We've returned to Texas as 2012 winds down. We're here to enjoy the warmth of family, friends, and a temperate climate during the holidays. We've spent November in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and will spend December in Austin. We'll ring in the New Year, and then decide how we'll embark on our planned westward trek in 2013.
We've been asked about our favorite places so far. These are the ones to spring to mind:
- Cummers Museum in Jacksonville, Florida
- The river area in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Northern Michigan (there is so much more to the state than the Detroit stereotype)
- Chicago (of course)
- The Badlands in South Dakota
When we arrive in Austin next month, it will be the 26th RV park for us this year. Our favorites:
- Cajun Palms RV Resort in Henderson, LA (very unfortunate that it's in an isolated area)
- Lake Tobesofkee Claystone Park in Macon, GA
- Traverse Bay RV Resort in Williamsburg, MI
- La Hacienda RV Resort in Austin, TX
As we think back over the first year of our adventure, here is a sampling of some general thoughts:
- We do enjoy this lifestyle and plan to continue for at least one more year. There will be a permanent residence in our future, but we're OK with this nomadic existence for now.
- SheM can, indeed, manage with less clothes and shoes than she originally thought. She does still 'require' more than HeM, and is naturally hoping for a larger share of the closet. The campaign is not going well, but hope springs eternal.
- Diesel prices are much too high in relation to gasoline prices.
- Our nation's roadway infrastructure is being repaired everywhere we've been. LOTS more is needed, however.
- There are a lot of railroad museums around the country. We can't help but wonder if it wouldn't be better if the railroads were used more, and there were trucking museums instead.
- All KOA parks seem to be in high-noise locations, be it highways or railways. If the wind is blowing 25-30 mph and gusting to 40 mph, it doesn't really matter--all you hear is the wind.
- Walmart is everywhere and has become our 'go to' for most day-to-day groceries & household purchases. It would be a good laboratory for a study of the nation's obesity problem.
- One person's 'resort' is another person's 'campground'. (Reference previous blog postings.)
- We're very glad to have navigation systems, even if they don't always work 100% correctly.
- Even though we have navigation systems, SheM continues to independently verify with a hard-copy atlas in her lap. Old habits die hard.
- The 'downtown revitalization' movement is working very well in some areas.
- Wifi connectivity around the nation as a whole is really, really poor. When we compare the state of our technology here to that of foreign countries, it's embarrassing. Not to mention frustrating.
- Recycling facilities in RV parks are the exception rather than the rule. When we ask about recycling as we check into a new park, the usual response is "We know we should, but we don't". Very troubling.
- There are a few very large wind farms in the Midwest, and that's very encouraging. We would like to see lots, lots more.
- The National Parks Senior Pass is a real bargain. For a one-time fee of $10, HeM (the senior) and a guest (not-quite-senior SheM) is granted admission to all national parks for life. We've recouped the $10 multiple times already, and we've barely started. There will be lots of national parks on our western route next year.
- A handful of gift shops at National Parks boast having a small corner of their merchandise as 'made in USA'. The majority, though, is 'made in China' and that's just wrong. We refuse to buy any souvenirs that aren't made here.
And finally, the US is a big place, and time passes really, really quickly. We're looking forward to our second year on the road and we'll continue the blog to document it. Catch you on the flip side of the new year. Happy holidays!
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