To our Family and Friends around the world.  We hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and that 2011 turns out to be a great year for you.

We are so thankful that we were able to visit with many of you during our first year of traveling around this great country.  We know we missed some of you, but we are looking forward to catching up with you soon.  So, now you've been warned!! We may be in your area soon.

We are having a wonderful time with our new lifestyle and have found that it's better than we imagined.  The  wonderful family and friends that we have been able to visit is the reason why.

Bill and Heather are doing great.  Heather had to be evacuated out of Mexico because of the troubles, but she is doing fine in Oklahoma near her family and Bill gets to visit often.  Bill will be in Monterrey, Mexico until May.  He and Heather are very much looking forward to their next two years in Bogota, Columbia.  Bill will be working at the Embassy there and it was #2 on their wish list of places to be sent.  Heather will be able to continue her job using the phone and internet.  They are wonderful people and we are so lucky to be in their lives.  We will spend some time with them this summer while they are in the US during their transition time between Mexico and Columbia.


Pilot, our greyhound, is still in the "adjusting" stage living like a gypsy.  He's very picky about his campgrounds.  Some he loves and, some, he hates.  He really needs to get over it. 

You can see what we've been up to and where we have been by reading this blog, just scroll down and read until you can't take anymore.

Please stay in touch with us through our email.  All the best and with love and hope for a wonderful 2011 for you and yours.  Alex and Chris

Yes, You Can Go Home Again

We headed to Fort Lauderdale a few weeks ago to visit family and old high school friends.  Alex and Chris have many mutual friends in the area so we were excited to see them.  We had not seen some of our friends in a very long, over due time. 

We had many breakfasts, lunches and dinners with our family and friends.  We got a few pictures and, as usual, we missed a few special friends and family since we forgot the CAMERA.  When will we learn?

While in the area we stayed at a Broward County Park right in the middle of where everyone lived.  It was very convenient for us.  Easterlin Park is a small park geared toward picnics, Frisbee golf, and is an oasis in the middle of a very busy city.  It is a Designated Urban Wilderness Area.  The campground was one of the best we have been to.  Except for the loud traffic noise and the train track about 300 feet away, which we got use to after a week there, this was a wonderful place.  It felt like we were in an old Florida jungle.  http://www.broward.org/Parks/EasterlinPark/Pages/Default.aspx    Large space, $40.00 a night for out of county residents, and very close to I-95, hence the traffic noise. 

Alex got to play tennis with his brother Bruce a few times and Bruce invited us to a great Mexican dinner with his friend, Jenny, and his beautiful daughter and our niece, Laura.  It was great to meet Jenny and to see Laura, who is glowing and thriving in Florida.

We also got to see Chris' sister, Poco and her husband Rob a few more times.   When our niece, Bridget, came home from American University, where she is going for her Masters, we got to see her.  She is a special, smart, sweet and lovely young women.  We were glad they came for dinner at our place. 

We want to thank Rusty and Sandy for the lovely dinner at their house that had just been decorated for Christmas.  Rusty went to high school with Alex, and Sandy went to high school with Chris.  It was great catching up with them and hearing about their 5 beautiful grandchildren.  It's funny to think back to all those years in high school together and now they have 5 grandchildren.  Where does the time go!

Just last weekend we had dinner with Paty and John at their "ranch".  They have 20 acres and they have built on and added to the ranch over the years.  The place is spectacular.  Yes, that's right, spectacular.  It's a beautiful home and we were so happy to see it at Christmas.  Paty must have had a 12 to 14 foot Christmas tree up and she had decorated it herself.  Her "White Christmas" tree was beautiful.  Chris and Paty went to high school together and later were roommates.  Paty talked us into spending the night so the two of them stayed up late talking about the old times.  It was a special evening.  Thanks you guys!

We got to see two of Chris' best friends from the old days, Sandy and Denise.  Denise had some family situations to take care of so we only got to see her for one day, but it was like old times and we caught up pretty quickly over breakfast at our place.  Sandy came for dinner and Chris spent some time with her out and about the town.  Sandy is getting ready to make some changes in her life and we are excited for her.  She is a wonderful friend to both Chris and Alex. 

We had a wonderful time in South Florida and it meant so much to us the effort everyone made to visit with us and go out of their way to be with us during this busy time of year.  Yes, you can go home again and it felt like home.  Thanks everyone.  We will be back soon. 

Pictures of just a few of our family and friends.  Click the link, select slide show, hit F-11 and let it load up.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/FloridaFriends?authkey=Gv1sRgCIGxjprahdfP0wE#

More Pics of Paty's Ranch

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/PatySRanch?authkey=Gv1sRgCLT1lp_M_rGlzwE#

Rainbow Springs State Park, FL

While in Yankeetown, we went to Rainbow Springs State Park for a couple of hours. 

http://www.floridastateparks.org/rainbowsprings/photogallery.cfm?pagenum=1


It's a nice little park where the headwaters of the Rainbow River start.  "Rainbow" must refer to the color of the water in the river.  Stunning.  The park use to be an amusement park with a small zoo, gardens and rides.  The water falls in the park are from the old amusement park and are man made.  The water for the falls comes from the river. 

http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS314US324&q=photos+of+rainbow+springs+state+park&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=Fk0KTbv0B8XHnAeL-fGCDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQsAQwAA&biw=757&bih=319

Of all days, Chris forgot the camera.  UGH     So take a look at the photos on the above link and the State Park page.  You might have to enlarge some of the pictures to see the color of the river.  If you are in the area, this Park is worth a half a day of your time.

Cedar Key and Yankeetown, Florida

Thanksgiving for us was in Yankeetown, Florida where Chris' sister, Poco and her husband, Rob, have a cute vacation cottage.  We had a wonderful dinner with them and Rob's mom, Jean.  It was a quiet day with a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. The kind where everything turns out just right and tastes so good that everyone overeats and then complains about it the rest of the day.  YUM.  

We stayed in Yankeetown at a little Marina on the river.  It was small and a little tight, but had a certain old Florida charm that is hard to find in Florida anymore.  http://www.bmarinacampground.net/

While there we ventured north 30 miles to Cedar Key for a day.  We both agreed that Cedar Key reminded us of the Key West of our youth, 40+ years ago. 

