Robnik's Adventures

2011-04-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time we have had in Florida from fishing trips, swimming on the beaches, amazing sunsets/sunrises, partying in key west during spring break, brunch in south beach,kayaking, enjoying disney world, space shuttle launch,and the list just goes on and on. Most of all seeing Stephanie thru out our visit made it so special. So much Fun!!! We will be starting to head west next week after we visit Savannah, GA and Charleston SC....

2011-03-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Everglades National Park

We took a day trip from Key Largo to visit the Everglades National Park. Lots of birds and alligators. This is not one of my favorite parks. Tried to do some trails and with each step I felt like something was going to jump out very uneasy queasy feeling. I am glad we went but, I have no desire to return.

We are enjoying our time in Key Largo, we went Kayaking and rowed 2 1/2 miles at John Pennicamp State Park, have eaten at some fantastic restaurants, beautiful sunsets . We took a ride to Miami and did brunch in South Beach. In the morning we leave for Marathon for 5 nights then on into Key West for a few days until we leave the Keys... and head for Ft Lauderdale.

2011-03-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

Sanibel & Captiva Islands & Everglades

It has been a while since I updated. We are thoroughly enjoying our time in Florida. The pictures below is just a sampling of what we have been doing the past few weeks. While in Ft Meyers we drove over to Sanibel & Captiva Island such a beautiful place white sand beaches and homes unbelievable homes, we found a chapel by the sea that was quaint had lunch at a funky little place, food not so good, but, sometimes that happens. We met up with Steph in Miami had a nice brunch at the Savoy Hotel in South Beach (groupon find) then afterward Steph and John took an air boat ride, I didn't go to chicken, I guess that was a good choice. John and Steph both said that while viewing an alligator it lunged at the boat. Yeah that would have done me in. LOL

We then drove to the Big Cypress National Preserve and saw so many alligators. They are the scariest looking creatures I have seen. They seem to have this little smirk like come a little closer and then snap got cha...

We are now in the Keys and just loving all this wonderful sunshine.
Click on the picture to enlarge it

2011-02-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

Mexico Beach, FL

and surrounding beach communities

The sun is shining and the weather is great. We got up this morning and decided to check out some of the local beaches an of course head over to Apalachicola for some local oysters. We had read that one of the top 10 oyster bars was about 30 miles from us we had to check it out... We also noticed that out of 10 we had been to 2 of them. Boss Oyster is a funky joint the restaurant sits right on the Apalachicola River and we sat outside on the deck. The oysters were quite big, very tasty, but, I prefer the smaller oysters, of course this did not stop us from each having a dozen. We then headed over to Cape Sand Blas, because that is where the #1 best beach in the US is, well its beautiful, but, so are all the beaches we have seen on the gulf including Alabama. We actually preferred the beach in Mexico Beach FL the sand was snow white much softer no rocks. The sunset picture was taken at Mexico Beach. The Lighthouse picture is from St George Island. We stumbled across the worlds smallest police station- in was in Carabelle, Fl that is the picture of the phone booth it was the police station until 1960. Now that is a roadside oddity.

We had a busy day and it was a lot of fun checking out a lot of funky little beach bars and restaurants. On our way home we stopped at shrimp stand and bought some fresh shrimp for dinner.

Tomorrow we will be moving on... Orlando is our next stop .....

2011-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Out n About in Alabama

An Easy drive from Biloxi today. Staying at the SKP park in Summerdale, nice park. The gulf beaches are spectacular and all the colorful house very picturesque. Notice on the pictures how white the sand is, it looks like snow, while its cold enough to snow, it is sand. After a full day of traveling we headed over to Lamberts Cafe in Foley and had some buns thrown at us. John had the fried Chicken, I had catfish the portions are more than plentiful and we had left overs, Yep, even John…. We found some wonderful restaurants while in Alabama, Bimini Bobs in Daphne not a chain restaurant owned by a local. The food is fresh and cooked and seasoned to perfection. The menu is mostly seafood with a little Caribbean flair. The coleslaw had mangoes in it really good. We also went to the original Oyster house in Mobile, The oysters we so good and so was the seafood gumbo. Both restaurants sit overlooking the bay.

We drove over to Pensacola to tour the National Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola. Home of the Blue Angeles . GREAT museum, we had a tour of the flight line, and then took a guided tour of the museum. This is always fun to hear personal recollections'. One of the most interesting facts about the museum is that no tax payers $ are used for funding. One major contributor is the owner of Enterprise car rental- the story goes something like this…. Fellow joins the Navy and is a fighter pilot assigned to the USS Enterprise, after his tour of duty, opens up a car rental business and names the business after the ship he loved that is how Enterprise Car Rental got its name, then hears about the museum and donates 10 million $$$. as told by the tour guide. One last interesting bit of info- the restaurant in the museum Cubi Bay Cafe, This was an actual officers club in Cubi Bay Philippines until a volcano erupted and destroyed the base. When the navy went over to clean up they brought back what was left of the officers club tables, chairs, plaques, portions of the walls and the entirebar. Thus recreating the restaurant inside the museum. I suppose you could say it’s a museum inside of a museum.

That just about concludes our visit to Alabama's Gulf Coast, except to say we will be back BUT it will be during the heat of the summer. Its a shame its been to cold to really enjoy the beautiful beaches.

2011-02-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Gulf Coast

Mississippi

Finally the sun is shining in the south again... all is good...

We toured The Stennis Space Center. This space center was established in 1963 to test the stages of the rockets that took Americans to the moon. Today the space center tests all space shuttle main engines as well as rocket engines for future spacecraft. In addition to engine testing this complex also houses more that 30 different agencies; department of defense, the national data buoy center, and the EPA. The Naval Oceanographic Office houses one of the fastest supercomputers in the world!!

Below are pictures of the the shower facility and toilet in the space station . The pictures of the towers are the testing facilities for rocket engines the engines are strapped down and tested.

Diners, Drive ins, and Dives

The shed BBQ and Blues Joint was featured on an episode of DDD

The place was a fun and funky kinda place!! There was some disappointment of the food, however the Chicken and Ribs were absolutely the best very moist and smokey flavor, a bit sweet which was very different for us. Now for the bad... the brisket and pulled pork was dry and really tough not much smoke flavor, in fact we had a hard time distinguishing from the pulled pork and brisket all chopped up. Not to our liking. There is an outdoor stage and Friday & Saturday nights Blues music is featured. Right next door is a campground not affiliated with the shed... WE thought that would be a fun place to spend the weekend.

Until next time...

2011-02-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

New Orleans/ Abita Springs

January 28- Feb 4, 2011

We spent a week in the New Orelans and surrounding area. The weather was great for the first part of the week, but, towards the end it was brutal, rain, tornado watches, freezing rain just plain cold. We took advantage of the "good weather" and spent one day in the French Quarter went to one of our favs Pat Obriens for hurricanes, listened to some great street musicians, popped into a couple of small bars, had lunch at one of our favs Cafe Maspero on Decatur. We found a small bar with a very unusual name you can see the picture below, its name was "Huge Ass Beers" for real that was the name. Too funny, but true.. they were big

Being big fans of Diners Drive ins and Dives we met boomer friends and went to Louie & The Redhead Lady it was featured a couple of weeks ago. I was dissapointed in the quality of the food. I had the fried green tomatoes which was featured on the show, it was just ok rather bland. While the service was top notch the food just didn't measure up.

We also visited the Abita Brewery (twice) for tours and free samples and when I say samples I mean you get at 12 oz glass and fill it up before the tour, during the tour, and after the tour. While the tour was good, it was really more about tasting the beer... and that we did-

Next stop Biloxi MS....

2011-01-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Breau Bridge Louisiana
Crawfish Capitol of the WORLD!!!

We are staying at Poche Fish Camp and Rv Park. After getting settled in our campsite we headed out to Walmart to pick up a few items and have an early dinner. We drove by Crazy Bout Crawfish and the parking lot was jammed with cars all locals- no better place than where the locals go... We were not dissapointed.... The place was jumpin with cajun music and the servers were friendly as well as the customers. After at least 30 min of looking over the menu we fianally decided- John had the 3 lb crawfish platter, and I had the Blackend Catfish with crawfish etouffee, Wowzers, and for desert homemade peach cobbler. By the way that is not butter on top of the peach cobbler its peach ice cream....

2011-01-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year,

It has been a while since I updated this blog.....

