems to work nearly everywhere, and our StarChoice satellite system is keeping us informed about things back in Canada. Aiming the dish has been a pain and the wind keeps blowing it over, but a good coat of epoxy returns the LNA to service.

Ocala FL to San Antonio TX

While we stayed at Forsyth GA we drove to Juliette GA to see the Whistle Stop Café movie set. We noticed the brick BBQ from the set, where in the movie the FBI agent was boiled down and served up as ribs. That evening we watched the movie again with renewed interest.

Before we left Ocala we drove down to Orlando to see the resident presentation of Cirque du Soleil. It was a fantastic performance. Had Disney not been so expensive we might have stayed longer and seen EPCOT.

There is not much to see around Milton; luckily, we met someone who told us where to find the best sights, including a seaside park rebuilt after H. Katrina and a little park with a waterfall.

We originally intended to stay only a night or two at Saucier MS, but the weather report made us stay a week. It was cold and it even snowed! In nearby New Orleans they had record snow, enough to make snowmen.

New Orleans was a delight. Some highlights included: a tour of a plantation, a horse and buggy tour through the French quarter, a Christmas jazz concert at Preservation Hall, and a steamboat dinner cruise on the Mississippi. We really enjoyed the Creole, Spanish and American blend architecture. On the down-side, we tore the transmission pan off our car on a speed bump, but found a mechanic right across the street.

Downtown San Antonio is surprisingly nice. Along the river they have created a beautiful walk with taxi barges. The Alamo is right downtown and worth a visit. We celebrated our 38th anniversary at the Antler Cafe, where the ceiling is decorated with hundreds of deer antlers. There's also a pair of jackalopes and a huge wide mouth bass.

San Antonio TX to Quartzsite AZ

We found Texas along I-10 to be rather boring—miles of nothing but sand and scrub. The only city we enjoyed was San Antonio (www.visitsanantonio.com).

We stayed at Fort Stockton (www.ci.fort-stockton.tx.us) because of the weather. When we did leave, the wind was gusting so hard it unfurled one of our slide-out awnings and ripped it. Fuel economy plummeted to about five miles per US gallon.

As soon as we entered Arizona we noticed a difference in scenery. This is the start of the Sonoran Desert (www.arizonensis.org/sonoran), the only place on earth where the giant saguaro cactus grows wild.

Phoenix was a good stop, mostly because our friends Frank and Fay guided us around. The Desert Botanical Garden is a gem, enhanced by Chihuly glass sculptures. We also toured the Orpheum Theatre, a stunning example of early 1900s architecture.

A side trip to Prescott was interesting. In only an hour's drive we climbed into a cooler climatic zone. Prescott has interesting old buildings, including a saloon rebuilt with an original long bar that patrons once saved from a fire.

We really enjoyed Quartzsite (www.ci.quartzsite.az.us). It's amazing to see the land dotted for miles with RVs. While we were there, we visited the rock and gem show and a massive RV show. We decided to stay a third week because Maurice re-injured his knees walking so much at the show. This is a good place to be stuck—they even had a jam session with plenty of C&W music!

Quartzsite AZ to San Diego CA

While in Brenda AZ, we drove to Joshua Tree National Park. We also visited the movie theatre in Blythe CA to see Taken, Gran Torino, and Paul Blart Mall Cop. We also enjoyed a Valentine's Day dance at the RV park.

In Yuma AZ (www.ci.yuma.az.us), we visited the Yuma Territorial Prison. The prison is excellent and we spent the afternoon exploring cell blocks and the cemetery. We also visited Lutes Casino, which is actually a bar and restaurant filled with memorabilia. We had coffee and Medjool date pie, a regional specialty.

Just west of Yuma are the Imperial Sand Dunes. The dunes are huge and shifting—they filmed Scorpion King and Jarhead here. We were amazed by the agriculture in the Imperial Valley; they produce everything from carrots to cattle.

The drive from Yuma to Boulevard took us up the Jacumba Mountains from below sea level to over 3,000 feet. The engine reached 217 degrees F by the time we reached the top. The locals have a bumper sticker that reads, “Where the hell is Boulevard CA?” From there to San Diego, we climbed over 4,000 feet through the In-Ko-Pah Mountains with stunning fractured granite formations.

San Diego CA to Amarillo TX

The Mojave Desert is typified by the Joshua Tree. It's way colder up here, dropping to freezing at night. In Barstow (www.barstowca.org), we took a drive to Rainbow Basin. The road was a one-way dirt loop that we managed in our Saturn, though we were followed by dune buggies!

Route-66 from Ludlow to Fenner was interesting. The most impressive sight was the Amboy Crater. We also visited Roy's Cafe. In Lake Havasu City, we saw the London Bridge, which was transported from England and reassembled over a concrete structure.

We drove through Oatman AZ (www.ghosttowns.com), famous for its wild burros that beg for carrots. The road through the mountains here is so narrow and windy it's posted at 15-30 mph. It’s a don't-miss stretch of Route-66.

We skipped the Grand Canyon Skywalk due to the high surcharges and instead took a tour with Marvelous Marv. He was exceptionally informative. We also drove through Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona, which is as interesting as the Grand Canyon but lets you get right down into the scenery.

We visited the Petrified Forest National Park during a howling 60 mph sandstorm. We saw the Painted Desert, the ruins of Puerco Pueblo, and ancient petroglyphs. Near Albuquerque NM, we rode the Sandia Peak Tramway to over 10,000 feet.

After touring Albuquerque's Old Town, we explored the Salinas Missions, specifically the Quarai Mission. It is fascinating that a handful of priests convinced the Indians to build such massive churches. We then drove along Albuquerque's Central Avenue (www.rt66central.com), a quintessential bit of Route-66.

We literally blew to Amarillo on a strong tailwind. We managed to see Cadillac Ranch and got photos of the cars buried nose-down in the ground.

Amarillo TX to Ottawa ON

We stayed in Elk City due to high winds and tornadoes nearby. In Oklahoma City, we fell ill with bad colds and missed several attractions. From there, the trip became a "passage-making" exercise as we headed back to Canada.

St. Louis MO was nearly a disaster. We took a wrong turn into a seedy neighbourhood where the U-turn lane was barely wide enough for our RV and "toad." A "Good Samaritan" in a white truck helped us find our way back to the highway and warned us to get out of the area quickly.

The drive from St. Louis to the border was easy. We were dreading the entry into Canada, but the officials just waived us through once they saw we had nothing significant to declare.