Here are pics of Cedar Key, B's Marina and sunsets from Yankeetown.  A nice way to spend a week.
 http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/CedarKeyAndYankeetown?authkey=Gv1sRgCILhitqmmauVBg#

Falling Rivers State Park and Great Oaks Plantation

We went to visit Marianna, Florida, where Chris lived when she was a little girl.  Her father was a flight simulator instructor at an Air Force Base there in the fifties.

We stayed about 30 miles away at Falling Rivers State Park.  It's a small park but it packs a lot in.  For one, they have SINKHOLES!!!  Cool.   The campground was comfortable under trees with lots of spanish moss.  It brought back many memories for Chris.  We enjoyed walking the boardwalks around the sinkhole area.  Pictures below.

We went into Marianna and visited a few neighborhoods where Chris lived.  We think we found one of the houses she lived in. 

We then went toward a small town called Greenwood.  There, we found Great Oaks Plantation.  Chris lived there when she was very little.  However, when she lived there, the Plantation had not been restored as it is now and was a bit of a mess, but her parents must have found it interesting. Chris, and her sister, Poco, sure had fun running around the place.  The pictures below tell a story, and in one, there is a picture of Mrs. Reese.  She and her husband are responsible for the restoration.  She is a lovely, gentle, southern lady.  Chris had a nice talk with her about the house.  As usual, click the link, select "slide show" and hit F-11 on your computer to enlarge the screen. 

Pics of Sinkholes:  http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/FallingRiversStatePk02?authkey=Gv1sRgCL2DmrDgpqGeBA#

Pics of Great Oaks:  http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/GreatOaksPlantation?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWXre63jIigrgE#

Uwe and Geli in Destin, FL

Our last stop was in Destin, Florida.  We stayed at Destin Army Recreation Resort.  It's right on the bay and is a wonderful little place.  It has hotel rooms, chalets and a small RV park.  The RV park has full hookups, concrete pads and is very nice.  It's in a quiet neighborhood with nice walking and biking opportunities.  They also have a fishing guide with an awesome looking fishing boat, kayak and jet ski rentals.  Next time we go thru, we will try the jet ski.   We stayed for almost a week. 

Our neighbors next to us were Uwe and Geli from Germany, now living in Huntsville while Uwe works on a project here in the US.  Their daughter is going to a college in Huntsville.  They shipped over their nifty little European camper.  Geli uses it to do her errands in Huntsville, and when they can get away, they take off in this little camper. 

We very much enjoyed meeting them and wish we had more time together.  There is talk of another meeting in the future, either here in the US or in Germany.  Something to look forward to. 

Thanks Uwe and Geli, we will stay in touch!!!!

Mike and Becky's Beach House, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Still catching up.  While we were camped at MCAS Cherry Point last month, we visited with more squadron friends, Mike and Becky.  They invited us to an afternoon/evening at their beautiful beach house.  And Dina and JJ were there also.  We had visited with them in Virginia a few weeks earlier.  Mike, Becky, Dina and JJ were with us for the squadron reunion in Hawaii last July.

The day was great.  Took Pilot to the beach to show off how fast he can run, which of course, he wouldn't do and Chris took a header into the sand trying to get him to run.  Pretty funny.  She was very happy that no one had a camera to get it on film.

Here's some pics of the day and their house.  Click the link, select slide show and hit F-11.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/BeckyAndMikeSBeachHouse?authkey=Gv1sRgCJG1yIK2xoKtFQ#

Ruth and Jack!!!!

While we were in North Carolina last month, we stopped in Raleigh to visit with Jack and Ruth.  They are our old neighbors from our squadron days.  We had a few dinners with them and we went to their daughter's new home for dinner.  Jenne and Zack are newly married and are renovating their home in Raleigh. 

We have a picture of Jack and Ruth, but forgot the camera when we went to Jenne's. It was wonderful seeing all of them and brought back some great memories and laughs.

Iwakuni, Japan

While we were in Virgina, we were able to see our friends from the time we were stationed in Iwakuni, Japan.  We were there for 3 years and it was the best time we spent in the military.  Bob and Nancy Noxon, with their son, Josh and his wife, Caroline, along with nephew, Will, and John and Brenda Harris with their son, John all came by for dinner and drinks over the weekend.  Chris messed up the camera and the only pictures of the event are below.  Good friends from a long time ago.  We are lucky.  Click the link, select slide show and hit F-11.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/NoxonHarrisFamilies?authkey=Gv1sRgCMax1-Cxl7DRYw#

Squadron Friends

OK, we're still catching up the blog. Last month, on our way south, we stopped in Virgina to visit our good friends from our old squadron.  We had seen JJ and Dina Standford in Hawaii when we went there for our Squadron reunion.  (See the July 2010 entry).   We got to see them and Maggie Bachelor when they came to our campground in Stafford, VA.  We had a blast having them over for dinner.  Pictures below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/StanfordsMaggie?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmJgv3EwZHSjwE#

Red Bay, Alabama

From November 1st:     We are in Red Bay, Alabama getting some warranty work done on the coach at the Tiffin Repair Facility.  Mr. Tiffin has sold so many coaches in the last few years that this place is packed.  They do such good work that everyone comes here to get things repaired or to add things on their coaches.

Imagine, if you will, a big, busy Walmart parking lot, but with 40 and 45 foot motorhomes coming and going all day long.  Early in the morning they will call your cell phone and say "Can you come to bay #49?"  Well, you disconnect, pull the slides in and rush to get over to the bays.  You and about 20 other motorhomes at the same time.

It's an adventure that's for sure.  We feel very lucky that we don't have any big issues with the coach, just a few annoying things that needed to be fixed here.  We were able to get them done in the "Express Bay".  This is for small issues that can be done in 3 hours or less.  If you have more serious problems that will take more time, then you have to be put on a waiting list.  That list is 6 weeks out now at this point. 

We are not sure where we are headed, but it looks like Florida for a quick visit.

We are free from any obligation anywhere and we will be happy to be able to go wherever we want.
The plan for now is to head out west after the new year.  We plan on staying in the west for a year or two before coming back east.  We hope to slow down a little and take more time visiting and experiencing the local areas wherever we are.

We are waiting for one small piece of wood work and we should be out of here today, headed south.

Stay warm.

