Summerdale, AL (45 degrees, chilly, blue skies)
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Oxbow Bend looking over Mount Moran
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I haven't posted a blog in some time but I'm excited about our upcoming plans and wanted to be sure to document them. To catch you up we spent the summer and fall working for Grand Teton Association in the Grand Teton National Park. It was our third time working for the non-profit bookstores in the park.This time I was the Administrative Assistant in the office and John had the best job driving out to all the trail heads and stocking them with maps and guides. He collected the money, counted it, and then took deposits to the bank three days a week. It was a great way to spend the summer in such a beautiful place.
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| Chris and Chet |
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| Gary, Jill, Kenzie, and Jackie |
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| New solar panels |
We had lots of friends who came out to visit us and we had a great time showing them all around. After this gig was completed we headed to Colorado to have some solar panels installed and then attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We camped with the Boomers with the Escapee RV Club. It was such a great time. We have been before and really love this event Our daughter Jen came for a visit and some of our friends were here too.
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| Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta |
We then headed east to the Smoky Mountain area for a renovation to the inside of our motorhome with Smoky Mountain Coach Works. We met the owner of this company at a rally with FMCA last year and really liked his presentation. We spent three weeks at his place and are really happy with the results. The noggin loggin TV above the front windshield was removed and recessed back. A new cabinet was built to hold a TV which goes up and and down on a special lift. We added fireplace to the front and a great computer desk along the side. We also modified a kitchen cabinet and removed all the dusty shades and replaced them with MCD's. We stayed in the coach throughout and really were impressed with his staff and attention to detail. Oh, and we bought a new Jeep Wrangler! Our bank account certainly took a hit but we have been saving up for these expenses for awhile. What made it really special was having a reunion with our volunteer friends from Ding Darling NWR. Bob & Patsy and Al & Linda came up for a few days and stayed in nearby hotels. We had a great time exploring the park while the renovation was being completed.
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| New TV/Computer cabinet |
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| Linda, Alan, me, John, Bob and Patsy |
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| Meet Teddy Bear |
From there we headed south to Florida. It was great to spend the holidays with John's daughter Jen. We had some great times together and even got to see her scuba dive with some friends. We stayed mostly at MacDill AFB. The weather was certainly not as warm as usual, but that's the case for most places this winter.
We also had a nice visit with our friends Debbie and Dave from Indianapolis and met up with more Ding Darling friends for Christmas on the beach. That was very special.
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| John, me, Debbie, Dave, and Jen |
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| Linda, Jen, Alan, me, John, Lynda, and Charlie |
Kayaking is one of our favorite things to do in Florida. We met up with several friends and went back to some of our favorite rivers (Rainbow and Weeki Wachee plus a new one for us at Lido Key). The rivers in northern Florida are breathtaking.
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| Weeki Wachee |
These are only some of the highlights. We have traveled back to many of our favorite places and it's always very special to meet up with friends and family along the way.
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| St. Andrews State Park |
So, now we have turned left out of Florida and have traveled along the beautiful panhandle of Florida and tomorrow we will be in New Orleans for a few days. Let the good times roll!
We have some exciting plans ahead. Ultimately we are heading west and along the coast of California where we will met up with friends and travel into Canada and Alaska. This is a long time dream of ours and it's finally just about here. It's took a lot of planning and research and we hope to hit as many of the highlights as possible. Come along with us as we tour the last frontier.
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| Escapee Park in Summerdale Alabama |
