We have been changing to an RV full time lifestyle for some time, while raising our grandson. Our journeys have taken us to quite a few places, with a few unique experiences along the way. This blog will hopefully prove entertaining as well as informational... Welcome!
This was our second stop on our cruise and it turned out to be a lesson as well. We started off by stopping at a pharmacy to get Darlene some stuff for her throat and also moisturizer for myself.
Following that, we started to walk up into the city to find some free wi-fi and do some sightseeing.... While en route to the place where the wi-fi was, we stopped at a couple of stores which had been recommended on the ship that offered discounts or free stuff for stopping in. While trying to
Darlene and Don just off ship
purchase some sunglasses, Melodie discovered that her credit card had been compromised (or so the bank figured0 and was being declines. It took quite a while to get that straightened out, but something to remember every time we travel in the future, as being left in a strange island with no money or ID can a daunting task for anyone!
Mitchell and Melodie just off ship
After we got that straightened out, it was time for a drink.... Or two.... Or three....
Darlene had a margarita, Pina Colada (which she had to rush drinking before we boarded the ship) and then some wine with supper later on. Melodie , Mitchell and I had beer as it was really cheap in San Juan. ....We did not get to see much of this island, but came away with the impression of narrow, cobblestone streets, lots of shops and bars, and beautiful architecture in the buildings with gorgeous pastel colours!
Having drinks before boarding ship
We all had a really good buzz on by the time we got back on the ship, Because it was late, we had not made dinner reservations, and instead, poured ourselves some wine and headed up to the hot tub.
One of the waiters came along and exchanged our wine glasses for plastic ones and then later he took our wine glasses while we were in deep conversations with the rest of the people in the hot tub. Colombia, Tennessee, and Michigan was where they were from.
The hot tub, mixed drinks, and no supper caught up to Darlene when we got back to our room as she had a brief (but meaningful) talk with the trash can on our arrival. It was a good thing, as she felt fine the next morning with no ill effects.
Cop and cobblestone streets as sun sets in San Juan
It is very beautiful in San Juan with a lot of character and history to explore. I had fun taking pictures but it turned dark too soon for me.. This is definitely a place worth visiting again!
Colourful buildings
Narrow, crowded streets
Darlene shopping as evening approaches
Government buildings
Finishing off the last of drink before boarding
Our ship awaits us!
Sun set
Mitchel, Darlene and Melodie
Colourful buildings
This young lady posed for us on her way to a nightclub
After a day at sea, it seems everyone on board was anxious to disembark and get out for some sun, sand, and serious beach time! The ship arrived at 0700 hours and had cleared customs by. 0730. We had set our alarms for 0630 and Melody gave us a phone call at 0625 as we were all wanting to get a good spot on the beach.
Following another great breakfast we made a quick stop at our rooms before heading ashore. We picked up towels on the dock (cost 25 bucks if you don't return them) and headed ashore.
We had our own guide shortly after bypass the photo stop and headed for the beach under the zip line. Once there he set up some chairs for us and also some blue covers for privacy. Darlene and Melody went for a walkabout while Mitchell went to the can and I watched our stuff.
We relaxed for awhile and then Darlene, Melodie and I went for a walk to the other beach, where the floats were located. There had been a LOT of upgrading since our last visit here (2012) and not all were for the better in our opinion. There were cement paths leading to the beaches which was good as walking through fine, deep sand is tiring for many. There were many more places to eat, which was nice as the last time it was a bit of a gong show. On the negative side, there was now a marketplace and the merchants were beginning to look a bit like the pushy guys from Jamaica, which we did not care for.
Once on the other side, we quickly realized how much nicer the beach and water was so I went back to get Mitchell and the rest of our gear.
Melodie and Darlene had grabbed 4 lounge chairs and set them up about 50 feet from the water, where we had a little shade provide by palm trees. It did not take long for the heat to sink in, which meant some time in the warm water.
There was very little wave action on this protected beach and I spent considerable time swimming and just floating in it which is a fav thing of mine. Mitchell is not a water fan, so he spent most of the time reading a book and checking out the scenery.
Lunch was provided from 11;00 - 1;00 PM which was a BBQ of hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken with salads and fruit. There was also some desserts. This was a "fix yer own" type of BBQ, which suited us just fine
We had to be back on board by 2:30 for the ship's departure and we made it easily. This gave us time to watch as the ship left Labadee and headed for the open ocean for our journey to our next port, San Juan, Puerto Rico. .
