Arrival at Daughter & Son-In-Law's

This was the sight when we were leaving Virginia Beach to cross the Hampton Bridge Tunnel. Quite foggy. It looks like the end of the bridge, but that is where you begin to descend into the tunnel under the water. Otherwise a beautiful blue sky & beautiful day. Too bad we had to leave so soon.
Oh my gosh, I thought when we stopped at the Rest Stop on the Westbound lane of Interstate 64 that the Loomis's were traveling with us!!!! Matt was that you, or was that your Mom & Dad trying to travel in disguise??????? Neat idea for your next truck though huh? Even had something with the duck emblem on the side window.
Well, today was a pretty nice day (Friday) with a little overcast. Very warm though. Stayed around camp until 11:15AM then took off for Maryland. This is one of the beautiful farm sights we saw on our drive in. Phyllis, these are the rolling hills of PA. Farmland, but not as flat as Iowa!

Very neat & clean looking farms for the most part.

Susquehanna River across the road from Otter Creek Campground, Airville, PA

Well, finally got the prescription problems straightened out! Even Virginia Beach messed up what we couldn't get there! They had my birthday as 20 years older than what I was!!!!!! When I looked at the bottle, it wasn't my right name, address or birth date!!!! REMEMBER......always check those labels before leaving the pharmacy!

Big accident on way to Renee's so little Nick was late coming home from school. But the little guys were sure surprised to see us! After we went home to their house, ate a little lunch & caught up some, Grandma gave the little guys & PaPa a haircut. They sure look cute! Even PaPa!!

Tonight Hunter came up & is now here for the weekend. I hope it doesn't rain so we can enjoy doing something outside. Right now Noah is sitting out on the deck with PaPa & singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

Well, now Nicholas is getting anxious to see Grandma's pictures, so guess this will be a continued adventure later on in the week. Have to bring my computer to Renee's to keep up the blog.

Ok, so for now, that's it from The Traveling Cardinal's.

Last Day in Virginia Beach Campground

Well today was another "sort of" relaxing day! The sun finally came out & it turned out to be a pretty nice day.

VIEW FROM OUR SITE WHILE READING MY BOOK

SNAPPING TURTLE JUST DOWN ROAD FROM OUR SITE

Just a friendly creature out for a little stroll. Glad he wasn't looking at my feet for a snappy snack!

Went to stock up on a few groceries in the morning. Tried to get prescription refilled! What a joke!!! Have you had the experiences we have had in traveling & getting prescriptions filled???? I always thought a "Pharmacy" should sell drugs & medications and grocery stores food! What am I missing here??? Every time we have to get a prescription filled they either have to order it in or they send you to the grocery store pharmacy. What gives? Any clues out there?????? Why not get rid of the outdoor lounge chairs, ice cream, etc., etc., etc., in the pharmacy & make more room to handle the needs of the people who need medications!!!!

Enough. Bad day!

Dee & Randy came in the late afternoon to visit. Randy showed us his beautiful woodcarvings that he is entering in the World Woodcarving Contest in Ocean City, MD this weekend. Unbelievable work he does! They look so real. Nice Job! Hope he gets a blue ribbon!!!!

We finally got the snacks out as it was 5:30 & us old folks were getting hungry! Finally decided to go ahead & cook & everyone could eat as they arrived. We were a little late building a fire as that guy (Oh, Thanks Dan for the firewood & the fire!!!!) who was bringing the wood had to work late. So we cooked our hot dogs on the grill & then did the marshmallows & mountain pies over the fire. Samantha & Samuel did get to have their marshmallows before they left though.

Bill, Dee & Randy

Traci came & brought a tote full of food. I think she must have thought she was feeding an army!

Samuel, Mark, Samantha & Traci

Randy, Samuel, Mark & Samantha & Daisy the Doggy

Mark, Samantha, Samuel & Daisy the doggy came to tell us their goodbyes. Sad time again!! Gosh we say a lot of those!!!

Samantha & Samuel climbing in the tree
That's our little grandson, Samuel

Now that I've looked over the map & tried to decided the best way to get a big camper through all those little country roads in northern Maryland & southeastern PA, I think we are ready to roll again on Thurs. morning. Got bikes loaded today so the picking up in the morning should go fairly fast. Just the last minute normal things & it's not suppose to be raining either!!! Thank You Lord!


