Corpus Christi, Texas – Day 1

Yesterday we drove the motorhome the about 50 miles from Kingsville to Corpus Christi, Texas.

We are parked at the Eagles Club #2249 where we spent the night.

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

When we arrived at 11:30 AM, we thought we’d get settled in and then drive around a bit to get the lay of the land. However fate had different plans for us. If you look closely at the above photo on the far right in the background you will see a trailer from which emerged Larry Mills. Larry informed us he was the security guard, trustee, bar manager and additional host of other titles. He has been a member of this club since 1982, winters here and summers at his home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Eagles Club is closed on the weekend, but Larry asked if we’d like a tour of the facilities and of course we said yes. As he opened the door, he asked “Would you like a beer?” Mary and I do not usually drink at noontime, but soon found ourselves sitting at the bar…

At the bar, Larry drink his Miller Lite while Mary and I drank our normal drinks…mine being Canadian Mist and water.

Larry proved quickly proved to be a very congenial and very funny fellow and we were soon laughing up a storm. To give you an example of his humor, when I asked if he was married, he replied…”No, I’m divorced…my wife ran off with the gardener and I thought she didn’t like Chinese food.” Think about it for a moment…

This is the lounge as seen from the bar…

Larry told us the hall has one of the largest dance floors in South Texas…

Since Mary and Larry are both originally from Michigan, that only added to the camaraderie. To make a long story short, we sat and chatted with much laughter for the next two hours…after which I was no longer in condition to drive, so we adorned to the motorhome for the remainder of the day.

This Eagles Club actually has provisions for RV’s including 30 amp electrical service, so we are very comfortable here and will likely stay for 3-4 days. Here’s the view from the dinette window with Larry’s trailer in the background…

Enjoying meeting interesting and funny people is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!!!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…(look closely on the Texas coast…)

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

2010 Year In Review…

Jim says:

2010 was a great RVing year for me. Here’s some on the places I visited, things I did and people met along the way in the about 17,500 miles…

* Arizona
Yuma with a walk-in to San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora Mexico
Apache Junction
Old Tucson Film Studios in Tucson
Biosphere 2, in Oracle
Chiricahua National Monument deep in Apache Country for three days

* New Mexico
Deming with a walk-in to Palomas, Mexico

* Texas
Big Bend National Park for three days
Judge Roy Bean Museum in Langtry
National Museum of the World War II Pacific War Museum at Fredericksburg
Luckenback, population 3
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park at Stonewall

* Louisana
Fred’s Lounge in Eunice
Jean LaFitte National Preserve at Barataria
Mardi Gras in New Orleans for two weeks
Battle of New Orleans site at Chalmette
The mouth of the Mississippi River at Venice
Pilot Town, an island ten miles into the Gulf of Mexico
Bayou Terrbonne to Houma marshlands
Mandalay National Wildlife Preserve and Bayou Black Swamp tour
Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center at Thibodaux
Mr. Charlie Oil Rig Museum at Morgan City
The Oldest Rice Mill and Birthpace of Cajun Country at New Iberia
Tabasco factory and the Annual great Gator Race at New Iberia
Rice and Crawfish country in Crowley
Jean LaFitte Nation Historic Park at Lafayette
Martin Accordion Factory at Lafayette
Saints Football Team Parade at Opelousas
Historic Town of Washington
A visit at the home Greg Girard, famous Louisiana Author at Catahoula
The Great Atchafaylaya Swamp
Louisiana’s Angloa Maximum Security Prison 25 miles from St. Francisville
Civil War Battlefield at Port Hudson
State Capital Building at Baton Rouge
The Last Wilderness Ultimate Swamp Tour
Nottaway Plantation at White Castle
Laura Plantation at Vacherie
Bayou Segnette State Park at Westwego

* Mississippi
Beauvoir – Last Home Of Jefferson Davis, Biloxi,
U.S. Highway 90 and Hurricane Katrina Ground Zero damage area

* Florida
National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola for three days
Blue Angels Precision Flaying Team at Pensacola
Historical Museum at Pensacola
Fort Barrancas at Pensacola
Gulf Islands National Seashore

* South Carolina
A week-long visit with my friends Bob and Judy Michaud at Summerton
Santee National Wildlife Refuge at Summerton

* North Carolina
Asheville
Cherokee Indian Museum at Cherokee

* North Carolina and Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

* North Carolina and Virginia
Blue Ridge Parkway

* Virginia
Skyline drive
A visit with Mary’s stepdaughter and her family at Front Royal