As we journeyed out, we went to the pool area for some more relaxation and sun before our dinner reservation at 5:30 in the Saphire Dining Room. While we relaxed around the pool, the seas became progressively rougher in the large swells the ship was encountering. It was surprising to feel such a large ship sway, as the swells did not look that large, but that can be deceiving when viewed from such a high vantage point.
Map of Labadee which was in front of an abandoned frame of an old building, probably a church, from many years ago.
We took our time getting up this morning and had a leisurely breakfast in the windjammer, followed by some pool time..
Today was a day to get to know the ship, get some sea sickness pills for Mitchell/ relax and enjoy ourselves. We also went to the climbing wall where Melodie and I had a try followed by a trip to the Flowrider, where I had a try.
Today we were up at 0630, ready for our big adventure, which, this time, was a flight to Florida followed by a Caribbean Cruise. We were booked on Royal Caribbean's "Navigator of the Seas" for a 9 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise.
We had a few last minute items to pack, the septic to dump, and TJ took the dogs for a walk while we got the final packing done. To be honest, it was Darlene who did all the packing as usual, lol.
The drive to Las Vegas usually takes 2 1/2 hours and today was not exception, with the cloudy skies finally giving way to some sunshine shortly before we reached Vegas.
We pulled up in front of United where Carrie got out to step into the driver seat, Darlene gave hugs to her and TJ, and I got our bags out and onto the curb. We were able to get our boarding passes right there at the curb and also get our bags checked in all the way to Ft. Lauderdale, as we had a 3 hr. Layover in Denver, Colorado.
In our rush, Darlene forgot her phone in the car, which we discovered almost as soon as Carrie and TJ had pulled away from the curb. Try as we might, we were unable to contact them until we were almost through the security screening, which was when they had stopped in Bullhead for breakfast at McDonald's, which has free wifi.
Seats 30D and 30F were our assigned seats and although the plane was almost full, we were lucky to have no one between us, which gave us a lot more room for the 2 hour flight into Denver, Colorado.
Click on 1st photo to see a short video as we left Las Vegas.
We were supposed to have about a 30 or 40 minute layover and then board again to our same seats but the wait was more like an hour and it started to snow which meant the plane had to wait in a line to be de-iced before we could take off. As well, we were not so lucky with our seats this time as a young girl was in between us, but she readily changed with Darlene so she could have the aisle seat.
Click on second photo to see a video as the plane was being de-iced prior to leaving Denver.
With United, you have to download their app and then pay to be able to watch movies or TV on Wifi while on the plane. They also have movies and TV on the small screens on the back of the seats on this 737, but you had to pay money for the movies.... "The Last Martian", starring Matt Damon was playing, it was new, so we purchased it and shared my earphones, which worked pretty good.
The icing in Denver caused us to be about an hour late which meant that Mitchell and Melodie were waiting for us at our baggage claim in Ft. Lauderdale.
We grabbed a Taxi to take us to the Motel 6 that Melodie had booked for us. I picked up the tab for the Taxi (13.00) and Melodie covered the room (85.00).
The next morning (9th Jan) we grabbed some coffee and then took a Taxi down the road to pick up some booze at a local Walgreens, which was very reasonable. This was so we could smuggle it aboard the Ship as they only allow 1 bottle of wine per person to be brought on board. My bottle of Crown Royal was only 22.00 which was very reasonable. (The fare for this taxi was 10.00 which Mitchell covered).
We checked out and got a taxi to the dock, which I covered (20.00).
Getting on to the ship (around 1200) was pretty fast and painless. It was kinda neat to see all those people, hardly any of whom were using their cell phones as they waited patiently in line to get on board.
After getting on board, we went to our rooms to get rid of our carry-ons and then went topside for a quick bite in the Windjammer before going topside to take in our departure. We also made reservations for 5:30 pm in the Sapphire Dining room and requested a window seat.
Topside we ended up catching some of the action on the flow rider and then ended up in the dining room as the ship left port and the sun set for the night.