Well, until another adventure arrives, that's it for.........The Traveling Cardinal's

Lazy Days in Virginia Beach

The last couple of days have been pretty dreary & rainy. Got washing done on Monday during the rain storm & then sat & sewed the rest of the day.

Bill went to Pulmonologist today & compared to last Fall, he was somewhat worse. Lower level of oxygen. No changes in medication or care. Just watch environment, smoky surroundings & breathing habits when he becomes short of breath. We will continue to live the "in sickness & in health" part of those marriage vows.

We will be leaving Virginia Beach on Thurs. & going north to visit Renee, Tom & boys in Maryland. We will be staying at a campground in Pennsylvania though, as the one we normally stay at was filled up on the dates we wanted.

The blog updates may be spotty as I'm not sure the campground is Internet Friendly. I haven't even been able to take pictures since we've had so much rain. Thought we might need oars this morning when we woke up.

We are waiting to have Dee, Randy, Traci & Dan come for visit this afternoon.

Just went outside to see if I could take pictures of those jets, started to sprinkle again & they go too fast & the cloudy sky doesn't help in finding them in that view finder! Maybe tomorrow.

So just another day of "relaxing". Sorry there is nothing new on the homefront of "The Traveling Cardinal's".

Another Busy Day in the life of The Traveling Cardinal's

Today was a half doctor day and a half cleaning day!

Took Bill to doctor first thing this morning. Had a bad night and morning. His lungs are filled up again & with the weather here in the East and what with the cold coming back from the West, he is pretty miserable. Doctor said he was worse this time than last Fall when we were here. Got him back on the 3 medications to get him turned around & hopefully all will be well again. He goes on Tues. to see the Pulmonologist, so we will see what he says.

Got to spend a little time with my little grandson yesterday, but he wasn't feeling great either. Must be the Spring bug for him too.

This afternoon I shampooed my carpets in the RV. Got rid of some of that Arizona dirt!! It was dirty too! Don't have any pictures for these events today, but I'm sure you all know what a doctor's office looks like & what dirty water looks like!

Just taking it easy & sitting around reading & relaxing for a few days. Back to what "camping" is all about again.

Talked with Great Niece, Traci, today & Niece, Dee, today. Dee & Randy are on way from NY to MD & then to VA. Will see them next week hopefully! Hope they have a safe trip down & know they are anxious to stop at Andrews AFB & see their little granddaughter!

This is all we have for today.....maybe we will have more exciting news as the weekend goes on. Campground here in Virginia Beach is really filling up this weekend.

Later, The Traveling Cardinal's

Been a Long Time Since.....

Gosh, I can't believe how long it's been since I've had access to Internet! It's about time I got caught up with where we are & what's been happening. I think the last I wrote we had gotten through western Colorado and we were planning a little detour in our trip to the East coast!

Well that detour went great! Except it was cold & we saw some snow! Also, we had some LP gas that wasn't the right mix for cold weather & the furnace didn't want to work right! Good thing we had our electric blanket. Also, we couldn't get the generator to work so we didn't stay in any parking lots! Good thing there too!

As we were getting ready to leave Denver, we decided to pay our friends from Superstition Sunrise RV Resort a surprise visit in Iowa. That meant a detour up Interstate 76 (ROUGH ROAD) to Nebraska & over Interstate 80 to Iowa. That's right, went to visit Tom & Phyllis. Boy were they surprised when I told them we were only about 10-15 miles away. What a special couple. Had a great time visiting with them & playing Hand & Foot. Needless to say, the gals won on Fri. night & let the guys win on Sat. night. You know how that goes! Here are those special people:

Phyllis & Tom

We left Altoona, Iowa on Sunday morning to head back a little further south to pick up Interstate 70 again. The only state now that we missed in the midwest was Kansas. Oh well, someday, maybe. Sunday night we stayed in Illinois across the Mississippi from St. Louis. It was kind of rainy off & on but we decided to go visit the Gateway Arch in the evening. Harder to see & take pictures as all the stainless steel reflects from the camera. Not too much light on it & all the lower river walkways were flooded! Long way for Bill to walk from the parking lot. It was cold, too, so that made it hard for him to walk. But at least he got to touch what he helped make!!! Good ol' Dorcon in Warren, PA, did some of the press work of the steel that went into the arch. That was BWWM (before we were married)!!!! But it was neat for Bill to get to see it. It certainly was much larger than I ever pictured it.

