A Quick Review Of Our Coast To Coast Trip - Part 2

Since a trip coast to coast involves a lot of driving, Dad decided to break it up by driving two days and then taking a day off and then two more days of driving, a day off and then the final two days of driving.  We drove about 500 miles a day.  We gained three hours passing through the time zones.  Our first two night stay was in Missouri visiting family. The second was in Albuquerque.

On Friday, the folks decided to take a trolley tour of Albuquerque.  The cost was $25 a person and they even allow dogs on their tours.  I didn't go however.  The tour was sold out and there would not have been room for me. 

My folks on the trolley.

The tour is 85 minutes and takes guest all around the town.  Mom's favorite parts were seeing old town Albuquerque and through the neighborhoods where movies and TV shows have been filmed.

Old Town.

Trees is painted.  Mom thinks it is of the Virgin Mary.  They planned to come back to Old Town but there was no parking available.

Many movies have been made here even though visitors think they are filmed elsewhere.  Wild Hogs is supposed to be set in Cincinnati, but the trolley takes guest past the house that Tim Allen lived in during the moving.  Mom's favorite part of the tour was a clip from Wild Hogs.  William H. Macy was riding a motorcycle through a bunch of trees. The clip was shown on a TV screen on the trolley as they were actually driving past the trees and ended where Macy crashed into the sign.  The post of the sign is still there.

Tim Allen's House in Wild Hogs

Fans of Breaking Bad can take a tour that is specific for fans of the show.  However, the tour the folks were on, took them past a few locations from the show.

Jesse's House on Breaking Bad.

Another attempt at Jesse's House.  It is for sale. The cost is $1.6 million.

 They also saw the spaceship house.  It has been on HGTV.

 

Type of house you expect to see in NM.  Notice the lack of grass.  It is very expensive to care for grass lawns. The guide said $800 a month.

This sign is supposed to look really neat at night.  The tail wags.

The "Beach".  It is now a fishing hole because the water was found to not be safe for swimming.  Doesn't seem like the fish would be safe to eat, but maybe things have changed.

 Mom took a lot of photos.  Many turned out worse than these and her memory is bad and she can't remember why she took them. BOL!

After the tour, they ate lunch at The Cube.  It was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  The food was good but $28 for lunch is high.  That was for both of them.

Mexican Burger with pico.  It got soggy.  The fries were good.

Beef brisket, Pork Loin, sweat potatoes, onions rings and toasted bread. Dad said the onion rings were the best he ever had.

Saturday morning, we hit the road again.

Let's Go!

 Here are a few of the things we saw driving through New Mexico and Arizona:

This weekend is the big balloon fest, but we still saw some as we were leaving.

This was a rest area in Arizona.

When we crossed into California, we had to go through an inspection station.  They stopped us and asked if we were towing.  Was that a trick question?  Yes, there was a Jeep attached to the motor home.  We were then asked if we had citrus.  Yes, we did.  Mom had to show it to the guy and luckily it was still in the package and showed it had been inspected.  I wonder if he would have believed us if we told him we bought it in Pennsylvania.  BOL!  He looked at it and handed it back to us.  We were free to go.

When we arrived at our campground in Needles, CA we were hit with the heat.  It was 106 fahrenheit, but since was a dry heat, it felt like 102.  It was hot!  We turned on our air conditioning and closed all the shades.  It didn't cool off until 5 a.m. and then it was in the 80's. 

The campground was all but empty.  I think there ended up being five campers and three of those were permanent residents.  I guess most people know not to camp in Needles, CA. 

If it had been cooler, we could have walked in the desert.  

The following photos are from our campground:

Our site.

This is where I hurt my foot.  It was not good.  Mom was very worried about me.  No pictures were taken from Needles, CA to our destination.  The roads were good as far as traffic, but it was a long day.  Dad said the last 100 miles were hard for him due to the roads.  We had a lot of curves and hills and it was just a two lane road for a good part of it. We finally arrived at our campground around 5:15 p.m.  We had left at 6:15 a.m.

