Disney World and Corona Virus

Last year Kathryn and John planned a trip to Disney World for early March of 2020.  They invited us to come along and we readily agreed.  As the date of our departure approached we were watching the progress of the Covid 19 pandemic as it spread from China into Europe.  Going to Disney World in the middle of a pandemic was somewhat risky at best and Topher advised us to consider postponing our plans.  However, we decided that we would take plenty of hand sanitizer and wash our hands frequently and accept the risk.  We had arranged lodging in the Caribbean Resort for three nights.  The Keetons were also at the Caribbean Resort and we were able to get connecting rooms.  We decided to travel to Orlando in the motorhome so we left Dallas on March 2 and spent the night at the Sams Club in Monroe, LA.  The next night we stayed at the Big Biloxi Campground near Biloxi, MS.  The third night we spent in Gainesville, FL.

On March 5th we drove from Gainesville to Alexander Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest just north of Orlando, FL.  This is a  a place we had stayed the year before when we were here with the Graves.  After we set up camp I took the scooter out exploring the area.  There are several forest campgrounds in the Ocala National Forest and I checked out two of them, Clearwater Lake and Lake Dorr.

On March 6 Liz and I took the scooter to Blue Springs State Park where the manatees sometimes come in the winter.  We came here last year with the Graves and saw them.  However, this year the conditions on the day we came were not good and there were no manatees to be seen.  So we headed back home, stopping to shop at Walmart along the way.

The next day I took the scooter up to Salt Springs, a campground/resort at the north end of the Ocala Forest.  This was a very popular campground with full hookups and a marina and you need reservations to get in.  On the way back I stopped at another campground called Juniper Springs.  This site was developed in the 1930's by the CCC.  It had a beautiful turquoise spring that is great for swimming.  It also has a small museum that occupies what used to be a mill with a working paddle wheel.  I was very impressed with this campground and decided we should come here on our way back home.

Juniper Springs

Main springs with beautiful turquoise water

Mill with paddle wheel

On March 8 we drove from our campground at Alexander Springs down to Disney World and checked into our hotel...the Caribbean Beach Resort.  That night the Keeton's checked into the room next door.  We had a great time greeting the grandkids through our connecting doors.

Caribbean Beach Resort....our home while at Disney World

On March 9 we all got up and walked to the new sky ride that goes from our hotel to Hollywood Studios.  The sky ride was a great new addition to the park.  It was so much easier and quicker than taking the bus and it was like being on one of the rides in the park itself.  We spent our first day at Hollywood Studios and had a good time.

Akston with Buzz Lightyear

The Keeton kids hanging out with Joy from Inside Out

The next day we took the bus to Magic Kingdom.  The crowds were huge and the lines were long for every ride, so we did out best with fast passes and a lot of patience.  One particularly cool place was the new Star Wars world.  Unfortunately, we were unable to get on any of the rides because the wait times were impossible without a fast pass which we couldn't get.  By late afternoon Elynn and Ryder were wiped out so Liz and I took them back to the hotel and left John, Kathryn, Akston, and Reayen at the park to catch some rides with shorter lines in the late evening.

Watching a parade at the Magic Kingdom

Star Wars Land in the Magic Kingdom

Various robots in Star Wars Land

Keeton's and Liz in front of the Millennium Falcon

On the third day we took the sky ride from the hotel to EPCOT.  EPCOT is always one of our favorite parks and we had a great time.  A highlight was a wonderful hibachi meal at the restaurant in Japan.  We had purchased the meal plan which covered a dine-in meal for each day.  However, by the third day we had only eaten two dine-in meals, so rather than loose a meal we decided to have our third meal when we got back to the hotel.  We ate at Sebastian's Bistro.  The food was not great and we were already full, but we thoroughly enjoyed having the additional time together with Kathryn and John.

After the late dinner, Liz and I boarded the motorhome and left Disney World.  We found a nice Sam's Club north of Orlando where we spent the night.  On the morning of March 12 we got up and headed to Juniper Springs campground where we enjoyed swimming in the spring and hiking the local trails.  We spent that night at the campground.  By this time the Corona Virus was beginning to seriously spread in the U.S. and some places were beginning to shut down (Disney World closed 4 days after we left).  We had originally planned to spend some additional time in Florida after Disney World but decided to head straight home before we got trapped in closures and quarantines. 

So on March 13 we left Florida and drove to Spanish Fort, AL. The next night we spent in Monroe, LA.  On March 15 we arrived back home and felt grateful for having a comfortable place to shelter while the Covid 19 pandemic swept across the U.S.  We were concerned that we had been exposed to the virus at Disney World so we quarantined ourselves for two weeks and watched for symptoms.  Fortunately we were both symptom free during that time.  As the commercial life around us began to close down in response to the pandemic, we were doubly grateful that we had one last amazing time at Disney World with the Keetons before the world changed.  Who knows when we'll be able to do that again?