Gettysburg National Park

Gettysburg National Park took us a full day to see and appreciate.  It takes a lot of concentration, driving, walking, and for us,.....155 pictures.

If you go, you should go when the weather is agreeable.  I would not want to go there in the heat or the very cold.  Unless you are a Civil War buff, we would suggest two hours at least in the visitors center.  The Cyclorama exhibit should not be missed.  The history and restoration of the Cyclorama was very interesting itself.   After the visitors center we did the Auto Tour.  You can buy or rent audio tapes to listen to while driving.  Here's the National Park site for Gettysburg.   http://www.nps.gov/gett/

Alex and I were going to try and go through some of the pictures and explain each one in regards to the battle, however for your sake, we are going to post the best pictures and leave it at that.  Our hope is that if you haven't been there, the pictures will make you want to.   If you have been there, or you're a Civil War buff, then you will recognize some of the monuments and areas.  Keep an eye out for pictures of Little Round Top with Big Round Top next/behind it.  For those that don't know, Little Round Top is where the battle was decided and you will see pictures of those two hills.  Of course Little Round Top is the smaller.

Alex had gone to Gettysburg with his class when he was at Command and Staff School in Quantico back in the 80's.  They marched around and were given a close up tour and instruction of the battlefield.  I appreciated his explanation of the battle.  It was very sad and moving at times.  

As usual, click the link, select slide show, hit F-11 to enlarge.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/Gettysburg?authkey=Gv1sRgCM7x5YTOl72UqwE#

Jacobsburg State Park, PA

OK, so we will start to catch up after our computer problems.

Way back on September 23rd we went for a hike to Jacobsburg State Park in Pennsylvania.
http://www.stateparks.com/jacobsburg.html


The park has a lot going on.   It's an environmental education center, hiking trail and home of the Henry Rifle. http://www.henryrepeating.com/history.cfm

The Henry family lived here for many generations and some of the homes and buildings are part of the park and hike.  It's a beautiful area.  Nice day.  I'm very happy with these pictures.  It was an overcast day but the pictures turned out better than I thought they would.  Click the link below, select slideshow and F-11 to enlarge the screen.  Hope you like them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/JacobsburgFarmHike?authkey=Gv1sRgCK2w24blzbqALw#

Computers UGH

Alrighty.  Back online after a trying few weeks with computer problems.  I'll spare you the gory details.  It wasn't pretty.  We will work to catch up.  Coming up..... Gettysburg, Raleigh and crazy Marine Corps friends.  Later, Chris and Alex

Orchard Beach and Kennebunkport, Maine

We went to Orchard Beach on the recommendation of our campground host.  It's a popular family summer beach.  Lots of hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts. Streets full of coastal bungalows that can be rented for a week or more.  The beach has a perfect crescent shape and is 7 miles long.  Apparently, sandy beaches are rare in rocky Maine.  This one is ideal and the little town is charming.  The first set of pictures are of Orchard Beach.  Click the link below, select slide show and F-11 to enlarge. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/OrchardBeachMaine?authkey=Gv1sRgCKeg34nfyNm9mwE#

Another day we headed to Kennebunkport.  We ended up right in front of the Bush compound.  Wow, nice piece of real estate.  It must be something to sit on the ocean front porch of this place.  We then drove into the village of Kennebunkport.  They have a small, sandy/rocky beachfront.  It's lovely and the houses were just what you'd expect.  The picture to the left is of   Kennebunkport.  On the link below, the first 2 pictures are of the Bush place.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/KennebunkportMaine?authkey=Gv1sRgCIyQgYX7zfOC-gE#

We would recommend visiting both of these places.  They each have their own charm and both places are perfect for a picnic on the beach. 

Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine

Maine was everything we thought it would be, small, historical, beautiful towns and countryside.  Both of us grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida so we were enthralled with the architecture of the houses, buildings and barns.  Amazed that you can drive through any village where there are houses that are 200 years old and still occupied.

 We settled in the Bar Harbor area.  One afternoon we went to search out a restaurant for our required lobster dinner.  While the town of Bar Harbor itself might be lovely, there were people everywhere.  Being an old historical town there was little parking and it was difficult to just walk down the sidewalks with all the people.  You couldn't see the harbor very well, what with the huge Whale Watching ships blocking the views and coming and going constantly.  Hope the whales didn't mind all these ships coming out to watch them with a couple of hundred people on each ship!!   We couldn't figure out where all these folks came from. 

We had our lobster dinner and it was OK.  Tried to walk around down by the harbor, but one of the many huge whale watching ships had pulled in and people where pouring into the area.  We decided to head back to the campground and try another day. 

We figured out where all the people were coming from, when we went to Acadia National Park the next day.  We drove up to Cadillac Mountain, got out of the car and looked around.  There, in the harbor, were two huge cruise ships!  Now we knew where all the people came from.  The cruise ships kept coming the whole time we were there, so we didn't bother going back to Bar Harbor.  Apparently, this is cruise ship time and when they are not there, Bar Harbor is a nice place to visit.  It is geared toward the tourist.  We would describe Bar Harbor as the Key West of Maine

 Here's a great web page on Bar Harbor.  http://www.visitmaine.com/region/downeast/bar_harbor/   Don't let our experience stop anyone from going there.

The good thing was, Bar Harbor is not why we came to the area.  Acadia National Park was.  http://www.nps.gov/acad/      You can click on their photos, and you can find ours at the end of this post.

Acadia is the second most visited National Park in the country.  We can see why.  It is easily accessable and gives you some beautiful views of the coast of Maine and the surrounding area.  We will make the trip back to Maine and Acadia again.  It should not be missed.  Rather than go on and on.  Here are our pictures of our time there.

The first set of pics are of the entire area, Mount Desert Island, which encompasses Bar Harbor, Acadia and the rest of the island.  We drove around the island one day.  These are not pictures of Bar Harbor or Acadia, just pics of the island, which includes a picture of Bass Head Lighthouse.  As usual, with all of these pictures, click the link, select slide show and hit F-11 on your computer to enlarge. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/DriveAroundMountDesertIslandMaine?authkey=Gv1sRgCKGW0veqyN6c3wE#

The next two sets of pictures are from Acadia.  The first day was overcast and are general pictures from around the park.  The second day was glorious with lots of sun and are of Cadillac Mountain.  We could go back a hundred times and not get bored with Acadia.  Wonderful. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/AcadiaNationalPark?authkey=Gv1sRgCIah4v7P-amKhgE#


http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/CadillacMountainAcadiaNationalPark?authkey=Gv1sRgCM6Y4cn4orn1GQ#

Bla, Bla, Bla, on and on

Boy, went on a tanget the other day and wrote this loooonnnnggg blog about campgrounds.  Made my eyes water.  Why do we feel we need to share everything?  Thank goodness I deleted the mess... 

