We had another year jam packed with adventures! We towed Venture 6,471 miles and filled in some of the holes in the northwest in our "States Visited" map. Along the way we got to spend time with cherished family and friends. It was a very good year.
Happy New Year to everyone! We wish peace and joy in 2011 to the whole world.
Happy New Year to everyone! We wish peace and joy in 2011 to the whole world.
Yellow pins indicate our overnight stopping points in 2010.
The pink markers indicate some of our plans for 2011.
The pink markers indicate some of our plans for 2011.
Here's our annual letter:
We are still on the road, and still enjoying our full-time travel adventures. We've seen some awe-inspiring sights this year and visited with family and friends along the way.
This year we decided to fill in the hole in the northwest in our States Visited map. In April, when the azaleas were in bloom in East Texas, we celebrated Carol's 70th birthday, along with family members we hadn't seen for some time. After spending some time visiting Ed's family and getting to know the newest member, Jesse, we started west on I-10 to Phoenix, where we visited Jan. Next we drove north to the spectacular Sedona Red Rock Country. We boondocked on national forest land overlooking a canyon, enjoying the immense quiet and dark skies and wonderful vistas.
Then we drove over to Las Vegas to visit Jeff and his friend Tiffinie. Rebecca and her friend Troy came over from Southern California for lunch with us too.
At the end of May we joined our friends Dennis and Cheryl in St. George, Utah. While we were there we got together with Joe and Chris Viers, also members of the Ramblin' Rogues we had gotten to know dancing in Mission Viejo. Then Dennis and Cheryl and Ken and I set out on a 2 1/2 week tour of Utah national parks. We went to Bryce and Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Escalante Grand Staircase and Capitol Reef and Arches and Canyonlands and places in between.
Then on to Salt Lake City, where we visited Temple Square and the Great Salt Lake before heading north to Grand Teton National Park. Wow, what a place! From there we went to Yellowstone National Park, a place I'd wanted to see since I was a kid. Even better, Chris and Annie joined us for a week and then Rebecca and Cathy and Troy came for a few days.
We saw bison and grizzly bears and wolves and antelope and beaver and yellow bellied marmots and more bison and lots of birds. We saw waterfalls and thermal features of all kinds. One of the most impressive sights was Grand Geyser erupting. We'll never think of the solid earth beneath our feet in quite the same way again.
Then it was on to the Black Hills and the Badlands,in South Dakota, where we met some square dancing friends from the Rio Grande Valley, Jan and Steve, who took us around and showed us the sights. On our way south from there, we got together with our mutual friends, Hardy and Judy, near Pueblo, Colorado.
We stayed near Abiquiu, where Georgia O'Keeffe painted, and visited Taos and Santa Fe, but mostly we relaxed at the campground overlooking Abiquiu Lake. Then we headed back to Texas, visiting Ed and family again and going to Tyler to see Dick and Carol and Debbie's family.
One special experience we had was volunteering at the Escapees CARE Center in Livingston, TX, for the month of October. CARE stands for "Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees." It's a unique assisted living type situation, but everyone lives in their own RV. We made new friends among our fellow volunteers (kind of like being in the trenches together), enjoyed working with the staff, and got to know a great group of residents.
By now it was November and colder weather sent us south, to the Rio Grande Valley, where we are again spending the winter, staying warm, square dancing, and enjoying friends.
Our travels took us 6,471 miles towing Venture this year, just under half of what we did last year, but with just as many adventures.
If you'd like to see photos and check out our route, you can visit our blog at rvkenandlee.blogspot.com
We hope that 2011 will bring you hope and health and happiness and lots of new adventures. We miss you and we'd love to hear from you anytime.
We are still on the road, and still enjoying our full-time travel adventures. We've seen some awe-inspiring sights this year and visited with family and friends along the way.
This year we decided to fill in the hole in the northwest in our States Visited map. In April, when the azaleas were in bloom in East Texas, we celebrated Carol's 70th birthday, along with family members we hadn't seen for some time. After spending some time visiting Ed's family and getting to know the newest member, Jesse, we started west on I-10 to Phoenix, where we visited Jan. Next we drove north to the spectacular Sedona Red Rock Country. We boondocked on national forest land overlooking a canyon, enjoying the immense quiet and dark skies and wonderful vistas.
Then we drove over to Las Vegas to visit Jeff and his friend Tiffinie. Rebecca and her friend Troy came over from Southern California for lunch with us too.
At the end of May we joined our friends Dennis and Cheryl in St. George, Utah. While we were there we got together with Joe and Chris Viers, also members of the Ramblin' Rogues we had gotten to know dancing in Mission Viejo. Then Dennis and Cheryl and Ken and I set out on a 2 1/2 week tour of Utah national parks. We went to Bryce and Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Escalante Grand Staircase and Capitol Reef and Arches and Canyonlands and places in between.
Then on to Salt Lake City, where we visited Temple Square and the Great Salt Lake before heading north to Grand Teton National Park. Wow, what a place! From there we went to Yellowstone National Park, a place I'd wanted to see since I was a kid. Even better, Chris and Annie joined us for a week and then Rebecca and Cathy and Troy came for a few days.
We saw bison and grizzly bears and wolves and antelope and beaver and yellow bellied marmots and more bison and lots of birds. We saw waterfalls and thermal features of all kinds. One of the most impressive sights was Grand Geyser erupting. We'll never think of the solid earth beneath our feet in quite the same way again.
Then it was on to the Black Hills and the Badlands,in South Dakota, where we met some square dancing friends from the Rio Grande Valley, Jan and Steve, who took us around and showed us the sights. On our way south from there, we got together with our mutual friends, Hardy and Judy, near Pueblo, Colorado.
We stayed near Abiquiu, where Georgia O'Keeffe painted, and visited Taos and Santa Fe, but mostly we relaxed at the campground overlooking Abiquiu Lake. Then we headed back to Texas, visiting Ed and family again and going to Tyler to see Dick and Carol and Debbie's family.
One special experience we had was volunteering at the Escapees CARE Center in Livingston, TX, for the month of October. CARE stands for "Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees." It's a unique assisted living type situation, but everyone lives in their own RV. We made new friends among our fellow volunteers (kind of like being in the trenches together), enjoyed working with the staff, and got to know a great group of residents.
By now it was November and colder weather sent us south, to the Rio Grande Valley, where we are again spending the winter, staying warm, square dancing, and enjoying friends.
Our travels took us 6,471 miles towing Venture this year, just under half of what we did last year, but with just as many adventures.
If you'd like to see photos and check out our route, you can visit our blog at rvkenandlee.blogspot.com
We hope that 2011 will bring you hope and health and happiness and lots of new adventures. We miss you and we'd love to hear from you anytime.
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