2019 Winter Holiday

Every year one of our families takes a turn choosing the location for the Winter Holiday.  This year it was d and Zhouyi's choice.  They wanted to find something in the vicinity of Burlington, VT because they have friends in Montreal and wanted to visit them as part of their trip.  We found a lodge near Lake Placid, NY that was large enough to accommodate our entire family. Fortunately, everyone in the family was able to come.  The group included Topher, My, Denae, Beau,and Croix; d, Zhouyi, Meila, and Euan; John, Kathryn, Akston, Reayen, Elynn, and Ryder; Kevin and Rachael; and Liz and I.

On January 2 we flew from Dallas to Albany, NY, rented a car and stayed at an Airbnb that night.  Next day we got up and went shopping at Walmart where we met up with Rachael and Kevin who had also arrived the night before.  We drove together up to Lake Placid.  Rachael and Kevin drove on to Whiteface Ski Resort to do some cross country skiing and Liz and I drove up to the Lodge we had rented for the Winter Holiday in Au Sable Forks, NY.  That afternoon everyone arrived at the Lodge.

"The Lodge" in Au Sable, NY
Our home for the Winter Holiday

The Lodge had 3 levels and plenty of room for our large party with a bedroom for every couple and a bunk room for the grandkids.

Rachael and Elynn looking over the snacks

Akston doing card tricks

Rachael and Kevin making dinner

Playing video games

Decorated for Christmas

Upstairs to 3rd floor bedrooms

On the morning of Jan 4 we had a photographer come to the Lodge to take family portraits.  Liz found her online and she did a great job of managing the group.  We were very pleased with the results.

Entire Family

Just the Grandkids

Out on the deck of the Lodge

In the afternoon we got out the sleds and put them to use on the hill by the side of the Lodge.  During our portrait session it had started to snow and continued for most of the day, so the sledding hill improved over time.  By the end of the day we had a few new inches of fluffy white snow.

Beau and Topher ready for a ride

Denae with Topher

Climbing back up the hill

John pushing Akston and Reayen

d with Elynn and Meila

Ready to race

Elynn and Meila

Snow Angle

On January 5th we got up to a blanket of new snow.  Topher, d, the Keetons and the McLaughlins all got ready to go skiing at Whiteface Ski Resort (this is where the 1980 Winter Olympics were held).  The adults had arranged ski lessons for Akston, Reayen, Elynn, Denae, and Meila.  Topher rented skis for Beau and worked with him on the bunny slope.  Liz and I stayed behind at the Lodge with My and Zhouyi and we all took care of  Euan, Ryder and Croix.

Elynn skiing 

Elynn making the "pizza"

Beau skiing with Topher

Topher and Beau watching the Grandkids ski class

The Grandkids ski class
Akston, Denae, Meila, Elynn, and Reayen

In the early afternoon the little girls (Meila and Elynn) had enough of skiing so we went to pick them up at the resort.  We also dropped off My and Croix with Topher and their family went on to Lake Placid to do some ice skating.  The rest stayed at Whiteface and skied until closing in the late afternoon.  That night we had a hearty dinner at the Lodge, played games and spent time in the hot tub.

Kathryn and John out for a walk
on a snowy winter's day

Enjoying the woods

On January 6th we had our farewell breakfast at the Lodge and everyone packed and headed for home.  We checked out of the Lodge and drove back down to Albany where we had arranged another night's stay at the Airbnb there.  The next day we caught our flight back home. We were left with the wonderful afterglow of a holiday season with family.  Our only regret was that it wasn't long enough.....so we decided that next year we will make it 4 nights instead of 3.  Can't wait to do it again!

Fall Trip

Plans for our fall trip in 2019 began in the spring with an invitation from Topher to plan a white water river rafting trip for anyone in the family who wanted to go.  He set it up on the American River near Sacramento so that d and Zhouyi could join us.  However, they moved to Riverside, CA during the summer so only Topher and I ended up making reservations for the rafting trip.  When Liz realized that Topher and I would be rafting near Sacramento, she decided it would be the perfect time for her to do an item on her bucket list and bike the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. When Rachael heard about it she wanted to do it too.  So that became the basis for our fall trip.

Liz and I had also been thinking for some time of how to address the problem of local transportation when we're traveling in the RV.  Most people with class A Motorhomes tow a vehicle.  We don't like the idea of towing a car everywhere so we opted for a motor scooter solution.  The scooter fits on a carrier in the RV tow hitch and we still have room for our bikes on the ladder.  So we got a Honda PCX 150 scooter for local transportation and took it with us to try out on this trip.