Sept. 8     Hike of the Day:     We went to....  The Marsh, Billings, Rockefeller National Historic Park,     http://www.nps.gov/mabi/  in Woodstock, VT.  We did not tour the farm, but took one of the many trails through the forest.  We did a little over 3 miles.  We could have done a few more but we had Pilot with us and he's not much of a walker and he really slows us down as he has to smell every bush and tree.  There was a good portion up hill hiking.  Being flatlanders, we need to do some more "up hill' practice hiking.  Our legs could feel it tonight.  We took the back roads on the way home.  Unbelieveable farms, rivers and landscapes.  Oh, and covered bridges.  There's so many around here, you start to get blase about seeing them.  We took a couple of pictures of a bridge between Woodstock and Quechee.  All of the bridges we've seen are still in use. 

Below are a few pictures.  It was very overcast today so they aren't as pretty as they should be, but will give you an idea of what it was like.  We may go back tomorrow and do a few more miles. (PS..  we did go back and tried a few of the other trails.  Nice.)     As usual, click the link below, select slide show and hit F-11 to enlarge them.


  http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/MarshBillingsRockefellerNatLParkAndCoveredBridge?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3VnK6-o_HS0gEk  

48 hours

48 hours. A weekend. A wedding.  A place where loved ones, friends and people you haven't met yet, but have heard their name a 100 times, get together for the most joyous of occasions. 

Our neice, Sarah Torrance married Aaron Sheldon in Norwich, VT on September 4th and we were there.  In fact, we've been "there" for over 2 weeks.  We found a nice campground near the area the wedding would be held and decided to stay for a month.  We've enjoyed our stay and patiently waited while everyone else got here.  The reception took place at the Sheldon farm.  It was a beautiful day in Vermont.

Alex and I got to spend a lot of the weekend with our son, Bill and his wife, Heather.  We had a quiet dinner here at the coach one night and enjoyed the wedding together. 

I could go on and on and try to let you know all the details and names of all the people, but I think you will figure it all out looking at the pictures.  It's Sunday night and everyone has flown home. I'm sad that it's all over so soon, but that is what memories are for and I have some very nice ones.   

As usual, click the link below, select slide show and hit F-11 to enlarge the pictures. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/Wedding?authkey=Gv1sRgCPmlma3J3L2wGg#

Vermont

The reason we were rushing across the US is that we wanted to get to Vermont for our lovely niece's wedding.  Sarah Torrance is marrying Aaron Sheldon on Sept. 4.  We wanted to be able to get to New England and tour as much of it as we can before and after the wedding. 

So, if any of you have any recommendations on where to go, what to see, nice campgrounds, great restaurants, etc., please send them to us.  We are interested in hearing about anything to do with New England, not just Vermont.

The wedding is in Norwich, VT.  We are staying in a nice campground in White River Junction, not far from Norwich, Woodstock (no, not that Woodstock) and Quechee. 

So far we've gone to Woodstock and the Quechee Gorge.  They call the Quechee Gorge, "Vermont's Grand Canyon".  Now that's a big stretch.  We've now been to both, and I'm not sure the people who call the Gorge, "Vermont's Grand Canyon", have actually been to The Grand Canyon.  We walked down to the Gorge and back up in a half hour.  Not the same at all.  But it was fun and apparently the people of Vermont have a sense of humor. 

Woodstock is a very old, typical New England town.  Beautiful old homes and a covered bridge no less.   When we arrived they were having a band playing in the town center with the locals sitting in the lawn chairs with their shoes off and toes in the green grass.  Little children running around dancing to the music.  Dogs laying next to their owners wishing they could do the same.  It seems the citizens take full advantage of a lovely summer day. 

Today it's raining.  We have the heat on in the coach and we are reading and catching up on a few things.  We are very thankful that we are here. We know many people are suffering from the heat in many parts of the country and hope that some of this cool air starts heading south soon. 

Just a few pics of the Gorge and Woodstock.  Click the link, select slideshow and F-11 to enlarge the screen. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/QuecheeGorgeWoodstock?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3grtjrjZn-dA#

Ilion, NY, Cooperstown, the Remington factory and The Adirondaks

We found a small, special campground heading east across central NY, near Utica.  The Ilion Marina has about 15 spots.  We got the last one.  We had planned on staying one night.  However, as often happens with us, if we like the spot, and it's available, we'll stay longer.  We did stay 3 days at Ilion.  The Marina is part of the Erie canal system.  Every night different boats would pull up and hook up to the Marina's electric, water and cable TV.  The town of Ilion had recently cleaned up the Marina so that they could get more traffic into their little village.  We think they did a great job.  It worked, as we did go into to town and spent some money. 

What did we do?  We walked around town, drove up into the Adirondacks and went to Cooperstown, NY.  Mr. Remington built his first gun in Ilion and the factory is still there producing pistols and rifles.  Alex went in to the small museum and bought the T-shirt.

Cooperstown was about 40 minutes south of Ilion and a beautiful drive.  The Baseball Hall of Fame was every boy's (and some girls) dream.  The Adirondacks were quiet.  We had expected huge crowds of people camping, boating and hiking.  Not so.  Maybe we were in the wrong part, but there was very little traffic.  It seemed a little sad.  The Adirondacks were beautiful but after being in the NW this summer it was just not the same. 

We are so glad we stayed the extra days.  We discovered a lot by accident.  As usual, click the link, select slideshow and hit F-11 to enlarge the screen. 


http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/Cooperstown?authkey=Gv1sRgCLHp4Jfd8-DTQQ#

Niagara Falls and What Could Have Been a BIG Problem.....Wasn't

Niagara Falls surprised us.  It seems many places and things we've seen across this country have.  I guess it's because we spent the last 20 years either in Iwakuni, Japan, Yuma, Arizona and Corpus Christi, Texas.  I think we've been secluded in our own little world. 