GATEWAY ARCH in St. Louis, MO

TOP OF ARCH AT NIGHT

FLOODED CORN FIELDS IN ILLINOIS

VIEWS OF KENTUCKY HORSE PARK, Lexington, KY

We stayed at the park campground right next door

Well, Phyllis, this isn't Pennsylvania, it's West Virginia, but a lot like PA. These are what our mountains look like. Mostly all tree covered, not anything like AZ nor like the plains of Nebraska & Iowa!!!!! See what you're missing!

Hills/Mountains of West Virginia

This brings us up-to-date as of April 17th. We got in to Virginia Beach, VA around 3pm yesterday. Got to see those cute grandkids!!! I think Grandma & PaPa miss them more than they miss us! Hope we can keep you all up on what's going on. Should be a quiet few days until we leave here on the 24th. Except, of course, those jets that are the sound of freedom! Fly boys, fly! It's amazing how quick you get used to them again.

Until next time.....The Traveling Cardinal's

WHAT A TRIP THROUGH COLORADO!!!

WOW! What a day! We saw the most beautiful views today, but we also were pushing the pedal to the metal to beat the 2 feet of snow that was to start Tues. evening in the mountains of Colorado (especially the Vail Pass). Peg was tooling pretty good in the AM & Bill took over for the afternoon. Of course, I got to drive through the Pass & into the mountains of snow at the rest stop & you know......someone (not me!!!!) had to use the facilities. Good thing we had our own. Of course, theirs were open, but wait until you see the picture below of the facilities!!!!!

All in all we had a great day! Diesel has been pretty good. Had to pay the highest before we headed up the Pass (11,600 & some feet), just in case we got stuck somewhere & needed to sit along the side of the road. I just thank God for the weather, safe trip & the beauty He shared with us today. We said many "thank you's" to Him today!

Okay, enough of my blubbering, it's getting late & I want to put up a few pictures & share a couple of info's I received today too.

A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT (TO LOOK AT, BUT NOT LIVE IN, THAT'S WHY WE GO TO ARIZONA!)

ONE OF THE MANY TUNNELS (3 or 4 I THINK) WE WENT THROUGH IN THE MTS.

LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE PRETTY DEEP

THIS IS THE REST STOP AND IT IS PRETTY DEEP!!!!

Called my sister, Romayne, from here & said I've seen enough snow. Now let's get on with life. Glad I don't have to shovel all that stuff!

THESE WERE THE FACILITIES - ALMOST HAD TO DIG YOUR WAY IN & OUT!

SEE THE SKIERS ON THE SLOPES

THIS IS EASTERN COLORADO - WHAT A DIFFERENCE, Farm Land, Beef Cattle & NO MOUNTAINS!

Ok, let's see if I can insert some awesome things I received today:

1. For those of you back home in North Warren: www.aaronreinard.blogspot.com/ This is wonderful news!!!!

2. This is a must see: http://www.wretch.cc/video/ritahsia&func=single&vid=2282608&p=0 Received this from a fellow snowbird at Superstition Sunrise RV Resort who worshipped with us & hiked with us on the first hike when we got there. Thanks, Marquita!

Well, that's it for today. Oh, I guess I should say.....since we are retired & can make up our minds what we want to do.........we have decided to change our direction of travel just a little. Not a lot, we are still heading East & toward our goal, but just taking a brief detour. Besides, we are trying to fill up our US State Map of where we have RVed & we can take in two states instead of one! Until next time.....The Traveling Cardinal's

Have Arrived In Colorado

Well we are back on the road.....maybe temporarily. We ran into some snow/sleet today in Utah. So far we don't have any in Colorado, but I need to check the weather forecast. The campground we stopped at tonight was full & so were a couple others. The owners here at Canyon Lake Campground were very accommodating.

He was going to unplug his boat for us to hook in down by the lake, but as it turned out, we had enough reducers to go to 20 amps & keep warm for the night! It is pretty muddy here, but he was really nice, then gave us a discount besides! He told us the Vail Pass was closed this morning with 7" of snow, so I guess we'd better check that weather. We may be camping along the road & cold!

