This is going to be a long post because we have a lot to cover. We did so much in these cities but the real piece of news is at the end of this post so hold on – we have news!

Williams AZ

So if you haven’t heard of Williams AZ it is south of the Grand Canyon! If you want to see the Grand Canyon for a few days – Williams is your stop. We stayed at a great RV park – Grand Canyon Railway. Nice big sites and right next to the downtown area.

We also took the time to get our RV windshield replaced (yep -got hit by another rock!). Fortunately a glass shop in Prescott AZ was able to install the new windshield at our RV site. This is very rare so I took advantage of their service.

It took 6 hours for 3 guys to replace the windshield. In case you have lost count, this is our third windshield! Thank goodness for insurance and a $250 deductible otherwise this repair is about $3,500.

If you are into Route 66 memorabilia – this is the place! There are an abundance of stores in downtown where you can pick up Route 66 stuff.

Of course – we went to the Grand Canyon! You could just stand and look at this magnificent canyon all day.

Las Cruces, NM

So why stop at Las Cruces NM? Well one of the reasons was to see the White Sands Monument. This is an area where there are white sand dunes that go for miles and miles. The white sand is made of gypsum (the stuff that makes drywall white!). Gypsum flows from the surrounding mountains in rains and rivers. The pools of water that are trapped in the area dry out and leave gypsum deposits called “selenite”. Winds breakdown the selenite into white sand which eventually collect into massive dunes. It took millions of years to create the White Sands Monument and if you are in the area, this is a must see!

White Sands Missile Range is on the way to the monument from Las Cruces. The missile range has a rich history of missile testing in the last 70 years. This includes the Trinity site where initial testing of the first nuclear bomb was performed. To this day, the Trinity site is off limits due to the radiation.

We went to the White Sands Missile Museum which was awesome! A lot of history there that included how they tested missiles and telemetry instruments. As we were walking thru the museum I started to wonder if the tank missile systems I worked on while in the Army were here too. We turned the corner and low and behold – the TOW and Dragon anti-tank missile systems!

I was trained on the electronics and guidance systems for these anti-tank weapons (along with other systems as well), but these were the most popular. It was cool to see this here and brought back a ton of memories!

Patti wanted to go to Rock Hound State Park . The name is derived from the “rockhounds” that would go there to collect the abundant geodes, agates and quartz crystals. We talked to a volunteer and she gave us directions to the best area. We searched and searched but came up blank. It was still a good time and was able to see some amazing scenery.

So a few days later I had the bright idea of going to the Dripping Springs Natural Area. There were springs and waterfalls there that looked pretty cool. We had quite a bit of rain in the last few days so I knew the springs were flowing.

It was a 3 mile hike to where we wanted to go but it felt a lot farther. Two things were killing us:

• Very hilly
• The trail wasn’t a dirt trail – it had so much gravel it felt like walking in sand.

Those two things were killing us! Especially since we aren’t “hikers” to begin with. It was still fun and the scenery around us was awesome!

News Flash!!!!!!

So we initially planned to leave Las Cruces and travel along the Gulf Coast to Pensacola FL for winter. However we decided to go back home (Naperville area) for the winter. I know….. what are we thinking. Well our daughter is our number 1 priority. She was missing us and we were missing her! She has been able to visit us a few times – which was awesome, but pretty difficult on her since she travels for her job and has  a cat and dog waiting for her at home.  We couldn’t imagine not being with her for the holidays…

So we called the only RV park that is open all year round (Sycamore RV Resort) in Sycamore IL. They were happy to take us back and we have wintered in the USS Dutch Star before so we knew what to do. and how to “winterize”

I thought it would be a good idea for Patti and I to get jobs so we aren’t just sitting in the RV watching the snow fall. Doing this would increase our savings and provide medical insurance since Patti’s cobra was ending on 1/1/2019.

Believe it or not, we both landed jobs within 2 weeks of arriving. Patti got a great job at a non-profit that does work in missionary ministry. She loves it because along with doing HR work, they have prayer, bible studies and singing many times each week!! In fact, the CEO will go to the piano and invite everyone to sing along. She loves it and it is perfect for her.

I went back to contracting and landed a contract with a bank in their IT department. It is OK but having somewhat of a difficult time getting back in the swing of things. I’ll get there, just a matter of time.

We plan to be here for awhile.  When we are ready to get back on the road, we will include Tori in the planning.  She travels quite a bit with her work, so we would like to plan a stop where she is working.  She currently spends her weeks in North Carolina, which is perfect because we would love to see the East Coast and visit friends on that side of the country! Ultimately, I believe we will fall into a cycle of being here longer and snow-birding down south for the winter.

With all of that said, this is probably the last entry for awhile. When we have things planned out, we will let you know!  In the meantime, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful things for your 2019!  God bless!