Liz with her riding helmet on the new Honda PCX 150

Ready to Travel
The scooter on it's carrier with bikes mounted on the ladder

We left Dallas on August 23 and headed west on Hwy 380 stopping for the night at Haskell, TX (the city has an RV park with free 1 night hookups for travelers passing through).  The second night we spent in Roswell, NM.  The third day we pushed on to Tuscon, AZ, stopping along the way at White Sands NM.  On the fourth day we drove from Tuscon to Joshua Tree National Park in CA.  Here we stayed a couple of nights at the Cottonwood Campground.  This was our first visit to Joshua Tree so on Aug 27th we spent the day exploring the park on the scooter.  It was about 45 miles from our campground to the other end of the park and the temp was over 110 degrees.  So we put on lots of sun block, hopped on the scooter and took off.  We made stops and the Cholla Cactus Garden (beautiful but don't touch), Jumbo Rocks Campground (well named), and Hidden Valley Campground.  Amazing scenery and plenty to do....a must see.  We want to go back in the winter when it's cooler.

Cottonwood Spring near our campground

We stopped for a picnic lunch in the shade of the rocks

This is a popular rock face for climbing

This is what a Joshua Tree looks like

Rock formation called Skull Rock

Cholla Cactus Garden along our route
(their spines are really nasty)

On Aug 28 we pushed on to Riverside, CA to stay the night with d and Zhouyi.  Zhouyi's parents were staying there so we had a nice visit with them.  Next morning we loaded Zhouyi, Meila and Euan into the RV and headed north toward Sacramento.  d had to work so he drove up later and joined us late that night.  We stayed the night at Pinnacles National Park, a NP in California that we had never been to or even heard of.  When we arrived I took the scooter out to do some exploring.  The park is named for granite rock pinnacles that jut into the sky.  It also has Bear Gulch Cave which you can hike through to reach a pretty reservoir at the top.  Definitely worth at visit.

Entrance to Bear Gulch Cave

Inside the cave

Reservoir at the top of Bear Gulch Cave with pinnacles behind

Next day we pushed on to Sacramento where we had reserved a spot at the Cal Expo RV Park.  This is a large park run by the city and is mainly used for the CA state fair.  It is near to downtown Sacramento and with full hookups it met our need nicely.  When we arrived we met up with Topher who flew in earlier that day and rented a car. Rachael flew in that night and we picked her up at the airport.  So we had a full RV with d's family (4), Topher, Rachael and us...it was cozy and comfortable and great to be with the kids.

On Aug 31 Topher and I got up, hopped in his car and headed for Coloma, CA.  This is the site on the American River where OARS (our rafting outfitter) has their base of operation.  It's also the site of Sutter's Mill, the location where gold was first discovered in California.  We had signed up for a two day rafting trip and expected to be camping on the river the first night.  However, it turned out the the river trip was set up in two parts - the first day we rafted down river to Folsom Lake and then were bused back up to Coloma. The second day we were bused up river and rafted down to Coloma again . Camping facilities were provided at Coloma but we hadn't signed up for them so we had no reservation for the night.  We decided to just spend the night back at the RV and return the next morning.  The rafting was great fun with just the right amount of excitement and our guide was excellent!  A great memory for me with Topher.

Topher and I getting ready to go white water rafting

Topher with our "dry"bag in case we capsize

Here we are in the white water...getting wet

Site of Sutter's Mill where gold was discovered in California

That same morning d took Liz and Rachael to the train station where they headed to San Francisco.  Upon arrival they made their way to the Golden Gate Bridge where they rented bikes for the day.  They biked the Golden Gate and then met up with d & Zhouyi who had driven down to San Francisco with  their kids.  They found a nearby restaurant and all had dinner together.  Then Rachael and Liz took an Uber back to the train station for their return trip.  They had a wonderful time.  A great memory for Liz and Rachael and a bucket list item completed!

Rachael & Liz at the Golden Gate Bridge

Riding the bike path on the bridge

Starting point for their trek

Meila, Zhoyui and Euan at the restaurant in San Francisco

d and Zhouyi spent some of their time in Sacramento taking care of their house there.  When they moved to Riverside they decided not to sell it so they found some renters.

On Sept 2 Topher and Rachael flew back home and we headed up to Lake Tahoe with d & Zhouyi.  We stayed a night at Fallen Leaf Campground at the south end of the lake and had a great time with the grandkids.

Meila and Euan at the campground

Euan with his Dad

Meila & Euan hanging out in the RV

d, Zhouyi and kids on the dock at Fallen Leaf Lake

Next day we headed to Reno where we spent the night. On Sept 4 we drove to Lassen Volcanic NP and stayed at the Manzanita Lake Campground for two nights.  We took a day to explore the park on the scooter.  We were finding that the scooter worked very well for our local transportation.  We drove through the park all the way from the north entrance to the south entrance, stopping at the visitors center, boiling mud pots and a trail leading to a pretty waterfall.

