My parents liked to travel. First by car and later by RV.
They bought several RVs, the first one in1985 and later a 25-foot Allegro motor
home with a car caddy attached so that they could use the car for shorter trips
wherever they camped. Mom spent a lot of time putting photos that she took into
albums and labeling them. She also kept travel journals with details of their
trips. As the family historian, I inherited all of this material.
For several years, I have wondered what to do with these
items. They take up a fair amount of space. The photos are largely meaningless
to me except for those few that included my parents. I finally decided to write
blog entries covering their travels and to select a few photos for each blog.
Then I will feel better about disposing of the physical items.
This entry covers their travels from 1985 through 1989.
From February 16-23, 1985, Mom & dad took their first
trip in their new RV. They headed to Florida with a stop in Richmond Hills, GA,
at a KOA site, and another in Melbourne, FL, where they met up with Jim &
Martha Chambers, friends from Burkhead United Methodist Church; the Chambers
had dinner ready for them. Mom & Dad went to the Kennedy Space Center at
Cape Canaveral; but when they returned, they found that someone from NC had hit
Mom’s car but did not leave a name and address. Jack & Jim played golf and
Mom shopped and walked around the area; then they ate dinner at Rooney’s
Restaurant. The next day, they visited some beaches and then met Martha &
Jim and Helen & Richard Herren for a ride in Richard’s new boat to the
Chart House Restaurant, which was at a marina. The water became so rough they
could not return by water. The next day, Mom & Dad drove to St. Petersburg
where they visited Katherine Bennett, Dad’s aunt, before returning to
Melbourne. On the return trip, they stopped in Orlando for dinner at the
Cheyenne Saloon and visited Rosie O’Grady’s. On Friday, they returned home.
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| Jean & a Redwood in CA |
On May 31, 1985, Mom & Dad flew to Chicago, but their
connecting flight to San Francisco was cancelled because United Airlines was
on strike. They eventually made it to San Francisco where they spent the
night. The next morning, they rented a car and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge,
drove along the coast, drove through Napa Valley, and had lunch in Sonoma. They
toured Sebastian Winery and then headed into Sacramento on the way to Lake
Tahoe, NV. They stopped along the way and bought fresh pistachios and apricots.
They arrived later than they had planned, so they ate dinner with Sally at a
casino near where they were staying. They watched Sally play black jack and she
won enough money to pay for dinner. On Sunday, June 2, they woke up to see heavy
snowfall, followed by sleet, rain, and sunshine. They ate breakfast at Harrah’s
and returned in the evening for a show. They had met a couple from Fairfield,
CA, who had extra tickets to the show, which featured Tony Orlando and Jim
Stafford.
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| Waterfall in Yosemite |
On Monday, they borrowed Sally’s car and drove to Virginia City; to
Genoa, NV, home of the oldest saloon in the US; and Carson City, where they saw
the State Capitol Building. Tuesday, they drove around Lake Tahoe and saw Squaw
Valley. That night, they rode a tram to Heavenly Valley Ski Resort for dinner,
after which Mom won $20 playing the slot machines. On Wednesday, Sally joined
them on a trip to Yosemite National Park. Mom wrote: “What a beautiful place!
Everywhere we looked there was beauty. Waterfalls, flowers, mountains, snow-everything.”
Thursday, Mom & Dad took a picnic lunch to Emerald Bay look out and “had
dinner at Carlos Murphy’s—Best Margaritas I ever tasted.” Friday, they rented a
car and left for Reno, and Sally treated them to the show at MGM Grande; it was
a huge musical revue featuring Carol Channing. Saturday, they flew into Salt
Lake City and then Denver, where they took a taxi downtown to see some of the
city. Then they flew home to Charlotte, where Cathie met them.
From September 12-15, 1985, Mom & Dad took the RV to
Pipestem State Park, WV. Dad played golf while Mom drove around the area.
Friday night, they rode the train to the bottom of the canyon for dinner at the
lodge. The next day, Dad played golf again and Mom walked 9 holes with him
before exploring on her own as his played the next 9 holes. They ate dinner in
Princeton, WV.
