Christmas in Southern California

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After seven weeks of rest and hiding out in New Mexico, and with the Covid-19 quarantine raising its head in California, we departing and sped quickly across Arizona and into the Palm Springs area where an RV park that handles full-time residents was able to accommodate up.  We rented a spot for a month and we were happy to get this close to Fountain Valley and our family.

For the next month, we traveled to Orange County three times and spend a few days each with Bobbie's sister and family.  Christmas dinner was great and it was wonderful to see all the kids and one that was born while we were overseas.

It was a bittersweet end to our adventure.

After the new year, we headed north to Washington state and Whidbey Island where we would begin our home hunting adventure.

Our world tour on hold, we opted to advance the plan and find our forever home on the island.  Our plans will pick up again next December when we hope to rejoin the world circuit in Santiago, Chile.

Las Cruces, NM

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How We Got Started | How We Do It | Countries and Territories Visited | USA Adventure | Iceland The UK Adventure | Our Travel Club Arrives in Paris | Capitols of N. Europe and Scandinavia | Russia and the Trans-Siberian Railway | South Korea | Japan | Australia | Bali & Indonesia | Malaysia | Singapore | Macau-Hong Kong | Southern China |  Zhangjiajie National Park | Central China | Terracotta Warriors | Pandas | Tibet | Nepal | India | Uzbekistan | Kazakhstan | Georgia | The Balkans | Eastern Europe | Italy | Ireland | Scottish Highlands-Outer Islands | England | Norway | The Baltics | Poland

Czech Republic | Kenya | Tanzania and Malawi | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Botswana  | Namibia | South Africa | West Africa | Portugal | Spain | Switzerland | Germany | COVID-19 Quarantine - Virginia | USA Adventure II

Having spent four days with our kids, we headed to Las Cruces, NM where we planned to spend seven weeks.  The drive through western Texas and into New Mexico was stalled by a surprise ice storm that had un marooned in Mildand, TX for two nights waiting for the snow and ice to clear.  The drive into New Mexico itself was uneventful and we reached the Hacienda RV Park in record time.

Our RV park was located a block off the freeway, was quiet, super clean, and very well maintained.  The staff were pleasant and accommodating and for seven weeks we enjoyed our stay.  Taking advantage of the downtime in one place, it was a great opportunity to catch up on some health issues.  What ended up being a checkup for a few complaints turned into five weeks of testing and procedures to rule out a suspected heart issue and a few other maladies.  In the end, all came out well with a few things to watch over the next few months.

The town of Mesilla, the historic old west captiol of the Arizona territory was at our doorstep and we took many walks and bike rides into this little piece of Mexico in the USA.  The architecture and art were great and history oozed from every corner. 

Las Cruces and all of New Mexico were under heavy stay at home orders so we only ventured out for outside activities, shopped with caution, and pretty much stayed out of the way.  We enjoyed three days trips while there.

We visit Silver City and Gila Mountain National Park.  

We drove over the Organ Mountains and to White Sands National Park.  There were a lot of folks who enjoyed the dunes.

Our last day trip was to the nearby Organ Mountains and Desert Spring area for some hiking.

On to Waco, TX.

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How We Got Started | How We Do It | Countries and Territories Visited | USA Adventure | Iceland The UK Adventure | Our Travel Club Arrives in Paris | Capitols of N. Europe and Scandinavia | Russia and the Trans-Siberian Railway | South Korea | Japan | Australia | Bali & Indonesia | Malaysia | Singapore | Macau-Hong Kong | Southern China |  Zhangjiajie National Park | Central China | Terracotta Warriors | Pandas | Tibet | Nepal | India | Uzbekistan | Kazakhstan | Georgia | The Balkans | Eastern Europe | Italy | Ireland | Scottish Highlands-Outer Islands | England | Norway | The Baltics | Poland

Czech Republic | Kenya | Tanzania and Malawi | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Botswana  | Namibia | South Africa | West Africa | Portugal | Spain | Switzerland | Germany | COVID-19 Quarantine - Virginia | USA Adventure II

Our drive from Lake of the Ozarks took us three days.  The RV park we chose in Tulsa was clean, easy to find, and right off of the I-40 frontage road.   This was an in and out for us so we did not unhook.  Bobbie took her usual walk and we settled in early for a little TV and a good night of sleep. 

We rose early and were back on the road by 9AM. The drive was uneventful as we traveled due south through the rolling hills of southern Oklahoma.  As we neared Wichita Falls, TX everything got painfully flat and hot.  We reached our RV camp in the heart of the city midday and set up camp for two nights.

"Wichita Falls" is now a man-made perma-stone waterfall that was rebuilt after a large flood in recent years.  It never was a huge waterfall, but it was the city's namesake.  So after the flood, the city decided to rebuild the falls.  We stayed two nights in a hot, dry, but otherwise pleasant park.  We took a driving tour of the city.  Everything was closed.  There were few people on the street.  We wandered a few neighborhoods, enjoying the sprawling ranch-style homes with their long, low cabled rooflines.  We stopped at a local market and it was busy.  So on goes the Covid part of our story.

We missed out on a reportedly great railroad museum.

Departing WF, it was an easy four-hour drive to Waco,  There we stayed at a nice, locally-owned RV park near the river.  About ten miles outside of the city center, it was perfect; quiet, clean, cheap, and no bugs!  Our kids drove up from Houston and together we stayed and played in Waco for three days.

In Waco we spent time at the Sports Hall of Fame, a lot of time at the Magnolia Silos, and drove out to the Mammoth National Monument to check out the bones.  The most important time was spent with our kids.