Waterfall in Lassen NP

We left Lassen on Sept 6 headed for Mt Shasta.  We had seen this volcano from a distance but never explored the area.  Liz had just read some of the works of a man who had spent some time in the Mt Shasta area which is known as a spiritual conduit.  We spent 3 nights in McBride Springs Campground which is on the slopes of Mt Shasta.  At this campground I noticed that something was caught in the awning over the big slideout on the RV.  It turned out to be a big sticky pine cone that had fallen on the awning in the Lassen NP campground.  It made a nice hole in the awning, which I repaired when we got back home. During our stay we  took the scooter to the highest point on the mountain accessible by road and spent some time absorbing the beauty and peace of that place.

Mt Shasta Peak as seen from the town of Mt Shasta

Liz at the trailhead to the top of Mt Shasta

The peak from Bunny Flat

Last look at Mt Shasta on our way out

On Sept 10 we left Mt Shasta and drove to Crater Lake NP in Oregon.  Here we stayed at Mazama Campground.  The next day we explored the Crater Lake area and did the drive around the Lake on the scooter.  We got some amazing views of the lake....the weather was perfect.  We also did some hiking around the area to a waterfall and some sand pinnacles created by geothermal venting.

Crater Lake with Phantom Ship Island in the foreground

Waterfall in Crater Lake

Pinnacles of Sand in Wheeler Creek Gorge

From Crater Lake we went to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, stopping for a night on the way in Ontario, WA.  We love COTM and spent the afternoon of Sept 13th exploring the area.

Cinder cone in Craters of the Moon NM

Inside the cinder cone looking down

Next morning we headed to Tetons NP.  We've been to Tetons many times, but always in the summer, so we expected that the crowds would be less in the fall....we were in for a surprise.  The park was full of retired gray hairs like us and the campgrounds were full.  We were able to get into Gros Ventre Campground the first night and met up with Liz sister Barbara and her husband Frank.  They brought their bikes and we took a bike ride on our favorite trail along the base of the Tetons.  The next day we moved up to Colter Bay campground for the next 2 nights.  On Sept 15 we took the scooter out exploring and went to the top of Signal Mountain and stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.

View of the Tetons from Signal Mountain

Chapel of the Sacred Heart

The next day I took the scooter on a drive toward Yellowstone to check out Flagg Ranch campground.  On Sept 17 we left our campsite in Colter Bay and headed to Bay Bridge in Yellowstone to get a new campsite and meet up with our friends the Graves and the Groves.  However, we found that the campground was completely full.  We were caught in the Baby Boomer rush; all the retired boomers were thinking the same thing we were.  We drove up to Norris campground but it was also filled, so we headed back to Colter Bay.  There we were able to get a campsite again and met up with our friends.

Mother bear and cubs we saw on the way back to Colter Bay

On Sept 18 we all piled into the Graves 4Runner and drove the Beartooth Highway.  This is a "bucket list" drive because of its magnificent scenery and steep canyons.  The highway goes out the northeast entrance of Yellowstone and climbs over the mountain tops revealing beautiful vistas and steep drop-offs.  The road closes in the fall with the first big snow so we made the drive just in time.  Our route took us through Red Lodge, Mt (a biker town), down to Cody, Wy and back to Yellowstone through the east entrance.

Robert, me and Scott at Beartooth Pass   10947 ft

View from the top

Coming down the other side

The next day was beautiful and we explored the Tetons and went down to Jenny Lake.  The following day was not so good but Scott wanted to bike the trail from Jenny Lake down to the Jackson visitors center.  So Liz, Scott and I decided to do it and took off.   However, we were under dressed for the cold weather and Scott had no gloves so he stopped at Moose junction and bought a pair.  We finally made it to Jackson where Robert, Lani and Norma met us and we had a chance to warm up and eat.

View of Tetons from Signal Mountain

On Sept 21 it snowed as we drove to Yellowstone Park.  The winter landscape was a new experience for us as we have always been there in the summer.  We loved it...it got us into the Christmas spirit.

View of Tetons after the snow

Groves, Graves and Daytons at the mud pots

On Sept 22 we left for home, traveling through Casper, WY and Denver, CO.  On Sept 24 we took a detour and drove the scooter up to the top of Pikes Peak.  We had never been there before and we're awed by the views from the top of the mountain.

Parking lot where we left the scooter and climbed aboard the
tram for the top of Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak Summit
Major construction was going on at the top

View of the Rocky Mountains to the west from Pikes Peak

We arrived back home on September 26.  This trip had a wide variety of elements.  It included both family and friends.  It spanned a wide variety of climates, seasons and terrains including deserts and mountains, lakes and rivers, cities and national parks, summer, fall and winter.  In the end it was one of the most interesting and satisfying trips we have been on.  We also discovered that the scooter is ideal for providing the mobility we need to explore the sights while we are camping in the RV.