Travel Plans this year (so far)

Travel to Florida, Feb-Apr -enroute now
New Orelans Jazz Festival -May
Memphis Internation BBQ Championships Cook Off... Mid May

that is all we have in the plans. Not sure what we will be doing this summer...

Look for future updates.....

2010-11-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

We sure do miss ya murph.....

2010-10-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

A New Chapter.....

A New Home....

Look what we bought.....Today we closed escrow on a condo in Moreno Valley, CA . The condo is 4 years old its a 2 bedroom 2 bath.

We will continue to travel, in fact we have a very busy winter planned.

2010-09-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Girls Florida Trip 2010

Below are the pictures from our cruise on the NCL Sky to the Bahamas and a visit to the Atlantis Resort, Nassau Bahamas

Our Key West Adventure

2010-09-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Coeur d Alene Idaho/Spokane, WA
As our time is winding down here in Montana we took our last trip and went to Coeur d Alene, Idaho we did a boat ride on the lake, went to a biker bar not just a any old biker bar this one is a drive thru, yep the motorcycles drive right thru the middle of the bar. This was also the last stop for the 9/11 steel memorial which started in NY. (click on pic for more detail.) While in Spokane WA we went to the Spokane Falls, and toured and tasted Vodka, Gin, Whiskey at a local distillery.

2010-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Montana Western Fair/Rodeo

Ever hear of a tater pig or a viking? Below are pictures of the Tater Pig- baked potato with a smokie sausage baked in, and the Viking- meatball baked then fried in a batter. It was kind of interesting to have a food booth at the fair you had to be non profit. Lots of farm animals some had never seen before like the lamb with the black face and legs and white body very pretty. The rodeo was good there was the usual, bull riding, bronco riding, steer roping, clowns etc. The carnival was very crowded. We spent most of our time in the beer gardens :)

2010-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Hiawatha Bike Trail

Montan/Idaho Border

"One of the most scenic rail to trails in USA" I totally believe it.... The trail starts out in Montana and ends in Idaho 16 miles one direction. We took the shuttle bus back. We started at look out pass to rent our equipment drove 5 miles to the trail head and our adventure began. We went thru 10 tunnels with the first tunnel being the longest at 1.66 miles long and very dark- scary dark and over 7 high steel trestles.

2010-07-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Glacier National Park

July 2010

We had a wonderful time in Glacier spent two days and found so many waterfalls in the park absolutely beautiful. Did a ranger lead hike to St Marys Falls and they were spectacular. There was still quite a bit of snow at Logan Pass. In the afternoon there were some pretty heavy storms with hail and lightning which made the park all the more spectacular.

click on the picture for a larger view

2010-07-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Pintler Scenic Route & Skalaho Pass

We drove about 200 miles today and saw some beautiful areas. We drove Montana 1 aka Pintler Scenic Rt, first stop was Phillipsburg such a charming historic town had lunch at the local soda shop and then of course no trip would have been complete without a stop a the Sweet Shop, its a two story candy store with lots of the retro type of candy we grew up with lots of fun. Next stop was Georgtown Lake, then on to the Bitter Root National Forest and the Skalkaho Pass Rd just after the summit of about 7300 ft we came upon this beautiful waterfall. The scenery today was really spectacular.

Next week its onto Glacier National Park

2010-07-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

All in a days work.....

I check in campers, John's mowing the lawn and giving Yogi a ride around the campground.

2010-07-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

National Bison Range
Moiese, MT

Today with the sun shining we headed out to Flathead Lake and found the National Bison Range on the way. The park is a 19 mile one way loop drive on gravel road that takes about 2 hours to complete. This was a fantastic park while the wild life was minimal for the time we were there the scenery was spectacular. We were not disappointed. My prize picture is the Big Horn Sheep we found. Finally made it to Flathead Lake and got side tracked again with a local brewery. Great beer and good local food. John had buffalo chili and I had an elk brats. Great day with plenty of sunshine. Oh yes, our original intent was the lake it is a big lake, more on that another day....

Click on the pic for a larger image.......

2010-06-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Out n About in Deer Lodge, Mt

Old Montan Prison 1871-1979

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Montana Prison was built by inmate labor, and was home to one member of Butch Cassisdy's wild bunch. The auto museum has over 150 cars on display.

2010-05-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Missoula Montana our Summer home........

We had a really nice drive from CA great weather. Below are some pictures I took thru the windshield of the motorhome. We plan to do a lot of exploring while we are here this summer. Picked up the tour books so we are now armed and dangerous....

2010-05-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Road Trip California to Florida

a mother and daughter adventure......

This summer we will be working in Missoula Montana. Happy summer to all.......

2010-03-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Disneyland 2010 Family Trip

We spent a week in the LA area with my son and his family, my daughter. We did Disneyland, CA Adventure Park, Universal Studios and Medieval Times Theater. Had a most spectacular time I will say one of the best weeks of my life....

Click on the picture to enlarge

2010-02-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Puerto Penasco, Mexico
Feb 2010

We came down with 12 rigs and had a ball. We did tours of taco stands, tequila factory, city tour, a dinner cruise, fishing trip, potlucks, lots of margaritas and beautiful sunsets..

Good Times.....

click on the picture for a better view.

2010-01-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Our New Years Eve Cruise to Cabo.....

We had a wonderful cruise the weather was spectacular......

2009-11-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

Count Down to our NYE Cruise
4 night cruise to Cabo San Lucas....

2009-09-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

Reno Rib Cook-off
2009

click on the picture for a larger view

2009-08-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Douglas County Fair Comes to Town.......

The sun was shining it was a perfect day to go to the county fair. Lots of "fair food , 4- H displays, Gretchen Wilson concert, meeting up with old friends- could not have asked for a better day.........

2009-07-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Out n About on the Coast.......

Since our last post we have been wine tasting with at some very interesting winery's, we went to the chainsaw carving contest it is amazing what can be done with a chainsaw. Have seen some great wildlife and waterfalls, been on many scenic drives including a tour of covered bridges. We are very happy to report that the weather has been really great!!

2009-06-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Loon Lake Employee Party

We had a great afternoon on the lake BBQ'd burgers and dogs. John drove the pontoon boat and others played on the jet skis. We work with a great bunch of people this is going to be a fun summer!!

click on the picture to enlarge

2009-05-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Loon Lake last week where we will be spending the summer season working!! John is doing maintenance and I am cooking in the lodge. Below are some pictures of the resort and it is just as beautiful as it looks.

2009-05-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Summer Plans-

I noticed it has been a while since I last updated. We have been back in the bay area this spring doing our yearly doctor and dental appointments and spending time with our families. Our appts are all done we got a clean bill of health and now we will be hitting the road in a couple of days. This summer we will be working at Loon Lake Lodge in Reedsport, Oregon. We have never been to the campground but from the website it sounds wonderful. John will be doing maintenance and I will be cooking in the cafe. We will be working 32 hours a week which will give us plenty of time to do some crabbing and sightseeing. I will post pictures just as soon as we get all settled in. Hope you have a wonderful summer and if your travels take you to Oregon please look us up!!

2009-04-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter weekend in Reno with my daughter, son & his family, sister & her boyfriend and her two wonderful daughters and her soon to be son in law. The Wii game was a big hit on Saturday night and of course the red bull! This will definitely be an Easter to remember!!! Thanks to all of you for a wonderful time!!! We have got to do the family vacation soon !!! LOL

For more goofy Pics http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Family1#

2009-03-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our Two Week Cruise to Hawaii

We boarded the ship with 6 other boomer couples for a two week cruise to the Hawaiian Islands, in spite of rough seas and 40 mile hour winds, sea sickness, then an out break of Norovirus we had a great time!! Only possible with boomer attitudes.... Would we do it again- IN A HEART BEAT!!
Enjoy the pictures!

For more pictures click here http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Hawaii#

2009-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Aloha....

2009-01-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

What a way to break in a new car!!!

John had a blast- I was very scared, but it was fun- For more pictures of our adventure http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Q2009#

2009-01-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here is our New Ride......

2008 Jeep Liberty

Our poor little Honda CR-V had major issues and with 150,000 miles on her we decided it was time to replace rather than repair.

We are in Quartzite out in the desert enjoying some terrific warm weather. Next week we will leave Q and head over to Temecula, CA for some RV repairs, then on the San Diego until we leave for our cruise to Hawaii the end of February.

2009-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

Hello From NEW YORK CITY

What a wonderful week we had. It was an absolute blast to spend this time with my daughter!!
New Years Eve in Times Square was unbelievable to hear a million people scream out Happy New Year is in describable!! It has to be heard to believe it!!

