BACK TO MICHAEL, NATALIE’S AND ROXANNE’S, FT. PIERCE, FL

16 July to 10 August, 2004. We moved into one of the apartments at the Sea Caps Motel that Michael is managing at $225 / week, electric included. It was nice to be back on the beach. We picked up the pallet that contained everything else we owned, aside from what was in the bus. We had even been given a satellite dish by Bob, the owner of Gail’s house, so that we could finally get some decent TV. Rocky spent most of the time painting and fixing up what he could in some of the apartments. I began posting early century postcards on ebay and spent lots of time at the beach. We spent a lot of time with Michael, Natalie and Roxanne, cooking for each other and getting out once in awhile. It rained nearly every day and there were many rainbows over the ocean. It was nice to spend some more time with them.

BACK TO GAIL'S HOUSE, ZEPHYRHILLS, FL

9 to 15 July, 2004. We drove over 300 miles to get here. We were originally planning to spend the night somewhere between Whitetail Ridge and Gail's house. It was already dark when we arrived and we were glad that Gail was home when we got here. The kitty that was only a few weeks old when we arrived the first time (on 8 May, 2004), was a little older but still as frisky as ever. Gail jad just gotten two hamsters that love to roll around the house in their little plastic balls. Rocky redesigned their little plastic home and they seemed to love it. Sasha, our friend Bob's dog, was staying the night and was very happy to see us again. Our timing was perfect because Gail was having her annual "Christmas in July" party the day after we arrived. It was lots of fun, with a "white elephant" gift exchange and another pool party next door. We spent a night at Bob's house, about 25 miles away, after skinny dipping in the pool all day. We're planning on grilling steaks and spending the night of July 14 at Bob's again. This will be our last stop before traveling back to Michael, Natalie and Roxanne's home in Fort Pierce, where we will be staying in one of the apartments that Michael is managing there. We don't know how long we'll be staying there. The apartments are weekly rentals and we simply need to stop and take a break from the road, and the bugs. We've also got a pallet of stuff at Michael's sister's warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, that we can get out of storage, including our convection-microwave oven that cooks a frozen turkey to perfection with one button. Rocky found a wireless network on ebay that we can use to share Michael's high speed internet access. We'll also have cable, maybe even satellite TV there. We are really starting to miss TV. The time has come for us to get serious about finding a sailboat.

WHITETAIL RIDGE CAMPGROUND, WEST POINT LAKE, GA

8 July, 2004. This is another Army Corps of Engineers campground. We got a full Verizon internet signal here- IT'S ABOUT TIME! Our campsite was right on the lake and you could see the tower across the water. At first, we went to another Army Corps of Engineers campground, Horace King Park, a few miles down the road but it was privately run and the woman there was downright rude and they didn't accept the Golden Access Pass for half price. We have never been to a privately run campground (except The Pit) that we liked. We ran the air conditioner here and stayed comfortable most of the night. We didn't unpack the back and both slept up in the pop-top (penthouse) again since we were basically making a straight run for Florida. We didn't do much here and didn't get out until about noon the following morning.

HENRY HORTON STATE RESORT PARK, CHAPEL HILL, TN

7 July, 2004. We were planning on going farther today, but I just got tired of driving. We need new seats for the bus! We did pick up the flooring for the van and put it in when we arrived. I love the new look, and it will be much more sanitary. This place is nice though. We pulled in and set up when I saw a sign for the restaurant. It was buffet for $7.95, so why not. The food was pretty good, and the service was great. The park is set in the rolling hills of the Nashville basin along the Duck River in mid-Tennessee. There is a golf course, a hotel, restaurant, an Olympic swimming pool, a skeet range and lots of trails. Without knowing what we were going to pay, we were happy to discover that Tennessee accepts the National Parks Golden Access, and Age Passes. The regular fee for camping with electric is $17.00 and we got half price, hooray!

HURRICANE CREEK CAMPGROUND, LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES, KY

6 July, 2004. This is another Army Corps of Engineers campground. Unlike any of the others that we have stayed in, this one has people violating just about every rule in the book. There are kids on mopeds, without the mufflers. People driving 45 mph through the place, and noone around to take payment! With all this in mind, the place is nice. The lake is filled with boaters, jet skiers, and people fishing. Our camping neighbors were very pleasant, their thick Kentuky accents were just a hoot! The foot still is swollen, but getting better. Thunderstorms raged throughout the night and we got a little wet, but all in all it was OK. I could no longer stand the nasty carpet in the bus, so I tore it out. We saw some cool flooring at Freds that I want to pick up and soon! No internet signal.

GIANT CITY STATE PARK CAMPGROUND, NEAR CARBONDALE, IL

5 July, 2004. Yes, we returned to Giant City. What can we say, it was on the way. We stopped at my brother's and picked up the new Sierra Wireless Aircard 555 that I bought on ebay for $80 and had shipped there, then to Carbondale to return the one I purchased for $430.00. Still looking for the adapter for the Wilson antenna though. We got there and plugged in the AC right away. My foot still is swollen, but after a few pain killers, I was feeling no pain!

THE PIT, NEAR ELKVILLE, IL

2 to 4 July, 2004. This is quite possibly the funnest place on earth. It is a clothing-optional gay campground with a very clean lake that used to be a strip mine pit (hence the name). The water gets 100 feet deep at the bend. Hal and Billy, the owners, are good friends of ours and some of the greatest guys in the world. I used to come here when I was at SIU from 1991-1995. It was incredible how many familiar faces were here- people that I knew when I lived in the area 9 to 14 years ago. We camped here the entire 4th of July weekend for $5 each. Hal and Billy are not in it for the money, they're in it for the fun and they do a fantastic job! There's a very nice pavillion near the water and they have a very nice house here. When the guys next to us were discussing where to hang the disco ball, I thought they were joking. They weren't. They even had a karaoke machine with them. I was so happy to have a place to swim and fun people to party with. We sang songs to guitars and bongos, cooked and grilled decadent amounts of food and consumed obscene quantities of our favorite beverages. It got pretty wild at times. The women usually won the volleyball games. These are some of the most helpful, generous, considerate and all-around cool people you're ever likely to meet. We even had a delegate of The Democratic National Committee here and she's sharp as a tack. Thanks to "Peanut" and "John Boy" for a very cool fireworks display on Sunday night. There is no place I'd rather be on the 4th of July, 2004 than right here with these people. True high quality human beings who know how to party hard. We had an absolute blast! Not only did we have fun, but we were able to connect! All this and internet access too! I did get bit by a horse fly on my heel, wich swelled my foot up like a balloon.

ROCKY'S COUSIN MICHELLE'S (AND LYNN'S) HOUSE, HERRIN, IL

30 June to 1 July, 2004. We parked in the back driveway again (see 25 May, 2004) with electricity from the house. Lynn had surgery a few dyas earlier and was home now. She couldn't move around too much but the 4 of us went to St. Louis in Cousin Kathys van, had some fast food and then went to see Fahrenheit 9/11. I am Very Excited about this movie. Every person in America should see it. It was pretty funny that the movie ended with one of Rocky and I's favorite Bush boggles- the one where G.W. doesn't know the saying "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." It was great that Michelle had some time to spend with us since she gets up before dawn every day for work, takes care of her mother and is now taking care of Lynn in a house that sees dozens of people come and go every day. Lynn's 2 sons are 18 and 21 so that should explain all the house traffic. We had a great visit.

GIANT CITY STATE PARK CAMPGROUND, NEAR CARBONDALE, IL

29 June, 2004. There are very nice showers here- you can actually adjust the temperature! Cold showers haven't been the problem, scalding hot showers that can't be adjusted have become the problem (mostly at Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds). We also have internet access here. Very few people camping. We got a $5 / night rate for having an Illinois address and Disabled Veteran card. The ranger was very cool and admitted that the Veteran / Illinois Resident discount is very vague so he gave us the discount. We also had an old friend visit and had a great time. Internet access was shaky, but we were able to get some work done.

PINE HILLS CAMPGROUND, WOLF CREEK, IL

28 June, 2004. This place has no water or electricity. Only outhouses here. No internet access. It cost $5.00 to camp here and $2.50 with the Golden Age or Access Pass. I built a fire, of course. We heard several loud explosions in the area. There are lots and lots of bullets and hand-grenades being produced down here but it is not widely known. During WWII, this area was one of the main production centers of both chemical and conventional weapons. A rogue butterfly put on quite a display for us- circling our heads and the bus for several minutes. We didn't do much here except sweat and add another showerless day. We were also running out of power from our extra marine battery. From here, we're going to Giant City State Park campground. There will be showers and electricity there- maybe even internet access.