Darlene in Windjammer
Pelicans soaring by the ship as we watched action on the Flowrider
Darlene, Mitchell and Melodie
Click on photo to left to see plane and the Flowrider action
24 Dec. 2015 Vegreville, Alberta --> Spruce Grove, Alberta
We packed, and packed, and finally we're ready to leave! It is around noon and c-o-l-d outside as we pull the Motorhome out of the storage place to drive it to our house where we will load it up and get it warm over the next couple of days to drive it to Stony Plain where we will have Christmas with Carrie and Richard. It is cold outside and it took quite a few tries before I could get the jacks to go up all the way. The short video is as we pull out of the storage place.
We had our RV parked in storage until the 22 Dec. when we drove it to our place in Vegreville so we could warm it up and pack it for our upcoming 5 or 6 month trip.
After it was packed up and our house locked up and secured we hooked up our "toad" (Towed vehicle) and headed west to Stony Plain, which is just West of Edmonton. Our plan was to stay at the Camp n Class RV resort for the 24th and 25th Dec. so we could spend Christmas with Darlene's Daughter, son in law and Granddaughter.
The Hackett Christmas Tree
Christmas was great, turkey was awesome (we even got some leftovers for lunch on the 26th, before we crossed the border.
Carrie and Darlene enjoying some time
7:30 PM as we leave the Hacket
26 Dec. 2015 - Saturday Spruce Grove, Alberta --> Great Falls, Montana
I had set the alarm for 6 am, as it was -20 outside and I was concerned about batteries, engines, doors freezing up, and other stuff you worry about when it gets that cold and you are going to be living and traveling in a RV.
Parked at "Camp n Class RV" in Spruce Grove
Our RV is a 2014 Thor Tuscany 43 ft. Motorhome. On the 1st Dec. I got laid off from work...I am about to turn 64 and was not planning on working past 65 so we are getting a jump on retirement.
"We" is my wife, our 10 yr. old Grandson TJ, and our 2 small dogs. TJ has been with us just before he turned 2 and will be until he leaves or is forced out of the nest lol. Last year we decided we do not want to be forced to stay in one place because of his schooling so we started to home-school TJ which has turned out to be a blessing for all of us.
I digress.....
It was 0740 hrs before we pulled out of the "Camp n Class RV Resort" and headed our sights, and vehicle, South.
Problem before we could even head out was the cold temperature... -20 Celsius is hard on people and machinery, so I drove our "toad" around the RV lot for a good 10 minutes to ensure all parts had a chance to warm up and were lubricated.
Fueling up in Red Deer, Alberta
The next issue was the door on the Motorhome would not latch closed, so we had to put a blow dryer to it for a couple of minutes to thaw it out.
The final issue was Water. I had winterized the RV a month or so prior and there was no water so we packed our own drinking (and coffee) water as well as water in case we had to use the toilet. (Which we did). Lol
Anyway, as the sun rose it showed us the cold night had left some gorgeous "hoar" frost on everything. Being Boxing Day and early in the morning there was little traffic so we made good time on our journey.
Our goal for the day was to make it to Great Falls, Montana. Google maps figured it would take us 8 hours to make the drive. Normally we go the same speed as the rest of traffic, but we topped up our fuel in Red Deer, had to stop a couple of times for the dogs to pee, and we also had to go thru Customs at the border.
The Customs has never been a problem for us.... We simply tell the truth and never seem to get hassled.
We made it to Great Falls with 1/2 tank of fuel and parked at the big Walmart across from an industrial complex.
Supper tonight was a la Subway in Walmart where I picked up some water for our toilet use the next day.
The alarm is set for 6 am and we should be on the road by 7..... That's it for today.
Sunday 27 Dec. 2015 Great Falls, Montana --> Salt Lake City, Utah
Today saw the alarm going off at 0600 followed immediately by me getting up to start the generator, making coffee, taking the dogs out for a pee and poop, driving the car around for 10 minutes to get all gears lubricated before hooking it up to the Motorhome, and then heading out of Walmart at 0740.
It was only -5 outside which meant the door on the Motorhome did not have to be thawed which was a nice way to start the day. It was dark when we left Great Falls Montana and we were soon back on Hwy 15 heading south for Salk Lake City.
Once on the freeway we discovered some strong winds that were pushing us around enough that our speed was reduced about 10 mph. Montana is beautiful in the northern part and with some hoar frost the surrounding landscape looked quite pretty.
As Hwy 15 snakes south there are 3 mountain passes you must go thru. Thankfully there had not been any new snow for a couple of days affording us relatively clear roads as we drove thru.