We went to Niagara Falls State Park to see The Falls.  We just stood there and watched it happen.  It's thrilling to stand there and hear and see the force of the water. 

There are other ways to see the Falls.  There are boat rides, walks down to the shoreline by the falls and a walkway over the river to see a head on shot of the falls. 

We had Pilot with us so those things were out.  We enjoyed the park and a walk around town.  We will come back some day and see the Falls again.  They are fantastic.

On our minds during that day was the fact that the coach was at a Tiffin Dealer getting our electrical problem taken care of.  The inverter had been a little sensitive and finally blew after plugging in at the campground in Niagara Falls.  We had to wait a day and a half to get an appointment.  So we had to be very selective as to which things we were going to turn on and use.  The batteries kept getting lower and lower.  We would have to run the engine to charge them up.   To make a long story short... it was a pain.

The good part in all of this, is that once we got to the dealer and they confirmed that it was the inverter, they talked with the Tiffin guys.  The Tiffin people paid big bucks to overnight a new inverter to the dealer.  Tiffin paid the whole bill once everything was done and we drove away very happy, but with our fingers crossed that this would be the end of it.    So far, so good.

We liked the Niagara area very much.  There is much more to the area then The Falls.  We spent a day driving around and visiting a few of the State Parks and a City Park near Lake Ontario.  Took Pilot to the City Park and he got to run around the beautiful park. 

Here are but a few of the pictures of The Falls.  This is certainly a case of where the pictures do not do the area justice.  Just click the link, select Slideshow and hit F-11 to enlarge the screen.  

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/NiagaraFalls?authkey=Gv1sRgCMubqszXjOSS1gE#

Duluth, Minnesota

We left Grand Forks and drove straight across Minnesota.  Probably missed many wonderful places, but we have a deadline.  We'll discuss that on another entry. 

We stayed at a campground about 13 miles from Duluth.  There wasn't many campground options for us.  We came to see some property we have that is out in the middle of no where.  Absolutely no where.  Even people from Minnesota have never heard of it.  Anyway, it's some land with lots of trees on a dirt county road.  We've never been to Minnesota, so it was nice to see the property after waiting all these years.  It's been in the family for over 100 years, so we'll pass it along to Bill I imagine.   It's land my lumberjack great grandfather had.  I have a feeling he bought this land for the lumber and he never got around to, or needed the lumber off it. 
So when that was done, I (Chris) ran around Duluth looking up information about relatives for my sister who is the real genealogist in the family.  The problem is that I ran out of time just as I was getting hot on the trail of some of our ancestors.  It was fun.  We will have to come back and finish up.  Did get some copies of birth and death certificates for my sister, which I hope will reveal a lead for her to discover something wonderful about the O'Brien and Connelly family, other than that they came from Ireland. 

Duluth is fascinating.  It has a lot of natural resources such as lumber, iron and THE LAKE.  The Lake is Lake Superior of course and it is central to everything that is Duluth.  It's not a destination city, that's for sure, but if you are in the area, you might be surprised at the things you will find here. 

We did take a day and drive up the coast of THE LAKE.  It's charming.  It didn't hurt that we happen to hit it on one of the best weather days they've had in over a year.  It was relaxing.  We stopped at a typical shoreline restaurant.  We sat outside on the porch so Pilot was able to sit next to us and watch the people go by.  There were some barky dogs that he ignored as much as possible.  Great day.   Just a few pictures below.

These pics were taken of the Duluth shoreline from Canal Park.  There's a picture of the famous Aerial Bridge and some lighthouses, one with a Tall Ship in the background.  We like Duluth, especially in the summer.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/Duluth?authkey=Gv1sRgCIybnamJtcHIfg# 

Grand Forks, North Dakota

We've been in Grand Forks for a week.  We didn't mean to stay that long, but our campground space at Grand Forks Air Force Base is so nice and quiet we just couldn't leave.  The very large spaces use to be either from an old mobile home park or old WWII housing. The base is going through a transition.  I think it will be closed at some point but for now it's changing from a KC-135 refueling/tanking  base to a UAV (Unmanned Aerial vehicle) base. 

There are dedicated walking and biking paths and a natural area that grows the grasses and plants of what use to be the prairie in this area.  Somebody has done a good job of making areas on this base that the service members can enjoy and maybe even forget that they are on a base. 

Grand Forks, ND is a small town of 50,000 and across the river, East Grand Forks, MN seems a little smaller. The Red River flooded in 1997 and they had to bulldoze many of the buildings.  They have since made a beautiful park, with a walking/biking path along the river on both sides.  There's also a wonderful State Campground right in town, just above the river on the Minnesota side.  It has large spaces, full hookups and cost $24. a night.  To read about the flood and the park, check this out.  http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/red_river/index.html

We will be heading out on Sunday.  We are going to Duluth, Minnesota where Chris' mother was born.  She has always wanted to go and see Duluth after hearing the O'Brien family stories for so long.  We're not sure where we will stop for the first night, but should make it to the Duluth area by Tuesday.  We plan on driving north along Lake Superior to see the sights.  If anyone has any suggestions on where to go and what to do, please send them to us.  Thanks!

By the way, Pilot is doing much better.  He has loved being at this base.  He's been able to go off leash and is very happy with the cooler weather.  He hates hot weather as does Chris, so they are both pretty happy about being this far north. 

We'd like to hear from those of you that read this blog.  We'd like to know how our family and friends are doing and what is happening in their lives.  Keep in touch. 

Headed East! Glacier National Park

We left Whidbey a week ago.  Sorry to leave, but excited to be back on the road.  We took Hwy 20 east through the Cascades.  Pretty exciting going thru the mountains.  Alex did a great job driving.  The motorhome went up without breaking a sweat. 

It's scary sitting in the passenger seat as everything on the side of the road looks like you are going to hit it or, that you are going to fall down the side of the mountain.  After awhile Chris got use to it, but still screamed every so often. 

We arrived in Columbia Falls, ND after two days on the road.  We got up early the next morning and headed to Glacier National Park in the car.  The drive through the park is wonderful.  Chris was still screaming once in awhile as in some places they were replacing the road where it had fallen off the side of the mountain.  To say that we were driving close to the edge would be an understatement. 

