Colorado -2017

Colorado -2017

State Parks
Before we headed to Colorado, we stopped in Amarillo, TX for a few days to catch-up on wash and do a little shopping.  My brother, Wayne and his wife, Lois, stopped for a night on their way back from Arizona to Minnesota.  We had a great visit and probably one of the best burgers we have ever had at a burger joint called Blue Sky in Amarillo.  It is on our list of “would like to return to” places to eat.   It was great seeing my brother and Lois.  We don’t get to see them often. We stopped in Logan, New Mexico at Ute Lake State Park for a seven day stay.  Not much of a park but it was quiet because it was almost empty and we had a…
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Texas – 2017

Texas – 2017

State Parks
After coming back from our fabulous trip to MN we headed a little south to Denton, TX to another very nice Corp Park.  This park is about 30 miles north of Dallas and although the park was really nice and we had a nice lake site anytime you left the park we had to deal with horrible road construction.  We were both happy to leave this area after a 10 day stay and get away from the traffic and construction. We stopped at Lake Arrowhead State Park in Wichita Falls, TX for three nights.  Nice quiet park where we enjoyed watching the Prairie Dogs run around.  Caprock Canyon State Park was our next stop for 7 nights.  We picked this park for two reasons; buffalo roam freely through the park…
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Texas – Colorado City, Balmorhea, and Terlingua/Big Bend

Texas – Colorado City, Balmorhea, and Terlingua/Big Bend

State Parks
We spent five nights in Lake Colorado City State Park in Colorado City, TX.  One or two campers would come in each night and leave in the morning.  Except for those few we were the only occupants of the park.  We thought on the weekend that a few more would come in but nothing happened.  The park really had nothing to offer except quietness and an occasional Roadrunner.  We did meet a very nice couple from Colorado City that came out to the park for a night.  We had a very nice visit and learned so much about the area from Craig.  Cathie and Craig were married in November and were new at the RV world.  Both were retired and hoping to travel a little in their Class C.  Craig…
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Wisconsin – Door County

Wisconsin – Door County

State Parks
Leaving Minnesota and the grandkids is always hard.  We will see Cate in a few weeks as she and Cassie are flying to Ohio for a visit with Zach and Lauren while we are there.  Also Christmas is just around the corner so we know we will see them soon.  The time between Christmas and when we return to Minnesota in the spring is the long stretch when it really gets hard.  Those grandkids know how to pull at the heart. We decided to investigate Door County this year on our way to Ohio.  We have heard many wonderful things about the peninsula and our daughter Amanda had been there the first part of September and she loved it.  We have never been to the peninsula so it was time…
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Texas State Parks

Texas State Parks

State Parks
We are leaving Texas on Thursday heading to Louisiana and then moving north to Cincinnati.  Our plans at this point are to be by Zach and Lauren’s around the 10th of March.  It has turned cold as has most of the country so the long johns have come back out.  We are thinking that we will be using them for awhile since we are going north a little early this year.  Why are we so foolish?  We want to spend time with the kids both in Ohio and Minnesota before we head to Alaska mid-May for the summer.  That is our plans as of now but things can always change. In the last three weeks we have stayed at three wonderful Texas state parks.   Each was so different but loved…
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Rock Cut and Moraine View State Parks, IL

State Parks
We left Minnesota on Thursday, Sept 5th, to make our way back to Cincinnati for our nephew’s wedding and also a visit with Zach and Lauren.  Our first stop was in Rockford, IL at a state park we have stayed at several times, Rock Cut State Park.  Lovely Park with great hiking and biking.  In the three days we stayed we got in several miles of hiking each day and also made sure we got in some good biking.  It is nice now to be able to take Lily along when we go biking.  She loves sitting in her basket and just watches everything go by.  She is also a great little hiker but if she gets tired it is easy enough to carry a 10lb dog.              …
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Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Okeechobee, FL

State Parks
We just came out of a 10 day stay in no-where land.  Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is 40 miles from the nearest town and it truly sits in no-where land.   This 54,000 acre preserve is very unique.  Besides its vast size it is home to 12 birds that are classified as endangered such as the Grasshopper Sparrow but also so many other birds.  It also is known for migrating butterflies and a premier location for stargazing.  There are more than 100 miles of bicycling, hiking and horseback trails.  But if you go out on a trail you have to be prepared for snakes, alligators and water that can be waist deep that covers the trail.  Also during the winter months on weekends there is a ranger-led prairie buggy tour…
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Harris Beach State Park, Brookings, OR

State Parks
Our last stop in Oregon before hitting California was Harris Beach State Park.  I’ve said it so many times as we’ve travelled across Oregon that this state has the best state parks and Harris Beach is just another example.  The park sits atop the bluffs overlooking a spectacular view of rock formations on the beach and in the ocean.  Two relatively easy trails took us to the beach where at low tide we found the wonders of the tidepools.  One day while exploring the tidepools we saw well over 100 starfish along with many other tiny sea creatures.  We were also lucky enough to enjoy three nights of magnificent sunsets over the Pacific. As we have walked the beaches along the coast we have been collecting small rocks.  Different are…
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Cape Blanco State Park, Port Orford, OR

State Parks
Our next stop going south on the coast was Cape Blanco State Park.   This again was a beautiful state park with all the sites very private and we had a wonderful site sitting on the bluff overlooking the ocean.  The only bad thing about the park was that it did sit about 250 feet above the ocean so to go to the beach you had a very steep climb down and then back up.  On one end of the park was a single lane road that went to the beach but even that was a difficult climb going back to the park. Cape Blanco Lighthouse sat on the far end of the park overlooking the sea on one side and a bay on the other.  Because of the time of…
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Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park, Florence Oregon

State Parks
On our way to our next site we stopped at Heceta Head Lighthouse and had a nice tour. This lighthouse is going to be closed for two years to be renovated.We visited this lighthouse’s twin two days later about 40 miles farther south on the coast.The second lighthouse, Umpqua Lighthouse, was run by the Coast Guard at one time and was in much better condition than its twin.We also toured this lighthouse, 52 steps to the top, and were able to go into the lens as it was rotating. [gallery link="file" columns="2"] This was an absolutely beautiful lens that was installed in the lighthouse in 1897.We were in awe of the craftsmanship and engineering that went into making this 2 ton lens which came from France. Again our drive along…
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