Day 17:  We are headed north on I-81 today.  This has been a very stressful day, we thought we were going as far as Bristol TN but there is a NASCAR race there today so no promises on camp sites.  Then we thought we would go into Virginia for about 20-30 miles but couldn't even find a camp site at all unless we went 90 miles and that would have been a really long long day.  Sooooo we stopped in Baileyton RV Park in Baileyton Tennessee.  Nice place but we only went about 220 miles.  Oh well. 
Yesterday was great.  We went into Nashville to the "District" and walked up and down the streets listening to music and celebrating St. Patrick's Day early.  They closed off a two block area of the "District" and had a street party.  We went into "Ernest Tubb Record Shop" and saw the stage in the back that Loretta Lynn sang on.  I am sure there were a whole bunch more people but I remembered this from the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter."  We found a fun restaurant and had an early dinner then headed out of downtown to The Grand Ole Opry.  This was the best experience.  We both enjoyed every minute of the Opry.  Walked around, went into the gift shop and watched a high school show choir from Iowa entertainment.  Was so much fun.  We got into the Opry and walked up to the 2nd from the top row but didn't matter cause it was still lots of fun.  Of course, I didn't move until it was time to leave.  The show was about 2 and a half hours and was live radio.  All in all, Nashville was a fun town. 
Will keep you informed on this last stretch of our adventure.  We will be taking a break for a couple of months while we reconnect with family and friends.  Then we will be heading west again but this time to the top of the country.  We want to see Mt. Rushmore and Glacier National Park then we are going back to see Erin and Scott and friends on the west coast.  We will then need to decide where we want to winter.  OMG!!!  I'm already talking about next year.  Need to stop and enjoy Spring 2013!!! 
See you all tomorrow.
Mary and Jack

Uploaded some pictures of Memphis and Graceland, take a peek. Sorry for no titles on the last batch from Arizona.

Jack

Day 16 and we are on the outskirts of Nashville TN.  Not much to say today but we are heading into Nashville this afternoon and have tickets for the Grand Ole Opry!!!  Woot Woot.  Figured we were here why not.  Will let you know all about Nashville in next blog. 
We did have our first yucky RV park.  Registered, paid, drove around, unregistered, got our money back and found a nice one 6 miles closer to Nashville.  That was the worst one I have seen. 
Later guys, Mary and Jack!

Day 14 was a great day.  We went to Graceland and it was so worth it.  This is an amazing place.  Someday Jack will upload the pictures and you will be able to see them.  We were about 4 hours at Graceland and then we came back to the motor home to get ready to go to Beale Street in downtown Memphis.  We walked and walked along the street and enjoyed the area.  We liked Memphis.  Neat city.  Back to the Graceland RV Park at the end of Lonely St. for the evening and tomorrow we are off to Nashville.  Will keep you informed.
Mary and Jack

It's day 13 and we are in Memphis Tennessee.  Not too bad a drive today.  Left Arkansas around 8:30 and got here around 12:30.  Quiet afternoon camped at the Graceland RV Park which is located on Lonely Street directly behind "The Heartbreak Hotel".  Woot woot!!!  We hung out here today and went to the bar in the hotel for a drink and got to watch "Elvis on Tour".  Tomorrow we are going to do the Graceland tour and then head to Beale Street.  Check in tomorrow or Friday for an update on our adventures in Memphis.  Love to all.  Mary and Jack

Day 12 brings us to Russellville Arkansas.  Not much else today.  We did have really nice weather coming from Oklahoma to Arkansas.  Tomorrow is Memphis and Elvis.  We will be there for 2 nights then on to Nashville.  Talk more later when I have something to say.  Mary and Jack

Day 11 was a much better driving day than day 10.  We left Amarillo around 10 today and had beautiful weather all the way to Oklahoma City, OK.  Finally out of the desert.  Thank goodness.  Some of the desert was beautiful but after a full week of desert I was happy to see green grass and farms.  Funny thing we saw more cattle in Oklahoma than we did in Texas.  We are staying right outside of Oklahoma City in a nice RV park that has buffalo.  We walked out to the pens this afternoon to see them but of course, again, no camera with us.  Maybe in the morning.  The guy that runs the place gave us free post cards with the buffalo on them. I forgot to tell you the name of the town where we waited out the wind yesterday.  It was called Endee, New Mexico and it was about 3 miles from the Texas border.  Heading out in the morning for Russellville, Arkansas and on Wed we will in Memphis, Tennessee.  Going to see Elvis and I will give him all your regards.  After Memphis we are going to Nashville.  Will keep you posted if we see anyone.  We have been passed by a couple of NASCAR trucks.  One was for #24 and the other was #25.  Who knows who else we have been passed by.  Well, not much else today but will keep you informed.
 