Glacier is everything one would imagine.  Words won't do it justice and neither will our pictures but some of them turned out pretty good.  We did get up close to a mountain goat and her baby.  They were on the side of the road waiting for the traffic to ease.  I hope they got a chance to get away from the road.  Everyone stopped and got out of their cars to take pictures.  We didn't but I got a couple pics as we drove by them. 

We were very fortunate that it was a spectacular day at Glacier.  Click the link and choose slideshow.  I put the very best pics in this album.  There were a lot of pictures taken. I tried to be picky on what to show you.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/GlacierPark?authkey=Gv1sRgCJaUj8iF1fiRGQ#

Ebey Park, Whidbey Island

Alex and I went on a hike to Ebey Park, near Coupville on Whidbey Island.  It was a sunny, cool, but not cold day.  The beach is on the west side of Whidbey and the views were stunning.  We could see the Olympic mountains along with Mount Rainier and the Cascades with Mount Baker.  This doesn't happen often that you would have a day this clear to see everything.  Today we did.

Mr. Ebey founded the area and helped ships navigate the channel in his row boat.  He settled this area because it was a prairie and not the woodlands like most of Whidbey. 

After Ebey Park, we drove a little further south and went to Fort Casey.  The Fort was built during World War I to protect and defend the huge channel between the islands and mainland.

Click the link and choose slideshow.  Beautiful.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/EbeyAndCaseyParksWhidbey?authkey=Gv1sRgCKWl6sSjxuf1Wg#

More Whidbey Friends

Ron worked with Alex when they were both "active duty" at NAS Corpus Christi.  Alex in the Marine Corps and Ron in the Navy.  Alex liked Ron even though he was in the Navy.   Ron use to come by on Sundays with whatever fish he had caught that day.  He's the kind of guy that could catch a fish in your bathtub.  If there is a fish anywhere around, Ron will catch it.  He would clean the fish at our fish cleaning stand and then he would cook it for us!!!!  Yum  

Ron got a job flying for Alaska Airline.  This was great for him as he could live in Whidbey with his wife, Nichelle, who is a teacher in Coupville on Whidbey Island.  Not so good for us as our weekly fish supply went way down.  They since have had two beautiful children, Savannah and Cleveland. 

When we got to Whidbey, Ron came by within a few days with fresh fish for us and wood for our campground fire.  Another day we went hiking with the whole family and then a great lunch at The Rockfish Grill in Anacortes.  

One day Ron called and had us meet him at a marina.  He took us on a 5 hour boat ride all around the islands, then to LaConner where we had dinner.  Unfortunately, Alex and I forgot the camera.  Really too bad as it was beautiful.  Very beautiful. 

We enjoyed seeing Ron and the family and can't wait to see them again next summer.  Thanks Ron.  Its was memorable.  Here's a pic of the whole family on our hike.

Whidbey Friends

When we were stationed in Whidbey 28 years ago, we met Carl and Georgia by renting a house from them.  We became good friends.  We've stayed in touch all these years and it was wonderful coming back and getting to see them.  They live in Oak Harbor and have a garden that surpasses all others.  See pic here of the garden and of Parker, their extra large and extra cute cat.  Below is Carl and Georgia enjoying some refreshment with himself at our campground in Anacortes. 

Let's Review

We've been on the road for a little over 3 months now.  We went hiking in Washington Park (http://www.cityofanacortes.org/Parks/WaPark/wa_park.htm)  the other day and had a talk about our new lifestyle.   

We both agreed that, so far, this lifestyle is more fun and working out better than we imagined.  At this point we wouldn't go back to having a house.  Honestly, we don't miss a thing about living in a house and we haven't thought about any of the stuff we sold and gave away.  Not one thing.  All of this really surprises us.  We didn't think it would be this easy. 

Pilot, our dog,  is another story.  He did not like it.  Not anything.  Except that he was with his people.  He is slowly coming around.  He is getting use to us pushing a button and bringing the slides and then taking off down the road.  Not thrilled, but not scared anymore.  He loves to walk around the campground and meet all the people.  He doesn't mind meeting the dogs either, but prefers people.  It's nice that many campgrounds have dog areas and some have actual fenced in dog parks.  He gets to run off leash every now and then and he's good with that. 

Our budget seems to be working out.  We don't get to buy whatever we want, but we have enough money to live and to travel.  The trade off of working and having more money, while living in a house including all that comes with that, good and bad,  just does not compare with living in our coach and traveling around the country even though we can't buy everything we might want. 

This lifestyle is not for everyone.  For us, we love it.  We're glad we took the leap.

THEY'RE BAAACCCK

And they brought more people, food, drink, campfire smoke, dogs, a monkey and a HOT TUB.  Yes, the gang from Prosser (see June entry) came to our campground to celebrate 4th of July AND 1st of July, which is Canada Day.  They stayed for 4 days and we had a great time with them.  We just can't keep up with these experienced RV partiers.  They come prepared and ready to party.  And party they do.

Rocket (retired fireman) and Kelly brought Kelly's mom, Bev, with them.  They're the Canadians.  Mikie and Cheryle talked Jackie and Rocko into coming up from the Seattle area. 
Mikie and Cheryle pulled out an inflatable hot tub and proceeded to fill it up with 250 gallons of water.   Took all night for it to heat up, but once warm enough they enjoyed jumping in once in awhile for a soak.  It has an insulated cover, filter and heater.  COOL!!!  or    HOT!!!!  

These are laid back, friendly, unpretentious people that are fun to be around.  Just right for 1st and 4th of July. 

We didn't take enough pictures, so these will have to do.  We promise that we will get better about taking more pics.  First though, we need to remember to bring the camera!!!! DUH

Pictures:     http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/4thJulyAnacortes?authkey=Gv1sRgCM39m_fC86uFwAE#

Reunion Cocktail Party, Honolulu, Hawaii

Det Z, VMAQ-2 Playboys. They can party. Alot.

Unfortunately, around 1992 the "politically correct police" said the sqaudron couldn't use "Playboys" as a name or use the bunny on any of their patches, airplanes and other squadron related items. The squadron was the only organization that had permission from Playboy, Inc. to use their name and bunny.