GRAPEVINE TRAIL CAMP AND PICNIC GROUNDS, SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, Mc CLURE, IL

27 June, 2004. We started the day by visiting our good friend, Robbie Sanders in Cape Girardeau, MO. Robbie was one of my best frinds while I was in college at SIU (Carbondale, IL) from 1991 to 1995. Robbie is in a wheelchair and is one of the most capable people I know. He's an international tennis champion as well as great basketball player. He just graduated from college in Missouri and is moving to Texas next month. We watched "Underworld" on DVD while we were at his apartment. It was great to see him. Grapevine Trail was only a few miles from his place and it was free so we camped there for the night. No water or electricity but the price was right. And we were the only ones there. There were huge logs waiting for me at the tiny campround so I burned several of them and was even able to leave 4 logs for the next person.

LITTLE GRASSY LAKE CAMPGROUND AND MARINA, CARBONDALE, IL

26 June, 2004. This is a private campground on Federal Land. Hmmm. $15 / night. We started off in Crab Orchard Lake Campground and Marina in Carterville, IL. There was only one electric site left so we registered for it. When we got to the site, there was a camper parked on it with noone around. Then the campground owner found out that the previous campers were in St. Louis. They own this campground too so they called here and faxed over our registration. We had to buy a 30 amp adapter so our 110 cord would plug into the electric post. People are packed in here pretty tight. "This aint no federal run facility." We just listened to a domestic screaming match right across the street. Our water spigot is pretty pathetic. Our van is getting much attention here. Aside from the screamers, the people here are really nice. This is our first private campground (second, if you include Crab Orchard Lake, which sent us here) and we won't make this mistake again. We bought Wal-Mart's new $20 digital camera but we haven't uploaded any pictures yet. We've only been here for a few hours so I may add more later.

SOUTH SANDUSKY, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON REND LAKE, REND CITY, IL

24 to 25 June, 2004. This place is loaded with wood and I sure burned some. It's also loaded with daddy long legs spiders. A racoon almost jumped into the bus again. The first night, we ran the air conditioner. Very on-off internet connection. The second night was our first test of our new Verizon 555 wireless internet card. We had it Fed-Exed to Rocky's brother, Jody. The connection held while we drove about 15 miles vack to the campground. We're very happy with the result. Once we get the adapter for our Wilson trucker antenna, we should be able to hold a great connection in places we couldn't even connect at before. Joe, Roman, Sammy, Jessie and Megan showed up in the site next to us. I brought over the rest of my wood. We partied til late. Joe is going into the Army on August 18 as an Airborne Ranger. He's ready to go to Iraq. Their site was already reserved by someone else so in the morning, the Ranger told them they had to leave the site. We just dragged everything over to our site. Rocky and I duplicated some CD's for them (Metallica, Metal Church, Pink Floyd and a combo CD I made in 2001). They were a lot of fun.

SOUTH MARCUM, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON REND LAKE, BENTON, IL

22 to 23 June, 2004. We like to call this place South Marklar. Rocky's cousin, Michelle, visited us at the site. The next day, Rocky's brother, Jody, his wife, Becky and their 2 daughters got a nearby site with their boat. They went jugging with some luck. Rocky's mom and Joe also came up for an hour or two. We had a lot of fun here. Rocky mounted the samll speakers that have been sitting loose (hooked up) in the dashboard to the rear ceiling. He then installed two new speakers in the doors where there have been open holes since day 1. We also picked up some walkie talkies with a 2 mile range.

GUN CREEK, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON REND LAKE, WHITTINGTON, IL

20 to 21 June, 2004. We found a site near the end of a road that looped into a small circle on the water's edge. We were pretty close to the water here and saw lots of boats driving by. This place was pretty quiet and peaceful. We did get a kick out of the poor weiner dog that struggled to throw its little body forward with such tiny little legs in order to keep up with the various family members who walked it. This was relax time so we did very little here that is noteworthy.

COLES CREEIK, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, CARLYLE, IL

18 to 19 June, 2004. . We found the showers and chose site 64 right next to them. We arrived here just as a potent thunderstorm rolled in. The hardest rainfall ocurred as I was standing outside the Entrance Station to pay (after choosing our site). I got completely soaked. It's a real drag having soaking wet shoes. This place is very active. There is a wide variety of motorhomes, 5th wheels, campers, pop-ups, trailers and tents here. Lots of kids, bicycles, scooters and roller blades. Two guys were riding around on minibikes with Harley Davidson gas tanks and cut-off Harley handlebars. Sailboats, pontoon boats and jet skis. There's a beach on the other end of the campground, playground equipment, even a small basketball court. It was interesting to watch the 16 year old kid across from us arrive at his family's trailer with a severe limp and then walk away with no limp at all. It's funny to observe how people try to illicit pity in others. Many owls can be hard here at night. Internet access is extremely bad hee, although we were able to get a poor signal at least some of the time. Our Verizon flip-phone works here for the first time in several weeks. Rocky painted (white) the propane tank and the guard beneath the valves. It looks a hundred times better. The main bathroom has push-button sinks, same as the place before. They are not very user-friendly.

FORREST W. BO WOOD, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON SHELBYVILLE LAKE, SHELBYVILLE, IL

17 June, 2004. The campsites are really packed together here. There were decent showers but the bathroom next to our site had no mirror and the sink was a push-button that you had to hold in to keep the water flowing. It was very poorly designed, considering it had actual plumbing in it. I spent most of the night with Jeremy and Katie. Katie drank several bottles of wine. Jeremy and I put away quite a few beers. I think we all drank more than we should have but we had a great time. Our internet access was on and off but we managed to get orders processed and packaged. The campground is right on the lake with boat access. We didn't spend much time here but we enjoyed it.

STARVED ROCK STATE PARK, UTICA, IL

16 June, 2004. Our site was littered with cut firewood, which I burned along with most of the wood from my parent's house. I ended up leaving a few large pieces for the nighboring family. We met Doug, a Canadian.who was running a Macintosh operating system on his 10 year old Newton hand-held computer. Very nice guy. He was camping with his family in a limited edition, pop-up, stretch campmobile (not Volkswagon). He said they got 30 miles to the gallon but we listened when he started it up and drove away and we have our dobts about its gas mileage. It may have gotten 30 miles to the gallon when it was new, 30 years ago. Our bus needs some work so we're limping our way back down to Southern Illinois. It seems to be a compression problem or something like that. Rocky replaced the spark plugs but we had to return the spark plug wires because they weren't long enough. The NAPA Supercomputer had made a mistake.

JOHNNY B'S PARENTS' HOUSE, MT. PROSPECT, IL

11 to 15 June, 2004. We simply couldn't handle the bugs along the Mississippi so we decided to head to my paren't house even though all of our supplies hadn't arrived yet. Mt dad grilled the most awesome steaks I've had ina long time. Then he made some of the best Jumbo Tempura Shrimp that I've ever had. My mom made her famous dumplings with chicken gravy to go along with the homemade chickem pot pies that Rocky made the night before. I defrosted the garage freezer and super-cleaned the refrigerator. Rocky cut a high, dead branch off the backyard tree. I took some of the larger wood for my next campfire. My brother, Matt came by for a visit with his new wife, Mary. Everyone likes Mary. Rocky took my mom to the flower shop in the bus. She loved it and was giving peace signs out the window. Rocky and I then visited my grandma just a few miles away. I'm glad we got a chance to show her the bus. I was also able to visit the Martin family, who I've been friends with since high school. The neighborhood looks great and everyone is fixing up the houses there. it was nice to spend some time there. We had a great visit and a great time.

ANDALUSIA SLOUGH, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, ANDALUSIA, IL

10 June, 2004. Total white trash here. This place is 16 campsites just off the main road. There is no electricity and one outhouse. At half price, the cost was $2. A few of the sites were totally flooded. We bought a 20 lb. bag of ice and turned on the swamp cooler. That lasted about an hour. We were so hot and miserable and getting eaten alive by mosquitos that we left after two hours. We went back into Moline and bought an air conditioner at Wal-Mart, along with a button kit so we could attach a piece of tarp to direct the cold air into the bus.

LOUD TUNDER FOREST PRESERVE CAMPGROUND, NEAR ANDALUSIA, IL

10 June, 2004. This place is just down the road from Andalusia Slough. We heard about it from a bartender in Rock Island (near Moline). It is a County Campground and they accepted The Golden Access Pass. I don't remember what it cost. We got an electric site and hooked up the air conditioner in the luggage rack. Worth every penny! We now carry around the air conditioner in the luggage rack, wrapped in the tarp that directs the air into the bus, and secured by bungee cords. This place was fun.