We went to the vet due to my foot and then we got home after 10 p.m.  We are all glad that day is over. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Glad To Be Parked Again

A Quick Review Of Our Coast To Coast Trip - Part 1

We left Freeland, MD on Sunday, September 20th.  We stayed at Merry Meadows.  We never fell in love with the place.  We thought it was quite boring. There was not much activity where we were parked.  Most of the people were not friendly.  I guess we will always remember it as the place that Scout died.  :-(   I also had to have that surgery on my mouth, so not the best memories.  Mom did enjoy visiting Pennsylvania.  They went to Lancaster three times and Gettysburg three times.

Sunday night, we stayed at the KOA in Dayton.  This was a really nice KOA.  The turns to get into our site were not easy, but the park was really clean and nice.  We could see ourselves staying there on a long-term basis.

Nice fenced dog area - no agility stuff getting in my way.

Large ponds

Chipmunk

 The next night we were back in Missouri!  We stayed at the same campground we stayed at in July and we even stayed at the same site.  Mom was a little sad that Scout wasn't there since she was there last time.  Grandpa and Grandma L came over to visit.  Grandpa had been sick the last time we were home, so I didn't get to see him then.  However, they sat on my couch and didn't move when I asked them to, so I just squeezed my way onto the couch and they had to share with me.  As soon as they left, I took my regular spot and slept. 

Life as it should be.

Wednesday, we headed out on the road again.  We spent the night at another KOA.  This one was outside of Oklahoma City.  It was not as nice as the one in Dayton.  There was a pit bull that was chained up outside a fifth wheel that was not friendly.  We avoided him.  Dogs are not supposed to be left unattended, but he was out all night.  It was easy off and on the highway, so it was all we needed for one night.

Thursday, we drove through Amarillo, TX.  The last time we were there, we had so much fun. Remember when we visited Cadillac Ranch?  Mom was sad as we passed through the area remembering our last visit.

Us leaving our mark on Cadillac Ranch.

We stopped in Albuquerque, NM. We stayed at the American RV Park for two nights.  It was a really nice park.

The dog park had rubber mulch.

Our site

See the burger on the billboard? The folks ate at 66 Pit Stop.

In Albuquerque, NM you are asked red or green. They are not talking about Christmas. They are talking chili.  The laguna burger has green chili.  Mom said it was HOT.  She felt it for two days.  Dad said he was surprised that it was that hot.

The folks took a trolley tour in Albuquerque, but we will save that and the rest of our trip for our next post. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Headed Out For Some California Sunshine

As TomTom Says, "We Have Reached Our Destination!"

Boy, was that a long trip! We traveled from coast to coast.  The last day was the worse because I was injured.  Don't worry, I am almost all better.  I had stepped on something.  We thought it was a foxtail.  Mom pulled it out of my foot but I was limping badly and she thought something was left behind.  I had a hard time walking because it was my driver side foot. That is what Dad calls it. 


So, as soon as we got set up, we rushed to the 24 hour vet.  They looked at my foot and couldn't see anything wrong.  They showed us foxtail and we all agreed it wasn't what was in my foot.  The doctor kept touching my shoulder and then she pinched it. Well, I cried.  What would you do if you haven't slept in over 12 hours and someone is pinching you?  She said x-rays were necessary. X-rays were done and they were fine.  Then, the doctor looked at my feet again and discovered a bruise.  Why don't they listen to Mom when she tells them 1) there is something wrong with my mouth - a bee got me, look in my mouth  2) I had a thorny thing in my foot, check it again?   Anyway, $311 later, I was sent home with my x-rays and instructions to wear my boot for a few days and take my Tramadol as needed.  I am much better today.

Our campground has terrible cell phone service and the Internet is not great either.  It is a pretty campground with lots of activity. 

We will tell you more about our trip later this week.  We cleaned this morning and now we are chilling.  Dad is at work.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Spending Lots Of Dad's Money At The Vet

Have You Noticed....