* West Virginia
Harpers Ferry National Park

* Pennsylvania
Gettysburg National Military Historic Park
Hershey Chocolate Factory at Hershey
Dutch/Amish Country in Lancaster County
The Covered Bridge Tour of Lehigh County

* New Jersey
A visit with my friends Jim and Ginnie Palumbo in Wayne
Thomas Edison National Historical Park at west Orange
A visit with my cousin Simone and her husband Pat in Bergenfield

* Connecticut
A visit with my cousin Diane and her husband Bob at Hebron
A visit with my son Jim and his family at Ivoryton
Katherine Hepburn Museum at Old Saybrook
Nuclear Submarine Nautilus and U.S, Navy Submarine Museum at Groton
United States Coast Guard academy at New London
Ivoryton Playhouse and The Buddy Holly Story
The largest casino in the United States at Foxwood
Mystic Seaport
Amistad Exhibit at New London

* Rhode Island
Millionaire “Summer Cottages” at Newport

* Massachusetts
A visit with several different cousins and their families at New Bedford
Whaling Museum at New Bedford
The Island of Martha’s Vineyard for one week
Chappaquiddick Island
A week on Cape Cod including Hyannisport and Provincetown
Sandwich Glass Museum at Sandwich
A visit with old school friends at Revere
The first public beach in the United States at Revere
97th Annual Portuguese Feast/Festival
Lowell’s Boat Shop at Amesbury
Newburyport
Manchester
Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center and Fisherman’s Memorial
Rockport

* New Hampshire
Portsmouth

* New York
U. S. Army West Point Military Academy

* Michigan
Henry Ford Museum at Dearborn
Motown Music Museum and Ford F150 Pickup Assembly Plant Tour in Detroit

* Indiana
RV Museum at Elkhart
Fleetwood Motorhome Factory at Decatur
Workhorse Chassis Factory at Union City
Little Italy Festival in Clinton

* Nebraska
High Plains Museum at McCook

* Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park
Museum of Northwest Colorado at Craig

* Nevada
National Automobile Museum at Reno

In addition those identified there were many other smaller museums, numerous restaurants and other experiences during the about 17,500 miles of 2010.
Whew! It was quite a year!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com

RV Trip Favorite Photos #367-373

Jim sats:

While Mary and I are taking care of business here at her home…there is little “new stuff” to Blog about daily. So I’ve decided to share with you some of my favorite photos from our recent 298 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip around the United States.

Since scenery and people snapshot-type photos require little special photography skills…and being limited by the abilities of my digital camera…I none the less took some photos that I really liked. They are presented in no special order of favoritism. If you desire to see more associated photos and information about this area, you will need to find this date in the archive files of this Blog.

Today’s photos were taken on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour (where the Ford 150 Pickup Truck is manufactured), Detroit, Michigan on August 23, 2010……

In other news…
Yesterday 42 degrees with rain. Departure date for Jim is November 29, 2010.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

THE WHITE STUFF IS HERE

Forgive me, for I have sinned.  I let the white stuff fall down on the Motor Home, and failed to get the chimney swept.
We  hunkered in with the heater blasting all day. I enjoy the snow as long as it melts away in a day or two.  Jim, however, was unfazed by the beauty of the white stuff. You be the judge.

It was a wet snow. The maple tree branches are strong enough not to bend. The plum tree still has its purple leaves. The branches were bent heavily over my deck table.

The fine needles of a heather plant turned snow into lace.

My Exchange student from Indonesia, in 1986, was dellighted that California had snow. Her father told her there would be no snow in California, so she was surprised to find out that some parts of the sunny state had snow.

Linda, on the left, enjoyed playing in the white stuff and enjoyed the dog sled races at Bear Valley.

But, real snow looks like this:

It was deep, every year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This picture was taken in the 1942. My father would warn us not to climb the snowdrifts and touch the electrical wires. The snow WAS that high.
Brrrr!  I’m grateful to be a Californian.

RV Trip Favorite Photos #356-366

Jim says:

While Mary and I are taking care of business here at her home…there is little “new stuff” to Blog about daily. So I’ve decided to share with you some of my favorite photos from our recent 298 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip around the United States.

Since scenery and people snapshot-type photos require little special photography skills…and being limited by the abilities of my digital camera…I none the less took some photos that I really liked. They are presented in no special order of favoritism. If you desire to see more associated photos and information about this area, you will need to find this date in the archive files of this Blog.

