We cruised at night and ended up 152 miles down the river in Vidin, Bulgaria. On board our ship, there is a fitness center and a 'Wellness Host' who has exercise classes during the day. His name was Pedrag. Today, an announcement came over the loud speakers. “Hello, this is Lonely Pedrag, we will have a Morning Stretch in the lounge” It cracked me up – evidently not too many people have been joining his classes. Poor Pedrag.
Today is going to be a stellar day. A fortress visit, an on ship Balkan barbecue, an afternoon at sea (can we all it that if we are just cruising down the river?) and the IRON GATES.
After an overnight cruise, we arrived in Belgrade Serbia. Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and it's largest city. It is also one of the oldest continually occupied cities in Europe. They have found artifacts from around the sixth century B.C. That said, because of Belgrade's location, it has been fought over, conquered and architecturally destroyed many times over. Belgrade sits on the confluence of the Danube (which I have been floating down) and the Sava Rivers. Hence the name of our morning outing - “The City By Two Rivers”
After a three-hour cruise we arrive in a new country, another stamp in my passport. We have landed in the Serbian town of Novi Sad. During the early twentieth century, Novi Sad was the capital of Serbian culture which earned it the name “The Athens of Serbia”. Almost every Serbian poet, novelist, publisher lived in the city at some point in their career. Nowadays, it is Serbia's second largest cultural center (after Belgrade) and is home to one of the biggest music summer festivals in Europe. I would have really liked to go to the festival but even is the timing was right, we only had an afternoon to wander the city.
After an overnight cruise, we landed in a new city and a new country – Vukovar Croatia, located on the eastern side of Croatia. In 1990, when Yugoslavia started to break up, the Croatians wanted their independence. The Serbians wanted Croatia to remain as part of Yugoslavia. Starting in August 1991, the Serbs started a full out attack on Vukovar which turned into an 87-day siege.
The first day aboard the lovely ship AmaBella, was a day of introductions to ship life, from a mandatory safety meeting, getting into the rhythm of the ship and to finding our way around the ship. I took a few wrong turns and ending up in the crew quarters. I was there no longer than three seconds before I was told quite forcefully by several crew members that this part of the ship was off limits.
I looked at my passport. I had renewed it in 2014 and it did not have a single stamp in it. I used to travel internationally all the time and I had not set foot off US shores in like forever. I'm so ashamed. I guess I've been spending all my time traveling around the US in the RV and overseas travel got overlooked. This definitely needed to change. I've always wanted to do one of those river cruises and now was the time to do it. I'm so used to figuring out how to do everything myself – where am I going to sleep, what am I going to eat/do? This river cruise with every thing taken care of for me would be a perfect way to start to get my international chops back. So, off to eastern Europe with my traveling buddies, Mike and Marina – my brother and sister-in-law.
July brought an outing with friends to a rather unique establishment west of Minneapolis – Big Stone Mini Golf. Yes, I said Mini Golf. It has been years since I played mini golf and I probably thought of it merely as a mild diversion but I would say that this is probably the best mini golf course that I have ever played on. The holes were crazy, artistic and inventive. To top it all off, there was quite an extensive outdoor sculpture garden to roam through after we played golf.
Let me take you back to June, 2022. Yes, that is how far behind I am.
How can you go to eastern Wisconsin without going to Door County, that little artsy peninsula that juts up into Lake Michigan. I was torn between staying on the bay side of the peninsula where the touristy towns of Egg Harbor and Sister Bay reside or the quieter rough and tumble lake side. I ended up on the lake side in Bailey's Harbor at Bailey's Grove Campground. It really didn't make that much difference where I stayed as you could get from one side of the peninsula to the other in about 15 minutes.
I stopped in a nice little campground right outside of Wisconsin Dells – Country Roads. I only spent one night there, but I really wish I had spent more time. It was so close to all that Wisconsin Dells had to offer and you know, I've never ever gotten to ride in a duck boat. Oh well, as they say, maybe next time.