....that we haven't been around?   Yep, we have been on the road since Sunday and we won't arrive at our destination until this coming Sunday.  Gulp!   We have taken two days off to rest, but it has been a long drive.  Any guesses where we are headed?  We left Maryland on Sunday.

I've been seeing a lot of things.

A buffalo.

A teepee.

A fake buffalo.

Alligators

Nope, he's not real.

Retrieve this!  BOL!

Catching up on my sleep.

Tomorrow, we begin the final leg of our trip.  We will fill you in on our adventure next week after we get settled and rested.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Really Tired

Another Pet Peeve

Mom was in a mood yesterday.  She is irritated with the world, I think.  She says the world is going crazy with police officers being shot and killed.  She is upset with The View.  She loved it last season, but they got rid of the good people and hired people who talk over each other and make stupid comments.  She watched it twice last week and said no more. She said it makes her blood pressure go too high.  BOL!  We watched the presidential debate last night and I thought that would send her over the edge, but she just laughed a few times and yes, even cheered. 

So, do you want to know what really sent her on a rant yesterday?  She was reading a blog that she hasn't visited for a while.  The woman is very proud that her dog is now certified as a service dog.  No, she doesn't need a service dog.  She just wants the dog with her.  I could be a service dog.  That's right!  I could go with Mom everywhere she goes.  Mom just needs to pay $149.95 plus $10 shipping and handling and then I am a service dog.  Service Dog Certification   Mom was still ranting about it when Dad got home.  She wonders what will happen when some of these dogs start biting or misbehaving at places.  Do you really want to eat in a restaurant with a dog that is not properly trained?  Mom says it is just not right.  I bet the people who really need a service dog are not happy about it either.  What do you think?  Is Mom way off base on this?

Tomorrow, the folks are headed to Hershey, PA for the largest RV show in America.  We have watched it on TV for several years and finally, we are going. Well, I am not going.  I could if I was a service dog, but since I'm not, I am going to be at home on the couch.

Tomorrow is my last day of medicine!  I don't mind it because I like the peanut butter that comes with it.   I am doing good.  I even played a song for Dad the other night on my bunny.  My bunny has three squeakers.  It was a good performance.

Mom and I have been enjoying the cooler weather this week.  We sit outside in the mornings. Sometimes we watch our neighbor who is a real newbie to RVing.  He was really entertaining the first week he was here.  We talked to him once.  He is different. 

Exciting, right?

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Happy He Doesn't Have Human Problems

Amish Country - Lancaster, PA

Saturday, the folks drove to Lancaster, PA.  Dad wanted to tour an Amish home and school, see a film about the Amish and eat at an Amish restaurant.  Mom wasn't all that thrilled.  She thought the price for seeing the film and the tour was high.  It was $17.50 a person.  You can check it out here: The Amish Experience.

The film is shown in a room that looks like an old barn. There are five places where the film pops up on the barn.  It is one of those type of theaters where if there is a high wind, you feel it.  There was rain and they felt mist.  The film about an Amish teen who wasn't sure he wanted to be baptized.  You see, the Amish must choose if they want to be baptized and they normally do that between the ages of 18-22.  They can leave the community and come back and visit, if they choose not to be baptized.  However, if they are baptized and then leave, they are shunned.  Mom thought they were shunned if they left, but didn't realize they had a choice.  When the Amish are teens, they are allowed to test the waters of the English life and decide what they want to do. In the film, the teen had a car which surprised Mom.  Amish do not drive, but since he wasn't baptized yet, he was not considered Amish so he could drive.  Very interesting!  About 90% of the teens do decide to get baptized and remain with their family and their community.

After the film, the folks toured an Amish school and home.  The Amish attend one room school houses. The grades range from grade one to eight. The tour guide explained that while one grade is being taught, the other grades work on homework.  Mom's grade school class was small, so they were put in with another class.  It is really not hard to do work while the teacher is teaching the other class and you actually learn things by listening to the teacher teach that class.  Anyway, the Amish only go to grade eight.  The teachers are usually about 18 when they start teaching and they quit teaching as soon as they get married so that they can start their own family.