Day 10:  What can I say.  Long, long day.  We left Albuquerque this morning around 9:30 and we got to Amarillo TX at 8:45 tonight.  We had snow flurries and cold weather for the first half of our trip and then we hit the winds.  Crosswinds that had 50 mph gusts.  We finally pulled over in the last truck stop in New Mexico and stayed there for 4 and a half hours.  We weren't sure if we would be spending the night there but around 5:30 they started to calm down so we had a quick dinner and hit the road.  We were about 5 - 7 miles from the Texas boarder and we lost another hour.  That was two hours lost in one day.  Not sure if I'm wide awake or dead tired. 
Poor Jack.  He really had the long day.  Driving was no fun today.  Please all say a prayer for us tomorrow as we leave here and head to Oklahoma City, OK.

Hi, it's day 9 and we are in Albuquerque, NM.  We arrived on Thursday and are still waiting for the weather to get better.  It is windy and the stretch of Rte 40 and we were advised that the gusts can flip you over so we thought we would enjoy Albuquerque.  Yesterday we spent the day in the old town section of ABQ (Albuquerque - gonna use ABQ cause it is a pain to type the entire word).  We walked in and out of the jewelry and pottery galleries.  WOW the pottery is beautiful.  I think we could have spent and spent and spent.  Fortunately we have no place to put the pottery so we refrained.  Some of the turquoise jewelry was beautiful too.  I found a wonderful bracelet that I am still thinking about, it only costs $3,000.  Oh well, champagne taste with a beer pocketbook.  Went out to lunch in old town and had a wonderful lunch.  I had a Navajo chicken taco.  I was great.  It comes on Navajo fried bread.  Jack had Soppapila's one chicken and one beef with green chili's.  Of course, I had to have a glass of home made sangria and it was so worth it.  We also went through the San Felipe de Neri Church.  This is the oldest church in ABQ and has been an active church since 1706.  Just a really pretty building.  When Jack gets around to it he will post the pictures on Flickr.  Of course, we went to old town and left the camera here so he had to use his phone.
Today was a slow moving day.  We did a little cleaning and a little laundry ( I know it seems that is all we do but figured while we had down time and lots of washers and dryers.  This afternoon we took a ride to Kirtland Air Force Base.  Visited the commissary, BX and the Shopette.  Real exciting huh!!!  Also took a ride to the mall here in ABQ.  Wow is it big but just like any other mall.  Was good exercise walking around though.  That was our day.  We came home, hooked the car back up to the back of the motor home and came in and cooked dinner.  Was a good one though.  Roast beef, potatoes, green beans and a salad.  We have a convection/ microwave and the roast came out perfect and quick.  Well, that's my post for today.  Tomorrow we leave for Amarillo then Oklahoma City then somewhere in Arkansas and then Memphis Tenn.  Will keep you informed. 

Well, it's day 7 and we are in Albuquerque, NM.  The roads were much better on this part of our trip so the 300+ miles were much easier than in California.  This is going to be a short blog today.  Not much to tell you.  We did wake up this morning to 23 degrees in Flagstaff and when we went to make coffee realized the water hose was frozen.  Had to switch to our water tank so that meant no shower for either of us.  I really wanted to wash my hair today and couldn't; so no pictures taken of me today!!!  The pictures I did take of the New Mexico desert don't do it justice.  The colors of the rocks were amazing!  Well, better go cook dinner.  Hopefully more tomorrow as we are going to old town Albuquerque.
Mary and Jack

Day six finds us in Flagstaff, AZ.  We pulled in to Black Barts RV Park around noon on Tuesday the 5th and spent a wonderful afternoon at Camping World looking for regulators for the water and electric and then after that went grocery shopping!!!  WOW isn't that a fun way to spend your birthday/anniversary.  Last night we went out to dinner.  Right here in the RV park they have a steakhouse with live music.  All the wait staff and managers take turns singing.  Was a wonderful evening.  We stayed for almost 2 hours and relaxed and listened to some wonderful singing.  We talked to the bartender and she told us most of the staff is from the music department at NAU (Northern Arizona University.)  Today was a sightseeing day.  We went to Walnut Canyon so see the cliff dwellings.  We walked the path, all 240 steps and 185 foot climbs.  Those who know me will be impressed as I hate heights and believe me we were walking on the paths overlooking a canyon.  Going down wasn't too bad but believe me Jack and I both stopped at every bench on the way up.  After Walnut Canyon we drove out to Meteor Crater.  That was another half mile hike on the crater rim.  It was a really impressive crater and we had a wonderful guide who answered all our questions and took our pictures on the rim.  All our pictures can be viewed by clicking the link on the left side of this blog.  We will both sleep like babies tonight from all that walking. 
We leave Flagstaff tomorrow morning heading for Albuquerque, NM.  That's going to be a long day but we will be going through the petrified forest and the painted desert or at least we will be passing them on Highway 40.  Stay tuned for more. 
Mary and Jack

