Monroe, Washington – Day 3 (GA623)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.
Sadly Mary is struggling with health issues. To see the latest about her situation, click here

To view past blogs, scroll to the bottom of this page and use the menu.

I’m currently in my 24th year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click here

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The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Lake Minden RV Resort in Nicolaus, California. I’ll depart here later this morning.

 

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

  In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

This entry was posted September 27, 2013…

 

 

 

 

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Thunderbird RV Resort in Monroe, Washington.

 

Yesterday morning I drove Mary to Seatac Airport south of Seattle Washington, She has some important business that needs her attention at home back in California…

 

 

 

 

 

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…

 

 

 

 

 

 

With two people in the Bronco we were able to use the diamond lane and made it to the airport in 45 minutes. I then drove the 12 miles north to the VA Hospital where I had my first professional eye exam. I was told I have a cataract in my right eye and received a prescription to purchase prescription glasses. A couple of hours later my annual physical exam (which I missed last year because I was in New Mexico) went very well. No problems identified. Unable now to use the diamond lane, the ride back to the motorhome took 1.5 hours during the afternoon rush traffic. Makes me wonder why it’s called rush traffic!  🙂

 

Renewing my drivers license, and my VA exams accomplished completes two of the three reasons for returning to the Pacific Northwest. The third reason, having my friend and mechanic Kenny do some mechanical work on the Bronco and motorhome awaits completion. With heavy rain forecast for the weekend when we were supposed to get the work done, now may interfere with those plans. One Day At A Time is the order of the day!

 

Yesterday was a cloudy/sunny cool day. High temperature for the day was 63.

 

Forecast high temperature for today is 57 degrees, cloudy with rain developing.

 

Enjoying Thousand Trails RV Resorts is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

 

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Washington. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/airports-travel-comforts-of-city-life/

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Forecast for today’s destination is sunny and 92 degrees. Too danged hot!

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity 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

 

“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.” –James Madison

 

 

“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” —Mark Twain

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

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

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2019

VA Medical Mobile Unit – Aberdeen, Washington

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 21st year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Moose Lodge #1684 in Shelton, Washington. I’ll depart here later this morning.

 

(Note: I’m currently a little discombobulated right now. My normal mode is to blog what I experienced yesterday. Right now, I’m several blogs behind my experiences. I expect to be back in my normal mode within a couple of weeks.)

 

 

During my recent visit to VFW Post #224 in Aberdeen, Washington, I was surprised to see a Veterans Administration Mobile Medical Unit in their parking lot. I had never seen one before and did not know of their existence…

 

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…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are made on a Prevost chassis, a top-of-the-line manufacturer that provides tour buses for on-the-road wealthy entertainers…

 

 

 

 

I was able to find out little online about these MMU’s as they are called. There appears to be in excess of 75 of them in the United States serving Veterans whom live in rural areas. The one downside to being a Veteran living in a rural area…if you need major medical assistance…you usually have to drive many miles to a major city location.

 

Here’s a smattering of what I found online about these MMU’s…

*The mobile Vet centers will increase access to readjustment counseling services for Veterans and their families in rural and underserved communities across the country.

*These vehicles will be used in destinations across the continental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

*These customized vehicles – which are equipped with confidential counseling space and a state of the art communication package—travel to communities to extend VA’s reach to Veterans, service members and their families, especially those living in rural or remote communities.

*The vehicles also serve as part of the VA emergency response program.

*Mobile Vet units are equipped as “offices on wheels,” with the capacity to provide emergency support for natural disasters. Each motor coach houses a satellite dish that connects to communications and audio-visual equipment, six phone lines, a fax line, notebook computers, four encrypted computer lines and a wireless network.

*In fiscal year 2011, Mobile Vet Centers participated in more than 3,600 federal, state and locally sponsored Veteran-related events.

Since it was lunch time, I didn’t get to see the inside of this unit. But, I was glad to see it there servicing the needs of local Veterans.

Donald Trump is advocating a major change in the Veterans medical system. Instead of traveling to major cities for major medical needs…a Vet would be able to get major medical assistance at the nearest appropriate facility. Being a Veteran, I would very like to see that change happen.

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

 

 

Yesterday was cloudy/rainy and 65 degrees. Forecast for today is mostly cloudy with a shower and 68 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Washington. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity 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

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

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

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet 2016

Central America Trip #91

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

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The motorhome is parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. While here I’ll perform routine maintenance and cleaning of both the motorhome and Bronco.

Yesterday I went for my annual physical at the VA Clinic in Sonora, California. Doctor Mathur gave me a clean bill of health for the next year.

 

I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. Mary just found out that she will be having surgery on her right shoulder on April 15th. I’ll want to assist her during recovery however I can.

I assisted her with her left shoulder surgery in 2009. Whenever it’s convenient and I know that she is comfortable after her surgery, I’ll make my future travel plans at that time.

 

Recently I’ve been running blogs about my 2004 Central America trip. While here, I’m intending to continue those postings while also alternating with this area blogs.

 

Today, I’m taking you back to my…

2004 Central America trip…

This trip ended up being 343 days and 16,000+ miles through the back-country of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. 11 rigs started the trip, within a week we broke into three smaller groups for ease of traveling. Only myself and one other rig went the full, pre-planned route. All the others dropped out for various reasons. All returned safely to the United States. I’m planning to show these photos, more or less, 10 a day, whenever I’m not doing something else deserving a blog entry. FINALLY, it must be remembered these photos are prior to my switching to digital in 2006. The films were developed during our trip and the lack of quality control sometimes is plainly evident.