An Amish teacher set up this school house so that it is authentic.

The Amish do not use electricity because they want to be self sufficient.  They do use generators, propane, batteries and solar.

This is an old washing machine.  The house dates back to 1950's, so they probably use more update to appliances now since they use generators for power.

A boy's bedroom.

They do play sports, but not organized.

 The tour guide warned the group that they would be seeing a coffin, so that they wouldn't freak out.

Funerals are held in the home. Burial is in a cemetery.

Play kitchen in a girl's bedroom.

The tour guide showed all the different clothing that the girls wear.  It all depends on the age by the colors and type of dresses that they wear.

Buttons are starting to appear on more clothing.  Buttons used to be banned because they drew attention to the clothing.  They do not want to draw attention to themselves.

 

Girl's bedroom

Still talking about the clothing.  This is the teen clothing.  Brides do not wear white. They normally wear blue and their two attendants wear the same outfit.

They can wear any type of shoes that they want.  They even wear Crocs and flip flops. 

The living room.

Crafts, such as quilting is popular.

Notice the green shades.  They choose green because it easier to keep clean than the white.  They are allowed to have curtains in the bedroom and more recently, some have started putting curtains in their downstairs. The bishop decides the rules and he said that you have to choose your battles.  He is allowing curtains in the district we visited.

The kitchen - the stove is propane as is the refrigerator.

There are no dietary restrictions.  They drink soda and coffee. They shop in regular stores for things they don't grow themselves.

The folks both thought the tour was great!  Mom learned a lot even though she has read a lot of books on the Amish.  Okay, the books she has read have been romance novels, but they all talk about the Amish lifestyle.

The Pennsylvania Dutch speak both English and German.  Their church service is in German.

The Amish do not drive, but they are allowed to be driven in a car, train or bus. They are not allowed to fly.  They cannot have a phone in their house.  They can have a phone in the barn.  They are not allowed cell phones, but that is an increasing problem with the teens.  The do not have televisions or radios.  More and more of the Amish are working with the English (us) because there is not enough farmland in the Pennsylvania area for them.  Some own their own shops and sell their wares.  The Amish in this area are not allowed to ride bicycles, but they can ride scooters (not like Buddy).  They feel that they can get too far away on a bike.  When we were in Indiana, we saw a lot of Amish on bicycles.

They do not pay into Social Security or receive it.  They do not have commercial insurance policies.  They do pay taxes. They do not serve in the military.

Mom finds their lifestyle very interesting.  One man on the tour asked if he could become Amish.  The tour guide said he could.  He would have to give up his car, cell phone, electronics, etc.   Mom would have a hard time giving up air conditioning.

After the tour, the folks walked to the Amish restaurant, Plain and Fancy. They decided to have the "family feast".  This is a family style dinner where you sit with people you don't know and share a dinner.  Mom wasn't thrilled with that.  She was seated next to a nice man from South Africa. She found him to be very interesting and loved hearing his tales of visiting America. He said the worse place was New York.  He came across some rude people and since it was his first day in the U.S., he wondered if he made a mistake by visiting.  He thought all Americans might be that rude, but thank goodness he left New York and met some nice people.  He visited Philadelphia and loved the Philly cheese steak. He ate at a Waffle House and said it was just like on TV.  BOL!  He compared a lot of things to seeing them on TV.  He really likes the Boston accent.  He was hoping to take a ferry to New Jersey just to say he had been there.  He is spending one more week in America and is then headed back home.

The food was good. They had fried chicken, sausage, roast beef, mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, buttered noodles, veggies and pies for dessert.  Mom said she enjoyed it, but still prefers to eat with people she knows instead of strangers.

I guess the folks must have really liked their day in Lancaster because they were still talking about it on Sunday.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Bets He Would Have Chores If He Lived In An Amish Home