FISHERMAN'S CORNER, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, HAMPTON, IL

9 June, 2004. Immediately after we arrived, Rocky cut holes in the top of the our cooler, screwed in a computer fan that we bought at Radio Shack and a small vent and we had a swamp cooler 20 minutes later. It worked pretty good. We arrived here just before a huge storm came in. There was even a Tornado Warning at the campground and the Ranger advised everyone to seek shelter in the main brick bathroom. The tornado never came but it rained quite a bit. One of the neighbors left and gave me his firewood, which we burned, along with the 6 pieces of wood that I bought for $2. We watched some of the tug boats carry barges to Lock and Dam #14. There is also a neat little amphitheater here.

THOMPSON CAUSWAY, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, THOMPSON, IL

June 6 to 8, 2004. It was a nice drive south along Hwy 84. We saw the little town of Hanover and got some groceries. We passed the Mississippi Palisades SP near Savanna, IL. Thomson Causeway is on Spring Lake just north of Lock and Dam #13. Some of the campsites are on the island and some are on the edge of the river. We stayed in the Riverbirch loop, on the edge of the Mississippi. Our Verizon internet access is shakey to say the least. It seems we are connecting to a US Cellular tower sometimes, to Verizon's tower other times. The loop we are in only have vault toilets, but off on the island are showers and flush toilets. The showers are pushbutton and very hot. One of the nighbors left and gave me about 150-200 lbs. of some great firewood. Some of the pieces were huge, un-split logs. I spent a whole day burning it all away. It was about 92 degrees that day. We met Craig and Susan who had 2 dachsunds named Rocky and Nicky, that loved their Radio Flyer Wagon, sheltered by 2 watermelon-pattern umbrellas. Craig was embarrassed to pull them around. It was pretty funny. They had just bought a collapsible boat (collapses into 4 inches wide, full boat length) that was designed to handle a 3 to 4 HP engine. Thjey had a 5 HP engine and it worked fine on their maiden voyage.

BLANDING LANDING, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, BLANDING, IL

3 to 5 June, 2004. We took Highway 11 across Wisconsin and then dipped back into Illinois near the Mississippi River. It was a very nice drive. We had no problem getting an electric site here because, apparently, none ever comes here. Our site overlooks the Mississippi River, across a well manicured field of freshly cut grass. We saw a wild turkey, deer, an injured turtle and a cool frog in the area. Long, speeding freight trains constantly barrel past the campground- some of the sites are right next to the tracks. We're about 100 yards away. The birds have been very aggressive in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, nearly attacking us on several occasions. Also, the bees and wasps are still attracted the our bright orange home on wheels. The showers are pretty good here but no internet access. The campground host was planting flowers when we arrived and then we met Moon, the maintenance man, who also wants to travel the country.

Rocky painted the bumpers and is currently fixing the wheel well with fiberglass bondo. We may end up trading the bus for a boat. We went into Dubuque, Iowa to answer email and get laundry done. We also bought a new $20 Vivitar digital camera to add to the old $20 digital camera that was half the resolution. We lost many pictures on the other camera- it would reset itself before we had a chance to upload the pictures. Just crossing over the river renewed my desire to get a boat. We could literally float all the way down to New Orleans with little or no power. We ordered more CD mailers, CD sleeves, cigarettes (link at bottom of page for cheap cigarettes) and a external hard drive adapter which is all being sent to my parent's house in Mt. Prospect. With the adapter, we can hook up a 40 GB hard drive that we've been carrying around for the past three months. We're planning on staying at a campground in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where my grandmother and dad grew up. We'll probably head east once we re-supply, perhaps taking the ferry across Lake Michigan and then heading to Maine. We'll see.

RL. So I called AT&T because they messaged me that my account was low, after only using the phone for about 25 min., total. I spoke on a payphone here at the campground to at least three different customer service persons. Since I could not understand any of their middle eastern accents, and their refusal to let me speak to someone in the US, I will take my losses and move on to another company.

AT&T Prepaid Cellular
BAD

I do like the whole prepaid services the cellular telephone companies have been coming out with. We still have our Verizon Prepaid, but it only works in non pcs areas.

June 6, 2004, RL 7:30am, Woke up, made some coffee, I think I will wait untill the sun is completely up before I remove the tarp (Living Room). Its a pretty day. We will be heading to Thomson Causeway today........

PATTY' B'S GRADUATION PARTY, PEWAUKEE, WI and RICHARD BONG RECREATION AREA, SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN

29 May to 2 June, 2004. We drove from Johnny B's parent's house to Richard Bong Recreation Area. Got a primitive site for the night (all the electric sites were reserved), and then drove to Johnny B's sister, Patty's house. Patty, and her husband, Dave, have three great kids. Dave's sister, Nancy, was also there who Johnny B knew from his Air Force days. Nancy was also in the Air Force. Everyone, save a couple, loved the bus! Johnny B's goal, to show the family the bus, had been met! There was tons of beer and great food, especially the bratwurst. We ended up taking a few brats back to the campground with some other goodies. I met Ron and his wife Jan, both who had been neighbors of Johnny B's family growing up. Ron owns a 36' powerboat, and since we are looking to get a boat, we had lots of quesitons. Ron also guilt tripped me into waxing the van, which I did the next day. It looks a hundred times better now. They also own a very cool van which we sat around in and had a great conversation. The whole thing was very surreal, suburbia at its climax. Chuck and Matt showed up, Mary Jane stayed home a little ill. Patty, Dave and the kids moved back to Georgia a couple of days after the party.

We finally left about 10:30 and went back to Bong. As we pulled up to our site, we were pleasantly surprised at our new neighbors. There were three guys and a girl who were out camping for the weekend. PARTIERS! Johnny B stayed up and drank with them as they piled wood on the fire. We did some bartering and even had a little fun. After two nights, we got an electric site for the next three nights. We had some more fun with a local there. Lots of playful chipmunks here and apparently, no dangerous animals at all (although there are poisonous snakes evrywhere). The campground is very nice, with extrememly hot showers (the push-button type) and lots of water surrounding the area. We also got internet access there. The prinitive site cost $10 / night, the electric site was $15 / night- a little pricey compared to what we're used to. Also, we had to buy a sticker for $20 and attach it to the windshield to camp in any Wisconsin State Park. Bong cost us $85 for five nights but it was lots of fun.

Both of our cell phones are now roaming! Whats the deal? We are supposed to have service with both AT&T and Verizon.

JOHNNY B's FAMILY, MT. PROSPECT, IL

27 to 28 May, 2004. We spent all day driving, arriving just before dark at Johnny B's parents' house. The Des Plaines River had just crested and there was a lot of flood damage in the area but Johnny B's parents were spared of any damage. They have done a lot of work on the house recently- a new deck out back, new carpet, flower gardens, a newly sealcoated driveway, ect. I always like visiting with Chuck and Mary Jane. Johnny B's mom and dad are always very generous. Everyone has always liked Chuck and Mary Jane. Johnny B's dad also surprised us with Brown's Chicken, which Johnny B was hoping for. Maggie, Mary Jane's King Charles Cocker Spaniel still fetches the frisbee and fills the inside of it with her toys. This dog should be on America's Funniest Animals.

The next day, we got some work done, then spent the evening with Matt, Johnny B's brother, and his new wife, Mary. We stayed untill 1am, and had a blast. Matt gave us the heavy leather jacket that saved his life when he wiped out on a motorcycle many years ago, a hemp hoodie, which we use frequently, a rain jacket that we also use and a Brita pitcher that filters water which we now use every day. Rocky has started a photo study of the Brita filter (since what is deemed acceptable drinking water varies from campground to campground)- so far so good. EPA standards have lowered considerably during the current administration so there is more cause to be concerned with the water. They were all very useful and thoughtful gifts. Thanks Matt.

Matt and Mary had slipped into Vegas to get married by Elvis shortly after we left Nevada back in March.

SOUTH SANDUSKY, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, REND LAKE, IL

26 May, 2004. There are many large flying insects here but they don't seem to interested in our blood. We're camping in the Redbud Loop and there's only one other camper in this section got the whole place to ourselves. We arrived just before dark and another round of thunderstorms. Rocky went to sleep shortly after we arrived and I decided to catch up on the blogs. The showers here are the push-button type but quite nice. Didn't do much here, just needed to rest before the drive to the Chicago area.