I'm in Minnesota for most of the summer and it occurred to me that although I travel far and wide in the United States, I very seldom visit places close to home. I thought to myself that perhaps I should do day trips every now and then and see what I can discover.
The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado River, flows through the Flaming Gorge. The Flaming Gorge was given it's name due to the spectacular red sandstone cliffs that surround this part of the river. In 1964, the Flaming Gorge Dam was finished and created a reservoir that is about 90 miles long. Located in both Wyoming and Utah, the gorge is a major recreation area for fisherpeople, rafters and hikers. There happens to be a scenic drive that surrounds the reservoir (lucky for me).
I'm caravanning with Lou and Dave as we slowly make our way back to Minnesota. When looking over the possible routes back to Minnesota, Dave checking out the maps says “Oh look, Idaho could be on the way”. So off to Idaho we go.
I met up with Lou and Dave again in all places – Lake Tahoe. Zephyr Cove Campground is a lovely campground, right across the street from Lake Tahoe itself. There are lots of big old trees scattered throughout the campground. They are scattered in such a way that I couldn't get into my assigned campsite. On my way to the replacement site, I tried to take a sharp turn and came within inches of another big honkin' tree reaching out and getting me. Luckily, there were some people there to help direct me and get me back on the path of righteousness. Dodged that bullet. After looking at the bark of that particular tree, it looked like I was not the only rig that might have had a close encounter.
Lou and Dave felt the wine country calling them so they went their way for a couple of days while I headed for Sacramento. I didn't do much in Sacramento except go to the Crocker Art Museum. Founded in 1885, it is the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River. It specializes in Californian art.
After spending two weeks in the San Francisco area, it was time to move on. I think two weeks in one place is the longest I've ever camped anywhere. I didn't move very far, just a little bit up the coast to Point Reyes National Seashore. The drive was through Marin County, one of the prettiest places I've been to. Marin County is the 6th highest income per capita of all US counties and while that is impressive, it doesn't even come close to how impressive and beautiful the countryside is. There are mountains, there is the ocean and the climate, which is described as a Mediterranean climate, warm days- cool nights. Nestled among all this are the quaint towns which have a small-town feel. Of course, it ain't all sunshine and roses. The San Andreas Fault separates the Point Reyes Peninsula from the California mainland. I think there would be a high likelihood of Marin County falling into the ocean if the “big one” ever happens.
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| Look!! A carnation tree!!! |
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| When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake happened, it was felt in Point Reyes. Part of this fence was moved 16 feet to the right. |
We were lucky to be there during Elephant Seals pupping season. When the pups are born, they weigh about fifty pounds. After about six weeks, their moms leave them on their own. At this point, the pups have gained about 250 pounds. For the next four weeks, they lounge on the beach with all the other abandoned pups living off their fat until one day, they wake up and decide they are hungry enough to go into the ocean and fish. Remember, Mom has not taught them how to swim, how to fish but these brave little souls go for it. I was thrilled that while I was there, several of the pups decided it was time to head out to the ocean. They will stay out to sea for about nine months. Fun Fact: A group of seals is called a bob (also called a pod).
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| Here is a bob of pups lounging around in the sun |
The seals would go a few feet and then collapse and rest up a few minutes before they took off again. Once they got in the water, they were free from the constraints of gravity.
More random photos from the peninsula:
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| The Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870 with a First Order Fresnel Lens. First Order means it is the biggest type of Fresnel Lens. There are 300 steps down to the lighthouse but the walkway was closed because of high winds. |
In 1862, Sarah married into the Winchester family – owners of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, home of “The Gun That Won The West”. When Sarah Winchester's husband died, she became immensely rich.
Back in our working days, Lou and I worked with a woman named Hongyu. She is an amazing woman, born in Mongolia, grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution and immigrated to the U.S. She has traveled extensively throughout the world on her own. I think she is one of the bravest women I've ever met. She now lives in the San Francisco area in a senior housing development called Rossmoor. This housing development has 10,000 residents and it's own zip code. Rossmoor is it's own city. She took us on a tour, fed us lunch. She taught us how to make spring rolls. I won't tell you how incredibly sloppy our spring rolls where compared to hers but it sure was fun to do.