To see pictures from our trip click here
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/NYE08?authkey=92VIBgWQI_s#

2008-12-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

Tree Selling Season is Over........
New York City here I come.........

Our tree selling season is over and was a huge success!! We beat our last years numbers and we are very pleased. We had a great group of employees and are just about complete with tear down and then.... Stephanie (my daughter) and I have decided to take a winter holiday together and New York City was our choice. We leave on Christmas Day and will return January 1.
Our plan is to be in Times Square for NYE.

Happy New Year
see ya in 09

2008-12-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

Another Season Begins......

We had a very successful opening day. All of our employees we had last year came back and brought their friends this year!! This makes our job much easier. John has been very busy flocking trees. He had an order to flock 12 trees on Tuesday, it takes him about 45 min from start to finish for each tree. Below are some pictures of him with his masterpieces.

John and I Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

See ya next Year!!!

2008-10-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

We are back in the bay area after a 10,000 mile trip this summer. We enjoyed the Maritimes glad we did it and have no plans to do it again. While the folks we met in Canada we very nice, and the scenery was spectacular, and Tattoo was more awesome than I could imagine, and Peggys Cove was one of my favs. Canada is extremely expensive and after a while it really starts to take its toll on your pocketbook we paid about $6.50 a gal for diesel, the campgrounds are very expensive, our dollar was at par with the Canadian dollar then the taxes WOW 14 to 16%- so as an American I vow to NEVER complain about our taxes again!! To sum it all up its a once in a lifetime experience and I was happy to experience it and very glad to back in the USA!!!!

We are getting ready to do the Christmas tree lot thing we have been doing for the past several years. Next year we are doing a 2 week cruise to Hawaii then our plans are to stay west next summer. Hope your Summer was all it could be!!

2008-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

In Memory of Wayne Mayfield

Stephanie, my daughters finance passed away suddenly in his sleep on Sunday, August 17, 2008. Wayne was only 37 years old and left behind two wonderful children; Cameron age 10 and Jadon age 7. I am with my daughter in Reno and John is driving the motorhome back from our trip to Canada.

2008-08-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Out n About in St John

For more pictures of the caves and the park

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/StMartin

We had a nice sunny day today. Since we came into New Brunswick we had heard a lot about the Fundy Parkway we decided to take a day trip and check it out. We loved it. This park is privately owned and was officially open in 1998. The park is 11.6 kilometers and you can walk the entire park on its multi use trail- off the main trail are dozens of smaller trails leading to the beach, lookouts, a suspension bridge, and others. Our first hike was the waterfall it was short but- we have never seen or been on a cable ladder- it was kind of scary at first the ladder wiggles. I found it much easier to come back up then to go down- it was kinda steep.

These are some views we saw on the way into St Martins. The beach looks like there is nice white sand- very deceiving it is like river rock and very hard to walk on. Much prettier to view from a distance.

On our drive of about 100 miles today we passed several covered bridges mostly from the early 1920's to the mid 40's.

The sea caves was another interesting stop for us. Since neither one of us have ever been in a sea cave. It was kind of a weird feeling to be inside the cave knowing that in about 6 hours the entire cave will be under water. There were 3 caves to explore we did two of them because the water line was still pretty high and made it very difficult to get into the 3rd cave.

2008-08-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Part 2 Bay of Fundy- St John, New Brunswick
Rockwood Lake Campground 8/8-11

We had a nice pleasant drive from Hopewell Cape into St John easy two lane highway for the most of the trip- then we found ourselves on a four lane highway with cars buzzing by us a record speeds- it has been quite a while since we have been on a multi lane road.
We headed out to the visitors center to see what there was to do in the area. We found a public market in town. It was considerably smaller than we thought, but the fruits and veggies all looked very good and expensive. Lots of crafts most of the businesses were gearing up for the cruise ship crowd which is due in on Monday 3 ships this was all the buzz around town.

Reversing Falls- another product of the tides- notice the picture on the left a lot of white water and 6 hours later same spot notice how calm the water is. This is where the Bay of Fundy and the St John river meet when the tide is out it creates white water and when the tide is in the white water disappears.

Jet boat rides during the low tide and the white water is present. They charge about $37 for a 25 min ride.

Carlton Martello Tower was built by the British in St John for the war of 1812, but, the tower was not finished until 1815- In theory- because the tower is round if hit by a cannon ball because it was round should bounce off. Since the tower was never under attack this is speculation. Inside the tower was the living quarters for for the soldiers. Beds lined the wall there was a table for dining and two fireplaces for cooking and heating. During WWII it was used as a lookout tower.

For more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/StJohnSNewBrunswick

2008-08-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

New Brunswick- Bay of Fundy Route Part 1
Ponderosa Pines Campground 8/4-8

Rain, Rain, go away- 2 days of rain - since most of the activities we want to do in the area are outside we had to find some rainy day stuff to do to keep us busy- we had heard about Magnetic Hill- thought we might check it out. The admission charge is $5 for this we drive the car to the bottom of the hill and put the car in neutral take off the break and the car goes up the hill- Yes indeedee the car did back up the hill on its own. Is this a trick an illusion or a huge magnet. I don’t really know but Magnetic Hill has been attracting tourists for 75 years.

Yay- it worked two days no rain. We took advantage of the beautiful days. We went to Cape Enrage to see the lighthouse and were very surprised to find out how the park operates. High school seniors run the park entirely they are responsible for the day-to-day operations and must generate $300,000 in revenue each year to keep the project alive. They do not charge an admission fee it is all done by donations they do offer for charge different types of adventures from Rappelling, climbing, kayaking and zip line.

Next day was Fundy National Park we did a couple of hikes and my favorite was the Dickson Waterfall trail- It was spectacular. We saw the waterfall from the bottom then worked our way up to the top so beautiful.

Another view of the Tide in Tide out both pictures same location 6 hours apart

for more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/BayOfFundy

2008-08-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Prince Edward Island
Harrington Campground 7/28-8/4

We arrived in PEI on a rainy Monday by the ferry it was a smooth crossing took about 75 min. For touring the island is broken up into 3 regions. Points East Coastal, North Cape Coastal, and Blue Heron Coastal (middle). We found a campground in the Blue Heron area very close to the National Park and Charlottetown pretty much in the middle of the island. We stayed a week and took the car out and toured the island. Even tho it pretty much rained the entire week we had some short sunny breaks. While on the island we were able to have “world famous lobster supper”, saw potato fields in full bloom, toured a vodka distillery that made vodka from potatoes, visited the world famous “bottle house”, ate Malpeque oysters, did a great bike ride and saw a lot of lighthouses. Still raining a week later when we left the island- we took the Confederation Bridge it took us 10 min to cross the 12 km bridge. We are now in New Brunswick going to do the Fundy Trail out of Canada and into Maine.

We really enjoyed our week on the island rain and all. For more pictures of PEI

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/PEI

This is a 2 1/4 pound lobster

2008-07-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
Point of View RV Park 7/25-28

The Fortress of Louisbourg- is celebrating its 250th anniversary of the 2nd and final siege between the French and the British. This evening under heavy fog there was a “A Parade Through the Centuries” military from 1750’s to present day army. Each started from opposite ends of town and met in the middle and marched down to the water together and met with the British Army who fired 5 shots from the cannon. There are over 1000 costumed re-enactors they come from all over the world to participate and become the town residents. There will also be a re-enactment of a night-time siege with 18th century fireworks.

For more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Louisbourg

We took a drive into Sydney and found this huge fiddle at the Visitors center.

2008-07-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Cape Breton
St Anns Campark 7/20-25

We had a nice leisurely drive from Pictou about three hours we arrived the weather was perfect- the folks here at the park are very friendly we were invited over to a campfire this evening- good thing because we have no satellite we are in a valley with mountains and lots of trees in the middle of nowhere and the dish can’t get out, its not because John didn’t try. I guess he was out there so long trying that half the campground guys came out to give their expert advice- its not going to happen, luckily we get two very snowy Canadian channels. Gosh we are so spoiled with all our amenities - I think we will survive tho- Woke up the next morning to fog and rain according to the weather reports it should remain windy, foggy and rain- since we are on the Cabot trail most of our touring is driving the trail and seeing the spectacular views- this isn’t good driving conditions- we are hoping Wednesday and Thursday the weather is suppose to improve. Since we needed something to keep us busy while we wait for the weather to clear-

Monday we drove over to Baddeck to see the lighthouse above and visit the Alexander Graham Bell’s Museum it was very interesting- he invented so much more than the telephone. He was born in Scotland, and taught at a school for the deaf in Boston, while on Vacation in Nova Scotia he love the Cape Breton area because it reminded him of his home in Scotland - he built a home and continued with his inventions which are to numerous to mention. He did a lot of work with the deaf and that is what he was most proud of. Then we took a drive over to North Sidney to stock up on some groceries came home and made fish chowder.