Well, it is day 4 and we are finally out of California.  We cheered today when we crossed over to Arizona.  We are traveling Rte 40 which parallels Rte 66 and believe me it isn't much newer than Rte 66.  We were bumping along all day.  Oh well, we are finally heading east.
I realized today while riding that I didn't tell you all what our view was.  We were in real farm country on Saturday.  Olive trees, fruit trees and rice paddies.  I never saw a bridge over a rice paddy before Saturday, now not only did I see it we drove across it.  After Bakersfield we turned left and started in high desert.  We saw nothing!!!   Sand, tumbleweeds and mountains.  Stayed last night in Barstow.  Wow is that out there in the middle of the desert.  I have decided that yes the desert has some beauty but I would never want to live there. 
Today we left Barstow and headed to Kingman, Arizona and we saw more sand, tumbleweeds, mountains (neat ones with mesa's and stuff) and today there was cactus.  The cactus that we saw were blooming (I think).  Saw some of those palm trees that must line 29 Palms.  Saw the exit for 29 Palms also today.  Must be the north end of the base.  We are staying in a really nice RV park outside of Kingman so I did laundry.  Forgot how much I dislike not having my own washer.  Oh well, I will survive.  Today was to be a short day so we could really relax and I could do laundry but we both forgot that AZ doesn't change their clocks so we lost an hour.  That related to us getting in around 3 instead of 2.  Oh well, this is going to happen a few more times so we need to get used to it.
Tomorrow we are going to Flagstaff and we are going to spend tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday there.  Will be celebrating our anniversary and my birthday (30 and holding)!  
Jack is going to try to load our pictures on flickr so you can just click on the link on our blog.  We haven't taken a whole bunch but there are some scenery shots.  I will probably not blog tomorrow but will catch up again Wednesday night. 
Mary and Jack

Well it's day two and we started our morning with a walk down to the river by the RV site and watched the ducks.  They kept swimming close to us thinking we were going to feed them.  We weren't! 
Started out around 9 this morning and planned to only go about 290 miles.  Decided last night to stop in Chowchilla CA and we did.  We got here around 3:30 today so that was good but the last 150 miles were tough.  We decided to take Highway 99 and in the atlas it had a "L".  Jack thought that was a designation for the old Lincoln Highway but after we got on it we realized it mean lousy road.  We shook, rattled and rolled our way from Sacramento to Chowchilla.  When we pulled it Jack did a walk around outside and I picked up all the stuff that flew all over the motor home.  Fortunately, none of the doors or drawers came open.  Live and learn.  Of course, now we are taking it again tomorrow to Bakersfield CA.  Will keep you updated on how that goes.
We did take a nice walk down the main drag in Chowchilla.  Walked for about 45 minutes and that felt really good.  The weather has been beautiful.  In the 80's when we got here but will drop to the high 40's tonight. 
Well, talk to you all later.  I am going to go read for awhile and then go to bed.

Well day one went very well.  We had no mishaps along the way.  The weather was beautiful - Sunny and no wind.  And yes we were in Oregon for the first 4-5 hours.  Probably the best weather day Oregon will have until after July 4th.  We had planned to go all the way to Corning CA but that's when we figured out that 350 miles a day was our limit.  The nice thing about being retired (sorry Mickey) is that we can change our minds and stop whenever we want.  Tomorrow we head to Chowchilla CA and then figure out the next stop from there. 
So far no problems with our new home.  Except half way here we got a rattle, now for those of you who know Jack you can imagine that I had to do everything I could from my seat to find the rattle.  We drove for probably an hour to an hour and a half and then we had to pull into a rest area supposedly so Jack could stretch his legs.  He did stretch them right over to the passenger side window where the rattle was.  Mr. Trouble Shooter found it right away.  It was this little clip thingy outside my window and he had to fix it right then and there.  No more rattle.
Well time for relaxing.  Write more soon.

Mary and Jack