Photos from 1985 include:
- The Golden Gate Bridge
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Mom in front of a huge tree trunk in Golden Gate Park
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A view of snow from the condo window in Lake Tahoe
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Nevada landscape
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Oldest saloon in US, Genoa, NV
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A view of Virginia City, NV
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Waterfall in Yosemite National Park
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Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, NV
On February 9, 1986, they headed to Florida again and, just
before reaching Charlotte, they exited to get gas. When they restarted the
motor, a flame shot up and big black clouds of smoke bellowed out. The motor
home was totaled, so they removed all their possessions from the RV and
returned home.
On March 9, they headed to Florida again, this time in their
car. They had dinner in Gainesville, FL, at the Yearling; Mom had frog legs and
Dad had “cooter,” which was turtle. On Sunday, they visited the Devil’s
Millhopper, a big sink hole; had a picnic lunch at Prairie State Park; stopped
at Tarpon Springs, the sponge capital. They spent the night in Clearwater and
called Katherine Bennett and arranged to take her to lunch. Later on, they
visited the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL. On Tuesday, they drove to Boca
Grande and on Wednesday, they spent the day on Captiva and Sanibel Islands. But
the highlight of the day was a visit to the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. They
liked it so much, they returned at dusk and saw a flock of Roseate Spoonbills.
Thursday, they explored Pine Island and Bokeelia before spending the night in
Ft. Myers. They had dinner at the Brown Derby Restaurant and headed home,
spending a night in Jacksonville, FL, before arriving home March 15.
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| Ruth, Tony, Jean, & Tony's grandson |
On Tuesday, September 5, 1986, Mom, Dad, and Ruth Finke (Mom’s
sister) flew to San Francisco to visit Sally & Graham and Tony & Kit
Butcher (Tony was an Army buddy of Dad’s). Arriving late, they went straight to
their hotel. The next morning, they met Graham for breakfast and then took a
city bus to Fisherman’s Wharf. Graham had made reservations for them to visit
Alcatraz, so while they waited, they toured a submarine. Then they took the
passenger ferry to Alcatraz and toured it. They ate lunch from a streetside
place that served crabmeat & shrimp on a bun because Graham told them all “tourons”
do that. With Graham as their guide, they drove across the Golden Gate Bridge
and toured Golden Gate Park and Muir Woods. Graham took them to a Thai
restaurant for dinner and ordered for them. Mom said it was delicious and was
food they had never had before. On Sep 7, Graham drove them around and they
visited the Cliff House where they watched seals; explored the coastline;
visited a mission. They ate at a Japanese restaurant for a late lunch. On
Monday, they visited Monterey and took a 17-mile scenic drive on the coast that
included seeing the Pebble Beach Golf Course and stopping once where Mom waded
in the Pacific Ocean. Mom noted that exactly a week before, she had been in the
Atlantic Ocean at Nags Head, NC. They ended the day in San Juan Bautista and had
dinner and spent the night with Tony & Kit Butcher at their home. Mom noted
that the home was beautiful, but the Butchers were distraught because their
daughter had been murdered by her husband several months before that. Consequently,
their 3 ½ year-old grandson was living with them. Tony gave them a tour of Mission
San Juan Bautista before they headed to Yosemite National Park. They spent the
night in El Portal, CA, the last town before entering Yosemite. They drove
through the Park to Lake Tahoe and spent the night with Sally. The next day,
they visited Genoa and Carson City, NV, visiting the state museum in the
latter. Back in Lake Tahoe, they drove to Emerald Bay, ate dinner at the Chart
House, and played games in Harrah’s casino while waiting for the show. Mac
Davis was the performer. On Friday, they drove through Donner Pass to Napa
Valley, visited a champagne cellar, enjoyed the scenery, returned to San Francisco,
and ate dinner at a seafood place Graham recommended. The weather was clear the
next morning, so they drove to Twin Peaks for a view of the city. They dropped
Graham off at his apartment and flew home, arriving on Sep 13.
The bridge club took a weekend trip to Holden Beach from Oct
20-23, 1986.
The final entry for 1986, was a cruise from Dec 1-5, 1986, to
the Bahamas with Doris & Bill Nifong, Sarah & Robert Shelton, and Tom
& JoAnn Burton. First, they flew to Miami and boarded the USS Emerald Seas.