Tuesday we drove over to Glenville to the Glenora Distillery- while the distillery and the grounds were beautiful- the tour was not very good it lasted about 10 min and ended with a tablespoon size taste of their 10 year old single malt whiskey for this we paid $15 just a tad bit overpriced. Oh Well, would have been worth the stop if passing by, but not driving over an hour to get there. We have our fingers crossed the weather will improve and we can do the Cabot Trail soon.

Steph this moose picture is for you!!

YIPEE- Thursday- the weather was great finally the sun came out and by early afternoon the fog had lifted. Cape Breton National Park from one end to the other is 105 kilometers of winding narrow and very steep road with some of the most breathtaking scenery we have ever seen. We were able to do some pretty nice hikes one in particular took us thru a grove of 350-year-old sugar maple trees, we hiked to some waterfalls, and we saw the biggest moose I have ever seen and a black bear.

On the way to the park we passed Joe’s Scarecrows- Very interesting a big field of about 100 scarecrows all imitating different lifestyles and political figures. A couple that caught my attention was the tour bus driver and a wagon master for an RV caravan it was a delightful stop.

Next stop Fortress of Louisborg for a reenactment of a nighttime siege with 18th century fireworks!

For more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/CapeBretonCabotTrail

2008-07-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Pictou & Antigonish
Harbor Lights Campground July 17-20

We left Digby this morning, but, not without getting a couple of pounds of their fabulous scallops for our freezer. We had great weather for traveling we traveled 465 kilometers very easy drive mostly two lane- as we left the Bay of Fundy we noticed the hills were getting a little steeper and more often and more trees and very green in fact several shades of green- very beautiful. We arrived in Pictou at the Harbor Lights Campground it’s a very nice campground and a passport America park- perfect- after we checked in we were taken to our site and given info about the area and ice cream bars – what great hospitality!

We are making Pictou our base for few days to do some touring and attend the Scottish Highland Games that are being played in Antigonish this weekend. The Highland Games are the oldest and continuous games outside of Scotland since 1863 this is their 145th. We will leave Pictou on Sunday and our next stop will be St Anns where we will make our base for a week or so and travel the Cabot Trail and other areas. Then it will be back to Pictou and take the ferry over to PEI stay in PEI about a week or so then do the Bay of Fundy from the New Brunswick side then into Maine and start heading west to California

We went on a very scenic drive on Friday we took route 337 which is nicknamed the mini Cabot trail and the scenery was spectacular. We found a nice overlook for a picnic lunch, the weather was pretty good a little warm but the sun was shining and that is we cared about.

On Saturday we went to the Highland Games this was a first for us and we both thoroughly enjoyed the games. The morning games were; Braemar Stone throwing, 56 lb weight for distance, there was piping and dancing competitions, tug o war that was very exciting the men’s division was 1700 lbs, my favorite was the Caber competition it was pole tossing the object was to get the pole to flip in a straight line, then the 56 lb weight throwing for height was thrilling and a little scary- I thought the athletes should be wearing a hard hat! I took a couple of videos I am going to try to get them to upload later

Next Stop Cabot Trail

For more pictures of the Highland game;

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/AntigonishHighlandGames

2008-07-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Touring Digby, Yarmouth, and Annapolis Royal

These boats are scallop boats at the wharf

We have spent three nights in Digby home to the world famous Digby Scallops- they are very big and very tasty. The weather has been absolutely perfect sunny days with a slight breeze and no fog who could ask for more.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in this area very beautiful scenery and interesting places. On our drive to Yarmouth we passed thru small fishing villages and coves, one in particular we really enjoyed was Gilberts Cove there is a lighthouse that is over 100 years old. It is not a working lighthouse anymore there is small a museum and tea room. The best is the “light keeper” he had so many stories to tell and he was just a charming as the lighthouse itself. We had wonderful visit with him. We have decided to give the scenery a rest and will head to Antigonish for the Scottish Highland Games.

For more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/DigbyYarmouth

2008-07-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

We are on the Move….

We woke up this morning to rain, fog, and wind such a dreary day we decided it would be a perfect day to fuel up the motorhome- :) We also changed our route no sense taking the scenic route with limited visibility so we took the most direct route into Digby. It was nice drive on a well-maintained two-lane road thru the countryside. We passed thru an experimental Christmas tree farm-not sure why its experimental- couldn’t find out because the interpretation center was closed. We also passed thru Berwick, which claims to be the apple capital of Nova Scotia. There sure seem to be a lot of self-proclaimed capitols of something or other. Nova Scotia sits between the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean. We are now on the Bay of Fundy side. We arrived this afternoon at the campground the weather did improve enough we could walk the wharf and downtown area. Digby is the capitol of Scallops. What I find very interesting is that the scallops are $2 higher here than anywhere else in Nova Scotia!! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAPITOL should be cheaper- I would think! Oh well! This is going to be our base for a few days while we take day trips to Yarmouth and Annapolis Royal.

This was our view for most of the way

This picture was taken from the same spot about 6 hrs apart. The tides in Digby are about 40 feet.

this is a view of the campground we are staying

2008-07-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

Out n About in Halifax

Today we visited the Halifax Citadel. The citadel was built in 1828-1856 to defend the city and harbor. It was occupied by the British until 1906 then by the Canadian Military until after World War II. The parks department took it over and restored it and give tours by period costumed guides Very interesting tour and like the others we have been to this citadel has never been under attack.

this was our tour guide

After touring the Citadel we decided to walk the harbor front its a nice boardwalk with lots of shops and pubs. We went to Pier 21 Museum - this was a fascinating museum. Pier 21 is where all immigrants came thru coming into Canada. Personal stories are told thru videos of immigrants including war brides, displaced children, and military troops. Excellent 30 min multi media program history of the pier was told thru the eyes of a immigrations officer.

Thought this was a cute tug boat and a cute way to take kids on a boat tour.

2008-07-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

Peggys Cove & Lunenburg

Web album
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/PeggysCoveLunenburg

After a few days of fog the sun finally came out and we have had a beautiful few days and should continue thru the weekend. We have been out enjoying the sunny weather. We drove to Peggys Cove and it is "the" most beautiful place I have been- the best way I can find to describe Peggys Cove is- you feel like you have walked into a watercolor picture. Peggys cove was founded in 1811 and today there is a population of 80 and I could easily make it 82!

After we left Peggys Cove we drove to Lunenburg which was established in 1753. The town of Lunenburg is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a great walking tour of the town with historic homes from 1760 to 1905 all beautifully restored nice waterfront area. The picture below was taken from the golf course accross the harbor.

Lunenburg Academy from 1894. The school opened in 1895 and has remained a school ever since. Elementary K-6th grade

Finaly back home after a long day of touring and we had a spectacular sunset

2008-07-09T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Nova Scotia-

Wayside RV Park- Glen Margaret 7/7- ??

We arrived in Nova Scotia on Monday- perfect weather a little cooler. We stopped at the visitors center and loaded up with maps and tour books. We are staying in Glen Margaret on St Margaret's Bay. Somewhere around here I think the Swiss Air crashed. I will have to find out. The we have a great view of the bay out our window. I will get pictures later. About 4 miles from us is Peggys Cove.

Halifax International Tattoo 2008- "In the 1800s Military music was king." Each evening at dusk, tattoo was sounded telling troops to return from the town and tavern to barracks for the night. Today Tattoo transformed itself into a show of military music, drill and demonstrations. The performers come from the Caribbean, Holland, Scotland, and Germany. The music is fantastic with drums, bagpipes, bugles, pipes, marching bands and dancers. In the beginning it was called doe den tap toe then it became "taptoe" then the english shortened it to tattoo!!

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic had an interesting display on the Titanic. The deck chair in this picture is the only original chair left.

Alexander Keith's Brewery is like no other brewery tour we have ever taken. The entire 60 minute tour is done with the guide in the period costume of the 19th century. In the tasting room we were treated to plenty of tastes as well as a performance of music and dance and some tavern games.

