Category Archives: 2016

When we started our RVing adventure, we discussed it having a five year life cycle and, believe it or not, 2016 marks the fifth consecutive year of our RV travels.  We have had many fun and interesting adventures but have decided to hang up our RV keys and switch our traveling to a more traditional style.  In fact, we already have the non-RV bucket list printed and we will be starting in 2017.

This December trip is to Texas where the entire Moyer family is gathering for Christmas.  We decided since it is the last, we would drag it out a little and take three days to get there and maybe another three to return.  Our first stop was in Milton, Florida taking in some of the Christmas sights in Pensacola. Unfortunately, we never could find the place they had listed on the website and settled for a good dinner at a restaurant on the beach.

Our next planned stop was in Hammond, LA just outside of New Orleans.  From there we could easily go into the city to see their Christmas lights display at the City Park.  One of the first displays was a “Cajun” version of Twas the Night Before Christmas” complete with alligator pulled sleigh and Cajun accent.

This place was packed with people not only to see the lights, but to ride the train that circled the campus and take the kids on the rides at the far end.  It is obviously well attended because this close to Christmas after being opened since Thanksgiving there was still a long line to get in.

Since we were already close to the downtown area we decided to go over to Harrah’s because they were touting a Christmas display including falling snow.  If you look really close you might see some white flecks that was produced by an actual snow machine.

Lights on Fulton St at Harrah’s Casino

Once we got to Kerry & Debbie’s house we saw they had an extensive light display of their own in the front and back yards.

Once inside we had to do the “measure me against Grammie thing”.  It’s easy to see this is the year they both outgrew me!

The next evening, the rest of family arrived making all the games outside more fun.  Even Blue got involved.

Christmas day was a familiar scene with lots of wrapping paper and

food and……

some sleepy people.

The next day we went to Moody Gardens to see their Ice Display similar to the one we have in Florida at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando.  It’s only 9 degrees in the display so they let you use these stylish parkas to stay warm.  Are we gorgeous or what!

At night time, they had a Christmas Light Display as well.

On Tuesday, we all went to the shooting range to test out the new guns Kyle and Ryan got for Christmas.

Kyle is a skeet shooter and is quite good at winning in several competitions.

All during the holiday, several of us worked on one of the hardest jigsaw puzzles I have ever seen.  But persistence prevailed and we “got er done”.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2017 to everyone!

Before we get to Debbie and Kerry’s home in Houston, we wanted to see something our son-in-law told us about near Amarillo.  You drive along this small road for about 9 miles with nothing to see but this……..

Scenery prior to arriving at Palo Duro Canyon

Then all of a sudden there it is and you understand why they call this the #1 State Park.  This is Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

View of Palo Duro Canyon from Visitors Center

It rained most of last night so all the hiking trails were closed and even a portion of the driving road, but Jim still managed to take some really pretty pictures.

View of Palo Duro Canyon from Visitors Center

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Vistas of Palo Duro Canyon

Since our time in the park was limited, we decided to see some of the other sights in the area rather than waiting until tomorrow.  Around here, no matter what the weather report says, it could always be different.

Our first stop was the RV Museum which turned out to be in the oldest Winnebago dealership in Texas and really fun.  It had the first “camper” designed in 1921 created by Ford called the Lamsteed Kampkar.  It came fully equipped and mounted on a Model “T” Ford chassis.

There were too many to detail in this blog, but he also had the first Airstream which I think looked a lot like the ones you see today (no slam intended) and the 1976 FMC owned by Max Factor, Jr. of the Max Factor Cosmetics family which, as you can imagine, was top of the line for the time.

Our last stop for the day was the Cadillac Ranch advertised to be a “roadside sculpture allowing for personal creativity, but bring your own spray paint”.  I was thinking local artist’s works displayed on the bodies of old cars.  What I saw was, well you decide.  Is this what Amarillo calls art?