Today’s photos were taken at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan on August 22, 2010……

In other news…
34 degrees, rain/snow showers. Departure date for Jim is November 29, 2010.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Dearborn, Michigan

Jim says:

Yesterday Art and Sue and Mary and I went back to the Henry ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. There we boarded a Ford-provided bus for a 15 minute ride to the Ford Rouge Factory where they have been building Ford vehicles since 1917. Today they build their most popular truck, the F150 series, there.

First was a 20 minute film about the history of Ford. Then a 20 minute film about the factory. This film is presented in a 360 degree format with 360 degree sound including floor-jarring effects. No photographs were allowed in the theater or in the factory.

Then to an observation deck where you could kinda-sorta see across the wide expanse of this huge facility. Photographs were allowed here.

Then into the actual assembly area where we walked a 1/3 mile observation walkway overlooking the assembly activities. There is found an amazing array of moving platforms where they turn out a new truck about once minute. About one thousand employees per shift assemble the thousands of components that go into the making of a truck of today. No photographs allowed in here.

Finally to a showcase area where they present the 70 year history of the Ford Rouge Factory including five of the most popular models. The plant is located on the shores of the Rouge River…on one shore is Dearborn and on the other the City of Detroit. My friend Art and his father Walter work for the Ford Motor Company for many years. We spent a total of three hours at the facility. Another most interesting day in the life of a full-time RVer.

Here are five photos taken during the day…

To see the other 35 photos I took, click this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/FordRougeFactoryTour082310#

Here’s the official Ford Rouge Factory Tour website link…
http://www.thehenryford.org/rouge/index.aspx

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about the Ford Rouge River Complex…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_River_Rouge_Complex

Today Mary and I will move on the Elkhart, Indiana about 150 miles distant.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michugan

Jim says:

I’ve been in a lot of museums in my many years on the road, but nothing quite like the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan.

Yesterday Art and Sue and Mary and I walked, walked and walked some more in this 12 acre museum…all under one roof. We didn’t come close to seeing everything, among which includes such things as:

# A model of the nuclear-powered Ford Nucleon automobile.
# An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
# The 1961 Lincoln Continental, SS-100-X, that President John F. Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated.
# The rocking chair from Ford’s Theatre in which President Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was shot.
# George Washington’s camp bed.
# A ten-person safety bicycle made in 1896
# A collection[5] of several fine 17th and 18th century violins including a Stradivarius.
# Thomas Edison’s alleged last breath in a sealed tube.
# Buckminster Fuller’s prototype Dymaxion house.
# The bus on which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.[6]
# Igor Sikorsky’s prototype helicopter.
# Fokker Trimotor airplane that flew the first flight over the North Pole.
# Bill Elliott’s record-breaking race car clocking in at over 212 MPH at Talledega in 1987.
# The Newcomen type engine from Cobb’s Engine House in England[7].

We also did not go into the adjacent 240 acre Greenfield Village portion of the museum. To read about this unique place…see the two links provided below. In the meantime here are some photos that I took…

An old 18 foot Airstream Travel Trailer…

The last of the three RV’s used by Charles Kuralt during his 25+ year On The Road TV Show…

A 1950′s trailer similar to one my family lived in back then…

An early RV…

Road were pretty rough back then…

Not many stopping places…

Here Mary takes for a spin in a 1917 Ford Touring Car that still runs!…

Some of the exhibits are huge. Can you see Mary on the upper level of this power plant?

If one were to see and fully appreciate everything every. they would need many visits. All in all another most enjoyable day!

Here’s the official Henry Ford Museum website link…
http://www.hfmgv.org/

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Henry_Ford

To see the other 90 photos I took, click this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/HenryFordMuseum082210#

Today we do the Ford Rouge Factory Tour where Ford has been building cars since the Model A.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

Sandusky, Ohio

Jim says:

Yesterday Mary and I continued our journey towards Grosse Isle, Michigan on yet another hot and humid day.

Along the way we passed through Cleveland, Ohio.

Passing through Cleveland, Ohio.

Where we got our first sighting of Lake Erie.

Our first view of Lake Erie.

We ended our day’s travels at American Legion Post #83 in Sandusky, Ohio. This post is the largest American Legion Post in Ohio and the third largest in the nation.

American Legion Post #83

We are parked in their back parking lot trying to get a little shade from the trees.

Back parking lot.

Inside it’s a beautiful building. They have a great menu at very reasonable prices. Mary and I both enjoyed a tasty meal complete with soup, salad and two large draft beers for a grand total of $14.44!

We spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting in the shade of the trees reading our books. We expect to arrive at our destination of Grosse Isle, Michigan mid-afternoon today.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.