The Conservatory of Flowers is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park as it was completed in 1879. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As you walk thru the Conservatory in your jeans and Tennies, I felt very under dressed. I should have been wearing a long Victorian dress complete with gloves and a parasol.
I am overjoyed that my traveling buddies Lou and Davey have met up with me again. Last time I saw them was in New Mexico when we spent a few weeks together. Now they are camped right next door to me. I think we are going to caravan together for a while at least until they get sick of me. Besides the fact that I'm happy to hang out with them, they have a fancy little car and they have been driving me into the city for which I am very grateful for. Little San Francisco streets are not made for big pickup trucks.
I'm moving north and made it to the San Francisco area. The majority of the campgrounds that are available are aways from downtown San Francisco which is where most of the sights I want to see are located. Depending on traffic, it is about a forty minute to over an hour drive into town. Speaking of traffic, I evidently have been out in the boonies for a while – I am finding myself overwhelmed by the amount of traffic in the area. I have found that SF drivers are very polite, merging into traffic is a breeze. Driving down the road – not so much. People are just way too much in a hurry.
I move up to Monterey, the home of the Monterey Pop Festival. I so wanted to be here in 1967 when the soundtrack of my life - Hendrix, Joplin and Redding among others - played here. This festival is generally regarded as one of the beginnings of the “Summer of Love”. For many of us wannabes, this was the place to be.
I have arrived at the Pacific Ocean!! I am staying at another Elks Lodge in Oceano where the beach is a mere 800 feet from my campsite. I can't see the ocean, but when it is really quiet at night, I can hear it.
I have spent the last few months in various types of deserts. Yes, there are different types. From the scrubby New Mexico deserts to the hard-core sand deserts of southern Arizona to the sage brush type of desert of southeastern California, I have enjoyed experiencing each type. My plan was to continue up the east side of California, thru the Mojave Desert, into Death Valley. One morning I woke up and said 'Enough! I need to see trees and water.' I decide that I should head to the coast – see the ocean, find some greenery.
I wasn't expecting much when I went to Joshua Tree National Park. Another desert, another bunch of rocks and then there are those weird looking Joshua Trees. Yes, Joshua Tree has all that, but there is something more to it.
I made it to California!!! I've tried for several years to camp here and have always not quite made it. I'm here!!! I have a new state sticker on my Camping Map!!
I realized that my blog is two states behind which is a sorry state of affairs. In an effort to catch up, Arizona 2022 will have to do with one whirlwind post. Hang on girls and boys!
I've heard that Silver City New Mexico was a place not to be missed, so miss it I did not. Well, maybe I did miss it a bit – I didn't make it into downtown Silver City, but I did show up and visited some of the sights Silver City is known for.
Albuquerque is known worldwide for their International Balloon Fiesta every October. Alas, as it is currently February, I am a little bit tardy and unable to attend... BUT....there is the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum that helped take the sting out of missing the Fiesta.
Albuquerque – New Mexico's largest city and I'm going to settle in here for a whole week. Pretty unheard of for me. Before I can run wild and do the touristy activities, I need to take care of some RV maintenance issues, laundry and replenishing my wine stash – all very important tasks.
From Roswell, I headed south to the bustling town of Las Cruces. I lucked out and was able to score a campsite at Leaburg's Dam State Park for a few days. It was about 20 miles north of Las Cruces, NM. Las Cruces was full of wonderful activities and joyful moments.
I finally make it to New Mexico – The Land of Enchantment. New Mexico has been one of my major goals for this current roadtrip. I've spent time in New Mexico before, but this time I am going to concentrate on the southeastern area of New Mexico.
After a brief unplanned, but oh so lovely, interlude in Minnesota, I was reunited with my home away from home, the camper which I had left in Joplin Missouri. I had winterized before I went back up north, and you always hold your breath when you un-winterize. You never know if you missed something or did something wrong. I was pleased that all went well with the small exception that I forced a switch and broke it. That maintenance list for the camper is really starting to get long.