ROCKY'S FAMILY, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

25 May, 2004. We took the ferry across from Tennessee to Cave-in-Rock, Illinois and proceeded toward Herrin. We met up with Rocky's cousin, Michelle, her best friend, Lynn (both of who I knew and liked from years past), Lynn's 2 boys and the other 2 people living in their house. We parked the bus in the back just before a severe thunderstorm, complete with hail, dangerously close lightning and very high winds.. Lynn brought us out a pot of coffee at about 6:30 am and we were able to get showers in the house. We then went and visited Rocky's brother, Jody and his wife, Becky. We all stopped at The Polar Whip (it's been there forever) for cheap soy burgers on our way to Rocky's mom's house. She lives on 80 acres with a 10-acre pasture for 4 horses. She showed us her vehicles and we showed her ours. Joe came home and the 6 of us hung out for awhile. Jody and Becky had to go because their kids were getting off school soon and we left a little while after that. We then visited Rocky's dad at the house where Rocky lived as a kid. He offered to buy us dinner but we were still full on burgers. We hung out for awhile and then he gave us some very cool Teamster shirts. We eventually had to head toward Rend Lake before it got dark and also to beat the next round of thunderstorms.

LONG BRANCH, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUND, CENTERHILL DAM, TN

24 May, 2004. If the dam breaks, we are the first to go. The guy in the entrance both selected our site and put us right next to the showers, within watching distance of the entrance booth and away from all the other campers. I think he thought we might be trouble. But it was an arrangement we were happy with. There was even some leftover wood for me to burn. The pad we parked on was nice- large and smooth. But you had to cross through long grass to get to the bathroom- no walkway at all, just a parking lot on the opposite side that was a long walk around. We snapped a few pictures but our crappy little $20 digital camera reset itself and we lost them. We met up with Rocky's cousin, Monica, in Clarksville, Tennessee. We hung out with her in the parking lot at McDonald's for nearly an hour before moving on. It just so happened that she was taking the afternoon off from work. I'd never met her before. Rocky tried to talk her into meeting up with us in Chicago and going to Canada with us since her Canada vacation got canceled. The timing is actually feasible. She's getting married soon.

MCKASKEY CREEK CAMPGROUND, ALLATOONA LAKE, GA

23 May, 2004. I turned 38 today (Johnny B). When the six pack of beer came up within the groceries, the very nice woman at the register told me "Sorry suga, no beer on Sundays. This ain't South Carolina you know?" So the state of Georgia denied me beer on my birthday- oh well. Although I won't forget the Sunday liquor law, we probably won't be back in Georgia any time soon anyway. We came across whole towns throughout Georgia that seemed to be deserted- big towns. It was a first hand look at our wonderful economy. We picked a great site, right on the lake, with firewood that was left there. The crickets, locusts, birds and kids were pretty loud but the $4.99 electric fan from Big Lots also serves to provide some white noise for sleeping. The showers here are pretty good.

GEORGIA VETERANS MEMORIAL CAMPGROUND, GA

22 May, 2004. Ther are many sites here and we got the last one avalable. There are large guns, armored vehicles and aircraft on display. Also, it's right on a lake. A 39 year old man drowned in the lake 2 hours before we arrived. There are lakeside sites which you can launch a boat from and many families here. There are also lots of young people. If we had more time, this place could be a lot of fun. Here we paid full price $20+.

CLEARWATER LAKE RECREATION AREA, OCALA NATIONAL FOREST, FL

21 May, 2004. There was a husband, wife and son running this campground. The husband squeezed between the bus and the entrance booth as the wife was checking us in. It was difficult to understand him while the wife struggled with the computer and her eyes. I thought we were foing to crush his toes as we slowly crept forward after finalizing the check-in. We met a couple of guys from a nearby town who we partied with. They rode their bicycles into town and only Kurt came back. He had been at the campground for a few weeks and was basically getting away from the two women, and their kids, in his life. The reason he rode his bike into town every day was to see a third woman. I tried to wake him up for work the next morning while his alarm was beeping away but he still hadn't gotten up by the time we left.

BACK TO MICHAEL, NATALIE AND ROXANNE'S HOUSE, FORT PIERCE, FL

19-20 May, 2004. Michael made jerked chicken on the barbeque. It was awesome. I spent more time at the beach and collected a bag of shells for my mom. I literally stumbled across one really good whelk shell that nearly cut my foot open. Rocky helped Michael with some computer stuff and we watched Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets on DVD. It was nice to see them again on our way back up Florida. We regret that Gail was too far off-course for us to re-visit as we bagun our beeline to the Chicago area.

JOHN'S HOUSE, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL

16-19 May, 2004. John is also a very good friend of ours who was our business partner when we first started selling on ebay. Ed joined us early in the process and is still working with John. They sell on ebay, have a website and go to many (retail seller) shows in Las Vegas, Chicago and other cities. They visited us in Las Vegas while we were living there. It was nice to sit on John's couch all day, in the air conditioning, for "Stargate Monday" on the Sci-Fi Channel and eat real food. John and Ed are great friends and would sell the shirts off their back for us. John is also a great bartender- well known and well liked in the Fort Lauderdale area. We have many great friends in Florida. We may go out to dinner tonight. We're planning on heading north tomorrow, towards my sister's house in Wisconsin for her graduation party on the 29th, and visiting the rest of my family in the Chicago area as well as Rocky's family in Southern Illinois. We're looking forward to visting Michael, Natalie, Roxanne and Gail on our way north, as well as camping in some more State Parks we haven't visited yet.

(Next Day) We ate at home and had parmesan chicken, fresh butter-garlic spinach, stuffing and garlic bread. We were perectly happy to watch TV all day and stay at home instead of going out. Rocky and I used to live here. I stayed in the bus most of the afternoon working and we talked a little politics with John's computer guy. We even went to the DMV to get my driver's license renewed but the line was simply too long so we turned around and left.

RL.. So I got this Nokia phone at Johns. I called verizon, they were a no-go on the model. I called Cingular, they said I would have to come into one of there stores. I called AT&T, they turned me on for $25 with $.25 a min. So now we have two phones and two cell providers...p>

MICHAEL, NATALIE AND ROXANNE'S HOME, FORT PIERCE, FL

11-15 May, 2004. Rocky has known Michael and Natalie since he grew up in Southern Illinois. Roxanne is their daughter, who is now 12 years old. They've become very good friends of mine over the years. Shortly after we first moved to Florida (arriving on Christmas Morning, 1997), Michael donated 3 trucks for the Florida Red Ribbon (bicycle) Ride to support HIV / AIDS research. Rocky, Michael and I also donated 3 days of our time to drive the trucks. Also, when Rocky and I moved to Northern California, Michael, Natalie and Roxanne moved to Southern Oregon, just a short drive away. Rocky and I saw a UFO one evening during the drive to visit them in Medford, Oregon. They are now managing the White Caps Motel / Apartment complex on Fort Pierce Beach. There's a bar / restaurant right next door called Archies. We had fresh fish there one day and awesome barbeque ribs (cooked by Pete, one of the tenants at White Caps) another day. I spent every evening at the beach. I love the beach! We had a great time with them and hope to stop back by on our way out of Florida.

GAIL'S HOUSE, ZEPHYRHILLS, FL

8-10 May, 2004. We've known Gail since 1998, when we first moved from Denver, Colorado to Tampa, Florida. We arrived at noon and Gail handed me a beer right away. She has many great neighbors who we hung out with until about 1 a.m. that night. Our friends, Bob and Rich (who we also met in 1998) came over for a dinner party the next day and we had a great time talking about old times (relatively speaking). Gail's a great cook and we ate like kings for 2 days. Gail also lived with us in Fortuna and Crescent City, California. We're going to try our best to stop back by on our way back up Florida, after visiting with our friends in Fort Pierce and Fort Lauderdale. It's nice to have good friends to visit when you're traveling across the country.

MANATEE SPRINGS STATE PARK, CHIEFLAND, FL

7 May, 2004. We had to fight to get half price here too but they were much nicer. Deer and armadillo came right into the campsite- apparently, they get fed by the campers here. There were also very bold racoons. This place was like returning to the south (very heavy accents). The manatees come here in the winter and there is a crystal clear spring which we didn't visit. The showers were pretty good. No Verizon signal. This was another in-and-out campground, we're trying to make miles this week.

ST. ANDREWS STATE PARK, PANAMA CITY, FL

Rocky

6 May, 2004. We had to fight to get half price here too. These people act like they've never seen a Golden Access Pass. They were very disorganized and borderlined on rude. Apparently, this place has one of the best beaches in Florida but we were unimpressed. However, the bathroom here was one of the nicest and most modern. You could actually get dressed after a shower with very little acrobatics. Many showers we've encountered don't seem to accommodate actually getting dressed afterwards. There was a group of guys training for scuba diving who overran the bathroom at night and the next norning. They were going fresh wather diving the day we left and many of them were very nervous about it. We didn't spend much time here either.

GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE, FL

5 May, 2004. We traveled through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to get to Florida in one day.


Alabama

The beach here is awesome. The campground is strewn with trash. The bathrooms have showers but they're in pretty poor shape. We also had to fight to get half price, even with our Golden Access Pass and Florida drivers license's. Fort Pickens is here.