Anyway, about 20 members of Det Z, with their wives/girlfriends, got together in Waikiki. We had a blast. The pictures say it all. Click on the link and choose slideshow. You'll see what fun we had. It was fantastic seeing these people and it was as if there wasn't 20 years between parties. Thanks to Zoom, Marianne, Dan and Debbie for making it happen. We won't forget it, that's for sure.

Oh, and Hawaii was nice also. We had an ocean front room, thanks to the group rate.  It was beautiful sitting on the balcony on the 18th floor.  We didn't rent a car, so we ended up just walking around Waikiki with all the Japanese.  

We did get to the other side of the island for a squadron barbeque at Dan and Debbie's beautiful home near President Obama's vacation home.

Another night all of us went to the military hotel, The Hale Koa, for dinner. http://www.halekoa.com/index.cfm    The Hale Koa is right on the beach and a short walk from the Sheraton.  It's a wonderful benefit for military service members.

We went to Dukes for a great breakfast which was also a short walk down the beach.  Dukes has an interesting history and if you don't know who Duke was, check it out here.  http://www.dukeswaikiki.com/

Waikiki is great for a first timer to Hawaii with only a few days to stay in Hawaii, but I think we would venture out to some of the other islands if we had more time and $$$$. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ChrisTorrance/ReunionCocktailParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGByvqBv8r6Kw#

Aloha

We are off to Hawaii today.  We are going to Honolulu for 4 days for our squadron reunion.  It's been 20 years since we've seen most of our squadron friends and we are excited.  There will be a cocktail party tomorrow, a dinner Saturday night and a brunch on Sunday along with various out door activities. 

Why only 4 days you ask?   Because we just can't bring ourselves to leave Pilot any longer.  He's staying in a nice home, sleeping in the living room and running around on 2 and a half acres during the day.  He'll be getting his dog on as this lady has a doggy day care and has 3 to 6 dogs around.

We're staying at the Sheraton Waikiki right on the beach.  We'll take lots of pictures and have lots of fun.  Aloha. 

White Flying Lemurs and a Stone Forest, Come On! Life is Wonderful.

Just a break from the RVing stuff, check it out.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/stone-forest/alvarez-photography

Whidbey Island and Anacortes May 2010

We've been in the NW for over 2 weeks and have been busy visiting friends, hiking, sightseeing and eating some great seafood. We are not actually staying on Whidbey Island but just over the Deception Pass bridge in Anacortes.

We were stationed at NAS Whidbey Island  in 1982 and Bill was born in the hospital on base.  We were only here for 10 months and left 3 weeks after he was born. We didn't get out often then for some reason. Maybe because Alex was going through flight training on a new jet and I was busy with getting ready for a baby.

We've discovered many things since we've been here this trip.
First, is how many parks are in the area. State parks, county parks, city parks all over the place. Wonderful hiking and viewing the beautiful water vistas of the San Juan Islands and the mountains (Cascades and the Olympics).
Second, would be the restaurants. Friendly travens with locally made brews and cute little restaurants with mouth watering seafood. They do great clam chowder here.

Pilot is getting a good workout with us. We are hiking up and down the hills around here. We are not in very good shape for this, since we've been living in Corpus Christi for 14 years where it is flat. We did a lot of huffing and puffing when we first started. Especially Chris, but she is getting better.
Now to see some of our photos all you have to do is click on the picture above of Alex and Pilot on Deception Pass State Park beach, with the famous Deception Pass bridge in the background. Then choose "slideshow" and you will see: 
1 - Alex and Pilot
2-  Anacortes
3-  Anacortes
4-  View from Washington Park, Anacortes
5-  Same as above.
6-  Beach on NAS Whidbey Island
7-  The EA6-B Prowler, this is what Alex flew for many years.
8-  View of the Islands around Whidbey.

RVing in Europe

Thought some of you may be interested in ways that RVing can help one see Europe or the world.   Especially since the Euro was down to $1.20 as of Friday.
Here's a link to Kathy and Rick Howe's web site.  They have traveled extensively thoughout South America and Europe.  It's a great web site with details explaining the vehicle they use and how they ship it around the world. They also have details on the campgrounds and free camping sites where they have stayed.   http://www.travelin-tortuga.com/Site/Home_Page.html
It's fun to see how they do it.

There are many ways to go about it.  One being to buy a used or new camper in Europe or renting one.  If you want to stay in Europe for more than a week or two, camping is an affordable way to stay for a long time.  Many people stay for 6 months or two years!!!
Here's Rick Steves' take on it:   http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/0899camping.htm
All you have to do is Google "Camping in Europe" or wherever you want to go.  You'll find thousands of pages on the subject. 

Many people buy a car or small van, throw in a tent and a few sleeping bags.  Then they can sleep in the van or tent at a campground or any of the free, safe places they can find, usually by asking and talking with other campers or friendly people they meet in their travels.  Every once in awhile they can take a break and stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast.

Campgrounds in Europe are safe, clean and comfortable for the most part.  Usually they are located just outside of towns and cities.  Most people will leave their vehicle at the campground and take the bus, train,walk or bike to the inter-city. 

Camping, in many forms, can be an inexpensive way to see a place for a longer period of time and get to meet the locals and see how they live.
Some people will buy a campervan (motorhome) or caravan (trailer) and use it during the summers then return home after storing it in Europe for the winter.  Then they can return the next summer or rent it out to someone else to use.  Some will travel around for a few months or years and then sell it.

Here's an example of a Bailey Caravan in England.  Bailey is highly rated.  This one is brand new, but there are used ones that come in every size and price.   http://www.penrosetouring.co.uk/acatalog/Bailey-Olympus-464.html     All you need is a used car/van rated to pull it.  Then you can leave the caravan at the campground and use the car to tour around until you are ready to move to another area or country.  Perfect!  Let's GO!

Leavenworth, WA.

We took Washington Highway 2 to Leavenworth.  A touristy town but with a difference.  In the mountains, this town has a Bavarian motif.  We spent an afternoon being tourists and we didn't mind it.  It was cool out with a little sun.  Not too many other tourists as it was a weekday and early in the season.  We had lunch at a German restaurant and had a pork sandwich on rye bread with a German potato cake. 
It was fun and we recommend to anyone to go there and be a tourist.  It was at least different. 
http://www.leavenworth.org/modules/pages/index.php?pageid=1
We stayed at Icicle River RV Resort.  A very nice park and we got a spot on the river.  It was wonderful to go to sleep every night with the sound of the river, which was running very fast with all the snow melt. 
Here are a few pics.

