RV Adventure Days 34-36

Today we made it to FLORIDA and we are staying in a beautiful park on the Gulf Coast!

Let me back up to last Sunday, Day 34. My masters went to their 5th church on this trip and each have been different. Sunday they went to The Pentecostal Church of Layfayette. They said it was a Christmas program with funny skits, moving music, and then a song that rocked your soul (as only Pentecostals can do!)

Then we drove to New Orleans and stayed at the Pontchartrain Landing RV Park and Marina. My masters took a shuttle into the French Quarter and I got to guard the RV. This is actually not such a bad job as I get to snooze while they walk in freezing weather.

The French Quarter

Coffee and Beignets at the Cafe Del Monde in the French Quarter

After New Orleans, we headed for Mississippi. All the roads are elevated above these swamp lands. It was amazing to see how many miles they had to build these roads above water and see the houses on tall poles for when it floods.

The highway goes over miles of land like this

In Biloxi, Mississippi, my masters toured the Jefferson Davis house and said it was interesting history and they really enjoyed it. The sad thing was that it is the only antebellum house left out of 20 houses in this area due to Hurricane Katrina. Our guide said New Orleans got all the attention, but this area was just as devastated by the hurricane.

Believe it or not, by 5:00 pm, we were in Alabama! The whole state of Mississippi in one day!

Jefferson Davis House in his later years

His daughter's original doll

And now, I must tell you about how my life changed today, Tuesday, December 17th, I got a sister (not one I asked for, mind you!) This is how it happened. My Mrs. Master has been going on about getting this special cat, but every time she looked online for one, she found that they were expensive and you had to do a lot of paperwork and they were hard to get. So she says, "What happened to getting a kitten in a cardboard box." WELL...when we went to the Visitor's Center in Alabama, they had 2 kittens for free in a cardboard box. Go figure! The volunteers had found them that morning in a storm drain. We left only to return the next day and now I have sister named "Alabama" and this is what she looks like...

Sweet Alabama

This is our view at the Emerald Beach RV Park. So beautiful!! Makes up for this new annoying sister that hisses at me. "Sweet" Alabama, yeah, right!

RV Adventure Day 33

We made it to Louisiana! We are in Abbeville RV Park and my masters went out to a very popular restaurant called "Schuck's" and had shrimp and catfish. Folks here wear cowboy boots and say ya'll, pretty much like they did in Texas, except we are in Cajun Country, so they say it with a French accent. I kinda' like it. The lady at the park cautioned my master to keep me on a leash for my own safety. Instead of alligators like the last park we were in, they have owls with 4 foot wing spans that pick off small dogs. Obviously, she hasn't see me, but I'm keeping my eye out for these gigantic menacing owls!

Before we left Galveston, we explored the Historic Strand District. They had some cool sights and old buildings. We were there just in time for a Christmas parade. Everyone was throwing me necklaces, so I put them on. My masters are planning on stopping in New Orleans and if it was the Mardi Gras, I would be ready!

People were taking photos of me!

We left Galveston and took a free ferry to get back on our way east.
I was very happy to get to Louisiana! We are that much closer to our final destination of Boca Raton, Florida, where I hear the temperatures are in the 70's. Hot dog!!


 Our ferries on Orcas look a lot different

People build their houses high because of flood waters

Louisiana welcomed us! They have the most awesome tourist centers in these parts!

RV Adventure Days 30-32
We have been staying in Texas State Parks the last two nights and they don't have WiFi, so I am catching up tonight here in Galveston, Texas, at an RV Park right on the beach. Ahhh...back to the beach!

So, last Wednesday, we were still in San Antonio and my masters went to see the Alamo. In fact, it was a full day of seeing missions and churches. When we left the Alamo, we drove on country roads to find the oldest Polish settlements in the United States (I guess we did this since my Mr. Master is Polish). We found the coolest churches in three towns, except I wouldn't call them towns. The churches were practically the only buildings there. People live mostly on farms here and must come from miles for church. I heard my masters say that the stained glass windows and statues and portraits were really beautiful!

This is the outside of the Alamo

 

This was the church in the Polish settlement of Kosciuska

The inside of the church was breathtaking!

All the churches had stained glass everywhere

The second church was in Cestohowa



 
This is the oldest Polish church in Panna Maria

This is inside Panna Maria

 

On Thursday, we stayed at Brazos Bend State Park. It is 5000 acres of lakes, trees, birds, alligators, and poisonous snakes. I wasn't leaving the RV until I realized that it was too cold for any self-respecting alligator or snake to come out. We stayed in an awesome site all by ourselves and my masters went bike riding the next morning even though it was very, very cold!

 

Biking at Brazos Bend State Park

Amusement Park at Galveston

 

Friday (tonight) we are in Galveston and this is the view from our back window. I can't wait until morning to play in the waves and the sand again! I am a Texas BEACH DAWG!