This is a fortress, begun in 1834 and built upon all the way through WWII. It is pretty impressive, with cannons positioned all around it. Troops trained here for all those years, awaiting attacks that never came. In other words, its historical significance is that nothing happened here. We didn't spend much time here because we're on a mission to get to Ft. Pierce, FL to resupply our CD mailers, sleeves and ink.

TRACY AND CLARICE'S HOUSE, SLIDELL, LA

3 to 4 May, 2004. We went back to Tracy and Clarice's house (the VW Van collectors) after leaving St. Bernard. We plugged in and slept in their driveway 2 more nights. We had 4 pounds of boiled and fried shrimp ($3.99 / lb.) for lunch. We built a bonfire in their backyard fire pit to celebrate Beltane (a May Day, full moon. fertility celebration). We also watched "Pirates of the Caribbean" on DVD. it was nice to sit in a living room and watch a movie. We've decided to head into Florida after we leave here (to visit our friend Gail in ZephyrHills, Michael, Natalie and Roxanne in Ft. Pierce and John in Ft. Lauderdale) and then head into Wisconsin by May 29 for my sister's graduation party. My whole family is apparently going to be there. I'll finally have a chance to distribute the "Burhop Family Photo CD" which I worked on for 3 months. I scanned in 1,050 family photos and slides from October through January.

ST. BERNARD STATE PARK, POYDRAS, LA

Kool Boat we saw between Slidell and St. Bernard

Melvin

27 April to 2 May, 2004. There are 12 foot alligators here! There are alligators at all the state parks in Louisiana but I hadn't seen any until today. Rocky saw a few the other day as we were driving. It blows my mind how close they are to the campsites. Melvin, who runs the maintenance crew gave me the grand tour.

I saw an 8 foot alligator but he assured me that there were 12 foot alligators here too. I got video of it coming across the water towards us but no still-shots to post (still working on that). We also found some perfectly ripe blackberries. My fingernail finally fell off today- I smashed it in the restroom door at Bog Springs around March 21. Jazzfest is going on in downtown New Orleans and many of the campers are here for just that. We're thinking real hard about heading into New Orleans for the fest on Saturday to see Santana but money and weather are major factors. I had a few beers around the bonfire with James (who races a VW beetle- apparently one of the fastest street-legal beetles in the U.S.), Todd, Dave (all 3 from Huntsville, Alabama), Manny, Lisa and "Mirror" and "Shilo" (Mirror and Shilo are modern day hippies).


Mirror

Mirror cuts coins into medallions and is extremely good at it, getting $45 for a silver dollar medallion.

Didn't make it to Jazz Fest. It poured rain on Saturday night. We had a bonfire until dawn at our site with James, Todd, Dave and Patrick (who is traveling on his Harley Davidson with his dog).

Patrick's dog has luxury accommodations in a sidecar-like trailer that hooks onto the Harley. Patrick also had a laptop with wireless internet. We copied some of Todd's CD's and made some copies of our CD's for Todd the next day. I thought the dragonflies were cool at St. Bernard. We also met Mary and her mother, Maria, wno were some fast-talking local women. mary offered to bring us a goose egg if we were still around the next day but we had checked out before she could bring it. The power was turned off just after we left St. Bernard to update the electric there and add more electric sites. The showers were adequate there but the pay phone had been removed by Bell South. Bell South is removing pay phone service from many of the Louisiana campgrounds, claiming that they're not profitable enough. We had lots of fun there.

FAIRVIEW-RIVERSIDE STATE PARK, MADISONVILLE, LA

Our Bus Behind Tracy and Clarice's Collection

Clarice, Tracy and Rocky at the Backyard Fire Pit

Tracy

Clarice, Tracy and Johny B

The Buses All Together

Clarice

Johnny B Through The Looking Glass

23 April to 25 April, 2004. This place has electricity, water, good showers and a lot of counter space around the sinks. We got an decent signal there. There are alligators there too. It rained several inches on Monday- some surrounding areas got as much as 10 inches of rain on Sunday alone! A nearby dam even broke.


We met Kathy who was a little down on her luck but was working and living at the campground. She brought over some crab from a nearby crawfish / crab boil and Rocky estimates that he ate $50 worth of crab (at restaurant prices). We also had an old friend stop by and had a great time. Early one evening, I walked less than a mile down the road to meet Kathy at a local bar but just as I got there, she was leaving for another job she got on the spot. It was nice to see her with renewed energy and income. I stayed at the bar (The Harbor?) anyway and had a great time.

26 April, 2004. We also met Tracy who was working in the entrance station. She collects VW buses with her roommate, Clarice. We totally hit it off with them. We went to their house on Monday afternoon, had some drinks and spent the night parked in their driveway. We ordered pizza and built a fire in their fire pit out back. We discovered that Clarice and Rocky have nearly the exact same idea- to open a VW bus oriented campground on the Mississippi River. We think they would be the perfect business partners. Tracy has administrative experience with the State Park system and both of them have construction, painting, and VW experience. Rocky and I are very excited about the new potential.

FONTAINEBLEAU STATE PARK, FONTAINEBLEAU, LA

Can You Believe We Found A Balcony To Hang On! JB and Homer

Rocky and Johnny B, Bourbon Street

Johnny B Near Bourbon Street Enjoying The Music

Homer and Lydia, Bourbon Street

Home

Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau Beach

Johnny B at Cafe Du Monde

Lydia and Homer Enjoying Beignets at Cafe Du Monde

16 April to 22 April, 2004. This place is on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain. Lake Pontchartrain Bridge is the longest bridge in the world (from what we've learned). This park has electric sites, showers, a pool that opens after Labor Day, a beach, and tall tall trees. It's a very nice place to camp. $12 with power and $10 without. We saw deer, mink, armadillos and lots of tree frogs. Homer (Ian) and Lydia showed up and we've been camping with them ever since. Racoons are everywhere and they really started freaking me out when they kept sneaking up to the campsite and surrounding us. When I think of racoons, I think of rabies. Lydia finally got her wish and sprayed one of them with the hose. The weather has been awesome here.

17 April, 2004
We went into New Orleans today with Homer and Lydia. Our first mission was to go find the MoveOn.org "Bake Back The White House" Bake Sale. We searched most of the Park area near Lake Pontchartrain, almost giving up a couple of times, but somehow we got Lydia on a mission! After having Ian check Yahoo Maps, we were able to make it. The sale consisted of a few people with their baked goods and great attitudes! And a great cause!

From the bake sale, we went to the French Quarter. We didn't know The French Quarter Fest was going on, but we went and there it was. We started at the Cafe Du Monde and had Coffee with Chicory and Beignets, Then shopping for those little Voodoo items you always somhow need, but can never find anywhere else. Then off we strolled to Bourbon St. to drink Hurricane after Hurricane....... We took lots of pics with our new $20 pen-sized digital camera!

Needless to say, the Fest was a blast!

We are still on the lookout for a houseboat and really liking Louisiana.

SAM HOUSTON JONES STATE PARK, LAKE CHARLES, LA

Lydia and Homer

Lydia

6 April to 15 April, 2004. It was nice to finally get across Texas into Louisiana. Every site here has electricity and clean water. There are also very hot showers here. Louisiana State Parks accept the National Parks Golden Access Pass so we're paying half price, $6 / night. You can collect dead and fallen wood here for bonfires. It was cold and rainy for the first week but the storms have passed and it's getting warmer. There are flocks of geese here that never shut up and will chase you and nip at you if you get too close. The geese even got one little boy on his...(well, you get the idea). There are also very bold squirrels here that have actually jumped in our van while we were in it. They, and the geese, are used to getting handouts here. The campground is surrounded by a pond / swamp and apparently, there are quite a few alligators lurking beneath it. We haven't seen any but other campers had. We keep expecting to hear a goose get pulled underwater by a hungry gator but from what we've learned, the gators are well fed on fish and don't bother with the very fat, very well fed geese or humans here. Most of the campers we've met here want to hunt and eat the squirrels (even more than eating the geese). There were many large crawfish boils going on during Easter weekend and everyone got their turn bringing us samples of their generations-old recipes. There are some true down home good old southern boys here.

We've met many cool people here, including Davie and Sandra who are in their 50's and members of a BDSM Club. They're actually some of the most normal people you'll ever meet. Davie's a wine drinker and Sandra doesn't drink alcohol at all. We hung out with them for the first few days and then moved to a tent site because all the developed sites were reserved for the Easter weekend. We were still camped near their RV and spent some more time with them. They just pulled out today but we may meet back up with them at Niblett's State Park a few miles west of here.