The first two days, they docked at Nassau, rented a van & driver that took
them all over the island, walked around the market near the ship. On board,
they saw a show , played slot machines, and danced. The next day, they were
shuttled to a private island where Dad & Robert snorkeled and they all
enjoyed “barbecued ribs, hot dogs, & all the trimmings” for lunch. That night,
Conway Twitty was the entertainment on the ship and Mom got his autograph.
Thursday, they toured Freeport, enjoyed a show on board, and enjoyed the food—Mom
said they especially liked the midnight buffet. On Friday, they docked back in
Florida and flew home.
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| Nifongs, Burtons, Sheltons seated; Jean & Jack standing. |
Photos from 1986 included:
- The submarine in San Francisco.
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Mom, Ruth, and Graham on the ferry crossing to Alcatraz.
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Alcatraz.
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Mom at Yosemite.
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The Mission at San Juan Bautista.
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Ruth, Tony Butcher, Mom, and Tony’s grandson, Tarek, in San
Juan Bautista.
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Mom & Tony butcher at San Juan Bautista.
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The cruise group at dinner on the ship.
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Mom & Dad at dinner on the ship.
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The cruise group by the ship’s life ring.
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Several views of various members of the cruise group on the
ship.
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Several views of the USS Emerald Seas.
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The cruise group in Freeport, having lunch on the private
island, at the airport, and on the airplane.
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Conway Twitty’s autograph.
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| Cimarron Canyon, AZ |
Mom only wrote about two trips in 1987. On April 29, 1987,
they flew to Albuquerque, NM, and rented a car., and rove to Nell Callahan’s
house. She was a first cousin of my Dad’s mother. Nell went with them on a tour
of the Indian Cultural Center and provided a light supper for them, after
which, Nell’s son Pat and his wife Yvonne came over for a visit. The next day,
Mom & Dad toured Albuquerque’s Old Town, ate at La Placita Restaurant, took
Nell to dinner, and visited with Pat & Yvonne. On May 1, they drove to San
Felipe to see the Indian Corn Dance, which Mom described in detail. They had a
picnic lunch in Cochiti Lake, then on Madrid, a ghost town; Los Cerillos, a
very old & colorful town; and Santa Fe, where they spent the night. In
Santa Fe the next day, they visited a very old cathedral, the oldest church and
house in the US, the Governor’s Palace, a museum, and the State Capitol; they
also examined the wares sold by the natives on blankets outside of the palace.
Early Sunday, they drove to Taos, visited the pueblo there. It was cold &
rainy and many places were closed because it was Sunday, so they moved on to Raton.
They saw Philmont Boy Scout Ranch and drove through Cimarron, and returned to
Taos for the night. Monday, they toured Taos and then drove up Rt.3 to Rio
Grande Gorge. They went to Cerillo State Park, where they “drove deep into
wild, open country” and saw seven elk. After another night in Taos, they drove
to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge—the third highest in the US—and then to Española,
Santa Clara Pueblo, Puye Cliff Dwellings, Chimayo to see the Ortego Weavers,
and Santa Fe for the night. Wednesday, they drove to Cuba, NM, then across the
desert to Crownpoint and Acoma Pueblo, and finally back to Nell’s house.
Thursday, they visited museums in Albuquerque and Nell treated then to dinner
at Sandia Peak, where they took the tramway to the peak. Friday, they drove south
through Spanish country, visited the studio of a Spanish woodcarver, saw
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near the Manzano mountains, visited
Coronado State Park, and ate dinner in a converted fire station in Albuquerque.
They flew home May 9.
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| Colorful Cactus near Manzano, NM |
Dec 4-5, 1987, they joined a bus trip to Asheville to see
the Andy Williams Christmas concert. The Nifongs, Sheltons, and Totherows also
went.
Photos from 1987 included:
- Nell Callahan’s home, Albuquerque, NM.
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Mom in Old Town Albuquerque.
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Church at Cerillos, NM.
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Camel Rock, Santa Fe, NM.
