Jean & Jack’s Excellent Adventures – 1985-1989

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.

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. 

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
  
• Mom in front of a huge tree trunk in Golden Gate Park
• A view of snow from the condo window in Lake Tahoe
• Nevada landscape
• Oldest saloon in US, Genoa, NV
• A view of Virginia City, NV
• Waterfall in Yosemite National Park
• 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.

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.

Nifongs, Burtons, Sheltons seated; Jean & Jack standing.

 

Photos from 1986 included:

• The submarine in San Francisco.
• Mom, Ruth, and Graham on the ferry crossing to Alcatraz.
• Alcatraz.
• Mom at Yosemite.
• The Mission at San Juan Bautista.
• Ruth, Tony Butcher, Mom, and Tony’s grandson, Tarek, in San Juan Bautista.
• Mom & Tony butcher at San Juan Bautista.
• The cruise group at dinner on the ship.
• Mom & Dad at dinner on the ship.
• The cruise group by the ship’s life ring.
• Several views of various members of the cruise group on the ship.
• Several views of the USS Emerald Seas.
• The cruise group in Freeport, having lunch on the private island, at the airport, and on the airplane.
• Conway Twitty’s autograph.

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.

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.
• Mom in Old Town Albuquerque.
• Church at Cerillos, NM.
• Camel Rock, Santa Fe, NM.
• Mom & Dad in front of huge snow banks in Hyde Memorial State park, Santa Fe, NM.
• Governor’s Palace, Santa Fe, NM.
• Vendors at the palace, Santa Fe, NM.
• Taos, NM, and a postcard of the Taos Pueblo.
• A field of deer at Philmont Boy Scout Camp.
• Cimarron Canyon cliffs.
• Mom beside the Rio Grande Rift informational sign.
• Mom on the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
• Elk in Big Costilla Park, NM, elevation 12,931.
• Puye Cliff Dwellings.
• Postcard of Pueblo of Acoma, NM.
• A mountain at Acoma, NM.
• Sandia Peak Tramway, Albuquerque, NM.
• Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument & cactus near Manzano, NM.
• Kiva at Coronado State Park.

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.
• Flowers labeled Water Lily, NC, from July 1988.
• Mom on the beach in Naples, FL.
• Mom at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, FL.
• A heron at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, FL.
• An unidentified bird and an osprey in Everglades National Park.
• Audubon House, key West, FL.
• Sign at the Mel Fischer Maritime Museum, Key West, FL.

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. 

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 18^th 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.
• Mom & Graham in CA.
• Carson House, Eureka, CA.
• A statue of a fisherman in Eureka, CA.
• A view of the Oregon coast.
• Sea lions on the Oregon coast.
• Port Orford, OR.
• Heceta Head Point, OR, with the lighthouse in the distance.
• Mom & Dad at the Crater Lake Reception Center.
• Jack feeding Stellar Jays at Oregon Caves.
• Ducks at Ashland, OR.
• Mt. Shasta, CA.
• Beartown State Park, WV.
• Rapids at Valley Falls State Park, WV.
• Tug boat going through locks on the Ohio River.
• Bridge over West Virginia Gorge.
• View of Grandview State Park from the high bridge.
• Toadstool at Grandview State Park, WV.
• Dad at Grandview State Park, WV.

  

  Bridge near Grandview State Park, WV