For more pictures of Tattoo, Titanic, or the brewery
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/NovaScotia

2008-07-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Shediac- Lobster Capital
Parasol Campground July 4-7

What a fabulous traveling day we had- we couldn't ask for better weather!!
We arrived in Shediac just in time for the annual lobster festival! We met up with our boomer friends Martha and Gene Merryman and went to the festival together! It was nice to see them again. The festival was more like a carnival there were a lot of carnival rides and carnival games and music. There was a lobster dinner- however, we bought our lobsters from the lobster pound next to the campground and had a great dinner at home.

Next stop- Halifax Nova Scotia

Our lobster feast and yes it tasted as good as it looks

Martha was lucky to win a stuffed dragon at one of the carnival games- Way to go Martha!!

Even Murphy is getting in on the action

2008-07-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Caraquet, New Brunswick
Camping Colobri- July 2-4

We had great weather when we left Campbellton we headed east on route 134 the scenic Acadian coastal route which we will follow thru New Brunswick into Nova Scotia. We stopped in Caraquet to visit the Historic Acadian Village of 1770- 1889. This was well worth the stop. There are more than 40 authentic buildings each building had been dismantled from its original location and rebuilt all done by numbering each piece of wood or stone for the fireplace. There are houses, tavern, grist mill, school, church, general store, printing house, tinsmith, and cobbler shop each building has an interpreter in period costume to greet you and give you some background information about the family that occupied the home. You actually are living a day in the life of an Acadian each day a different event takes place when we were there the town was getting a new school teacher. Other events on the schedule were; childbirth, new preacher coming to town, marriage proposal, wedding, church auction, etc. We had great time we were told it takes about 1 hour to tour the grounds, I just don’t know how anyone could do it in an hour it took us 4 hours. We loved it!! The pictures below are from the Village.

Next stop- the Lobster Festival in Shediac- New Brunswick!

this fellow is making a broom from a log

2008-07-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Say la vie Quebec
Hello New Brunswick

We woke up this morning and I just new it was going to be a great day! The sun was shining and the sky was as blue as can be- something we have not seen since we entered Quebec. We took Autoroute 20 east until it became 132 then we had a decision to make to either take a 400-kilometer coastal drive around the Gaspie Peninsula or take the 120 Kilometer thru the valley of Gaspie. It was a hard decision to make- but due to diesel prices we decided to go thru the valley rather than follow the St Lawrence River. We were not disappointed we saw some of the most beautiful countryside I have seen. Lakes, rivers, farm homes, covered bridges, rolling hills and tall trees and the two-lane road was in good shape. We passed thru quaint towns. As we crossed the interprovincial bridge from Quebec into Campbellton, New Brunswick we stopped at the visitors center and loaded up with maps and tour routes and we found that we were just in time for the Salmon Festival. They had live music at the waterpark and of course the waterpark sits right on the Gulf of St Lawrence and FREE RV parking for the night or longer with a fantastic view and there was a spectacular fireworks show!!

I was right it was a fantastic day!!

2008-06-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Bonjour from Quebec City, Quebec
Camping Transit- Levis, Quebec
June 25-30

I wish I knew more about Canadian History- because this city is just full of fascinating history. Other than the history it has to be the most charming city I have ever been in. There are outdoor cafes lined up so close to each other you can't tell one cafe from the other, plazas with fountains or statues. We did several walking tours of the city- that is really the only way to go -seeing Quebec from a bus it just too confining. The city is very easy to get around other than it is built on hillside and the streets can be very steep. The city of Quebec was founded in 1608 and in 1985 Old Quebec City was named a world heritage site by UNSECO. (UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Today there is a population of 638,000 and 95% of the population is French Speaking and very proud of it. Below is a picture of Chateau Frontenac it is owned by the Fairmont Hotel Corp. Construction started on the hotel in 1893 and was completed in 1924. It is as amazing inside as it is outside. The other picture is of the downtown street of the Old Port of Quebec City. Since this is the year that Quebec is celebrating 400 year anniversary there are a lot of parades outdoor entertainment thru out the summer.

Below is Montmorency Falls Park these falls are 30 meters (98 ft) higher than Niagara Falls. We spent a lot of time walking the trails and climbing the stairs for the best views of the falls.

Next stop was the Sainte Anne De Beaupre Basillica they are celebrating their 350th anniversary.
The church hosts a million visitors each year and is also known for being the healing church there have been miraculous healings for years. Unlike the other churches we have seen this was all stone. Very beautiful!!

The citadel was constructed in 1820 to protect Quebec from the United States (we never attacked) Now the citadel is an active military base where the governor general lives. There is a changing of the guard ceremony daily and it is very impressive as is the grounds of the citadel.

Quebec City Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Quebec

2008-06-22T05:12:00.000-07:00

Day 2 in Montreal

Since day 1 went pretty well with the subway- feeling much braver now- we decided to drive into Montreal. We are headed to the the farmers market- we get the GPS ready and Peabody (our GPS) can't find the market or the street- we improvise and put in an address near the market at least we will be in the general area off we go..... We found it and what a find it was I could not believe all the flowers, fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, breads,and of course French Pastries OooLaLa!!

I bought the raspberrys and strawberrys for breakfast. I also decide to be brave and bought some goat milk yogurt to go over my berries. Well the berries are fantastic, but the yogurt YUCK!

Mount Royal Park is the highest peak in Montreal at about 850 feet what a fabulous view we had at the top. Can you see the cross at the very top. This crossed was placed here in 1924 and it stands 98 feet tall.

View of Montreal from the observation area

I have added more pictures of the farmers market and Mount Royal to the Montreal album click the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Montreal

2008-06-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

Montreal, Quebec
Camping Alouette June 19-25

Our First day in Montreal!! I have to admit this is the first time we have been somewhere where English is the second language. We decided to go into town and do a couple of walking tours. First we had to find the subway station with a wrong turn here and there -we did find it. As we entered the station I was at a loss couldn't read anything everything was in French !! Luckily we knew how to navigate the subway system by color/pictures so off we went on the subway with no problems. We thought New York trains were fast- these were much faster. We stopped at the tourist center when we crossed into Quebec we were given a great tour book it was in English we followed it did two walking tours of the downtown and below are some of the sights we saw.

This is city hall the building was built between 1872-1878.

One of the side streets in the old town area called Place Jacques Cartier. Here you will find lots of sidewalk cafes, artists, strolling musicians and of course lots of shopping. Streets are lined with Victorian street lights really nice place to watch tourists mill around.
This area was built in 1809 as the main market place.

Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal what a fantastic and beautiful church. The church is of the Gothic Revival architecture built between 1824-1829 I had to cross the street in order to get a full shot of the church it is massive.

This is the magnificent alter all the wood inside is walnut with gold leaf swirls. I am not even sure the camera can capture its beauty. The church holds over 3000 people and the mass is all done in French. One interesting note- the architect was from New York and wanted to be buried beneath the church- But, he was Protestant and had to convert to Catholic in order to buried beneath his masterpiece.

For more pictures of our walking tour of Old Montreal click the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Montreal

2008-06-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Kingston, Ontario
Rideau Acres Campground June 16-19

We left Toronto and headed east on the 401 to Kingston. We will spend a couple of days touring the area. We took a 3.5-hour boat cruise of the Thousand Islands. Over 1000 islands all privately owned some have very small houses to very large, there are some islands that are large enough to have small villages. Electric, water and phone are all done underground- in this instance it would be under the river . And - Yes, this is where 1000 Island dressing got is name.

Below is a picture of the Boldt Castle on Heart Island- George Boldt the owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York wanted to build a “summer home” for his wife. Construction started in 1900 it was to be a 120 room, 6 story a replica of the Rhine Castle- unfortunately she died in 1904 before the castle was finished. The building stopped and the castle was abandoned no one has ever lived in the castle. In 1977 the Thousand Island Bridge District took over the restoration and opened it up to the public.

Fort Henry- What a great fort very entertaining and educational. This fort was built to protect Kingston against the Americans- but we never came and the fort was never under attack. One interesting note- if you wanted to be an officer in the British Military you could buy your rank the more money you had the higher up you could go. Thankfully this was changed and you moved up the ranks because of ability not money. Enlisted soldiers were paid daily at 12 cents a day and 6 cents a day had to be paid back to the military for their food and clothing- didn’t leave much left over and if they wanted to go into town they had to pay 1 cent each way to cross the bridge. Didn’t leave much left- this was intentional so the soldiers wouldn’t go into town and get drunk .

We attended the sunset ceremonies it was a spectacular show. It was a 90-minute event that depicted life for the soldiers in 1860 with drill and artillery maneuvers, military music and ended with the song God Save the Queen and fireworks show.