We also met James (Ol' Gator) and his girlfriend, Marie. They've got a rebel flag flying above their tiny tent but for them, it is merely a symbol of freedom and family history, nothing more. One of the geese got a good nip at James' four month old puppy. James was involved with Special Ops in the Army and did many undercover missions in Laos and Cambodia. He also did 7 years in prison for assaulting a Peace Officer but we won't go into that. We've spent several days with them and we're getting together for tacos and hamburgers later this afternoon. James is one of the most politically informed people I've met in the past year. He has many theories about the current state of our country, some of which we agree with. We also met Ian (Homer) and Lydia from Canada.

They've been on the road since August, 2001 in their Dodge Ram that they totally customized. We're going to meet them at Fountainebleau State Park on the other side of Louisiana and share a site with them. They're low on cash and we like to help whenever we can. We also had an old friend visit our site one evening and had a great time. We're having a lot of fun here.

RANCH MOTEL, DEL RIO, TX

4 April, 2004 (04/04/04). This place is a dump. $35 per night after taxes. There are other motels in town that look even worse. There are also more expensive motel chains in town that are probably a lot nicer but we're watching our money pretty closely. Rocky is fixing the shower with a pair of plyers like he does at practically every motel we stay at. They should pay us when we stay at these crappy motels. The cable has about 80 channels but the beds are hard and we had to get the owner to turn the heat back on. These motels never have remote controls for the TV- it makes clicking your way up to channel 60 or 70 a real hassle. I'm seeing weather reports of tornadoes in San Antonio so we definitely made the right decision to stay here tonight instead of heading into the San Antonio area. And we're getting orders processed here even though we don't have wireless internet service.

5 April, 2004. We slept at a rest stop... We are now just trying to cross Texas. Our attempts to find a campground here have been fruitless. They either don't have the envelopes to pay, or flooded so bad that they have no electric or water!

It's raining

Today, our goal is to make it across the Galveston Island Ferry! In the rain and high winds. The Bus catches a lot of wind under the luggage rack, the seal is missing. More rain. So we made it to the first island just west of Galveston, the van is all over the road. We stopped several times before to avoid the winds. Made it to the gulf and finally got to watch the waves again! Its been a long time in the desert.

The Galveston Island ferry was cool. There were rough seas, but we made it. We stayed at a Picnic Area just east of Galveston. Woke up and made our exit from Texas.

AMISTAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, TX

3 April, 2004. We never even found out if there were electrical sites at the Amistad National Recreation Area but we don't think so. Definitely no showers. Camping was $2 per night with our National Parks Pass (half price). We saw deer and jackelopes. No rattlesnakes, mountain lions or bears here. They had well constructed "developed" sites (cement picnic tables with an awning). We were cold all day driving to Amistad but it was warm when we got there just before sunset. This place is pretty far south, still near the Mexico border. We threw away lots of stuff and got more organized. It stormed pretty hard during the night and by 8 am, we were in a huge thunderstorm that blanketed nearly all of West Texas. The winds were gusting at 55 mph so we just got a hotel in Del Rio, 8 miles up highway 90, instead of battling the dangerous driving conditions.

MARFA, TX

2 April, 2004. If you ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere Texas, go see the Marfa Lights. They're focused, star-like lights that brighten and dim and sometimes even move past each other. Some of them are always in the same place. Apparently, researchers have gone to great lengths to associate the lights with traffic from highway 67 or the mica in the rocks but it just doesn't add up. Besides, the lights were first seen in rthe 1880's so traffic can be ruled out. We camped out at the Marfa Mystery Lights Viewing Area 9 miles east of town for free. One of the plaques informed us that it was local high school students who made the Viewing Area possible. it was well constructed with large bathrooms (no running water). The toilets were "recycling toilets" that composted the waste in the machinery below the building. There are also 3 mounted viewing binoculars set up for free. We're going to email someone there and recommend that they install a donation box. We would have donated a few bucks and I'm sure lots of other people would too.

Two beat-up buses packed with Mexican High School Students arrived. One bus was all boys and the other was all girls. We exchanged several "Buenos Noches" with some of the adult chaperones. I don't think any of them spoke any English. The kids were hootin' and hollerin' up a storm. It eventually drove all the other visitors away. They were having a riot, chanting what sounded like "Meeko, Meeko, Meeko" and then erupting into cheer. Flash cameras were going off like crazy whenever one of the lights would appear or brighten. They didn't stay very long. We saw lots of bikers (motorcyclists) pass through. It was very windy and cold. This is also where the movie "Giant" (starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson) was filmed. I think james Dean's fatal car accident happened here on highway 90 during the shooting of Giant. We also saw some Antelope. The area is surrounded by Antelope Valley. We had a blast there.

TRAVELODGE HOTEL, EL PASO, TX

1 April, 2004. We got a very nice room on the 7th floor for $45.99 (around $54 after an ouitrageous amount of taxes). There was coffee in the room, an ironing board, a hair dryer, a safe and very comfortable beds Oddly enough, the water in the our room (# 712) was too hot. It took several minutes, on full cold, for the showere to be bearable. Even the toilet water was uncomfortably hot. The room included a free 30-minute long distance phone call which I used to call my mom. It turns out that my brother went to Las Vegas, NV to get married less than a month after I left. Overall, we were pretty happy there. We also got a free shuttle to the walking bridge that leads in to Juarez, Mexico. 35 cents to cross the bridge. And the hotel will pick you up until Midnight. We took advantage of that too.

JUAREZ, MEXICO

1 April, 2004. We walked and walked and walked through Juarez. The Juarez Market was closed so we found a few bars and had a few beers. The 40 ouncers were $3, the 12 ouncers were $1.20 to $1.40 USD each. The traffic lights may as well not even exist there- no-one obeys them. People constantly run in front of cars and buses and the cars and buses are halfway into the intersection before the light changes. Lots of poeple missing limbs there. We got $16 dollar cartons of Marlboros (one per person with a $4.20 tax on each carton). Still a great deal (realtive to today's outrageous prices). After crossing back over the border, we went to a bar just a few blocks from our hotel. We had another old friend visit us at the hotel too and lots of fun again. We have plenty to smoke for the next week or two.

EL PASO, TX

31 March, 2004. El Paso is no fun to drive through. The closer you get to the border, the more it feels like you're already in Mexico. Just as you cross into El Paso from New Mexico, there is a great Welcome Center with hundreds of pamphlets and booklets detailing a large portion of Texas. We appreciate the frontage roads that run along the interstates in Texas cities since our microbus doesn't like to go over 60 mph. We almost stayed at the Franklin Mountains State Park but they wanted $3 per person just to enter the park and $8 to camp with no clean water available. Apparently, it's not much fun camping there anyway. But we were also told that it's a great place for bicyclists. So, instead of paying a total of $14 to camp there, we found the Robin Hood RV Park with full hookups for $15.

ROBIN HOOD RV PARK, EL PASO, TX

31 March, 2004. Robin Hood is also a trailer park community. We were the smallest camping vehicle there. They have a recreation / game room, hot tub, sauna and pool (the pool wasn't open but it looked pretty nice). On my first trip into the rec room, a woman invited me to play penny poker with them. They played every Wednesday and were trying to get their Saturday games going again. One of the men who was there boldly advised me the she "sucked at poker." He was just having fun but I thought it was pretty rude. Overall, they semed like a fun group but I was tired and politely declined their offer. We also had an old friend visit our little driveway-sized space and had lots of fun that night. The bathrooms were inside the rec center and the doors were locked at 11 pm. I was still drinking beer so I had to improvise. Granted, most people have bathrooms in their RV, but a simple bathroom should be available in any RV Park. Even the most primitive campsites offer at least an outhouse. The streets in the park were named things like Little John Lane, etc. It was friendly and fun.

CABALLO LAKE STATE PARK, NM

30 March, 2004. Caballo Lake State Park offers great views and remote, lakeside primitive campsites as well as sites with electricity. We decided on a primitive lakeside site and it was quite enjoyable. In fact, we found that New Mexico State Parks are among the nicest we've encountered. They have showers, modern plumbing and are well maintained. Prices average $8 for primitive, $10 for developed and $14 for electric sites.

HATCH, NM, CHILI CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

30 March, 2004. Hatch is a cool little town with only one motel ($50 per night). We picked up some chili peppers ($13.95 for an 18-inch bunch) to send to our families in Illinois. Apparently, there hasn't been a new crop of chilis in 2 years and they don't expect a crop next year either. We were told by a disgruntled chili store owner that several of the shops are actually getting their chilis from Mexico and that nearly all of the family-owned chili farms there were in peril due to immigrant Mexican workers replacing the traditional family workers. She also told us that Hatch chilis are the best because of the unique, rich soil in the area. We met some bicyclists from England who were put up at the motel by a local church. They were heading east to California and then flying to Hawaii. They averaged 50 miles per day and said that riding through El Paso was the most dangerous part of their journey because they had no choice but to ride along the interstate (I-10). We also got some more postcards to wallpaper the microbus.