We tried to use the Generator at a little city park where we ate our supper & the generator runs, but no electric. Oh FRANK, where are you???????? I told you you should be traveling with us!!!!!! But by the looks of this..............you are being very busy in North Warren, PA!!!! Now you will be able to back that motorhome in your driveway with ease! Too bad your old neighbors where such a pain in the butt & wouldn't knock them out for you huh???? (For those of you that don't know, this was our shared driveway with our neighbors at our prior home in N. Warren, PA). There were 2 cement posts with lights on each side of the driveway. Must be the new owners are nice guys! Ha! Ha!

Well as I said, we are now in Colorado. Here are a few pictures from Utah & into Colorado:

MOUNTAINS IN UTAH

MAKES YOU FEEL PRETTY SMALL RIDING ALONGSIDE THIS WALL OF ROCK!!

ROCK FORMATION LOOKS LIKE A SHIP

TUNNELS IN COLORADO ON INTERSTATE 70

THIS WAS THE AWESOME CLOUDS OF SLEET WE RAN INTO JUST AFTER WE ATE OUR SUPPER ON WAY TO FINDING A CAMPGROUND

Well that's it for today. Stay tuned for the following adventures if I don't freeze first!!!! I'm ready to head back to Arizona!!!!!!

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Today we got up early & headed out to Zion National Park. Well, sort of early. You know, we are retired! It was around 9AM our time (11AM for everyone back home).

It was an awesome sight. Again, it's one of those places you must see to appreciate! Pictures don't tell what the naked eye can see. You can just sit & look at all those rock formations & think it took millions of years of compression & Virgin River erosion to make this one of God's masterpieces.
I'll try to share a few pictures - I'd love to share them all, but I know you'd get bored & go read someone else's blog!

ON OUR WAY TO ZION NATIONAL PARK

VIEW WALKING BACK FROM LOWER EMERALD POOL

BLACK STREAKS SHOW MINERAL DEPOSITS FROM WATER WASHING DOWN SIDES

WALLS OF CANYON AT BIG BEND IN ZION NATIONAL PARK

PEG JUST HAD TO FEEL THAT 47 DEG. WATER!

AT TEMPLE OF SINAWAVA, The larger rock formation is referred to as the pulpit & the smaller the alter

SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THE 2 SMALL BLUE SHIRTED MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Well, I think that gives you an idea of what we saw today. I'm tired just watching those guys climb. We saw about 6 climbers, 5 mule deer, 2 Tom Turkeys & I saw a Collared Lizard. Bill had the camera so I didn't get a picture. Aren't you lucky I didn't???

Tomorrow we will travel a little farther north in Utah until we get to Interstate 70, then we will begin heading East.

Got a call from friends in Iowa tonight, Phyllis & Tom, & they said they had some snow & forecasts some more. I hope it is gone by the time we get that far.

Take care my friends & watch for more adventures from The Traveling Cardinal's.

On the Road Again

Well we are on the road again. This picture is just to make my daughter, Renee, jealous. I got to smell the lilacs before she did! Beautiful ones both inside the park we stayed at in Kingman, AZ last night & this bush was across the street as we pulled out of park. Sorry, Eener! (My son's nickname for her, Renee backwards!)

The sights were beautiful as usual. Cameras just don't capture the true essence of God's beauty! You MUST see it yourself. Thanks to Him, we are able to see it! These are the pretty orange flowers (Kind? - if you know, let me know) growing along Interstate 15 in Nevada.

Mountains in the Northwestern corner of Arizona! If you stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon & then imagine what is on the other side, this is it! Again, a must see! Some of the formations in the 2nd picture made me dizzy looking through the camera. Had to quit taking pictures & just look. The lines were so slanted it made you think you were going crooked on the road. Good thing I drove yesterday & this morning. Bill drove this afternoon. Of course, he didn't get to look when everything was amazing. He got the desert scenery to look at & I got the mountains. Oh well. At least we take turns.

This is the Virgin River (a little muddy & not too deep)

As you can see - The Traveling Cardinal's are still in one piece!