For more pictures of our time in Kingston click the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Kingston

Next stop Montreal, Quebec- where French is the main language- gosh hope I don’t get my Sivou Plea mixed up with my Por Favors……

2008-06-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

Toronto, Ontario

Glen Rouge Campground June 12-15

Toronto is the capital of Ontario with a population of over 2 million. We did a double decker bus tour of the city for two days and saw some wonderful and amazing places. Toronto really reminds me of a smaller version of New York City.

Notice the narrow looking building that is the Flat Iron Building- According to the Canadians it came first and NYC copied it and made it much taller!

Before we started this trip I purchased a coupon book and it has proved to be a real money saver for us. We have been able to eat in some fantastic restaurants for half price. Most of the restaurants are all outside dining what they call “Patio seating”. We had some great weather days so sitting outside was wonderful.

The St Lawrence Market is by far one the best farmers markets I have seen. There are cheese shops with literally hundreds of different cheeses from all over the world. Fish and shellfish are flown in from all over the world. The breads and baguettes all made fresh and usually sell out within hours of the opening of the market. The produce looked so good most of it local some imported in from the US. Most of the locals shop daily and I can understand why.

The Distillery District is a unique area it is 10 city blocks wide and over 40 buildings with all sorts of artists all of them are one of kind. No franchises are allowed to rent a space in the district keeping it very unique and very local!! (more pictures in the web album link below)

What really amazed us is the underground city Path it is 27 Kilometers. There are over 1200 stores, 50 office-building towers, 20 parking garages all underground and the subway is built within the underground city. Path hold the Guinness book of world records as being the largest shopping complex underground.

We have really enjoyed our time here in Toronto the locals are friendly and the city was really easy to navigate once you figure out how its all laid out public transportation is very good. I have discovered that even tho the ocean, mountains, and all our national parks are wonderful- put me in the middle of a city and I am one slap happy woman!!! For me there is just nothing like the sound and the excitement of the City!! Next Stop Kingston, Ontario

More Pictures click on this link http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Ontario

2008-06-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Travel Day 1 Entering Canada
London, Ontario, River View Campground June 6-13

We crossed into Canada over the Blue Water Bridge from Port Huron, Michigan. It was uneventful and a pleasant crossing into Canada no problems. We noticed that there was only one other motorhome. No other RV’s actually RV travel has been scarce the truck stops are empty. We took the 402 to 401 into London we will be staying at an ROD park until June 13.

Just as we are getting all settled in to watch the evening news we discover that we are here for the first heat wave with record breaking temps, so if that is not enough we find out that fuel prices in Canada are at an all time high in fact the price of fuel will jump 6 cents per liter at midnight tonight- We wonder should we head to the Flying J!!

Canada really prides themselves on their farmers markets- I was not expecting much when we walked into the first farmers market- wow was I surprised the produce looked wonderful and the price was right we stocked up on some corn, multi color-peppers and tomatoes. They were wonderful. We have found some wineries, craft breweries and LaBatt brewery all close to us. We will be checking them out this week.

Our camping spot at River View Campground

Hey these prices don't look too bad- wait that price is for liters it takes 3.75 liters to equal 1 gallon- oh my you do the math I am scared!!!

2008-06-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hello from Charlotte, MI

We have had a great time at the Spartan Homecoming Rally!! This is one of John's favorite rallys . He is busy going to all the maintenance seminars by Cummins, Allison Transmissions, Onan, Meritor Brakes, buying a years supply of filters, and whatever else he can find that we just have to have!!! I usually spend my time shopping, and for the most part I did- but this time they had a great seminar for "Women Only" it was a lot of fun and very good technical information. The only man allowed in was the fellow who poured us our apple cider in wine glasses and waited on us with cheese & crackers, picked up after us and of course a lot of teasing went on. Spartan does a great job of hosting the Rally you are provided six meals so there is no need to cook- more time to shop and we also had plenty of to meet some great folks!!

Our last night dinner theme was a Luau complete with roasted pork and a Tiki Bar where one could get tropical drinks. YUMMO

this was one of three parking areas.

Canada Here we Come.......
Now its time to start our trip into Canada. Our plans for the summer are;
Ontario, Montreal, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island.
I don't know how much internet I am going to have and will update as often as I can as I will be dependent on wifi.

2008-05-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hello from Camp Newmar

After 3 1/2 weeks of living in a motel we are back in our Motorhome and she looks beautiful. Good as new maybe even better. Just a few more finishing touches and we will be on our way to begin our summer travel plans.

Next stop Charlotte, MI for the Spartan Homecoming Rally.

Look at that shine!!!

2008-05-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Shedd Aquarium-Chicago, IL
We had a spectacular day at the aquarium!! We came face to face with an 8 foot- 160 lb komodo dragon- nose to nose with a 14 foot green anaconda snake and finished our tour off with an awesome exhibit of dolphins and in between all of that we saw some of the most colorful displays of fish and coral we have ever seen. click on the link if you would like to see the pictures from the aquarium. http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/SheddAquarium

A traditional Chicago Hot Dog-
Yummo!!

John had the Italian Beef sandwich he really enjoyed it

View of the Chicago Skyline

2008-05-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Exposed Stuffing & All.....

YIKES- was my first thought- Newmar is replacing all of the fiberglass, the baggage doors are being re skinned with aluminum and then she gets a new coat of paint. When they take the old fiberglass off they have been using that as a template to cut the new fiberglass.

New fiberglass on this side. The orange boards are holding the walls in place while the glue dries. Hopefully she will be going into the paint shop by next week.

This is where we will be living for a minimum of 14 days. I love the idea of being in a brick building- you can huff and puff but you can't blow it down! :)

2008-04-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

California to Indiana
2617 miles / $1320 fuel = .50 per mile

We arrived this afternoon and we couldn't have asked for better traveling weather. We had a tail wind most of the way and the sun was shining great timing!!! We normally do not travel this fast but, we wanted to drive when the weather was at is best and we did!! Now we can slow down and take our time. After we leave Nappanee we will be going to the Spartan Homecoming in Charlotte, MI June 2

At one time this McDonalds was the largest in the US
It crosses over the Will Rogers Turnpike in OK

This was the scenery for many miles on I 44 in MO

2008-04-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

We're on the Move.... Summer Travel Plans

After spending several weeks in the bay area visiting family and doing our routine doctor and dental visits it is time to move on. Since we will be traveling right thru tornado alley at the height of tornado season- I will be come a amateur meteorologist- I have all my weather websites book marked, new batteries in the weather radio!! Now, if diesel prices don't get the better of us we plan on having a wonderful summer in the Maritimes!!

2008-04-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Play Ball.........

We took our Grandson Jeff to a Modesto Nuts baseball game. The Nuts are a single A minor league. When we walked thru the gate Jeff was asked if he wanted to start the game tonight by announcing "Play Ball" and I must say he got a huge round of applause from the audience and the cameraman said he was a natural (well of course) he was so excited about that. We all had a great evening. Jeff's face was on the Jumbo Tron so much he got a big kick out of that.

Grandpa and Jeff best seats in the house

Jeff after he announced "PLAY BALL" in a very big voice

Jeff and the Mascot Al the Almond

Jeff getting an autograph on his ball from one of the players- Priceless

We will be hanging out in the San Fransisco Bay Area for a few more weeks spending time with family. Our summer travel plans are the Maritimes and New Foundland. With a stop in Indiana at Newmar for a 3 week appointment-All of the fiberglass has to be replaced and then Charlotte Michigan for the Spartan Homecoming Rally.

2008-03-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

Our Extreme Makeover

Before

After-
I decided on a black shade instead of white, we replaced our TV with a 37" Sharp Aquios LCD HDTV, changed the angled cabinet so it is straight and made it larger.

Replaced the fabric valance with wood- Kept the original curtains on the sides

You can view more pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/MotorhomeRemodel

2008-03-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

POMONA FMCA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

Below is a picture of our booth at the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Rally. Last summer we worked for Cherry Hill Park in College Park, MD we were asked if we wanted to work a booth and talk to folks about the campground. Of course we WOULD since we absolutely love the park. We really enjoyed ourselves and had plenty of time to browse all the gadgets in the marketplace and start a list of what we just had to have. Our list is growing!!!

The entertainment at the rally is top notch!! Below is a picture of the Bellamy Brothers what a great performance they gave!!! On Thursday night Peter Noone of the Herman Hermits played what a fabulous performance he gave unfortunately I did not have my camera with me that night.