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Mom & Dad in front of huge snow banks in Hyde Memorial
State park, Santa Fe, NM.
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Governor’s Palace, Santa Fe, NM.
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Vendors at the palace, Santa Fe, NM.
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Taos, NM, and a postcard of the Taos Pueblo.
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A field of deer at Philmont Boy Scout Camp.
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Cimarron Canyon cliffs.
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Mom beside the Rio Grande Rift informational sign.
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Mom on the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
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Elk in Big Costilla Park, NM, elevation 12,931.
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Puye Cliff Dwellings.
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Postcard of Pueblo of Acoma, NM.
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A mountain at Acoma, NM.
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Sandia Peak Tramway, Albuquerque, NM.
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Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument & cactus near
Manzano, NM.
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Kiva at Coronado State Park.
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| Jean in Corkscrew Swamp |
February 4, 1988, Mom and dad drove to Gainesville, FL. The
next day, they went to Tarpon Springs and took a boat trip to see how sponges
are gathered from the ocean. In Clearwater, they had dinner at the original
Kapok Tree Restaurant. They headed toward Naples where they visited Corkscrew
Swamp Sanctuary. They spent a night in Homestead, FL, and then visited
Everglades National Park where they took a boat trip in the western part of the
park. They saw many different birds. The next day, they planned to tour the
eastern part, but rains cancelled the tours. Nonetheless, they walked the
trails in the pouring rain and saw many exotic birds. Mom mentioned egrets,
blue heron, osprey, and green cranes. They drove all the way to Key West and
had “one miserable motel on the way down,” but had a good dinner at Papa Joe’s.
They visited the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and the Audubon House. Mom complained
that the weather had been cool and gray most of the trip, including in Key
West. Heading north, they stayed in a motel about half way up the Keys and
stayed one night in a new motel in Georgia before arriving home Feb 12. Because
of the bad weather, Mom didn’t feel they had really had a vacation in Florida.
On October 20, 1988, they went with the bridge club to Holden
Beach, NC, for a long weekend, returning Oct 23.
Dec 31, 1989, to Jan 4, 1989, Mom & Dad went to the Roanoke
Hotel with Betty Garwood and Bill Dowdy for New Year’s Eve dinner and dancing.
Then they went to Jim’s for New Year’s dinner (Jim was Dad’s brother in
Fairfield, VA) and on to Nancy’s for a few days. Nancy is me, of course, and I
was in Fairfax Station, VA.
Photos from 1988 included:
- Mom at Millpond State park, July 1988.
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Flowers labeled Water Lily, NC, from July 1988.
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Mom on the beach in Naples, FL.
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Mom at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, FL.
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A heron at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, FL.
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An unidentified bird and an osprey in Everglades National
Park.
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Audubon House, key West, FL.
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Sign at the Mel Fischer Maritime Museum, Key West, FL.
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| Carson House, Eureka, CA |
On April 20, 1989, Mom & Dad flew to San Francisco, CA,
and took a shuttle to Lone Mountain Conference Center on the campus of the
University of San Francisco. Graham took them on a long drive in a beautiful
state park and they ate at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant. After dinner,
they visited the library in their building where they had the privilege of
seeing a collection of Chinese books and documents dating to the 16
th
century. The next day, they drove to Point Reyes; they saw a group of sea lions
at one overlook, rolled down the windows to smell the eucalyptus trees, and had
beautiful views of the ocean. They ate dinner
in Mendocino at Sea Gull Restaurant and spent the night in Little River
in a motel overlooking the ocean. On April 22, they drove over a mountain range
in the pouring rain and realized the gas gauge was on empty. They got off the
main road and drove through what Mom called the Avenue of Trees, but was
probably the Avenue of the Giants—a road lined with huge redwoods. After a
brief stop in Eureka, where they saw some beautifully restored Victorian
houses, including Carson House, they spent the night at Crescent City. After that,
they drove along a river that had rafts of logs tied together to be floated
downstream; there also were lots of lumber mills and paper mills. They stopped
at several state parks and spent the night in Florence, OR, where they visited the
Sea Lion Caves, which were full of sea lions and Pigeon Guillemot birds. They
continued up the Oregon coast and then headed inland through Willamette Valley,
stopping at Eugene for the night. They passed through Sutherlin on the way to
Crater Lake, OR. They finally reached a ranger station after driving through
snow that was higher than the car on the side of the road. The lake road was
closed due to an avalanche, so they returned down the mountain to Grants Pass,
OR. They found a Myrtle wood shop where Dad bought some raw wood for carving
and then went to Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve and saw a cave
that was completely marble.