ELEPHANT BUTTE STATE PARK, NM

29 March, 2004. More wind. From City of Rocks State Park, we took highway 61 to highway 152 over the Mimbres Mountains. The road is well paved and reaches over 8,200 feet at Emory Pass. The drive is well worth the effort with mountain forests and superb views. We encountered tiny patches of snow on the mountain and by 3 p.m., we were on the beach with our shirts off. It's nice to hear water crashing against the shore again at Elephant Butte, even if it is the Rio Grande. The water level is very low here too (as was Lake Mead), but it gave us a chance to camp out on Rattlesnake Island Beach. We got full bars on both the phone and internet. This park is just off I-25 near Truth or Consequences, NM. It is our first reminder that with water, come bugs. It was nice to have our own little beachfront property for $8 per night (checkout is 9 p.m. the following day!). The wind really picked up overnight and it got fairly cold but once the sun comes up, you're back to a warm beach setting. You can camp practically anywhere along the beach and there were many people fishing and eating the fish (not sure if I would recommend eating the fish out of here). There is a modern visitors center and 2 showers in the main bathroom.

CITY OF ROCKS STATE PARK, NM

28 March, 2004. We've been forgetting to date our entries but we began our trip at Lake Mead, NV on March 1, 2004. We'll try to keep the entries dated from now on. City of Rocks State Park was a nice surprise. In the middle of nowhere lies this outcropping of rocks. Wind and weather have carved the volcanic rocks into rows of massive monoliths (approximately 20 to 50 feet high). There are 52 campsites (10 of which are electric- the most boring in the park). Most of the other 42 sites are embedded within the rocks. If you like to climb around on rocks- this is the place. You can walk up into the rock and travel from one end of the park to the other with little effort. There are lots of little passages and balancing rocks throughout the park. There is a visitors center and the very friendly host there will insist that you sign the guestbook. There was a guy making arrowheads at the time and there's even a hands-on display of some antlers, bones, etc. They offer a free video about the park but we didn't watch it because we were too tired fighting the wind on the way in. New Mexico is Very Windy, and our microbus does not like the wind. There were apparently rattlesnakes abound but fortunately, we didn't encounter any here either. There is also a short scenic drive that overlooks the park. It got really cold at night but we encounter that almost everywhere we stay in the desert. No phone or internet signal.

ROCKHOUND STATE PARK, NM

(27 March, 2004) This campground was fairly boring as well. However, you can find (quoted from the AAA Guide) "agate, jasper, opal, chalcedony, quartz crystals and carnelian- and amethyst filled geodes in the rhyolitic matrix." We found some crystals. There is a shower but you have to push the button several times before it gets hot. The showers are in a modern bathroom with sinks and there is one other outhouse at the other end. There are also electric sites. The view west is pretty nice (very flat, aside from the small Florida Mountain Range) and there are a lot of barrel cacti that are also pretty cool. There is also a trail up the small mountain that borders the park. We didn't see any rattlesnakes but apparently they were there. We got a cell phone signal but no wireless internet.

DEMING, NM

(26 March, 2004) We stayed in a little motel called the Hacienda Motel. It was $22 per night for 2 people (exactly $24 with tax). Apparently room #20 had the best Television set. We were very impressed with the cable (Comedy Channel, History Channel, Discovery Channel, etc.)- better than some of the $60-$80 motels we stayed in. There was only one small bed but for the money, we were pretty happy with it. We even got the manager to give us a remote control for the TV with no deposit. The shower and tub were also cleaner than many of the more expensive motels we've stayed in over the past month. Deming has many of the small, cheap motels that we've been looking for, without success, throughout the southwest. We got a good signal, both phone and internet in Deming.

PONCHO VILLA STATE PARK, COLUMBUS, NM

(24 to 25 March, 2004) Be prepared to be bored! As far as historical entertainment, plan on about 20 minutes, maybe. This is where Poncho Villa crossed the Mexican border with about 1000 bandits and ran amok, killing a few amercans and getting a couple hundred of his own men killed. There is a visitors center, some restored relics and some remaining buildings from Camp Furlong. The Campground is on the site of Camp Furlong just accross the street from town. You could walk accross the town in less than 5 minutes. When we arrived, the main well for the town was down, and they were on their secondary pump. We were able to get a shower and some water the first day. The second day there was no water in the bathrooms, no shower, but the spigots worked. When the shower worked, it was awesome- it's handicapped accessible, you can sit down in the shower! We stopped and talked to the campground host who suggested that if we didn't need electric, to stay in the primitive tent area and save the 2 bucks for the developed sites, which come with their very own picnic table. So we spent $8 a day. Well worth it for the shower alone. The second day, we met a German couple biking there way from Florida to LA. They gave us a lot of good info on where to go in Texas, and we gave them a lot of good info on Arizona (and several maps). We had planned to stay longer, but without a shower, it was time to move on. We got a good phone and wireless internet signal here.

CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT, AZ

(23 March, 2004) Very cool rock formations here! It's called the "Land of the Standing-Up Rocks" and "Wonderland of Rocks." There are towering rock spires, massive stone columns, and balanced rocks weighing hundreds of tons. Getting there from Cochise Stronghold was easy, it was a short drive and we needed a break. We stayed in the campground at Bonita Canyon. There is a road up Bonita Canyon to Massai point, 6870 ft. There is a great view from there, well worth the mountain drive. You can see for miles, and the rocks go on forever. We weren't adventurous enough to hike down. They have free van service from the campground up to the top each morning and several trails down. The campground has water, no showers. No Verizon service at all. We also ran into another campmobile, early '80's. Dorthy and Glenn were from Michigan and traveling with two large dogs. We first met them in Coshise Stronghold, they chased us to Chiricahua. They were a lot of fun.

COCHISE STRONGHOLD, DRAGOON MOUNTAINS, JUST NORTH OF TOMBSTONE, AZ

(22 March, 2004) Get a really good map. We lucked out, I think. There are several miles of unpaved roads to get here. Nearing the campground, you cross four or five streams. The campground hosts had a large RV in there, but I have no idea how it got there! The bathrooms are outhouses, but there is potable water. This was the hiding place of the famous Apache leader and chief, Cochise. Again, a popular place for climbers, filled with a younger crowd in the unimproved campground.

BOG SPRINGS, MADERA CANYON, SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS, AZ

(21 March, 2004) We had just a ball at this campgound! First, on the road up there, there is a sign for camping that sends you down a dirt road and over a creek to...well, nowhere. We found some other people who told us that the campgound was just up the paved road we just got off. We headed that way only to find the "campground full" sign. So we cruised around to the host to beg. He said that there was someone who just left and we took that space. About an hour later, a family walked up and asked if they could share our spot! The campground host had sent them our way because we had the VW Pop-Up and were not going to use the tent space anyway. They were great. She was from Austrailia, He was from France, and the two girls had attributes of both. So another hour goes by and yet another carload of campers come up to ask if they could share. Even later that evening, a moterhome rolls up to share! We were one big happy family. Before all this, we had met the nicest lady from Hawaii. She is an attorney and when she comes to the mainland, feels the need to drive and drive. It was all just a hoot! The campground is primitive with outhouses- got a signal, no internet, phone worked. The sunset from just below the campground at the information pull-off is worth the wait, and the views of the mountains are just pristine. Here, the scare was all about Black Bears. This place is for bird nerds! I also saw the brightest meteor of my life.

MOLINO CAMPGROUND, CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST, AZ

(20 March, 2004) Most of the forest was closed due to mountain lions stalking humans. The campground was the only one open at the time. They were improving and adding new campsites while we were there. The bathrooms are still outhouses and there is no water, except for the stream. At just over 4000 feet, the saguaro cacti end and the campground is just above that. The road going up there is fillled with pull-offs for the views, and well worth checking out. We stayed in a brand new campsite that was wheelchair accessible. We didn't know it when we pulled in, but it was so new they hadn't put up the signs yet. We weren't able to get internet access, but the phone worked!

TUCSON, AZ

(18 to 19 March, 2004) In search of a cheap motel in Tucson, we drove all over the city. Here is a hint: they are all on Oracle Rd. The first night we stayed in what can only be descirbed as a crack motel. There are four or five within a three block area- the sothernmost ones look better. The next night we stayed in a different motel, and it was not quite as bad, but still not safe and not clean.