Next Stop- Junction City, OR

2008-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

OUT n ABOUT IN TEMECULA, CA
Couple of weeks exploring Temecula's back roads.

We spent a few afternoons wine tasting. Unlike Napa most of the wineries in Temecula are boutique wineries, wines are only available at the winery and they only produce a small quanity of each varietal and when its gone it GONE!! I did get a few surprises of what I thought I didn't like, I loved!!! Because these are boutique wineries wine tasting can be rather expensive $8-10 per person. The Temecula Visitors Center online had some great information and we were able to download 2 for 1 tasting coupons along with a map of all the wineries and tasted some wonderful wines, champagnes, ports, and sherrys. One afternoon we found ourselves in Old Town Temecula and did what was a first for us was Olive Oil/Balsamic vinegar tasting- our favorite was an olive oil infused with blood oranges and for balsamic vinegars a vanilla fig infused balsamic. All locally made here in California. Then one afternoon a drive in the country and we found the Gouda Cheese factory that was made famous by Wolfgang Puck. We did some Gouda Cheese tasting and a tour. The cheese was very gouda!! :)
For more pictures of our visit to Temecula http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Temecula

Wilson Creek Winery Great almond champagne & ports actually we had Portini there- equal parts of their signature champagne (almond) and port. Very good!!!

The hamburger stand below is in Old Town and obviously a favorite of bikers. We stopped there for lunch and I could understand why. This restaurant boasts the honor of being number 1 in the great California hamburger hunt!!! It would get my vote!!!

2008-02-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

Boomer Cruise to Cabo San Lucas

February 4-8, 2008

Carnival Cruise Ship Elation setting sail for Cabo with 40 plus boomers on board. There was plenty of food, drink and entertainment to keep us all pretty busy!!! Several birthday celebrations and happy hours on ship. This was not your ordinary Boomer-Rang.
I took so many pictures that I couldn't post them all here click this link for an online web album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/BoomerCruise

Boomers in Formal Attire- We all clean up pretty darn nice....

Boomers invade Cabo and have tacos and beer

As the sun sets over Cabo we set sail for San Diego

2008-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

Puerto Penasco, Mexico

We did a caravan with Newmar to Puerto Penasco and we had a wonderful week of food, entertainment, happy hours, shopping/bargin hunting, meeting lots of new people, and looking for the best fish tacos we could find. We took so many pictures I couldn't post all of them here so I created a web album click on this link if you are interested in viewing more pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Mexico08

Below is a picture of the shoreline from Lighthouse Hill. It had been 5 years since John and I were in Puerto Penasco and we were surprised at how fast all the condos
had been built where campgrounds used to be.

Shopping District

View from Lighthouse Hill- the downtown area

Our final night we were all treated to Mexican Coffee- and yes, it tasted just as good as it looks.

Next our cruise to Cabo San Lucas

2008-01-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to BOOMERVILLE 2008

Where Boomerville is just getting started Happy Hours at 4, walks, talks, eating, swap meets where if it can't be found, it just doesn't exsist, and more eating. The object is too see how long you can make 100 gal of water last before you have to get more. The last one out shuts off the lights until next year....

Once a year the sleepy little town of Quartzite Arizona that is invaded by literly thousands of RVer. Below are pictures of Boomerville the town is in the distance- those are all RVS

2008-01-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hello from the FMCA Rally in Indio

Where the temperatures are in the mid 70's and we are having a great time meeting lots of new folks, attending seminars, and of course buying and more buying of "stuff". We in remodel mode and have decided to replace our front TV and cabinet with a new sleeker cabinet which will include a 37 inch LCD HDTV, then we are replacing our front window shades with the MCD American Duo System I am superduper jazzed about that. We are going to Junction City, OR in March to have the work done. John is getting the Silver Leaf System installed in our Motorhome its an vehicle monitoring/diagnostic system dohicky thing that is a must have (according to John) he is all excited about this new gadget.

Below are some pictures from the parade- you can tell FUN was the order of the day!!
Some of the chapters get together and decorate their golf carts, build floats, wear costumes, and -well you can see below how much fun it was.......

Oops- grass skirt was not big enough :)

Next Stop Puerto Penasco, Mexico

2008-01-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from Reno!!

2007-11-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

John and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! See ya next year!!!

Our travel plans for 2008 include; San Felipe Baja Mexico, Cruise to Cabo San Lucas, FMCA Rally in Pomona, CA, where we will be representing Cherry Hill Park in the Marketplace, touring the Atlantic Maritimes, and whatever else we can find that strikes our interest along the way!

Opening day was yesterday. This is the entrance into our lot.

Rows and rows of trees looking for warm homes. We hope each and every tree finds a home!!

This is the inside of our tent and John has been flocking away!!

2007-11-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

FAMILY TIME

After pumpkins we headed to Reno to have an early Thanksgiving with my daughter and her boyfriend and his children, my son and his family came up we had a wonderful time together and it had been a long time since we all got together.
Below is Wayne, Jadeon, Stephanie and Cami.

Below is a picture of my son Larry, me, Grandson Jeff, and daughter Stephanie. We had just had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner. November is a very busy month for our family besides Thanksgiving we have 4 birthdays to celebrate.

Steph and John clowning around with Cosmo the dog (aka Costco)

2007-11-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

FROM PUMPKINS TO TREES......

Its over- all the pumpkins have been sold, the petting zoo is closed and now its time to clean up the lot and get it ready for trees. This has been a very interesting month we learned a lot about the zoo animals we have chased the pig when he got out at least 5 times, roped the goat we he escaped, dropped a box of chickens and had to chase them around the pin and finally caught all 10 of them, the rabbits had a night out on the patch until we caught them!!! I wished I had the camera for some our most exciting moments, but I think if I told John to wait so I could take pictures of him chasing the pig- you would all be attending services for ME!!! Anyway it is over and we did survived as did the animals! Next week we are headed to Reno to spend sometime with my daughter, should be back just in time for tree delivery. We are really looking forward to the Christmas season!!!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!!!

Getting the lot ready for Trees

2007-10-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Petting Zoo at the Pumpkin Patch

Meet Wilbur he is "Some Pig" that is what Charlotte said. Personally I think he is a goat in Pig skin...... Wilbur refuses to eat his pig food wants only the goat food!!! Notice the little chicks in the pen I bring them in every nite because they are too little we put them in a box under a heat lamp.

Meet Mr Goat and Mrs Goat they can't eat the goat food because the pig won't let them, so they eat the pig food and when the pig is sleeping then they eat the goat food, and eat the corn stalks and eat whatever they can find.......

Meet "Farmer" John- he fixes the cages and builds shelter so the animals have a dry place to be when it rains he also is very good with a shovel in the mornings and I feed the animals and make sure they have plenty of water......
Now you have seen the pumpkin patch that Farmer John and his wife Cathy built........

2007-10-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

PUMPKIN PATCH

After 7500 miles this summer we are right back where we started in California! We arrived at our pumpkin lot. John is building a pad for the motorhome. Looks like he is having fun on the John Deer!!

Wow now thats a lot of pumpkins 40 bins all over the lot- Now how do you suppose all those pumpkin bins are going to get emptied??

I think the scarecrows did it. There are pumpkins of all colors and sizes

We now open and ready for business... Wish us luck!!!

2007-09-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

32nd Annual
Nappanee Apple Festival

First stop on our way west was Nappanee Indiana for some repairs on our Motorhome (again), and we were here just in time for the Apple Festival. Below is a 7 Foot Apple Pie 450 pounds of apples and it took 17 hours to bake. To bring the pie into the restaurant a wall had to be removed!! It took a large oven to bake this pie and there are only 4 of these large oven in the world and Nappanee just happens to have one.

Every festival has marching bands and this town is no exception.

Boomers were in town and we meet and enjoyed the festival together and then had lunch at Hunters Hideway!!

2007-09-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2007

As one adventure ends, another one begins........

What a fabulous summer we have had in Maryland. We are leaving Cherry Hill Campground in the morning, its a bittersweet experience. Cherry Hill Campground is a first class campground and we are proud we were part of the team if only for a short while. The folks we have worked with have been a lot of fun, we have seen so many sights and the weather has been fantastic , we have eaten Maryland Blue Crab, and we did extensive research to find the best of the best crabcakes. We have a winner http://www.timbukturestaurant.com/index.html

On to our next adventure.... this fall we have decided to manage a Pumpkin Lot, in Saratoga, CA . We don't know too much about what this will entail, except we do know it involves pumpkins, scarecrows and a petting zoo we all know what animals do !! YIKES!!! Stay Tuned......