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| Jack feeding the Stellar Jays |
They also hand fed some Stellar Jays. Dad bought
more wood at another place they stopped on the way back down the mountain
before they stopped in Ashland, OR, for the night. They drove as close as
possible to Mt. Shasta in CA, then through Thousand Lakes Wilderness to Lassen
Volcanic National Park. They drove as far as possible into the park, but because
of heavy snow, the road was blocked over the peak. They spent the night in
Redding, CA. They stopped in Whiskey Town, French Gulch, and Weaverville, where
they visited an interesting museum; then continued to Ferndale, a turn of the
century town that consisted almost entirely of buildings on the registry of
historic places. They spent the night in Garberville before returning to San
Francisco. They ate breakfast with Graham at the original Mel’s Diner and had
a Japanese dinner with Graham and Cheryl. On Monday, May 1, 1989, they flew
home.
On July 22, 1989, Mom, Dad, Cathie, and Sally traveled to
Radford, VA, to watch the outdoor drama The Long Walk Home, the story of
Mary Draper Ingles. On Sunday, Cathie & Sally went back home and Mom &
Dad drove to Lewisburg, WV. Monday, they visited Beartown State Park, where Mom
remarked on the variety of toadstools, fungi, and moss. The next stop was
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where there are bogs and semi-tropical plants.
They spent the night in Fairmont and then drove to Valley Falls State Park to
see waterfalls and on past Wheeling to Moundsville, where they saw some Indian
burial mounds; they also saw evidence of reclaimed strip-mining areas. They
drove along the Ohio River to New Martinsville, WV, where they spent the night.
The next day, they decided to drive along the Ohio side of the river. As they
crossed the bridge, they stopped to watch a tugboat pushing a barge of coal
toward the locks up river and another tugboat coming down river. In Fly, OH,
they took a two-vehicle ferry back to WV; then they drove to and toured
Marietta, OH, where they ate dinner and saw a play on a permanently-locked
paddle wheeler. Mom said, “It was hilarious & we booed & hissed &
clapped as done in the old days.” In Parkersburg, they took a paddle boat to
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, which featured an 18th
century mansion that was being restored. They toured Charleston’s State Capitol
and Governor’s Mansion and spent he last night in Berkeley and attended the
outdoor drama Hatfields & McCoys in Grandview State Park. The next
day, they drove to Rockbridge County, VA, and spent the night with Mary &
Alec Lipscomb. (Alec was Dad’s first cousin). Mary had a very big party that
night with over 100 guests outside under a big tent. They returned home July
28, 1989.
On Oct 26, 1989, Mom & Dad met Nancy & Sally in
Chapel Hill, NC, for dinner, Then they spent the weekend in Atlantic Beach.
(This was prob ably when Sally was living in Raleigh and I was on a recruiting
trip in Chapel Hill.)
Photos from 1989 included:
- A view of Pt. Reyes, CA.
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Mom & Graham in CA.
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Carson House, Eureka, CA.
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A statue of a fisherman in Eureka, CA.
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A view of the Oregon coast.
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Sea lions on the Oregon coast.
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Port Orford, OR.
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Heceta Head Point, OR, with the lighthouse in the distance.
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Mom & Dad at the Crater Lake Reception Center.
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Jack feeding Stellar Jays at Oregon Caves.
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Ducks at Ashland, OR.
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Mt. Shasta, CA.
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Beartown State Park, WV.
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Rapids at Valley Falls State Park, WV.
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Tug boat going through locks on the Ohio River.
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Bridge over West Virginia Gorge.
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View of Grandview State Park from the high bridge.
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Toadstool at Grandview State Park, WV.
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Dad at Grandview State Park, WV.
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| Bridge near Grandview State Park, WV |