And Now For Something Different

What we are listening to:    http://music.aol.com/video/david-gray-the-one-i-love-aol-sessions/david-gray/1412129

Turn up the volume and expand the window.  Hope you like it.  Let us know what you are listening to. 
Greg and Barb may have already heard this 3 or 4 times.  Chris

New Friends and lots of Wine

From Chris:  After leaving Bosie we headed into Washington.  We had a beautiful drive.  After spending 14 years in Corpus Christi, Texas it is nice seeing mountains, rivers, forests and lush farm land.  We landed in a town named Prosser.  Alex had reseached our path and our campground.  He did a very good job. 
No sooner had we parked the coach, then Chris went looking for answers to the normal RVer questions...  "Where do you go for good food" and "What is there to do in this area".  Well, there were 4 people sitting outside their two rigs and they seemed to be having a very good time.  Chris went right up to them and started asking questions.  Well, she didn't get very far as the 2 couples took Alex and Chris under their wings and we ended up having a wonderful 4 day visit.  Mike and Cheryle are from the Seattle area.  Kelly and Rocket are from Whistler, British Columbia.  What a riot the 4 of them are.  They have been friends for quite awhile. 
Right down the street, walking distance, is a wine tasting development with about 15 tasting rooms.  We tried as many as we could and we ended up with a nicely stocked wine supply.  We only bought about 10 bottles because we just don't have a lot of room in the coach for anymore.
The rest of the time there was spent doing two happy hours, one brunch and one very fun walk around the town and buying assorted items at the local farmers market on Saturday morning.
The 4 of them are planning on coming to Anacortes Washington, our next stop for 5 weeks, to meet us on 4th of July weekend.  That should be fun.
We are headed to Anacortes to visit Whidbey Island.  Whidbey is where we were stationed for 10 months and where Bill Torrance was born.  It is a wonderful place that Chris has dreamed of going back to ever since she left 3 weeks after Bill was born.
Below are some pics of our visit to Prosser.   The one above is Alex with his first wine purchase.

The Prosser Queen and her Court
Mike, Cheryl, Kelly and Rocket

Dead Horse State Park, Moab, Utah

I neglected to post any pictures of Dead Horse State Park.   We drove thru one afternoon and didn't expect to be impressed after spending time at Arches National Park and Canyonlands National park.   So we were surprised when Dead Horse captured our attention.  These are just a few pictures.  Again, none of our pictures do these parks justice.  You should probably Google each park and investigate them yourselves.  We hope that will make you want to go visit them. 
The bright blue lake in the second picture is an evaporative salt pond.

Boise, Who Knew?

Really, who knew that Boise was a riverfront (Boise River), safe, wonderful city that hosts Crosby, Stills and Nash AND The Eagles all in one month?  And they have the best Saturday morning downtown market Chris has ever been to. 

We actually came to Boise to visit our old neighbors from Corpus Christi, John and Pat, and our fulltime RVer friends Greg and Barb who are from Boise and are now hanging out here for the summer until they get back on the road in the fall.
We didn't make it to any of the concerts, but had some great dinners with our friends and had fun catching up.  Boise is a place that makes you feel very comfortable.  It's friendly, gentle, pleasant and sophisticated.  Nice place.

John and Pat        

                                                                         Barb and Greg 

Alex and Pilot hiking in the Boise foothills

Salt Lake City

The Salt Lake City area surprised us for a number of reasons. It's much larger than we thought and the mountains are right above the city. Big ones too. Not far on the other side of the city is the great Salt Lake. The thing about the lake is that it is beautiful in a stark, lonely kind of way even though the city is right there.

We stayed at Hill Air Force Base just north of the city. Nice campground. Lots of F-15's and F-16's screaming by. We enjoyed being back on a jet base, but poor Pilot didn't appreciate it very much.

Here is an album of the Mormon Temple Square. It is lovely and the spring tulip gardens they had planted everywhere in the square made us speechless. We were able to attend an organ rehearsal in the Temple Tabernacle for a half hour. It should not be missed. We will be back to visit more of the Salt Lake area.

All you have to do to see the 17 pictures in the album is click on the picture of Alex above.  Once at the album, you can select "Slideshow".  Hope you enjoy them. 

Moab, UT

Moab.  Well, we spent a week here and didn't touch all that there is to see and do.  We'll have to come back and spend at least a month.  The main attactions for us at Moab were Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse State Park.    Alex had sprained his ankle so we didn't do a lot of hiking but we drove through the parks and were amazed at how beautiful the area is.  Here's a few pics to give you an idea. 

This was the view outside our coach in the RV Park.

Here's a link to Arches National Park slideshow.  For some reason we didn't get any pictures there. 

http://www.nps.gov/imr/customcf/apps/pgallery/display-slideshow.cfm?aid=602&gid=602&park=arch&sort=title&aTitle=Arches%20Slideshow

The following pictures are of Canyonlands National Park.  We believe that this Park is as impressive as Grand Canyon and there are not as many people and cars!!!

North Rim Canyon De Chelly

Antelope House Ruin

Canyon De Chelly

From Chris:   Last week at this time we were in Canyon De Chelly National Monument  http://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm   in northeastern Arizona.  We spent two days at the park's campground.  There were no hook ups, but there was water and a dump available.  They don't take reservations, but if you can get in, it's free!!!   There are only a handful of sites that could accomodate a large rig. 
Canyon De Chelly is on the Navajo reservation.  This reservation encompasses part of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.  It's BIG. 
We loved Canyon De Chelly.  It's not easy to get to, not easy to camp there and the small town near the park on the Navajo reservation could be considered depressing to some.  The good news is that there are signs that the Navajo government/nation is spending money on schools and drug and alcohol addiction.
To make it more difficult while we were there, there was a 24 hour sandstorm.  A real one.  It was very uncomfortable in 35 mph sustained winds and gusts over 70 mph.  We were stuck in the coach and even though we had everything closed up, we still got dust inside.  I'm still cleaning it up.  We are still glad we went to the Canyon in spite sandstorms and no hookups. 
The park is wonderful.  Words and pictures won't do it justice.  However, here are a few pictures that we took.  If you ever get near the area, GO.

South Rim

White House Ruin (above and below)