 

Today…Mexico (north-bound) 16…

 

The motorhome is in Oaxaca, awaiting a new engine. I had no idea that it would take two months. In the meantime we explore Oaxaca, one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico. In our two months there…we got to know it well…

 

Another day trip in the Bronco, this time to the village of San Antonio Arrazola where alejibras (mythical animals) are made from copal wood…

 

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…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small church in one of the prettiest and cleanest villages of the trip…

 

 

 

Rather plain in comparison to others we’ve seen…

 

 

 

Music is everywhere in Mexico…

 

 

 

This 12 piece band played traditional Banda music…

 

 

 

Here’s my trip website link…http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

 Yesterday was partly sunny and 75 degrees. Forecast for today is partly sunny and 78 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity 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

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

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

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2016

Old Town – Monterey, California #1

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in Morgan Hill, California.

Yesterday I  drove the Bronco 45 miles to the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, for my six-month post-operation cataract eye examination.  Morning  traffic was heavy and the drive took 95 minutes. Mid-day return trip was only 55 minutes. All is well with my eyes!

I’m expecting to depart here later this morning and after 160 miles arrive Mary’s home in Murphys, California mid-afternoon.

Recently I spent several days in Monterey…an area rich in beautiful scenery and history. A bonanza for a travel blogger! I ended up with 17 blog titles and 628 photos which I’ll present through about May 20th. This works well for me because I’ll be in an “idle period” during that time. During my time at Mary’s, I’ll do routine maintenance, minor repairs and cleaning. On about May 21, Mary and I are planning to head-out for Yellowstone National Park (and other destinations) in Wyoming. Till then, enjoy Monterey!

Today’s subject – Old Town Monterey…

Established in 1826, Monterey was the Mexican capital of California until the American occupation in 1847. The Monterey Old Town Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, includes buildings from the 18th-19th centuries that illustrate the Spanish colonial era of the town, including the Old Customhouse (the only customhouse north of Mexico from 1828-1845), the Thomas Larkin House, 1835, one of the first two story adobes in California, and Casa Alvarado, the home of Juan Bautista Alvarado, the governor of California from 1836 to 1842.

In the below Google Earth image my path for today’s photos is marked in yellow……

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…

More tomorrow…

You can read all about Monterey, California by clicking this Wikipedia link…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey,_California

Tomorrow we will continue with more of the beautiful scenery and history that is part of Monterey, California!

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

Yesterday was cloudy/sunny and 63 degrees. Forecast for today is cloudy/sunny and 73 degrees.

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity 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

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273?authkey=Gv1sRgCKrvzqm8-IKGdA

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

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2015

South Main Street Art District – Memphis, Tennessee

The motorhome is currently parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. My current departure date is scheduled for December 1st.

Note: Today is my cataract surgery day. Mary and I will depart here at 7:00 AM and drive the 141 miles to the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California. No blog tomorrow. If all goes well, I’ll have a blog entry on Saturday.

During this time I’ll be attending to my cataract surgery, cleaning, routine maintenance and minor repairs to the motorhome and Bronco in addition to assisting Mary with her activities. None of these items are particularly exciting to write about…so…instead I’ll be showing Picasa Web Albums from our 682 day, 2011-2013 circumnavigation of the United States. It was Mary’s second circumnavigation and the sixth for myself.

Unless we do something unusual, this Blog will feature a photo album from the circumnavigation and will change daily. So come back tomorrow.

To read about today’s photo album location, click this link…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Main_Arts_District,_Memphis

CLICK ON THE BELOW PHOTO. ONCE YOU ARRIVE AT THE PHOTO ALBUM, SIMPLY CLICK “SLIDESHOW” AND ENJOY!

South Main Street Art District, Memphis, Tennessee

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

Yesterday was a sunny day and 88 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny and 88 degrees. YUK!

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity 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

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

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

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

 

I Can No Longer See…

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Birch Bay RV resort in Blaine, Washington. This location marks the furthest northern most point of our planned 2014 travels. I’ve been here several times over the years and always enjoy the area. Our departure date is set at August 12th.

I CAN NO LONGER SEE…through the viewfinder of my Sony HX200V digital camera. There are two ways to take a photo with my current camera…use the viewfinder or the 2.5″  articulated diagonal screen. See the rear view of the camera below…

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…

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will remember earlier this year I went to the VA Hospital for an eye exam and yup, I have a cataract in my right eye and should get it attended to soon. The VA was ready to give my an appointment for surgery in June…but I said…it’s to hot here in June (100+ is common)…I’ll be in the Pacific Northwest at that time.

So they said okay…let’s do it in late October…and that’s the current plan.

Yesterday I blogged Mary’s walk on the beach and imagine my surprise when I looked through the viewfinder and all I could see instead of Mary…was a gray blob. Yup, my cataract is getting worse like they said it would. Mary says when see looks into my right eye…she cannot see the cataract. When I close my left eye and look only with the right…everything is fuzzy covered with a light gray haze. Fortunately the glasses I got in Mexico last January allow me to see well enough until it’s time for the operation.

Getting old is a real pain in the you know where…but the alternative is not a good option. Hopefully less than 90 days from now the operation will be completed and all will be well until we do the left eye which is expected in 2016. Such is life…

Yesterday was a cloudy/sunny at 72 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny and 78 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Washington. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity 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

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

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

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014