I hope that you all had the most fantastic summer!!!!

2007-09-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Clam Bake

Summer is just about over the weather is getting cooler and it is just about time for us to start heading west soon!! We cooked a fabulous seafood dinner tonight and enjoyed every morsel!!!

2007-08-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Williamsburg, VA
Busch Gardens, Europe

This week we headed to Busch Gardens Amusement park it has been a long time since we had been to an amusement park. Great rides, excellent food, high energy shows, and a beautifully clean park we had a ball spent two days inside the park..... We did do the Brewmasters Club, you go into a private room and taste beers -this is not your ordinary beer tasting from about two dozen different brews you pick four to taste (that was a hard one) then you are served crackers, cheese, grapes, strawberrys, and chocolates and the tasting begins, I almost thought I was wine tasting. GREAT experience!!! Actually learned a lot about beer and food pairings.

John the Pizza Head

The Adventure Begins........

2007-08-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Rides

In Germany the Curse of Dar Kastle, is a 4 D ride, you put on special glasses and are whisked thru a haunted castle great special effects!!!

In Italy Escape from Pompeii, this was my favorite ride. You ride up to the top and go thru fire, crumbling buildings and fianally the big escape splash down. Heart pounding adventure

In Ireland- Corkscrew Hill, this is a 4 D ride simulator, you are greeted by a leprechaun who is going to shrink you and take you on wild adventure you won't soon forget. GREAT special effects.

In France- The Griffon- Not for the faint of heart and NOT FOR ME!!! This roller coaster is tallest dive roller coaster in the WORLD. From 205 feet above you will drop 90 degrees to more flips, turns and just too much adventure for me. Double click on the picture and you can see there is no FLOOR

2007-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Entertainment

From New France (aka Canada)
These are the dancers from the American Jukebox this dance was a tribute to the Disco era
Burn Baby Burn- Disco Inferno

In Ireland in the Abbey Stone Theater Irish dancers what a high energy show!!!

In Italy at the San Marco Outdoor Theater a rendition of Tony and Tina's Wedding.

In Germany inside the Das Festhaus was a re-creation of October Fest complete with all the UMPAs and the Beer Barrel Polka !!

2007-08-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

Virginia
Shenandoah National Park

Our campsite at Big Meadow Campground in Shenandoah National Park. Looks like a beautiful day... Well just a few hours after this picture was taken we had the most horrendous lighting and thunder storm I have ever been in. I wanted to leave and run to the bath house for safety, but couldn't because lightning was striking all around us...... This lasted about 2 hours, but, to me, it seemed like a lifetime....... WOW was I missing California weather

Two of the most spectacular views among hundreds. There was a constant haze or fog in the area at all times.

2007-08-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

Early morning fog was so thick you could see it move in and out within in seconds you had no visibility to full visibility.

So many yellow daisys so beautiful and tons of monarch butterflys

While on Skyline Drive we happened upon these bears there were three mama, and two cubs as cute as could be up in the trees playing and breaking branches and falling to the ground then climbing back up in the tree. We were about 15 feet from these bears and they were oblivious that we were even there, it wasn't long before a crowd appeared and the little guys just kept on playing.... We were in the car under this tree and the mama bear was above us!!

Deer everywhere.

2007-08-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

Michie Tavern ca. 1784

We stopped here for lunch after Monticello. This is the original tavern once you step inside you are transported back to the 18th century. We had lunch in the Ordinary- that is the building to the right, the two story building was sleeping quarters for travelers

2007-08-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Monticello

The home of Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson's inspiration for the design of this home came from his time he spent in Paris. Monticello is a three story, 21 room plantation home on over 5000 acres. It took 40 years to complete this house. Jefferson quote- "... all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello" and his wished did come true he ended up dying on July 4, 1826 in his bed chamber. Its ironic that the author of the Declaration of Independence died 50 years to the date of the signing. Little trivia- did you know that just hours after Jefferson died- John Adams also died. There is a cemetery at Monticello where Jefferson is buried there and all decedents of Jefferson can be buried there.

This is the front view of the house, below is the back of the house. Cameras were not allowed inside

This was the kitchen area underneath the house all the dependencies were underneath the house including the privi there are two of them, beer cellar, wine cellar,and ware storage.

I kid you not, when I walked into this smokehouse I could still smell the smoke!

2007-08-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry is a restored 19th century town just loaded with history there are period costumed guides thru out the park. The park is broken up into six themes; Industry, Natural Heritage, Transportation, John Brown, The Civil War, and African American History. The story of John Brown grabbed our interest. I tried to give you a very brief bio of his story.

This old footbridge takes you to the C & O Canal and this is where the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River converge.

John Brown
John Brown believed he could free the slaves and he selected Harpers Ferry as his starting point he and 21 men which consisted of three of his sons, and five free African Americans seized the 100,000 weapons at the arsenal on the evening of Oct 16, 1859. Thirty six hours after the raid began with most of his men killed or wounded, Brown was captured in the armory fire engine house (below) when U. S. Marines stormed the building. Brown was brought to trial and was found guilty of treason against the Common Wealth of Virginia, conspiring with slaves to rebel and murder. He was hung on Dec 2, 1859. The attention that the trial and his execution drew raised the moral issue of slavery and headed the country toward civil war. Depending on who is doing the storytelling - Was John Brown the reason the civil war was started or did was this the real beginning of the civil war?? We were also told by the period costume guides that a lot of African Americans feel that this is their Independence Hall.

2007-07-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

3 Days, 3 Beaches in 3 States...
Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey

We took this ferry from Lewes Delaware to Cape May New Jersey to spend the day with the Crawfords.

A refurbished Oyster Schooner sitting at the dock, it was open for tours.

At the Lobster House doing what we do best with the Crawfords- eating oysters and drinking beer not just ordinary beer it must be Yuengling (affectionately known as vitamin Y)- we had a wonderful afternoon!!!

Delaware State Beach Campground we spent 3 nights here enjoying the beaches of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.

2007-07-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ocean City Maryland

The boardwalk in Ocean City is about 3 miles in one direction we walked two thirds and took the tram back.

This is one of the shops along the boardwalk I found to be interesting... to say the least

The Beach at Ocean City

2007-07-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Out n About in DC

We took a double deck bus tour of DC- we picked an absolute fabulous day, the weather was just perfect, since a few days before the humidity was very sticky.

Remember you can click on any picture to enlarge it.

The White House

Our Capitol

The Washington Monument

2007-07-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Georgetown

Georgetown is a charming little town with tons of upscale shops and nice outdoor eateries. As you can see below we found a tavern to have a nice break from the noise of DC. Ice Cold Beer and the best crabcake sandwich I have had yet, and believe me I am checking them all out!!!

Main street in Georgetown

2007-07-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Assassination of President Lincoln

April 14, 1865, President Lincoln went to see the play Our American Cousin at the Fords Theater.

At 10:15 pm President Lincoln was shot in the presidential box (below) by John Wilkes Booth.
Booth jumped from the box onto the stage and had gotten tangled in the flag and broke his ankle but was able to hobble to his horse in the back of the theater. Boothe was later found hiding in a barn in Fort Royal, VA by union soldiers the barn was set on fire and Booth was shot while in the burning barn.

This was the bed in the back bedroom of the Peterson's house that President Lincoln died in the next day. Because Lincoln was so tall he had to be laid across the bed.

What happened to Mary Todd Lincoln- In her life three of her four sons died, her husband was shot as he sat next to her. In 1875 she was judged as insane and admitted to a sanitarium for several months. She died in her sisters home in Springfield IL on July 16, 1882.

2007-07-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Washington National Cathedral

This Cathedral is so massive outside as well as inside. All faiths are welcome in this church, however, it is Protestant Episcopal. It took 83 years to build this Cathedral; 1893 Congress gave charter creating the Protestant Episcopal foundation, foundation stone was laid in 1907 in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and the Cathedral was completed in 1990 in the presence of President George W Bush. The Cathedral is built mostly from Indiana limestone and this Cathedral is the sixth largest in the world.

This is the ceiling of the Cathedral. Notice all the state flags, each week the congregation prays for each state and its people. Since there are 52 weeks and only 50 states one week is for DC and the other is for the US Territories. While we were there they were praying for South Carolina.

This is the High Alter.

Below is an example of the magnificent and numerous stained glass windows.
Just below this window lies President Woodrow Wilson he is the only President that is buried in the Cathedral.