We are at Leeds, Utah for thee next couple of nights. Will be going out to Zion National Park tomorrow to take a tour around the park. Going to leave it to the shuttle service to haul our butts though. As I understand, some of the places are over 8,700 ft. Better let the Chevy have a day of rest! Besides, Bill and I can both look at the same time. Stay tuned for pictures of our next adventure - Zion National Park.

We may only pass this way but once. Let's see all there is to see!

04-04-08 From the Traveling Cardinal's

Well I can't believe I'm doing this "blog" thing! A really neat fellow RV'er got me set up & I'm going to try this! So, Snookie, here goes!

We started full time RVing on July 5, 2007. Sold our home in North Warren, PA:

(Well that gives you an idea of how big it was!)

And moved into this beautiful 40' fifth wheel Cardinal:We spent the first 2 months (July & August 2007) at Hidden Valley Campground in Kiantone, NY (south of Jamestown, NY). Being campers for many years, it didn't take us long to get into the grove of full timing. We made many friends & got involved with lots of activities. Campground was close to our home town & close to relatives in NY State. A sample of activities there:

CHRISTMAS IN JULY MARDI GRAS (Pat & Dave) In September we traveled to Maryland to our daughter Renee & her husband Tom's. Stayed at Morris Meadows Campground. Grandkids Nicholas & Noah loved coming to "camp" with Grandma & PaPa. Hunter wasn't able to be with us on this trip. To date he still hasn't seen our new home! Hopefully this summer (2008) we will see more of them. Looking at time ahead it goes very fast though!

Tom, Nick & Noah building a log home while Mom (Renee) supervises

The finished project - We Did It!!!

We then went to Virginia Beach to camp at Holiday Trav-L-Park and visit our son Mark & his family, grandkids Samuel & Samantha. They came to camp with us on our sight too. What fun with the kids! Also got to see Great Niece Traci & her friend Dan. Sitting around the fire in the evening is what makes the RV life relaxing!

Samuel Playing with his Dad's Fisher Price Village Oh those eyes!
Samuel & Samantha playing in the leaves

Dan, Traci, Mark, Samuel sitting around the fire Mark, Samuel & Samantha's Weekend AbodeIn the fall we spent time traveling through western Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, back to Virginia Beach for Thanksgiving

Foley, Alabama

Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

Amy (Wiltsie) England & Bill

First Christmas Tree in new home

Samantha opening her Christmas Gifts

then back to Maryland for Christmas:

Nicholas & Noah with Mommy decorating Christmas Cookies

Who said our trailer was too small????? Busy hands make pretty cookies

The day after Christmas we headed to Apache Junction, Arizona. We stopped in North Carolina to see nieces & nephew, Elaine, Kathy, Lee, spouses & kids on the way:

Randy, Kathy, Lee, Cerise, Elaine

Ethan, Sarah, Faith and Alan

We finally arrive at Superstition Sunrise RV Resort on Jan. 17, 2008. On Jan. 18th our friends, Denise & Chuck H. from Warren arrived. What a busy agenda we have planned!

Denise H. hanging out the door

We planned to spend first one month, then two months, then another 2 weeks. Everyone was so nice there; the weather was beautiful & we didn't want to leave!

Beautiful Sunsets at Park in Apache Junction

Rock Formations at Sedona, AZ

Bell Rock, Sedona, AZ

Verde River, as seen from Verde Canyon Railroad Ride

Beautiful Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom before we left

Amazing Rock Formations to the east of Apache Junction on way to Globe, AZ

Mountains full of yellow flowers

Finally on April 1st we left to spend 2 days at Beaudry's RV for warranty work to our 5th wheel. Of course, the parking lot isn't the greatest campground, but it was free & we met the best people. We all had similar problems - it doesn't matter what your rig is - $$$$$; $$; new or old, they all have bugs to work out & things that go wrong. The main thing is to get them fixed & fixed right. Might take a day or two, but patience is a virtue!

This is Snookie & Bob with Bill

THANKS SNOOKIE - THIS SITE IS WITH YOUR HELP!

We are now on our way northwest to Nevada, up to Utah, & then east on Interstate 70 through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky & back to Virginia Beach by about the end of 2nd week or 3rd week of April. Definitely by April 20th.

This post is long, but from now on I'll keep it up-to-date. So many pictures & hard to choose. So much to see & so much to drive by! The dream of our life is just beginning!

Until next time - The Traveling Cardinal's