USS Orleck

We're in Sulphur, Louisiana at a real nice park. A+ Motel and RV Park. We love Louisiana; the food is so good here. We had to get our Po' Boy fix the first night. I had a catfish Po' Boy and it was really good. Peggy had the catfish and shrimp dinner. This park has big, pull thru, paved sites with grass in between. We're still getting used to having grass. We've been in the west so long where it's rare to have grass.

 Yesterday we took a tour of the destroyer, USS Orleck here in Lake Charles, LA.

The tour cost $10 but they need more than that to restore this ship.

The tour starts up on the bow of the ship. These 5 inch guns can shoot a shell 10 miles.

There were many updates and changes made during it's years of use. This was the last World War II destroyer built. It was commissioned 3 days after the war was over. 390 feet long and 40 feet wide. It was used in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was loaned to Turkey for a while too.

Peggy wimped out on coming down this ladder.

 This is the gun aiming computer. A lot of nobs to turn.

Some of the bunks. Not a lot of space to live in.

Under the big guns, down in the belly of the ship is the room where they keep the shells.

Peggy inside one of the gun turrets.

looking out the barrel of the gun.

It had a Helicopter drone to carry torpedoes and drop them in the water. It could carry 2 torpedoes.

 The ship still has some Torpedoes.

Peggy driving the ship.

The wheel.

 While we were in Schulenburg, Texas, Peggy found a new friend, just 7 weeks old.

This reminds me of the four letter word that I hate to use "WORK".

Live Happy and Always Go Big.

Cowboy Capital of the World

We've moved to the Cowboy Capital of the World, Bandera, Texas. We're at the Pioneer River RV Resort. It's a park that's close to downtown Bandera. We can walk to all the Bars, Restaurants and shops in town. We had lunch the first day at the Chicken Coop Bar. We both got the Chicken Burger and it was good. On Wednesday night we went to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar for a steak cookout. You bring your own steak and they supply all the seasonings and sides for $7.00. We had to get there early to get a good seat. It did fill up. They had a band playing and a big dance floor.

   My steak was killer good. Peggy had a pork chop and it looked good.  

We had a really good time.

They had 3 big grills going.

Just standing around the grill I met Dave, and he had this home made, rough iron "Texas Tooth Pick" Flipper. I tried to buy it from him but he wouldn't sell it to me, but I gave him my card and he might send me one. That would be really cool if he did.

When you are in Texas you have to have a Cowboy Hat. I got a new one. It's a "Charlie 1 Horse". He makes all of Richard Petty's hats.

They put up this giant skull just outside our park. We love this little cowboy town; it's just fun here.

Only in Texas will you see dogs riding on flatbeds.

You can rent a Caboose to stay in here at the park.

Throw-Back Picture of the Blog.

Peggy and I in a Grand Canyon shuttle bus.

Live Happy and Always Go Big.

Queen Mine Tour

We moved to Tombstone, AZ. One of our favorite parks just outside of town, but they have a shuttle to take you in to town and bring you back.

We took a ride to Bisbee, AZ and did the Queen Mine Tour. It was a copper mine that opened in the late 1870's and closed in 1975. Now it's open for tours. It was the most productive mine in the world, 6.1 billion dollars of metals (cooper, gold, silver, lead and zinc). Our guide, Sonny worked in the mine from 1954 to 1975 when they closed the mine. His starting pay was $2.25 an hour and in 1975 it was $7.50. Here is a link to the mine site www.queenminetour.com

We hopped on a little train to ride into the mine 1500 feet. They stop a short distance in to check if everyone is okay. The guy sitting right in front of us must have been claustrophobic because he elected to get escorted out. It was a little creepy.

They dress you up in safety stuff and a little light to look around with.

Our guide, Sonny in the mine in 1975.

Peggy all ready to go.

In the mine.

All dressed up.

In was dark and a chilly 67 degrees in the mine. But it was a nice tour.

Here is the town. Houses in the hills. We did miss the turn for the mine and had to drive around in town on some really small and hilly streets to turn around. It was fun.

But now we have moved to Bandera, TX.

It's the Cowboy Capital of the World. We're in a park right in town. We can walk to all the bars and restaurants.

Our site in Bandera. This is the first site we've had grass in a long time.

You can tell you are in Texas when you can buy Prickly Pear in the store. 

On the way here, we got passed by trucks with giant wind turbine blades. They travel in packs of threes with lots of guide vehicles. They are huge.

Throw-Back Picture of the Blog.

Bristol Motor Speedway trip.

Live Happy and Always Go Big.

On The Move Again

We have started our 2017 adventure! We stopped in Tucson for a couple of days. We went to the Arizona Desert Museum. It was a really cool museum. They have a Hummingbird Aviary and it was full of hummingbirds. 

This is not a good shot of the hummingbird. They're just too quick.

But this is a really cool shot of a Barn Owl!

They wouldn't let me hold him. He said I had to get my own glove.

The museum is mostly outside. This sign was in the parking lot.

Lots of beautiful cactus all over the place.  

Check this one flowering.

This Big Horn Sheep looks fake, But it's not.

But this lizard is fake. The Museum was nice and we would go back again.

This really weird cactus is a Crested Saguaro. The big Saguaro Cactus don't grow an arm on them until they are 70 years old. They can grow to 50 feet tall. The museum is close to the Saguaro National Park.

We have moved to one of our favorite parks in Tombstone, AZ. This is a fun little town and the park supplies a shuttle. 

Our site is a little small but nice. We had to park the truck in the overflow area.

Of course we had to go to Big Nose Kate's for dinner. They have the best Ruben sandwiches and . . .

Big Beers.

Live music.

And they recycle.

Today I have to make a 15 mile trip to get a new Coffee pot. Our Mr. Coffee died. It's the closest store to get a new coffee pot.

Throw-Back Picture of the Blog.

One of our old motor homes.

Live Happy and Always Go Big.