Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We had a nice, though rainy, trip down to Gulf Shores from Stone Mountain, GA. We arrived as planned on Dec 1st and the campground seemed empty.  Surprisingly to us, it's still seems empty when compared to years past where the campground filled the weekend before Christmas.

We moved into our typical routine quickly, even if it is a somewhat different routine. Donna's bike is not working well at all, so there's little bike riding so far.  We were going to donate them away, anyway, later in the season before we leave. Family doc in Fredericksburg had told Donna to walk more, so that's now what we're doing.

Truck is in for major service.  We took it in Dec 2nd and the latest date to get it back is the second week of January.  We had a similar situation years, ago. It just how busy shops are mixed with when parts arrive and trying to do all this over the holidays. We've got a nice, small rental car - reasonably priced compared to Jackson, WY - so we're good. Just can't deliver the bicycles to a donation site until we get the truck back.

In the meantime, we're getting a lot of walking in. We've gotten the trailer washed & waxed. We've eaten out with the bicycle group once and gotten one meal in with Jenny & Craig. We'll reach out to more people after the holidays. We've already experienced one night below freezing since arriving while most of our days are warmer than in years past (and as was predicted by weather forecasters in October.) We're trying to get use to the humidity. It's amazing how three straight summers in Jackson Hole has made us sensitive to humidity.

So that's where we're at. We still plan to leave Gulf Shores the first of March. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Have a safe and fun Christmas and New Years! David 

Mid-November Update

We've had a great visit in Fredericksburg, VA for late October. After that we moved down to High Point, NC for a couple of weeks. Today we arrived in Stove Mountain, GA. Plan to be here a couple of weeks, then move down to Gulf Shores, AL for the winter. We're hoping to get some quality visits with Doug & Elizabeth while here plus drive over to Alabama and spend an afternoon with Anna.

We've got a couple little chores we'd like to do while here at Stone Mountain. There's a backflow valve for the hot water heater that needs to be replaced. The shop we normally have such work done was unable to get the part while we were in Indiana. When they got it, they shipped it down to us. There's some good & reliable RV Mobile Techs in the Atlanta area, and we're hoping we can get that replaced while here.

Donna's hearing aids died, yesterday. In the past she's experienced a slow deterioration in the aids' performance, and we'd have plenty of time to get replacements. Not this time - Friday fine, Saturday dead. Hard way to learn we probably should have a back up pair. Now we know.

So that gets you caught up with us. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving!

David

 

Fredericksburg, VA

Lee's Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 

We're back in Fredericksburg for our annual doc visits. We left Lagrange, IN with most items repaired and traveled over Columbus Day weekend to get to Fredericksburg. So far, all doc visits going well. We're now doing friend visits and walking the battlefields & the Virginia Central Railway trails.

We plan to move on down to High Point, NC the first of November for a couple of weeks. Then down to Stone Mountain, GA for the last two weeks of November. From there it's on down to Gulf Shores, Al for the winter.

Not much more to add. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. We'll keep ya posted. David

Back in Elkhart, IN

We've made the cross country trip to Elkhart, IN for trailer servicing. We're here over the weekend and will move over to Cross RV in Lagrange, IN on Sunday. We'll stay in a local hotel while the trailer is being serviced. We expect to be back on the road next Friday. At least that's the plan!

We had a unrushed trip over from Wyoming this year. We'd travel three days, then sit for a day. The days off were in Sidney, Nebraska (Cabela's) & Newton, Iowa (east of Des Moines). These stops let us rest and allow the trailer batteries to recharge a little bit from running the residential refrigerator while we travel. The trip was uneventful - the best kind - even though roads remain rough in spots.

One of the more interesting stop-overs was the Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Newton, Iowa. Generally, we're stopped on the west side of Des Moines, Iowa, but being on the east side of Des Moines made a better balance of hours driven each day. We found a bike path that was near the arboretum and decided to check in out. Pictures below are from the arboretum. Late season, but still a nice distraction for our trip and day off from traveling.

So that gets you up to date with us. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Until later, David

September Update

Our season at Grand Teton NP is over. We left about mid-day today & tonight we're in Lander, WY. We're on our way to Lagrange, IN for trailer service. The colors around here are peaking for the aspen and cottonwoods. It was a gorgeous drive over to Dubois enjoying those yellows and red/oranges. While we didn't take any photos on the way over, here's some from last week from around Lake Emma Matilda & Oxbow Bend. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Until next time, David

August Update

View Grand Teton from the Snake River Pull-out

Monthly check-in. We're fine. One month to go for this season in Grand Teton NP. Wildfire smoke surprising low compared to previous years that we volunteered in the Jackson Hole region. The preserve is busier than last year. Been a drier year than past years. 

We haven't completed any new hikes for us since last month. I had to get a new phone as the old one quit charging because the battery was too cold. (It's only low 80s outside, so how'd that happen?) We made a quick trip to Rapid City, SD to renew my driver's license. Failed miserably as the computers were down hard (apparently due to a system hardware failure). I'll now try online renewal when it comes back online, and if I can get an eye doc appointment before we leave here (gotta certify that boomers can see). Otherwise, it's PT for Donna and daily routines for us.

That gets you all up to date. Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us! David

Mount Moran, Grand Teton NP

Float trip down the Snake River, Grand Teton NP

July Update

We're mid-way through our season here in Grand Teton.  We're doing well and acclimated enough to begin hiking outside our volunteer days. Not a lot has changed from last month. 

The park is busy and the parking lot at the LSR Preserve remains full most days (as does many of the other parking lots in the park). Most of the construction projects that were expected to take place this summer have not and probably will not occur. We've noticed that the dining experience at the Signal Mountain Lodge has deteriorated. The food and the service there is not as good as in prior years. Leeks Marina is still a great visit. Otherwise, things seem to be normal as in prior years.

So we'll leave it at that. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Unit next time, David

View of the Tetons from Munger Mtn