 

RV Adventure Days 27-29

My masters have been making up for lost time. We didn't even stop in New Mexico except for church. It was a really old farming community. They found a Catholic Church, St. Joseph's, and rushed inside because they were late. They came out a little confused, but happy to hear about God in Spanish. The small congregation were all Hispanic farm workers. We left and drove to Texas, passing miles of cow ranches!

 

When we got into El Paso, my Mrs. Master looked over to the right and said, "That looks like Mexico" and it was! How strange to have beautiful houses, malls, and schools on the left and abject poverty on the right. Can you imagine how dogs must live there? I began to count my blessings and realized how lucky I am to have two meals and many dog bones a day! I felt sorry for them.

We stopped at the Ft. Stockton museum. There are many forts and museums in Texas and the visitor's information centers are amazing! My masters are impressed with the attention they give tourism and how much there is to see and do throughout the state. In fact, after driving so much, they actually stopped and saw two attractions in the same day on Tuesday.

RV Park at Caverns of Sonora

 

We camped at the Caverns of Sonora with a bunch of fat peacocks and some deer. My masters took the caverns tour and were gone an hour and a half! They said it was spectacular! Can you believe that it is privately owned? A dog discovered a hole in the property and it turned out to be miles of caves with limestone and other mineral formations. You did notice that I said "a dog" discovered it? We are wonderful, aren't we?

 

We left Sonora about 11:30 and only got to San Antonia, Texas. Did I mention that Texas is a VERY large state? We checked into Traveler's World RV Park and they told my masters how to get the bus to the River Walk and off they went leaving me to guard the RV, an important job, I might add.

They returned about 9:30 after having dinner and a tour on the River Walk. They said the Christmas lights were beautiful and they kept passing a boat with Christmas Carolers. It was fun, but they were like ice cubes when they returned. It still remains really cold.

This is by the River Mall where there are a ton of shops

There are restaurants that line the River Walk

One of the boats going up and down the river

A mural seen from the boat tour

Fun, but freezing!

Today, we're leaving the 10 freeway to go find the oldest Polish community in the United States, Panna Maria. I like Texas. I'm now a Texas DAWG! 

 

RV Adventure Days 25 and 26

I don't know what is more scary; parking on BLM land in the middle of nowhere or the RV Park tonight. It was only $15 and I have WIFI to blog, so I guess I won't complain. We are in Bowie, Arizona, with cold winds and sand and cactus. I tried to go for a walk today and got 3 stickers in my paws! Ouch! It hurt so much, I was limping. How is a self-respecting dog supposed to go with no grass? And, boy! do I miss the beach and the oceans. I guess I am NOT a desert dog!

We left Lake Havasu on Friday morning after I got to go for a walk with my Mrs. Master to take pictures of  some replicas of lighthouses that are around Lake Havasu (22 to be exact).

Then we drove until dark and pulled off on Vekol Rd which is BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) and parked in the most remote place on earth! No cell phone coverage and snakes and scorpions in the prickly cactus. I could hardly sleep!

On Saturday, my masters spent a long time in the Pima Air and Space Museum while I napped in the RV. They were quite impressed and my Mr. Master took a zillion pictures of planes. I selected a few that I liked for the blog.

 

Wright Brothers exhibit

 

Then back on the road to Bowie, where we are tonight at the Mountain View RV Park. Mountain View?? Really? I come from Washington State where we have REAL mountains and REAL grass!

They call this a mountain?

Tomorrow we will be in New Mexico and exploring some Ghost Towns. Stay tuned!

RV Adventure Days 23 and 24
My masters wanted to see some friends from Orcas that come to Desert Hot Springs every winter. They were so amazed at the beautiful park that Linda and John stay in! There was another Linda whose husband was golfing, but my masters visited with her anyway while I was stuck in the RV. They said it was a fun visit, but I was ready to get going. A dog needs adventure and I was ready!

Linda and my Mrs. Master had a great
visit...talk,talk, talk!

Caliente Springs is a beautiful RV Park

John's cool golf cart!

Linda and John in their winter home.

 

On Thursday, my masters got up really early determined to be in another state by day's end and we made it to ARIZONA! Yahoo! They took a detour from going east on Hwy 62 to see the London Bridge at Lake Havasu. Can you believe that London, England, put this bridge up for sale in 1967 and an American bought it for $2,460,000? Each block was numbered and shipped to California and then trucked to Lake Havasu.

London Bridge

 

After driving through the desert, it was awesome to be able to camp on the water at Lake Havasu. My master bicycled 12 miles! I sat in the front seat and watched for him with the heater on trying to get warm after a little dip in the water.

Boy! Is that water cold!