We stopped for fuel at Butte, just South of the city at a Flying J. Cost to fill up since Red Deer was just over 200 bucks which was pretty good.
It got colder the further south we drove and I pulled in to a rest stop to let the dogs have a pee and also to stretch my legs. Shortly thereafter we came across another Flying J just north of Salt Lake City o we topped up the fuel again (100 bucks) and Darlene got some Gatorade for TJ as he has thrown up the last 2 nights and we think he has a stomach flu. It was -14 as we drove thru Salt Lake City and almost dark. I was starting to get tired so we pulled into Walmart at a small town about 1 hour south of Salt Lake City. We watched the second part of Avatar movie after supper and then shut it down, planning for another earl morning with the end in site tomorrow sometime.
28 Dec Lake Havasu City
I had trouble sleeping, and woke up at 0300.... Went back to sleep after 15 minutes and woke up again at 0400.
Enough is enough so I got up, took the dogs out for a quick pee, and then fired everything up and we were on the road by 0430, while Darlene and TJ slept peacefully.
There was still snow everywhere and the temperature had dropped to -13 C overnight as we headed out of Walmart RV site.
Darlene and the dogs came heading out around 0740 and the snow started to disappear 150 miles North of Las Vegas.
As the snow disappeared, so did the cold temperatures. By the time we hit Vegas, I had turned the heat off in the Motorhome and TJ had crawled out of bed. This time we cruised thru Vegas and on towards Lake Havasu without a hitch.
Experience does help and this time we stopped just outside of Kingman at Truck Tub to get the Motorhome washed and a coating of Reflex put on it and the car for 65 bucks (and towel dried). We topped up the Motorhome fuel wise at Topco and arrive in Lake Havasu just before 3 PM. The last fuel up was a gong show with my card being denied (then I found out it was the Internet was down) a very slooooow pump at the Flying J RV pump so we moved to the truck one to find out that in Arizona the RV is 8 cents cheaper than truck pumps!
We backed into our site, got hooked up, and then
went to the Golden Corral for supper. TJ threw up in the parking lot due to the stomach flu, and I started to come down with a bout of bronchitis as Darlene's sinusitis hung on. The temperature had warmed up to 15 during the day which felt really really nice. Once back at the RV site we crashed pretty early, after taking the dogs for a quick pee and walk.
We had planned to leave on the 3rd of Sept., following my night shift, but a wicked storm moved in so I got us a Pizza from BP and we crashed in the RV storage lot that night.
Next morning we headed out around 8:30 for Manitou Springs, near Watrous, Sask. We arrived there without incident, had to get some branches cut down to get into out site properly and then went to the hot pools for the afternoon. The springs are supposed to have a healing property as they are quite warm (103 degrees) and very high in sodium phosphate and other minerals so that it is impossible to sink.
Sept. 5th - we were up early and on the road, hoping to make a lot of miles today. We did quite well, putting on 970 km and spending the night in a rest area in the US.
Sept 6 - Another long day of driving sat us ending up in Canada by Sault St. Marie. I was quite tired and we ended up pulling into a Walmart very close to the border crossing and right next to a railway line that had a big load of tourists leaving early the next Morning (Sunday).
Today we went to the Grand Canyon on the South Side, as the north is closed in the winter.
We left our place in Havasu Lake just after 9 AM, after the dogs had been walked and everything checked for the day.
There were some clouds in the sky which is great for Landscape photography, but the clouds disappeared by the time we had reached Kingman.
Before we even reached Kingman, we had a stop of about 20 minutes while an ambulance helicopter took off for Las Vegas with some accident victims.
As we approached Dolan Springs, there were hundreds and hundreds of Joshua Trees, which, we were unsure of their names at the time. Anyway, when you arrive, you have to take a bus to the three sites that the Indians have for you to visit. Obviously this costs money, and it ran about 225 bucks for TJ, Darlene and myself to take the bus and also go on the famous "Skywalk".
There were 3 stops on the buses and they ran continuously, so you could stay at any site as long as you wanted. Since this was TJ's and Darlene's second visit, we passed on the first stop, which was a western town they had made up. Apparently you can go on horseback rides along the edge, learn how to rope and a few other things as well as food were offered.
At the second stop there is the "Skywalk". It is truly quite impressive to see the Grand Canyon, and you can actually walk right up to the edge and look straight down a good mile to the bottom! We spent