Cadillac Ranch – Amarillo, TX

We finished the day by seeing the movie Ben-Hur.  Spectacularly done to rival the original but extremely intense.

We leave Monday for our trek to Houston with only driving and one night stops.  I guess this is the last post for our trip.  That is unless something really interesting happens.

Over the past 2 million years there have been 3 volcano eruptions in the Yellowstone Park area shaping and creating the geothermal features that the park is noted for.  Instead of getting caught up in the rush of people who usually enter the park mid morning, we left our RV at 7 a.m. and headed for the Granddaddy of all geothermal features, Old Faithful.  On the way, we just couldn’t resist stopping at Beryl Spring.  The early morning cold temperature and heat coming from the cracks in the earth made it look like something out of a horror movie.

Beryl Spring

Beryl Spring

Geothermal features along roadway in Yellowstone

Sight as we drove

We arrived at Old Faithful in plenty of time to get front row seats to have a perfect picture position.  We had to wait over an hour, but it was worth it.  There were at least four false starts, and then we knew the real thing was coming.  Without having something to give you perspective, there is no way to show the size and power of this gushing water spewing into the air.

Old Faithful beginning of eruption

Old Faithful erupting

Old Faithful erupting

The next stop in the Caldera (what they call the volcano area) was Midway Geyser Basin.  The pictures get progressively more impressive.

Water running into Yellowstone River at Midway Geyser Basin

Prismatic Pool at Midway Geyser Basin

Opal Pool at Midway Geyser Basin

Designs in pool at at Midway Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin

Excelsior Geyser Crater at Midway Geyser Basin

The West Thumb off of Yellowstone Lake had more to see.

West Thumb Geyser basin with Yellowstone lake in backgound

Abyss Pool at West Thumb Geyser Basin

Black Pool at West Thumb Geyser Basin

This Mud Volcano area was really different than any other area we saw today.  The last volcanic eruption was 664,000 years ago and had a force 1000 times greater than Mount St. Helen.  The entire Caldera area is sitting over the volcano which provides the immense heat.

Dragon’s Mouth Spring at Mud Volcano

Churning Caldron at Mud Volcano sight

In 1995 there were 500 earthquakes that increased the temperature in this mud pool from 150 degrees to 170 degrees.  This looked like a giant pot of mud boiling on a stove.  Pretty impressive photography for a amateur to get the bubble just as it flared.

We only spent a short time at Mammoth Springs.  We had started out early and I was beginning to feel my injury so we only drove the upper terrace where we took these pictures.

Mammoth Springs – Yellowstone

Mammoth Springs – Yellowstone

Tomorrow we have to leave Yellowstone and we are going to Buffalo, Wyoming to an RV Park that can accommodate us for 6 days.  Its a small town with a population around 4,400 and nothing to see or do, so we will just be sitting around relaxing with nothing interesting to write, we hope.

We have discovered that we have at least one follower who is using our blog to see places and things he/she may never see otherwise, so off we went to see what we could see.  It was late when we started and the line into the park ran the length of the drive all the way back to the arch so we decided to take the roads less traveled and avoid some of the crowds.

Jim got lots of good pictures:

Cars waiting in line to enter Yellowstone

Cliff along road in Yellowstone

Coyote crossing road

Tower Falls

View from Lower Falls in Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Lower Falls Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Grand view of Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Yellowstone River in Grand Canyon

Lower Falls in Yellowstone Grand Canyon taken from Artist Point

Different colors in rocks at Grand Canyon

Yellowstone River

Mammouth Springs – Yellowstone

Buffalo crossing the road

Elk in grassy area at Mammoth Springs

Cancel all the plans for today.  At 6:50 a.m. this morning I tripped in the RV and had a nasty fall requiring an ambulance ride to the hospital 55 miles away to find out that I fractured my collarbone at the shoulder.  It’s like fracturing a rib or toe.  It just has to heal by itself.

“And that’s all I have to say about that.” Forrest Gump