TORTILLA FLAT, AZ

(15 to 17 March, 2004) Just east of Phoenix lies Tortilla Flat, Arizona. The campground at Tortilla Flat is hosted by Kathy and Jim who have been here for 7 years. They are, like so many campground hosts we've encountered, very friendly and a lot of fun.

Tortilla Flat lies on the old Apache Trail. The USDA Forest Service campground is right across the street. Over 100 years ago, it was a stagecoach stop and hasn't grown since; population. 6. There is a General Store, Resturant / Bar (highly recomended for a beer or two and their world class Chili) and there's even a post office. The campground has no showers and they lock the gate at dark. It's closed from May 1 to October, but I would advise not to go during April- that's when the rattlesnakes start to appear! If you have ever wanted to experience the old west and maybe search for the Lost Dutchman's gold, this is the place.

Closer to Apache Junction is a State Park. Across the street from there is an old mining town- we did'nt go, looks like a tourist trap, but may be worth checking out.

We installed the Wilson Trucker Antenna here. The campground Host said there was no chance for a signal, and considering the terrain we didn't think so either. BUT, we were able to get a signal. We had to drive up the road a bit to actually make a call, but the signal is there and makes the antenna worth the cash. We were able to find it at a truck stop in Kingston, AZ, They had the adapter for the StarTac Phone, but not the Verizon Aircard. No Verizon service. We ended up going into Apache Junction to get a signal, very shaky, lots and lots of username errors. If you dont keep the conection alive, you will be dropped.

We also tried out the solar shower for the first time. It sounded like a dumb idea at the time, but glad we have it! At least we can wash our hair! We recommend baby wipes also!

FLAGSTAFF, AZ

(15 March, 2004) We only drove through, and regret not stopping for longer. It looks like a very quaint little town, for being an intersection of two Interstate Hwy's. From there we went south to Phoenix. We pulled off just north in Black Canyon, AZ. We ate lunch at the Four Bee's Resturant. It opens early and closes at 2pm. It's well worth pulling off the highway. If you are looking for a hotel in the Phoenix area, try the little hotel just south of the Four Bee's. They quoted us $40 a night. The cheapest thing we could find in Phoenix was the Best Western for $80. Our Verizon service was off and on at the hotel- we got a lot of username errors, but it did work.

GRAND CANYON, AZ

(14 March, 2004) Everything you have heard about The Grand Canyon is true. Now to plan your trip, drive in, take a look and move on. There are lots of places close enough to stop and get up close and personal with nature, without all the tourists. The signal there was off and on. We really didn't stay long enough to check it out. We gave up on staying in the campground because of the snow. March 8, 2004. We stayed in the Holiday Inn Express and after getting a full refund, we still felt ripped off! Lots of problems at that Hotel, something Holiday Inn should look into. Yes, we do have our comment card ready to send off. We left The Grand Canyon and took Hwy 180 into Flagstaff. The drive is awesome.

LAKE MOHAVE, NV

(12 to 13 March, 2004) We stayed at the National Parks Campground at the marina just east of Searchlight, AZ. There are pay showers located in the RV park. Not really worth staying more than a few days. No Verizon service.

RED ROCKS, NV

(9 to 11 March, 2004) This place is way primitive. The bathrooms are outhouses. The place is very well maintained with the most friendly campground host you will ever meet. The main attraction is the 13 mile drive loop around Red Rocks. Stop at the visitors center and see the desert tortoise habitat. Probably your only chance to see one. The campground is about two miles east, towards Vegas, from Red Rocks. Most of the campers are there to climb the rocks. Lots of young men with ropes, etc. This makes the campground almost empty during the day. No showers. No Verizon service.

LAKE MEAD, NV

(1 to 8 March, 2004) We stayed at three of the campgounds. Boulder Beach is more family friendly, it's mostly filled with the large rigs and a long stretch of beach. This is the closest campground to Hoover Dam. No showers. No Verizon service.

Las Vegas Bay campground is more secluded, especially since the water level has dropped 60 to 90 feet in Lake Mead. The Las Vegas Marina has moved. staying here, you will get a lot closer to the coyotes at night and some great hikes just a few steps away during the day. No showers. We did get a shaky Cell and Internet Verizon service.

The third campground was Callville Bay. We met some great folks there, but the campground host and some of the campers were not friendly, to say the least. Here they do have showers and laundry up by the overpriced store. No Verizon service.

LAS VEGAS, NV

Johnny B and Rocky with the Microbus, Durng Tiana's Visit, Las Vegas Parking Garage

(July, 2003 to February, 2004) On our way to Vegas, we crossed The Mohave Desert. At one point, there was a 50 mile stretch before arriving at a remote crossroad that had one of four gas stations open. I think it was about $5/gallon but everyone pays it because there is another 50 mile stretch after the gas station before any civilization at all. We had discovered too late that we hadn't even brought water with us for the trip but we were able to get drinks at the gas station. About 20 miles from Vegas, we saw a hitchhiker that was on his last leg. His bicycle got two flat tires so he threw it into the desert and started walking. When we finally picked him up, he informed us that he was just about ready to crawl into the desert to die. The Microbus was totally packed so we had to stuff him up against the back window in a small space that we had cleared. Apparently, the few cars that passed him during the previous hours simply drove on by without even acknowledging him. We got him into the next town, got him a jumbo Gatorade and gave him a few bucks for some food. he really wanted to stay in the hotel with us but we had done our share and he stunk really bad.

CRESCENT CITY, CA

Rocky took some great spiderweb images

Our backyard in Crescent City, California

The House we Rented With The New Road Out Front, Crescent City, California

Roxanne and Michael, Fern Canyon, California

Roxanne, Natalie and Michael, Fern Canyon Beach, California

Michael, Roxanne, Rocky and Johnny B, Fern Canyon, California

Michael, Roxanne and Johnny B, Fern Canyon, California

Roxanne and Natalie, Fern Canyon Beach, California

(June, 2002 to June, 2003) We had already decided to take this dumpy house out in the middle of nowhere near Crescent City before coming upon a For Rent sign in a yard on our way back. We called the number, they came out to show us the place and we were sold. We had $1,600 in his hands that night (1st and last months rent). This place had a $20,000 custom made kitchen with a central island, skylight, interchangeable stove tops, endless cupboards, cabinets and shelves that rolled out on ball bearings, a wine rack and much more. Even the master bedroom had sliding glass doors out to a side patio. A pellet stove in the living room (for heat, not cooking) kept the place warm and cozy. It was a corner lot with a two car garage. Very Nice. We told Gail that she would be cooking on a pellet stove and had her believing it was a dump. When we arrived with her, we swung open the large double doors of the main entrance and it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Michael, Natalie and Roxanne eventually arrived, staying with us for 2 weeks before moving to Medford, Oregon. It wasn't Ashland but there was nothing available in Ashland that would work for them. We visited each other many times over the following months. The route to Medford ran along the Smith River which was the third cleanest river in the U.S. at the time. This was Redwood Territory. Rocky and I kept seeing this VW microbus along the route that was for sale. The price kept dropping so we finally called her and asked how much she had to get out of the vehicle. She said $1,000 which was our top offer so we met her the next day with cash and that's where we procured the Microbus.

FORTUNA, CA

(December, 2001 to May, 2002) We ended up getting a place in Fortuna, about 100 miles south of Crescent City. Our Friend, Gail, that we met in Florida, ended up moving in with us. This is where I decided to produce a Photo CD with Civil War pictures. I put 500 Civil War photos on CD and posted a Dutch Auction on ebay indicating 100 CD's available for $9.95 each with Free Shipping. To our surprise, we sold 47 CD's on that auction. So we began producing WWII CD's, then WWI, then Vietnam and Korea- all Public Domain images with no copyright restrictions. Our Photo CD business took off. Gail helped with the business and then moved to Crescent City with us 6 months later.

THE GRAND CANYON

The Grand Canyon, From The South Rim
Same Shot, Different Lighting
More Grand Canyon
Into The Canyon
Looking All The Way Across
More Grand Canyon
The Canyon That Is Grand
Johnny B at The Grand Canyon
Johnny B
Johnny B Calling His Parents From The Grand Canyon
Rocky, As The UFO Was Beaming Him Up

We arrived at The Grand Canyon pretty late in the day so we took a quick look, snapped some pictures and decided to find a hotel. On the way out, we witnessed some guy getting out of his car to hand feed a coyote that had wandered into the road. Ironically, a sign that warned visitors not to feed the dangerous wildlife was posted right beside him. He got lucky. We checked in to a Holiday Inn Express. That was not a good decision. We paid for two nights and ended up checking out after the first night due to some pretty major plumbing problems. They even refunded our money for the first night. You'd think that Holiday Inn would put one of their best flagship hotels at The Grand Canyon but that was certainly wasn't the case.